Rumor: Asa Butterfield tops the list for Spider-Man

Rumor has it that Marvel has its frontrunner for the upcoming (new) adaptation of Spider-Man. After Kevin Feige announced they were indeed taking Peter Parker back to high school and they wanted to cast a real teenager, many actors were added to shortlists throughout the internet. Apparently the actor on the top of the list at the moment is 18-year old British actor, Asa Butterfield.

Latino Review, who is notoriously correct, reported that Butterfield is the frontrunner on Marvel's list of potentials; the list also contains Nat Wolff, Tom Holland, Liam James, and Timothee Chalamet. Some insiders told LR that Butterfield had already been cast as Peter Parker, but Marvel is waiting to announce it. Butterfield is no stranger to the screen despite just being 18-years old. His big breaks included being cast in starring roles in both the film adaptation of Ender's Game and Martin Scorsese's, Hugo.

Either way this casting announcement should come soon as the plan is to include Peter Parker in Captain America: Civil War and then have another reboot film for the character by 2017. I have liked Asa Butterfield in what I've seen him in so far and I think he would make a great Spider-Man. We shall wait and see, though. If the internet has gotten the jump on Marvel they might make an announcement sooner rather than later.

How exactly can, and will, Spider-Man fit into Marvel?

There is a lot of speculation right now regarding the announcement of Sony and Marvel teaming up for Spider-Man. The main question on everyone's mind is, how exactly will Spider-Man fit into the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Not only that, how will he be introduced?

There are a few possibilities here...

First of all, we already have confirmation that Spidey will appear in one Marvel film prior to a new solo film in 2017 and that it will feature a new actor, not Andrew Garfield. My personal guess is the same as a lot of other guesses... Captain America: Civil War.
Civil War follows the rift between the heroes as Tony Stark and Steve Rogers form their own teams to fight against one another in light of the Superhuman Registration Act and Spider-Man is one of those heroes. There are already rumors floating around regarding X-Men characters making cameos as well as the new Fantastic Four, so it would make perfect sense for Spidey to be introduced in some way for Civil War. Not to mention that is the next major Marvel film following Avengers: Age of Ultron and Ant-Man and the only one that makes sense prior to 2017. I doubt we will get a Spidey cameo in either of those as they have both finished filming and we don't have a new Peter Parker yet.

Another possibility is to just continue The Amazing Spider-Man story that's already happened. This is possible to just continue the foundation that's been laid out already and it would further support Sinister Six and Venom which are both still in development at Sony. However, with Andrew Garfield not returning there would be no real reason to continue it. If they do decide to continue it with a new actor they could still go off the fact that Gwen Stacy is dead, Peter's father might be alive, and that Spider-man has super blood.

However, they very well could just have Spider-Man appear out of nowhere. The option here is to just introduce Spider-Man as if he already existed but just wasn't focused on. Easy as pie.

If all else fails, maybe we could just go for another origins story! This is by far the worst idea out of all of them because we've had two Spider-Man origins in just a little over a decade. Not to mention everyone knows it. Peter gets bitten by a genetically altered spider, Uncle Ben dies, and Oscorp is his evil foe. It's been done and we don't need it again.


At the end of the day, even with Marvel's help, Sony will have final creative approval over Spider-Man so who knows what will happen.

Spider-Man spinoffs still on without Marvel's help

With the news of the agreement between Sony and Marvel regarding Spider-Man, there were some questions regarding the upcoming spinoff films Sony already has given the green light to. We learned today that Sinister Six and Venom are indeed still moving forward and they will not require the assistance of Marvel and Kevin Feige.

There is no confirmation on whether Alex Kurtzman and Drew Goddard are still attached to their respective films, but the fact that Sony managed to hang out to these projects is pretty surprising. With that said, I would assume that Kurtzman and Goddard are going to stay in the picture. Without the involvement of Kevin Feige, who will co-produce the next solo Spidey film, Sony seems to want to try and prove once again that they can create a successful interconnected universe.
One thing to remember is now that Spider-Man can appear in Marvel films, that means Marvel characters can appear in the Sony films. This does open a possibility of introducing Marvel cameos into Venom and/or Sinister Six. Goddard does have some experience dealing with Marvel as he was originally attached to the Daredevil series set to premiere on Netflix, but he departed due to his commitments to Sinister Six. 

