Capes on Film

'The Grey' Director Talks Nolan and The Dark Knight

2012-01-29T00:31:00.002-05:00

Joe Carnahan, director of the new film, The Grey, and Liam Neeson, the film's star, spoke with MTV News about Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy. It's only a 30 second video, but still of interest because Carnahan is planning to helm another superhero, err, villain movie - Mark Millar's Nemesis. From this interview, it's not difficult to see who Carnahan's influence might be going into that project. Carnahan has also let it be known that he would like Neeson to portray a character named Blake Morrow in Nemesis

Get More: Movie Trailers, Movies Blog

"What Chris had to rescue, the doldrums from which he had to rescue the Batman franchise, were considerable. I mean, that's like diving down into the center of the Earth and pulling up [gold]. I just think he did a remarkable job of that. And the proof is in the pudding. Those movies are absolute character studies disguised as superhero films, which I think are great." - Joe Carnahan

The Avengers - Prop Replicas Go on Sale This Summer

2012-01-28T16:26:00.001-05:00

More high quality, limited edition superhero movie collectibles are on the way! We've learned that eFx Inc. has purchased the rights to make replicas of props used in Marvel's The Avengers, and oh man, they look cool.

Of course, these babies will set you back a few dollars, with prices ranging from $49 to $1500. Examples of items that will be available include Iron Man's helmet, Thor's hammer and Captain America's shield. Samples of these prop replicas will go on display at Anaheim, California's Wonder Con from March 16 to 18.

Here's how eFx described their Marvel collectibles in a press release -

"The Marvel universe is extraordinary, diverse and exciting -- just like Marvel’s fans around the world, and we are really eager for them to see what we are creating with guidance and input from the Marvel team. Marvel’s comics and movies offer virtually endless possibilities for absolutely incredible prop replicas." - Bryan Ono, president of eFX Inc.

Thanks to CBR for the heads up.

'The Amazing Spider-Man' Synopsis Revealed

2012-01-26T14:31:00.000-05:00

The tagline for The Amazing Spider-Man is "The untold story", and a lot of people (including myself) assumed that phrase referred to the mystery surrounding Peter Parker's parents. Where did they go? How did Peter wind up an orphan living with his aunt and uncle? The trailer released a few months ago hinted at the story surrounding Mr. and Mrs. Parker, but now Columbia Pictures has released the official synopsis of the film that fills in some gaps.

From Columbia Pictures:

"The Amazing Spider-Man" is the story of Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield), an outcast high schooler who was abandoned by his parents as a boy, leaving him to be raised by his Uncle Ben (Martin Sheen) and Aunt May (Sally Field). Like most teenagers, Peter is trying to figure out who he is and how he got to be the person he is today. Peter is also finding his way with his first high school crush, Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone), and together, they struggle with love, commitment, and secrets. As Peter discovers a mysterious briefcase that belonged to his father, he begins a quest to understand his parents' disappearance – leading him directly to Oscorp and the lab of Dr. Curt Connors (Rhys Ifans), his father's former partner. As Spider-Man is set on a collision course with Connors' alter-ego, The Lizard, Peter will make life-altering choices to use his powers and shape his destiny to become a hero."

I really like the idea of exploring the backstory concerning the Parkers' past, and I love how they're going to weave Dr. Connors/The Lizard into the intrigue surrounding their disappearance. Yeah, I dug Sam Raimi's take on Spidey, but I think this version might make for a more intense, less comicbooky feel. Bring it on!

The Amazing Spider-Man opens on July 3, 2012 in the USA. Click here for other countries.

Thanks to MTV for the heads up.

Have an Early Look at Cool Collectibles from 'The Dark Knight Rises'

2012-01-24T17:54:00.001-05:00

Aw yeah, Batman, Bane, and Catwoman 12 inch statues and six inch action figures from The Dark Knight Rises? Yes please, I'll take one of each. Thanks to the toy collector site, Idle Hands, we have a sneak peek at some of the ultra cool TDKR collectibles headed our way in June. Apparently, there's a big toy fair taking place in the UK, and somebody did us all a favor a scanned some early promo material from a catalog. Check out the Idle Hands site for all the info on these items that are sure to be in your comic shop this summer.

Thanks to ComingSoon.net for the heads up.

The Dark Knight Rises - As a Cartoon?

2012-01-24T00:01:00.000-05:00

Are you tired of mash-ups that use the soundtrack or images from The Dark Knight Rises trailer? Of course you're not, because anything having to do with The Dark Knight Rises is cool. Case in point, this sick animated version of the official trailer that's almost a shot for shot remake of the original - only it uses scenes from Batman: The Animated Series. A big thank you to the Daily Blam for the heads up.

Remembering Heath Ledger, 4/4/79 - 1/22/08

2012-01-22T23:29:00.002-05:00

Today (Jan. 22) is the fourth anniversary of Heath Ledger's death and we can't let it pass without some sort of tribute. While he had several critically acclaimed roles, his Oscar-winning turn as The Joker in 2008's The Dark Knight will always be remembered as a triumph. It's not an overstatement to say his work in that film raised the standard for acting for an entire movie genre and it's one from which other actors will constantly draw inspiration. Controversy surrounded his death, but nothing can tarnish this jewel of a performance. Rest in Peace, Heath.

New York Times Obituary, Heath Ledger, January 22, 2008

Nic Cage Says New 'Ghost Rider' Is No Sequel

2012-01-22T02:35:00.000-05:00

We haven't talked much about Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance here lately, so let's get caught up on what ol' flame skull has in store when he hits the screen on February 17 (USA, UK). I saw where Nicolas Cage had a sit down with Total Film last week and apparently wanted to distance this movie from 2007's Ghost Rider. I thought the first movie did a decent job of introducing the character and wasn't as awful as some thought, even though Cage's hair was a bit distracting. Anyway, I think Nic wants you to put that movie out of your head when you see this latest offering.

“I don’t see this as a sequel at all,” he told us (Total Film). “I see this as Ghost Rider: Spirit Of Vengeance. The other movie was Ghost Rider. This movie is Ghost Rider: Spirit Of Vengeance.”

"Johnny Blaze is in a much different place in this movie,” explains Cage. “It’s a much edgier, almost cynical interpretation compared to the first Ghost Rider. Because in that movie, Johnny was trying to keep everything at bay, to keep things from erupting.”

Read more at Total Film

The impressive trailer for the new Ghost Rider raised expectations from fans who wanted to see a more intense, edgier film than the first outing. I have to admit, from the looks of it, Spirit of Vengeance might actually kick some major ass this time around. The chase scenes almost have a Road Warrior vibe going on and the supporting cast that Cage has around him is top notch, including Thor's Idris Elba. Not only that, David S. Goyer wrote the screenplay, and he was involved in the writing of all three of Christopher Nolan's Batman movies.

Here's my last bit of Ghost Rider info to pass along today - there's some speculation that this movie will be sort of a passing of the torch - pun intended. We know that the plot involves Johnny Blaze (Cage) trying to save a boy named Danny Ketch from being sacrificed in some sort of Satanic ritual. Now, it just so happens that in the comic book source material, there was a second Ghost Rider after Blaze - and his name? Daniel Ketch. The film makers might have just used that name as an Easter egg for long-time fans or it might be a hint that the next Ghost Rider movie will begin a new chapter with a new Rider. For a detailed article on the whole Danny Ketch angle, checkout ScreenRant. While you're waiting for the flick to open next month, have a look at the trailer again and let me know what you think.

'Chronicle' - New Movie Has Super Powers, but No Capes

2012-01-20T16:33:00.000-05:00

Okay I admit it, sometimes I really wish I had a super power. Most of the time, I wish for X-ray vision, but I don't want to digress too much, so I'll save that topic for another time. Anyway, if I had some type of super power, I hope I act a little better than the characters in the new movie, Chronicle.

Last week, I mentioned Chronicle because its director, Josh Trank is close to being given the reins of the huge Fantastic Four re-boot. So all of a sudden, Chronicle is generating a lot of buzz because Trank is about to get the FF job. What's Chronicle about? First of all, it's filmed in the "found footage" style, like The Blair Witch Project and Cloverfield. One of the main characters is recording everything that happens on his phone camera. It's also in the genre of other "realistic" superhero movies and TV shows like Heroes and Hancock. You know, the type of shows that try to portray how people with superhuman abilities would really act.

Chronicle is the story of three high school students who develop super powers after they go wandering inside a weird crater of some sort that they find in the woods. Let's just say, when they discover they have a power, they don't follow Peter Parker's do-gooder example. I've collected all of the preview clips and the official trailer below, so you can decide if it's worthy of all the pre-release hype. Personally, I think it looks pretty cool. Who hasn't wondered what it would feel like to have a superpower and what they would use it for? The way these characters abuse their power in the clips has me thinking about what separates a superhero from a supervillain. Hmm, food for thought. How about it? Are you planning to see Chronicle when it opens, or is it a "wait for Netflix" type of movie?

Chronicle stars Michael B. Jordan, Dane Dehaan, and Alex Russell.
It opens in the USA on February 3.

Get More: Movie Trailers, Movies Blog

It's Batman vs. Bane in a Lucha Libre Brawl!

2012-01-19T16:59:00.000-05:00

Gotham Luche Libre by Timothy Lim

Just wanted to share this awesome poster I found on the deviantArt page of illustrator, Timothy Lim - AKA ninjaink. Think they could sell a few tickets to this? Maybe Christopher Nolan could go back in the studio and film one more scene for The Dark Knight Rises. Please?

Check out ninjaink's page. He has tons of images like this posted.

"“Mucha Lucha: El Caballero de la Noche III” is a Hispanoamerican sporting event set to take place on July 20. It will pit two of the world’s most formidable intellectual and physical rivals in a no-holds barred Rage-in-the-Cave match to the finish. Tickets have already been sold out months ahead of its anticipated date. The event will be broadcast in IMAX and internationally."- Timothy Lim (ninjaink)

Stop PIPA / SOPA!

2012-01-18T01:16:00.001-05:00

I'm posting this on my site Wednesday, January 18 to protest the proposed legislation in the United States - the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) in the U.S. House of Representatives and the PROTECTIP Act (PIPA) in the U.S. Senate.

I support the following statement from Google, and if you are a U.S. citizen, I encourage you to sign the "Stop PIPA/SOPA" petition here

"Fighting online piracy is important. The most effective way to shut down pirate websites is through targeted legislation that cuts off their funding. There’s no need to make American social networks, blogs and search engines censor the Internet or undermine the existing laws that have enabled the Web to thrive, creating millions of U.S. jobs."

Rob Liefeld Says He's Seen R-rated 'Deadpool' Footage

2012-01-16T02:46:00.000-05:00

Deadpool - Marvel Comics

The long-talked-about movie starring Deadpool got some internet buzz recently. Rob Liefeld, who co-created the character with Fabian Nicieza, was at a comic convention on January 8, and had some interesting quotes about everyone's favorite mentally unstable mercenary. Ever since Deadpool appeared as one of the villains in 2009's X-Men Origins: Wolverine, news occasionally pops up about a movie in which Ryan Reynolds would reprise his role from Origins. We know the movie has a screenplay and a director, but so far, there's no word on a start date.

As it turns out, there might be movement on this film that's been kept under wraps. At the Amazing Arizona Comic Con last week, Liefeld gives us a major tease by spilling the beans on some test footage that he claims to have seen. Read the quote below from Reelz.com, and decide if you think Liefeld's telling the truth, or if it's just wishful thinking on his part. I'm undecided, but it seems unlikely that news about this test footage wasn't leaked sooner. If what he says is true, I'm sure we'll be hearing much more soon.

"They’ve got a great director on the movie, they’ve got a great script. I may or may have not have seen some sort of test of footage that would blow your mind if you saw it and you go, 'Holy crap,' and that’s Deadpool in costume. Katana swords, guns, shooting people’s faces off and making me laugh. And I may or may not have seen something that looks just like that. And you’ve got what would amount to the first R-rated X-Men movie. Because that script is R-rated. ... They may or may not have wanted to shoot about eight minutes of the movie to see how it would play. And all I can tell you is, it’s close. It’s closer than it’s ever been to going [into production], or going, 'Nah, that’s too scary a proposition to make an R-rated Deadpool movie.'" - Rob Liefeld

You can watch a video of Liefeld's entire panel discussion here

Some information in this article can be found at http://www.reelz.com/movie-news/12864/deadpool-movie-creator-rob-liefeld-teases-blow-your-mind-test-footage/

Director Joss Whedon Talks Captain America and 'The Avengers'

2012-01-15T02:31:00.000-05:00

Entertainment Weekly had some interesting quotes this week from Joss Whedon, director of The Avengers (May 4) - about Captain America and how the movie is seen from his point of view. To fans of The Avengers comic books, it's probably not a surprise that Cap (as played by Chris Evans) will be a central focus of the movie, since he was the team leader in the books. One of my favorite things about the Avengers series was how the extremely independent heroes would put aside their disagreements when things got hairy and look to Cap for leadership. I'm hoping the same holds true for the movie. Although the EW article doesn't really go into Cap's leadership of the team, it does shed some light on how much of the movie is centered around him.

