Category: News

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MONDAY MARVEL ROUNDUP: ‘Secret Wars’, ‘X-Men’, ‘Hawkeye’, and ‘Spider-Man 3’

Russo Brothers Tease ‘Secret Wars’ Could Be Bigger Than ‘The Infinity Saga’

The Bro Bible was able to speak with The Russo Brothers about what could coax them to return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, such as with another massive event like Secret Wars. Something they have teased in the past they would be interested in tackling while on the press tour for Avengers: Endgame. 

 JOE RUSSO: “You know, I read that when I was 10 or 11, and it was the scale of getting all of the heroes together. It was one of the first major books to do that — that was really event-storytelling to me at its finest. And what happens when you put all of those personalities together. I also like the idea of villains having to team up with heroes. Anth and I like complicated relationships between heroes and villains, we like villains who believe they’re heroes in their own stories, so it’s all sort of built into this notion of Secret Wars. To execute something on the scale of Infinity War was directly related to the dream of Secret Wars, which is even larger in scale.”

ANTHONY RUSSO: “It would be the biggest movie you could possibly imagine, so that’s what really excites us about the story — the ambition of it is even bigger than the ambition of the Infinity Saga.”

It has yet to be made official that the Russo Brothers are even coming back and Secret Wars isn’t one of the announced projects in development, so it’s hard to say if the pair will get their chance to make it anytime soon. Marvel is already busy trying to finish Phase 4 projects and getting other things ready like their Blade, X-Men, and Fantastic Four reboots. 

‘Logan’ Actress Dafne Keen Open To Reprising X-23 In The MCU

When asked by Comic Book if Dafne Keen would like to reprise the role of Laura aka X-23 in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the Logan actress replied “definitely”. 

At one point, James Mangold had been mulling over developing a solo spinoff film focusing on Dafne’s Laura before 20th Century Fox folded into Disney with the merger. 

I think the likelihood of Keen returning is extremely slim just like Famke Janssen reprising the Jean Grey role in the MCU as everything points towards Marvel giving the main franchise a hard-reboot. However, there is a shot that Keen could reprise the X-23 role in something more mature like Deadpool 3 or X-Force. 

Keen is currently 15 and would be around 19-20 when Marvel is expected to relaunch their version of the X-Men. 

Tom Holland Suggests ‘Spider-Man 3’ Could Wrap Filming In February 2021

Actor Tom Holland has begun filming Uncharted in Germany and a quote was making the rounds from a family interview on Patreon (spotted by MCU Direct) where he hoped to have completed production on Spider-Man 3 by February 2021. 

However, he may have either misspoke or is potentially going by outdated studio information concerning the film’s production schedule. Considering that Spider-Man 3 is expected to shoot in places like Atlanta, New York City, and Los Angeles it is increasingly unlikely that will happen anytime soon given the state of COVID-19 in the United States alongside Uncharted‘s shoot just starting. that they’ll be able to begin in the fall. 

Marvel Studios Still Seeking An Actress To Play ‘Hawkeye’s Kate Bishop Or Will They Land On Hailee Steinfeld?

After recent news from the Hollywood Reporter that Marvel Studios has hired three directors for their upcoming Hawkeye series starring Jeremy Renner, there still seems to be a search to find an actress to play Barton’s protege Kate Bishop. 

Oscar-nominee Hailee Steinfeld (Bumblebee, Edge of Seventeen, True Grit) had been previously linked for talks by Variety and this is what The Hollywood Reporter had to say recently in their report about Hailee’s involvement with the Disney+ series. 

One of the arcs of the series is Barton’s mentoring of a new generation of archer, Kate Bishop. Hailee Steinfeld was previously in negotiations for the part but it is unclear if her deal has closed. Marvel had no comment.

If Hailee ultimately doesn’t land the role it could be due to her contract with Apple TV+ for the drama series Dickinson. 

Comic Book Artist Rob Liefeld Hopeful For A ‘Cable’ Movie

While speaking with Collider, comic book artist Rob Liefeld and co-creator of X-Men characters such as Deadpool and Cable, revealed he’s still very much interested in seeing a Cable movie coming together in the future. 

