The Marvel Cinematic Universe

[Empath of the White]

"El Mayimbe here...

Got a new source and even though it is a tad bit late at night to double check, he passed my prelimanary source check and besides I figured this scoop is too damn hot to wait till morning. Anyway, we all need a jodido break from all these corny whack ass Batman 3 casting rumors.

Ya'll want some real Superhero casting news of the Marvel variety?

How about this!

From what I'm told, Tim Robbins is going to be playing Howard Stark in an important flashback sequence that is going to set up the Avengers and Captain America films. Jon [Favreau] wanted to get a good actor because he didn't think the guy who played Howard in the last film could carry such an important scene.

Makes sense to me because Howard Stark would be around the time of the Captain America Super Soldier experiment.

That is not all, check this out...

I'm also told that HAWKEYE and BLACK WIDOW are definitely in Iron Man 2 and they wont be cameos either.

You guys want to take this as a rumor due to the timing then it's all good with me till further notice.

Stay tuned as more develops and Happy Holidays folks."

_________________________________


From the latinoreview website.

[fernandito]

I'm really not liking all this crossover shite. Having Hawkeye in Iron Man deuce would mean that a relatively significant portion of the movie would go to towards explaining his character and it's origins, time that could be instead used to further explore the depths of Starks character.

[Empath of the White]

According to this site: http://www.coverbrowser.com/covers/tales-of-suspense/2

Hawkeye and Black Widow were Iron Man villains a while back. It might be a nice change from an iron-suited villain. Assuming they don't try working in Crimson Dynamo and overcrowd the movie. He and Titanium Man were pretty big on some other websites as the villains for IM2.

[fernandito]

Iron Man 2 Villain Casting
Wrestler, Dangerous Mind stars up for bad guy roles.
by IGN Staff

January 7, 2009 - Mickey Rourke, the so-hot-right-now comeback star of The Wrestler, and Sam Rockwell (Confessions of a Dangerous Mind) are in talks to join the upcoming Iron Man sequel as dual villains.

Rockwell, The Hollywood Reporter says, is up for the part of Justin Hammer, "a multibillionaire businessman and a rival of industrialist" of Tony Stark. Incidentally, Rockwell was one of director Jon Favreau's original choices for the Iron Man role.

As for Rourke's part, there appears to be some confusion. Variety says that he would play "Tony Stark's Russian alter ego, a heavily tattooed bruiser who is in the arms trade and battles Iron Man in his own nuclear-powered armored suit." The trade mag hints that he's the Crimson Dynamo.

But wait... The Hollywood Reporter describes the character differently. They say Rourke will portray "a tattooed Russian heavy named Ivan who becomes Whiplash, a man with deadly, technologically enhanced coils." That doesn't sound like Whiplash at all -- that character is a girl, except in the Ultimate universe where he's only been briefly glimpsed. The description sounds a little bit like Omega Red, but we're inclined to think that Rourke is actually playing Crimson Dynamo, as Variety states.

Did somebody get their wires crossed here? Is it intentional misinformation? We think the latter is a real possibility given the extremely convoluted nature of today's announcements.

Finally, THR scoops that another role, that of Tony Stark's assistant Natasha, has yet to be cast. Confused yet?

Share your thoughts on Iron Man 2, coming in May 2010, in the comments below.
UPDATE: Marvel's profile of Whiplash reminds us that he was once called Blacklash. His real name is Mark Scarlotti and he was a weapons designer and head of research for Stark International who fell in with organized crime. At one point "he was an operative for Justin Hammer, another rival of Tony Stark. Hammer called on Scarlotti for various reasons even if he had to turn him against another Hammer employee." Scarlotti was killed by the sentient Iron Man armor in Iron Man #28.

[The Cosmic Geek]

Man, I still need to see the first one. My friend out in California asked me recently if I have seen it yet, I told him not yet, and yesterday in the mail I received a gift from him. It was the Iron Man DVD. Can't wait to see it.

[Empath of the White]

It might be that Favs is going to merge Crimson Dynamo with the aesthetics of Whiplash...giving him some whips as well. I'm not well read on either character...how similar is Dynamo to Iron Monger? I see both as armored villains. Do the similarities end there?

So we have:

Hawkeye
Black Widow
Justin Hammer
Whoever Rourke is playing

Maybe he's going for a Nolan kind of approach, using known characters, but only as needed. Its certainly doable. Look at BB:

Carmine Falcone
The Scarecrow
Ra's Al Ghul
Mr. Zsaz
Mr. Earl

Same amount of "villains", but they all flowed well with the narrative and things never felt cluttered or convoluted. Plus the movie still was able to focus on Bruce Wayne/Batman.

[fernandito]

Raimi Suggests Spidey 4 Villain?
Spider-Man director has plans for sequel baddie.
by Orlando Parfitt, IGN UK

UK, January 13, 2009 - Sam Raimi told Empire magazine that he already has an idea for the villain in Spider-Man 4.

He said: "I like it in the Marvel comics when Spider-Man fights Morbius... He's really cool. A vampire! I like that combination of superhero plus supernatural."

