Comics
Joaquin Phoenix In Talks to Play ‘Doctor Strange’! #SDCC
Major news out of the San Diego Comic-Con as Variety confirms The Wraps‘s scoop that Signs actor Joaquin Phoenix, pictured, is in early talks to star in Marvel’s Doctor Strange.
The deal is said to be far from complete but insiders confirm that Phoenix is strongly considering the superhero role, which had previously been linked to Benedict Cumberbatch and Tom Hardy.
Sinister and Deliver Us From Evil’s Scott Derrickson is directing with Jon Spaihts currently rewriting the script.
The pic will be produced by Marvel chief Kevin Feige and could be featured at Saturday’s Comic-Con presentation in San Diego, which is already expected to include the cast of The Avengers.
The comicbook follows a former neurosurgeon who serves as the “Sorcerer Supreme” — the primary protector of Earth against magical and mystical threats. Strange made his first appearance in the 1963 comicbook series “Strange Tales” and would go on to have his own comicbook series and would appear in several other comicbooks that included “The Fantastic Four,” “Spider-Man” and “Nick Fury.”
The supernatural world of Korean folk horror movie Exhuma grows larger with the arrival of prequel spinoff webtoon Maengjong this weekend, Variety reports today.
Naver Webtoon debuts Maengjong on May 30.
The series hails from Haemuri (Olgami) and will trace the high school origins of how shaman duo Hwarim and Bonggil, played by Kim Go-eun and Lee Do-hyun in the 2024 film, came together to face occultish threats.
The story is set to begin when “Hwarim, who has been concealing her identity following a childhood encounter with a snake spirit called Jin, crosses paths with Bonggil at their school.”
Variety notes that Exhuma director Jang Jae-hyun participated in the project’s early concept stage.
“We are presenting ‘Maengjong,’ a new series capturing the appeal of the horror-occult genre, ahead of the full summer season,” said Lee Jeong-geun, Naver Webtoon’s Korea webtoon content leader. “With the high school story of Hwarim and Bonggil, who left a strong impression in the film ‘Exhuma,’ enhanced by Haemuri’s characteristic tense direction, we expect it will be a welcome work for genre fans.”
“It is meaningful that the spin-off story of ‘Exhuma,’ loved by many audiences, expands by meeting the new grammar of webtoon,” said Lee Hyeon-jeong, managing director of the film business division at Showbox, which distributed the film. “We hope it will be a fresh experience for both film fans and webtoon readers.”
Exhuma was a breakout hit in 2024, becoming the first Korean occult film to surpass 10 million ticket buyers and the country’s highest-grossing film of the year. I wrote in my review that “the intricately woven Exhuma delivers one of the year’s biggest surprises in horror so far.”
The bond between Hwarim and Bonggil was one of the film’s highlights, making this prequel webtoon a must for fans.
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