After a long wait, Star Wars Celebration is back with its big panel teasing what the future has in store for Lucasfilm. They kicked off the panel with their sleeper hit from last year: Andor. The more grounded story of the early days of the rebellion has sparked with many fans and may have become the one series that many believe is even Lucasfilm and Star Wars’ best entry to date.
We’ve known for some time though that the series isn’t quite done yet and would wrap up with a second season. During the big Lucasfilm panel at SWCE, the series showrunner and creator Tony Gilroy unveiled that we might expect the series sometime next year. He highlights that they are already halfway through production and once again confirms that the series will end where Rogue One starts.
Though the project has long since completed filming and is now in post-production, the Star Wars streaming series Skeleton Crew continues to sound more promising by the day. Billed as an Amblin-esque adventure set in the Galaxy far, far away, Skeleton Crew has assembled quite the group of directors. Now a new report suggests another hot name has joined the list.
According to One Take News, Jake Schreier directed an episode of the series for Lucasfilm. Schreier Joins The Daniels and David Lowery on an impressive list of talented directors who have worked with creator Jon Watts behind the camera.
Skeleton Crew tells the story of four kids who find themselves lost in in the vastness of the galaxy trying to find their way home.
Official synopsis of Skeleton Crew via Lucasfilm
A year ago, Schreier was known more for his work on music videos than major projects. That all changed when Marvel Studios selected him to direct the 2024 film Thunderbolts, which will begin production this Spring. Schreier’s first major project, the streaming series Beef, hits Netflix soon and has already been the subject of a lot of positive critical buzz. Interestingly enough, Thunderbolts will serve as a bit of a Beef reunion for Schreier with star Steven Yeun and screenwriter Lee Sung Jin joining him on the Marvel Studios project.
Lucasfilm has not officially confirmed the team of directors for Skeleton Crew. However, it’s expected that the project will be a part of the upcoming Star Wars Celebration presentation on April 7th in London.
Bryce Dallas Howard returned to direct Chapter 22 of The Mandalorian and she brought some big names along with her. The episode, titled Guns for Hire, saw Din Djarin, Grogu and Bo-Katan head to the planet of Plazir-15 where they looked to enlist Axe Woves, Koska Reeves and their team of Mandalorian mercenaries into their quest to reclaim Mandalore. While the series Mandalorian leads found who they were looking for, they also met a trio of new faces who made surprising cameos in the episode.
The grandiose world of Plazir-15 is new to the Star Wars universe which gave Howard and creator Jon Favreau room to get creative and they did exactly that. Shortly after landing on the planet, Din, Grogu and Bo-Katan were escorted to a rather extravagant party. And who invited the Mandalorians to have a seat at the table, take a load off and sip on secretions? The planet’s rulers, The Dutchess and Captain Bombardier, played by Lizzo and Jack Black, respectively.
As the plot of the episode moved ahead, it turned out it had one more surprise cameo in store. Before Din and Bo-Katan would be allowed to meet with their fellow Mandalorians on Plazir-15, they had a small task to complete for the Dutchess and Captain Bombardier. Plazir-15, as it turned out, had recently experienced some unpleasant business with some rogue droids. To get to the bottom of the matter, Din and Bo-Katan met with the planet’s head of security, Captain Helgait, played by the iconic Christopher Lloyd. Though Helgait was revealed to be behind the droid attacks and exiled from the planet, he did live to see another day.
It’ll be interesting to follow both the reaction to the trio of cameos and any forthcoming information from Lucasfilm about them. For his part, Black has created a few social media videos expressing his fandom for Star Wars and, in particular, The Mandalorian. His 2022 May the Fourth Be With You and Revenge of the Fifth Tik Toks made quite a splash.
Chapter 22 of The Mandalorian is now streaming on Disney Plus.
Production on Marvel Studios streaming series Wonder Man, starring Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, looks to be getting underway in Los Angeles and while the cast has been growing by the day, the team behind the camera is also coming into focus. In a post on his Instagram, Wonder Man executive producer Destin Daniel Cretton has revealed that Brett Pawlak will serve as the series director of photography.