LIEFELD: “Cable should have his own movie series. He can exist independent of Deadpool in a heartbeat. He has for years. If Deadpool’s been in like 330 comics, Cable’s been in about 520. Yes, I’ve counted…. In between Deadpool 2 wrapping and opening, I got really close with Josh. And he was very excited about exploring Cable in the subsequent sequels. The X-Force standalone movie that was, in his own words, Cable-centric.”

Rob has been extremely vocal over the years about Nathan Summers aka Cable being able to handle his own film franchise. 

While Marvel Studios is seemingly set to have Ryan Reynolds carry-overs from the Fox films as Wade Wilson aka Deadpool, it remains to be seen if Josh Brolin will reprise the Cable role in future films. Ryan had confirmed back in December that Deadpool 3 is in actively development at Marvel Studios after moving from 20th Century after the merger.

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MONDAY MARVEL ROUNDUP: ‘Spider-Man 3’, ‘Doctor Strange 2’, ‘Black Panther 2’, ‘Shang-Chi’, and More!

Tom Holland Teases That ‘Uncharted’ Will Begin Shooting Soon In Germany

Fans have been guessing about what Sony Pictures would do about Uncharted and Spider-Man 3 as their productions would now conflict with each other. The obvious thing was that Uncharted would begin shooting first because it was ready to begin in Germany back in March but filming was paused to the Coronavirus pandemic. 

Some fans had made giant leaps with theories that Sony would just kill/delay Uncharted (after multiple production woes and hiccups over the years) and push forward with Spider-Man 3 instead. As we’ve been saying for months Uncharted is the priority at the moment and this has been cemented by Tom Holland. 

Recent Instagram posts from Tom Holland suggest he’s about to begin shooting Uncharted in Germany very soon after taking a COVID-19 test, getting his hair done to play Nathan Drake and showing off how ripped he got to work with his Uncharted co-star Mark Wahlberg. 

This would give the impression that he’ll be too busy over the next couple of months for Spider-Man 3 to begin production in September as previously rumored. 

In normal times, Uncharted might have been able to complete it’s production within a range of 3-4 months, however, with the new COVID-19 precautions this would likely extend the filming a couple of months. That’s if people don’t get sick and they have to pause for a couple of weeks. 

I think it’s extremely unlikely that Spider-Man 3 either is ready to shoot this September in Atlanta and Sony/Marvel will simply push that production into 2021 then bumping that November 5th, 2021 release to sometime in 2022. 

‘Doctor Strange 2’ Still Expected To Shoot Primarily At Longcross Studios

Speaking of Phase Four films that have seen their productions delayed in 2020, I have an update as it looks like Marvel still plans to film Doctor Strange In The Multiverse of Madness at Longcross Studios in Surrey, England. A major filming location I had previously confirmed over at HN Entertainment. 

Not anything crazy but, interestingly, they’ve been sticking to that stage space instead of considering other places. Longcross is the same stage facility where the original film shot and director Sam Raimi shot his Wizard of Oz prequel for Disney titled Oz, The Great & Powerful. 

It’s a little unclear when they’ll begin shooting since it’s unknown how much set construction or prep has been taking place since the United Kingdom has been in lockdown. We also won’t know if they’ll be able to meet their 2021 release date until Marvel makes it known when they’ll be able to start filming. 

I had also reported that they were planning on filming the sequel in New York City and Norway, but it remains to be seen if they’ll be doing any international filming anytime soon. 

We shouldn’t be surprised if Doctor Strange 2 like Spider-Man 3 is delayed into 2021. However, Spider-Man 3 is a slightly different case as their lead is shooting another large studio film first. 

Then again, we have little idea how much set construction and prep has been underway on either of the MCU sequels during the pandemic. 

‘Moonlight’s Janelle Monae Wants To Play Storm In ‘Black Panther 2’

We’ve been all been excited to see who will ultimately play the rebooted version of the X-Men in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and yet another actress has thrown their hand in the ring to play aka Storm. 

Moonlight actress and singer Janelle Monae spoke to Empire recently and revealed she’d very much like to play Ororo Munroe aka Storm in the Black Panther sequel. Bringing it up to cast members when they were hanging out in Atlanta. 

MONAE: “I definitely have thrown it out there. One of my dreams has always been to play Storm. I don’t know if she comes in Black Panther, but it would be a dream to have her in it. I don’t know where they are with that. A lot of women have played Storm and they’ve done an exceptional job, and I would love to be in that line of artists and get to do Storm justice.”

