Tag: Marvel Studios

New ‘Black Widow’ BTS Images Offer Closer Look at Taskmaster, Red Guardian, And More

Disney+ has been our main source of Marvel Studios goodness since everything was delayed for a year. We are still crossing our fingers that Black Widow will release in May, but things are as uncertain as they have always been. Still, we are always excited to see new images from the upcoming project make their way online to build up some hype, as we wait for the official trailer to confirm the upcoming release. The Twitter user @ImAFilmEditor has taken to Twitter to release various new stills from the upcoming film that offer a small glimpse of what is to come.

https://twitter.com/ImAFilmEditor/status/1371219729625456640

There are some great images in here, especially those close-up shots from Taskmaster. His design is certainly unique, but it has been growing on us over time. He still has his iconic skull design and you can see the camera that is built into his helmet. That is a great detail for the character, whose main ability is to be able to copy moves from anyone he fights. Even after all this time, we still don’t know 100% who is behind that mask even after it got delayed by a year. There is also a picture of O-T Fagbenle‘s Rick Mason, who has been noticeably absent from the trailers.

I also love the image of David Harbour holding an action figure of Red Guardian. If this is indeed in the film, it would imply that the Soviet version of Captain America was a public figure. It will be interesting to explore his backstory. It makes you wonder if his legacy might also be discussed in Falcon and the Winter Soldier, which is focused on the legacy that the iconic shield carries. There are also a variety of pictures showing off Florence Pugh, Rachel Weisz, and, of course, Scarlett Johansson on the film’s set. Here’s hoping we can see them in action this May.

Source: Twitter

March 14, 2021
‘Falcon and the Winter Soldier’: Kevin Feige Teases Wyatt Russell’s Captain America

Ever since Falcon and the Winter Soldier was announced, we knew that the Disney+ series will focus on the passing of the mantle of Captain America. After the end of Avengers: Endgame, Sam Wilson was given the shield by Steve Rogers, but he is hesitant on accepting the role. In the trailers, we get a brief look at another man in a very familiar-looking suit. We know that Wyatt Russell is taking on the role of a government-funded Captain America, John Walker. In the press release,

The past is prologue. The clues are everywhere in what has led to this moment. Certainly that character and that name, sometimes it’s just a name, but often times, we do, of course, pull from the lineage of their biographies from the comics and then tweak it as it is appropriate for the point of time we are introducing them into the MCU. Stay tuned over the course of this series.

We have seen Marvel Studios adapt a lot of its characters. Sometimes they add unique spins or even combine characters, such as Iron Man 2′s Ivan Vanko being a combination of Crimson Dynamo and Whiplash. We don’t know if there is a history for Russell‘s version of the character moving forward as the US Agent, or even as Captain America. He will potentially become the public face for the character, as we saw him getting introduced in a football stadium. It is crazy to think that was the first trailer that was released during 2019’s Super Bowl. It will be interesting to see how his character evolves throughout the show, and what implications it could have for the future of the MCU.

March 14, 2021
‘Falcon and the Winter Soldier’: Anthony Mackie Talks Sam Wilson’s Hesitance on Becoming Captain America

As the logo of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier teases, the main focus of the upcoming show continues where Sam Wilson’s story last ended in Avengers: Endgame. As we learned in the first trailers, it seems that Sam isn’t quite ready to take on that heavy role. In the press release, our own Charles Murphy got a chance to ask Anthony Mackie about why Sam Wilson is hesitant to take on the shield even after Steve Rogers passed it on to him. He offered a heartfelt answer on the pressure that Sam is facing after holding the iconic Vibranium frisbee.

Sam’s whole thing is: he went on this journey, this Avenger story over six movies with Steve because of his respect and admiration for Steve. When Captain America, he says, when Captain America shows up at your door, you answer in the movie Captain America: Winter Soldier. That being said, it is, you know, it is the pain, the idea of not being able to go on these missions, not going to be able to help his friend. You know, there are still people out there that really appreciate camaraderie and friendship […] Just like everybody else, you don’t want to see Steve Rogers go away. You don’t want to see Captain America go away. Because just like Captain America was your Cap, Captain America was Sam Wilsons Cap. So, you know, that is why he says at the end of Endgame, it feels like, when he is holding the shield, it is someone else’s. It feels like it is yours. He was a fan like everybody else.

hH ends the question with a joke that Sam Wilson’s entire goal was to get a spin-off with Black Widow when she knocked on his door. It was a great way to break the tension after a very heartfelt and introspective answer on why this decision is so difficult for Sam. He spent so many films alongside his friend and now, he is gone. The moment he accepts the shield, he also has to face the fact that his friend has moved on. Of course, others being after the iconic symbol isn’t making that decision any easier and we can’t wait to see how they approach it once it premieres on March 19th.

