MarvelBlog News for October 11th, 2021
Marvel Studios has 31 problems, and an evil witch is one.
I’ll explain in this week’s MarvelBlog News.
The 31 Projects
A couple of weeks ago, I accidentally jumped the news cycle in discussing the upcoming Marvel projects.
At the time, Marvel had displayed the latest timeline for upcoming projects. Many of them were of the “fill in the blank” variety. So, I tried to do that.
So many branches to keep track of… Photo: Marvel Studios
Now, an insider has leaked something far beyond what Marvel had indicated.
Sources confirm that the studio has 31 (!) projects in active development right now.
Ryan Coogler of ‘Black Panther 2’ and President of Marvel Studios Kevin Feige took part today in the Walt Disney Studios presentation at Disney’s D23 EXPO 2019 in Anaheim, Calif. ‘Black Panther 2’ will be released in U.S. theaters on May 6, 2020. Photo: Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Disney
As I mentioned in a recent update, we can count about 20 of them. I did a hard count of everything I know is confirmed and got 21.
So, that leaves ten more Marvel projects that we don’t know about yet!
Marvel 10th Anniversary. Photo: Marvel
That knowledge plays into something else that’ll make you smile. A month from tomorrow, Disney will hold its annual Disney+ Day.
This artificial construct from 2020 is nothing more than a PR cycle for Disney. Still, Marvel news will factor heavily into the presentation.
Photo: The Walt Disney Company
That’s a big deal based on this new piece of information. Disney could feasibly confirm five or six new projects on Disney+ Day.
You may think that’s unreasonable, but let’s remember what happened during the first event in November of 2020.
At the time, Marvel revealed the existence of Armor Wars, Ironheart, and Secret Invasion. Only Ironheart was even a strong rumor at the time.
Ironheart 2020 by Danny Lore, Vita Ayala, David Messina, Mattia Iacono, and Joe Caramagna, with a cover by Skan. Photo: Marvel Comics
I doubt that Marvel reveals any movies on this date, as the purpose of the event centers on promoting Disney+.
Still, we should hear about some new Marvel series coming over the next couple of years. Speaking of which…
Agatha All Along 2!
The best Marvel news update this week isn’t a shocking one, but it’s happening much sooner than expected.
Deadline and several other sites have confirmed that Agatha Harkness will escape her current confines in Westview, New Jersey.
Photo: Marvel
Wanda Maximoff punished Harkness for doing, well, lots of bad stuff to manipulate the citizens of Westview.
Even so, the immediate, extreme popularity of Agatha Harkness, aka Agnes, all but assured that she would return to the MCU one day.
Apparently, that day will happen over the next couple of years. Yes, Agatha Harkness will get her own Disney+ spinoff series.
Agatha Harkness, from WandaVision, greets visitors inside the Ancient Sanctum at Avengers Campus during Oogie Boogie Bash, A Disney Halloween Party, in California Adventure at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, CA, on Thursday, September 9, 2021. Photo: Jeff Gritchen/MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images
The project is in active development and will bring back Kathryn Hahn to the role that made her an overnight sensation after 20 years of terrific supporting roles.
Details are obviously scarce now, but WandaVision showrunner Jac Schaeffer will create this series.
Photo: IMDb
As such, you can view it as a de facto sequel (or prequel?) to WandaVision. It’ll likely have that same spirit and sense of villainous fun.
WandaVision included at least some of Harkness’ origin story.
Photo: Marvel Comics
The new series could expand on that, but I expect it’ll be more about transitioning the character into the MCU.
To wit, Hahn reportedly signed a new multi-picture deal with Marvel to ensure that she appears often in coming projects.
Kathryn Hahn and Elizabeth Olsen. Photo: @jrvsscarlet
I most closely associate Harkness with the Fantastic Four, and there IS a First Family movie in development.
We’ll undoubtedly see the character again before then, though. In fact, the usually reliable Skyler Shuler tweeted this:
Cant wait to see this queen in Multiverse of Madness! https://t.co/FvEhulZm0k
— Skyler Shuler (@SkylerShuler) October 7, 2021
So…that would be good.
Even More Carnage
Venom: Let There Be Carnage dropped to second place at the domestic box office this past week.
Mic Drop Venom. Photo: Sony Pictures
The only reason this happened is that the new James Bond film, No Time to Die, debuted in theaters.
Even then, the gap wasn’t as dramatic as many analysts had projected. No Time to Die managed an impressive (for the pandemic) $56 million.
Meanwhile, Venom 2 held grossed another $32 million domestically. That’s a second weekend drop of 64 percent, which isn’t bad at all for a title of this scale.
Venom 2: Let There Be Carnage. Photo: Sony Pictures
Many pandemic titles have fallen 70 percent or more during their second weekends. So, interest remains high for the latest Marvel/Sony release.
After ten days, Let There Be Carnage has grossed a remarkable $141.7 million. It’s already the fifth most successful project during the pandemic.
Now that’s something to drink about! Photo: Sony Pictures
By this time next week, Venom 2 will likely pass A Quiet Place Part II and possibly F9 soon afterward.
That would make it the number three movie of the pandemic. Amusingly, the two titles ahead of it are Black Widow and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.
So, Marvel appears all but certain to claim the top three spots in domestic box office for 2020/2021.
Big Money Deals. Photo: Marvel
I say that before Spider-Man: No Way Home and Eternals enter theaters. So, Marvel will likely end up with the top five!
Marvel Miscellany
We’ve got several more stories to cover, one of which is a spoiler for Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
Please skip down two paragraphs and don’t look at the tweet if you don’t want to know.
“While shooting in Manhattan right in front of a comic book store, I spontaneously suggested to Benedict that he go inside and he agreed.” Photo: Scott Derrickson
Recent footage from the film has leaked online. It confirms the rumor that Ultron bots will play a factor in the sequel.
Since Dr. Strange will journey into other realms, it’s unsurprising that he would bump into one of Marvel’s favorite henchmen groups.
Photo: Disney+
Ultron bots lack sentience but look cool and formidable. So, they work as redshirts. They’re disposable but make the heroes look cool by crushing them.
Deleted Tweet: [https://twitter.com/gettingsussed/status/1445143517865590793]
In even sooner MCU movie news, Eternals will close the Rome Film Festival at the end of this month:
#RomaFF16 | Il nuovo film Marvel Studios, #Eternals, diretto dalla regista premio Oscar® Chloé Zhao, è il film di chiusura della Festa del Cinema di Roma e di @Alicenellacitt >>https://t.co/PdL8BAfhBh@Marvel pic.twitter.com/R5AbK9fF6G
— Rome Film Fest (@romacinemafest) October 5, 2021
You can expect a slew of glowing reviews on or around October 24th. Yes, that’s less than two weeks from now!
Disney has also confirmed that Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings will be go on sale on digital on November 12th.
Photo: Disney/Marvel/PicsArt
Obviously, you can watch it for free on Disney+ on that date. However, many people are like me and choose to build out their digital libraries.
Presuming that you buy Shang-Chi, you’ll get several bonus features including 11 (!) deleted scenes.
“Without fox demons, no village is complete.” — Chinese proverb. Photo: Marvel Studios
Finally, just because I love her, and it’s a fun look, here’s Jameela Jamil in her Titania makeup from She-Hulk:
Ok Boomer pic.twitter.com/FBuz5S7rFb
— ❤️ Jameela Jamil ❤️ She/Her ❤️ (@jameelajamil) September 30, 2021
