Marvel And Their 20th Century Problem

Marvel has been slowly getting all of their old properties back, but the one movie studio that is holding out and keeping them from once again owning all of their comic book characters to be used in their movies is 20th Century Fox.  The odds of Marvel getting these rights back in the near future are slim to nil.  Here's why.

 

2016 is going to be a big year for Fox and the X-Men.  They actually have three...yes, three X-Men universe movies coming out next year.  Well, now maybe two.  Gambit seems to be going through a Fantastic Four-style meltdown.  First it was rumored that Channing Tatum was leaving the film, and now it's director Rupert Wyatt has left the film.  It's nothing nearly as dramatic as people are making it out to be, budget cuts and a bumped up release date now conflict with another project that Wyatt had signed onto, but it's not helping 20th Century Fox look any better.  That being said, if Gambit can make it's  October release date, 20th Century Fox will be releasing Gambit, Deadpool, and X-Men: Apocalypse next year.  Seems to me that Fox is doing their best to compete with Marvel and DC for superhero supremacy at the theaters.  With the exception of the Fantastic Four, they're doing a pretty good job at it, too.  Here's where Marvel is starting to play dirty...

Even though Marvel doesn't own the movie rights to these characters anymore, they still own the property rights for their comic books, and Marvel has been playing dirty with them for a while...no matter how much they try to convince us they aren't.  First, they cancelled the Fantastic Four comic book.  They said it was due to dwindling sales.  Next, they killed off Wolverine.  Their latest storyline may get rid of every mutant they own once and for all.

Marvel has an ongoing series called Extraordinary X-Men and in it there is a new strain, a more pure strain of the Terrigen Mist.  Terrigen Mist is a substance that activates an Inhuman's latent abilities upon exposure, and this new strain is lethal to mutants.  It not only kills mutants, but if the mutant survives, it renders him/her sterile, so they won't be able to procreate and start up a whole new generation of little bitty mutants.

InHumans is the term that Marvel uses now, since 20th Century Fox owns the rights to the term "mutants."  Their comic books have focused primarily on mutants, but now that the cinematic universe has become their bread and butter, they're using their comic book titles to hit the competition where it hurts...with the characters that they don't have distribution rights to.  Sony was in their crosshairs for a while, but now that they've come to an agreement with Marvel, there seems to be a renewed push in building up the Spider-Man comic book.  The difference here is that Sony's Spider-Man movies sucked, and with the exception of the Fantastic Four movie, 20th Century Fox's Marvel properties seem to be holding strong at the box office and with audiences,  It should be noted that even though the Fantastic Four movie bombed completely, there is talk of a sequel in the works.  Why, I have no idea.  Maybe 20th Century Fox is hoping to move them over to an X-Men titled movie for a bigger box office draw.  All of their Marvel properties share a same universe, so Gambit, Deadpool, the Fantastic Four, and the X-Men all exsist in the same cinematic universe.

The more money that the X-Men make for 20th Century Fox, expect Marvel and Disney to hit them back even harder each and every time.

Stephen King's "The Mist" Is Coming To Television

Just when you thought it was safe to go outside...

I have to admit, Stephen King's The Mist is one of my favorite short stories that the Master of Horror ever wrote.  It had a Hitchcock-feel to the whole thing because instead of ending with a definite conclusion, it just ended with the main characters driving off into the mist, trying to find other survivors.  The movie version, however, abandoned this move and gave us one of the most messed-up endings that I have ever seen in a film.  That wrong is about to be righted!

The Weinstein Company's (which produced the movie version of The Mist) Dimension Television is in the process of bring the Stephen King story to the small screen.  Considering how well The Walking Dead and Fear the Walking Dead has done for AMC, this version of the story could quite possibly be another cult hit for television.  Why?  It has a lot of the same ingredients as The Walking Dead.  There's a small group of survivors that are thrown together due to something happening that they don't understand.  They have to figure out everything that's happening to them as it happens.  They are given no advance warning as to what is to come, and they have to figure out how to survive as they go along.  Sound familiar?

The other reason why this is a great fit for television is because of how the short story ended.  Like I said up above, there was no real conclusion.  In the book, a small group of the survivors made their way to a car and began driving in search of safety, but as they drive, they realize that the mist has covered everything and everywhere.  It ends with them trying to pick up a radio station to see if they can find out just what the hell is going one, but all they get is static.  Then, one word come through.  A name of a town.  They start driving towards that town in hopes of finding other people.  Then the story ends.  This open-ended finish to the story is perfect for a television show because the story leaves open the possibility for so much more to happen.  It's a television writer's dream.

While The Mist is coming to television, it won't be rehashing everything that took place in the movie, and may not even use any of the movie's, or the story's, main characters, but give us a whole new group of people while keeping the same premise of the original story.  That being said, this could be one of the great scary television shows in recent memory.

