Chris Hardwick's Blog, page 215

Everything We Know About DC’s CREATURE COMMANDOS

Before James Gunn’s Superman hits theaters, the official first entry into the all-new cinematic DCU is the upcoming animated Max series Creature Commandos. Based on the horror/World War II combat comic that headlined DC Comics’ series Weird War Tales, the series focuses on an elite squad organized by Amanda Waller (once again voiced by Viola Davis).

Here’s everything we know so far about the upcoming Creature Commandos series on Max from DC Studios.

TitleDC Studios

The official title for the upcoming Max series is Creature Commandos.

Creature Commandos’ PlotDC Studios

Similar to DC’s Suicide Squad, Creature Commandos focuses on a black ops team brought together by Amanda Waller, similar to how she assembled super-powered criminals for Task Force X. After Peacemaker’s first season, Amanda Waller realizes she can’t put any more human lives danger, or risk losing everything.

So instead of using human prisoners, she drafts several non-human monsters instead. This new squad is called Task Force M, with the M standing for monster. The shapeshifting Batman rogue Clayface will make his DCU debut in this series as well. That makes him the first official Batman character cast in the DCU.

DC Studios

Creature Commandos is based on a fairly obscure comic book by writer J. M. DeMatteis from the early ’80s. The basic concept for the Creature Commandos was the classic Universal Monsters fighting in World War II as part of the top-secret Project M. The roster was made up of a vampire, a Frankenstein monster, a werewolf, and a gorgon. It was a brief run that ran in Weird War Tales, and decades later, in a mini-series all their own. At New York Comic-Con 2024, actor Alan Tudyk said “You’re going see where everybody came from, their origins and it’s terrifying. It’s dark, humorous, but never goofy.” Like the Suicide Squad, the Creature Commandos work out of Belle Reve prison. The series will dovetail directly into Peacemaker season two.

Behind-the-Scenes

DC Studios co-head James Gunn wrote all seven episodes of the series. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Gunn was actually developing the Creature Commandos series before he took charge of DC Studios. Animation studio Bobbypills worked on the series, and Kevin Kiner and Clint Mansell composed the score for Creature Commandos.

Creature Commandos’ CastDC Studios

The voice cast features Frank Grillo (Rick Flag Sr.), David Harbour (Eric Frankenstein), Zoë Chao (Nina Mazursky), Steve Agee (John Economos), Indira Varma (The Bride), Maria Bakalova (Princess Ilana), Alan Tudyk (Dr. Phosphorus), Sean Gunn (GI Robot and Weasel), and Viola Davis as Amanda Waller. Also part of the cast are former Gunn associates Linda Cardellini and Michael Rooker. Benjamin Byron Davis voices Batman villain and crime boss Rupert Thorne. Anya Chalotra will play the longtime Wonder Woman villain Circe, an ancient mythological witch. Also cast in the show is Peter Serafinowicz, of Shaun of the Dead fame, and the original voice of Darth Maul. Frank Grillo is reprising his role of Rick Flag Sr. for the second season of Peacemaker.

Creature Commandos’ Release Date

Creature Commandos releases on Max on December 5.

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LOVE HURTS Trailer Forces Ke Huy Quan’s Realtor Back to His Old Hitman Life

Ke Huy Quan’s Best Supporting Actor-winning performance in Everything Everywhere All At Once required him to play multiple versions of his character. He’ll now put those same skills to use in his first leading role. The first trailer for the upcoming action-comedy Love Hurts introduces a successful realtor with a secret past: he was once a world-class hitman. But having to embrace his violent side once more is only part of the problem he’ll face when the past comes calling. He’ll need to sharpen his fighting skills because of his very angry brother.

Ke Huy Quan will once again get to show off his martial arts prowess on screen instead of behind it. Love Hurts‘ trailer also promises it will take advantage of his natural charm, comedic timing, and nearly unmatched likability, in a role that will let him have a whole lot of fun.

