Marvel Studios may be struggling a bit right now, but there’s one aspect of the studio that has never been in question– the casting. Besides obvious standouts like Robert Downey, Jr. and Chris Evans, there are just so many instances where Marvel Studios chose actors who would go on to define exactly who the character is. Take Chris Pratt, for example. His version of Star-Lord is often pitch perfect, and it really set the tone for the entire “Guardians of the Galaxy” franchise.

Continue reading Joel Edgerton Talks His Failed ‘Guardians Of The Galaxy’ Audition: “The World Is A Much Better Place That I’m Not Star-Lord” at The Playlist.

In this week’s episode of The Discourse, host Mike DeAngelo crosses into unfamiliar territory to discuss “The Absence of Eden” with star Zoe Saldana (“Avatar,” “Guardians of the Galaxy”) and her husband and first-time director Marco Perego-Saldana. The film follows multiple characters from both sides of the U.S./Mexico border and revolves around the dilemmas faced in dealing with the many hardships brought on by immigration laws and the enforcement of those laws.

Continue reading ‘The Absence Of Eden’: Zoe Saldana & Marco Perego-Saldana On Their Immigration Drama, ‘Lioness,’ ‘Guardians Of The Galaxy,’ & More [The Discourse Podcast] at The Playlist.

“Dune: Part Two” is about to open in theaters worldwide on March 1, so most of the cast is out there pounding the pavement of press and getting the word out. One of them is Dave Bautista, who plays Glossu Rabban Harkonnen, nephew of Baron Harkonnen, and one of the baddies in the film who is seemingly usurped by his even more vicious family member Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen (Austin Butler).

Continue reading Dave Bautista Says His ‘Guardians’ “Journey With Drax Is Over,” But Remains Open To Marvel Or DC at The Playlist.

Are you ready for Hollywood guild award season? Get ready, because the nominations are going to arrive like a tidal wave. Kicking things off in 2024 are the Make-Up Artists & Hairstylists with the 11th Annual MUAHS Awards. And, leading all nominees was “Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3” with four nominations including Best Contemporary Makeup. “Maestro,” “Barbie,” and “Poor Things” took two each.

READ MORE: “American Fiction,” “May December” and “Past Lives” top 2024 Spirit Awards nominations [Full List]

On the television side, “Dancing With The Stars” earned a monstrous five nods while “The Marvelous Mrs.

Continue reading ‘Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3’ Top 2024 Make-Up and Hairstyling Awards Nominees at The Playlist.

Even though he’s a legendary filmmaker, it’s safe to assume Michael Mann isn’t the top name on Kevin Feige’s short list of directors to discuss Marvel Studios projects with. Sure, Feige would probably love to have Mann involved in a superhero project, but let’s be real, the filmmaker isn’t someone who would likely decide to work within the Marvel content factory. That said, it appears Mann isn’t someone who thinks all superhero films are trash.

Continue reading Michael Mann Says He Likes The ‘Guardians Of The Galaxy’ Series But Otherwise Not Interested In Superhero Films at The Playlist.

When people think of the origins of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, they go back to 2008’s “Iron Man.” And that’s a fair beginning. But, often, people tend to forget 2008 also saw the release of Marvel Studios‘ second film, “The Incredible Hulk,” directed by Louis Leterrier. And according to the filmmaker, he could have been a much bigger part of the MCU, but it didn’t work out.

Continue reading Louis Leterrier Says He Wanted ‘Iron Man,’ Was Given ‘Hulk’ Instead & Passed On ‘Thor’ & ‘Guardians Of The Galaxy’ at The Playlist.

After two massively successful installments in the “Guardians of the Galaxy” film franchise, James Gunn was ready to work on the third. Then he got fired, went to DC to make “The Suicide Squad,” was rehired to work on ‘Guardians,’ and released a Christmas special, and now, years later, we’re here to finally see how the filmmaker wanted his franchise to end. So, is the long wait for “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.

Continue reading ‘Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3’: James Gunn’s Marvel Swansong Is A Mixed Bag Of Big Emotions, Cute Animals & Wasted Potential [The Playlist Podcast] at The Playlist.

While “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” crosses the billion-dollar mark this weekend at the global box office, another big Chris Pratt film is heading to theaters next week with “Guardians of The Galaxy Vol. 3” wrapping up a trilogy from writer/director James Gun. Pratt wasn’t always successful in the audition process and is reflecting on the multitude of high-profile roles he missed out on before landing Marvel’s Peter Quill, aka, Star-Lord.

Continue reading Chris Pratt Reflects On Failed Auditions For ‘Thor,’ ‘Avatar’ & ‘Star Trek’: “I Definitely Don’t Have That It-Factor” at The Playlist.

