Marvel Studios Negromancer Link-o-Rama 2024 - Update #75

by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

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NEWS:

THUNDERBOLTS - From EW:  "Entertainment Weekly" has an exclusive preview of Marvel Studios' "Thunderbolts," including new images from the film.  Also, in the article, actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus says that all the schemes of her character, Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, will be revealed.

GOLDEN GLOBES - From CBR:  Kathryn Hahn has been nominated for her role of "Agatha Harkness" in the Disney+ series, "Agatha All Along."  Hahn received a nomiation in the category of "Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy" at the 2025 / 82nd Annual Golden Globes.  Hahn is the fourth actor in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to received a Golden Globe nomination following Paul Bettany and Elizabeth Olsen in the Disney+ miniseries, "WandaVision," and Angela Bassett in the 2022 film, "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever."  Hahn's nomination that "Agatha All Along" received.

AVENGERS - From Deadline:  Sources are telling "Deadline" that actor Chris Evans, who played "Steve Rogers/Captain America," will return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe for "Avengers: Doomsday."  What role he will play is currently unknown.

FRANCHISE - From Deadline:  Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige says that the upcoming film, "Fantastic Four: First Steps" is about to wrap filming. He also says that "Avengers: Secret Wars" will set up the entry of the mutants and the "X-Men" into the Marvel Cinematic Universe."

ELIZABETH OLSEN - From Variety:  Actress Elizabeth Olsen, known for playing the "Scarlett Witch," in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, does not see conflict in making MCU films and independent films.  She describes being able to be in Marvel movies as insurance.

BLACK PANTHER 3 - From Deadline:  During the press interviews for the upcoming "Gladiator II," Denzel Washington let slip that he will have a role in "Black Panther 3."

CAPTAIN AMERICA - From YouTube:  Marvel just released the first official trailer for "Captain America: Brave New World," which is due in theaters February 14, 2025. The first "official teaser trailer" was released back in August (2024).

TRAILERS/DISNEY+ - From YouTube:  Disney+ gives a look ahead to the Marvel Studios productions that are scheduled to appear on the streamer in 2025.

SPIDER-MAN 4 - From Variety:  Tom Holland says that Sony/Marvel's "Spider-Man 4" begins filming next summer (2025).  He says "Everything's good to go" and "I can't wait."

BLADE - From Deadline:  Disney has removed Marvel Studios' "Blade" film from its 2025 release schedule.  It's November 7, 2025 release date has been given to 20th Century Studios' "Predator: Badlands."

DAREDEVIL - From Deadline:  Disney+ has set a March 4, 2025 date for the debut of Marvel Studios' "Daredevil: Born Again" series.

YOUNG AVENGERS - From Deadline:  "Deadline" looks at the the actors who have played characters that could be cast as the "Young Avengers."  That includes the most recent entry, actor Joe Locke as "Billy Maximoff"/"Wiccan" in Disney+/Marvel's "Agatha All Along."

TRAILER/THUNDERBOLTS - From YouTube:  Marvel has released a teaser trailer for its upcoming film, "Thunderbolts," which is due May 2, 2025.

SPIDER-MAN 4 - From Deadline:  The site is reporting that "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" director, Destin Daniel Cretton, is in early negotiations to direct the fourth Sony/Marvel "Spider-Man" film.

WANDAVISION - From THR:  Actor James Spader is reportedly set to return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He will reprise his voice role as the robotic villain, "Ultron," in a "WandaVision" spinoff that will focus on "Vision."  Terry Matalas, the showrunner of "Star Trek: Picard," will head the new series.

BLADE - From Variety:  Ryan Reynolds asks for more "Blade" in the wake of the reception the character received in "Deadpool & Wolverine." In the billion-dollar grosser, original "Blade" actor, Wesley Snipes, played the character.

X-MEN '97 - From THR:  Beau DeMayo, creator of Marvel's "X-Men '97," and Marvel Studios trade public comments about why he was fired from the series just before it debuted on Disney+

DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE - From Variety:  This Halle Berry-Storm/Blake Lively/Ryan Reynolds/Deadpool story has legs.

From Deadline:  "Deadpool & Wolverine" surpasses 1 billion dollars at the global box office

OBIT - From THR:  South African television and film star, Connie Chiume, has died at the age of 72, Tuesday, August 6, 2024.  Chiume is best known outside of South Africa her roles in Disney/Marvel Studios "Black Panther" (2018) and "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" (2022).  She also starred in Beyonce's "Black is King."

BLADE - From GuinnessWorldRecords:  According to Guiness World Records, Wesley Snipes has set to records for films based on Marvel Comics characters: "longest career as a live-action Marvel character" and longest gap between character appearances in Marvel films."

From CBR:  Wesley Snipes explains his "Blade: Trinity" feud with co-star, Ryan Reynolds. The two reunite in Disney/Marvel's global smash, "Deadpool & Wolverine."

AVENGERS - From Variety:  Word is that Robert Downey Jr. will get 100 million dollars plus luxurious amenities to return to Marvel Studios to play Victor Von Doom/Doctor Doom. The Russo Brothers will reportedly get 80 million to direct two Avengers movies.

From YahooEntertainment: Not everyone is happy with Robert Downey Jr.'s "Doctor Doom payday.

DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE - From Deadline:  The box office estimates for Mon., Jan 29th say 24.3 million dollars for "Deadpool & Wolverine."  The would be a record for R-rated films.

From Deadline:  I thought I had lost Gambit forever, Channing Tatum, who plays the character in "Deadpool & Wolverine," says.  Tatum praises "Deadpool" star Ryan Reynolds for helping him rescue his chance to play the character.

AVENGERS - From Deadline:  Marvel Studios announces at San Diego Comic-Con that Anthony and Joseph Russo a.k.a. "the Russo Brothers" will return to Marvel to direct the fifth and sixth Avengers films, "Avengers: Doomsday" and "Avengers: Secret Wars."  The brothers directed Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame.

DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE - From EW:  Wesley Snipes talks about his surprise return as Marvel's vampire hunter, "Blade," in "Deadpool & Wolverine."

From Deadline:  "Deadpool & Wolverine" grossed 38.5 million dollars in Thursday preview showings, a record for R-rated films and the eighth biggest day ever for previews showings.

From Deadline:  The site has a list of all the songs that you'll hear on the "Deadpool & Wolverine" soundtrack.

KEVIN FEIGE - From Deadline:  Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige answers five questions for "Deadline."

From THR:  Could Robert Downey, Jr. return as Tony Stark/Iron Man return to a Marvel Studios film the way Hugh Jackman has returned as Logan/Wolverine in "Deadpool vs. Wolverine?" Marvel boss Kevin Feige says it could happen.

DAREDEVIL & WOLVERINE - From THR:  Ryan Reynolds watched "Deadpool & Wolverine" with his nine-year-old daughter and his late 70-ish mother. And they loved it.

From THR:  Actress Emma Corrin says she took inspiration from "Willy Wonka" in order to play villain "Cassandra Nova" in "Deadpool & Wolverine."

FRANCHISE - From Deadline:   Marvel Studios Head of TV and Streaming Brad Winderbaum gave updates on several projects: the "Eyes of Wakanda" TV series, "Daredevil: Born Again," "Agatha All Along," and the animated "Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man."

FANTASTIC FOUR - From Deadline:  Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige says that the "Fantastic Four" movie will be a period piece "set in a version of the 1960s."

COMIC-CON - From Deadline:  Marvel Studios is returning to "Hall H" at San Diego Comic-Con 2024. The convention runs July 25th to 28th.

SHE-HULK - From Deadline:  Tatiana Maslany, the star of the Disney+/Marvel Studios series, "She-Hulk," says twerking with twerking with series guest-star, Grammy-winning recording artist, Megan Thee Stallion, was "the greatest moment in my life."

BLADE - From Deadline:  Mia Goth apparently has been cast in Marvel Studios' "Blade" film (due Nov. 2025). She addressed the films many delays by saying that they want to make a great movie.

