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Tag: destin daniel cretton

Yahya Abdul-Mateen II to Play ‘Wonder Man’

Yahya Abdul-Mateen II in 2021’s ‘Candyman.’

Though he’s been best known for playing two DC Comics characters – Dr. Manhattan in the HBO series ‘Watchmen’ (to Emmy-winning effect) and Black Manta in ‘Aquaman’, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is headed across the comic book border to Marvel, signing on to star in ‘Wonder Man’, a new series in development at Disney+.

The series has ‘Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings’ director Destin Daniel Cretton aboard as executive producer (and to direct at least some, if not all the episodes) and ‘Hawkeye’ veteran Andrew Guest serving as head writer.

In August, we learned that Ben Kingsley will also show up in the series as Trevor Slattery. The character, a bumbling actor originally hired to play a version of villain the Mandarin for ‘Iron Man 3’, further showed up in a Marvel One-Shot and then returned for Cretton’s ‘Shang-Chi’.

A Wonder Man primer for those who may not know the slightly obscure character: he was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, and first arrived on Marvel’s pages in ‘Avengers #9’, which was published in 1964. The character’s real name is Simon Williams, son of a rich industrialist whose company runs into trouble after competition from Tony Stark.

Angered by how Stark has affected his family, Williams accepts an offer from Baron Zemo that grants him super strength and durability. He battles the Avengers several times, before joining them.

Ben Kingsley as Trevor Slattery in ‘Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.’ Photo courtesy of Marvel.com.

His comics runs have also included stunts as a stunt man and actor, so Slattery’s addition to the show points towards something that could spoof Hollywood.

James Gunn had Nathan Fillion lined up to cameo as the character in ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2’ (in a series of film festival posters featuring Williams’ work) but that scene ultimately didn’t make the final cut of the movie.

Deadline’s story on Abdul-Mateen’s casting offers no details on how the MCU version of the character will adapt the comic book backstory, but we’d imagine there will be some changes along the way. Most notably, with Tony Stark dead, there will be little crossover on that front.

Though Stark tech successor Riri Williams, AKA Ironheart, will have been introduced by this point in ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ and her own Disney+ series, so perhaps there will be some overlap).

Abdul-Mateen is a busy, in demand actor who last showed up in Michael Bay’s ‘Ambulance’. He’ll be back as Black Manta for James Wan’s superhero sequel ‘Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom’, currently scheduled to swim into theaters on December 25th next year.

There are also a few other projects in the works, including TV drama ‘The Scent of Burnt Flowers’ and potential movie ‘I Helped Destroy People’, which he’ll also produce.

Marvel Comics’ Wonder Man. Photo Courtesy of Marvel.com.
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October 31, 2022
Ben Kingsley’s Trevor Slattery Back For ‘Wonder Man’ Series

Ben Kingsley as Trevor Slattery in ‘Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.’ Photo courtesy of Marvel.com.

Ben Kingsley became a somewhat divisive part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2013 when he first appeared as Trevor Slattery in ‘Iron Man 3’. While plenty of fans embraced the drunken, slapstick actor who had been hired by true villain Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce) to pose as the Mandarin and lead a terrorist group, some were upset at the twist.

Yet Slattery has since been more favorably embraced, especially after he popped up in a Marvel One-Shot called ‘All Hail the King’, written and directed by ‘Iron Man 3’ co-writer Drew Pearce.

And then came last year’s ‘Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings’ where it was revealed that the true Mandarin, Wenwu (played in that movie by Tony Leung) had sprung Slattery from prison and was keeping him around as a sort of court jester. With the help of Shang-Chi (Simu Liu), Trevor escaped and helped in the fight against Wenwu.

Now, according to Variety’s sources, Kingsley’s Slattery will be back on our screens, albeit this time on TV via developing Disney+ series ‘Wonder Man’.

It’ll see him working again with Destin Daniel Cretton, who is acting as a producer on the show. The bulk of the creative heavy lifting, though, will be carried by Andrew Guest, who has Marvel experience himself thanks to a consulting producer (essentially a writer) on ‘Hawkeye’.

Wonder Man, for those who haven’t heard of him, was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, and first arrived on Marvel’s pages in ‘Avengers #9’, which was published in 1964. The character’s real name is Simon Williams, son of a rich industrialist whose company runs into trouble after competition from Tony Stark.

Marvel Comics’ Wonder Man. Photo Courtesy of Marvel.com.

