"Comic Book" Movies: Info & Rumors

[mrusse01 0]

I saw Watchmen and didn't think it had any endearing qualities. Even viewing it simply as a film without any consideration to the original work, I thought it was terrible.

I have to completely disagree, I thought it was basically perfect. The level of detail was incredible, and I could just see Snyder and everybody who worked on the movie completely obsessing over every little detail. It was just one of those movies where even if I didn't agree with how they did something, I had to at least admit that I could see their point of view, nothing felt like it was just thrown in there without any real thought. There weren't any complete 'WTF' moments that I so often run into in a movie (Dark Knight's bullet reconstruction baloney being a prime example....the entire plot of Indy IV being another) and wonder to myself, 'who ever thought THAT what a good idea?'.

All that being said, I wouldn't suggest anybody see the movie if they haven't read the original...I just think there is too much information, particularly about the sense of hopelessness and chaos in the book that doesn't translate to the movie as well, but I guess that's the trade off for essentially taking the newspaper vendor out of the story...I expect he'll be in there more in the director's cut.

[Jason Harris 31]

A series of introductory videos to the characters of Wolverine. The story seems to be okay, based on the previews, but the CGI doesn't look great. Also, I really feel Sabretooth should have more than 2-inch hair.

[Scurvy 3]

After seeing the leaked version of the movie, I have to say that I enjoyed it. It had its flaws but nothing that significantly detracted the movie from being entertaining.

[Jason Harris 31]

Tom Hiddleston cast as Loki in Thor (May 2011).

[mack 44]

Yeah, George Kirk I could believe being Thor but not this. At this rate I'm thinking the horrorshow JLA movie will be better.

[Jason Harris 31]

You may have misread, Mack. Hiddleston is going to be Loki.

[mack 44]

No, I didn't. I was saying I can see George Kirk being Thor but can't see this guy as Loki.

[Jason Harris 31]

RUMOR: Brian Blessed as Odin.

I have no idea who the hell the guy is but, then again, I have no idea who most of the people I've posted are.....

[mack 44]

WAT? Brian Blessed is all but confirmed and he's a great fit for it. If you remember the old and cheesy Flash Gordon movie, he was the general of the hawk men. Great beard and a booming voice so I'm sold. Still not sold on Loki as he looks pale and sickly.

[westcoastsniper 0]

or they could base thor off JMS' run and cast loki as a lady... then pale and sickly is just as easy as hiring a supermodel to put on the loki horns and roll around on a albino tiger rug for twenty five minutes, as opposed to getting an 'actor' to play a mischievous trickster that you would need a REAL actor to play.

[GekigangarIII 0]

WAT? Brian Blessed is all but confirmed and he's a great fit for it. If you remember the old and cheesy Flash Gordon movie, he was the general of the hawk men. Great beard and a booming voice so I'm sold. Still not sold on Loki as he looks pale and sickly.

WHO WANTS TO LIVE FOREVER?! DIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIVVVVVVVVVVEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!

[Jason Harris 31]

Variety is reporting that Ryan Reynolds will play Hal Jordan in the live action Green Lantern.

The word is that Warner Brothers became excited about other characters after seeing how well The Dark Knight did, so they rushed to get a script for Green Lantern, which is supposed to have a $200M budget and spend quite a bit of time in space with the Green Lantern Corps.

[Jason Harris 31]

Natalie Portman to play Jane Foster in Thor.

Chris Hemsworth has already been announced to play Thor, as well as Tom Hiddleston to play Loki.

[Jason Harris 31]

Interesting past week for Spider-Man 4.

First is was John Malkovich would be playing the Vulture. Then word was that arguing between Sam Raimi and Sony over different villains would delay production. Over the weekend, Malkovich confirmed he would be playing the Vulture, so Raimi's vision obviously won out. Except yesterday Sony announced that Raimi and Tobey Maguire will no longer be associated with Spider-Man 4. Instead Sony will do a reboot, sending Spider-Man back to high school to deal with being a teenaged superhero. Kind of like in the Ultimate universe.

