Marvel Madness

MARVEL MADNESS #8: SPIDER-MAN UPDATES, GUARDIANS 2 Script & Tease, CIVIL WAR Stuff, AND MORE

dailynerdaccess Ant-Man, Black Panther, Captain America : Civil War, Chris Pratt, Guardians of the Galaxy 2, James Gunn, Marvel Madness, Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, Movie News, Sebastian Stan, Spider-Man, TV News

This Marvel Madness we have a lot in store this week. From Spider-Man, Guardians of the Galaxy 2, Civil War, and Ant-Man to TV news updates and rumours galore. Here is all things Marvel this week!

SPIDER-MAN NEWS

Sony Pictures and Marvel have reportedly trimmed down their lists for the director and lead actor of the next Spider-Man movie.

According to Deadline, Ender’s Game star Asa Butterfield and The Impossible’s Tom Holland are the frontrunners to portray Peter Parker. That said, Matt Lintz of the upcoming Pixels and Red Band Society actor Charlie Rowe are still in the running, after Judah Lewis (seen in this fall’s Demolition); Charlie Plummer (Boardwalk Empire) whom purportedly screen-tested for the highly sought-after role over the weekend.

As for who is helming the Spider-Man reboot, Sony and Marvel have apparently focused in on St. Vincent director Ted Melfi and Warm Bodies director Jonathan Levine. John Francis Daley and Jonathan M. Goldstein, who are behind the upcoming reboot of Vacation, are also still being tossed around as contenders with Jason Moore (Pitch Perfect), and Jared Hess (Napoleon Dynamite, Nacho Libre).

Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige and Sony producer Amy Pascal will reportedly make the final call, with Sony Pictures chief Tom Rothman also having say over Spider-Man’s director and star.

The new Spider-Man is expected to show up in Captain America: Civil War, with a standalone movie following in 2017.

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY NEWS

James Gunn, director of Guardians of the Galaxy 2, has taken to his Facebook page to announce that the first draft for the GotG sequel has been completed in full but does not want to spoil anything just yet. The announcement prompted a question from a fan about the subtitle confirming an appearance by the Hulk.

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Phew. After 48 days straight without a day off, the the first draft of #GotG2 is done. I’m sorry to all my friends and family who I have ignored.
Posted by James Gunn on Tuesday, 2 June 2015

Here are some bullet points from his Facebook Q&A:

He spent the last 48 days turning his 70-page scriptment (“the majority of a script, with every beat and even a lot of dialogue”) into a screenplay. The higher ups at Marvel and Disney have read the scriptment, but only Gunn and his assistant have read the full screenplay.

Like he did with the first movie, Gunn has chosen all of the music for Awesome Mix Vol. 2.

Additionally, “every song is in the script, just as I did on the first movie.” Keep in mind that these songs might not make it to the final film. Last December, Gunn provided the uncut tracklist for the Awesome Mix Vol. 1, and I assume there will be an uncut soundtrack for Guardians 2 as well.

Hulk is not appearing in this movie.

Gunn did a lot of research by reading the comics, but “but it’s all to fill out and make better the essential story that I came up with while making the first movie.” Translation: don’t expect a straight adaptation of a Guardians of the Galaxy storyline from the comics.

Unsurprisingly, the main cast will return along with a few others from the first movie (presumably Yondu and Nebula).

Chris Pratt hasn’t been briefed on future plans to unite the Guardians of the Galaxy with the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

When asked about the upcoming sequel, and the impending threat of Thanos, IGN asked Pratt about when the Guardians will team-up with the Avengers and other earth-based heroes.

“That’s speculation. I haven’t heard that. No, no one’s ever discussed it with me,” he said. Pratt went on to express interest in what the Guardians should do next:

“I think like the universe itself it’s best to expand outward. I don’t personally – and it’s not up to me, I’ll do whatever they want me to do – I don’t want to see the Guardians defend Cleveland, Ohio. We’re cosmic man. I want to be in space.”

Jurassic World’s Chris Pratt will soon be stepping back into his most famous role to date, that of Guardians of the Galaxy’s Star-Lord.  Speaking to Digital Spy, Pratt talked about his initial reaction to learning details about the sequel and what he hopes to contribute to the film’s second outing.

http://c.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f9?isVid=1&isUI=1
On the potential of contributing to the sequel’s soundtrack, Chris Pratt revealed that’s something he’s spoken to James Gunn about. “We’ve talked a little. I know some of the songs that are going to be on Awesome Mix Vol 2.  All I can tell you because – obviously, I’m not allowed to say anything, nor would I want to beacuse it would be like telling a kid what’s under the tree before Christmas morning; I would encourage people not to poke holes in the paper and peek, allow yourself the ‘Christmas morning’.  What I will say is that [Gunn’s] pitch and his ideas legitmately put tears in my eyes.  It is so good, it’s so good.  I can not wait to get started on it and I can not wait for people to see what he’s going to pull off with this second movie.  It’s so big and so good.   From what I understand, Marvel [heard Gunn’s pitch] and they said nothing.   [It] was that perfect.  There was no micromanaging of the idea. They just love it so much they didn’t have any notes for it.   It’s going to be remarkable. “

TV NEWS

Fans will see even more of Luke Mitchell as Lincoln Campbell in “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” Season 3 as the star joins the regular series cast!

First introduced last season as a member of the Inhuman tribe led by Agent Skye’s mother, Jiaying, Lincoln possesses the ability to generate and wield electricity.

“Luke proved a valuable addition to our cast in Season 2, and after seeing him light up the screen with his charisma we knew we had to have him back for more,” said Executive Producer/Head of Marvel Television Jeph Loeb. “Our writers have come up with big plans for the character of Lincoln in our next season, and we can’t wait for fans to see everything we have in store.”

Before joining “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,” Mitchell played the character of John Young in “The Tomorrow People” in addition to roles on “Home and Away,” “H2O: Just Add Water,” and “Neighbours” in his native Australia. He will also appear in the upcoming independent film “7 Minutes,” which will be released in June 2015.

“Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” returns for an exciting third season, Tuesdays this fall on ABC.

Disney XD has ordered two new action-packed seasons of the popular animated series on the Marvel programming block – continuing the adventures of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes with “Marvel’s Avengers: Ultron Revolution” and introducing a new band of villains in “Marvel’s Ultimate Spider-Man vs. The Sinister 6.” Produced by Marvel Television, both series deliver the biggest, most explosive seasons yet with some of Marvel’s most aspirational super heroes facing off against some of the greatest threats in the Marvel Universe. Both of the new seasons are currently in production and slated to premiere in 2016 on Marvel on Disney XD.

In season three of “Marvel’s Avengers: Ultron Revolution,” the Avengers are not only shocked by the return of a vengeful Ultron, but they also encounter new threats like Baron Zemo, the Masters of Evil, the Inhumans, and the futuristic Kang the Conqueror. It’s only with the help of heroes like Black Panther, Captain Marvel, Ant-Man and Ms. Marvel that they have a chance of surviving an all-out Marvel super hero Civil War.

In season four of “Marvel’s Ultimate Spider-Man vs. The Sinister 6,” a confident Spider-Man feels like the ultimate hero after fighting alongside The Avengers and leading a team of heroes at S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy. However, when the wall-crawler discovers that his greatest enemies – Doctor Octopus, Hydra and the all-new Sinister 6 – are working together to destroy him and S.H.I.E.L.D., he teams up with a special new team of Spiders including Miles Morales, Agent Venom, Iron Spider and the mysterious new Scarlet Spider. Spider-Man and his new friends will need to use all of their power to overcome their greatest challenge yet.

“We’re delighted that Disney XD is partnering with the world-class Marvel team to bring our viewers new installments featuring the Avengers and Spider-Man, some of the world’s most iconic and engaging comic book characters,” said Marc Buhaj, Senior Vice President, Programming and General Manager, Disney XD. “In these new animated seasons we are looking forward to even higher stakes, bigger threats and the trademark quality storytelling that Marvel is famous for.”

“These series have been the heart and soul of Marvel Animation for several seasons and, thanks to Marc and his top-notch crew at Disney XD, we’re thrilled to bring our fans more episodes of what they’ve been clamoring for,” said Stephen Wacker, Vice President, Current Series, Marvel Animation Studios. “It’s a testament to the hard work and creative effort of our production and writing teams that Marvel’s animation slate continues to roll onwards and upwards.”

The “Marvel’s Avengers: Ultron Revolution” voice cast includes Adrian Pasdar (“Heroes”) as Iron Man, Fred Tatasciore (“Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness”) as Hulk, Roger Craig Smith (“Wreck-It Ralph”) as Captain America, Travis Willingham (“Shelf Life”) as Thor, Troy Baker (“Ultimate Spider-Man”) as Hawkeye, Laura Bailey (“The Super Hero Squad Show”) as Black Widow and Bumper Robinson (“The Game”) as Falcon. Jeff Allen serves as Supervising Director and Eugene Son and Dani Wolff serve as Co-Story Editors on the series.

“Marvel’s Ultimate Spider-Man vs. The Sinister 6” stars Drake Bell (“Drake & Josh”) as Peter Parker/Spider-Man, Chi McBride (“Hawaii Five-0”) as Nick Fury, Steven Weber (“Wings”) as Norman Osborn, Greg Cipes (“Teen Titans,” “Ben 10”) as Danny Rand, Ogie Banks (“Fatherhood”) as Luke Cage, Misty Lee (“Batman: Arkham City”) as Aunt May, and recurring guest star Stan Lee (“Spider-Man”) as Stan the Janitor. Alex Soto serves as Supervising Director while Kevin Burke and Doc Wyatt serve as Co-Story Editors.

Alan Fine (“Marvel’s The Avengers,” “Iron Man,” “Thor”), Dan Buckley (“Marvel’s Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H.”), Joe Quesada (“Marvel’s Daredevil”), and Jeph Loeb (“Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.”) will serve as executive producers on “Marvel’s Ultimate Spider-Man vs. The Sinister 6” and “Marvel’s Avengers: Ultron Revolution,” while Stan Lee (“Spider-Man”), Eric Radomski (“Spawn”), Cort Lane (“The Super Hero Squad Show”) and Stephen Wacker (“Marvel’s Avengers Assemble”) will serve as co-executive producers for both series.

CIVIL WAR NEWS

Even though filming just recently kicked off for Captain America: Civil War, it appears that directors Anthony & Joe Russo have already filmed the most important scene in the movie. Yes, earlier this week at the Dallas Comic Con, Marvel Comics legend Stan Lee confirmed that he has already filmed his cameo for Captain America: Civil War.

While Lee isn’t able to reveal details of his cameos until after the movie gets released in theaters, Lee said, “I just finished my cameo in the new Captain America movie the day before yesterday in Atlanta.” Lee also quipped, “They should stop calling them cameos and start calling them supporting roles.”

Although Marvel Studios has yet to officially announce that Hayley Atwell will be making her fifth cinematic appearance as Peggy Carter in Captain America: Civil War, the English actress recently took to Twitter to reveal a series of photos with the cast and crew on the set in Atlanta, Georgia. There is already a pretty big spoiler online regarding how the S.H.I.E.L.D. co-founder might be portrayed in the highly-anticipated Marvel threequel, but could we be seeing much more of her?

Meanwhile, Just Jared has provided some recent candid photos of actor Sebastian Stan while he was in New York City today, evidently taking a break from filming Captain America: Civil War. Obviously, he’s not in costume, but the actor does appear to be retaining Bucky Barnes’ long hair and grungy appearance that we saw him with at the end of The Winter Soldier.

Robert Downey Jr. shared a new photo with his followers on Instagram, indicating that he was arriving in Georgia for Captain America: Civil War filming. While Downey Jr. was spotted on the Civil War set earlier this month, he was in his civilian clothes and wasn’t photographed participating in the filming.
However, with his Instagram photo, Downey Jr. wrote, “We work weekends ..for your viewing pleasure… #marvel #civilwar #pickyourside.” When the Civil War comic book was released in 2006, Marvel promoted it with the “Whose Side Are You On?” marketing campaign as they encouraged fans to pick between Captain America and Iron Man. It certainly sounds like he’s indicating that he’s going to be filming some scenes this weekend. 

A photo posted by Robert Downey, Jr. (@robertdowneyjr) on

May 30, 2015 at 1:23pm PDT

Speaking of Iron Man! Tony Stark is going to have to suit up to fight Captain America in Civil War next year, and it looks like he’ll be doing so in style! In the latest piece of leaked promo art for the movie, we get to see what some fans believe is the “Bleeding Edge” armour, and it definitely looks quite a bit different to the version seen in Avengers: Age of Ultron.

A couple of weeks ago, word got out that Marvel was “courting” Ava DuVernay to direct “Black Panther”. We Are Wakanda reports that this is true. According to them she was actually in Atlanta during the filming of the Nigeria scenes for “Captain America: Civil War” and met with Marvel during that time. WAW have been told they’ve been discussing how to make Wakanda look and feel “authentic” and that all she has to do at this point is accept the job!

The plan appears to be to have a director for “Black Panther” involved as they shoot Wakanda scenes for “Civil War”, which is supposed to start within the next few weeks! So it may not be announced immediately but expect the job to be filled very soon!

Fun fact: Many of the extras in the Nigeria scenes were extras in “Selma”!

WAW also report that Damion Poiter is one of Crossbone’s henchman and is most definitely not Black Panther’s stunt double. Poiter previously played Thanos in The Avengers’ mid-credits scene.

Directed by Anthony & Joe Russo from a screenplay by Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely, Captain America: Civil War picks up where Avengers: Age of Ultron left off, as Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) leads the new team of Avengers in their continued efforts to safeguard humanity. After another international incident involving the Avengers results in collateral damage, political pressure mounts to install a system of accountability and a governing body to determine when to enlist the services of the team. The new status quo fractures the Avengers while they try to protect the world from a new and nefarious villain. Starring Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie, Paul Bettany, Jeremy Renner, Don Cheadle, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Rudd, Chadwick Boseman, Emily VanCamp, Daniel Brühl, Frank Grillo, William Hurt, and Martin Freeman, Captain America: Civil War is set for release on May 6, 2016.

