Live-Action GHOST IN THE SHELL Movie Lands Spring 2017 Release Date

Disney has lined-up a bunch of new release dates which includes their adaptation of the manga turned anime film/series Ghost In The Shell. The film directed by Snow White And The Huntsman's Rupert Sanders is now set for an April 14th, 2017.

It will be coming out a week after Guillermo del Toro's Pacific Rim 2.

The manga, anime and series focuses on a covert Japanese police force Section 9, who is mostly made-up of cyborg cops that tackle cyber crime and terrorists in the year 2029.



We actually haven't learned what Disney's plans for their film version of the movie. It's extremely possible that the film could indeed still be set in Japan and take many cues from it's source material.

Scarlett Johansson (Her, Lost In Translation, Under The Skin) has been previously been cast as the film's lead as The Major. This is after a reported $10M offer from the studio to take the role after they passed on Margot Robbie (Wolf of Wall Street, Tarzan, Suicide Squad).

Other sources claim the studio were also looking at Angelina Jolie and Jennifer Lawrence for the role.

This is seemingly a role in Scarlett's wheelhouse with action roles in films such as Avengers, Captain America: The Winter Solider, The Island and last summer's huge success story with Luc Besson's Lucy.

A French film set in Taiwan and France with a mostly foreign supporting cast with a budget of $40M but earning $459M worldwide at the box office.

The film went head-to-head with Dwayne Johnson's Hercules it's opening weekend in the U.S. and managed to squash it. Proving Scarlett is ready to evolve to action heroine, even if Marvel isn't about to give her a Black Widow film.

Her addition to the cast is considered somewhat to controversial to some. Yet, it's unknown what direction the film is going and that is highlighted by the studio not releasing an official synopsis for the film. People are being quick-on-the-draw to claim whitewashing but that's far from the case so far.

Let's be a bit more open-minded.

I personally don't see it that way considering The Major's body is a robotic shell and ethnicity doesn't really come into play here. It's possible the manufacturing company could dictate what her robotic "shell" will look like.

Who is to say the company making the bodies isn't from the west or that in fact The Major is from Japan but has a western background?

It's possible that Scarlett's version of The Major was born or raised in Japan. There is a growing group of western immigrants flooding into Japan. An influx of foreigners do live in Japan a lot of people are ignoring this fact. The increase is due to the alarming birth rate decline as the country has one of the lowest in the world. An aspect that isn't really reflected in the Japanese film industry.

There could be a point where the Japanese will be minority in their own country if they can't get their birth rates up.

Having some non-Japanese on a police force is going to be common place in the future, which is the film's setting since it's 14 years in the future.

I'd also like to point-out that Major's shell does have blue eyes in the original anime film.

I am against Americanizing the film entirely but also open to some slight changes that are likely going to happen when Disney and Hollywood get's involved.

We didn't lose our minds when Edge of Tomorrow changed Tom Cruise's character from Japanese to American or Emily Blunt's Rita from American to British from the original book All You Need Is Kill. That film ended-up becoming a badass adaptation.

Ghost In The Shell is a completely different property than Akira, which is hugely a Japanese story and even has a Japanese title. Shell is slightly different identity and allows for a bit more wiggle-room for a cinematic re-imagining than Akira does.

A science fiction story that mimics fears of too much military power, war mongering and looming nuclear threats to a civilian population. Warner Bros. handling of the film was serious whitewash treatment on all fronts.

The studio searched for actors and actresses about twenty of them for the major roles in the film. Looking at only white actors for roles, not just for one role but all of them.

The location was being moved from Neo Tokyo to Manhattan. Seemingly muting the nuclear holocaust themes that were linked to the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. An extremely Japanese aspect essential to the film's story, psyche and identity.

They were even changing a majority of the Japanese names to give them a western spin. Something we don't expect will be the case with the characters in Shell.

I'm also in the belief that since they are hunting international cyber and artificial intelligence terrorists in a global community. We should be seeing an international task-force to combat it but based out of Japan.

Having Scarlett surrounded by a large and talented Japanese cast similar to films like Black Rain and The Wolverine is also very likely. I still believe we're going to be getting a Japanese centric film but it being lead by Scarlett Johansson

I'm not entirely convinced Rupert Sanders is the best director for the job but he did an excellent job on the live-action ads for Halo 3: ODST. Gathering more emotion than the entire runtime of Huntsman. There is some expectation he could bring that edge to Shell. 



