Superhero Bits: Sony Boss Promises Spider-Man 4 Is Happening, Black Adam Could Have Been In The Flash & More

(Superhero Bits is a collection of stories, updates, and videos about anything and everything inspired by the comics of Marvel, DC, and more. For comic book movies, TV shows, merchandise, events, and whatever catches our eye, this is the place to find anything that falls through the cracks.)

In this edition of Superhero Bits:

• "Spider-Man 4" is coming, but when will it be here?

• Black Adam could have appeared in "The Flash" movie.

• Diego Luna is out here dodging "Fantastic Four" casting rumors.

• Our first look at "Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham."

• All that and more!

Marvel has partnered once again with Insomniac Games for a series of variant covers inspired by the 2018 "Spider-Man" video game. Beginning with yesterday's release of "Spider-Man: The Lost Hunt" #2, a series of five different covers will appear on various titles featuring the web-slinger, all inspired by the game. The other titles include "The Amazing Spider-Man" #13, "The Amazing Spider-Man" #14, "Dark Web" #1, and "Spider-Man" #3. All of these variant cover editions of the above books are on shelves now, so be on the lookout.

Let's put on those tinfoil hats and get ready to make some logic leaps, shall we? WB Games Montreal released "Gotham Knights" earlier this year as the first game set in Batman's universe in quite some time. Well, there is no rest for the weary as the studio is already working on a new game. Senior producer Bryan Theberge recently updated his Linkedin page and, under experience, there is now an entry listing him for an "unannounced game." So, what are they working on? It's very likely this is another game set in the Batman universe, given the studio's recent track record, with the "Arkham" games preceding "Gotham Knights." So, the big question: is this a "Gotham Knights" sequel? For now, that would be speculative but it would seem to make the most sense. Something to keep an eye on, to be certain.

The singer/songwriter behind "Never Gonna Give You Up" appears to have his sights on ... playing the Man of Steel? We know that DC Studios co-head James Gunn is currently writing a Superman movie that will not feature Henry Cavill in the role. Well, based on the above tweet, it appears that Astley, a 56-year-old man, is interested in the part. Worth noting, Gunn's movie is said to focus on a younger Superman. Mind you, this is not limited to a single tweet. Astley also wrote a whole damn song about it, which you can listen to right here. Maybe he can do a song for the soundtrack?

There have been numerous casting rumors regarding the upcoming "Fantastic Four" reboot within the MCU. John Krasinski recently cast doubt that he'll return to the role of Reed Richards following his brief turn in "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness," so it's wide open right now. Recently, some unconfirmed rumors suggested that "Andor" star Diego Luna is in the running for the part. Recently, in an interview with "Sith Council," Luna was asked about it, and boy, he danced around the question.

"I was talking about that this morning– like the rumors. When you become part of rumors, half of the rumors were real, you know. It's just incredible the amount of stuff that I see now out there. The only thing I can tell you is that, for the next two years, I'm busy. In two years, we'll see if what I want to do is even film."

Not exactly a denial, now is it? Be that as it may, this also doesn't confirm by any means that this is (or was) on the table. Luna is busy with "Andor" season 2 for now. We'll see what comes of it between now and when the cameras roll on "Fantastic Four."

Warner Bros. has revealed some brand new images from the upcoming animated flick "Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham." The movie was announced earlier this year during San Diego Comic-Con and is based on the 2000 Elseworlds tale of the same name by Mike Mignola (of "Hellboy" fame) and Richard Pace. The story is set in the 1920s, and these photos very much speak to the setting. As for what to expect? A synopsis for the comic reads as follows:

It's Gotham City, 1928. Twenty years have passed since a madman slew the parents of young Bruce Wayne, heir to one of the city's oldest fortunes. Twenty years since he fled the carnage of Gotham. But now Bruce Wayne has returned—and hell has followed. A terrible thing from beyond space and time has awakened. The Lurker on the Threshold has called its faithful servants—immortal sorcerers, reptile men, beings of eldritch cold and fungal horror—to feed our world into its gaping maw. If the Batman hopes to end the horror, how terrible must Bruce Wayne become?

No release date has been announced yet but the movie is set to debut in 2023.

The "Black Adam" fallout has been swift and, quite frankly, a little ugly. But Dwayne Johnson recently confirmed that the character will not be a part of the new DC Universe plans (at least not at first), putting an end to this long, weird journey. But The Wrap reporter Umberto Gonzalez had a bit to add, revealing on Twitter that The Rock actually passed on a cameo in "The Flash" movie, which is set to hit theaters next year. "One last #BlackAdam nugget, according to my sourcing, way back when #TheFlashMovie was originally shooting, 7 Bucks Production President Hiram Garcia was asked if Dwayne can do a cameo as Black Adam in the movie, however Garcia 'politely declined,'" Gonzalez said. Worth noting that Johnson also worked hard to keep Black Adam separate from Shazam! and he apparently declined a role in "Fury of the Gods" as well. So, effectively, this was a one-and-done by his own design.

Recently, a bunch of shortlists for several categories at next year's Oscars were revealed. In the Best Original Score category, "The Batman" did not make the cut, as has been pointed out by the folks at DiscussingFilm. This, despite the fact that Michael Giacchino's score for the film was widely considered to be a highlight in what ultimately became one of the highest-grossing movies of the year. Be that as it may, Matt Reeves' reboot of the franchise will be sitting it out in a category it seemed well suited for.

"Spider-Man: No Way Home" defied the odds and went on to become one of the highest-grossing movies of all time, pulling in massive amounts of profit for Sony Pictures. Even though nothing has been announced formally, Sony chairman Tom Rothman has confirmed that "Spider-Man 4" is, indeed, going to happen. Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter recently, the executive addressed the topic head-on saying, "You bet. When you can expect it, I don't know. Serve no wine before it's time." For now, Tom Holland is not under contract and is almost certainly holding out for a very, very rich payday to put on the suit once again. Based on Rothman's comments, it's likely they're going to pay the man.

Lastly, Marvel has released a brand new featurette breaking down a key element of "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever." Namely, the warriors of Talokan who fight on behalf of their ruler, Namor. The video sees Ryan Meinerding, Marvel Studios' Head of Visual Development, breaking down the development of the look of Namor's fiercest Talokanil warriors, including peeks at concept art, and insight as to how it all came together. Check out the full video for yourself above.