Minari: Steven Yeun-Led Acclaimed Drama Sets VOD Release Date

A24 has announced that director Lee Isaac Chung’s upcoming drama film Minari will finally be getting a digital release, following its scheduled theatrical release on February 12, 2021. Starring Steven Yeun, Han Yeri, and Youn Yuh-Jung, Minari will arrive on VOD on Friday, February 26, 2021. This announcement also came with the release of a new featurette promo which you can check out below, featuring the cast as they explained what the title means to them.

Wonderful, wonderful! #Minari is for everyone — opening in theaters Feb 12 & on demand Feb 26  pic.twitter.com/8fNufXb96F

— A24 (@A24) January 21, 2021

RELATED: Lee Isaac Chung Tapped to Write/Direct Live-Action Your Name

A tender and sweeping story about what roots us, Minari follows a Korean-American family that moves to a tiny Arkansas farm in search of their own American Dream. The family home changes completely with the arrival of their sly, foul-mouthed, but incredibly loving grandmother. Amidst the instability and challenges of this new life in the rugged Ozarks, Minari shows the undeniable resilience of family and what really makes a home.

Alongside Yeun, the cast for the film includes Yeri Han (Illang: The Wolf Brigade), Alan Kim, Noel Kate Cho, Will Patton (Yellowstone, Swamp Thing), Scott Haze (Venom, Zeroville) and South Korean veteran actress Yuh-Jung Youn (Sense8, Dear My Friends).

The film is a co-production between Brad Pitt’s Plan B Entertainment and A24, with the Once Upon a Time in Hollywood Oscar winner executive producing the project alongside Yeun and Joshua Bachove (The Little Hours) while Dede Gardner (The Underground Railroad, If Beale Street Could Talk) produces alongside Jeremy Kleiner (The Third Day, Ad Astra) and Christina Oh (The Last Black Man in San Francisco, Ad Astra).

RELATED: A24 Unveils First Trailer & Poster for Lee Isaac Chung’s Minari

Minari held its world premiere at 2020 the Sundance Film Festival and brought home the U.S. Dramatic Grand Jury Prize and the U.S. Dramatic Audience Award. Due to its critical success, the film is also currently a potential frontrunner in the upcoming 2021 Academy Awards.

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Jared Leto-Led Morbius Gets Pushed Back Again to 2022

Following No Time to Die‘s most recent delay due to the ongoing pandemic, Sony Pictures has decided to follow suit and change the release date of their upcoming Spider-man spin-off film Morbius for the fourth time. Originally scheduled for an October 8, 2021 release, the Jared Leto-led film has been pushed back to next year and is now set to hit theaters on January 21, 2021.

RELATED: CS Soapbox: How Jared Leto’s Joker Fits Into Zack Snyder’s Justice League

The film stars Academy Award winner Jared Leto (Dallas Buyers Club), Emmy nominee Matt Smith (Doctor Who) as Loxias Crown, Adria Arjona (Good Omens) as Martine Bancroft, Emmy nominee Jared Harris (The Crown) as Morbius’ mentor, and Tyrese Gibson (Fast and the Furious) as an FBI Agent.

Pick up a copy of the Morbius comics here!

Morbius is Sony’s adaptation of the Marvel anti-hero Morbius the Living Vampire. The film is directed by Daniel Espinosa (Life, Safe House) from a script by Burk Sharpless and Matt Sazama (Netflix’s Lost in Space), based on the Marvel Comics character created by writer Roy Thomas and artist Gil Kane who first appeared in 1971’s “Amazing Spider-Man” #101.

RELATED: CS Soapbox: What Does THAT Morbius Trailer Cameo Mean?

Originally Dr. Michael Morbius, the scientist character tried to cure his rare blood disease only to become afflicted with a form of vampirism that gave him superior strength, fangs and a taste for the red stuff. The character fought Spider-Man several times, though eventually earned several of his own books where he had a more heroic arc. He has an ongoing feud with the character Blade the Vampire Hunter in the comics. The character previously appeared on TV in Spider-Man: The Animated Series and Ultimate Spider-Man Vs The Sinister Six, and was originally earmarked to make his film debut in Blade until his cameo was deleted and plans to make him the villain in Blade II scrapped.

Arad and Tolmach will produce the film with Lucas Foster, with Sony executive Palak Patel overseeing for the studio. This is one of several Spider-Man spin-off projects in development at Sony, including the upcoming Venom sequel, and a secret project with Olivia Wilde set to direct.

