Category: Marvel

Marvel Takes a Stab At Their First Scripted Podcast: ‘Wolverine: The Long Night’

Marvel has explored plenty of territory in it’s 78-year history, from comics to computer games and from movies to TV, they’ve done it all. Well almost all… Starting in the spring of 2018, they will be headed into a whole new territory.

Wolverine, the beloved X-Men character, will headline Marvel’s first-ever scripted podcast, Wolverine: The Long Night, a 10-episode serialized story that will debut exclusively on podcast network Stitcher Premium in Spring 2018 as part of a partnership between Marvel and Stitcher, before rolling out across all other podcast platforms in the fall.

The show’s cast includes notable actors Richard Armitage (“The Hobbit”), Scott Adsit (“30 Rock”), Bob Balaban (“Moonrise Kingdom”) and Brian Stokes Mitchell (“Mr. Robot”).

The “Wolverine: The Long Night” story is a captivating hybrid of mystery and the larger-scale fantasy of the Marvel Universe. It follows agents Sally Pierce (Celia Keenan-Bolger) and Tad Marshall (Ato Essandoh) as they arrive in the fictional town of Burns, Alaska, to investigate a series of murders and quickly discover the town lives in fear of a serial killer. The agents team up with deputy Bobby Reid (Andrew Keenan-Bolger) to investigate their main suspect, Logan (Richard Armitage). Their search leads them on a fox hunt through the mysterious and corrupt town.

The process behind the making of “Wolverine: The Long Night” brings Marvel’s storytelling expertise into the podcasting world, breaking new ground for the medium. To provide listeners a sense of immersion into the story, outdoor scenes will be recorded in realistic-sounding locations including forests and a cabin. In the studio, actors will be recorded in an ambisonic — or fully surround-sound — environment, allowing them to move, interact with one another and fully inhabit their characters.

“‘Wolverine: The Long Night’ brings our fans a whole new way to experience our iconic characters and the Marvel Universe,” said Dan Silver, vice president, head of platforms and content for Marvel New Media. “This tremendous cast will bring a thrilling level of intrigue and drama to our listeners. The character of Logan and this landscape make it the ideal premiere vehicle for us, and we’re excited to continue to explore the dynamic possibilities of the podcast medium.”

Also cast in the series are actors Zoe Chao, Chaske Spencer, Jordan Bridges, David Call, Michael J. Burg and Lannon Killia. Chris Gethard, host of the popular “Beautiful Stories from Anonymous People” podcast, also will make a cameo appearance.

“Podcasting is an incredible, intimate medium that’s perfect for telling stories, and I can’t think of a better partner with whom to push the boundaries of scripted podcasts than Marvel,” said Erik Diehn, CEO of Midroll Media, a podcast industry leader and the parent company of Stitcher. “They make every translation of their rich universe of characters into new media fresh and interesting while still retaining the feel and spirit of the original comics, and, as a Marvel fan, I’m proud that we’ve helped them do it again in podcasting. The arrival of Wolverine and his many fans to podcasts and Stitcher is truly a signal that this medium is a major part of the American media landscape.”

Stitcher and Marvel have assembled a writing and production team of veterans from both the comic book world and the podcasting industry. “Wolverine: The Long Night” is written by award-winning comic book author Ben Percy (“The Wilding,” “Red Moon”) and will be directed by Brendan Baker (formerly a producer for Radiotopia’s “Love & Radio”). Chloe Prasinos (formerly a producer for Gimlet’s “Reply All”) will oversee sound design. The series is produced by Daniel Fink of Marvel and Jenny Radelet of Stitcher.

December 5, 2017
Disney Crosses $5 Billion Global Box Office as ‘Thor: Ragnarok’ Hits $800 Million

Disney is passing two big milestones. First, Disney-Marvel’s “Thor: Ragnarok” is expected to surpass $800 million worldwide at any moment. Second, and maybe even more importantly, with the help of Thor’s newest installment, Disney has pushed past the $5 billion mark at the 2017 worldwide box office for the third year in a row. Which makes it the second Marvel Cinematic Universe movie without Tony Stark in it to be able to do that, and of the 17 films in the MCU, it is the seventh to reach this milestone and the third to do so this year.

“Thor” has now put Disney in the top spot globally. Universal is on the cusp of the $5-billion milestone itself with $4.97 billion worldwide ($1.6 billion domestic). Universal has one more film on its 2017 slate, “Pitch Perfect 3,” which will be released Dec. 22. But it’s pretty obvious which company will end up being the top earn for 2017, since it doesn’t count the 1 Billion Star Wars: The Last Jedi will is about to bring in. At the very least it’s bringing in a few hundred million in the final days of the year.

The studio has surpassed this global box office milestone for the third year in a row, becoming the first and only studio to have reached this record three times according to Disney.

Disney also noted that it’s responsible for four of the top nine highest-grossing films of the year, including “Beauty and the Beast” with $1.26 billion ($504 million domestic and $759.7 million international); Marvel Studios’ “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” with $863.6 million worldwide; and “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales” with $794.8 million worldwide.

