‘Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse 2’ Adds Issa Rae As The Voice Of Jessica Drew’s Spider-Woman

Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse made huge waves in the animation community as the Sony Animation Studios project was not only different stylistically, but also a huge departure from other Spider-Man projects they’ve tackled in the past and earned them an Oscar for Best Animated Feature back in 2019. 

Of course, a direct sequel and spinoffs have been subsequently announced and Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse 2 is already being worked on. The follow-up film even has a script co-written by Shang-Chi & The Legend of The Ten Rings screenwriter Dave Callaham. 

One casting addition that was announced earlier today by The Hollywood Reporter is that comedic actress Issa Rae (Lovebirds) will voice the role of Jessica Drew aka Spider-Woman in the sequel. 

It’s expected that Oscar Isaac will reprise the role of Miguel O’Hara aka Spider-Man 2099 in Spider-Verse 2 after being teased at the end of the first film with technology that allows him to move between the Spider-Verse.

The Marvel Comics heroine has been the incarnation of of the superhero that everyone has assumed will be the lead in Olivia Wilde’s Spider-Woman film for Sony Pictures, but hasn’t been announced officially by the studio. Unlike other Sony characters, Jessica Drew didn’t first appear in the pages of Spider-Man comic books as she started as a Nick Fury/S.H.I.E.L.D. villain brainwashed by HYDRA, making her a shared character with Marvel Studios. 

Jessica Drew has ties to the big Skrull event Secret Invasion that will be covered in a Disney+ series and was an agent of S.W.O.R.D., making her a strong contender to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe soon. It remains to be seen who will play the live-action incarnation of Jessica Drew and if Marvel Studios will even be involved with the Olivia Wilde project. While Oscar Isaac voices Spider-Man 2099 and Hailee Steinfeld voices Spider-Gwen they have their own hard-canon roles in the Marvel Cinematic Universe with Moon Knight’s Marc Spector and Hawkeye’s Kate Bishop, respectively.

There is also a an all-female Spider-Verse spinoff project in the works that will likely have Rae’s Jessica Drew on the roster too.

The animation and live-action Spider-Man universes haven’t been directly tied to each other, yet.

Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse 2 will release on October 7, 2022.

Bitten by a radioactive spider in the subway, Brooklyn teenager Miles Morales suddenly develops mysterious powers that transform him into the one and only Spider-Man. When he meets Peter Parker, he soon realizes that there are many others who share his special, high-flying talents. Miles must now use his newfound skills to battle the evil Kingpin, a hulking madman who can open portals to other universes and pull different versions of Spider-Man into our world.

SOURCE: THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER 

‘Jack Ryan’ & ‘Altered Carbon’ Actress Dina Shihabi Might Be Joining Marvel’s ‘Moon Knight’ Series

The Ronin is hearing that Arab-European actress Dina Shihabi is potentially up for an undisclosed role in Marvel’s Moon Knight series led by Oscar Isaac as Marc Spector. Shihabi’s credits are mostly from the world of television appearing on Amazon’s Jack Ryan series, Season 2 of the Netflix cyberpunk series Altered Carbon, Netflix’s Daredevil series as Neda Kazemi, the Hulu comedy series Ramy, and recently wrapped on the Netflix series Archive 81 produced by James Wan’s Atomic Monster. 

However, we weren’t able to confirm if the actress has signed on or what the character might be. 

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. 

In the comics, Marc Spector was born in Chicago to a Jewish-American family and his father was a rabbi that fled Nazi persecution as a child in Czechoslovakia during WWII. Marc is a former U.S. Marine turned C.I.A. operative, who also had a stint as a boxer. 

Directors Mohamed DiabJustin Benson, and Aaron Moorhead are behind the new Marvel series with actors Ethan Hawke and May Calamawy nabbing key roles in Moon Knight. The Umbrella Academy’s Jeremy Slater is the series head writer with The Witcher’s Beau DeMayo also contributing. 

The show’s producing team includes Grant Curtis (Spider-Man 1-3, Drag Me To Hell, The Gift, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of The Shadows), Tommy Turtle (The Cell, Immortals, The Fall, Mirror Mirror, Krypton, The Mosquito Coast), and Jeremy Slater (Fantastic Four, Death Note). 