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10 Star Wars video game franchises needing a revival

Last week brought the exciting news that Lucasfilm Games would be handling all licensing of its properties for new video game titles, including a new Indiana Jones title from Bethesda and open-world Star Wars project at Ubisoft, so we’re looking back at ten subfranchises from the latter series that could use a proper revival for modern gamers.

RELATED: Lucasfilm Games Is the New Home for Star Wars Games & All Gaming Titles from Lucasfilm

Battle of the Sith Lords

• Developer: Red Fly Studio
• Entries: None (Cancelled Mid-Development)

While the world of Star Wars generally puts players in the position of those on the light side of The Force as they face off against the evils of the galaxy, some of the best lore and storytelling comes in the exploration of the dark side and the more muddled moral grounds between them, and what better way to dive into this than the sadly-cancelled Battle of the Sith Lords. Centered around fan-favorite antagonist Darth Maul, the title would have been a coming-of-age tale exploring his backstory as he was kidnapped by Emperor Palpatine and forced to become a Sith Lord, but rumor has it that Disney’s acquisition of Lucasfilm in 2012 led to the cancellation of the project. With fans expressing their love for the character in the years since his film debut in Episode I — The Phantom Menace, namely with his character arcs on the hit animated series The Clone Wars, now seems like the perfect time to contemplate reviving the title for a proper release.

Project Ragtag

• Developer: Visceral Games
• Entries: None (Cancelled Late Development)

The name Amy Hennig is one of the most celebrated in the gaming industry, having created Naughty Dog’s beloved Uncharted series and co-written/directed a number of the hit Legacy of Kain games, and when it was announced she would be directing a Star Wars game with a tone akin to the former franchise and the heist film genre, fans lost their minds with excitement. That was until the announcement in October 2017 that developer Visceral Games was being shuttered by parent company Electronic Arts after a little over a year of difficulties between EA and Visceral, with the former attempting to pull creative control from the latter and also driving development away from the project to focus on the booming Battlefront revived franchise and more multiplayer gaming. With Project Ragtag having been in late development when cancelled and Hennig still seemingly interested in returning to the title as fans prove hungry for more single-player Star Wars games, Lucasfilm should explore a path to reconnect with her and finally give fans an exciting new take on the space-faring world.

Knights of the Old Republic

• Developers: BioWare, Obsidian Entertainment
• Entries: Three + Five Expansion Packs

Click here to purchase Knights of the Old Republic and Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords!

Now that we’ve explored some cancelled titles that deserve to come back to life, let’s look at a franchise that could really use new life: Knights of the Old Republic. While one could argue that the franchise hasn’t died yet as EA has continually offered new expansion packs for The Old Republic, the third installment in the series, the change in gameplay style from the original RPG format to the online-necessitated MMORPG has left some fans hungry for a more contained and single-player experience akin to the first titles. BioWare may currently be busy with new installments in their Dragon Age and Mass Effect franchises and Obisidian is currently focusing on a new Pillars of Eternity title and preparing Grounded for its full release this year after six months of early access, but if one of the two could find time in their schedules to bring back the KOTR series with improved graphics, I know at least one gamer who will be happy — spoiler alert, it’s me.

RELATED: Lucasfilm Games and Ubisoft Announce Open-World Star Wars Game

The Force Unleashed

• Developers: LucasArts, Aspyr, Krome Studios, Red Fly Studio
• Entries: Two

Click here to purchase The Force Unleashed and its sequel!

While some cancelled projects were only rumored to have been cancelled following Disney’s acquisition of Lucasfilm, the death of the Force Unleashed franchise has been confirmed to have spawned from the major purchase as it became one of many Star Wars media to have been shifted into the non-canonical expanded universe entitled Legends while the House of Mouse began development on the sequel trilogy and cancelled the threequel alongside a number of other projects. Giving a unique twist to the larger mythos that Darth Vader had a secret apprentice who would plant the seeds of what would become the Rebel Alliance, the TFU series may have seen a bit of a step down in storytelling with its sequel but it ended on such an exciting cliffhanger that deserves to be revisited, especially as star Sam Witwer has remained with the Star Wars franchise and frequently expressed interest in returning to the character of Starkiller.

Bounty Hunter

• Developer: LucasArts
• Entries: Two (One Cancelled)

Click here to purchase Star Wars: Bounty Hunter!

