News Analysis India

Tag: Marvel

  • ‘Thunderbolts’ to release in July 2024, will close MCU Phase 5

    By IANS

    LOS ANGELES: The next big heroes from the house of Marvel are gearing up to make their debuts. President of Marvel Keven Feige revealed that ‘Thunderbolts’ is set to close the MCU’s Phase 5, with a release date set for July 26, 2024, reports Variety.According to Variety, the news of a ‘Thunderbolts’ movie being in development first broke last month, with Jake Schreier, who previously helmed 2012’s ‘Robot and Frank’ and 2015’s ‘Paper Towns’ on board. Eric Pearson, who penned Marvel’s ‘Black Widow’, is attached to write the script, with Feige producing.Created by writer Kurt Busiek and artist Mark Bagley, the Thunderbolts made their comic debut in a 1997 issue of ‘The Incredible Hulk,’ before being launched into their self-titled comic book later that year.Originally presented as a team of heroes banding together after the Avengers were declared dead, a twist revealed that they were actually a supervillain team in disguise, attempting to conquer the world. Over the years, the team has gone through various iterations, but they’re always the more nefarious members of the Marvel Universe.Several MCU characters have the potential to pop up in the ‘Thunderbolts’. The first and most famous leader of the group was Baron Zemo, played in the MCU by Daniel Brahl. Other members of the ‘Thunderbolts’ over the course of their history include Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), Abomination (Tim Roth), John Walker (Wyatt Russell) and Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko).

    LOS ANGELES: The next big heroes from the house of Marvel are gearing up to make their debuts. President of Marvel Keven Feige revealed that ‘Thunderbolts’ is set to close the MCU’s Phase 5, with a release date set for July 26, 2024, reports Variety.
    According to Variety, the news of a ‘Thunderbolts’ movie being in development first broke last month, with Jake Schreier, who previously helmed 2012’s ‘Robot and Frank’ and 2015’s ‘Paper Towns’ on board. Eric Pearson, who penned Marvel’s ‘Black Widow’, is attached to write the script, with Feige producing.
    Created by writer Kurt Busiek and artist Mark Bagley, the Thunderbolts made their comic debut in a 1997 issue of ‘The Incredible Hulk,’ before being launched into their self-titled comic book later that year.
    Originally presented as a team of heroes banding together after the Avengers were declared dead, a twist revealed that they were actually a supervillain team in disguise, attempting to conquer the world. Over the years, the team has gone through various iterations, but they’re always the more nefarious members of the Marvel Universe.
    Several MCU characters have the potential to pop up in the ‘Thunderbolts’. The first and most famous leader of the group was Baron Zemo, played in the MCU by Daniel Brahl. Other members of the ‘Thunderbolts’ over the course of their history include Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), Abomination (Tim Roth), John Walker (Wyatt Russell) and Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko).

  • Filming for Marvel series was no different from doing a Bollywood film, says Actor Farhan Akhtar

    By IANS

    MUMBAI: Filmmaker-actor-producer Farhan Akhtar, who was recently seen in the limited Marvel series ‘Ms. Marvel’, shared that he didn’t come across much of a difference between working in the west and India.

    Participating in a fireside chat with the director duo The Russo Brothers, who are currently in India on a promotional tour of their recent release ‘The Gray Man’, Farhan told the media: “My experience of working with Marvel was no different than working in any film from India and Marvel would back me up for saying this.”

    The ‘Dil Chaahta Hai’ director further mentioned that making films is a work of passion and to get to work with a crew that shares the same passion is a blessing.

    “Filmmaking is about finding order in chaos. What you need is a crew that is passionately involved in the making. Enjoyment is really palpable when you have a brilliant crew,” he concluded.

    The Russo Brothers, the sibling-directors, have earlier made blockbuster films such as ‘Captain America: Civil War’, ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ and ‘Avengers: Endgame’, are promoting their recently released film ‘The Gray Man’, which stars Ryan Gosling, Chris Evans, Dhanush and the Cuban-American actress Ana de Armas.

