Showing posts with label Marvel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Marvel. Show all posts

Tuesday, November 08, 2022

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Advance Ticket Sales Over $45M in U.S.

Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever has already raced past $45 million in advance U.S. box office ticket sales, and there are several days to go before the highly anticipated Marvel Studios sequel officially opens in roughly 4,300 cinemas domestically.

On Wednesday, Wakanda Forever begins its international rollout on its way to opening everywhere by the weekend (excluding China and Russia). Projections show the tentpole opening to at least $175 million domestically — some exhibitors are suggesting $185 million to $200 million — and anywhere from $155 million to $195 million at the international box office.

As of Sunday, Wakanda Forever‘s advance ticket sales in the U.S. stood at $45 million, which is more than Thor: Love and Thunder but behind the (frontloaded) Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness, according to Disney insiders. By Friday, advance ticket sales for the Wakanda Forever number could be in the $60 million-$65 million range, which would rank above the $55 million collected by the first Black Panther.

Among superhero movies released in the pandemic era, Sony and Marvel’s Spider-Man: No Way Home opened to $260.1 million in December 2021. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness opened to $187.4 million in early May of this year, while Thor: Love and Thunder scored $144.2 million in July (both were from Marvel/Disney). In March 2022, DC and Warner Bros.’ The Batman flew to $134 million in its launch. More recently, DC’s Black Adam, starring Dwayne Johnson in his first live-action superhero role, opened to a more subdued $67 million domestically.

[SOURCE: HOLLYWOOD REPORTER]

Tuesday, October 11, 2022

Marvel Studios Temporarily Shuts Down Production of Blade

Marvel Studios has temporarily shut down production on Mahershala Ali’s “Blade” movie, according to an individual with knowledge of the production.

The production is delayed as the search for a new director continues and development on the script is ongoing.

Crew members on the ground were notified Tuesday. The studio’s hope is to restart the production in early 2023.

On Tuesday, Disney also pushed the release date for “Blade” from Nov. 23, 2023, to Sept. 6, 2024. The shift was among a wide slate of adjustments to the studio’s release schedule.

Two-time Oscar-winner Mahershala Ali will star, taking over from Wesley Snipes, who portrayed the half-human vampire hunter in the original “Blade” trilogy.

[SOURCE: THE WRAP]

Sunday, September 04, 2022

Chadwick Boseman Wins A Posthumous Creative Emmy Award For What If...?

"Black Panther" star Chadwick Boseman received a posthumous Creative Arts Emmy Award for his voice performance in the Disney+ series "What If...?". Chadwick Boseman's wife Taylor Simone Ledward accepted the honor on his behalf during Saturday's ceremony at downtown Microsoft Theater here. It marked both the actor's first win and first Emmy nomination.

Chadwick Boseman, who played Wakanda King T'Challa aka superhero Black Panther in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), won the award in the outstanding character voice-over performance category in the "What If... T'Challa Became a Star-Lord?" episode. The character of Star-Lord/ Peter Quill is played by Chris Pratt in the MCU.

Taylor Simone Ledward called it an honor for the late actor to get his first Emmy award.

"When I learned Chad was nominated, I started thinking of everything that was going on in the world and our world and being so in awe of his commitment and dedication and what a beautiful moment that one of the last things he would work on was something so important to him and to the world but also something new," Ledward said at the ceremony. "You can't understand your purpose unless you ask what if? What if the universe is conspiring in my favor? What if it's me? Chad would be so honored and I am honored on his behalf."

Marvel Entertainment reacted to Chadwick’s win. “Thank you to the Television Academy for recognizing the outstanding work of our King, the late Chadwick Boseman. #Emmys,” their official account tweet, along with a picture of the character for which the late actor won. Chadwick beat several heavyweight performers in the category, including What If co-star Jeffrey Wright, Archer’s Jessica Walter, Moon Knight’s F Murray Abraham, Bridgerton’s Julie Andrews, Big Mouths Maya Rudolph, and Central Park’s Stanley Tucci.

Sunday, July 21, 2019

Mahershala Ali is the new Blade!

