Geekville Radio #244: Q&A Clips from Wizard World Chicago
NOTE: The wrong episode was previously uploaded,
Wizard World Chicago took place on the last weekend of August, the same weekend as Disney’s D23 Expo. Several celebrities participated in panels and Q&A sessions for fans.
First up, Jeff Goldbum talks The MCU, Thor: Love and Thunder, tooth decay, and Buckaroo Banzai.
Kevin Conroy quotes about (what else?) voicing Batman, working with Mark Hamill, and getting in front of the camera again for Crisis On Infinite Earths.
Dean Cain answered questions about playing Superman and gives his opinion of Henry Cavill.
Teddy Sears tells about what he knew ahead of time when playing Jay Garrick in The Flash.
Geekville Radio #243: Disney vs. Sony plus D23 News
A ton of news to go over in this jam-packed episode! In the first segment, Seth and Crazy Train talk about the problems between Sony and Disney over Spider-Man. The second half is devoted to Star Wars and Marvel news coming out of D23.
(3:03) Sony vs Disney and Marvel
Unless you’ve been out in deep space for the last week, you’ve probably heard of the split between Disney and Sony over Marvel’s Spider-Man in The MCU. To fully comprehend what happened, we have to take a step back and look at how we got to this point in the first place.
Attempts at making a Spider-Man feature film date back to the 1980s. But over the years, the film companies set to make the picture would go under or were bought out. This made deciding the film rights a real nightmare. Eventually, Sony got the rights in the late 90s.
Around this time, Marvel opened their own film studio. Once Marvel Studios was created, Marvel no longer needed to shop around film rights. They could control their own properties when it came to the big screen. This is one of the reasons Marvel was able to make successful films that pleased fans and critics alike.
So here are the main talking points of the Disney vs. Sony fiasco.
The previous deal between the two had expired – When Sony and Disney agreed to share Spider-Man, it was for a certain number of films. Sony would produce the stand-alone films, with Marvel and Disney helming Avengers and other crossover films.
Sony was happy with the previous deal – It looks like Sony would have been happy with a continuation of that agreement. They weren’t necessarily looking for a bigger or better deal.
Sony has several Spider-Man related characters – Most, if not all of the Spider-Man rogues’ gallery, are within Sony’s rights. Sony is making Venom 2, and an Into The Spider-Verse sequel seems likely. Plus, there is the Morbius film, as well as other Spidey movies that would pave the way for a Sinister Six movie.
It’s not over yet– It is very possible that Disney and Sony may mend their fences and work out a deal. It is also possible that Sony may have learned their lesson when it comes to producing a Spider-Man story. This story will likely have a few more chapters before it’s over. Spider-Man is the last remaining property that Marvel Studios has yet to regain control of when it comes to feature films.
As discussed during the show, The Geek Twins have this handy chart which shows the characters Marvel has direct control over vs. Sony and Netflix. Sucks to be Rick Jones…
Please include attribution to TheGeekTwins.com with this graphic.
(36:30) D23 News
Disney held its annual D23 Expo where, as expected, future Star Wars projects were officially announced. Plus, new Marvel shows were also revealed.
(37:30) Untitled Obi-Wan Kenobi Series
Ewan McGregor confirms his return to Obi-Wan Kenob
The long-rumored Obi-Wan Kenobi series was confirmed at last, with Ewan McGregor reprising the role. No premise was given, but fans have assumed it would be about Kenobi’s time on Tatooine between the prequels and the classic trilogy. With it being set approximately 8-10 years after Revenge Of The Sith, it would be taking place at approximately the same time as Solo and Star Wars Rebels.
(39:34) The Mandalorian
The first official trailer for The Mandalorian
The highly anticipated series The Mandalorian finally got an official trailer. To say it felt like a Western would be an understatement. Ming-Na Wen, who played Agent May for all seven seasons of Agents Of SHIELD, has joined the cast.
Not only that, IG-88 saw some action almost 40 years after his debut in Empire Strikes Back. Could more bounty hunters be on the way? 4-LOM? Zuckuss? Dengar?
It’s also worth noting that Disney will be releasing one episode per week, rather than all of them at once.
(50:25) The Rise Of Skywalker
Of course, it would not be a true Star Wars event if it didn’t have footage from Episode IX: The Rise Of Skywalker. We covered that in detail in our last show. Seth does make two bold, albeit unoriginal, predictions about the Skywalker Saga finale.
