Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Marvel News

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Variety shed additional light on what's going on internally at Disney and how Feige's expanded powers came to be and two things stood out:
  • I'd missed that Feige was given creative control over the comics in the original Deadline article, but that control will make it much easier for their to be harmony throughout the brand (Ike Perlmutter will still run the comic side, but no longer has influence on its creative direction)
  • Variety confirmed that Jeph Loeb is on his way out soon and THR updated this to say he would be gone by Thanksgiving (previously Daniel said he would retire at the end of the year, which is clearly in error, as the report says he's been looking for a deal elsewhere for awhile)
The article goes into Perlmutter's dwindling influence at Disney, despite being its largest shareholder, something Bob Iger has gradually arranged (buttressed by Feige's extraordinary success).

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After Charles Murphy's Ant-Man 3 scoop, he said on social media and his podcast that the rumour came from only one source, so it couldn't be confirmed and therefore might not be correct. Murphy's sources are typically very good, but this caution should be kept in mind. He was told the film would introduce and feature the Young Avengers, which would be a great incentive to get people to show up to an Ant-Man film (something, as I went over last time, the franchise struggles with). Murphy also offered a hint, rather than the rest of the scoop, saying "Limbo," which in the MCU refers to three places: the first is a dimension of demons ruled by Belasco and featured mainly in the X-Men IP. The second is ruled by Immortus, the future self of Kang...which appears in exactly one comic connected to Spider-Boy (presumably the rights for it are split with Sony). The third (the "Realm Between") is a soul realm only featured in Spider-Man, so Sony would own it.

Let's address the Young Avengers first. Their appearance in the MCU has been long rumoured: the original group consisted of Stature (Cassie Lang), Kate Bishop, Wiccan, Iron Lad, Hulkling, and Patriot. I don't think Feige will feel any need to mirror this as-such, since the group doesn't have the cache of The Avengers, X-Men, etc (invented in 2005 it's only been able to support 28 total issues). So what do we have ahead of us that would fit? Cassie has been introduced and Kate is definitively planned, with Wiccan heavily rumoured (possibly with his brother Speed); Kamala Khan (Ms. Marvel) is also on her way and would be the right age for this, as is Spider-Man; there's also the possibility of Morgan Stark (it seems odd to cast Katherine Langford in Endgame, cut her, and then never use her again)--her reappearing would be possible given the opening up of the multiverse, but this is purely my own speculation. That's seven possible members, which is more than enough for a team.

Limbo: the first suggested, ruled by Belasco (an obscure character whose origins are in the Savage Lands and who is heavily tied to Magik, the sister of Colossus), then by Madelyne Prior in a plot connected to Mister Sinister. As much as I love the X-Men, it seems unlikely they would be introduced in the same film with the Young Avengers. Another possibility is using Kang, about whom rumours have been floating for awhile (WGTC has echoed them, but none of the serious scoopers (or even GWW and LotLB) have). Kang is a classic Fantastic Four villain, but that doesn't preclude him from being used with other IP. The third possibility is that the word is being used far more loosely and refers to a character (or characters) stuck in limbo. This third idea is one we can safely throw out, because it doesn't fit the idea of a specific hint being given.

Does the basic idea (the Young Avengers in Ant-Man 3) seem plausible? Yes. It would solve the problem Ant-Man has had in attracting more interest. Does a plot including Limbo seem plausible? The Quantum Realm seems more IP-appropriate, but that aside it works. What's missing, for me, is the connection to Ant-Man himself and there's nothing about Limbo that really connects to the Young Avengers, so it comes across as a strange choice.

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We've had rumours about Dwayne Johnson playing Namor for quite some time (most recently LotLB and Movie Hole), but the recent announcement that Black Adam is going into production (in July) suggests this is false. It's not that actors can't crossover from DC to Marvel (as Laurence Fishburne has done), but given that Namor and Black Adam would be on screen at the same time, I don't think it's feasible (I think Marvel insists on exclusivity as well). I never put much stock into these rumours (seeing them as, if anything, a tactic used by Johnson to put pressure on DC), but I think we can end them now. I always thought they'd want to cast a different actor regardless, as Johnson is 47 and has a crowded schedule.

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Murphy is saying that, on average, the Disney+ shows will have a four month production schedule (for comparison the Marvel Netflix shows, which had twice as many episodes, took 5-6 months). From the Tweet it sounds like Murphy is guessing, but it's a reasonable guess.

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Discussing Film's August scoop that Falcon and the Winter Soldier would begin filming in October has proven correct, as the show began filming October 21st.

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Conrad is now beating the drum that LotLB (August) and Sutton (September) have (with no attribution, naturally), which is that we might get (some) of the Netflix actors back in their roles in the MCU. The latter pair have said or intimated the characters will be as-is, but Conrad adds this caveat:
It sounds like someone very important [his emphasis] at Marvel Studios really liked Daredevil and Jessica Jones, so at the very least it sounds like the characters [my emphasis] will live on in the MCU. This does not mean the Netflix series as you remember them are being revived or brought back. Instead, those characters might (once the moratorium is up [fall 2021 and early 2022] and Marvel can use them again) appear in future MCU movies or series. That’s without rebooting them, which means it’s possible that Charlie Cox and Krysten Ritter could continue in the roles.
What he's saying is the characters (as in, the IP) will shift over to Marvel with possibly the same actors. I've been arguing ever since Daredevil was cancelled that he would appear in the MCU, but all the characters would be quite different from their Netflix portrayals. Conrad is saying the shows won't be revived, but won't be rebooted, implying they become canonical, but dead (this is implied because we're using the same actors and, presumably, continuity). I find this very odd, as the MCU has no incentive to canonize the Netflix shows (you'd want to supplant them). Doing so, however, with the same actors, isn't easy and invites backlash. Krysten Ritter is 38 and by the time the IP is available she'll be 40--that's pushing it for the character to be introduced. Charlie Cox could only do an older version of Daredevil--doable, but it restricts opportunities. Funnily enough, only Finn Jones is young enough to easily transition over, but clearly Marvel won't do that given the antipathy from his haters.

I'm a little puzzled at the creative space Conrad is suggesting here, since his version requires the same actors as he's canonizing their shows. It would be far simpler to reboot the characters, having the Netflix versions be from another universe (hell, you could bring Charlie Cox over that way if you want). I'm a bit lost at what the benefit of having all the Netflix baggage brought in--what does the MCU gain from that when they don't own the shows? We'll have to wait and see, since it seems like Conrad, Sutton, and LotLB don't have a firm grasp of what the plans are. Were it up to me I'd do as suggested above (bring Cox in from another reality), either as a cameo or as a secondary character--perhaps he retires to be simply be a lawyer while the MCU-version of Daredevil is just starting out (you could have him in college and do his origin and the Elektra storyline correctly).

