Compared to some of the other comic book TV shows available to watch right now (The Boys, for example), The Umbrella Academy never seems to receive quite as much as attention. The first season made for compelling viewing, and the second – which arrived on Netflix last Friday – is actually even better. Bringing back the same cast along with a couple of impressive new additions, this trip back in time to the 1960s is firing on all cylinders, even if it does repeat a few past mistakes. 

With the members of the Umbrella Academy separated in the past, a good chunk of the ten episodes is devoted to bringing them back together, something which can be in equal parts fun and frustrating. In fact, aside from a handful of interactions here and there, the team mostly remains separated until the finale when we finally get to see them come together and work as a unit (something it would be good to see a whole lot more of). In terms of each respective character’s story arc, some work better than others, with Vanya, Diego, Alison, and Five definitely standing out from the rest of the family. Using Alison to tackle the race equality issues of the time is a smart move, and one which perhaps needed to be explored on more than just a surface level. Unfortunately, he biggest loser this year is Luther, as he’s not given anywhere near enough time to shine despite a fair few great moments. 

Despite that, every main cast member is fantastic, though Aidan Gallagher steals the show in every scene he’s in. Ritu Arya’s Lila is another standout, and hopefully someone we’ll see a lot more of moving forward (assuming The Umbrella Academy is renewed for a third season…which it really should be). 

Looking ahead to the future, it is time the Netflix series move on from the Apocalypse and the idea of Vanya being out of control, as season two is perhaps at its weakest in the moments devoted to those plot points. Thankfully, a jaw-dropping cliffhanger points to a game-changing new direction for the show after this latest batch of episodes, and hopefully, a lot more Pogo (it’s hard to escape the feeling he was M.I.A. for the most part due to budgetary concerns). The series benefits from each episode having a shorter runtime, and when you get watching, it’s hard to stop. Ultimately, that binge factor is a sign that this season of The Umbrella Academy does work, and regardless of what’s happening on screen, it’s never not fun to spend time with these characters. Just as season two improves on season one, it’s now down to a third season to improve on this one again, and it’s at that point we might have a legit classic comic book TV show on our hands. 

Visually, The Umbrella Academy remains a delight, with great visual effects, plenty of edge of your seat action scenes, and a killer soundtrack which will no doubt see you adding a lot of new tracks to your Spotify playlist. The show is also delightfully violent in places, but it’s the twists and turns of season two which are most likely to grab your attention. Oh, and like Avengers: Endgame before it, it’s another comic book property to have some real fun with time-travel without ever getting too confusing or convoluted. With so many loose ends from season one addressed and the characters all moved forward in mostly satisfying ways, it feels like a fresh start is coming for The Umbrella Academy (not a bad thing, admittedly), but that hopefully won’t mean saying goodbye to the wackiness of these first two years. 

The Umbrella Academy season two greatly improves on the show’s first year, and a combination of great characters, memorable performances, and crazy twists will leave you desperate to return to this wonderfully quirky world for a third season as soon as possible.
 

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Press Release

New York, NY— August 7, 2020 — What happens when Black Widow’s deadliest enemies discover a way to take her out? Find out this September when Eisner-nominated writer Kelly Thompson (Captain Marvel) and rising star artist Elena Casagrande (Catwoman) take the Marvel Universe’s greatest spy on a heartbreaking thrill ride into uncharted territory.

Natasha Romanoff’s world is upended when the superspy Avenger finds herself trapped in a mystery that even she can’t solve. Your first clues about the mission that could mark the end of Black Widow await in this top-secret trailer!

“It’s a bold new vision for Black Widow and one I am really hoping people can get excited about,” Thompson told Marvel.com earlier this year. “Our first arc has some of the stuff you would expect in a Black Widow book, but I think twisted in a new way that’s interesting – and where she ends up at the end of this highly personal and life changing story is ALSO interesting!”

