Showing posts with label The Avengers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Avengers. Show all posts

Monday, October 18, 2010

Disney to release THE AVENGERS and IRON MAN 3



From ComingSoon.net:

"The Walt Disney Studios, Paramount Pictures and Marvel Studios announced they have reached an agreement under which Paramount will transfer its worldwide marketing and distribution rights to Disney for Marvel Studios' The Avengers and Iron Man 3. Paramount will remain the worldwide distributor of the upcoming films, Thor and Captain America: The First Avenger, as well as the previously released Iron Man and Iron Man 2.

Under terms of the new deal, Disney will pay Paramount $115 million for the transfer of the distribution rights to Iron Man 3 and The Avengers to be paid on the theatrical release dates. These monies will serve as a minimum guarantee against the distribution fees.

'In completing this agreement, Disney will now assume worldwide marketing and distribution of The Avengers and Iron Man 3 and leverage these two highly-anticipated films across the multiple global platforms of The Walt Disney Company,' said Rich Ross, Chairman of The Walt Disney Studios. 'We appreciate the tremendous momentum that Paramount established with these iconic Marvel characters and look forward to propelling the brand even further in the coming years.'

'Five years ago, when Paramount and Marvel made our initial deal, both our businesses were in very different places,' said Brad Grey, Chairman & CEO of Paramount Pictures. 'We are grateful for the partnership we have had with the terrific Marvel team over these years and proud of the work we have done together. Today, this new agreement is the right deal for Paramount, for Marvel and for Disney. We look forward to working together on Thor and Captain America, and we wish Disney and Marvel the utmost success, in what we know will be a very productive and wide-ranging partnership.'

'Paramount has been a wonderful partner in helping Marvel Studios bring our characters to the big screen,' said Alan Fine, Office of the President, Marvel Worldwide, Inc. 'This agreement makes sense now that Marvel is part of The Walt Disney Company.'

Paramount will release Marvel Entertainment's Thor and Captain America: The First Avenger worldwide beginning on May 6 and July 22 of 2011, respectively. The Avengers will be licensed to Epix under Paramount's existing pay television arrangement.

Disney is planning a May 3, 2013 release date for Iron Man 3."

Well, people like Joss Whedon, Robert Downey Jr. and Samuel L. Jackson have all been a part of Disney movies before; Joss Whedon had a hand in Toy Story and Atlantis: The Lost Empire, Robert Downey Jr. starred as the villain in The Shaggy Dog with Tim Allen (and is looking into a Disney prequel to The Wizard of Oz as the Wizard of Oz) and Samuel L. Jackson played the voice of Frozone in The Incredibles with Pixar.

This is, however, the first Disney film for Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Jeremy Renner, Scarlett Johansson and Clark Gregg.

The Incredible Hulk returns to TV!

From ComingSoon.net:

"ABC is currently developing a live-action television series based on 'The Incredible Hulk'.

The character of the Hulk and his alter-ego, Bruce Banner, first appeared in 1962's The Incredible Hulk #1. A scientist, Banner's accidental exposure to Gamma rays causes him to become an uncontrollable, rampaging beast whenever he is enraged.

Outside of comics, The Incredible Hulk is perhaps best known as a CBS series that ran from 1978 to 1982, starring Bill Bixby and Lou Ferrigno. More recently, the character has spawned two films, 2003's Hulk (starring Eric Bana) and 2008's The Incredible Hulk (starring Edward Norton). Mark Ruffalo [will] take over the role for 2012's The Avengers.

Although there is some planned continuity between the latter two films, it is unknown whether or not that plan will carry over for the ABC series, which is currently seeking writers."

Well, that's interesting. Maybe Edward Norton can do the TV show. It'd look something like this:

Friday, September 24, 2010

Mark Ruffalo REALLY is the Hulk!

From ComingSoon.net:

"We all know that Mark Ruffalo landed the part of Bruce Banner/The Hulk in Marvel Studios' upcoming The Avengers. What we didn't know is that he'll actually do the motion capture for the Green Goliath!

He told Vulture: 'I'm really excited. No one's ever played the Hulk exactly, they've always done CGI... They're going to do the Avatar stop-action, stop-motion capture. So I'll actually play the Hulk. That'll be fun.'

