All Hail the King
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

''All Hail the King'' is a 2014 American direct-to-video short film featuring the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) character
Trevor Slattery Trevor Slattery is a fictional character portrayed by Ben Kingsley in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). An actor hired to portray the legendary terrorist leader of the Ten Rings dubbed " the Mandarin", he first appeared in the film ''Iron Man ...
, produced by
Marvel Studios Marvel Studios, LLC (originally known as Marvel Films from 1993 to 1996) is an American film and television production company that is a subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios, a division of the Walt Disney Company. Marvel Studios produces the Mar ...
and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment. It is a follow-up and
spin-off Spin-off may refer to: *Spin-off (media), a media work derived from an existing work *Corporate spin-off, a type of corporate action that forms a new company or entity * Government spin-off, civilian goods which are the result of military or gove ...
of '' Iron Man 3'' (2013), and is the fifth
Marvel One-Shot 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 fi ...
short film set in the MCU, sharing continuity with the films of the franchise. The film is written and directed by
Drew Pearce Drew Pearce is a British screenwriter, director, and producer. He is known for creating the British TV comedy ''No Heroics'', co-writing ''Iron Man 3'' and ''Hobbs & Shaw'', and writing the story for '' Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation''. ...
, and stars Ben Kingsley as Slattery, alongside Scoot McNairy, Lester Speight, and
Sam Rockwell Sam Rockwell (born November 5, 1968) is an American actor. He is known for appearing in independent films and also as a character actor portraying a wide variety of roles both comedic and dramatic in films such as '' Lawn Dogs'' (199 ...
. In ''All Hail the King'', a documentary filmmaker (McNairy) interviews the infamous fake terrorist Trevor Slattery while in jail. Development for a One-Shot centered on Slattery began during production of ''Iron Man 3'', with Pearce eventually conceiving an idea contingent on Kingsley willing to reprising his role from ''Iron Man 3'', who was enthused to do so after reading the script. Filming occurred in Los Angeles over three days, with Pearce later flying to Canada to film Rockwell's cameo as
Justin Hammer Justin Hammer is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is depicted as a villainous entrepreneur, head of Hammer Industries and a frequent adversary of the superhero Iron Man. As he ex ...
, reprising the role from '' Iron Man 2'' (2010). ''All Hail the King'' was released digitally and on the home media release of '' Thor: The Dark World'' (2013) in February 2014 and was positively received. The story of Slattery, the Mandarin, and the Ten Rings is continued in the film '' Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings'' (2021).


Plot

Trevor Slattery Trevor Slattery is a fictional character portrayed by Ben Kingsley in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). An actor hired to portray the legendary terrorist leader of the Ten Rings dubbed " the Mandarin", he first appeared in the film ''Iron Man ...
, an inmate at
Seagate Prison The comic book stories published by Marvel Comics since the 1940s have featured several noteworthy concepts besides its fictional characters, such as unique places and artifacts. There follows a list of those features. Places Certain places fe ...
, is living with his own personal "butler" Herman, and other inmates acting as his fan club and protection. Slattery is interviewed by documentary filmmaker
Jackson Norriss Nighthawk is the name of several fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. There have been seven versions of the character: two supervillains-turned-superheroes from the mainstream Marvel Universe contin ...
, who wishes to chronicle the events of the
Mandarin Mandarin or The Mandarin may refer to: Language * Mandarin Chinese, branch of Chinese originally spoken in northern parts of the country ** Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Mandarin, the official language of China ** Taiwanese Mandarin, Stand ...
situation. Norriss, trying to learn more about Slattery personally, recounts his past from his first casting as a child as well as his starring in the failed CBS pilot ''Caged Heat''. 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 the Mandarin and the terrorist group, before revealing that he is actually a member of the group. He then pulls out a gun and kills the guards and Herman before telling Slattery the real reason for the interview is to break him out of prison so he can meet the actual leader of the Ten Rings. Hearing this, Slattery still has no idea of the full ramifications of his posing as the Mandarin.