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The new Redditor (who I'm beginning to think is a new account for TMSM) talked about Spider-Man in the MCU:
  • Marvel is legitimately considering buying the Spider-Man rights back from Sony, but whether or not it'll happen is seriously in doubt. [Echoing Sutton]
  • Assuming Marvel doesn't buy Spidey back, there is a plan in place for a new deal that will benefit both sides of the equation. [Disney's plan given the specifics below]
  • Spider-Man will be allowed to have as many solo films as possible in the MCU. (Word on the street is that Marvel's planning at least four more.) Marvel will also be able to use their own versions of the characters that Sony is using as lead characters in their movies. (Venom, Black Cat, etc.) [This would cut out the legs from the Sony films and I can't imagine they'd agree to it; the number of planned Spidey films suggested is almost certainly from some off-the-cuff comments Feige made a few months ago]
  • Norman Osborn will be one of the MCU's next major antagonists, and will FOR SURE debut in Spider-Man 3. [Osborn rumours go back a long way to many sources--including Daniel (2018 and 2019), but excluding LotLB, myself, and, well, common sense given the current rights situation]
  • Sony, however, will also be able to use Tom Holland's Spider-Man in the SUMC. This version of Spider-Man will still be played by Holland, but he will be from Sony's universe and will have a different costume and backstory. Sony will also be able to bring back characters like Mysterio and Vulture, but they may have to be played by different actors. [This could be enormously confusing for fans]
  • Sony is already counting on this happening, and they plan to introduce Spider-Man in Venom 2. (In case it wasn't obvious, this is why Tom Hardy posted THAT pic the other day.) [This is pretty confusing because the Venom sequel comes out during the tenure of the current deal, so would have to follow whatever is outlined there, which isn't how this comment is framed]
  • Sony has also revived the Sinister Six film, and it will be a redemption story like Drew Goddard's [2013] original idea. [See below]
  • Sony is also developing films centered around The Prowler, Cardiac, Spider-Man 2099 and Spider-Gwen. The current plan is for Venom 3 to adapt "Maximum Carnage" and unite all of their properties in a huge crossover.
  • The Silver Sable/Black Cat movie is back on the table, and no longer solo films for each character. [Murphy scooped that the original concept was cancelled because it included Norman Osborn and Marvel objected to that]
  • The Kraven movie is dead. He's likely to be used as the Spider-Man 3 villain.
  • Currently, the likely upcoming slate is as follows: Morbius (2020), Venom 2 (2020), Silver & Black (2021), The Sinister Six (2021), Nightwatch (2021), The Prowler (2022), Jackpot (2022), Madame Web (2022), Silk (2023), Spider-Man 2099 (2023), Cardiac (2023), Spider-Gwen (2024) and Venom 3 (2024).
I last updated the Sony slate in March, so before addressing the above let's recap what's officially known, keeping in mind Sony doesn't have a czar of their Marvel IP--instead, it's a three-headed monster consisting of Palak Patel, Avid Arad, and Amy Pascal (who, despite having been fired and now at Universal, has a rights stake in the IP); I've included which of the three is the primary on the movies below:
Morbius (July/20) - Patel
Venom 2 (Oct/20) - Patel
The Sinister Six - Drew Godard's project planned in 2013 as an expansion of the Andrew Garfield Spider-verse; it was put on ice for awhile, but Pascal (last year) said it was back 'on' and waiting for Godard to have time for it (he's currently working on The Good Place for NBC and he signed a four-picture deal with Fox just before the Disney purchase (March), meaning it's unlikely he'll be available any time soon) (Arad)
Nightwatch - has no director attached, but former Luke Cage showrunner Cheo Hodari Coker was working on the script last year--it's been quiet since (Arad)
Kraven - has had a writer since 2018, but nothing else (Arad)
Madame Web - writers were hired this September as an attempted spinoff of Morbius (Patel)
Black Cat & Silver Sable - envisioned as one movie (Silver & Black) and then split into solo projects with no writer or directors attached (see the note above) (Pascal)
Jackpot - brought up in the summer of 2018, it has no one attached and there's been no movement on it (Arad)
Silk - brought up at the same time as Jackpot, there's been no movement since (Pascal)
Other properties have been mentioned, but nothing has happened beyond vague talk.

What this boils down too is that there are a lot of plans, but very little commitment to them (much less so than DC--see below). I suspect that how Morbius performs will determine if the other D-grade characters get a chance to appear on film (Venom, I think, only truly secures more Venom for now). None of the projects without dates has a director except Sinister Six and Godard isn't truly available, so in essence this is all theoretical and could disappear at a moment's notice.

Knowing the above, the Redittor's list of upcoming films is all but impossible--he has three 2021 films listed, two of whom lack scripts and all three lack directors (Sinister Six simply due to availability). It's possible to make a film in 18 months or so, but it will be rushed and I don't think Sony would do that (definitely not crunched together three at a time). However, the Redditor does preface the list with "likely," so to be fair we can probably throw out his speculation without automatically debunking the whole piece.

Do I believe this? I think the MCU, if they aren't buying Sony, would be happy to have access to their own versions of all the Sony IP, but I can't imagine Sony agreeing to that. Because there is no new deal or purchase of Sony at-hand, I can't imagine Marvel planning on having Norman Osborn as a major villain in the near future--it would be impossible to plan for. Ultimately I think what's above is simply someone's speculation.

