12/12/14 Marvel News Mash-Up (Spider-Man Coming to MCU?, Fantastic Four Dead, Star Wars)

WDWNT on December 30, 2014

SONY And Disney Had Been Working To Bring Spider-man To The Marvel Cinematic Universe

collagecxcxcxcx

SONY Pictures was recently hacked and some of their internal memos and emails were leaked onto the internet. The Wall Street Journal is reporting that according to one of the memo’s, SONY and Disney had been working together to reach an agreement that would bring Spider-man to the Marvel Cinematic Universe that Disney owns. These discussions were mentioned by SONY’s Motion Picture Chief, Amy Pascal. The emails mention that SONY had extensive discussions with Walt Disney and the talks even included Bob Iger, Disney’s CEO, and Kaz Hirai, SONY’s CEO. The emails revealed that the plan was to have Spider-man appear in Captain America: Civil War and that Disney/Marvel would co-produce a new trilogy of Spider-man movies. Unfortunately one of the emails mentions that the talks broke down and that SONY was thinking of doing animated Spider-man comedy based movies instead.

Luckily there is still some good news surrounding this. Latino Review reported this week that the deal is steal very much alive. Apparently SONY Japan, which is the parent company of SONY Pictures, is angry due to the recent email leaks that is hurting SONY’s reputation world wide. SONY Japan has been disappointed at how the Amazing Spider-man movies franchise has been handled and the leaked emails didn’t help matters. SONY Japan thinks the Marvel deal for Spider-Man is still on the table and they want to renegotiate as a return to “quality”, that a 60/40 (Disney/SONY) split can be negotiated and SONY Pictures’ hard-line stance of wanting creative control is now mostly moot in the eyes of the higher-ups. SONY is also planning on holding a Spidey-summit in January to decide what is the best direction to go.

“Avengers: Age Of Ultron” is also scheduled for re-shoots to film additional scenes in January.  Still speculation on my part, but it is possible that the plan is to bring Spider-man into the movie as a cameo or after credit scene. There definitely is something in the works, let’s just hope that things work out well for both parties. And us.

 

Preview Art From Marvel’s Star Wars #1 Comic Book

STWARS001-cover-TD-e80d0-6428a

StarWars.com got their hands on an exclusive preview of some panels from the upcoming Marvel comic book, Star Wars #1, and it looks fantastic. Let’s take a look!

star-wars-1-page-1-d1da6star-wars-1-page-2-475ddstar-wars-1-page-3-1748a

Set directly after the events of Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope, the series (helmed by the all-star creative of team of writer Jason Aaron and artist John Cassaday) will be the flagship of Marvel’s new canonical line of comics. Star Wars #1 comes out January 14th, 2015.

 

Star Wars #1 Variant Covers

1

Talk about a lot of variant covers! Star Wars #1 officially has over 30 variant covers and there probably a few more that haven’t been released yet. Thanks to RebelScum.com, we get to see most of them.

collage1collage2collage3collage4collage5

Benedict Cumberbatch Is NOW Officially Doctor Strange

JD0KAZ8Fan art by JustaBlink

 I think this is the third time I am saying this, but now it is official. This month, Marvel and Benedict Cumberbatch finalized the deal and Cumberbatch will be playing Doctor Strange on the big screen. Doctor Strange will open on November 4th, 2016.

 

The Punisher Kills The Cast Of FOX’s Fantastic Four Reboot Movie

detail

In case you needed any more proof that Disney/Marvel and FOX are not the best of friends, you just have to look at the most recent issue of The Punisher #12. Disney/Marvel and SONY seem to be getting on just fine and seem to be (hopefully) working out a deal to bring Spider-man to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But FOX and Disney/Marvel, not so much. Marvel is ending the Fantastic Four comic just prior to the release of FOX’s Fantastic Four movie, which comes out next year. Rumor is that Marvel wants to avoid giving any kind of promotion towards the film. In the latest issue of The Punisher, Frank Castle gets rid of the cast that is playing the Fantastic Four. The cast for the upcoming movie is Michael B. Jordan, Miles Teller, Jamie Bell and Kate Mara. In the panels below, it seems that The Punisher feels the same way I do about the upcoming Fantastic Four movie. Thanks Punisher.

marvel-ff-death-01-e1417012537356marvel-ff-death-02-e1417012556148marvel-ff-death-03-e1417012574540marvel-ff-death-04-e1417012588894

That’s all for this week!

