MarvelBlog News for November 22nd, 2021
Employee didn’t destroy his immediate superior.
Instead, something happened that caused them to find common ground…in a really twisted way. The amoral tale led them to become stronger allies.
Scarlett Johansson and Taika Waititi. Photo: Pinterest
I find myself thinking about this a lot as Deadline reports that Hollywood’s current equivalent of the Berlin Wall has fallen.
On October 1st, Scarlett Johansson laid down her weapons by settling her lawsuit with Disney.
Almost immediately afterward, the company announced that she would continue work on a Tower of Terror film based on the theme park attraction.
Photo: Disney Parks Blog
That series of events felt like a carefully orchestrated compromise wherein Disney could pay Johansson without opening its books to outside analysts.
Now, something much more surprising has occurred. On Thursday evening, Marvel head Kevin Feige celebrated his friend’s accomplishment.
BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA – NOVEMBER 18: Kevin Feige, President, Marvel Studios and Chief Creative Officer, Marvel Entertainment, speaks onstage during the 35th Annual American Cinematheque Awards Honoring Scarlett Johansson at The Beverly Hilton on November 18, 2021 in Beverly Hills, California. Photo: Vivien Killilea/Getty Images for American Cinematheque
That evening, Johansson became the 35th person to win the American Cinematheque Award.
Feige, who famously took Johansson’s side during the Disney dispute, declared that she was working with Marvel again.
Record scratch moments don’t get any bigger in Hollywood. It’s like if Paul McCartney and John Lennon started recording together again…and one of them is dead.
Stan Lee and Paul McCartney. Photo: Paul McCartney
Yet, according to Feige, Johansson will produce a “top secret Marvel Studios project” that apparently has nothing to do with Natasha Romanoff or Black Widow.
I’d say that this is the least likely story in Hollywood other than Brangelina reuniting, but…Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez are dating again. So, it’s more stunning than that.
Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck showing their love while walking at the Hamptons Beach New York a day before of the 4TH Of July. Picture by: Elder Ordonez / SplashNews.com
We have no further details yet, but I am here for the upcoming publicity interviews in a few years.
A Strong Ms. Marvel Rumor
Okay, I told you last week that Ms. Marvel won’t debut on Disney+ until next summer. However, I also mentioned that it should be out right about now.
Disney delayed it for multiple reasons, not the least of them being a current crunch in movie special effects work.
MarvelBlog News. Photo: Marvel
Industry veterans suggest a six-to-nine-month backlog in work due to the pandemic.
Since Ms. Marvel has finished filming and released a trailer, internet sleuths have figured out who the villain is in this story.
Photo: Dailymail.com
Please skip to the next section if you don’t want to be spoiled. However, I’ll be honest that you probably don’t know them anyway.
Are you still here? Last chance to back out…
Okay, Ms. Marvel has apparently chosen two different groups as the antagonists in the story. One is an ironically named government group named N.I.C.E.
The N.I.C.E organization #MsMarvel 👀 pic.twitter.com/2sHo7edvle
— Cosmic Marvel (@cosmic_marvel) May 1, 2021
JustJared snagged an onset photo of someone in their N.I.C.E. security gear, but this isn’t a group from the comics.
The other baddies are, though. They’re Clan Destine, the absolutely terribly named society of Djinn aka genies.
Okay, not all of them are genies, but enough are that they’ve earned that reputation among the small group of diehards who recognize them by name.
Photo: Marvel
Obviously, this reveal has caused speculation that Kamala Khan’s origins may get retconned on the show to make her a Djinn as well.
Disney’s currently not in the Inhumans business…and not just because of the failed TV series, The Inhumans.
Anson Mount portrayed Black Bolt in ‘Inhumans’ on ABC. Photo: Getty Images
The arrival of Clan Destine could be a swerve, though. After Khan fears she’s one of them, she may learn that she’s a moon-girl with Terrigen Mist powers instead.
Still, picking Clan Destine as your primary villain is akin to building your fantasy football team around a backup tight end. So, this one’s kinda out there.
