The Watchers Film Show Review Of 2022

Our Review of 2022 is here!

In our twelfth (twelfth!) annual review of the year, we discuss what made our nice lists and our naughty lists- with one film from someone's nice list made the naughty list of another! But what was it? 

Could it be Thor: Love & Thunder? Death On The Nile? Or maybe it was Morbius? (Just kidding, it definitely wasn't Morbius)

Documentaries, awards fodder, horror movies, whodunits and comic book movies all get a mention - we are nothing if not diverse! Take a listen and let us know your best (and worst) films of 2022.

Enjoy! 
 

Happy New Year From The Watchers!

 

Happy New Year to you all!

However you spent last night, we hope you enjoyed it and hopefully 2022 has started well for everyone. 

If 2021 was not a good year for you, may 2022 be better. If 2021 was a good year for you, may 2022 continue to be good. In any and all cases,

In terms of upcoming cinematic treats, there's plenty that The Watchers are excited by: Scream (or Scream 5, or 5cream if you will), The Tragedy Of Macbeth, Death On The Nile (finally due in February if all goes to plan!), The Batman, Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets Of Dumbledore, Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness, Top Gun: Maverick, Jurassic World Dominion, Thor: Love And Thunder, Black Adam, Mission: Impossible 7, Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse (Part One), Halloween Ends, The Flash, Creed III, Morbius, Turning Red, Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom, and John Wick: Chapter 4, to name but a few. 

Obviously there's a lot that can still change, so we'll keep an eye out and let you know of any big shifts. 

We wish you all the very best - may the upcoming year bring you what you want and need to thrive. 

The Watchers

(Rhys, Matt & Tez)

Comic Book Movie Round-Up: March 2021

It's been a while since there was news enough to warrant doing one of these, but I figured it would be nice to have a look at what's going on in the world of comic-book movies (and to give people a respite from awards stuff left, right, and centre). 

So let's take a look at what we've got.

THE SUICIDE SQUAD

Yesterday, our proverbial cup runneth over with a veritable slew of posters and a suitably raucous and NSFW red-band trailer for The Suicide Squad.

Just me, or is anyone else getting some real Dirty Dozen vibes from these posters? Here's the trailer (like I said above, NSFW):

 

In addition to all of this, a dozen character posters were also released!

So, from top left to bottom right, we have: Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), Amanda Waller (Viola Davis), Ratcatcher 2 (Daniela Melchior), Bloodsport (Idris Elba), Savant (Michael Rooker), Colonel Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman), Captain Boomerang (Jai Courtney), Peacemaker (John Cena), Thinker (Peter Capaldi), Polka-Dot Man (David Dastmalchian), Weasel (Sean Gunn), and King Shark (performed by Steve Agee [who also plays John Economos] and voiced by... Sylvester Stallone!)

The trailer also gives brief glimpses of Pete Davidson as Blackguard, Flula Borg as Javelin, Mayling Ng as Mongal and Nathan Fillion (enjoying some Mr Pibb) as TDK, with Alice Braga's Sol Soria (leader of the Corto Maltese resistance) who- I'm assuming reluctantly?-  teams up with Task Force X. 

The Suicide Squad (written and directed by James Gunn) will be released in cinemas [where possible] and on HBO Max on August 6 2021.

Bring on the carnage!

And since we're talking about carnage...

VENOM: LET THERE BE CARNAGE

In a list of "sequels nobody asked for or wanted", a sequel to the execrable Venom would be on that list. Despite not much going for it, it made over $856m at the box office. When a movie makes this much bank, a sequel is all-but guaranteed (especially if, as Venom did, you cynically include a mid-credits scene teasing a well-known character who's itching to cross swords with the symbiote). 

Either way, we have Venom: Let There Be Carnage on the way. Carnage being the alter ego of serial killer Cletus Kasady (played by Woody Harrelson at the end of Venom in what looked like a truly dreadful hairpiece). So, he'll be causing some kind of havoc for Eddie Brock in this film, which is being directed by Andy Serkis. 

