ACCOUNT
CART
We're Hiring!  Join Us! from dynamite.com
10/30/15 @ 2:39 pm EST
Source: Deadline | Categories: James Bond


spectre

Ask anyone in the hunt for the next batch of James Bond films that are now up for grabs, and this is what you’ll hear, as voiced by one exec whose studio is among those in the chase: “They might not say they’re actively shopping it, but they are certainly making it known their deal is up and they will be.”

The James Bond distribution deal with Sony is done after Spectre bows in the U.S. on November 6. It could stay at Sony or it could head to Warner Bros., or Fox (which handles MGM’s home video), or Universal, and Paramount. Or even Disney, where Bob Iger has shown the wisdom of making big bets can work out in buying out whole companies like Marvel and Lucasfilm for cash and stock.

dr no

At a time when studios are hungrier than ever for proven global franchises, James Bond is Hollywood’s longest-running success story. Consider that 50 years after Sean Connery launched the character in 1962’s Dr No, 007’s last outing Skyfall became the series’ biggest grossing film, topping out at $1.1 billion globally. With Daniel Craig and that film’s director Sam Mendes a week away from the U.S. launch of what might be their last Bond film together, there is every expectation that Spectre will chase that high-water gross mark. It already opened briskly overseas.

So it’s not surprising that a hit-starved studio like Warner Bros, or any other major, would covet the franchise. Indeed, a source sighted Warner Bros chief Kevin Tsujihara at the Montage Hotel recently with Gary Barber, the point person at MGM whose job it is to figure out the distribution future of 007 for MGM and Danjaq producers Michael Wilson and Barbara Broccoli. According to our source, the chatter seemed more intense than a meet and greet. It looked like they were throwing around numbers. Not surprisingly, Warner Bros has been oft mentioned as the most aggressive in this hunt.

What’s odd about this is that nobody is saying that Sony hasn’t done a fine job in marketing and releasing the Bond films. But the last deal was made by Amy Pascal, and she is no longer in charge. The new guy in the seat, Tom Rothman, is known from his days running Fox as a tough, bottom-line-minded executive who most feel would walk away from a deal that gave the studio market share at the expense of profit. Indeed, some say that at Pascal’s urging, Sony gave up too much the last time around to keep 007 in the fold.

Daniel Craig

The Wall Street Journal rifled through those hacked Sony documents and pried out a memo that underscores the troubling risk-reward disparity. According to WSJ, co-financing and marketing and releasing Skyfall brought Sony $57 million on a film that grossed $1.1 billion globally. MGM, in turn, made $175 million, while Danjaq made $109 million. And that doesn’t factor in all the other things Sony gave up and the movies like the 21 Jump Street franchise that MGM was kissed into when the last re-up deal was made. Some would consider the math on this to be on par with the old first-dollar gross deal scenarios which became toxic to studios when owners like Sumner Redstone realized that a star like Tom Cruise had earned way more than $50 million on a Mission: Impossible movie through first-dollar gross participation before Paramount — which financed the whole film –had even recouped its outlay. His generous portion on video pushed that payday to an estimated $80 million.

So much is up in the air right now on 007. First off, the odds are against Craig and Mendes returning for another go, which would mean starting again with a new actor. When Craig recently observed that he would rather “slash his wrists” than do another Bond movie, it certainly echoed loudly around Hollywood, even if those close to him attributed it mostly to the bad idea of putting Craig in front of a journalist right after he completed a time-press and arduous Spectre shoot in which he seriously injured his knee. It would be similar, they said, to asking a woman just out of childbirth how eager she was to have another.

mendes

Here’s what we hear. 007 rights gatekeepers Barber, and Wilson and Broccoli, will wait until Spectre plays around the world and accumulates an ungodly global gross that will only strengthen their leverage. And then, early next year, they will make the best deal. If that means bidding farewell to Sony, so be it.

Sony had initially gotten rights to Casino Royale years ago in a deal orchestrated deftly behind the scenes by former Sony Pictures Entertainment CEO John Calley, who revived James Bond while head of United Artists. Because of that, Sony released Casino Royale with a new Bond — Craig — and grossed about $600M worldwide.

