Jared Leto’s Joker Expected in Suicide Squad 2 & Gotham City Sirens

 

Jared Leto’s The Joker, which originally appeared in David Ayer’s Suicide Squad last year, is expected to return in future DCEU installments Suicide Squad 2 and Gotham City Sirens. Warner Bros. has been building up their DC Comics shared universe, the DC Extended Universe, since Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel in 2013, but the superhero world truly launched in the director’s 2016 followup, Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice. The DCEU continued to expand in Suicide Squad and Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman, to the point that all the major players for Justice League have been introduced – as well as plenty of villains in the DC-inspired universe.

Suicide Squad in particular introduced fan-favorite villains like Deadshot (Will Smith), Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), and the Clown Prince of Crime himself, The Joker (Leto) – though the latter wasn’t included on the titular team of anti-heroes. Now, amidst news of Warner Bros. launching a new banner in the studio to develop non-DCEU-related adaptations of DC Comics characters, it’s been confirmed that Leto will reprise his role as The Joker in two upcoming DCEU installments.

In Deadline’s report on the Joker origin story movie, the publication mentions Leto “will reprise in the Suicide Squad sequel and the Harley Quinn spinoff.” Currently, neither Suicide Squad 2 – which doesn’t have a director attached – nor Gotham City Sirens have confirmed release dates in the DCEU, though Warner Bros. does have a pair staked out in 2020 for as yet unknown DC Comics movies.

Of course, Joker appearing in the Suicide Squad sequel and Gotham City Sirens likely won’t surprise DC fans, since the Clown Prince of Crime appeared in Ayer’s first villain team-up film and the character is closely tied to Harley Quinn – both in the comics and in the DCEU. Still, even as recently as last month, Leto refused to confirm he’d be in Suicide Squad 2 or if he’d be involved in Gotham City Sirens, so it was unclear whether he would reprise his role in either films. Now, those who enjoyed Leto’s portrayal of The Joker – which was divisive from the start, but did win over many fans – can hopefully look forward to the actor reprising his take on the character in future movies.

That said, Suicide Squad 2 is still without a director and Gotham City Sirens is still in the early stages of development – and neither film was included on Warner Bros’ DCEU slate at Comic-Con. So it’s possible either or both movies will go through some creative changes before they eventually hit theaters, meaning Leto’s Joker may not be involved in the final films that fans get to see. While it certainly makes sense for The Joker to return for Suicide Squad 2 and Gotham City Sirens, Leto’s actual future involvement in the DCEU remains to be seen until Warner Bros. moves forward with these particular entries.

KEY RELEASE DATES
Justice League release date: Nov 17, 2017
Aquaman release date: Dec 21, 2018
Shazam! release date: Apr 5, 2019
Wonder Woman 2 release date: Dec 13, 2019
Cyborg release date: Apr 3, 2020
Green Lantern Corps. release date: Jul 24, 2020

Warner Bros Developing The Joker Origin Movie; Not DCEU Related?

Warner Bros. is developing a movie about the origin story for The Joker that will not be part of the DC Extended Universe. WB is only a few years into launching the DCEU and has done so to varying levels of success. Financially, the films have been box office hits, while the critical reception had been mixed at best, prior to Wonder Woman‘s success. The studio has no intentions on stopping the DCEU or its lineup, and has several projects currently in development with release dates staked out till 2020.

But, the DCEU is not enough for the studio. WB is now intent on creating a new banner of the studio that will further explore the DC Comics characters at their disposal in new and interesting ways. To kick this off, an origin story for Batman’s most iconic villain is in store.

Deadline is reporting that The Joker will be the first film to come out of this new banner and has already lined up a director, writers, and one mega producer. The Hangover‘s Todd Phillips will direct the origin film with 8 Mile‘s Scott Silver co-writing alongside him. They will be backed by none other than Martin Scorsese as a producer, but THR cautions his involvement is still fluid. The film will star a new actor in the role, with this report pointing to a possible 1980s setting.

Moviegoing audiences have already seen three live-action portrayals of Joker, with Jared Leto’s being the most recent and controversial, but none have explored the character in this way – especially not with him being the focal point. What makes this film even more intriguing is it not being attached to the DCEU. This will allow the creatives involved to tell truly original and standalone films that take characters in drastically different directions than the main DCEU story, almost like the Red Son Superman movie Kong: Skull Island director Jordan Vogt-Roberts is keen on.

With so many shared universes popping up in Hollywood, this is one way for WB to keep their comic book movie lineup fresh and different. Even though the clamor for a Joker origin story may not be there now, the possibilities that WB would have with this new banner are unlimited. They would have the freedom to tell any story they desired and take a similar approach to their Elseworld comics. The lack of continuity holds the potential for something new, but also creates the chance for confusion.

The question still remains why they would launch this idea with a Joker film that is already being criticized. A Joker origin story is not something many comic fans want to know, and it is an odd move to make with the DCEU finally hitting its stride. It will undoubtedly be confusing for many to see a young Joker film one year and then see Leto reprise the role with a different take in a different universe soon after. Recasting Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, and so on for these films would also be surprising, possibly eliminating them from these stories.

Clearly, this announcement raises a lot of questions, but also presents WB and DC’s characters with plenty of possibilities. With The Joker just starting to be developed, it may be some time before we start to learn more.

KEY RELEASE DATES
Justice League release date: Nov 17, 2017
Aquaman release date: Dec 21, 2018
Shazam! release date: Apr 5, 2019
Wonder Woman 2 release date: Dec 13, 2019
Cyborg release date: Apr 3, 2020
Green Lantern Corps. release date: Jul 24, 2020

Justice League: Zack Snyder Reveals New BTS Aquaman Image

Justice League director Zack Snyder has released a new behind the scenes image from the production of November’s hotly anticipated DC team up film. It features Jason Momoa in all his Aquaman glory, and Snyder suggests it was the last shot of Momoa during Justice League’s Iceland shoot.

Justice League is DC’s superhero team up answer to Marvel’s Avengers. It’s set to feature Batman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Aquaman, and Cyborg uniting to take on the threat of Steppenwolf, who is a powerful lieutenant of the uber-baddie Darkseid, the Lord of Apokolips. With the absence of Superman and the Green Lantern Corps, Steppenwolf decides Earth is ripe for the conquering.

Director Zack Snyder had to step aside from the film’s production in the wake of a family tragedy, but he’s still voicing his enthusiasm for the film. Per Reddit, Snyder has shared a striking new images of Jason Momoa’s Aquaman via his Vero account with the caption “Last shot of Jason in Iceland #JL.” Check out the image below.

It’s unclear if Snyder is suggesting this was the last shot filmed, the last scene of the movie, or simply the last day of shooting with Momoa, but whatever the case it’s likely a moot point. Following Snyder’s departure, Avengers director Joss Whedon – who had been brought in by Snyder earlier to add some scenes to the movie – took over directorial duties, and there has been a nonstop whirlwind of news and rumors revolving around how much of the film Whedon has been tasked with changing. While some reports have suggested Whedon is simply putting the finishing touches on Snyder’s vision (with some rumors even suggesting that Snyder could soon return to the production), others have suggested that an early cut of Snyder’s footage was “unwatchable,” and Whedon has not only changed some bits of dialogue, but has altered the film’s tone and plot in massive ways, bringing it more in line with the earnest charm of this summer’s biggest superhero hit, Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman.

