DAVID DUNN

After several years of being stuck in a half-shell rut, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are coming back to the big screen, this time returning to their animated roots.

This news comes from comedian Seth Rogan’s Twitter account, who confirmed earlier today that he will be producing the new animated reboot alongside his frequent collaborator Evan Goldberg. Not only that, but the film will also be directed by Jeff Rowe, who recently co-wrote and directed The Mitchells v.s. The Machines for Netflix.

By the way, if you haven’t watched that movie yet, you totally should. Easily one of the best animated films of the year so far, if not films period.

After two incredibly underwhelming live-action adaptations (with Megan Fox unfortunately starring in both of them), I’m very much looking forward to another TMNT cinematic reboot, especially in the poppy comic-book art styles of The Mitchells v.s. The Machines and Spider-Man: Into The Spiderverse. The Turtles have always lent themselves better to animation than it has with live-action anyway, whether it was in the 2003 animated series, the first TMNT animated film in 2007, or the Batman/TMNT crossover in 2019. The potential for this new animated movie is limitless, and regardless of however good it ends up being, I think we can rest confidently knowing that this new movie will be better produced than those two Michael Bay-driven slodgefests we suffered through a few years ago.

I do wonder what the plot is and who the main villain will be. I hope that, unlike TMNT, the Shredder will be the main villain, and done better than he was in both of his recent live-action appearances. I also hope that Seth Rogan will be voicing Mikey, as I think he has the voice and the sense of humor to pull off such a chaotic, hilarious role. If he doesn’t end up voicing Mikey, that will be a huge, huge, huge missed opportunity (and quite honestly, I’m surprised he hasn’t yet voiced Mikey in the recent live-action movies either. But I’m glad he didn’t because his name didn’t have to get dragged into the mud along with Michael Bay’s).

And to top it all off, Jeff Rowe is directing, and this perhaps has me the most excited. While his career is relatively short, his debut with The Mitchells v.s. The Machines was a fantastic one and helped deliver wacky, hilarious, and heartfelt fun to the film’s unusual premise. Plus the guy has written several episodes of “Disenchantment” and “Gravity Falls,” and I love both of those shows. Either way, there’s a lot of talent behind the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ newest reboot, and I am all here for it.

The new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie will hit theaters in August 2023.

– David

SOURCE: Twitter, Variety

Well. It was bound to happen sooner or later. 

Nearly a year after its originally scheduled release, Walt Disney has delayed Black Widow yet again thanks to, what else, the coronavirus. Originally slated for May 2020, Black Widow had to get delayed three times to May 2021 before Walt Disney delayed it once again to July. 

However, this final delay comes with one major caveat: Black Widow will be released both in theaters and on Disney + the same day. 

And Black Widow isn’t the only one getting this treatment: the 101 Dalmatians prequel Cruella starring Emma Stone is also going to get a dual release both in theaters and on Disney +. Why it’s getting an earlier release date than Black Widow I have no idea, especially since Black Widow is coming out a full year after it was originally scheduled and Cruella is more or less releasing when it was supposed to. You mean to tell me you had a whole year to work on this bloody film and you’re still not done with the visual effects? Really???

Public reception has been mixed to Disney announcing that after a year full of delays, Black Widow is finally streaming with premier access on Disney +. Some fans are happy to see Disney finally adjust to the times we’re living in and pivot to streaming, while others are annoyed that the ticket price basically gouges their wallet of $30. 

I myself am indifferent to it. While personally I’m not the biggest fan of streaming, I do understand the unique challenges studios like Disney are facing and the adjustments they need to make in order to survive in this tumultuous market. I mean it’s been over a year for crying out loud. At this point it’s barely even worth releasing a Black Widow movie. But Natasha has a dedicated fan base and enough loyalty to warrant her own solo movie, even if it is seven years overdue. I’m just happy we’re finally going to be able to see the Black Widow movie, even if the $30 price tag is outrageous. I’m probably just going to take my chances and go watch it in theaters, so if I end up getting the coronavirus, you’ll have Natasha to thank for that. 