With the announced agreement between the studios last night it was also confirmed that previously announced Sony versions of The Amazing Spider-Man 3 and The Amazing Spider-Man 4 have been officially canceled. Sony had already delayed the projects by a year but with Marvel stepping in they have opted to restart with a new Spider-Man film in 2017. This all was kickstarted by the complete failure that was The Amazing Spider-Man 2. Many fans called for yet another reboot of the character with new villains and a new Peter Parker and it looks like they are getting their wish as Marvel is hoping to cast a younger actor to portray Spidey. Sorry, Andrew Garfield.

Sony and Marvel agree to terms on Spider-Man

Guys.. this is finally happening.

There is confirmation that Marvel and Sony Pictures have agreed to terms and Spider-Man will appear in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The deal between the studios outlines a plan to have Spider-Man appear in an MCU film prior to the next solo Spidey film to be released by Sony in 2017. Another big tidbit is the next solo film will be co-produced by Marvel President, Kevin Feige. It is also possible that MCU characters might crossover into Sony's realm and vice versa. 
Rumors of this surfaced a few months back in the midst of the big Sony hack when leaked emails between Marvel and Sony were uncovered. Just about the only thing to come from the hacks was Sony co-chairman, Amy Pascal, stepping down. She will, however, still co-produce the Spider-Man film with Kevin Feige. There is no definite word yet on whether Andrew Garfield will continue as Peter Parker, but my guess is they will recast him at some point. He hasn't been a big hit so far.

My guess is the film Spidey will appear in will most definitely be Captain America: Civil War. That's really the only major Marvel release, aside from Avengers: Age of Ultron and Ant-Man, coming prior to a 2017 solo release. It would also make sense as Spider-Man appears in the Civil War comics.


This is good news!

Summary of last week's Marvel announcements

I was on vacation last week so I am playing a bit of catch-up with everything that I missed. By far the biggest event that I missed out on was Kevin Feige's Marvel event which announced the full size of phase three and gave a lot of casting news and also hinted at Marvel's direction with certain existing characters.

Starting off, let's look at this massive schedule they gave us...

Captain America: Civil War (May 6, 2016)
Doctor Strange (November 4, 2016)
Guardians of the Galaxy 2 (May 5, 2017)
Thor: Ragnarok (July 28, 2017)
Black Panther (November 3, 2017)
Avengers: Infinity War - Part I (May 4, 2018)
Captain Marvel (July 6, 2018)
Inhumans (November 2, 2018)
Avengers: Infinity War - Part II (May 3, 2019)

In addition to this schedule there was confirmation that all films will be released in 3D. The title of Captain America also confirms the Civil War rumor that was floating around, so we will see Robert Downey Jr. in that film. It is also possible that he could appear in Thor: Ragnarok seeing that there is no Iron Man 4 on the list.

Speaking of casting, there were announcements regarding Black Panther along with Doctor Strange. The surprise introduction to the Marvel Cinematic Universe was definitely Chadwick Boseman as Black Panther. You might recognize Boseman from the James Brown biopic, Get On Up, and the Jackie Robinson biopic, 42. He has reportedly signed a five film contract with Marvel and will appear as early as Captain America: Civil War before appearing in his solo film in 2017. Black Panther, otherwise known as T'Challa, is the leader of the panther tribe in the African nation of Wakanda. He later joins The Avengers.
Regarding Doctor Strange, we did finally receive word of an actor who has entered final negotiations to star in the lead role. So much for people wishing it would be Jared Leto because Benedict Cumberbatch has secured the role. Cumberbatch has seen a big surge in work in the past couple of years and I personally am worried that he is becoming a little overused, especially for a big franchise like this, but I don't think he will do badly. His voice alone is a great fit for the character. Prior to his involvement, Joaquin Phoenix had secured the role but negotiations fell through and he walked away from the project. The inside rumors were that Phoenix was not comfortable with the amount of backlash that came with the role such as press tours, talk shows, multi-film commitments, etc..