    The high-octane action thriller, which earlier had a limited theatrical release, has been severely panned by critics. ‘The Gray Man’ is streaming on Netflix.

    MUMBAI: Filmmaker-actor-producer Farhan Akhtar, who was recently seen in the limited Marvel series ‘Ms. Marvel’, shared that he didn’t come across much of a difference between working in the west and India.

    Participating in a fireside chat with the director duo The Russo Brothers, who are currently in India on a promotional tour of their recent release ‘The Gray Man’, Farhan told the media: “My experience of working with Marvel was no different than working in any film from India and Marvel would back me up for saying this.”

    The ‘Dil Chaahta Hai’ director further mentioned that making films is a work of passion and to get to work with a crew that shares the same passion is a blessing.

    “Filmmaking is about finding order in chaos. What you need is a crew that is passionately involved in the making. Enjoyment is really palpable when you have a brilliant crew,” he concluded.

    The Russo Brothers, the sibling-directors, have earlier made blockbuster films such as ‘Captain America: Civil War’, ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ and ‘Avengers: Endgame’, are promoting their recently released film ‘The Gray Man’, which stars Ryan Gosling, Chris Evans, Dhanush and the Cuban-American actress Ana de Armas.

    The high-octane action thriller, which earlier had a limited theatrical release, has been severely panned by critics. ‘The Gray Man’ is streaming on Netflix.

  • Chris Evans refutes rumours about return, backs Anthony Mackie as Captain America

    By IANS

    LOS ANGELES: Hollywood star Chris Evans who is famous for his portrayal of Steve Rodgers also known as the Cap in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, has shown his support for Anthony Mackie amid speculations about his return in the fourth ‘Captain America’ movie.

    The Hollywood Reporter tweeted about Julius Onah being tapped to direct ‘Captain America 4’.

    In one of its tweets, the site posed a question if Evans would reprise his role as the titular superhero in the upcoming movie.

    “It is unclear if Chris Evans would reprise his role as the first #CaptainAmerica (though if the question of who is entitled to carry the shield continues, all bets are off),” read the tweet, which prompted a response from Evans himself.

    “Sam Wilson is Captain America,” the 41-year-old star simply wrote.

    Sam Wilson is Captain America
    — Chris Evans (@ChrisEvans) July 9, 2022
    Evans made his first appearance as Steve Rogers a.k.a. Captain America in 2011’s ‘Captain America: The First Avenger’.

    He continued to portray the character in two other ‘Captain America’ movies and ‘The Avengers’ films.

    In ‘Avengers: Endgame’, Evans’ Steve Rogers appears to pass the torch to Sam Wilson or Falcon (Mackie) as he hands over his Captain America shield to the veteran United States Air Force Pararescueman.

    However, Sam didn’t immediately embrace his new alter ego on Disney+’s series “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier”, on which he starred alongside Sebastian Stan.

    After much self-doubt due to him questioning how “a black man (can) represent a country that does not represent him,” Sam finally takes up the shield and embraces his new alter ego in the last episode of the series.

    Plot details are still unknown, but Malcolm Spellman, the creator and head writer of “Winter Soldier”, has been tapped to pen the script of the upcoming film with Dalan Musson, a staff writer on the show. No start date has been revealed either.

  • Russo Brothers with actor Dhanush to visit India for ‘The Gray Man’ premiere

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: Director duo Joe and Anthony Russo will be in India for the premiere of their upcoming Netflix film “The Gray Man”, the streamer said Monday.

    The filmmakers, known for Marvel Studios’ “Avengers: Infinity War” and “Avengers: Endgame”, will join superstar Dhanush at the event to be held here.

    The Russo Brothers shared the news with their Indian fans in a video message posted by Netflix India on its official Twitter page.

    “Hey everyone! I am Joe Russo and I am Anthony Russo and we’re so excited to be coming to India to see our dear friend Dhanush for our new movie ‘The Gray Man’. Get ready India, see you soon,” the directors said in the clip.

    Dhanush, whose character in “The Gray Man” is described as a “lethal force”, also talked about the experience of working on the much anticipated action thriller.

