Here's a bit of 'Avengers' casting buzz that's sure get fans talking. Eva Longoria as Janet Van Dyne, aka The Wasp.
Oh No They Didn't celebrity gossip and paparazzi blog snapped some incriminating photos of the 'Desperate Housewives' star that suggest she may be taking on the part.
In the photos, Longoria is seen in the parking garage of the building where Marvel Entertainment keeps their Hollywood offices. Presumably, Longoria has just met with the filmmakers. Clearly visibile in her hands a stack of Avengers comics.
Now we know the 'Avengers' movie is supposed to include Iron Man, Hulk, Captain America, Thor and Ant Man, each of which character is or will be top-lining its own movie before 'Avengers' comes out. But the above roster makes for kind of a sausage party and Ant Man's sugar mama The Wasp has been part of the roll call since issue #1.
So, if Eva was meeting with Marvel and the meeting was about 'The Avengers' then it's pretty easy to imagine Longoria wearing the wings of the winsome Wasp. Her tough-but-pampered 'Housewives' character Gabby isn't too far removed from the long-suffering Wasp after all.
Does this mean she'll be appearing in Edgar Wright's 'Ant-Man' movie as well?
Tony Stark will next grace the silver screen on April 30, 2010, and while that's not tremendously soon, it ain't that far off either. Still, Favreau admits to Sci Fi Wire that scripting is still in the early stages.
"Pages are coming out, but it's really more of a conversation than actual writing," Favreau says of screenwriter Justin Theroux's progress. "They are never really what they are going to be in the movie until the day you're shooting."
To get a sense of the film's plot, fans need to look no further than Matt Fraction's current work on Invincible Iron Man.
"We want to talk to [Fraction] and get him out here," Favreau says. "The Fraction series seems to be informed as much by our movie as by what happened with Iron Man before."
He also indicates that one of the main bents of "Iron Man 2" will be the rise of Tony towards the forming of Nick Fury's Avengers. Fans should also keep an eye out for a certain ring-obsessed super-bad...
"We'll see how that basic group of four people moves forward towards the inevitable 'Avengers' that's coming and how the Mandarin, how largely he looms in the next one, that's mostly what we're doing," Favreau teases.
And, of course, you can't have another "Iron Man" without touching on that other Iron Man.
"We're figuring out [War Machine]," Favreau promises. "We're talking to Terrence to see if he can take some time out of his new life as a musician to be War Machine. I think Terrence and the character of Rhodey were smaller in the first movie than we had anticipated. But it does set the table very well for this character."
War Machine, the Mandarin and the Avengers? Throw an excessively drunk Tony Stark in the mix and that's one hangover we can't wait to nurse.
Just a few minutes ago, I finished a mini press conference with Stan Lee and Jon Favreau. Stan went first, and then we got Jon…each was about an hour. They were both promoting the upcoming “Iron Man” DVD/Blu-ray.
Anyway, while I’ll have a lot more in the next day or two, the highlight was Jon saying he’d love to do Iron Man 2 in 3D! He also called the IMAX “Dark Knight” footage a game changer and he said he’d love to shoot part of “Iron Man 2” in IMAX. Regarding the 3D, he said it’s all about the cost, but if they can make it happen he’d like to do it. He talked about getting to see the armor in 3D and how cool it would be.
While he was a bit cagey about specifics with “Iron Man 2,” he did mention Mandarin a lot and he said we can expect a lot more surprises in the sequel in terms of other comic book characters.
He also said he hopes to keep the story relatively simple in the sequel, but he hopes to raise the emotional and technical side of the story. Meaning, he wants the stakes to be raised for all the characters, but he’s not going to make it hard for a new audience to understand the story or make it so complicated that you have to work to follow it. He actually mentioned “The Dark Knight” and said they can keep that side of the playground. He wants to keep “Iron Man” light and fun.
He did talk about War Machine and mentioned Terrance Howard and his busy schedule. I think he’s definitely going to put on the armor in the sequel….but that’s just my vibe from the way he talked about it.
With the script still being worked on and a budget still up in the air, everything is subject to change. But the concept of “Iron Man 2” being in 3D sounds very cool. More very soon from the press day. I’ll try and get the audio up later today….
Update – while I don’t yet have the time to transcribe exactly what Jon said, I do have the audio for you to listen to right now. If you click here, you’ll get the entire interview, which is about 1 hour. Or you can click here and listen to the last 5 minutes where I asked Jon about the budget for the sequel and the IMAX question. This is the part where he bitch slaps 20th Century Fox and the way they make sequels and talks about 3D.
David Maisel, Executive Vice-President, Office of the Chief Executive, and Chairman of Marvel Studios, spoke at the 2008 Merrill Lynch Media Fall Preview today about Marvel’s transformative year. This year saw the launch of an independent movie studio, beginning with blockbuster Iron Man, the 21st biggest movie of all time. The movie’s $318 million domestic gross was simply a building block towards the $575 million gross worldwide – with Japan still to open on Sept 27. The Incredible Hulk was another winning title with $216 million in worldwide revenue and $135 million domestic gross. The Incredible Hulk has opened in Japan and China; it is the largest movie distributed by Universal in China to date.
Marvel will continue its focus on Iron Man with a sequel scheduled for release April 30, 2010. Maisel also mentioned a third Iron Man film but did not provide a release date. Continuing the build-up to the year of the Avengers is Thor, set for release in June 2010. Marvel hopes to capture the excitement that surrounded the Lord of the Rings trilogy with its focus on Thor, a Norse god struggling with his half-brother and father. The movie features significant and interesting character development juxtaposing Thor’s deity and his human personality.