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Sutton (split over four YT channels (one and twothreefour; repeated entirely here) offered up this scoop:
  • WandaVision/Doctor Strange 2 will be the set-up for the 2015 Jonathan Hickman version of Secret Wars and function very much like a comic crossover
  • Spider-Man in Venom 3; how this transpires depends on the Song-Disney deal, with Disney wanting Feige to control the film; if Feige isn't given control, then the Spider-Man will be a Sony version who, while still played by Tom Holland, won't be the same version [echoing the idea mentioned above]
  • The MCU wants Secret Wars to be done in parts [ala a comic crossover, as mentioned above], rather than simply one or two self-contained team-up films like the Avengers
  • Sony wants to have all three versions of their big screen Spider-Men meet in order to overcome a planet of Symbiots [This would make sense for Sony as a way to tie-in their old films]
  • Marvel Zombies will face off against the Spirits of Vengeance characters on Hulu with Mephisto behind it as part of Secret Wars [The Spirits of Vengeance idea echoes Deadline's description of the Hulu's plans back in May; we know Marvel Zombies are appearing on What If?]
  • Galactus and Doctor Doom will be the main antagonists, with Mandarin and Red Skull supporting (the idea being the Doom would rule Europe, Mandarin Asia, and Red Skull America)
LotLB have been beating the Secret Wars drum since August (which Sutton has jumped in on), but it's a popular notion (eg Charlie did a video on it last year). I like the idea of a crossover event being done like a traditional comicbook event (which is to say parts would play out in each particular show or film, with a uniting team-up film to resolve it--this would be unique and give it a different feel than the Infinity Saga). This idea would also help push the Disney+ and Hulu platforms as being integral parts of the MCU. Whether Feige wants to continue with Spirits of Vengeance remains to be seen. Finally, I think many people see both Galactus and Doctor Doom as future, major antagonists, so that element is plausible. Red Skull's inclusion is new to me, although it's possible.

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Somewhat related, it looks like we can debunk the strange rumour from LotLB that Scarlett Johansson would be returning as Black Widow in Black Widow 2, as the actress confirmed her character was dead and would stay that way (leaving the door open to an alternate universe version of her, but that's not what LotLB were pitching).


I haven't talked about DC comprehensively in over a year. With the DCEU an incoherent mess it's been difficult to discuss, but now that Black Adam is heading towards production it seems like a good time to review the slate. Those films without a date in green are certain to happen, those in red I believe or are known to be dead; those with no colour I have no strong feeling either way.

Upcoming Films
Birds of Prey (Feb.7/20) - looks like a hot mess, but so did Wonder Woman and it was a successful film
Wonder Woman 1984 (June 5, 2020; originally Nov.1/19) - I'm glad Chris Pine is back, but it looks like we're reaching Fox levels of continuity by doing so--I'm interested to see why our hero decided not to stop World War 2
The Batman (June 25/21; originally 2018 then 2019) - in production on some level since Ben Affleck was picked to play Batman in 2014; filming begins in January, 2020 (the more I hear the more it's sounding like a CW show)
The Suicide Squad (Aug.6/21) - the original envisioned sequel was thrown away after the reception of the first film and James Gunn is essentially doing a soft reboot
The Flash (2021; originally Mar.23/18) - many directors and scripts have come and gone, but it seems like things have settled down with pre-production slated for January, 2020
Aquaman 2 (Dec.16/22)

Films Without Release Dates
Black Adam - announced in January, 2017; has a director and production date (July, 2020)
Shazam 2 - despite low box office profit for a modern comicbook film, production on the sequel is planned for mid-2020
New Gods - announced in March, 2018, with Ava DuVernay (fresh off bombing out with Wrinkle in Time) attached; the original script writer has been jettisoned and the new script is not yet complete
Green Lantern Corps (July 24/20; originally June of that year) - it has had screenwriters since 2017, but there is no director attached nor anything official said about it in a long time
Gotham City Sirens - announced in December, 2016, with both a director (David Ayer--yes, Suicide Squad David Ayer) and screenwriter attached; Birds of Prey was given priority and there's been no movement on it since
Nightwing - announced in February, 2017; both a director and script attached with the latter completed at some point in 2018; however, it's likely it can't move forward until The Batman is released
Batgirl - announced in March, 2017, but attached writer/director Joss Whedon walked away (due both to the failure of Justice League as well as his well-publicized foibles regarding his ex-wife), being replaced by Birds of Prey writer Hodson in April
Supergirl - announced in August, 2018, with a script writer attached; there's been no news since
Blue Beetle - given a writer and executive producer in November, 2018, but quiet ever since
Plastic Man - announced in December, 2018; it has a script writer, but no other news since
The Trench - an Aquaman spinoff announced in February, 2019; producers and screen writers are attached and the plan is to have it out before Aquaman 2 (it lacks a director, however)
Justice League Dark - originally an idea from Guillermo del Toro back in 2013; he departed in 2015, replaced by Doug Liman who also left (in 2017); there's no completed script and no news about it since
Booster Gold - announced in September, 2015 (I missed it in my earlier list); it has a script, but hasn't received the green light from WB
Justice League sequel - while not declared dead by WB, given the departure of Cavill and Affleck there's no chance at all for a sequel as originally conceived
Lobo - announced in March, 2016 (it's not clear how much of the plans date back to the 2009 project); it has a screenwriter attached and Michael Bay (!) was approached in 2018
Man of Steel 2 - put in "active production" August, 2016, but with no script, director, and no Cavill, it's difficult to imagine it ever happening
Deadshot - announced in December, 2016, but there's been no news since
Harley Quinn/Joker film - announced in August, 2017; had a writer/director attached and production wax supposed to begin after Birds of Prey, but was recently cancelled
Deathstroke - reported on October, 2017, with Gareth Evans rumoured to write and direct, but while WB has greenlit the film, Evans isn't official attached and there's been no further progress
Cyborg (formerly Apr.3/20) - has no director or script and is listed as "delayed"
Joker - in June, 2018, a Leto-based film was put into early development, but after the other Joker film was a hit and Leto is in Morbius it's no surprise that it has been cancelled

Many of these projects lack directors, which is typically the point where a studio is much more committed. I suspect all the Batman-related projects are awaiting the reception of The Batman before moving forward, just as the Harley Quinn spinoffs are awaiting the reception of Birds of Prey. Beyond that only New Gods and Shazam 2 seem probable in the short-term, as DC is still unsure about how it wants to proceed.

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One comicbook property that's just arrived is HBO's Watchmen. I'm one of those rare people who enjoyed both the comic and Zack Snyder's 2009 adaptation of it (Alan Moore's is better, but I thought Snyder tried hard to stick to its spirit). When I heard HBO was making a sequel (as opposed to the redundant prequels DC put out years ago), I would have been excited except Damon Lindelof was put in charge. This isn't about Lindelof quitting Twitter for mixing advertising (Dark Knight) with an empty gesture of support for shooting victims (something I learned of doing research for this), but rather his prior work. His beginnings are on generic crime shows (Nash Bridges and Crossing Jordan) to being a major factor in the clusterfuck that was Lost; he helmed box office bomb Cowboys & Aliens, was part of the incomprehensible mess that was Prometheus, franchise-killing Star Trek Into Darkness, and the derided World War Z. His resume does not inspire confidence. Lindelof defenders usually point to the supernatural mystery show The Leftovers, but given that the bulk of his work is mediocre to bad and whose plots have holes and unravel badly, I have no idea why HBO picked him for such a massive IP.

