James Spader as voice of Ultron in ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’. Photo: Marvel Studios.
Preview:
James Spader will be back in performance capture gear as Ultron.
The ‘Age of Ultron’ villain will reappear for Marvel’s series focused on Vision.
Paul Bettany returns as the title character.
If we’re honest, while ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ didn’t quite match up to ‘The Avengers’, there’s no denying that James Spader’s wholehearted and often kooky performance as the rogue artificial intelligence Ultron was certainly an entertaining reason to watch it.
And despite his seeming destruction at the end of the movie (more on that below), Marvel is looking to bring him back for the new ‘Vision’ series spun-off from ‘WandaVision’ that will see Paul Bettany retuning as the android hero.
There are no concrete plot details about the new show yet, but back when it was first mooted, there was talk of the “White” Vision looking to reclaim his memories, in a continuation of his storyline.
After Vision died at the hands of Thanos in 2018’s ‘Avengers: Infinity War,’ he returned twice over in 2021’s ‘WandaVision,’ first as a spectral creation by his beloved, Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen), through magic powered by grief; then as a rebuilt, nuts-and-bolts android with a ghost white appearance and zero memory of his past life.
When the two Visions battled in the ‘WandaVision’ finale, Wanda’s Vision restored the “ghost” Vision’s memories, then Wanda allowed her Vision to fade from existence. The new show will take place after those events, as ghost Vision presumably explores his new purpose in life.
Unlike ‘Agatha All Along’ (which will be on Disney+ with its first two episodes on September 18th), the new show is being handled by someone other than ‘WandaVision’ creator Jac Schaeffer.
Marvel has hired Terry Matalas, who has worked on shows such as ’12 Monkeys’, ‘Terra Nova’, but rose to acclaim thanks to his efforts overseeing ‘Star Trek: Picard’ Season 3, which definitely pleased fans more than earlier seasons, to run the new ‘Vision’ series.
His work on ‘Picard’ certainly caught the attention of avowed ‘Trek’ fan Kevin Feige, and so Matalas now has the job. The only people who might be upset are those eagerly awaiting the much-talked-about ‘Star Trek: Legacy’ show seemingly set up by the finale of ‘Picard’.
James Spader as voice of Ultron in ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’. Photo: Marvel Studios.
With zero plot getting loose from Marvel’s security field, the exact nature of Ultron’s appearance in the show is unknown for now.
But they certainly have history.
Ultron created Vision’s original synthetic body as the permanent home for his AI, but the Avengers intercepted it and instead placed Tony Stark’s AI assistant J.A.R.V.I.S. inside, creating Vision. At the end of ‘Age of Ultron,’ Vision confronts and, seemingly, destroys the final robot that contains Ultron’s consciousness.
Whether the casting suggests some fragment of Ultron survived in the world or is somehow locked inside of Vision’s mind given their connection, we’ll have to wait and see.
When will the ‘Vision’ series land on our screens?
Disney/Marvel is aiming to have the show arrive on Disney+ in 2026.
‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ now has the record for the highest-grossing launch of an R-rated movie at the box office.
It made an estimated $211 million domestically and $444 million globally.
The MCU as a whole has now surpassed $30 billion in box office earnings.
It might sound silly to say, but Marvel really needed a hero. And from the looks of the box office results of ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’, it got two.
Because the new superhero team-up movie, which stars Ryan Reynolds as Wade Wilson/Deadpool and Hugh Jackman as Logan/Wolverine has blasted through box office records for R-rated releases and outstripped even enthusiastic predictions for its success, opening across its first three-day weekend (plus previews) to a superb, estimated $211 million.
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What are ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’s box office achievements?
The new ‘Deadpool’ outing was helped –– not that you’d know it from the spoilery promotional materials put out by Disney/Marvel –– by excited fans heading to see it before the movie’s various secrets could be spilled online.
That stratospheric $211 million domestic launch makes it the biggest R-rated opening weekend in history ––pushing past the original ‘Deadpool’, in fact, which launched to $132 million back in 2016. And in more general terms, it’s the eighth-best debut of all time on the domestic side.
Globally, the movie also performed beyond expectations. Scoring a coveted China release, ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ opened almost simultaneously worldwide and ended the weekend with $444 million as its global tally.
Marvel boss Kevin Feige applauded the success of the film Saturday night at the San Diego Comic-Con, where a choir belted out “Like a Prayer” (as used in the movie) while Deadpool-themed dancers performed in the aisles. Feige announced that the success of the MCU’s latest movie had pushed Marvel Studio’s cinematic tally to $30 billion –– not bad for 16 years’ worth of releases.
Clearly, audiences wanted more from the Merc with a Mouth.
