As Black Panther continues to break box office records and prove superhero movies can be substantial pieces of entertainment, we've got a roundup of news involving the genre's future.
The Silver Surfer returns?
Fans of the Silver Surfer have already seen the Marvel character on the big screen, with the 2007 sequel Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, but now it's time for the "Skyrider of the Spaceways" to get his own movie - that is, if Disney doesn't mess things up by purchasing Fox and its franchise properties.
The Hollywood Reporter, in an article about the threat to some X-Men and other superhero projects if the merger goes through, notes that Fox has a "secret" Silver Surfer feature in development with Runaways co-creator Brian K. Vaughn. Hopefully that means we'll get another, better appearance from Galactus, as well. Meanwhile, Fantastic Four villain Doctor Doom is also still supposed to be getting his own movie, courtesy of Legion showrunner Noah Hawley.
The New Mutants addition
Another part of that THR article addresses the sudden release change for The New Mutants. The X-Men universe spin-off was supposed to arrive in theaters this April, and we already got a nice freaky trailer for the horror-tinged superhero feature last October. But then last month Fox delayed the release until February 22, 2019.
Rumors were floating around that the scary stuff would be excised to make it a more traditional entry in the genre and franchise. That could still be the case, but the latest update is that they're adding a whole new character in reshoots to be filmed this summer. Maybe Warlock? Or someone tying in the X-Men or X-Force? No other details are known, but the X-Force movie is set to begin shooting with director Drew Goddard soon after, in October.
Avengers: Infinity War has all the answers
In a bonus feature on the new Thor: Ragnarok home video release called "Marvel Studios: The First Ten Years," Kevin Feige promises that all the narratives and loose ends of the Marvel Cinematic Universe will be tied up in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers 4. Here's what the Marvel Studios president said (via Film School Rejects):
With Infinity War, we’re paying off every little thread and every little tease that we’ve had in what will be 18 films prior to Infinity War. There’s never been anything like this. Being able to, film after film, tease at a larger story. Really building these stories up into a giant conclusion. While at the same time introducing an entirely new direction for the future.
We'll start to find out if all this is true when Disney and Marvel release Infinity War in theaters on May 4.
Disney is animating The Rocketeer for kids
We've been hearing for years that Disney has been interested in rebooting The Rocketeer, the last update being that it'd be a sequel with a new version of the hero being young, female and African-American. Well, now the studio is working on something a little different. Entertainment Weekly shared details that an animated Rocketeer series is heading to Disney Junior for a 2019 start. This project also has a girl piloting the rocket pack but will be aimed at a very young audience and also is expected to feature an original song in each episode.
