Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Review *SPOILER FREE*

I wanted to post this after walking out of the theater to let you know that this movie was brilliant.  I'm sure that there will be people out there that will tear this movie apart, but let me tell you that JJ Abrams did an amazing job putting this together. He fixed a number of problems that the other two movies in this trilogy created, the most glaring one was the fact that Rey, Poe, and Finn were almost always separated.  They didn't have the same chemistry that Luke, Leia, and Han had. While it was two movies too late, he fixed this issue, and they worked extremely well together.  Opportunity missed, but made up for.  Also, one of the biggest slights from the Original Trilogy is fixed.  I won't tell you what, but if you spot it, let me know what it is that you think I'm talking about.

If you can, don't read anything that might give anything away, and don't listen to the movie critics that are saying that the movie is too "convoluted" and "congested," they are movie critics and have no idea about fun when it comes to movies.  They want to "analyze" and "dissect" movies instead of enjoy them.  

I didn't want to give away any spoilers, just wanted to tell you that it is a great movie, a fitting close to not only the Skywalker saga, but to all of the characters (most importantly Carrie Fisher), and movie worth going to see.

One last note.  I want to thank all of you who sent messages of sympathy to me when I lost my mother. Each and every one of them were heart-breaking to read, but were very much appreciated. Thank you each and every one of you.

A Loss I Can’t Get Over Right Now

I have had a tremendous loss. My mother passed unexpectedly. This, after my close friend and brother’s father passed. My grief is quite strong, and I apologize I won’t be posting anything here in the foreseeable future. My mom was the world to me, and I will miss here every day. I’m sorry if I am letting anyone down who reads this blog. I’ll be back when laughter and fun has returned to my life. Until then, keep enjoying your passions, and keep writing me. I look forward to returning to this, I just can’t do it right now. Love to all, peace to the rest.

The Last Skywalker: Final Trailer

I know, I know...I've been gone a while.  My apologies, but life happens.  People die, you mourn, you work, you keep going.  Somethings get pushed aside, and I apologize that I haven't kept you all up to date, the fanboy stuff was one of them.  I'm done mourning, and I am back.

What better way to jump back into things than by breaking down the final trailer for the LAST   saga film.  Everything from this point on will be "new stories" that may refer to the Skywalker family, but will never deal with them again. Dun Dun Dunnn...

Okay, that may be too sinister.  Disney will find a way to make more money off of the three trilogies of this family.  Until then, let's break down the final trailer.

The trailer starts with Rey running through a forest. Could it be Endor?  She jumps over a ravine, and then lands on a metal structure that looks like something that she was scavenging off of on Jakku from The Force Awakens.  Could these two scenes be a Jedi "vision quest?"  Possibly, but we see her with a training droid on this forest planet.  That seemed pretty concrete, right?  That it was actually happening.  What if she is running a gauntlet of "visions" that came from herself and Luke?  Or what if she is traveling to places that Luke has been to learn and train from his Force Ghost?  Just something to think about.

The Rebels are returning to the fourth moon of Yavin.  We haven't seen this place since...well, Rogue One.  I was going to say A New Hope, but the show of this base in the "stand alone" movie kind of ruined this "surprise" for me.  Wow.  They went back to where the started.  Just doesn't feel as dramatic after it was featured in Rogue One.  But it is shown, so "Yay."

Here's where things start to get interesting.  Enter the Emperor!  Okay, we don't "see" him in this trailer, but we do hear him.  He says, "Long have I waited...and now, your coming together is your undoing". Is he talking about the Rebels, or is he referring to Rey and Kylo Ren joining forces?  Don't look at me, I'm just posing the questions!  We are going to have to wait until December 20th to find out.  But let's move on, there are other questions that need to be raised.

Rey, like the Emperor, has a spoken dialogue that is a "voice over."  She says that many claim to know her, but don't.  Then Kylo Ren jumps in and says that he does.  Is this before or after Rey turns him to the Light side of the Force? Do they team up against the Emperor?  We see them both striking down an object that is dark and human sized...much too obvious, but possible.  

Then there is C3PO.  They are talking to him like he is going to kill them.  This must mean that all of the rumors that we have heard are true, that C3PO turns "evil" when the First Order tried to discover a lost fleet of the Empire.  It seems that they find it, and that the Rebels are ready for them.  There seem to be a boat-load of spaceships in this final trailer!  And the most exciting one we see?  Lando reclaiming the Falcon!  Here's too Billy Dee Williams for making it back after 30/40 years!

So tell me what you see in the final trailer.  There is enough that anyone could possibly see what they want to see. I told you what I see, now tell me what you see.  Leave your comments in the section below, or reach out to me on Facebook.  Until next time, loyal followers! :)

The 3 Shells From Demolition Man

I have to admit that I have an unhealthy admiration for the movie Demolition Man.  I also have to thank DenofGeek UK edition for giving me something to write about on a freakishly slow day in movie news.

As the author of the article Simon Brew states, Stallone was more Judge Dredd in this movie than he was in the movie of the same name.  Stallone, Wesley Snipes, Sandra Bullock and Nigel Hawthorne (may he rest in piece) all starred in this absurdly fun action comedy.  It really had no plot, except a killer wakes up from hibernation and sets out to kill and destroy.  My kind of film.  But there was one scene, well..actually it came up a couple of times, for the need for our recently thawed out hero to "use the facilities."  The problem was, toilet paper apparently was obsolete and was replaced by 3 shells.  The picture above is a scene where after Stallone can't figure out how to use them (famously mocked by Rob Schneider) he curses his way into enough tickets to wipe his ass.  When you are given a problem, you create a solution.

But the question has been, at least since 1993 when the movie came out, was how did you use the 3 shells to clean yourself?  The question was never answered in the film, and inquiring minds want to know..how did they work?

