Despite being announced alongside Rogue One: A Star Wars Story co-star Diego Luna for the prequel Disney+ series Andor, a new quote from K-2S0 actor Alan Tudyk suggests he might not be as involved with the series as previously thought or originally promoted by Lucasfilm.
Alan was speaking with Collider and revealed that while Andor is filming at the moment he hasn’t shoot any scenes giving the impression he might not be showing up in future seasons. The actor revealing he’s not in Season 1, but that seems odd for a multitude of reasons.
TUDYK: “They’re shooting it right now, I’m not in it. But, if it stays on the air, stories keep getting told, I’ll end up in there.”
“I’m going to be in the show. It’s just that the story that Tony [Gilroy] is telling doesn’t involve K-2SO until later on… I can’t be too specific, but I can definitely say that I’m not going to be in the first season.”
It’s a little perplexing since Alan was on stage with Luna for the series announcement giving us the impression his role was likely minimized during the show’s rewrites. The show takes place five years before the events of Rogue One and maybe they wanted to explore Cassian Andor’s origins before pairing him with the surly droid.
Alan’s name was missing in a recent press release announcing new cast members on the official website, a possible first clue that he wasn’t going to be showing up after a potential retooling.
Star Diego Luna will be joined by Genevieve O’Reilly, who will reprise her role as Mon Mothma (Rogue One, Tin Can), as well as newly-announced co-stars Stellan Skarsgard (Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, Good Will Hunting), Denise Gough (Collett, Angels in America) and Kyle Soller (Anna Karenina, The Titan).
Tony Gilroy, who co-wrote Rogue One, will write, direct and serve as showrunner for the series, which takes place five years before the events of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Additional writers on the series include Dan Gilroy (Nightcrawler), Beau Willimon (House of Cards), and Stephen Schiff (The Americans).
Filming is underway and is expected to drop sometime in 2022 on Disney+.
After Katee Sackhoff reprised the role of Bo-Katan in The Mandalorian, there has been some speculation that other voice actors from the animation side of Star Wars might make the jump to playing live-action incarnations of their characters.
Collider recently spoke with fellow Star Wars: Rebels voice actor Jason Isaacs about the possibility of him playing The Grand Inquisitor in undisclosed live-actions projects for Lucasfilm and he sounds open to idea. It sounds like the quality of the script and the limited amount of prosthetics would be conditions for Jason to do it.
ISAACS: “I think it was because of his lightsaber. I’d like to use that spinning red lightsaber. I have the coolest wand in the Harry Potter world and I have the cool lightsaber in the Star Wars world.”
“I’m open to anything. It’s always about the script. I don’t want to just turn up so that I can take some photographs and go to conventions. I’d like to play parts. The Inquisitor was a great part when I played it and if the Inquisitor was a great part again, I’d be up for it. I’m not sure I’ve got the patience of Doug Jones who plays Saru in Discovery, who was the creature in The Shape of Water and stuff. I don’t now how many hours I’d like to spend in prosthetics. But yeah, Katee had a very good time. I know Katee and I’ll say, I’ve loved being part of the Star Wars world. They’ve invited me in although I’ve only ever been an animated character before.”
“It’s always the script and what you get to do. I know that for other people they go, ‘I’d love to see you in this,’ or, ‘I’d love to see you in that.’ Mostly it’s people would like to see me do something they’ve seen me do before. They go, ‘There’s a character just like that in this. Wouldn’t you like to be in Outlander playing so and so?’ And I go, ‘Well, not really because you’re just saying I should bring that character over from The Patriot,’ or whatever.”
However, given his character’s death in Star Wars: Rebels, he’d likely have to appear in things that take place before those events such as the Obi-Wan Kenobi limited series starring Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen. Considering Darth Vader is confirmed for the Disney+ show, having a version of The Inquisitors appearing is a strong possibility given that they’d still be hunting down Jedi at this point in the timeline.
It looks like we finally have our second new cast member on Marvel’s She-Hulk series!
Deadline reports that Space Force and Kidding actress Ginger Gonzaga as been tapped to play Jennifer Walter’s best friend in the show, calling it a co-starring role. Emmy-winner Tatiana Maslany is playing Jennifer Walters, the defense lawyer cousin of Bruce Banner, who in the comics is given an emergency blood transfusion from Banner leading to her becoming a Hulk herself empowered with similar strength and abilities.
UPDATE: The actress has confirmed her involvement on Twitter.
