We have the best in the business working toward whatever the story might be. But until we’ve cracked it, we have a legacy to protect. The third movie was so special in so many ways that we need to make sure we do the right thing. This is the first time in this process that I’ve been part of the creative so early. It’s just a process where I’m watching and learning. It’s just a really fun stage for me. Like I said, everyone wants it to happen. But we want to make sure we’re not overdoing the same things.
-Tom Holland on Spider-Man 4
Watts helmed Spider-Man: Homecoming, Spider-Man: Far From Home and Spider-Man: No Way Home, all of which were very successful critically and financially; however, the studios are said to be searching for a new vision for their next Spidey trilogy and, given the names that have surfaced as possibilities to direct it, it seems as though they are looking for directors who have a history with high-octane action. While he’s said to no longer be in the mix, Fast and the Furious director Justin Lin was reportedly considered for the gig. More recently, Bad Boys for Life and Bad Boys: Ride or Die directors Adil El Arbi and Bilal Fallah were said to be in the mix for the job as well. The directing duo can certainly handle action and have experience working with Marvel Studios, having helmed two episodes of the D+ streaming series Ms. Marvel. While at a screening for Bad Boys: Ride or Die, Fallah was asked to comment on the rumor and his response will certainly do nothing to dispel rumors of his involvement.
سألنا مخرج فيلم BAD BOYS: RIDE OR DIE 'بلال فلاح' عن إشاعات إخراجه لفيلم SPIDER-MAN 4 المنتظر
Clearly caught off guard by the question, Fallah took just a second to collect himself but in that second he may have given away the possibility he and El Arbi have at least had conversations about directing Spider-Man 4. Having worked with both of the studios behind Spidey films, El Arbi and Fallah do seem uniquely positioned to land the job. Should the two indeed land the job, it sounds as thought they’ll have a big job ahead given the rumors that Spidey 4 will feature both a street-level civil war and a meeting between Peter and the symbiote left behind by Tom Hardy‘s Eddie Brock.
Spider-Man 4 currently has no release date though speculation continues to mount that it will hit theaters in 2025.
In early May, Disney’s top dog, Bob Iger, spoke publicly about his plan to reshape Marvel Studios’ release slate. We’re slowly going to decrease volume and go to probably about two TV series a year instead of what had become four and reduce our film output from maybe four a year to two, or a maximum of three,” said Iger, adding “And we’re working hard on what that path is.” That means that the release slate rolled out by the studio at D23 in 2022 probably isn’t something worth holding onto for fans as projects may be moving on and off the slate. According to a new rumor, one project that seems to be moving surprisingly quickly will be a sequel for one of the franchise’s longest-standing stars.
According to a new report by insider Daniel RPK, Marvel Studios is currently searching for a creative team to get a fifth film in the Thor franchise up and running. While the report did not include any potential writers or directors, it did indicate that the studio hopes to roll cameras on Thor V by the Fall of 2025.
After recreating the character over a three-movie arc (Thor: Ragnarok, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame), Chris Hemsworth has been pretty vocal about the portrayal of Thor in the latest installment, Thor: Love and Thunder. “I cringe and laugh equally at it,” said Hemsworth. “I think we just had too much fun. It just became too silly.” He’s also gone on the record multiple times to say he’d be willing to come back as the Odinson if the studio found a way to take the character in a new direction.
If I was going to do something again it would have to be tonally different. And we’d have to do something very drastic to keep people on their toes. Otherwise, it’s just the fatigue of those characters and those films, where people are like, “I’ve seen it.“
-Chris Hemsworth
Reading between the lines, it seems as though Hemsworth return as Thor is at least partially dependent on the absence of Taika Waititi, who directed the last two films. Interestingly enough, just as the studio begins a search for a new director, George Miller–who recently worked with Hemsworth on Furiosa–expressed interest in working with him again on the next Thor film. “I would work with Chris on anything. I really would. He’s a wonderful actor. He’s got the full range of all the skills,” said Miller. No matter who comes on board for Thor V, they’ll have plenty of source material from which to mine their next story and it shouldn’t be too hard to find a way to find a way scratch Hemsworth’s itch to reinvent the character one more time.
