Comics and Movies

[Stash]

Doubtful Marvel would lease the the rights to make a movie/streaming without owning the property out right. I think there was/is something already in development for Micronauts elsewhere, but that mighta been a few years ago. It does have possibilities, if done right.

Oh yeah. My expectations were for them to buy the rights outright.

 

[DallasEast]

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania Director Speaks Out on X-Men and Nova MCU Projects​

By Adam Barnhardt | Comicbook.com
February 19, 2023

Now that Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is in theaters, Peyton Reed has become the first director in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to direct three films featuring a single character in the title role. Despite already starting the earliest work on Ant-Man 4, Reed now says he's willing to explore other corners of the MCU with some potential new additions. Speaking in a new interview, Reed said he'd pass on helming Marvel's X-Men reboot, though some cosmic characters do pique his interest.

"I'm not an X-Men guy. [Quantumania writer] Jeff Loveness, he's an X-Men guy," Reed told Collider. "I love the X-Men, I love watching X-Men movies. I don't want to make an X-Men movie."

<snip>

That's when Reed specifically name-dropped a beloved cosmic character: the Human Rocket.

"To me, he was almost like a subculture Marvel hero. It's what drew me to Bring It On like, 'A movie about cheerleaders? That's weird,' And drew me to Down With Love," Reed concluded. "'It's like a sort of Rock Hudson, Doris Day homage as a romantic comedy set in the '60s?' I'm into that. I had the same attraction to Ant-Man, it was the same kind of thing. So I like the idea. I would do a Nova movie. I love [The Man Called Nova]. That seems cool."

Read more

 

[DallasEast]

Underrated Sci-Fi Movies of the 2010s, Ranked​

By Vic Medina | MovieWeb
February 21, 2023

Sci-fi films are booming like never before, spurred by innovations in low-cost CGI and the demand for more content by streaming services. It means that, more than ever, some "hidden gems" can be found in the genre, with most available to stream. The 2010s may have been dominated by superhero films, but sci-fi films also did well, with the Star Wars sequel trilogy, Jurassic World, and Avatar topping the box office when Marvel and DC didn't.

Sci-fi films did well at the Oscars during the decade as well, with films like Mad Max: Fury Road, Arrival, Gravity, and The Martian earning Best Picture nominations. The 2010s also saw a number of great sci-fi films that initially didn't get the respect they deserve, but are now highly regarded. Films like Tron: Legacy and Dredd flopped at the box office initially, but are now considered among the better genre films the decade produced.

These are 10 underrated sci-films released between 2010 and 2019, with most available to stream online.

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10 Coherence (2013)
09 Prospect (2018)
08 Okja (2017)
07 In Time (2011)
06 Snowpiercer (2013)
05 Under The Skin (2014)
04 Predestination (2014)
03 Upgrade (2018)
02 Midnight Special (2016)
01 Attack the Block (2011)

__________________________

Has anyone else watched any of these? I have seen Midnight Special, Under The Skin, Snowpiercer and In Time.

I would highly recommend Midnight Special. It is well-paced, not-over-the-top drama as well as science fiction.

 

[DallasEast]

Warner Bros. Discovery posts $217 MILLION loss in its streaming business after adding just 1.1M subscribers last quarter - despite HBO Max debuts like White Lotus and House of the Dragon​

By Keith Griffith and Reuters | Daily Mail
February 24, 2023

Warner Bros. Discovery on Thursday reported that streaming subscriptions grew just 1.1 million last quarter, less than Wall Street expected, despite a slate of hot HBO Max debuts including House of the Dragon and season two of The White Lotus.

For the quarter that ended in December, WBD's streaming unit, which includes HBO Max and Discovery+, reported an operating loss of $217 million on $2.45 billion in revenue, down from losses of $728 million a year ago.

Overall, the company missed expectations on the top and bottom lines, reporting revenue of $11 billion and losses of $2.1 billion that were mostly due to ongoing restructuring charges from last year's merger between Warner Bros. and Discovery.

CEO David Zaslav said that after completing 10 months of restructuring, the media company now looks to 'take full advantage' of its roster of globally recognized franchises, including Superman, Batman, Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter.

Read more

 

[DallasEast]

‘Thunderbolts’: Steven Yeun Joins Marvel Studios Pic In Key Role​

By Adam Holmes | Deadline
February 23, 2023

After years of watching the Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is gearing up to introduce another team to the silver screen. Thunderbolts is bringing numerous anti-heroes and former villains we’ve seen in the superhero franchise before to join forces, and among the other things we know about this Marvel movie is it’ll follow just a few months after Captain America: New World Order. Now word’s come in that a major star from The Walking Dead has been added to the cast.