Captain America will have his turn at the silver screen in early May 2011. The movie’s working title is the First Avenger: Captain America, capturing Cap’s place as the leader and founding member of the all-star Avengers. The team of Captain America, Iron Man, and Thor will come together in Avengers, scheduled for release in July 2011. Marvel will continue to inter-connect the movies with cameo appearances of the Avengers characters, similar to Tony Stark’s appearance at the end of Incredible Hulk. Marvel’s vision of the Avengers’ movies mirrors the Star Wars saga where characters are fundamentally connected and story lines lead from one movie to the next.
Marvel’s introduction as a movie studio moves in parallel with the company’s continued force as the fifth largest licensing company in the world based on retail sales. The company negotiated a profitable licensing deal for toys with Hasbro, and Maisal announced new video games based on Captain America and Thor to be released by Sega. Marvel’s licensing extends into the world of theme parks with a multi-billion dollar deal for a park in Dubai, set to open in 2012, and two more parks in South Korea. These parks present no financial risk for Marvel while the company retains significant creative control and economic participation.
Even with the furor surrounding Marvel’s movie, toy, and video games, the company has not forgotten its core; it is poised to take advantage of the interactive potential for comics as they move to the Internet, cellular phones, and iPhones. Marvel plans to continue efforts to digitize a 70-year library of comics and hopes to deliver these titles to an entirely new audience around the world.
MTV Splash Page blog drops an intriguing rumor this week regarding the 'First Avenger: Captain America' movie. The rumor comes from actor Derek Luke who stars in Spike Lee's upcoming WWII pic 'Miracle at Santa Anna'.
"I heard they offered Will Smith 'Captain America,'" Luke told MTV, adding that the intriguing casting rumor "just shows you how times have changed."
MTV's write-up doesn't question of investigate the rumor beyond that statement, so it's hard to say where Luke heard it, or whether there's any truth to it at all.
For his own part, Luke seems enthusiastic about the superhero game and is interested in certain roles.
"I would love to jump into Green Lantern," said Luke. "There are a lot of stories I'm into… [like] Black Panther."
UPDATED: Ain't it Cool checked Luke's story with "multiple sources from Marvel" who say that whatever the actor may have heard is completely wrong. According to AIC's report "Marvel never offered the part, nor did they approach or entertain a conversation about Will Smith for 'Captain America'.
Is 'Eagle Eye' director D.J. Caruso worthy to wield the hammer of 'Thor'? The filmmaker revealed to IESB.net that he's had conversations about taking on the project.
Fans recall that the movie seemed fast-tracked last year, with Matthew Vaughn attached to direct. However, after a writers strike and budgetary concerns Vaughn backed away from the project in favor of the 'Kick-Ass' movie.
"I have had some talks with Marvel about it but I have not seen a screenplay. It could be something that I am interested in," Carsuo told IESB in and exclusive interview.
"I was always a fan of Thor growing up as a kid. I know that they [Marvel] have a script, but there's something, there's a fear I have about Thor and depending on what Thor story you want to tell, whether you want to bring Thor into the modern world or if you want to go back to Asgard and get the history of what's happening between him and his brother and dad. That's one I've always been interested in and it also would be, it would be a monumental task so, I could definitely see myself getting myself into that."
Marvel has called for a 2010 release for the 'Thor' movie, which figures into their 'Avengers' plans. They should be keen to hire a director soon and if 'Eagle Eye' does well, who's to say Caruso won't be the man?
Harp all you want about Robert Downey Jr. lending credibility to the role of Tony Stark, or Jon Favreau's brilliant eye for filmmaking marking the success of "Iron Man." We all know the true reason for Shellhead's box office break-out...
Samuel L. Mutha-Frakkin' Jackson.
That said, the real question on every fan's mind isn't if Terrence Howard's gonna strap on the War Machine duds. Who needs RDJ when you've got SLJ? All we wanna know about is Nick Fury—who we'll know as the Lord when he lays his vengeance upon we—and when he's going to pop his shiny bald head back in the Marvel Movieverse.
According to SuperHeroHype.com, we should be seeing plenty more of Jolly Old Nick Furyous in the near future. When asked about reprising the iconic character, Uncle Sam told the site:
"We've talked about it and there's up until 2011 before 'The Avengers' shows up, so he'll show up periodically from time to time."
In other words fans, hold onto your butts: we might have to wait a while for "Snakes on a S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier" to hit theaters, but it sounds like Nick Fury's gonna be grenade launching his way into more Marvel flicks in the not-too-distant future.
While there's no commentary on the upcoming Iron Man DVD or Blu-ray Disc, FilmCrunch says that director Jon Favreau and Robert Downey Jr. participated in a live commentary this weekend at Santa Monica's Aero Theater. Here's an interesting bit:
Throughout the movie, the actor-turned-director pointed out and confirmed various scenes which hinted at both The Avengers movie (visible S.H.I.E.L.D. logos) and the sequel (he noted that the terrorist cell in the movie is merely one branch of Mandarin's group).
For more, hit the link above! Meanwhile, much like they did for Spider-Man 4, Stand Up To Cancer has launched an eBay auction for Iron Man 2 that ends on Sept. 15. If you're the highest bidder, you would receive the following:
- A visit to the set of Iron Man 2 (one shooting day) - A meet and greet with the cast - A walk-on/ extra role in the film for the auction winner - Photo tour of the set with an Iron Man unit photographer to document the tour. Professional photos will be given to the winner of the experience. - Tickets to the Los Angeles premiere for you and a guest - Winner and Guest will walk the premiere's red carpet
Paramount Home Entertainment has provided us with three "making of" clips from the special features of the Iron Man DVD and Blu-ray Disc, coming to stores on September 30th. The clips, which feature director Jon Favreau and star Robert Downey Jr., are followed by the outside and inside covers for the Ultimate Edition two-disc sets on both DVD and Blu-ray, as well as the single-disc DVD. Press Link to continue http://www.superherohype.com/news/ironmannews.php?id=7647
You can watch trailers, browse galleries of movie stills, download desktop backgrounds and screensavers and read character bios of the new young heroes! And it doesn't stop there either; games and puzzles also populate the hub!
Plus, check out all of our Marvel.com bonus coverage including:
The summer's just about over and surely one of the clear-cut winners in terms of superhero movies is Marvel Studios' Iron Man, and in the nearly four months since it came out, there's been a lot of talk about its already-in-the-works sequel Iron Man 2. We already know that director Jon Favreau and Robert Downey Jr. were coming back, and we presume that so is Terrence Howard and Gwyneth Paltrow, since they've both signed multi-picture deals, but what about some of the agents of Strategic Hazard Intervention Espionage Logistics Directorate (S.H.I.E.L.D.) who were introduced in the first movie?
Yesterday, Superhero Hype! talked with actor/filmmaker Clark Gregg about his directorial debut, an ambitious adaptation of Chuck Palahniuk's Choke starring Sam Rockwell, which garnered a lot of buzz at the Sundance Film Festival. When we asked him about what he had coming up next, he mentioned returning for the new season of Julia Louis-Dreyfus' hit CBS sitcom "The New Adventures of Old Christine" on which he's a regular, but also that he held out some hope that he'd returning as Agent Phil Coulson in the sequel.
"I was on a plane with Robert Downey the other day, and I was saying, 'C'mon now, I'm feeling Coulson's gotta come back!' so we're open," he told us before joking, "I'm pretty sure Downey will be in the next one. I'm pretty sure Gwyneth (will be)."
But what about Samuel L. Jackson, who made a brief post-credit cameo as the one and only Nick Fury, director of S.H.I.E.L.D. We spoke to him at Comic-Con International last month and this is what he had to say about reprising the role in future Marvel Films:
"We've talked about it and there's up until 2011 before 'The Avengers' shows up, so he'll show up periodically from time to time."
So while there's essentially no real news if either of the S.H.I.E.L.D. staples will be returning, there's high hopes that Marvel knows they have a good thing if they've already talked to Jackson about returning, and we'll have to see if Clark Gregg prodding Downey will be enough to bring back Fury's wingman Agent Coulson. Source : http://www.superherohype.com/news/ironmannews.php?id=7625
DragonCon for years has been known as a big playground for adults, where folks can dress up in elaborate costumes, debate intricate plot details from “Battlestar Galactica” and meet their favorite stars.
But the four-day extravaganza in downtown Atlanta, which continues through Monday, has been drawing more and more little kids, brought along by sci-fi loving parents. While children remain a small percentage of the 30,000-plus attendees now spread over four hotels, Con vets have noticed a shift.
“The first time we brought our kids six years ago, we were like the only ones,” said LeAnna Stockman, 28, a Calhoun mother of three. “We feel a lot more comfortable now.”
Her oldest daughter Katelynne, 10, donned a red, white and blue Sailor Moon costume; her seven-year-old Kathrynn opted for a red and black “Star Trek: Next Generation” uniform while mop-topped five-year-old Nathanial picked a light blue Captain America costume.
“When people want their pictures taken with them, I get just as excited as if it were me,” said LeAnna.
Her husband Werner Stockman, 53, is at his 10th convention. “We need to pass on the love of fantasy and science fiction. If you don’t, it’ll die out.” (He notes DragonCon is adults only after 8 p.m.: “Some of the gothic scene outfits get pretty strange.”)
At the Marriott Marquis Saturday, the Stockmans pondered T-shirts. Kathrynn wrapped herself around her dad and asked, “Can I get a ‘Family Guy’ T-shirt?’ Can I?”
Werner punted: “That’s a mommy question!”
“As long as it’s a 2 for $35 deal,” mom said. “I don’t want to spend $100 on T-shirts!”
While the Stockmans were shopping, the Hunnewells of Suwanee with three girls in tow were simply people watching.
Gabby three-year-old Ella, in a Mulan costume, was fearless going right up to Cookie Monster and accepting a red sucker from Ryan Shile of Chicago, who was mock campaigning for president as Zod from “Superman 2.” “Kneel For Change!” he proclaimed.
Ella danced to the “steam punk” band Abney Park and looked mystified by a man dressed as an ugly stepsister from “Shrek” in a blue dress with chest hair and an unsightly unibrow.
The second Ella’s mom Patty snapped a photo of Ella with the stepsister, she fled, hugging her mom’s legs.
“I can’t blame her for running,” mused “stepsister” Ron Garner. “I can imagine this has warped her for life.”
But Ella found no fear meeting “Star Wars” icon R2D2.
“How old are you?” asked R2D2.
“Three,” she said bravely.
“Will you take a picture with me?”
She nodded and started petting the robot like a dog.
