While it seemed that Halo opened to surprisingly little fanfare, the series was still quite the hit on Paramount+. Pablo Schreiber takes on the role of Master chief in this new live-action adaptation based on the popular Xbox gaming franchise. We believed that it was a decent opening to a new series–you can check out our review by clicking here–it looks like Paramount has been quite satisfied with the release. Chief Programming Officer for the streaming service, Tanya Giles, shared the following statement on its success:
Bringing ‘Halo’ to life as a streaming series has been one of the most rewarding efforts for Paramount+ to date and we could not be more thrilled at the massive fan responses to the series’ debut. Along with our phenomenal partners at Showtime, 343 Industries, and Amblin Television, we cannot wait for fans to experience more of this incredible universe.
Tanya Giles
As per usual in the streaming world, we don’t have any exact numbers but it was highlighted that it was a clear winner. Considering the project started initially back in 2013 and has been in production for quite some time, these numbers are definitely a sigh of relief for Paramount+. They already renewed it for a second season with a new showrunner. So, it seems that the early renewal was definitely the right move and we’ll see if it can keep up that viewership over the next few weeks as it rolls out the rest of the episodes.
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.
To this day, the fact that Disney and Square Enix worked together on a game that combined both worlds into one with Kingdom Hearts remains one of those things that seem like pipedreams. Somehow, we’ve got three main titles and countless spinoffs. And in a surprising twist, it seems that Disney is starting to include references to the project, as eagle-eyed fans have noticed that Mickey Mouse’s Kingdom Key D was included in a brief sequence in the new Disney+ special The Wonderful Spring of Mickey Mouse.
The fact it appears while they are busy spring cleaning is a hilarious idea, as it seems that his time with the Keyblade was in the past. IThe brief tease also includes Yen Sid’s famous hat that he briefly borrowed, a character that also appeared in the Kingdom Hearts series. The inclusion is a great tease, as there have also been quite a few rumors that Disney+ was developing a series based on the franchise. We’ve sadly never heard much on it and it seemingly has vanished since.
It would be fun to see Sora appear in one of these specials, as the art style would offer a very creative take on the character. Plus, it would just be surreal to actually see them interact outside of the games. Here’s hoping that the appearance is also a tease that we may get some hints on the project as we are currently in the franchise’s 20th anniversary.
When Disney+ and Marvel Studios teased their line-up for 2022, there were some interesting projects missing. We still never got an official announcement for the untitled Werewolf by Night project even though it has already started production. And, there was no mention of if The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, which James Gunn is going to direct while working on the third entry of the franchise, would release later this year.
Luckily, Gunn not only tased how “ridiculous” his take on a Holiday Special is going to be but also confirmed that we can definitely expect it to release this Christmas. His full quote is as follows:
It’s totally ridiculous, and every day we can’t believe that we’re making it. We all completely love it. It is unlike anything that anyone’s ever seen before. I can’t wait for people to see it. And it’s out pretty soon. You know, it’s out this Christmas. It’s not like people have to wait that long.
James Gunn
He even calls the project the “greatest thing I’ve ever done” which sounds quite promising after his success with The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker. It’ll be interesting to see how it might not only connect into the third entry but also just how crazy he was able to make the story. Seems like Marvel Studios gave him complete free control and it wouldn’t be too surprising to even see the MCU’s version of Santa Clause make an appearance at some point in the special.
The first TV series based on James Bond has finally been ordered by Amazon shortly after purchasing MGM studio, but it turns out it’s not quite what you might expect. The series 007’s Road to a Million isn’t a continuation of Bond’s journey or world but rather a reality TV show. It’ll see contestants trying to win £1 million by following in the footsteps of the character with endurance and intelligence tests. Teams of two will take on the challenges while traveling the world.
Former Channel 4 executive Dom Bird will supervise the project for Amazon. The channel has been collecting quite a few UK unscripted projects like Clarkson’s Farm, All or Nothing, and more. Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson are working on a project that will consist of eight parts. There aren’t more details given, but it’s certainly a surprising direction for the first project to be part of the deal mainly in the form of a reality TV series.
Ironically, the project has been in development for quite some time and it’s just a coincidence that it is moving forward now that the purchase has wrapped up. It seems that it was stuck in some form of production for around four years, but it’s likely that as a result of COIVD a lot of the production was pushed back given its world traveling focus.
Paramount+ has just released what may be their first flagship series with the live-action Halo adaptation, and they’ve already set their eyes on another project. Nickelodeon’s popular series The Loud House is now also getting a live-action adaptation that’ll start production sometime in June. It’ll be a 10-episode produced by Nickelodeon that will follow the original series closely, as Lincoln Loud has to somehow manage his life with his ten sisters. Co-Head of Nickelodeon, Shauna Phelan, had the following to say on their decision to move forward with the series:
As one of Nick’s most beloved animated franchises, ‘The Loud House’ has made its way into the hearts of millions of fans across the globe. When we brought the animated world of Royal Woods to life with ‘A Loud House Christmas,’ it instantly became a holiday favorite for both new and loyal fans alike, and I just know that they will love what our amazing creative team is preparing for this new live-action series.
Shauna Phelan
The live-action adaptation will see the return of the cast from A Loud House Christmas, a special that was released back in November. Wolfgang Schaeffer will return to play the leading role of Lincoln. Tim Hobert, Jonathan Judge, and Michael Rubiner joined the series as executive producers with Hobert acting as showrunner. The pilot of the series will be directed by Judge with Nickelodeon’s Phelan and Zack Olin supervising. There is currently no release date set.
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