Moviefone Editorial

Tag: jack-kirby

  • Yahya Abdul-Mateen II to Play ‘Wonder Man’

    Yahya Abdul-Mateen II in 2021's 'Candyman.'
    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.'
    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.
    Marvel Comics’ Wonder Man. Photo Courtesy of Marvel.com.
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  • Matt Shakman in Talks to Direct Next ‘Fantastic Four’ Movie

    Marvel Studio's 'Fantastic Four.'
    Marvel Studio’s ‘Fantastic Four.’

    Even before Marvel boss Kevin Feige formally confirmed at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con that the company had set a release date for a new ‘Fantastic Four’ movie, there had been chatter about the possibilities for Marvel’s “first family” and their future in the MCU.

    Yet while Jon Watts, director of the successful most recent ‘Spider-Man’ trilogy had been tasked with shepherding the new movie, he left the gig in April, citing a need to focus on other projects (he has a movie with Brad Pitt and George Clooney starring and is also overseeing a ‘Star Wars’ series for Disney+, among other things).

    Now, though, it appears Marvel has found a replacement. First broken (albeit in rumour form) by The Direct, word has hit the trades that ‘WandaVision’ director Matt Shakman is in talks to handle the movie.

    Shakman, of course, did a great job with the stylish, quirky and emotional ‘WandaVision’ and would appear to be a good fit for the Four. Though his big screen directorial experience has so far been limited to indie crime thriller ‘Cut Bank’ in 2014, he has an extensive resume on TV, including shows such as ‘Succession’, ‘The Boys’, ‘Game of Thrones’ and ‘Billions’.

    Paramount, meanwhile, clearly thought he was up to the task of a ‘Star Trek’ movie, putting him at the helm for the latest, in-development installment of that franchise. Though if he locks in the job on ‘Fantastic Four’, that might mean that the Enterprise will need a new cine-captain.

    So, the Fantastic Four, then. They’re among the most famous superheroes from the comics world, but in case you’re not that aware of them, the Four were introduced into the pages of Marvel comics in 1961 by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.

    Fantastic Four comic book characters
    Marvel’s Fantastic Four. Photo courtesy of Pinterest.

    The core characters are Mister Fantastic/Reed Richards, a scientific genius and the leader of the group, who can stretch his body into incredible lengths and shapes; the Invisible Woman/Susan “Sue” Storm, who eventually married Reed, who can render herself invisible and project powerful invisible force fields and blasts; the Human Torch/Johnny Storm, Sue’s younger brother, who can generate flames, surround himself with them and fly; and the monstrous Thing/Ben Grimm, their grumpy but benevolent friend, a former college football star, Reed’s college roommate and a good pilot, who possesses tremendous superhuman strength, durability and endurance due to his stone-like flesh.

    The characters have been brought to screens several times before, including an unauthorized Roger Corman adaptation (“to screens” is a misnomer in that case, since it’s mostly available as a bootleg), comedy drama takes in Fox’s 2005 outing ‘Fantastic Four’ and 2007 sequel ‘Rise of the Silver Surfer’, followed by a darker reboot in 2015, which didn’t thrill fans or score well at the box office.

    As with the introduction of Spidey back in ‘Captain America: Civil War’, the studio is keen on skipping the origin story for the Four. “A lot of people know this origin story. A lot of people know the basics. How do we take that and bring something that they’ve never seen before?” Feige told The Hollywood Reporter in July after stepping off the convention stage. “We’ve set a very high bar for ourselves with bringing that to the screen.”

    If Shakman’s deal goes through, we’d expect to see the Marvel boss announce him at next month’s D23 event.

    ‘Fantastic Four’ is currently scheduled for release on November 8th, 2024, forming part of the MCU’s Phase 6.

    Elizabeth Olsen is Wanda Maximoff and Paul Bettany is Vision in Marvel Studios’ 'Wandavision.'
    (L to R) Elizabeth Olsen is Wanda Maximoff and Paul Bettany is Vision in Marvel Studios’ ‘Wandavision,’ exclusively on Disney+.
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