Tag: Marvel Studios

How Kevin Feige was Convinced to Produce ‘Moon Knight’ Series

In a recent interview, Moon Knight head writer Jeremy Slater brought up how the series was pitched to Kevin Feige in order for Marvel Studios to green-light and produce the project. The writer discussed the challenges with the character often being compared to Batman and a lack of originality that may come from producing a series like Moon Knight if done inadequately.

That’s always been a little bit of a Moon Knight problem is, in the wrong hands, he’s just a sort of Batman clone with a pallet swap and Batman’s got an 80-year head start on us. It’s very easy to do something that would just feel super derivative.
Jeremy Slater

With that in mind, it was certainly important for Jeremy Slater to track down what original elements would best thrive when developing this series. When discussing Moon Knight with other people working within Marvel Studios, they provided insight into what specific factors to focus on when Slater would pitch the project to Feige.

They gave us this and they’re like, ‘Look, he loves the mental health aspect. He loves the dissociative identity disorder and he’s really drawn to the Egyptology. He likes the Jeff Lemire run, the idea that you could be on the bus and look out the window and see an Egyptian god standing on the street corner.’ That was something Kevin [Feige] sort of identified early-on of like, ‘Okay, well, that’s interesting. That’s unique.’ That’s kind of all the information I had going in.
Jeremy Slater

All of the factors that were presented in the pitch were critical in making Moon Knight stand out as an original series. The influence of Jeff Lemire’s notable run with the character is very noticeable in the blend of the normal world with grandiose Egyptian mythology. As well, the series spending time in dealing with the Dissociative Identity Disorder of the protagonist helped prevent the show from being labeled as derivative of any Batman adaptations. Overall, it provides an insight into Marvel Studios’ focus into producing original stories within the field of the superhero genre.

Source: Comicbook.com

May 12, 2022
Jeremy Slater Tried Referencing Popular Dracula Meme in ‘Moon Knight’

Before Moon Knight debuted on Disney+, the majority of internet users probably knew the character best from memes rather than comics. A few years ago, it became a trend for online jokesters to take obscure comic panels and alter the dialogue to have Moon Knight shouting explicit, shocking, NSFW statements at other Marvel characters. One of these altered images became a viral sensation. It featured Marc Spector’s Moon Knight screaming at the vampire lord Dracula, demanding that the “big f—-ing nerd” give him his money.

Speaking with Comic Book, Moon Knight head writer Jeremy Slater confirmed that he did, in fact, attempt to put a reference to this meme in the hit show. Unfortunately, the crudeness of the dialogue made it hard to fit organically into a relatively PG-13 series on Disney’s streaming service:

I tried so hard. The problem is you can’t say f-ck on Disney+. And so you have to do a really awkward bleep where something breaks right when they say it. But it also felt to have him sort of recreate any part of that meme, but not do the part that people liked the most, which is the sort of inappropriate cursing. It was just kind of shining a spotlight on the fact that we couldn’t curse.
Jeremy Slater

Luckily for fans, Slater doesn’t think this will be the last chance someone gets to bring the meme to life. Moon Knight leaves plenty of room for the character to return later on down the line, and the upcoming introduction of Blade into the Marvel Cinematic Universe could open the door for an actual confrontation between Moon Knight and Dracula to occur in live-action. The writer elaborates on the opportunity:

I still think there’s ways to get some of those memes in there. I’ve also said on the record that I would love to see Moon Knight going after Dracula at some point. And maybe Blade has that area staked out, no pun intended, but look, if Moon Knight goes after Dracula, I can assure you that someone will work that meme in there somewhere.
Jeremy Slater

Moon Knight is now streaming in it’s entirety on Disney+.

Source: Comic Book

May 12, 2022
EXCLUSIVE: Sam Raimi Was “Always Pushing for a Shorter Runtime” for ‘Multiverse of Madness’

With the once-secretive Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness finally in theaters, reactions have been somewhat mixed, but the film has been extremely successful at the box office. While much of the debate among fans has centered around certain groups’ expectations about rumored cameos that in reality never existed. Perhaps the second-most contentious point among fans prior to the film being released was its runtime. While the sequel clocked in at over two hours long, many felt that a longer runtime would be needed to adequately showcase the speculated story.

When director Sam Raimi stated that the first cut of the film was significantly longer, it added to some fans’ cries that Marvel was not allowing the beloved director’s vision to come to fruition. In an exclusive interview with Murphy’s Multiverse, the Doctor Strange sequel writer Michael Waldron revealed that Raimi was actually always pushing for a shorter runtime:

Sam [Raimi], to his credit, was always really pushing for a shorter runtime. And, you know, he felt that the movie needed to move because of just how it was structured. It’s a chase movie, it’s an adventure, [ ] it’s got some Jurassic Park DNA…and so in a movie like that, it just didn’t feel like we needed three hours of it.
Michael Waldron

Waldron perfectly articulates how and why Multiverse of Madness is so fast-paced. Rather than being shorter for the sake of it or because tons of pieces were cut, the film moves to pull off and complement its “chase movie” structure. The writer went on to describe how his lack of tolerance for boredom may have played a role as well:

My threshold for boredom is [ ] astronomically low, and so I just have a phobia of the movie becoming exhausting. And so yeah, once we’re off to the races in this one, we just wanted to get on the ride and go on the ride, and when it’s over, get out of there.
Michael Waldron

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is now playing in theaters worldwide.

May 12, 2022
‘Moon Knight’ Scribe On How Jake Lockley’s Absence, Relationship with Khonshu

Over the course of its 6-week run, Marvel Studios Disney Plus streaming series Moon Knight introduced audiences to Steven Grant, Marc Spector, Moon Knight, Mr. Knight and Khonshu, all of whom co-existed within the fractured mind of one man. Each episode of the series also built in teases to another one of Spector’s alters, Jake Lockley, but held off on delivering on those teases until the post-credit scene of the finale. In an interview with The Direct, Moon Knight writer Jeremy Slater explains why they held of on introducing Jake, his relationship to Khonshu, the potential future of the character and more.

As it turns out, Slater was aware right from the beginning that introducing Jake to the story would be too much to tackle in a short time:

My initial pitch to Marvel was that three alters, three personalities sort of clashing with each other over the space of six hours is going to be way too chaotic and hectic. That it’s possible to tell a story like this and build a really strong emotional bond between two people, between Marc [Spector] and Steven [Grant], and really make the audience care about that relationship. But once you introduce a third into the fray, it becomes impossible. Like, Steven’s sacrifice at the end of 105 wouldn’t have any sort of weight to it if he had Jake there to sort of console him.
Jeremy Slater

Slater went on to say that Jake’s presence would take the attention off of the series’ key relationship: the one between Steven and Marc:

So right from the beginning, I said [that] the first season could only concentrate on these two and we’ll find fun ways to tease the existence of Jake so that the fans recognize it. Marvel was really supportive of that approach right from the beginning. Then, in the course of our [writer’s] room, we started talking like, ‘what’s the best way to tease Jake? What’s going to really get the audience about a potential season two, or a movie, or another appearance down the line.
Jeremy Slater

In the comics, Jake has always been willing to do some dirty work, more so than Spector’s other alters. While that’s what we see of him here, Slater is quick to caution the fanbase from judging him too quickly on one act:

The idea of bringing in Jake [Lockley], and not having him be evil, because I don’t—I’ve seen people on Twitter unhappy that they think Jake is sort of falling into sort of the evil-alter trope that you see in movies like Split and things like that. From my perspective, we don’t know nearly enough about Jake to make a determination like that… ultimately, whoever takes over the reins of the story next gets to decide that, but [also] from my perspective, the interesting question about Jake is, what is his relationship with Khonshu? Why is he so willing to do these horrible things in service of Khonshu. Why is he the one guy who sort of believes in Khonshu’s mission? What does he know that our heroes don’t? I think there’s a lot of questions like that that haven’t necessarily been answered.
Jeremy Slater

Slater continued, arguing that “Jake is bad” would be the LEAST interesting thing that could be done with the alter:

I think that making Jake a generic evil guy would probably be the least exciting, or least interesting, direction to take that character in the future. So, I have no idea where Jake goes from here, and which writers and directors will bring him to life, but, I think there’s a lot of potentials. I think we’ve only teased the existence of this character at this point. We kind of still don’t know anything about him… I don’t think he’s evil. It’s Marvel’s decision, not mine, but I think calling him evil would be a mistake at this stage in the game.
Jeremy Slater

As Slater points out, and as is often the case with MCU writers, while he’s put a lot of thought into developing Jake, the next steps for the character are out of his hands. At this point, with Moon Knight’s next appearance still undetermined or unannounced, fans can’t even be sure they’ll see Jake again. Let’s hope if we do, whoever has taken over for Slater shows the same care for the character.

Source: The Direct

May 12, 2022
‘Ms. Marvel’ Star Iman Vellani Addresses the Changes to Her Character’s Powers

Marvel Studios is gearing up to bring one of the comics’ most beloved newer characters to the small screen in next month’s Ms. Marvel. The series is set to showcase Pakistani-American Kamala Khan as the titular character, who is played by actress Iman Vellani. The teenage hero takes on the mantle of Ms. Marvel, inspired by her adoration for Captain Marvel, after she discovers she has superpowers.

