105-569: Marvel One-Shots are a series of direct-to-video short films produced by Marvel Studios , set within or inspired by the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Initially released from 2011 to 2014, they were included as special features on the MCU films' Blu-ray and digital distribution releases. The films, which range from 3 to 15 minutes, are designed to be self-contained stories that provide more backstory for characters or events introduced in
210-625: A Master of Fine Arts from Columbia University in 1995. While living in St. Louis, Gunn founded a band, The Icons, in 1989, serving as lead vocalist. The group released the album Mom, We Like It Here on Earth in 1994, and its songs "Sunday" and "Walking Naked" were featured in the film Tromeo and Juliet . The Icons disbanded in the mid-1990s. Gunn has continued to work in music, composing songs for Scooby-Doo , Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed , and Movie 43 . Gunn began his career in filmmaking with Troma Entertainment in 1996, for which he co-wrote
315-514: A dark comedy and superhero satire starring Rainn Wilson and Elliot Page . He also directed a segment of the 2013 comedy anthology film Movie 43 (2013); the segment starred Elizabeth Banks and Josh Duhamel . The film was critically panned. Gunn co-wrote and directed the Marvel Studios adaptation of Guardians of the Galaxy , which was released on August 1, 2014. His brother, Sean, has
420-412: A "fun way to experiment with new characters and ideas" and expand the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) beyond the plots of the feature films . The first two shorts were made in conjunction with The Ebeling Group . Winderbaum said the name of the shorts program was derived from the label used by Marvel Comics for their one-shot comics . Marvel Studios co-president Louis D'Esposito later said Marvel
525-614: A 'serious' filmmaker, think you put more love into your characters than the Russo Brothers do Captain America, or Joss Whedon does the Hulk, or I do a talking raccoon, you are simply mistaken. Gunn wrote and produced the horror film The Belko Experiment , which was released in 2017. In 2016, he directed three Stan Lee cameo scenes in one day, for the film Doctor Strange and two unrevealed projects. Gunn wrote and directed Guardians of
630-453: A Marvel superhero would ever appear in a One-Shot, D'Esposito replied that "We would love to, but it's difficult because there's a cost to that. If Iron Man is flying around doing something, that [is] very costly. And first of all, what's the story? Is it important that that superhero is in the story?" During the Agent Carter panel at the 2013 San Diego Comic-Con , D'Esposito said Marvel
735-539: A completely new script for the DC Extended Universe film The Suicide Squad , with the intention of also serving as director, after its original director Gavin O'Connor left due to scheduling issues. In January 2019, he was officially confirmed to direct The Suicide Squad . He also wrote, directed, and produced the spin-off television series for the film centered on the character Peacemaker played by John Cena for Max . Gunn also co-wrote and co-produced
840-434: A direct-to-video movie may get a limited theatrical screening in order to build excitement for the actual release of the video such as was done for 2010's Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths , and Planet Hulk , 2016's Batman: The Killing Joke or 2013's Sharknado . In some cases, other direct-to-video films can also be theatrically released in other countries. As DVDs gradually replaced VHS videocassettes ,
945-484: A discarded Chitauri gun ("Item 47") left over from the attack on New York City in The Avengers . The couple use it to rob a few banks, drawing the attention of S.H.I.E.L.D., which assigns agents Sitwell and Blake to retrieve the weapon and "neutralize" the couple. Agent Sitwell tracks the couple down to a motel room that gets wrecked in the subsequent confrontation, and the stolen money gets destroyed. Instead of killing
1050-569: A documentary filmmaker; Lester Speight as Herman; and Sam Rockwell as Justin Hammer, reprising his role from Iron Man 2 . The short was written and directed by Drew Pearce , the co-screenwriter of Iron Man 3 , and was filmed in Los Angeles. Pearce and producer Stephen Broussard had the idea for the short during the production of Iron Man 3 , to provide a "fresh take" on the Mandarin character. Music for
1155-545: A down-on-their-luck couple who find a discarded Chitauri gun after the events of The Avengers (2012); Agent Carter (2013), starring Hayley Atwell as Peggy Carter after the events of Captain America: The First Avenger (2011); and All Hail the King (2014), starring Ben Kingsley as Trevor Slattery after the events of Iron Man 3 (2013). The first two shorts received generally negative reviews, but
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#17328522507361260-462: A folder of One-Shot ideas that he had created. Taika Waititi said there were discussions about creating a One-Shot centered on the characters Korg and Miek from Ragnarok . In April 2018, D'Esposito said Disney hoped Marvel would continue with the One-Shot films, but admitted that the studio was busy focusing on their increased feature film output. In the book The Story of Marvel Studios: The Making of
1365-481: A high-profile star) can generate well in excess of $ 50 million revenue worldwide. A production studio may decide not to generally release a TV show or film for several possible reasons: a low budget, a lack of support from a TV network, negative reviews, its controversial nature, that it may appeal to a small niche market , or a simple lack of general public interest. Studios, limited in the annual number of films to which they grant cinematic releases, may choose to pull
1470-454: A human [and] racoon crime fighting team and they fight crime in both the forest world, among the furry animals, and in the human world". Gunn also has a short-form web series for Spike.com titled James Gunn's PG Porn . In 2008, Gunn was a judge on the VH1 reality television show Scream Queens , where 10 unknown actresses compete for a role in the film Saw VI . In 2009, Gunn announced he