ANT-MAN NEWSAnt-Man embraces his insectoid allies in brand-new photos from Marvel’s “Ant-Man”! Check out the new photos below and see “Ant-Man” when it comes to theaters July 17.

Suit designers Sammy Sheldon and Ivo Coveney have been on board Ant-Man since Edgar Wright was attached to direct, and it’s revealed in the latest issue of Empire Magazine that they were still working on the suit during shooting. Why exactly does Scott Lang need to wear that helmet though? “When you shrink, the molecules in the air are too big for your lungs,” Sheldon explains. “He has to be fully contained or he’d die.” That means we can probably count out seeing a tiny Paul Rudd running around the place then as the shrinking action will clearly be restricted to when he’s in the suit. As a result, it’s probably best to forget this scene being recreated in the MCU! There’s still no word on whether or not Pym Particles are going to make it into Ant-Man, but the magazine notes that “mysterious chemicals” are sent around Scott’s body via tubing. “We had a long discussion about the two cables going into his helmet,” Coveney reveals. “They’re a massive weakness – Yellowjacket could just rip them off and he’s dead. But, in the end, it just looks cooler with them on.” On this subject, Sheldon adds: “The fact that he’s shrinking is enough to get away with anything else, really!” We’ve heard a lot about why Edgar Wright decided not to direct Ant-Man,  but the latest issue of Empire Magazine sheds some more light on why he decided to part ways with Marvel Studios. For example, they point out that Wright’s version of the script would have seen Scott Lang take on the villainous “Nano Warrior”, but the basic premise – Lang being guided by Hank Pym in a mentor like role – was still there. There have also been reports that Wright’s script didn’t take place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but that apparently wasn’t the case as as it featured appearances from established cameos and he had even written an after-credits scene for Avengers: Age of Ultron.  Some of the changes made along the way included Nano Warrior being renamed Yellowjacket, a car chase being scrapped, and a number of characters being cut (some of which we heard about during pre-production).  However, it was definitely Dave Callaham (The Expendables) and Eric Pearson’s (Agent Carter) changes which led to Wright’s departure as we’ve heard a number of times already.“Was it a strange situation? Absolutely,” says new Ant-Man director Peyton Reed. “One of my concerns upfront was, ‘Someone else has developed this movie for a really long time. Can I come in and make it my own?’ And that has absolutely been the case. For one thing Marvel have let me explore the dark side of Hank Pym, this tortured, guilt-ridden guy. I love that this is a mentor/pupil story, but with a [frick]ed up pupil and a really [frick]ed up mentor.” Reed even reveals that he spoke to Wright via email after accepting the job, so it definitely sounds like there’s no bad blood between the two filmmakers. “We both acknowledged the general werdness of the situation. It’s all very odd, but it’s been really nice to communiate with him.” It’s star Evangeline Lilly (who describes Hope Van Dyne as “kind of a bitch…a very had woman on a journey towards becoming a decent person”) who reveals perhaps the most interesting details about the changes made to the screenplay by Paul Rudd and Adam McKay though. “I met with Paul in a little restaurant in New York City, and he talked me through how the movie was changing. I think the most defining difference between the two scripts was that Edgar’s didn’t take itself as seriously. It was fun and silly and brilliant irreverent – a romp from beginning to end, in classic English fashion. Whereas where we’ve gotten to is so much more American. There’s tons of levity, but just as much emotion.” Whether that’s a good or bad thing remains to be seen!Finally, the magazine mentions that Anthony Mackie’s Falcon might make an appearance alongside other Avengers, to which Reed would only say: “That’s classified information. That’s buried. It’s possible.”

As part of an initiative to get girls nationwide to take part in the “Ant-Man Micro-Tech Challenge” to win tickets to the premiere of Ant-Man, Marvel has released a Hope Van Dyne centric featurette which sees Evangeline Lilly talk more about her role in the movie.

Disney, Marvel Studios, Dolby Laboratories, Visa Signature and Raspberry Pi® are proud to unite to sponsor a nationwide MARVEL’S ANT-MAN MICRO-TECH CHALLENGE in conjunction with the July 17 release of Marvel’s “Ant-Man”! Learn more by watching the video above. Building on the success of the Ultimate Mentor Adventure, Guardians of the Galaxy: Guardians of Good, Marvel is launching, ANT-MAN MICRO-TECH CHALLENGE with Raspberry Pi. The challenge invites girls nationwide, ages 14 – 18, in grades 9-12, to design and build a DIY project using at least one readily available micro-technology component, which can enable tinkerers, makers, builders and future Imagineers to execute big ideas with a board that fits in their pocket and costs less than a video game. The projects can be utilitarian, artistic or just plain fun.  After completing a project, applicants will be asked to submit a short video demonstrating the project and explaining how it will inspire other girls to pursue interests in science, technology, engineering, or math.  The five winners will each receive: Two round-trip tickets to Southern California, including hotel accommodations, from June 28 through June 30, 2015, to be on the red carpet at the World Premiere of Marvel’s “Ant-Man” at the Dolby Theatre® in Dolby Atmos® on June 29, 2015; attend a special “The Evolution of Technology” workshop on June 30 at The Disneyland® Resort where they will meet Walt Disney Imagineers who will introduce them to the broader scope of technology and how innovation is inspired during a behind-the-scenes tour of The Disneyland® Resort; and receive a tour of the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California.  Upon completion of the challenge, a STEM-based girls program in each winner’s hometown will be selected to receive “re-create” instructions for each project. Each winner will have the opportunity to lead a workshop in building her project with the girls in the selected program in her community. By sharing their work, the winners will accomplish big things from small beginnings by inspiring other young girls to follow their interests in computing, technology, and engineering.  Entries will be accepted from May 21, 2015 through June 11, 2015. For application forms, eligibility requirements, official contest rules and more information about MARVEL’S ANT-MAN MICRO-TECH CHALLENGE, please visit www.Ant-ManChallenge.comTo cap off the Ant-Man news here is our first tv spot with a “little” more footage!
The next evolution of the Marvel Cinematic Universe brings a founding member of The Avengers to the big screen for the first time with Marvel Studios’ “Ant-Man.” Armed with the astonishing ability to shrink in scale but increase in strength, master thief 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. Marvel’s “Ant-Man” stars Paul Rudd as Scott Lang aka Ant-Man, Evangeline Lilly as Hope Van Dyne, Corey Stoll as Darren Cross aka Yellowjacket, Bobby Cannavale as Paxton, Michael Peña as Luis, Judy Greer as Maggie, Tip “Ti” Harris as Dave, David Dastmalchian as Kurt, Wood Harris as Gale, Jordi Mollà as Castillo and Michael Douglas as Hank Pym.Peyton Reed directs Marvel’s “Ant-Man” with Kevin Feige producing and Louis D’Esposito, Alan Fine, Victoria Alonso, Michael Grillo, Edgar Wright and Stan Lee serving as executive producers. The story is by Edgar Wright & Joe Cornish and the screenplay is by Adam McKay & Paul Rudd. Marvel’s “Ant-Man” delivers a high-stakes, tension-filled adventure on July 17, 2015.

RUMOURS



Edgar Wright’s Ant-Man screenplay was subject to a number of rewrites both before and after his departure from the movie, and Latino-Review is reporting that various tweaks were still being made as shooting continued (which is perfectly normal, especially with Marvel Studios based on what we’ve heard in the past). Here’s where things get really exciting/interesting though. Those changes apparently included the first Spider-Man mentions in the Marvel Cinematic Universe!

Spider-Man already exists by the time Ant-Man takes place, and the site says that, “We’ve heard an unconfirmed rumor there is “lots of” talk of/references to Spider-Man and OsCorp in the current version of Ant-Man.” They go on to mention that Darren Cross is attempting to sell the Yellowjacket technology to various corporations, so it’s likely there that OsCorp will come into play.

Charlize Theron(Mad Max: Fury Road) and Angelina Jolie (Unbroken) have reportedly bonded since they were introduced to each other via their significant others: Sean Penn and Brad Pitt. Their friendship is going so well that there is talk of them teaming up on a Marvel film together.
“Marvel has been courting Angie to direct the project and Charlize is a clear fan favourite for the starring role,” a source told US OK! magazine (via Washington Post). “If Charlize were to get the part, Angie would almost certainly sign on to work with her.”
Theron has earned plenty of praise for her kick-butt performance as ‘Furiousa’ in George Miller’s Mad Max: Fury Road. Many have suggested her for the role of Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel, an ex-Air Force pilot that acquires cosmic super powers.
Captain Marvel is scheduled to open in theaters November 2, 2018. The script is being written by Nicole Perlman and Megan LeFauve.

Ever since Martin Freeman (The Hobbit) was cast in Captain America: Civil War, a number of rumors have circulated about what his mysterious role may be, with Everett Ross, an American regent of Wakanda, being one of the more popular fan choices.
Well, it’s time to throw another possible option into the ring as Latino-Review is reporting that Freeman might actually be playing a character by the name of Edward Chase, the yet-to-be introduced Prime Minister of England in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He is expected to make his debut following the massive destruction caused by Captain America’s brutal battle with Crossbones, a fight which is expected to leave heavy casualties, including several British soldiers. Freeman’s character will be one of the figureheads on the pro-registration side in the movie and will be upping the pressure on Cap’s New Avengers in order to keep them in check.
Latino-Review also adds that the Prime Minister may have had a brief mention in Marvel’s Avengers: Age Of Ultron. During the scene right before Ultron and the twins pay Andy Serkis’ Ulysses Klaw a visit, Klaw is seen on the phone with someone. This someone, whom Klaw does call the “Minister,” is hypothetically Freeman’s character Edward Chase. Why is he calling Klaw? Well, why else would you call Klaw? To illegally acquire vibranium and subsequently use it to make weapons that the U.K. can use to combat the rising number of superheroes in the world.
Their phone discussion, or the fact that Chase is familiar with Klaw, will come into play during a conversation between Chase and Daniel Brühl’s Baron Zemo, who is unsurprisingly the true villain of the picture. And in case it wasn’t obvious, yes, Freeman’s character is more villain than good samaritan. LR also speculates that with Chase and the Black Panther making appearances, Serkis could potentially make a cameo in the Marvel epic as well.

Take this one with a huge grain of salt, as a new rumor from the MCU Exchange states that not only will we get another hulkster in the MCU but it may very be the Red Hulk, as William Hurt will be reprising his role as General Thunderbolt Ross from 2008’s Incredible Hulk and he’ll also be transforming into Red Hulk.  Additionally, the rumor states that Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk is indeed involved in Civil War and that there will be an epic throwdown between Hulk and Red Hulk that will rival the Avengers: Age of Ultron battle between Hulk and Iron Man’s Hulkbuster armor.

Again, we’re cautioning a heavy dose of skepticism on this report until there’s more information from additional sources. 
Ant-Man will be in theaters July 17, 2015; Captain America: Civil War – May 6, 2016; Doctor Strange – November 4, 2016; Guardians of the Galaxy 2 – May 5, 2017; Spider-Man reboot – July 28, 2017; Thor: Ragnarok – November 3, 2017; The Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 – May 4, 2018; Black Panther – July 6, 2018; Captain Marvel – November 2, 2018; The Avengers: Infinity War Part 2 – May 3, 2019; Inhumans – July 12, 2019.

So there you go that wraps up another edition of Marvel Madness. As always be sure to check back next week for another Marvel Madness!
PEACE!!

MARVEL MADNESS #7: Ryan Reynolds IS AWESOME, CIVIL WAR Updates, An APOCALYPSE Is Coming, And More!

dailynerdaccess Agent Carter, AVENGERS AGE OF ULTRON, Captain America : Civil War, Deadpool, Marvel, Marvel Madness, Marvel Studios, Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, Movie News, The Fantastic Four, TV News, X-men Apocalypse

So prepare yourself for a mountain worth of Marvel news coming to you! We have a vast amount of all things Marvel related this week. We’re talking Deadpool, X-Men: Apocalypse, Captain America: Civil War, Agent Carter, Agents of SHIELD, and a hell of a lot more!

So enjoy!!

DEADPOOL NEWS

Ryan Reynolds took a break from getting hit in the face as Wade Wilson to make a young fan’s day. 15-year-old Calista King paid a visit to the Deadpool set last week, and not only scored a sweet looking sword but was also given a walk-on part in the movie. Reynolds also posted a second image of the Merc With a Mouth relaxing in front of that cheesy electronic fire. By the sounds of things, the bearskin rug must have picked up a couple of stains.

Back in March, Hugh Jackman (The Wolverine) told MTV that he would be interested in appearing in the new Deadpool movie, and now the film’s star Ryan Reynolds (Green Lantern) has been asked if Wolverine will “pop up.”

“God I hope so, that would be really nice,” Reynolds told the Australian website news.com.au while promoting Woman In Gold. “I dunno, we’ll see. It seems like he’s open to it, but it’s gonna be more of a scheduling issue than anything else.”

In the comics, Wolverine and Deadpool have intertwining backstories and beyond that they have done plenty of verbal and physical sparring. Plus, the two actors are close friends. That friendship began on the set of X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009), which is the first time Ryan Reynolds played Wade Wilson/Deadpool.

The image below (which we’ve had to split into two unfortunately) is featured in this month’s edition of Empire Magazine, and as you can see, it gives us yet another great look at Ryan Reynolds in costume as Deadpool. This hopefully means Empire will have a cover story on the movie in an upcoming issue as we still don’t know a huge amount about the movie despite a ton of set photos finding their way online recently.

While taking a short break from leaping dramatically over moving cars and murdering Mario Lopez, Deadpool’s Ryan Reynolds had the chance to make one young fan’s dream come true. Tony Acevedo is currently fighting against Hodgkin’s Disease, and recently got the chance to visit the Vancouver set to meet Reynolds and the crew – courtesy of the Make A Wish Foundation.

