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busines303-blog · 5 years

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Universal's 'Dark Universe' is franchise filmmaking at its very laziest

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Universal's 'Dark Universe' is franchise filmmaking at its very laziest

Tom Cruise waits for something, anything, interesting to happen in The Mummy.

Image: Universal Pictures

Blame it on Marvel.

Ever since The Avengers proved there was big money in the “shared universe” model, every studio’s tried to launch their own, with varying degrees of success. The latest attempt kicks off with The Mummy, the first in a whole “Dark Universe” of interlocking movies.

Too bad it’s freaking terrible.

SEE ALSO: ‘The Mummy’ gets wrapped in savage reviews and buried alive

The Mummy is the kind of movie critics are thinking of when we complain about the soulless sameness of big-budget blockbusters but without even the saving grace of basic competence. As the scathing reviews and limp box office numbers have made clear, it’s a misfire on just about every level.

While that’d be disappointing enough if it were meant to stand on its own, it’s downright dispiriting when viewed as the first building block in a franchise that Universal is hoping will be their answer to the MCU or the DCEU.

If there’s a silver lining, though, it maybe that The Mummy is so bad it’s perversely kind of useful as a step-by-step guide in how not to build a cinematic universe.

Don’t cast an A-list star if you’re just going to waste him

What kind of movie puts Tom Cruise in a Jake Johnson role?

Image: Universal Pictures

Universal’s strategy for the Dark Universe looks reasonable enough in theory: A-list stars + existing IP = profit. But that equation crumbles very quickly.

Tom Cruise should be The Mummy‘s biggest asset. He’s a household name who’s got charisma in spades, and his daredevil streak spurs him to do things like shoot an entire action scene in zero gravity. Certainly he’s the most famous actor in the cast, which also includes Sofia Boutella, Jake Johnson, and Annabelle Wallis.

In fact, though, he’s The Mummy‘s most glaring misstep. Cruise is wildly miscast as Nick, starting with his age: Nick seems to have been written for an actor 15-20 years younger than Cruise, who is 55. When Mr. Hyde, played by 53-year-old Russell Crowe, refers to Nick as a “younger man,” it’s unintentionally hilarious and a little bit pathetic.

Cruise fails to pull off the “lovable asshole” vibe that Nick calls for, in part because of the age issue and in part because the character is just thinly written there’s nothing to him but plot mechanics. You know it’s bad when a Tom Cruise role seems like it would have been better suited for 39-year-old Johnson, who is relegated here to playing Cruise’s funny sidekick.

True, Cruise is likely to sell more tickets than Johnson, particularly in international territories. But The Mummy needs more than a strong opening weekend it needs to be appealing enough to make fans return for sequels and spinoffs. In that light, The Mummy‘s decision to waste an actor of Cruise’s caliber (and price tag) in a role that’s clearly wrong for him is especially baffling.

Don’t lose sight of your vision

Even The Mummy’s highly touted zero-gravity stunt is totally unmemorable.

Image: Universal Pictures

Then again, maybe it wasn’t always obvious Cruise was bad for The Mummy, because it wasn’t always obvious what The Mummy was supposed to be. If anyone, at any point, ever had a clear vision for The Mummy, it’s been muddled beyond recognition on the way to the screen. What remains is a hodgepodge of tones, influences, and concepts halfheartedly tossed together and poured into a generic blockbuster mold.

It’s a given that Universal Pictures was hoping the Dark Universe would make them lots of money. What’s harder to see is what else the studio thought this franchise would do. Did they have something to say about monsters or humans or the concept of evil? Did they want the Dark Universe to be funny, or scary, or exciting? Were they hoping moviegoers would fall in love with the characters, or get drawn into the mythos, or be wowed by the stunt work?

The Mummy hits at a time when Wonder Woman, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Alien: Covenant, and King Arthur: Legend of the Sword are all still in theaters. What was supposed to make The Mummy stand out in that landscape? Why should a moviegoer choose The Mummy over any of those?

I don’t have a good answer for that question, and I’m not sure Universal does either. The Mummy isn’t be the worst would-be tentpole in recent memory, but it’s one of the least inspired. Put it this way: even Suicide Squad had a clearer vision, as ugly and sloppy as it was.

Don’t assume audiences love all existing IP equally

Loved the old Mummy movies? Here’s a totally different Mummy who has nothing to do with those!

Image: Universal Pictures

Universal may not have known what they wanted to do with The Mummy, but they definitely knew the property had made money for them in the past. It’s been part of the studio’s stable since the 1930s, and although the Brendan Fraser films of the 1990s and early 2000s weren’t universally acclaimed, they’ve picked up a devoted following over the years.

But if they thought the popularity of past Mummy movies would translate into financial success for this one, they were wrong.

The Mummy isn’t like Batman or Spider-Man it’s not the kind of brand-name character so beloved that it’s guaranteed to draw in moviegoers no matter what. Even if it were, that wouldn’t necessarily help 2017’s The Mummy, since this version of the monster has little in common with the other versions of the monster. (For starters, she is a princess, not a male priest.)

Universal isn’t the only studio prioirtizing existing IP over original concepts, and it’s true that a familiar brand name can make an expensive movie an easier sell. But even the strongest brand names have to earn the audience’s affection, especially if they’re hoping to lure them back for sequels.

Just ask Warcraft or Assassin’s Creed, which bombed in the U.S. last year despite being based on massively popular games. Or, conversely, look at how the incredible buzz generated by Star Wars: The Force Awakens has translated into excitement for Rogue One and The Last Jedi, even after the disappointment of the prequel trilogy.

