Movie News Rush 20

"Rise of the Apes"

The news - Brian Cox will be joining Rupert Wyatt's "Rise of the Apes" as the human villain who is the owner of a primate sanctuary and basically could care less about the animals trapped within those walls (he abuses them and such). He joins a cast that includes Andy Serkis, Freida Pinto, James Franco and John Lithgow.

Latino Review
The Geek Files
Screen Rant

"Scott Pilgrim vs. the World"

The news - A neat featurette on the film that If you've never read the comic books, should really watch as it provides a good introduction to the world of Scott Pilgrim.



First Showing
Latino Review

"Thor" and "Captain America"

The news - The big news is that both films will be converted into 3D during post-production. Whether this is a good decision or not will be found out later, but as of right now it isn't raising my hopes any. In fact, they may have fallen a little... But there will also be even more HUGE announcements and surprises surrounding these films at this year’s Comic-Con (hopefully some good stuff).

LA Times Hero Complex
First Showing
Screen Rant 1
Screen Rant 2
MTV News
Latino Review
The Geek Files

"The Avengers"

The news - We're finally past the whole Edward Norton/Hulk debacle and now we're on to rumors of who will play Bruce Banner in the upcoming superhero team-up. A new report has come in saying that actor Mark Ruffalo ("Shutter Island," "The Brothers Bloom") is in negotiations to play the character. Maybe we'll get some sort of official confirmation at Comic-Con.

Deadline
Variety
First Showing
Screen Rant
Rope of Silicon
MTV News
Latino Review
UGO Movie Blog
Live for Films
The Geek Files

"The Social Network"

The news - The first full-length trailer for this film has debuted online and it is very captivating. I really loved this entire trailer, the music choice, the story
and its progression, the atmosphere, its message, it's such a beautiful way of teasing a movie. I expect nothing less from the amazing David Fincher (director of films such as: "Se7en," "Fight Club," "Zodiac" and "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button") and think this film might be of Oscar caliber.

Movie News Rush 13

"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1"

The news - Here's the teaser trailer that came out during the MTV Movie Awards.



"Captain America: The First Avenger"

The news - The cast for this film keeps getting bigger with Stanley Tucci ("The Lovely Bones") now attached to play Dr. Abraham Erskine, who in the Marvel Comics series was a scientist behind the super-soldier program that gave Cap' his powers.

Screen Rant
USA Today
UGO Movie Blog
Latino Review
MTV News
First Showing

"Mortal Kombat"

The news - A new film is in the works for the successful video game franchise that has already seen two film adaptations (one pretty good, one not). The video below was directed by Kevin Tancharoen ("Fame") and stars Michael Jai-White as Jax, Jeri Ryan as Sonya Blade, Ian Anthony Dale as Scorpion and Matt Mullins as Johnny Cage.

What do you think? Is this the hard R-rated "Mortal Kombat" film that we need?



Rope of Silicon
Screen Rant
UGO Movie Blog
Latino Review
CHUD
First Showing

"The Sorcerer's Apprentice"

The news - The final trailer for the film has come online with only a little more than a month to go for this film to hit theaters. Does it look like some fun summer escapism?

"The Bourne Legacy"

The news- Even though director Paul Greengrass and star Matt Damon have opted not to return for a fourth "Bourne" film, Tony Gilroy has been brought on to write a script for the film (Gilroy has written for all three previous "Bourne" films). Universal is aiming for a release in 2012.

The Geek Files
First Showing
Rope of Silicon
Latino Review
Screen Rant

"Len Grossman" Project

The news - Tom Cruise's portrayal of movie producer Len Grossman in "Tropic Thunder" was a big hit in 2008 and has been brought back into the spotlight for this year's MTV Movie Awards. Now Paramount is movie ahead with a full-length feature film around the character. While I enjoyed Cruise's hijinks as Grossman in "Tropic Thunder," I haven't thrown my support of a Len Grossman movie into the ring just yet.

Watch the 2010 MTV Movie Awards at MTV.com!

Latino Review
Rope of Silicon
First Showing

Movie News Rush 12

The crazy busy schedule of my past month is almost up. Hopefully I can start going back to my regular posts soon. Also been trying to think of a cool way to do a multi-blogging event like a "Crisis on Infinite Blogs." Yes, taken from the famous DC Comics storyline, but what if a bunch of blogs worked together to create an event where a piece of the continuing story was on multiple blogs and to find out what was happening (I dunno - some sort of Internet evil virus taking over blogs or something) you had to go to each blog to see what was happening. It sounds cool in my head...anyway - on to movie news!

"Captain America: The First Avenger" and "The Avengers"

The news - I smell deceit! After the whole crazy issue of Jeremy Renner ("The Hurt Locker") in talks to play Hawkeye and then him saying it wasn't happening we now get news he actually is in talks to play Hawkeye. Get your head around that.