Based upon Marvel Comics’ most unconventional anti-hero, DEADPOOL tells the origin story of former Special Forces operative turned mercenary Wade Wilson, who after being subjected to a rogue experiment that leaves him with accelerated healing powers, adopts the alter ego Deadpool. Armed with his new abilities and a dark, twisted sense of humor, Deadpool hunts down the man who nearly destroyed his life.

Deadpool is directed by Tim Miller, and stars Ryan Reynolds (Wade Wilson), Morena Baccarin (Vanessa Carlysle), T.J. Miller (Weasel), with Ed Skrein, and Brianna Hildebrand (Ellie Phimister). The movie is scheduled to hit theaters on February 12, 2016.

MOVING ON TO CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR 

According to Lainey Gossip, who has been nonchalantly dropping some interesting tidbits about the Marvel Cinematic Universe for some time now, the aforementioned African Market sequence is actually the “first big action set piece of the movie […] that kicks off the Civil War.” Apparently, there will be a lot of innocent civilians killed amid the battle between Cap’s new Avengers team and Crossbones, which seems to be the “international incident” mentioned in the official synopsis that will ultimately cause the world governments to enforce some control over superhero activity.

About the Winter Soldier, Lainey Gossip reveals that he will be “the touchstone of the conflict” in Captain America: Civil War especially considering secret identities are not as big of an issue in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as they are in the “Civil War” comic book storyline. Many have been wondering just how Bucky will factor into the superhero-packed adaptation, but we know from Avengers: Age of Ultron that he’s still being sought out by Captain America. And it’s been said that Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.)  “may be using the government registration” to also help track down the brainwashed super soldier who assassinated his parents, as revealed in The Winter Soldier.

Furthermore, it was recently reported that the Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) will also be hunting down the Winter Soldier for reasons currently unknown, but Lainey Gossip adds that Crossbones also wants the Winter Soldier, or rather his “HYDRA pet,” back under his control. The source then dropped this very intriguing nugget: “Civil War is a critical moment for Sebastian Stan and Bucky Barnes—he has to get everyone on his side by the end of this movie, because his role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is about to get a lot bigger.”

After visiting the set of Captain America: Civil War over the past few days, star Jeremy Renner, who played the awesome & badass Clint Barton a.k.a. Hawkeye in Avengers: Age Of Ultron, officially suited up this week to shoot his first scenes in the Marvel epic. To celebrate the occasion, Renner shared two behind-the-scenes snaps of him on set, one of which may have revealed an updated logo for the movie. Check out his tweets below:

Perhaps the most exciting thing to come out of last week’s batch of photos from the Civil War set was our first look at Frank Grillo in costume as the villanous ‘Crossbones’. Evidently filming some sort of stand-off against Chris Evans’ Captain America and more than a few of his Avengers pals, this appeared to be one of the movie’s earlier action sequences (although there’s really no way of telling for sure at the moment). Fans excited to see more of Brock Rumlow may be about to be a little disappointed though, thanks to a recent post from the actor’s official Instagram account:

The supremely talented Oscar Isaac was recently a guest on the Monkeys Fighting Robots podcast recently and briefly touched on his work on Star Wars: The Force Awakens and X-Men: Apocalypse. On the latter, Isaac confirmed that he’s already begun filming for Apocalypse and that he’s still digesting the script and developing his take on the character.  “I’ve been reading the script a lot and trying to come at for me, a interesting angle. Definitely focusing on the fact he is the embodiment of the second coming of the judgments of god and that energy going in. We’re playing with that. What we are trying to do is make his philosophy and what his mission is, one that is both simple but also holds water, that really makes sense throughout the whole movie. I think Simon Kinberg and Bryan Singer, we’ve been able to come up with something very cool.”

2016 is a crowded and incredibly exciting year for superhero movies, but one release which is flying somewhat under the radar is Gambit, an X-Men spinoff starring Channing Tatum. The actor landed the role after making it clear in interviews how interested in the Cajun character he is, and Fox are currently in the process of hunting for a director. So, just how excited is the actor about the movie?

“I love Gambit,” Tatum says in the latest issue of Empire Magazine. “I grew up in the South; my father’s from Loiuisiana. We’d go to New Orleans and I heard all the dialects. It felt so different from the rest of America; it has its own ancient culture. So I identified with that. And he always felt the most real of the X-Men to me. He’s kind of a tortured soul and he’s not a good guy. But he’s not a bad guy, either. He walks his own path. And of course he plays cards and drinks and is a martial-arts badass!” It sounds like the movie is going to be pretty faithful to the comic books then, but that’s not a huge surprise what with X-Men scribe Chris Claremont writing its treatment.

As for the current status of Gambit, the actor added: “Josh Zetumer just turned in the first draft of the script, and it’s killer. None of us were sure how he was going to deal with the X-Men world. But we’re going to be changing some of the tropes of these movies. It’s always about saving the world (Laughs), but maybe we’re going to shift things a liittle but. There’s so many ways you can take [an origin story]. You could do it like Batman Begins, or a different take and go the Guardians of the Galaxy route. All I can say is, I’m super excited.” 

Who is Caliban? He’s a mutant with the ability to sense other mutants within a 25 mile radius, and as well as being a Morlock, Caliban has been a member of X-Factor and X-Force. However, it’s his relationship with Apocalypse which will no doubt come into play in X-Men: Apocalypse. As a Morlock, the character looked pretty emaciated and unimpressive, but he later transformed into a far more impressive figure when he decided to align himself with Apocalypse.

According to ComicVine, “For a while Caliban was known as Hellhound, but was later officially announced as Death, Archangel’s replacement in Apocalypse’s Horsemen. He would use his enhanced senses and strength to locate more mutants for Apocalypse, and his personal anger and rage to punish his enemies.” How much of this will factor into X-Men: Apocalypse remains to be seen.

https://instagram.com/p/3J3-tFRD0P

Well, this is very interesting. The Pepsi sign definitely appears to indicate that the scene below(thanks to Empire) from X-Men: Apocalypse is taking place in the 1980s rather than a desolate future of some sort, and it looks like Cyclops and Jean Grey are wearing costumes which are at least somewhat similar to the uniforms the youngsters have in the pages of All-New X-Men. Hey, at least it’s not black leather anyway. Who they’re battling isn’t clear (Archangel seems like a likely candidate) or what that structure is, but common sense says it all has something to do with the movie’s titular villain!

Photographer Melissa Paradis has managed to get some very nice snaps of a few of the cast members of X-Men: Apocalypse in and around the Montreal set of the movie. As you can see they’re clearly not gearing up to shoot anything here, but, unlike Alexandra Shipp who’s covering her (presumably) white hair with a hat, Olivia Munn’s purple-tinted do is on full display as she pets her pooch. Hopefully we’ll get some pics of theese guys in costume over the next few days.

X-Men: Apocalypse, directed by Bryan Singer (X-Men: Days of Future Past), will hit theaters on May 27, 2016 and stars Jennifer Lawrence (Mystique), Michael Fassbender (Magneto), James McAvoy (Charles Xavier), Nicholas Hoult (Beast), Oscar Isaac (Apocalypse), Rose Byrne (Moira McTaggert), Sophie Turner (Jean Grey), Alexandra Shipp (Storm), Kodi Smit-McPhee (Nightcrawler), Tye Sheridan (Cyclops), Ben Hardy (Angel), Olivia Munn(Psylocke), Lucas Till(Havok) and Lana Condor (Jubillee).

FANTASTIC FOUR NEWS

A new international look at Josh Trank’s Fantastic Four reboot has been released it is mostly made up of footage from earlier trailers, but there are some previously unseen shots of Mr. Fantastic, Invisible Woman, Human Torch and the Thing getting used to their burgeoning abilities. 

So begins Michael B. Jordan’s letter (via EW) in response to the backlash his casting in Josh Trank’s Fantastic Four reboot received. His character, Johnny Storm aka the Human Torch, was a white guy in the comics so even though Jordan had proven himself a fine actor with roles in the likes of Fruitvale Station and Chronicle, this was always going to be a problem for raci…, err, purists. The actor had commented on this previously in interviews, but this the first time he’s come out with a full, in-depth response.

He goes on to say that he’s stopped being bothered by the negativity, and can see everyone’s perspective when it comes to going against 50 years of comic book continuity. “But the world is a little more diverse in 2015 than when the Fantastic Four comic first came out in 1961,” he continues. “Plus, if Stan Lee writes an email to my director saying, “You’re good. I’m okay with this,” who am I to go against that?”

“You’re not supposed to go on the Internet when you’re cast as a superhero. But after taking on Johnny Storm in Fantastic Four—a character originally written with blond hair and blue eyes—I wanted to check the pulse out there. I didn’t want to be ignorant about what people were saying. Turns out this is what they were saying: “A black guy? I don’t like it. They must be doing it because Obama’s president” and “It’s not true to the comic.” Or even, “They’ve destroyed it!”
“Sometimes you have to be the person who stands up and says, “I’ll be the one to shoulder all this hate. I’ll take the brunt for the next couple of generations.” I put that responsibility on myself. People are always going to see each other in terms of race, but maybe in the future we won’t talk about it as much. Maybe, if I set an example, Hollywood will start considering more people of color in other prominent roles, and maybe we can reach the people who are stuck in the mindset that “it has to be true to the comic book.” Or maybe we have to reach past them.
To the trolls on the Internet, I want to say: Get your head out of the computer. Go outside and walk around. Look at the people walking next to you. Look at your friends’ friends and who they’re interacting with. And just understand this is the world we live in. It’s okay to like it.”

FANTASTIC FOUR, a contemporary re-imagining of Marvel’s original and longest-running superhero team, centers on four young outsiders who teleport to an alternate and dangerous universe, which alters their physical form in shocking ways. Their lives irrevocably upended, the team must learn to harness their daunting new abilities and work together to save Earth from a former friend turned enemy.

Directed by Josh Trank, The Fantastic Four reboot stars Miles Teller as Mr. Fantastic, Michael B. Jordan as the Human Torch, Kate Mara as Invisible Woman, and Jamie Bell as the Thing. The film is scheduled for release on August 7, 2015.

AGENT CARTER & AGENTS OF SHIELD NEWS

Iain DeCaestecker & Nick Blood had the following conversations talking about the future of Agents of SHIELD in the upcoming third season!


“Director Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) embarks on a deadly new secret mission to protect the world from new threats in the wake of SHIELD’s wars with Hydra and a rogue faction of Inhumans.”

Some good news for Agent Carter fans here. Actress Haley Atwell has revealed that the upcoming second season of the show will run for 10 episodes – 2 more than its debut season. Peggy and co. are set to return to our screens during Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s midseason hiatus, but there’s no word on whether the extra couple of Agent Carter episodes will have any bearing on the length of the third season of Marvel’s flagship series.

Atwell also says that she’ll be crashing the Atlanta set of Captain America: Civil War next week, but she’s most likely just kidding since we know that.


“Dedicated to the fight against new atomic age threats in the wake of World War II, Peggy must now journey from New York City to Los Angeles for her most dangerous assignment yet. But even as she discovers new friends, a new home — and perhaps even a new love — she’s about to find out that the bright lights of the post-war Hollywood mask a more sinister threat to everyone she is sworn to protect.”

When it came to boarding ABC’s Marvel limited series Agent Carter as composer, Christopher Lennertz, who had an interview with Deadline, already had the job before the cameras rolled. More specifically, he served as composer for the Marvel One-Shot: Agent Carter short that was included on the Avengers DVD. The short’s director, Marvel copresident Louis D’Esposito, also helmed Agent Carter’s first episode and served as the series executive producer.

What made Lennertz—a 2006 Emmy nominee for his Supernatural score—the lead contender for the gig was his experience with 1940s-era military music as well as the spy genre sound, respectively accentuated in his scores for the Steven Spielberg World War II videogame Medal of Honor and the 2005 James Bond game From Russia with Love.

“They wanted the music to be smart and lush,” says Lennertz of the direction from the Marvel folk. “(Agent Peggy Carter) isn’t a superhero, but she’s a super spy, and the action music lives in the world of James Bond and Mission: Impossible.”

In exuding Carter’s spirit, Lennertz employed brass indicative of the big band era, specifically French horns for the action scenes, as well as strings. “Peggy is sexy and seductive and with the strings one can slip into espionage and tension,” explains the composer.

At one point, Lennertz’s orchestra numbered 60 members, including a Russian men’s choir for a folk choral piece used in episode five. But one of the most vital instruments that truly captured Carter’s aura was Lennertz’s use of the alto flute. “It feels like a strong woman’s voice, especially as she’s sneaking around” he says of the instrument heard frequently in composer John Barry’s Bond scores. “It also has that spy quality. Peggy is a real ’40s woman—curvy and strong. She can hold a machine gun with the best of them.”

JESSICA JONES NEWS

A couple of weeks ago, Netflix unveiled the latest synopsis for A.K.A. Jessica Jones, which is currently filming in New York and should wrap sometime in July. Since then, however, things have been relatively quiet besides some set photos.

With the show nearing the end of production, that should change soon enough. We should be getting an official logo soon, if not a concept poster, and possibly an official still or two to get fans excited for the release later this year. (As of right now, there is no official release date although it is looking like it’ll be in November or December.)

For now, we have a few photos of Krysten Ritter (Jessica Jones) and David Tennant (Purple Man), thanks to the DailyMail, on set to hold us over.

Ever since her short-lived stint as a Super Hero ended in tragedy, Jessica Jones has been rebuilding her personal life and career as a hot-tempered, sardonic, badass private detective in Hell’s Kitchen, New York City. Plagued by self-loathing, and a wicked case of PTSD, Jessica battles demons from within and without, using her extraordinary abilities as an unlikely champion for those in need… especially if they’re willing to cut her a check.

RANDOM TIDBITS

The Amazing Spider-Man Universe is dead. Andrew Garfield will no longer be playing Peter Parker when the wall-crawler makes his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut, and Sony’s spinoff plans have been put on the back burner while Kevin Feige looks to repair the damage they did to the franchise.