Along with Harrelson, Tom Hardy is, of course, reprising his role as Eddie Brock/Venom, as is Michelle Williams (playing Annie Weying, Brock's ex-fiancee). New cast members include Stephen Graham and Oscar-nominated actress Naomie Harris (Moonlight, SPECTRE), who is tipped to be playing Kasady's lover who goes by the name Shriek. 

After a couple of COVID-related delays, Venom: Let There Be Carnage is due on September 17 2021. 

SHAZAM! FURY OF THE GODS

Whilst Shazam! Fury Of The Gods might still be a few years away (it's not due to drop til 2023) but this week saw some interesting casting news: the movie's villain has reportedly been cast. In the role of the villainous Hespera (daughter of Atlas) is none other... than Helen Mirren! The Oscar-winning actress will be squaring up against Zachary Levi in the David F. Sandberg-directed sequel. 

You might do a bit of a double-take that an actress of Mirren's calibre will be slumming it in a comic-book movie- but don't forget, she's also been in Fast And Furious 8, the RED movies, and she's voiced a dragon in Monsters University, so it's all fair game.  

BLACK ADAM

There still isn't a concrete release date for Black Adam as yet; however, a recent Instagram post by Dwayne Johnson confirmed that filming was "approximately three weeks away" from starting. 

Not only that, but this week saw some more interesting casting news which means that the Justice Society of America is now complete. Because joining Johnson and the previously announced Noah Centineo (Atom Smasher), Aldis Hodge (Hawkman), and Quintessa Swindell (Cyclone) is... Pierce Brosnan, who'll be playing Dr. Fate! 

Black Adam will be directed by Jaume Collet-Serra (House Of Wax, Orphan, Jungle Cruise)

THE FLASH

Finally, there's two bits of news for Andy Muschietti's Flash movie. The first is that, due to scheduling conflicts with Apple TV show The Morning Show, Billy Crudup will not be reprising his role as Henry Allen; the role will now be taken by Ron Livingston (Office Space, The Conjuring). 

He'll be joining Sasha Calle (The Young And The Restless), Maribel Verdú (Y Tu Mamá También, Pan's Labyrinth), and Kiersey Clemons (Bad Neighbours 2, Antebellum) who are playing Supergirl, Nora Allen, and Iris West respectively. Clemons was originally cast as Iris for Justice League but was one of the characters dropped when Zack Snyder left the project; she does however appear in the Snyder Cut.

It's been also widely reported that Michael Keaton is due to get back in the Batsuit for this film, appearing alongside Ben Affleck as different iterations of the Caped Crusader. However, this week Keaton has given a word of caution saying that his participation is not guaranteed, due to the ongoing COVID pandemic. An internet rumour has suggested that Christian Bale may be potentially tapped to replace Keaton's Batman if he's unable to commit to the role, but we shall see... 

The film is still currently set for a November 2022 release.

SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME

In February, the title of the third Sony/MCU Spider-Man movie was announced. 

Spider-Man: No Way Home. Not Phone Home. Not Home-Wrecker. And certainly not Home Slice.

In a cute little vid, Tom Holland (Peter Parker), Jacob Batalon (Ned), and Zendaya (MJ) are exasperated that they've all been given- and have given out- fake titles. This, Jacob and Zendaya claim, is squarely down to Tom and his penchant for spoilers. "Name me one thing I've actually spoiled", he asks to which Zendaya responds "the last movie title". She ain't wrong...

So, we know the title. We know that the three main teen characters are back. We know Marisa Tomei and Tony Revolori will be back as Aunt May and Flash Thompson respectively. We know Jon Watts (who's directed both Spider-Man: Homecoming and Spider-Man: Far From Home) is back in the director chair. What else do we know?

We know that Benedict Cumberbatch is appearing in the film as Dr. Stephen Strange, before his own sequel in Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness. Strange will likely take the role of Parker's mentor figure (in the same way Tony Stark did in Homecoming and Nick Fury did in Far From Home). 

