Blackstar: The Pale King - Part 1

Blackstar: The Pale King – Part 1
Teaser poster
Directed by	Mara Venn
Screenplay by	Nathan Cole Mara Venn
Based on	Characters by Daniel Mercer
Starring	Callum Reid Ryan Gosling Hugh Jackman Rebecca Ferguson Daisy Edgar-Jones Ryan Reynolds David Jonsson
Production company	Titan Forge Studios
Release date	October 13, 2034 (2034-10-13)
Country	United States
Language	English

Blackstar: The Pale King – Part 1 is an upcoming American superhero film based on characters from the Blackstar comic-book series created by Daniel Mercer. Produced by Titan Forge Studios, it is the sequel to Blackstar (2028) and the second film in the Blackstar film series. The film is directed by Mara Venn, who co-wrote the screenplay with Nathan Cole, and stars Callum Reid as Adrian Vale / Blackstar, alongside Ryan Gosling, Hugh Jackman, Rebecca Ferguson, Daisy Edgar-Jones, Ryan Reynolds and David Jonsson, all reprising their roles from the first film.

A sequel to Blackstar entered development during post-production on that film. Following creative and scheduling disagreements between Titan Forge and the first film's director, Evan Rourke, Venn was hired to direct in August 2028, with Cole remaining involved as a writer. The project was officially announced as Blackstar: The Pale King in November 2029, with Venn joining Cole as co-writer. Development of the screenplay expanded considerably, and in March 2030 Titan Forge announced that The Pale King would be divided into two films, with Blackstar: The Pale King – Part 2 being produced back-to-back with Part 1. Principal photography began in September 2030 and concluded in 2031 after an extended shoot covering both films.

Part 1 was originally announced for release in 2032, with Part 2 planned for 2033. In August 2031, Titan Forge delayed both films to allow for an extended post-production period, citing the scale and complexity of their visual effects, particularly sequences set within the Void. Part 1 is scheduled to be released theatrically on October 13, 2034, followed by Part 2 on September 28, 2035.

Premise

Some time after the Vesper disappearance event depicted in Blackstar, Adrian Vale continues operating as Blackstar and has become more publicly known despite his reluctance to embrace that role. The consequences of the Vesper catastrophe have significantly changed public understanding of supernatural phenomena and the existence of the Void.

Adrian becomes involved in a new conflict centred on the Pale King and the nature of the Void, forcing him to leave Vesper and spend substantially more time within the extradimensional realm. Meanwhile, the unexplained nature of Nathaniel Grey and his history with Evelyn Voss become increasingly important, while the Warden assumes a larger role in guiding Adrian through the Void.

Venn described Part 1 as a "descent" and confirmed that it contains its own three-act narrative, conflict and climax while forming the first half of a continuous story that concludes in Part 2. She also confirmed that the film ends on a cliffhanger, with Part 2 beginning shortly afterwards.

Cast

• Callum Reid as Adrian Vale / Blackstar, who continues operating as Blackstar following the events in Vesper. Venn said that Adrian has become more publicly recognised and is psychologically affected by learning the truth about the Black Fall rather than being healed by it.
• Ryan Gosling as Nathaniel Grey, whose nature and connection to the Void will be further explored. Venn confirmed that Grey's unexplained reflection in Blackstar was intentional and that the sequel retains the explanation conceived for the first film.
• Hugh Jackman as the Warden, an inhabitant of the Void who possesses extensive knowledge of Adrian and its supernatural structure. Jackman's role is significantly expanded from the first film, with the Warden serving as one of the principal characters in both parts.
• Rebecca Ferguson as Dr. Evelyn Voss, whose undisclosed history with Grey predates the Black Fall. Venn confirmed that Voss intentionally withheld information from Adrian concerning Grey and other matters.
• Daisy Edgar-Jones as Mara Vale, Adrian's younger sister. Venn declined to explain the character's condition following the first film, but suggested that questions concerning Mara's identity would remain important.
• Ryan Reynolds as Daniel Creed, who retains possession of the Orison Fragment at the beginning of the film. Venn said that Creed would undergo more severe circumstances than in the first film while retaining elements of his humour.
• David Jonsson as Detective Isaac Ward, an ally of Adrian whom Venn described as his principal connection to ordinary humanity as Adrian spends increasing amounts of time outside normal reality.

