In a new interview with Instyle, Momoa reveals he struggled after his exit from Game of Thrones in 2011. The actor states that he was “completely in debt” and struggled to pay the bills for the house he shares with his wife, Lisa Bonet, and their two children.
In 2017, Warner Bros. and DC released Justice League, the studio’s answer to Marvel’s The Avengers. Directed by Zack Snyder (300, Watchmen), it follows Batman and Wonder Woman as they recruit other meta-humans in a quest to stop the evil Steppenwolf from destroying the world in the absence of Superman, who died previously in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.
Unfortunately, the film’s release was anything but super. Reviews were scathing, criticizing the choppy editing and lack of character development, resulting in the film becoming the lowest grossing film in the DCEU at the time.
The film’s failure can be attributed to all the behind the scenes drama. After the negative reviews of Batman v Superman, Warner Bros. was worried about the critical reception of the next film. After production wrapped, re-shoots were ordered. When Snyder stepped down due to a personal tragedy, Avengers director Joss Whedon stepped in to finish the reshoots and rewrite most of the film. This significantly changed the tone of the movie from its darker predecessors, and well as cutting out many subplots that were previously established.
Since the film’s release, dissatisfied fans have campaigned for the release of a “Snyder Cut”, which would restore the film to Snyder’s true vision without Whedon’s rewrites. There is no word on whether or not a cut of this film exists, but that hasn’t stopped people from letting Warner Bros. know they want it. And now, the film’s stars are joining the campaign.
Justice League actors Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot, Ray Fisher, and Jason Momoa, as well as Watchmen showrunner Damon Lindelof, have all voiced their support #ReleaseTheSnyderCut over the last few days:
— Ben Affleck (@BenAffleck) November 17, 2019
#ReleaseTheSnyderCut pic.twitter.com/wssMmlPqEK
— Gal Gadot (@GalGadot) November 17, 2019
Two Years. #releasethesnydercut pic.twitter.com/0hxRdzsH4b
— Ray Fisher (@rehsifyar) November 17, 2019
Snyder, who has previously been quiet after the release of the film, commented on these tweets:
This ancient Amazonian can’t be wrong. #releasethesnydercut https://t.co/XBdaE1ynkL
— Zack Snyder (@ZackSnyder) November 17, 2019
Neither can Batman. #releasethesnydercut https://t.co/3Y0FxTy5Qp
— Zack Snyder (@ZackSnyder) November 17, 2019
Even Marvel actor Simu Liu have joined in on the fun:
#ReleaseTheSnyderCut #ICanSayThatRight
— Simu Liu (@SimuLiu) November 18, 2019
Whether the Snyder Cut is released or not, the campaign shows no signs of slowing down.
Reportedly, Ludi Lin is on the shortlist to be cast as Shang-Chi, and Donnie Yen is in talks for an unnamed role in the project.
That Hashtag Show states that Marvel is looking for “a wise, old statesman and one of his deadliest warriors,” and they believe that “the studio is currently targeting an early-November start of production” and is aiming for “the February 12, 2021 date…[which] would coincide with the Chinese/Lunar New Year.”
Obvious the ‘deadliest warrior’ is Shang-Chi, Marvel’s ‘Master of Kung-Fu’. Apparently Ludi Lin, who’s had roles in Power Rangers, DC’s Aquaman, and Black Mirror is on the shortlist.
Thankfully, he was only a supporting character in DC’s Aquaman, playing this dude…
…named ‘Murk,’ which means he’s not associated with DC and can still be at the very least considered. Remember how Zachary Levi portrayed Fandral in Thor: The Dark World and Thor: Ragnarok before he played Shazam in Shazam.
If you recall, Ludi Lin told Screen Rant in December while promoting Aquaman that he wanted “to do an Asian-centric superhero. To tell that story.” He elaborated:
I mean ideally, I’d like to design my own superhero, make my own creation. But I think the Marvel world is pretty incredible as well. Especially in honor of Stan Lee, the person who created this entire, I mean like an entire universe. You know what I mean?
Personally, however, I wouldn’t get my hopes up. Remember when Ender’s Game‘s Asa Butterfield was on the shortlist to play Spider-Man? He was in early talks for the role and stayed on the list until it dwindled down to four people. Then he was ‘out’, which left Boardwalk Empire‘s Charlie Plummer, Pixels‘ Matthew Lintz, and The Impossible‘s Tom Holland.
So Ludi Lin is on the list, but he might not stay on it forever.
As for the “wise, old statesman”, Donnie Yen’s name is being tossed around. An icon in Hong Kong, Donnie Yen Tze-dan gained international recognition for playing Chirrut Îmwe in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and Xiang in xXx: Return of Xander Cage.
After confirming that they were planning on doing a Shang-Chi movie at at a press conference for Avengers: Endgame, Marvel was asked if doing a superhero movie with an Asian lead was a risk.
Kevin Fiege, President of Marvel Studios had this to say: “I think every movie that we do is a risk,” he said. “We only want to do movies that people seem to think are risks.”
Featured Image Via CinemaBlend