It is also being pointed out that Neal McDonough ("Minority Report") is in talks to play "Dum Dum" Dugan in "Captain America." Dugan worked with Nick Fury and SHIELD back in WWII.

McDonough and Renner join the powerful cast which already includes the recently added Tommy Lee Jones in addition to Hugo Weaving as the Red Skull, Chris Evans as Steve Rogers, Hayley Atwell as Peggy Carter, Dominic Cooper as Howard Stark and Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes.

Deadline (on McDonough)
THR Heat Vision(on Renner)
The Geek Files (on Renner)
The Geek Files (on McDonough)
Screen Rant (on Renner)
Screen Rant (on McDonough)
Latino Review (both)
First Showing (both)
UGO Movie Blog (on McDonough)
MTV News (on Renner)
MTV News (on McDonough)

"The Expendables"

The news - while the first trailer for the film was quite explosive, a new trailer has it the 'net and feels more like a teaser trailer as it shows no footage. Still, it does build up excitement for the film.

More The Expendables Videos

"Batman 3" and "Superman: Man of Steel"

The news - Chris Nolan, the godfather of DC Entertainment, will be bringing new Batman and Superman films to theaters in 2012. In speaking with Empire magazine, Nolan says he wants to go back to the essence of what Superman is about and that there will be no Joker in the next Batman film. So we take the good with the bad. Click on the links below for more quotes from the man himself.

Obsessed With Film (Superman)
Obsessed With Film (Batman)
First Showing
Screen Rant
MTV News
The Geek Files

Movie News Rush 8

"The Three Musketeers"

The news- Paul W.S. Anderson will be making a 3D "Three Musketeers" film after finishing up work on "Resident Evil: Afterlife." The film will star Logan Lerman as D'Artagnan, Matthew McFadyen, Ray Stevenson and Luke Evans as the musketeers, Oscar-winner Christoph Waltz as Cardinal Richelieu, Milla Jovovich as Milady de Winter, Mads Mikkelson as Rochefort, Orlando Bloom as the Duke of Buckingham and James Corden will play the servant Planchet. The film is scheduled to hits screens summer of 2011.

Variety
The Geek Files
Screen Rant
Latino Review
First Showing

"Hitman 2"

The news- Spanish helmer Daniel Benmayor is set to direct "Hitman 2" for 20th Century Fox although at this point it is unclear as to whether or not Timothy Olyphant will return as the bald assassin for another go 'round after the first film, which earned around $100 million worldwide on a $30 million budget. I consider the film to be a failed video game adaptation, so I don't know what to think about a sequel yet.

First Showing
Latino Review
Rope of Silicon

"Mass Effect"

The news - "Mass Effect" is probably my favorite Xbox 360 (I'm a sucker for RPGs and it is a great game), yet I'm not jumping for joy about a film adaptation...yet. Legendary Pictures, which will produce the project for Warner Bros, is in discussions with Mark Protosevich ("I Am Legend," "Thor") to draft a screenplay.

Screen Rant
Latino Review
UGO Movie Blog
The Geek Files
First Showing

"Captain America: The First Avenger"

The news - Dominic Cooper ("An Education") is cast as Tony Stark's father, Howard Stark, for "Captain America." We got to see some of Howard Stark in the recent "Iron Man 2" played by John Slattery, but Cooper will be playing a younger version of the character and will most likely be working with Nick Fury in the film set during WWII.

Screen Rant
First Showing
MTV News
UGO Movie Blog

"Kung Fu Panda: The Kaboom of Doom"

The news - the voice cast continues to grow with new additions including: Michelle Yeoh, Jean Claude Van Damme and Victor Garber. Yeoh plays a goat known as The Soothsayer, and Van Damme & Garber will play Master Croc & Master Thundering Rhino, respectively.

Rope of Silicon
Latino Review
First Showing
Screen Rant

Movie News Rush 5

"Judge Dredd"

The news - The project on this film reboot is moving forward with director Pete Travis ("Vantage Point," "Endgame") and will be in 3D.

MTV News
Latino Review
The Geek Files
First Showing

"Transformers 3"

The news - You have no idea how happy this makes me. The Twins will not be returning! I hope they explain away their absence by being brutally torn apart by Optimus Prime for being so annoying.

First Showing
Screen Rant
Latino Review

"Captain America" and "The Avengers"

The news - It isn't official, but Marvel and producer Kevin Feige are considering making these films in 3D. Since "Thor" is already in production, it could only be converted to 3D while the former films still have time to be shot in 3D.

Hero Complex
First Showing
The Geek Files
Latino Review

"X-Men: First Class"

The news - Matthew Vaughn (director of "Kick-Ass") is helming the film and Jane Goldman, who helped write the screenplay for "Kick-Ass," has been brought on board to help with this screen play as well. Don't expect "First Class" to be extremely graphic though...

