New Look at Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe Celebrates the Movies
Marvel Studios releases a new sizzle reel teasing audiences what’s to come with its latest phase of film releases.
Marvel Studios celebrated cinema today, releasing a video which both serves as giving fans an update on the upcoming Phase Four slate, but also recognizing some of the MCU’s greatest hits, including a snippet of the opening night premiere of Avengers: Endgame. As vaccination rollouts are slowly stopping the spread of COVID-19, exhibitors and movie studios are beginning to feel more confident at pumping out theatrical exclusive film, after a year of at-home/VOD experiences. With Black Widow still slated to release both in theaters and on Disney+ (with Premier Access), this will be Marvel Studios’ first test to see if audiences feel safe enough to go see movies on the big screen again.
We’ve also gotten our first look at Chloé Zhao’s Eternals—which fully bathes in her known aesthetics of a muted, lifelike color palette and recurring themes/tropes, such as horse-riding, which is extensively found in her 2017 film, The Rider. Black Panther II has also gotten an official title, now named Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, which will likely pay tribute to the king of Wakanda played by the late Chadwick Boseman who unexpectedly passed away in August of last year. Captain Marvel 2 is now titled The Marvels, referencing not only Carol Danvers, but Iman Vellani’s Kamala Khan, who will make her MCU debut in the Disney+ series Ms. Marvel, slated to premiere later this year. James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 now has an official release date, of May 5th, 2023.
After making their television debut this year with WandaVision and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Marvel Studios aims at bringing the audience back to the movies, to share a communal experiences with plenty more memorable moments to come in the following year on the big screen. The theatrical experience has been severely hit by COVID-19, with some saying it may never fully recover. I personally think that superhero films, whether you like them or not (it doesn’t really matter here), are currently saving cinemas from total extinction, because these are the kinds of blockbusters that need to be experienced collectively, preferably in a sold-out theater, as opposed to at home. Just imagine if WandaVision had been released in theaters (let’s say as a “theatrical” version of the miniseries), and how the audience reaction would be once Evan Peters’ “Quicksilver” literally shows up on Wanda’s front door. Amazing, I know. Who knows what the future will bring to theaters, but it certainly seems like a bright one after viewing Marvel’s video with its upcoming slate of films. Excelsior!