2022 is shaping up to be a heck of a year for the world of superheroes — and with
vampire movies, legal sitcoms, holiday specials, and plenty of multiverse madness, this is
Marvel like you've never seen before.
Which project are you looking forward to the most?
Although Spider-Man has been on loan to the MCU for several years, the web-slinger is
still officially owned by Sony Pictures — as are his many supporting characters.
So while Peter Parker has been swinging around the MCU, Sony has been working on their own
interlocking cinematic universe of Spider-Man characters, kicking off with 2018's Venom.
"Well, you know, I aim to please."
Joining Tom Hardy's Eddie Brock in the Sony Spider-verse will be Morbius, based on the
"living vampire" who first appeared in the pages of Marvel comics in 1971.
Morbius will star Jared Leto as Dr. Michael Morbius — a brilliant biochemist whose attempts
to cure his own fatal blood disease go predictably awry, transforming him into a superpowered
ghoul who must consume human blood to survive.
Joining Leto in the film will be Adria Arjona as Martine, the female lead of the film, while
Doctor Who star Matt Smith will be serving as the main antagonist, Loxias Crown.
Also appearing in Morbius will be Michael Keaton, most likely reprising his role as
Adrian Toomes from Spider-Man: Homecoming, which would make Morbius the first full crossover
between the MCU and Sony's Spidey films.
Daniel Espinosa will direct from a script by Lost in Space co-creators Matt Sazama and
Burk Sharpless.
Morbius will hit theaters on January 28, 2022.
The sequel to 2016's Doctor Strange has been in development since before that flick even
hit theaters, and in 2019 it was revealed that the sequel will be titled Doctor Strange
in the Multiverse of Madness.
The movie will co-star Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff, appearing hot off the heels
of WandaVision.
Most of the previous movie's cast will be returning, joined by Xochitl Gomez, who will
be playing the dimension-hopping superhero America Chavez.
Otherwise known as Miss America, Chavez is notable for being one of Marvel's most well-known
LBGTQ+ characters.
The creative team for the second Strange film changed in two big ways during production.
Firstly, Evil Dead and Spider-Man director Sam Raimi stepped in for original director
Scott Derrickson when Derrickson departed the project due to creative differences with
Marvel.
Raimi will also be reuniting with composer Danny Elfman, who's taking over scoring duties
from Doctor Strange composer Michael Giacchino.
Considering the MCU is revisiting Raimi's Spider-Man movies as part of Spider-Man: No
Way Home, it really does feel like Raimi was destined to return to the Marvel universe.
The multiverse goes mad on May 6th, 2022.
Given his fantastic character arc over his last several appearances, nobody was particularly
surprised to hear that Thor would be the first Avenger to receive a fourth solo film.
Thor: Ragnarok's Taika Waititi will be returning to direct Thor: Love and Thunder, which will
also see the return of Natalie Portman's Jane Foster.
Apparently, Foster will follow in her character's recent comic book footsteps by picking up
Mjolnir to become Thor herself.
Returning Thor stalwarts include Jaimie Alexander as Lady Sif and Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie,
while Chris Pratt will also be joining the cast as Star-Lord.
Meanwhile, basically every other Guardian has also been spotted on-set in Australia,
making the whole team's involvement more or less a dead certainty.
Serving as the antagonist for Love and Thunder will be Christian Bale as Gorr the God Butcher,
a character who, in the comics, is obsessed with killing gods and absorbing their power.
A number of other A-listers are set to appear, including Matt Damon, Sam Neill, and Luke
Hemsworth, who you may recall playing “Thor” opposite Damon’s “Loki” in Ragnarok.
This time, they'll be joined by Melissa McCarthy, who will be playing yet another Asgardian
actor.
Russell Crowe is also set to star as the Greek god Zeus.
How will this all come together?
Well, that's anyone's guess.
But we'll know for sure when Thor: Love and Thunder hits theaters on July 8th, 2022.
Despite raking in billions of dollars among them, none of the live-action Spider-Man films
managed to do what Into the Spider-Verse did: score an Academy Award.
The Best Animated Feature of 2018 is considered by some to be among the greatest superhero
films ever made, with a supremely innovative animation style and a novel focus on its eclectic
cast of alternate-universe Spider-People.
Spider-Verse was so singular a cinematic achievement that it seems like its success would be impossible
to duplicate — but that's not going to stop Sony from trying.
The Spider-Verse sequel will center on the burgeoning romantic relationship between Miles
Morales and Gwen Stacy.
In 2019, it was also reported that the film will take place two years after the events
of the first film.
Additional plot details are still a mystery, but a teaser shared by the official Spider-Verse
Twitter account features 17 different spider logos, indicating that, once again, a variety
of Spider-People will arrive from across the multiverse.
"This could literally not get any weirder.”
This would be in keeping with what Sony Pictures' Amy Pascal said when she told Vanity Fair
that Into the Spider-Verse 2 will feature more female versions of Spidey.
On that note, it has also been revealed that Issa Rae will be joining the cast as Jessica
Drew — better known as Spider-Woman.
Expect to see yet more versions of the web-slinger when Into the Spider-Verse 2 arrives on October
7th, 2022.
After the tremendous success of 2018's Black Panther, a sequel seemed like a foregone conclusion.
Sure enough, in the fall of 2018, The Hollywood Reporter announced that Black Panther 2 was
officially happening, with original writer-director Ryan Coogler returning to write and direct.
Chadwick Boseman was also expected to reprise his role as T'Challa.
Tragically, in August 2020, Boseman passed away following a four-year struggle with cancer.