We'll being seeing a huge push by the creators to get the word out about the property. As a new untitled anime film is on it's way this summer from the creative team behind the prequel Ghost In The Shell: Arise. I assume the film will eventually make it's way to Netflix like Arise.

They've also developed a first-person shooter game Ghost In The Shell First Connection that looks beyond cool with may land Stateside at some point before the live-action film. I'm hoping the film mixes the design artwork from the original manga/film with this new game.



SOURCE: DISNEY/DREAMWORKS

Scarlett Johansson Confirmed As The Major In Rupert Sanders' GHOST IN THE SHELL Movie

Variety is confirming that Scarlett Johansson has indeed has taken the lead role of The Major in Rupert Sanders' (Snow White And The Huntsman) Ghost In The Shell adaptation. The film is based on the wildly popular anime film and series, which was adapted from a manga. A new first-person-shooter game is also in development, so the franchise has been hinting all media market points. Steven Spielberg who originally obtained the film rights is still listed as a producer, which is good news.

The story revolves on a futuristic Japanese secret police unit of augmented humans and cyborgs. Who are tasked to fight technology based crimes and terrorism with extreme force. Scarlett's character The Major, is a key team leader in the unit.

The actress isn't a stranger to Japan or Asia, as her first breakout role was in Sophia Coppola's Tokyo-set Lost In Translation opposite Bill Murray. Also recently, shooting in Taiwan for Lucy (speaking Korean in the film) and shot in South Korea for Age of Ultron. The understanding is that the film should and will be still set in Japan. As we haven't heard otherwise, considering Scarlett's history with shooting in Asian countries. The assumption is they will be shooting on location in Japan. I have zero doubts we could even see her speaking Japanese in the film.

However, Hollywood has whitewashed and Americanized manga/anime properties before. Warner Bros. famously tried to limit the Japanese influence in their Akira film, looking at all white actors for the leads. Along with moving the setting to Manhattan and not Neo Tokyo. I'm sure this sort of information will be released once the film is officially greenlit.

Scarlett's rise is in-part thanks to her widely beloved role as Marvel's Black Widow in Iron Man 2, Avengers, Captain America: The Winter Soldier and the upcoming Avengers: Age of Ultron. Over the summer her breakout French-produced action hit Lucy made $458.8M on a budget of $40M. Proving the actress has international awareness, not to menion beating Dwayne Johnson's Hercules (a film budgeted over $100M) it's opening weekend (the two films opened the same weekend). The international take in Russia, China and other Asian markets prove that audiences can handle an American actress in a foreign setting.

It's been reported by Deadline the actress was offered $10M for the role. Which would she her acting quote sky-rocket for future film contacts. It's doubtful the notoriously stingy Marvel Studios would be willing to pay her $10M a film, if she only has a supporting role in the cinematic universe. Robert Downey Jr. has figured-out a way to get paid $50M an appearance, but Scarlett isn't as essential to the MCU as Robert is at the moment.

Kevin Feige has since axed all talk about developing a Black Widow spin-off movie, and has confirmed her place is as a supporting character. I'm still unsure if Widow will come out of Age of Ultron alive, as this sort of talk gives the impression they could kill her off before having to draw-up a new and very expensive contract. This looks to be a smart power move on the part of Scarlett who is quickly becoming equally known for her action hero status as her dramatic and indie projects.








SOURCE: VARIETY

J.K. Simmons Has Joined Tom Hiddleston In KONG: SKULL ISLAND

Deadline reports that J.K. Simmons (Juno, Thank You For Smoking, Spider-Man Trilogy, Oz) hot off his widely praised performance in Whiplash has joined the cast of Legendary Picture's Kong: Skull Island. The prequel to the original events of King Kong would explore the origins of the map that was used to find the island. Tom "Loki" Hiddleston will star as the lead of the film, which we hope branches him out to more lead roles in the future.

Directed by Jordan Vogt-Roberts (Kings of Summer, Metal Gear Solid) the film will be released on March 10th, 2017.


SOURCE: DEADLINE

Sony Wants Ryan Gosling For SINISTER SIX And Is The Role VENOM?

