(L to R) Joseph Quinn, Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach star in ‘Fantastic Four: First Steps’. Photo: Marvel Studios.
Preview:
Kevin Feige confirmed the Fantastic Four as appearing in the next ‘Avengers’ movies.
Their stand-alone new movie is about to wrap shooting.
The studio head also offered an update on the use of X-Men characters going forward.
With the huge theatrical success of ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ and the buzzy Disney+ hit ‘Agatha All Along,’ Marvel Studios finds itself in a better place heading in 2025 than at almost any point in its turbulent time since ‘Avengers: Endgame.’
And, looking to assure fans (not to mention his Disney paymasters), Marvel boss Kevin Feige offered an upbeat tone at the recent Disney APAC Content Showcase in Singapore, talking up things to come.
While he didn’t announce anything new, he did confirm a few details and offered some updates about when we can expect to see the likes of the X-Men characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
That movie is due next summer (July 25th, to be exact) and Feige, sporting a cap bearing the characters’ iconic logo, talked it up as the movie he’s most excited about for 2025.
Here’s what he said about their movie and beyond, via Deadline:
“They wrap next week, the movie comes out next summer, and then all those characters go right into the next Avengers movies, so I’m very excited for the future of the Fantastic Four.”
Yes, the new reboot will indeed usher the characters into the wider MCU, and they’ll be facing one of their biggest antagonists, Dr. Doom (played by Robert Downey Jr., no less) in ‘Avengers: Doomsday.’ They’ll also be seen in ‘Avengers: Secret Wars,’ with both movies directed by Joe and Anthony Russo and landing in 2026 and 2027.
Feige talks the X-Men
Marvel Studios’ Kevin Feige at Disney’s 2024 CinemaCon Presentation. Photo: Disney.
With Disney’s purchase of 20th Century Fox in 2019, the opportunity arose not only to use the Fantastic Four, but also the sprawling universe of X-Men characters. We’ve seen alternate universe versions in a couple of movies (and ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ served as a wry, loving tribute to Fox’s X-Movies and more), but according to Feige, we can expect to see more mutants in the future.
This was his comment:
“I think you will see that continues in our next few movies with some X-Men players that you might recognize. Right after that, the whole story of ‘Secret Wars’ really leads us into a new age of mutants and of the X-Men. Again, it’s one of those dreams come true. We finally have the X-Men back.”
But let’s not forget ‘Thunderbolts*’ which lands on May 2nd, 2025. Feige also took a moment to acknowledge their appeal:
“That’s what Marvel is all about: it’s taking characters from all different types of places and franchises and putting them together. That’s what the ‘Avengers’ is, that’s what ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ is.”
(L to R) Anthony Mackie and Morena Baccarin star in ‘Elevation’.
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Anthony Mackie and Morena Baccarin about their work on ‘’Elevation’, Mackie’s character’s journey to save his son, why Baccarin’s character helps him, preparing for the action sequences, and working with director George Nolfi.
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Mackie, Baccarin, actress Maddie Hasson and director George Nolfi.
(L to R) Anthony Mackie and Danny Boyd Jr. in ‘Elevation’. Photo: Vertical.
Moviefone: To begin with, Anthony, can you talk about your character’s journey to save his son and the unlikely alliance he is forced to make with Nina?
Anthony Mackie: Well, it starts off with him in a very tumultuous situation with the loss of his loved one and now the potential loss of his child. So, he’s kind of forced into this position with his balls to the wall and he must make allies and he has to kind of play down his hatred for his enemies to achieve what he wants to achieve. So, he’s kind of put in between a rock and a hard place. He doesn’t want to be there, but it’s something he must do.
(L to R) Morena Baccarin and Anthony Mackie in ‘Elevation’. Photo: Vertical.
MF: Morena, can you talk about Nina’s plan to kill the monsters and why she decides to help Will?
Morena Baccarin: I don’t think she wants to. I think it’s something that she sort of at first does against her will. I think initially it’s a very selfish thing that she does, “If we have a chance to survive, I am that chance, to figure out how to get this thing. I’m almost there. I need to figure out how to kill this thing.” Then I think as she’s going on this journey, she realizes it’s so much bigger than just her and it becomes much more meaningful for her. I think the relationship with Will is obviously very complicated and it’s kind of like the crutch for her that then becomes the thing that she can really rely on and becomes the valuable aspect of her life. Will finds out things about her and why she is who she is, and she also takes a lot of responsibility at that point for what she’s done in his life and the role she’s played in his family’s life.
(L to R) Morena Baccarin and Anthony Mackie in ‘Elevation’. Photo: Vertical.
MF: Anthony, can you talk about how you prepared for the action sequences?
AM: Well, George forced us into altitude acclamation. That’s the stuff he made up for us to do, which he didn’t do! He didn’t do none of the training with us, but it was more so just us going hiking and running every day. It was a lot of physical work because we knew how much running we were going to have to do during shooting. So, the longer we were there, the easier it got. After that first week, I was pretty much adjusted but that first hike was hard.
(L to R) Morena Baccarin, Maddie Hasson and Anthony Mackie in ‘Elevation’. Photo: Vertical.
MF: Finally, Morena, can you talk about your training process and working with director George Nolfi on set?
MB: I was impressed. We all went out on this hike together and Mackie was like a good half a mile ahead of me, I think most of the time. I am like sucking in air and my lungs are burning. Maddie (Hasson), who at the time was smoking a pack a day, was also far ahead. I was like, “What the heck?” Then I realized, of course, she’s 20 years younger, but it did not get easier for me. We had oxygen canisters on set all the time, and I utilized them quite a bit. That elevation is no joke. It was mostly that. It was mostly training and hiking and running and hiking to just feel like we could run at a sprint up a hill if we had to.
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What is the plot of ‘Elevation’?
