WarnerMedia Plus Discovery Equals ?

Tonight! More on MODOK, WarnerMedia and Discovery sitting in a tree, and one of my favorite animated series gets a movie to wrap itself up! All that and more on this comic book edition of Multiverse Tonight!

Hello and Welcome to Episode 126 of Multiverse Tonight! I’m your host Thomas Townley

Marvel

M.O.D.O.K. has come to Hulu and comic book dot com sat down with showrunner Jordan Blum about the show.  When asked Why MODOK, he replied quote  I had taken a meeting with Marvel and they had characters they were interested in pursuing and it's like, "What about M.O.D.O.K.?" And it's just a character I've loved since the comics, like the Mark Grunewald's Captain America stuff and the Iron Man TV show in the '90s, like it's that Jack Kirby design. It's so unique, it's so amazing, it's unforgettable and I love that he's this character that is, you know, this egomaniac who's obsessed with taking over the world but he's this floating head with baby arms and legs, who wants to mind blast everyone.

When I was thinking about the show and then I talked to Patton, we immediately started brainstorming and figuring out things like, "Where does this guy go you know at night when he leaves that Captain America panel?" Or you know, "What is it like to run A.I.M? What does that take, you know, to run your own evil organization?"

Out of that, you really get a sense of this office comedy or this family comedy that you know, he may be this very arch-villain, but he still has to deal with all the stuff that we do, like the bureaucracy of running an organization or you know, not being able to relate to his son and finding the humanity in this, this Stan Lee, Jack Kirby monster was such a fun challenge.

He's a flawed character like all the Marvel characters are and I think that's what Marvel does so well is, you know this giant universe that's exciting and big and larger than life but the characters are so human, so relatable. I think M.O.D.O.K. is one of them and to kind of build a show around that was thrilling. Unquote

When asked if the show was not in the MCU, Jordan replied quote Yeah, I mean they're puppets. How many puppets are running around the MCU? Yeah, we're our own universe. I think like, you know, Harley Quinn is a good example of like, that's not the movies, but it's really cool actually. Marvel has a database of all the universes in the Multiverse and there's a guy who runs it, and they let me pick the numbering of our universe. So my son's birthday, 12/26, is our universe. We're in the Marvel Multiverse, which is awesome. It's so crazy that we have our own you know, 616 like numbering. Unquote

Unfortunately, he doesn’t know if there will be a season two, but he’s hopeful. And if a season two is approved, he plans on it being more X-Men heavy. All episodes of MODOK are out on HULU now.

Marvel’s Secret Invasion has found its directors, plural. Thomas Bezucha and Ali Selim from Hulu’s The looming Tower have been hired to helm the Disney Plus series starring Samuel L Jackson as Nick Fury and The Skrulls.

Marvel movies Shang-Chi and Eternals might face problems with China that might keep them out of the large market.  The first hint of problems was a report on the MCU Phase Four films on China’s CCTV6 China Movie Channel that left out Eternals and Shang-Chei from the list. Variety reports that the omission might mean that movies will come up against Chinese Censorship Both movies have direct connections to China, Shang-Chi is Marvel's first Asian Superhero and stars Chinese born Simu Liu alongside Tony Leung Chiu-wai and Michelle Yeoh, both household names in China. Eternals is Marvel’s first tentpole movie directed by a woman of color, Chinese-born Chloe Zhao. Zhao is an unwelcome person in China. Shang-Chi’s problem turns out to be related to Stereotyping. For more on this, I’ll leave a link to an article from Variety in the show notes. https://variety.com/2021/film/news/marvel-shang-chi-eternals-china-release-1234971166/

And speaking of Shang-Chi, we now have word from The Hollywood Reporter that Disney’s CEO Bob Chapek has confirmed that the movie, as well as Free Guy, will have an exclusive 45-day window in theaters before going to streaming services. Free Guy will hit theaters on August thirteenth and Shang-Chi will arrive on September third.

Before we go on to the DC Comics news, can I ask you to do me a favor? Go over to our website MultiverseTonight dot com, and share us , give us a review, or donate a buck or two will you? Thank you, now let’s go on to the DC Comics news!

DC Comics

Well the big news is the merger of DC Comics parent company WarnerMedia with Discovery by AT&T . This merger, worth 43 billion dollars for AT&T,   if completed by the Federal Trade Commision will see a company with a portfolio including DC Comics, CNN, TBS, TNT, HBO, HGTV, Food Network, Discovery Channel, Warner Bros pictures and streaming services Discovery Plus and HBO Max. Current Discovery CEO and soon to be head of this new merged company David Zaslav said quote “This agreement unites two entertainment leaders with complementary content strengths and positions the new company to be one of the leading global direct-to-consumer streaming platforms,” unquote . So what does this mean for DC Comics? Well not much, it does seem that the new potential CEO is very interested in the IP, so that might mean more DC movie and tv projects and hopefully that also means that they will keep DC Comics publishing to create more IP. So think of it as a wait and see moment. THe deal is expected to close in mid 2022.

