The hits keep coming for Marvel –– and in this case, it’s not a success like the box office launch of ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’. The company has had a real struggle getting its planned ‘Blade’ movie to screens and is facing yet another delay.
This time, the issue is the Writers Guild of America strike. The union’s members downed tools and began picketing on May 2nd after failing to work out a new contract with the studios and other companies such as Netflix.
Under the terms of the strike, writers in the union cannot work on movies and TV series that are signatories to its contract –– and that includes both Disney and Marvel.
So, according to The Hollywood Reporter, team Marvel has chosen to press pause on production of the movie, which had been due to begin next month in Atlanta.
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Blade: the story so far
Despite all the excitement over the announcement that Oscar winner Mahershala Ali would play the character during Marvel’s 2019 Comic-Con panel, the progress has been slow.
‘Mogul Mowgli’ director Bassam Tariq was hired to make the movie, only to depart over scheduling issues –– and given a shift in writers to Michael Starrbury, also seemed to indicate problems with the script.
‘White Boy Rick’s Yann Demage came aboard in November last year, but Pizzolatto’s hiring signaled that the movie was still having issues –– mostly, apparently, with tone. ‘Blade’ was never going to be quite the usual Marvel quip-fest, choosing instead to go a slightly grittier route.
But treading that line has apparently been trickier than anyone imagined.
Blade from Marvel Comics. Photo courtesy of Marvel.com.
Originally crafted by Gene Colan and Marv Wolfman as a human who was immune to vampire bites, he was later changed to Eric Cross Brooks, whose mother is murdered by the bloodsucker Deacon Frost as she gives birth. The attack passes on vampire enzymes to her child, who becomes a Dhampir – a mix of both human and vampire.
Gifted with speed, strength, and the ability to walk in the daylight (hence his other name, the Daywalker), his mission is to hunt down and destroy vampires. In his time, he’s crossed paths with many notable Marvel characters in the comics, including Spider-Man and the Avengers. He’s also battled living vampire Morbius, who had his own movie out earlier this year, starring Jared Leto.
Yet Blade is probably most famous for the trilogy of movies released by New Line in 1998, 2002 and 2004, starring Wesley Snipes as the gruff, sword-swinging character.
Marvel had targeted a September 6th, 2024, release date, but that is all but certain to shift.
‘Blade’ is just one of the projects being affected by the industrial action. While most of the movies for this year and into next are either shot or in the middle of work, it’ll impact both big screen and small screen work beyond that –– the likes of ‘Game of Thrones’ spin-off ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight’ –– and the next season of ‘Stranger Things’ have both paused their writing rooms, with the ‘Things’ team putting out a social media post explaining the situation and supporting the strike.
Duffers here. Writing does not stop when filming begins. While we’re excited to start production with our amazing cast and crew, it is not possible during this strike. We hope a fair deal is reached soon so we can all get back to work. Until then — over and out. #wgastrong
On the big screen, we’ll be expecting to see ‘Blade‘ deal with the threat of vampires. But to get there, at least as part of the MCU, the character has had to deal with something far trickier ––development issues.
Despite all the excitement over the announcement that Oscar winner Mahershala Ali would play the character during Marvel’s 2019 Comic-Con panel, the progress has been slow.
‘Mogul Mowgli’ director Bassam Tariq was hired to make the movie, only to depart over scheduling issues –– and given a shift in writers to Michael Starrbury, also seemed to indicate problems with the script.
‘White Boy Rick’s Yann Demage came aboard in November last year, but writing-wise, there is, according to The Hollywood Reporter, another change in the cards on the script front. ‘True Detective’ creator Nic Pizzolatto has been working on a draft based on Starrbury’s for a few weeks now.
He’s writing as quickly as possible, as the movie is scheduled to shoot at the end of this month in Atlanta.
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‘True Detective’ reunion
Pizzolatto’s presence does indeed mark a ‘True Detective’ reunion, since Ali starred as Detective Wayne Hays in the third season of the anthology show (a fourth, starring Jodie Foster is on the way this year, but no longer involves Pizzolatto as showrunner.)
Mahershala Ali in HBO’s ‘True Detective’ Season 3.
Where does Blade fit into the comics?
Originally crafted by Gene Colan and Marv Wolfman as a human who was immune to vampire bites, he was later changed to Eric Cross Brooks, whose mother is murdered by the bloodsucker Deacon Frost as she gives birth. The attack passes on vampire enzymes to her child, who becomes a Dhampir – a mix of both human and vampire.