The Mummy, on the other hand, seems to assume that the combination of Tom Cruise and a vaguely familiar title will be enough. It doesn’t really try to do anything original with the property, or even to remind people why they liked the old Mummy movies in the first place.

Don’t prioritize the franchise ahead of the movie

What are you even doing here, Russell Crowe?

Image: Universal Pictures

If The Mummy doesn’t spend enough time trying to sell you on The Mummy, though, it spends way too much time trying to set up the Dark Universe.

To be fair, not all of The Mummy‘s faults can be chalked up to its position as the first in a franchise. It’d be incoherent and dull even if it were meant to serve as a standalone film. But references to Prodigium and Dr. Jekyll don’t make The Mummy more fun. They just add more complications to an already unnecessarily convoluted plot.

Dark Universe is trying to borrow a page from the Marvel playbook by launching an interlocking universe of marquee characters. But Marvel was wise enough to realize that filmgoers wouldn’t return for Iron Man 2 or Captain America or Thor unless Iron Man was strong on its own, and to realize that each individual component had to be interesting enough to make audiences curious to see them together.

The Mummy spends a lot of time and energy establishing Prodigium for the sake of future films, when it would’ve been better off using those resources to make The Mummy a better movie. It’s not enough to promise moviegoers that the two hours of movie they just sat through will pay off in another year or two or three, when the sequel arrives. They have to pay off now, so that moviegoers will have faith they’ll pay off even bigger dividends later.

Don’t announce a gazillion movies before the first one works

*exhausted sigh*

Image: Universal Pictures

Oh, and on a related note: Maybe don’t give audiences the opportunity to suffer franchise fatigue before the franchise even properly gets going.

In the weeks leading up to The Mummy‘s release, Universal announced the launch of Dark Universe with much fanfare. A press release included a glossy photo of the leads, and the film itself was prefaced in theaters by an animated logo and a theme song meant to make clear that, yes, you are witnessing the birth of the Dark Universe franchise. In retrospect, that feels more like a threat than a promise.

What’s especially mind-boggling about this latest misfire is that this isn’t even the first time in recent memory that Universal has tried and failed to reboot their classic horror properties.

Before The Mummy, 2014’s Dracula Untold was intended to kickstart a shared universe of Universal monster movies. The studio was so adamant on making it happen, in fact, that a new epilogue was shot to facilitate Vlad’s entry into that franchise. After the film flopped, however, Universal quietly repositioned The Mummy as the start of the Dark Universe, erasing Dracula Untold from that continuity.

Why, then, did Universal think half-assing the Dark Universe again would be good enough?

You may have forgotten about Dracula Untold, Universal, but we haven’t.

Image: Universal / Legendary / Michael de luca productions

Presumably, Universal believed that announcing the Dark Universe before The Mummy even opened would project confidence: here is a movie so good, the studio’s ready to go with a bunch of others before the first one is in theaters!

But at a time when every big-budget movie is touted as having “franchise potential,” there’s nothing special about that. Instead, the Dark Universe announcement feels like putting the cart before the horse. Frankly, it’s exhausting to consider the prospect of four or five or a dozen more of these leaden, unimaginative films.

There’s still time for the Dark Universe to turn things around. Maybe the next film (2019’s Bride of Frankenstein) will be good enough to wash out the bad taste left behind by The Mummy. Perhaps Frankenstein or The Invisible Man will bolster the brand even further, so that in a few years’ time, The Mummy will look like an unfortunate anomaly for an otherwise excellent franchise, rather than a prime example of its creative bankruptcy.

But all of that can only happen if Universal takes to heart the lessons it needs to learn from this latest failure. And winning moviegoers will be that much harder now that we’ve already been let down once by The Mummy.

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furederiko · 7 years

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Lots and lots of news to catch up folks! Unfortunately, despite my desire to post more (I kept getting distracted by this and that since the start of the month), this is inevitably the first and also last Random-News-Digest for October...

(Images courtesy of Lucasfilm, Marvel Studios, Marvel TV/Hulu, LEVEL-5, The Pokemon Company/GameFreak, and CAPCOM. Taken from Official Trailers, Official Sites, and Entertainment Weekly.)

Pacific Rim

The much anticipated sequel "Pacific Rim: Uprising" released its first full-length trailer earlier this month (October 6th, to be precise), and well it... felt similar but also different? Unlike many people in the North American region, I'm among the few who thought the first movie was okay... but not as mindblowing as those people claimed. I guess, robot fighting giant beast... can be considered a norm for Japan afficianado like yours truly. We get that on a weekly basis through Super Sentai and Ultraman. That's probably why I didn't feel as big of an excitement when I saw this one too. In fact, somehow I'm inclined to agree with both Birth.Movies.Death and Collider, that likened this to two other big franchises: "Power Rangers" and "Transformers".

But still, if this movie IS your thing, then don't let some subjective comparisons bring you down. John Boyega is leading as Jake Pentecost, with the charming (but can't seem to find his groove, relegating him to be bland supporting character in like... every movie) Scott Eastwood shadowing as his Jaeger partner Nate Lambert. Other new actors include Cailee Spaeny as young hacker Amara, Tian Jing, Adria Arjona, and Burn Gorman. Charlie Day nerdily returns as Dr. Newt Geiszler, and Rinko Kikuchi is back as Mako Mori, who seems to be taking over his adopted-father commanding role this time around. By the way, please don't expect Charlie Hunnam character to be in this movie. LOL. From the hands of Stephen S. DeKnight, "Pacific Rim: Uprising" arrives on March 23rd, 2018.