With that out of the way, just because I wasn't interested in the show doesn't necessarily reflect the public. One way to gauge popular interest is the response to weather vane Charlie of Emergency Awesome, who will cover things that interest him, but if his audience doesn't care (ala The Gifted) he'll abandon it. The first episode review went up and there's not much interest (it has less than half the views of Charlie's lengthy video on the 8-second Witcher teaser dropped the same day). This could all change, but right now it looks like Lindelof has managed to bury yet another IP.

This article is written by Peter Levi (@eyeonthesens)

Friday, October 18, 2019

Marvel News

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Deadline is reporting that Kevin Feige is taking creative control over Marvel TV and animation--they will now be under the Marvel Studios banner. This comes on the heels of Variety's speculative article in late September that there would be no more Marvel Entertainment as a separate TV entity (something both GWW and Conrad latched onto, the latter copying the former). Prior to that, the only rumours we were getting were from LotLB, who kept saying TV/film would all be connected, with Tim's idea being that Loeb would now cooperate with Feige (I can't recall them saying he'd report to him). My struggle in accepting this was the involvement of ME Chairman Ike Perlmutter, but it appears as though Disney CEO Bob Iger was able to shift the TV/animation control away from the curmudgeon, leaving him with toys and comics. I don't expect the change to impact Hulu's upcoming Helstrom (how can it at this stage?), but I imagine whatever other plans Loeb had beyond that are over. Daniel RPK claims Loeb will retire next year (via the live chat of LotLB's show, link below), which is the best move for all parties involved.

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Murphy says Ant-Man 3 is coming, guessing July, 2022, saying:
About 2 weeks ago, I was told it was expected to film Summer of 2021. Yesterday I found the hard evidence I was looking for: Pym Particles Productions III LLC was formed a little over a month ago. [This is the production company name used for the previous films] ... So while I haven't been given a release date for AM-3, my thought process is that if it does in fact film in Summer of 2021, it will be the July 2022 film.
If this is true, and Murphy's track record is good enough that I think at least the film is coming, it's a surprise. Neither of Peyton Reed's films have shared the success of other MCU films (more about that below) and while the first Ant-Man made up for that in home release, Ant-Man and the Wasp didn't have the same cache. Doing it soon is a good decision, because much of the cast is old (Paul Rudd will be 51 next year, Laurence Fishburne 59, Michelle Pfeiffer 62, and Michael Douglas 76). I really liked the first film and hope the third can be a return to form--presumably it's purpose will be to serve Cassie's growth into a hero (as I mentioned awhile ago, there's not much point in signing Emma Fuhrmann unless you are going to use her).

In terms of prior speculation, back in September Sutton said the IP would be a Disney+ show; in June Paul Rudd was campaigning for a sequel (clearly a decision to go forward hadn't been made yet); and back in May a 4channer claimed it was being discussed, but wasn't yet in development (which matches Rudd's subsequent efforts). WGTC, in July, said the film would be on hold until the next Avengers--clearly not.

There's an angry slice of the MCU-fandom that doesn't accept that in relative terms the Ant-Man franchise has been a disappointment. These folks (Conrad included) try to use the numbers as their defense--it's not dissimilar to DC fans who argue that Shazam is a hit because of its perceived profitability. I've addressed this before, but I think it's worth going over again because it's unrelated to what I think of the quality of the films (I love the first Ant-Man). Let's compare MCU non-Avengers installments in their first two outings (factoring inflation after the slash; budgets in brackets, keeping in mind this doesn't include marketing which is often in the 100 million range, but can be much higher):
Phase One
Iron Man 585k/696k (140)-Iron Man 2 623k/735k (200)
Incredible Hulk 263k/312k (150)
Thor 449k/511k (150)
Captain America 370k/421k (140)
Phase Two
Thor 2 664k/717k (152.7)
Captain America 2 714k/771k (177)
Guardians 773k/834k (195.9)
Ant-Man 519k/560k (109.3)
Phase Three
Doctor Strange 677k/713k (165)
Guardians 2 863k/906k (200)
Spider-Man 880k/924k (175)
Black Panther 1.346k/1.372 (200)
Ant-Man 2 622k/675k (162)
Captain Marvel 1.128k (175)*
* The high end of the estimate

Let's keep things simple and look at profits--we'll ignore inflation and keep with a flat, 100 million marketing cost across the board, still organizing by Phase/profit:
Phase One
Iron Man 345
Iron Man 2 323
Thor 199
Captain America 130
Incredible Hulk 13
Phase Two
Guardians 477
Captain America 2 437
Thor 2 412
Ant-Man 310
Phase Three
Black Panther 1.049
Captain Marvel 853
Spider-Man 605
Guardians 2 563
Doctor Strange 412
Ant-Man 2 360

What's apparent is that Phase One numbers aren't particularly helpful (other than to each other)--it was a very different world before The Avengers. The apples to apples comparison for Ant-Man are the nearest new IP, since we start to get a runaway affect as the power of the MCU, particularly the hype for Infinity War and Endgame, boosted new entries (particularly Black Panther and Captain Marvel). Those release buddies are Guardians of the Galaxy and Doctor Strange. Guardians was a much more obscure property, but very similar in tone (a heavy emphasis on humour); Strange was better known, but had to introduce an entirely new element to the MCU (magic) and had a darker tone. On the flip side, Ant-Man was much cheaper to make, but even factoring that in it made significantly less profit (75% of Strange and 65% of Guardians). Moving on to its sequel, it was roughly on par with the Guardians sequel (64%), but in terms of increased profit it's a meager 14% despite spending 33% more. As with Shazam (164 to the positive), the numbers simply don't back the idea that the Ant-Man franchise has shared the success of the other MCU IP. This isn't to say it hasn't been profitable, because it has, but in relative terms it's at the bottom of the MCU barrel.

