Latest news with #supervillain
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
See Sacha Baron Cohen's shredded physique as actor transforms into Marvel's Mephisto: 'This is not AI'
"Hard launching my mid-life crisis," Cohen joked of his post-divorce bod. Sacha Baron Cohen has gone through some changes and he's ready to share the results with the world. Ahead of his buzzy role as Marvel's newest supervillain, Mephisto, the 52-year-old actor has undergone a dramatic transformation. Debuting his new muscles on the cover of Men's Fitness U.K., Baron Cohen proves that he is taking his menacing new job very seriously. "This is not AI," Cohen wrote on Instagram Stories, alongside a photo of the cover. "I really am egotistical enough to do this." Coming a long way from his days as the slim and hairy Borat, Cohen's routine involved consistent training and a high fiber and protein diet… among other things. In a subsequent post, Cohen wrote, "Some celebs use Ozempic, some use private chefs, others use personal trainers. I did all three." Cohen even alluded to the fact that he finalized his divorce from longtime partner Isla Fisher back in June, captioning another buff photo, "Hard launching my mid-life crisis." The actor went on to thank personal trainer Alfonso "The Angry Trainer" Moretti "for doing the unthinkable — putting up with me for 25 mins a day." Over on his own Instagram page, Moretti shared several photos of the now-ripped Cohen, writing that he "could not be more proud" of the actor's work with him. Meanwhile, Cohen doubled down on his newfound dedication to physical fitness for the magazine's cover story. "I now believe that just 20 to 30 minutes of movement a day can make a real difference," he told the outlet. "And it's something anyone can fit into their routine, especially celebrities with personal assistants to do all the boring stuff like shopping and attending friends' funerals."Baron Cohen made his Mephisto debut in the season finale of Ironheart, marking the first appearance of the character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe after years of speculation from fans. Ironheart creator Chinaka Hodge told Entertainment Weekly that the appearance of the devilish comic book character was not hers alone. "I was empowered by Marvel to make that decision," she said. "I don't know what will happen next with the character or with Sacha in the MCU. But as a fan, I'm really hoping to see him make lots of appearances." Created by Stan Lee and John Buscema in 1968, Mephisto is a magic-manipulating demonic entity who acquires souls by making pacts with mortals. He's been a major villain throughout the Marvel comics universe, often battling heroes like Ghost Rider, Silver Surfer, Spider-Man and Doctor Strange. Viewers have been speculating about his MCU debut ever since WandaVision but despite the many, many theories, MCU boss Kevin Feige insists Mephisto's introduction was always going to come much later in the game. "He was never part of WandaVision. We've talked about that," Feige told CBR during a recent roundtable. "But the enthusiasm with which he was theorized on that certainly was cool, and was fun to watch." He continued, "He's another character that, pre-MCU, it would have been, 'How do you [do Mephisto]? He's the devil, how do you do that character?' But he's a formative character! He was a big part of Thanos's storyline in the comics. So again, now that he's here, the potential is- the plan is clear, theoretically, to use more of him." Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly Solve the daily Crossword
Geek Tyrant
23-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Tyrant
Naomi Ackie Reportedly Top Choice for Female Lead in DC Studios Feature CLAYFACE — GeekTyrant
It's being reported that actress Naomi Ackie ( Sorry, Baby , Mickey 17 ) is the top choice for the female lead in DC Studios' Clayface movie about the Batman antagonist. A deal hasn't been signed yet, but if Ackie accepts the part, she will star opposite Welsh actor Tom Rhys Harries in the James Watkins-directed supervillain flick. News about Clayface hits at an exciting time for DC, as their first movie under studio bosses Peter Safran and James Gunn, Superman, is coursing to $409M worldwide, another comeback for superhero movies, and they're heading into San Diego Comic-Con this week to roll out the second season of HBO's Peacemaker . Clayface is shape-shifting villain in the Batman comics and got his introduction as part of Detective Comics #40 in June 1940. The original Clayface was a moderately successful actor who adopted the identity of a character he'd portrayed in a horror pic after turning to crime. Clayface has a body seemingly made out of clay and has appeared over the years in various films, series, animated works, video games and other forms of media. Producing Clayface are Gunn and Safran as well as The Batman filmmaker Matt Reeves and Lynn Harris. Chantal Nong is executive producer. The Life of Chuck filmmaker Mike Flanagan wrote the first draft of Clayface , with additional drafts by Oscar-nominated The Wings of a Dove and Drive scribe Hossein Amini. Clayface will be shooting at Warner Bros Leavesden studio in the UK, and is expected to be released in theaters on September 11, 2026. via: Deadline