The Fett “family” has been a subject of fascination and excitement for fans of the Star Wars franchise since Boba’s introduction in the original trilogy and after introducing “patriarch” Jango in Episode II — Attack of the Clones, LucasArts decided to give the latter his own gaming title with the prequel story Bounty Hunter. While its story has also been shuffled off into the non-canonical Legends banner and its initially received mixed reviews for its technical issues, Bounty Hunter received a lot of praise for its plot from SW fans and even received a next-gen re-release for the PlayStation 4 in 2019. The developer was looking at learning from their mistakes with Bounty Hunter for the Boba-centered 1313, which would be set between the prequel and original trilogies and would be a fairly open-world environment set in the criminal underground of Coruscant, but — much like others on this list — Disney’s acquisition of Lucasfilm saw the project shelved. With Boba finding new life thanks to The Mandalorian and Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy having previously expressed a lot of excitement for the ideas explored in the game, now is the perfect time to revive the series.

Jedi Knight

• Developers: LucasArts, Raven Software
• Entries: Five

When the word Jedi is uttered a few names come to most people’s minds. Luke Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Yoda, Mace Windu, Qui-Gon Jinn. But one name too frequently left out from the conversation amongst fans mostly familiar with the films is that of Kyle Katarn from the Jedi Knight series. Once a member of the Galactic Empire, Katarn would leave and become a mercenary for hire, frequently working with the Rebel Alliance before eventually becoming a full member of the New Republic and a skilled Jedi instructor at the Jedi Academy, second only to Luke Skywalker. As with others on the list, the franchise became non-canonical when the House of Mouse came in the picture, but that doesn’t mean his story can’t be further explored, especially as he was no longer a playable character in the last installment in the series, Jedi Academy.

Shadows of the Empire

• Developer: LucasArts
• Entries: One

Click here to purchase Shadows of the Empire!

Much like Jedi Knight, the Shadows of the Empire series finds its way on to this list thanks to one key element: Dash Rendar. While very much a Han Solo knock-off, the rebel ally’s stories on both the pages of its source novel and comics and the screens of the game adaptation hold a special place in fans’ hearts. Despite being pushed into the non-canonical Legends banner, it proves to be one of the few in the expanded universe to actually get canonical ties to the mainline series, from two crime organizations originating from the franchise appearing in The Clone Wars to Rendar himself appearing in the movie tie-in book for Solo: A Star Wars Story. The game adaptation, released for the Nintendo 64 and Windows, may have received mixed reviews for its lackluster gameplay but with the world of Shadows featuring such a rich roster of characters and stories, it deserves a proper follow-up with a studio learning from LucasArts’ original mistakes.

RELATED: 5 Non-Star Wars LucasArts Game Franchises Needing a Revival

Masters of Teräs Käsi

• Developer: LucasArts
• Entries: One

Click here to purchase Masters of Teräs Käsi!

If you grew up in the late ’80 to early ’90s, you were witness to the rise of the fighting game community thanks to the Street Fighter, Tekken and Mortal Kombat franchises, amongst others, as well as a number of failed attempts to recreate their formulas and one that wasted much of its potential was Star Wars: Masters of Teräs Käsi. Released in 1997 and utilizing a blend of weapons-based and hand-to-hand combat, the game was widely criticized for its sluggish character movement and unbalanced attacks/combos and would be the only fighting game attempt from LucasArts in the SW franchise for over a decade until the similarly-poorly-received The Clone Wars — Lightsaber Duels. With the fighting game community still proving as strong as ever, the MK and Soulcaliber franchises, the latter of which saw some Star Wars characters as playable fighters, continuing to prove successful and the titular fighting style even being referenced in Solo: A Star Wars Story, Lucasfilm Games should revisit the genre.

Racer

• Developers: LucasArts, Rainbow Studios
• Entries: Two + One Arcade Port

Click here to purchase Star Wars Racer and Racer’s Revenge!

The first installment in the prequel trilogy, The Phantom Menace, may divide a lot of fans and critics over 20 years later, but there’s one element nearly all agree was great: podracing. A sci-fi combo of chariot racing and street racing, the podracing sequence in the film was a pretty exciting and unique experience that LucasArts decided to capitalize on with Episode I: Racer and it has continued to prove to be one of the best games in the entire Star Wars franchise. With fast-paced races, easy-to-manage controls and solid graphics upon release, the game was a major hit and spawned a 2002 sequel Racer’s Revenge, both of which got next-gen console updates, though the latter’s was only for the PlayStation 4. With recent Star Wars films introducing exciting new locales that could be utilized as racing maps without affecting the franchise canon and the racing genre largely devoid of unique or exciting titles outside of the Mario Kart series, now is as good a time as any to bring this series back.