We've been hearing for weeks that studios have been talking with Ryan Gosling about comic book film roles. They included leads in Marvel's Doctor Strange and WB's Suicide Squad. Sony also wants Ryan Gosling for a superhero project, as Amy Pascal wanted to offer him an unknown role in Drew Goddard's Sinister Six. More fuel that Drew's film is still moving forward, but might need some Marvel re-tooling. Again, Drew is part of the Marvel Studios family via Daredevil and could easily work with Marvel and possible producers The Russo Brothers.

It was revealed yesterday that directors of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War have offered their producing services for future Spider-Man films. Something that Sony should pounce-on before they change their minds.

This is actually the first casting tidbit we've had concerning Sinister Six. We've been hearing for a while that Six could include a "soft-reboot" of the franchise via BadassDigest. Marvel stating they want a complete reboot and recasting Peter Parker, this sort of makes a lot of sense. I highly doubt Sony wanted him as a new Spider-Man, since the actor is even older than Andrew Garfield. It's been said that Garfield could have already been fired from the franchise.

There are plenty of other roles in Six that could have in mind for movie including the six characters and the rumored villain/hero of the film Venom. I'm going to speculate that Venom might have be the kind of role that would be worth offering to Gosling. I don't see him agreeing to play one of the regular villains. Venom is a role that lends itself to major crossovers with the existing Marvel cinematic universe, since it's very possible that Marvel could get involved with future projects. Six hasn't started shooting it's probable this could be the first film in the collaboration.

Venom has huge connections to the rest of the Marvel universe in the comics. If Marvel is indeed focused on ignoring both Marc Webb and Sam Raimi's films, they could go with the current version of Venom. Who has veteran Flash Thompson (maybe SHIELD agent?) as the current host and eventually becomes a member of The Avengers and Thunderbolts. You might remember that James Gunn (Guardians of The Galaxy) has mentioned a desire to give Thunderbolts their own film. Funny enough, Flash's Venom has also joined the ranks of The Guardians of The Galaxy as well. I still think Avengers: Infinity War could be the best place to give us the origin of the symbiote and Spider-Man.

However, Sony's original plan was to have Venom being created in the Oscorp labs, I assume in Sinister Six which had Amazing Spider-Man 2 spending all of it's time setting-up that movie. It's unlikely that will be Marvel's approach if they get involved.

Producer Avi Arad is still pushing the Venom solo film to Sony in emails, trying to convince them of the popularity and awareness of the character. Other Sony producers want to re-introduce him in Sinister Six before getting his own spin-off. Setting-up him and/or Carnage as the villains of the film, with Spidey having to team-up with the six villains. It's possible Venom could also take the place of Spider-Man in that film. (via NerdReactor)

Carnage is combination of a second symbiote spawned by Venom and his host Cletus Kasady who is a serial killer. One of the more dark characters in the Marvel cinematic universe, known for massacres.

The spin-off has had three directors involved over the years. Including Gary Ross who exited to direct Hunger Games, Josh Trank who exited to reboot Fantastic Four and Alex Kurtzman who exited to make the new Mummy movie. BadassDigest reported that the spin-off had been essentially axed by the studio. These email exchanges confirm the studio's cold-feet about the project. However, attaching someone like Gosling could be enough to bring it back to life.



If Sony is having a problem finding a director, they might as well consider Joe Lynch (Wrong Turn 3, Knights of Badassdom, Everly) who directed the bootleg Marvel universe short film Venom: Truth In Journalism. He's the type of director that could catch the attention of Marvel Studios, and seems to "get" the dark side to the anti-hero. I'm still unsure if we'll ever see the Eddie Brock version again.

SOURCE: DAILYBEAST

AJ Edwards In-Talks To Direct MACE WINDU Movie For Lucasfilm?

Director AJ Edwards (The Better Angels) addressed rumors he was involved with new Star Wars films on Reddit. He confirmed he was in-talks for a film that would focus on jedi knight Mace Windu. Keeping mum on the rest of the details, or if it was a sure thing. Edwards is known for working closely with director Terrence Malick, helping him on four films. Those include The New World, Tree of Life, To The Wonder and his next film Knight of Cups. Hearing him speak during interviews gives the impression he's not the joking type and is dead-serious.

Lucasfilm is moving forward with at least two other spin-offs with directors Gareth Edwards (Godzilla, Monsters) and Josh Trank (Chronicle, Fantastic Four). The spin-offs would be released between the main episodic installments. A Boba Fett film is possibly being written by Larry Kasdan (Empire Strikes Back, Raiders of The Lost Ark, The Force Awakens). There has also been chatter that Han Solo and Obi Wan Kenobi could be getting their own films too.