During a panel at CCXP24, Esposito shocked the audience with the news that he had reached a deal to join the MCU in a mystery role. “I cannot promise you it’ll be Professor X, because here’s what I think. I think that there’s something about being original,” said Esposito. “We’ve seen different versions of Professor X. Wouldn’t you like to see me play a character in a Marvel movie who is original, and new, and fresh? So, mark my words: This will happen sooner than you think.” As expected, Marvel Studios refused to comment on the news and the buzz around it died down…until Esposito reignited it at another convention.
While making an appearance at Phoenix Fan Fusion, Esposito teased a little more about his MCU role, saying, “The MCU has knocked on my door and it’s a role you won’t predict. It will be teased and there will be a series afterwards” before telling those in attendance he would “knock it out of the park.“
“The MCU has knocked on my door and it’s a role you won’t predict. It will be teased and there will be a series afterwards.” #phxfanfusionpic.twitter.com/RF5yjcHaqm
The news that whoever this mystery character is will appear in a series doesn’t give fans much to go in terms of deciphering who Esposito will be playing; however, it does indicate that whoever the character is won’t be a one-off and could be fairly important to one of the studio’s developing storylines.
Esposito’s dalliance with Marvel Studios has been ongoing and has been interesting to follow. After years of being fan-cast as Charles Xavier, Giancarlo Esposito reached out to set up a meeting with Marvel Studios in 2022. And while the studio wasn’t “quite ready to get into that conversation” at the time, according to the actor, they must have come around to the notion of Espositio joining the MCU.
I love how all this happens…[t]he fans come to me when I’m in line, a lot of comic cons, and it started with Dr. Doom maybe over a year ago. And then fans came and said [that I should do Freeze]…then it was Magneto. And these are fans suggesting to me what might be appropriate for me to do. And then, right, so the last year…people are coming and saying it’s [Professor] X. And they asked me, would you like to do that? I said I’d love to be in the Marvel Universe. And so all that got translated when the fan casting started to blow up that they’d like to see me play Professor X. It got so huge, I finally had to have my people call Marvel and explain that, you know, that this is a fan want and we would love to work with you. And [Marvel Studios isn’t] quite ready to get into that conversation. But when they are, I am here.
-Giancarlo Esposito in 2022
Esposito once revealed he was turned down for a role in the D+ streaming series Loki. “The truth of the story is this,” said the actor in a 2022 interview, “about four years ago I met with Louis D’Esposito who [is] in the television unit of Marvel. And they had come to me to play possibly play Loki on the television side. And so I did not do [that part], and there were reasons for it. I think I wasn’t the one who was chosen [would] be the honest truth. But I would have maybe liked to do it.” Esposito continued, “And then I thought when I wasn’t selected for that, that it would be great if I could be in a Marvel movie, not just a television show because I like films a lot. I love television, obviously, I had a great run in the television world, doing last year was four shows at one time and the year before five shows.” Now it seems as though the star will get a chance at both.
X-Men ’97 breathed new life into Marvel Studios. Now it’s time to see how they play in live-action. Rumblings have been growing for some time that Kevin Feige and company were closing in on a writer for their upcoming film and now they have found their scribe.
According to Deadline, Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes writer Michael Lesslie has begun negotiating with the studio to write the new adaptation.
We have the best in the business working toward whatever the story might be. But until we’ve cracked it, we have a legacy to protect. The third movie was so special in so many ways that we need to make sure we do the right thing. This is the first time in this process that I’ve been part of the creative so early. It’s just a process where I’m watching and learning. It’s just a really fun stage for me. Like I said, everyone wants it to happen. But we want to make sure we’re not overdoing the same things.
According to Jeff “The In” Sneider, Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, who directed two episodes of the Disney Plus streaming series Ms. Marvel, are on Marvel Studios’ shortlist to helm Spider-Man 4.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JUNE 02: (L-R) Adil El Arbi and Bilall Falla attend the Ms. Marvel launch event at El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, California on June 02, 2022. (Photo by Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Disney)
Interestingly, El Arbi and Fallah also have a working relationship with Sony, having directed both Bad Boys for Life and the upcoming Bad Boys: Ride or Die. The duo also oversaw DC’s Batgirl, which was never completed before being canceled.