12/4/14 Marvel News Mash-Up (Vision, Full-Length Star Wars Trailer with Avengers?, Darth Vader Coming)

WDWNT on November 25, 2014

First Good Look At “Vision” From “Avengers: Age Of Ultron”

collageewdccwcwec

A picture of a promotional movie poster has leaked online for Avengers: Age Of Ultron and we get out first good look at Vision as one of the new team members. I definitely couldn’t be happier because they made the look of Vision very faithful to the comics. Growing up, Vision was always my favorite member of the Avengers and I’m so glad that he will be in the movie and that he looks great. Also glad to see Captain America finally wearing a good costume and that his ears are finally showing (maybe lose the chin strap or paint it blue).

Here is a photo of Vision concept art that leaked months ago and it matches the movie poster:

PJm2Sfy

 

First Official Trailer (Not Teaser) For “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” To Appear Before “Avengers: Age Of Ultron”

collagesdfdsfsdfdsf

By now, most people have seen the teaser trailer for “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”. And as awesome as that teaser was, it didn’t reveal much of the plot. Teasers are just that, they tease us and just give us quick flashes of a movie. A trailer on the other hand is usually 2 minutes or more and gives us some idea of the plot and what to expect from the movie. According to /Film.com, they were informed that the first official trailer for “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” will be attached to the movie, “Avengers: Age Of Ultron” on May 1st, 2015. Age Of Ultron will be Disney’s second larges film of that year and it makes sense to introduce Disney’s largest film of that year, “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”. Cross promotion marketing working at it’s best!

 

“Avengers: Age Of Ultron” Set To Have Stars Return For Re-shoots

avengers-age-of-ultron-costumes1

Even though filming for Avengers: Age Of Ultron completed months ago, some of the stars are being asked back to film some re-shoots in London early next year. According to DailyMail.com, Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Robert Downey Jr (Iron Man), Mark Ruffalo (The Hulk), Jeremy Renner (Hawkeye), Paul Bettany (The Vision), Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow) and Tom Hiddleston (bad-guy Loki) have all been asked to make themselves available over a two-week period in January to film additional scenes at Pinewood Studios. Interesting that Chris Evans (Captain America) is not on the list. Total speculation on my part, but it could mean that maybe they are filming additional scenes to introduce one of these two characters (I can dream, can’t I?):

1415226825493

 

Preview Art For Marvel’s New Star Wars Series “Darth Vader”

star-wars-darth-vader-1-alex-ross-674x1024The cover above is from my all time favorite artist, Alex Ross. It’ really great to see him doing so many Star Wars covers lately. 🙂

Dark Horse Comics had been publishing Star Wars comic books since the 80’s and they have done an excellent job with the franchise. Many Star Wars fans, myself included, were worried when Marvel got the rights back to the Star Wars comic book franchise that it wouldn’t match the quality of what Dark Horse Comics had done. But looking at this preview, I would say they are on the right track.

Marvel.com recently provided an exclusive preview of the upcoming Darth Vader series.

Ever since Darth Vader made his first on-screen appearance, he became the one of the most popular villains to ever haunt an audience’s dreams! Now, follow Vader straight from the ending of “Star Wars: A New Hope” (and the pages of the new STAR WARS comic book) into his own series, showing the Empire’s war with the Rebel Alliance from the other side! Writer Kieron Gillen and artist Salvador Larroca bring us a peek behind the mask of evil!

ISSUE #1 – 48 PGS./Rated T …$4.99
ISSUE #2 – 32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99
On sale in February 2015!

