A while back there had been a rumor online that singer and sometimes-actress Taylor Swift (“Cats,” “Amsterdam”) could be potentially showing up in “Deadpool 3” in the role of mutant pop star Alison Blaire, aka, Dazzler (Swift keeps getting connected to the character). A lesser-known mutant in the “X-Men” comics but one tailor-made for Swift, pun intended.
Interestingly enough, Swift was spotted this weekend at the Kansas City Chiefs game (See video below) by sports reporter Dianna Russini alongside friend Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds, Wolverine actor Hugh Jackman, and “Deadpool 3” director Shawn Levy. While this, of course, could all be a coincidence as this group of people is linked via Ryan/Blake. Still, it does seem to help fuel those earlier rumblings given that a lot of people involved with “Deadpool 3” are hanging out with Swift in public.
Most fans might not be aware but in the original pilot for the 1990s “X-Men” cartoon, Dazzler was supposed to be one of the main team members in the 1989 episode “Pryde of The X-Men” before the revamped Jim Lee era team was used years later for the main series. A live-action version of Dazzler briefly appeared in “Dark Phoenix,” the final main “X-Men” installment in the Singerverse before Marvel Studios took over the rights post-acquisition. The mutant role had been played by Halston Sage (“The Orville’) but it’s been unclear if we’d ever see the character again.
Swift’s biggest acting role to date was in Universal’s disastrous theatrical take on the musical “Cats” which saw the singer transformed into an unsettling cat-creature with the help of some extremely sketchy CGI that set off the uncanny valley. However, considering the rumor mill has already suggested an OVERLOAD of Foxverse cameos such as Jennifer Garner’s Elektra (One of the less annoying cameos that has been confirmed by trades) and the possible return of many many many more of these Fox-era superheroes. It might actually be nice to see something new in the mix too like a new actor playing a version of Dazzler.
It’s also worth noting that Celine Dion appeared in “Deadpool 2” to sing the introduction song, establishing the idea of landing a big-name singer for these films.
Folks might remember the time Taylor borrowed the Deadpool suit from Reynolds for a Halloween party leading to some snaps of her wearing it. Circling back to that friendship Swift has with Ryan’s wife, Blake Lively.
Marvel Studios’s Kevin Feige once mused he was a big fan of Dazzler, according to Fandango’s Erik Davis.
Many years ago I asked Kevin Feige if he were to ever direct his own Marvel movie, which character would he want to focus on. He said Dazzler. He’s a big fan. https://t.co/VZj7S2JL1h
Currently, the “Deadpool 3” production that was taking place in/around London is on hiatus until the SAG-AFTRA strike is resolved with the AMPTP as the union that represents 160,000 actors is seeking a fair deal for its membership.
With “Deadpool 3” (Hugh Jackman finally in the Wolverine suit) expected to resume production once the SAG-AFTRA strike is resolved, it looks like Marvel Studios is aiming to get their “X-Men” reboot going as well with the WGA strike ended we’re now expected to see various writers meet with the studio and figure out how exactly to tackle mutants in the Marvel Cinematic Universe after the events of “Deadpool 3” (expected to deal with the Foxverse/Singerverse).
Without naming any screenwriting contenders or what the film could possibly be about, Deadline has given us the first real hint that development on the reboot is in the works. Stating that Marvel will be taking pitch meetings for writers this fall with the tease of a potential announcement by early 2024 of who they’ve selected.
Keep in mind, that nearly all Marvel films go through multiple drafts and rounds of writers. So, in theory, whoever ends up getting announced first might not be the person working on the shooting draft or final version of the script.
What the mutant lineup ends up looking like is unknown and if the upcoming animated series “X-Men ’97” (a continuation of the Fox Kids series from the 1990s) will have a direct connection to it. Previously, the “What-If…?” animated series gave us Captain Peggy Carter, who got her live-action debut in “Doctor Strange In The Multiverse of Madness.”
Ryan Reynolds’ Wade Wilson, aka, Deadpool is expected to make the major leap into the main MCU as previously announced when Disney acquired the X-Men rights after gobbling up 21st Century Fox. However, it isn’t clear if anyone from the previous “Deadpool” movies or the upcoming one will be making the jump with him. Marvel Studios is now in a unique position to get comic-accurate versions of their characters on the big screen by erasing all the mistakes of the Singerverse as director Bryan Singer and producer Simon Kinberg took plenty of liberties with the characters to the point some of them didn’t match with their comic book counterparts in any real way other than their powers.
