Tag: Movie News

Matt Reeves Shares How Nirvana Inspired ‘The Batman’s Script

There are always some surprising influences on various projects. Sometimes a music cue or even a painting could become the center point of one’s approach to storytelling. In the case of The Batman‘s director Matt Reeves, it seems that his biggest influence was the music by Nirvana. It seems that the songs and lead singer Kurt Cobain became a main point of influence while writing his take on the Caped Crusader, who will be played by Robert Pattinson. He goes on to say that:

Early on, when I was writing, I started listening to Nirvana, and there was something about [Nevermind song] ‘Something in the Way’, which is in the first trailer, which is part of the voice of that character. When I considered, ‘How do you do Bruce Wayne in a way that hasn’t been seen before?’ I started thinking, ‘What if some tragedy happened and this guy becomes so reclusive, we don’t know what he’s doing? Is this guy some kind of wayward, reckless, drug addict?’ And the truth is that he is a kind of drug addict. His drug is his addiction to this drive for revenge. He’s like a Batman Kurt Cobain.
Matt Reeves

As he points out, the song was a highlight of the initial trailer that was revealed during DC FanDome. It set quite a tone, as we got our first true look at the film’s new take of the Dark Knight and its detective noir storytelling. It’ll be interesting to see if we see any of Nirvana’s songs scattered across the film’s now confirmed 3-hour runtime. As such, we get the longest entry in the iconic comic book adaptation with the most unique take on the franchise.

Source: Esquire

January 25, 2022
Ivory Aquino Confirmed as Alysia Yeoh in ‘Batgirl’

Even as cameras are rolling on the upcoming Batgirl solo film in Glasgow, thw cast continues to grow. A ton of set photos have made their way online recently, giving us countless new looks at the set and Batgirl herself. Photos last week revealed that actress Ivory Aquino looked to be a part of the film, as she was seen in many scenes with Leslie Grace. We first reported on these photos and speculated that Aquino could be playing the role of Alysia Yeoh.

Variety has confirmed that Aquino is indeed playing the role of Yeoh, Barbara Gordon’s best friend and roommate. The character was created by Gail Simone and Adrian Syaf, first appearing in Batgirl Volume 4 issue #1. It was first speculated that Yeoh could be playing a role in the film when the project was casting an Asain transgender actress under the name of “Alanna”. It seems like the project could be setting up a strong friendship between the two.

Aquino is best known for her work in When We Rise and Tales of the City. This will be her first role in a comic book film and will also be the first transgender character in the DC Extended Universe.

Batgirl currently has no set release date but is slated to release sometime in 2022.

SOURCE: Variety

January 25, 2022
Disney Responds to Peter Dinklage’s Scathing ‘Snow White’ Criticism

Today, Disney issued a statement in response to sharp criticism by Emmy-winning actor Peter Dinklage regarding the upcoming live-action remake of Snow White. The Game of Thrones alum spoke harshly about Disney’s intention to retell the 1937 animated film on the WTF podcast on Monday:

Literally no offense to anyone, but I was a little taken aback when they were very proud to cast a Latina actress as Snow White — but you’re still telling the story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” Dinklage told Maron. “Take a step back and look at what you’re doing there. It makes no sense to me. You’re progressive in one way, but then you’re still making that fucking backward story about seven dwarfs living in a cave together. What the fuck are you doing, man? Have I done nothing to advance the cause from my soapbox? I guess I’m not loud enough.
Peter Dinklage

Dinklage’s comments come after the lauded casting of West Side Story star Rachel Zegler as the titular princess Snow White.

Disney was quick to respond with an attempt to defend against the cirticism. A spoesperson for the company told The Hollywood Reporter in a statement:

To avoid reinforcing stereotypes from the original animated film, we are taking a different approach with these seven characters and have been consulting with members of the dwarfism community. We look forward to sharing more as the film heads into production after a lengthy development period.
Disney

While the Snow White remake is still years away, it will employ cultural consultants similar to the live-action Disney reimaginings Aladdin and Mulan. Alongside Zegler, Wonder Woman star Gal Gadot is set to play the Evil Queen with Marc Webb directing.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

January 25, 2022
New ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Concept Art Features the Return of Mysterio

Despite a global pandemic that has prevented many films from finding financial footing, Spider-Man: No Way Home is still going strong in movie theaters across the nation. Much of this success is due to the excitement of moviegoers over the comeback of multiple characters fans thought to be long dead or past the point of return. While a fair share of Spider–Man characters returned, one of the few past Spider-Man villains who wasn’t included in this roster was Jake Gyllenhaal‘s Mysterio, a master illusionist and the main antagonist of 2019’s Spider-Man: Far From Home. It would now appear, however, that the rogue wasn’t always going to be excluded from the latest smash-hit superhero film.