He’s not the only big name getting in on that fun, either. Here’s the official synopsis from Universal Pictures for Love Hurts to go along with that trailer:

Quan stars as Marvin Gable, a realtor working the Milwaukee suburbs, where ‘For Sale’ signs bloom. Gable receives a crimson envelope from Rose (Ariana DeBose), a former partner-in-crime that he had left for dead. She’s not happy. Now, Marvin is thrust back into a world of ruthless hitmen, filled with double-crosses and open houses turned into deadly warzones. With his brother Knuckles (Daniel Wu), a volatile crime lord, hunting him, Marvin must confront the choices that haunt him and the history he never truly buried.

Universal Pictures

Love Hurts is the feature film debut of director JoJo Eusebio, a veteran stunt and fight coordinator. It also stars former NFL running back Marshawn Lynch (Bottoms), Mustafa Shakir (Luke Cage), Lio Tipton (Crazy, Stupid, Love.), Rhys Darby (Our Flag Means Death), and André Eriksen (Violent Night). And it also features the only actor as lovable as Ke Huy Quan, Sean Astin.

The film will, fittingly, arrive in theaters in time for Valentine’s Day. It debuts on February 7. If it’s as entertaining as this trailer it won’t hurt to see Love Hurts.

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Tom Holland Says Robert Downey, Jr. Saved His First MCU Spider-Man Scene

If there’s one thing about the MCU that seems to be universally true, it is that everyone loves Robert Downey, Jr. There are a couple obvious reasons to love him. First, he did literally help usher in the entire MCU era and his character was vital to the early days of the franchise/universe. But the better reason is that he seems to be a cool guy to work with on-set and hang out with in general. Tom Holland is the latest person to sing his praises. In a recent interview with the Rich Roll podcast, Holland said that Robert Downey, Jr. saved his very first MCU Spider-Man scene in Captain America: Civil War by standing up for him. (Thanks to Deadline for bringing this to our attention.)

“When I did my audition, my audition was like eight pages of dialogue. It was a long scene,” he revealed. “Typically, an audition will be two pages.” But he got to set on the first day and realized that his scene was very different from what he read for because of big cuts. As a newbie, Holland was ready to go with the flow but Downey, Jr. had some questions for the Russo Brothers. 

“We start shooting the scene, and Downey piped up and said, ‘Where’s all the kid’s line gone?’” said Holland. “And the Russos sort of said, ‘Well look, this is already a 140-page script. We can’t spend too much time on this.’ And Downey was the one that was like, ‘No, no, no, you’re going to want to spend some time on this. Let’s shoot the whole thing from the audition. You can always cut it, but you’d want to have it.’ And they used all of it. So, I owe that to him.”

Marvel Studios

Tom Holland hopes to one day return Robert Downey, Jr.’s kindness of saving his first MCU scene to someone new one day. We love to see it.

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JOHN WICK 5 Director Confirms Current Status of Film

John Wick: Chapter 4 recently dominated the box office, with Keanu Reeves delivering hours of action. And we loved it here at Nerdist. The fourth installment in the successful John Wick franchise was meant to be the end of Baba Yaga’s tale. And honestly, he deserves some rest, considering how quickly all of this mess went down for him. That’s a lot of pain and killing in a span of only a few months. But the smell of success is an intoxicating scent that lures executives in for more. So, it looks more and more likely that John Wick 5 could happen in the future, which is interesting considering how the fourth film neatly wraps up Wick’s story.

But don’t expect a John Wick 5 movie to hit your screens any time soon. Director Chad Stahelski spoke with Business Insider recently and reiterated that both he and Keanu Reeves were open to return but that story hasn’t materialized yet. “If we felt we weren’t ripping the fans off and had more to give, I’d do it tomorrow,” he said. “I just don’t have that right now. The other stuff I’m working on are great properties, and I’m excited, but nothing is going to beat this.”

We will have to wait and see what happens.

Murray Close/LionsgateWill There Be a John Wick 5?

