Tag Archives: Marvel

Spider-Man, welcome to the Marvel Cinematic Universe

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Fanboys and fangirls, it’s happening: Sony Pictures Entertainment and Marvel Studios are making nice and, at long last, Spider-Man is entering the Marvel Cinematic Universe fray. Sony scooped up the rights to the web slinger years before Marvel got into the movie-making business, and ever since then Spidey was forced to play in his own sandbox separate from Iron Man, Thor, and the rest of The Avengers. Going forward, all that changes.

Late Monday, Marvel pushed out a press release announcing its new partnership. The Spidey rights still belong to Sony; that studio “will continue to finance, distribute, own and have final creative control of the Spider-Man films,” reads the release. But under this new deal, Peter Parker and his superhero alter ego “[takes] his rightful place among other Super Heroes in the MCU.” According to the release, Spider-Man has total freedom in terms of where he can appear; you will see him pop up in future Marvel movies and it works the other way around, too. Marvel and Sony are “exploring opportunities to integrate characters from the MCU into future Spider-Man films.”

Now here’s what the release shares in terms of specifics. “The new Spider-Man” will make his debut in a Marvel-produced film. Many are already speculating that he’ll officially enter the MCU in the upcoming Captain America: Civil War movie which opens May 6, 2016. Cap and Iron Man go head-to-head, and in the comics Spider-Man plays a crucial role in this popular storyline, so this particular rumor makes sense. And then, on July 28, 2017, Spidey in star in a Sony-produced solo film in the already rebooted twice franchise. Marvel head Kevin Feige will co-produce with Sony’s Amy Pascal; the latter recently stepped down from her post as head of the studio following the hack attacks. This is her first power move after becoming a producer under Sony and man is it a big one.

We don’t know yet if current Peter Parker portrayer Andrew Garfield will suit up as the “new” Spider-Man. All we know is that the studios “will collaborate on a new creative direction for the web slinger.” Does a fresh creative slate equal a new actor to fill the spandex suit? Perhaps. This quote from Sony exec Doug Belgrad at least hints that we’re finally through with Spidey origin stories. “This new level of collaboration is the perfect way to take Peter Parker’s story into the future.”

This is a long time coming for Marvel fans around the world. Spider-Man has always been an integral member of The Avengers, and now that Marvel and Sony are holding hands in harmony, moving forward moviegoers can experience the comic books truly come to life. Now all we need is 20th Century Fox to make a deal like this to bring X-Men and the Fantastic Four into the fold and we’re golden! But I’ll take what I can get.

Click here to view the full press release from Marvel, including reactions from Feige, Pascal, Belgrad, and Disney’s Bob Iger.

Update: In order to make room for Spider-Man, Marvel is pushing the release dates of four upcoming superhero flicks. As mentioned above, July 28, 2017 is the day Spidey’s new solo mission hits theatres. Previously, Marvel had carved out that date for the upcoming Thor: Ragnarok. Now, the third Thor movie will drop November 3, 2017. Moving out of that space is Black Panther, and its new release date is July 6, 2018. That pushes Captain Marvel to November 2, 2018 and Inhumans to July 12, 2019. Release dates for Captain America: Civil War, Doctor Strange, Guardians of the Galaxy 2, and Avengers: Infinity War parts 1 & 2 remain unchanged. I’ll just say what you’re thinking: MCU Phase 3 is gonna rock.

TV trailers: HBO’s ‘Silicon Valley’ and Netflix’s ‘Daredevil’ & ‘Bloodline’

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Mike Judge’s hysterical tech-infused comedy Silicon Valley returns for a second season April 12 on HBO. If you’ve gotten through the first batch of episodes, this minute-long teaser will have you in stitches because it quickly reminds you all about how absurdly funny and crude the show can be.

