It looks like it’s a One Piece kind of day. We kicked off the day with a special streaming event to tease the future of the franchise and even included the casting announcement of Peter Gadiot as Shanks. It seems that secretly some actors have also shared some casting announcements on their personal Instagram accounts that some eagle-eyed fans have noticed pop up online.
South African actor Jean Henry has shared that he’ll take on the role of Marine lieutenant “Double Ironfist” Fullbody, who we first meet in the floating restaurant Baratie. Sadly, he doesn’t include a first look at his costume, but it’s nice to see the character making his live-action debut. Hopefully, it also means he might have his ongoing story alongside Jacko in a future season.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Cbol9ahqCZq/
That’s not all, as it seems that some time ago actor Len-Barry Simons also shared that he’ll take on the role of Arlong Pirate member Chew in the live-action series. Besides McKinley Belcher‘s Arlong, he’s the only other member of that Fishmen crew confirmed for the upcoming series. Here’s hoping he gets to keep the iconic lips.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CbdDjfHqNcM/
The characters had minor roles in the original story, but it’s unclear if they might have expanded upon them. Arlong’s early casting announcement may tease that he could have an appearance earlier in the story, especially if they potentially want to set up events for the latter half of the season. Fullbody doesn’t appear until Baratie and he could potentially be teased as a prominent member of the Marines earlier on. All we can really do for now is speculate.
It seems that there was a new event held on Marvel Studios’ upcoming projects in Thailand, as a fan account titled @marvel_thai shared some photos from the event. Long time Marvel fan and Thai actor Nanon Korapat was promoting the event where they teased some of their upcoming new live-action projects. Among them was a short panel teasing their Disney+ seires with a closer look at Ms. Marvel’s design alongside Moon Knight. It offers a better look at Iman Vellani‘s take on the character.
Most of her costume was hidden away in the initial trailer, but the high quality image taken does offer a chance to zoom in on the details. What is noticeable right away are the shoulder pads and the addition of some texture on her arms. Commonly characters get more details added to their characters once they enter live-action, as it makes them stand out more than a simpler color scheme outfit.
Sadly, they did not include a new look of Tatiana Maslany for She-Hulk’s upcoming series, but there was also a showcase for the upcoming film releases and only Doctor Strange was showcased. It’s unclear if they announced or teased anything, but it seems mostly like a general Marvel event for fans to talk about current projects. I will say, I do quite love the way they displayed the characters and wished they would use that over here as well.
The Oscars have been overshadowed by the many events that transpired throughout the night, but it looks like the upcoming live-action One Piece series heading to Netflix got a bit of a promotion during the event. In an interview with actress Jamie Lee Curtis, she openly talked about the current production and hopes to see people watch it. Especially as she hopes to take on the role of Dr. Kureha in the second season, as she might be a little to old to tackle Nico Robin. Though as her favorite character is Tony Tony Chopper, it’s a perfect choice for her to play the character’s mother figure in the live-action series. The video comes courtesy of @loidyors
Her daughter Ruby Guest has mentioned in the past that her mother is interested in tackling the role, especially with her friendship with the voice actress of Chopper’s English dub, Brina Palencia. As they’re still busy with the series’ production on adapting the East Blue Saga, these characters wouldn’t become relevant until the second season that jumps into the Alabasta Saga where we meet them on Drum Island.
It’s a bit cut off, but she does say that people should make sure they watch it so that they will definitely get a second season and give her a chance to make that dream come true. There’s a lot of potential with the series introducing new fans to the franchise, and they are using the 25th anniversary of the franchise to promote it quite a bit. We just got the casting announcement of Peter Gadiot in the role of Shanks, and there might be more on the horizon.
Not too long ago, we got the first supporting cast for the upcoming One Piece live-action series in development for Netflix. Yet, we’ve still being wondering what exactly the future has in store for the series and in a new live-stream event called News Coo Online, we got the official announcement that Yellowjacket‘s Peter Gadiot will take on the role of Shanks of the Red Hair Pirates. He’s the iconic mentor that passes on his signature Straw Hat to a young Luffy after he ate the Gumo Gumo no Mi and inspired him to chase his goals.
The actor might be a suprising choice for some, but he does radiate the kind of grounded energy that fits Shanks. Plus, he’ll have to carry a certain intensity later on when his role opens up and is highlighted as one of the strongest men in the Grand Line. We don’t know how they’ll tackle the character in the series and how big his role might end up being, but they could tease that there’s a lot more to him than one might expect at first. You really have to hand it to the actor though that he’s definitely excited and the fact he is currently filming makes sense after we spotted Shank’s ship being worked on not too long ago.
