Expect a lot of Star Wars news over the next few days and things got interesting right away as Star Wars: Skeleton Crew was revealed and it will star… Jude Law!?
Produced by Jon Watts, Christopher Ford, Jon Favreau, and Dave Filoni, the series will stream on Disney+ starting in 2023.
It looks like Marvel‘s Fantastic Four is off to a bumpy start as Jon Watts has left the company’s reboot. Directors leaving projects before they get rolling isn’t uncommon with Marvel films and not much should be read into the decision.
Watts directed all three of Marvel and Sony’s Spider-Man films turning them into a multi-billion dollar cinematic hit.
The decision by Watts is reported as his wanting to “step away from superhero filmmaking”.
In a statement, Watts said:
Making three ‘Spider-Man’ films was an incredible and life changing experience for me. I’m eternally grateful to have been a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe for seven years. I’m hopeful we’ll work together again and I can’t wait to see the amazing vision for Fantastic Four brought to life.
Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige in a separate statement said:
Collaborating with Jon on the Spider-Man films has been a true pleasure. We were looking forward to continuing our work with him to bring the Fantastic Four into the MCU but understand and are supportive of his reasons for stepping away. We are optimistic that we will have the opportunity to work together again at some point down the road.
Watts was announced as the director of Fantastic Four during the Disney Investor Day presentation in December 2020. No release date has been announced.
Marvel and Sony have revealed the title of their third Spider-Man film out December 2021. Spider-Man: No Way Home completes the latest Spider-Man trilogy. Tom Holland, Zendaya, and Jacob Batalon all return along with director Jon Watts for the film.
Along with the title, we get some images of the film along with some teased, but wrong, titles.
Rumors have suggested the film will continue Marvel’s dip into the multiverse with Holland dealing with Doctor Strange and also coming across previous iterations of Spider-Man as well as villains from previous films.
Spider-Man: No Way Home Arrives in theaters on December 17, 2021.
During the Disney investor presentation, numerous announcements were made as to what to expect from Marvel Studios over the next years. Numerous first looks were released and updates to movies, television shows, and a whole lot of reveals.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings has wrapped its production. The film is in theaters July 9, 2021.
Brie Larson will return as Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel in Captain Marvel 2. Nia DaCosta will direct the film and Larson will be joined by Iman Vellani, the new Ms. Marvel, and Teyonah Parris who will play Monica Rambeau. Parris will debut as the character in WandaVision.
Captain Marvel 2 will fly into theaters November 11, 2022.
Hawkeye is currently filming. Jeremy Renner returns as the character and will be joined by Hailee Steinfeld as Kate Bishop.
Additional cast include Vera Farmiga, Fra Fee, and newcomer Alaqua Cox as Maya Lopez, with episodes directed by Rhys Thomas and directing duo Bert and Bertie.
Tatiana Maslany is now confirmed as Jennifer Walters/She-Hulk… and Tim Roth is joining her!? Roth returns as the Abomination. Mark Ruffalo will also appear on the Disney+ series. It will be directed by Kat Coiro and Anu Valia.
Moon Knight is confirmed though no more details have been released.
Samuel L. Jackson is back as Nick Fury in the Disney+ series, Secret Invasion. Ben Mendelsohn will return as well as the Skrull Talos.
Dominique Thorne will step into the armor as Riri Williams in Ironheart! The character is coming to a series soon on Disney+.
Ironheart and… Armor Wars!? Don Cheadle suits up again as James Rhodes, aka War Machine. The classic story comes to the small screen of Disney+ as Tony Stark’s fear of his tech falling into the wrong hands comes true.
Hopefully it’ll be as much of a trainwreck as the Star Wars special, but in 2022 we’re getting The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special directed and written by James Gunn. You’ll be able to watch it on Disney+.
I am Groot! Baby Groot will get a series of shorts on Disney+.
Christian Bale has officially joined the cast of Thor: Love and Thunder as the villain Gorr the God Butcher. This will have a major impact on the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Thor: Love and Thunder comes to theaters on May 6, 2022.
Peyton Reed will return to direct the third Ant-Man film, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Douglas, and Michelle Pfeiffer all return. Kathryn Newton joins the cast as Cassie Lang and Jonathan Majors as Kang the Conqueror.
And… the Fantastic Four are coming to the Marvel Cinematic Universe directed by Jon Watts!
Either the rumors are all over and full of it, or Spider-Man 3 is putting it all on the table. Alfred Molina is the latest actor who is rumored to be reprising their role in Sony‘s Spider-Man universe. The actor would return as Otto Octavious, the villain from Tobey Maguire‘s Spider-Man 2 (different trilogy). Neither Sony nor Marvel commented on the news.
The actor had been rumored for some time and was spotted on the set but there have been some confirmations to various news organizations that he’ll play some sort of role, though it’s unknown as to what extent.
Molina joins Jamie Foxx who also will return as Electro. Foxx’s Electro terrorized Andrew Garfield‘s Spider-Man in The Amazing Spider-Man 2. Foxx, in a now deleted Instagram post, hinted that Maguire and Garfield would appear in the upcoming film.
Marvel and Sony have been leaning into the “multiverse” making this sort of thing possible. Sony’sSpider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse was a massive hit both in grosses and awards. In that film, multiple “Spider-Man” from around the multiverse teamed up and came together, a riff on the popular Marvel comic storyline. Marvel Studio’s next Doctor Strange film has hinted at a focus on the multiverse. It’s the next logical progression for Marvel’s Cinematic Universe and directions to take it. Benedict Cumberbatch who stars in that film will appear in Spider-Man 3 which stars Tom Holland.
Zendaya, Marisa Tomei, Jacob Batalon, and Tony Revolori will all return to the film with director Jon Watts back at the helm. Watts directed the first two Holland films. Spider-Man 3 is currently slated to be released on December 17, 2021.
