Author: Christopher Marc

Posted on in Features

Tatiana Maslany’s ‘She-Hulk’ Could Become The MCU’s Crossover Queen

Yesterday, Deadline reported that Canadian actress Tatiana Maslany (Perry Mason, Destroyer, Orphan Black) had landed the Marvel Studios role of Jennifer Walters for the upcoming superhero comedy series She-Hulk that will be exclusively on Disney+, airing possibly in 2022 given the VFX involved. 

The Emmy winning actress had previously tested for major roles in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and Star Wars: The Last Jedi, so Tat had been on Disney’s radar for quite some time now. 

Jennifer is a defense attorney and cousin of Bruce Banner, who transforms into the superheroine She-Hulk after a blood transfusion from Bruce gives her superpowers of her own. 

The series is expected to skew more comedic given that Jessica Gao (Rick & Morty) is the head writer and they’ve seemingly hired Kat Coiro (The Mick, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia) to direct multiple episodes. It’s also said that Mark Ruffalo may reprise the Bruce Banner/Professor Hulk role for the show to help connect Jennifer to the greater MCU. 

Kevin Feige has confirmed that these new Disney+ characters would most certainly make the jump to the feature films and She-Hulk has the potential to become their next big crossover characters given that is how she was utilized in the comics books. 

Here is a rundown of just some of the film projects I think she makes the most sense for. 

SPIDER-MAN 3: There have been plenty of team-ups over the years in Marvel Comics and planting seeds for upcoming projects has always been something Marvel Studios has always been keen on doing. 

Spider-Man 3 is a strong candidate to introduce the regular human version of Jennifer Walters before the She-Hulk series. 

At the end of Spider-Man: Far From Home, Quentin Beck aka Mysterio’s death was spun as murder at the hands of Spidey by J. Jonah Jameson and he also outed his secret identity as Peter Parker. Plenty of fans have suggested that Peter Parker if caught by authorities would be in great need of a defense attorney. A noble profession that doesn’t only fall on the shoulders of Matt Murdock aka Daredevil in Marvel Comics but also Walters, who happens to specialize in superpowered cases. 

Interestingly enough, Jennifer has a connection to J. Jonah Jameson as she married J. Jonah Jameson’s son John Jameson aka Man-Wolf. 

A nifty connection to the Spider-Man franchise is that Tatiana just happened to co-star in the Boston bombing drama Stronger alongside Jake Gyllenhaal, who played Quentin Beck aka Mysterio.

It is worth noting that according to production grids (take with a grain of salt) making the rounds online both Spider-Man 3 and She-Hulk shoots are expected to overlap at some point next year in Atlanta, Georgia. This potential shooting schedule could theoretically allow Tatiana shoot scenes as Walters due to the proximity to each other, but this is only speculation. 

Potentially seeing Jennifer seriously injured during the events of Spider-Man 3 via a villain trying to kill Peter Parker just might be a reason to lead to her cousin Bruce Banner to give her the blood transfusion that not only saves her life but gives her superpowers. A perfect way to help establish her origin outside of the Disney+ series and also connect her to the MCU beyond Banner.

There is also the possibility that Spider-Man 3 sees Parker simply on the run from authorities with the help of parental figures Happy Hogan and Nick Fury being tracked down by the film’s villains. 

I don’t see the entire film being a courtroom drama, do you? But if Peter needs a lawyer, Jennifer could be easily suggested by Bruce or Happy. 

FANTASTIC FOUR: After the merger between Disney and 21st Century Fox, Marvel Studios finally got full rights to use both the X-Men and characters connected to the Fantastic Four. 

She-Hulk happens to be an official member of the team.

While there have been hints that there is quiet development on the MCU reboot of the franchise (via Slove Everything Productions LLC), neither a director nor screenwriter has been officially announced by the studio. 

Ant-Man 3 will include Avengers villain Kang The Conqueror played by Lovecraft Country’s Jonathan Majors, who happens to be a villainous ancestor of Reed Richards from the future. Nothing says at the moment that Marvel Studios will carry over that tiny family connection from the comics with the MCU version of Kang but it is worth considering. 

I’m also extremely hopeful that the Fantastic Four franchise will be an excellent excuse for Kevin Feige to take a second crack at The Inhumans, as Crystal was a member of the team. The introduction of Kamala Khan aka Ms. Marvel in her own Disney+ series, who is part of The Inhumans, would certainly open the door for the studio to explore those other characters in more accurate way than the sub-par ABC series. 

Marvel Studios is expected to make some announcement soon if they are indeed gearing up to shoot Fantastic Four within the next two years or so.

SECRET WARS AKA AVENGERS 5: The Fantastic Four wasn’t the only big-league superhero team that Jennifer joined as she was part of the Mighty Avengers and could easily be involved with the Secret Wars lineup given she was included in the original comic book run. 