The Pale King has been cast, but Titan Forge has not disclosed the actor portraying the character. Venn confirmed that the performer previously appeared in Blackstar, although she declined to identify the character or state whether the Pale King was physically present before the first film's post-credits scene.

Production

Development

Reports of a potential sequel to Blackstar first emerged in December 2026, before principal photography on the first film began. At the time, industry reports stated that Titan Forge Studios had discussed possible directions for a continuation, including the potential involvement of the Pale King.

Titan Forge denied in January 2027 that a sequel was in active development, while Blackstar director Evan Rourke said that although he had ideas for additional stories, no Pale King film was being developed by him.

Development became more substantial during post-production on Blackstar. Titan Forge wanted to establish plans for a follow-up before the first film's theatrical release, while Rourke was unwilling to immediately commit to directing another large-scale production. Rourke later said that he wanted to direct a smaller original film before potentially returning to the series.

Rourke and Titan Forge also differed over the proposed scope of the sequel. Rourke favoured a more intimate continuation focused closely on Adrian following the first film, while the studio wanted to broaden the mythology and expand the story beyond Vesper.

In August 2028, Titan Forge announced that Rourke would not return and that Mara Venn had been hired to direct the sequel. Nathan Cole, who co-wrote Blackstar with Rourke, remained attached to the project. Callum Reid was also confirmed to return as Adrian Vale / Blackstar.

Venn said that she did not intend to imitate Rourke's direction and would instead develop her own continuation of the story. Rourke subsequently revealed that Venn contacted him before her appointment was announced and that he encouraged her to take her own approach to the material. Rourke has no formal creative involvement in the sequel, although Venn said in March 2030 that the two had continued discussing elements of the mythology privately.

Development accelerated following the release of Blackstar in October 2028. The film ultimately grossed $938.7 million worldwide against a reported net production budget of approximately $185 million.

Title and announcement

In March 2029, industry insider Daniel Richton reported that the sequel was being developed under the title Blackstar: The Pale King. The title reportedly appeared on recent Titan Forge production documentation and was subsequently corroborated by another source.

The title referenced the Pale King, a major figure associated with the Void in Mercer's comics. The character had previously been the subject of sequel rumours and was widely speculated to be represented by the unidentified entity appearing in the post-credits scene of Blackstar.

Titan Forge officially announced the title Blackstar: The Pale King on November 18, 2029. The studio also confirmed Venn as director, Cole and Venn as co-writers, Reid's return and a 2032 theatrical release.

The announcement was accompanied by a title animation in which the original Blackstar insignia gradually changed from black to white while a crown-shaped fracture appeared above it.

Split into two films

Throughout most of 2029, Venn and Cole attempted to develop The Pale King as a single film. Venn later said that although they produced a version of the screenplay that technically functioned as one feature, compressing the story had removed much of Adrian's emotional development.

Venn proposed either reducing the scale of the story or dividing it into two films. Titan Forge was initially reluctant because doing so would require financing two large productions rather than one. Venn and Cole subsequently presented the complete story for both proposed films to the studio, including the ending of the second instalment.

On March 14, 2030, Titan Forge announced that The Pale King would be divided into Blackstar: The Pale King – Part 1 and Blackstar: The Pale King – Part 2. Part 1 retained the previously announced 2032 release year, while Part 2 was scheduled for 2033. Titan Forge said that the releases were intended to be separated by less than twelve months.

The studio described the films as two features forming a single continuous narrative rather than a sequel and a separately conceived third instalment. Venn said that Part 1 contains its own three-act structure, conflict and climax despite the larger Pale King storyline continuing into Part 2.

She confirmed that Part 1 ends on a cliffhanger and that Part 2 begins very shortly afterwards. Venn described the two films using the terms "descent" and "reckoning", respectively.

