The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU)
Did you sense a disturbance in The Force? As if millions of
Marvel Studios announced at San Diego Comic-Con that Benedict Cumberbatch will return for a second Doctor Strange movie, Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness. Scott Derrickson will return to direct, and Elizabeth Olsen will reprise her MCU role of Scarlet Witch.
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Wizard World Chicago took place on the last weekend of August, the same weekend as Disney’s D23 Expo. Several celebrities participated in panels and Q&A sessions for fans.
First up, Jeff
Kevin Conroy quotes about (what else?) voicing Batman, working with Mark Hamill, and getting in front of the camera again for Crisis On Infinite Earths.
Dean Cain answered questions about playing Superman and gives his opinion of Henry Cavill.
Teddy Sears tells about what he knew ahead of time when playing Jay Garrick in The Flash.
And finally, Matt Ryan talks about his inspirations when playing Constantine in Legends Of Tomorrow.
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A ton of news to go over in this jam-packed episode! In the first segment, Seth and Crazy Train talk about the problems between Sony and Disney over Spider-Man. The second half is devoted to Star Wars and Marvel news coming out of D23.
Unless you’ve been out in deep space for the last week, you’ve probably heard of the split between Disney and Sony over Marvel’s Spider-Man in
Attempts at making a Spider-Man feature film date back to the 1980s. But over the years, the film companies set to make the picture would go under or were bought out. This made deciding the film rights a real nightmare. Eventually, Sony got the rights in the late 90s.
Around this time, Marvel opened their own film studio. Once Marvel Studios was created, Marvel no longer needed to shop around film rights. They could control their own properties when it came to the big screen. This is one of the reasons Marvel was able to make successful films that pleased fans and critics alike.
So here are the main talking points of the Disney vs. Sony fiasco.
The previous deal between the two had expired – When Sony and Disney agreed to share Spider-Man, it was for a certain number of films. Sony would produce the stand-alone films, with Marvel and Disney helming Avengers and other crossover films.
Sony was happy with the previous deal – It looks like Sony would have been happy with a continuation of that agreement. They weren’t necessarily looking for a bigger or better deal.
Disney was asking for a larger cut – Under the old deal, Sony got the profits from the stand-alone Spider-Man movies, while Disney kept profits from any cross-over. The 50/50 deal proposed by Disney would see both companies sharing equally in cost and profits.
Sony has tried to control Spider-Man films before – Sam Raimi walked away from making Spider-Man films after clashing with Sony over Spider-Man 3. The reboot with Andrew Garfield also saw issues with Sony trying to guide the franchise away from how directors wanted it. If Sony and Disney do not agree to terms, it would mark the third time Sony would be guiding Spider-Man on their own.
Sony has several Spider-Man related characters – Most, if not all of the Spider-Man rogues’ gallery, are within Sony’s rights. Sony is making Venom 2, and an Into The Spider-Verse sequel seems likely. Plus, there is the Morbius film, as well as other Spidey movies that would pave the way for a Sinister Six movie.
It’s not over yet– It is very possible that Disney and Sony may mend their fences and work out a deal. It is also possible that Sony may have learned their lesson when it comes to producing a Spider-Man story. This story will likely have a few more chapters before it’s over. Spider-Man is the last remaining property that Marvel Studios has yet to regain control of when it comes to feature films.
As discussed during the show, The Geek Twins have this handy chart which shows the characters Marvel has direct control over vs. Sony and Netflix. Sucks to be Rick Jones…
Please include attribution to TheGeekTwins.com with this graphic.
Disney held its annual D23 Expo where, as expected, future Star Wars projects were officially announced. Plus, new Marvel shows were also revealed.
(37:30) Untitled Obi-Wan Kenobi Series
The long-rumored Obi-Wan Kenobi series was confirmed at last, with Ewan McGregor reprising the role. No premise was given, but fans have assumed it would be about Kenobi’s time on Tatooine between the prequels and the classic trilogy. With it being set approximately 8-10 years after Revenge Of The Sith, it would be taking place at approximately the same time as Solo and Star Wars Rebels.
