Influencers
NBA Legend Bill Russell Passes Away at Age 88
Bill Russell, one of the most significant figures in NBA history and an 11-time NBA champion as both a player and coach with the Boston Celtics, passed away on Sunday at the age of 88, according to his family. Jeannine was by Russell’s side as he peacefully went away.
More Than a Player
Along with his athletic accomplishments, Russell was a prominent human rights activist in athletics. He marched with Martin Luther King Jr. when he delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech in 1963. He also stood with legendary boxer Muhammad Ali against being called up for military duty.
An Impressive Legacy
With the Celtics, Russell amassed 11 championships, including eight in a row from 1959 to 1966. He was a 12-time All-Star and a five-time NBA MVP. He was the first Black head coach to win an NBA championship while leading the Celtics to two victories.
While a lot of players and family members expressed their condolences, everyone around the league and the world are also in grief as Bill Russell served as role model for them all. The legend will surely be missed and everyone will have his great legacy, both on and off the court, to look up to.
Quentin Tarantino is getting ready for his victory lap after serving for more than 30 years as one of the most innovative and explosive figures in American cinema. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Tarantino has finished writing the script for his tenth and final movie, which is slated to be released this fall and is tentatively named The Film Critic.
The Grand Setting
The Film Critic will be set in the 1970s, continuing Tarantino’s 1969 film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’s love letter to that decade. Given Tarantino’s well-known passion for the movie industry (he owns Los Angeles’ New Beverly Cinema and released a collection of essays about the industry in November), it only makes sense that he would end his filmography with a film about the medium itself.
A Few Notes
Director’s don’t become better as they age, Tarantino famously told Playboy, explaining why he would quit creating movies after his tenth. Usually, the final four movies in a filmmaker’s oeuvre are the poorest. A win in either category for The Film Critic would be a true Hollywood ending for the 59-year-old auteur, who is all about his filmography and believes that “one bad film fucks up three good ones.” Tarantino has won two Best Original Screenplay Academy Awards, for Django Unchained and also Pulp Fiction, but despite being nominated for both Best Director and Best Picture.
In Reservoir Dogs, Tarantino made his directorial debut in 1992, and he would go on to become one of the most important directors of the modern era. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, his most recent film, received ten Academy Award nominations and two wins. We may anticipate learning more about The Movie Critic in the upcoming months as filming appears to be starting soon.
It would seem that it is certain that Robert Downey Jr. won’t make another appearance in a Marvel film in the future. Despite the fact that Tony Stark lost his heroic battle in Avengers: Endgame, many people had hoped that he may somehow make a comeback in upcoming films. Deaths no longer have to have any significance because Marvel has been experimenting more and more with the multiverse theory.
Moving Forward
Marvel executive Stephen Broussard indicated that Phase Five will put a lot more of an emphasis on fresh characters that were initially introduced in Phase Four in an interview with io9 (via Gizmodo). That also entails permanently saying goodbye to certain long-time favorites, most notably Iron Man. “Well, I think one of the meta-narratives of Phase Four was about new characters. It was about new people stepping into mantles.” is what he had to say regarding the matter.
A Huge Addition
Harrison Ford is reportedly joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe, so this news is timely. The 80-year-old star, who has starred in some of the greatest movie franchises ever, including Star Wars and Indiana Jones, will reportedly have some pretty big shoes to fill. Hot Mic with John Rocha and Jeff Snider reported that Harrison will reportedly take over for William Hurt, who passed away in March at the age of 71, in the Marvel films as General Thaddeus E. “Thunderbolt” Ross.
Now, Florence Pugh and Sebastian Stan will star in a standalone Thunderbolts film. A crew of supervillains are enlisted to carry out government objectives, according to the synopsis. A fan page claims that the release date is scheduled for July 26, 2024. Ford has since inked a contract with Marvel, and, according to journalist Sneider, he will star in the next Captain America: New World Order.
Nicolas Cage is a unique talent. He has produced stupid action pictures, moving family dramas wrapped in mystery, ridiculous vampire movies, and even a self-spoof movie. He is, so to speak, genre-free. The traditional superhero genre, though, is one that would be less without Nic Cage, and Hollywood’s most adaptable actor isn’t about to change that anytime soon.
As Big as It Gets
Cage’s response was straightforward when asked about his career and the likelihood of seeing him in a Marvel Cinematic Universe movie during a recent interview with Variety. “I’m Nic Cage, I don’t need to be in the MCU,” so there you go, he’s much larger than Marvel, greater than DC. Greater than whatever may result from the two being combined in some odd love child situation, which we can only guess is the ultimate fantasy of neckbearded comic book superfans everywhere.
The View from Up Here
Nic Cage is him. Really though, Cage has arrived at a moment in his career where he is free to do whatever the hell he wants. For goodness’ sake, he comes from the Coppola family. They are Hollywood blood and royalty. Even though he has no immediate plans to appear in a Marvel movie, Cage does acknowledge others. “I’ve gotta be nice about Marvel movies, because I named myself after a Stan Lee character named Luke Cage,” he admitted to Variety.
He was then questioned about the current situation of contemporary superhero films, which are box office powerhouses packed with wonder, action, and never-ending storylines that are released in “phases”. While we all still know him as Ghostrider, who’s to say he won’t be in any MCU film just yet? Then again, he’s been doing pretty well with a lot of his projects. You keep doing you Nic!
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