Let’s Talk IMAX
Okay, you don’t need to be an expert in film formats or digital exhibition to know what IMAX is.
However, Marvel and Disney have strengthened their connection with the format recently.
Joe Russo in Captain America: Civil War. Photo: Marvel Studios
As of November 12th, the following MCU titles are available on Disney+ in a new format called IMAX Enhanced:
- Ant-Man and the Wasp
- Avengers: Endgame
- Avengers: Infinity War
- Black Panther
- Black Widow
- Captain America: Civil War
- Captain Marvel
- Doctor Strange
- Iron Man
- Guardians of the Galaxy
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
- Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
- Thor: Ragnarok
I’ll spare you the technical details here, but the gist is that you get to watch more of the movie this way.
Photo: Marvel Studios
I don’t mean extra scenes or anything. I’m saying that you’ll literally see more of the film.
On all television formats, even HDTV, the display cuts off part of the picture. Back in the early days of 720p, 1080i, and 1080p, this conversation came up a lot.
During the modern era of UHD/4K projection, we still have constraints on digital displays.
IMAX Enhanced. Photo: Disney+
With the new IMAX Enhanced system, you’ll get to see as much as 26 percent more of the shot. So, it’s much closer to an IMAX theatrical presentation.
Speaking of which, Sony has filmed part of Spider-Man: No Way Home in IMAX Expanded Aspect Ratio, which is similar. Here’s a trailer for it:
Three words: The IMAX trailer. Who’s ready? 🔍
#SpiderManNoWayHome will feature IMAX’s exclusive Expanded Aspect Ratio for the entirety of the film. That’s 26% more picture – beginning to end. Experience It In IMAX, December 17. pic.twitter.com/89FURAdOjr
— IMAX (@IMAX) November 18, 2021
Did you notice the black bars at the top and bottom of the screen? That’s what happens when an IMAX title has to shrink to fit on a TV, monitor, or phone.
Oh, and I guess I buried the new lede there. A new Spider-Man trailer dropped…
Marvel Miscellany
About that Spider-Man clip, you can Google to your heart’s content to find #HotTakes on the subject.
You should be aware that plenty of spoilers are out there. However, I know for a fact that some of them aren’t true.
Trailer Tomorrow. #SpiderManNoWayHome is exclusively in movie theaters December 17. pic.twitter.com/za6t80yX2J
— Spider-Man Movie (@SpiderManMovie) November 15, 2021
Still, some of the stuff Marvel has accidentally confirmed and then walked back isn’t shown here.
So, I guess they want to maintain the surprise for those who don’t yet know.
Elsewhere in the MCU, Benedict Cumberbatch did a podcast interview wherein he stated that Sam Raimi’s magic is on full display in the Dr. Strange sequel.
Photo: Marvel
Also, Cumberbatch confirmed that Spidey and Dr. Strange don’t always see eye to eye during the course of the movie, which is readily apparent from the trailer.
Next, some Cobie Smulders stalker superfan noticed that her recent social media post puts her close to the set of a current Marvel shooting location.
Photo: Marvel
We really don’t know much about the current fates of Maria Hill or Nick Fury after The Snap. What have they been doing?
We know from the post-credits scene of Spider-Man: Far From Home that Skrulls have replaced them on Earth.
MarvelBlog News. Photo: ScreenRant
Fury is apparently in outer space. That’s it. We have no current information on Hill’s status. As such, it’s exciting to know that we’ll find out soon.
In other Sony news, Fandango released a deleted scene from Venom: Let There Be Carnage. They love each other:
"You DO love me! You do!"
Venom insists he knows Eddie's true feelings in this exclusive scene that's meant to announce that you can watch #Venom: Let There Be Carnage on Vudu, Tuesday, November 23rd! pic.twitter.com/gsuq04zqpU
— Fandango (@Fandango) November 18, 2021
Finally, we got some new Hawkeye clips this week, including this one:
And a BFFs featurette:
