Will There Be An 'Incredible Hulk 2'?

The last we heard from "Incredible Hulk" director Louis Leterrier was his idea for an Avengers quadrilogy of films – something he wants to be a part of along with the directors of each of the other Marvel Studios solo films. Part of his idea is to have each director helm a chapter of the series of Avengers movies and they could all release within a relatively short window.

At the time, Leterrier also reflected on how much a challenge it was making "The Incredible Hulk" and hinted that he’d rather work with a different superhero next time around.

“Hulk was such a challenge. It was to reboot something and follow [the Ang Lee-directed 2003 “Hulk”] movie that was absolutely adored by part of the fan population and then absolutely hated by another part. It was complicated for me. I wasn’t sure what to do with that history. I did my Hulk but it was not easy. If I do another Hulk film it will always be compared to the Ang Lee thing, and my first one … if I come back I’d love to do another superhero, something different that I can really put my touch on.”

Now it seems that he’s much more open to working on "The Incredible Hulk 2," perhaps knowing that he’s likely not going to get another different Marvel gig before it. He did a great job with the Hulk reboot and fit it nicely into the shared Marvel film universe.

In speaking with Moviehole the other day (prior to the Disney acquisition announcement), Leterrier had great things to say about his leading actor and about the potential of his involvement in a sequel.

“Yeah, he’s a great actor and a great Hulk… Sure. I’d return to it. I have some ideas. So many ideas for so many things.”

I really enjoyed "The Incredible Hulk" and I believe Leterrier made a solid film on a character that’s not as appealing in live-action to movie-going audiences compared to other notable comic book heroes. I think it really deserves a sequel and that Hulk/Ed Norton should really be involved with "The Avengers."

"Iron Man" and "The Incredible Hulk" were the first two films produced by Marvel Studios as an independent production house and they crossed-over very well, both leading into future solo films and the "Avengers" team-up. To not bring them back would be such a disappointment and a waste.
Leterrier is contracted for one more film with the studio and with Disney purchasing Marvel (and hence, Marvel Studios) this means more financing for films - and therefore, an immediate increase in production capacity for the studio. This was something that was mentioned by Marvel President of Production, Kevin Feige, in hopes that it could happen five or so years down the road.

Does this mean we’ll get an early greenlight on a sequel to "The Incredible Hulk"? There’s been plenty of talk about a sequel but with it, clarification that it wouldn’t occur until after "The Avengers." Perhaps now with Disney’s support, they can move some of those in-development films up.

In addition to Leterrier’s two-picture contract with Marvel Studios, the actor behind Hulk’s latest villain, Tim Roth, is contracted with a three film deal. A few weeks back, Roth hinted at being contacted about participating in something again but was very tight-lipped about it.

At the time, many thought he could simply be one of the few/many villains of "The Avengers" or perhaps that he’d have a small role as a cameo villain in another Marvel solo flick coming up. Could it be that it’s now more likely he’ll be back in a "Hulk" sequel along with The Leader whom they introduced at the end of the last film.

Would you like to see "The Incredible Hulk 2", Ed Norton back as Bruce Banner, and Leterrier in the director’s chair again?

More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Source: Screen Rant

'Fantastic Four' Reboot is Go!

Back in June, it was reported that Fox was considering rebooting their financially successful (but critically panned) "Fantastic Four" franchise. Now we have confirmation that the reboot is happening.

According to Variety, the "Fantastic Four" reboot will be produced by Akiva Goldsman ("Jonah Hex" and "Hancock") and written by Michael Green (co-executive producer of "Heroes" and co-writer of "Green Lantern").

Presently, it's unknown if the film's original cast—Ioan Gruffudd, Jessica Alba, Chris Evans and Michael Chiklis—will reprise their roles for the third outing, but the earlier rumors of a "Fantastic Four" do-over indicated that new actors would take the reins of the series.

Plot details are also being kept under wraps, though the likelihood of the Silver Surfer emerging in a third "Fantastic Four" are unlikely given Fox's desire to build a solo feature around the character.

Based on Goldsman's most recent comic book efforts as a producer on "The Losers" and "Jonah Hex," it would appear that Fox is certainly angling for a darker take on the "Fantastic Four.
But Goldsman's earlier work tells a different tale: he's the writer responsible for "Batman Forever" and "Batman & Robin," two films that don't have the highest of marks from the fan community.

