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Everyone’s favorite villainous character actor Giancarlo Esposito made waves by announcing he has been cast in an MCU film with the added caveat that it is not a role fans have speculated about. Actor and writer Paul Walter Hauser - who has been in the news a lot lately - is also joining the MCU in Matt Shakman’s Fantastic Four movie in an unknown role. The casting news comes on the heels of Bob Iger’s comments today about shrinking the volume of the MCU to three films and two television series per year.

May the Fourth has come and gone, but with it Lucasfilm provided a full trailer for June’s new live action series, The Acolyte. Fans of the franchise who enjoyed seeing The Phantom Menace back in theaters last weekend were also treated to an extended look at a scene from the first trailer featuring Carrie Ann Moss.

James Gunn took to social media, rather than the sky, and debuted a first look at the Superman costume that will be donned by David Corenswet. Set against a Metropolis that looks to be in distress, Corenswet appears to be getting ready to go to work as the new Man of Steel.

The baddest superheroes around will soon be back.  The Boys Season 4 trailer dropped this week showcasing a crossover with characters from Gen V. Late Gen V actor Chance Perdomo’s character Andre Anderson will not be recast in that show’s second season, according to a joint statement from the producers.

A24 has secured the rights to produce Checkmate, a project centered on a book proposal by Ben Mezrich, the author whose books were adapted into films such The Social Network and Dumb Money. Checkmate will reteam Nathan Fielder and Emma Stone to direct and produce and will tackle a recent public chess cheating scandal between chess players Magnus Carlsen and Hans Niemann.

Paul Walter Hauser is set to play Captain Ed in director Akiva Schaffer’s untitled new Naked Gun film that Paramount Pictures plans to release July 18, 2025. Hauser will star opposite Liam Neeson and Pamela Anderson.

Anna Sawai, the breakout star of the hit FX series Shōgun, revealed to The Hollywood Reporter that she was forced to turn down an audition for the part of Katana in the 2016 film Suicide Squad because the company behind FAKY, the J-Pop girl group to which she then belonged, forbid it.

The upcoming live action adaptation of Masters of the Universe finally has a release date of June 5, 2026. Bumblebee director Travis Knight will direct.

Netflix announced the sixth and final season of Cobra Kai will consist of 15 episodes, with the season split into three, five-episode blocks. The first five episodes will premiere on July 18th.

Kristen Stewart and Oscar Isaac are set to star in Flesh of the Gods, an 80's vampire thriller to be directed by Panos Cosmatos, the filmmaker best known for his hallucinatory 2018 horror movie Mandy.

Wheel of Time and Gone Girl star Rosamund Pike has joined Lionsgate's Now You See Me 3, the upcoming installment in the magic heist franchise.

Steve Carell is set to star opposite Tina Fey in the upcoming Netflix comedy series Four Seasons. The series is based on a 1981 film of the same name.

A24 has picked up Onslaught, the upcoming horror action film from director Adam Wingard. Wingard is fresh off directing Godzilla x Kong and Warner Brothers hopes that following the filming of Onslaught, he will return to direct another chapter of the monsterverse.

Hugh Jackman and Emmy winner Jodie Comer are set to star in The Death of Robin Hood, a dark reimagining of the legend of Robin Hood. A Quiet Place Day One director Michael Sarnoski will write and direct the feature.

Ahmed Best who played Jar Jar Binks in the Star Wars prequel films, will return to voice Darth Jar Jar, a Sith version of the character for an upcoming Lego Star Wars special titled Lego Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy, which will debut on Disney+ on September

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It’s a light news week, so we’re entertaining a bit of an unsubstantiated rumor coming from reputable insider Daniel Richtman, who suggested that Wesley Snipes could reprise his role as Blade ‘at some point in the MCU’s Multiverse Saga.



Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy is making its way back to the big screen this summer; as Warner Bros and Fathom Events re-releases the films in theaters beginning with The Fellowship of the Ring on June 8, then The Two Towers on June 9, followed by The Return of the King on June 10. The animated film The War of the Rohirrim also hits theaters in December and Amazon it’s expected to air the second season of The Rings of Power sometime in the fall or winter.



