Tag: Movie News

  • What I Heard This Week: Christian Bale’s Potential Role in ‘THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER’

    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.

    Image result for thor dario agger"

    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.

    Image result for beta ray bill"

    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. 

    Image result for marvel gorr"

    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. 

  • EXCLUSIVE: SHANG-CHI Casting For Ring Announcers; Could Support Longstanding Tournament “Leak”

    Shang-Chi is preparing to begin filming after the new year and is currently casting a plethora of small, supporting roles. One such role, for a ringside fight announcer, might just support one a plot “leak” that appeared on Reddit just a short while ago. You can read a transcription of the now deleted leak below:

    An alien spaceship landed in China hundreds of years ago. The ship was powered by the Ten Rings, magical relics that all serve a different purpose. The rings were looted by a secret society known as the Avatars, which is led by a wise martial artist simply called the Ancestor. The Ancestor wore the rings and used them to become an expert fighter.

    The Mandarin grew up hearing about the ancestor’s story and was fascinated by it, despite everyone else believing it was just a myth. He began to idolize the Ancestor, and devoted his life to finding the rings. This inspired him to form his own mafia, which is the Ten Rings gang. Basically, the point of the gang is look for the rings all around the world. He adopted his niece, Fah Lo Suee (Awkwafina) and taught her martial arts.

    After years of investigation, he discovers that the legend of the ten rings are real, and that the Ancestor is dying. There was a leak a little while back that Shang-Chi is a tournament film, and that’s actually true. When the Ancestor dies, the Avatars will run a secret tournament/kung-fu trial in which the winner will be granted the rings. The Mandarin is too old to compete, and he doesn’t want to risk Fah Lo Suee’s life. That’s where Shang-Chi is going to come in.

    Shang is a street urchin who meets the Mandarin after he starts dating Fah. The Mandarin takes a liking in Shang and starts training him as his apprentice. His first task, as an act of gang initiation, is to kill Trevor for impersonating the Mandarin. People speculated that they would be related, but it will be more of a Walter White/Jesse Pinkman dynamic.

    When the tournament begins, the Mandarin will send Shang to win and get the rings for him. That’ll be the basic gist of the film pretty much. I know that defeating Fin Fang Foom will be an obstacle. Leiko Wu and Clive Reston will be in the movie as SHIELD agents who are investigating the Ten Rings gang. Shang-Chi will obviously betray the Mandarin and become a hero over the course of the film. He will get the ability to create multiple duplicates of himself. It will be an ‘Orphan Black’ situation, where each clone of himself has their own personality. So the fights will obviously be insane to witness.

    Marvel is casting Shang’s enemies in the tournament, and one of them will be a character named Chao.

    While I certainly can’t speak to the authenticity of every one of the plot points included in that “leak”, the fact that the film is currently searching for ringside fight announcers, combined with the prior knowledge that they were casting for several of Shang-Chi’s comic book kung-fu opponents could very well lend a bit of credibility to this leak and we may see an MCU version of the 90’s classic martial arts film, Bloodsport. As shocking as having Fin Fang Foom and the ability to create duplicates might seem, there is enough other evidence out there to support a dragon living in certain locations and it’s possible that one of the rings could grant Shang-Chi the power to create dupes.

    What are your thoughts on how likely this is to work out? Let me know in the comments!

  • What I Heard This Week: ‘SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS’

    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…

    Things I heard this week: Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings may be filming in Malta.

    Image result for malta chinese

    This past summer I learned that Shang-Chi and The Legends of The Ten Rings would film on location in Vietnam and Hong Kong, among other spots.

    That information was later confirmed, but as the protest in Hong Kong have continued and civil unrest has continued to grow, Marvel Studios has had to look elsewhere to film some scenes and it’s possible that they have settled on the island Republic of Malta.

    Rich in history and beautiful architecture, Malta’s location in the Mediterranean has often turned it into a central strategic location in various wars throughout time and, thus, has seen it shaped by many different cultural influences. The small archipelago has seen the percentage of those of Chinese heritage grow over the past 20ish years and the cultural influence can be seen all around the islands, including at the Chinese Garden of Serenity in Santa Lucija.

