There is a legal dispute over the "James Bond" name. Austrian businessman Josef Kleindienst, who is developing a luxury resort in Dubai, has filed a lawsuit against the US company Danjaq, which owns the trademark rights to the James Bond name. Kleindienst argues that Danjaq hasn't been using the trademark sufficiently, and he wants to use the name for his real estate projects. His plan is to build a $6 billion compound on six man-made islands in Dubai. Legally he is citing an EU law which states that if a trademark name is left commercially unused for at least five years, then a challenge to revoke ownership can be made. The last James Bond movie, No Time to Die, was released in 2021 and there is no new title for the next film, nor a new actor chosen to play Bond. Bond as an intellectual property is co-owned by filmmakers Eon and MGM Studios, with the latter being sold to Amazon in 2022. Have to admit though, a guy building a compound on a man-made island where he plans to bread carpet sharks sounds very much like a Bond villain.  

In 1998, the Marvel Knights line reignited the comic book industry and redefined Marvel storytelling for the 21st century. Now, over 25 years later, two of the imprint’s key creators—influential writer, artist and former Marvel Comics Editor-In-Chief Joe Quesada and acclaimed writer Christopher Priest—present a new evolution of the Marvel Universe under the groundbreaking Marvel Knights banner this June in MARVEL KNIGHTS: THE WORLD TO COME!

Developed and almost already completed in its entirety, MARVEL KNIGHTS: THE WORLD TO COME is a six-issue series where Quesada and Priest combine their decades of experience crafting masterful comic book sagas to produce an entire new vision of the Marvel Universe. The story begins in Wakanda with startling developments centered around T’Challa, Storm, Shuri and more that will reverberate across the globe, changing the Marvel mythos as you know it and boldly reinventing its most legendary heroes.

The King of Wakanda is DEAD, leaving unguarded the world’s most advanced technology, most precious metal, and a cryptic vault of dark secrets while triggering global conflicts among Marvel’s heroes, villains and mutants. With T’Challa gone and the future of the Marvel Universe teetering on a vibranium knife edge, a tribal challenge ensues for the Wakandan throne and its mysterious victor will emerge as the new leader of Wakanda and usher in THE WORLD TO COME.

Recounting the history behind Marvel Knights, Quesada said, "In September 1998, Marvel Knights Daredevil #1 hit the stands, followed by The Punisher, Inhumans, and Black Panther. Eight months earlier, Jimmy Palmiotti, Nanci Dakesian, and I, along with our creators, spent endless hours and sleepless nights producing the best books we could. We knew they looked different—edgier than anything Marvel was publishing at the time—but in a struggling comic book industry, there was no guarantee anyone would notice. We were confident they’d do well, but we didn’t anticipate the overwhelming fan reaction or the lasting impact Marvel Knights would have on Marvel.

Fast forward to October 2017—my best bud, mentor, and Marvel Knights Black Panther writer (and, for my money, the best writer in comics), Christopher Priest, pitched me an idea rooted in his original Marvel Knights take on T’Challa and Wakanda. It was insane, beautiful, and edgy as hell. I told him I HAD to draw it—and that we should go even bigger.”

“Priest delivered an opus—a journey that lets us—and fans—celebrate those original books while taking familiar characters to new and unexpected places. I haven’t had this much fun drawing a project since Marvel Knights Daredevil #1,” Quesada said of the new series.

“More than twenty years ago I started as an Editorial Assistant on Marvel Knights books and now I get to watch Joe and Priest celebrate it with this masterwork,” says Executive Editor Nick Lowe. “We’ve been working on this for a long time (Joe’s finishing the last page of #5 this week) but I can’t believe the rest of the world gets in on it with us this June!”

Check out Quesada’s wraparound cover along with a first look at interior artwork featuring colors by Richard Isanove. Preorder MARVEL KNIGHTS: THE WORLD TO COME #1 at your local comic shop and stay tuned for more new about this landmark series in the months ahead.

After winning practically every single award out there for his turn in The Penguin, Colin Farrell is looking to get back in business with DC: and that’s to star in the title role of Luca Guadagnino‘s Sgt. Rock.

Scheduling for the film, which Farrell reportedly wants to do, has to be balanced with his busy fall that includes the second season of Apple TV+’s Sugar and Edward Berger’s movie The Ballad of a Small Player.

Farrell will play Sgt. Franklin John Rock in the World War II-set movie. Created by Robert Kanigher and Joe Kubert, the character first debuted in the 1959 DC issue Our Army at War as a WWII soldier who served in the infantry. The character gained steamed in 1977 when he received his own comic book series; it ran until July 1988. Rock’s talent includes shooting down German fighter planes with a single submachine gun and tossing grenades with great accuracy. When he’s without a gun, he’s a great street fighter, and can survive gunshots. He’s a calm guy with heart, but also has a “combat antenna” able to detect an incoming enemy siege. There was also a toy series in the 1980s for Sgt. Rock around the time G.I. Joe was soaring in comic books and on TV. (via Deadline)

Sadie Sink is reportedly coming to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but the specific role she’s taking on has been the subject of rumor and debate. Even though she’s set to join the cast of Spider-Man 4, much of the talk about Sink in the MCU has revolved around the idea of her playing Jean Grey, making her a cornerstone of Marvel’s future X-Men franchise.

Marvel has yet to comment on Sink’s potential casting, but the actress herself recently had the chance to address the Jean Grey rumors. While speaking with Happy Sad Confused, Sink noted that she has read the rumors about her playing Jean Grey and loves the idea, but denies any official talks with Marvel about it.