Will there be a John Wick 5? It looks like John Wick 5 is at least in early development at Lionsgate. At a recent Lionsgate’s earnings call discussing Q4 of 2023, Motion Picture Group chairman Joe Drake addressed the John Wick franchise (via Comicbook.com). Not only did he confirm there were video games and TV series spinoffs in the works for John Wick, but he noted that John Wick 5 was actually in development. Well, we aren’t surprised. Here is his full quote:

We’re now moving across that franchise, not just in the AAA video game space, but looking at what the regular cadence of spin-offs, television really growing that universe so that there is a steady cadence of a franchise that there’s clear appetite by the audience. What is official is that, as you know, Ballerina is the first spinoff that comes out next year. We’re in development on three others, including John Wick 5 and including television series. The Continental will be airing soon. And so, we’re building out the world and when that five movie comes, will be organic — will be organically grown out of how we’re starting to tell those stories. But you can rely on a regular cadence of John Wick.

Drake recently spoke about John Wick 5 again during another earnings call (Also according to Comicbook.com) and noted the movie was currently being written. He said:

On the Wick side we got multiple spin-offs and Wick Five… We started to work on (it) right when the writer’s strike started and we’ve gotten back to work as soon as it ended.

Whether John Wick 5 Happens Is Up to Reeves and StahelskiLionsgate Movies

Additionally, John Wick producer Basil Iwanyk shared with Deadline that the most important factor for a potential John Wick 5 was whether or not Keanu Reeves and Chad Stahelski felt compelled to make another movie.

Iwanyk offered:

Once they get through their hangovers, if Keanu and Chad have figured out something cool, if they’ve an organic way back in that doesn’t feel like bullshit, then there will be a John Wick 5. That trip to Japan, it’s like waiting for a boat to emerge out of the smoke, but that’s the impetus. These movies are really hard for Keanu and Chad, and everybody. By the time each one is over, most involved have said, never again, this is too hard and we’re not getting any younger. Then time goes by, you see it embraced by fans, and after working together every year for 11 years, it’s become a family and in some demented way, and we miss each other. But I totally defer to Chad and Keanu to figure out what and if that story is.

He also added, speaking to IGN, “John Wick 4 was embraced enough by the critics and the audience that it’s kind of an organic and natural next step to do John Wick 5. I think that there’s no question that it’s in development, but right now the story isn’t there yet. And until the story is there, it isn’t… It’s real on something we’re trying to figure out. But we haven’t settled on what that movie looks like or feels like.” Hopefully, that’s where Chad Stahelski and Keanu Reeves come in.

Stahelski Weighs in on Another John Wick Movie

For his part, Stahelski recently revealed, “I don’t have a take right now. But I could wake up tomorrow and have a cool idea that I’d pitch to Keanu, or he would pitch to me, and it might hit that chord of, ‘Oh my God, we got to do this right now.’”

He also noted to the Happy Sad Confused podcast, “Keanu, if you ask him right now, ‘Would you do John Wick 5?’ He’d be, ‘Fuck yeah!’ But then he’d look and go, ‘Well, what is it? I have no fucking idea.’ And believe me, it’s not like, ‘We’re going to figure it out today’… We have a lot of set pieces, we have a lot of ideas, we have a lot of things that we didn’t go or didn’t do before. I have no doubt that we’d come up with a lot of great pieces. It just — what’s the main threat? We’re about myths. It’s like a fable. What’s the message in the fable? What’s the moral of the story?'” Ultimately he concludes, “I don’t think there’s any reason to bring John Wick back without a real reason.”

Fingers crossed there will be answers to some of those questions if the time is right for John Wick 5.

John Wick 5 Not Yet a Sure ThingLionsgate

None of this, of course, is a confirmation that a John Wick 5 movie will definitely happen. Maybe Keanu Reeves will decide that he’s tired of shooting people and running in dress shoes when he meets with Stahelski. Early development doesn’t mean a definite yes, either. Either way, this isn’t the end of the universe. There’s already a secret Wick movie in the works, and we have the Ballerina flick coming later this year. But we wouldn’t mind seeing more John Wick at all, just as long as John Wick 5 tells the right story.

