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Exclusive First Look: Breach by W.L. Goodwater

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The Magicians meets Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy in this Cold War fantasy novel in which the Berlin Wall is made of magic...

NewsKayti Burt
Feb 20, 2018

We have an exclusive first look at the cover for Breach, an upcoming alternative history fantasy novel that reimagines the Berlin Wall as built by Soviet magicians. It's being described as The Magicians meets Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, which sounds amazing and fits right in with the recent resurgence in pop culture interest surrounding the Cold War period. 

"The Berlin Wall's magic was supposed to last forever..." reads the tagline on the cover. We're already deeply intrigued by this premise, and this electrifying cover, with a line of light representing the magical Berlin Wall dividing the city, is just icing on the cake. Check it out...

Breach, a Cold War Magic Novel, is the first for author W.L. Goodwater, who lives with his wife and son on the coast. In addition to his writing, Goodwater designs software and teaches fencing.

Here's the full, official synopsis from Ace, the imprint publishing the novel:

AFTER THE WAR, THE WALL BROUGHT AN UNEASY PEACE.

When Soviet magicians conjured an arcane Wall to blockade occupied Berlin, the world was outraged, but let it stand for the sake of peace. Now after ten years of fighting with spies instead of spells, the CIA has discovered the unthinkable:

THE WALL IS FAILING.

While refugees and soldiers mass along the border, operatives from East and West converge on the most dangerous city in the world to stop the crisis or take advantage of it.

Karen, a young magician with the American Office of Magical Research and Deployment, is sent to investigate the breach in the Wall and see if it can be fixed. Instead she will discover that the truth is elusive in this divided city, and that even magic itself has its own agenda.

THE TRUTH OF THE WALL IS ABOUT TO BE REVEALED.

Breach hits the shelves on November 6th, 2018, just a few days before the 29th anniversary of the Berlin Wall falling.


All Our Wrong Todays Review

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Screenwriter Elan Mastai's debut novel is the perfect genre read for anyone who worries they're in The Darkest Timeline.

ReviewKayti Burt
Feb 20, 2018

All Our Wrong Todays, screenwriter Elan Mastai's debut novel, could not have come out at a topical time. The time travel story's protagonist, Tom Barren, doesn't have to wonder if he is living in the wrong timeline. He knows he is. After all, he was the one who messed it up.

Tom comes from an alternate utopian timeline where retrofuturist ideas like flying cars actually came to be. It is only through his own irresponsible time travel machinations that our present was formed. I'll leave you, dear reader, to decide if it is The Darkest Timeline or not. 

There's something slightly comforting, not to mention generically clever, about spending time in a fictional reality where our timeline is the "wrong" one. The conceit casts All Our Wrong Todays' often unlikable protagonist as our closest confidante. Or, more accurately, we're his closest confidante. It is unsettling, at times, to be so strapped to such a self-indulgent, thoughtless narrator. As the book progresses, Tom begins to gain some perspective on how his actions affect others, but it literally takes him diverting history for the lesson to sink in. A self-centered privileged man with the power to change history and the perspective of a grasshopper: another topical element of this book.

A self-aware "memoir," All Our Wrong Todays has an unusual structure for a time travel novel. It has the tenor of an oral story, but the ambitious plot and worldbuilding of a much more traditional science fiction tome. The book has been described in some places as a sci-fi novel for those who don't necessarily like science fiction. It has a literary bent, and is more akin to something like The Time Traveler's Wife than The Time Machine.  

Mastai does a good job capturing the inherent tragedy in time travel and the realities of life not even temporal shenanigans can cure: losing your youthful energy, losing your loved ones, losing your life. But it is trying to tell a much larger-scale story than a story like The Time Traveler's Wife, and it loses something intimate in the proces, despite its memoir-like format.

Like his script for romantic comedy What If, Mastai's strength is not in characterization or character dynamics so much as big ideas and existential questioning. What makes a successful life? What makes a successful timeline? 

UnlikeWhat If's main character, Tom has a much better reason for being upset at the world (or, in this case, the multiverse) and the relative lack of depth or detail in the connection between Tom and his lady love Penny comes with a reason that holds weight — though one I cannot elaborate here as it is one of the big twists that fly at you in this book's roller coaster of a final act.

All Our Wrong Todays sets itself up to say some grand, insightful things about the nature of our reality versus other possible ones, but never fully delivers. However, it does succeed as a fun, fast-paced, thought-provoking ride — the perfect novel for someone looking to indulge in the possibility that this is not the world we were supposed to grow into.

Marvel Reboot Coming in May

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Just in time for Avengers: Infinity War, Marvel is giving its line a "fresh start."

NewsMike Cecchini
Feb 21, 2018

Marvel Comics hasn't exactly had the kind of sustained creative success that we've seen from Marvel Studios over the last few years. Yes, there are good books, even great books (notably Ta-Nehisi Coates and Brian Stelfreeze's Black Panther, Mark Waid and Chris Samnee's Captain America, Gerry Duggan and Aaron Kuder's Guardians of the Galaxy, and Jason Aaron and Russell Dauterman's The Mighty Thor), but sales have been dragging and events have struggled to excite fans. Civil War II was met with derision, Secret Empire with controversy, while Legacy, which was intended to be an attempt to return the line to greatness, was largely met with indifference.

One of the key "features" of Legacy turned out to be a bug. For years, Marvel has relaunched books with new first issues and then relaunched them again with new first issues, usually when a new creative team would come on board. In some respects, it's a handy way to let fans who might only be making their way into comic shops for the first time (or the first time in ages) because of Marvel's movies or TV shows know where they can jump on. But there's also a school of thought that saw the constant parade of first issues (Guardians of the Galaxy has had three different #1s since 2013, with something like five for Captain America) as a marketing gimmick intended to drive up sales via the perceived "collectibility" factor.

So Legacy reverted books to their "original" numberings, rather than relaunch with new #1s...which makes sense for something like Captain America, which needed a new creative team and is approaching its 700th issue. But in some cases, as in Coates'Black Panther, a relatively stable creative team/ongoing book jumped from #18 to #166. And how they arrived at that #166 was by totaling up all the different Black Panther series, and adding in some fuzzy math, and, well...even as a seasoned comic book fan, I find this all confusing. You can imagine how it all looks to someone who's trying to either discover comics or get back into them after a long hiatus.

So less than a year after the Legacy initiative, Marvel is switching gears yet again, embracing a linewide relaunch that will begin in May, and that they're touting with "new creative teams, new series, new directions [and] new beginnings." Honestly, Marvel needs it. And with Avengers: Infinity War opening on May 4, the publisher is going to want to make it as easy as possible for all those ticket buyers who want to pick up a comic book.

This back to basics approach has worked well for Marvel's chief competition, DC Comics, who in 2016, in the face of increasing fan indifference, "fixed" its line with a relaunch called Rebirth. Rebirth restored some characters to their original costumes, brought back legacy characters who had been lost to a compressed timeline after a 2011 reboot, and generally made things feel like DC Comics again. If Marvel can replicate the goodwill DC found with Rebirth, then it can have all the first issues it wants.

To kind of lay things out for how this is going to go, Marvel has released a teaser...

There aren't many details about "Fresh Start" just yet. But considering that Free Comic Book Day is May 5, the day after Infinity War opens, that seems like the most likely place for Marvel to release its preview title. This isn't a "back to the beginning" reboot, but rather just a creative relaunch with new first issues and easy jumping on points for new readers.

Some books and creative teams have started to be announced, including a brand new Avengers series from Jason Aaron and Ed McGuinness. We'll update this with more info as it becomes available.

All cynicism aside, it looks like May will be an easy way to get into Marvel Comics. Hopefully, Marvel will get it right this time.

Amazon to Adapt Sci-Fi Novel Consider Phlebas for TV

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Consider Phlebas, the acclaimed sci-fi novel series by Iain M. Banks, is getting a prestigious TV adaptation for Amazon.

NewsJoseph Baxter
Feb 21, 2018

Amazon’s interminable project backlog of genre-driven peak television offerings just added a major mythology. Amazon Video, the streaming service of the online retail leviathan, has acquired the global rights to a TV adaptation of Consider Phlebas, which was the canonical starting point of author Iain M. Banks’s celebrated books, collectively known as the “Culture” series.

Consider Phlebas, a sprawling 10-book, epoch-spanning, space-set sci-fi novel series, will serve as the launching point for Amazon’s Culture series TV endeavor. The project has been put into development, arriving as a production of Plan B Entertainment, with the estate of author Iain M. Banks serving as executive producer. The creative stewardship of the project has been placed in the hands of Dennis Kelly, the screenwriter behind the 2013-2014 cult favorite U.K. sci-fi series, Utopia, as well as the 2014 Jude Law-starring thriller film, Black Sea. He also worked on a rewrite of the script to the upcoming World War Z 2.

As Kelly expresses in a statement:

“Iain Banks has long been a hero of mine, and his innate warmth, humor and humanism shines through these novels. Far from being the dystopian nightmares that we are used to, Banks creates a kind of flawed paradise, a society truly worth fighting for—rather than a warning from the future, his books are a beckoning.”

The story of the 1987 novel, Consider Phlebas, centers on Horza, a shapeshifting mercenary who’s immersed in an intergalactic conflagration of civilizations between the Culture – a technology-dependent A.I.-driven utopia that has become detached from its humanity – and the Idiran Empire – a spiritual, warlike, domination-driven society. Horza, working on behalf of the Idirans, is tasked with recovering a crucial missing A.I. component of the Culture, called “the Mind,” which, wielding an immense power, has the potential to destroy the Culture completely. However, the task itself is deeply immersed in the fog of war, raising ambiguities about the means and methods of each side. 

As Sharon Tal Yguado, recently-appointed Head of Scripted Series at Amazon Studios, comments on the acquisition:

“The story of the Culture is so rich and captivating that for years Hollywood has been trying to bring this utopian society to life on the screen. We are honored that we have been chosen, along with Dennis Kelly and Plan B Entertainment, to make Consider Phlebas into a television series we think will be loved by fans for years to come.”

The Culture series of Iain M. Banks (who passed away in 2013 from gallbladder cancer,) spans 10 volumes, starting with 1987’s Consider Phlebas, ending with 2012’s The Hydrogen Sonata– a release that Banks was well aware would be his final Culture book as his condition worsened. Indeed, the influence of the Culture series is deceptively far-reaching, and this television deal even garnered special acknowledgement from Amazon's $120 billion overlord himself, Jeff Bezos, in a praise-bestowing tweet.

Consider Phlebas will join a lineup of prominent developing television projects that includes, amongst many others, a highly-anticipated The Lord of the Rings prequel series, which reportedly set Amazon back some $250 million.

Fraggle Rock Returns!

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A new Fraggle Rock miniseries is coming, just in time for the franchise's 35th anniversary.

NewsChris Cummins
Feb 21, 2018

Are you ready to dance your cares away again?

As impossible as it may be to believe, it's been 35 years since Jim Henson's Fraggle Rockfirst debuted on HBO. In case you weren't around back then, it's important to remember that the series felt risky at the time due to how it starred all-new characters, even as The Muppets were still enjoying massive worldwide success. (Not to mention how HBO and cable television weren't nearly as ubiquitous in the 1980s as they are today, potentially limiting the show's exposure to the type of success it could potentially have were it to be broadcast on NBC, CBS, or ABC).

And while Gobo, Mokey, Wembley, Boober, and Red never had the massive and immediate recognition as Kermit and Miss Piggy, their show was popular enough to run five seasons and 96 episodes -- and that's not even getting into how their appearance in 1987's A Muppet Family Christmas united the Hensonverse.

Over the decades, the show's reputation has continued to grow due to how Fraggle Rock refused to talk down to its young viewers. It was just as smart and silly as Sesame Street, and educational as well, albeit in a much more subtle way. Today it is remembered -- as is the animated spin-off it spawned -- as programming that is representative of the unique entertainment magic that Henson left behind after his untimely death in 1990.

Like many of Henson's projects, Fraggle Rock made the leap to the comics pages, first as one of the flagship titles in Marvel's Star Comics line of books geared towards younger readers, and more recently through BOOM! Studios' Archaia Entertainment imprint. With the 35th anniversary of Fraggle Rock now underway, BOOM! has just announced plans to once again immerse readers in the fun and excitement of the Land of the Gorgs with a new four-issue mini series. Printed in a deluxe 8" x 8" format, these new comics will each showcase a stand-alone story featuring the franchise's most-loved characters. Hitting stores in May, the debut issue features a new Mokey-centric tale written and illustrated by Jared Cullum. (Jake Myler will provide a variant cover). Take a look:

Discussing his work on the first issue, Cullum sums up his thoughts on why Fraggle Rock continues to endure:

“Fraggle Rock was an exceptionally unique show where the characters were never 2-dimensional. They have authentic feelings, character flaws, and learned, as we do in life, through stumbling to the right decision in a very immersive and connective way,” said Jared Cullum. “It will always resonate with our hearts.”

