Our weekly round up of the big news stories from the world of screen superheroes…
The Dark Knight Rises became the third film of the year to cross the $400m mark in North America on Friday and will overtake The Hunger Games this weekend to become the second-biggest domestic release of 2012 behind The Avengers with $617.4m. The film already holds that position globally and should push its world-wide gross beyond $900m this weekend; it’s also yet to open in China (arriving in the lucrative market on August 27th, in direct competition with Marc Webb’s The Amazing Spider-Man), so it’s all but assured now that The Dark Knight Rises will go on to outperform its predecessor and finish up its run as the most successful instalment in the Batman movie franchise…
…If you’re one of the few people yet to see The Dark Knight Rises (or live in China, and are yet to give in to bootleg temptation), you may want to skip to the next paragraph now, as Joseph Gordon-Levitt appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live on Tuesday where he discussed his role as John Blake, the ending of the film, and whether he’d be back as Robin in his own sequel: “I don’t think [the ending of The Dark Knight Rises] is necessarily a set-up. I think it is the great ending for that trilogy… Even if you go back to Batman Begins, he’s talking about how Batman is more than a man, it’s a symbol, and a hero can be anybody and we all have heroes inside of us.” We know of course that Christopher Nolan has called time on his reign over Gotham, but judging by Gordon-Levitt’s response to a question from THR about the possibility of him taking on the lead in the franchise, a Nolan-less sequel doesn’t necessarily exclude John Blake from donning a mask somewhere down the line: “I always choose scripts the same way. If it’s a great script and a great filmmaker, then I’m interested…”
…One director who certainly won’t be taking over the reins of the Batman franchise is David Cronenberg (The Fly, A History of Violence), who had some choice words for the superhero genre in an interview with Next Movie: “I think it’s still Batman running around in a stupid cape… The movie, to me, they’re mostly boring… But a superhero movie, by definition, you know, it’s comic book. It’s for kids. It’s adolescent in its core. That has always been its appeal, and I think people who are saying, you know, Dark Knight Rises is, you know, supreme cinema art, I don’t think they know what the f**k they’re talking about.” I guess A History of Violence is the exception to Cronenberg’s comic book rule…
…While the Batman franchise may be on hiatus, things are moving full steam ahead in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with Disney and Marvel Studios cementing their plans for ‘Phase Two’ by announcing an official release date of May 1st, 2015 for Joss Whedon’s The Avengers 2. The sequel could potentially see a new recruit joining Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, given the confirmation from 20th Century Fox that it has given up on its efforts to fast-track director Joe Carnahan’s (The Grey) 70s-style Daredevil reboot into production and will instead allow the rights to the Man Without Fear to revert back to Marvel. For a taste of how Carnahan’s Daredevil might have turned out, be sure to check out two ‘sizzle reels’ that were released by the director via Twitter…
…In other bits and pieces from the MCU, a potential Guardians of the Galaxy logline has been released, while Aint It Cool News posted an alleged trailer description of the currently-in-production Iron Man 3, the latter of which should probably be taken with a pinch of salt. There’s also been a couple of minor Marvel casting announcements, with Dale Dickey (My Name Is Earl, Winter’s Bone) joining the cast of Iron Man 3 for a (presumably small) mystery role, and Alice Krige (Star Trek: First Contact, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice) landing a part in Thor: The Dark World, which ComicBookMovie has speculated could be Alflyse, the queen of the Dark Elves of Svartalfheim…
Update – according to The Hollywood Reporter, Marvel Studios has identified James Gunn (Super) as the man to helm Guardians of the Galaxy; he’s said to be joined on the short list for the project by Peyton Reed (Yes Man) and directing duo Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden (Half Nelson), who may still be in the running to helm the first original offering of Marvel’s ‘Phase Two’ should talks with Gunn break down…
…Fox may have lost the rights to Daredevil, but there’s little chance of the X-Men following suit, with cameras currently rolling on Hugh Jackman’s latest outing as Logan in The Wolverine ahead of its release next year, and the first official synopsis has been revealed via the film’s Facebook page: “Based on the celebrated comic book arc, The Wolverine finds Logan, the eternal warrior and outsider, in Japan. There, samurai steel will clash with adamantium claw as Logan confronts a mysterious figure from his past in an epic battle that will leave him forever changed…”
…With filming set to begin on Kick-Ass 2: Balls to the Wall next month, a couple more names have joined the cast of the Jeff Wadlow-directed sequel; according to Deadline, Morris Chestnut (American Horror Story) will portray “the guardian for the young butt kicker played by Chloe Moretz” (presumably replacing Omari Hardwick from the first Kick-Ass), while Robert Emms (War Horse) has secured the role of former cop turned superhero Insect Man. The duo join the previously confirmed Aaron Johnson, Chloe Moretz, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Nicolas Cage, Lyndsy Fonseca and Yancy Butler, along with franchise newcomers John Leguizamo and Donald Faison…
…Despite things falling quite on Adam McKay’s (Anchorman) proposed adaptation of Garth Ennis’ The Boys – which revolves around a group of government agents charged with protecting civilians from the wanton destruction of superheroes – the director has given fans hope that the film may yet see the light of day, stating that Paramount has picked up the project and “we’re still developing”…
…In addition to the release of a brand new promotional poster, it’s been announced that John Barrowman (Doctor Who, Torchwood) has joined the cast of The CW’s upcoming live-action comic book adaptation Arrow for a recurring role as a “well-dressed man [who is] as mysterious as he is wealthy… he is an acquaintance of the Queen family and a prominent figure in Starling City.” Arrow stars Stephen Amell (The Vampire Diaries) as DC Comics’ Emerald Archer, and is set to premiere on October 10th…
…Before the Green Arrow arrives on our TV screens, the Justice League and the Legion of Doom will make an appearance in action figure form as part of the Robot Chicken DC Comics Special, which is set to air on Adult Swim on Sunday, September 9th. Take a look at the official trailer here…
…NBC is also looking to capitalise on the current superhero boom with an adaptation of Adam Beechen and Manny Bello’s comic book title Hench, which is envisioned as a high concept drama series centred on an average guy who is forced to seek employment as a henchman for various supervillains in order to support his family. Hench is set to be produced by the creative team behind Prime Suspect USA, which includes Peter Berg (Hancock), Sarah Aubrey (Friday Night Lights) and screenwriter Alexandra Cunningham (Desperate Housewives)…
…Last month, Thomas Jane reprised his role as The Punisher for the unofficial short film Dirty Laundry [watch it here] and now you can also check out a brief behind-the-scenes video, which gives us a bit of an insight into the making of the rather splendid short…
…And finally, we end with the sad news that legendary comic book artist Joe Kubert has passed away, aged 85. Beginning his professional career as a teenager in the early 1940s, Kubert went on to become one of the industry’s most influential figures through his work on the likes of DC Comics’ Hawkman and Sgt. Rock, in addition to serving as the founder of the prestigious Kubert School, the only accredited trade school dedicated to comic book art.
Holy Franchise, Batman! Bringing the Caped Crusader to the Screen – Available now via Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com
