…Having been linked to the project for several months, it has now finally been confirmed that Fruitvale Station and Creed helmer Ryan Coogler is set to direct 2018’s Black Panther, which will see Chadwick Boseman reprising the role of T’Challa from Captain America: Civil War. “We are fortunate to have such an esteemed filmmaker join the Marvel family,” states Kevin Feige. “The talents Ryan showcased in his first two films easily made him our top choice to direct Black Panther. Many fans have waited a long time to see Black Panther in his own film, and with Ryan we know we’ve found the perfect director to bring T’Challa’s story to life…”
…Agent Carter returns to ABC this Tuesday as the second season gets underway, and we’ve got a series of character portraits featuring the stars of the show [see here], as well a couple of clips from the premiere [see here and here], along with a synopsis and batch of images from the following week’s episode ‘Better Angels’ [see here]…
…Showrunner Michele Fazekas has been talking about the new season of Agent Carter, revealing that Peggy’s investigation into the mysterious Isodyne Energy corporation will see a tie-in with both Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and the upcoming Doctor Strange movie: “Basically, Isodyne is a company that we invented based in part on real life companies like Radiodyne or General Atomic or the beginnings of the Jet Propulsion Lab — all of which were in L.A. in the ’40s, and were developing the space program and were developing nukes,” states Fazekas. “That’s what Isodyne is, and what you’ll learn is they were involved in the nuclear testing out in the desert when they were testing the, at the time they were calling it the atom bomb — and one of these tests didn’t go as expected. You’ll learn more about that in Season 2, but they stumble upon what people in the Marvel Universe will know as Darkforce, but because they’ve never seen it before they just name it Zero Matter. That’s our tie-in to the Doctor Strange universe, and also to Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. because you’ve seen it in as well…”
…Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. star Clark Gregg is hoping to see some further tie-ins with the big screen side of the MCU for his own show, having expressed his hope that some of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes might decide to stop by for a guest appearance: “Literally all of [the Avengers actors], at different times in different interviews – have been really generous about wanting to be part of it. I hope that seems like the right thing to do at some point. So far I’ve liked the way that people like Lady Sif (Jaimie Alexander) got to be let out to play a little more than they’d get to normally – and whether it’s at the cinema or on the television, I hope at some point Phil Coulson gets to explain what he’s been doing…”
…ABC is stepping up its Marvel output, with network president Paul Lee revealing that production on the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. spinoff pilot Marvel’s Most Wanted will get underway “in the next few months”, while he’s also said that the sitcom Damage Control is slated to arrive this coming season, and development is also underway on a second Marvel comedy series: “In the long term, we’d love [the new series] to be [on ABC]. We definitely want to do Marvel comedies as well as dramas and of course, as you know, we supply lots of dramas to Netflix…”
…And that’s not all, as Oscar-winning producer John Ridley has revealed that his own mystery Marvel project remains very much in development – although as always, he’s not really giving anything away: “The Marvel project is still very much alive. You look at Jessica Jones, and [Marvel’s] doing an interesting job of integrating [social consciousness]. I would say in general, graphic novels, their reason for existence is a little different. It’s about wish fulfillment, whether you’re talking about Peter Parker, a young, misunderstood kid trying to figure out his way; if you’re talking about Bruce Wayne, a man who’s dealing with the loss of his parents; whether you’re talking about Clark Kent, an orphan who’s trying to figure out what he’s meant to do without the guidance of his parents. That’s not unusual for the graphic novel space, so I would just say I hope that I would bring an appropriate amount of reflective sensibility to whatever project I may or may not be involved with in the Marvel universe. But I do want it to be entertaining in its own right…”