Seeing how Fraggle Rock is an escape where you can save your "worries for another day," visiting there is always a welcome thing -- in comics, on screen, or both. We're excited about this.

Hulk Returns to Marvel

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Bruce Banner will return as Hulk in Avengers this spring. He's also angry.

NewsJim Dandy
Feb 22, 2018

Bruce Banner returns to the pages of Marvel Comics as the Hulk this March.

Banner died in the pages of Civil War II #3, and hasn't been seen in the pages of Marvel Comics since that July, 2016 comic. While he was gone, Amadeus Cho held the Hulk title in the pages of Champions and his own, delightful Totally Awesome Hulk. "No Surrender" is a crossover running through Avengers, U.S. Avengers and Uncanny Avengers that seems to be setting a new status quo for Marvel's Nu  sorry Fresh Start

As part of the ongoing "No Surrender" crossover running through three Avengers books to start the year, it looks like we'll be getting the classic Green Goliath back, and according to press accounts and this video released by Marvel, he's madder than ever before.

I'll be 100% honest here, if I died in midsummer 2016 and came back to life in spring 2018, I would take a look around and be pretty pissed too.

For more on Hulk's return or why he might be angry, stick with Den of Geek!

Flashpoint’s Kiersey Clemons Joins Zorro Reboot Z

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Kiersey Clemons, co-star of DC’s upcoming Flash reboot movie, joins director Jonas Cuaron's long-developing Zorro reboot, Z.

NewsJoseph Baxter
Feb 22, 2018

Zorro reboot movie Z, which has been languishing in developmental purgatory, just dropped some news to let the world know that it’s still a thing. While the last update, revealing that Mozart in the Jungle star, Gael García Bernal, was set for the swashbuckling title role, arrived nearly two years ago, the film has an exciting new cast addition in Kiersey Clemons.

Z has cast surging starlet Kiersey Clemons for an unspecified role, reports Screen Daily. Considering that Clemons is riding quite a wave of momentum, it would not be outrageous to speculate that her role in the film will be as its female co-lead. Indeed, a breakthrough in 2015’s Dope seriously elevated Clemons’s stock, landing her the co-lead role in DC/Warner’s developing spinoff/reboot of The Flash– titled Flashpoint– as love interest Iris West, opposite Ezra Miller’s version of the titular scarlet speedster and Justice League team member.  

As producer Mark Amin expresses of the cast acquisition of Clemons:

“Kiersey is an extraordinary young talent and we are delighted to have her join a growing list of unique actors who will inhabit the imaginative world of Jonás’s Z.”

While Zorro, the venerable pulp-originated, sword-swinging, justice-reaping masked vigilante of 19th century Spanish California, has been adapted in myriad media manifestations, Z will reportedly put a modern spin on the traditional story, attempting to reach a new audience. Jonás Cuarón was appointed director and screenwriter (after a draft by scribe Glenn Gers,) back in February of 2016, brandishing only a few feature directorial credits with 2015’s Desierto and 2007’s Year of the Nail. Yet, his other hat as a screenwriter yielded him a BAFTA award in 2014 for his work on the celebrated space thriller, Gravity, which was directed and co-written by his father, Alfonso Cuarón.

For Clemons, who is still waiting on DC’s delay-stricken Flashpoint (which is currently penciled in for a 2020 release,) this role in Z joins a film backlog that includes horror thriller Sweetheart and comedy An L.A. Minute. She was last seen in January-released films in musical Hearts Beat Loud and comedy Little Bitches, and will next appear on television as a new main cast addition for the fourth season of the TBS comedy series, Angie Tribeca.

With this development, news on Z should start arriving at a more regular pace.

On Chesil Beach Trailer: Saoirse Ronan Stars in Ian McEwan Adaptation

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Lady Bird's Saoirse Ronan stars alongside Billy Howle in the adaptation of Ian McEwan's novel about young, uncertain lovers.

NewsKayti Burt
Feb 22, 2018

On Chesil Beach, the film adaptation of Ian McEwan's bestselling novel, has a trailer, and it showcases what looks like another star performance from Lady Bird's Saoirse Ronan, who stars alongside British actor Billy Howle.

This will the second time the young actors will be appearing together. The two both starred in the yet-to-be-released film adaptation of The Seagull. Previously, Howle has appeared in TV series Glue, and is set to appear in the upcomingThe Sense of an Ending

On Chesil Beach tells the story of two newlyweds from different social background on their wedding night in 1960s England. The story, which is really more of a novella at 166 pages, focuses on both husband and wife's unspoken anxieties and differing desires on their wedding night. It is a slow, sad story very much routed in a specic intersection of place and time. It will be wonderful to see what Ronan — and the other creators attached to the project — can do with the film.

Ronan's casting seems particularly fitting given that it was another Ian McEwan novel adaptation — Atonement — where many film viewers first saw Ronan. She was only 12 when she played Young Briony in the 2007 film. She was nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for the role and director Joe Wright was so impressed with her work he would go on to cast her in the title role for Hanna. 

On Chesil Beach is produced by Number 9 Films' Elizabeth Karlsen and Stephen Woolley — aka the team behind Carol. Karolsen and Woolley also worked with Ronan in vampire film Byzantium. 

The film was directed by Dominic Cooke, who is coming from a theater background as a director and playwright. This is his first feature film project, but he has earned serious acclaim as a theater director as the former creative director for the Royal Court Theatre. His 2007 revival of The Crucible for the Royal Shakespeare Company took home the Laurence Olivier Award for best director in 2007.

Though Cooke has never directed for film before, he has stepped behind the camera for the TV continuation of The Hollow Crown miniseries — aka a series of Shakespeare's history plays adapted for television. 


The Tick: The History of a Laugh-Out-Loud Superhero Satire

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The Tick is back on Amazon Prime Video and it's tremendous fun. Here's how the show achieves what its creator envisioned 21 years ago...

FeatureRon Hogan
Feb 23, 2018

In 1994, I was about to be a freshman in high school. Despite being “too old” for cartoons, there wasn’t really anything else on television on Saturday mornings while I was waiting for wrestling to show up on my television screen. I remember most of the cartoons I saw only in the vaguest terms: the creepy face of Louie Anderson’s gargoyle animated child or a screaming purple cat. I know the name of both shows because I looked them up prior to writing this article, but I couldn’t tell you anything about them. However, one show I watched regularly in the mid to late '90s stuck with me well into adulthood, and that’s the 1994-96 animated version of The Tick.

Some of the things said in The Tick have stuck with me for my entire adult life. “Spoon!” and “Not in the face!” were my macro battle cries in World of Warcraft. I have vivid memories of Chairface Chippendale—a supervillain with a chair for a head for some reason—and Sarcarstro (sarcastic Castro, obviously). Die Fledermaus made me research the actual German opera. Sewer Urchin and American Maid were just amusing. But at the centrepiece of the whole thing were The Tick and Arthur.

The Tick’s origin story is befitting any superhero. He’s changed various times according to the media telling the story, but the fictional backstory of the character isn’t quite as interesting as the actual backdrop to the character’s creation.

In 1986, 18-year-old Ben Edlund created a mascot for a Massachusetts comic book store chain called New England Comics. The Tick, then in black and white, started out as just a character for a newsletter, but over time, small stories began to feature The Tick, growing to three-page spreads and, eventually, a stand-alone black-and-white comic book paid for by New England Comics. The Tick proved so successful that the initial Tick stories were reprinted nine times in the decade following the character’s debut, each time with new material added to the story. While attending MassArt, Edlund created a whole other litany of strange characters with names like Paul the Samurai, Chainsaw Vigilante, Man-Eating Cow, and of course, Arthur, the flying accountant who made his debut in Tick #4.

Not bad for a character that started his comic book life as an escaped mental patient whose main powers are optimism, child-like enthusiasm, gigantic size, and nigh-indestructability. The Tick was comic books turned surreal, with the lead character spouting incomprehensible “speeches” and besting “supervillains” with the help of “super friends” who were all dumbed-down parodies of existing superhero properties with more adult humor and situations than your standard DC or Marvel cape. It was weird, and it was popular.

The Tick and his low-rent friends were turned into an animated television show in 1994 by Fox. A similar independent comic book that satirised comic books had been turned in to a wildly successful cartoon series and toy line not too long before. Perhaps you’re familiar with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles? Inspired by the Turtles, Sunbow Entertainment paired Edlund with a writer to crank out a pilot script that Fox promptly rejected. Edlund and Richard Liebmann-Smith (assigned to the project by Sunbow) rewrote the pilot in five sleepless days and got their show picked up. Joining the writing staff at that time was Christopher McCullough, who had worked on Tick comic scripts with Edlund and who would later go on to become one of the creators of the masterful '60s adventure cartoon pastiche The Venture Brothers (another favorite of mine).

From this five-day wonder of a script would come the first season of The Tick, which was a critical success but never quite spawned the toy line Fox and Sunbow were dreaming about. Still, The Tick lasted three seasons on Fox, and was picked up in syndication by Comedy Central, which helped the show find an older audience than Saturday mornings typically offered. The Tick’s voice cast was a who’s-who of cartoon voices, which no doubt helped the show find its feet. The Tick was voiced by the legendary Townsend Coleman (Michelangelo from the Ninja Turtles), with Rob Paulsen (Raphael in the original TNMT, Donatello in the current series) taking over from Mickey Dolenz as Arthur in the second season. Cam Clarke (Leonardo) features as Tick ally Die Fledermaus. Jess “Wakko Warner” Harnell was Sewer Urchin and personal favourite Human Bullet (whose power basically involves loading himself into a cannon and firing himself at The City blindly), and Kay Lenz played American Maid. Filling out the rogue’s gallery are legends like Charlie “Buster Bunny” Adler, Jeff “Johnny Bravo” Bennett, Pat Fraley (59 different TMNT characters alone), Jennifer Hale, Brad Garrett, Dorian Harewood, Zander Berkeley, Dan Castellaneta, Mark Hamill, Tony Jay, Maurice LaMarche (as the incredible The Evil Midnight Bomber What Bombs At Midnight), Bobcat Goldthwait, Tress MacNeille, Roddy McDowall, Laraine Newman, Pat Musick, Kevin Michael Richardson, and Mark Hamill.

A loaded voice cast like that would no doubt help any show continue on long past its cancellation date, and after the success of The Tick in syndication, Fox had the idea to bring the show back as a live-action sitcom with an equally star-studded cast. 2001’s live-action The Tick featured Patrick Warburton—as good a live-action Tick as you could get in 2001—in the big blue suit and David Burke donning the bunny/moth outfit as Arthur. Rounding out the featured players were Liz Vassey as Liberty Maid and the brilliant Nestor Carbonell as Batmanuel. American Maid and Die Fledermaus were owned by Disney were unavailable due to licensing issues, to Ben Edlund took his parodies of Wonder Woman and Batman and made parodies of those parodies.

The show restored a lot of the comic book’s more adult humor, and essentially eliminated action scenes to try for a more sitcom vibe. Going for it were strong backers in director Barry Sonnenfeld (riding high after Men In Black) and producer Larry Charles, fresh off Seinfeld and Mad About You. You’d think backing like that would mean Fox would open the purse for The Tick, but alas, that was not the case. After all, this is Fox we’re talking about, who have a checkered history where their more interesting properties are concerned. Even with The Tick being a costumed sitcom, it was still a little too much for Fox to feel comfortable with.

The Tick suffered budget problems almost immediately, as months would pass between the filming of individual episodes due to a lack of funding from the parent network. Fox didn’t own the show, and as such, didn’t really put a lot of promotional muscle behind it. Fearing a writers' strike and bolstered by the show’s initial success, The Tick was put in competition with two TV juggernauts, NBC’s Must-See TV lineup that Charles helped create and the immortal reality TV juggernaut Survivor. Eight of the nine episodes aired, and The Tickwas put out to pasture by Fox. The show remained a cult favourite, and DVD sales did well, but following the live-action death of the big blue bug, the property went into stasis. The popular critical opinion at the time was that the show was simply too good to last. Cast and crew all look back fondly on it, with Patrick Warburton having taken one of the Tick suits from the production, Nestor Carbonell calling it one of his favourite projects, and Barry Sonnenfeld calling the Tick’s pilot the best thing he’s ever directed.

