Another week is scratched off the calendar and that means a new set of superhero news pieces are here. That being the case, it’s that time of the week to sit down and go over the latest information that has surfaced surrounding your favorite and most anticipated superhero projects in movies and television. This week gave us plenty to look at, including a new Batsuit from Justice League, another Wolverine 3 villain, new The LEGO Batman Movie poster, casting news from Netflix’s The Punisher, a new Luke Cage clip, the latest Doctor Strange featurette, and more. Catch up below.
‘Justice League’: New Batsuit Revealed
Justice League is still currently filming in Europe, but director Zack Snyder recently confirmed that principal photography is in the homestretch by giving us the surprise reveal of a new Batsuit from the upcoming DC film. The director took to his Twitter to share a photo from the Justice League set, revealing Batman (Ben Affleck)’s new Tactical Batsuit, goggles and armor included. Reactions have been mostly positive, and comparisons have been made between this suit and Christian Bale’s Batsuit, and also with Nite Owl’s costume from Snyder’s Watchmen. The new tactical suit looks great and I’m really liking that we’re getting multiple suits from this Batman. However, I’m more intrigued by what the Dark Knight is up to that requires such heavy-duty attire, but for that answer we’ll have to wait.
‘Wolverine 3’: Bryan Singer Confirms Mister Sinister as Villain
A large cloud of secrecy has been surrounding the upcoming Wolverine 3 since we first found out the movie was happening, evidenced by the fact we still can’t talk about the movie using a proper title. Small reveals have been surfacing, especially now that the film is in the later stages of production, but with Wolverine 3 there have been a lot of speculations and rumors. The newest intel to drop from the film came from director Bryan Singer, who confirmed Mister Sinister as a villain in the upcoming film. The reveal comes in the audio commentary from the director for X-Men: Apocalypse, where in a post-credit scene a briefcase with the name Essex Corp. can be seen. For those who are unaware, Mister Sinister is also known as Nathaniel Essex, and is a very powerful villain in the X-Men universe capable of almost anything. This latest reveal opens up the floor for even more rumors and speculation, but again, with a film with so much mystery that’s inevitable. I’m just curious to see where this film will take and apparently end Logan (Hugh Jackman)’s story.
‘The LEGO Batman Movie’: New Poster Asks You to Be Yourself Unless You Can Be Batman
You probably already knew this but yesterday was Batman Day, and Warner Bros. decided to commemorate the very special day by releasing a new poster for The LEGO Batman Movie. The upcoming animated film directed by Christopher Miller and Phil Lord will hit theaters next year, and we are reminded of it through this nice poster that asks us to always be ourselves, unless we can be Batman. This film already has enough reasons for us to look forward to it, but simple, charming, funny stuff like this just puts a smile on my face and makes me want to see it even more.
‘The Punisher’: Ben Barnes Cast in Upcoming Netflix Series
Jon Bernthal’s memorable turn as Frank Castle/The Punisher in Marvel’s Daredevil made the development of the character’s own series a no-brainer, and evidence that the wheels continue to turn has emerged with a new casting addition. According to reports, actor Ben Barnes has been brought on board and joins Bernthal on the highly-anticipated Netflix series. Marvel/Netflix have yet to confirm the casting, and while there isn’t information on what character Barnes would play, rumors place the actor in the villainous role of Bobby Saint, the son of crime boss Howard Saint. It’s too early to get overly excited about one casting news that doesn’t reveal anything story-wise, but the rumors surrounding the news do offer up some interesting possibilities, if they end up being true.
‘Luke Cage’: New Clip Features Villain Cottonmouth
It’s almost time! We’ve patiently waited and now we’re that much closer to the arrival of Netflix’s Luke Cage in just a couple of weeks. That means the show will continue to delight us with promotional material before its arrival, and the newest one comes in the form of a clip. In the latest clip from Luke Cage we get a brief but chilling introduction to Mahershala Ali’s Cottonmouth/Cornell Stokes, explaining to his victim why he likes his Biggie Smalls/ Notorious B.I.G. painting, through the line of dialogue: “Everybody wants to be the king”. I really liked this shot of Ali with the crown of the painting on top of his head when I saw it in previous promotional material, and seeing it in this clip under more context just makes it better.
‘Doctor Strange’: New Featurette Highlights Stephen Strange
Marvel Studios will dive into the realm of the mystical and supernatural with Scott Derrickson’s upcoming Doctor Strange, and with the film not far from its release we get our newest look into this world through the latest featurette. This time around the featurette focuses on Benedict Cumberbatch’s Stephen Strange, his origin, journey, and some of his relationships with other characters, like Tilda Swinton’s Ancient One and Chiwetel Ejiofor’s Mordo. Doctor Strange has been showing us that visually the film will be giving us something quite spectacular and unique, but I am looking forward to seeing Stephen Strange’s story unfold, how this arrogant, selfish neurosurgeon transforms into the world-defending sorcerer.
‘Arrow’: Oliver Trains New Recruits in Season 5 Extended Trailer
The CW’s Arrow will return for its 5th season next month, and if you’re wondering what Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) will be up to this season, we got a good look at what’s coming with an extended trailer. The Green Arrow assembles and trains a new team of vigilantes to defend his city from the newest threats in this latest video, and the new roster includes characters like Wild Dog (Rick Gonzalez) and Artemis (Madison McLaughlin). We’ve been promised new and exciting things from season 5 of Arrow, and while I’m not certain more vigilantes is something to look forward to, I remain hopeful the show can turn things around.