Tag: Sony

Marvel Studios’ Partnering With Sony on ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’s Marketing Campaign

There has been quite a lot of discussion surrounding the exact timing when we’ll see the first trailer for Spider-Man: No Way Home. The third entry in Tom Holland’s trilogy has been heavily rumored, and in some instances even confirmed, to expand beyond the Marvel Cinematic Universe and reintroduce the world to some familiar faces. It has been well documented that Marvel Studios is mainly responsible for the creative development of these films and it was uncertain if they have any hand in the marketing.

As there will be a lot of secrets to keep and Sony is notorious for spoiling entire plotlines in their trailers, it seems that Marvel Studios might be more hands-on now. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Disney Marketing President Asad Ayaz confirmed that the marketing plan is currently being mapped out by Sony, but the Disney subsidiary is also ensuring that the trailer works out for everyone involved.

Sony is absolutely handling the marketing for Spider-Man. Kevin Feige and his team are closely partnering with the Sony team on those. So there is coordination in that sense. We also make sure we are aware of who is dropping what when. But we are not working together on the campaigns because it’s their film. They are handling it but there is a level of coordination to make sure that it’s a win-win for everybody.

Of course, he doesn’t give away when we can expect the trailer, but it certainly is a showcase that they’re actively mapping out the marketing activities. It’s not uncommon for them to be planned months in advance, but the pandemic has shortened the time window for when trailers and promotional material is made available for the public. Here’s hoping the wait isn’t too long.

Source: Cinema Blend, Hollywood Reporter

June 18, 2021
‘Watchmen’s Tom Spezialy Joins Amazon’s ‘Silk’ as Showrunner

It looks like development is finally underway for Amazon Studios’ Spider-Man spin-off, Silk. Deadline reported that the executive producer of HBO’s Watchmen series, Tom Spezialy, has signed a deal with Amazon that also includes him joining the Sony Pictures Television project as showrunner. He will work alongside executive producer Lauren Moon, who wrote the series that’ll explore the story of Korean-American superhero Cindy Moon. Phil Lord and Chris Miller, the minds behind Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse, will also act as executive producers and are overseeing the various TV projects based on the webheads’ popular IP.

What is interesting to note is that Illuminerdi broke the news that Sang Kyu Kim joined the project as showrunner around four months ago. It’s uncertain if he actually was involved with the project and potentially moved on to others. Either way, it seems that Spezialy has taken on those duties moving forward. Story details are still kept tightly under wraps, as the series continues to eye an August production start. Hopefully, it means we’ll get a casting announcement by the latest of July that will finally unveil who will take on the role.

The development continuing is also an interesting indicator that the series won’t move to Netflix after all. Shortly after the spin-off was announced, Sony and Netflix unveiled their new partnership for exclusive first-look deals on any of their future projects. As of now, it’s uncertain to what extent this deal will work but it’s safe to say that any other Spider-Man-based projects will premiere there first. They also made a multi-year deal with Disney+ to ensure their franchises will be made available on the platform. So, Sony has secured its place in the streaming wars by simply partnering with everyone. It’ll be interesting to see if the amazon series might make international debuts on various other outlets moving forward.

Source: Deadline

June 18, 2021
RUMOR: ‘Kraven the Hunter’ to Face Off Against Chameleon

The Spider-Man franchise continues to expand but not in the ways many expect. Sony has been quite eager about exploring new ventures by exploring individual stories surrounding the webhead’s vast amount of characters. Now, they aren’t necessarily connected to Tom Holland’s incarnation of the character, but we’ve already seen their work with Venom and the upcoming Morbius. Sony has now set its eyes on an adaptation of Kraven the Hunter‘s story with Aaron Taylor-Johnson cast in the titular role. It seems that wasn’t all, as Illuminerdi shared that the Chameleon, better known as the Russian master of disguise Dmitri Smerdyakov, will be a villain in the upcoming spin-off.

They couldn’t offer any details outside of his potential inclusion. They are currently looking for someone in their thirties to take on the villainous role. It is uncertain if he’ll have to contend with others or if he’ll be the sole adversary of the film. The character actually has some connections to fellow Russian, as he was his half-brother in the comics. So, they might explore this aspect in the upcoming film.

It is also unknown if he’ll have his iconic face mask and switch between them, or simply act as a mastermind in the background. It is most likely not connected to the Marvel Cinematic Universe directly, but they might utilize the technology introduced in Captain America: The Winter Soldier that allowed someone to replace their face. They could also give him a unique visual to make the character stand out, especially if Sony might do their own thing with this spin-off. Whatever direction they end up taking, it’s going to be curious to see how they adapt these characters without their common foe.

