MarvelBlog News for November 3rd, 2024

In this week’s MarvelBlog News, we update several projects such as Armor Wars, Blade, Spider-Man 4, and Vision Quest.

So, we’ve got a lot of catching up to do. Let’s get started!

The Current Marvel Chaos

Look, I’m just going to say it. A lot of weird rumors are circulating about Marvel’s upcoming releases.

From what I’m hearing a LOT of plans have changed over the last few months, while others may have fallen by the wayside.

As an example, I mentioned Blade last week. Based on everything I know from more than 25 years of covering the industry, this project is in turnaround.

Except Blade isn’t in turnaround. Many people involved with the project have suggested that it’s in solid shape despite being pulled from the schedule.

Marvel apparently wants to lean into the character’s dark nature by making something akin to a hard R film.

Ordinarily, I’d find that idea laughable, but Deadpool & Wolverine might have opened everyone’s eyes to the possibilities.

And if Marvel is that confused on the Disney front, you can imagine the chaos happening on the Sony side.

Just last week, Venom: The Last Dance opened nearly $40 million lower than Venom: Let There Be Carnage.

You can imagine the stress this induced, given that Sony still must try to sell Kraven the Hunter.

Now, Sony may pull a rabbit from its hat here – Disney did this with Guardians of the Galaxy ten years ago – but it seems unlikely.

At this point, fans have lost faith in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe, except for Spider-Man himself.

Not coincidentally, Sony is rushing Spider-Man 4. This strikes me as a decision the company may regret.

If Spider-Man 4 lacks anywhere near the same quality as Spider-Man: No Way Home, a decent possibility, Sony is screwed.

The Tom Holland Weirdness

That reality places inordinate pressure on the team making Spider-Man 4.

Now, Sony has officially started the clock on the project, naming a release date.

According to Variety, Spider-Man 4 opens July 24, 2026, a date that gave me a double-take.

Tom Holland remains attached to Spider-Man 4, and let’s be honest that this project shouldn’t happen without Zendaya or him.

However, Holland recently took another high-profile gig, one he expressed delight to win against heavy competition.

According to The Hollywood Report, Holland will star in Christopher Nolan’s upcoming movie.

The details of this film remains a complete mystery, but we do know the release date. It’s July 17^th, 2026.

No, that’s not a typo. Right now, the 2026 release schedule would feature two Tom Holland movies opening within ten days of one another.

Admittedly, these things have a way of working themselves out as the release date approaches.

That’s not really the point, though. It’s that Holland just booked a massive project. Now, he must juggle that schedule with his main gig.

Meanwhile, IMAX is on red alert here, as there are only X number of theaters featuring their tech.

Nolan has helped make IMAX what it is today, and there’s loyalty there. So, his film had already secured IMAX screens.

Now, Sony is rushing a film project, AND the title would fight with Tom Holland’s other release for the best possible screens.

If you’re confused by this, you’re not alone. Many Hollywood analysts tilted their heads and wondered aloud what Sony is doing.

I presume you’re wondering the same, but it’s not a hard question to answer. Sony is panicking.

In fact, the desperation of this move doubles as a signal to Disney that it may be time to make Sony an offer for Spidey’s movie rights.

The Armor Wars Confusion

Then, we have the Armor Wars project, which has experienced a strange few weeks.

I’ll start at the end, with writer/director Yassir Lester discussing his involvement with Armor Wars.

Lester and his brother, Isaiah, are doing promotional work for their new film, The Gutter.

Obviously, reporters are going to ask Lester about his writing for Armor Wars because it’s such an odd story.

Lester wrote the script for the television series. Now, Armor Wars is a movie. However, Lester is still listed as one of three writers.

Even he sounds bemused by the process here, stating that the story he told would have made for a fun series.

This writer has no idea at this point how much, if any, of his original idea for Armor Wars remains in play.

That comment wasn’t even the strangest one over the past month, either.

Don Cheadle, ostensibly the star of the movie, was appearing at a different media event for a Peacock project of his.

When asked about the status of Armor Wars, the actor quipped, “You can find out and let me know.”

Then, he added: “I don’t know, I’m not sure where anything is right now.

I think things are going through a lot of changes, and we’ll see what happens, we’ll see what it is.”

Marvel does face an uphill battle here as the last time we saw Cheadle’s character, James Rhodes, he was a Skrull.

Well, that’s not entirely accurate. We later saw Rhodes in a hospital gown as the character we’d always known. But he’s also still a Skrull.

That’s a mess that nobody at Marvel really knows how to address since Secret Invasion was such a mess.

So, this project is definitely in turnaround at the moment.

Marvel Miscellany

Here’s a rumor with some teeth to it:

Marvel Studios is reportedly pausing all projects to fast-track the end of The Multiverse Saga.

Only Spider-Man 4 and a mystery film will be released before the next Avengers movies; everything else is on hold until after Secret Wars.

(Source: @DanielRPK) pic.twitter.com/ll0uO7o0Pw

— MCU Film News (@MCUFilmNews) October 27, 2024

According to MCU Film News, “Marvel Studios is reportedly pausing all projects to fast-track the end of The Multiverse Saga.

Only Spider-Man 4 and a mystery film will be released before the next Avengers movies; everything else is on hold until after Secret Wars.”

Honestly, that would explain a lot of the confusion we’re witnessing right now.

Marvel wants to release surefire projects only. Armor Wars and Blade most assuredly ain’t that after all the negative press.

On the bright side, Agatha All Along has clarified some things at Marvel.

As hoped, the series has picked up steam down the stretch. While the show ended the other night – no spoilers today! – it’s going out hot.

According to Deadline, Agatha All Along’s brain-freezing seventh episode earned 4.2 million views in 24 hours.

Now, Paul Bettany is stating that the Vision Quest follow-up will begin filming in 2025…and he sounds excited.

So, Marvel has fixed parts of the TV side of its entertainment business. Now, it’s just gotta clean up the movies.

Thankfully, we’re trending in the right direction after Deadpool & Wolverine.

 

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