One idea thrown around by Sony was a female led spinoff, and some “Sony Hack” emails actually addressed the possibility or bringing Emma Stone back as either Spider-Gwen or – seriously – Carnage. That could still happen, and when MTV News caught up with the actress, they asked her if she would be interested in taking on the role. It sounds like she very much is, and while Stone points out that a lot of moving parts would have to come together to make it happen, Marvel and Sony would no doubt have a hit on their hands if they moved forward with Spider-Gwen.

The video is also well worth a watch to see Bradley Cooper’s complete befuddlement at the name as he questions why she would be called Spider-Gwen when Spider-Man isn’t called “Spider-Peter”.

Latino-Review.com reported, and backed up by El Mayimbe, that Asa Butterfield (Hugo, Ender’s Game) had been cast as the new Spider-Man. After that news broke several trades denied Butterfield got the part, but did verify he is the frontrunner.

That same day, a link to that story was posted on Reddit. Nothing unusual about that, except for the fact that Asa Butterfield himself dropped in and made two comments, which he later deleted. He did so using the screename “Stimpers,” which he verified for an AMA years back.

Because Butterfield hasn’t appeared in a lot of projects over the past few years, many outlets have been using old images of the actor when he was much shorter. This has led to a misconception about his height, which Butterfield clarified.

He then deleted those comments. Why? Notice how he didn’t confirm nor deny the report. Was he instructed by Marvel or his agent to delete them?

Source: Comicbook.com

And those aren’t the first comments Asa has made regarding Spider-Man on Reddit. Here’s two more comments (screengrabs) he made months back.

Source: Comicbook.com
Source: Comicbook.com

Some audition tapes were going around for season two of Daredevil, and they appear to be for fan-favourite character Elektra. They’re looking for actresses with martial arts and dance experience, and the two featured here both have very exotic looks.

As you can see, there is no videos here as they have now been removed from many video sites, adding some weight to the speculation that they were meant for the role of Elektra.

Elektra for the uninitiated is a lethal scarlet assassin. Daredevil’s most fearsome enemy as well as his former lover and most renowned as being the greatest assassin in the world.

A few weeks ago, we heard reports that Marvel were interested in hiring director Ava DuVernay to helm one of their upcoming Phase 3 movies – widely rumored to be either Black Panther or Captain Marvel. The Wrap, who originally broke the news, recently sat down with actor David Oyelowo, who received a Golden Globe nod for his portrayal of Martin Luther King Jr. in DuVernay’s Selma. The actor insisted that a studio like Marvel would be “smart” to hire his longtime colleague:

“The thing about Ava is everything she touches she elevates. She bakes into it who she is. So, if Marvel is as smart and as brave to go on that journey with Ava, I’m personally the first in line to see what she does with that. I think she’s going to take it in directions that are both exciting and provocative, and different to what you’ve seen thus far. It’s always going to be a Marvel movie, but she is so singular as a director that I think her, plus that brand is an exciting idea.”

While Oyelowo did seem very excited to see his friend join up with the world of CBMs, he himself appeared to be a little more hesitant about the idea of starring in one:

“For me personally, I tread with caution around the notion of those kinds of characters. Depending on which one of them you’re playing, there’s always a danger you’re going to get so identified with this larger than life character, that it could become tougher for audiences to believe you in other roles.”

Check out some fantastic Avengers: Age of Ultron concept art that was recently posted by Marvel Studios’ conceptual designer Josh Herman, and the visual effects company MPC (Moving Picture Company).

Josh uploaded the work he did on Iron Man’s Mark 45 armor (along with Phil Saunders), Hulkbuster armor (along with Josh Nizzi), the villainous Ultron (along with Ryan Meinerding and Charlie Wen) and various designs for the peacekeeping robots known as the Iron Legion.

MPC released four images featuring designs for the interior of Avengers Tower, formerly known as Stark Tower. We got a good look at during the party scene that Ultron (voiced by James Spader) crashed. What a party pooper.

And that is that for another Marvel Madness. Hopefully you are all stocked up on all things Marvel for this week! Check back next week for more!

PEACE!!

MARVEL MADNESS #6: Matthew McConaughey Has Been Talked To, Pratt’s Contract, Psylocke’s Hair, And More!

dailynerdaccess 20th Century Fox, Chris Pratt, Guardians of the Galaxy 2, James Gunn, Marvel, Marvel Madness, Marvel Studios, Marvel's Daredevil, Matthew McConaughey, Movie News, Olivia Munn, X-Men Franchise

This week’s Marvel Madness is chocked full of Matthew McConaughey, Chris Pratt’s movie contract, Daredevil, James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy 2, the colour of Psylocke’s hair, and much much more!

Following his breakout roles in Mud, Magic Mike, Dallas Buyers Club, and “True Detective,” actor Matthew McConaughey has been more in-demand than ever before and apparently Marvel Studios and Warner Bros. wanted him in their respective cinematic universes. Speaking with Variety, McConaughey was asked if he’d ever consider being in a superhero movie and revealed that he has been courted by both studios before.

“I’ve read some Marvel and DC scripts and I’ve talked about working with them on some scripts, none of which I’ll share with with you what they are — or were. Yeah, I’ve circled some of those. Nothing has been right for me yet. But I’m sure open to it.”

McConaughey was then asked what would convince him to be a part of one, saying:

“It’s very simple for me. I look at the script. Is the opportunity exciting? Is the money that comes with it exciting? Sure. Is it the possibility of going, ‘Hey you can get on a train and it can be a franchise and you could do 3, 4, 5, and have a great time as some kind of superhero or anti-hero.’ But I would also look at something like that and say, ‘Hey, in success that means you are on the train for a while.’ Contractually, you’re going to return to the character over and over. It’s something I asked myself is it something I’d want to return to. Would I be excited to go back and put the shoes on the character again? Going and doing the press tour with that group of people again? I always ask myself those questions again. It starts with the story and character.”

When Marvel Studios began building their cinematic universe they have the foresight to lock up their future movie stars to multiple films, removing the possible contractual potholes that could appear down the road. Now that Guardians of the Galaxy has grossed a gazillion dollars fans of the MCU are interested in knowing how many films its star Chris Pratt is obligated to do. GQ got some answers.

Guardians of the Galaxy was the making of Pratt, but however effortless it may have seemed on-screen, the movie’s deft combination of action and comedy, sincerity and levity, didn’t come easily.

“[Guardians director] James Gunn had a hard time working with me for about the first half of the movie,” Pratt explains. “He’ll say—and I wouldn’t want to be quoted [sounding like I was] saying this about myself—I’m a much more cerebral person than you may expect. You may see this guy who’s sort of like goofy and funny and doesn’t give two shits, but really I’m thinking a lot, in my head below the surface.” Too much, in fact, so that sometimes Pratt would lose track of the natural instincts Gunn had liked. “It’s a little bit like a Venus flytrap,” says Pratt. “If you stick your finger in and it closes, it takes like a week to open back up. So he had a hard time working with me because he’d tell me something, or I’d do something, and the next thing you know he couldn’t get me back to where I started originally.”

“I think that he had gotten a lot of success over the past few years being the funny sidekick,” says Gunn, “which means that he always has to juggle to entertain everybody. And the truth is, Chris didn’t trust himself to just be Chris Pratt—and how desirable that is to an audience.”

“I thought I was bad,” Pratt concurs. “I thought I was doing bad acting. I would just think: My bullshit meter’s going off. This screams inauthentic to me.” Pratt says that Gunn had little patience with this. “He’s like, ‘Who gives a shit what you think? I don’t fucking care!’ “

He’d literally say that?

“Yes! He’d be, ‘It’s not your fucking movie, dude, it’s mine! Trust me and shut the fuck up and do what the fuck I tell you, and scream it!’ He’s like, ‘More! Louder!’ I would get pissy because as an actor, you sometimes hate that direction: Louder, faster. But it’s true—sometimes you have to be louder, speak more clearly, let the words do the work, and just get out of the way.”

“I think being the center of focus on the actual movie set,” says Gunn, “and having to learn this balance, which I think he had never learned before, of both allowing himself to be the center of attention while simultaneously realizing in what areas he is completely unimportant—that’s what being a movie star is, and it’s a very difficult balance for someone to learn.”

They say the suit makes the man, and with a hero whose look has become as iconic as Daredevil’s, that applies ten-fold.

With the Netflix Original Series “Marvel’s Daredevil,” the creators behind the series had to reimagine Matt Murdock’s classic suit to fit in with the grounded, street-level tone of the series.  In order to accomplish this, they looked to the team of designers and costume artists at Marvel Studios—headed up by Ryan Meinerding—to take a crack at some of the visuals and designs for the series.

“Joe Quesada got in touch and asked if I could help out,” recalls Meinerding. “Our whole team actually did designs, [including] Rodney Fuentebella, Andy Park, Jackson Sze, Josh Nizzi, and Anthony Francisco. I think we all did a round of designs as fast as we could, and they settled on one of mine. Beyond that, we did our normal process of modeling the head and the cowl [in] 3D with Josh Herman, and then I was involved throughout the costume creation process.”

Marvel CCO–and one of the series’ Executive Producers–Joe Quesada, known for an immensely influential run as the artist on Daredevil’s comic series, also had a hand in the series’ designs.

“The starting point is always story,” explains Quesada. “We had to come up with a logical reason as to how someone with Matt Murdock’s means and ability to actually make a costume could make that dramatic of a leap from the vigilante costume to the super hero [suit]. Once that logic was in play, which was the Melvin Potter of it all, we had to build to that point. I think if we had gone to that red costume too soon, it would have caused a lot of viewers to bump on the material, because it was so grounded in the real world.”

The “Melvin Potter of it all” refers to the character who, in the series, actually helps Matt build his final Daredevil suit. Having a character like Potter, a mechanic, actually develop and build the costume in the series gave the team a basis to work off of.

“The tone that was really communicated was the sense of realism that they were going for,” relates Meinerding. “I think the way that [manifested itself in] the costume was through the armor and making it feel a little bit more padded than you traditionally think of Daredevil being. When we do these designs, there’s a concept of grounded and a concept of reality. The grounded nature that they brought to the vigilante costume was the simplicity and effectiveness, because you’re trying to conceal your identity but also [have to be] mobile enough to fight.
“When you do a super hero costume in that world, it’s hard to be as real as you need to be, because you’re making it heightened. So you try and find the touchstones for that with armoring pieces that you would want armored, like your shins and your forearms for blocking and hitting as well as having things be riveted on. The overall layout of that costume is really that it’s meant to look like a Kevlar vest with stuff underneath it. That’s what we were going for.”

Quesada commends Meinerding’s work, commenting on many of those “touchstones” added to the design.

“One of my favorite parts of the costume is that if you look very, very closely at some of the way the armature is attached to the costume, you can actually see rivets,” Quesada elaborates. “There was something about that particular element that I told Ryan, we should lean into that a little bit because that is so quintessentially New York and how the city itself is constructed. And Melvin Potter, being who a guy who’s working on engines [and] a bunch of different things, rivets seem like something he would use. Ryan also did some great stuff with respect to the placement of blacks against the red, the way that the darker portions of the mask are constructed to really give the full feeling of when comic artists draw that mask and rim light it in red while leaving the center portions black.”

Daredevil’s cowl remains one of the most defining characteristics of his look, lending him the nickname of Hornhead, so that in particular had to come out just right.

“The horns are iconic, and we had to be careful as to how we handled them,” remarks Quesada. “I think what Ryan did is absolutely spectacular, when you really look at the structure of the helmet and the horns, because those can be done in a way where they actually look silly. He created an architectural design, an angular design for the horns, that just feels natural to the cowl.”

As Quesada hinted, bringing that cowl to life wasn’t as simple as slapping a couple of horns on and calling it a day.

“One of the most interesting things about Daredevil, that I hadn’t fully appreciated before I started working on the character, is that I think that head is one of the most difficult heads to design for a live action context,” confesses Meinerding. “Because if you have a mask like Captain America’s, it’s difficult in it’s own ways, but you still have the actor’s eyes coming through. So you get performance, you get a sense of who they are, of their expression, of what they’re doing. [As a result] the bottom half of the face matches the top half, in terms of expression. With Daredevil, because half of his face has to be covered and has its own expression and the actor’s face is going to be doing something else, it’s actually a very difficult challenge to come up with something up top that’s not going to bump with something down below.”

In the end, one more element had to fall in place before Daredevil’s final suit could fully harken to the iconic look from the comics.

“The billy clubs, designed by Andy Park, were also very important,” stresses Quesada. “There was a discussion early in the process, because Charlie Cox [and his stunt double] Chris Brewster are both right handed, of having the billy clubs holster on the right leg. But Daredevil wears those billy clubs on the left hand side. So while it would have been easier to place the holster on the right we all felt that we had to keep to the classic profile and keep them on the left. It made life a bit more difficult for Charlie and Chris, but they caught on pretty quickly. No matter how you sliced it, they were going to have to holster the billy clubs without looking because lets face it, DD would have no need to look.

“Ultimately I think the silhouette is always what’s really important. Does it look heroic? Does it look like our character? If he stands on the parapet of a roof and turns his head and we see those devil horns, is it Daredevil? I think that’s where Ryan succeeded and exceeded all of our expectations. It’s Daredevil.”

Kicking off Marvel’s 2017 plans, the second year of “Phase 3″ of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the first year the studio will have three theatrical releases, will be the sequel to surprise hit Guardians of the Galaxy. Writer and director James Gunn was confirmed to helm GOTG 2 before its predecessor even opened in theaters and he’s already working hard developing the followup.

Over the weekend, Gunn held another live Q&A session via Twitter’s Periscope livestreaming app, and spoke quite a lot about Guardians of the Galaxy 2.  In responding to questions, he explains that he’s been rushing to get the sequel’s script done and has already completed a draft, only now finally taking a breather. He’s aiming to complete it before heading to Columbia next month to shoot his next film, The Belco Experiment, which he is writing and producing.

As we reported in early April, Gunn was very quick to submit a lengthy 70-page story treatment to Marvel’s creative committee, not long after pitching a story for the sequel which Gunn claims is “risky” for Marvel in how different and original it is compared to the comics. The “story about fathers,” as Gunn labels it already has at least one draft of the script done which he’s revising and tweaking. Production begins next February so there’s still a long while before concrete details begin leaking out from him and Marvel Studios.

