Daniel Bruhl to play Baron Zemo in Captain America: Civil War

We learned that Inglorious Basterds actor, Daniel Bruhl, had been cast in Captain America: Civil War months ago but we never got confirmation for which character he'd been cast to play. Bruhl said in a recent interview with The Independent UK that he has been cast as the villainous Baron Helmut Zemo.

If you're not familiar with Zemo, he is the son of one of the top scientists in Hitler's Nazi regime and he directly blames Captain America for the death of his father. Zemo's father, Heinrich, created numerous weapons of mass destruction for the Nazi regime including a large-scale death ray cannon.
He first appeared in The Avengers comics in 1964, so he's definitely a seasoned Marvel character and has been listed on many top Marvel villain lists around the internet. Zemo's abilities include a superior intellect, excellent marksmanship, and extensive training in hand-to-hand combat. Later on in the comic arcs, he was granted superpower abilities of energy, gravitational, and light manipulation. 



Captain America: Civil War is set to begin production this week in Atlanta. It stars Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Elizabeth Olsen, Daniel Bruhl, Sebastian Stan, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Frank Grillo, and Anthony Mackie.

Can you complete the ultimate Marvel marathon?

AMC Theaters and Regal Entertainment are giving moviegoers in select cities the ultimate Marvel Cinematic Universe experience with the release of Avengers: Age of Ultron. Select theaters will be screening an 11-movie Marvel marathon starting on April 29th. Yes, this marathon begins with Iron Man and ends with Age of Ultron. There is no word on if those who complete the marathon will get special perks or prizes, but those who choose to complete it better expect to bring blankets and some coffee... and prepare to fork out a hefty price to see all 11 films.

The schedule looks like this:

6:00pm - Iron Man
8:25pm - The Incredible Hulk
10:35pm - Iron Man 2
1:00am - Thor
3:10am - Captain America: The First Avenger
5:30am - The Avengers
8:48am - Iron Man 3
11:15am - Thor: The Dark World
1:45pm - Captain America: The Winter Soldier
4:20pm - Guardians of the Galaxy
7:00pm - Avengers: Age of Ultron


So far it looks like Regal is only showing the marathon in Houston, Ontario (CA), Atlanta, and King of Prussia (PA). AMC doesn't give the locations, but I'm sure they will surface before too long.
Personally, I wouldn't do this but I can see why people would. The idea of staying awake that long in a movie theater just isn't happening.

Iron Man to appear in Captain America 3

Robert Downey Jr. has had a bit of a rollercoaster lately. Rumors are circulating around whether or not there will be an Iron Man 4 and in light of that, it was announced tonight that he is on the verge of signing a contract that will place him in Captain America 3 in 2016.

If this happens it is a pretty good sign that Marvel is introducing the Civil War storyline which pits Captain America against Tony Stark as they feud over the Superhero Registration Act. The act forces all people and creatures with superhuman abilities to register and disclose their gifts with the government and agree to act as a police force for them. Stark, along with Mr. Fantastic and Hank Pym, agrees with the SRA while Capt. Rogers and his team does not. Cap cites it as a violation of civil liberties and believes superhumans need privacy in order to help whenever the law cannot, they are not meant to actually be the law.

Basically, if this is the way they go it would put Stark in a somewhat villainous role that could lead into him being a villain in the third and/or fourth Avengers movie as well as a fourth Iron Man, if that happens.
Marvel is already planning on rebooting the 2006 Civil War storyline in 2015 to re-introduce and bring in new audience members before Captain America 3. The original comic series included crossover characters such as Spider-Man, Mr. Fantastic, Luke Cage, Wolverine, and Cyclops.

This is somewhat intriguing as another rumor going around in the past week or so was that Sony and Marvel were doing some re-negotiating and that it was possible that Spider-Man could possibly make an appearance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. There is also the case of a new X-Men film coming out in 2016 as well as the new Fantastic Four. If there is any possibility of a Marvel film crossover it very well could stem off Captain America 3 and extend into the third or fourth Avengers.

Age of Ultron trailer might air before Interstellar

A new rumor has begun making its way around regarding the trailers set to screen before Christopher Nolan's Interstellar in November. The biggest name on the list is Marvel's upcoming release, The Avengers: Age of Ultron.

This rumor most likely started as a majority of major trailers premiere six months prior to the film's release. Seeing that Age of Ultron has a release date of May 1st, that would put it on schedule to have a trailer surface sometime in November. However, seeing that Interstellar shares a release date with the Walt Disney Animation release, Big Hero 6, it is possible that an Avengers trailer might be attached to that instead.

