Tag: Malcolm Spellman

Posted on in Film News

Julius Onah To Direct ‘Captain America 4’ For Marvel Studios

At the end of Avengers: Endgame, we saw Steve Rogers hand down the Captain America mantle and shield to Sam Wilson. However, that was easier said than done as the U.S. government had its own ideas for who should take the position leading to the complex events of The Falcon & The Winter Soldier.

In the series, we see that the government that turned its back on Wilson also threw another super-soldier in prison with Isaiah Bradley simply because a black man couldn’t be “trusted” with his powers. or follow orders. The entire reason for the Disney+ project was to show the transition of Anthony Mackie’s Falcon to Captain American before getting his own film.

The Hollywood Reporter has an update concerning Captain America 4 as Marvel has tapped director Julius Onah (Cloverfield Paradox, Luce) to helm the fourth installment. We should expect some of the hard-hitting themes the streaming series as head writer Malcolm Spellman is co-writing the script with Dalan Musson.

Captain America 4 is expected to continue the events after The Falcon & The Winter Soldier, which likely means that Zemo and U.S. Agent could make their return or have some connective tissue to the upcoming Thunderbolts film that has Jake Schreier (Frank & Robot) attached to direct or even the Armor Wars show.

The Serpent Society would make for a great surrogate for HYDRA in the Sam Wilson films, after the terrorist orgainzation that was embedded within SHIELD was dissolved, because the roster is massive and would move away from the Nazi/Red Skull connection.

While most have accepted that Mackie is now the new Captain America, there have been an oddball group that believe that Rogers will return to take up the shield. As Evans and Kevin Feige has downplayed Rogers’ future in the MCU. The actor doubling-down with the following tweet after THR added ambigous/unsourced spectulation that Evans could be coming back.

https://twitter.com/ChrisEvans/status/1545826871262056449

Marvel Studios is heading back to Comic-Con later this month and we could learn about its release date.

SOURCE: THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

Posted on in Features

The Serpent Crown Could Be Next Big McGuffin Coming To The MCU Leading To Lumerians & The Serpent Society

Yesterday, fans discovered the possibility of Namor (Prince of Atlantis) villain Gargantos being involved in a fight sequence in Sam Raimi’s Doctor Strange In The Multiverse of Madness. It felt like a big hint that Namor is coming to the Marvel Cinematic Universe or even the Doctor Strange sequel after Scott Derrickson had teased on Twitter before deleting the post and exiting the film leading to rewrites from Michael Waldron (Loki).

Despite believable rumors of Namor (alongside other characters) showing up in Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (Atlantis and Wakanda having battled each other before), neither the trades nor Marvel Studios have confirmed this exciting potential. Given that Angela Bassett told Entertainment Tonight there have been at least five versions of the script means that things could have been tweaked/changed over the last year or two.

“There have been about five incarnations of the script and I hear another one’s coming,” Bassett said of the script development of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

While the Darkhold (book of dark magic) is being introduced in WandaVision and should play a large role in Doctor Strange 2, we could be seeing more dangerous items falling into the wrong hands.

The addition of Gargantos may mean another dangerous McGuffin could be coming to the MCU as well. As the comic that featured Gargantos included the former ruler of Atlantis, Naga of Lumeria. The Lumerians are sort of antagonists to the Atlanteans, and their leader Naga wears an object of interest of Marvel Comics, the Serpent Crown. Interestingly enough, Captain America: The Winter Soldier gave them a brief nod with the SHIELD ship in the opening sequence being called The Lumerian Star (seemingly a HYDRA operation).

The Serpent Crown has connections to various villains such as Mephisto (Marvel’s cosmic version of the Devil), Ophelia Sarkissian aka Viper, The Serpent Society (once led by Sarkissian), and the aforementioned Naga of Lumeria.

In the comics, Scarlet Witch, Doctor Strange, Spider-Man, and the Thing teamed up to fight against Quasar, who was possessed by the Serpent Crown.

The Serpent Society connection is a big standout here. Mainly, because it was the fake title (Captain America: Serpent Society) used before Kevin Feige announced that they would be making Captain America: Civil War and announced the casting of Chadwick Boseman as T’Challa/Black Panther. There had been reports that The Falcon & The Winter Soldier head writer Malcolm Spellman and Dalan Musson had been assigned to write Captain America 4, assumed to star Anthony Mackie. So, setting up the Serpent Society as a threat or giving clues to the Serpent Crown beforehand would be a good way to go.

The Serpent Society has a connection to Lumeria, which makes the Lumerian Star tease in Captain America: The Winter Soldier even more interesting given that it was controlled by HYDRA. Viper, also goes by the codename Madame Hydra. They could easily become the successors to HYDRA and make for foes for Sam Wilson’s new Captain America or even the Thunderbolts.

I wouldn’t be that shocked if Val (was an incarnation of Madame Hydra in the comics) or Sharon Carter’s Power Broker are part of this MCU incarnation of The Serpent Society, given that Viper once controlled the island nation of Madripoor, which seemingly we’ll be revisiting in the future possibly in Shang-Chi & The Legend of The Ten Rings.

Roxxon’s Hugh Jones (who appeared in Agents of SHIELD) attempted to use the Serpent Crown to gain control of the U.S. government in the comics, it’s possible the MCU could reboot that character as they have with the Darkhold in WandaVision. The Loki series, that gave us a true introduction to The Multiverse, featured Roxxon’s Walmart proxy Roxxcart.

I guess we’ll have to wait on March 25, 2022 to known for sure if Namor, Atlantis, and The Serpent Crown are coming.