    “It was incredible. This movie is a roller coaster, it has everything, action, drama, pace and a big chase. I am very grateful that I got to do a modest role in this movie full of incredible people,” the National Award winner said in the video.

    Some great news from the cast of #TheGrayMan!The @Russo_Brothers are coming to India to give you a taste of the film, along with @dhanushkraja. Buckle up and stay tuned @AGBOfilms pic.twitter.com/4kJ5ZbqtIj
    — Netflix India (@NetflixIndia) July 11, 2022
    According to Netflix, fans can win tickets to the India premiere of “The Gray Man” by participating in a contest, from July 12 onwards.

    The Gray Man is CIA operative Court Gentry (Ryan Gosling), aka, Sierra Six, who is plucked from a federal penitentiary and recruited by his handler, Donald Fitzroy, played by Billy Bob Thornton.

    “…Gentry was once a highly-skilled, Agency-sanctioned merchant of death. But now the tables have turned and Six is the target, hunted across the globe by Lloyd Hansen (Chris Evans), a former cohort at the CIA, who will stop at nothing to take him out. Agent Dani Miranda (Ana de Armas) has his back. He’ll need it,” read the film’s official synopsis.

    Based on the novel of the same name by Mark Greaney, “The Gray Man” also stars Rege-Jean Page, Jessica Henwick, Wagner Moura, Alfre Woodard, Julia Butters, Eme Ikwuakor, and Scott Haze.

    The film will start streaming on Netflix on July 22.

  • Being a part of MCU makes you start to feel like a superhero: Farhan Akhtar on his Marvel debut

    By IANS

    MUMBAI:  Filmmaker-actor Farhan Akhtar, who has made his Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) debut with the fourth episode of Marvel Studios’ ‘Ms. Marvel’, recently shared his feelings about being cast in a Marvel intellectual property.

    Farhan, who plays the role of Waleed, the leader of the ancient order known as the Red Daggers, said in a statement, “You automatically start feeling like a superhero when someone tells you that you are going to be part of the MCU. I stood like a superhero, just missing my cape.”

    The actor also answered some Marvel trivia questions. Sharing the name of the first MCU film/series he watched, he said, “As far as my memory serves me, ‘Iron Man’ was the first MCU film I watched.”

    When asked who he would like to team with in the future, Farhan said, “That would be Iron Man. I know, unfortunately, he is no longer with us but if they could find a way, I’d like it to be him.”

    While the actor is a big Iron Man fan, he mentions that he finds Doctor Strange’s powers really cool and would love to have those. When asked to name three female Avengers in 10 seconds, Farhan promptly answered Ms. Marvel followed by Captain Marvel and Black Widow.

    ‘Ms. Marvel’ is currently streaming on Disney+ Hotstar in English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam.

  • Humour an important tool to talk about more serious issues in ‘Thor’: Director Taika Waititi

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: Humour is an important tool to address critical issues in his films, says director Taika Waititi, who has combined the serious with the funny to show what a superhero undergoing “midlife crisis” looks like in the upcoming Marvel movie “Thor: Love and Thunder”.

    The New Zealand-born director, known for films such as “Boy”, “What We Do in the Shadows”, “Hunt for the Wilderpeople” and “Jojo Rabbit”, is known for his irreverent and fun approach to filmmaking.

    Waititi said that humour often helps him in putting the audience at ease. “For me, to bring the audience in and make them drop their guards or when you want to get to know someone or get them to trust you, you do it with humour…And then when they are your friend, you can talk about more serious issues, like love,” the director said responding to a question from PTI in a Zoom roundtable interview.

    “With this film, especially, we used humour to bring the audience in and make friends with them and then talk about Thor going through a midlife crisis or not knowing where he is in life. So, humour for me is a very important tool,” he added.

    With “Thor” movies inside the blockbuster Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), Waititi is credited for revitalising the franchise by infusing irreverence and humour with 2017’s ‘Thor: Ragnarok’.

