Marvel Studios Announces Full Phase 4 Slate Including 'Thor: Love and Thunder', 'The Eternals', 'Black Widow', and 'Blade'

One of the most exciting events for movie fans every year has become the Marvel Studios' Hall H panel at San Diego Comic-Con. Over the last ten years of the MCU, Hall H has been the location of many memorable events including the announcement of the cast for The Avengers, the title for Age of Ultron, and the trailer for Infinity War. But now with the Infinity Saga having come to a close and the events of Endgame leaving the future of the MCU as a big mystery, this year's Comic-Con finally gave fans the roadmap for whats to come courtesy of the mastermind himself Kevin Feige.

Below is the list of all the MCU projects announced at Hall H this year, some of which we knew about and some that were huge surprises. These include new solo projects, Disney+ shows, and sequels along with their directors, logos, and some of their cast. They're in order of release date, but some of these projects still don't have official dates set. 

Black Widow - May 21, 2020

Despite pretty much all of us knowing this movie was in the works, Marvel decided to announce Black Widow as the last movie on its panel (Or so we thought). While the actual announcement of the movie and its release date weren't much of a surprise, we did get some new details including the fact that the movie will take place after Civil War. We also know David Harbour will be playing some version of Red Guardian from the comics, and Taskmaster will be the villain as revealed in some concept art.

The Eternals - November 6, 2020

Eternals is a very mysterious property to some casual comic book fans, and they are characters who will give us a much better understanding of the mythos and history behind the MCU. Going with such an unknown group of characters is one of Marvel's bigger risks, but the cast they've put together has certainly eased fans. This panel included the confirmation of the cast which includes Angelina Jolie, Richard Madden, Kumail Nanjiani, Bryan Tyree Henry, Salma Hayek, and more. 

The Falcon and The Winter Soldier - Disney+ Fall 2020

Along with Loki and WandaVision, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier was one of the first Disney+ series we heard would be in development. We now know that Falcon has taken up the mantle of Captain America after he was given the mantle by old Steve in Endgame, and Winter Soldier is now his partner in crime. The rumors of Daniel Bruhl returning as Baron Zemo after the events of Civil War are true, and he will indeed be the villain of the series and even wear the character's iconic mask.

Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings - February 12, 2021

Shang-Chi is another project we've recently learned Marvel had in active development, and is the only movie here where we're fully being introduced to a single lead character in their own solo movie. We know the movie will be directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, and will star newcomer Simu Liu in the title role. Whats probably most interesting about this announcement is that Marvel will be bringing the real Mandarin to the MCU after the controversial twist from Iron Man 3. Actor Tony Leung will be playing the role, and some rumors have suggested this version of the character could be Shang-Chi's uncle. 

WandaVision - Spring 2021

The second Disney+ we'll be getting is the already confirmed Vision and Scarlet Witch series, that will apparently see the return of the character after his death in Infinity War. Feige emphasized how its one of the strangest projects Marvel has ever created, which may confirm rumors that the show will partially take place in the 1950s as well as in alternate timelines. We also know the character of Monica Rambeau who was a young girl in Captain Marvel will now be an adult played by Teyonah Parris, and will serve as one of the series main cast.

Loki - Spring 2021

Sometime alongside the release of WandaVision will be the premiere of another Disney+ series focused on Tom Hiddleston's fan favorite Loki. Although the character also met his end in Infinity War, we know the alternate timeline version of Loki from the past The Avengers went back to is still alive and has the tesseract in his possession. The show will apparently feature him also traveling through time and possibly even the multiverse, so it'll be interesting to see The God of Mischief put his plan into action.

Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness - May 7, 2021

A Doctor Strange sequel has been rumored for a while now but we weren't sure what direction they'd take the character in, but the title alone here is a huge giveaway. With original director Scott Derrickson returning, the movie has been described as Marvel Studios' first horror film. Scarlet Witch will be in the film which likely means it will directly tie into the events of WandaVision. This also confirms the multiverse does exist in the MCU despite Mysterio lying about it in Far From Home, so this opens the door to different version of characters and possibly the introduction of some of the Fox characters like the X-Men.

Hawkeye - Fall 2021

Just like Black Widow, her partner in crime Clint Barton will be getting his own solo outing, only his will be in the form of a Disney+ series. Jeremy Renner will be starring alongside a yet to be announced actress as his protege Kate Bishop, who Barton trains in the comics to become the new Hawkeye. Bishop's character was heavily rumored to appear in Endgame with some believing the scene early in the film with his daughter could mean she would be taking up the mantle, but we now know Bishop will indeed by a new character in the MCU. This also is likely setting the stage for an eventual New Avengers or Young Avengers film with Bishop as the new Hawkeye, and Barton in retirement with his family.