When it came time to re-up, Pascal was running the studio and people are still debating whether her zeal to keep Bond led Sony to give up too much. On the plus side, Pascal was invited to have a creative voice in the process over the last few films. Sony co-financed movies that were big hits, and received a distribution fee that some say was capped.

But it was the other concessions granted by Sony that still has tongues wagging. Sony offered up some of its plum projects to be co-financed by MGM. At the time, the sexiest one the studio had was The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. That film, which starred Craig, went into the pot and while the movie didn’t come close to meeting everyone’s out-sized expectations, 21 Jump Street — another film offered up for co-financing — certainly did. MGM got to be part of that hit and its sequel and presumably will be part of the next film that is rumored to meld that series withMen In Black. Sony, in turn, got to co-finance and release some MGM films, including the Robocop remake. Sony is now gearing up for another Dragon Tattooinstallment with The Girl In The Spider’s Web, the book written by David Lagercrantz, who was installed by the rights-holder relatives of the late author Stieg Larsson. Pascal is a producer on that movie, and MGM is expected to be in the mix if the studio wants to be.

jonah-hill-channing-tatum-21-jump-street-poster

The proceeds from these co-fi deals went into into a split pot, but the unsung coup for MGM was that it got to broker almost all of the international TV deals. That studio was still getting back on its feet after being frozen in a bankruptcy, and it’s believed they didn’t have the kind of clout to get as high a price as Sony would have. It also left Sony’s loyal global customers on the outside looking in because MGM was making the deals and had its own list of customers. The prospect of all that led to widespread internal disagreements within Sony divisions over whether the studio should make such a deal, but Pascal won the day.

Two blockbusters and Spectre later, and Pascal is now off producing movies. And the studio will have some serious decisions to make as it formulates how crucial it is to keep James Bond. Many believe that no studio will replicate the horse trading that took place in the last Sony 007 deal. It is an open question whether another studio will find some ground on which they can get the market share bragging rights that come with 007, while not feeling they made a loss leader deal.

If ever MGM was going to get back into the distribution business — it disbanded distribution when it emerged from bankruptcy and has placed big movies like the Ben-Hur and The Magnificent Seven remakes all over town — the 007 franchise would be the one to relaunch. That’s always an option, but more of a long shot than the notion of Craig returning to His Majesty’s Secret Service.

The betting here is that if Sony’s brain trust led by Michael Lynton and Rothman won’t do it, another big studio like Warner Bros — which successfully partnered with MGM on the billion-dollar The Hobbit trilogy — will swallow hard and make the deal. Tsujihara and Barber are tight, and you can bet that Warner Bros will move heaven and earth to make a hit out of MGM’s upcoming Rocky film Creed, the Ryan Coogler-directed film that opens Thanksgiving with Sylvester Stallone and Michael B. Jordan starring. Is it too much to imagine that soon, the most important entries on Tsujihara’s call sheet will be Barber, along with Harry Potter author JK Rowling and James Packer?
03/18/24 @ 4:08 pm EST
Source: Dynamite | Categories: Thundercats

Dynamite and the creative team of ThunderCats are excited to announce the coming return of the beloved character Snarf to the smash hit new comic book series!

Snarf is Lion-O's devoted childhood pet, the quadruped beast cannot speak, but has a doting and special connection with his companion who seems to understand him better than others. He gets his name from his trademark noises.

Though teased a little bit on the industry-shaping stunning cover to issue #1 by superstar David Nakayama, ThunderCats #3 will be the first official in-story appearance of this exciting addition to the cast in this new continuity. Writer Declan Shalvey and artist Drew Moss are excited to present their vision of this classic character.

In addition to the appearance within, the third issue will be offered with a limited variant cover at "Final Order Cutoff" drawn by Moss prominently featuring his design of Snarf alongside Lion-O.

Veteran ThunderCats fans may be familiar with other approaches to the character. Dynamite can tease fans to stay tuned, as everything may not be as it seems on the surface... Pretty soon some mysterious developments may happen with Snarf, and no fan should miss out!

This news follows the exciting first ever appearance across any media of Calica in ThunderCats #2. The hype for the story continues to grow, with a massive 180,000 copies sold on the first issue, a second printing, and a strong 82,000 copies initially sold for the follow up second issue. It's not too late for readers to jump in on the new era and tale of the ThunderCats by Shalvey and Moss!


