Nov 20 2009 So Many People Are Doing the Acting in 'Thor'
So many people are doing the acting in Thor! Some people joined the cast a few days ago; one just joined today. Let's finally get to filling them all in in our Thor scrapbook, OK?
Firstly, the Heat Vision blog is reporting that Idris Elba--who you may remember from The Wire, The Office, and the ridiculous Beyonce-fights-a-stalker film Obsessed--will be playing Heimdall, another mythological Norse character called "whitest of the gods." Which is funny. Because Idris Elba is black. Not white.
Variety, meanwhile, has news that Stuart Townsend (Charlize Theron's husband), Ray Stevenson (the Punisher that wasn't Thomas Jane) and Tadanobu Asano (Ichi the Killer) will be playing the Warriors Three, Marvel-created Asgardian gods who form a classic trinity of fat guy, Errol Flynn-esque guy, and Genghis Khan-looking guy.
To those thinking this is weird because black guys and Asian guys don't belong in the world of Norse mythology... well, you're probably technically right, but you're still assigned ten minutes in the racist penalty box.
Nov 19 2009 Anne Hathaway Could Be in the Spider-Man
How do you like the idea of Anne Hathaway as Black Cat, Spider-Maniacs (fans of Spider-Man who are psychotic)? I ask not arbitrarily but because she might actually have been offered the role.
According to Nikki Finke, producers for the superhero series have approached the Bride Wars warrior with an offer for an unspecified part. Using the knowledge that Kirsten Dunst is still in and Black Cat supposedly has a part in the next Spider-Man film, me and the rest of the internet is guessing that offer was for Black Cat.
Of course, there's also the rumor going around that Rachel McAdams was rumored last week, so we're probably at least a Michelle Williams rumor away from an official announcement. In the meantime, let's continue complaining that Sam Raimi for some reason isn't keeping true to the character and casting a young actress with actual white hair and disproportionately enormous breasts.
Nov 11 2009 'Kick-Ass' Poster Includes Dumpster Sittin'
He can't fly, but he does have the hair of Three's Company's Larry Dallas.
Nov 11 2009 'Kick-Ass' Teaser: Though Unlabeled, Yes, That Is Nicolas Cage in a Seemingly-Decent Movie
Kick-Ass trailer, everyone. If you're considering becoming an amateur superhero with no actual powers, watch this first. I'm not sure if it will discourage you; I just think it's the kind of thing that will probably be relevant and popular in amateur superhero circles, and I wouldn't want you to look foolish.
Nov 5 2009 'Ghost Rider 2' is Darker, Still with Nicolas Cage
Yeah, someone still thinks it's a good idea to make another movie about Nicolas Cage riding a motorcycle and sometimes having a flaming skull head.
Screenwriter David Goyer recently talked to MTV about the project, and made sure to drop the superhero movie buzzword, "darker," so that we might think Ghost Rider is somehow going to be the next Dark Knight:
"It's not exactly a reboot," said Goyer, who's currently hard at work on his "FlashForward" television series. "I hate to say it's more realistic, because he's got a flaming skull for a head, but it's a bit more stripped down and darker. It's definitely changing tone. What 'Casino Royale' was to the Bond movies, hopefully this will be to 'Ghost Rider.'"The "Ghost Rider" sequel is planned to "roll before cameras next year," according to Goyer, who also said that Nicolas Cage is currently still attached to the lead role of Johnny Blaze.
"This story picks up eight years after the first film," said Goyer. "You don't have to have seen the first film. It doesn't contradict anything that happened in the first film, but we're pretending that our audience hasn't seen the first film. It's as if you took that same character where things ended in the first film and then picked it up eight years later—he's just in a much darker, existential place."
A darker, more existential Ghost Rider? Sorry, but that already exists, guys:
Continue Reading " 'Ghost Rider 2' is Darker, Still with Nicolas Cage "
Oct 30 2009 Anthony Hopkins Agrees To Be Thor's Dad
Kenneth Branagh's Thor adaptation has added more surprising credibility to its cast. Variety reports Anthony Hopkins has signed on to play Odin, father to Loki (non-biologically) and Thor and king of Asgard, which will mean something if you're intimately familiar with Norse mythology and/or comic books.