What we do know from this latest Q&A is that one new main character will be joining the team in GOTG 2 and from our talks with Gunn during the Guardians of the Galaxy press junket, he made it clear that he wants at least two female members on the team in the next film. He also hinted that someone familiar may join the team. If it’s not an Avenger (which Gunn has also hinted at in the past) an easy guess would be Yondu (Michael Rooker) who in the comics is a future member of the team and who we know has a major part in the sequel as well, returning alongside his right-hand man, Kraglin (played by James Gunn’s brother, Sean Gunn).

When asked about casting newcomers for Guardians of the Galaxy 2, Gunn revealed that the process has already sort of begun. He’s already talking with someone about playing the character he has in mind, a new Guardian, as he labels it. We don’t yet know who that is, but in terms of the core Guardians of the Galaxy roster, we’re guessing based on Gunn’s words since the first movie came out, that there will be two additions to the team: someone we’ve met and someone we haven’t who he’s talking to now – even if it’s informal talks at this point.

Star Wars creator George Lucas thinks that a new Howard The Duck movie could be a hit—so long as Marvel Studios rendered the titular fowl  in computer generated imaging.

“Someday, I hope, Marvel will make a new version of Howard the Duck, and you’ll see it could be a good movie,” Lucas told Wired Magazine. “A digital duck will make that thing work.”

This comment may prompt an eye-roll or two from those familiar with Lucas’ career. Though celebrated as the creator of Star Wars, Lucas has been equally criticized for his over-reliance on CGI effects in the Star Wars prequels, and for stuffing CGI effects into his classic Star Wars trilogy for the “Special Editions” released in 2004.

Interestingly, Lucas served as executive producer on Marvel’s 1986 Howard The Duck movie. Though nary a pixel was to be found, the film is still generally regarded as one of Marvel’s worst. But now that Marvel Studios has brought the character (in full CGI) into their cinematic universe through Guardians of the Galaxy, perhaps Lucas will get his wish.

Phil Lord spoke briefly to The Hippojuice Podcast (via /Film) about the upcoming animated Spider-Man film he and Chris Miller have in early development at Sony Pictures, although it doesn’t sound like there are any solid details to share quite yet.

NON-MCU STUFF!

X-Men: Apocalypse hair designer Felix Lariviere has confirmed, via Twitter, that Psylocke will have purple hair in X-Men: Apocalypse.

In the comics, Psylocke is a British woman and natural blonde. She dyed her hair purple during her early pursuit of a modelling career. Even after Betsy was forced to body swap with the Asian assassin Revanche, she continues to be drawn with purplish hair (black with a purple shine, at its subtlest).

Olivia Munn will play Psylocke in X-Men: Apocalypse. I’m sure fans will be eager to see the results of her purple dye job.

The X-Men: Days of Future Past – Rogue Cut Blu-ray release will feature a sneak peek at the upcoming Fantastic Four movie.

The Fantastic Four preview is part of the over 90 minutes of never before seen special features promised to be included with the release, in addition to the Rogue Cut itself. The Rogue Cut Blu-ray also includes the theatrical version of Days of Future Past.

The Rogue Cut will add 17 minutes to the theatrical cut of X-Men: Days of Future Past, including a restored action sequence featuring Rogue (Anna Paquin) breaking out of a Sentinel controlled prison camp.

Other special features included on the Rogue Cut Blu-ray are:

Audio Commentary by Bryan Singer and John Ottman for the Rogue Cut
Audio Commentary by Bryan Singer and Simon Kinberg for the theatrical cut.
Mutant vs Machine
X-Men: Unguarded
Gallery
Second Screen App

X-Men: Days of Future Past – Rogue Cut will be released July 14.

And that’s all folks! Hope you have been now inundated with all things Marvel for awhile, BUT be sure to check back next week for more!

PEACE!!

MARVEL MADNESS #5: AGENT CARTER S2, AGENTS OF SHIELD S3, NEW AVENGERS, CIVIL WAR SET, AND MORE

dailynerdaccess ABC Studios, Ava DuVernay, Black Panther, Captain America : Civil War, Captain Marvel, Joss Whedon, Marvel Madness, Marvel's Agent Carter, Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, Movie News, Rick Famuyiwa, TV News

So this week’s Marvel Madness we talking renewals for both Agent Carter and Agents of SHIELD, our first look at the New Avengers, a gargantuan amount of Civil War set photos, possible Captain Marvel and Black Panther directors, and of course rumours and other stuff!

LET’S GET CRACKING!!!

Agent Carter Season 2:

“Dedicated to the fight against new atomic age threats in the wake of World War II, Peggy must now journey from New York City to Los Angeles for her most dangerous assignment yet. But even as she discovers new friends, a new home — and perhaps even a new love — she’s about to find out that the bright lights of the post-war Hollywood mask a more sinister threat to everyone she is sworn to protect.”

Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 3:

“Director Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) embarks on a deadly new secret mission to protect the world from new threats in the wake of SHIELD’s wars with Hydra and a rogue faction of Inhumans.”

Agent Carter will once again fill Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s time slot while the latter series is on mid-season hiatus.

As Marvel’s Avengers: Age of Ultron continuously dominates at the box office both domestically and globally, the many visual effects companies that contributed to the superhero sequel are now showing off their incredible work. We have some before/after shots that include an official look at the new costume designs for the Falcon, Scarlet Witch, War Machine, and the Vision that might carry over into Captain America: Civil War.

Furthermore, we also have some official Age of Ultron stills showcasing the Iron Legionnaires by VFX studio Trixter, as well as Perception’s main-on-end title sequence, which featured a sweeping shot of the super cool monument of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes in battle with Ultron.

Before the opening of Age of Ultron, Whedon spoke to Hero Complex regarding the enormity of the project and the pressures that came with it. So, what most took its toll on the writer/director?

“The weight of the thing, the weight of the last thing, of this not just being the next thing that happens — I wanted this film to be its own movie. I wanted it to be better, if possible, than the first one — not that the first one was the best movie ever made, but I wanted to do better, just be better at shooting. I wanted to work harder on the script. I wanted to spend more time just really working every aspect of it, because why go again if you’re not doing something new?”

Indeed, that desire to do something new and unique has not always gelled with Marvel execs – just ask Edgar Wright. But even more so than Marvel’s head honchos, the main voice pressuring Whedon was apparently his own:

“I heard that voice in my head every time, ‘But is this a great idea?’ And suddenly I had doubt that I don’t usually suffer from. And meanwhile, the studio’s gonna have some too, because everything’s riding on this all of a sudden. And it became a problem in a way that nothing else has. And it was a hard movie to make on top of that. So being paralyzed by either indecision or the weight of responsibility? Not useful, don’t have time for your paralysis, son, snap out of it. This was the hardest work I’ve ever done… it a little bit broke me.

According to The Wrap, Marvel are eyeing Ava DuVernay to direct one of their upcoming diverse superhero movies. Those are obviously Black Panther and Captain Marvel, and insiders indicate that it’s the former which is currently the most likely possibility. That’s set to be released in 2018, a little sooner than Carol Danvers’ big screen debut, possibly explaining why Kevin Feige is looking to land the Selma director. She also has a credit for “promotional services” on Spider-Man 2.

They add that there is mutual interest on both sides, but Marvel is still considering other filmmakers. A woman has yet to direct a superhero movie, and the fact that DuVernay is both non-white and non-male would earn some serious PR points for them. That aside though, DuVernay is a great director who received almost unanimous critical acclaim for her work on Selma.

Variety reports that there’s still hope for ABC’s next spinoff of “Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD.” Despite recent reports that the spinoff series (which was confirmed to be in early development this April) is dead, ABC Entertainment Group president Paul Lee says there is still a possibility for the project.

On Tuesday’s conference call ahead of the network’s Upfront presentation in New York, Lee raved about “SHIELD” and “Agent Carter,” which returns midseason with Season 2, revealing, “it certainly is a possibility of spinning them off.”

The spinoff was rumored to focus on Adrianne Palicki’s Bobbi Morse and Nick Blood’s Lance Hunter, and Lee admitted, “We absolutely love those characters on ‘SHIELD,’” so much so that they didn’t want to mess with success by attempting a spinoff at this point.

“SHIELD” has been a solid performer for ABC in ratings, and the eight episodes of “Agent Carter” maintained the show’s momentum during its winter break.

Lee also gave vague details about “American Crime” creator John Ridley’s highly classified Marvel project, saying “I can’t talk about the John Ridley one, other than to say that he’s working on it.”

So far, the majority of filming for Captain America: Civil War has taken place indoors on sound stages in Atlanta, Georgia. However, it appears the Marvel Studios production will finally be heading outdoors this week as locals have spotted some intriguing set preparations in multiple locations. One set of photos via ATLwood411  show what appears to be an entire village that’s likely doubling for part of the Black Panther’s African nation of Wakanda. Especially given previous Civil War casting calls had requested many extras for African Market scenes to be filmed this week.

Meanwhile, the Atlanta Journal Constitution has shared some more photos from a different filming location for Captain America: Civil War. These particular photos, as well as a filming notice, indicate that Atlanta will also be doubling for London and during a period setting in the movie. Apparently, the production crew has transformed an Irish pub into an English Pub, and the filming notice suggests the scenes here will take place “solely” inside the building. However, the pub’s exterior will be visible through windows in the scene, so that explains the period cars and set dressings below.

After transforming different parts of Atlanta into Africa and Europe, Captain America: Civil War has now utilized a nearby church for scenes involving a funeral. There’s no word on who will kick the bucket in the highly-anticipated Marvel sequel, but the scene is said to also take place in London. And thanks to Lorenfay, Corey Tatum, and Jennifer Brett, we have some photos that feature several extras all dressed for the occasion, as well as a supposed first look at Chris Evans (Steve Rogers) and Emily VanCamp (Sharon Carter) from afar. Instant speculation would suggest that the funeral is for Hayley Atwell’s Peggy Carter, who we know is elderly and suffering from alzheimer’s.

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Thanks to Just Jared, we finally have a good first look at Chris Evans (Steve Rogers), Emily VanCamp (Sharon Carter), and Anthony Mackie (Sam Wilson) as the stars were filming two seperate scenes yesterday in Atlanta, Georgia, for Marvel Studios’ highly-anticipated Captain America: Civil War.

As previously reported, Evans and VanCamp took part in scenes involving a funeral that’s set in London, which makes us think that it’s for  Hayley Atwell’s former S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Peggy Carter. Of course, we won’t know for sure until next summer. Meanwhile, the leading man and co-star Mackie were also spotted filming a different scene together at an unknown location. Anyhow, check it out!

CA: Civil War | Set Photos | 1

Even more Captain America: Civil War set photos thanks to Just Jared, and which seemingly reveal why Chris Evans (Steve Rogers) and Anthony Mackie (Sam Wilson/ Falcon) are in full costume for today’s scenes in Atlanta, Georgia an African village. That’s right, actor Frank Grillo, who is reprising his Captain America: The Winter Soldier role as Brock Rumlow aka Crossbones in a much larger part, has now been spotted in full costume.

CA: Civil War | Set Photos | 2

In addition, the Daily Mail has provided more shots from the funeral scenes in which Chris Evans is still dressed in all black while helping to carry the casket. We also have our first photos of Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow( It appears directors Anthony & Joe Russo have given Black Widow long hair again following her shorter ‘do in Avengers: Age of Ultron), who it seems was also attending the funeral which is more than likely for Hayley Atwell’s Peggy Carter.

CA: Civil War | Set Photos | 3

Thanks again to Just Jared we see Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow heading into action (or escaping it) after some sort of scuffle, but where this will fit into the threequel remains to be seen.

CA: Civil War | Set Photos | 4

Once again thanks to Just Jared, we have even more images of Captain America wielding something, and another shot of Crossbones and The Falcon.

CA: Civil War | Set Photos | 5

And last but not least we have 4 set photos of Scarlet Witch herself, Elizabeth Olsen!!

Marvel’s “Avengers: Age of Ultron” pases the billion-dollar mark 24 days after its global release! This marks the third time a Marvel Studios film has crossed this milestone and makes it the highest grossing film of 2015, domestically.

“Avengers: Age of Ultron” started hitting theaters on April 22 and debuted at #1 in all territories! In the U.S., it achieved the second biggest opening weekend of all time with $191.3M, behind only “Marvel’s The Avengers,” and in Brazil, Mexico, Hong Kong, Philippines, Ecuador, and Bolivia, “Avengers: Age of Ultron” had the biggest opening weekend ever.

RUMOURS

We’ll meet Chadwick Boseman’s Black Panther for the first time in Captain America: Civil War next year, but Marvel are already looking for a director to helm T’Challa’s 2018 solo movie. It sounds like Ava DuVernay is a strong contender, but now another name may have entered the mix, and once again, it appears as if Kevin Feige is going to make an unexpected and interesting choice.

According to El Mayimbe (via Twitter), it sounds like Marvel have met with Dope director Rick Famuyiwa. It’s strictly a rumour for now of course, but the studio is known for hiring lesser known (i.e. cheap) filmmakers who have impressed critics and moviegoers with TV shows or smaller films. Famuyiwa is a native of Nigeria, and the buzz around Dope has been good, so it’s well worth keeping an eye on this.

It’s hardly a spoiler to say that superheroes will fight in next year’s Captain America: Civil War, but a new rumour details a specific battle between one fan favourite character and another who will be introduced to the MCU for the first time next year.

It’s nothing too revealing of course, but it is interesting to wonder what will lead Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) and Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) to come to blows in Captain America: Civil War next year. For example, whose side will they each be on? Now that we know he has a family – who he wants to keep secret – my guess is that Clint will side with Steve, but we’ll just have to wait and see.

Will the Green Goliath be smashing his way into Captain America: Civil War along with the rest of his Avengers team-mates? That’s certainly seems to be what Mark Ruffalo is suggesting with both the Tweet below and this Instagram post, but it’s always possible he’s just having a bit of fun or welcoming the new cast members to the MCU. Then again, it seems odd that he’d wait a full week after the announcement just to do that.