In the comics, Morbius wasn't actually a vampire in the supernatural sense; instead he was a Nobel-prize winning biochemist who (unwisely) attempted to cure his rare blood disease with a combination of vampire bats and electroshock therapy -- giving him "vampiric" characteristics. The character became an important part of the Marvel universe, doing battle with Spidey, the Human Torch and the X-Men.

The film is currently at the script-writing stage, with the last news on the project being that Pulitzer-prize winning author David Lindsey-Abaire had been signed on to co-write the sequel.

Raimi said way back in October that filming would possibly get under way in 2010, with the director currently putting the finishing touches to horror Drag Me to Hell.

[The Cosmic Geek]

I want a new Spidey movie, I just don't know if Morbius is the right choice. Why not go like the Lizard and Kraven the Hunter?

[fernandito]

Spidey 4 Filming in 2010
Says J.K. Simmons - aka Daily Bugle Editor J. Jonah Jameson.
by Orlando Parfitt, IGN UK

UK, January 19, 2009 - J.K. Simmons - the actor who plays Daily Bugle editor J. Jonah Jameson in the Spider-Man films - told MTV that filming on the fourth instalment of the franchise will get underway in 2010.

He said Sam Raimi confirmed the news to him at "his Christmas party", which would corroborate with earlier rumours that Sony were planning a May 2011 release for the superhero sequel.

Meanwhile Simmons had this to say about his fast-talking character: "We've definitely brainstormed ideas for Triple-J, but I have no desire to make Triple-J more of the focus of those movies," he said. "The amount that I did in 1, 2 and 3, is just exactly right. Like be the wolf. Come in, blow in, do a week, blow out, be the comic relief, and hit the road. And let Tobey and everybody else do the heavy lifting."

Progress on the next Spidey film seems to be quickening, with a writer hired for the script, and Raimi already mulling villains. However, neither the director, nor stars Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst have - as yet - officially signed on for the project.

[Empath of the White]

Morbius and Lizard would be an awesome combination. If this is still a two-part deal, then the fifth movie could have Kraven coming to NY to hunt down the freaks.

[flaggwalkstheline]

I want a Clone Saga Movie !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Spoiler:

heres a clone of what I just said: I want a Clone Saga Movie !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

4 out of 4 clones with the exact same brains agree: Spiderman 4 should be the begining of a clone saga!!!!

[The Cosmic Geek]

What is it about the Clone Saga that you like so much?

[flaggwalkstheline]

It really explores the emotional depths of its many characters, I know its hated by most ppl but I've read it (took a while to collect/ download/ scan/ borrow/ or buy every issue) and yeah some of it is a little hokey but its the longest running most important most status changing (OMD doesnt have 3 Spidermans) story in that characters history and ever since it ended spiderman stories havent been the same, the ending of it leaves me very angry (unconvincing death of the character i have in my pics) though norman osbournes return has been good, what it also does is illustrate the fundamental flaw in serial comic books: they dont end, the clone saga would be perfect if it were indeed the last peter parker story and for a while it looks like it just might be, but after a decade all comic books must "return to their roots" which just means going back to their classic status quo, but even with all that the clone saga still stands as a truly amazing storyline which I think would be well suited to 3 spiderman movies in a row in order to try and redeem the unfairly tainted legacy of a great story

as u can tell by the above statement: I am one of those crazy fans who writes long pontificating letters to Joe Q DEMANDING that they bring back ben reilly, so far his only capitulation is a few name checks, the mention of kaine in civil war: battle damage, and one out of continuity issue with the spiderclone as a main character (xmen/spiderman # 3) But its a start!!!!!!

[The Cosmic Geek]

I wasn't a huge Clone supporter for the comic, but I admire your passion for it. I do remember the issues though and wish I could read them again, give them a fair chance. I do remember MJ saying she was pregnant in it.


Did you read the Clone story line in Ultimate Spider-man?

You know, you made me soften up a bit regarding the Clone story line. Well done!

[fernandito]

You know, you made me soften up a bit regarding the Clone story line. Well done!

Me too! Shit, now I want to re-read the clone saga

[flaggwalkstheline]

I wasn't a huge Clone supporter for the comic, but I admire your passion for it. I do remember the issues though and wish I could read them again, give them a fair chance. I do remember MJ saying she was pregnant in it.


Did you read the Clone story line in Ultimate Spider-man?

You know, you made me soften up a bit regarding the Clone story line. Well done!

yay! 2 possible converts!

n yeah I did read the ultimate clonesaga, I love the ultimate comics, more than the 616 stories of the last decade

try these 2 sites
the first one is a timeline so u can know what issues to get
http://www.samruby.com/History/clonesagatimeline.htm
and this one is a site that offers free spiderman downloads (sometimes its a little wonky though)
http://www.donaldspidermanthomas.com/html/

[fernandito]

Can you point me towards any Clone Saga omnibus(es), flagg?