Gifted with speed, strength, and the ability to walk in the daylight (hence his other name, the Daywalker), his mission is to hunt down and destroy vampires. In his time, he’s crossed paths with many notable Marvel characters in the comics, including Spider-Man and the Avengers. He’s also battled living vampire Morbius, who had his own movie out earlier this year, starring Jared Leto.
Yet Blade is probably most famous for the trilogy of movies released by New Line in 1998, 2002 and 2004, starring Wesley Snipes as the gruff, sword-swinging character.
The MCU version’s story is still so far, a mystery: whether it’ll deal with Blade’s origins is unknown for now, but we can expect plenty of vampire-killing action.
Blade from Marvel Comics. Photo courtesy of Marvel.com.
Mia Goth as Pearl in director Ti West’s ‘X’ prequel, ‘Pearl.’
It’s a good time to be Mia Goth right now. The actor, previously known for movies such as ‘A Cure for Wellness’, the remake of ‘Suspiria’ and ‘Everest’, has broken big in the last year thanks to her role as the murderous Pearl/Maxine in Ti West’s horror movies ‘X’, ‘Pearl’ and ‘MaXXXine’, the latter of which has just started shooting.
She’s also did great work encouraging/terrifying Alexander Skarsgård in Brandon Cronenberg’s ‘Infinity Pool’. So it stands to reason that she might have hit the radar of Marvel Studios and now, according to Deadline, she’s signed a deal to co-star in ‘Blade’.
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Mahershala Ali is starring as the title character, who already popped up for a voice-only cameo in one of the ‘Eternals’ post-credit scenes interacting with Kit Harington’s Dane Whitman. And, as is usual for Marvel, there is no indication as to what role Goth will play.
Blade from Marvel Comics. Photo courtesy of Marvel.com.
What’s the background for ‘Blade’?
Originally crafted by Gene Colan and Marv Wolfman as a human who was immune to vampire bites, he was later changed to Eric Cross Brooks, whose mother is murdered by the bloodsucker Deacon Frost as she gives birth. The attack passes on vampire enzymes to her child, who becomes a Dhampir – a mix of both human and vampire.
Gifted with speed, strength, and the ability to walk in the daylight (hence his other name, the Daywalker), his mission is to hunt down and destroy vampires. In his time, he’s crossed paths with many notable Marvel characters in the comics, including Spider-Man and the Avengers. He’s also battled living vampire Morbius, who appeared in a less-than-enthusiastically received movie last year via Sony’s Spider-universe, starring Jared Leto.
But the character is probably best known thanks to the trilogy of ‘Blade’ movies that starred Wesley Snipes, released by New Line in 1998, 2002 and 2004.
Marvel’s take on ‘Blade’ was originally announced to ear-splitting audience reaction as a surprise at the company’s San Diego Comic-Con panel in 2019. Ali was brought out wearing a cap bearing the Blade logo.
All seemed to be moving forward properly, with ‘Mogul Mowgli’ director Bassam Tariq boarding the movie roughly a year later, and Stacy Osei-Kuffour writing the script. But it hit a major roadblock in September last year when Tariq left the movie.
“Due to continued shifts in our production schedule, Bassam is no longer moving forward as director of ‘Blade’ but will remain an executive producer on the film. We appreciate Bassam’s talent and all the work he’s done getting ‘Blade’ to where it is.”
There was talk of problems with the script and Marvel hit the pause button. Things appear to be back on track now, as ’71’ and ‘Lovecraft Country’ director Yann Demange is overseeing the movie, while Michael Starrbury, who earned an Emmy nomination for an episode of Ava DuVernay’s drama ‘When They See Us’, is on board to overhaul the screenplay. The tone is reportedly headed in a darker, grittier direction.
Assuming it all goes well, the movie should be in theaters on September 6th, 2024.
Tom Holland as Spider-Man in ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home.’
Though we’re sure he’d prefer to keep everything under wraps until he’s fully ready to reveal them, Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige is sometimes called upon to sit down and discuss future plans for movies (and, increasingly, TV series) adapted from Marvel Comics into the sprawling, endlessly evolving chain of entertainment known as the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The release of a new movie, in this case ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’, is one of the occasions where Feige meets the press. And he was typically enthusiastic about this latest outing and his team’s future ideas.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’s Big Bad: Why Jonathan Majors?
Asked about the reasons for casting Jonathan Majors in the latest ‘Ant-Man‘ adventure (which led to multiple roles across different projects, including last year’s ‘Loki’ Season 1), Feige was clear on the choice of the actor for the new main villain.
