If you've been wondering why Marvel is making a movie about Ant-Man--especially when they haven't even touched their cache of flamboyant magicians--studio head Kevin Feige has some answers for you.
Speaking at Comic Con's Iron Man panel--at least in some sense answering the question, "Is there any way to get Gwyneth Paltrow in an outfit more farcical than her $90 goop t-shirt?"--Jon Favreau and Marvel production president Kevin Feige let slip their apparently long-held interest in getting Paltrow's Pepper Potts in an Iron Man suit.
Though Marvel's system of slickly-polished uniformity has clearly worked well so far for their films--as suggested by their taking all of our moneys this weekend--the studio still seems surprisingly game for upsetting their pattern with some surely more distinctly auteur-styled superhero fare. Just last week Marvel's Kevin Feige claimed Scott Pilgrim director Edgar Wright's forever-in-development take on Ant-Man is "closer than it's ever been before." And now, reaffirming that point, Wright has tweeted the above image, not-so-cryptically adding, "Received this in the mail. What can it mean?" My rebus experience from a childhood playing the NES edition of Classic Concentration tells me it means he's finally making that Ant-Man movie! But then again, maybe it doesn't mean that, because Wright is also supposed to be finishing up The Three Flavours Cornetto Trilogy with Simon Pegg, and he's doing that Night Stalker remake with Johnny Depp, too. Regardless, can we just make a movie about a shrinking man who talks to insects already, Marvel? I know it probably won't make its money back, but if Scarlett Johansson shows up to squat for a few scenes, maybe it will come close.
With audiences responding well to The Avengers' more smashy, less Norton-y take on the Hulk, Marvel is starting to re-think the future of the character--as in, now Hulk might get another film of his own. He also might get the chance to become for workplace difficulties what Snoopy is to MetLife, because what is Bruce Banner if not the insurance-selling cartoon dog of the Avengers team?
Sorry, Official Edward Norton Fan Club, but Edward Norton isn't the Incredible Hulk anymore. An official statement released by Marvel President of Production Kevin Feige has revealed Norton, who played Bruce Banner in the most recent Hulk film and a priest in that romantic comedy with Jenna Elfman, will be replaced by another actor, saying:
"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."
But that's not it, guys, because Ed Norton's agent is not the kind of guy who's going to sit idly by while his client is libeled with claims of not embodying the creative and collaborative spirit of our other talented cast members. No one goes around saying Ed Norton doesn't embody the creative and collaborative spirit of our other talented cast members on his watch. So he released this lengthy statement to HitFix:
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I Watch Stuff is a movie and video blog dedicated to bringing you the best and worst that Hollywood and the Internet have to offer and then, more often than not, making fun of it because it sucks.
