Shortly before the first season of House of the Dragon aired, one of its showrunners, Miguel Sapochnik, left the series. At the time, it left many scratching their heads on why exactly he ended up leaving the sure-fire hit series behind but most assumed he might have other projects he’s looking forward to tackle. Yet, it seems that the story is quite a bit different than initially expected.
Puck has revealed that the reason Sapochnik left House of the Dragon was due to his wife, Alexis Raben. HB seemingly denied her request of once again joining the producing team for the next season, which is surprising considering she already had a role in the first. She also appeared throughout four episodes of the series, but it seems that not allowing her to join the production was his main reason for leaving the HBO series.
There might be more details to the reasoning he left and why HBO would deny her involvement, but the show is still moving forward with a second season. Sapochnik’s farewell to the project was shared in a more positive light, but that could’ve just been a way to ensure this information doesn’t find its way online. It should be noted that Alan Taylor, a long-time Game of Thrones veteran, has joined the production around the time Sapochnik‘s leave was announced, but Ryan Condal remains as its sole showrunner now.
Netflix has already been in the news for canceling another one of their major releases, but a report indicated it might even lose its biggest new release yet. The Addams Family reinterpretation took Wednesday Addams out of her usual family dynamic and put her in the middle of a murder mystery storyline at a boarding school. It was a massive hit with viewers and ended up even competing with Stranger Things for who holds the crown of most viewed series in its premiere week.
Yet, there was some uncertainty with Wednesday due to MGM being involved with the production. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s recent purchase by Amazon had some wondering if they might want to bring this hit series to their own streaming service, Prime Video. A report by The Independent hinted at this being a grim possibility, but a new article by IndieWire seemingly debunks these claims.
They highlight that the deal between Netflix and MGM was done long before the studio was purchased. While they acknowledge that it’s not unheard of that a series jump to a different streaming service, but that this may simply be reactionary to the lack of renewal for the hit series. The various cancelations simply add to that usual concern similar to how theories started to make the rounds when The Sandman’s renewal was dragged out by the streamer. For now, it seems like the series is safe on Netflix and we’ll just have to wait for
It’s still crazy to think that The Flash is coming to an end. After nine seasons filled with highs and lows, the CW series that continued the mantle started by Arrow. Yet, it seems the final season is going to include quite a few familiar faces to showcase the “finality” of the series.
In a new piece by Deadline, it seems that Keiynan Lonsdale, who played Wally West and would eventually become Kid Flash, will return to reprise his role. David Ramsay is also set to once again play John Diggle in the season, who is also currently working on a new spinoff set in the Arrowverse.
That is not all, as one of the main villains is also set to return with Sendhil Ramamurthy, who played the series’ take on Bloodwork, is also set to reprise his role. All three are set to appear in the upcoming ninth episode of the final season. Executive producer Eric Wallace shared the following statement on Diggles’ return.
As one of the legacy Arrowverse characters who helped start it all, John Diggle holds a special place in our hearts, as well as the fans. Plus, the commanding presence and commitment to excellence actor/director David Ramsey brings to the screen each-and every time is truly inspiring. So, of course, it was a no-brainer to have Diggle join Team Flash in our final season! So, get ready for a very emotional reunion as John Diggle aka Spartan helps protect Central City alongside Team Flash one, last time
Eric Wallace
He also goes on to highlight the excitement of having Kid Flash back once again; teasing the story they set up for his return.
We’re so happy to reunite with the incredibly talented Keiynan Lonsdale as a part of The Flash’s final season. Because Kid Flash isn’t just another speedster—he’s a beloved part of our Team Flash family. So as soon as we knew he was coming back, we set out to create a special and heartfelt story for his return. The result is a brilliant performance from Keiynan that showcases a side of Wally West you’ve never seen before.
Eric Wallace
Lastly, they also highlighted Ramamruthy‘s return as Ramsey Rosso, highlighting that they always intended to return in the final confrontation for the Scarlet Speedster.
Ever since Sendhil turned in such a brilliantly haunting and unforgettable performance as the tortured Ramsey Rosso in Season Six, we’ve been looking for a way to bring him back. We also knew we wanted to have Ramsey play a part in Flash’s final race. Fortunately, everything came together and now the villainous Bloodwork’s return will set into motion one of the Flash’s wildest and most emotional adventures yet.
Eric Wallace
It’s definitely looking like they are ramping up for a grand finale, and it’ll be a shame to say goodbye to Grant Gustin‘s tenure as the speedster, but it does open him up to chase other roles moving forward.
Netflix just won’t learn its lesson, will it? Once again, the streaming service has decided to cancel a show just before truly getting the ball rolling and testing the waters with how it could grow its audience across multiple seasons. 1899, the mystery series by the creators of Dark, will not be returning for a second season. Baran bo Odar took to his personal Instagram account to share the sad news, as Netflix has passed on continuing the series after its first season.
It was an ambitious new project that explored the story of a steamship Cerberus on its journey across the Atlantic, which leads to them finding one that has vanished months earlier. The first season ended on a cliffhanger that was going to build upon the story elements introduced going into the second season, but it seems we won’t be getting that after all.
