BURBANK, CA – Disney CEO Bob Iger issued a statement today announcing that George Lucas will be directing the next saga in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).
The next saga will feature as a prequel series to the Infinity Saga, tentatively titled the To Infinity Saga. It will feature a young Thanos and serve as an origin story for the MCU’s biggest villain. The famously tight-lipped Lucas has not divulged many details, but here is what has been confirmed so far.
Hayden Christensen and Jake Lloyd are in Talks to Portray a Young Thanos
In the wake of their universally-acclaimed portrayals of a young Anakin Skywalker, Jake Lloyd and Hayden Christensen are the natural choices to portray younger, idealistic versions of Thanos as he progresses along his path to galactic villainy. Both actors’ natural, on-screen charisma and emotionally complex delivery will doubtless be the rocket fuel that propels the To Infinity Saga forward.
Natalie Portman Confirmed to Play Squirrel Girl
Natalie Portman will be the newest in a line of privileged performers to portray multiple Marvel characters on screen. Ms. Portman already plays Thor ally Jane Foster in the MCU. She has now been tapped by Lucas to portray Squirrel Girl, whose squirrel powers and ability to telepathically communicate with hordes of the furry rodents have made her the only character powerful enough in Marvel Comics to defeat Thanos in solo, hand-to-hand combat. In the comics, Squirrel Girl and Thanos do not have a shared history, but due to the breathtaking onscreen chemistry Ms. Portman developed with both Mr. Lloyd and Mr. Christensen, their characters will doubtless be lovers before Thanos’s turn to villainy.
Ms. Portman has famously expressed her irritation with the death of Padmè at the end of Revenge of the Sith. As such, she has indicated that if anyone is to die of pure sadness, it will NOT be Squirrel Girl.
Ian McDiarmid to Portray Death
In the To Infinity Saga, Thanos’s fall to villainy will be encouraged along by the literal embodiment of death, portrayed by Ian McDiarmid. In the comics, this character is named Mistress Death and she functions as Thanos’s lover/muse. McDiarmid’s electric performance as Emperor Palpatine in the Star Wars saga made him the natural choice for the part. His ability to portray forceful, insidious characters will ensure that Thanos’s turn towards evil will be a dustup people talk about for decades to come.
Nick Fury
Representatives for Samuel L. Jackson have also confirmed that Nick Fury will be featured as a recurring nemesis to Ian McDiarmid’s character, Death. When asked about Mr. Jackson’s shocking defeat at the hands of McDiarmid in their last encounter, Mr. Jackson angrily claimed that his defeat was only due to the interference of Mr. Christensen and that this time around, he would “keep both eyes open.”
And Beyond
With Lucas at the helm, it is expected that a sequel to the Infinity Saga will be titled the And Beyond Saga. No details have been released as of yet, other than the fact that it will star both Anthony Daniels and Frank Oz.
Marvelous Movies 
One comment