Get Your Popcorn Ready

NOTE: During housekeeping on April 27 2020, I must report that I no longer recall the clips that were attached to this post. Those with broken links shall, alas, remain broken.

Karen: There have been a ton of clips from the upcoming Avengers:Age of Ultron film hitting the internet recently. Are you avoiding them or watching them all? I've pretty much stopped now, wanting to go in to the theater not knowing everything that's going to happen in the film. But here's a couple to get us talking:

Karen: Looking good, although I am still thrown by Ultron's voice. I like James Spader but it's just not what I expect for Ultron. We'll see how it works out in the film.

Karen: Marvel also gave us a full Ant-Man trailer last week. This one had the title character in action, and it also gave us a good look at Yellowjacket -the villain of the film. It's definitely going to have humor but it seems like it will be balanced with a lot of super-heroics. Thoughts?

Karen: DC just got in on the action with the release of the first trailer for Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice. This looks to borrow heavily from The Dark Knight Returns, as well as address the massive destruction of Man of Steel. I'm not sure what to think yet, but it looks awfully dark. I did think that Batman dialog was way too cheesy.

Karen: How about the small screen? Has anyone been watching Daredevil on Netflix? I've seen five episodes so far, and I'm impressed. The production is high-quality all the way around. My only complaint would be the excessive violence, which feels unnecessary to me (I don't need to see a villain beat a man's head into pulp to understand he's volatile and a bad guy). But the story and acting are strong enough that I'll keep  watching -and I'm not even particularly fond of the comics!

Karen: Finally, I can't close without noting that a trailer for the next Star Wars film dropped on April 16th. I am concerned about this one -I want it to be good, because they are bringing back Luke, Han, Leia, and Chewie! -but it is J.J. Abrams at the helm, and his track record is decidedly mixed. But watching this trailer the first time, my heart started pounding. It's Star Wars!

"I'm going to tear you apart from the inside" -Avengers:Age of Ultron trailer 2 is up!

Karen: Ultron! Avengers! Hulkbuster!!! It's the second full trailer for Avengers: Age of Ultron!

Avengers in Italy: Pictures from the Set of Avengers:Age of Ultron

Karen: Howdy gang -there's been a lot of reports and pictures from the Italian set of Avengers: Age of Ultron showing the actors playing the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver. You can read all about it over at Comic Book Resources. Below are a few images from their posting:

Are you ready for... the Hulkbuster?? How about William Shatner?

Karen: Last Tuesday (March 18) ABC aired a special called "Marvel Studios: Assembling A Universe" which looked at past Marvel films and provided a few glimpses at upcoming productions. This included some concept art for the second Avengers film, "Avengers: Age of Ultron." Among the images displayed was one sure to get every Marvel geek excited: it features the green goliath, the Hulk, squaring off against the Hulkbuster! You can see it below:

Karen: Now who knows what the story behind this is. Does Hulk go bananas and Iron Man has to bring him down? Or is it the other way around? Or does Ultron take over the Hulkbuster armor? I guess we'll just have to wait until the film comes out in 2015. In any case, it should make for a pretty heart-pounding sequence!

Karen: Today is also the 83rd birthday of The Man, William Shatner. May he keep on trekkin'.

SDCC 2014

Karen: I'm sure most of you are aware that Comic-Con has come and gone. Of course, it's less about comics now and more about entertainment in general. There was quite a bit of news to come out of the show this last week, particularly on the movie side of things.We thought we'd share some of it (you've probably heard it before from one of the major geek outlets) and see if anyone had any thoughts they'd like to share.

• There have been some pictures from the next X-Men film, which will be based (to some degree) on the classic 'Days of Future Past' storyline. We've seen headshots for some characters, which includes Bishop - his first time in a film - and a booth for Trask Industries which included the detached head of a Sentinel -- looks a bit small to me. From everything I've heard, it sounds like director Bryan Singer is throwing everything but the kitchen sink in this film. I'm both excited and concerned at the same time. If it's over-loaded with characters, will we still get enough time to really develop any of the key characters in the story? Or will it be another X-Men 3?