Thor: Love And Thunder - November 5, 2021

This one probably would've been a bigger shocker if we hadn't already heard that Taika Waititi would be returning to work on Thor 4 earlier in the week. With no character having received a fourth film yet in the MCU, and Thor now seemingly part of the Guardians, many of us believed the next time we would be seeing him was in Guardians 3. There was still a big surprise left for the stage though as it was revealed Natalie Portman would be returning as Jane Foster and the film would adapt the comic where she becomes The Mighty Thor. While Portman had seemed to have a falling out with Marvel with her character written out of the films, Taika's involvement may bring us a whole new layer to the character we haven't yet seen. 

Confirmed Phase 5 Projects Without Release Dates

Just when everyone thought the panel was over, Kevin Feige revealed he still had another surprise up his sleeve. Oscar Winner Mahershala Ali took to the stage and revealed he would be playing Blade in a new film reboot for the character, made famous by Wesley Snipes in the 90s. Although Blade is not part of Phase 4 and doesn't have a release date or director yet, we did get a logo and of course our main actor announcement. Feige also assured fans Black Panther 2, Captain Marvel 2, Guardians 3, Fantastic Four, and X-Men are all in development seemingly for Phase 5. While he never mention Spider-Man 3 or Ant-Man 3, its possible these projects could've slipped his mind as the announcement were made pretty off the cuff. 

So what do you think of all of Marvel's Phase 4 projects? Which one are you most excited for? Let us know below!

Read More

'The Batman' Rumors Tease Catwoman, Penguin, and Robin Appearing As Pattinson's Casting Is Confirmed

Now that its been a few weeks since the world learned Robert Pattinson would probably be our next Batman, fans have had a chance to let the news sink in. Some have been in uproar over the casting much in the same way they were about Ben Affleck's due to Pattinson's Twilight past, while others are excited by the choice thanks to his recent impressive performances in several indie films. Although there were rumors as recently as last week that the casting decision was still down to screen-tests in the suit between both Pattinson and Nicholas Hoult, director Matt Reeves has taken to Twitter to confirm the actor's casting. Now with our new Dark Knight set, speculation has already begun as to what we can expect from this new Batman story.

Well for one thing we've learned that its all but confirmed that the film will not be connected to the previous DCEU or any of the films featuring Affleck. While some believed Pattinson could be playing a young version of Affleck's Batman set in the 1990s, this apparently won't be the case. This makes sense as having Reeves work with the limitations of fitting his film and ideas into an already established universe seems problematic. Having this version of Batman take place in the past would also make it nearly impossible to have him interact with any other DC characters, as they wouldn't have come around until years later. With rumors suggesting Henry Cavill may also be out as Superman and DC wanting to focus on solo movies, its possible we may not see Pattinson's Batman come in contact with any heroes outside of Gotham until Reeves' is done with his trilogy.

With this news comes the acceptance that we'll also be seeing the recasting of several Batman supporting characters such as J.K. Simmons' Commissioner Gordon and Jeremy Irons' Alfred Pennyworth, two fan favorites who never had a chance to appear in a solo movie alongside Affleck. It'll be interesting to see who Reeves' decides on for these roles, but we can probably expect them to be younger now that Bruce Wayne himself will be in his early thirties. Rumors have also suggested several members of Batman's rogues gallery will be making an appearance in a Long Halloween style detective story, with Wayne having to figure out which one of his villain was responsible for the murder of a Gotham politician. Reeves has heavily hinted there will be a detective and noir influence throughout the narrative, some rumors have suggested the involvement of The Riddler who is known for setting up clues and riddles for Batman to solve.

This opens the door for several possibilities and character appearances, but apparently the main two Reeves is interested in having headline are Catwoman and The Penguin. The two characters were already paired up on screen in Tim Burton's Batman Returns, but one can expect Reeves' has a very different approach to his versions of these characters. Josh Gad (Frozen) has previously teased that he wants to play The Penguin in The Batman, but its unknown whether he is really in consideration or is just campaigning for the role. The last rumor making the rounds courtesy of Forbes has been that Batman's sidekick Robin may finally make an appearance in the movie, with it possibly being the Dick Grayson first version of the character given how young Wayne will be. It'll be interesting to see who they cast in this role and what age range they're looking for, but I'd like to suggest my picks of either Finn Wolfhard (Stranger Things) or Sunny Suljic (Mid90s).

