Some of the first signs that a show or film is coming soon is merchandise popping up at various big retail stores. If these two t-shirts recently spotted at a Wal-Mart (see the tags) are any indication, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier series is still planned to release this year! There’s not much point in releasing merchandise for a show not arriving until next year, after all!
Check them out below!
Source: @SpinelessOyster on Twitter
It may be from filming The Falcon and the Winter Soldier back in 2019, but the image shared via Sebastian Stan’s Instagram below still gets me excited. Here’s hoping Sebastian’s added activities on Instagram lately means we’ll get a heads up from the Bucky Barnes actor when they do resume behind the cameras.
How do I know it’s a picture from The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, you may ask? Note the dog tag, which Sebastian also showed off in an Instagram stories in November, shortly after they began filming.
Twenty-three movies in and there have been some incredible composers lending their talent to the Infinity Saga’s theatrical releases, from Ramin Djawadi (Game of Thrones; Westworld) to Alan Silvestri (Back to The Future; Predator) and Michael Giacchino (Lost; The Incredibles). Also, the brilliant Ludwig Göransson (set to return to score season 2 of The Mandalorian), who had an amazing 2019 as his work on the Black Panther soundtrack and Donald Glover‘s This Is America gained him both popular and critical acclaim as well as an Academy Award and a couple of Grammys to go with it.
But even though the MCU has tried to follow a somewhat more classical path when it comes to its soundtracks, with orchestral leitmotifs throughout, there have been several movies where songs, not the score, have taken a step forward and gained significant importance to the plot and the characters themselves. I mean, little did we know that the use of ACϟDC’s “Back in Black” (1980) in the very first scene of the very entry in the franchise would have such an emotional pay-off more than eleven years later as it springboarded Spider-Man back into action. “I LOVE LED ZEPPELIN!”
But it was 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy that became the epitome of song usage in the MCU, something made very clear from it’s first few minutes. We got to see the young Peter Quill listening to 10cc’s “I’m Not In Love” (1975) outside his mother’s hospital room to try and cope with the weight of the moment, and then his older self dancing through a Morag temple while singing along to “Come and Get Your Love” (1974) by Redbone, in stark contrast to the eeriness around him. We later learned that the songs Quill kept with him were part of a mix-tape his mother gifted him with her favorite songs from the 60s and 70s. For him, those songs became an escape, something to brighten up his days, a constant presence in his life, a reminder of better times, and a way to keep his mother’s memory alive. And since music mattered so much to Quill, at such a raw and relatable level, it became relevant to the audience as well. The same happened in the previously mentioned scene from Spider-Man: Far From Home, when the audience likely mimicked Happy Hogan’s reaction, in all its nuanced glory. And this is when you know that the use of songs, often a gimmick to shoehorn a random ambiance in specifics scenes, is adding to the story in a way that feels earned.
By choosing such a specific timeline to introduce Carol Danvers, it was obvious from the start that Captain Marvel would try banking on 90s nostalgia. The very first trailer started with Vers crashing into a Blockbuster and the callbacks were omnipresent throughout the movie itself. Giant cell-phones, pagers, and dial-up internet made for an inverted technology shock, as both Carol and the audience had to adapt to such an archaic landscape. But even with all these references, the real hook was to be the music. As James Gunn realized, that’s where the emotional response from the audience could easily pay dividends later on. By adding that extra level of relatability to Carol it could help make the character even a bigger fan favorite than she ended up being. But even though the songs were there it all felt a bit disconnected both because of the way they were used and Danvers’ (non-)reactions to them. It all made for a somewhat disappointing experience since it had the potential to become something truly magnificent, perhaps even surpassing the response to Guardians’ accomplishments in this specific area.
The approach seems to have been to simply insert 90s songs into the movie, highlighting their presence and trying to get an audience reaction, but sadly bypassing their importance to the characters. As co-director Anna Boden stated during an interview with AMC:
We can’t compete with Guardians of the Galaxy. [That] was its own special thing. But we do have a movie that takes place in the 90s, and you will hear some 90s music, hopefully stuff that reminds you of the past. We’re playing a lot with songs that we forgot about or just haven’t heard in a long time, but that really bring us back to a certain moment.
