Chukwudi Iwuji is hitting the comic book scene, as after a scene-stealing performance on Peacemaker, he’s followed director James Gunn over to his next major project. He is set to star as the High Evolutionary in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and even gave us a first look at his costume during San Diego Comic-Con.
We still know very little about how his character will tie into the story outside of hints he’ll be the one that created Rocket Racoon. Yet, Iwuji was able to tease his overall take on the character in an interview with Collider, even highlighting there’s some “Shakesperean about him” when he brought the character to life.
Shady doesn’t touch it. He is narcissistic, sociopathic, but very charming. I couldn’t have thought of a better character that uses [a] skill set better to join the MCU with. Because there’s something very Shakespearean about him, there’s something very emotionally dark about him, and he’s a lot of fun on top of all that. The costume like you mentioned, the day I put on that costume because he looks very different from how he is in the comics, but the costume just worked. There’s something about putting it on, which I’m glad you mentioned because a big part of my performance was that costume.
Chukwudi Iwuji
Marvel Studios isn’t new to changing things up from the comics to add a new fresh take on the medium. He definitely gave us a good glimpse at his “emotionally dark” take on the character, and it does sound like a fun take. Iwuji getting a chance to just play around with a character after giving us a more serious performance in Peacemaker. It’ll definitely be fun to see his take on the High Evolutionary next May.
Films based on assassins are all the rage these days, with then success of John Wick spawning many more copycats. One in particular hit theaters last year, starring Saul Goodman himself, Bob Odenkirk, who played a retired intelligence agency hitman who’d been brought back into action after a home invasion; sounds a bit familiar. The film was quite the hit, garnering positive critical reaction and grossing over $50 million at the worldwide box office on a shoestring $16M budget. It seems to have been enough to warrant a sequel as the film’s producers confirmed a sequel is in development.
David Leitch recently sat down with Collider while promoting his upcoming action film BulletTrain, where he confirmed that a Nobody sequel is in the writing stages and they’ll be working on the project as fast as they can. Leitch went into detail about just how much people loved working on the first one, and that it meant a lot to everyone involved.
Oh, I think everyone’s really excited about it, Everyone involved is like, ‘Full steam ahead.’ We are in the script process, and I think we had so much fun making that. Kelly and I had a blast, the actors had a blast, the studio loved the results, and it’s happening. I mean, I think it’s happening as fast as we can make it happen.
David Leitch
Leitch went spoke more on the sequel to cast aside doubts that the project wouldn’t happen, explaining that they’re excited to get working on it with Odenkirk.
Yes, I do. I do, because there are these certain journeys that you go on, and they’re just undeniable experiences for the people involved. And that was one of them. And I think all of us want to go back and play in that universe, and we want to see Bob bring that character to life again.
David Leitch
With Better Call Saul set to wrap up its sixth season in the next few weeks, Odenkirk is going to have a whole lot more time on his hand to explore new projects, with one of those hopefully being the Nobody sequel.
It looks like an upcoming horror comedy As We Know It has found its cast, as it has added quite a few comedic veterans to headline the project. Oliver Cooper, known for his work on Project X, 30 Rock‘s Chris Parnell, and Jackie Brown‘s Pam Grier have joined the project to face a late 90s nuclear zombie apocalypse. The story follows the story of James Bishop who is facing a breakup and is trying to finish his book before the apocalypse arrives.
They aren’t alone, as they also added Mike Castle and Taylor Blackwell, alongside a TikToker by the name of Danny Mondello. In the directing chair is Josh Monkarsh and the production has already started production during the end of July. It’s going to wrap up in early August and is based on a script by Monkarsh, who co-wrote it alongside Christopher Francis and Brandon DePaolo. It does sound like it could be a fun time and it’s not the first horror comedy to take a look at the apocalypse through the lens of comedians.
Unlike Seth Rogen‘s This Is The End though, the actors aren’t playing themselves but they are sticking to a fictional storyline. Still, the cast does sound promising and it’ll be interesting to see how it comes together. Comedy is subjective and they may add their own spin fo the concept. There’s no word if this will also be a mostly adult comedy, as zombies aren’t strangers to more PG-13 fare as well but with the popularity of R-rated comedies it would seem strange they’d not stick to it with the base concept.
Producing a film is never easy, especially something like Prey which takes you out of the modern world into a time that had its own unique challenges. Survival is essential and if you’re being haunted by the Predator, you will use every chance you have at your disposal. During the official press conference for Prey, the cast and director bonded over what may be one of their worst experiences, filming in a stinking mud pit.