Starting fresh with a brand-new cast of actors seems like the best plan of attack here.
Just yesterday, it was revealed that “Deadpool 3” was only halfway into production when filming was paused in the United Kingdom. Not only that, but the film’s director Shawn Levy (“Stranger Things,” “The Adam Project”) revealed that the first “X-Men” film under Marvel Studios would be a “descendant” of classic hybrid comedies like “Midnight Run,” “48 Hours,” and “Planes, Trains, & Automobiles.” A clear confirmation that Ryan Reynolds got his “road trip movie” with Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine, which was his original idea from the jump for the third installment.
But that isn’t the only thing the Canadian director is dishing about the sequel.
Levy is doing press rounds at the Toronto International Film Festival for the upcoming Netflix series “All The Light We Cannot See” and was asked to comment about his reaction to all the rumors surrounding “Deadpool 3.” Signaling that not everything rumored on the internet about the film is actually accurate, what a shocker.
“I’d rather not weigh in on that, but I’ll say this,” Levy teases when asked to comment on the endless string of casting/character rumors. “The rumors of actors, singers, sports stars who are all apparently in ‘Deadpool 3’ are fabulous. If all I read was the internet, I would have the greatest cast ever assembled in the history of cinema, so I’ll simply say that some of those rumors are true, and some of them aren’t.”
The laundry list of who has been rumored for the film is a mile-long from Channing Tatum getting to play his version of Gambit (after the solo film was snuffed out) to the entire cast of all Fox-era Marvel films showing up. The latter just sounds like a miserable waste of a film’s runtime to be nothing but a cameo factory for characters that won’t be carrying over to the mainline MCU. However, Levy does seemingly refer to the Taylor Swift as Dazzler rumbling specifically (something that already seemed fishy since she is famously on a massive tour and way too busy). We should point out that the report of Jennifer Garner reprising the Elektra role was widely circulated by trade outlets and likely means that one is the real deal. Other rumors without much backing from trades or any might be less real.
On the topic of putting Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine in a version of the comic book costume, the director wasn’t hiding his personal excitement.
“Like the rest of the world, I’ve waited two decades to see Wolverine in a whole movie with Deadpool, and I don’t know if this is our last shot at Wolverine on screen, so I was going to make goddamned sure we get the old yellow and blue just once, and that we get it right,” Levy told EW. “It also helps that I’m making this movie within the MCU, so I have access to an army of the nerdiest nerds available to a Marvel project,” he continued when talking about the multiple iterations the Wolverine suit underwent.
Others officially returning to the franchise alongside Reynolds include Morena Baccarin, Brianna Hildebrand, Shioli Kutsuna, Leslie Uggams, Karan Soni, Stefan Kapicic, and Rob Delaney. Some of those new casting additions on “Deadpool 3” are Emma Corrin (“The Crown”) and Matthew Macfadyen (“Succession”), who are expected to be playing villains. We’ll likely have to wait on Marvel to confirm/debunk other cast members that have been rumored for the last couple of months/years along with the rumored plot elements including the TVA and the Multiverse (Set photos seemingly have confirmed the potential destruction of the Foxverse).
One of the many films that were in the middle of filming before the Hollywood strikes impacted productions and placed them on hiatus was “Deadpool 3.” It will be the first big “X-Men” movie made by Marvel Studios after acquiring the franchise during the events of Disney’s merger with 21st Century and there were some high expectations when it landed a Marvel-level budget. When it was revealed that Hugh Jackman would be reprising the Wolverine role after giving a perfect send-off to the character in “Logan” there were some skeptical fans worried. Jackman has since tried to ease the nerves of die-hards by saying the film takes place before those events.
Director Shawn Levy (“Stranger Things”), who has recently worked with Ryan Reynolds on “The Adam Project” and “Free Guy,” was tapped to helm the film that had been shooting in the United Kingdom. He’s now talking about the film with Deadline and says the sequel is “very much an R-rated film,” reiterating every single other person from Disney or Marvel when speaking publicly about “Deadpool 3.”