So what do you think of these characters possibly showing up in The Batman? Is there anyone specific you would like to see cast in these roles? Let us know below!

Read More

Robert Pattinson Has Been Cast As Our New Dark Knight In Matt Reeves' 'The Batman'

If you would've told me ten years ago that Robert Pattinson would be playing The Batman, I'd probably have a bigger meltdown than I did when they announced Spider-Man 4 was canceled. But a lot can change in ten years. Since then, we've seen Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy come to a close, Ben Affleck go through hell when he was cast but still get to play the character in our first Justice League movie, and see the whole cycle begin again. And while all that craziness was going on with Batman on the big screen, Robert Pattinson was quietly shedding away his Twilight image and becoming a very respectable actor. When fans first suggested his name for Batman it as much criticism as one would expect, but those who have seen his work in movies like High Life and Good Time know what he's really capable of. 

While Variety (A very trust worthy source) has stood by their initial announcement that Pattinson has already been cast, its worth noting Deadline and THR claim that still isn't the case. Deadline has stated Pattinson is the frontrunner, but has some competition from X-Men: Dark Phoenix star Nicholas Hoult. THR reiterates Pattinson is the frontrunner, but has added that not only is the role still up for grabs, but apparently Armie Hammer (Call Me By Your Name) and Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Avengers: Age of Ultron) are still in the running alongside Pattinson and Hoult. With all these conflicting reports its hard to tell right now which one is the most accurate, but it seems most sites are sticking to Pattinson being a lock for the role.

Like I stated above, most of these names have all been rumored and suggested by fans for months now, so there hasn't been a choice that's been out of left field. Hammer has had his name rumored for just about every DC role at this point, and there was even a false report a few months ago that Reeves had cast him. Taylor-Johnson and Hoult on the other hand both have their fair share of experience with superhero roles, but with their time in those parts now having come to an end their schedules are more than clear. With the current future of DCEU still up in the air, and Henry Cavill's return to the role of Superman not seeming likely, its possibly we could see any of these three actors names come up as replacements now that they're obviously on Warner Bros. radar. 

But funnily enough, Pattinson seems like just the type of actor Reeves (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes) would want. We know the movie probably will have little connection to the DC universe in the way Affleck's did, and will be a more detective style Batman story like we've never seen before on screen. There was also of course the emphasis to go for a younger Batman, specifically when the 46 year old Affleck left the project completely. Reeves wanted an actor between the 26-33 range to show us a young Bruce Wayne, and at 33, Pattinson just makes the cut. Pattinson's next project will coincidentally be a role in Christopher Nolan next film, the man who brought us arguably the best Batman movies of all time. If he approves of Pattinson enough to cast him as one of his leads, fans of The Dark Knight trilogy should be confident in this casting choice.

So what do you think of Robert Pattinson as Batman? Would you have preferred one of the other actors on the shortlist? Let us know below!

Read More

First Trailer For 'IT: Chapter Two' Unites The Adult Loser Club For One Final Stand Against Pennywise

The 2017 adaption of Stephen King's book IT caught audiences by surprise, and became a blockbuster film in the horror genre. Riding off the success of Stranger Things, the movie played off the young group of kids as they tried to survive against Pennywise the Clown. But any fans of the book knew what was coming next, and director Andy Muschietti's decision to have the movie only focus on the kid versions of the Losers Club left the door open for a very interesting sequel. Just like in the book, IT: Chapter Two will see the group reunited as adult and returning to their small town of Derry to once again face the evil clown now that he has made his return.

Below is the first trailer for IT: Chapter Two:

The scene in the trailer focuses on the adult Beverly Marsh (Played by Jessica Chastain) returning to her childhood home which is now seemingly owned by an older lady. Of course this lady isn't what she initially appears, and sure enough she may very well be Pennywise in disguise or another creature he's controlling. We all see an photo reminiscent of The Shining of a human Pennywise (Played by Bill Skarsgard), who this older woman claims to be a decedent of. This scene was the very same one shown to audiences at Cinema Con a few months ago, and certainly sets a scarier and creepier tone than the first movie. One of the main complaints with that film is that it leaned more toward a coming of age movie than horror at times, with only a few really bringing the scares.