T’Challa and Ororo in the comics do become romantically involved leading to marriage and it would be an organic way to introduce her into the MCU given that her mother N’Dare (a tribal princess) is from Kenya. Ororo potentially being fellow royalty wouldn’t be a stretch. 

We still don’t know where Black Panther 2 is in the development stage other than Ryan Coogler is writing the script. While there have been rumblings of Spider-Man‘s Kraven The Hunter, Namor, and Fantastic Four‘s Doctor Doom appearing in the film nothing has been announced or confirmed. 

‘The Mandalorian’s Giancarlo Esposito Says He’s Keen For Marvel Studios Role Next

Janelle isn’t the only actor seemingly gunning for a Marvel role. Veteran film and television actor Giancarlo Esposito (Do The Right Thing, The Mandalorian) briefly mentioned to Entertainment Tonight that he’d like to work with Marvel Studios at some point. 

ESPOSITO: “Well there’s been all these rumors about being with Marvel, I want to work with those guys. I put it out there all the time. I haven’t created any of those rumors, but I worked years ago with Louis D’Esposito, who is one of the guys at Marvel, back when he was doing Cotton Club and I was doing Cotton Club, he was the [1st assistant director].”

“What they do is fantastic, and I want to do something enduring with them. I think the Marvel world would be, likely, the next step for me.”

This comes after a year ago there were rumblings the Breaking Bad actor was wanted for a role, however, that was neither announced nor confirmed. 

Where he could land role-wise is unknown despite the fan suggestions for Norman Osborn and Magneto. I personally think he’d be excellent as a hero like Norrin Radd aka Silver Surfer since Adam McKay was trying to get a feature film together over at Marvel last year. 

Charlize Theron Admits She Has Never Been In Talks With Marvel For Roles 

While speaking with Variety, Oscar-winning actress Charlize Theron (Atomic Blonde, Mad Max: Fury Road) has revealed that despite rumors over the years she has ultimately never spoken with Marvel Studios about various roles. 

THERON: “I swear to God. I’ve never gotten anything. No, I’m not lying to you. But that’s okay. You know what? I am paving my own way. I’m creating my own opportunities. So it’s alright.”

This doesn’t mean Charlize will never meet with Marvel in the future but it sounds like it hasn’t happened up to this point. 

Russo Brothers Support Anthony Mackie’s Comments On Lack of Diversity Behind The Scenes At Marvel Studios

After Anthony Mackie pointed out not too long ago that the people behind the scenes of Marvel Studios movies are mostly white and not as diverse as it could be. He is getting some support from directors The Russo Brothers while asked about it by Movie Maker. 

JOE RUSSO: “I think we can always all do better at diversity, constantly in this business, and in every facet of every industry — so he’s not wrong at all. I think that we all have to work harder to keep endorsing and supporting diversity on both sides of the camera.”

Marvel Studios Artist Charlie Wen Shares Unofficial ‘Shang-Chi’ Artwork

A brief post made by Marvel Studios concept artist Charlie Wen on his Instagram shows us some interesting but unofficial artwork featuring Simu Liu as Shang-Chi. 

I’m hopeful that we’ll get an official glimpse at Simu as the martial arts hero by the end of the year. 

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Directors Neill Blomkamp and Jordan Vogt-Roberts Tease A Future Collaboration?

Earlier in the month, while praising the work of fellow director Neill Blomkamp on District 9, Jordan Vogt-Roberts (Kong: Skull Island) teased that he’d love to work on something together in the future. 

VOGT-ROBERTS: “Rewatching Neill Blomkamp’s DISTRICT 9. Without a doubt a modern classic. Still in awe of what he pulled off all these years later. Still a gold standard for VFX. Still explosive and brilliant. One day I hope to mind-meld with this man.”

Blomkamp responding to the tweet with “I’m down”. 

https://twitter.com/NeillBlomkamp/status/1275620892207222784

Nothing more than a hint but it’s exciting none-the-less. 

Jordan has a couple of projects in the works including a live-action adaptation of the beloved military espionage video game series Metal Gear Solid for Sony Pictures. A new draft of the script has been completed but still has yet to be given an official greenlight from the studio. 