“I’ll say this while making [‘Deadpool 3’], I only know how to make something that I love. Long before I loved Ryan Reynolds, I loved ‘Deadpool.’ ‘Deadpool 1’ is, to me, a perfect movie and so I wasn’t going to mess with the DNA of that franchise. Our movie is raw, its audacious, very much R-rated. We went to great lengths not to shoot it on soundstages with digital environments,” Levy said of the new sequel.
The filmmaker also suggested what films he’d compare “Deadpool 3″ to, I would say it’s more a descendant of ‘Mightnight Run,” and “48 Hours,” and “Planes, Trains & Automobiles.” I guess this means that Reynolds finally got his road trip Deadpool movie with Wolverine, which was said to be the original concept of his idea back when Fox was developing the film.
Filming isn’t expected to resume until the strikes have been resolved and with no end in sight, that likely means that fans should be preparing themselves for a release delay on a bunch of upcoming films, including “Deadpool 3” and other Marvel projects.
Earlier this year, with “Guardians of The Galaxy Vol.3” we saw what could potentially be the final Marvel Studios film from writer/director James Gunn as the filmmaker is going off to shoot “Superman: Legacy” next year alongside running DC Studios and developing more DCU projects that he’ll end up making himself like “Creature Commandos.” Marvel is still looking to mine the cosmic side of the MCU with the Skrulls revealed to be on Earth in “Secret Invasion,” “The Marvels” releasing in November as we’ll see the return of the Kree Empire as villains, and an upcoming “Nova” project also in the works focusing on the space hero after the destruction of the Nova Corps. at the hands of Thanos.
The Disney+ original “I Am Groot” has returned with a second season focusing on the little rascal in quirky/inventive shorts, and seems like director Kirsten Lepore (“Adventure Time”) after tackling two seasons of the animated shorts would be willing to fill Gunn’s seat as director on the next “Guardians of The Galaxy.” While speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, it was brought up about the potential of Lepore continuing the franchise by helming the next “Guardians” installment.
“Yeah, I’m open to it, for sure. Years ago, I was like, ‘I definitely want to do live-action!’ I was trying to move into live-action, and now, I think I’m more at peace. I don’t even want to say ‘at peace’ because I’m not settling. I love animation so much. I think I better understand what I bring to animation because it does take a really specific type of person to direct it. I’ve been doing it for so long and I feel very comfortable in that space, and I feel good at it. So I really enjoy working in animation — and I would be totally happy to work in animation for the rest of my life — but I would also be very curious to experiment with live-action,” Lepore responded when asked about directing the next “Guardians of The Galaxy” feature film.
It’s not like “Guardians of The Galaxy Vol.3” didn’t leave room for more installments it ends with Peter Quill on Earth trying to reconnect with his grandfather and homeworld. Rocket Raccoon (Bradley Cooper) is now the team’s leader with Groot (Vin Diesel), Adam Warlock (Will Poulter), Cosmo (Maria Bakalova), Kraglin (Sean Gunn), Phyla (Kai Zen), and Blurp on the new roster going on missions.
Lepore isn’t exactly unfamiliar with feature films after having been the animation director on the Oscar-nominated animated film “Marcel The Shell With ShoesOn,” and worked as a VFX artist on recent Best Picture winner “Everything Everywhere All At Once.” Having someone with an effects background might be sort of an asset if more than half the members of the new Guardians lineup are going to be digital characters. Marvel has hired directors from within the studio that have previously worked on MCU projects. Seeing Lepore recruited for a hypothetical “Guardians of The Galaxy 4” after already working closely with the studio on “I Am Groot” (already working with Diesel and Cooper) wouldn’t be all that shocking.
“I Am Groot” is currently streaming on Disney+ and you can watch the series trailer below.
Marvel Studios is attempting another two-part Avengers event with “Avengers: The Kang Dynasty” coming from director Destin Daniel Cretton (“Shang-Chi,” “Wonder Man”), and “Avengers: Secret Wars” is currently without a director (That will change in the near future). The latter film has slowly turned into an extremely uninspired reason for fans online to speculate on the avalanche of variants/cameos that may show up in “Secret Wars” from actors who nearly played roles or brought old ones back. Marvel already did this with “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” “Doctor Strange In The Multiverse of Madness” and is expected to do the same with “Deadpool 3” using various Foxverse actors before an assumed reset of the franchise ahead of the “X-Men” and “Fantastic Four” reboots.
