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Tag: Movie News

  • Fan-Favorite Character Confirmed to Return for ‘Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania’

    Fan-Favorite Character Confirmed to Return for ‘Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania’

    Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania is set to kick off Marvel Studios Phase 5 when it releases in theaters in February. The third film in the Ant-Man franchise, Quantumania is set to take the Ant-family into the Quantum Realm where they’ll meet the big bad not only of their film but also of the Multiverse Saga: Jonathan Majors‘ Kang the Conqueror. The first two films in the franchise were smaller in scale, which means Quantumania will take the family into uncharted territory as the film will have “a profound effect on the MCU“, according to returning director Peyton Reed. However, heading into uncharted territory doesn’t mean some familiar faces from the franchise won’t return for the adventure.

    A new theater standee shared on Twitter by user @charlestrotter has indicated that in addition to the main cast of Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michelle Pfeiffer and Michael Douglas returning for the film, one other actor is set to return for his third MCU film.

    As can be seen just below Kang’s pinky finger, David Dastmalchian is credited with an appearance in the film. Dastmalchian has played Kurt Goreshter in the previous two Ant-Man films and along with Michael Pena’s Luis and T.I.’s Dave was a frequent source of comedic relief. At last check during the events of Ant-Man and The Wasp, the trio was now successfully running their business venture, X-Con Security Consultants. While Dastmalchian’s return for the third film may seem like it was a slam dunk, the actor did not believe he had a role in the film as recently as March of 2022.

    Just how big of a role Kurt will have in the third film remains to be seen but, at the moment, he’s the only one of the “Wombats” who looks to be in the film. Trade reports confirmed that T.I. would not be returning for Quantumania and Michael Pena refused to comment on whether or not he’d return. While Pena’s name does not appear on the standee, be cautious in taking that as confirmation that Luis will not be in the film.

    Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania is set to hit theaters on February 17th, 2023.

    Source: Twitter

  • James Gunn Reveals ‘Lord of the Rings’ Inspiration For ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special’ Animation

    James Gunn Reveals ‘Lord of the Rings’ Inspiration For ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special’ Animation

    James Gunn made a triumphant return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe this week with The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special. Designed as an ode to classic Christmas shorts, Gunn crafted a sweet, heartfelt, and authentic new entry in the Guardians mythos with all the proper trappings to ring in the season. Among these delightful tropes, as unexpected as it may have been, was a series of flashbacks done with a familiar animation style. Rotoscoping, a type of animation made popular by notable filmmaker Ralph Bakshi, is a process in which scenes are filmed in live-action and then traced onto animation cells. The result is a cartoon with a uniquely real-world feel.

    In a recent tweet, posted as a response to a fan on Twitter, director Gunn confirmed that the tribute to Bakshi was entirely intentional:

    Bakshi is known for a variety of films, but his most popular might be 1978’s lesser-known The Lord of the Rings adaptation. He also directed 1977’s cult classic Wizards, 1981’s adult film American Pop, and has worked on several cartoons, including the classic 1960s Spider-Man series. Bakshi’s work is well-known in the animation community, and it’s great to see Gunn introduce the style to a broader audience. The short segments of the Holiday Special ultimately allowed for several key moments in the series’ lore to be revealed. And the look of the rotoscope made them appear more memorable than if a traditional type of animation had been used.

    The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special is now streaming on Disney+, and Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is scheduled to hit theaters on May 5th, 2023.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘Wakanda Forever’ Concept Art Reveals Alternate Designs for Namor

    ‘Wakanda Forever’ Concept Art Reveals Alternate Designs for Namor

    Black Panther: Wakanda Forever introduced one of Marvel Comics oldest and most conflicted characters to the MCU in Tenoch Huerta’s Namor. Writer and director Ryan Coogler wanted to give Namor, who is the Prince of Atlantis in the comics, and his underwater kingdom a unique makeover. The result was the underwater city of Talokan, a Mesoamerican-inspired twist on Atlantis.

    While fans only see the finished look of Namor, Talokan and its people in Wakanda Forever, the design process takes hundreds of people thousands of hours with the majority of that work never being seen. Ultimately, dozens of designs don’t make the final cut of the film for whatever reason despite having just as much work put into them as the ones that do. Concept artist Anthony Francisco, whose look for “warrior” Namor was chosen for the film, released a series of alternate designs for the character via Twitter.

    Francisco’s tweets detail the incredible amount of work the artist put into the character, including researching multiple cultures and their histories. His description of how he finalized the design for Namor’s necklace, which was featured throughout the film, provides a fascinating insight into the creative process.

    Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is now in theaters.

    Source: Anthony Francisco Twitter

  • Marvel Studios Can’t Produce a ‘Black Panther’ Spinoff Focused on Namor

    Marvel Studios Can’t Produce a ‘Black Panther’ Spinoff Focused on Namor

    There’s been a lot of hype around Tenoch Huerta‘s incredible performance as Namor, the leader of Talocan and antagonist in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Many have hoped that this performance would kick off interest from Marvel Studios to get this character his own solo project, but sadly it seems that rights are still an issue for some of the Marvel characters.

