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.
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.
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?
In our previous episode, we discussed the revelations for Marvel’s Phase Four of The MCU. Here we talk a lot of the other news coming out of The Mecca Of Geekery that is San Diego Comic-Con!
Each trailer is listed below with the appropriate timestamp in the show discussion.
It is worth noting that only films slated for 2020 and 2021 were announced. There were no definite indications of theatrical releases for 2022. The possibilities of Black Panther 2, Captain Marvel 2, and Avengers 5 are still very strong.
For each of the announced movies or series, we’ll give our main speculation points and pair them up with what was confirmed during the Hall H presentation.
Speculation: Florence Pugh will play Yelena Belova/Crimson Widow. David Harbour will be Taskmaster. This may introduce a cloned Natasha like in the comics
Confirmed: Pugh will be Yelena Belova, David Harbour will be Alexi Shostakov aka Red Guardian, the Russian equivalent of Captain America.
New Speculation: Yelena Belova may be Taskmaster instead of Crimson Widow
Speculation: Millie Bobby Brown and Angelina Jolie would be the same character. Thanos and Adam Warlock would be involved in some capacity.
Confirmed: Several roles were announced, none of which were Thanos or Warlock. It will take place on Earth, and Kevin Feige described it as “full-on Jack Kirby“.
Speculation:Shang-Chi will fill the void Danny Rand/Iron Fist fills in the comics as the martial-arts expert. If this is an attempt to get a Bruce Lee vibe, it will fail to do so
Speculation: Will take place before Vision’s death in Infinity War.
Confirmed: Takes place in current time, so maybe Captain America was able to revive Vision in his post-Endgame quest. Monica Rambeau is in the show, perhaps to become a new Captain Marvel or Miss Marvel.
Speculation: Possible origin story or another story from the past. Loki’s escape during Endgame could play a factor.
Confirmed: Takes place after Loki’s escape in Avengers: Endgame. This will be the classic evil Loki and not the sympathetic character he became in Phase Three.
Speculation: Could be directly related to Guardians of the Galaxy 3 given the styles of directors James Gunn and Taiki Watiti. Plus Thor left with the Guardians to close out Endgame.
Confirmed:Natalie Portman will be reprising Jane Foster and will become Thor.
Current Speculation: Thor himself will be a supporting role, and it could still tie into Guardians 3
1:01:05 – Hawkeye (Fall 2021)
Speculation: Clint is back to adventuring now that his family is safe. We may see Kate Bishop.
Confirmed: Kate Bishop will be major part of the show
Maharshala Ali was a surprise announcement as the MCU Blade. It was not stated whether this will be a feature film or a Disney+ mini-series.
1:13:00 – X-Men and Deadpool (Phase Five?)
Marvel did not outright say any immediate future of the X-Men franchise, including Deadpool. But it seems like X-Men may wait a few years and get rebranded for Phase Five.
Iconic actor Rutger Hauer passed away this week at the age of 75. His 50 year career saw him play a multitude of roles. From hero to villain, action to drama, and just about everything in between.
If you’re looking to watch some of his famous roles, we have assembled a list of them here. While this is by no means an exhaustive list, it is a good lineup of performances in several genres.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4gN0nWL6NI
Nighthawks (1981) – Arguably his breakout performance as the villainous Wulfgar opposite detectives played by Sylvester Stallone and Billy Dee Williams.
Blade Runner (1982) – The role he will likely be remembered most for, Roy Batty was the rebellious replicant hunted by Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford).
Ladyhawke (1985) – This medieval fantasy cult favorite saw Hauer play the heroic Navarre alongside then up and coming actors Matthew Broderick and Michelle Pfeiffer
The Hitcher (1986) – Another signature villain role as John Ryder, the serial killer who terrorizes C. Thomas Howell.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxvzbESnoVM
Wanted Dead Or Alive (1986) – Inspired by the 1950s Western that starred Steve McQueen (yes, that Steve McQueen). Hauer plays a bounty hunter tracking down a terrorist played by Gene Simmons (yes, THAT Gene Simmons).
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992) – The original Kristy Swanson movie that begat the series had Rutger as the vampire leader, Lothos.
Merlin (1998) – This spin on the classic tale of King Arthur tells the story from Merlin’s point of view. Hauer portrays the tyrannical King Vortigern opposite Sam Neill’s title character.
The 10th Kingdom (2000) – A fairy tale fantasy mini-series that is set years after the time of Snow White. Hauer is the Queen’s Huntsman who follows the heroes through the magic mirror and into New York City.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4e24m-LYl4
Salem’s Lot (2004) – Hauer takes on another vampire role. This time as Kurt Barlow, one of the main antagonists in this remake of the Stephen King classic.
Sin City (2005) – The star-studded ensemble cast saw Hauer in the small but memorable role as Cardinal Rourke.
Batman Begins (2005) – The first in Christopher Nolan’s epic trilogy, Batman Begins had Rutger play Earle, the man who tried to usurp Wayne Enterprises from Christian Bale’s Bruce Wayne.