Watch The Tick on Amazon Prime

A good property will never go away. Ben Edlund kept busy working on shows like Angel and Firefly with occasional collaborator Joss Whedon and The Venture Brothers with McCullough and Doc Hammer, but The Tick has stayed in the public consciousness for three decades because as super hero movies get bigger and more explosive, there’s a market for someone to show up and have a little fun with the concept again. The '80s were the decade of Superman, the early 2000s were the turf of Batman, and in the Marvel world we live in, why not bring The Tick back once again? This time, Amazon has picked up the cult series (no doubt spurred by Tick DVD sales throughout the years) and is giving The Tick another shot at critical and commercial success.

Admittedly, the third go-round at telling the story of The Tick leans heavily on familiar names and faces behind the scenes. Patrick Warburton isn’t in the suit, but he is a producer along with current Tick Peter Serafinowicz. Executive producers of the 2001 Tick, Barry Josephson and Barry Sonnenfeld, are back behind the scenes of this Tick in the same role. Unsurprisingly, Ben Edlund has had a great deal of contribution to the show, both as a producer and as a writer. Even Colleen Atwood, four-time Oscar-winning costume designer, is back to do the show’s updated version of The Tick’s blue super suit/body, but most of the elements in front of the camera have been refreshed.

Arthur (Griffin Newman) is traditionally depicted as a sort of rabbit/moth hybrid to much comic confusion, looks a little bit less like a pair of coveralls with bunny ears. It looks familiar—you can tell it’s Arthur—but the ears have been replaced by feathers and look much more moth-like; Arthur’s suit also looks significantly more like tactical material. The Tick still has moving antennae, but his outfit is a little less shiny blue plastic this time around, going for something that looks a little more protective, like plate armour, rather than vanity molding ab muscles or the more organic look of the pilot episode. Side characters are an interesting assortment of looks and feels. Some, like Overkill (Scott Speiser), would fit into the dark-and-gritty DC universe. Others, like Ramses (Michael Cerveris) and the Eye Of Horus gang, would be at home on the Adam West Batman series. Ms. Lint (Yara Martinez) and Arthur's sister Dot (Valorie Curry) fall somewhere in Marvel Cinematic Universe territory. Dangerboat (Alan Tudyk) is pure 80s cheese (and perhaps a bonus Simpsons reference).

Arthur’s change isn’t simply in costume, but in character. He’s still an accountant, but he’s also now the main character of the show. The Tick is obviously highly involved, but the first six episodes lean more on Arthur’s life and his slow introduction into the world of being an official AEGIS-registered superhero rather than just a traumatized conspiracy theorist who alternates between boring office job and newspaper-and-string amateur investigator. In that way, he’s a solid introduction into a new world, filling in the back-story of The Terror (a brilliant Jackie Earle Haley) and giving The Tick a world-class straight-man to bounce his big heroic speeches and amusingly off-beat comments against.

Amazon’s The Tick, at its core, remains what Ben Edlund envisioned 21 years ago. It’s a satire of superhero stories. As such, every superhero iteration finds itself poked, gently or not, by the writing staff (which has a ton of Joss Whedon connections). The way a character looks tends to influence how they’re played and what they’re satirising. It seems nothing avoids mockery, right down to the fact that the mob doctor’s assistant Dot is recognized by the very thugs menacing her when she’s around Arthur. Dangerboat and Overkill have a very Odd Couple relationship, assuming Felix lived inside Oscar and Oscar was a talking crime-fighting boat. The episodes are rich with one-liners and witty visual jokes; I can’t think of a single episode that I saw that didn’t make me laugh out loud at least once, and I watched them by myself with headphones on.

The character relationships drive a lot of the humor, as should be the case. The 2001 show and the cartoon both made a lot of hay out of suits in domestic situations, and this show is no exception. The relationship between The Tick and Arthur is really funny, and pleasantly warm, with Tick actively trying to bolster Arthur’s fragile ego. Arthur and Dot have a solid family relationship; she’s the sister taking care of her brother, until it’s time for the brother to take care of his sister. Ms. Lint’s relationships with The Terror and her scenes with her ex-husband (who she lives with in a shared apartment) are also a surprising amount of fun. Seeing domestic drama between a supervillain with electricity powers and a guy in a tie-dyed shirt rocking out to 311 is just really odd in a clever sort of way, as is the mentor/mentee relationship established between Ms. Lint and The Terror.

Arthur might be the show’s lead character, but The Tick is still The Tick, and he’s still the show’s heart and soul. Peter Serafinowicz is brilliant in the role. Not as bulky as Patrick Warburton, but he’s tall and looks great in the suit. More importantly, he’s able to sell The Tick’s unique combination of child-like wonder and bluster without it feeling overly silly. The Tick believes his nonsense wholeheartedly, and Serafinowicz sells that easily thanks to his expressive eyes and his skill as a voice-over artist filling in the gaps where facial expressions are limited thanks to his mask.

Even when The Tick isn’t the focus in a scene, he’s a joy to watch because he’s always got something going on without trying to steal focus away from the foreground. He’s just a really fascinating character and naturally captivating; once upon a time, Ben Edlund changed The Tick’s costume to blue rather than brown because it looked better in print, and this holds true on film. He’s the most super of the introduced superheroes, save faux-Superman Superian (Brendan Hines), with the grin to match his strength.

One of The Tick’s favorite utterances, when confronted by some bit of science that he doesn’t understand, is “Neat.” The Tick is neat. Whether it’s going for something small or something big and broad, The Tick packs a comedy punch almost as strong as the titular character. The Tick is great in doses small or big, and there’s enough compelling characters around him to keep the show fresh and interesting. I have no doubt that future seasons, will be just as good.

Avengers Getting a Fresh Start at Marvel

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Jason Aaron and Ed McGuinness are taking over Marvel's Avengers in May.

NewsJim Dandy
Feb 23, 2018

As part of Marvel's Clean BreakFresh Start initiative coming in May, Jason Aaron (The Mighty Thor) and Ed McGuinness (Hulk) are relaunching Avengers with a new #1 and a new team lineup this May.

The series is a back-to-basics approach for the team, and as such is reuniting the big three for the first time in years. This new team of Avengers will include Steve Rogers as Captain America, Tony Stark as Iron Man, Thor Odinson, Captain Marvel, Jennifer Walters as Hulk, Robbie Reyes' Ghost Rider, Black Panther, and (for a temporary period) Doctor Strange.

Aaron is now wrapping his epic run on The Mighty Thor, where he's brought all ten realms to war multiple times, and is probably killing Jane Foster right before this comic launches. Aaron told IGN, “We wanted to get back to a small, core lineup, with big, iconic characters at the heart of that. So we get Steve, Tony, and Thor Odinson back together at the heart of this new team, and the rest of the team we build around them over the course of the first arc."

This relaunch coincides with the culmination of the Marvel Cinematic Universe on the big screen - Avengers: Infinity War releases on May 4th. 

"My aim with this series is basically, if you only read one Marvel comic..." said Aaron, "If you picked this book up, this would show you the landscape of the Marvel universe issue after issue. We want to feature the biggest characters and go to the coolest, most exotic locations around the Marvel U.”

There are no mutants or Fantastic family members on this team.

It's not clear yet how this relates to Marvel's Free Comic Book Day Avengers special, although that's likely to be the jumping on point for the new status quo. You can get a look at the cover here...

For more information on Avengers, stick with Den of Geek! For uncolored preview art from Avengers #1, keep scrolling! Then stick with Den of Geek!

Superman Reboot Details

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Brian Michael Bendis will write three Superman series for DC, including a Man of Steel origin story.

NewsMike Cecchini
Feb 23, 2018

Sometimes, Superman fans can feel like we're a neglected bunch. The Man of Steel may be DC's flagship character, and the superhero against which all others are judged, but frankly, he's been living in Batman's shadow for over 20 years now, and that's a little tiresome. But DC sure is looking to change that in 2018.

In just the last few weeks, DC has revealed the return of Superman's classic costume and the celebratory Action Comics #1000, which features work from some of comics' greatest talents. March sees the TV premiere of Krypton, which I'm not allowed to say too much about just yet but I promise is going to make Kryptonian scholars very happy. They even just announced plans for a Metropolis TV series focusing on Lois Lane and Lex Luthor. And don't forget we have new episodes of Supergirl to look forward to every Monday.

To top it all off, DC is celebrating Superman's 80th birthday by turning over comic book writing duties to one of the most influential creators of this generation, Brian Michael Bendis. Bendis' jump from Marvel to DC was headline news a few months ago, and there has been endless speculation about which character the writer would tackle first. The answer, of course, is Superman. Mr. Bendis will oversee a creative refresh of the Superman titles, with a new mini-series, a relaunched and renumbered Superman, and flagship title Action Comics.

Bendis' first work on Superman will come in a short story in Action Comics #1000 (with art by Jim Lee), arriving in April. This will be followed by Man of Steel, a six-issue weekly miniseries, which will kick off on May 30th. Man of Steel "will shake up the classic story of Krypton’s final days and Kal-El’s path to becoming an iconic hero, introducing a new villain that knows a terrifying secret behind the destruction of Superman’s homeworld."

Man of Steel will feature a powerhouse roster of artists, including Ivan Reis, Evan “Doc” Shaner (a favorite of mine), Ryan Sook, Kevin Maguire, Adam Hughes, and Jason Fabok. There's also a Man of Steel prelude which will appear as part of the DC Nation #0 preview sampler on May 2nd (that features art by legendary DC star Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez).

Check out this gorgeous Ivan Reis art for the interlocking covers of Man of Steel...

Bendis will then move to a brand new Superman #1 (with art by Ivan Reis) which arrives on July 11. Superman will deal with the fallout from Man of Steel and promises to build on the work done by the current creative team of Peter J. Tomasi and Patrick Gleason. He'll also handle writing duties on Action Comics beginning with issue #1001 (with art by Patrick Gleason), which arrives on July 25. Action Comics under Bendis and Gleason will "spotlight more of Clark Kent and his role at the Daily Planet [and] take a closer look at how the actions of Superman impact the DC Universe."

There will also be a "Bendis-curated custom imprint of titles" arriving in 2018 that "will feature some of Bendis’ all-time favorite characters in very unique and unusual situations, combined with new characters created specifically for this new imprint." I have to wonder if this will be a DC Comics Presents style team-up book which will allow him to get a feel for other characters in the DCU, but note this is just speculation on my part.

The parallels between Brian Michael Bendis' DC arrival and John Byrne's over 30 years ago are unavoidable. Like Bendis, Byrne had made his name as a distinctly Marvel-centric creator, doing career defining work with the X-Men, Fantastic Four, Namor, and others, and when he was lured to DC, he was given the keys to the Superman titles. Byrne completely rebooted the Superman mythos with a six-issue Man of Steel limited series and renumbered Superman with a new #1. Action Comics became a DC Comics Presents style team-up book, while Adventures of Superman (under the stellar creative team of Marv Wolfman and Jerry Ordway) focused more on the Daily Planet. Bendis, coincidentally, was the writer of a Byrne/MoS style modernization of an iconic character, with the launch of Ultimate Spider-Man at Marvel in 2000 with artist Mark Bagley. This was a title so influential that it helped sow the seeds of not just big screen Spidey adventures, but the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe.

While it seems pretty clear that Bendis isn't involved in a full blown continuity reboot (fans should be comforted by the fact that the work being done by Tomasi, Gleason, and Jurgens isn't getting paved over), the return of the classic costume and the introduction of new elements to the origin story makes this feel like a nod to Superman reboots of yore. And the covers of the Man of Steel miniseries make it clear that they are going to revisit the origin story in some detail, as well. With the level of artistic talent joining these titles, the only downside is that the fan favorite work being done by Tomasi/Gleason on Superman and Dan Jurgens and others on Action Comics has to come to an end. Those books are the best that the Superman comics have been in ages. 

It's also worth noting that Man of Steel is the 2nd big DC weekly series/relaunch recently announced, and it looks like there are more coming. The other is Justice League: No Justice, a similarly star-studded affair featuring Scott Snyder, James Tynion IV, Joshua Williamson, and Francis Manapul that will launch brand new Justice League books with new creative teams. The only "bad" (if you can call it that) thing about that relaunch is, like this Superman announcement, it heralds the end of Christopher Priest and Pete Woods' excellent creative period on the main Justice League title.

