The upcoming Disney+ series Olaf Presents features the Frozen franchise’s famous Olaf the snowman sidekick retelling classic Disney movies like The Little Mermaid, Tangled, and The Lion King. While Olaf Presents’ main goal seems to be to get a laugh through less-than-two-minute-long shorts, it highlights the collaborative power of the Disney+ streaming platform.
While Disney is always free to allow collaboration among its different projects and properties, Disney+ might make it easier. At a press conference for the upcoming series, Producer Jennifer Newfield spoke about being able to build on pre-existing Disney tales:
“It’s nice to [be able to build] off of ourselves as Disney, like using some of the tales that we’ve told that are so familiar, and which are building off of fairy tales that existed even before the time of Olaf…so the self-referential piece [] almost like grows with [Olaf’s] knowledge and self-awareness…”
Jennifer Newfield
When audiences have the ability to seamlessly move back and forth from projects like Olaf Presents to the actual films that are presented in the series, it changes the way content is produced and what kind of content is produced. Newfield went on to say:
“Because I think as a lot of people probably noticed the common collective idea of that sequence in Frozen II…we kind of knew that something needed to get bigger and become a bit of some films being integrated. And so [Director Hyrum Osmond] knew that there were other people in the studio, who also had that same thought…[there was] an insane amount of collaborative ideas as we went through every script together.”
Jennifer Newfield
As a relatively young platform, Disney+ is likely only just beginning to realize the new opportunities it has when all of its properties are housed together. Olaf Presents starts streaming on the platform on Disney+ Day on November 12.
The Wheel of Time is a beloved fantasy series by author Robert Jordan. Yet, despite its continued popularity, the series has had a long road to being adapted. In 2000, the series was initially optioned by NBC, however, a project never came to fruition. Then four years later, Jordan sold the rights to the series to Red Eagle Entertainment. The sale included film, television, video game and comic rights. At the time of the sale, Red Eagle Entertainment assured fans it had plans to bring Jordan’s magical world to audiences worldwide.
Like with the NBC deal, though, things seemed to stall under Red Eagle Entertainment. In 2007, the author wrote a blog post showing his frustration at the lack of movement on a live-action film. Unfortunately, Jordan died about a month later. It wasn’t until 2008 that movement on a Wheel of Time film began to take place, with Universal optioning the title. No movie would come, though. Instead, as a surprise to everyone, Red Eagle Entertainment would go on to produce a ‘pilot’ for a Wheel of Time series. Unfortunately, it was an act merely to retain the rights. The pilot episode aired on FXX, technically fulfilling the contract to keep hold of the rights. However, FXX later admitted it was paid to air the supposed ‘pilot.’
Fast forward to 2016, the series looked to finally be happening, but as fans of the series know: nothing is ever set in stone. Just when they found themselves excited over the prospect of an adaption, something always got in the way. Luckily, this no longer was the case. The series would officially be ordered by Sony Television a year later, before moving to Amazon Studios in 2018.
In 2019, the first cast member for Wheel of Time was announced when actress Rosamund Pike joined the series. Since then, Amazon Studios has taken the time and effort to give the property the attention it rightfully deserves. While some details have been changed, the core of Wheel of Time has been captured finally on film for Jordan’s fans to revel in when the series later this month.
It was a long road to get here, but the Wheel of Time is finally coming.
The upcoming Disney+ series Olaf Presents features the Frozen franchise’s famous snowman sidekick retelling classic Disney tales in bite-sized episodes. At a press conference for the series, Olaf Presents’ producer, director and star Josh Gad all praised the creative freedom the show enjoyed. Producer Jennifer Newfield discussed how “Let’s Play” was a guiding creative concept:
“Being able to play I mean, I think I think that was throughout the entire production is let’s play. And I think that our collaboration efforts come in the way that we went about it was in that way. And we knew that we could take liberties which is not often the case, especially in animation, we have to be very precise with our decisions. And I think the playfulness of the whole the whole way through from the script, writing to the recording sessions, all the way to animators really being able to kind of take the reins a little bit and yeah, be able to just enjoy that freedom is so nice.”
