The Reader’s Digest to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, April 18 to 26
Happy Tuesday, Ladies and Gents!
I know, I know, it’s Tuesday and that means it’s almost Wednesday and that means the week is almost half over. The weather’s probably nice outside and you’d rather be out there napping than doing whatever it is you have to do to pay your bills.
Unfortunately, I can’t help with that. But what I can do is provide an easy peasy guide to all the latest and greatest in the Marvel Cinematic Universe! Which must count for something, right?
First up is the Marvel corner of Netflix-land.
Smash hit Jessica Jones was one of thirty shows to nab a prestigious Peabody Award last Friday, April 22nd. According to the Peabody Board of Jurors, “This one part superhero saga, one part neo-noir program asks unpopular questions about power and consent, while constructing vivid and compelling characters. Krysten Ritter helps us to discover the strengths and vulnerability of Jessica, a hard-boiled private detective who has rejected the role of superhero but must still figure out how to overcome the evil that threatens her, her friends and her community.” Congratulations to the Jessica Jones team!
Upcoming Marvel/Netflix series Iron Fist got two new cast members last week, announced Marvel on April 18th. Jessica Stroup (The Following) and Tom Pelphrey (Banshee) have been brought onboard to portray siblings Joy and Ward Meachum, respectively. The Meachums are the children of Rand Enterprises owner Harold Meachum (to be played by David Wenham, The Lord of the Rings) and childhood friends of main character Danny Rand/Iron Fist (Finn Jones, Game of Thrones). They come into conflict with Danny Rand when his homecoming endangers the family business.
Jeph Leob, Executive Producer/Head of Marvel Television reports, “With the terrific addition of the very talented Jessica and Tom, we’ve now brought the entire Meachum family together. While Marvel couldn’t be happier, Danny’s mission just got a lot more complicated.”
Show Runner and Executive Producer Scott Buck added, “I’m very happy to have Jessica and Tom as our Joy and Ward Meachum. Much like Danny Rand’s past is a mystery to us, we’ll discover along the way that the Meachum children have intriguing secrets of their own.”
Season One of Jessica Jones is currently streaming on Netflix. Iron Fist is still in development. Both are produced by Marvel Television in association with ABC Studios for Netflix.
On the small screen, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is gearing up for a doozy of an episode. Former Agent Grant Ward/current spooky villain Hive (Brett Dalton) has brainwashed and kidnapped Agent Daisy Johnson (Chloe Bennet). The rest of the S.H.I.E.L.D. team is now racing to find her and stop Hive from destroying humanity.
Actor Brett Dalton sat down with both Comicbook.com and Comic Book Resources News for a series of interviews in which he sheds light on his development of the Hive character and hints at an explosive season finale.
Here’s a few titillating bits:
Dalton, to Comicbook.com on April 19th: “The good thing is any and all of these relationships [between Ward and other characters] are so juicy. Any one of those avenues are great to go down. I think that fans are not going to be disappointed when they see some of these manifestations in the future and these relationships pop up on screen because Ward is still in there, and so is Will, and so is other hosts that this person has inhabited throughout the centuries. It’s a goldmine, really.”
To Comicbook.com on April 20th: “Ward’s still in [Hive’s mind]. Ward’s still in there and I think that if we know anything about Ward it’s that he doesn’t go down without a fight and he doesn’t go down lightly…Of course he’s going to pop up again.”
And to Comic Book Resources earlier today: “There have been a whole bunch of bread crumbs that have indicated that Hive is made up of these smaller things, that when particulated and out there in the universe, can sway other Inhumans. One of these things Hive and Hydra destroyed was this biological research being done about how to kill a certain kind of parasite. [Agents] Fitz and Simmons are looking at it from a biological perspective. At the end of the day, that’s the thing that tends to win in a sci-fi universe.”
Those who remember the epic Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D./Agent Carter Dubsmash War of 2015 will be thrilled to know that S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Clark Gregg and Carter’s Hayley Atwell got to face off this week on Spike’s Lip Sync Battle. This video is below. It’s probably one of the most amazing things you’ll see this year.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86PZROJJaBM
And for those who need a refresher on the Dubsmash War, here’s a full compilation:
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. airs on Tuesdays, 9/8c on ABC.
Agent Carter has previously aired on ABC. We are currently waiting on news of a third season. Please note that if this show does not get renewed I, personally, will riot.
And on to Hollywood!
Marvel’s Inhumans film, originally slated for July 2019, has now been replaced by Indiana Jones 5 and no word has been given on a new date. This leaves the production, which also lacks a director, script, and cast, in somewhat of a limbo. Comicbook.com’s Russ Burlingame speculated on April 23rd that this could mean hopeful prospects for those who want to see the X-Men join the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The God of Thunder’s upcoming feature, Thor: Ragnarok will begin filming in Australia this summer with the working title Creature Report, according to Comicbook.com. “Creature Report” is a segment on a British children’s TV show, teaching facts about animals.
Despite the promises of the beautiful graphic above, Thor: Ragnarok will premiere on November 3rd, 2017
The Hollywood Reporter revealed on Thursday that Iron Man star Robert Downey Jr. has finalized negotiations for his appearance in the upcoming Spider-Man: Homecoming. The film will be Marvel’s first foray into the Web-head world. Downey Jr. joins Tom Holland (In the Heart of the Sea) as Spider-Man, Marisa Tomei (Empire) as Aunt May, singer Zendaya, Tony Revelori (The Grand Budapest Hotel), and Laura Harrier (One Life to Live). The film is produced by Kevin Feige (The Avengers) and Amy Pascal (Ghostbusters, 2016). It will arrive in theaters July 7, 2017.
Comicbook.com spotted Nathan Fillion (Firefly) in production photos of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 yesterday though he may not appear in the form fans expect. Guardians will premiere May 5, 2017.
And the hypemobile is racing along for Captain America: Civil War. Movie info site Fandango reported that Civil War is already outselling every previous Marvel movie to come before it, a week and a half before its May 6th release. It is also the most anticipated movie of the summer, according to their recent visitor survey.
Chris Evans sat down with Collider’s Steve Weintraub yesterday. Among other things, the two discussed his reaction to the Civil War script, what it was like to work with Spider-Man newcomer Tom Holland, and Evan’s interest in continuing to bear the Captain’s shield. Said Evans, “whatever the character needs, whatever Marvel needs for that arc, I’m willing to do. So if that is me passing it off, you pass it off. But if they want to make more, I’m ready.”
So are we, Chris, so are we.
Marvel has been rolling out the promotional material ahead of next Friday and this includes a debate on fictional news network WHIH regarding the role of superheroes in defending the Earth. Check it out below!
Finally, Twitter Movies hosted a Q&A session this morning with Civil War stars. Fans were free to tweet their questions for several hours. Check it out on the Twitter Movies page.
Captain America: Civil War will premiere next Friday, May 6th. Tickets are currently available for pre-sale.
Well, that’s it for me for this week, folks! I’m off for another cup of tea. Feel free to check out our other Marvel coverage while you wait for Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. to come on tonight.
And for hijinks-fueled discussions of all things Marvel, don’t forget to listen in to Level Eleventy-Seven, our very own Marvel podcast! New episodes currently debut weekly.