Either way, we should be getting the first glimpse at Age of Ultron within the next month or so. I doubt they'd make everyone wait until the new year before a trailer comes out.

Iron Man 4 not planned as of right now

Since Iron Man 3 disappointed a majority audiences, many have been looking forward to a fourth Iron Man film to redeem the character. However, according to Robert Downey Jr., a fourth Iron Man is not currently planned and it's not on Marvel's priority list.

The theory as of right now is that Guardians of the Galaxy has changed a lot of Marvel's priorities. James Gunn's film was a much bigger hit than anyone expected and it's currently on track to hit $300 million worldwide and has already won the title of the biggest hit of 2014. The first round of Marvel characters we were introduced to is drawing to a close as newer, more exciting characters are moving in.
Previously, it seemed that Marvel was riding the wave of Iron Man and the popularity of Robert Downey Jr. but now that it's been proven that other characters and actors can bring just as much, if not more, to the table. Not to mention the newer additions don't carry the price tag that Downey does so they make more profit at the end of the day.

This doesn't necessarily mean there will never be an Iron Man 4, but it isn't looking very good at the moment. There are currently 11 open slots in the Marvel schedule until 2019 so there is still a chance Stark will venture out on his own.
I wasn't the biggest fan of Iron Man 3, but in the end it did lend a pretty good wrap for Tony Stark. However, we need to bear in mind that he will return in The Avengers: Age of Ultron in May, so the wrap-up they gave him will most likely be ruined.

Marvel announces another 2018 release

In the past week we have received planned release dates for Marvel films through 2019. Marvel has announced one more untitled project for May 3, 2018. The weekend opportunity opened up after Sony removed The Amazing Spider-Man 4 from the date. The speculation is already swirling around which project this could be and one name is on the top of the list...

Did Marvel just announce the release date for The Avengers 3?


The previous dates announced for 2018 were July 6th and November 2nd. I personally already made the prediction that the May 5, 2017 spot could be The Avengers 3, but it is possible they might delay a third film until 2018. The only issue I see with that is that will make Phase Three incredibly long and will have way too many characters to try and wrap into a single Avengers film to finish.


Here are the Marvel release dates as they currently stand:

Guardians of the Galaxy (8/1/2014)
The Avengers: Age of Ultron (5/1/2015)
Ant-Man (7/17/2015)
Captain America 3 (5/6/2016)
Doctor Strange (7/8/2016)
Untitled (5/5/2017)
Untitled (7/28/2017)
Untitled (11/3/2017)
Untitled (5/3/2018)
Untitled (7/6/2018)
Untitled (11/2/2018)
Untitled (5/3/2019)


It's hard to say exactly when The Avengers 3 will hit, but if they stick with the May tradition we only have three possible dates for 2017, 2018, and 2019. It is worth mentioning that there is a three year gap between The Avengers and Age of Ultron so a 2018 release would keep them on that track, but there aren't nearly the amount of releases in Phase Two as there are currently planned for Phase Three and/or Phase Four.
Since The Avengers we have seen Iron Man 3, Thor: The Dark World, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and are about to get Guardians of the Galaxy. That is four releases. If a third Avengers film doesn't come out until 2018 we will have another gap of three years, but we will also have a total of six releases instead of four. Unless one or two of those dates include spin-off films for The Hulk (finally) and Black Widow, I think six films is a bit much. Not to mention we are receiving two brand new characters with Ant-Man, Doctor Strange, and also a rumored film for Black Panther. We also shouldn't forget one of those 2017 dates could be a sequel to Guardians of the Galaxy or a third Thor project or a fourth Iron Man. There really is no way to tell what their timetable is. 

It is also worth mentioning that even though Sony removed The Amazing Spider-Man 4 from the release date, they announced today that they have immediately refilled the date by delaying The Amazing Spider-Man 3 until then. Unless Sony and Marvel want to go head to head like Marvel is currently doing with Warner Bros. over Batman v Superman being released the same day as Captain America 3, I doubt The Avengers 3 will be released the same weekend as Spider-Man. Unless Marvel is that confident their film will win I foresee a date change for one of them if Marvel announces that May 3, 2018 does indeed belong to The Avengers.
Either way I am sure we will have more answers to what projects belong to these untitled dates by this weekend. No doubt Marvel will come into SDCC at full speed with announcements and footage of some kind. If they don't then things will continue to be mysterious for a while longer.

