I wanted to get an article out before all the SDCC stuff drops, as there's a bit of news and some rumours to handle. First, some news: according to Variety Taika Waititi has jumped from directing the WB's Akira (slatted for production this fall) to write/direct Thor 4. This suggests that Thor 4 is coming relatively soon (2021/22), because otherwise there would be no need for him to leave Akira. We've had rumours about a Thor 4 since the press junkets for Ragnarok in 2017--an idea repeated by both Tessa Thompson and Chris Hemsworth during and after the Endgame junkets.
Speaking of Valkyrie, one of the stranger rumours I've heard comes from Youtuber Kinda Culty: Valkyrie will get a Disney+ show. His source for this are comments by Thompson on the red carpet for Endgame (which I haven't located), but as far as I can tell no one else followed-up on those comments (including Thompson herself, as she told Collider she had no idea what was planned for her character)--this makes me doubt the prospect. I think Disney would struggle to drum-up interest in a show specific to her--she needs co-stars.
More from the Lords of the Long Box, as I continue accumulating their rumours to see what (if any) inside sources they have. Here's the gist of their latest video:
- They pointed out what I said awhile ago, that Jeremy Conrad's rumour about Daredevil in the next Spider-Man is impossible
- They agree with Conrad's second guess that She-Hulk (or at least Jennifer Walters) will fulfill a lawyer role in the sequel; they say she will appear on Disney+ before the third Spider-Man film (which, if true, means she has to show up very soon because it's just two years until the next film); it's a plausible rumour as she's been a solid MCU possibility for a long time; if she's going to appear on Disney+ it would presumably be in one of the already announced shows (as a supporting character); the fact that Universal owns her distribution rights is irrelevant in terms of this kind of usage
- They claim an insider saw two sets of concept art showing Machine Man: one with Starlord and the other with Thor and Hercules
- Apparently they previously claimed Hercules would debut in a Thor-film (something a bit hard to credit since Waititi hasn't put pen to paper yet, albeit whatever his pitch was could be be floating around)--the two characters have a strong association in the comics, but the only Hercules rumours we've heard previously were attached to The Eternals
- They claim that Sony has put the Venom sequel on hold while trying to get Marvel to produce the next Venom and incorporate it into the MCU; this could be true, although Feige has (to date) never incorporated a character not created in-house and I don't expect him to start now
- In an earlier video they said they'd heard Venom would be in the next Spider-Man (we had a series of articles about this a month or so ago after some very innocuous comments from Feige); I don't believe it
- They claim The Ankler story about the Sony-Marvel contract is wrong (a billion at the box office meaning another MCU-Spider-Man is automatic, otherwise renegotiation's are immediate); it's difficult to believe this, because even if this is what they've heard, Rushfield seems like a credible source
- They say Viggo Mortensen is being eyed to play Doctor Doom, but I think at age 60 he's much too old for the role
- They repeated the rumour that a race-swapped Kraven the Hunter is being discussed to make a cameo in Black Panther 2; this idea has a solid basis because Ryan Coogler wanted Kraven in the first Black Panther; the race-swap twist likely comes from BossLogic, who put out the rumour a few days ago; this plan could only happen with either a renewed Sony-deal or else a specific deal for the character, but as far as we know Sony still has writer Richard Wenk (hired last August) working on a script for their own, in-house film
- Moon Knight is coming either as a film or Disney+ show; there have been Moon Knight rumours basically every year since the MCU began, with the most recent in January from 4chan (saying it was being discussed); I'd consider this idea plausible
The news cycle is a funny thing--I kept wondering why no one was contemplating the future of Shazam after its lackluster box office performance, but it seems as though the dam has finally burst as the barometer that is John Campea is finally openly wondering about it. There remains the possibility no sequel is coming (certainly having Black Adam's Dwayne Johnson pitching himself to the MCU doesn't help), but we've also heard that exec's are happy with the first film, so who knows what the WB will do?
I've mentioned GWW before, finding their MCU material a mixed bag at best. I've learned that the site is DC-focused, which might explain the lackluster Marvel track record (akin to habitual Tweeter Daniel RPK, who is also more of a DC-guy).
This article is written by Peter Levi (@eyeonthesens)
No comments:
Post a Comment