While it’s unclear how much of Snyder’s vision will still be on display in the final product (and with rumors swirling that his involvement with future DC films will be limited, at best), it’s heartening to see Snyder’s passion for the world of these heroes is still on display. He’s been a dogged cheerleader for the DCEU through thick and thin, and no matter what direction the franchise’s future films may take, his enthusiasm and signature visual style are embedded in the DCEU’s DNA.

KEY RELEASE DATES
Justice League release date: Nov 17, 2017
Aquaman release date: Dec 21, 2018
Shazam! release date: Apr 5, 2019
Wonder Woman 2 release date: Dec 13, 2019

David Bowie Would Have Been One of the Original Guardians of the Galaxy

James Gunn reveals what role he had intended for David Bowie to play in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. The film — which was the long-awaited sequel to Gunn’s first Guardians — and was one of the more intimate films that Marvel Studios has ever released. But just because the film’s main story was all focused on the relationships between each of the Guardians team members and their own estranged familial relatives, Gunn still managed to pack in more than a few cameos and Easter eggs along the way. That, in addition, to some of the most visually-stunning and zanier action sequences that any Marvel film has boasted to date.

Perhaps none of the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 Easter eggs were quite as notable as the reveal that Sylvester Stallone was actually playing Starhawk, the leader of the original Guardians of the Galaxy team from the comics. And as the film’s ending and one of its many post-credits scenes revealed, Gunn even managed to introduce the rest of the original Guardians onscreen as well, much to the surprise and excitement of longtime comic book readers everywhere.

As it turns out, Gunn came very close to casting another pop-culture icon as one of the original Guardians. During a Facebook Live! Q&A this afternoon, the writer and director revealed that he had approached none other than David Bowie to play one of the team members, prior to the famous musician and actor’s death in January 2016. Gunn did not, however, reveal which of the characters he had intended for Bowie to play.

Gunn previously revealed that he and Kevin Feige had approached David Bowie about a cameo role in Guardians 2, before Bowie passed away, but at that time did not reveal how or who he would have played had he actually been in the film. But for what it’s worth, Bowie still managed to have a small presence in the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise, with his song, “Moonage Daydream,” being featured on the soundtrack of the first Guardians film.

Without Bowie, the lineup of original Guardians wound up being played by Michael Rosenbaum (Martinex), Michelle Yeoh (Aleta), Ving Rhames (Charlie-27), Stallone (Starhawk), Mainframe (Miley Cyrus), and Krugarr. And while fans only got to spend some very brief time with that team in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, there is still the possibility of the original Guardians returning again sometime in the future, according to Gunn himself. Whether or not any of that actually comes to fruition, though, remains to be seen.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is now available in multiple home release formats.

Marvel is Considering Richard Rider Nova for Cosmic Movies

Writer and director James Gunn is not only returning to direct Guardians of the Galaxy 3 and executive producing Avengers: Infinity War, but he’s also helping plan out the long-term future of the cosmic side of the Marvel Cinematic Universe or at least, the next 10-20 years worth! And for you Nova fans out there, yes, he and Marvel Studios are indeed considering introducing the “real” Nova, Richard Rider.

That last part is a nod to Marvel Comics character Sam Alexander as asked by a fan during a live Facebook Q&A hosted by James Gunn today as the last question.

“Yes, definitely. Nova comes up occasionally as someone we might use. One of the things I’m doing with creating Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 – that will take place after the next two Avengers movies – and it will help to setup the next 10-20 years of Marvel movies. It’s going to really expand the cosmic universe. We’re going to be setting up new characters. It will be the last movie of this version of Guardians of the Galaxy.”

Sam, the younger and newer Nova, wasn’t quite as well received as Rider when the Nova comic series was rebooted in recent years in Marvel Comics. More recently the original Richard Rider Nova returned though and the pair teamed up. Still, for anyone who knows the best of modern Marvel cosmic, the quintessential Nova adventures arguably come from Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning’s (collectively referred to as “DnA” by fans) genius run of stories from 2006-2011 featuring a mature Nova Prime serving as the last surviving member of the faction. It’s Abnett and Lanning’s work that relaunched the Guardians of the Galaxy as we currently know them (with Peter Quill as their leader) and it’s this very work that served as inspiration for James Gunn’s live-action Guardians of the Galaxy movies.

Nova (Richard Rider) and Star-Lord (Peter Quill) Cover Art

Gunn even had Abnett and Lanning re-team to do the official tie-in comic for the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie. It’d be wonderful if they get a chance to do something similar in the future if Nova gets his own film. And to be clear, Nova was indeed introduced in the first Guardians of the Galaxy as a police force of sorts protecting Xandar – the planet that Ronan the Accuser aimed to destroy during the climax of the film. Their key members were played by Peter Serafinowicz, Glenn Close, and John C. Reilly but this take on Nova Corps treated its membership as pilots and guards and little more, despite being from a planet just getting out of an intergalactic war (with Ronan’s blue-skinned people, the Kree). In the comics Nova members are super-powered protectors of the galaxy as a whole and do a lot more than fly tiny little ships that make weird energy webs.

How Gunn, Marvel Studios boss and planner Kevin Feige, and Marvel Studios address the significant discrepancy between what’s been shown in the MCU and what’s in the comics remains to be seen but it’s easy to consider a situation where the Nova Corps we saw was only a fraction of the organization. And after their embarrassing failure to stop one, unarmed falling brick of ship (the Dark Aster) from easily entering the atmosphere of their capital city and Nova headquarters, perhaps it’s time to invest in something more powerful, maybe even developing the Worldmind (a sentient supercomputer) – the source and database of the Nova Corps power and knowledge in the comics.

KEY RELEASE DATES
Thor: Ragnarok release date: Nov 3, 2017
The Avengers: Infinity War release date: May 4, 2018
The Avengers 4 / Untitled Avengers Movie release date: May 3, 2019
Ant-Man & The Wasp release date: Jul 6, 2018
Captain Marvel release date: Mar 8, 2019
Black Panther release date: Feb 16, 2018

Bill Nighy Would ‘Love’ To Return for Pirates of the Caribbean 6

Bill Nighy had no idea that Davy Jones appeared in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, but he would love to return for the sequel. The English actor made his debut as the infamous pirate in the franchise’s second installment, Pirates of the Carribean: Dead Man’s Chest, in which he played the main villain. Johnny Depp’s Jack Sparrow had made a deal with the Flying Dutchman’s captain to resurrect the Black Pearl from the ocean’s depths. By the time Dead Man’s Chest rolls around, it was time for Sparrow to repay his debt.

Of course, various things ensued, and the East India Trading Company, along with the British Royal Navy, ended up with Davy Jones’ heart. In the series’ third chapter, At World’s End, Orlando Bloom’s Will Turner was dying, so Sparrow helped him stab Jones’ heart, thereby killing the infamous pirate while subsequently becoming the newest captain of the Flying Dutchman. That was the last time audiences saw Davy Jones until he showed up once again in the Dead Men Tell No Tales post-credits scene. The thing is, Nighy never knew that.