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One interesting bit of fallout from this news is it revealed the kind of sources Andre has for the MCU, which is to say, Google (or so it seems). In his breakdown of the above situation all the 'inside scoops' are directly (or indirectly) from Mikey Sutton's interpretation (my guess is he learned of Sutton through former associate Matt Jarbo). This is very different from his actual insider for Star Wars (leaks from Jarbo's Discord revealed it's the husband of a woman who works at LucasFilm). Sutton, while he has a long track record within Marvel scoopdom, had been quiet for quite some time (from what I can tell he switched to DC for awhile, at least judging by his largely dead Twitter account), so he's not likely someone Andre knew previously. I think Andre is far better off leaving the MCU to others--he doesn't care for it and doesn't have inside scoops for it, so why put out subpar material? (The reason, of course, is views, thus the horrendous and now laughably debunked Captain Marvel videos from earlier in the year, eg).

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Collider is reporting that Jade Bartlett will be writing the second Doctor Strange film, which is interesting because back in January Murphy reported that Scott Derrickson buddy C. Robert Cargill had been hired to write the script. What's not clear is if Bartlett is fixing Cargill's script or completely re-writing it--I'd guess the former. The first Doctor Strange was written by Jon Spaihts and Derrickson, with Cargill coming in to tweak it, so I think this is the same idea, but with Barlett in Cargill's role. It seems to be fairly common for things like this to occur for Marvel, as it has with Black Widow and (at least via rumour) Shang-Chi.

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According to THR the budgets for the initial slate of Disney+ shows is 25 million an episode (considerably higher than The Mandalorian's 15/per). This matches what was reported by Variety back in September (which gave a broad range of 100-150 per show--depending on the episode count this would match the 25/per 4-6 episodes).

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Charles Murphy says Ms.Marvel will begin filming in April, which makes sense given the push the character is receiving from Avengers (the 2020 video game, where she's the lead). A 4chan post dropped and, besides repeating the casting speculation of GWW below, adds:
"Kamala Khan is a 16 year old Muslim who gets injected with Inhuman powers after a field trip. Khan needs help from The Royal Family to control her powers. 20 year old Muslim actresses are the finalists for Khan. Himesh Patel and Mindy Kaling have been offered the roles of Aamir Khan and Muneeba Khan. Riz Ahmed was recently approached for a role. Brie Larson will have an appearance as Captain Marvel."
I don't think Marvel will care about the actress playing Kamala Khan fitting one of the ethnic groups of Pakistan (she's from Karachi, which is an enormous and diverse city, although historically it's primarily Balochis and Sindhis--the former are an Iranian people, the latter Indo-Aryan; both Patel and Kaling are of Indian heritage).

GWW say the Inhuman royal family is being cast for Ms. Marvel (or, at least Black Bolt and Maximus). Rumours about the former go back to LotLB in September, while the idea of an Inhumans reboot goes back to December (Adam McKay) and June (WGTC). GWW suggests Vin Diesel for the former and Aaron Taylor-Johnson for the latter--I think both ideas are preposterous. The casting might be true, but the actors in question I don't buy (see below).

The same Redditor (TheManOnTheInside) who posted about Loki has posted about a rebooted Inhumans:
  • The Inhuman Royal Family will indeed return in the Ms. Marvel TV show, and will be completely rebooted, rendering the terrible cancelled ABC series completely non-canon.
  • The rumors of Vin Diesel and Aaron Taylor-Johnson are totally false, especially since Aaron already played Quicksilver and will be reprising his role in WandaVision.
  • Marvel plans to have the group appear in future Marvel Studios projects, but probably never a solo film. They will, however, factor into at least a few potential crossovers.
  • The Inhumans could also appear in Captain Marvel 2 as supporting characters.
  • Marvel is indeed looking at actors to play the new Royal Family, but they haven't quite narrowed it down to anyone yet.
This entire post seems to have been made to refute GWW's idea above (for the source of their return go here). In LotLB's live chat (below) Daniel said Ms. Marvel was being used as a backdoor to reboot the Inhumans IP. For those who may not remember, Inhumans was on the MCU slate from October, 2014, until April, 2016 (Joe Robert Cole, who would later co-write Black Panther, wrote a script, and Diesel was attached as Black Bolt). In July (of 2016) Feige said "I think Inhumans will happen for sure. I don’t know when. ... And I think as we get into Phase 4 as I’ve always said, it could happen as a movie. I think it would be super cool." It seems like he's getting that Phase Four appearance.

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The Redditor also posted about WandaVision:
  • The series will feature Wanda living in a pocket dimension that she created using her powers, where she and Vision are a happy couple with a pair of young children.
  • In this reality, her brother Pietro is also alive and is one of their neighbors.
  • As the concept art showed, the show will have a "classic sitcom" feel, and the world Wanda creates will resemble a 1950s/1960s-era suburban neighborhood. [This matches the official teaser art we've seen]
  • As we know, other random characters from the MCU will be appearing in the series, such as Jimmy Woo, Monica Rambeau and Darcy Lewis.
  • Agatha Harkness (Kathryn Hahn's character) is the main antagonist, and she is a disciple of Nightmare.
  • As stated officially before, the series will directly tie in to Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. The way this will happen is that Wanda's reality-meddling tore a rift in our dimension, allowing for Nightmare to gain a foothold through Wanda.
This is similar to Daniel's rumour, but his doesn't include her brother Quicksilver, but he does specify who he thinks the children are (4chan, same link, also includes Wiccan, with rumours about the character going back much further, explored via the link). Daniel doesn't mention the villain, but both 4chan rumours do and they echo the above (only the first mentions Agatha). The reappearance of Quicksilver goes back to LotLB in August (if not earlier).

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He then posted about Ghost Rider:
  • As you all know, the Ghost Rider Hulu series was recently cancelled, and it was indeed thanks to interference from Kevin Feige.
  • Feige's plans for the character are as follows:
  • First of all, he is keeping the Robbie Reyes version of the character, but whether or not Gabriel Luna will remain in the title role is up to debate. This WILL be the same Ghost Rider introduced on Agents of SHIELD, however, and the show will indeed remain canon. [I have no idea why it would be the same character but not Luna]
  • Ghost Rider will get a Disney+ miniseries. Mephisto will be the main villain.
  • Afterwards, Ghost Rider is being planned to appear in a Midnight Sons team-up movie that will likely get a 2024 release date. Doctor Strange, Blade, Moon Knight and Elsa Bloodstone will be a part of the film as well.
The was echoed, in brief, by Daniel in the LotLB live chat (link below; did Danial simply read Reddit, or is the poster putting up things from Daniel's Patreon? I have no idea). The only Bloodstone rumour I can recall comes from WGTC in May (we know WGTC doesn't have an inside source, but they may have got that idea from elsewhere--the only other link I could find via Google was a wishlist from What Culture in January). I'm not convinced Feige will want to canonize Agents of SHIELD, although having it occur in another universe is a possibility. I have no attachment to Gabriel Luna or his portrayal (I have zero interest in Agents of SHIELD), but now that Feige is running all Marvel Television it's quite likely he'd want to put the IP in action. As for Mephisto, speculation about him has been floating around for quite some time (ever since Thanos was teased in the MCU), but none of the scoopers have put out stories including him recently. I recall LotLB talking about a Midnight Sons team-up for Hulu back in the day, but didn't jot it down since it was a hypothetical show after things like Ghost Rider and Blade had appeared there.

