The upcoming Disney+ series Hawkeye takes many visual and story beats from the popular Matt Fraction and David Aja‘s run on the character. My Life as a Weapon took a more personal approach with the character, as he took care of an apartment building from a local gang called the Tracksuit Mafia. Of course, he’s not superhuman and gets injured quite a bit on the way. So, he also relies on his protégé, Kate Bishop. Hailee Steinfeld will join the MCU in the iconic role. It looks like Fraction did more than just offer the inspiration, but revealed in an interview with The Ringer that he was also part of the production as a consulting producer.
I am, I think, credited as consulting producer, though, I’d have to check with my agent and probably just read the credits, but it’s the best because I get to take all the credit. And I get to cast glory and David and Annie and hope none of the blame. I read scripts and offered thoughts. And that was in sort of throughout the process.
Matt Fraction
In the same interview, he revealed that he also was supposed to play a member of the Tracksuit Mafia during production, but it ended up getting cut due to the pandemic making things a bit difficult.
I was supposed to be a tracksuit. It was gonna fit, but between COVID, [this] was before shots were really happening and my immunocompromised mother lives with us and traveling was kind of a thing. And we got a pandemic puppy. So between quite feeling cool to travel and a puppy, I didn’t get to be a tracksuit. So I was this close to being a tracksuit. Other than that consultant producer.
The most important thing that Amazon Prime’s Hanna gets across in its third and final season is the reality that our titular protagonist needs to face. It’s perfectly summed up when Hanna points out that “even if you gave me the life I wanted, I wouldn’t know what to do with it. I only know how to fight.” Esme Creed-Miles’ performance continues to carry most of the show, as she gives us a character that is world-weary and on her way to completing her mission once again. Yet, it seems the story has forgotten that along the way.
The show’s first two season’s explored the dark tale of human trafficking and how the government corrupts young women by turning them into soldiers. They are trained to carry out deadly missions while integrating into society seamlessly. Up until now, the bureaucrats behind these missions were faceless but with a clear objective: eliminate perceived threats at all cost may they be for political or tactical reasons. In this six-episode final season, the modus operandi still applies yet now we have a face behind the bureaucrats.
Hanna is once again fighting for something bigger than herself. Yet, she’s pushed by something she hasn’t been in the past, love. That very thing will have her acting irrational and sloppy in ways we haven’t seen to this point, which is a jarring change in comparison to the last few seasons. It’s quite the departure from a character who’s had a very clear-cut goal in mind only to fall back on something only recently introduced. Hanna’s romance at times brings the show to a halt. The character was already strong on its own merits and it feels like the entire plot point was unnecessary. It’s a narrative that you’d wish wasn’t there at all times.
The final season surprisingly cut its episode length down to six rather than the usual eight. Until now, the main issue was it didn’t feel like there was enough story to carry viewers throughout its run. You could make a comparison to many Netflix shows including unnecessary filler episodes. Yet, this season is the opposite, as you’ll end up wishing for more time to spend with Hanna and her relationship with Marissa (brought to life once again through a strong performance by Mireille Enos). Of course, there’s time spent between them but it should’ve been given more focus. It is the show’s core built throughout the last few seasons that seemed sidelined as a result.
Hanna and Marissa face a very capable foe this time around in Ray Liotta’s Gordon Evans. His intimidation of Marissa drudges up some memories from her past that offer a look into her childhood and how long they’ve stuck with her. It offers some insight into her main motivation throughout the series and why she is so attached to Hanna. Plus, Liotta brings it aggressively here and proves to be dangerous in a way neither of our protagonistsTactically he’s one step ahead and personally, he’s in one of their heads. He’s a welcome addition to the cast as an uncompromising adversary.
As the season progresses it becomes more apparent that there could’ve been more time spent with some of the supporting cast, especially Sandy (Aine Rose Daly) and Jules (Gianna Kiehl). They’re victims of UTRAX just like Hanna. So, while they play into the conclusion, it feels like they were undercut. The ongoing rivalry between Sandy and Hanna at least gets a conclusion, there could’ve been more time devoted to it. We never spend enough time on why Sandy despises her and continue to build on their relationship, especially with how this season manages its international espionage. In the case of Jules, it feels like she’s shoehorned her into the closing conflict. These are two supporting characters that have seen a lot of development so far yet ended up as afterthoughts.