Star Wars

Aaaah, "Star Wars: The Last Jedi". Winning the battle of trailers (against Warner Bros, who previously released one for their upcoming team-up movie) earlier this month (October 9th. Yeah, I kept track), Lucasfilm stole every attention through a cool looking poster, and a neat official trailer that pretty much riled up everyone in the world, fans and non-fans alike. Hey, the brilliant editing of this trailer got me highly interested, so indeed it was the winner of the not-really-a competition.

Part of it was due to the Porgs, to be honest. A creature specially created by director Rian Johnson for the movie. Seriously, that shot of Chewbacca and the little planet Ahch-To native screaming together, instantly numbed down plenty of weak hearts. The reason why they are headlining this post. LOL. That's not all. This movie will be the last appearance of the late Carrie Fischer as well, a swan-song to her General Leia. So it's clear that Lucasfilm consciously honored her with this trailer. If anything, I believe that would be a great reason to see this movie. "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" arrives on December 15th, 2017.

Somewhere else, Ron Howard has completed his work on that Han Solo spin-off. And he has personally (via instagram and/or Twitter) revealed its official title: "Solo: A Star Wars Story". I actually prefer 'Han Solo', but I'm not complaining. It's still short, easy to remember, and follows the pattern of "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" nicely. Beside, it might also meant to describe Han's solo adventure (get it?), before he met his lifelong partner Chewbacca. Before Chewbacca ends up with Porgs, that is. LOL. You can expect this movie to arrive ontime on May 25th, 2018.

Sonic the Hedgehog

Gear up for a speedy adventure in ultimate velocity. Tim Miller's big screen adaptation of SEGA's initial mascot has moved from SONY Pictures to Paramount. Miller is still attached as executive producer, and his buddy Jeff Fowler as the director. This time around, Neal Moritz has joined the party as the other producer, alongside Toby Ascher, Dmitri Johnson, and Dan Jevons. The movie remains to be a hybrid of live action and CG animation.

As far as I know, SONY hasn't had good success with their animated projects lately, while Paramount has fared better. So this move might be a good thing. Of course, there's still that video-game adaptations curse to put into our concern. It's looming not just Hollywood, but even other countries like Japan. But you know what? If the team can at least produce something along the line of "The Angry Birds Movie" (which was highly enjoyable, albeit not doing so well with critics), and are able to keep the characters faithful to the source material, I'm totally down with it.

Dark Universe

Oh NO. Bill Condon's "Bride of the Frankenstein" has been officially delayed!

This news was a bit of a bummer, especially for several few (like me) who somehow curious to see what Universal would do next with their Dark Universe. Sure, "The Mummy" was a seriously flawed movie, and that it should and could have been WAAAAAY better. But is that hard for me to see more of Russel Crowe's Dr. Jekyll? Anyway, "Bride of Frankenstein" was already in pre-production, set for a February 1st start, but the crew has been dismissed. Good thing is, the movie has NOT been cancelled so far, but only postponed temporarily. Meaning, it might still be released somewhere late 2019. Just not in February as it was intended to be. It also doesn't mean that it's a sure thing though. Oh well... we'll see.

Akira

New Zealand director Taika Waititi confirmed to IGN (October 10th) that WB has indeed approached him to work on a Hollywood "Akira" adaptation. As it turns out though, the deal is not yet set in stones, at least for now. Waititi still has an array of projects on his sleeves, not including the potential of a 4th "Thor" movie that has been making the rounds through the internet lately. One which I'm sure is totally happening some time after 2019.

The director however, didn't hesitate to offer his thoughts on the movie. He said that IF he does take the job, then it will be based on the original 6-volume manga, and not the popular classic 1988 animated movie. More importantly, he would definitely be looking for Asian leads. "Yeah. actually Asian teenagers would be the way to do it for me and probably no, not, like no name, I mean sort of unfound, untapped talent. Yeah, I'd probably want to take it a bit back more towards the books.", he confirmed. That's reassuring, isn't it? After seeing the latest "Thor" movie under his guidance, I have complete confidence that Waititi would be able to bring an anime to life in a grand but personal way. Let's just hope his vision is inline with WB...

DC Films

Aaaaah yes, WB. The one studio that never ceases to amaze me.

Remember that time when I used to be soooo confused to why many people are calling their recent DC movie adaptations as DCEU and not DC Films? You don't? Don't worry, I forgive you. It was posted in January 2016 anyway, and I'm too lazy to look for it to provide a link. Anyway, as I've long suspected, DCEU was NEVER the name of this movie universe that began with the dull and boring "Man of Steel". It's nothing more than a fan-made term! LOL. To be more specific, it was courtesy of Keith Staskiewicz of Entertainment Weekly back in July 2015. Beside, surely I wasn't the only one who remembered that CW Special thingy with an over-excited Kevin Smith and bashful Geoff Johns, right? The branding "DC Films" was used heavily in that TV special, so it's clear that's what the bigwigs have always wanted to call it.

What's baffling to me, is that WB also NEVER tried to openly correct this, to the point that even I have started using the term despite my initial reluctance. Ouch. As for how this truth was finally revealed? Through a thorough article released on September 29th by Abraham Riesman of Vulture. Go ahead and make a detour to read that fine article, because it's truly an eye-opener. Ironically, reading this article gave me a clear mind of what went wrong with DC Films, and why its movies just didn't work for me. As I've suspected, WB has indeed been the culprit, by being bullish and ignoring the advice from DC Entertainment. And I'm not even kidding here. The studio greedily wanted to copy Marvel Studios, a studio developed by people behind the comics, yet ridiculously refused to accept feedbacks from DC Comics. Well, DUH?!! No wonder "Man of Steel", "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice", and "Suicide Squad" could never reached the heights of their respective source materials. They were given to people who did NOT understand the comics from the start. DC Comics was sidelined, to the point that they turned head towards developing TV shows instead. It wasn't until "Wonder Woman" that Johns and the folks from DC Entertainments were given the reign to provide input and assessment. Look what happened to that movie!

