On the big screen, we’ll be expecting to see ‘Blade‘ deal with the threat of vampires. But to get there, at least as part of the MCU, the character has had to deal with something far trickier ––development issues.
Despite all the excitement over the announcement that Oscar winner Mahershala Ali would play the character during Marvel’s 2019 Comic-Con panel, the progress has been slow.
‘Mogul Mowgli’ director Bassam Tariq was hired to make the movie, only to depart over scheduling issues –– and given a shift in writers to Michael Starrbury, also seemed to indicate problems with the script.
‘White Boy Rick’s Yann Demage came aboard in November last year, but writing-wise, there is, according to The Hollywood Reporter, another change in the cards on the script front. ‘True Detective’ creator Nic Pizzolatto has been working on a draft based on Starrbury’s for a few weeks now.
He’s writing as quickly as possible, as the movie is scheduled to shoot at the end of this month in Atlanta.
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‘True Detective’ reunion
Pizzolatto’s presence does indeed mark a ‘True Detective’ reunion, since Ali starred as Detective Wayne Hays in the third season of the anthology show (a fourth, starring Jodie Foster is on the way this year, but no longer involves Pizzolatto as showrunner.)
Mahershala Ali in HBO’s ‘True Detective’ Season 3.
Where does Blade fit into the comics?
Originally crafted by Gene Colan and Marv Wolfman as a human who was immune to vampire bites, he was later changed to Eric Cross Brooks, whose mother is murdered by the bloodsucker Deacon Frost as she gives birth. The attack passes on vampire enzymes to her child, who becomes a Dhampir – a mix of both human and vampire.
Gifted with speed, strength, and the ability to walk in the daylight (hence his other name, the Daywalker), his mission is to hunt down and destroy vampires. In his time, he’s crossed paths with many notable Marvel characters in the comics, including Spider-Man and the Avengers. He’s also battled living vampire Morbius, who had his own movie out earlier this year, starring Jared Leto.
Yet Blade is probably most famous for the trilogy of movies released by New Line in 1998, 2002 and 2004, starring Wesley Snipes as the gruff, sword-swinging character.
The MCU version’s story is still so far, a mystery: whether it’ll deal with Blade’s origins is unknown for now, but we can expect plenty of vampire-killing action.
Blade from Marvel Comics. Photo courtesy of Marvel.com.
Mia Goth as Pearl in director Ti West’s ‘X’ prequel, ‘Pearl.’
It’s a good time to be Mia Goth right now. The actor, previously known for movies such as ‘A Cure for Wellness’, the remake of ‘Suspiria’ and ‘Everest’, has broken big in the last year thanks to her role as the murderous Pearl/Maxine in Ti West’s horror movies ‘X’, ‘Pearl’ and ‘MaXXXine’, the latter of which has just started shooting.
She’s also did great work encouraging/terrifying Alexander Skarsgård in Brandon Cronenberg’s ‘Infinity Pool’. So it stands to reason that she might have hit the radar of Marvel Studios and now, according to Deadline, she’s signed a deal to co-star in ‘Blade’.
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Mahershala Ali is starring as the title character, who already popped up for a voice-only cameo in one of the ‘Eternals’ post-credit scenes interacting with Kit Harington’s Dane Whitman. And, as is usual for Marvel, there is no indication as to what role Goth will play.
Blade from Marvel Comics. Photo courtesy of Marvel.com.
What’s the background for ‘Blade’?
Originally crafted by Gene Colan and Marv Wolfman as a human who was immune to vampire bites, he was later changed to Eric Cross Brooks, whose mother is murdered by the bloodsucker Deacon Frost as she gives birth. The attack passes on vampire enzymes to her child, who becomes a Dhampir – a mix of both human and vampire.
Gifted with speed, strength, and the ability to walk in the daylight (hence his other name, the Daywalker), his mission is to hunt down and destroy vampires. In his time, he’s crossed paths with many notable Marvel characters in the comics, including Spider-Man and the Avengers. He’s also battled living vampire Morbius, who appeared in a less-than-enthusiastically received movie last year via Sony’s Spider-universe, starring Jared Leto.
But the character is probably best known thanks to the trilogy of ‘Blade’ movies that starred Wesley Snipes, released by New Line in 1998, 2002 and 2004.
