Film & Television

Marvel Phase 4 Plans Include “Blade” Reboot, “Thor 4” and more

Published

5 years ago

July 21, 2019

What an exciting time for Marvel fans! The studio announced that a number of new projects are in the works and will be released over the next two years, including the sequel to Black Panther and Blade reboot.

The news of Blade's return caught many by surprise, as Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige brought two-time Oscar winner Mahershala Ali to the stage to make the announcement. Ali received a hearty welcome as he revealed the news by putting on a hat that read “Blade”. No release date was announced. As a reminder, it's been 15 years since the final installment of the Blade series, Blade Trinity, premiered. The lead role was played by Wesley Snipes.

Mahershala Ali will officially play #Blade in the MCU! pic.twitter.com/0GQLOUtsXb
— Rotten Tomatoes (@RottenTomatoes) July 21, 2019

While not much was said about Black Panther 2, Feige confirmed that the king of Wakanda will indeed return. The sequel, however, is not as far along as other announced titles. It was previously reported that Ryan Coogler will return to direct.

Here is we can expect from Marvel in the next two years:

The Eternals

Cast: Richard Madden (Game of Thrones) as Ikaris, Kumail Nanjiani (The Big Sick) as Kingo, Lauren Ridloff (Wonderstruck) as Makkari, Brian Tyree Henry (Child's Play) as Phastos, Salma Hayek as Ajak, Lia McHugh (The Lodge) as Sprite, Don Lee (One On One) as Gilgamesh, and Angelina Jolie as Thena

Director: Chloé Zhao

Release date: November 6, 2020

The Falcon and The Winter Soldier

Cast: Anthony Mackie as The Falcon, Sebastian Stan as The Winter Soldier, Daniel Brühl as Baron Zemo

Release date: Fall 2020 exclusively on Disney+

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

Cast: Simu Liu in the title role, Awkwafina in an undisclosed role, Tony Leung as the (real) Mandarin

Director: Destin Daniel Cretton

Release date: February 12, 2021

WandaVision

Cast: Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany, reprising their roles as Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch and Vision. Teyonah Parris as the adult Monica Rambeau

Release date: Spring 2021 exclusively on Disney+

Loki

Cast: Tom Hiddleston reprising his role as Loki

Release: Spring 2021 exclusively on Disney+

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch as Stephen Strange, Elizabeth Olsen as Scarlett Witch

Director: Scott Derrickson

Release date: May 7, 2021

What If…? – the first animated series in the MCU

Cast: Jeffrey Wright as the voice of The Watcher and other actors from across the MCU will reprise their roles as voice talent

Release date: Summer 2021 exclusively on Disney +

Hawkeye

Cast: Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye

Release date: Fall 2021 exclusively on Disney +

Thor: Love and Thunder

Cast: Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson will reprise their roles as Thor and Valkyrie. Natalie Portman will star as female Thor.

Director: Taika Waititi

Release date: November 5, 2021

Black Widow

Cast: Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff, David Harbour as Alexei AKA The Red Guardian, Florence Pugh as Yelena, O-T Fagbenle as Mason, and Rachel Weisz as Melina

Director: Cate Shortland

Release Date: May 1, 2020

Blade

Cast: Mahershala Ali as Blade

Director and release date has not been announced

Film & Television

Why Did Michaela Coel Walk Away From a $1 Million Dollar Deal with Netflix?

Published

4 years ago

July 6, 2020

HM staff writer

Michaela Coel, the star of HBO’s hit series I May Destroy You had to decline Netflix’s $1 million offer after the streaming giant refused to allow her to retain “at least 5 percent of her rights” for the show.

Coel’s success in the U.S. is largely credited to Netflix. The streamer was the U.S. distributor of Coel’s acclaimed comedy series Chewing Gum. Netflix also housed a feature musical titled Been So Long in which Coel was the lead, as well as the drama series Black Earth Rising. Coel also starred in an Emmy-winning episode of Black Mirror, also distributed by Netflix. So, naturally, Coel’s history with the streaming platform made it the premier destination for her new project. After a short negotiation with a Netflix executive, however, Coel had to find a different home for I May Destroy You in order to maintain ownership of the series.

According to Vulture, Coel recalled that Netflix made her a $1 million offer for I May Destroy You in spring 2017 but she turned it down. Why? The streamer wouldn’t allow her to retain any percentage of the copyright. Coel even discontinued her relationship with CAA after it “tried to push her to take the deal”.

I May Destry You is based on Coel’s personal experience of being sexually assaulted during the making of Chewing Gum. At the age of 32, Coel is in full creative control of the series as its showrunner, director, star, and writer. She wrote all 12 episodes and co-directed nine, stars as a young writer Arabella struggling to come to terms and process a recent assault.

The series is now streaming on HBO.

Film & Television

Ava DuVernay and Whoopi Goldberg Elected to The Academy’s Board of Governors

Published

4 years ago

June 11, 2020

HM staff writer

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has just elected members to its 2020-2021 Board of Governors. Among the six newly elected governors are director Ava DuVernay. EGOT winner Whoopi Goldberg has been re-elected for a second three-year term.

For those not familiar with the work of the Board of Governors, here is a breakdown of how it works and what it does.

Per Oscars official website, The Board of Governors directs the Academy’s strategic vision, preserves the organization’s financial health and assures the fulfillment of its mission.

Governors attend 6-8 board meetings annually (in person or by video). Each Governor also serves on one board oversight committee and their branch’s executive committee, and they are expected to represent their branch at numerous Academy events through the year.

The Academy has a total of 18 branches, including the actors branch and directors branch, where Goldberg and DuVernay will serve. Each branch is represented by three governors who are elected for three-year terms.

Since the #OscarSoWhite campaign in 2015, the Academy has been making efforts to increase diversity across the board. After the most recent election, out of 54 governors, the number of female Academy governors increased from 25 to 26, and people of color increased from 11 to 12.