1575-464: A joint statement on September 5, 2007, divorcing in 2008. The two remained friends. In 2010, Fischer persuaded Gunn to cast Rainn Wilson , her co-star on The Office , in Gunn's film Super . Gunn has been in a relationship with actress Jennifer Holland since 2015. In February 2022, Holland and Gunn became engaged, and were married at the end of September 2022. He has a dog named Oz, adopted from
1680-584: A live-action/animated film titled Coyote vs. Acme , based on the Looney Tunes character Wile E. Coyote , for Warner Bros. Pictures Animation . Gunn wrote a novel in 2000, The Toy Collector , a story of a hospital orderly who steals drugs from the hospital which he sells to help keep his toy collection habit alive. In 1998, he and Troma's President Lloyd Kaufman co-wrote All I Need to Know about Filmmaking I Learned from The Toxic Avenger , about his experiences with Kaufman while working at Troma. He wrote
1785-933: A mid-credit scene, Dum Dum Dugan is seen poolside with Stark, marveling at two women wearing the newly created bikinis . Agent Carter , released on the Iron Man 3 Blu-ray release on September 24, 2013, as well as part of the digital download release on September 3, 2013, was seen as a bridge between that film and the then-upcoming Captain America: The Winter Soldier . Marvel had considered adding it to previous home media releases as well. Hayley Atwell reprises her role as Peggy Carter, along with Dominic Cooper and Neal McDonough reprising their respective roles as Howard Stark and Timothy "Dum Dum" Dugan. Chris Evans appears as Steve Rogers / Captain America via archive footage. The short introduces Bradley Whitford as Agent John Flynn and Iron Man 3 director Shane Black as
1890-720: A role in the film. Gunn has appeared as an actor, mostly in smaller roles or uncredited appearances in his own projects. After Dan Gilroy and Jack Black separately lamented the proliferation of superhero films, Gunn responded in a Facebook post, saying in part: Popular fare in any medium has always been snubbed by the self-appointed elite. ... What bothers me slightly is that many people assume because you make big films that you put less love, care, and thought into them than people do who make independent films or who make what are considered more serious Hollywood films. ... If you think people who make superhero movies are dumb, come out and say we're dumb. But if you, as an independent filmmaker or
1995-648: A seven-episode animated series titled Creature Commandos , based on the comic book team of the same name , and working on the HBO Max series Waller , a spin-off of Peacemaker focusing on the character of Amanda Waller , with Christal Henry writing and Viola Davis reprising her role from previous DCEU projects. Gunn is also involved in multiple other DC projects, including producing Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow due for release in 2026. Gunn married actress Jenna Fischer on October 7, 2000. After seven years of marriage, Gunn and Fischer announced their separation in
2100-467: A stigma of lower technical or artistic quality than theatrical releases. Some films released direct-to-video are films which have been completed but were never released in movie theaters. This delay often occurs when a studio doubts a film's commercial prospects to justify a full cinema release or because its release window has closed. In film industry slang, such films are referred to as having been "vaulted". Like B-movies shown in drive-in theaters in
2205-670: A story about Loki would be complicated by how costly it is to portray Asgard, while for Fury and Black Panther they would have to cast new actors and design costumes. He added, "We tried. We were there in development, and we tried, but they were very difficult for all the reasons I gave. And we don't want to do something that's half baked because it's not good for us and it's not good for our fans." In February 2014, Pearce mentioned other shorts that he had written that never came to fruition, including ones based on Sin and Crossbones , Jessica Jones , and Damage Control . Feige said in May 2015 that Marvel
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#17328522507362310-454: A successful live action film straight to DVD, due to a lack of budget in comparison to the original. During the Golden Age of Porn in the 1970s, many pornographic films were released in theatres, some of which became some of the highest-grossing films in their release years, and in the pornography industry altogether. Toward the 1980s, porn began to shift to video release, because video allowed
2415-455: A third of it simply re-using the end scene of The Incredible Hulk and the rest of the short just featuring Coulson "sitting and having a chat". R.L. Shaffer at IGN said A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Thor's Hammer was fun, while Zachary Scheer wrote for CinemaBlend that the short was "as hackneyed as that title. It's about four minutes of Coulson being a badass, if the definition of 'badass'
2520-469: A third of the average cost of a Hollywood release. According to Variety , American Pie Presents: Band Camp sold more than one million copies in a week. Some direct-to-DVD releases recently have tended to feature actors who were formerly bankable stars. In 2005, salaries for some of these direct-to-DVD actors in the multimillion-dollar range from $ 2 to $ 4 million ( Jean-Claude Van Damme ) and $ 4.5 to $ 10 million ( Steven Seagal ), in some cases exceeding
2625-546: A trend in China; these films are called "Online Big Movies" ("OBM"; 网络大电影 in Chinese, or simply 网大). The word "Big" in the name was meant to be sardonic , as most of these films are often made on a very low budget and featuring mostly unknown cast members and sometimes nonprofessional actors. However, increasingly, the budget for these films have been slowly climbing up, due to the success of these films on digital distribution platforms;