Marvel’s take on ‘Blade’ was originally announced to ear-splitting audience reaction as a surprise at the company’s San Diego Comic-Con panel in 2019. Ali was brought out wearing a cap bearing the Blade logo.
All seemed to be moving forward properly, with ‘Mogul Mowgli’ director Bassam Tariq boarding the movie roughly a year later, and Stacy Osei-Kuffour writing the script. But it hit a major roadblock in September last year when Tariq left the movie.
“Due to continued shifts in our production schedule, Bassam is no longer moving forward as director of ‘Blade’ but will remain an executive producer on the film. We appreciate Bassam’s talent and all the work he’s done getting ‘Blade’ to where it is.”
There was talk of problems with the script and Marvel hit the pause button. Things appear to be back on track now, as ’71’ and ‘Lovecraft Country’ director Yann Demange is overseeing the movie, while Michael Starrbury, who earned an Emmy nomination for an episode of Ava DuVernay’s drama ‘When They See Us’, is on board to overhaul the screenplay. The tone is reportedly headed in a darker, grittier direction.
Assuming it all goes well, the movie should be in theaters on September 6th, 2024.
Blade from Marvel Comics. Photo courtesy of Marvel.com.
For those who have been eagerly awaiting the entry of Daywalking Marvel hero Blade to the MCU, there was a setback in September when we learned that original director Bassam Tariq (‘Mogul Mowgli) had departed the film, at the time chalked up to scheduling changes which led to an availability issue.
Now, though, as The Hollywood Reporter brings word that ‘71’ and ‘White Boy Rick‘ director Yann Demange is taking on the job instead, there’s also talk that Tariq left over creative differences.
And even at the time, there was chatter about script issues and star Mahershala Ali, who will play the half-vampire warrior who hunts down members of the fang club, being unhappy with the script as it stood.
So Team Marvel, instead of ploughing ahead with a screenplay they disliked, opted to hit pause, scrap the original start of shooting (the movie would have gone before cameras this month) and release date in favor of figuring out the issues.
Enter Demange (who is also a part of the ‘Mogul Mowgli’ team, since he was an executive producer), who has also worked on the likes of HBO’s ‘Lovecraft Country’ and UK crime drama ‘Top Boy’. He’s in the director’s chair, while writer Michael Starrbury, who earned an Emmy nomination for penning an episode of Ava DuVernay’s drama ‘When They See Us’, is overhauling the script.
Matthew McConaughey in director Yann Demange’s ‘White Boy Rick.’
According to the Reporter’s story, star Ali was one of those involved in finding the new writer, and the tone is going to be headed in a darker and gritter route. Which does make some sense for Blade.
Originally crafted as a human who was immune to vampire bites, he was later changed to Eric Cross Brooks, whose mother is murdered by the bloodsucker Deacon Frost as she gives birth. The attack passes on vampire enzymes to her child, who becomes a Dhampir – a mix of both human and vampire.
Gifted with speed, strength, and the ability to walk in the daylight (hence his other name, the Daywalker), his mission is to hunt down and destroy vampires. In his time, he’s crossed paths with many notable Marvel characters in the comics, including Spider-Man and the Avengers. He’s also battled living vampire Morbius, who had his own movie out earlier this year, starring Jared Leto.
Yet Blade is probably most famous for the trilogy of movies released by New Line in 1998, 2002 and 2004, starring Wesley Snipes as the gruff, sword-swinging character.
The MCU version’s story is still so far a mystery: whether it’ll deal with Blade’s origins is unknown for now, but we can expect plenty of vampire-killing action. The cameras, all being well, will now be rolling next year.
Marvel will no doubt be hoping that this means ‘Blade’ sticks to its recently announced release date of September 6th, 2024.
Marvel fans got a nasty surprise at the end of last month, when news arrived that director Bassam Tariq had left the developing ‘Blade’ movie, with the company citing “scheduling issues” as the reason for his departure.
Though there had been hopes that the studio would quickly move to slot another director into place, it appears that there are deeper issues afoot with the movie.
Around the time of Tariq’s departure, rumors swirled of a script – originally by Stacy Osei-Kuffour – that was short, didn’t feature enough action and hadn’t passed muster with star Mahershala Ali.
