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Multiverse of Madness Includes X-Men?

Everyone's speculating about MCU integrating the X-Men franchise and how it will introduce the myriad of characters attached to the comic books and previous films. We all know it's only a matter of time before a new X-Men film; the announcement of X-Men '97 Disney+ animated series seems to indicate the mutants will appear on the silver screen soon.

An interesting turn of events transpired today. While folks on twitter have begged Marvel to include mutants in the Multiverse of Madness, it wasn't until today that we may have found a first idea of how the X-men will finally be unveiled.

It was announced early this morning that James McAvoy and Sophie Turner have each been spotted sporting their iconic looks from their respective X-Men characters. While this doesn't confirm their involvement, it would certainly be odd to find both actors choosing a new look so close to the filming of MoM.

The original article reporting the sighting has been removed, but fans of the X-Men were quick to catch the news. One Twitter user had this to say about the recent rumors.

It appears our favorite Marvel outcasts may be joining the MCU earlier than anticipated!

[lichstarfighter]

Voltron Movie: Will it Ever Happen?!

Let's be up front right away. I gave up hope of a Voltron film ever being made around the same time the first Michael Bay TMNT film was released. By then, all the news and buzz surrounding a Voltron movie had come and gone with no tangible production. I gave up hope.

Tonight, I found myself surprisingly intrigued with the idea once again. After browsing for a few minutes and reading articles from 2016, I found one gem that gave me a glint of hope.

GiantFreakinRobot published an article in June 2021 that added some heft to the possibility of a live-action Voltron film. One of their "proven" sources left them feeling certain that "Voltron is headed to the big screen with a live-action adaptation. Universal is the studio that will be developing the movie."

As I found myself thinking about any other evidence that could support a Voltron movie I had to consider the success of Netflix's Voltron: Legendary Defender series. It's been one of the most successful and long-running animated series on the platform with 8 total seasons. It was surprisingly well put-together with an excellent animation studio (Studio Mir) and an excellent voice cast.

While experience tells me it will certainly be a long time if - and that's a big if - this film is ever to gain any momentum, GiantFreakinRobot did stir some Voltron fanboy love in me again.

[lichstarfighter]

X-Men head to Mars in April 2022

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Everything We Know: X-men ‘97

On November 12th, during Disney+ Day, Marvel and Disney announced the upcoming Disney+ series X-men ‘97. The surprising announcement pleased 90s kids who watched X-men The Animated Series on the Fox Kids Network.

Since the announcement in November there has been news about production, but what do we actually know about the upcoming series?

Original Voice Cast

Many kids of the 90s, now in their mid-thirties, loved the action, serious tones, and casting of the original series. So I imagine it came as a nice surprise when Inverse explained “Marvel has confirmed that most of the voice cast from X-Men: The Animated Series will be returning for X-Men ‘97.”

An interesting twist accompanied this announcement - not all of the original cast will voice the same characters. This means that some cast members will take on new voices. This may come as a shock for some viewers who are expecting the same voices for each character, but only time will show whether the new voice casting will be as impressive as the original series.

The Plot

Neither Disney nor Marvel have given any insights into the plotline for the upcoming Disney+ series. Though, Marvel mentioned the show will kick off with an “impactful event.” Fans can only speculate what this means for the story, but many hope the series will bring back classic villains like Apocalypse, Mister Sinister, and Magneto. Any of these three villains could surely create enough strife to keep this X-men franchise going for years.

Release Date

No release date has been communicated to fans as of now. Though, the recent news of recording with the cast indicates the animation for the series is already completed or near completed given that voice recording doesn’t typically occur until after animation is finished. This means that X-men ‘97 may release anytime during Q3 or Q4 2022. A safe bet may be Q1 of 2023. Though I imagine Disney wants to capitalize on the publicity and may be using X-Men ‘97 to connect the X-men and Mutants to a major motion picture that will be released in a similar timeframe.

We can speculate on the release date, plot, and tie-ins, but as of now we have more questions than answers.

[lichstarfighter]

Best Guesses For Mystery Actor in WandaVision

In recent interviews, both Wanda and Vision leads, Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany, said a new mystery guest will arrive in WandaVision. Bettany mentiomed that he’s been looking forward to working with the unknown actor, confirming that Bettany hadn’t worked with whoever it is in the past. This is a huge clue!

I’m also taking one other clue into mind. In episode 5 of WandaVision, Wanda shocked us by bringing her dead brother, Pietro (aka Quicksilver) back to life and replacing the original with an actor from the Fox X-Men universe: Evan Peters. This must mean that other characters may be replaced or added by bringing on previous X-men characters already seen on film. This obviously opens up a means to tie-in Deadpool and any other mutants from the X-men films.

We know Ryan Reynolds recently signed a contract with Disney which earned him the largest amount ever paid to an actor in MCU history (bigger than RDJ’s paycheck!). Deadpool is a mutant. So it would make sense if he were to appear in WandaVision as a way to hilariously connect the previous phases with phase 4. It would stand to reason that Disney wants to get as much Reynolds as they can for what they’ve paid. Also, Bettany has never worked with Reynolds since their superhero portrayals took place under different production companies in the past. Reynolds is certainly an obvious choice for an appearance.

