With 2021 finally dawned upon us, it brings a new beginning to what was for sure one of the most tumultuous years in anyone’s recent memory in the year 2020, with a plethora of events that occurred (and many still recurring) that need no repeating. We all know of what went down and what’s going on, things which have spilled over and are still extreme challenges in this new year. In short, 2020 was a year most of, if not all, of us would soon rather forget.

However, what shouldn’t be forgotten are the names of the many luminaries in entertainment that we lost last year, also a stunning amount of creatives and well-knowns of seemingly every type and stripe. While in a lot of ways an “in memoriam” list seems rather arbitrary and irrelevant considering the hundreds of thousands of lives lost in the United States alone last year during the pandemic and of people who became global martyrs by way of insurrectional behaviors by authoritative figures all across America, a list like this becomes in a way necessary, as it’s important to give the proper respect and final send off to some of the individuals who touched our lives in so many ways, especially during last year, when all forms of entertainment became not only entrenched in its typical “escapism,” but also became a healing balm in a sense, something that helped people push through during the darkest times of necessary state and governmental-enforced bondage on us all. And it is for that reason, that we present some of our heroes, guiding lights, inspirations, and illuminations who left us in 2020.

Marvel Studios’ What If…?, which was announced back in March, is a brand new upcoming TV series that will be streamed exclusively on Disney+. The series will expand the Marvel Cinematic Universe in all sorts of new ways by posing the question of “what if?” This really isn’t anything new considering that Marvel Comics has an entire comic line dedicated to hypothetical and alternative stories, like “what if Thanos had joined the Avengers?” or “what if Captain America joined hydra?”

And now we have an idea of who will be involved. While at San Diego Comic-Con, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige shared some news about the show, which includes announcing that Jeffery Wright will be voicing The Watcher, and various actors and actresses who have appeared in Marvel films who will be reprising their respective roles. More on all of this below.

Though San Diego Comic-Con is reserved for mostly geeky things and nostalgia, sometimes, they like to throw a curveball or two. Take for instance, the Russo Brothers panel. Now, their panel could have been the two just reminiscing about their days toiling and perfecting the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While that was the case for a good portion of the panel, they also talked about some of the other projects they are working on, which includes a gritty police crime drama called 21 Bridges.

The film stars Chadwick Boseman (Black Panther) as a NY detective who comes across a crime between two drug dealers and dirty cops. What will he do to get to the truth of it all? Shut down all exits and entrances, even if that means bridges, subways, and more? Check out the trailer for 21 Bridges below.

Five new actors have joined Spike Lee‘s next project Da 5 Bloods, rounding out the cast for the Netflix production. The movie follows a group of Vietnam War veterans who return to Vietnam.

The five new actors who have signed on to the feature are Clarke Peters (The Wire and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri), Isiah Whitlock Jr. (The Wire, Cedar Rapids), Norm Lewis (Sex and the City 2, Scandal), Mélanie Thierry (The Zero Theorem, Babylon A.D.), and Jasper Pääkkönen (Vikings, Frozen Land).

New reports confirm that Black Panther writer and director Ryan Coogler will return for Black Panther 2.

The deal shouldn’t come as a huge surprise to anyone. The first film is one of the highest grossing Marvel Studios films to date, having earned $700 million domestically and more than $1.3 billion worldwide. It’s considered to be a cultural phenomenon with the way it addresses themes of race and identity, while also being a superhero film. And people have caught notice of the impact it has made. So much so that Marvel Studios is also making a huge awards season push for the film. More on the report below.