The movie “Joker” came out in October and recently became the most successful R-rated movie ever (not considering inflation). It focuses on Batman’s nemesis and one of comic books’ most iconic villains. This isn’t the only film that spins off to tell the story of the big bad, however. Here are some other upcoming movie spinoffs:
Cruella (2021)
There have been a few variations of 101 Dalmatians, which was first released as an animated film back in 1961, then as a live-action in 1996. That movie had a sequel focused on Cruella de Vil’s alleged redemption. In 2021, Emma Stone steps into the role for a prequel/origin story. Promotional photos reveal a very different look for the villain, though she does maintain her signature white and black hair. If the film’s intention is to encourage the audience to sympathize with Ms. de Vil, it will be a real challenge.
According to Wikipedia, the story will be set in 1970’s London as fashion designer Cruella becomes fixated on dogs’ skins, which is a horrifying sentence. Emma Thompson and Mark Strong are also in the movie, which Craig Gillespie directs. Since they’ve already released two “Maleficent” films, Disney might be anticipating a market for other upcoming movie spinoffs featuring their iconic villains, but we’ll have to wait and see.
Venom 2 (2020)
Critics did not like the first Venom film, but fans embraced it, so Sony’s dive into Marvel characters is just beginning. While technically considered a Spider-Man villain, Venom is more of an anti-hero, which is made very clear in his spinoff. In “Venom 2,” Tom Hardy returns as the titular symbiote alongside new character Carnage, played by Woody Harrelson. In the comics, Venom inadvertently creates Carnage, who possesses more powerful abilities because it was “born” on Earth. Naomie Harris might join the cast as Shriek, another symbiote who is Carnage’s love interest in the comics. Andry Serkis directs the film, which should come out in October 2020.
Birds of Prey (2020)
A spinoff of the DC-universe movie “Suicide Squad,” “Birds of Prey” focuses on Harley Quinn, who was the latter film’s most popular character. She’s left her disturbed relationship with the Joker and comes into her own as an antihero. Superheroes Huntress and Black Canary, alongside detective Renee Montoya, join Harley to form Birds of Prey. Their mission? Save Cassandra Cain (who in the DC comics is Batgirl) from Black Mask, a powerful crime lord.
Morbius (2020)
Riding on the success of “Venom,” Sony is taking a shot at another Marvel character with “Morbius.” In the comics, scientist Michael Morbius tries to cure his rare blood disease with some unorthodox methods, and ends up giving himself a form of vampirism. Like most of the villains on this list of upcoming movie spinoffs, Morbius is more of an antihero. Jared Leto stars as Morbius, and considering how upset he was about being shut out from a solo “Joker” movie, maybe this film will help heal his ego. “Morbius” also features Adria Arjona, Matt Smith, Jared Harris, and Tyrese Gibson. Right now, the movie comes out in July 2020.
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Many of these spinoffs feature characters from comic books. While DC and Sony fight to catch up, Marvel is king of the superheroes right now. Here are some of the biggest TV shows Marvel is working on right now.