Category: News

Posted on in Film News, News

‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Trailer Confirms TVA Plotline, Pyro Returns & Teases Wolverine’s Madripoor Persona Patch

Yesterday, was the big Super Bowl game which obviously means expensive/overproduced ads and studios trying to get as many eyeballs on their upcoming films as possible. That seemed to be the perfect opportunity for Marvel Studios to first reveal footage from their big/only blockbuster film releasing this July, “Deadpool 3.” Now officially titled “Deadpool & Wolverine” (Something we long suspected would be picked to help promote Wade’s iconic X-Men co-star) and the teaser trailer released last night confirms that the Multiverse pic will indeed see the involvement of the Time Variance Authority from “Loki,” although, we haven’t spotted any established characters from the show, yet.

Director Shawn Levy and star/producer Ryan Reynolds are seemingly keeping to the R-rated action-focused superhero roots alongside the cheeky meta humor, something a lot of naysayers including the character’s co-creator Rob Liefeld had been completely skeptical about once Disney/Marvel got their hands on the franchise post-merger. It’s hard to say now that this doesn’t look like more of the same just with a MUCH bigger production budget compared to those last two installments alongside leaning heavily into the Multiverse of it all.

In the trailer, we see that Matthew Macfadyen‘s character (A TVA agent or simple bureaucrat) is attempting to recruit Wade for some sort of reason and will seemingly bring him into the greater Marvel Cinematic Universe. Although, from the looks of things we’re mostly getting Fox/Singerverse characters such as the return of actor Aaron Stanford as Pyro (Who hasn’t appeared in the franchise since “X3: The Last Stand” and could signal more Singerverse actors coming back) and a potential nod to Patrick Stewart‘s second return as Professor X after a previous appearance in “Doctor Strange In The Multiverse of Madness” as part of The Illuminati on Earth-838.

Wolverine: Patch (2022) #1 | Comic Issues | Marvel

Longtime Wolverine fans will likely notice the club/casino scene where Wade is about to approach a variant of Wolverine at a card table, who looks to be in his Madripoor persona Patch. The identifying factor is that Logan is wearing Patch’s signature white suit jacket and I’m also willing to bet an eye patch too. Nothing says that scene is set in Madripoor, but it’s long been a hangout of Wolverine and Marvel has already established the cutthroat location in “The Falcon & The Winter Soldier.”

Of course, it’s been long confirmed that Hugh Jackman will be back as Wolverine and we got a little tease of that interaction towards the end of the teaser. However, it’s still unclear how many Foxverse cameos we’ll ultimately get as Jennifer Garner’s Elektra and The Hand have been teased recently in promo materials that have made their way online. While Marvel/Disney haven’t announced Garner’s participation, if Taylor Swift is actually in there too, and will likely want to keep other appearances secret for as long as they can. The one thing on their side is an avalanche of real and fake online rumors about the film making it harder to actually pin down what is real and what is bogus concerning the film. At least we have validations of some of those rumors, unclear if the other trailers/spots will be spoiling other surprises before its July 26, 2024, release date.

Anyways, if you haven’t already watched the “Deadpool & Wolverine” teaser a hundred times already you can view it below.

SOURCE: MARVEL STUDIOS

Posted on in Film News, News

RUMOR: Crew Jacket May Confirm Red Hulk Showing Up In ‘Captain America 4’

Take the following with a pinch of salt, but some images that showed up recently on Reddit claim to reveal Red Hulk will indeed show up in Marvel’s “Captain America: Brave New World.” The unverified image seems to include what is most likely a crew wrap gift jacket (A common practice that cast/crew are gifted a memento for their time working on the production) with a giant monstrous red hand grabbing the iconic hero’s shield and could confirm the character is in the fourth installment. The anti-hero Hulk persona is best known as connected to Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross in both comics and the animated series “Agents of S.M.A.S.H.,” who is now played by Harrison Ford after taking over the role from the late William Hurt.

