News Analysis India

Tag: Marvel Studios

  • ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ banned in Saudi Arabia

    By PTI

    LOS ANGELES: Marvel Studios’ much-anticipated movie “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” has been banned in Saudi Arabia and several other Arab countries due to the presence of a gay character.

    The ‘Doctor Strange’ sequel, which will release in the US on May 6, was originally scheduled for hit theatres in Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries on May 5.

    According to Variety, the Saudi Arabian censors didn’t issue the distribution certificate to the Benedict Cumberbatch-led superhero movie. The Sam Raimi-directed sequel stars Cumberbatch as the titular character and also features new hero America Chavez, played by actor Xochitl Gomez. Her character in the film is reportedly gay.

    Prior to “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness”, Marvel’s “The Eternals” was banned in Saudi Arabia, over its same-gender couple romance and the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s first gay superhero.

    “Doctor Strange” sequel follows the Sorcerer Supreme as he tries to contain the aftermath of the multiverse-fracturing spell he cast in ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’, which caused villains from across the multiverse to spill over into the central Marvel Cinematic Universe timeline.

  • Benedict Cumberbatch to host ‘SNL’ in May

    By PTI

    LOS ANGELES: “The Power of The Dog” star Benedict Cumberbatch will host “Saturday Night Live”, the long-running sketch series, on May 7.

    Cumberbatch’s appearance on “SNL” will come a day after his Marvel Studios movie “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” hits the screens on May 6.

    This will be thw two-time Oscar-nominated actor’s second hosting gig after he made his debut back in November 2016, reported Deadline. For the episode, the British star will collaborate with indie rock band Arcade Fire who will take the “SNL” stage as musical guest.

    Cumberbatch was recently nominated for the best actor in a leading role Academy Award for his performance in Jane Campion’s “The Power of The Dog”.

    The upcoming episode of “SNL” will mark Arcade Fire’s fifth appearance as a musical guest, following stints in 2007, 2010, 2013 and 2018.

  • Marvel Studios sets premiere date for Disney Plus series ‘Ms Marvel’ 

    By PTI

    LOS ANGELES: “Ms Marvel”, Marvel Studio’s first onscreen Muslim hero, will arrive on the streamer Disney Plus on June 8.

    The studio also released the first trailer for the series fronted by newcomer Iman Vellani as Kamala Khan aka Ms Marvel, a Muslim American teenager growing up in Jersey City.

    “The future is in her hands. Ms.Marvel, an Original series from Marvel Studios, starts streaming on June 8 on @DisneyPlus.#MsMarvel,” read the tweet on Marvel Studio’s Twitter page shared on Tuesday.

    The future is in her hands.Ms. Marvel, an Original series from Marvel Studios, starts streaming June 8 on @DisneyPlus. #MsMarvel pic.twitter.com/k1s7HWOtaV
    — Marvel Studios (@MarvelStudios) March 15, 2022
    According to Deadline, Kamala is an avid gamer and a voracious fan-fiction scribe with an oversized imagination — particularly when it comes to Captain Marvel (played by Brie Larson in the Marvel Cinematic Universe).

    Yet Kamala feels she doesn’t fit in at school and sometimes even at home, until she gets superpowers like her idols.

    “Bad Boys for Life” helmers Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, a two-time Oscar winner in the documentary short category, and Meera Menon, who has worked on shows like “The Walking Dead”, have directed the episodes of the series.

    Bisha K Ali, a scribe and stand-up comic known for her personal-political comedy, serves as head writer on the project.

    Aramis Knight, Saagar Shaikh, Rish Shah, Zenobia Shroff, Mohan Kapur, Matt Lintz, Yasmeen Fletcher, Laith Nakli, Azhar Usman, Travina Springer and Nimra Bucha also round out the cast of “Ms Marvel”.

    Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso and Ali serve as executive producers.

    Co-executive producers for the series are Sana Amanat and Trevor Waterson.