A fourth attempt to cram in variants or toothless actor cameos in such a bigger film than those would sort of feel like recycling something they’ve already done too often. It would be so much more compelling if they instead used characters that specifically could be used for the next two “Avengers” films that make sense and aren’t just an extended piece of fan service with a movie’s runtime. I’m not sure having a bunch of random actors/variants that won’t really contribute to the story/plot/character development will actually do very much to propel the film other than play out some action-figure dreams of a niche group of fans that just want to see things appear rather than think about how it would actually improve things.
Now, how do you try to outdo a villainous threat like Thanos and The Black Order after they instituted the Infinity Gauntlet, the snap killing half the universe as a cliffhanger, and time travel? Thanos wasn’t just solo in those films as The Black Order or The Children of Thanos did minion work for him in “Avengers: Infinity War” and returned for the climax action sequence at the end of “Avengers: Endgame.” It would have been nice if they had more character depth to them though beyond alien henchmen.
Marvel is under the impression that the Multiverse and Kang The Conqueror will still be engaging enough with audiences to get the excitement levels growing in the next two event films.
I think people were genuinely excited when a Kang variant was introduced in the first season of “Loki” and that character attempted to foreshadow the doom and gloom of unleashing his more dangerous variants with his death. However, Marvel seemed to undercut that promising threat with the wishy-washy audience reaction to Kang being the main villain of “Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania.” This might signal that they’ll need something more to make Kang a bit more compelling/threatening when we’re talking about him going after the entire team roster after tangling with one of the less powerful heroes. It seemed like a big miscalculation on Marvel’s part and exposed that their new event-level villain might need help beyond his horde of variants (I don’t know how compelling this angle is going to be).
Thankfully, Kang has access to the endless possibilities of the Multiverse and other points in time, making him able to assemble his own competing team that could cause extra trouble for The Avengers if need be.
He’s connected to a team that might be worth exploring on the big screen and that would be The Squadron Supreme (I’ve been campaigning for their MCU debut for many years now). A group of characters mirroring DC Comics’ Justice League that were introduced in Avengers comics as The Squadron Sinister, back in 1969, and originate from the Multiverse being from Earth-712. Making them a way more sensible narrative choice than overloading a film with variants of existing characters. Of course, the Multiverse would have a team that could go toe-to-toe with The Avengers and potentially kill some of them in the process. They were first put together by Jeff Goldblum’s The Grandmaster to combat Kang’s champions (The Avengers), however, the MCU incarnation would most likely see Kang being that puppet master or could easily be the team that fills the void of The Illuminati on Earth-838 after Scarlet Witch killed them. I first mentioned Earth-838 potentially becoming a threat to the main MCU universe last year after seeing “Doctor Strange 2” and theorized Baron Mordo gathering a new team or unleashing something as destructive as Dormammu against that universe to avoid any future murderous encroachments from those inhabitants.
That lineup of Squadron members consists of Mark Milton aka Hyperion (Superman proxy that is an Eternal), Zarda aka The Power Princess (Wonder Woman proxy that is sort of a Multiverse version of an Inhuman as the Utopians were another Kree experiment), Kyle Richmond aka Nighthawk (Batman proxy that became a member of The Defenders) Kenji Obatu aka Doctor Spectrum (Green Lantern proxy), Kingsley Rice aka Amphibian (Aquaman proxy), Skymax aka The Skrullian Skymaster (Martian Manhunter proxy that is a heroic Skrull), Stanley Stewart aka Blur (Flash proxy), Acranna (Zatanna proxy), Wyatt McDonald aka Golden Archer (Green Arrow proxy), Linda Lewis aka Lady Lark (Black Canary proxy), Thomas Thompson aka Tom Thumb (Atom proxy), and Thundra (Femizon from Earth-715 that was introduced in the pages of Fantastic Four as part of the Frightful Four).
Seeing Earth-838 taking revenge or aligning themselves with Kang to see two different universes going to war is another way this could go. Potentially taking place on a version of Battleworld (an abandoned alien world could be fun) to avoid any major collateral damage on their versions of Earth, the losers seeing their universe essentially erased from existence could make for good stakes (“Loki” has established the pruning method). Folks have also talked up the potential of DC Studios and Marvel Studios coming together for a massive Marvel/DC crossover film in the future…since that feels like a decade away using The Squadron Supreme against The Avengers could be a nice substitute to that idea.
