Screen Rant » captain america

Marvel’s ‘Avengers’ Movie Universe: Was it Worth It?

Kofi Outlaw — Wed, 23 May 2012 13:53:44 +0000

The Avengers is officially a record-shattering box office success - a film revered by millions of fans that even managed to impress a lot of those ‘snobby critics’ out there. Here at Screen Rant we gave the film a 4.5 out of 5 star review, and filled over an hour and a half of our Avengers Podcast Special with glowing praise for writer/director Joss Whedon’s blockbuster Marvel superhero team-up. No doubt about it: Avengers is a monumental success on many levels.

However, it’s important to remember the road that led to The Avengers as Marvel Studios enters the next phase of its shared movie universe, in the build up to The Avengers 2. A few years ago, we posed the question of whether the road to Avengers was being ...

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‘The Avengers’ – SR Underground Ep. 37

Ben Kendrick — Wed, 09 May 2012 15:45:30 +0000

[Note: While this episode of the Screen Rant Underground (ep. 37) released on Monday, we wanted to bump the actual post to its regular Wednesday time slot - since we know some listeners have yet to subscribe in iTunes (what are you waiting for?) and come to the site looking for the cast each week. Just wanted to clear-up any confusion - in case you're seeing this article for a second time.]

The Screen Rant editorial team is back with episode thirty-seven of the Screen Rant Underground.

Join host Ben Kendrick as well as fellow SR editors Rob Keyes, Anthony Ocasio, and Kofi Outlaw as well as Screen Rant founder Vic Holtreman for this special edition of the Screen Rant Underground podcast as we review The Avengers and discuss what’s next for the Marvel movie universe – as ...

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Pre-’Avengers’ Superhero Solo Film Recap – SR Underground Ep. 36

Ben Kendrick — Wed, 02 May 2012 14:45:30 +0000

The Screen Rant editorial team is back with episode thirty-six of the Screen Rant Underground.

Join host Ben Kendrick as well as fellow SR editors Rob Keyes, Anthony Ocasio, and Kofi Outlaw as we chat about the new Dark Knight Rises trailer, Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci hired to rewrite The Amazing Spider-Man 2, and Fringe renewed for fifth and final season, as well as hold a pre-Avengers superhero solo film recap conversation.

Also, Screen Rant Underground is an EXPLICIT podcast. We don’t go out of our way to say controversial things or use explicit language but it does happen – ...

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Before They Were Movies: Early Attempts to Bring Superheroes to Life Onscreen

Paul Young — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 19:39:05 +0000

Both DC Comics and Marvel would have you think that big-budget, blockbuster films like Superman, Spider-Man, Batman, X-Men, Green Lantern and The Avengers are their only attempts to bring popular comic book characters into the live-action arena. They would like everyone to forget the sometimes absurd, ridiculous and often ugly reality: that there were numerous early – and failed – attempts to bring super heroes to both the big and small screens.

Over the next few pages you can read about these early superhero attempts and the actors who portrayed them on-screen. Some you may be familiar with, but we’ll bet you’ve never heard of many of them.

NOTE: This list doesn’t cover every instance of every superhero who has ever appeared on TV or ...

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5 Avengers Comic Book Stories to Read Before Seeing ‘The Avengers’ Movie

Ben Moore — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 20:29:30 +0000

There’s only one surefire way to be prepared for Marvel’s The Avengers come May 4th – and that’s by reading as many top-notch Avengers comic books as is physically possible in less than two weeks’ time.

But where, pray tell, does one start? After all, The Avengers (created by Stan Lee and Jack “The King of Comics” Kirby) is one of the oldest Marvel team books in existence, having been published for nearly half a century. Furthermore, the book has gone through several title changes, hundreds of different creative teams, and even more fictional members. It has been, on occasion, both brilliant and horrifically bad. So where does an interested reader begin his/her journey with five decades’ worth of comics to sift through?

Lucky for you, dear readers, we’re here to narrow down just some ...

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F. Gary Gray Pulls out of ‘Captain America 2′ to Direct N.W.A Biopic

Mike Lee — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 02:23:40 +0000

It’s time to play, musical chairs with the potential directors of Captain America 2. As we previously reported, the shortlist for Captain America 2 directors were F. Gary Gray, George Nolfi, and Anthony and Joseph Russo.

Quite a mixed bag of names considering that Gray has worked on films such as Friday, The Italian Job, and Law Abiding Citizen. Then there’s Nolfi, who made his directorial debut with the quiet hit The Adjustment Bureau. Finally, and perhaps the most surprising of them all, the comedic pair who brought us Welcome to Collinwood and You, Me and Dupreee, as well as a couple of episodes of Community, Anthony and Joseph Russo.

Now the field has narrowed to two, as Gray has taken himself out of the running for Cap 2 to direct a biopic about the rise of ...

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‘Captain America 2′ Confirmed For April 2014; Ant-Man Next?

Rob Keyes — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 17:56:23 +0000

In December, Marvel Studios adjusted their schedule of release dates for 2014 by moving their June time slot to and odd pre-summer date of early April. As we just found out from Disney today, that early April weekend is reserved for Captain America 2.

When actor Neal McDonough said a sequel to Captain America: The First Avenger could begin shooting as early as this year, he wasn’t joking. Read on for details and a brand new still from The Avengers!

The Avengers is done and will hit theaters in four weeks to kick off the summer movie season. Later that month, Iron Man 3 begins production and either during or just after, Thor 2 will also enter principal photography so they can both release next year. Iron Man 3 and Thor 2 will both be helmed by new directors in
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‘Captain America 2′ Director Shortlist Revealed

Sandy Schaefer — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 17:03:18 +0000

Following the release of The Avengers this year – with Iron Man 3 and Thor 2 due in 2013 – it appears likely that a second solo venture with Captain America will be the next movie on Marvel Studio’s to-do list. Screenwriting team Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely have spent over a year now plugging away at a script for the Cap sequel – and, the most recent word on the project from costar Neal McDonough (Dum Dum Dugan in The First Avenger) was that production would likely begin before 2012 draws to a close.

Hence, the next obvious step for Marvel is to secure a director for Captain America 2. However, you’ll probably be surprised to learn just who is on the shortlist of candidates the studio is said to be eying for the job ...

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The Ultimate ‘Avengers’ Mashup Trailer

Rob Keyes — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 17:51:55 +0000

For movie and comic book fans it was The Avengers who really won last weekend’s Super Bowl, with Disney and Marvel Studios displaying dominance on the movie front with the best TV spot of the big game. That short teaser came alongside the online release of the extended Super Bowl trailer for The Avengers, giving fans the best look yet at Captain America, Hulk, Iron Man, Thor, members of SHIELD and of course, some of the villains for one of this year’s biggest movies.

As epic as it was, this latest footage from The Avengers didn’t quite cut it as a new full-length movie trailer, running only a minute in length, so as fans simply wanting more, we’ve created a brand new trailer for you to correct that problem.

The official trailer for The Avengers released ...

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VES Awards 2012: The Winners List

Kofi Outlaw — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 18:31:53 +0000

We discuss visual effects a lot here on Screen Rant – what looks good, what looks bad, etc. – and so, we thought it only fitting to let our readers know about those films that were recognized at the 2012 Visual Effects Society (VES) Awards. The annual event recognizes outstanding visual effects artistry in 23 categories of film, animation, television, commercials, special venues and video games.

With 2011 movies like Transformers 3, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Captain America, Hugo, and animated fare like Kung Fu Panda 2, Puss In Boots and Rango all sporting some impressive visual splendor, the big winners of the night were somewhat of a surprise – while others weren’t that surprising at all.

In what is sure to ...

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‘Captain America 2′ Could Begin Production By Late 2012

Sandy Schaefer — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 17:21:39 +0000

With The Avengers owning 2012 all to itself – along with Iron Man 3 and Thor 2 having already staked out the separate halves of 2013 as their own – it’s been assumed that Captain America 2 is the most likely candidate to snag one of the two 2014 release dates that Marvel Studios has already claimed.

According to Captain America costar Neal McDonough, who plays the bowler-capped Dum Dum Dugan, filming on the (currently) director-less sequel is slated to begin before 2012 comes to a close. Such a move would both pave the way for Cap’s next solo venture to reach theaters by 2014 – and, set the stage for production to begin on one of the many other single Marvel character-centric vehicles being developed right now.

IMDB Television was chatting ...

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Answered: Which Studios Own Which Marvel Characters

Carl Lee — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 17:50:50 +0000

[We first published this article three years ago, but with the recent rumblings of a cameo by a certain superhero in The Avengers, we thought it might be a good time to bring this to your attention once again. - Editor]

With X-Men Origins: Wolverine a little under three weeks from release, we here at Screen Rant thought an overview of all Marvel properties (and possibilities) might be in order. Though the new independent studio is now producing their own films, solely distributed by Paramount Pictures, there are a number of iconic characters still residing at Hollywood’s other major studios.

Now that the film division of Marvel Entertainment exists, we’ve seen questions around the inter-webs about certain properties and copyrights concerning top-tier Marvel characters. Many readers have been calling for Wolverine to cameo in the expected 2012 film ...

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‘The Avengers’ Will Be Told From Captain America’s Perspective

Sandy Schaefer — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 18:26:51 +0000

It’s easy to joke about how the teaser trailer for The Avengers makes Joss Whedon’s superhero ensemble look like another Iron Man movie, considering that Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) got all the snappy lines and as much, if not more, screen-time than anyone else. Downey can dominate a scene like few others, so there’s legitimate reason to be concerned that he might overshadow his peers in Whedon’s film.

How then do you take Downey’s charisma into account and prevent that from happening? Well, if you’re Whedon, you simply let The Avengers be told from someone else’s perspective.

Here is what Whedon told EW, about his approach to structuring the Avengers‘ narrative:

“I set out with a very simple problem: There is no reason for these people to be in the same movie. So that’s ...

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‘The Avengers’ Surprise Villain Revealed by Toyline?

Kofi Outlaw — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 20:25:02 +0000

Now that 2012 is upon us, movie fans and comic book fanboys alike are going to be getting downright giddy over the fact that Marvel’s superhero team-up film, The Avengers, is (finally) going to hit theaters.

Despite multiple rumors and set photos/videos leaking onto the Internet, Marvel Studios has by and large done a good job of keeping Avengers plot details shrouded in secrecy. But now, it seems that a major detail of the film may have been spoiled – and the culprits, once again, are toys.

Needless to say: IF YOU ARE TRYING TO AVOID AVENGERS SPOILERS, STOP READING NOW!!!

Just days after an Amazing Spider-Man toyline seemingly revealed what The Lizard ...

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Screen Rant’s Top 10 Favorite Movies of 2011

Sandy Schaefer — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 19:06:52 +0000

There’s a fine (and sometimes non-existent) line between what constitutes a great movie and a “favorite.” We all have films we absolutely love and re-watch over and over, imperfect though they may be; conversely, we may really admire and respect the quality of a widely-recognized “classic,” but it’s not the sort of flick we feel the need to see more than once or twice.

We’ve settled on a list of 10 movies released in 2011 that the Screen Rant staff not only admired, but flat-out enjoyed. Bear in mind, this isn’t synonymous with a “best of” list for films that hit theaters over the past year. These are simply the ones that we deemed our favorites.

Read on for our top 10 choices, along with 5 honorable mentions that almost made the cut. As always, let ...

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Creative Differences Are Knocking Directors Out of Marvel Movies

Rob Keyes — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 16:15:36 +0000

Marvel Studios now has five movies under its belt, with a sixth coming next summer in The Avengers, two confirmed for 2013 and another pair of unannounced films scheduled for 2014. All of these movies exist in a shared universe, taking part in an ongoing continuity with an overarching storyline running congruently in the background.

While seeing movies follow the comic books in this respect makes The Avengers possible, this strategy does also have its downside as we saw most evidently in Iron Man 2. Each movie by Marvel Studios must follow certain guidelines and must include certain characters portrayed in a very specific way, thus restricting the creative freedom of the filmmakers and talent involved.

Combine this lack of creative freedom with ...

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SR Underground Ep. 16: ‘Summer Movie Leftovers’

Ben Kendrick — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 16:00:44 +0000

The Screen Rant editorial team is back with episode sixteen of the Screen Rant Underground.

Join host Ben Kendrick as well as fellow SR editors Rob Keyes, Anthony Ocasio, and Kofi Outlaw as we chat about Star Trek 2 villain troubles, Fox campaigns for Andy Serkis Rise of the Planet of the Apes Oscar, the end of Showtime’s Dexter, as well as revisit a few of our favorite, and least favorite, summer film releases (such as Green Lantern and Transformers: Dark of the Moon).

Screen Rant Underground is available in the iTunes Music Store (where you can subscribe as well as download individual episodes) but if you’re not near your home computer, check out our sixteenth episode in the player below. As mentioned in previous posts, we’re still in the early stages of developing the show – so cut us ...

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The Best & Worst Movie Posters of 2011

Paul Young — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 21:12:11 +0000

Every year, literally hundreds of films are released around the world, and movie posters are one way studios promote these films. Some posters are fantastic – showing the creativity of the artist and/or studio promoting the film. Others are just lazy and unoriginal, showing nothing more than images of the main characters staring intently into space. Others still are just laughably and ridiculously bad, showing that almost no thought or effort went into making them.

There were over 1,000 movie posters released this year, but since there isn’t a central database containing every poster, there is a chance we might have left out your favorite. Still, we managed to sort through the dreck and mundane offerings to bring you what ...

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New ‘Avengers’ Banners; Marvel Confirms Alan Silvestri as Composer

Sandy Schaefer — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 18:07:55 +0000

Marvel superhero comic book movie fans will have to wait until February 2012 to get their next fix, in the form of Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance. However, the next big Marvel cinematic events is (of course) writer/director Joss Whedon’s The Avengers, which should be getting a full-length trailer sometime sooner, rather than later.

However, in the meantime, we have a pair of new Avengers characters banners for you to check out – along with some official confirmation from Marvel that (as was previously reported) composer Alan Silvestri is indeed scoring Whedon’s superhero extravaganza.

On the off-chance you’re new to this whole Avengers thing, here is the official plot synopsis:

When an unexpected enemy emerges that threatens global safety and security, Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), Director of the international peacekeeping agency known as S.H.I.E.L.D., finds himself in need of a team to pull the world back from the brink ...

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DVD/Blu-ray Breakdown: October 25, 2011

Mike Eisenberg — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 19:50:32 +0000

This week brings some great titles to DVD and Blu-ray. Comic fans will be happy to see Captain America fill out the Marvel universe on home video as The Avengers continues to pick up steam in the headlines.

Attack the Block turned heads as the sleeper action movie of the summer and Winnie the Pooh gave families something to fall in love with. But this week’s real stars are the Blu-ray re-releases.

Jurassic Park finally makes its way to high definition and Francis Ford Coppola’s The Conversation earns high marks with a great transfer.

The following titles can be found on DVD and Blu-ray.

NEW RELEASES

Captain America (in 2D and 3D) – Marvel’s latest addition to ...

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