Filming is underway in Budapest with the United Kingdom confirmed as a second filming location and Jordan also being eyed, the latter location was previously used in Oscar’s big studio sci-fi films Dune and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Moon Knight’s crew consists of cinematographer Gregory Middleton (Watchmen, Fringe), production designer Stefania Cella (Morbius, Black Mass, White Boy Rick), and stunt coordinator Olivier Schneider (No Time To Die). 

She-Hulk is currently shooting in Atlanta with other Disney+ shows on the horizon such as the Skrull crossover event series Secret Invasion, Dominique Throne’s Ironheart, Don Cheadle’s Armor Wars, Ryan Coogler’s Wakanda series, and Alaqua Cox’s Echo series.

Marvel is aiming to debut Moon Knight on Disney+ in the first half of 2022 and has been confirmed by Kevin Feige to have a 6-episode season. 

RUMOR: ‘Moon Knight’ Might Shoot Scenes In Jordan

Marvel’s Moon Knight is filming in Budapest, Hungary with a spotting of Ethan Hawke but we’re hearing that won’t be the only filming location. We’ve been able to previously confirm that a portion will be shot in the London era and there seems to be a third location for the new Disney+ series.

While The Ronin can’t confirm this at the moment, there is talk that Marvel is looking to shoot scenes or exterior landscapes in Jordan. The gorgeous country has been previously used on Oscar Isaac films Dune and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. This might seem like a difficult thing to pull-off during the pandemic, however, Ms. Marvel recently shot some stuff in Thailand and The Falcon & The Winter Soldier returned to Prague to finish-up filming too. On the film side, San Francisco was recently a filming location for Shang-Chi and is going to be used again for Ant-Man & Wasp: Quantumania.

Moon Knight, aka Marc Spector (Oscar Isaac), 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. 

There have already been some exciting teases of the show’s action sequences with some lovely training sequences with Oscar Isaac kicking some ass. Marvel isn’t messing around as we were able to confirm that they hired No Time To Die stunt coordinator Olivier Schneider, signaling that they might be aiming for some high-quality action.

The directing team consists of Mohamed Diab, Justin Benson, and Aaron Moorhead with Jeremy Slater and Beau DeMayo writing on the show.

Kevin Feige previously told Collider that Moon Knight will be getting 6-episodes and is expected to debut on Disney+ in 2022.

‘Moon Knight’: ‘No Time To Die’ Stunt Coordinator Olivier Schneider Confirmed For Disney+ Series

The Ronin can confirm that stunt coordinator Olivier Schneider will indeed be working on Marvel Studios’ upcoming Disney+ series Moon Knight starring Oscar Isaac as Marc Spector. Olivier is likely best known for his work on the Bond franchise being the supervising stunt coordinator on Daniel Craig’s No Time To Die and the fight coordinator on Spectre. His other credits include Fast & Furious 6, Liam Neeson’s Taken, the French gangster flick A Prophet, Safe House, and The Rhythm Section.

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. 

Olivier has been hinting to his involvement via Instagram posts and is currently in Budapest preparing for the show.

You’ve likely watched the behind the scenes footage of Moon Knight star Oscar Isaac training for the series, which should give you an idea how action-focused it will be. The directing team consists of Mohamed Diab, Justin Benson, and Aaron Moorhead with a supporting cast that includes May Calamawy as the female lead and Ethan Hawke reportedly playing the villain. More casting announcements are expected to be made in the coming weeks and months.

Moon Knight will be shooting in both Budapest, Hungary and the United Kingdom under the working title Good Faith, and the 6-episode run is expected to debut on Disney+ in 2022.

‘Moon Knight’: Ethan Hawke Reportedly Nabs Villain Role Opposite Oscar Isaac

Another cast member has reportedly joined Marvel’s new Disney+ series Moon Knight.

The Hollywood Reporter has learned that veteran actor Ethan Hawke has landed a villain role in the superhero streaming show. They failed to mention what that role is but the two big contenders sound like Randall Spector aka Shadow Knight, brother of titular hero Moon Knight aka Marc Spector, and fellow mercenary Raoul Bushman.

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. 

Ethan Hawke might be most recognizable for his roles in action films Training Day and The Magnificent Seven remake from 2016. He joins a slowly growing cast that consists of Oscar Isaac as Marc Spector and May Calamawy playing the female lead.