Harrison Ford on Captain America 4 Set: Let's Shoot This Piece of Shit

Red Hulk showing up in these upcoming movies isn’t some new revelation, surprise, or even considered a spoiler as Thunderbolt Ross, expected to be President Ross in both “Captain America 4” and “Thunderbolts,” nearly transformed into the red hulking brute in “Captain America: Civil War” as The Russo Brothers have mentioned that was an unused idea that was kicking around back when Hurt was still in the role. So, in theory, it was only a matter of time before Red Hulk would be showing up (An official set photo seen above teased Ross’ tattered clothing from a transformation) in the Marvel Cinematic Universe because that’s how these things work now. Ross is only one of many “Incredible Hulk” characters making their return such as Dr. Samuel Sterns and his daughter Betty, so having a Hulk underpinning story element is far from shocking. Ford stepped into the Thunderbolt Ross part, and there had been a longstanding expectation that they were bringing Ross back to ultimately make his jump to Red Hulk, a version of the Hulk where Ross has more control of his powers similar to Smart/Professor Hulk and Jennifer Walters/She-Hulk. Basically, giving Ross what he’s been ultimately pursuing with a military application of Dr. Bruce Banner’s power-set.

Also, it should be clear that if the Red Hulk nod is indeed part of a crew wrap gift Marvel Studios would have known this would have made its way online and likely wouldn’t be much of a spoiler as it’ll be all over promotional materials. Even if this would be earlier than they likely would have wanted. It’s worth mentioning there has been chatter that “Brave New World” is expected to be undergoing extensive reshoots, and all this could change depending on those new scenes being rewritten by Matthew Orton (“Moon Knight,” “Operation Finale”).

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From a narrative standpoint, in the comics, there had been a bit of an arms race with various villains including The Leader (Tim Blake Nelson) and HYDRA (Serpent Society potentially replacing them as Madame Hydra’s other villainess persona Viper was part of that group) trying to weaponize the Hulk’s powers. The two baddies getting their hands on the Hulk tech is something I’ve been bringing up for years as a potential angle for their involvement in the film.

Then again, Thunderbolt Ross isn’t the only Red Hulk persona as his daughter Betty Ross (Liv Tyler) also obtains Hulk abilities and Betty ends up using the name Red She-Hulk, getting her own run of comics at Marvel.

Julius Onah directs with a cast that includes Anthony Mackie, Ford, Carl Lumbly, Danny Ramirez, Shira Haas, Rosa Salazar, wrestler Seth Rollins, Xosha Roquemore, Liv Tyler back as Betty Ross, and the aforementioned Tim Blake Nelson reprising his role as Gamma-boosted super-villain The Leader. The new sequel will see Mackie’s Sam Wilson taking on the cinematic Captain America mantle from Steve Rogers after the events of “The Falcon & The Winter Soldier” and the U.S. government’s failed attempt to replace him with Wyatt Russell‘s U.S. Agent. “Captain America: Brave New World” has a release date of February 14, 2025, and would mean that a trailer isn’t likely coming anytime soon with “Deadpool 3” being their main film project coming out in 2024.

SOURCE: REDDIT

Posted on in News, Television News

‘The Acolyte’: New ‘Star Wars’ Series Set During The High Republic Coming To Disney+ This Summer

Yesterday, it was announced by “Andor” star Diego Luna that the second season of the “Rogue One” spinoff series has wrapped filming giving us confirmation that the “Star Wars” show is heading into the post-production process alongside things like “Skeleton Crew” and “The Acolyte.” Speaking of the latter it sounds like we might have an early idea of when that The High Republic-era series is expected to be ready to air.

Without an actual release date or even month, Collider now claims that “The Acolyte” is aiming to begin airing on Disney+ sometime this summer. While we would rather get more concrete dates, a release window for the streaming series is better than nothing. Hopefully, Disney+/Lucasfulm will give us a better idea of when those episodes will begin dropping soon.