While discussing the tribulations of filming during COVID, director Dan Trachtenberg brought up how unexpected the “smell fo that mud pit” was that they used during filming. Main actress Amber Midthunder highlighted how “that smell is in my nose forever” before thanking the director. He surprisingly shared that it seemingly didn’t smell at first but something about it interacting with human
Yeah, the haunting thing about that is that it didn’t smell at all before anyone got in it. And then as soon as human flesh entered that zone, suddenly, some chemical reaction happened and it was horrifying.
Dan Trachtenberg
Midthunder jokingly points out that it wasn’t because of her as she “was not the first one in there.” It’s definitely always interesting to find out what actors and the team on set have to go through when filming sequences, especially something involving something that seems simple like a mud pit. It also sounds like they made the best of it to ensure we get an iconic sequence featuring it as Midthunder‘s Naru faces off against an unlikely foe.
Marvel Studios Hall H presentation at SDCC ’22 gave fans a peek at the plans for the next three years of the MCU, including dates for the next two Avengers films, The Kang Dynasty and Secret Wars. Shortly after, a trade report revealed that Destin Daniel Cretton, who directed 2021’s Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings, had signed on to helm The Kang Dynasty. That report, coupled with a lack of news about a Shang-Chi sequel at SDCC, led to some social media speculation that Cretton would be too busy to get around to a second Shang-Chi film until AFTER the Multiverse Saga came to a close.
A Shang-Chi sequel may not, however, be as far away as some believe it to be. Cretton officially boarded the Shang-Chi sequel as writer and director in December of 2021 and while he admitted at the time that he had not begun work on a script, it’s likely the one has started to coalesce around some ideas that he brainstormed for the film while in production on Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings. Cretton is also serving as an executive producer on Marvel Studios’ Wonder Man streaming series, meaning with The Kang Dynasty, a project which he’s only directing and NOT writing, he’s juggling three projects at the same time.
That doesn’t mean, however, that Shang-Chi 2 has taken a back seat. In fact, it turns out it might well be a top priority for Cretton and Marvel Studios and could very well hit theaters before Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. In an interview at SDCC, Shang-Chi star Simu Liu may have hinted at just such a scenario when he teased his potential involvement in “a couple” of the projects announced by Marvel Studios at their Hall H presentation and indicating that he was “going to be busy the next few years.”
While this is certainly no guarantee that Shang-Chi 2 will be in theaters ahead of Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, it does leave the door open for that to happen. It is very likely that the two films might share some connective tissue, with Cretton working on them both, and while time might seem short, both projects could be completed in plenty of time for 2025 release dates. However, until Marvel Studios dates the sequel to Shang-Chi, speculation will continue. Perhaps they’ll do just that at their upcoming D23 presentation in Anaheim in September.
As far as Comic Con’s announcements go, the easiest thing to say would be Avengers: Secret Wars. The truth is Kevin Feige’s plan on display for us to see is the kicker. This universe is expanding and we’ve all been wondering how it will continue to do so. As a fan, it was gratifying to see all of the projects lined up. There’s definitely fun in trying to figure out where the MCU is going on its own but to see it laid out is awesome.
It gives us all something to look forward to. If you want your street heroes and miss Daredevil…you got him back. Did you want to see how Sam Wilson’s journey will continue? We now have a title and a date. From team-ups to solo projects what we got was a reminder that the talk about the MCU was silly. Going forward, the expectation will be to see how tv gets better structurally. Otherwise, the road to what’s coming is here and we can actually enjoy the now of the MCU again. See you soon Kang.
Torbjorn Frazier
After having the pleasure to attend this year’s San Diego Comic Con (SDCC) festivities, it remains an arduous task to find just one top revelation from the weekend. While part of me wants to think outside of the box (I want to give special mention to Star Trek’s Hall H panel and them laying out a strong framework for their future on Paramount Plus), I can’t help but acknowledge that Marvel Studios were the runaway winners of the weekend.
With that in mind, I will focus on the triad of major revelations that were exclusive to the audience at Hall H. Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania, Secret Invasion, and Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 3 all showcased first-look trailers for their respective projects. And the three Marvel Studios projects all left extremely strong first impressions that should all have fans excited for the start of 2023. Quantumania’s trailer highlighted how this film will certainly be the highest stakes of the Ant-Man franchise through the introduction of a Jonathan Majors Kang the Conqueror variant, but still keeping the comedic tone from the original core ensemble and the addition of Bill Murray. Meanwhile, Secret Invasion seemingly will provide the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) with its first paranoia thriller since Captain America: The Winter Soldier (and I’d argue the series will lean much more into the genre than the film if the trailer is any indication). And to top it off, Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 3’s trailer was the largest revelation from the panel. James Gunn very much has established this film will mark the conclusion of his run on the Guardians; franchise, and he is pulling all the stops to make this ending as epic as possible in terms of both plot and cinematic scope. There are many distinct talking points coming away from it, but the largest certainly is the highly emotional arc in store for Rocket Raccoon and his origins at the hands of the High Evolutionary.