While we may not know the how they work, we are one step closer to understanding them.  We now know how they came into being.  Screen writer Daniel Waters explained their inspiration at a question and answer period in 2014 at a screening of The Adventures of Ford Fairlane ("My hair!")  Here's what Waters said:

There's a scene where Stallone has to use a restroom.  I'm trying to come up with futuristic things you'd find in there.  I was having trouble, so I called my buddy, another screenwriter across town, asked him if he had any ideas.  Ironically enough that guy was taking a dump when he answered the phone, looked around his bathroom and said, 'I have a bag of seashells on my toilet as a decoration?'  I said 'Okay, I'll make something out of that.'"

So we still don't know how the 3 shells work in the future so one can wipe their ass, but at least we know how the idea came to be.  Maybe in another 25 years the true meaning behind this world changing device will be known, and we can enjoy the 3 shells while listening to Bill and Ted's music changing the World!

Now Comic Book Trends Are Bleeding Into The MCU

When the Russos were asked why Tony Stark got a funeral and Natasha Romanoff didn't, Joe Russo answered,"Well, Natasha has another movie coming out.  Tony does not have another movie coming out." Simple answer, but what if there's more to it than this?

According to "inside sources," which tend to be quite reliable in these Disney matters, Marvel is planning on a Black Widow resurrection.  Not just with another actor taking on the title role of Black Widow, but Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow.  

How they plan on doing this is still a bit unclear, but considering that they have introduced time travel to the mix, I'm sure that this will play some sort of part into it.  After all, they brought back Gamora when she was supposedly lost for good.  If this indeed turns out to be true, it won't happen any time soon.  It sounds like they are aiming closer to the Phase 5 chapter as opposed to the upcoming Phase 4.

If this turns out to be true, I think that it would dampen her death in Avengers: Endgame.  I myself hope that they don't do this, but as in the comic book world, heroes never truly stay dead.  If they are popular enough, they always find a way to come back to life (hello Wolverine.)

What are your thoughts on this? Would you want to see her come back to the MCU?  Let me know your thoughts on this in the comments down below, or you can leave them on my Facebook page, The Comconoclast.

Resistance Reborn May Give Clue To Another Original Trilogy Character's Appearance

With this being the final movie in the Skywalker Saga, as many have come to name it, they seem to be pulling out all of the stops.  Billy Dee Williams is returning, as is Mark Hamill, the late Carrie Fisher, Anthony Daniels, and Ian McDiarmid.  Now, there may be one more Original Trilogy actor that will be making an appearance.

There is a prequel book that is soon to be released that while on it's American cover doesn't lend to any rumors, however...the Spanish cover of the book Resistance Reborn has none other than Wedge Antilles on the cover.  Does this mean that Denis Lawson (the actor that played Wedge in the first three movies) will be in the finale? We are just going to have to wait until the movie is released on December 20th.

What do you think of this possibility?  Let me know your thoughts in the comments section below, or you can leave them on my Facebook page, The Comconoclast.

Screenrant Thinks Spider-Man Will Be Written Off In Avengers 5

I was reading Screenrant.com, and Thomas Bacon's article claiming that Spider-Man will be written out of the MCU with Spider-Man's second movie under the new Sony/Marvel agreement possibly being Secret Wars.  

The Secret Wars comic book mini-series began back in the 80's, but was more recently remade in 2015.  In the most recent adaptation of the series, the multiverse was collapsing so Doctor Doom fused different parts of different realities into one planet, dubbed "Battleworld."  It brought together different zones from different multiverse realities, such as "Old Man Logan," "Mile Morales," "Weirdworld" and others.  In the end, Franklin Richards broke through Doctor Doom's control and returned everything back to the way it was and recreated the multiverse.  Some of the characters from the other realities, however, stuck around in the main universe.

There was a mention of a Secret Wars movie by the Russo brothers, who said that they would come back to write and direct this movie if it was ever to be made, but that has been the only real talk about it.  So back to Bacon.  He knows that the first of the two movies that are going to be made will be Spider-Man 3, and there were rumors that Kevin Feige was planning ahead this time and working on a story that would write Spider-Man out of the MCU.  A Secret Wars movie would be the perfect way to do this, and that was Bacon's point.  However...

It was recently announced that Marvel was going to make Captain Marvel and Spider-Man the new faces of the MCU, now that Iron Man is dead and Captain America is old and retired.  If they are making Spider-Man one of the new faces of the MCU, wouldn't that suggest that they have bigger plans for the Web Swinger past the two movie deal?  They have already shown that they can work out agreements with Sony, and with Sony being able to use Tom Holland's Spider-Man in their own Spider-Verse, it seems possible that a third agreement will be reached.

Like I said, Bacon made some good points, but I don't think that his reasoning is sound with all of he new information that is coming out.  But what do you think?  Do you think that Spider-Man will be done with the MCU after his two movies are completed, or do you think that Sony and Marvel will continue their partnership?  let me know your thoughts in the comments section below, or you can leave them on my Facebook page.

Is there something that you want me to look into that you want to know about?  Send me your questions in the comments section or on The Comconoclast Facebook page.  I will do some digging and do a post on them after getting all of the information.

TWO New Matrix Movies Are Coming...

When it was announced that Keanu Reeves had company had signed on for a new Matrix movie, it caused quite a little stir.  Rumors had been running around that Zak Penn had been writing a Matrix movie, and with the announcement that Lana Wachowski is producing a new Matrix movie, many thought that Penn's movie was getting pushed aside.  That, however, doesn't seem to be the case.

Penn took to social media to set the record straight.  Here's what he said:

"People keep asking, so let me clarify there are two different Matrix projects at WB.  I wrote one set earlier in the timeline of the Matrix universe.  Lana Wachowski is directing a sequel that I did not work on but can't wait to see.  Neither of them are reboots."

With these comments, it's easy to presume that WB is letting both creators produce their movies, with Wachowski making another chapter that will feature Neo, and Penn working on a movie that is more of a sequel.  Rumors have it that Michael B. Jordan will be playing a young Morphius in Penn's movie.