2730-485: A voice actor on the 1997 Disney film Hercules , responded to the incident by asking Disney to remove his voice from an upcoming park attraction based on the film. A number of media outlets criticized Disney's decision, including Collider , Cartoon Brew , The Daily Dot , The Independent , National Review , MovieWeb , and Vulture . An online petition urging Disney to re-hire Gunn received over 400,000 signatures. On July 30, 2018, Guardians of
2835-500: A war hero and blame the devastation in Harlem on Bruce Banner . The Council orders them to ask General Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross to release Blonsky into S.H.I.E.L.D. custody. As Nick Fury does not want to release Blonsky, the two agents decide to send a patsy to sabotage the meeting. Coulson reluctantly sends "The Consultant", Tony Stark , and (as partially depicted in the post-credits scene of The Incredible Hulk ) Stark approaches
2940-509: Is an American screenwriter, director, and producer. He began his career as a screenwriter in the mid-1990s, starting at Troma Entertainment with Tromeo and Juliet (1996). He then began working as a director, starting with the horror-comedy film Slither (2006), and moving to the superhero genre with Super (2010), Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017), The Suicide Squad (2021), and Guardians of
3045-571: Is of Irish descent his father coming from an Irish immigrant family. Gunn has stated that his family's surname was originally the Irish name MacGilgunn and that it means "sons to the servants of the god of the dead"; it actually means "son of the brown youth." Growing up, Gunn was influenced by low-budget films such as Night of the Living Dead and Friday the 13th . He read magazines like Fangoria and attended genre movie screenings, including
3150-518: Is performing needless slow-motion action stunts and then pausing to consider something normal people would consider—like which donuts to buy." Collider 's Andre Dellamorte said Item 47 was silly, while William Bibbiani of CraveOnline found it to be a success, highlighting the performances of Hernandez, Bradford, and Caplan. He did think Welliver was "saddled with a little awkward dialogue, particularly in regards to Coulson, which doesn't entirely sell". Spencer Terry at Superhero Hype! said
3255-492: The Captain America: The First Avenger Blu-ray release on October 25, 2011. It was directed by Leythum and written by Eric Pearson, with music by Paul Oakenfold. It was filmed over 2–3 days. The short stars Clark Gregg reprising his role as Agent Phil Coulson, and served to showcase Coulson as "more than just an annoying bureaucrat" of S.H.I.E.L.D. Bennie and Claire, a down-on-their-luck couple, find
Marvel One-Shots - Misplaced Pages Continue
3360-565: The MCU television series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. One year after the events of Captain America: The First Avenger , Strategic Scientific Reserve Agent Peggy Carter is stuck compiling data instead of working field cases. One night, while alone in the office, the case line informs Carter of the location of the mysterious Zodiac . She is able to retrieve the Zodiac serum single-handedly. The next day, Agent John Flynn reprimands Carter for not going through
3465-615: The Team Thor shorts as a "doable" version of the One-Shot program, and felt there was potential for future One-Shots to similarly be released as extra content prior to a film's premiere. Set after the events of Iron Man 2 and The Incredible Hulk , Phil Coulson informs Jasper Sitwell that the World Security Council wishes for Emil Blonsky to be released from prison to join the Avengers Initiative . They see him as
3570-516: The Tribeca Film Festival in April, where it was reviewed positively, but only received modest distribution offers. At the time, it was not very common for consumers to make digital movie purchases. As part of a push by the service towards original content, the subscription video on demand service Netflix began to acquire feature films for distribution on its service in the 2010s, including
3675-669: The release of a film , television series , short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere . This distribution strategy was prevalent before streaming platforms came to dominate the TV and movie distribution markets. Because inferior sequels or prequels of larger-budget films may be released direct-to-video, review references to direct-to-video releases are often pejorative . Direct-to-video release has also become profitable for independent filmmakers and smaller companies. Some direct-to-video genre films (with
3780-448: The 2004 remake of George A. Romero 's Dawn of the Dead (1978), writing the live-action adaptation of Scooby Doo (2002), and its sequel Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed (2004), writing and producing the horror-action film The Belko Experiment (2016), producing the superhero-horror film Brightburn (2019), and contributing to comedy-anthology film Movie 43 (2013) (directing
3885-468: The 2013 documentary The Square , and its first feature film in 2015 — Beasts of No Nation . Netflix pursued a simultaneous release strategy for its films, partnering with a distributor for a limited theatrical release (in order to maintain eligibility for awards requiring theatrical release, such as the Academy Awards ) simultaneous with their availability to subscribers. As this practice violates
3990-579: The 2014 film The Interview was released simultaneously on digital and at selected cinemas, after major chains dropped the film due to terrorist threats by a hacking group believed to have ties to North Korea (whose regime is satirized in the film). The group had also leaked confidential data from the internal servers of the film's distributor, Sony Pictures . The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in worldwide closures of cinemas due to economic restrictions and guidance against public gatherings, which prompted direct-to-digital releases for several major films;
