Updated Marvel Movie Release Dates

I don't think it would be that difficult to mesh Thor "fantasy reality" into the Iron Man, Capt. America, Hulk reality, after all he is jsut on another plane of reality and also in order to make the Avengers movie you need to have Thor because the Avengers was actully based on the "Big Three" - Iron Man, Capt. America and Thor, just like the Justice League is based on Dc's "Big Three" - Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman; man (Iron Man, Batman), legend (Superman, Capt. America) and myth (Thor, Wonder Woman)

Personally I would disagree with Cap being the greatest.

I think it should be just simply Captain America there is no need for anything other than his name.

Oh, and I wouldn't worry about the patriotic/nationalism issue. If someone is offended by it, who are they? And why do we care what they think? And what're they doing watching it anyway?

Captain America is not just about the United States, but about the principles of life, liberty, and freedom for all human beings, & the courage to reject the suppression/oppression of such. Noone can ever guarantee health, happiness, & other basic human needs, but noone has the right to say you can't have that. Control and suffering go hand-in-hand. One's right to live without prejudice and be treated with dignity, as a human being, not some kind of slave or piece of garbage, is paramount to our survival as a species.

These are values that civilized people share. And if that's offensive to you... then Captain America isn't for you. Just don't watch it.

Sorry for the preaching. (sigh)

I agree. "The First Avenger: Captain America" S-U-C-K-S-!-!-! ... for several reasons.

First, although he should be considered the first Avenger, he never was/is not/never will be. For those who have read the comics, Cap was found in the ice by the Avengers, so how could he be the first? The best, definitely. The first, NOT.

...Unless there is some back story that none of us are aware of? Where maybe the Avengers Initiative was originally conceived with the Super Soldier Project, but when Cap was lost & the Project was abandoned, so was the Initiative? But I'm not an expert, so how would I know? I only recall that the Avengers were created in the 60's, but Captain America was created/existed much earlier.

So far, Marvel has been doing it right, in keeping the proper chronology of their characters. Cap's wartime origin & heroic battles/final battle with the Red Skull/being frozen in the ice/being found by the Avengers/eventually joining the team, is no less important for chronology. Doing Cap's story before doing the Avengers story, not only makes sense, but maintains the consistency of the Marvel Universe.

I'd have to research further to be sure, but as far as I know, the films have held true to the comics. If we want to get technical, Iron Man was the first Avenger (unless SLJ/Nick Fury visited with someone else before showing up in RDJr/Tony Stark's living room?...).

Second, and so critically important, for the purposes of marketing/distribution, having subtitle before name would be an absolute nightmare. Just as consumers would expect to find Iron Man in the 'I' section, Thor in the 'T' section, Spider-Man in the 'S' section, FF in the 'F' section, X-Men in the 'X' section, etc, people would instinctively look for/look up "C" to find Cap, & wouldn't find a listing/product. People would be frustrated and irritated beyond belief at the stupidity and arrogance of marketing to do something like that (which would ultimately undermine sales, no pun intended).

I could accept Captain America with a subtitle, but ONLY if the subtitle was AFTER the name. They could do "Captain America: The Star-Spangled Avenger" or "Captain America: The Greatest Avenger" (although some may disagree with that one, shame on you), or "Captain America: The Ultimate Avenger" (hmm, I wonder if the reference to the Ultimates is a good thing or a bad thing...). Any of those would be acceptable to the fans & $$$-paying consumers. But NOT the reverse.

So if Marvel continues to be wise, they will not try a stupid stunt like screwing around with the title... again (eg. X2, X3, Hulk).

I don't think anyone said to change his name. We were talking about changing the name of the movie. The First Avenger sounds idiotic. They should of Simply named it Captain America.

if you change cap's name the movie will sink.
if you change anything that drastic all comic-book fans(like myself)won't see it.

keep him like he is.

dare i mention the Batman/nippels. incident.

thank god for the reboot.

I don't hate America, I hate you weakling humans!! You will all fall to the Empire!! qaPlaq!!!

