THE WALKING DEAD

AMC has aired a new teaser for the second half of the current "Walking Dead" season.

Variety has reported that "The Walking Dead" has made an impression on the 2015 Nielsen ratings. Looking at the "live plus-7" estimates through mid-November, "Walking Dead" was the No. 1 entertainment series of the year in adults 18-49 and adults 18-34; only NBC's "Sunday Night Football" and CBS' "The Big Bang Theory" and "NCIS" bested the show in total viewers. "TWD" also averaged 19.7 million viewers per episode, besting Fox's "Empire" (17.8 million).

"Walking Dead" was also the leader when it comes to time-shifted television programs of 2015, which compares same-day viewership to the audience that watches the show within a week of its airing. "The Walking Dead" gained 10.89 million viewers in a week's worth of VOD and DVR playback.

For the second year in a row, "TWD" was the most popular show on Twitter with about 4 million people seeing one or more of the 424,000 tweets sent about each new installment. An average of 153,000 unique authors created the tweets, which amassed about 28 million total views.

Returns February 14 on AMC

BLACK PANTHER

While speaking to "Empire" magazine, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige spoke to the role that both the character of T'Challa and his solo film will play in the cinematic universe. "This one is important," Feige told "Empire," as transcribed by ComicBookMovie. "Not only do you get an unbelievable lead character, but you also get all of Wakanda which is a whole new setting and culture to explore."

Feige added that the film will have a "primarily African-American cast" and will be "a big geo-political action adventure that focuses on the family and royal struggle of T'Challa in Wakanda, and what is means to be a king. T'Challa's story is very important to us as it links to the next Avengers films, which is why we brought it forward."

Opens July 6, 2018

BLOODSHOT

Valiant Entertainment CEO/CCO Dinesh Shamdasani spoke to ComicBook.com about the publisher's upcoming slate of films.

"One of the things that [editor-in-chief] Warren [Simons] and [publisher] Fred [Pierce] and I talk about a lot is the fact that we don't make superhero comic books," said Shamdasani. "We don't tell superhero stories. Our stories involve superheroes, but 'Ninjak' is an espionage book. 'Bloodshot' is a sci-fi action adventure. We're bringing that same point of view to the films... The 'Bloodshot' film has more in common with 'Terminator' and 'Robocop' and 'Total Recall,' than it does superhero fare. [It has] a superhero at the center of it, but all of the other iconography, the tropes, the conventions the trappings of the film are in a different genre than I think people would expect from 'Bloodshot.'"

CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR

During a two-part Facebook video Q&A, "Guardians of the Galaxy" writer/director James Gunn revealed that he has seen -- and loved -- "Captain America: Civil War."

He said the film is "incredible, it's one of the best Marvel movies ever," and that he "can't believe what a wonderful job the Russo brothers did." Gunn also praised the cast by saying, "oh my god they are so good. It's an amazing film and people are going to be really excited to see it."

Almost New Years Q&A and Thanos ft. Jennifer HollandPosted by James Gunn on Wednesday, December 30, 2015

Whoops!! We're back! 󾌯Posted by James Gunn on Wednesday, December 30, 2015

Opens May 6, 2016

DEADPOOL

"Empire" magazine's coverage continues to unfold, as revealed via a few scans posted over at ComicBookMovie. The new images, which have yet to be released online by "Empire," feature Deadpool busting a move, prepping to bust a henchman, and taking direction from director Tim Miller. T.J. Miller's sidekick character Weasel also gets some attention in the pics.

DOCTOR STRANGE





In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige explained how and why they cast Tilda Swinton as the Ancient One.

"I think if you look at some of the early incarnations of the Ancient One in the comics, they are what we would consider today to be quite, sort of, stereotypical," said Feige. "They don't hold up to what would work today. Also, within the storyline of the comics, and our movie, 'the Ancient One' is a title that many people have had. We hit very early on on, What if the Ancient One was a woman? What if the title had been passed and the current Ancient One is a woman? Oh, that's an interesting idea. [Clicks fingers.] Tilda Swinton! Whoa! And it just hit... She has this amazing [ability to] harness of this androgynous sense. So, we use the term 'her' and 'she' in the film but, other than that, it's very androgynous. Because it doesn't matter."

"I think it's all in the eye of the beholder," Swinton herself weighed in when asked about her character's gender.

Similarly, Chiwetel Ejiofor spoke about his character, Baron Mordo, to EW. "He's a very complex character that, really, I don't think can be nailed down either way [as good or evil], you know. I guess it's something to experience, is what I'd say"

"In terms of his life with the Ancient One, it's this long and intense relationship they have that's just very deep and very connected," he continued. "I think they both recognize in Strange this certain quality that they feel is going to be very useful in a situation they're in -- just by the nature of who he is, and the way that he operates, and the way his mind works, and the certain skill set and personality that he has," Ejiofor explains. " So, when they all meet, they realize that he's somebody that can be plugged into this very surreal, interesting, sort of fascinating circumstance that they're all in, and the dangers that they face. And so it becomes a process of assimilating him into their ways of life."