March 14, 2021
Anthony Mackie Teases That ‘The Falcon and Winter Soldier’ Will Explore Sam Wilson’s Backstory

Throughout the Marvel Cinematic Universe, we are introduced to a long-list of characters. Sadly, we don’t always get to explore the characters’ history before they join the franchise. When Sam Wilson was introduced in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, we only briefly hear about his time in the military. Luckily, as this franchise continues to expand we also get a new perspective on different characters. Luckily, it looks like The Falcon and The Winter Soldier will do exactly that, as we will get to find out more about Sam’s past before he became the iconic winged Avenger.

It’s always a surprise when the minds get-together and the information trickle down to you. When I first read the script, I was really happy and acknowledged the fact, that he was from Louisiana.

Anthony Mackie also briefly mentioned that he wanted to eat crawfish on camera to pay tribute to Wilson’s family history from Louisiana, but it sadly wasn’t possible. He also briefly talks about how this changes the characters’ comic history.

The idea of Sam Wilson, he’s always evolved in the world of the Marvel comic books and now he’s evolved in the Marvel cinematic universe. Because if you remember when Sam Wilson started out he was a huslter, from Harlem, and then as African American culture evolved, Stan Lee evolved him in the comic book into different incarnations. So I’m excited for everyone to see the new and improved Sam Wilson

Still, it is great that the upcoming series will take a deeper look at these character’s history. It may also be used as a contrast to Bucky, who has no one left. All he had left in the modern age was Steve, so he might get accepted into a new world, as his relationship with Sam evolves by getting to know him better throughout the series’ runtime. It certainly opens up a lot of interesting character moments that would not get the spotlight in a feature film.

March 14, 2021
Anthony Mackie Wants to Spend Time in ‘Blade’s World

Marvel Studios is about t expand in many different ways. They finally started their new venture into Disney+ with WandaVision and the upcoming The Falcon and The Winter Soldier. There is also the exploration of a darker side of the Marvel Cinematic Universe with Moon Knight and Blade. Especially the latter opens up a whole new avenue for the franchise. In the latest press event for the second Disney+ show, Falcon’s Anthony Mackie was asked what future project he is most excited about, and he then revealed that he wants to be involved with

I would really like to, Kevin, spend some time in Blade world.

Anthony Mackie and Mahershala Ali would make for a fantastic duo in the MCU, which could be the focus of a future project. They wouldn’t introduce the vampire hunter without any plans for a crossover. I do love how he points out to Kevin Feige what he wants to happen. It’s going to be interesting how Blade’s world will get introduced into the MCU. We haven’t seen anything related to vampires yet, so they could be a rather new introduction t this world. In the comics, vampires were created through the Darkhold, so they could focus strongly on the magical connection. It wouldn’t be surprising for an Avenger to get involved once they start noticing more attacks. So, it is only a question of time before they start getting heavily involved in the more supernatural world of the MCU.

March 14, 2021
Kevin Feige Talks Potential Future Seasons for ‘The Falcon and The Winter Soldier’ and ‘WandaVision’

The press rounds have started for The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Marvel Studios’ next venture in Disney+ will take a closer look at the dynamic between Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes, who will carry on the legacy set by Steve Rogers’ run as Captain America. Now, they face an uncertain future with many more adventures ahead of them. One of the questions was on the possibility of the series getting a second season, which the showrunner is open for, and how that would look with the MCU’s connected universe. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige may have teased their general approach:

[…] People expect it to be like what people know before. Where is Season 2? Where is Season 1? We really did apprach it like we do the mvies, we better do this great or we won’t get to do another one. If we are able to do another one, there are certailny ideas. The slight difference, of course, as you all heard me say, and I think is becoming clear with WandaVision, that they will really go back and forth between Disney+ Series and Marvel Studios features. So, where characters show up and how, will sometimes be a in a direct season two, sometimes in a feature and then an additianl season.

We know that Wanda is going to have a bigger role in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, but the question is open to how they approach her story afterward. They could revisit the WandaVision series in a new format, or even retitle it completely t fit a new narrative. The introduction of Secret Invasion proves that we might see more event titles as mini-series rather than focusing on these series continuously releasing a new season each year. Disney+ does offer that flexibility that will keep these shows from getting repetitive.

