Welcome back to The Rundown, our daily breakdown on comic news stories we missed from the previous day. Have a link to share? Email our team at rundown@multiversitycomics.com.
– Kicking off today in Rumorville, none other than Arnold Schwarzenegger is posited to appear in Wonder Woman as Ares, God of War. The only evidence behind this rumor is that Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins and Geoff Johns both recently followed the former California governor on Twitter (which occurred to Joe Manganiello before his casting as Deathstroke). As laughable as this is, The Celebrity Apprentice star, and current shadethrower to Donald Trump, appeared in the reviled 1997 Batman & Robin with George “Batnips” Clooney. Mattel also revealed their upcoming toy line for the film as well. Wonder Woman hits theatres June 2.
– Speaking of presidential protesting, the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund (CBLDF) has joined with over 30 artistic organizations to denounce Trump’s recent travel ban which barred immigrants from Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen for 90 days and all refugees for 120. The CBLDF is a non-profit committed to protecting the First Amendment right comic book creators, publishers, and retailers. Their full statement is here.
– The Big Two revealed two new covers for upcoming crossover events today. Marvel revealed their “Secret Empire” #0 which was included in their recent solicits as “CLASSIFIED.” Event writer Nick Spencer and “Captain America: Sam Wilson” artist Daniel Acuña are collaborating on this issue. We covered “Secret Empire” in detail here. DC also revealed the second of their new lenticular covers today for the upcoming “The Button” crossover between “Batman” and “The Flash.” The cover showcases what appears to be the Reverse Flash chasing the bloodstained “Watchmen” button before being evaporated. Both events begin in April.
– Fox revealed today that they have renewed Lucifer for a third season. The show, which is based on the DC/Vertigo comic of the same title which spun out of Neil Gaiman’s “Sandman,” is currently on hiatus in its second season until May. Lucifer follows the title character, played by Tom Ellis, as he takes up residence in the surface world in LA and assists the LAPD. No word has been made on Fox’s other DC show Gotham yet currently in its second season as well.
– The newest trailer for the upcoming Paramount film Ghost in the Shell was released today. The film, which stars Scarlett Johansson, is based on the manga of the same name, which spawned two animated films and was republished in its only volume by Kodansha in 2003. The film drops March 31.
– Sophie Turner, X-Men: Apocalypse’s Jean Grey, revealed that the newest X-Men installment will begin filming this summer despite no formal sequel having been announced yet. If the rumors are true though, the Game of Thrones star will have her hands full. The newest film is rumored to be based on the “Dark Phoenix Saga” a popular storyline that is Jean Grey heavy. Fox has reserved March 2, 2018, November 2, 2018, and February 14, 2019 for unannounced X-Men film releases.
– The WGN series Scalped, based on the Vertigo title of the same name by Jason Aaron and R.M. Guera, continues to move forward, casting its first series regular today. Lily Gladstone (Certain Women) has been cast as Carol Red Crow, the estranged daughter of Chief Red Crow. WGN is committed to cast a majority Native American cast. Geoff Johns and Doug Jung are set to produce.
– DC’s newest video game, Injustice 2, continues to move forward, adding Swamp Thing to its cast of playable characters. A trailer debuted today, showcasing Swamp Thing beating the shit out of numerous DC characters (seriously I don’t think any character lands a hit on him). Swamp Thing last appeared in the Injustice prequel comics in “Year Three” which was the year of magic. His reveal opens up speculation for characters like John Constantine and Zatanna to appear. Injustice 2 drops May 16.
– Another comic is headed to the big screen, as it was revealed that The Fast and Furious producer Neal H. Moritz is set to adapt BOOM! Studio’s “Talent.” The title was picked up by Moritz’s production venue Original Film. The series was created by Christopher Golden, Tom Sniegoski and Paul Azaceta and follows a plane crash survivor in his supernatural fight for survival.
– Finally, Netflix is getting into the comic book toy and collectibles business, as revealed through a job listing on its website. Following the success of the show Stranger Things, the streaming service is set to pursue more merchandising opportunities to promote their original content. Currently, Marvel has several shows in the MCU on the service, including the upcoming Iron Fist
