X-Men: Apocalypse is about to hit theaters, and yet things are awfully quiet when it comes to announcements from the movie's studio—Fox—about any sequels or spin-offs that might come after it. It's possible Fox is waiting for the movie to have a big opening weekend before making any news, but were are our promises of Jean Grey solo films and a Nightcrawler TV series, guys? As it is, we just have to deal with these other little tidbits of superhero movie news.
SUPER IDEA: A Changing of the Guard at Warner Bros.
In the wake of *Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice'*s performance, Warner Bros. is seriously switching things up when it comes to comic book movies: Executive vice president Jon Berg and DC Entertainment's chief creative officer Geoff Johns are reportedly going to head up a newly-created division called DC Films, which will handle the DC properties in a way not unlike Marvel Studios' hands-on approach. Meanwhile, Charles Roven, a producer on every DC movie to date, is being made an executive producer without day-to-day oversight on projects, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Why this is super: While it's clear Warners is doing something to respond to the poor reception of BvS, whether or not these changes will be enough to course correct and appease the upset masses remains to be seen.
SUPER IDEA: Thor Is Preparing to Go to Hel and Back
Say hello to your expanded Thor: Ragnarok cast: Cate Blanchett as Hela, queen of the underworld, Karl Urban as Asgardian warrior Skurge, Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie, and Jeff Goldblum as the cosmic Grandmaster. Marvel confirmed the rumors (and announced Goldblum's involvement for the first time) last week, prompting a million Marvel nerds worldwide to lose their damn minds. (If you're wondering why, this is the Grandmaster. Now you understand.)
Why this is super: For fans of the comic books, the presence of both Hela and Skurge suggests that a beloved comic book storyline (No. 1 on this list) might be in play for the next movie. We can only hope this turns out to be the case.
SUPER IDEA: Black Panther Might Have an Insanely Great Cast
If rumors are to be believed, this leaked casting call for Black Panther reveals what characters will appear in director Ryan Coogler's 2018 movie based on the breakout character from Captain America: Civil War. It's a packed list that includes Monica Lynne, a singer who becomes the Panther's love interest, and no less than five villains: Achebe, Erik Kllmonger, Malice, Man-Ape, and White Wolf. If genuine, it promises a movie that'll feature almost every single Black Panther character out there, and then some.
Why this is super: If this list turns out to be accurate, then it's genuinely impressive—not least of all because it's predominately African characters, which would be a welcome change from the mostly-white-with-an-occasional-black-sidekick Marvel formula. However, with so many villains showing up on the list, it feels amazingly fake. File under "If only, but unconvinced" for now.
SUPER IDEA: Batman's Suicide Squad Bat-Cameo Revealed!
Living up to its name, Batman-News has some details about Ben Affleck's cameo in Suicide Squad. For those hoping the Dark Knight would get to play with all of the villains in the new movie, bad news: It turns out he'll only share the screen with Deadshot (Will Smith) and Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), and he'll have only a brief interaction with Jared Leto's Joker.
Why this is super: While this is bad news for those desperate to see more Batfleck ahead of 2017's Justice League, it's nice to know that Batman won't overshadow the Squad in their own movie (and that he's going to be sharing the screen with Deadshot, who started life as a Batman villain way back in 1950's Batman #59).
SUPER IDEA: Joss Whedon Making a Female-Led Superhero Movie
In an interview with The Wrap, Joss Whedon said that "of course" he'd be interested in making a female-led Avengers movie if the opportunity arose—note that this wasn't a sign that Marvel is interested in exploring such an option—although he did add that he wouldn't be making something upbeat if the project were to happen. "I tend more towards the Jessica Jones-y kind of stories than the delightful Supergirl stories that my daughter wants," he said. Considering that Marvel's first female-led movie isn't going to happen until 2019 at the earliest, it might seem unlikely that fans will ever see a female-led Avengers, but Whedon has no truck with those who think that Marvel is sexist, saying studio president "Kevin Feige fought a mighty fight to get [Captain Marvel] on the schedule. So it's a start. You could say that should be a middle, but it’s a start."
Why this is super: While Whedon is likely enough of a big name to get such a project greenlit, it's unclear whether he'd be many people's first choice to direct such a project. Wouldn't a woman director make more sense? Of course, should Marvel suddenly redirect and decide to court female audiences, it does have a ready-made women-only Avengers team to bring to the big screen.