The split made the first film and the two Pale King instalments a trilogy, although Venn said that Part 2 concludes the Pale King storyline rather than necessarily serving as the definitive end of Adrian Vale's story. She stated that she was not developing a fourth Blackstar film and was approaching the two-film production as the conclusion of her involvement with the series.

Writing

Nathan Cole remained involved as writer following Rourke's departure. Venn subsequently joined him as co-writer, with the films credited to Cole and Venn and based on characters created by Daniel Mercer.

Venn said that early versions of The Pale King concentrated too heavily on immediately escalating the mythology and scale of Blackstar. She and Cole eventually restructured the story around what she described as an "Adrian problem", ensuring that the larger supernatural conflict was tied to his personal development.

Following the decision to divide the story, Venn and Cole structured both films simultaneously. Venn said that the endpoint of Part 2 had already been established when the split was approved, allowing Part 1 to be written specifically around the transition into the second film rather than ending without a predetermined continuation.

Part 1 is set after an unspecified passage of time following Blackstar. Adrian remains active as Blackstar and has become increasingly known to the public. Venn said that the Vesper catastrophe changed wider society's understanding of reality and that the sequel would explore the broader consequences of approximately 38,000 people disappearing and parts of Vesper becoming connected to the Void.

The story leaves Vesper relatively early, although Venn described the city as remaining important to the series.

The films further develop the nature of the Void. Venn said that while Blackstar presented it as a location Adrian could enter, the sequels would question whether conventional concepts of physical location accurately describe it. Part 2 contains substantially more material involving the Void than Part 1.

Venn also confirmed that the films would not retcon the mythology established by Rourke in Blackstar. She said that the explanation for Grey's supernatural characteristics, including his independently moving reflection, remained consistent with Rourke's original intention.

Voss' history with Grey forms part of the story. Venn confirmed that Voss knew Grey before the Black Fall and deliberately withheld information about him from Adrian.

Creed begins Part 1 in possession of the Orison Fragment, while Ward functions as Adrian's connection to ordinary human life as Adrian becomes increasingly removed from conventional reality.

Pale King

The Pale King is central to both films, although Venn has declined to describe the character simply as their villain.

In the original comics, the Pale King is closely associated with the Void and became one of Blackstar's major recurring adversaries following his first appearance in Blackstar #47. Different stories provided contradictory accounts of the character, depicting him as both a ruler and prisoner of the Void and, in some versions, treating "Pale King" as a title rather than a single fixed identity.

The post-credits scene of Blackstar depicts the Warden witnessing a pale light beyond a fracture in the Void before an unidentified entity reaches towards it. Rourke confirmed that he and Cole conceived the sequence during production of the first film, before Titan Forge formally commissioned a sequel.

In November 2029, Venn declined to say whether the Pale King had already appeared in Blackstar. In March 2030, she confirmed that the role had been cast and that the performer was not new to the franchise, stating that audiences had already "seen him" in the first film.

Venn declined to identify the character or answer speculation that the Pale King could be Nathaniel Grey, the Warden or Adrian himself. She also declined to say whether the Pale King had physically appeared before the post-credits sequence. Venn said that Rourke had an intended explanation for the character while making Blackstar and that her interpretation was "not entirely" different.

Casting

Reid was attached to reprise his role as Adrian when development of the sequel was confirmed in August 2028. He had signed a multi-film agreement when cast in the first film.

In November 2029, Titan Forge formally announced Reid and confirmed the returns of Ryan Gosling as Nathaniel Grey, Hugh Jackman as the Warden, Rebecca Ferguson as Evelyn Voss, Daisy Edgar-Jones as Mara Vale, Ryan Reynolds as Daniel Creed and David Jonsson as Isaac Ward.

Gosling's return followed significant speculation concerning Grey after Blackstar left the character's nature unexplained. Venn confirmed that the sequels would reveal substantially more about him and that his nature would be understood by the conclusion of Part 2.

