PODCAST: Film Focus Episode 48 – Black Panther Review

Howdy ladies and gents of the internet, as some of you may have seen, last year I started a film podcast entitled Film Focus and on this podcast, I talk about various topics in film and reviews as well on a biweekly basis. And the latest episode is a review of the latest Marvel film, Black Panther.

Anyway here’s the episode 48:

I’ve done already done my written review for Black Panther, however, though like most of my written reviews I forgot certain things or wanted to elaborate on certain aspects of the film and that’s where the podcast comes into play. This was one of my favourite reviews to record in recent times due to the fact that I found myself getting more excited about talking about the film as the episode went on and you can really tell how much I liked Black Panther in this review… Even if I do sound a little crazy haha. 😛 So if you don’t like reading, prefer the sound of audio-based reviews then check out my review. 🙂

As I mentioned before I’ll cover a different topic or review in each episode and since I don’t have much in the way of listeners or promotion, I’m here to spread the word about my podcast. 🙂

You can find my main site on Soundcloud here: https://soundcloud.com/film_focus

Or if you’re on iTunes subscribe and rate me on there: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/film-focus/id1114233892?mt=2

So if you have some spare time on your hands and would like to listen to the ramblings of a passionate/strange man then please check it out, and share it with your friends if they are fans of film discussion. Also, you have any feedback or if you’d be interested in joining in future episodes be sure to let me know, until next time, laters! 😀

 

Marvel Studios Announces Ant-Man and the Wasp Movie for 2018, Plus 3 Mystery Films!

Howdy people of the internet, time for some film news which I haven’t done for some time and today while I was out there was some Marvel news that dropped and obviously I have to talk about it. The following information comes from superherohype:

Marvel Studios has announced a bit of a shift in their plans for Marvel Phase Three with the announcement of a new movie, Ant-Man and the Wasp, featuring the return of Paul Rudd as Scott Lang alongside Evangeline Lilly as Hope Van Dyne. The movie will debut on July 6, 2018, the original release date for Marvel’s Black Panther, which will now open in theaters on February 16, 2018. The announcement comes following the success of this summer’s Ant-Man, which brought in $178.5M at the domestic box office and $231.3M internationally for a global total of $409.8M.

In addition, Marvel has announced that the long-awaited Captain Marvel film will shift from its November 2, 2018 release date to March 8, 2019.

Finally, Marvel has set release dates for three more mystery films which will premiere on May 1, 2020, July 10, 2020, and November 6, 2020. Which movies do you think will hit on those days?

The other films for Marvel’s Phase Three include Captain America: Civil War on May 6, 2016, Doctor Strange on November 4, 2016, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 on May 5, 2017, their Untitled Spider-Man Film on July 28, 2017, Thor: Ragnarok on November 3, 2017, Avengers: Infinity War Part I on May 4, 2018, Avengers: Infinity War Part II May 3, 2019, and Inhumans on July 12, 2019.

Well  the main thing to take away from this is that Ant-Man is getting a sequel! This is certainly a surprise! I mean I had hoped that it would get a sequel especially considering how surprising of a hit it was with fans and skeptics alike, but I didn’t think it would happen for a long time considering the Marvel Studios films slate is booked out until like 2020. But it seems like surprises happen all the time and the fact that Wasp’s name is in the title just gets me giddy. The fact that she’ll be appearing in the MCU before Infinity War is awesome and I can’t wait to see how her powers and teamwork with Ant-Man will play out. And now because of this film’s release date, the dates for Black Panther and Captain Marvel have been shifted and moved back again, but since they isn’t much confirmed details on either I can deal with it for the time being, but the wait for Black Panther is killing me. And then of course there’s the three hidden films, those I couldn’t even speculate on so I’m not gonna bother.

So that’s my thoughts on this story, but how about you? Are you hyped for a Ant-Man sequel? And what do you think these mystery Marvel films are? Be sure to comment below and I’ll see ya on the next review. Laters! 😀

 

Tom Holland is the New Spider-Man and Will be Directed by Jon Watts!

Howdy people of the internet, for the first time in a while I am here to give you some film news and of course its superhero-related! For a while there’s been rumoured and certain amounts of information surrounding the casting of the new Spider-Man film and the new director, but nothing official had been released… Until now! The following information comes from superherohype:

Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios have announced that, following a lengthy casting process, actor Tom Holland (The Impossible, In the Heart of the Sea) will play Peter Parker/Spider-Man in their next Spider-Man film, which is set to hit theaters on July 28. 2017. In addition, director Jon Watts, director of the upcoming thriller Cop Car, will helm the feature.

