This article contains spoilers for Doctor Strange in The Multiverse of Madness
Elizabeth Olsen got a little too in touch with her inner Scarlet Witch on Wednesday when she told Marvel fans to “terrify” the studio into bringing her back for another chapter of Wanda’s story, following the success of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
J.J. Abrams needs to start learning to say no. The writer/director and head of Bad Robot Productions has signed on to a ton of projects over the last few years, leaving fans frustrated that he’s spreading himself way too thinly.
Deadline recently reported that new Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav shares their annoyance, as despite their multimillion-dollar deal with Bad Robot for new movies and TV shows based on DC characters, none have entered full production.
Fans — and Ryan Reynolds — might be able to laugh about it now, but Warner Bros. is probably still smarting over the failure of 2011’s Green Lantern, which froze what could’ve been a highly lucrative franchise solid for a whole decade.
With HBO Max working on a GL Corps TV series, DC seems to be getting nowhere with a new movie adaptation. And yet, it’s as inevitable as Thanos (sorry, wrong universe) that the Emerald Knights will return to the DCEU at some point.
There’s no doubt that the most ambitious Middle-earth project currently on the horizon is Amazon’s The Rings of Power series, but long-time fans of Peter Jackson’s cinematic adaptation are turning their eyes towards another work; an animated feature film set some 183 years before the events of The Lord of the Rings trilogy.
The War of the Rohirrim is produced by New Line Cinema and helmed by acclaimed Ghost in the Shell producer Kenji Kamiyama. The story shares the same continuity with Jackson’s world, and as the title suggests, involves Helm Hammerhand, the legendary king of Rohan who eventually became the namesake for Helm’s Deep.
Everyone was overjoyed when Thor: Ragnarok hit theaters back in 2017. The tropey blond macho-man of the first two Thor movies was tapping into a goofier, more colorful side of himself, and breathing new life into the MCU in the process. Ahead of the release of Thor: Love and Thunder, leading man Chris Hemsworth is sharing how his director Taika Waititi brought out the fun in the God of Thunder.
“He brought out the immature, young, adolescent quality that I embody,” Hemsworth told Vital Thrills. “And so does Thor now, which he didn’t in the original films, which was exciting and new and fresh,” he continued. Off-screen, Hemsworth is one of the most delightful Marvel stars there is, with a big grin and words of encouragement always on deck. Waititi recognized this and decided he had to bring those qualities to Thor.
Let’s face it, superheroes have peaked. We’ve been inundated with cape movies for too long, and audiences are crying out for something new. Well, it looks like the world has found the next big thing, as shots from the set of Barbie are lighting the internet on fire.
This adaptation of Mattel’s iconic doll has been picking up a ton of hype ever since Margot Robbie was confirmed for the lead role, but things really exploded when Ryan Gosling was cast as Ken. Now, excitement is approaching fever pitch as some truly awe-inspiring shots from the set have emerged of the pair in stunning Day-Glo costumes:
After fourteen years, 34 movies, and a bunch of TV shows, the MCU is full of extremely quotable lines of dialogue. Some of these are witty asides (Tony Stark’s specialty), some are goofy but loveable, and some are just plain badass (“I’m always angry”), but tucked in amongst them are some fans find genuinely inspiring.
Fans on r/MarvelStudios have been discussing which is the best, with the replies naming some killer moments from across the years:
Doctor Who fans have already sworn their loyalty to new Doctor Ncuti Gatwa, and that includes Ryan Gosling. The Gray Man star is currently working with the Sex Education actor on Greta Gerwig’s Barbie movie, and it seems Gosling is even supporting Gatwa in his downtime. Paparazzi pics of the 41-year-old walking his dog showcased Gosling wearing a fanmade Who shirt sporting Gatwa’s face.
Gatwa was announced to be playing the newest incarnation of the Time Lord earlier this spring, making him both the first Black actor and the first openly gay actor to play the iconic role. He’s yet to start shooting on his time in the TARDIS, hence why fans have been busying themselves mocking up what Gatwa could look like as the Doctor. And clearly Gosling is as excited to see him in action as any of us.
It’s 2022 and by now the world has simply accepted that there are a lot of people out there horny for anthropomorphic animal characters. Who are we to judge how people get their yucks in the privacy of their own homes or around like-minded people? And anyway, many of these characters are essentially humans with animal ears and tails, so what’s the harm?
Well, the internet seems to have just decided where to draw the line. An image of Nala from The Lion King was posted that has social media debating whether it’s okay to be aroused by a cartoon lion.