(from left) Kate (Daisy Edgar-Jones) and Tyler (Glen Powell) in ‘Twisters’, directed by Lee Isaac Chung.
Sensibly, no studio put out a wide release to compete with Marvel’s latest behemoth, which took over many screens domestically (4,210 to be exact) and nabbed the lion’s share of headlines.
Last week’s champion, ‘Twisters’, dropped 57% for a $35.5 million second weekend, which is still a success. It has so far earned $154.9 million domestically.
‘Despicable Me 4’ also continued to do solid business, making $14.2 million in its fourth weekend for a $290.9 million domestic total.
And let’s not forget that Disney is already having a good year, with Pixar sequel ‘Inside Out 2’ continuing to bring in families, to the tune of $8.3 million for its seventh weekend. The animated movie has so far made $613.4 million domestically and more than $1.46 billion globally.
We’re fairly sure that idea is already bubbling away among executives at Disney, but unless Reynolds and Jackman feel they have a good idea, we doubt it’ll happen soon, if at all. There’s every chance the duo could show up in other Marvel movies.
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…
(L to R) Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach star in Marvel Studios’ ‘The Fantastic Four’. Photo: Pedro Pascal’s Instagram Account.
Preview:
Pedro Pascal gathered his ‘Fantastic Four’ co-stars for a first group pic.
Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bacharach and Joseph Quinn squeezed into the image with him.
‘The Fantastic Four’ will be in theaters one year from today.
While most eyes might be on Marvel’s current effort, the meta-tastic, R-rated ‘Deadpool and Wolverine’ looking to score big at this weekend’s box office, there is at least some pointed towards the future, and specifically the company’s attempt to bring iconic “First Family” ‘The Fantastic Four‘ into its Cinematic Universe.
With production about starting now on the movie, we have the first image –– beyond the comic book-styled pic that served as Marvel’s big casting announcement –– of Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn and Ebon Moss-Bachrach, as Pascal gathered them (not in costume, of course) for a group picture to mark the shoot’s kick-off.
Marvel’s Fantastic Four. Photo courtesy of Pinterest.
Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic, Sue Storm/The Invisible Woman, Johnny Storm/The Human Torch and Ben Grimm/The Thing are key players in the pages of Marvel comics, and introduced in 1961. They are among most anticipated characters (alongside the X-Men) to be included in the sprawling Marvel Cinematic Universe.
They’re canonically exposed to galactic radiation and end up cursed/blessed (depending on how you view it) with strange abilities. Reed can stretch his body in a variety of ways, Sue can turn invisible and generate forcefields, Johnny’s body becomes engulfed in flame (and he can fly), while Grimm becomes a rock-covered, incredibly strong creature.
And to be clear here, Pascal will be Reed, Kirby’s playing Sue, Quinn is taking the role of Johnny and Moss-Bachrach will be Ben.
They’ve been brought to screens before –– an unauthorized Roger Cormanversion floats around the internet after being traded on bootleg videos years ago, and then there were the Fox efforts, 2005’s ‘Fantastic Four’ and 2007 sequel ‘Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer’. They were followed by the dark, gritty and unsuccessful reboot in 2015.
This one has been in development for a long time now, with Jeff Kaplan and Ian Springer among those who have worked on drafts of the script. ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ co-writer Josh Friedman is crafting the latest version.
We don’t yet know the story, but the first image and more recent comments from Marvel boss have pointed to them initially existing in a variant universe, and in the past.
Here’s what Kevin Feige said on the Official Marvel Podcast:
“There was another piece of art we released with Johnny Storm flying in the air making a ‘4’ symbol and there was a cityscape in the corner of that image. There were a lot of smart people who noticed that that cityscape didn’t look exactly like the New York that we know, or the New York that existed in the ‘60s in our world. Those are smart observations, I’ll say.”
When will ‘Fantastic Four’ be in theaters?
Disney and Marvel have planted a flag in July 25th, 2025, for ‘The Fantastic Four’, so it’s a good thing filming is now finally underway.
(L to R) Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin, Ryan Reynolds, Shawn Levy and Wendy Jacobson attend the UK Fan Event of Marvel Studios’ ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ at Eventim Apollo, London on July 11th, 2024. Photo by StillMoving.Net for The Walt Disney Company Limited.
Six years after the “Merc with a Mouth” saved Canada’s pride by blowing Ryan Reynolds’ brains all over his ‘Green Lantern’ script in ‘Deadpool 2‘, he’s back this time to rescue the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe. The MCU’s first R-rated movie, ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ finds Wade Wilson, aka Deadpool (Reynolds), teaming up with Logan, aka Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), the one-time X-Man who we last saw sacrificing himself at the end of 2017’s ‘Logan.’