MTV News
UGO Movie Blog
Screen Rant
The Geek Files

"Super 8"

The news - J.J. Abrams newest secret flick is about an alien creature that escapes and probably does some scary stuff. Not much is known about it, but watch the teaser trailer below and see what you think.

Movie News Rush 3

I'm starting to think that this Movie News Rush thing may be the only kind of posting on here for some time since I am literally swamped with work until after the first week in June. And it's summer and I'm not in school - so I kind of wish I was back in school. Then I wouldn't be so darn busy (that's kind of twisted).

Release Dates

The news - here are some new release dates for some films I've been talking about on this blog.

"Mission Impossible IV" - December 16, 2011
"Rise of the Apes" - June 24, 2011
"Ice Age: Continental Drift 3D" - July 13th, 2012

Latino Review
The Geek Files
First Showing
Rope of Silicon

"Mission Impossible IV"

The news - while on the subject of the fourth "Mission Impossible" film, Brad Bird has been confirmed as director. Interesting choice since he has never done a live-action film before (he directed "The Iron Giant," "The Incredibles" and "Ratatouille."

Rope of Silicon
Screen Rant
Empire

"Captain America: The First Avenger"

The news - besides the title being flipped, another villain has been added. Toby Jones ("The Mist," "W.") will play Arnim Zola, a genetic engineer who created clones and various other monstrosities for the Nazis. He also captured his own mental self, inserting it into a robot, and survived the war.

The Hollywood Reporter
MTV News
Live for Films
First Showing
The Geek Files

"The Green Hornet"

The news - Director Michel Gondry discusses the film's 3D enhancement and how it will be used for something called "Kato-Vision."

First Showing
MTV News

"Shrek: The Final Chapter 3D"

The news - first off, I have no idea when they changed the title of the film from "Shrek Forever After" to "Shrek: The Final Chapter," but whatever. Below is a featurette on the Pied Piper and a new trailer for the film.

Hayley Atwell Cast as Love Interest in 'Captain America'

Heat Vision reports that British actress Hayley Atwell will play the part of Peggy Carter, a French Resistance fighter that hooks up with Steve Rogers (Captain America) and his team of Invaders during World War II.

Luckily for us all, the casting process to pick the right Peggy wasn’t nearly as convoluted and lengthy as it was with picking who’d play Captain America. You may not know Atwell yet, but this role were certainly bring her into the world’s spotlight. She can be seen in "The Prisoner" TV series and next in the "Pillars of Earth" miniseries. Atwell also had roles in The Duchess and "Cassandra’s Dream."

The sad part about the role: it may be a one-off for the actress as Carter wouldn't make it past the WWII-portion of the film, since Cap' is expected to be frozen and resuscitated in present day.

While I've never heard of Atwell before, the cast for "Captain America" is certainly shaping up, that's for sure. Whether there will be any new major additions in the coming weeks remains to be seen.

Hayley Atwell joins Chris Evans as Captain America, Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes and Hugo Weaving as the villainous Red Skull. Are you happy with Hayley Atwell playing Peggy Carter?

"The First Avenger: Captain America" will focus on the early days of the Marvel Universe which is when Steve Rogers volunteers to participate in an experimental program that turns him into the Super Soldier known as Captain America.

The film hits theaters July 22, 2011.
More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Sources: Screen Rant, First Showing, MTV News, UGO Movie Blog, Rope of Silicon

News and Featuretttes I've Missed: 'Prince of Persia,' 'Predators' and 'Captain America'

I've been away from anything movie news related for a while due to a massive amount of school work, but now I have returned with full blogging force!

Here are some interesting tidbits that have appeared online while I've been slaving away in projects and papers.

"Prince of Persia"
Below is an excellent featurette on the film that reveals what all "Prince of Persia" fans have been wanting to see more of - parkour!



"Predators"
Here are two new featurettes for "Predators," the first taking a look at Topher Grace's character, Edwin, and the second one with producer Robert Rodriguez and D\director Nimrod Antal talking about getting involved with "Predators," casting the actors and using CG in the film.





"Captain America"
With all the waiting to hear about who would be cast as Captain America before Chris Evans (The Fantastic Four, Push, The Losers) was chosen, you'd figured he would have been one among many of those who audtioned. But it looks as if director Joe Johnston (The Rocketeer, The Wolf Man) wanted him from the start.

“Chris didn’t audition at all.” said Johnston talking to Earths Mightiest. “I was already familiar with everything he’d done and was championing his cause, not that I had a fight from the Marvel team. They were fans of his as well. He came in to the art department to say hi, saw all the jaw-dropping art and designs on the wall and reacted the way I’d hoped he would. It was really his wonderful enthusiasm for everything he saw that cinched the deal. We have some of the best designers and illustrators in the industry working for us and the art is just incredible to wander through. He will bring the perfect balance of dramatic performance and physicality to the role."