    Image result for malta chinese garden of serenity santa luċija

    Malta also boasts some incredible open air fish markets that resemble those seen in Hong Kong and could be accessed a little more readily than those in Hong Kong.

    Image result for malta  fish market

    This is a tough one because we all know that not everything that is filmed makes it into the final cut, so while these locations may have been chosen and even filmed, they may never be seen by audiences which means I might have absolutely no proof that this rumor was correct. However, given that it’s just a rumor and it gave me a chance to search Google for some information about a beautiful island nation, I’m ok with that. Feels like I just did a 5th grade social studies project.

  • What I Heard This Week: ‘ETERNALS’

    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.

    This Thanksgiving week has served up a cornucopia of information that I have not been able to verify but that has come from trustworthy sources (read sources who have given previous information that has been confirmed) and I’ve decided to share some of these. It’s important to understand that, because I can’t verify these with a second source, I myself treat them as rumors which means, for the time being, I don’t believe them myself. It’s also important to understand that in each of these cases, 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. These aren’t “hot scoops”, at least not yet. For now, they are nothing more than some compelling rumors that should generate plenty of great discussion among the MCU fan community. With that having been said, read ahead if you chose.

    Things I heard this week: The plot of Eternals will center around the “War of Evolution.”

    Related image

    That’s it. Nothing more to it than that. It’s probably important that you notice it’s in quotes, but beyond that I have nothing more to give. I think it’s important to note the quote does not say “Evolutionary War”, the title of a 1988 Marvel Comics crossover event featuring the High Evolutionary, but says the “War of Evolution.”

    If this tidbit is true, it’s actually pretty informative. If the “War of Evolution” truly does describe the central conflict of Eternals, then I think it’s probably a pretty clear indicator that we are getting, at least in part, a film inspired by Jack Kirby’s original take on the characters and that it will feature the Deviants. Eternals features an incredible ensemble cast and we already know of 11 lead and major supporting roles, including 10 actors or actresses portraying members of the Eternals. The film has been in production for over two months now and not much has leaked out and security around the film is pretty beefed up so, if the Deviants are in fact in the film, we probably wouldn’t have seen them anyway given the secrecy and the fact that most of them would probably be CGI creations.

    The idea of the “War of Evolution” fits with the very little we do know about the film at this point. During SDCC, concept art was revealed that featured the group of alien “gods” known as the Celestials.

    To make a very long and interesting story short (you can read the longer version here), the Celestials came to Earth and played mad scientist with early man, performing a series of experiments produced 3 evolutionary branches: the Eternals, the Deviants and the Latents.

    For millennia, the Eternals and Deviants warred on and off, giving rise to myths and legends of god-like heroes and grotesque monsters that permeate all cultures. Upon returning to Earth, the Celestials, unimpressed with how their creations had evolved, attacked the Earth causing the “Great Cataclysm” and driving the Deviant land of Lemuria to the bottom of the sea (you can read the longer version of that story here).

    The Deviants

    At some point, the Eternals and Deviants agreed to a truce and faded into obscurity. Then, in modern times, the Deviant warlord Kro broke the truce, leading his army of monsters into conflict with humans, forcing the Eternals back into action.

    The “War of Evolution” certainly sounds plausible to me. Thanks to set photos that have leaked, we know the film is set to span millennia and that, eventually, some of the Eternals are likely to run into Kit Harrington’s Dane Whitman, an archeologist who is likely to help with some expository details. It wouldn’t be shocking at all to see the film center around the long-standing war between the Eternals and Deviants, leading to some sort of doomsday scenario in which the Celestials threaten the Earth. And of course any Marvel Studios film that deals with evolution could always set the stage for the next step of the evolution of man, Homo superior (you can read more about those mutants here).

    At this point, I’m thrilled to turn this over to you and see where it goes. To be clear, I have no idea if this is going to turn out to be the case, but it’s a fascinating rumor and, as a fan, I’d love to be a part of the discussion about how awesome it could be if it were true. Let me hear your ideas below and be responsible with how you share and present this to other friends and fans! Enjoy!

  • What I Heard This Week: ‘BLACK PANTHER II’

    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.