The full casting announcement for Captain American: Civil War confirmed the long standing rumours of Paul Rudd and William Hurt appearing in Civil War, with Rudd of course returning as Scott Land and Hurt reprising his role as General Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross, last seen in The Incredible Hulk. But these confirmed castings also lend credibility to a rumour from last year concerning their roles in Civil War, as well as Hurt appearing in Ant-Man. Because it’s an old rumour it’s worth revisiting in light of this new confirmation.

Spoiler Warning: Possible heavy spoilers for both Ant-Man and Civil War ahead.

Given it’s a superhero movie, we can safely assume that Scott Lang is successful in stopping Darren Cross’s evil plan in Ant-Man (whether or not this involves Cross actually being killed, or perhaps banished permanently to the microverse ready to return in future installments, remains to be seen). Normally, I wouldn’t count out Hank Pym’s character biting it to create some emotional pathos for our characters, but a rumour last year also provides details about a possible post-credit scene involving Pym, as well as how Ant-Man fits within the tapestry of the larger Marvel Universe. Apparently the events of Ant-Man take place in the same time frame as Avengers: Age of Ultron, rather than after it, but the post-credit scene catches us up with the aftermath of Age of Ultron. According to the report, the post credit scene involves General Ross (played by Hurt) reaching out to his old colleague Hank Pym, on behalf of Tony Stark. When Pym asks Ross why Stark needs him, Ross allegedly responds, “Haven’t you seen the news? We’re at war.” Now, this doesn’t quite fit into the end of Age of Ultron – things are relatively peaceful when the credits roll – but perhaps futurist Tony Stark is predicting the Civil War to come, and wants Pym on his side. The report also suggests that Tony is reluctant to use his own technology after the disaster that was Ultron, and so requires the military aid and scientific expertise of Ross and Pym.

The report also features a hint about both Black Widow’s role in Civil War. The report confirms early rumours that Black Widow’s role in Civil War will be a relatively small one, with Widow “arrested for aiding fugitive superhumans in a power play by Stark.” A smaller role for actresses Scarlet Johansson makes a great deal of sense. Not only are there an absurd number of characters appearing in Civil War –there are thirteen returning characters, plus the introduction of Black Panther, Baron Zemo, Everett Ross (likely), and of course Spider-Man – but she also has a nine-month old child and an incredibly busy 2016 lined up. Johansson is scheduled to start shooting Ghost in the Shell in January or February of next year, followed by Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 & Part 2 later that year, which will reportedly film for approximately nine months.

Finally, the report goes on to suggest that Ant-Man may be brought into the Avengers film in a jail break sequence freeing Black Widow. The source suggests this would take place in a future Marvel film, but given Ant-Man’s confirmed appearance in Civil War it seems more likely that this would happen in that film. Captain America recruiting former ne’er-do-well Ant-Man to join The Avengers, only to use him in the service of breaking a prisoner out of jail, seems like a perfect way to bring Scott Lang into the larger Avengers fold.

Of course, it’s worth taking all these rumours with a large grain of salt – Marvel is well known for its constant story revisions, and the source for these rumours was anonymous and seemingly unverified. Still, they all seem relatively plausible, and the confirmation of these characters appearances in future marvel films – long before such casting was announced – lends them credibility.

That’s all folks, hope you have now fulfilled your Marvel news cravings! But be sure to check in next week for more news about Marvel!
PEACE!!

MARVEL MADNESS #4: ANT-MAN Poster, CIVIL WAR Art, Joss Revealing All, AND MORE!!

dailynerdaccess Ant-Man, AVENGERS AGE OF ULTRON, AVENGERS Infinity War, Black Widow, Captain America : Civil War, Charlie Cox, Jeremy Renner, Joss Whedon, Mark Ruffalo, Marvel Madness, Marvel Studios, Marvel's Daredevil, Phase 3

Well will you look at that it is another Wednesday which means another Marvel Madness! This week’s edition we have an Ant-Man poster, Civil War promo art, Joss revealing all, Ruffalo talking HULK, Spider-Man directors?, and much much more!

By way of a thank you for making Avengers: Age Of Ultron a “global event”, Marvel has released a new theatrical poster for their next movie, Ant-Man. This international one-sheet features Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) surrounded by friend and foe alike.

In “Ant-Man,” Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) approaches master thief Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) with a suit that grants him the ability to shrink in size but increases his strength! Scott must embrace his inner hero and put the suit to good use and save the world under Pym’s leadership.

Ant-Man stars Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas, Corey Stoll, Evangeline Lilly, David Dastmalchian, Michael Pena, Bobby Cannavale, Abby Ryder Fortson, Judy Greer, Wood Harris John Slattery and Gregg Turkington. The film opens July 17, 2015

Umberto Gonzales has given us our first promo art for the upcoming Marvel movie, Captain America: Civil War, and as you can see, Steve’s suit hasn’t been changed all that much from Avengers: Age of Ultron, but it does have quite a bit more red and maybe a slightly more armoured look. He’s going to need that extra protection too, especially as Iron Man appears to be in a version of the “Bleeding Edge” armour from the comic books. The circular arc reactor Joss Whedon was so fond of also appears to be gone, while the helmet gives off something of an Ultimate vibe

Also speaking to MTV, Chris Evans stopped short of calling Captain America: Civil War an Avengers film. Instead, he revealed that Civil War is more of a “setup man” for Avengers: Infinity War. Said Evans, “Captain America: Civil War is the jumpoff into Avengers: The Infinity War. Civil War is going to be the setup for the real battle. So yeah, there are a lot of people – a lot of people in Cap 3.”  
Watch the video above to see the rest of the Age of Ultron cast discuss appearing in Civil War and coyly tease where their allegiances may lie between Captain America and Iron Man.
Captain America: Civil War is directed by Joe and Anthony Russo, and confirmed cast members include: Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff / Scarlet Witch, Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow, Chris Evans as Steve Rogers / Captain America, Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark / Iron Man, Jeremy Renner as Clint Barton / Hawkeye, Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes / Winter Soldier, Daniel Brühl as Baron Zemo, Frank Grillo as Brock Rumlow / Crossbones, Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson / Falcon, and Chadwick Boseman as T’Challa / Black Panther. The film is set for release on May 6, 2016.

Age of Ultron Spoilers Incoming*

CinemaBlend asked him if Aaron Taylor-Johnson took the role of Quicksilver because he knew that it would be a one-and-done part, that he wouldn’t be locked into a lengthy Marvel contract, like other actors. And according to Aaron Taylor-Johnson, that wasn’t the case, at all. The actor told me during our exclusive interview:

No, because… I still feel like, you know, they were the best. I mean, I thoroughly enjoyed working on [this movie], and would love to do, I would love to being doing more movies with the guys at Marvel. Maybe there will be some case where that might happen. Again, I’m not sure, but…”

At that point, I pointed out that no one really dies in the MCU. Nick Fury and Special Agent Phil Coulson both “died” on screen, but found ways to return. Elaborating on that, Aaron Taylor-Johnson admitted to me:

I’d love to find what that loophole is, because I think they’re the best guys I’ve worked with in a long time, and yeah, you know, it’s cool.”

While talking with Empire Magazine, Avengers: Age of Ultron writer/director Joss Whedon talked about the shocking death in the movie, the new line-up at the end, what part Loki would have played in the film, his hopes of having Captain Marvel and Spider-Man in the film, and the Hulk in space rumors.
Here’s some of the things he talked about but check out the podcast down below!
Whedon revealed that there were never any real plans to send the Hulk to space, and that there are still no plans for a Planet Hulk movie, at least not that he knows of.

“You know, I never intended to shoot him into space. What I wanted to do was indicate that he might. I wanted the sky above him to be slightly thinner. A few stars. Because, you know, I put in, very specifically, the line, ‘Where in the world am I not a threat?’ And I wanted to leave people with the idea that, if this is the last movie, that he may have left the world behind, because I think there is something enormously poetic about that. There is also something enormously misleading about that, because they don’t plan to make Planet Hulk, as far as I know, so they were like, ‘No, just sky, no stars,’ which was less poetic, but still very beautiful.”

One of the weirder digressions in Avengers: Age of Ultron has Thor seeking answers to questions that crop up in a nightmare sequence. It feels tacked on, almost as if it were part of a much longer storyline that was whittled down into near-incoherence. As it turns out, that’s exactly what it is.
Director Joss Whedon reveals what we’re missing in the final cut of the movie, and with that added context, it makes much more sense. 
Whedon explains what was supposed to happen.

There was a 195-minute cut of this movie. The original scene was that Thor went to speak to the Norn and how it would work was that he’d go in the pool and the Norn possess him, basically, and Erik Selvig asks all the questions, and the Norn, speaking through Thor, give the answers. So Chris [Hemsworth] got to do something different, and he really threw himself into it, and he did a beautiful job, but it wasn’t well regarded by the test audiences and I feel it’s probably largely because it was a rough cut with no effects, but also because it’s something that in a Thor movie would work brilliantly, but in this movie is just a little too left of centre.

The Norn are, essentially, goddesses of destiny within the Marvel universe. I’m betting one of them is the mystery woman in the cave who was spotted in early trailers for Avengers: Age of Ultron, but got cut before the film hit theaters.
Whedon admitted that integrating Thor into Avengers: Age of Ultron was a challenge, but thought the subplot he finally came up with was “a huge win.” Unfortunately, the execs didn’t seem to agree:

The dreams were not an executive favorite. The dreams, the farmhouse, these were things I fought [for]. With the cave, they pointed a gun at the farm’s head and ‘Give us the cave’. They got the farm. In a civilized way – I respect these guys, but that’s when it got really unpleasant. There was a point when there was going to be no cave, and Thor was going to leave and come back and say, ‘I figured some stuff out.’ And at that point I was so beaten down, I was like, ‘Sure, okay… what movie is this?’ The editors were like, ‘No no, you have to show the thing, you just can’t say it.’ I was like, ‘Okay, thank you, we can figure this out!’ You can tell it was beaten down, but it was hard won.

In his latest round of Avengers: Age of Ultron post-premiere interviews, director Joss Whedon has revealed that he filmed an ending with a very different outcome. And for anyone who’s seen the film can probably guess, that outcome involves a living and breathing Quicksilver, who perished in the film’s final act.
Whedon revealed to the Empire Film Podcast that he fully intends for Quicksilver to stay dead:

It felt very disingenuous for me, especially the second time around, to make what I refer to as ‘a war movie’ and say that there is no price and everybody walks away. In this movie, we’re saying, ‘Prove to me that you guys are heroes.’ And he’s the guy that does it.
I knew it would be resonant, and make everything else work better and matter more. The city in the air, that’s just an explosion – Wanda’s grief, that’s extraordinary. 

It’s not ultimately up to Whedon, though, and he’s well aware of that fact. In fact, he planned for the possibility that he would be overruled.

I said to Aaron, ‘The only way you’ll stay alive is if the Disney executives say, “Hey idiot, this is a franchise, and we need all these people and you’re not allowed to kill them off!”
We did actually shoot him in the last scene, in an outfit, with his sister. We also shot him, waking up, saying, ‘Ah, I didn’t really die from these 47 bullet wounds!’

*End of Spoilers

Whedon addressed the Avengers Age of Ultron Spider-Man rumors. Speaking about the Avengers lineup at the end of the movie, he revealed:

I wanted all those people. I said, it would be great if we could just add a few more, if we could have a Captain Marvel there, that you’ve made a deal for. And they talked about it. I was like, ‘And Spider-Man, we could do that too, cause Sony had approached us during the first movie about a little integration.
So I would have put both of them in, but neither of the deals were made. And then they were like, ‘We’re making a Captain Marvel movie and we’ve got Spider-Man as a property,’ and I’m like, ‘I’ve already locked my film, you fuckers! Thanks for nothing.’

Here’s the podcast to listen to your heart’s content:

Collider had a chat with the HULK himself, Mark Ruffalo, they talked about Avengers: Age of Ultron, his movie contract with Marvel, Hulk’s involvement in Captain America: Civil War, and more!

Please enable Javascript to watch this video

Mark Ruffalo:

Discusses worst job before acting and his old boss.
[01:31–5:00]: Talks about most memorable moment on the set of Avengers: Age of Ultron, his movie contract with Marvel, Hulk’s involvement in Captain America: Civil War, and why we haven’t seen a new standalone Hulk film.
[5:01–9:10]: Discusses the future of Hulk in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in regards to the end of Avengers: Age of Ultron and beyond, his discussions with Joss Whedon, and twists in the film.
[9:11–11:00]: Talks about deleted scenes in Avengers: Age of Ultron, and teases Now You See Me 2.

If you saw AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON, and the box office returns indicate you probably did, you likely noticed multiple scenes in the film that address the potential casualties as a result of Ultron’s actions as well as those of the Avengers themselves. This is a stark contrast to the events in both MAN OF STEEL and THE AVENGERS, two films criticized in different ways for the way they tackled the civilian body count in their respective scenes of city-wide destruction.
In an interview with Vulture, director Joss Whedon responded to why they felt it was necessary to represent the carnage responsibly.

“Absolutely, yes. Something that Kevin and I talked about from the start was that we’d seen a little bit of a trend in movies where the city gets destroyed and the heroes say, ‘We won!’ And I’m thinking, Define ‘win.’ [AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON] gets back to what’s important, which is that the people you’re trying to protect are people. We knew that we wanted to play with a lot of big, fun destruction, but at the same time, we wanted to say, ‘There’s a price for this.’ So we got very specific about it, because whether the Avengers are heroes or not is called into question in this movie, or whether the hero as a concept is still useful for society. It sort of becomes the central issue in the final battle, and it’s also a good way for Earth’s Mightiest Heroes to be put at a disadvantage.”

During an appearance on the Conan show on Monday night, Jeremy Renner opened up about the trouble that he got into for calling Black Widow a slut.

“It was a joke, off-colored, whatever, but yeah, I’m unapologetic about a lot of things,” said Renner. “But yeah, I got in a lot of Internet trouble. I guess that’s a thing now.”