    First appearing in the comics in 2014, Ms Marvel was created by G Willow Wilson, artiste Adrian Alphona, and editors Sana Amanat and Stephen Wacker.

  • There’s a tonal shift: Kevin Feige on Disney Plus’ ‘Moon Knight’ series 

    By PTI

    LOS ANGELES: Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige has revealed that the upcoming “Moon Knight” series is a lot more edgier than their other films and shows.

    The series follows Oscar Issac’s Steven Grant, a mild-mannered gift-shop employee, as he becomes troubled by blackouts and memories of another life.

    Steven discovers he has dissociative identity disorder and shares a body with Marc Spector, an elite soldier and mercenary who decides to fight crime after he becomes the human avatar of Khonshu, the Egyptian god of the moon.

    In an interview with Empire magazine, Feige said the Disney Plus show, based on the Marvel comics character, marks a “tonal shift” in the way the studio has perceived its content till now.

    “He’s brutal. It’s been fun to work with Disney+ and see the boundaries shifting on what we’re able to do. There are moments (in the series) when Moon Knight is wailing on another character, and it is loud and brutal, and the knee-jerk reaction is, ‘We’re gonna pull back on this, right?’ No. We’re not pulling back. There’s a tonal shift. This is a different thing. This is Moon Knight,” he said.

    Feige is attached as executive producer on “Moon Knight” series along with Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso, Brad Winderbaum, Jeremy Slater, Diab and Isaac.

    Mohamed Diab and the duo of Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead have directed the episodes.

    Jeremy Slater is credited as the head writer.

    Also starring Ethan Hawke and and May Calamawy, the show will start streaming on Disney Plus from March 30.

  • ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ to restart production next week 

    By PTI

    LOS ANGELES: Marvel Studios’ “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” will resume production from next week.

    According to The Hollywood Reporter, actor Letitia Wright, who suffered injuries during an accident on the film’s set in August last year, has recovered and reached Atlanta to shoot for the movie again.

    Production was initially to have restarted last week but was delayed after several cast and crew members, including actor Lupita Nyong’o, tested positive for COVID-19, the outlet reported.

    In August last year, Wright suffered an injury while filming a sequence involving a stunt rig on-location in Boston.

    Though the team filmed as much as they could without Wright while she continued to heal at her home in London, the production was eventually suspended in November.

    In the upcoming superhero film, Wright is reprising her role as the brilliant tech wiz and Wakanda princess Shuri.

    Original cast members Danai Gurira, Daniel Kaluuya, Winston Duke, Lupita Nyong’o, Florence Kasumba and Angela Bassett along with director Ryan Coogler are also returning.

    “Wakanda Forever” is the sequel to the 2018 global hit “Black Panther”, headlined by Hollywood star Chadwick Boseman who passed away on August 28, 2020, following a private, four-year-long battle with colon cancer.

    Part two is slated to be released on November 11, 2022.

  • Marvel’s ‘Shang-Chi’ sequel to be helmed by Destin Daniel Cretton 

    By PTI

    LOS ANGELES: Disney and Marvel Studios are developing a sequel to their much-loved superhero movie “Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings”, with co-writer and helmer Destin Daniel Cretton returning to direct.

    According to Variety, Cretton is also working on a new Marvel Cinematic Universe series for Disney Plus.

    The filmmaker has signed an exclusive multi-year overall deal with Disney-owned Marvel Studios and Hulu’s Onyx Collective, under which he will develop TV projects for both Marvel Studios for Disney Plus and Onyx Collective across all platforms.

    Cretton will be producing the projects through a new company he is launching with partner Asher Goldstein, named Family Owned.

    “Destin is an amazing collaborator who brought a unique perspective and skill to ‘Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings’. We had a fantastic time working together on the film and he has so many intriguing ideas for stories to bring to life on Disney+, so we’re thrilled to expand our relationship with him and can’t wait to get started,” said Kevin Feige, president of Marvel Studios.