Marvel and Sony Pictures, and producers Kevin Feige and Amy Pascal conducted an extensive search for both the actor and the director. The studios and producers were impressed by Holland’s performances in The Impossible, “Wolf Hall,” and the upcoming In the Heart of the Sea, and by a series of complex screen tests. Following Marvel’s tradition of working with the brightest next wave of directors, Watts also went through multiple meetings with Feige, Pascal, and the studio, before winning the job.

“It’s a big day here at Sony. Kevin, Amy and their teams have done an incredible job,” Tom Rothman, Sony Pictures Motion Pictures Group Chairman, said. “The Marvel process is very thorough, and that’s why their results are so outstanding. I’m confident Spider-Man will be no exception. I’ve worked with a number of up-and-coming directors who have gone on to be superstars and believe that Jon is just such an outstanding talent. For Spidey himself, we saw many terrific young actors, but Tom’s screen tests were special. All in all, we are off to a roaring start.”

“As with James Gunn, Joss Whedon, and the Russo brothers, we love finding new and exciting voices to bring these characters to life,” Kevin Feige added “We spent a lot of time with Jon and find his take and work inspiring.”

Amy Pascal added, “Sony, Marvel, Kevin and I all knew that for Peter Parker, we had to find a vibrant, talented young actor capable of embodying one of the most well-known characters in the world. With Tom, we’ve found the perfect actor to bring Spider-Man’s story into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.”

So we finally have our new Spider-Man and director, once again, FINALLY! No more rumours, no more speculation, just concrete official announcement online and it’s a nice feeling. With that being said I’m going to give my thoughts on the actor and then the director.

So Tom Holland, while he doesn’t necessarily look like someone I would cast as Peter Parker, that’s all subjective. What Holland does have going for him is that he’s young, talented and has been showing off some acrobatic skills recently too, so there’s that. But in all honesty I like this choice of casting, Holland seems like he has the right kind of body frame and face for a teenage Peter Parker so the school stuff will be believable, also going off of that video, hopefully Holland will be doing his own practical stunts like Andrew Garfield did in The Amazing Spider-Man. I have only seen him in The Impossible he was really good in that film, so that gives me confidence in his skills, looking at his filmography, it seems like he’ll be popping up in a few films and I’m looking forward to what he’ll bring to In the Heart of the Sea.

As for the director Jon Watts, he’s another element altogether. With Marvel’s previous director choices I’ve at least known them by name or seen/heard of their films like the Russo Brothers with Community, James Gunn with Super, Joss Whedon with Buffy and Serenity, Shane Black with Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, etc. And with Sony the same rule applies, I knew about Sam Raimi because of The Evil Dead and Marc Webb because of 500 Days of Summer. But this Watts guy is completely off the radar, he’s done some TV work and has directed a few short films and one feature but he’s really an unknown at this point. Marvel Studios and Sony must have a lot of confidence in him to take on this project. Now I’m not saying that films have to have established directors onboard to take on huge projects, but it does make you curious to know what an unknown talent can bring to the table that a bigger name could not. Either way I say good luck to him, I hope he’s the man for the job.

So what do you think of this news? Are you excited or disgusted about the new actor playing Spidey and are you down with the director or not? Please leave your comments below and I’ll see ya on the next film review, laters! 😀

 

Captain America: Civil War Synopsis & Cast Revealed By Marvel Studios

Howdy ladies and gents, time for some film news. Now I know there’s been some pretty big film news floating around the internet recently with the all of the images on the Suicide Squad, Star Wars: The Force Awakens info and images and rumoured info on the upcoming Spider-Man reboot with the potential actors and directors, but I’ve honestly been too lazy to report it. However today there is some news that I can’t ignore and that’s the new info on Captain America: Civil War. The following info comes from superherohype:

“Marvel Studios has commenced principal photography at Pinewood Studios in Atlanta, Georgia on Captain America: Civil War, the third installment of its Super Hero franchise. The production will shoot on location in Atlanta, Georgia, which serves as the base for the film’s production, as well as locations in Germany, Puerto Rico and Iceland.

Set for release in the United States on May 6, 2016, Captain America: Civil War is directed by Anthony and Joe Russo (Marvel’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier, “Community”) from a screenplay by Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely (Captain America: The Winter Solider, Marvel’s Captain America: The First Avenger). The film returns Chris Evans as the iconic Super Hero character Steve Rogers/Captain America along with Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark/Iron Man, Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow, Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier, Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson/Falcon, Paul Bettany as The Vision, Jeremy Renner as Clint Barton/Hawkeye, Don Cheadle as Jim Rhodes/War Machine and Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch.

After his debut in Marvel’s Ant-Man on July 17, 2015, Paul Rudd will make his first appearance alongside the Avengers as Scott Lang/Ant-Man in Captain America: Civil War.