4095-616: The CEO of the newly created Warner Bros. Discovery , during his search for a new head of DC Films . The duo impressed Zaslav who decided to appoint them as the co-chairpersons and CEOs of DC Films, rebranded as "DC Studios", with control over films, animation and television projects based on characters from DC Comics . Gunn oversees the creative aspects and will be exclusive to Warner Bros. Discovery during his tenure, except for his prior commitments to Disney. The two assumed their positions on November 1, 2022. In December 2022, Gunn announced that he
4200-707: The Chinese film Lost in Russia was acquired by ByteDance for 630 million yuan (almost 100 million in US dollars) and streamed on its platforms (including TikTok ) for free in lieu of a theatrical release, as part of a larger relationship with the company and the film's distributor Huanxi Media. A number of U.S. films were shifted directly to video-on-demand rentals in lieu of a theatrical release, while some have been sold directly to subscription services, including Disney+ , Max , Netflix, and Amazon Prime Video . OV ("original video") are movies made for direct-to-video release in
4305-481: The Disembodied Voice. It was directed by Louis D'Esposito and written by Eric Pearson. The short was filmed over five days, and reused visual effects shots of 1940s New York from Captain America: The First Avenger to save money. Christopher Lennertz returned from Item 47 to compose music for the short, and went on to compose the score for the MCU television series Agent Carter , which was partially inspired by
Marvel One-Shots - Misplaced Pages Continue
4410-474: The Galaxy cast members Chris Pratt , Zoe Saldana , Dave Bautista , Bradley Cooper , Vin Diesel , Sean Gunn , Karen Gillan , Pom Klementieff and Michael Rooker released a joint statement through social media expressing their support for Gunn. Because of the situation, Sony Pictures decided to not promote the horror film Brightburn , which Gunn produced, at the 2018 San Diego Comic-Con . However, when
4515-666: The Galaxy director James Gunn said a One-Shot was not included with the film due to lack of space on the disc. Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige stated in May 2015 that there were no active plans to make more Marvel One-Shots, but the studio was not opposed to continuing the series. All of the One-Shots were made available on Disney+ by January 2022, at which point the Team Thor mockumentary shorts (which were released from 2016 to 2018) were reclassified as One-Shots. Feige had previously described
4620-507: The Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017). Gunn was slated to direct Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 in July 2018, but before the project started, Disney severed ties with Gunn as the director amid controversy over off-color jokes he had tweeted . Gunn was rehired in March 2019 after a mass public appeal, many saying he was the reason of the previous movies' successes. In October 2018, Gunn was hired to write
4725-447: The Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023). In 2022, Warner Bros. Discovery hired Gunn and Peter Safran to become co-chairmen and co-CEOs of DC Studios . Under DC Studios, Gunn will co-produce and executive produce every film and television series under the upcoming DC Universe (DCU) media franchise alongside Safran, which will act as a soft-reboot of the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). In the DCU, he is
4830-482: The Japanese market. OVA (" original video animation ") is distinguished from OVM ("original video movies") or V-Cinema, which usually refer to non-animated works. Different production studios may use other labels like "V drama". The OVA market developed in the mid-1980s. The lax restrictions and censorship in comparison to broadcast television appealed to filmmakers, allowing them to include more controversial content, as
4935-447: The King a 9.4 out of 10, and described it as a "return to the loveable personality of the hapless Trevor and a step forward for the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe. It has its twists that should satisfy both lovers and haters of Trevor Slattery. But it's the approach that Pearce takes with the material, from the kung-fu movie style credit sequences to the light-hearted tone that takes a sudden and jarring turn. Kingsley once again shines in
5040-401: The King . The collection was released on December 8, 2015. All One-Shots were made available on Disney+ by January 2022, along with the Team Thor films. Cindy White of IGN was intrigued by The Consultant and felt the "snappy dialogue seems to fit right in with what we expect from a Joss Whedon-ized Avengers movie." Scott Chitwood of ComingSoon.net was disappointed by the short due to
5145-604: The MCU films' Blu-ray and digital distribution releases. The first two films follow Thor as he moves in with a new roommate, Darryl Jacobson, during the events of Captain America: Civil War , while Team Darryl sees Darryl move to Los Angeles and move in with the Grandmaster . The shorts were designed to introduce MCU fans to the irreverent tone of Waititi's Thor: Ragnarok . All of the Marvel One-Shots were included on
5250-428: The MCU. In May 2013, DMG Entertainment said they were considering creating a short film, tentatively titled The Prologue , centered on Wang Xueqi 's Dr. Wu from Iron Man 3 , who only appeared in 10 seconds of the film outside of China; Xueqi appeared in three minutes of the Chinese release of the film. The Prologue would be composed of sequences shot during the production of Iron Man 3 and would explore Wu before
5355-404: The Mandarin and the terrorist group, before revealing that he is a member of the group. The real reason for the interview is to break Slattery out of prison so he can meet the actual Mandarin. Hearing this, Slattery still has no idea of the full ramifications of his posing as the Mandarin. In October 2013, Ben Kingsley said he was working on a secret project with Marvel involving "many members of
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#17328522507365460-581: The Marvel Cinematic Universe , which was published in October 2021, D'Esposito said more One-Shots were in development. In June 2023, Nicholas Pillay of Comic Book Resources opined that Marvel should create new One-Shots to debut on Disney+ , as it would provide additional value to the service's subscribers, while being able to expand the wider MCU as the original shorts did. Direct-to-video Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to
