Disney’s Live Action “Beauty and the Beast” to Hit Theaters March 17, 2017

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Hot off the heels of the successful debut of Disney’s live action “Cinderella,” Disney has officially announced that the release date of their upcoming live action version of “Beauty & The Beast” will be March 17, 2017.

Official Press Release:

Disney will release Beauty and the Beast in 3D on March 17, 2017. The beloved tale will be retold for the big screen with a modern live-action lens and the help of transformative CG magic. Emma Watson and Dan Stevens will star as Belle and the Beast/Prince respectively, and Luke Evans will play the role of Gaston. Emma Thompson has joined the cast as Mrs. Potts and Kevin Kline as Belle’s father, Maurice.

Eight-time Oscar-winner Alan Menken, who won two Academy Awards for the 1991 animated classic, will score the film, which will feature new recordings of the original songs in addition to several new songs written by Menken and Sir Tim Rice. Bill Condon will direct from a script by Stephen Chbosky, and the film will be produced by Mandeville Films’ David Hoberman and Todd Lieberman. Production begins in May at Shepperton Studios in London.

The Cast:

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Dan Stevens as The Beastcollagesdssddsdssd

Luke Evans as Gastoncollagezsdfdfdfd

Josh Gad as Lefoucollagedscvdsscd

Emma Thompson as Mrs. Pottscollagedcdscdscscs

Kevin Kline as Mauricecollageecdsccwsc

“Star Wars: Aftermath” Will Be The First Prequel Novel Leading Up To “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”

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Last week it was announced that a series of 20 books were coming that takes place in the timeline between “Return Of The Jedi” and “The Force Awakens.” These series of books will be called, “Journey To Star Wars: The Force Awakens.”

The books will be a combination of of novels, kids activity books, young adult books, and comic books. The books will all be part of the official “Star Wars” canon and will explain the years leading up to “The Force Awakens.” All of these books will contain hints and clues relating to “The Force Awakens.”

StarWars.com has officially announced that the first novel in the series is called “Star Wars: Aftermath.” It will be the first of a trilogy of novels and it will be written by critically-acclaimed author, Chuck Wendig.

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Here is the official synopsis:

The second Death Star has been destroyed. Rumors are flying that the Emperor and his enforcer, Darth Vader, are dead. A new government is forming to replace the Empire. But the galaxy is a big place, and the fallout of this cataclysm will affect different worlds in different ways. Does everyone accept the fall of Imperial rule? Has everyone even heard the life-altering news? What rushes in to fill the vacuum the Empire has left? And who will try to stop them? Those are some of the themes we’ll be exploring in Aftermath, and as a lifelong Star Wars fan, just writing those words gives me chills. I can’t wait for our first canon glimpse into the state of the galaxy after the Battle of Endor.

What’s more, Aftermath will be the first book in a trilogy that begins to bridge the Star Wars timeline between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens. There is so much unknown between the Battle of Endor and the events of The Force Awakens, and we’re excited to take our first step into that space.

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Other titles coming from the “Journey To The Star Wars: The Force Awakens” book line are:

  • Lost Stars (Disney-Lucasfilm Press)
  • Smuggler’s Run: A Han Solo Adventure (Disney-Lucasfilm Press)
  • The Weapon of a Jedi: A Luke Skywalker Adventure (Disney-Lucasfilm Press)
  • Moving Target: A Princess Leia Adventure (Disney-Lucasfilm Press)
  • Star Wars: Absolutely Everything You Need to Know (DK)
  • Star Wars: Journey to the Force Awakens (Marvel Comics)
  • Star Wars: Journey to the Force AwakensC-3PO (Marvel Comics)
  • Star Wars: Ships of the Galaxy (Studio Fun International)

Source: StarWars.com

3/19/15 Marvel News Mash-Up (Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Spider-Man in Avengers?, New Toys, ETC.)