(39:34) The Mandalorian
The highly anticipated series The Mandalorian finally got an official trailer. To say it felt like a Western would be an understatement. Ming-Na Wen, who played Agent May for all seven seasons of Agents Of SHIELD, has joined the cast.
Not only that, IG-88 saw some action almost 40 years after his debut in Empire Strikes Back. Could more bounty hunters be on the way? 4-LOM? Zuckuss? Dengar?
It’s also worth noting that Disney will be releasing one episode per week, rather than all of them at once.
(50:25) The Rise Of Skywalker
Of course, it would not be a true Star Wars event if it didn’t have footage from Episode IX: The Rise Of Skywalker. We covered that in detail in our last show. Seth does make two bold, albeit unoriginal, predictions about the Skywalker Saga finale.
Black Panther 2 will hit theaters in May of 2020, making it right in line with the end of Phase Four. For The Eternals, Kit Harrington (Game Of Thrones) has signed on to play Black Knight
Not one, not two, but THREE more Marvel series will be added to the lineup. No casting or release dates were announced.
Moon Knight: Arguably the most fitting of the three shows. We had speculated before how Moon Knight would make for a perfect addition to a Netflix or TV lineup.
Ms. Marvel: The current Ms. Marvel, Kamala Khan, will do double duty between her own show and appearances in films.
She-Hulk: Possible the biggest surprise was the announcement of She-Hulk. It will be interesting to see how she is handled for a TV show. Would it be ab actress? Or a CGI created character?
While not a new series announcement, the character of John Walker (US Agent in the comics) will be introduced in Falcon & Winter Soldier.
Spidey and His Amazing Friends: Clearly aimed at children, this show will be a comedic take on the classic 80s series Spider-Man And His Amazing Friends.
Finally, unrelated to Disney or Sony, Supergirl will don a new costume for her fifth season.
As stated in the show, Crazy Train has a new Playlist called “Chicks That Rock“. You can find it on Spotify.
Some thought it was too good to be true, and that may have turned out to be the case. Sony and Disney/Marvel were unable to close a deal to keep Spider-Man in the current Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Deadline reports that meetings between the two entertainment giants to co-finance and co-produce more Spider-Man films ended with no agreement. This takes Disney and Marvel’s Kevin Feige out of the picture when it comes to any future plans with Spidey.
The split comes at a very odd time. Marvel’s Avengers: Endgame recently became the highest-grossing movie of all time, while Spider-Man: Far From Home became the highest-grossing Spider-Flick, as well as the highest-grossing Sony movie ever made.
According to Deadline, Disney proposed a 50/50 deal that would have seen both companies split the costs and earnings, and presumably would include movies involving Venom, Carnage, Miles Morales, and others. Sony refused and made a counter-offer that Disney turned down.
What this means for the future remains to be seen. But for the time being, everybody’s friendly neighborhood Spider-Man will be swinging solo unless immediate changes happen. The sequel to Venom is in production, and actor Tom Holland is attached to at least two additional films. It is only a matter of time before Venom and Spidey cross paths onscreen. Will Sony keep the billion-dollar income without the rest of the Marvel MCU attached? We may not have to wait too long to find out.
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A little later than expected, but Seth and Train are back to talk the Marvel Phase Four announcements from this year’s San Diego Comic-Con.
We speculated in our last episode on what Marvel might be doing for Phase Four of the Cinematic Universe. After a bunch of reveals at San Diego Comic-Con, we now have the full lineup for the next two years.
It is worth noting that only films slated for 2020 and 2021 were announced. There were no definite indications of theatrical releases for 2022. The possibilities of Black Panther 2, Captain Marvel 2, and Avengers 5 are still very strong.
For each of the announced movies or series, we’ll give our main speculation points and pair them up with what was confirmed during the Hall H presentation.
