Topic: Marvel Movie Rumor thread.

[Sirgod]

http://www.moviehole.net/news/5876.html

Arad on everything comic-to-film
Posted on Fri, 1-Jul-2005

Our buds at IESB sat down with the big man of Marvel, Avi Arad, today, and chatted for 40 odd minutes about what's going on in the incessantly busy comic-to-film world.

The Fantastic Four 2
Arad confirmed that all the cast are signed for a sequel, and that he likes the idea of bringing The Puppet Master in as the rogue for the next bout. "Puppet Master's a great character", he says "Don't we all wish we had this power - especially when we are mad at someone". Arad confirmed that Kerry Washington's character Alicia Masters will have a bigger role to play in future instalments. "It's not a big role in this one, but it's establishing her".

The Silver Surfer
"I think you're going to see a very interesting movie about the man who fell to earth kind-of-a-thing", says Arad. "It has biblical elements to it about who we are to him, what is he to us. We're suspicious when someone like that arrives here".

X-Men 3
That online script that was reviewed, says Arad, was something "verbally passed on. It wasn't even a script". Arad says he loves all his babies, but "rarely do I say this is the best script of them all". Arad says the script is getting better day by day, and "you re-write scenes while you're in production". He adds, "I tell you what really pisses me off about this stuff - is the ignorance to the comics, because if you know the comics at all, OK, lot of our leaders of the X-Men died and came back in one form or another".

Arad hints that Patrick Stewart's character, Xavier, may die in the movie. "He died [in the comic]. One of the most famous panels in the comic was his funeral. They all die and come back. We don't kill anyone just for the hell of it - [only] if it works for the story".

Onto casting and Arad confirmed that Maggie Grace ["Lost"] is out as Kitty Pryde, hinting that it had something to do with her TV schedule. So when do we hear who's replacing her? "Tuesday", he says. As for who is playing Angel, Arad says Mike Vogel was up for it - but his schedule clashed. "He decided to go with the Poseidon Adventure". And what happened to Alan Cumming, why isn't he back as Nightcrawler? "This film has like ten new mutants, and some of them are like mind-f*cking characters", says Arad. "We have to move on. In our story bringing someone [in] who is not from the immediate leadership does not serve the story". Arad says there would just be no screentime for Cumming.

Third "X-Men" spin-off
Arad says he hasn't heard what that rumoured third "X-Men" spin-off - after "Wolverine" and "Magneto" - is. "I really don't know anything about it", he says, of the film that's apparently being penned by Zak Penn. "[So] I really cannot comment on it".

Spider-Man 3
Arad says there may be 4 villains in the next "Spider-Man" sequel. "Maybe five", he jokingly adds. "Obviously I cannot tell you, but I can tell you that we're on our way to the biggest of the three". What about the rumours that Tobey Maguire wants out as Spiderman and that Jake Gyllenhaal might be bought in to replace him for number 4? "It's all too premature", says Arad, "we have to get to May 2007 [first]".

"Spider-Man" spin-off's
Arad says he's urging Marvel to do film spin-off's for a couple of the characters from the "Spider-Man" series. It sounds like he could be keen on giving the villains - Hobgoblin maybe? - their own show.

Hulk 2
Yup, it's still happening, says Arad. "I can't wait to do Hulk 2. In my opinion, [it'll] be huge because people dissapointed with it's box office I guess, in today's landscape, would be ecstatic with it's box office. The end of the [first] movie set the stage to do the other Hulk - a lighter version of Hulk", he says. "Diet Hulk". Arad says he's looking forward to "getting closer to the Hulk. The beast. To see the primal naive part...because Banner is complicated, Hulk is not, and it's hard to get that close to him with CG". Arad suggests that the next Hulk might be a comination of a guy in a suit and CGI, so "that you can really feel humanity".

The Punisher 2
The script is being re-written as we speak, says Arad, but "will shoot this year".

For more from Avi, including the latest on "Iron Fist", "Luke Cage", and "Black Widow" - go to IESB.

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Interesting Rumors indeed.

stephen

[GDA-S'Cipio]

I'm excited to see that they will be doing a second Punisher.   I didn't really expect that, since it didn't seem that the first one made all that much of a splash at the box office.  But I enjoyed it.  I loved the way they worked scenes from several of the different comic series era's into the movie.  (The popsicle torture, Frank's neighbors, The Russian.  Too bad Frank didn't get to suffocate The Russian by dropping a fat guy on him.     )

Hopefully, the second will do much better.   A first Punisher movie is limited in that you almost have to show his origin,  with him going off the edge after the death of his family.  That sort of makes it little more than another revenge flick, and hard to satand out above the crowd since there are already tons of those.  Now they can get past that.