In any case, it looks like DC is gearing up for a massive summer, taking the goodwill it has fostered since 2016's Rebirth relaunch to the next level. The company's superhero line hasn't felt this alive in nearly a decade, and I get the feeling there is more to come.

The other big question getting answered has to do with Bendis' numerous creator owned properties. His Jinxworld imprint will now be published by DC Comics, so if you haven't yet had a chance to check out books like the utterly brilliant Goldfish, Jinx, Torso, or Powers, you'll now have your chance. We should get new installments of series like Powers, Scarlet, and the United States of Murder Incorporated via Jinxworld at DC, as well.

The Black Panther and Captain America Connection

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What is Black Panther and Wakanda's connection to Captain America?

NewsDen of Geek Staff
Feb 23, 2018

Black Panther takes place in the fictional African nation of Wakanda, which is the most technologically advanced country in the world, and home to the rarest, most precious metal in the Marvel Cinematic Universe: vibranium.

While Black Panther does an excellent job of explaining what the virtually indestructible and rare metal is and where it came from, vibranium has already appeared in several Marvel movies, Notably Avengers: Age of Ultron, where the evil android solicited some vibranium stolen from Wakanda...which ended up becoming the body of the synthetic Avenger, the Vision.

But vibranium’s history in the MCU goes back even further. Howard Stark created Captain America’s shield from a vibranium/steel alloy. And vibranium’s unique properties not only defend Cap from attacks but allows his shield to do such great offensive work, too.

In the comics, though, there's one small difference. Captain America's shield is made from an alloy of vibranium and adamantium. That makes the the shield so tough that not even Wolverine’s claws can cut through it.

And it’s all because of the secret metal from Wakanda.

So when T’Challa says “Get this man a shield” in that awesome trailer for Avengers: Infinity War, he knows exactly what he’s talking about. Because without Wakanda and the world of Black Panther, Captain America never would have had his shield in the first place!

 

Stephen King’s The Bone Church to be Developed as a TV Show

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The Bone Church, a horror poem by Stephen King, will be adapted as a TV series, produced by Suicide Squad director David Ayer.

NewsJoseph Baxter
Feb 23, 2018

Stephen King projects rank just behind comic book superheroes in terms of multimedia ubiquity. Indeed, with last fall’s childhood-scarring terror of It serving as the prime accolade – luring moviegoers into its proverbial storm drain to reap $700 million worldwide – the insane array of movie projects and television shows will soon add another entry: The Bone Church.

The Bone Church is set to be developed as a television series by Cedar Park Entertainment – the company of Chris Long and David Ayer – after having acquiring rights, reports Deadline. The Stephen King-penned source material here is a narrative poem that was originally written back in the 1960s, which, decades later, would be published in the November, 2009 issue of Playboy magazine. King subsequently revised it and published it as part of his 2015 short fiction collection, The Bazaar of Bad Dreams.

King’s The Bone Church is told from the point of view of a disheveled survivor of a harrowing ordeal who is demanding to be bought drinks for his tales. The story depicts – in a poetic manner – a terrifying jungle expedition to locate a forbidden mythical site, called the Bone Church. While 32 people set out on the trip, only three returned, with hints that madness made retroactive victims of the rest, save for the whiskey-demanding narrator. Consequently, just as the television medium managed to turn King’s thin 2005 mystery novel, The Colorado Kid, into the 5-season Syfy series, Haven, the bare-bones poem premise of The Bone Church will require some narrative meat from its creative forces.

While The Bone Church has yet to narrow down a showrunner, the rights-acquiring Chris Long and David Ayer are onboard as executive producers. The project won’t even be the only Stephen King project for Long, who also serves as EP for the (imminently-returning) Audience/DirecTV series, Mr. Mercedes. Ayer, on the other hand, has several irons in the fire as a director, writer and producer, notably with directorial prospects for the developing Batman female rogues spinoff movie, Gotham City Sirens, as well as a sequel to his Will Smith-starring Netflix sci-fi actioner, Bright.

There’s no word yet on when, or, for that matter, where we can expect The Bone Church to manifest. However, Stephen King fans will hardly starve, since projects such as the Hulu television series, Castle Rock, as well as The Shining sequel film projectDoctor Sleep are a mere sampling of the King projects that are on tap.

Marvel Studios: How Long is Left on Everyone’s Contracts?

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How long until Cap, Iron Man, and company need to renegotiate their multi-film Marvel contracts? We did some digging…

The ListsRob LeaneNick Harley
Feb 23, 2018

This article comes from Den of Geek UK.

Contains spoilers for all the Marvel Cinematic Universe films up to and including Black Panther.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is full of household names--some pre-established, and some that the studio made themselves. This is a franchise with so much star power that even small roles are taken by the likes of Glenn Close.

To maintain this level of impressive casting over its long-form storytelling style, Marvel Studios gets most of its cast members on multi-film contracts. We did some digging to find out how many films everyone has left. Where official information is available, we've used that as a source. We've tried to fill in the gaps with our own guesswork. We'll keep this incredibly long list up-to-date as we learn more.

The Avengers

ROBERT DOWNEY JR.

Tony Stark / Iron Man

Films appeared in so far: Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk(cameo),Iron Man 2, The Avengers, Iron Man 3, Avengers: Age Of Ultron, Captain America: Civil War, Spider-Man: Homecoming

Confirmed upcoming films: Avengers: Infinity War and the as-yet-untitled Avengers 4

The first superhero that Marvel Studios presented us with was Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark – a casting masterstroke that would become the benchmark for all future Marvel heroes. At the moment, RDJ is only scheduled for Spider-Man: Homecoming and Infinity War, with the latter possibly writing him into super-retirement. Could he continue as a consultant past that point? Well, Marvel would probably need to renegotiate.

CHRIS EVANS

Steve Rogers / Captain America

Films appeared in so far: Captain America: The First Avenger, The Avengers, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Thor: The Dark World(cameo),Avengers: Age Of Ultron, Captain America: Civil War, Spider-Man: Homecoming (cameo)

Confirmed upcoming films: Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers 4

It’s widely known that Chris Evans has expressed an interest in departing superheroics to focus on film directing instead. More recently though he's been speaking openly about being up for anything that Marvel want to do with Cap.

CHRIS HEMSWORTH

Thor

Films appeared in so far: Thor, The Avengers, Thor: The Dark World, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Thor: Ragnarok

Confirmed upcoming films:  Avengers: Infinity War and the as-yet-untitled Avengers 4

Despite not appearing in Civil War, Thor actor Chris Hemsworth was still very much in the Marvel fold. And after Ragnarok, he can finally be considered an MVP. Now he has two more films lined up, as far as we know. Maybe one day he'll pass on the hammer to someone else, but that won't happen any time soon, as he has expressed interest in doing a Thor 4past his current contract, complete with a possible return of Taika Waititi as director.

MARK RUFFALO

Bruce Banner / The Hulk

Films appeared in so far: The Avengers, Iron Man 3 (cameo), Avengers: Age of Ultron, Thor: Ragnarok

Confirmed upcoming films: Avengers: Infinity War and the as-yet-untitled Avengers 4

Mark Ruffalo has made no secret of the six-film deal that Marvel has him on. Seeing as cameos don’t count towards that, he still has three films left, making him among the few stars of the original Avengers movies who is on the hook for continuing past "Phase 3" and Kevin Feige's fabled Avengers 4 finale. This is all great news, however the solo movie is still not happening.

related article: Hulk Movies Marvel Should Make

SCARLETT JOHANSSON

Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow

Films appeared in so far: Iron Man 2, The Avengers, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Captain America: Civil War

Confirmed upcoming films: Avengers: Infinity War andAvengers 4

There’s isn’t an official answer out there on how many Marvel movies Johansson’s Black Widow has left. She said her contract has "morphed" and "mutated" in recent years when Collider asked. She's since been confirmed for Avengers: Infinity War. Hopefully, she'll still one day get that solo movie.

Since the official cast list for Infinity War's sequel hasn't been fully announced yet, we can't really confirm which characters will and will not stick around, yet paparazzi photos of Johnasson in Atlanta aroudn the time of Avengers 4's filming suggests she'll be back. Kevin Feige has now also (finally) teased a Black Widow solo movie is a possibility past Phase 3, so there seems to be an interest in getting Johnasson to reup after her contract is up.

JEREMY RENNER

Clint Barton / Hawkeye

Films appeared in so far: Thor (cameo), The Avengers, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Captain America: Civil War

Confirmed upcoming films: Avengers: Infinity WarAvengers 4

Renner is believed to have a standalone Hawkeye movie on his contract, but that doesn’t seem very close to happening. We totally support his avenging though, which is handy because he is onboard for Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers 4. Further he will only have been in five MCU films in a non-cameo capacity after Avengers 4, and as the standard contract is (at least) six movies, we imagine he'll turn up for at least one more bullseye after 2019.

DON CHEADLE

James ‘Rhodey’ Rhodes / War Machine / Iron Patriot

Films appeared in so far: Iron Man 2, Iron Man 3, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Captain America: Civil War

Confirmed upcoming films: Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers 4

While it is hardly confirmed that War Machine will be appearing in anything after 2018's crossover epic, Gwyneth Paltrow already let slip she's enjoying working with Don Cheadle on the set of Avengers 4.

ANTHONY MACKIE

Sam Wilson / Falcon

Films appeared in so far: Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Ant-Man, Captain America: Civil War

Confirmed upcoming films: Avengers: Infinity War

Anthony Mackie is in Infinity War. He confirmed his involvement by chatting about the script and Falcon's place in it at a Wizard World event. However, there is no word yet whether he will be involved in the fourth Avengers movie, even though he almost certainly has more films left on his contract, as the standard deal is six movies (he'll have appeared in five after 2018). Mackie also previously joked about signing a contract for "like 50" movies.

ELIZABETH OLSEN

Wanda Maximoff / Scarlet Witch

Films appeared in so far:  Captain America: The Winter Soldier (cameo) Avengers: Age of Ultron, Captain America: Civil War

Confirmed upcoming films: Avengers: Infinity War

"We'll get to see where she goes in Infinity War," director Joe Russo told Comicbook.com recently on the topic of Scarlet Witch. It seems safe to assume she'll appear in Avengers 4 given that she is a fan favorite who has only appeared in two major films (plus they've already killed off one Maximoff). But time will tell.

PAUL BETTANY

J.A.R.V.I.S. / The Vision

Films appeared in so far: As J.A.R.V.I.S.: Iron Man, Iron Man 2, The Avengers, Iron Man 3, Avengers: Age of Ulton. As The Vision: Avengers: Age of Ultron, Captain America: Civil War.

Confirmed upcoming films: Avengers: Infinity War, apparently Avengers 4

The exact length of Bettany's contract is unknown, however, he does appear to be in both upcoming Avengers movies. This is good news for fans, as the fact that he has an Infinity Stone in his forehead that imbues him with life--and that Thanos will inevitably rip that from him in Infinity War--is by definition quite vexing. However, Bettany let it slip to Collider that he is going to be involved in shooting Avengers 4. If he signed a new contract beginning with Age of Ultron, he also could conceivably be in at least two more Marvel movies after 2019.

PAUL RUDD

Scott Lang / Ant-Man

Films appeared in so far: Ant-Man, Captain America: Civil War

Confirmed upcoming films:Ant-Man and the Wasp, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers 4

His days of breaking into places and stealing shit are done. Instead Scott Lang will have to find something else to do in Ant-Man's sequel, Ant-Man and the Wasp

Rudd has described his contract as ‘three-plus-plus’ deal, which should see him hanging around for quite a while. He's listed on multiple variations of the cast list for Infinity War, and has appeared in a charity video from the set of Avengers 4.

related article: Every Marvel Easter Egg in Ant-Man

EVANGELINE LILLY

Hope van Dyne / Wasp

Films appeared in so far: Ant-Man

Confirmed upcoming films: Ant-Man and the Wasp and Avengers 4

Ant-Man and the Wasp will send Lilly's character Hope Van Dyne into full superhero mode. That film takes place after Infinity War, leaving Hope / the Wasp to join the team-up party in Avengers 4.