Speculation: Florence Pugh will play Yelena Belova/Crimson Widow. David Harbour will be Taskmaster. This may introduce a cloned Natasha like in the comics
Confirmed: Pugh will be Yelena Belova, David Harbour will be Alexi Shostakov aka Red Guardian, the Russian equivalent of Captain America.
New Speculation: Yelena Belova may be Taskmaster instead of Crimson Widow
Speculation: Millie Bobby Brown and Angelina Jolie would be the same character. Thanos and Adam Warlock would be involved in some capacity.
Confirmed: Several roles were announced, none of which were Thanos or Warlock. It will take place on Earth, and Kevin Feige described it as “full-on Jack Kirby“.
New Speculation: Nobody will care that Ajak and Makkari have been gender-swapped.
Speculation: Shang-Chi will fill the void Danny Rand/Iron Fist fills in the comics as the martial-arts expert. If this is an attempt to get a Bruce Lee vibe, it will fail to do so
Confirmed: Mandarin is the villain
Further Speculation: Since the Ten Rings were teased way back in the first Iron Man, this may take place over a period of time. There could be an explanation as to why Ben Kingsley played an imposter Mandarin.
Speculation: The show will be standalone and not directly tied to the rest of the MCU, and Baron Zemo will be the villain
Confirmed: Will not be standalone, and will be part of Phase Four. Baron Zemo is the villain and will have the mask.
Speculation: Will take place before Vision’s death in Infinity War.
Confirmed: Takes place in current time, so maybe Captain America was able to revive Vision in his post-Endgame quest. Monica Rambeau is in the show, perhaps to become a new Captain Marvel or Miss Marvel.
Speculation: Possible origin story or another story from the past. Loki’s escape during Endgame could play a factor.
Confirmed: Takes place after Loki’s escape in Avengers: Endgame. This will be the classic evil Loki and not the sympathetic character he became in Phase Three.
Speculation: Dr. Strange will be one of the focal points of the MCU on par with how Iron Man was for the first three phases.
Confirmed: Scarlet Witch will be in the film, so it may tie in with the WandaVision series.
Speculation: Could be directly related to Guardians of the Galaxy 3 given the styles of directors James Gunn and Taiki Watiti. Plus Thor left with the Guardians to close out Endgame.
Confirmed: Natalie Portman will be reprising Jane Foster and will become Thor.
Current Speculation: Thor himself will be a supporting role, and it could still tie into Guardians 3
Speculation: Clint is back to adventuring now that his family is safe. We may see Kate Bishop.
Confirmed: Kate Bishop will be major part of the show
Marvel did not outright say any immediate future of the X-Men franchise, including Deadpool. But it seems like X-Men may wait a few years and get rebranded for Phase Five.
Longtime Marvel fans were delighted when Kevin Feige announced the animated What If…? series for the Disney+ streaming service. Not only will the show be produced by Marvel Studios, but it will also feature many of the existing MCU actors reprising their big-screen roles.
However, if you were hoping for stories about Wolverine, Spider-Man, or The Fantastic Four, you may be disappointed. Feige clarified while speaking with Screen Rant that only stories from The Infinity Saga (Phases 1-3) will be explored.
“Right now, we’re focusing on for the first season, everything you know about the 23 movies in the Infinity Saga and adding one twist to them and seeing how everything turns out different.”
Marvel President Kevin Feige to Screen Rant
While that excludes classic issues where Wolverine kills The Hulk, or The Punisher becomes Captain America, the good news is that still means over twenty movies worth of material can be explored. Add in that the known actors will still be providing the voices, and it’s still a pretty ambitious concept.
What If…? will debut in Summer 2021 on Disney+. The series premiere will answer the question “What If Peggy Carter Became Captain America?”.
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Seth “Zandrax” Zillmann and “Crazy Train” Jonathan Bolick return for another episode of Geekville Radio.