Other major titles include Pixar’s “Cars 3” ($383.5 million global) and “Coco” ($178.9 million global) as well as two 2016 titles — Lucasfilm’s “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” with $309.3 million during 2017 and Walt Disney Animation Studios’ “Moana” with $252 million during 2017.

November 30, 2017
Disney and Fox Deal Back On and Moving Fast

It turns out the talks aren’t really finished and there is still a strong likelihood of a deal between Disney and Fox. Disney is “progressing speedily” towards an acquisition of Fox, according to a new report from Deadline.

It would appear that the two studios are nearing a deal that might have some in Hollywood a little nervous but it would be super exciting for fans that have long waited to see both the Fantastic Four and X-Men within the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

It’s the film rights have kept the X-Men from joining the MCU as of yet, but one X-Men producer would love to see the crossover happen. A recent Vanity Fair article explained how X-Men producer Lauren Shuler Donner threw in her support to have the mutant icons team up with the Avengers in theaters. “Well, I wish. I would love it, I would love it. But it’s not for me to say,” she said. Too bad it’s not up to her.

If the deal goes through, the Murdoch family will continue to maintain ownership over the sports and news divisions while Disney would get the studio rights to everything on the film side according to the report.

There is so much more at stake here for Disney than the obvious rights to the X-Men and Fantastic Four brands. They also want distribution rights for the original Star Wars trilogy and prequel trilogy. Most of those rights revert back to Disney in 2020, but the original 1977 film’s rights will remain at Fox.

Another bonus is the Avatar franchise. Earlier this week director James Cameron commented on how any sale of Fox’s TV and film operations would impact the Avatar sequels. He noted it probably wouldn’t affect the Avatar series and explained that “at this point in time Disney has a bigger investment” in the franchise than Fox, referring in part to Disney World’s Pandora: The World of Avatar attraction.

Disney would love to get its hands on the FX channel. And of course they want the vast, impressive, lucrative library of Fox movies and TV series from past and present, to add to their upcoming streaming service and, probably, to deny those movies and series to Netflix, along with the Disney, Marvel, Pixar, and Lucasfilm properties.

While in the midst of negotiations Disney is really hoping that Sony doesn’t out fox them on the deal. It was recently noted that Sony Entertainment had shown interest in purchasing 21st Century Fox along with a few other companies, including Comcast and Verizon. However, if rumors are true those talks have since reverted to Disney.

Much of this is speculative, but the talk of Disney purchasing Fox is much more than a big rumor. Deadline’s new report makes a good point that, if this deal does happen, we’ll probably find out about it in a pretty out of the blue way. We may not know when that announcement could come, but don’t be too surprised to hear that Disney has officially purchased Fox in the near future.

November 29, 2017
Marvel Releases Avengers: Infinity War Teaser Trailer

The first official trailer for Marvel Studios’ “Avengers: Infinity War” has finally arrived. We began our Marvel Cinematic Universe journey together back in 2008. All roads lead to Thanos next year. Get your first official look at “Avengers: Infinity War” right here.

Following the events of “Captain America: Civil War,” the Avengers as we know it no longer exists. Lines were drawn; sides were chosen. The Avengers is nothing more than a team name without any team members. Can Earth’s Mightiest Heroes put aside their differences and unite once more? Do they even stand a chance against the Mad Titan who delights in their failure and desperation? Can they stop his thirst for power and chaos as he begins to collect the Infinity Stones?

The trailer packs as many super heroes as it can in a mere 2 minutes and 30 seconds: Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Captain America (Chris Evans), Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow), Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Falcon (Anthony Mackie), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), the Vision (Paul Bettany), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman), Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen), Spider-Man (Tom Holland), Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), Loki (Tom Hiddleston), Star-Lord (Chris Pratt), and so much more.

“You can fight it. You can run from it. But destiny still arrives.” We know the trailer brought a smile to your face as much as pain and suffering put one on Thanos’ face. Now excuse us while we watch the trailer a thousand more times!

See the culmination of the last decade of the Marvel Cinematic Universe when “Avengers: Infinity War” opens in theaters on April 27, 2018.. Stay tuned to mydisneydorks.com.

November 29, 2017
Fans Can Meet Thor and Loki at Disney’s California Adventure Park

With Marvel Studios recent released Thor: Ragnarok’s the timing couldn’t be better for the Asgardian brothers Thor and Loki to start appearing at the in the parks. The two are found meeting Marvel fans around the Disney California Adventure Park.

The two do a bit on the Hollywood backlot stage before they meet with the fans nearby. The “moment” is called “Thor and Lokis Heroic Encounter” located right in Hollywood land.

Some classic moments were photographed by @thelizziness. Thor and Loki do a moment on the Hollywood Backlot stage before meeting with guests nearby.

Thor is actually a returning character. He used to be across in Disneyland Park. He was located in Superhero HQ, but sadly closed on April 2, 2016.

November 27, 2017
Jude Law In Negotiations To Join ‘Captain Marvel’

Jude Law is in negotiations for the male lead in Marvel’s Captain Marvel, the superhero movie that will follow Carol Danvers (Brie Larson), an Air Force pilot whose DNA is fused with that of an alien during an accident. The resulting alteration imbues her with the superpowers of strength, energy projection, and flight.

