Box Office Results and Weekly Movie News

Movies coming out this week!

Sex and the City 2 - Carrie, Miranda, and Charlotte join Samantha for a trip to Morocco, where Samantha's ex is filming a new movie.

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time - Set in medieval Persia, a rogue prince (Gyllenhaal) joins a mysterious princess (Arterton) in an effort to prevent a dark force from obtaining an ancient dagger that allows its handler to rule the world.

Survival of the Dead - National Guardsmen, thinking they have found refuge from a zombie army on an island off the coast of Delaware, soon realize they've wedged themselves between two warring families who differ on what should become of the undead.

Movies coming out on DVD and Blu-ray!

Dear John
The Road
Stagecoach: Criterion Collection
Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog

Box Office results for the weekend!

1 Shrek Forever After$71.2 M

2 Iron Man 2$26.6 M

3 Robin Hood $18.7 M

4 Letters to Juliet $9.1 M

5 Just Wright $4.2 M

6 MacGruber $4.1 M

7 Date Night $2.8 M

8 A Nightmare On Elm Street $2.2 M

9 How To Train Your Dragon $1.8 M

10 Kites $1.0 M

"Shrek: The Final Chapter" (or "Forever After"") dominated the box office its opening weekend just like all the previous "Shrek" movies did. The problem is it is a lower opening than both "Shrek 2" and "Shrek 3." Maybe kids and their parents are tiring of the "Shrek" franchise? Though about 61 percent of the film's haul came from 3D showings.

Wanna know what was a big surprise? How "MacGruber" TANKED. Though I haven;t featured it on this blog, I wound up seeing it and can say it is extremely raunchy - but also pretty darn funny. Was not expecting that from a movie based off an unfunny SNL skit. But it is enjoyable and should be seen.

But "MacGruber," which opened on 2,551 screens, made only $4.1 million. Wanna know how bad that is? It's so bad, that a Queen Latifah movie, on its 2nd week of release, and in only 1,831 screens, made more money. When a Queen Latifah movie beats you, you know you're in trouble.

Do yourself a favor and go see "MacGruber" instead of "Shrek" or "Robin Hood" this week. It really is that funny. You'll be saving cinema from Hollywood believing Queen Latifah can just roll out a stupid comedy every six months and make a buck.

"Iron Man 2" and "Robin Hood" continue to rake in some cash, with the former now at over $500 million worldwide, but the latter still in some financial trouble (for now). And yeah, there's that Amanda Seyfried chick flick out as well. Didn't it. Though I did see her film "Chloe" where she gets naked. Now that was worth a buck.

And "Kites" came out of nowhere. A type of Bollywood film edited for American audiences by Brett Ratner of all people. Huh...

Anyway, next weekend its brawn vs. botox, sands of time vs. ravages of time and any other funny vs. quips out there dealing with "Prince of Persia" and "Sex and the City 2." Which will win the weekend. Judging by the amount of guys who will have to see a certain film...eh, you can guess.
(Latino Review)

Box Office Results and Weekly Movie News

Movies coming out this week!

Shrek: The Final Chapter - A bored and domesticated Shrek (Myers) pacts with deal-maker Rumpelstiltskin to get back to feeling like a real ogre again, but when he's duped and sent to a twisted version of Far Far Away -- where Rumpelstiltskin is king, ogres are hunted, and he and Fiona (Diaz) have never met -- he sets out to restore his world and reclaim his true love.

MacGruber - Ex-special operative MacGruber (Forte) is called back into action to take down his archenemy, Dieter Von Cunth (Kilmer), who's in possession of a nuclear warhead and bent on destroying Washington, D.C.

Movies coming out on DVD and Blu-ray!

Invictus
Valentine's Day
Extraordinary Measures
The Messenger
The Spy Next Door

Box Office results for the weekend!

1 Iron Man 2$53.0 M

2 Robin Hood$37.1 M

3 Letters to Juliet $13.7 M

4 Just Wright$8.5 M

5 How To Train Your Dragon $5.1 M

6 A Nightmare On Elm Street $4.7 M

7 Date Night $4.0 M

8 The Back-Up Plan $2.4 M

9 Furry Vengeance $2.3 M

10 Clash of the Titans $1.2 M

"Iron Man 2" continued to dominate theaters. The film's business dropped almost 60 percent but still made a nice $53 million. So far it has made over $428 million worldwide. But it has a ways to go if it hopes to catch up to the 2010 leader "Alice in Wonderland", which made $980 million dollar worldwide. Even I'm shocked that Alice made almost a billion dollars worldwide (kids and 3D, unstoppable forces - and you know that a sequel is coming).

