Trailer Tuesday: Morbius, Black Widow and Bloodshot
Marvel and Sony arm-wrestle. First it was Sony's turn: "Here's the new trailer for Morbius". Then Marvel retorted: "Oh yeah? Here's Black Widow's look". Then Sony again: "Oh yeah? Here's Bloodshot in your teeth!
To be completely honest with you, I had planned a quiet little "Trailer Tuesday". And then, lo and behold, Marvel and Sony released three trailers simultaneously: 'Morbius', 'Black Widow' and 'Bloodshot'. Shot after shot.
We live in a world of trailers, I tell you.
Birds of Prey
Film studio Warner Bros. and DC Comics character Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) take down Jared Leto's Joker for good in 'Birds of Prey', thwarting evil forces Roman Sionis (Ewan McGregor), for example. In this film starring Mary Elizabeth Winstead as the Huntress, Jurnee Smollett-Bell as Black Canary, Rosie Perez aka Renee Montoya and Ella Jay Basco aka Cassandra Cain, the women are there to stick together.
I didn't like "Suicide Squad" at all. But Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn was certainly one of - if not the only - highlight. So it remains to be seen whether this spin-off is really necessary. But the idea of telling the story from the point of view of a Harley Quinn with a troubled personality is a clever move.
Theatrical release: 7 February 2020
Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made
Here's what I wasn't expecting to see: a little boy setting up his own detective agency with his 700kg polar bear. The Pontiac Bandits from "Brooklyn 99". The Disney logo, closely followed by the "Official Selection 2020 Sundance Film Festival" logo.
Launch date: February 7, 2020, Disney+
Bloodshot
In this film, we see a Vin Diesel with regenerative powers shoot anything that moves. "You won't control me forever," he calls out in a voice that sounds like it came straight out of a subwoofer.
I'd classify this genre as: "Movies that kick ass".
Theatrical release: 20 February 2020
Black Widow
This trailer is not new, but special, it's a Special Look. I have no idea who came up with this marketing concept. The Special Look is a sort of teaser shown before the actual trailer, or something like that.
It shows Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), Natasha Romanoff's sister and trained assassin. In the comics, she becomes the second Black Widow. Maybe even in the Marvel Cinematic Universe too. Then there's David Harbour - of "Stranger Things" fame - who plays Captain Russia, er I mean the Red Guardian (Red Gardian in the original), the Soviet equivalent of Captain America.
The best part of all this? The Master of Chores, the super-villain, in the comics, an anti-hero who has no moral code. He has one trump card up his sleeve - he can instantly memorise his opponents' moves. The Black Widow had better watch out.
Theatrical release: 30 April 2020.
Morbius
After two unsuccessful Spider-Man films, it seems Sony Pictures prefers to stay away from comic book adaptations by licensing the rights to Marvel Studios. Then "Venom" hit cinemas and Sony Pictures returned to glory.
What I really liked about these two trailers: the poster with Spider-Man tagged "Murderer" on it, and Michael Keaton's cameo as the Vulture. What's clear is that 'Morbius' is not just in the Venom universe, but also in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Indeed, since Marvel's Spider-Man: Far From Home, Peter Parker has officially been considered Mysterio's killer. And The Vulture was the villain in Spider-Man: Homecoming. So all this means that Venom should also be part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Unofficially. Not complicated at all, eh?
By the way, as the film rights to Spider-Man are not owned by Sony - but by Marvel - Peter Parker is not wearing the MCU costume on the poster, but Sam Raimi's from the 2000 film adaptations.
Theatrical release: 30 July 2020
If you like "Trailer Tuesday" and don't want to miss out on any news from the world of film and TV series, follow me by clicking on the "Follow the author" button.
I'm an outdoorsy guy and enjoy sports that push me to the limit – now that’s what I call comfort zone! But I'm also about curling up in an armchair with books about ugly intrigue and sinister kingkillers. Being an avid cinema-goer, I’ve been known to rave about film scores for hours on end. I’ve always wanted to say: «I am Groot.»