(55:45) Marvel
Black Panther 2 will hit theaters in May of 2020, making it right in line with the end of Phase Four. For The Eternals, Kit Harrington (Game Of Thrones) has signed on to play Black Knight
Not one, not two, but THREE more Marvel series will be added to the lineup. No casting or release dates were announced.
Moon Knight: Arguably the most fitting of the three shows. We had speculated before how Moon Knight would make for a perfect addition to a Netflix or TV lineup.
Ms. Marvel: The current Ms. Marvel, Kamala Khan, will do double duty between her own show and appearances in films.
She-Hulk: Possible the biggest surprise was the announcement of She-Hulk. It will be interesting to see how she is handled for a TV show. Would it be ab actress? Or a CGI created character?
Spidey and His Amazing Friends: Clearly aimed at children, this show will be a comedic take on the classic 80s series Spider-Man And His Amazing Friends.
Finally, unrelated to Disney or Sony, Supergirl will don a new costume for her fifth season.
Supergirl’s new costume for Season 5
As stated in the show, Crazy Train has a new Playlist called “Chicks That Rock“. You can find it on Spotify.
Conroy took part in several panels during Wizard World Chicago. One panel, which also featured Lois and Clark actor Dean Cain, asked the inevitable question about what this Bruce Wayne will be like.
“Well, I can’t tell you anything because I don’t know anything,” Conroy began “I just know that it’s an older version of Bruce Wayne. I haven’t seen the script. I haven’t seen any sketches, so I don’t know. But I am doing it.
“I think they [the producers] are nervous about actors releasing information,” he speculated.
“Who would you tell?” joked Cain, motioning to the audience.
“They won’t let us see scripts,” Conroy continued, “I honestly don’t know what it’s going to involve.”
One member of the audience asked what it was like to finally be playing Batman in a live-action project.
“I don’t know, it’s a little intimidating,” Conroy began. “I started out in theater in New York, you know. And then I did on-camera television work, and then I sort of stumbled into voice work. Batman was the first animated character I ever auditioned for, and that was in ’91.”
“How’d it go?” joked one audience member, which got a laugh from the crowd.
“But I haven’t done anything on camera… anything really since the late 90s. So a little intimidating. I don’t know what it’s going to be like, to be honest with you. I’ll just approach it like I do any other character. As an acting job.”
Later, when asked about Batman Beyond, in which he voiced an aging Bruce Wayne, Conroy did mention he suspects that he’ll be playing something similar to that version.
“Again, I don’t know because I haven’t seen the script, but I kind of suspect, from what they’re talking about me doing in this, it’s going to be very much like the older Bruce Wayne that I did in Batman Beyond. I think that’s the concept of what the character is going to be, but I don’t know.”
Crisis on Infinite Earths will air on The CW this winter, beginning with the December 8th episode of Supergirl.
The first day of Disney’s D23 Expo has come to an end. A lot of programming for Disney+ was revealed. While many were expected, there were a few surprises.
Disney did reveal the first official trailer for the highly anticipated series The Mandalorian, which will depict a bounty hunter guild shortly after Return Of The Jedi.
The Obi-Wan Kenobi series was officially announced Friday
Untitled Obi-Wan Kenobi series – As we talked about before, an Obi-Wan Kenobi spin-off has been rumored for quite some time. Disney finally made their first official public reveal of the show on Friday. As expected, Ewan McGregor will reprise the role. Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy and Ewan himself were present at the reveal.
The premise has generally been expected to be about Obi-Wan’s time on Tatooine guarding Luke. While that was not specifically confirmed, the show will take place a few years before A New Hope, which means it will be in approximately the same time frame as Rebels.
Ms. Marvel – Another rumored series to be confirmed was that of Ms. Marvel. Specifically, this will involve the current incarnation, Kamala Khan. No casting was announced, nor was there a release date given. With several Marvel series on tap for 2020, it’s unlikely that we will see this before 2021.
Moon Knight – One of the surprise announcements is Moon Knight. He has been one of the characters rumored going back to the Netflix days to get a series. Moon Knight may not be one of the first Marvel characters fans might think of, but that’s what makes a streaming service a perfect platform.
She-Hulk – Perhaps the biggest surprise announcement is She-Hulk. Again, no casting or premiere date announced. It will be interesting to see how Jennifer Walters will be handled in live-action form. Could we see a Rbuce Banner cameo?