[mack 44]

It's going to be horrible. Raimi was responsible for all its goodness and Sony interfered with the third, making it the cluster of shit that it was. Now they want it to go the gritty route, going against what makes the character so good in the first place. I hear James Cameron's name being tossed around and I pray it's nothing but rumours as his old Spidey script was horrible. This should be a TV show more than a rebooted movie franchise.

[Jason Harris 31]

That's interesting you say that, Mack, because my fear is they'll try to play up the teenage banter too much and become silly. On the other hand, the three movies never played up the class nerd becoming a hero to the world. If they don't go overboard with the goofiness, that could be fun.

On a different topic, Thor finally started production this week. I like this synopsis of its plot because it implies we'll see Donald Blake:

The epic adventure THOR spans the Marvel Universe from present day Earth to the realm of Asgard. At the center of the story is The Mighty Thor, a powerful but arrogant warrior whose reckless actions reignite an ancient war. Thor is cast down to Earth and forced to live among humans as punishment. Once here, Thor learns what it takes to be a true hero when the most dangerous villain of his world sends the darkest forces of Asgard to invade Earth.

Finally, in a week that actually had news, Peter Sarsgaard just signed to play Hector Hammond in Green Lantern this week. He joins Ryan Reynolds as GL, and Blake Lively as Carol Ferris. I've read the movie will also have Sinestro.

[Jason Harris 31]

Marc Webb just signed to direct Spider-Man 4. He recently directed (500) Days Of Summer.

Different topic, Martin Campbell, the director of Green Lantern, states he's trying to land Mark Strong to play Sinestro. In turns of looks, the guy could nail Sinestro.

[mack 44]

Actually he's signed on to direct the reboot. It's not a continuation of the franchise and he's signed on to direct a trilogy.

Update: It is official. Sony has released a statement, which is included after the jump.

Last week it was reported that (500) Days of Summer helmer Marc Webb was at the top of the list of candidates to helm a Spider-Man reboot. Vulture now has breaking word that Webb is signed on to direct, not only the Spider-Man reboot, but a new Spider-Man trilogy. That’s right, three movies!

The reboot allows Sony to clean house of all the high price-tag cast and crew from the original trilogy. Webb will be paid roughly $10 million for the first film, with reported substantial bonuses built in “if the picture reaches certain box-office milestones.” Sam Raimi was paid $10 million for the original Spider-Man film, but that was nearly ten years ago. The Evil Dead director’s agreement included a percentage of the film’s grosses (nearly 25 percent when combined with star Tobey Maguire on the last sequel).

But most of all, Webb offers a chance to connect with the new/next generation. Lets just hope that Taylor Lautner doesn’t play Peter Parker. If Webb has a choice in casting, I’m sure we’ll be fine (I especially liked all of his choices in 500 Days of Summer.) Sony has been chasing after Webb for a while now. Webb has said that he is a big fan of the Ultimate Spider-Man comics.

The music video turned feature director was almost hired by Sony for the big screen adaptation of Michael Lewis’s Moneyball after Steven Soderbergh departed the project and Capote helmer Bennett Miller was hired.

Press Release from Sony:

CULVER CITY, Calif., January , 2010 – Marc Webb, the director of the Golden Globe nominated Best Picture (500) Days of Summer, will direct the next chapter in the Spider-Man franchise, set to hit theaters summer 2012, it was jointly announced today by Columbia Pictures and Marvel Studios.

Written by James Vanderbilt, Webb will work closely with producers Avi Arad and Laura Ziskin in developing the project, which will begin production later this year.

Commenting on the announcement, Amy Pascal, co-chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment, and Matt Tolmach, president of Columbia Pictures, said, “At its core, Spider-Man is a small, intimate human story about an everyday teenager that takes place in an epic super-human world. The key for us as we sought a new director was to identify filmmakers who could give sharp focus to Peter Parker’s life. We wanted someone who could capture the awe of being in Peter’s shoes so the audience could experience his sense of discovery while giving real heart to the emotion, anxiety, and recklessness of that age and coupling all of that with the adrenaline of Spider-Man’s adventure. We believe Marc Webb is the perfect choice to bring us on that journey.”