We saw Mace's arm hacked-off with a lightsaber and thrown out a window. However, Samuel L. Jackson has pointed out you never actually saw him die. Leaving the window open for him to return, and we have a good idea that Jackson would love to reprise the role. Since he actively campaigned Lucas to land a role in Phantom Menace. Windu along with Kenobi were the few highlights of the prequels, and I'm sure you won't hear much groaning if he got a spin-off.

It's extremely doubtful we'll see that Nick Fury movie Marvel was developing years back, the great thing about Star Wars age isn't a big factor for jedi. The future of Sam's role within the MCU might be coming to end soon once they head-out to the cosmic side for Infinity War. He also has an excellent relationship with Disney and Lucasfilm.

I can't help but think Windu would be a perfect character to lead that Seven Samurai inspired jedi film Zack Snyder pitched to Lucasfilm. Having it set years after the events of Episode III, with the remaining jedi hiding from the clutches of the Empire. Depending on when they want the film to be set it could actually directly connected to the characters from Rebels.

SOURCE: REDDIT

Guillermo Del Toro Officially Directing PACIFIC RIM 2 And It's Coming April 2017!

There was a giant-wave of anticipation last summer, concerning what to expect from Guillermo del Toro's Pacific Rim. An original cinematic universe influenced by the the world of anime, manga and kaiju films. It made a rather large splash internationally, earning $411 million worldwide. A decent amount of box office considering the genre and the fact it's not an existing franchise or IP. There had been talk from everyone invovled that a sequel could happen. Although, many people believed it still needed to earn more for that to happen. Critics mostly embraced the silliness of it and took it for what the film was (giant robots versus giant monsters).

The film also had a comic book and toys in stores at the time of it's release. Pacific Rim does have major merchandising potential, not unlike the Marvel/Star Wars universes. This seemingly has been picked up by the people over at Legendary Pictures, who produced the film and own the rights to it.

Guillermo has announced (via Legendary Picture's Youtube channel) that Legendary is moving forward with the sequel and he will be returning as it's director. Travis Beacham (Pacific Rim) and Zak Penn (Incredible Hulk, Avengers) will be working with del Toro to create the script. The release date has been set for April 7th, 2017, which is very similar to the Marvel's The Winter Soldier's date. It's a better placement for the release, as it will have less summer competition next time. Also, Universal will be partnering with Legendary on the project. The two companies recently developed a deal, which would see Universal distribute their films.

Production on Pacific Rim 2 would likely return to Pinewood Studios in Toronto. Where del Toro shot the original and is currently finishing-up production on his next film Crimson Peak. Actors such as Charlie Hunnam, Rinko Kikuchi, Charlie Day and Ron Perlman are expected to return for the sequel.

Legendary Pictures is highly invested in the kaiju genre, and is already moving forward with a Godzilla sequel. Gareth Edwards is attached to direct, but is also involved with an unnamed Star Wars spin-off coming in 2016. Oddly enough, Godzilla has currently earned even more than Pacific Rim. Taking in about $478 million worldwide, let's just remember Godzilla is known property that has been stomping cities since 1954. While Pacific Rim is just getting put together.

SPECULATION: ANT-MAN Script Is Done And Could Benedict Cumberbatch Be In The Running For The Lead?

Edgar Wright confirms to DigitalSpy that Ant-Man script he co-wrote with Joe Cornish (Attack The Block) is finally completed. It's expected that casting will be underway soon with the release of World's End on the horizon. Edgar will likely begin production as soon as Guardians completes it's UK production. As previously rumored that Ant-Man would need extra post-production for the effects-heavy film. Giving enough time to get the special effects right for it's November 2015 release date. It's expected that Ant-Man will begin shooting before Avengers 2, so casting could be already underway over in the UK. We've heard previously names like Armie Hammer, Bradley Cooper, Joel Edgerton and Nathan Fillion being linked before, but I have an idea who might actually be already in mind (yet, not announced by outlets). 