...
03/18/24 @ 3:55 pm EST
Source: Marvel | Categories: Blood Hunt

Who will bite it? Starting this May, the Marvel Universe is caught in the fangs of Jed MacKay and Pepe Larraz’s BLOOD HUNT, and no hero is safe from the endless vampiric hordes! In addition to the main event series and special limited series, the highly-anticipated crossover event will impact some of Marvel’s hottest ongoing series in thrilling ways, including the very series where the saga was seeded such as MacKay’s MOON KNIGHT and Cody Ziglar’s MILES MORALES: SPIDER-MAN As eternal night washes over the world and vampires begin their savage reign, the frontlines of the conflict will be a certified bloodbath as heroes are transformed, old and new enemies rise, and dramatic betrayals keep readers guessing till the very end! The desperate attempts to reverse Earth’s cruel fate will leave a lasting mark on the Marvel mythos as a whole so fans will want to devour every tie-in to witness each key development for themselves! Today, grab a sneak peek at what’s to come in BLOOD HUNT’s second month with the reveal of new tie-in covers and story information!

AVENGERS #15

Written by JED MACKAY Art by C.F. VILLA A BLOODY BRAWL ON A VAMPIRE-INFESTED HELICARRIER! Captain America’s ad hoc team of Avengers old and new must face a foe commanding an army of vampires… IN THE SKY! With a group of decidedly earthbound heroes! Don’t miss this action-packed, bloody tale of heroism and hemoglobin!

DOCTOR STRANGE #16

Written by JED MACKAY Art by PASQUAL FERRY DOCTOR STRANGE…THE VAMPIRE?!Earth’s mystic defender is off the board as the skies darken! Can Wong and Clea save Stephen from himself? Or…can they save themselves from him?

FANTASTIC FOUR #21

Written by RYAN NORTH Art by IVAN FIORELLI FORMULATING A CURE? Reed and Alicia are in New York for a day trip to an art museum, when suddenly the skies turn black with darkforce energy and vampires attack, everywhere, all at once! It’s Reed Richards versus the world as he tries to save everyone he can – AND come up with a cure for vampirism! But vampires are magic, illogical, impossible. Can Reed come up with a cure? And even if he can’t, how is he going to keep all the survivors alive and safe? And can Sue, Ben, and Johnny, all alone in Arizona, keep their families safe? It’s a BLOOD HUNT tie-in you won’t want to miss as the Fantastic Four take on a world overrun with VAMPIRES!

MILES MORALES: SPIDER-MAN #21

Written by CODY ZIGLAR Art by TRAVEL FOREMAN THE ENDLESS NIGHT! Endless hordes of bloodsucking vampires ravage the Earth beneath pitch-black skies of Earth’s last night! But vampire-slayer Blade has a plan, and his only hope for victory rests with Miles Morales! But Blade’s mission comes with a cost – one Spider-Man may be unwilling to pay!

VENGEANCE OF THE MOON KNIGHT #6

Written by JED MACKAY Art by ALESSANDRO CAPPUCCIO THE MIDNIGHT MISSION JOINS THE HUNT! As the Marvel Universe devolves in panic and fear with the unfolding BLOOD HUNT, writer Jed MacKay casts his gaze from the events of the main event to this companion tie-in! With more chaos on their hands than ever before, and no tested leader to show them the way, the Midnight Mission is on their own as they fight like hell to save New York and its people from being completely overrun by vampires!

VENOM #34 Written by AL EWING Art by JUAN FERREYRA LEE PRICE RETURNS! The Captive is loose! And the vampiric super-foe thirsts for one thing – VENOM! And the Captive isn’t the only problem – the dead now walk an Earth smothered in eternal night. Vampires infest New York City, and Lee Price, one-time host to the Venom symbiote, rises from the grave! And he has unfinished business with his old partner.