Angered by how Stark has affected his family, Williams accepts an offer from Baron Zemo that grants him super strength and durability. He battles the Avengers several times, before joining them.

His comics runs have also included stunts as a stunt man and actor, so Slattery’s addition to the show points towards something that could spoof Hollywood.

James Gunn had Nathan Fillion lined up to cameo as the character in ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2’ (in a series of film festival posters featuring Williams’ work) but that scene ultimately didn’t make the final cut of the movie.

Marvel, naturally, is not commenting on the Slattery news, but we’re happy to see Kingsley will have the chance to bring the character back once more. Will ‘Shang-Chi’s Morris have a cameo? Only time will tell.

Kingsley will next crop up in ‘Dalíland’ and Netflix’s ‘The School for Good and Evil’.

As for Cretton, the ‘Wonder Man’ show is just one project he has cooking away under his deal with Marvel. He’s also on to direct a ‘Shang-Chi’ sequel and recently scored an even bigger job, making ‘Avengers: The Kang Dynasty’.

Ben Kingsley as Trevor Slattery in ‘Iron Man 3.’

August 30, 2022
Destin Daniel Cretton to Direct ‘Avengers: The Kang Dynasty’

Marvel Studios’ ‘Avengers: The Kang Dynasty.’

Marvel appears to be wasting no time putting the creative pieces in place now that it has announced plans for the next two “Phases” of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Following the Disney-owned Studio’s big San Diego Comic-Con presentation this past weekend, news arrives that ‘Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings’ director Destin Daniel Cretton will take the reins for ‘Avengers: The Kang Dynasty’, currently due in theaters on May 2nd, 2025.

Little is known about ‘The Kang Dynasty’ yet beyond that title, release date and now, director. But the title clearly points to a clash with Multiverse-spanning villain Kang (Jonathan Majors), a variant of whom was introduced in last year’s MCU series ‘Loki’.

Kang – or versions of him, at least – is scheduled to pop back up again in ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’, due in theaters on February 17th next year. He’ll be a threat throughout much of the future movies, since Phases 4 (which is already underway, and ends with November 11’th’s ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever), 5 and 6 together represent ‘The Multiverse Saga’.
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Together with ‘Avengers: Secret Wars’ (planned for theaters on November 7th, 2025), the movie will wrap Phase 6 and cap off the next saga. There is no indication yet as to who will direct ‘Secret Wars’.

Marvel Studios’ ‘Avengers: Secret Wars.’

As for who might be representing the heroic side of the story once ‘The Kang Dynasty’ rolls around is still up in the air at this point and depends on which of the remaining classic characters (such as Benedict Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange and Anthony Mackie‘s Captain America) are utilized alongside the younger likes of Ms. Marvel (Iman Vellani) and, likely America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez) introduced in ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’.
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We’d be shocked if Shang-Chi himself, Simu Liu wasn’t back, and given their long working relationship, we firmly expect to see Brie Larson as Captain Marvel (she popped up in a post-credits scene for ‘Shang-Chi’).

While some had speculated that Marvel might look to bring ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ and ‘Avengers: Endgame’ directors Joe and Anthony Russo back for the next ‘Avengers’ movies, Marvel boss Kevin Feige has gone on record as saying they’re not involved – and the sibling filmmakers are busy with their own projects anyway, such as expanding upon Netflix movie ‘The Gray Man’.

Cretton though, sounds like a solid pair of hands for an ‘Avengers’ outing – he proved he could handle quieter character beats, drama and comedy, plus worked well with the effects teams to deliver some spectacle.

Before he made a splash with ‘Shang-Chi’, Cretton was better known for his indie fare, including ‘Short Term 12’, ‘The Glass Castle’ and ‘Just Mercy’. He’s currently developing or working on a few other projects, including series ‘American Born Chinese’ for Disney+ and a ‘Wonder Man’ show under his Marvel deal.

Marvel Studio’s ‘The Multiverse Saga.’

July 26, 2022
Destin Daniel Cretton Developing ‘Wonder Man’ Series

Marvel Comics’ Wonder Man. Photo Courtesy of Marvel.com.

Having successfully made his MCU directing debut with ‘Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings’, Destin Daniel Cretton has for a while now been aiming to stay in business with Disney and Marvel.

On the big screen front, he’s developing a ‘Shang-Chi’ sequel which will return Simu Liu’s hero to theaters, and likely explore a dangerous dynamic from within his own family again.