From Deadline:  On social media, Wesley Snipes, the original big screen "Blade," is having a laugh at the troubles of Marvel Studios' "Blade" reboot, which is to star Mahershala Ali in the title role.  The project has now lost two directors and is on its sixth writer.

From Variety:  Yenn Demange has stepped down as director of Marvel Studios' long-in-development "Blade" reboot film. This is the second time a director has departed the project, with Bassam Tariq being the first.  Eric Pearson ("Black Widow," "The Fantastic Four") is now also the sixth writer to take a crack at the film's script.

AVENGERS - From Deadline:  As Disney/Marvel's "Deadpool & Wolverine" prepares to overwhelm the box office in late July, the film's director, Shawn Levy, is apparently at the top of the list to direct the next "Avengers" movie.

X-MEN - From Deadline:  The latest news on Marvel Studios' "X-Men" film is that Michael Lesslie, the writer of "The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes" is in negotiations to write the "X-Men" movie.

DEADPOOL/WOLVERINE - From CBR:  According to information on the AMC Theaters website, the running time on Marvel's "Deadpool & Wolverine" is 127 minutes (2 hours, 7 minutes).  The film is due July 26th.

DAREDEVIL - From Deadline:  Actors Charlie Cox (Matt Murdoch/Daredevil) and Vincent D'Onofrio (Wilson Fisk/Kingpin) say that they are very much involved in the creative process of the Disney+ Marvel Studios series, "Daredevil: Born Again."  The series now has a target release date of March 2025.

FANTASTIC FOUR - THR:  "The Hollywood Reporter" is reporting that actor Ralph Ineson ("Game of Thrones," "The Witch") is in talks to play the character, "Galactus," in Marvel's "Fantastic Four" film.

From Deadline:  The site is reporting the Oscar-nominated actor, John Malkovich, has signed onto Marvel's "Fantastic Four" in role that is being kept under wraps.

CAPTAIN AMERICA - From GamesRadar:  There is a photographic image of actor Danny Ramirez  as the character "Joaquin Torres," making its way around the interwebs.  Torres appeared in the Disney+ Marvel Studios series, "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier," and Torres will apparently replace Sam Wilson as "The Falcon," because Wilson takes on the identity of Captain America and will star in "Captain America: Brave New World."

DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE - From Deadline:  Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige apparently advised Hugh Jackman against coming back as Wolverine for "Deadpool & Wolverine."

OBITUARY - From Deadline:  British art director and production designer, Ray Chan, has died at the age of 56, Tuesday, April 23, 2024.  Chan was best known for his work in art direction, production design, and additional photography for Marvel Studios, beginning with "Thor: The Dark World" (2013) to the upcoming "Deadpool & Wolverine" (2024).  He was nominated for five Art Directors Guild Awards and won twice.

ANT-MAN - From Variety:  Michael Douglas, who plays "Hank Pym" in Marvel Studios' "Ant-Man" movies asked Marvel to kill off his character in "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania." He says he pitched a "fantastic death."

DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE - From Deadline:  Director Shawn Levy explains that the next Marvel Studios' film, "Deadpool and Wolverine" is not "Deadpool 3."  "This is a two-hander character adventure," he says.

CAPTAIN AMERICA - From EW:  The site has the first official photos from "Captain America: Brave New World."  There is a first-look of Anthony Mackie as "Sam Wilson/Captain America."  There is also a first look at Harrison as "Thaddeus 'Thunderbolt' Ross," the general who is now President of the United States.  The film is due Feb. 14, 2025.

IRON MAN - From ComicBook:  Recent Oscar-winner Robert Downey, Jr. ("Oppenheimer") says that he is willing to return to his role as "Tony Stark"/"Iron Man."  He hints that Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige could have a plan could have a plan and that he says, "Never, ever bet against Kevin Feige."

FANTASTIC FOUR - From Deadline:   Sources have told "Deadline" that Emmy-winning actress, Julia Garner (Netflix's "Ozark") has been cast to play the Shalla-Bal version of the "Silver Surfer" in Marvel's upcoming "Fantastic Four" movie.

DAREDEVIL: BORN AGAIN - From Variety:  New set photos have emerged from the Disney+ Marvel Studios series, "Daredevil: Born Again," reveals actor Jon Bernthal as "The Punisher," looking bloodied up.

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY - From Variety:  Although she is done (for now) playing "Gamora," actress Zoe Saldana thinks it would be a "huge loss" for Marvel Studios if they didn't bring back the "Guardians of the Galaxy."

BLADE - From ClutchPoints:  The latest news on Marvel's "Blade" film is that it starts film this Fall, according to info found on the website, "Production Weekly."

From Variety:  Aaron Pierre becomes the latest person to exit Marvel Studios' troubled "Blade" film.

From Vulture:  Alejandra Gularte offers, "Everything We Know About Marvel's Long-Delayed 'Blade'"

X-MEN '97 - From THR:  Beau DeMayo, the writer-producer who created "X-Men '97," for Disney+/Marvel, has been fired.  The series is a continuation of Fox's beloved Saturday morning animated series, "X-Men" (1992-97) and is set for a March 20th debut.

FRANCHISE - From THR:  Marvel Studios is "retooling," according to "The Hollywood Reporter."  For instance, the fifth Avengers film is no longer entitled, "Avengers: The Kang Chronicles."

IRON MAN - From USAToday:  Actor Robert Downy, Jr., who played Tony Stark/Iron Man in several films for Marvel Studios, has won the "Best Supporting Actor" award at the 2024 / 96th Academy Awards.  He won for portraying "Lewis Strauss" in director Christopher Nolan's "Oppenheimer."  Fellow Marvel star, Mark Ruffalo, who plays Bruce Banner/The Hulk, was also nominated in the same category for playing "Duncan Wedderburn" in the film, "Poor Things."

From Variety:  Actor Robert Downy, Jr., who played Tony Stark/Iron Man in several films for Marvel Studios, has won the "Best Supporting Actor" award at the 2024 BAFTA Film Awards.  He won for portraying "Lewis Strauss" in director Christopher Nolan's "Oppenheimer."

FANTASTIC FOUR - From Deadline:  Marvel Studios has announced the cast of its reboot of the "Fantastic Four" franchise.  The planned 2025 will star Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards (aka Mr. Fantastic), Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm (aka the Invisible Woman), Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm (aka the Human Torch), and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm (aka the Thing). 

DEADPOOL 3 - From YouTube:  "Deadpool 3" is now officially "Deadpool & Wolverine," and it has a trailer.  The film is due July 26th, 2024.

From Polygon:  There are cameos a-plenty in the first "Deadpool & Wolverine" trailer.

THUNDERBOLTS - From THR:  According to "The Hollywood Reporter," actor Lewis Pullman (Apple TV+'s "Lessons in Chemistry," Top Gun: Maverick) will play whatever role actor Steven Yeun was supposed to play in the upcoming Marvel film, "Thunderbolts."  Yuen exited the film in early January (2024).

DEADPOOL 3 - From Variety:  Ryan Reynolds announced via Instagram today (Wed., Jan. 24th) that "Deadpool 3" has wrapped up filming.

GUARDIANS - From ComicBook:  "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" earned a "Best Visual Effects" Oscar nomination at the 2024 / 96th Academy Awards.  The winners will be announced Sunday, March 10th, 2024.

DEADPOOL 3 - From Deadline:  Hugh Jackman has shared a video on Instagram of the workout he is using to get his "Wolverine body" back for his role in "Deadpool 3."

ECHO - From Time:  What to know before watching the Disney+ Marvel Studios series, "Echo."

THUNDERBOLTS - From Variety:  "Variety.com" says that it can confirm that actor Steven Yeun is no longer involved in Marvel Studios' "Thunderbolts" film.  Marvel never officially confirmed that Yeun was in the film, so it is unknown if Yeun's character was dropped or is being rethought.

DEADPOOL 3 - From Deadline:  Actor Ryan Reynolds finished 2023 by posting of photo of himself wearing the "Deadpool" costume on Instagram.

