Welcome to The Rundown report (as gathered by Taryn Belle) with Nerd Union for the weekend of July 30th, 2021.
MOVIES
On Thursday, Black Widow star Scarlett Johansson filed a lawsuit that argues Disney breached her contract by releasing the film simultaneously in theaters and on Disney Plus, since part of her salary is dependent on the performance numbers of the theatrical release. Disney’s statement called the lawsuit “without merit” and “callous” in the face of COVID-19, claiming that Johanssen actually benefits from the Premiere Access add-on to Disney Plus. Regardless, this lawsuit comes at a difficult time for the industry as theaters and performers try to get back on their feet. It also echoes sentiments and criticism from last year when Warner Bros blind-sided their creators with the decision to air everything on HBO Max. For more on this, check out the live stream for the Commander Shipp & Major Tom show this Tuesday as they break down this impending legal decision.
Holy Set Photos, Batman! Twitter has been busy with set photos from DC’s upcoming film The Flash, and it looks like Ben Affleck’s Batman is getting a Batcycle! User FlashFilmNews posted multiple shots of Batman in an updated Batsuit, riding around on a motorcycle decked out with protective plating.
Dijmon Hounsou dressed as the wizard Shazam was photographed on set in Atlanta and posted on Instagram, by user atlanta_filming. Fans have been debating if he was filming scenes for Shazam!: Fury of the Gods or actually for the story of Black Adam, since both DC films have been in production in the Atlanta area recently.
Deadline also reported that Regé-Jean Page seems to have locked in both the starring role and executive producer title for a reboot of The Saint with Paramount Pictures. “Lorenzo DiBonaventura, Brad Krevoy and Mark Vahradian will produce, with Kwame Kwei-Armah penning the script. The late Robert Evans, who produced Paramount’s 1997 movie adaption starring Val Kilmer, will also get a producer credit.”
SHOWS & SERIES
Marvel Studios has officially announced the release date for Hawkeye on Disney+ as Wednesday November 24th, AKA the day before American’s celebrate Thanksgiving. EW released a first look image of Hailee Steinfield as Kate Bishop holding an archery bow, in what appears to be a storage garage, while facing Jeremy Renner’s Hawkeye who’s wearing a backpack.
In an interview with Collider, James Gunn was adamant that the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special is “in-canon, it’s about the Guardians, you’re gonna learn stuff that you need to learn before Volume 3, and it’s great I’m really happy with it.” Gunn expects the special to be less than 40 minutes long and it is slated to release on Disney+ December 2022, 5 months ahead of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 premiering in theaters May 2023.
ComicCon@Home brought several updates to shows from a range of production houses:
Deadline reported that Matt Ryan is moving on from the character John Constantine, but will stay with DC’s Legends of Tomorrow “as a new character, Dr. Gwyn Davies, an eccentric scientist from the early 20th century who might be the team’s only hope next season.” The main reason Constantine is being phased out of the CW show is due to J.J. Abrams’ rebooting the character for an HBO Max series.
BBC officially confirmed that Jodie Whittaker will be leaving Doctor Who after her third season. According to Variety: “She will appear in a six-part event serial as well as three specials before her time on the show is up. Showrunner Chris Chibnall, who cast Whittaker as the first female doctor in the show’s history, is also leaving the series, he confirmed. The 13th series of Doctor Who will air towards the end of 2021. The three specials will follow in 2022 (which also happens to be the centenary of the BBC) starting on Jan. 1 with a spring and fall special also in the works.”
The Amazon Prime Video panel began with the Wheel of Time showrunner and executive producer Rafe Judkins reassuring fans that he has already planned out how the 14 books by Robert Jordan can play out on television, having already plotted out the storyline for eight seasons before finalizing the pilot script. Polygon noted that an official poster was also revealed. The second season has already been ordered, so it seems like the franchise is in good hands.
ACTORS
Better Call Saul actor Bob Odenkirk had a health scare from “a heart-related incident” on set earlier this week and ended up needing emergency hospitalization, but he is already doing well while in recovery. On Twitter, David Cross – Odenkirk’s long time collaborator posted an update:
PLATFORMS
To all the Mac, iPad, and iPhone owners, Apple has pushed out a new patch to protect your devices from hackers. Gizmodo revealed that Apple suddenly released updates for phones and tablets while also dropping a new macOS Big Sur 11.5.1 patch to solve a minor bug from the initial release last week: “Most critically, the recent updates fix a zero-day vulnerability that Apple says has been seeing exploitation by hackers ‘in the wild,’ i.e., out in the world.” For more details, click the Gizmodo link!
Google Play is adding a new safety section to add transparency on how the apps in the store will use your data. Suzanne Frey, the VP of Product, Android Security, and Privacy, published a blog back in May about the company’s commitment to working with Google in developing a safety section that will clearly communicate to the average user what they’re getting themselves into when downloading a new app. According to TechCrunch, “In the safety section, users will be able to see the developer’s explanation of what data the app collects followed by those other details, each with its own icon to serve as a visual indicator. When users tap into the summary, they’ll be able to then see other details like what data is collected or shared — such as location, contacts, personal information (e.g., name, email address), financial information and more. They’ll also be able to see how the data is used — for app functionality, personalization, etc. — and whether data collection is optional.”
Spotify has rolled out a What’s New Feed to help users discover new releases, trending songs, and even concerts in their area. The feature is accessible under the new bell icon and is constantly updated in real time. I’ve even been getting push notifications, specifically for concerts, connected to artists that are in my main rotation.
THEME PARKS
Disney continues to update Adventureland by removing culturally stereotypical pieces, according to WDWNT. This coincides with the new movie Jungle Cruise now playing in theaters (and on Disney+ Premiere Access) that has been used as a marker of distinction for updates to the Jungle Cruise attraction and surrounding areas, especially in line with Disney’s new 5th Key of Inclusion. I’m glad after 66 years of the Disney Parks being in operation, that some signs of progress are being made.
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Doug Schumann
Shelby Johnson