News Around the Net
Let’s kick things off with a pair of fantastic new trailers. First, we got this first look at Spider-Man: Brand New Day:
I think the trailer looks great. I’m glad to see Zendaya and Jacob Batalon heavily involved as MJ and Ned. (I wasn’t sure if they’d be sidelined in this movie, after forgetting Peter Parker at the end of No Way Home.) I am glad the film seems to be digging deep into the emotional fallout of the end of No Way Home (though I hope they don’t go too far with a brooding and depressed Peter Parker). I adored the images directly modeled after classic Spider-Man comic book covers. I liked all the stuff with Spidey and the Punisher; I think it’s fun they’re incorporating Jon Bernthal into this film. I don’t love what looks like a version of the storyline from the comics where Peter turns into an actual spider; I always thought that was dumb, so I hope that’s not the main thrust of the movie. It’s not surprising they’re keeping Sadie Sink’s character (rumored to be Jean Grey) out of the spotlight for now. I’m excited for this!
I’m also super-excited for this first look at Dune 3!!!
Wow, what a great trailer. I can’t believe how quickly this sequel film is coming together. I love that they’re adapting the super-strange Dune Messiah novel by Frank Herbert. As was the case with Denis Villeneuve’s first two Dune movies, this looks visually astounding. I’m excited to see new characters like Robert Pattinson as the villainous Scytale and Anya Taylor-Joy as the grown-up Alia, and I’m thrilled we’ve gotten to the point in the Dune saga where Jason Momoa’s Duncan Idaho has been resurrected as the Ghola Hayt. These awesome Dune 3 posters give us a better look at all the characters, and I’m loving everything I’m seeing, including what looks like Timothee Chalamet’s Paul after he comes face-to-face with a “stone burner” nuclear device.
We’ve finally gotten our first substantial look at Lanterns, the new DC Green Lanterns show for HBO Max:
That’s a great trailer! Yes, of course I want to someday see a more sci-fi Green Lantern adventure set in outer space, but I think this more grounded setting is a fine way to introduce these characters to the new DC continuity. I love what I’m seeing here in terms of the characterizations and relationship between Hal Jordan and Jon Stewart, both perfectly cast. Kyle Chandler and Aaron Pierre (who was magnificent in Rebel Ridge) are fantastic choices for these roles. I’m not sure how this squares with the Green Lantern — Guy Gardner — who we saw in the Superman movie, but I trust that all will eventually be explained. I believe Nathan Fillion is returning as Guy in this series; I hope that is true!)
I’m also excited by the recent news that Aaron Pierre, one of the two stars of Lanterns, will be reprising his role as Green Lantern Jon Stewart in James Gunn’s in-the-works Superman sequel, Man of Tomorrow! I’m excited to see that.
This is a solid new short trailer for Daredevil: Born Again season two:
I like seeing Krysten Ritter’s Jessica Jones in there! I must admit that I was disappointed with the end of season one. I hope this new season is an improvement.
Meanwhile, is the Punisher — who was a key player in season one, but who they dropped the ball with in the finale (which is a big reason why the finale let me down) — going to be absent from season two? We know he’ll be in the new Spider-Man movie, and Marvel just announced a Punisher special, One Last Kill, to be released on Disney+ one week after the end of Daredevil season two. Is this to make up for the Punisher not being in this season of Daredevil? This seems strange to me.
This trailer for the documentary Lorne looks fantastic:
I love Morgan Neville’s documentaries (such as: Won’t You Be My Neighbor?, The Saint of Second Chances, STEVE! (Martin): A Documentary in 2 Pieces; and his recent Paul McCartney doc, Man on the Run). Also, I laughed really hard at Colin Jost’s joke towards the end.
There’s a new Martin McDonagh movie, starring Sam Rockwell, John Malkovich, and Steve Buscemi??? Sign me up!! This trailer looks fantastic:
I am super-pumped for Maul: Shadow Lord. This new trailer is spectacular:
The animated Clone Wars and Rebels series turned Maul into one of my favorite characters in the Star Wars universe, and I’m thrilled to see the intriguing tease from the Solo movie finally pay off.
Looks like they’re bringing back John Krasinski as Jack Ryan for a new streaming movie:
Making Jack Ryan movies with John Krasinski seems like a good idea to me. However, while I loved that show in its first season, I thought it got worse and worse until the fourth season that I found almost unwatchable. Krasinski’s Ryan still looks like a gun-toting, violent Jack Bauer type character in this trailer, which doesn’t give me much hope that they’ve successfully course-corrected. But I’m curious enough to check this out…
This is an intriguing trailer, for Outcome, starring Keanu Reeves, Cameron Diaz, Matt Bomer, and Jonah Hill (who directed and co-wrote it as well):
I enjoyed Mr. Hill’s 2018 film Mid90s. It was strange but compelling. This trailer for Outcome reminds me of that tone. I’m curious to see this.
This is, apparently, not a joke — Yes, Peter Jackson is working with Stephen Colbert to develop a new Lord of the Rings movie! Wild!! This will be made after Andy Serkis’ in-the-works new Lord of the Rings movie, The Hunt for Gollum. Speaking of that, I’m intrigued to read that Kate Winslet will likely appear in Andy Serkis’ movie. I think Ms. Winslet will be a great fit with the LOTR universe. I wonder who she’ll be playing?
There’s been potentially huge news for Firefly fans than an animated revival series is in the works! Nathan Fillion and the cast have been teasing this for weeks with a series of funny videos. If this actually happens (which seems like a stretch), and if it’s actually any good (any even larger stretch), I’ll be over the moon happy. I hope they can do it. (I understand why Joss Whedon isn’t involved, though I’m bummed that Tim Minear — who was an important part of the creative team back in the day — also isn’t involved. I guess he’s busy with his other TV projects.)
