Is it time to throw away hope that theaters will return to normal before the end of 2020? Hollywood studios were anxiously watching Tenet’s domestic box office performance when it attempted to reignite movie theaters on September 3.  However a little over two weeks later, virtually all box office analysts agree that the film returned disappointing numbers for WB. In the weeks following, there has been a significant number of film’s pushing further out into December, 2021 or removed from studio release calendars all together.  

Earlier this week, Variety reported that Black Widow was likely to be delayed and now, Marvel fans on reddit have discovered that some official international  websites have changed the release date for Scarlett Johansson’s (presumably) final MCU film to “Coming Soon.” The websites also removed any posters that had a release date on them.  While there’s no official word from Disney/Marvel, things certainly don’t look good for Black Widow retaining its current November 6 release date.

Of the big blockbuster/highly-anticipated films originally slated to open this year, only a few films remain on the 2020 calendar:

• November 6 – Black Widow
• November 20 – No Time To Die
• November 20 – Soul
• November 25 – The Croods: A New Age
• December 11 – Free Guy
• December 18 – Dune
• December 18 – Coming 2 America
• December 25 – Wonder Woman 1984

As you can see, after movie theaters rushed to open earlier this month for Tenet, there’s virtually nothing of interest to tempt movie goers until November.  And by opening, many movie theaters have lost some of the federal protections regarding rent payment and eviction.

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 Todd McFarlane’s Spawn reboot has been in the works for a long time.  Over the years, McFarlane has shown dogged determination to get the project off the ground, securing Jason Blum’s Blumhouse Productions to produce the film and Jamie Foxx to play the lead character. It seemed as if the film was finally on the cusp of getting made before all the upheaval in 2020 started and it’s the U.S.’ tense race relations that now have the Spawn reboot going back to the drawing board.

The YouTube channel for Abu Dhabi Culture  posted an interview with Blum, where he revealed that the project has taken a few steps backwards. In a video conferencing interview, Blum stated:

“The script has got to be right. There is a real desire [for the movie], you have Jamie Foxx, and Spawn, and Todd McFarlane, and like, ‘You’ve just gotta make the movie!’“

“I think probably I’ve frustrated Todd a little bit, and I’ve just said, like, we don’t just have to make the movie, you know we have to make the right movie, with the right script. And it’s a hard script to get right – and, you know, the recent events in the United States around race have made it even harder to get it right. You’ve got to do it really carefully and thoughtfully.”

“So, we’re going to make the movie, definitely. I don’t know when we are going to make the movie. We are actually kind of re-tackling… we’re going down a different direction with the story than we had in the past, but we are not going to make the movie until that script is great. But one of these days it will be great and we will make it.“

Do you think McFarlane will ever see his ideas for a Spawn film ever come to fruition?  At one point, cameras were set to start rolling in 2020 but it appears that’s definitely no longer the case.

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Marvel’s Avengers has received widespread acclaim for its portrayal of Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel, and while the character’s role in the game was revealed relatively late, the fact she’s essentially the lead proved to be a smart move on Marvel’s part. Of course, the hero wouldn’t be anywhere near as great if not for Sandra Saad’s incredible performance. 

The actress breathes life into the character in a way that makes Kamala both incredibly likeable and easy to get invested in. However, the game arguably deserves even more credit for handling the fact the teen Avenger is a young Muslim woman in such an informative, sensitive way.

When we recently caught up with Sandra to talk about Marvel’s Avengers, we asked how it felt to play someone whose religion is clearly important to them, but not in a way that defines who she is (which has often been the case with Muslim characters in film and television over the years). 

“I think it’s really important for everybody who needs to feel the embrace of what they are. To see a character who does embrace that she’s Muslim and Pakistani, and that she’s 16 and all these other things that she is. Just all these wonderful things that her father teaches her throughout the game, you see her really embrace that as well, so she doesn’t shy away from her religion and doesn’t shy away from these wonderful teachings. I think it’s really great for people who are especially trying to come into their own. I mean, who isn’t? Who isn’t learning more about themselves every day? I think having this character is very empowering to those people. It’s pretty cool!”

We then asked about one very touching moment in the game that sees Kamala explain to Tony Stark the cultural significance of the costume she’s created for herself after becoming Ms. Marvel. 