…Over at the Netflix side of the MCU, The Defenders TV Podcast has reviewed the eleventh episode of Jessica Jones, ‘AKA I’ve Got the Blues’ [listen here], while Daredevil co-showrunner Doug Petrie has responded to Frank Miller’s recent criticism of Elektra’s inclusion in season two: “God bless him, it’s his prerogative. I’m a huge fan of what he did, so the [criticism] doesn’t go both ways. I wouldn’t say, ‘What does Frank Miller know?’ I’m so inspired by him and what he achieved and I’m trying to take it further and enrich her. She’s an empowered woman with her own agency, she’s nobody’s victim…”
…20th Century Fox changed tactic with its promotional campaign for Deadpool this week by releasing a selection of rather misleading rom-com-inspired banners for 2016’s first superhero movie [see here and here], while we also got a trio of new TV spots [see here, here and here], a ‘SkullPoopL’ banner [see here] and a batch of new posters [see here]. Meanwhile, the MPAA officially confirmed the film’s R-rating for “strong violence and language throughout, sexual content and graphic nudity,” while a fan petition also launched which calls for Fox to release a PG-13 version…
…Although it looks like the X-Men spinoff X-Force is on hold for the time being, Rob Liefeld took to Twitter this week to share his dream casting for the role of Cable, posting a piece of fan art showing Mad Men’s Jon Hamm as Nathan Summers; check it out here…
…Fox’s other X-Men spinoff Gambit finally looks to have ironed out any issues, with reports this week suggesting that the film is set to go into production in New Orleans this March. The project is being helmed by Doug Liman (Edge of Tomorrow) and will see Channing Tatum as Remy LeBeau alongside Lea Seydoux (Spectre) as Bella Donna Boudreaux…
…Fresh from the film’s four Razzie nominations, Michael B. Jordan has been reflecting on the failure of Fantastic Four, as well as admitting that he’d be happy to return to the role of the Human Torch should – and it’s a massive should – the sequel go ahead: “Every film isn’t going to be a home run. Everybody involved didn’t set out to make a film that didn’t work. I think everybody wants to do the best job possible. I think it was a big education for me to realise that things aren’t in your control, and you can do everything you’re supposed to do. You can give 110% every day, and the movie still not work out. But that may or may not be on you and you’ve got to be OK with that. Moving onto the next thing. For me, first thing off I had [Creed] coming on right after so it makes it a little bit easier to swallow. I’m not sure [if we’ll get a sequel]. Honestly, there are so many things outside of the actor’s control. You know, as much as we want and we like these characters, and we like these worlds and stuff like that, we have such a small say in what goes on behind closed doors – all that other, extra stuff. Also, I love the character. I’m a big comic book fan, and that’s one of the reasons I wanted to do it in the first place. We’ll see what happens…”
…Fox and Marvel’s plans for the X-Men series Hellfire have been set back this week, with showrunners Evan Katz (24: Live Another Day) and Manny Coto (24) both departing in order to focus on Fox’s 24 spinoff 24: Legacy. Fox CEO Dana Walden said the project is still a priority for the network, but: “It’s unlikely it would be the fall. Potentially midseason but no immediate plans. “We’re still working on Hellfire Club. Obviously those executive producers are very busy with the film franchise and the FX show, so not sure…”
…In other Fox-related superhero news, the studio has tapped screenwriters Brandon and Phillip Murphy to write an adaptation of the Millarworld comic book series Superior from Mark Millar and Leinil Francis Yu, which tells the the story of Simon Pooni, a 12-year-old boy suffering from multiple sclerosis who is granted a wish from an alien monkey called Ormon and asks to become Superior, his favourite superhero. However, he then discovers that Ormon is actually a demon, and has to sell his soul to the devil in order to keep his powers. A potential release date and director are yet to be set, but Matthew Vaughn (Kick-Ass, Kingsman: The Secret Service) is on board to produce…
…And finally, for the second time, NBC has cancelled Heroes, with NBC Entertainment chairman Bob Greenblatt revealing that the event series Heroes Reborn will not be returning for a second season: “[One season] was always the plan, unless [creator Tim Kring] woke up one day and said, ‘Oh, I have another chapter to tell’. But I think we’re coming to the end of the world, maybe. Stay tuned.” Meanwhile, you can check out a preview of the now series finale here…
Gary Collinson is a writer and lecturer from the North East of England. He is the editor-in-chief of FlickeringMyth.com and the author of Holy Franchise, Batman! Bringing the Caped Crusader to the Screen.
