Tag: Marvel Movies

Alan Taylor Shares His Original Plans for a More Magical ‘THOR: THE DARK WORLD’

Marvel Studios may be huge on creative vision now, but that wasn’t always the case. The production giant’s second phase of films was plagued by conflicts between directors and Marvel’s now-defunct creative committee. These disagreements famously led to Edgar Wright departing Ant-Man, and had a huge impact on the final product of the MCU’s first Thor sequel.

Before Game of Thrones’ Alan Taylor boarded the project, it had already lost a director in the form of future Wonder Woman helmer Patty Jenkins. We’ve known for a while that The Dark World didn’t end up looking as Taylor originally intended, but now we have a clearer idea of what it was supposed to look like. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, he offered a glimpse of his vision.

The version I had started off with had more childlike wonder; there was this imagery of children, which started the whole thing. There was a slightly more magical quality. There was weird stuff going on back on Earth because of the convergence that allowed for some of these magical realism things. And there were major plot differences that were inverted in the cutting room and with additional photography — people [such as Loki] who had died were not dead, people who had broken up were back together again. I think I would like my version.
Alan Taylor

It would seem Taylor’s original plans included keeping Tom Hiddleston’s Loki dead. The big reveal is the plan on ending the relationship between Thor and Jane Foster earlier than expected. While it would have been interesting to see what direction these changes might have taken the MCU, it is worth noting that keeping these developments in the film would likely have prevented Loki from happening. We might not have even gotten Taika Waititi’s Thor films that redefined the character. Sometimes, the universe is give-and-take.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

August 12, 2021
Sony Delays Venom Sequel Again

Sony Pictures has formally delayed Venom: There Will Be Carnage for a fourth time. The film, originally set to debut in October of 2020, is now set for release on October 15, 2021 in U.S. theaters.

A report by Variety indicates that the “rocky film landscape” caused by a surge in the delta variant of COVID-19 weighed heavily in Sony’s decision to move the film. Sony remains committed to making sure the film debuts exclusively in theaters and is, apparently, hoping that things will clear up significantly over the next couple of months. At this point, it seems equally likely that this is just another place holder for the film and another movie is possible.

The move also calls into question whether or not Sony’s other major Marvel release, Spider-Man: No Way Home, will be delayed as well. To this point, the film’s first teaser trailer hasn’t been officially released to the public, causing fans quite a bit of consternation about what might happen with the Spidey threequel.

Source: Variety

August 12, 2021
Samuel L. Jackson Hints at Nick Fury Appearing in ‘THE MARVEL’s

All eyes are on Samuel L. Jackson right now, as he recently teased the return of Nick Fury’s iconic mustache. The only question was which project is he included, as we know he’ll have a starring role in Disney+’s Secret Invasion. Yet, there have been inklings he’d also join the upcoming The Marvel‘s film, which will see the team-up of Brie Larson‘s Carol Danvers, Teyonah Parris‘ Monica Rambeau, and Iman Vellani‘s Ms. Marvel. Larson recently confirmed that production has started with director Nia DaCosta. As if they timed it perfectly, he released his Instagram post with the iconic beard confirming he is currently filming a project.

View this post on Instagram

It wasn’t until his second Instagram post that he tagged The Marvel‘s film and potentially confirmed his appearance in the film. There’s still little information that leaked from the project, but it seems possible he’s also working on Secret Invasion, as the projects could potentially interconnect due to the strong inclusion of the Skrulls. They had a prominent role in the first Captain Marvel film and the sequel might continue telling that story, as there are also rumblings of Jude Law‘s Yon-Rogg making a return.

The exciting aspect about these two projects filming around the same time is the implications for the story. We still don’t know how true the Secret Invasion series will be to the comics. So, there might be some curious twists that also tie into the film, as they’re still is no word on who their main antagonist might be. Perhaps we’ll witness the Skrull-Kree War that ended up getting continued on Earth much to our hero’s dismay.

Source: Instagram (Beard), Instagram, Comic Book

August 12, 2021
Sony Considering a ‘VENOM: LET THERE BE CARNAGE’ and ‘HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA: TRANSFORMANIA’ Delay

It looks like Sony is having quite a bit of trouble with their upcoming cinematic releases. According to Deadline, they are considering pushing Venom: Let There Be Carnage and Hotel Transylvania: Transformania back. There has been no final decision been made, but current developments surrounding the Delta Variant have the production company weighing out their options moving forward. It seems they are considering a delay for the Venom sequel into October 15th, which would align with the recent New Zealand release. The article also states they have even considered a January as a potential new date, which would mean Morbius gets pushed back again.