Still, the action in this show remains sublime and very enjoyable. The abbreviated season gives actions more weight and allows it to explore an overall darker theme. It also continues to build on its greatest strengths, such as the international locations offering a wonderful viewing experience. If you’re a fan of Hanna, this is a conclusion that fits the bill of who the character is. It’s not without its faults, especially in how some elements felt underutilized, but still offers a fitting end. Much like the show itself, you can’t have everything you want but you enjoy the time you have.
With Charlie Cox’s return to the role of Matt Murdock in Spider-Man: No Way Home just over a month away, a leaked casting grid seems to indicate that Marvel Studios is in the earliest stages of developing a solo project for the character.
The grid, shown above, gives no additional information about the potential project but is in line with early grids for other projects. Cox, who is also rumored for a multi-episode arc in 2022’s Marvel Studios’ streaming series She-Hulk, has denied any knowledge about a potential return, but has been a little more forthcoming in recent weeks about what he’d like to see if he were to return as Murdock/Daredevil, saying he’d like to see a “reimagined, upgraded version of the character” in any potential revival/reboot.
With rumors also pointing to Vincent D’Onofrio returning soon as Wilson Fisk in the Marvel Studios’ streaming series Hawkeye, fans are both thrilled and left to debate if these characters will pick up where they left off in the Netflix series or if we’ll be getting all-new, all-different versions of the characters with the same actors. In the cases of Cox and D’Onofrio, it’s hard to imagine replacing one without the other given the depth of the onscreen dynamic they developed over the 3 season of Netflix’s Daredevil. D’Onofrio recently indicated that if he were to return in the role, he’d want to eventually take on Spider-Man, giving fans hope that they might see the Kingpin, who debuted as a Spidey villain, return to his comic book roots.
Unfortunately, the leaked screenshot doesn’t indicate if the Daredevil project is a film or intended for Disney Plus, nor does it give any timeline as to when we might expect it. With so many projects already in development, it might be a while before we get any concrete updates on this one. In the meantime, we can all start imagining what that upgraded version of the character might look like.
Vincent D’Onofrio’s work as Wilson Fisk on the Netflix streaming series Daredevil is held in the highest of regards by Marvel fans, with many believing his Kingpin sits firmly within the top tier of modern live-action Marvel villains. Rumors of D’Onofrio’s return to the role have been rampant for months and with Hawkeye, the project at the center of those rumors, set to stream soon, fans are becoming anxious to see if the Emmy-nominated actor will indeed reprise the role in the MCU.
D’Onofrio recently talked with Jake’s Takes and when asked what Marvel hero he’d like to see Fisk go toe-to-toe with should he return to the role, the actor had a reply at the ready saying, “it definitely has to be Spider-Man. One day…I’m hoping. We’ll see if they ask me to do it.” Obviously a well-read man, D’Onofrio continued, “Kingpin lived in a world of Punisher, Daredevil and Spider-Man so that would be the one.” Fisk, of course, debuted in 1967 in issue #50 of The Amazing Spider-Man. Over the years and especially at the hands of Frank Miller, the character evolved from a stereotypical crime lord into the monstrous threat and the archenemy of Daredevil.
It’s those connections to the Daredevil comics, specifically to the character of Maya Lopez/Echo, that have fans on (king)pins and needles as to whether D’Onofrio will return as Fisk in Hawkeye. In the comics, Fisk raised Lopez as his own daughter after killing her father. With the character of Lopez, played by Alaqua Cox, getting her own spinoff series, sentiment is growing that Fisk MUST play a part in her life and that D’Onofrio is the man for the job.
Watch the entire video interview below and watch D’Onofrio reprise the role of Kingpin (hopefully) in Hawkeye, which begins streaming on Disney Plus with a 2-episode premiere on November 24th.