Arad and Ziskin added jointly, “Over the years, the Spider-Man comics have been told with bold and creative new writers and artists who have re-calibrated the way audiences see Peter Parker. Marc Webb will do for the new direction of the films what so many visionary storytellers have done with the comic books. He is an incredibly talented filmmaker and we look forward to working closely with him on this new adventure.”

Webb said, “This is a dream come true and I couldn’t be more aware of the challenge, responsibility, or opportunity. Sam Raimi’s virtuoso rendering of Spider-Man is a humbling precedent to follow and build upon. The first three films are beloved for good reason. But I think the Spider-Man mythology transcends not only generations but directors as well. I am signing on not to ‘take over’ from Sam. That would be impossible. Not to mention arrogant. I’m here because there’s an opportunity for ideas, stories, and histories that will add a new dimension, canvas, and creative voice to Spider-Man.”

Stan Lee, co-creator of Spider-Man, added, “I’m excited that Sony has chosen a director with a real penchant and understanding for the character. This is a brave, bold direction for the franchise, and I can’t wait to see what Marc comes up with next.”

Added Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige, “The idea of re-imagining the on-screen story for one of the world’s most iconic superheros is sure to deliver an exciting new dimension to Spider-Man fans everywhere. There are volumes of comics and material available to inspire fresh and compelling takes on Peter Parker and his journey as Spidey and we look forward to seeing this come alive onscreen.”

MARC WEBB has won acclaim with his film debut (500) Days of Summer. He has several MTV VMAs™ including 2009’s Best Director award for Green Day’s “21 Guns,” 2006 Best Rock Video for AFI’s “Miss Murder,” and Best Group Video for The All-American Rejects’ “Move Along.” The Music Video Production Association honored him in 2006 as the Director of the Year for his work with Weezer, AAR, and My Chemical Romance.

In addition to two Golden Globe nominations including Best Picture (musical or comedy), his first feature film, (500) Days of Summer, starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel, has been nominated for three Independent Spirit Awards, including Best Feature. Webb was also awarded the Spotlight Award, which honors outstanding directorial debuts, by the National Board of Review.

Read more: Marc Webb To Direct New Spider-Man Trilogy!? | /Film http://www.slashfilm.com/2010/01/19/marc-w.../#ixzz0d8Wqt521

http://www.slashfilm.com/2010/01/19/marc-w...er-man-trilogy/

[hyprlte 0]

Saw the preview for Iron Man 2. LOVE the addition of War Machine. May should be a good month

[Jason Harris 31]

I can tell you're not optimistic about this reboot, Mack, because you're really quibbling!

[mack 44]

I'm skeptical about reboots in general but when they start over after ~8 years and three films then it goes double. If Bendis becomes involved at some point, then I'd loosen up a little.

[HattrickSwayze 3]

I don't follow movie news much, but has there been any more talk on Sin City 2? I remember hearing something about it being "in development" but I think they've been saying that for the past 5 years or so. I loved Sin City, so I'm really looking forward to Sin City 2 if it ever comes out.

[fastbrother7 0]

Robotech live action please hit the screen asap!

[mack 44]

I don't follow movie news much, but has there been any more talk on Sin City 2? I remember hearing something about it being "in development" but I think they've been saying that for the past 5 years or so. I loved Sin City, so I'm really looking forward to Sin City 2 if it ever comes out.

It's something Rodriguez and Miller want to do, but Rodriguez has at least one movie ahead of it. It's definitely lost most, if not all, of its steam since 2005 but I'll see it.

[bearfight 1]

mtv news, walking dead

I know it isn't a movie but if you have read any of the series The Walking Dead you should be excited to know AMC has ordered a pilot for the series. Production starts Q2 2010, and will be directed by Frank Darabont - The Shawshank Redemption and The Mist. This one has me extremely excited.