March 14, 2021
EXCLUSIVE: Director Kari Skogland on How the Pandemic Impacted ‘The Falcon and The Winter Soldier’

Production on Marvel Studios next Disney Plus streaming series, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, was about halfway complete when things abruptly came to a halt due to the COVID-19 pandemic. When production resumed on the project under the ironically named Pandemic Productions company, the cast and crew had to adjust on the fly to an entirely new set of circumstances. I asked director Kari Skogland how the pandemic impacted the project and to find a silver lining in what was a scary and surprising time.
Charles Murphy: “You guys had quite a bit of work done when the pandemic shut things down. What’s something good that came out of that downtime on this project?”
Kari Skogland: “For us, it was actually quite positive because we were able to, first of all, we had an amazing team. Everybody was very willing to pivot as necessary. So there was no panic as a result we just got on with it. Once the sort of surprise of it all, perhaps we all sniffed it coming? I guess I don’t know. But nonetheless, it was still a surprise. Once we sort of got over that, it was very much…we just sort of picked up and kept going because there is always work to be done-cause we were midway. So the positive side to it was when we were able to gear back up we were really targeted. We knew exactly what we were shooting. We knew where the series was and where it needed to go. I think we were able to use the time very wisely to make all kinds of decisions that we wouldn’t have had time to make otherwise. The best and most positive thing was that the team responded incredibly well, actors, everybody included, we all just got on with it.”

More than once during the shutdown, I heard how Marvel Studios was using the time they wouldn’t otherwise have well and wisely. Having more time to think, discuss and evaluate their projects provided a rare opportunity to strengthen what were some already great projects. As Skogland said, the shutdown gave them time to really reflect on things and make decisions without being up against deadlines. As you’ll see when The Falcon and The Winter Soldier debuts next week, the downtime was time well spent.

March 13, 2021
How Marvel Studios Plans to Take the Fight to Superhero Fatigue

It probably feels like a lifetime ago but it was only in 2017 that the MCU started releasing three feature films every year. By that time the franchise was approaching its 10th year with 17 movies under its belt and many started wondering just how long could Marvel Studios’ dominance at the box office truly last until audiences’ superhero fatigue managed to creep up on it. The following couple of years presented everyone with a resounding answer to that question as five out of the six movies released in that period surpassed the 1 billion dollar mark at the box-office, with two of those going over the 2 billion dollar mark while making Avengers: Endgame the highest-grossing movie of all time.

By that point, and besides being the final chapter of a story being told since 2008 through 23 interconnected movies, the end of the Infinity Saga had audiences saying goodbye to arguably its two most important characters, Tony Stark and Steve Rogers, that had been at the forefront of the MCU since its inception. So being, Marvel Studios had a few problems on their plate as 2019 came to a close: How to reintroduce surviving characters making them a bigger presence within the franchise filling the void of the ones lost, how to make fans care for the new characters being introduced as they did the legacy ones, and most importantly how to maintain global audience interested in the MCU avoiding the aforementioned superhero fatigue to finally become a real thing, in what the MCU is concerned.

A few of the issues mentioned above had already started being addressed head-on by taking a chance on characters like Black Panther and Captain Marvel, allowing for a larger and more diverse audience to feel embraced by the superhero cinematic universe Marvel created, all while keeping longtime fans engaged by diversifying the type of stories being told, the angles in which they were told, and the voices that told them. Phase 4 would be doubling-down on this idea of bringing into the franchise a much more diverse group of filmmakers (Cate Shortland, Destin Daniel Cretton, Chloé Zhao, Nia DaCosta) and introducing characters like Shang-Chi, Ms. Marvel, She-Hulk, Ironheart, and the incredibly diverse cast of Eternals that are further living proof that the MCU is trying to evolve and become a much richer and relevant franchise by allowing so much different voices to shine through.

But today, exactly one week after the WandaVision finale and one week before The Falcon and The Winter Soldier premiere, it’s becoming increasingly clear that, as contradictory as it may sound, another way Marvel Studios is trying to avoid superhero fatigue is by going all out and delivering ten projects in a single year. One would think that that would be against their interests as this means that there’ll be hardly a week throughout the year without some sort of new MCU content, but Marvel Studios is managing to circumvent that by turning inwards and redefining what the superhero genre can aspire to become. This way, instead of only releasing properties that could be described as being the generic superhero production and thus paving the way for audiences to quickly lose interest by the lack of novelty, they are expanding into sub-genres that are already a reality across the industry.

