Tag: Marvel Studios

Martin Freeman Confirms Everett Ross’ Return in ‘BLACK PANTHER 2’

It appears another familiar face is returning for Marvel Studios’ Black Panther sequel. Martin Freeman, who portrayed government liaison Everett K. Ross in Captain America: Civil War and the first Black Panther film, will reprise his role in Ryan Coogler’s anticipated second Marvel movie. The British actor, known for his work on the BBC’s Sherlock and Peter Jackson’s Hobbit films, had previously mentioned he expected to be back in the MCU but the past year’s tragic developments left many fans uncertain about what remained in the script for Black Panther 2. Freeman gave the following statement regarding his return:

Yeah, I am doing the second Black Panther. I’m going to be speaking to Ryan Coogler soon about what shape that’s going to look like. I have no idea about the script [so] I don’t know what’s going to happen.

Much like the rest of us, Freeman is unsure what the continuation of Black Panther will look like without franchise star Chadwick Boseman. The actor passed away after a long battle with cancer in August. It left director Coogler and Marvel Studios with big shoes and a massive legacy to fill. He further elaborated in another quote to Collider:

Just before Chadwick died, if my memory serves correctly, the script had gone in. They had the script and they were working on the script, and then Chadwick died, and [I] sort of immediately thought, “Oh, okay, I could see a world where there’s no Black Panther then, because how can you do a Black Pantherwithout Black Panther?” So, I still don’t know what that’s going to look like. And no, obviously, before Chad died, the idea of doing it without him would have been a stupid idea. It would have been crazy. It was very shocking and still is very, very strange, that he is not here. So, I’m as curious as you are to see what that will look like and I find out quite soon. All I know is that I’m in it.

The last time we saw Freeman’s Ross, he had just aided T’Challa and the rest of Wakanda in fending off Erik Killmonger’s attempted coup. Black Panther 2 will premiere on the big screen in July of 2022. Hopefully, we’ll have answers to all of our big questions by then.

Source: Collider

March 17, 2021
Bucky Barnes: The Story So Far

James Buchanan Barnes is no stranger to a fight. He’s about to embark on another one in the upcoming The Falcon and The Winter Soldier series premiering this week on Disney+. Let’s take a look back at his complicated and sometimes horrid history within the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Bucky Barnes and Steve Rogers grow up together as best friends. he was always there to help the weaker Rogers when it came t handling bullies. During a double date, Bucky reveals that he’s enlisting in the army. While fighting in the 107th infantry, he is captured by Armin Zola unaware of Steve’s transformation into Captain America. When he found out about his friends’ torture, he heads out to help him, where he uncovered strange experiments were being done to him. In a mission to capture the German scientist, Barnes gets caught in the ambush and plummets to his presumed death.

It isn’t until Captain America, the Winter Soldier that we are introduced to the Winter Soldier. Bucky survived the fall from the train but lost his left arm in the process. He was found by the Soviet Union and HYDRA, who experimented on him. They gave him superhuman strength and a cybernetic arm. Over the next fifty years, he was their number one assassin, eliminating anyone who posed a threat. Steve confronts him and can reawaken Bucky’s consciousness. He went into hiding ever since until he was framed for the bombing of the UN in Vienna two years later.

He becomes the catalyst of Captain America: Civil War, as Zemo uses him to get his hands on the whereabouts of proto-Super Soldiers in Siberia. He used a secret code implanted into Bucky’s mind that activates his murderous side. It turns out, the wild goose chase with the Avengers was all to unveil secret footage of him killing Stark’s parents to rip the Avengers apart from the inside. Stark attempts his life, where he teams up with Rogers to stop him. In fear of the programming within his mind, he has frozen again in Wakanda so that no one can manipulate him again.

After taking some time to recover, Bucky joins the group of former Avengers to aid them in a battle against Thano’s army in Avengers: Infinity War. He battles alongside Steve and Rocket Raccoon, who tries to buy his new Wakandan arm. Unfortunately, Thanos achieves his goal of gaining all of the stones and snaps half of all life out of existence. Bucky happens to be one of the people who fade from existence. It isn’t until five years later that Bucky is resurrected and participates in the final battle against Thanos. After the war has finally been won, he says farewell to his old friend in a somber moment before allowing Sam Wilson to take

How does Bucky live in a world without Captain America? More importantly, can he? Will his time as the Winter Soldier continues to haunt him? These questions and more will be answered as The Falcon And The Winter Soldier commences on March 19th on Disney+

March 17, 2021
Kevin Feige Says That Chris Evans Says That Chris Evans Won’t Return to the MCU

In early January, a trade report indicated that Chris Evans was working on a deal to return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Captain America. The report was quickly met by a dismissal from Evans who tweeted out that the return was “news to me.” It’s been the norm for Marvel Studios stars to deny their involvement or knowledge of projects; the actors cite their fear of the infamous Marvel snipers and, in dissembling about their involvement, create an air of doubt around anything they say, so EW went right to the one person who would know, Marvel Studios head honcho Kevin Feige, to get the truth!

