Anthonie Mackie‘s Sam Wilson is about to face his biggest threat yet, as D23 came with the surprise announcement that Tim Blake Nelson is finally returning to the Marvel Cinematic Universe as The Leader in Captain America: New World Order. It’s definitely caught many off-guard that a Hulk-based villain would have a role in a Captain America sequel, but recent She-Hulk episodes have potentially started hinting at that development.
Still, it doesn’t mean they might have direct ties, or at least that was the case until rumors started making the rounds. It seems that Geeks Worldwide’s KC Walsh‘s reaction to a post by @WorldWarHulkNew hinting at She-Hulk would return in the upcoming Wilson-focused sequel, highlighting that he first reported it.
There is a chance that he is referring to the World War Hulk announcement, which he broke some time ago but it has been shared adding to the rumors. It seems they are hinting that the Captain America sequel will also act as a set-up for a World War Hulks adaptation but that project still hasn’t been officially announced. It could have one of the many empty spots on Marvel’s Phase 6 timeline.
Of course, the potential addition of Jennifer Walters in that film also continues the theories that The Leader may have a central role in the Disney+ series. There has been teasing of that character in the latest episode and it would be a fitting introduction that builds up his role in the MCU.
Sony probably was quite excited when they saw the hype surrounding the return of Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire in Spider-Man: No Way Home. They were fan favorites for a reason and if they didn’t have to keep it a secret, the marketing executives probably would’ve been quite happy to get merchandise ready just in time to bank on that hype. Yet, the wait was a long one for anything related to the two characters.
Luckily, there’s a chance that Funko Pop collectors might be able to get their hands on Peter 2 and Peter 3, as @mariobros612TWT has shared that a new line of Funko’s from that film is going to get released. These will feature some exclusives but it does seem like all three Spider-Men are getting their own Funkos alongside Green Goblin with a pumpkin bomb.
It’s hilarious that Ned Leeds is also getting his own Funko just for the few seconds the Cloak of Levitation helped him out, but it feels perfect for those that want something a little unexpected in their collection. It’s great to see some additional Funkos in production and if they had these planned for the initial premiere, they’d likely have leaked early on confirming the many rumors already making the rounds.
As Avatar begins its official theatrical re-release in the United States, the James Cameron-directed film has thus far earned over $3.5 million in the international box office. The film has so far been released in 37 different global markets. In relation to other theatrical re-releases, Avatar has earned 57% more than Star Wars: The Phantom Menace did at this point in 2012. Though it has underperformed by 29% in comparison to the 3D release of James Cameron’s other financial juggernaut in Titanic during 2012’s Easter season.
The relaunch of Avatar in movie theaters comes just under three months before the highly anticipated sequel project Avatar: The Way of Water arrives. To help drum up interest in the re-release, the original Avatar film has been temporarily removed from the Disney+ streaming platform. The results of this attempt to drum up interest in the franchise could be an indicator of how The Way of Water will be received by audiences by December of this year.
After well over a decade, questions were had about if Avatar would indeed have any future installments. However, audiences should prepare for an onslaught of new films in the franchise with three additional films arriving in 2024, 2026, and 2028 respectively.
Avatar: The Way of Water is set to open theatrically on December 16, 2022, and stars Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, and Kate Winslet.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is closer than ever, and it looks like Marvel Studios is pushing its marketing into overdrive. We’ve already gotten some teases of the main cast and even Iornheart’s more comic-accurate costume in the past but it seems some more merchandise has found its way online through @MCU_Facility on Twitter.
It doesn’t offer much new but does once again highlight the designs of the various main characters. The latest addition is a pin for what could be a logo for the Atlanteans, or the Marvel Cinematic Universe take on it. Namor is prominently showcased wearing a Jaguar-inspired crown and it does seem like they are sticking to that very design as part of their logo.
The Jaguar shouting as part of its design could be a showcase of Narmor’s people being on the attack in the upcoming project but likely also just an easier way to add a distinguishing factor between the offered designs. Black Panther’s logo is a different style altogether and it’s great to see how Marvel is using the character’s in-universe mythology inspired by the real-world to add some distinguishing designs.
