The discussion of comic book movies has taken an interesting turn with the release of Joker. Despite its controversy, many critics have hailed the film as a true breakthrough for comic book cinema, and even consider it Oscar worthy. This isn’t the first time that comic book films were recognized as prestige art. In 2019, Black Panther was nominated for Best Picture along with several other nominations, and Heath Ledger won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of The Joker in The Dark Knight.
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But not everybody is singing the praises of comic book films, especially Martin Scorsese.
IMAGE VIa Variety
The director of The Irishman commented on the popularity of comic book films and stated that he does not watch them because he doesn’t consider them “cinema”
“I don’t see them. I tried, you know? But that’s not cinema. Honestly, the closest I can think of them, as well made as they are, with actors doing the best they can under the circumstances, is theme parks. It isn’t the cinema of human beings trying to convey emotional, psychological experiences to another human being.”
Martin Scorsese is one of my 5 favorite living filmmakers. I was outraged when people picketed The Last Temptation of Christ without having seen the film. I’m saddened that he’s now judging my films in the same way. https://t.co/hzHp8x4Aj8
It wasn’t long until Marvel actors also responded:
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Samuel L. Jackson, who plays Nick Fury, told Variety that those comments were like “calling Bugs Bunny not funny”.
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Iron Man actor Robert Downey Jr. said on The Howard Stern Show that he respected Scorsese’s opinion despite the fact that it “makes no sense”.
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Karen Gillan, who plays Nebula in both Guardians of the Galaxy and Avengers: Endgame, defended both Marvel movies and James Gunn in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter.
This debate probably won’t end anytime soon. Which side are you on?
Fan favorite Batman villain Harley Quinn made her theatrical debut in 2016’s Suicide Squad, played by Margot Robbie. Though the film wasn’t very well-received, Robbie’s performance was praised. Robbie’s Quinn is set to return in the sequel/reboot film The Suicide Squad in 2021, directed by Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn. But before that, Quinn will join another DC team in a completely different film.
Image Via Yahoo
Coming February 2020, Robbie will star and executive produce Birds of Prey (and the Fabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn). The film sees Harley Quinn trying to live her life without the Joker beside her. She discovers that a young Cassandra Cain, who will eventually become Batwoman, is being threatened by the villainous gangster Black Mask. She teams up with other female DC superheroes to rescue her.
First Teaser Poster / Image Via Wikipedia
Warner Bros. released the first official poster for the film on Twitter:
The film is based on the superhero team of the same name, comprised almost entirely of females. Though the members have rotated over the years, the most well-known members of the team are Black Canary, Huntress, Catwoman, Poison Ivy, Batgirl, and several others.
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The theatrical Birds of Prey team consists of Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn, Jurnee Smollet-Bell as Black Canary, Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Huntress, and Rosie Perez as Gotham City police officer Renee Montoya. Ewan McGregor will be playing Black Mask.
With Endgame over, Phase 3 of the Marvel Cinematic universe has reached its conclusion. It’s safe to say we’re in a transition period in which characters like Tony Stark, Thor, Captain America, the Hulk, Black Widow, and Hawkeye are on their way out, with newer characters like Dr. Strange, Spider-Man, Black Panther, and Captain Marvel taking their place as the main heroes of the sprawling superhero universe. But what about even more characters? With Marvel having a vast library of superheroes, its inventible we’re going to be getting a lot of new faces with Phase 4 and beyond. But who could they be? Let’s have a look at some of the superheroes from the comics who haven’t been adapted yet and see who might be candidates for showing up!
Image via Marvel
6. Nova
Guardians of the Galaxy introduced the Nova Corps, so it stands to reason their most famous member of the comics has a good shot at showing up in the future. Richard Rider, better known as Nova, was given the helmet of the intergalactic space police by a dying Corps member. Although he didn’t have any idea how to use his equipment at first, he eventually discovered the helmet gave him a connection to a special energy field called the Nova Force, which allowed him to access abilities such as flight, super strength, and energy manipulation. With the MCU continuing to expand into cosmic territory, it’d be awesome to see this galactic defender get his due. Perhaps there could even be a crossover with Captain Marvel or the Guardians!