Whatever happens with either of these films, expect great things in the battle between humans and machines at a whole different level that the new Terminator movie will give us.  As more details emerge, I will keep you up to date.  Let me know your thoughts on this sequel and prequel.  Leave them in the comments section below, or you can leave them on my Facebook page.  Either way, I want to know your feelings on this.

A Number Of Marvel Actors Wanting A Piece Of The Star Wars Action

Captain America, meet the Galaxy Far, Far Away...

Okay, maybe not Captain America, but Chris Evans is showing interest in going Kevin Feige in his move over to Lucasflim.  Feige has recently been moved...well, he'll be doing double duty with Marvel and Lucasfilm, in the hopes of bring the fledgling series up to the prominence that Disney knows it could be.

Feige has done incredible work on the MCU, even through the battles with Marvel's former head honcho Ike Perlmutter.  Perlmutter was not one who believed in the comic book movie, and never wanted to spend the money on these films that ended up giving us some of the greatest story lines in the shared universe.  Perlmutter was demoted to running Marvel's television properties, and as you can see from the shows that he produces, they do not come close to whaat we would expect from Disney or Marvel in the sense of quality.  All of that is about to change though, as I have mentioned in a previous post regarding Marvel's television department and their upcoming shows on Disney+/  So let's get back to my main topic.

Feige has been moved over to Lucasfilm mainly because he can see the big picture and plan out a storyline years and projects in advance.  He has proved this with his work on the MCU.  With the current Star Wars situation, it a hodgepodge of different writers and directors trying to tell a unified story, and it's coming across as such.  With the conclusion of the Skywalker Saga,  Disney's next foray into a Galaxy Far, Far Away needs to be a cohesive  tale, one that has been worked through from beginning to end, and not just scrapped together in the hopes that something will work.  Feige will be able to bring this continuity to the Star Wars universe, something that it has desperately needed.

When I was a kid and began watching the Star Wars movies, I believed that I knew these characters, I was invested in them.  That isn't something that I have felt when watching these new movies.  They have the same number of movies to their trilogies, but I don't feel like I know, or even care, about any of them.  So what has changed?  I really don't know, I just don't feel the same connection to them that I did with the original characters of Luke, Han, and Leia.

Feige is good at fleshing out characters and making the audience feel an emotional response to what is happening on the screen. This is the one thing that I think has been missing in the most recent trilogy.  Now that he is in charge of the next series of films, Feige will need competent actors to help him flesh out his story, so why not dip into a pool that he already has access to?  Chris Evans and Brie Larson are both MCU alum that have shown interest in joining him over at Lucasflim..Having these two brought over would help his transition, as well as the audience's, into a new chapter of the Star Wars story by giving us actors that we are already familiar with and know we like watching perform.  While it's too soon to tell if either or both will be brought on board, the fact that they are showing an interest in sticking with the House of Mouse is a bit encouraging.

What are your thoughts on Feige's new role, and who would you like to see him bring on board? Let me know your thoughts in the comments section down below, or you can leave them on my Facebook page, The Comconoclast.

What A Silver Surfer Movie Means For The MCU

With the purchase of the X-Men and the Fantastic Four properties from 20th Century Fox,  there has been plenty of movement at Marvel moving these new properties into the MCU.  While the X-Men and the Fantastic Four seem to be getting the most attention, there is one character in the mix that could, and should, have a more significant impact on the MCU as we know it.  That character is the Silver Surfer.

If the only familiarity you have with the Silver Surfer is from the movie Fantastic Four: Ride of the Silver Surfer, then you really have no idea about the Silver Surfer.  The Silver Surfer is the "herald" of Galactus, a planet consuming cosmic force that needs the life force of planets to survive.  The Silver Surfer sympathizes with the people of Earth and turns against Galactus and stave's off his attack.  As a result, the Silver Surfer is imprisoned on Earth from an energy shield that Galactus creates.  The Silver Surfer ends up escaping his confines and travels the universe helping other worlds to atone for all of his previous misdeeds as the "Herald of Galactus," and all of the life he help eradicate.

Created by Jack Kirby, the Silver Surfer, named so because he travels the universe on a "flying surfboard," the Silver Surfer became one of Marvel's biggest hits, even though Marvel icon Stan Lee thought that the character was a bad idea.  Originally, the Silver Surfer was Norrin Radd, and alien who made a deal with Galactus to spare his world of Zann=La. In return, he was to be the "herald" of Galactus and find other planets for the Devourer of Worlds to consume.  He was given god-like powers and all of his memories were erased.  He ends up remembering his roots through his struggle and sympathy in dealing with the possibility of Earth falling to Galactus' hunger.

In his history with Marvel comics, the Silver Surfer has had dealings and partnerships with a number of Marvel characters, like the Fantastic Four and Doctor Stranger.  To incorporate him into the MCU, albeit with a tweaked version of his origin, wouldn't be too hard.  There has already been rumors that Galactus will be one of three different antagonists in the upcoming MCU films, and the Silver Surfer would be able to unite the Earth bound heroes with the rest of the galaxy far better than the Guardians of the Galaxy  have been able to do.  In fact, he would be able to bring the rest of the universe closer to Earth consciousness by having such a close connection to Earth after the battle with Galactus takes place.  And don't kid yourself, this battle WILL occur.

His inclusion will also open the door for a number of other Marvel characters to be introduced, who only have connections with the Silver Surfer, and will allow a number of other story lines to take place.  Let's be clear, the Silver Surfer was the true gem that will make this acquisition from FOX profitable for Marvel. The other properties are big, yes, but the Silver Sure will expand the MCU like no other character has.

Star Trek 4 Is Still A Hope For Paramount

With the popularity of Star Trek: Discovery and the upcoming Star Trek: Picard soon to be released,  Paramount is hoping that this will translate into s desire for a Star Trek 4.  There have been a number of rumors as to what the fourth installment would be about.  There is a rumor going around that Quentin Tarantino was wanting to write and direct a Star Trek movie, one that would revisit the character of Khan, but as interesting as this may be it doesn't sound like it's getting much traction.

