With the film just three months away reshoots are occurring, something I find a bit surprising given that previous reshoots ending in October were thought to wrap the film. We know Nebula and Gamora are involved because both actresses Tweeted about it, so whatever is occurring clearly impacts The Guardians of the Galaxy. I very much doubt this will touch on either the Fox IP (legally Disney still can't use them) or next year's upcoming films (Black Widow etc), so presumably these are pickups the Russo's want either to fix scenes that didn't work or add ones they think are needed.
Charles Murphy from THS claims that the tentative 2022 slate for the MCU is Captain Marvel 2, Guardians of the Galaxy 3, and a completely new IP (he doesn't speculate on what it is). Interestingly, he has a question mark next to Shang-Chi appearing in 2021--I'm not sure if that's doubt the film will appear at all or simply doubt about when. I've been expecting new IP in the 2022 slot since we were told the release dates back in March, but this reminds me I haven't posted a revised release list since July, so let's update that (with official information in brackets):
2020
May - Black Widow (writer added in January, 2018, director in July; filming expected later this year)
July - Date cancelled; originally Guardians of the Galaxy 3
November - The Eternals (writer added in May, director in September)
2021
February - Black Panther 2 (writer/director re-signed in October)
May - Doctor Strange 2 (director re-signed in December; filming expected in 2020)
[July - Spider-Man 3 assuming Sony follows it's previous release pattern]
November - (Shang-Chi (writer added in December; film being 'fast-tracked'))
2022
February - Captain Marvel 2 (release date fits)
May - Guardians of the Galaxy 3 (script in place; filming delayed to February, 2021)
July - Thor 4 (confirmed it will happen at some point, but nothing is known beyond that)
A sequel for Captain Marvel is expected, assuming her film is successful (I have no idea what the bar for that is now--the Ant-Man franchise is the current litmus test for either what is or isn't acceptable box office). There's nothing here for the Fox IP and we know that X-Men and Fantastic Four films will be coming. I believe their eventual dates will be new adds to the current list, such that the MCU will be putting out four films a year (the additional capacity of Fox's infrastructure makes this simple enough to do). I mentioned in my X-Men article that the fastest we could see such a film would be 2020, but that seems a bit too ambitious with the sale ending in March (the usual turn around for a film is 18-months), so 2021 is more likely. This brings me to my theory that Shang-Chi could simply be a placeholder (back in December I went through all the problems of making such a film)--something to fill the gap until they can announce a fourth Thor or what have you. Another possibility is that the MCU squeezes Shang-Chi into 2020 (of all the films in development it's ostensibly the simplest and cheapest to produce). I've included the third Spider-Man film assuming the deal with Sony is re-signed (until it is it won't appear on the schedule).
Let's also briefly go over what's not here: Ant-Man. Following the three-year cycle of that film there should be a third film in 2021, but it's not something anyone is predicting. I mentioned after Ant-Man and the Wasp came in at a very modest profit that it likely meant an end to that franchise--Disney (and Marvel) expect more now. At the time I wondered if Disney+ would be a place to finish the trilogy, but the films are just too effects heavy for that. The only thing that might change its status is if Ant-Man gets a big boost from Endgame, but the series has a very old cast (Paul Rudd turns 50 this year), so I'm not sure how long you can really wait on doing another film for he and his costars. There's also no new Iron Man (no surprise), Incredible Hulk (impossible given Universal's involvement), Captain America (hinging on Evans continued interest presumably), or a fifth Avengers film (although we should expect one within the next 3-5 years). If my speculation that Shang-Chi is a placeholder is correct perhaps we'll see Thor 4 in its theoretical place and then Avengers 5 where I've slotted Thor.
4chan rumours posted on the 12th about Disney streaming have made the rounds and virtually everyone has commented on them now (including Conrad, whose summaries are terrible)--you can find the original leak mirrored here and I thought I'd go through it:
Loki meets the Norns after his death in Avengers: Infinity War and must persuade them to spare his soul from Hel. Tom Hiddleston will appear in bookend scenes and narrate throughout, but the blunt of the story is about Loki’s youth and the events that led him down the path of evil, with a new actor playing young Loki. One name that has been frequently brought up is Fionn Whitehead from Dunkirk and Black Mirror: Bandersnatch. We will also see young Thor, and Rene Russo will have a big role as their mother Frigga. Odin will be away on a mission for most of the story, and the few times he appears, his face will be obscured, with Anthony Hopkins ADR-ing the dialogue. The sorceress Karnilla and the barbarian Ulik will be the main antagonists.