A mystery-thriller that will take viewers into a galaxy of shadowy secrets and emerging dark-side powers in the final days of the High Republic era. A former Padawan reunites with her Jedi Master to investigate a series of crimes, but the forces they confront are more sinister than they ever anticipated.

“The Acolyte” hails from showrunner Leslye Headland (“Russian Doll”) with an ensemble cast led by Amandla Stenberg that includes Lee Jung-Jae (“Squid Games”) as a Jedi Master, minted Chewbacca actor Joonas Suotamo returns to the franchise as a new Wookiee Jedi named Kelnacca, Dafne Keen (“Logan”), Rebecca Henderson (“Russian Doll”), Carrie-Anne Moss (“The Matrix”), Dean-Carles Chapman (“1917”), Jodie Turner-Smith (“Without Remorse”), Manny Jacinto (“The Good Place”), and Charlie Barnett (“Russian Doll”).

Headland is expected to have directed episodes alongside Kogonada (“After Yang”) and Alex Garcia Lopez (“Cowboy Bebop”).

This news would suggest that “Skeleton Crew” will be next with online rumblings of a winter release later this year and then the second season of “Andor.” All three streaming shows have yet to be formally dated by either Disney or Lucasfilm.

SOURCE: COLLIDER

Posted on in Film News, News

‘Death Stranding’: Hideo Kojima Says He Selected A24 With Aspirations An Artsy Indie Film Adaptation Could Earn Awards Consideration

Hideo Kojima‘s relationship with Sony via PlayStation and their feature film adaptation of his video game masterpiece franchise “Metal Gear Solid” (Owned by Konami, whom Kojmia had a falling out with) is extremely strong but he’s now revealed why he selected A24 Films and not Sony Pictures to handle this movie incarnation of “Death Stranding.” During a new episode of his HideoTube web series, the head of Kojima Productions and its namesake discussed his reasoning behind choosing A24 over Sony (Via GameSpot), which seems to be more about Kojima wanting a studio to make an indie/artsy incarnation that might end up getting awards consideration at film festivals.

“It’s easier to adapt it into a TV series, like ‘The Last of Us,'” Kojima said. “It’s quite difficult to adapt a 50-60 hour game like ‘Death Stranding’ into a two or three-hour movie. The worldview won’t change, of course. But the story of the game as is won’t fit into just two hours. We’re still looking at how to approach it.

“In the past, film adaptations of video games always failed, you know. But in the last four to five years, people who understand games have taken on the task of adapting it into a film or drama. And several hits have been made, like ‘The Super Mario Bros. Movie.’ And that’s the trend these days, but with A24, I want to make something that’s based on a game, but also indie and artistic, something that can win awards at film festivals like Cannes, Venice, or Sundance.”

Death Stranding: Director's Cut for the PlayStation 5 gets a mysterious trailer - HardwareZone.com.sg

We’re still waiting on who exactly will be either writing or directing the “Death Stranding” movie for A24, but Kojima’s friends in Hollywood and the international film scene run deep. So, it’s anyone’s guess. However, there is an expectation that cast members from the original video game such as Norman Reedus (“The Walking Dead”), Lea Seydoux (“Dune: Part Two”), Mads Mikkelsen (“Another Round”), Margaret Qualley (“Once Upon A Time In Hollywood,” “The Nice Guys”), and others could end up reprising their roles in the feature film with announcements on that front likely coming shortly once they secure a creative team.

Kojima is a busy bee with “Death Stranding 2: On The Beach” releasing on PS5 in 2025 (Opening the door for a sequel to the upcoming film), is working on another video game called “OD” with filmmaker Jordan Peele (“Nope”), his documentary series “Connecting Worlds” will debut this year on Disney+, and he just announced a brand new game called “Physint” that takes place within the action-espionage genre using cutting-edge technology (Harkening back to his “Metal Gear” roots and could easily get a feature adaptation too).