Originally published on March 27, 2023.

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STAR TREK: SECTION 31 Sets Its 2025 Release Date

The upcoming film Star Trek: Section 31, starring Oscar Winner Michelle Yeoh, will bring back Emperor Philippa Georgiou, a character introduced in Star Trek: Discovery season one. Yeoh first played Captain Philippa Georgiou in the first part of Discovery, a decorated Starfleet Captain who died in the pilot episode. She then portrayed the version of that character from the darker Mirror Universe for much longer. Now stranded in the mainline Star Trek universe, she began working for the mysterious Federation spy cabal Section 31.

We won’t have to wait long for this film because Star Trek: Section 13 is coming on January 24, 2025. Check out the latest poster from NYCC 2024.

Star Trek/Paramount+

Star Trek: Section 31‘s trailer premiered during SDCC 2024 and it is a blast.

Paramount+

Here’s everything we know about Star Trek: Section 31 so far.

TitleParamount+

Although many refer to it as simply Section 31, the proper title is, of course, Star Trek: Section 31.

Jan Thijs/Paramount+Star Trek: Section 31’s PlotParamount+

Although originally planned as a series, it has since morphed into a film for the Paramount+ streaming service. The plot for Section 31 is unknown at this time. All we know is that it’s likely set in the same timeframe as Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. This would be some time after Discovery season two, and still several years before the events of the original series. At the end of Discovery season two, Phillipa Georgiou was sent to the far future with the Discovery crew. Not long after, the powerful Guardian of Forever sent her back to when she left. This leaves room for her Section 31 story to take place in that time period. The official description is as follows” “Tasked with protecting the United Federation of Planets, [Georgiou] also must face the sins of her past.”

CBS/Viacom

The franchise introduced Section 31 as a concept in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. They were an organization so secret, they were not an official part of the Federation or Starfleet. However, they acted on their behalf. Many in Starfleet saw Section 31 and their covert and often immoral ways as against what the Federation stood for. They attempted genocide on the shapeshifting Changeling race behind the Dominion during the later seasons of DS9. In Discovery, we learn they were more of an official part of Starfleet a century before the events of DS9. Perhaps the Section 31 movie will reconcile how this covert group went from a known part of Federation intelligence to something of a galactic myth a century later.

NBC/Paramount

Kacey Rohl will play “a young Rachel Garrett, a character first introduced on Star Trek: The Next Generation as the older fearless captain of the USS Enterprise-C.” Garrett appeared as captain of the Enterprise-C in Star Trek: The Next Generation‘s episode,  “Yesterday’s Enterprise.”

Behind-The-Scenes

Olatunde Osunsanmi will direct and executive produce the film, with Craig Sweeny serving as writer and executive producer. Alex Kurtzman and his production company Secret Hideout, which is behind modern Star Trek shows like Discovery, Picard, and Strange New Worlds, is also behind Section 31.

Although we don’t yet have a release date for Star Trek: Section 31, we recently learned that movie wrapped filming. Cast member Robert Kazinsky revealed the news on his Instagram. On the heels of this Variety also shared our very first look at the Star Trek film. Hopefully that means we’ll see even more movement on the movie sooner rather than later.

Star Trek: Section 31’s CastParamount+

Aside from Michelle Yeoh, also in the cast are Omari Hardwick, Kacey Rohl, Sam Richardson, Sven Ruygrok, Robert Kazinsky, Humberly Gonzalez, and James Hiroyuki Liao. No word yet on any known Star Trek franchise actors from Discovery or Strange New Worlds, but we expect to see at least some of them.

Star Trek: Section 31 Release Date

There’s no release date yet for Star Trek: Section 31, but we expect it no earlier than late 2025.

Originally published on February 2, 2024.

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PINGU the Penguin Is Back in a New Animated Series

Mattel and Aardman are developing a Pingu animated television series, and I, for one, am ecstatic. As a cute animal fanatic and sassy children’s character lover (looking at you, D.W. from Arthur), it doesn’t get better than Pingu. The new series will be stop-motion and 3D-animated.

