REEL NEWS: SEPTEMBER 14TH-SEPTEMBER 21ST

Netflix Buy Malcolm & Marie

Netflix have continued to corner the movie market during the pandemic, having acquired the rights to Zendaya’s quarantine made Malcom & Marie.

The film was made as a side project for Zendaya and Euphoria series creator, Sam Levinson, to be made between production delays on Season 2 of the HBO series.

It also stars John David Washington (Tenet, Blackkklansman) and is about a couple whose relationship takes a turn over the course of one night when secrets a revealed to each other.

It was filmed in July in one location under strict quarantine regulations in the US, requiring a small crew and plenty of health precautions.

Netflix beat companies like HBO and A24 for the rights to the film adding what looks to be a prestigious film to their line-up.

Jason Momoa Joins Ray Fisher Calling Out Warner Bros.

The League are revolting!

Jason Momoa has backed Ray Fisher’s claims of abuse and poor management during the reshoots of DC/WB’s Justice League.

On Instagram, the Aquaman star called for a “proper investigation” of Warner Bros into the “Serious stuff went down” on the film’s set.

Momoa also claimed that the announcement he was playing Frosty the Snowman (which was covered here), was faked to cover up Fisher’s allegations against the studio.

Fisher also claims that Ben Affleck being brought back as Batman for The Flash movie was also a “PR stunt” to hide Fisher’s questioning of WB’s handling of the situation.

Ray Fisher, who played Cyborg in Justice League, has been calling out Warner Bros and producers on the film for enabling director Joss Whedon for “gross, abusive” treatment during the film’s tumultuous reshoots.

Even after Warner Media, WB’s parent company, announced an independent investigation, WB then claimed Fisher was refusing to help the investigation, something Fisher disproved.

Then Fisher accused WB of tampering with the investigation by not hiring a totally ‘independent’ investigator, accusing the investigators of ignoring key witnesses who made statements to WB’s HR department.

Now, Fisher has requested for a new investigator to be hired, this time by Warner Media and not WB to ensure transparency.

Both Momoa and Fisher were vocal supports of the #ReleaseTheSnyderCut movement, and now with Momoa’s support, this investigation might properly get underway.

Ant-Man 3 Villain Announced

Jonathan Majors is in talks to be the latest addition to the MCU, potentially as the villain of Ant-Man 3.

Majors’ character is reportedly Kang the Conqueror, a time-travelling warlord from the 30th century who has a grudged against The Avengers.

For such an impressive villain in the comics, it would be a waste just to have Kang in the Ant-Man three-quel and not as a major villain in the rest of the MCU.

With the time-travelling antics in Avengers: Endgame, it wouldn’t be surprising if Kang goes after the remaining Avengers for ruining the timeline.

More on the story can be found here.

The Mandalorian Season 2 Trailer

The first trailer for the 2nd season of Disney+’s The Mandalorian was released and promised a grander season than previous.

We also get the confirmation of the survival of The Armourer, who was a mentor figure to The Mandalorian and last seen facing a squad of Stormtroopers.

There are also glimpses of the New Republic X-Wing’s and Imperial forces including what could a Star Destroyer under the command of Giancarlo Esposito’s Moff Gideon.

One of the biggest takeaways from this moody trailer is the Mandalorian’s difficult mission of bringing The Child to the Jedi “sorcerers”.

There is also the confirmation of a great war between the Jedi and the Mandalorians which should make The Mandalorian’s mission tense.

Of course, by this point in the Star Wars universe, Luke Skywalker is the only true Jedi in the galaxy, unless there were more in hiding than Yoda and Obi-Wan Kenobi.

The Mandalorian Season 2 begins October 30th on Disney+.

More Disney Film Delays

The movie release dominos are falling again.

There are rumours that Disney are going to delay the release of Black Widow again and move another high profile to its streaming service.

Pixar’s upcoming movie, Soul, may abandon its theatrical release and be released to Disney+ much like with Mulan.

This comes after Warner Bros. delayed the release of Wonder Woman 1984 from October to December 25th.

All of this is the Hollywood studio’s reactions to the middling success of Tenet’s release.

So far Christopher Nolan’s film has grossed $200 million globally which is a decent amount given…well, everything.