But the Logan in this film is not the Logan we saw die back then (that one does make an encore here…sort of). When an unhappily retired Deadpool is captured by Time Variance Authority agent Mr. Paradox (Matthew Macfadyen) as part of a plan to erase Wade’s timeline, Wade searches the multiverse for the one person who can help save it. That person is Logan — but in classic Deadpool style, he picks the worst Logan of all.
‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ marks the first time that characters from the now-defunct Fox Marvel Universe are leading an MCU movie, following Disney’s purchase of Fox five years ago. While every Marvel fan in the world has dreamed of seeing Wade and Logan team up onscreen, their traipsing through the MCU’s multiverse is sure to bring about some cosmic changes – not to mention a slew of rumored cameos (too many to go into here). Whatever happens, the MCU is almost certain never to be the same.
Moviefone was at a virtual press conference earlier this week in which all this was discussed – or at least teased – featuring Reynolds, Jackman, Macfadyen, Emma Corrin (who plays villain Cassandra Nova), director Shawn Levy, producer Wendy Jacobson, Marvel Studios chief creative officer Kevin Feige, and Peggy the dog – who plays the variant known as Dogpool.
1) Hugh Jackman Regretted Hanging Up His Claws Almost Immediately
Hugh Jackman said that shortly after completing work on ‘Logan’ and announcing his retirement from the role, the thought of Wolverine teaming with Deadpool made his reconsider his decision.
Hugh Jackman: I watched ‘Deadpool 1’ three days after announcing ‘Logan’ would be my last. I remember thinking, “Oops,” because I could see the movie. Listen, this wasn’t new to me. Ever since I played Wolverine, people have been talking about Deadpool and Wolverine, and their rivalry from the comic books. Then, of course, we had a go at it with ‘X-Men Origins: Wolverine’ [in which Reynolds played a very different and ill-conceived version of Deadpool], but I could feel it, I could see it. It was ‘Midnight Run,’ it was ‘48 Hours,’ it was ‘The Odd Couple,’ ‘Planes, Trains, and Automobiles.’ It was all these great matchups that I could feel. We toyed with the idea, but it was August 14th, 2022, and I don’t know why, I just knew, every cell in my body was yelling at me, “I want to do this movie.” So much so that I pulled my car over and I rang Ryan immediately, because I knew that they were getting close to filming. I thought they may have even been filming. I asked him, and thankfully, he said yes.
2) What Did Ryan Reynolds Learn About Hugh Jackman That He Didn’t Know Before?
(L to R) Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman attend the UK Fan Event of Marvel Studios’ ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ at Eventim Apollo, London on July 11th, 2024. Photo by StillMoving.Net for The Walt Disney Company Limited.
Reynolds said that the seeds of his longstanding professional and personal bromance with Jackman began when they first worked together on the troubled set of ‘X-Men Origins: Wolverine.’
Ryan Reynolds: I stepped onto that set on ‘X-Men Origins: Wolverine’ during a really tough time. It was not unlike this year, where we had a writers’ strike, so it was very hard to make a movie in the midst of that. I watched him as a leader, as a human being, lead with kindness and class. I remember I had a moment where I felt like I could have done a scene better. At the end of the day, everyone was ready to go home, and Hugh just fired up the set, had all the lights turned back on, everyone was zipping their costumes back up, and he gave me one more crack at it. I just remember thinking, “God, if I’m ever even orbiting anywhere near that guy’s footprint, I hope I’m something even remotely resembling his level of class and kindness and professionalism.” Now, being up close and personal and getting this experience with him…what I got to see day in and day out [was] a person with that control over his voice and his body — because this movie is incredibly physical for him — who’s cumulatively acquired a lifetime of choreography, learning, unlearning, and relearning all of these different things, controlling his voice, Broadway, all those things, and all of that being ultra-applicable to the most aggressive, violent character in the MCU was so interesting to me. Just being a foot away from his eyes and the clarity that he had as this character and as a human being, it was really enlightening. It was a privilege that I not once took for granted.
3) Hugh Jackman Gives It Right Back
(L to R) Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds attend the UK Fan Event of Marvel Studios’ ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ at Eventim Apollo, London on July 11th, 2024. Photo by StillMoving.Net for The Walt Disney Company Limited.
Working with Ryan Reynolds for the first time on a film in which Reynolds was one of the main creative drivers as co-writer and producer, Jackman said he came away with a newfound respect for his longtime friend.
