Top 5 Rumors And Leaks Of The Week (w/e 28th August 2022)
Whether it be Star Wars, Marvel, DC, video games, or film, we scour the internet every week to find the biggest leaks and rumors to bring to you. Although leaks and rumors should not be taken as fact until proven to be so, read on to see what everyone is buzzing about across your favorite fandoms.
5. Cassian Andor's Real Name Has Been Leaked
Source: IGN
The Andor series could be the most interesting and unique Star Wars series coming to Disney+. Various rumors are swirling around these days. One rumor, in particular, has come from the Bespin Bulletin hinting that we might discover Cassion Andor’s true name. According to the article, it seems that our main lead Cassian could be adopted and has the name Cassa or Kassa. His arc will be that he was taken in by a person after he lost his biological family to the Empire. According to the report, we might perhaps even understand why he has an accent. An interesting bit of world-building if this all pans out to be true.
The Star Wars: Andor series will premiere in late September. It’s a very exciting time to be a Star Wars fan as the universe expands on Disney+.
Written By: Joel Davis
Source: Bespin Bulletin
4. ’Fantastic Four’ Director Could Be Announced At D23
Source: IGN India
Marvel fans are eager for more news about the upcoming Fantastic Four reboot and MCU installment, and it looks like they’ll be given at least a morsel to tide them over a little longer. Grace Randolph on Twitter tweeted that she heard they are honing in on a director for the upcoming movie. She thinks we could hear about it at D23 this year, coming up on September 9, 10, and 11, though she speculates that it could come earlier if it’s a) decided upon before then, and b) is leaked. She tweeted this on September 14, and so far, no leak has been found.
The big surprise of her tweet, though, comes from a cryptic follow-up tweet that says if you were a betting person, you would be smart to bet on someone who has a) already worked on the MCU, and b) it was on a Disney+ show.
That significantly reduces the slate of directors she could be hinting at. Disney+ MCU shows consist of Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Hawkeye, Ms. Marvel, Loki, Moon Knight, WandaVision, and What If? While that’s still over a dozen directors, a look at their upcoming work reduces the list further, as the slated release for Fantastic Four is slated for November 8, 2024. As 2022 draws to a close, it would help to have a director lined up to start production next year.
Some of the directors that have done notable work on the MCU Disney+ shows, like Matt Shakman and Kate Herron, will be busy doing other projects. Matt Shakman is signed on for the fourth Star Trek film, and Kate Herron is moving over to the Star Wars galaxy to work on The Acolyte. Kari Skogland, who directed The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, is currently working on Cleopatra which is in pre-production.
There are plenty of other directors available, though. Such as Mohamed Diab, who worked on Moon Knight. Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead could also be potential directors, but they’ve only worked on a few episodes in different shows. Bryan Andrews would be an interesting choice, deviating from an animated role to a live-action role. If they are looking for experience within the MCU and basing it on the number of shows, other opportunities arise in Bert & Bertie from Hawkeye. Rhys Thomas from Hawkeye is slated for Masters of Doom, which is in pre-production. That leaves Ms. Marvel. Each director in Ms. Marvel directed two episodes each, and one of them just became available. Adil El Arbi, who was directing Batgirl, which as we all know was killed by the strange occurrences going on with the WB merger, is available. Bilall Fallah, who worked on Batgirl with him, is also available. Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy and Meera Menon are both available as well, though Sharmeen has fewer director credits to her name.
We’ll have to wait until D23 to see if she’s on to something for sure, but she also laid the possibility of a leak and earlier reveal to come in the next couple of weeks.
Written By: Jeremy Brown
Source: Grace Randolph
3. Emilia Clarke’s Role In ‘Secret Invasion’ May Have Been Revealed
Source: Animation World Network
It seems that Emilia Clarke’s role in Secret Invasion may have just been revealed. According to insider Daniel Richtman, it appears that Clarke will be playing the role of a Skrull known as G’iah/Gloria. This has not been officially confirmed, however. The character initially helps her people with their invasion of Earth, but eventually changes sides after seeing the brutality her people cause to reach their goals. There has been video and photos of her on set in London, but there has been nothing to reveal what role she is playing in the series. One video even showed her being choked out by another actor in a mo-cap suit. This could potentially force her character to reveal her true identity as a Skrull, in the final footage. If she is indeed the role of G’iah/Gloria, then she will most likely play a big part in the mini-series.