Sir Patrick Stewart has continued to impress with his recent CBS series placing him back in the role of Jean Luc Picard of the Star Trek universe. Sir Stewart has always been a stand-up guy who’s demanded attention with his commanding roles on screen. If not him, then Disney may be eyeing Sir Ian Mckellen given his also impressive career on stage and in film. His most obvious achievements being Magneto in the X-Men films and Gandalf in Lord of the Rings and Hobbit franchises. Seeing as Bettany hasn’t worked with either of these two, they may be invited to appear in the season finale.

John Krasinski is a fella who’s gained attention when it was announced he’s talking with Disney to play Mr. Fantastic in the reboot of Fantastic Four. Personally, I can’t imagine a better couple than John Krasinski and Emily Blunt playing the duo on film. There’s been speculation about a line in episode 4 of WandaVision. In that episode, Rambeau announces that she knows an astrophysicist that may be able to help her solve the Wanda problem. Many folks believe this is a reference to Reed Richards. If so, this could be the introduction of Susan Storm as well.

Of the choices out there, I personally believe Benedict Cumberbatch is the most likely to appear. I’m sure many of you are saying “but Bettany and Cumberbatch worked together in Infinity War. So it can’t be him!” My reply - take a step back and think again. Did they actually work together? Were they ever in a shot together? I’ve rewatched all Avengers films and I can’t find one scene they have together where they actually needed to interact in their roles with dialogue. There are plenty of Reddit discussions that have addressed this with the same conclusion: the two actors NEVER share a scene together. We also know that Wanda will play a large role in the upcoming Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness film. We also heard from Olsen that WandaVision will lead directly into the Doctor Strange sequel. So my bet is Benedit Cumberbatch is the upcoming mystery man to show up in WandaVision.

[lichstarfighter]

How did CD Projekt Red Flip its Development in 5 Months?

How does a company flip its development in five months? That’s what some people are asking after getting more information about the cause for the recent delay of Cyberpunk 2077. Many folks are frustrated the delay announcement was so close to the previously confirmed release date because they believe CD Projekt Red isn’t keeping its promises. Many are now wondering if the game will deliver on its hype.

What’s odd in all of this is the timing of some announcements. For example, in June 2020, the company explained they’re ready for current gen, but next gen upgrades wouldn’t be available until 2021. After the most recent delay, this narrative changed with an announcement by Kicinzki saying “the game for PC is ready and plays well on next-gen consoles and the company is finalizing the process concerning current gen consoles.” What? How is it possible for the company to completely flip its development in the last 5 months of its intended release? How does the development of a AAA game suddenly turn from having next-gen delayed to having it ready to go with the current gen suddenly being an issue? Also, does this mean the next-gen upgrades will be ready at launch? That’s what appears to be the case, but there has been no word from CD Projekt Red to confirm this.

The answer may come from the pressure and financial support Xbox and Sony are placing on the developer. Next-gen is the current ‘thing’ happening in the hardware gaming-sphere and Cyberpunk 2077 is the ‘thing’ happening in software. With a game many people are already anticipating as GOTY, this may mean that some of CD Projekt Red’s development was impacted by next-gen planning and pressure from the giants like Xbox and Sony. No-one can, or should, blame the company for trying to capitalize on next-gen sales, but it seems a little late in the game to change the focus of development.

Whatever the reason, the players aren’t getting these answers. Should we? Should we care about this part of development and how these issues impact consumers and those excited about the IP? This is all part of a narrative that inevitably impacts the success of the game.

[lichstarfighter]

The Reason CD Projekt Red Delayed Cyberpunk 2077 to Dec. 10th

It's widely known that CD Projekt Red had development problems that have pushed their dev team to what some might describe as almost dangerous levels. This is something the 16 year old game company has openly addressed when it offered a statement regarding employee complaints when it said its dev style "is not for everyone" in 2017. However, they changed their tune a bit in September of 2020 when Badowski acknowledged the efforts of the team and made the announcement that "10% of the annual profit of 2020 will be split among the team."

With the Nov. 19th deadline quickly approaching, and with the recent disclosure of the list of features that were inevitably removed from the game to meet a timeline that was feasible, it seems clear that CD Projekt Red made a decision based on the ethics of the company. Rather than risk the health of their dev team and even further diminish the features of the game, the company opted to take more time by delaying the release to Dec. 10th, 2020. The fans have appeared to respond with toxicity by making death threats. These were addressed by Senior Game Designer of CD Projectk Red, Andrezj Zawadzki.

However, take a closer look and there are some pressing questions that need answering. The biggest, and most obvious, is how does this cut into the pockets of employees who are receiving 10% of the annual profit? Pushing this date back could cost the dev team money they’ve used to hold out hope for adequate compensation for the lengths they’ve gone to in order to make this game as hyped as it already is.

CD Projekt Red, will this Dec. 10 delay cut into the 10% of annual profit given to the team?

Regardless, fans are upset because this marks the third delay since development. What's fueled the animosity even further was CD Projekt Red's recent confirmation the game would have no further delays. One twitter user even retweeted a confirmation sent directly from the company's official twitter account yesterday. At the time of my writing, it had 3,000 likes. Another Twitter user expresses frustration because he took time off from work to enjoy the game by requesting that time in advance.

Disappointment seems justified. Death threats never do, of course. CD Projekt Red is left in a position where its promises are seemingly losing their steam, and some fans are wondering if they'll deliver the goods.