We know that Alfred Molina is reprising his role as Dr. Otto Octavius/Doctor Octopus from Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 2. I was tremendously excited by this news as Molina is not only a fantastic actor, but his Doc Ock is the best portrayal of a live-action Spider-Man villain on film to date. Don't @ me.  

We also know that Jamie Foxx will be reprising his role as Max Dillon/Electro from Marc Webb's The Amazing Spider-Man 2. Less thrilled about this, if I'm honest. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 tried to cram in so much to its run time that Foxx didn't get to make the impact he should have. Maybe he will here (if the role isn't a glorified cameo?)

There's been speculation that this might set up the Sinister Six- the half-dozen cabal of Spidey's most notorious villains, which traditionally includes Doctor Octopus, Electro, Mysterio, Vulture, and Sandman, along with a number of other villains such as Kraven The Hunter, Green Goblin, Shocker, Lizard, Black Cat, Rhino, and Venom. It's worth noting that all bar Kraven, Hobgoblin and Black Cat (whilst it seems clear that Felicity Jones' character Felicia in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 was meant to reference her, it's not canon; again, don't @ me) have appeared on screen in some iteration or other. A Sinister Six movie has long been in the pipeline, so this might be the kick up the exhaust it needs.

There's been massive rumours that both Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire definitely are/might be/possibly/potentially reprising their roles as Peter Parker/Spider-Man. Other rumours say Garfield yes, Maguire no. Others say it's the villains only. Tom Holland's officially denied it, but- in the immortal words of Mandy Rice-Davies - "well, he would, wouldn't he?"

As it stands at the moment, Spider-Man: No Way Home is due to hit cinemas December 17 2021. 

THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER

Filming for the Thorquel, directed by Taika Waititi and starring Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tessa Thompson, and Christian Bale, has been taking place in Australia. Set photos have revealed the presence of several of the Guardians of the Galaxy (including Star-Lord, Nebula, and Kraglin; no surprise as Thor headed off with them at the end of Avengers: Endgame).

It also looks like Loki's penchant for putting on plays to dramatise Asgardian history has rubbed off on someone, as Matt Damon and Liam Hemsworth have been seen on set, playing Actor Loki and Actor Thor from Thor: Ragnarok - with a surprise addition of Melissa McCarthy as Actress Hela! Clearly keeping up the goofy vibe from Ragnarok then...

Thor: Love And Thunder is currently due for release on May 6 2022.

Well, that's quite enough to be going on with, I think. Hope you enjoyed it!

News from Disney Investor Day 2020

On Thursday (10th December), Disney held its Investor Day which detailed the corporation's plans for the next couple of years. This meant announcements for upcoming television and film projects, including from television networks like Hulu, FX, ESPN and National Geographic, and media franchises including  Pixar, Star Wars, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

So here's a round-up of some of the big news from the event!

DISNEY ANIMATION STUDIOS & PIXAR

Raya And The Last Dragon - Disney's 59th feature (with Kelly Marie Tran and Awkwafina voices the title roles) will hit cinemas (where possible) on March 5th 2021, but will also premiere on Disney+ on the same day (as Mulan did earlier in the summer)

Iwájú - Disney Animations will be collaborating with Pan-African entertainment company Kugali to create an all-new, science fiction series set in a futuristic version of Lagos coming to Disney+ in 2022. 

Encanto - Directed by Byron Howard and Jared Bush, Encanto is about a magical family from Colombia who llive in a magical home. Lin-Manuel Miranda has written the music for this film.

Luca - Coming after Soul (which hits Disney+ on Christmas Day), Pixar's next feature film is Luca. Set in Italy, the film is all about two best friends- Luca and Alberto- celebrating an unforgettable summer. It will hit cinemas in June 2021.

Turning Red - Domee Shi (who directed the Oscar-winning animated short Bao) directs Turning Red. Teenager Mei experiences all of the awkwardness of being a teenager, with an added twist: when she gets too excited, she transforms into a giant red panda. It comes to cinemas on March 11th 2022.

Lightyear - Now here's an interesting one. On June 17th 2022, we'll get to see the definitive story of the original Buzz Lightyear (the space ranger who inspired the action figure in the Toy Story films). And here's another interesting one: Buzz will be voiced by Chris Evans! 