While nothing has exactly concretely linked Benedict Cumberbatch to Ant-Man in previous reports, he's been on Marvel's radar for a while. Ben has a large international following which would be needed to give Ant-Man the giant promotional push it would need to get audiences excited for the new property. He also has previous history of working with a high volume of Marvel alumni such as Tom Hiddleston/Loki (War Horse),  Scarlett Johansson/Black Widow (The Other Boleyn Girl), Natalie Portman/Jane Foster (The Other Boleyn Girl), Toby Jones/Zola (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy/Amazing Grace), Anthony Mackie/Falcon (Fifth Estate), Dominic Cooper/Howard Star (Starter For 10), Rebecca Hall/ (Starter For 10), James McAvoy/Charles Xavier (Atonement), Michael Fassbender/Magneto (12 Years A Slave), Scarlet Witch hopeful Saoirse Ronan (Atonement) and almost Iron Man 3 actress Jessica Chastain (Crimson Peak). Below are few more tidbits linking him to both Edgar Wright and the production. 

Edgar quietly revealed shooting an action sequence in Star Trek Into Darkness (pictured above) which had people thinking it was Ant-Man or Iron Man 3 related (which it wasn't). The scene in question was John Harrison (Cumberbatch) and the Enterprise crew facing a unit of Klingons in a heated battle scene. Marvel has been gaga over actors from J.J. Abrams' Star Trek franchise. Hiring Chris Hemsworth (Thor) and Zoe Salanda (Gamora in Guardians of The Galaxy) for lead roles, while Chris Pine and Alice Eve have been linked for tests.

Edgar and Joe Cornish have previously worked with Sherlock creator/show runner Steven Moffatt on Peter Jackson's The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of The Unicorn. Ben and Martin Freeman just happen to star in that series. Wright is also friends with Peter Jackson who produced the film (expected to direct it's sequels) who directs both Ben and Martin in the Hobbit Trilogy.

Ben's Sherlock and Hobbit co-star Martin Freeman is close friends with Edgar taking roles in his cornetto trilogy (Shaun of The Dead, Hot Fuzz and a leading role in The World's End).

Ben visited Edgar during the editing of World's End, which is rumored to be the same time he's quietly taking early meetings with potential actors for Ant-Man.

Steven Moffatt and Benedict visited the Marvel offices to do an interview about Sherlock. Before leaving he playfully posed with Avengers cut-outs, a possible hint to his future? At the time everyone thought this meant he was going to play Strange.

Tom Hiddleston In Early Talks To Play Eric Draven In THE CROW

We've heard names such as Mark Wahlberg, Bradley Cooper and James McAvoy linked for the role of Eric Draven in The Crow reboot. However, a new name has been revealed via The Wrap as Tom Hiddleston (Deep Blue See, War Horse) best known for playing Avengers and Thor villain Loki might take the lead part. The British actor is currently in early talks to play Draven.

Chris Hemsworth Attached To Star In Michael Mann's Untitled Cyber Attack Thriller

Variety reports that Michael Mann (Heat, Manhunter, Collateral) is developing yet another possible project that is looking to be shot this Summer. This one has Chris Hemsworth (Avengers, Rush) attached to star with a June start date and has Mann co-writing the script with Morgan Davis Foehl (Mass Effect). Not much is known about the film setup at Legendary Pictures but it will be a thriller set in the world of cyber threats and attacks. Hemsworth was looking to shooting Robopocalypse for Steven Spielberg this Summer but that film's production has been delayed.

Joss Whedon Confirms His Original AVENGERS Scripts Featured Many Scenes With Wasp

CinemaBlend attended a question and answer screening of Avengers which Joss Whedon talked about the film. He revealed a mysterious second villain that the studio shot-down. Joss also stated that at one point it having Scarlett Johansson in the film wasn't a sure thing. Instead of including Black Widow in his early drafts he had included Janet van Dyne/The Wasp as her replacement.

"There was a little bit of time when we thought we might not actually get Scarlett," Whedon said while talking about how they decided which characters would make up the team in the movie. The solution was to make the female lead the fantastic shrinking Janet van Dyne, but even before a deal was made with Johansson the writer/director started realizing problems with the draft. "There was a very Wasp-y draft that I wrote – but it was way too Wasp-y. Because I was like, ‘She adorable! I’m just going to write her!’"


It's sounds like if those scenes still exist they could be saved for Avengers 2 or even handed over to Edgar Wright for Ant-Man. Wasp very well could show up in Iron Man 3 if a certain rumor turns out to be true. This isn't the first time Black Widow being included was up in the air. Apparently, there were plans on including both Black Widow played by Emily Blunt and Scarlet Witch played by Scarlett Johansson in Iron Man 2. Jon Favreau had to cut one of the characters as Blunt exited the project and Johansson placed in the role. There was even talk originally that Carol Danvers/Ms. Marvel was going to show up in Avengers but that didn't happen. Recently, there is talk the studio is looking at Ruth Wilson and Emily Blunt to play Danvers in Avengers 2. Whedon has promised a larger female presence and hopefully this will seen in Phase 2.

