Something Wicked This Way Comes

by The Cowl Editor on October 28, 2021

Arts & Entertainment

Something Wicked This Way Comes

Hocus Pocus 2 Begins Filming in Rhode Island

Olivia Riportella ’25

Get ready, Friartown, because spooky season is here. While Rhode Island always offers a number of eerie festivities to get people in the Halloween spirit, this year brings a unique way for locals to get in the spooky mood: the iconic 1993 film Hocus Pocus has begun filming a sequel at La Salle Academy in Providence, RI.

According to the Providence Journal, shoots for the production began as recently as Monday, Oct. 18. Cameras could be seen rolling on the grounds of La Salle as well as inside the building, even during the school day. Many extras in the film are being played by Rhode Island locals.

Governor Dan McKee has weighed in on the film, saying that he is “proud and honored” that “our beautiful state, with its unique scenery, landscapes, and local talent, will be the backdrop for a major motion picture.” The production of the sequel is expected to help boost Rhode Island’s economy, which suffered a hard hit during the pandemic.

The Executive Director of the Rhode Island Film & TV Office, Steven Feinberg, also spoke enthusiastically about the production, stating: “We are very excited to welcome Disney and their talented team to the Ocean State to create the next chapter of the popular and highly anticipated sequel, Hocus Pocus 2.”

He added, “We are particularly grateful to Walt Disney Productions for providing good paying jobs for many local artists and hard-working technicians from across Rhode Island. Collaboration is key to the art of cinema and we look forward to helping the Hocus Pocus 2 team produce movie magic here in the Ocean State!”

News of a sequel to the beloved movie has created much anticipation among fans and the public at large. Indeed, with iconic actresses Sarah Jessica Parker, Bette Midler, and Kathy Najimy returning to the big screen in their havoc-wreaking roles of the witchy Sanderson sisters, the expectations for Hocus Pocus 2 are incredibly high.

This time around, the Sanderson witches are accidentally brought back into present-day Salem by three young women. The movie will portray the girls attempting to stop the child-hungry sisters and their mayhem. The director of the new film is Anne Fletcher, who announced that she is “so grateful to be able to play a part in bringing these witches back to life.” She explained, “Now more than ever, people need to laugh. We should be laughing every day, and there is so much fun to be had with these three unbelievable women playing delicious characters from such a beloved film.”

Details about the film are still being kept under wraps, but fans hope to find out more as production continues. Hocus Pocus 2 will continue filming in RI at locations in Providence and Lincoln until the end of the year, and is expected to make its much-anticipated debut on Disney+ in the fall of 2022.

Spider-Man: No Way Home Trailer Released

by The Cowl Editor on September 3, 2021

Arts & Entertainment

Spider-Man: No Way Home Trailer Released

Teaser Confirms Ties to Other Spider-Man Franchises

By Madison Palmieri ’22

After months of anticipation following leaked set photos and rumors regarding plot, casting, and other aspects of the production, the first official trailer for Marvel’s long-awaited upcoming film, Spider-Man: No Way Home, has arrived.

The exciting first look at the film shows Tom Holland’s Peter Parker dealing with the aftermath of the events of Spider-Man: Far From Home, in which his identity is revealed. Struggling to cope, he asks Doctor Strange to cast a spell so that everyone forgets that he is Spider-Man. However, as the trailer suggests, things do not go according to plan.

The movie is the third Spider-Man film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It has been in the works as early as 2017, when Far From Home, the second movie in the franchise, was released; however, development of the project stalled due to negotiations between Marvel and Sony over the rights to the beloved comic book character. The two companies ultimately reached a compromise in September 2019 that allowed Spiderman to remain in the MCU.

Rumors about the potential plot of the film began to swirl in October 2020, beginning with the news that Benedict Cumberbatch would be reprising his Marvel Cinematic Universe role of Dr. Stephen Strange. Fans were quick to point out that the character’s next appearance after the then-untitled Spider-Man movie would be in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

Given the potential for multiple universes and, consequently, multiple versions of the same character, fans began to theorize that the new film might tie into Sony’s two live-action Spider-Man franchises. The first was a trilogy directed by Sam Raimi that starred Tobey Maguire in the titular role. The second was a duology featuring Andrew Garfield as the lead.

Speculation intensified in late 2020, when it was revealed that Jamie Foxx would be reprising his role as Electro from Sony’s 2014 The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and Alfred Molina would be reprising his role as Doctor Octopus from Sony’s 2004 Spider-Man 2. Fans quickly grew convinced that Maguire and Garfield would similarly return, featuring as Spider-Men from other universes alongside Tom Holland’s MCU Spider-Man.

Although it remains unclear whether fans will see all three Spider-Men together on the big screen, Marvel has already paved the way for such coexistence of different versions of the same character—on the small screen.

Throughout 2021, the MCU has released original series on Disney+ that tie into its films. These live-action shows each have fewer than 10 episodes and amount to several hours of screen time. The most recent series, Loki, directly featured or hinted at nearly a dozen versions, or variants, of the titular character in addition to the “main” version played by Tom Hiddleston. Notably, Loki’s finale also confirmed the existence of the MCU multiverse.

While this does not guarantee that Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield will similarly appear as Spider-Man “variants” in No Way Home, the fact that other cast members and characters from their franchises will be appearing in the film makes it a real and exciting possibility.

Indeed, the trailer gives fans confirmation of the appearance of the multiverse, with flashes of lightning signaling Electro’s return and the actual appearance of Doctor Octopus. The brief clip also hints at the return of Green Goblin, another villain from the Sam Raimi trilogy.

However, Marvel fans wondering what this means for the MCU’s Spider-Man, and the future of the franchise as a whole, will have to wait until the film’s premiere on Dec. 17 to find out.