Here's what Whedon told EW about Cap's place in The Avengers -

“So much of [The Avengers] story takes place from Steve Rogers’ perspective, since he’s the guy who just woke up and sees this weird-ass world,” Whedon says. “Everyone else has been living in it. He’s the guy that feels that sense of loss.”
Marvel Entertainment- art by Alex Ross

“[Captain America] is kind of the ultimate loner in that way. There is an anachronism to him, and Chris and I have always tried to, without making it goofy or too obvious, make him that same grounded ’40s Steve Rogers he was in the other movie.”

So, to boil it down - it sounds like we'll see the movie unfold through Cap's eyes as he adjusts to our modern society and faces the fact that he's alone in the world. To me, this sounds like a brilliant way to construct the film. Having Cap as the focus gives the audience a character for whom they can have empathy and it gives the movie a human element to balance out the green rage monsters and space gods. How about you? Do Whedon's quotes give you any thoughts on how Captain America might be presented in The Avengers? If so, let's hear 'em.

Source: Entertainment Weekly

'Fantastic Four' Movie Might Have Its Director

2012-01-14T01:52:00.000-05:00

Fantastic Four - Marvel Comics, art by Terry Dodson

Josh Trank

Variety has reported that 20th Century Fox might have lined up the director for the next Fantastic Four movie. Josh Trank is the man who insiders say is very close to being given the reins to the FF flick. Trank is the director of Chronicle, which is set open on February 3 in the USA. Chronicle also happens to deal with a group of super-powered individuals - a trio of high school students who, according to the movie's site "...find their lives spinning out of control and their bond tested as they embrace their darker sides."

"Trank has had several meetings regarding the project, but with his debut feature still three weeks away, insiders tell Variety that Fox is expected to wait to see how "Chronicle" opens over Super Bowl weekend before extending an official offer." - Variety

For a sample of Trank's work, check out the Chronicle trailer below.

Some information in this article can be found at http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118048639

What's up with 'The Wolverine'?

2012-01-13T01:56:00.000-05:00

The Wolverine is a movie that's been on the radar for at least two years, but we really haven't heard much about it lately. Originally, filming was supposed to start in the spring of 2011, but it was delayed because of natural disasters in Japan, where many scenes were going to be filmed. The start date was then pushed to the fall of 2011, but a schedule conflict for star, Hugh Jackman, nixed those plans. (Jackman signed onto the musical version of Les Miserable.)

If you recall, about this time last year, the movie had another delay. A year ago, fans were going nuts over the announcement that Darren Aronofsky (The Wrestler - Black Swan) had been hired to direct, and then in March he left the project. The search for a new director put the movie on the back burner for a few months, but then Fox hired James Mangold (Girl, Interrupted - Walk the Line) in June 2011. Recently, I've been wondering if the movie was already filming or if any start date had been announced. So, after doing a search for the latest news, it sounds like summer of this year is when the cameras might finally roll. That's according to statements from the film's producer, Lauren Shuler Donner, but she stresses that it's all up to Jackman's schedule. The movie's IMDb page has 2013 as the only info regarding when it will open.

If you're not quite up to speed on The Wolverine, here's a little info -

The movie is not a sequel to 2009's X-Men Origins: Wolverine. It's going to be a stand-alone story in which Logan/Wolverine travels to Japan to search for the truth behind his origin. It's at least partially based on the classic 1982 comic book run by Chris Claremont and Frank Miller. In that story, Wolverine also tries to win back the woman he loves while battling her samurai sword-wielding family. Will that part of the story be included? Nobody knows, yet.

Here's how Mangold described the movie to MTV News -

"I was just really intrigued by the script and the project and the boldness of making a really personal Wolverine movie. But it's also more of a journey for the character in a completely foreign land and more of a mystery and an adventure than it kind of is another save the world X-Men film."

Some information in this article can be found at
http://screenrant.com/wolverine-2-release-date-rob-121675/
http://www.reelz.com/person/120691/james-mangold/news/

The Dark Knight Issue of EW Hits Stands Friday

2012-01-12T02:41:00.001-05:00

Christian Bale is sporting the new, improved Batsuit on the cover of this week's Entertainment Weekly, and if the cover copy is to be believed, we'll see even more new pics from The Dark Knight Rises. Being called "this year's hottest movie" - as the magazine says- is high praise indeed when you consider how rare it is for the third movie in a franchise to get that type of hype.

“I can tell you the truth because I’m done with it: I felt immense pressure,” Christian Bale tells EW. “And I think it’s a good pressure, because you owe it to the films — and the people’s expectations — to make great work.”

Check out the Dark Knight issue of Entertainment Weekly when it hits stands Friday, Jan. 13.

Also this week, it was reported that some theatres are already selling tickets to the midnight showing of TDKR on July 20! You might recall when Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol opened a few weeks ago in IMAX theatres, a six minute TDKR prologue attached to it. (Sidenote - About 40 minutes of footage in TDKR was shot with IMAX cameras and to get the maximum effect of that technology, it's best to view it in theatres with a 70mm IMAX projector.) Well, it turns out the fan response to that prologue was so great, some IMAX theatre operators in New York and Los Angeles made tickets available to the July 20 midnight screening of TDKR, and guess what? Yep, they they sold out instantly. Now, Fandango is selling tickets to other IMAX midnight screenings of TDKR.

So, what does that mean for everybody who's counting the days until the third and final installment of Christopher Nolan's masterpiece? It means if you live near an IMAX theatre, stay on top of the Fandango ticket availability in your area and buy your tickets waaay early. If these early ticket sales are any indication, we can expect sold out IMAX shows in some of the larger cities for at least the first few days.

You can find your nearest IMAX theatre by going to Fandango.

Thanks to ScreenRant for some of the information in this article.

A Guide to 'The Avengers' Movie Now Online

2012-01-10T02:03:00.000-05:00

Now that 2012 is finally here, I think we can safely say that opening day for Marvel's The Avengers is just around the corner (May 4 in USA, April 27 in UK) - so it's a perfect time to get caught up on all the news surrounding this mega-event. Now, honestly if I tried to compile everything there is to know about The Avengers, I probably would finish the article about the time the sequel was opening. The movie was first announced in 2005, and since then hardly a day has gone by without some news regarding its progress.

Fortunately, Total Film took on the huge task of creating a time-line of sorts - they call it The Avengers: The Complete Guide - it explains how the movie got from the concept stage to finished product in about six years. The author, George Wales, did a great job of connecting all the Marvel movies that've lead up to The Avengers and giving a little backstory info on the main players.

The only problem is, the article consists of fifty slides and can take almost an hour to read. Knowing that most people might not want to invest that much time, I've listed a few key quotes and hope that you bookmark the Total Film article. Be sure to check it out when you have the time.

The article collects quotes from all of the stars regarding their characters and how he or she fits into the whole picture. Here's a few choice lines -

Thor - played by Chris Hemsworth

Hemsworth says - “Thor has more of a personal investment. It's not just some bad guy that he's gotta take care of; for him, it's family. There's a sense of, 'I'll beat him up and teach him a lesson, not you guys.' It's the first time in ages since he's seen his brother, and it's amongst all this chaos.”

"I think Thor’s motivation is much more of a personal one,” explains Hemsworth, “in the sense that it’s his brother Loki that is stirring things up. Whereas for everyone else, it’s some bad guy who they’ve gotta take down. It’s a different approach for me, or for Thor. I’ve been frustrated with my brothers at times, or family, but I’m the only one who is allowed to be angry at them. There’s a bit of that.”

Hulk - played by Mark Ruffalo

Director, Joss Whedon, speaking about Ruffalo -

“He was my first and only choice for Bruce Banner," Whedon told MTV. "I'm stunned that we landed that, just stunned. He has what I remember loving about the show, he invites you in in a way that [no] other performer has since Bill Bixby. He is a guy who's been beaten up by life, but not defined by that. That’s what I want from Bruce Banner, is a guy who’s still getting it done, even though he has his problem.”

Ruffalo on the Bruce Banner/Tony Stark dynamic -

“No one wants to set him off except for Iron Man, who just wants to see him pop,” reveals Mark Ruffalo. “It’s funny, there’s a really cool dynamic between Stark and Banner. They’re a lot alike in a strange way. They’re both these kind of scientists who are mavericks, kind of renegades. Banner, for all his mild-mannered mythology, he’s still the dude who was testing some pretty crazy shit on himself, so he has that rebel streak in him.”

Captain America - played by Chris Evans

“That’s where he is gonna get some conflict,” agrees Chris Evans. “It’s gonna be about not just adjusting to the fact that every human being he knows is dead, but adjusting to the evolution in society, and how modern values and morals have changed. But Cap’s not a complainer. He doesn’t whine. So it’s gonna be a matter of finding conflict but without moaning.”

Whedon speaking about writing the Cap role -
“I am the guy who loves Cyclops on the X-Men, because he is square,” admits Whedon. “[Captain America] is a little square, and he is aware that he is a little square, and he is aware that the world is a beat ahead of him, or in his case, 70 beats. I think that's very disarming and very charming. I relate to that guy. I also don't know who the popular singers are right now, so he is actually really easy for me to write.”

Hawkeye - played by Jeremy Renner and Black Widow - played by Scarlett Johansson

“I like [Hawkeye] because he isn’t a superhero,” he (Renner) told MTV. “He’s not a guy in tights doing his thing, he’s just a regular dude with a highly trained set of skills. I think that’s kind of cool, and I can actually connect to that more than if he was flying around with a codpiece on.”

“Our characters have a long history,” confirms Scarlett Johansson. “They've fought together for a long time in a lot of battles in many different countries. We're the two members of this swinging group who are skilled warriors - we have no superpowers.”

“It's a lonely game,” agrees Renner. “[Hawkeye’s] an outcast. His only connection is to Scarlett's character, Natasha. It's like a left hand/right hand thing. They coexist, and you need them both, especially when it comes to physical mission.”

Some cool quotes there, yeah? Believe me, the Total Film article is a treasure trove of more Avengers info, so give it a look. Meanwhile, as always, gimme a heads up if you've seen any other great Avengers articles that deserve some love.

Some information in this article can be found at http://www.totalfilm.com/features/the-avengers-the-complete-guide/thor

What Lies Beyond 'The Dark Knight Rises'

2012-01-05T02:40:00.001-05:00

Fan-made poster byGuy Bourraine, Jr

Thanks to Forever Geek for the heads up about these images. Guy Bourraine, Jr. created these posters for a live-action Batman Beyond film that will probably never be made. However, as Forever Geek points out, Warner Bros. has committed to re-booting the Batman franchise once the Christopher Nolan-helmed trilogy is complete - of course the last installment is The Dark Knight Rises, which is opening this summer. Granted, it might be a tad early to speculate about what the next film version of Batman will be, but what the hell - it's fun.

Full disclosure here- I'm not very familiar with the DC Animated Universe, which the Batman Beyond TV series was a part of, but from what I've seen, I think the story would translate quite well into a live action movie.

Batman Beyond (known as Batman of the Future in Europe, Australia, Japan, and Mexico) is an American animated television series created by Warner Bros. Animation in collaboration with DC Comics as a continuation of the Batman legacy. Depicting the teenager Terry McGinnis as a new Batman in a futuristic Gotham City under the tutelage of an elderly Bruce Wayne, the series began airing on January 10, 1999, and ended its run on December 18, 2001. (from Wikipedia)

Fan-made poster by Guy Bourraine, Jr

Of course, Batman Beyond is not the direction Warner Bros. will take the Bat franchise, but that leads into the question - What are WB's plans for the post-Nolan Dark Knight? Although Nolan will be involved in future Bat films, I think it's safe to assume they won't resemble the current trilogy. Do you think WB will follow Sony's Spider-Man strategy and re-tell the origin story and pretend the first trilogy never happened, or do they try to maintain some connection to the Gotham that Nolan created in his films? I try to keep up with the latest rumors surrounding the future of Batman films, but if you've read any articles that might offer clues as to the direction WB is headed, I'd love to hear about them.

Wanna Know the Surprise Villain in 'The Avengers'?

2011-12-31T17:02:00.001-05:00

Tom Hiddlestone as Loki

We all know Thor's seriously disturbed and vengeful brother, Loki, is the main villain in Marvel's The Avengers - but will he have help wreaking destruction on the world? According to an article on Heat Vision, he just might. Seems a previously seen baddie from another Marvel movie is going to raise his ugly mug again in the battle against Hulk, Iron Man, Captain America, and Thor.

As often happens with superhero movies, the merchandisers start promoting their products and inadvertently giving away spoilers long before the movie opens, and that's the case here. It looks like a toy company has released a promo that shows the (up until now) surprise villain in The Avengers.

If the report is accurate, this is a big spoiler, but if you can't stand the suspense, check the rest of the post after the jump.

Yes, it's none other than the Red Skull (played by Hugo Weaving), who was last seen in Captain America: The First Avenger and who seemed to die at the end...but did he? Personally, I think the teaming up of these two super-villains would be a brilliant plot twist because they both have revenge on the mind and could only hope to defeat the assembled Avengers if they work together. What about this possible team up? Will it help make The Avengers the biggest and coolest movie of 2012?

