DC and Warner Bros. Discovery are in the headlines for many different reasons. While mostly the reception to whatever WB is currently up to has been quite negative, the drama surrounding Ezra Miller wasn’t helping. After scandals started piling on, many feared or wondered what exactly the future has in store for the long-in-development The Flash film. As it turns out, Miller has now had a sit-down with the studio executives to discuss everything that has been going on.
There are no exact details on what was discussed in the meeting, but given the recent circumstances, it’s not hard to imagine. They sat down with executives Pam Abdy and Michael De Luca joined by their agent, who recently took over the motion picture division from Toby Emmerich. As many different issues are coming together and a project with a massive budget of $250M is on the line, there’s a lot to ensure.
It seems that the potential scrapping of the project has also pushed Miller to seek help, which is a good sign and shows how committed they are to the character. It seems this was the first time they’ve talked since they took over the division especially as the film is still in its post-production stage. Warner Bros. Discovery believes in the project as it has tested as high as Christopher Nolan‘s Batman films, which is definitely something they are striving to ensure makes its way into theaters. So, here’s hoping everything works out moving forward.
True to his word, Kevin Feige over-delivered at SDCC ’22. Fans were given a glimpse at the overarching structure of the multi-phase Multiverse Saga, including titles and dates for the next two Avengers films, The Kang Dynasty and Secret Wars. Throw in the announcement of the 18-episode Disney Plus streaming series Daredevil: Born Again, the date for the Fantastic Four reboot and a few other projects, and there was certainly something for everyone. With so much news coming out of SDCC, it’s hard to imagine anything could top it; however, that’s what I’ve been told in no uncertain terms that Marvel Studios plans to do at this year’s D23 Expo. What would it take to top SDCC’s extravaganza? Let’s take a look at what we MIGHT expect when Marvel Studios takes the stage as part of Disney’s Studio Showcase at 10:00 AMPT/1:00 PM ET on Saturday, September 10th.
Fantastic Reveals
Perhaps the biggest move left for the studio to make would be to announce the director and cast for Fantastic Four and bring them out on stage. With a tentative release date of November 8th, 2024 having been set at SDCC ’22, the studio also indirectly set up a production timeline. Traditionally, Marvel Studios prefers to give their director roughly a year to work with the studios before production, so having one on board by early September works nicely. Disney has been targeting D23 for this reveal for quite some time now, so here’s to hoping they have found their fits for the Fantastic Four!
Unbeliveably, Marvel Studios has two holiday specials due to hit Disney + over the last 4 months of 2022 and has yet to officially date either of them. James Gunn has publicly talked about The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special and Michael Giacchino has confirmed he’s working on the still-to-be-officially-named-but-called-Werewolf-By-Night special, but D23 should mark the first time fans really get an idea of what to expect. It would be shocking if fans didnt’ get to see some footage of both specials and if they weren’t both given release dates. It’s also reasonable to assume that the cast of these specials could be on hand, especially since in the case of the Guardians Holiday Special, they’ll be able to double dip and hype…
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
Marvel Studios doesn’t really have “small films” anymore, but Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is going to see a massive publicity push from the studio and will almost certainly be one Marvel’s most emotional and talked about films since Infinity War and Endgame. If the cast is already on site for the Holiday Special, they’ll take some time to let the crowd salute them and likely show the same footage that was shown at SDCC. It’s a LITTLE early for this footage to become public, so expect this to be kept in the expo.
A New Look at Wakanda Forever
The first look at Black Panther: Wakanda Forever came at SDCC ’22. By the time D23 rolls around, that trailer will be 7 weeks old and there will only be 9 weeks left until the film hits theaters. That means it’s almost certainly time for a second trailer for the film and one that gives fans a bit more of an idea of what’s going on. Should the cast and creatives be on hand, it would also provide Ryan Coogler and Dominique Thorne an opportunity to discuss upcoming projects such as the Wakanda-centric streaming series, Ironheart and any other potential properties they might be attached to.
D+ Series Updates
Secret Invasion has completed additional photography and Marvel Studios has three Disney + series at different points in production in Echo, Loki Season 2 and Ironheart. Between Disney Plus Day on September 8th and the Studio Showcase on September 10th, it’s fair to expect major updates on these series and more. Marvel Studios could chose to finally address the casts of these projects, show some footage and give an idea of what might be going on in them. With Secret Invasion set to be the first D+ project in 2023, it’s very likely the footage from SDCC will be shown again and, POSSIBLY, even made public. However, any footage from the other series isn’t likely to hit the web.