Netflix has a bad habit of canceling shows that are only getting started, as they mainly focus on whatever project can break a record. It’s not realistic to put all their eggs in one basket, especially while they are pushing out high-budget shows with minimal promotion and hoping about their virality. Wednesday is not the norm but rather an exception.
1899 not surviving even with the involvement of the talented creative team of Dark, it does open up the challenge of what other show might get canceled before it gets going. Streaming services can provide projects for longer periods of time but they mainly rely on whatever can pull in a massive viewership just in its opening weekend. We’ll have to see what it means for other projects in the future.
While much discourse around Disney+ content has been built around marquee franchises from Marvel Studios and Lucasfilm, one upcoming series has the potential to become a sleeper hit for the streamer. Percy Jackson and the Olympians, based on the novels by Rick Riordan, is currently in production in Vancouver and is set to wrap later this month.
This will be a reboot of the 20th Century Fox two-film series from earlier in the 21st century that sticks closer to the original novels. This series was a launching pad for the career of Logan Lerman as the titular character and he has some words about the upcoming relaunch. While promoting season two of Hunters on Amazon Prime, the actor spoke highly about the new series and specifically Walker Scobell, the actor taking his place as Percy Jackson.
I don’t think he needs any advice. The kid’s really talented. The only advice I can give him is just to enjoy it while you’re doing it. I think when you’re young, at least when I was younger [playing Percy Jackson], you almost forget to enjoy it as you’re a part of it. I really enjoyed it while I was doing it. Just take each second in and enjoy the newness of what you’re doing and being a part of something like that. That would be the only thing I would tell him. I’d feel like a bit of a schmuck, giving him advice. You’re great. You’re there for a reason. Just do your job.
Logan Lerman
It’s certainly great to see Lerman maintain a positive relationship with the role and franchise that played a significant part in his development as an actor. This is despite the two films being a mixed bag both critically and commercially. Logan Lerman also specifically spoke about his confidence in the new series being more of a success across the board.
I just think this adaptation is going to be great. I think the actors are so good and the creative team is great. Obviously, it’s Rick Riordan. It’s going to be exactly what it should be and I hope the fans like it. I’ll definitely watch it. I’m curious to see what they do with it. I have no doubt that it’s going to be great.
Logan Lerman
The notion of Rick Riordan being more involved with the series’ creative process is certainly a promising sign. It was an issue that held back the film adaptations, but the show is looking to avoid these pitfalls and fully adapt the rich tapestry of Riordan’s young adult novels. If the quality of the books can be met, Disney+ can potentially have its version of the Harry Potter franchise in the near future.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians is currently aiming to release its first season in early 2024.
Netflix has been trying to become the hot spot for anyone trying to bring their popular franchise to life. They have ventured out into the world of video game adaptations, especially after their success working on the animated series Castlevania. It led to them working on projects like Arcane, an adaptation of League of Legends, as well as the recently released Cyberpunk: Edgerunners. Their next project is a live-action adaptation of the ever-popular Assassin’s Creed franchise.
Sadly, it seems that they have lost a key member of the project, Jeb Stuart. He was hired to showrun the project and is no stranger to working with Netflix, as he’s recently worked on the Viking sequel, Valhalla. Collider has shared the news that he is no longer involved and it seems that once again a “difference in vision” is the reason for that. He goes on to highlight that:
I think it was a little bit of a move of executives from LA to London, and it allowed the London group who, unfortunately, had to inherit my vision of what it was instead of getting to develop their own vision. So I think that’s fair. I know it’s going to be great whenever it comes out. I think the Ubisoft guys are fantastic. I think it’s a terrific franchise. It was just a good, mutual time to move on for both sides.
Jeb Stuart
So far, there’s not been an announcement about who might take over as a showrunner on the project. We also don’t know what the vision might be that led to Stuart leaving the project, but they may be still actively looking for someone to fulfill that very role. The project is seemingly still moving forward, but it looks like the wait will be longer than expected.
We just heard recently that Wednesday is very likely to get a season renewal in the near year, as the series ended up becoming one of Netflix’s biggest hits with 400 million hours viewed in a week, even beating out Stranger Things. There was only one complication: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) owns the rights and was a co-producer on the series. Now that the studio is owned by amazon, there was some uncertainty if the Jenna Ortega-led project may move away from its streaming home; especially with its recent success.
In a new report by the Independent, it seems that the new MGM series may be moving to Prime Video rather than remaining on Netflix going into its second season. They do point out that this isn’t a sure thing and there’s a chance that Netflix won’t waste this opportunity to keep the popular series on its streaming platform, but it’s most definitely an option as of now.
Amazon has made the statement in the past that they aren’t going to force every project that was produced under the MGM banner to remain exclusively on Prime Video, but it doesn’t exclude the fact that they’ll completely rule out the idea. According to the Independent, the team behind Wednesday is already securing writers and looking into filming locations for a second season, which is at least a positive hint at more to come. For now, we just have to wait a little longer for any confirmation if the series will return to Netflix or not.