Republic Commando

• Developer: LucasArts
• Entries: One

Click here to purchase Republic Commando!

Long before Dave Filoni offered a more expansive take on the conflict with The Clone Wars, LucasArts put players into the boots of an elite clone trooper as he leads the Delta Squad, a team of three other clones with distinctive personalities, in Republic Commando. Though also initially part of the non-canonical Legends banner, the central group have subsequently been retconned into being part of the larger canon, making cameo appearances in The Clone Wars, which Filoni says was influenced by the game, and became playable characters in 2017’s Star Wars Battlefront II. With the final season of Filoni’s series introducing a similar team, The Bad Batch, who are getting their own spin-off series on Disney+ sometime this year, now is the ultimate time for Lucasfilm Games to explore a revival of sorts for the fan-favorite title.

What Star Wars video game title or franchise would you like to see revived? Let us know in the comments below!

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Five Eyes: Josh Hartnett Reunites With Jason Statham & Guy Ritchie in Spy Thriller Film

According to Deadline, Josh Hartnett (30 Days of Night) has officially signed on to star opposite Jason Statham in director Guy Ritchie’s forthcoming international spy thriller film titled Five Eyes. This actually marks Hartnett’s second collaboration with Statham and Richie, who are all working together on MGM’s upcoming action-thriller Wrath of Man.  He will be joining previously announced cast members Aubrey Plaza, Cary Elwes, and Bugzy Malone.

RELATED: Mimic: Paul W.S. Anderson Adapting Guillermo del Toro Film Into Series

In Five Eyes, MI6 guns-and-steel agent Orson Fortune (Statham) is recruited by a global intelligence alliance ‘Five Eyes’ to track down and stop the sale of a deadly new weapons technology that threatens to disrupt the world order. Reluctantly paired with CIA high-tech expert Sarah Fidel, Fortune sets off on a globe-trotting mission where he will have to use all of his charm, ingenuity, and stealth to track down and infiltrate billionaire arms broker Greg Simmonds.

The film will be directed by Ritchie from a script written by Ivan Atkinson and Marn Davies (The Gentlemen, Wrath of Man), with revisions by Ritchie. This project marks the latest collaboration between Ritchie and Statham, who have previously worked together on Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch and Revolver as well as the upcoming action thriller Wrath of Man.

RELATED: Miramax’s Fletch Reboot Taps Jon Hamm to Lead & Produce!

Five Eyes will be produced by Bill Block for Miramax, which is also fully financing the film. Ivan Atkinson also serves as producer. STXfilms has secured worldwide distribution rights to the film. STX will distribute directly in the US, UK, and Ireland, and STXinternational will launch sales to foreign buyers at the upcoming Toronto International Film Festival. STXfilms had great success earlier this year with Ritchie’s The Gentlemen, which grossed $115 million at the worldwide box office.

(Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images)

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New Wrong Turn Reboot Trailer Sets VOD Release Date

A brand new trailer for director Mike P. Nelson’s upcoming Wrong Turn reboot film has been released online, featuring some new footage of the woods-dwelling killers. Ahead of its one-night-only theatrical release on January 26, 2021, the video, which you can check out below, has also revealed the film will also be arriving on VOD on February 26, 2021.

RELATED: New Wrong Turn Movie Trailer Brings Us Back to the Woods

The Wrong Turn reboot will feature a cross-country hiking expedition that puts a group of friends in the land of an inclusive society called The Foundation, described as people who have lived in the mountains since before the Civil War. The friends soon discover they are under a different rule of law, and may not be the victims they thought they were.

Purchase your copy of the 2003 movie here!

The film is directed by Mike P. Nelson (The Domestics) from a script written by the original film’s writer Alan B. McElroy. It will be led by Spanish-British actress Charlotte Vega (The Lodgers), Matthew Modine (47 Meters Down), Damian Maffei (The Strangers: Prey at Night), Bill Sage (Hap and Leonard), Emma Dumont (The Gifted), Valerie Jane Parker (Greenleaf), Chaney Morrow (Haunt) and David Hutchinson (American Horror Story).