5565-429: The One-Shots could then provide more information on Coulson, to "build the audience's relationship [with] him" and make his death in the film more impactful. The Consultant was written after A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Thor's Hammer , due to the latter taking up 80% of the budget Marvel reserved for the two shorts, leaving a remaining budget " for two guys talking ". To help with this, Pearson included Sitwell in
5670-456: The United States was Tiny Toon Adventures: How I Spent My Vacation in 1992. The practice of creating and releasing regular fiction specifically for video did not really take off until 1994, with Disney 's The Return of Jafar and Universal 's The Land Before Time II: The Great Valley Adventure , neither of which was intended to hit theaters at any point in its production. Several of
5775-408: The actors' theatrical rates. With the increasing prominence of digital distribution platforms in the 2000s and 2010s, direct-to-digital releases began to emerge alongside, or in lieu of home video. In November 2007, Ed Burns ' Purple Violets became the first film to "premiere" exclusively for sale on iTunes Store , being exclusive to the platform for a month exclusively. It had premiered at
5880-475: The animated sequels, like MGM 's The Secret of NIMH 2: Timmy to the Rescue from 1998, have sparked criticism due to the deliberate neglect of the original source material by creative content limits as these franchises will abruptly discontinue. Several other film series will be continuous if they become more successful, like Scooby-Doo for instance (their video debut Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island became one of
5985-464: The best-selling DTV films of all time ). By 1994, an average of six new direct-to-video films appeared each week. Erotic thrillers and R-rated action films were the two most successful genres. Family films became more important than such genres later in the 1990s, as retailers stocked more copies of blockbuster films instead of more titles. According to the Los Angeles Times : Often,
6090-497: The bonus-disc of the " Marvel Cinematic Universe: Phase Two Collection " box set , which includes all of the Phase Two films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The One-Shots feature audio commentary, with Gregg providing it for The Consultant and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Thor's Hammer ; D'Esposito, Hernandez, Welliver, and Bradford on Item 47 ; D'Esposito and Atwell for Agent Carter ; and Pearce and Kingsley with All Hail
6195-540: The budget for these films can now range from less than 1 million yuan to upwards of 10 or 20 million yuan. Although these "Online Big Movies" rarely feature well-known actors, in recent years, many "Online Big Movies" have hired veteran actors from Hong Kong action cinema and Taiwanese cinema to join its cast. These movies are also to be differentiated from films that are made for theatrical release but were later acquired by digital streaming services, in that these "Online Big Movies" are produced by internet companies with
6300-557: The completed film from the theaters, or never exhibit it in theaters at all. Studios then generate revenue through video sales and rentals. Direct-to-video films are marketed mostly through colorful box covers, instead of advertising, and are not covered by publications like Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide . The first direct-to-video release to go into production was E. Nick: A Legend in His Own Mind in 1984 produced by CineTel Films . Direct-to-video releases have historically carried
6405-591: The couple, Sitwell invites them to join S.H.I.E.L.D., with Bennie assigned to the R&;D 'think-tank' to reverse engineer the Chitauri technology, and Claire becoming Blake's assistant. Item 47 was released on The Avengers Blu-ray on September 25, 2012. The film stars Jesse Bradford and Lizzy Caplan as Bennie and Claire, respectively. The film also sees the return of Agent Sitwell, played by Maximiliano Hernández, and introduced Agent Blake, portrayed by Titus Welliver . It
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#17328522507366510-480: The creation of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and there were discussions of the Agent Carter short doing the same for a series centered on Peggy Carter, Graeme McMillan of The Hollywood Reporter felt the shorts were no longer "fun little throwaways filled with Easter Eggs" but instead were an important program for Marvel that gave a "sneak peek at the shape of things to come". IGN 's Cliff Wheatley gave All Hail
6615-562: The creator of the series Creature Commandos (2024) and the writer-director of the upcoming film Superman (2025). He also wrote and directed the web series James Gunn's PG Porn (2008–2009), the HBO Max original series Peacemaker (2022–present) and the Disney+ original special The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (2022). Other projects he is known for is writing for
6720-657: The crew that were involved in Iron Man 3 ", later revealed to be the Marvel One-Shot All Hail the King , which was released on the digital download release of Thor: The Dark World on February 4, 2014, and on February 25, 2014 for the Blu-ray release. The film stars Ben Kingsley as Trevor Slattery, reprising his role from Iron Man 3 ; Scoot McNairy as Jackson Norriss, a member of the Ten Rings terrorist organization posing as