Source: Illuminerdi

June 15, 2021
From ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ to ‘Halo: Infinite’: What We Hope to See at E3 2021

It looks like the first major leak ahead of this year’s E3 gaming event has already found its way online. At this point, it almost seems like a tradition and it is time to look at what we can expect from the next few days. The event will offer us an insight into the future of gaming may it be on any hardware developments and, most excitingly, new games. sadly, Sony once again pulled out of the event but there are many other heavy-weights with some curious plans. The yearly tradition also returns with countless rumors hitting the internet teasing potential projects that may or may not get the spotlight at the event. I thought it’s the perfect time to maybe talk about some things I personally hope to see during the event.

Marvel-ous Showcase

Now, it seems that Marvel is gaining some traction in the gaming world. 2018’s Spider-Man kicked off a new console generation getting to experience the life of our favorite superheroes and it seems like it could be more heading our way. There is a rumor going around that seems to have some validity that the developer of XCOM is preparing a game that explores the Marvel world. Of course, there is also the confirmed Black Panther: War for Wakanda that will get the focus during Marvel’s Avengers entry in the Square Enix panel. Here’s hoping we get other reveals for what the game’s first expansion has in store for us with the king of Wakanda in action. Of course, there is also the potential reveal of Eidos’ long-rumored Guardians of the Galaxy game finally getting revealed. It looks like this year’s E3 is looking marvel-ous already.

Ninten-Do Some Reveals

Now, Nintendo has some major expectations surrounding its upcoming Nintendo Direct. It’ll be the last event of this year’s event, but it may hold some of the biggest surprises. People are still clamoring for a sequel to 2017’s Super Mario Odyssey but there is also the already announced The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild sequel. It seems very likely that the latest Zelda entry will get a lot of attention, but we’re hoping for some surprise reveals. Metroid Prime 4 seems to be stuck in development hell for quite some time. My hopes are also surrounding a potential legacy series making a grand return, may it be Advance Wars or Golden Sun. Though F-Zero deserves a grand return to offer Nintendo some much-needed iconic racing action. Most likely, we’ll see a lot more of Splatoon 3 at the event, but here’s hoping Nintendo surprises us.

Xbox Changing the Gaming Landscape

We all know that Xbox’s major showcase will be Halo: Infinite. Its grand return has been highly anticipated since they delayed the game to give it more attention. We might also get some grand reveals, but there is one thing many gamers are keeping a close eye on. Microsoft’s venture into game streaming with Xbox Game Pass has become quite the success story and it’ll be curious to see them expand it in new ways. Eagle-eyed viewers noticed the Nintendo Switch in the background of some Xbox interviews, which has many wondering if it might expand into Nintendo’s latest console. Of course, a personal hope would be the return of Banjo-Kazooie with a new entry or even just a remake of the original two games. We don’t know if Sony has some secret video planned to release during the event, but right now it’s looking good that Xbox might lead the charge into the future of gaming through their streaming offerings.

June 12, 2021
‘Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse’ Sequel Adds Issa Rae as Spider-Woman

Finally, it seems like we’re getting some more news on the upcoming sequel to the 2018 hit, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. The Hollywood Reporter has just revealed that Issa Rae is joining the upcoming production. She is most famously known for her work on the HBO comedy-drama Insecure. She is the first addition to the cast and will join Shameik Moore‘s Miles Morales, as well as Hailee Steinfeld‘s Spider-Gwen. While the plot remains under wraps, she is believed to voice Jessica Drew, who many fans also know as Spider-Woman. Chris Miller, who is writing the script alongside Phil Lord and Shang-Chi‘s David Callaham, shared his enthusiasm on Twitter.

This is so exciting. More excitement to come…https://t.co/suSyFKJTWx

— Christopher Miller (@chrizmillr) June 4, 2021

Spider-Woman is all the rage right now, as she is also currently the main focus of a new film by Sony. They recently hired Olivia Wilde to produce the film, which may even become part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. We still know very little about the direction of the sequel and there has been no word on if Oscar Isaac will also return after the after-credit tease from the first film. He played the 2099 version of the iconic webhead who seemed to have found a way to enter the multiverse. There was also the brief sequence where Gwen calls out to Miles, which would imply we might explore other universes than restrict to one specific one. It’ll be interesting to see if Miles also remains the main protagonist of the franchise, or if they start focusing on a different version of the character with each new entry as the Spider-verse continues to expand.