The Russo Brothers have teased an interest to tackle the Secret Wars as a follow-up to their box office smashing Marvel film Avengers: Endgame. I’m sure if Secret Wars does materialize they’ll want to wait for the Eternals, Fantastic Four, and X-Men to be well established beforehand so they’re not spending all their time on character introductions. 

Romance hasn’t been a huge part of the MCU but Eternals is expected to change that slightly and could allow She-Hulk’s love life to be explored in the series and films. 

In more recent comics, Thor and Jennifer are in a relationship that could be used for future films. 

She-Hulk has also has had romantic encounters with Hercules and Eros of Titan aka Starfox the womanizing brother of Thanos both are expected to be part of the Eternals franchise the two just happen to be fellow members of The Avengers. Gemma Chan’s Sersi and Kit Harington’s Black Knight are likely also going to join the Avengers ranks just like their comic book counterparts. 

A-FORCE: Marvel actresses approached Kevin Feige on the set of Avengers: Endgame to pitch him an all-female superhero film which most have suggested could be a live-action version of A-Force. A feature film that could easily see characters like She-Hulk among those ranks. 

I also wouldn’t rule-out cameos in stuff like Thor: Love & Thunder, Ant-Man 3, and Captain Marvel 2 to help establish Jennifer’s relationships with Hope (a surrogate for Janet), Valkyrie, and Danvers leading up to an A-Force film. 

There is a lot of crossover potential with a character like She-Hulk and I’m sure we’ll be seeing a lot of her in the future beyond this Disney+ series. 

Posted on in Film News

‘Resident Evil’ Reboot Film Adds ‘Shazam!’ Production Designer Jennifer Spence

The Ronin has been able to confirm that production designer Jennifer Spence has been hired for the Resident Evil reboot film, which is based on the classic Capcom zombie horror video games.

Jennifer’s extensive horror credits include Lights Out, Insidious: Chapter 2, Insidious: Chapter 3, Paranormal Activity 2, The Lords of Salem, Paranormal Activity 3, Paranormal Activity 4, Rob Zombie’s Lords of Salem, Annabelle: Creation, The Nun, and most recently The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It.

She also worked on DC Comics film Shazam! as well.

They’ve also added art director Tony Ianni, who does extensive work on the sci-fi series The Expanse as art director and now as the show’s production designer.

Some character tidbits that leaked suggested that the new film will focus mostly on iconic characters from the video game franchise rather than continuing the Alice story from the Paul W.S. Anderson films that starred Milla Jovovich.

There is a live-action Netflix series in development as well.

Filming is expected to begin in/around the Toronto area on October 13th and complete by December 19th.

Posted on in Television News

Marvel Studios Hires ‘Orphan Black’ Star Tatiana Maslany To Play ‘She-Hulk’

Marvel Studios has reportedly hired Orphan Black star Tatiana Maslany to play Jennifer Walters aka She-Hulk in the upcoming Disney+ series according to Deadline.

The Canadian actress is coming off an Emmy win for her work on Orphan Black and most recently had a supporting role in the HBO series Perry Mason.

Jennifer Walters is the lawyer cousin of Avengers member Bruce Banner and during a blood transfusion is given her own set of powers becoming the heroine She-Hulk. The character has been part of the ranks of both The Avengers and The Fantastic Four.

Mark Ruffalo confirmed talks with Marvel about joining the series and reprising the Smart Hulk/Banner role but his deal has yet to be made official.

Kat Coiro (The Mick, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia) is in talks to direct multiple episodes with Rick & Morty’s Jessica Gao set as the show’s head writer.

Filming may begin next year in Atlanta.

She had previously tested for lead roles in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and Star Wars: The Last Jedi but didn’t land the parts.

Tatiana might end up being a supporting character in other feature films once her series is released.

SOURCE: DEADLINE

Posted on in Film News

Guy Ritchie Reuniting With ‘Wrath of Man’ Production Designer For MI6 Thriller ‘Five Eyes’ Starring Jason Statham

The Ronin has been able to confirm that director Guy Ritchie has hired production designer Martyn John for his upcoming spy action movie Five Eyes starring Jason Statham for STXfilms and Miramax. Guy and Martyn had previously worked on his armored car action film Wrath of Man (formerly Cash Truck) which is a remake of the French film Le Convoyeur from 2004 and is expected to be released on January 15th, 2021.

Five Eyes was penned by The Gentlemen screenwriters Ivan Atkinson and Marn Davies with rewrites from Guy. 