This comes just two days after the vaguer THS rumour whose specific was (as I pointed out) simply that Hiddleston would narrate the show (the Young Loki idea is from THS themselves). Whether either is true requires more evidence than this, but personally I'm not a fan of prequels (as I've said innumerable times before), so it does not bode well if true.
Vision is reborn in Avengers: Endgame and reunites with Scarlet Witch. They attempt to lead normal lives in the suburbs of New York, but Vision is no longer connected to the Mind Stone and is therefore cold and emotionless. Scarlet Witch attempts to use her powers, which are connected to the Mind Stone, to restore Vision’s “soul”, with disastrous results. This project has been described as a “psychological thriller”, light on action and heavy on atmosphere, and exploring the lead characters’ personal issues. Vision will be in human form for most of it and become the antagonist, as Scarlet Witch slowly realizes she accidentally allowed a dark spirit to possess him. Agatha Harkness will be featured as a mysterious figure attempting to reveal to Scarlet Witch secrets of her past, and there will be a subplot about the public’s backlash against human/machine relations once the true nature of Vision and Scarlet Witch’s relationship is revealed. High-caliber actresses like Frances Conroy, Vanessa Redgrave and Dianne West have already been approached for Harkness.
We learned that Vision would appear with Scalett Witch back in October via Peter Sciretta, but no news about the show has come out since. This premise would certainly cut costs considerably, making it viable to put on the streaming service (skipping Vision's makeup helps quite a bit). It's an incredibly odd storyline however and one that, on its surface, doesn't appeal to me. It's interesting that both Kevin Feige and Marvel Entertainment's Jeff Loeb have made a point of casting well-known actresses whose career opportunities have begun to fade with age (Sigourney Weaver, Annette Bening, Marisa Tomei, Janet McTeer, etc)--I'm not sure if that's part of a larger trend in the industry or not. Jac Schaeffer was announced as the showrunner earlier this month.
Falcon & The Winter Soldier will be deeply ingrained in the events of Phase 4, and features Falcon and Winter Soldier being recruited by SHIELD to prevent anarchist group Ultimatum from enforcing a secret plan developed by Hydra to destroy the United Nations. The duo must also deal with John Walker [aka U.S. Agent], a soldier recruited by the U.S. government to become the new Captain America, who slowly goes insane and becomes a threat. The project is described as a “spy thriller” with lots of twists and turns, and it relies heavily on Falcon and Bucky’s dynamic, in the same vein as Lethal Weapon or 48 Hours. Emily VanCamp's Sharon Carter will be the team’s contact with SHIELD, and Samuel L. Jackson will make appearances as Nick Fury. William Hurt is also in talks to appear as Secretary Thaddeus Ross.
News about this show also came out in October from Sciretta (link above), at which time Malcolm Spellman was named the showrunner. Since then we've heard nothing, but if this rumour is true it certainly increases my excitement for it (which was already the highest among all the announced MCU shows). The atomic bomb within this blurb is "the new Captain America," which could imply the death of the character (or it could simply mean Cap has retired).
Early development. Pitched as a “caper” about Hawkeye coming out of retirement to help aspiring vigilante Kate Bishop after she gets in trouble with the organized crime while using his name. Hawkeye’s family would be heavily featured, and Linda Cardellini is willing to return, but Jeremy Renner is still studying his options. The Hood would be the main antagonist, with Trickshot as his enforcer.
This echoes Conrad's rumour in November (which echoed his own sloppy speculation from June). For the most part I like the idea, although it's exasperating to have to deal with Hawkeye's derpy family (maybe the Russo's can fix them). Getting Jeremy Renner to commit might be a stretch (how much I'm not sure--fellow Avenger Chris Evans is doing a Netflix show with Tom Holland after all).
Early development. Pitched as a “sidequel” about Lady Sif’s journey across the Nine Realms after being betrayed and exiled by Loki masquerading as Odin. Beta Ray Bill would be featured as one of Lady Sif’s companions in her journey, and the Enchantress would be the main antagonist. Jamie Alexander is willing to return, but they are still figuring out a schedule that doesn’t conflict with her TV show Blindspot.
This echoes a rumour from Discussing Film that came out the same day. As I mentioned when discussing that rumour, I don't think Blindspot will be around to interfere (because of its declining ratings), but what makes me pause in regards to this rumour is the inclusion of Beta Ray Bill--would they use that iconic character on the streaming service? The argument for it is that Sif by herself isn't much of a draw, so perhaps Bill is serving as additional oomph to bring people in, but he could be too inside baseball. Regardless of how realistic it is, I like the premise.
