Marvel is rebooting Blade, with Mahershala Ali set to star

One of the bombshell announcements during Marvel’s Hall H presentation at San Diego Comic-Con tonight was that the studio would be rebooting Blade, with True Detective and Luke Cage actor Mahershala Ali set to star.

The character was one of the first of Marvel’s superheroes to become a notable hit as a film: Blade was released in 1998, starring Wesley Snipes as the titular vampire hunter, a role he’d go on to reprise in 2002 for Blade II, and in 2004 for Blade: Trinity. Marvel reacquired the rights to the character, as well as Ghost Rider and the Punisher back in 2013. Marvel brought in Ghost Rider (which had been a pair of films starring Nicholas Cage), and the Punisher (another two films), for Agents of SHIELD, and its Netflix superhero franchise, starting with Daredevil, respectively.

Marvel didn’t release any additional details about when we’ll see Blade back in action, nor what form — at this point it could be either a series for Disney+ or a feature film. There are certainly plenty of opportunities for both in the coming years.

The character was born Eric Brooks, and is half-human, half vampire. He first appeared in comics in 1973 in The Tomb of Dracula #10, and after saving a man from vampires, turned to hunting them.


https://www.theverge.com/2019/7/20/20702411/marvel-cinematic-universe-blade-reboot-mahershala-ali

Simu Liu Will Play Marvel's First Asian lead hero, Shang-Chi

It’s been a long time coming, but Marvel has finally revealed the face of its long-in-the-works Shang-Chi movie: Canadian-Chinese actor Simu Liu has been tapped to bring the martial arts superhero to life.

Liu, known for the sitcom Kim’s Convenience (which is excellent), was apparently just cast for the role this past week, with his screen test last Sunday. That’s a quick turnaround.

The upcoming movie, all about the master of martial arts Shang-Chi, will also feature Tony Leung playing the Mandarin. Like, the real one. No, not the Iron Man 3 one. That actually bad guy. Also, Awkwafina is in the film in an as-yet-unannounced role.

Shang-Chi will be directed by Destin Daniel Cretton (Short Term 12, The Glass Castle), based on a script by Dave Callaham.


https://io9.gizmodo.com/tk-will-play-marvels-martial-arts-superhero-shang-chi-1836417243


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Memo: How The First Debates Changed The Race

By the Data For Progress and YouGov Blue
Executive Summary

● Democratic voters do not share pundits’ view that the most “electable” candidate is the most moderate. Clear majorities of Democratic voters value honesty, knowledge, and leadership most—with less than half valuing “willingness to compromise.”

● Democratic voters prioritize turning out voters who stayed home in 2016 over persuading Trump voters.

● After the debate, Democratic voters’ preferences for who they “wished to be the nominee” and who they “predicted to be the nominee” moved closer together, indicating an increasing belief that a variety of candidates can win the nomination.

● Senator Kamala Harris saw the biggest gains after the debate, across various questions.



https://www.dataforprogress.org/memos/how-the-first-debate-changed-the-race

Marvel Studios Teases A Female-Led Guardians Of The Galaxy Movie

Marvel Studios is expected make some major announcements during tonight’s Hall H panel at San Diego Comic-Con, but in the meantime, executive vice president of production Victoria Alonso has teased some big news that’s somehow related to the Guardians of the Galaxy films.

Alonso spoke earlier today at SDCC’s Women of Marvel panel, where according to Bleeding Cool, she suggested that we’re in for a huge night when it comes to female characters in the MCU.

Now, to a large extent, this tease is nothing new. After all, Marvel Studios has long been hyping up the franchise’s Phase 4 for its female representation. In fact, while the production house is still a few hours away from announcing their next set of films, it’s widely understood that a Black Widow solo movie and a Captain Marvel sequel are both on the way.

Things really got interesting, however, when Alonso followed up her tease by singing a line from “Hooked on a Feeling,” a song that MCU fans have come to associate with a certain gang of misfit space travelers.



https://wegotthiscovered.com/movies/marvel-studios-teases-femaleled-guardians-galaxy-movie/?utm_content=buffer765ac&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

Tweet of the Day

VA: Sen. Tim Kaine Campaigns for SD10 Dem Nominee Ghazala Hashmi

Kaine said “we need people who have a heart for public service, we need people who understand that we are a nation of immigrants…and that’s what Ghazala will bring to this seat.”

Kaine emphasized the importance of Democrats taking back the General Assembly, including for things like protecting and expanding health care coverage, supporting public education, raising the minimum wage, ratifying the ERA, reinstating voting rights for ex-felons, etc.