Every superhero movie wants to get “darker” right now. Of course, darker is a relative term. As it stands, there’s “dark, but fun” ("Iron Man") or “just plain dark” ("The Dark Knight"). I’m betting that "Fantastic Four" will be more like the former.
What are the advantages of rebooting "Fantastic Four"? Well, for Fox, it means getting another crack at a franchise that has already grossed over $500 million. And since they’re starting over, they can lock in a cast for a multi-picture deal without breaking the bank. For fans, it means getting to see a movie that doesn’t suck go beyond cliched action sequences and one-dimensional characters in order to actually tell a worthwhile story.

This reboot is most likely a political move by Fox because they're worried that their Marvel licenses will be running out sooner than later. And at this point, they really don't have a chance to get any new franchises (Marvel won't give them any more extensions). Once they realized the enormities of Disney buying Marvel, well, they probably decided it's better to get these Marvel movies going now or never.

Sources: Screen Rant, MTV News, First Showing

Guillermo Del Toro Wants to Bring DC's 'Deadman' To Theaters

Bloody-Disgusting is reporting that Guillermo del Toro is set to produce an adaptation of the DC Comics character, "Deadman," for Warner Bros.

International director Nikolaj Arcel ("Island of Lost Souls") is reportedly set to helm DC/WB project.

In the DC Universe, Deadman is a circus trapeze artist named Boston Brand, who dresses up in a red suit and white makeup to perform under the stage name Deadman. When Brand is murdered while performing his act, his spirit is held over by the Hindu goddess Rama Kushna, who endows Brand’s ghost with the ability to possess living bodies. Rama Kushna’s decree: for Brand to use his new powers to hunt down his murderer(s) and obtain justice.

So far this Deadman film is being compared to "The Crow," which is little surprise, given the premise. However, unlike the Goth-themed Crow, Deadman is going to have a much tougher time finding an audience.

Will it be horror? The usual super hero origin? Or will we likely get the sort of scary/funny, visually stylized, supernatural action fare that Guillermo del Toro has made famous with his "Hellboy" films?

Del Toro being attached to this project is pretty much the only thing giving it any buzz right now. However, del Toro’s name is also currently attached to several high-profile projects (including "The Hobbit"), so how much effort he’ll have to lend to "Deadman" is unclear at this point.

The news about a possible "Deadman" film shouldn't be taken as concrete fact just yet, but a Del Toro take on the character is nevertheless an awesome prospect with only one obvious downside: what happens to the "Hellboy" franchise? Sure, Del Toro isn't directing "Deadman" himself, but does he have the ability to juggle two different comic book properties? If Del Toro moves forward with "Deadman," have we seen the last of "Hellboy"?

Would you rather Del Toro focus on "Deadman" or a third "Hellboy" movie?
More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Sources: Screen Rant, MTV News

Stallone's 'Rambo 5' Gets the Greenlight

Variety reports that Nu Image/Millennium Films has greenlit "Rambo 5," with Sylvester Stallone starring and directing, repeating his duties from 2008's "Rambo." The storyline will revolve around Rambo fighting his way through human traffickers and drug lords to rescue a young girl abducted near the U.S.-Mexico border. Production will start in the spring after Stallone wraps up "The Expendables."

This is no real surprise as Stallone has talked about another one since the most recent "Rambo" hit back in September 2008 with a $113 million worldwide box-office take on a $50 million budget.

At the end of that movie he finally returns to his own home in the US. Not only is the story in this sequel relevant to today's troubles, but it works with the way that movie ended, which is thankfully a smart decision.

The first Rambo, titled "First Blood," hit in 1982, and was followed by "First Blood II" in 1985, and "Rambo III" in 1988. I'm sure this next installment will be as badass as all the others.

More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Sources: Screen Rant, First Showing, Rope of Silicon

Guillermo Del Toro On 'The Hobbit'

A number of rumors recently emerged regarding the big-screen adaptation of Tolkien's "The Hobbit," to be directed by Guillermo del Toro and produced by Peter Jackson.

The film was at one time going to be followed by a 'bridge movie' to fill in the undocumented years between the end of "The Hobbit" and the first film in the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy.

But then it was decided to abandon the bridge film and instead split "The Hobbit" into two movies.

However, MarketSaw then heard from a source that the project would be filmed in 3-D and that there would be three movies - the two-part "Hobbit" PLUS the bridge film. Furthermore, this third segment would be directed by Peter Jackson.

There's also been talk online that Tom Cruise, "Doctor Who" actor David Tennant or "Harry Potter" star Daniel Radcliffe would play the lead role of Bilbo Baggins.