Every so often, characters get recast or revamped with different features. Most of the time, the changes are irrelevant. other times, they can be essential. This is a subject that has been discussed in past episodes of
The latest case is the rumored recasting of Ian Fleming’s Agent 007. James Bond has been a fixture in pop culture for over 50 years. Now, James Bond is allegedly being replaced with a new character to be played by Lashana Lynch. We look at this news and compare it to other times perennial favorites have been revamped.
Contrary to the fan theory, James Bond was not an alias. It was always the same man in all of the classic Fleming novels. What is allegedly happening is similar to what Marvel Comics does when they revamp a character (James Rhodes becoming Iron Man is an example). It is not the same character reimagined, but a new character taking Bond’s place as Agent 007.
Marvel’s Phase Three for its Cinematic Universe (MCU) wrapped this year with Captain Marvel, Avengers: Endgame, and Spider-Man: Far From Home. All three films wrapped up the last ten years of stories, while still bringing new characters into the fold.
Still, much of the highly anticipated Phase Four is left in mystery. Disney and Marvel are staying tight-lipped about what major threats could be in store for the heroes come 2020. So we’ll do whatever any sensible fan would do when faced with this dilemma: Make our own conclusions, and yell and scream when they aren’t met to the letter.
Let’s take a look at each of the characters and where they currently stand as of Spider-Man: Far From Home. Then we can see where they may fit in future films.
Iron Man/Tony Stark – In the climactic finale to Avengers: Endgame, Tony sacrificed himself to save the universe. As anybody who reads comics can tell you, nobody stays dead in comics (well, except for Thunderbird, he’s still dead). It wouldn’t be terribly surprising to see Tony back in some capacity, even if it’s in a flashback or cameo from another universe. That said, the chances of him back full time are pretty slim at best though.
Captain America/Steve Rogers – The last scene in Avengers: Endgame was Steve returning back to a post World War II America to reunite with Peggy Carter. Some fans objected, saying that Cap would never do this in the comics. While that is technically true, the unfortunate truth is actors age in the real world, whereas superheroes never need to.
Could we see a cameo in a period piece or a time travel story? Or even once more as a 100-year-old mentor? Chances are fans wouldn’t complain.
Thor – The final scene of Endgame saw Thor joining Guardians Of The Galaxy, even making an Asgardians Of The Galaxy joke. Since Thor doesn’t have to worry about leading his people for a while, it seems likely he will continue his big-screen adventures, whether in a solo film or in Guardians 3.
Hulk/Bruce Banner – Bruce has learned to control himself to the point where he has the best of both worlds. The Hulk’s strength and endurance paired with Banner’s intelligence. Allegedly, only Universal can make a Hulk standalone movie, which is why he is always second fiddle to other heroes in their movies. Still, with Hulk likely staying Hulk full-time, the character can continue to have onscreen adventures even if Mark Ruffalo should bow out.
Plus there’s always the possibility of introducing Amadeus Cho as The Totally Awesome Hulk. And it’s probably only a matter of time before we get She-Hulk.
Black Widow/Natasha Romanoff – She’s dead. Yet she’s getting a movie. More on that later.
Hawkeye/Clint Barton – All Clint wanted was his family back. He got that, so presumably, he’ll be suiting up again as an Avenger sooner rather than later. Could we be getting Kate Bishop?
Ant-Man/Scott Lang – Reunited with his daughter after five years, Scott looks to be good to go for another round of adventuring. He and Hope Van Dyne are probably a duo from here on out.
Dr. Stephen Strange – Strange was pivotal in helping the heroes turn the tide and defeat Thanos. There is plenty more mysticism and magic in store for The Sorcerer Supreme.
Black Panther/T’Challa – Another breakout hero for Phase Three who scored a billion-dollar jackpot with his own movie. Panther will be around for the long haul.
Captain Marvel/Carol Danvers – The chances are high that Carol will take flight again in her own film, as well as back up the other heroes if needed.
Winter Soldier/Bucky Barnes – Disney’s upcoming streaming service ensures we’ll see a lot of Bucky in the forseeable future.
