Multiverse News

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At D23 last week, Disney’s fan event showcasing much of their upcoming film and tv projects, we were at last treated to a full trailer for VisionQuest, which will debut October 14 on Disney+. The third and final installment of the trilogy that includes WandaVision and Agatha All Along, VisionQuest looks like it will send us on a trippy ride with The Vision, played by Paul Bettany. Those of us angsting for Avengers: Doomsday story crumbs were also treated with a special look presented for the December blockbuster. The shorter trailer, which was first shown at San Diego Comic Con, starts with dialogue from Sue Storm, indicating our MCU Fantastic Four team is connected to Robert Downey, Jr.’s Victor von Doom.
One of the most anticipated announcements in MCU history took place at D23, when Marvel Studios exec Kevin Feige announced the cast of the upcoming X-Men film. The cast includes Sadie Sink as Jean Grey, Kit Connor as Cyclops, Samara Weaving as Emma Frost, Inde Navarrette as Rogue, Christopher Abbott as Professor Charles Xavier, and Maya Boyd as Storm. Adam Driver will be playing the villainous Mr. Sinister. The movie will be released on May 5, 2028 nearly 10 years after the Disney acquisition of Fox Studios and will kick off the three MCU movies coming out in 2028. 
The other big nerd-dom announcement at D23 was the release of a first trailer for Ahsoka season 2, which will premiere on January 20, 2027, on Disney+. Lars Mikkelson’s Thrawn returns as the big bad for the Rebel Alliance, while in a galaxy truly far, far, away, Ahsoka and Sabine battle themselves and mystic threats while coming face to face with what it means to be a Jedi. This look at the show may clue us in as to why the debut date got pushed to next year. Shawn Levy and Ryan Gosling were also at D23 where a clip from Star Wars: Starfighter was shown, but has not yet been released publicly.
Peacock has released the first trailer for season 2 of The Office spin off The Paper. The full season drops on September 9. 
At D23, Jerry Bruckheimer confirmed to Deadline that Johnny Depp is in early talks to reprise his role as Jack Sparrow in an upcoming Pirates of the Caribbean reboot. Sources also emphasize that Depp will serve as a side character, not a central character in the upcoming film. 
Spider-Man: Brand New Day has passed the $2 billion dollar mark after just 3 weeks in theaters, becoming the eighth film in history to hit the benchmark. The film is the second fastest to hit this mark only behind Avengers: Endgame. 
At D23, Disney offered up the first look at the live action adaptation of Tangled, which stars Teagan Croft, Milo Manheim, and Kathryn Hahn. The studio also announced a release date of March 31, 2028. 
Hayden Panettiere, known for her roles on shows such as Heroes and Nashville has died at the age of 36. 
At D23, Pixar showed off some very early concept art for Incredibles 3 and Coco 2. Incredibles 3 will debut on June 16, 2028 and Coco 2 is currently set for a November 2029 release. 
HBO has announced a season 2 renewal for It: Welcome to Derry, the It prequel series from Warner Bros. Television and executive producers Andy and Barbara Muschietti. 
At D23, Disney showed some early images of the live action Lilo & Stitch 2, which currently has a release date of May 28, 2028.