A single father (Anthony Mackie) and two women (Morena Baccarin and Maddie Hasson) must venture from the safety of their home to face monstrous creatures to save the life of a child (Danny Boyd Jr.).
(L to R) Director James Cameron, Zoe Saldaña and Sam Worthington at D23 2024 presenting ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’. Photo: Disney.
D23 2024 finished off its first day on Friday, August 9th at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California with a presentation showcasing the upcoming Disney movies and TV shows.
The presentation included upcoming film and television projects from Walt Disney Pictures, Marvel Studios, Lucasfilm, Pixar, and kicked off with Walt Disney Animation.
Bob Iger at D23 2024. Photo: Disney.
But first, CEO of the Walt Disney Company Bob Iger took to the stage to address the arena full of fans. It was Iger’s first D23 in five years and he told the audience how much he missed them.
“There is nothing more that we love then surprising you and filling your heart with love. The world needs to be entertained more than ever before, and we take that seriously. We have a lot to be proud of and more to look forward to.”
Actress Ginnifer Goodwin took to the stage to show footage from her upcoming sequel, ‘Zootopia 2’. She also announced that Oscar-winner Ke Huy Quan is joining the cast as a snake named Gary.
“Now, reptiles have a shady past, and Gary could send the crew on a whole new mission.”
‘Zootopia 2’ is scheduled for release on November 26, 2025.
Jennifer Lee presenting at D23 2024. Photo: Disney.
Next, CEO of Walt Disney Animation Studios Jennifer Lee announced that the long-awaited third installment of the ‘Frozen’ franchise will be release in 2027.
“Coming out of ‘Frozen II’ we still have some questions.”
She also revealed concept art from the new movie, which featured Elsa and Anna on horseback with Olaf riding along.
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Pixar Animation Studios
‘Dream Productions’
‘Dream Productions’. Photo: Disney.
CCO of Pixar Pete Doctor began by thanking the audience for their support of the box office hit ‘Inside Out 2’.
“I want to thank all of you for going to theaters and making ‘Inside Out 2’ the number one animated movie of all time.”
He also announced a new Disney+ series set in the world on ‘Inside Out’ called ‘Dream Productions’. The series is set between the original film and the sequel and Doctor screened footage for the audience.
Doctor also announced another Disney+ series called ‘Win or Lose‘, and the new movie ‘Hoppers’, which stars Bobby Moynihan and newly announced villain, Jon Hamm.
Next, Doctor introduced the fifth installment in the ‘Toy Story’ franchise and had this to say:
“We are excited for Jesse, Woody and what all the gang will do next.”
Doctor then introduced the director and writer of the movie, Pixar-regular Andrew Stanton. Stanton revealed that the villain of the new movie will be technology.
“Toys’ jobs are harder when the toys go up against what kids are obsessed with today, technology. This time around its toys vs. tech.”
(L to R) Zoe Saldaña and Yonas Kibreab at D23 2024 presenting ‘Elio’. Photo: Disney.
Zoe Saldaña was on hand to present her upcoming movie, ‘Elio’ and show footage from the film. The new movie follows an eleven-year-old boy named Elio Solis (Yonas Kibreab) who accidentally becomes the intergalactic Ambassador of planet Earth after being beamed up to the Communiverse by aliens for making contact.
The actress had this to say about the movie:
“I felt a real connection to the character. It felt authentic. I can’t wait for you all to see it.”
‘Elio’ is scheduled for release on June 13th, 2025.
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‘Incredibles 3’
Pete Doctor presenting ‘Incredibles 3’ at D23 2024. Photo: Disney.
Finally, Doctor announced the long-awaited third installment of the ‘Incredibles’ franchise entitled ‘Incredibles 3’.
“Brad Bird is developing it now. We think the film is special and hope you enjoy it.”
Jude Law presenting ‘Star Wars: Skeleton Crew’ at D23 2024. Photo: Disney.
Actor Jude Law presented the first trailer from the upcoming Disney+ series, which will be release this December. The series is told from the perspective of a group of kids who get lost in the vastness of space and are trying to find their way home.
Law addressed the fans and expressed his joy to be part of the project:
“I’m thrilled to share with you ‘Star Wars: Skeleton Crew’. It means a great deal for me to be part of the ‘Star Wars’ family’.
You can watch the trailer below, which reveals Law’s character is a Jedi.
(L to R) Dave Filoni, Chief Creative Officer, Lucasfilm and Jon Favreau appears at the Disney Entertainment Showcase at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event in Anaheim, California on August 09, 2024. Photo by Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Disney.
Director Jon Favreau and producer Dave Filoni surprised the crowd by presenting some exclusive footage from the upcoming feature film version of the Disney+ show. The footage featured the main characters on a new adventure, as well as ‘Star Wars’ familiars like At-Ats, snowtroopers and surprisingly, Babu Frick from the recent ‘Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’.
Favreau had this to say about the movie:
“We are getting an opportunity to bring these characters to the big screen.”
Filoni added:
“We’re all excited to have ‘Star Wars’ back on the big screen.”
Favreau mentioned that they just started filming a few weeks ago. The movie is scheduled to release in 2026.
(L to R) Anthony Mackie and Kevin Feige presenting ‘Captain America: Brave New World’ at D23 2024. Photo: Disney.
Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige and actor Anthony Mackie presented footage from ‘Captain America: Brave New World,’ but it was the same footage shown a few weeks ago at San Diego Comic-Con.
The footage included a meeting between President Ross (Harrison Ford) and Sam Wilson (Mackie), where Ross asks Wilson to form a new Avengers team. Another scene reveals that the Celestial left behind after the events of ‘Eternals’ is made of Adamantium, the same metal that made Wolverine’s claws. The footage also reveals Giancarlo Esposito’s villain Sidewinder and ends with Ford’s Ross becoming the Red Hulk on the White House lawn in front of the press.