Another rumored storyline, one that was actually in development before the dismal returns for 2016's Star Trek Beyond  involved time travel and would bring back Chris Hemsworth as Chris Pine's James Kirk's father.  As you will remember, Hemsworth's character died in the opening scene to JJ Abrams Star Trek reboot.

While both of these projects are in development limbo, word is that Paramount is still wanting to make another Star Trek film.  Right now, though, they are having to wait until Wonder Woman 1984 wraps up filming in order to have Chris Pine return as Captain of the U.S.S. Enterprise.  They will also have to work around the schedules of Chris Hemsworth, who is in high demand for all types of films, and Zachary Quinto.  

It may be easier to get all of the returning actors together for filming than producing a film that fans will want to see. Both the second and third films of this franchise were not well received.  It will be interesting to see how they move forward with this movie.

Until then, fans will continue to be able to watch Discovery, and the buzz regarding Picard  has been tremendous.  CBS All Access is also developing an animated Star Trek series, a half hour Star Trek comedy, and the Star Trek Shorts that they have been producing.  So even if the fourth installment falls through the cracks...again...there will be plenty of Star Trek out there for fans to enjoy.

"The Ballad Of Songbirds And Snakes"

To be honest, I'm not sure how interested people will be in hearing that Suzanne Collins is writing a prequel to her best selling series The Hunger Games.  The reason I say this is because the final two movies that came out, The Mockingjay Part 1 & 2,  pretty much bombed at the box office with fans.  To be honest, I read the books before finding out that they were going to be movies, and I loved the first book, thought the second book Catching Fire was a decent follow-up, but fell asleep reading the third book.  It made the same mistake as Star Wars: The Phantom Menace  and focused too much on the politics of the world, and people tuned out.  Let's hope that this new prequel doesn't fall into the same trap.

The book is going to be titled The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.  The story will take place 64 years before the first Hunger Games story.  Collins said about the book, "With this book, I wanted to explore the state of nature, who we are, and what we perceive is required for our survival.  The reconstruction period 10 years after the war, commonly referred to as the Dark Days - as the country of Panem struggles back to its feet - provides fertile ground for the characters to grapple with these questions and thereby define their views of humanity."

Apparently excitement is growing over the announcement of this new chapter to the series, but until it releases May 19, 2020, and I see the sales numbers, I will tend to be skeptical.  It will be available in print, digital, and as an audiobook.  Is this something that you are interested in?  If it is, let me know why.  I'm curious how others are reacting the news of this Hunger Games prequel.

Netflix New $150 Million Movie

What do you get when you cross the writers of Deadpool and Zombieland with director Michael Bay and actor Ryan Reynolds? i don't know either, but I'm pretty sure that there will be explosions...

Fresh off his divorce with the Transformers franchise, Bay is going back to his roots from the 90's when he directed such films like The Rock and Bad Boys, the movie teams him up with writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick and stars Ryan Reynolds, Dave Franco, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Adria Arjona, Corey Hawkins, and Ben Hardy.  Check out the synopsis below for 6 Underground:

6 Underground Introduces a new kind of action hero. Six individuals from all around the globe, each the very best at what they do, have been chosen not only for their skills, but for their unique desire to delete their pasts to change the future. The team is brought together by an enigmatic leader (Ryan Reynolds), whose sole mission in life is to ensure that, while he and his fellow operatives will never be remembered, their actions damn sure will.

I watched this trailer and I have to say that I'm looking forward to this one coming out.  It's set to be released on Netflix December 13, but after watching the trailer I would actually pay good money to watch it in a theater instead.  The action is fast paced, the explosions are big, and the car chases look amazing.  All of the things that are better on the big screen. 

This is a refreshing change for a new release since it's not tied to an existing franchise, it's not a remake, and isn't a prequel or sequel.  It just looks like a lot of fun.  If you get a chance, head over to YouTube and check out the official trailer and let me know what you think.

Sony And The MCU Can Learn From Comics

This character is one of the better ones that Marvel Comics has given life to, only second to Miles Morales' Spider-Man.  Not only is she an amazing hero on the pages of comic books, but she might also be a hero in the real world by showing Sony and Marvel how their Spider-Man/Peter Parker can exist in two separate movie universes.

If you haven't been keeping up with Spider-Gwen (now Ghost Spider), she is an alternate universe "Spider-Man" who had her secret identity outed and now is known by everybody.  Sound familiar?  In order to maintain a somewhat normal existence and complete her college career, she enrolled to college...in an alternate universe.  So now she lives at home with her family and friends, while going to college in the "mainstream Marvel Universe."  Of course, in doing so, she dons her costume in both realities when the need occurs.  

Over in the real world, Sony and Marvel Studios have come to an agreement that will allow Sony's Spider-Man property to remain in the MCU for another two movies, while also allowing him to appear in their own Spider-Verse movies, which include Venom 2, Morris, and Kraven the Hunter,  which is rumored to be in the works.  The question had come up as to how Tom Holland's Peter Parker would be able to exist in two different movie universes.  With the Ghost Spider situation mirroring what is to happen in the cinematic universes, we might have a better understanding as to how this may happen.

Marvel Comics may have known that this was going to be a possibility prior to the whole Sony/Marvel Studios negotiations happening and did this to Ghost Spider to give a road map as to how it could be achievable.  After all, they knew that Spider-Man was only given to the MCU temporarily.  Agreeing to Tom Holland being able to exist in the two universes was probably what led to the agreement.

One thing that hasn't been reported on quite as much as it should have is the fact that Sony's Spider-verse characters will be allowed to make references to the characters in the MCU.  There are limitations to what they can say, and they can only be done in movies that Tom Holland appears in, but it might be one step closer to the combinations of the two universes.  I mean, after Sony establishes more characters and story lines, what movie would be bigger than a crossover event between the two studios?  Nothing on this front has been mentioned, I'm just thinking out loud here...but wouldn't it be something if this happened?