In an interview with Empire Magazine, Nighy said that he wasn’t aware that his tentacled character, Davy Jones, had cameoed in the latest Pirates of the Caribbean film since he, presumably, hadn’t seen it yet. It wasn’t until his cab driver mentioned it that he was made aware of the cameo:

“I didn’t know anything about it until about a week ago. The cab driver said, ‘Are you doing the next one?’ I said, ‘No. I didn’t know there was a next one.’ He said, ‘Well, you were in the last one’. I said, ‘No I wasn’t’. He said, ‘Yes, you were’. So that’s all I know. You probably know more than I do.”

Since the character didn’t have any dialogue and only appeared as a silhouette, thus implying his resurrection, it makes sense that Nighy wouldn’t have known about the cameo. Still, it’s surprising that Disney wouldn’t at least discuss the possibility of Davy Jones’ return with the actor before having him appear in the post-credits scene, since that implies his possible return in an eventual sequel, should the studio choose to move forward with another installment. Thankfully, if they do plan on bringing back the Dutchman’s former captain, Nighy is all up for reprising his role: “I’d love to be in [another Pirates movie]. I’d be there like a shot. But I have not been approached.”

Currently, there are no immediate plans to develop another Pirates installment, but the last film’s post-credits scene indicates that, should Pirates of the Caribbean 6 move forward, the original trio – Will Turner, Elizabeth Swann, and Captain Jack Sparrow – will return to defeat Davy Jones, who would presumably be back as the Flying Dutchman’s captain once again. After all, the Dutchman always needs a captain.

Edge of Tomorrow 2 Happening Due To ‘Fan Affection’

The Tom Cruise sci-fi action sequel Edge of Tomorrow 2 (aka Live Die Repeat and Repeat) is only happening because fans have expressed so much overwhelming affection for the original movie, says director Doug Liman. Though the first Edge of Tomorrow was only a modest box office success (at best), the movie did well with critics and has built up a cult following since its release in 2014.

With Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt in the lead roles and an intriguing premise about a time-looping soldier battling invading aliens, Edge of Tomorrow (which was originally titled Live Die Repeat) looked like a solid box office bet going into the summer of 2014. However, Warner Bros. had trouble marketing the somewhat odd-ball movie to summer audiences looking for straightforward popcorn entertainment and the film wound up taking in only $100 million domestically, making it an unlikely candidate for a sequel. However, a sequel is currently in development with stars Cruise and Blunt both returning.

Speaking to Flickering Myth, the otherwise sequel-averse Liman discussed his reasons for revisiting Edge of Tomorrow, saying he only took on the project because fans pushed for it:

“I was not going to make a sequel to Edge of Tomorrow, I’m not really interested in sequels, I’m interested in trying new things, new places. But we came up with an idea for a sequel that’s so shockingly revolutionary for how a sequel would get made, and it’s so fresh and it’s such a fun story. We only even started talking about a sequel because there was so much fan affection for the movie, that people started asking us about a sequel. There was so much love for the film. It used to be that people come up to me and talked to me about The Bourne Identity. But Edge of Tomorrow is the one that people constantly come up and talk to me about. There’s so much affection for the movie we at least owe looking at it to see if there’s an idea for a sequel and we came an idea that I can’t stop talking about.”

                                                    Tom Cruise and Doug Liman working on Edge of Tomorrow

Liman has called Edge of Tomorrow 2 “a sequel that’s a prequel,” promising the movie will make sense out of the original film’s enigmatic ending while also providing a more satisfying arc for Cruise’s character (who in the first movie was a tad cowardly). Liman has said a few times that Edge 2 will “revolutionize the way sequels get made,” though no one is quite certain what exactly he means by that.

Clearly Liman is excited by the ideas he has in place for Edge 2, but even if the movie ultimately finds its way to theaters, there’s no guarantee it won’t run into the same marketing issues that stymied the original movie. Edge of Tomorrow‘s crazy time-looping narrative was originally going to be a big selling-point but the studio elected to back off that idea, fearing audiences were getting confused, and giving the movie a bland re-title – hoping Cruise’s name plus the prospect of him battling aliens again would be enough to sell it. (It wasn’t.)

The very same loopy narrative that made Edge of Tomorrow so hard for Warner Bros. to market also happens to be one of the things its die-hard fans love about it. By the sound of it, Liman won’t be backing off the time-looping structure for Edge of Tomorrow 2, and might be pushing things to become even more wild and complicated and potentially unmarketable. Will Cruise and Liman get it right this time or is Live Die Repeat and Repeat doomed to repeat the first movie’s box office missteps?

Mark Wahlberg Passes The Rock to Become Highest-Paid Actor of 2017

Mark Wahlberg has surpassed Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson to become the highest paid actor in 2017. Once known as the rapper Marky Mark, Wahlberg is without question the most successful musician-turned-actor working today, having amassed dozens of film credits since his debut in the Danny DeVito comedy drama Renaissance Man in 1994.

Along the way, Wahlberg has been willing to take risks and act in a slate of different genres, from fictional drama (Boogie Nights, Rock Star) and comedy (Ted, Daddy’s Home) to crime thrillers (The Departed, We Own the Night) and action/adventures (Three Kings, Shooter), as well as real-life dramas (The Fighter, Lone Survivor, Patriot’s Day) and sci-fi action (Transformers: Age of Extinction, Transformers: The Last Knight ).

Also among Wahlberg’s credits is Pain & Gain opposite Johnson, and now the actor has passed his friend and colleague on a very prestigious list. According to Forbes, Wahlberg’s earnings from June 1, 2016, to June 1, 2017, have made him the highest paid actor, having earned $68 million pre-tax in the publication’s 12-month scoring period. That amount bests Johnson (last year’s top-earner), who came in second on Forbes’ list at $65 million. Coming in at No. 3 on the list is Vin Diesel ($54.5 million), followed by Adam Sandler ($50.5 million) and Jackie Chan ($49 million).

While the numbers for Wahlberg, Johnson and Diesel make sense thanks to such high-budget films as The Fate of the Furious and Transformers: The Last Knight, the earnings for Sandler and Chan appear more baffling. Forbes pointed out, however, that Sandler has a lucrative deal with Netflix to produce his own movies, while Chan’s earning mostly come from his productions in China.

One telling sign about the Forbes list is that critical praise doesn’t matter when it comes an actor’s payday. While Wahlberg has been nominated for two Oscars in the past (for Best Supporting Actor for The Departed and as a producer on the Best Picture nominee The Fighter), his only major release to date in 2017, Transformers: The Last Knight, earned a dismal 15 percent “rotten” rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Forbes says the numbers were compiled from data from Nielsen, ComScore, Box Office Mojo, IMDb and interviews with industry experts. The numbers don’t include fees for agents, managers and lawyers. The combined total for the top 20 actors on the Forbes 2017 list is $720 million.

Rounding out the Top 10 highest paid actors is Robert Downey Jr. ($48 million) at No. 6, followed by Tom Cruise ($43 million) and Bollywood actors Shah Rukh Kahn ($38 million) Salman Khan ($37 million) and Akshay Kumar ($35.5 million).