Ruffalo added that he's going more for Bill Bixby's Banner: 'I really love the first TV version of it, the Bill Bixby one... I'm gonna shoot for that a little bit. He was an everyman in it. He's always on the run and trying to find love. It's really a sympathetic character, before he turns into the Hulk and [messes] everything up.'

The Avengers is scheduled for a May 4, 2012 release."

Saturday, July 10, 2010

Edward Norton IS NO longer THE INCREDIBLE HULK

From ComingSoon.net:

"Edward Norton will not be reprising his role as Dr. Bruce Banner [in The Avenger], reports HitFix, who say that Marvel Studios plan to cast a new actor in the part.


The report theorizes that a deal could not be made, despite Edward Norton wanting to join the ensemble cast that will include Robert Downey Jr as Iron Man, Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, Chris Hemsworth as Thor and Chris Evans as Captain America.

Marvel Studios' Kevin Feige confirmed the report with the following statement he sent to the site:

'We have made the decision to not bring Ed Norton back to portray the title role of Bruce Banner in The Avengers. Our decision is definitely not one based on monetary factors, but instead rooted in the need for an actor who embodies the creativity and collaborative spirit of our other talented cast members. The Avengers demands players who thrive working as part of an ensemble, as evidenced by Robert, Chris H, Chris E, Sam, Scarlett, and all of our talented casts. We are looking to announce a name actor who fulfills these requirements, and is passionate about the iconic role in the coming weeks.'

Marvel Studios is planning a May 4, 2012 release for The Avengers.

UPDATE 2:

From ComingSoon.net:

"This looks to be turning into a war of the press statements. Brian Swardstrom of WME, which represents Norton, fired the following off to HitFix after they posted Feige's above comment:

'This offensive statement from Kevin Feige at Marvel is a purposefully misleading, inappropriate attempt to paint our client in a negative light. Here are the facts: two months ago, Kevin called me and said he wanted Edward to reprise the role of Bruce Banner in The Avengers. He told me it would be his fantasy to bring Edward on stage with the rest of the cast at ComiCon and make it the event of the convention. When I said that Edward was definitely open to this idea, Kevin was very excited and we agreed that Edward should meet with Joss Whedon to discuss the project. Edward and Joss had a very good meeting (confirmed by Feige to me) at which Edward said he was enthusiastic at the prospect of being a part of the ensemble cast. Marvel subsequently made him a financial offer to be in the film and both sides started negotiating in good faith. This past Wednesday, after several weeks of civil, uncontentious discussions, but before we had come to terms on a deal, a representative from Marvel called to say they had decided to go in another direction with the part. This seemed to us to be a financial decision but, whatever the case, it is completely their prerogative, and we accepted their decision with no hard feelings.

We know a lot of fans have voiced their public disappointment with this result, but this is no excuse for Feige's mean spirited, accusatory comments. Counter to what Kevin implies here, Edward was looking forward to the opportunity to work with Joss and the other actors in the Avengers cast, many of whom are personal friends of his. Feige's statement is unprofessional, disingenuous and clearly defamatory. Mr. Norton talent, tireless work ethic and professional integrity deserve more respect, and so do Marvel's fans.'

UPDATE 3:

From ComingSoon.net:

"Edward Norton has posted his official statement on the matter:


'As most of you know, I don't like to talk much about the business of making movies because it means a lot to me to protect the audience's fullest enjoyment of the 'magic' that films can have. But I am so appreciative of the outpouring of support from fans of the Hulk and the Avengers that I feel it would be rude not to respond. So here goes: It seems it won't work out for me to continue playing Bruce Banner for Marvel in "The Avengers". I sincerely hoped it could happen and be great for everyone, but it hasn't turned out as we all hoped. I know this is disappointing to many people and that makes me sad. But I am very sincerely grateful to Marvel for extending the offer and even more so for giving me the chance to be a part of the Hulk's long and excellent history. And I really can't thank the fans enough for how much enthusiasm you've sent my way about what Louis and I tried to do in our turn with the legend. It means a lot of me. I grew up with Banner and Hulk and have been an fan of every incarnation. I'm really proud, and very blessed, to have been one of them and will be thrilled to see him live on through other actors. Hulk is bigger than all of us, and that's why we love him, right?

Sincerely, Edward Norton.'"

Somewhere, Eric Bana (Bruce Banner from 2003's Hulk) is dancing with joy, screaming, "And now, you know how it feels!"