Ella’s parents led her away, but she soon ran back and whispered to R2D2, “Maybe I’ll see you later.”
Here are the full details on the three versions of The Incredible Hulk to be available on October 21:
From the Marvel Universe of the world's most popular Super Heroes comes the $234.6 million worldwide summer hit that fans have been waiting for as THE INCREDIBLE HULK blasts onto DVD and Blu-ray Hi-Def from Universal Studios Home Entertainment and Marvel Studios on October 21, 2008. Filled with unstoppable action, spectacular visual effects, and non-stop thrills, THE INCREDIBLE HULK is directed by Louis Leterrier and features an all-star cast including Academy Award® nominees Edward Norton and Tim Roth, Liv Tyler and Academy Award® winner William Hurt. The visually spectacular, super-charged release will be available in three versions: a three-disc Special Edition DVD available for a limited time only; a two-disc Blu-ray release, offered in collectible 3D lenticular packaging for a limited time only; and a single-disc DVD edition.
Both the Special Edition DVD and Blu-ray releases include over two hours of bonus extras, including an exclusive, never-before-seen alternate opening and a digital copy of the film that is iPod, PC or MAC compatible. The two-disc Blu-ray set, offering the perfect picture and purest digital sound, will also include all-new, interactive features including My Chat, an innovative application that allows viewers to communicate with friends and family while watching the film for a fully immersive, exclusive experience.
The suspense-filled, action-packed story is the epic tale of Dr. Bruce Banner, whose life has been changed forever by a dose of gamma radiation that transforms him when provoked into the terrifying and powerful Hulk. Though pursued by military leaders intent on harnessing his unbelievable strength as a secret weapon, Banner must call upon the hero within himself to battle an equally powerful adversary, The Abomination.
The single-disc edition includes the film and deleted scenes. In addition to these components, both the Special Edition DVD and the Blu-ray Hi-Def release will include the following:
BONUS FEATURES – SPECIAL EDITION DVD AND BLU-RAYTM HI-DEF:
- Alternate Opening - The Making of THE INCREDIBLE HULK: An in-depth look at the making of the blockbuster film, featuring interviews with Edward Norton, director Louis Leterrier, and producers Avi Arad, Kevin Feige and Gale Anne Hurd and the entire cast and crew. The documentary covers the film's innovative take on the character, look and storyline, as well as the casting process, production and profile of director Louis Leterrier. - Becoming The Hulk: This featurette focuses on Edward Norton's approach to the iconic role and the incredible visual effects employed by award®-winning studio Rhythm & Hues to create the character on screen. - Becoming The Abomination: From the first motion-capture session to the visual effects at Rhythm & Hues, viewers go behind the scenes with actor Tim Roth and watch as he transforms both his mind and body into the super villain known as The Abomination. - Anatomy of a Hulk Out: Behind-the-scenes looks at three of the movie's most exciting action sequences: - Hulking Out in the Bottling Plant – Go inside the first action sequence of the film where both viewers and the army are given a glimpse of the Hulk to come. - Hulking Out on Campus – A behind-the-scenes look at the creation of a Hulk action sequence, featuring airplanes, guns, and even a sound machine. - Hulking Out in Harlem – From pre-visualization animatics to visual effects, this featurette shows how filmmakers created one of the largest action sequences in Marvel film history. - From Comic Book to Screen: See the incredible comic books come to life courtesy of narration, sound effects and "living” panels of action. - Feature Commentary With Director Louis Leterrier And Cast - Digital Copy of THE INCREDIBLE HULK: Compatible with PC, Mac or iPod. - Deleted Scenes
BONUS FEATURES – EXCLUSIVE TO BLU-RAYTM HI-DEF:
U Control: Universal's exclusive signature feature, U Control puts viewers one click away from going deeper into the making of the film without ever interrupting the movie, through animated comic book panels, storyboards, early renderings of the visual effects, interactive cast and crew interviews and exclusive information about the characters, back story, and THE INCREDIBLE HULK physics. - Thunderbolt Files – Explore the top-secret files of the forces hunting The Hulk with this interactive feature that takes you deeper into the movie – without ever leaving the film. - Scene Explorer – Discover the secrets behind the special effects! Explore all the individual layers that go into an effects-intensive scene with this unique Blu-ray feature. - Comic Book Gallery – Enjoy a Hi-Def experience of the classic comic book images that inspired key shots in the movie.
BD-LIVE FEATURES – Blu-ray and Playstation3 players with an Internet connection can access exclusive interactive applications that allow viewers to communicate with friends and family while watching the film: - My Chat – Just plug your player into your Internet connection and connect to BD-Live to chat with friends while watching the movie and conduct your very own private screening discussions. - My Scenes Sharing – Share your favorite clips with your buddies through the BD Live Internet connection
Synopsis
"First, there was the rousing Iron Man. Now Marvel Entertainment brings the equally exhilarating The Incredible Hulk.” (Vince Horiuchi, The Salt Lake Tribune)
Academy Award® nominee* Edward Norton stars as scientist Bruce Banner, a man who has been living in shadows, scouring the planet for an antidote to the unbridled force of rage within him: the Hulk. But when the military masterminds who dream of exploiting his powers force him back to civilization, he finds himself coming face to face with his most formidable foe: the Abomination – a nightmarish beast of pure aggression whose powers match the Hulk's own!
Also starring Liv Tyler, Oscar® nominee† Tim Roth, and Oscar® winner** William Hurt, The Incredible Hulk is "steeped in action and spectacular special effects” (Claudia Puig, USA TODAY) and delivers a mind-blowing final showdown that can only be summed up with one word...INCREDIBLE!