Mackie had this to say about playing the iconic role:
‘The shield is very heavy. It’s an amazing honor.’
‘Captain America: Brave New World’ opens in theaters on February 14th, 2025.
With the film currently shooting, the cast was unable to appear but sent a video that features actor Joseph Quinn in his superhero costume.
Again, the footage shown was the same from Comic-Con, but features the Fantastic Car, the team in their astronaut suits, Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal) teaching a science class on television, Ben Grimm (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) in Thing form on a dating show, and a final scene of villain Galactus (Ralph Ineson) looking in on the Baxter Building where H.E.R.B.I.E. is vacuuming the living room.
‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ is scheduled for release on July 25th, 2025.
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‘Ironheart’
The cast of ‘Ironheart’ at D23 2024. Photo: Disney.
“I have been having the best time playing Riri and I can’t wait for you to see the series”.
The footage reveals that Riri is expelled from MIT following the events of ‘Wakanda Forever’ and makes an uneasy alliance with Ramos’ villain, The Hood.
“We’re channeling the essence of the original series but forging a new path.”
The footage sees the return of the Punisher and Bullseye, our first look at the White Tiger, and a confrontation between Matt Murdock and the Kingpin that reveals he knows who the Daredevil really is.
The series will premiere on Disney+ March, 2025 and Cox revealed that they’ll begin shooting season 2 soon.
The group revealed the new trailer from the show, which you can watch below. The trailer shows Agatha trying to put her coven back together, and it also gives us our first glimpse of Audrey Plaza in the series.
‘Agatha All Along’ will premiere on Disney + September 18th.
(L to R) Gal Gadot and Rachel Zegler presenting ‘Snow White’ at D23 2024. Photo: Disney.
Actresses Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot appeared to introduce the new trailer for the upcoming live-action remake, as well as screen an extended scene featuring the iconic ‘Whistle While You Work.’
Zegler said this about the making the movie:
“It’s been an honor of a lifetime. It’s been the most incredible experience, and I can’t wait to share it with you.”
Gadot added:
“It was lots of fun to do something different than I’ve ever done before. It was delicious and fun.”
The cast of ‘Mufasa: The Lion King’ at D23 2024. Photo: Disney.
Award winning director Barry Jenkins was on hand to present the new trailer for the live action ‘Mufasa: The Lion King’, which is a prequel to Jon Favreau’s 2019 movie. Jenkins announced that Lin-Manual Miranda will write the music, as well as the return of Seth Rogen and Billy Eichner as Pumbaa and Timon, respectively, who all appeared to greet the crowd.
You can watch the new trailer below, and the film is scheduled for release on December 20th.
Bridges, who starred in the original, had this to say about his return:
“I’m Just a small part of this”.
Lee explained that she plays Eve Kim, a programmer that helped create Ares, who’s now come into our world. The footage shows Leto’s Ares in the real world, and our first look at Bridges as Kevin Flynn.
Leto said this about his character’s motives:
“He’s a program looking to make the real world his, permanently”.
Finally, it was announced that Nine Inch Nails will provide the music for the movie, which will be released on October 10th, 2025.
(L to R) Director James Cameron, Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldaña at D23 2024 presenting ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’. Photo: Disney.
Oscar-winning director James Cameron revealed that the official title of ‘Avatar 3’ is ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’. He also brought actors Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldaña on to the stage before showing concept art from the upcoming film. However, Cameron told the crowd it was too early to show footage.
Cameron had this to say about the new movie:
“It’s an insane adventure, and feast for eyes, but has high stakes. There are new characters that you will love, and love to hate. You’ll see more of Pandora than you ever seen before. The new film is not what you expect but what you want.”
Worthington added:
“We have been hard at work getting it done.”
Saldaña finished by thanking the fans for their support:
“We want to personally thank you for your support.”
‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ is scheduled for release on December 19th, 2025.
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D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event Presented by Visa. Photo: The Walt Disney Company.
Marvel Studios revealed at Comic-Con that Robert Downey Jr. will return to the MCU as Doctor Doom in ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ and ‘Avengers: Secret Wars.’
Both films will be directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, who helmed four of Marvel’s biggest movies, including ‘Avengers: Endgame.’
Marvel’s presentation also featured footage from ‘Fantastic Four,’ ‘Thunderbolts*,’ and ‘Captain America: Brave New World.’
Marvel Studios may turn up at Comic-Con only once every two years or so for a big Saturday night presentation in the San Diego Convention Center’s Hall H, but leave it to the Disney superhero powerhouse to blow the roof off the place as usual.
Just two years after Marvel president Kevin Feige announced in this same room that the next two Avengers movies would be called ‘Avengers: The Kang Dynasty’ and ‘Avengers: Secret Wars’ – before harassment and assault charges leveled against Kang actor Jonathan Majors ended his brief reign as the MCU’s next Thanos-level threat – Feige unveiled how the studio would realign its upcoming slate.
At the conclusion of the hour-long showcase for thousands of fans, Feige confirmed the heavily-rumored news that Anthony and Joe Russo – directors of ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ and ‘Avengers: Endgame’ – would return for ‘Secret Wars’ and the newly retitled ‘Avengers 5,’ now called ‘Avengers: Doomsday.’
Greeting the Hall H crowd, Anthony Russo said, “Joe and I truly believed that [‘Endgame’] was the end of us for the MCU ‘cause we had put all our passion and love into those past films.” He added, “In the time since, through a very special story, Joe and I have come to potentially see a road forward with you all.”
With a title clearly heralding the MCU introduction of one of Marvel’s greatest villains, the Russos and Feige then revealed the actor playing Doctor Doom – as one of a number of people onstage dressed as Doom whipped off his mask to reveal Robert Downey Jr.