54661fe5d1917 5466203d4d438 54662019a7dd6

Here is a preview for two variant covers for Darth Vader #2:

collagecssdcsdcdscdscds

 

Guardians Of The Galaxy Animated Series Coming To Disney XD In Early 2015

mrvgotg2015001-cov-112838

Originally announced at this year’s New York Comic Con (NYCC), “Guardians Of The Galaxy, The Animated Series” is set to premier on Disney XD in early 2015.

Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy will follow the adventures of Peter Quill, a.k.a. Star-Lord, who teams up with Rocket Raccoon, Groot, Gamora and Drax the Destroyer to protect the universe from its greatest threats.

Here is some test footage of the series from this year’s NYCC:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLAU6jF0qwY]

Dad Dresses As Spider-man To Wish His Son A Very Special Birthday

 

 

Capturesssss

In a video posted recently on to Youtube, Jayden Wilson’s dad, Mike Wilson, dressed up as the comic book hero Spider-man to ensure that his son, who was diagnosed with having a grade four brain tumor in September last year, had an extra special 5th birthday.

The video captures Mike Wilson, dressed from head-to-toe in a Spider-Man costume, jumping from the top of the family’s roof and in front of a shocked Jayden.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLzZlwON9EM]

Source: Independent.com.UK

Emily Blunt Talks About Fan Interest In Her Playing “Captain Marvel”

blunt-marvel

Even before the movie Captain Marvel was announced, many comic book fans had their top actress picks to play the character. One actress I thought of, especially after seeing Edge Of Tomorrow, was Emily Blunt. What not to many people know is that Emily Blunt has been courted by Marvel several times to be in a superhero movie. She was the first choice to play Peggy Carter in Captain America and was also the first choice to play Black Widow. Maybe the third time is a charm.

BT84m6i

Recently during an interview with Screen Crush Blunt was asked about playing Captain Marvel:

SC: Are you aware of the Internet buzz surrounding you playing Captain Marvel?

EB: Somebody told me about it this morning! I knew because my brother told me.

SC: People want you to play Captain Marvel.

EB: Which is kind of amazing. What’s she like, though? I don’t know anything about her. What’s it like, this character?

SC: She’s great. She’s witty and strong. That’s why people keep bringing your name up. They don’t want a boring actor. A lot of personality.

EB: Oh, cool.  They call it fan casting?

SC: Yes.

EB: Which is lovely. It’s my favorite kind of casting! I wish it was always like that.

SC: Maybe they can make ‘Captain Marvel’ a musical now that you’ve done ‘Into the Woods.’EB: [Laughs] ‘Captain Musical Marvel.’ Let’s just call Marvel about that right now. We’ll call Kevin Feige about that. “Kevin Feige, we have one hell of an idea.” Yeah.

SC: But in seriousness, it does appeal to you?EB: I think, it’s always for me, it’s always about—and now, more so—what am I putting out there? What would be interesting for me and what would be interesting for people to see. So, if it’s an awesome part, it doesn’t matter if it’s a Marvel movie or a tiny movie, I’d be up for it.

SC: You’d be a hero for every 10-year-old girl out there right now. There’s no Marvel female superhero who has her own movie yet.

EB: Really? That’s huge. How awesome. I love this. No one has actually called me about it, so, we’ll hold our breath. [Laughs] I don’t know if I’ll get the call ever if I pitch it should be a musical.

 

That’s it for this week!

11/3/14 Marvel News Mash-Up – More Avengers: Age of Ultron, Spider-Man Rumors, and More!

WDWNT on November 25, 2014

Marvel Releases An Extended Trailer For Avengers: Age Of Ultron

sGj0TvBa

The Avengers: Age Of Ultron teaser trailer was originally supposed to air during last week’s episode of Agents Of SHEILD, but due to the trailer being leaked early, Marvel decided to release the trailer early. To entice people to watch the episode of Agents Of Shield that was to debut the original trailer, Marvel released and extended trailer especially for Agents Of SHIELD that included a new scene from the movie.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqkR0SwFN_4]

What is great about this scene is you get to see the Avengers taking a break from the action and enjoying what looks to be a party at Avengers Tower. Thor, in his Earth casual clothes, challenges the other Avengers to do an almost impossible task, lift his hammer, Mjölnir. The writing on Mjölnir states, “Whosoever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor.” So basically one must be worthy.

