Marvel Flicks

[Masa]

Marvel Studios Sets Four More Release Dates!

Marvel Entertainment released their first quarter report to its shareholders this morning to coincide with the announcement about the success this past weekend of Marvel Studios' first production Iron Man, which grossed an estimated $104.2 million domestically and over $201 million worldwide. The announcement included an update of Marvel Studios' feature film slate with the already-rumored Iron Man 2 announced for a release on April 30, 2010, followed by three more movies for the summers of '10 and '11. Matthew Vaughn's Thor is set for a release on June 4, 2010, and The First Avenger: Captain America (the working title) will kick off the summer of 2011 on May 6, followed by the highly-anticipated and foreshadowed The Avengers scheduled for July 2011. (Edgar Wright's Ant-Man is also listed as being in development with no release date set.)

In a conference call this morning, Marvel Studios' David Maisel said that Iron Man 2 will be used to introduce Thor. Regarding more "Hulk" movies, Maisel said "We definitely plan on continuing." He added that development continues on Spider-Man 4. "I can't give any other updates other than to say it's in development and everybody's excited about 'Spider-Man 4,'" he said.

With that in mind, one can start expecting a lot more announcements in the coming months about creative teams and casting for those movies including who might direct the Captain America and Avengers movies. (Whomever plays Steve Rogers AKA Captain America presumably will be making two movies at once.)

http://www.superherohype.com/news/topnews.php?id=7165

[mini*wheat]

I love Thor!
Marvel is supposedly getting better with their movies (I haven't seen Iron Man yet, but I've heard nothing but great things about it), so hopefully these will follow suit.

[Masa]

Paramount Will Distribute All of Marvel's Upcoming Films

Do you remember way back in April when we kept seeing new trailers, TV spots, and photos for Iron Man every week? That excess of media was due in part to Paramount's marketing team, but it paid off considering the film made $318 million in the end. Marvel Studios and Paramount Pictures will extended their distribution agreement that began with Iron Man to distribute all of Marvel's upcoming films (through 2011 and beyond). The deal includes distribution for: Iron Man 2, Thor, The First Avenger: Captain America, The Avengers, and Iron Man 3. Good news? It certainly is! Paramount is one of the best distributors in Hollywood and obviously knows how to take care of fans.

"Marvel's iconic brand, its popular characters and its proven ability to create compelling and visually spellbinding films complement Paramount's great history of filmmaking. We look forward to a long and successful run together," said Rob Moore, Vice Chairman of Paramount Pictures. For those who don't know enough about the business side of Hollywood to care, this is great news that will pay off in the end. We all know that Iron Man 2 and The Avengers will eventually be two of the most highly anticipated films, and there's no better studio out there to manage the distribution and marketing for those films. In comparison, I think Universal did a fairly bad job with The Incredible Hulk this summer.

In addition to the announcement today, Paramount has already shifted the release dates for Marvel's upcoming films. Iron Man 2 will hit theaters on May 7th, 2010. Thor will hit theaters on July 16th, 2010. The First Avenger: Captain America will hit theaters on May 6th, 2011. The Avengers will hit theaters on July 15th, 2011. Iron Man 3 does not have a release date yet.

http://www.firstshowing.net/2008/09/29/paramount-will-distribute-all-of-marvels-upcoming-films/

[RatBastich]

Verily: Kenneth Branagh in Talks To Tackle "Thor"

According to Variety, Marvel Studios has entered into negotiations with director Kenneth Branagh to helm the adventures of their Asgardian hero. No distributor has been chosen for the self-financed project.

This could be seen as an unusual choice by Marvel's Kevin Feige, seeing as the last action work Branagh did was 1989's blood-soaked "Henry the Fifth," but is actually a fairly common theme based on the choices of Jon Favreau for "Iron Man," Christopher Nolan's success with the Batman franchise and Gavin Hood's upcoming "X-Men Origins: Wolverine."

Branagh's not the first name attached to this project, as director Matthew Vaughan was long considered the man to bring this project to the silver screen. He turned in a script that gave the studio budgetary heebie jeebies. Vaughan eventually fell from favor, leaving the door open to new possibilities. The fact that negotiations were reported in a trade publication of this caliber is a sign that Branagh's a serious contender, but until the credits roll, nothing is set in uru stone.

From CBR News

[Mugen]

i dont like spiderman anymore its washed up. it went downhill after the 1st one.