AWARDS - From AwardsWatch:  The Make-Up Artists & Hair Stylists Guild (MUAHS, IATSE Local 706) has announced nominations for the 11th MUAHS Guild Awards. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 received four nominations.  The winners will be announced Sunday, February 18, 2024.

KANG - From THR:  Marvel Studios has dropped actor Jonathan Majors from its roster of stars after the actor was convicted by a New York City jury of reckless assault in the third degree and also of harassment.  Majors had played "Kang the Conqueror" in two seasons of the Disney+ series, "Loki," and in the movie, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.

BLACK PANTHER - From ComicBook:  Disney+ has announced a new animated series, "Eyes of Wakanda," set in the world of his film, Black Panther.  It is scheduled to debut sometime in 2024.

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MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE (MCU):

Review: Iron Man (2008)

Review: The Incredible Hulk (2008)

Review: Iron Man 2 (2010)

Review: Thor (2011)

Review:  Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)

Review:  Marvel's The Avengers (2012)

Review: Iron Man 3 (2013)

Review: Thor: The Dark World (2013)

Review: Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)

Review: Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

Review:  Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)

Review: Ant-Man (2015)

Review: Captain America: Civil War (2016)

Review: Doctor Strange (2016)

Review: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)

Review:  Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)

Review: Thor: Ragnarok (2017)

Review:  Black Panther (2018)

Review:  Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

Review: Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018)

Review:  Captain Marvel (2019)

Review: Avengers: Endgame (2019)

Review:  Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)

Review: Black Widow (2021)

Review: Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)

Review: Eternals (2021)

Review: Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)

Review: Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)

Review: Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)

Review: Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022)

Review: Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023)

Review: Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3 (2023)

Review: The Marvels (2023)

Review: Deadpool & Wolverine (2024)

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Click here for the 2023 edition of "Marvel Studios Negromancer Link-o-Rama"

Click here for the 2022 edition of "Marvel Studios Negromancer Link-o-Rama"

Click here for the 2021 edition of "Marvel Studios Negromancer Link-o-Rama."

Click here for the 2020 edition of "Marvel Studios Negromancer Link-o-Rama."

Click here for the 2019 edition of "Marvel Studios Negromancer Link-o-Rama."

Click here for the 2018 edition of "Marvel Studios Negromancer Link-o-Rama."

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Negromancer News Bits and Bites from May 19th to 25th, 2024 - UPDATE #10

by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

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ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

SCANDAL - From Deadline:  Nicki Minaj‘s show in Manchester, England, was postponed after the singer was arrested at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport on suspicion of carrying marijuana.  The Grammy-nominated recording artist has since been released.

CELEBRITY - From THR:  The venerable Hollywood paper profiles hot HOT actor Glen Powell and his continuing rise up the film industry superstar ladder. 

ANIME - From JapanTimes:  Four rare anime short films from Studio Ghibli will be screened at Cannes. One of them, "Mei and the Baby Cat Bus" is a 14-minutes mini-sequel to the legendary anime film, "My Neighbor Totoro" (1989), which was directed by Hayao Miyazaki, the co-founder of the studios.

CANNES - From Variety:  Netflix has bought director John Lee Hancock's drama, "Monsanto," starring Glen Powell, Anthony Mackie, and Oscar-winner, Laura Dern.

From Variety:  Director Ali Abbasi's film, "The Apprentice," a biopic of Donald Trump, has screen at Cannes.  Actor Sebastian Stan (Captain America: The Winter Soldier) plays Trump. The film has drawn attention for a controversial scenes of sex or rape - depending on point of view.

DISNEY - From EW:  "Pirates of the Caribbean" producer Jerry Bruckheimer would like to reboot the PotC franchise and also do a PotC film starring Margot Robbie.  Bruckheimer also said that he'd bring Johnny Depp back as "Captain Jack Sparrow" if it were up to him... So it's apparently not.

AI - From Variety:  "Sky," is one of the voice-enabled chatbots in OpenAI's latest release, "GPT-4o." Sky sounds like the voice Scarlett Johansson uses as the disembodied AI companion in the director Spike Jonze's 2013 film, Her.  Many people noticed, including Johansson, herself who threatened legal action.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Will Smith's action film, "Sugar Bandits" to be directed by Stefano Sollima, is set to start production in September. The film has sealed a number of international deals, including with Amazon Prime Video, ahead of that.

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro:  The winner of the 5/17 to 5/19/2024 weekend box office is Paramount Pictures' "IF" with an estimated total of 35 million dollars.

CANNES - From Variety:  Cate Blanchett's new film, "Rumors," directed by Guy Maddin, is indeed named after Fleetwood Mac's iconic 1977 album.

MOVIES - From THR:  Sony's reboot of the 1997 horror film hit, "I Know What You Did Last Summer," is due "Summer 2025."

Marvel Studios Negromancer Link-o-Rama 2023 - Update #60

by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

Support Leroy on Patreon:

NEWS:

KANG - From THR:  Marvel Studios has dropped actor Jonathan Majors from its roster of stars after the actor was convicted by a New York City jury of reckless assault in the third degree and also of harassment.  Majors had played "Kang the Conqueror" in two seasons of the Disney+ series, "Loki," and in the movie, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.

BLACK PANTHER - From ComicBook:  Disney+ has announced a new animated series, "Eyes of Wakanda," set in the world of his film, Black Panther.  It is scheduled to debut sometime in 2024.

THOR - From Variety:  Oscar-winner Taika Waititi said that he had not interest in directing "Thor: Ragnarok," but did so because he was poor and had a second child to feed.

AVENGERS - From Deadline:  According to the site, Michael Waldron, who created the Disney+ "Loki" series and served as its showrunner for Season 1, has been tapped to write the upcoming film, "Avengers: The Kang Dynasty." Waldron is already penning the sequel, '"Avengers: Secret Wars."

FANTASTIC FOUR - From Deadline:  Word is that actor Pedro Pascal will portray Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic in Marvel Studios' planned "Fantastic Four" film.

AVENGERS - From Deadline:  Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings director, Destin Daniel Cretton, is stepping away from the directors chair of "Avengers: The Kang Chronicles."  He will continue to oversee the Disney+/Marvel Studios series, "Wonder Man," and will also continue to develop a "Shang-Chi" sequel.

THOR 5 - From Variety:  If there is really going to be a "Thor 5," Taika Waititi, who directed the previous two "Thor" films (Thor: Ragnarok and Thor: Love and Thunder), says that he won't be the film's director. He says he is working on other non-Marvel films and is still developing his "Star Wars" films.

THE MARVELS - From BoxOfficePro:  "The Marvels" tops the 11/10 to 11/12/2023 weekend box office.

From Here:  A review of "The Marvels" by Leroy Douresseaux.

RELEASE DATES - From Deadline:  Disney is changing the release dates for Marvel Studios films again.  "Deadpool 3" moves to July 26, 2024.  "Captain America: Brave New World" moves to February 14, 2025.  "Blade" is not scheduled for November 7, 2025.

BLADE - From Deadline:  In an interview about his short film, "Dammi," director Yann Demange says that his Marvel Studios' film, "Blade" (starring Mahershala Ali) will be rated "R."

OBIT - From Variety:  Movie stuntman, Taraja Ramsess, has died at the age of 41, Tuesday, October 31, 2023.  Ramsess and two of his daughters were killed in a car crash on Halloween night.  Among his 94 screen credits was stunt work on Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, and Black Panther.

FRANCHISE - From Variety:  Crisis at Marvel Studios? Inside the Jonathan Majors/"Kang" scandal and other things exciting the gossipy press.

DAREDEVIL BORN AGAIN - From THR:  Screenwriter Dario Scardapane will be the showrunner for Disney+.Marvel Studios' "Daredevil: Born Again."  Scardapane will write the remainder of the episodes that will comprise Season One of the series, as well as commit any other writing.  "Loki" Season 2 helmers, Justin Benson and Aaron Moorehead, will direct the remaining episodes.

From THR:  Marvel Studios is "retooling" its Disney+ series, "Daredevil: Born Again."  It is looking for new directors and writers after firing the current staff.