Loki – Seemingly killed off in Avengers: Infinity War, but escaped from captivity during Endgame. What effect did his escape during the past have
It’s no secret that Disney and Marvel have several years of MCU films on the docket. Some, such as Black Widow and Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3, fans have been clamoring for years to get. While others, The Eternals and Shang-Chi, seem more experimental.
Seven films are confirmed for Marvel’s Phase Four at the time of recording, thought there could be more in the works. There are also mini-series spotlighting MCU characters set to air on Disney’s streaming service Disney+. However, many of those appear to be standalone stories and not related to the immediate future of the MCU.
We will likely hear a lot about what is in store for Phase Four in the coming weeks with San Diego Comic-Con and D23 around the corner.
These are the current release dates given by Disney/Marvel, but are not officially connected to any titles at the moment.
So without further ado, let’s take a look at what Marvel has in store for
Black Widow – At long last, Scarlett Johansson is starring in her own Black Widow movie. Fans have been asking for this since her debut in Iron Man 2. The problem is her clear self-sacrifice during Endgame.
Images from the filming set show a 2017 model BMW SUV which would imply at least some of the story taking place between Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War. Other on-set photos point to Taskmaster as the villain.
The supporting cast is made up of David Harbour, Rachel Weisz, and Florence Pugh. Rumors point to Harbour as Taskmaster, and Pugh as Yelena Belova, aka Crimson Widow.
As for how this could fit into Phase Four, the current Black Widow in the comics is a clone of Natasha. That could be an inspiration for a big-screen return. Which, depending on when the clone was created, could pose an interesting question: Which one died, the real Natasha or the clone?
Doctor Strange 2 – Benedict Cumberbatch will be returning for his second solo outing as The Sorcerer Supreme. Chiwetel Ejiofor will return as Baron Mordo, with a yet to be cast actor as Nightmare. Just give us more Wong!
Black Panther 2 – It’s no surprise that T’Challa will be returning to the big screen after such a runaway hit in 2018. Ryan Coogler will also return to write and direct. There is a rumor that Michael B Jordan will appear in some capacity. Of course, that doesn’t mean Killmongor is alive. It could be a flashback or fantasy segment.
Marvel in recent years has really expanded Panther’s background, including his rogue’s gallery. A recent unconfirmed rumor has risen that Kraven The Hunter may be from Wakanda, which would differ from the comics. But it would add to the lineup of the alleged Sinister Six for future Spider-Man films.
Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 – After much controversy, James Gunn is returning to write and direct the third installment in the space comedy franchise. Most of the cast will be returning, but no confirmation whether Thor will be involved.
Joining the cast in an alleged voice role is Mark Hamill, who has been rumored to be anything from Rocket’s creator to The High Evolutionary..
Thor 4 – Marvel officially confirmed another Thor solo film this week, as of recording time. Taika Waititi is returning to write and direct.
The Eternals – Angelina Jolie headlines the cast, and Millie Bobby Brown of Stranger Things fame is also allegedly in negotiations to star in what will be a cosmic level story. Eternals, Celestials, Inhumans, Titans, and Deviants are all characters who fit in these classifications. But they may be simplified for a big-screen take. In the comics, Thanos and Adam Warlock have links to them. So it is possible we may get a Thanos origin story.
Shang-Chi – Another experiment with a new character for the big screen. Shang-Chi, Master Of Kung-Fu, will focus on Martial Arts.
Captain Marvel 2 – Given Carol’s big screen debut topped the billion dollar mark, it’s a safe bet she will grace the screen in her own sequel.
Avengers 5 – While not officially announced, another movie with the Avengers name is almost certain. As with previous films, it will probably wrap up Phase Four and set the stage for Phase Five. There are a ton of suitable stories from the comics that could be adapted to the big screen.