Let me know your thoughts on everything that's happening over at Sony and Marvel Studios, and let me know what your take is on my "brain storming" up above.

A Deadpool/Spider-Man Movie Could Still Happen

Things keep a changin’.

Right now, everyone is excited about the Sony and Marvel agreement that will allow Spider-Man to stay in the MCU, but while this excitement is well deserved, it may also be short lived.  In three to five years, we’re going to have to wonder if Sony and Marvel will come to a third agreement which will continue to keep Peter Parker in the MCU.  While it may be premature to dwell on this fact, there may already be negotiations starting with Sony eyeing some of Marvel’s properties to appear in their Spider-Verse.

It’s much too soon to consider any talks between the two companies right now as being serious.  Marvel will want to wait and see how sharing Spider-Man with Sony’s Marvel properties works. If it hurts their own brand, then I doubt a new deal will occur, but if it helps, then the requests I’ve heard that Sony will make of Marvel may not be that unreasonable.

I’m hearing that Sony would like Deadpool and the X-Men to appear in their Spider-Verse.  Since Spider-Man is no stranger to working with the X-Men, and he and Deadpool have a comic book together, this could work quite well.  A Spider-Man/Deadpool team up movie seems to be the top desire from fans of both characters.  Will it happen? Who knows, but just the fact that it’s now a real possibility of happening gives me hope.

What Marvel team ups do you want to see in the future?  Give me your dream teams in the comments below, or go to my Facebook page and let me know there.

We Now Know What The Second Spider-Man Film Will Be!

I've got to say, Tom Holland is my favorite Spider-Man/Peter Parker I have seen yet.  This is why I am EXTREMELY happy that Sony and Marvel have come to an agreement.  I was a little unsure about how things were going to work out, but with the way Far From Home ended, I honestly didn't think that Marvel would want him to leave the MCU with a cliffhanger that huge.  So he's back and all's well in the world!

The deal let Sony have a little more control over their own property!!! so now Tom Holland will be able to appear in Sony Spider-Verse movies for the first time.  This is pretty huge, allowing one actor to appear in multiple universes playing the same character, I'm not even sure that it's been done before.  That being said, the MCU was able to obtain Tom Holland's Spider-Man to appear in two more MCU movies.  The first one was already announced after they had come to an agreement, Spider-Man 3: In Search of More Money (sorry, stole that joke from "Spaceballs!") but the second film had yet to be revealed.

Now it's been revealed.  Well, the rumor going around is that it's been revealed.  It's being said that the second movie of the new contract that Tom Holland will appear in as Spider-Man will be The New Avengers.  This is all thanks to the work of Kevin Feige who has worked tirelessly for Marvel and Disney to make the MCU what it is today.  While it's said that he will be going over to Disney's Lucasfilm division to produce a new Star Wars movie that will star Brie Larsen and Chris Evans (um, yeah.  He wants in on this action!), he'll help tie up the Peter Parker angle in the MCU in case they don't reach a third agreement.  The (possible) send off Avengers movie will feature the likes of Captain Marvel, Doctor Strange, Black Panther, Blade, Shang-Chi, Female Thor (the Jane Foster one, duh) and possibly many more.

If you're going to go out, go out big.  There is still a chance that the two companies will try to work something out with a third deal, but in my opinion, it is highly unlikely.  It's already being reported that Feige is writing Spidey out of the MCU and Sony has big plans for him in their own Spider-Verse.  Besides, Feige (or whoever takes over for him) will have their hands full introducing the X-Men and the Fantastic Four, not to mention Dr. Doom and Galactus!

So what are your thoughts on all of this?  Curious to know what you think, so let me know in the comments section below, or you can leave them on my Facebook page.

Just a head's up, I have a long day at work tomorrow and may not be able to post, so check back again on Tuesday morning.  And if I haven't said it in a while?  Thank you to everyone that reads this blog.  You all are the reason I do this and don't get paid. :)

WB Has Big Plans For Constantine In The DCEU

WB and the DCEU have taken a few missteps with their movies, at least judging by the harsh criticism from fans after Batman V Superman and Justice League, but they have been making some progress.  Both Wonder Woman and Aquaman were well received, ensuring that both Gal Gadot and Jason Mamoa will continue on in these roles.  While they continue to develop their "expanded universe," one things seems certain...they want John Constantine.

It had been reported that Warner Bothers was wanting to bring Constantine back into the DCEU, and it was said that they had offered the role to Colin Farrell.  Now it seems that this is no longer the case.  Sources are reporting that WB wants to incorporate Constantine in no less than 4 future DCEU movies, and that they are courting Keanu Reeves to reprise his role as the Demon Slayer.

When Reeves first played Constantine, the movie wasn't a particularly "popular" movie, but it does have it's loyal fanbase, and it has become somewhat of a cult classic.  With Keanu reprising old roles, such as Neo in The Matrix, and Ted Theodore Logan in Bill and Ted, not to mention his amazing run as John Wick, why not Constantine?  The actor himself has said that he would like to return to this character in some sort of fashion, and with Keanu having a resurgence in his career that it utterly unheard of (unless you know Keanu Reeves!) I wouldn't bet against him popping up as Constantine in the near future.

On a personal note, the first Reeves movie that I saw was Permanent Record.  It was one of his first movies, if not THE first movie that he did.  It dealt with a high school suicide and it was an amazing movie.  I remember it profoundly because one of my best friends had killed himself that year.  If you are a fan of Keanu Reeves and love his work, this is a must watch.  Sorry, just wanted to praise the guy for the work he does, not just the movies everyone knows about, but even the smaller ones.

SO what do you think?  Are you excited to see him come back as Constantine? Let me know your thoughts in the comments section below, or you can leave them on my Facebook page.  Just look up The Comconoclast.

Marvel Televsion Looks To Be Shuttered

Marvel Studios has been a juggernaut at the box-office, but it has struggled with projects related to the small screen.  While Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has obviously been a success for the House of Mouse, it hasn't always felt a part of the MCU.  In fact, each season seems to separate it more and more from the MCU.  Yes, there have been some appearances from MCU actors on the show, but that just makes it more awkward.  Netflix programs like Daredevil and Punisher have done well, but their other shows, ike Luke Cage and Iron Fist, have fallen flat.  The Inhumans didn't even make it through an entire season.  So what is a studio supposed to do?

Write off their losses.  At least, that's the approach that Disney seems to be taking.  Disney created the Marvel Television Studio to settle tensions between Kevin Feige and Ike Perlmutter.  It allowed Feige more creative control with the MCU without having to work with Pertmutter.  While Feige has had essentially bottomless pockets of money to create his movies, Pertmutter has been given crumbs by comparison.

Now that Disney is getting ready to launch their Disney+ streaming service, all of that is about to change.  They are introducing new "televisions" shows, like WandaVision and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier,  that are going to be done on a "movie" sized budget. This will allow them to be connected to the MCU without the "B-movie" grade quality to them.

Marvel Television will now stop trying to keep up with their big brothers in the MCU and will now focus solely on animated projects, like the upcoming Offenders, which will feature Tigra, MODOK, Hit-Monkey, and Howard the Duck.  All of their live action shows on cable and network television though, seem to be about to disappear in a snap.

Marvel May Be Preparing To Write Spider-Man Out Of The MCU

After all of the hoopla that has taken place over the last month between Sony and Disney, the future of Spider-Man and the MCU has finally been laid to rest...for now.

With the announced deal, it's clear that the winner here are the fans, but both studios were able to walk away winners as well.  Marvel and Disney are going to be receiving 25% of the profits for the Sony produced movies that have Tom Holland's Spider-Man appearing in the MCU, and Sony is going to be able to have Tome Holland's Spider-Man appear in their own Marvel movies, Sony's Spider-Verse.  Everyone has walked away with more than what they had before.

The agreement will let Spider-Man appear in two more MCU movies, on will be Spider-Man 3,  and the other one hasn't been named yet.  There is a possibility that Spider-Man will continue to be allowed to remain in the MCU after this agreement comes to it's conclusion, but from what I am hearing Marvel isn't taking that chance and are working on writing Spider-Man out of the MCU if it comes to that.

IT sounds like Marvel is wanting to see how Spider-Man does appearing in both universes before making a new deal.  If it doesn't work out for their property, then they will  have an out.  Even though Spider-Man is by far the most popular character in the MCU right now, that might change once he starts appearing in movies for the separate studios. IT might make him even more popular, so from what it sounds like, it's a "wait and see" approach.  But this time, Marvel will be a little more prepared.

Makes sense, right?  Let me know what you think about his little bit of news.  Does this make you more comfortable knowing that there won't be a cliff hanger that will leave us hanging if they don't come to a third agreement, or would you be just as pissed off if he leaves a second time?  Let me know your thoughts in the comments section below, or let me know over on my Facebook page.

Spider-Man To Crossover Universes

One of the downsides of working third shift is your asleep when the really interesting stuff happens!

Early this morning, Disney and Sony announced that they had come to an agreement to share the property rights to Spider-Man.  The agreement came between Sony's Amy Pascal and Marvel's Kevin Feige.  The latter joked that Spider-Man had gained a new super power that allows him to travel between universes.  Here's what he said:

"I am thrilled that Spidey's journey in the MCU will continue, and I and all of is at Marvel Studios are very excited that we get to keep working on it.  Spider-Man is a powerful icon and hero whose story crosses all ages and audiences around the globe.  He also happens to be the only hero with the superpower to cross cinematic universes, so as Sony continues to develop their  own Spidey-Verse you never know what surprises the future might hold."

Details for the agreement are scarce right now, but from what I have learned it is only a two movie deal, with Spider-Man 3  being one of them.  The other might be a crossover role, but it is too soon to tell.  That's for the MCU's Spider-Man.  On the Sony side of things, Spider-Man will be able to appear in their other Spider-Verse movies, like Madame Web, Venom, Carnage, Mysterio, and Hobgoblin.  With regards to the Venom franchise, it had originally been announced that Tom Holland's Spider-Man would be appearing in Venom 2,  but now that a deal has been struck with the House of Mouse, it sounds like they will be holding off on his crossing over until Venom 3.

Tome Holland's Spider-Man 3  is scheduled to be released July 2021.  Like I said, this will be one of the two movies set up in the agreement.  While there has been no news as to what the second project will be, it may be the Captain Marvel crossover that I had discussed in an earlier post.  Marvel is desperately wanting to humanize Brie Larsen's character after poll after poll have shown that she comes across as stiff and bland.  Not really something that they were hoping for regarding the "New Face of the MCU."  Of course, with Feige moving over to the Lucasfilm division of Disney and reportedly bring Brie Larsen over there to star in his upcoming Star Wars movie, maybe plans for Captain Marvel are changing as well.

I'll let you all know more as it comes out, but for right now all is well in the Universe. 

Four Or More Avengers Teams In Marvel's Future?

With the success of the Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame movies, Marvel and Disney are planning on moving forward with multiple Avenger team ups in the next new phases.

It seems that superhero team-ups are the way to go moving forward.  I'm guessing that unless it's a television show that will be premiering on Disney+, there will be multiple characters appearing in all future movies.  We already know that Marvel is planning an Eternals movie, which is a team-up movie of sorts, the X-Men are soon to be making their way onto the big screen, but now we are learning that there are other Avengers groups that are being thrown around as well.  This does not include the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 3,  either.

I have already discussed the fact that they want to do a Young Avengers movie, which will focus on the characters that are being built on Disney's new streaming service.  They are rumored to include Kate Bishop's Hawkeye, Iron Lad, Hulkling, Patriot, Stature, Wiccan, and Vision (just not the Paul Bettany's version of the character.)  But there are to be other Avenger teams as well.