"Academy Award®” and "Oscar®” are registered trademarks and service marks of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
*1996 Best Supporting Actor, Primal Fear. 1998 Best Actor, American History X.
†1995 Best Supporting Actor, Rob Roy.
**1985 Best Actor, Kiss of the Spider Woman.
CAST AND FILMMAKERS
Directed By: Louis Leterrier Screenplay and Screen Story: Zak Penn Produced By: Avi Arid, Kevin Feige, Gale Anne Hurd Director of Photography: Peter Menzies, Jr. Edited By: John Wright, Rick Shaine, Vincent Tabaillon, Production Designer: Kirk M. Petruccelli Costume Designer: Renee Bravener, Denise Cronenberg Original Music By: Craig Armstrong Cast: Edward Norton, Liv Tyler, Tim Roth, William Hurt, Tim Blake Nelson, Ty Burrell, Lou Ferrigno as the voice of The Incredible Hulk
Technical Info: English Audio: DTS HD Master Audio 5.1 / Dolby Digital 2.0 Spanish and French Audio: DTS Surround 5.1 Subtitles: English, Spanish, French
Technical Info: English Audio: DTS HD Master Audio 5.1 / Dolby Digital 2.0 Spanish and French Audio: DTS Surround 5.1 Subtitles: English, Spanish, French
Warner, DC hold superhero summit Strategy in works for comic catalog By DAVID S. COHEN
It’s not quite a gathering of the Justice League, but there’s a superhero summit under way at Warner Bros. Warners and sibling DC Comics are holding high-level talks to hammer out a master strategy for their stable of superheroes.
Warners has never had such a strategy, and there have long been complaints the studio has been slow to exploit a potential treasure trove of franchises. And while the studio is basking in critical love for “The Dark Knight,” it has watched studio rivals rake in big bucks from Marvel Comics characters, and Marvel itself get into the tentpole business.
While it’s assumed there will be another Batman pic, there’s been no formal announcement. And Warners has no movies based on the classic DC universe to preview at this year’s Comic-Con.
Warner has scripts it likes for “Justice League: Mortal,” which teams up classic DC characters, and “Green Lantern.” “Justice League” was close to getting a greenlight until the writers strike hit, and “Green Lantern” has gained heat lately.
All plans, though, depend on the course the studio charts in its summit.
The studio is keeping details of its meetings under wraps, but issued a statement saying, in part, “We’re constantly looking at how best to exploit the DC Comics characters and properties.”
But Warner and DC have often appeared lethargic in getting comic properties developed into films, with only Batman and Superman established in movies. In fact, Warners watchers may feel a certain deja vu, though, with all this talk of giving DC more attention.
Five years ago, WB was getting ready to hire someone to kickstart its development on the DC characters (Variety, July 14-20, 2003). WB said then that it was aware it could lose an entire generation of fans if it didn’t get its characters into the movies. “We’re not going to let that happen,” said a senior VP.
Warners has long been the only studio home for DC heroes. It must pass on any DC character before it can be licensed to another studio, and Warner almost never passes. It keeps the characters in development. (One exception: Summit recently acquired rights to DC/Wildstorm’s “Red” — not one of the classic titles fans have been clamoring for.)
Many recall the painful development attempts to revive the Superman franchise, as handfuls of scribes, directors and stars came and went. Tim Burton and Nicolas Cage famously had pricey pay-or-play deals that the studio had to cover when “Superman Lives” bit the dust.
To be fair, Warners has not ignored its DC legacy: Besides “The Dark Knight,” “300” helmer Zack Snyder’s adaptation of DC’s seminal “Watchmen” is slated for winter release. And DC characters have been more successful than Marvel’s in TV, most recently with “Smallville.”
Yet this year, Warner Bros. has been unable to point to anyone at the studio with responsibility for overseeing the DC characters. While DC’s senior VP of creative affairs Gregory Noveck pegs Warners toppers Jeff Robinov and Alan Horn as “the ultimate decisionmakers,” they’re the decisionmakers for pretty much everything at the studio, and neither is in a position to dive into active development of the DC universe.
Besides “Green Lantern,” which Greg Berlanti is set to write and direct, DC characters that are know
WB mulls redraw of DC Comics plan Big shake-up could be in the works By Borys Kit
July 11, 2008, 12:00 AM ET A big shake-up could be in the works at Warner Bros. for its DC Comics film properties.
In the course of the past couple of weeks, Warner Bros. Pictures Group president Jeff Robinov and Warner Bros. Pictures president Kevin McCormick have been meeting with DC Comics executives as well some of DC's top talents, like Jim Lee, to discuss a new direction for film adaptations.
Up until now, the comic properties had been undergoing a hodge-podge development process. With the recent success of Marvel Studios' "Iron Man" and "The Incredible Hulk" and that company's plan to develop its many characters linked strategically together, Warners has been forced to take a close second look at its sister company.
With "The Dark Knight" near its release date, a new agenda is being set, one that not only sees the DC characters emerge with a higher priority but also one that would see them developed with an overarching goal in mind.
Although plans are in motion, any firm deals or announcements are weeks away.
Warners declined comment on the discussions, only stating: "While we are not going to go into the specifics of the meetings, we're constantly looking at how best to exploit the DC Comics characters and properties. DC is an incredibly valuable asset to Warner Bros. and plays an important role across the entire studio by providing development and franchise opportunities for all media, including films, television, home entertainment, animation, consumer products, video games and digital platforms."