Since this is Disney’ own convention, expect them to go big on not only the D+ stuff already in production, but to continue to emphasize how integral the streaming service is to Marvel Studios’ plans by addressing the next wave of projects as well. Details and casting information could drop for Agatha: Coven of Chaos and Daredevil: Born Again and Feige could fill out the empty slot in Phase 6 that currently looks to be made up of 8 streaming series spread out from late-2024 through Summer 2025. This means projects like Wonder Man, the Wakanda-centric project we like to refer to as Midnight Angels and a half-dozen more could be officially titled/announced. This could include second seasons of Ms. Marvel and Moon Knight as well as a handful of projects that have yet to be revealed and that long-awaited update on Armor Wars. Again, expect there to be a heavy D+ push between Disney Plus Day and the Showcase.
Major(s)-mania
Jonathan Majors will be the face(s) of the franchise over the next 3 years. His appearance at SDCC had the crowd on its feet and it’s likely he’ll be in attendance at D23 and get a similar reaction. It’s also likely he will be there with the teaser for Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumaniaand it is POSSIBLE that with that film only 5 months away from D23, the studio could let the hype train start rolling by making sharing it on social and YouTube. If Majors in on site, expect some MAJOR teasing about his upcoming roles outside of Quantumania. Majors is a generational talent and Marvel Studios knows it. He’ll be a busy man over the next 3 years.
The Marvels
With a release date just shy of 10 months away from D23, fans shouldn’t expect a teaser to drop publicly, but there should be enough finished footage to give fans in attendance at the Expo something to think about. Maybe it’s part of a larger sizzle reel or maybe it gets its own part of the panel, but it’s hard to imagine Marvel Studios not giving this project a presence at D23, especially since it was largely absent from SDCC.
Blade
With production finally set to get underway in October of 2022, it’s time for Marvel Studios to give an official update on Blade. Other than finally getting a release date, the studios hasn’t provided any information on the film since it was announced at SDCC ’19. If Mahershala Ali were to pop out on stage and join Feige in announcing the cast of the film, it would really renew hype in the project.
Full Phase 5 and Phase 6 Slates
By the end of the panel, it is very reasonable to expect that all of Marvel Studios Phase 5 and 6 projects have been revealed. Much of that work will be done via the D+ announcements, but there are still 3 films (February 2024, February 2025 and July 2025) that haven’t been revealed. Expectations are that Deadpool 3, Shang-Chi 2 and Nova will fill those slots, but there could be another film that slides into one of those spots. However, there’s never been a more fluid time in production schedules than now, so fans almost have to expect dates to shift at this point. It’s also possible that since Feige basically has as much time as he wants (while the Showcase is scheduled to run 2 hours, the stage is open for another 3.5 hours afterwards), he could tease projects such as Captain America: New WorldOrderand Thunderbolts by giving fans a little more info on what they might be about and who might show up.
The Surprise
Nothing contained in this article would come as a surprise to fans who follow Marvel Studios closely, thus the title and the premise that these things can be “expected.” What Feige has excelled at during these types of events, however, is dropping a bomb before heading off stage. At SDCC ’19, it was Blade. At SDCC ’22, it was the Phase 6 slate and the reveal of the Avengers double-feature to end it. What will he bring to D23? It wouldn’t be much of a surprise if anyone could tell fans ahead of time, but given the fact that by the time D23 hits fans will be aware that Bruce Banner/Smart Hulk has left Earth for Sakaar and the rumor that Disney would be able to distribute a Hulk film starting in 2023, it would be fantastic time for Feige to confirm that the rumors of a World War Hulk film are true! Early rumors had the film going into production late in 2022. Even if that slid into early 2023, it would still be possible for the film to meet the February 2024 release date. If not then, a pre-Secret Wars release date would be eminently possible.
David Zaslav has been on the lookout for “DC’s Kevin Feige” and according to a trade report, he may have found his man. THR reports that producer Dan Lin, who backed hits such as The Lego Movie and the It films, is negotiating for the job.
Zaslav’s tenure as Warner Bros. Discovery CEO has resulted in a veritable blood bath for DC’s film and TV projects. Several projects at varying places in production have been canceled as Zaslav looks to model the future of DC’s film and TV adaptations on the success Kevin Feige has had a Marvel Studios.
According to the trade report, Lin’s success as a film executive and producer and on the TV side helped WB identify him as a prime candidate to lead the 10-year plan described by Zaslav. Lin would seemingly look to put forth a more unified slate of projects after putting the brakes on the previous leadership’s Crisis plans.
Neil Gaiman is living the life as he’s had one successful adaptation after the other. Netflix has just recently released the live-action adaptation of The Sandman, something many believed was unadaptable. It’s been quite a success for the streamer and Gaiman has been busy promoting the release. Yet, in a recent interview, the writer revealed that he purposefully leaked the script of an earlier Hollywood adaptation to ensure that it wouldn’t be adapted. According to Gaiman, he believed “it was the worst script” he’s ever read.
