Portman, Jolie and Ali top Marvel news
“Avengers: Endgame” may have closed a chapter in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but the blockbuster factory is not slowing down and only expanding in scope and diversity.
Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige led a marathon presentation at San Diego Comic-Con Saturday night, announcing plans for the first two years of “Phase Four,” which will include Natalie Portman taking up the hammer as Thor, making Angelina Jolie an immortal for “The Eternals” and rebooting “Blade” with Mahershala Ali.
The stars assembled as Feige ticked through the release calendar for 2020 and 2021 movie by movie, giving official cast lists, release dates, titles and logos for everything from “Black Widow,” the “Doctor Strange” sequel, “Thor 4” to “Shang Chi” to “The Eternals.”
Marvel also revealed that newcomer Simu Liu will be playing the lead role in “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” directed by Destin Daniel Cretton and coming to theaters on Feb. 12, 2021.
Portman, who played Jane in the first two Thor films, will be reemerging as the female Thor. She ran out on stage to thunderous applause and accepted the hammer from a kneeling Taika Waititi.
Feige closed out the presentation dropping the “Blade” reboot news and Ali’s casting, which hadn’t yet even become a rumor to speculate about. Wesley Snipes played the character in the 1998 film and two sequels. Ali came out on stage and put on a “Blade” baseball cap as the crowd went wild. No other details were revealed about the project.