Steven Yeun, who played Glenn Rhee on the flagship Walking Dead show from 2010-2016, has signed onto Thunderbolts, . Although the identity of the character he’s playing wasn’t shared, Deadline reports that the actor’s role is not only key to this movie, but could be significant in future MCU movies too. This is Yeun’s second comic book-related project, as he currently voices Mark Grayson in the animated series Invincible, which can be streamed with an Amazon Prime Video subscription and is returning for a second season towards the end of 2023.

Outside of the comic book media space, Steven Yeun drew acclaim for his performance as Jacob Yi in the 2020 movie Minari, for which he scored a Best Actor Oscar nomination. Yeun also caught attention last year for his role as Ricky “Jupe” Park in Jordan Peele’s Nope, and his other notable credits include Okja, Sorry to Bother You, Voltron: Legendary Defender and Tuca & Bertie. Yeun’s next movie lined up is Bong Joon-ho’s Mickey 17, which comes out in March 2024 and co-stars Robert Pattinson and Mark Ruffalo, the latter of whom plays Hulk in the MCU. Yeun is also leading the upcoming TV show Beef, which premieres to Netflix subscribers on April 6.

Read more

 

[Stash]

‘Thunderbolts’: Steven Yeun Joins Marvel Studios Pic In Key Role​

By Adam Holmes | Deadline
February 23, 2023

After years of watching the Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is gearing up to introduce another team to the silver screen. Thunderbolts is bringing numerous anti-heroes and former villains we’ve seen in the superhero franchise before to join forces, and among the other things we know about this Marvel movie is it’ll follow just a few months after Captain America: New World Order. Now word’s come in that a major star from The Walking Dead has been added to the cast.

Steven Yeun, who played Glenn Rhee on the flagship Walking Dead show from 2010-2016, has signed onto Thunderbolts, . Although the identity of the character he’s playing wasn’t shared, Deadline reports that the actor’s role is not only key to this movie, but could be significant in future MCU movies too. This is Yeun’s second comic book-related project, as he currently voices Mark Grayson in the animated series Invincible, which can be streamed with an Amazon Prime Video subscription and is returning for a second season towards the end of 2023.

Outside of the comic book media space, Steven Yeun drew acclaim for his performance as Jacob Yi in the 2020 movie Minari, for which he scored a Best Actor Oscar nomination. Yeun also caught attention last year for his role as Ricky “Jupe” Park in Jordan Peele’s Nope, and his other notable credits include Okja, Sorry to Bother You, Voltron: Legendary Defender and Tuca & Bertie. Yeun’s next movie lined up is Bong Joon-ho’s Mickey 17, which comes out in March 2024 and co-stars Robert Pattinson and Mark Ruffalo, the latter of whom plays Hulk in the MCU. Yeun is also leading the upcoming TV show Beef, which premieres to Netflix subscribers on April 6.

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I like the addition as I feel he’s a fine actor. But there’s a rumor that he might be playing the Sentry and I hope that’s not true.

First of all, he doesn’t strike me as a good fit for that character.

Secondly, Sentry is too powerful to be the adversary for a team like the Thunderbolts, especially with the announced lineup.

 

[DallasEast]

Box Office: Marvel’s ‘Ant-Man 3’ Gets Mauled by ‘Cocaine Bear,’ Suffers Record 69.7% Drop​

By Pamela McClintock | Deadline
February 26, 2023

Marvel and Disney’s Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania may have stayed atop the domestic box office chart in its sophomore outing with an estimated $32.2 million, but the real superhero of the weekend was Universal’s high-concept genre pic Cocaine Bear.

Directed by Elizabeth Banks, Cocaine Bear opened to $23.1 million after stealing away younger adults — and particularly males — from the Ant-Man threequel. Overseas, it sniffed out $5.3 million for an early global total of $28.4 million against a reported budget of $35 million before marketing.

Ant-Man 3 fell 69.7 percent in North America, the worst decline ever for a title in the Marvel Cinematic Universe after eclipsing Black Widow‘s 67.8 percent drop (the latter pic had the disadvantage of opening during the pandemic, and was made available simultaneously in the home).

The Ant-Man threequel also suffered the worst second-weekend drop of any superhero film opening to $100 million or more. DC’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice previously sat in the hot seat at 69.1 percent. Among MCU movies in this category, last year’s Thor: Love and Thunder saw the biggest decline, or 67.7 percent, after debuting at $144.2 million. And among all films starting off with $100 million or more, the final Harry Potter installment, released in 2011, tops the list of biggest second-weekend drops with a decline of 72 percent, according to Comscore.