    According to The Wrap, the rights are still not fully with Marvel Studios and are something from the pre-Disney era. When Marvel Comics was about to go bankrupt, they sold the rights to their characters to studios that would work on films. That’s how Sony and Fox originally got access to the pantheon of popular characters long before Marvel Studios was even a thought.

    Black Panther: Wakanda Forever producer Nate Moore has confirmed to The Wrap that the character can definitely return in a future project, but Disney is not able to produce a standalone project based around the character. It seems the rights are still with Universal, who also holds the rights to Hulk and was the reason that character never got a sequel since the Edward Norton film back in 2008.

    Sadly, this means we shouldn’t expect any further exploration of Talocan in a solo outing in cinemas or even Disney+. Perhaps they’ll find a way to bring the characters back as part of another project where he isn’t the main character but still has a major role. Of course, there’s also the chance that Disney sees the potential and is open to repurchasing the rights to the character; though that may be more difficult with a potentially higher price given his newly found popularity.

    Source: The Wrap

  • CCXP Confirms Marvel Studios Plans for Next Week’s Event

    CCXP Confirms Marvel Studios Plans for Next Week’s Event

    Brazil’s annual comic-con experience, CCXP, has more often than not proven a source of self-made disappointment and frustration for Marvel fans. Returning as a live event in 2022, however, CCXP looks to be set to make at least a little noise that should satisfy those same fans. A tweet from the official CCXP account has confirmed that not only will Marvel Studios One-Above-All Kevin Feige be in attendance on December 1st, but he’ll also be bringing some friends and some info on at least a couple of projects with him.

    According to the tweet, Feige will be joined at the event by Peyton Reed, Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly and Jonathan Majors to hype Marvel Studios’ next theatrical release, Ant–Man and The Wasp: Quantumania. The third film in the franchise, Quantumania is set to hit theaters on February 17th, 2023 and although the first trailer for the film hit social media at the end of October, it’s possible that a new look at the film debuts at CCXP. However, as often is the case, it’s possible that any new footage released may be a con exclusive and not be shared publicly for some time.

    In addition to Quantumania, CCXP will also feature something Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 related. A recent rumor indicated that Disney may be angling to have the first trailer for Vol. 3 ready to be in theaters by mid-December to play in front of Avatar: The Way of Water. While that hasn’t been confirmed, it makes sense that the studio would use the sequel, which is expected to have a monster opening weekend, to hype what’s likely to be one of 2023’s most anticipated films in Vol. 3.

    Given the panel will likely run nearly an hour, it’s also possible Marvel Studios might use it to hype other projects set to debut in the first half of 2023 such as Secret Invasion and Loki, which are slated to stream on Disney Plus in Spring and Summer, respectively.

  • Kang the Conqueror is Trapped in the Quantum Realm

    Kang the Conqueror is Trapped in the Quantum Realm

    Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is only a few months away, as it introduces us officially to our next major threat to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Kang the Conqueror. Jonathan Majors is taking on the iconic role after a brief introduction of his Variant in Loki, whose death leads to unlocking the many others from across the multiverse that has been kept hidden through the TVA’s ventures. While we don’t know if this is the same version we were teased by the Disney+ series’s final moments, a new article from Empire Magazine reveals how Kang ended up in the Quantum Realm.

    As it turns out, he is not there on purpose but is trapped. There are no details offered on what may have ended up leading to him getting stuck in the sub-atomic realm, but it does open up a rather interesting question. Perhaps an Ant-Man from across the multiverse is the cause of it, or his time in the Quantum Realm is what lead to his ability to time travel. The events from Avengers: Endgame could also be at play here, or with multiple Variants out there, a different version of himself may have led to it.

    We do see in the trailer that he made this place his home, and has seemingly built up an army. He also hints during the D23 footage that he’s actually killed an Avenger in the past. Perhaps this version of Kang has already defeated all the heroes that opposed him and they may have pushed him into this realm as a last-ditch effort. Whatever he may have planned for Ant-Man could also be a way to help him to find a way out.

    Source: Empire

  • ‘Quantumania’ Director Reveals Why Ant-Man and the Wasp are Facing Kang the Conqueror

    ‘Quantumania’ Director Reveals Why Ant-Man and the Wasp are Facing Kang the Conqueror

    When the announcement dropped that Jonathan Majors would play Kang the Conqueror in the Ant-Man and the Wasp sequel, many were a bit perplexed about why his first true arrival would be against that specific Marvel hero. It seemingly created the vision of an instant loss for the character, though the more we see of the project it seems like it won’t be as straightforward as one might expect. Still, the main antagonist of the Multiverse Saga as part of the third entry in the franchise the internet loves to call “filler” may have become one of the most important entries.

    Surprisingly, it seems that Quantumania‘s director Peyton Reed had the very same idea, as he had some joy in visiting this idea of the “weakest Avenger” taking on this villain that is more than just your typical villain but rather what he views as an “absolute force of nature.”

    That’s interesting to me: to take the tiniest, and in some people’s minds weakest Avenger, and put them up against this absolute force of nature.