The initial details about Law’s character said that he would be a mentor for Carol Danvers as she comes to terms with the powers that will make her into a superhero. However, a subsequent update confirmed that Law will portray Mar-Vell, Marvel’s original Captain Marvel. Ben Mendelsohn is on board to play the villain.

Geneva Robertson-Dworet wrote the most recent script with “Inside Out” scribe Meg LeFauve and Nicole Perlman penning previous drafts and “Half Nelson” directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck are at the helm.

At this year’s San Diego Comic-Con, Feige announced that the superhero film will be set in the ’90s, before the Avengers ever thought of assembling, and Samuel L. Jackson is expected to reprise his role as Nick Fury.

November 23, 2017
First Look: Marvel Day at Sea on the Disney Magic

The time has arrived when the mightiest Marvel Super Heroes and menacing foes assemble on the Disney Magic to make the action-packed Marvel Day at Sea a reality! Now, enjoy your first official look at some of the exciting day-long entertainment and adventures that will transport you to a new realm of heroic possibilities…

“Marvel Heroes Unite”
For the first time ever, Marvel Super Heroes and Villains face off in an incredible battle at sea! The super-charged nighttime show fills the upper decks with special effects, stunts and pyrotechnics and music. The epic finale culminates in the largest collection of Marvel Super Heroes and Super Villains ever assembled on a cruise ship.

“Doctor Strange: Journey into the Mystic Arts”
In a brand-new interactive show, sorcerer supreme Doctor Strange invites guests to join him on a journey of discovery into the world of the Mystic Arts.

Black Panther’s Debut
Making his very first appearance as part of a Disney vacation experience, Black Panther shares his secrets of super reflexes and extraordinary intellect during up-close encounters.

Heroic Encounters
Around the ship, you may happen upon your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, who is always quick with a word of encouragement and helping guests hone their Spider-senses. Other Marvel Super Heroes you may encounter onboard include Captain America, Iron Man, Thor and Black Widow, to name just a few.

“Mickey and Friends Super Hero Celebration”
Even Disney characters are getting in on the action! Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy, Goofy, Pluto, Chip and Dale dress up to honor their favorite Marvel Super Heroes.

Marvel Day at Sea is on select 7- and 8-night Disney Cruise Line sailings from New York this fall, and returns on select 5-night Western Caribbean cruises from Miami in early 2018. Keep following along here at MyDisneyDorks.com as we unveil more details.

To book your magical vacation contact Tavel Time with Vikki.

November 16, 2017
‘MARVEL’S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D.’ SEASON 5 NEW CLIP AND POSTER REVEALED

“Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” returns for its fifth season in just a couple of weeks, and a new clip shows that the team has some big new problems to deal with.

On top of that, new key art has been revealed for Season 5, which you can see below.

Season 5 left off with Coulson and the team abducted and the huge reveal that they were now in outer space. Check out the clip below to see several S.H.I.E.L.D. members learn the hard way that there are some very dangerous creatures they have to contend with.

“Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” returns for its fifth exciting season with a special two-hour premiere, Friday, December 1 (8:00-10:00 p.m., EST), on the ABC Television Network.

November 16, 2017
These 4 TV Shows Could Make Disney Streaming a Must Have

In the wake of lower than expected earnings reports, Disney has announced a slew of new programs in the works intended to help jump start their the new Disney streaming service.

Disney is developing a new Marvel television series, a live-action Star Wars television series and a new trilogy of live-action films from a galaxy far, far away under Star Wars: The Last Jedi writer and director Rian Johnson.

The Marvel and Star Wars television series will make their exclusive debut on Disney’s forthcoming streaming service, set to launch in 2019, with the service also poised to offer television series based on Disney/Pixar’s Monsters, Inc. franchise and Disney Channel’s tween-aimed High School Musical franchise. Disney CEO-chairman Bob Iger announced the news Thursday.

Pixar’s Monsters, Inc. grossed $577 million worldwide in 2001, with its prequel, Monsters University, scaring up $744 million worldwide in 2013. Both movies starred John Goodman and Billy Crystal as blue-furred James P. “Sulley” Sullivan and one-eyed Mike Wazowski, respectively, best friends and work partners who work as top employees at Monsters, Inc., Monstropolis’ energy-producing company. One of the most popular franchises under the Pixar brand, Monsters, Inc. has a presence in several of Disney’s theme parks across the globe, including Disney California Adventure, Walt Disney World and Tokyo Disneyland.

Disney launched the High School Musical franchise in 2006, with the rom-com Disney Channel Original Movie giving way to a 2007 TV-movie sequel and a second sequel, 2008’s High School Musical 3: Senior Year, the first installment of the tween musical series to be released theatrically. The franchise will return to the small screen with High School Musical 4 under Jeffrey Hornaday, whI directed Teen Beach Movie and Teen Beach 2 — Disney Channel’s newest craze teen musicals.

These shows already come with a huge fan base and will now be around to attract new generations of audiences. What Disney Movies would you like to turned into a TV series?

November 12, 2017