Welcome back to Collider's “This Week in Superhero News”! The place to go to find the latest news of each week regarding the various superhero projects in movies, television, and other mediums. Trying to keep up with all of the superhero news that drop daily can be a daunting task, so we make it easier for you by compiling them in one place. The superhero news of this week includes Deadpool 2 eyeing possible directors, The Defenders setting S.J. Clarkson to direct, when The Batman could start filming, a new The LEGO Batman Movie image, cast additions for The Punisher, and more. Get caught up below.
‘Deadpool 2’: Eyeing Possible Directors
The news that director Tim Miller was departing from Deadpool 2 was both disappointing and surprising, but apparently producer/star Ryan Reynolds and Fox are wasting no time in finding a replacement, since a few names have already been revealed as possible directors. According to reports, John Wick co-director David Leitch is being eyed by the studio to take over directing duties for Deadpool 2. Further reports also add directors Drew Goddard (The Cabin in the Woods) and Magnus Martens (Marvel’s Luke Cage) to the list of possible candidates.
Other reports place Leitch at the top of Fox’s list and confirm the director has already met with Reynolds, while Goddard and Martens remain on the studio’s meeting list. While many would have loved to see Miller return, the list of names being considered is encouraging, and it will be interesting to see if more names come up and who will eventually end up getting the job.
‘The Defenders’: ‘Jessica Jones’ Standout S.J. Clarkson to Direct
Fans of Marvel’s Netflix shows are very much looking forward to the heroes we already know (Daredevil, Jessica Jones, and Luke Cage) and those we are about to meet (Iron Fist) coming together in The Defenders. Not much is known about the upcoming miniseries at this point and we don’t have a firm release date yet, but what we do now know is one of the names on the directing roster. Marvel announced this week that S.J. Clarkson, who directed the first two episodes of Jessica Jones, will also be helming the first two episodes of The Defenders. Additionally, Clarkson was announced to be serving as an Executive Producer on the premiere episode.
Clarkson evidently did a fantastic job in kicking-off Jessica Jones, so she’ll be looking to repeat that success with introducing The Defenders as well. Luckily by then we will already know all of these characters, but the challenge will be handling all of them together and what will be bringing them together in the first place.
‘The Batman’: Jeremy Irons Suggests Filming Stars Next Summer
News on Ben Affleck’s The Batman has been dropping here and there recently, with Affleck himself every so often giving updates on the film. Nothing we’ve heard up to this point hinted at The Batman coming our way too soon, but apparently the film will be shooting next year according to Alfred Pennyworth himself, Jeremy Irons. During an interview, when asked if his character would have more to do in Justice League, Irons replied that his role would be similar. But Irons adds that Affleck promised him there would be more Alfred in the Batman film, which the actor said shoots as soon as next summer.
Affleck has reportedly been working on the script for The Batman with DC Comics COO and DC Films head Geoff Johns, so if Irons’ comments are true it means the team is happy with the script they have. There hasn’t been any official confirmation on when The Batman starts filming, and the film doesn’t have a release date at this point, but it looks like that could be changing very soon.
‘The LEGO Batman Movie’: New Images Shows Off Bat-Vehicles
Like The LEGO Movie, The LEGO Batman Movie will be looking to present us with a brighter and more comedic side of the Dark Knight, a character we’ve gotten accustomed to seeing in darker and more serious surroundings. This week we got a fresh look at that lighter side of Batman with a new image from The LEGO Batman Movie. In this image, we are jokingly reminded that Batman has no shortage of vehicles, ranging from his classic Batmobile all the way to a Batboat and Batcopter. It’s very entertaining to see how this version of the character almost makes fun of himself, so we can very much look forward to seeing that in full force when The LEGO Batman Movie hits theaters.
‘The Punisher’: New Possible Allies and Antagonists Added
Filming is currently underway on the upcoming Punisher Netflix series, and as production continues the show has revealed the latest additions to its cast. Marvel announced this week the additions of Daniel Webber, Jaime Ray Newman, Jason R. Moore, Michael Nathanson, and Paul Schulze to the series. This new group joins star Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle, Deborah Ann Woll as Karen Page, and previously announced Ben Barnes as Billy Russo, Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Micro, and Amber Rose Revah as Dinah Madani. It remains to be seen how these new additions will come to interact with The Punisher and whether some of them will be with him or against him.
‘Thor: Ragnarok’ Wraps Production
Taika Waititi’s Thor: Ragnarok will be landing in theaters next year, and as the release date gets closer the film has recently wrapped production. Marvel’s next journey to Asgard concluded principal photography in Australia this week, and the celebrations of the cast and crew were broadcast on Facebook Live. The broadcast was actually from the last day of filming, and Waititi gave a pretty nice behind-the-scenes look from the set, including chats with stars Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson. Naturally no spoilers or details were given from the film, but wrapping of the shoot means we’re that much closer to getting to see promotional material amd more.