Could we be seeing the same result with next month's "Justice League" then? There's no certainty about that, but one thing for sure, Zack Snyder is no longer directly involved since Joss Whedon came in to tackle the movie's reshoot and post production. Apparently Whedon even cut the movie from a rumored 3 hours duration to mere 121 minutes! Yep, that running time has indeed been confirmed, officially making this title as the shortest DC Films movie to date. Naturally, the response to this was easily mixed (some segment of the 'DC fans' just can NOT change, huh?), which was relatively understandable considering this movie has not one nor two, but FIVE major characters to put in the spotlight. SIX if Henry Cavill's Superman is included. Can they all be given a proper screentime, alongside Ciarán Hinds' CG antagonist Steppenwolf, and those hordes of supporting cast (assuming they haven't been cut off) in such a limited duration? Let's just wait and see. I can only hope this does NOT mean WB is planning to release another 3-hours 'Ultimate Edition' later on. They HAVE done that before, haven't they? TWICE. That's like giving audience a major reason NOT to watch this movie right away.

For now, here's a new and possibly final trailer (actual one, not quick TV spots... expect loads of that fairly soon) to help you decide whether you want to see this or not. I know I won't, but don't let that stop you from going. "Justice League" arrives in less than 3 weeks on November 17th.

"Shazam!" has found one half of its leading actor! Zachary Levi, the actor formerly known as "Chuck", and has appeared as Fandral the Dashing in the "Thor" series, as well as the mischievous Flynn 'Eugene Fitzherbert' Rider in Disney Animation's "Tangled" and its TV series, is set to portray the hero form of young Billy Batson. This news hit the internet not long after director David F. Sandberg confirmed on a Reddit thread, that the movie will be released in April 2019. I think Levi has the right personality, but probably the body to portray Shazam. Naaah, that can be tweaked.

It remains to be seen if this movie will be in the same continuity to "Justice League", considering New Line Cinema is in charge on this. Not to mention, that article above HAVE mentioned and confirmed that there WILL be movies outside of the unified universe. I have a inkling feeling that "Shazam!" will be a stand-alone series, but as always, we'll see.

One last thing! Remember how Joe Manganiello was cast to play the super-villain Deathstroke, and was meant to show up in both "Justice League" and "The Batman"? It seems both ideas have been scrapped, leaving his poor Deathstroke without a home. But that's where Gareth Evans swoop in. Yes, according to The Wrap, the acclaimed director known for his gritty and bloddy "The Raid" series, has entered talks to develop a stand-alone Deathstroke movie. Well, how cool is that? Of course, in talks does NOT mean that it's a done deal. But it's a fitting marriage, if you ask me. Manganiello gets to play his version of Slade Wilson, the movie can be a gruesome R-rated assassination flick, and it can even exist outside of the continuity. So no need for unnecessary call-backs to the "Justice League" characters, am I right?

X-Men Universe

F**K continuity! That might be the message that FOX was sending through the first official trailer of Josh Boone's "The New Mutants". In particular, to a certain segment of audience who can't seem to stop complaining about that massive lingering issue that's been plaguing the studio for a loooong time. You know, folks like... yours truly *grins*.

So there you have it, a very HORROR-styled X-Men movie, inline with the director's promise. Ooookaay, I get that FOX badly wants to 'differentiate' itself to Marvel Studios, but is this really a good way to work with this particular material? I can't really answer that. It didn't come close to what I've expected, and I'd be a huge hypocrite if I say I can finally ignore its whole continuity angle. THAT part is still bugging me, because I'm literally confused to where and when this takes place in the X-Men universe. So much of wanting something akin to "X-Men: First Class", huh? I'm not even sure if I like this or not, because it tried to be creepy and spooky but... it did not. Sure, I'm a fan of that supernatural Netflix show that has a bunch of kids encountering creature from a dark realm and all. But an X-Men movie that feels like a copy paste of it? Hmmm... hold on, now that I think of it, this DOES feel inspired by that "LEGION" TV show. That could be the reason why it feels strangely... repetitive. "The New Mutants" arrives on April 13th, 2018. Here's hoping the 2nd trailer would do... better.

"Gambit" is moving forward! That's a surprise, huh? I actually thought the studio would eventually shelve this title after numerous delays. Nope, because Gore Verbinski has been hired to work on it, and Channing Tatum is still very much attached as titular character Remy LeBeau. From the looks of things, "Gambit" might also exist in its own separate continuity, inspired by the success of "Deadpool" and "Logan". FOX has even given an official release date! Yes, this movie will be released on February 14th, 2019. That day was initially booked by Universal's "Bride of the Frankenstein", but now it's an empty slot for superhero movie. "Deadpool" did wonders in the same week last year, can "Gambit" fare the same or even better?

Speaking of the Merc with the Mouth, "Deadpool 2" has completed principal photography. Ryan Reynolds hit his personal social media to thank everyone involved. In the spirit of Wade Wilson's character, obviously. Josh Brolin was mentioned in the post, as it should be, because the actor had almost turned down the role, if it wasn't due to a certain personal persuassion. Not surprising, because an actor of Brolin's calliber has the tendency to go with indie drama, and was already involved with Marvel Studios at the time. Director David Leitch got a mention, but sadly Tim Miller didn't get one. That's a shame really, because if Miller didn't go all out to make the first movie, this sequel and potential more wouldn't even existed. Miller doesn't have any hard feelings, and has since moved on to other grand projects instead. I guess all's well ends well, right? I hope so. "Deadpool 2" will arrive on June 1st, 2018.