    The 46-year-old director – who was part of a five-member comedy troupe ‘So You’re a Man’, which toured New Zealand and Australia before venturing into cinema – has changed his style of filmmaking from more serious to fun stuff.

    “My very first stuff that I was doing, like my short film, I probably took myself a lot more seriously than I needed to or probably thought I was going to make more serious films. And then I realized that if you do so, you are not going to have much fun at work,” he said.

    “When I go to work, I want to be able to enjoy myself. I have a personality that I like to joke around, entertain and be funny. I don’t want to be depressed, cry and be sad. So, that’s where I understood to retain that sense of childlike sensibility with all of my work,” he added.

    “Thor: Love and Thunder” will see Chris Hemsworth return as the titular superhero, a role that he previously played in three solo and four ‘Avengers’ films. Oscar winner Natalie Portman is back as Jane Foster from 2011’s ‘Thor’ and 2013’s ‘Thor: The Dark World’, along with Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie, Jaimie Alexander as Sif and Russell Crowe as Zeus.

    Oscar winner Christian Bale will be seen as Gorr, a galactic killer who seeks the extinction of the gods. Waititi recalled reading the Marvel comic books as a kid and though it seemed serious, the God of Thunder’s story was also very colourful and had a dose of laughter.

    For ‘Thor: Ragnarok’ and now ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’, Waititi said that he sought inspiration from the books to bring in various new elements.

    “There’s a lot going on, there’s a lot of adventure and it’s a really crazy story line. Like in the comic books, at one point Loki turns Thor into a frog and you never see that in movies. I realised that with ‘Ragnarok’ and this film, we just need to lean deeper into the exciting world of Marvel Comics. A lot of the stuff comes from the books, comes from the comics, like the giant goats, ship and all of that stuff.

    Set after the events of ‘Avengers: Endgame’ (2019), the movie ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ will see Thor attempt to find inner peace, but he must return to action and recruit Valkyrie, Korg (Waititi), and Jane Foster, who has become the Mighty Thor, to stop Gorr the God Butcher from eliminating all gods.

    Waititi said part of the joy in directing “Thor” films is the freedom that he gets in showcasing the different endeavours of the titular superhero. “Thor is the most independent and he’s like Captain Marvel. He is off to other parts of the universe, doing things or having adventures on other planets. Earth is just one of the places he comes to help out. And it gives me a lot more freedom… I want to go into outer space and want to explore all of the crazy parts of the Thor universe and this film certainly does that. It’s a big space adventure,” he added.

    The film’s trailer featured one of the most crazy scenes in which Russell Crowe’s Zeus leaves Thor naked. Waititi said it was his and producer Brad Winderbaum’s idea to introduce the scene.

    “We wanted that from the beginning. So that was my first draft of the script. And Chris has been naked before in some of his other movies. Like in ‘Rush’, he was naked and it just felt like a great way to bring more audiences.

    “Chris is perfect in many ways and he is okay with also having the joke on him. So we thought it was a nice way of doing that, especially when he is being reunited with his ex-girlfriend and it’s just nice to humiliate Thor,” he added.

    “Thor: Love and Thunder” is produced by Kevin Feige-led Marvel Studios. It will be released in India in English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Malayalam on July 7. Post the release of the film, the multi-hyphenate filmmaker’s next project is a Star Wars movie, which he will also co-write with the “1917” scriptwriter Krysty Wilson-Cairns.

    Asked if he will bring his signature dose of humour to the galaxy far far away, Waititi said, “I would like to add some humour. I don’t know exactly what it will be as I am still writing it. So, there’s a little while until I have got a script with some real ideas.”

  • ‘Daredevil’ series in the works at Disney Plus 

    By PTI

    LOS ANGELES: A new series based on Marvel superhero Daredevil is being developed by streaming platform Disney Plus.

    According to Variety, Matt Corman and Chris Ord are attached to write and executive produce the show.

    The “Daredevil” series was expected to return in a new form after it was cancelled by Netflix in 2018 following a three-season run.