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[DallasEast]

The Mandalorian Will Go On as Long as It Needs To, Says Jon Favreau​

By Justin Carter | Yahoo! News/Gizmodo
February 25, 2023

Ever since Disney+ hit the streets in 2019, The Mandalorian has been one of the key reasons to have a subscription to the service. Folks love themselves some Pedro Pascal, particularly when he’s protecting a young child like Grogu. And if it seems like their adventures could go on forever, good news, Jon Favreau basically said as such.

The co-creator of the hit Disney+ series recently spoke to Total Film to promote the incoming third season. When asked about the show’s future, Favreau said there’s no specific endgame in mind, and called it “a middle chapter of a much larger story.” While he promised resolution for the characters throughout the show’s run, he admitted that he’d “love for these stories to go on and on. And so these characters potentially could be with us for a while.”

Favreau saying that Mandalorian is part of a larger story isn’t all that surprising to hear. Between the Ahsoka show (headed up by him and Mandalorian co-creator Dave Filoni), Book of Boba Fett, Skeleton Crew and that canceled Rangers of the New Republic show, it feels like Disney’s got some kind of plan in mind for the TV characters. It wouldn’t be entirely off-base to guess that a TV crossover is in the works featuring Din, Ahsoka, and whoever else is still around during that time period in Star Wars.

Read more

 

[DallasEast]

 

[DallasEast]

Michael Dorn's Worf TV Show Plan Just Got A Shining Endorsement From A Star Trek: The Next Generation Star​

By Mick Joest | CinemaBlend
March 2, 2023

Star Trek: Picard Season 3 gave viewers some great scenes with Worf in "Seventeen Seconds," after officially bringing back the character in the week prior to save Raffi. Longtime Trek fans who tuned in with their Paramount+ subscription were undoubtedly thrilled to see their favorite Klingon kick some <censored>, with actor Michael Dorn back in the saddle as his character. It's wild to think that actor might not have joined the series for the final season, given all the teases in past years, but Dorn recently told CinemaBlend that wasn't entirely out of the question.

I was honored to speak to Michael Dorn ahead of "Seventeen Seconds," and admitted to the actor I've documented his eventual journey to Star Trek: Picard Season 3 quite extensively. I mentioned how some of his past comments made it seem like he wasn't a sure bet to return, and Dorn confirmed he was being earnest and shared why he was hesitant to return as well as unsure if it would actually happen:

I’ll speak for myself, I won’t speak for the other guys. It really was always about what they wanted me to do. It was always about, ‘Is it going to be interesting?’ For me, the call I got to be on Picard was a shock because there were no plans, you know? There wasn’t really anything concrete about coming back on Picard until they made the call to all of us. Even then, when they call, they say, ‘Oh, we’d like you to do this’ you kind of go, ‘Oh, that’d be nice,’ but you let it go because you just don’t know. You just don’t know how real it is.​

Read more

 

[DallasEast]

Apparently Disney Could Get The Full Rights To Marvel Characters Hulk And Namor, But It Comes With A Hefty Price​

By Adam Holmes | Yahoo! Entertainment/CinemaBlend
March 3, 2023

For the most part, Marvel Studios has easy access to Marvel Comics characters, especially since Disney’s acquisition of 20th Century Fox in 2019 allowed the X-Men and Fantastic Four to finally be introduced to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, there are some notable stipulations. In addition to Sony still having the film rights to Spider-Man-related characters, Universal Pictures continues to hold the distribution rights to solo movies about The Hulk and Namor the Sub-Mariner. As it turns out, Disney might be able to get the full rights back to these characters, but it would come with a hefty price.

As reported by The Wrap, a Citi analyst named Jason Bazinet stated it’s possible Disney could sell its stake of Hulu Since 2019, the Mouse House has controlled 67% of the streaming service, while Comcast owns 33% through NBCUniversal. On the one hand, Disney could buy out Comcast’s stake of Hulu as early as January 2024, but conversely, Disney could also agree to sell off its share of Hulu to Comcast in exchange for securing the distribution rights to Hulk and Namor. To be clear, there isn’t official movement on any course of action one way or another, they’re just options to be considered.