CHADWICK BOSEMAN

T’Challa / Black Panther

Films appeared in so far: Captain America: Civil War, Black Panther

Confirmed upcoming films: Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers 4

Word on the street is that Chadwick Boseman has signed up for five films. And after his tremendous debut as a franchise lead in Black Panther, we imagine we'll be seeing him in more than just one film after Avengers 4.

related article: Marvel's Black Panther Movie Should Go Right to the Source

TOM HOLLAND

Peter Parker / Spider-Man

Films appeared in so far: Captain America: Civil War, Spider-Man: Homecoming 

Confirmed upcoming films: Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers 4, Untitled Spider-Man: Homecoming Sequel (co-produced with Sony)

Tom Holland has said he signed a six-film contract, and we know that he will be with the Avengers until the end of Phase Three at least. He also has one Homecoming sequel already well into production and while it is murky, it seems likely Sony and Marvel Studios will continue their collaboration into a third Homecoming movie. After that though the future is less certain for the wallcrawler since Sony and Marvel would have to come to a new deal.

BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH

Doctor (Stephen) Strange

Films appeared in so far: Doctor Strange, Thor: Ragnarok (cameo)

Confirmed Upcoming Films:Avengers: Infinity War, Probably Avengers 4

Doctor Strange is in Avengers: Infinity War. He's even in the trailer! He is not officially confirmed for the 2019 follow-up, however. But as he has a stunt double listed on IMDb, we imagine it's a good bet to continue expecting the Sorcerer Supreme, especially as he likely signed the standard six movie contract (which was apparently a sticking point that led to Joquin Phoenix backing out of the role).

BRIE LARSON

Carol Danvers / Captain Marvel

Films appeared in so far: None

Confirmed upcoming films: Captain Marvel and Avengers 4

The Academy Award winning actress will be making her Marvel debut in her own (overdue) movie in 2019's Captain Marvel. However, that spring release is a prequel of sorts to most of the MCU, as it takes place in the 1990s. This likely means it will be a precursor of sorts to the conclusion of the Infinity crisis in Avengers 4, where Captain Marvel will cross paths with fellow Avengers.

Guardians Of The Galaxy

CHRIS PRATT

Peter Quill / Star-Lord

Films appeared in so far: Guardians of the Galaxy, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2        

Confirmed upcoming films: Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers 4, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

After the release of the first Guardians, Pratt told GQ that he's signed up for "two more Guardians plus another couple.”

Pratt has since featured in Guardians 2, and is confirmed to be working on Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers 4. Also, Guardians 3 has already been announced with writer-director James Gunn teasing on Facebook that the threequel "will conclude the story of this iteration of the Guardians of the Galaxy."

So we imagine that there may be some new contracts drawn up after Guardians 3.

ZOE SALDANA

Gamora

Films appeared in so far: Guardians of the Galaxy, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2       

Confirmed upcoming films: Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers 4, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

She’s said nothing about her contract publically, but we know she's in Infinity War and Avengers 4. The original Guardians gang will return for Vol. 3.

DAVE BAUTISTA

Drax

Films appeared in so far: Guardians of the Galaxy, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2       

Confirmed upcoming films:Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers 4, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

Dave Bautista also hasn’t said much about his contract in the public realm, but we can glean his next two Marvel projects from the info available. It’s actually Thanos he needs to kill, so we're particularly looking forward to his appearance in Infinity War.


SEAN GUNN

Body of Rocket / Kraglin

Films appeared in so far: Guardians of the Galaxy, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2        

Confirmed upcoming films: Avengers: Infinity War, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

One of the Guardians franchise's unsung heroes is Sean Gunn, who portrays the physical form of Rocket Racoon via motion capture and improvises a fair few lines. He also plays the Ravager-turned-Guardian Kraglin, noted for yelling “Captain’s gotta teach stuff!” in the first film.

The length of his Marvel contract is unclear, but he’s definitely back for Guardians 3 and Infinity War. It remains to be seen if he'll be any better with Yondu's whistling weaponry by then.


BRADLEY COOPER

Voice of Rocket

Films appeared in so far: Guardians of the Galaxy, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2        

Confirmed upcoming films:Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers 4, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

Finding the right voice for Rocket was a difficult one, with various comedians, voice actors, and film stars all coming in to read test lines. In the end, Marvel went with Bradley Cooper, and we expect they got him on a long contract. At the very least, we'll hear his voice in the next Guardians and two Avengers movies.


VIN DIESEL

Voice of Groot

Films appeared in so far: Guardians of the Galaxy, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2     

Confirmed upcoming films:  Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers 4, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

As above, see here. Vin Diesel will return in Avengers 3 and 4, and Guardians 3. Beyond that is a mystery, and so are the exact specifics of his contract.

POM KLEMENTIEFF

Mantis

Films appeared in so far: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

Confirmed upcoming films: Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers 4, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

This powerful empath joined the Guardians gang in Vol. 2, and is lined up for Infinity War and presumably the two other Guardians-heavy movies after that. Also if she signed a six film contract, she may be in the next version of the Guardians too.

KAREN GILLAN

Nebula

Films appeared in so far: Guardians of the Galaxy, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

Confirmed upcoming films:Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers 4

"I have so many plans for Nebula… I love Nebula," director James Gunn told Yahoo. "To me, she’s the Boba Fett of the movie… She’s the one that you really dig because she’s the cool one that we need to get more of. I hope to God that we get a chance to see a lot more of Nebula."

It's since been confirmed that she'll be back for Infinity War, and she later confirmed to us at Den of Geek that she'll be in Avengers 4. Depending on what happens with her and Thanos' arcs in that one, it could make sense for Guardians 3. We'll have to wait and see.

MICHAEL ROOKER

Yondu

Films appeared in so far: Guardians of the Galaxy, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

Confirmed upcoming films: None 

Michael Rooker has been listed on a few cast rundowns for Infinity War, but it's unclear if that was just a ruse to protect the spoiler that Yondu dies in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. We suspect it was. His send-off in Guardians 2 felt pretty final, didn't it?

Saying that, we'd welcome any dream sequences that Rooker wants to appear in.


SYLVESTER STALLONE AND THE REST

Starhawk And The 'Original' Guardians of the Galaxy

Films appeared in so far: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 

Confirmed upcoming films: None

Sly Stallone debuted as Stakar Ogord--aka Starhawk--in Vol. 2 with a brief performance that culminated in a post-credits scene. Therein, Starhawk and his shiny friend Martinex (Michael Rosenbaum) met up with Aleta Ogord (Michelle Yeoh), Charlie-27 (Ving Rhames), Krugarr and Mainframe (the latter of whom is voiced by Miley Cyrus). 

In the comics, this gang were the original Guardians team that existed before Star-Lord's team. In the film universe, they are Ravager faction leaders that used to be firm friends. They have plans to steal some shit, but it remains to be seen which film that will happen in.

"My plan is to see more of him," director James Gunn told the Toronto Sun, talking about Sly's character, but he wouldn't be drawn on how/when this will shake out. 

"I’m not sure about him appearing in Vol. 3," Gunn said, "We’ll have to see about that, but it’s our plan to see more of Stallone. Kevin [Feige, MCU overlord] and I are working on what is going to become of the Marvel Cosmic Universe and where it’s going to go. We plan to see the rest of them in the future."

The "rest of them" he mentioned, presumably, are the Ravager chums that Starhawk met up with at the end. Color us intrigued. 

related article: A Movie Fan's Guide to Guardians of the Galaxy Comics

Villains

JOSH BROLIN

Thanos

Films appeared in so far: The Avengers (cameo), Guardians of the Galaxy, Avengers: Age of Ultron (cameo).

Confirmed upcoming films:Avengers: Infinity War

While there isn’t a specific number out there, it’s assumed that Marvel has Josh Brolin on one of Marvel's heftiest contracts. He’ll dominate Phase 3, for sure, thanks to Infinity War. It's unclear right now if Thanos will still be around for Avengers 4, which was stripped of its Infinity War Part II title and hasn't yet been given a new one.

Either way, Thanos could well have cameos and mentions in other Phase 3 films, despite skipping Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. We wouldn't even be surprised if he cameoed in Captain Marvel, never mind the likelihood of him appearing in Avengers 4.

related article: What to Expect from Avengers: Infinity War

TOM HIDDLESTON

Loki

Films appeared in so far: Thor, The Avengers, Thor: The Dark World, Thor: Ragnarok

Confirmed upcoming films:Avengers: Infinity War 

He’s believed to be on a six-film deal, so we’d expect two more films after Ragnarok. Which ones, though? One is definitely Infinity War, so the sequel to that also seems apt yet remains unconfirmed.

SEBASTIAN STAN

James ‘Bucky’ Barnes / The Winter Soldier

Films appeared in so far: Captain America: The First Avenger, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War, Black Panther (cameo)

Confirmed upcoming films:Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers 4

He’s on a nine-film contract! We know from the trailer he is in Infinity War, and actor Sebastian Stan has since confirmed to Cinema Blend that he is in Avengers 4. That leaves four more movies on his contract. Could we be headed for Captain America: The Next Generation?


ELIZABETH DEBICKI

Ayesha

Films appeared in so far: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 

Confirmed upcoming films: None

Elizabeth Debicki's golden villainess (although, arguably, she did have an understandable motive for hating the Guardians) will obviously return at some point. Once her creation Adam [Warlock, one assumes] is cast, we'll add him to this list.

Where Marvel plans to slot them in remains a mystery.


KURT RUSSELL

Ego

Films appeared in so far: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 

Confirmed upcoming films: None

He's immortal and a Marvel character, so there's every chance that Ego's death from Guardians 2 could be undone at some point. But, as far as we know, there are no further Marvel films on Russell's slate right now.

MICHAEL KEATON

Adrian Toomes / The Vulture

Films appeared in so far: Spider-Man: Homecoming

Confirmed upcoming films: None

Micheal Keaton played Adrian Toomes / The Vulture in Spider-Man: Homecoming. This could well be a recurring role, especially if Sony decides to resurrect its Sinister Six flick at some point. Given his positive reception and the post-credits stinger to Homecoming, we find it highly unlikely we've seen the last of Toomes in this universe.

WILLIAM HURT

General Thaddeus ‘Thunderbolt’ Ross

Films appeared in so far: The Incredible Hulk and Captain America: Civil War

Confirmed upcoming films: None

One of the big surprises of Civil War's cast was the return of William Hurt to the MCU. Since he played an important role in that film, he could well return again. The actual length of his contract is a mystery though.

ANDY SERKIS

Ulysses Klaue

Films appeared in so far: Avengers: Age of Ultron, Black Panther

Confirmed upcoming films: None

Andy Serkis' cuttlefish-hating baddie returned for a nasty supporting role in Black Panther. One that also appeared very final after Killmonger put two in his chest. It is Marvel, so anything is possible, but him getting bagged and tagged seemed like the end of the road for this former hobbit's journey.

MICHAEL B. JORDAN

Erik Killmonger

Films appeared in so far: Black Panther

Confirmed upcoming films: None

Marvel made waves when they announced that Creed star Michael B. Jordan would be joining the MCU to face off against Chadwick Boseman in Black Panther. The film saw Jordan will be reunite with his Creed and Fruitvale Station director Ryan Coogler. And honestly, we think he turned out to be the best villains Marvel ever produced. But some of that power comes in his final line about welcoming death over bondage. While, again, Marvel can undo most deaths, that one seemed too powerful to revisit. It seems pretty one and done to us.

DANIEL BRUHL

Helmut Zemo

Films appeared in so far: Captain America: Civil War

Confirmed upcoming films: None

He's still alive at the end of Civil War, so don't rule out a comeback for Zemo at some point. However, Bruhl hasn't let slip the details of his Marvel contract at this stage.

CHIWETEL EJIOFOR

Baron Mordo

Films appeared in so far: Doctor Strange

Confirmed upcoming films: None

Chiwetel Ejiofor played one of Stephen Strange's tutors in the mystical arts in the Doctor Strange movie, building up to a huge heel turn right at the end of the movie. That post-credits scene needs to be resolved at some point.

As it stands, though, Marvel has yet to find space for Doctor Strange 2 in its slate. If/when it's finally announced, we'll be sure to update this article.

MADS MIKKELSEN

Kaecilius

Films appeared in so far: Doctor Strange

Confirmed upcoming films: None

The Hannibal star made the best of a not-particularly-great villain role in Doctor Strange, but if he has any Marvel plans beyond that, they're being kept under wraps. We wouldn't be surprised if he was a one-and-done baddie, to be honest.