For all the justified criticism of George Lucas’ Star Wars prequel trilogy, it’s difficult to pick holes in Palpatine’s plan to defeat the Jedi and seize power. The would-be Emperor played the long game, slowly raising tensions in the Galactic Senate, fomenting distrust in the Jedi Order, and grooming Anakin Skywalker as his future apprentice. It all culminated in Order 66, which eradicated (almost) the Jedi and gave Palpatine… unliiiiimited power!
Now a fan on r/StarWars is paying tribute to Palpatine’s evil scheme, arguing that the Clone Wars were a trap carefully designed to ensnare and corrupt the Jedi. They say that the Clone Wars are just morally gray enough to suck the Jedi in, with the prolonged conflict gradually corrupting what’s supposed to be a peaceful religious order.
Four Samosas might be the most unique film to come out of this year’s Tribeca Film Festival, as it affectionately incorporates Indian cultural ideals into an American B-movie heist format.
Bending genre expectations to breaking point, whilst introducing elements of farce so absurd as to verge on sheer genius. all while layering concisely comedic introductions on top of each other in quick succession, Four Samosas never ceases to gather momentum over its running time, feeling like a cross between indie totem Clerks and Reservoir Dogs minus the guns, violence, or bad language.
There’s no point in even trying to pretend that Wolverine isn’t coming back to our screens sooner rather than later, even though it would definitely be for the best were the mutton-chopped mutant given an extended sabbatical from live-action.
After all, stepping in to replace Hugh Jackman as the comic book icon is about as close to impossible as it gets, especially when he spent 17 years strapping on the claws in a myriad of X-Men sequels, spinoffs, and solo stories, before bowing out with one of the greatest superhero blockbusters ever made.
An intimate character-driven drama about two disparate people (in terms of age, status, upbringing, and personality) connecting and forming a friendship in unlikely circumstances has “awards bait” written all over it, but the enduring legacy of 2000’s Finding Forrester was nothing but memes.
Directed by two-time Academy Award nominee Gus Van Stant, with a cast headlined by Oscar winner Sean Connery, that featured support from fellow victors Anna Paquin, F. Murray Abraham, and Matt Damon, the quaint chamber piece drew enthusiastic reviews and almost doubled its $40 million budget at the box office, so it was a long way away from being a failure.
You don’t have to travel too far these days to bump into a Stephen King adaptation, with the author’s back catalogue constantly being mined for film and television content, but it would be fair to say the consistency has been all over the charts. With a September release date looming ever closer, let’s hope Salem’s Lot is more It than Firestarter.
Speaking of Andy Muschietti’s two stabs at Pennywise, screenwriter Gary Dauberman will be pulling double duty on bringing King’s vampiric classic back to the screen, which marks his first directorial effort since Conjuring spinoff sequel Annabelle Comes Home, a neat little chiller that drew decent reviews and made serious bank at the box office.
Scott Derrickson traveled to the end of the cinematic landscape and back, and is regaling us with his adventures.
Derrickson started directing micro-budget horrors like Hellraiser: Inferno, worked his way up to helm the MCU’s Doctor Strange, and went back to inexpensive horror with The Black Phone after plans to direct Doctor Strange 2 fell through. Other names including Sam Raimi and Gareth Edwards have taken the same trajectory from bloody shoestring to Gucci drawstring, but Derrickson has the rare distinction of returning to his roots — and feeling pretty good about it.
Austin Butler got advice on working with Baz Luhrmann from one of the people who knows the director best: Leonardo DiCaprio.
DiCaprio, who starred in Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet and The Great Gatsby, was sought after by Butler before he became the filmmaker’s newest leading man in Elvis. Butler divulged DiCaprio’s advice to Entertainment Weekly, before seguing into his thoughts on Luhrmann’s frenetic directing style.
2021’s Mortal Kombat was good, but not great. The film reboot of NetherRealm Studios’ hit fighting game franchise kept its promises about recreating the gory fatalities and bringing the game’s colorful cast of ninjas, special forces soldiers, and monsters to life, but stumbled in other areas.
One of the most perplexing decisions was Lewis Tan’s new hero, Cole Young. Tan is no slouch when it comes to martial arts, but Mortal Kombat has so many iconic characters, it’s a head-scratcher why they needed to invent a dull protagonist specifically for this movie. So, what’s going to change in the upcoming sequel, Mortal Kombat 2?
Roving Woman, a Tribeca selection which hinges on an eclectic performance from actor, co-writer and casting director Lena Gora, is an oddly absorbing experience. Directed by Michael Chmielewski, with some powerful contributions from cinematographer Lukasz Dziedzic, it opens on Gora’s Sara moments after she is kicked out of an apartment.