In the comics, Khan is an Inhuman who exhibits her embiggening and super-stretchy abilities after inadvertently being exposed to Terrigen Mist. Fans have been particularly divided about the fact that the character’s origin and power set are being drastically altered for her live-action adaptation. For one, the character is not Inhuman. But her new powers are cosmic-based, and she appears to be able to project energy rather than have any shapeshifting abilities. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige and comics creators have endorsed the power changes, mostly citing Khan’s newfound potential to be more connected to Captain Marvel and Spectrum in the upcoming The Marvels movie. Now, star Vellani herself has weighed in on the changes in an interview with Empire. She stated:

I’m very possessive [of Kamala]…I think we stay true to what the comics brought. The themes have always been about identity and about marrying the 50 million things that make Kamala. For all I care she could shoot sausages out of her fingers, as long as she still goes on that self-discovery journey.
Iman Vellani

It is not particularly shocking that those involved in the series are wholeheartedly backing the changes. While major changes to comics characters always spark debate, many see Khan’s shape-shifting powers as integral to her character and journey as a teenage girl trying to find her own identity in a world where her background sets her apart from most of her peers and role models. Those working on Ms. Marvel are certainly trying to convince fans that the changes to Khan’s powers do not jeopardize that journey.

Fans still have almost a month to wait before they can truly have an informed opinion on the matter, as Ms. Marvel premieres June 8, 2022 on Disney+.

Source: Empire via Twitter

May 12, 2022
‘Moon Knight’ Writer Speaks Out on Blade’s Rumored Appearance in the Series

In the months leading up to Moon Knight’s streaming debut, the level of secrecy around the project remained impressive. Very few accurate leaks made their way off the set of the series, but there were plenty of wild rumors about characters that would appear in the show. Daredevil, Bruce Banner and Blade were all, at one point or another, mentioned by “scoopers” as potential guest stars on the show; however, as it turned out, not only did none of those characters show up, no other pre-established MCU characters did, making Moon Knight one of Marvel Studios’ most self-contained projects to date.

With so much information out there, it’s hard to know what to trust and what to ignore. More and more often, Marvel Studios creators are being asked to help fans sort through the rubble of rumors. In an interview with Comic Book, Moon Knight writer Jeremy Slater did just that. According to Slater, while Dane Whitman almost made an appearance in Marvel Studios Disney Plus streaming series Moon Knight, Blade was never in the mix.

We’re told in advance which characters are a little bit off limits. And I think at the time we were cracking Moon Knight, they were also kind of trying to crack the Blade story and try to figure out what that was. And so I think they wanted to keep them separately.
Jeremy Slater

As it turned out, there was no need for the Black Knight, Blade or anyone else to show up alongside Moon Knight in the series, given the very personal nature of the fight Oscar Issac’s character was taking on. And, of course, when he needed help, he found it in the form of May Calamawy’s Scarlet Scarab, an old comic hero that Slater and director Mohamed Diab gave new life as Marvel Studios’ first Egyptian superhero. Now that the first chapter of his Marvel Studios story has been told, it’s possible that Moon Knight could show up anywhere and team up with anyone and, given his dalliances with the supernatural in the comics, Blade is just as good a bet as anything.

Source: Comic Book

May 12, 2022
EXCLUSIVE: Brother Voodoo Was Never Planned for ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’

Even by Marvel Studios standards, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was a film shrouded in secrecy up until its release. The promise of secrets and surprises mixed with the multiversal nature of the movie led to plenty of rumors and speculations ahead of the release. Now that audiences have had a chance to experience the Doctor Strange sequel, fans are getting plenty of information about the actual contents of the film as well as the process of bringing them to the screen.

Possibly above all else, fans are debating how the surprise appearances of certain characters, such as the Illuminati, compared to some of the widespread rumors of certain cameos being in Multiverse of Madness. In an exclusive interview with Murphy’s Multiverse, the film’s writer Michael Waldron spoke on the secrecy involved in making the film and the Illuminati.

But Waldron also spoke on rumors that certain characters from the comics would play major roles or supporting leads in the Doctor Strange sequel that ultimately did not. In particular, the writer discussed the characters of Clea and Jericho Drumm, also known as Brother Voodoo. As we know from the mid-credits scene, Charlize Theron did make a brief and teasing appearance as Clea, but whether or not she was ever meant to be a significant character is unclear. Waldron simply noted that “I think Clea has always been on the table.”