First Look At Marvel Comics’ “Star Wars: Shattered Empire”

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One of the 20 titles that is part of “Journey To Star Wars: The Force Awakens” book line is the upcoming Marvel comic book, “Star Wars: Shattered Empire.” The above illustration looks to take place right around the end of “Return Of The Jedi” and will continue the adventures of Luke, Leia and Han. Other than this cover, we have no real information in regards to plot or release date. The cover looks great though.

Newest “Avengers: Age Of Ultron” Character Posters Revealed

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In the March 6th Mash-Up, I posted character posters for Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, Nick Fury, Black Widow and Hawkeye. This last round of character posters includes Ultron, Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch. We still might get Vision…

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“Avengers: Age Of Ultron” opens May 1st, 2015.

Danny Elfman Explains Why He Scored Additional Music For “Avengers: Age Of Ultron”

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A few weeks ago I reported that Danny Elfman had scored additional music for “Avengers: Age Of Ultron.” My best guess originally was that Elfman was contributing his “Spider-Man” theme from the Sam Rami “Spider-Man” movies.

Elfman was recently asked about his involvement with “Avengers: Age Of Ultron” and this is what he had to say:

I was doing the same thing actually just last week because I’ve contributed music to the new Avengers movie. I took part of Alan Silvestri’s theme on the original [movie], which I really liked, and I pulled it into a new theme, which became kind of a hybrid. I really enjoyed that.

Sorry, but I’m not buying it. Brian Tyler is the writer and composer of Avengers: Age Of Ultron’s score. Why would Elfman create a new theme and use part of Alan Silvestri’s them from the first “Avengers” movie? Doesn’t make sense at all. I think he is just covering up his real involvement which will be putting together a very small score for “Spider-Man” in the after credits scene for “Ultron.”

If I’m wrong, I’m wrong and it wont be the first time, and most likely not the last. We’ll just have to wait and see.

Source: ComicBookMovie.com

Marvel At Toy Fair 2015

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Last month the Toy Fair 2015 was held at the Jacobs Javits Center in New York City. As always, Marvel had a huge presence at the Toy Fair displaying all of the toys, statues and action figures that we can look forward to seeing this year. Many toy manufacturers such as Hasbro, Funco and Lego showed off their Marvel line of toys.

Here is a video showing some of the highlights from Marvel’s presence at the Toy Fair 2015:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1MHDNxQNGI]

Source: Marvel.com

Sideshow Collectible Corner

“Black Widow”

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I’m pretty sure that this closeup of the newest Back Widow premium figure from Hot Toys would fool most people into thinking that this was actually Scarlet Johansson herself.

Hot Toys and Sideshow Collectibles are excited to present the deadly female of the mighty Avengers, the 1/6th scale Black Widow Collectible Figure from Marvel’s Avengers: Age of Ultron!

The movie-accurate collectible is specially crafted based on the image of Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow in the film and features a newly painted head sculpt with short curly brownish-red real fabric hair, newly tailored costume with leather-like trims and blue highlights, detailed weapons and accessories.

The Black Widow Collectible Figure is currently available for preorder exclusively at ShideshowCollectibles.com. The price is $219.99 and it will be shipping in the last quarter of 2015.

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Source: SideshowCollectibles.com

That’s it for this week!

RUMOR: Disney Wants J.J. Abrams Back To Direct “Star Wars: Episode IX”

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This story has been making the rounds this week that J.J. Abrams may be returning to direct “Star Wars: Episode IX.”

From Latino Review:

Despite his absence from the production team on the next installment, his commitment to other ongoing franchises and early rumors of disagreements between him and the Disney Team, there’s a good chance that J.J. Abrams will be back to direct Star Wars: Episode IX.

There are enough conversations about J.J. Abrams returning to direct Episode IX that we’ve been able to independently verify it four times that his name is the front-runner for the last trilogy installment.

From Making StarWars:

There was also another rumor going around that Abrams was reviewing Rian Johnson’s work and they were worked out a final outline for the final installment in this trilogy because VIII is getting tighter and more refined (it should shoot with some overlap with Rogue One). That makes sense and it kind of a “of course they would do that” kind of thing. He is the executive producer. There is another rumor that Rian Johnson is not totally out IX but the production timeline makes it seem nearly impossible and from what I have seen that appears to be true about the timeline aspect.