Hugh Jackman: I want to really speak to the side of Ryan as a writer and as a producer. I didn’t know these things. I have…not [been] in a film with him as a producer or in a film with him as a writer. It’s the generosity of both, I think. He’s all over it. There are a lot of actors who have producer written after them in titles, and I’m like, “Not so much.” Probably including myself in a couple of occasions. But with Ryan, it is 100%. He and Shawn led from the front in every way. They created an atmosphere that was simultaneously free, fun, playful, but also, everyone expecting and helping each other to be at their best, and that’s a really fine line to balance. Also, as a writer, his generosity in being able to, I think, somehow look after everybody else’s character even more than his own and being involved a little bit with edits and cuts. He will sacrifice even great moments for his character for the betterment of the movie, and that generosity he can’t speak to, because he’ll self-deprecate and undercut, and I can speak to it.
4) Kevin Feige On What Makes ‘Deadpool 3’ Important To The MCU
Marvel Studios’ Kevin Feige at Disney’s 2024 CinemaCon Presentation. Photo: Disney.
It’s no secret that the MCU has gone through some rough times with critics, fans, and audiences following the peak performance of ‘Avengers: Endgame’ in 2019. Studio head Kevin Feige explained why ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ is a significant film for the ever-expanding Marvel franchise, and whether it marks a ‘before and after’ moment for the saga.
Kevin Feige: Well, I think every movie is important, but the most important thing is a great movie, and Shawn and Ryan and Hugh and this whole team have made a great movie, so there’s nothing better for a cinematic universe than a great movie coming out. The before and after — I mean, I think a lot of people talk about the R rating. Is every movie going to be R-rated after this? Of course not, but I hope every movie after this embraces its tonality the way ‘Deadpool’ does and the way this team was able to do on ‘Deadpool & Wolverine.’ And also, clearly now that we have the characters from the ‘X-Men’ world and the mutants that we haven’t had access before, I think this is the beginning of that. Everything post-‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ will be the mutant era coming into the MCU.
5) Hugh Jackman Is Very Clear About The Highlight Of Playing Wolverine Again
Back when the first ‘X-Men’ movie arrived, fans were disgruntled when the mutant superhero team showed up onscreen in black leather uniforms instead of their classic blue-and-yellow gear [“There were studio execs in charge who knew that ‘The Matrix’ had been a big hit and ‘The Matrix’ had black leather, so let’s put them in black leather,” explained Kevin Feige, who was there at the time]. But fans have been overjoyed to see Logan wearing the iconic colors in live-action for the first time in ‘Deadpool & Wolverine.’
Hugh Jackman: I’ve got to say the highlight was putting on that suit, the yellow and blue suit. It had been talked about from the very beginning, right, Kevin? I mean, those conversations were there. It wasn’t like it was never mentioned…Then it became like, “I don’t know if we can make it work.” But the moment I put it on, I remember walking out there with Ryan on set, him in the Deadpool [suit], me in the yellow and blue amongst this crew that had done hundreds of movies and seen everything. There was just a hush and you could feel that everyone was going, “Okay, this is a moment that should have happened 24 years ago.”
6) Ryan Reynolds Loves Peggy The Dog, aka Dogpool
(L to R) Ryan Reynolds, Peggy aka “Dogpool” and Hugh Jackman attend the UK Fan Event of Marvel Studios’ ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ at Eventim Apollo, London on July 11th, 2024. Photo by StillMoving.Net for The Walt Disney Company Limited.
The trailers for ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ have revealed the existence of Dogpool, one of the many Deadpool variants (including Lady Deadpool and others) that Wade comes across in his quest across the multiverse. Dogpool is played by a real canine (not a digital creation) named Peggy.
Ryan Reynolds: Peggy is incredible. Peggy went really from zero to hero on this movie. I’m not kidding. I mean, Peggy won the UK’s ugliest dog competition, which frankly, I think is cruel. A cruel contest. I mean, they’re very kind to the dogs, but Peggy is a real testament. My character, Wade Wilson, falls in love with Peggy, because Peggy is the sort of dog version of me. Outcast, doesn’t look right. But Jules and the training team behind this little girl really just stepped up and took her from just an absolute pain in the ass to the most wonderful actor in this entire film. Genuine, what a treat. My kids are obsessed with Peggy.
7) Hugh Jackman Named His Favorite Wolverine Variant
In a scene already revealed to the press, Deadpool skips through several universes in search of a Wolverine who can help save his timeline. Along the way, he meets several variants in brief sequences representing some of Logan’s most iconic scenes and tableaux from the pages of Marvel Comics. All these variants are played by Jackman, who picked out his favorite.