• The makers of the upcoming new Godzilla film set up a 'Godzilla Experience' in a warehouse near the convention center. It included props from the Toho films and a bank of TVs showing different films. It also had a recreation of Tokyo under Big G attack, including overturned police cars and a noodle bar (!). But the best part was that at some point an alarm would sound and visitors were suddenly whisked into an elevator and taken upstairs, into an office, where they would see out the window (in reality a large screen) Big G appear and glare at them! It's the first look at the new Godzilla. Sounds like a clever gag for Godzilla fans to enjoy. Here's a shot of the big lizard, taken from the Ain't It Cool website.

• The next DC film will be a big screen team-up of Superman and Batman. Director Zach Snyder announced at SDCC that the next Superman film would feature a meeting of the two heroes. Henry Cavill will return as Superman, and it sounds as  if most of his supporting cast will also reprise their roles. No actor has been named to play the Dark Knight yet. The film is scheduled to begin shooting in 2014, with a release date in 2015. That sounds like they are fast-tracking this. The DC team also unveiled a combined Superman-Batman insignia, much like the one seen recently in the Superman/Batman comics. Supposedly, a Flash film may also be in the works for 2016, with the long-awaited Justice League to follow in 2017. 

Karen:  This might be an interesting direction to go. They do need to do something different with Batman, to distinguish him from the Christopher Nolan films. Personally I'd like to see them get away from the all black  rubber suits and bring in the grey and black look. I'd also like to see a smart Batman. But I'm surprised that we're getting a Flash film but no Wonder Woman film. I read a snippet from another Warners exec (a woman exec this time) who said she felt that Wonder Woman's background was just too convoluted to easily bring to the big screen. That seems like an excuse. In any case, I'll be curious to see if they really get a JL movie together. Seems like the date keeps movie further out.

Doug:  I agree with all of the points you just made.  Having Superman and Batman get together in Superman's next film really necessitates a Batman reboot.  Unless, are they going to pick it up with "Robin" from The Dark Knight Rises stepping immediately into the mantle of the Bat?  I would think that fans would appreciate a film of his own to get used to Joseph Gordon-Levitt in the role.  Curiously, the logo above gives off more of a Milleresque "The Dark Knight Returns" vibe, doesn't it?  And Wonder Woman?  Either presentation of the character used on the 1970's TV show would work in a feature film (WWII or contemporary).  I don't know what DC is afraid of.  Overall, other than Cavill, do they have any talent locked into long-term contracts?  Because that's what has made the burgeoning Marvel Universe on film so attractive -- there's staying power among the Hollywood actors in the suits.

• A real shocker came on Saturday night, when the Marvel Studios folks announced that the title of the next Avengers film would be - get this - "Avengers: Age of Ultron!"  Nothing more was said about the movie itself at the SDCC panel. But reports indicate they will not be basing the film on  the recent series by Bendis (gag). However, a source at ComicBookMovie.com (read it here) had Joss Whedon quoted as saying that Hank Pym would NOT be the creator of Ultron!  If he's not the creation of Hank Pym...well, I think I will be fairly unhappy. A big part of what makes Ultron such an effective enemy for the team is his oedipus complex and connections to the team. If he's just a smart, indestructible robot, I think that lowers the intensity of the conflict and uniqueness of the character quite a bit. What do you think? Now admittedly, this source could be wrong, so I guess we have to wait and see how it plays out. But if they're right...

• In happier, less complicated news, Doug points out all the cool new Marvel Legends line from Hasbro, with a wide assortment of characters, including this wild looking new Tiger Shark! More pictures can be seen at http://marvelousnews.com/index.php?itemid=1624. I flipped through the gallery and I couldn't believe all the characters they have on display. I have to admit I didn't recognize some -I've been away from comics long enough that I haven't kept up with the changes!

Doug:  I also share all of your concerns about the Avengers film.  Where's Hank Pym, and how does this affect the upcoming Ant-Man film?  This seems like a "putting the cart before the horse" sort of situation.  And in regard to the Marvel Legends figures, I was very excited to see some of the characters -- Tiger Shark, Radioactive Man, and Batroc the Leaper... are you serious?  However, at current MSRPs of almost $20, I've long ago given up on this line.  And that's a shame, as they are now producing figures we could only have dreamed of as kids.  Bring back the days when I could go to Wal-Mart and find the Juggernaut for $7!