    “Shang-Chi And The Legend of The Ten Rings”, which starred Simu Liu as the titular hero who battled ancient creatures and his own paternal issues, has earned more than USD 430 million at worldwide box office, becoming one of the most successful films of the pandemic era.

    The film, also featuring Michelle Yeoh, Awkwafina and Tony Leung, was the first Marvel Cinematic Universe movie to be led by an Asian actor and mostly Asian cast. 

  • Sony up for another ‘Spider-Man’ trilogy with Tom Holland and Marvel, says producer

    By PTI

    LOS ANGELES: Teasing the upcoming “Spider-Man: No Way Home” won’t be the last of Tom Holland as the titular webslinger, producer and former Sony Pictures head Amy Pascal says another trilogy in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is in the early works with the actor.

    “No Way Home”, the third in the series from director Jon Watts, also stars Zendaya and Jacob Batalon, as well as returning Spider-Man villain actors Willem Dafoe (Green Goblin), Alfred Molina (Doctor Octopus) and Jamie Foxx (Electro).

    It will be released in US theatres on December 17.

    In an interview with Fandango published Monday, Pascal said there is more to come in the “Spider-Man” film series.

    “This is not the last movie that we are going to make with Marvel – (this is not) the last Spider-Man movie. We are getting ready to make the next Spider-Man movie with Tom Holland and Marvel. We’re thinking of this as three films, and now we’re going to go onto the next three. This is not the last of our MCU movies,” Pascal said.

    The veteran producer’s remarks come weeks after Holland, 25, said “No Way Home” might be his last as Spider-Man.

    “Maybe it is time for me to move on. Maybe what’s best for Spider-Man is that they do a Miles Morales film. I have to take Peter Parker into account as well, because he is an important part of my life. If I’m playing Spider-Man after I’m 30, I’ve done something wrong,” the actor told GQ magazine in a profile interview.

    Sony insiders note though the studio has a strong relationship with Holland and Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige and hopes to continue their collaboration, there are no official plans for a trilogy at this phase.

    Sony has made five “Spider-Man” films from 2002 to 2014, three directed by Sam Raimi with Tobey Maguire as the lead, and two starring Andrew Garfield helmed by Marc Webb.

    A year after Webb’s “Amazing Spider-Man” (2014) bombed at the box office, Marvel and Sony unveiled a partnership that allowed Spider-Man to appear in MCU’s “Captain America: Civil War” (2016) and would see Feige and Marvel produce a series of Spider-Man films released by Sony.

    The contract also made Holland’s character a major player in the MCU with roles in “Avengers: Infinity War” (2018) and “Avengers: Endgame” (2019).

    But the deal crashed soon after the release of “Spider-Man: Far From Home” in July 2019, the second film in the franchise after 2017’s “Spider-Man: Homecoming”.

    In September 2019, Sony and Marvel announced they had reached a new agreement that would allow Holland to complete his trilogy and also appear in one more MCU film.

    Besides “Spider-Man” films, Sony has its own universe of Marvel characters, with Jared Leto’s “Morbius” and a “Kraven the Hunter” film starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson.

    The studio recently tasted success with Tom Hardy returning as Venom in its sequel “Let There Be Carnage”, including a post-credits scene that saw the character enter the MCU.

  • Indian release of ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ a day ahead of US

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’, the new Spider Man film starring Tom Holland and Zendaya, is all set to release in India on December 16, a day ahead of its release in the US.

    “We have some exciting news for all the Spider-Man & Marvel fans! Our favourite superhero will be swinging in one day earlier than the US! Catch #SpiderManNoWayHome on December 16 in English, Hindi, Tamil & Telugu,” tweeted Sony Pictures India.

    In the film, with Spider-Man’s identity now revealed, Peter asks Doctor Strange for help.