Discover all the secrets of Natasha Romanoff’s latest adventure when BLACK WIDOW #1, written by Kelly Thompson with art by Elena Casagrande and colors by Jordie Bellaire, goes on sale this September. Pre-order your copy today online or at your local comic shop! For more information, visit Marvel.com.
 

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After a series of delays, Wonder Woman 1984 is now heading to theaters this October. Depending on what happens with Tenet next month, Warner Bros. will either push forward with those plans, further delay the sequel, or finally consider some sort of early PVOD option for Patty Jenkins’ movie.

A new trailer is expected to be released during the upcoming DC FanDome event, and if we’re lucky, that will give us a proper look at Cheetah. Kristen Wiig’s villain has been revealed in promo art, Funko Pops, and more, but we still haven’t had an official image or footage featuring the character. 

In the meantime, another Cheetah action figure has been revealed.

“After her claws come out, Barbara Minerva shifts from friend to foe, becoming the fiercest rival Wonder Woman has yet to face,” the description on Walmart reads. “This Battle Cheetah doll is inspired by her final transformation into the powerful Super-Villain, and with head-to-toe true-to-movie details, she’s prepared to fight for her claim to power.”

“Head-to-toe true-to-movie details” suggests that this figure will be indicative of what we’ll end up seeing on screen in Wonder Woman 1984.

What do you guys think about this take on Cheetah? 
 

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The Falcon and The Winter Soldier was supposed to debut on Disney+ this month, but with the series in an unfinished state thanks to COVID-19, that wasn’t possible. We don’t know whether WandaVision will face similar delays, but it seems likely all these shows will ultimately be shuffled back. 

There is some good news today, however, as Murphy’s Multiverse is reporting that crew members have returned to work in Atlanta this week to “begin preparation for the resumption (or in some cases the beginning) of filming.” 

The site adds: “Crews for The Falcon and The Winter Solider, Loki and Hawkeye moved back into town and got the ball rolling again on the three upcoming Marvel Studios Disney Plus streaming series, joining the crew for the Untitled Spider-Man Sequel, which had previously begun prep work.”

As for WandaVision, it’s said that they still have work to complete in Los Angeles, and with things still looking bleak there thanks to the pandemic, Marvel Studios may be forced to make some changes.

For The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, Loki, and Hawkeye, this is very good news, and the sooner filming resumes (or starts) on these Disney+ TV shows, the sooner we’ll get to see them. Safety is obviously going to have to be a priority for Marvel Studios, but that streaming service needs new content if it’s to hold on to its subscribers.

We’ll hopefully have a more concrete update for you soon.

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Due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and subsequent production shut down on Warner Bros.’ The Matrix 4, Lionsgate was forced to push back filming on John Wick 4 into next year as franchise leading man Keanu Reeves was suddenly unavailable for the rest of 2020.

However, it appears as though the extended pre-production has been good for the team and has really gotten the creative juices flowing for Reeves and director Chad Stahelski, as they’ve turned their shoot for one sequel into two.

On yesterday’s investor’s earnings call, Lionsgate CEO John Feltheimer officially announced John Wick 5 and confirmed plans to shoot the fourth and fifth installments in the critically acclaimed action series back-to-back at the top of 2021 – once Reeves’ extremely busy schedule clears up. 

“We’re also busy preparing scripts for the next two installments of our John Wick action franchise, with John Wick 4 slated to hit theatres Memorial Day weekend 2022. We hope to shoot both John Wick 4 & 5 back to back when Keanu becomes available early next year.”

The decision to shoot the two sequels back-to-back isn’t exactly an unprecedented move for big-budget actioners, and has often been done to cut production costs since they can film continuously with the same crew in place. Also, in this scenario, the studio’s decision to shoot both films together may have been influenced by what a post-pandemic world could look like for film productions across the globe, and potentially having two John Wick films in the bag is always more appealing that having just one.

The next two installments in Tom Cruise’s Mission: Impossible franchise are also currently shooting back-to-back; a tactic Marvel Studios recently implemented to film Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. 

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