X-MEN - From Deadline:  In an exclusive story, "Deadline" is reporting that Marvel Studios will start meeting with writers later this Fall 2023 to hear pitches for the X-Men movie.

DAREDEVIL BORN AGAIN - From Variety:  Steven DeKnight, the showrunner for the first season of Netflix/Marvel's "Daredevil" says that Disney is running a scam by renaming the series "Daredevil: Born Again."  The scam is that Disney is slightly renaming the series to set contract terms back to the first season." Read to hear his explanation and complaints.

DISNEY+ - From Variety:  Disney+ has shifted the release dates of some of its upcoming series due to the ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes.  Season 2 of "What If?..." has been delayed.  "Echo" and the animated "X-Men '97" have been moved from Nov. 29th to Jan. 2024.  The "WandaVision" spinoff, "Agatha," has been moved over year away to Fall 2024.

LABOR - From Variety:  A super-majority of Marvel Studios' more than 50-worker visual effects (VFX) crew has voted to unionize, the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) announced on Mon., Aug. 7th.

IRON MAN - From CBR:   In an interview, "Oppenheimer" director Christopher Nolan calls the casting of Robert Downey, Jr. (who stars in "Oppenheimer") one of the greatest casting decisions ever made.

THE MARVELS - From EW:  Marvel Studios' upcoming film, "The Marvels," is the "cover feature" at EW ("Entertainment Weekly), feature an exclusive behind-the-scenes look and new images from the film.

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY - From Deadline:  "Guardians of the Galaxy 3" will make its Disney+ debut on August 2nd, 2023.

MS MARVEL - From CBR:  The Disney+/Marvel Studios series, "Ms. Marvel," will be the first Marvel Studios series to make it to broadcast television.  The series will debut on ABC, Saturday, August 5th, 2023 with three episodes, and the remaining three will debut the following week, Sat. August 12th.

DEADPOOL - From THR:  The site is reporting that Jennifer Garner will once again play the role of anti-hero and Marvel Comics assassin, "Elektra," in the upcoming Marvel Studios' film, "Deadpool 3."  Garner originally played the role in 20th Century Fox's "Daredevil" (2003) and "Elektra" (2005).

SECRET INVASION - From Polygon:  The opening credits scenes for the new Marvel Studios' Disney+ series, "Secret Invasion," used art generated by an artificial intelligence.  Yes, AI art is here to stay, but Marvel's move has generated some ill will.

HULK - From Deadline:  The rights issues have cleared.  The second film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), 2008's "The Incredible Hulk," is now streaming on Disney+.

CAPTAIN AMERICA 4 - From Variety:  "Captain America: New World Order" is now "Captain America: Brave New World."  Plus, the film has dropped a first-look photo of Harrison Ford and Anthony Mackie ("Captain America") sharing a laugh on the set of the film.

THOR - From Deadline:  Irish actor Ray Stevenson, has died at the age of 58, May 22, 2023.  He played the character "Volstagg," in Marvel Studios' "Thor" (2011), "Thor: The Dark World" (2013), and "Thor: Ragnarok" (2017).  He also played "Frank Castle/The Punisher" in Lionsgate's 2008 Marvel Comics' film, "Punisher: War Zone."

DEADPOOL 3 - From Deadline:  Actresses Brianna Hildebrand will return as the character "Negasonic Teenage Warhead" and Shioli Kutsuna will return as Negasonic's girlfriend, Yukio, in Marvel Studios' "Deadpool 3."

LOKI - From Deadline:  Marvel Studios' Disney+ series, Loki Season 2, will arrive October 6th.  New episodes will arrive weekly.

ECHO - From Deadline:  Every episode of Marvel Studios' Disney+ series, "Echo," will drop on November 29th.  The series focuses on "Maya Lopez," a deaf Native American superhero.

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY - From Variety:  "Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3" opens with a domestic box office gross estimated at 114 million dollars.  It added 168 million dollars in 52 international markets for an estimated worldwide total of 282 million dollars.

From GamesRadar:  Vin Diesel breaks his silence on his character, Groot's final line in the film. The reason why we (the audience) and new Gamorra could understand that line is that after spending so much time alongside Groot, we can understand him.

From THR:  This is an article about, among other things, how Chris Pratt and his "Guardians of the Galaxy" rescued their director James Gunn after his (unjust) firing by Disney.

From Deadline:  "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" does 14 million dollars in Thursday night's preview shows.

From The AVClub:  What does "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" mean for the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe?

DAREDEVIL - From CBR:  Actor Vincent D'Onofrio says that the Disney+/Marvel Studios series, "Daredevil: Born Again," will not be like Netflix's "Daredevil" series.  He says that all he can say is "we are not bored."

VICTORIA ALONSO - From Deadline:  Disney has settled with former Marvel Studios VFX chief Victoria Alonso after abruptly firing her in March.  The terms are confidential, but the settlement is said to be a multimillion dollar compensation package.

JEREMY RENNER - From People:  Actor Jeremy Renner said that during his recovery from serious injuries he sustained due to a Jan 1st snowplow accident, fellow actor Anthony Mackie was at his bedside.  Renner and Mackie both starred in the Oscar-winning "The Hurt Locker" (2009) and both are among the Marvel Cinematic Universes biggest stars.

ANT-MAN - From Forbes:  Disney reveals that its spent 193.2 million dollars on pre-production and filming of "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania."

CAPTAIN AMERICA - From THR:  Liv Tyler, who played "Betty Ross" in Universal Pictures and Marvel Studios' "The Incredible Hulk" (2008), will return as the character in "Captain America: New World Order." Anthony Mackie will headline the film as Sam Wilson/Captain America.

From TheAVClub: Actor Carl Lumbly, who played the super-soldier, "Isaiah Bradley" in the Disney+ series "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier" will reprise the role in "Captain America 4," which is currently titled "Captain America: New World Order."

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY - From Deadline:  Director James Gunn talks about the runtime of "Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 3" (about two and a half hours) and says that not a second of the film is wasted.

EXECUTIVE SUITE - From THR:  Victoria Alonso, the president of physical and postproduction, visual effects and animation production at Marvel Studios, has reportedly left the company.

IRONHEART - From GameRant:  Iconic voice performer, Cree Summer, who has performed voice roles in numerous animated films and television series, has joined the Disney+/Marvel Studios' series, "Ironheart," in an undisclosed role.

WOLVERINE - From Variety:  Hugh Jackman is bulking up to play "Wolverine" again, this time, in the upcoming "Deadpool 3."  He is eating 8000 calories a day.

DAREDEVIL - From THR:  Actor John Bernthal will return to play Frank Castle/The Punisher in Disney+/Marvel Studios' "Daredevil: Born Again."  Bernthal played the character in Season 2 of Marvel/Netflix's "Daredevil" and in his own series, "The Punisher," for two seasons (2017-19).

WAKANDA FOREVER - From Deadline:  "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" topped the U.S. streaming charts the week of its debut, 1/30 to 2/5/2023, with 2.3 billion viewing minutes.  That is also the third highest debut ever, behind Netflix "Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery" and Disney+'s "Hocus Pocus 2."

ANT-MAN/WASP - From Variety:  Actor Jonathan Majors, who played "Kang," and screenwriter Jeff Loveness confront the bad reviews that "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania" in different ways.

From Deadline:  "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania" star Evangeline Lilly says she once turned down Hugh Jackman's request that she appear in an "X-Men" film."

THE MARVELS - From THR:  "The Marvels" release date has been moved July 28th to Nov. 10th.  Disney's "Haunted Mansion" will take the July 28th release date.

KEVIN FEIGE - From EW:  Marvel Studios boss, Kevin Feige, gives a wide-ranging interview to "Entertainment Weekly" about Marvel's movies, including discussions on Phase 5, "Kang," and the future of the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe).

OSCARS - From Marvel:  "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" has received 5 nominations at the 2023 / 95th Academy Awards.  The nominations came in the following categories: "Best Supporting Actress," "Best Costume Design," "Best Original Song," "Best Visual Effects," and "Best Makeup and Hairstyling."  The winners will be announced Sunday, March 12, 2023.