Jump after the break for trailers from Netflix. Continue reading TV trailers: HBO’s ‘Silicon Valley’ and Netflix’s ‘Daredevil’ & ‘Bloodline’ →

‘Fantastic Four’ reboot ignites with a decidedly lackluster debut teaser

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20th Century Fox is rebooting the Fantastic Four franchise with a more youthful cast, just as Sony Pictures did with Spider-Man in 2012. Miles Teller (Reed Richards / Mr. Fantastic:), Michael B. Jordan (Johnny Storm / Human Torch), Kate Mara (Susan Storm / Invisible Woman), Jamie Bell (Ben Grimm / The Thing), and Toby Kebbell (Victor Domashev / Doom) are the Marvel superhero film’s stars this time around. Josh Trank (Chronicle) directs. Here’s the current logline:

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.

Fox (and Marvel for that matter) have been uncharacteristically quiet about this film which has a summer release date. Rumors about creative difficulties aside, this is very much a teaser that doesn’t do much in the tantalizing department. We’re briefly introduced to the updated cast and we get a strong monologue about the human desire to discover spoken by Reg E. Cathey who plays Dr. Storm. But there’s nothing here that truly amps me up, unfortunately. It looks and feels like your run-of-the-mill superhero flick–but maybe that’s because the box office has been flooded with them as of late. Who knows. Of course I have faith in Marvel, as well as Chronicle helmer Trank whose work on that film was surprisingly risky and rewarding. Here’s to hoping a beefier full-length trailer adds some oomf to this lackluster first look.

The new Fantastic Four (whose title is actually stylized like this: Fant4stic, ugh) releases August 7 in 3D.

New Marvel trailers: Paul Rudd in ‘Ant-Man,” plus more ‘Age of Ultron’

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Following cheeky ant-sized and human-sized previews, Marvel finally unleashed the first teaser trailer for its next standalone superhero movie: Ant-Man. Paul Rudd stars as Scott Lang, a thief, who will don a suit granting him the power to drastically decrease in size and increase in strength and making him the Ant-Man. The first trailer gives us a first look at Rudd in the aforementioned suit; we also get to see him get around on the back of a flying insect (honey, I shrunk the Anchorman actor!). Starring alongside Rudd are Michael Douglas, Evangeline Lilly, and Corey Stoll. Ant-Man releases July 17.

In other Marvel news, a brand-spankin’ new look at The Avengers: Age of Ultron has been let out into the wild. Fixate your prying on it after the break. Epic, much? Continue reading New Marvel trailers: Paul Rudd in ‘Ant-Man,” plus more ‘Age of Ultron’ →

Sneak peek ABC & Marvel’s ‘Agent Carter’

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Marvel’s next live-action TV show is Agent Carter. It’s inspired the Marvel One-Shot short film that came packed inside Captain America: The First Avenger way back when. Hayley Atwell reprises her role as Peggy Carter, an agent of the Strategic Scientific Reserve (SSR)–S.H.I.E.L.D.’s predecessor. The show takes place in the 1940s when America is disengaging from WWII, and just after her love Steve “Captain America” Rogers gets dislodged from his time period. Hanging above is a first look clip featuring Carter, Iron Man’s father Howard Stark (Dominic Cooper, also reprising his role from the first Cap movie), and Father Stark’s butler and inspiration for Tony’s advanced AI, Jarvis (played by James D’Arcy). Watch a scene from the pilot and then a quick montage of Agent Carter kicking ass and taking names now.

ABC will debut Agent Carter in January 2015. The 8-episode season will air in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.‘s Tuesdays-at-9 timeslot while that show is on winter hiatus.

Marvel Cinematic Universe Phase 3 unveiled

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Following in the steps of rival DC Entertainment, Marvel Studios carved out time to lay the groundwork for its future feature film slate. In Marvel grand fashion, President Kevin Feige rented out the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood and spelled out Phase 3 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe in front of rabid fans and the press.