Read the Heat Vision article HERE

Looking Back on 2011 - Plus New 'Dark Knight' Pics

2011-12-24T22:24:00.001-05:00

Poster from Marvel's The Avengers

Looking back on the year that was, the superhero movie that dominated the news in the first half of 2011 was Marvel's - The Avengers. In March, word started leaking about the Avengers screenplay - with some people in the know, such as director, James Gunn, calling it the best Marvel movie script to date. In April, we started getting reports from New Mexico, where the film was being shot - then, at the San Diego Comic Con, Marvel unveiled character posters that amped up fan interest even more. Later in the summer, we got our first look at the Avengers trailer when Captain America: The First Avenger opened on July 22.

Beginning in August, The Dark Knight Rises started taking over the headlines with almost daily reports from shooting locations in Pittsburgh and New York. In the early fall, on-set spy videos appeared on the web, showing TDKR being filmed, and immediately went viral. Then, as we got closer to the big holiday movie season, TDKR director, Christopher Nolan and some of the cast started giving interviews that whetted fans appetites for anything and everything Bat-related.

So, here we are on Christmas Eve, and The Dark Knight Rises is still the hottest movie topic on the web, thanks to the release of the official trailer on Monday (Dec. 19). As if we needed any proof that TDKR is red hot - according to Apple, the trailer smashed the record for number of downloads on its iTunes Movie Trailers site in a 24 hour period.

From The Hero Complex -

The trailer went online at 10 a.m. Monday morning and was viewed more than 12.5 million times in the next 24 hours, breaking the previous record — held by the trailer for Joss Whedon’s “The Avengers” — by well over 2 million.

Now, perhaps as a holiday gift to the throngs of Bat devotees, Warner Bros. has released this batch of images from TDKR that gives a good look at the new and improved Batsuit and baddie, Bane. Granted, these pics appeared in an issue of Empire magazine a few weeks ago, but if you missed em then, here's another chance to take in the coolness.

Trailer for 'The Dark Knight Rises' Now Online!

2011-12-19T23:23:00.000-05:00

Fan-made poster by Andrew - deviantART

"When Gotham is ashes", a seemingly victorious Bane says to a battered and bleeding Bruce Wayne, "you have my permission to die."

That's one of the quotes from the first full length trailer for The Dark Knight Rises. When I saw the trailer this weekend in the theater, it looked magnificent on the big screen, and fortunately Warner Bros. has released it online today. Take a look at what Christopher Nolan and company have in store for us next summer - and while you're at it, explain to me why Wayne appears to be a captive in some sort of prison. Very interesting...

Thanks to The Hero Complex for the heads up

Scarlett Johansson on Her 'Avengers' Role

2011-12-16T14:44:00.000-05:00

Scarlett Johansson talks to MTV News in the video below, about the Black Widow's screen time in The Avengers. Of course, the Widow is a supporting character and her story won't get as much attention as Thor, Captain America, Iron Man, and Hulk, but it sounds like she'll still play a key role.

“There are a lot of people to serve in that, for sure,” she told MTV News during the "We Bought a Zoo" junket. “The Widow has a great story. I think Joss did a great job of weaving together all these characters’ stories. It was no small feat for him.”

Get More: Movie Trailers, Movies Blog

Joe Simon - Captain America Co-creator Dies at 98

2011-12-16T00:00:00.000-05:00

Joe Simon (Oct. 11, 1913 - Dec. 14, 2011)

Like comic fans everywhere, I was sad to hear about the passing of Joe Simon, earlier today. Mr. Simon was, of course, the co-creator (along with artist Jack Kirby) of Captain America, one of the most popular and legendary superheroes of all time. I can only imagine the excitement that issue #1 of Captain America Comics caused when it hit the stands in 1941. Cap was so immediately popular, that he was one of the first superheroes to be featured in a live action motion picture, with the release of a 15 chapter serial in 1944. Unfortunately, the filmmakers made many changes to Simon and Kirby's creation, but the serial is still an interesting artifact from that era.

This year, Cap made a triumphant return to the big screen in Captain America: The First Avenger, and the movie earned both critical praise and was a hit with public - making over $368 million at the worldwide box office. Below, I've re-posted an article about that first serial that I wrote some time ago.

Here's what Axel Alonso, editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics said in a statement regarding Mr. Simon -

"Among many accomplishments in the comic book field, Joe Simon co-created one of the most enduring superhero icons -- indeed, American icons -- of the 20th Century. If there ever were a superhero who needed less explanation than the red, white and blue-clad Captain America, I've yet to see him,"

Captain America poster - Republic Studios (1944)

Captain America (1944), a Republic serial, was loosely based on the character created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby. According to the film's Wikipedia entry, many changes were made to the original story. This has lead some film historians to believe the screenplay was actually a rewritten version that was meant for another character called The Copperhead.
Note - The title in the trailer is The Return of Captain America because Republic Studios often changed titles when serials were re-released. This clip is from the film's re-release version.

Some of the major changes from the Captain America comic book (source: Wikipedia):

His secret identity is District Attorney Grant Gardner rather than U.S. Army Private Steve Rogers

The "Super-Soldier Serum" origin is not used.

His famous shield does not appear, replaced by a standard gun.
Despite the fact that this serial was made in 1944, and Captain America regularly fought Nazis in the comics, the Nazis are not part of the story in any way.
His sidekick, Bucky, does not appear.

If you'd like to check out the entire serial, all of the chapters are available on YouTube.

Fan-made Posters - Batman, Spider-Man, Avengers

2011-12-14T00:26:00.002-05:00

by Ryan Luckoo

Check out this collection of posters from Toronto-based artist, Ryan Luckoo. According to his deviantART page, he wanted to create some images for the most anticipated movies of 2012, and I think he nailed it. Of these three, I think the most striking is the one for The Dark Knight Rises. I like the way he combines Bane, Batman and Gotham City into one instantly recognizable symbol - and it perfectly conveys the serious, dark tone of the Christopher Nolan trilogy. To see more of Luckoo's work, click on his name below each image.

by Ryan Luckoo

Amazing Spider-Man Poster is Revealed

2011-12-10T00:52:00.001-05:00

Thanks to SuperheroHype, we got an early look at the first official poster for The Amazing Spider-Man, starring Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone, and it definitely has a mysterious vibe. If this image is any clue, we're in for a darker (perhaps creepier) Spidey tale than we've ever seen before.

Two things are worth noting with this poster - first, there's no Spidey logo or title (besides the shadow), which is an interesting choice. Just guessing, but apparently Sony Pictures believes the spider shadow alone is so recognizable that a title is unnecessary - after all, everybody knows who Spidey is, right?

Second cool thing about this poster are the words "the untold story". Again, I'm speculating here, but I think that's referring to the story of how Peter Parker was orphaned and wound up being cared for by his Aunt May and Uncle Ben. I'm not being a spoiler, because the trailer that was released months ago hints at that in the first few seconds. (see below) We already know that Richard and Mary Parker (Peter's parents) will appear in the movie, so I'll wager that their backstory is a big plot element. Think I'm wrong? Let me have it in the comments.

We only have to wait until July 13 to find out.

Was the First Superhero Movie Made in 1920?

2011-12-08T01:03:00.000-05:00

This week, I've been reading Comic Book Comics, which is a history of comic books in, you guessed it, comic book form. It's published by Evil Twin Comics and is available in both paper and digital format. Why am I telling you this, you ask. To begin with, I think it's a very well-written series of books (six in all) and deserves a plug. Besides that, it inspired me to think about the early days of comics, because it does a great job of explaining the timeline of how comics as we know them today, came into being - and a part of that history involves Hollywood.

The Mark of Zorro

The author, Fred Van Lente, points out the influence that one movie in particular had on the creation of the first comic book superhero - of course, that being Superman. Van Lente pulls together all of the things that influenced Superman's creators, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, in the early 1930s - such as Philip Wylie's novel Gladiator and Edgar Rice Burroughs' John Carter of Mars books. However, the one film that Van Lente includes as a major inspiration for Superman is 1920's The Mark of Zorro, starring Douglas Fairbanks. In just a few panels, Van Lente and artist, Ryan Dunlavey, explain how Fairbanks, after reading Johnston McCulley's 1919 novella, The Curse of Capistrano, created the screen version of Don Diego Vega and his heroic alter ego Zorro. They point out that Fairbanks created Zorro's signature "Z" sword mark for the film - *sidenote - was this the first instance of a character having an instantly identifiable symbol, something that in a few years would be standard issue for all superheroes? Van Lente and Dunlavey contend that Zorro's "Z" was the inspiration for Superman's "S" chestplate. They also draw a parallel between another element from the film and one of Superman's key characteristics - that element being Zorro's "populist class consciousness". In other words, Zorro's defense of the lowly peasants against rich landowners might have inspired Siegel and Shuster to make corrupt businessmen and politicians Superman's earliest foes.

Evil Twin Comics

So, why is this bit of comic book/movie history important? Two reasons. First, it highlights the earliest example of what I like to call the "symbiotic relationship" between film and comic books. The more I study the history of comic books, the more convinced I am that movies have influenced the medium in ways that many fans aren't aware of. For example, I recall reading how Citizen Kane (1941) inspired some of the legendary comic book artists to try new techniques in order to emulate Orson Welles' classic film. Now, it's like we've come full circle - comic book-inspired films are dominating the box office, so the comic book half of this pop culture beast is influencing the film half.

Here's the second reason I think it's important to re-consider The Mark of Zorro in the context of comic books - It reminds us of how nothing is created in a cultural vacuum. As Van Lente and Dunlavey show, even the greatest superhero of all was an amalgamation of elements from at least half a dozen creations that had come before. I think it's good to bring this up sometimes, because I often hear critics complaining about how this movie or that book seems similar to a previous one. I always like to make a clear distinction between something that's draws inspiration from a previous work and an outright copy. Of course, that opens the door to a debate about all the characters that Superman has "inspired" over the decades, and that's a debate we'll save for another post.

While I'm on the subject of comics and movies, I'll throw this question up for debate - If we slightly stretch the definition of what a superhero is, could we consider The Mark of Zorro the first superhero movie? I admit, except for the clip below, I haven't seen the film, but from descriptions I've read, it wouldn't be out of place in a collection of other films in the superhero genre - a lone hero with highly honed fighting skills, a mask and costume, an identifying symbol (the "Z"), a secret identity, fighting for the oppressed...sure sounds like a superhero. I know, Zorro is considered a "pulp adventure hero", but it's interesting to look at that 1920 movie and wonder how much impact it had on Siegel and Shuster, and other early superhero creators. Have you ever thought about these early film influences on Golden Age comic book writers? If you have any opinions on the subject, feel free to start a discussion in the comments.

SNL Spoofs The Dark Knight

2011-12-04T23:01:00.001-05:00

Steve Buscemi

Steve Buscemi hosted Saturday Night Live on December 3, and in this hilarious take on Batman's freaky ability to pop up when you least expect it, he plays Commissioner Gordon to Andy Samberg's Dark Knight.

Dark Knight / Dragon Tattoo Mash-up Fills Today's Awesome Quota

2011-12-02T14:02:00.001-05:00

Fan-made poster by Andrew - deviantART

So help me, I can't resist any mash-up featuring the Christopher Nolan Batman trilogy. Today we have one that uses the soundtrack from The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and damn if it doesn't fit perfectly with the stunning visuals. The music is a cover of Led Zeppelin's The Immigrant Song, as performed by Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, and Karen O. Kudos to the YouTuber who made this.

Gary Oldman on 'The Dark Knight Rises' Villain Choice

2011-11-24T01:58:00.001-05:00

Gary Oldman

Earlier this week, I mentioned Christopher Nolan's and Tom Hardy's thoughts on the choice of Bane as the primary villain in The Dark Knight Rises. Now, it's Gary Oldman's turn to say why he thought Bane, who is largely unknown to most movie-goers, was the right pick. Oldman, who will reprise his role as Police Commissioner Gordon in TDKR, sat down with MTV News to promote his upcoming movie, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, which is opening on December 9 in the USA. Of course, he was asked about TDKR, and while he was understandably reluctant to say much, he did talk briefly about why one of the better known Batman villains wasn't chosen.

Get More: Movie Trailers, Movies Blog

"Well, I think it was smart of Chris to go with a lesser known villain becauseHeath [Ledger]'s performance, first of all, it's the Joker, we all love the Joker in Batman. Heath's performance was so dazzling that you've got to think, "How the hell do I top it?" Instead of going for The Riddler, instead of going for Penguin and all that kind of...he's gone a slightly different way with the story. I think he's got enough smarts and enough class...I know this much about Chris Nolan — he wouldn't make a third [just] for the sake of it." - Gary Oldman

Thanks to ReelzChannel for the heads up.

'The Dark Knight Rises' Info from Nolan and Hardy

2011-11-22T01:53:00.001-05:00

Christian Bale/Batman - Empire magazine

I don't know about you, but I really think there's been a dearth of Dark Knight Rises-related photos, rumors, and spy videos lately. Juuust kidding - of course it seems like nary a day goes by in which something having to do with Christopher Nolan's final Batman epic makes news. However, this week is different, because we actually have info (not rumor) about the movie that's been a closely guarded secret up to now. The latest issue of Empire magazine is hitting the stands this Thursday (Nov. 24) and it'll have a major article on TDKR, including an exclusive interview with Nolan, in which he reveals important plot details and character info about the villain, Bane - played by Tom Hardy.