The other question is whether Evans will be playing Steve Rogers both before and after he gets the super soldier serum. That means going from a skinny runt to a buffed up hero.

“Casting Captain America is really casting two roles…Steve Rogers before and after the transformation from 98 pound weakling to perfect physical specimen. I can’t divulge how we’re going to do it, but the performance will be Chris Evans from beginning to end. An actor playing Captain America has to embody that backstory and let it inform his understanding of his new self. One of the interesting aspects of the character is the effect that kind of total transformation would have on the his psyche. It gives the character more dimension and the actor playing him a wider range of interesting choices.”

Wonder if they're going to us CGI like they did on Sam Worthington's legs in "Avatar."

"Lobo" and "Green Hornet"

While they may not be the best known or most anticipated comic book movie adaptations out there, the upcoming "Green Hornet" film and potential "Lobo" movie definitely have their share of fans looking forward to both.

But according to IESB, both projects aren't doing well.

Word is in that Sony executives got an early look at "Green Hornet" and their reaction wasn't enthusiastic. They say that the movie is too campy, director Michel Gondry’s direction is off, and that Seth Rogen (even though he’s lost weight for the part) doesn’t work at all in the lead.

A "Lobo" film has been in the works for a while now, but with Guy Ritchie leaving to do "Sherlock Holmes 2" and Warner Bros. not apparently not to happy with how "The Losers" and "Jonah Hex" are turning out - a "Lobo" film may start sitting on the backburner.

That's some pretty shitty news on two films I was looking forward to. Then again, "Lobo" isn't a well-known character in the DC universe and "Green Hornet" was written by the same team behind "Superbad."

That's a whole lotta news and I still need to get back to school work.
More news to come! Catch ya' later!

'Captain America' has its Bucky

Now that we all know Chris Evans is cast as Captain America and Hugo Weaving will be the Red Skull, there is still some more casting additions left for the film, mostly along the lines of Cap's sidekick and the leading lady.

Now joining Weaving and Evans in "Captain America" is Sebastian Stan ("Gossip Girl") - who will play Cap’s sidekick, Bucky Barnes. Despite being Romanian-born, Stan was thrown into the list of final candidates in the running to play the title character of Steve Rogers. Similar to the story behind Tom Hiddleston auditioning for the title role in "Thor" and instead being offered the part as the villain Loki, Marvel and and director Joe Johnston felt Stan would be better suited to play the role of Bucky.

For those unfamiliar with the character Sebastian Stan will be playing, James Buchanan “Bucky” Barnes is a teenaged orphan who was too young to join the army but instead became a sort of mascot for the base he lived in. When he discovered Captain America’s identity as Steve Rogers, he joined him as a partner in his Nazi-fighting escapades. The character died in Captain America’s final World War II adventure.

After decades of being “dead,” the character was revived in 2005 and brought back into modern comic continuity, initially as a covert assassin named Winter Soldier.

There’s no word from Marvel if the Winter Soldier identity is something they will explore in the movies as the studio would only confirm that Stan is playing Barnes. But according to Heat Vision, Stan has signed a 5 to 6 picture deal with the studio and with a multi-picture contract we know he’s not being killed off that quickly.

"The First Avenger: Captain America" hits theaters July 22, 2011.
More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Sources: Latino Review, Screen Rant

Chris Evans is Captain America!

The search is over: Chris Evans has accepted Marvel Studios' offer to play Captain America.

According to both THR's HeatVision and Variety, Evans is now working out the exact terms of the deal.

The actor will star in "The First Avenger: Captain America," which director Joe Johnston starts filming in June ahead of release in July 2011.

He will play sickly soldier Steve Rogers, who is enhanced to the peak of human capability by an experimental serum, becoming the patriotic superhero.

With Evans now the face of Captain America, it will be the fourth live-action movie based on a comic book series in which he's starred. He previously appeared as Johnny Storm in both "Fantastic Four" movies, and has prominent roles in both "The Losers" (based on the DC/Vertigo series) and "Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World" (based on the Oni Press series) later this year.
Chris Evans is now a poster boy for the future of Marvel. He’s not just a World War II hero, he’s the leader of "The Avengers" for years to come. The deal Evans has reportedly accepted is a 9-picture contract which sets him up for at least a trilogy of "Captain America" films, a trilogy of "Avengers" films and other appearances in future Marvel projects.

Evans will stand beside Robert Downey Jr.’s "Iron Man" and Chris Hemsworth’s "Thor" in the most ambitious comic book movie ever, come 2012, and it’s a joyous time for fans. Let’s hope Ed Norton gets up there with them as Bruce Banner/Hulk. And maybe Ant-Man too…

For me, Evans is a very likable guy and he certainly keeps in shape. My only concern is how he plays the character; I don’t want the fast-talking witty comedy relief that we’ve seen from most of his career so far – We need the classy charming more serious character from Captain America and save the comedy for Roberty Downey Jr. when they meet up.