MI6 guns-and-steel agent Orson Fortune (Statham) is recruited by global intelligence alliance Five Eyes to track down and stop the sale of a deadly new weapons technology that threatens to disrupt the world order. Reluctantly paired with a CIA high-tech expert, Fortune sets off on a globe-trotting mission where he will have to use all of his charm, ingenuity, and stealth to track down and infiltrate billionaire arms broker.

Five Eyes aka FVEY is a real intelligence alliance that consists of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Filming on Five Eyes is expected to begin next month in Europe.

Ritchie previously tackled the spy genre with The Man From U.N.C.L.E., a feature film adaptation of the classic television series. 

The director is also said to be attached for Disney’s Aladdin sequel. 

Posted on in Film News

‘The Batman’ Resumes Production In UK – Unknown If Robert Pattinson Has Returned To Work

After various British outlets have reported that The Batman has resumed production on The Batman, Deadline claims they have confirmation from Warner Bros. this indeed correct but couldn’t get any comments about Robert Pattinson’s health status and if he’s returned to the set after testing positive for COVID-19.

Warner Bros has confirmed that The Batman is back up and running. This comes two weeks after the production shut down after star Robert Pattinson tested positive for COVID-19. No word yet if Pattinson is back on set at Warner Bros Leavesden as the studio doesn’t comment on staffers’ personal status.

Hopefully, Warner Bros. will try to keep cast and crew safe as the United Kingdom is experiencing a rise of new COVID-19 cases and has seen a return of various restrictions, which could easily lead to another shutdown.

From Warner Bros. Pictures comes “The Batman,” with director Matt Reeves (the “Planet of the Apes” films) at the helm and with Robert Pattinson (“Tenet,” “The Lighthouse,” “Good Time”) starring as Gotham City’s vigilante detective, Batman, and billionaire Bruce Wayne.

Also in the star-studded ensemble as Gotham’s famous and infamous cast of characters are Zoë Kravitz (“Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald,” “Mad Max: Fury Road”) as Selina Kyle; Paul Dano (“Love & Mercy,” “12 Years a Slave”) as Edward Nashton; Jeffrey Wright (the “Hunger Games” films) as the GCPD’s James Gordon; John Turturro (the “Transformers” films) as Carmine Falcone; Peter Sarsgaard (“The Magnificent Seven,” “Black Mass”) as Gotham D.A. Gil Colson; Barry Keoghan (“Dunkirk”) as Officer Stanley Merkel; Jayme Lawson (“Farewell Amor”) as mayoral candidate Bella Reál; with Andy Serkis (the “Planet of the Apes” films, “Black Panther”) as Alfred; and Colin Farrell (“Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” “Dumbo”) as Oswald Cobblepot.

Warner Bros. had given the film a release date of October 1st, 2021.

SOURCE: DEADLINE

Posted on in Television News

‘Raised By Wolves’ Renewed For Season 2 – Hailed As Most Popular Original Programming On HBO Max

Raised By Wolves is officially getting a second season!

WarnerMedia and HBO Max has announced they have renewed the Ridley Scott produced science fiction series for a second season and has been revealed as the “top-performing” original programming on the platform, suggesting that it’s the most popular original they have currently on the streaming service.

Below is the announcement from the official press release.

After a striking debut on the streamer as the #1 performing Max original since the platform’s launch, HBO Max has ordered a second season of Raised by Wolves, a serialized sci-fi series from master storyteller and filmmaker Ridley Scott (The Martian, Gladiator, Alien), which has immersed fans into the rich, intricate world of Kepler 22-b. The series, which debuted with three episodes on Sept. 3, has continued to be a strong performer in its second week on the platform, growing its audience by nearly 50% week over week.

Raised by Wolves centers on two androids tasked with raising human children on a mysterious virgin planet. As the burgeoning colony of humans threatens to be torn apart by religious differences, the androids learn that controlling the beliefs of humans is a treacherous and difficult task.

This is excellent news for fans like myself who had been curious if the show would get more than a single season. It’s worth noting that the cast are committed to multiple seasons of the show beyond Season 2, so there is the good chance we could get up to Season 4-5 given how the actor’s contracts are written.

Kind of a stroke of luck for HBO Max given that the series was originally going air on TNT.

SOURCE: WARNER MEDIA

Posted on in Film News

Sony Pictures Takes Common Sense Approach – Won’t Release Expensive Films Until Theaters Are Safe and Return To Significant Capacity

Sony Pictures Entertainment Chairman Tony Vinciquerra recently spoke with The Wrap about the current atmosphere of releasing massive blockbusters during the pandemic and with the theater reopenings and suggested they’re not convinced about releasing their expensive movies too soon. 

VINCIQUERRA: “What we won’t do is make the mistake of putting a very, very expensive $200 million movie out in the market unless we’re sure that theaters are open and operating at significant capacity.”