6825-1136: The director of the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 film at the time; Gunn responded: "I have regretted [those jokes] for many years since. [...] Regardless of how much time has passed, I understand and accept the business decisions taken today. Even these many years later, I take full responsibility for the way I conducted myself then. All I can do now [is offer] my sincere and heartfelt regret [...] To everyone inside my industry and beyond, I again offer my deepest apologies." Walt Disney Studios 's decision received criticism from many entertainers and journalists, including actors Dave Bautista , Selma Blair , Patton Oswalt , David Dastmalchian , Michael Ian Black , Mikaela Hoover , Mike Colter , Alex Winter , David Hasselhoff , directors Joe Carnahan and Fede Álvarez , comics artist Jim Starlin , musician Rhett Miller , comedian Jim Jefferies , Rick and Morty creators Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon , journalist David A. French and Troma Entertainment founder and president Lloyd Kaufman . Bobcat Goldthwait , who worked as
6930-495: The disgraced Ross while he is drinking in a bar. Stark annoys Ross so much that he tries to have Stark removed from the bar, until Stark buys the bar and has it scheduled for demolition. The next day, Coulson informs Sitwell that their plan worked and Blonsky will remain in prison. At the 2011 San Diego Comic-Con, Marvel announced that The Consultant would appear exclusively on the Thor Blu-ray release on September 13, 2011. It
7035-498: The downfall of live-action family films at the box office is their strength on video. Their appeal is to families with young children, who may go to only a couple of movies per year but who will watch many videos multiple times. The teens and young adults who drive blockbuster box office statistics stay away from family movies. Some horror films that are unsuccessful in theaters, like Witchcraft , begin successful direct-to-video series. Studios may also release sequels or spin-offs to
7140-446: The events of Iron Man . DMG added that they were unsure of how they would release the short, saying rumors claiming The Prologue could possibly release on television or a future MCU home media release were "speculation". D'Esposito said in July 2013 that he had considered making stand-alone shorts for several characters, including Loki , a young Nick Fury, Black Panther , Ms. Marvel , and Black Widow . However, D'Esposito noted that
7245-459: The events of the Mandarin situation seen in Iron Man 3 . Trying to learn more about him personally, Norriss recounts Slattery's past from his first casting as a child to his starring in a failed CBS pilot. Norriss eventually informs Slattery that his portrayal has angered some people, including the actual Ten Rings terrorist group, which Slattery did not know existed. Norriss tells him the history of
7350-530: The explosion in quantity and variety of such movies established and cemented genres like J-horror and yakuza films . The success of OVAs and V-Cinema has resulted in less stigma regarding direct-to-video releases in Japan than in western markets. While there are still OVA and V-Cinema releases, the market is considerably smaller than it was in the 1980s and 1990s. In the mid-to-late 2010s, low-budget B-movies that are made exclusively for digital streaming became
7455-456: The films did not need to rely on sponsored advertisements for financial support. The result was animated films with greater sexual, violent, or political content. The market continued to expand during the Japanese asset price bubble and began to decline with the collapse of the bubble in the late 1980s and early 1990s. With the rise of VHS home video and the decline of the Japanese economy in
7560-427: The films. Two of the shorts inspired the development of MCU television series . The Consultant (2011) and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Thor's Hammer (2011) star Clark Gregg as Agent Phil Coulson and offer up brief, self-contained stories about a day in the life of a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. Marvel Studios then made several longer One-Shots: Item 47 (2012), starring Lizzy Caplan and Jesse Bradford as
7665-473: The first trailer for the film was released on December 8, 2018, Gunn's name was prominently featured. The film opened in May 2019. In March 2019, Gunn was reinstated by Disney as director of the film after meeting with Alan Horn , chairman of Walt Disney Studios. Gunn started production on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 in October 2021, after The Suicide Squad had been completed. Gunn and frequent producing partner Peter Safran had advised David Zaslav ,
7770-553: The independent film Tromeo and Juliet . Working alongside his mentor Lloyd Kaufman , the co-founder of Troma, Gunn learned how to write screenplays, produce films, scout locations, direct actors, distribute films, and create his own poster art. After contributing to several other Troma films, Gunn in 2000 wrote, produced and performed in the superhero comedy The Specials , directed by Craig Mazin and featuring Rob Lowe , Thomas Haden Church , Paget Brewster , Judy Greer and Jamie Kennedy . Gunn's first major Hollywood screenplay
7875-497: The last minute due to the success of another film with a similar subject matter or an ultimate studio decision. Batman: Mask of the Phantasm is an example of this. However, despite the movie's critically acclaimed success, its box-office performance was very poor, which has been attributed to the last minute nature of its theatrical release. The film had much better commercial success in its subsequent home video releases. Other times,
7980-510: The late 1980s, film studios struggled to recoup investments on big-budget films. Inspired by the success of OVAs, Toei released its first V-Cinema, Crime Hunter , in March 1989. Following Toei's success, other studios began to release a slew of direct-to-video movies. Relaxed censorship in V-Cinema gave way to the premier and rise of expressive auteur directors such as Takashi Miike , Hideo Nakata , Shinji Aoyama , and Kiyoshi Kurosawa . As
8085-495: The mid-20th century, direct-to-video films employ both former stars and young actors who may become stars later. Direct-to-video releases can be done for films which cannot be shown theatrically due to controversial content, or because the cost involved in a theatrical release is beyond the releasing company. Animated sequels and feature-length episodes of animated series are also often released in this fashion. The first feature length animated film to be released direct-to-video in