CapturedgdgBoth Iron Man and War Machine are unable to budge it.

CapturedfdsdsIf you notice, Captain America does move it, he just doesn’t lift it.

Capturecan

My opinion is that Captain America is holding back, and that he knows he can lift it, but he doesn’t want to show off to the other Avengers. In the comics, there are very few people, other than Thor, who can lift Mjölnir and one of those people is Captain America. You can’t be more worthy than Captain America. Another person who has lifted Mjölnir is Superman when the Justice League took on The Avengers in a DC/Marvel crossover (might as well throw in Captain America’s shield while you are at it).

collagedsdds

So What About Spider-Man?

hqdefault

The one thing that that I was hoping that would be announced during the Marvel Phase 3 Event was that Spider-man would be joining the Avengers, but it didn’t happen. That doesn’t mean that it is not going to happen. Kevin Feige, the President of Marvel studios, was asked directly whether Spider-man will be joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe and he replied, “Anything that wasn’t specifically and obviously revealed today is either not true at all, or still rumor until it’s worked out.” Originally Marvel was to have the Phase 3 announcement at this years New York City’s Comic Con, but Robert Downey Jr. was still in negotiations to star in Captain America: Winter Soldier and they wanted to make sure that it was official before they announced it. The last line that Kevin Feige said about Spider-man gives me hope. Until it’s worked out. I do believe that Disney, Marvel and Sony are working out a deal to bring Spider-man to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in which it will be beneficial to all parties involved.

678951-civil_war_dual_spider_man-marvel-is-just-messing-with-us-now-civil-war-series-to-be-relaunched

In the comics, Spider-man is an integral part of Civil War. Some would say that you could not adapt Civil War without him. The truth is, it can be done, but it wont be as good. It is my gut feeling that in Avengers: Age Of Ultron, the after credit scene will consist of Spider-man swinging towards Avenger’s Tower.

Being the nerd that I am, I made a little preview of what I feel will go down:

collagedshadhgsaaRemember what I said if I am right and just forget that I ever said it if I am wrong.

Avenger’s: Age Of Ultron Clip Leaks Onto The Internet

Captureasassa

During Marvel’s Phase 3 Event that was held recently, the audience was shown an exclusive clip from Avengers: Age Of Ultron. The clip has not been officially released but, at this time, a leaked version is available on YouTube. Basically, this scene is setting up the Civil War. Steve and Tony are outdoors splitting logs and there seems to be a lack of trust and a question of ones methods between the two of them. Some of the audio is difficult to understand, but here is a breakdown of what was said:

TONY: Thor didn’t say where he’s going to get answers?

STEVE: Sometimes my teammates don’t tell me things. I was kinda hoping Thor would be the exception.

TONY: Yeah, in time. We don’t know what the Maximoff kid showed him.

STEVE: I don’t know what she showed you. It’s enough to make you do something stupid. “Earth’s Mightiest Heroes” — pulled us apart like cotton candy.

TONY: Well, it seems that you walked away alright.

STEVE: Is that a problem?

TONY: I don’t trust a guy without a dark side. Call me old-fashioned.

STEVE: Well, let’s just say you haven’t seen it yet.

TONY: Banner and I have been doing this research—

STEVE: —that would affect the team—

TONY: —that would END the team! Isn’t that the mission? Isn’t that the “why” we fight, so we can end the fight, so we get to go home??

STEVE: Every time someone tries to win a war before it starts, innocent people die. Every time. What do you think?

