If you’re a Marvel fan, you know that the excitement never stops. The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is constantly expanding, with new movies, as well as TV series, popping up left and right. With so much going on, it can be hard to keep track of all the latest news and rumors. But don’t worry, because we’ve got you covered. From casting news to release dates and interviews, we’ve rounded up everything you need to know to stay on top of the Marvel game. Check out the latest MCU news and rumors below:
James Gunn on the appearances of Guardians of the Galaxy characters in Avengers movies
James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy has been one of the most successful film series in the MCU, so it’s not surprising that characters from that franchise have appeared in other Marvel films. But in an April 2023 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, director Gunn revealed that it wasn’t always fun seeing the stars of Guardians of the Galaxy perform in other films because things were done that he necessarily wouldn’t have with the Guardians of the Galaxy cast.
“They did some things that I wouldn’t have wanted,” Gunn said of how Marvel Studios’ handled the appearances of Guardians of the Galaxy characters in other Marvel movies. For instance, Gunn mentioned that Star-Lord (Chris Pratt) would have killed Gamora (Zoe Saldana) if she asked him to in Avengers: Infinity War and wouldn’t have punched Thanos (Josh Brolin) in the face in the same film. That scene became infamous amongst fans, who blamed Star-Lord for Thanos’ snap because of that moment.
In the same interview, Pom Klementieff, who portrays Mantis in the Guardians of the Galaxy film series, said that she “can’t imagine playing Mantis with someone else writing the words,” sharing for the first time that she and her co-star Pratt would call Gunn during their time on the Avengers films to make sure their characters were being handled right. “I was being given directions, and I was like, ‘I think I’m going to call James,’” Klementieff said.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3, the final installment in the Guardians of the Galaxy film series, is set to hit U.S. theaters on May 5th, 2023. In the movie, the Guardians of the Galaxy are adjusting to life on Knowhere when parts of Rocket’s (Bradley Cooper) past resurface. In order to protect him, Peter Quill, a.k.a. Star-Lord (Pratt) must lead the Guardians on a dangerous mission that could lead to the team dissolving if they fail.
Gunn, who is now a co-CEO of DC Studios, confirmed in a tweet that fans who haven’t watched Avengers: Infinity and Avengers: Endgame, will understand where the Guardians of the Galaxy stand at the beginning of the new movie as it will explain most of what happened to the crew, especially Nebula (Karen Gilan), who went through a complete character change and is now a fellow hero.
Yes.
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) April 24, 2023
Will Krysten Ritter reprise her role as Jessica Jones in the MCU?
Krysten Ritter said she’s ready to reprise her role as Jessica Jones in the MCU should she ever get the call. During a recent appearance on the podcast Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum in April 2023, the actress was asked about the odds of her ever returning to the role of Jessica Jones. Rosenbaum mentioned Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio are officially back as Daredevil and Kingpin, respectively. But she had no clue if that would eventually lead to the official introduction of Jessica Jones and other characters from the Netflix Marvel universe in the MCU.
“I have no idea,” said Ritter of a Jessica Jones comeback. “I hope so! I think that people love Jessica, I know because I live it. Honestly, I don’t know…Marvel is so secretive, I am just putting that out there that, of course, I would be there in a second. I would have my boots and jacket on, ready to rock.”
Ritter starred as the titular character in the Netflix series Jessica Jones from 2015-2019. She also appeared in Netflix’s 2017 superhero team-up series The Defenders, which featured the various Netflix Marvel characters of Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage (Mike Colter), and Iron Fist (Finn Jones) in one team.
While it’s currently not clear whether or not Ritter, Colter, or Jones will appear in future Marvel Studios films, it was officially announced in September 2022 that Cox and D’Onofrio will reprise their roles as Daredevil and Kingpin in the upcoming reboot series Daredevil: Born Again, which is set to debut sometime in 2024 on Disney+.
True Detective creator joins the Blade writing team
Blade, one of the highly anticipated Marvel Studios films, has added a new member to its writing team. According to The Hollywood Reporter, True Detective creator Nic Pizzolatto joined the film to work off of a draft of the script that writer Michael Starrbury wrote.
Pizzolatto’s addition to Blade reunites him with actor Mahershala Ali, who will star as Blade and also starred in season 3 of the hit HBO drama.
Directed by Yann Demange (Lovecraft Country), Blade is expected to begin production in April 2023, with filming set to take place in Atlanta, Georgia. Not much is known about Blade, but it was recently announced that Mia Goth will star alongside Ali. Goth is rumored to be playing the role of Lilith.
Initially set to premiere on November 3rd, 2023, Blade ended up being delayed to September 6th, 2024 after its original director Bassim Tariq left the project in September 2022.
What role will Andy Samberg play in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse?