I'm not done. There's one more project on the horizon, and it's a spin-off for "Logan". Dafne Keen's X-23 was a standout in that movie, and it's safe to say she has inherited the legacy of Wolverine from Hugh Jackman. So it's natural that she's being eyed for her own solo movie. Director James Mangold shared this news to The Hollywood Reporter, confirming he's currently writing a sequel for Laura. Mangold referenced director Patty Jenkins and her success with "Wonder Woman" that led to this step. Indeed, my sole hope for that DC movie, was that it paved way for more female-led comic book adaptations, so I'm glad that ended up to be the case.

IF, and it's a big if, this X-23 spin-off gets made, producer Hutch Parker admitted that it will have its own tone or genre not similar to "Logan". But you know what? FOX is being ambitious lately, always trying to be one-upping WB in terms of doing things 'different'. That's why I'm positive this spin-off WILL be made. Just look at "Gambit" as the best example. Beside, unless FOX eventually decides to re-cast Wolverine (since Hugh Jackman has approved of that), they can only rely on Keen as the successor, right?

SONY Marvel Universe

Eventhough many people are still doubting this project, the Spider-Man-less Spider-Man spin-off "Venom" has actually begun production. The movie even had its own official Twitter account, created to boldly announce this news just last week. We can see Tom Hardy among other guys there, presumably the director Ruben Fleischer. No sign of Michelle Williams, Riz Ahmed, or Jenny Slate who were said to be in talks for the movie, nor Reid Scott and Scott Haze. But I guess it's enough to prove the doubters that this movie is definitely in the works.

Additional detail has been revealed as well. This time, courtesy of Andy Serkis, whose The Imaginarium studio might be involved as motion-capture consultant. Apparently, Hardy would be portraying Eddie Brock, but his Venom form will be achieved through motion capture CG. Serkis' work is phenomenal though, as proven through how realistic Mark Ruffalo's Hulk has become, so it looks like we can expect more of the same for this movie. "Venom" is expected to be released on October 5th, 2018, which is less than a year from now. Do you think it will be a success? Hmmmm...

Marvel Studios

Let's start with "Thor: Ragnarok" first. The movie opens in North American this very weekend, but has already landed in international markets since Wednesday last week. Go ahead and read my Non-Spoiler Review if you somehow don't believe me.

Reviews from various critics have also been published in pretty much every entertainment sites you could encounter in the internet. Had this Random-News-Digest was released much earlier (prior to last week), I would've gladly detailed some of the responses. Whether it's the early social media responses, or the actual full-length reviews (two weeks ago). However, doing so now while every site has already published their own digest, would be too redundant. So I'll stop right here and give that a pass. For the record, the movie started at 98% on RottenTomatoes (October 21st, 2017 01:20AM local time) when the first 47 critics submitted their scores. It has fluctuated since then, but just like the other Marvel Studios releases, I'm predicting it will end at above 80%. It's really fun and Hela Good, so it would make sense...

Second trailer (but actually the first full-length one) for Ryan Coogler's "Black Panther" has been released on October 16th. It was dropped without any warning, startling pretty much every Marvel fans on the planet. A new fancy poster was also released online on that same date. If you haven't seen both, then what are you waiting for?! All signs are indicating that this is going to be a special movie, and well... I think every scenes in this trailer only amplified said notion. Those entertainment journalists weren't kidding when they compared this to a 007 movie, because it DOES feel like one. Direct comparison to DC's Batman was also inevitable.

Quite surprisingly, the Prelude Comic for the movie revealed something more interesting. Remember how "Iron Man 2" somehow hinted at the location of Wakanda? Many seems to think that it was a continuity error, but as it turns out... it's NOT. Chadwick Boseman's T'Challa had already received his rights to use the Black Panther suit... the same time Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark came out as Iron Man in his first solo movie. Black Panther's appearance in last year's "Captain America: Civil War" was NOT his debut outing. That's T'Challa's 8TH year already! It might also be the same reason why Michael B. Jordan's Erik Killmonger somehow has his own gold-colored suit. Daang it, this movie is going to be grand. "Black Panther" arrives really soon on February 16th, 2018, so you better mark that date!

Possible new details for "Ant-Man and the Wasp" MIGHT have been revealed. Specifically, its time setting among other Marvel Studios releases. If this report is to be believed (grain of salt please, because this kind of report usually does NOT pan out), the movie will take place over a very short period of time following Paul Rudd's Scott Lang's breakout from The Raft. Remember that ending of "Civil War"? Yep. Stuck in house-arrest, Scott will spend most of the first arc with his daughter Cassie, played by Abby Ryder Fortson. Michael Douglas' Hank Pym and Evangeline Lilly's Hope van Dyne on the other hand, will be busy finding a way to rescue Michelle Pfeiffer's Janet van Dyne from the Quantum Realm. It looks like they might be on the run as well, presumably from Randall Park's Jimmy Woo. If I'm getting this right (again, assuming the source is credible), the theme of the movie will no longer be about heist. Of course, things might play out very differently, being just a rumor and all. So let's just wait for the first trailer to get the answer. Hopefully soon, because turns out the movie had just wrapped production!

