…It looks like 20th Century Fox may be moving ahead with another X-Men spinoff, with Logan director James Mangold revealing this week that he’s working on the story for a solo movie based around Dafne Keen’s Laura, a.k.a. X-23, and will pen the script with the character’s co-creator Craig Kyle (Thor: Ragnarok). “[Patty Jenkins’] success with [Wonder Woman] only solidifies more for studios that there’s less to fear with a female protagonist,” said Mangold. “The more that keeps getting hit home, that ends up giving me more space turning around and going, ‘Well, here we are with a female protagonist. That’s incredible. And what are we going to do with her?’ And that’s where we are with that [the Laura script] right now, dreaming.” Hugh Jackman quickly ruled out any involvement, including a producer credit, adding that: “No, I won’t be a producer on a Laura sequel. But I will be lining up on the Thursday night at 10 p.m. to watch it though. She is just phenomenal…”
…There’s a lot of high expectations for Deadpool 2 and its action sequences given new director David Leitch’s work on John Wick, and according to Josh Brolin, the sequel is going to feature much more in the way of action than that of its predecessor: “I had heard somewhere along the line, and I think it’s okay for me to say this, but I heard somewhere along the line that they felt the first Deadpool didn’t have enough action. With this movie, it’s just a different deal. David embraces what he’s very good at, which I think is very smart. There’s ton of action in it. The tease is, a guy who’s 49 years old on the cusp of 50 who got in the best shape of his life, especially exteriorly, and I was extremely disciplined throughout that whole thing. I got beat to shit on that movie. That’s all I know. I had stuntmen throwing me all over the place…”
…While we await some official casting news on Gambit, it has been reported this week that Oscar-winning costume designer Jenny Beavan (Mad Max: Fury Road) is set to reunite with her A Cure for Wellness director Gore Verbinski on the X-Men spinoff movie. Expect to hear plenty more news on Gambit over the coming weeks as it gears up to go into production early in the New Year…
…One comic book movie that did kick off production this week is Sony’s Spider-Man-less Spidey spinoff Venom, with the official Twitter account marking the occasion by sharing a behind-the-scenes image of Tom Hardy, who is leading the cast as Eddie Brock. Don’t expect to see Hardy in his Venom suit any time soon though, as Andy Serkis has revealed this week that Hardy is portraying the symbiote via performance capture. Ruben Fleischer is directing the film, which sees Hardy starring alongside Riz Ahmed, Michelle Williams, Jenny Slate, Reid Scott and Scott Haze…
…Read Rachel Bellwoar’s review of this week’s episode of The Gifted ‘eXit Strategy’ here, and we also have a promo for the upcoming fifth episode ‘boXed in’, which you can watch here. Meanwhile, Anna Paquin – whose husband and former True Blood star Stephen Moyer stars in the show – has seemingly ruled out a potential cameo as Rogue, stating that: “I feel like that would be distracting, honestly. I mean, look, who knows? But I feel like that’s one of those things that probably takes people out of the story in a weird way. If I was the creative force behind it, I’m not sure I would want to splice True Blood married people with different X-Men families. I feel like that might be a little schticky…”
…With the release of Justice League fast approaching, Warner Bros. is going crazy with the marketing campaign for the DC blockbuster as the superhero ensemble tracks a $120 million domestic opening. Among the wealth of promotional material this week we’ve had a brand new trailer and poster [see here], a poster, TV spots and behind-the-scenes images [see here], a batch of international character posters [see here], a Cyborg motion posters and images [see here], some new promotional stills [see here], a pair of one-sheets [see here], a Wonder Woman character featurette [watch it here], a Wonder Woman motion poster [see here] and details of the official tracklisting, as well as Danny Elfman’s ‘Hero’s Theme’ [listen to it here]…