Marvel President Kevin Feige caught many by surprise at the SDCC (San Diego Comic Convention) when he announced that two time Academy Award winner Mahershala Ali will be taking over the role of Blade in an upcoming solo film. Watch that announcement below:

Tuesday, January 22, 2019

Black Panther: First Super Hero film to be nominated for Best Picture

Marvel Studios' "Black Panther" has not only made Marvel history, but Oscars history. During this morning's Academy Awards nominations announcement, the Ryan Coogler-directed film gained seven nominations, including one for Best Picture! "Black Panther" is the first Super Hero film to be nominated in the Best Picture category. Marvel Studios' "Avengers: Infinity War" and Sony's "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" also received one Academy Awards nomination each.

In addition to the Best Picture nomination, the third-highest-grossing movie of all time in the US also nabbed . "Black Panther" also nabbed Best Production Design, Best Best Costume Design, Best Original Score, Best Original Song (Kendick Lamar's "All The Stars"), Best Sound Editing, and Best Sound Mixing.

Black Panther wasn't the only hero recognized. Marvel Studios' "Avengers: Infinity War" was nominated for Best Visual Effects, while "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" secured a Best Animated Feature nod.

Congrats to all the nominees!

The 91st Annual Academy Awards with air February 24 on ABC.

Saturday, October 20, 2018

Netflix Cancels ‘Luke Cage’

Netflix has canceled “Luke Cage.”

News of the cancellation comes four months after the superhero action drama from Marvel Television debuted its second season on the streaming service — and just days after Netflix pulled the plug on another Marvel show, “Iron Fist.”

“Unfortunately, ‘Marvel’s Luke Cage’ will not return for a third season. Everyone at Marvel Television and Netflix is grateful to the dedicated showrunner, writers, cast and crew who brought Harlem’s Hero to life for the past two seasons, and to all the fans who have supported the series,” Netflix and Marvel Television said in a joint statement.

A source tells Variety that talks for a third season had taken place, but that Netflix ultimately decided that one would not be feasible.

[SOURCE: VARIETY]

Thursday, October 11, 2018

Ryan Coogler Signs on to Write and Direct 'Black Panther' Sequel

Sources tell The Hollywood Reporter that the filmmaker behind Marvel’s landmark Black Panther has quietly closed a deal to write and direct the sequel.

Saturday, August 04, 2018

'Black Panther' Crosses $700 Million Milestone!

Nearly six months after it first opened in theaters, Ryan Coogler's groundbreaking superhero movie is crossing the $700 million mark in North America, Disney and Marvel announced Saturday.

Only two other films have ever crossed the $700 million threshold: Star Wars: The Force Awakens ($936.7 million) and Avatar ($760.5 million), not adjusted for inflation.

In recent weeks, Disney and Marvel slightly tweaked the film's theater count in order to achieve the feat without an official rerelease. Black Panther's longevity in theaters is unusual in an age when most films are gone within three to four months.

Black Panther — which has grossed north of $1.346 globally — had already broken numerous records. The film is the top earner of the year to date in North America, and the top-grossing superhero pic of all time domestically, not adjusted for inflation.

[SOURCE: THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER]

Monday, May 07, 2018

Check out the Luke Cage Season 2 Trailer

Luke Cage is back.

After clearing his name, Luke Cage has become a celebrity on the streets of Harlem with a reputation as bulletproof as his skin. But being so visible has only increased his need to protect the community and find the limits of who he can and can’t save. With the rise of a formidable new foe, Bushmaster who has powers similar to his, Luke is forced to confront the fine line that separates a hero from a villain.

The 13-episode second season of Luke Cage hits Netflix on June 22nd.








CHECK OUT THE SEASON TWO TRAILER




Saturday, March 10, 2018

Marvel boss Kevin Feige confirms 'Black Panther 2,' considering spinoffs

Wakanda forever! The blockbuster, record-breaking "Black Panther" will be getting a sequel, surprising nobody and delighting us all.

Marvel boss Kevin Feige confirmed the studio has already begun planning a follow-up film. As he told Entertainment Weekly, "We absolutely will do that."