Cast

* Ben Kingsley as
Trevor Slattery Trevor Slattery is a fictional character portrayed by Ben Kingsley in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). An actor hired to portray the legendary terrorist leader of the Ten Rings dubbed " the Mandarin", he first appeared in the film ''Iron Man ...
: An inmate at Seagate prison who is the subject of a documentary by Jackson Norriss. Kingsley reprises the role from '' Iron Man 3''. * Scoot McNairy as
Jackson Norriss Nighthawk is the name of several fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. There have been seven versions of the character: two supervillains-turned-superheroes from the mainstream Marvel Universe contin ...
:
A member of the Ten Rings terrorist organization posing as a documentary filmmaker. In the comics the character's name is spelled "Norris", while a video released as part of a viral marketing campaign for '' Captain America: Civil War'' in May 2016 revealed that a separate character named Jackson Norris in fact exists elsewhere in the MCU. * Lester Speight as Herman: Slattery's butler and protector in Seagate. *
Sam Rockwell Sam Rockwell (born November 5, 1968) is an American actor. He is known for appearing in independent films and also as a character actor portraying a wide variety of roles both comedic and dramatic in films such as '' Lawn Dogs'' (199 ...
as
Justin Hammer Justin Hammer is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is depicted as a villainous entrepreneur, head of Hammer Industries and a frequent adversary of the superhero Iron Man. As he ex ...
: An inmate at Seagate prison, who was a weapons manufacturer. Rockwell reprises his role from '' Iron Man 2'' (2010). Additionally, Matt Gerald portrays White Power Dave;
Crystal the Monkey Crystal (born May 6, 1994) is a female tufted capuchin monkey and animal actress, acquired and trained by Birds & Animals Unlimited, Hollywood's largest supplier of animals. Her acting career began as a baby monkey in Disney's 1997 film '' Georg ...
portrays the bar monkey; and Allen Maldonado portrays Fletcher Heggs, who has a tattoo of a chess piece on his face as a nod to the comics, where he is a minor character going by "Knight".


Production


Development and writing

Drew Pearce Drew Pearce is a British screenwriter, director, and producer. He is known for creating the British TV comedy ''No Heroics'', co-writing ''Iron Man 3'' and ''Hobbs & Shaw'', and writing the story for '' Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation''. ...
, the co-screenwriter of '' Iron Man 3'', and producer Stephen Broussard had the idea for the short ''All Hail the King'' during the production of ''Iron Man 3'', to provide "a fresh take" on the Mandarin character.
Marvel Studios Marvel Studios, LLC (originally known as Marvel Films from 1993 to 1996) is an American film and television production company that is a subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios, a division of the Walt Disney Company. Marvel Studios produces the Mar ...
and consultant
Joss Whedon Joseph Hill Whedon (; born June 23, 1964) is an American filmmaker, composer, and comic book writer. He is the founder of Mutant Enemy Productions, co-founder of Bellwether Pictures, and is best known as the creator of several television series: ...
were positive about the short, reliant on Ben Kingsley's involvement. Kingsley was on board after reading the script, with Pearce believing he wanted to return because he enjoyed portraying Slattery. In October 2013, Kingsley said he was working on a secret project with Marvel involving "many members of the crew that were involved in ''Iron Man 3''." This was later revealed to be the short, written and directed by Pearce. ''Iron Man 3'' originally had Slattery dying in the film, so the One-Shot would have been a prequel exploring part of his past life. During the editing of ''Iron Man 3'', when it was changed to have Slattery live, Pearce was less enthused about the short being a prequel since they "inevitably lack a sense of drama" and felt continuing Slattery's journey after the events of the film was "more exciting" since "you don't know what's going to happen". ''Iron Man 3'' director Shane Black felt Marvel "saw so many negative things" surrounding the Mandarin's portrayal, that the short was created as "an apology to fans who were so angry". Though some of the dialogue is written in response to critics of ''Iron Man 3''s Mandarin portrayal, the story was written simply as an extension of the Ten Rings and Mandarin storyline featured throughout the ''Iron Man'' films. Pearce wrote the short to be ambiguous enough that the storyline could be further explored in future films or television series. On the Ten Rings, Pearce stated that he found the group to be a "very powerful" part of the MCU due to their introduction in the universe's first film, and noted that producer
Kevin Feige Kevin Feige ( ; born June 2, 1973) is an American film and television producer who has been the president of Marvel Studios and the primary producer of the Marvel Cinematic Universe franchise since 2007. The films he has produced have a combin ...
was excited to see a member of the organization be "genuinely vicious". Because of this, Pearce worked to make the action in the short "real and brutal" to juxtapose the more comedic tone leading up to it, which he felt would increase the humor of Kingsley's Slattery anyway given that the character "does not respond to anything the same way any other right minded human being" should. Speaking about adding
easter eggs Easter eggs, also called Paschal eggs, are eggs that are decorated for the Christian feast of Easter, which celebrates the resurrection of Jesus. As such, Easter eggs are common during the season of Eastertide (Easter season). The oldest tra ...
and nods to the comics, Pearce noted that him adding them to the script did not necessarily mean that they were a part of Marvel's bigger plan for the MCU, and said that he enjoyed "stuff ngit full of MCU" and waiting to see if "some of it sticks and some of it remains just a kind of charming nod." The name ''Caged Heat'' was previously used by Marvel as the working title for ''Iron Man 3''.