That rumor about Abrams is going around Latino Review reported today. I personally don’t think its really worked out yet. But here’s the big thing for me. J.J. Abrams executive producing the rest of the trilogy might have been agreed upon before he ever signed. But it probably also means Abrams is doing a kick ass job with Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Bob Iger and Kathleen Kennedy are pleased with his work (which is not surprising but still good to hear).

The good thing here, if this is true, is that Disney has seen very early cuts of the film and they are loving what they have seen and they want Abrams back.

My personal opinion is let’s see what Abrams does with the “The Force Awakens” before we get too excited. I’ve been burned before with the promise of a new “Star Wars” movie and probably what affected the movie the most was bad directing by George Lucas. I have no problem saying that I am not a fan of The Prequels. The Prequel Trilogy had many problems but this always bothered me the most. You had actors such as Liam Neeson, Natalie Portman, Ewan McGregor, Samuel L Jackson, Christopher Lee, Brian Blessed and Hayden Christensen (he was OK in “Jumper”) and they were all horrible? This has to be the result of Lucas’ poor directing skills. These are actors that I have seen in many other movies where they have given some great performances. But now you put all of these actors together in a movie trilogy and all of their acting is wooden, boring and lifeless. That’s not the actors fault, it’s the director’s. I know people will debate me on this but they all acted horribly in the Prequels. Even Yoda was bad, and he was great in The Original Trilogy!

My point is that it’s not always a good thing to have the same director doing ever single movie of a trilogy. You also dont want to give one man to much power in which he feels he has free reign to do whatever he wants. I felt that having Peter Jackson direct all of the films in “The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy” worked very well but look what he did to “The Hobbit Trilogy.” To me the best Star Wars movie was “The Empire Strikes Back” and a huge part of it was because Irving Kirshner directed the film instead of George Lucas. If Lucas would have directed that film, it would have been a completely different film. Lucas has said that “Empire” is his least favorite “Star Wars” film.

I really need to see what J.J. Abrams does with his first “Star Wars” movie before I can be excited or disappointed with the thought of his return. And I cant wait….but I hope it’s good!

RUMOR: Disney Looking At Chris Pratt To Be The New ‘Indiana Jones’

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This rumor was originally started by fans after seeing Chris Pratt in ‘Guardians Of The Galaxy,’  but now it seems that Disney is actually listening to what the fans are saying. I admit that after seeing his performance in the opening scene where ‘Starlord’ retrieves the Infinity Stone, it reminded me of the opening scene in ‘Raiders Of The Lost Ark’ where ‘Indy’ retrieves the Idol. Pratt would make a great ‘Indian Jones,’ (see photos below). He just seems to have the confidence and believability to take on that role more than any other actor I could think of.

According to Deadline.com, Disney is starting to turn it’s attention to reviving the ‘Indiana Jones’ franchise and that Chris Pratt is under serious consideration.

The signs have been there that Disney is about to do something with ‘Indiana Jones.’ When Disney first acquired Lucasfilm in 2012, ‘Star Wars’ was the big deal and ‘Indiana Jones’ was mentioned as a side note. Paramount still had partial ownership and I believe they were contracted to make two more Indy movies. But back in 2013, Disney and Paramount reached an agreement where Disney would retain full control of the ‘Indiana Jones‘ franchise which included future movies and home video distribution.

I also remember hearing that of the big three from the original cast of ‘Star Wars’, Harrison Ford was the holdout for ‘Star Wars: Episode VII.’ Ford apparently agreed to be in ‘Episode VII’ if Disney agreed to do 2 more ‘Indiana Jones’ movies with him in it. Ford was not happy with ‘Indiana Jones And The Chrystal Skull’ and wanted the character to go out on a high note. So I don’t know if that is still on the table or maybe it is possible for Harrison Ford to pass the reigns on to Chris Pratt. Shia Labeouf played Indy’s son in the ‘Chrystal Skull’ but Shia is now box office poison and has been bad news  for several years in the eyes of the press and movie fans. There is no reason why Pratt couldn’t take on the role as an older version of Labeouf’s character. They seriously have to lose the name of ‘Mutt’ though and called him ‘Indy’, well after the inevitable happens to Ford’s character.

