There have allegedly been discussions at Marvel Studios to reunite the original ensemble for a new Avengers film. Variety reports that studio executives, including President Kevin Feige, have talked about the possibility of bringing back Tony Stark/Iron Man played by Robert Downey Jr. and Black Widow played by Scarlett Johansson for a new series, though they aren’t 100% committed to it. Given how frequently characters in comic books are killed off and then brought back to life, it’s not even shocking to see something similar occur in a superhero film. But in Hollywood, where Downey made $25 million for Iron Man 3, it might need a significant financial outlay to do so.
This year, Marvel has put out several duds. Movies and television series like Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and Secret Invasion have received a lot of bad buzz. Marvel is thinking about reuniting, which is not surprising given that its Phase Five films are struggling and its Phase Four films are underwhelming despite their financial success. Even though the fans would be thrilled about it, placing a wager on something this significant could be dangerous.
You see, the satisfying conclusion of the Russo Brothers’ Avengers: Endgame contributed to the film’s successful box office performance. The film was a worthy conclusion to the years of build-up and character growth over the course of 22 previous movies. Not only would it be blatantly evident that the revived characters are an attempt to recreate the long-lost Marvel magic that had crowds of people lining up at midnight theaters, but it would also raise doubts about canon events. Superhero movie fatigue has never been more evident, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe is still working to salvage as much of the Multiverse Saga as possible.
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The Variety story claims that talks also touched on Jonathan Majors’ Kang the Conqueror, the franchise’s major antagonist who has been embroiled in legal troubles lately.
Disney appeared to be waiting to see how the actor’s arrest and domestic abuse accusations work out after the actor was taken into custody in March. Filming for Majors’ next movie, Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, isn’t expected to start until 2024. The actor is currently getting ready for his November trial after being fired by his management and facing additional accusations.
Given that the studio has positioned Kang as the ultimate foe across both seasons of Loki and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, the debate has forced Marvel execs to examine another important nemesis, the brilliant Dr. Doom. This is a significant change. Despite Majors’ legal run-ins, Variety’s sources maintain that Marvel had contemplated developing a new antagonist because of Quantumania’s dismal box office results.
A significant portion of the film’s criticism was directed at the poor computer graphics. Visual effects professionals blamed Marvel Studios for scheduling delays in order to focus all of its key resources on other movies, such as Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. The VFX crew unionized in September due to excessive working hours and unattainable goals; some said that the drab effects were the fault of VFX head Victoria Alonso. She was let off in March on the grounds of a contract violation, but insiders said that since they started releasing Disney+ Marvel series, quality assurance had been rapidly declining. Another group, meanwhile, asserts that She-Hulk: Attorney at Law’s CGI problems were from scheduling and writing difficulties and that Alonso was just used as a “scapegoat,” with post-production artists fixing the problems.
The Marvels, which stars Brie Larson, Iman Vellani, and Teyonah Parris and was produced on a $250 million budget, is the studio’s newest release, set to release on November 10. According to the source, Nia DaCosta, the film’s director, left to concentrate on another project during post-production, even though the movie needed four weeks of reshoots. According to Variety’s source, “It’s kind of weird for the director to leave with a few months to go if you’re directing a $250 million movie.”
In addition, extensive reworkings are being made to the Oscar-winning Blade remake movie, which stars Mahershala Ali and has gone through several writers and directors. It turns out that, with the lead buried deep below, the vampire story once transformed into a “narrative led by women and filled with life lessons.” Ali had considered quitting the film because of screenplay problems, but Feige brought in Logan writer Michael Green to create a new narrative that will be built on a $100 million budget. At this point, Blade plans to be released in 2025.