Jennifer Newfield
Gad expressed that one of his favorite parts about voicing the titular character is that the creators just “let [him] go crazy.” Director Hyrum Osmond doubled down on the creators’ philosophy in making the show:
“But I think one of the things is so great, you know, we talked about the inspiration of these films, but it’s also just taking the liberty to not take ourselves too seriously. And I think that is just so fun. And especially when you start telling these things, from the perspective of this, the sort of naive Olaf, right, like the way he sees it. I mean, you can’t help but have some of these fun moments.”
“When I took the job, one of my rules was let’s be free. We’re in the multiverse — we should be as free as can be and go and run into the wild, into the stories the movies will never do, into the stories the TV shows will never do, and show both Disney and the fans all the possibilities of these characters.”
A.C. Bradley
Maybe Olaf Presents is another hint as to how Disney+ intends to handle some of its original series, particularly animated ones. Allowing writers and actors to simply have fun with a project can undoubtedly be rewarding for the studio and audience alike.
Olaf Presents starts streaming on the platform on Disney+ Day on November 12.
We’ve been anxiously keeping an eye on Disney+ Day, as it’ll offer our first look into the future of Marvel Studios’ venture into streaming beyond Hawkeye. Ms. Marvel faced quite a few delays and we’re still waiting for an announcement regarding the other announced series. Among them is She-Hulk, a series that might have a much larger role moving forward in the MCU. Casting-wise, the last we heard was Arrow‘s Josh Segarra joining the series back in July. Luckily, a new Instagram post and IMDb might help us connect one additional character.
We’ve heard for some time that She-Hulk would mainly act as a legal comedy. It makes sense given her perchance of breaking the fourth wall in the comics, which was also confirmed for the series. So, the addition of comedians to add their flair seems like the logical next step. So, when comedian Nathan Hurd posted an Instagram with the caption “You wouldn’t like me if I’m angry” with green lighting it seems like a fun reference to the Hulk.
At first glance, it seems like the comedian/actor was having fun. Yet, there’s a curious listing on IMDb that might add more to this post. If you look at the stunt casting for She-Hulk, you’ll notice that the stunt actor A.J. Gagliardi is listed as Nathan Hurd‘s stunt double.
As such, we can assume that Hurd has a role in the upcoming series and he’s teasing it on his Instagram. He’s also not unfamiliar with acting in a Marvel series, as he also had a role as the Monk in Legion. The interesting aspect is that he has a stunt double to begin with, which might be a hint he’ll appear in an action sequence of some kind. Perhaps he is part of the rumored Wrecking Crew. We’ll see if we might get a glimpse at him in the Disney+ series first trailer.
The new trailer for Marvel’s Hit-Monkey, set to stream exclusively on Hulu on November 17th, not only gave us a little more insight into the plot of the series, but also a look at another potential antagonist for the murderous macaque. The first look revealed that Hit-Monkey would be going up against Lady Bullseye and Fat Cobra and now it looks like we can add Wolverine’s one-time mentor and bad ass ninja sorcerer Ogun to the mix.
Ogun once trained Wolverine in the way of the samurai before betraying him and trying to inhabit his body to cheat death. He later abducted and possessed Logan’s student, Kitty Pryde, before being “killed” by Logan. Over the years, Ogun has returned to haunt Logan many times, including during the Death of Wolverine story line.
Though he’s not been revealed as part of the show, the trailer shows a character who seems to be wearing the trademark mask of Ogun and wielding two swords. In Hit-Monkey, it seems that Ogun is one of several “bosses” that the title character will face off against on his quest to avenge the death of the ghost of the assassin Bryce, voiced by Jason Sudekis, who becomes bound to Hit-Monkey following his murder. The trailer seems to set up what looks to be a pretty wild ride over the course of the series with a few other obscure characters whoing up as well.
Marvel Studios is expanding in more ways than one. Yes, our focus is primarily on the multiversal focus of the stories so far, but there’s another one that is heading our way soon. Its first tease came in 2019’s San Diego Comic-Con panel. Mahershala Ali came out and shared that he’ll star in a new adaptation of Blade. The Marvel Cinematic Universe would soon introduce vampires into its ever-expanding universe. Yet, that wasn’t all as shortly after followed the reveal of a Moon Knight Disney+ series. The supernatural side of this universe is expanding, but the report of a Werewolf by Night special for next year might hint at a bigger story at play. Marvel Studios might accomplish what the Dark Universe couldn’t.