The cast of the film also includes Chadwick Boseman (42, Get on Up) as T’Challa/Black Panther, Emily VanCamp (“Revenge”) as Sharon Carter/Agent 13, Daniel Brühl (Inglorious Basterds, Bourne Ultimatum) as Baron Helmut Zemo, Frank Grillo as Brock Rumlow/Crossbones, William Hurt (Marvel’s The Incredible Hulk) as General Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross and Martin Freeman (The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey).

Captain America: Civil War picks up where Avengers: Age of Ultron left off, as Steve Rogers leads the new team of Avengers in their continued efforts to safeguard humanity. After another international incident involving the Avengers results in collateral damage, political pressure mounts to install a system of accountability and a governing body to determine when to enlist the services of the team. The new status quo fractures the Avengers while they try to protect the world from a new and nefarious villain.

Marvel’s Captain America: Civil War is produced by Marvel Studios’ president, Kevin Feige, with Louis D’Esposito, Alan Fine, Victoria Alonso, Patricia Whitcher, Nate Moore and Stan Lee serving as executive producers.

Directors Joe and Anthony Russo’s creative team also includes director of photography Trent Opaloch (Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Elysium), production designer Owen Paterson (Godzilla, The Matrix), and three time Oscar-nominated costume designer Judianna Makovsky (Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone).”

To be honest I was already hyped for this film long before Avengers: Age of Ultron came out, but now that it’s filming and we’ve gotten all of these recent announcements my hype levels are actually exploding in my mind. I want this film in my life now. That’s how hyped I am. What I like about this news is two things:

• The cast
• The story details

Firstly that cast, damn! SO MANY PEOPLE, SO MUCH TALENT! In addition to having all of the great characters from Winter Soldier coming back we see The Vision, Hawkeye, War Machine and Scarlet Witch have returned from Age of Ultron too which is just delightful. Anyone that’s seen Age of Ultron knew that these characters were more than likely going to return but it is the fact that they’re confirmed that makes me smile. More Vision, War Machine and Scarlet Witch makes me very happy. Oh and having RDJ back as Tony Stark/Iron Man always makes me smile too. Also seeing Sharon Carter/Agent 13 is a wonderful thing, and getting to see Boseman as Black Panther in full costume is gonna be a delightful feeling for sure. But let’s talk about the bigger news that not only Paul Rudd will return as Ant-Man, but we also have bloody William Hurt back as frigging General Thunderbolt Ross from The Incredible Hulk! What!?! If there’s been one missing link in the MCU is the lack of connections to that Hulk film from 2008, it’s been largely ignored, so to have Hurt back adds to the continuity of this world and I would love to see his interaction with Mark Ruffalo’s Bruce Banner and see what kind of conversations they’ll have or how they acknowledge each other. Oh and finally I’m curious to know what character Martin Freeman will play, some say he’ll be some kind of government official at the center of this war, and in some ways I’m inclined to agree.

And then there’s the plot. Which basically sounds like the superheroes do something bad, the government steps in to control how they operate and this doesn’t bode well for the heroes with some for it and some against it, and then chaos ensues. I like it. It’s a very different, yet familiar take on the Civil War storyline from the comics. I’m just curious to see what this incident is and how it will trigger the government to step and what will be the exact catalyst for the heroes going to war with each other. I have some ideas but I’ll wait until more details arise before I make assumptions.

While Age of Ultron stumbled a bit with its plotlines and use of characters, it was still a very enjoyable and fun film, though I feel like some fans’ trust in Marvel Studios has been shaken. I feel like this film will have to be amazing or people will moan about Marvel’s ability to make good/consistent work. I believe in the Russo brothers, the way they handled Winter Soldier showed me that these are men who know what the deal is having a good relationship with the people at Marvel so they can craft an entertaining film that they want but also what the fans want too. As long as this film handles the cast correctly, sticks to its main story and doesn’t get lost in setting up from future films, it’ll be badass for sure.

So what are the main things I’ve taken away from this news? Well:

1. Vision, Scarlet Witch, War Machine, Ant-Man and General Ross are back, YAY!
2. The story sounds great.
3. Once again General Ross is back, continuity! 😀

So what do you think of this news? Are you more or less hyped than before for it? Please be sure to drop your thoughts in comment section below and I’ll see ya on the next blog post, laters! 😀

 

It’s Official: Spider-Man Enters the Marvel Cinematic Universe!