A brand new piece of concept art has been making the rounds on social media, depicting the supposedly deceased villain doing battle with Benedict Cumberbatch‘s Doctor Strange above the Statue of Liberty.

https://twitter.com/GeekVibesNews/status/1486045873612247055?s=20

This is, of course, where the climactic final battle of the film took place. This would insinuate that there was at one point an idea to bring Mysterio back alongside the other bad guys to cause his specific brand of trouble. It’s likely this was a very early thought, and abandoned long ago. Still, it’s interesting to think what might have come of his return. One would think Strange would immediately wipe the floor with someone who isn’t capable of actual magic, but it’s possible this version of Mysterio could have been from one of the many open alternate universes featured in the movie. Perhaps this Quentin Beck was able to cast real spells of his own. Unfortunately, it’s more than likely fans will never know for sure.

Source: Twitter

January 25, 2022
Sam Raimi Reveals Status of ‘Doctor Strange’s Production and What It’s Like to Work With Marvel Studios

The man who helped begin the superhero movie craze is back, and he’s ready to talk about working with the machine keeping his trend alive. In a recent interview with Variety, acclaimed director Sam Raimi discussed the current status of the latest Marvel project and what it was like to develop a film alongside Kevin Feige and the folks at Marvel Studios. The filmmaker has been hard at work on the highly-anticipated sequel Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness for a long time now, and had this to say when asked if filming was yet to be completed:

I wish I knew the answer to that question. I think we’re done, but we just cut everything. We’re just starting to test the picture and we’ll find out if there’s anything that’s got to be picked up. If something’s unclear or another improvement I can make in this short amount of time left, I’ll do it. One thing I know about the Marvel team is they won’t stop. They’ll keep pushing it until it’s as close to being great as it could be.
Sam Raimi

He continued to put an emphasis on just how great his experience with the cultural juggernaut has been:

Marvel’s been a great team to work with. I think that was a not-surprising surprise. I’ve been super-supported by the whole Marvel operations, starting at the top with Kevin Feige, and working all the way down to the crews that they work with. [They’re] super professional and have supported me every step of the way.
Sam Raimi

These comments should be thrilling for fans who were afraid Raimi, noted for his signature style, would be creatively stifled by Marvel. His last outing with a comic book hero, 2007’s Spider-Man 3, was famously affected by studio mandates and interference. Here’s hoping the future is brighter for the fan-favorite maestro.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness hits theaters on May 6, 2022.

Source: Variety

January 25, 2022
Sam Raimi Shares His Thoughts on ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’

Tobey Maguire‘s return as Spider-Man in No Way Home was one of the worst kept secrets in Hollywood. Yet, the moment he returned still became a big moment for anyone visiting a cinema, as the film became the first one to become a massive hit while others struggled during the pandemic. What makes his return so interesting is that the director of the original trilogy, Sam Raimi, also is returning to the Marvel universe with Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

So, the director is slowly preparing to discuss his latest film and In an interview with Variety, he was asked about his thoughts on Spider-Man: No Way Home. He shared his thoughts on the film and also the delight of seeing the actors return to the roles he once cast them in. It looks like he had quite enjoyed the film and the fun of seeing those familiar faces return.

It was so much fun. I love ‘No Way Home’ and the audience I was with went crazy. It was delightful to watch Alfred play his role, and Willem Dafoe, just seeing these guys take it to the next level. And Tobey was awesome as always. The best word I can say is it was refreshing for me.
Sam Raimi

It must be a strange feeling to see elements of your own story make a return on the silver screen. The film managed to find a good balance of continuing their original stories and even trying to redeem them, which becomes a core narrative for Tom Holland‘s Peter Parker. There’s a sense of irony that a Spider-Man film would also be the set-up for his newest entry in the Marvel universe.

Source: Variety

January 25, 2022
‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’s Chukwudi Iwuji Teases His “Powerful” and “Complex” Character

It’s James Gunn‘s world and we’re just living in it. The director has been making headlines with one hit project after another, as he directly followed up his work on The Suicide Squad with a spinoff on the character of Peacemaker, as played by John Cena. All that was just the warm-up, as he already jumped straight to directing his third – and likely final – Guardians of the Galaxy film. In it, a familiar face from his latest HBO Max series will make a return, Chukwudi Iwuji.