Latest "Hulk" may not spawn a sequel Wednesday July 9 1:17 AM ET
It's a tale of two movies, with an oddly similar ending.
Five years ago, "Hulk," the first movie based on Marvel's hulking green comic book character, rang up $245 million in worldwide box office but was widely dismissed as a commercial failure.
The second attempt, "The Incredible Hulk," amped up the fun factor and dialed down the brooding of director Ang Lee's original but is unlikely to gross significantly higher than its predecessor and might not spawn a sequel. And it's been dubbed a success.
What gives?
"We're happy with the financial results, even if they (only) reach the first film's levels," a Marvel insider insisted. "Having a sequel is not the definition of success."
That's fortunate, as even outpacing the first film's worldwide haul by 10% looks optimistic at this point, and that's not likely to stoke enthusiasm for a franchise follow-up anytime soon.
After four weekends, the Louis Leterrier-directed "The Incredible Hulk" has earned $125 million, the same as what "Hulk" had pulled in at the same time in its run. "Hulk" finished with $132 million, and its successor is unlikely to do much better.
Its foreign rollout is still in progress, with comics-friendly Japan among the territories the remake has yet to bow, but it appears likely that the Edward Norton starrer will struggle to reach $130 million internationally. The first film tallied $113.2 million overseas.
Action films tend to outperform internationally, though comic book adaptations can be a different matter if the fan base skews American. Marvel touts the Hulk comic franchise as its second most popular worldwide, after Spider-Man.
"All we can say as a studio is that we are very pleased with the result," Universal domestic distribution president Nikki Rocco said.
Despite the similarity of the Hulk films' theatrical runs, industryites suggest the lighter tone of the second film makes it more the vehicle to generate sequels, and some suggest the remake will prove a more lucrative DVD title than the Eric Bana-starring original. On the other hand, production costs and marketing expenses were steeper the second time around, totaling more than $200 million. The first film cost about $150 million to make.
Still, the dark original so turned off the Hulk character's fanboy base as to require a complete reworking of its big-screen rendering before a film franchise could be christened.
But Marvel has yet to greenlight a Hulk sequel. So other observers suggest the films' most important distinction lies simply in how well market expectations were managed in advance of their respective bows.
"Hollywood is always about perception," said David Davis, managing partner and entertainment analyst at Arpeggio Partners in Los Angeles. "The first Hulk (movie) had such high expectations after the NBC-Universal merger and was supposed to be critical-favorite Ang Lee's breakout commercial blockbuster.
"Then with the new Hulk film, Marvel was able to underplay the importance of the success after the great success of 'Iron Man' this summer," Davis said. "So the new one overdelivered, relative to its underpromise."
The Marvel-produced, Paramount-distributed "Iron Man" has fetched more than $563 million at the worldwide box office.
Edgar Wright plans to direct an action-adventure film with some humorous elements, insisting that Ant-Man would not be a comedy like Fantastic Four or a spoof. The script has been written by Wright and Joe Cornish, who plan to include Henry Pym and Scott Lang as major characters, with Pym as Ant-Man in the 60's in Tales to Astonish style, and a flashforward to Lang as Ant-Man's successor in the 80's/90's.
On February 9, Wright said that the project was in "a holding pattern" while the script was revised, with casting yet to begin. The director reported that he would have news for the film in a few months.nanotechnology for the film. As of March 2008, Wright told Empire He has been researching magazine that a second draft of the script is being written. Known for being a comedic writer, the director noted that the film would not be overtly comedic, but that it would be "more of a full-on action adventure sci-fi film but with a comedic element.
In an article at Military.com talking about Terrence Howard's character Col. James 'Rhodey' Rhodes in Iron Man, the actor revealed that he will begin filming for Iron Man 2 in March of 2009.
The sequel has already been scheduled for a release on April 30, 2010. Jon Favreau is expected to direct again, with Robert Downey Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow returning as well.
You won't have to wait that long to see Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark back on the big screen, however. Just catch The Incredible Hulk this Friday for a cool cameo.
In related news, ComingSoon.net reports that Iron Man added $7.5 million domestically and $4.8 million internationally this weekend to bring its worldwide total to a massive $538 million.
In a spacious screening room on the Universal Studios lot, the French-born action film director Louis Leterrier (Transporter 2) is brimming with energy; Marvel Studios president of production Kevin Feige, fresh off the spectacular success of the studio's latest effort Iron Man, seems relaxed and confident; and legendary producer Gale Anne Hurd ("The Terminator" films) plays the congenial hostess as they invite a small contingent of online reporters to get comfortable in the screening room's plush seats.
The filmmakers' collective mood is decidedly upbeat, a good sign considering that earlier in the day they unspooled the finished version of their current collaboration before the Universal brass for the very first time, and now they're about to unveil some tantalizing film clips to a select group of Internet press. The lingering question: after a disappointingly received first film helmed by no less a talent than Ang Lee, and persistent talk of a simmering behind-the-scenes rift between Marvel and the latest top-flight thespian to get superheroic over his creative contributions to the film, will the not-quite-a-sequel The Incredible Hulk actually SMASH box office expectations?
And based on what ComingSoon.net/Superhero Hype! saw in the roughly 15 minutes of footage previewed, if the filmmakers' promised mash-up of the tortured, on-the-run, Jekyl-and-Hyde hero of the '70s TV series and the balls-out gamma-powered beat-downs of the comic book incarnations – classic Lee-Kirby, contemporary Loeb-Sale, and cutting-edge Millar-Hitch versions chief among them – is as effective as it is intriguing, there's every reason to believe ol' Jade Jaw may be reeling in giant fistfuls of green at the Cineplex. Super Serum
Even the Hulk couldn't miss Iron Man's silver screen debut!If you're heading out to your local cineplex this weekend to see Iron Man's big screen debut, you better keep a close eye on your popcorn to make sure a certain Jade Giant doesn't get his hands on it...because in about two hundred theaters across the country fans can see life-size replicas of the incredible Hulk looming over them! And if you have the guts to get close enough to snap a picture with the rampaging Hulk, send it to us and we'll post our favorites right here! How? First, upload your pictures to our Hulk statues Flickr group. Make sure you let us know where you took the pictures, then we'll get in touch and post them here on Marvel.com! Remember, "The Incredible Hulk" hits theaters Friday, June 13! Find a complete listing of theaters currently at risk for some gamma-irradiated collateral damage, and photos taken by Hulk fans, below!
Entertainment Weekly caught up with both Robert Downey Jr. and director Jon Favreau after the box office figures for Iron Man started coming in. They asked both about Iron Man 2, coming to theaters on April 30, 2010.
Here's a clip from the Downey Jr. interview, which you can read in full here:
When you were brainstorming with Jon Favreau, what were the elements that you wanted to bring to the next Iron Man movie? There's this idea of Terrence [Howard] putting on a suit and coming back as War Machine, who is pretty iconic in the Iron Man and Marvel universe. Just seeing where it can all go, but grounding it in a very modern mythology. I see it as greatest dysfunctional family story ever told.... In The New York Post a couple days ago, [there was a cartoon] of Iron Man suited up, and he's telling the governor even his super-powers can't get him out of the budget problem. That was what Jon was hoping for and excited to see the most, the idea that Tony Stark and Iron Man can become part of the cultural fabric. When we heard posters were being defaced to promote political or social ideas, he just got such a hoot out of that.
And a bit from the Favreau interview, available in full here.
Will you be involved with the sequel? We've been speaking informally about it, and in concept we would all love to work together again. But I found out about the announcement last night, so it's not something that — we would definitely love to collaborate more with the sequel. There's no formal arrangement yet, but in theory we would all love to see it happen.... There's definitely a lot of ideas that we all have now. This type of movie is based on serialized materials, so it lends itself very easily to [many different sequel possibilities]. There's definitely a level of enthusiasm from myself and the cast to tell more stories.
Iron Man earned an additional $6.9 million on Monday and has pushed its domestic total to $109 million.
I don't know the origins of this but its a pretty cool rendering of War Machine. Is this how he will look in Iron Man 2? Who knows. Enjoy this picture for now.
In this summers The Incredible Hulk, General Ross mentions a World War II program that created a super soldier formula to Emil Blonsky (The Abomination) who leaps at this chance to defeat the Hulk. Viewers see this as a nod to Captain America.
Marvel Entertainment released their first quarter report to its shareholders this morning to coincide with the announcement about the success this past weekend of Marvel Studios' first production Iron Man, which grossed an estimated $104.2 million domestically and over $201 million worldwide. The announcement included an update of Marvel Studios' feature film slate with the already-rumored Iron Man 2 announced for a release on April 30, 2010, followed by three more movies for the summers of '10 and '11. Matthew Vaughn's Thor is set for a release on June 4, 2010, and The First Avenger: Captain America (the working title) will kick off the summer of 2011 on May 6, followed by the highly-anticipated and foreshadowed The Avengers scheduled for July 2011. (Edgar Wright's Ant-Man is also listed as being in development with no release date set.)
In a conference call this morning, Marvel Studios' David Maisel said that Iron Man 2 will be used to introduce Thor. Regarding more "Hulk" movies, Maisel said "We definitely plan on continuing." He added that development continues on Spider-Man 4. "I can't give any other updates other than to say it's in development and everybody's excited about 'Spider-Man 4,'" he said.
With that in mind, one can start expecting a lot more announcements in the coming months about creative teams and casting for those movies including who might direct the Captain America and Avengers movies. (Whomever plays Steve Rogers AKA Captain America presumably will be making two movies at once.)
Screenwriter Mark Protosevich has been hired to write a script for a live-action Thor film and stated that "It's going to be like a superhero origin story, but not one about a human gaining super powers, but of a god realizing his true potential. It's the story of a [sic] Old Testament god who becomes a New Testament god. It will be mythic, but also bear the unmistakable qualities of a Marvel movie, an epic fantasy adventure."[48] In addition director Matthew Vaughn is citing Gladiator as an influence of the storyline.[49]
After being impressed with his work on Stardust (2007), Marvel Studios signed Matthew Vaughn to direct [49] in August 2007. Vaughn intends to start filming in late 2008,[50] while he rewrites Protosevich's script in order to bring down the budget to $150 million. Protosevich's first draft had a cost of $300 million to produce.[51]
After the success of Iron Man, Marvel Studios announced Matthew Vaughn's Thor is set for a release on June 4, 2010. Thor himself will cameo first in Iron Man 2, schedule for release on April 30 that year.[52]
We're assuming you saw "Iron Man" this weekend and not just because you're a died in the wool fanboy, but because it looked like most of America went to it.
Box office numbers are out for the Robert Downey, Jr. action flick, and phrases like "9th biggest non-sequel opening ever" and "much like the original 'Spider-Man'" are getting thrown around quite favorably. Overall, the movie took in $201 million internationally, and you can read all about it at:
Philanthropist, inventor...playa. Meet Tony Stark, billionaire playboy and alter-ego to the Armored Avenger, Iron Man. When not smashing Chinese fellas with ring collections and/or other guys in armor, our hero is smashing it out with the kind of hotties only billionaires can bag. Don't believe us? Click the chart below and sit in awe as one man--if he be determined enough--can have sex with the entire Marvel universe.
Every time you kiss Iron Man, you taste Galactus.
Not too many superheroes can lay claim to that kind of fame, and--truth be told--wouldn't want to. But Anthony Edward Stark isn't your average kind of superhero. You can stick shrapnel in his heart, but he'll overcome it, build a suit of armor and steal your girlfriend. Shoot him in the spine and paralyze him? He'll go through grueling physical therapy, learn to walk again and bag your wife. He's rich, he has a mustache and he absolutely will not stop until you're in his bed.
PARK CITY, Utah — William Hurt is a consummate actor and a closet (until now) comic book geek. Both of which explain his excitement in revealing a bit about one surprise scene he shot for this summer's "The Incredible Hulk."
"I have a scene with Iron Man, with Robert Downey Jr.," the Oscar-winning actor told MTV News Friday at the Sundance Film Festival. "It's a funky scene."
For those who haven't heard the news, superhero house Marvel Comics is aggressively cross-pollinating its superheroes, most likely in preparation for an eventual "Avengers" movie. That means Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury will make a cameo appearance in May 2's "Iron Man," and ol' metalhead himself will drop into "Hulk." Little has been said about the scene — until now.
"I don't know how it'll work," Hurt admitted, saying it was a thrill to appear as General Thaddeus Ross during Downey's scene. "I know it's weird [to work with a character from another movie], and to know it's a device. We did something; I don't know what that's going to be like [to watch]."
First of all let me state that I am a geek. I am not a nerd. The difference between a geek and a nerd is as follows. Geeks are well versed in subjects not taught in state credited schools. These subjects may include Star Wars, Star Trek, comic books, video games, role playing card games, etc. A nerd on the other hand is someone who is smart in subjects taught in school like math and sh$t. I don't know math and sh#t. But ask me about the difference between Diaclone and Transformers and how Go-Bots is now a part of the Transformers Universe and I just might talk your ear off. Which leads me to one of my other hobbies in this beautiful experience that we call life: Comic Books.
I love comic books. I have been reading comics since 1981 and I will probably be reading comics until the day that I die. So it comes as no surprise as to why I am so damn "geeked" about "The Avenger Initiative."
What is "The Avenger Initiative" you ask? What hole have you been living under the past 48 hours? The Avenger Initiative is what we as comic book geeks dreamed of as little kids while reading "Secret Wars" and "Crisis On Infinite Earths" except this time it is not in a comic book (well actually, there is The Avengers Initiative in the post Civil War Marvel Universe but i am not talking about that). For the first time ever in live action form, we are finally going to see Superhero movies cross over with one another the same way comics have cross overs.
Now what exactly does that mean? Well, let me give you an example. imagine your watching the live action Transformers movie But instead of the Tyrese Gibson character and the U.S. Army, you get Roadblock and G.I. Joe. Or how about your watching the Spider-Man movies and then "wham!" some of the X-Men from the movie franchise show up to give Peter Parker some help. Things like this use to happen in the Comics and Cartoons all the time, but for it to happen in a live action? Straight up bananas!
So for those of us who are not living under a rock and went to go see Iron Man this weekend and actually stayed to read all the credits at the end of the movie (geeks have been doing this for years) I am sure you all saw exactly what I am talking about. It was the official confirmation we have all been waiting for ever since we first heard or read that Marvel planed on producing an Avengers movie in which multiple marvel movie franchises would start off as individuals and then come together for the Big Finale. That Big Finale being "The Avengers Movie" set to hit theaters in 2-3 years.
Now for those of you who have not seen Iron Man - GO SEE IT! Trust when I say you wont be disappointed. Stay until the credits role (like I said before, for Geeks this comes natural.)
But if your lazy or broke (Damn Gas Prices) and you just so happened to find a horrible Chinese bootleg Camcorder version of Iron Man off the Internet that cuts off right when the end credits begin then your missed a very very very very very crucial part of the movie. Not only Iron Man but other Marvel movies to come...
The following is that scene I was speaking of. I did not film it but someone did with what looks like a camera phone. How Ironic that Technology is being used during a Tony Stark movie.
SPOILER - DON'T WATCH IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN THE WHOLE MOVIE!
This right here will conclude my first post. I don't claim to be the best blogger in the world but this movie has gotten me so "geeked" that "I can't feel my face." I plan on tracking as much news as possible related to the upcoming movies that eventually lead to the Avengers flick so let's make the next 2 ( and 3 or 4 ) years a nice one.
 "Click to enlarge")
Marvel will continue its focus on Iron Man with a sequel scheduled for release April 30, 2010. Maisel also mentioned a third Iron Man film but did not provide a release date. Continuing the build-up to the year of the Avengers is Thor, set for release in June 2010. Marvel hopes to capture the excitement that surrounded the Lord of the Rings trilogy with its focus on Thor, a Norse god struggling with his half-brother and father. The movie features significant and interesting character development juxtaposing Thor’s deity and his human personality.