Marvel Studios has assembled a directing team that includes Mohamed Diab, Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead. Filming is said to kick-off this March in Budapest, Hungary and we’ve heard that Disney+ is hoping it can be ready to begin airing on the streaming service in spring/summer 2022. Kevin Feige seemingly confirmed to Collider that the series is going to have six episodes similar to Loki and The Falcon & The Winter Soldier.

We’ll have to wait and see if other superheroes will be crossing over in the show from the horror/supernatural corner of Marvel Comics.

SOURCE: THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

‘Moon Knight’: May Calamawy Joins Oscar Isaac In Marvel Series Playing Undisclosed Role

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 Winter Soldier.

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.

SOURCE: THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

Kevin Feige Reveals Marvel’s ‘Moon Knight’ Series Will Be 6-Episodes

It looks like we finally know how long Marvel’s Moon Knight series will be. 

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. 

While speaking with Kevin Feige about various runtimes of the upcoming Disney+ shows, the Marvel Studios president mentions to Collider that Moon Knight will land six episodes but run a bit longer than something like She-Hulk, which is going to have 30-minute episodes. 

He also added that the upcoming Moon Knight will fall into the six, 40-50 minute episode category.

A similar episode run and length as 2021 shows such as Loki and The Falcon & The Winter Soldier

Star Wars and X-Men alumni Oscar Isaac had finally been confirmed for the main role of Marc Spector aka Moon Knight. The American actor had also recently attached himself to Sony’s Metal Gear Solid film based on the iconic action video game series playing Solid Snake. 

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. 

How Marc Spector will fit into the greater Marvel Cinematic Universe is a little less known than some of the other characters given his supernatural and vigilante ways. Various characters getting their own solo series on Disney+ have a clearer path for crossovers, however, there has been speculation it could have some connection to Mahershala Ali‘s new Blade reboot but that yet to be confirmed in any substantial way.

We have been hearing that Disney+ hoped to have the series ready to begin airing sometime in the spring/summer of 2022. 

SOURCE: COLLIDER

‘Moon Knight’: Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead To Direct Multiple Episodes

The Hollywood Reporter has learned that Marvel Studios has hired indie directors Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead for their upcoming superhero series Moon Knight that will air exclusively on Disney+ and will begin shooting in March. The duo are said to be working on multiple episodes with Egyptian filmmaker Mohamed Diab still directing the bulk of them.

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. 

Having multiple directors isn’t a new thing for the Marvel shows as it’s the same case for Ms. Marvel and She-Hulk.

Using the working title Good Faith, the Marvel show will be filming in Budapest, London, and possibly in the United States. Morocco had been recently used as a location for Black Widow and would make sense to double as Egypt, but the pandemic could make international filming a little trickier.

Star Wars actor Oscar Isaac had been in talks for the lead role of Marc Spector and the show’s cinematographer Gregory Middleton seemingly confirmed the actor on his Instagram account this week. There hadn’t been official confirmation as during Kevin Feige’s Marvel Studios presentation at the Disney Investor Day event in December, Oscar wasn’t mentioned in connection to Moon Knight puzzling many of us expecting a casting confirmation from Marvel.

We’ve been hearing that Disney+ is hoping that production could be completed in a timely manner allowing Moon Knight to be ready to begin airing in the spring/summer of 2022.

SOURCE: THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

‘Moon Knight’ Cinematographer May Have Confirmed Oscar Isaac Has Landed Marc Spector Role

It looks like we finally have some confirmation concerning Moon Knight casting.

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. 

Gregory Middleton (Watchmen, Game of Thrones), the Marvel show’s cinematographer has seemingly confirmed on Instagram previous reports that Oscar Isaac has landed the role of Marc Spector aka Moon Knight.

The Star Wars actor had been in talks according to trade reporting but absent from Marvel Studios’ big Disney Investor Day presentation in December, while She-Hulk‘s Tatiana Maslany was officially announced by Kevin Feige.

Egyptian director Mohamed Diab had been recently announced for the series.

Production is confirmed for Budapest, Hungary where Middleston was located when he made the Instagram post. Budapest is a popular production locale which has been used for Marvel’s Black Widow, Showtime’s Halo series, Blade Runner 2049, Legendary’s Dune remake, The Martian, Red Sparrow, Terminator: Dark Fate, Bloodshot, Gemini Man, Midsommar, and the first season of Netflix’s The Witcher.

