In this edition of The Week in Spandex, we look at Logan, X-Men: Supernova, X-Men: The New Mutants, Deadpool 2, Legion, Avengers: Infinity War, Doctor Strange, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Thor: Ragnarok, Black Panther, Spider-Man: Homecoming, Captain Marvel, Black Widow, Namor the Sub-Mariner, Cloak & Dagger, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., The Defenders, The Batman, Justice League, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Wonder Woman, Suicide Squad 2, Shazam, Aquaman, Batman Begins, Green Lantern Corps, Supergirl, The Flash, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, Arrow, Black Lightning, Powerless, The LEGO Batman Movie, Teen Titans: The Judas Contract and more…
There’s less than two weeks to go until Hugh Jackman makes his final appearance as Wolverine, and the embargo for Logan lifted yesterday, with Flickering Myth’s Rob Kojder posting an overwhelmingly positive review, stating that: “It isn’t just a good superhero film or a fantastic blockbuster, it’s an exceptional movie period. End of discussion. It’s a mystery what the landscape of 2017 film will look like this time next year, but as of right now Logan would absolutely deserve a Best Picture Oscar nomination, even more than Christopher Nolan’s hailed yet arguably snubbed Batman masterpiece The Dark Knight.” You can read Rob’s full, spoiler-free ★★★★★ review here…
…Rob’s review is just one of many signing the praises of Logan (as of writing, it’s on 96% on Rotten Tomatoes) but it seems that 20th Century Fox was initially concerned that the gritty tone would prove “freakin’ boring” to audiences, as revealed by Fox chairman Stacey Snider: “Inside, there was real consternation about the intensity of the tone of the film. It’s more of an elegy about life and death. The paradigm for it was a Western, and my colleagues were up in arms. It’s not a wise-cracking cigar-chomping mutton-sporting Wolverine, and the debate internally became, isn’t that freakin’ boring? Isn’t it exciting to imagine Wolverine as a real guy and he’s world-weary and he doesn’t want to fight anymore until a little girl needs him..?”
…Hugh Jackman has been reflecting on his time as Wolverine, and saying goodbye to the character after seventeen years of donning the mutton chops and the adamantium claws: “There is not a frame of this film where I can’t say I didn’t put everything into it. I couldn’t have made this film if I didn’t make the decision within myself that this was the last one. I just didn’t compromise on anything. I was a pain to a lot of people, because I don’t get another shot at this. This is a character I love. I owe my career to this character.” But while Logan may mark Jackman’s final outing (assuming he doesn’t return for a Deadpool crossover), Patrick Stewart has revealed that he’s open to another appearance as Professor X, stating that: “Hugh has raised the flag that says goodbye. I haven’t done that yet..”
…As you’d expect with the release fast approaching, Fox has unleashed plenty of Logan promotional material this week, including a rather nice retro-style IMAX poster [see here], a selection of new TV spots [watch them here and here], and a sinister viral promo showing how X-23 gets her claws [watch it here]. Meanwhile, director James Mangold has revealed that he’d be keen to get involved with an X-23 spinoff movie, and he also spoke about cutting specific cameos from the movie…
…There’s been a lot of rumours swirling about X-Men: Supernova – the reported title for the next instalment of the main X-Men franchise – and while we’re still waiting for any sort of official confirmation, X-Men: Apocalypse star Sophie Turner has revealed that the next movie will shoot this year, prior to filming on Game of Thrones season eight in September. Now, all Fox needs is a director. And a cast…
…One Fox movie that is confirmed to start shooting this Spring is X-Men: The New Mutants, and it seems that director Josh Boone may have confirmed the long-running rumours that Maisie Williams is set to play Wolfsbane, having shared some fan art of the Game of Thrones star as the young mutant…
…Ryan Reynolds marked the one year anniversary of Deadpool this week by sharing an image of some Merc with a Mouth-branded ultra soft Deadpool toilet paper [see here], while a rumoured character breakdown for Domino in Deadpool 2 also surfaced online, with the report also claiming that Sienna Miller and Gugu Mbatha-Raw are no longer in contention for the role, and that Kerry Washington “is the studio’s lead at this point…”
…Be sure to read Rachel Bellwoar’s review of this week’s second episode of Marvel and Fox’s Legion here, and take a look at a couple of promos for Thursday’s third episode here…
…Moving on to the Marvel Cinematic Universe now and Avengers: Infinity War directors Joe and Anthony Russo shared a photo from the set of the Marvel blockbuster this week showing the filmmakers alongside “guest director” Millie Bobby Brown, prompting speculation as to whether the young Stranger Things star may have a role in the movie. Meanwhile, Thanos creator Jim Starlin also expressed his interest in cameoing in the film (to which the Russos responded positively), and screenwriter Stephen McFeely has offered a brief insight into Thanos’ motivation in the movie, stating that: “His goal is to re-balance the universe as he sees it. So when he figures out that the Infinity Stones could do this for him at the snap of a finger, that becomes his main goal.” And on the subject of the Mad Titan, be sure to read Anghus Houvouras’ op-ed ‘Why Thanos Will Make or Break Avengers: Infinity War‘…
…Marvel’s Doctor Strange hit Digital HD this past week, and brought with it a few MCU goodies including a behind-the-scenes featurette of the post credit scene between Benedict Cumberbatch’s Sorcerer Supreme and Chris Hemsworth’s God of Thunder [see here], and clips from the blooper reel [watch it here] and Team Thor: Part 2 short featuring the return of Thor’s roommate Darryl Jacobson [watch it here]. That wasn’t all though, as the Phase Three preview featurette also offered up a glimpse at future MCU releases with behind the scenes images from Thor: Ragnarok and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 [see here], concept art from Thor: Ragnarok featuring Thor battling The Hulk (in his Planet Hulk armor) and a first-look at Cate Blanchett’s Hela [see here], and concept art from the currently-in-production Black Panther giving us a glimpse of Wakanda [see here]…
…Thor: Ragnarok director Taika Waititi has been chatting about the tone we can expect from the God of Thunder’s third solo outing, stating that: “I want to take people on an adventure that keeps people laughing along the way, but also has the spectacle…”
…Click below to continue on for Spider-Man: Homecoming, Captain Marvel, Black Widow, Namor the Sub-Mariner, Cloak & Dagger, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., The Defenders, The Batman, Justice League, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Wonder Woman, Suicide Squad 2, Shazam, Aquaman, Batman Begins, Green Lantern Corps, Supergirl, The Flash, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, Arrow, Black Lightning, Powerless, The LEGO Batman Movie, Teen Titans: The Judas Contract and more…