Renner added, “I was asked the question like, so Black Widow’s been linked to Hawkeye, Iron Man, Bruce Banner, and Captain America, so what do you think about that. Well, I said, ‘It sounds like she’s a slut.’ Now, mind you, I was talking about a fictional character and fictional behavior, but Conan if you slept with four of the six Avengers, no matter how much fun you had, you’d be a slut.”

Collider recently spoke with Hardy, and touched on superhero movies with the actor. Hardy was set to star in the supervillain team-up film Suicide Squad, but had to drop out. Nevertheless, he still wants to do a comic book movie, and at the top of his list is The Punisher:

Collider: I heard Warner Bros. has a few more superhero movies, maybe one or two that they’re developing [Laughs].

HARDY: I want The Punisher… I want The Punisher, or Splinter Cell, I want something…I don’t know what I want.

You as Punisher could be very interesting.

HARDY: I’m not big enough to be The Punisher, I’m 5’9” [Laughs].

But I actually think that adds to the character.

HARDY: Frank Castle, I would love it. Is that him, isn’t it?

Yeah. It’s Frank Castle.

In the following interview with MTV News, Daredevil star Charlie Cox reveals which specific comic book storyline featuring a team-up between the Man Without Fear and Spider-Man he’s particularly fond of, as well as his desire to make that a reality on the big or small screen.

The British actor also comments on his character’s role in the likes of Civil War and the New Avengers, and seems hopeful that he will end up becoming part of one of those in Marvel’s Phase 3 slate. Cox also expresses disappointment that real-life friend Andrew Garfield is no longer Spidey.

Deadline are reporting that Marvel Studios have narrowed their search for the director of the Untitled MCU Spider-Man. They sat that these are in contention for the director’s chair: 50/50 and Warm Bodies writer/helmer Jonathan Levine; Ted Melfi, writer/director of Golden Globe-nommed St. Vincent; Pitch Perfect helmer Jason Moore; John Francis Daley & Jonathan M. Goldstein, the directors/writers of the updated version of John Hughes’ Vacation; and Napoleon Dynamite and Don Verdean writer/director Jared Hess.

Deadline also gives us a possible plot-line for the movie itself saying that Kevin Feige and his producing accomplice Amy Pascal are planning an arc that will tell the Spidey story over three to four movies, each covering a year of high school for Peter Parker, who’ll already have been bitten by the radioactive spider so we don’t have to see that all over again.

Slight AoU Spoilers

As we know, Thanos will try and assemble all of the Infinity Gems before we get to Avengers: Infinity War part one and two. Even though we have a pretty long way to go before we lay eyes on this film, you can keep your knowledge of the MCU fresh. How so? You can check out a handy new infographic constructed by IGN, which tells you everything you’d want to know about the infinity stones we’ve seen so far.

Ant-Man will be in theaters July 17, 2015; Captain America: Civil War – May 6, 2016; Doctor Strange – November 4, 2016; Guardians of the Galaxy 2 – May 5, 2017; Spider-Man reboot – July 28, 2017; Thor: Ragnarok – November 3, 2017; The Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 – May 4, 2018; Black Panther – July 6, 2018; Captain Marvel – November 2, 2018; The Avengers: Infinity War Part 2 – May 3, 2019; Inhumans – July 12, 2019.

Phew! That’s a wrap for me for this week’s Marvel Madness, click here for other things and don’t forget to come back next week for more Marvelous news!

PEACE!

MARVEL MADNESS #3: Hawkeye Going Solo?, Marvel Annoyed With Joss, Scarlet Witch Costume And MORE!

dailynerdaccess Elizabeth Olsen, Hawkeye, Jeremy Renner, Joss Whedon, Marvel Madness, Marvel Studios, Movie News, Scarlet Witch, Spider-Man

So it is another Wednesday and that means another Marvel Madness! This week’s edition covers topics like a possible Hawkeye solo movie, Marvel butting heads with Joss Whedon, the updated Scarlet Witch costume, and MORE!

Iron Man, Captain America and Thor each must be something special. Out of the current Avengers line-up (not including Edward Norton’s Hulk), they are the only ones to have starred in standalone films. While Marvel teased big plans for Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk and Scarlett Johansson keeps lobbying for a Black Widow movie, poor Hawkeye is chillin’ in left field. He does have a significantly larger part to play in Avengers: Age of Ultron, but will we ever get to see him in a solo Hawkeye film?

The Daily Beast recently spoke with Renner about his latest reprisal of the character for this weekend’s big superhero movie event, but the site also asked about this pressing issue. According to Renner, it’s not out of the realm of possibilities.

There are always talks about things, but that doesn’t ever mean they’ll become a reality. All these things can still happen. They just pave some road and plant some seeds for future things—if they choose to go down that road.

AVENGERS AGE OF ULTRON SPOILERS from this point on! 

So at the end of Marvel’s Avengers: Age Of Ultron, Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) becomes a full-fledged member of the team, and gets a brand new costume (and hairdo) to mark the occasion. She’s seen using her powers to levitate, and as she lands the camera pans up for the reveal, which is why we only have an image of her from the waist up. Those hoping for something more similar to the barely there outfit she sports in the comics might be disappointed, but I think most would agree it’s a pretty cool look for the character.

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******AVENGERS AGE OF ULTRON SPOILERS******SCARLET WITCH NEW COSTUME
Posted by Sean Murphy TV on Monday, 27 April 2015

Spider-Man: The New Avenger? According to Umberto Gonzales (who is no longer part of Latino-Review and is instead creating his own site), that might be the title of Marvel’s Spider-Man reboot.

It’s strictly a rumour for now, and chances are that those previous reports about the movie being called Spectacular Spider-Man were correct. However, Spider-Man: The New Avenger works a lot better, especially as it will make it clear to regular moviegoers that this version of the wall-crawler exists in the same world as The Avengers, and not the one created by The Amazing Spider-Man movies. Kevin Feige will want to do everything possible to distance this franchise from that one.

This title would also confirm that Spidey will be a member of the team which rumour has it will be led by Doctor Strange in the Marvel Cinematic Universe following the events of Captain America: Civil War.

Joss Whedon has been talking about the confusion he caused by killing off Agent Coulson in The Avengers movie, bringing him back to life in the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. TV show, but then keeping him dead for Avengers: Age of Ultron.

IGN caught up with the writer-director to discuss the new film, and asked if Phil Coulson is indeed still deceased as far as the movies are concerned.

“Yeah he’s dead. The entire television series is just a fever dream. It’s a Jacob’s Ladder moment he’s having at the point of death, but we don’t give that away until after season seven. And there’s a snow globe. Now I’ve given it away. Bollocks!

“It’s a weird little yes and no. As far as I’m concerned in the films, yes he’s dead. In terms of the narrative of these guys [The Avengers] his loss was very important. When I created the television show, it was sort of on the understanding that this can work and we can do it with integrity, but these Avengers movies are for people to see the Avengers movies and nothing else. And it would neither make sense nor be useful to say ‘Oh and by the way remember me? I died!’”

And it sounds like the somewhat confusing decision has caused some consternation within the MCU.

“I think actually the movie people were a little bit cross about the TV show.” “They were sort of like ‘Well you can have this but not this. And this but not that.’ It’s complicated enough as it is without me adding another layer of complication. We also created a TV show called S.H.I.E.L.D. right before they made a movie where they destroyed S.H.I.E.L.D.. So everybody’s having a GREAT time!”


In the above interview with IGN, Avengers: Age of Ultron director Joss Whedon confirms that he pushed for Daredevil to get a movie rather than a TV show. It’s not a fight he won obviously, and Kevin Feige’s decision to reboot the character on the small screen obviously paid off in a major way as the Netflix series has been hugely successful. Why then did Whedon want DD to get a movie?
“I fought for Daredevil to be a film instead of a TV show,” Whedon reveals. “Then under the auspices of Drew Goddard and Steve DeKnight… I’m dying to see the show but they released it just as I started the press tour! If the show’s working, the show’s working. Comic books are serialised entertainment and a lot of them lend themselves to TV shows as much or more than they do to movies.” Charlie Cox has said that he would like to star in a Daredevil movie, while there have been rumours that the Man Without Fear will show up alongside his fellow Defenders in Avengers: Infinity War. A cameo in Captain America: Civil War is looking extremely unlikely. 
What makes Whedon suc a big fan of the character? “I like him because he’s basically Marvel’s Batman, thanks to Frank Miller basically. So for me I didn’t think they’d be able to sustain that sort of mood on TV but TV has changed so much. It’s come up so much that I think it might just be the right place.” 

It could just be a matter of time before Marvel and Sony officially announce our new Spider-Man, because the latest report reckons Asa Butterfield (Ender’s Game, Hugo) is not only the frontrunner, but might possibly have the role in the bag already. Latino Review‘s sources believe the 18-year-old actor is the favourite, with one of them pretty sure he’s already been cast, claiming “Marvel had liked him since day one.”

After launching in 44 markets with $200.2M, Walt Disney’s Marvel Avengers: Age of Ultron is setting foot in the states. Conservative estimates see the film doing safely $200M at the domestic B.O. at a total of 4,247 engagements, but industry estimates see the Marvel superhero team film easily kicking the first Avengers, which owns the highest domestic opening of all-time at $207.4M, aside with a bow of $210M-$230M. Note that $230M is a very aggressive estimate.

At the recent Los Angeles press day for the film, Collider landed an exclusive interview with Scarlett Johansson. She talked about the positive reception for the film, how much Kevin Feige has told her about Black Widow’s future, working with Captain America: The Winter Soldier directors Joe and Anthony Russo again on Captain America: Civil War and what she thinks of them directing Avengers: Infinity War, her reaction to reading the Civil War script, her Marvel contract, and her thoughts on a solo Black Widow movie.
Obviously your character is an integral part of the Marvel universe and for the foreseeable future. How much has Kevin Feige told you, ‘This is where we’re going with the character’ and how much is it you figuring it out movie by movie?
JOHANSSON: I think in the grand scheme of things The Widow has a greater purpose, and I think all of the characters do one way or another. There’s definitely –especially with the Civil War coming up I think it’s pretty clear where the pieces will fall. I think all that we’ve built up to this point, in regards to our characters’ own individual kind of moral compass and thought process, and background, and training, and experience, will have us kind of siding one way or another. That part of it is –I know where I’m going, I’m not always sure how I’m gonna get there, and that is developed over each film.
You’re getting ready to film Civil War, which so many of us are so excited for, also because Spider-Man’s being brought into the picture and you’re working with Joe and Anthony Russo again. How excited are you to jump back in to something that so many fans are looking forward to?
JOHANSSON: I’m excited to work with the Russos again, they have a very different approach to this universe than Joss, just different. It will be interesting to see how they treat all of these new characters. When we were doing Cap 2 the film felt very much like we were doing a kind of ‘70s style car-chase political thriller; it had that kind of flavor, but they were also dealing with far less characters, the stakes were just different. Now with Civil War it’s gonna be interesting to see how they set up this next phase. I think Cap 3 is definitely sort of like a pre-Avengers 3 and 4, it feels like that, whereas Cap 2 didn’t feel like necessarily it was part of The Avengers. I mean, it does and it feels like a piece that fits in, but it didn’t feel like it was leading you into Avengers 2.
Have you read the script for Civil War? What was your reaction when you did?
JOHANSSON: I have read the script for Civil War. You know, the film has a very different feeling than kind of anything that I’ve read or been a part of Marvel’s before. These films are –I don’t think darker is the right word because there’s definitely always going to be some kind of levity and that comes in like a form of humor, or hope. When you compare these films to like Batman, it’s a different feeling obviously, it’s a different audience experience, but these films as the stakes loom like larger and larger I think these films are kind of maturing with the audience; so there’s even kind of more –I think– complex psychological twists that I sort of hadn’t necessarily anticipated.
Your relationship with Cap is so strong from Winter Soldier, does that automatically mean Black Widow sides with Cap in Civil War?
JOHANSSON: [Laugh]. I can’t say anything about that. [Laughs].
[Laughs] I had to try though.
JOHANSSON: I think that…It’s…I can’t say anything [Laughs].
There’s been a lot of talk that with Avengers: Infinity War Part I and II some of the cast might only be in Part II because of contracts. Are you in both parts of that, do you know?
JOHANSSON: I don’t know, I believe so. I have no idea exactly what shape those scripts are gonna take, so it’s too early to say.
I wanted to specifically ask a lot of the cast yesterday about contracts, because a lot of people are coming near the end of their contracts, and I don’t know what you signed on for, I don’t know if it’s public knowledge. But are you nearing the end of your contract?
JOHANSSON: My contract has changed; myself and Marvel didn’t really know how the fans were gonna react to Black Widow the first time and how she was gonna be—they couldn’t anticipate how they would want to user her or if they would want to use her. I mean we invest in that character, but the audience had a great reaction to the character, which has been so awesome. For instance, I wasn’t contracted into doing Cap movies, but that storyline worked out so well I kind of branched off and I found myself in that standalone movie. My contract is kind of mutating, I guess [Laughs] or morphed to fit the demand of the character.
So basically you still have multiple pictures left or it’s been a good relationship back and forth?
JOHANSSON: It’s been a very good relationship back and forth and I think Marvel—the one thing about working with them is they don’t want anybody to work in the movie that doesn’t want to be there, obviously. So whatever you’re contracted to should not feel like golden handcuffs, and they don’t want that either.
A lot of people want to see a solo Black Widow movie and were a little bit disappointed that on the epic schedule that Marvel released, there was no solo movie. How do you feel, do you want to have a solo movie on your own, or do you feel that maybe the character is best when it’s part of this group ensemble?
JOHANSSON: I think that there’s room for a standalone movie. The character has a really rich origin story and I’ve been really fortunate to kind of place all these layers on top of one another and kind of build up this character to this point where I think I can now start to peel them away and reveal different sides of her and really focus on—I think I’ve been able to grow with the character, the character’s been able to grow with me. Her dilemma that she faces it’s a deeply personal one, she has this great, huge, epic kind of calling and now is suddenly going, ‘Wait a minute. I have this epic calling, but I wanna make a choice for myself. I feel like I’ve put in the hours, I should be able to make active choices’ and she inevitably chooses the heroic path and kind of puts her own personal desires and needs aside. Those are things that kind of butt up against each other and interesting things happen when you have a character that’s pulled in many different directions and I think there’s –In my mind there’s room for plenty of more Black Widow and certainly more –I think I could see her in a standalone film.
If you don’t mind, have you actually asked Kevin, ‘Hey, Kevin…’?
JOHANSSON: I’ve spoken to Kevin about it. I mean, of course, of course we’ve had that conversation before, and I think Kevin would also like to see a standalone film. I think I can speak for him and say that. That’s all, really. Right now I think this character is used well in this part of the universe, but I think that Kevin, I mean, we’ve talked about it and we both share similar vision for what could be a standalone series.
And THAT’S ALL FOLKS!! Be sure for to check out more news here, and see you next week!