Harrison Ford in ‘Raiders Of The Lost Ark’:harrison-ford-indiana-jones-idol__index

Chris Pratt in ‘Guardians Of The Galaxy’:guardians-of-the-galaxy-chris-pratt3

Top Annie Awards Go To “Dragon 2,” Disney Animation Receives Most Overall

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Dean DeBlois picked up directing honors for “How To Train Your Dragon 2” at Saturday’s “Annies” presented by ASIFA-Hollywood. Dragon 2 also received the Best Feature Animation prize. Images courtesy of ASIFA-Hollywood and DreamWorks Animation.

DreamWorks Animation’s “How to Train Your Dragon 2” took Best Animated Feature honors at the 42nd Annual Annie Awards, presented by ASIFA-Hollywood, as some of feature and television animation’s brightest stars assembled at UCLA’s Royce Hall on Saturday, January 31.

The Best Feature, and the directorial award to the film’s Dean DeBois, are timely for artists and technicians the creative staff of the financially beleaguered studio, especially since the Annie Awards are considered something of a bellwether of the Academy Awards which will be held on February 22. The firm also picked up awards for feature character design (Fabio Lignini), for storyboarding (Truong “Tron” Son Mai) and for music (John Power, Jonsi).

Various Disney animation units picked up the most awards, including nine for Disney Television Animation alone and 11 in total. Disney Television Animation’s “Gravity Falls” won for television/broadcast production for a children’s audience. “Disney Mickey Mouse” picked up the most individual Annies, including direction in a TV/broadcast production (Aaron Springer), writing (Darrick Bachman), editorial (Illya Owens), music (Christopher Willis) and voice acting (Bill Farmer.) “Wander Over Yonder” also took awards in character animation (Justin Nichols), character design (Benjamin Balistreri), and “Mickey Shorts”  also won for production design (Narina Skolova).

Leslie Iwerks and Richard Sherman present The Walt Disney Family Museum at the 42nd Annie Awards™ with a Special Achievement Award for its unique and significant impact on the art and industry of animation. Ron Miller, Walt Disney’s son-in-law and the president of The Walt Disney Family Museum’s Board of Directors  attended the ceremony to receive the honor. Images courtesy of ASIFA-Hollywood.

Leslie Iwerks and Richard Sherman present The Walt Disney Family Museum at the 42nd Annie Awards™ with a Special Achievement Award for its unique and significant impact on the art and industry of animation. Ron Miller, Walt Disney’s son-in-law and the president of The Walt Disney Family Museum’s Board of Directors attended the ceremony to receive the honor. Images courtesy of ASIFA-Hollywood.

“The Lego Movie” from Warner Bros. Animation received one award for writers Phil Lord and Christopher Miller. Close watchers of the Annies might have possibly predicted the so-called snub from the slate of nominations. “How To Train Your Dragon 2” had 10 nominations, in comparison to 6 for “The Lego Movie.” “The Box Trolls” actually led the Best Feature nominations with 13.

“Dragon” will compete with “Big Hero 6,” “The Boxtrolls,” “Song of the Sea,” and “The Tale of the Princess Kaguya.” It has already won the Golden Globe.

The Annies have a consistent history of matching the Academy Award winners every other year except 2006 when Happy Feat was the Oscar winner. The Annie that year went to “Cars.” Last year’s Annie winner, “Frozen,” went on to win the Oscar.

2/2/15 Marvel News Mash-Up (Grey Hulk, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Star Wars)

Will We See A ‘Grey Hulk’ In ‘Avengers: Age Of Ultron?