“This is news to me,” Sink said. “No, I have nothing to say about this. The rumors are really cool, though. It’s an awesome rumor.” (via ComicBook.com)

Italy’s Rainbow Group — the company behind the hit “Winx Club” animation franchise — has optioned the rights to adapt mythological saga “Game of Gods,” which has drawn millions of young adult readers on user-generated fiction platform Wattpad.

The “Game of Gods” adaptation will be produced by Rainbow and its Colorado Film live action unit, in tandem with Wattpad Webtoon Studios as associate producer.

A rep for Rainbow said it was too early to specify what format they are planning for the “Game of Gods” adaptation.

Set on the Yale University campus, “Game of Gods” blends suspense, romance and Greek mythology in a contemporary retelling of the myth of Hades and Persephone. The narrative involves a young female student named Haven who gets caught up in the Games of the Gods, “a mysterious ritual organized by the powerful and dangerous Lively brothers,” according to the synopsis. (via Variety)

Daredevil: Born Again, which is now airing on Disney+, tells a tale of Matt Murdock facing off against Kingpin and other villains in New York. But Daredevil won't be the only vigilante in the series as the first batch of episodes delivered the heroic -- and tragic -- story of White Tiger.

"He's a hero," says Murdock, defending Hector Ayala for his corrupted cop killing case. Ayala is publicly ousted as the vigilante White Tiger in a last-resort attempt to convince a jury to find him rightfully innocent.

Ayala's White Tiger, not unlike Murdock's Daredevil, fights against criminals on the streets of New York City. However, he is assisted by the mystical Amulet of Power, which bolsters his fighting abilities.

Unfortunately, White Tiger's acquittal doesn't make him a free man for long, as he meets a tragic fate in Episode 3 of Daredevil: Born Again. However, the series has already hinted that the White Tiger mantle will live on via a different, younger suitor.

Ayala is played by late Puerto Rican actor Kamar de los Reyes, who filmed his scenes shortly before his unfortunate passing in December 2023 at age 56. (via The Direct)

If you’re watching Daredevil: Born Again, it’s fairly obvious they’re setting up a return of the Punisher aka Frank Castle as played by actor Jon Bernthal. This was also revealed in the trailer for the series so it’s not a big secret. The character has been part of the series even before the creative change that brought back Deborah Ann Woll and Elden Hensen. Add in the fact that Dario Scardapane was the new showrunner, who had worked with Bernthal on the Netflix Punisher series, and everything seems to be coming up Frank. Scardapane spoke about the actor and bringing the character back. “Jon is near and dear to my heart. It was amazing to come back and get to work with him again. I feel that whenever Frank comes into the story, hijinks ensue and in this story, that is very, very true. He comes in for a very, very particular reason, he is brought in by a very, very particular person, and I think that it will be immensely satisfying — and a bit like, ‘Oh, my God,' Whenever you put Frank and Daredevil together, all bets are off. It’s a tornado. I mean… we broke some stuff!” 

One of the favorite actors among fan casts is Wednesday’s Jenna Ortega. And while the rising star would seem like a natural to be added to the MCU or the new DCU, many forget that she was already in a film for Marvel Studios… but she hasn’t. “I did it once. It was one of the first jobs I ever did. They took all my lines out. I’m in ‘Iron Man 3’ for a quick second. I take up the frame, I have one leg and I’m the vice president’s daughter. They even took my name away. I count that, then I move on.” That doesn’t sound like someone who is eager to return to the superhero genre. 

While we have a few new films out this week, the audiences are not rushing in to see them. The Jack Quaid led Novocaine debuts at the top of the charts but taking in only $8.7 million, which is more than a million better than the Michael Fassbender/Cate Blanchett spy-thriller Black Bag which debuted with $7.5 million and tying Robert Pattinson’s Mickey 17 which dropped 60% in its second week. Captain America: Brave New World grabbed the fourth slot with $5.47 million taking its domestic total up to $185 million over four weeks. And the last two new films, Looney Tunes: The Day the Earth Blew Up at $3.17 million and The Last Supper at $2.82 million, took the fifth and sixth spots. Theater owners are holding the collective breaths and hoping that Snow White will be a big draw next weekend. 

Sony has a new adaptation of Starship Troopers in the works, and it’s being written and directed by District 9’s Neill Blomkamp. According to Deadline, the project will go back to the 1959 novel by Robert A. Heinlein and have nothing to do with the 1997 film by Paul Verhoeven which had spawned multiple spinoffs. The original film only made $121.2 million worldwide and had a budge of $100 million… but the space military vs alien bug franchise has become a cult classic and launched the careers of Denise Richards, Casper Van Dien and Jake Busey.   

Season two of the Disney+ series Percy Jackson and the Olympians just wrapped filming and is slated to debuted in December, but the studio isn’t wasting any time and has already green lit season three, which will focus on book three in the Rick Riordan’s series titled The Titan’s Curse. This takes the streaming adaptation past the point where the previous movie franchise had reached, something Riordan pointed out in a statement about the renewal, “We’re so grateful to be continuing the story of Percy Jackson on Disney+. This third season will be new territory for the screen, bringing fan favorites like the Hunters of Artemis and Nico di Angelo to life for the first time. It’s a huge sign of commitment from Disney, and speaks volumes about the enthusiasm with which the fandom has embraced the TV show. Thank you, demigods worldwide!” The quick renewal likely has to do with the desire to adapt each of the seven books in the series as a separate season, meaning the ages of stars Walker Scobell, Leah Sava Jeffries, and Aryan Simhadri become a factor. The upcoming second season will adapt book two, The Sea of Monsters.