Comic Book Resources Movie News

[skybolt]

I thought I'd start a permanent thread discussing recent comic book realted movie news. Reading through recent articles, I found the following 3 pieces of information fairly interesting:

 

CAPTAIN AMERICA

 

"There's a story in the Associated Press where Marvel movie mogul Avi Arad talks about bringing Ol' Winghead to the silver screen as part of the production deal with Paramount. "Without giving too much away, obviously there'll be a little bit of the origin and then we come into our real world," Arad said. "What makes Captain America such a compelling character is that it allows you to judge history so you see where he came from and you see what he stood for." Arad doesn't expect that shield to be ricocheting off the walls of cineplexes before 2009."

 

I'm glad they're taking this route with the Captain America film. Will he be discovered as in Avengers #4? What would also be ineteresting is they filmed the 40's CA scenes similar to "Sky Captain and the World Tomorrow" to make the them look more classic.

 

WONDER WOMAN

 

"IESB talked to creator Joss Whedon who put off more queries about who'd slip into the tiara. "We find out who is going to be Wonder Woman when they cast it," Whedon said. "I am finishing the -script now, I am a few weeks away from a draft, they'll take a look at that and they'll either say this is absolutely perfect for Paul Sorvino or they'll say this sucks and hire somebody else, it's impossible to say but I think in a few weeks time they should get a sense of what I am doing in the movie and then we can start talking about casting." He did say something interesting about antagonists: "the villains are of my own creation. I don't think Wonder Woman has the greatest rogues gallery in the world so I created someone of my own for her to come up against. It has to do with Greek mythology and the roots that the original comic was built on."

 

Hmm, I wonder if she'll be going up against Greek gods like Athena or Aphrodite or perhaps a Perseus or Achilles. Does this mean that the Wonder Woman film will be a period piece?

 

X-MEN: THE LAST STAND

 

"Smoke 'em if you got 'em -- director Brett Ratner told MTV that this will be the last semester at Xavier's. "Well, it seems to be the last of the series," Ratner said. "We wanted to make sure the audiences knew that this was a trilogy. Even though they weren't made together like 'Lord of the Rings,' this is really closure for the X-Men series. ... This is the last stand for sure." A spokesperson for "X-Men" studio 20th Century Fox confirmed that "X3" will be the final film for the mutant team."

 

I'm surprised they're ending the series so quickly. I was hoping to see Mr. Sinister or Apocalypse make an appearance in future films. Perhaps they'll start a new trilogy with new actors in another 5 years or so.

[drbanner]

X-MEN: THE LAST STAND

 

"Smoke 'em if you got 'em -- director Brett Ratner told MTV that this will be the last semester at Xavier's. "Well, it seems to be the last of the series," Ratner said. "We wanted to make sure the audiences knew that this was a trilogy. Even though they weren't made together like 'Lord of the Rings,' this is really closure for the X-Men series. ... This is the last stand for sure." A spokesperson for "X-Men" studio 20th Century Fox confirmed that "X3" will be the final film for the mutant team."

 

I'm surprised they're ending the series so quickly. I was hoping to see Mr. Sinister or Apocalypse make an appearance in future films. Perhaps they'll start a new trilogy with new actors in another 5 years or so.

 

One word - Wolverine Solo Movie.

 

Ok, that's really 3 words...

[deathlok]

Deathlok?

[skybolt]

Deathlok?

 

Sorry, this was the only news from Feb. 9th.

 

"DEATHLOK

 

Superhero Hype has a tidbit that director Paul McGuigan is taking on the Marvel cyborg story next, with an undisclosed start date later this year."

[RDK]

There's been a solo Wolverine screenplay out there for years now. It's unlikely, though, that it (or any future X-Men films) will be done with Jackman and/or the others. Gets too expensive to bring them all back in the sequels. Besides, they probably want to move on to other things by now.

[skybolt]

Keanu Reeves?

 

"FANTASTIC FOUR 2

 

Ain't It Cool News is keeping the rumor mill grinding away, claiming "that this will be Tim Story's version of sacred comic texts ... 'FF' [issues] 48, 49, 50." Apparently Wired magazine is talking about rumors of Keanu Reeves as Norrin Radd, the Silver Surfer."

[nearmint]

There's been a solo Wolverine screenplay out there for years now. It's unlikely, though, that it (or any future X-Men films) will be done with Jackman and/or the others. Gets too expensive to bring them all back in the sequels. Besides, they probably want to move on to other things by now.

 

Isn't Wolverine being produced by Seed Productions, Hugh Jackman's company?

[Anfield Fox]

If X-Men 3 does as well as the last one then there will be a fourth film. No matter what the title says.