Guillermo del Toro spoke to TheOneRing.net and said: "As a co-writer and director of this film (who works with the design teams, costume teams, creature teams, VFX teams every day of the week), let me be very clear one more time: we are not talking about 3-D, we are NOT writing the screenplay for 3-D right now.

"We are hiring my Director of Photography Guillermo Navarro to shoot the film and we are not discussing 3-D with him either or with WETA digital or WB or anyone else.

"That should be a little less sidestepping, I hope. If after -Avatar- the market may change and demands are put upon us, etc that is in the future. But make no mistake, I've been living in NZ for almost a year now and we have not been discussing 3-D."

He added: "And no - neither David Tennant nor Tom Cruise are Bilbo and we are not redesigning Gollum."
So what about Daniel Radcliffe? The actor himself spoke to The L.A. Times, saying: "I'd have to say, 'Thanks but no thanks,' not that anyone has asked me.

"Honestly, I don't think they would want me anyway, it's just too close. Whatever I do next, I don't think there will be any wizards in it!"

And on the subject of three films, including that bridge movie, Latino Review asked del Toro and he replied: "All speculation, really and some of it quite wild and inventive."

It’s interesting to note that Guillermo Navarro is going to be the Director of Photography for "The Hobbit," which will give it a bit of a different look and feel to the "LOTR" trilogy (which had Andrew Lesnie as the Cinematographer). Navarro has worked with del Toro since the start of his feature-length filmmaking career with "Cronos," and has worked on other such projects as "Jackie Brown," "Desperado," "From Dusk Till Dawn" and "Spawn."

The script for "The Hobbit" Parts 1 and 2 is still being worked on, and we’re a long way away from the actual release, so the amount of rumors and speculation is not only understandable but inevitable. Until we get a bit closer to the finished product, we can expect even more of these rumors, and it’s nice to see the director taking time out of his hectic schedule to keep us informed.

Part 1 of "The Hobbit" is scheduled to hit theaters in December, 2011, with Part 2 following a year later in December, 2012.

More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Sources: Screen Rant, The Geek Files

'Bad Boys 3' On The Way

With Michael Bay off making giant robot movies, Will Smith solidifying himself as one of the most bankable movie stars on Earth, and Martin Lawrence, well… still acting, it would be understandable if there was never a third installment in the "Bad Boys" series. However, by way of The Hollywood Reporter, comes news that not only has Columbia started to develop a "Bad Boys 3" but has already signed a screenwriter to it.

Columbia has hired newcomer Peter Craig, who wrote Ben Affleck's "The Town" and is also writing the "Cowboy Bebop" movie, to write the "Bad Boys 3" screenplay. The hope is to have a script which will reunite director Michael Bay, producer Jerry Bruckheimer, and stars, Will Smith and Martin Lawrence.

THR's Borys Kit writes saying all parties have expressed a willingness to return if a story can be hammered out, but one potential hurdle would be the price to make that happen.

Pretty much with all of them (except maybe Lawrence), there comes an expensive price tag attached. As stated, Smith is about the only true bankable movie star in the business (his last 8 movies have all surpassed the $100 million mark), and by now Bay is used to getting huge paychecks and collecting percentages of money from toy merchandising.

The first two films, released in 1995 and 2003, earned $414,746,580 worldwide and featured Smith and Lawrence as Miami detectives Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett as they run around Miami destroying everything in sight all to slow motion and helicopters.

More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Sources: Screen Rant, Rope of Silicon, First Showing

'Halloween 3-D' Will Hit Next Summer

Ben Fritz at The Los Angeles Times reports this morning that while Rob Zombie's "Halloween II" fell $9 million short of the previous installment and came in third to "The Final Destination" (which is in 3-D) and Quentin Tarantino's "Inglourious Basterds" in its holdover weekend, that doesn't mean Dimension is done with the franchise.

2009 is the year to push 3-D cinema on the mainstream audiences, owing much of its inital push to "Avatar" buzz. Even if that wasn't enough, "Monsters & Aliens" this year came with a big push to install more 3-D theaters in the US while "Up" and "Coraline" proved that the format can be used subtly in a dramatic way.

January's "My Bloody Valentine," also a 3-D horror feature, did slightly better in cinemas with a 3-D screen, making 6.4 times more money than 2-D only venues. The message seems clear to Bob Weinstien, co-Chairman of The Weinstien Company: horror fans will come out for 3-D showings opening weekend.

With that data behind him, Weinstien has announced that "Halloween 3-D" is in development for a summer 2010 release.