Here's a video detailing Edward Norton's impressive performance from The Incredible Hulk set to the "The Lonely Man" theme that would end every episode of the famous "The Incredible Hulk" TV series. A fitting end...




I've already heard rumors that Oscar-nominee and recently crazy man Joaquin Phoenix (Johnny Cash in Walk the Line) is set to replace Norton as Bruce Banner. If he can clean up his act and grab some serious geek love, he might just appear at Comic-Con when the cast of The Avengers is announced.

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Jeremy Renner is HURT'n to play Hawkeye in THE AVENGERS

From ComingSoon.net:

"Jeremy Renner may be close to locking a deal to star as Clint Barton, AKA Hawkeye, in Joss Whedon's The Avengers, reports Heat Vision.


Since last year, rumors have persisted that Marvel has been after the star of The Hurt Locker to play the character, though official sources would not confirm that Hawkeye even has a role in the upcoming summer blockbuster, much less actor selection.

Renner talked exclusively with SuperHeroHype late last year, indicating that, while he'd love to join the Marvel Universe in some capacity, the film was too far off and, at the time, didn't even have a director. It appears that, with Joss Whedon now on board and pre-production moving forward, Renner may become an official member of the team yet."

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Joss the AVENGER director

From ComingSoon.net:

"Deadline New York reports that Marvel Studios is moving ahead with Joss Whedon as director of The Avengers. The site says he is now in final negotiations to helm the action adventure scheduled for a May 4, 2012 release.

The film would feature many of the lead actors involved in Marvel Studios adaptations right now, including Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man films), Chris Evans (The First Avenger: Captain America), Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury) and more.

Paramount Pictures will distribute the film.

Whedon's credits include 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer,' 'Firefly,' 'Angel,' Serenity, 'Dollhouse' and upcoming The Cabin in the Woods."

Of course, everyone "conveniently" forgets that he was one of the writers of... Toy Story. I know, what a shock, right? Considering his later projects, I imagine he wrote Sid's dialogue. I'm not a huge fan of his personal life, considering the man's an atheist (along with Seth Green and Seth MacFarlane). He also wrote a treatment for one of my favorite animated films (which is highly unseen), Atlantis: The Lost Empire.

Monday, April 5, 2010

Chris Evans talks CAPTAIN AMERICA

From ComingSoon.net:

"At a WonderCon press roundtable for Sylvain White's The Losers, the elephant in the room was addressed and Chris Evans was asked why he wanted to play the role of Steve Rogers in Marvel's The First Avenger: Captain America. After all, Evans already has played another iconic Marvel comic character when he took on the role of Johnny Storm a.k.a The Human Torch in two Fantastic Four movies and besides his role in the comic-based Losers, he's also playing action star Lucas Lee in Edgar Wright's upcoming Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.

At first, Evans was slightly hesitant at answering, knowing full well the question was coming, as would be expected when you're at a comic convention with lots of press interested in genre fare. After a bit of stammering, he finally said what interested him in playing another comic book role:

'I think Marvel is doing a lot of good things right now, and it's a fun character. Even if it wasn't a comic book. I think the story of Steve Rogers is great. He's a great guy. Even if it was just a script about anybody, I would probably want to do it. So it wasn't necessarily about the comic itself. He's a great character. He's a great character to play. He just happens to be a comic book character.'

He was then ribbed by Zoe Saldana, his co-star in The Losers, to add that it was all about being able to get back into blue tights, which he wore a lot as Johnny Storm."

Oh, you've done blue characters too, Zoe. Avatar ring a bell?

UPDATE:

More info from MTV Movies Blog:

"As the new face of Marvel's star-spangled superhero Captain America, Chris Evans is likely to play a major role in not only The First Avenger: Captain America, but also in the 2012 superhero team-up film The Avengers. Comic book fans know soldier-turned-superhero Steve Rogers as the character who unites many of Marvel's most prominent heroes against a threat too great for them to tackle individually — but does Evans know that?

MTV News caught up with the actor, who also plays Jensen in director Sylvain White's upcoming adaptation of the action [graphic novel] series The Losers, during this weekend's WonderCon to find out if he's intimidated by the prospect of giving orders to Iron Man star Robert Downey Jr. when it comes time for The Avengers.