Neill Blomkamp has been having a rough time securing his next feature film bouncing from Alien 5 to RoboCop Returns to Greenland to his latest original project, a horror film titled Inferno which is expected to begin shooting soon in Albuquerque, New Mexico. 

Both share a love for video games having directed live-action trailers for Anthem and Destiny 2.

SOURCE: TWITTER

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AMC CEO Says Requiring Patrons Wear Masks Could Become A “Political Controversy” – A Key Recommendation By CDC To Prevent Spread of Coronavirus

Theater chains Cinemark, Regal, and AMC have released their new “safety policies” for reopening theaters but none are making masks worn by patrons a requirement.

UPDATE: AMC is reversing their policy via Variety and are now requiring guests to wear masks after backlash from CEO Adam Aron’s comments from yesterday.

“This announcement prompted an intense and immediate outcry from our customers, and it is clear from this response that we did not go far enough on the usage of mask. At AMC Theatres, we think it is absolutely crucial that we listen to our guests. Accordingly, and with the full support of our scientific advisors, we are reversing course and are changing our guest mask policy. As we reopen theatres, we now will require that all AMC guests nationwide wear masks as they enter and enjoy movies at our theatres. The speed with which AMC moved to revise our mask policies is a reflection of our commitment to the safety and health of our guests.”

UPDATE: Regal Cinemas via Deadline has also reversed their policy and will now require patrons to wear masks.

“As related to our employees, guests will also be required to wear masks. Disposable masks will be made available as needed.”

In a new Cinemark reopening video, CEO Mark Zoradi completely omits the mentioning of wearing masks in the actual theater space where it actually counts the most.

CINEMARK: “We welcome you to wear face masks in lobbies, hallways and restrooms.”

Six patrons pictured in Cinemark’s safety video only two are wearing masks.

You can watch that video below and you’ll notice that he doesn’t once mention wearing masks in the screening room.

This is odd since they’re requiring employees to wear masks at all times and it clearly is still a key CDC recommendation on their website (cloth face coverings) as a preventative measure to stop the spread of COVID-19. Cinemark, Regal, and now AMC aren’t requiring masks of patrons, it comes off as they’re willfully ignoring a key safety measure.

Dr. Anthony Fauci still is advising Americans to wear masks.

It’s also worth mentioning that social distancing alone isn’t as effective in an enclosed indoor space because you don’t have the same airflow as outdoors and a study from the Journal of American Medical Association that 6 feet might not even be enough to be safe from droplets as they can travel as far as 23-27 feet. If you consider that masks would help prevent this, why gamble and not make it a requirement?

Here are some reasons why that is happening.

Sitting at the top of the list is simply making sure theaters are still able to make money from concession sales. If they promote the idea it’s dangerous to not to wear masks inside the theater it will discourage patrons from feeling comfortable enough to buy food and drinks at concession, then removing their masks to consume those concession products. One of the biggest ways theaters earn revenue is from concession sales and it comes off like they’re willing to risk the health of patrons for popcorn sales.

This is extremely counterproductive and straight-up dangerous.

The biggest glaring issue seems to be that theaters are more worried about offending a small segment of anti-science patrons that don’t believe in the preventative measure or even that COVID-19 is even real/that bad. We’ve all seen the videos of people freaking out when they’re told to wear masks at grocery stories and restaurants.

That’s the thing, businesses make the policy and it’s their responsibility to keep costumers safe.

This idea has been circulated by Trump and the White House that wearing a mask isn’t important or necessary. Trump actively refusing to wear a mask in public (on camera) even when it was required of him like a Ford planet he visited during the thick of the pandemic. President Trump has also been sharing months of incorrect theories and life-threatening treatments have added to the confusion leading to armed protests against the lockdown measures meant to protect Americans from dying.

Trump is asking his rally attendees in Tulsa, Oklahoma to sign COVID-19 waivers to not sue the campaign if they get sick or die. Also, making masks “optional” while his own CDC and medical experts believe it’s dangerous. They’re also likely going to ignore social distancing which the President seemingly doesn’t believe in.

The reality of the situation is that the American death troll from COVID-19 is currently 120,000+ and is expected to reach 200,000 by September/October. People are dying and asymptomatic people (those that feel fine without symptoms) are spreading it more rapidly leading to the recent spike in new cases across the country.