Feige says, “For years, we’ve always had the inkling that Kang would be an amazing follow-up to Thanos. He’s got that equal stature in the comics, but he’s a completely different villain. Mainly, that’s because he’s multiple villains. He/s so unique from Thanos, which we really liked. And in the early days of ‘Quantumania’ [test audiences], Jonathan started to pop in a big way. He’s the highest-testing villain we’ve ever had in any of our friends and families [screenings]. That’s really saying something with a movie like this. Even early on without the effects, Jonathan is his own effect. He was working from the start. It’s always one of the fun rolls of the dice that we do at Marvel, which is to say: ‘Hey, we’re going to make multiple movies around this character, and we’re going to start before the audience has even had a chance to meet him.’ We really go all in on these ideas and this casting. It was a big relief when the season ender of ‘Loki’ season 1 happened.”
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What is Spider-Man’s future?
While ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ seemed to wrap up the Tom Holland story, Feige also confirmed that there are more Spider-plans bubbling away at Marvel HQ. It’s early days, but here’s what he admitted,
“All I will say is that we have the story. We have big ideas for that, and our writers are just putting pen to paper now.”
(L to R) Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman discuss Marvel Studios’ ‘Deadpool 3.’ Photo courtesy of Ryan Reynolds YouTube channel.
Feige also talked up Hugh Jackman’s surprising return to the role of Wolverine for ‘Deadpool 3’, announced last year by the movie’s star, Ryan Reynolds.
The executive is clear on his joy at having Jackman back, especially given their connected history, since Feige worked on the ‘X-Men’ movies when 20th Century Fox had the rights.
Comments Feige, “It’s amazing. And we’ve got Hugh Jackman coming back for our first ‘Deadpool’ film within the MCU. That’s our first R-rated film. To have Hugh come back is incredible. For me, personally, that is where I started. I remember sitting behind the camera—well behind the camera—at his audition for the [first ‘X-Men’] film. It was his first on-set audition, and he flew up to Toronto to do a read with Anna Paquin. For him, and for me, and I think for all of the fans of Marvel, it’s unbelievable what has happened in those 23 years. It’s very full circle having him come back in this new ‘Deadpool’ film.”
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Marvel Studios’ ‘The Marvels’ opens in theaters on July 28, 2023.
What makes ‘The Marvels’ work?
One of Marvel’s exciting titles this year is ‘The Marvels’, the sequel to 2019’s ‘Captain Marvel’, which introduced Brie Larson’s powerful character Carol Danvers.
Directed by Nia DaCosta, the new film finds Carol interacting with Kamala Khan (AKA Ms. Marvel, introduced in her own eponymous Disney+ series last year) and Teyonah Parris’ Monica Rambeau, the adult version of the character introduced as a child in ‘Captain Marvel’, but seen as an adult in ‘WandaVision’ when she also gained super powers.
Feige can’t wait for audiences to see the interactions between the three women.
He comments, “That’s what the entire movie is about. There are fun cosmic elements to it. Marvel comic fans will recognize elements of the Kree-Skrull war. And it’s picking up directly after the end of ‘Captain Marvel’, not in timeline but in story. We also do that in our upcoming Disney+ series ‘Secret Invasion’, and those are two very different follow-ups to that movie. Tonally, they couldn’t be more different. But there’s something immensely powerful about seeing Monica and Kamala and Carol together in a frame. To me, it’s only akin to the first ‘Avengers’ movie and seeing the six of them together in a frame. It’s chill-inducing. They’re so great together, and they all have different histories with one another.”
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Marvel Studios’ ‘Captain America: New World Order.’
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Where does Harrison Ford fit in to Captain America’s future?
Further down the production line is ‘Captain America: New World Order’, which will bring the new Captain America––AKA Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson––to theaters following his assuming the mantle properly in ‘The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’. Mackie’s character will be interacting with a new President of the United States, embodied by an established character with a different face. That would be Thaddeus Ross, formerly played by the late William Hurt and now to be brought to screens by Harrison Ford.
Feige was effusive about the new casting choice…
“We start filming relatively soon. I’m sure anyone you’ve ever talked with about Harrison Ford says this, but it’s unbelievable that we get to meet and talk with him and that he’s embracing this role. He’s tireless with the amount of work that he does. This is certainly a big part for Thaddeus Ross. He’s the president of the United States in the film. And with Harrison, you think about ‘Air Force One’ and you think about some of his confrontations with the president in ‘Clear and Present Danger’, There’s a dynamic between President Ross and Sam Wilson. They have a history together, but in this film, we’ll be seeing the dynamic between Captain America and the president of the United States in a way that is just incredible.”