As Marvel Studios forges ahead with phase four of its interconnected series of films and TV, Disney+ is reaping the benefits. This year alone, the platform has already seen the release of “Moon Knight” and “Ms. Marvel,” with “She-Hulk” and others still on the way. But even with so many stories to juggle, Marvel president Kevin Feige hasn’t forgotten about one of the MCU’s most beloved characters.

Continue reading ‘I Am Groot’ Trailer: Beloved ‘Guardians’ Sidekick Branches Out in Animated Spinoff Series for Disney+ at The Playlist.

Marvel Studios is the dominating force in the superhero genre and they continue to deliver various characters, balancing both the popular and the obscure. We’ll be seeing “Moon Knight,” “Ms. Marvel,” “She-Hulk,” and Werewolf By Night in the near future, and now another hero that fans have been campaigning for is finally coming to the MCU.

Deadline reports that “Moon Knight” writer Sabir Pirzada has been tasked to write a “Nova” project, as the outlet isn’t sure if it will be a series for Disney+ or feature film, but their source believes it’s “likely” to be a limited series.

Continue reading ‘Nova’: Marvel Developing Project With ‘Moon Knight’ Writer Sabir Pirzada at The Playlist.

Fans of Marvel Studios will probably know that “Shazam” actor Zachary Levi has appeared in an MCU film in the past, notably 2013’s “Thor: The Dark World,” playing the title character’s friend, Fandral. But that wasn’t the first Marvel role that Levi wanted. In fact, he was one of the final people in the running for what would have been a much, much bigger role.

Continue reading Zachary Levi Says He Came Close To Landing Star-Lord In ‘Guardians,’ Which Helped Him Land ‘Shazam’ Lead at The Playlist.

So, as you probably saw earlier today, “The Suicide Squad” writer/director James Gunn was on the Happy Sad Confused show, dumped a little bit on Martin Scorsese and his criticism of superhero films; that’s gonna cause some online drama, but there’s really lots more. One of the big topics that the interviewer host comes upon is what he would want to do next and what kind of superhero property he might want to tackle next, if any.

Continue reading James Gunn Says He Pitched A ‘Ravagers’ Show To Kevin Feige & Wants To Do ‘Peacemaker’ Season 2 at The Playlist.

First, it needs to be said that a lot of time has passed since Martin Scorsese took aim at Marvel Studios and superhero films, basically calling them trash and not real “cinema.” So, perhaps in that time, Scorsese binged all of the MCU films and is anxiously awaiting “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” in September. But he hasn’t said anything about that yet, so when James Gunn was recently asked about those controversial Marvel comments made by the legendary director, he talked openly and honestly about what he thinks motivated them.

Continue reading James Gunn Calls Martin Scorsese’s Criticism Of Marvel Films “Awful Cynical” Even Though He Does Agree Somewhat at The Playlist.

With the release of “The Suicide Squad” on the horizon, James Gunn looks to be batting successfully for both of comic books’ ‘Big Two,’ having made two “Guardians of the Galaxy” films (with an upcoming third) for Marvel Studios, and now a sequel to Warner Bros and DC Comics’ “Suicide Squad,” which seemed to take cues from Gunn’s sci-fi megahit.

Continue reading James Gunn Says He’s Talked To Marvel & DC About A Harley Quinn/Groot Spin-Off Movie at The Playlist.

James Gunn holds a rare distinction in the modern superhero filmmaking world. He’s the only director to receive credit for helming films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (“Guardians of the Galaxy” and its sequel) and the DCEU (the upcoming “The Suicide Squad”). (Sorry, as Gunn points out, Joss Whedon didn’t get director’s credit for “Justice League.”) So, with that experience comes a knowledge that not too many people have.

Continue reading James Gunn Says Marvel Studios’ Kevin Feige Is “Way More Involved In Editing” Than The People At WB at The Playlist.

Judging by the ridiculous list of huge actors that have signed on for Marvel Studios films over the past decade-plus, it’s safe to assume that the studio has little trouble finding people eager to tackle a superhero role in the MCU. But in the case of Amanda Seyfried, she was a bit hesitant starring in a Marvel Studios film because she didn’t want to be the woman that appeared in the studio’s first big bomb.

Continue reading Amanda Seyfried Passed On ‘Guardians Of The Galaxy’ Role Because She Was Afraid It Would Be Marvel’s First Bomb at The Playlist.

Marvel’s “Thor: Love & Thunder” was already going to have a strong female cast, and now, it’s added a familiar, though absent face from the “Thor” franchise, according to a new report.

READ MORE: Natalie Portman Talks ‘Thor: Love & Thunder’ & Why Female Heroes Are “Really Important” For Boys, Too

Sources tell Deadline that Jaimie Alexander has secured a reprisal of the Lady Sif role in the next “Thor’ film, the fierce Asgardian warrior that hasn’t been seen in the Marvel Cinematic Universe since “Thor: The Dark World.” Sif avoided being killed on-screen in “Thor: Ragnarok,” while The Warriors Three weren’t so lucky.