You when you wake up go online and hope to read something good, but end up seeing something totally unexpected that blows your mind? Well that happened to me today when I went on superherohype and saw the major news relating to Spider-Man and the Marvel Studios film universe. Just read the original article below:

Sony Pictures Entertainment and Marvel Studios officially announced today that Sony is bringing Marvel into the amazing world of Spider-Man! Under a new deal, a new Spider-Man (not Andrew Garfield) will first appear in a currently-unspecified Marvel film within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Sony Pictures will thereafter release the next installment of its $4 billion Spider-Man franchise, on July 28, 2017, in a film that will be co-produced by Kevin Feige and his expert team at Marvel and Amy Pascal, who oversaw the franchise launch for the studio 13 years ago. Together, they will collaborate on a new creative direction for the web slinger. Sony Pictures will continue to finance, distribute, own and have final creative control of the Spider-Man films.

Marvel and Sony Pictures are also exploring opportunities to integrate characters from the MCU into future Spider-Man films.

The new relationship follows a decade of speculation among fans about whether Spider-Man – who has always been an integral and important part of the larger Marvel Universe in the comic books – could become part of the Marvel Universe on the big screen. Spider-Man has more than 50 years of history in Marvel’s world, and with this deal, fans will be able to experience Spider-Man taking his rightful place among other super heroes in the MCU.

“Spider-Man is one of Marvel’s great characters,” says Bob Iger, Chairman and CEO, The Walt Disney Company, “beloved around the world. We’re thrilled to work with Sony Pictures to bring the iconic web-slinger into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which opens up fantastic new opportunities for storytelling and franchise building.”

“We always want to collaborate with the best and most successful filmmakers to grow our franchises and develop our characters. Marvel, Kevin Feige and Amy, who helped orchestrate this deal, are the perfect team to help produce the next chapter of Spider-Man,” said Michael Lynton, Chairman and CEO of Sony Pictures Entertainment. “This is the right decision for the franchise, for our business, for Marvel, and for the fans.”

“Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios share a love for the characters in the Spider-Man universe and have a long, successful history of working together. This new level of collaboration is the perfect way to take Peter Parker’s story into the future,” added Doug Belgrad, president, Sony Pictures Entertainment Motion Picture Group.

“I am thrilled to team with my friends at Sony Pictures along with Amy Pascal to produce the next Spider-Man movie,” said Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige. “Amy has been deeply involved in the realization on film of one of the world’s most beloved characters. Marvel’s involvement will hopefully deliver the creative continuity and authenticity that fans demand from the MCU. I am equally excited for the opportunity to have Spider-Man appear in the MCU, something which both we at Marvel, and fans alike, have been looking forward to for years.”

Spider-Man, embraced all over the world, is the most successful franchise in the history of Sony Pictures, with the five films having taken in more than $4 billion worldwide.

As a result of the new deal, Thor: Ragnarok will now arrive nearly four months later than planned, moving to November 3, 2017 (from July 28). Black Panther, which previously held that spot, gets delayed eight months, going from that original November 3 date to July 6, 2018. That, in turn, bumps Captain Marvel to November 2, 2018 and moves Inhumans all the way to July 12, 2019. The two-part Avengers: Infinity War, meanwhile, remains set for release May 4, 2018 and May 3, 2019.

Well fuck me! Fuck me sideways! I hate to use such profanity but believe me this kind of news that just requires a little swearing. This is good news. THIS IS FRIGGING GOOD NEWS! The heavens have opened up, there is a god and he has given us Marvel fans what we’ve always wanted. For YEARS people have wanted to see Spider-Man join the MCU especially after the way Marvel Phase One came together and gave us the likes of The Avengers. But since Sony owned the rights to Spidey and the producers seemed to stuck in their old ways to embrace the idea of change or collaboration, we thought we’d never get the chance to see the web head join the likes of the Avengers. However, I believe thanks to the misfortunes of The Amazing Spider-Man 2 that required Sony to revise their approach to the character and the future of his film universe. Now Marvel and Sony have finally come together and have struck a deal for Spidey to join the cool gang of superhero films. Fans across the internet should rejoice because we’ve wanted this for SO long and we finally have one of the best Marvel characters in the shared universe he should have been in all along.

Now obviously because of this deal one can only assume that The Amazing Spider-Man film series and it’s story, characters and universe is done and dusted. I can see at least a few fans of those films being very angry and disappointed by this new deal. I know that there were fans of Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone’s interpretations of Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy, some liked the more realistic take on the origin story, characters and web-slinging and the presentation. However there were problems that could not be ignored like retreading ground with the origin story, undeveloped villains, overcrowded storylines, tonal inconsistencies and dubstep music among some of the common issues. I do feel bad for the people who have been shafted after just two films, however it is Sony who has fucked them over in the first place so yeah I guess it is mainly the fans would will miss them most of all because they became invested in this world.