Moving onto the announcement of Thor: Ragnarok, this does tie into Robert Downey Jr.'s extended involvement with this film franchise aside from solo Iron Man films. The story of Ragnarok apparently takes place right after Avengers: Age of Ultron where Tony Stark creates a cyborg clone of Thor to aid his pro-Superhero Registration Act team in the Civil War. This also could tie into the characters to be introduced in Ant-Man as Stark works with Hank Pym in order to properly clone Thor. There was also confirmation by Kevin Feige that the lineup of The Avengers will change after Age of Ultron, so it's possible that Chris Hemsworth's Thor will go missing or will be killed in the 2015 Avengers sequel causing Ragnarok to be created.
However, there is another possibility with Thor: Ragnarok. According to some sources, there are guesses that the Ragnarok subtitle could be referencing the "Norse End of Days" where Asgard is destroyed and submerged into water. It is also worth mentioning that insiders are saying Thor will not appear in Avengers: Infinity War - Part I or Part II, so the possibility of Marvel retiring Thor from the MCU is plausible.
In addition to all of this Thor news, we did not receive any information on if the actors exclusive to those films will be returning. I am of course referring to Natalie Portman, Kat Dennings, Jaimie Alexander, and so on. I would assume Natalie Portman's contract wasn't just for two films but you never know. I would personally like to see Jane Foster in a bigger role as the universe expands but that could just be wishful thinking at this point.

Continuing on with what we aren't seeing, or potentially aren't seeing, Marvel has also said that they have no immediate plans for solo films for Black Widow and Hulk. All of us who were hoping for the Planet Hulk arc or another solo Hulk can sit down and keep wishing. Kevin Feige stated that there was a possibility for a solo Black Widow film but that he was never fully on board with it and that the Hulk might happen but nothing is in the works as of right now. He feels the character was successfully rebooted in The Avengers with Mark Ruffalo and that it can be left at that. He wants to focus on bringing us new characters and begin expanding the universe. 
Many thought Black Widow was Marvel's chance to showcase a female driven superhero film, but they are doing that with Captain Marvel in 2018. It's still up in the air on whether she will appear in either of the Infinity War films, or have a cameo in Civil War, but we will be receiving the film either way. The Captain Marvel we are getting is Carol Danvers, a NASA director who is turned into a Kree-Human hybrid after encountering Mar-Vell (a Kree warrior). Her powers include super strength, super speed, invulnerability, and the ability to fire energy blasts from her hands. (A sidenote to remember was the introduction we had to the Kree in Guardians of the Galaxy) There is no casting announced for Captain Marvel, but I am sure it will be a coveted and much sought after role, especially with the direct competition with Warner Bros/DC's Wonder Woman starring Gal Gadot.

In addition to these announcements, we did once again receive confirmation on the release of Inhumans and Guardians of the Galaxy 2. Guardians will see James Gunn return to write and direct once more as Inhumans currently has no director attached and no cast.

Saved the best for last... let's talk about The Infinity War. Marvel has decided to compete with the division of Justice League into two parts by dividing the third Avengers film into two parts with two films in between. We got our first tease of Thanos in the mid-credits scene of The Avengers film and finally got our first full look at him in Guardians of the Galaxy. We might see more glimpses of him as more infinity stones are revealed, but the major reveal of Thanos will indeed come with these two Infinity War films. We already have Josh Brolin cast as the villain.
The Infinity Gauntlet is the culmination of all of these little trinkets we have seen introduced bit by bit; the Tesseract, the Aether, and the Orb. There are six infinity stones total so we still have three to go, but with five films coming before Part I and another two in between, there is plenty of time for Thanos to obtain all six stones. In his quest to obtain them he does murder a lot of Marvel heroes, so the idea of Thor disappearing might just become a reality. We also must keep in mind the rumor surrounding the Winter Soldier arc where Bucky takes over for Captain Rogers.
Personally, I hope these two films act as a massive team up with all of these characters. Seeing Guardians of the Galaxy fighting alongside The Avengers would probably make me giggle in my seat. I think all of this being set up is very exciting.

Is Sony negotiating with Marvel over Spider-Man?

Last week there were rumors flying around that Marvel Studios would be splitting The Avengers 3 into two films and that the heroes involved wouldn't be our current Avengers. Now there are more rumors that Sony is currently negotiating with Marvel to include Spider-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

This is potentially all bullshit as Sony has not budged at all on Spider-Man in the past and rumors of a Spidey cameo in the first Avengers movie was quickly proven false over rights issues. Seeing that Spider-Man is now the only Marvel property that Sony owns, I don't see why they would realistically be willing to share, especially with Venom and Sinister Six coming up. If they cross The Amazing Spider-Man film arc into the MCU, that would ensure that every single movie would have to tie together. Personally, I think it's too much. That would mean backtracking and changing existing arcs, etc. It's a big fat no.

Not to mention, the biggest issue here is rights. As you may recall, there were some people calling for an Avengers and X-Men crossover due to the utilization of Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch in Age of Ultron. The resolution of that was the studios didn't want to pay for the full crossover due to character rights. Wolverine actor Hugh Jackman has made his opinion public on the issue stating the studios need to suck it up because the universes should be together. In a perfect world, Mr. Jackman.

Deadpool receives an official release date

I guess leaking test footage around Comic-Con was genius because Fox has just announced an official release date for a long-awaited Deadpool film.

Deadpool is currently set for February 12, 2016 and it is expected that Ryan Reynolds will return, but nothing is set in stone so far. Reynolds played Deadpool (aka, Wade Wilson) in the 2009 X-Men spinoff, X-Men Origins: Wolverine. The film will be directed by Tim Miller and produced by Marvel President Kevin Feige and Lauren Shuler Donner. If the February 12th release date sticks it will compete with Gods of Egypt, How to Be Single, and an untitled Universal project.
This character first appeared in print back in 1991 and has quickly become a fan favorite due to his talkative sass and impressive skill. If Reynolds does sign on to play Deadpool it will mark his first superhero appearance since the 2011 box-office bomb, Green Lantern.

This is so exciting it's ridiculous. I have been waiting for a Deadpool movie since X-Men: Origins so I am really excited. I'm not the biggest fan of Ryan Reynolds, but judging from what the leaked test footage looked like I think he would do just fine. Hopefully this is released before the announced Gambit spin-off and that it's R-rated. If it isn't R-rated I won't see it.

Marvel moving forward with The Inhumans

After achieving a very unexpected success with Guardians of the Galaxy, Marvel has announced they are moving forward with a screenplay for The Inhumans.

The last we heard about this project was back in 2012 when Marvel President Kevin Feige discussed the possibility of more unexpected heroes appearing in the Marvel Cinematic Universe after The Avengers. There is already a screenplay that has been developed by Joe Robert Cole and Marvel is evidently ready to shop it around to filmmakers. The project is being approached similar to how Guardians of the Galaxy was in terms of having a screenplay and letting filmmakers revise and make changes.
A brief history on The Inhumans: Basically, this group of heroes are the result of alien experimentation. The Kree (sound familiar?) abandoned the experiments and their subjects, so the group moved on and formed a society on Attilan made up of their own and led by king Black Bolt and his family. They made their first appearance in a Fantastic Four comic back in 1965.

Guardians of the Galaxy - Review

After another Infinity Stone falls into dangerous hands, a group of criminals and misfits team up to defend the galaxy from destruction and oppression in Guardians of the Galaxy.




I just have to start by saying this... Guardians of the Galaxy was amazing. I said it. I knew I would say it, but there it is. I seriously loved it and had practically no issues with anything. It was entertaining as hell, funny, and had a lot of fun little tidbits added in. Not to mention we got our first real look at the big Marvel villain, Thanos.