When asked about Evans returning to the role, Feige had this to say: “I rarely answer no to anything anymore because things are always surprising me with what happens, but that rumor, I think, was dispelled rather quickly by the man himself.” And the internet said, “Welp, guess Evans isn’t coming back because Feige said so.” Except he didn’t say that. Feige didn’t give his opinion on the matter at all; he just told everyone what Evans already said, effectively not answering the question. Now we’re in no position to make any claims about whether or not Evans is coming back as Rogers, but this was more of a non-answer from Feige than a “no” answer from Feige. Take it from the guy he said “no” to leading to Urkel breaking out into laughter.

EW also pressed The Falcon and The Winter Soldier co-stars, Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan, about the topic, and, unsurprisingly, both men took the “I know nothing” approach to answering the question. So we’re left with the equivalent of Feige saying Paul Rudd wasn’t going to be in Ant-Man because Paul Rudd said he wasn’t in Ant-Man, meaning we don’t know anything more or less than we did when you started reading this article. Journalism at its finest.

Source: EW

March 17, 2021
Report: Marvel Studios ‘Moon Knight’ Casting for Marc Spector’s Parents

During this past weekend’s media junket, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier star Sebastian Stan told the global press how much he was looking forward to Oscar Isaac’s Moon Knight, inadvertently confirming Isaac’s involvement in the series. The project is expected to begin filming late this month or early April and now a new report from POC Culture indicates that Marvel Studios is looking to cast a pair of actors that may be playing the parents of Isaac’s Marc Spector.

The casting of Isaac as Spector, whose Jewish heritage is a large part of the character, came as a surprise to many as Isaac, who has explained while he has Jewish roots on his father’s side, described his upbringing as “very Christian.” The report indicates that Marvel Studios is looking to cast two Jewish Latino characters described as a father and mother, under the names Eddie and Willow Silver, for a project set to film next month. The very specific nature of the roles would certainly seem to indicate that they are looking for actors who are a match for Isaac’s own Jewish Latino roots to portray the parents of Marc Spector.

Given that Isaac is 42 years old, the age of the characters (40-50) would seem to indicate that the project will be exploring Spector’s early life via flashbacks. Spector’s father, Elias, was a rabbi whose own checkered past ultimately played a role in his son developing the Dissociative Identity Disorder that would become the defining trait of the character. In the comics, Elias was originally a holocaust survivor, so Marvel will certainly have to update his backstory for the series.

Moon Knight begins production soon and is expected to stream on Disney Plus in 2022.

Source: POC Culture

March 17, 2021
‘Falcon and The Winter Soldier’ Post-‘Avengers: Endgame’ Timeline Revealed

The events of Avengers: Endgame have shaped the Marvel Cinematic Universe in new and interesting ways. We got a small glimpse at the consequences when Spider-Man: Far From Home first aired in 2019. WandaVision continued the tradition by taking place only weeks after the events, as we witnessed Monica Rambeau returns from the Snap. It changed the landscape of the MCU and it looks like Falcon and the Winter Soldier will continue the tradition. In an interview with Collider, it was revealed that the series takes place at least six months after the event that was dubbed the Blip in-universe. Director Kari Skogland confirmed that this was an important part when scripting the show:

Everything narratively was informed by that event for us. It meant that we’re just past the shock of it. We’re just past the joy of it — because we’re imagining that there would be a lot of joy, in people returning. Now we’re into the reality of it, which is complicated.

The timeline would set this quite sometime after WandaVision and shortly before Far From Home. It is one of the MCU’s greatest advantages to explore a new kind of world after an event changes everything. Skogland wants to explore this Blipped world and how it is affected politically. Countries had to adapt to half the world vanishing. Head writer Malcolm Spellman also pointed out that this was a big part of how they pitched the show early in the development process. It will be interesting to see how else the events might influence future entries, or if we even get to explore the time period between the Blip and Snap.