To help you understand what powers and abilities Hopkins will possess in the role, I've copied a paragraph from the Odin (Marvel Comics) Wikipedia entry's section on powers and abilities, replacing "Odin" with "Sir Anthony Hopkins."
As King of the Norse Gods, Sir Anthony Hopkins possesses superhuman strength; durability and courtesy of the Golden Apples of Idunn, a greatly extended lifepsan. Sir Anthony Hopkins is capable of manipulating the Sir Anthony Hopkins Force - a source of magical energy - for a number of purposes, including energy projection; creation of ilusions and force fields; levitation; molecular manipulation and teleportation. The character has also used the Sir Anthony Hopkinspower for greater feats such as transporting the entire human race to an alternate dimension; compressing the population of an entire planet into a single being, the Mangog and taking a soul away from the arch-demon Mephisto.
This Sir Anthony Hopkins Force sounds pret-ty powerful.
Oct 12 2009 Bryan Singer Wouldn't Mind Doing Those 'X-Men' Movies Some More
That last X-Men movie: that was a real stinker, eh? That was the kind of shitcake X-Man that makes you really appreciate the X-Men movies you used to have in the old days (between 2000 and 2003). Doesn't it?
Bryan Singer must realize that too--that his two pretty-decent X-Men films are looking a lot better in this post-The Last Stand era. Good enough, he's hoping, that we might be able to overlook how flat-out unmemorable Superman Returns was if he were to make another pretty-decent X-Man:
"I'm still looking to possibly returning to the 'X-Men' franchise. I've been talking to Fox about it," Singer said at a talk at the Pusan International Film Festival."I love Hugh Jackman. [ed. note: Who???] I love the cast," he said, referring to the Australian actor who plays Wolverine [ed. note: Oh, him].
Singer said he enjoyed making science fiction and fantasy movies because they allowed him to discuss serious issues through entertainment.
He said he likes to "trick audiences into thinking they're seeing fireworks, but they're learning about themselves and listening to what I have to say."
You may have tricked me into thinking I was seeing fireworks, Singer, but I've got news for you: I didn't listen to anything you said, and I've learned nothing about myself. So who's ahead now? You tell me. I'm not listening.
Oct 8 2009 'Venom' Also Being Done By 'Mr. Baseball' Writer
Providing an ominous reminder that, oh yeah, a Venom movie is still in the works, Variety is reporting that Gary Ross, the man recently charged with writing a new draft of the equally inauspicious Spider-Man 4 (and writer of an odd collection of mixed results, including Big, Pleasantville, Mr. Baseball, and Dave), has been hired to write an antihero take on the shiny, ebon villain:
Venom, an archenemy of the webslinger in the Marvel Comics series, will be transformed into an antihero who becomes a defender of the innocent.In "Spider-Man 3," Venom was played by Topher Grace, who started out as Eddie Brock, Peter Parker's newspaper rival. Infected by an alien organism that grafted itself to his skin, Brock had superpowers and strength superior to Spider-Man's.
Grace, who just signed on to star in "Robert Rodriguez's Predators" at Fox, is not considered likely to reprise, as the spinoff will start from the drawing board.
So we'll have possible continuity between Spider-Man 4 and Venom, but we're just going to completely disregard all the black-suit-Spidey/Venom set-up from Spider-Man 3?
Actually, that's a pretty solid plan. Carry on.
Sep 3 2009 Every Comic Character I Thought Was Awesome in 6th Grade Becomes a Movie
A Venom movie, Youngblood movie, and now a Lobo movie?
Warner Bros. has locked Guy Ritchie to direct “Lobo,” the live action adaptation of the DC Comics drama about an alien interstellar bounty hunter.Production on “Lobo” begins early next year. The character originated in 1983 in “Omega Men,” written by Roger Slifer and Keith Giffen. Lobo has had several comic incarnations. In the film, he is a seven-foot tall, blue-skinned, indestructible and heavily muscled anti-hero who drives a pimped out motorcycle, and lands on Earth in search of four fugitives who are bent on wreaking havoc. Lobo teams with a small town teenaged girl to stop the creatures.
WB is aiming for a PG-13 rating. Pic will be strong on visual effects, and Ritchie will bring the irreverent, gruff tone of past films like "Snatch" and "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels."