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This first started when an image of the ‘Savage Grey Hulk’ Funco Pop vinyl figure was leaked online as a Hot Topic exclusive figure. What is interesting is the redness around his eyes is similar to the scene in the newest trailer suggesting that he is being controlled by Scarlet Witch.

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In the very first issue of the Incredible Hulk, The Hulk was grey and Stan Lee had always intended for him to be grey. But do to problems with the grey ink and how it did not blend properly with the rest of the colors in the comics, Marvel felt it was best to change his color to green.  This was explained by saying that the Grey Hulk persona and the Green Hulk persona are battling in  Bruce Banner’s sub-conscious. Due to his superior strength, Green Hulk aka Savage Hulk, won most of the time thus showing the Savage Hulk persona more often.

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So could this just be some exclusive figure for Hot Topic or did this image let the cat out of the bag? We wont know for sure until ‘Avengers: Age Of Ultron’ comes out but I do think it is a possibility. Grey Hulk has Banner’s intellect and if at some point they decide to do a solo movie, maybe ‘Planet Hulk,’ they would need The Hulk not to revert back to Banner but also say more than just “Hulk Smash!”

People are saying that this very fast scene of the Hulk in the newest TV spot shows that he is grey. I kind of think it is just the lighting though.

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We’ll have to wait and see on this one.

New Images From ‘Avengers: Age Of Ultron’

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Empire magazine’s most recent issues features some new images from ‘Avengers: Age Of Ultron.’

Newsstand and Collector Edition Covers:collagedsdsd

Some of these photos have a (very) few Easter Eggs in them. I put togther a side by side comparision to show the ones that I was able to find.

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Captain America:

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Do you notice something similar? Captain America’s costume in Age Of Ultron is the exact same costume as his Winter Soldier costume except it is painted a different color. Look at the stripes and that expalins why the middle red stripe doesn’t go down lower like the other two.

Bruce Banner/The Hulk:

collagetrrtrtIt appears that now when Banner transforms into the Hulk his eyes start to turn green. This has to be a homage to the original TV Series, The Incredible Hulk, starring Bill Bixby.

Thor:

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Tony Stark/Iron Man:

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Black Widow:

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Hawkeye with director Joss Whedon:

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Scarlet Witch:

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Source: Empireonline.com

Chris Evans And Chris Pratt Battle Over A Superbowl Winner

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After it was determined that the New England Patriots were to face the Seattle Seahawks in this year’s Superbowl, Chris Evans, a long time Patriots fan, sent out the following tweet to his friend, Chris Pratt, a long time Seahawks fan:

“Well, well, well @prattprattpratt, looks like our teams are going into battle. For the next 2 weeks, you are not my friend, you are my enemy,” Evans, 33, wrote.

Pratt responded with ‘@chrisevans OK. Seahawks win you fly yourself to Seattle, visit @seatllechildren hospital as Captain America, waving the 12th man flag.’

Evans responded with ‘@prattprattpratt I accept. And when the Patriots humiliate your seachickens, I expect Star-Lord to arrive at @chris_haven in a Brady jersey.’

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Even with the outcome last night, both men will be visiting both locations. These guys are some real life heroes for sure

Preview Of Marvel Comics’ ‘Star Wars #2’

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Luke Skywalker confronts Darth Vader for the first time in the newest issue of ‘Star Wars #2’

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Source: CBR.com

Sideshow Collectibles Corner

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Marvel’s Avengers: Age of Ultron will begin hitting the theatres worldwide shortly! In the epic sequel, Earth’s mightiest heroes come together again to defend the world from the menacing Ultron! Sideshow Collectibles and Hot Toys are excited to continue the Avengers: Age of Ultron series and officially present the new sixth scale Captain America Collectible Figure! This figure is available exclusively at Sideshow Collectibles for $224.49 and expected to ship in the last quarter of 2015.

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That’s it for this time!