(SPOILERS) Runor is that The Avengers will split up into two teams at the end of Age Of Ultron. Captain America will form his own team consisting of Black Widow, War Machine, Falcon, Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver, essentially forming the West Coast Avengers. Iron Man will form the (East Coast) Avengers consisting of Thor, Hulk and Vision. Black Panther will appear in Captain America: Civil War but I am not sure whose side he will be on, and also not sure of Hawkeye. In Captain America: Civil War, I think that the main battles will consist of Captain America fighting Iron Man. But even though it hasn’t been announced, I would expect to see all of the Avengers in Captain America: Civil War, just their roles wont be as prominent as Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr.

Benedict Cumberbatch Will Be “Doctor Strange”

dsss

For months I have been reporting that someone new is up for the role of Doctor Strange and recently Deadline has confirmed that Benedict Cumberbatch will indeed be Marvel’s newest cinematic superhero, Doctor Strange. I couldn’t be happier because Cumberbatch is the one that I wanted from the very beginning. He has proven to me, especially through his role in Sherlock, that his has great acting ability and he does indeed have the look needed for Doctor Strange. Still no official word from Marvel but it sounds like they are close to finalizing the contract.

After his career is destroyed, Dr. Stephen Strange, a brilliant but arrogant surgeon gets a new lease on life when a sorcerer takes him under his wing and trains him to defend the world against evil.

Doctor Strange will be released in theaters On July 8th, 2016.

Captain Marvel Fan Made Poster

A8nSf7m

It is hard to believe that this is a fan made poster because it is practically perfect. I have a feeling that this is the costume that will be used when Captain Marvel hits the big screen because her current costume is not very family friendly. Captain Marvel (Ms. Marvel) is basically a combination of Wonder Woman and Superman. She has super human strength, the power of flight and cosmic powers, such as firing energy blasts from her hands. Captain Marvel’s identity is Carol Danvers and she is from Boston. Actress Katheryn Winnick is mostly known for playing Lagertha in the History Channel series Vikings.

Captain Marvel will be released on July 6th, 2018.

Sideshow Collectible Corner

300378-thor-the-dark-world-001

Another fantastic premium figure from Sideshow Collectibles and Hot Toys. This piece is from Thor: Dark World and is another example how much detail is put into these amazing figures.

300378-thor-the-dark-world-004

 That’s it for this week!

10/13/14 Marvel News Mash-Up

WDWNT on October 24, 2014

Is Spider-man About To Join The Marvel Cinematic Universe?

 

spiderman-avengers-1-1391608577_1391605532

Word this week is that there has been talks between Sony and Disney about possibly bringing Spider-man to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I reported last week that Disney and Fox, who own X-men and Fantastic Four movie rights, are at war with each other and we wont see those franchises come to any Disney/Marvel productions any time soon. But Sony and Disney have always had a good relationship and continue to do so and there is a strong possibility that we will see Spider-man at some point in an Avengers movie.

This was reported by Hitflix.com:

While I can’t get the confirmations I need to verify the story, I’m hearing that there are some very cool “Spider-man” plans being discussed that would help Sony refocus their enormously important franchise while also opening up some connections in the onscreen Marvel movie universe that would blow fandom’s minds. Will it work out? I don’t know. I would love to be able to state for sure that it’s happening. What seems clear from what I’ve heard is that Marvel wants to be able to play with all of their characters, and if they can make that work creatively and on a corporate level, they will, and that means the world gets bigger again.

This year Sony released Amazing Spider-man 2, and although it was profitable for Sony, it was the worst performing Spider-man movie in the franchise’s history. This caused Sony to postpone the sequel and reconsider the future of the Spider-man franchise. Financially, Sony is not doing well and for the last few years have been reporting an operating loss for their company, which prior to this has never happened before for the company. Sony has gotten out of the cell phone business (Erickson) and computer business (VAIO) and other than the Spider-man franchise, their movie business has not been doing well either. Disney may not own the production rights to the Spider-man movies, but they own all of the merchandising licensees, which means Sony’s is just making profit from the movie distribution.

Originally Disney/Marvel were going to have Oscorp Tower, that was in the first Amazing Spider-man movie, in The Avengers movie as a cross promotion for both films, but Sony was unable to meet the deadline to submit the design before final editing of The Avengers was completed.

It is feasible that a deal can be struck where Sony will have Spider-man in Avengers 3 and that Disney may coproduce Amazing Spider-man 3. There definitely have been talks with Disney and Sony and without a doubt, Disney does want to get Marvel’s most popular character to be part of their Marvel Cinematic Universe.

First Official Image Of Daredevil Released

 

5439aa6fceaf8

Marvel. com has released the first official image of actor Charlie Cox (Stardust, Boardwalk Empire) as Daredevil, which will be an ongoing series on Netfilx. I’m pretty sure this is just his first costume that he uses before he dons the traditional red costume (well, I hope so).

Here is the official synopsis for the Netflix Daredevil series:

“Marvel’s Daredevil” follows the journey of Matt Murdock, who was blinded as a young boy but imbued with extraordinary senses, now fighting against injustice by day as a lawyer, and by night as the super hero Daredevil in modern day Hell’s Kitchen, New York City.

Back in 1979, Frank Miller began writing for Daredevil and infused some new life into the Daredevil legend. One of Miller’s stories, Daredevil: Born Again, is one of my favorite story lines of all time and tells a very dark story in which Daredevil’s identity is revealed to the public and how it affects his life and the lives of those closest to him. Born Again was published shortly after the Frank Miller story that forever changed comics and was responsible for bringing comic book movies into our culture, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns (1986). The Dark Knight Returns comic heavily influenced Tim Burton’s Batman (1989) and to me was the most influential comic ever written. The Dark Knight Returns turned Batman into the Dark Knight, who no longer played by his old rules and truly became a dark and menacing figure, no longer the Adam West Batman but a dark hero that criminals feared. Miller’s gritty and film noir writing style first originated with Daredevil. Back in the day, Daredevil was nowhere near as popular as Batman, but if he was, it’s possible Daredevil would have been what Batman is to most people today.

Matt Murdock, Daredevil’s secret identity:

5439aaea946a5

Daredevil’s Netflix costume (center) is heavily inspired by comic book artist, John Romita Jr. (left). I’m sure we will see Frank Miller’s classic design (right) in the series:

collagedds

Official Daredevil logo:

netflix-daredevil-570x253

Marvel’s Daredevil is an upcoming live-action American television series developed by Drew Goddard, based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. It will be produced by Marvel Television and ABC Studios, distributed via the streaming service Netflix, and will be set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). It is the first in a series of shows that will lead up to a Defenders miniseries. Charlie Cox stars as Daredevil, The Man Without Fear. All episodes are set to premiere in May 2015.

Keanu Reeves Now Added To The List Of Potential Doctor Strange Candidates

 collagekr

Never thought of Keanu Reeves for Doctor Strange but he does have the look. Not sure about the voice though, keep thinking of Ted Theodore Logan. Now that Joaquin Phoenix is out of the running, along with Reeves as a potential candidate, are Benedict Cumberbatch, Jared Leto, Tom Hardy and Ethan Hawke.

Reeves recently spoke to Collider.com about possibly playing Dr. Strange:

From a practical standpoint the idea of a longtime contract is sort of “errr” because you want to make sure the material is up to a certain level.  Like the good or great level.  I like the idea.  I go to those kinds of movies.  I grew up on them and comics and graphic novels.  [But] I didn’t know Doctor Strange as a character, I didn’t read that as a kid.  I’m gonna have to read it. I remember reading something… who’s going to play Doctor Strange? Would I be good for the role?

Disney Vs. Fox: Round 2

 

photo-2-1--109005

Last week I reported that Disney and Marvel are cancelling the production of all Fantastic Four comic books just prior to the release of next year’s Fox’s Fantastic Four reboot. This is likely being done so that no free promotion will be provided for the Fantastic Four movie. ComicBook.com was at this year’s New York Comic Con convention this past weekend and took a photo of 2015’s newest X-Men story line called “No More Mutants”. Is the same strategy that Disney/Marvel used for the Fantastic Four movie being applied to the Wolverine and X-Men Franchises? It does make you wonder. Wolverine is also being killed off in the comics this month and not expected to return until sometime in 2016. (No one dies forever in comics)

deathofwolv2014004-cov-canada-102311

So how much credence is there to this story? Well there are some points to consider. The next X-Men movie, X-Men: Age Of Apocalypse will not be released until 2016 and the next Wolverine sequel will be released some time in 2017. So as far as hurting the movie franchises, if that was the case, I think they would kill them off later rather than sooner.

That’s it for this week!

10/22/14 Marvel News Mash-Up (Age of Ultron Trailer, Star Wars Comics, ETC.)

WDWNT on October 24, 2014

First Trailer For Avengers: Age Of Ultron Coming Next Week

The-Avengers-1-Movie-Roster-Promo-Art

The first trailer for Avengers: Age Of Ultron will debut on Tuesday, October 28th during next week’s episode of Agents Of SHIELD, which will air on ABC at 9 PM.

Avengers: Age of Ultron is the epic follow-up to the biggest Super Hero movie of all time. When Tony Stark tries to jumpstart a dormant peacekeeping program, things go awry and Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, including Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, The Incredible Hulk, Black Widow and Hawkeye, are put to the ultimate test as the fate of the planet hangs in the balance. As the villainous Ultron emerges, it is up to The Avengers to stop him from enacting his terrible plans, and soon uneasy alliances and unexpected action pave the way for an epic and unique global adventure.

Avengers: Age Of Ultron will open in theaters on May 1st, 2015.

First Image Of Michael Douglas As Hank Pym In Ant-Man

collageam

Recently we got our first look at Michael Douglas as Hank Pym in the upcoming Marvel movie, Ant-Man. Hank Pym, the original Ant-Man, is a brilliant scientist that creates a substance that gives him the ability to alter his size to that of an insect (Ant-Man) or that of a giant (Giant-Man). Paul Rudd plays Frank Pym’s protege, Scott Lang, who takes over the Ant-Man persona from Frank Pym. I think Michael Douglas looks great and was an excellent choice to play the mentor for the future Ant-Man.

Armed with a super-suit with the astonishing ability to shrink in scale but increase in strength, con-man Scott Lang must embrace his inner hero and help his mentor, Dr. Hank Pym, plan and pull off a heist that will save the world.

Ant-Man will be released on July 17th, 2015.

The Doctor Strange Bunch

collagedrs

It seems like everyone in Hollywood and their brother are being looked at for the role of Marvel’s Doctor Strange. Every week there is at least one new contender and hopefully they will just choose one already. The front runners are the following:

  • Ryan Gosling
  • Benedict Cumberbatch
  • Ethan Hawke
  • Ewan McGregor
  • Keanu Reeves
  • Jared Leto
  • Joaquin Phoenix
  • Matthew McConaughey

Apparently Joaquin Phoenix is not out of the running yet. I actually think they are all good choices but wouldn’t be surprised if it they go with someone not even mentioned. I think Michael Fassbander would be a great candidate. Seriously, just pick one.

New Variant Cover For Marvel’s Star Wars #1

Star-Wars_612x380aaa

Entertainment Weekly has revealed the new variant cover for Marvel’s Star Wars #1 done by artist Alex Ross. To me, Alex Ross is the Norman Rockwell of comic books. I am always amazed at his art and how realistic he makes the characters look. Ross’ version is a homage to the very first Star Wars comic done by Marvel in 1977. You can see the two versions below. This will be Marvel’s first Star Wars comic book since 1986 and will be used to refamilaiarize readers with the original heroes from A New Hope and the upcoming sequel, Star Wars: Episode VII. Star Wars #1 will launch in January 2015.

collageaaaa

 