Now that it’s official, what do you think of Chris Evans playing Captain America opposite Hugo Weaving’s Red Skull?
"The First Avenger: Captain America" is set to hit theaters on July 22, 2011.
More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Sources: The Geek Files, Screen Rant, MTV News

Hugo Weaving in talks to play Red Skull in 'Captain America'

While Marvel Studios and director Joe Johnston continue to review candidates for the leading role of "Captain America," the film's villain could be cast within a few days.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Hugo Weaving is in talks to join the cast of "The First Avenger: Captain America" as the Red Skull, Captain America's archenemy since 1941.

The character's alter-ego is Johann Schmidt, a Nazi officer who was appointed Hitler's right-hand man and, donning a grotesque red mask, became head of wartime terrorism and espionage. In his final battle with Captain America, he was buried under the rubble of a bombed building but – as would occur later with the superhero – fell into a state of suspended animation. Both were revived in modern times.

Weaving is no stranger to playing the part of a villain, having previously portrayed the iconic Agent Smith in "The Matrix" trilogy, in addition to his turn as the voice of Megatron in both "Transformers" films. Weaving is also well known for his role as Elrond in the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy.

While not yet finalized, we can expect an announcement regarding Hugo Weaving’s involvement (or lack thereof) to be made soon and hopefully that will come with news of who they select to play Steve Rogers as well.

Hugo's a great choice to play the villain no matter the movie and will be used to having his face covered with a mask since he played the costumed vigilante in "V for Vendetta." With him signed on board it will give the Red Skull some real weight. Now if only Marvel would hurry up and cast Cap we might possibly have ourselves a movie.

Director Joe Johnston last directed Weaving in "The Wolfman."

Sources: Rope of Silicon, MTV News, The Geek Files, First Showing, Screen Rant, Latino Review

Major Updates on 'Captain America' from Director Joe Johnston

Director Joe Johnston has been out talking to press this weekend for his new movie "The Wolfman" and most of the discussion has ended up focusing on "The First Avenger: Captain America." Johnston spoke with Collider and gave them a lot of details about the direction they're heading with the film. Additionally, ComingSoon confirmed (as did AICN) that the villain in Captain America will be Cap's arch-nemesis Red Skull.

Although the actor who will play Steve Rogers has yet to be officially selected, the direction Marvel Studios is going with will be similar to Kenneth Branagh’s "Thor." Johnston will have an unknown actor as the lead, supported by a strong and familiar set of actors, meaning this movie will launch someone’s career as we’re seeing with Chris Hemsworth whose playing "Thor."

When asked in a press conference about this, Johnston responded with “No. We’re looking for a complete unknown.” Next he was asked to clarify about not casting an A-list type star for the role.

“I hope not. I hope it’ll be somebody we discover and whose never been in…well he’s probably been in something…you won’t know who he is or recognize him. We’ll surround him with more prominent names. That’s who we’re looking for. Will we find him? I don’t know. It’s tough.”

Johnston told Hero Complex about the kind of actors they're looking at to portray Captain America.

"Well, we're testing five or six guys," Johnston said. "The youngest is 23 the oldest is 32. Most of the guys in the war [are] just kids, 18 or 19, but we want to go a little bit older. We have to have somebody locked in before I leave March 1 for London."

Johnston also told Collider that he's definitely casting an American in the role as well.

"I don’t think we could make without an American playing the part."

Johnston also went on to talk about how they're shooting the movie and a little bit about the style of it.

"We're definitely going to shoot it in a different way than any of the other Marvel pictures have been shot. What I'm trying to do is look at the comics - most of the new ones like the Brubaker series - and to interpret that sort of visual style into a film in a way that I think has been tried before… It always looks a little too on the nose it looks like oh they're shooting a comic book movie. I want to try something a little bit different."

And, of course, there's some talk about the villain and that we can expect Red Skull in it. ComingSoon spoke with Johnston about why they're setting it in WWII and going for the origin story on this.

"Virtually the entire story except the bookends are in World War II because we all recognize we have one chance to tell the origin story of how he became Captain America, you can't tell a modern story and then go back and tell the origin story. If you're going to do it, let's do it. Let's do it first. Everyone wanted to tell an origin story. There was a version where it was a modern story and it didn't work."

Johnston also explained that the film will justify the hero's stars-and-stripes costume by having him as a morale-boosting troops entertainer for the United Services Organizations.

"The costume is a flag," the director said, "but the way we're getting around that is we have Steve Rogers forced into the USO circuit. After he's made into this supersoldier, they decide they can't send him into combat and risk him getting killed. He's the only one and they can't make more. So they say, 'You're going to be in this USO show' and they give him a flag suit. He can't wait to get out of it."