It was the worst script that I’ve ever read by anybody. A guy in Jon Peters’ office phoned me up and he said, ‘So Neil, have you had a chance to read the script we sent you?’ And I said, ‘Well, yes. Yes, I did. I haven’t read all of it, but I’ve read enough.’ He says, ‘So, pretty good. Huh?’ And I said, ‘Well, no. It really isn’t.’ He said, ‘Oh, come on. There must have been stuff in there you loved.’ I said, ‘There was nothing in there I loved. There was nothing in there I liked. It was the worst script that I’ve ever read by anybody. It’s not just the worst Sandman script. That was the worst script I’ve ever been sent.
Neil Gaiman
There’s a hilarious trend in the one he mentions, as it was by infamous Wild Wild West producer Jon Peters, who almost tried to force a giant spider into an earlier draft of a Superman pitch by Kevin Smith before a mechanical spider made its debut in the Will Smith film. It seems that it had its origins in The Sandman adaptation that Gaiman sent to Ain’t It Cool New.
It had giant mechanical spiders in it… Lucifer, Morpheus and the Corinthian were identical triplets. They were a family of identical brothers, and it was all a race to see who could get the ruby, the helm and the bag of sand before midnight on 1999, before the new millennium started, because whoever got it would be the winner. That was the plot.
Neil Gaiman
It’s not every day that you see someone takes matters into their own hands to avoid an obvious trainwreck but Gaiman wasn’t going to let his franchise be dismantled this way. There’s also something hilarious about Peters‘ obsession with a giant mechanized spider being in one of his films. Luckily, his action did end up avoiding it getting made.
Thor: Love and Thunder‘s Disney+ release has been recently confirmed for September to celebrate Disney+ Day. For those that like to collect these projects physically, the wait for that release is luckily not too long after. The digital release is set for September 9th with the physical one planned for September 27th. It’ll be made available with on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD.
ScreenRant has also shared a first look at the movie’s cover art for the Steelbook available at Best Buy. It’ll feature the poster designs featuring Jane Foster and Thor in their iconic pose from the comics. The interior even includes the yelling goats pulling the chariot in a clever design replicating the boat we see in the Marvel Studios film.
The Blu-ray will include a gag reel and audio commentary from Taika Waititi. There are also three featurettes included by the titles of Hammer-Worthy: Thor and The Mighty Thor, Shaping a Villain, and Another Classic Taika Adventure. There are also four deleted scenes included, such as the team looking for Zeus, two scenes spending more time with Star-Lord and Mantis, as well as a potential alternative sequence of Zeus passing on his weapon to Thor.
It’ll be interesting to see if we get a different side of Zeus in these deleted scenes, but it’s curious they left out some of the confirmed scenes of Gorr’s bloody path of killing all gods. It seems like they aren’t including them so it’s not an option for people considering it as canon given the gruesome fate of some Thor veteran characters.
Fantastic Four has been announced quite a long time ago, but it’s been surrounded by quite a few rumors. With D23 on the horizon, it does make for an interesting topic on the internet. In a surprising move, Spider-Man director Jon Watts passed on the project. While we’ve been anxiously awaiting who might take over, it seems that The Direct has shared that according to their sources WandaVision‘s Matt Shakman might be the one to take on this role.
We still have to take it as a rumor but it’s definitely a curious reveal. if it turns out real. Shakman has been on the top list for many Hollywood projects after he made quite the impact with his work on the first Marvel Disney+ series. He’s been signed up to tackle the next Star Trek film in the Kelvin timeline and even episodes of the Godzilla spinoff for Apple TV+.
Marvel Studios has a lot of hope with the Fantastic Four adaptation, especially with its legacy of some mixed-reviewed entries from 20th Century Fox. Fantastic Four from 2015 had left a bit of a sour taste with many for a darker take on Marvel’s first family. So, there’s hope that the sci-fi-based superhero team gets another chance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
We already got our first look at Mr. Fantastic in the multiverse of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. John Krasinski, a long-time fan cast for the role, took it on only to meet his untimely end at the hands of theScarlet Witch. We’ll have to see if he will return in the role or if they will try to establish their own take on the team for the MCU.
While the Mad Max franchise will finally continue, its titular hero will have to take a backseat for Furiosa. After her introduction in Mad Max: Fury Road, the popularity of the character skyrocketed, a prequel was fasttracked. While many are disappointed that Charlize Theron is not returning in the role, now set to be played by Anya Taylor-Jo, the cast has been quite promising with Tom Burke, Angus Sampson, and even Thor himself, Chris Hemsworth.
Now, a few set photos have found their way online offering our first look at Hemsworth‘s design in the upcoming film. While it’s unclear who exactly he is playing, there seems to be some Max inspiration in his design, such as having a leg brace.