As WandaVision played with sitcom tropes while combining romance, mystery, and drama, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier is set to be more of an action-thriller experience. Ms. Marvel could be categorized as a teen drama while Hawkeye (mystery-thriller), Eternals (action epic), Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (martial arts action film), and Loki (sci-fi adventure) will each have their particular characteristics, making each project fresh in its own right. Going beyond 2021 we’ll find the same being applied to shows like She-Hulk (courtroom drama) or movies such as Thor: Love and Thunder (space ~~opera~~ rock show). All of this seems to mean that Marvel Studios is thinking that, by diversifying, audiences won’t grow tired of what they have to offer in the same way they don’t get tired of movies and tv in general. Even if all properties are a part of a larger franchise, their particulars will allow all of them to be experienced without the added weight of being presented with the same formulaic concepts and narratives.

Marvel Studios broke the mold for what franchises of this magnitude could become, and by keeping themselves in the public eye year-round but also understanding that a gimmick can only keep itself relevant for so much time, so much so that it’s not afraid to reinvent itself on the go (as we were able to see with WandaVision), is likely doing it again, before our very eyes.

March 12, 2021
‘The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’ Director Kari Skogland Open to a Second Season

We are only a week away before The Falcon and the Winter Soldier will release on Disney+. The series will follow-up on Avengers: Endgame‘s ending, as Sam Wilson comes to accept the shield passed on to him by Steve Rogers. Now, he and Bucky will become unlikely allies as they face a new foe. It is uncertain how the story will lead into the future of the franchise, but it looks like director Kari Skogland might have enough plans for a second season. In an interview with The Direct, she revealed that there might be more stories to explore with this dynamic duo:

I can’t even answer that because I would say there’s nothing I didn’t get to do in this one, and yet there’s so much more to do. So, let’s hope that there is a season two. I have no idea whether there will be or not, but I do know there’s always more stories to explore and more characters to have go down the rabbit hole with.

So far, none of the announced Disney+ shows have a confirmed second season. WandaVision just ended a few weeks ago, but there hasn’t been a word on the series getting an additional season. The advantage of Marvel Studios’ approach allows them to continue these stories at a later date. Wanda’s story seems to lead directly into Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. So, once that story gets resolved, they can continue her tale in a future sequel. They also aren’t restricted to keeping specific names. So, they could create a new show inspired by Vision Quest that continues these story threads. It will be interesting to see what their approach will be in the future.

Source: The Direct

March 12, 2021
EXCLUSIVE: Director Kari Skogland on the Most Important Questions ‘The Falcon and The Winter Soldier’ Will Answer

In an exclusive interview with Murphy’s Multiverse, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier director Kari Skogland discusses what drew her to the project, the key questions this series will address and how developing how the nature of the project allowed the characters to live and breathe without the usual time constraints.

Charles Murphy: “The episode has big action but it also has some beautiful and chilling character moments. The leads are hurting for different reasons and we finally have time to explore them more deeply. Did the opportunity to help define these characters make the project more attractive?”

Kari Skogland: “I don’t know about more attractive. No matter what I was excited. The central idea of it where Sam was handed the shield and what was that going to be and what is that what’s that the exploration of will he or won’t he take on what’s this is going to be for a Black man to carry the shield? What is Captain America’s relevance? Is there a Captain America that makes any sense anymore? All of those questions I thought were very topically important to not just discuss but to go on a real exploration in a deep dive sort of way.”

Needless to say the legacy of Steve Rogers and the weight of carrying his shield and taking up the mantle are major themes in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier. When he was handed the shield in Avengers: Endgame, Sam told Steve it felt like it belonged to someone else. The fact that we’re getting a series titled The Falcon and The Winter Soldier tells us he hasn’t resolved those feeling just yet.

Skogland continued on to explain how the structure of the show allowed for her to find the moments in which the characters could live and breathe and struggle, which they do beautifully in the first episode.

KS: “There was that on the one level and on the other level was the nature and the depth of these characters that we were able to in a 6-hour space compared to…I call it the meal vs. the snack. 6 hours is the meal and the feature is now the snack. And there’s plenty of room for snacks but I love the meals because you don’t feel like you’ve got these time constraints where you’re trying to jam too much into too short a space and the characters can live and breathe. And you’re also not sweating the “I better wind this up” too quickly. You’re able to let it gestate and let us worry for the character or be with the character. I really looked for performance opportunities and found from the get go it was going to be a challenge for the actors to find those moments and the table was set for them to do their great work and they did.”

And the actors really did great work delivering on the promise of this extended opportunity to develop their characters, something you’ll all have a chance to see when the first episode streams one week from today!

March 12, 2021