HBO Max and Cartoon Network are getting a new animated series for Superman.  My Adventures With Superman follows the Man of Steel, Lois and Jimmy Olsen as they begin work at the Daily Planet and begin to discover who they are and what they can accomplish together as an investigative news team.  Superman/Clark Kent will be played by Jack Quaid from Lower Decks and The Boys, Alice Lee from Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist is Lois Lane, no word on who is playing Jimmy Olsen for when it will be released.

Well if Superman gets one, Batman needs one right? While they were at it, HBO Max and Cartoon Network announced Batman: Caped Crusader from Batman The Animated Series co creator Bruce Timm, who is attached as an executive producer, Bruce will be joined in the EP job by JJ Abrams and Matt Reeves and the show will be produced by Warner Bros. Animation (WBA), Bad Robot Productions, and 6th & Idaho. IN a statement the trio said quote“We are beyond excited to be working together to bring this character back, to tell engrossing new stories in Gotham City,” “The series will be thrilling, cinematic and evocative of Batman’s noir roots, while diving deeper into the psychology of these iconic characters. We cannot wait to share this new world.” unquote 

Dwayne Johnson has been cast in the Warner Bros. movie “DC League of Super-Pets” and will voice the role of Krypto the Super-Dog.

The animated movie focuses on Superman’s dog, who teams up with a flying cat to stop crime while the Man of Steel is on vacation. 

Jared Stern is writing and directing the film, with Sam Levine to co-direct the first-ever feature to star Superman’s best friend. No additional co-stars have been cast yet, but the studio hopes to enlist an All star cast of two- and four-legged heroes and villains. It’s slated to release in theaters on May 20, 2022.

Supergirl’s Mellisa Benoist is publishing her first book this fall, the book called Haven’s Secret is the first book in a middle grade fantasy series called THe Powers. Benoist co authored the book with her sister Jessica Benoist and author Mariko Tamaki and will be released on October nineteenth.Haven's Secret is described as follows: "Ellie McFadden has intuitive gifts. She can sense what other living things are feeling. She can even talk to animals! Too bad she can’t connect with her twin sister, Parker. Parker McFadden has kinetic gifts. She can cause shocks to the earth and produce heat energy that explodes from her body like fire, especially when she is angry. The sisters aren’t aware of the legacy they inherited from their mother until, on their thirteenth birthday, two mysterious relatives on the Power side whisk them off to an isolated farm called Haven. Ellie immediately adapts to their new routine; but Parker has one impulse: to get back to her normal life of friends and sports, fast.Unbeknownst to Ellie and Parker, the secrets the Power women have kept for generations offer clues to their own simmering magic. Unlocking Haven’s secrets is just the beginning of what Ellie and Parker can do if they choose to work together to harness their gifts. But the sinister force that destroyed their mother has other plans; and if the sisters’ fragile relationship succumbs to The Danger, the world beyond Haven will face terrible risk.

This epic tale of two remarkable girls and the powers they wield is sure to appeal to fans of Chris Colfer, Rick Riordan, and Tui T. Sutherland."

The Suicide Squad has officially earned an R Rating from the motion picture association of america for for strong violence and gore, language throughout, some sexual references, drug use and brief graphic nudity." This was not unexpected, the movie comes out on HBO Max and theaters on August sixth.

Aquaman 2 will start filming this July, according to star Jason Mamoa. He told Drew Berrymore on her show quote "After we ended the first one I went in with my writing partner and we dreamed up the second one and we went in and pitched the idea," "The best thing I can give you is that I love it so much that I participated in the writing of it. And so, we did the first treatment and then James and our original writer David finished it off. And all of our hearts are in it. Instead of just like getting a script and doing that, you are 100% being encouraged by your director and co-writers. So that's exciting for me and I'm excited to go over there. I leave in July and we start filming." unquote Aquaman 2 is due in theaters on December sixteenth 2022.

The Filmmakers behind Bad Boys for Live will direct Batgirl for Warner Bros according to an exclusive in The Hollywood reporter. Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah will direct the movie based on Barbara Gordon, aka Batgirl, the script is being written by Christina Hodson. No release date has been announced.

Geek

Peacock has ordered a series based on Richelle Mead's Young Adult book series Vampire Academy. NBCUniversal has given it a straight to series order. Vampire Academy follows a pair of young women who are on the verge of finishing their education and entering royal vampire society. The novels were previously adapted into a feature film by Lionsgate back in 2014. No release date for the series yet, but it will get 10 episodes.

Hocus Pocus 2 is set to be released in 2022. It’s also been confirmed that The Proposal filmmaker Anne Fletcher will take over directing from Adam Shankman, who will remain on as an executive producer. The sequel sees three young women accidentally bring the Sanderson Sisters back to modern-day Salem. They must stop the child-hungry witches from causing a new kind of toil and trouble.