DAREDEVIL: BORN AGAIN - From Deadline:  Nikki M. James has joined the cast of the Disney+/Marvel Studios series, "Daredevil: Born Again."  Her role is unknown.

ANGELA BASSETT - From Variety:  “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” star Angela Bassett made superhero cinema history on Tuesday as the first woman, the first person of color, and the first Marvel Studios actor to be nominated for an Academy Award for their performance in a comic book adaptation. 

From Variety:  With her "Best Supporting Actress" win for her performance in "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" (as "Queen Ramonda") at the 80th Golden Globes, Angela Bassett becomes the first actor in a Marvel Studios film to win a major acting award.  She was part of the cast that won "Best Ensemble" for "Black Panther" at the 2019 SAG Awards.

AGATHA - From Deadline:  Kathryn Hahn, the star of the Disney+ "WandaVision" spinoff, "Agatha: Coven of Chaos," hints that there may a song or two in the new series.  The series is apparently due this year.

BLACK PANTHER - From Deadline:  "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" is among the ten nominees in the category of "Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures" at the 2023 / 34th Annual Producers Guild of America Awards.  Winners will be announced Sat., Feb. 25th, 2023.

DON CHEADLE - From Variety:  Oscar-nominated actor, Don Cheadle, says in an interview that Marvel Studios gave him two hours to decide if he wanted to join "Iron Man 2" and sign a six-movie contract with them.  Cheadle would go on to play James "Rhodey" Rhodes/War Machine in six films.

WAKANDA FOREVER - From THR:  "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" cinematographer, Durald Arkapaw, reflects on “one of the most beautiful endings”

TEASERS & TRAILERS:

From Deadline:  This is second trailer for "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3," which made it debut during Super Bowl LVII (Feb. 12th).  The film debuts May 5th, 2023.

From YouTube:  This is the second trailer for "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania," which was released Jan. 9th.  The film is due in theaters February 17, 2023.

From YouTube: This is the first trailer for "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania," which is due in theaters February 17, 2023.

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MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE (MCU):

Review: Iron Man (2008)

Review: The Incredible Hulk (2008)

Review: Iron Man 2 (2010)

Review: Thor (2011)

Review:  Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)

Review:  Marvel's The Avengers (2012)

Review: Iron Man 3 (2013)

Review: Thor: The Dark World (2013)

Review: Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)

Review: Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

Review:  Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)

Review: Ant-Man (2015)

Review: Captain America: Civil War (2016)

Review: Doctor Strange (2016)

Review: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)

Review:  Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)

Review: Thor: Ragnarok (2017)

Review:  Black Panther (2018)

Review:  Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

Review: Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018)

Review:  Captain Marvel (2019)

Review: Avengers: Endgame (2019)

Review:  Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)

Review: Black Widow (2021)

Review: Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)

Review: Eternals (2021)

Review: Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)

Review: Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)

Review: Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)

Review: Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022)

Review: Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023)

Review: Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3 (2023)

Review: The Marvels (2023)

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Click here for the 2022 edition of "Marvel Studios Negromancer Link-o-Rama"

Click here for the 2021 edition of "Marvel Studios Negromancer Link-o-Rama."

Click here for the 2020 edition of "Marvel Studios Negromancer Link-o-Rama."

Click here for the 2019 edition of "Marvel Studios Negromancer Link-o-Rama."

Click here for the 2018 edition of "Marvel Studios Negromancer Link-o-Rama."

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Negromancer News Bits and Bites from June 25th to 30th, 2023 - Update #15

by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

AMAZON - From Deadline:  Tyler Perry has announced the second film of the four-picture deal he signed with Amazon back in November 2022.  Perry will write, produce, and direct "Divorce in the Black."  Among its stars are Meagon Goode, Debbie Morgan, and Perry himself, to name a few.

MARVEL STUDIOS - From Deadline:  Marvel Studios' star, Anthony Mackie (Falcon, Captain America) speaks out in support of his fellow Marvel star, Jonathan Majors (Kang the Conqueror), who has recently faced multiple accusations of violence against women.

NETFLIX - From Deadline:  Netflix has signed a five-year deal with Japanese screenwriter Yuki Sakamoto.  He won the screenplay award at this year's Cannes Film Festival for the film, "Monster."

DISNEY - From THR:  Evan Peters, hot off "Dahmer - Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story," will reportedly play the villain next to Jared Leto's hero in "Tron 3."  Joachim Ronning is scheduled to direct the film that hopes to begin filming in August.

DC STUDIOS - From Variety:  Actor David Corenswet will play Superman/Clark Kent and Rachel Brosnahan will play Lois Lane in 2025's "Superman: Legacy."

TELEVISION - From Deadline:  MSNBC has renewed John Leguizamo's travelogue-style show, "Leguizamo Does America," for a second season.

ACADEMY AWARDS - From THR:  Actress Angela Bassett, writer-director-actor-songwriter Mel Brooks and film editor Carol Littleton have been tapped to receive honorary Oscars, while former Sundance Institute chief Michelle Satter will receive the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at the 2023 Governors Awards, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Monday, June 26th.  The 14th annual honors will be presented at a ceremony at the Fairmont Century Plaza in Los Angeles on Nov. 18th.

MUSIC - From Variety:  The winners at the 2023 BET Awards were announced.  There was a tie for "Album of the Year," Beyonce for "Renaissance" and SZA for "SOS."

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro:  The winner of the 6/23 to 6/25/2023 weekend box office is Sony Pictures' "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" with an estimated take of 19.3 million dollars.

From Variety:  "The Flash" experiences a 73 percent drop from its debut weekend (when it was #1) to its second weekend (where it finished at #3).

From Here:  A movie review of "The Flash" by Leroy Douresseaux.

STREAMING - From Deadline:  Paramount+ has canceled a slew of its originals, including "Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies," "Star Trek: Prodigy," "Queen of the Universe," and "The Game."  The streamer is taking the shows off its platform as it becomes the latest media company to take a content write-down.  Some will be shopped to rival broadcasters and streamers.

OBITS:

From Variety:  Film director and actor, Alan Arkin, has died at the age of 89, Thursday, June 29, 2023.  Arkin won the best supporting actor Oscar for his performance in the "Little Miss Sunshine" (2006).  His prolific career includes roles in such films at "Catch-22," "The In-Laws," "The Rocketeer," "Glengarry Glen Ross," and "Argo," to name a few.

From Deadline:   The English film and television actor, Julian Sands, has been confirmed dead, at the age of 65.  Sands had been missing since mid-January when he was believed to be hiking on Mount Baldy, northeast of Los Angeles.  Hikers found human remains on Mount Baldy on June 24th, and they were confirmed as Sands Tues., June 27th, 2023.  His varied film career included roles in such films as "A Room with a View" (1985), "Gothic" (1986), "Warlock" (1989), "Boxing Helena" (1993), and "Leaving Las Vegas" (1995), to name a few.

From Deadline:  Television, film, and state actor, Nicolas Coster, has died at the age of 89, Monday, June 26, 2023.  Among his best known works are his roles on the former NBC daytime soaps, "Another World" (1970-80) and "Santa Barbara" (1984-93).  He appeared in numerous other TV series, including "Star Trek: The Next Generations," "Law & Order," and "As the World Turns," to name a few.  He won a Daytime Emmy Awards in 2017 and was nominated four other times for his work on "Santa Barbara."

WRITERS STRIKE:

From Deadline:  Writers Strike puts the spotlight back on the challenge from writers for animation productions to be covered by the WGA.

From THR:  Studios won't give writers better pay, and now, are laying off janitors.

From Deadline:  The Directors Guild of America (DGA) has reached a tentative new three-year deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). So what does the Writers Guild (WGA), currently on strike and negotiating with the AMPTP, think of that deal.

From Deadline:  Netflix shareholders declined to support the 2023 pay packages of top executives during a non-binding vote at the company’s annual shareholder meeting on Thursday.  The vote won't prevent these execs from getting their loot (an total of $166 million), but this is a rare public rebuke.  The Writers Guild of America (WGA) has urged shareholders to vote "No" because the pay was "inappropriate" at this time.