Eat any good books lately, Kahless? :-)

I've been a Thor fan since I started reading comics, mainly because I like mythology. I didn't read much about Capt. America but I like any good comic book movie.

@ Vic

LOL at your story, man! Keep it real, my brother. :D

BRANAGH & THE GOD OF THUNDER?

Branagh directing Thor? I almost blew milk out my nose, and I wasn't even drinking milk at the time. Kenneth Branagh is a class act who has spent his adult life interpreting Shakspeare for the big screen. Why would he direct a comic book movie? Hmm...

1. He's 47 years old. Maybe he's going through a mid-life crisis and needs to prove that he's not stuck in his ways. He can broaden his horizons, stretch a bit, and take on projects that are a quantum leap (down) from his sophisticated reputation.

2. Hamlet smells. Marvel sells. Kenneth could use some ka-ching factor these days.

CAPT. AMERICA TITLE

Two reasons for "The First Avenger: Captain America." It might help box office sales overseas. It helps define the upcoming movie. As you know, there's another crime fighting ensemble known as The Avengers, and after seeing the marketing for The Hulk, we need all the help we can get to clarify our product!

I don't know if "cliffhanger" is a proper term. I think of cliffhangers as, like the end of Jericho Season 1, war broke out with gunfire between the two towns. Steve Rogers getting frozen in a block of ice would hardly be a cliffhanger. Incomplete, yes, cliffhanger, no.

Yeah I think it would be better with Norton(or whoever)in it. It would be easier to build the story up to the huge Hulk fight climax like it was done in the ultimates comic and avengers animated film. Wow I really can't wait and it's freaking three years away. I hope he's in it but it wouldn't shock me if he wasn't.

@ wes
I think after the last 2 Hulk films, the general public know enough about the Hulk to be able to show him without showing Banner. I always thought that the Hulk is one of the more generally recognizable characters out there, almost on the level with Batman and Spiderman. (although I could be wrong) And even if he's not, there are ways to get around showing Banner. Since all of these Marvel movies have had very specifically stylized intros that have always reminded me of the comics, they could show Banner in that way, for the last few people out there that dont understand. Briefly during the opening credits show a couple of comic frames showing Banner transform into the Hulk.
I dont know, I guess I'm reaching now. I hope that story was false though, because I think Norton did a fantastic job as Banner and I think would love to see he and RDJ together onscreen for some witty banter!

I agree that skillful direction is a must to keep these movies from turning into cheesefests. I think Marvel has done well to keep a tight grip on how their characters are presented on film.(in recent years anyway)Thor should stick to the mythological/fantasy element to succeed, but still needs to find a way to smoothly transition to current reality(movie reality anyway). Cap definitely should be set in WWII without a doubt much like it was written in the ultimates comic. I believe it will. I don't see any other option that could reasonably work. Is Louise Leterrier(I don't know how to spell his name)being considered for the Avengers? Finally, I don't think the story would be as smooth without some type of appearance by Banner. I mean is the Hulk just going to appear spontaneously?

It wouldn't be ONLY marketable here. I do agree that it will do much better here than any where else, but it can still do decent in other countries.

Why is everyone so suprised that a Cap movie may only be marketable here...

Not to doubt Branagh's talents as a Director, but I'm a bit skeptical on him actually being able to pull off something as grand and difficult as a superhero movie. After all many have tried and failed over the years...

Will he include a lot of dialogue? Then it might fall out of balance. Also as Vic, said about Favreau's comment on the series reality, I can't quite justify that grand connection to the fantasy world within the other movies i.e Hulk, IM etc.

But then... a very skilled writer and director could probably pull it off... but then who would that be?

Hearing Branagh possibly attached to direct Thor gets me a bit more stoked about it, although I've never been a big fan of the character. I also agree with Favreau in that I don't think he could mesh well with a more reality-based Avengers movie.

Vic

I have to agree... Thor could be epic... I know very little about Thor, but what I've seen, has been very fantastic in origin and the mythology behind it can pave the way to a most excellent movie.