Marvel Studios’ ‘Blade.’
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What has become of Blade?
There was also good news for fans of Daywalking half-vampire/half-human her ‘Blade’, whose own movie hit some creative road bumps last year when original director Bassam Tariq walked away due to creative differences and script issues.
From the sounds of it, ‘Blade’, starring Mahershala Ali as the main character, is back on track, with Feige offering that it’ll start shooting within the next 10 weeks.
And finally, Feige dropped a hint that we might finally learn more about his company’s plans for ‘Fantastic Four’, with the famous characters finally aiming to enter the MCU in 2025 via a movie directed by ‘WandaVision’s Matt Shakman.
According to Feige, “’Fantastic Four’ is the foundation for everything that came after in the comics. There’s certainly been versions of it [on screen], but never inhabiting the storytelling of the MCU. And that’s something that is really exciting for us. People will start to hear more about that soon. We plan on that being a big pillar of the MCU going forward, just the way they’ve been in the comics for 50 or 60 years.”
Blade from Marvel Comics. Photo courtesy of Marvel.com.
For those who have been eagerly awaiting the entry of Daywalking Marvel hero Blade to the MCU, there was a setback in September when we learned that original director Bassam Tariq (‘Mogul Mowgli) had departed the film, at the time chalked up to scheduling changes which led to an availability issue.
Now, though, as The Hollywood Reporter brings word that ‘71’ and ‘White Boy Rick‘ director Yann Demange is taking on the job instead, there’s also talk that Tariq left over creative differences.
And even at the time, there was chatter about script issues and star Mahershala Ali, who will play the half-vampire warrior who hunts down members of the fang club, being unhappy with the script as it stood.
So Team Marvel, instead of ploughing ahead with a screenplay they disliked, opted to hit pause, scrap the original start of shooting (the movie would have gone before cameras this month) and release date in favor of figuring out the issues.
Enter Demange (who is also a part of the ‘Mogul Mowgli’ team, since he was an executive producer), who has also worked on the likes of HBO’s ‘Lovecraft Country’ and UK crime drama ‘Top Boy’. He’s in the director’s chair, while writer Michael Starrbury, who earned an Emmy nomination for penning an episode of Ava DuVernay’s drama ‘When They See Us’, is overhauling the script.
Matthew McConaughey in director Yann Demange’s ‘White Boy Rick.’
According to the Reporter’s story, star Ali was one of those involved in finding the new writer, and the tone is going to be headed in a darker and gritter route. Which does make some sense for Blade.
Originally crafted as a human who was immune to vampire bites, he was later changed to Eric Cross Brooks, whose mother is murdered by the bloodsucker Deacon Frost as she gives birth. The attack passes on vampire enzymes to her child, who becomes a Dhampir – a mix of both human and vampire.
Gifted with speed, strength, and the ability to walk in the daylight (hence his other name, the Daywalker), his mission is to hunt down and destroy vampires. In his time, he’s crossed paths with many notable Marvel characters in the comics, including Spider-Man and the Avengers. He’s also battled living vampire Morbius, who had his own movie out earlier this year, starring Jared Leto.
Yet Blade is probably most famous for the trilogy of movies released by New Line in 1998, 2002 and 2004, starring Wesley Snipes as the gruff, sword-swinging character.
The MCU version’s story is still so far a mystery: whether it’ll deal with Blade’s origins is unknown for now, but we can expect plenty of vampire-killing action. The cameras, all being well, will now be rolling next year.
Marvel will no doubt be hoping that this means ‘Blade’ sticks to its recently announced release date of September 6th, 2024.
Marvel fans got a nasty surprise at the end of last month, when news arrived that director Bassam Tariq had left the developing ‘Blade’ movie, with the company citing “scheduling issues” as the reason for his departure.
Though there had been hopes that the studio would quickly move to slot another director into place, it appears that there are deeper issues afoot with the movie.
Around the time of Tariq’s departure, rumors swirled of a script – originally by Stacy Osei-Kuffour – that was short, didn’t feature enough action and hadn’t passed muster with star Mahershala Ali.
‘Moon Knight’ contributor Beau DeMayo is currently aboard to work on re-writing it, but according to The Hollywood Reporter, Marvel is now pressing pause on forward movement on the film so that it can take longer to find the right new director too.
