Marvel Movie Update
Jun 8, 2009 by Kofi OutlawWe’ve got up to the minute news for you on all upcoming Marvel movies in one handy bite-sized article.
There is a lot of new info about the major Marvel superhero movies floating around the Web right now, and because we at Screen Rant believe in a lifestyle of convenience, we’ve pulled together all the bits and pieces into one cohesive Marvel Movie Update.
If you’ve been wondering what’s the latest with Iron Man 2, Thor, The First Avenger: Captain America or the much-anticipated grand-slam finale, The Avengers, then be sure to keep on reading. Oh, and not to be left out of the club, we’ve got some quick recaps on what’s going on with Spider-Man 4.
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IRON MAN 2
Iron Man 2 director Jon Favreau recently got an “Atta Boy!” from George Lucas. Lucas handpicked Favreau to interview him next weekend at the Four Seasons hotel in Chicago. Favreau will also present Lucas with the Gene Siskel Film Center Visionary Award for Innovation in Filmmaking (…for making one of the greatest sci-fi trilogies of all time).
Here’s what Lucas had to say about Favreau:
Industrial Light & Magic and Skywalker Sound have had the good fortune of working with Jon [on the 'Iron Man' films]…I know firsthand that he is the type of filmmaker that crews here love to work with, because he always gives them the opportunity to break new ground.
Is it me, or does George Lucas manage to fit a plug into every soundbite he gives? Probably just me. Still, that’s a good look for Jon Favreau. You can check out everything Favreau had to say about ducking out on Iron Man 2 to interview George Lucas by going here.
Iron Man 2 villain Mickey Rourke recently opened up a bit about what we can expect from his character, Whiplash. After some unofficial concept art of the Whiplash armor surfaced online recently, Iron Man 2 fans have been keeping web pages on constant refresh, hoping to get an official glimpse of Rourke-in-armor. Well, Mickey didn’t exactly provide a snapshot of his costume, but he did recently talk to Empire about what it’s like wearing the Whiplash suit:
“It’s been really brutal, because my Iron Man suit weighs 23lb. It’s sort of a half-suit, with half my skin showing, with lots of Russian tattoos, because [Whiplash is just] out of a Russian-zone prison.”
Rourke also told The Guardian that he decided to do half his dialogue in Russian, which he is learning for the film. All and all, sounds pretty badass. And, if Jon Favreau’s Twitter page is any indication, we might be getting an official look at Mickey Rourke as Whiplash in the near future, so be sure to check back with us on the daily.
According to those same tweets, Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow is also ‘kicking ass”; Marvel president of production Kevin Feige was quoted at a recent industry conference as saying that Black Widow has “two sides” in film. Is that a refernce to her intitial entry as Tony Stark’s assistant, only to be later revealed as super-spy Black Widow? Or is it a reference (as First Showing‘s Alex Billington speculates) to a villainous betrayal by the lovely Russian spy? Guess we’ll find out when we see the movie!
Iron Man 2 is currently at the halfway mark of its shooting schedule. It’s slated to hit theaters on May 7, 2010.
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By now you should know that Thor will be played by Chris Hemsworth (Captain Kirk’s father in the new Star Trek movie); British actor Tom Hiddleston is playing Thor‘s nemisis, Loki; and director Kenneth Branagh is rumored to have tapped renowned thespian Brian Blessed to play Thor‘s father, the almighty Odin.
Kevin Feige dished that Thor will take place on both Earth and in otherworldly realms like Asgard, the mythical kingdom of the Norse gods. That claim by Feige backs up early rumors that Donald Blake, Thor‘s human counterpart from the comics, would NOT be a part of the story. And contrary to what many (read: I) thought, according to Feige, director Kenneth Branagh is NOT going to use the kind of Shakespearean dialogue that was often used in Thor comics. Are thy kidding?
On the business end, both Chris Hemsworth AND Tom Hiddleston are signed-on for multiple movies in “multiple franchises”. This is not surprising for Hemsworth (after all Thor does have to appear in The Avengers movie), but the news that Hiddleston was also included in the cross-pollinating deal hints that Loki could be up to his trickster ways in The Avengers…
Thor is gearing up for production. It’s slated to hit theaters on May 20, 2011.
THE FIRST AVENGER: CAPTAIN AMERICA
You should already know that Joe Johnston is directing. If you don’t recognize the name, Johnston’s directing resume includes family adventure films such as Honey, I Shrunk The Kids and Jumanji; inspirational films such as October Sky; action/adventures like Hidalgo and even the upcoming creature-feature reboot, The Wolf Man. According to Feige, that kind of variety is what makes Johnston perfect to helm the kind of all-around adventure film Marvel wants for Captain America.
Feige also confirmed that Captain America will be a WWII period-piece (as was long rumored), although a more fun and adventurous period-piece a la Raiders of The Lost Ark. Then came some big news: Cap’s plucky sidekick Bucky will be included in the film “in some capacity.” Should I feel good about that? Or should I be feeling a bit of “Jar-Jar” anxiety? I’m not yet sure which.
In other Cap news: comic book insider Rich Johnston over at Bleeding Cool has been keeping careful eye on the June 17th release of Captain America #600 and the July 1st release of Reborn #1, two books which are rumored to feature the resurrection of the recently deceased Captain America. According to Rich Johnston, comic book retailers are being asked to order extra stacks of the two books, as they will allegedly tie in to a “major announcement.” Johnston speculates that the announcement could potentially involve the casting of Captain America in the movie. Up until now, many actors have been rumored for the role, but there’s been little hint as to a frontrunner. Be sure to check back with us often in the next few weeks to see if they announce which actor has snagged the role.