Filming is said to begin this March in Atlanta, Georgia under the working title Libra.
Rick & Morty‘s Jessica Gao is the lead writer on the MCU series with Kat Coiro and Anu Valia directing.
The series is described as a superhero workplace comedy and will also feature MarkRuffalo as the Hulk and Tim Roth making his triumphant return as The Incredible Hulk‘s Abomination. There are also expectations that other actors from that film be returning, but have yet to be confirmed officially. William Hurt‘s Thunderbolt Ross has been popping-up in multiple projects since The Incredible Hulk and almost appeared as his second comic book persona, Red Hulk, in Captain America: Civil War.
Kevin Feige has also teased other superhero cameos which some fans have assumed could mean either Peter Parker or Matt Murdock.
We should be getting a couple more casting additions before production starts.
She-Hulk is expected to begin airing on Disney+ in late summer/fall of 2022 given the extensive special effects needed for the multiple Hulks on the show.
Before Ben Affleck wore the cowl in Batman v Superman and Justice League, he starred in a Marvel project with 20th Century Fox’s Daredevil feature film which predated the fan-beloved Netflix series starring Charlie Cox. That 2003 film saw Ben Affleck co-star with Jon Favreau, the director of Iron Man and Iron Man 2. Jon became one of the architects of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and still plays the role of Happy Hogan in Tom Holland’s Spider-Man trilogy.
As a filmmaker and producer, Ben most certainly was watching the success of Marvel Studios, which has led to some praise to Kevin Feige in a new interview. While chatting on The Hollywood Reporter’s podcast Awards Chatter, Affleck gushed about how successful Feige has been.
AFFLECK: “Fucking Kevin Feige is absolutely, you have to say, the greatest producer, most successful producer who ever lived. He’s the only guy in the world who, if he told me, ‘I know what the audience wants! This is what we’re doing!’ I would believe him 100%.”
“That fucker knows his audience like no producer (ever), he’s a genius. Kevin is like a ringmaster at the circus; he knows exactly how much to wink at the audience, exactly when to pull at the heartstrings, exactly when to do the effects, how many jokes, what the sensibility, what the tone is. Because people didn’t know to run away from the pajamas or embrace it or make it serious.”
Affleck is reportedly set to direct a film Disney with an adaptation Keeper of The Lost Cities and his pal Matt Damon has seemingly joined the cast of Marvel’s Thor: Love & Thunder.
I’m sure fans would enjoy to see Ben Affleck join the MCU in some capacity.
A full room of concept art in a new WandaVision featurette might have revealed a special cameo. A piece of artwork featuring fellow Avenger Wonder Man has been spotted which could mean the character may end up in the Marvel Studios series that has already started airing on Disney+. You can see the Marvel superhero with the “W” on his chest in the top left corner in the image below.
You might not remember but Simon Williams aka Wonder Man had once been set to appear in Guardians of The Galaxy Vol.2 and played by Nathan Fillion, there were multiple faux movie posters made up with him as Williams. The cameo was ultimately cut from the film and it remains to be seen if the actor would be asked to reprise the role again if he’s truly in WandaVision.
There have been online rumors circulating for over a year that Marvel Studios is interested in making a Nova project, however, Kevin Feige and Disney has yet to make this official.
This growing fan desire led Comic Book to ask Kevin Feige about a Nova project while appearing on their new podcast Phase Zero (spotted by The Disinsider). The Marvel Studios president didn’t confirm the development rumors but certainly gives the impression they’ll eventually tackle the cosmic superhero.
FEIGE: “Timing is relative, right? I think I’d been talking about Doctor Strange eight years before that movie came out. So, ‘immediate potential’ is relative. But clearly, we are not shying away from the cosmic end of storytelling right in the sweet spot of the Nova Corps and Nova himself.”
He also doesn’t clarify if they would attempt to make a series or full feature film. The studio certainly has it’s hands full these days and Feige hasn’t been ready to announce when Phase 4 will even end.
The Nova Corps were first introduced in James Gunn’s Guardians of The Galaxy and seemingly had been destroyed by Thanos in the events leading up to Avengers: Infinity War as they had been protecting an infinity stone on Xandar.
Marvel has a handful of cosmic projects on the horizon including Eternals, Ms. Marvel, Captain Marvel 2, Thor: Love & Thunder, Fantastic Four, Secret Invasion, and Guardians of The Galaxy 3.