To bring up some memories, In May 2017, Universal Pictures announced that a slew of films would create its universe. The idea made sense if you consider that the original Universal Monster films built their cross-over universe back in the day. Tom Cruise‘s The Mummy was the first in many projects to bring this idea to life but quickly fell into obscurity. It mostly is used as branding for the classic films to still make use of the visual. Still, the idea of various monsters facing each other is something that would’ve been great to see in the modern age.
Luckily, if Marvel Studios continues down this path, we might see that vision become a reality. Moon Knight is no stranger to face off against supernatural beings like Werewolf by Night. He’s a mercenary that believes he is possessed by the Egyptian god Khonshu. So, he could take the place of the usual mummy character in these types of stories. Blade makes for a natural addition to the team to represent vampires. Marvel Comics even had their own Invisible Man who was part of the modern Howling Commandos alongside Abominable Snowman, Glob, Man-Thing, The Living Mummy, Vampire by Night, and many more. Hell, they even had a clone of Frankenstein’s Monster that went by Frank.
Yet, they’re not bound by the classic movie monsters and can mix it up with their own. It’s uncertain if the team of the Midnight Sons is in the cards, but the potential of Ghost Rider, Hellstrom, and other supernatural characters teaming up would make for a compelling storyline. There’s also the option of pushing Nick Fury into a new part of the world, as he gathers the Howling Commandos together to face supernatural enemies. They could even bring back Dum Dum Dugan as a self-conscious Zombie in this story that leads the team. Not only would we get Neal McDonough back into the live-action franchise, but build upon the What If…? episode.
The comics offer quite an extensive source of inspirations to build upon a distinct corner of this universe. It’s also a genius move by Marvel studios to diversify their cinematic portfolio. Each new aspect of their universe allows them to attempt different types of stories. A space opera is not bound by the story conventions of a horror flick. They’re truly embracing their genre diversity rule by mixing up the characters they introduce. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was pitched as a horror story and we may get many more in the future. Perhaps his story is also building into the Marvel Monster corner of this franchise.
DC FanDome is set to hit tomorrow, October 16th. The 2020 event was one of the good things that came out of the pandemic, allowing fans across the world to tune in to live streams from the biggest names that DC had to offer. With the event returning this year were set to get some closer looks at many upcoming projects like The Batman, Peacemaker, Black Adam, Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom, The Flash, and Shazam: Fury of The Gods.
The Batman
After shaking FanDome to its core and breaking the internet after that trailer drop, MattReeves and Robert Pattinson will return to FanDome 2022 to do it all over again. A trailer has already been confirmed to premiere at the event, one that comes after the film completed production, unlike the first trailer that was comprised of things from just 25% of the film. Fans can probably expect to get a closer look behind the scenes of the film and how Reeves created Gotham in his own unique vision.
Black Adam
After 14 years, Dwayne Johnson will finally don the lightning bolt as the fallen champion of the wizard Shazam. We can expect to get a real good look at the film but I don’t think a trailer is in order just yet. We will probably get our first real look at Johnson in the Black Adam Suit alongside the Justice Society of America. But who knows, The Rock loves to put on a show just like he did last year, so we could get a bit of footage from the upcoming blockbuster.
Peacemaker
After the release of The Suicide Squad, James Gunn and John Cena are another pair that’ll be making their return to FanDome this year. Peacemaker is set to debut sometime in January with Cena reprising his role as Christopher Smith, the man who won’t let anyone get in the way of his quest for peace. A trailer for this HBO Max series seems to be in order as its release is only just a few months away. The series was written by Gunn, who also directed the bulk of the episodes.
Doom Patrol and Titans
Both series are currently in their third seasons and will wrap both up within the next few weeks. There’s been no word on if one or both or neither series had been officially picked up for season 4, but it seems like if one or both were to score a renewal, it would be announced during their respective panels.
The Flash
While The Flash still has a little over a year before it releases, that doesn’t mean we can’t get a bit of a tease of what’s in store as the film just recently wrapped production. Both Andy and Barbra Muschietti have confirmed a surprise is in store for fans at FanDome, which could be a behind-the-scenes look at the film as well as our first looks at Ezra Miller, Sasha Calle, and Michael Keaton suited up.
Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom
There might not be much here as the project is currently still in production, but we could expect a look behind the scenes look at the film and a little insight into just what the Lost Kingdom is. It would be great to get a new look at some new as well as some returning characters in the film as well.
