Superhero Bits: A New Shazam! Fury Of The Gods Synopsis, Madame Web Wraps Filming & More
(Superhero Bits is a collection of stories, updates, and videos about anything and everything inspired by the comics of Marvel, DC, and more. For comic book movies, TV shows, merchandise, events, and whatever catches our eye, this is the place to find anything that falls through the cracks.)
In this edition of Superhero Bits:
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"Shazam! Fury of the Gods" gets a new poster and synopsis.
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An "Invincible" live-action movie is still in the cards.
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The CW's "Gotham Knights" adds key cast members.
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Chloe Bennet may be hinting at a return as Quake to the MCU.
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All that and more!
Titans, Green Lantern, and Cyborg get big revamps as part of Dawn of DC
DC Comics is going through what feels very much like a universe-wide soft reboot with the year-long publishing initiative, "Dawn of DC." Spinning out of the "Dark Crisis" event, the publisher has now announced three series that are getting major revamps as part of this whole thing: "Titans," "Green Lantern," and "Cyborg." The publisher has revealed new creative teams and release dates for the books, with writer Tom Taylor ("Nightwing") and artist Nicola Scott ("Wonder Woman: Historia, Earth 2") handling "Titans," Jeremy Adams and Xermánico ("Flashpoint Beyond") taking over "Green Lantern," with writer Morgan Hampton and artist Tom Raney ("Green Lantern") giving "Cyborg" a makeover. Full details for all three titles can be found by clicking here.
The CW's Gotham Knights casts its Cluemaster and Crystal Brown
A couple of relatively obscure DC characters are headed to The CW as part of the upcoming "Gotham Knights" TV show. As reported by Variety, Ethan Embry ("That Thing You Do") has been cast as Cluemaster, while Sunny Mabrey ("Snakes on a Plane") will portray Crystal Brown. As it just so happens, the two are married in real life, which is convenient, as their characters are also married in the show. Executive producers and showrunners Chad Fiveash and James Stoteraux, and co-executive producer Natalie Abrams, had this to say in a joint statement:
"We were blown away by Sunny's audition for 'Gotham Knights.' It was immediately clear she had the expansive emotional range needed to play this deeply polarizing character. And then we were delighted to discover that Sunny's husband is an actor who has many fans among our cast, crew, and writers. Ethan's brought Arthur to life in such rich, delightfully disturbing ways. We hope to surprise fans of the mythos with where our story is going, though we'll give you a clue ... 'Quiz Bowl' airs weeknights in Gotham."
"Gotham Knights" is set to debut on March 14.
Wakanda Forever Namor concept art floats to the surface
Artist Joshua James has taken to Instagram to share a look at some new concept art for Namor in "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever." This is a look that by no means made it into the movie and, per his account, was cooked up in 2021. This would have seen the Sub-Mariner wearing far more clothing, with a John Romita Sr.-inspired look. Would this have been for better or worse compared to what we got? That's for you to decide!
Dakota Johnson reveals Madame Web has wrapped filming
That's a wrap! At least according to Dakota Johnson, who recently told Variety that filming has concluded on Sony's upcoming Marvel Comics adaptation, "Madame Web." As for how it all went? Johnson also discussed that a bit with the outlet, explaining that making a blockbuster of this size was a wildly different experience for her. Here's what she had to say:
"It was a wild experience. It was something that I don't think you can be prepped to go into anything like that, but I learned so much. It's a completely different way of making films, you know, and then I went into making one of my company's own tiny, tiny little movies right after, so I got a real taste of different kinds of cinema last year."
"Madame Web" is currently set to hit theaters on February 16, 2024.
Wait, is Quake from Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. coming to the MCU?
"Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." fans may have reason to think that Chloe Bennet is getting ready to reprise her role as Quake in some way, shape, or form, seemingly within the MCU. This, according to a recent post on Twitter by Bennet, who played the character on the series for its entire run. Bennet got into it a bit with Charles Murphy on the platform, as he suggested he would have a hard time seeing the actress alongside the likes of Florence Pugh, should Marvel Studios ever decide to bring Quake into the MCU in a bigger way. In response, Bennet said, "Hey man, you seem like a ... mean loser? Also, I have a strong feeling your tweets aren't going to age well." Based on that last bit, it seems very much like Bennet is suggesting that she may well be gearing up for a return. That is far from confirmed but that would be one heck of a middle finger to Murphy, or anyone else doubting the actress.
Check out a new Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania featurette
With the movie's release just a few weeks away, Marvel has released a new featurette for "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania," which officially kicks off Phase 5 of the MCU. The video contains choice bits of new footage but, more than anything, it provides insight into the characters and where they're at in this film, from the actors and filmmakers. Kevin Feige even provides a bit of reasoning as to why Ant-Man was chosen to kick off this bold new phase of the universe, which will bring Jonathan Majors into the fold as Kang in a big way. Check out the video above and look for the movie in theaters on February 17.
That Invincible live-action movie is still very much alive
Amazon Prime Video scored a pretty big hit with the "Invincible" animated series, which is based on Robert Kirkman's comic book of the same name. But, long before the show came about, Universal Pictures had plans to adapt the book into a live-action film. Interestingly enough, in a recent interview with Comicbook.com, Kirkman explained that the existence of the show has not killed the movie. Rather, it's the opposite.
"We're very much still working on that. Sometimes movies take a little bit longer. I think it's safe to say, if anything, the show has just helped that immensely. People are very excited about that movie potential at Universal. So we're riding that excitement and trying to push things forward as quickly as possible."
So don't be surprised if the movie gets some momentum in the not-too-distant future. In the meantime, be on the lookout for "Invincible" season 2 on Prime Video later this year.
New Shazam! Fury of the Gods poster today, trailer tomorrow
Lastly, today brings with it a brand new poster for the upcoming sequel "Shazam! Fury of the Gods." The poster was shared by director David F. Sandberg on Twitter and, more importantly, the filmmaker revealed that tomorrow will bring with it a new trailer for the film as well. Plan accordingly! For now, Warner Bros. has also unveiled a new synopsis for the follow-up to the 2019 hit, which reads as follows:
"Bestowed with the powers of the gods, Billy Batson and his fellow foster kids are still learning how to juggle teenage life with having adult Super Hero alter-egos. But when the Daughters of Atlas, a vengeful trio of ancient gods, arrive on Earth in search of the magic stolen from them long ago, Billy—aka Shazam—and his family are thrust into a battle for their superpowers, their lives, and the fate of their world."
"Shazam! Fury of the Gods" is set to hit theaters on March 17.