The Hollywood Reporter is reporting that Jamie Foxx is in “final talks” to reprise his role as Electro in the next installment of Spider-Man starring Tom Holland and being produced by Marvel and Sony.
Jon Watts who directed the first two films will return for the third film which has a tentative release date of December 17, 2021.
Most of the cast including Holland, Zendaya, Marisa Tomei, Jacob Batalon, and Tony Revolori will return. Kevin Feige and Amy Pascal are producing.
Foxx played Electro in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 which starred Andrew Garfield. The film earned $708.9 million globally but was considered a failure which led to Sony and Marvel striking their eventual deal that brought Spider-Man into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Speculation has run rampant as to how this might happen and if this will be the same character brought over through the multiverse established in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Electro is one of the original members of the Spider-Man rogues group the Sinister Six and the first two films have featured members of that group. Sony has been attempting to create their own Spider-Man universe which saw the release of Venom and has numerous other projects in the works. A film focused on the Sinister Six has been rumored for quite some time. The second set of Spider-Man films with Garfield teased the group which originally consisted of Doctor Octopus, Vulture, Electro, Mysterio, Sandman, and Kraven the Hunter. Five of the six characters have appeared in previous Spider-Man films. Two in the Toby Maguire films, one with Garfield, and two with Holland.
J.K. Simmons returned in Spider-Man: Far From Home as J. Jonah Jameson, a role he played in previous films, but the brief cameo gave no indication this was the same Jameson from the previous Spider-Man films. Simmons’ Jameson didn’t appear in The Amazing Spider-Man films but he has also reprised the role for animated shows like Lego Marvel Super Heroes: Maximum Overload, Avengers Assemble, Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H., and Ultimate Spider-Man.
It’s difficult to review Spider-Man: Far From Home in its totality. Doing so would spoil so much of what makes the film great. The movie is easily the best Spider-Man film to be released. We’re not counting Into the Spider-verse for that debate. It also challenges the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It’s really that good.
The film picks up post Avengers: Endgame. Not only does it directly address events from that film, but it also answers many of our questions stemming from it. So many scenarios are thrown out about the impact of the snap. So many quick comments. And so much of it is addressed with humor and realism. And that’s the brilliance of the film.
Spider-Man: Far From Home is able to add massive amounts of worldbuilding and details through simple quick sentences. It’s a movie that’s smart in how it delivers information to the audience. It’s also clearly aware of the weight on its shoulders.
Here’s a spoiler… for Avengers: Endgame…
The film deals with the fallout of the death of the heroes, particularly Tony Stark. It questions what’s Tony’s legacy and who will take up the mantle? And that responsibility is thrown on to the shoulders of Peter Parker. Tony saw something in him and that’s addressed here. Helping explore that is Happy Hogan who takes on a more involved role that’s almost fatherly.
End spoiler…
The film itself is about elementals who have come from another dimension to destroy our planet as they’ve done to others. Enter Quentin Beck, aka Mysterio, a mysterious person from a different Earth. He’s a soldier out to stop the elementals who destroyed his world.
It’s also the summer and Peter and his fellow students are off to Europe. There, Peter wants to tell MJ how he feels about her.
You’ve got action, you’ve got mystery, and you have a very cute high school romcom all rolled into one.
The film does an excellent job of using all of its cast. Other than a few students who don’t get much to do, even secondary characters get added depth. Flash Thompson has more added to his character out of two small moments than all of the previous Spider-Man films combined. That’s how smart the film is. We know more about him due to a text he sends and an interaction at the end and it all makes us understand his character. Those two moments are maybe 30 seconds combined and involve one sentence.
Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers are the writers for the film and Jon Watts directs, just as they did for Spider-Man: Homecoming. They clearly get these characters and this world and nail it in every way. Throw money at them and keep them around for as long as possible.
Every actor shines too with Zendaya particularly coming out of her shell from the first film and Tom Holland really showing some depth in acting with emotional moments. Jacob Batalon, as Ned, is given so much more to do and is so entertaining with every line delivery. Martin Starr and J.B. Smoove delivering so much humor to moments. Jake Gyllenhaal feels like he’s just having so much fun with what he’s given. He chews the scenery in a great way. Everyone is amazing and shines. There are no weak parts.
The film’s greatest strength is in every small detail in the script and on the screen. It has a lot on its shoulders with so much to do and it succeeds. It wraps up the latest Marvel Cinematic Universe phase and sets up what’s next. Boy does it. It does the impossible at every turn and delivers a summer popcorn film with humor, depth, and heart. The film has it all and I can’t wait to see it again in the theater.
Overall Rating: 10
Remember when all those sites in the know said Asa Butterfield was cast as Spider-Man? Guess who ISN’T Spider-Man. That’d be Asa Butterfield.
Today, Marvel and Sony have announced they have cast Tom Holland as Peter Parker/Spider-Man. The 19-year-old English Actor has mostly been in movies I’ve never heard of including The Impossible, How I Love Now, and the upcoming films Pilgrimage, In the Heart of the Sea, and Back Country, all out in 2015, as well as the television miniseries Wolf Hall.
In the release it said that producers Kevin Feige and Amy Pascal were impressed with his performances as well as his “complex screen tests.”
Also announced today is that Jon Watts will be directing the film. Watts is an interesting choice (continuing a string of interesting choices by Marvel) and his previous work involves numerous episodes of the televisions series Onion SportsDome and The Onion News Network, and the films Clown and Cop Car. Again, none of which I’ve seen.
The film will be financed and released by Sony and they will “collaborate” with Marvel on a “new creative direction for the Web-Slinger.”
The next Spider-Man film hits theaters July 28, 2017, though the character is rumored to first appear in a Marvel film beforehand.
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