Hugh Jackman: In terms of the variants, it was so cool. I was given, actually, on the very first ‘X-Men’ movie, a thing which I had framed, which was a collection — imagine trading cards, but not cut-up, so it was just a sheet of trading cards of all the different Wolverine variants. There had to have been maybe 50 or 60 on that. I’ve had it next to my bed in Australia, and I’d look at it all the time and I’d just think, “Wow, the pirate. Wow, the samurai. How could we pull that off?” All of a sudden, this movie, I’m like, [makes ‘checking off list’ sound]. My favorite of the variants, I have to say, I think is Patch [a gambler in a white tux and eyepatch]. There’s something about Patch that’s ticked a little internal James Bond.
8) Emma Corrins Explained What Fascinated Them About Cassandra Nova
Fresh off TV series like ‘The Crown‘, ‘Pennyworth,’ and ‘A Murder at the End of the World,’ Emma Corrin makes their MCU debut as Cassandra Nova, a mutant with powerful telepathic powers who is the twin sister of X-Men founder and leader Professor Charles Xavier. Corrin said that the effect of the siblings’ history on Cassandra is what impacted them about the role.
Emma Corrin: What really piqued my interest with joining the ‘Deadpool’ universe in particular, [was] bringing Cassandra to it, obviously, with everything that we know and love about her origin story and her relationship with Charles Xavier. That was the key into it for me, because I think the term “villain” is a great one and we all know that villains have the most fun. But I think that, for me, I really needed to find a key into what made her tick, and find that side to empathize with her. For me, that was her relationship with her brother, and I think you will see in this film, through her interactions with Wolverine, that’s explored with, obviously, the history of the X-Men and everything. So that was really fun. There was a lot of scope. It was a big sandbox. We all got to try out loads of different things. Cassandra in particular, Shawn and I realized, as we were going through the film, who she would become, and that was a really fun process.
Shawn Levy attends the UK Fan Event of Marvel Studios’ ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ at Eventim Apollo, London on July 11th, 2024. Photo by StillMoving.Net for The Walt Disney Company Limited.
Shawn Levy also expressed how delighted he was with the work of Corrin and Matthew Macfadyen in the film.
Shawn Levy: When you have Emma Corrin and Matthew Macfadyen playing the two major supporting roles in a movie, you have such a gift, because they’re both such nimble, unpredictable actors, and that’s what we wanted from the beginning for Mr. Paradox and for Cassandra Nova. So really, the way that Emma and Matthew blessed this movie with their talent and their dexterity, that really defined it.
9) Matthew Macfadyen Admitted He Didn’t Watch ‘Loki’ Before Shooting ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’
The Time Variance Authority (TVA) was introduced in the Marvel/Disney+ series ‘Loki,’ where it was originally protecting the one Sacred Timeline. By the end of ‘Loki’ Season 2, it’s the TVA’s job to protect all the timelines. Matthew Macfadyen admitted (rather sheepishly) that he didn’t watch ‘Loki’ before taking on the role of ambitious TVA agent Mr. Paradox.
Matthew Macfadyen: I have to say that I haven’t, shamefully, yet. But in a funny way, that’s great, because I could just come to it pretty fresh. It’s a very complicated world, the TVA. Mr. Paradox is an interesting character, he’s a slightly angry, jangly, middle management apparatchik who’s ambitious for greater things…I just dove in and hoped for the best.
10) Marvel Didn’t Push Back On Deadpool’s Trademark Raunchiness And Violence
Although the first two ‘Deadpool’ films are gory, raunchy, (hilariously) nasty and frequently inappropriate, Ryan Reynolds said that the filmmakers did not get any limits imposed on them for ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ by the normally family-friendly Marvel and Disney.
Ryan Reynolds: The story would be so fun if it was us against them, and “the studio didn’t want to do this.” This is so boring, but they were incredible partners from the get-go. Partly because I think Shawn and I also like to make movies responsibly. We like to hold ourselves to account and self-govern as much as possible. But also, they understood what this was from the beginning. Kevin always saw it…how to not exploit an R rating or just use it to be jackasses for some reason. Everything is in service of this movie being as warm as possible and as emotional as possible while still being the most unexpected MCU film in history.
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What is the plot of ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’?
Six years after the events of ‘Deadpool 2’, Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) lives a quiet life, having left his time as the mercenary Deadpool behind him, until the Time Variance Authority (TVA)—a bureaucratic organization that exists outside of time and space and monitors the timeline—pulls him into a new mission. With his home universe facing an existential threat, Wilson reluctantly joins an even more reluctant Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) on a mission that will change the history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).
(L to R) Anthony Russo and Joe Russo attend Netflix’s ‘The Gray Man’ Los Angeles Premiere at TCL Chinese Theatre on July 13, 2022 in Hollywood, California. Photo by Michael Kovac/Getty Images for Netflix.
Preview:
Filmmakers Joe and Anthony Russo are in talks to handle the next two ‘Avengers’ movies.