Hopefully, we'll get to see someone bring Jigsaw to life.     (Keeps fingers crossed for Gary Oldman......)

-S'Cipio

[Sirgod]

Man Jigsaw would rock the house. It's a shame he was never in Either of the movies.

BTW, Isn't the Russian now a Cyborg type guy now? Haven't kept up with the Book in along time.

Stephen

[GDA-S'Cipio]

Man Jigsaw would rock the house. It's a shame he was never in Either of the movies.

BTW, Isn't the Russian now a Cyborg type guy now? Haven't kept up with the Book in along time.

Stephen

Hee hee.

A cyborg with extra-large hooters.  (An unavoidable side-effect of the hormones needed to keep his flesh portions "alive".)

As a joke, using his typical sense of humor, he decided to start wearing a T-shirt that says "Britany". 

-S'Cipio

[Sirgod]

LOL, Too funny. Now if we can get him and Deadpool together...

stephen

[FPF-DieHard]

Fantastic 4 sucked!   I will really be surprised if another is made.

God awful movie.

[Commander La'ra]

I doubt quite seriously that it was as bad as 'Captain America' or those made-for-TV Spider-Man movies from the '70's.

[Hexx]

Fantastic 4 isn't bad- it's just not great.
Doom is a completely different character, Richards is "really-smart"
but doesn't seem to be "super genius"
Sue is OK (although looks way to young..I can overlook it)
The Thing and Human Torch were pretty good.

Problem is they tried to cram about 3-4hours worth of movie into less than two.

[Commander La'ra]

I generally agree with Hexx.  The movie was not bad, it just didn't measure up to Spider-Man or X-Men.  I'd rate it about the same as 'The Punisher', which I enjoyed, though I probably got more of a charge out of this one.

Biggest problem was that it didn't have much to grab your attention right at the first.  Second biggest problem was that the guy playing Doom was the weakest actor of the bunch.

On the plus side, all four of the four did very well.  I think that with a weaker cast, the movie really would've sucked, but the chemistry between the protagonists saved it from becoming 'Daredevil'.  I also thought it was gutsy of the screenwriters to downplay the superhero stuff in favor of character conflict/interaction/development'.  Very Marvel of them, but it made the final battle with Doom seem almost out of place, so maybe that's one of the things people think is off.

Overall?  It's not X-Men 2 or Batman Begins, but I left the theater satisfied.

[Ravok]

 I wish they would do Iorn Man and Thor.

[Alidar Jarok]

Fantastic 4 sucked!   I will really be surprised if another is made.

God awful movie.

That's what I heard.  But I heard the problem was they spent too much time on backstory rather than giving it a point (am I far off here?)

Hopefully, any sequel will be better, otherwise it should just get canned.

That's a lot of movies, btw.  I have hope for X-Men.  I have no idea why I haven't seen the 2nd Spiderman yet, its on all the time, but I like Spiderman, so I'm hopeful for this as well (what villians will they have? 4 villians?  I'm thinking that they would be relatively minor guys like Shocker, Chemilion, etc, with possible Scorpion as  a more major guy.  I'm doubtful that they'd pick Venom, but anything's possible).

[Dash Jones]

I imagine it will be based off of Spiderman 200?  (I think that's the one where Harry is the Green Goblin, and he and Spidy finally have a final showdown...Spidy takes Harry down finally, after Harry burns down a mansion, and Harry is taken off in the ambulance after telling peter he's his best friend).  In which case Venom probably will make an appearance as well...Carnage...maybe depending on how far back they go with that storyline, and I'm not certain who the fourth would be.

by the way, the list is missing one new marvel movie that I heard is now in the making.  It's a live action Transformer movie.  If I recall, Transformers was and may still be a Marvel comic...

[Ravok]

 Im hoping like heck they do one with Venom. Hes one of my favorite bad guys.

[KBF-Nail]

Iron Man is suppose too be coming out. Google it and u will see. I think there looking at tom Cruise too Play him.

[Ravok]

Iron Man is suppose too be coming out. Google it and u will see. I think there looking at tom Cruise too Play him.

 Thanks !!   Tom Cruise as Tony Stark??  I could see it working. IF he doesn't cheese up the fight scenes.