Captain Cold Will Be Very Different in Legends of Tomorrow Season 3

Captain Cold’s return to Legends of Tomorrow will be a decidedly different take on the fan-favorite character, who despite his death at the end of the superhero team up series’ first season, has been a surprisingly frequent presence in both Legends and The Flash.

Captain Cold (real name Leonard Snart) originated as one of the first villains to take on Barry Allen and his allies on The Flash, and Wentworth Miller’s scene chewing, over-the-top performance made him an instant fan favorite. After menacing the scarlet speedster for a couple seasons, Snart and his criminal partner, Mick Rory (also known as Heat Wave) joined the band of misfit heroes and villains who made up the cast of the time travel extravaganza that is Legends of Tomorrow. Snart heroically sacrificed himself to save his friends at the end of the first season, but he appeared last season as a time displaced member of the Legion of Doom, and the show’s not done with him yet.

It’s unclear how Snart will return once again, but it will be a new take on icy rogue. In an interview with DC Legends TV, executive producer Phil Klemmer offered some cryptic hints about what’s to come for Captain Cold and his former Legends allies.

“It will be about as polar opposite as the Snart that he’s played on our show. We’ve got a cool pitch to justify that version of him, which I don’t want to give away. But it’s going to be really traumatic for Mick Rory, because he has deified this version of his dead partner in his head, and in a way, Snart’s return is his greatest wish come true, but the fact that he doesn’t get the version that he’s held in the back of his mind is deeply unsettling. Rory’s made a lot of progress as well in the meantime, but he’s certainly not ready to call himself a hero.”

It’s unclear how this version of the character will differentiate from the season 2 version of Snart, who was pulled from earlier in his own timeline and was still in full on villain mode, helping Eobard Thawne, Malcolm Merlyn, and Damien Dahrk execute their reality altering plans using the Spear of Destiny. That version was returned to his rightful time and had his memory erased, so it’s unlikely we’re getting a retread of that particular version. Regardless, Miller’s Captain Cold is one of the brightest spots in The CW’s Arrowverse, and whatever version shows up, he’s always a welcome wild card among the Waverider crew.

Legends of Tomorrow season 3 premieres Tuesday, October 10, on The CW.

The Punisher First Look Image Reveals Jon Bernthal’s Full Costume

A first look image from The Punisher reveals Jon Bernthal’s full costume. Despite the highly-anticipated release of The Defenders having occurred just a few days ago, time marches on, and the steady stream of Marvel Studios’ Netflix dramas continues unabated. Next up on the Marvel/Netflix docket is The Punisher season 1, the solo small screen debut of emotionally-damaged badass Frank Castle, the titular crime-stopper and smasher of bad guys.

Castle was of course introduced to Marvel’s Netflix universe via a well-received supporting role in Daredevil season 2, which saw Matt Murdock’s heroic morals repeatedly clash with the take-no-prisoners philosophy espoused by The Punisher. While many would argue that Daredevil had it right with his desire to avoid killing people, it was hard not to feel for Frank, whose life was ruined by the brutal murder of his family right in front of his eyes. By all accounts, Frank was an honorable man prior to that event, and likely would have stayed one had it not happened.

Marvel/Netflix has released a new first look image for The Punisher season 1, which shines a spotlight on the titular anti-hero’s full costume. Gritty, grimy, and decked out entirely in black, Castle looks ready to hit the streets of New York City and assist various criminal scum with meeting their makers. By the time Frank gets done, NYC’s criminals will wish they had stayed home for a quiet night of binging TV shows. (Not on Netflix though, as that would create some type of paradox.) Check the image out below.

As of this writing, a premiere date for The Punisher’s solo Netflix debut still has yet to be revealed, although a 2017 arrival has been confirmed. With fall rapidly approaching, one assumes that an announcement will be forthcoming fairly soon, possibly for a late fall/early winter timeframe debut. This would put its arrival around the same time as when Jessica Jones season 1 premiered in 2015.

2017 represents the first time that three different Marvel/Netflix seasons have dropped in the same calendar year, with Iron Fist, The Defenders, and soon The Punisher. 2018 will establish this three seasons per year structure as the new normal, with Daredevil season 3, Jessica Jones season 2, and Luke Cage season 2 all expected to hit Netflix before the year wraps up.

The Punisher season 1 assaults Netflix sometime in 2017. Premiere dates for the new seasons of Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Iron Fist have yet to be announced.

The Flash Officially Casts Katee Sackhoff as Blacksmith

It’s only been a day since Battlestar Galactica alum Katee Sackhoff teased social media with a tweet suggesting that she may be part of Season 4 of CW’s The Flash. And reports today do indeed confirm that the actress will be facing-off with Barry Allen, and she’ll be playing the established DC comics villain Blacksmith.

It was during Sunday that Sackhoff tweeted a picture of a script, indicating that she was currently memorising the dialogue for a project and that all would be revealed on Monday. Going by clues on the picture, which seemed to feature a lightning bolt and a possible reference to “Berlanti Productions”, it didn’t take long for people to calculate that this was likely a role in the upcoming season of The Flash. The tweet was later deleted, with the powers-that-be probably deciding that people were savvy enough to figure out the clues before a company announcement. However true to her word, the information about the role has been officially released today, and it’s good news for fans of Sackhoff and DC villains.

According to EW, Sackhoff is joining the cast of the show as the DC metahuman villain Blacksmith. Otherwise known as Amunet Black, she’s a tough and uncompromising boss of an underground black market for supervillains, using blackmail and subterfuge to bend them to her will. The character is due to first appear in episode 5 of the new season, which is intriguingly called “Girls Night Out”. This will also be a mini-crossover Arrowverse episode, as it will feature Emily Bett Rickards as Felicity Smoak. It’s also revealed that Blacksmith will be a recurring character, so we can expect an arc for her during the season and she won’t just be a villain-of-the-week.

In DC comics Blacksmith first appeared in 2001, in the story Flash: Iron Heights. She definitely has metahuman abilities in that universe, being able to fuse organic and inorganic materials, which allows her to mutate her own body and create powerful weapons. She is primarily known however for organizing her own team of rogues and using her contacts to defeat Barry Allen and his companions – even if those are only fleeting victories. At the moment it’s unknown just how close the Arrowverse version will be to the comics, and whether she’ll have comparable metahuman powers, but you can bet that Sackhoff will be playing her as a formidable opponent.

Season four of The Flash seems intent on building up a new group of rogues for Team Flash to fight. We already know that Sugar Lyn Beard is Hazard, and that Neil Sandilands is The Thinker – with him almost definitely set up to be the “big bad”. Now that another powerful threat like Blacksmith is thrown into the mix, it should be interesting to see how it mixes things up with Barry and his colleagues. Coincidentally, Blacksmith and Thinker have clashed previously in the comics, so that could make things even more complicated if that possibility is also explored. At any rate, Sackhoff should be a strong and popular addition to the existing cast and we eagerly await further details.

The Flash returns to The CW on Tuesday, Oct. 10.

Arrow: Ragman Will Return in Season 6

After a prolonged absence, Ragman will be coming back to Arrow this season. After a rocky couple of seasons, Arrow snapped back into shape over the past year as it refocused its narrative and retooled Oliver. The results saw a hero less prone to self-flaggelation and more likely to seek assistance. Part of that new leaf resulted in Oliver building a fresh team around him, and many of them look to be back this year.