Mattel

Famous claymation studio Aardman Animations is helping make the project, which is amazing considering how big of a Shaun the Sheep fan I am. Seriously, he is my profile picture on everything. Other than that, the studio has made legendary films like Wallace & Gromit, and a new film in the franchise is coming out at the beginning of next year.

“At Aardman, we love collaborating with IP that shares our commitment to humour, charm and great storytelling,” said Sarah Cox, Chief Creative Director of Aardman. “From our earliest conversations with Mattel, we felt an immediate and strong connection in our shared love of Pingu, the authentic appeal of the original IP, and comedy that transcends language barriers to speak to audiences everywhere. Aardman and Pingu is such a natural and enticing combination. The charm of the stop frame animation along with the quirky irreverence and character driven storytelling aligns perfectly with our creative approach. There are so many stories yet to tell, we can’t wait to get started.”

You may recognize Pingu even if you haven’t seen his show because of his relatively recent social media fame. His sassy personality makes him a hit on platforms like Instagram and TikTok. NOOT NOOT!

@vanessa202202

pingu is such a mood #fyp #foryou #viral #pingu #relatable

♬ original sound – 𝓋𝒶𝓃𝑒𝓈𝓈𝒶

In case you aren’t the most familiar with Pingu, he is a cheeky penguin who often needs to find his way out of ridiculous situations. Pingu gets help from his mom, dad, friends, and little sister Pinga. Unsurprisingly, the previous iterations of the show have taken place in the South Pole. Pingu was originally created during the 1980s, and its popularity is attributed to the show’s unique way of speaking. A language called “Penguinese,” which is universally understandable.

Mattel acquired Pingu by purchasing British-American entertainment company HIT Entertainment in 2011. This deal gave Mattel the ownership of many iconic children’s series like Thomas & Friends, Bob the Builder, and Barney & Friends. Mattel is currently working on possible films for two of these series.

There is currently no news on when the show will premiere. To watch more Pingu content before the new show is out, head to the Pingu YouTube channel, where a lot of scenes have been posted throughout the years. Below is one of my favorites.

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AGATHA ALL ALONG Showrunner Confirms Agatha Is Dolly Parton’s Jolene in the MCU

Dolly Parton’s 1972 hit “Jolene” is an American classic. Even Beyoncé covered the song on her recent album Cowboy Carter. The song tells the story of an auburn-haired vixen who tries to steal Dolly’s man away from her. Even if you’re not a country music fan, everyone on Earth loves “Jolene.” Well, in the latest episode of Agatha All Along, they revealed that Agatha Harkness was, in fact, the actual inspiration behind Jolene in the MCU. Agatha All Along series showrunner Jac Schaeffer confirmed this in an interview with The Wrap. Here’s what she had to say about this stunning revelation about our Westview witch:

Marvel Studios

That was a [series writer] Laura Donney idea. And it was one of, I remember being one of the most fun days in the room, was everybody coming in with their sort of low-level Agatha nasties. And that was Laura Donney. She was like, ‘She’s Jolene.’ And we were just like, everybody fell out. It was so funny.

So, at some point in the ’70s, Agatha Harkness ditched her raven-haired locks for an auburn-haired look. Honestly, we can see it. Maybe she used a magical glamour? It’s difficult imagining Dolly Parton, someone eternally kind-hearted, actually slapping the crap out of someone. But if there is a person on Earth who can bring out the worst in just about anyone, it’s Agatha Harkness.

DollyParton.com/Marvel Studios

The reveal of Agatha’s Jolene past came in the flashbacks in Agatha All Along episode six. In those flashbacks, we see Billy Maximoff researching the history of Agatha online. And he found many instances of bad things happening whenever Agatha was present. This includes the sinking of the Titanic and the Hindenburg disaster. Although those instances had a catastrophic loss of life, we’re still somehow more mad at her for trying to mess with Dolly P. There are some things you just don’t do.

