Marvel Movie And TV News Bonanza!

We’ve got a lot of Marvel news to get through today so we might as well just get right into it. First, the big one.

Let’s all breathe a huge sigh of relief for Ryan Reynolds, shall we? Yesterday afternoon the actor, who never stopped banging that Deadpool drum, posted this to Twitter, with the caption “Uh… It’s Chimichanga Time.”

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Gee, I wonder what he meant. Fortunately we didn’t have to debate the implications for long, as Deadline (fittingly) quickly followed with some confirmation and explanation. Reynolds is “closing a deal” to return as Deadpool (though presumably this take will be nothing like the one from X-Men Origins: Wolverine). Tim Miller, who directed the very well-received proof-of-concept short that found its way onto the internet this summer, will be the man behind the camera. According to Deadline, Miller’s working from the script by Zombieland writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick. That script also managed to make it online, and, like the test footage, it’s fantastic.

It’s also decidedly R-rated. Fox is going to want to push for PG-13, much to the chagrin of fanboys everywhere, but honestly if Miller takes out some F Bombs and chooses the camera angles carefully it won’t lose a whole lot. And again I say, of every issue Deadpool has ever appeared in, only a scant few were Marvel’s adults-only “Max” titles.

Back in September Fox announced a release date of February 2016 for the film, but this news that Reynolds who never gave up hope isn’t getting shut out is the first we’ve heard since.

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Next up we’ve got casting news on Marvel’s Netflix shows. We now know who will be playing former superhero-turned-private detective Jessica Jones, and it’s probably the least likely of the list of candidates that got out the other day – Krysten Ritter, best known for her roles in Breaking Bad and a bunch of shows no one watched, like Don’t Trust the B– in Apartment 23 and Veronica Mars.

Ritter’s an interesting choice, as she’s a fun actress who tends to be good in whatever she’s in (even if it’s something like Apt 23) but she’s not really what anyone had in mind for Jones, a character normally depicted as more of a bruiser. She is good at playing “so fucking over this” though, a necessary quality for the role. Apparently part of what sealed the deal for the actress was her chemistry with Mike Colter (of The Following and Zero Dark Thirty). So it looks like we also know who will be playing Luke Cage.

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Lastly, we’ve got a follow-up on news that everyone knew long before anyone knew they knew it.

It’s officially official. Benedict Cumberbatch is going to be Dr. Strange.

“Stephen Strange’s story requires an actor capable of great depth and sincerity,” said Producer Kevin Feige. “In 2016, Benedict will show audiences what makes Doctor Strange such a unique and compelling character.”

Cumberbatch’s casting is an odd moment of the internet getting exactly what it wanted, six months after it decided it didn’t want it anymore. There was a time, not long ago at all, when everyone who’s ever had an @ near their name would have gone apeshit over this, but now it just seems so on-the-nose and safe. Marvel could have gone way outside the box with this one but they didn’t. Oh, what could have been.

But can we just stop and think for a second about where we are that Benedict Cumberbatch in a Doctor Strange movie was the safe call?

Skott Stotland is a thousand monkeys in a people costume. They have been writing for the internet for over a decade.

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