During his new profile with Vanity Fair, Chris Hemsworth reflected on his career and his work on Thor: Love & Thunder, specifically. The actor described his performance as ‘too silly’ and opined that he had become a parody of himself. Hemsworth said he feels he owes fans another Thor film to make up for Love & Thunder’s failings and described his upcoming role in Furiosa as something starkly contrasting his most popular roles.



Revealed during an exclusive expose from The Wrap Dwayne Johnson's latest film project, Red One, has faced significant challenges, including production delays and budget overruns, with costs ballooning to over $250 million due to various issues, primarily citing Johnson's chronic lateness and lack of professionalism on set. Despite Amazon MGM denying on-set issues, Johnson's history of lateness and conflicts with co-stars have been well-documented, raising questions about his work ethic.





Challengers took the number one spot at the box office this weekend with a $15 million dollar opening.

Disney released the trailer and official logline for Mufasa: The Lion King, which premieres Dec. 20.

A set photo and comments from the actor himself on a podcast, have confirmed Jeff Bridges is returning for Tron: Ares

Netflix is close to finalizing a deal for a live-action Scooby-Doo series based on the beloved Hanna-Barbera cartoon, with exact plot details kept secret. Warner Bros. Television will produce the one-hour drama, with Josh Appelbaum, Scott Rosenberg, and others attached as writers and executive producers.



Deadpool & Wolverine director Shawn Levy, while speaking with the Associated Press the filmmaker likened watching films to homework, saying, “I was a good student in school. I’ll do my homework as an adult. But I am definitely not looking to do homework when I go to the movies.” The quote reaffirmed that prior knowledge would not be an obligation for the movie.



Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Ralph Fiennes are set to star in the long-awaited sequel, 28 Years Later. Directed by Danny Boyle and written by Alex Garland, the film marks the return of the original team, with Cillian Murphy serving as executive producer, aiming to expand the franchise into a trilogy.



Julia Garner, known for her Emmy-winning role in Ozark, is set to star opposite Josh Brolin in the upcoming horror film Weapons from director Zach Cregger. Garner's rising star continues to shine as she lands major roles, including playing the Silver Surfer in Marvel's upcoming Fantastic Four.



Independent distributor Vertical released a trailer for The Exorcism starring Russell Crowe as a troubled actor who begins to unravel while working on a supernatural horror film.



Sony has moved Kraven the Hunter to the prime winter spot of Dec. 13, 2024 (back from Aug. 30, 2024). Kraven steps into a date that was occupied by fellow Sony pic The Karate Kid, a crossover event movie starring Ralph Macchio and Jackie Chan. Karate Kid now moves to May 30, 2025



In an IP rights deal with game company Hasbro, Sony has gained the exclusive TV and film rights to the board game Clue.

Marvel Studios released a second trailer for Deadpool & Wolverine, coming to theaters July 26.

Chris Hemsworth and Brian Tyree Henry took to social media to promote Transformers One, an animated prequel that also stars Scarlett Johansson.

Trap - a new M. Night Shyamalan film starring Josh Hartnett - dropped a trailer for the serial killer concert film.

The spring box office is experiencing some peaks and valleys with A24’s Civil War continuing to stay in the number one spot over Universal’s new vampire film, Abigail, which only brought in $10.2 million on its opening weekend. Godzilla x Kong continues to stomp its way toward a $500 million dollar box office worldwide, but Guy Ritchie’s new outing, The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, only opened to $9 million domestically.

Tom Holland, speaking with Deadline at the Sands Film Festival this weekend, touched on if he will return for a fourth Spider-Man film and where the future of the project stands.

No, it’s not the Michael Scott Paper Company - Greg Daniels truly is rebooting the NBC comedy The Office with sources reporting Sabrina Impacciatore from The White Lotus and Domhnall Gleeson of Star Wars and Harry Potter fame are the first two actors to sign on for the show. Daniels is finishing his Amazon show Upload currently as well as working to continue King of the Hill.

Apple has renewed the AppleTV+ alternate history series For All Mankind for a fifth season and has ordered a spin off series titled Star City that will follow the Soviet space race.