The news came as a shock to Boseman's fans and colleagues alike, as the actor had kept
his condition and treatment quiet, even as he continued to work.
While Marvel declined to comment on the future of Black Panther immediately following Boseman's
death, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is now confirmed to be moving forward, with a release
date of November 11th, 2022.
Executive producer Victoria Alonso has confirmed that Wakanda Forever will not be using a digital
double to stand in for Boseman, leading many to speculate that someone else will take up
the mantle of Black Panther.
Much of the first movie's cast will be returning, joined by Marvel newcomer Tenoch Huerta, who
will be playing one of the film's antagonists, as well as Michaela Coel in an undisclosed
role.
Additionally, Wakanda Forever will serve as the introduction to the character of Riri
Williams, played by Dominique Thorne, who will later be headlining her own Disney+ series.
Although further details for Wakanda Forever are still scarce, there can be little doubt
that the sequel's story and its characters will find an appropriate and satisfying way
to honor their king.
While most of Marvel's Disney+ shows seem to exist to help further the overarching plot
of Phase Four and beyond, one title doesn't seem all that interested in epic crossovers
or sprawling narratives.
That's right — The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special is coming to Disney+ in 2022.
"Welcome to the frickin' Guardians of the Galaxy."
So what can fans expect from a holiday-themed MCU special?
One may need to look no further than the much-maligned Star Wars Holiday Special, which Guardians
writer and director James Gunn says he "unironically loved" as a kid.
Gunn has said in the past that he's had an idea for a Guardians holiday special for years,
adding that it's one of his favorite stories ever.
While he hasn't offered up any clues about what this story actually looks like, Gunn
has assured fans that The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special will be crazy and fun;
he has also clarified that it will be live-action and will bring back all of the main Guardians
cast.
Gunn also confirmed that the special will be considered MCU canon, being set between
Thor: Love and Thunder and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
Further, Gunn has claimed in a tweet that the special will introduce someone who, in
his opinion, is one of the greatest MCU characters of all time" — although who that could be
is anyone's guess.
All shall be revealed, however, in late 2022.
She-Hulk is based on the character of the same name, who was first introduced in the
comics in 1980.
In the comic book universe, Jennifer Walters is a promising young attorney who is shot
and wounded by a vengeful mobster.
To save her life, she receives a blood transfusion from the only match available: her cousin,
Bruce Banner.
His gamma-irradiated blood has a predictable effect, but as She-Hulk, Walters retains her
personality and lawyerly intellect.
The series pilot will be directed by Kat Coiro, who will also direct several other episodes
and serve as executive producer.
Jessica Gao, best known for her work on Rick and Morty, will be heading up the writers
room.
Jennifer Walters will be played by Orphan Black star Tatiana Maslany, joined by Mark
Ruffalo, who is reprising his role as Bruce Banner.
Also featured is Tim Roth, who returns as the villainous Abomination.
That character debuted in The Incredible Hulk before making a cameo appearance in Shang-Chi
a full 13 years later.
Meanwhile, The Good Place star Jameela Jamil will be starring as the villainous Titania,
while Ginger Gonzaga is set to play Jennifer's best friend.
Expect to see this new Marvel series hit Disney+ in 2022.
Marvel's first Muslim superhero will be getting a spotlight on Disney+ with the upcoming series
Ms. Marvel.
Fans were delighted when news about the show broke in 2019, as Kamala Khan's adventures
have been hugely popular ever since her introduction in 2013.
Portraying the teen superhero will be newcomer Iman Vellani, who, before this, was known
for her work as part of the Next Wave Committee at the 2019 Toronto Film Festival.
Referring to Kamala's ability to change the shape and size of her body, the character's
creator G. Willow Wilson told Polygon:
"She's got very comic booky powers.
God bless them trying to bring that to live action; I don't know how that's going to work
out in a way that doesn't look really creepy."
Joining Vellani in Ms. Marvel will be The Walking Dead's Matt Lintz as Kamala's best
friend, Bruno Carrelli, as well as relative Hollywood newcomer Laurel Marsden as Kamala's
best frenemy, Zoe Zimmer.
Ms. Marvel is set to premiere on Disney+ in summer 2022.
Marvel fans have been waiting for years to see Moon Knight make his on-screen debut,
and now it's finally happening.
Helmed by Egyptian filmmaker Mohamed Diab, along with indie filmmaking team Justin Benson
and Aaron Moorhead, Moon Knight will follow Marc Spector, a former Marine and mercenary
who is left for dead on a covert mission in Egypt.
He is then spared and healed by the Egyptian god Khonshu — in exchange for Spector becoming
his earthly avatar of justice.
Considered by some to be Marvel's answer to Batman, there's one distinct facet of the
character that sets Moon Knight apart from DC's Dark Knight: his struggle with Dissociative
Identity Disorder.
Moon Knight employs a number of his multiple personalities to assist him in his crime-fighting
activities, and recent comic runs have even suggested that his powers might not be real
at all.
Oscar Isaac will be stepping into the role of Marc Spector for Moon Knight, fresh off
his three-film stint as Poe Dameron in the Star Wars sequels and a stunning turn as Leto
Atreides in Dune.
Joining Isaac in undisclosed roles will be Ramy star May Calamawy and Oscar-nominated
actor Ethan Hawke.
Speaking to The Wrap about his work on Moon Knight, Hawke said:
"With Moon Knight, people don't know much about it.
It doesn't have a lot of baggage.
Oscar [Isaac] is giving an absolutely phenomenal performance, and it feels exciting to be a
part of it with him."
We'll learn just how Hawke fits into the world of Moon Knight when the series hits Disney+
sometime in 2022.
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