…After retaining top spot at the U.S. box office last weekend – joining The Dark Knight, Avatar and The Hunger Games as the only films from the past decade to claim first place on four occasions – the space opera has overtaken the box office haul of Iron Man to become Marvel Studios biggest-franchise starter with $589 million in the bank so far [UPDATE: It’s actually hit $300 million domestically on Saturday, becoming the first movie of the year to do so, as well as crossing $600 million worldwide]. Reacting to the news, director James Gunn said: “Guardians of the Galaxy box office just passed up Iron Man, making us the biggest Marvel franchise-starter yet. And we still haven’t opened in Japan, China, or Italy. If I had a penny for every time someone said making a Marvel movie with a talking raccoon was dumb and that Guardians was going to bomb, I’d probably have just about the amount of money Guardians has made so far. So I’m glad I spent that time making a film instead of counting people and their opinions, because we’re still going strong. Also, making the movie was a little more productive, and people seem to enjoy it. Not to mention that I would have had a difficult time collecting all those pennies, and the bank would have been pissed off at me when I tried to exchange them for large bills. But, once more, YOU ALL are the ones who bought the tickets. We provided the material, but you took it into your hearts and made it a hit. So THANK YOU, and love to you all (even those of you from whom I’d otherwise be collecting pennies)…”
…Dave Bautista won plenty of fans with his portrayal of Drax the Destroyer in Guardians of the Galaxy, and it seems he also impressed the powers that be at Marvel, with rumours suggesting this week that his contract is being restructured ahead of Guardians of the Galaxy 2 to include a “significant role” in Avengers 3…
…Before we get to Avengers 3 there is the small matter of next year’s Avengers: Age of Ultron, and while we caught a glimpse ofhim from behind back during the San Diego Comic-Con, this week has given us our first real look at Paul Bettany’s Vision as he will appear in the Joss Whedon-directed sequel, with the character featuring on a new banner than popped up online, along with some concept art allegedly sent as reference material to Sideshow Collectibles…
…With filming ongoing on Marvel’s Phase Three-launching Ant-Man, Michael Douglas has spoken briefly about the film, offering up a few words about Paul Rudd’s physique for his role as Scott Lang, as well as ruling out seeing his Hank Pym donning the Ant-Man suit: “Paul Rudd is ripped, he’s been training and working out for this picture for a long time. He was so cut, that they had to soften his costume up, with all the built-in six-packs and all of that. My costume will be hung up, and Paul will be wearing it in good form…”
…During a promotional interview for the home-entertainment release of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, co-director Joe Russo has spoken about the plans for 2016’s Captain America 3, as well as providing a brief update on its status: “If you’ve been talking to Kevin Feige, the title [for Captain America 3] has been in place probably for ten years in his brain. It’s all part of the road map that he’s laid out, and it’s all part of the bigger plan. I think the way Kevin does it is there are big pieces that he knows he wants to build towards, but the way that you get there is open to interpretation and improv a little bit. That’s defined by who gets involved with the project, the writers and directors involved in the project. The big thing we knew we had to deal with in Cap 2 was the fall of Hydra. Similarly there is a very, very big idea at the center of Cap 3. But how we get there is all up to us. And I think why Marvel has been so successful is because it’s been such a clear plan, that everything is interconnected and they’re building emotional capital with each movie that you can then trade off of in the next film… We have an outstanding draft. We were lucky enough to work again with Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely. They’re the best in the business at what they do. They have a really sensitive understanding of character and story, but also brains that really wrap themselves around the high concepts, big superhero concepts. We just got a draft in our hands that we’re ecstatic with.”
…We’re still waiting on news about which films will join Ant-Man, Captain America 3, Guardians of the Galaxy 2 and the expected-but-not-yet-officially-announced Doctor Strange as part of Phase Three of the MCU, but it seems we can forget about Iron Man 4 for the time being, with Robert Downey Jr. stating that: “There isn’t [another Iron Man movie] in the pipe No, there’s no plans for a fourth Iron Man…”
…If Lou Ferrigno – star of the 1970s Incredible Hulk TV series and voice of the Green Goliath in the MCU – is to be believed, we could be getting another Hulk movie during Phase Three, with the actor and bodybuilder stating that: “[A Hulk TV series] is a long way from now because I think down the road, I think in another year, they’re going to film a solo Hulk movie…”
…There’s also been plenty of speculation about whether Black Panther will finally make his MCU debut in Phase Three, and this week saw Denzel Washington seemingly ruling himself out of contention when asked if he’d been approached by Marvel. “Nope, I’m probably getting too old. They didn’t make the Black Panther yet, though, did they? I heard that they have been talking about it. That’s cool.” Of course, while he’s too old for T’Challa, there’s always T’Chaka…
…As we approach the season two premiere of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., ABC has dropped a batch of images along with a new promo , while showrunners Jed Whedon and Maurissa Tancharoen have spoken about expanding the cast of Marvel characters in season two, including the introduction of Mockingbird, played by Adrianne Palicki (G.I. Joe: Retaliation). Meanwhile, a synopsis arrived online revealing that Hayley Atwell will reprise the role of Peggy Carter for a guest appearance in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s season two premiere ‘Shadows’, which was followed by an image from the episode showing Peggy alongside Howling Commandos Jim Morita (Kenneth Choi) and Dum Dum Dugan (Neal McDonough), as well as a new title logo for Atwell’s own show Agent Carter, which will air during Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s midseason break…
…Fittingly, Marvel has announced that it will be giving us our first look at Netflix’s Daredevil series at the New York Comic Con next month, with Jeph Loeb, Marvel’s Head of Television, breaking the news: “New York City is home to Marvel and some of the greatest fans in the world, so we ensured that Marvel Television brought its biggest panels ever to this NYCC! Not only will fans get to experience our incredible partnership with Netflix as we introduce the cast of Marvel’s Daredevil for the first time, but they’ll get to see the world premiere of a new Marvel’s A‘ episode and their first look at the future of all their favorite super heroes courtesy of Marvel Animation.” Meanwhile, Daredevil showrunner Steven S. DeKnight was asked how much violence and swearing is allowed in the Netflix series, responding that it’s less than Spartacus, but more than Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.…
…Disney has continued its promotional efforts for Big Hero 6 by releasing a new TV spot for the upcoming animated Marvel movie which you can see here, as well as a selection of images that we have for you here. Big Hero 6 is set for release on November 7th in the States, while UK audiences have to wait until January 30th 2015…
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