Iwuji‘s involvement was first confirmed in a photo from the set back in November, and it’s still unclear who exactly he is playing – even if there are quite a few rumors offering a hint at who exactly that might turn out to be. That hasn’t stopped the actor from teasing the role in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, as he believes his character might be “the most complex character” we’ve seen yet in the MCU. His full quote:

Powerful. Extremely powerful. Complex. James and I were talking about it, but he’s certainly one of, if not the most complex character we’ve seen in the freaking Marvel universe. So he’s deeply complex and deeply powerful, and I hope intriguing. I hope I bring that to it
Chukwudi Iwuji

It’s quite something to tease and Gunn is known for his talent of bringing complex characters to life on the silver screen. Iwuji‘s wording of “powerful” would add to the possibility of him playing a villain. Most of the MCU’s villains have been rather one-note, but that has started to change with their latest projects. So, if he is indeed playing one, the tease would add a lot to the franchise’s rogue’s gallery.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

January 24, 2022
Kit Harington’s Black Knight May Return in Mahershala Ali’s ‘Blade’

The end of Eternals finally introduced the MCU to the Ebony Blade. Kit Harington‘s Dane Whitman opened a box to unleash the cursed weapon, but that was not all. He is suddenly greeted by a voice off-screen that was later confirmed to be Mahershala Ali‘s Blade. Of course, it made us wonder what this might mean for the character’s future as the Black Knight and it seems that they may be setting up an appearance in his upcoming solo film.

ComicBook had the chance to sit down with Eternals VFX Supervisor Stephane Ceretti, who revealed that the Ebony Blade will return in the upcoming Blade solo film, as he talks about passing on the work they did so that Martin Lawson, who is taking over a similar role for the upcoming solo film, can build upon that.

The funny thing is my second on the show, which is Martin Lawson my additional supervisor, is actually going to be supervising Blade very soon. So I told him, I said, ‘I’m giving that to you as a gift, use it wisely and make good out of it.’ But I’m sure it’s going to do actually even better.
Stephane Ceretti

It would make sense that they build upon the scene from Eternals, but we also know very little about the plot of the upcoming vampire-hunting film. Perhaps Whitman becomes an unlikely ally that has to help him in stopping a new type of vampire. He would make for a great everyman and actually be involved with the story unlike in his introduction. Of course, there’s always the chance that the blade might make an appearance, but it would seem strange not to include its iconic wielder.

Source: ComicBook

January 24, 2022
High-Quality Images Released for ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Finale

It’s surprising that it took this long before we got any official stills or images from the film featuring all three Spider-Man together. Spider-Man: No Way Home is a powerhouse at the box office, and it’s likely that everyone who wanted to see it, already has. Yet, Sony never offered an official look at its full cast. Hell, we never even got special posters highlighting the return of Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield in their respective roles. Luckily, high-quality looks at the final were released as part of an interview with visual effects supervisor Chris Waegner over at before & afters.

Waegner highlights that he has quite the history with the Spider-Man franchise, as he worked on quite a few of them during his tenure at Imageworks. So, he naturally was able to bring that passion and realize each one of the character’s unique aspects to life. They had to rebuild a lot of their assets for the film, as the old assets were no longer viable due to how far technology has come. Plus, Tobey and Andrew aren’t the same age when they previously played the characters, which also became a key factor.

They also had to work on some previous villains making their grand return in the film. In a way, it would seem like modern technology would’ve made work easier on bringing these characters to life once again. A big part is their approach to Sandman, who already was pushing boundaries back during the release of Spider-Man 3. Waegner highlights that they were able to optimize their approach, such as making him feel more like a sand storm if the story or moment required it.

In the interview, he also praised the practical work that was done to support their CG work, as the Liberty island was recreated with a practical set. A lot of the scaffolding featured in the sequence was real and also helped their team to realize their vision, as they worked on the finale. Plus, the set choice offers a lot of reference material to utilize and work from to bring the effects-heavy aspects to life in a much easier way. He does highlight that it was quite the undertaking for their Modeling and Environments team.

Source: befores & afters

January 24, 2022
Chris Evans Joins Dwayne Johnson in Action Film ‘Red One’

Chris Evans is looking to return to the world of action films as he joins Dwayne Johnson‘s latest action-comedy film Red One for Amazon. The film, directed by Jumanji helmer Jake Kasdan, is described as “a globe-trotting, four-quadrant action-adventure comedy, imagining a whole new universe to explore within the holiday genre,” which sounds like a holiday version of the similarly titled Red Notice.

Evans hasn’t been in films much since his 2019 victory lap with Avengers: Endgame and the hit mystery film Knives Out. This year sees his return in Pixar’s Lightyear and The Gray Man, a film directed by The Russo Brothers.

Source: Deadline

January 24, 2022