“I think in anything that you watch that’s trying to have a cute little teaching moment, and they do it right, it’s really important. I think Marvel is really, really good at that and at having these nice little teaching moments tastefully. I remember I watched that scene and I definitely got teary because you don’t see stuff like that, especially not in games. For it to be coming from a young woman. You don’t see her parents teaching Tony Stark this, you see her doing it. That gives you a little bit of power too, watching this young woman come into her own and teach her hero about something he doesn’t know either.”

Marvel’s Avengers is available now on Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Stadia. If you haven’t checked it out, we highly recommend you take a look at our review here. 

Check out our video interview with Sandra Saad about Marvel’s Avengers below:
 

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The official Japanese website for Wonder Woman 1984 has released a TV spot to promote the new Christmas Day release date for Diana Prince’s second standalone feature. Although, based on the world’s inability to subdue the COVID-19 pandemic, don’t hold your breathe for the film to stick to that release date, either.

The move to Christmas 2020 marks the sixth release date for the film as the original plan called for the sequel to debut during last year’s Holiday Season. Back in December 2019, director Patty Jenkins revealed that filming and VFX for the film were 100% done.

Producer Charles Roven revealed that Warner Bros. was shifting WW84’s release date around to find a prime slot for the studio’s film slate and year-end profits. However, that call was made before COVID-19 reared its ugly head, and now it seems safe to say that WB is likely regretting its initial decision.

Do you think WB should simply release Wonder Woman 1984 on VOD? AT&T CEO John Stankey previously asserted that would not be the case, but recent chatter surrounding Mulan’s Disney+ Premier Access earnings might have the head of WB’s parent company rethinking those statements.

>Fast forward to the 1980s as Wonder Woman’s next big screen adventure finds her facing two all-new foes: Max Lord and The Cheetah.

With director Patty Jenkins back at the helm and Gal Gadot returning in the title role, “Wonder Woman 1984” is Warner Bros. Pictures’ follow up to the DC Super Hero’s first outing, 2017’s record-breaking “Wonder Woman,” which took in $822 million at the worldwide box office. The film also stars Chris Pine as Steve Trevor, Kristen Wiig as The Cheetah, Pedro Pascal as Max Lord, Robin Wright as Antiope, and Connie Nielsen as Hippolyta.

Charles Roven, Deborah Snyder, Zack Snyder, Patty Jenkins, Gal Gadot and Stephen Jones are producing the film. Rebecca Steel Roven Oakley, Richard Suckle, Marianne Jenkins, Geoff Johns, Walter Hamada, Chantal Nong Vo and Wesley Coller are the executive producers.

Patty Jenkins directed from a screenplay she wrote with Geoff Johns & David Callaham, story by Jenkins & Johns, based on characters from DC. Joining the director behind the scenes are several members of her “Wonder Woman” team, including director of photography Matthew Jensen, Oscar-nominated production designer Aline Bonetto (“Amélie”), and Oscar-winning costume designer Lindy Hemming (“Topsy-Turvy”). Oscar-nominated editor Richard Pearson (“United 93”) is cutting the film. The music is by Oscar-winning composer Hans Zimmer (“Dunkirk,” “The Lion King”).

Warner Bros. Pictures Presents an Atlas Entertainment/Stone Quarry Production, a Patty Jenkins Film, “Wonder Woman 1984.” Set to open in theaters in 2D and 3D in select theaters and IMAX, it will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures.

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It seems the rumor that Bad Boys For Life directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah had been tapped to helm Marvel Studios’ Ms. Marvel television series for Disney+ was on the money. The Direct were first to post the news nearly two weeks ago, and we’re now hearing that Arbi and Fallah have been joined by some equally talented directors that should raise expectations for the MCU’s take on the first Muslim character to headline her own Marvel comic.

Joining Arbi and Fallah are two-time Oscar winner Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy and Meera Menon. That rounds out a fairly diverse list, as Obaid-Chinoy is known for her stellar documentary work while Menon is no stranger to comic book television series having directed episodes of Netflix’s Punisher, DC Universe’s Titans and AMC’s The Walking Dead.

It’s currently unknown what the episode count for Ms. Marvel will be, but it’s safe to say that Kamala Khan will be an important character in the MCU moving forward as Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige has already confirmed that the character will appear in future films.

If recent Disney+ news is a trend, then expect Marvel to announce the actress that will portray Kamala Khan in the coming weeks. Marvel unveiled its director for She-Hulk on September 15 before revealing that Tatiana Maslany would portray the titular heroine on September 17.

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