Source: Collider

March 16, 2021
Kevin Feige Plays Coy On Old Man Rogers’ Absence in ‘Falcon and the Winter Soldier’

Ever since the ending of Avengers: Endgame, there has been one question keeping us awake at night. Is Steve Rogers still around? We see an older version of the first Avenger hand over the shield to Sam, which becomes the main focus of Falcon and the Winter Soldier. In an interview with Empire, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige played a little coy when asked about Roger’s whereabouts during these events and if the upcoming Disney+ show will also address his absence in its six-episode run:

Yes. In a roundabout way.

Feige really knows how to confirm and de-confirm something in a single sentence. He later continues to point out that “a fair presumption” but “not necessarily the case.” So, it does look like we will get a feeling for what Steve was up to once he got off that bench during the ending of Endgame. He leaves behind a legacy that will be the emotional core of the series, which may work better in his absence. There are also some moments in the trailers, which seem to hint at a funeral service of some kind.

The world also seems to believe he passed away, as seen at the end of Spider-Man: Far From Home. At the time, they used an image of a young Steve Rogers. There is also the possibility he returned back to the timeline, where Peggy Carter may have outlived her counterpart from the main timeline. It opens up a lot of interesting avenues to explore, especially how the world would react if the Super Soldier just showed up and is aged up by 80 years. It will be interesting to see how The Falcon and the Winter Soldier bridges the cap from that post-credit sequence into the new show.

Source: Empire via Twitter

March 16, 2021
Marvel Studios Should Explore Asgard’s History on Disney+

Some time ago, it got announced that we are getting a Disney+ series focused on Wakanda. It doesn’t have an official title or story, but there is a good possibility it will offer a closer look at the fictional African city. In a way, it opens up a new avenue of storytelling that goes beyond the usual superhero stories. We see this new direction with other Disney+ shows, like Armor Wars and Secret Invasions. They are no longer bound to focusing on a specific characters’ journey. As such, it feels like the perfect time to explore the fictional world of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. If we start focusing on the MCU’s history, I believe a series based on Thor’s now-destroyed homeworld, Asgard, should be in the works moving forward.

Thor: Ragnarok teased a long history long before Thor was even born. It introduced us to a very different version of Odin, who seemed quite bloodthirsty. Alongside his daughter Hela, he conquered the nine realms. Anthony Hopkins‘ take on the character introduced us to a level-headed man who tried to learn from his past mistakes. We learn about his battle against the Frost Giants, the banishing of Surtur, and the many acts he has done. We even get a glimpse of his father, Bor, in Thor: The Dark World‘s brief flashback. Throughout each entry, we get a small glimpse into the history of Asgard but never the full picture.

After the events of Ragnarok, the mythical planet is no more. In a way, it feels like the franchise is moving further away from its Nordic routes. There are still so many stories and Norse characters from the comics that deserve more attention. Why not explore a young Odin’s time before he becomes the All-Father. Explore his relationship with his father, who did not return from war. We learn of his family, such as his brother Cul Borson. A tense rivalry, echoing that of his sons, would put them at odds as they try to prove themselves facing the Midgard Serpent, Jormungand.

The series can explore the history of the Nine Realms and reveals how fragile their unity was. Odin’s peaceful nature tries to explore the different realms and find a way to unite them through peace. Yet, his father’s legacy has created a strong divide between them all. In his journey, he starts to raise a young wolf cub, who he names Fenris. The same wolf that would eventually be the one he passes on to his daughter. Cul, however, has his own agenda to gain the throne. His actions start to push the Realms further apart. It forces Odin’s hand to become the man in the hidden mural. We know that he would eventually become a good man, but we’ve never got a chance to explore the sacrifices he had to make to take on to rule over the Nine Realms and condemn his brother for his actions. It also starts a terrible habit of Odin’s to banish his family in some way. It is only one of many possible stories that could be told through a Disney+ series focused on Asgard.

