What Do We Know About the upcoming comic book series Spider-Noir? More thank you may think. The first Sony-produced television series as part of their Spider-man Universe, Spider-Noir, has many fans excited about what the series will be. We know some cool stuff about the upcoming series, from set photos to casting details. So, let’s jump in and discuss.

Nicolas Cage is not playing Peter Parker.

After voicing the character’s animated version in Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse and Across The Spider-Verse, Nicolas Cage’s casting as the Noir version excited people. To differentiate the project from the film adaptation and the various versions of Spider-Man’s alter ego, the series will present a different take on the Noir hero by making him someone other than the character played by Tom Holland, Andrew Garfield, or Tobey Maguire in live-action. Who this Spider-Man’s alter ego is remains to be seen.

The series will be original stories not adapted from an existing comic book arc.

While Spider-Man Noir has a history in the pages of Marvel Comics, the live-action series will draw inspiration rather than directly adopt one of the many arcs featured in the comic books. What the series will maintain is the setting of 1930s New York City, with the main character a grizzled, older private investigator who also happens to have the augmented powers associated with Spider-Man.

The series was meant to “reboot” Spider-Man for the small screen.

While the creative team behind Spider-Noir includes Spider-Verse filmmakers Christopher Miller and Phil Lord, producer Amy Pascal brought them on board to create a suite of streaming series featuring Spider-Man-related characters whose rights Sony holds. Spider-Noir was developed by Oren Uziel, best known for writing or co-writing The Cloverfield Paradox, 22 Jump Street, and Fast XI. Uziel developed the series alongside co-showrunner Steve Lightfoot, who ran Netflix’s The Punisher. With Harry Bradbeer aboard to direct the first episodes, the series got underway in August 2024.

The series will consist of eight episodes.

Reports have stated that disagreements regarding the budget of Spider-Noir may spell the end of Lord and Miller’s overall deal with Sony, which could jeopardize future Spider-Man projects on the small screen. The cost and production needs for a period story like this may account for why the show is only set to run for eight episodes and could determine whether we see more seasons in the future.

The cast includes many familiar faces.

In addition to Cage making his live-action superhero return after playing Ghost Rider in two films, the series also includes Fargo Emmy-winner Lamorne Morris as Robbie Robertson, a familiar character from Spider-Man lore, and Brendan Gleeson as a New York mob boss. Gleeson will make his Marvel debut after a supporting role in the DC film Joker: Folie a Deux. Other cast members include Li Jun Li as a nightclub singer, Abraham Popoola as a World War I veteran, and Jack Huston as a bodyguard. We also have Karen Rodriguez, Lukas Haas, Cameron Britton, Cary Christopher, Michael Kostroff, Scott MacArthur, Joe Massingill, Whitney Rice, Amanda Schull, and Andrew Caldwell in roles that have yet to be revealed.

Set photos have revealed the look of the costume.

Leaked photos over the last few months have shown the in-production series boasting Nicolas Cage wearing a 1930s-era suit and stunt performers dressed in the black mask, hat, and coat associated with the Spider-Noir character. Eagle-eyed fans have noticed Easter eggs in newspapers connecting to characters from Spider-Man mythology, but nothing concrete as to the plot of the series.

Spider-Noir will debut in the second half of 2025.

The series is set to premiere globally on MGM+, the streaming platform for the Amazon-owned studio, with the domestic release airing on Prime Video. With production slated to continue through February 2025, it seems unlikely we will see the series until late summer at the earliest, but more realistically, towards the end of next year.

Stay tuned to JoBlo.com as we learn more about Spider-Noir and all of your other favorite shows. What do you expect to see in the upcoming Spider-Man series? Let us know in the comments, click like, and subscribe to follow all of our latest original videos.

The post Spider-Noir: Everything we know about Nicolas Cage’s Marvel Comics superhero series appeared first on JoBlo.

Plot: It follows Helen Webb, a quick-witted, down-to-earth, dedicated wife and mother — and professional spy. For 10 years, she’s been passing on her politician husband’s secrets to the shadowy organization she works for: the Black Doves. When her secret lover Jason is assassinated, her spymaster, the enigmatic Reed, calls in Helen’s old friend Sam to keep her safe. Together, Helen and Sam set off on a mission to investigate who killed Jason and why, leading them to uncover a vast, interconnected conspiracy linking the murky London underworld to a looming geopolitical crisis.