Murphy’s Multiverse’s Extremely Talented João Roque Pinto
The Marvel Cinematic Universe
This should come as no surprise. Of course, fans flock to MCU news. Splitting it into films and Disney+ series, the biggest movie news seems predictable. But our readers’ interest in the series is perhaps a bit unique. Of course, in general, the most interesting MCU news this year came from San Diego Comic Con’s debut of Marvel Studios’ slate for Phases 5 and 6, culminating in Avengers: Secret Wars.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever was a big moment in 2022 for countless reasons. The MCU's newest anti-hero, Namor, finally made his live-action debut. While many want to see the return of the character, it may not be in the form of a solo film. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever producer Nate Moore confirmed that the character can definitely return in a future project, but Disney is not able to produce a standalone project based around the character. It seems the rights are still with Universal, who also holds the rights to Hulk and was the reason that character never got a sequel since the Edward Norton film back in 2008.
As a side note, MM readers apparently got a kick out of our Ultimate Lists of What to Watch Before Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Thor: Love and Thunder. If you thought the Multiverse of Madness list was chaos, just imagine what the Ultimate List for Secret Wars will look like (hint: the entire MCU and then some). Rest assured, an Ultimate List for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania will hit the internet soon.
Readers also flocked to news about the upcoming Secret Invasion. Perhaps fitting for the show, some of the most-read articles involved leaked set photos or rumors about the identity of characters—specifically Emilia Clarke's character—whose identity will further be questioned throughout the series.
To be honest, DC has been a mess for quite some time. Whether you love(d) the DCEU (and/or all of the things that were in the DC multiverse but not the DC Extended Universe, which makes no sense), hated it, or (most likely) were indifferent to it, it existed. However, late this year all of it was thrown into complete additional chaos when it was announced that James GunnandPeter Safran would be taking over as co-leaders of the newly-formed DC Studios. There is plenty to try and unpack so far—for example, Henry Cavill is no longer Superman. Who else will be recast? What will they do with their current 2023 slate that includes The Flash, Aquaman 2, Blue Beetle, and Shazam 2?
Given they distract from the movies, aren’t always followed through on and the disturbing trend in their quality, it really is time for the Marvel post-credit scene to be retired. We’ll always have that kiss between Jane and Thor…before Jane disappeared for a decade.
Charles Murphy
If you still have too many opinions about it, feel free to hop right back into that conversation. But screaming into the Twitter void about movies feels so 2022. 2023 is better...right?
Honorable Mentions
It's not all about superheroes, though MM readers certainly love them. But in 2022 we had some major interest in several other things. Check out some of the most noteworthy ones below.
Stranger Things is about to wrap up, as the journey through the Upside-Down is about to find its end with the fifth season. We still don’t know when we can expect the series to wrap up, but it’s looking like a long wait is in order with a 2024 release on the horizon due to the series’ final season not even started rolling the cameras. Still, it seems that the cast has been teased about the future of their characters, as actor Noah Schnapp teased the ending of Will’s story and highlighted once again that it started with him.
The way they closed the show is just perfect — the story started with Will, and it’ll end with Will.
Noah Schnapp
Most of the last few seasons have put their main focus on Eleven, whose abilities were the only way to combat the various monsters out of the dimension. Still, Will was the first to meet these beings from Upside-Down and developed a psychic link with them. At the end of the last season, we could see that he still has that very connection and may become a valuable asset in the battle with Vecna, who has set his eyes on melding these two dimensions into one.
What exactly Will’s story will remain a mystery, but it’s great to see that Schnapp is on board. He seems quite excited and also tight-lipped on what we can expect from the characters’ future. There’s the question if everyone will survive the final battle with Vecna given just how dangerous it’ll become. Perhaps when we catch up with everyone, they are already barely hanging on and find a way for the last attempt to stop them. Will might be the key they need to end it.
There have been many stories on what exactly the future has in store for Marvel Studios’ 2023 slate. We have quite a few projects initially mapped out with Secret Invasion, Echo, Loki’s second season, Ironheart, and Agatha: Coven of Chaos on Disney+. That is all on top of three films that would find their way into theaters throughout the year. Many have been worried about Marvel Studios trying to push out too much with rumors even hinting that they are rescheduling their approach.
A tweet by Marvel Studios UK hinted that they were still set to release those projects while rumors hinted at something else. Yet, it turns out that this tweet has been deleted adding to the confusion. Echo has currently been reported to get pushed back by the series’ showrunner as it would have to release before Daredevil: Born Again. Agatha was already hinted at a potential 2024 release but that tweet added the confusion.
It would make sense to dial it back for Marvel Studios as they finally caught up with the projects that were all developed around the same time window. Plus, Bob Iger also retook the seat as Disney’s CEO meaning we’ll see some new developments over at Marvel Studios with more control back in the hands of Kevin Feige. Whatever may happen in 2023 remains to be seen, but we may be looking at a very different Marvel Cinematic Universe once Phase 5 rolls around next year.
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.