S.W.O.R.D. Showing Up In THOR: THE DARK WORLD Or GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY?

EW has posted a deleted/alternative ending to Thor which shows Erik Selvig (Skarsgard) speaking to S.H.I.E.L.D. agents/scientists to put together an experiment. He references the S.W.O.R.D. database which refers to the extraterrestrial arm of S.H.I.E.L.D. An organization created by Joss Whedon during his run of the X-Men comics. The group was oddly never mentioned during the events of Avengers so it could mean they are being saved for Phase Two films.

The two films that make the most sense is Thor: The Dark World and Guardians of The Galaxy. I assume (since Selvig mentions it) the group might be apart of The Dark World as S.H.I.E.L.D. which is obviously unable to handle aliens. Stellan Skarsgard role in the Thor sequel hasn't been named but having him apart of S.W.O.R.D. is an easy leap to make. Guardians of The Galaxy is another strong candidate considering Peter Quill's (Star Lord) origin very well could link him as a S.W.O.R.D. pilot. Abigail Brand could show up as well if the group does make it's cinematic presence.

Mary Elizabeth Winstead Also Wanted For CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER

LatinoReview reveals that Mary Elizabeth Winstead is in the mix for the female role in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. MEW is best known for Scott Pilgrim, Death Proof and the recent Thing prequel. However, she's getting a lot of traction for her performance in the film Smashed. She had been in the running for the role of Maria Hill in Avengers but lost out to Cobie Smulders.

Lauren Shuler Donner Wants X-Men To Join The AVENGERS

X-Men producer Lauren Shuler Donner (Deadpool, The Wolverine, X-Men 1-3, First Class, Days of Future Past) was asked by Crave if we could ever see key members of the X-Men join The Avengers lineup. She's very game while previously Kevin Feige has been very coy about answering that question. Although, he's confirmed that Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver were fair game mutant characters that were shared by both Marvel and Fox. Throw in Wolverine (with classic blue and yellow costume) in that mix and you've got a faithful mutant lineup added to the Avengers roster. There have also been some behind the scenes steps to connect The Amazing Spider-Man to The Avengers as well. A unified Marvel Cinematic Universe is the dream of most fans but the studios have to work things out with contracts and profit sharing before we'll ever see Spidey or Wolvie fighting alongside Cap and Thor.

Now that The Avengers has done so well, it seems like the other studios with Marvel properties can see the advantage of making a deal. Can you see a world where this generation of X-Men could be in an Avengers movie? 

Lauren Shuler Donner: I would love it. I would love it. I personally have close ties to Marvel because of Kevin Feige, because Kevin worked for me. But to take our characters and mingle them in the way that they were written, yeah, absolutely. 

Ben Whishaw Wanted For ROBOPOCALYPSE

Variety reports yet another possible addition to the cast of Steven Spielberg's Robopocalypse. As British actor Ben Whishaw is wanted for the role of hacker Lurker. Whishaw is best known for his roles in Perfume and Layer Cake. He'll be seen next in Cloud Atlas and as the new Q in Skyfall. The sci-fi action film already has Chris Hemsworth (Thor, Avengers) in place for the lead and Anne Hathaway (Dark Knight Rises) is being courted for the female role.

Will Baron Zemo Be In WINTER SOLDIER?

Roger Wardell has tweeted an interesting villain addition to Captain America: The Winter Soldier. He states that Winter Soldier will be answering to Baron Zemo. Wardell is a repuatable source so it's hard not to get excited for this news. There have been previous talk that Dr. Zola would factor into the film in his robotic form. The writers had been hinting that a version of Modok might be involved as well. Introducing Zemo could be a way to bring in the Masters of Evil. A group of villains (likely from the other films) who come together to take down the Avengers.

Alternate Opening For AVENGERS Reveals Tention Between Hill And Fury?

Deleted scenes for Joss Whedon's Avengers are rolling out online and this alternative opening gives hints to Maria Hill taking over SHIELD. She basically throws Nick Fury under the bus to the World Counsel. While it was likely cut because the used introduction was more appropriate for the film. My impression is that this will be further explored in Captain America: The Winter Soldier with Fury possibly pushed out as SHIELD director by Maria Hill. Perhaps, starting to plant the seeds of Civil War.

