Kevin Feige Talks Importance Of ANT-MAN In The Marvel Cinematic Universe

Amid the Avengers: Age of Ultron press conference earlier today, Slash Film spoke with Kevin Feige about the significance of Ant-Man, which will cap off Phase Two of the Marvel Cinematic Universe just two months after Joss Whedon’s sequel, and almost a year before Captain America: Civil War.

“It is not [an after-thought],” Feige said of Ant-Man. “The truth is the phases mean a lot to me and some people but…Civil War is the start of Phase Three. It just is. And Ant-Man is a different kind of culmination of Phase Two because it very much is in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.”

Kevin Feige continued, “You meet new characters and you learn about Hank Pym and his lineage with the MCU over the years. But at the same time, it also picks up the thread of Age of Ultron in terms of heroes – major heroes, Avengers – coming from unexpected places. Whether it’s prison in the case of Scott Lang or being a very disgruntled Sokovian Twins as Wanda and Pietro are in Age of Ultron. And in that way it connects a lot. Also, Hank Pym’s attitude towards Avengers, towards S.H.I.E.L.D, and kind of the cinematic universe in general, is much more informed after Age of Ultron events, and in a certain way, before the events of Civil War.”

Armed with the astonishing ability to shrink in scale but increase in strength, con-man Scott Lang must embrace his inner-hero and help his mentor, Dr. Hank Pym, protect the secret behind his spectacular Ant-Man suit from a new generation of towering threats. Against seemingly insurmountable obstacles, Pym and Lang must plan and pull off a heist that will save the world. Directed by Peyton Reed, 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 with multi-hyphenate T.I., and the film opens July 17, 2015

The Avengers: Age of Ultron will be in theaters May 1, 2015; Ant-Man on 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.

Source: Slash Film

Josh Hutcherson Talks Possible SPIDER-MAN Role

Now just three weeks later after the news broke out of good ole Spider-Man swinging into the MCU, many have wondered who would play the web-slinger. In many conversations there was two candiates Dylan O’Brien and Logan Lerman. But now Hunger Games actor Josh Hutcherson has chimed in. “Yeah, of course I’d think about doing it,” Hucherson told Yahoo! last week. “It’s Spider-Man, that’d be really cool. There’s not been any conversations about that, but who knows what would happen.” While previously in contention, the 22-year-old had admitted that even though he wasn’t much of a comic book reader, he did grow up watching Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man movies. And beyond expressing interest in countless other interviews, Hutcherson went all out for his Amazing Spider-Man audition tape, which was released online and can be seen below. Therefore, it’s no huge surprise that he’s still open to the big commitment. However, there are only two actors who have been mentioned for the role, which will likely debut in Marvel’s Captain America: Civil War (May 6, 2016) before the standalone movie (July 28, 2017): Logan Lerman and Dylan O’Brien, both of whom had also expressed interest in Spidey years ago.

DOCTOR STRANGE: Scott Derrickson Teases Dr. Strange

More Dr. Strange Teasing has come from Director Scott Derrickson this evening it seems. Of Course this isn’t from the film or anything just yet but it does tease the lead actor Benedict Cumberbatch in the titular role and is also some pretty cool artwork!

“Strange but not a stranger” – Talking Heads pic.twitter.com/30lPiwfGhk
— Scott Derrickson (@scottderrickson) December 22, 2014

ANT-MAN: Possible Details On How ANT-MAN Will Connect To The MCU Revealed

Marvel’s Ant-Man is perhaps Marvel Studios’ most interesting project at the moment. We know very little about it other than a basic synopsis, but more importantly we know even less about how it will fit into the larger MCU. We’ve heard about cameos from Hayley Atwell and John Slattery as Peggy Carter and Howard Stark, but beyond that nothing. Well, a rumour that recently came across should shed some light on how Ant-Man will factor into the MCU in future movies. Before we continue, be sure to take this all with a TON of salt. The website isn’t necessarily the most reputable, but let’s, for now, give them the benefit of the doubt.

According to StarLog, Hank Pym will not only come across Howard Stark and Peggy Carter in the 60s flashback scenes. Supposedly he will also encounter ‘a young military hot-head by the name of Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross’, who was played by William Hurt in 2008’s The Incredible Hulk. But that’s not all. The article goes on to establish that The Avengers: Age of Ultron will kick-start the events that lead to Civil War, but also that General Ross will be working alongside Stark during the event – which isn’t too hard to imagine given his stance on the Hulk. Apparently Hank Pym will be approached by the General in Ant-Man’s post credits scene, to recruit him to their effort to register all superheroes with the Government. The article also reveals that Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow will be imprisoned during Civil War, which they go on to speculate will lead to Scott Lang breaking her out using the Ant-Man suit.

Now, before we all get excited – this is all still just a huge rumour. But, it does make sense. Hank Pym apparently hates superheroes in the MCU, so his stance on the Registration Act should be a no-brainer – plus, it’s about time General Ross made a comeback in the MCU. And if we’re really reaching – there’s already been an easter-egg spotted on the Ant-Man set in the form of a poster for the drinks Bruce Banner spent his non-Hulk days bottling. But would Marvel really rely on a character we haven’t seen in years to connect Ant-Man to the wider MCU?  I don’t necessarily believe this report – but it’s certainly interesting! Be sure to head over to StarLog to read the full rumour.