As Marvel Studios’ only theatrical release in 2024, all eyes are on Deadpool & Wolverine. Following a mostly disappointing 2023, the studio seems to be righting the ship and the upcoming film seems like a crucial step in making that happen. With just over two months to go until its release, the studio has just begun the big marketing push with a new look at the film as tickets went on sale. That meant a shiny new poster was released online as well. While those things took the bulk of the attention, Disney also released an updated synopsis online via its press site.
Marvel Studios presents their most significant mistake to date—”Deadpool & Wolverine.” A listless Wade Wilson toils away in civilian life. His days as the morally flexible mercenary, Deadpool, behind him. When his homeworld faces an existenal threat, Wade must reluctantly suit-up again with an even more reluctantlier… reluctanter? Reluctantest? He must convince a reluctant Wolverine to—Fuck. Synopses are so fucking stupid.
Given it is Marvel’s first R-rated film, it’s been surprising just how heavily the studio has leaned into the rating for Deadpool & Wolverine. To that end, it’s certainly strange to see an F-bomb worked into the synopsis but here we are. Nothing surprising in the synopsis otherwise as it seems to match everything that the footage provided so far has shown.
I was a good student in school. I’ll do my homework as an adult. But I am definitely not looking to do homework when I go to the movies. I very much made this film with certainly a healthy respect and gratitude towards the rabid fan base that has peak fluency in the mythology and lore of these characters and this world. But I didn’t want to presume that. This movie is built for entertainment, with no obligation to come prepared with prior research.
When it comes down to prep for Deadpool & Wolverine, it’s Shawn Levy‘s world and we’re not here to argue. So when he says that no homework is required to enjoy the film, we believe him; however, we have selected a handful of projects that might help you maximize your enjoyment come July.
All I ever wanted was to travel off in exotic places and meet new exciting people and then kill them, so I became a mercenary. My name is Wade Wilson. And I love what I do.
-Wade Wilson, X-Men Origins: Wolveirne
X-Men Origins: Wolverine 38% Rotten Tomatoes
By far the worst X-Men movie put to film by Fox, Origins is also the most complete story of Logan’s transformation into Weapon X. While the Logan in Deadpool & Wolverine is most certainly not this Logan, the origin story is almost certainly the same and worth checking out before heading to theaters. There’s also an absolutely atrocious origin of Deadpool tossed in here that is all but a sure thing to be referenced in the new film. In fact, there’s plenty of speculation that one member of the Deadpool Corps is plucked from whatever timeline this disaster took place.
Deadpool (2016) 85% Rotten Tomatoes
The first act in The Tragedy of Wade Wilson, Deadpool is the setup that provides exposition and establishes the majority of the important relationships in Wade’s life. It seems as though Deadpool & Wolverine will see Wade face the threat of losing everything, so it’s good to remember just what everything is.
Deadpool 2 (2018) 84% Rotten Tomatoes
For all of Wade’s mockery of what heroes are and do, Deadpool 2 saw the Merc With a Mouth become one. The second act in the Tragedy of Wade Wilson, the film allowed Deadpool the opportunity to grow and realize his true capabilities. It’s also full of time travel which–one would think–would have to be referenced by the TVA in Deadpool & Wolverine.
For all time, always…and any time is always a good time to rewatch one of Marvel Studios’ finer streaming series, however, there may be good reason to limit your rewatch to Season 1. From what can be gleaned from the first two trailers for Deadpool & Wolverine, that project is seemingly set before Loki ascended to his role as the God of Stories in Season 2. Of course, not everything will be what is seems in the trailers and time is very wonky within the walls of the TVA. At the very least, though, it won’t hurt to catch back up on how things work in the TVA offices and freshen up on the Sacred Timeline.
Tier 2
If you’re out to be a Wolverine completist, Tier 2 is for you. In addition to the Tier 1 projects, working your way through these will provide whatever level of Hugh Jackman fix you need.
McAvoy or Stewart? These timelines are confusing.
