A Marvel executive was unusually forthcoming this week. So, we just learned a lot about what’s happening behind the scenes.
We’ll talk about which projects are on the frontburner and which ones may be canceled/delayed.
Eternals 2 vs. Shang-Chi 2 vs. Blade
Source: Marvel Studios
Before we detail the interview, let’s discuss something I couldn’t work into last week’s news update.
Rumors persist that Marvel has taken a hard look at its upcoming schedule and made some changes.
Source: Marvel Studios
During a recent Q&A, Bob Iger, the CEO of The Walt Disney Company, basically said as much.
While Kevin Feige calls the shots at Marvel, he answers to Iger, and the latter executive needs more blockbuster hits.
Source: Marvel Studios
So, everyone at Marvel chose which projects they were confident would work and which ones weren’t quite ready.
The prevailing belief at the moment is that Marvel will prioritize a sequel to Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.
Source: Marvel
When that film debuted in theaters, it exceeded all reasonable expectations for a pandemic-era title.
Disney+ officials indicated that a spinoff television series would happen, although we’re still waiting on that.
Image: Marvel
The premise would have centered on Shang-Chi’s sister, Xu Xialing, who now runs the Ten Rings.
Shang-Chi earned an A Cinemascore and is currently rated 7.4 out of 10 on IMDb. So, it’s quite well-liked.
Michelle Yeoh as Cool Aunt. Photo: Marvel Studios
Also, Michelle Yeoh’s star has risen, and Disney absolutely adores her. She could feasibly appear in the sequel in a higher profile role.
In other words, a Shang-Chi sequel makes sense.
What Doesn’t Make Sense
Source: Marvel
Conversely, that Blade film is getting more challenging by the day.
Last week, we discussed the firing of X-Men ‘97’s Beau DeMayo, who was also working on…Blade.
Source: Marvel
Now, actor Aaron Pierre has told Variety that he is no longer co-starring in Blade.
To date, Marvel had really only leaked two performers in that film, Mahershala Ali and…Pierre.
Mandatory Credit: Photo by Chelsea Lauren/Variety/Shutterstock (10341985al)
The article notes that Marvel is at least five writers into the Blade script, and it’s still an unknown quantity.
Finally, in news that shouldn’t really surprise anybody, Marvel isn’t gung ho about an Eternals sequel at the moment.
Photo: Maarten de Boer for Variety
I’m somehow who owns multiple Eternals graphic novels, and even I wouldn’t greenlight that film at the moment.
However, some people believe that Marvel will reinvigorate the characters by telling their story in a different form.
Source: Marvel Studios
I presume that means in a television series, and if I had to guess, I’d expect an animated one.
That last part is purely speculation on my part, though. At this moment, an Eternals 2 movie definitely doesn’t have much support, though.
Phot
As always, anything can change and often has with Marvel over the past four years.
I mean, Agatha has had a new name seemingly every year.
The Marvel Updates of Note
Brad Winderbaum currently holds the vaunted position as the leader of Streaming, Television and Animation at Marvel.
In other words, when you watch a Marvel streaming series on Disney+, Winderbaum oversaw the project.
With X-Men ’97 now available on Disney+, Winderbaum performed a round of interviews.
During one wide-ranging discussion, Winderbaum talked about Feige’s demands for a sequel to X-Men: The Animated Series.
The requests were quite simple. Feige would only agree to the project if X-Men ’97 returned the cast and gained rights to the original theme song.
Obviously, Marvel managed both of those things, and the sequel has been extraordinarily well-reviewed thus far.
As usual, I’ll start recapping next week after I’ve finally finished What If…? season two, which has been…a process. Sorry.
During the interviews, Winderbaum has spoken on two upcoming Marvel projects.
The executive confirmed that Wonder-Man and Ironheart have both entered the editing process, which means they’re nearing the finish line.
Winderbaum states, “Yeah, absolutely. We’re editing both of those shows as we speak…They’re spectacular, they’re amazing, and they’re different.”
“We’re able to explore corners of the universe that are really exciting. Riri Williams is one of them and I cannot wait for people to meet Simon Williams.”
Recently, some online speculation had posited that Marvel might delay one or both projects.
Source: Marvel
Winderbaum’s confidence suggests that such reports are way off-base.
He adds that Ironheart could have aired sooner. Disney delayed it to stretch out the currently filmed Marvel content.
Image: ‘This Is Us’ NBC/Marvel Comics
That’s a necessity caused by the 2023 Hollywood Strikes.
Finally and most intriguingly, Winderbaum suggested that Daredevil: Born Again isn’t delayed for the reason you’d think.
Image: Marvel
Instead, Marvel took inspiration from Loki’s recent success and wanted to elevate the Daredevil reboot’s scripts to that level.
Marvel Miscellany
Source: Marvel
Winderbaum also indicated that Nova remains in development at Marvel.
That confirms some other things I’ve heard, but it remains unclear whether we’ll get Nova as a movie, a television show, or a character in something else.
Source: Marvel Studios
The other big story is something we’d previously discussed.
Remember how Skydance Media announced a Black Panther/Captain America game? Well, here’s the trailer:
Marvel 1943: Rise Of Hydra Game Revealed With A New Trailer Featuring Captain America And Black Panther https://t.co/0JnvX9eIlj pic.twitter.com/Po04DuiV80
— GameSpot (@GameSpot) March 20, 2024
Yes, the game now has a title; It’s Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra. And the early reception to it is…muddled.
Source: Marvel Studios
Many people are confusedly dismissing this project as weird-looking AI animation for a streaming movie.
Obviously, that’s not what Marvel 1943 is, which leads to a question. Is it good or bad that people think it’s a movie?
Source: Marvel Studios
I’m inclined to believe that cinematic CGI indicates a positive reception, but since people are brushing it off that way, who knows?
Skydance was hyping the game’s visuals as proof of concept for the combination of Unreal Engine 5 and MetaHuman Animator.
Source: Marvel Studios
The fledgling gaming studio was bragging about the realistic facial movements of the characters.
Also, Black Panther and Captain America fight, so there is that Captain America: Civil War aspect, too.
Photo: Marvel Studios
Anyway, we’re sure to learn more about the game as its 2025 release date approaches.
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Featured image: Marvel
