MarvelBlog News for May 5th, 2024

This week, Kraven chooses to hunt in December, Fantastic Four casts again, and Chris Hemsworth requests a mulligan.

We’ll have some fun in MarvelBlog News this time.

The Fantastic Four Casting Update

Time is a flat circle.

Every instance wherein I’ve indicated that I’m finally done with Fantastic Four casting news, something else drops.

So, I’m deciding right now at this moment never to do it again until the film has debuted in theaters.

Thankfully, that’s theoretically only 17 months from now, which makes casting paramount. This is turning into a rush project.

While I fully expect an eventual release date delay – Marvel cannot afford another Fantastic Four film to bomb – filming is nearly here.

So, Marvel took this opportunity to announce a new cast member, and it’s someone I happen to love.

Golden Globe winner Paul Walter Hauser has joined Fantastic Four in an undeclared role. Is there any other kind in an MCU film?

Anyway, Hauser first garnered acclaim for his brilliant work in I, Tonya.

Then, the actor leveraged that success into other notable roles in BlacKkKlansman, Cruella, and Richard Jewell.

Hauser is legitimately one of my favorite actors working today, and he has a penchant for finding the funny in any line of dialogue.

As such, I’m all for his casting in Fantastic Four, presuming that he’ll provide the comic relief in the film rather than playing, say, Galactus.

Then again, I’ve underestimated Hauser in the past, and he’s surprised me each time. So, maybe he’d make a great Galactus.

Either way, this is good news and sadly probably not the last Fantastic Four casting update we’ll get soon.

With people showing up on set to film, those secrets grow more challenging to hide.

In fact, we got another one after deadline! But we’ll save it until next week. You’re gonna love it, though.

Sony, You’ve Gotta Release It Sometime

Do you remember that feeling as a child when you knew you’d done something wrong but didn’t want to face the consequences?

So, you did everything you could to hide from accountability until the inevitable happened?

You wound up grounded or sent to your room or sent to the principal’s office. It wasn’t a good feeling.

Well, that’s how Sony film execs feel anytime the subject of a Sony’s Spider-Man Universe subject comes up.

Well, I should say any project that isn’t directly related to Spider-Man or Venom. No, Madame Web doesn’t count.

Sony has released clunker after clunker, most recently bombing horribly with Madame Web and Morbius.

Amazon Video had planned an entire line of live-action and animated titles based on Sony’s Spider-Man Universe.

The streaming service has since pulled the plug on most of them, sensing the stink of failure emanating from Sony.

Alas, the studio has already pot-committed to its next clunker, and there’s no escape, even though Sony knows the score here.

Kraven the Hunter will debut in theaters at some point over the next calendar year because Sony cannot hide it forever.

Once the film arrives, it’ll feature a healthy marketing push and the scorn of a discriminating fan base that also senses the stink of failure.

The die has already been cast here in many ways. But someone at Sony has done their homework.

There is one time of year when even the worst films tend to perform well. It’s the December holiday.

Sure enough, Kraven the Hunter has been delayed until December 13^th, 2024.

By taking this approach, Sony provides the film with a better opportunity to earn Christmas-New Year’s box office.

That rising tide lifts all boats and possibly recoups some $130 million in sunk costs already wasted here.

Thor Has Regrets

While we’re speaking of wastes, Thor: Love & Thunder left its star, Chris Hemworth, feeling like he’d swung and missed.

The loquacious, unabashedly transparent actor recently confessed that he knows he’s not an important MCU actor. Here’s the quote:

“Yeah, I’m part of this big thing, but I’m probably pretty replaceable.”

Oof. I don’t think fans would describe Hemsworth that way, but he’s a complex man, unlike the affable character he portrays.

With regards to his performance in the latest Thor film, Hemsworth is unnecessarily vicious in his self-evaluation:

“I got caught up in the improv and the wackiness, and I became a parody of myself. I didn’t stick the landing.”

That’s someone who demands excellence and expects a great deal of himself.

The self-flagellation occurs when something doesn’t go as planned, as was the case with Thor: Love & Thunder, a pandemic film.

Marvel’s struggles from 2020 until now are well-documented, and it’s cruel of Hemsworth to blame himself that much for a film many liked.

Still, the actor understandably wants another kick at the can, and I suspect negotiations are underway for that very thing to happen.

Even now, reports suggest that another Avenger, one who has theoretically been replaced, will return in time for Secret Wars.

So, the stage is likely set for Hemsworth as well. And it sounds like he’ll take his next at-bat very seriously.

Marvel Miscellany

Separating fact from rumor isn’t easy at the moment, but here’s what I’ve got for you.

Liza Singer, one of the geniuses behind the animation for Harley Quinn and Disenchantment, has returned to Marvel.

Joining her in a return engagement is Stu Livingston, and that’s a thrill to fans of a certain series.

Singer and Livingston had previously worked together on Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man.

While neither of them would confirm the name of their new Marvel animated project, well, a lot of people are connecting dots.

We could get an announcement soon on this one, as Marvel’s not usually as tight-lipped about its animated shows.

Speaking of returns, composer Alan Silvestri hasn’t returned to Marvel yet, but he’s hinting that the door has opened.

According to Silvestri, the musician behind some of the iconic sounds from the Russo Brothers’ MCU titles, has said the following:

“Well, it looks like that could be happening, I just can’t talk about it. I love that universe, for sure.”

Cross your fingers, folks! Marvel may be getting the entire band back together!

Finally, we have the weirdest update of the week. When you think Moon Knight, you probably don’t think big laughs.

However, Marvel just released a gag reel for the show, and it’s quite entertaining.

Exclusive look at the gag reel for ‘MOON KNIGHT’ starring Oscar Issac, Ethan Hawke and May Calamawy.

Moon Knight, in addition to The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Andor, arrives on 4K and Blu-ray Steelbook April 30th. pic.twitter.com/U1xFZuZMyB

— Film Updates (@FilmUpdates) April 25, 2024

 

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