I hope they'll pay attention to the Nordic Rune language and symbols to add that other worldly effect.

And yes.. I would be very disappointed in them choosing Brad Pitt, mostly because, Thor in most if not all the comic and cartoon depictions have been this massive Guy who's got long hair and looks like a nordic God. Hence the name Thor... ;)

I'm thinking about some muscle guy, but no one comes to mind...

I say Thor. For many reasons. One I've already seen Iron man and yes I want to see part two, but Thor would be something new. I'm also a Thor fan and I've always loved mythology. The movie sounds like it has a lot of interesting ideas behind it. Right now a lot though is hinged on the casting. I really hope they don't cheapen it by getting some guy like Brad Pitt like I saw a rumor of once.

Also to be fair I've never been a fan of Captain America and The Avengers movie is gonna be more Ironman and more Cap plus it's after Thor so I would of already seen him.

Thor
IM2
Avengers
and that cap movie with the terrible name.

@ Daniel...

You're right...

;)

Now back to the main topic...

Which of these films do you look most forward to? And why?

To be honest I don't agree with the rightfully hating the government part either. The Gorvernment is filled with lots of different people with many different opinions it's hard to expect some thing great for everyone to come out of that. I only hate specific people not the party that they are in or the country that they are from. I am a Libretarian/Republican. Yet I hate many republicans still. I even like one or two Democrats. So I don't think it's rightfully to hate a very large group of people who were put together for the sole purpose of disagreeing with each other.

@ Daniel and Vic,

I'm taking back the rightfully comment, I didn't mean it to be that negatively charged.. it's just the feeling of too much of what's happening is being Blamed on the US Government and sometimes bad things happen when people open their mouths.

I didn't mean that it's rightfully done when people hate the US, as in people, but the government. Never the people... so I just want to make that clear...

Though I understand what you mean, but strangely enough, while people say Fat Americans etc... the hatred also comes from the overuse of EuroTrash wish has sneaked into the media like a ninja slicing the integrity of the movie into shreds.

I think too much hate has been spewed left and right, the name callings just add to the overall tension and frustration of governments and other issues that often has nothing to do with the people you meet, love and care about. But sadly, the human psyche is weak and has a tendency to attack the first victim and too proud to say sorry when the harm is done...

I for one would like to say I'm sorry for my comment, I didn't mean the people but the government. Or more correctly the current government. That's all, the people in the US are some of the kindest people out there...

Again... I don't want people to over simplify when they say they hate such and such... EuroTrash is a very bad thing to say... and so is Fat and Stupid American... for the simple reason that, generalizing is not a decent thing to do. But when it comes to Governments, it's ok... after all it's one body, but then, that's in a bit of a gray area too... cause we still support our people in politics in hopes of a better tomorrow...

So... let's just look past governments and the name calling... each country in the world has something in their past or present that's horrible and best kept hidden from history..

But the people shouldn't suffer...

;)

Pretty much have to be used to it at this point. I'm more bothered by people trying to say that other countries don't hate us than I am by the hate. I mean I've dealt with the hate for a long time you get used to it, but the denial is sad.

It's funny... people talk about overseas hatred of the U.S. like it's a new thing.

I remember visiting Portugal (where my parents are from) over 20 years ago, sitting in a cafe and when some young twenty-somethings discovered my sister and I were American their tone immediately changed.

"Ohhhh, your from Amerrrrrica. Where the streets are paved with gold."

Being from New Jersey, my reply was:

"What the hell does THAT mean? Have you ever been there? I work just as hard to earn a living as you do - probably HARDER."

So other countries can hate the U.S. as much as they like. Doesn't bother me one damned bit. I'm used to it.

Vic

I agree with most of you said except the part about rightfully hating the government. Also plenty of people hate Americans just for being America. I can tell you how many times I see or hear people from other countries talking bad about all Americas in general.