Shazam: Fury of The Gods
The sequel to the hit 2018 film Shazam has just recently finished production a few weeks ago with Zachary Levi reprising his role as the titular character. While the film is still quite some ways away we’ll probably get something like a BTS reel and maybe an official look at Lucy Liu, Helen Mirren, and Rachel Zegler as the daughters of Atlas.
Gaming:Gotham Knights and Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League
Both were revealed at last year’s DC Fandome event, hopefully, this year we can expect a much closer look at each project, hopefully, gameplay from both projects as well as release dates. Gotham Knights was originally supposed to release sometime this year but was hit with a delay and it is unknown when the game will release, but most likely sometime early next year.
DC FanDome is a worldwide digital event that is sure to have something for everyone. DC and WB might have even more to show off this year than they did last year. With so many big-name blockbusters in the works and close to release, it’s surely going to break the internet once again.
The third season of Stargirl just recently began production after scoring an early renewal ahead of its second season premiere. Since, we’ve seen the return of Eclipso, who has abused the Justice Society of America’s member’s insecurities and fears to slowly break them. While the JSA is still struggling to take down their current threat, it seems that the most recent episode may have given us a bit of hint as to who next season’s big bad could be, and its even more obscure than their previous foes.
Courtney and Pat set off to find Jenny, the daughter of the Green Lantern. Their travel leads them to Civic City, the home of the first Justice Society of Amerca headquarters. There they found papers leading them to the Helix Institue among her things, which is a youth rehabilitation facility located. Jenny seemingly set out to find her brother Todd there. The name already might have some DC fan’s attention but it’ll get cemented when head nurse, Louise Love, calls Mister Bones to inform him that Todd has a sister, and she came looking for him.
Mister Bones is one of six children raised by Benjamin Love, who secretly injected pregnant women with a serum that would genetically alter their children. They would become Penny Dreadful, Kritter, Baby Boom, Tao Jones, Arak Wind-Walker, and the previously mentioned leader. Together they would form a supervillain group known as Helix. There’s also the story that seemingly seems abandoned in Stargirl is Yolanda’s origin, whose mother was one of Benjamin Loves test subjects.
It does seem that the team could see a bit of a revamp, as they were originally foes of Infinity Inc, a young group of heroes that are basically Stargirls current JSA. Mister Bones could be running the show alongside Louise Love, and testing on and maybe even recruiting young metahumans for a new and reimagined Helix. We shouldn’t expect Stargirl to revisit Helix this season, as they’ve got their hands full enough with Eclipso. Yet, this would leave Jennifer’s quest to find her brother unfinished, and save it for next season as Helix will definitely seemed to take an interest in her.
On Christmas Eve 2012, Michael Waldron wrote the first pages of his wrestling show, Heels. Last night, the final episode aired on Starz, wrapping up what was one of the best TV series of 2021. And while the episode revolved around the DWL and its crew of wrestlers performing on their biggest stage ever, the South Georgia State Fair, and the climax of the episode and of season 1 took place in the squared circle, Episode 8, “Double Turn”, wasn’t about wrestling…and neither is Heels.
Waldron and showrunner Mike O’Malley (who also plays Charlie Gully, the founder of the rival FWD wresting league) have created a show that pulls back the curtain on the world or wrestling. The audience is immersed in the language and trade secrets of professional wrestling right off the bat in Episode 1, “Kayfabe”, and throughout the series. But the series is as much “about wrestling” as The Walking Dead is “about zombies.” Heels is about people: good ones, bad ones and ones who don’t know for themselves which side of that coin they fall on. Heels is about characters-and great ones, too. Heels is about family, dreams and refusing to accept setbacks as permanent failures. Heels isn’t a wrestling show: it’s a show about the human beings and wrestling is simply the vehicle through which their stories are told.
Season 1 revolved tightly around the Spade family and the fallout of Jack’s efforts not only to keep the DWL afloat but to elevate it to the heights his father, Tom, had dreamt of. Over the course of the season, Jack’s refusal to give up on the dream and his need to be in control of the DWL’s story have caused him to lose sight of the role that he’s playing in his own and in Episode 8 he comes face-to-face with what that’s cost him. The deconstruction of Jack Spade is one of Waldron’s greatest Season 1 accomplishments. Even though he’s the heel of the DWL, Jack is the patriarch and de facto “good guy” of his two families; however, as the season progresses, the same determination and perseverance that has kept the DWL alive becomes Jack’s weakness. By the time he decides to loosen his iron grip, he’s lost his family even as the DWL reaches new heights, literally and figuratively, at the conclusion of the episode’s wild-ass ladder match.
