It seems that Baron Mordo now goes by Master Mordo in the new listings and is rocking a great new look. We still don’t know what the film has in store for him and if we might see mother Variants of the character. As we’re about to set out into the multiverse, there seem to be the dangers of endless potential, as who knows if even Doctor Strange will always be the same person.
It looks like Marvel Comics has found its new Sorcerer Supreme. Doctor Strange has recently passed away and someone new has taken on the mantle. It turns out that person will be the Mistress of the Dark Dimension, Clea, who will lead her own comic titled Strange. Jed MacKay is set to write the new series right after his work on Death of Doctor Strange with Marcelo Ferreira bringing his Amazing Spider-Man artistic talents to the project. Marvel has shared the following synopsis:
Haunted by her recently returned memories, Clea longs to bring Stephen Strange back from the dead! But when a mysterious group attacks the magical realm, Clea, now the sole protector of Earth against magical threats must rise to the duties of Sorcerer Supreme. Don’t miss the shocking twists, new villains, and unbelievable magical feats as Clea takes Marvel magic to places it’s never gone before!
It’s a great direction for the character, and MacKay highlights that “there’s a new Sorcerer Supreme in residence at 177A Bleecker Street, and a new Doctor Strange—Clea Strange. And she’s got her work cut out for her—when she’s not fighting off the magical gangsters of the Blasphemy Syndicate, or battling undead super-monsters, she’s going after what’s hers: the late Stephen Strange.” So, her fight with the need to revive the one she lost will put her into a very different situation from the previous holder of the mantle and we’ll see what her struggle might mean for the future of the Marvel universe. The comic is going to release on March 2nd.
It’s standard operating procedure for Marvel Studios to schedule additional photography for all of their projects, however, the recent two month extension caused some stir among fans that the film was in trouble. The film has undergone tremendous changes since its inception, with a new creative team of Michael Waldron and Sam Raimi, taking over from Scott Derrickson, who wrote and directed the first film. As usual, however, Marvel Studios has kept quiet about the upcoming sequel, simply moving the film’s release date from March to May.
The only person related to Marvel Studios to have publicly acknowledged the reshoots was star Benedict Cumberbatch, who also happens to play a major role in the latest MCU film, Spider-Man: No Way Home. The film’s red carpet premiere was last night, bringing out all the big wigs at both Marvel and Sony, including Marvel Studios’ President of Physical, Post Production, Victoria Alonso. Alonso was asked if that extensive additional photography had wrapped up yet and she was unsurprisingly forthcoming with her response saying, “No we haven’t (finished production). We’re shooting additional photography-we’re almost done.“
Alonso’s comments fall in line with the expected timing of the extended shoot, which was originally reported to take about 6 weeks to complete. Should everything work out, production should wrap on the film before Christmas, giving the studios more than four months to edit in the new footage and get the film ready for its May debut.
We still have some time before Doctor Strange gets his first sequel, Multiverse of Madness next year. Yet, Benedict Cumberbatch will be on the silver screen as the Sorcerer Supreme in just a few weeks, as he’ll appear in Spider-Man: No Way Home. He’ll help guide Peter Parker through the multiverse, as he faces an unlikely future with his identity out there. Of course, it does open the question of what does the future has in store for our favorite sorcerer. Seems that question was also nagging USA Today, as they asked the actor about it in a recent interview while he was promoting Power of the Dog. It looks like he is open to sticking around quite a bit longer, as he says that:
As long as the character is interesting and challenging and doing fantastic things in the MCU, why not.
Benedict Cumberbatch
It’s always great to see an actor as talented as Cumberbatch committed to bringing these characters to life and even willing to stick around for a longer period of time. Chris Hemsworth famously wanted to leave the franchise after a certain amount of films until Taika Waititi came along and added a breath of fresh air to his franchise, reigniting that spark. We’ll see if a third or even fourth entry in the Doctor Strange franchise can add something new for the actor to dip his toes in and keep the enthusiasm going.
Just a few days ago, a Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness LEGO set has found its way online featuring a first look at Gargantos. It gave us a small glimpse at the packaging with a closer look at Xochitl Gomez as Miss America. Well, it seems that the box set has found its way online in higher quality thanks to @RPK_NEWS1, which also gives us a closer look at Scarlet Witch’s design for the upcoming film, as she stands alongside America, Strange, and Wong even as she was missing in the LEGO Set.
It looks like her design has remained mostly the same from when we saw her in WandaVision. Perhaps it highlights how the various Disney+ shows also help prepare costumes and designs ahead of their appearance in other projects. Adds a nice level of synergy, such as Abomination having a role in Shang-Chi ahead of his return in the She-Hulk series. Of course, there’s a chance they did make a few small changes, but we’ll only find out once we get a closer look at the full design.
‘Loki’ Cast Members Getting into the Madness of ‘Doctor Strange 2’
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is undergoing extensive reshoots which are designed, as star Bandicoot Snugglesnatch explained, to help realize the full potential of the film. Whether that means getting people on set who couldn’t be there before, when the film was shooting in the UK, or adding/reshooting some things, it’s ultimately a positive part of the filmmaking process for a pro like Sam Raimi and part of Raimi’s vision for this film apparently includes having Loki, Mobius and Sylvie in it. A recent IMDB update shows that stunt doubles for the actors behind those characters have recently joined the production. Additionally, Owen Wilson has been spotted in Los Angeles, a place he does NOT frequent unless he’s working. We’ll see how mad it all gets next May.
