Movie News

Superhero Films To Get Excited About In 2021

Published

3 years ago

December 1, 2020

Well, 2020 has been a chore of a year, tampering with everything including our escapism. Countless films have been pushed back or redistributed to alternative platforms. But, this does mean that 2021 is set to be a stacked year for superhero films.

Black Widow and Wonder Woman 1984 have yet to be released. Wonder Woman 1984 is looking more likely to go down the streaming route with HBO. Along with many more outlandish adventures that comic book fans around the world were looking forward to. Many caped crusaders are set to take their delayed adventures next year, so join us as we run down the superhero films to get excited about in 2021.

Morbius

Release date: 19th March 2021

Set to be directed by Daniel Espinosa (Safehouse, Life) is Morbius. This is set to be Sony’s next adaptation of a Marvel character following Venom. We know it will focus on the vampire, played by everybody’s favourite Joker (stop lying to yourself) Jared Leto. Morbius is turned into a vampire following a diagnosis with a rare blood disease. Talking to IGN, Leto explained that it’s the duality of the character that drew him to the role.

Leto said “Morbius, the man, is a pretty complex character. That’s what I was really attracted to. This is somebody who has a lot of conflict in his life. He’s a guy who’s born with this horrible disease and is really a gifted person. When he was young, he was very curious about science and medicine and decided to dedicate his life to find a cure for the disease that he’s afflicted with and that others like him have, as well. But along the way, all hell breaks loose.”

It is set to feature Michael Keaton’s character from Spider-Man Homecoming to tie into the MCU and potentially set up future films in the future. The movie was originally set for a July 31st release this year, but, due to COVID restrictions, the film is set for a 19th March 2021 release. This is one of the most interesting superhero films to look out for in 2021.

Black Widow

Release date: 7th May 2021

One of the films that has been in production the longest is Black Widow. The film originally began in April 2004, with Lionsgate, and David Hayter attached to write and direct. A combination of a rapidly expanding MCU and character rights being reverted back to Marvel has been the reason for the films near twenty-year production.

Scarlett Johansson has been in the role since Iron-Man (2010) and has been awaiting the solo film since. Filming began in 2018 and the release date was delayed twice due to COVID, but, the new date has been set for May 2021; the first film of phase four of the MCU.

Whilst the film is set to take place following the events of Captain America: Civil War (2016), it will act as a prequel of sorts. Its set to focus on Natasha Romanoff as she is dealing with her past as a spy, to defeat the conspiracy that tries to ring her down.

Venom: Let There Be Carnage

Release date: 25 June 2021

Following the success of Venom (2018) the sequel is set for summer 2021. Tom Hardy reprises his role as Marvels gooey menace, Eddie Brock / Venom. Alongside Woody Harrelson, Michelle Williams, Reid Scott, and Naomie Harris.

Directed by Andy Serkis, Harrelson returns following his brief appearance as Cletus Kasady at the end of Venom. This was always intended to set Kasady becoming the main villain, Carnage in this sequel. Hardy has already confirmed there will be a third Venom film so we will see how the sequels shenanigans play out in terms of the MCU.

Filming took place at Leavesden Studios in the UK from November 2019 to February 2020, with additional filming in San Francisco this year. The release was scheduled for the quick turnaround of October this year until COVID resulted in next year’s summer release.

Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings

Release date: 9th July 2021

Another Marvel adaptation set for next year is Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Beating out Black Widow in production time, this film originally began development in 2001. Yet, actual production on the film didn’t begin until 2018 as it’s now set to become part of Phase 4 of the MCU.

Its set to be Marvels first superhero film with an Asian lead and centres around Simu Liu as the skilled martial artists, Shang-Chi. Tony Leung has been cast as The Mandarin, the leader of the Ten Rings terrorist organisation and replacing Shang-Chi’s comic book father Fu Manchu. This is due to Marvel not owning the rights to the Manchu character and its problematic nature. Director Destin Daniel Cretton has spoken out about the character change.

“I think [Leung] brings a humanity that we need for that character. We are not looking to contribute any more to the Asian stereotypes that we have seen both in cinema and pop culture… [Leung] is such an incredible actor and I’m excited to have him help us break some of those stereotypes”.

Filming began in February 2020 but was put on hold in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Production resumed at the end of July into early August 2020 before completing in October. Shang-Chi was filmed primarily in Australia and San Francisco and is set for July 2021.