He added, "One of the favorite pastimes at Marvel Studios is sitting around on a Part One and talking and dreaming about what we would do in a Part Two. There have been plenty of those conversations as we were putting together the first 'Black Panther.' We have ideas and a pretty solid direction on where we want to head with the second one.'

Feige didn't allude to possible storylines, though the end of the first movie left things wide open — literally, since T'Challa (Chadwick Boseman) was starting to open the doors of Wakanda to the rest of the world.

And what about the very loud demands for spinoffs featuring the badass female characters of "Black Panther," like tech wizard Shuri (Letitia Wright), warrior Okoye (Danai Gurira), and spy Nakia (Lupita Nyong'o)?

"I think there's lots of potential. It's a balance between leaving people wanting more and then giving them too much, but I would watch a movie about any of those characters you just named," Feige said.

"I think Shuri's astounding, and you'll see much more of her in our universe. Okoye, I think I'd watch three action films just Okoye. I'm not saying we're doing that, but I'm saying that we're intrigued by them. Frankly, as I've said before, finishing these first 22 movies is really all we're thinking about at this point."

[SOURCE: YAHOO NEWS]

Tuesday, March 06, 2018

Black churches host screenings of ‘Black Panther’

(RNS) — Xavier Cooper went straight from his shift as a cook at a fast-food restaurant to an early showing of the “Black Panther” movie — sponsored by his church.

As his elders at Jonahville African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church in Huntersville, N.C., had hoped, the film had a profound effect on the young man, a leader in the church’s youth group.

Cooper exited the theater with a buoyed confidence about his dreams after spending two hours watching the futuristic kingdom of powerful black people in Wakanda.

“Being an African-American, it shows you that you can do anything you want to,” said Cooper, 17, who wants to own his own record label and production studio.

Across the country — from California to Chicago to Virginia — members of black churches have bought out theaters for screenings and dressed in their favorite African attire to see a superhero who looks like them. And others, from a New York multicultural congregation to a Detroit Muslim professor, are also tapping into the movie’s messages they hope will be particularly affirming to young people of a range of races and religions.

The Rev. Latasha Gary, Cooper’s youth minister, said 67 people attended the Feb. 16 showing organized by their church near Charlotte, and dozens had to be turned away when they ran out of seats.

Black youth get tired of seeing negative depictions of people of their own race in movies, said Gary, who wore a yellow and brown African dress to the movie showing. “When we found out that this was going to be an epic tale that actually was written by black writers, costumes designed by black costume designers, we were just, like, ‘We have to go see it.'”

While the movie tells a fictional story, some religious leaders said its lessons about generosity and brotherhood and sisterhood promote their values. Some also saw specific ties to their faith.

“It’s not a perfect movie but it has so many affirming messages,” said the Rev. Warren H. Stewart Sr., pastor of Phoenix’s First Institutional Baptist Church, which organized an outing to see the movie. Among them, he said, were “mutual respect and affection toward one another, being made in God’s image and likeness. Even with the death of the star … I saw immediately the concept of death and resurrection, the fact that he came back to life.”

Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago hosted screenings of the movie and created a “Black Panther Study Guide” that calls the historical Ethiopian Empire the home of the biblical Garden of Eden and “the real Wakanda.” It reminds that the Ethiopian Orthodox Church “has her own pope.” The movie’s lead character T’Challa is “a king, a leader, a mentor, and a reflective spiritual individual,” the guide says.

The Rev. Otis Moss III, senior pastor of the church, told Auburn Seminary’s Voices: “T’Challa, if you take away his suit, he gets his real power from the spirit, the spirit of the panther. In other words, he gets his power from the Holy Ghost.”

The Rev. Hodari Williams, pastor of New Life Presbyterian Church in College Park, Ga., planned a sermon series related to the movie after attending a Feb. 15 screening organized by his predominantly black church. Among his themes is not keeping your gifts to yourself. As Wakandans learned in the movie, he hopes his church will “make our resources the resources of the community.”

Williams, who wore a blue and white dashiki from Ghana when he saw the movie, said he also wanted young people to gain a sense of the beauty of the African continent.

