What to watch: The MCU's back?! Hugh know it.
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Fear not, true believers who worry that the Marvel Cinematic Universe was kaput. They used to have a Hulk, and now they have a Hugh.
Seven years after hanging up his claws in "Logan," Hugh Jackman is back as Wolverine and making his MCU debut with Ryan Reynolds' Deadpool in "Deadpool & Wolverine." The new superhero movie is one of the top things to put in your viewing list this geek week. Not only do we have a comic-book flick in theaters, but Comic-Con is back in session in San Diego. And if you're more jock than nerd? The Summer Olympics are starting, and there's plenty of related sports stuff to watch outside of gymnastics, basketball and people throwing discuses.
Now on to the good stuff:
Check out Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman as best frenemies in Marvel's 'Deadpool & Wolverine'
Ever since 2019's "Avengers: Endgame," the MCU hasn't had the same mojo. I wouldn't call it a "creative slump" per se, but the fare has ranged from pretty dang good ("Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3," "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever") to middling ("Eternals"), and there hasn't been that event movie to get everybody excited. "Deadpool & Wolverine" might just be that jam, a love letter to the Fox Marvel movie era and a gonzo action comedy that really lets Jackman cook as a haunted Wolverine in need of redemption. (Peep my ★★★½ review.)
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Jackman told me he's been wanting to share the screen with a bigger circle of superheroes for a couple decades. “I was watching ‘Iron Man’ and all these movies going, ‘These are great characters. Wolverine was born in a Hulk comic. I would love to see that,’” he says in a new joint interview with his pal Reynolds. But wait, there's more: We also have a parents' guide for folks wanting to know if it's OK to take their kids to the R-rated "Deadpool & Wolverine," and both of those guys make our top 50 list of the best action movie heroes ever.
Stream these Olympics documentaries while watching the Paris Games
Olympics movies are an important part of the sports movie canon: "Miracle" is a rousing hockey film classic, "Chariots of Fire" won best picture, "Race" centered on Jesse Owens running to gold in Nazi Germany, and most recently George Clooney's "The Boys in the Boat" reflected on rowing-team glory. There are several good documentaries about the Olympics as well, and TV critic Kelly Lawler rounded up some of her faves, including "The Price of Gold" – which recounts the Tonya Harding/Nancy Kerrigan ice-skating incident – and the Oscar-winning "Icarus," about the Russian government's mass-doping scandal.
Get ready for all the Comic-Con news, from 'The Penguin' to the Marvel universe
I'm in San Diego and on the ground at Comic-Con, the annual confab for all things sci-fi, horror, superhero and, well, cool. Some of the things I'm excited about seeing: Warner Bros. is hosting a presentation for the new Colin Farrell gangster show "The Penguin," a spinoff series from "The Batman"; Amazon Prime will offer a tease of what's to come in "The Boys," which just finished its fourth season and is coming back for a final round of episodes; and the mighty Marvel Studios panel will feature head honcho Kevin Feige holding court with movie stars, big news and hopefully some surprises.
Stay tuned to USA TODAY's Entertainment page for our coverage, but we'll also send out a special Comic-Con edition of Watch Party on Monday morning (same Bat-time, same Bat-email) with all the best highlights.
Even more goodness to check out!
- "Bridgerton" hive! Netflix announced the lead for its fourth season: Luke Thompson's Benedict Bridgerton.
- Who the heck is playing Lady Deadpool in "Deadpool & Wolverine"? I know and I'm not telling! (Yet.)
- There's lots of tornado-taming science involved in "Twisters." How real is it? We investigate.
Got thoughts, questions, ideas, concerns, compliments or maybe even some recs for me? Email btruitt@usatoday.com and follow me on the socials: I'm @briantruitt on Twitter (not calling it X!), Instagram and Threads.
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