After Phase 2 closes out with Avengers: Age of Ultron and Ant-Man this coming summer, Phase 3 will kick off in May 2016 with Captain America and Iron Man facing off in Captain America: Civil War. That film will introduce Chad Boseman (42, Get on Up) as Black Panther. Following the Cap threequel is the introduction to Doctor Strange in November 2016; Deadline reports Sherlock actor Benedict Cumberbatch will play the title role. Then in May 2017 the Guardians of the Galaxy return in a sequel, followed by a Thor threequel subtitled Ragnarok. In November 2017, Boseman will reprise his African American superhero Black Panther in his very own film. In May 2018 the Avengers will assemble for a third time in Infinity War Part 1. And before Part 2 comes around a year later, female superhero Carol Danvers will debut as Captain Marvel in July 2018 and an entirely new super-powered group The Inhumans will hit the big screen in November 2018. Yeah, it’s a mouthful; so here it is in list form:

Click the respective links above to learn more about each film. Now, comic book fans rejoice–so many more of your favorite heroes are jumping from the page to the screen between now and 2020! (Bonus: click here to watch the Infinity War announcement trailer Marvel screened at the event.)

Premiering this month: Marvel special & the final season of ‘The Newsroom’

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November is a relatively quiet month in terms of flashy new premieres, but there are two you simply cannot miss.

First up is an ABC special called Marvel 75 Years: From Pulp to Pop! Emily VanCamp (Revenge, Captain America: The Winter Soldier) hosts the hour-long special celebrating Marvel’s 75th anniversary with exclusive interviews and an exploration of the company over the years. It promises to shed light on comic book/movie studio enterprise’s history, as well as peek into its future; perhaps viewers will be privy to new looks at Avengers sequel Age of Ultron or even the now-in-production Ant-Man. It airs this Tuesday (11/4) at 9pm on ABC.

And then there’s the final season of HBO’s award-winning political drama The Newsroom. The final episodes kick off Sunday, November 9 at 9pm. Fans of the fictional News Night with Will McAvoy will get to say goodbye to Aaron Sorkin’s journalistic jamboree over the course of six tight episodes that conclude on December 14. “Every story needs a final word” reads the tagline of the show’s third season, and it’s certainly sad to say that time has come now. Click here to watch a trailer.

NERDGASM: ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ teaser trailer arrives [Update: Extended trailer inside!]

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Earlier this week, word got out that Marvel would be releasing a first look at the upcoming Avengers sequel Age of Ultron. The very next day a poor quality version of the sneak peek leaked but the comics and movie powerhouse took it in stride. Later that evening the studio uploaded and shared with the world the first official teaser trailer for the highly anticipated sequel, even though it was supposed to make its worldwide debut during this coming Tuesday’s airing of ABC’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. They blamed Hydra for the leak–points!

And so, here it is. For your viewing pleasure. Our heroes including including Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, The Incredible Hulk, Black Widow and Hawkeye take on villain Ultron, a terrifying technological villain hell-bent on human extinction, in this action-packed and oh-so-epic 2:16 tease.

Some notes: Yes, that is The Blacklist‘s James Spader spectacularly voicing the villainous Ultron and quoting “I’ve Got No Strings” as made famous in the classic Disney animated tale Pinocchio…Did you catch Elizabeth Olsen and Aaron Taylor-Johnson as mutant twins Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver?…And how awesome is Tony Stark’s latest creation the Hulkbuster? He’ll use it, as you can see, to take on Bruce Banner’s green Hulk. But why are the heroes in arms in such a kerfuffle? Time will tell.

Avengers: Age of Ultron hits theatres May 1, 2015. Jump after the break to view a new poster and the full official logline for the movie.

Update (10/28): Despite Hydra’s best efforts, Marvel still managed to surprise its fans by airing a new extended trailer during Tuesday night’s telecast of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. on ABC. The first minute of the new clip features The Avengers–plus Maria Hill and James Rhodes–straight chilling at Tony Stark’s posh pad. They’re having their hand at trying to pick up mighty Mjölnir; but of course, it is only the mighty Thor who is “worthy” enough to wield the weapon. The party, though, comes to a screeching halt in no time when Ultron emerges and speaks of strings, none of which he has: we know. Watch it after the break.