Wasn't "Halloween 2" the 'conclusion' of Rob Zombie's vision of Michael Meyers?
Correct!

There is a new director developing "H3-D." All Weinstien would say was that it was a director with horror experience and said helmer will have a "different take" on the franchise.

Hopefully that doesn't mean another reboot.
More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Sources: Rope of Silicon, Latino Review

Disney Buys Marvel, What Happens Next?

Disney today acquired Marvel Entertainment for $4 billion in stock and cash.

American company Marvel Entertainment has a toy division and various overseas businesses, along with subsidiaries including Marvel Publishing, which publishes Marvel Comics; and film and TV production business Marvel Studios, which has already released "Iron Man" and "The Incredible Hulk" and is working on "Iron Man 2," "Captain America," "Thor" and "Avengers."

Disney chief executive Bob Iger said: "Adding Marvel to Disney's unique portfolio of brands provides significant opportunities for long-term growth and value creation."

Marvel shareholders would receive a total of $30 per share in cash plus approximately 0.745 Disney shares for each Marvel share they own.

Under the deal, Walt Disney Co. will acquire ownership of Marvel including its more than 5,000 Marvel characters, including "The Fantastic Four," "Spider-Man," the "X-Men," "The Incredible Hulk" and "Iron Man," all of which have been turned into highly valuable feature film franchises.

Marvel CEO Ike Perlmutter will remain responsible for deciding where Marvel properties show up within the Disney world, including video games, online content and television.
Iger stated that along with internal discussions about developing synergy between Marvel and Disney properties, there have also been meetings between Pixar and Marvel about potential projects.

"The group got pretty excited pretty fast," said Iger. "Sparks will fly."

Presumably this will NOT mean we are going to see Spider-Man meeting Mickey Mouse; Snow White and the X-Men; or Beauty and the Hulk...

One problem is that Marvel doesn't currently own the film rights to a few of there major heroes. 20th Century Fox has "X-Men," "Fantastic Four" and "Daredevil;" Universal has "Namor the Sub-Mariner;" and Sony has "Spider-Man" and "Ghost Rider."

Disney will continue to honor Marvel's third-party deals with 20th Century Fox, Sony and Paramount, but will look to bring everything in-house as those deals expire.

"It clearly would be in our best interest if we ended up as the sole distributor," Disney CEO Robert Iger said during a conference call this morning. "When you distribute your own films, the opportunity is even better."
Many superhero fans have for some time been vocal about wanting Marvel to regain control of all its characters so that film adaptations are as respectful of the comic book source material as possible.

Whether Disney will be able to claw back those rights remains to be seen, but it will no doubt be one of the main hopes of the fan community.

Others fear that Disney's ownership and control will have a negative impact on the Marvel superhero world.

According to PaidContent, you shouldn't expect any big changes regarding Marvel's theme park presence. Disney CFO Tom Staggs said the company wouldn't be making “some distinct and separate effort” when it comes to setting up something like a specific section in Disney theme parks or standalone Marvel parks.

The boards of Disney and Marvel have both approved the transaction, but it requires an anti-trust review and the approval of Marvel shareholders.

I don’t see there being any problem with the anti-trust review nor do I see the marvel shareholders turning up their noses to such a fantastic offer. Most likely, later this week, we should see final word on the resolution of this agreement.
So what does this mean to comic books fans? Well, it could be both very good and very bad at the same time. Let’s look at some quick pros and cons shall we?

Pro - Disney is a universal name with very deep pockets. Marvel is no slouch either in the household name department - but let’s face it, they are no Disney. All that extra money means way more marketing and increased traffic within the theme parks.

Con - With movies like "Iron Man 2," "Spider-man 4," "The Incredible Hulk 2," "Thor ," "The Avengers" and "Captain America" on the horizon, what does this mean for their development? "Iron Man 2" is already in full swing so I doubt we see any type of delay with that one, but with no other pre-production or principle photography under way on some other films, could we see some eventual delay(s)?

The comics community has reacted to the deal with quite a bit of skepticism thus far, but word from the Marvel camp is that the deal could open more doors than it closes for the so-called "House of Ideas."

What do you think of this tremendous event in Marvel/Disney history? Does this herald good things for some of our favorite superheroes or is the partnership a bad sign for the comic book publisher?

And that's just the tip of the iceberg—more and more questions will emerge as news of this partnership sinks in.

More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Sources: The Geek Files, Screen Rant, MTV News (1,2), Press Release