“In our history books, it’s been taught that it’s a land of savages and people who have no regard for humanity or God,” said the pastor, whose church is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA). “This movie conveyed a deep connection to spirituality and the ancestors and how one cannot lead without that kind of spirituality and a superhero himself is very in tune with the ancestors and the creator of the universe.”

Leaders of predominantly black churches were not the only people of faith who wanted to get young people into the theaters for the popular movie.

The Rev. Jacqui Lewis, the African-American pastor of Middle Collegiate Church in New York City, said her congregation’s white youth director took a multicultural group of teens to see “Black Panther” on Feb. 15 and they have since used Trinity United Church of Christ’s study guide.

“You know how teenagers are all about the superheroes, the kind of projection of the good we hope is in ourselves out on the screen,” said Lewis. “For that to be larger-than-life black folk was moving to our white children as well as our black children.”

Khaled Beydoun, an associate law professor at the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law, treated a group of 17 Muslim students to the movie on Friday (Feb. 23). The Muslim educator said “they were totally enthralled by the film.”

Given the significant percentage of Muslims in this country who are black, his goal was to help young nonblack Muslims bridge divides in a diverse city where schools are often segregated.

“If these young Arab, Muslim kids begin to see black people as members of their own, I think that can do a lot to erode racism in places like Detroit, but also nationally,” said Beydoun, author of the forthcoming “American Islamophobia.”

Cooper, of the AME Zion church in North Carolina, also noticed the movie’s universal themes of common humanity, which he said reminded him of the bond he has between “my brother in Christ, my sister in Christ” in his youth group.

“In my youth group, we loved the movie,” said Cooper, who planned to see it again. “It was the best movie I’ve seen.”

[SOURCE:RNS]

Friday, November 10, 2017

The new Black Panther character posters are here!

Marvel has released new posters featuring individual characters from the upcoming Black Panther movie. Each poster gives you an idea of who the characters are. Check them out below. Black Panther is directed by Ryan Coogler (Creed) and will be released 02/16/2018. The Marvel movie stars Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong'o, Danai Gurira, Martin Freeman, Daniel Kaluuya, Letitia Wright, Winston Duke, Angela Bassett, Forest Whitaker, and Andy Serkis.

Friday, July 22, 2016

Trailer for Marvel's "Luke Cage" Netflix series

Check out this new trailer for Marvel's Luke Cage series which features an African American superhero. Michael Colter stars as Luke Cage and the series will air on Netflix starting September 30,2016.

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SYNOPSIS: After a sabotaged experiment leaves him with super strength and unbreakable skin, Luke Cage (Mike Colter) becomes a fugitive who attempts to rebuild his life in modern day Harlem, New York City. But soon he is pulled out of the shadows and must fight a battle for the heart of his city – forcing him to confront a past he had tried to bury.

Saturday, May 21, 2016

Tessa Thompson to portray Valkyrie in Thor Ragnarok

Marvel has revealed Tessa Thompson's role in the upcoming “Thor: Ragnarok.”

The studio released the full cast list on Friday, announcing that the “Creed” star will play the sword-wielding warrior goddess, Valkyrie, a character previously depicted in the comics as white. While I'm sure Thompson will do a great job and make the role her own, I'm also sure that wont stop the fanboy outrage. LOL.

Saturday, March 19, 2016

Luke Cage teaser trailer.

Check out this teaser trailer for the upcoming Netflix/Marvel series, Luke cage. The series stars Mike Colter as the titular character and is set to premier on September 30, 2016.

Tuesday, January 12, 2016

It's official, Ryan Coogler to direct Marvel's Black Panther movie

Coogler, the director of the "Rocky" sequel "Creed," will direct Marvel Studio's upcoming "Black Panther" in 2018, the studio's first film starring an African-American superhero. Coogler will be also be the first African-American director in the history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, a film franchise that has made over $9 billion at the worldwide box office.

Coogler will be also be the first African-American director in the history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, a film franchise that has made over $9 billion at the worldwide box office.

"We are fortunate to have such an esteemed filmmaker join the Marvel family," producer and president of Marvel Studios Kevin Feige said in a statement. "The talents Ryan showcased in his first two films easily made him our top choice to direct 'Black Panther.'"