RELATED: Evil Dead Rise: Bruce Campbell Offers New Update on Fifth Installment

The horror franchise began in 2003 with a theatrical film that was a modest box office success and received generally mixed reviews, spawning a direct-to-video franchise made up of two sequels and three prequels running up to 2014 before going dormant.

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Searchlight Pictures Announces Release Dates for Antlers, Nightmare Alley & More

Searchlight Pictures has announced additional release dates for a handful of upcoming films, including the horror movie Antlers, which will release on October 29, 2021; Guillermo del Toro’s Nightmare Alley, debuting on December 3, 2021; The Night House, releasing on July 16, 2021, and The Eyes of Tammy Faye, arriving on September 24, 2021.

The Night House will open against Warner Bros.’ Space Jam: A New Legacy, as well as Sony Pictures’ Uncharted, while The Eyes of Tammy Faye will open against Warner Bros.’ The Many Saints of Newark and Paramount Pictures’ My Little Pony movie.

RELATED: Chloe Zhao’s Nomadland Set to Debut on Hulu Next Month

From the visionary world of acclaimed director Scott Cooper and horror maestro Guillermo del Toro comes Antlers. In an isolated Oregon town, a middle-school teacher (Keri Russell) and her sheriff brother (Jesse Plemons) become embroiled with her enigmatic student (Jeremy T. Thomas) whose dark secrets lead to terrifying encounters with a legendary ancestral creature who came before them. Based on the short story The Quiet Boy by Nick Antosca, the movie is written by Henry Chaisson, Antosca, and Cooper. The movie is produced by Guillermo del Toro, David S. Goyer, and J. Miles Dale.

In Nightmare Alley, an ambitious young carny (Bradley Cooper) with a talent for manipulating people with a few well-chosen words hooks up with a female psychiatrist (Cate Blanchett) who is even more dangerous than he is. The movie is directed by Guillermo del Toro who co-wrote the screenplay with Kim Morgan. Del Toro produces alongside J. Miles Dale.

The Night House follows a widow (Rebecca Hall, The Town) who begins to uncover her recently deceased husband’s disturbing secrets. The movie is directed by David Bruckner and written by Ben Collins and Luke Piotrowski. Producers include David S. Goyer, Keith Levine, and John Zois.

RELATED: Adrien Brody Joins Searchlight Pictures’ Star-Studded Murder Mystery Film

The Eyes of Tammy Faye is an intimate look at the extraordinary rise, fall, and redemption of televangelist Tammy Faye Bakker (Jessica Chastain). In the 1970s and 80s, Tammy Faye and her husband, Jim Bakker, rose from humble beginnings to create the world’s largest religious broadcasting network and theme park, and were revered for their message of love, acceptance, and prosperity. Tammy Faye was legendary for her indelible eyelashes, her idiosyncratic singing, and her eagerness to embrace people from all walks of life. However, it wasn’t long before financial improprieties, scheming rivals, and scandal toppled their carefully constructed empire. Directed by Michael Showalter and written by Abe Sylvia, the movie is produced by Chastain, Kelly Carmichael, Rachel Shane, and Gigi Pritzker.

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Legendary unveils new Godzilla vs. Kong poster, trailer coming Sunday!

With the film’s bump up in release date to March, it seemed inevitable for a trailer to arrive any day and Legendary is here with confirmation that the first trailer for Godzilla vs. Kong is coming this Sunday and has unveiled a new poster to keep fans excited for the latest MonsterVerse installment, which can be viewed below!

RELATED: Mortal Kombat, Godzilla vs Kong & More Footage in HBO Max Promo

TRAILER SUNDAY. #GodzillaVsKong pic.twitter.com/Ndc7HrsdeG

— Legendary (@Legendary) January 21, 2021

The epic action-adventure Godzilla vs. Kong will pit two of the greatest icons in motion picture history against one another — the fearsome Godzilla and the mighty Kong — with humanity caught in the balance.

The film stars Alexander Skarsgård (Big Little Lies, The Little Drummer Girl), Millie Bobby Brown (Stranger Things), Rebecca Hall (Christine, Professor Marston and the Wonder Women), Brian Tyree Henry (Atlanta, Widows), Shun Oguri (Gintama), Eiza González (Baby Driver), Jessica Henwick (Iron Fist), and Julian Dennison (Deadpool 2). Also starring in the highly-anticipated movie are Kyle Chandler (The Wolf of Wall Street, Manchester by the Sea) and Demián Bichir (The Nun, The Hateful Eight).