‘The Marvels’ Wraps Principal Photography
As the Doctor Strange sequel keeps on keeping on, the Captain Marvel sequel, The Marvels, has wrapped principal photography after just shy of 3 months of work. Ironically enough, after going the entire duration of filming without a leak, a few set photos leaked the day after filming wrapped. The film is now slated for a February 17th, 2023 release.
‘AMTW:Q’ WPAWAWNSITCFN2Y
Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania wrapped production as well and will not sit in the can for nearly 2 years before it releases in July of 2023. Of course it’ll undergo some additional photography at some point, which will inspire some intrepid internet personality to claim it’s a disaster and that the entire film is being reworked, but such is the cycle. It’s rumored that by the time the film does hit theaters, Rudd will look exactly the same as he did when filming began.
Netflix Go Going for a Power Rangers Universe
After crashing and burning with the launch of their Millar-verse when Jupiter’s Legacy turned out to be D.O.A., Netflix isn’t giving up. The streaming network, in an effort to keep up with the competition, is working on mapping out a Power Rangers Cinematic Universe, full of interconnected shows and films. Dragon shit!!
Chris Pratt to Americanize Italy’s Greatest Hero in Upcoming Film Adaptation
One of the more original indie comics of 2021, Nocterra, is now in the pipeline to be adapted at Netflix. Nocterra, created by Scott Snyder of Batman fame, is a horror series that tells of a dystopian future where the lights all went out and a lot of bad shit started happening to people, including being turned into terrifying monsters. It truly is a wonderful book that you should check out before it gets turned into a trash series on Netflix.
More Blade Runner on the Way
Ridley Scott was a little grumpy this week, but in one of his kinder moments, he did mention that he had pitched a 10-episode season of a Blade Runner live-action series. It was a little confusing because on one hand, he railed against millennials while, on the other hand, realizing that streaming is the future of entertainment. With an Alien series already in development, it looks like 2 of Scott’s most iconic franchises will continue to live on and that’s almost certainly a good thing.
‘Dead Boy Detectives’ Cast Gets Recast During Casting for Dead Boy Detectives
The Doom Patrol spinoff series, Dead Boy Detectives, found it’s 3 leads this week. The new crew, who will replace the crew that appeared on the most recent season of Doom Patrol, is comprised of George Rexstrew, Jayden Revri and Kassius Nelson. I have no idea who these actors or characters are, but I think JJ liked them.
It came as a shock to many that Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness had to restart a new wave of reshoots. Yet, it’s also quite a regular occurrence for any modern production to try to nail a few additional shots and make up for things they couldn’t make work due to scheduling conflicts. There were also some rumors hinting that the reshoots were a way for them to add a few more cameos that didn’t manage due to scheduling conflicts.
Luckily, in the latest edition of Empire, leading star Benedict Cumberbatch offered a little insight into why they were tackling the reshoots, especially with how extensive they were teased to be. He goes on to highlight logistics and COVID as reasoning, but also that they want to “realize the full potential of the film,” which is a rather curious remark. Here’s the full quote:
We’re in the middle of reshoots and we’re working incredibly hard to make a schedule work to realize the full potential of the film – bits that we want to do better but also bits that were just impossible to do on the day because of logistics, COVID, etc. We were so delayed in production because of that. Luckily, not during production too much. Although everything is just a little slower.
Benedict Cumberbatch
The quote is certainly curious as it does add that a multiversal storyline wants to “realize its full potential.” So, it adds to the rumors that they are likely adding a few more appearances, especially with the reference to COVID as a major cause. Here’s hoping that recent developments don’t affect the current production, which is currently eyeing a May release.
Very few people cover the future Marvel Legends wave on the level of YouTuber Rektangular. His channel is full of leaks and updates of any kind, which makes it worth a follow if you’re a collector. In his most recent update, Rektangular spilled the beans on what to expect from Hasbro’s Marvel Legends collection for 2022.
Obviously, the further out the waves, the less info that’s available, but Rektangular seemed very certain about what to expect from the first two waves set to launch in 2022. The best part is that both will feature figures from upcoming MCU films.
The first wave of Legends is currently scheduled for a January release and will feature characters from Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. The wave will feature a mix of seven MCU and comic book characters who are currently only known by the following code names:
Runes
Bleeker
Bleeper
Stripes
Master
Sleep
Dreamy
According to Rektangular, two of those figures will be comic book sculpts of Sleepwalker and D’Spayre. A digital rendering of D’Spayre, who is a demon and one of the Fear Lords that feed upon the souls of humans for power, leaked some time ago. However, this is the first mention (to my knowledge) of Sleepwalker joining the wave. A relatively obscure character, he has a bit of a cult following and has taken on the Fear Lords, specifically Nightmare, in the comics. Of course, these characters being in the wave is in no way an indication that they will appear in the film.