A quick check of Pawlak’s resume, located on his website, confirms that Pawlak has taken the gig. Cretton and Pawlak are frequent collaborators with the two most notably teaming up on Just Mercy and the Disney Plus streaming series, American Born Chinese. Wonder Man is being written by Brooklyn 99‘s Andrew Guest and will be directed by a team consisting of Stella Meghie, James Ponsoldt and, potentially, Cretton. Of course, Cretton is also pretty busy writing the sequel to Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and preparing to direct Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, so he may choose to simply oversee the creative team of Wonder Man.
Given Marvel Studios has been ordered to drastically slow down their output of streaming series, it’s unclear when Wonder Man may stream on Disney Plus but it doesn’t seem as though it could be any sooner than late 2024.
The first full trailer for the upcoming Marvel Studios streaming series, Secret Invasion, debuted recently and gave fans a little better idea of what to expect from the show when it debuts on Disney Plus on June 21st. Though it won’t be a superhero cameo fest like its comic book counterpart, Marvel Studios Secret Invasion will have quite a bit in common with the 2008 crossover event by writer Brian Michael Bendis. Most notably, the central plot revolves around a faction of Skrulls who, after years (maybe decades?) of preparation, are prepared to take over Earth. The new trailer–just like the first teaser–certainly gives off all the vibes of a paranoia-laden spy-thriller but it also gives a little better glimpse into the plans of Kingsley Ben-Adir‘s Gravik which look to give the show a heavy dose of science fiction as well.
Taking over Earth, even when they’ve infiltrated positions of power around the globe, won’t be easy for the Skrulls. They’ll need an army and while they may have the numbers necessary to put a sizeable one together, what’s known of them from Captain Marvel would hardly make the likes of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes shudder and so, they’ll need something more. Though it’s been the subject of rumors for some time now, it’s made clear in the new trailer that Gravik isn’t your average, ordinary shapeshifting Skrull but rather something a little more…super.
Super-Skrulls have been part of Marvel Comics since 1963’s Fantastic Four #18 and while it’s not been confirmed just yet, it seems as though Gravik is the MCU’s beta Super-Skrull. Super-Skrulls are exactly what you probably think they are: Skrulls sporting super abilities beyond that of the average Skrull. In the comics, they come in two flavors: enhanced or cloned. Whether enhanced or cloned, Super-Skrulls in the comics have been either technologically or genetically altered to enable them to express super abilities taken from other beings. And in Secret Invasion, it seems that’s exactly what Gravik is up to.
Seen first in the teaser for the series and then again in the new trailer, in his base in a decommissioned nuclear power site in Russia, Gravik has a secret room containing dozens–maybe hundreds–of bodies, each of whom has a very interesting looking device attached to their bodies. Is this essentially a farm where cloned Super-Skrulls are waiting to be awakened and sent into action? If so, what’s stopping Gravik from sending them out to take over Earth? The answer to that seems to be tied a machine that he’s shown to be building in the teaser and the trailer. Should he complete that, he’d have an army of Super-Skrulls ready to take on Earth’s heroes when they answer the call.
The trailer also provides some insight into where Gravik is collecting the specimens he intends to use to power up these Super-Skrulls. After first appearing in the MCU in Spider-Man: Homecoming, The United States Department of Damage Control conveniently popped up in Ms. Marvel and She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. Following the Chitauri invasion of Earth, Damage Control was given oversight over any and all alien artifacts from the Battle of New York. It would stand to reason that they’ve also followed the Avengers around the United States clearing up their messes following their major skirmishes. During Phase 4, it was also established that they have a supermax prison where Emil Blonsky and the Ms. Marvel villains known as the Clandestines were held. The infiltration of Damage Control could be a potential disaster…and that’s exactly what the Secret Invasion trailer indicates has happened.