Review: It feels like the last couple of years have been heavily populated by espionage dramas. In the last few weeks alone, we have reviewed multiple series about spies and the various agencies that employ them. The latest addition to the genre is the British series Black Doves. Set during Christmas, the limited series blends a darkly comedic sensibility with a timely plot involving international incidents between the United States and China, with the British stuck in the middle to mediate. Led by the solid acting duo of Kiera Knightley and Ben Whishaw, Black Doves is a familiar and conventional political thriller that is elevated by stellar performances from the two leads.

Black Doves has just six episodes, far shorter than most streaming series. The shortened series length means the story is far tighter than other recent shows, and it shows. Each episode is chock full of character development, twists, turns, and all manner of intricate plotting that never lets up through each hour-long chapter. By the time I reached the finale, I was convinced I knew where the series was headed but continually came up surprised at how well this series is made. The opening chapter does not take long to dive right in as the body count immediately piles up within the first minutes. We quickly meet Helen Webb (Keira Knightley), the wife of a well-connected member of the British government who is also a spy working for Reed (Sarah Lancashire) at the title organization. When one of those killed turns out to be Jason (Andrew Koji), Helen’s lover, Reed calls Sam (Ben Whishaw), a trained agent and close friend of Helen, to help sort out the mess.

Right away, Ben Whishaw and Keira Knightley successfully show their characters as the closest of confidantes. In Sam’s time away from London, Helen married and had twins while maintaining her cover. With a desire to avenge the death of Jason, Sam must reintegrate himself into his old life, including running into friends and his former lover. The balance of their work and professional lives makes both Helen and Sam intriguing as they must switch their masks instantly to face whichever angle they must contend with, sometimes whipping back and forth between the two to navigate hostile situations. Helen’s emotional state makes her a liability to Reed and the Black Doves, and Sam must protect his friend and his employer simultaneously. Sam must also deal with the fallout of the event that forced him to leave London a decade earlier, and he still feels a profound sense of trauma and guilt.

While the implications of why Jason and the others were killed are larger than just personal, the scope of Black Doves keeps itself focused on Helen and Sam while still incorporating several supporting players. Isabella Wei is as solid as Kai-Ming, the Chinese ambassador’s daughter, and Gabrielle Creevy, who has a solid turn as Eleanor. Still, Andrew Buchan’s role as Helen’s husband, Wallace, is a satisfying character that could have otherwise been a throwaway role. There are also great performances from the great Kathryn Hunter and Tracey Ullman as key players in the series’ overall story. Everyone gets ample opportunity to stretch themselves with the series, incorporating action and drama in equal measure with a biting sense of humor that helps alleviate some of the story’s darker elements. Even the Christmas setting is a nice shift from the expected espionage formula.

Both Alex Gabassi and Lisa Gunning directed three episodes of Black Doves, which are directed by creator and showrunner Joe Barton. Barton is best known for writing episodes of the sci-fi series Humans and Netflix’s action-spy movie The Union starring Mark Wahlberg and Halle Berry. Barton is next working on a miniseries adaptation of Amadeus, followed by a second season of Black Doves. I cannot state whether the second series of Black Doves will be connected to the first, but Barton has created a solid fictional world that could expand to showcase any number of spies or undercover agents. I would be hard-pressed to say they could do better than Ben Whishaw and Keira Knightley, neither of whom have portrayed characters like this before. Knightley has been involved in spy projects, and Whishaw notably played Q in the Daniel Craig James Bond films, but both get to do work here that they seem to have been born to play.

Black Doves is a far more interesting character study of Ben Whishaw’s Sam and Keira Knightley’s Helen, both of whom are damaged people who complement each other perfectly. Usually, spy series turn the leads into romantic partners, but platonic best friends who look out for each other make for entertaining storytelling, and removing any sexual tension between the leads helps make both characters solid individual creations. I loved watching Knightley and Whishaw kick ass while also giving layered, human performances in a genre that often overlooks that part of the story. Black Doves is an entertaining drama that is also funny and has just enough action and intensity to keep you wanting more. At six episodes, it is a quick binge and one that will surely entertain many over the long holiday weekend.

Black Doves premieres on December 5 on Netflix.

Black Doves

GOOD

7

The post Black Doves TV Review: Keira Knightley and Ben Whishaw are spies at Christmas in new series appeared first on JoBlo.

Malcolm might not be in the middle after all. Frankie Muniz revealed that his former onscreen dad, Bryan Cranston, still puts him front and center by keeping in touch, making sure to call him on a regular basis.