Emilia Clarke has said how scared she is to “accidentally reveal her role”. The role is certainly one Marvel wants to keep under wraps, so it may be some time until her role is officially revealed.
Secret Invasion will be a six-episode mini-series based on the 2008 comics. The cast includes Samuel L. Jackson, who will be reprising his role as Nick Fury. It will also include Kingsley Ben-Adir, Olivia Coleman, Killian Scott, Christopher McDonald, and Carmen Ejogo.
Secret Invasion arrives on Disney+ in Spring 2023.
Written By: Anna Grimm
Source: CBR.com
2. ’God of War Ragnarok’ Odin Concept Art Leaked
Source: Games Radar
God of War Ragnarok is right around the corner and, so far, Santa Monica Studios has kept everything under wraps, but this week a significant leak dropped on Reddit. Odin, the Allfather, has had his conceptual design leak online. It has received mixed reactions from the subreddit it was leaked on, even causing the mods to comment a confirmation of its accuracy, yet this design isn’t far off from his imagery.
Most people would expect Odin to be a muscular, older man, much like Zeus was depicted in the previous God of War trilogy and its three spinoffs. Yet, many were surprised to find from this leak that Odin would instead be portrayed as a skinny, old man for the series' next outing. While this may come as a surprise to many, Odin is often depicted as relying on his cunning wit and wisdom much like Loki, rather than his brute strength like Thor.
Source: WCCFTech
The person in question who leaked the design is Dusk Golem (hence the watermark) a.k.a Aesthetic Gamer. While many thought that the image was just a joke, the moderators of r/GamingLeaksAndRumours confirmed in the comments that they too had the suspicion, but that Dusk Golem sent them more images that corroborated the leak. The user has had content blocked or taken down before due to legal reasons, such as images of a Silent Hill remake that has been rumored for quite some time, so this image of Odin may just be the real deal.
Whether or not this design is to be his final one for the game is still in question. It is important to remember that this may have just been concept art and not the final version players receive in-game. For fans who may be dismayed by this “weaker” looking Odin, think of how powerful Baldur was even with his physical appearance. Regardless, fans can look forward to God of War Ragnarok when it releases on Playstation 4 and Playstation 5 on November 9th.
Written By: James Ewing
Source: r/GamingLeaksAndRumors
1. Embracer Group Removes 'Knights Of The Old Republic' From Aspyr Media's Control
Source: Dork Side of the Force
Earlier this year, Culture Slate reported on the Knights Of The Old Republic Remake and its indefinite delay. However, this week, Aspyr Media's parent company revealed that a AAA project has transitioned to a different studio. Everyone on the internet seems to think that the project was Knights Of The Old Republic, which makes sense given that Aspyr delivered a demo that was not up to par with what Sony Interactive was expecting at the stage of development. This demo adds credence to the rumor as Embracer Group says the reason for the project's shuffling is to make sure that, "the quality bar is where we need it to be for the title."
If this unnamed AAA title is Knights Of The Old Republic, there is a silver lining to this news, Embracer Group also confirmed that this would not delay the game's release. Embracer does manage several studios with over 25 AAA titles in development. That includes well-known titles like Saints Row. So there is no guarantee that the project is KOTOR. However, given the game's status and massive following, it makes sense to continue work on it.
Saber Interactive seems to be the studio most likely to acquire the project, considering they had already begun working with Aspyr Media before the indefinite delay. When Embracer first brought Saber Interactive onto the project in May, Embracer said the game was a massive project, and they knew Aspyr would need help with it. Embracer also noted that Saber Interactive has, "Tremendous expertise in creating these types of projects."
Sources: Euro Gamer, Bespin Bulletin
Come back next week for the latest rumour round up!