Yesterday, news broke via Deadline that Chris Evans’ retirement from the Marvel Cinematic Universe was about to end with talks of the Avengers actor nearing a deal to reprise the Steve Rogers role for an upcoming MCU project and adding a second project could also be in play.
Chris Evans has taken to Twitter to seemingly respond to Deadline’s report stating “news to me” with a shrug emoji.
Deadline is quite reliable and actors connected to Marvel roles have been deceptive before when it comes to them publicly confirming casting reports or returns to various projects before the go-ahead from the studio. It’s also possible Evans’ return doesn’t come together and Avengers: Endgame is the final say on Steve Rogers.
Having an older Steve mentoring Sam Wilson in a Captain America 4 feature film feels like the play here, but I’m not sure that is something they’ll be ultimately attempt as they gave Rogers a solid ending that seemed to sit well with Chris Evans.
The actor signaling on Twitter he would stepping down from the role back in 2018.
There are other ways to have Evans return with his time-travelling to the late 1940s to meet up with Peggy Carter post-WWII and spends a lifetime with her, allowing some wiggle room to have him tackling The Cold War era threats to the United States and world peace via a team like The Invaders.
The role they were talking-up sounds larger than a simple cameo that could take more time than he currently has for other projects as he is about to begin filming Netflix’s $200 million budgeted spy film The Gray Man directed by The Russo Brothers. This might telegraph his work in California could conflict with current Marvel Studios productions such as Spider-Man 3, Doctor Strange In The Multiverse of Madness or even Thor: Love &Thunder.
Speaking of the Multiverse, there could be another timeline where Captain America fought through-out the entire WWII campaign beyond just taking down HYDRA and was able to hook up with other Marvel superheroes from that era.
Yesterday, it was revealed by Deadline that Chris Evans was nearing a deal to reprise SteveRogers aka Captain America in a small supporting role (similar to Robert Downey Jr. in Spider-Man: Homecoming) for an undisclosed MCU project. They also mention Evans might be returning for second thing, possibly a film but didn’t reveal what that could be either.
There are a couple of obvious options such as old Steve Rogers becoming a mentor to Sam Wilson in Captain America 4 as he takes over the mantle. Also, seeing what Steve was up to while hiding between Captain America: Civil War to Avengers: Infinity War, not unlike where Black Widow takes place in the MCU timeline. There is the multiple years between Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, I’m sure there would still be threats in the wake of Thanos’ snap.
There is another option to add. Thanks to Avengers: Endgame, that Steve was able to go back in time to be with Peggy Carter and stayed there starting in 1948 just when The Cold War begins. Steve as an old man ends up handing Sam Wilson the shield at the end of the film and launching the events that will be covered in The Falcon & The Winter Soldier.
The Multiverse also opens the door to other timelines allowing to them return to WWII.
I think it’s hard to imagine with all the threats surrounding him during that timeline and Peggy Carter’s work at S.H.I.E.L.D. that he doesn’t eventually jump back into the fray between his return and Avengers: Endgame. What would make a lot of sense would be Rogers leading his own team which has previously happened with The Invaders, a group mostly made up of WWII era heroes such as Namor McKenzie aka The Sub-Mariner, Union Jack, Spitfire, the original android version of The Human Torch aka Jim Hammond, Blazing Skull, and multiple other wartime heroes that could get some live-action love.
It’s worth noting that Wyatt Russell’s John Walker aka U.S. Agent, Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson, and Sebastian Stan’s Bucky Barnes have been established members on the roster.
There is another superhero that was kicking around during WWII and The Cold War that has teamed-up with Captain America the comics that could make for another excellent addition to those ranks, that being the Canadian super-soldier Wolverine.
Luckily, since Logan doesn’t really age he can be able to time-hop to various eras of the MCU including something like WWII or even futuristic setting like with Old Man Logan.
Rebooting Wolverine is clearly a huge priority to the studio alongside the X-Men and having the anti-hero connect to various MCU characters beforehand wouldn’t be shocking since he’s, like Steve Rogers, he is part of a super-soldier program via Weapon. When his origin takes places in the MCU doesn’t seem to be set in stone and Marvel can certainly tinker with it to fit their needs but I’d personally like to see him running around WWII without his indestructible skeleton and then get it during The Cold War.
It might be a good idea to introduce Wolverine as a supporting character elsewhere so that he doesn’t dominate the main X-Men films as much. The fictional X-Men locale of Madripoor is going to be introduced in The Falcon & The Winter Soldier, which had many fans jump to conclusions that Wolverine is connected to the Disney+ series, although, there hasn’t been credible information backing up these fan desires. However, it becoming a stomping ground for the mutant eventually wouldn’t a surprise.
