‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’ Announces Further Casting And A Potential CARNAGE!

Spider-Man: Homecoming has announced further casting, including Donald Glover (Community, The Martian, Magic Mike XXL), Hannibal Buress (30 Rock, Bad Neighbours, The Secret Life of Pets) and Michael Mando (Better Call Saul, Orphan Black).

Other cast members include Bokeem Woodbine (Fargo, Ray, Total Recall), Martin Starr (Knocked Up, Adventureland, This is the End) and Logan Marshall-Green (Prometheus, Devil, The O.C.).

Donald Glover’s role has yet to be revealed, though fans are incredibly excited as he’s been a popular internet favourite for a Spider-Man role, and many have fancast him as the Ultimate Universe Spider-Man, Miles Morales. Glover voiced Morales in the Disney animated series Ultimate Spider-Man, prompting speculators to wonder if his role will involve a Miles Morales Easter Egg.

Hannibal Buress is mostly known for his stand-up comedy, but has recently turned his career to more acting roles. His most recent role is as the voice of Buddy in the recently released animated movie The Secret Life of Pets. Marvel and Sony have not commented on what his role will entail.

Michael Mando, who played Nacho Varga in Breaking Bad spin-off show Better Call Saul,
has potentially the most exciting rumour around his character, as he is strongly rumoured to be playing Cletus Kasady, aka. Carnage.

Cletus Kasady was first introduced in The Amazing Spider-Man #344, and then made his debut as Carnage in issue #361. While his abilities are based off of the other highly popular symbiotic villain Venom, Carnage has absolutely no morals, and is a completely deranged character. However, it would be odd to throw in Carnage without Venom, let alone in Spider-Man’s introduction (not origin.) story. I imagine at this stage they’d introduce Mando playing Kasady, and give us a glimpse into what he’ll become.

Bokeem Woodbine and Logan Marshall-Green haven’t had their definite confirmed, however, Sony and Marvel have let us know that they will be playing villain roles. This brings our tally of villains for this movie to four, with Michael Keaton to join as The Vulture.

Martin Starr has also been confirmed for the cast, and judging by released set photos, will be playing one of the teachers at Peter Parker’s high school.

Overall, the cast line-up and the sheer amount of massive names being dropped for  Marvel’s summer 2017 blockbuster show that Marvel and Sony aren’t here for a one-off drop – they’re here for the long haul, intending to make their take on the Spider-Man franchise one massive universe of it’s own, just as Sony intended to do with The Amazing Spider-Man franchise starring Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone.

Spider-Man: Homecoming is currently filming, and is scheduled for a release July 7th 2017. The movie will be starring Tom Holland as the lead web-slinger following his debut in Captain America: Civil War.

 

 

 

Cancelled Figures From ‘Disney Infinity’ Revealed

It was only last month that Disney confirmed that not only would they be cancelling their popular video game series Disney Infinity, but that they were pulling out of video game publishing entirely. Since then, details have been coming to light about the future of the series and the plans they had – which is just salt in that Disney Infinity sized wound.

In a report on Kotaku, they revealed plans were being made for the next installment of the game series to include Star Wars: Episode VIII, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Thor: Ragnarok, Cars 3 and some others.

Even more content for 3.0 would have been released later this year, including a Doctor Strange figurine that would be based on Benedict Cumberbatch’s appearance in the upcoming movie (releasing November 2016) and the first wave of premium 12″ figures, including Darth Vadar, Jack Skellington, Hulkbuster Iron Man, The Hulk and Buzz Lightyear.

To add further salt to the wound, Infiniteer Adventures on YouTube has revealed further information, including what the Doctor Strange and 12″ Hulk figurines would have looked like, and revealed that Disney Interactive were working on figurines for Peter Pan, Jafar from Aladdin, and even an amazing Spider-Gwen(!!!) from Marvel Comics.

The first version of Disney Infinity was released in 2013, and featured playable favourites such as Sulley from Monster’s Inc., Mr Incredible from The Incredibles, Jack Skellington from The Nightmare Before Christmas and many many more. Whilst the first installment focused primarily on classic Disney characters, Disney Infinity 2.0 released the following year focusing largely on the Marvel superheroes, such as Spider-Man, Captain America and Star-Lord. The third, and now final release, launched last year, based primarily on the Star Wars franchise, with play sets for throughout the series from the original trilogy to The Force Awakens.

Disney Infinity is a popular franchise, even if just for their unique and detailed figurines, and it will be sorely missed by children and adults alike (though maybe not parents!)

 

E3 – Hideo Kojima and Norman Reedus Join Forces for ‘Death Stranding’

Hideo Kojima wowed crowds at E3 this year, with a stunning showcase of his latest game Death Stranding, starring none other than Norman Reedus (The Walking Dead,  The Boondock Saints, Triple 9) as the featured character.

The emotional and enigmatic opening shown at E3 showed a crying Reedus, clutching a baby to his chest – soon after, the baby vanishes from his arms, and he appears to be covered in a black, ink-like substance.