Thanos Concept Art From 'AVENGERS'

Thanks to this amazing cover artwork from artist Andy Park we have our first full glimpse at the Mavel Cinematic Universe take on Thanos. This concept art comes from the Avengers production as Mr. Park has been involved with a majority of the Marvel Studios' movies. Time will tell when we'll actually see the Titan on screen again.

SOURCE: ComicBookMovie

DREAM CAST: Who Should Play 'BLACK PANTHER'?

Now that Black Panther is next for Marvel Studios, the question is who should play him? There is a steady stream of seasoned and new actors that could take the role. Panther is a compassionate, level-headed, supergenius (similar to Reed Richards and Tony Stark) with superhuman skills in marital arts, who is also the protector/leader of Wakanda. Marvel will need to find an actor who can make Panther their own. While it's likely that the studio will be aiming to create their own action star out of obscurity like with Chris "Thor" Hemsworth.

CHIWETEL EJIOFOR: This Whedon-alumni is quickly becoming a rather big name in the acting world. His upcoming film period drama 12 Years A Slave will likely end up earning him Oscar and BAFTA nominations. Chiwetel has been apart of some extremely interesting films such as Children of Men, American Gangster, Amistad and Inside Man. He's also been apart of genre flicks such as Joss Whedon's Serenity, Redbelt, 2012 and Salt so he's not opposed to making a comic book film.

ANTHONY MACKIE: Mackie is my favorite so far as he has an equal amount of award type films and fun popcorn flicks. His serious roles include Million Dollar Baby, Hurt Locker, Half Nelson, 8 Mile and Gangster Squad. Anthony also has lighter roles as well in films like Real Steel, Eagle Eye, Pain And Gain, The Adjustment Bureau and Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (action focused role). I feel like Chiwetel,  Mackie could give real depth to T'challa.

DAVID OYELOWO: British actor David Oyelowo has been suggested by ThePlaylist, who have an in-depth look at possible actors. David got his start on the BBC spy series Spooks (M:I-5) leading to roles like The Last King of Scotland, The Help, Rise of The Planet of The Apes, Red Tails, Steven Spielberg's Lincoln and Christopher McQurrie's Jack Reacher. Oyelwow might be a little older for the role but like Chiwetel is a seasoned actor that could knock it out of the park. Fitting in nicely among the other high profiled actors in the Avengers sequel.

NOEL CLARKE: Noel has been well-known in the UK developing himself as a talented actor and even director. Clearly his standout roles have been in Kidhulthood, Adulthood, Centurion and Doctor Who. The latter two must have caught the attention of J.J. Abrams leading to a supporting role in Star Trek 2. If Marvel wants another Chris Hemsworth type to mold as their own star, Clarke would make an excellent candidate.

NATE PARKER: Parker had been apart of Red Tails, which was a misstep of producer/writer George Lucas to make a large action war film focusing on a black cast. While the young talent was apparent in the film, it wasn't well written or directed becoming a missed opportunity to make a great war film. I feel Nate would be a similar casting find as Derek Luke, who had been cast in Captain America as Gabe Jones (Howling Commandos) and stole a majority of his scenes. Luke had been cast because of his standout role in Spike Lee's WWII drama Miracle At St. Anna. Jones would easily be one of the more interesting/developed black characters in the Marvel films as the eloquent linguist soldier was an empowering character that just didn't use brute strength or anger to fight a problem. T'challa is a brilliantly developed character so with the right actor it could be career making role.

I feel like Marvel would be smart to pool younger unknown talent like Parker so they can create a new star into their fray like Chris Hemsworth. Like Hemsworth, he's just as obscure and could develop into a solid action star. The studio's mission statement has been to develop their own stars instead of just hiring established ones. I could be speaking out of school here but black audiences have proven with the massive success of the Tyler Perry films (and other black led casts) that you don't need large stars to peak the interest of the black moving going public. BadassDigest has a solid write up on why Marvel is smart aiming for the black demographic alongside the comic fan audience. Panther could be the first stepping stone to see more faces of color as the lead heroes in these superhero films. Besides we can't hang-onto Blade being the greatest black superhero, since he's a niche character that isn't accessible to children.