[EDIT] It seems that Sony was thinking the same thing as they have already removed The Amazing Spider-Man 3 from the May 4, 2018 release date and are now saying it will be released in 2018. There is no specific day set.

First official images for The Avengers: Age of Ultron

I'm a bit surprised this is hitting now and not at Comic-Con later this month, but I'll take it.

Marvel has released, via Entertainment Weekly, the first images from The Avengers: Age of Ultron. The film is the featured story in the upcoming magazine issue and includes an interview with director Joss Whedon.

With these images we get the first official look at Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch along with confirmation that Colonel James Rhodes, aka War Machine/Iron Patriot, will be in this Avengers film. We also see Banner working closely with Stark and what seems like an Avengers party in the Stark tower.
Joss Whedon also elaborated a bit on what role the villain robot, Ultron, will play in the film. There is already confirmation that Ultron is being portrayed by James Spader via motion capture, but he originates directly from Tony Stark as he creates an AI robot to replace the necessity for him to physically wear the Iron Man suit. Seeing that Ultron is AI and much smarter than the average human, he determines that Earth would be better without humans and aims to destroy them.

I am sure we will know more after Comic-Con next week and that we might even get another teaser like we did last year. However, it is possible that Marvel will do what they did with the first Avengers film and save the teaser for the post-credits scene of Guardians of the Galaxy. Either way, I'm sure we will see some footage soon. The Avengers: Age of Ultron opens on May 1, 2015.

Terrence Howard points blame for Iron Man firing

Terrence Howard can't seem to know when to stop bitching about getting removed from the Marvel Cinematic Universe after one film. Howard played Colonel Rhodes (aka, Iron Patriot) in Iron Man and was replaced with Don Cheadle for Iron Man 2 and Iron Man 3. In addition to claiming Marvel tried to ruin his career, it appears that Howard finally has someone to blame for his removal and that person is Robert Downey Jr..

Howard is claiming that he was the one who recommended Downey in the first place for the role of Tony Stark. In addition to requesting a failed salary increase for Iron Man 2, he claims that Downey took the pay increase he was entitled to and left him behind. On Bravo's What Happens Live he had this to say about the situation (five years later, mind you):

"It turns out that the person that I helped become Iron Man, when it was time to re-up for the second one, took the money that was supposed to go to me and pushed me out. We did a three-picture deal. That means you did the deal ahead of time—a certain amount for the first one, a certain amount for the second, a certain amount for the third. They came to me with the second and said 'look, we will pay you one-eighth of what we contractually had for you, because we think the second one will be successful with or without you.' And I called my friend, that I helped get the first job, and he didn't call me back for three months."

These claims aren't new in case you weren't aware. Shortly after the release of Iron Man 2 in 2010, Howard was quite vocal about recommending Downey to Marvel in the first place:

"For me to have recommended him, it means all the more so that I helped someone get to where they are supposed to go. Marvel and I are now talking about doing some other things. And Don Cheadle wanted to play that part before I wanted to play it, so everything is very well."

We get it, Terrence. You aren't happy about starring in The Best Man Holiday. No need to keep beating a dead horse after two sequels have already been made. 

Stan Lee will not appear in X-Men: Days of Future Past

Stan Lee, the comic legend, has made somewhat of a regular expectation of having a cameo in Marvel films. They're nothing substantial but when you see a Marvel movie you expect to see Stan Lee at least once. Lee has actually made 17 cameos in the past 13 years. However, Lee will not have a cameo in Bryan Singer's X-Men: Days of Future Past.

This isn't too surprising as he did not appear in X2, X-Men: First Class, and The Wolverine. It seems that X-Men films are where he is missing the most. Some are guessing his age has something to do with it because the man will turn 91 this year, but he insists that he is simply choosing what he wants and doesn't want to do.

The complete list of Stan Lee cameos include:

X-Men
X-Men: The Last Stand
Spider-Man
Spider-Man 2
Spider-Man 3
The Amazing Spider-Man
Daredevil
Hulk
The Incredible Hulk
Iron Man
Iron Man 2
Iron Man 3
Fantastic Four
Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer
Captain America: The First Avenger
Thor
The Avengers 

Now, keep in mind that just because he passed up Days of Future Past doesn't mean he won't appear in any more Marvel films. I have no doubt he's somewhere to be found in the Phase Two movies and/or The Amazing Spider-Man 2.