While a trailer often presents things taken out of context, it sure looks like Gravik’s Skrulls have been busy getting their hands on all kinds of things they can use to power up their army of Super-Skrulls. The screenshot above may indicate that they were able obtain the hand of Cull Obsidian, a member of Thanos’ Black Order who aided him in acquiring the Infinity Stones on Earth. Cull Obsidian possessed incredible strength, speed, stamina and durability while also demonstrating the ability to heal quickly from injuries–standard, run-of-the-mill superpowers. It seems very likely that Gravik would use the DNA from the sample to provide his army of Super-Skrulls with those powers as their baseline before adding who knows what else to the mix. With the resources of Damage Control, it’s terrifying to think what Gravik could be cooking up and if he’s successful in creating an entire army of Super-Skrulls, Earth’s Mightiest Heroes might not be enough to stop them.
With Nick Fury refusing to call his “super friends” for help in Secret Invasion, it’ll be interesting to see what the old spy pulls out of his bag of tricks to stop Gravik’s plans to take over the Earth!
Who do you trust? That question will be at the center of Marvel Studios latest streaming series, Secret Invasion, when it hits Disney Plus beginning June 21st. Unlike its comic book namesake, Marvel Studios Secret Invasion won’t be an epic, Avengers crossover event but rather a paranoia-laden spy thriller with the spy of all spies, Nick Fury, right in the middle of it all. Marvel Studios recently rolled out the first full trailer for the new series and also provided an official synopsis and partial cast list for the show!
In Marvel Studios’ new series “Secret Invasion,” set in the present day MCU, Nick Fury learns of a clandestine invasion of Earth by a faction of shapeshifting Skrulls. Fury joins his allies, including Everett Ross, Maria Hill and the Skrull Talos, who has made a life for himself on Earth. Together they race against time to thwart an imminent Skrull invasion and save humanity.
Samuel L. Jackson‘s Nick Fury will be joined by Talos, once again brought to life by Ben Mendelsohn. They will be joined by fellow MCU returnees Cobie Smulders as Maria Hill, Martin Freeman as Everett Ross and Don Cheadle as James Rhodes. Kingsley Ben-Adir joins the MCU as Gravik, the leader of an extremist faction of Skrulls that includes Emilia Clarke‘s G’iah, the daughter of Talos, and Killian Scott, whose Skrull character has not been officially named but has been referred to as Fiz in various reports. Charlayne Woodard, who is rumored to play Nick Fury’s wife, Priscilla, Samuel Adewunmi, Dermot Mulroney, Christopher McDonald, Katie Finneran and Olivia Colman, who will play MI6 operative Sonya Falsworth, were also revealed to be part of the cast.
Ali Selim (Manhunt, Condor) directed and executive-produced Secret Invasion, along with fellow executive producers Kevin Feige, Jonathan Schwartz, Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso, Brad Winderbaum, Samuel L. Jackson, Kyle Bradstreet and Brian Tucker. Bradstreet is also the head writer, and Jennifer L. Booth, Allana Williams and Brant Englestein serve as co-executive producers.
Quality over quantity has been the long-echoed outcry on the internet surrounding Marvel Studios’ direction during the pandemic. With up to four shows on top of three films, it seemed like they were hoping too put out as much as they could. There were hints that Bob Chapek‘s era has forced them to also enforce more Disney+ releases to promote the streaming service while also trying to adjust to something no one ever expected to delay their releases for two years.
Marvel Studios was playing catch-up but there was enough drama to overshadow the troubles most production companies are facing in the current timeline. CG over specific shots in a 2+ hour project were the signs of this development, and many discussions have surfaced online. Ironically, most of this discourse only really arrived during 2022 and has been hyper-fixated on in the current mythos.
That was until Bob Iger once again took over as Disney CEO and many new rumors have surfaced hinting at a new yet old direction. Ironically, the number of rumors of potential projects was one of the causes for concern, these new rumors are potentially doing the same thing. On The Hot Mic, Jeff Sneider has added more fuel to the fire of a more regulated output in the form of an exact project count moving forward.
Marvel’s target output has been reduced. I don’t know if this has been reported, or if this was a line in the trades, or whatever, but I’m told that the target output has been reduced from four shows and four movies a year to two shows and three movies a year. And of course that’s malleable. You could get one on either side of that, or whatever.
