So by now, you've probably all heard several superhero names you don't know anything about.
Don't worry folks, Marvel Studios has a plan. What started with the success of "Iron Man," has now branched into Hulk, Thor and Captain America movies.
But what does this mean for you? Well, I'd say a lot.
Over the next couple summers we will see an entire Marvel mythos develop and potentially destroy at the box office. The plan is to put all of these movies together with their casts, and put them into one super-blockbuster movie, "The Avengers."
Do you people get what I'm saying? We could have four serious summer blockbuster movies with A-list stars all culminate in one super-movie.
But is that a good thing? Here are some of my thoughts on the casting/producing choices for "The Avengers" movie, which is slated to be out in May of 2012 (start buying your helmets now, cause this will blow your mind):
Director: Joss Whedon. Fan girls everywhere are screaming in joy about this pick. I know the guy is a capable director, and an absolutely amazing writer, but I still wonder if this means he's going to kill a main character like he always seems to do in everything. This is one I'm excited for, but also very hesitant. We'll just have to wait and see.
Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man. Uh... hello? Yeah, this has been a huge payoff for both Marvel and Downey himself. He's absolutely perfect for the role of the alcoholic playboy billionaire, and I look forward to any projects he has coming down the road.
Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow. Well at least we'll have something to look at. But seriously, she didn't really have much to do in "Iron Man 2," so I'm wondering if she'll have any real presence in this movie.
Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury. It's like "The Ultimates" gave him a whole new career. Jackson is signed on for almost every single Marvel movie (a 13-movie deal I believe?) and he's been absolutely perfect in his role. Another solid choice.
Chris Hemsworth as Thor. Quick! Name 3 movies Hemsworth has been in. Also quick! Tell me what you actually know about Thor. That's what I thought. I'm very excited for the Norse God to appear on the silver screen, but both the character and actors obscurity may hurt the studio. I still approve of ANYTHING with Idris Elba in it, so I can't wait for the Thor movie, and won't judge Hemsworth until I can see him in something more than the beginning of "Star Trek."
Chris Evans as Captain America. Another odd choice. Johnny Storm is apparently bulking up and ditching the sarcasm to become the Red, White and Blue. I don't think the transition will be jarring, cause the "Fantastic Four" movies weren't very good. Another one that's very wait-and-see...
Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye. This one is absolutely fantastic. As soon as I heard about this rumor I immediately thought, "Yes!" Renner is the kinda crazy character actor who would be ideal for the antithesis of Cap's tunnel vision on morality. Look for the movie to have some sweet arguments and hopefully fights between this bow and arrow guy and Evans's Cap.
Mark Ruffalo as The Hulk. Well now this is interesting. I hated the first "Hulk" with Eric Bana, but strangely loved the second one with Ed Norton. Apparently there was some drama with Norton, the director and Marvel Studios. Norton was outed in a not very polite kinda way, so we have Ruffalo. What does that mean? Not much. They are very similar actors with similar talents, so that change shouldn't be very bad.
So what's left? As you can see, we have no Spider-Man, not even the new one. No Fantastic Four. No Wolverine. All those characters are tied up in other studios from before the official Marvel Studios opened.
The one that's kinda disappointing to me is no announcement of Ant-Man. Yup, that's stupid and that's nerdy, but get over it. I had heard a lot about Nathan Fillion picking up the role and getting to be in the Whedon blockbuster, but apparently that's not happening. Come on people, I need you to step this up for me!
Comic books are everywhere, and you don’t even realize it. Movies like “A History of Violence,” bands like Fall Out Boy, and television shows like “Lost” have all had some influence from comic books. Non-Required Reading is here to explain all the links between comics and pop culture that you might not even know about. Expect reviews, opinions, ideas, recommendations and more every Sunday! Any ideas for what you want to see? Contact me at djacka@asu.edu.
