Latest news with #MrFantastic
Hindustan Times
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Hollywood's most bankable star has no solo hit, yet films worth $2.3B; beat Tom Cruise, Robert Downey Jr, Dwayne Johnson
The summer of 2025 is the summer of superheroes and blockbusters in Hollywood. A number of mega-budget films are releasing in theatres this year between May and August, raising hopes of a revival of theatrical cinema at the box office. And even as Marvel leads the charge, one man has been at the forefront of the cultural zeitgeist over the last couple of years. And now, having become Hollywood's most bankable star, he has mega projects lined up over the next two years, too. (Also read: Made for $65M, earned $120K, Hollywood's biggest box office bomb ended careers, was called 'worst movie of 21st century') Chilean-American actor Pedro Pascal is currently at the peak of his career. Having been around for three decades, the 50-year-old truly broke through only in the last decade, and is now in the busiest phase of his life. In 2025, he has already starred in the second season of HBO's successful video game adaptation, The Last of Us. But it is how the rest of the year pans out for him that makes him Hollywood's most bankable star. Pedro has three films lined up for release this year, and he is filming three more. The combined production budget of these films is over $2.3 billion, a staggering sum. Pedro will be first seen in Celine Song's romantic drama, Materialists. Also starring Chris Evans and Dakota Fanning, the film is said to be among the most anticipated rom-coms of the summer. Apart from this, he is also in Ari Aster's Western, Eddington. Then comes his biggest role on the big screen yet. Pedro will portray Reed Richards, aka Mr Fantastic, in Marvel Cinematic Universe's reboot of the Fantastic Four franchise. Titled Fantastic Four: The First Steps, the film has been mounted on a $120 million budget, with millions more being spent on marketing. The film marks Pedro's MCU debut. But it is the movies Pedro is filming in 2025 that make him the top draw in Hollywood right now. First up is the film spinoff from the Star Wars universe - The Mandalorian and Grogu. Made on a budget of $167 million, the film takes forward Pedro's character from The Mandalorian series and is set to be the finale to the show. Then, Pedro will bring his Mr Fantastic to the Avengers-verse. He is part of the back-to-back productions - Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. According to ScreenRant, the two films are costing Marvel and Disney a staggering $2 billion in production and marketing. Funnily enough, Pedro's success comes on the back of his performances on television. He broke through with the guest appearance on Game of Thrones season 4 (2015), before getting his own series in The Mandalorian. The success of the latter, followed by The Last of Us, made him a global star. Yet, in cinema, Pedro has never been a top box office draw, with almost all his hits coming where he was a supporting character. Yet, he has films worth $2.3 billion lined up now. Even top Hollywood stars like Tom Cruise, Leonardo DiCaprio, Ryan Reynolds, and Dwayne Johnson don't have $2.3 billion riding on them like Pedro Pascal. Some MCU regulars like Robert Downey Jr and Anthony Mackie, who are likely to be in both Avengers films, come close, but none of them have other big-budget films like Pedro has in other franchises. Pedro will likely sign more films before the release of Secret Wars in late 2027, which means the 'summer of Pedro Pascal' is likely to continue for two more years.
Gizmodo
3 days ago
- Business
- Gizmodo
Hasbro's New Marvel Legends Figures Are the Bendiest Boys Around
Whether it's Mr. Fantastic or Shuma-Gorath (sorry, 'Gargantos'), Hasbro's newest Marvel reveals are all about that flexibility. Today Hasbro revealed a boatload of Marvel Legends figures, and they were united beyond the mere fact that they were action figures made by Hasbro, and were from Marvel properties. No, there was a standout theme among today's reveals: bendiness. It would be otherwise difficult to marry the two halves of Hasbro's reveals today—our first official look at action figures from The Fantastic Four: First Steps alongside a series of gaming-themed celebrations of Capcom's classic Marvel fighting games—but somehow the toymaker did it with a little help from Mr. Fantastic and… Shuma-Gorath. Hasbro Marvel Legends Gamerverse Gargantos Sorry, Gargantos. The legally distinct Shuma-Gorath, who looks a lot like Shuma-Gorath, and instead currently borrows its name from an incredibly obscure Namor the Sub-Mariner villainous octopus to avoid potential copyright issues. Either way, they've both got big long bendy limbs! Hasbro Marvel Legends Fantastic Four: First Steps Mr. Fantastic Thankfully, Reed also comes with a pair of normal arms that you can swap out if you don't want his wired, bendable stretchy limbs going all the time. But Gigantos is all bend, all the time, with multiple points of articulation across his six tendrils that make what is otherwise a giant green one-eyed tentacled eldritch abomination surprisingly expressive. Hasbro Marvel Legends Fantastic Four: First Steps Figures Of course though, non-bendy action figures were also on display. Rounding out the rest of the First Steps wave are, of course, the rest of the Fantastic Four, based on their MCU appearances: Sue, Johnny, and Ben all get figures, as does a fully flamed-on Human Torch. While there's no movie Galactus figure for them to battle against yet, the line is rounded out by his herald in the form of Shalla Bal, the Silver Surfer, who comes with not only her cosmic surfboard but a nifty little energy blast stand you can pose her surfing on. Hasbro Marvel Legends Gamerverse Figures The Gamerverse fighting game figures, beyond Gargantos, are all inspired by the early stages of Marvel's historic gaming collaboration with Capcom across a series of arcade fighting games, most notably Marvel Super Heroes, Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter, and the original Marvel vs. Capcom. Gargantos and a deluxe-sized Juggernaut, however, are the only standalone figures: the rest are available across a series of two packs, some of which will be exclusive in the U.S. to retailers like Walmart, Target. Here's the breakdown of who's facing off against who: Wolverine vs. Silver Samurai Psylocke vs. Thanos (Target exclusive) Captain America vs. Venom War Machine vs. Omega Red (Walmart exclusive) Hasbro's Fantastic Four: First Steps figures will hit Hasbro Pulse for pre-order tomorrow, May 30, ahead of a release this summer. The 'Gamerverse' two-packs will have staggered pre-order launches across Hasbro Pulse, Target, and Walmart across the month of June.