Just recently, we finally found out who the actors are that’ll play the live-action versions of the Straw Hats in Netflix’s upcoming adaptation of One Piece. The story will explore the East Blue, which means we’ll get introduced to the first five members of the crew. Among them is Taz Skylar, who’ll take on the role of chef extraordinaire, Sanji. While future Zoro, Mackenyu, has quite a bit of experience with sword fighting through his work on Rurouni Kenshin: The Final to bring his character to life, Skylar has quite the challenge ahead of him to bring the signature kick-only style of Sanji to life.
We’re still waiting for an official start of the production, but To showcase what he’s been working on, the actor took to Instagram to share his training. As Instagram Stories are only limited for a certain amount of time, @OP_Netflix_Fan was nice enough to provide the video of his training. The actor is certainly excited about the role and is sharing it with others through his page.
We’ve seen others do the same, such as the future Luffy, Iñaki Godoy, sharing his research on Instagram. We saw the excitement for the cast in the announcement video, especially Emily Rudd, who’s a long-time Nami fan, wearing a necklace with her character’s name on it and Jacob Romero Gibson shouting some classic lines. Skylar has actively teased some inspiration, such as British chef Marco Pierre White being one of his inspirations for his take on the character in a previous post. He’s also actively interacting with the fanbase, which is always great to see. Here’s hoping the wait for any future announcement isn’t too far now.
Prior to Disney Plus Day, Disney held their fourth quarter investors’ call. While these things aren’t always worth covering, in this case fans got some tidbits! One such tidbit was that Andor, the 12-episode streaming series that will serve as a prequel to Rogue One, has a release window! According to Disney CFO Christine McCarthy, the series will stream sometime between July and September of next year.
‘Ms. Marvel’ Moves to 2nd Half of 2022
McCarthy also mentioned that Ms. Marvel, a Marvel Studios streaming series set to introduce Kamala Khan to the MCU, will debut during that same window. Originally set to stream in late-2021, Ms. Marvel will now debut a little closer to Secret Invasion and The Marvels, project with that share cast members and maybe even some plot points with the teen drama series. Like many other Marvel Studios streaming series, we got a new look at the series and a synopsis on Disney Plus Day. We got some cool glimpses, including the clan of bad guys destined to give Kamala a hard time.
Ms. Marvel introduces viewers to Kamala, a 16-year old Pakistani American from Jersey City. An aspiring artist, an avid gamer, and a voracious fan-fiction scribe, she is a huge fan of the Avengers — and one in particular, Captain Marvel. But Kamala has always struggled to find her place in the world — that is until she gets super powers like the heroes she’s always looked up to.
Stallone Returns to Grumble Through More Lines in Vol. 3
Sylvester Stallone was so excited to return to the role of Stakar Ogord for the next installment of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 that he let everyone know in a video from the set of the film. Here’s to hoping he continues to nail his spot-on interpretation of the comic book character that he’s allegedly bringing to the big screen.
‘One Piece’ Pieces Together One Cast
The Netflix adaptation of One Piece has been making more and more news over the past several weeks but none bigger than the cast being accidentally leaked by the Latin America Netflix account. Inaki Godoy, Emily Rudd, Jacob Romero Gibson, Taz Skylar and Mackenyu were revealed to be key players for the series.
‘Moon Knight’ Looks Loony…and That’s Good
As part of Disney Plus Day, Marvel Studios streaming series Moon Knight got a synopsis and a brief teaser. While neither revealed who Ethan Hawke would be playing, the synopsis might just give a little hint.
Moon Knight is a new globetrotting action-adventure series featuring a complex vigilante who suffers from dissociative identity disorder. The multiple identities who live inside him find themselves thrust into a deadly war of the gods against the backdrop of modern and ancient Egypt.
Interestingly, the brief teaser seemed to show off not only the traditional costume, but also the newer Mr. Knight version as well. We’ll see how they split time on screen when it debuts next year.
‘She-Hulk’, Brought to You by Dan Slott
Tatiana Maslany, who vehemently denied that she was in She-Hulk, briefly appeared in the first look at Marvel Studios streaming series She-Hulk as…She-Hulk. The series, like MoonKnight, got a completely uninformative new synopsis. And, as the title says, it looks to be HEAVILY inspired by Dan Slott’s run.