    Rumours about the show started doing the rounds after actor Charlie Cox reprised his role of Matt Murdock aka Daredevil in “Spider-Man: No Way Home” and Vincent D’Onofrio appeared as Wilson Fisk in the Disney+ series “Hawkeye.” Marvel Studios has not announced the project officially as of now.

  • Marvel star Jeremy Renner in India, posts photos with children playing cricket in Alwar 

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Marvel star Jeremy Renner on Tuesday let his Indian fans know that he is in the country as he shared a picture on social media in which he can be seen playing cricket with children.

    Renner, best known for playing Clint Barton aka Hawkeye in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, is currently in Alwar, Rajasthan.

    The 51-year-old actor shared the picture on his Instagram account on Tuesday.

    “What a blessing of life to discover, learn and be inspired by people and places across this planet!” he captioned the photograph.

    It is currently unclear if Renner is in the country on a personal tour or professional visit. It is also unknown if this is his first visit to India.

    The actor, who has played one of the six original Avengers in the MCU, was in New Delhi three days ago.

    “Another avenger added . Name and super power please?” he wrote alongside a video showcasing a plate of desserts at a city hotel.

    Renner was recently seen in “Hawkeye”, a Disney Plus series.

  • Elizabeth Olsen recalls acting alone in most of the time in Marvel movies

    By IANS

    LOS ANGELES: Actress Elizabeth Olsen says making Marvel movies involves a lot of acting on your own.

    The actress, who plays Wanda Maximoff also known as Scarlet Witch in the Marvel Cinematic Universe media franchise, most recently reprised her role for ‘Doctor Strange’ sequel ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’, reports aceshowbiz.com.

    But despite the film’s star-studded cast made up of Benedict Cumberbatch, Benedict Wong, Rachel McAdams, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Xochitl Gomez, Elizabeth revealed she never actually got to meet the majority of the people in the movie, as filming involved a lot of solo acting.

    Speaking to Collider, Olsen said, “I never met lots of people in the movie. Also, we were acting with ourselves as well. There’s a lot of acting with an imagination that we get to do, which is a challenge and a joy. There’s part of it that feels really imaginative and childlike that we get to do.”

    “Also, this script was always a moving object. It was never something that was set in stone. I wasn’t surprised when they were doing the reshoots. I knew that the reshoots didn’t affect my arc so much. When it did affect me, I just did voiceover work for it,” she continued.

    The sequel, directed by Sam Raimi, carries on the story of world-renowned neurosurgeon Dr Stephen Strange (Cumberbatch), whose life changed forever following a near fatal car accident where he lost the use of his hands.

    In his quest to regain their function he obtained mystical powers that turned him into a superhero. The second movie sees Strange cast a forbidden spell that opens a portal to the multiverse which poses a threat so great to humanity that not even the combined forces of Strange and Wanda can fight them off.

  • ‘Doctor Strange’ casts a spell on box office: USD 551.6 million, and counting

    By IANS

    LOS ANGELES: Disney/Marvel’s ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ easily will extend its reign over the global box office in its second weekend without any truly fire-breathing competition from rival majors, according to ‘Deadline Hollywood’.

    The blockbuster is expected to draw $74 million to $80 million over the weekend, which may be a 57-60 per cent decline, but is not likely to affect its position on top of the pecking order.

    On Thursday, the North American collections of the Sam Raimi-directed sequel stood of $230.4 million. In overseas territories, the Benedict Cumberbatch-starrer has garnered $321.2 million to crank up a global total of $551.6 million.

    Hitting the five-century global mark, notes ‘Deadline Hollywood’, was “pre-ordained” following a weekend debut that ultimately came in at $449.4 million. That was good for the second-biggest worldwide start for a Hollywood movie during the pandemic era, and the fourth ever for the MCU, behind ‘Avengers: Endgame’, ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ and ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’.

    The sorcerer’s Top 10 offshore markets, as of Tuesday, were Korea ($32 million), the UK ($27.8 million), Mexico ($23.8 million), Brazil ($17.6 million), India ($14.3 million), Australia ($13.7 million), France ($12.9 million), Indonesia ($10.5 million), Japan ($10.3 million) and Germany ($10.2 million).