It has been 18 years since Malcolm in the Middle went off the air, but that apparently means nothing to Bryan Cranston, who remains a vital figure in the life of Frankie Muniz. “He still reaches out to me every couple of weeks, check in on me. He really cares about what I’m doing, comes to the races, if my band was playing, came to shows. I mean, he’s such an inspiration, and like I said, that’s what I strive to be that for someone else in the future.”

The inspiration that Bryan Cranston gives Frankie Muniz is something he carries with him long after when most people probably figured his shelf life would expire. “I started working with him when I was 11, 12 years old. He really became like a father figure to me. And then even still to this day, you know, he’s essentially like a Hollywood god at this point. You know what I mean? Like he’s done incredible films, incredible shows, won tons of awards. Like he’s literally It.” That Cranston is still tight with two of his most famous TV co-stars (he and Breaking Bad’s Aaron Paul remain buddies and business partners) is a demonstration of exactly what Muniz is talking about here. The guy is loyal and seems like one of the most genuine people in the industry. Muniz has reciprocated, too, turning up at Cranston’s Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremoy.

Obviously Bryan Cranston and Frankie Muniz have gone their separate paths — Cranston remains as busy as ever making movies while Muniz has broken through the competitive world of NASCAR — but their close bond is pretty incredible. Good on both of them, really, as they show that a series finale doesn’t mean a permanent goodbye.

So, the inevitable question: will there ever be a Malcolm in the Middle reunion? The show had a loyal following, lasting seven seasons and just over 150 episodes, so we can imagine there would still be support so long after the last episode in 2006. It might be tough to get Muniz out of the driver’s seat but Cranston has been all about the idea as of late, which could give it that nudge it needs.

The post Good guy Bryan Cranston still calls Frankie Muniz every few weeks appeared first on JoBlo.

We’ve heard a lot of positive news around this holiday season so far. Just recently we learned about  the encouraging lessons that Jeff Bridges learned during his cancer battle and that Dolph Lundgren was officially cancer-free. Now, we have a pretty incredible picture of one of JoBlo.com’s favorite stars, Bruce Willis, that was shared by one of his daughters on Thanksgiving.

In an Instagram post, Talluah Willis – the youngest of Bruce Willis and Demi Moore’s three daughters – posted a photo of herself with both Bruce and middle sister Scout along with the caption, “Grateful.” In one of the pics, Bruce is holding a placard that reads “BEST DAD EVER.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by tallulah willis (@buuski)

The Willis daughters are all part of the continued family support being given to Bruce. Fortunately, the family has been keeping fans updated as to his condition and sharing photos of special occasions – which, at this point, aren’t they all special? Just a couple of months ago, Tallulah spoke about how the family remains close, with Bruce being a key part of that bond. “Our visits have so much love and I feel that…and that overarches anything for me—being able to have that connection. I know he knows how much I love him. I know how much he loves me. I know how much he loves all of us. There’s so much love in our family. There’s not a fragility to the support, or a conditionality to how we support each other.”

With Christmas approaching, we’ll all be getting our Bruce Willis fix with Die Hard. Look, we can debate all season long whether or not Die Hard is a Christmas movie or not, but you know darn well you’re still watching it even if you don’t think it is. Willis may be retired, but the man left behind one heck of a filmography that we can enjoy all year long. For me, I always go back to films like Pulp Fiction, Twelve Monkeys and Nobody’s Fool for my Bruce Willis fix – whether the role is big or small, the guy was an absolute presence on the big screen.

Send your positive thoughts to the great Bruce Willis in the comments below.

The post Bruce Willis’ daughters pay Thanksgiving tribute to “best dad ever” with rare photo appeared first on JoBlo.

PLOT: An alcoholic, drug-addicted, middle-aged American expatriate (Daniel Craig) living in Mexico City falls hard for a much younger, recently discharged ex-American Navy serviceman (Drew Starkey).

REVIEW: Of today’s most acclaimed directors, few are as prolific as Luca Guadagnino. With two acclaimed movies vying for awards attention this year, and a whole slew of projects announced for 2025 and beyond (including an unlikely adaptation of DC’s Sgt. Rock), he’s become the rare art-house director whose movies have distinct crossover appeal. Challengers was his biggest financial hit to date, and this one – Queer – pairs him with one of the most iconic modern movie stars, Daniel Craig, who helped reinvent James Bond for the 21st century.