Of course, the bigger aspect of these potential delays is that it’ll also affect Spider-Man: No Way Home, which is currently eyeing a release in December. If they continue to delay their releases, it may also join 2022. The studio is currently considering putting the fourth entry in their Hotel Transylvania film on a streaming service, which would be difficult for their other projects. Right now, it seems that all eyes are on the theatre-only release of Free Guy to get a feeling if the market will sustain non-digital releases moving forward.

They might be mapping out multiple delay dates just in case the earliest can’t be met. So, the January one seems unlikely for now but it’s not unsurprising that they’re considering it. The only thing that is still up in the air is if they’ll push Morbius back by multiple months as well. So, only the coming months will give us an inkling what the future holds for cinemas.

Source: Deadline

August 12, 2021
Taika Waititi Talks Putting the Love in ‘THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER’

Taika Waititi made quite the splash with the release of Thor: Ragnarok. The third entry in the franchise offered a unique take on the God of Thunder that stood out from many of its Marvel contemporaries. His announced return was an exciting day, as Thor will be the first MCU hero to get a fourth entry in his franchise and he’ll continue the vision he started with the previous entry that took inspiration from space operas like Flash Gordon.

When the title dropped, the subtitle of Love and Thunder stood out for the director taking another unique direction for the franchise. The official return of Natalie Portman‘s Jane Foster added more fuel to the fire on how they might approach this unlikely romance. In an interview with Wired, Waititi shared the inspiration for taking the romantic direction for the sequel.

What I wanted to do from the beginning was to ask: ‘What are people expecting the least from this franchise?’ Oh, I know – a full-blown love story.

It certainly sounds like a Waititi approach to first make sure that he’ll do something we wouldn’t expect, and he was right. Foster will get her hands on Mjolnir, which was last seen in Ragnarok in pieces, and turn into the Mighty Thor. They’ve been good at keeping the plot under wraps. So, we don’t know how Thor will end up back on Earth and if he’ll be aware of Foster’s identity throughout the film. It would be ironic if he meets her as Mighty Thor and falls in love with her. Who knew that he and Loki had a lot more in common.

Source: Wired

August 11, 2021
Marvel Studios’ Phase 4: A Study in Loss and Tragedy

With the conclusion of Loki‘s first season, a theme is emerging in Phase Four of the Marvel Cinematic Multiverse. Our heroes might not win as much as we’d like them to. Even victories could turn out costly at this point. Between episodes 4 and 5, I began to think about how Ant-Man and the Wasp would fare against Kang the Conqueror in his earliest introduction. By the time the Disney+ series had concluded, I was beginning to feel like maybe our heroes might experience a lot of loss in the coming projects.

With no major crossovers confirmed, and Kevin Feige saying “Phase Four was always about continuing in new ways,” it seems Marvel Studios could be allowing room for our heroes to lose more than they win for the foreseeable future. Let’s look through the Phase Four projects and estimate what chances our heroes have, may it be a costly victory, an outright loss, or even an outright win. It could give us a glimpse of what shape Phase Four might take. In counting costly wins in opposition to clear wins, I am weighing that the toll from a conflict undoes a sense of achievement and damages long-term progress.

What If

With the official trailer showing hints of an interconnected story that might not be solved in this season and the rumors that we’ll see a live-action Captain Carter in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, it can be suggested the Guardians of the Multiverse might not win clearly in their first team-up. Will they mistakenly unleash something that will tangle with Doctor Strange? Will the whole team make it to the film? We’ll have to tune in from August 11th to find out.

Estimated Verdict: Costly win.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

As Shang-Chi is drawn into a confrontation with his father Wenwu and the Ten Rings organization, in an attempt to escape from his past, it’s clear as all superhero daddy issues are, that there will be some loss even in victory. However, with this particular tale, it seems there could be a reasonably high chance of a respectful conclusion to this father-son conflict.

Estimated Verdict: Clear win.

Ms. Marvel

Kamala Khan will gain polymorphous abilities and uncover a new side of what it means to be a hero. She’ll also probably be tracked and chased by people fearful of those powers. That is not all, as she will also be dealing with being a teenage Pakistani-American growing up in Jersey City. While she’ll be heading onto a cosmic adventure in The Marvels, it’s hard to imagine Kamala losing or winning at a cost.