Continue reading NERDGASM: ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ teaser trailer arrives [Update: Extended trailer inside!] →

Live out your Star-Lord dreams with ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ mixtape coming to cassette tape

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GOTG fans, listen up! “Awesome Mix Vol. 1,” you know, the truly awesome mixtape carried around by hero Peter Quill in Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy filled with the greatest hits of the 70s and 80s curated by the little Star-Lord’s mother… it’s being released on cassette tape so now you can pop it into a Walkman and dance around and fend off baddies like no one’s watching. The limited release lands on shelves Friday, Nov. 28 at participating record stores; it will remain an exclusive to that community of independent retailers associated with Record Store Day through Dec. 31, according to Billboard. The cassettes will also come with digital downloads of the album so you can easily transfer the tracks to your portable music player of choice.

Just another fun distraction as we await the inevitable “Awesome Mix Vol. 2.”

[Via Marvel; Billboard]

Paul Rudd is Ant-Man

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On August 18 Marvel initiated principal photography on its next super hero franchise, Ant-Man. Above is the first image of Paul Rudd as Scott Lang aka Ant-Man. At the start of the movie he is a thief, and by the end he will be transformed into a superhero with the power to drastically decrease in size and increase in strength. Rudd stars alongside Michael Douglas (who plays his mentor Dr. Hank Pym), Evangeline Lilly (who plays Hope Van Dyne, daughter of Hank Pym), Corey Stoll, Bobby Cannavale, Michael Peña, Abby Ryder Fortson, Judy Greer, David Dastmalchian, Wood Harris, John Slattery, and Gregg Turkington, and T.I. And here’s the latest synopsis:

Armed with the astonishing ability to shrink in scale but increase in strength, con-man Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) must embrace his inner-hero and help his mentor, Dr. Hank Pym (Michael Douglas), 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, directed by Peyton Reed (Edgar Wright stepped away from the project), hits theatres July 17, 2015 and will shot on location in San Francisco (see above) and Atlanta, Georgia.

Can comedic actor Paul Rudd suit up and transform into a respectable super hero? If Chris Pratt of Parks and Rec fame can do it (aka Guardians of the Galaxy‘s Star-Lord), I have faith. Skip after the break for a Comic Con-exclusive poster featuring concept art from the upcoming flick.

[Via Marvel 1, 2] Continue reading Paul Rudd is Ant-Man →

Disney & Marvel release teaser for upcoming ‘Big Hero 6’ animated pic

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Disney and Disney-owned Marvel are teaming up for the next Walt Disney Animation Studios film. The next film on Disney animated slate, following Frozen, is Big Hero 6. The movie, inspired by the Marvel comics, goes like this:

“Big Hero 6” is a heartfelt comedy adventure about robotics prodigy Hiro Hamada, who learns to harness his genius—thanks to his brilliant brother Tadashi and their like-minded friends: adrenaline junkie Go Go Tamago, clean freak Wasabi No-Ginger, chemistry whiz Honey Lemon and fanboy Fred. When a devastating turn of events catapults them into the midst of a dangerous plot unfolding in the streets of San Fransokyo, Hiro turns to his closest companion—a cutting-edge robot named Baymax—and transforms the group into a band of high-tech heroes determined to solve the mystery. Inspired by the Marvel comics of the same name, and featuring comic-book style action and all the heart and humor audiences expect from Walt Disney Animation Studios, “Big Hero 6” is directed by Don Hall (“Winnie the Pooh”) and Chris Williams (“Bolt”), and produced by Roy Conli (“Tangled”).

Check out the nearly two-minute teaser trailer above. Though it doesn’t set up the plot, it manages to successfully introduce our main characters in a very fun way. In fact, this teaser reminds me of the initial Frozen teaser which introduced audiences to snowman Olaf and reindeer Sven in a playful way.

Big Hero 6 hits theaters in 3D on November 7, 2014.