She-Hulk follows Jennifer, a lawyer who specializes in superhuman-oriented legal cases. She-Hulk will welcome a host of Marvel characters to the series, including the Hulk, played by Mark Ruffalo, and the Abomination, played by Tim Roth.
An Animation Renaissance is Underway at Marvel Studios
In probably the most exciting of all of the Disney Plus Day announcements, fans learned that Marvel Studio has not 1, not 2, but 3 new animated series in the works for the streaming service.X-Men ’97 will reunite the cast of characters of the beloved 90’s X-Men: The Animated Series on a new mission;Marvel Zombies will bring the undead, first seen in What If…?, into their own series; Spider-Man: Freshman Year, will tell a canonical tale about Peter Parker “on his way to becoming Spider-Man.” Additionally, the studio pretended that they hadn’t already told us about the second season of What If…? and gave us an “official” announcement. A lot of the people who currently dish out a lot of money to Marvel Studios projects grew up on animated projects, so it is absolutely fascinating to see them embrace that generation with the X-Men revival, try to capture the hearts of a generation with Freshman Year and eat the hearts of others with Zombies.
Marvel Studios Pretended They Didn’t Give the Trades Info and “Officially” Revealed Two “New” Series
In the least surprising announcements of the week, Marvel Studios REVEALED that spinoff series for Agatha Harkness and Echo were headed to Disney Plus. Of course, we’ve all known this for a while now but, to make up for that, we got some cool logos that won’t be the logos we see when the shows actually hit D+. Echo and Agatha: House of Harkness are “coming soon” to Disney Plus. Despite the heavy sarcasm, both shows have the potential to explore fascinating corners of the MCU and introduce some great new characters.
‘Prey’, The Next Installment of the Predator Franchise, Will Debut on Hulu
Dan Trachtenberg’sPredator movie has been retitled Prey and slotted for a 2022 streaming debut on Hulu. The moves were announced as part of Disney Plus Day because, yeah, Disney owns the rights to Predator now! The new film’s premise sounds incredible as it focuses on a Predator going up against a Comanche Nation teen around 300 years ago.
Showtime has been working on an adaptation of LisaTaddeo‘s Three Women since 2019. The story of three women’s sexual and emotional experiences across the United States became a best seller in its debut. Even more impressing if you consider it was Taddeo‘s debut publication. The story of Lina, Maggie, and Sloane caught Showtime’s eye and it wasn’t until July that they gave it a series order with Shailene Woodley, DeWanda Wise, and Betty Gilpin taking over the role of our main trio. We can now exclusively share that the production has added Tanzanian-American filmmaker Ekwa Msangi to direct an episode of the series.
Msangi made a name in the industry for her work on the TV movie All My Friends Are Married, and her work on the film Farwell Amor back in 2020. Her work featured strong female leads exploring their place in the world, which makes her a perfect addition to the creative team aiming to bring Three Women to life. Her TV movie All My Friends Are Married explored women in their thirties trying to avoid turning into spinsters in New York City. Farewell Amor explored the story of an Angolan woman, as she bonds with a stranger through their love for dance.
Taddeo spent around eight years working on the novel and explored the locations that are the focus of each character’s life. Lina is a suburban mother from Indiana while Maggie is a high school student from North Dakota. Sloane lives in the Northeast of the United States, where she has a very peculiar relationship with her husband.
The episode is set to film late this year and into 2022. The series began production earlier this Fall and currently has no set release date.
X-Men ‘97 is Marvel Studios’ first X-Men production. As a continuation of the ‘90s animated series that many adults grew up with as kids, the show has an in-built fan base. The announcement along with creative collaborators and returning cast means there will be more opportunities to talk about the project with the public. Brad Winderbaum, Head of Streaming, Television, and Animation at Marvel Studios appeared on Marvel’s podcast This Week in Marvel to talk about some of their animation announcements.