Scoop
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scoop
Wintergeddon Returns With Global Stars And A Pop Culture Powerhouse King's Birthday Weekend
Armageddon Expo | May 31 – June 2, 2025 | Auckland Showgrounds Auckland's favourite celebration of fandom returns this King's Birthday Weekend as Wintergeddon brings a stelar line-up of international stars, cosplay royalty, interactive exhibits, gaming and more to the Auckland Showgrounds. Leading the celebrity guest list are four powerhouse names from the worlds of sci-fi, fantasy, and gaming: Ioan Gruffudd, best known as Mr Fantastic in Fantastic Four and the heroic Horatio Hornblower. Renee O'Connor, beloved globally as Gabrielle in Xena: Warrior Princess. Kim Rhodes, a standout in Supernatural as Sheriff Jody Mills. Jeff Ward, breakout star of One Piece and fan-favourite in Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.. They're joined by a stellar supporting cast including T.J. Thyne (Bones), Aime Donald (M3gan), Neil Fanning (voice of Scooby-Doo) and Kiwi acting legend Lucy Lawless (Xena: Warrior Princess) drops in for an exclusive Sunday panel as well. Cosplay fans are in for a treat with four of the world's biggest cosplayers: Alyson Tabbitha, Rachel Maksy, Vera Chimera and Ridd1e leading panels, judging contests, and showcasing jaw-dropping costume artistry all weekend. New for 2025 is the world-first appearance of CARmageddon – a fully-drivable custom Cadillac inspired by the Batmobile and KITT, complete with scissor-lift turret, voice commands, and a working flux capacitor. Fans can also explore an exclusive Stranger Things costume exhibit featuring original Netflix screen-used wardrobe, and dive into a massive range of activities including: Two national esports tournaments (League of Legends and Marvel Rivals) Minecraft VR Zone Airsoft range and X-Shot battle arena Spookers Horror Hall and Just Dance disco Live music from the Auckland Wind Orchestra Anime screenings, D&D adventures by Questbook, board games from Catan, pinball, wargaming, and cosplay parades
Scoop
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scoop
Wintergeddon Returns With Global Stars And A Pop Culture Powerhouse King's Birthday Weekend
Auckland's favourite celebration of fandom returns this King's Birthday Weekend as Wintergeddon brings a stelar line-up of international stars, cosplay royalty, interactive exhibits, gaming and more to the Auckland Showgrounds. Leading the celebrity guest list are four powerhouse names from the worlds of sci-fi, fantasy, and gaming: Ioan Gruffudd, best known as Mr Fantastic in Fantastic Four and the heroic Horatio Hornblower. Renee O'Connor, beloved globally as Gabrielle in Xena: Warrior Princess. Kim Rhodes, a standout in Supernatural as Sheriff Jody Mills. Jeff Ward, breakout star of One Piece and fan-favourite in Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.. They're joined by a stellar supporting cast including T.J. Thyne (Bones), Aime Donald (M3gan), Neil Fanning (voice of Scooby-Doo) and Kiwi acting legend Lucy Lawless (Xena: Warrior Princess) drops in for an exclusive Sunday panel as well. Cosplay fans are in for a treat with four of the world's biggest cosplayers: Alyson Tabbitha, Rachel Maksy, Vera Chimera and Ridd1e leading panels, judging contests, and showcasing jaw-dropping costume artistry all weekend. New for 2025 is the world-first appearance of CARmageddon – a fully-drivable custom Cadillac inspired by the Batmobile and KITT, complete with scissor-lift turret, voice commands, and a working flux capacitor. Fans can also explore an exclusive Stranger Things costume exhibit featuring original Netflix screen-used wardrobe, and dive into a massive range of activities including: Two national esports tournaments (League of Legends and Marvel Rivals) Minecraft VR Zone Airsoft range and X-Shot battle arena Spookers Horror Hall and Just Dance disco Live music from the Auckland Wind Orchestra Anime screenings, D&D adventures by Questbook, board games from Catan, pinball, wargaming, and cosplay parades
