Marvel touted more history-making numbers with the release of Thor: Love and Thunder this weekend, earning $144.2 million in its opening weekend. That puts it on par with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2’s $145 million opening weekend back in May 2017. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness has barely scratched $411 million domestically and over $950 million worldwide. Enough with the numbers; let’s jump into recent news about several projects.
Season 2 of Peacemaker has started filming.
According to several online reports and his one-time return to WWE in June to celebrate twenty years, John Cena headed back to Vancouver to start filming the second season of Peacemaker. The first season of the James Gunn-written series dropped at the beginning of the year and became highly acclaimed thanks to its goofy take on vigilantism, humor, and a stellar performance from John Cena. Much like The Suicide Squad, it offers a subversive yet gory take on the (fatiguing) superhero genre.
It broke records for viewership on HBO Max and was nominated for several accolades. The opening dance sequence sparked a pop culture revelation to the beat of “Do Ya Wanna Taste It” by Wig Wam.
At this rate, we’re probably looking at a spring 2023 release for Season 2, which bodes well for fans of Gunn, Cena, and the latest tale of the jingoistic vigilante and his comrades. Even if it may not live up to the lofty standards of the first season, expect Gunn and Cena to charge on with hilarious and bloodthirsty intentions. Lastly, it also solidifies James Gunn’s comeback story since his fallout with Disney in 2018 before he was rehired and John Cena’s growing resume in Hollywood by adding Argylle, The Independent, and Fast X for the following year.
Taika Waititi will only do a Thor 5 if Chris Hemsworth returns.
Taika Waititi single-handedly elevated the character and journey of Thor since Ragnarok in 2017 and the traits carrying over in Avengers: Infinity War/Endgame. At the end of the newly debuting Thor: Love and Thunder, it mentioned after the second post-credits that “Thor will be back.” This line was laid out without Waititi and Hemsworth’s knowledge, but the former claimed in an interview with Variety that “of course, [Hemsworth] will be back; he’s the best character.” Waititi also claimed he would only do it if Hemsworth returns but “want something unexpected when it comes to story.”
No spoilers, but the fourth installment of The God of Thunder’s journey does leave room for another tale to tell, outside of the inevitable return to a future Avengers/cosmic tale that Kevin Feige has planned. Chris Hemsworth has played the character for over eleven years and will continue to play as long as he wishes (or until Marvel tells him no more).
Waititi is taking a break from Marvel to direct a Star Wars feature for Lucasfilm, while Hemsworth is currently filming Furiousa.
Namor, the antagonist in Black Panther 2, will be played by Tenoch Huerta.
Even when we all remember the harsh reality that Chadwick Boseman will not be in any further tales as we advance, Ryan Coogler is marching on to preserve his memory while prepping the next take of the Black Panther. Most of the main cast from the first installment will return, along with some new faces, such as Dominique Thorne’s Ironheart.
The villain has been rumored to be Namor, played by Tenoch Huerta. Huerta recently had a primary role in The Forever Purge and has started learning the Mayan language for his position. Namor is identified as Marvel’s first mutant, a reference to the X-Men series. In the comics, he possesses superhuman abilities and Aquatic physiology.
We’ll see if Huerta can make a memorable role in the anticipated sequel arriving in November.