Masks are meant to protect others and if people aren’t willing to be that considerate for human life, why take their money?

AMC CEO Adam Aron during a recent interview with Variety claims that requiring patrons to wear masks would be placing the company into a “political controversy”, instead of backing a preventive measure during a massive public health crisis. Adding to the idea they’re more concerned about offending than keeping people safe.

Here is the CEO’s exact quote and some context provided by Variety.

AMC will not mandate that all guests wear masks, although employees will be required to do so. Nor will AMC perform temperature checks on customers, though it will monitor its employees’ temperatures and have them undergo screenings to check for signs of coronavirus. The situation will be different in states and cities that require residents to wear a mask when they’re in public, but Aron said that AMC was wary of wading into a public health issue that has become politicized.

ARON: “We did not want to be drawn into a political controversy. We thought it might be counterproductive if we forced mask wearing on those people who believe strongly that it is not necessary. We think that the vast majority of AMC guests will be wearing masks. When I go to an AMC feature, I will certainly be wearing a mask and leading by example.”

AMC will also sell masks for a dollar to guests who forgot to bring one. Both Cinemark and Regal are encouraging guests to wear masks, but not requiring it in states and areas where it is not mandated.

AMC is said to be on the brink of bankruptcy and being extremely desperate to make money again might be why they’re cutting corners to get as many dollars through their doors as possible even if it puts others at risk and in harm’s way. Their motivations are most likely are short term and monetary.

At the end of the day, they can clean all they want but if asymptomatic patrons aren’t properly protecting others in public spaces by required mask wearing, theaters are opening themselves to outbreaks of coronavirus and lawsuits.

Public heath isn’t political it’s about keeping everyone safe and wearing masks will help preventing more Americans dying as pointed out by medical experts and the government. This only makes theaters less appealing and myself less likely to support them in the future.

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Peter Jackson’s New Zealand-Based Weta Digital Launches Weta Animated

Today, it was officially announced via Variety that Weta Digital will be expanding it’s operations with a new animation division called Weta Animated. Peter Jackson’s company based in New Zealand has been one of the leading forces in digital visual effects along industry peers such as Industrial Light & Magic.

They’ve hired Prem Akkaraju to lead Weta Animated as the company’s chief executive officer.

Weta Digital got it’s start with Jackson’s 1994 film Heavenly Creatures. They’ve been working on various films since which includes projects such as The Lord of The Rings trilogy, King Kong, The Hobbit trilogy, Avatar, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, Alita: Battle Angel, District 9, Mulan, and Black Widow.

It’s also been revealed that owners Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh will write, produce, and direct many animated projects for newly formed company. However, details weren’t mentioned on what those projects could be.

I’m curious if they’ll attempt to use Weta Animated to make the Tintin sequels.

SOURCE: VARIETY

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Star Wars Celebration 2020 Officially Cancelled – Will Return To Anaheim In August 2022

After next month’s San Diego Comic-Con was cancelled because of the current risk of holding an international event during the COVID-19 pandemic. Star Wars Celebration 2020 in Anaheim, California has been cancelled as well for similar reasons.

However, it will return to the Anaheim Convention Center in August 2022.

Here is the official press release about the announcement.

To our Star Wars Celebration fans and friends,

At Star Wars Celebration, the health and safety of our fans, attendees, exhibitors, guests and staff is always our number one priority. Due to the global impact of the COVID-19 virus and in speaking with local and state authorities on the latest public health guidelines related to indoor conventions, we have made the decision to cancel Star Wars Celebration for 2020.

While this news is disappointing, we are happy to announce that Star Wars Celebration will return to the Anaheim Convention Center on August 18-21, 2022.

Tickets Transfers and Refunds: Fans who were planning to attend Star Wars Celebration Anaheim this year may either transfer their current ticket purchase to the new event dates, receive a refund or receive a credit for Star Wars Celebration merchandise. As a token of our appreciation and to thank all Star Wars Celebration 2020 fans who choose to transfer their tickets to the 2022 show, we are excited to offer a free exclusive Star Wars Celebration stormtrooper character pin for all transferred tickets. All information about transferring your tickets or requesting a refund can be found at starwarscelebration.com and all ticket holders will receive an e-mail with detailed instructions on how to submit your request.

SOURCE: LUCASFILM