Our weekly round up of all the latest stories from the world of screen superheroes, including Thor: The Dark World, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Guardians of the Galaxy, Ant-Man, Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., X-Men: Days of Future Past, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Kick-Ass 2, Batman vs. Superman, Justice League Dark, The Flash, Arrow, Justice League: War and more….
Marvel’s Thor: The Dark World opens here in the UK in just eleven days time (although you could see the film two days earlier, thanks to our preview screening ticket giveaway), and with the next stage of Phase Two upon us, Marvel Studios has blitzed the internet with promotional material this week, with highlights including our first look at Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje as both Algrim the Strong and Kurse. So, sit back and work your way through a batch of brand new images [see here], a clip between Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), a featurette and fifteen minutes of spoilery behind-the-scenes footage [see here], another clip showing Thor coming to the aid of his fellow Asgardians in battle [see here] and two TV spots and yet another clip, this time featuring the awakening of Malekith the Accursed (Christopher Eccleston) [see here]. And speaking of Malekith, Eccleston has also offered up a few words about the new big bad:
“[Malekith] has almost the godlike status among the elves. He initially appears after a centuries-long sleep. His intention is to reestablish his poisoned planet Svartalfheim – which was destroyed and poisoned centuries and centuries ago – and to return his world to its former glory, because there’s a great sense of aristocracy among the elves, a great sense of their own self. So, he says, ‘I will restore our world to its former glory, or I will die. In order to that, he needs a particular artifact. In his quest to get that artifact, he comes into opposition with Thor, and he has an ancient enmity with Thor’s grandfather. There’s an ancient grudge, Asgard being represented in the light, and Svartalfheim and the elves represented the dark. And that keys into a back-story which affects Thor and Odin very strongly, because there’s a little bit of an element of the sins of the fathers which Malekith is aware of and that Thor’s grandfather is not quite as pure as he painted himself…”
…This week has also seen the British Board of Film Classification revealing a 111 minute and 53 seconds runtime for Thor: The Dark World (making it the shortest Marvel Studios movie to date), which will apparently consist of two post-credits sequences – so make sure you remained fixed in your seat until the very end of the credits. The film, which is said to be tracking a bumper $90 million domestic opening, arrives in the UK on October 30th and in North America on November 8th, with Alan Taylor (Game of Thrones) directing a cast that also includes Tom Hiddleston (Loki), Anthony Hopkins (Odin), Rene Russo (Frigga), Stellan Skarsgård (Erik Selvig), Idris Elba (Heimdall), Ray Stevenson, (Volstagg), Zachary Levi (Fandral) Jaimie Alexander (Lady Sif), Tadanobu Asano (Hogun), Kat Dennings (Darcy Lewis)
…It appears that UK audiences will get to see Chris Evans’ second solo outing as Steve Rogers a week earlier than our friends across the Pond, with Marvel Studios following their typical release pattern by moving the UK opening of Captain America: The Winter Soldier forward to March 28th, 2014, while the North American date remains at April 4th for the time being. Meanwhile, the BBFC has classified the first trailer (running at 2 minutes and 23 seconds), meaning we’ll be getting our first look at the film very soon, presumably alongside Thor: The Dark World…
…With Guardians of the Galaxy officially wrapping filming this past week, director James Gunn (Super) took to Facebook to thanks his cast and crew for their work on the 83-day shoot, while Chris Pratt (Parks and Recreation) and Michael Rooker (The Walking Dead) have both spoken about the film, with Pratt choosing to focus on the character of Rocket Raccoon, who is set to be voiced by Bradley Cooper (American Hustle): “You think it’s a cartoon character, but it’s not, it’s a very real creature. Rocket Raccoon has been tortured his whole life and no one else likes him, so he’s lonely and he’s angry and it’s like, there are all these elements. You sort of forget about that, you wouldn’t think about, and hopefully will come to life. I think it will and that’s why they hired a really good actor to do the role. I could not be more excited that Bradley Cooper is voicing Rocket Raccoon, it’s a great character. It’s probably the best character in the movie, just because it’s not what you would expect…”