Hobo With a Shotgun (2011) – Hauer reprises the title role he had in the mock trailer of the same name in Robert Rodriguez & Quentin Tarantino’s Grindhouse.
The Rite (2011) – Hauer plays the father of Colin O’Donoghue’s protagonist in this supernatural thriller that also stars Anthony Hopkins
Dracula 3D (2012) – From vampire to a vampire hunter. Hauer plays Van Helsing in Dario Argento’s take on the legendary vampire story.
In addition, Hauer was a fan-favorite to play Magneto in a then dream X-Men film. Wizard magazine published a fanboy casting in 1992, approximately eight years before an X-Men film became a reality.
To be fair, Wizard did accurately pick Patrick Stewart to play Charles Xavier in the same casting.
Fortunately for his fans, Hauer had several parts which he had already filmed for movies and shows that have yet to be released. His IMDB page shows five projects currently still set for release within the coming year.
We at Geekville Radio extend are deepest condolences to Rutger Hauer’s family and friends.
However, if you were hoping for stories about Wolverine, Spider-Man, or The Fantastic Four, you may be disappointed. Feige clarified while speaking with Screen Rant that only stories from The Infinity Saga (Phases 1-3) will be explored.
“Right now, we’re focusing on for the first season, everything you know about the 23 movies in the Infinity Saga and adding one twist to them and seeing how everything turns out different.”
Marvel President Kevin Feige to Screen Rant
While that excludes classic issues where Wolverine kills The Hulk, or The Punisher becomes Captain America, the good news is that still means over twenty movies worth of material can be explored. Add in that the known actors will still be providing the voices, and it’s still a pretty ambitious concept.
One of the many fun things with San Diego Comic-Con is the plethora of trailers released. While the days of exclusive trailers are mostly gone, it’s still a big marketing day for the entertainment industry.
Here are several of the trailers that premiered over the weekend.
Netflix’s The Witcher starring Henry Cavill
HBO’s Watchmen, inspired by the classic comic book miniseries
A sizzle reel for Arrow gives a glimpse of Season Eight
The Flash Season 6
Flash Season 6 introduces the new villain Bloodwork
Top Gun: Maverick, the long-rumored sequel to the 1986 classic
Terminator: Dark Fate
Terminator: Dark Fate welcomes back Linda Hamilton as Sarah Connor
Dark Crystal
Dark Crystal: Age Of Resistance still uses puppetry like its predecessor
Jay & Silent Bob Reboot is a sequel to 2003’s Jay & Silen Bob Strike Back
Star Trek: Picard looks to be an absolute treasure to TNG fans
What were your favorite trailers from Sand Diego Comic-Con? Sound off below!
Fans have been speculating how the Arrowverse creators will handle Crisis On Infinite Earths since its announcement almost a year ago. At San Diego Comic-Con fans were finally given some answers.
Perhaps the biggest bombshell revealed at the Arrow panel is that Brandon Routh will play two characters. His regular character, Ray Palmer/The Atom, and Superman.
Routh, of course, portrayed The Man Of Steel in 2006’s feature film Superman Returns. Released as a direct sequel to 1980’sSuperman II, which is widely considered the best of the Christopher Reeve films, Superman Returns established that Routh’s Superman and Reeve’s Superman were one and the same.
As if that wasn’t enough, Routh came on stage during the panel to reveal his costume.
Brandon Routh reveals a Kingdom Come Superman shirt
Routh will indeed be playing Superman as he appeared in the epic 1996 comics story Kingdom Come, which takes place in the future. In it, Superman is older and more of a grizzled veteran than the current day one.
Superman as he appears in Kingdom Come #1. Art by Alex Ross
This would also seem to imply that this aging badass Superman is that same Reeve/Routh movie version. How he will fit into the Crisis story was not revealed, but it sure whets fans’ appetite for the series when it airs this Fall.
As DC Comics fans know, Crisis On Infinite Earths was an epic universe-wide crossover event that rebooted the DC Universe continuity. All of the “other universes”, or Multi-verse as they might be called now, were streamlined into one congruent universe.
Arrow will be ending its eight-year run this season and will be part of the annual crossover event.
Big Finish celebrates 20 years of Doctor Who Stories
Big Finish is celebrating 20 years of original Doctor Who stories in the most “Doctor Whoish” way. Not only does The Legacy Of Time feature six (count ’em SIX) incarnations of the famous Time Lord, but it also has companions from both the old and new series. It’s a multi-generational mash-up that can only be done by Big Finish.
Tom Baker, Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy, and Paul McGann all reprise their respective Doctors, while Tim Treloar replaces the late great Jon Pertwee. Some of the familar supporting characters include Ace, Leela, Jo Grant, Osgood, Kate Stewart, and of course River Song.
The six CD set (?!?!) is currently available, but is limited to 4,000 copies. An MP3 edition is available for immediate download. Both are available at Big Finish’s site.