Marvel wants them for an untitled 2026 effort and 20207’s ‘Avengers: Secret Wars’.
They have yet to officially commit.
It has been a few years of swings and roundabouts for Marvel, both in general and in particular when it comes to plans for the company’s next two giant team-up movies under the ‘Avengers’ banner.
The new movies, which are still going through a tricky development process, will gather various characters (both legacy and newer) to tackle giant threats. And they’d be compared to the massively (think $4 billion dollars combined massively) successful ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ and ‘Avengers: Endgame’.
So, who is the Marvel team looking to recruit to take on that not-miniscule challenge? How about the directors of, er, ‘Infinity War’ and ‘Endgame’?
‘The Kang Dynasty’ has been the real sticking point here. Though the plan had presumably been to build to a confrontation with Jonathan Majors’ multiversal villain, Majors found himself cut by Marvel after accusations (and, later a guilty result) of harassment.
And on the writing front, veteran Marvel scribe Michael Waldron, creator of the ‘Loki’ series, was the most recent person hired to work on the script for the movie, which is currently without a title, likely so Marvel can find a fresh focus.
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‘Secret Wars’ has been more of a mystery on the filmmaking front.
What is Marvel’s ‘Secret Wars?
Marvel Studios’ ‘Avengers: Secret Wars.’
‘Secret Wars’ would draw from (through the usual Marvel movie filter where changes will be made) a pair of 1980s comic book series focused on an all-powerful antagonist known as the Beyonder, who in the first installment pitted Marvel’s heroes and villains against each other on a planet known as Battleworld.
In a 2015 revival by Jonathan Hickman, the resulting conflict left the multiverse collapsed, the survivors living on a single planet ruled by classic villain Doctor Doom. We’ll have to wait and see whether that actually happens, though some of Hickman’s run has been referenced on screen in ‘Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness’.
The Russos have previously talked about their enthusiasm for ‘Secret Wars’, so you can certainly see the appeal for them. We’d be shocked if they didn’t look to collaborate again with Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, who wrote most of their previous Marvel output.
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What have the Russo brothers worked on since ‘Endgame’?
Upcoming, they have Netflix sci-fi ‘The Electric State’, which finished shooting last year and has been going through post-production. That should be with us later this year.
The directors had talked about more from the world of ‘The Gray Man’, but if the take the chance to return to Marvel, that will go strictly on the backburner (unless they hand off another movie to someone else).
When will the next two ‘Avengers’ movies head to screens?
Marvel is planning to have the first –– still without an official title as of writing –– in theaters on May 1st, 2026, with ‘Secret Wars’ following on May 7th, 2027.
A safe pair of hands, then, but clearly a pair Marvel is hoping will return.
(L to R) Anthony Russo and Joe Russo attend Netflix’s ‘The Gray Man’ Los Angeles Premiere at TCL Chinese Theatre on July 13, 2022 in Hollywood, California. Photo by Michael Kovac/Getty Images for Netflix.
(L to R) Halle Berry, Patrick Stewart, Hugh Jackman and Ian McKellen in ‘X-Men: The Last Stand’. Photo: 20th Centry Fox.
Preview:
Michael Lesslie has been hired to write the ‘X-Men’ script.
Marvel has been looking for a writer for a while.
No director or cast is attached yet.
Marvel has been slowly seeding in the idea of the X-Men, or mutants into general into its cinematic universe. We’ve had cameos in the likes of ‘Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness’ and ‘The Marvels’ (albeit all in different universes), talk of mutants in ‘Ms. Marvel’ and, more tellingly, a proper return for classic versions of the characters in much-praised animated series ‘X-Men ’97’, which recently ended its first season.
Now, though, a few months after reports that the search had begun for a scripter following the writers’ strike, we know at least the first name attached to start work on a live-action MCU take on the characters.
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Who is involved with the new ‘X-Men’ movie?
Rachel Zegler as Lucy Gray Baird in ‘The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.’ Photo Credit: Murray Close.
Somewhat naturally, Marvel has been keeping things very quiet as to the plot for the movie. We don’t even know which characters will be spotlighted. Though the Fox movies usually focused on the likes of Professor Charles Xavier, Erik “Magneto” Lensherr, Beast, Rogue and Wolverine, there has been plenty of speculation as to who might lead off the new movie, including talk of female leads.
And, of course, there will be plenty of nods to mutants (though we doubt much in the way of actual canon going forward, unless Marvel is being extra sneaky) in ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’, which appears to tackle the Fox mutant universe crossing over into the MCU.
That movie will be on screens on July 26th with Ryan Reynolds returning as the Merc with a Mouth and Hugh Jackman playing a version of Wolverine.