Brooklyn Nine-Nine star Andy Samberg has joined the voice cast of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. In April 2023, One Take News broke the news that Samberg will play the role of Scarlet Spider. Briefly seen at the end of the most recent Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse trailer, Scarlet Spider is known as Ben Reily in the comics.
In the source material, Ben is created by the supervillain Jackal as a clone of Peter Parker. The latter played a crucial role in the controversial Clone Saga storyline that was a major part of Spider-Man comics in the mid-90s. Since then, the character has built a following over the years.
Produced by Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Animation in association with Marvel Entertainment, and distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is the sequel to 2018’s Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and is set in a shared multiverse of alternate universes called the “Spider-Verse”.
Directed by Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, and Justin K. Thompson from a screenplay by Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, and David Callaham, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse picks up over a year after the events of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) is unexpectedly approached by his love interest Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld) to complete a mission to save every universe of Spider-People from the Spot, which could cause a catastrophic disaster. Miles is up for the challenge, where he and Gwen journey through the Multiverse together and meet its protectors, a group of Spider-People known as the Spider-Society, led by Miguel O’Hara (Oscar Issac). However, Miles finds himself at odds with Miguel and the Spider-Society on how to handle the threat.
What is the next Marvel movie 2023?
The MCU is currently in its Phase 5, which kicked off on February 17th, 2023 with the theatrical premiere of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. This will be followed by Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3, which, as mentioned above, will open in theaters on May 5th, 2023.
Below are the rest of the upcoming Marvel movies in Phase 5:
The Marvels (November 10th, 2023)
Directed by Nia DaCosta from a screenplay she co-wrote with Megan McDonnell, Elissa Karasik, and Zeb Wells, The Marvels finds Carol Danvers (Brie Larson) having her powers entangled with those of Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris) and Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani) following an investigation into a wormhole linked to the Kree. With the trio swapping places with each other every time they use their powers, they must team up to determine why. The movie also stars Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, Zawe Ashton as Dar-Benn, and Park Seo-joon.
Captain America: New World Order (May 3rd, 2024)
A continuation of the 2021 Disney+ series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Captain America: New World Order is directed by Julius Onah from a script written by Malcolm Spellman and Dalan Musson. It stars Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson, a.k.a. the new Captain America alongside Danny Ramirez, Carl Lumbly, Tim Blake Nelson, Shira Haas, Harrison Ford, and Liv Tyler.
Thunderbolts (July 26th, 2024)
Thunderbolts follows a group of antiheroes who goes on missions for the government. In September 2022, the Thunderbolts team was announced to include Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes / Winter Soldier / White Wolf, Hannah John-Kamen as Ava Starr / Ghost, Wyatt Russell as John Walker / U.S. Agent, Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova / Black Widow, David Harbour as Alexei Shostakov / Red Guardian, and Olga Kurylenko as Antonia Dreykov / Taskmaster, all reprising their roles from previous Marvel Studios projects.
Jake Schreier is attached to direct the movie, with Lee Sung Jin joining the film in March 2023 to rewrite the script by Eric Pearson.
Blade (September 6th, 2024)
Starring Mahershala Ali in the titular role, Blade is set to be directed by Yann Demange. And as previously mentioned above, True Detective creator Nic Pizzolatto joined the film to work off of a draft of the script that writer Michael Starrbury wrote. The Ebony Blade will be featured in the film, having first appeared at the end of 2021’s Eternals.
What is after Phase 6 Marvel?
Phase 6 of the MCU is currently comprised of four movies:
Deadpool 3 (November 8th, 2024)
Deadpool 3 is set to be directed by Shawn Levy from a script being co-written by him, Rhett Reese & Paul Wernick, Zeb Wells, and Ryan Reynolds, who will reprise his titular role. In September 2022, it was announced that Hugh Jackman is reprising his role as Wolverine in the movie.
Fantastic Four (February 14th, 2025)
Plot details about the Fantastic Four movie are scarce, but it was previously reported that the film is being penned by Jeff Kaplan & Ian Springer, and Josh Friedman, with Matt Shakman set to helm the movie.
Avengers: The Kang Dynasty (May 2nd, 2025)
Avengers: The Kang Dynasty will be the first Avengers movie since 2019’s Avengers: Endgame. It will be directed by Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings filmmaker Destin Daniel Cretton from a screenplay being penned by Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania writer Jeff Loveness.
Avengers: Secret Wars (May 1st, 2026)
Phase 6 of the MCU will conclude with Avengers: Secret Wars which will be penned by Loki season 1 head writer and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness writer Michael Waldron. No director is currently attached to the movie.
Phase 6 is the final phase of the MCU’s Multiverse Saga. While details about the franchise’s future are scarce as of the moment, two films are already confirmed post-Phase 6. These are Armor Wars and an untitled Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings sequel.
Marvel Studios tapped Yassir Lester to write Armor Wars with a director yet to be announced. The Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings sequel, meanwhile, is set written and directed by Destin Daniel Cretton.