Guardians was clearly something special. But not trying to accomplish something equally noteworthy seems to have been the first step to not getting there in the first place. Most of the song choices were from the 1992-1995 era, being R.E.M.’s “Man On The Moon” (1992) one of the earlier releases but seeing that Carol had left Earth in 1989 this meant that there would be no reason for her to have any sort of connection to them. When they showed up in the movie it always felt a bit bland. The audience could even be connecting with the songs, but once the main character felt so removed from them that could even almost retract that initial nostalgic feeling. There wasn’t even really any effort to try and make Carol connect with them, since she never really acknowledged the ones that happened to be playing in the background. This all felt a bit out of character since throughout the movie, and if you leave out the Air Force Flightsuit and her Kree uniform, she basically is just seen wearing shirts with band logos on them, from Nine Inch Nails to Guns N’ Roses and Heart, meaning she wasn’t oblivious to the art form.
The final confrontation with the Supreme Intelligence late in the movie, just before Carol goes Binary for the first time, always felt like the perfect example of the way musical callbacks were mishandled. This was an interface where, as stated in the movie, characters mostly only found what they took there, so there would be little point in having Nirvana’s “Come As You Are” (1992) playing since Carol probably didn’t even know the band, that was just releasing their first album at the time she was abducted. And even if you could argue that it was the Supreme Intelligence the one responsible for choosing the song, that wouldn’t be that intelligent as the eventual reaction it was trying to get out of Carol would be as empty as the lies she kept in her mind.
Halfway through the movie, the scene where Fury meets up with Carol at Pancho’s Bar makes for a great metaphor for the way songs were used in the movie. When asked to prove she isn’t a Skrull, and without blinking, Carol’s choice is to blow up a jukebox using a photon blast. The same jukebox that probably provided her numerous nights of entertainment at that same bar with Maria Rambeau, as we caught a glimpse through flashbacks. If music was supposed to help with her amnesia and help to bring the old Carol back, if it was supposed to bring the audience closer together to relive the 90s through her eyes, it just died a very painful death. With a photon blast to the face.
It’s always fascinating how much films change throughout productions. While the scripts originally plan out the entire story, changes are still going to happen. This could either be the actor’s performance or just some pacing issues fixed through re-shoots. Looks like one change actually saved a fan-favorite character from Captain Marvel a gruesome fate. It is none other than the Skrull Talos.
The character played by Ben Mendelsohn had some of the best lines in the film. It also was really clever casting by Marvel Studios. He is known for his villainous roles, so it was a nice twist when he turned out to be a decent person in a terrible war. As a bonus, he made a surprise cameo at the end of Spider-Man: Far From Home teasing more of the character in the future. In an interview with NME, the actor revealed that Talos was originally going to die in the film.
“That truly exceeded my expectations. [Talos] was gonna die at around page 60 [in the script] originally and he survived that, so he’s done pretty well. And if that fucking shapeshifter rears his ugly head again, I’ll do my best to be inside it.”
It was a great decision to keep him around. Especially the enthusiasm that Mendelsohn has for returning in future projects. If the Far From Home post-credit scene is anything to go by, we will see quite a bit more of him in the future. He will most likely be an integral character throughout the rumored Secret Invasion plotline for Captain Marvel 2. There was even the rumor that the storyline would get its very own show. It would be cool to explore a Skrull invasion from the point-of-view of a Skrull, who lived alongside humans. Talos being torn between his own alien race and his friends could make for a great story.
Source: NME, Illuminerdi, MovieWeb
A few days ago, Charles Murphy reported in a What I Heard This Week report, that Sony-Marvel are looking for a Joel Kinnaman “type” for a certain role in the third Spider-Man movie. It appears there is a chance that Kinnaman himself may not only fit the part, but could very well be cast in the film after all. This is by no means official, and mostly speculation based on a bit of detective work, but please read on and judge for yourself.
It is known that Joel Kinnaman and Tom Holland worked closely together on the film Edge Of Winter back in 2015. That film premiered the following year, along with Suicide Squad and Captain America: Civil War. The two became friends, mutually follow each other on Instagram, and Tom even popped up on the set to the Suicide Squad, via a now deleted post on Kinnaman’s Instagram.