What do you think of this rumour? Would you want to see General Ross return to the MCU? Sound off below! Marvel’s Ant-Man is set to release on July 17th, 2015, whilst Captain America: Civil War will hit theatres on May 6th, 2016!??

SPIDER-MAN: Details On Marvel/Sony SPIDER-MAN Deal; Drew Goddard Eyed To Direct Solo Movie

ComicBookMovie.com has been provided with some of the leaked documents from the “Sony Hack”, and they offer up more details on the deal which was being discussed between Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures in regards to the future of Spider-Man.

If Spider-Man appears in Captain America: Civil War, Sony will co-finance 25% of the movie.
Marvel then co-finances 25% of Spider-Man’s next solo film which is scheduled to be released in July 2017. The deal allows Sony to use TWO major Marvel characters and continue the plot from Civil War in regards to how it relates to Spider-Man. Spider-Man would also appear in Avengers: Infinity War – Part 1 in 2018, with another Marvel produced Spider-Man movie following in July 2019.

Sony asked for approval over the costume, script (but only the parts specifically involving Spider-Man), and casting, with said actor required to sign a three-picture deal or more. The way this part of the document is worded makes it sound very much like a collaboration rather than one studio having more control than the other. They do however point out that Kevin Feige must serve as a producer, and if for some reason he leaves Marvel, they would be allowed to select his replacement. They also want Avi Arad and Matt Tolmach to be given executive producer credits, and state that it would be pre-agreed that Drew Goddard both writes and directs the first movie.

On the business side of things, if any of the Marvel movies Spider-Man is included in misses their release date, Sony would be paid damages of $100 million, and the deal would be terminated. Sony have only three years and nine months to start pre-production before the rights revert, and Captain America: Civil War would reset the clock on this period. Sony also asked for Marvel’s help in ensuring that the “D Machine” would have to be accessible for Spider-Man’s solo movies in regards to their TV channels, radio networks, theme parks, and more. The deal would be announced at a press event by both studios on a mutually agreed upon date.

We’ve also seen documents which indicate that The Amazing Spider-Man 2 earned only $65 million BEFORE overheads, and that they expect earnings to significantly increase after making the deal with Marvel. These are internal documents, and it’s not clear how much would change as the deal is discussed. However, this appears to have been put together following discussions rather than as a proposal. We have of course heard that talks broke down, but nothing specific in regards to why, and various outlets have since reported that this is going to happen.

ANT-MAN: Evangeline Lilly Talks About Ant-Man

Evangeline Lilly talks about Marvel Studios’ Ant-Man and how it fits in the MCU plus what her character’s history was like and who set up the first iteration of the Avengers!

While Janet Van Dyne’s ultimate fate in the Marvel Cinematic Universe remains unknown, Evangeline Lilly – who will play Janet’s daughter, Hope Van Dyne, in Ant-Man – seems to have revealed that Janet did have a superhero career at some point.

“I thought Edgar’s idea to blend the [Hank and Scott] stories was brilliant,” Lilly tells BuzzFeed. “You’re going to have fans up there who insist that you tell the story of Hank Pym, and fans up there who will be more on the Scott Lang side of it.…I think we are going to come close to pleasing them all. And what’s cool is that, you know, Janet Van Dyne is my mom. Hank Pym is my father. I was raised by two superheroes. I’m no schlump. I’m a pretty smart, competent, capable, kick-ass female. She’s very cool.”

In an interview with CNN, Evangeline Lily may have hinted at a secret history in the Marvel Cinematic universe.

“She is the daughter of the founders of The Avengers, Ant-Man and the Wasp. She is a very talented, intelligent, capable woman and a force to be reckoned with.”

[‘Ant-Man’] is very much a heist film. It has all the fun, tension and drama of a good heist film. The heist is being masterminded by myself, my father and Scott Lang.”

Describing Ant-Man and Wasp as founders of the Avengers is inconsistent with the known history of the MCU, since we saw the formation of the Avengers in The Avengers. That leaves two possibilities. One is that the Avengers program, initiated by S.H.I.E.L.D., has actually existed prior to the formation of the modern team, and that Hank Pym and Janet Van Dyne were members of the original Avengers team.

The other, possibly more likely, explanation is that Lily was just describing Ant-Man and Wasp based on their history from the comics, where they were indeed founding members of the Avengers, likely learned while researching her own character.

Ant-Man opens July 17, 2015, and also stars Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas, Corey Stoll, Bobby Cannavale, Judy Greer, Tip “Ti” Harris, David Dastmalchian, Wood Harris, Jordi Mollà, and Michael Peña.

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.

Ant-Man wraps up Phase 2 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe on July 17, 2015, preceded by Avengers: Age of Ultron on May 1, 2015. Captain America: Civil War starts Phase 3 on May 6, 2016, followed by Doctor Strange on November 4, 2016, Guardians of the Galaxy 2 on May 5, 2017, Thor: Ragnarok on July 28, 2017, Black Panther on November 3, 2017, Avengers: Infinity War – Part 1 on May 4, 2018, Captain Marvel on July 6, 2018, Inhumans on November 2, 2018 and Avengers: Infinity War – Part 2 on May 3, 2019.