[Masa]

The First Avenger: Captain America Full Synopsis Revealed

We already confirmed back in May after Marvel's announcement of The First Avenger: Captain America that the film would be set in WWII. But an actual plot synopsis beyond that hasn't ever been released. In the latest issue of Production Weekly, a new full plot synopsis for the project was published. I'm a bit hesitant to trust this magazine, since they seem to have a lot of information on a project that's very far out, but for now this is what we'll go with. It does seem accurate and it does seem like a great way to introduce us to Captain America before progressing into The Avengers movie just months later.

"Born during the Great Depression, Steve Rogers grew up a frail youth in a poor family. Horrified by the newsreel footage of the Nazis in Europe, Rogers was inspired to enlist in the army. However, because of his frailty and sickness, he was rejected. Overhearing the boy's earnest plea, General Chester Phillips offered Rogers the opportunity to take part in a special experiment… Operation: Rebirth. After weeks of tests, Rogers was at last administered the 'Super-Soldier Serum' and bombarded by 'vita-rays.' Steve Rogers emerged from the treatment with a body as perfect as a body can be and still be human. Rogers was then put through an intensive physical and tactical training program. Three months later, he was given his first assignment as Captain America. Armed with his indestructible shield and and battle savvy, Captain America has continued his war against evil both as a sentinel of liberty and leader of the Avengers."

Reading that actually makes me wonder whether they just took the standard synopsis from some sort of Marvel database and used that until the studio puts out something officially. Either way, I'm glad that they're sticking with the original Captain America story and going all the way back to WWII. That should make for the perfect introduction just months before we move into the Avengers story. No director or actors have been officially announced yet. The First Avenger: Captain America will hit theaters on May 6th, 2011 with its follow-up, The Avengers hitting theaters on July 15th, 2011.

http://www.firstshowing.net/2008/10/05/the-first-avenger-captain-america-full-synopsis-revealed/

[Masa]

Downey Jr., Favreau & Cheadle Suit Up for The Avengers!

ROBERT DOWNEY JR. AND JON FAVREAU SUIT UP FOR MARVEL STUDIOS' THE AVENGERS AND IRON MAN 2

As part of his four picture deal with Marvel Studios, Robert Downey Jr. is appearing as Tony Stark in THE AVENGERS motion picture, as well as reprising his starring role as the larger-than-life leading character in IRON MAN 2. Jon Favreau will return to direct the sequel to the blockbuster IRON MAN, which to date has grossed over $578 million worldwide, as well as executive produce THE AVENGERS.

Academy Award® nominee Downey was most recently seen in the summer comedy blockbuster TROPIC THUNDER starring opposite Ben Stiller and Jack Black. Before Iron Man, he was best known for his film roles in KISS KISS BANG BANG, WONDER BOYS and CHAPLIN, the film for which he was nominated for an Oscar®.

In addition to directing the first IRON MAN, Favreau has previously directed ELF, ZATHURA: A SPACE ADVENTURE and MADE. He is also well known for writing and starring in SWINGERS. He will next be seen acting in FOUR CHRISTMASES, I LOVE YOU MAN and COUPLES RETREAT.

DON CHEADLE WILL STAR AS RHODEY IN IRON MAN 2

Marvel Studios is pleased today to confirm that an agreement has been finalized with award-winning actor Don Cheadle to take on the role of Colonel James "Rhodey" Rhodes in Marvel's IRON MAN 2 due in theaters on May 7, 2010. In casting Cheadle, Marvel replaces Terrence Howard who appeared in the role of Rhodey in IRON MAN.

Cheadle is also signed on to perform the same role in THE AVENGERS and subsequent installments of the IRON MAN franchise.

"We are very excited about working with the extraordinarily talented Don Cheadle as we expand the role of Rhodey in Iron Man 2. It has already become apparent as we prep the movie for production, that the dynamic between Robert and Don will take Iron Man 2 to new heights," said Kevin Feige, President of Marvel Studios.

Cheadle is best known for his Oscar® nominated lead performance in HOTEL RWANDA as well as his role as Basher Tarr in the OCEAN'S franchise, CRASH and SWORDFISH.

Based on Marvel's iconic Super Hero, IRON MAN 2 continues the story of this summer's box office blockbuster IRON MAN, the first feature film produced independently by Marvel Studios. IRON MAN 2 will be produced by Marvel Studios' President, Kevin Feige, and executive produced by Louis D'Esposito, Jon Favreau, Stan Lee, David Maisel and Denis Stewart.

In a movie event, THE AVENGERS will bring together the super hero team of Marvel Comics characters for the first time ever, including Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, the Hulk and more, as they are forced to band together to battle the biggest foe they've ever faced.

The highly anticipated sequel to IRON MAN will be released in theatres on May 7, 2010 and THE AVENGERS will be released July 15, 2011. Both films will be distributed by Paramount Pictures.