    Peyton Reed

    With the reveal that the character is also trapped in the Quantum Realm, perhaps he could use Ant-Man’s unique ability to find a way to escape. It would definitely make him an antagonist but not the main threat to the character. It seems obvious that no one would take him on directly, but with the confirmation of MODOK as part of the film, we may see our favorite group of ant-themed heroes stuck between two sides vying to conquer the Quantum Realm.

    Source: Empire

  • ‘Strange World’ Scores Disney Animation’s Worst CinemaScore

    ‘Strange World’ Scores Disney Animation’s Worst CinemaScore

    Here’s a shocker, the latest animated film by Disney Animation, Strange World, has seemingly gotten a B CinemaScore from the general audience. For those that may not know, CinemaScore is an analysis conducted based on cinema-goers after watching a film. It’s a rather rough showcase of overall interest in film but mostly is used to get a feeling for how a film will perform at the box office. Disney Animation has been very consistent and always got at least an A-. So, this marks the first time ever that a Disney Animation film got a B score.

    https://twitter.com/CinemaScore/status/1595766105012056065

    What makes this interesting is that Strange World has barely been advertised for a Thanksgiving release. With weaker word-of-mouth, keep in mind that this scoring is very frontloaded, it’ll hurt the film even more considering it pulled ina rather disappointing $800K in its opening previews. It looks like the high-budget film will only make around $40M or less over the Thanksgiving holiday. While the animation isn’t always the biggest box office draw, it’s still not a good sign for a production that cost $180M.

    Earlier this year, we’ve seen a similar issue with Lightyear, Pixar’s latest release that was seemingly struggling at the box office. Though, outside of two productions, most films were underperforming throughout the year as we’re still seeing the ripples from the pandemic on the market. Yet, as animation has seemingly not gained any momentum over the weekend, Minions: The Rise of Gru, one of the two productions mentioned previously, has pulled in $937.8M.

    Source: Twitter, Variety

  • ‘Solo: A Star Wars Story’ Writer Still Hopes for a Sequel

    ‘Solo: A Star Wars Story’ Writer Still Hopes for a Sequel

    Star Wars has grown quite a bit since its purchase by Disney. They started off with a new trilogy that further explored the aftermath of the original, tested out some unique spinoffs, and went on to establish a variety of TV series on Diseny+. At the moment, Andor has been dominating the Internet with a prequel series to Rogue One, but it’s not the only prequel entry with the protagonist’s name in the title.

    Back in 2018, we had the first prequel film that featured Alden Ehrenreich in the leading role of a younger Han Solo. Sadly, the film wasn’t quite the box office draw that many hoped it would be, but it still told an interesting story and has a set up that still hasn’t seen a payoff to this day. It seems writer Jon Kasdan agrees, as he’d love to return and tackle a sequel even after all this time.

    The reason for a Solo 2 is if there’s a great reason and certainly I’d be game if there was…there were so many great characters we were able to establish, and for me, the strongest argument for a Solo 2 is the movie was Alden’s journey to owning that mantle, and by the end of it I thought he really did, and he didn’t get the fun of getting to just inhabit it for a movie, so I’d love to see him back.

    Jon Kasdan

    Any project tackling one of the original trilogy’s main casts was going to face an upward battle. Ehrenreich‘s recasting was an inspired and fitting choice, but the controversy surrounding it led to Lucasfilm preferring to digitally de-age its actors, such as Mark Hamill reprising his role as Luke Skywalker in The Mandalorian. For now, we’ll have to wait if they might decide to tackle a sequel at some point, or at least pick up where the film left off.

    Source: YouTube via ComicBook.com

  • ‘John Wick’ Director Teases What to Expect in the Latest Franchise Entry

    ‘John Wick’ Director Teases What to Expect in the Latest Franchise Entry

    John Wick is set to return for a fourth entry and it continues to be one of the most exciting franchises hitting cinemas. While superheroes and the usual blockbusters have taken the medium by storm, there’s something refreshing about a revenge story continuing to unfold through the eyes of Keanu Reeves‘ John Wick. Even in a grounded world, he is facing ever bigger challenges. Luckily, director Chad Stahelski offered a tease of what’s to come in the upcoming fourth entry and it already sounds insane.

    If you took The Good, The Bad And The Ugly, crossed it with Zatoichi, and threw in a Greek myth, you’d probably get something close to this. And who else fucking says those kinds of sentences? Now you know why I like doing John Wicks.

    Chad Stahelski

    Zatoichi is definitely a curious tease and might mean we’ll see a lot more samurai action throughout the entry. Samurai showdowns aren’t truly new to the franchise, but with the addition of Hiroyuki Sanada it does seem like we’ll get some more stunning action sequences inspired by it. We know very little about his character, but a blind samurai would be quite an interesting opponent for Wick to tackle.

    The tease of Greek myth is also quite a curious addition to that list. One of the franchise’s biggest assets is the unique world-building it uses to make its world and The Continental stand out. So, perhaps we’ll explore more corners of this assassin-filled world and find out what exactly is funding all these hits.

    Source: Empire