Marvel would have a chance to establish The Squadron as a much more deadly group than The Illuminati by having them possibly kill a handful of members in their first skirmish or at least put a serious beating on them as they sort of first reunite since the events of “Endgame.” I don’t think we’re going to see them be as cohesive as they once were and might have to step up a bit over the two films.
I wouldn’t be that terribly shocked if they attempted to beef up the roster by replacing some of the less exciting Justice League proxies with members of The Agents of Atlas since they’ve sort of altered the lineup in more recent comics allowing for some of the older members to potentially make the jump to the Squadron.
It’s a Marvel team featuring some extremely old/obscure comic characters that pre-date the Avengers and even the main Marvel brand. Making them perfect fodder for a Multiverse team being put together by Kang.
Led by a very different incarnation of Agent Jimmy Woo (1956) than we’ve been introduced to in the MCU and also features Namora (1947) last seen in “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.” Some of those other members that could be added to The Squadron Supreme include Kenneth Hale aka Gorilla-Man (1954), M-11 aka Human Robot, Venus (1948), Robert Grayson aka Marvel Boy/Uranian (1950), Chuck Chandler aka 3-D Man (1977), and their pal Jane Hastings aka Jann of The Jungle (1954).
The first incarnation of the team appeared in a What-If…? issue published in 1977 that explored the idea of what The Avengers would have looked like if they had been formed in the 1950s instead of the 1960s.
Having The Squadron Supreme as the main formidable obstacle for this new version of The Avengers, which will have to endure without the likes of Steve Rogers, Tony Stark, Natasha Romanoff, and potentially more fallen heroes feels slightly more menacing than simply having Kang variants overwhelm them or have to kill/defeat them one-by-one. There would be a little more complexity with pulling from Squadron/Atlas since they wouldn’t simply be variants like with the Illuminati and could have their own unique power sets alongside character designs that would move beyond simply the variants of existing Marvel heroes/villains.
I’m not really going to get into the current speculation/rumblings about where/when the Squadron could be showing up. But it is worth mentioning it was once rumored they’d first appear in Season 1 of “Loki” and that never happened, so always take unconfirmed rumblings with a pinch grain of salt. Possibly more of that rumor/guessing is going to keep happening until their involvement is actually confirmed by the studio but, to me, the most sense is when The Avengers have to combat a Multiverse threat like Kang.
We have to assume that things like “The Marvels,” “Captain America: Brave New World,” “Deadpool 3,” “Armor Wars,” and “Loki” Season 2 might give us a better sense of what to expect from these next two “Avengers” movies.
While it looks like we won’t be getting any massive lineup updates about the Marvel Cinematic Universe anytime soon there are some early seeds being planted for a hypothetical “Thor 5” and what could interestingly be a sign we might be heading back to more Thor-focused comic book mythology being the inspiration for it. Some new quotes from an upcoming “Thor: Love & Thunder” tie-in book (via ScreenRant) reveal writer/director Taika Waititi’s feelings on where things should be heading for the God of Thunder in a fifth potential film.
“What is left to do to him? It’s got to be something that feels like it’s carrying on with the evolution of the character, but still in a very fun way and still giving him things to come up against that feel like they’re building on the obstacles that he has to overcome. I don’t think we can have a villain that’s weaker than Hela. I feel like we need to step up from there and add a villain that’s somehow more formidable”
It’s a project that hasn’t been made official by Marvel Studios but is likely to happen given Chris Hemsworth’s willingness to return to the role and the last film establishing Valhalla as another MCU realm where both Jane Foster and Heimdall now reside after their on-screen deaths. It’s the location of the mythical great hall of fallen heroes where the Valkyries take the dead warriors from the battlefield to prepare for victory at Ragnarok.
Valhalla opens the door for all sorts of Norse characters to potentially make their MCU debuts such as Balder The Brave, Karnilla The Norn Queen, Amora The Enchantress, Angela, Sigurd, and even an even more obscure villain like Harokin who is one of The Einherjar, the fallen undead heroes of Asgard/Valhalla that are expected to be called upon by Odin to fight the Jotun as part of his army.
Another option could be Thor’s uncle Cul Borson, aka The Serpent, who more or less could end up becoming the movie version of the Midgard Serpent. In Norse mythology, the Midgard Serpent, aka, Jörmungandr (recently seen in the “God of War” games and tied to Marvel’s Multiverse villain The Black Winter) is a massive snake-like creature and child of Loki that is destined to kill Thor in the events of Ragnarok with its deadly venom. Jörmungandr does kill Thor in Norse legends and might be exactly the kind of “formidable villain” Waititi is referring to in these teasing statements.