Yes, that Robert Downey Jr., whose debut as Iron Man 16 years ago provided the launching pad for the MCU itself, and whose death scene in ‘Endgame’ hasn’t stopped recent rumors that Downey could return to the Marvel universe. Whether his Victor von Doom will be an alternate universe version of Tony Stark gone bad remains unclear for now.
Marvel’s highly-anticipated presentation began, cheekily enough, with a brief victory lap for the astounding success of the newly-released ‘Deadpool & Wolverine,’ as a choir in red and yellow robes took to the stage to sing Madonna’s ‘Like A Prayer,’ which scores a key moment in the already massive new MCU film.
As various Deadpools danced through the aisles, Kevin Feige and MC Rob Delaney came onstage as well, with Feige announcing that ‘Deadpool & Wolverine,’ the 34th MCU film, had just pushed the franchise’s total box office haul over $30 billion.
After saying that they would only talk about three movies (more on that later), Feige brought out the key cast of ‘Captain America: Brave New World’: Anthony Mackie (Sam Wilson/Captain America), Tim Blake-Nelson (Samuel Sterns/The Leader), Danny Ramirez (Joaquin Torres/Falcon), and Giancarlo Esposito, who announced that his previously undisclosed character would be Sidewinder, “the king of the Serpent Society.”
(It was nearly a decade ago that Feige teased that the third Captain America movie would be subtitled ‘Serpent Society’ – based on a Marvel group of supervillains – before revealing it to actually be ‘Civil War.’)
The always effusive Mackie quipped onstage, “A few years ago Tom Holland [the MCU’s Spider-Man] made a joke about not having a Falcon movie. I said, ‘I don’t have a movie, but you’re not 5’11”!’” He added, “Now I have a movie, but he’s still not 5’11”!”
Feige introduced a sizzle reel of new ‘Captain America’ footage by saying that the movie harkens back to the ‘more grounded’ spirit of ‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier.’ Within the action-heavy footage, however, two things stood out.
First, Harrison Ford’s President Thaddeus ‘Thunderbolt’ Ross refers to the Celestial that was left stuck in the Earth at the end of ‘Eternals,’ noting that it’s made out of adamantium – the same material as Wolverine’s claws and skeleton, and an ‘X-Men’ breadcrumb if we ever heard one.
Second, the footage featured a brief look at Ross turning into the Red Hulk right in the middle of giving a speech in front of the White House. As the lights came up in Hall H, Ford himself came onstage and did his best approximation of Hulking out for the delirious crowd. The legendary actor said, “I’m proud to become a member of the Marvel universe. I’ve been watching fantastic actors having a good time and I wanted a piece of that.”
‘Captain America: Brave New World’ arrives in theaters February 14, 2025.
Leave it David Harbour to arrive in Hall H by running up the aisles in his full Red Guardian costume, only to shout up to his fellow (normally dressed) cast members already onstage: “Guys, I sent that email and we all said we were gonna dress up ‘cause it was Comic-Con!”
Stan, perhaps the longest-termed MCU veteran onstage, said that Pugh “stands out” in the film as the adopted sister of the late Natasha Romanoff, both creations of the Black Widow program, while Pugh herself hinted at the ‘Suicide Squad’-type vibes of the team by saying, “The joy of watching them together is that they don’t play well together.”
In the first footage from the film (shown only at Comic-Con so far), both Yelena and Bucky seem to be at an impasse in their lives, with Yelena continuing to be an assassin, while Bucky ends up in court.
But the action soon picks up as the team comes together at the direction of Valentina, with Lewis Pullman’s (rumored) Sentry apparently the target of some kind of mission – except that it’s all some sort of set-up to get rid of Yelena and the others. “There are good guys, and you’re bad guys,” Valentina tells the team. “But there are worse guys.”
Directed by Jake Schreier, ‘Thunderbolts*’ comes out May 5, 2025.
Just prior to the huge ‘Avengers’ news, Kevin Feige welcomed ‘Fantastic Four’ director Matt Shakman and the cast – Pedro Pascal (Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic), Vanessa Kirby (Sue Storm/Invisible Woman), Joseph O’Quinn (Johnny Storm/Human Torch), and Ebon Moss-Bachrach (Ben Grimm/The Thing) – to the stage for the actors’ first public appearance together as Marvel’s First Family.
The film begins shooting in London this Tuesday (July 27) in London, exactly one year ahead of its planned July 25, 2025 release, and has now been officially titled ‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps.’
Shakman showed off some early pre-production and conceptual test footage for the movie, including images of the Fantasticar, Reed Richards teaching some sort of class on television, the Four preparing to launch into space, and a brief glimpse of Galactus – looking quite huge and humanoid – peering into a building.
The director also confirmed the period setting of the movie, saying, “We’re not just doing the 60s, we’re doing retro future 60s…it’s part what you know from the ‘60s, but part what you’ve never seen before,” hinting as speculated that the Four come from an alternate timeline. Shakman added, “We want to be true to the comics, but we also want it to be true to life.”
For their part, the cast stressed the “family” aspect of the Fantastic Four’s story, with Quinn saying, “We’re all going to work very hard to bring a feeling of a family to this film.” Moss-Bachrach mentioned that he sought out Hulk actor Mark Ruffalo to get advice on doing performance capture to play the Thing.
The Fantastic Four’s portion of the Marvel presentation ended with the Fantasticar itself flying over the heads of the fans in Hall H, with one last bit of news: Marvel’s First Family will also appear in both ‘Avengers’ films – a perfect introduction to the mind-melting ‘Avengers’ news that concluded the presentation.