"Robin Hood" did okay in the domestic box office, coming in 2nd with $37 million. Internationally it did great and has already made over $100 million worldwide.

"Letters to Juliet" did ok with $13.7 million. I didn't bother to see it (and so did many others). Same goes for "Just Wright."

"How to Train Your Dragon" is still flying high in the top ten. It came in 5th with an estimated $5.1 million and has grossed over $415 million worldwide.

The rest of the movies are starting that long walk towards DVD-Land.
Expect "Shrek: The Final Chapter" to probably knock "Iron Man" down a slot or two (kids and 3D again).
More news to come! Catch ya' later!
(Latino Review)

Box Office Results and Weekly Movie News

Movies coming out this week!

Robin Hood - The story of an expert archer (Crowe) who travels to the town of Nottingham toward the end of the 12th century, where the acts of a despotic sheriff (Macfadyen) and the presence of a beautiful widow (Blanchett) inspire him to assemble a gang of mercenaries bent on raiding the upper class as a way to correct the sheriff's injustices.

Letters to Juliet - A young woman (Seyfried) on vacation in Verona, Italy finds an unanswered "letter to Juliet" -- one of thousands of missives left at the fictional lover's Verona courtyard. Inspired by the volunteers who respond to the notes, she goes on an adventure to unite the author of letter (Redgrave) with her beloved.

Just Wright - A physical therapist (Latifah) falls for the basketball player (Common) she is helping recover from a career-threatening injury, though he's drawn to her best friend (Patton), who has her sights set on being an NBA trophy wife

Movies coming out on DVD and Blu-ray!

Legion
Daybreakers
Edge of Darkness
Toy Story: Special Edition
The Karate Kid/The Karate Kid Part II: Box Set
M: Criterion Collection

Box Office results for the weekend!

1 Iron Man 2 $134M

2 A Nightmare on Elm Street $9.17M

3 How to Train Your Dragon $6.76M

4 Date Night $5.3M

5 The Back-up Plan $4.34M

6 Furry Vengeance $4M

7 Clash of the Titans $2.31M

8 Death at a Funeral $2.1M

9 The Losers $1.8M

10 Babies $1.58M

Despite a number of so-so reviews, "Iron Man 2" earned $133.6 million in domestic gross its opening weekend, a 35 percent rise over the first film.

It added a further $57.2 million from overseas markets and now has a worldwide total of $327.6million.

The film has had the fifth-highest three-day opening weekend in the US, leaping above "Shrek The Third" to sit below "The Dark Knight" (in top place), "Spider-Man 3," "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" and "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest."

"Iron Man 2" has also beaten last year's "Star Trek" to claim the 2D IMAX opening weekend record and is already this year's fourth highest-grossing film, according to Box Office Mojo.

The remake of "A Nightmare on Elm Street" proved no match for Robert Downey Jr's metal-clad crimefighter and plunged by 72 percent. That doesn't bode well for the future of horror, or at the very least expectations are now set.

Other films on the list also made some money, with the documentary "Babies" even making the Top Ten though it only opened in 534 theaters (as compared to "Iron Man 2" in 4,380 theaters).

Will Iron Man take next weekend as well or will men in tights steal the victory and give it to the audience? We'll have to wait and see.

Movie News Rush 4

Man, I really neglected this blog over the weekend. Goon try to do some catching up now, but still as busy as ever (if not more so).

"Men in Black III"

The news - The film will be out May 25, 2012 in 3D with both Will Smith and Tommy Le Jones reprising their roles from the first two films. Josh Brolin is also in talks to play a younger version of Jones' Agent K (so there will be some time travel then).

The Geek Files
First Showing
Screen Rant
MTV News
Latino Review

"Bad Boys 3"

The news- another film franchise starring Will Smith hoping to have a third film is in the works. Producer Jerry Bruckheimer has finally opened up about the film and said the script is being worked on.

First Showing
Screen Rant
Coming Soon

"Iron Man 2"

The news- there are plenty of Easter Eggs in "Iron Man 2." See the movie before heading to the link below (spoilers - of course).

Geek Tyrant

"Twilight"

The news- This just gets my goat and shows how obsessed some Twi-tards can be.