But now because of this deal, Marvel Studios have had to change a few things up by shifting a few of its film dates around for 2017 and with Thor 3, Black Panther, Captain Marvel and Inhumans all being pushed back a fair bit too. While I am gutted that I have to wait so long for even longer for these films especially when it comes to Black Panther at the same time Marvel Studios will be bringing us a NEW Spider-Man in 2017, sure it’ll be a while before that film gets released, but with someone like Kevin Feige behind it, I can’t help but feel absurdly happy and excited for the new version of Spidey. Now one has to wonder, since Andrew Garfield is out, who will replace him? And will there be another origin story or will we jump into the character being already established. Also will he be in Captain America: Civil War? I mean Spidey was an important part of the comic story and with this deal I find it hard to believe that he wouldn’t be showing up, that being said the film’s already well into development so they would have to squeeze him in pretty quickly.

Anyway that’s my quick thoughts on it, welcome back to the side of justice Spider-Man! Can’t wait to see you kick ass in the MCU. So what do you think of Spidey joining the MCU? Are you happy like me and many other fans across the world or are you sad to see your Amazing Spider-Man film universe fall apart? Please comment below and let me know. Laters!

 

Al Pacino Has Met with Marvel Studios and Kevin Feige

Howdy ladies and gents, time for some film news and today it is Marvel-related as we have an actor who has met up with the president at Marvel Studios. The following information comes from superherohype:

When Guardians of the Galaxy debuted in theaters, it was almost instantly a smash hit and went on to become the highest-grossing film of the year at the domestic box office. Countless people were now fans of the ragtag group of misfits, including Academy Award-winning actor Al Pacino, who called the film “amazing, inventive, and beautiful.”

Now, on the Happy Sad Confused Podcast (via MTV), Pacino reveals he has since met with Marvel Studios and its president Kevin Feige. When asked if he thought there was a part in store for him, he replied:

“I would imagine either there’s something he feels is right for me, or…” which is when Pacino’s phone began to ring. “Every time we talk about Marvel, that’s what happens.”

Like so many others, Marvel meets with a lot of actors, and whether anything ever comes of it remains to be seen, but Marvel Studios does have a number of movies coming up where Pacino could find himself such as Doctor Strange, Guardians of the Galaxy 2, Black Panther, Captain Marvel, Inhumans, or perhaps even Avengers: Infinity War.

So Al Pacino has been in talks with in Kevin Feige and Marvel? Nice. I mean sure there is nothing to suggest that he is a confirmed character in the MCU or give us as fans an idea as to who he play, but the fact that he’s even in talks does give one hope for the future. Pacino is a great actor of incredible caliber, so to have him in a superhero film would be fantastic. So who would he play in the upcoming list of Marvel films> Well it is anyones guess at this point. He could play Star-Lord’s father in Guardians of the Galaxy 2 or he could have a role in Doctor Strange maybe as the main villain or something else, I don’t know, those are my two best guesses. I feel like those films would be his best places for him to have a role, that being said he could appear in any of the other Phase Three films if the role was right for him.

So what do you think of this news? Be sure to comment below and let me know. Laters.

 

MARVEL FILM NEWS EXPLOSION! BLACK PANTHER, CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR, INFINITY WAR & MORE ANNOUNCED!

I leave the internet for just around 9-10 hours and the world of comic book film news blows the hell up! Marvel, man, they know how to drop bombs of information. Looks like the cinematic universe is about to expand tenfold between now and 2019! The following information comes from superherohype:

ComingSoon.net/SuperHeroHype’s Silas Lesnick attended the Disney and Marvel Studios press event today where Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige made a number of huge announcements including that the title for Captain America 3, starring Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr., will now be called…

Captain America: Civil War!

At a Q ‘n’ A following the announcement, Feige confirmed that “Civil War” will be a “global superhuman registration with a specific inciting incident” and that, “Secret identities aren’t as important in the MCU version of the story.”

Doctor Strange, starring Benedict Cumberbatch (who actually wasn’t mentioned, so perhaps the deal isn’t done) and directed by Scott Derickson, is officially scheduled for November 4, 2016.

James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy 2 has been moved forward a few months to May 5, 2017!

July 28, 2017 will now be the release date for… Thor: Ragnarok! (A few of our readers called this one.) Of course, both Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston will be returning as Thor and Loki. Feige says that it will immediately follow the events of Avengers: Age of Ultron with the goal to take Thor to “another level of his own franchise.”

The big news is that Marvel’s Black Panther is indeed getting his own solo movie with Black Panther scheduled for November 3, 2017 and the Black Panther will be played by…. Chadwick Boseman!