There are also rumors that The West Coast Avenger  could be in the works, too.  This group would most likely be composed of Moon Knight, Scarlet Witch, Vision (yes, Paul Bettany's Vision) and Falcon.  There was talk of a Dark Avengers movie, but considering that it was ran by Norman Oswald and was composed of bad guys, this one may take a while before it makes it's way onto the big screen.

All of these team ups may finally bring us to a point where we will start getting tired of superhero movies.  I hope not, but without Kevin Feige helming the direction of this ship (since they moved him over to their Lucasfilm division) I'm a little worried.  But that's just me.  What do you think about Marvel's plans moving forward?  Is it a smart move, or should they focus primarily on individual character story lines?  Let me know your thoughts in the comments section down below.

Sony Spider-Verse News

Sony has been moving fast since the split of their merger with Marvel and Disney.  They have announced a number of projects that they are now moving into development (meaning writing the scripts and looking at actors, not actually filming.)  Three of these projects that stood out the most were quite interesting.

The first is that Sony is being reported to be working on a Madame Web movie.  She was first introduced in Amazing Spiderman #120 and is capable of telepathy and prescience.  She is often depicted as an older woman, but not always.  She is hooked up to a life support system which resembles a spider web, and with her last name being what it is, became Madame Web.  How she is to fit into their Spider-Man Universe remains to be seen, but she may be used to help connect the other Spider-Men from other universes, similar to Into the Spider-Verse.  This is just in the beginning stages, so as I learn more I will let you know.

The second bit of new is that Sony is reportedly wanting to make a Mysterio solo film with Jake Gyllenhaal.  Gyllenhaal is already on board, so the only thing that Sony needs to do is write a story around how Quentin Beck survived. It wouldn't be too hard, he is the master of illusions, so there are any number of scenarios that they could use.

The final bit of news that is being rumored that Sony is wanting to make a Hobgoblin movie.  Since Venom  did so well last year with his origin movie, they want to keep moving in the same direction and introduce the Hobgoblin, although who will actually be the Hobgoblin in this universe remains to be seen.  There have been a number of people that have donned the moniker, such as Roderick Kingsley, Arnold Donovan, Ned Leeds...the list keeps going.  Once I hear more on this, I will let you all know.

Those are the three new bits of news pertaining to the Sony Spider-Verse.  we already know that they are making a Venom 2 and a Carnage movie that will feature Woody Harrelson, so Sony has a lot on their plate. The question is, is it too much?  Are they moving in the same direction that they were when they were in charge of The Amazing Spider movies and trying to do too much too fast?  We'll just have to wait and see.  I am curious to know what you all think, though.  Leave your comments in the section below, or you can leave them on my Facebook page.  Just search for The Comconoclast.  Until next time...

I Don't Think Disney Knows What To Do With Brie Larson

I don't know what's going on over at Disney, and from the reports i have been reading, neither do they.  It's being reported that Disney is losing confidence in Captain Marvel actor Brie Larson.  She was to be the "New Face of the MCU," yet they never mentioned Captain Marvel 2 at this year's D23.  

It is being said that after they lost Spider-Man to Sony, their plans for her went all wonky.  Polling on the actor and her character told them that she was stiff, and unlikeable.  It was first reported by the YouTuber Doomcock (sorry, I don't come up with the names, i just report them) who said:

"According to this source, Disney has lost confidence in Captain Marvel.  Disney is having Brie Larsen fatigue and they have lost confidence in her and the direction they are moving with Captain Marvel.  According to my source, and again you must treat this as rumor, Marvel had plans for Captain Marvel.  But those plans were utterly derailed by the loss of Spider-Man to Sony.  Allegedly, Marvel realized that Captain Marvel  was a little stiff, a little unlikeable, and so they were counting on pairing her up with Spider-Man in order to humanize and balance her out a bit."

This comes on the heals of a report that the Captain Marvel  DVD and BluRay sales are lagging.  They have made around $40 million less than Black Panther and Infinity War.  To be fair, Endgame,  which broke the record for being the highest grossing movie of all time, has only made around $4 million more than Captain Marvel.  Read into that what you want.

Disney has also replaced Larsen's Captain Marvel from the banner promoting the new Disney+ streaming service that they are about to launch and replaced her with Iron Man.  So maybe there are some truths to these rumors.

On the other hand...It has been reported that Kevin Feige is going to be teaming up with Kathleen Kennedy over at their Lucasfilm division to help produce a new Star Wars movie, and guess who is rumored to be one of the leading stars rumored to be in it?  Yup.  Brie Larsen.  So it's really kind of hard to tell what is going on over at Disney regarding Brie Larsen.

It's also being reported that Richard Rider and Nova will be making their debut in the MCU in Captain Marvel 2,  so whatever is going on over at Disney, they are still moving forward with their plans for the sequel, even though it wasn't mentioned at D23.  I'm guessing that this just means we won't get the sequel until after 2022.

So what is your take on all of the Captain Marvel rumors?  Do you think that there is any merit to them, or that this is a big old nothing burger?  Let me know your thoughts on this in the comments section below, or you can leave them over on my Facebook page.

The Hasbro Power-Formers!

Hasbro has long wanted to get into the expanded universe business with their movie properties, and it now seems like they are taking their first step to making it a reality.  There is a new rumor out there that says that they are working on a Transformers/Power Rangers movie.  Worst mentioned by Mike Sutton who has the Facebook Group page Geekosity, he said:

"Hasbro still has dreams of weaving together its properties into a single, cohesive cinematic universe, and they would love for the Power Rangers to be a significant part of it.  According to insiders I spoke to, there are talks of the Power Rangers co-existing in the same universe as the Transformers."

Sutton did make it clear that if the Transformers were to end up in a Power Rangers movie, it would not be a part of the current Transformers cinematic universe.  He said, "No, this wouldn't be Michael Bay's Transformers but the post-Bumblebee vision."  But these wouldn't be the only two properties to be involved in this universe.  He wen on to say:

"A Power Rangers/Transformers film could certainly ignite the franchise, if done correctly. Then add ROM and the Micronauts to the mix and you have the ultimate geek fest.  But it all depends on Hasbro and Paramount Pictures, what their creative teams can conjure up."