CATE BLANCHETT

Hela

Films appeared in so far: Thor: Ragnarok

Confirmed upcoming films: None

Blanchett played the Goddess of Death in Thor 3, and some sources are already suggesting that she might stick around for supporting villain duties in Infinity War. We'll keep you posted on that front, because she was a hammy good time in Thor, and her fate seemed ambigiuous as Asgard went boom, to say the least.

FRANK GRILLO

Brock Rumlow / Crossbones

Films appeared in so far: Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War

Confirmed upcoming films: None

After Winter Soldier came out, Grillo told Collider this: “I have a multi-contract deal with Marvel. The movie was an origin film for that character. If you know the comic, he has a significant presence. So, knock wood. With Marvel, you can’t say very much, but I’m cautiously optimistic that we’ll have some fun in the next few Marvel movies.”

Could he somehow bounce back despite the very explode-y events of Civil War, then? Time will tell.

MICHAEL CHERNUS

Phineas Mason / Tinkerer 

Films appeared in so far: Spider-Man: Homecoming

Confirmed upcoming films: None

A recognizable, if fairly minor, Spider-Man villain, Michael Chernus' (Orange is the New Black) Tinkerer will likely be on hand to help more baddies in the future.

BOKEEM WOODBINE

Herman Schultz / Shocker

Films appeared in so far: Spider-Man: Homecoming

Confirmed upcoming films: None 

He barely became the Shocker in Spider-Man: Homecoming. Marvel has to have bigger plans for this guy, right? 

TIM ROTH

Emil Blonsky / The Abomination

Films appeared in so far: The Incredible Hulk

Confirmed upcoming films: None

They had him on a three-picture deal, but the lack of standalone action for the Hulk seems to negate the need for an Abomination return. Perhaps that could change one day, especially given that William Hurt returned for Civil War.

SAM ROCKWELL

Justin Hammer

Films appeared in so far: Iron Man 2, "All Hail The King" (short) 

Confirmed upcoming films: None 

“Ah! I was hoping to come back in one of the Avengers films and come after Gwyneth Paltrow, because that's what they set-up, that I was going to get revenge on Gwyneth for getting me arrested or something,” Rockwell told Vulture of a possible Marvel return.

“I could do a Cape Fear thing with Gwyneth. But they've got a lot of mojo in there already, so I don't know if they need another pirate like me in the mix there! [Laughs.] Maybe S.H.I.E.L.D. is the way to go.” We’d color this one as unlikely, in all fairness.

related article: 25 Iron Man Villains Who Deserve to be in the Movies

HUGO WEAVING

Johann Shmidt / Red Skull

Films appeared in so far: Captain America: The First Avenger

Confirmed upcoming films: None 

Hugo Weaving told Collider: “I [signed a multi-picture deal] for Captain America. I think the tendency, with those films, would be to probably not bring a villain back. […] And it’s not something I would want to do again. I’m glad I did it. I did sign up for a number of pictures and I suppose, contractually, I would be obliged to, if they forced me to, but they wouldn’t want to force someone to do it, if they didn’t want to. I think I’ve done my dash with that sort of film.”

We probably won’t see him again, then. The Red Skull could be recast, though, if necessary.

S.H.I.E.L.D. Personnel (and retirees)

SAMUEL L. JACKSON

Nick Fury

Films appeared in so far: Iron Man (cameo), Iron Man 2, Thor (cameo), Captain America: The First Avenger (cameo), The Avengers, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Avengers: Age of Ultron (cameo)

Confirmed upcoming films: Captain Marvel and Avengers 4

On the press tour for Kong: Skull Island, Samuel L. Jackson told MTV he is yet to receive a call for Infinity War. It is hard to tell if that is just industry spin to keep it a surprise, but he has his eyepatch already plenty busy. He is confirmed to have a supporting role in the 1990s-set Captain Marvel, and he is also expected back for Avengers 4, which appears to conclude what Nick Fury began in The Avengers. So whether there is an Infinity War cameo in between all of that is perhaps moot.

CLARK GREGG

Phil Coulson

Films appeared in so far: Iron Man, Iron Man 2, "The Consultant" (short), "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Thor’s Hammer" (short), Thor, The Avengers

Confirmed upcoming films: None

As you already know, Coulson has been reprised by Clark Gregg in Agents Of SHIELD on TV. But will he ever get to reunite with his heroes on the big screen? Apparently, he was considered to appear in Iron Man 3 and Thor: The Dark World, but it looks like the movie universe will continue to avoid Coulson for the foreseeable future. 

COBIE SMULDERS

Maria Hill

Films appeared in so far: The Avengers, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Avengers: Age of Ultron

Confirmed upcoming films: None

At the time of The Avengers, Smulders said she was signed on for “plus this one, seven more I think.” By our counting, she should have five films left by now.

She’s didn't appear in Civil War though, so we’re not sure where we’ll see her next. We’re assuming--like Samuel L. Jackson--that her Agents Of SHIELD cameos don’t count toward the seven. Her next Marvel appearance is currenly unknown. She's rumored for Infinity War though.

HAYLEY ATWELL

Peggy Carter

Films appeared in so far: Captain America: The First Avenger, "Agent Carter" (short), Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Ant-Man (cameo)

Confirmed upcoming films: None

With Peggy Carter dead in the modern timeline, it's not seeming likely that Hayley Atwell will return in any more big screen Marvel films. There could feasibly be more flashbacks, but there are no plans at present of which we know.

related article: A Guide to Agent Carter Comics

DOMINIC COOPER

Younger Howard Stark

Films appeared in so far: Captain America: The First Avenger, "Agent Carter" (short) 

Confirmed upcoming films: None 

We’d wager that Marvel may have had Dominic Cooper on a one-film deal, seeing as they don’t seem to have plans to return to the WWII era on the big screen. His appearances on the Agent Carter TV series prove that he's game for more if Marvel is, however.

JOHN SLATTERY

Older Howard Stark

Films appeared in so far: Iron Man 2, Ant-Man (cameo), Captain America: Civil War

Confirmed upcoming films: None 

How’s that for a gap between appearances? Marvel may not have John Slattery on a massive contract, but he could pop up again if Marvel delves into more flashbacks. 

MICHAEL DOUGLAS

Hank Pym

Films appeared in so far: Ant-Man

Confirmed upcoming films: Ant-Man and the Wasp

Michael Douglas has regrown the goatee that is Hank Pym's signature for Ant-Man and the Wasp. Apparently, he was only on a one-film contract to start with, so Marvel had to strike up a new deal to bring him back.

EMILY VAN CAMP

Sharon Carter / Agent 13

Films appeared in so far: Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War

Confirmed upcoming films: None  

"They're just sort of planting the seed for this character," Van Camp told MTV. "I think Marvel likes to sprinkle little bits of things for fans, and anyone who is a Captain America fan will know that Agent 13 is Sharon Carter."

While she hasn't told the world how long her contract is, we'd expect her to be back multiple times.

AARON HIMELSTEIN

Cameron Klein

Films appeared in so far: Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Avengers: Age of Ultron 

Confirmed upcoming films: None 

The unsung hero of two Marvel films--he refused to launch the ships for Brock Rumlow in The Winter Soldier and got those Helicarrier’s "full of people" in Age of Ultron. Unsurprisingly, there’s no word out there on whether Marvel has signed Aaron Himelstein up for more appearances yet.

At the very least, Marvel could recruit him for TV. Or could he be a second-generation Coulson-alike, recruiting new heroes for the greater good in Phase 3? Okay, our S.H.I.E.L.D. speculation may have gone too far.

Supporting Stars

ANTHONY HOPKINS

Odin

Films appeared in so far: Thor: Ragnarok

Confirmed upcoming films: None 

That scene in Ragnarok seemed pretty final, didn't it? Not unless he's just "sleeping" again. It's not like Odin has proven himself to be very forthright or trustworthy when it comes to sweating the details of things.


SETH GREEN

Howard The Duck

Films appeared in so far: Guardians of the Galaxy (cameo), Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (cameo)

Confirmed upcoming films: None

It's unclear if Seth Green is on any sort of official contract, but MCU overlord Kevin Feige was quoted as saing this this recently: "You know, the fun thing about Howard is he shows up where you least expect him, so like who knows where he’s going to appear next?"

We'd expect those cameos to keep coming, then. He's like the waterfowl version of Stan Lee. 

GWYNETH PALTROW

Pepper Potts

Films appeared in so far: Iron Man, Iron Man 2, The Avengers, Iron Man 3, Spider-Man: Homecoming (cameo) 

Confirmed upcoming films: Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers 4 

While her contract concluded with Iron Man 3, she and Marvel have clearly come to some amicable arrangements. After seemingly (and lamely) being written out off-screen in Captain America: Civil War, she appeared for a fan-pleasing cameo in Spider-Man: Homeocming. She also has talked gamely about appearing in the final two slated Avengers films. 

related article: A Movie Fan's Guide to Marvel Comics

NATALIE PORTMAN

Jane Foster

Films appeared in so far: Thor, Thor: The Dark World 

Confirmed upcoming films: None

Natalie Portman didn't return for Thor: Ragnarok. In fact, Portman told The Wall Street Journal that she's "done" with Marvel altogether, as far as she knows. While a final cameo in Avengers 4 wouldn't be amiss, there does not appear to be much love lost in this relationship.

JON FAVREAU

Happy Hogan

Films appeared in so far: Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Iron Man 3, Spider-Man: Homecoming

Confirmed upcoming films: Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers 4

It came as a bit of a surprise to us--what with Jon Favreau's manifold other projects as an actor/director--but Happy Hogan returned alongside Tony Stark in Spider-Man: Homecoming. He apparently has at least cameos teed up in the next two Avengers movies as well.

ZENDAYA

Michelle

Films appeared in so far: Spider-Man: Homecoming

Confirmed upcoming films: Spider-Man: Homecoming Sequel

As the love interest to Tom Holland's Peter Parker, Zendaya's Michelle debuted in the 2017 solo Spidey flick. While a return is not official, she did sign on for a contract and has indicated that she is set to return for the untitled 2019 sequel.

DONALD GLOVER

Aaron Davis

Films appeared in so far: Spider-Man: Homecoming

Confirmed upcoming films: None 

As the uncle of the kid who will become the second Spider-Man, we doubt we've seen the last of this lovable (and ever growing in popularity) actor, writer, musician, and all around pop culture renaissance man.

JUDY GREER / ABBY RYDER FORTSON

Maggie / Cassie Lang

Films appeared in so far: Ant-Man 

Confirmed upcoming films: Ant-Man and the Wasp 

We’d expect Scott’s estranged family to appear in Ant-Man and the Wasp, including Judy Greer and impressive child actress Abby Ryder Fortson.

MARISA TOMEI

May Parker

Films appeared in so far: Captain America: Civil War andSpider-Man: Homecoming

Confirmed upcoming films: Probably theSpider-Man: Homecoming Sequel

It hasn't been confirmed Aunt May will return for the untitled Spider-Man: Homecoming sequel... but she has to.

WILLIAM SADLER

President Ellis

Films appeared in so far: Iron Man 3

Confirmed upcoming films: None 

The MCU's POTUS has popped up on Agents Of SHIELD since debuting in Iron Man 3. He was also seen in a photo during The Winter Soldier. It doesn't sound like Marvel is finished with him yet then.

LUPITA NYONG'O

Nakia

Films appeared in so far: Black Panther

Confirmed upcoming films: None

The Oscar winning Lupita Nyong'o joined the MCU as Nakia, a Wakandan secret agent and patriot. It was one of several standout roles for women in that movie, and was a refreshingly meaty part in a blockbuster for Nyong'o, who has too often been cast as CG characters or voices. However, her continued involvement likely depends on Black Panther's in the MCU. But after the box office performance of Black Panther, it looks like a long continued role, indeed.

DANAI GURIRA

Okoye

Films appeared in so far: Black Panther

Confirmed upcoming films: Avengers: Infinity War

As a general and head of the Dora Milaje, the serect service of Wakanda, Gurira keeps her record playing characters you don't want to mess with going. We already know she will fight alongside her king and the Avengers in Infinity War, but considering what a breakout she was in Black Panther, we expect to see a lot more of her soon enough.

LETITA WRIGHT

Shuri

Films apepared in so far:  Black Panther

Confirmed upcoming films: Avengers: Infinity War

Another breakout star of Black Panther is the young Letita Wright, who portrays the little sister of T'Challa and is by definition a princess of Wakanda. However, she is not defined by her royal lineage, but by being potentially the smartest genius in the MCU, and a woman who can give Tony Stark a run for his money. A tech whiz with Wakanda's vibranium, she plays Q to T'Challa's Bond, designing all of his weapons. She is set to at least cameo in Infinity War, but we imagine she'll do more than that soon enough. If Marvel is smart (and they're not dumb...), she's on a long contract.