Despite the obvious appeal of their pairing, Queer is a more niche title than Guadagnino’s last few outings. An adaptation of the William S. Burroughs’ novel of the same name, this is a meandering odyssey of self-destruction that’s thoroughly dominated by Craig’s bravura performance, although he chews so much of the scenery it leaves little room for his co-star, Drew Starkey (of Outer Banks) to make much of an impression.

Craig’s William Lee is an analogue of Burroughs himself, with him portrayed as deeply insecure and constantly on the make for younger men he can satisfy himself with. Everything he does is to an extreme, from his pursuit of men who may or may not be, as he himself puts it, “queer”, to his constant drinking and drug use. 

Craig seems to be having a ball in a role that’s as far removed from 007 or Benoit Blanc as you can get. We’ve gotten used to seeing Craig as two of the most confident, self-assured heroes of modern film, but in Queer, he’s anything but. Much of the film centers around Lee’s infatuation with Starkey’s Eugene, a bi-sexual former serviceman who allows himself to be used sexually by men, but is largely indifferent to their feelings. It’s this doomed aspect of the relationship that probably attracts Lee like a moth to a flame as the men embark on a drug-addled journey into South America.

Some will find Queer utterly absorbing, but others will find it a tad tedious – and I must admit that I fall into the latter category even if I did find much to appreciate about it. Apparently, the director’s initial cut was closer to three hours, but it’s already a pretty padded-out 135 minutes, with a lengthy section devoted to Lee and Eugene experimenting with Ayahuasca supplied by Leslie Manville’s jungle-based Dr. Cotter. 

If you’re a fan of Burroughs, Queer might be a must-see, but for a more casual fan, it’ll likely be Craig’s appearance that will be the draw. Even if the movie meanders, Guadagnino keeps it stylish, with gorgeous cinematography by his usual DP Sayombhu Mukdeeprom. He also does something unique with the soundtrack, scoring it with deliberately anachronistic music, including several Nirvana tracks, a few Prince songs, and a score by Atticus Ross and Trent Reznor. My only issue with Guadagnino’s aesthetic is that Burroughs world comes across a lot more glamorous on the screen than it did on the page, with Craig immaculately attired throughout and sporting his 007 physique, which doesn’t really jibe with the fact that Lee is a middle-aged junkie who’s never sober. Too often, Craig feels glamourously drunk or high, with even moments where he’s in withdrawal given a lush, romanticized vibe.

In the end, Queer is an exercise in style for its director, and for Craig, it gives him an opportunity to stretch himself and showcase his megawatt charisma. It’s immaculately assembled and a must-see for Burroughs fans, but it likely won’t crossover in the way something like Call Me By Your Name or Challengers did. It’s more like the director’s I Am Love or A Bigger Splash than his more mainstream work. 

Queer

AVERAGE

6

The post Queer Review: Daniel Craig chews the scenery in this Borroughs adaptation appeared first on JoBlo.

 Thanks for joining me for the third annual Poetry Comics Month!

Thanksgaming 2024 is over, but the effects of that food coma are probably still lingering. Read on to catch up on the tips, deals (if they’re still good) and reviews you may have missed during the holiday week.

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Thanksgaming 2024 is over, but the effects of that food coma are probably still lingering. Read on to catch up on the tips, deals (if they’re still good) and reviews you may have missed during the holiday week.

Read more…

Some cliche somewhere said that ‘a picture is worth a thousand words.’ This has proven to be the case for me and especially when it comes to fan art. I have always sought out great fan art and have wanted to share it with as many people as possible. “Awesome Art We’ve Found Around The Net” is the outlet for that passion. In this column, I will showcase the kick-ass artwork of some great artists, with the hopes that these artists get the attention they deserve. That’s the aim. If you have any questions or comments, or even suggestions of art or other great artists, feel free to contact me at any time at theodorebond@joblo.com.

Akira by Wagner Diesel

An American Werewolf in London by Huan Do

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly by Royalston

The Hulk by Patrick Brown

Inside Llewyn Davis by Neil Davies

Kiki’s Delivery Service by Yuumei

Nosferatu by Joseph K. Roman

Pulp Fiction by Nuno Sarnadas

Star Wars by Madeline Boni Fleur

Videodrome by Jared Boyer

The post Awesome Art We’ve Found Around The Net: The Hulk, Nosferatu, Pulp Fiction, Star Wars, Videodrome appeared first on JoBlo.

This may have been a short workweek, but the chaotic world of gaming never rests. Read on for Kotaku’s top stories from Thanksgiving week.

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