Production on Marvel Studios first Disney Plus series, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, is back in full swing following the holiday break and recent set photos have given us our first look at Wyatt Russell’s John Walker in costume as Captain America.
The photos, which can be seen over at Page Six, appear to show Russell being introduced as Captain America to a crowd of fans.
Marvel Studios The Falcon and The Winter Solider is now in production and scheduled to air on Disney Plus this Fall.
Following the release of the Morbius trailer last week, baseless speculation began that Jared Harris might be playing Doctor Otto Octavius in the Sony film. I’ve spent the better part of the last week doing my best to inform everyone (via my Twitter account) that not only is Harris not playing Doc Ock, but that he is playing a different doctor: Dr. Emil Nikos.
Described as “calm and fatherly” Harris’ Nikos is the mentor to Jared Leto’s Morbius. He is the director of the underfunded institution we see in the trailer and despite having “every right to be cynical, ” he has chosen the “path of hope.”
I can imagine fans are having a hard time wrapping their heads around this because it represents a change from the comics, where Nikos was Morbius’ peer and best friend. That being said, this hardly represents the first time a character was adapted to serve a different purpose on screen. Given the fact that the trailer seems to paint Nikos in a sympathetic light, I’d wager it’s still safe to assume one aspect of the character might carry over from the comics: I’d put my bet down that he’ll still be the first victim of Morbius.
Morbius is due in theaters July 31, 2020.
As Marvel Studios Eternals nears its wrap date, there is still much we don’t know about the project. Set photos have been few and far between and there have been few, if any, information leaks. One thing we do know, however, is that the film will in fact feature romantic pairing straight from the comics: Sersi and Dane Whitman.
Set photos, which can be viewed at Page Six, show stars Kit Harrington and Gemma Chan embraced and kissing on set.
Just how Sersi and Dane’s relationship will factor into the events of the film remains to be seen, but it’s likely it is not something approved of by all of her fellow Eternals.
If you’ve never read an installment of Connecting Imaginary Dots, allow me to explain the idea. Connecting Imaginary Dots was the title I came up with for my speculation pieces when I was writing at MCU Exchange. These types of pieces basically allow me to unload a bunch of junk that’s circulating in my brain in a way that should never be confused for things I actually expect to happen. I basically take a bunch of facts that are almost always entirely unrelated and do my best to connect the dots with by stretching my imagination. In the past these types of pieces have resulted in me theorizing that the Spider-Man sequel which became Far From Home might end up being a team-up outing of Spidey and Hulk in the Savage Land;however, I also wrote one theorizing that Sterling K. Brown would be playing the father of Erik Killmonger in Black Panther LOOOOOONG before anyone else was considering it and one in which I theorized that Annette Bening was actually Mar-Vell when everyone else still thought Jude Law was playing the character. The bottom line is this: these are fun spec pieces that allow me to just be a fan. With that out of the way…
Back in December, actress Miki Ishikawa and actor Desmond Chiam were added to the cast of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier. While Chiam has been photographed on set on more than one occasion, there has been no sign of Ishikawa so far. Though she has not been on set, she has been putting herself through the paces of a rigorous regimen of exercise, the kind of routine that one might associate with becoming a superhero.
I have long believed that Marvel Studios has been working to set up some version of the Thunderbolts and I have often theorized how The Falcon and The Winter Soldier might be just the place to introduce the team. The present day of the MCU is a time without heroes. With the Avengers gone, the time is right for Thaddeus Ross to bring in his own team that he controls. I’m a big believer that the Thunderbolts are coming, so when Ishikawa was cast, I quickly jumped to the possibility of her playing one of the OG Thunderbolts: Jolt.
First introduced in 1997’s Thunderbolts #1, Hallie Takahama, aka Jolt, is one of the first members to be added to the Thunderbolts initial roster. Following experimentation by Arnim Zola, Jolt became attuned to her body’s bioelectric field to the extent that she could both weaponize it and use it to move incredibly fast.
As I stated earlier, when Ishikawa was cast, there was no evidence to support that she would actually play Jolt, so my guess was just a guess and, most likely, driven by my desire to see the Thunderbolts enter the MCU. But then yesterday, Ishikawa posted some pictures of her newest tattoos and one of them REALLY stood out to me:
That tiny little lightning bolt on her wrist looks exactly like the kind of tattoo one might get if she had been cast as a Thunderbolt (the team logo is a lightning bolt) and, perhaps more specifically as Jolt! Adding more fuel to the fire was a now deleted comment from a user saying “Can’t wait to see you as Jolt in the MCU!”, a comment that Ishikawa liked before it disappeared.
Connecting these dots really makes it seem like Jolt is a real possibility for Ishikawa’s mystery role and, if that’s the case, the Thunderbolts cannot be far behind!
Sony Pictures released the teaser trailer for the second installment in their Spider-Man Universe of Marvel Characters today and comic book movie fans were rattled by a reveal in the trailer’s final moments.
Michael Keaton’s appearance in the film, which was already rumored to include JK Simmons‘ J Jonah Jameson and a visual reference to Spider-Man’s status as a “murderer” following Spider-Man: Far From Home, set the internet ablaze with speculation.
Though it’s not made clear in the trailer, it’s certainly implied that Keaton is playing the same character in Morbius as he did in Spider-Man: Homecoming…Adrian Toomes, aka the Vulture. While many have speculated this might be taking place in an alternate timeline or universe, Sony’s making a fairly obvious statement here by having Keaton wear the same attire he was wearing when we last saw him in prison in Homecoming.
And so the confusion grows and while we probably cannot expect an official answer anytime soon, it’s also probably not that tough to decode. Disney and Sony went back to the negotiation table over extending Tom Holland’s MCU contract past the 3 crossover films and 2 solo films and it’s likely that the outcome was something like this:
Outside of that, the trailer looks better than I anticipated and, from the one glimpse we get of him in the trailer, it looks like Leto’s Morbius is one of the better comic-to-screen adaptations we’ve seen.
Morbius hits theaters July 31, 2020.
Filming for Marvel Studios Disney Plus series The Falcon and The Winter Soldier has resumed following the holiday break and it’s possible that actress Julie Zhan (NCIS: Los Angeles) has joined the cast.
Twitter user (and Murphy’s Multiverse super sleuth) @FWSupdates noticed that Zhan’s Instagram held some clues that could indicate the actress has joined the production in Atlanta.
At this point I was unable to confirm Zhan joining the cast and, unless a set photo or an official announcement from Disney is forthcoming I won’t be able to, but I thought I’d present the opportunity for you all to see the videos, strike up a conversation and think for yourselves.
A casting call went out this afternoon for a Marvel Studios project, filming dates yet to be determined, for actors/actresses to portray 10 year old British male and 10 year old British female respectively.
The descriptions for the roles are as follows:
Male, 10 years old, British, Open Ethnicity, smart and brave with a sharp wit and life experience beyond his years…RECURRING
Female, 10 years old, British, Caucasian, in tears over a frightening situation, she relies on her intelligence and resilience to find a way out.
While the project is unnamed, the New Orleans based casting agency who released the call is working out of an office located in Atlanta. Given the nature of the characters and the fact that the shooting dates are TBD, it’s very likely that these roles are for the Disney Plus series, Loki, set to begin production in Atlanta next month.
Rumors have swirled for some time that a younger Loki might be present in flashbacks, so it’s possible that the male character, which is a recurring role, might fit that bill. Of course it’s more likely it is for another character, but the recurring nature is the most interesting part.
While the female role isn’t recurring, it’s possible that it too might be a younger version of a character set to appear in the show. Actress Sophia Di Martino, who was cast in an unknown role in November, is set to co-star with Tom Hiddleston. Rumors have placed her not only as a female reincarnation of Loki, but also as Amora, the Enchantress. While nothing about this casting call points to either of those characters, it is possible the Di Martino’s role is connected. Alternately, the character could be Leah, one drawn from Kieron Gillen’s beloved run on Journey Into Mystery and one Loki’s only true and loyal friends.
Loki is currently set to debut on Disney Plus in the Spring of 2021.
Every now and then I come across some information the veracity of which can be confirmed by a second source. What happens FAR more often is that I come across some information that while believable and from trustworthy sources, cannot be confirmed by other sources for various reasons. Typically, when the second scenario occurs, I move on and forget about the information unless, in rare instances, it turns out to be proven true somewhere down the road.
With two different Disney Plus series under production at the same time, and films at various states of pre-production, rumors are running rampant and while it’s a ton of fun to sort through them all, not all of them make a ton of sense; however, I recently came across one that, while unverified, makes a lot of sense. It’s important to understand that, because I can’t verify this with a second source, I myself am treating it as a rumor which means, for the time being, I don’t believe it myself. It’s also important to understand that the information provided would be spoilery if did turn out to be true. So please read at your own risk and please make an effort to represent what you’ve read here as nothing more than a rumor. This isn’t a “hot scoop”, at least not yet. For now, they it is nothing more than a compelling rumor that should generate plenty of great discussion among the MCU fan community. With that having been said, read ahead if you chose…
In no way, shape or form should any of this be shared nor construed as confirmation of anything.
Things I heard this week: Christian Bale’s potential role in Thor: Love and Thunder is a mo-cap role.
I spoke to an agent yesterday and while he could not give any info on what the role was, he said, “I’ve just heard that Christian is doing it.”
Obviously that left me unsatisfied, so I kept digging around. The next part of the story is easily the best part, but CANNOT be confirmed as of this afternoon.
I went to another trusted source…very trusted…like the guy who told me that Widow and Iron Man would die in Avengers: Endgame and that Sam would get the shield. I asked him if he could look into it. He did. Here’s the rundown,
Source: “I’m hearing it’s for a mo-cap role but still looking into it.”
In my mind, this doesn’t rule our Dario Agger, but it doesn’t make him the best choice either. Happily, 3 minutes later…
Source: “Who’s Dario?”
Me: “Dario Agger. Is that who he is? Did someone tell you that?”
Source: “Yeah, but they also mentioned Beta Ray Bill.”
End of chat until I hear back.
So what did I take away from this (I almost said, what should YOU take away from it, but that seemed heavy handed):
This conversation between me and “source” is reminiscent of a lot of conversations we’ve had in the past. The reality is that even in Los Angeles, nobody other than Bale, his agent, some people at his agency and the people at Disney are 100% sure who he is playing. The mo-cap part is interesting because he could be Agger and still obviously have to mo-cap the Minotaur. Beta Ray Bill is obviously the greatest Cosmic character ever and there is nothing anyone can say to change that, but, is Bale really up for this or did my source’s source get the echo chamber effect, ie did someone read it online and mention it to him and now he thinks that’s who it is? I have no idea.
What I would feel comfortable saying is that Agger and BRB are legit options where some others aren’t. If it’s mo-cap, well that’s a very helpful clue to help solve the problem. It means a character like Gorr, while he would seem unlikely given how Waititi co-opted him for Hela, is certainly in the mix.
Of course Bale has stated in the past he wants nothing to do with more comic book movies and is notoriously difficult to work with on set, so a mo-cap role where his exposure to other human beings is limited makes THE MOST sense. I’m continuing to try to dig into this, but I have no false hopes of being the guy who breaks it. I am, however, happy to share the breadcrumbs and tidbits I turn up along the way.
On Christmas Eve I reported that Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings was searching for an actor to play a ringside fight announcer and speculated on how that casting could potentially tie into a fan-favorite leak that paints the Destin Daniel Cretton helmed film as a sort of Enter the Dragon/Bloodsport-esque flick that will see Shang-Chi take on all kinds of deadly fighters while fighting to secure the legendary Ten Rings for the Mandarin. Now an additional casting call has surfaced and could lend additional support to this potential leak.
A casting call for professional wrestles and actors with martial arts and fighting experience went out to male citizens of Australia and New Zealand, ages 20-55, meaning the production was looking to stock up on fighters and what better reason than to fill slots in a martial arts tournament! You may recall that back in October it was revealed that casting was underway for Shang-Chi villains Razor Fist, Ghostmaker, Steel Claw and Shadow. This new casting call could be related to that or it could just be an all call to bring in a high volume of fighters that will be seen in the background. Either way, the evidence is starting to mount that we just might be seeing something special in the MCU with Cretton putting his own spin on the martial arts tournament film.
While production is scheduled to begin on Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings this month, the terrible wildfires in Australia might push the start of filming back meaning we may not find out much over the coming days. Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings is due in theaters February 12, 2021.
If you’ve never read an installment of Connecting Imaginary Dots, allow me to explain the idea. Connecting Imaginary Dots was the title I came up with for my speculation pieces when I was writing at MCU Exchange. These types of pieces basically allow me to unload a bunch of junk that’s circulating in my brain in a way that should never be confused for things I actually expect to happen. I basically take a bunch of facts that are almost always entirely unrelated and do my best to connect the dots with by stretching my imagination. In the past these types of pieces have resulted in me theorizing that the Spider-Man sequel which became Far From Home might end up being a team-up outing of Spidey and Hulk in the Savage Land;however, I also wrote one theorizing that Sterling K. Brown would be playing the father of Erik Killmonger in Black Panther LOOOOOONG before anyone else was considering it and one in which I theorized that Annette Bening was actually Mar-Vell when everyone else still thought Jude Law was playing the character. The bottom line is this: these are fun spec pieces that allow me to just be a fan. With that out of the way…
Back in August a casting call, revealed by GWW, indicated that Marvel Studios was searching for an actor, 30-40, to play “the ruler of a distant ancient kingdom.” At the time of their report, GWW speculated that the character might be Namor and, given Kevin Feige’s recent comments, it’s looking increasingly possible that they might be right.
In a recent stint a as a guest speaker at the New York Film Academy, Feige gave a little insight into how they chose characters for Marvel Studios films, including Doctor Strange: In the Multiverse of Madness.
The most pertinent bit is transcribed below:
Sometimes you’re choosing title hero, choosing which main character or main team you want to bring to the screen and often times, it’s as you’re making and developing the movie [asking] ‘Who will come into it?’ and ‘Who will fit into it? The next Doctor Strange film, for instance, features some new MCU characters which will be making their debut in that movie you won’t expect or won’t guess who it is but we found a cool way to make it work because we want to make a particular type of movie there and there was a character who we always wanted to do something with who will fit really well there.
On the surface, only part of that (“a character who we always wanted to do something with”) sounds like Namor. Namor and Strange have a long comic book history through their time together on The Defenders, a team of otherwise non-teamer uppers who often come together to tackle threats that are more mystical or supernatural. The non-team team often included Hulk, Silver Surfer, Valkyrie and others over the course of the years. Namor also suffered from amnesia, causing him to forget his true heritage. Could the opening up of the Multiverse and the potential influence of Nightmare be enough to jog the memory of the Avenging Son of Atlantis?
Though the casting call did not specify which project the character would appear in, other information in the casting call does give a small hint. For instance, we can probably rule out the character of “DAVID” appearing in Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings because other character descriptions that appeared around the same time and have since been confirmed to be for Shang-Chi gave a time frame of January through May, a time frame we now know fits for that film, while the description for “DAVID” gave a TBD start date. So while we can’t pin down that this character will appear in Doctor Strange: In the Multiverse of Madness, we can be fairly confident that it is not for Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings and it doesn’t make a ton of sense to believe that they were already searching for actors for Thor: Love and Thunder a full year before it would film.
So, if we are connecting all the dots and doing some imagineering, we can at least make a case for Namor to make his long-awaited MCU debut in 2021 and, while we’re at it, we can make the case for “ADAM”, a character from another similar description, to be Jericho Drumm, aka Brother Voodoo…but that’s another story.
So what do you think? Could Namor finally make his debut in 2021’s Doctor Strange: In the Multiverse of Madness?