We then get several shots of the adults reuniting, minus Andy Bean's adult version of Stanley who we know meets a fatal end early in the story of the book. We see horror go-to-man James McAvoy as the adult Bill who seems to still harbor feelings for Beverly, as well as Isaiah Mustafa as Mike, James Ransone as Eddie, Jay Ryan as Ben, and Bill Hader as Richie. We also see callbacks to the first film such as when Beverly finds the love letter Ben anonymously wrote to her when they were kids, so its possible those story threads may also be explored further in the film.

To the delight of movie goers, it seems that the movie will also be bringing by the young cast (Jaeden Martell, Sophia Lillis, Finn Wolfhard, Jack Dylan Grazer, Chosen Jacobs, Jeremy Ray Taylor, and Wyatt Oleff) we all fell in love with from the first movie. There's several shots of the young Losers Club in the trailer, so its likely that Muschietti and co. have added in some new story elements and flashbacks from that time period after seeing how good of a reception they got in the first movie. Its hard to tell just how much we'll be seeing of them yet, but we do know the adult version of group will still be the central focus of this film's story. 

So what did you think of the trailer for IT: Chapter Two? Are you happy we'll get to see more of the young cast? Let us know below!

Read More

'Game of Thrones' Star Richard Madden Joins Marvel Studios' 'The Eternals' As Ikaris

Now that we're over ten years into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and DC has had their own set of comic book movies, there aren't too many leading men in Hollywood who haven't played a superhero. Richard Madden who made a name for himself as Robb Stark on Game of Thrones seemed to be one of the biggest names still on that list, but you can now cross him off. The actor is reportedly in talks to star alongside Angelina Jolie in Marvel's Phase 4 film The Eternals, as the lead character of Ikaris. With two big names on board and a lot of momentum coming off Avengers: Endgame's success, it seems the studio is expecting big things from their Eternals adaption.

Madden's name has been tossed around for superhero roles for some time now, but things have escalated thanks to his recent work on the action series Bodyguard. Fans had suggested his name for the candidacy of playing Bruce Wayne in Matt Reeve's The Batman, but it seems that is off the table now that Marvel has snatched him up. Marvel similarly did the same thing back when Jake Gyllenhaal's name was suggest for Reeves' Batman, and they ended up casting him as Mysterio in Spider-Man: Far From Home.

Similar to Guardians of the Galaxy before it ended up in the hands of James Gunn, The Eternals is much smaller property that even some comic book fans (Including myself) aren't well versed on. We do know Angelina Jolie is most likely playing Sersi opposite Madden's Ikaris, and the two have a romantic relationship in the comics. They also have disputes in the comics over their relationship with humans, as Sersi thinks highly of them and wants to live amongst them while Ikaris does not. The Eternals are powerful beings in the comics created by the god like creators known as Celestials, which were introduced in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.

Theres a lot of question marks about what Marvel has planned for Phase 4 right now other than Eternals and the Black Widow solo movie. Its hard to tell if The Eternals will have anything to do with the events of Endgame, but given how big of a deal it was there must be some sort of explanation for their absence. Its possible they could be introduced from and alternate reality or time, and idea the Spider-Man: Far From Home trailer has already teased with Mysterio not being from our world. Its possible many other beings have come to our world through damage caused by Endgame, which is also the way fans believe the X-Men and Fantastic Four will be introduced in the future.

So what do you think of Richard Madden joining the MCU? Would you rather have seen him saved for another role? Let us know below!

Read More

'Spider-Man: Far From Home' Trailer Gives Fans A Spoiler Filled Look At A Post 'Endgame' MCU

With Avengers: Endgame now having been out for two weeks and the amount of box office records it has broken, you'd think pretty much everyone that wants to see the movie has. The Russo Brothers have still been big on not letting any spoilers leak online from fans who have already seen the movie, but revealed that ban would be lifted this Monday. Well now we know why. Marvel has released an all new trailer for Spider-Man: Far From Home, which will be the first post Endgame film in the MCU. Those who have seen the movie know just how much it has changed the landscape of things, and has left us all wondering what the future holds for this series of movies. Well this trailer definitely answers some of those questions.

Below is the new trailer for Spider-Man: Far From Home:

So unlike the last trailer for Far From Home which held back on anything post Endgame, this trailers makes it pretty clear Peter has been affected by the lose of Tony Stark. With Iron Man no longer around there seems to be a big void left for a new hero to step up, and we also know Steve Rogers is no longer active in this universe but that isn't brought up in the trailer. We see many memorials for Iron Man throughout the movie that were obviously made by people grateful for his sacrifice to defeat Thanos and bring everyone back from The Snap. We also get many parallels between Peter and Tony is this trailer, including his banter and mentorship from Nick Fury and Happy Hogan, and even some shots of him using what appears to be tech he left behind for Peter.