8190-540: The original Dawn of the Dead at the Tivoli Theatre in St. Louis. At the age of 12, he began making 8 mm zombie films with his brothers in the woods near their home. Gunn and his brothers all attended the Jesuit St. Louis University High School , where he graduated in 1984. He went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts from Saint Louis University . While at Saint Louis University, Gunn created political cartoons for
8295-440: The producers "wanted to paint a picture of S.H.I.E.L.D. pulling the strings and being responsible for some of the events seen in the films. What better character to represent this idea than Agent Coulson, the first S.H.I.E.L.D. agent we were introduced to in the first Iron Man film ?" Gregg said he was told about the short film program in the same phone call that warned him Coulson would die in The Avengers . The actor noticed that
8400-471: The producers to work on extremely low budgets and dispense with some film production elements, like scripts, and the increased privacy and convenience of the format change were preferred by the target market. During the late 1990s and onward, pornographers began releasing content on the Internet. Occasionally, a studio that makes a movie that was prepared as a direct-to-video film will release it theatrically at
8505-421: The proper procedures to complete the mission. Carter explains that the mission was time-sensitive, but Flynn is unmoved, dismissing the indignant Carter as an "old flame" of Captain America 's who was given her current job out of pity for her bereavement. The case line rings again, this time with Howard Stark on the other end, who tells Flynn to inform Carter that she will co-head the newly created S.H.I.E.L.D. In
8610-457: The release of these titles were outside of usual distribution, studios and directors worked quickly to capitalize on niche markets or upcoming and current trends to increase financial returns. This period of history in Japanese cinema has been described by film journalist Tom Mes as "a far more diverse and vibrant film scene [than previous eras]". By 1995, the V-cinema industry was in decline, but
8715-456: The rest were more positively received and highlighted for their contributions to expanding the MCU. All the One-Shots were made available on Disney+ by January 2022, when the Team Thor mockumentary shorts (released from 2016 to 2018) were reclassified as One-Shots. In August 2011, Marvel announced that a couple of short films, designed to be self-contained stories, would be released direct-to-video . Co-producer Brad Winderbaum said they were
8820-399: The robbers ask whose car is outside, Coulson reveals himself, surrenders his keys, and offers to surrender his pistol as well. As he turns over the gun, Coulson distracts the robbers and subdues both men in seconds. He then nonchalantly pays for his snacks while advising the clerk not to mention his involvement to the police. A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Thor's Hammer was included on
8925-423: The role of Slattery, aloof and ignorant, but more than happy to slide back into Mandarin mode if it will please his adoring fans. Pearce does go for some of the same jokes from Iron Man 3 in a sort of referential way, but it's nothing too damaging." Andrew Wheeler of ComicsAlliance criticized the way homosexuality was presented in the short, given it was Marvel Studios' first attempt to bring LGBT concepts into
9030-530: The school's student weekly, The University News . Gunn said that, at an unspecified time in his college education, "I went to two years undergraduate film school at Loyola Marymount in Los Angeles . But I was pretty screwed up at the time, and had to leave. Years later I went to graduate school at the Columbia University School of Fine Arts but I studied prose writing, not film writing." He earned
9135-476: The segment "Beezel") and the 2012 hack-and-slash video game Lollipop Chainsaw . James Francis Gunn Jr. was born on August 5, 1966 in St. Louis, Missouri , to parents James F. Gunn, an attorney, and Leota "Lee" (Hynek). He was raised Catholic in the St. Louis suburb of Manchester, Missouri . He has five siblings — actor Sean , actor and political writer Matt , screenwriter Brian , Patrick, and Beth. Gunn
9240-506: The short was "easily the best" of the One-Shots so far, and attributed that to its longer runtime. He felt that this meant Item 47 did not need to rush and was able to give a "clear understanding of both the S.H.I.E.L.D. perspective of the events and the robbers' point of view". Andy Hunsaker of CraveOnline said Agent Carter was a "fun treat" that could lead to some female-focused Marvel films, and also felt it gave Peggy Carter "the send-off she deserves." At IGN , Scott Collura said Carter
9345-455: The short was composed by Iron Man 3 's Brian Tyler , with the fake CBS pilot, Caged Heat , receiving a new musical theme composed by 1980s TV-music icon Mike Post . Team Thor is a series of direct-to-video mockumentary short films that were released from 2016 to 2018, consisting of Team Thor , Team Thor: Part 2 , and Team Darryl , all written and directed by Taika Waititi . The three short films are included as special features in
9450-510: The short, who had a minor role in Thor , and had him and Coulson "brainstorming a way to deal with this red tape bureaucratic politics of the Avengers Initiative". Set before the events of Thor , Phil Coulson stops at a gas station on his way to Albuquerque, New Mexico . While Coulson shops for snacks in the back of the station, two robbers enter and demand the money from the register. When
9555-478: The short. Trevor Slattery was arrested at the end of Iron Man 3 and is now held in Seagate Prison where he is living luxuriously, with his own personal "butler", Herman, as well as a fan club of other inmates who protect him. Looking on at the attention Slattery receives is Justin Hammer , who wonders what makes him so special. Slattery has been talking with documentary filmmaker Jackson Norriss to chronicle