Jeff Sneider
Two series and three films a year seem to be the current direction for 2023. We just recently saw Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania release with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and The Marvels on the horizon. We also had the longest pause between series releases with Secret Invasion finally getting its June release and likely only the second season of Loki on the horizon. While some future schedules might hint at a different schedule, they have reshuffled their schedules quite a bit as of late.
It is kind of funny to think that this schedule matches what we had with the Netflix series and the Marvel movies, as we had two series and three films every year. Yet, we also had additional Marvel series like The Runaways, Agents of SHIELD, as well as Cloak and Dagger. 2018 to 2019 technically had more projects airing with a higher number of episodes compared to the “stuffed” 2022 but perhaps the Marvel studios branding is creating the illusion of such. Either way, the current rumor mill will likely have many happy to see the studio dial it down.
Recently a listing on Disney Plus indicated that Marvel Studios upcoming streaming series, Secret Invasion, was set for a June 21st debut. Shortly after word of the listing begin to circulate online, the listing and any reference to the streaming project was removed from the service. Now, ahead of a new trailer for the series, the release date has been confirmed by a new poster for the project.
Sporting the familiar “Who Do You Trust?” tagline from the comic book crossover event, the new poster features a fascinating image of Nick Fury’s face intercut with a Skrull…and a release date!As indicated by the recent D+ listing, Secret Invasion will kick off its 6-episode run on June 21st.
The 72-year-old Harris is one of Hollywood’s most well-respected method actors and capable of turning any role into a memorable one. Harris has played memorable villains in The Rock, Enemy at the Gates, The Truman Show and National Treasure: Book of Secrets as well as a chilling performance in A History of Violence. He’ll certainly bring something special to the role, though it looks as though it will be quite some time before audiences get to see exactly what that is. Marvel Studios has dramatically slowed the streaming pipeline and Wonder Man isn’t expected to stream until late 2024 at the earliest.
The identity of Emilia Clarke‘s character in the upcoming Marvel Studios streaming series, Secret Invasion, has been the subject of rumors and speculation since it was announced that the actress had joined the project. She’s been said to be playing Veranke, Abigail Brand and, more recently, said to be a Skrull named G’iah by insider Daniel RPK. Not everyone can be right…or can they?…but now Marvel Studios has made it official via a special look at the series from Vanity Fair.
As shared by Daniel RPK, Clarke is playing the Skrull G’iah, the daughter of Talos, who audiences first met in 2019’s Captain Marvel. “Remember when Ben [Mendelsohn] was there with his wife and daughter? She’s the little Skrull girl grown up. She’s his daughter,” revealed Secret Invasion star Samuel L. Jackson. The character of G’iah was first introduced in Marvel Comics in 2019’s Meet the Skrulls, which has long been rumored to have partially inspired Marvel Studios streaming series.
While the identity of Clarke’s character may not be a huge surprise (Marvel Studios made it pretty clear at the end of Captain Marvel that the character would return in some way), her role in the project might be: she’s part of an extremist group of Skrulls, led by Kingsley Ben-Adir’s Gravik, who believed Talos had failed them, decided to stop waiting to find a new home and have begun taking over Earth. “It’s hardened her for sure. There’s a kind of punk feeling that you get from this girl,” said Clarke of growing up amidst the Kree-Skrull War as the daughter of a Skrullian leader. “She’s a refugee kid who’s had Talos for a dad, you know what I mean? Maybe the fact that we didn’t know he had a kid up until this point tells you everything you need to know about their relationship. There is a lot of angst and pain and anger and resentment. The group themselves are kind of anti-Talos.“
These people promised a lot of stuff a long time ago, and not a lot has happened. So understandably, a certain amount of resentment has been built. There’s a lot of emotions that live within her, and there’s a lot of confrontational aspects to her character that have come from circumstance. You understand why she has the feelings that she does.
Emilia Clarke
Secret Invasion will certainly paint these extremist Skrulls in a different–and much more comic-accurate–light than in Captain Marvel and Spider-Man: Far From Home where they were victims of an ongoing war and even allies to humanity. Now that Gravik’s extremist faction is ready to move to the next step of their takeover of Earth, having G’iah and Talos on opposite sides will make for a very compelling arc when the series hits Disney Plus in June.
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