We’ve actually already experienced one of these deadly end-of-the-world beasts in the past. “Thor: Ragnarok” featured Fenris Wolf (a version of Fenrir), a giant wolf that kills Odin during the final battle of Ragnarok. But this version was the undead companion of Hela and was dispatched by Hulk as Odin had died earlier in the film. Hulk flung Fenris off the edge of Asgard into the void of space.
Of course, there are even more outlandish contenders like Ulik The Rock Troll, the long-rumored Mephisto (Marvel’s cosmic take on the Satan that is a longtime foe of Thor), and in a hilarious episode of “She-Hulk,” it’s been established Asgard’s allies, the Light Elves, are walking around Midgard.
While some may be in the belief that Brett Goldstein’s Hercules and the Greek pantheon of gods should be antagonists, it feels sort of like small potatoes compared to what Waititi is talking about. Plus, circling back to the Norse elements would be super refreshing after Marvel goes out of their way to avoid tackling all the existing unused material this whole time (light elves, rock trolls, giants, Midgard serpent).
The filmmaker also reiterates the importance of focusing on Thor’s comic book mythology which hopefully means they may return to untapped Norse/comic elements they’ve been avoiding this entire time.
The director also revealed that there is one aspect that he thinks is more true to Thor than any other MCU character, and that is “the mythology that he originates from.” Waititi believes pitting Thor against “more and more outlandish and crazy beasts, monsters and aliens” as he continues in the MCU stays true to Thor in the comics and his mythological origin.
However, it’s worth mentioning that Waititi has given the impression in previous interviews he might be moving on from making future “Thor” installments himself. And it wouldn’t be that surprising given the negative reaction to “Love & Thunder” alongside the filmmaker’s increasingly large dance card that includes a remake of “Flash Gordon” at 20th Century Studios, “Klara & The Sun” based on the Kazuo Ishiguro novel, an adaptation of Jodorowsky/Moebius’ sci-fi fantasy graphic novel “The Incal,” and finally a long-gestating “Star Wars” film at Lucasfilm.
I guess we’ll have to be patient about any future developments concerning “Thor 5.”
SOURCE: TITAN’S THOR: LOVE & THUNDER THE OFFICIAL MOVIE SPECIAL
Irish actor Cillian Murphy is getting a lot of early Oscar buzz for his performance of J. Robert Oppenheimer in Christopher Nolan‘s atomic bomb drama “Oppenheimer” along with decent box office success. Beyond the upcoming awards season, it also means studio offers could be around the corner for big tentpole projects. Murphy has previously dabbled with leading genre films with “28 Days Later,” the action-comedy “Free Fire” which co-starred Brie Larson, and the sci-fi thriller “Sunshine.” Of course, the actor isn’t a stranger to the world of superhero blockbusters either as he once auditioned to play Batman/Bruce Wayne in Nolan’s “The Dark Knight” trilogy but ended up coming away with the role of Dr. Jonathan Crane, aka, The Scarecrow in “The Batman Begins” returning in subsequent installments in brief cameos.
When speaking recently with Josh Horowitz on his podcast Happy Sad Confused, the host specifically asked Murphy if he would be open to the return to the superhero genre by asking if he’d be specifically open to the idea of playing Victor von Doom, aka, Doctor Doom for Marvel Studios’ new “Fantastic Four” movie.
“Yeah, I think you’ve answered the question. Yeah, I mean, I’m always… It’s always about the script. So, I’ll read… If someone sends a script, I’ll read it. And you never know what turns up,” Murphy responded to the Doom question.
Director Matt Shakman (“WandaVision“) is set for the reboot with script rewrites coming from “Avatar: The Way of Water” screenwriter Josh Friedman. Currently, the casting process has hit pause as both the actors’ and writers’ strikes are ongoing making it tough to get those “Fantastic Four” roles filled until the studios get back to the table to resolve the strikes.
Nothing says that Murphy would get an offer for roles like Doom or Reed Richards but he’s certainly the type of actor that Marvel tends to pursue. It doesn’t hurt he has a link to former Reed Richards actor Jonathan Krasinski (“Doctor Strange In The Multiverse of Madness”) as he directed him in “A Quiet Place Part II” and fan-favorite actress for Sue Storm, Emily Blunt (Murphy worked with on “Oppenheimer” and “A Quiet Place Part II”).