‘Moon Knight’ contributor Beau DeMayo is currently aboard to work on re-writing it, but according to The Hollywood Reporter, Marvel is now pressing pause on forward movement on the film so that it can take longer to find the right new director too.
It’s disappointing news but speaks to the company’s willingness to make sure they get this one right. The production start date – which had shifted a couple of times already because of script re-writes – had been scheduled for next month, but Marvel has informed the Atlanta-based crew that production will be on pause until the various issues (especially a new director) are resolved.
Blade from Marvel Comics. Photo courtesy of Marvel.com.
Blade, created for Marvel Comics by writer Marv Wolfman and penciller Gene Colan, first appeared as a supporting character in ‘The Tomb of Dracula #10’, published July 1973. He was popular enough to merit his own solo storylines and was particularly memorable during the 1990s.
Originally crafted as a human who was immune to vampire bites, he was later changed to Eric Cross Brooks, whose mother is murdered by the bloodsucker Deacon Frost as she gives birth. The attack passes on vampire enzymes to her child, who becomes a Dhampir – a mix of both human and vampire.
Gifted with speed, strength, and the ability to walk in the daylight (hence his other name, the Daywalker), his mission is to hunt down and destroy vampires. In his time, he’s crossed paths with many notable Marvel characters in the comics, including Spider-Man and the Avengers. He’s also battled living vampire Morbius, who had his own movie released by Sony on April 1st, starring Jared Leto.
Yet Blade is probably most famous for the trilogy of movies released by New Line in 1998, 2002 and 2004, starring Wesley Snipes as the gruff, sword-swinging character.
Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige announced at the end of the company’s panel at the 2019 San Diego Comic-Con that ‘Blade’ would enter the MCU, bringing Ali on stage to reveal his casting as the Daywalker. He’s still attached to star, so hopefully the movie will still make it to screens with him in the lead. Delroy Lindo and Aaron Pierre are also in the cast, but we don’t know if this schedule shift will see them stick around.
The MCU’s ‘Blade’ had been scheduled to arrive at theaters on November 3rd but seems unlikely to make that date now.
Mahershala Ali attends the 89th Annual Academy Awards at Hollywood & Highland Center on February 26, 2017 in Hollywood, California. Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images.
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Blade from Marvel Comics. Photo courtesy of Marvel.com.
Up until now, it has been mostly smooth sailing for the planned MCU debut of Blade to this point – star Mahershala Ali was announced as the star as a surprise at the end of Marvel’s 2019 San Diego Comic-Con panel.
Roughly two years later, Bassam Tariq was hired to direct the movie and with Stacy Osei-Kuffour on board to write the script, the movie was headed towards a shoot planned for late this year and a November 3rd, 2023, release date.
But the forward momentum has come to a sudden and grinding halt with the departure of Tariq. As opposed to the usual “creative differences”, the official story is scheduling issues.
“Due to continued shifts in our production schedule, Bassam is no longer moving forward as director of ‘Blade’ but will remain an executive producer on the film,” Marvel said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter. “We appreciate Bassam’s talent and all the work he’s done getting ‘Blade’ to where it is.”
“It’s been an honor working with the wonderful folks at Marvel,” Tariq said in his own statement. “We were able to put together a killer cast and crew. Eager to see where the next director takes the film.”
Blade, created for Marvel Comics by writer Marv Wolfman and penciller Gene Colan, first appeared as a supporting character in ‘The Tomb of Dracula #10’, published July 1973. He was popular enough to merit his own solo storylines and was particularly memorable during the 1990s.
Marvel Studios’ ‘Blade.’
Originally crafted as a human who was immune to vampire bites, he was later changed to Eric Cross Brooks, whose mother is murdered by the bloodsucker Deacon Frost as she gives birth. The attack passes on vampire enzymes to her child, who becomes a Dhampir – a mix of both human and vampire.
Gifted with speed, strength, and the ability to walk in the daylight (hence his other name, the Daywalker), his mission is to hunt down and destroy vampires. In his time, he’s crossed paths with many notable Marvel characters in the comics, including Spider-Man and the Avengers. He’s also battled living vampire Morbius, who had his own movie out earlier this year, starring Jared Leto.