Estimated Verdict: Clear win.

Eternals

As a race of immortal beings who have shaped Earth’s history, it’s difficult to see how the Eternals could truly lose. However, in the comics, there is often a traitor in their midst. Plus, despite their cosmic power levels, some members decide to be amongst humans while others prefer to take their places amongst the stars. It’s easy to imagine the team splitting and the stories continuing in different Earthbound and cosmic locations.

Estimated Verdict: Costly win.

Hawkeye

It could be a bad time for Clint, as the series will take inspiration from Matt Fraction and David Aja’s My Life as a Weapon comic run. Luckily, it seems as though his protégé Kate Bishop and Pizza Dog will be there to support him. He’ll face attacks from Kazi and the Tracksuit Mafia. Even Yelena Belova joins the fray, who will be out to avenge her sister and Clint’s friend, Natasha, due to a misunderstanding. They’ll also come across Echo, whose comic connection as Kingpin’s adoptive daughter could suggest an upcoming overarching story at the street level of the MCU. While Kate Bishop will undoubtedly continue as Hawkeye, maybe Clint will finally retire at the third time of trying.

Estimated Verdict: Costly win

Spider-Man: No Way Home

With Peter Parker’s identity being released publicly at the end of Far From Home, it stands to reason that the villains will target Peter personally, which could result in a heavy cost even in the event of a win. With the rumors of classic villains from other Spider-Man franchises joining the film, it looks like Peter has a tough battle ahead.

Estimated Verdict: Costly win.

She-Hulk

Besides having to deal with superhero-oriented legal cases, Jennifer Walters will have to take on the Abomination, Titania, and reportedly even The Wrecking Crew. All that while watching out for an Infinity Gauntlet-injured Professor Hulk. Don#t forget, she also has to balance her professional life with what will likely be at least one career-defining case. I would not be surprised if She-Hulk smashing the money trail of one of her cases leads to a much wider street-level conspiracy, leading to a bigger and more dangerous confrontation.

Estimated Verdict: Costly win.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

With Loki unleashing the multiverse and the Scarlet Witch prophesied to have “power [that] exceeds that of the Sorcerer Supreme,” it’s clear to me Doctor Strange will have a tough time on his hands. I don’t expect any major deaths, but I think it’s unlikely Wanda won’t get what she wants. The bigger question is, who will face the biggest loss throughout the multiversal adventure.

Estimated Verdict: Clear loss.

Moon Knight

Moon Knight’s complexity as a vigilante suffering from dissociative identity disorder with multiple distinct personalities is only matched by the problem of possibly being the chosen avatar of Egyptian God, Khonshu. Or is it all in Marc Spector’s head? If he is real, would his goals come at the price of his sanity? In all likelihood, the situation will get worse for Marc before it gets better.

Estimated Verdict: Costly win

Thor: Love & Thunder

Gorr The God Butcher is coming for the pantheons of aliens that claim to be gods. While Thor will have lots of support, his track record in clean wins is not high, and it’s easy to see how Gorr will cause some damage that could be hard to recover from. As Thor: Ragnarok taught us, Thor’s victories always come at a price. Hopefully, this time it isn’t something the Asgardians have to pay as well.

Estimated Verdict: Costly win

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

By opening up to the world Wakanda has risked quite a lot, and alongside having to manage a new throne succession process, they will reportedly have to deal with Prince Namor and his oceanic kingdom. If this conflict goes anything like how it goes down in the comic, the Wakandans tribes will need to band together to withstand the waters coming at them.

Estimated Verdict: Costly win

Secret Invasion

This will clearly differ from the comic arc of the same name. For now, little is known about how it might turn out and what new twists they’ll add to the iconic storyline. However, Nick Fury and Talos discovering that a secret sect of Skrull has every level of life on Earth seems like a scenario that can’t be won cleanly. It also feels like it could lead to a galactic clash in The Marvels.

Estimated Verdict: Costly win

The Marvels

Although Carol defeated the Kree Supreme Intelligence, which is seemingly no longer in charge of the Kree Empire in modern times, there are almost certainly still extremists roaming the galaxy. Ronan The Accuser was most likely not the only one believing in their old traditions. It seems like Carol, Monica, and Kamala could be caught in the start of a reignition of the massive galactic war between the Kree and Skrull, where there are few winners.