Gizmodo
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Gizmodo
Nicholas Hoult and Rachel Brosnahan Discuss Their Big ‘Superman' Action Moments
There's a moment early on in Superman when Lex Luthor is shouting commands for different fight moves to a team of people remote controlling a supervillain where you think two things. 'It looks like Lex is playing a big, elaborate video game,' and 'I've never seen anything like this in a superhero movie before.' Both things are true, and when io9 spoke with actor Nicholas Hoult about his villainous turn in the DC film, we asked him about it. Speaking in Los Angeles recently, we asked Hoult what it was like shooting this unique take on Lex's battles with Superman. 'Yeah, it's interesting when you're kind of a puppeteer behind the scenes because you're there at the hub, but you're not necessarily seeing exactly what's going on,' Hoult said of shooting the scene. 'And sometimes I was lucky where they'd already have shot David [Corenswet]'s opposing side of the scenes, but otherwise it's a lot of imagination and trying to guess the energy of what's needed at that point. And that's where James [Gunn] is so wonderful as a director because he's very clear in what his vision is and what he needs. He's collaborative and inviting to try things and new ideas, but also he's like, 'This is what I need; this is what the movie is at this moment,' and pushes you until he gets that. So it's a fun environment to work in.' Another major action scene in Superman was shot in a decidedly less 'fun environment.' That's the scene when Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan) and Mister Terrific (Edi Gathegi) land on the beach searching for Superman. Mister Terrific protects Lois in a force field while he destroys a bunch of LuthorCorp soldiers, all while the song '5 Years Time' by Noah and the Whale plays alongside. 'This is quite literally the first time I've ever spoken about shooting this scene,' Brosnahan said to io9. 'It was a blast… it was so fun. Edi Gathegi, I've been such a fan of his from afar for such a long time. He's such a talented actor, but I feel like people don't often get to see this side of him. He's so dry in the movie. He's so funny. And that scene in particular we shot on a 100-degree day in Cleveland on a beach.' 'And the humidity was high too. It was a wreck of a week,' Superman himself, David Corenswet, added in. 'It was an absolutely miserable experience, and Edi had to shoot this huge stunt scene, and there were so many stunt performers in huge costumes,' Brosnahan continued. 'I just remember us all melting, but Edi was a total pro. You guys all were with your little briefcases filled with cooling air that would pump through the suits. But that was one of the first scenes that Edi and I got to shoot together. So that's what I think about mostly that day, just watching him fight against all the odds and kill that scene.' They all killed their scenes, which is why Superman seems to be hitting with fans and critics alike. It's now in theaters. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what's next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
The Sun
31-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Hollyoaks boss reveals how Sun's Soaps Editor sparked supervillain Clare Devine's return
HOLLYOAKS boss Hannah Cheers has revealed what sparked off iconic supervillain Clare Devine's return - and it turns out it's me. The executive producer had just been announced as the Channel 4 soap's new boss and was in full planning mode for the show's changes when I ran into her at an awards show last summer. 2 And like I do every time I see a soap boss - I used my time wisely by asking/demanding/begging for the return of my favourite characters. But for the time ever it actually happened. I sat down with Hannah on set earlier this month for a set visit where she revealed how our conversation in the hotel bar had sparked off the most iconic comeback since Kim Tate popped back to Emmerdale. She told me: 'It was you! It was the conversation we had in the hotel in Manchester that started it off. 'We were talking and you said, when are you going to bring Clare back? And I was like, oh my god, it's a million dollar question, everyone talks about it. 'And I said to you, because at the time we didn't have any plans, because obviously we were working towards the transition, and I was trying to filter people out, and trying to re-engineer stories, and trying to make sense of all of that, and knew that it wasn't possible right there and then. 