“Fantastic Four” recently had its release date bumped from February 14, 2025, to May 2, 2025. Production had been originally planned to begin next year, but it’s unclear when cameras could begin rolling as the strike is looking like it might extend beyond the summer.
While Marvel Studios seems to be struggling to find an audience for their latest series on Disney+, “Secret Invasion,” we won’t have to wait that long to see Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury make his glorious return to the big screen. Nia DaCosta’s “The Marvels” is still on track to be released in the fall and the studio released a brand new trailer (See below) last night that highlights the “Captain Marvel” sequel’s exciting team-up between Carol Danvers, Monica Rambeau, and teen superhero, Kalama Khan.
It also looks like S.W.O.R.D. is being replaced with the inter-species alliance organization S.A.B.E.R. as an alien first seen in the “Guardians of The Galaxy” movies is spotted on the space station alongside Fury. Hopefully, we’ll eventually see X-Men/Avenger member Dr. Hank McCoy, aka, Beast, and Abigail Brand join their ranks down the line.
Cosmic villains The Kree Empire is looking to make a triumphant return after being thwarted in both the aforementioned “Guardians” and the original “Captain Marvel.” We’ll keep our fingers crossed that Marvel ends up showcasing the Kree Sentry, a massive alien robot, that nearly was used in the original film but obviously got scrapped.
The rest of the cast aside from Jackson include Brie Larson, Teyonah Parris, Iman Vellani, Zawe Ashton, Gary Lewis, Park Seo-joon, Zenobia Shroff, Mohan Kapur, and Saagar Shaikh.
Check out the film’s official synopsis below:
Carol Danvers aka Captain Marvel has reclaimed her identity from the tyrannical Kree and taken revenge on the Supreme Intelligence. But unintended consequences see Carol shouldering the burden of a destabilized universe. When her duties send her to an anomalous wormhole linked to a Kree revolutionary, her powers become entangled with that of Jersey City super-fan, Kamala Khan aka Ms. Marvel, and Carol’s estranged niece, now S.A.B.E.R. astronaut Captain Monica Rambeau. Together, this unlikely trio must team-up and learn to work in concert to save the universe as “The Marvels.”
“The Marvels” is set to be released in theaters on November 10.
I think most of us were excited to experience how enjoyable and action-packed Marvel’s “Shang-Chi & The Legend of The Ten Rings” turned out to be when it was released back in 2021. While it was a crowd-pleaser the announced sequel has seemingly been stuck on the back-burner as the studio navigates a heap of release delays along with a potential actors’ strike this month impacting productions as the writers’ strike is also causing some headaches as well (but in a good way when it comes to their ability for collective bargaining). Not to mention, a growing backlog of event films Marvel needs to shoot, like the next two “Avengers” films and their “Fantastic Four” reboot.
Well, it looks like Meta’s new social media app Threads will now be a new source of information sharing as the film’s star, Canadian actor Simu Liu, has revealed to fans there that “Shang-Chi 2” is still happening but unlikely going to be ready until after director Destin Daniel Cretton‘s finishes up on “Avengers: The Kang Dynasty.” The filmmaker is still officially attached to direct both the MCU installments and is also involved with the upcoming Disney+ series, “Wonder Man,” as well.
“Was told it would follow ‘Avengers’ but that keeps pushing back due to circumstances beyond my control. Hope to have more concrete news to share soon,” the actor responded to a fan on Threads inquiring about the status of the “Shang-Chi” sequel.
The next “Avengers” film isn’t set to be released until May 1, 2026, after being bumped from a May 2025 spot, and would suggest “Shang-Chi 2” likely won’t be coming out until sometime after 2026. Although, if Marvel decided to bring on a different director that could speed things up a little.
Another hiccup could arise as well, as Jonathan Majors is defending himself in court against assault/domestic abuse charges and more allegations of violent/unprofessional behavior are coming to light from a RollingStone article. Majors’ fate as the titular Kang The Conqueror in that upcoming installment of “Avengers” is currently unknown and the assumption is that Marvel, for now, will keep the actor in the role until otherwise announced.
We’re still waiting on an official release date from Marvel concerning “Shang-Chi 2.”
THE RONIN 