Estimated Verdict: Costly win

Echo

Amidst Maya Lopez debuting as Echo in Hawkeye, there is a reasonable chance her comic father issues could extend into an overarching story in her own show. Having such closely tied connections pointing in a direction she will likely be turning away from suggests any about-turn could be painful for her.

Estimated Verdict: Costly win

Ironheart

Little is known about what genius inventor Riri Williams’ first adventure as Ironheart will entail. Although, there are some theories we might see her sooner than her own show. It’s fair to assume that Riri will be able to solve any problems thrown at her initially. She might get a slow introduction into the dangers of being a hero.

Estimated Verdict: Clear win

Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania

While Ant-Man and the Wasp will likely be joined by Cassie Lang’s Stature, it’s hard to envisage that they’ll truly defeat Kang the Conqueror. Even if they do manage to strike a blow upon him, surely another Kang Variant will appear from a Timedoor to continue the previous Variant’s mission. It may only be our first introduction to how fearsome the Conqueror truly is throughout the multiverse.

Estimated Verdict: Clear loss.

Armor Wars

Rhodey has already suffered quite a bit in his tenure as War Machine, but his best friend’s legacy doesn’t feel like something that could be easy to put to bed, especially when Star’s technology falls into the wrong hands. Although Rhodey will likely solve the imminent danger, some of the nastier technologies Tony created are bound to persist and make his life a living hell.

Estimated Verdict: Costly win

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

This outing is likely to be the last of this iteration of the team, so it is easy to envision that they might be heading for a split. Even if they do defeat whatever threat they are up against, there might also be some major deaths from the Guardians’ ranks, making this adventure a high-priced victory. We’ve seen in the past that James Gunn doesn’t shy away from exploring a story of loss.

Estimated Verdict: Costly win

So having looked at how our heroes might fare in their next adventures, I think it’s fair to say that the majority of confirmed Phase Four projects are not clear wins for our heroes. While this being the start of a new saga, many heroes are continuing from previous arcs. There is a decent amount of room for them to suffer major setbacks. Perhaps in some ways, this part of the second saga is in tribute to The Empire Strikes Back. At least in the way, it might dish out painful truths and physical humblings. It could also set the stage for even more powerful emotional moments and team-ups than the Infinity Saga before multiple teams have to find a way to band together against an even worse threat eventually.

Source: YouTube

August 10, 2021
Leaked ‘Black Widow’ Deleted Scene Reveals Alternate Ending

It looks like one of the deleted scenes from Black Widow have found their way online. Not just any scene, but what seems like an alternative ending where Natasha witnesses a group of kids playing Avengers in her old Ohio neighborhood where she grew up. It’s quite a different take on the ending, as the current version pretty much sets up her storyline in Avengers: Infinity War. We still get her iconic blonde hair in this sequence with Yelena’s green vest. So, it would’ve served the same function but also give her a stronger emotional ending realizing she has done well for the world. The leaked footage comes courtesy of @CosmicMedia_.

New deleted scene from #BlackWidow pic.twitter.com/JeiMrH2hq2

— Cosmic Media (@cosmicmmedia) August 10, 2021

In a way, this ending matches the post-credit sequence even better. As the original set her up for her next appearance, which was in theaters years before the film was released, only to cut to her grave after the events of Avengers: Endgame. Her outfit gives away the connective tissue, and there wasn’t much of a need to explain where they got their Helicarrier from. This emotional ending matches her story throughout the franchise much better.

Plus, seeing a girl free to pretend she is Black Widow also adds some relevance to the actions she undertook in the film. There’s a reason they went with the ending that was released in theaters and on Disney+, but it’s always great to get a look at what almost made its way into the film. It’s neve ran easy decision to figure out what leaves the cutting room floor, but luckily physical releases still offer glimpses into what could’ve been.

Source: Twitter

August 10, 2021
‘Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings’ Runtime Revealed

It looks like we finally got an inclination on how long the upcoming Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings will be. It seems Cinemark has included the official runtime in its listing of 2 hours and 12 minutes. As such, the film will be the same length as the non-MCU film X-Men: First Class but longer than Doctor Strange by a few minutes. It’s still quite a few minutes shorter than the 2 hours and 14 minutes Black Widow ran in July. Black Panther and The Incredible Hulk are ahead by a minute in runtime.

The film will follow Simu Liu‘s Shang-Chi, who is forced to return to the Ten Rings organization and face his father’s legacy. We got a glimpse of the confrontation between the two that’ll end up as a tug of war for the right on wielding the ten rings. On the way, it seems he’ll also face some unlikely and familiar foes.