    This Thanksgiving week has served up a cornucopia of information that I have not been able to verify but that has come from trustworthy sources (read sources who have given previous information that has been confirmed) and I’ve decided to share some of these. It’s important to understand that, because I can’t verify these with a second source, I myself treat them as rumors which means, for the time being, I don’t believe them myself. It’s also important to understand that in each of these cases, 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. These aren’t “hot scoops”, at least not yet. For now, they are nothing more than some compelling rumors that should generate plenty of great discussion among the MCU fan community. With that having been said, read ahead if you chose.

    Things I heard this week: Doctor Doom will be the villain of Black Panther II when it hits theaters on May 6th, 2022.

    Victor Von Doom will began expanding his empire, conquering parts of Africa and, ultimately, come into conflict with the nation of Wakanda and the Black Panther.

    That represents the entirety of what I was told. That’s how it works sometimes. I was given no additional context, no additional details…nothing. At this point, you know what I know. From what I was told, however, one can begin speculating and having some fun thinking about how something like this might play out if it were actually true.

    We don’t know when and where we’ll be introduced to Latveria or Victor, (a post credit stinger, a solo movie or in another film) but the events of Avengers: Infinity War and the 5 year jump in Avengers: Endgame provide ample opportunities for some exposition on the Latverian Monarch. Given the state of things after Thanos’ snap, it wouldn’t be too hard to imagine someone like Victor expanding his kingdom by taking advantage of the absence of world leaders and of most of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. If Victor survived the snap, it’s entirely possible that he could have made his way South through Europe, through the Middle East and into Africa by the time 2023 rolls around.

    If the film does take place in the MCU’s present day (no information on that was given), it would mean that T’Challa is back on the throne of Wakanda just in time to help defend his people and his country’s most valuable resource: Vibranium. This is, of course, the reason Doom invades Wakanda in the 2010 event Doomwar, and you can very easily imagine Marvel Studios adapting this story to the big screen. While the comic featured characters from all corners of the Marvel universe, it could be told on a more intimate scale in the MCU and would have to be in order for it to be told on screen in a reasonable time frame. A big screen Black Panther: Doomwar would put the focus on T’Challa, Doom and, of course, Shuri.

    Marvel Studios certainly has big plans for Doom. Feige was willing to meet with Noah Hawley and discuss his much-talked about script and while it doesn’t appear that Hawley’s script survived the Disney-Fox merger, it doesn’t mean that we couldn’t see parts of it in either a different Doctor Doom solo film or worked into whatever film Feige sees fit to use as Doom’s MCU introduction. Marvel Studios has yet to make a solo film for one of their villains, but if they were ever going to scratch that itch, Doom, one of their most fully-developed and fascinating characters, would be worthy of being the trailblazer. Additionally, Marvel Studios would be wise to make sure that their Doom and their Fantastic Four are presented as differently from the Fox films as possible, so introducing Doom on his own, using another villain for the Fantastic Four film and then having Doom try to take over the world in another film would be a great start. Obviously we need to see the Fantastic Four and Doom come into conflict eventually, but while Victor is the arch enemy of the First Family, he is also much more than that. Finally, using Black Panther II as Doom’s coming out party would all but guarantee another monster box office for the franchise while giving T’Challa an antagonist who could truly challenge him.

    At this point, I’m thrilled to turn this over to you and see where it goes. To be clear, I have no idea if this is going to turn out to be the case, but it’s a fascinating rumor and, as a fan, I’d love to be a part of the discussion about how awesome it could be if it were true. Let me hear your ideas below and be responsible with how you share and present this to other friends and fans! Enjoy!

  • EXCLUSIVE: ‘ANT-MAN 3’ Slated to Film at Pinewood UK

    The third film in Marvel Studios Ant-Man franchise is set to go into production across the pond with Pinewood Studios UK serving as home base! Disney made the decision to move forward with the film late this summer and it was recently revealed that Peyton Reed, who directed the 2015’s Ant-Man and 2018’s Ant-Man and The Wasp, would return to helm the three-quel.

    It is expected that the production film at yet unspecified locations around Europe, in addition to doing some additional photography in and around Atlanta. Michael Douglas has indicated he believes production to begin in January of 2021 and I have been told to expect pre-production to begin on the film as soon as January of 2020.

