MCU and Marvel TV News

I think the final trailer for Luke Cage season two has been the best thus far. Putting villains in direct conflict (Bushmaster and Mariah) with Luke caught in the middle is clever and avoids the jarring pitfalls we've seen in some of the attempts Netflix has made in having two main villains in a show (Daredevil season two (The Hand), Luke Cage season one (Diamondback), and Iron Fist (Bakuto) in particular). The viral ad explaining Misty's bionic arm with references to both the Rand Corporation and Danny Rand is clever (the quality of the video itself is just average, but what it does in terms of story building is excellent--not everyone who watched Luke Cage also saw The Defenders or Iron Fist).

I was not expecting The Daughters of the Dragon to appear in Luke Cage (the team-up between Misty and Colleen Wing), because while it makes perfect sense when Jeph Loeb teased them at SDCC last summer the context appeared to be Iron Fist season two (intended to help give that show a boost). Now it seems like Cheo Hodari Coker (see below) is working hard to fully push into Heroes for Hire territory as part of the journey in Luke Cage--something that makes a lot of sense given that he and Danny Rand have enjoyed most of their success as a team in the comics.

Cheo Hodari Coker is promoting Luke Cage season two and amidst that answered some questions about Iron Fist which are worth looking at:

I think—I’m hoping—that you’ll feel that your prayers have been answered the way that Iron Fist fits into [Season 2 of Luke Cage], and his interactions with Luke. It doesn’t bother me that people have criticized Iron Fist on his series and on The Defenders. I’m arrogant enough to think that Iron Fist appearing on our show has a different sensibility. And so, it’s like—that’s the thing—I’m not dissuaded by that, because Iron Fist I think is a dope character. And I think when you see Iron Fist within the realm of Luke Cage, and the way that we do things, I think—hopefully—that people are going to come to appreciate the character differently, and hopefully that swagger that he’ll get from appearing in the Luke Cage universe will carry over into [Iron Fist Season 2].

He also heaped praise on new IF showrunner Raven Metzner who he said is “passionate about the character” and has the right sensibilities for Iron Fist. The comment that his appearance will "carry over" continues to bolster my belief that Iron Fist season two will appear before season three of Daredevil (something I began to suspect in February; it's now confirmed to appear in 2018 at least). Can the antipathy critics have towards Iron Fist be overcome? The word "swagger" suggests that Danny's self-doubting, uncertain phase is over and we'll get the fun-loving jokster from the comics. Changing critical minds is hard to imagine at this point, but it is possible with fans--I think this is the best venue for it since Luke Cage is largely critic-proof.

Audition tapes have leaked for two roles in Jessica Jones season three. The male character ("Elliott") appears to be a friend of Jessica's (That Hashtag Show optimistically believes it's d-list hero D-Man, but I doubt that, despite being very appropriate). The female character ("Zelda") is much more vague and THS has no guesses and neither do I (she's probably created for the show). I can't emphasize enough just how little buzz the second season generated and showrunner Melissa Rosenberg must be frantically trying to right the ship.

Jeph Loeb confirmed what Krysten Ritter said back in March: that there are no current plans for another season of The Defenders (in Loebian fashion he said "you never know", but given how much planning is required for these things it's clearly far off in the future if it ever happens). This is a puzzling decision by Netflix, because even though the first Defenders was not a huge hit, the idea behind it is excellent. The primary impediment, I suppose, is that all the other shows have to lead-up to it and there's no creative head to manage that coherence (ala Kevin Feige for the MCU).

Rosario Dawson (Claire) says she might be finished with the Marvel Netflix shows after Luke Cage season two. It's difficult to know if she's just playing hardball for a new contract or if she is genuinely unsure if Luke Cage will get a third season (or perhaps the upcoming season ends with Claire no longer part of his life). I wonder if Netflix would decide to bring Luke and Jessica back together (ala the comics), as it's difficult to imagine there not being a Luke Cage season three.

About a month ago Simon Pegg mentioned he'd love to be involved in a Captain Britain movie, but with nothing like it currently on the slate (other than Kevin Feige vaguely musing about it a year ago and TV rumours (same link) the year before that) I didn't mention it at the time. It is interesting that Orlando Bloom is now lobbying for the role and Tom Hiddleson (tongue-in-cheek) mentioned it as well. I don't think this specifically puts any pressure on the MCU to make it happen, but it could indicate at least some level of interest. Captain Britain is an odd sort of character given his very strong association with mutants (despite not being one himself) and magic. I'd be happy to see him portrayed, although I'd expect if we see him it will be after the acquisition of the Fox properties.

Avengers 4 is going through its planned reshoots this summer (while Captain Marvel is wrapping up filming and the Spider-Man sequel is starting shooting). This isn't particularly exciting other than some fresh news may come out hinting about its plot sooner than later.

Jeremy Conrad is suggesting that a few years down the line the MCU is going to explore the Kate Bishop version of Hawkeye. His theory is based on comments from Kevin Feige implying things like the Amadeus Cho version of Hulk and other successor characters might appear (something I've suggested before).

A now deleted Reddit thread has been picked up all over the place (eg) as it purports to be from someone who saw a test screening of Dark Phoenix back in February (whose summary is supported by Jason Inman who heard the same from another test-screener) and, motivated by irritation at Jeremy Conrad's claims about the movie decided to set the record straight (the two Conrad claims that bothered him were that the Skrulls were involved and the general description of the third act). The film itself sounds like what you'd expect from Fox--a muddled mess--albeit the viewer saw a rough cut and with re-shoots it can be improved (Wonder Woman was considered a mess in early test screenings, for example). Regardless, I don't think we're going to see something good from Fox before they lose the X-Men.

I mentioned back in March that one of Sony's many Marvel projects was a Morbius movie. THS has dug up the logline for the film (which I doubt will ever see the light of day):

Horror action story of a scientist who, in trying to find a cure for a rare blood disease, accidentally transformed himself into a living vampire who, though disgusted by his own bloodlust, chooses to prey upon criminals he deems unworthy of life.

This sounds more like a gritty Netflix series than a movie, but Venom is also adopting a darker tone (copying DC perhaps?), so that could be the territory Sony wants to inhabit. If Venom is successful it might pressure Marvel to put Blade back on screen, but that seems like a long shot (given their tendencies with reacquired minor properties he's much more likely to wind up on TV).

Speaking of Sony, Silver and Black (slated for a February, 2019 release) has been officially shifted to "undated". Given what we were told in February--that production was delayed "indefinitely"--this is not surprising (filming was meant to begin in March). I mentioned at that time that I thought Sony would wait and see how Venom performed before actually putting any other superhero films into production.

This article is written by Peter Levi (@eyeonthesens)