'But the interesting thing that I said to you was, tell me what it is about Clare that is so important to you, and so iconic, and you said, because she's the only character who actually doesn't give a hell about what she does. She enjoys being evil and so I took inspiration from that with Grace's story.' She added: 'In terms of Clare, you know, again, I took on board massively what you said about she enjoys being evil and we're never going to come away from that because she does. 'However, in bringing Clare in 2025, what I spoke to Gemma about right at the beginning was 'I'm not doing this and just bringing in the third iteration of like Clare that is two dimensional and that only has that layer and level to her. 'Not that she didn't in the past, but she, as you said, she rarely had true, true feeling and true kind of like selflessness. She had nothing, nothing selfless about her. 'And she doesn't now, except now she has a reason to have experienced and make herself vulnerable and be susceptible to that. 'So we do see a different layer. She doesn't like showing it.' Viewers know that Clare's return has seen her arrive with a child - Tori - who she and DI Banks effectively kidnapped from her grandfather Dodger. 'Clare absolutely sees herself as that child's mother,' Hannah added. 'And that's also what's quite enjoyable. And it's so galling to everyone else in the community. So that has given her the chink in the armour.' And Hannah also revealed that Clare will play a big part in the 30th anniversary in October - and clash with Tori's great-grandfather - serial killer Jez Blake. 'Well, yes, obviously we've got two kind of Hollyoaks titans here,' she teased. 'We've got kind of very iconic Hollyoaks faces. And it's not an accident that they are both in the show in the run up to the 30th anniversary.' There will also be a classic Hollyoaks stunt for the 30th - which won't be limited to one episode - more a celebration over the entire month of October. Hannah said: 'You can't do a Hollyoaks commemoration without some kind of spectacle. So there will be a stunt.' And it's not just the Blakes that Clare has to deal with - her original, tiny nemesis Tom Cunningham is back to take her on. 'How could we possibly bring in Clare Devine and not have her original nemesis in the show?' Hannah laughed. From Hollyoaks to Hollywood James Corden played a caretaker in the early days of the soap. The former American TV host doesn't have much positive to say about his time on the soap, claiming it was "hell on earth." Since his short-lived time on the show he has gone on to bigger things including smash hit comedy Gavin and Stacey. Rachel Shenton joined the soap as aspiring glamour model Mitzeee Minniver in 2010. Over two years her character was sent to prison, got pregnant and had a number of romantic affairs. Since leaving Hollyoaks she has won an Oscar for best live action short film, The Silent Child. Rachel has also starred in White Gold and All Creatures Great and Small Emmett J. Scanlan played gangster turned anti-hero Brendan Brady. Emmett played the love interest of Steve Hayes, with their romance delighting fans until it turned violent. Since his departure Emmett has appeared in Peaky Blinders, The Fall, Gangs of London and even appeared in Guardians of the Galaxy Emma Rigby joined Hollyoaks when she was 15 as Hannah Ahsworth. Hannah's eating disorder storyline was the first of it's kind on TV while other plots included being caught in a fire, gangland drug dealing and running away. Since leaving the soap in 2010 Emma has gone on to star in ABCs Once Upon a Time in Wonderland as the Red Queen. Other roles include guest appearances in Death In Paradise, Ripper Street and Fresh Meat Nico Mirallegro got his big break with Hollyoaks starring as emo Barry 'Newt' Newton. Nico's main storyline in the soap was developing schizophrenia which culminated in a suicide pact. He left the soap in 2010 and went on to star in My Mad Fat Diary, Our Girl, Rillington Place, The Ark and Common, Penance, as well as the Mike Leigh movie Peterloo and was nominated for a Bafta for his role in period drama The Village. Ricky Whittle used Hollyoaks as a stepping stone to break America. He played one of the soap's resident hunks, Calvin Valentine, from 2006 to 2011 - when he was killed off at his wedding. After leaving the soap Ricky cracked America starring in teen drama The 100 and America Gods. He also appeared in Strictly Come Dancing in 2009. Warren Brown joined Hollyoaks in 2005 for a year as evil Andy Holt. His stint on the show consisted of date rape storylines and a crime spree, before eventually being killed off. After leaving Hollyoaks, Warren became a big hitter in TV playing DS Justin Ripley in Luther, as well as major roles in a number of dramas including Liar, The Responder, Homefront and Good Cop. Wallis Day played Holly Cunningham in the soap for years before leaving. In 2021 Wallis won the role of Batwoman in DC's series, taking over from Ruby Rose. 'Again, it's a kind of nod to the past and celebration of all things Hollyoaks. 'Tom has the upper hand to start with, which I think is what's so surprising about this story. And there's a surprise reveal of how we first finds Tom.'