Now You See Me 3 has filled out its cast with Dungeons and Dragons Honor Among Thieves star Justice Smith, The Holdovers star Dominic Sessa, and Barbie star Ariana Greenblatt joining the cast.

DC’s Blue Beetle Jaime Reyes is getting his first graphic novel in October titled This Land Is Our Land: A Blue Beetle Story.

Quentin Tarantino, who has been developing his final film The Movie Critic that was set to star Brad Pitt, is backing away from the project, sources tell The Hollywood Reporter.

DC Studio’s Superman has cast Pruitt Taylor Vince as Jonathan Kent and Neva Howell as Martha Kent, the Earth parents of Superman.

Amazon has officially renewed Fallout for a second season. Production of the second season is expected to shift to California to take advantage of a $25 million dollar tax credit.

Sources tell Variety that Martin Scorsese has planned his next two films and currently plans to shoot the projects back to back, the first a film about Jesus and the second a Frank Sinatra biopic.

Journalist and author Rainbow Rowell is jumping over to DC Comics to make a new Lois Lane storyline a reality. Cian Tormey will illustrate the series.

Netflix has announced that The Witcher has been renewed for a fifth and final season. Season 4, which stars Liam Hemsworth who is taking over the role of Geralt from Henry Cavill, is currently in production.

Josh Appelbaum and André Nemec, the team behind Amazon’s high-profile spy series Citadel and showrunners on Netflix’s adaptation of Cowboy Bebop have been tapped to write Disney’s live-action adaptation of Space Mountain, based on the indoor Disneyland roller coaster.

Tramell Tillman who broke out on AppleTV+'s series Severance has been cast in the upcoming Mission Impossible 8.

Face/Off 2 reportedly is moving forward with headliners John Travolta and Nicolas Cage returning for the film.

Amblin Entertainment is making The Thursday Murder Club based on the popular books by Richard Osman. Pierce Brosnan, Helen Mirren, and Ben Kingsley have been cast to headline the film.

Westworld’s Thandiwe Newton has joined the cast of Wednesday season 2.

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Marvel Studios had a strong showing during last week’s Cinema Con in Las Vegas, where Kevin Feige dropped bombs and F-bombs while unveiling footage from Deadpool & Wolverine and Captain America: Brave New World. The look at Deadpool featured 9 minutes of spoiler-free material introduced by director Shawn Levy, which was preceded by a comedic clip with the title characters in costume bemoaning cell phone use in the theater. Meanwhile, the Cap 4 scene included an interaction between Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson and Harrison Ford as Thunderbolt Ross, with Isiah Bradley factoring into a confrontation. 

Paramount also made several major announcements during its Cinema Con panel; officially confirming the Transformers and G.I. Joe crossover film is in development and will be produced by Steven Spielberg. An R-rated, live action feature film adaptation of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin storyline was also announced, as was a new Star Trek origin film that will act as a prequel to the 2009 movie, slated for a 2025 release. Perhaps most importantly, the studio debuted the trailer for Gladiator 2, starring Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal and Denzel Washington. 

We received our first indication of a title change for Thunderbolts when we caught a glimpse of the logo during Florence Pugh’s set tour a couple of weeks ago. Kevin Fiege confirmed the title change while remaining cagey during his appearance at Cinema Con saying, “Yes, you’ll notice the asterisk on Thunderbolts. That is the official title of Thunderbolts and we won’t talk more about that until after the movie comes out.” 

James Gunn revealed the official insignia for his DCU version of Superman during Cinema Con. The emblem features a clean and simplistic design that is reminiscent of the logo from the Kingdom Come comic line.

Deadpool and Wolverine are joining the viral popcorn bucket craze. While promoting the film at Cinema Con, Kevin Fiege confirmed an intentionally crude and rude bucket was being designed by Deadpool himself.

Lionsgate shifted The Crow release to August 23 from its initial June 7 date and postponed Saw XI by a year, now set for September 26, 2025

Hailee Steinfeld joined the cast of Ryan Coolger's untitled horror thriller film and will star alongside Michael B. Jordan.