'I don't know if they're going to make him the boss,' Evans said of Cap's role in The Avengers. 'His character... He's a good guy,' he added.

Presented with the notion of his character leading Marvel's team of superheroes that includes Iron Man and Thor (among others), Evans seemed a bit uncertain that Cap will be the boss when Earth's Mightiest Heroes take the screen.

'Does he [run the show]?' asked Evans. 'I don't think anybody tells Downey what to do, and that's what makes [him] Downey.'

Finally, Evans added that he hasn't tried on the costume or shield yet, but he's looking forward to donning Cap's red, white and blue uniform."

As great a guy as I know Chris will be as Cap, only Samuel L. Jackson can be the leader of the Avengers.

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Kevin Fiege updates on Marvel Movie Universe!

From SuperHero Hype:

"SFX Magazine's March issue features an interview with Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige in which he talks more about the studio's upcoming projects and makes one fairly big reveal.

Feige talked about how Iron Man, Iron Man 2 (May 7), Thor (May 6, 2011) and The First Avenger: Captain America (July 22, 2011) will lay the foundation for what should be the ultimate superhero epic - The Avengers (May 4, 2012).

'It's fun now, and we're introducing some new characters in [Iron Man 2],' he told the magazine. 'But it's not about just cramming in lots of new people; that's sort of the cardinal sin of the sequel - adding in too many characters. This is totally Tony Stark's story. And that's gonna weave into Thor's story, and Steve Rogers' story, and it's already ingrained with Nick Fury's story and an organization known as S.H.I.E.L.D.'

He says that it is important to first focus on each character. 'My only concern is that when we launch a franchise--whichever character's franchise that may be--it should stand on its own two feet... So by the time The Avengers comes in 2012, it's not just a team superhero movie with a bunch of characters with powers. It's three people - four including the Hulk; five including Nick Fury - who you've seen before in other movies, coming together for the very first time.'

Catch that Hulk bit? Feige also said that he won't rule out the possibility of a second Incredible Hulk film with Edward Norton. 'That would be post-Avengers, if it happened... I think there's a chance. It's certainly our intention to use the same actors from film to film where we can.'

Feige was asked it will be difficult to meld the fantasy of Thor with the high-tech science fiction in Iron Man and The Avengers. 'No,' he said, 'because we're doing the Jack Kirby/Stan Lee/Walt Simonson/J. Michael Straczynski Thor. We're not doing the blow-the-dust-off-of-the-old-Norse-book-in-your-library Thor. And in the Thor of the Marvel Universe, there's a race called the Asgardians. And we're linked through this Tree of Life that we're unaware of. It's real science, but we don't know about it yet. The Thor movie is about teaching people that.'

The magazine asked Feige what other characters may come to the big screen after The Avengers. 'I love Doctor Strange. Ant-Man is like Whiplash - one of those chracters where you're like, 'Really?' that we've got a fun story with. I've always wanted to do something with Black Panther. I think what Ed Brubaker and Matt Fraction have done with Iron Fist lately is great, and the Iron Fist mythology opens up a whole other part to us. I'd love to break into the cosmic side of the Marvel Universe even more - it's kind of there in Thor. J.J. Abrams' Star Trek got me jonesing to do that. It's what I grew up on - Star Trek and Star Wars. I want to do a big space epic. And we've got them in Marvel.'"

Sounds good. Just don't let Disney get its "gloved" hands on it.

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Jon Favreau's not directing THE AVENGERS

From Slashfilm:

"Speculation has swirled about whether or not Jon Favreau would direct The Avengers for Marvel after he finishes Iron Man 2. Now we know the answer: he will not. And furthermore, Edward Norton will not appear in Iron Man 2. So there.

MTV talked to Favreau about The Avengers while he was promoting Couples Retreat, and his statement about directing the film was quite clear:

'They’ll have to [find a different director], because I’m not going to be available. It’s something I’m being the executive producer on, so I’ll definitely have input and a say. It’s going to be hard, because I was so involved in creating the world of Iron Man and Iron Man is very much a tech-based hero, and then with Avengers you’re going to be introducing some supernatural aspects because of Thor. How you mix the two of those works very well in the comic books, but it’s going to take a lot of thoughtfulness to make that all work and not blow the reality that we’ve created.'