Source: THR

June 4, 2021
REPORT: New ‘Silk’ Casting Details Revealed for Amazon’s ‘Spider-Man’ Spin-Off

While Peter Parker is off dealing with a multiverse full of problems, Sony is hard at work on expanding its world of Marvel characters. Recently we got the news that Aaron Taylor Johnson will play one of the character’s most notorious foes, Kraven the Hunter. Of course, it doesn’t end there for Sony’s expansion plans. Some time ago, we learned that Sony had begun development on a live-action series surrounding another arachnid hero, who goes by Silk. The series has yet to make any headway in recent months, but it seems like the production is avidly searching for its lead.

A new rumor from the Illuminderdi offers some details on the character. We know they are actively embracing the character’s heritage, as they are looking for a Korean-American actress in the age range between 19 to 29 years. The breakdown describes the character as “an indomitable spirit who can’t help but care”. The description continues talking about how she is “smart, self-assured, funny but tries to please everyone around her.” She even is highlighted to have a “predilection for extreme empathy.” They also reveal that the series is eyeing a February 2022 production start and will consist of eight episodes.

Details on this project remain scarce, as it’s currently unclear just where and when this series takes place. A character named Cindy, played by Tiffany Espensen, who many believed to be Moon currently plays a minor role in the Spider-Man films from Sony and Marvel Studios. She briefly appears in Homecoming. It seems now that is definitely not the case unless this series is set within the Sony that characters like Venom and Morbius currently find themselves in. Hopefully, these questions will get answered once more details arrive for the Amazon series.

Source: Illuminerdi

May 28, 2021
REPORT: ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Assembling A Sinister Group of Multiversal Villains

Spider-Man: No Way Home seemed to be turning into Sony’s most ambitious project involving the friendly neighborhood wall-crawler. In a way, it has become the worst kept secret after one leak after another hinted at the threequel’s Spider-Verse storyline. After rumors started piling on about the return of famous villains from various former entries in the franchise, former Doctor Octopus, Alfred Molina, just confirmed his involvement with the project. Of course, it gave more credence to other rumors and stories, such as The Amazing Spider-Man 2’s Jamie Foxx returning in the role of Electro. He even leaked an image teasing his inclusion after the announcement. It led to more rumors hitting the web of other classic villains joining the project and Collider seems to be adding more fuel to the fire in their The Sneider Cut podcast.

He revealed various details about the film’s villainous roster, as he pointed out in the podcast that Sandman, Rhino, and Lizard will be joining the project in some capacity. He did point out that he is uncertain if the actors are also returning to portray these roles. Now, he also points out that Willem Dafoe‘s Green Goblin, who has also been rumored in the past, would be the main antagonist of this incarnation of the Sinister Six. Host Jeff Sneider does make the point that we should still take it with a grain of salt but makes a valid point that it’s easier to reintroduce older villains than having to set up a completely new cast for the Sinister Six to gather.

For now, we will see how it develops as we are still half a year away from the film opening in cinemas. The film’s inclusion of Doctor Strange also strongly suggests some magical or multiversal shenanigans will occur in the film. The various Social Media sites also seem to be preparing for a promotional push of the threequel, which could offer some insight into what direction the film will truly head towards. It’s funny to think that Mysterio made up the existence of the multiverse only for it to haunt Peter Parker in the sequel. Here’s hoping it all comes together.

Source: Collider

May 28, 2021
Aaron Taylor-Johnson Cast As ‘Kraven the Hunter’ Film Set for 2023 Release

Aaron Taylor-Johnson has nabbed a surprising new comic book role. The actor will play Kraven the Hunter in his live-action debut, a solo film being produced by Sony. The news comes from The Wrap, who also claims the former MCU actor is signed for multiple pictures as the famed Spider-Man villain. Taylor-Johnson is best known for his prior work on comic-based properties, having portrayed Quicksilver in Avengers: Age of Ultron and the titular character in both Kick-Ass films. He also appeared in 2014’s Godzilla and played a small part in Christopher Nolan‘s Tenet.