Chris Hemsworth Comments On Possible 'HUNTSMAN' Spin-Off

During an interview with Google+ Aussie actor Chris Hemsworth gave a brief statement on the rumors of him starring in his own Huntsman focused spin-off. It had been reported that Universal hired screenwriter David Koepp to write a treatment for a sequel to Snow White And The Huntsman with Rupert Sanders expected to return as director. The catch is that the film would center around Hemsworth's character likely without Steward and Theron being involved. It's not surprising since Universal currently doesn't have a string of franchises to rely on. Chris has two rather strong franchises already with Thor and Avengers. It would be smart for the studio to capitalize if Snow White is successful as well.

“Yeah, sure, if there’s an audience for it and people wanna see it and there’s a great script and room to do something different with it, absolutely. I’ve heard probably the same rumors you have about possible sequels to this or prequels as far as the Huntsman’s storyline [goes]. We’re pretty elusive for the most of it; he begins having suffered some sort of trauma in a whole life before this point, and then at the end it’s left open as well. We had endless discussions about ‘where does he come from and why does he do this and what’s this about?’ and it all of a sudden opened up all these ideas about his whole life prior to this. I said, at one stage, ‘Maybe he could sort of spin-off into Cinderella world and then Sleeping Beauty, and he’s a Huntsman through the fairy tales,’ but that got shot down pretty quick (laughs).”

SPOILER SPECULATION: Is Agent Coulson Vision?

*SPOILERS* 
After the death of Coulson in the Avengers it seemed like the end of the infamous SHIELD agent. However, MTV has put together a very convincing theory that Agent Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) could be Vision. MTV makes some strong points and it could be awesome to see Coulson evolve from agent to superhero. Then again, having Coulson stay dead means that the Marvel universe becomes slightly more grounded.

The android known as Vision was originally built by robotic villain Ultron and becomes an enemy of the Avengers. He fights against his creator only to join the ranks of the Avengers and fall in love with fellow villain-turned hero Scarlet Witch. His powers included the ability to change his density to float/fly and become spectre-like. If true, a scientist like Hank Pym (Ant-Man) might be the person to put this android together.

Vison had his own film in development but nothing official had been announced and his inclusion into the franchise would be very difficult. Establishing an android character would be hard for audiences to care about. If Vision per say "looked" like Coulson and was played by Clark Gregg fans could get behind him. To re-introduce Coulson as Vision wouldn't make the Avengers sequel feel as bloated since he was around in the first installment. Phil has also been suspect as he's not a comic book cannon character but created for Iron Man, this has always given fans the idea there was more to him.

» Life Model Decoys
It's already been established that there are synthezoids and life model decoys in the Marvel movie universe. Life model decoys have been mentioned several times now, in both "Iron Man 2" and "The Avengers," while synthezoids were briefly discussed in "Captain America: The First Avenger." Since there are already fully functioning androids that exist, it seems only fair to assume that The Vision is just around the corner.

» Lack of Emotion
If there's one thing people remember about Phil Coulson, it's that he rarely showed any signs of emotion. Always appearing calm and collected, even after being stabbed through the chest by Loki, Coulson is already android-like in that regard. The fact that he had the foresight to advise Nick Fury to use his untimely death as a means of motivating the team only adds to Coulson's cool and calculated nature.

» Stark Tower Security
Towards the beginning of "The Avengers," Agent Coulson somehow manages to bypass all of the high tech security that Stark Tower has to offer. How is it that Coulson is able to waltz right in to the home of one of the richest and smartest men in the world? Well, perhaps he has the ability to manipulate his density. You know, making himself intangible and what not.

» One Good Eye
After the death of Coulson, Nick Fury states that he "lost his one good eye." While this is clearly a play on words, being as Nick Fury wears an eye-patch, it could also be a reference to Coulson's codename: Vision. In the field, Agent Coulson would act as Fury's eyes allowing him to see anything and everything that Coulson sees firsthand. Get it? Vision? Eyes?

» Jim Hammond
The only thing that Agent Coulson ever showed the slightest bit of enthusiasm for was Captain America. Jim Hammond, the original Human Torch android, fought alongside Captain America on several occasions back in the '40s, according to comic book lore. The body of Jim Hammond is also the original synthezoid on which The Vision was based. It's a stretch, but that could serve as yet another clue that Coulson will come back in android form.

Android Jim Hammond/Human Torch's cameo in Captain America: The First Avenger