Kevin Feige on No Avengers Movie in MCU Phase 4: It’s About ‘Beginnings’
Marvel Studios announced 11 new movies and TV shows for its upcoming Phase 4 at San Diego Comic-Con 2019, but noticeably absent was any movie titled "Avengers."
IGN asked Kevin Feige the reason behind leaving their flagship franchise's name out of the next several years of upcoming projects, and he explained the shift in strategy in the next phase. Watch the full interview with Feige below:
"We had a movie this year called Avengers: Endgame, and it is very much an ending, as you saw, to so many of those characters," he said on the Marvel Studios press line. "So Phase 4 is about beginnings, and Phase 4 is about learning new things about characters you already think you know, like Black Widow; meeting incredible new characters like The Eternals and Shang-Chi; going on new adventures with Doctor Strange and Thor; and these Disney+ shows which I promise will be spectacular and what no one is expecting."
Young Justice Renewed for Season 4 on DC Universe
The good news keeps coming from the DC Universe panel at Comic-Con. Young Justice has been renewed for a fourth season on the DC Universe streaming app.
Even as they screened an upcoming episode of the series, executive producers Greg Weisman and Brandon Vietti revealed that production is already underway on Season 4. In other words, we won't have to wait nearly as long as the gap between Seasons 2 and 3.
"We're writing. We're coming up with stories. We're on it." said Vietti.
Weisman teased a significant shift in tone for Season 4, even as the series continues further the Apokolips storyline.
"More is coming from Apokolips. We've got a real slow burn on Apokolips, but it builds every season. We've had a couple seasons in a row that have been epicly plot-focused, but I think we're pushing back to a little more of a character focus in Season 4. There will be new characters - I won't say who - but we're going to focus in more on a smaller cast."
Black Widow: First Full Footage Breakdown
Although it’s only been filming for a few weeks, action-packed footage from Black Widow was shown at Saturday’s Marvel Studios panel at San Diego Comic-Con. And it didn’t disappoint.
The footage began with dialogue and footage of Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) from past Marvel movies like Civil War, Age of Ultron, Endgame, and Iron Man 2. (The movie takes place between Civil War and Infinity War.)
Cut to a cityscape shot of Budapest. Natasha enters an apartment building . She approaches an apartment door, gun drawn. She’s sweeps room to room, gun pointed, until she hears a Russian woman’s voice: “I know you’re out there.” She reaches the kitchen. It’s Yelena (Florence Pugh), who also her gun drawn.
Titans: Season 2 Premiere Date Revealed
Titans: Season 2 has been given a release date. As revealed at the DC Universe panel at Comic-Con, Season 2 will debut on the DC Universe streaming service on Friday, September 6.
This is good news for a series recently hit by tragedy. Production on Season 2 shut down for several days after special effects coordinator Warren Appleby was killed during a rehearsal.
Fans were treated to a Season 2 sizzle reel as the panel began, one which offered a glimpse of Iain Glen's Bruce Wayne and the revamped Titans lineup that now includes Hawk, Dove, Wonder Girl (in costume) and Superboy. The footage ended with a first look at Esai Morales' Deathstroke, whose costume is reminiscent of the one in the Batman: Arkham games.
Black Widow Time Period Confirmed
One thing that fans have been wondering regarding the currently-shooting Black Widow movie is when the film takes place. Considering the fate of the Scarlett Johansson character in Avengers: Endgame, a sequel seemed highly unlikely.
And now we know that in fact Black Widow is a prequel. David Harbour, who plays Red Guardian in the film, has confirmed to IGN that the film takes place between Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War. That means the film will be covering the period when Natasha Romanoff was on the lam after siding with Cap during the superhero civil war.
Avengers: Endgame to Beat Avatar at Worldwide Box Office
Just as the Marvel festivities at San Diego Comic-Con began, parent company Disney and Marvel Studios announced that, with the expected box office gross of Avengers: Endgame through the weekend, it will now officially be the highest-grossing movie of all time worldwide, beating out James Cameron's Avatar.
As reported by THR, Disney and Marvel have confirmed that, as of Saturday, Avengers: Endgame will have hit $2.7892 billion at the worldwide box office, and is expected to make over $500,000 on Sunday. This will allow it to surpass Avatar's $2.7897 billion total. (Box office totals for weekends are normally projected before the weekend ends, which is why, for those who don't follow box office tallies week by week, Disney and Marvel would be making such a claim this early.)
Doom Patrol Renewed for Season 2 on DC Universe and HBO Max
Good news for DC Universe subscribers. Doom Patrol has been officially renewed for a second season.
The news came out of the DC Universe panel at Comic-Con tonight, with star Diane Guerrero and executive producer Jeremy Carver announcing the show's return.
Interestingly, the series will debut simultaneously on DC Universe and WarnerMedia's upcoming HBO Max streaming service. We also learned that Season 1 will be available on HBO Max at launch.
Carver admitted that he and Guerrero only recently learned the news themselves, so don't expect the second season to debut until at least 2020.
"This was just an introduction. I want to see more adventure. I want to see them working as a team," said Guerrero.
Del Toro Answers How Mature Scary Stories Movie Really Is
R.L. Stine’s Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark creeped out an entire generation of young readers, but it’s taken almost four decades for a film adaptation to hit the big screen. So who is this new film for? The now considerably older adults who have a fond, if fearful nostalgia of the books? Or a new crop of budding horror fans that may not be allowed out past curfew? Producer Guillermo del Toro (Pacific Rim, Pan’s Labyrinth) and director André Øvredal (Troll Hunters) joined IGN during Comic Con 2019 to give us the answer.
“It’s PG-13, number one,” del Toro said. “The other thing that is important is we’re trying to capture the same audience as the books. These books have now entertained three generations. A lot of fathers know that the stories are campfire stories basically. They have a factor of fun. None of them are gory. They’re all creepy. They all have a humorous slant or very human. So we’re trying to cultivate the same PG-13, but spooky and fun.”
Marvel Teases X-Men for the MCU
Marvel Studios' San Diego Comic Con 2019 Hall H panel included the confirmation of a host of MCU Phase 4 movies and TV shows, and teases for Black Panther 2, Fantastic Four, and more. And as for the X-Men, well...Marvel Studios' Kevin Feige mentioned them, but didn't quite give Marvel's mutants much time in the spotlight.
At the tail-end of Marvel's panel, Feige confirmed several upcoming MCU sequels, a new Blade, the Fantastic Four's arrival in the MCU, and for the X-Men said "No time left to talk about mutants." And that's it.
Hideo Kojima Comments on Streaming as the Future of Gaming
The next five to 10 years are going to look very interesting for video games, according to Hideo Kojima.
During his storytelling panel at Comic Con 2019 – where he talked Death Stranding, movies, and more with friend and director Nicolas Winding Refn – Kojima addressed the blurring lines between games and film introduced by streaming platforms, the interactive opportunities those open up, and how he thinks streaming will affect the future of our entertainment.
"Gaming will be streaming too," says Kojima, drawing a direct line between the birth of movies and the theater going experience, to television, and now, to streaming. "In the near future, games and movies will come closer, in a similar category. So I think we're going into an era with a lot of possibilities. It will not just be interactive or non-interactive, there will be something inbetween as well."