Director Jordan Vogt-Roberts (“Kong: Skull Island”) and actor Oscar Isaac (“Moon Knight”) have been attached to a live-action “Metal Gear Solid” at Sony Pictures, although, movement on that project hasn’t been as speedy as fans would want. Then again, “Metal Gear Solid” is a mash-up of all sorts of sci-fi/action genres, politics, and philosophy, and trying to make a version that will make skittish studio executives excited could be an issue given the inherently weird choices Kojima made in the games that are intertwined within the commercially viable elements that could mirror the James Bond franchise or any military thriller.

You can watch the full HideoTube episode with English subtitles below.

SOURCE: KOJIMA PRODUCTIONS VIA YOUTUBE

Posted on in News, Television News

‘Andor’: Diego Luna Announces Season 2 Of ‘Star Wars’ Series Has Finally Wrapped Filming

“Andor” originally had some skepticism involved with its development as it would attempt to explore the origins of Rebellion spy, Cassian Andor. However, the streaming series starring Diego Luna and overseen by showrunner Tony Gilroy after being behind the extensive reshoots of “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.” The show ended up becoming quite the espionage thriller and felt like true character-driven storytelling with excellent writing/performances. Luna has now announced that the second season which had been paused during the Hollywood strikes has finally wrapped filming and likely means we’ll get a release window shortly.

Here is what Luna said in a social media post on Instagram about the show finishing up filming today:

“Today is the last day of filming ‘Andor.’ I could not be more thankful to the entire crew for this amazing experience and the years of hard work. More than 700 people have worked on this production, and it is impossible to say goodbye and thank you to everyone individually, which is why I write here. Thank you for the love and the wonderful experience. See you soon.”

If you’re not aware, “Andor” focuses on the early days of the Rebel Forces working behind the scenes to fund/enact various missions to attack The Empire’s outposts when a bunch of the leadership is in the public view of that fascist regime on Coruscant. This adds to the show’s major push to explore wartime paranoia when it comes to spies working behind enemy lines.

Other cast members expected to return for the second season include Genevieve O’Reilly (Mon Mothma), Stellan Skarsgard (Luthen Rael), Kyle Soller (Syril Karn), Denise Gough (Dedra Meero), Faye Marsay (Vel Sartha), and Adria Arjona (Bix Caleen).

You can view that Instagram post made by Luna today below.

SOURCE: DIEGO LUNA

Posted on in Film News, News

‘Normal’: Action Western Flick From ‘John Wick’ Creator Teams Bob Odenkirk With ‘Free Fire’ Director Ben Wheatley

“John Wick” creator/screenwriter Derek Kolstad has countless projects in the works including a sequel to the Bob Odenkirk action pic “Nobody,” but that won’t be the only project with Odenkirk on the horizon as Deadline has revealed he’s written a western project for the “Better Call Saul” and “Breaking Bad” actor with the project heading into the European Film Market as it seeks financier/distribution partners. The kicker is that British genre filmmaker Ben Wheatley (“Kill List”) is attached to direct the movie.

The outlet included the following synopsis of the western actioner that sees Odenkirk in the role of a small-town sheriff:

Thrust into the temporary role of the sheriff for the small sleepy town Normal after the previous one’s untimely death. When the town’s bank is robbed by an out-of-town couple, Ulysses arrives on the scene to find that the town is hiding much more sinister deep-seated secrets under its surface and everyone – from the bartender to the priest – is in on it. And now Ulysses, who’s up-till-now focused only on running away from the demons of his past, must uncover the full extent of this criminal conspiracy.   

Wheatley isn’t a stranger to the action genre with “Free Fire” which starred Cillian Murphy and Brie Larson, an A24 action-comedy focused on an illegal gun sale in 1970s Boston that goes south real quick. He also recently worked with Jason Statham on the gonzo Megalodon movie, “The Meg 2.”

Other than being the architect of the popular “John Wick” franchise Kolstad is also involved with a “Hitman” series, a standalone “Dungeons & Dragons” series, a “Streets of Rage” movie adaptation at Lionsgate, a feature film based on manga/anime “Hellsing,” a potential reunion with director Chad Stahelski for a remake of “Man From Nowhere,” and was one part of the writing team on Marvel’s “The Falcon & The Winter Soldier.”