Oscar Isaac will portray Moon Knight in the upcoming Disney+ series, but comic fans will quickly tell you there is more to him than meets the eye. The character suffers from DID and we were teased throughout its marketing of two personalities, Steven Grant and Mark Spector. Of course, it’s not an easy task to realize two very distinct personalities in one character while also giving the other actors a way to adapt to the personalities effectively. May Calamawy, who plays Layla El-Faouly, offered some insight during the press tour on how she could easily adapt depending on the character he was playing.
I could feel the energy. I wouldn’t even have to ask who he was. With Marc, I would find myself more guarded [….]. With Steven, I’d feel more nurturing. And there was no intellect or thought process involved in it. It was just visceral, and it was so fun to work with you and experience that.
May Calamawy
It’s a testament to Isaac’s performance that she can simply switch between her approaches simply by the energy that he conveys. Plus, Calamawy also proves how well she can adapt to the changes when it comes to her character’s relationship with either Steven r Marc. We still don’t know the full story or how they will interact, but it does seem like the concept of exploring the character’s mental health was a draw for many involved. The trailers do hint that we’ll experience the switch alongside Steven at some point in the story, which will likely also ease viewers into the concept. It’s definitely going to be exciting to see them tackle this very different kind of hero.
For quite some time, there have been rumors that we’ll see one Avenger join the upcoming Moon Knight series. Yet, the project has mostly been shown as a very independent storyline from the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Surprisingly, it seems that Mark Ruffalo‘s Hulk was the one teased as a potential addition to the Disney+ series. Yet, it seems there might not be that much after all to the rumors.
Even as there hasn’t been much proof outside of Ruffalo being sighted near the production, it didn’t stop the rumor from making the rounds on multiple occasions. Ethan Hawke, however, was asked during The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon on the rumors surrounding the project, where he quickly denied it having any real weight.
That would be cool, right? That would be cool. Except I know Mark Ruffalo, and I think if we were in the same show, he would have at least texted me or something. So I don’t think that one’s got a lot of legs. [Audience groans ] I know, I know. Maybe in another one.
Ethan Hawke
He does go on in the interview that his personal hope is to see Mahershala Ali‘s Blade make an appearance but he wouldn’t know if they filmed anything in that regard. Given the darker direction for the character, it would make the most sense. Yet, we’ve been surprised in the past and who knows if he appears in a post-credit sequence that Hawke wasn’t involved with. Of course, there’s always the chance that he’s just denying it outright as he can’t break his NDA as part of the series. For now, we have to wait and see.
Marvel Studios’ venture into Disney+ has been quite the success so far. While not every show was considered a massive hit right out of the gate, they still found their audiences and proved the studio is willing to experiment. WandaVision was quite the departure from their heroic tale, as they explored grief through the eyes of a superpowered individual. And it seems that there might be some concerns or worries behind-the-scenes with the upcoming adaptation of She-Hulk. Jeff Sneider has briefly discussed the topic on the latest episode of The Hot Mic With Jeff and John, where he highlighted some concerns that have been happening behind the scenes.
I’ve heard not good things behind-the-scenes… and I’ve asked whether it’s Moon Knight or Ms. Marvel or Secret Invasion or any of these [projects], they are always like, ‘She-Hulk is the one that could be a problem.
Jeff Sneider
He goes on to make a comparison to the Guardians of the Galaxy films, which helps solidify this less than a quality issue but potentially just a project that sticks out from a creative direction.
I’ve heard it from people working on it, from people actually working on it who are just like, ‘We’ll see.’ I think that’s a lot of Marvel things, honestly, and you know where it’s just like, ‘Ugh, this could be really stupid, like we’ll see.’ I’m sure people making Guardians of the Galaxy felt that way, right? And most of the time [Marvel] pulls it out. But there will come a time where they won’t, that’s just the laws of moviemaking, the laws of numbers.
Jeff Sneider
The “laws of numbers” comparison is a bit curious, as that is more in overabundance leads to mediocrity if you stick too much to put out the same thing; a common provocation in the discourse surrounding the MCU. In this case, it sounds like they are trying to break away from the norm as Guardians did some time ago. He does add that it “is not shaping up to be very good” but there have been those kinds of rumors in the past, especially the more the studio departed from its usual fare. For now, the bigger showcase will be as we close in on its release which is still some time away. Some of the concerns could also be due to the CG-heavy reliance on a character like She-Hulk and Hulk on a smaller budget. For now, we’ll just have to wait and see.