March 15, 2021
‘Ironheart’: Dominique Thorne Reveals How She Became Riri Williams

One of Marvel’s newest stars is opening up about her unique casting experience. Dominique Thorne was announced as the MCU’s next iron-clad heroine at Disney’s Investor’s Day last December, with the young actress set to play Riri Williams in Disney+’s Ironheart series. Best known for her role in Barry Jenkins’ critically acclaimed film If Beale Street Could Talk and the recently released Judas and the Black Messiah, Thorne’s casting came as a surprise to many. While some fans may have expected the Ironheart announcement, nobody was quite prepared for a casting to reveal to happen so early in the show’s marketing process. As it turns out, Thorne wasn’t really expecting the announcement so early either. The talented performer opened up to Empire about her audition-free casting process:

I was at home in Delaware and I got a call asking if I would like to play this role. It was the best phone call I could have ever received. I was so shocked, in fact, that there was a considerable lag in the conversation! I was waiting for them to say, like, ‘Oh, we’ll send you the sides’, or, ‘Get your tape over to us.’ But there was none of that. It was just like, ‘Would you like to do this?’ It was probably the most unique experience I’ve ever had because there was no audition at all.

Riri Williams is a relatively new character in the Marvel mythos. She got introduced by Brian Michael Bendis in 2015, the same man who created Miles Morales a few years prior. Williams is a teenage prodigy at MIT, who creates a new version of the Iron Man armor. She later takes up her superhero mantle. She has since appeared in various animated Marvel projects, and it was only a matter of time before she found her way to the MCU. The Ironheart series is currently in pre-production, with no official confirmation of a release date but with casting already in place, one could expect to see Dominique Thorne pop up on their screens sooner rather than later.

Source: Empire

March 15, 2021
Connecting Imaginary Dots: Carlos Navarro Joins the Cast of ‘Hawkeye’

CONNECTING IMAGINARY DOTS ARE PIECES WE WRITE HERE THAT ALLOW US TO BE WHAT WE ALL TRULY ARE: FANS. THESE SHOULD NOT BE TAKEN AS SCOOPS, EXCLUSIVES OR FACTS; JUST SPECULATION ABOUT THE THINGS FOR WHICH WE ALL SHARE A GREAT PASSION.

Filming on the Marvel Studios Disney Plus streaming series, Hawkeye, is slowly coming to an end and headed into post-production ahead of an expected late-2021 debut. Filming was done primarily in Georgia but fans will remember that our first look at Hailee Steinfeld as Kate Bishop was captured in a “but it’s too blurry to make out if it’s really her” video taken in New York in December. Thanks to a tip from a fan, we may have identified an additional cast member that has, so far, gone under the radar. We believe actor Carlos Navarro (The Walking Dead, The Outsider) can be counted among the cast of Hawkeye.

After receiving the tip, a quick check of social media indicated that Navarro was indeed in New York City working on an unidentified project in early December, the same time we were blessed with a bounty of Hawkeye set photos from the Big Apple. Further investigation shows a stuntman for Navarro listed on IMDB. Yes, we here are all just as aware as you are that IMDB can’t be taken as confirmation of anything. Around the time Navarro was confirmed to be in New York, set photos show that Hawkeye was filming some scenes involving members of the Tracksuit mafia, though a quick scan didn’t reveal Navarro among the members captured on film. It’s possible that an actor of Navarro’s caliber might have landed a meatier role than just another Bro, however; in early October, The Direct revealed that Marvel Studios was looking for a male in his 40s to play the recurring role of NYC Detective “Sherman.” Navarro fits the bill there just fine, giving us another option for a potential role.

Disney didn’t confirm the casting and they certainly won’t but we’ve struck gold on a couple of these types of potential castings before such as Tyler Dean Flores and Erin Kellyman from the upcoming series The Falcon and The Winter Soldier. That having been said, as stated above this information has not been confirmed and should be taken as a rumor until official word is given.

March 15, 2021
‘Secret Invasion’ Casts Kingsley Ben-Adir as Series Villain

As Marvel Studios fans turn their attention from WandaVision to The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, the studio is moving ahead on future Disney Plus projects. One such project that is due to film this summer, Secret Invasion, is casting now and, according to a trade report, has found its big bad. Kingsley Ben-Adir, who starred as Malcolm X in Regina King’s Oscar-nominated One Night in Miami, has landed the role as the series’ lead villain.

Ben-Adir will star opposite Samuel L. Jackson and Ben Mendelsohn who will reprise their roles as Nick Fury and Talos, respectively. The series, written and produced by Kyle Bradstreet, will follow the two as they deal with a secret Skrull invasion on Earth and will be based on the 2008 Marvel Comics event series written by Brian Michael Bendis. Little else is known about the series at this time, though the studio is also searching for a female lead to feature opposite Jackson and another female for a supporting role. Production should start late this summer ahead of a 2022 streaming debut.

Source: Variety

March 15, 2021