MARVEL MADNESS #2: HULK’s Future, DAREDEVIL Season 2, Black Widow In CIVIL WAR, And More!

dailynerdaccess Adam McKay, Ant-Man, Black Widow, Inhumans, Joss Whedon, Mark Ruffalo, Marvel Madness, Marvel Studios, Marvel's Daredevil, Phase 3, Scarlett Johansson

Well it’s Wednesday and do you know what that means? It’s another issue of Marvel Madness! This week we got the renewal of Daredevil, Black Widow in CIVIL WAR, the Hulk’s future, Adam McKay being a possible director for a phase 3 movie, and MORE!

Marvel and Netflix are proud to announce that “Marvel’s Daredevil” will receive a second season, available only on the streaming service in 2016!

With the first season of “Marvel’s Daredevil” proving a smash success with both audiences and critics, Netflix and Marvel will continue to create further adventures of the Man Without Fear! Doug Petrie (“Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” “American Horror Story”) and Marco Ramirez (“Sons of Anarchy”), who worked closely with Executive Producers Steven S. DeKnight and Drew Goddard during the first season, will serve as showrunners for Season 2. Petrie, Ramirez, Goddard (“Cabin in the Woods”), and Jeph Loeb (“Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.”) will serve as Executive Producers of Season 2.

“While previous commitments unfortunately prevent me from continuing on with Daredevil into its second season,” DeKnight explains, “I could not be happier that Doug Petrie and Marco Ramirez are carrying the torch. They were invaluable collaborators during our first season, and I for one can’t wait to see what they do with the show moving forward.”

“Marvel’s Daredevil” is produced by Marvel Television in association with ABC Studios for Netflix.

Thanks to HeyUGuys, you can watch the full UK press conference for Avengers: Age of Ultron for you to watch below. It’s pretty much just 25 minutes of the kind of questions which will make you facepalm as a comic book fan – be on the lookout for the guy who tells a befuddled Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans that the movie was “Not bad, could have been better!” – but there are also some very interesting tidbits. For example, there’s talk of both a solo movie for Black Widow and a hint at what’s next to come for The Hulk. Head to the 20 minute mark for that, but be warned of spoilers.

Amid promotion for Avengers: Age of Ultron, which opens internationally today, Scarlett Johansson talked a bit about her return as Natasha Romanoff, aka the Black Widow, inthe much-anticipated Captain America: Civil War. IGN asked the actress if she’d like to see Widow’s past explored more, or would she rather the character move forward and become sort of a mentor to the new Avengers.

“I think that the Widow’s past will always haunt her,” she replied. “She’s trying to move forward, she’s trying to pick up the pieces of her life. I think we’ll see parts of that in Cap 3 when we find her. And certainly she has a greater purpose, and I think that greater is charged by this need [for her] to escape her past. So, it’s always kind of right there, kind of looming over her shoulders.”

In a separate interview with Reuters at yesterday’s European premiere of Avengers: Age of Ultron, Scarlett Johansson had teased a darker tone in Captain America: Civil War. “I can’t elaborate too much on it,” she said. “But as the scope of these movies is larger and larger and the danger kind of looms larger and larger, I don’t want to say that the film has a darker tone, but the film has a darker tone and I think it’s maturing along with the fans.” Meanwhile, Digital Spy recently asked Chris Evans and Jeremy Renner about their respective return as Captain America and Hawkeye in Civil War. Watch that interview below as well as Scarlett Johansson’s.


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Could we see Adam McKay direct Marvel’s Inhumans movie? It’s definitely a distinct possibility… but then according to Kevin Feige, he could also wind up helming any of the future films in the pipeline. The Marvel head honcho sat down with Collider while doing press for Avengers: Age Of Ultron, and confirmed that the studio was still interested in working with McKay, who was in line to direct At-Man at one point and worked on a script draft with actor Paul Rudd. 

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“Adam McKay is in the running for everything. Adam McKay is a great, great writer and director. He did an amazing pass on the Ant-Man draft with Paul Rudd for us, and I didn’t know him before then. And we got to know him through that and liked him very much, and have met with him a number of times trying to find something else, so we’ve talked about a lot of characters with him.”

So it sounds like it’ll only be a matter of time before McKay officially comes on board a Marvel project; the only question is, which one? Inhumans needs a director of course but then so does Black Panther and Captain Marvel — though word is Marvel is hoping to set a female film-maker to that one. Feige was also asked to clarify if a rumored Inhumans logline (“a group of people that are given powers only to discover they might be part of an alien race”) was true or not, to which he responded: “Well I’d say that’s relatively fair, but that’s not official. I’ve never seen that as an official logline.”

Here’s what the Avengers: Age of Ultron director had to say when he was asked by Buzzfeed if he had any thoughts on Wright’s departure from Ant-Man.
“No…Only that I don’t get it,” he said. “I thought the script was not only the best script that Marvel had ever had, but the most Marvel script I’d read. I had no interest in Ant-Man. [Then] I read the script, and was like, Of course! This is so good! It reminded me of the books when I read them. Irreverent and funny and could make what was small large, and vice versa. I don’t know where things went wrong. But I was very sad. Because I thought, This is a no-brainer. This is Marvel getting it exactly right. Whatever dissonance that came, whatever it was, I don’t understand why it was bigger than a marriage that seemed so right. But I’m not going to say it was definitely all Marvel, or Edgar’s gone mad! I felt like they would complement each other by the ways that they were different. And, uh, somethin’ happened.”
Well that wraps up Marvel Madness for another week! Check back next week for the third issue!

MARVEL MADNESS #1: Hemsworth’s Contract, Whedon’s Final Cut, And More!

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Welcome to the first edition of Marvel Madness where I give the most recent Marvel news that you may have missed during the week! This edition we have Hemsworth’s contract, Whedon’s Final Cut, and much much more!

Vulture recently got the opportunity to sit down with the movie’s director, Joss Whedon, and it was during this chat that the actor revealed the length of the sequel’s very first cut. Of course, this behemoth needed to be cut down, and ultimately Joss Whedon had a very specific goal for the film’s runtime. He explained,

There’s one or two things that I’m unhappy about not having in there, but they’re small. I said to [Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige] before we started, ‘My secret fantasy that’ll never come true is that the second one is shorter than the first.’ And we’re shorter by a minute.

When asked if he would regret not getting to write an Avengers: Infinity War scene in which the likes of Iron Man and Star-Lord cross paths, Joss Whedon asked,

“Oh, buddy, are you kidding? I’m angry about scenes between people in my movies that I didn’t get to write! No, there’s a huge part of me that would love to do Infinity War. I mean, come on, it would just be so glorious. But that would be four years of my life… after which, I would be 20 years older.”

However, the filmmaker admits that he does not rule out some sort of writing contribution to the Phase 3 event.

“I love this place and these guys, and I can’t imagine not sitting down and talking about the movies with them, but whether or not that’s an official thing, I don’t know.” 

CinemaBlend chat with Kevin Feige about the very same subject during this weekend’s press event, and while he downplayed the runtime mentioned by Whedon by about 45 minutes, he reiterated the Avengers: Age of Ultron director’s sentiment about the longer cuts not being anything that fans actually want to watch. Said Feige,

Most films you can put an assembly together and it can be two hours and 45 minutes to three hours. I think the longest version of this was two hours and 45 minutes, thereabout. The longest version of Ant-Man was three hours, but nobody wants to see those versions of the movie.

The woman seen disrobing in a cave in the Avengers: Age of Ultron trailer had fans guessing about her identity. Is it Shuri? Jocasta? Then early reports from journalists who had seen the film said that the character didn’t appear at all in the final cut, confusing matters even more
Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige tells Cinema Blend that it was all a dream:

That was just the imagery. That was just interesting imagery as part of a dream sequence… It was part of when Thor was looking around at the oddity and the strangeness happening and it was just an image marketing grabbed.

Feige admits that sometimes the studio likes to mess with its fans, but that it wasn’t the case in this instance.

Sometimes, not in that case. In that case it was just an arresting image which seemed interesting and when marketing presented it to us, we said, ‘Oh yeah, cool! This is great! Amazing, great work.’ And then it started to go out and I thought, ‘People are going to read into all this stuff.’

When Entertainment Tonight spoke James Gunn at Avengers: Age of Ultron red carpet premiere, the filmmaker admitted to feeling pressure about the Guardians 2 soundtrack.

“Originally, people kept asking me ‘Don’t you feel a lot of pressure to do the second movie,’ and I didn’t in general because we had our hands tied behind our back on the first one. But I had to introduce all those characters so it seems like doing the sequel is actually easier in that respect. But I did feel a little pressure with the soundtrack because so many people loved and we went platinum and all that other stuff. But I feel like the soundtrack on the second is better, so I’m excited about it.”

Furthermore, James Gunn says he will soon be going into hibernation to begin the scripting process on Guardians of the Galaxy 2, which starts filming in Atlanta, in February.

“I’m just about to start the screenplay so it’s a heavy time. “I’m going to lock myself away. I’m not going to see anybody. Going to become very very stinky. Going to eat a lot of crap food and not have much of a life for a little while, while I am working on the screenplay. But I am really excited about it and I feel really good about the story. It really is something unique, so I feel good about it.” 

Badass Digest talks Captain Marvel in Avengers: Age of Ultron. Joss Whedon actually shot visual FX plates to have Captain Marvel fly into Avengers HQ at the end of the movie, only to replace her with another character at the last minute.

Here’s Kevin Feige talking about it. There are minor, minor spoilers regarding a character who joins the team at the end of the film (who has already been referred to as an Avenger by all the marketing). He starts off by scolding me for writing about early drafts of the script.

There were drafts that maybe people somehow got their hands on and read early on that included some characters – maybe others, but certainly one, which is why it’s dangerous to read scripts early on, and talk about them early on…
[Captain Marvel] was in a draft. But to me, it would have done that character a disservice, to meet her fully formed, in a costume and part of the Avengers already when 99% of the audience would go, ‘Who is that?’ It’s just not the way we’ve done it before.
Thanos is the good ‘Who’s that,’ because he’s clearly a bad guy, for comic fans he represents a specific storyline, you can get the buzz started from fans to non-fans with that cameo – as opposed to a title character, who deserves their own story. Even Black Widow you don’t meet in the last two seconds of Iron Man 2 wearing her costume – you evolve that going forward.
The way we reveal Scarlet Witch [in costume] at the end of the movie? Those were Captain Marvel plate shots. Joss said, ‘We’ll cast her later!’ And I said, ‘Yeah Joss, we’ll cast her later.’ [Whispers to an invisible associate who isn’t Joss] ‘We’re not putting her in there!’
Finally Joss was like ‘Let’s use those plates to let Scarlet Witch fly into frame, give her a big entrance?’ And that makes sense – she’s come to their side, and she deserves the cool intro, which will feed into another movie we start shooting in a few weeks.

That last bit sounds like confirmation of Scarlet Witch in Captain America: Civil War, by the way.

Collider recently sat down with Chris Hemsworth and Chris Evans at the Avengers: Age of Ultron junket, and he asked the actors how many movies they have left on their contracts. Hemsworth’s answer brought up a curious piece of info:

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The Aussie actor seemingly seem’s to confirm that he will indeed appear in both  Avengers: Infinity War movies, contrary to rumors that had him solely in Part II. Of course, Marvel’s plans could always change in the future but right now it looks like Hemsworth will also be in Infinity War: Part I, as said by himself in the interview above. It also looks like Chris Evans may have upped his contract as well.

Spoilers ahead for Avengers: Age of Ultron.

During her red carpet interview tonight at the Avengers: Age of Ultron premiere, actress Julie Delpy revealed — unintentionally, apparently — the nature of her character in the film.

Delpy was a last-minute addition to the (known) cast list, and speculation has swirled around who she might play. The Before Midnight actress hadn’t made a public appearance in support of Age of Ultron before now, and when she did, she apparently immediately spilled the beans…

…and then did so again, in communicating to the hosts at the red carpet that she’d done so.

Delpy will apparently play one of the trainers from the Black Widow project, who made Natasha Romanova into the character that she was when we met her in Iron Man 2.

Despite the fact that he starts out on Iron Man’s side in the Civil War comic book, Peter Parker later defects and joins Captain America. It’s not clear whether that is going to happen in Captain America: Civil War next year or just how large of a role he’ll even have, but Chris Evans talks with IGN in the video below about how he would feel about taking the young Spider-Man under his wing as Steve Rogers. Chris Hemsworth meanwhile reveals that Thor would probably choose to side with Captain America because of how things are left between the God of Thunder and Tony Stark in Avengers: Age of Ultron.

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Iron Man and Captain America will be forming a united front in their battle against Ultron when Avengers: Age of Ultron opens in May. As Marvel fans know, they will be faced with significant differences in the upcoming Captain America: Civil War, however.

IGN had the opportunity to speak with Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man) and Chris Evans (Captain America), as well as President of Marvel Studios Kevin Feige during the press rounds for Avengers 2!

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And that will wrap things up for the first edition of Marvel Madness, thank you if stick to the end of this. This I am hoping will become a weekly thing for the benefit of not just myself(cuts down on the work) but also you, the reader!

To Peace!