Robert Downey Jr. will return for The Avengers 2 & 3

There has been much rumor and speculation around Robert Downey Jr.'s future as Iron Man. People were saying Iron Man 3 was the last time we would see Downey as Tony Stark, others said he had already signed on for more movies, few said that Iron Man was gone for good, etc..

We now have confirmation that Downey will indeed reprise the role of Tony Stark for The Avengers 2 and The Avengers 3. Now keep in mind that this is a 2-picture deal and it does not include a commitment to a fourth Iron Man movie. This also pretty much guarantees that Tony Stark will not make an appearance in any other Phase Two or Phase Three movies no matter how small the part. Not unless separate contracts are signed.
Seeing that Robert Downey Jr. has made it public that he doesn't want his career to be centered around Iron Man and that he thinks he would like to retire from the character at 50, I think it's safe to say The Avengers 3 will be the last time we have Downey as Tony Stark. If Marvel continues with these characters past Phase Three he will no doubt be absent.

Iron Man 3 - Review

Iron Man 3 follows Tony Stark after the events in New York City as he tries to rebuild his life. While trying to improve his Iron Man technology, a new business competitor and villain comes in his way and it is up to Tony to either cause trouble and protect himself or those he can't live without.


If you read my blog at all you know that I love the superhero movies in general and was excited for Iron Man 3. I stayed away from a majority of the previews and clips and promo pictures because I wanted to go in as fresh as I could. I am glad I did because this is one that really relies on the element of surprise. It also relied on action and lots of it.
Now... I enjoyed Iron Man 3. Does that mean I absolutely loved it and overlooked the flaws? No. I would say the keyword for me is "enjoyed." It was very funny, silly, and action packed. That is really about it. I expected it to be more in depth character-wise with Tony Stark and with his struggle since the events in The Avengers. It was very odd that those events were not really discussed. Whenever someone mentioned The Avengers or New York City he would have a massive anxiety attack and then it would go to another scene. Any potential seriousness was placed on the back burner so we could have action scenes, explosions, and several prototype Iron Man suits that Tony had been building in his spare time. That was pretty much what Iron Man 3 was.

In terms of the plot, I feel like it could have been better. When the villain was announced to be Mandarin I got excited and was expecting so much, especially after Ben Kingsley was cast. Mandarin kind of faded a bit once you got the big reveal of exactly who he was (which I will mention below in spoilers). You have this badass villain and you get excited until you have that one moment where you laugh and go, oh really? It was funny but not really taken seriously.
As far as the script goes I think it had similar problems like the plot did. They sacrificed good plot points for humor and just moved on. Naturally you have to include Tony Stark's smartass demeanor but they took it a little too far.
The cast had the potential to be great and came off as just alright. For me personally the best ones, aside from Robert Downey Jr. (duh), were Guy Pearce and Ben Kingsley. They played the characters great and delivered the dialogue they were given very well. I appreciated the hell out of those two. I thought Jon Favreau was a bit ridiculous and I don't know what happened with Gwyneth Paltrow in this, but Pepper Potts came across very barky and bland to me. It was like they were aiming for her to be concerned about Tony but she didn't quite make it seem that way. She came across angry and bitchy. [random: I also realized where I had seen the kid (Ty Simpkins) before. He was Dalton in Insidious!]
The main character in this movie is truly the action. People are not kidding when they said this movie is action-packed. Practically from start to finish something is getting blown up or tweaked with or crashed or melted or whatever. In my opinion they sacrificed what could have been a great, character driven movie about post-NYC Tony Stark for an action flick. It is enjoyable and funny, but I expected more.

I won't say Iron Man 3 was terrible because it wasn't. It just could have been so much better. Easily a 7/10. But hey, at least is was better than Iron Man 2. 


Now for some spoilers! If you haven't seen Iron Man 3 yet I would skip reading this portion. Trust me, you don't want the spoilers.

The Avengers 2 to begin filming in 2014

The Avengers 2 will be filmed in the UK at Pinewood-Shepperton Studios in early 2014 putting pre-production at the end of this year. Thor: The Dark World previously filmed at the same location late last year and are prepping to film Guardians of the Galaxy as well.

We also have a sneak peek at Phase Two which was included in the Marvel Cinematic Universe box set which finally got released.

Iron Man 3 poster highlights Iron Patriot

Yeah, that is a thing.

How will the Hulk fit into Marvel Phase Two and Three?