The fourth installment in Warner Bros.’ Pictures and Legendary’s Monsterverse is directed by Adam Wingard from a script written by Oscar nominee Terry Rossio (Pirates of the Caribbean, Deja Vu, Shrek). The film is being produced by Mary Parent, Alex Garcia, Eric McLeod, and Brian Rogers, with Kenji Okuhira, Yoshimitsu Banno, Jon Jashni and Thomas Tull serving as executive producers. Jay Ashenfelter, Jen Conroy and Tamara Kent are co-producers.

The most recent film in Legendary’s MonsterVerse, Godzilla: King of the Monsters, hit theaters in summer 2019. It ended with Godzilla taking his rightful place as the ruler of all Titans. Unfortunately, the movie was a financial disappointment, grossing only $385.9 million against a budget estimated to be as high as $200 million.

RELATED: An Exclusive Talk With Adam Wingard On Godzilla vs. Kong

Godzilla vs. Kong is set to arrive in theaters and on HBO Max on March 26, 2021.

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Live-action Peter Pan casts Jim Gaffigan as Mr. Smee

After exploring his serious side on the big screen for the past few years, stand-up comic/actor Jim Gaffigan (Tesla, Stargirl) is returning to his humorous roots as he has signed on for Disney’s live-action adaptation of Peter Pan as Captain Hook’s boatswain Mr. Smee, according to The Wrap.

RELATED: Disney Taps Yara Shahidi for Tinker Bell in Live-Action Peter Pan

The 54-year-old actor joins a cast that includes two-time Oscar nominee Jude Law (The Third Day) as the notorious Captain Hook, Black-ish and Grown-ish star Yara Shahidi as Tinker Bell and newcomers Alexander Molony and Ever Anderson, the latter of whom is the daughter of action star Milla Jovovich (Resident Evil). Molony’s acting credits include the Disney Junior’s Claude series and Sky One series The Reluctant Landlord. Anderson made her acting debut as a younger version of her mother in 2016’s action-horror film Resident Evil: The Final Chapter. Anderson will next be seen in Marvel Studios’ highly-anticipated Black Widow as the younger version of Scarlett Johansson’s Natasha Romanoff.

Click here to purchase Disney’s 1953 classic adaptation of J.M. Barrie’s tale!

First published in 1911, Peter Pan & Wendy tells the story of the boy who never grows up named Peter Pan as he meets Wendy Darling and takes her along with her brothers John and Michael to the magical island of Neverland. There, they get to meet the Lost Boys and Tinkerbell, followed by many dangerous adventures against Peter’s lifelong nemesis Captain Hook.

J.M. Barrie’s iconic tale has been adapted into a live-action film a few times including Steven Spielberg’s 1991 live-action film which starred Robin Williams and Julia Roberts; and 2003’s coming-of-age film starring Jeremy Sumpter and Rachel Hurd-Wood which was probably the most recognized live-action adaptation among many young people; and the most recent one, Joe Wright’s 2016 Pan starring Hugh Jackman. However, Disney’s 1953 animated film Peter Pan has remained the most popular adaptation of the tale.

RELATED: Disney Sets Live-Action Remakes of Pinocchio & Bambi

Peter Pan & Wendy will be directed by David Lowery (Pete’s Dragon, The Green Knight) with Toby Halbrooks having co-written the adaptation with Lowery. The project will be part of Disney’s growing slate of live-action films including The Little Mermaid, Pinocchio, and Niki Caro’s upcoming Mulan which is set to hit theaters on March 27.

Disney proved the success of their efforts of adapting many of their classic animated films into live-action in 2019 with Jon Favreau’s The Lion King and Guy Richie’s Aladdin both earning a gross of over $1 billion.

(Photo Credit: George Pimentel/Getty Images)

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WandaVision star says series will explore Monica’s post-Captain Marvel story

During the recent press conference for the series, Marvel Cinematic Universe newcomer Teyonah Parris confirmed that upcoming episodes of Marvel Studios’ first Disney+ series WandaVision will allow fans to get know more about her character as the series will eventually explore Monica Rambeau’s story following the character’s first appearance in 2019’s Captain Marvel. The series is scheduled to return this Friday, January 22 with its third episode.