Starting with the plot, I thought it was interesting enough for an origin of these characters. We got enough information to get us started and they did a great job establishing Peter Quill (aka, Star-Lord) as the main character. I really enjoyed the supporting characters and I thought everyone was used fairly well.
The villains were also handled beautifully. Ronan was extremely menacing visually and he looked more like something out of Hellraiser, but I think we can credit James Gunn for that. Nebula was also well done and I loved how she was portrayed. Getting to the big reveal of Thanos, it was enough to keep you both satisfied and wanting more. The visuals looked amazing and I think Josh Brolin was a fantastic choice. It also put a lot more into motion and hinted at things we will most likely see in Phase Three as well as the announced Guardians of the Galaxy sequel.
The only character I felt was extremely underused was The Collector. They made such a huge deal with him being in this movie but he was more enjoyable in the after credits scene for Thor: The Dark World than in Guardians of the Galaxy. It was treated more like a cameo than an actual role.Gamora was also a bit underused and seemed more like the typical tough chick in the universe, but she at least had more explanation and plot.

Either way, I don't think Marvel has anything to worry about regarding this story. Any concerns of people being onboard with a talking raccoon and a giant tree have definitely been squashed. I thought Rocket was probably the most enjoyable character aside from Star-Lord. He was funny and quick on his feet and the way Bradley Cooper voiced him was perfect. I can't even describe how much I loved it.
One thing this movie achieved at great length is taking us out of how "normal" the Marvel Cinematic Universe has become. Up until this point everything seemed very explainable to humans using science, logic, and a little open mindedness. With this story you have to accept that there are creatures and things outside of what we've already been shown that are just as dangerous and relevant. The only glimpse we really have had into the expanded universe, up until now, was with the Thor movies and even then he was exiled onto Earth and the magic of Asgard was pretty easily explained and present on Earth. With these characters and this story it's going to start introducing a lot more comic magic and fantasy that the MCU has lacked. If you thought Guardians of the Galaxy was a stretch you need to remember than these are comic book movies and they are not grounded in reality. 

One thing I am seriously hoping for is that Marvel brings back James Gunn for the sequel. The element he brought to these characters is definitely not something that could be replicated. They made a fantastic choice hiring him.



To talk about a couple spoilers...




The post-credits scene was a waste, in my opinion. Something about letting Howard the Duck have a cameo seemed wasted. I expected something relating to Age of Ultron or even Doctor Strange, but I was not expecting what we got at all. It wasn't relevant.
But, on the subject of what else The Collector had in his possession, we saw quite a few characters that we have already seen in Marvel films. Along with Howard the Duck and Cosmo the Spacedog we caught a glimpse at an imprisoned Dark Elf from Thor: The Dark World as well as a Chitauri warrior from The Avengers. We also saw visions of the Aether and the Tesseract while the Infinity Gauntlet was explained. 


What did you think of Guardians of the Galaxy?

SDCC: Guardians of the Galaxy 2 fills 2017 release date

Well, we have an answer to which film will fill the July 28, 2017 release date Marvel has booked. That film will be a sequel to Guardians of the Galaxy which hits theaters next weekend.

During the Marvel presentations in Hall H today, President Kevin Feige announced the sequel along with revealing specific characters for Ant-Man and showing new footage for The Avengers: Age of Ultron. Booking a sequel for Guardians of the Galaxy shows Marvel's confidence in the film seeing that this comes before it has even hit theaters. However, judging from early reviews and test screenings so far I don't think the studio has much to worry about. People are loving it and I can't wait to see it next week.

One major disappointment in all the excitement is the fact that the GOTG sequel was the only future release confirmed. Marvel has untitled projects booked through 2019 and this is all we got. At last year's SDCC we received release dates and logos for The Avengers: Age of Ultron, Thor: The Dark World, Ant-Man, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Just getting an announcement for a sequel to a movie we haven't seen yet is a bit disappointing to say the least.
I'm sure more announcements will follow but for now... Marvel didn't finish Saturday off with the bang they're usually known for. It's a bit sad.