Now, it would be easy and kind of silly to just say, well they’re friends so Kinnaman is definitely in Spider-Man 3 for that reason. But it is a small piece of evidence which is clear and undeniable. So while I wouldn’t rely on that solely for conclusions, I’ll just leave it out there.
What is also undeniable is that the much rumored, much anticipated, appearance of Kraven the Hunter in the Spider-Man universe, makes a hell of a lot of sense for the sequel. The way Spider-Man: Far From Home left off, with the cliffhanger of Peter’s secret identity being outed by one very loud mouthed J. Jonah Jamesson, plus Peter being framed for Mysterio’s murder, it seems only natural that the next installment would feature someone trying to capture the webslinger whether it be for justice, or just for the thrill of the hunt!
So Kraven the Hunter is extremely likely to be in it. In fact, our own Charles Murphy surmised as much in a Connecting Imaginary Dots feature back in February.
Also undeniable, is the fact that Kinnaman is a just about perfect casting choice to play the Russian born hunter Sergei Kravinoff as strongly hinted at in Charles’ other previously mentioned article.
So, there’s the age old question, if they are or were looking for an actor or actress who is the perfect type for a role, then why in the world don’t they just hire that actor? Of course contract negotiations, and availability can play a big part in whether or not an actor gets or takes a role, but in this case I think there is a strong possibility he might actually already have it. A check of Kinnaman’s IMDb seems to show his schedule clear for the time being.
There is also some interesting connections revealed courtesy of Instagram.
The man you see Tom Holland praising in the Instagram post above is George Cottle. He is the stunt co-ordinator and assistant director for Spider-Man: Far From Home as well as the upcoming Spider-Man film, and stunt co-ordinator for Spider-Man: Homecoming. Very interestingly, Cottle also follows Kinnaman on Instagram. I checked and it doesn’t appear they had worked together before, tho perhaps they are friends through Tom Holland. However, the fact that it didn’t take much scrolling to get down to Kinnaman’s name on his following list makes me think that follow may be fairly recent.
Perhaps I’m leaping to a conclusion, a bit too enthusiastic whilst stalking my prey of new information, but I would say there is a strong chance Kinnaman is in Spider-Man: the threequel possibly aka… ugh… Homesick. And yes it is very possible, since he’s just about perfect for it, that he is actually playing Kraven the Hunter himself!
Before you go any further, please note that this is what we call a “Connecting Imaginary Dots” feature. We are not claiming any insider knowledge; this article is PURELY speculation.
If you’re not familiar with the “Connecting Imaginary Dots” features here at Murphy’s Multiverse, these are speculative pieces, and so although we’ve gathered evidence to support our conclusions, we cannot officially or 100% prove them at the time. The speculation may turn out to be right or wrong, but we still think it’s worth sharing with you all for considersation.
In this Connecting Imaginary Dots, I will explain why I believe that in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Florian “Big Nasty” Munteanu is playing another mountain of a man: Black Jack Tarr.
Why do I believe this? Well, back on January 30, Murphy’s Multiverse broke the news that Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings would introduce 3 significant MI-6 characters: Leiku Wu, Clive Reston, and Black Jack Tarr. In the previously mentioned article by Charles, Tarr is described as “an elite martial artist who enjoys the thrill of the battle.” That certainly sounds like a good fit for “Big Nasty” doesn’t it? Tarr is a bit of a rough, gruff, hot head who starts out as a combatant to Shang-Chi, but later becomes a friend and ally. That would most likely mean the actor who played him would be filming a significant time, and judging by the panel above, it would require another “mountain of a man” to play the character.
In addition, the amount of time Munteanu has spent in Australia this year while they were filming seems significant. We know via his Instagram that he arrived in Sydney in mid January and was there until at least March 19th. It is shortly after he arrives in January that Shang-Chi himself, Simu Liu started following him on Instagram and liking and replying to many of his posts. Awkwafina too, started mutually following and liking his posts. All of this, and other hints and winks from Munteanu along the way, gave pretty much anyone who was paying attention the idea that he was more than likely in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.
A more recent mutual follow, post, and interaction with Munteanu made me all the more suspicious that he is in fact playing Tarr. Check out the post below about his return to Sydney to finish what they started and the reply by actress Fala Chen who seems to have started mutually following him fairly recently.