It’s disappointing news but speaks to the company’s willingness to make sure they get this one right. The production start date – which had shifted a couple of times already because of script re-writes – had been scheduled for next month, but Marvel has informed the Atlanta-based crew that production will be on pause until the various issues (especially a new director) are resolved.
Blade from Marvel Comics. Photo courtesy of Marvel.com.
Blade, created for Marvel Comics by writer Marv Wolfman and penciller Gene Colan, first appeared as a supporting character in ‘The Tomb of Dracula #10’, published July 1973. He was popular enough to merit his own solo storylines and was particularly memorable during the 1990s.
Originally crafted as a human who was immune to vampire bites, he was later changed to Eric Cross Brooks, whose mother is murdered by the bloodsucker Deacon Frost as she gives birth. The attack passes on vampire enzymes to her child, who becomes a Dhampir – a mix of both human and vampire.
Gifted with speed, strength, and the ability to walk in the daylight (hence his other name, the Daywalker), his mission is to hunt down and destroy vampires. In his time, he’s crossed paths with many notable Marvel characters in the comics, including Spider-Man and the Avengers. He’s also battled living vampire Morbius, who had his own movie released by Sony on April 1st, starring Jared Leto.
Yet Blade is probably most famous for the trilogy of movies released by New Line in 1998, 2002 and 2004, starring Wesley Snipes as the gruff, sword-swinging character.
Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige announced at the end of the company’s panel at the 2019 San Diego Comic-Con that ‘Blade’ would enter the MCU, bringing Ali on stage to reveal his casting as the Daywalker. He’s still attached to star, so hopefully the movie will still make it to screens with him in the lead. Delroy Lindo and Aaron Pierre are also in the cast, but we don’t know if this schedule shift will see them stick around.
The MCU’s ‘Blade’ had been scheduled to arrive at theaters on November 3rd but seems unlikely to make that date now.
Mahershala Ali attends the 89th Annual Academy Awards at Hollywood & Highland Center on February 26, 2017 in Hollywood, California. Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images.
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Blade from Marvel Comics. Photo courtesy of Marvel.com.
Up until now, it has been mostly smooth sailing for the planned MCU debut of Blade to this point – star Mahershala Ali was announced as the star as a surprise at the end of Marvel’s 2019 San Diego Comic-Con panel.
Roughly two years later, Bassam Tariq was hired to direct the movie and with Stacy Osei-Kuffour on board to write the script, the movie was headed towards a shoot planned for late this year and a November 3rd, 2023, release date.
But the forward momentum has come to a sudden and grinding halt with the departure of Tariq. As opposed to the usual “creative differences”, the official story is scheduling issues.
“Due to continued shifts in our production schedule, Bassam is no longer moving forward as director of ‘Blade’ but will remain an executive producer on the film,” Marvel said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter. “We appreciate Bassam’s talent and all the work he’s done getting ‘Blade’ to where it is.”
“It’s been an honor working with the wonderful folks at Marvel,” Tariq said in his own statement. “We were able to put together a killer cast and crew. Eager to see where the next director takes the film.”
Blade, created for Marvel Comics by writer Marv Wolfman and penciller Gene Colan, first appeared as a supporting character in ‘The Tomb of Dracula #10’, published July 1973. He was popular enough to merit his own solo storylines and was particularly memorable during the 1990s.
Marvel Studios’ ‘Blade.’
Originally crafted as a human who was immune to vampire bites, he was later changed to Eric Cross Brooks, whose mother is murdered by the bloodsucker Deacon Frost as she gives birth. The attack passes on vampire enzymes to her child, who becomes a Dhampir – a mix of both human and vampire.
Gifted with speed, strength, and the ability to walk in the daylight (hence his other name, the Daywalker), his mission is to hunt down and destroy vampires. In his time, he’s crossed paths with many notable Marvel characters in the comics, including Spider-Man and the Avengers. He’s also battled living vampire Morbius, who had his own movie out earlier this year, starring Jared Leto.
Yet Blade is probably most famous for the trilogy of movies released by New Line in 1998, 2002 and 2004, starring Wesley Snipes as the gruff, sword-swinging character.
The MCU version’s story is so far a mystery: whether it’ll deal with Blade’s origins is unknown for now, but we can expect plenty of vampire-killing action. The cast around Ali includes Delroy Lindo and Aaron Pierre.