Despite what happened on Lian Yu in season 5, we know Arrow characters like the new Black Canary will return, along with Black Siren. They won’t be alone, however. While Artemis turned traitor, Mr. Terrific, Wild Dog, and Ragman have all stayed true. Still, Rory took off on his own after the events that decimated his hometown. Though he brought a certain lightness to the show, his more mystical abilities felt more at home in Arrow season 4 than season 5. That said, he’s a powerful hero and Team Arrow could always use his help. Now, it looks like they’ll be getting it.

The first few episodes of Arrow season 6 will likely focus on the events on Lian Yu and the fallout from what happened. Oliver and his team will likely be dealing with a lot, regardless of who did and die not survive the season 5 finale. As they are, Richard Dragon will come out of the shadows as the season’s new big bad. Arrow has proven that it does best with one overarching villain, and Dragon’s presence should help with the show’s continual growth.

With the team shaken and a new villain causing trouble in Star City, it’s no wonder that Ragman will be back 5 episodes into the new season. Oliver may be on a better path, but his team is sure to face trials of their own this year. As such, pulling in a heavy-hitter like Rory makes sense given the new threats the Green Arrow will be sure to face in the upcoming season.

Ragman might not be alone in his return, either. John Barrowman has said he has an open invitation to return as Malcolm Merlyn, in the future. Deathstroke will also be a factor again in Arrow season 6, with news suggesting that he’ll be getting an arc of his own (see the rumors about Deathstroke’s son being cast). With season 6 less than two months away, it won’t be much longer now until Arrow‘s next chapter unfolds.

Arrow season 6 premieres Thursday, October 12 at 9pm on The CW.

What Mike Colter Wants to Explore in Luke Cage Season 2

Mike Colter has shared his hopes for Luke Cage season 2. The actor is now back as the super-powered character in the Marvel TV/Netflix miniseries, The Defenders – where he joins Daredevil (Charlie Cox), Jessica Jones (Krysten Ritter) and Iron Fist (Finn Jones) in their quest to foil the enigmatic Alexandra (Sigourney Weaver) and the Hand’s evil plans – but he will eventually return to his own New York territory, with the sophomore outing of his solo series.

While official details for Luke Cage season 2 are still scant at the moment, we know that Luke’s penitentiary stint at Seagate Prison is rather short, since he is already back on the streets of New York with his fellow Defenders (a Luke Cage season 2 set video showing Luke casually strolling the streets of New York further backs this up). The Defenders sets things up for Luke Cage’s next solo adventure, but it’s still difficult to pinpoint precisely what Luke’s personal trajectory will be, moving forward. This, however, does not prevent Colter from sharing what he wants to see in the next chapter of his character’s hero journey.

Speaking to Moviefone while promoting The Defenders, Colter talked about his interest in exploring Luke’s approach on his new, and finally legitimate, freedom in Luke Cage season 2:

“So what I want to explore, and what’s going to be really interesting for the second season, is seeing how he handles these newfound freedoms. What does it open up for him? How does his life change from now on moving forward? And what is it like to sort of be a person that when you walk down the street, everybody knows who he is?”

Luke’s liberty brings with it more opportunities for him to be immersed in the outside world. Speaking at San Diego Comic-Con 2017, Colter indicated that Luke Cage season 2 infuses more pop culture concepts into its narrative. The actor did not elaborate on his statement beyond that, nor did he give any specific examples of what that refers to. Whether that means Luke Cage season 2 will be tackling more serious social/racial issues and/or more references to music/film/TV, it could be a great way to add layers to the show’s storytelling style.

Lucy Liu is directing the Luke Cage season 2 premiere, with the roster of returning characters including Misty Knight (Simone Missick) and Claire Temple (Rosario Dawson). Mariah Dillard (Alfre Woodard) and Shades (Theo Rossi) are also set to return, though it’s not clear yet if they will serve as the main antagonists in this new season. Also returning is Cheo Hodari Coker, who is once again serving as Luke Cage‘s showrunner.

The Defenders is now available on Netflix, with The Punisher arriving sometime this fall. Premiere dates for the new seasons of Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Iron Fist have not yet been announced.

The Defenders Showrunner on The Hand’s Future on Netflix

Marco Ramirez discusses what future The Hand has on Netflix following the organization’s role in The Defenders. After years of waiting, Netflix and Marvel have finally delivered on the long-awaited team-up. The Defenders brings together characters, both leading and supporting, from Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist. With the four street-level heroes crossing paths, so does each of their stories. For Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) and Danny Rand (Finn Jones), that includes a heavy dose of The Hand.

The mysterious group has been part of the Netflix corner of the MCU since the start, but played its largest roles in Daredevil (especially season 2) and Iron Fist. With Alexandra (Sigourney Weaver) leading the charge, The Hand was as ready to go as ever, but they still came up short. As it turns out, The Defenders will be the end of The Hand for a while.

EW spoke with showrunner Marco Ramirez – who also helmed Daredevil season 2 – about all the burning questions audiences will have after they finish the eight episode story. By the end, the future of The Hand is put in extreme doubt with all of the organization’s leaders appearing to be killed off. Thanks to this, The Hand will be taking a break from the small screen, and would be very different if it ever returns.

Well, in the Marvel world, and as Jeph Loeb, the Marvel TV head, would say, in the comic-book world, you can always find a way. The story finds a way, so who knows? But we definitely felt like we wanted this to be the end of this specific show, so while I don’t know if it’s the end of the Hand forever — who knows what will happen in the future — it just felt like it’s the end of this story in the lore. Particularly for Iron Fist, we wanted to close that chapter [of the Hand’s story]. I don’t know what the future holds. That’s a Jeph Loeb question [laughs] but for me and for the writers’ room, it felt right to end the story here.

The fall of The Hand starts in episode five, when Stick (Scott Glenn) kills one of the group’s five leaders. Newcomer to fans, Sowande (Babs Olusanmokun), is the first to go, and it all goes downhill from there. Alexandra is betrayed and killed by Elektra (Elodie Yung) and Bakuto (Ramon Rodriguez) is decapitated by Colleen Wing (Jessica Henwick). Madame Gao (Wai Ching Ho) may have escaped in miraculous fashion, but Murakami (Yutaka Takeuchi) fell hundreds of feet, was pierced by a steel rod, and had a building collapse on him, so he’s probably gone.

Considering the usage of The Hand on the shows already, this feels like a fitting end to a chapter for the Netflix shows. With The Defenders said to kick off Netflix’s Phase 2 for their Marvel properties, it looks and sounds as though that will be without the presence of The Hand. That said, Ramirez astutely points out that this is a comic book show and people have been brought back from the dead before, so nothing is ever out of the question.

What this does mean for the long-term future of Netflix’s Marvel content is a third season of Daredevil that won’t focus on him battling other ninjas. Based on how this ends and the setup that has happened before, one of his more popular stories may be adapted for his next solo season. This could also make things easier for Danny and Colleen if their arch enemy is out of the picture, but if that is truly the case remains to be seen. All we know now is that this iteration of The Hand is done, but they could always come back in the future.