Production details and a timeline is unclear at the moment as there had been some signals that “Nobody 2” would be heading in front of cameras shortly.

SOURCE: DEADLINE

Posted on in Film News, News

‘Predator 6’: Dan Trachtenberg Reportedly Directing New Installment Called ‘Badlands’ With Future Setting & Another Female Lead

“Prey” seemed like a big success for both 20th Century Studios and director Dan Trachtenberg as they attempted to infuse new blood into the “Predator” franchise after Shane Black‘s “The Predator” seemed to feel like they were running on fumes. The Hollywood Reporter has revealed that a second film from Trachtenberg and the sixth franchise installment is indeed on the way under the working title of “Badlands.”

While details are scarce they are quick to point out that the film isn’t a direct sequel to “Prey” (Set in 1719) but will continue the last film’s angle of using a female protagonist and is said to jump into the future, which seems like a cue to the studio’s “Alien” franchise. This should give “Predator” fans hope that the franchise might start pushing toward the comic book and video game incarnations of the “Alien vs Predator,” where the hunters would bump into humans trying to colonize planets that happened to be gaming preserves.

How far into the future remains to be seen and if this will be another Earthbound adventure.

Patrick Aison (“Prey”) wrote the screenplay for “Badlands” with Trachtenberg working with Aison on the story. The report also mentions that more “Predator” projects are in the works that involve Trachtenberg, without dishing on exact details of what that means. Perhaps, we could end up getting a streaming series on Hulu/Disney+ not unlike what is happening with the “Alien” prequel show that hails from Noah Hawley (“Legion,” “Fargo”), but that is just an early assumption on our part.

UPDATE: Deadline adds in their version of the story that while it’s only in early development, “Prey 2” is still in the works and that Midthunder is expected to reprise the Naru role in it.

Rumors had pegged that a “Predator 6” would be a direct sequel to “Prey” with actress Amber Midthunder returning after a cliffhanger ending that teased the alien hunters’ return and potentially inducting Naru into one of the clans. Mirroring other humans that have joined Predator clans after proving themselves to be great warriors, similar to Machiko Noguchi (A character from the “AVP” comics). Given this reported time-jump there is nothing stopping them from bringing back Midthunder to play an ancestor of Naru, depending on the actual setting of the film as there is a good chance with a “future setting” they could move forward enough into this universe where there are off-world colonies (“Alien: Romulus” will feature a colony of humans fighting off a Xenomorph).

We’ll keep our fingers crossed that we’ll eventually get “Prey 2” but sounds like “Badlands” might be moving the franchise in a different direction. Perhaps, the ultimate goal is to lead directly in a futuristic off-world crossover between the “Alien” and “Predator” universes after the lackluster attempts with less-than-impressive “AVP” movies that took place in a contemporary Earthbound setting (Yawn, boring).

SOURCE: THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

Posted on in Film News, News

Warner Bros. Wins Bidding War For Period Genre Flick That Reunites Ryan Coogler & Michael B. Jordan With Filming Starting In April

Warner Bros. has beat Universal Pictures to land the next big project from director Ryan Coogler (“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”) as his untitled film will see the successful director reunite with actor Michael B. Jordan. The news hails from Deadline after a heated bidding war that saw a group of studios and streamers vying for the mysterious genre film that Coogler will also write.

While there have been reports of the project centering around vampires, none of these new trade reports commenting on the deal are mentioning that aspect as plot details are still being kept under lock and key. But, the period genre aspect is indeed in place. Production is reportedly set to begin as early as this April in New Orleans, a setting that has indeed been used for vampires and other horror-focused ghoulies.