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The MCU Family Tree of Billy Maximoff Connects to Several Avengers

[image error]

After much speculation and fan theories, Agatha All Along finally confirmed Joe Locke’s character of “Teen” as none other than Billy Kaplan, a.k.a. Wiccan, also known as Billy Maximoff. Yes, he’s the son of the Scarlet Witch and the Vision from WandaVision, given a fresh new body. But as the son of Wanda and Vision, his family tree in the MCU is quite complicated. He’s related to a villainous robot and four iconic Avengers. And that’s just for starters. Here’s the MCU family lineage of Billy Maximoff (and his brother Tommy, should he ever appear). We’ll start with their great-granddads on their father’s side.

The Great-Grandfathers (Paternal Side) – Tony Stark and Bruce BannerMarvel Studios

In Avengers: Age of Ultron, we learned that Ultron was essentially the A.I. “child” of Tony Stark and Bruce Banner. Once he became sentient, he became hellbent on destroying the world and all of its human vermin. A great deal of Tony’s personality went into Ultron’s programming, although we imagine Ultron’s tendency towards anger is part of his other daddy, Banner. So in essence, Iron Man and the Hulk count as Billy and Tommy’s great-grandfathers.

The Grandfather (Paternal Side) – UltronMarvel Studios

The genocidal A.I. known as Ultron came very close to destroying the world in the second Avengers film. He actually did destroy Wanda and Pietro’s home country of Sokovia. For a brief time, Ultron took the Maximoff twins under his wing until they rebelled. Although, we wouldn’t go as far as saying he’s a father figure to them. However, he is the literal father to Billy and Tommy’s dad, the Vision. But in order for his synthetic child to come to life, he ultimately needed some help from a flesh-and-blood human.

The Grandmother (Paternal Side) – Dr. Helen ChoiMarvel Studios

Dr. Helen Cho (Claudia Kim) has a relatively small role in Avengers: Age of Ultron, as the scientist who was brainwashed by Ultron (using the Mind Stone) into helping him create his synthezoid Vision. An associate of the Avengers, Ultron mind controlled her to help him complete his new android body, so we think we can safely count her as the grandmother of Billy and Tommy Maximoff.

The Great Uncle? (Paternal Side) – Thor OdinsonMarvel Studios

Yes, the Vision is technically the child of Ultron and Dr. Choi, and therefore the product of Tony Stark and Bruce Banner as well. But it was the son of Odin, the mighty Thor himself, who used his Asgardian lightning to bring the spark of life into the Vision. So, we have chosen to count him as part of the family too. At best, we’ll think of him as a “Great Uncle” of sorts? Vision would not have existed without him.

The Father – Vision Marvel Studios

To Ultron, the living synthezoid he conceived of was someone he considered his ultimate “Vision.” However, created with a mix of the Mind Stone and J.A.R.V.I.S., Vision would not adhere to his father’s dark intentions. He committed patricide by killing the last Ultron drone on Earth. Vision, or an aspect of Vision, became the father of Billy and Tommy. This happened when Wanda brought him forth from what existed of the Mind Stone within herself. Although that Vision dissipated with the fall of Wanda’s hex, his memories live on inside his recreated android body, known as “White Vision.”

The Grandparents (Maternal Side) – Olek and Iryna Maximoff Marvel Studios

We know very little about these two citizens of the fictional Eastern European country of Sokovia. All we know from WandaVision flashbacks is that the patriarch, Olek, loved old American sitcoms. He shared many old shows with his family, via DVD box sets. He was married to Iryna Maximoff, about whom we also know very little. Both of them were the victim of a wayward Stark missile. That their two twins, Wanda and Pietro, were the only survivors of that attack, and hellbent on revenge later. Maybe via Billy, we eventually learn more about them.

The Mother – Wanda Maximoff, the Scarlet WitchMarvel Studios

Wanda Maximoff is the mother of Billy and Tommy, and the world’s most powerful sorceress, the Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen). Thanks to WandaVision, we know she had supernatural innate power, even before she volunteered for Hydra experiments with the Mind Stone. Once connected to the Mind Stone, she was able to access the power of all the other Infinity Stones on some level, allowing her to create a version of the Vision, as well as her twin sons within the hex. She’s currently dead, but no one believes that, right?

The Uncle – Pietro Maximoff, QuicksilverMarvel Studios

Wanda had a twin brother with super speed powers named Pietro, abilities bestowed on him by Hydra experiments done with the Mind Stone. Technically, he’s her older brother, as he was born a few minutes ahead of her. Pietro, portrayed by Aaron Taylor-Johnson, died fighting Ultron alongside the Avengers. The twins never got to meet their uncle, however, they eventually had a very similar stand-in uncle.

The Honorary Uncle – Ralph Bohner Marvel Studios

Agatha Harkness manipulated Wanda within her own hex in WandaVision by forcing down-on-his-luck actor Ralph Bohner (Evan Peters) to pose as a version of Wanda’s dead brother Pietro. She gave him super speed, and this “Fake Pietro” served as the only uncle the twins ever knew. This was, of course, a nod to the fact that Peters played another version of Pietro in the X-Men films. Since he was the twins’ uncle as far as they knew, on some level, he counts as family in our book.

The Kids, Billy and Tommy Maximoff Marvel Studios

This brings us, at last, to Billy and Tommy Maximoff, the “fake” children created by Wanda within the hex. Although only existing for technically a few days, they had the mental equivalent of two ten-year-olds, give or take. Billy was born with magical powers like mom, while Tommy exhibited super speed like his uncle. Although originally dismissed as just illusions, they clearly had real souls, possibly because of Wanda having residual powers from the Soul Stone. (Or maybe thanks to Mephisto?) When the hex came down, they were thought destroyed. But as Agatha All Along has shown us, they survived.

Rebecca and Jeff Kaplan (Billy’s Parents 2.0)Marvel Studios

As we know from Agatha All Along, Billy Maximoff took over the deceased body of one William Kaplan, a citizen of Eastview, New Jersey. But 13-year-old William Kaplan had biological parents, Rebecca and Jeff Kaplan who are still raising him as their own. So they have to count as Billy’s parental figures as well. We saw them portrayed by actors Maria Dizzia and Paul Adelstein in the sixth episode of Agatha All Along.

No matter how complicated the Maximoff/Vision family tree gets in the MCU, it'll never be more out there than the one in the comics. pic.twitter.com/DrB7E2nxnn

— Eric Ansley Diaz 🏳️‍🌈 (@GeekBoyEric) October 21, 2024

All in all, Billy Maximoff has the most complex family tree in all of the MCU. But that’s nothing compared to his family lineage in the pages of Marvel Comics. There, we have to include Ant-Man (Ultron’s creator in the comics), Wonder Man (Vision’s brother), Vision’s android family, and Magneto and his entire clan as well. But who knows? In a few years, Wiccan’s family tree in the MCU might be just as complex.

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Christopher Nolan Returning to Universal for Next Movie in 2026, Tom Holland to Star

How do you follow up an all-time great movie like seven-time Oscar winner Oppenheimer? It was a Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, box office juggernaut. How do you live up to something that good?That’s a classic case of not our problem. It’s Christopher Nolan’s. The director is the one who has to figure out what do after reaching the peak of his industry. What we know is where he’ll try to do just that. Nolan is going back to Universal to see if that partnership can find movie magic again in the summer of 2026. And he could be going back to the studio with a familiar face. Oppenheimer and Interstellar‘s Matt Damon is reportedly in talks to star in the film along with Spider-Man actor Tom Holland.

Universal Pictures

Variety reports Christopher Nolan is sticking with Universal for his next film. The director produced Oppenheimer with the studio after ending his decades long partnership with Warner Bros. Pictures. However, it seemed possible he might end up back at his old home. Warner Bros. was said to be trying to mend things with him in hopes of luring Nolan. Clearly they will have to wait at least one more movie for a reunion.