The Suicide Squad

Release date: 8th August 2021

Director James Gunn’s all-star cast is set to return next August following David Ayer’s 2016 misfire. Currently, cast are Margot Robbie, Jai Courtney, Viola Davis, Joel Kinnaman, Idris Elba, Nathan Fillion, and Taika Waititi. Will Smith has confirmed he will not return to the franchise yet Idris Elba has signed on to play a new character. Joining Elba is David Dastmalchian as Polka Dot Man, Daniela Melchior is Ratcatcher, John Cena is Peacekeeper.

Intending to be more of a reboot than a sequel. It has yet to be confirmed how The Suicide Squad will fit into the DC universe alongside the Ayre outing and the Margot Robbie led Birds of Prey. This is set to be one film not effected by COVID but, as filming began in September 2019 and wrapped in February 2020 meaning the release date has yet to be affected.

Eternals

Release date: 5th November 2021

A star studded cast for this film which was initially due to be released 6 November 2020. It moves on 12 months. Angelina Jolie, Richard Madden and Kit Harrington are the headliners. Following the events of Avengers: Endgame (2019), the Eternals, who are an immortal alien race created by the Celestials who have secretly lived on Earth for over 7,000 years reunite to protect humanity from their evil counterparts, the Deviants.

Spider-Man 3

Release date: 17th December 2021

The third Spider-Man film and Far From Home sequel is set for release next winter. A sequel to Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) and Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019), this will be the 27th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The film is set to be directed by Jon Watts again and a fourth is already in the works.

It was rumoured this week that the third film in the franchise could see Alfred Molina reprise the role of Doctor Octopus. According to GWW, claiming that he recently arrived on set to practice stunt choreography and has been filming scenes as Doc Ock. This has yet to be announced. Speculation is rife about if Molina will actually play the same Otto Octavius from Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 2, or a fresh version of the ‘Master Planner’.

Jamie Foxx is set to return as Max Dillon/Electro along with Zendaya, Jacob Batalon, Marisa Tomei and Benedict Cumberbatch.

Filming began in October 2020 in New York City, before moving to Atlanta later that month. Shooting will also occur in Los Angeles and Iceland and is set to conclude in March 2021.

Black Adam

Release date: TBA 2021

One of the most anticipated superhero films of 2021 will be Black Adam. DC will be debuting a new adaptation next year with the ‘most electrifying man in sports entertainment’ Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson playing the lead. It’s assumed to be the origin story of Black Adam, an archenemy of Captain Marvel. Originally a corrupted, ancient Egyptian predecessor of Captain Marvel, Adam will likely be introduced as an antihero looking for redemption.

Black Adam is both a spinoff and a sequel of the 2019 Shazam! Film. In June 2019, Jaume Collet-Serra was announced as director. And Johnson announced on his Twitter account that Larry Sher will be the film’s Cinematographer.

The film was set to be released on 22nd December 2021, but, again, due to COVID, filming has been pushed back and this may affect the release date.

Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins

Release date: TBA 2021

Based on the Hasbro character Paramount are set to be rebooting the G.I Joe franchise with Snake Eyes in 2021. Centred on the secret agent Snake Eyes, a ninja who operates under the elite G.I. Joe squad, Henry Golding will play the main character of the origin movie.

Its predicted that this fresh G.I. Joe movie universe could cross over into other Hasbro properties. Ones like Transformers, Rom the Space Knight, M.A.S.K., and as of 2018, Power Rangers.

The original G.I Joe franchise was set to have a third film ‘G.I. Joe Ever Vigilant’ following The Rise of Cobra (2009) and G.I. Joe: Retaliation (2013). Yet, there has been no confirmation if this has been scrapped in favour of the new reboot or if the two separate series will coexist.

The film was set to be released on 27th March 2020, but Paramount chose to postpone the film by an entire year. We will see what the future holds for G.I Joe and Snake Eyes.

And that’s our list of superhero films to look forward to in 2021. What do you think? Which one will you be queuing up to see? Let us know in the comments below.

Check out our ‘getting started’ with Marvel comics article HERE.

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9 Bands You Forgot Played Themselves In Movies

Published

2 years ago

January 4, 2022

Aaron Phillips

Wayne's World image — _{Paramount Pictures}

There are more bands than you think that played themselves on the big screen. Here are nine bands you might’ve forgotten appeared in movies.

