Last year TV Line revealed that production on the fourth season of Stranger Things would kick off this month and wrap in August and now I can add a few, small details to that information.
Though no “official start date” has been set in stone at this time, Stranger Things is preparing to start production either late this month or early next month, but NOT in its usual home base of Atlanta. Production on Stranger Things will kick off in Lithuania before completing filming back in Atlanta.
Fans will immediately theorize that the Lithuanian setting offers the series the opportunity to authentically explore the ramifications of last season’s reveal that Hopper was alive and in what appeared to be a Russian prison. While it’s unclear exactly how long the series will film in Lithuania, they will primarily be using a prison set and filming in and around the locations where HBO filmed Chernobyl.
After filming in and around Atlanta, Georgia for the past several months, production on Marvel Studios Disney Plus series, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, is set to move to a bit more “exotic” location when filming revs back up after the holiday break. When filming resumes after the holiday break, it will be in the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico!
While work has begun on a film district in Puerto Rico, it is not expected to be complete until next Summer; however, films such as Bad Boys 2 and Fast Five and Captain America: Civil War have filmed on the island before.
The studio has filed paperwork to shoot there under Pandemic Productions PR LLC.
With two shows already in production in Atlanta and two more set to follow in 2020, Marvel Studios will make the move to Pinewood UK to film Moon Knight.
While no start date was given, it’s possible to deduce that the series could film in Pinewood in between the productions of Eternals (ending in early 2020) and Doctor Strange: In the Multiverse of Madness (expected to begin filming sometime in the summer of 2020), should all things remain on schedule. If that’s the case, we could be hearing casting news sometime early next month once Hollywood returns from holiday.
With the confirmation of Ms. Marvelbeginning production next April and the possibility of Moon Knight filming in the first half of 2020, it seems more and more likely that the Phase 4 slate as it was originally planned may be undergoing some restructuring and we may be getting a lot more Marvel Studios content in 2020 and/or 2021 than was originally believed.
Filming in the UK allows for easier access to other locations abroad and given the importance of Egypt to the origin of Moon Knight, it’s very likely we’ll see the production move around, using Pinewood UK as the base camp and studio location while they fly to Egypt, or whatever location doubles as Egypt. As with all Marvel Studios productions, it’s possible it’ll film in various locations and could certainly shoot some scenes in Atlanta as well as locations all over the U.S. and Europe.
Every now and then I come across some information the veracity of which can be confirmed by a second source. What happens FAR more often is that I come across some information that while believable and from trustworthy sources, cannot be confirmed by other sources for various reasons. Typically, when the second scenario occurs, I move on and forget about the information unless, in rare instances, it turns out to be proven true somewhere down the road.
With two different Disney Plus series under production at the same time, rumors are running rampant and while it’s a ton of fun to sort through them all, not all of them make a ton of sense; however, I recently came across one that, while unverified, makes a lot of sense. It’s important to understand that, because I can’t verify this with a second source, I myself am treating it as a rumor which means, for the time being, I don’t believe it myself. It’s also important to understand that the information provided would be spoilery if did turn out to be true. So please read at your own risk and please make an effort to represent what you’ve read here as nothing more than a rumor. This isn’t a “hot scoop”, at least not yet. For now, they it is nothing more than a compelling rumor that should generate plenty of great discussion among the MCU fan community. With that having been said, read ahead if you chose…
Obviously I put out some information on WandaVision earlier this week that caused a bit of trouble; however, I’ve continued to hear all kinds of things about the show, but in an effort to be responsible, I’m holding on to the vast majority of the news which includes casting, character reveals and plot details. That said, there is something I feel comfortable sharing as a rumor because, if true, it confirms the suspicion of fans around the globe.
Things I heard this week: Benedict Cumberbatch will be on set for the last week of filming for Wandavision.
Since it was announced by Kevin Feige that WandaVision would tie into Doctor Strange: In the Multiverse of Madness and impact all of Phase 4 and that Elizabeth Olsen would appear the Strange sequel, fans have speculated about just exactly what that means and the timing of Cumberbatch’s scheduled appearance on set could give us some clues.