Even in those opening minutes, as a lingering shot of Los Angeles at night establishes location, Roving Woman possesses a combination of enigmatic bohemian chic and dumpster fire cool. A place where couples can get into late night arguments, break up minutes later, and then reconcile just before dawn. Sara is key in filling out that ambience, as she kicks and pounds at an apartment door, watched only by a single static camera.
Even though Avengers: Endgame introduced time travel, Phase Four bet big on the multiverse, and the mere existence of Disney Plus series What If…? has made almost anything possible in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, literally traveling back in time is unfortunately impossible.
Which is a shame, because a since-deleted Reddit threat put forward an idea that not only drew almost unanimous backing from franchise enthusiasts, but won’t be able to leave your head once you think about it. Were comic book adaptations as big a business back in the 1980s as they were now, wouldn’t it have been awesome to see beloved character actor Tim Curry as Loki?
Man of Steel has been undergoing a slow, critical rehabilitation for some time. On its initial release, die-hard DC fans were intensely critical of its serious-minded examination of Clark Kent/Superman, with the desaturated color palette, destruction of Metropolis in the final battle, and philosophical pondering.
Fortunately, many of those voices have died down, Man of Steel‘s qualities are being appreciated, and there’s near-constant fan interest in bringing Cavill back to the DCEU. But there’s one story aspect the fans just can’t stop arguing about: Superman snapping Zod’s neck.
James Cameron’s Titanic turns 25 this year, and the love story between Leonardo DiCaprio’s Jack and Kate Winslet’s Rose remains an incredible watch. The special effects have held up beautifully, the production design is still second-to-none, and it’s been a massive hit whenever it’s come to streaming platforms.
All of which means it shouldn’t be a huge surprise that Titanic is returning to theaters once again in early 2023. The movie has already been re-released with a 3D conversion in 2012 and its 20th anniversary in 2017 saw yet another short run in theaters. Now, just in time for Valentine’s Day, a 4K 3D HDR HFR (James Cameron loves his tech!) remaster of Titanic will steam into multiplexes around the world.
Ezra Miller’s career is probably toast. After terrorizing the population of Hawaii in a series of bizarre incidents earlier this year, they were arrested and bailed for second-degree assault. But that pales in comparison to Miller’s legal troubles related to their alleged ‘grooming’ of children, which has resulted in restraining and harassment protective orders granted to their parents. After deleting their Instagram, Miller disappeared and their whereabouts are currently unknown.
Aside from everything else, this leaves Warner Bros. in a sticky situation. Filming has completed on their $200 million superhero extravaganza The Flash, which stars Miller in multiple roles. With their lead doing everything they possibly can to trash their reputation, how can you possibly promote this movie?
Netflix viewers who have had the opportunity to catch Spiderhead, the freshly released dystopian thriller by Top Gun: Maverick director Joseph Kosinski, over the past week, will know one of the best things about the film is Chris Hemsworth‘s uncomfortably hilarious take on the mad scientist trope.
“The most exciting casting for this role is someone where we haven’t seen him or her do it before,” Kosinski told ComicBook. This is Hemsworth’s most out-of-the-box role since Bad Times at the El Royale. For Kosinski, it was essential that whatever actor was cast could combine comedy with a twisted inner-self. “Chris, I think, everyone knows he has great comedic timing,” the 48-year-old director noted, but they needed him to access “the charisma, the humor, the darkness, the complexity, the damage, all the stuff that Steve needs to have in this story.”
The theatrical cut of Justice League ended with a tantalizing teaser. Jesse Eisenberg’s Lex Luthor had escaped prison and was lounging on a yacht. A mysterious armored figure approached, revealing themselves to be fan-favorite DC villain Deathstroke as played by Joe Manganiello. Luthor offered proof of Batman’s secret identity and the pair celebrated, hinting at a future DCEU movie in which Affleck’s Batman squared off against the master assassin.
The humiliating failure of Joss Whedon’s Justice League meant that movie never happened, though Zack Snyder brought Manganiello back for the post-apocalyptic ‘Knightmare’ coda at the end of Zack Snyder’s Justice League. But with that film now receding into the distance and Warner Bros. clearly having little to no interest in working with the remains of Snyder’s DCEU story, are we ever going to see Deathstroke in action?
Once upon a time, one of the big attractions of the MCU was that it presented an easily understandable comic book universe. All you had to do was turn up to see two or three movies a year, and you could follow it. Now things have changed: viewers not only have to tune in to multiple Disney Plus TV shows, but the very fabric of the universe has gotten a lot more complicated with the introduction of the multiverse.
Teased in Loki and What If…? the multiverse made its full leap to the big screen in Spider-Man: No Way Home and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. One topic on r/MarvelStudios has fans debating whether it’s gotten way too hard to keep track of and if Marvel Studios are contradicting themselves:
