Superheroes. They’re everywhere. They’re on the big screen, they’re on the small screen, they’re on the internet, they’re on your phone. They could be in your house right now.
Wait, scratch that last bit. My point is that movie and TV studios are pouring everything they have into superhero stories, as they have been for the past few years. With that in mind, let’s round up some of the biggest superhero-related stories of the day, starting with the final Captain Marvel trailer to come out ahead of the movie’s debut on March 8:
If you weren’t already planning to see this movie, the bit where Captain Marvel beats up an old lady on a bus should convince you. Also, watch that photon blast bit become a meme.
Captain Marvel is the last Marvel movie to come out ahead of Avengers: Endgame in May, and key to Disney’s plans for moving the Marvel Cinematic Universe into its next phase. Expect it to make a splash.
But Disney isn’t the only one on the superhero train. After Venom became a hit, Sony got to immediate work planning a sequel. Variety reports that the studio has tapped Kelly Marcel, one of the writers on the first movie (and the writer behind the Fifty Shades of Grey screenplay, we are honor-bound to mention), to pen the sequel. Variety also confirms that Woody Harrelson will return as Cletus Kasady, better known as the supervillain Carnage. Fans glimpsed in a mid-credits sequence of the first movie:
Speaking of things that are kinda-sorta related to Spider-Man, The New York Times reports that Sony is also considering making animated TV shows based on characters introduced in Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse, another hit for the studio. Between Spider-Woman, Peni Parker, Spider-Man Noir and Spider-Ham, the spider-based superhero who is also a big, Sony should have plenty of options, assuming it can get Marvel and Disney to play ball.
The rights to all things Spider-Man are in a weird place right now. Sony still has some of them, obviously, but gave up the TV rights as part of the deal that allowed Tom Holland to play Spider-Man in the MCU. If Sony wants to get Spider-Verse shows on the air, the companies will have to come to an agreement. Come on, everyone. Do it for Spider-Ham.
Sticking with TV, did you know that DC Universe is still a thing? DC’s streaming service, dedicated to all things DC superheroes, is having a bit of a subscriber problem, but the people who have it seem to like it, with its flagship show Titans receiving better-than-expected reviews.
And there are new shows in the pipeline, including Stargirl, about a high school-age superhero created by Geoff Johns in the ’90s. Jones is running the show himself, and is lining up some impressive talent, including Luke Wilson as Pat Dugen. We’ll let DC explain his deal:
"Pat Dugan once went by the less-than-inspired superhero name of Stripesy, sidekick to a young hero known as the Star-Spangled-Kid and later Starman of the legendary Justice Society of America. Today, Pat has left his sidekick life behind him. But when his new step-daughter, Courtney Whitmore, discovers Pat’s secret past and takes on Starman’s legacy to become Stargirl, Pat is forced to come out of retirement and once again become a sidekick — to his step-daughter — this time piloting a 15-foot robot called Stripe."
Starman is in the show as Stargirl’s mentor. He’s played by Joel McHale. Stargirl will also star Lou Ferrigno Jr. as Hourman, Brian Stapf as Wildcat, Henry Thomas as Dr. Mid-Nite and Brec Bassinger in the title role. Could be fun.
Finally, director M. Night Shyamalan talked to Vulture about Glass, the upcoming followup to 2016’s Split, which was a secret followup to 2000’s Unbreakable, a high-concept superhero movie starring Bruce Willis as a super-powered security guard named David Dunn. Shyamalan, who’s having a comeback after a decade spent in the Hollywood wilderness, said that the Horde — the supervillain from Split played by James McAvoy — was originally supposed to be in Unbreakable, but got cut so the film wouldn’t lose focus.
"It’s a narrative issue. Whenever you raise the stakes, you can’t unraise them. So once you introduce girls being abducted, there’s a ticking clock that doesn’t allow for the breadth of character development that I wanted to do in Unbreakable with David, his wife, and his kid."
Glass, named for the supervillain played by Samuel L. Jackson first introduced in Unbreakable, opens December 18.
If you’d never heard of Shyamalan’s budding superhero universe before, that was a lot to take in. Pat yourself on the back.
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And that’s what’s happening in the wide world of superheroes today! We expect at least 40 more things by tomorrow.
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h/t Deadline