DISNEY STUDIOS

The cast of the live-action version of The Little Mermaid has been confirmed, directed by Rob Marshall (Chicago, Into The Woods):

Also announced was Hocus Pocus 2, directed by Adam Shankman, and a remake of Three Men And A Baby with Zac Efron in the lead.

Night At The Museum is coming to Disney+ in 2021 in a new animated feature

Jungle Cruise, with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Emily Blunt, Jack Whitehall and Paul Giamatti, will still be hitting cinemas in July 2021.

A live-action version of Pinocchio, starring Tom Hanks and directed by Robert Zemeckis, has been announced, as has a version of Peter Pan with Jude Law as Captain Hook.

A sequel to 2007's Enchanted- called Disenchanted- will stream exclusively on Disney+ with Amy Adams returning to play Giselle; Sister Act 3 is also in the works with Whoopi Goldberg producing and starring.

STAR WARS

A huge slate of Star Wars TV shows was announced during the event, which will all premiere on Disney+

Rangers Of The New Republic and Ahsoka are two new original series set within the timeline of The Mandalorian; Rosario Dawson, who plays Ahsoka Tano in The Mandalorian, will reprise her role. 

In 2022, there will be an original series based around the character of Cassian Andor- who appeared in Rogue One- with Diego Luna returning to the role (and acting as an executive producer). It will run for 12 episodes.  Fiona Shaw, Denise Gough, and Kyle Soller are joining the cast, as well as Genevieve O’Reilly as rebel leader Mon Mothma.

Ewan McGregor's long-mooted Obi-Wan Kenobi spin-off is definitely happening... with Hayden Christensen returning to play Darth Vader opposite him. Set 10 years after the events of Revenge Of The Sith, it's a project that has a lot of people excited.

A few new animated series and features were announced, including The Bad Batch, Visions (a series of shorts that show the Star Wars galaxy through Japanese anime creators), and A Droid Story (where a new hero will get guided by R2-D2 and C-3PO). 

A Lando Calrissian spinoff was also announced, as was The Acolyte which is billed as "a mystery-thriller that will take viewers into a galaxy of shadowy secrets and emerging dark-side powers in the final days of the High Republic era"

Disney also confirmed the Star Wars feature to be directed by Taika Waititi, whilst Patty Jenkins (Wonder Woman) will direct Star Wars: Rogue Squadron.

MARVEL STUDIOS

Kevin Feige ended the four-hour event with a bumper load of news regarding Marvel's upcoming slate of television and films.

Starting with the television programmes:

WandaVision -  Starring Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany, this series starts streaming from January 15th 2021 on Disney+

The Falcon And The Winter Soldier -  Starring Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan, this six-part series starts streaming from March 19th 2021

Loki -  Starring Tom Hiddleston, this crime caper will be released on Disney+ in May 2021

What If...? - The 10-part animated series, which explores what would happen if major moments in the Marvel timeline happened differently (for example, if Peggy Carter had received the Super Soldier Serum instead of Steve Rogers, or if T'Challa had been found by Yondu instead of Star-Lord), hits Disney+ in Summer 2021. Jeffrey Wright plays the Watcher who narrates the show.

Ms. Marvel - This current iteration of Ms. Marvel (Kamala Khan, a teenage Pakistani American from New Jersey, and one of the first Muslim characters to headline a Marvel comic) has only been in the comic books since 2014 but will be making her way to the small- and big- screens in 2021 and 2022. The Ms. Marvel TV show will air on Disney+ late 2021.

Hawkeye - Jeremy Renner will play Clint Barton/Hawkeye in this Disney+ original story, alongside Oscar-nominated actress Hailee Steinfeld as Kate Bishop. Alaqua Cox, Fra Free, and Vera Farmiga will also appear in the show, which does not have a release date as yet. 