Tom Hardy/Bane - Empire magazine

Here's a couple of highlights that Empire released on their site, but to get the full scoop, you'll have to pick up the mag. The quotes below are a tad spoilery, so read at your own risk.

Nolan on when the film takes place and the choice of Bane as the villain -

"It's really all about finishing Batman and Bruce Wayne's story... We left him in a very precarious place. Perhaps surprisingly for some people, our story picks up quite a bit later, eight years after The Dark Knight. So he's an older Bruce Wayne; he's not in a great state."

"With Bane, we're looking to give Batman a challenge he hasn't had before...With our choice of villain and with our choice of story we're testing Batman both physically as well as mentally."

Tom Hardy on what type of villain to expect in Bane -

"He's a big dude who's incredibly clinical, in the fact that he has a result-based and oriented fighting style," he said. "It's not about fighting. It's about carnage. The style is heavy-handed, heavy-footed, it's nasty. Anything from small-joint manipulation to crushing skulls, crushing rib cages, stamping on shins and knees and necks and collarbones and snapping heads off and tearing his fists through chests, ripping out spinal columns. He is a terrorist in mentality as well as brutal action."

Read the entire article at the link below.
News On The Dark Knight Rises | Movie News | Empire:

'Super' - Review and Commentary

2011-11-17T18:00:00.000-05:00

Rainn Wilson/The Crimson Bolt - Ellen Page/Boltie

Today, I thought I'd take a brief look at the 2011 film, Super. This is not intended to be a comprehensive analysis or a breakdown of the film, instead, I'm going to give my overall reaction to it and point out a couple of things I found interesting. Hopefully, if you've seen the movie, this article will launch a discussion in the comments section about the film's merits, or lack there of.

I feel sorry for James Gunn, the writer and director of Super. He probably conceived the idea for a weird, twisted, violent take on the superhero genre many years before finally releasing his movie in the spring of 2011. Unfortunately for him, exactly one year earlier, someone else released a weird, twisted, violent take on superheroes - that, of course, being Kick Ass. If Gunn had released Super, let's say, three years earlier, it might have gotten much more notice, but let's face it, the exact same audience Super was aimed at had already seen Kick Ass. So, Super had a major hurdle to get over right from the start - trying to convince people it wasn't a Kick Ass re-tread. I won't go into the similarities between the two movies here, because it would take too long and deserves a separate post.

If you haven't gotten around to seeing the movie yet, here's a brief synopsis-

Super is the story of Frank D'Arbo (Rainn Wilson), who loses his wife to a sleazy drug dealer, and decides to win her back by becoming a superhero. He cobbles together a costume, fashions a weapon out of a huge pipe wrench, and reluctantly takes on a young female sidekick. The mayhem and violence grows more and more extreme as Frank will stop at nothing to rescue his wife from the evil-doers.

Whenever I review a movie, I always like to start by pointing out some of the positive aspects before I go into the things I had a problem with. First - the cast - James Gunn must be either very persuasive or likable, or both, because Super boasts a cast that many films with ten times the budget would love to have. Besides Rainn Wilson in the starring role of Frank D'Arbo, it has Ellen Page as the sidekick, fresh off her performance in Inception, Kevin Bacon as the drug dealer, and Nathan Fillion, who plays a TV superhero called The Holy Avenger.

Another highlight (and frankly, my favorite part of the movie) is the opening title sequence - a funny, high energy, animated clip from a studio called PUNY, which also does work on the Yo Gabba Gabba! children's show. Check out the clip below -

Because it sounded like a crazy, fresh take on the superhero genre, I really wanted to like Super. I respect what Gunn was trying to do with the film. He was trying to get us to look at superheroes in a new way, by twisting some of the tropes of the genre. For example, showing what would really happen if an average Joe decided to don a costume and start bashing bad guys with a wrench. However, there were several things about the movie that I found so distracting and poorly thought out, that it prevents me from highly recommending it to anyone who does not have an interest in the superhero genre.

Right off the bat, a major plot point made no sense and had me shaking my head. Frank, the wannabe superhero, is supposedly a nerdy guy who watches a lot of cartoons and even a superhero show called The Holy Avenger. It's reasonable to think Frank would be knowledgeable about comic book heroes, but when he goes to a comic book shop for advice, the clerk (Page) has to explain to him who Batman and Iron Man are. That scene soured me on the film, because it seemed like there was no attempt to make Frank's learning process believable. There were other weak spots in the script like the previous example - Why would an adorable, young woman (Page's comic shop clerk) be instantly attracted to an obviously disturbed thirty-ish loser who wanders into her shop? Part of the problem might've been in the casting. Honestly, I might've found it more believable had Gunn cast an actress who was not quite as beautiful as Page in the role. Let's face it, if a big, goofy nerd walks into a shop and Ellen Page falls for him, the nerd's missing wife would be nothing more than a distant memory.

Another sticking point with me was Frank's unbalanced mental state, which caused him to become The Crimson Bolt (his superhero moniker). Just some of Frank's mental health issues include - terrible self-esteem, a complete dependence on his wife's affection for his happiness, uncontrollable anger, delusions, and most likely, schizophrenia. I'm not saying that mental disorders can't be compelling character traits, but instead of rooting for Frank to reach his goal of saving his wife, I just wanted him to seek therapy. In other words, there was no one in the film for whom I could feel any empathy, least of all Frank.

Another element that Gunn included that seemed unnecessary was a running gag about an ultra-conservative religious TV program called The Holy Avenger. Nathan Fillion plays the Avenger, and his main purpose seems to be preventing teens from having pre-marital sex and other sins of the flesh. Frank watches the show and is somehow inspired by it, but except for one scene in which he prays for help, we don't see much evidence that Frank is a highly religious sort. The Holy Avenger segments were meant to offer some comic relief, but they came across to me as just Gunn's way of including a not-very-funny anti-Christian joke into a movie that really had very little to with religion otherwise.

Despite Super's weak spots, and some gruesome scenes that require a strong stomach, I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in the superhero genre. Even though I didn't find the experience especially enjoyable, there were enough interesting elements to make it worthy of any discussion of superhero-inspired films. For example, Gunn's use of extreme violence throughout the movie could raise questions about how comic book-style violence is portrayed in mainstream superhero movies. His decision to make Frank's sidekick an innocent-looking young woman with a violent, sadistic side, might be disturbing, but maybe it says something about the lack of realism, or lack of strong female characters in the big-budget cape movies. Final thought - When the history of superhero movies is written many years from now, Super will definitely earn a spot as one of the strangest examples of the genre ever made.

Joss Whedon Talks about His Version of Wonder Woman

2011-11-13T01:58:00.001-05:00

Wonder Woman by Brian Murray

Last week, Joss Whedon, sat down for a lengthy and interesting interview with Rookie, and from it, we got some great info of the superhero-variety. Whedon (who we all know is at the helm of only the biggest superhero movie ever, The Avengers - opening May 4, 2012), took a break from his post production work on that film to talk about one of his upcoming projects, a re-telling of Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing. The article is interesting simply to read how Whedon decided to make Much Ado on a whim, while on a break from The Avengers shoot.

However, during the interview, Whedon was also asked about his attempt at writing and directing a film version of Wonder Woman, which he was all set to make for Silver Pictures and Warner Bros. back in 2007. Unfortunately, that movie, like many other attempts before it, never escaped from development hell - Whedon claims no one at Silver Pictures liked his script. So, in the Rookie interview, he gives us a thumbnail sketch of what his Wonder Woman would've been like.

Angelina Jolie - Whedon's Wonder Woman inspiration

"She was a little bit like Angelina Jolie [laughs]. She sort of traveled the world. She was very powerful and very naïve about people, and the fact that she was a goddess was how I eventually found my in to her humanity and vulnerability, because she would look at us and the way we kill each other and the way we let people starve and the way the world is run and she’d just be like, None of this makes sense to me. I can’t cope with it, I can’t understand, people are insane. And ultimately her romance with Steve was about him getting her to see what it’s like not to be a goddess, what it’s like when you are weak, when you do have all these forces controlling you and there’s nothing you can do about it. That was the sort of central concept of the thing. Him teaching her humanity and her saying, OK, great, but we can still do better."- Joss Whedon

I've always thought Wonder Woman would be one of the more difficult superheroes to bring to the big screen. Besides her rather convoluted origin story the movie must reboot, the film makers also have to battle the legacy of the beloved 1975-1979 TV version starring Lynda Carter. I have to wonder if Whedon, who is known for his compelling female characters, can't pull it off, what chance does anyone else have? Any ideas on how a Wonder Woman film could be made that stayed true to comic book origins while making it relevant to modern audiences? I'm sure the folks at Warner Bros. would love to hear it.

Thanks to ReelzChannel for the heads up

'The Dark Knight Rises' Invades New York

2011-11-06T22:11:00.003-05:00

via Film Magic

Okay, this is a tad spoilery, but really, how often do we get such awesome behind-the-scenes views of one of the biggest movies in years, namely, The Dark Knight Rises? So, having been warned, let's go!

via Just Jared

Christopher Nolan and company took over major chunks of The Big Apple over the weekend (Nov. 4-6), and with the help of a few hundred extras, transformed Wall Street into total anarchy. While none of the real-life Occupy Wall Street protesters were anywhere to be seen, Batman nemesis, Bane, and his hordes of followers battled Gotham's finest in the huge street brawl shown in these videos.

This first clip shows a bird's eye view of the chaos as seen from the ninth floor of a New York office building and was shot by Twitter user @deannabee ...

...and the clip below shows a ground level shot of the mayhem on what appears to be the same day's filming, and was shot by Twitter user @justonpayne

This clip is a little puzzling because it shows the rioters fighting hand to hand with the police, which isn't exactly realistic police procedure, as far as I know. Nolan always strives for realism, so it'll be interesting to see how this scene plays out in the film. If anyone has heard any background info that might shed some light on these clips, I'd love to hear it.

Thanks to Collider for the heads up

Muppets and Avengers Trailer Mash-up

2011-10-28T00:56:00.000-04:00

Disney/Marvel Studios

Okay, so The Muppets aren't one of the usual subjects that appear on this site, but this trailer for their upcoming movie is too good to miss. The folks at Disney have given Kermit, Miss Piggy and the rest, the voices of Robert Downey Jr., Samuel L. Jackson and everyone else from the recent trailer for The Avengers. The only question is - Where's Super Grover when you need him?

The Muppets opens in the USA on Nov. 23.

Thanks to ScreenRant for the heads up

Superhero Flicks That Coulda Been

2011-10-26T01:32:00.000-04:00

Fan-made poster for Superman Lives - by David Nastula

Storyboard art from James Cameron's Spider-Man - Source

I make a point to highlight articles on superhero movie history that I happen to stumble across - and today I have a good one. Over on Forever Geek, Robin Parrish has compiled a list of cape flicks that almost made it to the screen, but for one reason or another they were trashed in the development process. It's fun to look
at some these never-produced projects and wonder - "what if"?

Darren Aronofsky
Could his Batman have topped Nolan's?

What if James Cameron (Titanic, Avatar) had actually made a dark and gritty version of Spider-Man instead of Sam Raimi's lighter approach? What if Wolfgang Petersen (Air Force One, The Perfect Storm) had been allowed to film the ultimate team-up featuring Superman and Batman? What if a pre-Black Swan Darren Aronofsky had re-booted the Batman franchise using a drastically changed origin story? Those are the types of questions that make for excellent argument fodder, and are part of what makes being a movie fan so cool.

After reading Robin's article, you might be interested to check out my previous post about James Cameron's ill-fated Spidey movie and Tim Burton's trademark weird take on Superman in his aborted reboot of the Supes franchise.

11 Superhero Movies That Never Escaped Development Hell | ForeverGeek:

Marvel Studios Boss Talks New Heroes in 'Avengers' Sequel

2011-10-22T01:43:00.000-04:00

Marvel Studios

Tom Hiddleston (Loki)

Last weekend (Oct. 14-16) at the New York Comic Con, IGN got some great info on The Avengers from Marvel Studios head honcho, Kevin Feige. From what Feige said in the interview below, it looks like we'll be seeing some new heroes join the line-up when the inevitable Avengers 2 hits the screen in a couple of years. Oh, by the way, if you're interested in what kind of mayhem Loki (Tom Hiddleston) might unleash in The Avengers, be sure to watch the video - Feige has some great teasers on that as well.

When asked about who we might see in a sequel, here's what Feige had to say -

"Absolutely. That's the fun of it -- introducing new characters," said Feige when asked point blank whether fans should expect a change-up to the roster. "Seeing: 'How will things change after Iron Man goes through his next adventure? After Thor goes through his next adventure? If we do another Cap adventure, how will things change? The dynamic between them? Their own worlds? So that the dynamic in Avengers 2 is actually quite different than it is in the first one."