Aubrey Plaza and Danny Devito have a new animated series going to FXX. The series, called Little Demon, will star Danny’s Daughter Lucy DeVito in the lead role. The series, which is executive produced by Rick and Morty’s Dan Harmon, sees Miss DeVito as the devil’s daughter. She lives with her mother played by Aubrey Plaza and tries to have a normal life in Delaware but they’re constantly thwarted by monstrous forces including Satan, played by anny DeVito, who wants custody of his daughters soul. THe show will join Archer which was renewed for it’s twelfth season back in October.

WWE’s The New Day is launching a comic book mini series from Boom! Studios. The press release for the comic says quote  "BOOM! Studios, in partnership with WWE, today revealed the brand new two-issue limited series WWE THE NEW DAY: POWER OF POSITIVITY, available in July 2021 featuring WWE Superstars Kofi Kingston, Big E and Xavier Woods, by writers Evan Narcisse (Rise of the Black Panther) and Austin Walker (Friends At The Table), and artist Daniel Bayliss (Mighty Morphin Power Rangers).

"Kingston, Woods and Big E have collectively won 11 Tag Team Championships in WWE, including the longest reign in WWE history! This new series will allow fans to discover the origins and struggles of the three WWE Superstars before that fateful day when they realized they were together than apart," unquote It’s a New Day, Yes it is!

Seth Meyers and his brother Josh are developing an Animated Sci-Fi Series for the Peacock streaming service. The show called Colony 2 is about mankind’s first space colony, here’s the blurb quote When a team of the greatest minds in science arrive on a distant planet to start mankind’s first space colony, they discover that because of advances intechnology back on earth, they’ve actually gotten there second. This forces them to confront the question, when you’ve been number one your whole life, what happens when you discover you’re actually just number two? Unquote The show marks the first major project for the Late Night host under his new overall deal with Universal Studio Group.

Adult Swim is giving fans of The Venture Bros, Aqua Teen Hunger Force and Metalocalypse another taste of the fan favorite series, giving each of them a movie. Here are the descriptions for each quote Metalocalypse

"The power-hungry TRIBUNAL unveils their secret and deadly "Falconback Project" as the world grows in embattled chaos and the menacing Doomstar breaches the Earth’s atmosphere while the mysterious and twisted dissent of a band member threatens the future of Dethklok. Picking up directly after the heroic rescue of Toki Wartooth: Can Dethklok choose between their egos and the greater good of the world to embark on a gauntlet of dangers that will try their very souls and finally write the song that will be their salvation? The new movie is created by Brendon Small and Tommy Blancha. The movie soundtrack will be released on WaterTower Music." 

Venture Bros

"Doc’s latest invention will either bankrupt the Ventures or launch them to new heights, as Hank searches for himself, Dean searches for Hank, The Monarch searches for answers, and a mysterious woman from their pasts threatens to bring their entire world crashing down on them. The Venture Bros. is created, written and executive produced by Jackson Publick and Doc Hammer."

Aqua Teen Hunger Force

"A continuation of the hit animated series, fans will find out what happens next with Frylock, Meatwad and Master Shake, who consider themselves crime fighters, but the truth is they never fight crime. Aqua Teen Hunger Force is created by Matt Maiellaro and Dave Willis and follows the strange everyday lives of three human-sized food products living in New Jersey."

Rick and Morty’s The Vindicators are coming to Adult Swim for their own miniseries. THe series brings back Supernova, Vance Maxiumus, Alan Rails, Crocubot, and Noob Noob. The Vindicators executive producers Sarah Carbiener and Erica Rosbe said as part of the announcement quote "We’re so excited to show how this team of superheroes is plenty dysfunctional whether Rick’s around to have half of them murdered or not." unquote THe series does not have a premiere date yet. Rick and Morty season five starts on June twentieth.

If you're having a hard time finding Pokemon cards or baseball cards for that matter, there’a reason. Demand has been so high and CoVid has laid the supply lines so low. That they have become a high theft target especially at Target and Walmart stores.And when they do arrive in stores, fights have broken out in the mad scramble from customers to get their hands on them. So Target and Walmart have pulled the cards from shelves until such time as this blows over.  So if you're looking to catch them all, you're gonna have to look somewhere else.

Comic Book Artist Jesse Hamm has passed away from a pulmonary embolism, in layman's terms that is a blood clot in the lung that burst. Over the course of his career, Jesse worked for Marvel DC, Dark Horse and Dynamite Entertainment where he did such titles as Hawkeye Batman 66, Plants vs Zombies and Flash Gordon. Hamm also was a teacher to other artists, writing a series of instructional essays called Carousel for the San Diego Comic-Con website and art tips on Gumroad and his twitter and Patreton accounts.Our sympathies go to his family and friends.

And that brings us to the end of the comic book news. *Show Ender*

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