Warner Brothers Announces A Wonder Woman Movie For 2017. Your Move Disney.

collagemmmm

Last week Warner Brother’s announced a slew of future superhero movies going all the way out to 2020. The one movie that caught most people’s eye was the announcement of a theatrical Wonder Woman movie staring Gal Gadot, who will make her debut as Wonder Woman in Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice. I’m glad that Wonder Woman is finally coming to the big screen, especially after being in limbo for decades. With a Wonder Woman movie coming with the first female superhero to get a solo film, it’s time that Disney and Marvel get their act together and bring one of their female superheroes to the big screen. Unfortunately some of the most popular Marvel super heroines are part of the X-Men franchise, which Fox owns the movie rights to. But there is one character who’s popularity has grow among comic book fans in the last few years and that is Ms. Marvel.

Ms. Marvel (or sometimes referred to as Captain Marvel) was in the comics with Marvel’s original Captain Marvel. He was a Kree (Guardians Of The Galaxy) super warrior and she ended up with some of his Kree superpowers. She’s basically Marvel’s version of Wonder Woman as far as powers go (strength, flight, speed, endurance, etc).  She’s not as strong but she’s able to absorb energy and channel it back as an energy blast.  She may not be an Amazon Warrior, but she’s had military training in the Air Force and knows how to fight.  She’s tough and has been in some brawls with some of the Marvel’s heavy hitting villains. Like Captain Marvel, she’s able to fly around in space on her own without a suit. She’s not as serious as Wonder Woman though, much more light-hearted.

msss

I think it is only a matter of time before an announcement of a Ms. Marvel movie comes out. She has been a member of the Avengers and wouldn’t be surprised if at least Carol Danvers (Ms. Marvel’s secret identity) makes an appearance in Avengers: Age Of Ultron, setting up a future solo movie for her.  It’s hard not to go to a comic book convention these days and not spot several cosplayers dressed as Ms. Marvel.

Here is fan favorite cosplayer, Alisa Marie, as Ms. Marvel. Alisa also created this amazing costume:

ms_marvel_2_by_alisakiss-d382bu0a

Marvel Introduces A New Superhero To Educate Children And Families About Hearing Loss

HT_ironman_comic_book_event_jt_141019_4x3_992

Dr. Ronald Hoffman of The Ear Institute at the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary along with the Children’s Hearing Institute in New York were able to partner with a division of Marvel Comics to create a hearing-impaired superhero named Sapheara. The comic book heroine sports cochlear implants and fights alongside Blue Ear, a fellow superhero with hearing aids. Marvel Comics is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Walt Disney Company, which also owns ABC News. The comics are designed to do more than just entertain; the story lines will educate children about devices used by the hearing impaired, including cochlear implants and hearing aids. Dr. Hoffman said the disabled super hero will also help parents and children learn more about different options to handle all levels of hearing loss.To read more about this story visit ABCNews.com.

HT_ironman_event_brendan_and_kate_vasanth_2_jt_141019_4x3_992

Sideshow Collectibles Corner

2002652-spider-man-classic-001

I’m a huge fan of Sideshow Collectibles. They have some of the best exclusive comic book, science fiction and movie premium figures and statues available on the market. Sideshow Collectibles recently announced that the Spider-man Classic polystone statue is now available for pre-order and will start shipping in May of 2015. Back when Spider-man first came out in 1962, his costume was black and red and I have always loved the look of that costume. J. Scott Cambell was one of my favorite Spide-man artists and glad to see that his work is being represented.

Your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man has joined the outstanding J. Scott Campbell Spider-Man collection from Sideshow Collectibles. The beloved web-slinger scales the skyscrapers of New York City in our dynamic new statue, designed by the incomparable comic artist J. Scott Campbell. This is one lucky wall-crawler! Accompanied by his charming and irresistible leading ladies, the Spider-Man Comiquette completes this must-have collection. 

2002652-spider-man-classic-0132002652-spider-man-classic-014

That’s it for this week!