Lobo creator Keith Giffen once said in an interview, "I came up with him as an indictment of the Punisher, Wolverine, bad ass hero prototype and somehow he caught on as the high violence poster boy." So the idea of Guy Ritchie using his Snatchiness to make the character both an uber-bad-ass and drastically toned down to a PG-13 rating is, really, doubly unfaithful. Well done, Hollywood. Your interests in fulfilling fan desires have reached new levels of willful obliviousness.
Sep 2 2009 'Iron Man 2' in THREE DIMENSIONS???
For his second Iron Man film, Jon Favreau could be taking things to the next level! That level being the level of visual depth. According to AICN, 3-D decision-makers at Paramount and Marvel/Disney are reviewing a minute of Iron Man 2 3-D test footage to determine if Scarlett Johansson's breasts erupting from the screen warrants converting the entire film to the gimmicky format.
Something else you executives should weigh into you decision: if you make Iron Man 2 in 3-D, that totally blows your shot at using the Iron Man 3-D 3rd film/3rd dimension naming structure. Someone needs to uphold the grand traditions of Spy Kids 3-D and Jaws 3-D.
Sep 1 2009 More Superhero Movies: Give Fantastic Four Another Go
Hot on he heels of Disney's purchase of Marvel Entertainment, 20th Century Fox has decided to show off that they're still in charge of ruining some franchises. The studio has announced they're relaunching the Fantastic Four series. As an indication of what direction they'd like to take the franchise, they've put the writer of Batman Forever and Batman & Robin in charge of it:
20th Century Fox is the latest studio to start the process of overhauling one of its big Marvel Entertainment franchises, “Fantastic Four,” which has already hatched two films. The studio has hired Akiva Goldsman to oversee the re-boot as producer.New script will be written by Michael Green, the “Heroes” co-executive producer who co-wrote Green Lantern.
We can only pray this reboot will include re-doing that arbitrary snowboarding scene from the first film. God, snowboarding is so sweet.
Sep 1 2009 'Deadman' Movie Happening
The long-ago talked about Deadman movie is finally happening. Variety is reporting the pale DC comics character with the plunging neckline will be brought to screens by Warner Bros. and Nikolaj Arcel, director of Island of Lost Souls. So take that, Marvel/Disney team-up: Warner Bros. has got Deadman! Yes, the rights to the '70s-collared superhero are so worthless they can be paid for in sandwiches, but still, Warner Bros. has them.
Aug 17 2009 Man Hired to Build Up Our 'Spider-Man' Cache
Our precious Spider-Man script reserves are growing! Though production has yet to begin on Spider-Man 4, Zodiac writer James Vanderbilt has been hired to write fifth and sixth chapters of the superhero franchise:
As Sony Pictures Entertainment preps a fourth installment of "Spider-Man" to begin production early next year, the studio has quietly engaged screenwriter James Vanderbilt to pen "Spider-Man 5" and "Spider-Man 6."Vanderbilt was the first writer on "Spider-Man 4." Director Sam Raimi brought on "Rabbit Hole" playwright David Lindsay-Abaire to rewrite him, and Gary Ross is now rewriting that script. The studio is enthusiastic about where it stands as the picture begins prepping for an early 2010 production start for a May 2011 release.
Raimi didn't embrace all of Vanderbilt's ideas, but execs at Columbia Pictures and Marvel Studios have. Vanderbilt has been hired to pen the fifth and sixth movies, which have an interconnected storyline.
Good luck topping the X-treme-itude of Spider-Man 3's X-treme snowboard-style Harry Osborn, Vanderbilt. Your best bet is probably going to be inventing a new villain that's a talking, sunglasses-wearing shark on a skateboard.
Aug 12 2009 More 'Kick-Ass' Con Clips: Still Sort of Kicking Ass
Maybe I'm just a sucker for seeing a man in a bird suit fall to his death and an 11-year-old girl get shot in the chest and murder a room full of men, but these new clips from Kick-Ass are looking so good I might have to eventually give a ticket vendor monetary compensation in exchange for viewing rights to this moving picture. That's the highest compliment I've given a film containing Nicolas Cage in years.
Continue Reading " More 'Kick-Ass' Con Clips: Still Sort of Kicking Ass "
Aug 10 2009 'Iron Man 2' Comic Con Preview: I Think I See a Shoulder Gun Thing!