Opens November 4, 2016

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2

In a talk with Empire, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige spoke about Thanos' role in "Guardians of the Galaxy 2" -- namely that he won't have one. He said that Thanos won't be putting in much of an appearance in "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2," saying, "I wouldn't look too hard in that movie for Thanos." However, "The next time we see Thanos, he will not be messing around. It was be, 'Oh, that's why they've been teasing this villain for five years!'"

Opens May 5, 2017

SPIDER-MAN

Feige also spoke about the new Spider-Man franchise to Empire, saying that its "smaller scale is all relative... It's going to be as big and spectacular a Spider-Man film as has ever been made. But it's a Peter Parker story and has more opportunity to be focused on the story of a 15-year-old kid going to high school."

Opens July 28, 2017

SUICIDE SQUAD

The new "Suicide Squad" trailer will air during "DC's Legends of Tomorrow: Their Time Is Now" and "DC Films Presents: Dawn of the Justice League," two specials which offer an inside look at "Legends of Tomorrow" and future DC movies, including "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice." Both specials premiere Tuesday, January 19, starting at 9 pm EST on The CW.

Premiering just after a new episode of "The Flash," both "Their Time Is Now" and "Dawn of the Justice League" run for a half hour each. "Their Time is Now" will air first from 9-9:30 pm, with "Dawn of the Justice League" running from 9:30-10 pm. The "Suicide Squad" trailer will drop during "Dawn of the Justice League."

According to its official description, "Their Time is Now" "is an in-depth look at the origin stories of the heroes and villains of the highly-anticipated new series, 'Legends of Tomorrow,' premiering Thursday, January 21, 2016 (8:00-9:00pm ET/PT). Featuring show clips and interviews from 'Legends,' 'Arrow,' and 'The Flash,' executive producers Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, Andrew Kreisberg, Phil Klemmer and Wendy Mericle, 'Their Time is Now' introduces viewers to the immortal madman Vandal Savage, the time master Rip Hunter and the motley band of heroes and rogues he assembles to try to save the future of humanity: Hawkman, Hawkgirl, White Canary, The Atom, Firestorm, Captain Cold and Heat Wave."

On the other hand, "Dawn of the Justice League" "invites viewers behind the scenes of the exciting new movies coming out of the DC Films universe, culminating in the thrilling world premiere of the all-new trailer for 'Suicide Squad,' DC's misfit crew of antiheroes forced into saving the world this summer, with director David Ayer. Hosted by filmmaker/writer/lifelong comics fan Kevin Smith, with special guest DC Entertainment's Geoff Johns, the special showcases the explosive landscape of DC's greatest heroes, kicking off with 'Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,' in theaters this March, and with a sneak peek from the upcoming 'Wonder Woman' feature film."

Kevin Smith has also teased the upcoming specials, posing in a picture with Geoff Johns with a number of props from "Suicide Squad."

SQUAD GOALS! Harley Quinn's bat! Deadshot's mask! Katana's Soultaker Sword! @geoffjohnsdc & I will show you these sacred #suicidesquad totems & lots of @batmanvsuperman stuff during the #dccomics movie special airing on @thecw JAN 19! See the world premiere of the EPIC new @SuicideSquadWB trailer (it is sublime perfection) and footage from the set of the currently shooting #wonderwoman movie! The special follows a @cw_legendsoftomorrow preview special so if you're a @dcentertainment fan, get a #kryptonite condom: because you're gonna bust a super nut! #batmanvsuperman #suicidesquad #harleyquinn #deadshot #geoffjohns #katana #dccomics #dcentertainment #cw #legendsoftomorrow #kevinsmith A photo posted by Kevin Smith (@thatkevinsmith) on


Opens on August 5, 2016

THOR: RAGNAROK

Chris Hemsworth has spoken a bit more about "Thor: Ragnarok," and also revealed that there's another Marvel franchise he wouldn't mind landing in.

"I'd love him to hang out with the 'Guardians [of the Galaxy]' crew. I love that film and there's a great amount of fun to be had," Hemsworth told AceShowBiz.

"I haven't got a script [for 'Thor: Ragnarok'] yet," Hemsworth told the Toronto Sun. "But there certainly has been a huge discussion and there is definitely a goal to do something unexpected in the third one and really mix it up. Everyone seems to be on the same page! There is so much exposure on that character and you just don't want him to be predictable ... but I think we want to get back to more of a sense of adventure and fun in the third 'Thor.'"

Kevin Feige also spoke to "Ragnarok's" cosmic leanings in a chat with "Empire" magazine.

"I don't think people will read into that title alone [regarding] what the movie's going to be," said Feige. "It's going to be, perhaps, as totally different from the two prior 'Thor' movies as 'Winter Soldier' was from the first Captain America. We want to take it to new places, we've got new characters that will show how big we're swinging on this. And we have a Hulk. The film takes place within the cosmos primarily which is to say, frankly, very little Earth."

Opens on November 3, 2017

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