Thunderbolts – A Thunderbolts film has been rumored for some time. They are an undercover villain
Nova – A space-faring hero who is part of a galactic corp. Nathan Fillion
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The final film in Marvel Phase Three was not Avengers: Endgame, but Spider-Man: Far From Home. It firmly established, in case there were any doubts, that people affected by The Snap did get a five year age difference. Plus, it featured the big screen debut of Mysterio, one of Spider-Man’s longest-tenured villains.
One thing I noticed when reading preview pages was the number of sites that didn’t seem to know the background on Mysterio. I’m not going to say names because I don’t want to hurt any feelings, but I would see websites speculate “Could this Mysterio be a hero?”. Anybody familiar with Mysterio in the comics knows that masquerading as a hero is what he does. Jake Gyllenhaal takes on a rare villain role but does play the “man out of place” facade very well.
As for the rest of the cast, all the major characters return. A few are recast due to the age differences caused by Thanos’s Snap, now called “The Blip” for the masses. The setting is eight months later, with Peter adjusting to life without Tony Stark.
A major plot point involved Peter being given special glasses worn by Tony in Endgame which had the latest JARVIS/FRIDAY type AI, EDITH (Even In Death I’m The Hero). This leads to a comedy segment where Peter accidentally sends death drones after a classmate.
Naturally, Peter, still unsure of his abilities, is hesitant to step up as a go-to guy for the Avengers. He willingly hands over EDITH, and thus all of Stark Technologies, to Quentin Beck, aka Mysterio, who uses them to wreak havoc in Italy. Why Tony Stark of all people wouldn’t have a failsafe on such a dangerous piece of technology is not explained. But that’s low on the list of questions in a world where half the population has to deal with losing five years of their lives.
Perhaps the biggest news coming out of the latest MCU offering wasn’t even in the movie itself but in the now signature post-credits scene. In it, we find that Nick Fury and Maria Hill are actually being impersonated by Jonas, the
We speculated in our analysis of the final trailer that Mysterio not only was up to his usual trick of passing off as a hero but that he may be lying about coming from another world. Both turned out to be the case, as Gyllenhaal’s Quentin Beck harbored a deep hatred of Tony Stark for taking his tech, as depicted in Captain America: Civil War. Another one of his henchmen was the guy yelled at by Obadiah Stane for not being as good as Stark in the original Iron Man. Like Vulture in Homecoming, Beck’s team resented Stark and SHIELD for kicking them to the curb.
That brings us to one of the more puzzling elements of the last trailer. In it, Fury states that “The Snap” opened portals to other worlds. This line was not spoken during the film. The only mention of another Earth was during Beck’s introduction in the first act.
So why was this line cut? Was it simply for plot simplicity? Or was it a red herring to throw the audience off? After all, even if Beck was a fraud, a link to another universe would be a heckuva plot point to leave open. Especially since the epilogue showed that neither Fury nor Hill trusted Beck in the first place, even if it was their
Another piece of news concerning cut footage is the lack of Michael Keaton’s Adrian Toomes/Vulture. While he did not appear in the trailers, he was credited on the film’s IMDB page. Ditto for Michael Mando’s Mac Gargan/Scorpion. The presence of these villains wasn’t crucial, but it would have been nice to catch a glimpse of them. After all, the natural progression would be to have some form of The Sinister Six in an upcoming movie. The villainous group would be half accounted for, assuming Beck’s death was a ruse. They even have a common cause: Hatred of Stark Industries, SHIELD, and Spider-Man.
Overall, Far From Home delivered on every major expectation. We got a faithful depiction of Mysterio as a villain who masquerades as a hero. We got further development in Peter’s relationship with MJ. We even got J Jonah Jameson, the biggest thorn in Spider-Man’s side, reprised by JK Simmons to boot!
The only thing that could be seen as a disappointment was in the soundtrack. Not the music by Michael Giacchino, that was top notch as usual. But we’ve now had our second Spider-Man movie with a Ramones song in it, and not the Ramones cover of the Spider-Man theme from the 90s.