VIDEO: ‘Tomorrowland’ Superbowl Trailer

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Here is the new trailer for ‘Tomorrowland’ that appeared during Superbowl XLIX.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksax9gbhIhE]

Official synopsis: From Disney comes two-time Oscar® winner Brad Bird’s riveting, mystery adventure “Tomorrowland,” starring Academy Award® winner George Clooney. Bound by a shared destiny, former boy-genius Frank (Clooney), jaded by disillusionment, and Casey (Britt Robertson), a bright, optimistic teen bursting with scientific curiosity, embark on a danger-filled mission to unearth the secrets of an enigmatic place somewhere in time and space known only as “Tomorrowland.” What they must do there changes the world—and them—forever.

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‘Tomorrowland’ is scheduled to hit theaters on May 22nd, 2015.

First Images From “Frozen Fever” Short Released

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Walt Disney Animation Studios has released the first images from the upcoming animated short, “Frozen Fever.” “Frozen Fever” takes place a few months after the original movie, “Frozen.” It is Anna’s birthday and Elsa, Kristoff, Sven and Olaf are planning to throw a giant party for her. The only problem is that Elsa has come down with a cold and that complicates things.

Let’s take a look at some of the new images from “Frozen Fever.”

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Walt Disney Animation Studios’ all-new short “Frozen Fever,” which welcomes Anna, Elsa, Kristoff and Olaf back to the big screen, will open in theaters on March 13, 2015, in front of Disney’s “Cinderella,” a live-action feature inspired by the classic fairy tale.

2/9/15 Marvel News Mash-Up (The Avengers, Mutants, Spider-Man, & More)

First Trailer For Marvel’s “Daredevil”

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XC7GPdBV9WQ]

 

The first trailer for Marvel’s “Daredevil” was released last week and shows some of what we can expect from the upcoming Netflix series that will premier on April 10th.

In ways Marvel’s “Daredevil” is similar to DC’s “Batman.” They both had lost their parents at an early age which caused them to pursue a life fighting crime where they would help protect the weak and take justice into their own hands. They both usually fight crime at night while taking cover in the shadows. This trailer also has a “Batman Begins” kind of feel to it.

As a boy, Matt Murdock was blinded by a radioactive substance. Although the accident took away his sight, it enhanced his other senses basically giving him superhuman attributes. Where Bruce Wayne is a billionaire, Matt Murdock works as a lawyer by day in the Hell’s Kitchen part of Manhattan and at night he becomes “Daredevil, the man without fear.”

Here are some images from the “Daredevil” trailer:

“Matt Murdock”:91DJVCO

“Wilson “The Kingpin” Fisk”:aICLAS0

 “Stick”:69Z25Xj

“Karen Page”:cVJp1JU

“Foggy Nelson”:rKFZHrX

“Daredevil”:yIjaNDx

Marvel’s “Daredevil” will premier on Netflix on April 10th, 2015.

Tons Of “Avengers: Age Of Ultron” Promo Art

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Last week a ton of promo art for “Avengers: Age Of Ultron” hit the net. I am only posting my favorites, but if you want to see more, check out the links to Fathead.com and TonyStarkSincero’s Facebook page.

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Marvel Announces A New Digital Comic Book Series: “Avengers: Millennium”

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“Avengers: Millennium” is a six issue miniseries available exclusively through digital media starting February 24th. In the time-traveling series, the Avengers discover that the Marvel Universe terrorist group, Hydra, have begun strange time-traveling experiments in Japan.  As the Avengers rush to stop Hydra, they are thrust into the time-stream and become displaced across several different centuries and eras. In order to save the present, they must fight their way through the past and unravel Hydra’s plans as they unfold across time.

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Normally I wouldn’t think this was a big deal but something struck me right away when I saw the cover. On the cover you have the Avengers from the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Spider-man. Is this a hint by Marvel about things to come in the Marvel Cinematic Universe? I hope so!