Speaking of mentors, we see that Mysterio is someone Spider-Man may see as a new fellow hero he can look up to and team up with in the same way he did with Iron Man. We also know the two are well aware of each others secret identities, and even share a deep conversation in a bar about regular life problems. But probably the biggest reveal from the trailer is that Mysterio is actually from another dimension, which officially opens up the idea that the multi-verse exists in the MCU. This apparently happened as a repercussion of The Avengers traveled to alternate universes and timelines in Endgame, and caused a hole in Mysterio's universe that led to the arrival of Beck and The Elementals.

This is a very big reveal for MCU fans, as this opens up the possibilities to several different universes and versions of characters existing and being able to crossover into the main timeline. This could be a set up for future events such as the arrival of the X-Men and Fantastic Four, or even realities with different Spider-Mans which we recently saw in Sony's Spider-Verse animated movie. Now fans are still quick to not trust Mysterio's character who is a villain in the comics, and there is the possibility he's lying that he's from another universe to gain the trust of Peter, Maria Hill, and Fury. There's also the idea there may be two versions of Mysterio, one who is bad in our timeline and the good one who we see brought in by Fury. Whether Mysterio is lying or not there definitely may be more to this than meets the eye, but it seems the multiverse is a real thing either way.

So what did you think of the new trailer from Far From Home? Are you excited to finally see the multiverse in the MCU? Let us know below!

Read More

Trailer For 'Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker' Has Luke Remind Us No One Is Ever Really Gone

Regardless of how you feel about the direction the new Star Wars trilogy has taken, there's still no denying the excitement of watching a trailer for the next installment. After some divisive twists were made in Rian Johnson's The Last Jedi, J.J. Abrams is now back at the helm for the last installment of the trilogy he helped create. We had no idea what the ninth episode would be about other than a few unconfirmed leaks, but we now have our first footage and title for the movie thanks to Star Wars Celebration. With Disney planning on taking a hiatus from Star Wars movies following the release of Episode XI, it seems they really want to end the Skywalker Saga on a high note.

Below is the first trailer for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker:

Before we even get into the actual trailer, the title of the movie itself seems to be a lot less broad than some of the previous ones. Having said that its still completely open to interpretation, as its hard to tell which Skywalker the title is referring to. We know Luke will be featured in the movie despite meeting his end in Last Jedi as he has new lines of dialogue to Rey in the trailer, but this will most likely be in the form of a force ghost. It could also be referring to Kylo Ren aka Ben Solo, who himself is technically a Skywalker and could finally receive his redemption. And then there is of course the possibility Rey is a Skywalker after all, despite the scene in Last Jedi saying otherwise.

The trailer itself doesn't give too much away in terms of plot, but we do know the trio of Poe, Rey, and Finn will finally all be together on a mission this time around rather than scattered. J.J. Abrams has confirmed a significant amount of time has passed since Last Jedi when The Rise of Skywalker starts off, and we see Kylo Ren has had time to repair his helmet. Carrie Fisher is seen in the trailer despite her passing two years ago, and we know footage is being used from deleted scene from the previous two movies to continue Leia's story arc here. We also get our first look at the return of Lando alongside Chewie in the Millennium Falcon, but its still unknown how he will factor into the plot and how they run into him in the first place. 

But probably the biggest reveal of the entire trailer is the laugh at the end, which belongs to none other than The Emperor himself Palpatine. As Star Wars fans will remember, Palpatine was featured heavily in the prequels and original trilogy, but had seemingly met his end in Return of the Jedi. Well it looks like that wasn't the case, as the voiceover by Luke about how "no one is ever really gone" seems to fit perfectly with this. We also see the gang looking at the remnants of the Deathstar, which could be the original one where The Emperor died. Its certainly a surprising reveal as many of us had believed Snoke would be taking the place of The Emperor as the larger evil behind the curtain, but that went out the window after his death in Last Jedi. Ian McDiarmid made an appearance at Star Wars Celebration to even confirm his return to the role, so its just a matter of how he's going to pull it off.

So what did you think of the trailer for The Rise of Skywalker? Do you like the title? Are you happy to see Palpatine return? Let us know below!

Read More