What the reply and likes and mutual follow here tells me is that they probably have some screen time together, and if Fala Chen is indeed playing Leiku Wu, as we have surmised (and currently who she is listed as playing in IMDB), then the most likely character he is playing is Black Jack Tarr.
An edit to add: A quick search online puts Black Jack Tarr at 6’6″ and 300 lbs. Now, how many well established actors out there can even come close to that? Not many. A search for Florian Munteanu puts him at 6’4″ and 235-245 lbs. If they want to come close to “the man not even Kung Fu can smash” then “Big Nasty” certainly sounds about right!
A brand new video and report today from 7 News in Australia reveals a fresh look at work being done on a set for Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings in Sydney. Check it out below!
The report also indicated that cast has returned and they would resume filming in the coming days. Check out the full video from Facebook below!
Tennis star Serena Williams spoke to Natalie Portman recently about the new NWSL team they co-own coming to L.A.. Luckily for us Serena asked Natalie about her playing Jane as The Mighty Thor in Thor Love and Thunder.
At first joking that filming hasn’t started yet but it gives her “more time to, you know, get jacked.” Natalie added that she’s “got the carbo loading down but not the leg exercises.” Then she dropped a confirmation of when and where she expects filming to begin.
“Very excited. We’re shooting in Australia at the beginning of next year.”
“Interested to see if I can actually gain muscle,” Natalie joked again. It seems as if she’s taking her Mighty Thor role very seriously despite the expectations of there being a lot of humor in the script similar to Thor Ragnarok. Natalie is a very committed actress so I expect she will do her best to “get jacked.”
As for the news that Thor Love and Thunder is expected to start filming in Australia at the beginning of next year, this is not surprising. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings needs to finish filming before Thor can begin. Plus the release date for the fourth Thor film was pushed back to early 2022 for that reason. However it is good to have the star actress confirm that she expects to need to be in “mighty” good shape for filming by early 2021 not later.
Fingers crossed that doesn’t get pushed back again.
Source: YouTube
Announced at San Diego Comic-Con 2022, Avengers: Secret Wars may well prove to be Marvel Studios’ most ambitious project ever. Set to conclude not only Phase 6 of the MCU but also the entirety of the Multiverse Saga, it’s easy to refer back to the tagline promoting the 2015 comic event: “When everything ends, there is only Secret Wars.”
Avengers: Secret Wars ended up being of the Marvel feature films affected by an October 2022 shift in release dates. It moved from its initial November 2025 slot to May 1, 2026. As part of a total slate shift by Marvel Studios, the film was once again moved, this time to May 7, 2027.
During Marvel Studios Hall H panel at SDCC ’24, Kevin Feige introduced Anthony and Joe Russo as the directors of Avengers: Secret Wars.
In May 2025, the film’s release date was moved to December 17, 2027.
Cast
Announced at San Diego Comic-Con 2022 as being part of Phase 6 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Avengers: Kang Dynasty will focus on Jonathan Majors‘ Kang, who was first introduced as a Variant referred to as He Who Remains in the finale of the first season of Loki, is set to become the MCU’s next big bad. And so being, a big confrontation with Earth’s Mightiest Heroes is, like their previous antagonist Thanos, inevitable. As the Multiverse Saga develops over the course of the next couple of years, Avengers: Kang Dynasty may not only serve as the culmination of Kang’s presence in the MCU but also set things up for the following Avengers entry, due to be released six months afterward.
Destin Daniel Cretton (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings) was announced as the director just three days after the feature film was announced. In late 2023, as part of a total creative overhaul, Cretton left the project and writer Michael Waldron (Loki, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Avengers: Secret Wars) took over writing duties. Before the end of 2023, Marvel Studios fired actor Jonathan Majors after he was found guilty of assault and harassment. The studio is currently looking to recast the character.
On February 21, 2024, THR reported that in the wake of Majors’ legal troubles and the poor response to Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania, the studio was dropping the subtitle The Kang Dynasty and looking to rename the film.
As part of their SDCC ’24 presentation, Marvel Studios announced that the fifth Avengers film was set to be directed by Anthony and Joe Russo and had been retitled Avengers: Doomsday. Infinity Saga star Robert Downey Jr. is set to play Doctor Doom.
In May 2025, the film’s release date was moved to December 18, 2026.
Cast