From Deadline:  Warner Bros Discovery chief David Zaslav gave the commencement address at Boston University. There he was met with jeers and also chants of "pay your writers" from picketers and from some in the audience.

From Deadline:   President Joe Biden speaks on the Writers Guild of America strike.

From Deadline:  Retaliation! The studios have starting informing writer-producers who have "overall" and "first-look" deals that such deals are being suspended.

From Deadline:  Retaliation!  Prolific HBO creator, David Simon, who is best known for "The Wire," is one of the many writers who have had their overall deals suspended the studios due to the WGA strike.  Simon has been with HBO for 25 years.

From Deadline:  The Writers Guild of America (WGA) is on strike.

From Deadline:  Disney, HBO/HBO Max, and CBS have sent letters to showrunners (the TV equivalent of film directors) instructing them to return to work, inspite of the writer's strike.

From Deadline:  The WGA's chief negotiator, Ellen Stutzman, talks about the state of the writers' strike, including the lack of engagement on the part of the strike's other party, AMPTP.

From Deadline:  What went wrong between the WGA and AMPTP? What could they not agree on that led to a strike?

From Deadline:  The site explains the WGA strike: the issues, the stakes, movies and TV shows affected, and how long it might last.

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Review: "SYNCHRONIC" is a Fresh and Intriguing Take on Time Travel Movies

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 24 of 2022 (No. 1836) by Leroy Douresseaux

Synchronic (2020)
Running time:  102 minutes (1 hour, 42 minutes)
MPAA – R for drug content and language throughout, and for some violent/bloody images
DIRECTORS:  Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead
WRITER:  Justin Benson
PRODUCERS:  Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead, David Lawson Jr., and Michael Mendelsohn
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Aaron Moorhead
EDITORS:  Justin Benson, Michael Felker, and Aaron Moorhead
COMPOSER:  Jimmy LaValle

SCI-FI/DRAMA

Starring:  Anthony Mackie, Jamie Dornan, Ally Ioannides, Katie Aselton, and Ramiz Monsef

Synchronic is a 2020 science fiction and drama film directed by Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, also known as the team of Benson & Moorhead.  The film focuses on two paramedics who encounter a series of bizarre accidents and inexplicable deaths that are tied to a mysterious new designer drug, which has otherworldly side effects on its users.

Synchronic is set in New Orleans, Louisiana.  It introduces two paramedics, Steve Denube (Anthony Mackie) and Dennis Dannelly (Jamie Dornan), who are also longtime friends.  They begin to receive a series of emergency calls that turn out to be unusual or inexplicable.  In a hotel room, they find a young woman suffering from the bite of an Eastern diamondback rattlesnake, which is not native to Louisiana.  At a domestic abuse call, they find a man who has apparently been stabbed with something like a sword, and they later find an old sword embedded in the wall of another room.  At these emergency calls, Steve usually finds an empty package for a new designer drug known as “Synchronic.”

After being injured on the job, Steve, a sexually active ladies' man, has a routine blood test.  It reveals that he has a brain tumor near his pineal gland, which is unusually underdeveloped and non-calcified for a man his age.

Dennis is married to Tara (Kate Aselton) and has two children, including a now 18-year-old daughter, Brianna (Ally Ioannides).  Responding to an overdose call, Steve and Dennis find a dead boy and an intoxicated girl who tells them that Brianna was at their party.  Steve and Dennis can't find her, but Steve does find an empty Synchronic package near where Brianna was supposed to be sitting.  Investigating Synchronic, Steve learns that it alters the perception of time and can even allow some people to time travel.  Now, Steve begins the journey of a lifetime in hopes of finding Brianna somewhere in time before he runs out of time.

Synchronic is a modestly-budgeted independent film.  It is also a high-concept science fiction film based on the fantastic concept of a street drug that can allow humans – to one extent or another – experience time travel or time displacement.  I think the budget is what keeps this film from really flying with this concept.  Don't get me wrong, dear readers.  Benson & Moorhead take their audience to some interesting places in the past, and I imagine that they could do even more with this concept if it were a television/streaming series or miniseries.  I can say that they are definitely not shy about depicting how treacherous New Orleans was for a Black man in the past and even now.

To that end, Anthony Mackie gives a performance that is bigger than this film.  In fact, no element sells Synchronic's ideas and plots better than Mackie's performance.  The script kind of relegates Jamie Dornan to the sidelines, although Dennis Dannelly is surrounded by some intriguing family melodrama.  However, it is Mackie as Steve who does the heavy lifting and convinces the audience that Synchronic the drug and its amazing effects are an actual thing.

So this is my way of saying that Synchronic should not be lost to time.  Benson & Moorhead have created a concept that could be … dare I say it... timeless.  Honestly, I only decided to watch this film after learning that this duo was directing two episodes of the Disney+/Marvel Studios six-episode series, “Moon Knight.”  Now, I'm just glad I watched it, and I recommend it to film fans and movie lovers looking for offbeat, indie sci-film films.  And I hope for more in the world of Synchronic.

7 of 10
B+
★★★½ out of 4 stars

Thursday, April 21, 2022


The text is copyright © 2022 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Negromancer News Bits and Bites from March 20th to 26th, 2022 - Update #22

by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

MOVIES - From Deadline:  A24's recent horror film, "X," could be a budding horror movie franchise.  A prequel film is apparently already close to being finished and preparations are being made for a sequel.

STAR TREK - From Variety:  Actress Ito Aghayere talks about playing "Young Guinan" on the Paramount+ series, "Star Trek: Picard." "Guinan" is the classic "Star Trek: The Next Generation" character originally played by Oscar-winner, Whoopi Goldberg.

MOVIES - From People:  Here are the first look photos of Oscar-winner Nicolas Cage as "Dracula" in Universal Pictures' horror-comedy, "Renfield," in which Nicholas Hoult plays the title role.

BROADWAY - From Deadline:  A Broadway musical is being developed based on the 1983 film, "Trading Places."  Aneesa Folds will play Eddie Murphy's role, and Bryce Pinkham will play Dan Aykroyd's role.

TELEVISION - From Deadline:  The CW has given early renewals to 7 of its 19 scripted dramas.  Owners Warner Media and ViacomCBS has put The CW up for sale, with Nexstar being among the suitors.

STREAMING - From Deadline:  HBO Max's "Sex in the City" sequel, "And Just Like That..." has been renewed for a second season.

NETFLIX - From Deadline:  Actress Christina Ricci, who played "Wednesday Addams," in two 1990s "Addams Family" films directed by Barry Sonnenfeld, will play a major role in Netflix's series, "Wednesday."  The nature of her role is still a secret.  Jenna Ortega will play Wednesday in the series.

OSCARS - From Deadline:  At the 94th Academy Awards, Beyonce will indeed perform her Oscar-nominated song, "Be Alive" (from "King Richard" and co-written with DIXSON) via satellite from a Compton tennis court.

From Variety:   Beyonce is in talks to perform her Oscar-nominated song, "Be Alive" (from "King Richard") live from the tennis courts in Compton, California during the 94th Academy Awards.  The film focuses on Richard Williams, the father of tennis legends, Venus and Serena Williams, who learned to play tennis on those courts with Richard as their coach.

MOVIES - From Variety:  The sequel to the 2021 hit, "Godzilla vs. Kong," will start filming in Australia later this year.

OSCARS - From BBC:  The BBC's website has produced a video that presents all the "Best Picture" nominees for the 94th Academy Awards in 59 seconds.

CELEBRITY - From Variety:  This year's "Rase to Erase MS" gala will return to Fairmont Century Plaza hotel on May 20th and will feature music by "Nile Rogers & Chic" and a Tommy Hilfiger Adaptive fashion show.

MOVIES - From ShadowandAct:   Marvel Cinematic Universe star and New Orleans native Anthony Mackie has reportedly bought 20 acres in New Orleans East where he plans to start a movie studio.  However, Mackie has reportedly officially said that it was too premature to discuss specifics of the deal.