Normally this sort of thing would be a non-issue, but there was plenty of reason to suspect that Favreau might take the job, not least because he has expressed interest in doing so. Now the wild speculation can begin: who will Kevin Feige and Marvel Studios hire to helm the film? Marvel has made some interesting directorial choices of late (Kenneth Branagh for Thor) so it’s not like there’s reason to expect a hire along the lines of Paul W.S. Anderson.

Finally, we more or less knew that Edward Norton would not be making a cameo in Iron Man 2 (persistent rumor suggests Bruce Banner or the Hulk might appear in the film, to set up The Avengers) and Favreau agreed that Norton is not in the film."

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Marvel Studios Updates

From ComingSoon.net:

"Marvel Entertainment reported its First Quarter earnings today and gave a few updates on its upcoming movies during the company's quarterly conference call. Iron Man II is, of course, already filming for a May 7, 2010 release, but Marvel said this morning that the Kenneth Branagh-directed Thor is scheduled to start filming in the First Quarter of 2010. No formal offers have been made to actors, though they said that casting announcements are likely the next few months. Thor is targeted for a May 20, 2011 release.

Marvel added that The First Avenger: Captain America, to be directed by Joe Johnston, is scheduled to start filming in the summer of 2010 for a July 22, 2011 release. In an interview with Empire magazine, Marvel's President of Production Kevin Feige talked about The Avengers as well: 'Zak Penn is already on board The Avengers [as writer] and he's spending a lot of his time looking into what we're doing with Iron Man, Thor and Captain America, seeing how we're tying it all together. And he's beginning to outline the script now – he'll be doing that over the summer." The Avengers is coming to theaters on May 4, 2012.

Huh. Let's hurry it up fellas! It's gonna take more than one Tony Stark photo from Iron Man II to satisfy me!

Let's see what Sam Rockwell has to say about his role in Iron Man II as Justin Hammer.

From ComingSoon.net:

"Sam Rockwell talked to MTV and revealed that his character, Justin Hammer, will be a bit different than in the comics: 'They wanted to go with a rival for Tony Stark who is closer to his age, and make him American,' Rockwell told MTV News of the new look for the Marvel villain."

I've only seen him in issues of Ultimate Spider-Man. He was a Southern man, it sounded like and helped to create Doc Ock for some odd reason.

Monday, March 16, 2009

Sony and Marvel Studios Set New Release Dates!

From ComingSoon.net:

"Paving the way for the production and release of its multi-character superhero film, The Avengers, Marvel Entertainment, Inc. announced today an adjusted release pipeline for its self-produced feature film properties that reflects the first time individual Super Hero characters and story arcs will be inter-woven and culminate in a multi-character motion picture. Separately, Marvel Studios confirmed today that Sony Pictures Entertainment will release Spider-Man 4 on May 6, 2011. Additionally, Marvel Studios has revised the release dates for Thor and The First Avenger: Captain America as part of its release strategy for an uninterrupted road to The Avengers, now debuting May 4, 2012.

A Marvel character-based film will now launch the summer box office season for three years in a row, from 2010 through 2012.

'This new schedule strongly sequences Marvel's movie debut dates, big screen character introductions and momentum. It maximizes the visibility of our single character-focused films, leading to the highly anticipated release of the multi-character 'The Avengers' film in 2012,' said David Maisel, Chairman, Marvel Studios.

Sony Pictures' and Marvel Studios' Spider-Man 4 is slated for May 6, 2011. To date, all three motion pictures in the phenomenally successful 'Spider-Man' franchise have generated nearly $2.5 billion worldwide theatrically.

Below is Marvel Studios' 2010-2012 updated release schedule for its slate of self-produced and financed feature films:

Marvel Studios Feature Film Pipeline
Film/Character - Prior Release Date - Current Release Date

Iron Man II - May 7, 2010 - May 7, 2010
Thor - July 16, 2010 - June 17, 2011
The First Avenger: Captain America - May 6, 2011 - July 22, 2011
The Avengers - July 15, 2011 - May 4, 2012

The release date for Iron Man II remains unchanged on May 7, 2010. Iron Man II is the sequel to the blockbuster film, Iron Man, which has grossed nearly $600 million worldwide."

2012?! 2012?! Are they serious?! We'll all be in 2012! I still believe we'll reach 2015 so I can get my hoverboard ;)