He’s also busy working on new Disney+ series ‘American Born Chinese’, which, while it features no superheroes, draws from on a graphic novel by Gene Luen Yang and boasts a story rich in Chinese mythology. It also reunites Cretton with Michelle Yeoh and Stephanie Hsu, who both appeared in ‘Shang-Chi’.

But more directly in Marvel TV terms, Cretton is producing a ‘Wonder-Man’ Disney+ series, which has now hired Andrew Guest as its head writer.

In the comics, Wonder Man’s real name is Simon Williams, the son of a wealthy industrialist whose company falls on hard times due to competition from Tony Stark’s Stark Industries. As a result, Williams accepts an offer from villain Baron Zemo that gives him ionic superpowers including super strength and durability. After fighting the Avengers several times, Wonder Man ultimately joined their ranks.

While his history with Stark may still be referenced, the lack of Robert Downey Jr. and the character in the current MCU will likely require some retooling. Still, Marvel fans have been wondering when Williams might show up.

The Cast of Guardians of The Galaxy, from left to right, Michael Rooker as Yondu, Rocket, Karen Gillan as Nebula, Zoey Saldana as Gamora, Chris Pratt as Star-Lord, Pom Klementieff as Mantis, and Dave Bautista, Drax the Destroyer and Baby Groot photographed exclusively for Entertainment Weekly on May 23, 2016 in Atlanta, Georgia.

James Gunn had planned to include easter egg posters featuring the character – with Nathan Fillion playing him – in ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2’, but the footage featuring the images ultimately ended up edited out.

Cretton will be a co-creator on the series with guest and, schedule permitting, may direct a few episodes.

As for Guest, he has his own MCU bona fides since he worked as a consulting producer/writer on ‘Hawkeye’. And he’s well versed in comedy, having worked on scripts for ‘Succession’, ‘Brooklyn Nine-Nine’ and ‘Community’.

This marks just the latest development on the Disney+/Marvel front, as the company has a variety of new shows in the works. The hottest prospect for fans is the notion of Daredevil/Matt Murdock – played once more by Charlie Cox – and his nemesis Kingpin (Vincent D’Onofrio) both coming back for a series about the Man Without Fear following their appearances in ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ and ‘Hawkeye’ respectively.

‘Ms. Marvel’ is currently airing its first season on the service, to be followed by ‘I Am Groot’ and ‘She-Hulk: Attorney at Law’. In production are ‘Secret Invasion’ and ‘Echo’ (a ‘Hawkeye’ spin-off), plus a Halloween special that is reportedly based on the ‘Werewolf by Night’ comics and Gunn’s ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ Holiday Special, which he shot at the same time as ‘Vol. 3’ of the Guardians’ big screen adventures.

We also know about ‘Ironheart’ which has just started shooting, plus ‘Armor Wars’ and a ‘WandaVision’ spin-off based around Kathryn Hahn’s Agatha Harkness character.
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June 20, 2022
Marvel Taps Destin Daniel Cretton to Direct ‘Shang-Chi’: Report

Marvel

Marvel has selected Destin Daniel Cretton as the director of “Shang-Chi,” its first superhero movie with an Asian lead.

Deadline reports the Hawaiian-born Cretton will helm the film, which is being scripted by Chinese-American writer Dave Callaham.

Cretton is best known for writing and directing the 2013 acclaimed indie “Short Term 12,” which starred “Captain Marvel’s” Brie Larson. He is currently working with Larson again, as well as Michael B. Jordan, on “Just Mercy.”

Marvel is reportedly hoping that “Shang-Chi” can be as groundbreaking (and successful) as “Black Panther,” which had a black director in Ryan Coogler and starred a nearly all-black cast.

Shang-Chi made his first comic book appearance in 1973, around the time that “Enter the Dragon” and other martial arts films were very popular. The protagonist is the son of a Chinese globalist who grew up training in martial arts in a reclusive compound.

He eventually goes into the world to do his revered father’s bidding, but soon learns his father may not be the humanitarian he’s claimed to be. Later, Shang-Chi joins the Avengers.

With “Avengers: Endgame” seemingly closing the first chapter of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the studio has been diversifying its film slate. “Captain Marvel,” its first female-led superhero movie, has been flying high at the box office. A “Black Widow” standalone film is in development, as is “Black Panther 2.”

March 13, 2019