We also don’t expect Lesslie to be the final writer on this movie, either –– Marvel is infamous for bringing in other scribes and teams to punch up their projects.
Who else is making the ‘X-Men’ movie?
Marvel Studios’ Kevin Feige at Disney’s 2024 CinemaCon Presentation. Photo: Disney.
Beyond Marvel boss Kevin Feige as a producer, there is no one else attached to the movie beyond Lesslie yet. At least no-one that Marvel is willing to confirm at this point.
Yet with at least the initial writer now located, the company will be looking for a director.
When will Marvel’s ‘X-Men’ movie be in theaters?
Disney/Marvel has yet to announce a release date for the movie, preferring to wait until the creative team is assembled and the script has been developed.
(L to R) Hugh Jackman, James Marsden, Patrick Stewart and Halle Berry in 2000’s ‘X-Men’. Photo: 20th Century Fox.
(Left) Tom Holland excepting the EE Rising Star award at the 2017 BAFTA Film Awards. (Right) Tom Holland in ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming.’
Preview:
Tom Holland has updated fans on the status of the fourth ‘Spider-Man’ film.
He says it’ll have to work for the character.
No director is attached to make it right now.
Tom Holland became a firm fan favorite when he debuted as the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s version of Peter Parker/Spider-Man in ‘Captain America: Civil War’, signaling that Marvel Studios finally, truly had the rights to use one of the comics company’s most famous characters.
Naturally, there has been plenty of speculation on when –– and even whether –– he might return to the role, given that it has been two years since ‘No Way Home’ heralded audiences returning to theaters in droves after the worst of the pandemic.
And since that movie –– which saw previous movie Spider-actors Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield return to the iconic role –– left the MCU’s world with no knowledge of who Peter Parker is, there was concern that Holland could be done with the role.
Now, though, during a new Critics Choice Association press conference, Holland has offered an update.
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What did Tom Holland say about returning to the world of ‘Spider-Man’?
Tom Holland as Spider-Man in ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home.’
“All I can say is that we have been actively engaging in conversations about what it could potentially look like for a fourth rendition of my character Whether or not we can find a way to do justice to the character is another thing. I feel very protective over Spider-Man. I feel very, very lucky that we were able to work on a franchise that got better with each movie, that got more successful with each movie, which I think is really rare, and I want to protect his legacy. So, I won’t make another one for the sake of making another one. It will have to be worth the while of the character.”
Is a fourth ‘Spider-Man’ really in development?
Zendaya and Tom Holland in ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home.’ Photo: Marvel Studios.
When will a fourth ‘Spider-Man’ movie be in theaters?
(L to R) Director Jon Watts and Tom Holland on the set of ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming.’
That’s the biggest question right now –– even given the fact that Sony releases the Spidey movies, there’s the MCU chronology to consider, and Marvel’s slots are full for the next couple of years given the schedule shake-up after the actors’ strikes.
And even if Spidey trilogy director Jon Watts returns (he’s said he was ready to take a break from superheroes and has been working on ‘Star Wars’ series ‘Skeleton Crew’) and it gets going quickly, it could be at least a couple of years until Spider-Man swings back on our screens.
Tom Holland in ‘Avengers: Infinity War.’ Photo: Marvel Studios.
‘Loki’s Michael Waldron will write the script for Marvel’s ‘Avengers: The Kang Dynasty’.
He previously wrote ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ for the studio.
Destin Daniel Cretton recently dropped out of directing ‘The Kang Dynasty’.
Michael Waldron is quickly becoming a go-to writer for Marvel. Which isn’t too surprising, since he launched and ran (alongside director Kate Herron) the first season of ‘Loki’, which became one of the most successful Marvel/Disney+ series to hit small screens.
For his latest assignment, he’s going to write the script for the company’s ‘Avengers: The Kang Dynasty’ (assuming it keeps that title; more on that below).
That, in turn led to the company hiring Waldron to write ‘Avengers: Secret Wars’, which is following ‘The Kang Dynasty’.
In addition to his MCU duties, he’s also set up a wealth of other projects (all being kept quiet for now) via a big deal between Marvel/20th Television and his production company, Anomaly Pictures.
At San Diego Comic-Con in 2022, Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige announced a swath of new Marvel movies and shows, outlining much of Phases 5 and 6 for his company.
With ‘Loki’s first season dropping the first breadcrumbs about the multiverse-spanning villain Kang (played by Jonathan Majors in the show and ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’), the plan was to build him up as the next big bad to follow Thanos.
That whole connected storyline was to have concluded in ‘Avengers: The Kang Dynasty’ in 2025 and ‘Avengers: Secret Wars’ in 2026.