She-Hulk - Rumoured for a while, it's now been confirmed that Orphan Black's Tatiana Maslany will be bringing Jennifer Walters (a.k.a. She Hulk) to the small screen. Also, it's been confirmed that Tim Roth will return to the MCU for the first time since 2008's The Incredible Hulk to play Emil Blonsky/Abomination, and appearances from current Hulk Mark Ruffalo have also been announced. 

Moon Knight - an original series featuring the detective character described as "a complex vigilante" (which is putting it mildly!) has been greenlit. No casting news or release date has been given, although Oscar Isaac has been attached to the role. 

Secret Invasion - Samuel L. Jackson returns as Nick Fury whilst Ben Mendelsohn reprises his Captain Marvel role as the Skrull Talos for this series. No other information has been given so far. 

Ironheart - An original series based on Riri Williams, a teenage engineering student who creates a suit of armour more advanced than Iron Man's, Dominique Thorne (If Beale Street Could Talk) will play the title role. 

Armor Wars - Don Cheadle returns as James Rhodes/War Machine for a series which shows what happens if Stark technology falls into the wrong hands.

The Guardians Of The Galaxy Holiday Special and I Am Groot - James Gunn returns to write and direct this 2022 holiday special (done on the set of Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol.3), whilst an animated series of shorts featuring Baby Groot will also come to Disney+ 

MCU MOVIES

A lot of interesting news came out for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Confirmation has come that Black Widow will still be hitting cinemas in May 2021, and that Mahershala Ali will be playing Blade in a new film.

Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings - Production has wrapped on the film, which will be released on June 9th 2021. Several new cast members have been officially announced: 

Doctor Who In The Multiverse Of Madness - Some familiar faces will be joining Benedict Cumberbatch's Sorcerer Supreme for this Sam Raimi-directed film. Benedict Wong (Wong), Rachel McAdams (Christine Palmer) and Chiwetel Ejiofor (Mordo) will be reprising their roles from the first Doctor Strange film, whilst newcomers to the cast include Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch and Xochitl Gomez as America Chavez.  The film will reportedly link to both WandaVision and the third Sony/Marvel Spider-Man film (in which Cumberbatch will appear). March 25th 2022 is the given release date for this film at the moment.  

Thor: Love And Thunder - Again, something that had been long-rumoured but now confirmed: Christian Bale will be joining the MCU! Bale will star opposite Chris Hemsworth and Natalie Portman as Gorr the God Butcher. The film is due in cinemas May 6th 2022. 

Black Panther 2 - The sequel to the 2018 original will be written and directed by Ryan Coogler. Given the untimely passing of Chadwick Boseman earlier this year, the decision has been made not to recast the character of T'Challa. Instead the film will explore the world of Wakanda and the other characters. The film will hit the cinemas on July 8th 2022.  

Captain Marvel 2 - Nia DaCosta (Top Boy, Candyman) takes the director's chair for the sequel to 2019's original. Brie Larson will once again take the role of Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel and will be joined by Teyonah Parris as Monica Rambeau, and Iman Vellani as Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel. The film is due on November 11th 2022.

Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania - Peyton Reed (Ant-Man) will direct this threequel, with Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Douglas, and Michelle Pfeiffer all returning from Ant-Man And The Wasp. Kathryn Newton will join the cast as Cassie Lang, and Jonathan Majors as Kang The Conqueror.

Saving some of the biggest news til last, Jon Watts (Spider-Man: Homecoming, Spider-Man: Far From Home) will direct a new feature film bringing the Fantastic Four into the MCU. 

OTHER NEWS

An Alien television series is in development at FX Networks, with Noah Hawley (showrunner of Fargo) as showrunner.

It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia has been renewed for four more seasons (up to Season 18) which will make it the longest-running live action sitcom in TV history

A Willow TV show, based on the 1988 fantasy action drama of the same name, is in the works and will premiere in 2022. Warwick Davis will reprise his role from the original film, and the pilot episode will be directed by Jon M. Chu (G.I. Joe: Retaliation, Crazy Rich Asians)

Pre-production has begun on the fifth Indiana Jones film. It'll be directed by James Mangold (Le Mans '66, Logan) and hit cinemas in July 2022. 

So, there's a lot to look forward to in the next couple of years!