Jackman's role was expanded from approximately 12–15 minutes of screen time in Blackstar to one of the principal characters across both sequels. Venn said this was partly because the sequels spend substantially more time within the Void, where the Warden has greater knowledge and experience than the other established characters.

Ferguson's Voss also has a major role, with the films revealing information that she deliberately concealed from Adrian and establishing her involvement with Grey before the Black Fall.

Venn declined to explain how Edgar-Jones' Mara returns after the events of Blackstar, instead suggesting that the question of whether she is truly the same Mara should be considered.

Reynolds' Creed retains the Orison Fragment when Part 1 begins. Venn said that while Creed would continue to provide humour, the character would experience considerably darker circumstances across the two films.

Jonsson's Ward was described by Venn as Adrian's "anchor to ordinary humanity", a function that becomes more difficult as Adrian spends increasing amounts of time away from normal reality.

Titan Forge has not publicly identified the actor playing the Pale King.

Pre-production

Full pre-production expanded to encompass both films following the March 2030 decision to divide The Pale King into two instalments.

Helena Ward, production designer on Blackstar, returned for both films. Early concept work focused on multiple physical environments representing different regions of the Void.

Venn intended to retain the first film's combination of practical sets and digital extensions rather than constructing the Void primarily through digital backgrounds. She described the Void as a much more prominent setting in both sequels, particularly Part 2.

The production also expanded beyond the Vesper environments that dominated the first film. Location photography was planned in Iceland, Norway and Central Europe in addition to the production's main base in the United Kingdom.

Budget

Titan Forge has not disclosed production budgets for either film.

Before the project was split, reports estimated a net production budget of approximately $210–225 million for The Pale King. Following the two-film announcement, industry reports estimated that the combined production cost of Part 1 and Part 2 could be approximately $380–430 million before marketing.

The films were produced back-to-back in part to allow the productions to share sets, crew contracts, locations and other infrastructure.

Venn declined to confirm reports concerning the combined budget and said that she did not know the final figure.

Filming

Principal photography for Part 1 and Part 2 began in September 2030.

The original production plan for the single-film version of The Pale King had called for filming from September 2030 until approximately February 2031. Following the split, production was extended through approximately May 2031, resulting in an eight-to-nine-month filming period with planned breaks.

Both films were photographed back-to-back rather than sequentially. Scenes from each instalment were filmed according to location, set and actor availability rather than in narrative order. Venn said that the schedule could require Reid to portray substantially different stages of Adrian's emotional development on consecutive filming days.

Production took place primarily in the United Kingdom, with additional photography planned or conducted in Iceland, Norway and Central Europe.

Additional photography had been incorporated into the production schedule from the outset. Titan Forge said this was intended to accommodate material requiring adjustment after editing had begun rather than as a response to production problems.

Principal photography was completed in 2031. Reid said following completion of the primary shoot that he expected to return for additional photography during post-production.

Post-production

Post-production on Part 1 began while photography on the two-film production was still underway, with Titan Forge prioritising the first instalment because of its earlier release. Visual-effects work commenced early because of the number and complexity of sequences set within the Void.

Both films ultimately required substantially more visual-effects work than Titan Forge had originally projected. Venn said that the production constructed more physical Void environments during filming than initially expected, but that the practical sets increased rather than reduced the complexity of the digital work required around them.

The effects include extensive manipulation of gravity, perspective, lighting, reflections, scale, movement and the apparent passage of time. Venn described some shots as combining physical performances and constructed sets with environments that behave independently from conventional physical rules.

Part 2 was reported to be considerably more effects-intensive than Part 1, particularly during its final act. Titan Forge consequently extended the post-production schedules of both films rather than reducing the scale of their effects work.

Additional photography continued as planned during post-production. Titan Forge rejected reports that the delayed releases were caused by extensive emergency reshoots and said that Venn remained director of both films and that the core story had not been substantially replaced or reconstructed.

Venn characterised the films as "unfinished" rather than troubled and said that Titan Forge chose to extend the schedule rather than rush the visual-effects process to preserve the previously announced release years.