-Wade Wilson, Deadpool (2016)
X-Men (2000) 82% Rotten Tomatoes
Revisiting Jackman’s first time as Wolverine won’t really help you understand anything that happens in Deadpool & Wolverine but on the heels of the incredible first season of X-Men ’97, it’s another trip down memory lane worth taking. It should provide some especially jarring juxtapositioning to see Wolverine in the ridiculous black leather just ahead of seeing the big screen debut of his iconic comic book costume.
X2 (2003) 85% Rotten Tomatoes
If you’re going to watch the worst X-Men movie ever made (Origins), you might as well treat yourself to the best X-Men movie ever made. X2 did what few sequels did by surpassing the quality of the original and set the franchise up for a killer third installment. While that didn’t quite work out, you can still enjoy Alan Cumming‘s incredible performance as Nightcrawler and hate Brian Cox‘s Stryker all over again. Certainly one of Jackman’s best turns as Wolverine, rewatching this one will be time well spent.
X-Men: The Last Stand (2006) 57% Rotten Tomatoes
Notable as the first time Fox dropped the ball in telling the story of the Phoenix, The Last Stand is forgettable and tough to watch. As bad as it is, it does introduce Kelsey Grammer‘s Beast, who recently made his MCU debut, and Elliot Page‘s Kitty Pryde. Is that enough to overcome the trauma induced by seeing Vinnie Jones as Juggernaut? Probably not but at least it served as good meme material.
***NOTE***
As the most recent trailer showed, there will be plenty of characters appearing in Deadpool & Wolverine who first appeared on film in the original X-Men trilogy. A rewatch of the trilogy will serve as a nice refresher course on just who is who.
X-Men: First Class (2011) 86% Rotten Tomatoes
Worth a watch just for the cameo appearance by Jackman, First Class is also a very solid film and is likely to be referenced in some way. It won’t add anything to the story of Wolverine but if it’s been a while, check it out anyway.
The Wolverine (2013) 71% Rotten Tomatoes
The closest Jackman came to suiting up in the blue and yellow suit, The Wolverine is a fun, standalone story that gives a little more background on Logan. Depending on what the Variant in Deadpool & Wolverine has been through, that might be valuable.
X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014) 90% Rotten Tomatoes
The highest-rated X-film, Days of Future Past will always be worth a watch. It’s also going to provide more context to all the crazy time travel that’s always part and parcel of X-Men stories and could end up being referenced while Wade and Logan are in the TVA.
X-Men: Apocalypse (2016) 47% Rotten Tomatoes
Just a cameo and a reminder of Logan’s tortured past and not worth a watch other than for that.
Logan (2017) 93% Rotten Tomatoes
The film that was supposed to send Jackman off into the sunset, Logan stands as one of the highest-rated and most revered superhero films of all time. Levy, Reynolds and Jackman have sworn that the Logan timeline will not be altered in any way, but there are plenty of rumors about an appearance of an X-23 or two in Deadpool & Wolverine including, perhaps, a grown up version of Dafne Keene‘s Variant.
Time is a funny thing within the walls of the TVA so while Deadpool & Wolverine may not start before Season 2 of Loki concludes, there’s no saying it won’t end somewhere else down that road. If nothing else, the season provides a great reminder of how crazy the multiversal stuff gets and is great sci-fi TV.
Tier 3
Maximum effort! Deadpool & Wolverine is rumored to feature some fun cameos from characters who, like Logan, made their film debuts before the Marvel Cinematic Universe. If you’ve never seen these films or even if it’s been some time since you have, consider adding these to your pre-Deadpool & Wolverine watch list just in case they show up. The only caveat here is that should you chose to head down this path, you’ll be subjecting yourself to some of the worst superhero movies ever put on film.
I can tell you two things. One, your hairdo is ridiculous. Two, I ate a lot of garlic, and I just farted. Silent but deadly.
-Hannibal King,Blade: Trinity
Blade (1998) 59% Rotten Tomatoes and Blade II (2002) 57% Rotten Tomatoes
Before the live-action X-Men films put superhero in the spotlight, Wesley Snipes‘ Blade opened the door to the world of comic book films. The first film is a classic; the second less so. Why are they on here?
Daredevil (2003) 43% Rotten Tomatoes
Ben Affleck‘s Daredevil has not aged nearly as well as Ben Affleck.