Although the Edward Norton-led The Incredible Hulk was released in 2008 as a co-production between Marvel Studios and Universal, since then, Mark Ruffalo’s Bruce Banner has only appeared in the Avengers movies and projects starring other characters, like Thor: Ragnarok and Disney+’s She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. Tenoch Huerta’s Namor was introduced last year in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and while he’s expected to be seen again someday, like Hulk, it would need to be in other characters’ movies or ensemble pieces. If a solo Hulk or Namor movie were to be made now, not only would Universal distribute said movie, the studio could make it available to stream exclusively to Peacock subscribers, as opposed to people with a Disney+ subscription being able to check it out.

Read more

 

[DallasEast]

 

[DallasEast]

DC BRINGS KNIGHT TERRORS AND MANGA TO COMICSPRO​

By DC Publicity | DC.com
February 22, 2023

At today’s ComicsPRO convention, DC illuminated the “Dawn of DC” timeline to reveal its Summer event, Knight Terrors, written by Joshua Williamson (Superman) with art by Howard Porter (The Flash), Guillem March (The Joker), and more. DC also announced an exciting new update to its partnership with Japanese publisher Kodansha in which three of its manga comics featuring DC characters - Superman vs. Meshi, Batman: Justice Buster, and Joker: One Operation Joker - will be released in English for the first time. The Manga titles will be available in a serialized format digitally-first as an exclusive for DC UNIVERSE INFINITE subscribers and then will be in physical collections later this year.

Kicking off this July, Knight Terrors is a miniseries in which Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman find the body of one of their earliest enemies at the Hall of Justice. Their investigation takes them past the land of the living, beyond the land of the dead, into a realm of nightmares . The only way to save the world is to call for the help of an unlikely hero, Deadman.

"I love horror comics, and it’s been a blast bringing the energy to Dawn of DC. Knight Terrors showcases the horror side of our heroes as a brand-new villain confronts them with their worst nightmares,” said Joshua Williamson. “It’s a fun and horrific event that brings together all of the heroes and villains of DC, along with some surprises!”

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[DallasEast]

Agatha Harkness Conjures Up a 'Contest of Chaos' in 'Scarlet Witch Annual' #1​

By Marvel | Marvel.com
March 2, 2023
Teased last week in a promotional image by artist Bryan Hitch, chaos will reign this summer in the new Marvel Comics saga, CONTEST OF CHAOS!

The story will star the newly rejuvenated Agatha Harkness, fresh off her exciting role in MIDNIGHT SUNS, as she attempts to craft a new Darkhold book using chaos magic. Led by writer Stephanie Phillips (ROGUE & GAMBIT, COSMIC GHOST RIDER), CONTEST OF CHAOS will unfold in multiple annuals throughout the summer by a host of all-star creators, beginning with a prelude issue in SCARLET WITCH ANNUAL #1.

Spinning out of writer Steve Orlando and Sara Pichelli’s hit SCARLET WITCH ongoing series, SCARLET WITCH ANNUAL #1 will be written by Orlando and drawn by Carlos Nieto, a rising star who recently made his Marvel Comics debut in MURDERWORLD: WOLVERINE. The exciting prelude will see Agatha, reenergized and more motivated than ever before, put her bold new plans for the Marvel Universe into motion as she reunites with Scarlet Witch for the first time since her rejuvenation.

When she learns of Wanda’s recent absorption of Chthon, she decides to educate her former student on the dangers of such an endeavor. But Wanda is not the meek pupil she once was—and Agatha’s intentions are not so straightforward. This epic clash between Marvel’s most powerful witches will set off a chain reaction that will erupt across special annual issues of Marvel’s hottest ongoing titles.

Read more

 

[Stash]

Michael Dorn's Worf TV Show Plan Just Got A Shining Endorsement From A Star Trek: The Next Generation Star​

By Mick Joest | CinemaBlend
March 2, 2023

Star Trek: Picard Season 3 gave viewers some great scenes with Worf in "Seventeen Seconds," after officially bringing back the character in the week prior to save Raffi. Longtime Trek fans who tuned in with their Paramount+ subscription were undoubtedly thrilled to see their favorite Klingon kick some <censored>, with actor Michael Dorn back in the saddle as his character. It's wild to think that actor might not have joined the series for the final season, given all the teases in past years, but Dorn recently told CinemaBlend that wasn't entirely out of the question.

I was honored to speak to Michael Dorn ahead of "Seventeen Seconds," and admitted to the actor I've documented his eventual journey to Star Trek: Picard Season 3 quite extensively. I mentioned how some of his past comments made it seem like he wasn't a sure bet to return, and Dorn confirmed he was being earnest and shared why he was hesitant to return as well as unsure if it would actually happen:

I’ll speak for myself, I won’t speak for the other guys. It really was always about what they wanted me to do. It was always about, ‘Is it going to be interesting?’ For me, the call I got to be on Picard was a shock because there were no plans, you know? There wasn’t really anything concrete about coming back on Picard until they made the call to all of us. Even then, when they call, they say, ‘Oh, we’d like you to do this’ you kind of go, ‘Oh, that’d be nice,’ but you let it go because you just don’t know. You just don’t know how real it is.​

Read more

I despise the Raffi character like few others I can remember. Every time she’s on-screen, I just want the scene to be over.