The pair have worked together on “Creed” (Michael B. Jordan is said to be gearing up to direct “Creed 4”), “Black Panther” as the rising talent played the film’s compelling villain Erik Killmonger with Jordan making a brief cameo in “Wakanda Forever” as the fallen baddie, and got their start together on “Frutivale Station.” Alongside this project, Jordan is said to be reprising the John Clark role in “Rainbow Six” from director Chad Stahelski (“John Wick” franchise) once he wraps up his “Highlander” remake at Lionsgate and is attached for an “I Am Legend” sequel at Warners that is expected to involve Will Smith.

Coogler hasn’t telegraphed his future film plans at Marvel Studios, but there has been some expectation after a bit of a break he’ll be ready to return to direct or simply write/produce “Black Panther 3” for Marvel Studios given the franchise’s popularity under his creative stewardship.

We’ll have to be patient for the film’s title and release date but being released in 2025 is a good prospect given the upcoming shoot.

SOURCE: DEADLINE

Posted on in Film News, News

‘Fantastic Four’: SAG-AFTRA Seemingly Confirms Pedro Pascal Casting For Marvel’s Upcoming Reboot From Director Matt Shakman

Last month, the internet was buzzing when Daniel Richtman revealed that Pedro Pascal (“The Mandalorian,” “The Last of Us”) was in talks to take on the role of Dr. Reed Richards in Marvel’s reboot of the “Fantastic Four” with trades backing up that claim. However, we’re still waiting on Marvel Studios to comment on that front but in the meantime, there seems to be a confirmation of sorts coming from the major actors’ union as SAG-AFTRA (via our longtime pal PJ Campbell) has revealed the actor is indeed part of the cast without naming his specific role.

The union’s website has a profile of the actor and revealed that he’s not only wrapped “Gladiator 2” (A sign of the recency of the posting) but he’s also expected to be shooting “Fantastic Four” soon. However, since the spotting, the line about “Fantastic Four” has been removed from the site (likely at the request of Marvel/Disney), but you can see the unaltered version of the paragraph below.

Matt Shakman, who helmed the popular DIsney+ series “WandaVision,” is set to direct with a script that has undergone a multitude of rewrites and polishes.

While there have been promises of the full cast being announced, it’s been weeks since that and we’re likely just going to have to be patient for trades/Marvel to reveal who is playing the other three members. “Fantastic Four” has a tentative release date of May 2, 2025, but that date could easily move up or get pushed back considering how often Disney changes their tentpole lineup.

SOURCE: SAG-AFTRA

Posted on in Film News, News

Disney Dates Two ‘Star Wars’ Movies For 2026 With Bob Iger Hinting Jon Favreau’s ‘The Mandalorian & Grogu’ Up First In May 2026

There have been some rather big updates concerning the “Star Wars” universe with small screen confirmations that “The Mandalorian” is still getting a fourth season despite a feature film on the way and Dave Filoni (Lucasfilm’s new Chief Creative Officer) is already working on getting “Ahsoka” season two in the bag before pivoting to his own “Star Wars” movie set during that television timeline allowing him to play with both original saga and his own animation characters. We now have an idea of when to expect the next TWO movies thanks to Disney.

During an earnings call yesterday, Disney’s Bob Iger confirmed that Jon Favreau‘s “The Mandalorian & Grogu,” a continuation of the Disney+ series, would be the first new “Star Wars” movie to be released in 2026. That comes after Disney updated their main release slate (via Fandango’s Erik Davis) to include two 2026 spots for “Star Wars” films including May 22, 2026, and December 18, 2026.

Seemingly, Iger was giving us the impression that the “Mando” movie is most likely heading toward that May spot and the new Rey Skywalker installment “Star Wars: New Jedi Order” (Given how far along development is) could be heading toward that December release with director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy (“Ms. Marvel”) attached alongside Daisy Ridley‘s return to the franchise. Considering the previous films in the Rey Skywalker saga took December spots, it’s not all that surprising to us that would end up landing the holiday spot.

There have been hints that both of the films could be ready to shoot as early as this summer/fall but we’ll have to wait for some casting news to know for sure when they’re gearing up for production.

SOURCE: DISNEY/BOB IGER