Riri Williams is also prominently showcased and gets her own logo, which is likely the updated Arc Reactor version of her armor’s heart piece. It’s distinctive enough with the heart shape form and what looks like a rabbit design on top. It’s still unclear what her role will be in the film but it’s certainly interesting how big of a part she has in the film’s promotion. Perhaps we’ll get a tease of her proto-armor in the next trailer.
This Thanksgiving, Walt Disney Animation Studios is rolling out its latest visual extravaganza, Strange World. Set in the fictional world of Avalonia, Strange World follows three generations of explorers, the Clade family, as they embark on a mission into a mysterious, subterranean world. Inspired by the pulp stories of the early 20th century, Strange World will take the Clades to a “hidden world…heretofore unknown to them or anybody else” and examine the relationships between fathers and sons.
Directed by Disney vets Dan Hall and Qui Nguyen, Strange World boasts a heavy-hitting cast of stars lending their voices to the characters. Ahead of the film’s release, let’s get to know who’s who in Strange World!
Jake Gyllenhaal as Searcher Clade
Voiced by Jake Gyllenhaal, Searcher Clade is described by Disney as “a treasured member of the Avalonia community having discovered a revolutionary plant-based power source called pando.” While his father, Jaeger, was a legend among the people of Avalonia, Searcher chose to blaze his own trail after his father disappeared decades ago. Because he spent so much time without a father, Searcher has dedicated his life to his family, even though his son, Ethan, may have a bit more of Jaeger’s adventurous spirit in him than his father.
Their relationship is central to the film’s plot and, according to director Dan Hall, is modeled in part on his own experiences. “I have teenage sons and an older father,” said Hall. “I understand Searcher’s point of view because that’s where I am right now in my life.” Hall continues, explaining that it was Jaeger’s absence from Searcher’s life that has driven him to become the family man he is.
Searcher is caught between the legacy of the greatest explorer of all time and his own legacy he established almost in contrast to that of his father, who he sees as a rambling, intrepid explorer who was never home. Searcher set out to be the opposite. He’s rooted in his family.
Dan Hall
Dennis Quaid as Jaeger Clade
That “rambling, intrepid explorer”, Jaeger Clade, will be voiced by Dennis Quaid, who director Qui Nguyen called “a legend” and the kind of personality that can rock a crowd.” To that end, Jaeger’s legacy as a larger-than-life explorer has made him a legend in Avalonia even though his obsession ultimately took him from his family.
Strange World is heavily inspired by pulp fiction and according to Nguyen,“Jaeger is our pulp hero.” Nguyen went on to describe Jaeger as “one of those guys on the covers (of pulp magazines) who wear white shirts that were ripped fighting an alligator. He is an awesome character. But what if that guy was your dad? That seems way less awesome.” But what if that guy was your grandfather?
Jaboukie Young-White as Ethan Clade
Searcher’s devotion to his family has resulted in a strong, healthy relationship with his 16-year-old son Ethan, voiced by Jaboukie Young-White. However, as producer Roy Conli explains, as much as Ethan loves his father, he’s not quite as content living a safe life on the farm as Searcher is…or would like for Ethan to be. “He certainly embraces his father and can feel the love that Searcher has for him, but something is missing for him in the quiet farm life he’s living.” Ethan’s curiosity gets the best of him and he ends up as a surprise stowaway on the adventure to the “strange world.”
Gabrielle Union as Meridian Clade
Gabrielle Union voices the “funny and fierce” Meridian Clade. As Searcher’s wife and Ethan’s mother, she serves as the anchor of the family. Meridian is an integral part of Searcher’s farming operations and becomes part of the journey to the strange world when she realizes that Ethan may have joined it, unbeknownst to Searcher.
Lucy Liu as Callisto Mal
The final piece of the expedition’s cast of characters is Lucy Liu’s Callisto Mal. Mal cut her teeth as an explorer as part of Jaeger’s crew, but now serves as the president of Avalonia. As the mystery of the plague affecting Searcher’s pando crops deepens, Mal makes the decision to take on the expedition to the subterranean land where the fun really begins.
Walt Disney Animation Studio’s Strange World debuts in theaters on November 23rd, 2022.