SDCC: Ant-Man panel confirms roles and tests more footage

Marvel, as always, closed out the Saturday events in Hall H with panels for Ant-Man and The Avengers: Age of Ultron. For the Ant-Man panel we received confirmation on who has been cast in which role as well as some new footage.

Present for the panel were director Peyton Reed, Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas, Corey Stoll, and Evangeline Lilly. Reed was apparently met with very low enthusiasm which I can honestly say I expected. After the fiasco with Edgar Wright it's an understatement to say fans are pretty pissed. Evangeline Lilly also mentioned that her main job up until today was to avoid the press. Apparently Marvel didn't want any information about her role or her involvement prior to SDCC.

While on the subject of roles, we did learn which roles Lilly and Corey Stoll have been cast. Lilly will be playing Hank Pym's daughter, Hope Van Dyne (aka, Wasp), while Stoll will be playing Darren Cross (aka, Yellowjacket).
The basic plot revealed during the panel includes information surrounding a heist after Hank Pym (Douglas) appoints Scott Lang (Rudd) to takeover the Ant-Man suit. Cross begins taking Pym's company in an unfavorable direction and eventually gets his hand on some Ant-Man particles and does wear the Yellowjacket suit for this film.

Ant-Man will begin full production in two weeks in Atlanta and is still set for release on July 17, 2015.

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.

Marvel announces release dates through 2019

Although they are all untitled releases, Marvel has shared some added release dates for planned films through 2019.

We will have Marvel releases on:

July 28, 2017
November 3, 2017
July 6, 2018
November 2, 2018
May 3, 2019


It is assumed that some of these dates will be sequels to films set for Phase Three (aka, Ant-Man and Doctor Strange), but we could also see a solo Black Widow spin-off and a film for Black Panther. Doctor Strange is still without an official release date, but most are assuming it's going to fill one of the 2016 release dates.

Upcoming releases we currently have dates for include:

Guardians of the Galaxy (August 1st)
The Avengers: Age of Ultron (May 1, 2015)
Ant-Man (July 17, 2015)
Captain America 3 (May 6, 2016)

There are also still two unfilled 2016 slots for July 8, 2016 and May 5, 2017. Many are guessing that the May 2017 date will belong to a third, and possibly final, Avengers film. I would also guess if Guardians of the Galaxy takes off that we will see a sequel to that and possibly some solo spin-offs.

Nathan Fillion to have Guardians of the Galaxy cameo

Despite director James Gunn already shooting down the character of Nova Prime, Nathan Fillion has been confirmed to have a "fun" cameo in Guardians of the Galaxy.

Fillion is a longtime collaborator with Gunn as they've worked together on Slither, PG-Porn, and Super. Gunn also went on to specify that the cameo is being done as a favor to him. SO with that said, there is no information on exactly who or what Fillion will be appearing as, but it is sure to be enjoyable. You might recognize him from television shows such as Castle, Firefly, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. He's also done voice work for Robot Chicken, Halo 3, Halo: Reach, and King of the Hill. We will find out when Guardians of the Galaxy hits theaters on August 1st.

Peyton Reed to direct Ant-Man

It's been a long couple weeks, but Ant-Man finally has a new director. Peyton Reed has been hired to replace Edgar Wright in the director's chair. Along with this news, we learned that director Adam McKay, who was initially rumored to have the job, is onboard as a screenwriter.

Reed hasn't directed a whole lot, but titles you might recognize are Yes Man, The Break-Up, and the semi-cult adored cheerleading comedy Bring it On. He also directed episodes of the Back to the Future television series back in 1991 as well as 13-episodes of The Weird Al Show in 1997.

Marvel also decided to release an initial synopsis for Ant-Man to try and get interest back up:

"Armed 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, protect the secret behind his spectacular Ant-Man suit from a new generation of towering threats. Against seemingly insurmountable obstacles, Pym and Lang must plan and pull off a heist that will save the world."

Ant-Man is still slated for release on July 17, 2015 and stars Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas, Evangeline Lilly, Patrick Wilson, Michael Pena, and Corey Stoll.