The last time the The Walking Dead star teamed up with the renowned creator of the beloved Metal Gear Solid franchise, was for Silent Hills. As the gaming community sadly knows, this project sadly fell through due to the separation of Kojima and Konami, and resulted in even the much acclaimed demo P.T. being completely wiped from the Playstation Store.

It’ll be more than interesting to see what this team up will result in, and what kind of emotional journey Kojima is planning to take gamers on next.

 

 

Sharon Stone Confirmed for “Wee” Marvel Movie Role

Sharon Stone (Basic Instinct, Total Recall) has been confirmed for a role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

According to an interview for AARP Magazine, Sharon Stone has confirmed that she has a “minor role” in an MCU movie. She hasn’t revealed much, simply that it will definitely be a superhero and that they have “heat powers.”

Stone had already spoken about this before, on the chat show The Late Late Show with James Corden (where she also got mighty close to longtime fan Sebastian Stan (Captain America: The First Avenger, Political Animals, Once Upon a Time);

“I’m just doing a wee part in a Marvel movie, upcoming, and I can’t tell, because you know, you have to sign confidentiality agreements. But I’m going to do a wee part in a Marvel movie now. That’s it.”

Marvel fans are now speculating on who she could possibly be in the realm of female superheros, and plenty are landing on the theory that she will be Janet Van Dyne – former wife to Hank Pym and mother to Hope in the MCU’s installment of Ant-Man.

In the movie, it’s revealed that Janet sacrificed herself by going sub-atomic as The Wasp, presumably fading away as she shrinks forever. However, given that Scott Lang was able to come back from going sub-atomic, it wouldn’t be a stretch to suggest Janet could have managed the same thing. We never saw her face in the movie either, so it’s left the MCU a lot of room to play with that.

It also makes sense because whilst Janet doesn’t have “heat powers”, she does use stinger weapons – which could be perceived as a type of heat.

However, there are plenty of other superheroes in the Marvel universe with heat abilities, male and female, and movies are very adaptable. Not to say she’ll shout “FLAME ON” and shoot up into the sky in her part, but there are other options – for example, Gaea, who would be a fitting role in Thor: Ragnarok. She’s an incredibly powerful God with multiple, powerful abilities – and top it off with her very odd connection to Thor, it could make for an interesting character addition.

However, Marvel are keeping a very tight lid on this, and also appear to have Stone under lock and key. So for now, the internet continues to speculate, until the faithful day that they officially release word, or until someone else who knows at Marvel accidentally lets it slip. We’ll keep you updated…

 

Broadway Hit ‘Hamilton’ Confirms West End Transfer

London-dwelling Hamilton fans can finally be satisfied as it’s been confirmed that the musical phenomenon will be transferring to London’s West End.

The musical, which has won a Pulitzer Prize, tells the story of Alexander Hamilton through an astounding combination of hip-hop and musical orchestra. Lin-Manuel Miranda, the creator and star of the show as Hamilton himself, has also worked on the astounding In the Heights, which is currently playing in London’s Kings Cross Theatre. In the Heights has also won several awards, including multiple Olivier Awards this year.

This award winning show is due to come to London in October 2017, and will re-open the Victoria Palace Theatre, where Billy Elliot recently departed after an eleven year stint. Producer Sir Cameron Macintosh is spending a whopping £30million preparing the venue for the show, and the official UK website will launch on Monday 13th June 2016.

Hamilton rakes in $500, 000 a week in profit on Broadway, and fans line the streets for hours (sometimes overnight!) to have a chance to see this smash hit. It is nominated for 16 Tonies this coming Sunday night.

Miranda has expressed his excitement on bringing his show to London before, claiming; “We’ll get the same questions: ‘It’s so American. Will it play?’ But hopefully if we’ve done our jobs well like we did on (In The) Heights, this story of revolution and telling your own story will also play well over there as well. And also, we really take the piss out of King George, so I can’t wait to see how that plays.”

It looks like we better not miss our shot! The official UK production website will open on Monday 13th June, and can be found at www.hamiltonthemusical.co.uk

‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’ Casts Michael Barbieri

Michael Barbieri (Little Men, The Dark Tower, Killer) has been cast in Spiderman: Homecoming.

The up-and-coming actor has been rumoured to be based on Ganke Lee, best friend to Miles Morales (a Spider-Man from another universe.) However, there has been backlash to this rumour due to the fact that Ganke is an Asian character. This comes not all that long after the recent Doctor Strange issue of whitewashing by casting Tilda Swinton, and the massive backlash towards Marvel from fans.

However, this is just a rumour, and no official word on who he’s actually playing has been released by Marvel.

Barbieri is known most for his role of Tony Calvelli in Little Men and is currently cast as the role of Timmy in The Dark Tower, the TV adaptation of the Stephen King series by the same name.

Spiderman: Homecoming is due for release on July 7th 2017, with Tom Holland (Captain America: Civil War, In the Heart of the Sea, Billy Elliot the Musical) set to star as the web-slinger. He’ll be reprising the role after the characters debut in Captain America: Civil War. 