The Defenders is now available on Netflix, with The Punisher arriving sometime this fall. Premiere dates for the new seasons of Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Iron Fist have not yet been announced.

Legends of Tomorrow: Sara Will Be Motivated By Guilt in Season 3

Season 3 of The CW series Legends of Tomorrow will explore a new character arc with Sara Lance, the White Canary, as the character struggles with feelings of guilt and tries to take responsibility for her actions.

In season 2, the disappearance of Rip Hunter (Arthur Darvill) led the Legends to seek a new leader in Dr. Martin Stein (Victor Garber), one half of Firestorm. When Stein decided that he wasn’t up to the task, Sara (Caity Lotz) filled the role and led the Legends on several missions, culminating in a final battle with the Legion of Doom over the Spear of Destiny, a weapon of immense power. When the Legends failed to stop the Legion, Sara violated the most important rule of time travel by having the team interact with past versions of themselves. Though they succeeded in defeating the Legion, there was a tremendous cost. Their actions “broke time,” resulting in an unknown amount of anomalies throughout spacetime that the Legends will have to fix in season 3.

Executive producer Marc Guggenheim talked about Sara’s role in the upcoming season and confirmed that despite being in a different place to start the season, the character will return as team leader. According to Guggenheim, Sara’s decision in the season 2 finale, ‘Aruba’, will haunt the character, but this won’t stop her from being “firmly in charge of the Legends.”

“She’s found her place as the captain of the Waverider, so unlike last season where it was a little bit of a learning curve, she’s happy to be the captain. One of the things that hang over the whole year is the fact that she has some measure of responsibility for all the anachronisms that they are dealing with.”

Some of the guilt mentioned by Guggeneheim could come into play when Rip Hunter returns to the fold. Rip never approved of breaking the cardinal rule of time travel, and fans can expect this to come up in the conversation when Rip and his new team, the Time Bureau, arrive to fix the problems the Legends created.

Though Rip won’t be a villain, he’ll certainly oppose the Legends’ unorthodox methods. Considering Sara’s friendship with Rip, it’s hard to say how she’ll respond if the character blames her for the time anomalies. In any case, it seems that Sara will have a lot to overcome if she hopes to repair the damage done to time, while also dealing with interference from Rip’s Time Bureau.

Legends of Tomorrow season 3 premieres Tuesday, October 10, on The CW.

Arrow Season 6 Builds On Oliver & Felicity Relationship in Season 5

Fans of Olicity can apparently get their hopes up again, as Arrow‘s producer is confirming that the relationship between Oliver Queen and Felicity Smoak will continue to be mended in the show’s upcoming season 6.

Arrow‘s star-crossed romantic pairing finally came together at the end of the show’s third season, only to be torn apart by some melodramatic trust issues involving Oliver’s son in the show’s fourth season. The pair maintained their crimefighting partnership in season five, but kept each other at arm’s length for the majority of the run – though their romance seemed to be on the verge of restarting by the end of the season.

It seems as if that was definitely intentional, and the show will continue on that path. Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Arrow producer Marc Guggenheim teased the romantic reunion of the pair in the upcoming sixth season.

“We put them on a very specific trajectory at the end of season 5. It would be very schizophrenic for us to suddenly take them off that trajectory.”

While that would seem like good news for Olicity fans, Guggenheim hedges slightly, suggesting the reconciliation could still take some time:

“There is not a single romantic kiss between any two characters in the season premiere.”

Arrow‘s coming off something of a creative rebound, as season five reinvigorated the show with new allies like Wild Dog (Rick Gonzalez) and Dinah Drake (Juliana Harkavy), as well as a legitimately menacing villain in Josh Segarra’s Adrian Chase. Season six promises to be a year of further change for the series, as the five year flashback structure is no more, and Oliver will have to take a more active role as a father to his son, William.

Still, the relationship between Oliver and Felicity still hangs over everything. While the show’s producers had originally conceived of a more comics-accurate romance between Oliver and Laurel Lance, the chemistry between Oliver and Felicity became unavoidable by the end of the show’s second season. The show leaned into that chemistry heavily in its third season, teasing a “will they/won’t they” romance for the majority of the year, before the pair finally got together at the end of that season. The heavy handed dissolution of their relationship midway through Arrow‘s fourth season pleased nobody, and it’s a misstep the show has been trying to manage ever since.

It seems like the show is finally poised to overcome some of its more melodramatic impulses – and give Arrow fans not only the pairing that they want, but the one that makes the most sense.

Arrow season 6 premieres Thursday, October 12 at 9pm on The CW.

Knight Rider: John Cena & Kevin Hart Eyed for ‘Comedic’ Movie Reboot

New information about the actors currently being targeted for a Knight Rider film reboot has been revealed. These days in the pop culture landscape, everything that was old is new again, as studios look to revive some of their best-known properties for the next generation of viewers. One such brand that’s looking to make a comeback in the 21st century is Knight Rider, a television program that originally aired in 1982. Starring David Hasselhoff as Michael Knight, the series revolved around the adventures the lone crime fighter had with the assistance of his artificially intelligent car, KITT. Running for four seasons, the show found success and was nominated for a Primetime Emmy during its run.

Fans may recall there have already been attempts to bring Knight Rider into the modern age. Back in 2008, a sequel television series aired on NBC, but only lasted for one season. In the years since, there has been speculation about a big screen version starring Chris Pratt and Danny McBride, and just last year Star Trek Beyond director Justin Lin was looking to reboot Knight Rider as a digital web series on Machinima. None of these projects have gotten off the ground, so now the Weinstein Company is going to take a stab at making their own Knight Rider film – and they are eyeing some big names for the leads.

A source close to us has shared some details about Weinstein’s Knight Rider reboot, which is being conceived as a comedy in the vein of Phil Lord and Chris Miller’s 21 Jump Street. For the role of Knight, the studio is hoping to get WWE star John Cena, while omnipresent comedian Kevin Hart is seen as a possibility for the voice of KITT. It’s important to note that neither has been officially cast, and the Weinstein Company is simply interested in getting them onboard. If nothing else, this gives fans an idea of the tone the studio is looking for, combining Cena’s tough-guy action hero with Hart’s sense of humor.

This is a radically different direction from Hasselhoff’s proposed Knight Rider movie that he discussed with director Robert Rodriguez. The actor had a dark, Logan-inspired drama in mind, which is about as far as one can get from the meta humor antics of something like 21 Jump Street. Some would argue that latter approach would be better, as it would allow the movie reboot to embrace the spirit of the 1980s original while also having fun with it. Depending on who signs on to write and direct, the potential is there for a funny comedy – and perhaps a cameo by Hasselhoff himself. There’s no word yet on if this film would be R-rated.

In the wake of 21 Jump Street‘s success, there have been several similarly-minded “TV to movie” reboots that unfortunately came up short. Just this year, the likes of CHIPS and Baywatch tried to follow the template established by Lord and Miller and did not leave a lasting impression on critics or audiences. It will be interesting to see if Knight Rider can break the trend and stand out from the crowd when it comes out, though it seems the Weinstein Company is on the right track.