Of all the characters they said goodbye to in Season 2, why did this one have to come back?

And if there’s a series with the character coming as has been rumored, I know which one I won’t be watching.

 

[Stash]

Apparently Disney Could Get The Full Rights To Marvel Characters Hulk And Namor, But It Comes With A Hefty Price​

By Adam Holmes | Yahoo! Entertainment/CinemaBlend
March 3, 2023

For the most part, Marvel Studios has easy access to Marvel Comics characters, especially since Disney’s acquisition of 20th Century Fox in 2019 allowed the X-Men and Fantastic Four to finally be introduced to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, there are some notable stipulations. In addition to Sony still having the film rights to Spider-Man-related characters, Universal Pictures continues to hold the distribution rights to solo movies about The Hulk and Namor the Sub-Mariner. As it turns out, Disney might be able to get the full rights back to these characters, but it would come with a hefty price.

As reported by The Wrap, a Citi analyst named Jason Bazinet stated it’s possible Disney could sell its stake of Hulu Since 2019, the Mouse House has controlled 67% of the streaming service, while Comcast owns 33% through NBCUniversal. On the one hand, Disney could buy out Comcast’s stake of Hulu as early as January 2024, but conversely, Disney could also agree to sell off its share of Hulu to Comcast in exchange for securing the distribution rights to Hulk and Namor. To be clear, there isn’t official movement on any course of action one way or another, they’re just options to be considered.

Although the Edward Norton-led The Incredible Hulk was released in 2008 as a co-production between Marvel Studios and Universal, since then, Mark Ruffalo’s Bruce Banner has only appeared in the Avengers movies and projects starring other characters, like Thor: Ragnarok and Disney+’s She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. Tenoch Huerta’s Namor was introduced last year in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and while he’s expected to be seen again someday, like Hulk, it would need to be in other characters’ movies or ensemble pieces. If a solo Hulk or Namor movie were to be made now, not only would Universal distribute said movie, the studio could make it available to stream exclusively to Peacock subscribers, as opposed to people with a Disney+ subscription being able to check it out.

Read more

That’s an interesting scenario. I don’t think much of Hulu, but I don’t think trading away 67% of the rights would be equal to just getting the rights to Hulk and Namor back. I’d need a lot more than that. Let’s talk about Illumination?

 

[Runwildboys]

I despise the Raffi character like few others I can remember. Every time she’s on-screen, I just want the scene to be over.

Of all the characters they said goodbye to in Season 2, why did this one have to come back?

And if there’s a series with the character coming as has been rumored, I know which one I won’t be watching.

I like her, but I don't like her backstory.

 

[Roadtrip635]

Jon Bernthal Celebrates His Return as Frank Castle in New Video​

The actor will reprise the role in Disney+'s 'Daredevil: Born Again' alongside Charlie Cox and Vincent D'Onofrio.
https://collider.com/jon-bernthal-punisher-video/

He was adamant that he would not reprise the role unless, he could play the character the way it was meant to be played, so this makes it interesting how Disney will treat the character. I'm guardedly optimistic..... don't screw this up Disney.

 

[DallasEast]

Jon Bernthal Celebrates His Return as Frank Castle in New Video​

The actor will reprise the role in Disney+'s 'Daredevil: Born Again' alongside Charlie Cox and Vincent D'Onofrio.
https://collider.com/jon-bernthal-punisher-video/

He was adamant that he would not reprise the role unless, he could play the character the way it was meant to be played, so this makes it interesting how Disney will treat the character. I'm guardedly optimistic..... don't screw this up Disney.

 

[nobody]

Jon Bernthal Celebrates His Return as Frank Castle in New Video​

The actor will reprise the role in Disney+'s 'Daredevil: Born Again' alongside Charlie Cox and Vincent D'Onofrio.
https://collider.com/jon-bernthal-punisher-video/

He was adamant that he would not reprise the role unless, he could play the character the way it was meant to be played, so this makes it interesting how Disney will treat the character. I'm guardedly optimistic..... don't screw this up Disney.

I'll believe it when I see it. Once he signs that contract they can meddle all they want and there's little he can do about it. Their lawyers are bigger than his.