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Marvel Studios appears to have found the leader of its new mutant team, as Deadline reported last week that Heartstopper and Warfare star Kit Connor has landed the role of Scott Summers, better known as Cyclops, in the future MCU X-Men film. Sources say Connor went through much the same process as Samara Weaving, who was attached as Emma Frost the week prior, meeting with Schreier and Marvel president Kevin Feige alongside a group of candidates who tested after the July 4th holiday before the studio settled on him. Neither Marvel nor Connor has confirmed the casting, and the film, written by Beef creator Lee Sung Jin and The Bear co-creator Joanna Calo, still has no release date. Cyclops has been played on screen before by James Marsden and Tye Sheridan, with Marsden set to reprise the role in December’s Avengers: Doomsday. 
Sony and Marvel Studios’ Spider-Man: Brand New Day crossed the one-billion-dollar mark overseas in just twelve days of release, making it the second-fastest film ever to reach that number abroad behind Avengers: Endgame. The Destin Daniel Cretton film now stands at $1.67 billion worldwide, split between $654.3 million domestically and $1.013 billion internationally, which makes it the twelfth highest-grossing movie of all time and only the sixteenth ever to clear a billion in foreign markets alone. Universal had a milestone of its own to celebrate, as Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey passed $1.1 billion worldwide to become the highest-grossing film of his career ahead of The Dark Knight Rises, while also becoming the biggest IMAX release ever with $289 million, and it still has China to open on Friday. 
James Gunn spent part of a Threads session last week putting down one of the most persistent rumors surrounding Matt Reeves’ Batman trilogy, telling a fan who asked whether The Batman Part III was being filmed simultaneously with Part II simply, “I can deny.” The theory had gained steam over years of delays, most recently when a redesigned Part II logo appeared to work a Roman numeral III into the artwork, and it offered fans a tidy explanation for why the sequel has taken so long to arrive. In reality, Part II only began principal photography in London in June, and Warner Bros. has already pushed the film from October 2027 to February 18, 2028. 
Sony and Nintendo’s live-action The Legend of Zelda has cast Australian actor Uli Latukefu as Ganondorf under a multi-picture deal, with Severance’s Dichen Lachman playing Impa and The Handmaid’s Tale’s Yvonne Strahovski reported as a queen character. The late Sam Neill also filmed an undisclosed role before his death on July 13, marking one of the final screen performances of his career.
Gareth Edwards has exited Universal and Amblin’s untitled Jurassic World Rebirth sequel over creative differences, with the studios now searching for a replacement; David Koepp’s script is finished and Scarlett Johansson, Mahershala Ali and Jonathan Bailey are all still expected back for a 2027 shoot.
A24 released the full trailer for Primetime, the Lance Oppenheim drama that Robert Pattinson produces and stars in as To Catch a Predator host Chris Hansen, in theaters September 25.
Lionsgate has confirmed that Michael 2 is targeting a production start toward the end of this year or in early 2027, with the sequel to this year’s Michael Jackson biopic aiming for a 2028 release.
Lionsgate is also developing a new Leprechaun film written by horror veterans Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan, reviving a franchise that ran eight movies between 1993 and 2018.
Nicholas Hoult has been cast in season 2 of HBO’s Harry Potter series as Gilderoy Lockhart, a major character in The Chamber of Secrets that was portrayed by Kenneth Branagh in the 2002 film adaptation.