Source: ComicBook.com

SONY’s Amy Pascal Steps Down

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Amy Pascal has stepped down from her post as Chairperson Of The Motion Picture Group for Sony Pictures Entertainment. She will remain Chairperson until May at which time a new Chairperson will take over the reigns. Pascal was the most recognizable figure mentioned in the Sony cyber attack scandal that occurred a few months ago. Many of the emails with damaging information were from Pascal’s email folders. Even though Pascal will no longer be Chairperson, she will still continue to produce motion pictures for SONY.

This leaves a vacancy for SONY Pictures but it also opens opportunity. SONY Pictures own the movie rights to the “Spider-man” franchise. Even though Spider-man is Marvel’s most recognizable character, the new “Amazing Spider-man” franchise has underperformed at the box office compared to most of Disney s’ Marvel Cinematic Universe motion pictures.

According to Variety.com:

The biggest decision for Pascal’s successor will be how to handle the Spider-Man franchise. “The Amazing Spider-Man 2″ did respectable business last summer but was hardly the $1 billion blockbuster that Pascal had told folks that she needed it to be.

“Spider-Man” remains a cash cow, but the plans for expanding the Spidey universe through villain spinoffs and the next installment may be re-examined — since Pascal played the leading role pursuing that path. A new regime may take a stronger look at returning to the negotiation table with Marvel Studios over Spidey’s rights.

Sony’s last move on that front came during Comic-Con in July, when the studio dated spinoff “Sinister Six” for Nov. 11, 2016, as the next tentpole in its key property — while moving back “The Amazing Spider-Man 3″ two years to 2018. The idea of bringing in villains is aimed at making Sony a stronger competitor against the likes of Disney/Marvel’s “Avengers” and Warner Bros.’ “Justice League” superheroes in the coming years.

Many people at SONY were not on board with the “Sinister Six” spinoff movie. If there was one lesson that can be learned from “Amazing Spider-man 2” it is that the story is just as important as Spider-man himself. That story was all over the place leaving many movie goers disappointed and resulting in bad reviews and bad word of mouth. Hopefully the exit by Amy Pascal will open a new door for negotiations between SONY, Disney and Marvel.

Chris Pratt Honors His Superbowl Bet With Chris Evans

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Last time I reported that Chris Pratt and Chris Evans had a wager with each other for this year’s Superbowl. If the Patriots won, Pratt would visit Christopher’s Haven in Boston dressed as Starlord from “Guardians Of The Galaxy.” If the Seahawks won, Evans would visit The Seattle Children’s Hospital dressed as Captain America. It was a close one, but the football gods favored the Patriots and Chris Pratt followed through with the bet and visited the children at Christopher’s Haven dressed as Starlord. He was also joined by his buddy, Chris Evans. Lets take a look at some of the photos.

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Marvel Comics Announces An All Female Avengers Team Called “A-Force”

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Last week on ABC’s “The View,” the publishers of Marvel Comics introduced a new superhero team consisting of an all female roster called the “A-Force.” The “A-Force” consists of current and previous members of The Avengers, The X-Men, The Fantastic Four and some members from the Spider-man Universe.

“We’ve purposefully assembled a team composed of very different characters — from disparate parts of the Marvel U, with very different power sets, identities and ideologies,” Writer, G. Willow Wilson said. “They’ll all have to come together to answer some big questions: What would you sacrifice to succeed? What is being a hero worth?”

Noticeably absent was Sue Richards of the Fantastic Four, no doubt as a part of Disney/Marvel and Fox’s ongoing war with the movie rights of the Fantastic Four.

Andy Serkis Will Play Ulysses Klaw in “Avengers: Age Of Ultron”

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Last week Marvel confirmed that Andy Serkis will be playing Ulysses Klaw in “Avengers: Age Of Ultron”

So who is Ulysses Klaw? In Marvel Comics, Ulysses Klaw is a human physicist who has been transformed into solid sound, and who wears a sonic emitter on his right wrist as a prosthetic device. He has often been shown in conflict with the Fantastic Four and the Avengers and is an enemy of the Black Panther. I am sure his presence will lead into a storyline for the “Black Panther” movie in 2017.