Walt Disney Animation Studio’s latest original adventure, Strange World, continues the long tradition of taking audiences to fantastical places to learn some of life’s real lessons. At its core, Strange World, which opens in theaters this Thanksgiving, is less about the exploration of the titular subterranean world and more about the exploration of the relationship between father and son.
Director Don Hall has a long history with Disney Animation, having helmed films such as Raya and The Last Dragon and Big Hero 6 and written Meet the Robinsons and the recent Baymax! shorts, so he’s no stranger to the nuances of weaving life lessons into the narrative tapestry of an animated film. For Strange World, Hall dug into his own life to find the heart of the story. According to the director, the genesis of his latest film came from “just thinking about my sons and the world they’re going to inherit. How is it different from what I inherited from my dad?”
To answer that question, Hall and co-director Qui Nguyen created a story focused on three generations of the Clade family: Jaeger, his son, Searcher, and his grandson, Ethan. A legendary explorer, Jaeger disappeared on an expedition. Rather than follow in his father’s footsteps, Searcher discovered a revolutionary power source derived from plants and lives with his family where teenage Ethan works on the family farm while questioning his future. According to Hall, Ethan’s arc in the story came from reflecting on his own experiences as a teen.
My dad and I have a great relationship. He is a farmer and I grew up helping out. But when I was 14 years old, it all changed. Suddenly, I was planting and doing more high-level stuff that I just didn’t want to do. It wasn’t me. It all turned out fine, but I always remembered that and thought it would be interesting to explore father/son relationships and the kind of expectations we put on our kids—intentionally or unintentionally.
Don Hall
Nguyen, a father of two, like Hall felt the exploration of the father/son dynamic was worth taking on for Strange World saying it was a story he “needed and wanted to tell.” Nguyen explained further saying, “We could relate to Jaeger and Searcher when it comes to our kids. This is the story that I’m going through, the story that Don is going through and the story our characters are going through.”
Producer Roy Conli, whose two decades of experience at Disney stretch from The Hunchback of Notre Dame to his more recent work on nature documentaries such as Polar Bear and Bear Witness, echoed the sentiments of Hall and Nguyen, calling the father-son dynamic “phenomenal and universal.” Like the directors, Conli cited his own experiences as an example of how the dynamic ultimately shapes all sons.
Father-son relationships are so beautiful and so fraught simultaneously. I came from the theater. My favorite play as a kid was ‘Death of a Salesman,’ which is a classic father-son tale. My father and I had an amazing relationship. I thought he was Superman until I was 15, when I realized he wasn’t Superman. We had a good 10 years of battle that fortunately, we came through. He was an amazing guy, and that father-son relationship is really special: it’s phenomenal and universal. I think fathers push their sons; sons reject their fathers, and then eventually they all come around.
Roy Conli
Strange World, a Walt Disney Animation Studio’s film, will be in theaters November 23rd, 2022.
From the earliest looks at its newest animated adventure, Strange World, it was clear that Walt Disney Animation Studio was looking to capture the nostalgia of pulp fiction common to the first half of the 20th century. Characters such as Doc Savage, Ka-zar and John Carter found their way to fame through pulp magazines and the exploration of fantastical new lands. And it turns out that’s exactly the kind of story director Don Hall set out to tell in Strange World.
I always loved big adventure stories. the specific kind of adventure story where explorers find a hidden world that was heretofore unknown to them or anybody else. And that goes back so far into late 1800s, early 1900s—Jules Verne, H.G. Wells, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. That was sort of the birth of the big adventure story in novel form. ‘King Kong’ is a good filmic reference that had a group of explorers find a new hidden world. I wanted to evoke that in this movie.
Don Hall
In Strange World, the new hidden world comes into play when Searcher Clade, the son of legendary explorer Jaeger Clade, has to undertake an expedition with nothing less than the fate of his entire planet at stake. That expedition takes him to the subterranean “strange world” and reunites him with his father, who has been missing for decades. Fans of pulp fiction, including stories from the authors whom Hall cites as influences, will know that along with the discovery of this wonderful, new land will come an all-new set of dangers and challenges that will test the mettle and the relationships of the Clade family.