And while Jack is the main character of this wrestling show, he’s surrounded by a dozen other colorful characters, each with almost the perfect amount of their own stories to make them matter just as much as they need to. This is, perhaps, one of the toughest balancing acts a creative team has and here it’s done incredibly well. The supporting cast around Jack do what a supporting cast should do: flesh out the main character. His relationships with Ace, his wife Staci (who quickly became one of the series’ best characters), Willie, Wild Bill and his father, Tom, define him; however, the relationships those characters have with other characters define them to the audience as well, making them, in most cases, fully-realized, multi-dimensional characters with interesting stories of their own. Waldron and O’Malley have said they have 5 seasons of the series mapped out and with characters like these, it’s easy to see how they have enough material to fill that out. As Episode 8 brings Season 1 to a close, it’s Crystal, a character not even mentioned above, one that was treated as disposable by almost everyone, who bails out Jack and the DWL just when everything looks to be crumbling down. Part of Crystal’s story is one that many folks are all to familiar with but Crystal refuses to let her circumstances be an excuse and dictate her reality. She’s progressed from the girl Ace banged when he was bored to the savior of the DWL and did so while being disrespected and denied at every turn. Great shows have great characters, something Heels has…in spades. And while these characters are wrestlers, they aren’t great because they’re great wrestlers; they’re great because Waldron and the writers’ room seem to deeply understand and connect with people and express that here in the way they curated these characters.
Reflecting back on the first season of Heels, it’s clear that one it’s core themes is processing trauma. Nearly every single character has been traumatized at some point and most of their traumas revolve around or are connected to wrestling. And so while that puts wrestling at the center of the series, it does not make it a “wrestling show.” What Heels ultimately becomes is a mirror into which we should all take a look and reflect on how we process our traumas. Do we drink it away? Do we hurt those closest to us because we’ve been hurt? Do we run away from it? Or do we confront it head on, process it an grow? Heels is a deep and beautiful character study in how we are all shaped by trauma and how the ways we choose to deal with us can impact us and those around us. Heels explores the nature of what makes us good guys (faces) or bad guys (heels) and how life almost never allows a binary determination of those things: we’re often the good guys in our own stories while being the villain in someone else’s. If you want to watch a wrestling show, turn on Raw; if you want to watch a show that’s going to hit harder than a Scorpion Death Drop, check out Season 1 of Heels.
In the fifth episode of Doom Patrol’s third season titled “DaDa Patrol,” the squad gets a taste of introspection. Each character is put in a position to learn something about themselves. The most fascinating lesson comes from Crazy Jane. As opposed to battling her many selves in other episodes, she’s faced with a question: Who is she?
We’ve gotten to know Jane throughout the series as we’ve dealt with her trauma in so many ways. The Underground has been a template for the issues she deals with as she manages the rest of her many personalities. One of them, Kay, is someone Jane is watching over closely. As Jane meets with the Fog (played by Wynn Everett) she’s presented with something the series is putting at center stage. What does Jane actually want?
We know what she needs, and that’s healing. A life not only managing these personalities but the previous issues with Niles is a tall task. It’s hard to do that and have a razor focus on taking care of yourself. Now as far as what she wants, the Fog is incredibly enticing.
The metaphor of sweets was magnificent writing. We know that chocolate and candy is bad for us in excess, but it’s so damn comforting. A simple sweet chocolate bar can cure your ills at least for a time. It’s a distraction from the real world. As Kay is dining on said candy, you can see Jane’s tough exterior wearing away as the Fog talks about freedom. What would you give to live in a world where you can be yourself? Jane doesn’t accept this outright but she’s more receptive to the idea than we probably think.
There’s nothing wrong with wanting something more for ourselves. As we try to strive to do the things that make us most happy that goes without saying. However, in the context of Jane’s wants this could be a crutch and like sweets an addiction. The old phrase be careful what you wish for applies here. It’s easy to suspect the Fog will continue to entice Jane. Her biggest problem here is it’s not just about her. When her other personalities interfere they sense this too, however Jane doesn’t. As this season continues she has quite the task on her hands. Judging by the way the episode ended, Jane will be trafficking in the wants. Let’s hope she realizes what she needs.
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