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We can already cast doubt on the 4chan Shang-Chi rumour as it claimed Jessica Henwick was approached to join the film--we now know she's signed on to Matrix 4, making her unavailable (it remains possible she was approached and turned it down).

An entirely different Redditor has posted a very different version of the Shang-Chi story that reads both like a Bruce Lee movie and the Tournament of Champions from Iron Fist:
  • So, basically, an alien spacecraft landed in China hundreds of years ago. The spacecraft was powered by the Ten Rings, magical relics that all serve a different purpose. The rings were looted by a secret society known as the Avatars, which is led by a wise martial artist simply named the Ancestor. The Ancestor wore the rings and used them to become an expert fighter.
  • The Mandarin grew up hearing about the Ancestor's story and was fascinated by it, despite everyone else believing it was just a myth. He began to idolize the Ancestor, and devoted his life to finding the rings. This inspired him to form his own mafia, which is the Ten Rings gang. Basically, the point of the gang is to look for the rings all around the world. He adopted his niece, Fah Lo Suee (Awkwafina) and taught her martial arts.
  • After years of investigation, he discovers that the legend of the ten rings are real, and that the Ancestor is dying. There was a leak a little while back at Shang-Chi is a tournament film, and that's actually true. When the Ancestor dies, the Avatars will run a secret tournament/kung fu trial in which the winner will be granted the rings. The Mandarin is too old to compete, and he doesn't want to risk Fah Lo Suee's life. That's where Shang is going to come in.
  • Shang is a street urchin who meets the Mandarin after he begins dating Fah. The Mandarin takes a liking in Shang and starts training him as his apprentice. His first task, as an act of gang initiation, is to kill Trevor [Slattery] for impersonating the Mandarin. People speculated that they will be related, but it will be more of a Walter White/Jesse Pinkman dynamic.
  • When the tournament begins, the Mandarin will send Shang to win and get the rings for him. That'll be the basic gist of the film pretty much. I know that defeating Fin Fang Foom will be an obstacle. Leiko Wu and Clive Reston will be in the movie as SHIELD agents who are investigating the Ten Rings gang. Shang-Chi will obviously betray the Mandarin and become a hero over the course of the film. He will get the ability to create multiple duplicates of himself. It will be an 'Orphan Black' situation, where each clone of himself has their own personality. So the fight scenes will obviously be insane to witness.
  • Marvel is casting Shang's enemies in the tournament, and one of them will be a character named Chao.
The only official comment on the film is that it's tone would be like The Matrix, but the above sounds like Enter the Dragon merged with a B-movie sci-fi plot. Oddly, even though a martial arts fest is something fans have speculated about for the IP, none of our rumour-mongers have done the same (in fact, we've had no hints about the plot from the usual suspects)--what speculation we have is that it's a spy thriller. I highly suspect the above is bogus.

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LotLB (who apparently talk to Daniel RPK and get along with him)
  • There are talks of adapting "Triumph and Torment" for a future Doctor Strange film (which features Doctor Doom and Mephisto)
  • Starfox/Eros is coming [he's an Eternal who isn't in The Eternals]
  • Disney+ series on the Thanos family
  • Spec list: Bug (of the Micronauts, who apparently is not owned by Hasbro due to when he was created), Jessica Drew (despite the Sony rights issues), Stryfe, Wrecking Crew
They've spec'd on Jessica Drew before, but with Sony owning her rights this would apply to them and not the MCU (even though this is an MCU spec-list). I don't believe the Thanos scoop at all--it would be a hugely expensive idea and one completely lacking stakes. The Wrecking Crew matches the post we had on Reddit about Loki.

While the show was going on Daniel was in the chat he dropped/reiterated the following scoops:
  • Werewolf by Night in Moon Knight [This echoes a GWW story from August; LotLB claimed he'd have a Hulu show months earlier; more recently a 4chan post claimed he'll be the main villain in Blade; I'm not sure what role he'd have in Moon Knight, while if he's with Blade that would echo the Underworld franchise]
  • Hercules for Disney+ [The last rumour we had about him was from LotLB who said he'd debut in Thor 4; we can also take this as an opportunity to debunk an old 4chan rumour from January which claimed he'd be in The Eternals--clearly the writer was swayed by Murphy's speculation he'd appear there (as I always say, Murphy's speculation is usually awful)]
  • Repeated his claim of the MCU building up to a Young Avengers show [A show makes a lot more sense than a movie, since in tone it would be very similar to the CW]
  • There are plans for Elsa Bloodstone on TV [Echoing the Reddit post above]
  • Man-Thing is in early development [Echoing LotLB in August]
  • Beta Ray Bill will be in Thor 4 [This is easy speculation since he was cut from Ragnarok; the last rumour we had about him was from the now silent TMSM who claimed there were casting calls for him--which seems preposterous--prior to that there were a pair of 4chan posts in May that both put him in Guardians of the Galaxy 3--perhaps because at the time it was thought that film would come out before Thor 4]
  • Repeated his claim about Wiccan/Speed in WandaVision

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It's been interesting watching Ed Norton's complicated relationship with Marvel over the years--the actor has often sounded bitter (apparently he thought his Hulk film would echo the Christopher Nolan Batman films), but recently mentioned being open to playing a villain role in the MCU. I don't imagine Feige would go down that road at this point, but it is funny how a passing decade has shifted Norton's thinking. I'd enjoy seeing Norton play an alternate universe Hulk, but I don't imagine that will happen.

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We have some closure on the Reddit sock account that has been attacking anyone that wasn't Jeremy Conrad or his friends: it has been deleted (hopefully permanently). You'd have thought the slanderous statements from a few weeks ago would have done it (the link), but at least it's gone.