Early development. Pitched as a “sci-fi thriller” about Colonel James Rhodes pushing the boundaries of his own humanity as he investigates the theft of Stark Industries’ technologies and uncovers a conspiracy masterminded by an elusive organization that is providing criminals and terrorists with cybernetic enhancements. Envisioned as a “deep dive” into War Machine’s often overlooked lore, introducing his sister Jeanette Rhodes, girlfriend Glenda Sandoval, and friends Suzi Endo and Jake Oh, with Parnell Jacobs and Stewart Clarke as villains. Limiting factors are the budget and Don Cheadle’s schedule.There have been no rumours about this elsewhere and as-mentioned War Machine is an effects-intensive character. Cheadle's availability is no joke either, although the soon-to-be 55-year old actor likely has the time if he wants too. I'd find this more interesting than either the Loki-prequel or the Scarlet Witch show, admittedly, but I'm not sure many others would.
These [the above] are the six projects in active development, but several other ideas are being discussed, like spin-offs about Rocket & Groot, Agent 13 (aka Sharon Carter), Nebula and Okoye; prequels about Hank Pym and the Ravagers, and even new properties unlikely to get feature movies, like Moon Knight and The Sentry. There will probably be several X-Men projects once the rights fully revert later this year.
We heard rumours about Rocket and Groot from THS back in November, but as I pointed out then this would be enormously expensive to do, so I doubt Disney will go for it (unless it's animated). The other shows have not come up in rumours related to streaming. I think we can quickly delete most of these from consideration (and keep in mind this wouldn't be Stallone playing a Ravager on TV, but someone recast for the prequel version), although perhaps the long rumoured Moon Knight show will eventually come out of this.
Conrad believes all the above is based on information a year old, but provides no reasoning for that. Is any of this true? It's really hard to say, but it's certainly plausible, as most of the detailed descriptions include the underlying need to cut costs to make them feasible. There's an overall emphasis on capers and thrillers and psychodramas, which are well suited to the format. It's also clear that many of these ideas are early in development and subject to change (and deletion). Only the first three are on track to appear for certain.
Christian Bone from We Got This Covered (someone and something I've never heard of) is floating this rumour:
Christian Bone from We Got This Covered (someone and something I've never heard of) is floating this rumour:
Sources [...] have confirmed that a New Avengers movie is in the early stages of development over at Marvel. Despite the title, the line-up being touted for the film is the group known as the Young Avengers in the comics – the next generation of heroes. Specifically, we’ve been informed that the rejuvenated roster will be made up of Kate Bishop’s Hawkeye, Hulkling, Iron Lad, Patriot, Wiccan, Stature and Vision (not Paul Bettany’s version).
This is the initial lineup of the 2005 comic minus Speed (the second version included Kid Loki, who is part of the rumours about the Loki show above, as well as America Chavez, who ticks off representation boxes--cf my future MCU characters article). This speculation isn't new, as ever since the Emma Fuhrman casting rumour dropped (back in April) many have wondered if some version of that group would appear (even Charlie). There are, however, a number of problems with the way this idea gets presented:
Will we get a Young Avengers or New Avengers? Just the latter, I believe, although it will contain the flavour of the former. When I see the Young Avengers discussed (I haven't read the comics) they sound like a CW show--kid-versions of adult characters going through young adult problems. This can make excellent TV-fodder, but seems rather pointless to do on film when you have far richer material from the X-Men that covers that territory.
I wondered previously if the animated Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse would turn a profit and we're definitely beyond that point as the film creeps past 300 million. Interestingly, most of the success is from the domestic box office (unlike Aquaman whose success is largely driven by the foreign market, especially China). So the film will not only break even, but make a modest profit for Sony: is that enough for sequels on screens? It hasn't cracked the top-fifty all-time animated list and has no hope of catching The Grinch (which came out before it), but the critical praise might be enough for executives. If a sequel does hit theaters I have to believe it will be for a much lower budget.- There's a presumption of the mass death of the original Avengers
- The underlying idea that the next Avengers film will feature an all-new roster
- The belief that the team will have the same lineup as the original comic
Will we get a Young Avengers or New Avengers? Just the latter, I believe, although it will contain the flavour of the former. When I see the Young Avengers discussed (I haven't read the comics) they sound like a CW show--kid-versions of adult characters going through young adult problems. This can make excellent TV-fodder, but seems rather pointless to do on film when you have far richer material from the X-Men that covers that territory.
This article is written by Peter Levi (@eyeonthesens)
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