According to the Reporter’s story, production on the movie has been shifted at least a couple of times, the filmmakers requiring several script revisions, with Beau DeMayo, a veteran of Marvel’s ‘Moon Knight’ on Disney+, the latest writer mentioned.
Kevin Feige and co. are now looking for a new director to handle the film. Whether it keeps that planned November 2023 release date remains to be seen. We may have to wait a little longer than planned to get any more Blade appearances beyond Ali’s quick voice cameo in the ‘Eternals’ post-credit sting.
In the years since the Marvel Cinematic Universe began to dominate the box office and impact all corners of pop consciousness, Marvel Studios Comic-Con panels have begun to resemble rock concerts or religious sermons. Or a bit of both.
And, following two years of virtual or reduced San Diego conventions, the company was not going to waste the opportunity to go big, announcing whole phases as well as what we can expect.
Following an initial sizzle reel, cartoon clock Ms. Minutes from ‘Loki’ introduced Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige, who was master of ceremonies as usual.
Marvel Studio’s ‘The Multiverse Saga.’
Following some talk about the Phase 4 announcements that Feige made way back in 2019, he announces that the next Marvel show – ‘She-Hulk: Attorney at Law’ – and movie (‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’) will mark the end of that particular Phase.
Team ‘She-Hulk’, including star Tatiana Maslany, were on hand to answer brief questions and then debut the new trailer for the show, which debuts on Disney+ on August 17th this year. You can watch the trailer above and keep an eye out for a Daredevil cameo.
But if that and the ‘Panther’ sequel (more on that later) close out Phase 4, what constitutes Phase 5? Glad you asked. Fortunately, Feige, with an accompanying timeline graphic, was ready to inform us.
It all kicks off with ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’, in theaters February 17th next year. We’re promised another fun romp with Paul Rudd’s Scott Lang and Evangeline Lily, though this time they’ll have to deal with trouble from powerful multiverse entity Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors, who played a version of the character in ‘Loki’).
Director Peyton Reed and stars Rudd, Lilly, Majors and Kathryn Newton (Scott’s daughter Cassie) were on stage for a Q&A and to introduce a sizzle reel from the film, which was only shown to those in the audience. One big takeaway? Giant-headed character MODOK will show up in the movie.
Whether he’ll be voiced by Patton Oswalt (who played him in the recent Hulu stop-motion series) remains to be seen.
“Scott is pretty pleased with himself in his role with saving the universe,” Rudd told the crowd. “Scott’s been busy at work–ish. With a little book (his memoir). And I don’t know what else I’m supposed to say!”
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Next up was ‘Secret Invasion’, which stars Samuel L. Jackson, Ben Mendelsohn and Cobie Smulders. The series showcases a faction of shapeshifting Skrulls who have been infiltrating Earth for years, and according to Smulders (who arrived on stage in Hall H) will be a darker, grittier show that will keep you guessing as to who is a Skrull. That’ll arrive on Disney+ next spring.
And that wasn’t all – Chukwudi Iwuji (who worked with Gunn on ‘Peacemaker’) strode through the crowd in costume to announce he’s playing a villain known as the High Evolutionary. “Call me sire!” he demanded after making it to the stage.
Will Poulter was also on stage, though he made no demands and he was dressed in a T-shirt and slacks. He’s playing Adam Warlock in the movie. “I’m truly, truly grateful,” he admitted. “It’s pretty surreal to have ever stepped on the ‘Guardians’ set.”
Marvel Studios’ ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3.’
A ‘Guardians’ sizzle reel – again, not released to the public outside the convention center – showed some details, including the fact that Zoe Saldana’s Gamora still has no memory of her friends and his running with the Ravagers.
We can also expect to see a younger Rocket Racoon (voiced as usual by Bradley Cooper) with the movie exploring his tragic origin. Groot (Vin Diesel) is grown up again in the new movie.
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The remainder of Phase 5 was limited to the announcement graphic. ‘Echo’, the spin-off series from ‘Hawkeye’ about Alaqua Cox’s deaf gangster Maya Lopez, is due on Disney+ in summer 2023. ‘Loki’ Season 2 will follow that, also on Disney+, while ‘The Marvels’ – the ‘Captain Marvel’ sequel that also features Iman Vellani from ‘Ms. Marvel’ will be in theaters on July 28, 2023.
Marvel Studios’ ‘Echo.’Marvel Studios’ ‘Loki’ Season 2.
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Fall 2023 brings ‘Ironheart’ – starring Dominique Thorne as young genius armor-builder Riri Williams – to Disney+. ‘Blade’, with Mahershala Ali as the daywalking vampire, hits theaters on November 3rd, 2023.