9660-448: The sole intent of digital release. In additional to the digital distribution of these films in China, many of the "Online Big Movies" have also been released on digital platforms outside of China, such as on YouTube . Several YouTube channels, such as Q1Q2 Movie Channel Official and YOUKU MOVIE are popular channels that distributes these "Online Big Movies". James Gunn (filmmaker) James Francis Gunn Jr. (born August 5, 1966)
9765-471: The story for Grasshopper Manufacture 's video game Lollipop Chainsaw , working with game designer Suda 51 . In July 2018, in reaction to Gunn's public criticisms of Donald Trump , commentator Mike Cernovich drew attention to controversial jokes that Gunn posted on social media between 2008 and 2012 involving pedophilia and the Holocaust . Amid criticism of the tweets, Disney severed ties with Gunn as
9870-409: The term "direct-to-DVD" replaced "direct-to-video" in some instances. However, the word "video" does not necessarily refer to videocassettes. Many publications continue to use the term "direct-to-video" for DVDs or Blu-rays . Both disc-based release types may also be referred to as "direct-to-disc". A new term sometimes used is "DVD premiere" (DVDP). Such films can cost as little as $ 20 million, about
9975-457: The traditional release windows mandated by the cinema industry, major chains have typically declined to screen the films. Since 2018, Netflix has partially backpedaled from this strategy, giving its films a one-month theatrical run before their premiere on the Netflix service. Unique circumstances have also resulted in direct-to-digital releases, sometimes alongside a limited theatrical release;
10080-430: Was Scooby-Doo in 2002. In 2004, he wrote the screenplays for the remake of Dawn of the Dead and the sequel Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed . With these films, Gunn became the first screenwriter to have two films top the box office in consecutive weeks. That same year, he executive produced and starred in the mockumentary LolliLove , directed by and starring his then-wife Jenna Fischer . His film directorial debut
10185-400: Was considering debuting short films in theaters before feature films. In May 2014, it was revealed that Captain America: The Winter Soldier 's (2014) home media release would be the first to not include a One-Shot since the program started, and in October 2014, it was revealed that Guardians of the Galaxy 's (2014) home media release also would not include a short. Guardians of
10290-409: Was considering introducing established characters who may not yet be ready to carry their own feature films in future One-Shots, stating, "There's always a potential to introduce a character. We have 8,000 of them, and they can't all be at the same level. So maybe there are some that are not so popular, and we introduce them [with a short]—and they take off. I could see that happening." When asked whether
10395-492: Was directed by Leythum and written by Eric Pearson , with music by Paul Oakenfold . The short was filmed over 2–3 days. Clark Gregg and Maximiliano Hernández return to portray Agent Phil Coulson and Agent Jasper Sitwell, respectively, from the films. They are joined via archive footage by Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark / The Consultant, William Hurt as General Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross, and Tim Roth as Emil Blonsky in his Abomination form. Co-producer Brad Winderbaum said
10500-460: Was directed by Marvel Studios co-president Louis D'Esposito , written by Eric Pearson, and features music by Christopher Lennertz . The short film, which was filmed over four days, has a runtime of 12 minutes, longer than the previous films, which were no longer than 4 minutes. Pearson and D'Esposito had the idea for the short after watching The Avengers and thinking, "New York is a mess. There must be weapons everywhere". Item 47 partially inspired
10605-442: Was going to write and direct Pets , a comedy about a man who is abducted by aliens who want to turn him into a household pet, with Ben Stiller , Stuart Cornfeld and Jeremy Kramer producing. However, by March 2009, Gunn announced, " Pets unfortunately, is done. I'm gone. I left the project for various reasons. I hope it sees the light of day somehow, but it won't be with me attached as director." In 2010, Gunn released Super ,
10710-534: Was not opposed to making more One-Shots, and there was a backlog of potential ideas. In September 2015, he added that with the MCU expanding to three feature films a year they would struggle to find the "time and place" to make more content than that, despite their continued discussions about potential future One-Shots. Spider-Man actor Tom Holland hinted in June 2017 that Marvel was planning on creating more One-Shots, and Pearson reiterated this in October, adding that he had
10815-426: Was the "big-screen female superhero we've all been waiting for. She kicks so much ass in this short story with such aplomb, using not just brawn but also brains, and it's all very clever and fun". Rosie Fletcher of Total Film praised Atwell as a "perfect femme fatale-come-special agent", and also praised the visuals of the short as well as its action. By the release of Agent Carter , knowing that Item 47 had led to
10920-577: Was the 2006 horror-comedy Slither , which was included on Rotten Tomatoes' list of the 50 Best Ever Reviewed Horror Movies. Gunn's next projects included the comedy short film "Humanzee!" which was originally intended exclusively for the Xbox Live's Horror Meets Comedy series of short comedy films by horror directors, it was replaced with "Sparky and Mikaela" which debuted on Xbox Live on December 31, 2008. In an April 2009 interview on The Jace Hall Show , Gunn described "Sparky and Mikaela" as being "about
11025-453: Was writing a film about a young Superman during his early years in Metropolis , later revealed to be titled Superman and scheduled for release in July 2025; in March 2023 it was confirmed Gunn would also direct the project. In January 2023, Gunn and Safran revealed their plans for future DCU films, with the first chapter being titled "Gods and Monsters". Gunn was also revealed to be writing
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