There’s also been big news, in the other direction, about another one of Joss Whedon’s shows, as Hulu cancelled the planned relaunch of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, despite the involvement of Sarah Michelle Gellar, who had finally agreed to reprise her role, and talented filmmaker Chloe Zhao. This seems like a somewhat head-scratching decision to me, and announcing it right before the Oscars (where Ms. Zhao was nominated for Hamnet) is such a strange (and frankly, cruel) way for Hulu to have played this…
Speaking of cancellations, Paramount has cancelled Starfleet Academy (despite the show-runners’ foolish, in my opinion, decision to end season two on a cliffhanger). I can’t say I care, as this is the first time in my life that I have completely given up on Star Trek. I stopped watching Discovery mid-way into season four, I gave up on Strange New Worlds three awful episodes into season three, and I haven’t watched a second of Starfleet Academy. From everything I’ve seen of it, it looks like more of the same to me, and I could tell I wouldn’t be interested. These modern Star Trek shows overseen by Alex Kurtzman have been dreadful. I hope-watched for years before finally throwing in the towel. I fervently hope that new Paramount owners the Ellisons will find new people to revive Star Trek, and bring the show back to the quality that I loved, and that enabled the franchise to endure, for over fifty years.
I am super-excited to see Project Hail Mary (I hope to see it in the next few days!) — click here for an interesting interview with the extremely talented Drew Goddard, who wrote the movie adaptation (in addition to adapting The Martian, also based on a novel by Andy Weir!).
Sad but not unexpected news that the upcoming season five of The Bear will be its final season. This is a great show, and I hope it ends on a high note!
I don’t have any emotional connection to the Brendan Fraser Mummy movies. I think it’s interesting that they’re making a fourth one. I don’t expect it to be good, but it’d be fun if it was! Meanwhile, I found this article very funny, discussing whether or not the terrible third Mummy film from 2008 is canon.
Speaking of sequels, I’m not surprised that Pixar is working on a third Monsters Inc. film. I am surprised to learn in that article that they’re also working on The Incredibles 3 and Coco 2! I love both the Incredibles film and I’m thrilled to see a sequel. I also adore Coco, though a sequel to that film is harder to imagine. I’m curious to see what they come up with.
I’m intrigued to read that Kate Winslet will likely appear in Andy Serkis’ in-the-works new Lord of the Rings movie! I think Ms. Winslet will be a great fit with the LOTR universe. I wonder who she’ll be playing?
I was sad to read of the deaths of two women who were familiar faces to me from their supporting roles in movies from my childhood. First there was Jennifer Runyon, who played the female student with whom Peter Venkman was flirting at the start of Ghostbusters. She was only 65. Then there was Valerie Perrine, who played Ms. Tessmacher in Superman: The Movie (and also Superman II). She passed away at age 82. Both women made a strong impact in their small roles in those huge movies; and both also had interesting careers beyond those roles. I’m sorry to hear of their passing.
I was also sorry to read of the death of Sam Keith, a phenomenal comic book artist whose work blew me away as a kid. Mr. Keith made an impact drawing Wolverine (in Marvel Comics Presents) and Batman, and he created The Maxx, a gorgeous and bizarre fantasy series that also became an animated series for MTV’s Liquid Television. Mr. Keith also co-created The Sandman with Neil Gaiman, and illustrated the first few issues of that groundbreaking series!
In happier comics-related news, I’m excited that Netflix is working on an animated series adaptation of Powers, the wonderful comic book by Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Avon Oeming. I’ve been a faithful reader of Powers since it began almost 30 years ago; it’s a very clever series about homicide detectives in a city filled with superheroes. It’s violent and profane and quite terrific. (I’ve written about it a number of times on this site.) A live-action series was made about a decade ago, but it only streamed on the short-lived Playstation Network, so it died a quick death when that collapsed. (I’ve only ever watched the first season, which wasn’t everything I’d hoped it would be. One of these days I need to track down the second season.) Creating an adult-aimed animated series for Powers, similar to Invincible, feels like exactly the right way to go. I hope this happens!
I thought Conan O’Brien did a great job hosting the Oscars again this year. Click here for a fun, in-depth profile of Mr. O’Brien in the Hollywood Reporter, that was released a few days before the show. It’s a great read.
I have mixed feelings about the news that For All Mankind has been renewed for a sixth and final season. I’m thrilled we have two more seasons of this great show to enjoy (season five drops very soon), and I hope the quote by creators Matt Wolpert and Ben Nedivi that they’re getting to finish the story the way they’d always hoped is actually true. My recollection is that they’d said in interviews that they’d hoped for seven seasons. It seems strange that Apple has made us wait years for the fifth season, and also the Star City spin-off seasons, only to then announce the end of the show before either of those seasons are released on streaming. But I hope the creators are happy, and that they’ll be able to bring the show to a satisfying conclusion.
It looks like A Quiet Place 3 (which is actually the fourth film, following the prequel A Quiet Place: Day One) is moving forward, and they’ve assembled a strong cast. I feel a little bit like this story has run its course, but I’m curious to see what they put together for another film.
Click here for an interview with Andrew Stanton, discussing many of his great Pixar movies, his under-appreciated John Carter film, and his new film In the Blink of an Eye, which I hope to find time to see sometime soon.
News of a new Martin Scorsese movie is always exciting — click here for a first look at Leonardo DiCaprio & Jennifer Lawrence in What Happens at Night.
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