Cheadle is represented by UTA. Downey and Favreau are represented by CAA.

http://www.superherohype.com/news/ironmannews.php?id=7763

[Mugen]

what why they took out terrence howard???!!!

[tenkei]

i heard terrence howard wanted too much money or something

[Masa]

Joe Johnston Directing Marvel's The First Avenger: Captain America

Marvel has officially announced that Joe Johnston will direct the upcoming The First Avenger: Captain America. Johnston previously directed Honey I Shrunk the Kids, The Rocketeer, Jumanji, October Sky, Jurassic Park III, and Hidalgo, and also has The Wolf Man coming up in March. Johnston now joins the ranks of Jon Favreau, Louis Leterrier, and Kenneth Branagh as Marvel's dream team of directors set to turn bring the real Marvel universe to life in a series of films that will eventually converge in The Avengers in 2011. It's pure coincidence that this news hits on the same evening that I wrote about the return of WWII movies, considering The First Avenger: Captain America will be set during that time.

Marvel first met with Johnston two years ago and their meetings have continually led to Captain America. Marvel's Kevin Feige is producing the film, which will be set during World War II, although no writer is attached yet. Marvel claims they are still hearing pitches on story ideas and will hire a screenwriter soon. Unfortunately Johnston isn't the most exciting choice for director, although Feige references other elements of his background to the contrary. "This is a guy who designed the vehicles for Star Wars, who storyboarded the convoy action sequence for Raiders of the Lost Ark," Feige said. "From Rocketeer to October Sky to The Wolfman, you can look at pieces of his movies and see how they lead to this one."

Captain America was first created in 1941 by Jack Kirby and Joe Simon and is the alter ego of Steve Rogers. Rogers volunteered for a top-secret defense project called Operation: Rebirth after he was deemed too sickly to join the army. He was the first human test subject for the Super-Solider serum which transformed him into a human with maximum efficiency, greatly enhancing his strength and reflexes. The man who had created the serum was killed and the ability to duplicate the process was lost. Thus Captain America was born, and combined with his iconic indestructible shield, he served as both a counter-intelligence agent and a propaganda symbol to counter Nazi Germany's head of terrorist operations, the Red Skull.

I never would've imagined so many years ago while watching Honey I Shrunk the Kids or even Jumanji that the same guy who made those movies would years later bring us a live-action version of Captain America. Looking at this news now, that's not a good thought. Johnston may have been great doing behind-the-scenes work on Star Wars or Raiders of the Lost Ark, but he's not a great director. October Sky may prove that he can direct character-driven movies, but nothing in his filmography proves that he's capable of taking on such an ambitious and highly anticipated film as Captain America. I hope my fears as wrong and, just like Jon Favreau, we find out that Johnston was the perfect choice in the end.

http://www.firstshowing.net/2008/11/09/joe-johnston-directing-marvels-the-first-avenger-captain-america/

[tenkei]

i heard terrence howard wanted too much money or something

actually, ive since heard that money wasnt the issue, but rather hes a PAIN IN THE FUCKING ASS to work with and no one (see: Jon Favreau) wanted to put up with his shit on another movie

also cool they got a director for CapAm, his credits seem pretty nice (except Jurassic Park III, wtf)

[RatBastich]

I've seen a cm for the new Punisher movie, Warzone.
One of his main villians from the comics, Jigsaw, will be in the movie.

[Masa]

Samuel Jackson Might Not Be Returning as Nick Fury?!

A rather disappointing bit of news to report today, coming from Geoff Boucher of the LA Times' Hero Complex. Despite previous confirmations otherwise, apparently Samuel Jackson might not return as S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Nick Fury in the upcoming Marvel movies. "I saw Jon Favreau at the Scream Awards and we had a conversation. He said, 'I hope things are working out for you because we're writing stuff for you.' Then all of a sudden last week I talked to my agents and manager and things aren't really working that well," Jackson said. So what the heck happened since then? Well, it always comes down to money.

"There was a huge kind of negotiation that broke down. Maybe I won't be Nick Fury. Maybe somebody else will be Nick Fury or maybe Nick Fury won't be in it. There seems to be an economic crisis in the Marvel Comics world so [they're saying to me], 'We're not making that deal.'" First it was Terrence Howard being replaced by Don Cheadle, now it's Sam Jackson! Before we get too far into this, let's look at Marvel's situation. The problem is that The Avengers movie will require salaries for at least five big actors: Robert Downey Jr., Don Cheadle, whoever plays Thor, whoever plays Captain America, and whoever is the villain.