"It was never in the comics because they didn't really need it. In comics, he puts on the costume and the reader just justifies because of the nature of the medium."

He continued: "So he's up on stage doing songs and dances with chorus girls and he can't wait to get out and really fight. When he does go AWOL, he covers up the suit but then, after a few things happen, he realises that this uniform allows him to lead. By then, he's become a star in the public mind and a symbol. The guys get behind him because he embodies something special."

The character later modifies the stage costume to a sturdier, more armored version.

"This approach, it's the only way we could justify ever seeing him on a screen in tights, with the funny boots and everything", Johnston said. "The government essentially puts him up there as a living comic book character and he rips it off and then reclaims some of its imagery after he recognises the value of it. We think it's the best way to keep the costume and explain it at the same time."

That's about all the good stuff on Captain America for now. But you can head over to Collider, Hero Complex, and ComingSoon for more quotes from Johnston and updates on the movie.

How do you feel about the film after hearing Johnston’s words?

"The First Avenger: Captain America" is set for release on July 22, 2011. The character will then appear alongside "Iron Man," "Thor" and others in "The Avengers" team-up movie in 2012.

More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Sources: Live for Films, The Geek Files, First Showing, Screen Rant

S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent from 'Iron Man' Confirmed to also be in 'Thor'

In "Iron Man," we were introduced to the top secret organization known as S.H.I.E.L.D. (Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division) by two characters; Samuel J. Jackson’s Nick Fury (in a post-credits scene) and the lesser known Agent Coulson.

Coulson was played by actor Clark Gregg who will be reprising his role for "Iron Man 2" which debuts this May. What’s really cool however, is that he’ll also be playing a part in "Thor," according to Variety.

We knew from the beginning that Nick Fury was going to be a key character to link all of the solo films together. Now it appears that it’s not just Fury doing the recruitment and that we may start seeing more S.H.I.E.L.D. agents stepping into the origins films of "Thor" and "Captain America." The return of Gregg's character only further confirms the presence of S.H.I.E.L.D. throughout the overarching Marvel movie narrative — a common link likely to culminate in the superhero team-up film "The Avengers."

"Thor," which Kenneth Branagh is currently shooting, stars Chris Hemsworth as the hammer-wielding Norse god, as well as Anthony Hopkins, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Samuel L. Jackson, Stellen Skarsgard and Kat Dennings.

I really love the fact they are linking all the Marvel Studio films together with characters appearing in both. It will be interesting to see how Agent Coulson interacts with the Asgardian God. Could Tony Stark turn up in "Thor" as well?

"Iron Man 2" opens May 7, 2010, "Thor" opens May 20, 2011, "The First Avenger: Captain America" hits July 22, 2011 and "The Avengers" is scheduled to debut May 4, 2012.
More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Sources: Screen Rant, Live for Films, MTV News

Director Joe Johnston Talks 'Captain America' & New 'Jurassic Park' Trilogy

With "The Wolfman" finally hitting theaters in just under a month, it means we're probably going to start hearing a lot from Joe Johnston about "Captain America" and other projects he's working on. Box Office Magazine recently talked with Johnston and got some big scoops out of him about both "Captain America" and "Jurassic Park 4." According to Johnston, there are some big plans for both of these projects, and both of them will be "unlike anything you've seen."

With regards to "Captain America," there is still no word on who will play the hero, but Johnston did talk about the plot and what we will see in the film:

"It is influenced by the comic book, but it goes off in a completely different direction. It's the origin story of Captain America. It's mostly period—there are modern, present-day bookends on it—but it's basically the story of how Steve Rogers becomes Captain America.

"The great thing about Captain America is he's a super hero without any super powers. Which is why this story, among the hundreds of super hero stories, appealed to me the most. He can't fly, he can't see through walls, he can't do any of that stuff. He's an every man who's been given this amazing gift of transformation into the perfect specimen—the pinnacle of human perfection. How does that affect him? What does that mean for him emotionally and psychologically?

"He was this 98-pound weakling, he was this wimp, and he's transformed instantly into this Adonis. You'd think he got everything he wanted. Well, he didn't get everything he wanted. The rules change at that point and his life gets even more complicated and dire. For me, that's the interesting part of the story.

"It's got some great action sequences in it and some incredible stuff that we've never seen before. But at the heart of it, it's a story about this kid who all he wants to do is fit in. This thing happens and he still doesn't fit in. And he has to prove himself a hero—essentially go AWOL to save a friend. Eventually at the very end, I don't want to give away to much, but he does fit in. But it's the journey of getting him there that's interesting. And it's a lot of fun."