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Tom Holland’s fourth outing as Peter Parker/Spider-Man opened to a massively successful box office, shattering the domestic opening record previously held by Avengers: Endgame, and raking in nearly $1 billion globally in its first weekend alone - so while it beat Endgame’s North American opening take, it comes in just behind it globally. Not a bad start for Disney and Marvel Studios as the conversation around superhero movies ebbs and flows in the zeitgeist. Those numbers exclude the premium IMAX format, as Spidey couldn’t web up those screens due to The Odyssey still holding all IMAX screens.
While Marvel is on their Spidey high, other headlines have circled the news this week - some good and some disappointing. On a positive note - Samara Weaving has reportedly been cast as Emma Frost. Horror fans will recognize Weaving from the Ready or Not films. Obsession breakout star Inde Navarette confirmed her meeting with Jake Schreier and she mentioned interest in playing Mystique. And for the bad news, Wonder Man will not get a season two after all - even though it was confirmed earlier this year - and both Kevin Feige and Maershala Ali expressed regret about the Blade film; with Feige admitting he feels like a failure for not getting it off the ground and Ali saying he’s done with the project. 
Last week, DC Studios and HBO’s Booster Gold series writer David Jenkins said that the project is no longer moving forward. Shortly after he made this statement, IGN reported that the series will, in fact, be moving forward, but with a new creative team. The New York Times reported that Barbie 2 is currently stalled, with Warner Bros. struggling to come to terms with lead talent Greta Gerwig, Margot Robbie, and Ryan Gosling. The studio has until December to reach a deal before the right revert back to Mattel. Stephen King's 1996 novel Desperation is getting a film adaptation from Final Destination: Bloodlines directing duo Zach Lipovsky and Adam B. Stein. Sam Raimi will also produce the feature, his first time working with King. 
Sony Pictures has released the first trailer for Jumanji: Open World, which opens in theaters on December 25. The film returns franchise stars Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, Kevin Hart and Karen Gillan. 
Amazon MGM Studios is developing a Warhammer 40k animated event series alongside the upcoming live-action version, sources close to the project confirmed to Deadline. Additionally, Henry Cavill, who is set to star, is also on board to be an executive producer.
Dave Bautista is in talks to take on the lead role of Kratos in Prime Video's God of War series, replacing Ryan Hurst, who had to drop out of production after he sustained an on set stunt injury. 
Mary Holland, Star of Ghosts and The Little House on the Prairie, has been cast in a lead role as Sandra in the upcoming DC Studios and HBO Max Superman spin off series that centers on Jimmy Olsen. 
In a recent interview with Inverse, Jessica Henwick revealed that she declined an offer to reprise her role as Colleen Wing in Daredevil: Born Again season three because she wants to protect the character's perfect ending in Netflix's Iron Fist.

Welcome to Multiverse News, your source for information about all your favorite fictional universes.
Marvel Studios capped San Diego Comic-Con on Saturday with one of its most crowded Hall H panels ever, delivering a night of reveals that stretched the studio’s slate all the way through 2028:
Attendees were treated to an exclusive Avengers: Doomsday trailer that has not been released online and affirmed that Avengers: Secret Wars would be a singular film, not split into two parts as speculated. Kevin Feige also announced that Avengers: Endgame returns to theaters September 25 with new footage connecting it to Doomsday ahead of its December 18 release.

Ryan Gosling took the stage as Marvel’s new Ghost Rider, set to star as Johnny Blaze in a 2028 film to be directed by Shawn Levy. Gosling told the crowd, “this is a character I’ve wanted to play for a very long time.”

Ryan Coogler revealed a December 15, 2028 release date for Black Panther 3 and introduced David Jonsson as a grown-up T’Challa II, the son of T’Challa first glimpsed at the end of Wakanda Forever. Jonsson kept his remarks short, saying he wants to let the screen do the talking.

While notably absent from the SDCC proceedings, on Friday DC Studios and HBO debuted the official full trailer for Lanterns, which premieres August 16 on HBO Max. The footage leans into Green Lantern lore for the first time, with Kyle Chandler’s Hal Jordan reciting the complete oath, Ulrich Thomsen appearing as an imprisoned Sinestro, Nathan Fillion cameoing as Guy Gardner, and the robotic Manhunters revealed as the season’s central threat. The studio’s trailer train kept rolling outside the convention as well, with the release of a full trailer for Clayface, starring Tom Rhys Harries, ahead of its October 23 theatrical debut. Between a cosmic HBO mystery and a horror-leaning theatrical swing, is DC’s growing range its biggest strength heading into the fall?
Prime Video revealed the full trailer for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season three, confirming a November 11 return and that Simon Pegg will voice the Balrog, which speaks on screen for the first time.
Prime Video also dropped the first trailer for Blade Runner 2099, a limited series set after the events of the first two films, starring Michelle Yeoh and Hunter Schafer and streaming November 25.
Insomniac Games debuted the official story trailer for Marvel’s Wolverine at its own Comic-Con panel, ahead of the game’s September 15 launch on PS5.
Prime Video revealed that House of the Dragon’s Matthew Needham will voice The Joker in season two of Batman: Caped Crusader, which begins streaming July 31.
At San Diego Comic Con, The Marvels and WandaVision star Teyonah Parris was asked by Deadline about the future of her character Monica Rambeau in the MCU and she responded “I miss Monica as much as you guys do. I wish her well and I’m excited to see what they do next.”
Sony dropped the full trailer for Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil ahead of its Comic-Con panel; the film hits theaters September 18.
Avatar: Seven Havens, a new animated series, premieres October 9 on Paramount+, announced during the Comic-Con panel for Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender, which itself premiered on the service this weekend.
Apple TV debuted the first trailer for Matchbox the Movie, starring John Cena, Jessica Biel, and Teyonah Parris, streaming October 9.
Sony has won the bidding war for Ridley Scott’s Treasure Island, which will star Hugh Jackman as Long John Silver.
Jonathan Levine is in talks to direct Days of Thunder 2 for Paramount, with Tom Cruise returning to star and Jerry Bruckheimer back to produce.
Obsession’s Michael Johnston is in early talks to join Universal’s next Mummy film.
Loki producer Kevin R. Wright and Tom Hiddleston have reunited for Pompeii: Out of Time, a three-part National Geographic docuseries now streaming on Disney+.