This article is written by Peter Levi (@eyeonthesens)

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Marvel News

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'Tis the season of rumours as we're still not even at the midway point between Far From Home and Black Widow. We've moved from people speculating about which IP are coming to speculating about casting and story--we'll comb through the latest wreckage, looking for what's plausible and what's not. We'll start off with what limited actual news we have first.

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Shang-Chi director Destin Cretton talked to Collider about the film and there's one pertinent quote among the fluff:
I think particularly for our first Asian/Asian American step into the MCU, that tone [The Matrix] feels right.
To me that suggests a heavily stylized look along with a focus on big action pieces. 4chan also weighed in on Shang-Chi:
  • Shang-Chi is recruited by the MI6 to prevent his father, The Mandarin, from retrieving the legendary Ten Rings in order to conquer the world.
  • Shang-Chi is aided by MI6 agents Clive Reston and Leiko Wu. Sam Claflin is in final talks to play Reston, while Jessica Henwick has recently been approached to play Wu. Pierce Brosnan is in talks for the director of the MI6, Jack Tarr. [Discussing Film put up a casting call in August about a female Chinese-American secret agent--perhaps Wu?]
  • The Mandarin’s enforcers include Shang-Chi’s half-siblings Cursed Lotus and Moving Shadow, deadly assassin M'Nai and mad scientist Lancaster Zhang. Awkwafina is cast as Cursed Lotus, while Joe Taslim has been approached for Moving Shadow. David Gyasy is in advanced talks for M’Nai, and BD Wong is cast as Zhu.
  • Constance Wu is in talks for Mei Ling, Shang-Chi's mother.
  • Samuel L. Jackson will appear as Nick Fury.
  • The dragon Fing Fang Foom will appear in the movie. [LotLB have been pushing for Fing Fan Foom for awhile (August and possibly earlier).]
This has different casting than the 4chan post from last week; Henwick is half-Chinese, so certainly fits the profile, although like all casting speculation I take it with a grain of salt. I'm unfamiliar with the Shang-Chi roster and lore so it's hard to judge what little we've heard about it. I do think having an MCU heavy-hitter (like Fury) makes a lot of sense to anchor an obscure IP. It also appears they'll share Black Panther and Captain Marvel's approach of having a stand-in for the audience to be introduced into the world of the IP (either through Fury or more likely through the MI6 characters). How much, if at all, the current Chinese issues with Hong Kong will impact the film I don't know--the MCU has worked hard to meet the needs of China so I expect nothing controversial.

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Ruben Fleischer, director of Venom (who doesn't understand why it was critically panned), talked about being happy to see another director (Andy Serkis) take over the sequel. I don't believe that at all, but he added the following:
That’s where it’s all going to lead [Tom Holland's Spider-Man in a Venom film]. And that’s the exciting thing, because we changed the origin of Venom … in the comics, he evolved from Spider-Man but because of the Marvel-Sony thing we weren’t able to that. And so the thing I think it’s building towards, and will be exciting to see, is when they actually do confront each other.
The key part of this is "I think," because Fleischer isn't part of the process for the future of Venom so has no inside knowledge. Despite that, many (Conrad and others) are proclaiming this means a crossover is coming in the future (Murphy says it's been inevitable for years, but that Venom won't be part of the MCU). Such an event becomes simple without the Disney deal, although Feige's comments about the current (two-picture) deal also imply a crossover. What Fleischer said isn't the smoking gun for a crossover, he's simply saying what he thinks.

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Daniel says they are casting She-Hulk. Charles Murphy re-Tweeted this rather than responding, which suggests Murphy doesn't have specific related information and he's simply supporting his buddy. Because virtually all the Marvel scoopers get along with Daniel there's not much pushback against him (this is different for DC-material, but I've haven't delved into that much--the only time is here).

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More from Daniel's Patreon posts were posted on Reddit (in the comments) which was also summarized by Conrad (below is the former, which I believe is a direct quote):
"So from what I hear the first half of WandaVision every episode will play an homage to a different era of sitcoms. So at first it's just the two of them, Wanda and Vision, then the next episode they have babies, then it's a family sitcom and the babies are all grown up. The second half when everything is revealed will be a straight up Marvel movie. And when it is all said and done Wanda and Vision's kids will be alive in the main timeline and we'll get two more members of the Young Avengers."
One of these would certainly be the heavily rumoured Wiccan, the other is probably Speed. In the comics these are not Vision's children (his are the synthetic Vivian and Vin, who are not Wanda's), but the children they have together never become heroes (and both die). I don't find either New Avenger particularly interesting, but their inclusion is certainly plausible (the former in particular because he's LGBT).