It sounds like Johnston has an interesting take on the character, and a period superhero film is something that we haven’t had in a while.
Meanwhile, with regards to the hugely successful "Jurassic Park" franchise, Johnston said:

“Well, there is going to be a 'Jurassic Park IV.' And it’s going to be unlike anything you’ve seen. It breaks away from the first three—it’s essentially the beginning of the second 'Jurassic Park' trilogy. It’s going to be done in a completely different way. That’s pretty much all I can tell you.”

Johnston, who directed "Jurassic Park III," also explained why they've taken so long to start up this sequel (since the third film came out in 2001).

"We just want to make them justified in their own right. We don't want to make sequel after sequel just because there's a market for it. We want to tell different, interesting stories."

I hope that is indeed the case, but I think after the death of original "Jurassic Park" writer Michael Crichton, it's time to give up on this franchise.

Does Johnston’s take on “Captain America” sound exciting to you? Who would you cast as Steve Rogers? Are you interested in seeing a new "Jurassic Park" trilogy?

More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Sources: First Showing, Live for Films, MTV News, Screen Rant

'Captain America' Starts Filming in June

Marvel Studios’ “Captain America” movie may finally be heading in front of cameras next June.

Fangoria published a teaser piece for their upcoming issue that has an interview with director Joe Johnston about his upcoming "The Wolfman." However, near the end of the article they drop a little tidbit about Johnston's plans to start shooting "Captain America" in June.

Information about the “Captain America” film has been in relatively short supply since Johnston was signed to direct the film and Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely (of all three "Chronicles of Narnia" movies) were hired to write the screenplay.

Given that “Captain America” is scheduled to be released in July 2011 — two months after Kenneth Branagh’s “Thor” adaptation hits theaters — it’s somewhat surprising that the lead role has yet to be cast.

Marvel is preparing to start shooting "Thor" in January, which I'm sure will shoot at least until April. Then they'll probably take a break to support the release of "Iron Man 2" in May before prepping a June start for "Captain America."

It's great to hear that this is finally moving along, now we just need casting. Who will be playing Cap, that's what I want to know!

So which of Marvel's 2011 movies are you more excited about - "Thor" or "Captain America"?

More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Sources: Screen Rant, MTV News, First Showing

Will Jeremy Renner Play Hawkeye?

Way back at the end of 2008, there were reports that "Iron Man 2" would introduce two characters from the comics to the Marvel film universe: Black Widow and Hawkeye.

We now know that half of that is true in Scarlett Johansson playing Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow. As for Hawkeye, we’ve heard absolutely nothing on that character and no actor was signed to play the role… at least that we know of.

In an interview in the latest issue of Empire Magazine, actor Jeremy Renner ("The Hurt Locker," "S.W.A.T.," "28 Weeks Later") reveals that he was in consideration for the role of Captain America. But when he went into to meet with the folks at Marvel Studios, they instead talked about the actor possibly playing Hawkeye, the purple Archer, instead.

“I don’t know if I’d be right for Captain America. I met with the Marvel guys, actually, but we didn’t talk about Captain America. But one of the writers, Zak Penn, we’ve become friends over time and he was thinking maybe Hawkeye could be interesting. He sounds like an interesting character.”

Zak Penn is the screenwriter in charge of bringing all of the major players together in one of the most ambitious film projects ever, in writing "The Avengers."

“If I was a betting man," Renner hinted, "I would bet that Hawkeye would probably show up in 'Thor,' and then be in 'The Avengers'… But do I know for sure? I can’t say. But I’d love for that to happen. It’d be fun.”
But Renner added: "No offer has been made. I think they're a little ways from that.

"I'm just happy to get considered for big franchise roles like that. I'm not [doing the] casting. If they see me that way, right on. If they don't, I'm ok with it."

If he is to be introduced, it doesn’t make sense for him to be a part of "Thor" instead of "Iron Man 2" since his comic book origins have him crossing paths with Iron Man and Black Widow. Hawkeye, whose real name is Clint Barton, is an archer who ran away to become a carnival performer as a kid. He later sees Iron Man in action and is inspired to become a "costumed hero." He then falls in love with Black Widow and they're initially mistaken for villains.

Would you like to see Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye?
More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Sources: Screen Rant, First Showing

'Thor' To Begin Production In January

Marvel Studios’ highly anticipated “Thor” adaptation is finally set to go before the cameras in January.

Principal photography will begin in Los Angeles before moving to Santa Fe, New Mexico, in March according to a report from Production Weekly.

This is great as this means that next summer we’ll likely get a Marvel panel presentation (and footage) for "Thor" at San Diego Comic-Con.

“Thor” has a stellar cast that includes Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Tom Hiddleston as his evil half-brother, Loki, Anthony Hopkins as Odin and Natalie Portman as Jane Foster. Jaimie Alexander, Colm Feore and Stellan Skarsgard have also been cast in presently unspecified roles.