Marvel Studios finally gave us something to whet our appetites regarding Avengers: Doomsday as they dropped the first full-length trailer on Monday. Old and new favorite heroes are coming together to band against the biggest threat they’ve ever encountered, Doctor Victor Von Doom.
Christopher Nolan’s highly-anticipated film The Odyssey premiered last weekend to a box office best for the savant director, opening to $264.1 million globally. With a stacked A-list cast, Nolan’s flair and drive for practical filmmaking, and a huge push to see the movie in IMAX (since it was filmed that way,) this entry to Nolan’s repertoire has been as long-awaited as Odysseus’ return to Ithaca. And clearly…the people are liking what they see. For 2026, The Odyssey has the third best opening weekend behind Toy Story 5 and The Super Mario Galaxy Movie.
Matt Reeves’ The Batman Part II is being delayed once again and will now open in theaters on February 18, 2028. That release date is nearly six years after the March 2022 opening of The Batman. Reeves announced the new opening date on Vimeo accompanied by the first camera test footage of Robert Pattinson’s return as the Dark Knight. Pattinson began filming during the press tour for The Odyssey, which he was also part of. 
At an appearance at Fanatics Fest 2026, Ryan Reynolds confirmed that there will be another Deadpool movie at some point in the future, although he did not provide any more details past that confirmation. 
After calling New York City home for almost 90 years, Marvel Comics will be relocating to Burbank, California, the current headquarters of Marvel Studios and corporate parent, The Walt Disney Company. Stephen Wacker, a respected veteran comics editor who also earned an Emmy nomination for his work in the company’s forays in animation, has been named Marvel’s new editor-in-chief, replacing outgoing chief C.B. Cebulski, who had steered the division since 2017. The move also leaves NYC without a major comics publisher, as DC Comics relocated to California in 2015. 
Amazon Prime Video‘s God of War series will recast the starring role of Kratos following an injury to the original actor Ryan Hurst on set that he suffered in late June. While performing a stunt, Hurst tore his bicep and had to undergo surgery. His recovery timetable puts him out until early 2027 at best. Sources tell Deadline that four episodes had been fully completed at the time of the incident. 
Colman Domingo and Tony-nominated director Robert O’Hara are in talks to co-write a live action film based on Princess Tiana from The Princess and the Frog for Disney. It is not described as a live-action remake of The Princess and the Frog, but rather a story inspired by the original film. 
In an interview with the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Kevin Feige spoke on the Mahershala Ali Blade reboot that has yet to materialize saying "I am feeling like a gigantic loser and failure that we didn’t get off the ground with Mahershala." He was also asked about Adam Driver as Magneto rumors and responded “It’s no secret we’d like to [work with Driver], but it’s a tradition to Zoom with him, and then he passes. That’s a long-lived tradition."