Creed 2: Dolph Lundgren Trains For Drago’s Return

Dolph Lundgren is hitting the gym to train as he gets in shape to reprise Ivan Drago in the upcoming Creed 2. The actor first portrayed the Russian boxer in 1985’s Rocky IV, becoming one of the franchise’s most notable “villains” due to his brute strength and quotable lines, which included the chilling “I must break you.” While the Rocky films have continued in the three decades since with two direct sequels and the first Creed installment, the character of Drago hasn’t been heard from since he was defeated by the Italian Stallion in their fateful match. That is set to change in the near future, however, with Creed 2 coming through the pipeline.

Earlier this summer, Sylvester Stallone revealed he was working on the screenplay with the hopes of filming in 2018. He also confirmed that Drago would be returning in the sequel, giving the drama a personal layer. Viewers may recall that Apollo Creed, father of Creed‘s protagonist Adonis, was killed during a fight against the Soviet machine. It remains to be seen if Donny will get a revenge shot at Drago, but Lundgren is certainly preparing for such a bout, if his latest social media activity is any indication.

As Creed 2 makes its way through development, many will be intrigued to see how Drago fits into the narrative. Lundgren is only a few months away from his 60th birthday, meaning it could be a stretch to see him go toe-to-toe with the 30-year old Michael B. Jordan, but it’s still possible. As seen in the clips, Lundgren remains in peak physical condition and he hasn’t shied away from demanding roles in recent years. Not only was he part of Stallone’s Expendables crew, he’ll play King Nerus in James Wan’s Aquaman. Plus, Rocky Balboa depicted an elder Italian Stallion performing admirably in the ring against Mason “The Line” Dixon, so the franchise has pulled this angle off before.

Regardless of whether or not Drago puts on the gloves again, his inclusion in Creed 2 is exciting. While Rocky eventually befriended Apollo (his rival in the first two movies), things were always acrimonious between Balboa and Drago. Their interactions in the followup should be laced with tension, considering their pasts. After the first Creed took the Rocky series back to its roots with a captivating story, hopefully the sequel can follow suit and keep the property off the ropes for at least a couple more years.

We’ll keep you updated on Creed 2 as more information becomes available.

Avengers: Infinity War Casts Love/Hate Star In Villain Role

Irish actor Tom Vaughan-Lawlor has confirmed that he is costarring in Marvel’s Avengers: Infinity War as a villainous member of the Black Order, Ebony Maw. While the “Big Bad” of the film will, of course, be Thanos (Josh Brolin), the mad Titan, despite his strength and power, will have to relegate some of his evil-doing to his “children”, known as the Black Order. The gang of ruthless aliens known as the Black Order was officially confirmed to serve as Thanos’ henchmen in Infinity War back in July at the D23 Expo, though they have been heavily rumored before then.

A previously-leaked Infinity War set photo showed Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) scuffling with an actor who was in a CGI suit, making it difficult to identify who they were right away. Basing on the photo, it looks as though the alien character is trying to snatch the Sorcerer Supreme’s Eye of Agamotto – which is, as we all know now, powered by the Time Gem, one of the Infinity Stones that Thanos is after. Fans have since speculated about the identity of the mystery bad guy tackling Strange, with Vaughan-Lawlor now confirming that it was him as the mind-controlling Ebony Maw.

Speaking to RTE Radio 1’s Second Captains (via DublinLive) over the weekend, the 40-year-old actor finally talked about his very secretive role, after weeks of mulling about it by himself. Although he did not reveal any juicy details regarding the film or his character, Vaughan-Lawlor did discuss the incredible security checks that he had to go through, in order to make sure his work on Infinity War remains secret for now:

“I am. But it’s like I’m one of those ones where you go into a sentence to say something about it and hope you have a job at the end of the sentence. You sign so many documents and waivers and people ask you about it and you have to give the generic and boring ‘I can’t say too much about it’. But I am doing it and it’s really amazing and an amazing thing to be part of.”

In addition, Vaughan-Lawlor revealed that because he is new to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, he had to go some extra background checks to ensure that not only will he not casually spoil Infinity War, but that he is also the suitable actor for the job and a deserving one for a spot on the franchise’s famed roster:

“With social media there’s so much potential for leaks so (Marvel) understandably want to micro-manage things and make sure it goes out when they are ready. They didn’t know me so when I went over they were meeting me for the first time. They do background checks to make sure you’re not a white supremacist and they’re not hiring someone with weird baggage.”

Vaughan-Lawlor is not the only one who first-hand experienced Marvel’s tight security when it comes to their properties, especially with Infinity War and its still-untitled sequel, Avengers 4 (which is already in production). Elizabeth Olsen, who plays Wanda Maximoff/Scarlett Witch in the MCU, revealed a couple weeks back that the cast was not given full scripts for Infinity War.

Directed by the Russo Brothers (Joe and Anthony) and written by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, Avengers: Infinity War is certainly the most ambitious addition to the MCU yet. It will serve as Marvel Studios’ 10-year-anniversary movie offering to fans and bring almost every superhero from the franchise together to save the earth from Thanos and his minions.

The Lion King Producer Says Mufasa and Scar Weren’t Brothers

The Lion King producer Don Hahn says that Mufasa and Scar weren’t really brothers. That would certainly come as news to the Disney animated classic’s legion of fans, as Scar’s role as the jealous brother of king Mufasa is one of the major dramatic throughlines of the film. Scar being Simba’s uncle is also a key factor in the resonance of the film’s protagonist’s arc; young Simba’s life is destroyed by the evil deeds of a close family member he naively trusted to do right by him.

While a person can obviously love an adopted family member or friend just as much as they love a blood relative, The Lion King never gave viewers any reason to discount the stated familial ties between the characters in the film, and thus Scar’s status as brother to Mufasa and uncle to Simba has always been taken at face value. Changing those roles definitely has the potential to alter one’s takeaways from the story, but that’s exactly what Hahn says is the case.

During a recent interview with Hello Giggles, Hahn revealed that he and the rest of The Lion King’s crew thought it to be “very likely” that Mufasa and Scar weren’t brothers by blood relation. Here’s his explanation for that belief, partially based on real-life dynamics among lion prides.

“[While making the movie] we talked about the fact that it was very likely [Scar and Mufasa] would not have both the same parents. The way lions operate in the wild, when the male lion gets old, another rogue lion comes and kills the head of the pride. What that does is it causes the female lions to go into heat [to reproduce], and then the new younger lion kills the king and then he kills all the babies. Now he’s the new lion that’s running the pride.

There was always this thing about well, how do you have these two [male] lions? Occasionally there are prides that do have two male lions, in an interesting dynamic because they’re not equals [since they don’t have the same parents]. One lion will always kind of be off in the shadows. We were trying to use those animal truths to underpin the story so we sort of figured Scar and Mufasa couldn’t really be from the same gene pool.”

Furthermore, Hahn says that the above explanation of Mufasa and Scar’s actual relationship is referenced within the film. During the scene where Mufasa and Scar argue about the line of succession to the throne, Mufasa asks if Scar is challenging his power, and Scar replies with a comment about being “at the shallow end of the gene pool“. According to Hahn, this line is a direct allusion to the two lions coming from separate blood lines.