    The yet to be subtitled Ant-Man 3 will hit theaters in 2022.

  • EXCLUSIVE: New ‘BLACK ADAM’ Script Features Hawkman, Atom Smasher and Stargirl

    EXCLUSIVE: New ‘BLACK ADAM’ Script Features Hawkman, Atom Smasher and Stargirl

    Note: This article was originally published by Charles Murphy at That Hashtag Show on March 8, 2019.

    In 2014, Warner Bros. and DC Entertainment made headlines with the announcement that Dwayne Johnson had signed on to star as the titular character in a solo Black Adam film. Nearly four and a half years later, we’ve still yet to see Johnson suit up as the DC Comics antihero, with the studio passing on what seemed like sure fire appearance in Shazam, but it seems that things might be looking up on that front.

    Late last month, scribe Adam Szytkiel, who was brought on by New Line back in 2017 to pen the Johnson vehicle, turned in an updated draft of the script which is sure to please fans of DC Comics. Szytkiel’s script seems to be taking some cues from Geoff Johns’ early 2000’s work with the character and sets up a battle of heavyweights as it pits Hawkman against the protector of Khandaq!

    The studio will be looking to cast an actor, 30-39, to take on the role of Carter Hall with an emphasis on landing someone the audience can believe could go toe-to-toe with the Brahma Bull!

    The script also features Adam’s fellow JSA members Atom Smasher and Stargirl, the two of whom have often been depicted to be in a relationship in the comics. The studio will be searching for talent, 20-29, to play the duo.

    While plot details are being kept under wraps, the addition of Hawkman to the film could certainly indicate that the studios is at least entertaining the thought of pushing the envelope on the amount of violence we’ll be seeing on screen. In a 2018 interview, producer Hiram Garcia stated that the film was not going to be “softened up” for audiences and the inclusion of Hawkman would seem to indicate that they’re standing by that claim.

    Black Adam is tentatively set for a March 2020 start of production and is currently searching for a director.

  • EXCLUSIVE: Emma Watson Headlines List of Front Runners for Female Lead in ‘BLACK WIDOW’

    EXCLUSIVE: Emma Watson Headlines List of Front Runners for Female Lead in ‘BLACK WIDOW’

    Note: This article was originally published by Charles Murphy at That Hashtag Show on March 6, 2019.

    Marvel Studios is now actively casting for its solo Black Widow film ahead of a scheduled June start to production and casting director Sarah Finn and company have begun to narrow down the lists of candidates for several roles. Chief among those roles is a second female lead, which we originally described here as a “kick ass female Bond”, for which the studio is said to be seeking an actress capable of a physically demanding role who also “feels similar” to star Scarlet Johansson.

    The studio has been looking at available talent for the role since late last year and now a partial list of front runners for the role has emerged. While it’s important to remember that this list does not represent everyone up for the role and that, at the time of publishing, none of these actresses had been officially offered the role, the list does provide us significant insight into the type of actresses the studio has been auditioning. It’s an interesting list and one that we at That Hashtag Show are excited to be able to share with you in this exclusive!

    Headlining the list is actress Emma Watson. Best known for her role as Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter franchise, Watson starred as Belle in Disney’s 2017 live-action version of Beauty and the Beast and recently wrapped filming on Little Women. We are told that the idea of Watson landing the role is gaining momentum and that her name is prominent in discussions between director Cate ShortlandBrad Winderbaum and Kevin Feige.

    Actresses Alice Englert (Beautiful Creatures and the upcoming Netflix series Ratched) and Dar Zuzovsky (HostagesNeighborhood) recently auditioned for the role and both made a strong impression on the studio. Additionally, Florence Pugh, who will star alongside Watson in Little Women, is also still in the running. While the role originally called for an actress in the 30-39 range, this list certainly indicates a willingness on the studio’s part to expand their search to find the right woman for the job and it seems that they now have a handful of talented actresses from which to chose.

    Casting for any film is a dynamic process with names jumping in and out of contention, so while this list of front runners is a great place to start, it by no means is intended to represent everyone who may eventually be up for the role and certainly not an indication of who will ultimately accept it. Looking at the role of Maria Rambeau in Captain Marvel as a cautionary tale (DeWanda Wise originally held the role before Lashana Lynch came on board), we can understand how quickly things in Hollywood can change. That having been said, we should expect movement one way or another on this role fairly quickly as testing for it and other roles has been ongoing very recently, indicating the search is narrowing down.