Man Of Steel 2 Possible Plot Details Revealed

Despite rumors that the sequel to Zach Snyder's Man of Steel have been permanently put on hold seemed to have been grossly exaggerated.  According to comicbook.com the plot details of the upcoming Man of Steel 2 have been leaked.  Yes, this will be Man of Steel 2, the actual sequel to the original film.  Too many people have been making the claim that Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was going to be the sequel, but I've been trying to let people know that this isn't the case for the past year or so now.  Maybe this news will straighten out some of the beat writers out there that haven't figured this out yet.

Now, before I get started, let me state the following obvious facts: 1.) These are all just rumors at this point and may not be true, but if they are, then 2.) Possible SPOILERS are about to be revealed!  Still with me?  Good!  Let's get started!

So in the article that I was reading, they said that Heroic Hollywood is reporting that the big baddie in the upcoming film is going to be Brainiac.  This isn't really news, since it's been reported previously that he would be appearing in the film, but now we know that Brainiac is after Kal El's Kryptonian codex that was encoded into Supe's DNA.  Somehow, though, that codex ends up being transfferred over to Supergirl.

Wait...what?

Yes, it sounds like Supergirl will be making an appearance in the upcoming sequel.  She was first introduced to the Man of Steel universe in a comic book that was a prequel to the movie.  It was revealed that she was a member of the Kryptonian Explorers Guild, a group that sought out new planets for terra forming and eventual colonization by Kryptonians.  It's also being reported that the movie will focus on her just as much as it will on Superman.  But two against one?  That doesn't seem fair, right?  In order to retrieve the codex, Brainiac uses the Kryptonian data that he already possesses to create Bizzaro to help him take on the remaining members of the House of El.

It's been rumored that George Miller wants to direct the film, and it was Kara Zor-El's inclusion that made him interested in the gig.  No word was been given as to whether or not he's already signed on.  So what do you think?  Does this sound like something you'll be looking forward to?  Let me know in the comments section down below.

Is Boba Fett Dead?

There are a lot of rumors running around the web claiming that Boba Fett is alive because he was seen in the trailer for the upcoming Star Wars: Battlefront video game.  I hate to break it to everyone, but chances are that wasn't Boba Fett.  While the Mandalorian might be alive, he's running around sans armor.  I finished reading Star Wars: Aftermath, the first novel that is an official part of the Star Wars universe canon, and it paints a scene on Tatooine where a pompous and arrogant prick named Adwin Charu is trying to get the Jawas to show him their high-dollar merchandise.  Apparently, when the Jawas stop their Sandcrawler for a sale, they bring out their cheapest stuff to sell.  The more you buy from them, the better the things get that they offer to sell you.  After around a dozen or so purchases from them, they then show you their "treasure room" that holds their most valuable items that you can purchase.  In the book, Adwin Charu wants to see these items, but isn't having any luck getting in until a character named Cobb Vanth shows up and is able to get him in.  When they get to the treasure room, they find a Mandalorian suit of armor that is described as having been "picked and pocked by some sort of acid.  It had been through hell and back."  I'll let the book explain the rest.  This excerpt is courtesy of bobafettfanclub.com:


“I have a way of sussing things out. I know that things are changing. Not just in the galaxy, but here at home, too. The Hutts still haven’t shaken out who’s next up to fill Jabba’s throne — if you can call that flat slab of his a throne. Seems like this might be a new day for Tatooine.”

“Yes, we certainly hope so,” Adwin idly responds, mostly ignoring the man’s small-talk prattle. He’s happy Cobb got him in here but now wishes the man would just leave him alone. Adwin spies a large, long box on the floor. He whips off the ratty cloth that’s covering it and —

Oh, my.

From the box, he withdraws a helmet. Pitted and pocked, as if with some kind of acid. But still– he raps his knuckles on it . The Mandalorians knew how to make armor, didn’t they? “Look at this,” he says, holding it up. “Mandalorian battle armor. Whole box. Complete set, by the looks of it. Been through hell and back. I think my boss will appreciate this.”

“I actually think I might take that home with me,” Cobb says.

“I think not,” Adwin says, turning around, the helmet tucked under his arm. The blaster at his hip suddenly feels heavy, pendulous. Eager to be drawn. A strange sensation, that. Adwin feels like he’s really getting into the spirit of this planet. He’s never had to shoot a man before."

I won't spoil the rest of the story that takes place here, in case you are still reading it, or are planning on reading it, but it's obvious that the Jawas have the armor and I'm sure that they didn't go down into the Pit of Carkoon to retrieve the armor, so it somehow made it's way out on it's own.  Either Boba Fett was able to escape and shed the armor for some reason, or the mighty Sarlaac belched it up.  We'll have to wait to find out.  Whatever the answer, the person that they show in the trailer for Star Wars: Battlefront is almost certainly not Boba Fett.  One of my friends had an idea of what happened to Boba Fett, and I'll leave you with his thought:

"I think he might be the real father of Leia's kids...take that Han...just collecting his bounty or booty...Thank you...drops mic."