According to the Social Security Administration, the name Cullen has shot up 300 spots on the top names for boys. Jacob for a long time has been No. 1 for boys while Isabella has been No. 1 for girls for sometime as well. No words on Edward - but Cullen?

Head to the NY Times to read more of this craziness.

"Inception"

The news - a new trailer is out and it is as confusing as ever. Hopefully the film will be able to explain things so audiences don't leave theaters in a confused mess.



Acclaimed filmmaker Christopher Nolan directs an international cast in an original sci-fi actioner that travels around the globe and into the intimate and infinite world of dreams. Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a skilled thief, the absolute best in the dangerous art of extraction, stealing valuable secrets from deep within the subconscious during the dream state, when the mind is at its most vulnerable. Cobb’s rare ability has made him a coveted player in this treacherous new world of corporate espionage, but it has also made him an international fugitive and cost him everything he has ever loved. Now Cobb is being offered a chance at redemption. One last job could give him his life back but only if he can accomplish the impossible—inception. Instead of the perfect heist, Cobb and his team of specialists have to pull off the reverse: their task is not to steal an idea but to plant one. If they succeed, it could be the perfect crime. But no amount of careful planning or expertise can prepare the team for the dangerous enemy that seems to predict their every move. An enemy that only Cobb could have seen coming. This summer, your mind is the scene of the crime

Awesome 'Iron Man 2' Clips

Some pretty sweet clips of "Iron Man 2" have come online and are presented below for your viewing pleasure.

Suitcase Armor
Remember that wicked sweet ending to the latest "Iron Man 2" trailer where Stark puts on his suitcase armor? Well, here's about a full minute of that scene with Stark duking it out with Whiplash on the Monaco Race Track.



Thieves and Butchers
Taking place after the Monaco Race Track scene, Stark confronts new villain Whiplash and learns the two men have a dark history together.

More Iron Man 2 Videos

Natalie Rushman
Stark is looking for a new secretary now that Pepper Potts is CEO of Stark Industries (more about that below) and finds an alluring one in Natalie Rushman. Little does he know what secrets she keeps - and hopefully Happy Hogan doesn't pick a fight with the Black Widow.

Pushing the boundaries on kid friendly with that modeling shot maybe?



Anthony, is that you?
Introducing Justin Hammer, Stark's least favorite person on Earth. Along for the ride is a familiar face from the first film along with some witty comments and the revelation that Pepper Potts is now CEO of Stark Industries.

Again - pushing the bondaries of kid friend;y with some of those comments maybe? Adults will love it (I know I do), but just saying...Aw what the hell, the kids won't get it anyway. Bring on the adult humor!



More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Source: Rope of Silicon

New 'Iron Man 2' Trailer

Robert Downey Jr. appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live last night following the Oscars to debut a brand new trailer for Jon Favreau's "Iron Man 2."

The first trailer for "Iron Man 2" gave us our first glimpse of Don Cheadle as War Machine and some shots of other new characters joining the franchise, including Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow and Mickey Rourke’s Whiplash. This new trailer gives us a whole bunch more!

We finally get to see some plot details in this, including more of Scarlett Johansson and a bit about how Sam Rockwell (as Justin Hammer) meets Mickey Rourke (as Whiplash).

And the trailer might possibly have the most awesome last 10 seconds ever as some set footage from back in September revealed a suitcase that many thought might be a portable form of the Iron Man armor. Indeed...you'll find that to be too true.

Watch the trailer below (presented in two different formats in case one isn't enough for ya'):





What do you think of the new "Iron Man 2" trailer?

"Iron Man 2" takes place six months after Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) revealed his identity as Iron Man at the end of the first movie. Mickey Rourke stars as a powerful new Russian villain named Whiplash. In "The Avengers" film timeline, "Iron Man 2" takes place before "The Incredible Hulk," so does that mean the team will begin to form at the end of this film?

"Iron Man 2" hits theaters May 7, 2010. What a way to kick off the summer.
More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Sources: First Showing, Screen Rant

Videos Galore: Clips, Trailers and Featurettes on Your Favorite Films

"The Crazies," director Breck Eisner's ("Sahara") remake of a George A. Romero film, hits theaters this weekend.

The film centers on the inhabitants of a small town who become unwitting victims of a government bio weapon that turns people into murdering psychopaths. The film stars Timothy Olyphant
("Hitman") and Radha Mitchell ("Silent Hill").