They seem to be specifically speaking out about Tenet’s disastrous domestic debut given that Warner Bros. film cost them $200+ million, but had only managed to make $9.4 million on opening weekend and another $6.7 million in the second weekend. That studio believed the turnout of audiences would be greater because they were offering a massive movie to the masses and that thinking backfired. 

It is worth noting that Sony Pictures was one of the first studios to pull their big tentpoles out of the summer lineup and pushing them to 2021. 

I’m curious what this means for March movies like Morbius and Ghostbusters: Afterlife along with other big films such as Venom: Let There Be Carnage, Uncharted, and Spider-Man 3. 

Also, what does it being “safe” look like? Waiting until a vaccine for COVID-19 is in circulation?

Here is the rundown of Sony’s 2021 live-action blockbuster schedule but I wouldn’t count on these dates sticking. 

  • GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE – March 5th 
  • MORBUS – March 19th 
  • VENOM: LET THERE BE CARNAGE – June 25th 
  • UNCHARTED – July 16th 
  • SPIDER-MAN 3 – December 17th

SOURCE: THE WRAP

Posted on in Television News

Our August Report That ‘The Falcon & The Winter Soldier’ Will Be Delayed To 2021 Seemingly Confirmed By Disney+

In mid-August, The Ronin mentioned in an article updating on the status of the upcoming Marvel Studios series on Disney+ that The Falcon & The Winter Soldier was now expected to be pushed from a release in 2020 to sometime in 2021 after hearing from a source close to Marvel. 

First, it seems like WandaVision may indeed be finished enough to debut before the end of the year. We know that the series is still planning to do some pick-up shots or reshoots but it doesn’t seem like it will be enough to hinder a 2020 release.

However, The Falcon & The Winter Soldier is expected to have been pushed back to 2021.

This coming after multiple delays to restart and finish the show’s principal photography due to the Coronavirus pandemic which has impacted global production in various degrees. 

Disney+ has all but confirmed our delay tidbit as they rolled out two social media posts outlining remaining 2020 content which included WandaVision for a release in December but failed to mention The Falcon & The Winter Soldier, the only conclusion is that our information was correct and the show will be delayed to 2021.

The series will explore the transition period between when Steve Rogers gives the shield to Sam Wilson (Mackie) to become the new Captain America along with the government taking ownership of the superhero legacy leading to Wyatt Russell’s U.S. Agent taking over the mantle instead as seen in set pictures and footage.

Sebastian Stan’s Winter Soldier seems to be along for the ride in the buddy-cop/superhero genre series.

We’ll see the return of characters such as Zemo and Sharon Carter alongside some brand new ones as well.

Filming had recently resumed in Atlanta, Georgia with Batroc actor George St-Pierre confirmed for a return after being spotted on the set. There is a strong expectation that the series could help to set up and introduce the Marvel Cinematic Universe version of the Thunderbolts, given the original incarnation was lead by Zemo.

Posted on in Television News

Disney+ Alludes To ‘WandaVision’ Airing In December

In two new social media posts from Disney+ on Twitter the streaming service has seemingly confirmed Marvel’s WandaVision will begin airing sometime in December.

A teaser video titled “Coming In 2020” was posted featuring WandaVision.

The series isn’t part of their fall lineup posted below which means it has been defaulted to a December debut.

WandaVision is a key project to future projects (along with Loki) as it’ll likely connect to stuff like Doctor Strange In The Multiverse of Madness, Thor: Love & Thunder, Captain Marvel 2, and Ant-Man 3. The series will introduce audiences to S.H.I.E.L.D.’s cosmic counterpart S.W.O.R.D. along with the adult version of Captain Marvel’s Monica Rambeau played by Teyonah Parris, who becomes a superpowered heroine herself.

There are also rumors of the series potentially giving us members of the Young Avengers after twins Speed and Wiccan were confirmed in teaser footage, as babies.

SOURCE: DISNEY

Posted on in Film News

‘Snake Eyes’ Actor Andrew Koji Joins Brad Pitt In David Leitch’s Action-Thriller ‘Bullet Train’ – Plays An Assassin

Deadline reports the latest addition to the upcoming Japanese-set action-thriller starring recent Oscar-winner Brad Pitt and directed by David Leitch (Deadpool 2, John Wick, Hobbs & Shaw), as Andrew Koji will play one of the many assassins in the film traveling on a Japanese bullet train. 

Koji is best known for his Cinemax series Warrior and will play the new Storm Shadow in the G.I. Joe prequel film Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins for Paramount Pictures, which is expected to become a reoccurring franchise role as multiple G.I. Joe movies are in the works.

Joey King also has a role in the film. 

Filming on Bullet Train is expected to begin this fall in Los Angeles, California. 

SOURCE: DEADLINE