It wasn’t long after that that Destin Daniel Cretton was announced as director for ‘The Kang Dynasty’ as part of his big overall Disney/Marvel deal in the wake of ‘Shang-Chi’ doing well.
Now, though, after some release date shifts for both ‘The Kang Dynasty’ (to 2026) and’ Secret Wars’ (moving to 2027), Cretton has stepped away from the director’s chair for the former movie.
Cretton will focus on other projects in the pipeline, including an in-the-works ‘Wonder Man’ TV series for Marvel and Disney+ and a potential ‘Shang-Chi’ sequel.
Marvel has been wrangling over how to deal with the Jonathan Majors situation. With the actor involved in a thorny legal issue, he’s not exactly someone the company’s parent Disney is looking to be in business with.
Jeff Loveness, who had been on board to write ‘Kang Dynasty’ was reportedly let go from the company at some point before Cretton left the movie.
Thanks to the multiverse idea, there is scope for the studio to pivot away from him, while there are plenty of other villains who could conceivably threaten the group of heroes. And with Waldron aboard, it appears that Kevin Feige and co. are looking for consistency between the two giant movies that wrap up Phase 6.
When Will ‘Avengers: The Kang Dynasty’ and ‘Avengers: Secret Wars’ Be in Theaters?
Currently ‘The Kang Dynasty’ is set for release on May 1, 2026, with ‘Secret Wars’ due on May 7, 2027.
Marvel Studios’ ‘Avengers: Secret Wars.’
Other Movies Similar to ‘Avengers: The Kang Dynasty:’
(Left) Pedro Pascal in ‘The Last of Us.’ Photo: Warner Media. (Right) Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic from Marvel Comics. Photo: Marvel.
Preview:
Pedro Pascal appears to be headed to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
He’s in talks to play Reed Richards in ‘Fantastic Four’.
‘WandaVision’s Matt Shakman is attached to direct the movie.
Is there anything Pedro Pascal can’t do on the genre front? He’s already a firm part of the ‘Star Wars’ universe thanks to his role on ‘The Mandalorian’.
And he’s been at the forefront of the successful video game adaptation genre via the role of Joel in ‘The Last of Us’ on HBO, not to mention a previous role on the channel’s megahit ‘Game of Thrones’.
Now, it appears, he’s headed for possibly his most high-profile job of all: Pascal is, according to Deadline, in serious talks for the role of Reed Richards, AKA Mr. Fantastic in the MCU’s ‘Fantastic Four’.
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Who is Reed Richards?
Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic from Marvel Comics. Photo: Marvel.
Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby for ‘Fantastic Four #1’, first published in 1961, Richards is a scientific genius and the leader of the Fantastic Four team.
When he and his colleagues were bombarded with cosmic radiation, Richards ended up with the ability to contort and stretch his body in different ways.
Along with Sue Storm (his main love interest, who has the power to generate forcefields and turn invisible, earning the name Invisible Woman), Johnny Storm (Sue’s cocky younger brother, who becomes a being of flame known as the Human Torch and can fly) and Ben Grimm (Reed’s best friend who ends up covered in a rocky substance, becoming near invincible and super strong, and is called The Thing), he battles various enemies and has been a key part of the Marvel Comics universe for decades.
In movie form, he’s been brought to screens a few times, including an authorized Roger Corman production. But in terms of official movies, Ioan Gruffudd played him in two films based on the characters directed by Tim Story in 2005 and 2007 and Miles Teller in a moodier, darker and ultimately unsuccessful reboot in 2015, all released by 20th Century Fox.
When Disney bought Fox, they inherited the company’s Marvel properties including the FF and the X-Men.
Marvel’s Fantastic Four. Photo courtesy of Pinterest.
At the 2019 San Diego Comic-Con, Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige announced, after fervent fan speculation, that the Four would be joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe in a new movie, via another reboot.
The following August, MCU ‘Spider-Man’ trilogy director John Watts was announced as director, but stepped down in April 2022, deciding he needed a break from superhero movies (he’s since worked on a ‘Star Wars’ TV series).
Currently, ‘WandaVision’s Matt Shakman is on board as director, with Josh Friedman (who worked on the most recent ‘Avatar’ movie) writing the script.
“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.”
While the caution is that a deal is far from done (the ever-busy Pascal has a packed schedule to work around, including finishing up ‘Gladiator 2’, the next season of ‘The Last of Us’ and Zach Cregger’s follow-up to ‘Barbarians’, ‘Weapons’.
If Pascal is indeed confirmed, expect the other casting to fall into place before too long.
When is ‘Fantastic Four’ due in theaters?
Assuming it keeps to its schedule, the movie should be released on May 2, 2025.