Yet Blade is probably most famous for the trilogy of movies released by New Line in 1998, 2002 and 2004, starring Wesley Snipes as the gruff, sword-swinging character.
The MCU version’s story is so far a mystery: whether it’ll deal with Blade’s origins is unknown for now, but we can expect plenty of vampire-killing action. The cast around Ali includes Delroy Lindo and Aaron Pierre.
According to the Reporter’s story, production on the movie has been shifted at least a couple of times, the filmmakers requiring several script revisions, with Beau DeMayo, a veteran of Marvel’s ‘Moon Knight’ on Disney+, the latest writer mentioned.
Kevin Feige and co. are now looking for a new director to handle the film. Whether it keeps that planned November 2023 release date remains to be seen. We may have to wait a little longer than planned to get any more Blade appearances beyond Ali’s quick voice cameo in the ‘Eternals’ post-credit sting.
Aaron Pierre in Amazon Prime Video’s ‘The Underground Railroad.’
Though Marvel Studios and Disney are – as expected – keeping most of the details locked in a coffin somewhere, we are at least starting to learn about who will be in the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s ‘Blade’ movie alongside star Mahershala Ali. The latest addition is Aaron Pierre.
‘Blade’, which was announced as a surprise at the tail end of Marvel’s 2019 panel at the San Diego Comic-Con represents the MCU bringing the half-human, half-vampire warrior into its fold. Ali has, though, already popped up for a vocal cameo during one of ‘Eternals’ end credits sequences.
Blade, created for Marvel Comics by writer Marv Wolfman and penciller Gene Colan, first appeared as a supporting character in ‘The Tomb of Dracula #10’, published July 1973. He was popular enough to merit his own solo storylines and was particularly memorable during the 1990s.
Originally crafted as a human who was immune to vampire bites, he was later changed to Eric Cross Brooks, whose mother is murdered by the bloodsucker Deacon Frost as she gives birth. The attack passes on vampire enzymes to her child, who becomes a Dhampir – a mix of both human and vampire.
Gifted with speed, strength, and the ability to walk in the daylight (hence his other name, the Daywalker), his mission is to hunt down and destroy vampires. In his time, he’s crossed paths with many notable Marvel characters in the comics, including Spider-Man and the Avengers. He’s also battled living vampire ‘Morbius,’ who has his own movie due from Sony on April 1, starring Jared Leto.
Marvel Studios’ ‘Blade.’
Yet ‘Blade‘ is probably most famous for the trilogy of movies released by New Line in 1998, 2002 and 2004, starring Wesley Snipes as the gruff, sword-swinging character. While ‘Blade II’, directed by Guillermo del Toro, is regarded as the best of the three, the original does boast this endlessly quotable line. Snipes has become identified with the character, and even cameoed as him via Skype in an episode of vampire comedy series ‘What We Do in the Shadows’.
While some fans had campaigned for Snipes to stay on in the role, Marvel Studios has traditionally gone in a new route with its casting for characters played by other actors. Though given the multiverse use in recent Marvel movies, there’s always the chance he could be back in the future.
With two-time Oscar winner Ali as Blade, we also know that Delroy Lindo has a role in the new movie, though his character is still a secret for now. Likewise, Pierre, whose casting was reported by Deadline, is a mystery.
The actor is probably best known to date for playing rapper (and worried beachgoer) Mid-Size Sedan in M. Night Shyamalan’s ‘Old’ but has also worked on TV series including ‘Krypton’ and ‘The Underground Railroad’ created by writer/director Barry Jenkins. Pierre will reunite with the filmmaker to voice a young Mustafa in the ‘Lion King’ prequel movie. He’s also part of the cast for Garth Davies’ sci-fi movie ‘Foe’.
‘Blade’, which has ‘Mogul Mowgli’ director Bassam Tariq preparing to call the shots and ‘Watchmen’ TV veteran Stacy Osei-Kuffour writing the script, has yet to reveal a release date, though it may well emerge next year.
If you were following social media last week, you might think the only movie news was the new ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ trailer, but there was so much more than that. We saw casting announcements for the MCU’s ‘Blade’ starring Mahershala Ali, as well as director Martin Scorsese’s Grateful Dead biopic.
