Don Cheadle Returns For Armor Wars Series
Actor Don Cheadle, will reprise his role as James Rhodes/War Machine, in a new Disney+ series called Armor Wars. This one will feature Rhodes unwinding the problem of Stark tech falling into the wrong hands.
Marvel Announces New Shows, Casting and More At Disney Investor Day
Marvel Studios' parent company Walt Disney held its Investor Day yesterday and rolled out numerous announcements across its various brands. In addition to new trailers for WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Loki, What If...? and Ms. Marvel, major announcements about a Fantastic Four reboot and the next Ant-Man movie, the studio also announced casting updates for other films and a slew of new shows for Disney+.
Below is a summary of those annoucnements.
Samuel L. Jackson to Topline Secret Invasion Series
The recently rumored Disney+ Nick Fury series starring Samuel L. Jackson is now revealed to be Secret Invasion. Actor Ben Mendelsohn will co-star, reprising his role of the Skrull Talos. Fury and Talos were last seen teaming up in Spider-Man: Far From Home, and the stinger to that film found Fury living in the S.W.O.R.D. satellite orbiting the Earth.
The comics series of the same name detailed a plot by the shape-shifting Skrulls to take over the planet by replacing key (and often super-powered) humans. S.W.O.R.D. is a S.H.I.E.L.D. off-shoot designed to protect the planet from extraterrestrial threats.
Ironheart Series on Tap for Disney+
Ironheart is the another new series announced yesterday by Marvel Studios, and one that already has its lead actress. Dominique Thorne will play Riri Williams, a teenaged genius who draws inspiration from Tony Stark and creates her own suit of armor. This will be a TV series streaming on Disney+.
Ruffalo and Roth to Appear in She-Hulk
Yesterday's She-Hulk tweet confirmed the previously-leaked casting of Tatiana Maslany in the lead role. Also interesting is the inclusion of Mark Ruffalo and Tim Roth in the cast. Ruffalo isn't unexpected since Banner is integral to Jennifer Walters story. However Roth is a deep cut back to the earliest MCU collaboration with another studio, the 2008 Incredible Hulk where Roth plays the gamma-villain The Abomination. The tweet also names directors Kat Coiro and Anu Valia. The series will air on Disney+.
Shang-Chi Full Cast Revealed
The full cast of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings was revealed in a tweet. The complete cast is Simu Liu as Shang-Chi, Tony Leung as Wenwu, Awkwafina as Katy, Meng'er Zhang as Xialing, Michelle Yeoh as Jiang Nan, Ronny Chieng as Jon on, Fala Chen as Jiang Li and Florian Munteanu as Razor Fist. The movie is holding on to its July 9th 2021 release date.
Captain Marvel 2 Cast Expands
The Marvel Studios tweet regarding Captain Marvel 2, confirms known details, such as the return of Brie Larson to the title role and the hiring of Nia DaCosta as director. We also learn that Teyonah Parris, who plays Monica Rambeau in WandaVision, and Iman Vellani, who stars in Ms. Marvel will be in the film as well. Finally, the movie has a new release date of November 11, 2022.
Guardians of the Galaxy Get Holiday Special
Director James Gunn returns to his career making franchise with the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special on Disney+. Gunn later tweeted out that he "un-ironically loves" the infamous Star Wars Holiday Special, so who knows what to expect. We do know that this one isn't going to drop until 2022.
Baby Groot gets Toon Shorts
Baby Groot will be the star of some short segments appearing on Disney+ next year. The tweeted announcement from Marvel Studios gives few details about the show, which is called I Am Groot. Is it live-action? Animation? We will find out.
Christian Bale to Play God Butcher in Thor: Love and Thunder
A revelation from Marvel Studios' tweetstorm is that actor Christian Bale is confirmed as the villain in Thor: Love and Thunder. Bale will be playing Gorr the God Butcher, an embittered alien whose faith in the gods is betrayed by his harsh and tragic life. When he finds a mysteriously powered Black Sword, cast off from the symbiote God Knull, Gorr embarks on a mission of vengeance against the gods that betrayed him.
The announcement also carries the news that the film will arrive May 6, 2022, the spot previously held for Black Panther II. That movie is now pushed to July 8, 2022.
Hawkeye Directors Named
In yesterday's tweetstorm Marvel Studios confirmed that the Hawkeye series starring Jeremy Renner and Hailee Steinfeld would also include Vera Farmiga, Fra Fee and Alaqua Cox among its cast. In terms of new information, they add director Rhys Thomas and directing duo Bert and Bertie to the mix.
Baymax! To Get His Own Animated Disney+ Show
While Disney's the Big Hero 6 franchise seems to be completely divorced from Marvel at this point, we still recognize that it, and its star character Baymax (or at least a version of) originated in that universe. Now, Disney+ plans to spin Baymax off into its own animated series simply called Baymax! We're not sure how this will dovetail with or differentiate from Big Hero 6: The Series, as that Disney XD series features the character prominently. Few details are provided except that we won't see it until 2022.