But now that the dust has settled, we should mention the news we didn’t get tonight: nothing on a new director for ‘Blade,’ no sign of ‘Shang-Chi 2’ or ‘Doctor Strange 3,’ no word on the future of legacy characters like Thor, Hulk, Black Panther, or Captain Marvel, and not a peep (save that tease about adamantium) about the X-Men or which movies will fill out Marvel’s slate in 2026 and 2027 around the ‘Avengers’ behemoths. Still, that ‘Avengers’ shocker should keep us all chattering away for a while…
He’s been dropping hints about a big-screen role in the MCU, which drove speculation wild around a debut as a major character. Now, according to The Hollywood Reporter, we know a bit more about where he’ll show up –– and its turns out, he’ll be a villain in ‘Captain America: Brave New World’.
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What’s the story of ‘Captain America: Brave New World’?
While the major plot points are, in Marvel tradition, still mostly a mystery, the new movie –– which sees Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson/Captain America (a role his character first took on in small screen outing ‘The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’) dealing with a crisis at the highest levels of government.
Described by Marvel boss Kevin Feige at CinemaCon as more of “relatively grounded action film” (think ‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier‘) albeit set within the MCU, the movie will nevertheless feature plenty of drama (and probably a Hulk).
Who is appearing in ‘Captain America: Brave New World’?
Harrison Ford at D23 Expo 2022.
Alongside Mackie, we can expect to see Harrison Ford (who inherits the role of Thaddeus ‘Thunderbolt’ Ross from the late William Hurt, with the character now President of the United States), Liv Tyler (as Betty Ross from ‘The Incredible Hulk’), Tim Blake Nelson (as villain Samuel Sterns/The Leader also from the MCU Hulk movie), Danny Ramirez (as ‘The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’s Joaquin Torres, who is the new Falcon) and Rosa Salazar in an unknown role.
As to who Esposito is playing? There are no concrete details yet beyond mention of him as a baddie. We’re left to wonder whether he’ll be a one-off or if this is setting up someone who will recur in later movies (given the actor, our guess is the latter).
What has happened with ‘Captain America: Brave New World’ so far?
Directed by Julius Onah, the movie had its original shoot in early 2023, and after test screenings is now headed for some extensive (though not as much as, say, ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ or ‘The Marvels’) addition footage work, with ‘Moon Knight’s Matthew Orton having cranked out on new script material, which presumably includes Esposito’s character.
There has been much chatter about the movie being in trouble, but extra footage filming is built in to Marvel movie schedules.
Still, there is pressure on the company to get its hit ratio back up after the likes of ‘The Marvels’ didn’t score well at the box office. It only has one movie arriving this year (‘Deadpool & Wolverine’, landing July 26th) and has been having trouble getting other projects, including ‘Blade’ off the ground.
‘Captain America: Brave New World’ itself has shifted release dates at least once already, from its original slot, which was inherited by Deadpool’s latest outing.
When will ‘Captain America: Brave New World’ be in theaters?
Pending another shift, Marvel wants the movie in theaters on February 14, 2025.
Giancarlo Esposito attends the panel for “The Mandalorian” series at Star Wars Celebration in Anaheim, California on May 28, 2022. (Photo by Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Disney).
Other Movies and TV Shows Similar to ‘Captain America: Brave New World’:
(L to R) Dwayne Johnson, Anthony Mackie, Shawn Levy, Barry Jenkins, Amy Poehler and Kevin Feige at Disney’s 2024 CinemaCon Presentation. Photo: Disney.
Preview:
Disney, as expected, went big on Pixar and Marvel.
The likes of ‘Deadpool’, ‘Inside Out 2’ and more were showcased.
‘Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes’ also showed footage.
Disney might not be enjoying quite the same cinematic dominance as it once did, but it still has some heavy hitters thanks to the likes of ‘Avatar’, ‘Star Wars’ and more.
Before the main presentation, we were treated to a PSA from no less than Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman in their ‘Deadpool and Wolverine‘ outfits, reminding the audience not to silence cellphones (it included a skit about Deadpool trying to spoil Marvel’s upcoming Avengers movie ‘Secret Wars’, but being interrupted by a ringing phone, leading to a filthy rant.)
Disney Co-Chair Alan Bergman kicked things off by saying that while every movie can’t be on the level of ‘Avatar’, but that the company continues to invest in event movies. A timeline on screen certainly attested to that, with confirmations of the various ‘Avatar’, Marvel and other titles.
First up was the next generation of the ‘Apes’ franchise, which has the unenviable task of following the Matt Reeves films.
Set decades after those movies, Wes Ball’s new effort is focused on the young ape known as Noah, and a couple of footage clips looked truly impressive –– Weta’s effects team once more working wonders on the motion capture apes.
‘Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes’ is in theaters on May 10th, so not too long to wait now.
This based-on-truth tale stars Daisy Ridley as Trudy Ederle, the first woman to successfully swim the English Channel. Directed by Joachim Rønning and written by Jeff Nathanson, a new trailer for the movie was shown, which you can find below:
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‘The Young Woman and the Sea’ paddles into theaters on May 31st.
Amy Poehler at Disney’s 2024 CinemaCon Presentation. Photo: Disney.
The return to the world of a young girl’s head has been a controversial one so far, with several of the voice cast deciding not to return after low pay offers.
But Amy Poehler is back as main character Joy, here confronting some new emotions as her charge Riley enters the tween/teenaged stage.
Poehler was present to introduce roughly 35 minutes from the start of the film and enthuse about how much Joy means to her.
As you might expect from Pixar, the footage went over very well, packed full of emotional power. (The likes of Maya Hawke, Ayo Edebiri and Paul Walter Hauser are among the new voices for this one.)
‘Inside Out 2’ will be out on June 14th.
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And so we leave the sweet animation world for somewhere very different…
Marvel Studios’ Kevin Feige at Disney’s 2024 CinemaCon Presentation. Photo: Disney.