If there’s ultimately a singular major revelation from SDCC, it’s that fans could be in store for a highly exciting beginning to MCU’s Phase Five in 2023.
Dalbin Osorio
My favorite reveal, hands down, was the announcement of the next Avengers films: Secret Wars and Kang Dynasty. My guy AC called out the fickle fans who sit online all day consistently complaining about Marvel and the “no direction” post-Endgame, but anyone paying a modicum of attention to Loki could tell a) who the big bad of this saga was and b) what they were building towards. You don’t populate the world with heroes and then just leave them as such, and Kevin Feige pulling the curtain back on the conclusion of the now-aptly named Multiverse Saga confirmed what we knew. The big bad is Kang, and we are headed towards the only story that can both top Endgame and simultaneously reset the universe to a point where it makes sense that mutants other than Kamala Khan exist and that the Avengers do have to pay for their machinations of time. You see, just because He Who Remains’ TVA was ok with them messing with time doesn’t mean that all the other Kang variants and their TVAs (should they have them) will be. Kang’s line to Ant-Man (you’re an Avenger? Have I killed you before) is the first salvo in the war to come ahead. A secret war, if you will, and seeing that confirmed was pretty damn exciting.
MTF III
My favorite reveal from Marvel’s SDCC panel was the official announcement of Daredevil: Born Again. Although Charlie Cox’s return to the role in the MCU was no secret (shoutout to #SavedDaredevil), the extent of Daredevil’s role in future Marvel projects was still held close to the vest. And even after confirmation of appearances in Echo and She-Hulk: Attorney AtLaw, the official announcement of his Disney Plus series was universally well-received. But no one could have predicted that the series would get 18(!) episodes to tell its story.
I recently advocated for longer seasons of the Marvel Disney Plus series, because the six-episode season structure wasn’t adequately serving them, so tripling that output assuages all of those concerns. Daredevil: Born Again is 5 episodes longer than what fans were used to getting from Netflix, which should provide its narrative with more than enough time to breathe so that the show can service multiple character subplots, conclude several arcs, and overall, do the necessary world-building to truly establish the MCU’s Street Level.
Will we see any of the former Defenders pop up? Will we get a split season of 9 and 9 with a break in between? Will the “canon” questions be definitively answered? So many questions were raised by the announcement of Daredevil: Born Again, and I can’t wait to discover all the answers.
Hunter Radesi
Not sure if this is a surprise to anybody, but my favorite reveals from San Diego Comic-Con were probably Spider-Man: Freshman Year and Daredevil: Born Again. These are two of my all-time favorite characters, and to see both of their names pop up in Hall H, headlining projects, was a dream come true. I’ve been craving a solid new animated Spider-Man project for years, and it looks like Jeff Trammell is getting ready to deliver. Learning Freshman Year is going to be a full-blown variant series, as opposed to a mini-MCU prequel, was so exciting. I haven’t been satisfied with a Spidey show since The Spectacular Spider-Man, but this one looks to have everything I could want from a web-head adaptation. Diverse supporting characters, classic bad guys, a unique animation style, and a passionate creative team working behind the scenes. As for Born Again, that one doesn’t take much explaining. Who wouldn’t be pumped about another season, a full 18 episodes, of Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio doing their thing? My eyes will be on Disney+ for the next couple years.
It’s not long ago that we learned that Adam Wingard was starting work on the upcoming sequel to Godzilla vs. Kong. Monsterverse was seemingly facing its end with the big clash between the two Eastern and Western Kaiju giants but surprised many, as it was the film to kick off the box office during the pandemic. Now, work has seemingly started and the film’s production title may be teasing what exactly the film will be about.
@KDM_Monsters shared what seems to be the clapperboard for the upcoming Monsterverse entry, which includes the working title. It appears that it’s currently filming under the title “Origins” which raises some questions regarding what we can expect from the upcoming project. In a way, it does seem to imply that the next entry may either explore the origins of either Godzilla or Kong, especially which was already set up in the latest entry, or even act as a prequel.
It should also be pointed out that it confirms that Ben Seresin is back as the film’s cinematographer, as he’s also worked on the previous entry of the Monsterverse. The Godzilla vs. Kong sequel will have a lot of heavy lifting to do, as it not only has to continue where the previous one left off but also potentially build up the future of this franchise; if there is one at all.
