Superhero Bits: 'Shang-Chi' Screening At CinemaCon, James Gunn Responds To Martin Scorsese's Superhero Comments & 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:
DC: Batman Bat-Tech Augmented Reality App for Kids
DC has introduced a new augmented reality mobile app for kids called DC: Batman Bat-Tech Edition. The new app gives kids narrative-driven, technology-inspired activities to aid Batman in his crimefighting adventures as the Knightwatch. You can see all the offerings in the teaser for the app above, but here's everything laid out.
The Suicide Squad and The Flash Create Marketing Synergy
With The Suicide Squad arriving in theaters and on HBO Max this weekend (actually, starting tonight), Warner Bros. is taking full advantage of the opportunity with promos featuring both cast members from the movie and footage from their DC Comics TV shows on The CW such as The Flash. In this one, John Cena makes an appearance and shows how Peacemaker is a little bit on the unstable side.
Ryan Reynolds Pitched Deadpool/Bambi Crossover for Free Guy
Deadpool teamed up with Korg from Thor: Ragnarok to participate in a fun promo for the upcoming movie Free Guy with Ryan Reynolds. However, the actor behind the Merc with a Mouth said he originally pitched a crossover involving Bambi where Deadpool admired the hunter who was responsible for shooting the little deer's mother. Reynolds told IGN:
"I wanted to do a short film of Deadpool interrogating the hunter who killed Bambi's mom. But the whole gist of it is that Deadpool is actually just a huge fan. He's not interrogating – he just wants to know how he could be the most loathed Disney character in the history of Disney... and of course, Disney was like, 'well, I don't think that's ever going to happen.'"
In a way, it's probably better this way since it gave fans the first taste of Deadpool entering the MCU.
Peggy Carter Gets Her Own Marvel Legends Episode
Over on Disney+, the Marvel Legends series catches up more casual moviegoers on the history of characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe before they're prominently featured in a new Marvel project. Since Peggy Carter is being turned into Captain Carter in Marvel's What If...? animated series, she gets the spotlight in the latest episode. However, some fans aren't happy with the outcome, because it completely ignores everything that happened in the short-lived Agent Carter series from Marvel Television and ABC. Perhaps Agent Carter and any other Marvel TV production that came before WandaVision will be relegated to an alternate timeline in the multiverse.
The Suicide Squad Could Have $30 Million Opening Weekend
Variety reports The Suicide Squad is currently on track to have an opening weekend at the box office of more than $30 million. In fact, some estimates have the movie passing $40 million. However, Deadline has numbers as high as $70 million. With a movie as anticipated as The Suicide Squad, and a large fanbase to go along with it, this will be a true test as to how much a simultaneous release on HBO Max impacts the theatrical box office. Analysts will certainly be keeping a close eye on this one, and so will we.
Shang-Chi Cast Reveals a Little More About Their Characters
In a fun featurette from Marvel Studios, the cast of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings answer questions about their characters. However, it's a little more of an unconventional featurette since they have to determine which of their characters is most likely to do things, like survive a zombie apocalypse or be duped by a phone scammer.
James Gunn Reacts to Martin Scorsese's Marvel Criticism
You might remember the hell that was unleashed on the internet when director Martin Scorsese proclaimed his distaste for superhero movies. Well, that fire burned again a little bit yesterday when Guardians of the Galaxy and The Suicide Squad director James Gunn was asked about Scorsese's perspective on the Happy Sad Confused podcast. Gunn said:
"I just think it seems awful cynical that he would keep coming out against Marvel and then that is the only thing that would get him press for his movie. So he just kept coming out against Marvel so that he could get press for his movie. He's creating his movie in the shadow of the Marvel films, and so he uses that to get attention for something he wasn't getting as much attention as he wanted for it."
Gunn created a little bit of backlash with that comment, but in the same breath, he also said:
"He's one of the greatest filmmakers who's ever existed. I love his movies. I can watch his movies with no problem. And he said a lot of things I agree with. There are a lot of things that are true about what he said. There are a lot of heartless, soulless, spectacle films out there that don't reflect what should be happening. I can't tell you the amount of times I've talked to film directors before they went and made a big movie, and said, 'Hey, we're in this together, let's do something different with these big movies. Let's make them something different than everything that has come before them.' And then see them cater to every single studio whim and be grossed out, frankly."
So James Gunn sees where Martin Scorsese is coming from, and we don't need to talk about this all over again.
Marvel's What If...? Unfolds Across Endless Timelines
Here's a quick featurette for Marvel's What If...? animated series that visualizes the anthology stories on a timeline branching out from what was referred to as The Sacred Timeline in Loki. There are some snippets of new footage as The Watcher voice actor Jeffrey Wright talks about the forthcoming spin on the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Shang-Chi Gets Character Posters, Sets CinemaCon Screening
Finally, Marvel Studios posted a stream of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings character posters that are about as lame as the other poster that was released a little while ago. This movie deserves better, but you can check them all out at IMP Awards.
However, there's good news for Shang-Chi fans who are attending CinemaCon in Las Vegas at the end of August, because Marvel will be screening the movie there in full before it hits theaters in early September.