Other actors to star in this movie include Zendaya (K.C. Undercover, Black-ish), Marisa Tomei (The Big Short, The Wrestler), Tony Revolori (The Grand Budapest Hotel, The 5th Wave), Michael Keaton (Birdman, Batman, Batman Returns) and Laura Harrier (Unforgettable, 4th Man Out) with Robert Downey Jr. (The Judge, Sherlock Holmes, Iron Man) set to feature in the movie as Iron Man/Tony Stark.

 

Marvel Animation Has Confirmed Short Series For ‘Ant-Man’ And ‘Rocket & Groot’

Marvel Animation will be working on a pair of TV short series, titled Ant-Man and Rocket and Groot.

This information came from Variety’s article regarding international projects that will be made in France (due to their tax rebates on animation work). Both series will be made by French filmmakers.

Rocket and Groot will be directed by Arnaud Delord. His work mostly consists of music videos, but the visuals are wonderful and outlandish. This direction will be more than enough to showcase the adventures of Rocket Racoon and Groot themselves.

The team being Ant-Man consists of Kevin Manach and Ugo Bienvenu. They have a more retro-graphic style, which is going to be absolutely perfect for a comic adventure, especially a hero as crazy and fun as Ant-Man.

So far there’s no word on when productions beginning (hopefully soon!) and when we can expect to see the series, but for now, know that something awesome is in the works for Marvel Animation!

John Boyega Lands Lead In ‘Pacific Rim 2’

Pacific Rim fans have been treated to a massive announcement, as Legendary Pictures have chosen Star Wars star John Boyega as the leading man for Pacific Rim 2. 

The second installment of the franchise will be directed by Steven S. DeKnight and production is set to begin in the last quarter of this year, and is based on the world created by Guillermo del Toro and Travis Beacham.

John Boyega (Attack the Block, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens) has been cast as the son to the first films character Stacker Pentacost, who was played by Idris Elba (Luther, Thor).

Guillermo del Toro said on the announcement; “I am very proud and happy to welcome John into a fantastic sandbox. The Pacific Rim universe will be reinforced with him as a leading man as it continues to be a multicultural, multi-layered world. ‘The World saving the world’ was our goal and I couldn’t think of a better man for the job.”

Pacific Rim, released in 2013, was the story of a future in which alien monsters, named Kaiju (Japanese: Strange Beast) have breached Earth via a wormhole buried beneath the Pacific Ocean. To combat their invasion, Earth creates the Jäger (German: Hunter) to fight the creatures back. The story focused on Raleigh Beckett (Charlie Hunnam – Sons of Anarchy, Green Street) and his return to the  Jäger Programme, under the command of Pentacost. Working alongside Mako Mori (Rinko Kikuchi – 47 Ronin, Liar Game), the characters aim for one last assault to finally end the invasion of the Kaiju.

The film received an overall positive response, and has gained a large and loyal fanbase since its release. Fans have been eagerly awaiting news on the sequel, as several times it has seemingly been cancelled or put on hold.

Pacific Rim 2 has yet to announce a release date, but production will begin late 2016.

‘Harry Potter And The Cursed Child’ Photos Released

New photos of the cast in costume for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child have been released this week.

The plays official website has released portraits of the characters in full costume, and they look incredible.

Photo’s feature the Potter, Granger-Weasley and Malfoy families, both with single portraits and some lovely family photos.

The story will focus on both Harry Potter himself and his son. The official synopsis reads:

It was always difficult being Harry Potter and it isn’t much easier now that he is an overworked employee of the Ministry of Magic, a husband and father of three school-age children.

While Harry grapples with a past that refuses to stay where it belongs, his youngest son Albus must struggle with the weight of a family legacy he never wanted. As past and present fuse ominously, both father and son learn the uncomfortable truth: sometimes, darkness comes from unexpected places.

More portraits, and some great Behind-The-Scenes action are available on the official website of the play.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is on sale now, with shows booking through until 2017. The first preview show will open at the Palace Theatre tonight, 7th June.

Jeff Bridges Added To The Cast For ‘Kingsman: The Golden Circle’

Jeff Bridges has joined the all-star cast for Kingsman: The Golden Circle. 

The actor announced his inclusion in the highly anticipated sequel to Kingsman: The Secret Service via his Twitter on Saturday.

His tweet indicates he’ll most likely be on the side of the Kingsman rather than the illusive Golden Circle organisation. Not that we know much about where these sides lie at the moment.

What we do know so far is the movie will feature Taron Egerton returning as Eggsy, Mark Strong returning as Merlin, and Sophie Cookson reprising her role as Roxy/Lancelot. The movie will also star Halle Berry, Julianne Moore, Channing Tatum, Pedro Pascal and Elton John. There’s also strong rumours that Colin Firth will be returning to reprise his role as Harry Hart, a rumour fans are strongly hoping is true given Hart’s fate in Kingsman: The Secret Service.

We also know that the Kingsman will be heading to the US to meet their American counterparts, the Statesman, after criminal Poppy (Julianne Moore) destroys Kingsman HQ.

Overall, it looks like Kingsman: The Golden Circle is due to be as delightfully mad and violent as it’s predecessor, and fans have a lot to look forward to this time around.

Kingsman: The Golden Circle is currently in production, and is due for release on June 17th 2017.