[SOURCE]

Saturday, December 05, 2015

Creed’s’ Ryan Coogler in Talks to Direct ‘Black Panther’

“Creed” helmer Ryan Coogler is in talks to direct Marvel’s “Black Panther,” sources confirm for Variety.

Kevin Feige is producing the film which stars Chadwick Boseman as T’Challa, the prince of the African nation of Wakanda, who must take over the mantel after his father’s murder.

Joe Robert Cole is penning the script.

This marks the second time the studio has approached Coogler about directing the film and at the time he didn’t feel it was the right fit for him and returned to finish post-production on “Creed.” With “Creed” now behind him, Coogler had a change of heart and took the studio up on the offer of directing the film.

[SOURCE]

Friday, October 23, 2015

Anthony Mackie Doesn't Care If 'Black Panther' Director Is Black

Unlike many fans, Anthony Mackie — AKA the Falcon in Marvel's Captain America and Avengers movies — isn't concerned whether or not the studio hires an African American director to take charge of its first black superhero movie, 2018's Black Panther.

"I don’t think it’s important at all," the actor told The Daily Beast during a promotional appearance for his current project, Our Brand is Crisis. "As a director your job is to tell a story," he continued. "You know, they didn’t get a horse to direct Seabiscuit!"

Read more: Anthony Mackie Doesn't Care If 'Black Panther' Director Is Black

Monday, August 17, 2015

Why Marvel is lazy when it comes to creating new minority characters.

Why Marvel is lazy when it comes to creating minority characters.

By George L. Cook III

Now I’m just as much of a geek as any other comic book reader or comic book movie lover out there. I love what Marvel Comics is doing on screen and in print recently. In the movies there has been some diversity with characters such as Blade (The forgotten Marvel hero who helped usher in the superhero movie era), War Machine, Falcon, Nick Fury, Storm, and soon The Black Panther to name a few. But (there’s always a but) when it comes to adding diversity in the comics Marvel is becoming a bit lazy. Recently when it comes to adding diversity in terms of race Marvel has simply been reinventing older characters as minority characters.

One of the more famous examples being the Miles Morales Spiderman which is great and all but didn’t take much creativity in my opinion. Other examples include a recent reinvention with the comic Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur (Never heard of it either) in which a character that once was a white boy has been changed to a black girl.The character Of Ms. Marvel is no longer a white woman but a Pakistani teen named Kamal Khan.



And yes I know about the dozens of alternate universes and different versions of the same character which is why Nick Fury can be white in one universe and black in another but those are still reinventions. To those who don't really read comics I'm not going to explain all of the different universes because quite frankly it would be easier to explain Quantum Theory to you.

It’s great that Marvel has made moves to add diversity, but why couldn’t they do so by creating completely new characters? Marvel is taking the lazy way out.

I’m talking new characters with complete origin stories and all. Yes, it may be a little more work than simply changing the color of an existing character but it’s also creating something new and hopefully exciting. I know there is some fear in how fan boys will react but they will get over it. I’ve also wondered if comic execs use the fan boys as a convenient excuse not to create new non- white characters.

Marvel can bring in young minority talent and I’m sure that marvel can create minority characters from scratch. Just like with other characters it will be hit or miss, but you can’t get a hit if you don’t take a swing.

Take a swing at it Marvel!

George L. Cook III AfricanAmericanReports.com Email George Cook

Wednesday, May 13, 2015

Could Ava DuVernay direct Marvel's Black Panther movie

A Black Panther movie starring Chadwick Boseman as the titular hero is set for a July 6, 2018 release. Recent rumors according to The Wrap have Marvel looking at Selma director Ava DuVernay to direct the movie.

[SOURCE] Marvel has had discussions with DuVernay about taking the reins of one of its marquee comic book properties and while the studio is considering other directors, there is mutual interest in having her join the MCU.

Insiders told TheWrap that Marvel is intent on hiring an African-American director for “Black Panther” and a female filmmaker for “Captain Marvel.” DuVernay’s hiring would make her Marvel’s first African-American and first female director, which would no doubt double as a public relations boon for the company.