Welcome back to Popped Bites, where we’re serving up the hottest movie and TV stories of the week in bite-size pieces. This week we’ve got Super Bowl trailers, the SNL 50 guest lineup, and MCU news, alongside a newly emerging cinematic universe. So here’s what’s been popping in entertainment the week of February 1-7.
Super Bowl Trailers – Superheroes, Dinos, & More
Let’s kick off things with the Super Bowl (pun absolutely intended). Every year we’ve come to expect some massive movie trailers to debut during the big game. Last year, for instance we got our first look at the highly anticipated Deadpool & Wolverine. One time, back in 2018, Netflix even seized the opportunity to shadow drop The Cloverfield Paradox right after the game ended. While we’re not so sure anything that crazy will happen again, there are certainly some long-awaited trailers on the horizon — some may have even just released
After a long couple years, Marvel’s “first family” is finally joining the MCU. Of course, we saw John Krasinski in a cameo role as Mister Fantastic in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, but this time we’re getting the version of the character and his team that are here to stay, in The Fantastic Four: First Steps, releasing July 25. The very first trailer (seen above) dropped this week ahead of the big game, and revealed Mister Fantastic (Pedro Pascal), Invisible Woman (Vanessa Kirby), Human Torch (Joseph Quinn), the Thing (Ebon Moss-Bachrach), and even their robot H.E.R.B.I.E.
Another summer blockbuster also released its first trailer before the Super Bowl — Jurassic World: Rebirth. Universal fast-tracked this new entry in the franchise, bringing back Jurassic Park screenwriter David Koepp to pen the script, and putting Gareth Edwards (Godzilla, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story) in the directors chair. This trailer (seen above) sees Scarlett Johansson, Jonathan Bailey, and Mahershala Ali in dino-evading action as they encounter Spinosauruses, Velociraptors, Mosasauruses, a T-Rex, and even what appears to be a mutant dinosaur. Other trailers such as Smurfs and Novocaine also dropped this week — to check them out along with whatever releases during the game, check out our updating article on Every Super Bowl Trailer.
READ: What’s Coming to Sky Cinema in February 2025?
SNL 50th Anniversary Special Cast Announced
50 years. A monumental television run for an iconic American staple. Saturday Night Live is celebrating its 50th anniversary, and they seem to be pulling out all the stops. Just ten year ago they celebrated their 40th (funny how that works) with a landmark special that brought in a long list of guests for the occasion, and this time around looks to be no different — although one can expect Lorne Michaels and the cast to raise the bar. A list of celebrities appearing has already been revealed:
- Adam Driver
- Ayo Edebiri
- Bad Bunny
- Dave Chappelle
- John Mulaney
- Kim Kardashian
- Martin Short
- Miley Cyrus
- Paul McCartney
- Paul Simon
- Pedro Pascal
- Peyton Manning
- Quinta Brunson
- Robert de Niro
- Sabrina Carpenter
- Scarlett Johansson
- Steve Martin
- Tom Hanks
- Woody Harrelson
It’s important to note that the 3-hour special doesn’t actually air on a Saturday. It will instead broadcast on Sunday, February 16, at 8pm ET. But if you’re itching for more SNL before then, there are plenty of other festivities leading up to the main event. SNL50: The Homecoming Concert streams live on Peacock at 8pm ET on February 14. The 3-hour concert hosted at Radio City Music Hall features a hefty list of iconic artists, from Lady Gaga, to Post Malone, to Mumford & Sons. Then on Saturday, February 15, the original premiere of Season 1 will re-air at 10pm ET. More anniversary content can also be found streaming on Peacock right now, including a 4-episode behind-the-scenes docuseries titled Beyond Saturday Night, and a documentary created by Questlove titled Ladies & Gentlemen … 50 Years of SNL Music.
Magic: The Gathering Being Adapted To Film
Step aside MCU, there’s a new cinematic universe in town: the MCU. Wait, maybe the MTGCU? The popular trading card game Magic: The Gathering is finally getting the adaptation it deserves, after a long journey. About ten years ago, Simon Kinberg developed a film franchise around it with 20th Century Fox, but it never saw the light of day. Then in 2019, Netflix announced an animated series with the Russo Brothers (Avengers: Endgame) at the helm. By 2021, the Russos were out, replaced with Jeff Kline (Transformers Prime). And yet again, in 2024, Netflix reannounced the series with Terry Matalas (Star Trek: Picard) now heading it up.
While hopefully the Netflix series now remains on track, we now have news regarding an even bigger swing with the IP. Hasbro is partnering with Legendary Entertainment to develop a multimedia franchise for Magic: The Gathering. That means plans for interconnected films and series. Legendary is no stranger to building franchises; with Dune and Godzilla x Kong under their belt, they seem well-suited for the job. Hasbro Entertainment’s head of film, Zev Foreman, had this to say: “Magic: The Gathering has inspired decades of epic world-building and creative storytelling. It is a perfect match for Legendary’s diversified approach to marquee IP, and we are excited to work together to build a whole new Magic: The Gathering universe.”
Marvel Minute: Denzel, ‘Vision,’ & ‘Armor Wars’
It’s quite a busy time for Marvel Studios. Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man is releasing weekly on Disney+, Captain America: Brave New World is out in less than a week, and Daredevil: Born Again, Thunderbolts*, and Fantastic Four are just around the corner. And with Captain America’s press tour right now, producer Nate Moore has been revealing little tidbits about the further future of the MCU. To start, he addressed the recent rumors of Denzel Washington being cast in Black Panther 3, saying, “We should be so lucky to have Denzel in the MCU. But until we figure out what that movie is, again, nothing is guaranteed. But if you’re asking me would I love to have Denzel in Black Panther 3, obviously that guy, he is a legend.”
When it came to the status of series-turned-film Armor Wars, Moore had a more ambiguous response: “You know, that’s not my project, to be honest. But, I do know, as Marvel [Studios] continues to go through this phase, we want to make sure whatever we’re making is awesome. So that means we had to slow down some things that were on the front burner. It doesn’t mean we’ll never make it, but it does mean we just have to be a little bit more considered so that every time out, audiences are guaranteed quality.”
Some Stark tech seems to be making its way into a different project though, as Disney+ series Vision is gaining momentum. After casting recently began the title now adds Ruaridh Mollica (The Franchise) to its ranks. Little is known of his character, other than his name being Tucker. Fans are already speculating if he may actually be a grown version of Tommy Maximoff. Speaking of, WandaVision and Agatha All Along showrunner Jac Schaeffer touched on the future of Billy Maximoff this week, saying, “I’m not involved in anything, but I have so much love for Marvel, all the characters, all the performers, all the storylines, my colleagues at Marvel…And conversations continue, so I can’t speak to anything specific, but I will say that he’s an important character in the comics, and Joe [Locke] has filled him out in such a way that I would be surprised if he wasn’t seen again.” It’s clear Marvel and their creators are great at bobbing and weaving when it comes to what’s in store for the future, and only time will tell what actually happens with each of these projects an characters.