WandaVision has been billed as part sitcom and part epic Marvel Studios spectacle. I was able to learn that the first half of the season would serve as the homage to classic sitcoms from different eras which means, by default, the second half will contain the big action pieces. Cumberbatch being on set for the last week indicates that he’s likely to only be appearing in the final episode and that can be very telling.
It’s becoming very obvious that Kathryn Hahn’s Agnes is going to turn out to be Agatha Harkness and while a lot of folks are expecting her to be the villain of this piece, evidence from the comic books and from the set (stuff which unfortunately I cannot share) indicates otherwise.
Up until now, Wanda, while incredibly powerful, has used the powers unlocked in her through experimentation at the hands of Doctor List under the watchful eye of Strucker. However, every time he’s had a chance to do so, Feige has indicated that this series will show us why Wanda is known as the Scarlet Witch and while he’s never elaborated on that statement, one can easily infer that it is because she will, under Agatha’s tutelage, enter into the world of the mystic arts.
We’ve also heard rumors and seen evidence from Marvel Studios Expanding the Universe feature that Wanda and Vision will have children at some point during the series, children that, in the comics, are conceived magically.
In the source material, Wanda and Vision’s children, through a strange series of events, are taken away from the couple, Wanda’s memories of them are erased by Agatha and a series of events begins to unfold that ultimately leads to Wanda breaking down, losing control and altering reality.
Since first appearing in Avengers: Age of Ultron, Wanda story has been one of tragic loss after tragic loss: her parents, her twin brother and her lover. The Wanda we saw in Avengers: Endgame displayed a lever of power hitherto unseen in her attempt to extract vengeance from Thanos; should she lose her children, she would certainly go over the edge. I am convinced this will happen and I believe, that as I revealed way back in the 4th episode of Murphy’s Law podcast, that the combination of Wanda’s powers and her newfound ability to use magic will result in her becoming powerful enough to alter reality by the end of WandaVision. And if the Scarlet Witch loses control and breaks reality, there is only one person who can be called in to try to remedy the situation: the Sorcerer Supreme of Earth, Doctor Stephen Strange.
The timing of the productions of WandaVision and Doctor Strange: Into the Multiverseof Madness have always been connected. With WandaVision not coming out until Spring of 2021, it seemed curious to some that it would start filming so early; however, as we’ve learned more about it, it’s beginning to seem obvious that it’s March wrap date was necessary to get Elizabeth Olsen and Benedict Cumberbatch’s work on the series done so they could head across the pond and begin work on the tie-in film. Cumberbatch only being on set for the final week of filming fits perfectly into this timeline and indicates that his role in the series, while more than a cameo, isn’t crucial to the central plot. It sounds very much like we’ll see WandaVision end on cliffhanger to be resolved when Doctor Strange: In the Multiverse of Madness hits theaters on May 7, 2021.
Every now and then I come across some information the veracity of which can be confirmed by a second source. What happens FAR more often is that I come across some information that while believable and from trustworthy sources, cannot be confirmed by other sources for various reasons. Typically, when the second scenario occurs, I move on and forget about the information unless, in rare instances, it turns out to be proven true somewhere down the road.
With two different Disney Plus series under production at the same time, rumors are running rampant and while it’s a ton of fun to sort through them all, not all of them make a ton of sense; however, I recently came across one that, while unverified, makes a lot of sense. It’s important to understand that, because I can’t verify this with a second source, I myself am treating it as a rumor which means, for the time being, I don’t believe it myself. It’s also important to understand that the information provided would be spoilery if did turn out to be true. So please read at your own risk and please make an effort to represent what you’ve read here as nothing more than a rumor. This isn’t a “hot scoop”, at least not yet. For now, they it is nothing more than a compelling rumor that should generate plenty of great discussion among the MCU fan community. With that having been said, read ahead if you chose…
Things I heard this week: Zola will make an appearance in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier.
Could Zola be here? It’s possible, I guess. The man was obsessed with carrying on his work despite being diagnosed with a fatal illness and worked out a way to upload his consciousness into a computer. Of course the last time we saw him in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, his brain was destroyed when Camp Lehigh was bombed.
It’s possible that Zola could have found some other means by which to preserve his consciousness, but I think there is another, more intriguing possibility and that is that this might not be Arnim Zola at all but, instead, his daughter Jet Zola.