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The last we heard Jon Favreau was possibly going to helm The Avengers movie. Only real update to report is that according to Kevin Feige, Captain America will be involved in the film from the very start – meaning we won’t have to spend half the movie waiting for The Avengers to thaw him out of suspended animation. That’s good news, in my opinion: I was worried The Avengers was going to go the “Cap appears at the end” route. That would’ve been a serious cop-out.
Other little tidbits that Feige mentioned at the conference:
- Writer Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz) is finishing up another draft of the Ant-Man script.
- Scarlet Johansson and Samuel L. Jackson are also signed on for multi-film, cross-franchise deals. Could we see Black Widow join The Avengers?
- There will soon be another Marvel film announced for the summer of 2012. The Web is already abound with rumors of what it could be. Iron Man 3? Something completely new?
- The order that the films are being released in (Iron Man 2, Thor, Captain America and finally The Avengers) is not random. There is some kind of narrative purpose to the ordering.
- Feige wants the Marvel movies to imitate the comics’ trend of surprise cameos by different characters in unexpected places. Sounds like fun to me.
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Quick updates on everything we’ve reported recently:
- Tobey Maguire will return as Peter Parker/Spider-Man. A $50 million payday and a lot of perks guarantee it.
- It’s been confirmed that Kirsten Dunst will return for Spider-Man 4 as Peter Parker’s love interest, Mary Jane Watson.
- Director Sam Raimi is already promising that he will have more creative control of Spider-Man 4 and that the film will be better than Spider-Man 3.
- Rumored villain Morbius the vampire will NOT be in the film. Will The Lizard be the creature in this feature?
- Funny story: somebody recently managed to hang a fake announcement poster for Spider-Man 4 on the floor of a major electronics expo!
Spider-Man 4 is gearing up for production and is slated to hit theaters on May 6, 2011.
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That about does it for the Marvel Movie Update on Iron Man 2, Thor, The First Avenger: Captain America, The Avengers and Spider-Man 4. Be sure to check back with Screen Rant regularly, as updates tend to come fast and furious in the summer season.
Sources: The Chicago Tribune via IESB, First Showing, Empire, The Guardian, Twitter, Bleeding Cool
Around the web:
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Let’s not forget that Kenneth Branaugh is a master when it comes to Shakespeare. He as performed it countless times on stage and has directed it before. He can make the unfamiliar language come across through actions and setting.
I think it is a cop-out. It’s not that the audience won’t “get it” it’s because the actors don’t have the chops to pull it off convincingly.
Or because even if they do it well, it will drive away audiences and work against the film from earning back it’s budget. Brannagh, is an amazing director indeed, but his films don’t typically earn mountains of cash.
I don`t know much about Thor, Avengers, or Captain America, but I think it would be cool to se some new Marvel superheroes and what they`re like on screen. I`m not a fan of Hulk, Iron Man, Fantastic 4, or Ghost Rider, or X-Men, but i`d like to try a shot at leaking to these new upcoming superhero films. I prefer superheroes that aren`t too powerful and indestructible, like Spiderman and Batman. Maybe Captain should be pretty cool, analyzing that from view he`s probably not too lower-aged. I like superheroes that can be ALL AGES. Just please don`t make Spider-man have a crossover into any of those films.
Captain America i meant
I am such a huge fan of marvel characters in general and have been blown away from the movies that have been done in the last few years. Keep em coming i say!!!!
The biggies have been made and some re-made (and or in production): X-men, spider man, avengers, Fantastic four, punisher, daredevil, and all the others I’m forgetting BUT there are a few nuggets that are not as popular in Comic Book form but could be awesome on screen, like… The Black Panther, an african king of Wakanda, with panther powers of a god? The script writes itself!
I would love to see The DEFENDERS movie. The original Lineup of the Silver Surfer, Doctor Strange, and the Hulk. Butthey would also need to include. the Valkary(a warior women from Asgard) Who was the fourth original member and a good friend of the Hulk. They could even throw in Hellcat and Nighthawk. A great enemy would be the Badoon( future rulers of Earth). Another great group was the Guardians of the Galaxy. I just hope Silver Surfer is back in a movie soon.
Marvel has so many heroes and villians to choose from they could keep making movies forever. One complaint I would have is the movies spend to much time on character developement. the movies would be much better if they got to the villians and the action a little quicker. For example the Hulk movie. I mean they have been developing the characters for 30 years and we all know them already if your a parent and you just want to get to the action if your a kid. I would love to see the Inhumans included in a future F F movie and Ultron in the Avengers.
i will see iron man 2 and thor and the avengres i will see the first avengre; captain america with captain america played by john cena im telling you john cena is cool when he plays captain america will see john cena on the first avengre; captain america and the avengres this is so exciting i will see this movies in theatres soon see ya.
with the surprize for 2012 could also be a silver surfer movie or fan 4 movie as while..either way i’m looking forward to all the string of movies coming up it seems like superheroes are taking over the big screen and all i got to say about that is its about time we see some good comic book hero films its been to long without them
The next Marvel Movie? The Thing vs The Hulk !!! It was a block-buster comic, it will be a block-buster movie.
’nuff said.