While it appeared that the only way we may continue seeing Bruce Banner (aka, the Hulk) in the Marvel Cinematic Universe was through small parts and/or cameos it seems that we were wrong. Or could still be wrong.

Rumor has it that Marvel is working on a separate storyline for the Hulk that will send him far away and will take place in another stand-alone Hulk movie. Kevin Feige pretty much confirmed that another Hulk movie won't take place until after The Avengers 2 which would automatically put it in Phase Three. The only real confirmation for Phase Three so far is Edgar Wright's Ant-Man which was originally supposed to wrap up Phase Two.
However, with the introduction of Doctor Strange there are a couple Hulk arcs that are possible for not only a stand-alone Hulk movie but as a potential lead into both The Avengers 3 and the stand-alone Doctor Strange movie. Those arcs being, of course, "Planet Hulk" and "World War Hulk." Some good points highlighted via Latino Review give a possible outline for the future of Dr. Banner.

Let's start with Planet Hulk:
1. Don't expect to see the Hulk until The Avengers 2, but he might show up in a Phase Two post-credit scene to set up a potential stand-alone Hulk movie.

2. After being deemed incredibly dangerous, Hulk is banished from Earth and shipped off into space by Marvel's version of the Illuminati which includes Tony Stark (aka, Iron Man) and Doctor Strange.

3. After Hulk is shipped off is where the Planet Hulk arc comes into play. He is sent into space where he is held captive on the planet Sakaar and forced to participate in gladiator games. Hulk eventually becomes a hero and leads a rebellion against the Red King.

Now here comes the potential entrance of World War Hulk:
1. After the rebellion the Hulk has a pretty decent amount of loyal followers which is basically an army and at this point, the Hulk is pissed off more than usual. The thought is that Hulk will return to Earth with his army to begin the "World War Hulk" arc.

2. In "World War Hulk", he basically returns and he and his army fight just about every hero and heroic team on Earth. Eventually the teams and heroes are pitted against each other in gladiator style combat which is similar to what he was forced into on Sakaar.


Now this is fully possible due to the fact that Mark Ruffalo signed a 6-movie deal with Marvel which began with The Avengers. He still technically has five more appearances to make. I have no doubt he will be in both The Avengers 2 and The Avengers 3, but that leaves 3 more movies he has to appear in and I highly doubt they will just be after-credit cameos.

Yet another thing that makes this possible, which is my personal theory, is the fact that World War Hulk includes Fantastic Four and X-Men. Seeing that we will be getting a new Fantastic Four in 2014 and we already have the ball rolling on X-Men with the release of X-Men: First Class and X-Men Days of Future Past for next year... it is completely possible that The Avengers 3 could center around the Hulk with this "World War Hulk" scenario. It would be a great way to bring every Marvel hero into play at the same time without overloading. I think that would be awesome, by the way.

Iron Man 3 - Extended Super Bowl Spot (HD)

Iron Man 3 has a new poster

Looks like Tony Stark got more than he bargained for this time around.

Iron Man 3 - Official Trailer #1

First Images from Iron Man 3!

We have the first images for Iron Man 3 along with a teaser poster. Enjoy them as much as I did.

More photos after the jump!

Iron Man 3 first official plot synopsis revealed

We have the first plot details for Iron Man 3 which are as follows:

"In Marvel's Iron Man 3, Tony Stark/Iron Man finds his world reduced to rubble by a malevolent enemy and must use his ingenuity and instincts to protect those closest to him as he seeks to destroy the enemy and his cohorts. When Stark finds his personal world destroyed at his enemy's hands, he embarks on a harrowing quest to find those responsible. This journey, at every turn, will test his mettle."

Another little detail included was, "As he fights his way back, Stark discovers the answer to the question that has secretly haunted him: does the man make the suit or does the suit make the man?"

Iron Man coming to Disneyland?

If you didn't know I am a fairly big Disneyland buff. I love the park and all things Disney in general, for the most part. While doing some reading I found some interesting insider information that confirms what many people have been pondering, or dreading, since Disney obtained Marvel... will Marvel characters be integrated into the Disney theme parks? The answer is yes.

According to Al Lutz, a credible Disney blogger and editor-in-chief MiceAge, Disney has begun plans to place none other than Iron Man into the Disneyland Resort. The word is an unnamed and undisclosed Iron Man thrill ride will replace the current unpopular attraction Innoventions in Disneyland's Tomorrowland. Hit the jump for more details!