StarWars.com announced a new comic miniseries starting July 3 called Star Wars: Inquisitors.

Lionsgate announced that Blumhouse will revive The Blair Witch Project. It's currently unclear if the film will connect to the original 1999 film or reimagine the concept.

Margot Robbie's production company Lucky Chap will produce a film based on the board game Monopoly.

Nia DaCosta, director of The Marvels and Candyman, is in discussions to direct the second film in Sony's 28 Days Later sequel trilogy, with Danny Boyle returning to helm the first sequel from writer Alex Garland.

Tim Kring, the creator of the superhero drama series Heroes, is pitching a sequel titled Heroes: Eclipsed to potential buyers. The original series aired for four seasons on NBC and was followed by a limited series titled Heroes Reborn in 2015.

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters has been renewed for Season Two at Apple TV+. In addition, Apple struck a deal with Legendary Entertainment to develop multiple spinoff series set in the Monsterverse.

Star Wars author John Jackson Miller is penning Batman: Resurrection, a continuation of Tim Burton's 1989 Batman film, set immediately after its events, in contrast to the Batman '89 comics, which occur after both Burton films.

Glen Powell, star of Anyone But You, Twisters, and Top Gun: Maverick will star in Paramount’s The Running Man, a new adaptation of the Stephen King novel that Edgar Wright will direct.

Stick around to the end of the Lightning Round for our Joker: Folie A Deux trailer instant reaction!

Surfing to the Silver Screen

Ozark star Julia Garner will play the Silver Surfer in Matt Shakman’s upcoming Fantastic Four movie. Rather than the well-known Norrin Radd version of the comics character, Garner will likely portray Shalla-Bal - a version of the Silver Surfer found in the Earth X storyline from Marvel comics. Unsurprisingly, the backlash on the internet was almost immediate.



Dune: Messiah Prophecy Fulfilled

Denis Villeneuve and Legendary are officially developing a third installment in the new Dune franchise. The recent sequel, Dune Part Two, is still playing in box offices to great success having grossed more than $630 million worldwide. Between all of this success, the HBO series focused on the Bene Gesserit is still scheduled to premiere sometime in 2024.

Supergirl Finds Director

I, Tonya, Cruella, and Dumb Money director Craig Gillespie will head the Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow movie for DC Studios. Studio co-chair James Gunn has alluded that his vision for this iteration of Supergirl will be a more serious take than the recent portrayal on the CW Supergirl series. The film does not currently have a release date.



Don’t Unplug for Matrix 5

Warner Brothers recently announced that a fifth Matrix movie is currently in development. Filmmaking duties will no longer land with Lana or Lily Wachowski, instead Drew Goddard - nominated for an Oscar for his screenwriting on The Martian, is in charge. But have no fear, Lana Wachowski is on board as an executive producer. Details about the plot, including if franchise stars Carrie-Ann Moss and Keanu Reeves will return, are not available. Can another new Matrix movie retake the box office?





Spotify Poll

Which of the following possible sequels would you go to see?

National Treasure 3 - 50.9%

Freaky Friday 2 - 9.4%

Both - 15.1%

Neither - 24.5%

Lightning Round


Last week in a win for The Walt Disney Co. and CEO Bob Iger, all of Disney's director nominees were elected by shareholders, rebuffing the activist investor Nelson Peltz, who had been running a high-profile campaign to put himself and former Disney CFO Jay Rasulo on the company’s board.
Officially released set photos from Daredevil: Born Again confirmed longstanding rumors that Jon Bernthal will reprise his role as The Punisher in the new Disney Plus series.
Amazon MGM Studios are currently developing a Legally Blonde spin off series inspired by the popular film franchise.
Netflix’s live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender series is undergoing a change in leadership. Variety has learned that Albert Kim, who developed the series and served as showrunner on Season One, is stepping down. Christine Boylan and Jabbar Raisani will lead the show as executive producers going forward.
Olivia Wilde, Margot Robbie and X-Men producer Simon Kinberg are joining forces for a feature adaptation of Avengelyne, a comic book character from Deadpool co-creator Rob Liefeld.
Maggie Gyllenhaal took to Instagram last week to share the first images from her upcoming film, The Bride! which stars Christian Bale as Frankenstein's monster and Jessie Buckley as his bride. The Bride! is set in 1930s Chicago and puts a spin on the iconic Frankenstein lore.
Beau Willimon, who is known for writing the Netflix political drama series House of Cards, has been tapped to write the script for James Mangold's upcoming Dawn of the Jedi Star Wars prequel film. Willimon has previously worked on Season One of Andor.
A24 has dropped the first trailer for Maxxxine, the final chapter in the acclaimed X horror trilogy from Ti West that stars Mia Goth. The film releases in theaters on July 5.