MARTIN FREEMAN

Everett Ross

Films appeared in so far: Captain America: Civil War, Black Panther

Confirmed upcoming films: Black Panther

Ah, now here is the almost certain heir apparent to Agent Coulson. After having a bit part as a CIA wiseass in Civil War, he was rather cleverly cast in the "token" role in Black Panther, and made the most of it. The odd chemistry between him and T'Challa makes Ross an almost certain lock for appearing in the eventual Black Panther sequel (there is no way he was on only a two-film contract), but we wouldn't be shocked if he starts popping up in all sorts of MCU movies after Phase Three ends, like the good ol' days of Coulson.

STELLAN SKARSGARD

Erik Selvig

Films appeared in so far: Thor, The Avengers, Thor: The Dark World, Avengers: Age of Ultron

Confirmed upcoming films: Avengers: Infinity War

The mighty Stellan Skarsgård told us exclusively that he's on a five-film deal with Marvel, and that he only has one more film to go as the scientist Erik Selvig (unless he and Marvel manage to negotiate an extension). It'll apparently be Avengers: Infinity War.

KAT DENNINGS

Darcy Lewis

Films appeared in so far: Thor, Thor: The Dark World

Confirmed upcoming films: None

At one point, we would have said Kat Dennings was a shoo-in for Ragnarok, now it appears unlikely she'll be returning to the MCU despite probably still having more movies on her contract.

JONATHAN HOWARD

Ian Boothby

Films appeared in so far: Thor: The Dark World 

Confirmed upcoming films: None

Same as Dennings above.

JAIMIE ALEXANDER

Lady Sif

Films appeared in so far: Thor, Thor: The Dark World 

Confirmed upcoming films: None

Jamie Alexander was invited to return for a one or two-day shoot for a cameo in Thor: Ragnarok but apparently could not make it work due to scheduling conflicts with her NBC series Blindspot. Talk about a fortuitous delay since if she had returned for Ragnarok, she would have been as blandly and unceremoniously killed off as the rest of the Warriors Three. Kevin Feige has even mused that it leaves the fate of Sif open to revisiting in a later sequel. Sometimes delays are our friends.

Idris Elba

IDRIS ELBA

Heimdall

Films appeared in so far: Thor, Thor: The Dark World, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Thor: Ragnarok 

Confirmed upcoming films: None 

Contract length undisclosed. But given that he was the lone supporting cast member beside Tom Hiddleston from the original Thor, who hasn't been abruptly killed off, Marvel clearly still has plans for this underused thespian.


JEFF GOLDBLUM

Grandmaster

Films appeared in so far: Thor: Ragnarok

Confirmed upcoming films: None 

The Grandmaster is chums with The Collector in the comics. In the movies, all we know is that he's played by Jeff Goldblum, he looks amazing, and he orchestrates the bout betwixt the Hulk and Thor. No clue if Goldblum signed up for more. 

TESSA THOMPSON

Valkyrie

Films appeared in so far: Thor: Ragnarok

Confirmed upcoming films: Possibly Avengers: Infinity War

This Creed star made a huge splash in Thor: Ragnarok, playing an ancient warrior woman who also had a touch of Han Solo scoundrel in her demeanor. She landed so well, rumor has it she is getting at least a cameo in Avengers: Infinity War, but this is not confirmed.

GLENN CLOSE

Nova Prime

Films appeared in so far: Guardians of the Galaxy 

Confirmed upcoming films: None 

There wasn't space for Nova Corps in Vol. 2 in the end, and it remains to be seen if/when Glenn Close and her cohorts will return to the MCU.

JOHN C. REILLY

Rhomann Dey

Films appeared in so far: Guardians of the Galaxy 

Confirmed upcoming films: None 

Since Nova's involvement in the MCU going forward is unclear, we've no idea what the chances of John C. Reilly returning are.

BENICIO DEL TORO 

The Collector

Films appeared in so far: Thor: The Dark World (cameo), Guardians of the Galaxy 

Confirmed upcoming films: Avengers: Infinity War

He "just didn't fit" into Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, according to James Gunn, but we doubt we've seen the last of The Collector in the MCU. He's already shot some material for Infinity War, which makes sense, given that--as far as we know--he's still the proud owner of the Aether Infinity Stone.


MICHAEL PENA / T.I. / DAVID DASTMALCHIAN

Criminal Trio

Films appeared in so far: Ant-Man

Confirmed upcoming films: Ant-Man and the Wasp

When Collider asked, Michael Pena wasn’t sure if he had signed for three or five movies. It seems a fair assumption, then, that we'll see these guys return for Ant-Man's sequel, Ant-Man and the Wasp.

TILDA SWINTON 

The Ancient One

Films appeared in so far: Doctor Strange

Confirmed upcoming films: None

Swinton's first MCU appearance came in Doctor Strange. It might also be her last, barring a resurrection or a dream sequence or some sort of magic vision thingy.

RACHEL MCADAMS

Christine Palmer

Films appeared in so far: Doctor Strange

Confirmed upcoming films: None

If Doctor Strange 2 does happen (which it surely will, eventually), we'd expect Rachel McAdams to return. She's not disclosed her contract details publicly. 

BENEDICT WONG

Wong

Films appeared in so far: Doctor Strange

Confirmed upcoming films: Avengers: Infinity War

You saw the trailer. Wong is back and saving the day as usual.

Extreme long shot potential returnees

TIM BLAKE NELSON

Samuel Sterns

Films appeared in so far: The Incredible Hulk 

Confirmed upcoming films: None 

This bumbling scientist was meant to become The Leader, but never did. Tim Blake Nelson signed a three-picture deal to transform into said supervillain. That arc was pretty much written out in The Avengers' tie-in comic Fury’s Big Week though.

TY BURRELL

Leonard Samson

Films appeared in so far: The Incredible Hulk

Confirmed upcoming films: None

Hulk’s psychiatrist becomes a hero in his own right in the comics. At this stage though, if Marvel make another Hulk movie, it’ll probably be a clean slate supporting cast wise. William Hurt made a comeback, however, so who knows? Burrell is surely on a multi-film contract like Tim Blake Nelson.

LIV TYLER

Betty Ross

Films appeared in so far: The Incredible Hulk

Confirmed upcoming films: None

Her father Thunderbolt Ross returned for Civil War, but the fact that Marvel has now paired Bruce up with Natasha has us fairly confident that we won't see Betty Ross return. The length of her contract was never announced publically, but you can bet that Marvel had anticipated at least one The Incredible Hulk sequel for her. 

Marvel could make a pretty decent movie with all the actors they have on multi-film deals that will never be used, couldn't they? Let us know if we've missed anyone important off this list. We'll do our best to keep it updated.

Venom Gets a Fresh Start This May

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Eddie Brock and his alien friend get ready for their new movie with a comic relaunch and a brand new creative team.

NewsGavin Jasper
Feb 24, 2018

In just a few months, Marvel’s doing yet another one of those relaunch things. You know the routine by now. They give it a snappy title (in this case “Fresh Start”), change up a bunch of creative teams, more often than not restart comics at #1, and release some big promotional image of a bunch of heroes either standing around or jumping in action.

This time around, there’s a notable appearance of Venom leaping in the background. You know Venom, right? Buff dude wearing a liquid Spider-Man version of Mario’s Odysseyhat? Has a movie coming out this year?

After a little over a year of Mike Costa bringing the symbiote back to Eddie Brock to line up with the movie (and because Flash Thompson Venom kind of ran its course after his role as a Guardian of the Galaxy petered out), he’ll be leaving the book, only for it to return to its #1 numbering under the team of Donny Cates and Ryan Stegman.

We’re back to the mid-90s status quo where Venom is a homeless murder vigilante with Eddie Brock trying to hold it all together. This time, there’s been some kind of ancient evil power released from under New York City. While there aren’t too many details yet on what that’s about, it seems to tie into the symbiote in some way that it’s making it act out more violently and erratically than ever.

The issue will be released on May 9.

Gavin Jasper is glad to see Eddie’s unshaven Fabio look is back. Follow Gavin on Twitter!


The Walking Dead Season 8: A Spoiler-Filled Guide to the End of All Out War

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How the will second half of Walking Dead season 8 pan out? Here's how Rick might defeat Negan based on the comics!

FeatureAlec Bojalad
Feb 24, 2018

This Walking Dead article contains spoilers.

It's been a rough season for Rick and his coalition. The plan to oust the Saviors has gone spectacularly awry and lives have been lost in the process (R.I.P. Eric, Shiva, and Carl Grimes). The Saviors have taken the battle to Rick's front door and virtually destroyed Alexandria. 

If this season of The Walking Dead were Star Wars, "How It's Gotta Be" is for sure The Empire Strikes Back. Still, when we read the Walking Dead tealeaves, otherwise known as Robert Kirkman's original comic series, there is some hope on the horizon. 

Dark times are certainly ahead for Rick and friendsnand with them will come more death. But if The Walking Dead comics are any indication, a decisive victory for Alexandria/Hilltop/Kingdom is right around the corner. And shortly after that, something that the survivors of this story have not experienced in a long time: peace.

What follows is a breakdown of what we can likely expect from The Walking Dead season 8's second half based on the comic source material. Since Scott Gimple's elevation to Walking Dead showrunner, the show has followed the comics fairly closely, with only a few notable exceptions (Eugene, what has gotten into you?). 

If everything goes according to plan, The Walking Dead season 8.5 is likely to adapt Volume 21 of the comics, "All Out War - Part Two," which covers issues #121-126.

And if only 6 issues seems like a small number for 8 hour-long episodes of TV, congratulations, you just diagnosed all the current problems with the show. But we digress. Here is your helpful (and again: INCREDIBLY SPOILER-FILLED) guide for what's to come on The Walking Dead.

He Who Controls the Bullets…

Eugene Porter is the aspect of The Walking Deadshow that has diverged the most from the comic. In the books, Eugene may be a coward but he is also Rick's man through and through. 

The show presents a more three-dimensional view of Eugene or maybe just a more realistic one with varying levels of success. Regardless, the changes in Eugene's character beg some questions as to how the second half of the season is going to deal with certain plotlines. 

Namely: who is Eugene going to make bullets for? Eugene really comes into his own after his buddy Abraham's death in the Walking Dead comic universe. By the time "All Out War" rolls around, Eugene realizes that it's time to put his intellect to good use and start manufacturing bullets for Alexandria.

Eugene has already filled this role within the show's universe, making bullets for the survivors before defecting to the Saviors. Now that the Saviors have cleared out the Walkers surrounding the Sanctuary and there appears to be a greater need for ammunition, expect Eugene back at the factory cranking out munitions.

Biological Warfare

One concept that The Walking Dead season 8 has stealthily introduced from the comics is the inherent danger of rotting guts. It turns out that covering oneself in the decaying flesh and viscera of long-dead zombies may not be the healthiest choice as Father Gabriel tragically finds out. 

In the comics, Negan makes a similar discovery but in a much safer way. As the Saviors prepare for their assault on the Hilltop, Negan introduces them to a new strategy they will use to win the war. They will coat their weapons in walker guts so when they pierce their enemies' flesh, the victim will become infected and die. 

Negan and company put this into practice when the Saviors storm the Hilltop. Negan has one of his snipers shoot and kill the guard Kal and then they breach the gates and attack the citizens. The survivors are able to repel the Saviors back but not before some of the survivors are struck with the contaminated weapons.

Nicholas, who was still alive at this point in the comics, develops a mysterious fever that mystifies the Hilltop doctor, Harlan (currently taken hostage by the Saviors in the show), because it is from a normal wound. Nicholas' condition eventually worsens and he dies, leading Harlan to recognize the biological warfare strategy the Saviors have employed. This naturally freaks out the survivors as Rick has been struck in the side by a crossbow bolt from Dwight. When Rick doesn't develop a fever, however, he realizes that Dwight is fully and truly on their side.

The Walking Deadshow will almost certainly adapt the Savior assault on the Hilltop and their contanimated weapon strategy. For one, there is nowhere else for the Saviors to attack now that Alexandria is off the map and all the survivors are slowly gathering at the Hilltop. There's also the matter of Maggie's Savior prisoners. She's finally decided to execute one and send his corpse back to the Saviors, which will undoubtedly cause a visit from Simon. 