More The Avengers (2012) Videos

Mark Ruffalo (Bruce Banner/Hulk) Featured in NY Comic Con 'Avengers' Clip

2011-10-19T01:41:00.001-04:00

Mark Ruffalo - Marvel Studios

According to UnderWire, last weekend at the New York Comic Con, several minutes of The Avengers featuring Mark Ruffalo (Bruce Banner/Hulk) were shown to a lucky audience. As far as I know, this was the first time any Hulk-centric clips have been released publicly, so I was curious to hear what was shown. From the description of the sneak peek in the UnderWire piece, it sounds like a skeptical and jumpy Banner (who appears to be hiding out in the Middle East) is approached by Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow) to join SHIELD as some sort of scientific advisor. Bruce is having none of it, though, as he suspects a trap is being laid to capture the Hulk.

Hopefully, Banner/Hulk will get a substantial amount of screen time in The Avengers because I think he's the most intriguing character in the movie. I'm especially interested to see how the screenwriters devise a way for Hulk to be controlled or reasoned with in order for him to become a member of the team. Maybe in another trailer, we'll get a few more hints as to how they accomplish that feat. For now, we'll have to be satisfied with this little teaser.

Below is a brief section from the article describing the Ruffalo scene, and you can read the full piece here

Marvel Studios
A little girl runs down the street, through a nondescript Middle Eastern village and into a city. She runs upstairs into a crowded house and starts begging for help from the doctor. The camera pans to reveal Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) standing over a group of very sick patients. He asks if her family has what these poor folks have as well. She says yes and holds up a fist of cash. Bruce follows her.

Cut to Bruce and the little girl standing in front of a rundown shack. She runs forward, but Bruce holds her back and turns around, just as a jeep full of military personnel drives by. Bruce hides his face.

Bruce then follows the little girl into the remote home, far away from the crowded city we saw moments ago and into a shack. He walks through the door just in time to witness the little tyke jump out the window. He immediately knows it’s a trap, “Should have got the money up front, Banner.”

Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) steps out from behind the shadows. “For a man who’s trying to avoid stress, you picked a hell of a place to do it.” She’s not in her usual Black Widow catsuit. Instead, she’s wearing a long dress. She introduces herself as Natasha Romanoff.

Bruce shakes his head, “You brought me to the edge of the city. Are you here to kill me Miss Romanoff? Because that’s not going to work out.”

“I’m here on behalf of S.H.I.E.L.D.”

“What if I say no.”

“I’ll persuade you.”

“What if the other guy says no.” (Crowd goes nuts.)

“You’ve been two years without an accident.” They continue to argue a bit and Natasha reveals that Nick Fury needs Bruce’s help with a Tesseract rock, which has enough energy to wipe out the planet. They can’t find it and they need the best gamma ray scientist for the job. She continues to try to win him over stating, “No one is going to put you in a cage.” But at that moment Bruce loses it. “Stop lying to me!” he yells as he slams his hands on on the table. (Crowd goes nuts again.) - Meredith Woerner, UnderWire

And if you want a mega-dose of Marvel Madness, check out the entire Avengers Q/A panel from the New York Comic Con below.

Behind-the-Scenes Action from 'The Dark Knight Rises'

2011-10-14T02:06:00.001-04:00

Don't ask me who shot this video, but kudos to whoever it was. It's over three minutes of action from The Dark Knight Rises, on a night time shoot in Los Angeles.

Watch Christopher Nolan and Batman in action with the batwing! Insane footage of Batman on the batpod being chased by more then 60 cop cars! - via the batmansaga

Thanks to ComicsCavern for the heads up.

'The Avengers' Trailer Online!

2011-10-11T13:36:00.000-04:00

Marvel Studios

Sneak Peek at New 'Avengers' Footage

2011-10-11T00:27:00.000-04:00

The Avengers - Marvel Comics - painting by Alex Ross

Thanks to SpaceGhost at comicbookmovie.com for posting this sneak peak at tomorrow's Avenger's preview on Entertainment Tonight.

Michael Fassbender Really Wants that 'X-Men:First Class' Sequel

2011-10-09T17:45:00.000-04:00

Michael Fassbender - 20th Century Fox

Get More: Movie Trailers, Movies Blog

Micheal Fassbender is on the interview circuit promoting his new film A Dangerous Method, but of course he's going to be asked about the X-Men: First Class sequel. In this interview with MTV News, he mentions how much he'd like to take another swing at an X-Men picture, and praises director, Matthew Vaughn, and co-star James McAvoy.

Robert Downey Jr. - 'Iron Man' changed everything

2011-10-09T01:43:00.001-04:00

Robert Downey Jr. - Marvel Studios

When the history of superheroes in cinema is written in some distant decade, Robert Downey Jr. might be singled out as the actor who had the biggest influence on the genre. In 2008, his funny, self-absorbed, sexy, and yes, heroic turn as millionaire Tony Stark in Iron Man launched the *Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Iron Man made several Top Ten lists in 2008 and won over many people who thought they'd never go see a "comic book movie". Of course, RDJ also starred in the very successful Iron Man sequel in 2010 and will join forces with fellow heroes in The Avengers in 2012, followed by Iron Man 3 in 2013. So, it's not a stretch to say that RDJ is the actor that an entire "movie universe" depends on.

I was reminded of RDJ's impact on the superhero genre this week, when I read a great interview that Geoff Boucher of the Los Angeles Times recently had with the actor. In the article - originally posted on Boucher's blog The Hero Complex- RDJ gives some candid opinions about his career, and discusses many of his early films, such as 1985's Weird Science and Tuff Turf, as well as his Oscar-nominated role in Chaplin (1992). However, some of the most revealing statements in the interview deal with Iron Man, and how the role completely altered his life - in a good way.

Below is a sample of the interview and you can read the full article here -

Iron Man (2008) and Iron Man 2 (2010):"The first one changed everything for me and with the second 'Iron Man' there were certain aspects that were dissatisfying and disappointing to me but at least they lit me right.... [The first one] was a meditation on responsibility and an exploration of how a small group of people can take a two-dimensional idea and, if the winds are right, create something that makes people say, 'That was my favorite movie of the year.' To me, Tony Stark's story is a karma story and a technology story. I love a good action movie — a Steve McQueen or Tom Cruise or Clint Eastwood, Bruce Willis or Mel Gibson in the right spot, and you smile and say, 'That's what this kind of movie is all about.' There were two times in my life I prepared for something manically, it was this and 'Chaplin.' I became the expert on this guy." - Robert Downey Jr. to Geoff Boucher, LA Times 9/9/11

If you need a reminder about how good RDJ was in the one that started it all, check out the clip below.

The Merchant of Death
Iron Man— MOVIECLIPS.com

*(From Wikipedia) The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a shared fictional universe that is the setting of superhero films independently developed by Marvel Studios, based on characters published in Marvel Comics. The setting is much like the Marvel Universe in comic books. The universe was established by crossing over shared plot elements, settings, cast, and characters. Five films set in this shared universe have been released theatrically: Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk in 2008, Iron Man 2 in 2010, and Thor and Captain America: The First Avenger in 2011. An additional three planned films are in various stages of production as of September 2011: The Avengersis in post-production and Iron Man 3 and Thor 2 are in development.

Spider-Man Film History 101

2011-10-02T02:14:00.003-04:00

The Amazing Spider-Man - Columbia Pictures (2012)

One of the things I wanted to do when I began this site was to write or curate articles dealing with the long history of superheroes in cinema. While my output of original material has been...ahem, less than prolific, there are a lot of talented people out there who have done some great work recently.

Case in point, io9 posted a well-researched article by Charlie Jane Anders that summarizes nearly thirty years of ill-fated attempts at bringing Spider-Man to the big screen. Some of the knowledge that Anders drops in this piece might stump the most die-hard movie fan. I was surprised at how little I knew about Spidey's Hollywood history.

Poster for the never-made Cannon Spider-Man movie (1990)

For example, did you know that the very first attempt at making a Spider-Man live-action movie was in 1976 and would've included a 100 foot tall robot, Nazis, and the death of Gwen Stacy? No? Not surprising since it never made it to the production stage. Sounds like it would of been pretty cool, though.

How about this one? Bet you didn't know that Roger Corman, producer of B movie "classics" like It Conquered the World and Little Shop of Horrors, came close to making his Spidey movie in 1982. Had it been made, it would've been based on a screenplay by Spidey co-creator, Stan Lee.

Of all the failed attempts at a Spidey flick, the James Cameron version is the one that probably would've been the coolest. He actually wrote a script in 1993 that strayed quite a bit from the comic book (including the first use of organic webshooters), but unfortunately, the movie rights to Spidey got tangled up in a long court battle, and the movie was scrapped.

Pre-production image from James Cameron's ill-fated Spider-Man movie (1993)

Of course, Spidey finally got his blockbuster movie in 2001 thanks to Columbia Pictures and director Sam Raimi, but it was a long, strange trip to get there. It's hard to believe that it took so long. Just think of all the terrible action movies, featuring lame characters, that were made during the time people were trying to make a Spider-Man film. Fortunately, now we have the 2012 franchise reboot, starring Andrew Garfield, to look forward to, and from the early trailers, it looks fantastic. Meanwhile, if you want to catch up on your Spidey-on-film facts, click on the link at the bottom of this article.

While some of the info in the io9 article might be known to long-time Spidey fans (such as James Cameron's screenplay from the early '90s) some of the facts are pretty obscure. If you want to learn the complete history of superheroes in the movies, here are the three books Anders references in his article -
Stan Lee and the Rise and Fall of the American Comic Book by Jordan Raphael and Tom Spurgeon

Superman vs. Hollywood: How Fiendish Producers, Devious Directors, and Warring Writers Grounded an American Icon (Cappella Books) by Jake Rossen

Comic Book Heroes of the Screen by William Schoell.

Thanks to:
http://io9.com/5843007/the-secret-history-of-spider+man-movies

New Clip From 'Batman: Year One' Animated Movie

2011-09-21T16:49:00.000-04:00

Batman copyright DC Comics - Painting by Alex Ross

Aw yeah, this looks good. Check out the just released clip from Batman:Year One - the direct-to-video film from DC Universe Animated Original Movie line. It's based on the classic run of Batman comics from Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli, and features the voice talent of Ben McKenzie, Bryan Cranston and Eliza Dushku.

Thanks to CBR for the heads up.

If you missed it, below is the trailer from Year One

Experts Proven Wrong - World Loves 'Captain America' Movie

2011-09-17T01:28:00.000-04:00

Paramount/Marvel Studios

Note* I'd like to thank Mandy Southgate at Addicted to Media for inviting me to guest post this article. For insightful reviews and commentary on the entertainment world, there are few bloggers that can match Mandy. Stop by and see for yourself.

Earlier this week, Paramount and Marvel Studios announced the box office tally for Captain America: The First Avenger (CA), and much was made about its strong showing overseas. The Hollywood Reporter ran a story with the headline "Box Office Shocker" - implying that many experts thought Cap would get a lukewarm reception outside the USA. As it turned out, it actually earned more abroad than it did at home. It did especially well in Latin America and Europe. In the UK, the movie had a strong showing, but Thor proved more popular with $22.5 million in ticket sales to Cap's $15.5 million.

As THR reported -

To date, the superhero tentpole has grossed $178 million internationally, compared to $173.5 million at the domestic box office. The overseas tally includes a strong $5 million opening in China over the Sept. 9-11 weekend.

Captain America #1- 1941 Timely/Marvel Comics

I posted an article in July that talked about the decision to distribute the film overseas with the full title instead of simply The First Avenger. It was thought by some industry experts at the time that having "America" in the title would turn off audiences in Europe, Asia and elsewhere. Eventually, the only countries that chose to distribute CA with the shortened title were Russia, Ukraine and South Korea.

As some astute commenters noted on the THR site, the bigger story here might be the relatively small American box office for CA - especially for such a well-known character and heavily promoted film. To paraphrase what one person said in the comments - This is studio "spin" to cover up CA's sub-par American box office. In 2010, American studios raked in three times as much overseas as they did domestically, so, of course, it follows that CA did well abroad.

So, it's debatable whether or not CA was as much a financial success as it was a critical one. Let's leave that discussion for later. I'm wondering about some of the subtler points that CA's international popularity raises.

What does it mean in terms of America's image abroad when a movie as America-centric as CA does so well in the current politically charged climate? Could it mean that some of the anti-Americanism that seemed to be widespread across the globe a few years ago has lessened? Would CA have done as well in, say, 2004 as it did in 2011? We'll never know the answer to that one, but it's interesting to speculate. What did you think of Captain America: The First Avenger? Have any ideas on why it did so well around the world?

Read the THR article at the link below

Box Office Shocker: 'Captain America' Earns More Overseas than in U.S. - The Hollywood Reporter:

Michael Shannon on Playing Zod in 'Man of Steel'

2011-09-12T14:24:00.000-04:00

Michael Shannon

How is Michael Shannon's General Zod, who will be battling the Man of Steel, going to differ from the classic Terence Stamp performance in Superman II? Short answer is, we don't know for sure, but one thing is sure, he won't attempt to copy Stamp in any way.

Here's what Shannon told The Playlist at the Toronto International Film Festival over the weekend -

Terence Stamp/General Zod - Superman II

“I found his performance so
powerful that I would be
overwhelmed by it if I tried to incorporate it into what I’m doing. There’s no reason to try and replicate it cos it’s perfect the way it is. I’m just trying to go down a different road with it, the script’s a little bit different than the original script. It’s going to have a different look and feel to it, visually. I’m looking forward to really settling into it, and playing with it.”

And as for being in his first massive, CGI-filled action movie, Shannon had this to say -

“It’s fascinating to watch, the process of making a movie like this, it’s very intricate. There’s going to be a lot of CGI and whatnot. I think anytime an actor does one of these movies for the first time, they’re a little thrown off by it. You always hear actors talking about it, like ‘I was wearing this funny suit, nothing I was supposed to be reacting to was really there.’ To me it encourages… it’s actually very childlike, it’s like being in your backyard and imagining you’re on a space station or something. It goes back to the original impulse of play, which is pretty funny to think about when you fathom all the money that’s involved, hundreds of millions of dollars to do what you did when you were a kid.”

Read the full article at the link below.
Michael Shannon Says His General Zod In ‘Man of Steel’ Will Be Very Different From Terence Stamp’s > The Playlist:

Go Behind-the-Scenes in 'X-Men: First Class' DVD/Blu-ray

2011-09-10T01:46:00.000-04:00

Jennifer Lawrence/Mystique

The DVD/Blu-ray release of X-Men: First Class went on sale yesterday (Sept. 9) and, of course, it's loaded with behind-the-scenes clips and alternate scenes. If you're still debating whether or not to purchase it, here's a look at some "extras" that might help you decide.

Michael Fassbender

A couple of weeks ago, Entertainment Weekly gave us an exclusive clip from the DVD/Blu-ray which showed an alternate version of the strip club scene- the one where Erik (Michael Fassbender) and Charles (James McAvoy) try to recruit Angel (Zoe Kravitz) as a member of the X-Men. Only in this version, Charles gives Angel a demonstration of his telepathic powers that makes her see Erik dressed in drag. Don't know about you, but I think the director, Matthew Vaughn, made the right call when he left this scene on the cutting room floor. Check it out HERE and see if you agree.

Another of the goodies you'll find on the First Class home video package is a behind-the-scenes look at the incredible make-up process that Jennifer Lawrence underwent in order to become the blue-skinned Mystique. This is the kind of movie-magic stuff that I geek out over. I'm constantly amazed at the work done by make up artists like the ones shown in this clip, not to mention the patience of actors who have to endure the process for hours upon hours. Although I can't show the clip here, you can watch it at io9

Finally, we have the clip below, which shows some of the work that went into making those cool blue and yellow costumes. For me, the suits were one of the many highlights of First Class because they referred back to the classic X-Men comic book threads, while at the same time appeared to be functional and modern (by 1960s standards, anyway). One of the designers explains that they looked to NASA and other space-age sources from the '60s for inspiration and even used actual Kevlar in the construction. How cool is that?

Get More: Movie Trailers, Movies Blog

Tom Hiddleston on Loki and 'The Avengers'

2011-09-05T01:53:00.003-04:00

Tom Hiddleston as Loki - Marvel Studios

Tom Hiddleston, who portrayed Thor's half-brother and archenemy, Loki, in this year's Thor, talked to MTV about his character's development in the upcoming flick, The Avengers. From the sound of it, we're gonna be in for a darker, crazier God of Mischief this time around. I've got to admit, Hiddleston was a discovery for me in Thor. I wasn't familiar with his previous work, but wow, am I glad Marvel snagged him for the part of Loki. From this interview and others, he seems to really understand the hurt and resentment that Loki carries, which makes his conflict with Thor that much more compelling.

Oh yeah, if you're wondering when Thor 2 is slated to begin filming...Hiddleston says that shooting should start in the spring of 2012 - with an opening day nailed down as July 26, 2013.

From MTV -

The Avengers - Marvel Studios

"In 'The Avengers' he’s really dark and kind of sociopathic, or maybe even psychopathic is the word, in a deluded way," he explained. "Obviously I haven’t let go of the spiritual damage at the heart of him, it still comes from that lost place, but he’s just incredibly nasty. I think that probably in 'Thor 2' his previous actions will, he’ll have to take responsibility for what he’s done."

"The great thing about Loki is there is potential in him for greatness and awfulness, for great heroism and great villainy," Hiddleston continued. "There are still, even within 'The Avengers,' there are moments where you see within Loki a glimmer of hope and that possibility of redemption."

Avengers Promo Art Assembles the Heroes

2011-08-27T01:08:00.001-04:00

Marvel Entertainment (click for larger view)

Last month, Marvel dropped a collection of Avengers concept art posters on us that showcased each member of the team. Now they've assembled the heroes via this promotional image that might serve as the cover for a movie tie-in comic book called Road to the Avengers. There's nothing in the image that we haven't seen before, but anything Avengers-related is worth a look, especially when it features a glowering Hulk in the background.

The Avengers opens May 4, 2012 (USA)

From Marvel Studios -

Continuing the epic big-screen adventures started in “Iron Man,” “The Incredible Hulk,” “Iron Man 2,” “Thor,” and “Captain America: The First Avenger,” “Marvel’s The Avengers” is the super hero team up of a lifetime. When an unexpected enemy emerges that threatens global safety and security, Nick Fury, 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 of disaster.

Anne Hathaway on Playing Catwoman

2011-08-24T01:53:00.001-04:00

Anne Hathaway

Anne Hathaway was her usual adorable self when she paid a visit to Regis and Kelly on August 18 (Cat Deeley was filling in for Kelly). Fast forward to 1:20 and you'll catch what she had to say about filming The Dark Knight Rises in Pittsburgh. She also talks about idolizing Catwoman since she was a kid and what it took to fit into the Catsuit.

'The Avengers' Trailer Shown to a Lucky Few at Disney Expo

2011-08-21T01:44:00.000-04:00

Cast of The Avengers - Marvel Enterprises

If you're like me, you can't wait for the first real trailer for The Avengers to be released. While we all wait, a few lucky people at the Disney D23 Expo in Florida were treated to an early look at some footage. While it'll probably be a few more weeks until the rest of us can see it, we do have a summary of what it shows.

IGN posted a detailed report of what happens in the trailer and I've included a sample below. As we all knew, Loki appears to be the main villain, and the Cosmic Cube is mentioned, along with a big, angry, green-skinned dude. Spoilers ahead.

"The scene takes place aboard S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Helicarrier where there's a terse exchange between Fury and Loki (Hiddleston), who is caged inside a hi-tech chamber encased by glass walls. Loki sports much longer hair and an altered green and gold costume from he what he had in Thor. (Indeed, all of the characters have new duds in the film.)

Fury warns Loki that if he tries to escape, or even touches the glass, he'll plummet 30,000 feet to his doom. Fury then opens a portal to reveal the dark and stormy sky outside. Loki remarks that the cage he's in was built for someone different from him -- Hulk." -IGN

Check out the full report at IGN

Ghost Rider Returns in 'Spirit of Vengeance' - Trailer

2011-08-20T14:15:00.000-04:00

Sony Pictures/Marvel

All the early info about this flick seems to indicate it's a much darker, more nightmarish version than the first Ghost Rider (2007) movie. As far as I know, it hasn't been assigned a rating yet, but

an "R" is likely. According to a script review of the film, Johnny Blaze (Nicolas Cage) has been in exile for several years since the events of the first film and is asked to protect someone from demonic forces. I think the trailer rocks and I'm totally on board for this one. Lemme know what ya think of the trailer.

Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance

Starring

Nicolas Cage

Idris Elba

Ciarán Hinds

Directed by

Mark Neveldine

Brian Taylor

Opens February 17, 2012 (USA)

Rhys Ifans on Playing Spidey Villain 'The Lizard'

2011-08-18T00:26:00.004-04:00

Rhys Ifans (photo credit: Pascal Guyot/AFP)

Geoff Boucher of The Los Angeles Times spoke to Rhys Ifans, who will play Dr. Curt Connors, aka The Lizard, in The Amazing Spider-Man. Ifans gave his thoughts on director, Marc Webb, and how this Spidey is different from the first trilogy's depiction.

Ifans on Webb's vision -

Marvel Comics
Not to be disparaging to the other movies at all but they were kind of going a certain way and Marc has rolled it back to its delicate, human domesticity. Spider-Man is a working-class hero. He’s an everyman. And I think Marc as a director and Andrew in his performances are doing special — we’re reclaiming the poetry of the hero and of the story. - Rhys Ifans

The actor also spoke about how Connors isn't a one dimensional villain -

Curt Connors is a man with one arm and he wants to grow his arm back. He has access to a science that can enable that. But he has to make a moral decision, an ethical decision, to achieve that. In a story both he and Peter Parker are presented with these amazing abilities, and it’s about this gift that life gives us. More than any other super-hero, Spider-Man presents us with something very local in its ethics. It’s not messianic. It’s far more tangible. He is, again, a working-class hero. - Rhys Ifans

I've heard a lot of grumbling from fans of the first Spider-Man trilogy - about how it's too soon for a reboot and how no one can top Sam Raimi's version of Spidey. Well, I liked Raimi's films, but I'm totally on board for a different take. From what Ifans said, it sounds like this is going to be a grittier, more realistic movie, and that sounds great to me.

The Amazing Spider-Man opens on July 3, 2012 (USA)

Read the entire LA Times article at the link below

‘Spider-Man’ star: ‘We’re reclaiming the poetry of the hero’ | Hero Complex – movies, comics, fanboy fare – latimes.com

Spy Video - Stuff Blows up REAL Good on the Set of 'The Avengers'

2011-08-17T18:07:00.003-04:00

The Avengers - Marvel Enterprises

YouTube user, popeboy, uploaded this fantastic footage from the set of The Avengers. Popeboy (I love those YouTube names) shot this yesterday (August 16) in Cleveland, Ohio, and it seems to show one of the major action sequences in the film - about one minute of non-stop explosions! Awesome video, popeboy!

The Avengers opens on May 4, 2012 (USA)

Captain America Pics - from the Set of 'The Avengers'

2011-08-16T15:54:00.005-04:00

Oh yeah! Cap in full battle gear! This slide-show contains pics that originally appeared on Celebrity Gossip, today (August 16). They show Chris Evans in the modern Captain America costume on the set of The Avengers, in Cleveland, Ohio. Check out the last pic in the set that appears to show some type of weird alien-looking weapon.

Cinema Superheroes and the Lack of Diversity

2011-08-12T02:02:00.003-04:00

Wesley Snipes as Blade - New Line / Marvel

A complaint that's often heard about today's superhero movies is the lack of racial diversity when it comes to casting. While there have been a few exceptions, major cape movies starring someone of color are few and far between. Of course, the Blade trilogy, starring Wesley Snipes, is the most famous example of a successful superhero franchise starring an African-American. It's ironic that Blade (1998) is considered by many film experts to be the movie that kicked off the current superhero dominance of the box office. Unfortunately, Blade's success didn't translate into more starring roles for non-white actors.

Will Smith as Hancock - Sony Pictures

The topic of diversity in cape movies has been on my mind recently, and when I read an opinion by John Ridley, a commentator for National Public Radio, I wanted to address it here. Ridley poses the argument that Hollywood is misjudging white audiences' reluctance to see a cape movie starring a non-white actor. He cites a study that seems to show that a movie's non-white cast doesn't influence a white audience's willingness to see it. In other words, a well-made superhero movie starring a black actor should do just as well at the box-office as one starring a white actor.

Here's how Ridley states it -

Every hero needs a villain, and I can tell you from experience that supposedly "liberal" Hollywood loves to make the audience the bad guy. There's a self-fulfilling delusion at work in the studio system that white audiences won't pay to see black actors cast outside a narrow type of role.

Black Panther - Marvel Comics
Weaver found that white audiences tended to be racially selective with regard to romantic movies, but not necessarily when it came to other genres. So, sorry, Hollywood. You can't blame it on the ticket buyers. And as the bankability of comic book franchises begins to cool — did we really need four hero-in-tights movies this summer alone? — you have to wonder if studios will ever get hip to the possibilities of going after multi-cultural audiences.There is, however, a bit of evidence to back that claim. In the concisely titled study "The Role of Actors' Race in White Audiences' Selective Exposure to Movies," Indiana University professor Andrew Weaver writes, "Movie producers are often reluctant to cast more than a few minority actors in otherwise race-neutral movies for fear that the white audience will largely avoid such films." - John Ridley, NPR

Ridley raises a fascinating question in his piece. Would audiences - white audiences - embrace a superhero movie, say Superman or Iron Man, that starred a non-white actor? I think the answer is "yes", and I would love to see a daring casting decision - such as a black actor being cast as Superman. However, unfortunately I don't think that's going to happen anytime soon. How about it? Do you think Hollywood will ever put more diversity into the cinema superhero ranks?

Read the entire NPR article at the link below.

Hollywood Superheroes Losing The Fight For Diversity : NPR

Fan-made Poster for 'The Dark Knight Rises'

2011-08-06T00:05:00.003-04:00

Fan art poster by Andrew - deviantART

I always like to promote outstanding fan art when I stumble across it, and this poster simply rocks. It's by an artist who goes by "Andrew", and it combines the Batman logo from all three films in the Christopher Nolan Dark Knight trilogy. The fascinating aspect to this work (as Andrew points out on his web page) is how the logo becomes more and more damaged with each film. That couldn't be a pure coincidence, right? Nolan probably conceived all three logos long before the first film was made. What do you think?

