Jon Favreau's Iron Man will always be remembered as one of the most important and influential blockbuster movies ever made, after it served as the launchpad for what quickly became the world's biggest and most popular franchise. Given the unprecedented success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it seems easy to forget that the studio's debut feature was viewed as a huge risk at the time, especially with a so-called 'B-level' hero like Iron Man leading the charge.
Following yesterday's news that Nia DaCosta had signed on to helm Captain Marvel 2, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has finally confirmed the lineup of directors for all of its movies with a locked-in release date. After much speculation over who could end up taking the reins for Carol Danvers' solo sequel, DaCosta seems like an inspired choice, with horror maestro and Academy Award-winner Jordan Peele singing her praises for what she's bringing to the Candyman reboot.
It might sound a little far-fetched when you hear it now, but back in 2014 there was some genuine concern that Seth Rogen might have ended up being responsible for World War III. The Interview was a satirical action comedy that saw James Franco play a talk show host who heads to North Korea to interview Kim Jong-un with his long-suffering producer played by Rogen in tow.
Like every other Marvel Cinematic Universe sequel that's in any stage of development, Black Panther II is already the subject of constant rumor and speculation about both where the story is headed, and how it could ultimately tie into and expand the universe itself.
After spending over a decade as the face of the world's biggest franchise, Robert Downey Jr.'s first tentative steps outside of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's comfort zone didn't exactly go to plan, with Dolittle being torn apart by critics and bombing hard at the box office, even though it still ranks as the third highest-grossing movie of 2020 because that's the kind of year we're having.
It must be tough for any actor that plays a major role in a blockbuster superhero franchise, because they'll always get asked about their comic book gig no matter what they're trying to promote. Joaquin Phoenix got sick of talking about Joker in a matter of months, while Hugh Jackman seems to have embraced the fact that no matter what he does for the rest of his career, every single interview he conducts will inevitably feature at least one question about Wolverine.
The news that Mulan will be bypassing theaters entirely (in most regions, at least) and heading exclusively to Disney Plus for a one-off fee has generated a more mixed reaction than you might have initially expected. While larger families seem happy to shell out the $29.99 based on the fact that it works out a whole lot cheaper than buying movie tickets for everyone, some single-member households with a subscription feel like they're getting overcharged.
In an alternate world, the executives in the Disney boardroom would be toasting their latest commercial successes as both Black Widow and Mulan topped the box office charts around the globe, with the Mouse House's first major blockbusters of 2020 combining to earn close to $2 billion globally.