When asked about the rumor that Jericho Drumm had a role in the film, Waldron revealed that Brother Voodoo was never a part of Multiverse of Madness:

I think there was definitely a discussion of Jericho Drumm, but never anything that I worked on.
Michael Waldron

The speculation that Drumm would make his way to the MCU made—and still makes—plenty of sense. First appearing in Strange Tales #169, the Haitian-born Jericho Drumm left for America to become a psychologist. Upon returning home, he found his brother, Daniel, dying from a spell cast on him. Daniel made Jericho promise to study to become a Houngan, starting his path towards eventually replacing Stephen Strange as the Sorcerer Supreme. We already saw Daniel be killed in the original Doctor Strange as the keeper of the New York Sanctum at the time.

Alas, Brother Voodoo did not make an appearance in Multiverse of Madness, though his connections to Doctor Strange still make him a strong choice for future stories, including Doctor Strange 3. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is now playing in theaters worldwide.

May 11, 2022
‘Moon Knight’ Head Writer Says Marc Was Alive and “Busy” During the Blip

With the release of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness coming right on the heels of the finale of the Disney+ series Moon Knight, there has been a lot for Marvel fans to process over the last week. Still, information about the series has been pouring out after the relatively open-ended finale. In any Phase Four MCU project, though, there is one question always on audiences’ minds even if it is rarely answered—who survived the Blip?

Considering the MCU’s post-Avengers: Endgame content all takes place relatively recently after half the universe’s population was eliminated and then brought back, it always seems fairly relevant. For their part, Marvel Studios often keeps discussions about the details of the Blip to a minimum for plenty of practical reasons. However, Moon Knight head writer and executive producer Jeremy Slater recently told The Direct how Oscar Isaac’s Marc Spector spent his time during the five-year period. As seemed reasonable, he first confirmed that Spector did indeed survive the Blip:

We definitely, in the writers room, we all collectively thought he survived the Blip, that he wasn’t blipped away. Because I don’t know how you—I think if he had been blipped and come back, it would be something that you would have to address. It’s something you would have to deal with, especially as a character who is trying to find his place in the world, and has a lot of questions about his past. To not touch on the Blip of it all, felt weird. So we all kind of collectively assumed that he was part of the 50% that survived.
Jeremy Slater

Different clues throughout the series pointed to that conclusion, but it was never directly mentioned. Perhaps more interesting, Slater went on to say that he believes Moon Knight was “busy” during that time in a similar way to Jeremy Renner’s Hawkeye/Ronin. He stated:

But as to what was actually happening during that period, I mean, I think that they say in the show that Steven basically woke up about two years ago. That was the first time that they started living separate lives, and it was following the death of Marc’s mother. So that’s been the last two years, and we assume the three years before that was sort of Marc, just, there was probably, in the same way, that Hawkeye had his hands full as Ronin because the criminal underworld was running rampant during the Blip time, I assume Moon Knight was keeping very busy. But it was all being sort of done in the shadows, and he was sort of taking out a lot of threats that never surfaced or saw the light of day.
Jeremy Slater

While the character’s future in the MCU is still unclear, Slater’s description of Marc Spector’s vigilante-type past confirms that side of the superhero that we did not see in Moon Knight. It certainly helps explain the room full of the bodies of those Spector killed as the Fist of Khonshu, and it opens up plenty of space for telling stories about the character in the past or hints at how he may act in the future.

All episodes of Moon Knight are now streaming on Disney +.

Source: The Direct

May 11, 2022
‘Doctor Strange’ Sequel Writer Reveals a Surprising Inspiration for the Illuminati

*SPOILER WARNING*

By now, it’s pretty widely known that the Illuminati appear in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. The superhero team were teased in the final trailers for the film, but the exact part they played in the plot remained a mystery until the full movie hit theaters. When the group was ultimately introduced on screen, audiences were ecstatic. They seemed mighty, confident, and unbeatable. Patrick Stewart made a triumphant return as Charles Xavier; John Krasinski surprised everyone with his debut as Reed Richards; and Anson Mount was finally able to bring Black Bolt to the big screen. Then, after only a few moments of glorious screen time, every single one of them died.