Filming under the working title Good Faith was said to begin in March with other filming locations expected to take place in London and the United States.

Morbius production designer Stefania Cella had confirmed her involvement on her website.

We are also hearing that Disney+ is hoping to have episodes of Moon Knight begin airing sometime in the spring of 2022, this will be all dependent if production goes smoothly in 2021 as the pandemic still marches on.

Casting announcements for other roles are coming soon.

SOURCE: GREGORY MIDDLETON

Denis Villeneuve Pens Editorial Criticizing AT&T and WarnerMedia – “Warner Bros. Might Just Have Killed The ‘Dune’ Franchise”

Following some strong worded comments from Warner Bros. darling Christopher Nolan after WarnerMedia announced they would be adding their entire 2021 film slate on HBO Mac with a day-and-date release alongside theaters, a model that is expected to become the new norm at WarnerMedia even post-pandemic.

READ MORE: ‘Dune’, ‘Godzilla vs Kong’, ‘The Suicide Squad’, ‘Mortal Kombat’, ‘Matrix 4’, and Other WB Films Heading To HBO Max

READ MORE: Christopher Nolan Reacts Negatively To News of WarnerMedia Moving Their 2021 Film Slate To HBO Max – Upset They Didn’t Consult With Filmmakers Beforehand

There were even some signs earlier in the week that Legendary Entertainment could end up filing a lawsuit against WarnerMedia for not being consulted prior to the announcement and the industry unions are also displeased which could lead to a boycott of the company.

READ MORE: Legendary May Sue WarnerMedia Over HBO Max Announcement For ‘Godzilla vs Kong’ and ‘Dune’ – Didn’t Give Them Advance Notice

Dune director Denis Villeneuve has chosen to write an opinion editorial on Variety laying out his concerns. I selective some of the key segments which you can read below but I would advise people read the entire opinion piece in full.

Warner Bros.’ sudden reversal from being a legacy home for filmmakers to the new era of complete disregard draws a clear line for me. Filmmaking is a collaboration, reliant on the mutual trust of team work and Warner Bros. has declared they are no longer on the same team.

Streaming services are a positive and powerful addition to the movie and TV ecosystems. But I want the audience to understand that streaming alone can’t sustain the film industry as we knew it before COVID. Streaming can produce great content, but not movies of “Dune’s” scope and scale. Warner Bros.’ decision means “Dune” won’t have the chance to perform financially in order to be viable and piracy will ultimately triumph. Warner Bros. might just have killed the Dune franchise. This one is for the fans. AT&T’s John Stankey said that the streaming horse left the barn. In truth, the horse left the barn for the slaughterhouse.

Public safety comes first. Nobody argues with that. Which is why when it became apparent the winter would bring a second wave of the pandemic, I understood and supported the decision to delay Dune’s opening by almost a year. The plan was that Dune would open in theaters in October 2021, when vaccinations will be advanced and, hopefully, the virus behind us. Science tells us that everything should be back to a new normal next fall.

I’m speaking on my own behalf, though I stand in solidarity with the sixteen other filmmakers who now face the same fate. Please know I am with you and that together we are strong. The artists are the ones who create movies and series. Once the pandemic is over, theaters will be filled again with film lovers. That is my strong belief. Not because the movie industry needs it, but because we humans need cinema, as a collective experience.

Denis is rightfully upset because he’s currently working on a second film titled Dune: Part Two with screenwriter Jon Spaihts covering the second part of the original Dune novel by Frank Herbert and is producing an HBO Max series titled Dune: The Sisterhood that Denis is expected to direct. There are still five original books to adapt into feature films with even more subsequent installments from Frank’s son Brian Herbert and franchise writing partner Kevin J. Anderson.

DUNE – A mythic and emotionally charged hero’s journey, Dune tells the story of Paul Atreides, a brilliant and gifted young man born into a great destiny beyond his understanding, who must travel to the most dangerous planet in the universe to ensure the future of his family and his people. As malevolent forces explode into conflict over the planet’s exclusive supply of the most precious resource in existence—a commodity capable of unlocking humanity’s greatest potential—only those who can conquer their fear will survive.

The science fiction property was the inspiration for Star Wars as key elements were lifted by George Lucas and if given the right chance could become a global success story after the David Lynch version from 1984 become a famous flop.

SOURCE: VARIETY