Shazam! Casting – It was hinted at earlier today that “Shazam!” was going to announce who was playing the titular superhero and now we know. It’ll be “Chuck”, “Heroes:Reborn” and “Thor: The Dark World” star, Zachary Levi. Levi, who made a name for himself playing Chuck Bartowski, a DC Comics nerd loving every man, who gets a digital super computer implanted into his brain, will play the hulking super version of Billy Batson. No word yet on who Batson will be played by, as he’s often depicted as 11-13 years old.
Opinion: I’M A HUGE LEVI FAN! “Chuck” is in my favorite shows list, and he’s always been a beautifully talented actor, I’m beyond happy for this announcement.
Wonder Woman Film Retcon – In the second film, “Dawn of Justice”, it was confirmed that Wonder Woman left humanity after the events of “Wonder Woman” and went off on her own, leaving the world of man to fend for themselves. However, Gal Gadot has come forward to reveal they’ve opted to retcon Wonder Woman leaving mankind behind, saying;
We realized that actually, there is no way that Wonder Woman will ever give up on mankind. The reason why she left the island was because she wanted to make their life better and safer – they are her calling. So – I’m giving you a very honest answer – sometimes, in a creative process, you establish something that is not necessarily the right decision, but then you can always correct it and change it. So Wonder Woman will always be there as far as she concerns for mankind.
Opinion: While it made her feel more human, that a devastating loss would drive her into a state of depression, I’m fine with this. The character change didn’t land for some, others thought it made her character more sympathetic. But either way, I’m super stoked for “Justice League”. “Wonder Woman” was fine-good, I’d watch it again, and “Dawn of Justice” is one of my favorites of all time, and this change doesn’t affect either of those films in my mind.
Thor Director Says What We’re All Thinking – Marvel movies are comedies. That’s all they are. They offer little drama, and if half of the cast doesn’t die in “Avengers 3: Infinity War”, then what the fuck is the point? Taika Waititi, who just finished directing “Thor: Ragnarok”, basically confirmed this by suggesting he wants to take Black Widow, give her a solo film and make it a comedy. Waititi is quoted as saying;
In all honesty, I reckon I could probably bring something pretty unique to any of the franchises, so I’d love to see Black Widow. [I’d like to see] Black Widow as something crazy and a bit funnier than we expect it to be, because we know her story and it’s very sullen and very dark and her history is very dark. But! What’s the funny version of that? What’s the more entertaining version of that?
Yup. “Ragnarok” is basically called “Marvel’s funniest movie yet”. So yeah, that’s what they’re going for. Lowest common denominator.
Netflix Ghostbusters? – After the bust that was the remake from last year, there are talks and plans to revive the “Ghostbuster” franchise somehow. One avenue not mentioned would be a digital streaming service, on a site like Netflix. In a conversation with Cinema Blend, Dan Aykroyd cited “Stranger Things” as a new way of pitching the series; in high school…or something. Aykroyd is quoted as saying;
Yes. Absolutely. Sure. Sure. I can see several possibilities there. You know? Take a cue from these guys in Stranger Things and maybe have the Ghostbusters in high school or something.
Quick Hits – Kevin Feige claims Marvel makes different movies, the rest of us scoff at that assertion. IMAX CEO admits “Inhumans” screenings were a mistake. Hellboy has been added to “Injustice 2”.