What do you guys think? Are you excited that Black Widow is finally going to be released, or do you think Disney should have delayed it even longer? Comment below and let me know. 

– David Dunn

SOURCES: Marvel, Variety

Well, it was bound to happen sooner or later. 

After Fox sold all of its movie properties — including the X-Men and Fantastic Four — to Disney back in 2018, many fans were questioning how the studio was going to handle the profane and raunchy Deadpool franchise moving forward. After all, with two equally foul-mouthed, wildly inappropriate movies that grossed over $780 million at the box office, many comic book fans wondered if Deadpool even had a future in the family-friendly PG-13 world of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. 

Well good news for dead-heads everywhere. Not only will Deadpool 3 be rated R just like its predecessors — it is even going to become part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. That’s right: Deadpool 3 won’t just be making witty jokes and references about the Hulk, Thanos, and Captain America. He’ll actually be inhabiting the same universe all of those characters exist in. 

My first thought that comes to mind: how on Earth is that possible since it’s already pretty well-established that Deadpool exists in the X-Men universe? My guess is somehow the time-traveling device Wade uses at the end of Deadpool 2 somehow transports him to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and that’s how he gets into all of his shenanigans there. Or maybe he’ll break the fourth wall and tell screenwriters Lizzie and Wendy Molyneux to simply write him into the universe. Or maybe I’m just grossly overthinking it and Deadpool will just appear nonchalantly in the MCU like nothing happened. Hey, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker brought back Palpatine with zero explanation. Randomly throwing Deadpool into the MCU isn’t even remotely out of character for him.

That does beg the question of whether Marvel will use this character in future MCU movies? Obviously Phase 4 doesn’t include an Avengers movie, which is very understandable given how we’re still reeling from the epic conclusion of Avengers: Endgame. But in the future where crossovers are more likely, how will Wade be brought into the picture? Will he be team up with the Avengers? Crossover into a solo superhero’s movie? Make a cameo in Thor: Love and Thunder? Who knows. But generally speaking, I don’t see how Wade fits into the mold of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He seems like he’d be more of the guy making fun of it to the side rather than saving the world alongside the Avengers. Even the X-Men had their hands full with the dude (plus a much shorter-lived X-Force).

What do you guys think? Are you excited to see Deadpool potentially team up with the Avengers, or do you think the merc has a little too much mouth for the MCU? Comment below, let me know.

– David Dunn

SOURCE: Collider, IGN

It’s finally official: Spider-Man 3 will adapt the iconic Spider-Verse storyline for the big screen.

Details about the highly-anticipated sequel to Spider-Man: Far From Home has been shrouded in secrecy. Up until now, we’ve only known a handful of details. For one thing, Tom Holland is obviously reprising his role as the amazing wall-crawler, who has been recently exposed after J. Jonah Jameson (J.K. Simmons) revealed his identity to the world in the last movie. Jon Watts will return to direct after the wildly successful previous two installments. And the film will feature an appearance from Marvel’s own sorcerer supreme, Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch).

However, that isn’t all that is going on with the movie. After several surprising casting announcements, it looks like the movie will be adapting the iconic “Spider-Verse” storyline that won Spider-Man an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature in 2018.

Fans have been suspecting that Spider-Man 3 was adapting the “Spider-Verse” storyline ever since Jamie Foxx was rumored to join the project in October. Originally portraying the electrifying villain Electro in 2014’s The Amazing Spider-Man 2, fans’ heads went dizzy with theories since that film was separate from Holland’s Marvel Cinematic Universe,

But earlier today, Collider reported several other veteran Spider-Man actors that would be joining the project. For one thing, Alfred Molina is returning to play the multi-armed supervillain Doctor Octopus, a role he hasn’t revisited since his stunning debut in 2002’s Spider-Man 2. Kristen Dunst is reportedly reprising her role as Mary Jane Watson from that same franchise. And here’s the real kicker: Andrew Garfield is returning to portray Peter Parker from The Amazing Spider-Man.