[RDK]

There's been a solo Wolverine screenplay out there for years now. It's unlikely, though, that it (or any future X-Men films) will be done with Jackman and/or the others. Gets too expensive to bring them all back in the sequels. Besides, they probably want to move on to other things by now.

 

Isn't Wolverine being produced by Seed Productions, Hugh Jackman's company?

 

Possibly. (Still?) I dunno. Things change. Universal bought White Out for Reese Witherspoon, who really wanted to do it until she changed her mind and then didn't.

 

I'd be surprised if Hugh still wanted to do Wolverine, but you never know. If Fox was smart, they'd develop the "younger" X-Men characters and try to keep the franchise fresh and alive by focusing on some of the "cheaper" actors. The above-the-line costs on sequels really adds up.

[skybolt]

Interesting plot for the 3rd Spidey film from Dark Horizons:

 

"Plot: Third film in the highly successful "Spider-Man" series sees several new villains and a new woman enter Peter Parker's life. With his secret now revealed to both Mary Jane and Harry, Peter must face the consequences of his actions and his new life together with Mary Jane as they finally form a relationship. Yet their newfound open display of love has yielded some unfortunate results, not the least of which is Peter's upset boss determined to make his life hell for causing his son emotional distress. Not helping is a young investigative reporter named Eddie Brock who Jameson has hired to find out why Mary Jane dumped his son for Peter - what's Parker's secrets?

 

At the same time an escaped prisoner hiding out on a remote beach is caught in a dreadful accident and finds himself turned into a shape-shifting sand creature. Peter's investigations into the past of this 'Sandman' brings him in contact with two very different things that will inevitably alter his life. The first a young woman named Gwen Stacy, daughter of the city's new police chief who is developing a soft spot for Peter. The other, a black substance from an accident scene which 'merges' with Peter's costume and gives him new found abilities.

 

Things come to a head however when Harry Osborn, determined to take revenge against Peter for his father's death and now equipped with what he needs to pull it off, teams with The Sandman in a new variation of his father's Green Goblin guise and causes mayhem. In the ensuing chaos lives are lost, including people very close to Peter, whilst the black substance covering his suit separates from him and merges with a distraught Brock to form something else entirely - a creature unlike anything he's ever faced. A 'Venom' that he may not be able to stop."

[heinlein99]

daughter of the city's new police chief who is developing a soft spot for Peter.

 

Capt. Stacy is going soft for Peter Parker?

 

Gotta watch that punctuation, boys.

[otherworldcomics]

Sounds like a lot going on in just one movie....Didn't we learn from the Batman movies that its not always a good idea to do more than one villian at a time? Hopefully, they'll get it right this time.

[skybolt]

Sounds like a lot going on in just one movie....Didn't we learn from the Batman movies that its not always a good idea to do more than one villian at a time? Hopefully, they'll get it right this time.

 

It begs the question of why Gwen Stacy is being introduced in this 3rd installment while Peter's relationship with MJ is actually growing. My suspicion is that since Kirsten Dunst will probably opt out of a 4th movie, she'll be the one killed off at the end of the film instead of Gwen. I can see Peter saving Gwen this time around as she is thrown off a building, but in the process is unable to rescue MJ.

[Anfield Fox]

Re: Wonder Woman. I would love it to be Jaime Murray.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaime_Murray

 

She wore the costume in an episode of "Hustle" (great show btw) and got an audition. That pic doesn't do her justice. Google her. She would be perfect for the part.

[jimjum12]

In the comics Gwen was originally a science major.It might provide a nice oppurtunity to flesh out the role of Curt Conners,who would make a nice villain as the Lizard.GOD BLESS...

 

-jimbo(a friend of jesus)

[skybolt]

I guess Topher Grace will be playing Venom after all and not Electro.

 

"SPIDER-MAN 3

 

Stop the presses! According to the Internet Movie Database actor Topher Grace will indeed be playing Eddie Brock, the villain better known as Venom. IMDB can have errors, but it's more concrete information than anyone has noted thus far."

[RDK]

Don't know if this matches IMDB or not, but a more reliable industry database lists this cast...

 

Tobey Maguire - Peter Parker

Kirsten Dunst - Mary Jane Watson

Thomas Haden Church - Sandman

Topher Grace - Venom

James Franco - Harry Osborn

Dylan Baker - Dr. Curt Connors

Elizabeth Banks - Betty Brant

Bryce Dallas Howard - Gwen Stacy

Theresa Russell - Mrs. Marko

James Cromwell - Captain Stacy

[heinlein99]

Thoams Haden Church, Theresa Russell, & James Cromwell are all really great. Topher Grace?... he'd really have to bulk up to make a convincing Spidey villain.