  • EXCLUSIVE: ‘Black Widow’ Searching For An Ethnically Diverse Male Villain

    EXCLUSIVE: ‘Black Widow’ Searching For An Ethnically Diverse Male Villain

    Note: This article was originally published by Charles Murphy at That Hashtag Show on March 4, 2019.

    Last month it was reported that the script for Marvel Studios Black Widow was being rewritten by Ned Benson. This rewrite was almost certainly responsible for the delay in production which saw the film’s start date get pushed all the way back to June. Should things stay on schedule, principal photography will conclude in October, freeing up stage space in London for Marvel Studios next film, The Eternals to move in.

    While the magnitude of Benson’s rewrites are unclear, it does seem that he’s done a bit of character work, reworking some of the films leads and possibly removing others. In November of last year, we gave you the first look at 6 major roles the studio was looking to fill. While most of those roles still exist, it seems that there have been some changes to them, most notably the film’s villain, which could help us deduce his identity.

    We originally reported that the studio was looking for an actor of any ethnicity in his 40s to play someone “exciting” to portray the film’s main antagonist. The recent rewrites have given us a little more clarity on this character, though to be honest, we still don’t have much to go on in any effort to figure out just who he is. The studio is now looking for either a Black British or African actor, 30-45, to portray a “tough, dangerous and mysterious” villain.

    This new update certainly seems to eliminate Red Guardian and any other Russian villain from contention as they’d likely not have a British accent. It certainly still leaves someone like the Taskmaster in play, but at this point, it really could be anyone.

    The film will still feature a second female lead, as we first reported in November, an older European male and female and the “bookish” male for which the studio is seeking a Paul Dano-type. As we originally reported in December, the studio had been meeting with talent for the second female lead (a “kick ass female Bond”), though at this time nobody has signed on for for the role.

    With cameras set to roll in roughly 3 months, we should certainly start to see some movement with casting very soon, though you shouldn’t expect it to come through Marvel Studios. Kevin Feige has maintained that they will not officially discuss any of their upcoming films beyond Spider-Man: Far From Home until after that film has been released in theaters, so we could expect a very big presence by the studio at SDCC this year or, more likely, during D23.

  • EXCLUSIVE: ‘THE ETERNALS’ Set to Star Marvel Studios First Openly Gay Male Lead

    EXCLUSIVE: ‘THE ETERNALS’ Set to Star Marvel Studios First Openly Gay Male Lead

    Note: This article was originally published by Charles Murphy at That Hashtag Show on March 1, 2019.

    As Marvel Studios begins its search for the cast of the 2020 feature film, The Eternals, we at That Hashtag Show have learned that they are looking to cast an openly gay actor for a lead role in the film.

    During the press coverage of Ant-Man and The Wasp last year, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige stated that the studio was working towards bringing a new, LGBTQ character to the mix in the near future. As it turns out, that future is nearly upon us as the studio searches for an actor, 30-49, who “physically looks like a superhero” for one of the film’s leads. While the studio is open to actors of all ethnicity, they would prefer the role to go to an openly gay actor.

    Over the past several years, Marvel Studios has made an impressive effort to make films more representative of the modern world and this is another example of them making good on that. This role will mark the first time Marvel Studios has featured an openly gay male as a lead as this character will have a major presence in the film alongside the other leads expected to be Sersi, Ikaris and “Piper.” The studio is going to great lengths to keep the identity of the character a secret and it would take away from the focus of this piece to speculate on the identity of the character her.

    While rumors have swirled to the contrary, the film is still scheduled to begin filming in the UK on September 9th of this year and continue filming through January of 2020. With cameras set to roll in just over 6 months, the studio is already actively searching for candidates to fill several roles and, we are told, may have already identified a favorite for the role of Ikaris. Additionally, director Chloe Zhao has expressed interest in Cameron Britton (The Umbrella Academy) and Polish actor Tomasz Kot for a supporting role in the film that requires an imposing physical presence. No offers have been made to either of these actors at the time of publishing.