Presenting our weekly round-up of the big news stories from the world of movie superheroes…
Well, it’s certainly been an exciting week for Batman fans as The Dark Knight Rises took the spotlight away from Harry Potter somewhat with the release of the first poster and teaser trailer from Christopher Nolan’s hotly anticipated sequel. It all began last weekend with talk that the trailer would be attached to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 and on Tuesday Warner Bros. unveiled the official teaser poster, which I think most people would agree is pretty sweet. Then came an early description of the trailer, before a flood of shaky, poor-quality videos started to spring up all over the web, leaving the studio’s legal department working overtime to get them taken down. Initially, the trailer seemed to be met with a bit of a mixed reaction, which shouldn’t be too surprising given the quality of the bootlegs, but there’s nod doubt it’s been hugely successful, sparking endless debate among fans and generating even more hype for the Dark Knight’s next outing.
For the few of you out there yet to see the trailer, it begins with a few shots from the previous films and a voiceover from Liam Neeson’s Ra’s al Ghul, before shifting to Commissioner Gordon (Gary Oldman) in a hospital bed. Gordon talks off-screen, saying that the Dark Knight needs to return to save the city, and we hear Christian Bale responding before a couple of quick shots, ending with a glimpse of Batman backing away as Bane (Tom Hardy) approaches. A few people seemed to express disappointment at the amount of new material – brief shots of Bane, no sign of Anne Hathaway’s Catwoman, etc. – but personally I didn’t expect to see so much (if I remember rightly, there was no footage in the first trailer for The Dark Knight), and while I wasn’t completely blown away by the teaser, it has left me desperate to see more. So, job done then – now let’s have an official HD version please…
Along with the teaser for The Dark Knight Rises, we’re also just a short while away from getting a look at another of 2012’s blockbuster superhero efforts with the first trailer from Marc Webb’s The Amazing Spider-Man expected to accompany Captain America: The First Avenger when it hits cinemas in North America on Friday. MovieWeb posted an alleged description of the trailer earlier in the week, suggesting that it’s going to give us a brief glimpse at the origins of both Spidey (Andrew Garfield) and the Lizard (Rhys Ifans), along with a few shots of Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone), Uncle Ben (Martin Sheen) and Aunt May (Sally Field). Of course, it’s possible that the report is bogus, but I have to say that – if true – Sheen’s “with greatest power must come greatest responsibility” line doesn’t quite have the same ring to it as the usual “with great power comes great responsibility”, but perhaps I’m just being picky.
In other Spider-Man news, EW debuted some new images from the film, while Collider posted an interview with Steve Kloves that’s worth checking out, with the screenwriter confirming that the reboot is the latest superhero flick to be ‘grounded in reality’. Now, I’m not trying to knock the film, but am I the only one getting a bit sick of hearing that? I mean, what kind of a reality has radioactive spiders and giant scaly lizard-men??
Before we get to next year’s offering, there’s still the small matter of Marvel’s Captain America: The First Avenger, which hits North American cinemas this coming Friday ahead of a UK release on July 29th. ComicBookMovie posted some brand new stills from the movie, featuring some good shots of the Red Skull (Hugo Weaving) and Heinz Kruger (Richard Armitage), while an extended TV spot also seemed to hint at the death of one of the main characters. Meanwhile director Joe Johnston spoke briefly about the post-credits scene (confirming that it was put together using footage from The Avengers), along with his potential involvement in a sequel, stating that he’s yet to discuss the possibility with Marvel. Oh, and just to build your excitement further, Marvel have also released a brand new cast poster, along with extensive video interviews and eight minutes of b-roll footage (spoilers included).
Wrapping up the best of the rest…
…Joe Cornish (Attack the Block) spoke to I Am Rogue about progress on the long-rumoured Ant-Man feature, confirming that he’s still busy revising the script with The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn co-writer Edgar Wright (Scott Pilgrim vs. the World), and fully expects Wright to handle directorial duties once the screenplay is complete…
…Another Marvel project that we’ve been hearing about for what seems like an eternity is Luke Cage, with Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson (The A-Team) becoming the latest actor to be linked to the role after revealing that he’s had a meeting with Marvel and would love to portray the character…
…There was talk earlier this week that wrestler-turned-Kenny Rogers lookalike Kevin Nash (The Punisher) was set for a role in the upcoming sequel Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, although the rumours were later debunked by the man himself on his official Twitter account…
…And finally, the Superman Homepage got their hands on some set photos of the Kent farm from Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel, which looks pretty much like any other farm if we’re being honest. With filming set to commence next month, expect to hear plenty more from the Christopher Nolan-produced reboot over the coming weeks and months.
Holy Franchise, Batman! – Coming 2012.