Is Michael Shannon Set To Haunt Henry Cavill?

Michael Shannon was recently on Larry King Now and...wait...Larry King is still alive?  What is he, like 150 years old?  Wow.  Where was I, I got distracted...oh yeah!  Michael Shannon.

So it had been reported (because he actually said it!) that Shannon had a scene in the upcoming Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice movie that required him to be wearing "flippers" on his hands.  This led to a lot of speculation as to why.  One of the thoughts was that his character, Zod, was going to turn into the Doomsday monster, and that his flipper hands were part of his mutation while changing into him.  Well, that quote was one big fat lie.

Well, the quote was real, but Shannon lied about having flippers on during the shoot.  He did give up some interesting things about the upcoming film, though.  Now he's revealing that he's actually playing General Zod's ghost.  This is what he said:

"It's the same thing like in the first one with Jor-El.  Russell Crowe's character is kind of like a ghost.  So I guess I'm a ghost, kind of."

Interesting.  But weren't all of the Kryptonian ships destroyed in the Man of Steel?  That was how Jor-El was able to reappear to Kal-El, right?  I'm going to have to go back and watch it tonight to refresh my memory.

King also asked if there were any scenes that take place with both him and Batman.  He answered with a simple, "I did not cross paths with Batman, no."

You can watch the entire interview tonight on Ora TV.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice comes out March 25 of next year.

Star Wars Episode VIII To Start Filming This Month

Can you believe it?  Star Wars: The Force Awakens hasn't even been released yet, and Star Wars: Rogue One won't even come out until next December, and now we hear that the third Star Wars film is getting ready to start filming!  At this rate, they'll probably have five movies in editing before The Force Awakens even gets released!

Earlier it was reported that Lucasfilm was shooting scenes at Skellig Michael, and Irish island, for what many people thought were reshoots for the upcoming Episode VII film.  This was a reasonable assumption, considering that they had been shooting there earlier for scenes in the upcoming movie.  However, we've come to find out that the shots are actually for the next chapter in the new trilogy.  This is surprising news, because they weren't supposed to start filming until next year.  So what gives?

Devin Faraci, the same writer that I quoted in yesterday's post, thinks it has to do with the weather.  This makes a lot of sense, considering it is Ireland, and they aren't necessarily known for their clear skies and sunshine.  If they know that the weather is going to be turning grey soon, better to get things out of the way now so it doesn't hold up production down the road.  He also said that Mark Hamill and Daisy Ridley were the only two actors that were involved with the shoot.

So what gives?  Is Luke training Rey to become a Jedi?  Why else would the two of them be spending so much time filming together?  There has also been a lot of speculation as to whether or not Rey is the daughter of Han and Leia (as well as Kylo Ren being her brother) which would make her "Force sensitive."  If Luke sees this, and he's the last Jedi in the universe (as it's being reported) then he'd want to train her to keep her on the Light Side of the Force and away from the Dark Side.  Don't expect to find out her heritage this December, though.  Remember that it took us until the end of The Empire Strikes Back to find out that Darth Vader was Luke's father.  Actually, we didn't find out until The Return of the Jedi that he was actually his father.  After Empire a lot of people just thought that Vader was just trying to trick Luke.

Something else that should be noted here, it's being said that the actual ruins from Skellig Michael are being used, and that they are rumored to be the remains of Sith ruins.  Makes me even more excited for this December so we can all find out just what the hack is going on in a galaxy far, far away!

Michael Bay To Try Something Different This Time

Michael Bay's Transformers franchise has been something of an anomaly with movie critics...and to be honest, movie viewers as well, because as much as people love to complain about how cheesy and hokey these films are, they keep pulling in huge amounts of money.  Because of this, it should come as no surprise that they are working on a Transformers 5 movie, as well as spin-off films that will expand their cinematic universe.  But what will the fifth movie in this franchise bring us?

According to BirthMoviesDeath.com they are going to try something different.  In their own words, "In a shocking move away from the previous four films and their general narrative incompetence and incoherence, Transformers 5 will attempt to contain two story lines instead of none."  I can't help but wonder if the writer, Devin Faraci, is a fan of the films?  He goes on to say that the movie is going to follow Mark Wahlberg and the Dinobots doing their thing here on Earth, and it's also going to follow Optimus Prime as he flies through space and eventually ends up running into Unicron.  Sounds like if you're just going for the explosions and fight scenes, you better start getting ready to actually follow a couple of plot lines and do some thinking.

All of this information comes to us through the courtesy of Mark Ryan who did the voice work of Jetfire and Lockdown in the Tranformers: Age of Extinction movie.  A little "insider information" if you will.  So what do you think?  Are you excited for the next installment of the franchise?  Are you someone who admits to actually liking the franchise?  Me?  I fall into the latter...how can you not?  It's just a fun movie!  That's why I keep going to see them!