If they’re genuinely going to bring Chris Evans back I think it is worth considering giving him another period project since while Captain America: The First Avenger canonically takes place during WWII, it felt like they copped-out by limiting how much fighting he did against the actual Axis. The Cold War era could be another fine option as Steve combating the new threat of The Soviet Union during the height of the nuclear arms race feels just as a plausible of a setting for another adventure.
X-Men villain Omega Red could be a good baddie to use as well given his connections to Soviet Union super-soldier experiments.
It’s worth mentioning we’ve previously seen Easter Eggs to canonical members of The Invaders lineup in previous Marvel Studios films.
Union Jack was teased via Iron Man 2 as Joey Chapman was listed as one of the racers going head-to-head with Tony Stark. The Human Torch is seen encased in glass and Namor’s Atlantis was briefly teased in Captain America: The First Avenger at the Stark Expo (blink and you’ll miss the underwater city nod). The S.H.I.E.L.D. boat called The Lemurian Star in Captain America: The Winter Soldier is a direct nod to Namor villains The Lemurians, a sign that something nefarious was happening onboard.
I’m sure we’ll start to get confirmation what Evans is actually going to show up in but I think fans are also quite comfortable leaving old Rogers alone as well given his satisfying ending.
It looks like Chris Evan‘s break as Captain America didn’t last that long.
Deadline is reporting Evans is closing-in on a deal to play Steve Rogers aka Captain America one more time for Marvel in an unnamed project at Marvel Studios. The outlet stops short from revealing what the project could be, either film or a Disney+ series, claim it’s much more substantial than a cameo potentially more in a supporting role.
In a move that is sure to rock the Marvel Cinematic Universe, sources tell Deadline that Chris Evans is cleaning the dust off his Captain America attire as he expected reprise the role in the MCU in some form. Still vague if deal as completely closed but insiders say its headed in that direction for Evans to return as Steve Rogers aka Captain America in at least one Marvel property with the door open for a second film. Sources add it’s unlikely to be a new Captain America installment and more likely to be like what Robert Downey Jr. did after Iron Man 3, appearing in films like Captain America: Civil War and Spider-Man: Homecoming.
A Multiverse project feels like the most current thing he could be doing for Marvel Studios, however, he’s about to begin shooting Netflix’s spy flick The Gray Man for the Russo Brothers in California making it difficult for him to be flying to London or Atlanta anytime soon to shoot a bunch of scenes.
I personally would love to see an Invaders film/series that takes place during WWII since we really didn’t get that in Captain America: The First Avenger, the studio seemed to be squeamish about having one of their heroes taking on a group of real Nazis. A Multiverse project set within the WWII could allow Marvel to return to that era and explore the multiple superhero characters that fought alongside Cap and Bucky. Those include Namor, Union Jack, Spitfire, and the original android version of The Human Torch. Plus, there are many many other WWII era characters they could use that would likely never see the light of day elsewhere.
When Steve goes back to be with Peggy there is a possibility he had further adventures which could allow for the Invaders to come together in that timeline.
Then again, they could use the older version of Steve Rogers from Avengers: Endgame in a project as well.
We finally have a second cast member announced for Marvel’s Moon Knight series starring Oscar Isaac as Marc Spector. The Hollywood Reporter has revealed that actress May Calamawy has nabbed an unknown role in the show that will air on Disney+ in 2022 (we’re hearing spring/summer) and will begin shooting in March.
Moon Knight, aka Marc Spector, a mercenary who has numerous alter egos — cabbie Jake Lockley and millionaire playboy Steven Grant — in order to better fight the criminal underworld. But later he was established as being a conduit for the Egyptian moon god Khonshu. Most recently, the character was a consultant who dresses in all-white and goes by the name Mr. Knight.
Kevin Feige recently revealed to Collider they hope to give Moon Knight six episodes running about 40-50 minutes per episode, similar to Loki and The Falcon & The WinterSoldier.
The directing team consists of Egyptian filmmaker Mohamed Diab along with the indie duo of Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead.
Production on Moon Knight is said to begin this March in Budapest, Hungary under the working title Good Faith, a location that was used for their feature film Black Widow. Other filming locations had once included London and the United States.
We are expecting a lot more casting announcements in the coming weeks as production is set to begin in two months.
THE RONIN 