First introduced in 2013’s Captain America Vol. 7, #1, Jet, and her brother Leopold/Ian, were created by Zola during his time in Dimension Z. Obviously we aren’t going down that crazy road, but it’s possible that the work we saw Zola begin in Captain America: The First Avenger that led to Bucky surviving his fall and becoming the Winter Soldier could have carried on during his time at S.H.I.E.L.D. Furthermore, it’s possible that Zemo could have discovered this work and follow up on it as he attempts to assemble his own super-powered squad of Thunderbolts.
Crazy, I know, but this is why I share these fun rumors. Speculating on things like this give fans something to talk about even though we know we’ll be wrong far more often than we are right.
Actor Josh Stamberg (Nahsville, The Affair) has joined the cast ofWandaVision in a small, supporting role as an FBI agent.
While Stamberg’s role will be minor, he will likely be working alongside Randall Park’s Jimmy Woo as FBI agent (possibly joined by Teyonah Parris’s Monica Rambeau?) in the series. One might ask why the FBI might be involved in this show at all and what relationship, if any, Monica Rambeau’s powers might have to this series. Those would indeed be fine questions to ask.
WandaVision is currently expected to air on Disney + during the spring of 2021.
It appears that Marvel Studios is pulling no punches with its first Disney + series, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier. As announced by Kevin Fiege at this past summer’s SDCC, the series will introduce John Walker, aka U.S. Agent, as a government sanctioned replacement for Steve Rogers, but it won’t stop there. I have learned that the series will also introduce Lemar Hoskins, aka Battlestar, as a partner to John Walker.
Lemar Hoskins made his Marvel Comics debut alongside John Walker in 1986’s Captain America #323. When John Walker was introduced to the world as Super-Patriot, Hoskins, who served alongside Walker in the military, along with two other former military men calling themselves the Bold Urban Commandos staged an attack, providing Walker with the opportunity to save the day. The Bold Urban Commandos, or BUCkies continued to dish out vigilante justice against those whose ideals opposed their own.
Hoskins, who like Walker gets superhuman strength from the Power Broker, continued working with the BUCkies as Walker’s popularity rose and his favor with the U.S. Government grew. In issue #333, Walker was appointed by the Government as the new Captain America and in issue #334, Hoskins was revealed as the new Government sponsored Bucky.
Finally, in issue #341, Hoskins donned a new outfit and began calling himself Battlestar citing the racist connotations and origins of the word Bucky as the reason for the change.
While we aren’t likely to get a direct adaptation of this origin story, it appears that Marvel Studios will be taking some cues from Mark Gruenwald’s Captain America run. Thanks to Instagram user “justbeachy4stacy”, I have gotten my hands on some set photos taken in Barnesville, Georgia that give us some insight into how Lemar Hoskins will be introduced in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier. Recent set photos taken of the Duluth High School football field indicate that Wyatt Russell’s John Walker will be introduced to the world via public reveal that may well be held in the town where he grew up. The following day, November 22nd, Russell was in Barnesville where the local grocery store was transformed into a flower shop: Hoskins Family Flowers.
Russell filmed scenes both inside and outside the Hoskins’ flower shop where he paid a visit to an as yet unknown actor, believed to be pictured below:
At this point we can only speculate that Walker is visiting his old friend to bring him on board with him. It’s possible that the we could see a reenactment of the staged attack when Walker is introduced at the football field, giving the newly anointed hero a chance to prove himself. It’s also possible that we’ll simply see Hoskins introduced as the new Bucky or as Battlestar. Whatever the case, it is simply awesome to see how deep showrunner Malcolm Spellman has dug to bring new characters to life.
While we know we’re getting a deep dive into the lives of Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes, it’s becoming obvious that John Walker is not going to be one-note character. It’s important to remember that Walker is not the villain of this project and while he’s certain to come into conflict with Sam and Bucky, he is also doing his best to be an American hero at a time when he is sorely needed.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on the inclusion of Lemar Hoskins in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier. Chime in below and let me know how you think the story will unfold.
Actress Elisabeth Shue was on set for the third season of the hit You Tube series Cobra Kai where she will revisit the role of Ali Mills, the childhood sweetheart of star Ralph Macchio’s Daniel LaRusso.