‘Agatha: Coven of Chaos’, which returns Kathryn Hahn’s character from ‘WandaVision’ heads to Disney+ in Winter 2023/2024.
Marvel Studios’ ‘Agatha: Coven of Chaos.’
Perhaps even more exciting is official confirmation of a new ‘Daredevil’ series once starring Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio. ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ lands on Disney+ in the spring of 2024.
Marvel Studios’ ‘Daredevil: Born Again.’
‘Captain America: New World Order’, which will see the big-screen debut of Sam Wilson’s (Anthony Mackie) version of Cap following his suiting up in ‘The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’, is due in theaters on May 3rd, 2024. After that will be the anti-hero team ‘Thunderbolts’ making it to theaters on July 28th, 2024.
Marvel Studios’ ‘Captain America: New World Order.’
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Marvel Studios’ ‘Thunderbolts.’
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And what of Phase 6? So far, only three movies have been confirmed for that, with plenty of date slots still to be filled with other films and shows.
The long awaited ‘Fantastic Four’ MCU edition is due out on November 8th, 2024. And then the biggest of the title-only announcements: Phase 6 wraps up in 2025 with ‘Avengers: The Kang Dynasty’ on May 2nd, 2025, and ‘Avengers: Secret Wars’ on November 7th, 2025.
Marvel Studio’s ‘Fantastic Four.’
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Marvel Studios’ ‘Avengers: The Kang Dynasty.’Marvel Studios’ ‘Avengers: Secret Wars.’
Last, but very, very far from least, Feige wound things back to this year. ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ will be with us on November 11th.
In the movie, Queen Ramonda (Angela Bassett), Shuri (Wright), M’Baku (Duke), Okoye (Gurira) and the Dora Milaje (including Kasumba), fight to protect their nation from intervening world powers in the wake of King T’Challa’s death. As the Wakandans strive to embrace their next chapter, the heroes must band together with the help of War Dog Nakia (Nyong’o) and Everett Ross (Martin Freeman) and forge a new path for the kingdom of Wakanda.
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They’ll need it – as the Wakandans will face conflict with an undersea nation, which will introduce Namor the Sub-Mariner, played by Huerta.
After Coogler paid emotional tribute to the late Chadwick Boseman, he and the cast debuted the new trailer. You can see it for yourself below.
It’s an emotional, effective promo for the trailer, showcasing and enraged Angela Bassett and some very different locales. Oh, and someone new in the Black Panther suit (though we don’t know who yet).
And for those who like their Marvel movies in sagas as well as phases, you’ll be happy to know that Phases 4 through 6 constitute ‘The Multiverse Saga’ (as 1-3 were ‘The Infinity Saga’).
All in all, another huge successful event for Marvel, who certainly know how to put on a show!
Marvel Studios’ Marvel Cinematic Universe of movies began officially in 2008 with the premiere of ‘Iron Man,’ and the MCU has ruled the box office ever since.
But, before there was a shared Marvel universe, different studios released self-contained films based on the popular Marvel characters.
With ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness‘ currently in theaters, which introduces both the ‘X-Men’s Professor X (Patrick Stewart) and a new version of the Fantastic Four’s Reed Richards (John Krasinski), we thought now would be a perfect time to countdown the 10 best pre-MCU movies of all time.
In order to save his dying father, young stunt cyclist Johnny Blaze (Nicolas Cage) sells his soul to Mephistopheles (Peter Fonda) and sadly parts from the pure-hearted Roxanne Simpson (Eva Mendes), the love of his life. Years later, Johnny’s path crosses again with Roxanne, now a go-getting reporter, and also with Mephistopheles, who offers to release Johnny’s soul if Johnny becomes the fabled, fiery ‘Ghost Rider’.
The Fantastic Four (Ioan Gruffudd, Jessica Alba, Chris Evans, and Michael Chiklis) return to the big screen as a new and all powerful enemy threatens the Earth. The seemingly unstoppable ‘Silver Surfer’ (voice of Laurence Fishburne), but all is not what it seems and there are old and new enemies that pose a greater threat than the intrepid superheroes realize.
When undercover FBI agent Frank Castle’s wife and son are slaughtered, he becomes ‘the Punisher’ (Thomas Jane), a ruthless vigilante willing to go to any length to avenge his family.
The Daywalker known as “Blade” (Wesley Snipes), a half-vampire, half-mortal man – becomes the protector of humanity against an underground army of vampires.