2020 will see the dawn on Marvel’s Phase Four, and there are plenty of possibilities where things will go. Our next episode of Geekville Radio will dive into what we know and don’t know about Phase Four.
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Last month Disney held an investor’s conference where they unveiled their highly anticipated streaming service, Disney+. The presentation answered a lot of questions about what is in store for subscribers this coming Fall.
Disney+
Hulu
Hulu fans have been affectionately dubbed Hulugans
Between Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+, Disney will have three popular but very different streaming services that can be subscribed to individually or in a package.
Disney+
Hulu has at least four Marvel animated series on the way.
Rumors are circulating that Deadpool will be one of the first Fox properties to be migrated to The MCU. There are three main possibilities.
Disney’s latest live action adaption of an animated film opened to the tune of $122 million dollars. Compared to the previous Dumbo, it was more successful. The trend to adapt animated films to live-action will likely continue.
Rumors about a reported Star Wars film based on Knights Of The Old Republic continue to circulate. However, we now have reports that Laeta Kalogridis (Avatar, Terminator: Genisys) will be writing the screenplay.
At this time, there is no confirmation of any connections to the trilogies from Rian Johnson or Game Of Thrones creators David Benoiff and Dan Weiss. The first Benoiff & Weiss film will be in December 2022
Variety reported first that Robert Pattinson may be in negotiations to don the cape as the next Batman, replacing Ben Affleck in the Matt Reeves film. Fans quickly started several online petitions against his casting.
Pattinson has been no stranger to genre roles. He was rumored to be one of the finalists to replace Tobey Maguire as Spider-Man, before the part was given to Andrew Garfield. He appeared alongside current Spider-Man Tom Holland and Emperor Palpatine himself Ian McDiarmid in The Lost City Of Z.
Currently, he has five films in production for release over the next year.
As we keep saying, actors act for directors, not necessarily for the audience. Similar reactions to Michael Keaton, Heath Ledger, and Ben Affleck have happened before, but their performances impressed audiences.
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With the Disney/Fox merger complete, fans have been wondering how Fox-owned properties will be incorporated into The MCU. Especially now, in the wake of a Post-Snap Phase Four.
Of course, one of the hottest properties is the Merc With A Mouth, Deadpool.
It has been reported that Ryan Reynolds will keep his job portraying Deadpool/Wade Wilson. Given that Disney would almost assuredly alienate a fanbase if they recast the role, that news is most welcome.
According to MCU Cosmic, Disney is already exploring ways to bring the R-Rated cash cow into continuity. There are three main options:
Let’s look at these options one at a time
Deadpool 3 – This would seem to be the most likely option. Deadpool already has two wildly successful movies under his belt. Why would they deviate from that platform? Disney owns 20th Century Fox, so can continue to distribute under that name if they choose. Failing that, it could simply be released under the Marvel banner.
Series – There are already several exciting titles that will be debuting on Disney+ when it rolls out in the Fall. At least two Star Wars titles, two Marvel series, and every episode of The Simpsons from their near 30 year run. A Deadpool mini-series certainly could fit in with that company.
Disney has already stated that the Disney+ service will be family friendly, so the chances of “Hard R” content, such as the Deadpool movies, are pretty slim.
The possible solution to this is simple. Disney now also controls Hulu, the second biggest streaming platform in the world. Several of Hulu’s original series (Catch-22, The Act, The Handmaid’s Tail, etc…) all sport a TV-MA rating. They even have an original movie called I’m Just F*cking With You. Deadpool would fit right in with that company.
Spider-Man 3 – This might be the most entertaining option, even if the content is toned down for PG-13 content. While some fans question putting a mature audience in a PG-13 movie, there is precedent in the comics for this. Spider-Man and Deadpool already have an ongoing series.
There is one more option though, albeit not nearly as probable as the previous three. Disney is considering doing a X-Force movie. In the comics, Deadpool is part of that group.
No matter what unfolds, it seems likely that we will be seeing Deadpool in the MCU sooner rather than later.