"You Americans are all fat"
"You Americans are all selfish "
"All Americans think they are the only ones who matter"
"Americans are stupid"

I see and hear that crap every day. It's not just about the government there very much is a rabid hatred toward our country and the people who live in it.

However, those same people are still gonna watch this movie. Captain America is much like superman in the sense that he is an icon in more than one country. I'm not personally a fan of him but he has loads of fans all around the world and over seas the movie will make much more than 50M.

Well, the world might despise the US for what it brought on the world. But that doesn't keep them from enjoying a movie about super heroes.

Also, for the most part, people still find the American Dream (while dated) romantic and if that means, to see a man become a superhero, then they'll love it.

Of course it depends on just HOW patriotic the movie is. If there's an American flag being waves in every other scene (uniform and shield doesn't count), then maybe it might not do as well as it could. Some movies are actually adjusted when they sell it to the rest of the world. When trailers showed the American flag too much, they actually did another version with those scenes cut and by doing that they managed to hype up the anticipation of that movie.

But in all fairness... if they place Captain America between all the other Super Hero fans... I doubt they'll loose that much attention on it if they play their cards right. By that I mean, place it between the other super hero movies to mask the otherwise allergic reaction it might cause elsewhere...

I personally doubt it's going to be THAT big a deal. I doubt they want to release that movie in Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Cambodia etc... so they'll be pretty safe.

Besides, from what I understand, that movie actually wears the benefit of the other hits, meaning if it fails it's still not going to hurt them that much cause the DVD after sales will be massive. So... yeah, people rightfully hate the US Government for doing what it's doing, but then they don't hate the American people or their hopes and dreams, cause in the end, people are people and we all have secret dreams of being unique and special.

I for one am looking forward to Cap. America.. I just hope they make an awesome story and that's pretty much all I want... Screw politics... it's a superhero movie...

:)

I think that estimate is ridiculous. I really hope that your only joking. The Domestic sure maybe but the overseas. I get it everyone hates America, but come on give me a break.

My prediction Captain AMerica movie

Domestic BO = 150-200 million
Overseas BO= 10-50 million.

Why?

The Name....what's in a name you say?

Cheese ... it makes everything better.

Just to add a little more cheese to this topic...

The announcement looked like this:

“Coming off of Iron Man’s incredible success this summer, we could not be more excited about extending our relationship with Marvel,” said Rob Moore, Vice Chairman of Paramount Pictures. “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.”

"Paramount is an excellent partner and an outstanding global distributor,” said David Maisel, Chairman of Marvel Studios. “Through our experience on Iron Man, Paramount has demonstrated a passion and ability to release Marvel properties theatrically, allowing us to focus on making great movies for the largest audience possible.”

I've read that Marvel received from Paramount a so-called volume discount with regard to distibution fees under this new deal. For Iron Man, Paramount was paid 10% distribution fees by Marvel. Now that figure goes to down to near the 8% Paramount is paid by DreamWorks Animation.

Paramount was thrilled with picking up those fat distribution fees during the enormous $574 million global success of Iron Man this past summer. Now it's got a lock on Marvel Studios' coming product which should prove successful at the box office if the publicly traded indie's creative chief Kevin Feige doesn't screw it up. I'm told that Paramount and Marvel have done a big overall deal calling for the movie major to distribute Marvel's next self-produced films on a worldwide basis. The deal includes theatrical distribution in foreign territoies previously serviced by Marvel through local distribution entities (Japan, Germany, France, Spain, and Australia/New Zealand).
The movies are as follows :

Iron Man 2 (May 7, 2010) and 3 (unscheduled, though it depends on the work team for part 2, it might end up being a 2011 release but most likely 12)

Thor (July 16, 2010)

Captain America (May 6, 2011)

The Avengers (July 15, 2011).

Now these dates are tentative and one last thing about these releases... they are all connected.. I don't know if they'll actually tie in the movies, within the movie it's self or do the small end credit tag. From what I heard it's going to be more of a tie in and you'll see characters in the actual film instead of the ending.

And that's about all the cheese anyone wants on this topic for now.. ;)