“Scarlet Witch” And “Quicksilver” Are Not Mutants In “Avengers: Age Of Ultron”

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With Fox owing the movie rights to everything “mutant,” as seen in the “X-Men” franchise and Disney/Marvel owning the movie rights to “Avengers” characters, what do you when you have a character that is a “mutant” but is also an “Avenger?” This is a grey area in which both Fox and Disney/Marvel have agreed to share the characters so that the characters can appear in both of their movie franchises. “Quicksilver” made his on screen debut in “X-Men: Days Of Future Past” last summer. Now Quicksilver and his sister, Scarlet Witch, are about to make their Marvel Cinematic Universe debut in “Avengers: Age Of Ultron.”

“Quicksilver” from “X-Men: Days Of Future Past”:

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“Scarlet Witch” and “Quicksilver” from “Avengers: Age Of Ultron”:

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According to the digital comic, “Avengers: Age of Ultron Prelude – This Scepter’d Isle,” Baron Von Strucker has been using Loki’s staff to experiment with test subjects and unlock powers found within them. Two of the surviving candidates were Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch, as seen in the after credits scene from “Captain America: The Winter Soldier.”

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“Quicksilver” and “Scarlet Witch” from “Captain America: The Winter Soldier”:

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*In the form of a technicality, Quicksilver, along with Scarlet Witch, made their actual cinematic debut in the after credit scene from “Winter Soldier,” which was released a few months before “X-Men: Days Of Future Past.”

The “Hulk Vs. Hulkbuster” Big Showdown In Statue Form

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Ever since the release of the first teaser for “Avengers: Age Of Ultron,” we have been teased with a massive fight that puts “The Hulk” against Tony Stark’s “Hulkbuster.” Marvel has announced that their will be a reenactment of this epic battle in statue form.

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The Hulkbuster is a specially designed upgrade to the Iron Man armor created by Tony Stark to combat the Hulk if he should go berserk and classified as the Iron Man Mark 44 armor, the Hulkbuster suit can really tear it up! The statue is based on its appearance in the film, and the huge armor looks as if it leapt straight off the screen. Iron Man strides forward to grapple with the green-skinned Avenger, leg pistons cranking and his right arm stretching out to make contact. The Hulkbuster takes it to a whole new level with a towering frame, thick armor plating and a stout shape. The highly detailed piece features all of the technological details of the Iron Man suit including surface armor, interior electronics, layered components, repulsor units, integrated weaponry and much more!

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Don’t make him angry! The alter ego of gamma-irradiated Bruce Banner, aka the Hulk, is an unstoppable titan of rage. Unrestrained and fully unleashed, Bruce Banner has left the building and the Hulk is in control. The massive green-skinned monster hurtles into battle, thick legs pumping and his enormous hands squeezed into fists to pummel anything that tries to stop him. The Hulk stature conveys a huge presence with his heroic proportions and rippling physique that stands out with every muscle on display. This one monster army of an Avenger is fantastically detailed with intricate anatomy down to his sinews and veins, all topped off by a fierce facial sculpt that captures the character’s never-ending anger! This time around, thanks to some tinkering by the science brothers — Mr. Stark and Mr. Banner — the Hulk does things a little differently, wearing high tech red-striped purple shorts rather than his traditional ripped and tattered bottoms.

Both statues are sculpted by the same master artist who was responsible for the Avengers Marvel Now series, the infamous Junnosuke Abe and are intricately crafted to perfection. The Hulkbuster Iron Man stands at a towering 11 ½ inches tall while the Hulk reaches 9 ½ inches (both in the ARTFX+ 1/10th scale). Both massive combatants stride across the field of battle, while destroying a brick street underneath their massive weight. While each of the Marvel’s ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ ARTFX+ is an incredible display piece on their own, they’re even better together… as you can join their bases to recreate the epic battle scene in this summer’s highly anticipated film. Stay tuned to Kotobukiya’s website for more!

Source: Marvel.com

That’s it for this week!