As everything continues to stay the same, it will be more likely for big franchise movies to continued to be delayed until cinemas are safe to be open.

PlayStation 5 Release Date & Price

Sony held a Showcase for the PlayStation 5, announcing the long-expected price and release date for the next-gen console.

The PS5 will be released on November 12th with the standard console costing $750 and the digital only version, $600.

At the showcase, Sony showed off gameplay for Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Demon Souls among other and announced Hogwarts Legacy and God of War: Ragnarök coming in 2021.

For more, check the article here.

The Batman Production Resumes

Filming has recommenced on The Batman after it was halted due to a confirmed COVID case in the crew.

The rumour from on-set sources was that Robert Pattinson, Batman himself, contracted the virus.

No official sources have confirmed this and probably won’t for a while to allow the crew to finishing filming on the latest adaptation of The Caped Crusader.

The Batman production has been underway in the UK for a couple of months so far, starting later than expected due to COVID.

The Batman is still on track to be released October 1st, 2021.

72nd Emmy Winners

The 72nd Emmy’s were held with a combination of Zoom winners and in-studio appearances.

Amongst the clunky effort to deliver an award show during a global pandemic, the best of television was honoured.

Canadian cult comedy, Schitt’s Creek made history as the first series to have won a clean sweep of the Comedy awards category.

Dan Levy, the series creator, won 3 awards (Supporting Actor, Director, Writer) as well as Eugene Levy, Katherine O’Hara and Annie Murphy for Acting and the series won for Outstanding Comedy series.

The only series to come close was in 1978 when All in the Family won 6 of the 7 Comedy categories.

History continued to be made as Zendaya became the youngest person to win Outstanding Actress in a Drama, at the age of 24. So what have you done with your life?

The big winner of the night was Damon Lindelof’s comic book-sequel-adaptation, Watchmen, winning 11 of the 26 nominations it received.

Regina King won for Actress in a Limited Series as well as; Yahya Abdul-Mateen II won Supporting Actor and the series won Best Writing, Directing and Limited Series or Movie.

The other major winner was HBO’s Murdouch-inspired series, Succession with the show winning for Best Drama, Directing, Writing, and Actor.

She-Hulk Casting

Tatiana Maslany has been cast as the lead role in the Disney+ She-Hulk.

Maslany will play Jennifer Walters, the cousin of Bruce Banner, who is gifted similar powers as her cousin after he is forced to give her a blood transfusion.

Maslany will most likely play Walters’ human form and then motion-capture the She-Hulk performance, similar to Mark Ruffalo does on The Avengers’ films.

For more on the story, check it out here.

Ms. Marvel Series Directors

Continuing with the Disney+ news, the directors for the Ms. Marvel series have been announced.

Adil El Arbi and Bilal Fallah (Bad Boys for Life); Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, (Oscar winning documentary short A Girl in the River); and Meera Menon (The Punisher, Titans) have all joined the series’ directing team.

The series is showrun by Bisha K. Ali who has written for Netflix’s Sex Education and the Four Weddings and a Funeral TV series.

Ms. Marvel is about a Pakistani-American girl, Kamala Khan, whose body is altered by the alien Terrigen Mist, granting her body density and size manipulation powers.

Khan is also a massive fan of The Avengers, even writing fan-fiction about them, and idolises Captain Marvel, hence the name.

The actress to play Khan has not been cast yet, but with Maslany’s casting as She-Hulk, and the director’s announcement, expect a casting announcement soon.

WandaVision Trailer & Poster

Finally, the Marvel/Disney+ news keeps on rolling with the first poster and trailer for WandaVision released during the Emmy’s ceremony.

The trailer shows the mind-bending series’ tone and setting as Wanda Maximoff, a.k.a Scarlet Witch, and The Vision shift through different decades and TV sitcoms.

WandaVision’s plot remains a mystery with only the confirmation that Scarlet Witch and Vision are stuck in a reality-warped place that shifts through various TV decades, and Tom King’s Vision graphic novel as a source of influence.

WandaVision was originally set to be released after The Falcon & The Winter Soldier series, but that has now been delayed till 2021 making WandaVision the first Marvel/Disney+ show.

For more on the series and a full breakdown of the trailer, check out the article here.