Sergei Kravinoff is one of the few iconic Spider-Man foes to never appear on the big screen, despite multiple attempts. He is traditionally portrayed as a Russian big-game hunter with a demented Spidey obsession, refusing to quit until he has captured his prey. His most famous character arc, Kraven’s Last Hunt, is often cited as one of the greatest comic stories ever told. The developing film is being billed as the next chapter in Sony’s Marvel Universe, following their other villain-centric films Venom and Morbius. It was revealed that Kraven was next in line for the solo treatment last year, to the surprise of many fans who believed he’d appear as the antagonist in Spider-Man: No Way Home. Kraven the Hunter is set to be directed by J.C. Chandor, known for his work on Netflix’s Triple Frontier, for release on January 13, 2023. Art Marcum and Matt Holloway wrote the script alongside Richard Wenk. Long-time Sony producers Avi Arad and Matt Tolmach are also attached to work on the project.

Source: The Wrap

May 26, 2021
Sony Currently Not Developing a ‘God of War’ Film or Series

Sony is currently on a new high developing film or TV series based on their most popular franchises. The new direction will be kicked off with the Tom Holland-led Uncharted film. We also already heard of a TV series based on Twisted Metal and the recent hit Ghost of Tsushima getting a film treatment. Of course, it led to speculation that some of their other classic IPs would also get some cinematic love moving forward, but it looks like one project remains a pure gaming property for now. In a New York Times article on the resurgence of gaming adaptations, Sony’s spokesman confirms that a God of War adaptation is currently not in development.

So, the question is why aren’t they developing something surrounding one of their most popular franchises? There could be multiple reasons as the next entry is around the corner. Sony might not want to cause any confusion with the franchises’ move towards Nordic mythology while any adaptations return to their Greek roots. It would be a clever way to help newcomers to the franchise explore the character’s origins.

As the article states, it doesn’t exclude that a project might be in the pipeline later down the line. There is a good chance we could potentially see them start development at a later time, as they will focus on current projects. Ghost of Tsushima, Uncharted, Twisted Metal, and what other projects are kind development might take up enough time. A project recreating the Greek pantheon might be quite costly and better off kept if other investments pay off.

Source: NY Times

May 24, 2021
Theory Thursday: ‘Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse’ Sequel May Offer a Superior Villain

When Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse swung into theaters almost three years ago, the film rose to levels beyond anyone’s expectations. The story of Miles Morales presented themes of love, family, loss, community, power, and above all, responsibility as he embraced his role as Spider-Man. It managed to achieve incredible accolades, such as winning an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. With such high levels of praise, the bar has been set pretty high for the upcoming sequel. The next entry will release in October of 2022, and the team is keeping the film’s plot under wraps. Yet, there might be some hints that offer a clearer picture.

We know that Spider-Man 2099, portrayed by Oscar Issac, may enter the fray following the post-credit scene of the first film. We may also expect newcomers to join the film’s sequel, such as Supaidaman and Silk, as teased by producer Phil Lord on Twitter. And of course, we can expect some familiar faces like Gwen Stacy to return, especially how the film’s ending teased her reuniting with Miles. We also reported that one of the sequel’s villains is the obscure Spidey villain known as The Spot. I believe, however, that one more villain is making a grand return in a new way.

When Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse got its home release, there was an “Alternate Universe” mode. It allowed viewers to watch deleted or scrapped scenes from the film that acted as a rough cut. In it, there was a scene where Doc Ock said: “The power of the multiverse in the palm of my hand,” paying homage to that famous line from Spider-Man 2. Afterward, Octavius jumped into the portal and vanished into thin air. Of course, that did not make it into the final cut. Associate Director of the film, Andrew Levinton, revealed that it would’ve “taken away from the intensity of Miles clinging for his life…hurting the momentum.”

The scene, however, still sets up something interesting. In the released version, we never see Olivia Octavius escape after she got hit with the bus. The multiversal portal was pulling everything in. So, the deleted scene may have potentially happened off-screen. The reality web seems connected to the Spider-People, and it is uncertain how it may affect Dr. Octavius, who has no connection to it. An incarnation of Doc Ock does have one deep tie to the Spider-Family.

He became the Superior Spider-Man when his comic version took over Peter Parker’s body. As such, there are two routes to how they could venture into it. They may also take a unique direction, such as Octavius fusing with the Web upon entry and created a universe all on her own where she became Spider-Woman.

She could also take on the comic origin where she uses with the mind of a Spider-Man or Woman in an alternative dimension. Either way, reintroducing Olivia Octavius as the Superior Spider-Woman could be a twist on par to her reveal in the first film. It could set up an interesting contrast to Peter B. Parker, as the betrayal of a newly found ally could leave scars with the young Miles Morales. Plus, we would get more Kathryn Hahn. And that’s already a win in my book.

Source: Twitter, Twitter, Murphy’s Multiverse, Twitter

May 20, 2021