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Right now, all comic-book-movie-watching eyes are on this month's Comic-Con International. But even as studios plot how best to wow the audiences in San Diego with announcements and big reveals, small updates continue to escape for the superhero flicks of 2017 and beyond, including Justice League casting news and at least one piece of self-nominated dream-casting that everyone involved should be working to make real right now. Dear reader, these are the highlights of the last seven days' superhero movie news.
Every now and then, the Internet gives us a gift that is so perfect it doesn't quite seem real. For example, the news that Anna Kendrick wants to play Marvel's Squirrel Girl in a movie. Admittedly, the suggestion was her brother's and she doesn't know much about the character, but as she put it, "I don't know what Squirrel Girl does other than be half squirrel, but I could be half squirrel!"
Why this is perfect: It's possible that you, too, don't know much about Squirrel Girl, in which case you should drop what you're doing right now and check out Ryan North and Erica Henderson's The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl series. Within *Unbeatable'*s pages you will learn the following things: Squirrel Girl is the most charming superhero in comics today; Kendrick could possibly pull it off on screen; a Squirrel Girl movie that was faithful to the comic book would possibly be the greatest Marvel Studios movie ever made. Marvel, get on the phone to Kendrick and then see if North and Henderson can find time in their schedule to develop this movie. You know it makes sense.
Looks like two more faces have joined the cast of Justice League. The first is Welsh actor Julian Lewis Jones, who told Wales Online that he will be appearing in "what will likely be the most expensive film ever made" without revealing his role. Meanwhile Just Jared is reporting that Jared Leto was just in London for the weekend, which just so happens to be where Justice League is filming. Coincidence, or something more cameo-appearance-shaped? You decide.
Why this is super: While Jones' role is entirely open to speculation, the Leto rumor is an interesting one. Sure, he could have many other reasons to visit London, but at this point, does anyone really think that the Joker won't show up in Justice League?
How best to differentiate the upcoming Spider-Man: Homecoming from earlier cinematic attempts to bring Marvel's wall-crawler to the big screen? Apparently, take him to a whole new city. Website Looper has some shots from the set of next year's movie, and they seem to suggest Spidey will be in Washington, DC for part of the film instead of keeping things in the character's traditional New York stomping (well, swinging) grounds. Is Peter Parker going on a class trip? Saving the home of the US government? Both? Also, what, if anything, does this DC pilgrimage have to do with the homecoming of the movie's title?
Why this is super: While the comic book Spidey has journeyed out of New York on occasion, those trips really are few and far between. But even though this update is a bit confusing, it's also quite enticing.
Here's something unexpected from *Captain America: Civil War'*s Frank Grillo, aka Crossbones: Despite seemingly being a suicide bomber in Civil War, the character might return in a later feature. "You think he dies, don't you?" the actor asked on Good Morning America. "[But] did you see the body? What did you see?"
Why this is super: In comics, the cliche is that you can't accept any character's death until you see the body, and even then, it's still pretty suspicious. Is the same really true in superhero movies, though? After all, it's not as if Crossbones has turned into such an important character that he has to be resurrected after what appeared to be his explosive final moments. If we haven't seen the Red Skull come back to plague Cap yet, is Crossbones really likely to return?
Wondering what to expect from Jason Momoa's Aquaman in Justice League and his own solo movie? Producer Deborah Snyder offered an unexpected tease when talking about why Momoa was perfect for the part: "Jason is a physical presence," she said. "He's enormous—kind of scary, but at the same time he's warm and loving. And we felt like these were the characteristics Aquaman needed to have." Sure, we all expected kind of scary, but "warm and loving"? In the same fictional universe where Superman is hardly the least threatening individual and Batman happily beats up everyone around him? This sounds pretty unexpected, but also kind of wonderful.
Why this is super: While it's likely that most will be cynical of the notion of Zack Snyder managing to give the world a loving, warm hero after Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, we'll confess that we're all kinds of on board with this take, and hope they can pull it off. Whether the classic comic book incarnation or *Batman: The Brave and The Bold'*s animated braggart, the best Aquamans are warm and loving. Jason Momoa, we're all relying on you to make this happen.