Screenwriter Michael Waldron recently sat down with Rolling Stone to discuss some of his choices while developing Multiverse of Madness, and the Illuminati were among the central topics. He revealed the inspiration behind the team’s role in the film, and how their scenes played out, came from another famous sequel released in 1986:

I was watching Aliens a lot as I was writing. Because just tonally this movie is a thriller and a [feature-length] chase. I just love how Aliens goes to great lengths to tell you how badass the space Marines are – and then they just get slaughtered. Then you are really scared of the Xenomorphs for the rest of that movie, and that’s what I wanted to accomplish with Wanda. At the end of the Illuminati sequence, I hope you were truly terrified of the Scarlet Witch. It’s been awesome being in the theater hearing the cheers, then the gasps and the groans. [Laughs] I mean, you know, people were feeling something at the movies. That’s good!
Michael Waldron

The tactic was definitely successful, with Wanda’s single-handed killing of Earth-838’s Mightiest Heroes instantly solidifying her as one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s greatest threats. Head to the theater now and relive one of the most talked-about moments in Marvel movie history, and bring a friend to see if Waldron‘s writing strategy works just as well on them.

Source: Rolling Stone

May 10, 2022
‘Moon Knight’ From Page to Screen: Episode 6

Over the past few weeks, we’ve delved into how Moon Knight show has continuously referenced a number of comic runs either within its greater storyline or with small details that helped make the show so rewarding when familiar with the source material. Following Episode 1, we looked at how the show explored Marc Spector’s dissociative identity disorder compared to the comics. In Episode 2 Mr. Knight was introduced through a rather different take than in the comics and in Episode 3 Layla’s backstory, along with her dad’s, was approached and so we delved deep into how those same events were presented in both the original Moon Knight comic run and the more recent Lemire/Smallwood one. After the twist ending of Episode 4, we again looked at the ways that the series was inspired by the psych ward introduced in that latter run something that continued into episode 5 with Marc becoming Moon Knight.

As for episode 6, finding a specific moment that was worth exploring in terms of its comic counterpart became an issue in and of itself. With Marvel Studios so keen on being as unpredictable as possible when it comes to its storylines, especially its third acts (that obviously also include all series/season finales), the comics end up being referenced in a less obvious way. The thematic correlation is still there, and so being that’s perhaps the way to go about it: Focusing on what the show is trying to do that the comics already did—albeit in different ways—, and what that might hint towards the future of these characters.

Marvel Studios’ Moon Knight Episode 6

Marvel Studios’ Moon Knight Episode 6

Two of the major takeaways from the latest Moon Knight episode were presented in the post-credit scene. There, we found out that despite Marc deciding to go against Khonshu’s will towards killing Harrow, the God of the Moon and the Night Sky was still very much determined to keep his body as his earthly vessel. And with that in mind, his third alter was finally revealed with Jake Lockley making this on-screen debut, showing himself to be the most unhinged and violence-prone of the identities sharing said body. Both these particulars seem to hint at a larger story being told, more connected to Marc’s dissociative identity disorder (DID) than to his superhero endeavors.

Moon Knight #9 (2016)

The relationship between Marc and Khonshu never seemed to be one based on mutual interests, and so this abuse is sure to strain it even further leading to greater altercations down the line. As we watched throughout the show, Marc’s motivations for going along with Khonshu’s greater plan were basically attached to concerns over Layla’s well-being. Even with his prominent sense of duty, the deal he made with Khonshu that led to him becoming his Fist of Vengeance did not seem worth keeping, as death was something Marc welcomed in order to escape his fate. Unless, of course, that meant that Layla would then have to endure his burden. Much as in the aforementioned Lemire/Smallwood run, Marc ends up understanding that a rejection of Khonshu’s ways was absolutely necessary in order for him, even with the other identities, to ever feel comfortable in his own skin.

Marvel Studios’ Moon Knight Episode 6

Marvel Studios’ Moon Knight Episode 6

But this wasn’t always the case as Marc at times determined that the other identities were the issue. It wouldn’t be until later on that he understood that each personality was but a piece of the tapestry that made him whole and that Khonshu was the unnecessary appendage that only kept him down. This is somewhat similar to what we got to see in the show, as the initial confrontations between Marc and Steven then led to one of the best scenes in the entire show when both understood that they were so much less when trying to reject and keep each other at bay. Jake’s introduction will serve the purpose of giving the plot an extra layer of complexity as Marc and Steven will have not only external but also internal threats they must overcome.

Moon Knight #14 (2017)

Khonshu is then proving himself to be, if not the main villain in the series we just watched, the antagonist that will prove the biggest adversary for Marc, Steven, and possibly even Jake. Much as in the comics the several personalities ended up working together in order to obliterate Khonshu’s influence over their shared body, and so too it seems that this might be the way to go in future storylines on future live-action Moon Knight projects.

Moon Knight #14 (2017)

Moon Knight is now streaming, in its entirety, only on Disney+.

May 9, 2022