If you look at it that way, obviously Marvel's "economic crisis" is that they're going to need a lot of money to be able to pull off an enormous crossover movie like that. While I expect it to be a huge hit that's entirely worth it in the end, it's an issue they need to address before they go into production. And that means potentially cutting Jackson's side character out of the movies. I know that Nick Fury is definitely not a side character, considering he is the leader of the Avengers team, but he's not leading his own movie and I'm sure Marvel doesn't want to pay him (or whoever plays him) a lead actor salary on top of all the others.

So what hope do we have, if any? Well, when Boucher told Jackson that it's likely no one else would want to step into the role that was designed from the ground up for Jackson to play, his response was: "Maybe nobody will wear it. Maybe they'll decide Nick Fury won't be part of it." That would be very sad to see, but it really could happen. Or maybe Marvel could realize how important Jackson is, find some extra funding, and do their best to keep him in it.

http://www.firstshowing.net/2009/01/14/samuel-jackson-might-not-return-as-nick-fury/

[Mugen]

^thats ghey.

oh and about terrence howard, man that guy is such  bad actor. i checked out his deleted scenes for iron man. LOL they're pretty bad

[e_lo05]

haha really? man, i gotta check them out now.

[Masa]

Mickey Rourke and Sam Rockwell Joining Iron Man 2 as Villains!

Variety and Hollywood Reporter are reporting that both Mickey Rourke and Sam Rockwell are in talks to join Jon Favreau's Iron Man 2! Rourke is in discussions to play a villain described as Iron Man's Russian alter ego, a heavily tattooed bruiser named Ivan who becomes Crimson Dynamo, a villain with his own nuclear-powered armored suit. Rockwell would play a British villain named Justin Hammer, a multibillionaire businessman and a rival of industrialist of Tony Stark. No other new details were revealed about the highly anticipated sequel. Can you handle two huge casting announcements in one day?

Crimson DynamoThis is the second casting news for Rourke today, following confirmation that he had also joined Sylvester Stallone's The Expendables. This is certainly one of the greatest acting comebacks we've seen in years. As for the villain, the original Crimson Dynamo first appeared in Tales of Suspense #46 in 1963. There have been 12 various Crimson Dynamo incarnations over the years, so it's likely this one is being written specifically for the cinematic Iron Man universe. However, there are conflicting reports that Rourke might be a villain named Whiplash instead. My best guess is that he's actually Dynamo, not Whiplash.

As for Rockwell's character, Justin Hammer, he first appeared in the comics in Iron Man #120 in 1979. Hammer invented a device called the hypersonic scan transmitter, which allowed him to take control of Iron Man's armor. Angered that he had lost a lucrative bid to Stark Industries, Hammer took control of his armor and forced him to kill the Carnelian ambassador. Since then, Hammer has been one of Stark's primary adversaries, coming up with endless evil schemes over the years. Sounds like Favreau has found the right two villains for this sequel!! Paramount will bring Iron Man 2 to theaters on May 7th, 2010.

Update: Both articles from Variety and Hollywood Reporter have turned this casting news into quite a debacle. No one really knows who is playing who. Devin at CHUD has a great breakdown looking at potential characters. We'll hopefully have some clarification on this in the next few days or weeks.

http://www.firstshowing.net/2009/01/07/mickey-rourke-joins-iron-man-2-as-crimson-dynamo/

Emily Blunt Rumored as Black Widow in Iron Man 2!

It looks like Jon Favreau has finally decided on the new additions to Iron Man 2. Last week we heard that both Sam Rockwell and Mickey Rourke would join as villains. Today, Variety reports that Emily Blunt is rumored to playing the character of Black Widow aka Natasha Romanoff. We previously reported a rumor that both Black Widow and Hawkeye would have larger roles in the film and it looks like this is first confirmation that at least one of those characters will appear in the sequel. Like the Rockwell and Rourke news, this isn't confirmed by Marvel, and they probably won't be announcing it officially for a while.

Black Widow is a Soviet super spy that dons a skintight black costume that is enhanced by high-tech weaponry. She is an integral character in the Avengers universe (more than just Iron Man) because she betrays them in the comics even though she works for them and gains their trust. I'm guessing this is integral in the further development of The Avengers movie and the Tony Stark storyline that leads into that. Her character actually reminds me a lot of The Baroness from the upcoming G.I. Joe - right down to the black latex outfit. But I will admit that I think Blunt is a much better actress than Sienna Miller.

http://www.firstshowing.net/2009/01/14/emily-blunt-rumored-as-black-widow-in-iron-man-2/

[Masa]

Exclusive: Is Neal McDonough Marvel's Captain America?!