Since Nicholas isn't around to become a casualty however, look for another Alexandrian to bite the dust. Smart money is on Tobin since his comic book counterpart is already long gone. 

Mercy 

In the comic, Negan assumes that Rick is dead because he was struck by one of Dwight's contaminated bolts. So after letting the Hilltop chill for a couple of days, he returns and demands to speak with their newly elected leader. He's astonished to see Rick emerge from the Hilltop gates. The Sheriff tells the villain that it's time for a long, overdue chat.

Rick basically asks, "Wtf dude." Negan calls himself a Savior, yet they're at war. Negan explains his rationale for all the violence, saying that everything he's done has been in the interest of survival. This is a harsh world and it needs a harsh man to lead the survivors into a new age. 

Rick says that those harsh days are gone and they can all survive together now, establish fair trade routes, and end the violence once and for all. Rick's argument is a convincing one and Negan concedes that maybe he's been going about this wrong the whole time. Maybe Rick's way is the right way. 

"Good," Rick responds and slashes Negan's throat. 

Bu...bu...but why is the first episode of season 8 called "Mercy?" Why have we been treated to extended Siddiq monologues about the concept of forgiveness and mercy? Because after Rick attacks Negan, the villain hits back and violently breaks Rick's leg before passing out. Despite his mangled leg, Rick insists that the Hilltop doctor, Harlan, treat Negan and keep him alive. 

This is a new world under Rick and the new world means we don't simply kill our foes. Rick wants Negan alive so that he can be imprisoned for his crimes against humanity. Rick gets his way, as Negan is saved and is locked away in the bowels of a rebuilt Alexandria.

Improbably, this all kind of works in the comic. Negan's about-face may seem sudden and silly but the character as fleshed out by Kirkman really does seem to believe in survival above all else. The issue that the show will have to confront in the season 8 finale is: can this version of Negan be redeemed? 

By the time the season 8 finale rolls around, Negan will have been around as the big bad for a whopping 32 episodes. He's killed some of our favorite characters, he keeps a harem of unwilling-to-semi-willing women as wives. He clearly relishes his role as the big bad wolf. Not only that but Rick has solemnly sworn on no fewer than three occassions that he will one day kill him.

Is there a possible way that the show can have both Negan AND Rick change their minds simultaneously at the climactic moment? We shall see. Perhaps Carl's death in the show universe is the motivating agent of change for both characters.

Old Man Rick

That leaves one bit of business to be resolved. What was with those weird flash-forwards of a silver-haired Rick living in a peaceful future? In season 8 of The Walking Dead, it initially wasn't clear whether that was a flash-forward or a fantasy sequence? Considering that Carl appears in the sequence, it seems as though it was merely a Rick Grimes fever dream.

In the comics, however, it's no fantasy. There really is a more peaceful time on the horizon. The war against Negan and the Saviors ends in issue 126. Issue 127 begins two years later with a handful of different survivors out in the wilderness about to be killed by a herd of walkers. They're rescued at the last minute by a now longer-haired and even sexier Jesus.

Jesus takes the new characters to safety in Alexandria, which is completely rebuilt and has become a beautiful, idyllic post-apocalyptic community. There are mills, actual streets, and workers working on new buildings constantly. In fact all of the communities are planning on holding a big fair at Alexandria so all the survivors can get together and party. 

When the new survivors are taken to meet Alexandria's leader, we get our first glimpse at what we can lovingly call Old Man Rick. Rick has cut his shaggy hair down to a graying buzzcut. He wears a prosthetic on his missing hand (which is not part of the TV show currently), and he needs a cane to walk around as the leg that Negan broke never healed properly. 

Obviously, the happiness isn't quite there to stay. There are approximately 50 issues of the comic after 127 (so far) and they certainly aren't just about how happy everyone is all the time. But the two-year time jump into an era of peace for Alexandria, the Hilltop, the Kingdom, and even the Sanctuary represents the biggest collective exhale for these characters yet. 

Let's hope The Walking Dead show affords its characters the same privilege. These people need a break. 

The Dark Tower TV Series Is Coming to Amazon

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The Dark Tower TV series, which will now act as a reboot, is being developed at Amazon.

NewsJohn Saavedra
Feb 25, 2018

The Dark Tower TV series is in development at Amazon, according to Deadline. While the series was originally planned to tie into the 2017 film, that is no longer the plan, according to Stephen King in an interview with Vulture

"The TV series they’re developing now … we’ll see what happens with that. It would be like a complete reboot, so we’ll just have to see," said King.

Glen Mazzara, who previously helmed The Walking Dead season 3, has been brought on as showrunner. Akiva Goldsman, who produced and co-wrote the film adaptation, will executive produce, along with Jeff Pinkner, Ron Howard, and Brian Grazer. Nikolaj Arcel, who directed The Dark Tower movie, and screenwriter Anders Thomas Jensen wrote a script for the pilot and will also executive produce. 

Of course, it's unclear if Amazon plans to move forward with Arcel and Jensen's script now that the film has turned out to be a failure. That pilot was said to feature Idris Elba, who played Roland in the movie, and Tom Taylor, who played Jake. It's unclear what their involvement will be at this point. Mazzara might prefer to start from scratch completely. 

MRC and Sony Pictures, who also released the film in 2017, will finance a 10-13 episode first season.

Here's everything else we know:

The Dark Tower TV Series Release Date

EW had confirmed that the TV series would begin filming in 2017, with a potential premiere in 2018. As we've heard little about the show since the release of poorly received film, it's probably safe to say that the release date might be pushed back just a bit.

The Dark Tower TV Series Showrunner

THR reports that former Walking Deadexec producer Glen Mazzara will serve as showrunner for The Dark Tower TV series.

"I’ve been a Stephen King fan for decades and the opportunity to adapt The Dark Tower as a TV series is a great honor," Mazzara told THR. "The events of The Gunslinger, Wizard & Glass, The Wind Through the Keyhole, and other tales need a long format to capture the complexity of Roland's coming of age — how he became the Gunslinger, how Walter became the Man in Black, and how their rivalry cost Roland everything and everyone he ever loved. I could not be more excited to tell this story. It feels like being given the key to a treasure chest. And oh yeah, we’ll have billy-bumblers!"

Mazzara's involvement is definitely great news. He's responsible for what is arguably the greatest season of The Walking Dead after taking over for Frank Darabont in season 3. Hopefully, he'll bring a bit of his magic to The Dark Tower

The showrunner has also been attached to a prequel to The Shining called The Overlook Hotelfor some time. No news on that front, though. 

The Dark Tower TV Series Details

The show will reportedly flesh Roland's origin story and his first adventure as a young gunslinger from the fourth book in the series, Wizard and Glass

In 2017, MRC released a cool promo that teases the setting of the show. It's a map of the different places in the Barony of Mejis, where most of Wizard and Glass takes place: 

Roland's instructor, Cort, and his original ka-tet, Cuthbert and Alain, will appear on the show, although none of those roles have been cast yet. 

The Atlantean Civil War Deepens in Mera, Queen of Atlantis #1

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Actually, Mera's first solo comic series is about state's rights.

NewsJim Dandy
Feb 26, 2018

Dan Abnett does good stuff with weird palace intrigue and odd ruling arrangements. He's done it all his career, and that makes him screwing up Atlantis's ruling culture in the pages of Aquaman all the more exciting. The fact that we're also getting a full Mera: Queen of Atlantis miniseries is just an added bonus.

For those of you not up to date: Aquaman is no longer the king of Atlantis. He's been usurped by Coram Rath, a man tapping into Atlantean magic to maintain control. Much of that magic is a barrier of thorns that keeps Atlantis isolated. Arthur is presumed dead, but hanging around in the Ninth Tride (read: the bad part of town) with Dolphin, a classic character from the '70s that Abnett brought back. Mera, originally trapped outside the barrier separating Atlantis from the rest of the world, used a busted old magic medallion to get in, and lost her ability to breathe underwater in the process. That's pretty much where we stand today. 

He and his team have been setting Mera up since the Rebirth relaunch as the spine behind the throne. She's always been a badass, with waterbending powers that are almost a cooler visual than Arthur's, but now she's also a strong advocate for the Atlantean people. And that's where she's at when her solo series, a six-issue mini that DC sent a preview of over, kicks off.

Here's what they have to say about the first issue:

MERA: QUEEN OF ATLANTIS #1 Written by DAN ABNETTArt by LAN MEDINACover by NICOLA SCOTTVariant cover by STANLEY “ARTGERM” LAUAs the brutal Atlantean Civil War rages, Mera must keep the peace between the surface world and Atlantis as its newly anointed queen in exile. But when Aquaman’s brother Orm, a.k.a. Ocean Master, learns of his homeland’s fate, he’ll stop at nothing to return to Atlantis as its king and savior! 

Take a look at these preview pages!

HBO’s Fahrenheit 451 Teaser Burns the Books

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Ray Bradbury inadvertently invented Kindle with his book burning sensation Fahrenheit 451.

NewsTony Sokol
Feb 26, 2018

Have you ever seen a physical book before? In the before-time, as South Park might put it, when words were printed on pulped out wood, science fiction writer Ray Bradbury warned about suppressing ideas by limiting thought. Of course, he may have been worried about collecting royalties, but his novel Fahrenheit 451 became a part of the curriculum at schools nationwide. HBO Films’ adaptation of that novel will air this spring.

Fahrenheit 451 depicts “a future where the media is an opiate, history is rewritten and ‘firemen’ burn books," according to the official synopsis. It was was directed by Ramin Bahrani, who helmed 99 Homes, from a screenplay by Ramin Bahrani and Amir Naderi (Vegas: Based on a True Story).

“I have always loved Ray Bradbury’s prophetic novel Fahrenheit 451,” Bahrani said in a statement. “Two years ago, as I looked at the world around me, it seemed like the ideal time to do a modern interpretation. I am grateful to HBO for helping me bring my vision of the film to audiences with this incredible cast.”

Fahrenheit 451 stars Michael B. Jordan (Black Panther, Creed,Fruitvale Station) as Montag, a “young fireman who forsakes his world and struggles to regain his humanity as he battles his mentor, fire captain Beatty, played byMichael Shannon (The Shape of Water, Boardwalk Empire, Nocturnal Animals, Revolutionary Road). Sofia Boutella (The Mummy, Kingsman: The Secret Service) stars as Clarisse, an “informant caught between the competing interests of Montag and Beatty.” Lilly Singh (Bad Moms, YouTube’s Superwoman) plays Raven, a “tabloid reporter who works with the fire department to spread the ministry’s propaganda by broadcasting its book-burning raids to fans.”

You can watch the trailer here:

HBO Films’ Fahrenheit 451 debuts in May.

Guardians of the Galaxy 3: James Gunn and Mark Hamill Talking New Role?

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A fan Twitter request led James Gunn and Mark Hamill to publicly discuss adding the last Jedi to Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

NewsDavid Crow
Feb 26, 2018

Twitter is a magical place. It’s a social media landscape where ideas and concepts can be shared, community and identity nurtured, and change and progress enacted, if at least in part. Plus, lots of cursing and trolls. Still, it’s also a pretty groovy place to fan cast Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 for realsies! If you find that hard to believe, scroll down, because it appears to be what’s happening after one fan asked James Gunn to add Mark Hamill to third Marvel Studios movie about a talking raccoon.

It was a fan calling himself Ian Fee who requested that James Gunn do him a “huge favour” and give Mark Hamill a role in the third Guardians movie. It would make sense, as Hamill is on a pop culture high right now after appearing in Star Wars: The Last Jedi where he reprised the role of Luke Skywalker. While the movie was widely well received by critics and audiences, some fans had issues with how Hamill’s heroic Luke was treated after a nearly 35-year absence from the screen (at least in scenes with dialogue). So a chance for Hamill to stretch his Jedi skills to an entirely different galaxy that isn’t quite so far, far away sounds like Fanboy Force Heaven.

But here is the funny thing about Twitter: Sometimes pie in the sky wishes will end with actual pie. After Gunn said he’d consider it, especially as he and the Star Wars actor are in roughly the same Malibu neighborhood, Hamill announced he was more than game to meet as neighbors… and as a director and actor. If nothing else, the following Twitter conversation ends with Gunn acquiring Mark Hamill as a Twitter follower so they can set-up the playdate.

Who knows, in a few years we could all be sitting in a dark theater and a new member of the Guardians of the Galaxy will be introduced—let’s say Suke Lywalker—and from that moment on, we’ll know who we all have to thank for it. Good one, Ian.

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