We also saw production updates on ‘Lethal Weapon 5’ and the announcement of its new director, and ‘Trolls 3,’ which now has a release date. As well as the release of eight new character posters for the upcoming sequel, ‘The Matrix Resurrections.’
If you missed anything, Moviefone has you covered!
CASTING NEWS:
BLADE
It was reported that Disney has confirmed acclaimed actor Delroy Lindo is joining the cast of their upcoming reboot of ‘Blade,’ which will star two-time Academy Award winner Mahershala Ali in the title role. Lindo, who received rave reviews for his performance in last year’s ‘Da Five Bloods,’ is the first actor since Ali to be confirmed to appear in the movie, although his role is still being kept under wraps.
Of course, that didn’t stop the internet from guessing who the actor might play, which ranged from a villain to Blade’s mentor and friend, Whistler. Blade is set to be directed by Bassam Tariq (‘Mogul Mowgli’), from a screenplay by Stacy Osei-Kuffour (‘Watchmen’). Lindo can currently be seen in ‘The Harder They Fall,’ and is best known for his roles in ‘Malcolm X,’ ‘Get Shorty,’ ‘The Cider House Rules,’ and ‘Gone in 60 Seconds.’
GRATEFUL DEAD BIOPIC
There was great news for Deadheads as Deadline announced exclusively that legendary filmmaker Martin Scorsese will direct a Grateful Dead biopic for Apple and that Jonah Hill has been cast as the band’s iconic frontman, Jerry Garcia. The film will be produced by Scorsese and Hill, as well as the remaining members of the band, Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, Mikey Hart, and Bill Kreutzmann.
The screenplay will be written by Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski, who are no strangers to biopics after penning ‘The People vs. Larry Flynt,’ ‘Man on the Moon’ about comedian Andy Kaufman, and the award-winning TV series ‘American Crime Story: The People vs. O.J. Simpson.’ Scorsese is also no stranger to the Grateful Dead, having directed the 2017 documentary series about the band for Amazon Prime called ‘Long Strange Trip.’ The project marks the first time Scorsese and Hill have worked together since 2013’s ‘The Wolf of Wall Street,’ which earned Hill an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.
PRODUCTION NEWS:
LETHAL WEAPON 5
Variety confirmed that Academy Award-winning director Mel Gibson will take over for the late great Richard Donner and helm ‘Lethal Weapon 5,’ the latest installment of the popular action franchise. The movie, which will be written by Richard Wenk (‘The Equalizer’), was developed to be Donner’s final film before his death on July 5th. His widow, Lauren Shuler Donner (‘X-Men’) will produce.
Speaking at an event in London last week, according to The Sun, Gibson talked about taking over directing duties from Donner. “He was developing the screenplay, and he got pretty far along with it,” Gibson said. “And he said to me one day, ‘Listen kid, if I kick the bucket, you will do it.’ He did indeed pass away, but he did ask me to do it, and, at the time, I didn’t say anything. He said it to his wife, to the studio and the producer. So, I will be directing the fifth one,” Gibson confirmed.
‘Lethal Weapon’ was released in 1987 and has spawned three other sequels including ‘Lethal Weapon 2,’ ‘Lethal Weapon 3,’ and ‘Lethal Weapon 4,’ as well as a TV series that ran from 2016-2019. It is assumed that Gibson will also reprise his iconic role of Martin Riggs, but it is still unknown if Danny Glover, Joe Pesci and Rene Russo will return to their franchise roles.
TROLLS 3
It was reported in Deadline that Universal has set a release date for DreamWorks Animation’s ‘Troll 3’ for November 17th, 2023. However, unlike 2020’s ‘Trolls World Tour,’ the film will be release exclusively in theaters for 17 days before going to PVOD.
‘Trolls’ premiered in 2016 and went on to earn almost $350 million at the box office and earned an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song for ‘Can’t Stop the Feeling,’ performed by Justin Timberlake. No word yet if franchise stars Justin Timberlake and Anna Kendrick will return.
PHOTOS AND POSTERS:
SCREAM
Bloody Disgusting released a new photo from ‘Scream,’ which is the fifth installment of the popular horror franchise. Set to hit theaters on January 14th, 2022, the photo features David Arquette reprising his role as Dewey Ridley alongside new cast member Melissa Barrera. The film is said to take place twenty-five years after the original, and features a new killer wearing the Ghostface mask.