So that’s two sequels and one new character movie in 2017, Marvel Studios’ first year with three movie releases. Feige said that there is an easter egg in the Avengers: Age of Ultrontrailer for the Black Panther movie, which is probably that Andy Serkis plays Panther villain Ulysses Klaw.

Two more big announcements for new characters being brought to the Marvel Cinematic Universe are a Carol Danvers Captain Marvel movie for July 6, 2018 and an Inhumans movie for November 2, 2018. Both of these movies have been rumored for a long time, but now it’s confirmed that Marvel will have two new character movies in 2018 with the May 4, 2018 being…

Avengers: Infinity War – Part I!!!!

and with Avengers: Infinity War – Part II scheduled for May 3, 2019!

Feige said that the Hulk will appear in all of the Avengers movies and that a standalone Hulk movie may still happen. “We’ll see,” he said.

When asked about a Black Widow movie, Feige said the reason it hasn’t happened is “because she’s so good working with the Avengers and says that the Hulk is, at the moment, the same way.”

As far as rumors that Spider-Man might come over to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Feige was vague saying that it was either “not true at all” or “something not ready to be announced yet.”

As far as the long-rumored Runaways movie, Feige said that he’s a big fan of the script they have, but it just isn’t ready yet. The Runaways “come up quite a bit in both TV and film discussions.”

Jesus Christ! Talk about news overload. Just when you thought Marvel have pretty much won the internet over with the début of the Avengers: Age of Ultron teaser trailer, they take it one step further. Everything before this feels like a raindrop by comparison, Marvel Studios is like the cool kid at the pool party that knows how to make the best cannonballs and just when you though they’d made the biggest splash already, Marvel come back and do it again bigger and better. So now we have the Marvel film line-up from now up until 2019, that’s 5 years from now, that’s good planning and while some of the following films were obvious, some are definitely surprising.

Now I’m going to talk about the films individually:

Captain America: Civil War

So, Captain America 3, guess it is Civil War after all. I laugh at all the people that said that there was no chance that the Civil War storyline would be adapted, that it was just rumour and nothing more. But then comes Kevin Feige and Marvel Studios like, “We can do whatever we want, yeah, even Civil War.” Now that this is official I can’t wait to see how it turns out, since secret identities aren’t the main focus, I really want to know what this “inciting incident” is. Bring it on, I can’t wait.

Doctor Strange

So Doctor Strange, yeah that’s happening and it is set for November of 2016. I’m down with that. There hasn’t been any information additional information released story or cast-wise, that being said I’m not expecting too much at this point in time because of all the hype and planning surrounding Avengers 2 and Ant-Man. But I hope that the title character is cast soon and announced in the next two or three months, tops.

Then of course there’s the recent news about Benedict Cumberbatch being attached to title role, of course it was rumoured before, but now it seems a little more legit because of the whole ‘in talks’ element that’s come into play. Now it hasn’t been made official by Marvel yet, however it seems like it would be the next logical announcement for this film. Now while I would have liked to see what would kind of performances would have come from Joaquin Phoenix or Ethan Hawke, at the same time I LOVE Cumberbatch as an actor and if he joined the MCU I would blow up.

Guardians of the Galaxy 2

This was a given and obviously was announced back in the summer just after the first film came out. No new information about the film other than the fact that its been given other than the fact that the film’s release has been moved up by about 2 months I think.

Thor: Ragnarok

So Thor 3, its Ragnarok and I knew it would head in this direction. It is one of the most classic and epic of stories in the comics and Norse mythology to my knowledge, and the only way to make this Thor universe more hardcore would be to incorporate Ragnarok. I’m also curious to see what Thor and Loki are up to and how this film ties in to Avengers 2 as well.

Black Panther & Chadwick Boseman Announcement

But the biggest announcement for me was the confirmation that Black Panther IS happening and it WILL be part of Phase Three in November of 2017. To say that I am happy would be an understatement. It feels like I have been waiting for AGES for this to be announced. Since the time Wakanda was shown on that map in the background in Iron Man 2, I have been waiting for some sort of solid confirmation that Black Panther would be part of the MCU and now we finally have it. After having us transported to Asgard, a World War II setting and the far reaches of space, I feel like we’re now ready for an adventure set in Africa with the inhabitants of Wakanda. It could be a special and interesting film if handled correctly.

So then there’s the casting the title character and it is being played by Chadwick Boseman. While he was not my first choice, at the same time he is not a bad one at all. I’ve only seen him in 42, but I could already see that Boseman was talented and was going to go places in the future, and with the positive reception I’ve heard from some critics on Get On Up, I assume he’ll definitely be an actor to look out for after he debuts as T’Challa/Black Panther. And then there’s that concept art:

All I can say is damn, this looks sweet as hell, if the final costume looks anything like this then I will be SO happy. Black Panther has always had one of the coolest costumes in the comics and this concept art looks like a great adaptation of the original while also being very practical and stylish.