This Christmas, Marvel Studios will debut its first-ever holiday special in the form of the aptly titled The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special. The project will be new territory for the production company, which has previously stuck to making feature films, television shows, and short films called “One-Shots”. As such, many fans have found themselves in the dark on just how long the Holiday Special will be.
Debates have been raging as to whether the final runtime will match a series episode or be closer to the aforementioned short films. Luckily, director James Gunn has opened up about the topic on Twitter, revealing the special will be about the same length as the traditional programs that have come before it.
While he doesn’t give the exact runtime, Gunn’s comments about the Holiday Special being “TV Special length” would seem to confirm it being somewhere between 30 minutes to an hour-long. Old fashioned animated specials like A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving have been at the half-hour range, while live-action projects like the Star Wars Holiday Special have clocked in at around an hour and a half. This means, at the very least, fans can expect the special to be longer than a One-Shot, and probably closer in length to an episode of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
For anyone thinking ahead, this could also be a good indication of how long Michael Giacchino’s rumored Halloween Special will last upon its completion as well. It seems Marvel plans to make holiday-themed specials a recurring concept going forward, and Gunn’s wintery extravaganza will likely set the standard later this year.
We have quite a few exciting MCU projects on the horizon that will continue to expand the franchise in creative ways. Not only that, but they are also starting to try out new expansions such as a Halloween and Christmas special later this year. While both are currently filming, Gunn has recently offered a few teases of what’s to come. He also shared a few details on Twitter as a follow-up, he teased what we can expect from the project such as that the upcoming Disney+ Holiday special will introduce not just one but multiple new MCU characters.
Of course, this opens up a lot of potential questions on who we might expect. As it is a Christmas special, we have jokingly wondered if we’ll see the MCU’s incarnation of Santa Clause. In the comics, he’s an actual character that exists. If Khonshu is a real being so why couldn’t old Saint Nick also make an appearance? Plus, he may be the first MCU-based mutant to get introduced into the franchise. If we exclude the upcoming appearance of Patrick Stewart‘s Xavier who was briefly teased in the last Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness trailer.
The most difficult connection to make is if the story is going to remain in space or be earth-based. Star-Lord making his way back home to visit his family would be a nice way to bring a Christmas story together, as he also faces his own family. With the upcoming Vol. 3 teased as the final entry for the team, or at least its current roster, there’s a chance that this might be his only chance to also make up for running away. We briefly saw his grandfather appear in the second entry. It would be nice for him to face his family and maybe even visit his mother’s grave after the events of the last film. He was already on Earth with the battle against Thanos. So, it’s time to face his demons in the holiday spirits.
One could argue that few characters have had a more difficult and emotionally scaring tale told in the MCU than Wanda Maximoff. To date, Wanda’s story has been heavily shaped by loss: her brother, her love and, most recently, her twin sons. Despite the loss, Wanda has perseverated, however, and after 4 major film appearances and the Disney Plus series WandaVision, she’s only just starting to truly understand who she is.
First introduced in a post-credit scene to Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Wanda’s origins were explained briefly in Avengers: Age of Ultron where it was explained that she, and her twin brother, Pietro, were given powers as a result of experimentation with the Mind Stone at the hands of Baron Strucker. In true comic book fashion, that origin was heavily retconned in WandaVision when it was revealed to Wanda that she had always possessed the ability to wield Chaos Magic-an ability that was simply enhanced by the Mind Stone-as she was the embodiment of the mythological Scarlet Witch, a being capable of spontaneous creation. Already incredibly powerful, Wanda began her studies of the Darkhold, a book which not only prophesied her ascension to a level of power great than that of the Sorcerer Supreme, but also her destruction of the world. This is the Wanda fans will next see in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and she’s a far cry from the orphan first introduced in 2015.
Unsurprisingly, her path in the MCU is deeply-rooted in Marvel Comics. While she was once the mutant daughter of one of Marvel’s most powerful villains, modern day Wanda’s comic book story, like her MCU counterpart, has been heavily retconned. No longer a mutant, Wanda is a born witch whose powers were amplified by scientific experimentation, though in the comics it was the High Evolutionary who did the work. Her powers were inherited from her mother, the previous holder of the title “Scarlet Witch” and her maternal grandfather, the “Scarlet Warlock.” This “new” family history was explored in James Robinson’sScarlet Witch solo series, which ran for 15 issues from December 2015 through February 2017, a series which fans of the character may wish to explore, or reexplore, as they prepare for the character’s post-MOM chapter.