…Another star to discuss their role in Guardians of the Galaxy was Vin Diesel (Riddick), who confirmed that his character Groot has but one line in the movie, with Diesel stating: “My father taught me there are no small roles, only small actors. I have one line in the movie, but that doesn’t mean anything. I’m still going to make it the best thing I possibly can. Even if it means taking Andy Serkis to a whole other level, which is what we wanna do with our motion capture.” Oddly, according to Kevin Feige, Diesel’s role as Groot is still not yet 100% official: “He’s got to keep his 50 million followers, or whatever it is, entertained. It’s pretty impressive…. I think he’s filming Fast 7 right now — and occasionally filming himself. I think [his casting is] close. I think it’s close to being official for the Groot character. But, not 100 percent yet. [No], I didn’t say that [he was nuts] (laughs). But… this did not exist when we spoke at Comic Con. That is where we sort of found the potential to do something.” Meanwhile, MTV has posted an article speculating that Diesel could in fact be set to play the dual roles of Groot and Thanos, with The Avengers’ mid-credits surprise villain the only character from Guardians of the Galaxy yet to be officially cast…
…After Phase Two wraps up in May 2015 with Joss Whedon’s The Avengers: Age of Ultron, Marvel Studios will waste little time in kicking off Phase Three as British filmmaker Edgar Wright finally delivers his long-awaited Ant-Man movie, and this week the two front-runners for the role of Henry ‘Hank’ Pym have emerged in Joseph Gordon-Levitt (The Dark Knight Rises, Don Jon) and Paul Rudd (This Is Forty, Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues). JGL wasted little time in responding to the report, stating that discussions are in a very early stage at this point: “There is always a lot of rumors around these projects and so far it is still only discussions. I am always very transparent when it comes to my role and my career. I’m usually the first to speak and communicate with my fans if something happens. If you hear nothing from me, they are just rumors.” Meanwhile, Kevin Feige has seemingly confirmed that the two top Marvel’s shortlist, when asked why Gordon-Levitt continues to be linked to a role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe: “Sometimes it’s because we are legitimately talking, and sometimes it’s just because he’s a prominent actor out there now, and lots of rumors surround prominent actors. Nothing is true yet. I like Paul Rudd, too.” And, just to throw another potential Ant-Man casting rumour out there (albeit one far more dubious), Parks and Recreation star is allegedly in the running for the role of Janet Van Dyne, a.k.a. The Wasp, where she “would only be a love interest and a major supporting character [with] multiple references to her future as The Wasp throughout the film…”
…Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. finally looks as though it’s starting to pick up some traction, with the fourth episode ‘Eye-Spy’ putting an end to the slide in ratings, matching the previous week’s 7.7 million viewers in the States. Be sure to read Anghus Houvouras’ review of ‘Eye-Spy’, and check out a promo for the next episode ‘Girl in the Flower Dress’; here’s the official episode description: “An elusive girl in a flower dress may hold the key to the mystery that brings Coulson and team to Asia to rescue a young man with an unusual and dangerous power; and Skye has a secret that jeopardizes her relationship with the team right when they need her most…”
…With Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. a ratings success, it seems that Marvel Studios are gearing up to unleash their full television plans, and despite Marvel’s Head of Television Jeph Loeb claiming at last weekend’s New York Comic Con that their focus at present is on S.H.I.E.L.D. (as well as teasing the Hayley Atwell / Agent Carter series), reports have emerged this week suggesting that the studio is shopping around a 60-episode package of four hourlong dramas and a miniseries to various VOD / cable providers, with Netflix, Amazon and WGN America all said to be interested. At this point, there’s no word on what any of the projects might be, although Agent Carter must surely be a good bet for one of the slots. As for the others, could Marvel be looking to resurrect Melissa Rosenberg’s (Twilight) Alias adaptation AKA Jessica Jones, or even Guillermo del Toro’s long rumoured Hulk series? Let’s just hope they’ve forgotten about that Punisher procedural one with Frank Castle reinvisioned as a cop…
…Moving on from Marvel Studios and things have fallen pretty quiet on 20th Century Fox’s X-Men: Days of Future Past front with filming now wrapped and Bryan Singer deep into post-production, but the marketing campaign looks like it will get underway very soon with the BBFC classifying the first trailer running at 2 minutes and 15 seconds. Meanwhile a report emerged this week via Aint It Cool suggesting that Fox would be taking a leaf out of Peter Jackson’s Hobbit book by releasing the X-Men sequel in the controversial 48FPS format. However, much like every other report from Aint It Cool these days, the rumour was almost immediately shot down by Fox, with Variety quoting a spokesperson from the studio confirming that they are no plans to release the movie in the high frame-rate format…
…Sony has also been keeping pretty quiet when it comes to another of next year’s superhero sequels The Amazing Spider-Man 2, but this week did bring a new look at Andrew Garfield’s revamped Spidey suit thanks to some promotional artwork for the video game tie in, while the Daily Bugle viral site updated with a new post on Oscorp’s business activities, including “a flight harness for the military and significant advancements in robotics by the head of the engineering division, Spencer Smythe.” So, if that article is any indication, Spider-Man could find himself going up against Spider-Slayers in the sequel, as well virtually every other bad guy from his comic book mythos…
…Some potentially interesting news this week for any fans holding out hope that Marvel Studios and Sony might one day strike a deal to have Spider-Man lining up alongside the Avengers, with Marvel announcing that it’s to release The Amazing Spider-Man: The Art of the Movie, making the Spidey reboot the first non-Marvel Studios movie to get the ‘Art of the Movie’ book treatment…
…Universal Pictures’ superhero sequel Kick-Ass 2 might not have set the box office alight, but the studio will be hoping that the film enjoys the same kind of success as its predecessor when it arrives on DVD and Blu-ray just in time for Christmas. The film, which stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Chloe Grace Moretz, Christopher Mintz-Plasse and Jim Carrey, has been announced as hitting shelves on December 17th, and you can check out a full list of the special features – including ‘Big Daddy Returns: The Unshot Scene’ – right here…
…Turning to Warner Bros.’ fledgling DC Cinematic Universe and its been reported that Zack Snyder will get the ball rolling on his Man of Steel sequel today, with the director and his crew set to shoot scenes for Batman vs. Superman at a college football game in Los Angeles, with East Los Angeles College and Victor Valley College set to double for Gotham City University and Metropolis City University. Neither Henry Cavill (Clark Kent / Superman) or Ben Affleck (Bruce Wayne / Batman) are expected to be in attendance (let’s hope Breaking Bad star Bryan Cranston isn’t planning on catching the game this weekend, or that will really get the speculation going), but that won’t stop the inevitable set photos from spreading like wildfire across the internet as fans pour over every inch of them in search for possible clues to the storyline for the hotly-anticipated DC team-up / showdown. And, just to get us warmed up, here’s a look at the jerseys set to be worn by the two teams…
…In other news from the Man of Steel sequel, Hans Zimmer seems to have been distancing himself from a return on Batman vs. Superman, with the composer stating, “Honestly, I’m just sort of grappling with that right now. Quite seriously, the thought right now is that no, I don’t want to go and take what I did with Chris and just plonk it into another movie. There isn’t one good reason to do it, and there are so many good reasons not to do it. I really enjoyed working with Zack Snyder, so part of it would be a personal decision. At the same time, I wouldn’t want to put the ideas I used in the Chris Nolan Batman movies into a Superman movie. It just wouldn’t feel right. Zack hasn’t talked to me about it, so I don’t have to worry about it! I’ll worry about it when I have to worry about it, and then, if I’m lucky, I’ll have an idea. If I have an idea, I can do something with that, but if I don’t have an idea, then my good idea is going to be, ‘Get somebody else…'”
…Despite the fact he’s got enough projects on his slate to last a career, Guillermo del Toro has said that Dark Universe – his planned adaptation of DC’s Justice League Dark – is “still active” and that he believes the movie could still work despite the possibility of a Constantine TV show: “We talked about it at DC and Warners, and I feel confident that the two properties can exist at the same time. I think that DC is trying to create a great universe of characters, and expand it and make it clear to the audience that it’s a landscape of characters, and not just one that’s dependent on one or two characters…”
…One character who has been heavily rumoured to join the DC Cinematic Universe (before he was announced as joining DC’s Television Universe, at least) is that of The Flash, and two-time Oscar winner Tom Hanks (Philadelphia, Forrest Gump) has thrown his hat into the ring for the role of the Scarlet Speedster, or any superhero or supervillain for that matter: “”No, [it’s not a choice not to appear in a superhero movie], they don’t ask me and I keep trying…Come on, I can do it [laughs]. Let me play a bad guy, let me play the bad guy against Batman. I’ll do anything, call me. They’ve never asked. What do I have to do? God, I want to throw a shield at somebody. I want that. And I don’t want to play the guy in the suit who tells the superheroes what’s going on, I don’t want to be that guy. ‘Well, you know Batman…Captain America, Iron Man, here’s what we’ve discovered’, I don’t want to be that guy. I want to get in there, I want to play The Flash or something like that. They’ll never give me a chance…”
…After a slow start ratings-wise with it’s season two premiere a week ago, Arrow managed to pull in its biggest audience since April with ‘Identity’ pulling in 3.06 million viewers on Wednesday evening. This coming week will see the introduction of another big DC Comics character as Caity Lotz (The Pact) makes her debut as the Black Canary; check out a couple of first-look images, along with a promo for the third episode ‘Broken Dolls’ and a batch of Black Canary-centric images from episode four ‘Crucible’…
…Having receives its premiere at the New York Comic Con last weekend, Warner Bros. Animation has now officially released Zack Snyder and Bruce Timm’s 75th Anniversary Superman short, and you can check it out right here. Meanwhile, DC animation legend Bruce Timm has also spoken in depth about the creation of the short, which celebrates the illustrious history of the Man of Steel: “The idea was to start with Siegel and Shuster and end with Henry Cavill, stopping at all the high points and iconic moments in between. It was Zack Snyder’s idea. We had approached him about maybe doing a short for the DC Nation program on Cartoon Network. He said, ‘I’ll think about it,’ and then he had this idea to do basically the entire history of Superman in, like, a minute. We said, ‘Okay … whoooo.’ We started working and quickly realized there was no way to do it, even in a minute. There was just too much stuff. So we tried to put in little nods, even if only in the background…”
..Warner Bros. has also released another character image from next year’s animated movie Justice: League: War, giving us our first look at The Flash, who will be voiced by Christopher Gorham (Ugly Betty, Covert Affairs). The image joins previously released stills for Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Batman, Shazam, Darkseid and Desaad…
…And finally, it’s been announced that comic book legend Stan Lee has partnered up with Cartoon Network, Graphic India and POW! Entertainment for the animated movie Chakra: The Invincible, based around a young Indian boy who becomes a superhero. “I am incredibly excited to be collaborating with my friends at Graphic India as we launch this great new, thrill-a-minute superhero saga named Chakra: The Invincible,” said Lee. “The incredible story of Chakra, one of my latest and most exciting superhero creations promises to captivate audiences in India and around the world with his adventures.” The movie is set to premiere on Cartoon Network on November 30th.
Holy Franchise, Batman! Bringing the Caped Crusader to the Screen – Available now via Amazon.co.uk