Scott Derrickson to direct Doctor Strange

Marvel pretty much just confirmed a Doctor Strange movie as director Scott Derrickson is in negotiations to direct the film.

Derrickson's filmography includes The Day the Earth Stood Still, The Exorcism of Emily Rose, Sinister, and the new release Deliver Us From Evil. Seeing this filmography it is a bit of a surprising choice. Not to mention the studio seems to be iffy on wildcards (example being Edgar Wright's departure from Ant-Man).
There is no one currently set for the lead role but rumors have previously swirled around Viggo Mortensen and Johnny Depp. No details about a potential release date have been revealed, either.

[Updated] Ant-Man potential directors narrowed down

Marvel is scrambling to find a new director for Ant-Man after Edgar Wright departed the project earlier this week. We now have a shortlist of directors in contention for the spot. The list includes Rawson Marshall Thurber, Adam McKay, Ruben Fleischer, and Jonathan Levine.

Here is a list of some of the films we have gotten from these guys:

Thurber sat in the chair for We're the Millers, Dodgeball: An Underdog Story, and was announced to be returning for a We're the Millers sequel.

McKay brought us a decent number of Digital Shorts on Saturday Night Live, Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, Step Brothers, The Other Guys, and Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues. He also has a long list of writing credits to his name.

Fleischer brought us Zombieland, Gangster Squad, 30 Minutes or Less, and has directed a number of Funny or Die skits. He also has producer credits for Rob Dyrdek's Fantasy Factory.

Levine is probably the farthest from comedy as his credits include the horror flick All the Boys Love Mandy Lane and films like 50/50, Warm Bodies, and The Wackness.


With this shortlist it appears that Marvel is still looking to maintain a level of quirkiness and humor with Ant-Man because three of these guys mostly deal with comedies. One of the rumors was that Marvel thought Wright's British humor was a bit too weird for a primarily American audience, so searching for American directors makes a bit more sense for them, I guess. The one plot hole in that is the popularity and somewhat of a cult following around Wright's film Shaun of the Dead.
However, given that this is a superhero movie there is no doubt bound to be some action in there and I think Ruben Fleischer has a leg up on McKay and Thurber as he worked on Zombieland and Gangster Squad. The one advantage many think McKay has is the fact that he has worked with Paul Rudd before on the Anchorman films.
The potential dark horse here is Jonathan Levine because of how different he seems to be from the other three. It's assumed he was approached due to the success with Warm Bodies, but it's hard to tell.

[UPDATE]  Literally as I was writing this, there are now reports stating that Rawson Thurber is the frontronner and will most likely receive the job for Ant-Man.

Josh Brolin to voice Thanos for Guardians of the Galaxy

Josh Brolin has been given the task of voicing the iconic villain Thanos for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, specifically in Guardians of the Galaxy.

You might recall seeing Thanos in the mid-credits scene after The Avengers, but we did not hear a voice. Director James Gunn mentioned that Thanos will be appearing via CGI in Guardians of the Galaxy, but we didn't hear how much or if it would be motion capture or whatever else. Latino Review is claiming that Thanos is just in one scene. With the casting of Josh Brolin it is assumed now that it will just be voice work similar to what Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel did for Rocket Raccoon and Groot.

Rumor has it that Thanos will be a bigger part of Phase Three, but it is unclear on whether he will also be appearing in The Avengers: Age of Ultron. Either way I'm sure we can expect to hear Brolin bring Thanos to life in multiple films.

[Confirmed] Why did Edgar Wright leave Ant-Man?

It was rumored that Edgar Wright hopped out of the director's chair for Marvel's Ant-Man over script rewrites and changes, but we now have confirmation that the rumors were true.