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Florence Pugh tempted the ire of Marvel Studios’ infamous snipers, when she shared a video tour of the Thunderbolts set via social media last week. Though the video was clearly staged and was sparse on reveals and details, it did give us our first official look at Yelena Belova’s new combat-ready getup. A clear departure from Marvel’s typical airtight protocol.



Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire enjoyed a $194 million global debut last week, enough to place it as the third highest grossing film of the year after just one weekend of release. The movie is the fifth film in Legendary’s MonsterVerse franchise, which includes the recent Apple TV Plus series, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters. Though not connected to recent Oscar winner, Godzilla: Minus One, this opening clearly shows a renewed interest in all things Godzilla.



Star Trek’s Kelvin Timeline, that is the Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana-led and JJ Abrams-produced films, may be getting a fourth and final film, as Steve Yockey has been added as a screenwriter. Yockey is best known for creating the Max series The Flight Attendant, starring Kaley Cuoco. Three previous screenwriters had been attached to the project, including WandaVision showrunner and Fantastic Four director Matt Shakman. Star Trek hasn't been on the big screen since 2016’s Star Trek: Beyond, but has enjoyed a lot of success with various streaming series.



Producer Jerry Bruckheimer went two for two the last couple of weeks here on Multiverse News. Last week teasing a return of the Pirates franchise and now a possible third film in the National Treasure franchise, all during his promotion of The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare. While his comments were vague, they were optimistic – speaking to his confidence in an unnamed writer working on a script that only needs Nic Cage’s approval.



The Mandalorian and Quantumania actor Katy O’Brian has been cast in Mission: Impossible 8.



Doctor Strange director Scott Derrickson and frequent collaborator C. Robert Cargill, will adapt a new version of the acclaimed 1953 crime novel The Night of the Hunter for Universal.



Final Destination Bloodlines has added to its main cast. Brec Bassinger, who starred in The CW’s DC series Stargirl, Chucky actor Teo Briones and Dear Evan Hansen stage actress Kaitlyn Santa Juana, The 100 star Richard Harmon, Gotham Knights actress Anna Lore and Owen Patrick Joyner, one of the stars of Netflix series Julie and the Phantoms will all star in leading roles in the sixth installment of the franchise which is now in production.



A sequel to the 2003 Disney body swap comedy Freaky Friday seems to be in the works, as Chippendale’s director Nisha Ganatra has been attached and stars Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan are currently in negotiations to return.



Scream 7 looks to add another series regular after the return of Neve Campbell, with Courteney Cox in talks to reprise her role as Gale Weathers.



Ezra Miller was quietly replaced by Eric Bauza for their voice role as a minor antagonist in Amazon’s Invincible.



Universal Pictures has postponed two Blumhouse horror films. Leigh Whannel’s Wolf Man will now premiere on January 17, 2025, three months later than planned. The Woman in the Yard was removed from the schedule, but will be rescheduled.



Louis Gossett Jr., the Oscar and Emmy-winning actor known for roles in Watchmen and The Punisher, has passed away at 87. He was the first Black man to win an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for An Officer and a Gentleman and also earned an Emmy for Roots.



Chance Perdomo, who starred in the television series Gen V and Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, has died as a result of a motorcycle accident. He was 27.

A new poster was released for Joker: Folie à Deux along with the tease for an incoming trailer on April 9 by Lady Gaga herself. The fi