As Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 closes in on the box office total of its predecessor, having reached $744.8 million and counting, director James Gunn has spoken about removing Nathan Fillion’s Simon Williams cameo, as well as unveiling six faux movie posters that were created for the production [see here]. Meanwhile, we’ve also seen some new concept art for the Marvel sequel, including Teenage Groot [see here], Howard the Duck [see here] and Michelle Yeoh’s Aleta [see here]…
…There’s just over a month to wait until the release of Spider-Man: Homecoming, and Sony and Marvel have announced this week that UK fans will get to see the reboot two days early on July 5th. We’ve also had two brand new trailers and posters [check them out here], along with an extended TV spot [watch it here], Shocker promo art [see here] and a first clip featuring Michael Keaton’s Vulture [watch it here]. Meanwhile, although the current deal between Marvel and Sony only runs through to Avengers 4 and Homecoming 2, Tom Holland has stated that he’d like to portray the web-slinger for the next twenty years; read his comments here…
…Following on from the casting of Tom Hardy as Venom, Sony is pressing ahead with another of its Spidey spinoffs, hiring Gina Prince-Bythewood (The Secret Life of Bees) director to helm Silver & Black, which centres around the female villains/anti-heroes Silver Sable and Black Cat. Details are scarce at present, but the script has been penned by Chris Yost (Thor: Ragnarok) from an original draft Lisa Joy (Westworld)….
…In other Spidey-related news, a teaser poster for the as-yet-untitled Animated Spider-Man movie was spotted at Licensing Expo 2017, and you can take a look at the poster here…
…T.I. has announced that he’ll be reprising the role of Dave for 2018’s Ant-Man and the Wasp, while it’s also been revealed that Captain Marvel will have a connection to Ant-Man, in that the female-led solo movie is set to feature the Quantum Realm. Perhaps that will explain how Brie Larson’s Carol Danvers gets her powers, given that it’s already been announced that Marvel plan to revamp her origin story…
…Turning to the small screen now and while we’re still awaiting the release of the first trailer for Marvel’s Inhumans, a brief clip leaked online this week featuring Anson Mount’s Black Bolt alongside Lockjaw; check it out here while you still can…
…Good news for fans of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. – although ABC is holding back the fifth season until after Inhumans has aired, visual effects supervisor Mark Kolpak revealed on Twitter this week that the show will make its return in January 2018, and will consist of a full season of 22 episodes without any of the lengthy, random breaks that fans have become accustomed to…
…Before we get Inhumans and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Netflix is set to unveil its Marvel team-up The Defenders this August, and Sigourney Weaver has been chatting about her mysterious villain character Alexandra, while Iron Fist star Finn Jones has been discussing how Danny Rand will be influenced by his experience alongside the other three street level heroes…
…With Logan arriving on Blu-ray this past week, Screen Junkies unveiled its Honest Trailer for Hugh Jackman’s X-Men swansong, featuring a guest appearance from Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool [watch it here], while director James Mangold revealed that his original plan was to open the movie with the death of the X-Men, and producer Hutch Parker spoke about the possibility of Dafne Keen’s Laura making her return, suggesting that a solo X-23 movie is more likely than an appearance in a team film…
…Hugh Jackman also shared a few thoughts on the eventual recasting of Wolverine [read his comments here], while he also shared his two major regrets from his 17 years playing the character: “There were a couple of things I couldn’t work out how to do. Fans always say, ‘When are we gonna see you in the blue and yellow spandex? We’ve gotta see that shot!’ We tried a little bit in The Wolverine, it didn’t happen—on that plane at the end he opens up a box and there’s the suit, I think that ended up getting cut. So the suit was one thing but we just couldn’t work out how to do it, so if anyone can work that out you go for it. The other idea that I always loved was the idea in the comics that every year on Logan’s birthday, his brother comes and beats the crap out of him. I just thought that was such a cool very fun idea and very in keeping to those characters. His birthday present was just a beating and that’s the only time he sees him (laughs). I kept saying, ‘Jim can we put that in?’ and he goes ‘Eh this is not that movie.’ But anyway…”
…20th Century Fox has found its villain for Deadpool 2, with The Strain’s Jack Kesy cast as the sequel’s mystery antagonist, who is rumoured to be Black Tom, a mutant will the ability to manipulate and project energy through plant life and wooden objects. Meanwhile, T.J. Miller has revealed that his character Weasel will play a larger role in the sequel: “Marvel will cut off my hand and tongue if I tell you. But…let me just tell you that the second installment will be even more weaselicious… Let me just put it that way, to quote Pauly Shore. I’m very excited about it. I’m so excited. I know it means so much to Ryan that it’s good, and for the writers, and for all of us actually. The first one did so well, people loved it so much. I think they really put the time in on the script. I’m just so excited…”
…We also have some casting news on X-Men: The New Mutants, with Rosario Dawson (The Defenders) and Henry Zaga (13 Reasons Why) in final talks to join Anya Taylor-Joy (Magik) and Maisie Williams (Wolfsbane) in the roles of Dr. Cecilia Reyes and Bobby da Costa/Sunspot respectively. Meanwhile, rather than the YA approach previously rumoured, director Josh Boone has described his take as a horror movie: “We are making a full-fledged horror movie set within the X-Men universe. There are no costumes. There are no supervillains. We’re trying to do something very, very different.” You can read the official logline for the film here…
…X-Men producer Hutch Parker has been chatting about X-Men: Dark Phoenix, and how it will differ from the studio’s first attempt at The Dark Phoenix Saga in X-Men: The Last Stand: “I can’t really speak to anything specifically but I think the challenge as offered by all the films we’ve mentioned is very – we’re very aware of the challenge that those movies pose and what it sort of demands of us as storytellers mining, again, one of the great comic runs in The Dark Phoenix Saga. Our hope and expectation is to try and do something that feels different, that takes the audience into a different tone and a different sense of cinematic style that is appropriately suited to the story we’re telling. So I’m trying to answer your question without giving anything away.” And, asked about the rumours that the film will see the X-Men travelling into space, he responded: “That is certainly a possibility. That is certainly a possibility. Yes…”
…And finally, Hellboy star Ron Perlman has finally broken his silence on the upcoming reboot Hellboy: Rise of the Blood Queen, wishing his successor David Harbour well: “The third [Hellboy movie] was meant to be epic and conclusive and a resolve for all these, almost, Greek oracle promises of the destiny of Hellboy. It would’ve made for a really good movie, I think. David Harbour is a good dude. I wish him nothing but the best when it comes to the retooling of Hellboy.”
Gary Collinson is a writer and lecturer from the North East of England. He is the editor-in-chief of FlickeringMyth.com and the author of Holy Franchise, Batman! Bringing the Caped Crusader to the Screen.