Blade: Trinity (2004) 24% Rotten Tomatoes
Ryan Reynold‘s first role in a CBM was as Ryan Reynolds Hannibal King in Blade: Trinity. With the multiverse open for business, there’s room for a fun joke or two at his expense here.
Fantastic Four (2005) 28% Rotten Tomatoes
A horrible movie with a wonderful cast, it’s quite possible that at least one of those cast members makes a cameo in The Void in Deadpool & Wolverine.
Elektra (2005) 11% Rotten Tomatoes
If you thought Green Lantern was bad…but Jennifer Garner‘s character has been among many rumored to show up in a cameo in Deadpool & Wolverine, so you might have to give it a shot. Think of it this way: if you can watch this and recover in time to make it into theaters, you may have as strong of a healing factor as Deadpool and Wolverine.
Marvel Studios’ Deadpool & Wolverine delivers the ultimate team-up throwdown on July 26.
Shawn Levy directs Deadpool & Wolverine, which stars Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin, Morena Baccarin, Rob Delaney, Leslie Uggams, Karan Soni, and Matthew Macfadyen.
Kevin Feige, Ryan Reynolds, Shawn Levy and Lauren Shuler Donner produce with Louis D’Esposito, Wendy Jacobson, Mary McLaglen, Josh McLaglen, Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick, George Dewey and Simon Kinberg serving as executive producers. Deadpool & Wolverine is written by Ryan Reynolds & Rhett Reese & Paul Wernick & Zeb Wells & Shawn Levy.
Marvel Studios’ Deadpool & Wolverine opens in U.S. & Canadian movie theaters on July 26, and will be available in IMAX, RealD 3D, Dolby Cinema, 4DX, Cinemark XD and premium screens everywhere.
The Fantastic Four is shooting for the stars and so far, they don’t seek to be falling short of them. Just a week after a trip of big names joined the film, Marvel Studios has landed another.
According to Deadline’s Justin Kroll, Natasha Lyonne has been added to the cast in an unknown role.
Lyonne joins recent additions John Malkovich, Paul Walter Hauser and Ralph Ineson, who will play Galactus. Julia Garner was cast earlier in the year as a new version of the Silver Surfer and Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn and Ebon Moss-Bachrach were the first to come on board as the members of Marvel’s First Family.
The Fantastic Four is set to begin production this summer ahead of a 2025 release.
Director George Miller is one of Hollywood’s true icons. His Mad Mad trilogy stands as exemplar in the world of dystopian visions and he’s not done yet. Furiosa: A Mad Max Sagais expected to rock the box office this Memorial Day weekend and another installment in the franchise, Mad Max: The Wasteland, is already in production. There’s more to Miller than just the Mad Max franchise, of course; after all, this is the man who directed Happy Feet and Happy Feet Two, as you know. However, due to a twist of fate, Miller has yet to tackle a superhero film despite being attached to helm Justice League: Mortal before the project fell apart. While it seemed like Miller’s time to tackle something in the genre may have passed, the director recently revealed there is one project that he’d consider directing.
In an interview with Comic Book, Miller revealed that he would be interested in working with Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga star Chris Hemsworth on Thor 5.
“I would work with Chris on anything. I really would. He’s a wonderful actor. He’s got the full range of all the skills,” said Miller when asked if he would be interested in helming Hemsworth‘s next Thor film. “I mean, you’ve got to be athletic, physically. But, you also gotta be athletic emotionally and intellectually to take on these very, ultimately fairly complex, any role really,” he continued. “So, I was very lucky with all my cast and particularly in the way that Anya [Taylor-Joy] and Chris matched each other. Particularly towards the end of the month.“
The timing of Miller’s comments could not be more perfect as Hemsworth recently revealed he’d like to return for another Thor film as long as Marvel Studios was willing to move away from the sillier tones of Thor: Love and Thunder. And with Disney big shot Bob Iger‘s mandate to have Marvel Studios look back at existing franchises that have delivered in the past–especially Avengers and Avengers-related one–Thor 5 does seem likely and it’s highly unlikely that Taika Waititi would return to direct. That means Miller may just get his crack at a superhero movie sooner rather than later.
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