Kevin Feige walked on stage to talk about upcoming Marvel output. In keeping with Disney’s new mandate of quality over quantity, there is only one main movie from the MCU gang this year.
Feige cracked that they had Deadpool design a popcorn bucket to tie-in with ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ and can’t wait for us to… experience it. The mind shudders.
‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ will be with us on July 26th.
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Feige moved on to future movies. He dropped word that the ‘Thunderbolts’ movie is actually titled ‘Thunderbolts*’ and that the asterisk will be explained at some point soon. That movie will be with us on May 5th, 2025.
Then it was time to look further –– Feige mentioned that his team is developing two of their movies to shoot with IMAX cameras, including ‘The Fantastic Four’, which will finally kick off production in a couple of months.
(L to R) Anthony Mackie and Marvel Studios’ Kevin Feige at Disney’s 2024 CinemaCon Presentation. Photo: Disney.
The Marvel boss moved on to ‘Captain America: Brave New World‘, citing the influence of ‘The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’. He described the movie thus far as fast-paced and grounded and focused on Sam Wilson.
With that, Anthony Mackie took the stage, to a salute from Feige –– “you should always salute your captain.” Mackie was to show the audience a clip. Cut the check!
The footage has Harrison Ford’s Thunderbolt Ross –– who is now President –– telling Sam Wilson that he wants him to help rebuild the Avengers. There’s also a moment where a mind- controlled former super-soldier Isiah Bradley (Carl Lumbly) tries to kill the Prez.
‘Captain America: Brave New World’ arrives on February 14th next year.
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And in case you thought Team Marvel didn’t somehow find time to hype ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ one more time, director Shawn Levy closed out the company’s section of the Disney presentation with 9 minutes from the movie.
As could have been predicted, the ‘Deadpool’ footage is chaotic, funny and meta. We won’t give away too much here but suffice to say it’s everything you might be hoping (or fearing), including a shot of Chris Hemsworth’s Thor crying over Wade Wilson’s body. (“That happens in the distant future”, our hero is told.)
The new entry in the ‘Alien’ franchise comes from Fede Alvarez, and if you’ve seen the first teaser, you know it’s very much in the horror mode.
Nine minutes of footage was screened for the audience. It was largely a scene featuring a legion of involved a series of small Facehuggers attacking scientists in a cryo Lab. One of the creatures manages to swim like a shark through some water and escape the lab. As the clip ends, many Facehuggers escape and start filling the ship…
We also see a scene of an alien explosively birthing itself from the chest of a human victim, all while the ship it is aboard is crashing though the walls of a giant structure.
‘Alien: Romulus’ heads to theaters on August 16th.
Fresh of Oscar victory (and box office success), the Searchlight team arrived to promote Yorgos Lanthimos’ next collaboration with stars Emma Stone and Willem Dafoe. They confirmed that the movie will debut at Cannes but didn’t offer much beyond the trailer that has already been shown online.
‘Kinds of Kindness’ is due in theaters on June 21st.
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The movie was simply mentioned along with a batch of other Searchlight releases, including ‘The Amateur’, starring Rami Malek (due out April 11th next year) and ‘Nightbitch,’ which has Amy Adams starring (and will be out on December 6th).
‘Ella McCay’ is the latest film from James L. Brooks, who has quite the cast attached to his latest film, about a young politician juggling life and work as she prepares to try and take over for her mentor.
Director Barry Jenkins at Disney’s 2024 CinemaCon Presentation. Photo: Disney.
We already knew that Barry Jenkins was working on this prequel to the 2019 photo-realistic remake of the animal drama.
Jenkins headed on stage to explain how incredibly personal Mufasa is to him, and how he watched the original hand-drawn animated version hundreds of times as a kid and then with his nephews. He sees the new movie as a chance to share a similar message and feeling with a new generation.
“This is a massive f*****g film,” Jenkins said, “and it was my job to fill it with massive heart.” He jokes that he can’t share who is performing the music for the movie because Disney won’t let him.
He debuted the first trailer from the movie, on which he’s been working for 3/12 years. It is, as you would expect, full of lion goodness.
‘Mufasa: The Lion King’ is in theaters on December 20th.
Dwayne Johnson at Disney’s 2024 CinemaCon Presentation. Photo: Disney.
By which we mean, of course, The Rock. Dwayne Johnson was on stage with a phalanx of Polynesian dancers to introduce the animated sequel to the 2016 hit.
This new movie was famously adapted from the planned TV series featuring the character, and Johnson explained how his performance as demigod Maui was inspired by his grandfather.
He was surprised on stage by receiving the NATO Spirit of the Industry and seemed genuinely touches.
Johnson wrapped things up by showing some ‘Moana 2’ material. “You’re welcome!”
The footage has Moana (Auli’i Cravalho) singing about how happy she is to be home. But before long, she’s off on another adventure.
‘Moana 2’ makes landfall in theaters on November 27th.
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And that’s it for Disney and the big CinemaCon studio presentations!
Dwayne Johnson at Disney’s 2024 CinemaCon Presentation. Photo: Disney.
Since then, director Shawn Levy has said that he and his team were halfway through filming when the shutdown hit. Since then, he has been able to come back to work editing what footage was shot and overseeing any effects shots for those sequences.
A new report in Variety says that the movie, a big priority for Disney/Marvel, will be gearing up to get back to shooting in the coming days and weeks, with the current aim to have production in the UK up and running before Thanksgiving (which this year falls on November 23rd).
The rush is partly because the holiday period will mean another shutdown for festivities over Christmas and the New Year, and also so that the movie can meet its planned summer 2024 release date.
(L to R) Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman discuss Marvel Studios’ ‘Deadpool 3.’ Photo courtesy of Ryan Reynolds YouTube channel.