The Hollywood Reporter is stating that Marvel had been unhappy with Wright's interpretation of the character and with his direction for weeks prior the departure. What they have quickly discovered is by driving Wright away they have also lost quite a few key crew members who also departed after learning that filming would most likely not start on time. Marvel is currently scrambling to find another director and to fill crew positions to replace the people who left.
Filming was originally slated to begin on June 2nd and Wright had already gone through rather extensive rewrites of the script, but Marvel president Kevin Feige still wasn't happy. He had ordered even more revisions and rewrites of the script behind Wright's back. When Wright received the newly revised script last week he apparently walked on the spot. Marvel's way of cleaning it up was to say they didn't agree on the vision of the film.

This is still a bit shocking to me and to a lot of other people. Edgar Wright has been working with Marvel on this project for 7 years. Feige even credited Wright on the film even being considered saying that they believed in Wright's vision and the film was because of him.
However, this seems to be a trend with the Marvel Cinematic Universe ever since The Avengers was released. More independently thinking and visionary directors have already chosen not to return for Marvel sequels due to the concept of "Marvelizing" all of the Phase Two films. Kenneth Branagh did a rather fantastic job directing Thor, but he chose not to return to direct Thor: The Dark World because of clashes with the studio. Patty Jenkins had been hired to direct Thor: The Dark World but was subsequently fired due to disagreements with the studio. Joe Johnston also chose not to return for Captain America: The Winter Soldier after clashing with the studio over his vision of Captain America. The newest casualty, aside from Wright, is Drew Goddard who left the upcoming Daredevil series over creative differences.
The issues aren't exclusive to directors, either. Edward Norton came to a standstill with Marvel over The Incredible Hulk and was later replaced by Mark Ruffalo. Terrance Howard was also replaced by Don Cheadle after just one Iron Man film due to differences with the studio. Josh Dallas also left after Thor and was replaced by Zachary Levi.

Basically, sources are claiming that when it comes to Ant-Man that Wright turned out to be a bit too quirky for the vision that Feige and the other Marvel "powers that be" have in mind. They feel that they have taken enough risk with James Gunn and Guardians of the Galaxy and didn't want two bombs in one year if people find Gunn's film too weird. Hell, I went to see X-Men: Days of Future Past and when I got a trailer for Guardians of the Galaxy my dad looked at me with a very confused look on his face. Gunn has already expressed some sympathy for Wright but in the end stated that they, "just don't have personalities that mesh in a comfortable way."
At this point it does seem that Marvel wants to find filmmakers and actors that will just ride the gravy train that The Avengers gave the studio. Not to mention that Marvel is now owned by Disney and they are in the habit of milking things to the last penny no matter how many good people are thrown in the trash. If you express too much vision or independent thought about these characters, you can expect to lose your job. It's just the way it is now.


The question now is whether Ant-Man will be released on time. If they can't find a director soon there is word that some of the actors might have to walk due to other scheduling restrictions. Marvel is insisting that Ant-Man will be completed in time to meet the July 17, 2015 release date but at this point... don't hold your breath too tight. I still think this is one of the worst decisions Feige has made so far. It's even worse than the reveal of The Mandarin in Iron Man 3.

Source

Marvel considering Black Widow spin-off film

For whatever reason, Black Widow is becoming quite popular with viewers when it comes to Marvel. After Scarlett Johansson's character was introduced in Iron Man 2, she has appeared in The Avengers and has a big role in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. It has also been said that her role in The Avengers: Age of Ultron is a lot bigger and more relevant. With that, naturally, Marvel is apparently considering a spin-off solo Black Widow film.

Kevin Feige describes her role in Age of Ultron as "very big" and stated that filming begins in late March. We are set to learn more about who she is and what she was prior to S.H.I.E.L.D. Now with that said, it is possible that we could see a solo film. Feige states they are brainstorming ideas but nothing is set in stone. I would bet if they are to do one it will be in Phase Three prior to the third Avengers movie. That's just my prediction.
I personally have never been a big fan of Black Widow, so if this never happens I won't be upset. I think the further expansion of every single character is a mistake. Not every member of The Avengers needs their own major story arc and/or their own movie(s). I always saw Black Widow and Hawkeye as supporting characters that are just there. There are already rumors that the Hulk will get another solo treatment which leaves Hawkeye completely in the dust. I don't think this is a smart move.