These are exciting developments for several reasons. For one thing, we’ll finally see the conclusion to Andrew Garfield’s storyline that unfortunately ended on a cliffhanger. For another thing, we’re seeing Alfred Molina and Kristen Dunst in iconic roles we haven’t seen them in for several years now. But more importantly, Tom Holland’s epic trilogy conclusion will feature him partnering up with the spectacular Spider-Men that came before him!!! If you aren’t at least intrigued at the possibilities of these team-ups, you need to check your pulse.

What’s even more exciting is that with these casting announcements, we’re finally closer than ever to seeing the Sinster Six realized for the big screen. For those of you that don’t know, Sony has been trying to get a Sinister Six movie off of the ground for several years, ever since they rebooted the Spider-Man film franchise in 2012. But with Molina and Foxx returning, not only do they have villains from previous Spider-Man movies entering the picture, but also villains that are currently in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, including Shocker, Chameleon, Vulture, Scorpion, and Mysterio. That doesn’t even get into other villains that still may be able to bring into the fold, such as Willem Dafoe’s Green Goblin, Rhys Ifans’ Lizard, Tom Hardy’s Venom, Jared Leto’s Morbius — even Woody Harrelson’s Carnage is a possibility.

Of course, a lot of this swirling casting news leaves more questions than answers on the exact premise of the film and what to expect from it. But by and large, Spider-Man 3 is quickly shaping up to look like a live-action Spider-Verse movie. A few details remaining uncertain, such as Tobey Maguire potentially joining as the Raimi films’ Spider-Man, as well Gwen Stacy and Miles Morales possibly making their own appearances. But for now, this is more than exciting enough news to digest on its own. It really raises eyebrows on the possibilities of the third Spider-Man movie and which directions it can go from here.

What do you web-heads think? Are you excited for a live-action Spider-Verse movie, or do you wish they just kept Tom Holland’s Spider-Man in the friendly neighborhood? Comment below, let me know.

– David Dunn

SOURCE: Collider, The Hollywood Reporter

In a year where not a whole lot of movie news has been circulating the rounds, one big piece of casting news has closed out the year with a bang: the Metal Gear Solid live-action movie has found its Solid Snake.

For the past several years, Columbia Pictures has been trying to get a live-action Metal Gear Solid movie off of the ground and adapt Hideo Kojima’s award-winning espionage video game franchise to the big screen. Although the studio has secured a screenwriter in The Girl In The Spider’s Web scribe Jay Basu and a director in Kong: Skull Island’s Jordan Vogt-Roberts, the larger question of who would play the movie’s titular hero remained largely unanswered.

Now thanks to Deadline, we know that Golden Globe-nominated actor Oscar Isaac will be putting on the iconic bandana and sneak around FOXHOUND bases as Solid Snake. You’ve seen Oscar Isaac in more than a few films in recent years. Not only has he played Poe Dameron in the most recent Star Wars movies and the titular villain in X-Men: Apocalypse, but he’s also played in indie releases such as Inside Llewyn Davis, A Most Violent Year, and Ex Machina. More recently he’s starred in the 2018 horror film Annihilation, the upcoming sci-fi epic Dune, and is even in talks to portray the Moon Knight in Marvel’s upcoming Disney+ series. No matter what he acts in, Oscar Isaac always brings 110% to every role that he portrays. The fact he’s taking on Solid Snake brings so much excitement to the project.

The only question is can he pull off Solid Snake in the right way? He does have the chiseled, rough-around-the-edges look that the character has, but his voice isn’t as deep as David Hayter’s iconic performance in the video games. Then again though, Ryan Reynolds’ voice is also vastly different from Nolan North’s, and he pulled off Deadpool perfectly for his 2016 live-action film. We’ll have to wait and see what Isaac brings to the role, but for now, knowing that they’re investing so much talent into this portrayal shows how much effort the studio is putting in to get this live-action adaptation right for the big screen.

What do you think? Are you excited to see Oscar Isaac become Solid Snake, or do you think this casting news could have kept you waiting? Comment below and let me know.

– David Dunn

SOURCE: Deadline, Variety

A new villain will quite literally conquer the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Ant-Man 3.

After Ant-Man and the Wasp opened to warm reception and solid box office numbers in 2018, Deadline just announced a surprise casting decision that may or may not shake the foundations of the MCU. Jonathan Majors will reportedly become the Marvel big baddie known as Kang the Conqueror in the upcoming bug-sized sequel.

This news is surprising for a few reasons. For one thing, this is the first major role that Jonathan Majors will be portraying. For the past few years, Jonathan has been cast in a variety of supporting roles for indie projects ranging from Hostiles in 2017 to White Boy Rick in 2018 to The Last Black Man in San Francisco last year. His most recognizable role is probably as Delroy Lindo’s son David in the Spike Lee Vietnam war epic Da 5 Bloods. 

But what’s even more surprising is the role Majors will be portraying. First debuting in 1963, Kang the Conqueror is a time-traveling super villain who has frequently fought both the Avengers and Fantastic Four. Besides having the ability to travel through time, Kang can also project holograms, create force fields, and manipulate energy beams against his enemies. He’s a very powerful villain and easily one of the most intimidating foes the Marvel heroes have ever gone up against. 

I’m excited to hear that Majors has been cast as Kang the Conqueror. Physically he fits the part to near perfection, and I’m excited to see how playing a villain may potentially catapult his career forward. My biggest problem with Kang isn’t with who’s portraying him: it’s who’s movie he’s debuting in. While Ant-Man and Kang have had a few skirmishes here or there in the comics, they’ve had nothing to the level where he warrants appearing as a key antagonist in his own movie. With his level of ability and raw power, his villainy fits better in an Avengers movie, or even in the “Loki” miniseries he was long rumored for. But how does he fit in with Ant-Man, exactly? Kang dwarfs Ant-Man in just about every way imaginable. You might as well make Thanos the villain for Ant-Man 3.

Granted, Loki was the main antagonist in Thor before he was cast as the big baddie in 2012’s The Avengers. But even Loki doesn’t compare to Kang’s intimidating presence. But at least Kang makes more sense in the “Loki” miniseries, because Loki would feel challenged by Kang’s skill and manipulation and ultimately grow as a result of that conflict. Plus with the time travel element, that would have worked well with reversing Loki’s death from Avengers: Infinity War (spoiler alert). But Ant-Man feels too, er, small for him. It feels like he might be wasting his potential rather than building up to something bigger and better in the MCU.

What do you think? Are you excited to see Kang conquer the quantum realm, or did you want him to save his evil plans for The Avengers 5 or “Loki”? Comment below, let me know.

– David Dunn

SOURCE: Deadline, The Hollywood Reporter

King T’Challa has moved on to join the rest of the Black Panthers in the afterlife. 

As if 2020 hasn’t robbed enough from us already, Chadwick Boseman, the Screen Actor Award-winning star of Black Panther, was just pronounced dead a few moments ago. According to The Associated Press, Chadwick Boseman died from colon cancer earlier today at age 43. While he was diagnosed with the dreaded disease in 2016, he did not publicly disclose his illness and kept acting through several major productions, including Marshall, 21 Bridges, Da 5 Bloods, and of course, the last two Avengers entries and Black Panther. 

While many widely recognize Chadwick as the King of Wakanda in the record-breaking 2018 blockbuster, I first learned of Chadwick through one of his earliest roles as Jackie Robinson in the 2013 sports drama 42. Since then, I’ve gotten the privilege to see him move on to portray James Brown in Get On Up, Jacob King in Message From The King, and even Thoth in that dreadful Gods of Egypt movie. Seeing his career progress so quickly up until being cast as the Black Panther in that short of a time span was amazing to see, and I loved being able to watch him succeed in all of that. 

Needless to say, I’m devastated to learn about his passing. Chadwick was one of the most promising rising stars of this generation, creating an impact with moviegoing audiences everywhere long before he was even cast as Black Panther. But despite how much his life was cut short or how much of his career was left unfulfilled, I am grateful I got to witness a part of his life and support him during his great journey. 

Rest in power, King. You deserve it. 

R.I.P. 1976 – 2020 

SOURCE: Associated Press, Variety

Robert Pattinson isn’t the only one suiting up as the caped crusader next year. 