Image via Wikipedia
5. Moon knight
Moon Knight is essentially a Batman-like vigilante but with one difference: he’s pretty messed up in the head. Suffering from dissociative identity disorder, Moon Knight has developed multiple personalities, being born as Marc Spector but also becomes Steven Grant, a millionaire, and Jake Lockley, a taxicab driver. Prowling the streets after dark, Moon Knight uses gadgets and his own combat training to take down the criminal underworld, making him a fascinating anti-hero who’s always teetering the line on becoming a villain.
Image via Comicbooknews
4. Beta Ray Bill
Beta Ray Bill is one of the wilder heroes of the wider Marvel Universe. A noble warrior alien, Beta Ray Bill is distinctive for being so pure hearted and good that he could wield Thor’s hammer, much like Captain America. It was he who was granted Stormbreaker in the comics and his costume partially inspired Thor’s look in Infinity War and Endgame. A rival and friend to Thor, Beta Ray Bill might even be a worthy successor to the God of Thunder in the films, taking Stormbreaker from Thor if the God of Thunder truly hangs up his hammer.
Image via Collider
3. Devil Dinosaur
This guy is a bit of an obscure one, but so were the Guardians and Dr. Strange before they got big. Hailing from a parallel world overtaken by dinosaurs and cave people, Devil Dinosaur aids his friend Moon Boy on the dinosaur infested planet, fighting off dinosaurs and other monsters as they journey across the hostile world. In the modern day, Devil Dinosaur found his way to Earth, where he teamed up with a young girl called Moon Girl. Devil Dinosaur is a bit high-concept, but who wouldn’t want a Dino buddy as their companion?
Image via Collinder
2. Ironheart
A 15 year old engineering student, Ironheart began life as Riri Williams, who stole Iron Man tech and forged her own suit of armor. Beginning a career as an underground superhero, Ironheart established herself as a member of her community, helping out the little guy before becoming integrated with the superhero community at large. With more callings for diverse superheroes, it’d be fantastic to see an intelligent, talented young black woman become an Avenger.
Image Via Collider
1. Ms. Marvel
A very popular candidate to appear in the films, Kamala Kahn is a young Muslin woman who inherits abilities thanks to Captain Marvel and grows into a superhero. Kamala Kahn has been acclaimed for portraying a young woman with diverse interests, with a colorful personality who instantly feels relatable to a young audience. She’s the hero who feels especially relevant now and one that would be great to see in the world.
Michael Rooker has joined Amazon’s adaptation of Stephen King’s The Dark Tower, Deadline reports.
Rooker is no stranger to the Stephen King universe. He played Sheriff Alan Pangborn in George A. Romero’s adaptation of The Dark Halfin 1993, but now he’s going to be a part of the new The Dark Tower series.
The character has been featured twice after Rooker’s performance in The Dark Half. Sheriff Alan Pangborn was played by Ed Harris in Fraser C. Heston’s adaptation of Needful Things…
FanSided reports that the series is already in production and is currently filming in Croatia.
The Dark Tower is a series of eight books that follows Roland Deschain and his quest towards the Dark Tower, which is said to be the nexus of all universes. If you don’t think that’s cool, just remember the old saying: If it’s a Stephen King book, then it somehow connects to The Dark Tower.
At this point, even the smallest bit of Avengers: Endgame footage is enough to get Marvel fans excited about the new film. Today, Marvel answers our wishes with a brand new trailer:
Warning: DO NOT continue reading if you haven’t seen the trailer.
The final trailer for Endgame shows us sixty seconds of new footage. In it, several characters experience long-awaited reunions. Iron Man and Captain America make amends, Pepper Pots reunites with Tony, Rocket Raccoon and Nebula hold hands, and Thanos makes his epic return in what is sure to be an explosive battle.
But the biggest news from the trailer: TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW! That’s right, you can now purchase your tickets to Endgame today on Fandango. Try to get them quickly before the site crashes.
