James Spader to play Ultron in The Avengers 2

Three-time Emmy winner James Spader has been cast to play the big villain, Ultron, in The Avengers: Age of Ultron. This casting is rather unexpected and we have no further information other than the actual casting.
There is some speculation about exactly how Spader will play Ultron seeing that he is a robot. Some are guessing Spader might do some motion capture and voice work. Others speculate he could just wear a robot costume and be assisted by CGI, similar to what they have done with Iron Man.

When I read this the first thing I thought of was Pretty in Pink. Yes, the John Hughes movie. Since then he has appeared on Boston Legal and The Practice. He was also in Lincoln which was popular around awards season. I think Spader will be a good addition to the Marvel Universe. I give them credit for getting some really great actors in these movies.

D23 Recap: Marvel presents Phase Two

Disney rounded off a solid second day at D23 in Anaheim, CA with the presentations from Marvel Studios. The films focused on were Thor: The Dark World, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and Guardians of the Galaxy.

Thor: The Dark World is the next release coming this November and some new footage was presented. On site was Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, and Anthony Hopkins.

"Thor: The Dark World continues the big-screen adventures of Thor, the Mighty Avenger, as he battles to save Earth and all the Nine Realms from a shadowy enemy that predates the universe itself.  In the aftermath of Thor and The Avengers, Thor fights to restore order across the cosmos, but an ancient race led by the vengeful Malekith returns to plunge the universe back into darkness.  Faced with an enemy that even Odin and Asgard cannot withstand, Thor must embark on his most perilous and personal journey yet, one that will reunite him with Jane Foster and force him to sacrifice everything to save us all.
It is based on Marvel’s classic Super Hero Thor, who first appeared in the comic book “Journey into Mystery “ #83 in August, 1962. The film releases November 8, 2013."

Captain America: The Winter Soldier doesn't hit theaters until next April, but we are getting some more tips to the plot. It does indeed follow Captain America with his struggles of coping with the current immorality of the world. On site was Chris Evans and Anthony Mackie.

"After the cataclysmic events in New York with The Avengers, Captain America: The Winter Soldier finds Steve Rogers, aka Captain America, living quietly in Washington, D.C. and trying to adjust to the modern world. But when a S.H.I.E.L.D. colleague comes under attack, Steve becomes embroiled in a web of intrigue that threatens to put the world at risk. Joining forces with the Black Widow, Captain America struggles to expose the ever-widening conspiracy while fighting off professional assassins sent to silence him at every turn. When the full scope of the villainous plot is revealed, Captain America and the Black Widow enlist the help of a new ally, the Falcon. However, they soon find themselves up against an unexpected and formidable enemy—the Winter Soldier.
Based on the ever-popular Marvel comic book series, first published in 1941. In theaters April 4, 2014."

Guardians of the Galaxy is still fairly new to everything as it began filming less than a month ago, but it came into D23 in style.  A new clip featured Star-Lord (Chris Pratt) attempting to steal an artifact but is disrupted by a trio of guards. The clip also introduced Drax the Destroyer (Dave Bautista), Gamora (Zoe Saldana), Groot, and Rocket Raccoon. There are still no voices for Groot and Rocket Raccoon. In theaters on August 1, 2014.


Aside from those presentations, there was a brief teaser for The Avengers: Age of Ultron. All there was to it was a shot of Ultron's head coming from a reformed, dented Iron Man helmet. Apart from that, Chris Evans confirmed that filming for The Avengers: Age of Ultron will begin in the first week of March 2014.

Marvel has plans through 2021

Kevin Feige, the president of Marvel Studios, made an announcement stating that Marvel has films planned from now until the year 2021. Yes, that is just shy of 10 years of plans. He also reminded everyone that the plans for 2015 that we know about now were in motion back in 2006.
The plans in question include expanding the Marvel Cinematic Universe to include more characters and story arcs. This is to prove to studios and audiences that they can be successful outside of the five Avengers characters. This will include the 2014 release of Guardians of the Galaxy and the 2015 release of Ant-Man. Further films that have dates for 2016 and 2017 announced but aren't titled yet will most likely be new characters as well, such as Doctor Strange and a rumored film for Black Panther. I would wager that animated films aren't out of the question either.

It is likely that the 2017 or a 2018 release date will be The Avengers 3, so I wouldn't rule out a third movie for either Thor or Captain America if not a standalone movie for The Hulk. However, none of that is confirmed and until we got confirmation on anything for Phase Three other than Ant-Man we can just have the fun of guessing for now.

The next film Marvel has lined up for us is Thor: The Dark World which hits theaters this November. In 2014 we will have Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Guardians of the Galaxy.  

New trailer for Thor: The Dark World

For all the Loki buffs, enjoy this trailer. I have a feeling he won't be as big a part of this movie as the trailer suggests but you never know. It is apparently Loki's last appearance so if he goes out with a bang good for him. Apart from that I think this trailer looks great. Minus the cheesy last scene with the rock monster.

The Avengers: Age of Ultron not based off comic arc

Or so Joss Whedon says. Now bear in mind this is the same guy who assured us Iron Man 3 wouldn't have the Iron Patriot, so I take what he says with a grain of salt.

But on with it... Joss Whedon has said that the upcoming Avengers sequel, The Avengers: Age of Ultron, will not be based off the Age of Ultron comic arc where Wolverine and the Invisible Woman are sent into the past to kill Ant-Man so he can't create Ultron. Whedon assured us that they are working on an original interpretation of the origin of Ultron story. He basically also said that people should stop thinking Ant-Man (aka, Henry Pym) will make a cameo in The Avengers 2 as a lead into Edgar Wright's Ant-Man movie.

Other than that he mentions that Age of Ultron will feature Hawkeye in a bigger, more important role and we will see him as more than the possessed scapegoat he was in The Avengers. Age of Ultron will also be a more global film in regards to the team not only worrying about the United States but about the fate of Earth and the whole galaxy.

The Avengers: Age of Ultron opens May 1, 2015 and will be followed by Ant-Man on November 6, 2015.

SDCC: Thor: The Dark World brings Loki back once more

We managed to get a new trailer for Thor: The Dark World at Comic-Con but that was about it. And that should be taken literally.

No panel. No Q&A session. Nothing except a trailer. Oh, and this but it kind of already came out.

However, the trailer did come in style. Kevin Feige brought in Tom Hiddleston as Loki for the last time to present the trailer. I found the Loki introduction on YouTube and it is real fun. Here is a description from Collider:

"It begins with a battle in a burning village with Sif and Warriors Three fighting masked warriors.  Thor beams in, makes some quips with Sif, and slays a rock monster.  We then see London attacked, Thor beams in, nd beams Jane Foster out to Asgard.  We see him recruiting Loki, and the Warriors Three and Sif threaten to kill Loki if he betrays them.  This is interspersed with loads of action.  It’s tough to go beat by beat, but it looks exciting and finally lets Thor be Thor in a world that fits him.  It’s the grand tone we only briefly saw in the beginning of the first movie.  While I can’t go through every moment, I will say that the trailer ends with Loki slicing off Thor’s hand, a moment that was greeted with a collective gasp from the audience."

[UPDATE] Here is video of the Loki introduction along with a picture.

I'm pretty shocked that Thor: The Dark World didn't get a panel. They must be pretty confident that people are excited enough which is a mistake, imo. Most people think Thor was the weakest movie in Phase One.

#SDCC #Marvel #ThorTheDarkWorld #Loki