The runtime seems to be generally on par with most Marvel Studios and overall modern Hollywood films. It’ll be interesting to see how much time we really spend with Shang-Chi’s early childhood and time living in the United States before his past comes back to haunt him. Early trailers teased quite a bit of mythology getting explored in the film.

It’s crazy to think we’re only a few weeks away from its release, as it originally planned for a February release. Of course, the production also got pushed back due to the pandemic. So, the team had more time to work on it. It got shifted back by a few months when Black Widow took its original July release. Here’s hoping current developments don’t mean that Eternals loses its November release slot.

Source: Cinemark via Games Radar, Quora

August 10, 2021
Connecting Imaginary Dots: Jude Law and Shamier Anderson to join ‘The Marvels’

As production continues on the set of The Marvels, little by little, more information regarding the sequel has started to trickle its way out from the set. And thanks to this information, we could potentially see the return of one of Captain Marvel’s adversaries return for the sequel, as well as a brand new addition to the cast. IMDB is always hit or miss, thus the exercise in connecting imaginary dots.

According to an IMDb report of the full cast & crew listing, John Humber, who was part of the production of Captain Marvel, is now reportedly once again working on set as the assistant to Jude Law, who portrayed the character of Yon-Rogg in 2019’s Captain Marvel.

Yon-Rogg served as one of Captain Marvel’s most important mentors before revealing his true nature as the main antagonist to Brie Larson’s Carol Danvers. When we last saw him, he was defeated by Captain Marvel and sent off back to the Kree home world of Hala, no doubt in order to report his failures to the Supreme Intelligence. But in the chronological events of the MCU timeline, that happened nearly 30 years prior to the events of Avengers: Endgame, set in the Summer of 2023. So, with Law returning as Yon-Rogg, it will be fascinating to see what sort of change he has undergone since the events of his first appearance in Captain Marvel.

Another interesting detail on this IMDb cast & crew list is the participation of Samantha Jackson, who has reportedly joined the production of The Marvels as the assistant of Shamier Anderson. Anderson’s role, if the listing is accurate, remains to be seen, but the speculation about him playing another Marvel in a film titled The Marvels is sure to happen. Anderson is currently set to appear in the upcoming John Wick 4 film and has also appeared in projects such as Stowaway, Awake, Wynonna Earp, Goliath, and City of Lies.

Both of these actors, if their IMDB listings are accurate, will be set to join the ranks of Brie Larson, Iman Vellani, and Teyonah Parris, who will reprise their respective MCU roles once again. They would also join franchise newcomers Zawe Ashton and Park Seo-Joon. Nia DaCosta will helm the film.

Source: IMDb

August 9, 2021
Marvel and DC Faces Controversy as Creators Speak Out on Lack of Compensation

Marvel and DC films have been quite a success for the companies involved. Yet, the harsh reality unveils that it hasn’t been too kind for the creators of the characters, we’re seeing on the silver screen. In a very revealing piece by The Guardian, we get insight into how comic creators are facing the harsh restrictions set by frugal companies and their refusal to compensate their creators.

We get quite a few examples of how contractual wordings are quite the slippery slope. Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons created the iconic Watchmen series that became the basis for a popular HBO series. They had a contractual share on merchandise profits, but they simply retitled it “promotional items” and refused to pay out the comic creators.

An anonymous Marvel creator had the following to say after his character’s appearance in the popular film franchise:

I’ve been offered a [special character contract] that was really, really terrible, but it was that or nothing. And then instead of honouring it, they send a thank you note and are like, ‘Here’s some money we don’t owe you!’ and it’s five grand. And you’re like, ‘The movie made a billion dollars.

It’s just a small glimpse into how contractual obligations are misconstrued. Harley Quinn’s Jimmy Palmiotti also recommended to lawyer up when you work with a comic book company. They also get a ticket to the premiere alongside the check, but there is no obligation to do so. The reason this practice is the norm is due to how comic creators work for the companies. Marvel seems to be quite infamous for its tight contracts and frugal approach. It’s not too surprising given the rumors surrounding their CEO Isaac Perlmutter.

Still, it’s terrible to read how these creators of our childhood classics are being treated to this day and, hopefully, this is the necessary wake-up call to make due. If you’re interested in reading the full article on the controversy, you can check it out here.

Source: The Guardian

August 9, 2021