Now I have to admit, while it certainly wasn't  favorite movie of mine, the Power Rangers  movie that they made wasn't all that bad.  It could've been a lot worse, and when I was done watching it, I thought, "Huh.  That wasn't horrible," which is what I look for in a movie.  To quote my friend The Iconoslast, I want to leave the movie in a better mood than when I went in.n  So by that measure, it was a good movie.

Combining all four of these properties into one movie?  That would be SICK!  I hope that they make this happen.  I got the information for this post from BoundingIntoComics.com.  It's a great website, you should check them out.  You can also go onto Facebook and check out The Iconoclast and his videos that bring you up to speed on fanboy news, too/

The Loophole In Endgame That Could Bring Captain America Back

In case you were trying to figure out the above picture, it's Ant-Man (a.k.a. Scott Lang) after the Banner/Hulk tried to time travel him.  Each time he came back, he was in a different stage of his life.  Old, teenager, and yes, a toddler.  While we thought it was fun comic relief for the movie, what if they were actually telegraphing how they would bring back Steve Rogers, the character played by Chris Evans, for a future movie?

Chris Evans decided not to sign a new contract with Marvel to reprise his role as Captain America, so they gave him the storybook ending at the conclusion of Avengers: Endgame.  He went back in time and was able to live out the rest of his days with the love of him life, Peggy Carter.  She passed away in the movie Captain America: Civil War, but he survived and met up with Sam Wilson at the end of Endgame to pass his shield over to him.  But what if there was a new disaster that only Captain America could handle?  What if they needed him back?  He's way to old to be of any help, right?

Enter Banner/Hulk, and thanks to the folks over at ComicBook.com, they suggest the following scenario:

"Without the contributions of Tony Stark, Bruce Banner is forced to tackle the issue of time travel by himself.  As Iron Man points out, they sent time through the traveler instead of the traveler though time.  But if they're able to turn Scott Lang back into a baby with all of his memories seemingly intact, what's to stop Steve Rogers from coming out of retirement and rejuvenation his body after living a lifetime with his love Peggy Carter?"

It's a good question.  What would stop them from being able to do this?  It seems that, while this was a funny scene in the movie, it allows Chris Evans to come back to his role if he ever decides to.

What do you think about this loophole that may have been intentionally placed in this movie?  Let me know your thoughts in the comments section below, of you can leave them on my Facebook page.

3 New Plot Lines Coming To The MCU

Disney and Marvel did something that was truly unprecedented when they began the MCU.  It wasn't that they made "comic book movies main-stream," but they created a story that covered the span of 23 movies.  There had never been anything as ambitious being done before.  Now that it has been completed, Disney and Marvel are going to go a different route with their next lineup of "Phases."

Instead of one over arching plot that will incorporate their movies going forward, they are going to actually have three "sub stories" that will cross over all of their future movies.  And now, thanks to me (and the Internet where I read this) I can tell you that the three story plots that the MCU are going to be pushing will involve the stories from the comic books that featured Secret Invasion, Secret Wars, and Annihilation.  The Secret Invasion storyline shouldn't come as much of a surprise, since Captain Marvel and Spider-Man: Far From Home pretty much set that storyline up.  "Surprise."  

Out of the three that they mentioned...okay, it should be said that these are the "Top 3" choices that they are going with, but they could go a different route.  If they regain the property rights to Spider-Man either from Apple buying out Sony, or Marvel is able to purchase the property from Sony out-right, these plans may change.  But back to what I was saying.  The storyline that I am most excited about is Secret Wars.

Most of you probably only know the Secret Wars storyline from the most recent comic book run of the title, but back in the 80's it was a whole different story.  In fact, before they changed up the origin of Venom, it was here that Spider-Man first got his black Spider-Man costume.  It was heroes vs. villains and it was glorious!  The Russo brothers even said that they would come back to the MCU if they would be able to film a Secret Wars movie, so that alone should push the project.

What comic book story lines would you like to see the MCU incorporate?  Let me know your thoughts in the comments section below, or go to try Facebook or MeWe page and leave me a comment there.  If I hear anything else regarding this, I will let you know.

Deadpool Vs. The MCU

Who doesn't think that good things come to those who wait?

There is a rumor going around the Marvel and Disney circles from a very reliable source that KevinFeige and company are working on a Deadpool vs. The MCU movie.  This probably won't be the title (if true), but it would be a very ambitious project if it comes to fruition.

It will be loosely based on the comic book series Deadpool Kills The Marvel Universe that was written by Cullen Bunn back in 2012.  He decided that the Deadpool comics didn't push the boundaries enough anymore, so he set out to fix the problem.  It began with the X-Men committing Deadpool to a psychiatric hospital where Pyscho-Man was posing as a  doctor.  He was brainwashing patients to do his bidding and when he tried to silence the voices in Deadpool's head to control him, he actually unleashed even worse voices.  Psycho-Man was the first to die.  The Uata the Watcher.  He roasted Howard the Duck on an open fire.  Killed Doctor Doom, blew up Avengers tower with all of them in it, shot Spidey in the head, stole some Pym Particles and blew up Nick Cage and smashed Thor with an over-sized Mjoinir.  It was epic!

The movie version won't be so bloody (duh...it's Disney).  It will begin with Deadpool starting to lose his mind and he goes after the X-Men and other heroes in the MCU.  By the end he returns back to normal, so it really doesn't sound like anyone is going to die in this one..except maybe Howard the Duck (just kidding). 

To be clear, this won't be the Deadpool 3 movie, but a separate project.  I just want to say, whatever it takes to get this movie made, then do it.  And if anyone can pull it off, it's Kevin Feige and company.  I'll let you know if I hear anything else on this project.