DC Comics recently held its inaugural FanDome online, where they broke news, exclusive clips, and trailers regarding future DC projects. We got a new release date for the delayed Wonder Woman 1984. The full cast lineup was announced for James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad. Matt Reeves even released a new trailer for The Batman, in which Robert Pattinson looks simply stunning as the world’s greatest detective. 

But interestingly enough, Pattinson won’t be the only Batman actor suiting up again next year. During a virtual panel for the upcoming Flash movie starring Ezra Miller and directed by Andy Muschietti (Mama, It), two actors are confirmed to reprise their roles as Batman. The first is Ben Affleck, who retired from the role shortly after vacating from directing The Batman last year. The second is much more interesting. After 30 years of taking on the Penguin and Catwoman in the Gotham sewers, Michael Keaton will be reprising the role of Batman as a significantly older variation of the character. 

Although it was initially a rumor a month ago, the production essentially confirmed this with some new concept art showing of Barry Allen’s sleek new Flash suit, presumably designed by WayneTech industries. While it’s hard to make out, the Batman behind Flash clearly shows it’s an elder Bruce Wayne, and furthermore, his bat symbol has the yellow symbol – exactly like it is in the Tim Burton movies. This basically confirms that Keaton is involved with the production and he will be reprising his role as Batman, though whether it will specifically be the Batman from the Burton movies or another future variation entirely remains to be seen. 

The fact that both Keaton and Affleck are reprising their Batman roles for The Flash confirms another long-rumored detail that the film is, in fact, an adaptation of the “Flashpoint” storyline, a comic miniseries that showed Barry running back in time to save his mother from the Reverse-Flash and accidentally create an alternate reality where everything went wrong. 

Two interesting things to note about this premise. For one thing, in the original “Flashpoint” storyline, Batman is actually Bruce’s father Thomas Wayne, portrayed by Jeffrey Dean Morgan in Batman v Superman. The fact that both Ben Affleck and Michael Keaton are in the upcoming Flash movie implies that Bruce Wayne will be a prominent part of the storyline in both timelines, not Thomas, which already spells interesting possibilities on its own.

Second, when “Flashpoint” takes place in Flash’s storyline, he’s already a well-established character that has fought several supervillains such as Captain Cold, King Shark, and Grodd before he went back in time to save his mother. In other words, “Flashpoint” was not the introduction for the character; it was his climax. For Pete’s sake, it was the entire premise for the third season of the CW’s “Flash” TV series. Why oh why would you choose this as the starting point for Flash’s own movie series? I understand he’s already been introduced in the mediocre Justice League movie, but when it comes to his solo debut he has a chance to really shine on his own without being overshadowed by bigger characters like Superman or Batman. Why would you make his first solo outing a crossover event the likes of which has literally shifted the foundations of the DC universe? It makes absolutely no sense. 

The “Flashpoint” movie also raises another interesting question: who’s going to portray Eobard Thawne? In “Flashpoint,” Eobard Thawne, a.k.a. Reverse-Flash was an essential part of that storyline, taunting Barry and teasing him with his own failure to the point where it drove him to go back in time and make a fateful mistake by attempting to right a wrong. That begs the question of who would play him? Some fans have thrown out names such as Kevin Bacon and Dan Stevens, but personally, I think Anthony Starr would be the best fit. His performance as Homelander in “The Boys” was smug, cocky, and high-strung; perfect for the full-of-himself character of Eobard Thawne. I only worry he may not be given enough space to really shine or stand out as a villain. After all, “Flashpoint” is already packed with a very large cast. 

We’ll have to wait and see which bizarre and unexpected directions The Flash takes us in 2022. In the meantime, enjoy rewatching The Batman trailer all over again, because nobody can get enough of that. 

– David Dunn

SOURCE: Collider, ComingSoon.net

And here we were, thinking we wouldn’t get any more new movies this year.

Ever since the coronavirus ravaged the country in May, several movie releases were either delayed or entirely removed from the 2020 calendar. First the newest James Bond movie No Time To Die was delayed until November. Sequels like A Quiet Place Part II, meanwhile, were postponed until next year. Other movies like Christopher Nolan’s science-fiction thriller Tenet were removed from the release calendar altogether. It’s safe to say the movie industry is in complete disarray right now and with no end in sight thanks to the coronavirus.

