…As we await news on Disney’s acquisition of 20th Century Fox and its plans for the X-Men and Fantastic Four, excitement is starting to build about the prospect of the characters being incorporated into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, according to Marvel Studios’ Visual Developer Supervisor, it’s going to be some time before we see any impact on the MCU: “That whole Disney buying Fox deal is- none of us saw that coming, and we’re amazed and excited, because we always dreamed of having the X-Men and Fantastic Four in the MCU, but nothing’s actually been decided or announced. So, I have nothing to spill, ’cause I don’t even know what the future is. The only thing I’ve read … these thing are going to take at least 12 months to 18 months for something to even happen. If people are expecting to see them in one of our near upcoming films like they might be disappointed. I don’t know. I would love to see them, too, but I have no idea when they’re actually going to come out, but I’m excited for the future. I can’t wait to find out…”
…Although Hugh Jackman has ruled out the possibility of reprising the role of Wolverine for an appearance in the MCU, Marvel star Sebastian Stan has hinted that he may be having a change of heart: “Recently, I happened to be sitting next to Hugh Jackman. I didn’t know what other awkward thing I could talk about, but to be like, ‘Am I going to see you soon?’ I don’t know, but he said a couple things to me and I’ll just leave it at that. Otherwise, I think I’m going to get into trouble… I asked him cause I kept thinking whether or not he said Logan was supposed to be the last Wolverine thing. He said to me what’s probably been said out there that he’s been thinking about it and it’s on his mind. So, I don’t know…”
…The first season of Marvel’s The Gifted drew to a close this past week, and you can read Rachel Bellwoar’s review of the two-part finale ‘eXtraction/X-roads’ here. Meanwhile, Fox has announced that the show will be returning later this year, having been renewed for a second season; watch a very brief announcement teaser here…
…Moving on to the DC Extended Universe and it has been announced this week that Justice League is set for its home-entertainment release in the States on February 13th on Digital and on March 13th on 4K Ultra HD, 3D and standard Blu-ray and DVD and in the UK digitally on March 12th and on 4K, Blu-ray and DVD on March 26th. Meanwhile, Hot Toys has revealed promotional images for its 1/6th scale Movie Masterpiece series Superman collectible figure, and you can take a look at the promotional images here…
…As it gears up to go into production, Warner Bros. has confirmed that Shazam will hit cinemas on April 5th 2019 (as well as vacating its planned July 27th 2018 release date, which was originally earmarked for The Flash). Meanwhile, Mark Strong has been chatting about his role as the film’s villain, Doctor Thaddeus Sivana: “I’m playing an evil bastard called Doctor Sivana, they are always the best characters to play, the most fun. I was Sinestro in Green Lantern, which I though was a rather good film, but it didn’t do what they wanted. So I feel like I’ve got unfinished business in the DC world. I played a pretty evil character in that, and he was meant to get even worse in the second one but that never happened, but I think I’m going to get the chance to do that in Shazam!, I hope so. I’ve been training like a mad man. I’m about to go over and see the stunt guys, I’ve been trying all of these harnesses on and I think I’m going to be doing lots of flying around and firing electricity out of my hands…”
…Flashpoint has taken a big step forward this week with the news that Vacation and Game Night directors John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein (who worked on the script for Spider-Man: Homecoming) have signed on to direct the movie, after Ben Affleck reportedly turned down the opportunity. Apparently Warner Bros. has been waiting for a gap in the schedule of Ezra Miller, who has been shooting Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, before pushing ahead with its plans, and so with new directors back on board, hopefully we’ll start to see some progress…
…If rumours are to be believed, Warner Bros. has decided to shelve David Ayer’s Gotham City Sirens, with the studio opting instead to focus on three different Harley Quinn projects: Suicide Squad 2, Joker vs Harley, and Birds of Prey. The Suicide Squad sequel is believed to be the next DC project to go into production after Shazam, and could begin filming this year once Will Smith finishes up with the sci-fi action thriller Gemini Man…
…More conflicting reports on The Batman have surfaced this week, first up, we had Batman-on-Film claiming that the Matt Reeves-directed solo movie is being viewed as standalone, and could be released through Warner’s as-yet-unnamed new DC division, rather than being part of the DCEU. Not so however according to Revenge of the Fans, who said that it will in fact be part of the DCEU, although Jake Gyllenhaal is waiting in the wings to take over from Ben Affleck if and when Affleck decides to pass on the film…
…The CW’s superhero shows made their return this week; you can check out our review of the midseason premiere of Supergirl ‘Legion of Superheroes’ here, while we also have a trailer for the eleventh episode ‘Fort Rozz’ [watch it here], promo images for the twelfth episode ‘For Good’ [see here] and a synopsis for the thirteenth episode ‘Both Sides Now’ [read it here]. It has also been announced that Lady Bird’s Laurie Metcalf will be making a guest appearance this season [take a look at a behind-the-scenes image of Metcalf and Melissa Benoist here], while rumours are also circulating that the show is looking to cast the character of Lois Lane…
…You can read Jessie Robertson’s review of The Flash midseason premiere ‘The Trial of the Flash’ here, while we also have a trailer and images for the next episode ‘The Elongated Knight Rises’ guest starring Bill Goldberg [see here and here], as well as a synopsis for the thirteenth episode ‘True Colors’, which features Katee Sackhoff’s Amunet [read it here]…
…The CW launched its newest DC series this past Tuesday with the launch of Black Lightning, and you can read Red Stewart’s review of the series premiere episode ‘The Resurrection’ here, while we also have a trailer for the second episode ‘LaWanda: The Book of Hope’ [watch it here] and a synopsis for the fourth episode ‘Black Jesus’ [read it here]…
…Be sure to read Jessie Robertson’s review of Arrow’s midseason premiere ‘Divided’ here, and take a look at a trailer and promo images for the eleventh episode ‘The Fall’ here and here, as well as a synopsis for the thirteenth episode ‘The Devil’s Greatest Trick’ here…
…Executive producer Phil Klemmer has officially confirmed that Keiynan Lonsdale’s Wally West/Kid-Flash will be joining DC’s Legends of Tomorrow as a replacement for Firestorm: “We loved working with Keiynan in our series premiere — the episode in which we learned that in between seasons 2 and 3 he had been fighting crime in Central City with Nick Zano’s Nate Heywood. So when his character stepped away from Flash to go on walkabout, after being dumped and feeling somewhat estranged from his family and team, we knew that Wally West would fit in perfectly on Legends. After all, our show is about a collection of unlikely heroes who all began their journeys questioning who they are and where they belong — only to find those answers while traveling through time and having wacky adventures. So now, Wally West is not only back in the company of old friends from the Arrowverse, he’s fighting alongside a former enemy and career arsonist Mick Rory. By the end of this season, Wally will learn that the Legends have a different definition of what it means to be a hero…”
…Click below to continue on for Gotham, Titans, Watchmen, Hitman, Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay, Superman: Red Son, Hellboy, Spawn, The Umbrella Academy, The Boys, The Tick and more…