Posted on in Film News

‘Captain America 4’: Director Kari Skogland Game To Tackle The Next Installment & Writer Malcolm Spellman Downplays His Involvement

Last Friday, there was a scoop from The Hollywood Reporter that revealed Marvel Studios was already moving forward with Captain American 4 hiring screenwriters Malcolm Spellman and Dalan Musson to begin working on a script.

This new was coming off the success of the Disney+ series Falcon & Winter Soldier, where Spellman was the head writer. That 6-episode series followed the journey of Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson transforming into the new Captain America alongside acknowledging the dark-side of the super-soldier program via Isiah Bradley’s history of being the first black Captain America, but his story being kept from the public and his subsequent 30 year imprisonment. It’s been all but confirmed that Mackie would end up leading Captain America 4 and potential further installments.

However, this has yet to be announced by Marvel/Disney and Malcolm Spellman doesn’t give a strong impression the project is a lock. When asked about the report by Comic Book, Malcolm has seemingly downplayed how involved he currently is with Captain America 4 and points back to Kevin Feige being the one that makes these things official.

SPELLMAN: “Who said it? Did Kevin say it? I would not put faith in anything you do not hear directly from the man himself!”

While we’ll have to wait for some official confirmations about Captain America 4, Falcon & Winter Soldier director Kari Skogland has revealed to Cinemablend’s Reel Blend podcast that she would be game if the offer came her way.

SKOGLAND: “I think if Marvel called me to do anything, if they called me to film the phone book, I would do it. … The Marvel characters are all very, very rich. I’ve become friends with Anthony and Sebastian, and I really enjoyed working with them. And Emily and Daniel Bruhl. I mean, I’ve worked with them for a couple of years, so of course, I have a special place in my heart. But as I said, if Kevin (Feige) picked up the phone, I would answer it.”

I’m pretty sure we’ll end up seeing some cross-pollination between Don Cheadle’s Armor Wars and Captain America 4, given that the heroes and villains are essentially mingling in similar government circles.

SOURCE: COMIC BOOK & CINEMABLEND

Posted on in Film News

‘Captain America 4’ Moving Forward At Marvel Studios With ‘Falcon & Winter Soldier’s Malcolm Spellman Writing

Marvel Studios is reportedly already developing Captain America 4 with writers Malcolm Spellman and Dalan Musson. Spellman is the showrunner of Falcon & The Winter Soldier and Musson is a staff writer on the Disney+ show.

It’s all but confirmed that the series will continue the adventures of Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson as the new Captain America. However, a director hasn’t been named but there is a good shot they’ll ask Kari Skogland after tackling Falcon & Winter Soldier and alongside Spellman being a key part of the show’s success.

Villains aren’t named but there is a good shot that Marvel could end up using The Serpent Society, a group of multiple villains that have been the thorn in the side of Captain America. You might remember that Captain America 3 briefly had the faux title of Captain America: Serpent Society before the Civil War angle was confirmed with the reveal of the late Chadwick Boseman playing T’Challa aka Black Panther in the sequel.

The Serpent Society could end up being an overarching group of baddies for Sam’s era of the franchise potentially alongside other unused Captain America villains that can be mined for future movies led by Anthony Mackie. It’s unclear if Bucky Barnes, Sharon Carter, Baron Zemo, Val, and John Walker will be part of the character lineup for the fourth installment.

I’m slightly curious if The Thunderbolts will have a connection as well.

SOURCE: THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

Posted on in Television News

‘The Falcon & The Winter Soldier’ Head Writer Malcolm Spellman Would Like To Reboot Deathlok Next

The Falcon & The Winter Soldier has finally debuted after being delayed a couple months as production had been pushed due to the pandemic. The series head writer and executive producer Malcolm Spellman has been doing interviews and recently talked-up another Marvel Comics superhero he’d like to get his hands on next if the studio allowed it.

While speaking with Heroic Hollywood, Spellman reveals he’d love to get his hands on Deathlok and clarifying he would want to reboot him for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, not continuing the Michael Peterson version seen in the ABC series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. played by J. August Richards.

SPELLMAN: “My favorite character, the character I would most love to do next, would be Deathlok. But it would have to be right.”

When they mention the A.O.S. version Malcolm responded by stating he’d want to do another version of the character, a reboot. Potentially, referring to the other versions such as Col. Luther Manning, Michael Collins, Jack Truman, and Henry Hayes.

SPELLMAN: “Yeah. Yeah. Not that Deathlok. A different Deathlok.”

Interestingly enough, there was a Deadline article from 2019 that Marvel Studios was keen on rebooting the cyborg character and the MCU has already introduced time-travel in Avengers: Endgame along with human characters with cybernetic enhancements. Sam jokingly refers to Bucky as a “cyborg” in the trailers/promos for the series, his robotic arm would indeed place him into the cyborg category.

Deathlok was a oft-discussed project back in the 1990s when Marvel characters were still a tough sell in Hollywood and a script by Randall Frakes (Terminator 2: Judgment Day) stirred fan hopes but it never materialized. A version of the character has appeared on the ABC series Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (portrayed by J. August Richards) and there’s been rumors that Marvel Studios may use the character soon.

In his original incarnation he was Col. Luther Manning, a Detroit native killed in battle whose corpse is reanimated in post-apocalyptic future for battlefield domination. He rebels against his makers and goes his own way, including a time-travel trip to the present day.

We’ll have to wait and see if Spellman will get his wish concerning Deathlok. If we start to see Marvel Studios rebooting Marvel Television characters from the Loeb era it might signal that others might end up getting rebooted too.

SOURCE: HEROIC HOLLYWOOD