VENOM #34 cover by Cafu

AVENGERS #15 cover by Joshua CassaraDOCTOR STRANGE #16 cover by Alex Ross

MILES MORALES: SPIDER-MAN #21 cover by Federico Vicentini

FANTASTIC FOUR #21 cover by Alex Ross

VENGEANCE OF THE MOON KNIGHT #6 cover by Davide Paratore

...
03/18/24 @ 3:40 pm EST
Source: Deadline | Categories: Star Wars

The Acolyte Star Wars series gets premiere date

Disney+ has revealed a spring premiere date for The Acolyte, the new Lucasfilm Star Wars series. Star Wars: The Acolyte will be released June 4 on the streaming service. The date was revealed Monday on Star Wars verified X account. Created by Lesley Headland (Russian Doll), The Acolyte is a mystery-thriller that will take viewers into a galaxy of shadowy secrets and emerging dark-side powers in the final days of the High Republic era. A former Padawan reunites with her Jedi Master to investigate a series of crimes, but the forces they confront are more sinister than they ever anticipated. (via Deadline)

03/18/24 @ 3:39 pm EST
Source: ComicBook | Categories: MIsc

Work on the next Universal Monsters reboot is officially underway. Sunday, megaproducer Jason Blum shared a photo of Wolf Man director Leigh Whannel straight from the set of the upcoming horror picture. It's Whannel's second stab at a Universal Monsters movie, having last reimagined The Invisible Man for the studio, something that turned out to be a critical and commercial success. The film was initially set to star Ryan Gosling in the title role, though the Barbie star eventually left amid a series of creative adjustments. Now, Christopher Abbott has replaced Gosling, and Whannel has now been named director of the project, replacing Derek Cianfrance. Wolf Man is set to hit theaters on October 25th. (via ComicBook.com)