Actor Ben Mendelsohn, is said to be in negotiations to join Brie Larson's Carol Danvers in "Captain Marvel". According to Variety, Mendelsohn is being approached to play the main villain. Directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck apparently had him in mind for the role, which led them to arrange a meet up. If the movie is indeed about the war between Kree and Skrull, that means highly likely he will be playing a Skrull Leader. But I digress. Again, this type of obvious speculation can sometimes be... red herring at best. He could always play a Kree gone bad, right? Mar-Vell himself, or, even Yon-Rogg, the Marvel supervillain who's responsible for Danvers' Kree powers. Until we have official announcement from the studio, all we can do now is speculate. "Captain Marvel" arrives on March 8th, 2019.

Untitled "Avengers 4", a movie that writer Jim Starlin has called out to be "delightfully different", continues filming. That means, more and more details as well as actors are confirmed on set. As usual, this could be spoilery, so if you're avoiding one, stop right here and skip to the next category. Still here? Okay then, let's go.

Remember how Jeremy Renner's Clint Barton has been rumored to be taking a new moniker in the movie? Well, there's a photo of him sporting this new look, partially confirming this report. Apparently, Scarlett Johansson will also have her own new hairstyle. Letitia Wright's Shuri has also been spotted on set, alongside Boseman's T'Challa, confirming that she will be in the movie as well.

Meanwhile, during a promotional tour for "Ragnarok", Mark Ruffalo shared to Cinema Blend that his Hulk will have his own three-part character arc. The character re-inventing, which is a collaborative effort with Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige, has already begun in "Ragnarok". It will then continue in next May's "Avengers: Infinity War", and seemingly concludes in "Avengers 4". Does this mean Ruffalo will be ending his appearance as Bruce Banner by then? It's hinted that way, though I badly sure hope NOT. I would love to see him and Chris Hemsworth's Thor teaming up for more galactic adventure. Trust me, I'm sure you'd totally want that after watching "Ragnarok".

Speaking of future movies, "Avengers 4" will mark the end of Phase 3, and also a long-running arc of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It will serve as a conclusion, but not exactly the end of MCU. Feige confirmed this to Uproxx, by saying that the studio "will go places beyond that. And, of course, we have ideas of where we go beyond that. But, really, it is all good stories.". Even director James Gunn affirmed that the report of "Avengers 4" being the 'grand finale' of MCU was highly overblown. "It’s the end of one long story & the beginning of another", he stressed. He might be stepping back from doing a potential 4th Guardians of the Galaxy movie, but that doesn't mean his working relationship with Marvel Studios will end after "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3". After all, his "Vol. 3" (its first draft might have been completed, by the way) will be wrapping the current "Guardians" franchise, while also serving as one of the important movies to kickstart the next story arc. Kind of like, "Ragnarok" then...

Last but not least, Marvel Studios held a not-so-secret (it's public secret really) massive photo shoot earlier this month. It featured most if not all major actors, directors, and also producers who have been involved with the studio, quite possibly to commemorate the Studios' 10 Years Anniversary. Several big names like Mark Ruffalo, Samuel L. Jackson, and even the Russo Brothers have even shared some quick scenes from the event through their social media. Will us, the fans be able to see the result of this event, alongside the official timeline of the movies, as promised by Feige himself? I'm sure, but who knows when. Perhaps, sometime around next year, in Marvel Studios' very own Comic Con? *grins*. Hey, it doesn't hurt to dream BIG, right?

Marvel TV

Marvel's "The Inhumans" is close to ending its first (and possibly ENTIRE, due to the huge loss it's causing IMAX?) season run. Just two or three more episodes, I think. I can't say that for sure because I'm not even bothered to follow the show. LOL. That means, the 5th season of Marvel's "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." is just weeks away from starting.

Indeed, during their panel at the recent New York Comic Con, Marvel TV announced that the new season will start on December 1st, 2017, with a 2-hour premiere. Actress Natalia Cordova-Buckley has also been promoted to series regular before hand. Her Yo-Yo has always been a fun addition to the show, both in character and as person of color, so it's a great thing to know she will mostly be around now. Too bad we couldn't say nor haven't heard anything about Juan Paulo Raba's Joey though. Such a wasted potential right there.

The NYCC panel included several details that teased some fun changes in the new season. First, the team has been abducted by aliens, and are placed in a space station filled with all kinds of aliens. Ian de Castecker's Fitz will be the only member on Earth, which could lead him to work together with Nick Blood's Lance Hunter somehow. The two Brits had fun chemistry back then, so it would nice to capitalize on that. There's time travel twist in place, a horror/sci-fi vibe, and the return of the Inhuman Monolith in form of Obelisk too. Those who expected S.W.O.R.D. however, would be disappointed, because the space organization won't be featured. I doubt Marvel TV has the rights, anyway. The Kree on the other hand, will definitely show up. Does this mean, the season will be tied to "Captain Marvel"? Hmmm.

For the time being, I'm still on the fence of following this new season. Unless it's a final season, in which I will literally force myself to watch, I'm not sure I have extra patience and time to spare for a long 22 episodes that leads to... nowhere, not Knowhere. It still depends on the trailer though, because if it manages to capture my attention, then... the rest is history.

Take for example, Marvel's "Runaways". Its first teaser that was officially released during NYCC week was just okay, but the air of mystery it exuded was enough to grab my attention. Its follow up trailer was even better, by showcasing the lead character's various abilities. And then there's that positive reaction from its initial screening. These are the kind of buzzes that snatch everyone's attention... in a good way (looking at you, "Inhumans"). Anyways, the first three episode of "Runaways" will premiere on November 21st. Don't be surprised if Hulu doesn't drop every episodes at the same time like Netflix. This is just the way they roll...