In this featurette, courtesy of Empire, SFX makeup designer Rob Hall describes what kind of thought process went into making "The Crazies" look…well, crazy.

Click Here

Now here's a little stroke to add to your funny bone in the form of a new clip from "Date Night," the action/comedy that stars Tina Fey ("30 Rock") and Steve Carell ("The Office") as a nerdy couple trying to spice up their marriage via the titular date night custom. When they get bold and decide to swipe a reservation at a fancy restaurant, the couple land themselves in the most deadly case of mistaken identity ever.

"Date Night" hits theaters April 9, 2010.

In this clip, Carell and Fey’s characters are on the run and seek help from a certain shirtless guy you may recognize:

DreamWorks Animation has debuted the final trailer for their upcoming animated movie "How to Train Your Dragon" featuring the voice talents of Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler, Craig Ferguson, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Jonah Hill, America Ferrera, Kristen Wiig and T.J. Miller.

I've heard good things about this movie (and you can catch a great review here), so I'm hoping the movie will turn out as good as I'm expecting.

"How to Train Your Dragon" soars into theaters March 26, 2010.

Surely you have all seen the "Iron Man 2" theatrical trailer by now – and surely you remember that one of the most kick-ass parts of that trailer is the moment when we see Mickey Rourke in his crude Whiplash armor for the first time, ambushing an armorless Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) while in a race.

That Whiplash ambush sequence is set in Monaco, France and we previously saw some behind-the-scenes footage of the Monaco sequence and now, courtesy of MSN France, we have even more! The video shows a brand new scene presumably set after the events of the Monaco ambush.

"Iron Man 2" hits theaters May 7, 2010.

Click Here

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

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

'Iron Man 2' Trailer Arrives!

Paramount has released the first official trailer for "Iron Man 2," which will be hitting theaters attached to "Sherlock Holmes" on Christmas Day.

The film reunites director Jon Favreau and Robert Downey Jr. as the world is now aware that billionaire inventor Tony Stark (Downey Jr.) is the armored Super Hero Iron Man. Under pressure from the government, the press and the public to share his technology with the military, Tony is unwilling to divulge the secrets behind the Iron Man armor because he fears the information will slip into the wrong hands. With Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow), and James "Rhodey" Rhodes (Don Cheadle) at his side, Tony forges new alliances and confronts powerful new forces.



I’m stoked for this sequel! It opened with humor and transitioned into the darker tone of the villain. And the tease at the end with War Machine...perfect. I'm sure we will be getting more footage over the next several months.

More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Source: Rope of Silicon

Official 'Iron Man 2' Poster (With War Machine)

Next summer's most anticipated sequel just got a little bit more real.

"Iron Man 2" is one of the most anticipated films of 2010 and will swoop in to kick the summer movie season off with a big repulsor blast.

Yahoo has debuted a new poster for "Iron Man 2" that doesn't just feature the Iron Man suit, but the War Machine suit as well.

Sure, it's just the two characters standing there, back to back, but it's Iron-Man and War Machine together at last. Someone cue some lovey-dovey music here, it's the moment we've been waiting for since "Iron-Man" had Terrence Howard hint at one day jumping into Tony Stark's trademark suit (but now Howard has been replaced by Don Cheadle).
What do you think about the first decent look at War Machine and the Iron Man 2 poster in general?

"Iron Man 2" is set to hit theaters on May 7, 2010 and stars: Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Starl/Iron Man, Don Cheadle as James 'Rhodey' Rhodes/War Machine, Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow, Sam Rockwell as Justin Hammer, Mickey Rourke as Whiplash, Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury and Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts.

More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Sources: Screen Rant, UGO Movie Blog, Latino Review, Rope of Silicon

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

Movie News Mash 29

The Last Days of American Crime
Sam Worthington has signed on to appear in the film adaptation of Rick Remender's upcoming miniseries “The Last Days of American Crime."

Created and written by Remender with artist Greg Tocchini, “Last Days” takes place in the near future where the U.S. government is about to implement a new technology that will make it impossible for anyone to commit a crime. Following the revelation of this plan, a downtrodden career criminal named Graham Brick is forced to quickly assemble a team to help him pull off what may be the last heist in American history.

According to Mania.com, Worthington will portray Kevin Cash, a safecracker recruited by Brick who may be a dangerously unstable sociopath.