The ‘Deadpool’ team have yet to release formal details of the third movie’s plot, but we do know it’ll see Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine meeting up with Reynolds’ Wade Wilson –– and that things will not necessarily go well, since the pair tend to fight when they interact in the comics.
We’re promised plenty of the usual meta madness inherent to Deadpool’s adventures. This time around, expect prods at the X-Men’s (and Wade’s) previous home at 20th Century Fox (before Disney’s purchase of it nabbed them the rights to the characters), and plenty of cameos from other people, including Jennifer Garner as Elektra.
Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) reacts to Colossus’ (voiced by Stefan Kapicic) threats in ‘Deadpool.’
Reynolds, who is once more allowed to promote the movie since the strike has been called off, hit twitter today to reveal that the comics character known as “Dogpool” will be showing up in the movie (assuming he’s not joking, but it doesn’t seem that way).
Did Dogpool save the day? Not a chance in gremlin hell. But she IS currently causing the Disney plushy merch department nightmares. Coming with the movie, Summer 2024 🐶💩L pic.twitter.com/mMtUb4wSsk
For those who might not be up on the sprawling history of Deadpool in the comics, the idea was introduced in a storyline where Deadpool traveled to Earth-103173, a parallel reality in which scientists conducted Weapon X-level experiments on a dog named Wilson, transforming him into Dogpool. The canine hero would become a member of the Deadpool Corps., a team of alternate-reality Deadpools.
Think the likes of Alligator Loki in the Disney+ series named for Tom Hiddleston’s God of Mischief. Marvel has been using the Multiverse a lot in its current run of movies and TV series, so naturally this is something they could explore with Deadpool.
When will ‘Deadpool 3’ arrive in theaters?
The rapid start looks to be somewhat in vain, though, at least in terms of getting the movie ready for its planned May 3, 2024 opening. According to Variety, the movie is now shifting to July 26th of that year (so still summer at least).
‘Deadpool 3’ is inheriting that July date from ‘Captain America: Brave New World’, which though it was thought to be closer to finished, is now moving to February 14, 2025. We’d assume that is to allow the Marvel team to maintain their hefty MCU chronology.
The changes mean ‘Thunderbolts’, which hadn’t yet kicked off filming when the strikes hit, is shifting from December 2024 to July 25th, 2025. And the troubled ‘Blade’ will now hit screens on November 7th, 2025.
(L to R) Zazie Beetz as Domino, Ryan Reynolds as Wade Wilson / Deadpool, and Terry Crews as Bedlam in ‘Deadpool 2.’
(Left) Ryan Reynolds in 20th Century Fox’s ‘Deadpool.’ (Right) Hugh Jackman as James Howlett / Logan / Wolverine in director James Mangold’s ‘Logan.’
Preview
What is causing the delay for ‘Deadpool 3’?
Who will be returning for ‘Deadpool 3’?
Hugh Jackman’s return as Wolverine, and why it won’t affect James Mangold’s ‘Logan’
Looks like we may have to wait a bit longer to see Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman share the in ‘Deadpool 3’. The film may be moved off its May 2024 release date due to the actors strike, reports Deadline. Disney has not officially confirmed or commented on the release date change.
The third installment of ‘Deadpool’ was originally slated to be released on September 6, 2024. Later, it was pushed back to November 8, 2024, until Disney announced the new date of May 3, 2024. The movie began filming in late May of this year during the WGA strike, but the production halted once the SAG-AFTRA strike began on July 14.
With the ongoing strike and the film being unfinished, the alleged delay is inevitable. On top of the ‘Deadpool 3’ release date change, other Marvel films could face the same fate, such as ‘Thunderbolts’, which was slated to release on December 6, 2024. ‘Thunderbolts’ also halted production in May due to the writer’s strike.
‘Captain America: Brave New World’ will be the next Marvel film to release in 2024, no word on whether this film will face a release date change.
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Who Is In ‘Deadpool 3’?
(L to R) Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman discuss Marvel Studios’ ‘Deadpool 3.’ Photo courtesy of Ryan Reynolds YouTube channel.
‘Deadpool 3’ is directed by Shawn Levy and will see the return of Ryan Reynolds as the fourth-wall-breaking merc with a mouth Deadpool/Wade Wilson. Joining Reynolds is Hugh Jackman, reprising his role as Wolverine/Logan. Also returning to the franchise are Morena Baccarin as Vanessa, Leslie Uggams as Al, and Karan Soni as Dopinder. Zazie Beetz, who played Dominio in ‘Deadpool 2,’ is not reported to return.
(L to R) Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool and Hugh Jackman as Wolverine in ‘Deadpool 3.’ Photo courtesy of Ryan Reynolds Instagram account.
The announcement of Hugh Jackman joining ‘Deadpool 3’ came about in an unconventional way, yet on brand for the franchise. In a video released in September 2022 on Reynold’s YouTube channel, the actor revealed that Hugh Jackman would be donning the adamantium claws again as Wolverine. “His first appearance in the MCU obviously needs to feel special,” the actor starts in a voiceover through a montage of walking through the woods and working on a typewriter. Reynolds continued to talk about staying true to the character and finding depth before trailing off, saying, “…and I have nothing.” All this build-up leads to Hugh Jackman nonchalantly walking across the screen as Reynolds poses the question, “Hey Hugh, you wanna play Wolverine one more time?’. Jackman answers, “Yeah. Sure, Ryan.”
Jackman’s return as Wolverine caused a wave of excitement through the fans. The last we saw the actor in the role was in James Mangold’s ‘Logan’. Although Jackman will be playing Wolverine again, Reynolds explicitly states that ‘Deadpool 3’ would not affect the end of Mangold’s film. This could mean the Wolverine we’ll see in ‘Deadpool 3’ is from another universe or timeline, as the MCU has leaned into the multiverse in recent films like ‘Avengers: Endgame’, ‘Doctor Strange In The Multiverse of Madness’ and shows such as ‘Loki’.