Check out Andrew's other work here

First Pic of Anne Hathaway in Catwoman Costume

2011-08-05T12:23:00.007-04:00

Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle/ Catwoman - Warner Bros/DC

Aww yeah, teasers from the set of The Dark Knight Rises get better every day. Today, we have the first pic of Anne Hathaway in her Catwoman costume - aboard what looks like a version of the Batpod, no less!

Below is another pic from Just Jared showing Anne Hathaway's stunt double, giving us little better look at the entire costume.

The Dark Knight Rises - via Just Jared - Photo credit: Chris Watts

Marvel Moves Forward on 'Doctor Strange' Movie

2011-08-04T23:33:00.006-04:00

Doctor Strange copyright Marvel Comics - art by Alan Davis

Marvel Entertainment is moving ahead with plans for a movie based on one of its earliest and best known supernatural characters, Doctor Strange. It's reported that a screenplay featuring Stephen Strange, the surgeon turned sorcerer, has been submitted to Marvel from the writing team hired in the summer of 2010.

Most likely, Marvel is going to weave some of its other cinematic universe elements into a Strange movie, since the good Doctor isn't that well known to mainstream audiences. Marvel even hid a Doctor Strange "Easter egg" in a recent movie (As a hint that Strange will be seen in future films, perhaps?). Sharp-eyed viewers caught a glimpse of Strange's mystical amulet, The Eye of Agamotto, in Odin's Vault in the recent Thor.

Below is how The Playlist describes Doctor Strange's long path to the big screen -

"An adaptation of “Doctor Strange” has been knocking around Hollywood for years and its easy to see why. For those of you out of the comic world loop, the character is a self-centered New York surgeon who can no longer practice after a car accident. He becomes a drifter, finds his way to a healer in the Himalayas, and learns to tap into psychic powers to battle evil wizards and other bad dudes. His mind is his weapon and his powers include energy and astral projection, teleportation, telepathy, creating shields and more. It’s no wonder then that the property, licensed out to various studios over the years, has attracted a number of writers and directors including Bob Gale, Wes Craven, David Goyer, Stephen Norrington andGuillermo del Toro. Oh yeah, remember “The Illusionist” with Edward Norton? He said he modeled his character after Dr. Strange (and too bad he already played Hulk because really, he’s a great fit for the role). But with Marvel back in control, they will undoubtedly stay reverential to the source material." - Kevin Jagernauth

Read the entire Playlist article at the link below.

Marvel Moves Ahead With ‘Doctor Strange’ As Script By Thomas Donnelly & Joshua Oppenheimer Handed In > The Playlist

The Amazing Visual Effects of the 'Captain America' Movie

2011-08-01T01:44:00.001-04:00

How'd they do that???

via thedaily.com

If you've seen the new movie, Captain America: The First Avenger, from Marvel Studios/Paramount, you're probably wondering how they transformed Chris Evans into his skinnier version. The image above from The Daily shows some of the many steps that the visual effects people had to go through in order to make the skinny Evans believable. Click on the image for more info.

The Avengers - Movie Concept Art Poster Collection

2011-07-28T18:20:00.003-04:00

Steve Rogers/Captain America

Even though Marvel Studios didn't have a huge Avengers promotion at this year's San Diego Comic-Con, the nice folks at Marvel did give us one bit of awesomeness to whet our appetites. The posters shown here were released individually, each day of the Con, and when combined made a huge panoramic shot of the team in action.

There are so many cool elements in these concept art posters that give us a good idea of how the team will appear in the movie. First, Hulk - it's reported that the visual effects people based the design of his face on Mark Ruffalo, the actor portraying his alter ego, Bruce Banner. If you look closely, you can kinda make out Ruffalo's features. Plus, from the image you get some idea of Hulk's proportions in comparison to his fellow Avengers - very cool.

Of course, Captain America's uniform might be the best part of this poster series. Kudos to the designers for staying true to Kirby and Simon's original design, while making it seem functional- like a modern, military combat suit.

Finally, the part of these posters I really dug was the S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier hovering in the background of the poster on the far right- the one with Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury. Gotta admit, I've been waiting to see how the might of the helicarrier would be translated to the screen ever since the Avengers film was announced. Looks like the designers nailed it, if this image is any indication.
Click here to see a larger version of the combined poster image below.

The Avengers - Marvel Studios/Paramount Pictures

S.H.I.E.L.D. - Nick Fury, Agent Phil Coulson, Agent Maria Hill

Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow

Thor

Dr. Bruce Banner/Hulk

Tony Stark/Iron Man

Clint Barton/Hawkeye

'Captain Canuck' - Canadian Superhero Movie Being Planned

2011-07-24T01:33:00.003-04:00

So you thought Captain America was the only super-patriot with enough swag to warrant his own feature film? Oh how wrong you are! Minds Eye Entertainment has obtained the rights to Canadian comic book superhero, Captain Canuck and is working on a screen adaptation at this very moment. Captain Canuck is the creation of Richard Comely, who (along with co-creator Ron Leishman) began publishing the hero's adventures way back in 1975.

No word yet on who will star, but I'm hoping they go all Canadian on our asses and get Will Arnett, of Arrested Development fame.

Will Arnett

Check out the official press release below.

(Los Angeles, CA) July 19 , 2011 - Minds Eye Entertainment has picked up the rights to the Canadian comic book Superhero CAPTAIN CANUCK from writer/creator Richard Comely, as announced today by Kevin DeWalt, CEO and President of Minds Eye. Working closely with Comely, Minds Eye is currently in development on a film adaptation based on the comic book series.

The first issue of CAPTAIN CANUCK hit newsstands in May 1975. Thirty-six years later, the superhero franchise has garnered fans around the world. To date, more than 2 million copies have been sold and 26 different editions have been printed. IDW Publishing recently published two hard cover collections of the original issues that have since sold out.

DeWalt said: “I have always been a big fan of CAPTAIN CANUCK, and we are honored to be working with Richard on bringing Canada’s greatest Superhero to the big screen.”

Over the years, there have been a number of licensed CAPTAIN CANUCK products, including t-shirts, sweat shirts, doodle posters, etc. Canada Post issued a CAPTAIN CANUCK postage stamp in 1995. In addition, CAPTAIN CANUCK has also made the cover of TIME Magazine.

Creator Comely said: “I’ve had a great beginning with Minds Eye.

I’m confident we can make a movie that will appeal to audiences both in Canada and around the world.”

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Andrew Garfield Calls Spidey a Role for Life

2011-07-23T18:45:00.001-04:00

Andrew Garfield

I know actors are supposed to rave about every role they play, as part of the promotional campaign for their films, but Andrew Garfield seems genuinely honored to portray Spider-Man. In a recent interview with Reuters, he sounds like he's perfectly happy to make the role of Peter Parker/Spider-Man the focus of his entire career. Personally, I think it would be fascinating to have a superhero franchise follow a character for many years, featuring the same actor. That way, we could see the character age in real time and it would open up a lot of interesting story possibilities.
From the Reuters article:

Andrew Garfield - Sony Pictures

"The Amazing Spider-Man" will land in theaters in 2012, and it has been pitched to fans of Peter Parker -- a.k.a. Spider-Man -- as a franchise reboot that takes the boy back to his roots as a gawky teenager who acquires the web-spinning capabilities and super strength of a spider.

The first three movies, starting with 2002's "Spider-Man" and directed by Sam Raimi, took in a whopping $2.5 billion worldwide, but the makers decided that to continue thrilling loyal fans, the franchise needed a fresh start.

So, they hired the little-known Garfield (who since then made a name for himself in Facebook film "The Social Network) to portray Parker and director Marc Webb (independent film "500 Days of Summer") to breathe new life into the series."

Check out some of Garfield's quotes from the interview and see if you think he's being sincere.

"I could play this character for the rest of my life," an enthusiastic Garfield, 27, told Reuters at Comic-Con on Friday, where the first few clips of the film were revealed to fans.

"I think Marc wanted to make it as authentic as possible ... what happens to this kid? What happens to a kid if he really truly gets these superpowers? But also what the real struggle it is to be a teenager"

"This is really a lot of responsibility, and I feel the responsibility of the symbol I was given to portray."

Read the entire article at the link below.
Andrew Garfield calls Spider-Man a role for life | Reuters

Review: Captain America: The First Avenger

2011-07-23T01:54:00.002-04:00

I'm not one for lengthy movie reviews, but I wanted to post a few thoughts after seeing Captain America: The First Avenger earlier today. Overall, I agree with most of the critics who have given it largely positive reviews. It was a fun movie that paid homage to the original 1940's comic book, while intelligently tweaking Cap's origin story for the screen.

Chris Evans

What I'm about to say might seem like hyperbole, but I'm serious - Chris Evans puts in one of the best performances of the year so far and he deserves a lot of credit for his work here. Hayley Atwell, who played the only major female character, was fantastic as well. Her performance was a surprise for me because I wasn't familiar with her work and I had no idea she was such a fine actor.

Finally, kudos to director, Joe Johnston, for blending the huge (and numerous) action scenes with the personal story of Steve Rogers' journey to becoming a hero.

Now, as for some noteworthy reviews that I've read, one that stands out is by A.O. Scott of the New York Times. I was a little surprised at all of the nice things he had to say about Captain America. Below is a sample and link to the article.

Hayley Atwell

"With a dusty color scheme that evokes newsprint and cheap ink, and a production design that captures the Deco-inflected futurism of an earlier time, the movie is nostalgic without making a big fuss about it. And though there are plenty of the usual digital enhancements and overscaled effects, the pseudo-operatic grandiosity that has become a staple of the genre is mostly missing. Instead “Captain America,” like its unapologetically corny hero, is propelled by unpretentious and plucky ingenuity." - A.O. Scott, New York Times

Full New York Times Review

'Amazing Spider-Man' Trailer Swings In

2011-07-21T23:23:00.006-04:00

Sony Pictures

The Amazing Spider-Man trailer is here and while it might be kinda light on action, it looks like director, Marc Webb, has a cool vision for Spidey. There's been grumbling from fans of the first Spidey trilogy ever since Webb replaced Sam Raimi in the director's chair, but this clip should quiet some of the critics. Of course, the film stars Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker and Emma Stone as Pete's girl, Gwen Stacey, with a supporting cast including Sally Field and Martin Sheen.

Now, as for the trailer - it seems to show an origin story that's largely faithful to Spidey's comic book beginnings, but this time, Gwen Stacy works in the same lab as Dr. Curt Connors (Rhys Ifans), who eventually becomes the villainous Lizard. Two things I like right away with this trailer - first, the origin story seems to include a bit of mystery as to what happened to Pete's parents, which opens a lot of story possibilities for the sequels to explore. Also, even though he doesn't say much here, I think I'm gonna dig Garfield's take on Peter Parker. He has a sullen, withdrawn expression - like a kid with a traumatic past, which refers back to the loss of his parents. Overall, I think this clip gives us a hint that Sony made a good call in hiring Webb to freshen and energize the Spidey franchise. Disagree? Lemme know what you think.

The Amazing Spider-Man opens on July 3, 2012 (USA)

Jon Favreau Talks 'The Avengers' and Joss Whedon

2011-07-18T21:43:00.005-04:00

The Avengers - Marvel Entertainment

Jon Favreau

Jon Favreau, director of Iron Man and Iron Man 2, recently spoke to MTV News on his involvement in The Avengers, as executive producer. It sounds like he really isn't involved much, beyond being "supportive".

Here's a bit from the interview -

"My involvement is just to be as supportive as I can be. Most of the cast is people that came onboard to work with me on the 'Iron Man' film, so I feel a sense of responsibility to them. I really hope it works out," Favreau told MTV News while promoting "Cowboys and Aliens." "I'm not in the trenches with them and I'm not making creative decisions on their behalf, but I'm completely available and of service."

Favreau also had a lot of nice things to say about the man bringing The Avengers to the screen, Joss Whedon.

"They have Joss Whedon, who's a very talented guy and is really good with ensembles and really understands the superhero genre better than I do," Favreau explained. "I understand 'Iron Man' very, very well, especially the 'Iron Man' movie and the cast and the characters all built to one thing. But there are other characters that I don't know. Each filmmaker had a different approach to how they went about it — 'Captain America' is coming out, 'Thor.' The combining of all those things is going to be its own thing in and of itself that Joss has embraced and wrote the script. I expect big things." - Jon Favreau

I have to admit, I've been skeptical as to whether Whedon was the right choice for directing The Avengers, but hopefully I'll be singing a different tune after I see the trailer this weekend. Sure sounds like Favreau thinks he's doing a great job.

Check out the MTV article at the link below

'Avengers' Producer Jon Favreau Reveals His Marvel Role - MTV Movie News| MTV

New Iron Man Concept Art Poster from Comic-Con

2011-07-18T14:29:00.001-04:00

New! Just released by Marvel Entertainment from the San Diego Comic-Con International! Feast your eyes on this concept art character poster for Iron Man, featuring the Mark VIII armor he'll be wearing in The Avengers. Gawd, I can't wait for The Avengers to open on May 4, 2012.