His design is quite curious. While he still remains super in shape, his physique is quite a bit different from what we saw in Thor: Love and Thunder. Though it seems he couldn’t quite give away who he might be playing or what role he has, the project will span a long period of time which makes it difficult to say if he has a major role throughout or maybe just a brief part in its highlights.
Furiosa is the first prequel in this franchise that was on the stand until director George Miller revived it with Fury Road. It became an instant classic for many and it was surprising that there hasn’t been an actual sequel for a while. Perhaps Furiosa might once again add some fuel to the franchise’s fire that we’ll further explore the apocalypse.
Here’s a surprise it seems that Disney+ has temporarily taken Avatar, James Cameron‘s sci-fi epic, down to promote the upcoming re-release in theaters. It is currently getting a new two-week release with 4K and high-dynamic range restoration. It seems they have quietly removed it ahead of the re-release and if you’re worried this is another HBO Max, the film will return before Avatar: Way of the Water‘s release in December. It’s still currently available on other platforms if you are looking for a way to check it out from home.
It’s not the greatest move to quietly remove it, as we’ve seen in the past that theatrical availability doesn’t truly hamper its theatrical run. Especially if the plan is to also upload the 4K updated version. Of course, Disney sees a lot of potentials, and with the franchise already having multiple sequels already in some form of production, they will do everything they can to promote it as much as possible.
Luckily, this isn’t a scenario like with HBO Max that it’s permanently removed but it is a shame that such practices might be the usual move when trying to get a re-release more attention while it is in theaters. We’ll see if this will truly last and it’ll return once the two weeks theatrical run is over or if we really have to wait until shortly before Way of the Water‘s release later this year.
Halloween is coming to an end, and audiences will be able to witness the thrilling conclusion from either a theater seat or their couch at home. Halloween Ends, the final film in David Gordon Green‘s Halloween trilogy, is officially set for a day-and-date simultaneous October 14th release on both the big screen and NBC’s streaming service Peacock.
The news comes from a video posted to the project’s social media accounts, which features original Halloween star Jamie Lee Curtis delivering the information to fans. Of important note, the film will only be available on Peacock to paid subscribers who use Peacock Premium or Premium Plus. The free version of the service, which is supported by advertisements, will not stream the movie. This release plan follows the same strategy that made Kills such a massive success, and prompted audiences to question the future of the theatrical experience.
Curtis returns to the franchise for what is likely the last time, completing a story arc established in 2018’s Halloween reboot and continued in 2021’s Halloween Kills. This third chapter will pick up four whole years after the end of Kills, which was an immediate continuation of its predecessor. Trailers have teased a dramatic climactic showdown between Curtis‘ Laurie Strode and the monstrous Michael Myers, who has been terrorizing the town of Haddonfield since 1978.
Andi Matichak, Will Patton, Kyle Richards, Omar Dorsey, Nick Castle, and James Jude Courtney will also appear in the film, which is being produced by Jason Blum and his renowned horror company Blumhouse.
It looks like we may have seen the last of Finn in live-action Star Wars, as actor John Boyega has revealed in an interview with Variety that he has no real interest moving forward. He feels his work on The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi, and The Rise of Skywalker “was good” for him as he moves on to try his hands at a more diverse line-up of projects.
At this point, I’m cool off it. I’m good off it. I think Finn is at a good confirmation point where you can just enjoy him in other things, the games, the animation. But I feel like ‘[Episode] VII’ to ‘[Episode] IX’ was good for me. To be fair, [with] the allies that I’ve found within Joel Taylor and Jamie Foxx, Teyonah Parris, Viola Davis, all these people I’ve been working with… versatility is my path.
John Boyega
It’s no wonder that he may have not had any active interest anymore, as he had faced quite a bit of racist backlash for his initial casting. When it was hinted that he may become the face of the franchise and the next Jedi, there was a massive movement online. The prequel trilogy even led to the creation of the so-called “Fandom Menace” that has shown its fangs recently with Moses Ingram’s addition to the franchise in Obi-Wan Kenobi. He even reflects on how different the reaction to the backlash was towards Ingram in comparison to his time with the franchise.
It doesn’t make me feel bitter at all. It makes me feel like sometimes you are that guy. And my dad taught me that. Sometimes you’re not the guy to get the blessing and sometimes you are Moses, you know, you lead the people to the mountain, but you see the destination. You don’t get to go in, you get others to go in. And that’s where you get your happiness from. And for me to see other people accepted, and then at the same time to see that the studios now are like, ‘Okay, cool. This is not an elephant in the room conversation. We need to support our Black client.’ It’s fantastic.
John Boyega
It’s a shame that we’ll likely not see Finn’s character return, as the potential of exploring a former Stormtrooper turning good was such a compelling storyline when the initial trilogy was started.
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