Continue reading Jaimie Alexander Returning To Lady Sif Role In Marvel’s ‘Thor: Love & Thunder’ at The Playlist.

This next feature film revealed by Kevin Feige at the Disney Investors Day event was slightly less surprising at first, but the studio head added a nifty plot tease behind it. “Ant-Man 3” officially is happening and has a wacky new title to go with that announcement as the third installment will be called, “Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania.” It’s now pretty dang clear where the superhero duo will be going next in the upcoming sequel, the Quantum Realm, and that could unearth all kinds of weird sh*t.

Continue reading ‘Ant-Man 3’ Titled ‘Quantumania’; Kathryn Newton To Play The New Cassie Lang at The Playlist.

James Gunn is knee-deep in superheroes right now. Not only is he in the middle of finishing up his new DC film, “The Suicide Squad,” scheduled to hit theaters in 2021, but the filmmaker is also prepping work on his upcoming third ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ film, with an unknown release date. But even though his immediate future is full of superpowered beings, it appears that there is an end in sight.

Continue reading ‘Guardians Of The Galaxy’: James Gunn Says He Has No Plans For A Fourth Film at The Playlist.

Even though he’s lent his vocal talents to four separate Marvel Studios films, including two ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ movies and the last two ‘Avengers’ projects, Vin Diesel is hardly the most talked-about actor to play a superhero in the MCU. As the voice of Groot, he’s great, but like Bradley Cooper, he tends to get overshadowed by the rest of the A-listers who actually show their faces in the films.

Continue reading Vin Diesel Confirms “Some Of The Guardians” Will Show Up In ‘Thor: Love & Thunder’ at The Playlist.

Bong Joon-ho is one of the best filmmakers working today, period. There’s no denying that. If you do deny that, then you can turn in your cinephile card to the receptionist down the hall. But just because he’s one of the most acclaimed filmmakers around doesn’t mean that he should line up to do a superhero film. And thankfully, Bong is self-aware enough to know that even if he wanted to, a marriage between him and Marvel is likely not going to work.

Continue reading Bong Joon-Ho Enjoys Some Marvel Films But Doesn’t Think He’s “Suitable” For Directing One at The Playlist.

Maybe it’s time to let the old ways of this almost-finished decade die, yeah? But it wouldn’t be complete without our deep dive into the best soundtracks and scores of the 2010s. It’s admittedly somewhat weird and difficult to do. Scores and soundtracks are different beasts; one original musical written for a film that gives it its emotional shape—often the secret MVP of a movie—and the other more of a mixtape, but when well-curated and used next to picture, can be just as deadly and help craft what we know as the visual and aural transcendence that’s known as cinema when it’s at its best.

Continue reading The Best Soundtracks & Scores Of The Decade [2010s] at The Playlist.

Despite having a major controversy last year, with Disney firing him from ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” based on decade-old tweets, James Gunn is back in a big, big way. Not only did Disney rehire him for the sequel, but he’s also hard at work on his first DC Comics film for Warner Bros, “The Suicide Squad.” And according to the filmmaker, shooting ‘Suicide Squad’ has been the most fun he’s had on set.

Continue reading James Gunn Says WB “Basically Offered Whatever I Wanted” & The Filmmaker Chose ‘Suicide Squad’ at The Playlist.

After his breakout directorial effort, “Safety Not Guaranteed,” it appeared that Colin Trevorrow had his pick of future projects. And though he hadn’t previously worked on blockbusters, the filmmaker quickly landed “Jurassic World” and then “Star Wars: Episode IX.” But well before those massive franchise films, the director was approached by Marvel Studios for a now-famous superhero project.

According to an interview with the Empire Film podcast, Trevorrow revealed that well before he began work on “Jurassic World,” he actually had a meeting with Marvel Studios and its president Kevin Feige about one of the studios’ future projects, “Guardians of the Galaxy.”

READ MORE: The Full ‘Jurassic World’ Short ‘Battle At Big Rock’ Featuring Andre Holland Is Available Now

“I did,” Trevorrow revealed.

Continue reading Colin Trevorrow Says He Met With Marvel About ‘Guardians’ But Didn’t Move Forward Because He Wasn’t “A Comic Book Kid” at The Playlist.

It seems that you can’t conduct a proper actor interview in 2019 without at least asking the question, “Would you like to play a superhero in a film?” With Marvel Studios dominating the box office, every actor is asked this question, with most saying yes. However, in the case of Amanda Seyfried, her answer is a little more complicated.

While speaking to MTV, the actress, who appears in “The Art of Racing in the Rain,” was asked if she would be down for the superhero life in the future.

Continue reading Amanda Seyfried Hints At Turning Down Gamora Role In Marvel’s ‘Guardians’ & Says She Doesn’t Regret It at The Playlist.