“[WandaVision] picks up right after the events of Endgame, and for Monica, it’s obviously years later from when we saw her as a girl in Captain Marvel,” Parris teased. “[Fans will] get to find out what’s been happening with her over those years that we missed, how she’s grown and evolved.”

RELATED: CS Video: WandaVision Interview With Director Matt Shakman

WandaVision will follow the story of Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany’s superhero characters Scarlet Witch and Vision. The series blends the style of classic sitcoms with the Marvel Cinematic Universe in which Wanda Maximoff and Vision—two super-powered beings living their ideal suburban lives—begin to suspect that everything is not as it seems.

Joining Olsen and Bettany are Kathryn Hahn as Agnes, and Teyonah Parris as Monica Rambeau, who was introduced to audiences in Captain Marvel. Kat Dennings will reprise her role as Darcy from Thor and Thor: The Dark World, and Randall Park will reprise his role as Jimmy Woo from Ant-Man and The Wasp.

It has also been confirmed through previously released set photos that the series will be featuring the Sentient World Observation and Response Department or better known as S.W.O.R.D. which is a subdivision of S.H.I.E.L.D. that deals with alien threats that jeopardize world security.  However, it is still unclear whether prominent S.W.O.R.D. members such as S.W.O.R.D. leader Abigail Brand will also appear in the series or not but this would definitely mark the live-action debut of the department and the first Marvel property from the Fox-Disney merger that will be integrated into Marvel Studios’ Marvel Cinematic Universe.

RELATED: WandaVision Episodes 1 & 2: Clues, Predictions & Takeaways

Featuring nine episodes, WandaVision is directed by Matt Shakman with Jac Schaeffer as head writer. The composer is Christophe Beck, and the theme (for certain episodes) is by Frozen’s Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez.

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Simu Liu Reveals Who Shang-Chi Would Beat in a Fight Against Other Marvel Superheroes

Simu Liu was virtually unknown prior to being announced as the star of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings in 2019. But with the movie’s release only six months away (COVID-19 permitting, of course), he’s poised to become a household name by the end of the year. There’s a lot riding on Shang-Chi, which marks the first mainstream superhero movie to feature an Asian protagonist. And while speaking with Toronto Life, Liu discussed what it was like to work on such a groundbreaking film (via SuperHeroHype).

As of now, we haven’t seen so much as an ounce of footage from Shang-Chi, which officially wrapped filming last October. However, we know that Liu’s character is definitely sporting his own costume in the movie. When asked about any moments from the production that stood out, he recounted what it felt like to don the suit for the first time.

“Marvel has never had an Asian lead,” said Liu. “So that was such a rare and impactful moment, for me as an actor but also for people who look like me. I nearly cried. It was so emotional. And then of course by the fifth day, I was like, ‘Oh my god, I hate this thing, why are there so many zippers?’”

In some ways, Liu is an unusual choice to star in a big-budget action flick. In his native Canada, he’s best known for his role on the Canadian sitcom Kim’s Convenience, which is also available to stream on Netflix in the U.S. But even though Shang-Chi might lead to new opportunities, Liu doesn’t plan to step away from the show anytime soon.

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“My schedule definitely looks a lot different now than it did a few years ago,” added Liu. “But I’m very aware that Kim’s is the reason I got the movie. The experience and the mentors I’ve had over the five seasons have been incredible, and I still think there’s a lot to do with my character, so my hope is to be able to continue.”

Right now, it’s still unclear what Marvel’s plans are for Shang-Chi beyond his first standalone film. Regardless, it seems likely that he’ll have a role to play in the larger MCU in the future, and Liu sounds ready to go toe-to-toe with some of Marvel’s heavy-hitters. In fact, when asked who would win in a fight between himself, Iron Man, the Hulk, and Black Widow, he immediately claimed victory for himself.

“I win!” Liu said. “Shang-Chi. I could debate this as a fan for hours. But now that I’ve got some skin in the game, I have to think I could take any of these guys on. Shang-Chi can definitely throw a punch. As for his other skills and powers, you’ll have to wait and see.”

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings opens on July 9.

Are you looking forward to seeing Liu’s costume in the film? Let us know in the comments below!

Recommended Reading: Shang-Chi: Master of Kung-Fu Omnibus Vol. 2

The post Simu Liu Reveals Who Shang-Chi Would Beat in a Fight Against Other Marvel Superheroes  appeared first on ComingSoon.net.