Kaine blasted Republican legislators from western Virginia who have been “voting against their voters’ interests again and again,” and argued that Democrats from Northern, Central and Southeastern Virginia have repeatedly “voted to help people in western Virginia even though there were no votes for them…don’t tell me that Democrats don’t care about rural voters; Democrats care more about rural voters than rural voters’ elected officials care about rural voters.”

Kaine argued that Ghazala Hashmi’s main opponent is “apathy,” that “this is a blue district,” the only question being whether Democrats show up to vote in this off-odd election year, with no statewide or federal race on the ballot. That’s the real challenge, not so much her Republican opponent (Glen Sturtevant). Kaine also argued – correctly – that activists’ efforts are proportionately more important in low-turnout elections like this one than in high-turnout elections like for president or governor.

Hashmi talked about what a huge fan of Kaine she’s been for many years. Now, Hashmi said, she wants to be Kaine’s State Senator.

Hashmi quoted from the great poets Walt Whitman (“I hear America singing”) and Langston Hughes (“I too sing America”). Hashmi argued that “we are living through a rather ugly, ugly period,” that “we were reminded this week that there are some people who do not want to hear other people singing in America, or other people daring to claim this country as their own.”

Hashmi added: “When we have a president who tells four American congresswomen to go back to where you came from, denying their voice, denying their power, denying the fact that they have been duly elected…that’s a denial of all of us and of our democracy!”

Hashmi talked about how, in February 2017, she had a “massive panic attack” and couldn’t get our of her car in a parking lot because “I had heard on NPR that morning that Donald Trump was refusing to let go of his Muslim ban, and the question that haunted me that morning was ‘do I truly belong in this country anymore, do I have a place in this country anymore?” (the response from the crowd: YES YOU DO!)
Hashmi mentioned a comment she received from someone she didn’t know after the primary: “Ghazala, I fully expected someone like you to emerge in Northern Virginia and to be successful in Northern Virginia; the fact that you have done this in Central Virginia tells us that we as Virginians have made it our agenda that it’s time for a change.”

Hashmi stressed education “ought to be equitable and just for all Virginians regardless of the zip code that somebody comes from”; that “health care is a right not a privilege for only those that can afford it”; that the environmental is critical, that “we have to acknowledge the climate crisis…and not suffer in silence or in denial”; that we just saw Republicans in the General Assembly refuse to “even sit and talk about sensible gun legislation” and that this needs to change.

Hashmi concluded: “We desperately need to send a voice and a signal to Richmond and also to Washington, DC, that as Virginia leads, the country will follow…I hope you will help me to share the message…that in 2019, Virginia is my home, and Ghazala Hashmi is an American name!”

https://bluevirginia.us/2019/07/video-photos-sen-tim-kaine-campaigns-for-sd10-dem-nominee-ghazala-hashmi




https://hashmi4vasenate.org/

TX-21: Nancy Pelosi, other U.S. House leaders to host event for Wendy Davis

Wendy Davis is getting support from some of the highest-ranking Democrats in Congress — including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi — as she appears to move closer to run for Texas' 21st Congressional District.

Pelosi and other House leaders have invited potential supporters to a meeting with Davis on Tuesday evening in Washington, D.C., according to an invitation obtained by The Texas Tribune. The co-hosts include nine of the 13 Democrats in the Texas congressional delegation.

The invitation obtained by the Tribune does not explicitly ask for donations to Davis but says the meeting is "in support of her campaign for Texas CD21" and includes a link to donate online.

The meeting is taking place at a townhouse affiliated with the political action committee Bold PAC, the campaign arm for the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, and one of its members, Rep. Filemon Vela, D-Brownsville, is the lead organizer, according to a House leadership source.

The House leaders involved in the meeting include Pelosi, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, Majority Whip James Clyburn, Assistant House Speaker Ben Ray Luján, Caucus Chair Hakeem Jeffries and Caucus Vice Chair Katherine Clark.

The Texas delegation participants are Vela and Democratic Reps. Colin Allred of Dallas, Joaquin Castro of San Antonio, Lloyd Doggett of Austin, Veronica Escobar of El Paso, Sylvia Garcia of Houston, Eddie Bernice Johnson of Dallas, Sheila Jackson Lee of Houston and Marc Veasey of Fort Worth.



https://www.texastribune.org/2019/07/18/nancy-pelosi-host-event-wendy-davis-she-nears-congressional-run/

Tweet of the Day

Rollin Stones _ 2000 Light years from Home

Quick question for anxiety sufferers.

Did anybody feel as though they you had been physically beaten when the medication took full effect?