Thanks to comicbookmovie and @RIMBreaks for the heads up

Chris Evans - 'Top 10 Things Never Said by a Superhero'

2011-07-18T01:37:00.000-04:00

Chris Evans as Steve Rogers

Have you seen this? I got a good chuckle out of this video. Chris Evans, star of Captain America: The First Avenger, recently stopped by Late Show with David Letterman and gave the "Top Ten Things Never Before Said by a Superhero". Who knew Steve Rogers had a brother named Kenny?

First Trailer for 'The Avengers' to Screen with 'Captain America' Movie

2011-07-17T01:15:00.003-04:00

The Avengers - Marvel Studios

Yesss, great news today! Word is spreading about the first trailer for The Avengers (May 4, 2012) being attached to Captain America: The First Avenger, which opens in the USA on July 22. From reports, it seems that several U.S. military installations were treated to an advanced screening of the Cap movie this weekend, and a brief trailer was shown after the credits rolled. There's no word on whether the exact same trailer will be shown when the Cap movie opens next Friday, but who cares - it's sure to be cool. Below, you can check out the description of the trailer, as reported by someone who allegedly saw the clip. Spoilers Ahead

"It starts out with Captain America punching a punching bag until it flies off into a wall, and then enters Nick Fury. They briefly talked about a mission and that they needed to get ready, but they never explained what the mission was. And then it happened. As the music kicked in, scenes of SHEILD, Iron Man, Thor, Black Widow, Hawkeye, Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo), & Loki were shown!! It showed a hell of a lot of action! Thor had a brief costume change, just no chainmail under armor and his hair was a bit longer. Iron Man was shown in what looked like the Mark VI or maybe a new Mark VII armor!! I don't recall who was fighting who or what, but it was a lot of kick-assery!! And at the end of it all, Thor threw Minjor (sic) and then it flashed... The Avengers!"

Source: ComicBookMovie

Close-up Pic of Spidey's New Costume

2011-07-13T23:41:00.001-04:00

The Amazing Spider-Man - Sony Pictures

GeekTyrant posted this close-up pic of Spidey's suit in Marc Webb's The Amazing Spider-Man. It wasn't clear if this was an official pic or one that some enterprising set worker snapped. Either way, it looks like the designers did a good job of updating the costume without losing any of the features that made the original so cool. Not sure how well Peter Parker can see out of those eye covers, though. Whaddya think?

The Amazing Spider-Man opens in the USA on July 3, 2012.

Gotham Crumbles in 'The Dark Knight Rises' Poster

2011-07-13T01:28:00.001-04:00

The first poster for The Dark Knight Rises was unveiled this week at the film's official website, and it's a clever bit of graphic design, if you ask me. As with most movie posters these days, it goes for the minimalist look, and just features the Bat-symbol placed subliminally in the midst of a ravaged Gotham City. Thanks to MTV's Splashpage for the heads up.
You can check out more Bat-news at the link below
‘Dark Knight Rises’ Poster Brings Gotham City To Ruin

'The Amazing Spider-Man' Screenwriter Says Movie is "more realistic"

2011-07-12T01:37:00.003-04:00

The Amazing Spider-Man - Sony Pictures

The most anticipated event at next week's San Diego Comic-Con International (July 21-24), is the premiere of the trailer for The Amazing Spider-Man, and while that's cool, we still need even more Spidey info. While Sony's highly anticipated reboot of the Spider-Man franchise is still in post-production, we're gradually getting a sense of what the final film will look like. For example, a recent interview with the film's screenwriter, Steve Kloves, -published by Collider- sheds some light on the overall tone of the movie.
Check out a few highlights from the interview below -

Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker/Spider-Man

"He (Kloves) says the tone is more realistic than the previous Spider-Man films. He wanted to make sure that the film was grounded in reality, because he said he can’t write cartoony dialogue. They told him reality was what they wanted, they wanted him to write Peter Parker as a real character.

He said he wrote very naturalistically. There’s a lot of humor, but it’s naturalistic humor, not jokes.
Since Sony is planning a trilogy, they asked him to write the sequel, but he declined, he said he dated the property, he doesn’t wanna marry it.

He said there’s a reason that their Spider-Man has mechanical webshooters as opposed to organic ones. Kloves says he wrote some really cool things involving the mechanical webshooters.

Marvel was very involved in the film, as they are with all movies based on their properties. They provided a sort of bible of things that were crucial to the character.He says Mark Webb was really schooling himself in 3D, and wanted to shoot the movie in a sort of pure form of 3D, in a sophisticated way."

For lots more Spidey info, read the entire interview at the link below

Steve Kloves Interview THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN

'Captain America' Figure Based on 'The First Avenger'

2011-07-08T23:32:00.001-04:00

Sideshow Collectibles

Check out this amazingly detailed 12 inch figure that will be available later this summer to coincide with the Captain America: The First Avenger movie. It sells for $169.99 and is available at Sideshow Collectibles. I'm not an avid figure collector, but I might have to break the piggy bank for this one.

Sideshow Collectibles

'The Avengers' - Open Casting Call for Extras

2011-07-07T18:07:00.004-04:00

Avengers copyright Marvel Comics - painting by Alex Ross

So, you wanna be in a little superhero movie? If you're in the Cleveland, Ohio area, you can head over to the casting call for The Avengers next week. See announcement from MichiganActing.com below -

"An open casting call for extras is being held for the feature film, “The Avengers”. Portions of this comic book superhero adventure film will be shot in Cleveland, Ohio. The production will be the largest feature film ever made in Ohio, as well as the largest Marvel Studios production to date. Pre-production is already underway with principal photography scheduled from April through September 2011. “The Avengers stars Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans and Scarlett Johansson.

Open Call Details

Friday, July 15th from 12:00pm – 4:00pmSaturday, July 16th from 10:00am to 4:00pm

Holiday Inn – Independence

6001 Rockside RoadIndependence, OH 44131"

For the complete announcement, check out the link below

“The Avengers” Open Casting Call for Extras (Marvel Studios) | Michigan Acting

'Captain America' Actress Hayley Atwell in Esquire

2011-07-06T23:36:00.004-04:00

Hayley Atwell - Esquire

Hayley Atwell, who will be playing American agent, Peggy Carter, in Captain America: The First Avenger, seems to be having trouble with her sweater (it keeps popping open) in her recent photo shoot for Esquire. Besides a plethora of pics of the lovely British babe, the article also gives us some info on the Cap movie.

Hayley Atwell - Esquire

For example, she talks about meeting Captain America director, Joe Johnston, for the first time -

"When I met with the director of Captain America [out July 22], I hadn't seen the script, and I had to go meet him, and we spoke for like an hour. With a lot of those big films, they'll do that instead of an audition — and I prefer them, because I love a chat. I've found the messier the meeting gets, the more successful. You vomit on someone's shirt, it's probably going to work in your favor. Because you shared something: an intimate moment of drunken behavior."- Hayley Atwell

Check out all the pics (and more Cap talk) here Hayley Atwell Hot Pictures - Hayley Atwell Interview and Sexy Pics - Esquire

Green Lantern Concept Art

2011-07-06T00:51:00.003-04:00

Aaron Sims Company

I love movie concept art! The visual effects of today's movies are so spectacular, that it's easy to forget they began life as sketches and paintings. When concept artists and designers give us a look into their creative process, we can see how the images on the screen originated. It's kind of like a magician showing us how a trick is accomplished. Recently, two artists that worked on Green Lantern released images that show us how they imagined the planet, Oa, would appear, as well as some of Hal Jordan's fellow Lanterns.

The illustration above and the ones below are from the Aaron Sims Company, whose credits include work on Fantastic Four, The Incredible Hulk and Clash of the Titans. You can view the entire gallery at www.aaron-sims.com

Click on the images to enlarge.

Aaron Sims Company

The images below are from Fabian Lacey, who also worked on films such as TRON Legacy, and the upcoming The Amazing Spider-Man and The Avengers. You can view the entire gallery at www.fabianlacey.com

Fabian Lacey

Will 'Captain America' Movie "Sell" Overseas?

2011-07-05T00:10:00.001-04:00

Marvel Studios/Paramount Pictures

Ever since it was announced that a Captain America movie was being produced, I've wondered how the character would be accepted by audiences, both in the U.S. and overseas. Let's face it, we live in an age in which ultra-patriotism, like the kind Cap is famous for, is seen by many to be a character flaw. I worried about there being some unintended chuckles during the movie if Cap said anything like "America is the greatest country on earth," or other lines that could be seen as too nationalistic.

It looks like the issue of how to market a World War II era super-patriot has been on the minds of the filmmakers, as well. On July 3, Brooks Barnes posted an article on the New York Times' Media Decoder blog that outlined the challenges that Marvel Studios and Paramount Pictures have in marketing Captain America: The First Avenger to foreign audiences.

Captain America #1 -1941 Timely/Marvel Comics

Here's a sample -

"Selling a quaintly patriotic war hero in a politically divided United States would be tricky enough. What about overseas, where movies can generate over 70 percent of their total box-office revenue and the word “America” can be a downright dirty one?" -Brooks Barnes - New York Times, 7/3/11

The article raises some interesting questions in terms of what American movie distributors are willing to do in order to market films with a pro-America stance. You can find the full article at the link below -

Soft-Pedal Captain America Overseas? Hollywood Says No - NYTimes.com

Thor 2, Captain America and Batman - News and Pics

2011-07-04T01:33:00.004-04:00

Fan-made poster for The Dark Knight Rises - GeekTyrant.com

Ah yes, we're celebrating Independence Day here in the U.S. with tons o' superhero movie goodness to keep many a fan happy. This week, we saw that Thor 2 is officially a "go" and we even have a release date. As mentioned here earlier, lots of behind-the-scenes info on Captain America: The First Avenger is being released and a new trailer shows what we think is the opening scene of the flick. As for DC/Warner, some enterprising on-set spies have leaked photos from the top secret set of The Dark Knight Rises.

First up, Deadline reported that Marvel Studios is starting to assemble the pieces for a sequel to the hugely successful Thor, however Kenneth Branagh won't be back as director. A writer has been hired, as Deadline reports -

"Marvel has set Don Payne, one of the credited scribes on the first film, to script the sequel. Payne rewrote Lobo for Warner Bros, and was one of the writers on Fantastic Four: Rise Of The Silver Surfer."

Even though Branagh won't be directing Thor 2, he might still be involved, according to Deadline -

"Kenneth Branagh won't be returning as helmer. Branagh, who directed the first film and watched it gross $437 million worldwide with a few territories still playing out, will likely be involved in some producing capacity."

Thor 2 is slated for a July 26, 2013 release.

Captain America: The First Avenger is opening on July 22 (USA) and this week Marvel released the international poster (pictured below) which features an unmasked Chris Evans and the evil visage of the Red Skull looming in the background.

Marvel Studios/Paramount Pictures

Thanks to a forum member on SuperheroHype, we got a look at the Captain America Official Movie Special Magazine that shows some images that haven't been online before (as far as I know).

SuperHeroHype

See the rest of the pics here

And of course, no update is complete without news from the set of The Dark Knight Rises. In this set of pics, we see what appears to be a large aircraft of some kind being prepped for filming. Also from SuperHeroHype, these photos were taken at Cardington Hangar in the UK.

SuperHeroHype

Batman-News also posted several pics that show an English estate called Wollaton Hall being transformed into Wayne Manor.

Bat-News.com

So, it looks like the summer of 2011 is gonna be filled with superhero movie news from around the world. Of course, this is just a sample of the info that's out there. If I missed something major, let me know.

Tyrese Gibson Campaigns for 'Luke Cage' Role in Marvel Movie

2011-07-03T01:48:00.004-04:00

Actor, Tyrese Gibson, really wants to portray Luke Cage/Power Man in the movie adaptation of the Marvel comic book. Check this video that he directed at the Marvel Studios honchos while he was at the Transformers: Dark of the Moon premiere -

Tags: Movie Trailers, Movies Blog

"Listen, to Marvel: this is Tyrese Gibson. Get it together. Let's go ahead and shoot this comic book. Luke Cage is one of the original Marvel characters. Show some more respect. Go ahead and get some traction going on Luke Cage. I'm ready. I've got my headband ready, baby. What's the problem, officer? Let's get it!" - Tyrese Gibson

Ya know what? I think he has a shot at the role because he has an established fan base after appearing in several blockbuster action movies. However, he isn't so well-known that people would associate him with a previous role instead of Cage. Who knows? Maybe Marvel agrees.

BTW - Gibson isn't the first actor to engage in a little self-promotion for the Luke Cage part. A few weeks ago, Isaiah Mustafa (the Old Spice Guy) produced a film clip in which he starred as Cage. So far, Marvel has been mum on who they might consider for the part, and in fact, the movie is still in the earliest stages of development - without even a director or screenplay.

Thanks to ReelzChannel for the heads up. Check out the full article at the link below.

Tyrese Gibson Challenges Marvel Studios to "Show Some More Respect" to Luke Cage; Says He is "Ready" to Play the Role