With an Apple TV+ series on the horizon, there are many questions about what we can expect and with no clear announcement, if this sequel is about Kong or Godzilla, it does add some questions if it might move away from the big two in future entries. Here’s hoping that they may get the momentum they are looking for to give us a third entry in the Godzilla franchise.
In a few days, we’ll finally get our hands on the latest entry in the Predator franchise, Prey. The project is taking a very different direction this time around to offer something unique, as it’ll act as a prequel to the long-running R-rated franchise. Dan Trachtenberg has taken over directing duties on the eight entries in the franchise, and shares that he’s been actively working on this project since his work on 10 Cloverfield Lane.
In the official press conference for the Hulu Original release, Trachtenberg got a chance to share just how the film came together and what led to it taking as long as it did, mostly pointing at the Fox-Disney merger being one of the many reasons that it took as long as it did to release it.
Why now? Because it just took this long to make this movie. I started developing this maybe a year after 10 Cloverfield Lane came out. And the last movie came out in theaters. And then, the Fox-Disney merger happened. And all of those things really delayed this from getting going. But the main inspiration behind it was sort of a confluence of a couple things. One was really wanting to make a movie that was primarily action-driven, mainly told visually, but not wanting to that just be fun, just be a good time, to wanna inject that with heart and emotion.
Dan Trachtenberg
It’s unknown just how many projects may have been affected by the merger, as Disney did end up carrying quite a few to release. There has been a noticeable trend that productions under the 20th Century Studios brand are slowly becoming streaming exclusive releases. though one could also easily make the point that the pandemic has also led to the influx of streaming originals that eventually led to the current productions still releasing as mapped out. We’re seeing a few more finally hit theaters and it’s hinting at a new shift for the franchise.
The Rocky franchise is growing, and series star Sylvester Stallone isn’t happy about it. It was announced recently that MGM would be developing a spin-off film centered around the infamous Drago family, with Dolph Lundgren and Florian Munteanu reprising their father-son roles as Russian fighters Ivan and Viktor Drago from Rocky IV and Creed 2, respectively. Robert Lawton is set to write the script, with Irwin and David Winkler producing. Stallone, who has been actively involved with the creative process of nearly every Rocky and Creed installment, will seemingly not be part of the project.
The actor took to his Instagram just days ago to confirm some beef between himself and the Winkler family, calling David Winkler “painfully untalented” and his father Irwin “parasitical”. There is apparently an ongoing dispute between Stallone and the Winklers over the rights to Rocky, with the former claiming that the latter is holding hostage what should be his. The announcement of Drago only further set Stallone off, with the 80s icon returning to his social media for another vicious takedown:
Stallone is best remembered as the lead role in the Rocky films, but the creative also wrote every installment and directed all but two of the films. He also helped co-write the first two Creed movies. The upcoming third Creed will be the first without his direct contributions, although his role as producer indicates the project is happening with his blessing.
Sony has been pushing forward with its Marvel franchise and is hoping to capitalize on the iconic rogue’s gallery of everyone’s favorite friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. While we’ve recently focused a lot on Madame Web, Sony’s answer to Doctor Strange, there’s also the live-action adaptation of Kraven the Hunter in the future.
Taylor Aaron-Johnson will take on the iconic role of Spidey’s most human foes, especially the one with the darkest storyline in Kraven’s Last Hunt. With rumors making the rounds online, the actor got a chance to tease what we can expect from his take on the character in the upcoming Sony game in an interview with ComicBook.com.
I can’t confirm any details or anything. And also, I guess that was probably a little taken out of context and then run. I mean, I think you know what I meant what really stated was that he was a protector of the natural world I said and he’s a conservationist, which is probably more accurate, and then should have stopped there, full stop, shouldn’t have gone on beyond that because, yeah I think you know you really got to understand, yeah, he is a hunter and from that world of hunting and there’s so many aspects.
Aaron Taylor-Johnson
He also shares that there’s something that he found fascinating about the character and promises that this version of the character is definitely “going to be the hunter that we all want to see.”
What I love about that character is that what is he humanizing is that he has flaws, right? Kraven is a beautiful character. Sergei Kravinov is a beautiful character because it’s someone who’s really understanding themselves and has flaws. This is a character that was built ages ago and it’s in a new time and era, but yeah, is he going to be the hunter that we all want to see? Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely
Aaron Taylor-Johnson
Many are still a bit confused about what to expect from the character, especially if they will try to humanize him in the upcoming project. The challenge is in how they then set him up as a future villain for whatever version of Spider-Man they plan on including. We’ll have to wait until the film eventually releases and potentially teases further connections.
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