While we haven’t seen her character arc in Multiverse of Madness unfold just yet, the trailers and plot rumors have given us a good sense of what to expect in the film: Wanda’s continuous studies of the Darkhold, where she seeks for an answer of how to get her sons back, have corrupted her and, in combination with her incredible powers, made her a threat to anyone who might stand in her way. Without delving too deeply into spoilers, it’s safe to say from the trailers that she’s not necessarily there to support Stephen Strange. Skipping through that heavy spoiler territory, recent rumors have her surviving the film and appearing in a pair of projects over the next several years. The firsts of those projects, a solo Scarlet Witch project, is rumored to go into production at some point in 2023 and could well be an adaptation of Robinson’s Marvel Comics’ series.
Such a story would certainly further into her past, only briefly glimpsed in flashbacks in WandaVision, and potentially involve the return of Kathryn Hahn’s Agatha Harkness, a witch whose long life-span would make her perfectly suited to lead Wanda through further explanation of her true nature: after all, fans only know that Wanda IS the Scarlet Witch, but not what the really means about her outside of being extraordinarily powerful. In the comics, Wanda’s journey lead her to the Witches’ Road, an alternate plane of existence accessible only to powerful mages, where she faced numerous dangers and discovered the true nature of Chaos magic and witchcraft.
Robinson’s solo series is a wonderful character study that is ripe for adaptation in the MCU. It would allow for all sorts of interesting characters to be introduced and all sorts of wild visuals and explorations. It could also, if done correctly, lead Wanda down one very specific road that leads to another incredibly powerful magic user…but that’s a story for another day, or for the adaptation of The Children’s Crusade.
Cookie Consent
We use cookies to improve your experience on our site. By using our site, you consent to cookies.
This website uses cookies
Websites store cookies to enhance functionality and personalise your experience. You can manage your preferences, but blocking some cookies may impact site performance and services.
Essential cookies enable basic functions and are necessary for the proper function of the website.
Name
Description
Duration
Cookie Preferences
This cookie is used to store the user's cookie consent preferences.
30 days
These cookies are needed for adding comments on this website.
Name
Description
Duration
comment_author_email
Used to track the user across multiple sessions.
Session
comment_author_url
Used to track the user across multiple sessions.
Session
comment_author
Used to track the user across multiple sessions.
Session
Statistics cookies collect information anonymously. This information helps us understand how visitors use our website.
Google Analytics is a powerful tool that tracks and analyzes website traffic for informed marketing decisions.
Contains information related to marketing campaigns of the user. These are shared with Google AdWords / Google Ads when the Google Ads and Google Analytics accounts are linked together.
90 days
__utma
ID used to identify users and sessions
2 years after last activity
__utmt
Used to monitor number of Google Analytics server requests
10 minutes
__utmb
Used to distinguish new sessions and visits. This cookie is set when the GA.js javascript library is loaded and there is no existing __utmb cookie. The cookie is updated every time data is sent to the Google Analytics server.
30 minutes after last activity
__utmc
Used only with old Urchin versions of Google Analytics and not with GA.js. Was used to distinguish between new sessions and visits at the end of a session.
End of session (browser)
__utmz
Contains information about the traffic source or campaign that directed user to the website. The cookie is set when the GA.js javascript is loaded and updated when data is sent to the Google Anaytics server
6 months after last activity
__utmv
Contains custom information set by the web developer via the _setCustomVar method in Google Analytics. This cookie is updated every time new data is sent to the Google Analytics server.
2 years after last activity
__utmx
Used to determine whether a user is included in an A / B or Multivariate test.
18 months
_ga
ID used to identify users
2 years
_gali
Used by Google Analytics to determine which links on a page are being clicked
30 seconds
_ga_
ID used to identify users
2 years
_gid
ID used to identify users for 24 hours after last activity
24 hours
_gat
Used to monitor number of Google Analytics server requests when using Google Tag Manager
1 minute
Marketing cookies are used to follow visitors to websites. The intention is to show ads that are relevant and engaging to the individual user.
Pinterest Tag is a web analytics service that tracks and reports website traffic.
