EP 187: Kevin Bacon/Bacon Bros Interview, Fall Movie Preview

Segment 1: #Sire Bytes

‘Hawkeye’ Disney Plus Series Eyes Hailee Steinfeld for Lead Role

Hailee Steinfeld could soon be part of the Marvel family. Variety has learned exclusively from sources that Steinfeld has been offered a lead role in the upcoming “Hawkeye” series at Disney Plus.

The limited series will see Jeremy Renner reprise the role of the titular bow- wielding hero that he has played through multiple films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, most recently in “Avengers: Edngame.” Should Steinfeld join the series, she would play Kate Bishop. Bishop is a Marvel Comics character who took up the Hawkeye mantle after Clint Barton (Renner). She is also a member of the group known as the Young Avengers. It was reported last week that Jonathan Igla is attached to write and executive produce the series.

Starring in the series would likely represent a long-term investment in Steinfeld on Marvel’s part. Given the Disney-owned company’s uncanny ability to build up onscreen franchises around even their lesser-known characters, it is reasonable to assume that the Bishop character would eventually spin off into either her own standalone series or even appear in the MCU.

Sony Pictures Chief on Spider-Man Split: ‘For the Moment the Door is Closed’

Fans holding out hope that Spider-Man might be returning to the Marvel Cinematic Universe will be disappointed to hear that “for the moment the door is closed,” according to Sony Pictures chairman and CEO Tony Vinciquerra.

Speaking at Variety‘s Entertainment & Technology summit, Vinciquerra cryptically added that “it’s a long life,” implying that perhaps in the distant future the web-slinging hero might swing his way back to the Disney-owned company.

Vinciquerra insisted that there is “no ill will” between Sony and Marvel, after the two failed to reach on agreement on financing terms for upcoming Spider-Man movies, effectively removing Tom Holland’s Spider-Man from the Marvel fold in terms of both future standalone and team-up features. However, he also did acknowledge the fan backlash to the news, saying that it has been “an interesting couple of weeks” for the studio.

Vinciquerra pointed to Marvel boss Kevin Feige being “stretched incredibly thin” with new additions coming to the MCU as one of the reasons behind the breakdown in talks.

“We had a great run with (Feige) on Spider-Man movies,” the Sony chief said. “We tried to see if there’s a way to work it out….the Marvel people are terrific people, we have great respect for them, but on the other hand we have some pretty terrific people of our own. Kevin didn’t do all the work.”

Now that one of its biggest properties is back solely in its hands, Vinciquerra said that Sony plans to launch its own universe using the vast array of Spider-Man characters.

The studio is in production on a second “Venom” film, a picture based on the character Morbius and “five or six” TV series set in the Spider-Man world. The Sony boss bullishly expressed his belief that the character will do “just fine” outside of the MCU, pointing to the success of “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” and the Sony-Amazon series “The Boys” as evidence that Sony is fully capable of hitting the mark on the superhero front.

“Spider-Man was fine before the event movies, did better with the event movies, and now that we have our own universe, he will play off the other characters as well,” Vinciquerra said. “I think we’re pretty capable of doing what we have to do here.”

Many have expressed the hope that Spider-Man might still remain in the MCU, with Marvel stalwart Jon Favreau commenting during his keynote conversation at the Ent & Tech summit that the split is “not for lack of trying.”

“I’ve been talking to everybody about it…I’m cautiously optimistic,” Favreau said of the Spidey situation. “I think it’s a long way away and I think the collaboration has been really strong up to this point so I’m hopeful that there’s away for us all to play together going forward.”