Meanwhile, Marvel's "Cloak and Dagger" will air weekly on Thursday night, as part of Freeform's Winter lineup. The show doesn't have a premiere date for now, but I'm guessing Marvel TV is pending the announcement until after "Runaways" hits the road.

Netflix

Joining the array of new Marvel TV shows, Marvel's "The Punisher" will also arrive in November. As it turns out, the Jon Bernthal's leading series was supposed to come out early October, but it has been delayed in the wake of the terrifying Las Vegas shooting tragedy. Not just the series, the NYCC panel was also pulled from schedule, to respect the victims. This new series will now debut on November 17th, 2017. Do check out the new trailer to wet your early Thanksgiving appetite. You are free to choose your allegiance (Marvel TV or DC... who is releasing a movie in the same date) when the day comes.

Meanwhile, Finn Jones' Danny Rand (with better hair-cut) will at long last show up in the 3rd season of Marvel's "Luke Cage". EW even has the official image to back up this news. Looks like we might be getting a discount "Heroes for Hire" show we've always wanted after all. Which is nice I guess, because the chemistry between Jones and Cage's Mike Colter was undoubtedly strong in Marvel's "The Defenders". It was one of the highlights of that disappointing mini-series.

Things are looking good with the 3rd season of Marvel's "Daredevil" as well. Vincent D'Onofrio has been confirmed to reprise his iconic role as Wilson 'Kingpin' Fisk. Considering Marvel TV actually went all out to announce this, that means we can expect him to be more than a mere cameo (Season 2, anyone?). Hmmm... is it just me or Marvel TV is desperately trying to attract audience to COME BACK to their shows? Hmmm... can Loeb, the man of many excuses, be trusted this time around? That remains to be seen. One thing for sure, "Daredevil" will join "Luke Cage", and definitely the 2nd season of Marvel's "Jessica Jones" in 2018.

Have you seen the much-anticipated 2nd season of "Stranger Things"? I was actually going to talk about this series in preparation of its release, but I guess I'm a little late for that am I? LOL. I have only seen the first episode so far, and though it was mostly set-ups, it's definitely as good as the 1st season. If you're a fan of this supernatural thriller, then you might want to visit Netflix' official Youtube channel and check out some of its weird promotional materials as well. There's one to celebrate Friday the 13th, and also one featuring... Nose Bleeds. Yikes!

If you haven't had the chance to watch the new season though, you might want to refrain from seeing its Final Official Trailer. That's NOT a good trailer IMHO, because it literally spoiled soooo many things happening in the later episodes. Even the mystery of Eleven's whereabout was easily revealed, just like that! Unless you're among those folks who's okay with spoilers of course. But even so, just watch the season instead. All 9 episodes have already been made available since October 27th anyway.

DC Television

"Titans" have found its Beast Boy! And it's a Disney alumn. Well, technically that is, considering Ryan Potter voiced lead protagonist Hiro Hamada in Disney Animation's "Big Hero 6". Potter actually publicly campaigned to play Batman's third Robin Tim Drake (after Dick Grayson, and Jason Todd) in the movies, something more inline with his role in Nickelodeon's "Supah Ninjas". But looks like DC saw him fit as Garfield 'Gar' Logan instead. Hmmmm... I would actually prefer to see the Japanese-American young actor portrays, I don't know, someone like Amadeus Cho in Marvel Studios movies... but sometimes we can't expect too much with casting. I wish the best for Potter nonetheless.

Super Sentai

We got more rumors surrounding the 2018 Super Sentai series, "Keisatsu Sentai Patoranger" and "Kaitou Sentai Lupinranger". Courtesy of the ever-informative Dukemon, of course. Since we haven't gotten its official look, reports surrounding both titles have been changing and shifting by and by. One rumor claimed there will be 7 members between two teams, with the usual colors of Red, Blue, Yellow, Pink, Green, Black, and White. Latest one said that Lupinranger will consist of LupinRuby, LupinSapphire, and LupinEmerald, while Patoranger will Include PatoFire, PatoWater, and PatoThunder. That's Red, Blue, Green, Yellow, Blue, and Yellow. Whoops? That can't be right. LOL. "Uchu Sentai Kyuranger" has Kyutama, so the collectibles for both titles will be in form of COINS. A nod to "Kamen Rider OOO" then? Hmmm....

Professor Layton

International version of "Layton's Mystery Journey: Katrielle and the Millionaires' Conspiracy" has been released for the Nintendo 3DS. Layton fans who have been waiting for one since the Japanese version was released on July 20th, and somehow couldn't purchase it on Smartphone (either due to preference, or space limitation), can now begin their puzzle-solving spree right away. LEVEL-5 celebrated this by releasing a special launch trailer, depicting the characters, main cases, and also main features from the game.

But if you think this spin-off is the extent of the franchise, then you're mistaken! In an interview with License Global magazine, senior Vice President of Marketing and Licensing Simon Waldron shared that there are two major releases arriving in 2018. The first was none other than another Professor Layton game, set to be released in Summer 2018. Since Nintendo 3DS is reaching its final years, it's most probably being developed for Nintendo Switch. As for the story, I suspect it will be a direct sequel to Katrielle's adventure, especially if we put into account the overwhelming response to that Global Puzzle Hunt marketing. I totally would LOVE to be involved in another one of that.

The second project, was what completely stole my attention. A 26-episodes TV anime series is being developed to start broadcasting next year! How cool is that? *grins*. Of course, there's a common concern that video game adaptations are plagued with bad reputation, and this news doesn't escape such concern. Even the anime adaptation of "BlazBlue" and "Gyakuten Saiban" were generally... sloppy and disappointing. I sincerely hope Layton will not be affected by this curse. On the other hand, the "Inazuma Eleven" and "Youkai Watch" series rangeg from above average to actually really good. Those are the other big titles produced by LEVEL-5, as extensions and/or alternatives to the video games. That gives me hope that Layton will be as good, if not better. Can't wait to hear more details about this one!