Universal has already lined up a prime spot for Nolan’s unnamed film, which he is also writing. It will arrive in theaters on July 17, 2026. While details, subject matter, or even genre are unknown at this time, the movie will reportedly get an IMAX release. That’s no surprise for a Christopher Nolan release.

Universal

Also not a surprise is that Matt Damon could potentially star in it. The two have worked together previously and Damon has talked about how much he loves Christopher Nolan. The director also found incredible success elevating one of his longtime supporting stars, Cillian Murphy, to a lead role.

Will turning one of his supporting actors into a main role for a movie at Universal guarantee Christopher Nolan finds Oppenheimer-level success again? Of course not. But we wouldn’t rule it out, either.

Originally published October 9, 2024.

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Aaron Pierre Cast as John Stewart in DC’s LANTERNS

Casting is so important when it comes to iconic characters, naturally. It can make the difference between “Okay, we’ll see” and “Holy crap I’m so excited.” With the latest casting announcement for Max’s upcoming DC Studios series Lanterns, I’m definitely in the latter category. After already casting Kyle Chandler as Hal Jordan, DC announced Aaron Pierre will costar as young Green Lantern John Stewart. Pierre had my personal vote for a while now. This only solidified after his outstanding turn in Jeremy Saulnier’s Netflix thriller Rebel Ridge.

“Aaron Pierre is somebody who I’ve wanted to work together with for a long time,” said James Gunn during an NYCC panel. “People don’t know, but he was almost cast as Adam Warlock. He’s an amazing actor, and I just really admired him from the beginning of his career. Seeing him read with Kyle was one of those miraculous moments. I don’t care what they’re saying, I just love what they’re saying together. When we first started the DCU, the first couple of weeks of heading this out, we got together with a group of writers, and Tom King was one of those writers, and we were in this room, and we came up with sort of this concept for Lanterns. It’s a much more it’s a very grounded series, a very real series, which is a strange thing to say about a Green Lanterns show. But it’s going to be something like nobody’s ever seen before.”

Max PR/Warner Bros Animation

DC Studios co-head James Gunn welcomed Pierre to the family in an Instagram post. “After a long and grueling series of auditions I am absolutely sure we’ve found an incredible John Stewart,” he said in the post. Pierre was reportedly in the final two for the part along with Stephan James, who played Jesse Owens in the biopic Race and Congressman John Lewis in Selma.

Pierre had previously starred as Dev-Em in the Syfy/DC series Krypton and was cast in an undisclosed role in the Blade movie for Marvel before the project changed the character was excised. He’s no longer at all affiliated with that film. Famously, Pierre also played Mid-Sized Sedan in M. Night Shyamalan’s Old.

The Lanterns show is one of the more intriguing of the nascent DCU under Gunn and Peter Safran. A prestige drama akin to a sci-fi True Detective, the series “follows new recruit John Stewart and Lantern legend Hal Jordan, two intergalactic cops drawn into a dark, earth-based mystery as they investigate a murder in the American heartland.”

Gunn has put his stamp on the role of running DC Studios with the first batch of announcements. I feel like all of them are make-or-break. His high-profile Superman film will set the stage, hopefully redeeming the character in many fans’ eyes who were turned off by the Snydery darkness of the previous universe. Other announcements like Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow and Batman: The Brave and the Bold will trickle off of that one movie.

For me, Lanterns is maybe the second most important. It will bring the DCU onto television in weekly HBO style. The stink of the 2011 Green Lantern movie starring Ryan Reynolds still hasn’t fully worn off the title. This show has a real chance to do that, and Chandler and Pierre are perfect choices in that respect.

I’m stoked, and we’ll report on what’s to come as we learn more!

Kyle Anderson is the Senior Editor for Nerdist. He hosts the weekly pop culture deep-dive podcast Laser Focus. You can find his film and TV reviews here. Follow him on Instagram and Letterboxd.

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