‘The Matrix’ was released in 1999, followed by two sequels, including 2003’s ‘The Matrix Reloaded’ and ‘The Matrix Revolutions.’ Directed by Lana Wachowski, ‘The Matrix Resurrections’ will hit theaters on December 22nd, and also stars Jada Pinkett Smith, Lambert Wilson, and Christina Ricci.
TRAILERS:
SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME
And just in case you missed it, here is the final trailer for ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home,’ which opens in theaters on December 17th.
Marvel made some serious waves at Comic-Con over the weekend, announcing a huge slate of new projects that will take the MCU through Phase Four and into Phase Five. Among the buzziest was “Blade,” which will be rebooted with Oscar winner Mahershala Ali in the title role. But what does the former Daywalker, Wesley Snipes, think of being replaced?
It turns out that Snipes is actually “all good” with the news, revealing in a new statement that he was “surprised” by Marvel’s decision, but is happy to have the “beautiful and talented” Ali follow in his footsteps. The actor also saved a special shout-out for his fans, saying that their “incredible outpouring of love is overwhelming.”
Snipes’s full statement said:
“To all the DAYWALKERS losing their minds right now, chillaaxx,” he said in a statement provided to EW by his rep. “Although the news comes as a surprise, it’s ALL GOOD. Such is the ‘business’ of ‘entertainment!’ Much peace to the MCU crew – always a fan. Honor and respect to the grandmaster Stan. Congratulations and Salaam to Mahershala Ali, a beautiful and talented artist whose expressions I look forward to experiencing for many years to come. Inshallah, we will someday work together. Most importantly to my loyal fans, the incredible outpouring of love is overwhelming. I am grateful for the never-ending support. So, ‘nah fret nah worry, it’s not de end of de story.’ Welcome to the Daywalker Klique.”
Ali’s casting comes nearly 15 years after the release of the last “Blade” flick, 2004’s “Blade: Trinity,” which co-starred Ryan Reynolds and Jessica Biel. As recently as 2016, Snipes had been hopeful that a fourth “Blade” feature would be made, though that project never materialized.
In an interview with Fandango, Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige revealed that Ali himself approached the studio to pitch himself as the new Blade. The acclaimed actor received an immediate yes, according to the exec.
It’s not entirely clear yet when “Blade” is expected to hit theaters, though Feige told Collider that the flick will be part of Phase Five, not Phase Four, pegging it for release sometime in 2022. Stay tuned to see if it sticks to that schedule.
This year’s San Diego Comic Con has been a mostly sleepy affair, with most of the major movie studios forgoing splashy presentations, leaving buzzy television series to pick up the slack. (In all fairness, that “Watchmen” trailer rules.) So there was a certain amount of built-in hype for Marvel Studios’ return to Hall H (they skipped last year); not only has the 2019 cinematic landscape been largely defined by the studio (thanks to hits like “Captain Marvel” and “Spider-Man: Far From Home,” and the release of the juggernaut “Avengers: Endgame,” which just surpassed “Avatar” as the highest grossing movie ever) but much of their upcoming slate has been a mystery, a muddled brew of conjecture, half-truths and wishful thinking. So this afternoon, in San Diego, the air was cleared. In a breathless 90-minute presentation, “phase four” of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, encompassing theatrical releases and new productions for Disney’s forthcoming direct-to-consumer streaming platform Disney+, were meticulously detailed. And far from a saggy slate, this crop of titles is exciting and experiment. After so much change and so much success, Marvel Studios seems ready to mix it up. And we couldn’t be more excited.
In an effort to streamline our reporting, we’ll go in the order they went in Hall H. Just strap in. It’s a wild ride.
Marvel Studios
After quickly showing a MCU greatest hits reel and announcing “Avengers: Endgame’s” box office milestone, Kevin Feige introduced the cast and crew of “Eternals,” set for release on November 6, 2020. Director Chloé Zhao appeared onstage with a ridiculously stacked cast, including Richard Madden, Kumail Nanjiani, Lauren Ridloff (the “first deaf hero” in the MCU), Brian Tyree Henry, Salma Hayek, Lia McHugh, Don Lee and, the queen herself, Angelina Jolie.