Winderbaum suggested that the original animated series has been a “touchstone” for many filmmakers Marvel Studios had conversations with over the years. He also talked about how head writer Beau DeMayo pitched the show, teasing an emotional shift at the end of the ‘90s and an important event that seemingly frames the new series:
He pitched us a show that didn’t just honor the original series, but also brought it into the modern world and talked not only about the 90s, but about the emotional shift that happened at the beginning of the new millennium, and how the show is actually going to explore that and see how the characters change, you know, after a very impactful event. And he talked about the soap opera of it all and was really compelling to us, but also the true emotional stakes to these characters.
Brad Winderbaum
All of that seems like an intriguing set of circumstances with which to evolve the original series. We’ll have to wait quite a while longer to see it play out as the show is set to release on Disney+ in 2023. As animation takes quite a while, it can perhaps be expected the show is already reasonably far into production so we might start to hear more from the creators soon!
The Marvel Cinematic Universe has expanded in so many ways, it’s quite difficult to keep up with where everything takes place across its timeline. Marvel Studios still refuses to provide a definite map to keep an overview, but the new Disney+ shows and films shave been hinting at where everything might take place. There are visual cues that commonly hint at where exactly it takes place or even just an outright confirmation such as Eternals‘ Ajak openly discussing the battle of Thanos. Disney+ Day offered us a glimpse into what 2022 has in store for us with the highlights being Moon Knight and She-Hulk. The latter will have the most connective tissue due to Mark Ruffalo‘s Bruce Banner having an active role in the story. The teaser also hinted at Jennifer Walter’s origin story and also may have given us a glimpse of when it takes place.
In the trailer, we don’t get a clear look at Tatiana Maslany as the titular character. We do get a tease of her iconic outfit from the comics, but not her actual transformation. In a brief sequence, we see Professor Hulk discussing with Walters what it means to be a Hulk while she is in a containment field. Most likely, Banner used this lab to fuse both personalities together and crate his current alter ego. Yet, what stands out is if you take a close look at both of his arms. In Avengers: Endgame, Hulk makes the sacrifice and snaps half the universe back into existence but sacrifices his arm in the process. While he still can use it, we can see heavy burns that scarred him. Those wounds are noticeably absent here.
There’s always a chance they haven’t finished work on this scene and might add it in post-production, but the detail does offer a look into the series timeline. It’s also worth highlighting due to Bruce Banner’s last appearance post-Endgame in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. In the film’s post-credits sequence, we see a hologram version of Banner (not his Professor Hulk form mind you) talking about the ring’s mysterious origins. As soon as we get a full view of Banner, he is still recovering from using the Infinity Gauntlet. The sling is also noticeably for his right arm, which is absent above.
Is this a confirmation that her origin takes place before the events of Endgame? Not necessarily, as there’s also the story that She-Hulk builds up a film spin-off exploring the World War Hulk storyline. So, there’s a chance that we catch up with Banner at a point where his wounds have finally healed. Banner’s arm in Shang-Chi does not show any visual scarring, but it’s just interesting that he still has a sling to keep it steady. He’s also back to being a regular Banner again, which simply adds to the confusion. So, perhaps Walters gets the blood transfusion while he is Professor Hulk during an incident. He then tries to help her control the abilities but ends up joining the Avengers briefly. Once he retruns, he learns that she has fully embraced her Hulk-side and makes her way back to her normal life.
In July of this year, Marion Dayre, who worked on the acclaimed TV series Better Caul Saul for 5 seasons, indicated she was the showrunner of an upcoming but unknown Marvel Studios streaming series. Following yesterday’s official announcement of the Alaqua Cox-led streaming series Echo, Dayre was excited to reveal that she was the lead runner of the new series.
Nothing is known about what shape the Echo series will take, but with the character, who will debut in Hawkeye, has serious ties to organized crime including, in the comics (and strongly rumored to be in the MCU, too), Wilson Fisk. With Dayre’s years of experience working on one of television’s most successful crime dramas, she seems a good fit. It is strongly believed that Native American writer Bobby Wilson (Reservation Dogs) has joined the writers’ room as well. Etan and Emily Cohen were originally reported by the trades to be head writers for the show, which is tentatively set to go into production this April and is currently searching for additional members for the cast, including several Native American roles.
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