REMOVED AT THE REQUEST OF PARAMOUNT PICTURES
Want your first look at Don Cheadle's War Machine suit and Mickey Rourke's Star Trek: The Next Generation-inspired laser whips to be shaky, dark, and both visually and aurally indiscernible? Then enjoy the Iron Man 2 footage that was shown at the Comic Con. Besides the aforementioned War Machine and Whiplash scenes, it contains: Tony Stark put on trial by Larry Sanders, Scarlett Johansson jumping around, Sam Rockwell holding guns, and evidence that "I am Iron Man" is basically Tony Stark's equivalent of Urkel's "Did I do that?" What a treat for a Monday afternoon.
Aug 3 2009 'Iron Man 2' Viral Marketing Mocks the Unemployed
Sitting around your house shirtless, watching the half-hour afternoon edition of Howie Mandel's Pick-a-Box while alternately refreshing Craigslist's job section and the lastname.firstname email account you created to seem more professional to potential employers? You're in luck! The Stark Industries Stark Industries website now has a job application you can fill out (Tony Stark apparently hates formal resumes). Seeing that Stark Industries is not a real company, you probably won't get hired, but there is a bright side: "Information you provide through this website may be used for marketing purposes"! So maybe they'll send you an exclusive Iron Man 2 postcard or something that you could sell for a few dollars on eBay, giving you just enough for one more precious box of White Rose macaroni and cheese to get you through the week.
(Thanks, Brad of Comictube.)
Jul 27 2009 Some Sort of Batmen Movie Might Be Coming Out Soon!
Hey, you like that Batman movie that was so popular last year? Then you might want to know that, speaking at a Book of Eli panel at Comic Con this weekend, Gary Oldman slipped up/completely made something up and answered a fan's question about a third Batman film. Regarding when it would start shooting, Commissioner Gordon said:
"The next 'Batman' is shooting next year. It's at least two years away."
Good news for both Batman fans and British tabloids, who now have a time frame in which to set their ridiculous, invented casting rumors. "Rick Springfield has been cast a Mr. Freeze in the new Batman film" will sound so much more legitimate when they add "which is shooting in 2010."
(Thanks, Jacqueline Hyde.)
Gary Oldman says next 'Batman' movie shooting in 2010 [Hitfix]
Jul 24 2009 'Jonah Hex' Poster: The Undertaker and His Slim Girlfriend
Yahoo Movies has premiered the first poster for comic book adaptation Jonah Hex, comfirming that, a) Megan Fox is still useful for providing cleavage and pouty, slightly-parted lips, particularly when several of her ribs have been removed, and, b) apparently every single action movie of the next year is going to star a man dressed like he's in a '90s Tom Petty video. Good to know.
Jul 22 2009 More Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow (or Possibly Brenda Starr)
From Yahoo, another shot of Scarlett Johansson as Russian spy Natasha Romanoff, aka Black Widow, in Iron Man 2. Looks like even stealthy, nimble, superhero-caliber spies sometimes resort to the ol' "now that you've momentarily left the room, I'll sneak a peak at this secret document" trick. Classic.
Jul 14 2009 Natalie Portman Loves Thor
More information about real-life humans playing ridiculous comic book characters! Confirming previous rumors, Natalie Portman has been cast as Jane Foster, the love interest, in Kenneth Branagh's Thor adaptation. The casting brings a name to the largely unknown cast, but also comes with a vague but foreboding red flag: "the character will be updated." From Marvel Studios:
Marvel Studios announced today that Academy Award® nominated actress Natalie Portman has been cast to star as Jane Foster in the studio's highly anticipated movie "Thor."In the early "Thor" comics, Jane Foster was a nurse who became Thor's first love. The character will be updated for the feature adaptation.
Portman will star opposite Chris Hemsworth who will play Thor and Tom Hiddleston who will play the villain Loki. Kenneth Branagh will direct the film.
Congratulations, Natalie Portman. With V for Vendetta, a trilogy of Star Wars, and now Thor on your resume, you can now rest assured that, if this acting thing doesn't work out, you will have a permanent, guaranteed seat at any and every nerd convention until the day you die. You can just walk in and Lou Ferrigno will have to stand up, give you his chair and hold your coat.