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro:  The winner of the 3/18 to 3/20/2022 weekend box office is "The Batman" with an estimated 36.8 million dollars.

From Here:  Negromancer's review of "The Batman."

STAR TREK - From TheGuardian:  Georgia gubernatorial candidate and voting rights champion, Stacey Abrams, made a cameo as "President of United Earth" on the Season 4 finale of "Star Trek: Discovery" (Paramount+).  Some people were mad...

TELEVISION - From Deadline:  The daytime syndicated talk show "Maury" will be ending after the current season, apparently a mutual decision between the host, Maury Povich, and NBCUniversal Syndication Studios.  Povich is reportedly retiring.  The last original episodes will air through September 2022, after which repeats of the show will continue to air in syndication

AWARDS - From Deadline: "CODA" wins the top award, "Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures," at the 2022 / 33rd Producers Guild Awards.

AVATAR - From Variety:  "Avatar 2" star Zoe Saldana said that after watching 20 minutes of the film, she cried.

CANNES - From Deadline:  Not only will "Top Gun: Maverick" make its premiere at the 75th Cannes Film Festival, but its star Tom Cruise will also feted with a "career retrospective" special tribute.

OBITS:

From RollingStone:  Singer-songwriter and rock musician, Taylor Hawkins, has died at the age of 50, Friday, March 25, 2022 in a hotel in Bogota, Columbia.  Hawkins was best known as the drummer of the band, "Foo Fighters." The band announced Hawkins as its new drummer in March 1997, and in addition to being the drummer, Hawkins wrote songs, provided vocals, and played piano and guitar.  He first appeared on the Foo Fighters third album "There is Nothing Left to Lose" (1999).  His side-projects included the bands, "Taylor Hawkins and the Coattail Riders" and "The Birds of Satan."

From CNN:  American diplomat and former U.S. Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright, has died at the age of 84, Wednesday, March 23, 2022.  Albright was the first female U.S. Secretary of State, serving from 1997 to 2001, during President Bill Clinton's second term, the 64th Secretary of State. She was also the 20th United States Ambassador to the United Nations (1993-97).  Albright was born in Czechoslovakia and immigrated to the U.S. with her parents in 1948.

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94TH ACADEMY AWARDS:

OSCARS - From Variety:  The nominations for the 2022 / 94th Academy Awards have been announced.  "The Power of the Dog" leads with 12 nominations.  The winners will be revealed March 27th.

From Deadline:    With his "Best Actor" nomination for "The Tragedy of Macbeth," Denzel Washington is the most nominated Black actor is Oscar history.  He has been nominated in two acting categories a total of 10 times with two wins total.

From Variety:   With her "Best Director" Oscar nomination for "The Power of the Dog," Jane Campion becomes the first woman nominated twice in that category. She was previously nominated in that category for "The Piano" (1993).

From Variety:  With his three nominations today, Kenneth Branagh of "Belfast" becomes the first person to have been nominated in seven individual categories over his career.

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MOVIE AWARDS:

From Variety:  The American Society of Cinematographers held the 2022 / 36th Annual ASC Awards.  Greig Fraser won the top award, "Feature Film," for his work on "Dune."

From Deadline:  At the 58th annual Cinema Audio Society (CAS) Awards, "Dune" the "Live Action Motion Picture" prize.

From Deadline:  The 2022 / 75th EE British Academy Film Awards ceremony was held in Lond, Sun., March 13th.  "The Power of the Dog" was named "Best Film" and Jane Campion won "Best Director" for the film.  Will Smith was named "Best Actor."  "Dune" won five awards, dominated the "craft categories."

From Variety:  The Directors Guild of America's 2022 74th annual DGA Awards were held on Sat., March 12th.  Jane Campion won the top prize "Outstanding Achievement in Theatrical Film" for directing "The Power of the Dog."  She is the third woman to win the award and the second to have been nominated twice.

From Variety:  The winners at the 2022 / 49th annual Annie Awards were announced, Sat. Mar. 12th.  Netflix's "The Mitchells vs. the Machines" was named "Best Feature."

From Variety:  At the 2022 / 27th annual Critics Choice Awards, director Jane Campion's Western film, "The Power of the Dog," is named is named "Best Picture."

From Deadline:  The Visual Effects Society announced the winners at the 2022 / 20th annual VES Awards.  "Dune" and Disney's "Encanto" led with four wins apiece.

From Deadline:  The American Cinema Editors' 72nd Annual ACE Eddie Awards were held, Sat., March 5th.  The top award, "Best Edited Feature Film (Dramatic)" went to "King Richard."

From Deadline:  The 2022/ 26th annual Art Directors Guild Awards turns out to be a good party.  "Dune" and "Nightmare Alley" are among the winners.

From Deadline:   The winners at the 2022 / 28th annual SAG Awards. "CODA" wins the top prize, "Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture."

From Variety:  Here is a complete list of winners at 2022 / 53rd NAACP Image Awards in the film, television and music categories.  Jennifer Hudson was named "Entertainer of the Year."

From Deadline:   The 2022 / 9th annual Make-Up Artists & Hair Stylists Guild Awards were announced.  The Amazon film, "Coming 2 America" (the sequel to the 1988 film, "Coming to America"), led with three wins.

From Deadline:  The 2022 BAFTA Film Awards nominations have been announced.  "Dune" leads with 11 nominations.  The winners will be announced March 13th.

From Deadline:   The 2022 / 33rd annual Producers Guild of America Awards nominations have been announced.  The winners will be announced Saturday, March 19th.

From Deadline:  The nominations for the 2022 / 74th annual Directors Guild Awards have been announced.  The winners will be announced March 12th.

From COFCA:  The Columbus Film Critics Association name "The Power of the Dog" the "Best Film" of 2021.

From Deadline:  Netflix's Black Western, "The Harder They Fall," was named the "Best Picture" of 2021 at the 13th annual African American Film Critics Association Awards.  The Western tied with "King Richard" for most wins with four.  Will Smith was named "Best Actor" for "King Richard."

From Deadline:  The nominations for the 2022 / 28th Screen Actors Guild Awards have been announced.

From Variety:  The snubs and surprises in the nominations for the 28th Screen Actors Guild Awards.

From Variety:   At the 2022 / 79th Golden Globes, "The Power of the Dog" wins "Best Motion Picture-Drama" and "West Side Story" wins "Best Motion Picture-Musical or Comedy."

From Variety:  The National Society of Film Critics names the Japanese film, "Drive My Car," the best film of 2021.

From AwardsWatch:  The nominations for the 22nd Annual Black Reel Awards were announced a few weeks ago. Netflix's Black Western, "The Harder They Fall," has a record 20 nominations.  The winners will be announced February 27, 2022.

From AwardsWatch:  The Columbus Film Critics Association announced the nominations for their annual film awards.  Director Jane Campion's "The Power of the Dog" leads with 12 noms.  The winners will be announced Thurs., Jan. 6th, 2022.

From Deadline:  The Los Angeles Film Critics Association has named the Japanese film, "Drive My Car," the "Best Picture" of 2021.

From Deadline:  The 2022 / 37th annual Film Independent Spirit Awards have announced their nominations. "Zola" leads with six nominations. The winners will be announced Sun., March 6, 2022.

From THR:  The 2022 / 79th Golden Globes Awards nominations have been announced.  "Belfast" and "The Power of the Dog" lead with seven nominations each.  Winners will be announced Jan. 9th, 2022.

From GoldDerby:   The 2022 Critics Choice Awards nominations have been announced. "Belfast" and "West Side Story" leads with 11 nominations each. Winners will be announced Jan. 9th, 2022.

From Deadline:   The American Film Institute announced the "2021 AFI Awards" Top 10 list, and the list includes "Dune," "The Tragedy of Macbeth," and "West Side Story."

From THR:  Director Aleem Khan's "After Love" tops the 2021 British Independent Film Awards, winning six awards, including "Best Film of 2021."