After his turn as the Human/Terminator hybrid Marcus Wright in last summer’s “Terminator: Salvation”, Worthington’s next film will be James Cameron's “Avatar." Worthington will also star in next year’s remake of the fantasy film “Clash of the Titans.”

Remender teased that more casting announcements were on the way: "The people that they're bringing in are all big A-list Hollywood people." I can't wait to see who else is joining this project in addition to Worthington.
(MTV News)

Iron Man 2
Twitter has become a huge source for updates and a valuable resource for keeping in touch with filmmakers. A new update from director Jon Favreau's Twitter pertains to the anticipated "Iron Man 2" trailer. He tweeted a reply to a user confirming that the "Iron Man 2" trailer would be attached to "Sherlock Holmes," meaning it would debut on Christmas Day.

The filmmaker has been all over Twitter talking about the sequel. "Digital animated shots starting to come in. The movie is beginning to take on it's final look," he tweeted on Sunday, November 15.
(First Showing, Ace Showbiz)

Guardians of Ga'hoole
Zack Snyder's 3-D animated adaptation of the children's book series "Guardians of Ga'hoole" was announced in early 2008, but there was only some minor casting news then.

Now The Hollywood Reporter posts that the cast will be headlined by Sam Neill, Geoffrey Rush, David Wenham, and Weaving. These guys will be joined by the likes of Aussie folks Emily Barclay, Abbie Cornish, Emilie de Ravin, Jay Laga'aia, and Kwanten. PLUS -- three Brit actors with Miriam Margolyes, Helen Mirren, and Jim Sturgess. Unfortunately, there's no cast rundown of who will voice who, and with that many names, I'm not even going to try guessing.

This impressive voice cast will bring characters to life in the story of Soren, a young owl enthralled by his father's epic stories of the Guardians of Ga'Hoole, a mythic band of winged warriors who had fought a great battle to save all of owlkind from the evil Pure Ones. After Soren is kidnapped by owls of St. Aggie’s, a place where owlets are brainwashed into becoming soldiers, he and his new friends escape to the island of Ga’Hoole, to assist its noble, wise owls who fight the army being created by the wicked rulers of St. Aggie’s.

The series contains 11 books, but the film will condense the first three together. So if any more films are to follow there won't be 11 movies in all. The film is currently in post-production aiming to meet a release date in fall of 2010.
(First Showing, Cinematical)

Sam Rockwell Describes Team-Up With War Machine

"Iron Man 2" actor Sam Rockwell spoke to MTV News about the relationship between his character (rival industrialist Justin Hammer) and Don Cheadle's character (Tony Stark's military buddy James "Rhodey" Rhodes).

After all, according to the "Iron Man 2" trailer that premiered during Comic-Con in San Diego this year, Hammer and Rhodey seemed pretty chummy together.

Movie Trailers - Movies Blog

How do you think the relationship between Justin Hammer and "Rhodey" Rhodes will play out? Do you want to see Rhodey don the War Machine armor and fight his friend Tony/ Iron Man, or should they team up to fight the bad guys together?

More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Source: MTV News

Stan Lee on 'Iron Man 2' and 'Thor' Cameos

Stan Lee is known as the godfather of many of the silver age comic book characters for Marvel. Luckily, the people behind the movies based on his characters respect him enough to give him cameos in some of the movies. One of the fun points in the each of the Marvel films is finding Lee's cameo..

Starting way back in 2000 with "X-Men," he’s appeared in majority of the Marvel Comics-based movies(he was notably missing from "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" though). Collider had a great interview with him at Scream Fest, where Stan explains that he likes doing the cameos but that they weren’t his idea and doesn’t do them if he has to travel far. Since "Wolverine" was filmed in Australia, that would explain his absence.

He explains his cameo for "Iron Man 2" and then goes into how he is planned to have one in "Thor" as well.



Someone on YouTube has put together all of Lee’s cameos in a video that you can watch below. One thing you will notice is a progression from background cameos to speaking parts and more foreground cameos.


Are you excited to see more of Stan Lee in Marvel movies?
More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Source: Screen Rant

Love Traingle in 'Iron Man 2'

"Iron Man 2" director Jon Favreau said that he won't be directing "The Avengers" in an interview with MTV News that I posted yesterday. Now in a new part from that interview we get a little insight into Tony Stark's upcoming return to the big screen.