It’s likely that Sleepwalker and D’Spayre are “Sleepy” and “Dreamy” while the other characters are from the film. Given what we know, it’s possible that Wanda is “Runes”, Strange is Bleeker (a reference to the NYC Sanctum’s location), America Chavez is “Stripes” and Wong is “Master.” That just leaves “Bleeper”, who could be Rintrah. Keep in mind this is the first wave and won’t be spoilery, so Rintrah seems safer than say members of the rumored Illuminati.
April will reportedly see the release of a 7-figure wave featuring characters from Thor: Love and Thunder that we recently covered here. According to Rektangular, the rest of the year will see 6 additional waves released:
April: Vintage wave
May: X-Men wave
June: Classic wave
September: Avengers wave
September: Black Panther: Wakanda Forever wave
October: Avenger wave
It’s likely that characters from Marvel Studios’ streaming series She-Hulk, Moon Knight, and Ms. Marvel will be sprinkled into some of the waves listed above. It’s also possible that additional waves could be planned. Check out Rektangular’s report below and give him a follow if you’re into such things.
After people got very upset at the prospect of a Marvel Studios film undergoing reshoots, some folks with their ears to the ground came through with some info that made a lot of sense. As it turns out, the reshoots aren’t because the film is “a mess”, but rather to get some more cast, who were unavailable during principal photography, into the film.
A New Daredevil Project is In Development
According to a grid leaked by Daniek RPK, Marvel Studios in now developing a solo Daredevil project. There was no indication if the project is meant for theaters or Disney Plus and we still don’t know if Charlie Cox is continuing his portrayal of the Netflix character or starting from scratch. This one looks like it’ll be a ways off yet, but we can all see Cox pretty soon in No Way Home.
Denis Villeneuve is Cancelling Sting
Uber-visionary mega-auteur Denis Villeneuve has finally gone too far. Rather than de-age the nearly ageless Sting, or simply insert his scenes into Dune Part 2, Villeneuve has plans to bring a new actor in for the role of Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen. This is an instance of the director absurdly believing the character is more important than the actor. Surely this will backfire.
Black Panther 2 Taking an Extended Holiday Break
As Letitia Wright continues to recover from injuries she sustained while filming in August, the production on Black Panther: Wakanda Forever has wrapped…for the year. A note was delivered to the cast and crew this week that indicated they would all be home for the holidays...all of the holidays…and production would get geared up again in January. The delay is not expected to shift the film’s release date, so stop the drama!
Avatar is Underway
The Netflix live-action adaptation of Avatar has begun production and the cast continues to fill in nicely. Fans are eagerly scouring the internet for any kernel of info about the new series and so are we! Keep checking back for more.
Jamie Dornan Has Talked to Marvel Studios about a Clothed Role
50 Shades stud Jamie Dornan has started to break out of the pigeon-sized hole his role in those films put him in and now he’s revealed that he has spoken to Marvel Studios One-Above-All, Kevin Feige, about a potential hero role in a Marvel Studios production. It’ll be interesting to see the Irish actor transition from S&M to CBM, but if anyone can do it, it’s Henry Cavill lite.
‘Ahsoka’ Series Has Found a Sabine Wren
Since it was revealed that the general premise of the Ahsoka series would be the search for Ezra, fans have been waiting to find out who would be cast as Sabine Wren. Natasha Liu Bordizzo is the big winner as it was revealed this week she’d be filling the armor and and teaming up with Rosario Dawson in the series.
Marvel Studios ‘Blade’ is Sharpening Up
It’s been nearly radio silent on the MCU’s Blade reboot since Kevin Feige announced it at SDCC ’19. That’s all changing now as the casting process has begun in earnest ahead of a late-Summer of 2022 start of production. Delroy Lindo, simply one of the coolest men on the face of the planet, has been cast in an undisclosed role alongside star Mahershala Ali. Murphy’s money is on Lindo playing Jamal Afari, Blade’s father figure and mentor in the ways of staking vampires.
As soon as Sam Raimi took over directing duties from Scott Derrickson for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, many wondered what it might mean for the film. Not only is Raimi‘s Spider-Man film what kicked off the superhero boom alongside Blade, but he’s also quite famous for his work on horror films. As the Doctor strange sequel was teased frequently as the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s first horror story.
So, he is the perfect choice to join the project to bring his flair from films like Evil Dead or Drag Me to Hell. There were some concerns that his directorial style might take a backseat for the overarching universe building, but actor Benedict Cumberbatch may have offered a tease of what’s to come.
You have to wait and see. There’s a lot of Marvel and there’s a lot of Raimi as well. Raimi fans will hopefully not be disappointed. It’s a very giddy mixture, actually. And I think it’s, it’s a riot and it will live up to its title, a multiverse of madness for sure
It certainly sounds like it’ll bring together the best of both worlds. The post-credit sequence from WandaVision made many questions if it was directed by Raimi due to the use of the camera chasing towards Wanda’s little cabin. There’s something iconic about his use of the camera and might make the horror elements in this multiversal storyline stand out even more. Here’s hoping we won’t have to wait too long for the first trailer and a hint at what to expect.
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