1. Alice Cooper – Wayne’s World (1992)

Being a teenager in the nineties was great for many reasons. Two of those being the release of the Wayne’s World movies. The genius that is Mike Myers created one of the best music-based films of all time. Plus, he convinced one of the greatest rock musicians of all time to be in it. If you’re not a geek like me, you may have forgotten that Alice Cooper was featured in the film. It had the iconic scene of Wayne and Garth meeting, Alice, backstage on bent knees. We’re not worthy, indeed. Alice himself pulls off the diva Rockstar brilliantly, even though he’s a genuine, down-to-earth guy who plays a lot of golf.

2. Primus – Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey (1991)

Let’s try and erase the recent Bill & Ted movie from our memory and head back to 1991 for their bogus journey. They come from the future to kill the non-robot versions of themselves and ruin their performance at a Battle of the Bands competition. What’s cool is the band who are playing before them. Californian alt-metal kings Primus. Although the clip is only short, they play themselves and sound as you would expect. Epic.

3. Fall Out Boy – Sex Drive (2008)

You’d be forgiven for forgetting about this one. The teen sex comedy from 2008 is forgettable and won’t really appeal to anyone apart from its teen target audience. If you can sit through all the cringe-inducing moments, you will spot pop-rockers Fall Out Boy. They are performing in a barn in front of some drunk Amish teenagers. There’s a reason for that, but I won’t bore you with it here. What is good, is the soundtrack of the film. As well as Fall Out Boy, it features Airbourne, AC/DC and weirdly, Kenny Loggins.

4. Twisted Sister – Pee Wee’s Big Adventure (1985)

Paul Reuben’s character Pee Wee Herman made his big-screen outing in 1985. The children’s show star had a scene where he is being chased through a studio parking lot. Unbeknown to him, glam rockers Twisted Sister are recording a music video on a car. Lead singer Dee Snider is always up for a laugh, so it’s no surprise they’re featured. The clip is brilliant. Pee Wee’s prop-laden bike is just about to crash into Twisted Sister and the look on Dee’s face is genius. Go check out the clip.

5. David Bowie – Zoolander (2001)

Who can forget the brilliant Zoolander? Starring Ben Stiller as the dippy model, it’s one of the funniest comedies ever made. One of the best scenes of the film is the walk-off. This involved Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson’s characters doing a catwalk-off. Of sorts. Can you remember who refereed it? The legend himself, David Bowie. It’s not the first time Bowie was in a movie – remember Labyrinth? But this time, he plays himself. And does it with all the cool swagger you would expect.

6. The Mighty Mighty Bosstones – Clueless (1995)

I can’t say that I was a massive fan of this teen comedy at the time. The plot revolves around Alicia Silverstone’s character giving her friend a makeover. The premise doesn’t sound like it lends itself to a cool band cameo. You’d be wrong, though. There’s a scene where the lead characters go watch a gig. The band that are playing are The Mighty Mighty Bosstones. The Boston ska-punk legends are only on stage for a moment, but it’s a slick clip. It certainly brings the film up a level on the cool stakes.

7. Daft Punk – Tron: Legacy (2010)

This sequel to the original sci-fi classic is a cracking movie. The visuals and effects are stunning, as is the atmosphere of the film. The music to the film is also rather special. A futuristic and dystopian movie could only have one act doing the score, and that’s Daft Punk. It works a treat. The music is intertwined into the movie and becomes a part of it. The delicious electronica is the perfect complement to the visuals. The French electronic masters also have a cameo at the end of the movie. They’re spinning the decks in a blink-and-you-miss-it scene.

8. Aerosmith – Wayne’s World (1993)

We’ve already had an appearance from the first film further up our list, and the second doesn’t disappoint either. The plot revolves around Wayne and Garth putting on their own music festival. Book them and they will come, is the advice given. And they certainly did. The headline band for the festival were none other than Aerosmith themselves. They do a sterling effort on stage as performers. And Steven Tyler also shows that he can handle his own on the acting front too.

9. Reel Big Fish – BASEketball (1998)

Trey Parker and Matt Stone star in this bizarre and hilarious sports comedy. Written by the king of spoof David Zucker, it’s become a cult classic. The soundtrack heavily features ska-punkers Reel Big Fish. They do a brilliant rendition of A-HA’s Take on Me, which they also perform in the movie. The band are the entertainment at the stadium where Parker and Stone are competing. You can tell by the footage that the band are clearly enjoying themselves. They add a touch more fun to an already hugely funny film.

That’s our list of nine bands who played themselves in movies. Did we miss any of your favourites? Let us know in the comments below.

Check out our list of actors in bands HERE.