At the center of the story is The Mighty Thor, a powerful but arrogant warrior whose reckless actions reignite an ancient war.

The official synopsis says Thor is cast out from gods' realm Asgard and forced to live among humans as punishment. He learns what it takes to be a true hero when the most dangerous villain of his world sends the darkest forces of Asgard to invade Earth.

With all of these great "Thor" announcements over the last several months, I still wonder when we’re going to start seeing that for Steve Rogers, the man behind the shield of Captain America. We still haven’t heard any casting updates on "The First Avenger: Captain America" but the film is set to release also in summer, 2011 (Along with other major properties "Green Lantern," "Spider-Man 4" and "Transformers 3").

“Thor” is scheduled to hit theaters on May 20, 2011.
More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Sources: The Geek Files, Screen Rant, MTV News

Marvel's Joe Quesada Says 'Captain America' Will Rock

The 2011 release date for "The First Avenger: Captain America" inches ever closer as 2009 enters its home stretch, and the key release for Marvel's "Avengers" film franchise looks like it has editor-in-chief Joe Quesada's approval. He offered his initial impression of the script at Big Apple Comic Con last weekend.

"I've seen a couple of outlines and an initial screenplay, and it's going to rock everyone's socks off," he told his panel's audience, according to Comic Book Resources. "It's very unexpected, the kind of movie it is."

The comics industry veteran didn't defy any expectations himself by revealing what kind of movie "The First Avenger" will be, but he did say that the film would set up "The Avengers" in "a fantastic way." Quesada wouldn't reveal which actors are in line to play Captain America, but confirmed that Marvel has a shortlist of candidates for the title role.

That actor who picks up the part will have a tall order ahead, starring alongside Robert Downey Jr. ("Iron Man") and hopefully Edward Norton ("Incredible Hulk") in a leadership role for the team when he moves on to the fated "Avengers" crossover in 2012. It will also have to be someone with an open calendar for a couple of years to make those back-to-back releases.

"Captain America" is set for release on July 22, 2011 with Joe Johnston ("The Wolfman") directing.
More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Source: MTV News

Jack Kirby's Family Seeks Rights To Marvel Characters

When Disney announced its acquisition of Marvel Entertainment for $4 billion last month, there was talk of the studio eventually reigning in all film rights to Marvel characters.

But now there’s a potential obstacle in the way of that plan, as the children of legendary comic artist Jack Kirby are looking to regain the copyrights on 45 of their father’s Marvel creations over the next decade.

The family of the late comic book artist Jack Kirby are seeking to terminate copyright claims on the many Marvel Comics heroes he co-created with writer Stan Lee.

Kirby died in 1994 and now four of his children have served 45 notices of termination to regain the rights to several characters.

The notices have been served on Marvel, Disney, Sony Pictures, 20th Century Fox, Paramount Pictures and Universal Pictures.

Surprisingly, this legal action has nothing to do with the Disney acquisition and was in the works before that deal was announced.

Marvel is making movies featuring such heroes as "Iron Man," "Hulk," "Thor," "Captain America," "Avengers" and "Ant-Man" but it doesn't own the rights to all of its comic book characters. During tough times in the 90s, Marvel had sold off "Spider-Man" and "Ghost Rider" to Sony; "X-Men," "Fantastic Four" and "Daredevil" to Fox; and "Namor the Sub-Mariner" to Universal. Paramount and Universal also have distribution rights for some Marvel-produced films.
The Kirby estate is being represented by Los Angeles law firm Toberoff & Associates, which has represented the heirs of Superman co-creator Jerry Siegel in a similar claim against Warner Bros and DC Comics.

The Los Angles Times says that under copyright law, creators can seek to regain copyrights they previously assigned to a company 56 years after first publication and can give notice of their intentions up to 10 years before that.

Kirby's children would be eligible to claim their father's portion of the copyright of the "Fantastic Four" in 2017; the "Hulk" would come up in 2018 and "X-Men" in 2019. The copyrights would then run for 39 more years.

A representative for Marvel declined to comment. A Disney spokesperson said: "The notices involved are an attempt to terminate rights seven to 10 years from now and involve claims that were fully considered in the acquisition."

If the Kirby family is successful, the current rights holders would have to pay them a licensing fee to continue making films with the characters. Alternatively, the heirs could sell the rights to another studio.

Jack Kirby battled Marvel for years over the return of the physical artwork to his comics, and was asked to sign documents that would have irrevocable and specifically signed away rights to the characters, something he refused to do.

Born Jacob Kurtzberg, Jack Kirby is considered the most influential superhero comic artist in the world, though he also worked for decades in romance, war and science-fiction comics. His DC work also provided much of the backbone for the recent blockbuster series Final Crisis from DC.
This news is big and will be updated as more is known about the case.
More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Sources: The Geek Files, LA Times, NY Times, MTV News, BleedingCool