Dynasty Warriors

As has been promised by producer Akihiro Suzuki, the release date for "Dynasty Warriors 9" was announced on October 26th. The new open-world styled iteration for the franchise, will arrive for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC on February 8th, 2018. Several special editions have also been announced, like the "Treasure Box", "Ikkitousen Box", and also "Digital Deluxe". Visit Gematsu to read more details about them.

Pocket Monsters

Several new trailers have been released by The Pokemon Company, to raise awareness and hype for their upcoming "Pokemon Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon". The two titles that have been confirmed to be the last core Pokemon games released on Nintendo 3DS, once again marking the handheld console's imminent retirement. My oh my, how quick time flies by, huh?

The first trailer came with a startling tagline, "This is Not the Alola You Know Anymore". It indicated that the region have gone through significant changes during the gap of years following "Pokemon Sun & Moon". In fact, producer Shigeru Oumori and director Kazumasa Iwao shared to Famitsu, that the new scenario for this new titles is said to be twice the volume of "Sun & Moon"! An English-language version were also released several days after, to provide ease of understanding for international players.

Three new Ultra Beasts; Adhesive, Assembly, and Burst; were revealed through a follow-up second trailer. The more important reveals however, was the 'Ultra Wormholes', as well as 'Ultra Megalopolis'. These new games will allow players to use Legendary Solgaleo and Lunala to travel to another realm! The Megalopolis also heralds the arrival of several new characters. Dulse, Zossie, Soliera, and Phyco who are part of the 'Ultra Recon Squad', will appear early on in the game, altering the core of the story. They are pretty much people from alternate reality! These are first in the Pokemon franchise, that I'm not even sure how to feel about their addition.

Another trailer unveiled special new additions to the game. There are Z-Crystals called Solganium Z and Lunalium Z, that led to new Z-Moves called "Searing Sunraze Smash" and "Menacing Moonraze Maelstrom" (get it? SSS, and MMM... Sun and Moon?). They are exclusive for the new Necrozma Forms, the Dusk Mane and Dawn Wings Necrozma. Rotom will also received its own Z-Move called Z-Power, that will allow a second Z-Move to be used in battle.

I think we can expect more trailers coming very soon, ahead of the games' November 17th release. There are rumors of new Alolan forms, and also possibly new Pokemon to be added in these game. Let's just see if they do pan out, okay?!

Marvel vs. Capcom

"Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite" has been released. And the response to the game was... mixed at best. Having seen the Story Modes and Ending online (hey, that's what Youtube is for, right?), I can personally attest this. Those complaints are totally not exaggerated, because the game feels and mostly looks... unappealing.

CAPCOM can still count on the arrays of DLC characters, to boost the reception for this title. Following Black Panther, Sigma, and Monster Hunter (all of them released on October 17th), three other characters of the "2017 Character Pass" have been confirmed. Complete with their designs, as datamined from the game's data.

Quite surprisingly, all three are coming from the Marvel side: Winter Soldier, Black Widow, and Venom. Exciting characters, but even I would argue that Winter Soldier is nothing more than a clone of Captain America and/or Chris Redfield, Black Widow could very well be a clone of Gamora and/or Jill Valentine, and Venom... is well Venom, a brutal version of Spider-Man. I can't help but wonder why CAPCOM doesn't use more colorful characters like Ant-Man (NetherRealm has already gone one step ahead by debuting DC's shrinking hero Atom), Vision, or Scarlet Witch, among others. Oh well, perhaps they are being saved for the "2018 Character Pass", inline with the release of "Infinity War"? Here's hoping...

Street Fighter

Sixth and final Season 2 DLC character for "Street Fighter V", has been released. As has been rumored, and speculated over and over again, it's indeed Guy's Bushinryu master Zeku who debuted in "Street Fighter Alpha 2" many years ago. Nope, let me correct that... FORMER master. Apparently he resurfaced after starting his own ninja group, with his own fighting style as well. The character has already been released on October 24th, but here's his reveal trailer anyway, in case you've somehow missed it (like yours truly)...

Zeku's arrival felt like an after-thought now, because there's an even bigger news from the franchise. CAPCOM will be releasing "Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition" early next year! Yes, the rumor and report based on fan's datamining discovery as well as listing on online stores have been confirmed, by none other than executive producer Yoshinori Ono himself. To be released on January 16th, 2018 for PlayStation 4 and PC, this updated version will add various new contents like Arcade Mode (with numerous endings, if the latest report is to be believed), Extra Battle, Gallery, new V-Triggers for every characters, and more. The 12 DLC characters from Season 1 and 2, will also be included as unlockables in game. Best of all, true to their initial promise for this series, players who own the original "Street Fighter V", can obtain their upgrades free of charge. This is a great opportunity to those who have been interested in the game, but decided to postpone their purchase due to various reasons (bad launch reviews, to name one?). They can get everything, all in one package now.

In a way, CAPCOM might also be using this release to prepare for Season 3 of DLC characters. You know, the one rumored to contain fan favorites like Sakura Kasugano, Sagat (there's an icon reserved for him in the datamining result), and some others. It's not confirmed for now, but that's certainly the general assumption among fans. Let's just wait and find out if that's the case when the "Arcade Edition" hits the market next year. For now, you can watch the official announcement trailer and start preparing for more "Street Fighter V" in the future...

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