Segment 2: Fall Movie Preview

https://www.denofgeek.com/us/movies/282889/fall-movie-preview-2019

Summer is over and awards season is right around the corner. Here are the movies to look forward to in Fall 2019

Joker
October 4

One of the most debated movies of the year kicks October off with a nice big smile. Warner Bros. and director Todd Phillips (The Hangover) reimagine comicdom’s greatest villain by way of Taxi Driver and The King of Comedy. Wearing its Scorsese influences on its sleeve, Joker is the rare superhero movie that’s as comfortable playing at prestigious film festivals as it is at comic cons. Indeed, tongues are already wagging. Yet what seems to have everyone in agreement is just how good Joaquin Phoenix is as the titular homicidal clown. There hasn’t been this kind of excitement for a comic book movie performance since, well, Heath Ledger put on a happy face in The Dark Knight.

A Batman-free origin story of the Clown Prince of Crime, Joker imagines its eponymous villain as Arthur Fleck, a would-be nice guy who at middle-age cannot figure out why he is always finishing last. Enjoying a relationship with his mother (Frances Conroy) that would give Freud a field day, Arthur eventually snaps in the face of societal decay in 1980s New York Gotham City. And now, he just wants to put a smile on your face, even if it kills you.

Gemini Man
October 11

Once upon a time, Will Smith was the biggest movie star on the planet.

When he appeared in an action movie in his 20s, it was going to be a big deal. And it might be again in Ang Lee’s trippy shoot ‘em up. Directed by one of the great filmmakers of our time, Gemini Man pits Will Smith against Will Smith with the miracle of CGI de-aging technology. Hence in the film, middle-aged Henry Brogan (Smith) encounters his exact double in Junior, a 25-year-old clone of Henry also played by Smith. Set at odds by a villainous Clive Owen, the two do battle in a story first hatched by Game of Thrones’ David Benioff. The talent around the film, which also includes Mary Elizabeth Winstead, hopefully foretells a sci-fi thriller of more cutting edge stuff.

Jay and Silent Bob Reboot
October 15

Kevin Smith has made a “reboot” of Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back by essentially remaking that 2001 movie for an allegedly new generation. Well played, Kev. The story of Jay and Silent Bob’s (still blessedly Jason Mewes and Smith) road trip to Hollywood in order to stop a dark and gritty reboot of their earlier movie, Reboot is also about parentage as Jay learns he is a father to a young woman named Millie (Harley Quinn Smith). The film is likewise a chance for Smith to load up on cameos of familiar faces, both new and old, including Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Joey Lauren Addams, Rosario Dawson, Shannon Elizabeth, Jason Lee, Melissa Benoist, Val Kilmer, Justin Long, Chris Hemsworth, and more. We’ll have to wait to see if this reunion is filled with new creative energy or just nostalgia, but until then…snoochie boochies.

Terminator: Dark Fate
November 1

The Terminator franchise has seen some rough patches as of late. Despite being borne out of two of the greatest action movies, James Cameron’s The Terminator (1984) and Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), there hasn’t been a good movie in the series since Linda Hamilton stepped away from playing Sarah Connor. Which is what makes Dark Fate so interesting. For the first time in nearly 30 years, Hamilton returns to the franchise to square off against a new cybernetic villain (Gabriel Luna). With director Tim Miller (Deadpool) helming the reunion, a returning Arnold Schwarzenegger, and interesting new talent like Mackenzie Davis joining their ranks, maybe this time the future is brighter.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
December 20

Easily the most anticipated movie—excuse me, event—of the holiday season, all eyes are on The Rise of Skywalker, the alleged final chapter of the “Skywalker Saga.” In other words, it end the story of all Star Wars movies released to date, as well as follow-up the installment that divided the fanbase, The Last Jedi.

Disney and Lucasfilm are pulling out the big blasters, bringing J.J. Abrams back to the saga after successfully reviving it in The Force Awakens and he’s bringing back an old school classicalism to the way it’s filmed. It is in this context that Rey (Daisy Ridley), Finn (John Boyega), Poe (Oscar Isaac), Rose (Kelly Marie Tran), and the eternally conflicted Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) will find out where they all finally stand in the true balance of the Force.

Segment 4: Spin The Racks