In some ways, this makes sense, as not only do Mufasa and Scar look completely different from each other, but what Hahn says about lion prides has truth to it. Of course, the one breeding male dynamic of most lion prides has also led to further uncomfortable questions over the years, such as the fact that it seems likely that Mufasa fathered future king and queen Simba and Nala. After all, Scar is the only other male seen among Mufasa’s pride, and Nala looks nothing like Scar. If one thinks about things too hard, The Lion King starts to resemble Game of Thrones.

How much this will influence Jon Favreau’s remake, which with a photorealistic CGI will surely feature more accurate lions and thus need a more accurate pride dynamic, remains to be seen, although making it explicit would be a good way to distinguish the versions.

KEY RELEASE DATES
The Lion King release date: Jul 19, 2019

Wonder Woman Officially Highest-Grossing Superhero Origin Story Ever

Wonder Woman has officially become the highest-grossing superhero origin movie at the domestic box office. The Patty Jenkins-directed film has surpassed virtually every expectation, both critically and commercially. It not only came off the heels of three divisive films, two of which were meant to launch the burgeoning DC Extended Universe (Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad), but the movie — which sees Gal Gadot reprise her Batman V Superman role as Diana Prince, aka Wonder Woman — was also the first major female-led superhero movie of its kind.

It became the DCEU’s first movie to be certified fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, and it also managed to surpass each DCEU film at the domestic box office, and all but one (Batman V Superman) at the worldwide box office. Wonder Woman‘s incredible box office success, both domestically and globally, has garnered Jenkins the record for the highest-grossing film directed by a woman, surpassing both Phyllida Lloyd’s Mamma Mia! ($609.8 million) and Jennifer Yuh Nelson’s Kung Fu Panda 2 ($665.7 million). The thing is, the film wasn’t done breaking records yet.

Wonder Woman passed $400 million at the domestic box office earlier this month (becoming the only summer movie to do so), and it passed $800 million globally this weekend. It currently has a global cume of exactly $800 million, of which slightly more than half comes from domestic theaters: $404 million. According to Box Office Mojo, that number puts Wonder Woman just past Sam Raimi’s original Spider-Man film ($403.7 million), starring Tobey Maguire, thus making Wonder Woman the highest-grossing superhero origin story ever released.

It’s worth noting that Wonder Woman had passed Spider-Man‘s unadjusted gross, but considering that all domestic records are determined by unadjusted grosses, the record still stands. The record also means that Wonder Woman has surpassed every other superhero origin story domestically, including the likes of Batman ($251 million), Big Hero 6 ($222 million), Iron Man ($318 million), Guardians of the Galaxy ($333 million), and even Deadpool ($363 million) — which remains in third place.

Furthermore, since Wonder Woman has broken past the $800 million mark globally, it remains in second place for the superhero origin record at the worldwide box office, which Spider-Man still holds at $821 million. Considering that the DCEU movie has yet to release in Japan (August 25), where it’s expected to perform quite well, it’s possible that Wonder Woman overthrows Spider-Man altogether. And if it manages to perform remotely as well as Frozen did in Japan, it’s possible that it could dethrone Batman V Superman ($873.3 million) to become the highest-grossing DCEU movie thus far. Regardless of whether or not the film breaks anymore records, it has had quite the run at the box office, and anticipation is now even higher for Wonder Woman 2.

How The Defenders Fit Together As A Team, According to Charlie Cox

Charlie Cox has recently talked about New York’s finest street-level heroes when they all come together in their ensemble series, The Defenders. Marvel and Netflix are bringing all of their characters to one 8-episode miniseries for the first time to hopefully foil the enigmatic Alexandra’s (Sigourney Weaver) plans executed by the ancient group known as the Hand.

In the past two years, each and every character has operated on their own — serving their individual purposes — so it is no surprise that working as a single unit for the first time won’t come easy to them. That said, Daredevil (Cox), Jessica Jones (Krysten Ritter), Luke Cage (Mike Colter), and Iron Fist (Finn Jones) will have to learn how to operate as a team quickly, especially if they want to save New York from the looming threat that it is about to face.

Speaking to Den of Geek!, Cox breaks down the foursome’s approach on their upcoming mission upon learning more about the aforementioned danger brought by the Hand:

“Now Danny and Matt have seen it. They’ve experienced it, and as hard as it is to explain, we know it exists because we’ve been there. Jessica and Luke don’t have that. Initially at least, the role for Matt and Danny is quite similar. They’re the ones that have to bring the other two up-to-date and explain how serious this situation is and how you can’t just walk away from it and how dangerous these people are and what they’re capable of, blah blah blah. So that was kind of our role.”

This leaves Luke and Jessica (who already have a pre-existing relationship as seen in the first season of Jessica Jones) dubious of the “ancient evil organization who are capable of destroying an entire civilization. They’re the ones that have to go on the journey of disbelief through to ‘holy shit’, and getting on board this,” the actor adds.

It all adds an interesting layer to why Danny, Luke, Matt, Jessica partner up in the initial stages of the show. This way, each duo has personal knowledge of the Hand. That way, it will be much easier for Danny and Matt to eventually convince their teammates to work together, and to give them a better chance of defeating the Hand and ultimately, Alexandra.

Marvel TV and Netflix are still keeping huge chunks of information regarding the narrative specifics of The Defenders tightly under wraps, but fans are assured that whatever the team goes through in the special ensemble show will help progress their individual journeys moving forward.

The Defenders premieres Friday, August 18 on Netflix.

Channel Zero Season 2 Gets A Trailer & Premiere Date

Syfy’s Channel Zero: No-End House has gotten a full trailer and premiere date. An anthology series done similarly to hits like American Horror Story — each 6-episode season features a new story and new characters — Channel Zero debuted last October with the mostly well-received Candle Cove, based on the creepy pasta story of the same name by Kris Straub. Syfy clearly had confidence in the concept going in, though, as a second season was picked up before Candle Cove even premiered.

Channel Zero season 2 adapts creepy pasta No-End House, by Brian Russell. Syfy’s version appears to be pretty similar to Russell’s story, albeit with a female protagonist instead of a male one. Elements of Russell’s sequel stories to No-End House also seem to be sprinkled in. There was at least a lot more for Channel Zero’s writers to work with when adapting No-End House, as it’s a much longer story than Candle Cove.

While many had assumed that No-End House would premiere in October like Candle Cove did, Syfy has now revealed that Channel Zero season 2 will premiere on September 20. Along with the premiere date reveal comes the official full trailer for No-End House, which follows a series of cryptic teasers that have surfaced in recent months. Check the trailer out above.

No-End House stars Amy Forsyth (The Path) as Margot Sleator, a young woman who accepts the challenge of making it out of the titular house alive, but finds that her world has been irreparably altered upon exiting. Then again, judging by the above trailer, she may never have exited at all. The No-End House is a series of wildly varying rooms, each presenting some type of puzzle to be solved, and each offering more horrifying elements than the last. John Carroll Lynch (American Horror Story) and Aisha Dee (Sweet/Vicious) also star.

As before, Syfy clearly sees a long-term future with Channel Zero, having already ordered seasons 3 and 4 for 2018 and 2019, respectively. Season 3 is titled Staircases, and season 4 is titled Hidden Door. The network has yet to clarify exactly which particular creepy pasta stories these seasons will adapt.

Channel Zero: No-End House premieres September 20 on Syfy.