If it's seemed slow in terms of superhero movie news for the last few weeks—and it really should have, considering how little actual news was being announced—then you'll be excited to know that the drought is over. This week: three legit announcements, one surprising rumor, and arguably the least surprising X-Men: Apocalypse cameo rumor of all, because Hugh Jackman. Come! Join us as we race through the highlights of the last week's superhero movie news!
It turns out that Gal Gadot won't be the only Amazon warrior in the upcoming standalone Wonder Woman movie. Nicole Kidman is reportedly in talks to join the project, potentially playing a "high-ranking Amazonian warrior" who may or may not end up being Wonder Woman's mother, Hippolyta.
Why this is super: Kidman as the Queen of the Amazons is one of those things that you probably hadn't thought of before it was rumored, but then becomes more and more interesting the more you ponder it. Here's hoping that's really the role she's going for, instead of a generic villain.
Well, add another Guardian to Marvel Studios' galaxy: The wonderfully named Pom Klementieff—who surely awaits a future of people making jokes about her name in the same way that Benedict Cumberbatch has had to endure for years—has been signed up to appear in the 2017 sequel to last year's space age hit Guardians of the Galaxy. Her role is being kept under wraps for now, but many people have suggested that she'll be playing Mantis, the "Celestial Madonna" of Marvel's comic book lore.
Why this is super: Mantis is an... interesting character (Vietnamese prostitute turned cosmically-aware goddess, who then dies and comes back as a plant person reincarnation, because ... oh, don't ask), which weirdly enough might make her the perfect choice to join the team for their second outing.
Klementieff isn't the only addition to a Marvel movie in the last seven days. Steve Jobs and *A Serious Man'*s Michael Stuhlbarg is said to be joining the cast of next year's Doctor Strange, again in an unknown role, joining a cast list that includes Benedict Cumberbatch, Tilda Swinton, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Mads Mikkelsen. (Even if the movie ends up not impressing, come on, look at that cast.)
Why this is super: Really, let's be honest: We all want Stuhlbarg to play this guy, right?
And the casting news just keeps coming! Thanks to the confluence of Gotham on TV, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice in theaters next year, and the in-preproduction Lego Batman movie targeted for 2017, we'll have three different Bruce Waynes to choose from—and, it turns out, three different Alfred the Butlers, too. Joining Sean Pertwee (Gotham) and Jeremy Irons (Batman v Superman) will be none other than Ralph Fiennes, who'll lend his voice to the blocky incarnation of the faithful butler, alongside Will Arnett's Lego Batman. It's an embarrassment of British actor riches, and all playing a faithful, if somewhat sarcastic, sidekick. We live in wonderful times, dear readers.
Why this is super: Three Bruce Waynes, three Alfreds, but where are the new Robins? Nowhere, that's where. Get it together, Warner Bros. (After all, he's even got his own comic book crossover next month!)
A buzzy rumor doing the rounds right now suggests that Marvel's Netflix series line-up is going to change, with a Punisher series replacing the announced Iron Fist show, which has long been rumored to be proving difficult to work out for a number of reasons. The Punisher, meanwhile, is a high-profile Marvel character who is introduced in the second season of Daredevil, making him prime spin-off material. But what of Iron Fist? Well, here's where is gets interesting: apparently, he'll get his own Netflix-exclusive feature, fulfilling contractual obligations, but without the pressure to make the character work longterm. (He would be replaced in the announced Defenders mini-series by the Punisher.)
Why this is unexpected: While Iron Fist has long been rumored to be in trouble, the idea that the character would be yanked out of the running in terms of a series but appear in a feature seems very, very strange indeed. Not impossible, by any means, but certainly unusual.
Just when you thought he was out, new rumors have surfaced suggesting that, yes, Hugh Jackman will show up in X-Men: Apocalypse next year after all, with the actor apparently being part of some planned re-shoots in Montreal in January. Will Fox ever manage to release an X-Men movie without the involvement of Jackman? (Perhaps we should wait and see if he shows up in February's Deadpool, although at this point, we wouldn't bet against it...)
Why this is villainy: At this rate, it would not surprise us to find out that Fox is actually funding human cloning trials so that it will have an ever-available supply of Hugh Jackmans to appear in every single X-Men-related movie from now until the end of time.