Filming and post-production

''All Hail the King'' was filmed over three days in Los Angeles, including at a "disused women's prison" in the east side of Los Angeles. Pearce believed the production was "unbelievably lucky" to align their shooting schedule with Kingsley's, who had been working on a number of different projects. Two production units were utilized in order to capture the footage for the main short and the ''Caged Heat'' material. Both Marvel and
Sam Rockwell Sam Rockwell (born November 5, 1968) is an American actor. He is known for appearing in independent films and also as a character actor portraying a wide variety of roles both comedic and dramatic in films such as '' Lawn Dogs'' (199 ...
were "on board" for a cameo appearance, but Rockwell was unable to do it due to working on ''
Poltergeist In ghostlore, a poltergeist ( or ; German for "rumbling ghost" or "noisy spirit") is a type of ghost or spirit that is responsible for physical disturbances, such as loud noises and objects being moved or destroyed. Most claims or fictional descr ...
'' (2015). However, during post-production of that film, Rockwell read the script for the short and called Pearce, saying that he was happy to participate if his scenes could be shot in Toronto during one of his breaks. Pearce went to Canada, and filmed Rockwell on a set that was painted to match the Los Angeles shoot, saying "Rockwell came in and just nailed it". Music for the short was composed by
Brian Tyler Brian Theodore Tyler (born May 8, 1972) is an American composer, conductor, arranger, and record producer, best known for his film, television, and video game scores. In his 24-year career, Tyler has scored '' Transformers: Prime'', ''Eagle E ...
, with the ''Caged Heat'' scenes composed by 1980s TV-music icon Mike Post. The main-on-end title sequence, which was created by Perception, was inspired by '' Dr. No'', ''
Charade Charade or charades may refer to: Games * Charades, originally "acting charades", a parlor game Films/TV * ''Charade'' (1953 film), an American film featuring James Mason * ''Charade'' (1963 film), an American film starring Cary Grant and A ...
'', and '' Iron Monkey'', as well as other kung fu exploitation films.


Release

''All Hail the King'' was released on the digital download release of '' Thor: The Dark World'' on February 4, 2014, and on February 25 for the Blu-ray release. It was included on the bonus-disc of the " Marvel Cinematic Universe: Phase Two Collection"
box set A box set or (its original name) boxed set is a set of items (for example, a compilation of books, musical recordings, films or television programs) traditionally packaged in a box and offered for sale as a single unit. Music Artists and bands ...
, which includes all of the Phase Two films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as well as the other Marvel One-Shots. The collection features audio commentary by Pearce and Kingsley, and was released on December 8, 2015. ''All Hail the King'' was made available on Disney+ on August 27, 2021, ahead of the release of '' Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings'' which introduces the actual leader of the Ten Rings.


Reception

''
IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
''s Cliff Wheatley gave ''All Hail the King'' a 9.4 out of 10. He said that it's "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 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." Devin Faraci of ''Birth.Movies.Death'' called it "another excellent short film from the folks at Marvel Studios", which he felt deserved to be shown in theaters rather than just released on home media. He felt that the character of Slattery "was used the perfect amount in ''Iron Man Three'', and giving him more screen time here, in a side project, feels the right way to return to him. Kingsley is having a blast, delivering plenty of wonderful jokes and sinking right into the clueless, egocentric character who represents all of our worst stereotypes of actors." Faraci praised the ''Caged Heat'' sequence, as well as Rockwell's cameo, and positively stated on the Mandarin reveal, "rather than a retcon this feels like an expansion, a pulling back of the curtain to reveal more of the picture." Conversely, Andrew Wheeler of ComicsAlliance criticized the short's presentation of homosexuality, given it was Marvel Studios' first attempt to bring LGBT concepts into the MCU. Brennan Klein at ''
Screen Rant ''Screen Rant'' is an entertainment website that offers news in the fields of television, films, video games, and film theories. ''Screen Rant'' was launched by Vic Holtreman in 2003, and originally had its primary office in Ogden, Utah. ''Scr ...
'' called it "a purely comic short that plays like a sketch from '' Saturday Night Live''".


Future

The film ''Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings'' explores plot elements from the One-Shot, such as the reveal of the actual leader of the Ten Rings, Wenwu, with Kingsley reprising his role as Slattery in the film. ''Shang-Chi'' director Destin Daniel Cretton said they wanted "to be true to" the One-Shot in the film, adding that "including that storyline in this movie I think was not only just really fun, I think it's essential to hear latteryadmit how ridiculous that whole situation was".


Notes


References


External links

* {{Portal bar, Film, United States, Speculative fiction 2010s American films 2010s English-language films 2010s superhero films 2014 films 2014 short films Buena Vista Home Entertainment direct-to-video films English-language short films Films scored by Brian Tyler Films set in 2014 Films with screenplays by Drew Pearce Iron Man (film series) Marvel Cinematic Universe: Phase Two mass media Marvel One-Shots