    When a spell goes wrong, dangerous foes from other worlds start to appear, forcing Peter to discover what it truly means to be Spider-Man.

    The film will also feature appearances from Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Strange, Jacob Batalon as Ned Leeds and Marisa Tomei as Aunt May. 

  • Delroy Lindo joins cast of Marvel’s ‘Blade’

    By ANI

    WASHINGTON: Actor Delroy Lindo is joining the cast of Marvel Studios’ ‘Blade’, which features actor Mahershala Ali in the lead role.

    As per Variety, Lindo, who most recently appeared in the Netflix Western ‘The Harder They Fall’, is the first actor to join the cast since Ali broke the news of the ‘Blade’ reboot at the end of Marvel Studios’ 2019 panel at San Diego Comic-Con.

    Bassam Tariq is directing the feature project from a script by Stacy Osei-Kuffour.

    It is currently unclear who Lindo will be playing, but one strong possibility is Jamal Afari, who in the Marvel comics is the man who raised and mentored Blade — a.k.a. Eric Brooks — in the ways of vampire hunting when Eric was young.

    In the comics, Jamal is Black, but in the 1998 feature adaptation of ‘Blade’ starring Wesley Snipes, the character was renamed Abraham Whistler and cast with white actor Kris Kristofferson.

    Marvel has not yet announced a release date for ‘Blade’, but observers expect the film to debut in the fall of 2023.

    Lindo is coming off another critically-acclaimed collaboration with Spike Lee in Netflix’s ‘Da 5 Bloods’. In the streamer’s Western epic ‘The Harder They Fall’, he plays Bass Reeves, the real-life lawman who was an inspiration for the Lone Ranger.

    The actor will next appear in Neil Gaiman’s ‘Anansi Boys’ series at Amazon, and he’s set to make his directorial debut with the film ‘Jabari’s People’.

    Ali recently made his audio-only debut as Blade in a post-credits scene in Marvel Studios’ ‘Eternals’, in which Blade (off-screen) counsels Kit Harington’s Dane Whitman not to pick up a cursed sword known as the Ebony Blade.

    While the scene would suggest Harington will appear in Ali’s ‘Blade’ movie, the former ‘Game of Thrones’ star told Variety in October that he doesn’t know if that will happen. 

  • Chadwick Boseman’s ‘Black Panther’ character won’t be recast by Marvel

    By IANS

    LOS ANGELES: Late Hollywood star Chadwick Boseman’s King T’Challa/Black Panther will never be recast by Marvel following his tragic death, the studio’s VP of Development Nate Moore has confirmed.

    Moore told The Ringer-verse Podcast: “I’m being quite honest, you will not see T’Challa in the MCU.”

    Moore revealed that he had discussed potential casting decisions with Ryan Coogler, who is returning to direct ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’, but the pair ultimately decided that they “couldn’t do it” without Boseman, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

    He shared: “We have to figure out how to move this franchise on without that character. Because I think we all feel so much of T’Challa in the MCU on the screen… is tied to Chadwick’s performance.

    “The challenge for ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ is telling a story without T’Challa.”

    Chadwick passed away at the age of 43 in August 2020 after a cancer battle and Coogler previously confirmed that he would have wanted his ‘Black Panther’ co-stars to press ahead with the story following his tragic death.

    The 35-year-old filmmaker said: “You’ve got to keep going when you lose loved ones. I know Chad wouldn’t have wanted us to stop.”

    “He was somebody who was so about the collective.’Black Panther’, that was his movie. He was hired to play that role before anybody else was even thought of, before I was hired, before any of the actresses were hired.”

    Coogler added that directing the sequel following Boseman’s death was the “hardest” task of his career.

    He said: “You have a professional life, you’ve got a personal life. Personal life, I’m going to say when you work in something that you love, those things blend, they come together.

    “I’m trying to find a work-life balance. But I’m not there yet, so this is without question the hardest thing I’ve had to do in my professional life.”