Captain Marvel

Then there’s this film, the one that’s been rumoured for such a long time and people have been asking for since around just after The Avengers came out (at least that’s what I observed online on many comic book websites). So it looks like a female-lead superhero film starring Carol Danvers is actually happening. Probably won’t hear much on this for a while (or at least until DC’s Wonder Woman gets another major announcement), but for now I’m just glad that it is happening.

Inhumans

Here we have another film that was hinted at and rumoured about for years, but has never had any validity until now. Now I know next to nothing about the Inhumans, I’ve only gotten small amounts of knowledge through Marvel Ultimate Alliance and the Fantastic Four cartoons. Something tells me that there will be some connectivity to at least Captain Marvel, Guardians 2 or Avengers 3. They seem like an interesting bunch and could be the next big group next to the Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy.

Avengers: Infinity War – Part I & II

So now we have the final piece of the MCU puzzle. After all this planning, crafting and hype, it all comes to this, the 3rd Avengers film where the big bad titan, Thanos will finally come to the forefront of these films and probably kick the Avengers to the curb. I believe that the Earth will not be the only place in danger, this may even extend to space (it is a possibility considering the over-the-top  nature of the comic stories). This will probably biggest event ever, and if it take two films just for the Avengers to win or survive, then this will have to be one hell of a film filled with epic stakes, incredible action and character moments that will be notable and unforgettable.

In conclusion, the Marvel hype train has reached a new level and I’m frigging hyped, so frigging hyped it is not even a joke. I want the future now, I want these films now! Give it to me now Marvel! XD

So what do you think of this epic Marvel film announcement? Are you happy about the films announced or not, and out of the films announced which one are you the most excited about? Whatever your thoughts are be sure to leave them in the comments below and I’ll see you on the next blog post yo, laters! 😀

 

ABC to Air Sneak Peek at Avengers: Age of Ultron!

Good evening ladies and gents, it is time for me to deliver some film news once again. It seems like Marvel Studios is never too far away from the world of film news with their previous and upcoming work and now it seems like we’re going to see even more from them in the future through the power of television. The following info comes from superherohype:

“ABC and Marvel Entertainment have announced a special behind-the-scenes look at the company in a new one-hour special titled Marvel Studios: Assembling a Universe, which will air next month on the network. In addition to new footage from upcoming episodes of their TV series “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” the special will also show off new footage from the upcoming films Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Guardians of the Galaxy, and the highly-anticipated Avengers: Age of Ultron. Here’s the full press release:

Join stars from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, celebrity fans, filmmakers and pop culture icons for a world premiere primetime event, “Marvel Studios: Assembling a Universe,” on Tuesday, March 18 (8:00-9:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network.

Marvel Studios has pioneered and broken box-office records around the world, creating a cinematic universe unlike any other in pop culture history through its blockbuster films. Beginning with “Iron Man” in 2008 and continuing today through “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” on ABC and the theatrical release of “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” this April, the Marvel Cinematic Universe presents audiences with some of the most groundbreaking and dynamic storytelling that brings an unprecedented vision to the world of entertainment.

In this exclusive primetime documentary special, audiences will be taken further into the Marvel Cinematic Universe than ever before, offering viewers a front row seat to the inception of Marvel Studios, the record-breaking films, the cultural phenomenon, and further expansion of the universe by Marvel Television.

Marvel’s first television special documents the exciting story behind Marvel Studios and the Marvel Cinematic Universe, featuring exclusive interviews and behind-the-scenes footage from all of the Marvel films, the Marvel One-Shots and “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” Viewers will walk a clear path through this amazing and nuanced universe, featuring sneak peeks at the future of “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” on ABC, new footage from Marvel Studios’ upcoming theatrical releases, “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” and “Guardians of The Galaxy,” and a sneak peek at the upcoming Marvel’s “The Avengers: Age of Ultron.”“

Well this sounds awesome, only one problem… I’m not in the US! It is great for ABC to air this super fancy documentary in their native homeland, but where does that leave the rest of the world? Does that mean that we’ll eventually see aired on one of our TV networks in the UK or wherever everyone else is or will we just be left in the dark and have to read about it online? That’s my only concern about this news, that people outside of America won’t be able to see the documentary.

Beyond that, this sounds really interesting. I’d be really curious to see how Marvel Studios started and how they formed their ideas for the cinematic universe that they have crafted. I mean I’ve read all about on Wikipedia and many other websites and verbal interviews, but I would like to see the documentary to shed light on the places where the magic happens and give us some cool behind-the-scenes looks at their old, current and future projects. I’m really curious to know what they’ll show of Avengers 2 considering that production only just started a little while ago. As for Cap 2 and GotG I want it all now, show me everything! Haha. Okay maybe not everything, ESPECIALLY if it is spoiler-based, but I will be intrigued about those two films.