Well, Walt Disney just confirmed that at least one movie will be released this year despite the mounting pandemic: Mulan, the live-action remake of the Walt Disney animated feature of the same name, will be released in homes through the Disney+ streaming service.

According to Deadline, the company confirmed that Mulan would be regularly released in countries where theaters are currently open like China and Italy, but would be streamed for a premium price of $30 on Disney+ for countries that are still fighting the pandemic like the United States.

I have mixed feelings about this development. On one hand, I’m excited that I’ll get to see Mulan as originally planned this year, just in a much smaller theater and with less pants. I’ll happily spend the $30 premium price to watch it, even though I completely understand if some families feel that’s a little too absurd and pricey.

On the other hand, I was really looking forward to watching Mulan in a big-screen experience and am afraid I may not get the chance to now. Disney has not announced whether or not it will re-release Mulan in theaters after the pandemic passes, but depending on how successful it is, anything is possible. After all, the three highest-grossing movies of all time Avengers: Endgame, Avatar, and Titanic all saw theatrical re-releases, even though none of them needed help at the box office.

There’s also the thought to consider of what impact this will have on movie theaters as a whole. With remakes like Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and The Lion King all grossing well over a billion dollars, it’s obvious that live-action Walt Disney remakes are a hot commodity for the movie industry. But with Mulan moving online, that threatens to take all of movie theater’s potential earnings and pour them more directly into Disney’s pockets. This could potentially create a huge loss of business for movie theaters and further jeopardize the tough position they’re already in for a complicated market.

And while Walt Disney states that releasing Mulan straight to homes is “a one-off,” that once again can change depending on the kind of success it sees. Superhero movies like Marvel’s Black Widow can now potentially find new life on Disney+, while animated movies like Pixar’s upcoming Soul can possibly be seen by younger audiences much sooner. And don’t even get me started on the release hell that the horror movie The New Mutants has caught itself up in.

All in all, this is strange news for strange times. We’ll have to wait and see how these trends pan out and how they might change the movie industry going forward.

– David

SOURCE: Deadline, The Verge

Tenet: a word that will open the right doors, some of the wrong ones.

Well, in this case, it closed one.

Thanks to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Christopher Nolan’s highly-anticipated science-fiction thriller Tenet has been delayed indefinitely. Originally slated for a July release this summer, Tenet was rescheduled for August before coronavirus cases escalated yet again. As positive cases continue to climb towards the four million mark in the United States, Warner Bros. has recently removed Tenet from its 2020 release calendar altogether, stating that it will announce a new release date “imminently.”

To quote Commissioner Gordon from The Dark Knight Rises, that basically means “We’re on our own.” Tenet is not the first movie to be delayed due to the coronavirus. James Bond’s No Time To Die, Wonder Woman 1984, Black Widow, and A Quiet Place Part II all got pushed back from their original release dates earlier this year, effectively eliminating 2020’s summer movie season. But after Tenet was wiped from the 2020 calendar altogether, that means other movies could quite possibly follow suit, leaving many to wonder when the movie theaters will reopen this year if at all.

And movie theaters are already in a tough spot due to the coronavirus. AMC Theatres, the largest movie theater chain in the United States, posted a $2.4 billion loss in its first quarter this year, and the industry as a whole has lost over $10 billion as of May, according to Forbes. CNBC reported that the box office is at a 20-year low, facing its worst year since 1998. How much worse it can get and for how long is only a matter of time.

Will Tenet be released directly to at-home streaming? I seriously doubt it. Christopher Nolan’s movies have always been in high demand, from The Dark Knight trilogy to Inception to Dunkirk. Throwing it onto TV screens at home feels like a throwaway, and definitely something Nolan himself wouldn’t agree to.

Whether other franchises like James Bond or Wonder Woman ultimately go that route remains to be seen. But at the moment, it seems like we’re going to have to wait until 2021 to watch Christopher Nolan’s newest feature.

– David Dunn

SOURCES: Forbes, CNBC