MarvelBlog News for August 25th, 2024

Sony may lose the creators of its Spider-Verse, while Robert Downey Jr. explains how he backed into the role of a lifetime.

We’ve got corporate shenanigans afoot in the latest issue of MarvelBlog News. Oh, and Ultron, if you like that sort of thing…

No Strings on Me…

Following the career of James Spader is like running in eight random directions in a matter of minutes.

Spader started as a teen sensation in films like Pretty in Pink and Tuff Turf before becoming famous for Sex, Lies, and Videotape.

Afterward, some quirky career choices like David Cronenberg’s Crash derailed his momentum, which led to direct-to-DVD era.

Have you ever watched The Stickup? Don’t worry. Nobody has! That is where Spader met his longtime partner, though.

They co-starred in the immediately forgotten film, whose failure caused Spader to reconsider his career.

The actor switched to television, appearing on The Practice and its spinoff, Boston Legal.

He was excellent on both, reminding Hollywood of his limitless talent.

Soon afterward, better movie opportunities arose, including a significant role in Lincoln.

At this point, Spader’s friends and admirers petitioned for his arrival in the MCU, which occurred in Avengers: Age of Ultron.

While the film’s reception was less than stellar, it was a box office blockbuster and remains one of the top 20 films of all time.

Importantly, Spader earned most of the acclaim for his voiceover work as the villainous Ultron, the Tony Stark creation who attained sentience.

Let’s just say that Ultron…doesn’t like people, especially Tony Stark. But both of them wound up dead. So, who cares, right?

Well, about that… James Spader just joined the cast of the Vision Question Disney+ series, wherein he will again portray Ultron.

The how and why are mysteries at this point since, again, Ultron is super-dead.

But no Avengers foe matters more in comic book history than Ultron. So, this turn of events is a VERY big deal. Stay tuned!

RDJ Is the New Sean Connery

Are any of you Marvel fans also obsessed with Disney’s theme parks? I know that I am.

That’s why I laughed while reading Robert Downey Jr. describe the machinations that led to his return to the MCU.

In a wide-ranging podcast, the beloved Iron Man actor sat down and discussed his recent career.

When RDJ left the MCU, nobody expected him back anytime soon because he cost too much money.

At the time, Marvel perhaps naively believed that its stories sold movie tickets rather than its stars.

RDJ’s soaring price tag for Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame caused executives to say, “Never again!”

But, as a Sean Connery/James Bond movie once proclaimed, Never Say Never Again.

I’ve been thinking about that analog a lot recently, as Connery declared in 1971 that he would “never again” portray 007.

Then, the actor returned to his iconic role in 1983. RDJ’s situation is different in that it wasn’t entirely his show.

Disney, the corporate owner of Marvel, was no longer willing to pay the actor what he rightfully deserved.

So, Iron Man died during the climactic events of Avengers: Endgame, and that was supposed to be the end.

Alas, the pandemic wiped out any forward momentum Marvel had, leading to a multi-year spate of negative headlines.

Meanwhile, RDJ, the darling of the industry, finally lived up to his career potential as a performer, earning a Golden Globe and Academy Award.

For those of us who watched the actor since before his run as a Saturday Night Live cast member – I swear that he was – it was a satisfying conclusion.

For his part, RDJ loved many of the people involved with the MCU and wanted to go back, though.

The path to his return was an unlikely one, though.

They Call It Imagineering

As is often the case in Hollywood, the new development came down to existing relationships.

RDJ mentioned how he remained close with the Russo Brothers in the aftermath of Endgame and his departure from the MCU.

Similarly, the actor and Kevin Feige, the head of Marvel, are good friends and in frequent contact.

As RDJ explains, “I’m close with the Russo Brothers; we have other business we’re doing. So, there’s this little kind of group of fellow travelers.”

Remarkably, RDJ’s own curiosity and initiative is what led him to the new gig as Doctor Doom, though.

“I had this instinct that I wanted to go to Bob Iger. And I had an idea outside of the (MCU) for how I could be of service to what’s going on in the parks and all their location-based entertainment.”

 

Yes, RDJ’s modest ambition for his return to Marvel was via Disney theme parks. He had an eye on Avengers Campus.

Before that could happen, Feige spoke with RDJ and his wife/producing partner, Susan Downey, about a potential MCU return.

Feige idly wondered if RDJ might consider playing a different character.

RDJ describes the thought process as, “How can we not disappoint expectations? How can we continue to beat expectations? And he brought up Victor Von Doom.”

What sealed the deal was a visit by the actor to Walt Disney Imagineering, at the suggestion of Iger himself.

“(Feige and I) go to the Imagineering campus, and you want to talk about two guys that they’re not easy to have their minds blown, let alone at the same time.

“I can’t say too much about (it), but what is going on there right now is so beyond my expectation of what was possible.”

RDJ’s love of theme parks brought him back to the MCU.

Thanks for Nothing

On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you say that the expansion of Sony’s Spider-Man Universe is going?

Your answer likely depends on A) whether you’ve watched Morbius or Madame Web and B) if you’ve seen the Kraven the Hunter trailer.

Those who fall into those two categories are probably answering “-17.”

So, what’s the least likely thing I could say to you right now? Well, Sony has reconsidered its development deal with Lord & Miller.

Yes, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, the creative team who earned Sony $1.045 billion for two Spider-Verse films, are on the outs.

According to a paywalled article on Puck, Sony is tired of arguing over the budget for Noir.

This comes on the heels of Silk: Spider Society never coming to fruition, which was a pandemic/Hollywood strike matter.

Still, Sony somehow believes that Lord & Miller aren’t providing enough value relative to the nine-figure contract they signed in 2019.

Importantly, this is the Sony Television division, not films.

However, it sends a strong signal that Sony doesn’t value them the way the company should.

Thus, nobody should be surprised if/when the duo leaves Sony for the greener pastures of Marvel, who will be waiting, arms wide open.

Marvel Miscellany

From the desk of Kevin Feige.#DeadpoolAndWolverine pic.twitter.com/i7AwxIriIu

— Marvel Studios (@MarvelStudios) August 16, 2024

Now that Deadpool & Wolverine is officially the most successful R-rated film ever, Kevin Feige feels like celebrating.

In case you haven’t kept up – and there’s no need since you have me for that! – Deadpool 3 has earned roughly $1.2 billion at the box office.

The film has already entered the top 30 all-time in global revenue, making it precisely the blockbuster Marvel desperately needed.

Currently, Deadpool 3 isn’t quite pacing at the rate necessary to surpass Inside Out 2 to become the number one film of 2024.

That’s splitting hairs, though. After all, Inside Out 2 is the #10 blockbuster ever.

Meanwhile, Deadpool 3 is currently the seventh-most popular MCU title to date, and it appears likely to finish in the top five.

So, Marvel is finally getting back to pre-pandemic numbers with its box office totals.

Not coincidentally, rumors abound that Shang-Chi 2 will receive the official production greenlight soon.

Of course, that’s not my favorite MCU rumor. There’s also speculation that Tony Dalton is ready to return as The Swordsman soon.

The scene-stealer from Hawkeye may appear in Daredevil: Born Again.

And more Tony Dalton is always a good thing. Right, Better Call Saul fans?

 

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