Hugh Jackman will return as Wolverine in Marvel Studios’ ‘Deadpool 3.’
(Left) Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman discuss Marvel Studios’ ‘Deadpool 3.’ Photo courtesy of Ryan Reynolds YouTube channel. (Right) Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool and Hugh Jackman as Wolverine in ‘Deadpool 3.’ Photo courtesy of Ryan Reynolds Instagram account.
Preview
‘Deadpool 3’ is among the big movies that studios will want to prioritize shooting once the ongoing actors’ strike is resolved.
Director Shawn Levy has talked about how far along ‘Deadpool 3’ was in its shoot.
Other movies likely to be prioritized include ‘Beetlejuice 2’, ‘Mission: Impossible –– Dead Reckoning Part 2’ and ‘Captain America: Brave New World’.
With news arriving yesterday that the members of the Writers Guild of America have officially ratified their new contract with the studios, one of the major strikes impacting Hollywood’s production process has come to an end.
All eyes are naturally now on the industrial action by SAG-AFTRA members, with the actors looking to score their own new deal with the companies. Negotiations on that one are still ongoing (the next round is scheduled for tomorrow, Wednesday October 11th) and there is no sign of an agreement in place yet, even if the writers’ deal means a clearer pathway to one.
But what happens when a deal is finally sealed, and actors are available to work again? The dam breaks on all the various productions that have been paused and studios must decide which movies in particular to prioritize.
For Disney, one of the bigger projects to gear back up as a priority is ‘Deadpool 3,’ featuring the return of Ryan Reynolds’ Wade Wilson, the “Merc with a Mouth”.
This latest entry in the superhero franchise features Hugh Jackman appearing as Wolverine for the first time, which naturally makes it an exciting one for fans.
Director Shawn Levy has been making the movie and reported that he was roughly halfway through the shoot when the strike shut it down.
“That would have been smarter than I am. That would have been so savvy. But I guess, like others in our industry, I somehow thought this second strike would be averted. Then suddenly, it was upon us, and I had to send several hundred people home, and they’re still waiting to come back to work. So, I’m just really — I don’t use this word lightly — I’m yearning for a resolution that feels fair and equitable and gets this industry back to work.”
With Disney and Marvel currently sticking to their May 3rd, 2024, release date, the pressure will naturally be on to complete the film. But if the actors’ strike goes on beyond the next few weeks, expect that to change.
What other movies will be priorities?
(L to R) Hayley Atwell and Tom Cruise in ‘Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning – Part One’ from Paramount Pictures and Skydance.
According to a new report from The Wrap, there are a variety of big films that were already in progress which will gear back up once the strike ends.
The ongoing writers’ strike (and potential action from other guilds such as the actors’ union) is having a major impact on studio output. And Disney is not immune to changes in schedule. The company has announced that it is moving the release dates for a lot of its big upcoming movies, and that means we’ll all have to be patient when it comes to the likes of Marvel, James Cameron’s ‘Avatar’ and the ‘Star Wars’ galaxy.
Marvel, of course, has been delaying some of its films’ production and that is having a domino effect for the highly connected cinematic universe, which relies on films to set up the next entries. Lest the tapestry all unravel, that means moving some movies back.
And because there is only so much space on the calendar (and Disney seemingly already takes up a third of it), that means the next giant, phase-ending team-up movies are also on the move. ‘Avengers: The Kang Dynasty’ will be bumped back a year, to May 1st, 2026, inheriting the release date for follow-up ‘Avengers: Secret Wars’, which itself is headed to May 7th, 2027.
It’s not all delays for the MCU, though; ‘Deadpool 3’, which is in production, will move up from its original November 8th, 2024, date to May 3rd of that year.
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More ‘Avatar’ delays
‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ will be available exclusively to purchase on Digital March 28th.
Though James Cameron’s movies would seemingly not be impacted by a writers’ strike since their scripts are essentially finished, the series can’t avoid the release date shuffle.
That means ‘Avatar’ fans, already well used to the waiting game, will see their patience tested further, since ‘Avatar 3’ has moved to December 19th, 2025, ‘Avatar 4’ to December 21st, 2029, and ‘Avatar 5’ all the way to December 19th, 2031! which means the apparent final movie will land 22 years after the original 2009 film.
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New ‘Star Wars’ movie dates
(L to R) Director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy and Daisy Ridley at Star Wars Celebration 2023.
If you were starting to wonder when we might ever see a new ‘Star Wars’ movie, then there’s good news.
2026 will see two movies set in that galaxy far, far away from Lucasfilm, one on May 22nd, 2026 (not the fourth?) and another set for the more traditional recent slot of December 18th that year.
A third film is reportedly headed our way on December 17th, 2027. Disney has yet to clarify any details of which of its in-development movies are taking those berths, but we can assume one is the Rey follow-up starring Daisy Ridley which has Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy in the director’s chair and was confirmed at Star Wars Celebration. On the basis of that, we can also predict that Dave Filoni’s film and possibly James Mangold‘s movie might be in the other two slots.
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Live-Action ‘Moana’ and more
Dwayne Johnson announces live-action ‘Moana.’ Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios.
There are also dates on the calendar now for films that didn’t have them previously –– the live-action ‘Moana’ is set to surface on June 27th, 2025, while Fede Álvarez’ movie set in the ‘Alien’ universe is arriving on August 16th next year. Espionage thriller ‘The Amateur’, starring Rami Malek, is set for November next year.
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Frustration ahead for film fans, then, but hopefully the movies will be worth the wait.
The ongoing writers’ strike (and potential action from other guilds such as the actors’ union) is having a major impact on studio output. And 