Two mutants, Rogue (Anna Paquin) and Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), come to a private academy for their kind whose resident superhero team, the X-Men, must oppose a terrorist organization with similar powers.
After being bitten by a genetically altered spider at Oscorp, nerdy but endearing high school student Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) is endowed with amazing powers to become the superhero known as Spider-Man.
A rare mutation has occurred within the vampire community – The Reaper. A vampire so consumed with an insatiable bloodlust that they prey on vampires as well as humans, transforming victims who are unlucky enough to survive into Reapers themselves. Blade (Wesley Snipes) is asked by the Vampire Nation for his help in preventing a nightmare plague that would wipe out both humans and vampires.
Professor Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart) and his team of genetically gifted superheroes face a rising tide of anti-mutant sentiment led by Col. William Stryker (Brian Cox). Storm (Halle Berry), Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) and Jean Grey (Famke Janssen) must join their usual nemeses—Magneto (Ian McKellen) and Mystique (Rebecca Romijn)—to unhinge Stryker’s scheme to exterminate all mutants.
Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) is going through a major identity crisis. Burned out from being Spider-Man, he decides to shelve his superhero alter ego, which leaves the city suffering in the wake of carnage left by the evil Doc Ock (Alfred Molina). In the meantime, Parker still can’t act on his feelings for Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst), a girl he’s loved since childhood. A certain anger begins to brew in his best friend Harry Osborn (James Franco) as well…
Aaron Pierre in Amazon Prime Video’s ‘The Underground Railroad.’
Though Marvel Studios and Disney are – as expected – keeping most of the details locked in a coffin somewhere, we are at least starting to learn about who will be in the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s ‘Blade’ movie alongside star Mahershala Ali. The latest addition is Aaron Pierre.
‘Blade’, which was announced as a surprise at the tail end of Marvel’s 2019 panel at the San Diego Comic-Con represents the MCU bringing the half-human, half-vampire warrior into its fold. Ali has, though, already popped up for a vocal cameo during one of ‘Eternals’ end credits sequences.
Blade, created for Marvel Comics by writer Marv Wolfman and penciller Gene Colan, first appeared as a supporting character in ‘The Tomb of Dracula #10’, published July 1973. He was popular enough to merit his own solo storylines and was particularly memorable during the 1990s.
Originally crafted as a human who was immune to vampire bites, he was later changed to Eric Cross Brooks, whose mother is murdered by the bloodsucker Deacon Frost as she gives birth. The attack passes on vampire enzymes to her child, who becomes a Dhampir – a mix of both human and vampire.
Gifted with speed, strength, and the ability to walk in the daylight (hence his other name, the Daywalker), his mission is to hunt down and destroy vampires. In his time, he’s crossed paths with many notable Marvel characters in the comics, including Spider-Man and the Avengers. He’s also battled living vampire ‘Morbius,’ who has his own movie due from Sony on April 1, starring Jared Leto.
Marvel Studios’ ‘Blade.’
Yet ‘Blade‘ is probably most famous for the trilogy of movies released by New Line in 1998, 2002 and 2004, starring Wesley Snipes as the gruff, sword-swinging character. While ‘Blade II’, directed by Guillermo del Toro, is regarded as the best of the three, the original does boast this endlessly quotable line. Snipes has become identified with the character, and even cameoed as him via Skype in an episode of vampire comedy series ‘What We Do in the Shadows’.
While some fans had campaigned for Snipes to stay on in the role, Marvel Studios has traditionally gone in a new route with its casting for characters played by other actors. Though given the multiverse use in recent Marvel movies, there’s always the chance he could be back in the future.
With two-time Oscar winner Ali as Blade, we also know that Delroy Lindo has a role in the new movie, though his character is still a secret for now. Likewise, Pierre, whose casting was reported by Deadline, is a mystery.
The actor is probably best known to date for playing rapper (and worried beachgoer) Mid-Size Sedan in M. Night Shyamalan’s ‘Old’ but has also worked on TV series including ‘Krypton’ and ‘The Underground Railroad’ created by writer/director Barry Jenkins. Pierre will reunite with the filmmaker to voice a young Mustafa in the ‘Lion King’ prequel movie. He’s also part of the cast for Garth Davies’ sci-fi movie ‘Foe’.
‘Blade’, which has ‘Mogul Mowgli’ director Bassam Tariq preparing to call the shots and ‘Watchmen’ TV veteran Stacy Osei-Kuffour writing the script, has yet to reveal a release date, though it may well emerge next year.