…In other Justice League news, the official runtime has been announced at 121 minutes, making it the shortest entry of the DC Extended Universe to date (for comparison, Suicide Squad ran for 123 minutes, with Wonder Woman clocking in at 141 minutes, Man of Steel at 143 minutes, and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice for 151 minutes). Meanwhile, a rumoured character breakdown has given us some information on the film’s villain Steppenwolf [read it here], a cameo from Superman: The Movie’s Jimmy Olsen, actor Marc McClure, has been spotted in the promotional material [see here], Gal Gadot has revealed that they decided to retcon Wonder Woman’s history following her comment in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice that she walked away from mankind [read her comments here], Square Enix has unveiled some promo images of its Play Arts Kai Flash action figure [see here], and J.K. Simmons has said that work is underway on the screenplay for Justice League 2 [read his comments here]…
…Big news on the Shazam front this week, with the announcement yesterday that Zachary Levi (Chuck, Thor: Ragnarok) has secured the title role of Billy Batson’s superhero alter-ego in the upcoming DC movie. Shazam is being directed by David F. Sandberg (Annabelle: Creation), who confirmed this week that it is aiming for an April 2019 release, as well as stating that he is anticipating a backlash from some fans: “It will be an interesting experience making a movie where no matter what choices are made there will be some who passionately hate you…”
…In other DCEU news, a new visual effects featurette for Wonder Woman has arrived online detailing the making of the ‘Origins of the Amazons’ sequence [watch it here], rumours have suggested that Suicide Squad 2 will begin production in March 2018 under director Gavin O’Connor [read more here], and it has been reported that Joe Manganiello will indeed remain in the role of Slade Wilson, albeit in his own solo Deathstroke movie rather than The Batman, and with Gareth Evans (The Raid) said to be directing…
…Over on the small screen and you can take a look at Martin Carr’s review of this past Monday’s episode of Supergirl ‘Far From the Tree’ here, while we’ve also got a trailer, promo and images for the fourth episode ‘The Faithful’ [see here and here], along with a synopsis for the sixth episode ‘Midvale’ [read it here]…
…Read Jessie Robertson’s review of this week’s third episode of The Flash ‘Luck Be a Lady’ here, and take a look at a promo and images for the fourth episode ‘Elongated Journey Into Night’ [see here], a synopsis for the sixth episode ‘When Harry Met Harry’ [see here], and a new poster featuring Grant Gustin’s Scarlet Speedster and Carlos Valdes’ Vibe [see here]…
…Jessie has also reviewed this week’s episode of DC’s Legends of Tomorrow ‘Zari’, and you can read that here, while you may also be interested in a promo and images for the fourth episode ‘Phone Home’ [see here and here], and a synopsis for the sixth episode ‘Helen Hunt’ [see here]…
…We’ll have a review for Thursday’s Arrow soon, but in the meantime check out a promo and images for the fourth episode ‘Reversal’ [see here], along with a synopsis for the sixth episode ‘Promises Kept’ [see here]…
…Professor Pyg became the latest addition to the Gotham Rogue’s Gallery in this week’s episode ‘Hog Day Afternoon’. You can read Martin’s review of the episode here, while we also have a promo entitled ‘Welcome to Professor Pyg’s Slaughterhouse’ [watch it here], a promo and images for this week’s upcoming seventh episode ‘A Day in the Narrows’ [see here and here]…
…Michael Jelenic (Teen Titans Go!, Batman vs. Two-Face) has revealed that he pitched Warner Bros. an animated adaptation of the abandoned Tim Burton / Nicolas Cage Man of Steel reboot Superman Lives: “I had a big pitch, and they took it seriously for a second, to do Tim Burton’s Superman…to do that animated,” said Jelenic, before responding to a reporter’s comment that Nic Cage would do it by stating “He would absolutely do it..!”
…And finally, Larry Wilmore (In Living Color) and Bassem Youssef (Tickling Giants) are developing an as-yet-untitled comedy series for ABC which revolves around a Middle Eastern family with superpowers. The as-yet-untitled single-camera comedy follows the Sharifs, “an ordinary Middle Eastern American family with two superhero parents at a time when it’s illegal to be a superhero, so they are forced to save the world in secret.” The show will “highlight some of the issues that immigrant families face when it comes to fitting into a society that at many times treats you like the enemy.”
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.