Shue’s return has been the subject of teases and rumors since season two aired last spring, but it had been kept under wraps as season three began filming. Shue was on set for several days this week to film what should amount to an extended cameo appearance.
Cobra Kai, an acclaimed series chock full of 1980’s nostalgia, sees Macchio’s LaRusso face-to-face with his childhood nemesis, Johnny Lawrence, played brilliantly once more by William Zabka. Season three is expected to air sometime in 2020.
Production on Marvel Studios Disney Plus series, ‘WandaVision‘, began last week (as I first reported and Kevin Feige confirmed) and thanks to a new source, I was able to uncover a few interesting details about one of Marvel Studios most anticipated upcoming projects. It won’t do me much good to explain it, but due to the “newness” of the source, I’m hesitant to share the information, but I’ve decided to go ahead because while it’s all interesting, none of it is so shockingly spoilery that fans will be extremely disappointed if it doesn’t turn out. With that said, here we go!
Parts of the Show Will Film in Front of a Live-Studio Audience
The show’s director, Matt Shakman, has described ‘WandaVision‘ as an “epic action sitcom” and star Elizabeth Olsen described it as a “mash-up” of classic sitcoms. In that vein, parts of the first half of the series will be filmed in front of a live-studio audience. The long-running sitcom “I Love Lucy” was the first scripted show to be performed in front of an audience and, in an homage to it, the cast of ‘WandaVision‘ will be performing in front of small, seated audiences. While the series will seemingly jump through time in order to pay homage to various sitcoms, the first episode seems to be set in the 50s, just like “I Love Lucy.” Obviously strict NDAs will be signed, so don’t look for too many spoilers to leak out, but it will certainly add an interesting dynamic to production of the show as the cast will be able to feed off the energy of the audience.
Wanda and Vision Are Starting the Perfect 50’s Nuclear Family
As indicated by the concept art, Wanda and Vision are playing at being the ideal Nuclear Family. For much of the early part of the series, we won’t be seeing the synthezoid version of Vision. Vision will look an awful lot like we saw him in Avengers: Infinity War and be holding down a job as he and Wanda build their life in the suburbs.
Of course the perfect nuclear family means doing all those perfect nuclear family things like having kids, hosting parties and hanging out with your neighbors…
Kathryn Hahn is Playing a Character Named “Agnes”
Since she was announced as joining the cast as Wanda’s “nosy neighbor”, it’s been widely speculated that Kathryn Hahn would be playing Agatha Harkness. This can probably be traced back to an old 4chan “leak” which really seemed to be some educated guesses mixed in with a lot of uneducated guesses. While there’s no telling what twists and turns might develop over the course of the series, Hahn is, at least on the surface, playing a character names Agnes who seems to be Ethel to Wanda’s Lucy.
It’s possible that Hahn’s Agnes could be a version of little-known Marvel Comics character Agnes Ames who first appeared in the 1960’s comic, Modeling With Millie. It’s also possible that Agnes is a new character created just for the series and it’s also possible that she isn’t exactly what she might appear to be. However, for the time being, all we can say is that Wanda’s nosy neighbor is named Agnes and appears to be another homage to “I Love Lucy.”
While it’s still unclear exactly what Feige’s vision is for this show, it’s starting to come into focus. It appears that the show will, in fact, essentially be two different shows and from that I think we can deduce that there’s going to be a pivotal event that tips the scales towards the “action epic” part. Fans of the comics can probably begin speculating now, but we’re going to have to wait and see just what Feige has cooked up for us.
Please let me know your thoughts on what I’ve shared with you here and what your expectations are for ‘WandaVision.’
Note: This article was originally published by Charles Murphy at That Hashtag Show on November 8, 2018.
Production on DC Universe’s Swamp Thing is set to begin in just a couple of weeks and the cast of the streaming series has rapidly begun to fall into place. With casting for Alec Holland, Avery Sunderland and more having been revealed, it now seems they may have found someone to portray one of his greatest foes. Kevin Durand is in negotiations for the role of Jason Woodrue, aka The Floronic Man.
Durand, who would join the series in a recurring role, is also a TV vet having starred as Vasiliy Fet on FX’s The Strain. A smart, slick and cunning scientist, Woodrue was an inter-dimensional being in the comics has long tormented the Swamp Thing in his search to control The Green and take over the world.
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