Yesterday afternoon I interviewed with one of my favorite actors, Neal McDonough, who plays M. Bison in the upcoming Street Fighter movie. As the interview was wrapping up, I asked him about what he's doing next, as part of a question about what he looks for in scripts. And at the last second, he said that, "I think it's time for me to go back to playing some of the really good guys who can get the job done, like Captain America, maybe." I immediately asked him if that was a hint, and his response was even more confusing. It's been on my mind since the interview, and I just had to open this discussion up to all of our readers.

His answer wasn't a definitive yes or a definitive no, so I didn't want to run this news as anything official, but instead as a "what if?" kind of scenario. When you look at the bigger picture, Neal McDonough has starred in a lot of big World War II roles previously ("Band of Brothers", Flags of Our Fathers), which means he's got that experience, since Captain America was a soldier in WWII. Secondly, if you look at the comparison shots above, Neal is a near identical match visually to the Cap from The Ultimates series of comics, which as we know from previous articles, is almost the exact storyline that Marvel is borrowing from for all of its big movies that will eventually marge into The Avengers movie by 2011. So, what if?

To confuse things even more, his answer when asked if that was a hint that he might be Captain America, contained some "who knows?" and "fingers crossed!" kind of dialogue. So, I thought, why not share that part of the interview with our readers, and ask them whether they think McDonough might be the guy for the role and if he would be a good fit or not? Is he too old, too young, too inexperienced? To be honest, he seems like a perfect fit. Wasn't Robert Downey Jr. only still a rising star when he was cast as Tony Stark? He's got the muscle, he's got the acting chops, he's got the looks, maybe this is our Captain America after all?

http://www.firstshowing.net/2009/02/20/exclusive-is-neal-mcdonough-marvels-captain-america/

So, Mickey Rourke Won't Be in Iron Man 2 After All?

Just a few days before Mickey Rourke's big day the Oscars, word has hit the streets that apparently he won't be in Iron Man 2 after all. The news about Rourke joining the project first hit in early January, but just a few days later, we started hearing that the trades had made that announcement very prematurely. Then, just a few weeks ago, we got confirmation that Rourke's character wasn't actually Crimson Dynamo, but potentially the villain Whiplash instead. Now apparently his involvement was been wiped enitrely off the table! Rourke himself told New York Magazine that, "right now, we're not doing Iron Man 2." Sad news!

We're not exactly sure what happened, but if we're reading the NY Mag story correctly, apparently Rourke's agent has been "battling Marvel for a bigger paycheck." And as we all know, Marvel doesn't play well with others, so when he started asking for more money, they must have got cold feet. To top it all off, Rourke has been handed more new projects than he can handle, and has officially attached himself to at least Stallone's The Expendables and Chopra's Broken Horses recently. That might make fitting in Iron Man 2 a bit tough in the end. Too bad, because I was really hoping to see him take on Robert Downey Jr.

http://www.firstshowing.net/2009/02/18/so-mickey-rourke-wont-be-in-iron-man-2-after-all/

[Masa]

Samuel Jackson Signs Nine Movie Deal as Nick Fury!

Back in January, we ran a rather disappointing article about Samuel Jackson potentially not returning as S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Nick Fury in any upcoming Marvel movies. But it looks like that rumor couldn't have been any further from the truth. Jackson has signed one for not one, not two, but a total of nine upcoming movies for Marvel which will contain Nick Fury in some capacity, starting with Iron Man 2 and also including Thor, Captain America, The Avengers, any of their sequels, and even potentially a S.H.I.E.L.D. spin-off. This was announced by Marvel today and confirmed by Variety, so it's not just another rumor.

Audiences got their first glimpse of Jackson as Nick Fury at the end of the credits of Iron Man, where he appears inside Tony Stark's house and tells him about a team called the Avengers. In the blink of an eye, Jackson became the face of what is now the most integral character in tying the Marvel universe together. Even though he didn't appear in The Incredible Hulk, we knew he was there lurking in the shadows, and we knew that the Avengers was still being developed in that very same cinematic Marvel universe. Now it's great to finally know that Marvel won't be losing him ever again.

http://www.firstshowing.net/2009/02/25/samuel-jackson-signs-9-movie-deal-with-marvel-as-nick-fury/

[RatBastich]

^
Now thats the great news to read, oh yea.
Sam's gonna be seriously busy.

[JFC]

Really good to see that he's coming back as Fury. We all know the movies are going to make an absolute killing, so making the deal to entice him back was really a smart move by Marvel.