As far as kicking things off with a bang, this was pretty great.
Nanjiani said that he’d been to Comic Con eight times before but that this was the first time he’d gotten into Hall H. He then made a really cool analogy for the MCU. “It used to be like ‘Casablanca’ had everything – action, drama, thriller and movies had to be little genres. Is this a comedy? Is it a thriller? Marvel is a throwback to those old school movies because they have everything,” he said. “I’m just excited to be able to do all that.” Jolie, for her part, didn’t take the role lightly. “What it means to be a part of the MCU to be a part of this family, we know what the task is and we are all going to work very, very hard,” Jolie said, sounding both humble and very determined.
Marvel Studios
After “Eternals,” we were then treated to a look at “The Falcon and the Winter Solider,” a new series scheduled to hit the Disney+ streaming service in August 2020. Sebastian Stan and Anthony Mackie appeared on stage and Feige described the setting of the show as “post-‘Endgame,’” but besides that, details weren’t exactly revealed … oh, except that Daniel Bruhl, who played the villainous Baron Zemo in “Captain America: Civil War,” will be back (and presumably, up to no good).
Marvel Studios
Next was a look at the film for February 12, 2021: “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.” Not only is that title new (and quite a mouthful!), but Feige detailed how the Ten Rings, a famous terrorist group in Marvel history, has been planted as Easter eggs in a ton of the movies (serious, “Ant-Man!?!”) but now it will really get to take center stage. Tony Leung, one of our greatest living actors, will play the real version of The Mandarin (you’ll remember Ben Kingsley infamously played a phony version of the character in “Iron Man 3”), alongside Awkwafina (in an undisclosed role) and newcomer Simu Liu as the titular hero. Liu said he was “cast on Tuesday,” and said the casting was “a fulfillment of my dream.” Director Destin Daniel Cretton said that he’s excited to create an MCU film that “reflects all the beautiful colors I see in this room. To be a small part in that is really special to me.”
Marvel Studios
After that we got a brief (and I mean brief) look at “WandaVision,” the upcoming Disney+ series that concerns Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany’s characters from the MCU along with a very cool surprise, the addition of Monica Rambeau, who we last saw as a child in “Captain Marvel,” now played by the wonderful Teyonah Parris. Everyone on stage described the show as “strange,” with Feige saying it’s “unlike anything we’ve done before,” and Bettany calling it “surprising and weird.” It looks, in part, to be based on Tom King’s recent, highly celebrated comic book run and if the logo is any indication will have a retro 1950’s aesthetic. Look for it in spring 2021.
Marvel Studios
Another Disney+ title we got a taste of is “Loki.” Feige said that after “Endgame,” “The question I got asked more than any other was: where did Loki go?” Well, as it turns out, a lot of places, thanks to his use of the space stone. Tom Hiddleston, always the fan favorite, says that this will be a less evolved Loki than he currently sits in the MCU. Think first “Avengers” Loki. “Just about the last thing that happened to him was he got Hulk smash. There’s a lot of psychological evolution that has yet to happen,” Hiddleston said. “Kevin has shown me what his plans are but it is one of the most exciting, creative opportunities I’ve ever come across. This is new territory, a new world, new challenges. I cannot wait to get started.” He’ll beam into your homes spring 2021.
Marvel Studios
Next, the film hitting theaters on May 7, 2021 was revealed: the sequel to “Doctor Strange,” with the tantalizingly rococo title “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.” Feige started by saying that just because Jake Gyllenhaal was lying to our beloved Peter Parker, doesn’t mean that a multiverse doesn’t exist. But when returning director Scott Derrickson walked out on stage, he let loose an even bigger bombshell: “We’re going to make the first scary MCU film.” Whoa. (Feige quickly said: “It’s a PG-13 movie and you’re going to like it.” So no R … yet.)
Benedict Cumberbatch came out on stage and said that “This twist of horror will really have people gripped. He’ll be in a position of not knowing what’s coming at him. We’re going back to trying to destroy him a bit.” Olsen was then brought back out on stage; she’ll be fighting the forces of darkness alongside Strange in this outing and she remarked that the storylines of her show and the “Doctor Strange” sequel will be linked.