Marketing

Titan Forge first publicly announced the title Blackstar: The Pale King on November 18, 2029. The announcement was accompanied by a short title animation in which the Blackstar insignia gradually lost its black colour and became white as a crown-shaped fracture formed above it.

Following the March 2030 announcement that the film had been split, Titan Forge updated the titles to Blackstar: The Pale King – Part 1 and Blackstar: The Pale King – Part 2.

Teaser poster

On August 21, 2031, Titan Forge released the first teaser poster for Part 1 alongside the announcement of the films' revised release dates.

The poster uses a predominantly white background and depicts Blackstar from behind. The lower portion of his normally black costume appears bleached pale grey, while a single black shadow stretches in front of him. The shadow terminates in the shape of a crown rather than depicting the character's normal silhouette.

The poster introduced the tagline "Every king needs an heir." It also displayed the title Blackstar: The Pale King – Part 1 and the October 13, 2034 release date without featuring cast billing.

The crown depicted within Blackstar's shadow consists of five narrow points, which were noted as visually resembling the elongated fingers of the unidentified entity shown in the post-credits scene of Blackstar. The pale discolouration of Blackstar's costume also recalled visual characteristics associated with the Pale King in Mercer's comics.

The poster prompted speculation regarding Adrian's relationship to the Pale King because of the placement of the crown within Blackstar's shadow and the "heir" tagline. Several comic storylines depict the Pale King regarding Adrian's connection to the Void as significant and, in some versions, suggesting that Blackstar could eventually succeed him.

When asked whether the figure on the poster was Adrian, Venn identified it only as "Blackstar", without further explanation.

Titan Forge did not reveal the Pale King's appearance or the actor playing the character with the poster.

The studio said that the poster did not mark the beginning of the film's main trailer campaign and that substantial footage would not be released in the immediate future because Part 1 remained more than three years from release.

Release

Blackstar: The Pale King – Part 1 is scheduled to be released theatrically in the United States on October 13, 2034.

The film was initially reported to be targeting 2031 before Titan Forge officially announced a 2032 release year in November 2029. When The Pale King was divided into two films in March 2030, Titan Forge retained 2032 for Part 1 and announced Part 2 for 2033.

On August 21, 2031, Titan Forge delayed Part 1 by two years to October 13, 2034. The studio attributed the change primarily to the extended visual-effects and post-production requirements of both films.

Venn said that the films were not experiencing fundamental creative problems and that the additional time was required to finish their effects work to the intended standard.

The October release places Part 1 in a similar seasonal window to Blackstar, which was released on October 6, 2028. Titan Forge reportedly considered the northern autumn period suitable for the franchise because of its supernatural and horror elements.

The delay creates approximately six years between the theatrical releases of Blackstar and Part 1.

Sequel

Blackstar: The Pale King – Part 2 is scheduled to be released on September 28, 2035.

It was originally announced for 2033 when The Pale King was divided into two films in March 2030. Titan Forge delayed it alongside Part 1 in August 2031, maintaining its plan to release the two films less than twelve months apart. The new dates place approximately eleven and a half months between the two releases.

Part 2 continues directly from the events of Part 1, with Venn saying that only a short period separates the two narratives. The Pale King remains central to the conflict rather than being replaced by a separate antagonist.

Venn has described Part 2 as considerably larger in scale and more heavily focused on the Void than Part 1. She characterised its thematic role as a "reckoning", compared with the "descent" of Part 1, and said that while Part 1 "breaks everything", the second film focuses on the characters living with its consequences.

Post-production on Part 2 is expected to be particularly extensive because of the large number and technical complexity of its Void sequences. Titan Forge delayed both instalments simultaneously in part to provide sufficient time to complete Part 2 while maintaining a release gap of less than one year.

Venn confirmed that Part 2 concludes the Pale King storyline. She declined to state whether it would also conclude Adrian Vale's story, but said that no fourth Blackstar film was being developed by her and that she was approaching the two-film production as the conclusion of her involvement with the series.