[Hexx]

I *think* the only villain confirmed for Spidey 3 is the Sandman, Raimi gave the idea
that he wants to (basically) follow continuity, So Green Goblin 2 (likey Hobgoblin- my favourite- from the original series)
Sandman/ Lizard (maybe) /Kraven (God I hope not) /Electro (uhmm) / Vulture (oh please no) / Scorpion etc will
all likely be along before Venom.

That being said even for the fanboi's there's only so many early villains that will work (Uhmm Vulture?Kraven?)
so I wouldn't be surprised to see Venom in #4 or 5

[Ravok]

I *think* the only villain confirmed for Spidey 3 is the Sandman, Raimi gave the idea
that he wants to (basically) follow continuity, So Green Goblin 2 (likey Hobgoblin- my favourite- from the original series)
Sandman/ Lizard (maybe) /Kraven (God I hope not) /Electro (uhmm) / Vulture (oh please no) / Scorpion etc will
all likely be along before Venom.

That being said even for the fanboi's there's only so many early villains that will work (Uhmm Vulture?Kraven?)
so I wouldn't be surprised to see Venom in #4 or 5

 The scorpion would be cool, but I agree about Kraven and the Vulture. The Lizard never really worked for me either.
That would pretty much be a waste of a good movie.

 So far they have been outstanding, and I just hope they keep it up.

[Sirgod]

X3 Marks The Spot For Williams, Duke And Murphy

The final pieces of the mutant sequel jigsaw fall into place
16 August 2005

Filming on Bryan Sing – sorry, Matthew Vaug… erm, Brett Ratner’s X-Men 3 gets underway, ooh, any second now in Vancouver and – just in the nick of time – the mutant sequel’s cast has been completed.

Three new additions to the X-cast were announced today, most prominent among them Olivia Williams, the lovely and talented British actress – who once called Empire’s mobile by mistake, fact fans! – and star of The Sixth Sense and Below. She’ll play Scottish scientist Professor Moira McTaggert, who runs the Mutant Research Centre on the fictional Muir Island (don’t go looking for it on Google Earth, folks; we’ve tried. Couldn’t find Hogwarts either).

A human with mutant sympathies, Moira – who’s dead now in the comics – once had a love affair with the X-Men’s wheelchair bound leader, the psychic Professor X. It’s not known whether Moira will provide that function in X3 (although we’re sure Patrick Stewart won’t be complaining), but bearing in mind what we’ve heard about that charac… no, we can’t go on. Spoilers abound!

The other cast members include Michael Murphy – star of Wes Craven’s Shocker, folks! – as Warren Worthington, the human father of Ben Foster’s bewinged mutant Angel (and, if early rumours are to be believed, one of the major villains of the piece, with a serious anti-mutant agenda), and the magnificent Bill Duke, who’ll play a politician. A talented actor/writer/director, Duke will always have a place in Empire’s hearts simply because he played Mac in Predator. Honest – it really is that simple. You want to go to Empire Valhalla when you die? Appear in Predator.

Williams, Murphy and Duke would appear to be the final piece in an X-jigsaw that brings back returning stars Stewart, Ian McKellen, Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, Famke Janssen, James Marsden, Shawn Ashmore, Rebecca Romijn and Anna Paquin, and introduces new actors Vinnie Jones (Juggernaut), Kelsey Grammer (Beast), Ellen Page (Shadowcat), Cameron Bright (Leech) and Foster. There were rumours that card-wielding anti-hero Gambit would be thrown into the mix, but no news on that front yet.

X3 – in which our mutant heroes face off against multiple threats, including the resurgent mutant terrorist Magneto, the return of their own Jean Grey aka Phoenix, and a human threat, alleged to be a mutant ‘cure’ - has been a notoriously troubled production, yet we’re rooting for Ratner, and the guys at Fox/Marvel, to pull this one off.

With just around nine months until the movie is due in cinemas – May 26, 2006 – it’s going to be tight, but fingers crossed. Certainly, scriptwriter Zak Penn (who’s writing the movie along with Simon Kinberg) remained bullish when Empire bumped into him recently. Word to the wise, Zak: if you get in a bind, story-wise, just let Wolverine go berserk. Oh, and our Helen says ‘can his shirt fall off? Again?’ Sorted.

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Stephen

[KBF-Angel Slayer]

http://www.themovieblog.com/archives/2004/12/thor_movie_in_development.html


Ask and ye shall receive...

[Sirgod]

Very nice Ben. I always liked Thor myself, Probably in my top 5 Marvel heros.

Stephen