It’s a pretty safe bet that more content will be announced over the next two days. Even if there isn’t, that still leaves at least 30-40 episodes worth of material to come in 2021.
According to Deadline, Disney proposed a 50/50 deal that would have seen both companies split the costs and earnings, and presumably would include movies involving Venom, Carnage, Miles Morales, and others. Sony refused and made a counter-offer that Disney turned down.
What this means for the future remains to be seen. But for the time being, everybody’s friendly neighborhood Spider-Man will be swinging solo unless immediate changes happen. The sequel to Venom is in production, and actor Tom Holland is attached to at least two additional films. It is only a matter of time before Venom and Spidey cross paths onscreen. Will Sony keep the billion-dollar income without the rest of the Marvel MCU attached? We may not have to wait too long to find out.
Spider-Man #1 by JJ and Henry Abrams & Sarah Pichelli
Marvel announced back in June that famed Hollywood writer/director JJ Abrams will be writing his own Spider-Man comic this fall. This week, they released a trailer for the project. Not only does it feature interviews with JJ and his son Henry, but it also has input from Marvel Editor Nick Lowe.
As hinted for the last month, the series will introduce a new villain for the web-headed hero in the form of Cadaverous. While the full nature of his powers is not yet revealed, it does seem like he is a techno-organic mishmash that really cranks up the Creep Factor.
Spider-Man #1 drops on September 18th. It is written by JJ and Henry Abrams with art by Sarah Pichelli.
That said, like with so many other remakes and rebrandings, the original lore is still there. It won’t get erased from existence if a retelling of Snake-Eyes happens.
Airdates will be Supergirl 12/8, Batwoman 12/9, Flash 12/10. Then Arrow and Legends Of Tomorrow on 1/14. So that’s five episodes in two parts, meaning it will also double as the mid-season cliffhanger.
Batman: Hush, the animated movie adaption of the fan-favorite story from Batman issues #608-619, is currently available on Digital Download and DVD/Blu-Ray. This official clip showcases Catwoman, voiced by Jennifer Morrison on Once Upon A Time fame.
Batman: Hush is part of the ongoing DC Animated Universe and will start streaming next week on DC Universe.
Morrison joins the regular DCAU cast of Jason O’Mara as Batman/Bruce Wayne, Jerry O’Connell as Clark Kent/Superman, and Rebecca Romijn as Lois Lane.
Batman: Hush is the latest story to be adapted into the DC Animated Movie Universe. You can check out a clip below that shows Batman rumbling with a possessed Superman.
Hush was a story by Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee that originally appeared in Batman #608-619. It brought a classic Batman villain to the limelight and featured one of the few in-continuity confrontations between Batman and Superman.
Like most movies in the DCAMU, it features Jason O’Mara as Batman/Bruce Wayne, Jerry O’Connell as Superman/Clarke Kent, and Rebecca Romijn as Lois Lane. Jennifer Morrison of Once Upon A Time and Housejoins the cast as Catwoman/Selina Kyle. It is available in stores, and on the DC Universe streaming service.
One of the longest tenured voices in DC animation is at last going to step in front of cameras to reprise the role.
Kevin Conroy, who first began providing the voice of Bruce Wayne/Batman in 1992 for Batman: The Animated Series, will be portraying Bruce Wayne in CW’s hotly-anticipated Crisis On Infinite Earths crossover event. This marks the first time Conroy will play the character in a live-action production.
Conroy is no stranger to onscreen acting, having had roles on various TV shows throughout the years including Tour Of Duty and Murphy Brown.
The five-part series includes an already staggering list of actors who will undoubtedly play variations on their characters from different universes (or Earths as they are called in the series). That list includes Tyler Hoechlin (Superman), Burt Ward (Robin in the 1966 Batman TV series), Brandon Routh (The Atom AND Superman), Jon Cryer (Lex Luthor), Elizabeth Tolluch (Lois Lane), as well as the regular casts from the ongoing “Arrowverse” shows.
While it has only been announced that Conroy will be Bruce Wayne, it’s hard to imagine a Bruce Wayne that doesn’t come with a Batman attached. Could we see Bruce from Batman Beyond? Dark Knight Returns? Or could we see even see a Kingdom Come counterpart to Brandon Routh’s Superman?