Image

03/17/24 @ 2:53 pm EST
Source: Twitter | Categories: MIsc
Netflix has released the first poster for the upcoming Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver and the trailer for it will drop tomorrow. The second part to Zack Snyder’s ambitious sci-fi franchise is slated to be released on April 19th and will continue the story of Kora and the rag-tag group of survivors and outcasts that are trying to stage a rebellion against an oppressive empire. Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire was released on December 22nd to mix reviews with many of the critics calling it an amalgamation of stories we’ve seen before. But Snyder has a loyal fanbase and the streaming service has big plans for the IP that also includes other mediums like comic books. The sequel stars Sofia Boutella, Jena Malone, Charlie Hunnam, Anthony Hopkins, Ed Skrein and Cary Elwes.  Rebel Moon 
03/17/24 @ 2:25 pm EST
Source: The Hollywood Reporter | Categories: MIsc
The post-credit scene for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3, that Star Lord would return, was a surprise to a lot of people, including series star Karen Gillan: “It was pretty surprising, but it was cool as well. I was like, ‘Okay, what’s the plan here?” Through three films and a holiday special, the fate of the Guardians was in the hands of writer/director James Gunn and Gillan had been along for the entire ride and a couple side trips into Avengers and Thor films. But now Gunn has moved over to the competition, teaming with Peter Safran to helm a reboot of the DC universe. And while Gillan would be interested in following her friend over, she has no intentions of pressing him about it. “The fact that Nebula turned into ten years of work is the greatest thing that’s happened to me. I like to leave things up to the universe a little bit and see what happens, but I would absolutely love to work with James again. He’s the best.” And since we’re talking about the Guardians fate after the third film, Gillan spoke about how Nebula’s life may continue in the MCU with her trying to run Knowhere. “Nebula has got a real sense of purpose now, and it’s such a major part of healing. She’s been through so much, and now she can finally accept love and show love towards other people. So the last stage of all that healing is helping other people, and that’s exactly what she’s doing.”Nebula 
03/17/24 @ 2:09 pm EST
Source: Deadline | Categories: MIsc
As with the previous week, the top two spots at the box office were strong and then there was quite a dip to the third. Kung Fu Panda 4 held a firm grip on the number one spot for a second week, taking in $31.5 million while Dune: Part Two was close behind with $29 million in its third weekend. The sequel has crossed the $200 million mark domestically and is expected to top out at around $275 million. Then the drop to third has the debut of Arthur the King coming in at $8 million showing that Mark Wahlberg and Simu Liu need more than just a dog to rake in the money. Maybe if the dog turned into a robot or was trained as a ninja… This was followed by three films that opened last weekend, Imaginary with $5.3 million, Cabrini with $2.8 million and Love Lies Bleeding with $2.75 million. We’ll have to see if this weekend’s new film, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, will be able to shake up the box office.   Arthur the King 
03/16/24 @ 3:18 pm EST
Source: Agents of Freedom | Categories: MIsc
After the recent comments from Bob Iger about how they’ve quietly cancelled some projects lately, everyone is trying to figure out which ones. According to Brad Winderbaum, Marvel Studios head of Streaming, Animation and Television, that list does not include the much-delayed Ironheart or the recently restarted Wonder Man. Dominique Thorne was introduced as Riri Williams in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and then went on to film her own series joined by Anthony Ramos and Alden Ehrenreich. It was said to have completed filming, but it’s not on the current release schedule. And Wonder Man, starring Yahya Abdul-Mateen II went on hiatus during the different strikes before just getting started again recently. We’ve heard very little about either project recently until now when Winderbaum told Agents of Fandom that both are still on track. "Yeah, absolutely. We're editing both of those shows as we speak. They're spectacular, they're amazing, and they're different… We're able to explore corners of the universe that are really exciting. Riri Williams is one of them, and I cannot wait for people to meet Simon Williams." There is some speculation that the delay on Ironheart may be more content related as the Don Cheadle lead Armor Wars series was changed to a planned film and Ironheart may lead into it, so delaying the series until the film is closer makes a lot of sense.Ironheart 
03/16/24 @ 3:03 pm EST
Source: comicbook.com | Categories: MIsc
We have been waiting a long time for the debut of Nova in the MCU. Ever since Kevin Feige said back in 2018 that the character had “immediate potential,” fans have been waiting to see his golden helmet on the screen. He was once part of the original Guardians of the Galaxy story before James Gunn signed on. There were also discussions about including him in Avengers: Infinity War or Avengers: Endgame before those ideas were scrapped. But according to Marvel’s head of streaming, animation and television, Brad Winderbaum, something may finally be happening. In a chat with Comicbook.com, "We love Nova. We are in really early development on Nova. We have a new system behind-the-scenes at Marvel Studios. We're more like a traditional studio now. We're developing more than we actually will produce. There are plans to develop Nova. I love Nova, too. I love Rich Rider, too. I hope it gets to the screen. The world is always chaos. There's always things. You gotta conjure these things to make them happen but I would love to see a Nova show, one day." Since Winderbaum is the one talking about it, the odds are this won’t be a film, but rather a Disney+ series… live-action or animated. The nice thing is a lot of the elements needed for Nova/Richard Rider’s origin have already been laid out in the MCU with the introduction of Xandar and their destruction by Thanos when he went after the Power Stone. We never got to see that scene, but it would be an excellent way to open up a Nova series.Nova 
03/16/24 @ 2:41 pm EST
Source: Deadline | Categories: MIsc
While things are just starting to move forward with the new DCU headed up by James Gunn and Peter Safran, there is a report saying a new film is being added to the upcoming slate that wasn’t part of the initial announcement. Gunn at the time said it wasn’t a complete list and more would come, but this is the first addition so far. The report says that Ana Nogueira, the scriptwriter for the upcoming Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow will also be tackling another popular DC IP, the Teen Titans. The team was created by Bob Haney and Bruno Premiani in the pages of The Brave and the Bold #54 in 1964 and was made up of the sidekicks of DC’s most popular characters. This included Robin, Wonder Girl, Kid Flash, Aqualad and Speedy. The line-up would change over the years, especially when the series was relaunched with the creative team of Marv Wolfman and George Perez, and they added Raven, Starfire, Beast Boy, and others. This would lead into other media an animated series and a live-action show called Titans. Nogueira was first announced as writing the Supergirl movie last November, but many people remember her as an actress from the series The Vampire Diaries and Hightown. No plot information or release date have been given.Teen Titans 

Dynamite, Dynamite Entertainment & The Dynamite Entertainment logo ® Dynamite. All Rights Reserved.
All books, titles, characters, character names, slogans, logos and related marks are and © their respective owners.

Privacy Policy