Bouncing around a golf cart during the "Couples Retreat" press junket in Bora Bora, Favreau told MTV Movies editor Joshua Horowitz that the primary relationship driving "Iron Man 2" is still Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) and Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow)—despite the introduction of Scarlett Johansson's Russian superspy, Natasha Romanoff (a.k.a Black Widow).

Favreau also mentions some other complicated relationships in the film including Stark's friend Rhodey (played by Don Cheadle) and two new villains (Mickey Rourke as Whiplash and Sam Rockwell as Justin Hammer).

Movie Trailers - Movies Blog

Hopefully we will get a trailer for this film online by the end of this year.
More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Source: MTV News

New 'Iron Man 2' Behind-The-Scenes Video

A new, behind-the-scenes video from the set of "Iron Man 2" has hit the 'Net. There's not a lot of new footage to be seen, but there are some shots interesting shots that add to what we know already.

In the video created by French-language site CanalPlus.fr, Favreau and "Iron Man 2" star Robert Downey Jr. offer some background on the making of the film, but we also get a tour of Stark's workshop which includes a homemade particle accelerator and the wall of Iron Man armor that made an appearance at this year's Comic-Con in San Diego.

But perhaps one of the most interesting shots in the video is a short scene featuring Downey and Scarlett Johansson's character, Natasha Romanoff (a.k.a. The Black Widow) getting very close while she wears what looks to be one of the gloves from the Iron Man armor. The scene occurs right around the 3:56 mark, and is one of several worth checking out in the video.



What do you think of Stark's workshop and the other footage?
"Iron Man 2" hits theaters May 7, 2010.
More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Source: MTV News

Jon Favreau Not Directing 'The Avengers'

MTV News recently spoke to "Iron Man 2" director Jon Favreau (during the "Couples Retreat" press junket) about his involvement in the sequel and where he fits in the larger scheme of Marvel movies.

In that interview (which you can watch below), Favreau dropped a bomb on the collective heads of fanboys everywhere: he will NOT be directing Marvel’s 2012 superhero team-up event, "The Avengers." In addition to that, Favreau also threw another jab of bad news: We shouldn’t get our hopes up about seeing a cameo from the Hulk in "Iron Man 2."



One interesting question this raises: SHOULD "Avengers" be helmed by somebody who has worked on one of the individual character films? Or should a new person be tapped to do the super team-up? And as a crazy third option, should the directors of the individual films - Favreau, Joe Johnston ("Captain America") and Kenneth Branagh ("Thor") - perhaps collaborate on "The Avengers" film?

"Iron Man 2" will be in theaters on May 7, 2010.
"The Avengers" is slated for a May 4, 2012 release.

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

New 'Iron Man 2' Set Visit Focuses on Whiplash

Entertainment Tonight has released another video from their "Iron Man 2" set visit. Their last video focused on some of the special effects in the film as well as the Tony Stark/Pepper Potts/Natasha Romanoff love triangle. This time the focus is squarely on Mickey Rourke's role as Whiplash, the Russian inmate turned whip-clad warrior.

You'll see that while Whiplash has more than a few bones to pick with Tony Stark, actor Robert Downey Jr. and the rest of the crew have nothing but admiration for the villain's real-life counterpart.



What do you think about Rourke being in "Iron Man 2"?
More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Source: MTV News

'Iron Man 2' Behind-the-Scenes Footage

Last night Entertainment Tonight aired a six minute segment that included new behind the scenes footage from the set of "Iron Man 2" which included some spectacular crash scenes, a little more information on the Tony Stark/Pepper Potts/Natasha Romanoff love triangle and a never before scene of Whiplash cutting a car in half.

Of course there are very little-to-no finished special effects in the footage but that is to be expected. The meat of the footage and interviews were shot during the Indy car race in Monaco where Whiplash is introduced to the story.



Did you happen to notice what Pepper Potts (Paltrow) throws out the car window towards Tony Stark during the Whiplash attack scene in the clip? Yes, it’s a fancy looking briefcase - big deal, you say? Well if you haven't read a lot of Iron Man comics than you may not be aware that for many years the armor was collapsible - and Tony Stark carried it with him everywhere in a briefcase.

Now put the aforementioned scene in the context of the above information, and take a look at the enhanced image below. It sure looks a lot like a case that could contain the foldable armor Tony Stark uses from the older comics. It would explain how Tony is able to run Whiplash off in Monaco while his armor is back in Malibu.

What do you think? Has this footage got you eve more excited for probably the most anticipated movie of 2010?
More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Source: Screen Rant

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