 

Marvel Studios Begins Eyeing Directors for Doctor Strange!

Hello again ladies and gents, time for some more Marvel film news and today it relates to Marvel Studios’ plans for their upcoming Doctor Strange film. The following information comes from superherohype:

“Marvel Studios has started looking for talent to helm their upcoming Doctor Strange. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the current names in contention include Mark Andrews (Brave), Jonathan Levine (Warm Bodies), Nikolaj Arcel (A Royal Affair) and Dean Israelite (the upcoming Welcome to Yesterday). Jon Aibel and Glenn Berger (Kung Fu Panda) are also said to have met with the studio on the project, but as screenwriters only.

“[Doctor Strange] checks the box off this criteria that I have,” Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige told us recently about the long-gestating feature. “He’s totally different from anything else we have.”

Although a specific release date for Doctor Strange has not yet been set, Marvel has three placeholder dates set for unnamed features on May 6 and July 8, 2016 and on May 5, 2017. It’s starting to look more and more likely that the good doctor will be claiming one of those spots.”

So it looks like Marvel Studios are actually ready to go ahead with a Doctor Strange film and the fact that they’re looking for directors means that it is not just talk, it is actually happening. As for the directors listed above I’ve looked up their film histories and none of them would be my first choice in helming a film like this, however I do see some potential there too.

Jon Aibel and Glenn Berger are interesting because I like their work in Kung-Fu Panda 1 & 2, but I don’t know if they’d translate to live-action very well. Mark Andrews is alright but again like the last directors I haven’t seen any live-action work from him yet and Brave wasn’t one of my favourite Pixar films, so yeah… I’m curious about Jonathan Levine and Nikolaj Arcel, I think they’d be the best choices for this film has they have good films under their belts and I think they’d be the most capable of taking on a Marvel film.

 

Marvel Has Movie Plans Up to 2021

Howdy ladies and gents, now it’s just time to blog about some interesting news concerning Marvel Studios and their future plans for their upcoming films. It’s only little news but I believe its enough to blog about. So the following information comes from IGN:

“Marvel Studios is planning for the long haul. How long? Try all the way up to 2021.

“I could arguably say what we’re planning for the year 2021,” Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige said in an interview with WIRED. “Will that happen? I don’t know. But what we planned for 2015 in 2006 is happening.” 

Two release dates have already been announced for unspecified movies — one in 2016 and one in 2017 — and now we can expect even more in the upcoming years. Characters such as Doctor Strange and Black Panther are rumored to have movies in development, but with 50-plus years of comics to fall back on, Marvel could go any direction.

“Five years ago, looking at our plan, we knew that if Avengers was going to work, the movies had to stand alone,” Feige said. “Now we have to prove to the studio that we’re more than just these five characters, these five franchises.”

With 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy and 2015’s Avengers: Age of Ultron, Marvel Studios will have completed Phase 2 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. They are immediately launching Phase 3 with the long-gestating Ant-Man movie the same year as the Avengers sequel, so if they continue their current pacing, they’ll be in Phase 4 by 2021. What will the MCU look like then?

Guardians of the Galaxy and Ant-Man hitting the big screen shows that Marvel Studios is not afraid to take some chances with lesser known properties.

Aside from sequels for already established franchises like Iron Man and Captain America, what other characters and teams would you like to see join the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Luke Cage, the Inhumans, or Carol Danvers as Captain Marvel, anyone?”

So it seems like Kevin Feige and his people at Marvel Studios have really been thinking about this whole cinematic universe, it’s not just short-term planning, but really looking into the future and setting up for the future with clear direction. That is something that has to be admired. Again think about it, if Iron Man or any of the other Marvel Phase One films failed then Marvel’s grand plan would never have come to fruition along with kick ass film that was The Avengers last year. You have to appreciate Marvel’s long-term planning and their conviction and trust in their properties. So far it has done them very well and I love what they’ve crafted so far and with the upcoming Phase Two films and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., I’m so hyped to see what the future holds.

As for films that need to be made here’s my list:

• Luke Cage and Iron Fist (It’d be a very different, original and kick ass buddy superhero film yo)
• Black Panther (the fans want it, I want it, people have been waiting for years yo)
• Ms. Marvel (To get a solo female superhero would be great for a change)
• Inhumans (I think this group would present a great new challenge for Marvel in the same vein as Guardians of the Galaxy you because of the whole space scene)

Come on Marvel frigging make it happen!