From Variety:   The New York Film Critics Circle has named the Japanese drama, "Drive My Car," as the "Best Film of 2021."

From Deadline:  The National Board of Review hands director Paul Thomas Anderson's "Licorice Pizza" it "Best Film" and "Best Director" awards.  Will Smith picks up the "Best Actor" award for "King Richard."

From THR:  Netflix’s "The Lost Daughter," directed by actress Maggie Gyllenhaal, dominated the 2021 Gotham Awards in New York on Monday night (Nov. 29th).  The film won in four of the five categories in which it was nominated, including "Best Feature."

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"RUST" ACCIDENTAL SHOOTING DEATH:

From Deadline:  This link will take you to Deadline's Halyna Hutchins page, which articles related to everything about her shooting death on the set of the Western film, "Rust."

From THR:  Alec Baldwin moves to shield himself from liability in the shooting death on the set of the Western film, "Rust."  In an arbitration demand, he blames others for the death of Halyna Hutchins.

From People:  Alec Baldwin says that certain lawsuits recording the Western film, "Rust," are targeted at "deep-pocket litigants" and that the suits are all about money.

From Deadline:  Matt Hutchins, the husband of Halyna Hutchins, blames Alec Baldwin for Halyna's accidental shooting death on the set of the doomed Western film, "Rust."

From Deadline:  The family and estate of Halyna Hutchins has filed suit against Alec Baldwin (who accidentally shot Hutchins), a slew of production companies and entities, producers, and key crew members involved in the Western film, "Rust," for her death.

From THR:   A Republican New Mexico legislator, State Sen. Cliff Pirtle of Roswell, on Monday introduced a bill that would require all film set personnel who handle firearms to complete a safety course offered by the New Mexico Game and Fish Department.  This is in the wake a cinematographer, Halyna Hutchins, being fatally shot on the set of the Western, "Rust," last year by Alec Baldwin with a weapon he says he thought was not loaded with live ammunition.

From Deadline:  Alec Baldwin and the other producers of the doomed Western film, "Rust," want a California judge to dismiss the lawsuit filed against them by the script supervisor, Mamie Mitchell.

From Deadline:   Alec Baldwin has finally turned over his cell phone to police for their probe into the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of Baldwin's Western film, "Rust," last October in New Mexico.

From Variety:  One of the producers of tragic Western film, Rust, Emily Salveson, pushes tax shelters and hid income.

From THR:  "I let go of the hammer and 'Bang,' the gun goes off" says Alec Baldwin says in his first interview of the moment when a gun he was holding accidentally killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the Western film, "Rust."

From Deadline:  Alec Baldwin will sit down with ABC's news-reading clown George Stephanopoulos for a one hour special tomorrow night to talk about what happened on the set of the movie "Rust."  It will be Baldwin’s first extensive interview about the shooting.

From Deadline:  Industry veteran, Thall Reed, the father of Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the armorer on the Western, "Rust," may have handed the police a tip on why the film's cinematographer, Halyna Hutchins, was shot to death on the set.

From THR:  A search warrant affidavit filed Tuesday for a prop shop sheds light on how alleged live ammunition ended up on the set of the Western film, "Rust," where cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was killed in October.

From Deadline:  A month after cinematographer, Halyna Hutchins, was shot and killed on the New Mexico set the movie Western, "Rust," by a prop gun “discharged” by Alec Baldwin, those closest to the cinematographer held a private ceremony and interred her ashes at an unknown location.

From Deadline:  Actor Daniel Baldwin defends his brother, Alec Baldwin, in the accidental shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the film, "Rust."  "Someone loaded that gun improperly," Daniel says.

From Deadline:  The newest lawsuit involving the tragic shooting on the set of the Western film, "Rust," has been filed by the film's script supervisor, Mamie Mitchell, against Alec Baldwin, the producers, the production company, armorer Hanna Gutierrez Reed, and others.

From Deadline:  Serge Svetnoy, the gaffer on "Rust," has filed a lawsuit against several parties related to the film, including the production, the financiers, star Alec Baldwin, armorer Hannah Gutierrez Reed, and first Assistant Director David Halls.

From THR:   In the wake of the tragic accidental shooting on the set of his film, "Rust," Alec Baldwin on Monday took to social media to urge Hollywood to employ a police officer on every film and TV set that uses guns.

From THR:   The budget for "Rust" - Alec Baldwin was set to earn $150,000 as lead actor and $100,000 as producer, while $7,913 was earmarked for armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed and $17,500 was set aside for the rental of weapons and $5,000 for rounds.

From Deadline:  Attorneys for Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the armorer on the set of the film, "Rust," said that they’re looking into whether a live bullet was placed in a box of dummy rounds with the intent of  “sabotaging the set.”

From THR:   Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the armorer on the film, "Rust," released a statement through her lawyers.  She says she had “no idea where the live rounds came from” that were recovered by the Santa Fe County Sheriff's during the investigation of the accidental on-set shooting death of Halyna Hutchins.

From Jacobin:  An opinion piece says that cinematographer Halyna Hutchins' death on the set of the film, "Rust," was not a freak accident, but was about Alec Baldwin and his fellow producers' cost-cutting decisions.  Baldwin accidentally fired the gun that killed Hutchins.

From Deadline:   Two of executive producers on "Rust," Allen Cheney and Emily Salveson, disavow responsibility for the film's troubled production.

From THR:   Iconic "Ghostbusters" actor Ernie Hudson is reeling from the news of the death of Halyna Hutchins, like the rest of Hollywood. Hudson also appeared in the film, "The Crow," the film in which its star, Brandon Lee, was killed because of an on-set accidental shooting.  He also agrees with the call to ban real guns from movie sets.

From THR:  The Sheriff of Sante Fe County says that his office has recovered three guns and 500 rounds of ammunition from the set of the movie "Rust" where cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was killed.

From Deadline:  Regarding criminal charges in the death of Halyna Hutchins on the set of the film "Rust," District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altweis, "all options are on the table - no one has been ruled out."

From THR:  Does Hollywood Need Guns? Will new regulations lead to an overreactions to a tragedy.

From Deadline:   "Rust" producers have opened an internal investigation into the fatal shooting on the set of the Western film.  They have hired outside lawyers to conduct interviews with the film's production crew.

From Deadline:  "Rust's" AD (assistant director), Dave Halls, has come under scrutiny in the wake of the on-set shooting death of the film's cinematographer, Halyna Hutchins.

From Deadline:  The affidavit of Sante Fe Sheriff's Department Detective Joel Cano has been made public. It can be read at "Deadline."  The affidavit was for a search warrant from the property were the Western, "Rust," was being filmed.

From THR:  The production company behind "Rust" has shut the film down until the police investigation into the fatal, on-set shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins is through.  The Sante Fe County Sheriff's Office has also revealed a timeline of the shooting.

From Deadline:  The Santa Fe Sheriff’s Department confirmed Thursday night that Alec Baldwin “discharged” a prop gun on the New Mexico set of the movie, "Rust."  As a result, one crew member, director of photography Halyna Hutchins, was killed and director Joel Souza was injured and remains in a local hospital - his condition unknown.

From THR:  "Rust" director, Joel Souza, who was wounded in the accidental on-set shooting, says that he is "gutted" by the death of his cinematographer on the film, Halyna Hutchins.

From Deadline:  The fatal shooting on the set of "Rust" may have been "recorded" according to detective for Santa Fe Sheriff's Department.

From Deadline:  The production company behind the film, "Rust," will launch an internal safety review after the fatal accident that killed Halyna Hutchins; possible prior gun incidents; and a camera crew walkout.

From CNN:   Crew member yelled "cold gun" as he handed Alec Baldwin prop weapon, court document shows.

From Variety:  Actor Alec Baldwin releases statement on the death of Halyna Hutchins: "There are no words to convey my shock and sadness."

From Variety:  The prop gun that killed “Rust” cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and wounded director Joel Souza on during an on-set accident on Thursday contained a “live single round,” according to an email sent by IATSE Local 44 to its membership.

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