[flaggwalkstheline]

the tragedy is that it hasnt been released in any sort of omnibus form, the first one (from the 70s) was rereleased in the 90s to coincide with the then new one as a hardcover called clone genesis, but the later one hasnt been collected except for revelations which is the final story in it, but both that and clone genesis are out of print, those sites I posted should allow one a listing of and access to all the issues (albeit not in a paper form)

[fernandito]

Rourke Joins Iron Man 2
Oscar nominee also considered for Spidey 4?
by Jim Vejvoda

March 11, 2009 - After weeks of public back-and-forth, Oscar nominee Mickey Rourke will reportedly be in Iron Man 2 after all.

Deadline Hollywood Daily says that Rourke got a significant salary bump after Marvel's previously reported "lowball offer." According to DHD, Rourke will play "the Russian villain" in the film, which seems to confirm the rumor that he'll play Crimson Dynamo.

The site says that Rourke will start researching his role once he wraps up promoting his comeback film The Wrestler in, ironically enough, Russia.

And just to add fuel to the fanboy fire, DHD also claims, "Sony was considering hiring Mickey to play the villain in Spider-Man 4."

Which character do you think Rourke would have played in Spidey 4?

[Sam]

Mysterio maybe? Rourke is good at throwing up a smoke screen after all.

[fernandito]

Peter Parker's New Direction
Raimi to explore new aspects of character in Spider-Man 4.
by Orlando Parfitt, IGN UK

UK, April 22, 2009 - Sam Raimi has been talking about Spider-Man 4 to Sci-FI Wire, and said he wants to take the character of Peter Parker in a new direction.

He said: "I hope that we just [look] ever deeper into the truth of who Peter Parker really is -- as a human being and a unique character, and that we celebrate that, which is a lot of the reason I want to make this next picture."

Raimi continued: "I still believe I have an understanding of Peter Parker as the character that I have not quite put onto the screen yet."

The director also revealed he has a meeting coming up with Kirsten Dunst -- who is still not signed on to reprise her role as Mary Jane. "I'm hoping that she is going to come aboard... I think she would like to. But I don't want to speak on behalf of her."

What aspects of Peter Parker's character do you want Raimi to explore in Spider-Man 4?

[Kidd Ikarus]

God . . . I really wish they had fired Raimi and gone with a different director for the new Spidey movies.

[flaggwalkstheline]

Clone Saga begining is what I want
Jake Gylennhal as ben reilly
John Malkovitch as Miles Warren/ jackal
Antonio Banderas as Tarantula

[fernandito]

Iron Man 2 Sneak Peek
A preview of our visit to the set of the Marvel sequel.
by Jim Vejvoda

June 4, 2009 - IGN Movies visited the set of Iron Man 2 yesterday where we got the chance to speak at length with star Robert Downey Jr., director Jon Favreau, and Marvel Studios honcho Kevin Feige. While our full set visit report is under embargo for another month, Paramount Pictures and Marvel have allowed us to provide you with this brief overview of some of the cool things we witnessed.

Iron Man 2, now roughly halfway through production, is being shot at Raleigh Studios in the Los Angeles suburb of Manhattan Beach. Marvel announced last year that they will shoot all of their upcoming projects -- including Thor, The First Avenger: Captain America, and The Avengers -- here.

Upon arriving at Marvel's offices on the lot, the invited journalists sat down for a lengthy roundtable interview with studio boss Feige, the self-proclaimed fanboy shepherding all of Marvel's in-house productions through development. In addition to chatting about Iron Man 2, Feige was also extraordinarily forthcoming about Marvel's upcoming slate. Look for specifics of what Feige had to say about these projects Friday.

- Marvel/Paramount

Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) in his workshop in Iron Man 2; click for hi-res.


We were then escorted to the set of Tony Stark's workshop that was seen in the first film (it was the setting of Tony's humorous early attempts at flying in the Mark II Iron Man armor). Favreau made his first of many friendly pit-stops to chat with the online press, a relationship he aptly analogized as being similar to the one between athletes and sports writers. While being mindful of spoilers, the director did reveal that Iron Man 2 is all about the repercussions of Tony's abandonment of his secret identity at the end of the first film and his lingering issues with his late father Howard Stark (played by Mad Men's John Slattery).

The scenes we witnessed being filmed had Tony examining a miniature model of the 1974 Stark Expo (think of it as the World's Fair had it been staged by Howard Stark). The second scene we observed had Tony's interacting with his A.I. servant Jarvis as Downey pantomimed using the Minority Report-esque holographic computer display seen in the first film.

Our set visit concluded with a chat with Downey, who is every bit as charming, smart and silver-tongued in person as the character he so brilliantly portrays. We had the chance to witness some very cool things while on-set but, alas, that's all we can say until next month. Rest assured that Iron Man 2 not only looks as exciting and fun as its predecessor but also grander in scope and full of even more interesting characters and cool set-pieces. Check back Friday for our chat with Kevin Feige about Marvel's upcoming movies.

[Mattrick]

I'm sure this one will be as bad, if not worse, than the original. I love RDJ but I'm not interested in this one.