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The 4chan rumours continue, this time about Doctor Strange 2:
  • Film will indeed be a horror film. Scott [Derrickson] pitched the first one as horror but Disney wanted to play it safe for Stephen [Strange]'s first outing. Now that he is an established character, Marvel is ready to take a risk. [This is plausible, but the why isn't that important]
  • As confirmed in SDCC, it will be PG-13. [There was never any doubt about that]
  • It will indeed be a direct tie-in to WandaVision. Wanda will go insane after the events of the series and splits open the multiverse. Stephen is torn between killing her or trying to redeem her since he knows she is a good person deep down. He will also need to find a way to repair the shattered multiverse before everything goes to shit. Wanda will get a brand new look in this movie that is scary and will highlight the "witch" part of her character. It will include the crown. I'm also hearing her hair will be black. I think we're getting a Gothic Wanda. [This matches the plot speculation we've seen of the show echoing House of M etc.]
  • Monica Rambeau, Darcy Lewis, and Jimmy Woo will be a part of the movie as well [as in, carried over from WandaVision]. People have been speculating how Monica gets powers in the MCU. Monica will get killed in WandaVision, but Stephen enters a universe where Maria Rambeau gets blasted by the Space Stone instead of Carol Danvers. Maria was pregnant at the time (she didn't know), and Monica inherited her mother's powers and became Photon when she grew up. [This could tie-in to my theory that Monica is the inspiration for Ms. Marvel]
  • New characters include Clea, a seasoned sorcerer from the Hong Kong Sanctum that Stephen falls in love with. Jericho Drumm, a necromancer from the London Sanctum whose parents were evil voodooists. Returning is Wong, the Ancient One, and Christine. [Roger Wardell gave us the Clea, Voodoo, and Ancient One scoops back in December; with a 4chan post in May adding Wong and Christine--it's hard to imagine the IP without them.]
  • The main villains will be Nightmare [long rumoured because Derrickson talked about him incessantly during the lead-up to the first Doctor Strange], an interdimensional demon who feeds on people's fears. He is eating at Wanda, influencing her terror and making her go insane. Agatha Harkness, a disciple for Nightmare who is proficient in witchcraft. And Shuma Gorath, a big eyeball. [A 4chan rumour in January had Harkness in WandaVision, but no one else I'm aware of had the eyeball.]
  • Whoever ends up playing Wiccan from WandaVision will also be in the movie, assisting Doctor Strange. [Rumours about Wiccan go back at least to January and WGTC, who we now know were simply speculating as New Avengers rumours go back to Murphy's old scoop about Cassie Lang in Endgame in April, 2018, if not further; the most recent is from LotLB about a month ago.]
  • Marvel Zombies will play a big part in the movie, and Stephen will spend some time there trying to find a McGuffin. We will see Zombie Cap, Zombie Iron Man, and a Zombie Doctor Strange. The sorcerers will battle a Zombie Hulk. The animated series What If...? will be a sequel of sorts to [the film]. Alternate timelines we see here will be fully explored in the show.
This actually matches many of the rumours we've heard, although the last part comes across as less credible (albeit, zombie versions wouldn't require the original actors in the roles). It sounds plausible, if a bit crowded, but could simply be speculation. It was followed by another, much shorter 4chan rumour about the film:
  • The Scarlet Witch creates the “Multiverse of Madness” after falling under the influence of Nightmare. Doctor Strange must rescue her to prevent the collapse of reality.
  • Strange assembles a team of sorcerers to help him navigate the Multiverse of Madness, consisted of Wong, Mordo, Clea and Drumm [Doctor Voodoo]. Strange and Mordo clash on whether Wanda can be saved or must be executed. Strange and Clea develop a bond. Wong and Drumm have an unlikely friendship.
  • Benedict Cumberbatch, Elizabeth Olsen, Benedict Wong and Chiwetel Ejiofor are returning. Rebecca Ferguson and Aldis Hodge are in talks for Clea and Drumm. Tilda Swinton will make an appearance as the Ancient One.
  • Several high-profile male and female actors are being discussed for Nightmare, including Eva Green, Emily Blunt, Claire Foy, Vanessa Kirby, Natalie Dormer, Ewan McGregor, James McAvoy, Cillian Murphy, Dan Stevens and Jared Leto.
While much briefer than the first, it follows the same basic framework of the various rumours we've heard. The only difference is that Clea isn't specifically described as Asian. The inclusion of Mordo has been less common (4chan in May), but would make sense if the story is right. Ultimately, we're still early enough in this process that all this could simply be fan speculation (although it is at least plausible).

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We also have a 4chan rumour about a Nova film:
  • Marvel is planning a Nova movie for Phase 5. The film is set be released sometime in 2023.
  • Film is titled Nova: The Fall Of Xandar, with the events of course being set weeks before Infinity War.
  • Adam McKay, Travis Knight, and Jon Watts are the favorites to direct. The first draft of the script is being written right now.
  • Richard Rider and a genderbent Sam Alexander are the two main characters. The film will have a buddy cop vibe.
  • Casting has not began yet but Marvel has an idea for who they want for Sam and Richard.
  • Marvel is looking at Breanna Yde [16] and Isabela Moner [18] for Sam Fun Fact: Moner was wanted for a role in Black Widow before that role was written out.
  • Marvel wants an actor of any ethnicity for the role of Richard Rider. Kevin Feige’s list of potential actors who could take the role include: Zac Efron, Harry Styles, James Marsden, Andrew Garfield, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Timothée Chalamet, and John Boyega.
  • John C Riley and Glenn Close are expected to return as Dey and Nova Prime.
  • Cancerverse is introduced. [I was unfamiliar with this, but it's a 2010 invention of a universe where Death has been defeated]
  • Chris Pratt and Zoe Saldana have brief appearances as Quill and Gamora
While we've heard Nova rumours for a long time, I find this hard to credit. Doing a prequel for a film from five years ago is beyond redundant--flashbacks to the event would be fine, but an entire film just wouldn't work. Gender bending the relatively unpopular Sam Alexander is a good idea, although I'm unfamiliar with either actress proposed, so have no opinion about them. Race swapping Richard Rider makes sense within the MCU context (because Xandar was portrayed with diversity), although up until this point Kevin Feige has never swapped a lead character (which doesn't mean it can't happen, simply that it would be a first). I don't think there's a big toy market for Nova, which means making changes is easier.

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Redditor (in a now removed post) said the following about Loki:
  • Amora The Enchantress will be the main antagonist of the series, and she will return in Thor: Love and Thunder.
  • The Wrecking Crew will serve as supporting antagonists, and will get their powers from Enchantress.
  • The series will feature Loki traveling through history to try and redeem himself.
  • At some point in the series, Loki will become worthy of Mjolnir.
  • The series will end with him winding up in 2023 in our reality, just in time for him to appear in Thor: Love and Thunder.
For a show we've known about for over a year and whose production is around the corner, it's surprising how few specifics have come out about it. The antagonists included are classic characters from the Thor IP, which makes them both appropriate, but also easy to speculate about. The focus of the story echoes a 4chan post from January which talked about Loki needing to persuade the Norns to not send his soul to Hel and is a vast improvement over the exceedingly dull story we got from Murphy around the same time (which focused on Young Loki). I think the post is plausible, but we'll need to hear more before we can truly judge it.

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Full Circle Cinema, the site responsible for ridiculous clickbait related to the X-Men not long ago, has put out what they claim Daniel RPK is saying (something I can't confirm): Liv Tyler's Betty Ross will appear in She-Hulk. This is presumably via his Patreon, as he hasn't put it on his social feed. There were rumours about Betty appearing in both Infinity War and Endgame, which were baseless, but that was before I was keeping tabs on the rumour-mongers so I don't know where they came from (it's easy speculation to make for a Hulk-related property).

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A quick debunking: back in August Film & Television Industry Alliance (which I'd never heard of) said WandaVision would be filming September 21st--not so much!

Speaking of debunked, after my adventure in assessing WGTC, I went through the data I have on others. With Conrad I couldn't find an actual scoop since The Eternals last year; with Lords of the Long Box, while it's still early, the established track record suggests their information is actually speculation based on what comicbook speculating insiders are buying--nothing, yet, implies actual inside information; Sutton I don't have enough information on yet and while I haven't tracked GWW very thoroughly, they are in WGTC territory with what I do have (zero scoops thus far).

This article is written by Peter Levi (@eyeonthesens)