The mysteries of Strange World will unfold in theaters beginning November 23rd, 2022.
James Bond will be back, he’ll just look a little different when he finally returns. The last time fans saw the iconic secret agent on the big screen, he was doing something he’d never done before – dying, and closing out an emotional arc to finish off Daniel Craig’s tenure in the role. Producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson, who have been in charge of the Bond franchise since 1995’s GoldenEye, recently sat down with Variety to discuss what the future holds for 007 after such a definitive ending in 2021’s No Time To Die. The duo confirmed that their next leading man will be a “reinvention” of the character, something that became a necessity after Craig quote, “cracked Bond open emotionally”.
Broccoli explained a bit further with a resonating pull-quote, reflecting on the current times and looking at the years to come:
It’s an evolution. Bond is evolving just as men are evolving. I don’t know who’s evolving at a faster pace.
Barbara Broccoli
Wilson and Broccoli also joked about Craig’s infamous distaste of the franchise’s demanding time schedule and decades-long commitment, which the producers admitted will play a role in the casting process for their next film. They explained a star like Idris Elba, who fans have long been wanting for the role, would likely be too old or too busy to put aside so much of his life for the Bond films. The elaboration of their point also revealed the official casting probably won’t happen for a while:
The thing is, it’s going to be a couple of years off. And when we cast Bond, it’s a 10-, 12-year commitment. So [Elba] is probably thinking, ‘Do I really want that thing? Not everybody wants to do that. It was hard enough getting [Daniel Craig to do it].
Barbara Broccoli
Wilson then added in jokingly that Craig was also in his early 30s at the time of his casting, adding further fuel to the rumor that the studio is looking mainly at younger actors during their process. It’s become clear that whoever ends up as the next Bond will be around for the long haul, and will have to be prepared to focus on the franchise above all else for at least a decade of their career. Here’s hoping it doesn’t take too long before a face can be put to the world-famous name.
Many were surprised when the first look at Ironheart’s armor in Riri William’s first live-action debut in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever looked nothing like her original comic armor. With her sweet to have her own Disney+ series in the near future, it would’ve made sense to build up to the more comic-accurate design. At least that was until a new merch leak revealed a more comic-accurate design.
While it was a shame that it was spoiled instead of kept as a surprise during Wakanda Forever‘s theater run, that has become the norm when it comes to merchandise early releases. Still, the design looks great and stands out even though many worried it be too close to that of Tony Stark’s iconic Iron Man armor. It also seems she’ll use some new types of weaponry at her disposal as first seen in the images shared by @CeeOfCreativity on Twitter.
We’ve technically never seen the weaponry that she’d rely on and it seems we shouldn’t expect a copy of the arc reactor-based attacks like the Unibeam. She’ll likely make use of what Wakanda has to offer that’ll also help her more quickly develop the armor. So, we’ll likely see different test versions throughout the film until she gets the final design.
It does open up the question if the upcoming Ironheart Disney+ series will act as a prequel, or if she simply doesn’t have the right energy source to keep this armor going for a long period of time. So, she tests out other types of armor to have other options at hand, or perhaps she’s one of the reasons that Armor Wars‘ storyline kicks off with her actions in the sequel.
When we discuss future projects, we commonly get the most insight into when productions start. May it be through hints by actors or others involved with a film, or even just an official statement. In the case of Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, we may have gotten our first hint at when writer Jeff Loveness will start working on the film’s script.
Grand Canyon University seemingly invited Loveness as their mystery guest for an Inside Entertainment! panel from last week. What stands out is that the schedule includes him attending the event on September 16th with the statement that he’s set to start writing the script “in two weeks.”
Of course, this confirms that he hasn’t worked on the script already and there’s a chance that he’s likely pitched the idea before getting the gig. Of course, that’s just speculation but given his work on Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, he may have likely been eyed for the project anyway as it’ll potentially lead into the next major Avengers film. Plus, he’ll be the first to also have established the character of Kang in a film.
Though, what makes this reveal interesting is that it gives us a good hint on when they might start production. It does seem likely that they could start working on the film by the end of 2023 or at least 2024. It’s not unusual for them to start working on a film while the script is still being finalized, which gives the production some flexibility moving forward.
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