Marvel Studios
Next up: summer 2021 on Disney+, the first “animated series from Marvel Studios,” “What If.” It’ll feature Jeffrey Wright from “Westworld” as the voice of The Watcher and “a huge majority f the actors in our movies will reprise their roles,” taking on alternative takes on characters and scenarios you already love.
Marvel Studios
Jeremy Renner then emerged, making his way through the crowd, to help announce the “Hawkeye” “limited series” (none of the other shows were described as such) coming to Disney+ in the fall of 2021. What’s more, as Feige said with great pride, the series will be responsible for “bringing Kate Bishop into the MCU and we’ll explore more of his time as Ronin in this series.” Renner seems pumped about the series (which, based on the logline and the logo seems to be derived from Matt Faction’s amazing series): “What I think Hawkeye is a superhero without superpowers. And I get to train somebody else to be a superhero without superpowers. It’s an amazing sentiment. I think that’s fantastic.”
Marvel Studios
And then we got to talk about the third film of 2021, coming November 5, 2021: “Thor: Love and Thunder.” Writer/director Taika Waititi has returned to the franchise and he was joined on stage alongside Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson. Waititi said he was inspired by the Jason Aaron comic book “The Mighty Thor.” “It introduces, for the the first time, female Thor.” He said there was only one person who could carry the hammer (and carry the hammer, out onto the stage, she did) — Natalie Portman, making her return to the MCU after a somewhat contentious shoot on “Thor: The Dark World.” People were shook. This is a huge surprise. Portman said that inheriting the role of Thor, “Feels pretty good.” She then said: “I’ve always had some hammer envy.”
Marvel Studios
At the tail end of the panel, we were treated to May, 2020’s film, “Black Widow.” We saw some footage, which looks very “Mission: Impossible”-y, and Scarlett Johansson was joined onstage by her amazing cast (including an incredibly charming David Harbour from “Stranger Things”). We’ll do a deep dive into the footage and everything a bit later, but at the end of the panel, the cast walked on stage with their Black Widow hats for a big group photo. They were then joined by everybody else who had been a part of the presentation (all wearing their Black Widow hats, which I noticed were considerably higher quality than the ones that were handed out) and then, at the very very end of the presentation, after Feige had bemoaned the fact that he didn’t get to talk about “Black Panther 2” (!), or “Captain Marvel 2” (!!) or “Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol 3” (!!!) or talk about “Fantastic Four” or the plans for the mutants (!!!!).
Marvel Studios
Then he brought out two-time Academy Award winner Mahershala Ali. Feige said that Ali had another hat he’d like to wear. And then he put it on and it said “Blade.” It’s unclear whether or not it’s a TV series or a movie, but goddamn are we pumped.
Just get another Oscar ready for Mahershala Ali: The two-time Oscar winner is looking to produce and star in the grueling true story of a man who spent 43 years in solitary confinement in a Louisiana prison.
Albert Woodfox just published his memoir, “Unbroken By Four Decades In Solitary Confinement, My Story of Transformation and Hope.”
Convicted first of auto theft and then the murder of a prison guard (which he’s always denied committing), he spent the longest stretch on record in the U.S. in 23-hour-day solitary confinement. His time was done in a six-by-nine foot cell. He was let out only one hour per day in the exercise yard by himself.
Woodfox was released in 2016 and used the $90,000 he was paid for reparation for cruel and unusual punishment from the state of Louisiana to buy a house in the Ninth Ward of New Orleans, where he currently lives.
Ali met Woodfox earlier this year after reading his memoir.
Woodfox, who was a Black Panther, become an activist within the prison, which may be why, his book suggests, he was a convenient target to pin a murder on. He also writes about the kinship with two other wrongly accused men with whom he managed to communicate and organize protests, hunger strikes and eventually reforms at Angola.
Ali won Best Supporting Actor Oscar for “Moonlight,” and then two years later won Best Supporting Actor again for “Green Book.” An Emmy nominee for his work on “House of Cards,” he’s in Emmy contention for his work on the third season of HBO’s “True Detective.”
Fox Searchlight is currently making a deal to option the rights to the book.
