Cap Delivers A Serious Beat-Down In First Official Stills From CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER

CAPTAIN AMERICA 2 SET PHOTOS: Cap, Widow, Nick Fury, Maria Hill And First Look At Villain Winter Soldier

Robert Redford Confirms Role In CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER, Is He Playing Alexander Pierce?

LATimes was able to directly ask the legendary Oscar winner actor Robert Redford about joining the cast of Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Robert confirmed he'll be in the film and talked a bit about the reasons for agreeing to make it. The rest of cast includes Chris Evans, Sebastian Stan, Scarlett Johansson, Samuel L. Jackson, Anthony Mackie, Emily VanCamp, Cobie Smulders, Frank Grillo, Toby Jones and Georges St-Pierre. His character named Pierce will be a higher-up in S.H.I.E.L.D. It's possible he could be a combination of Agent Alexander Pierce and the classic Sgt. Nick Fury.

“I'm doing this film because it's different. It's a new thing for me... I like the idea of stepping into new territory. I'm excited by it. I also think it's a good bunch of people who really know what they're doing.” 

Nick Fury's WWII Past To Be Explored In CAPTAIN AMERICA THE WINTER SOLDIER?

We've been hearing that Captain America: The Winter Soldier would indeed have a giant S.H.I.E.L.D. presence Following the events of The Avengers the film would be a political thriller centered around S.H.I.E.L.D. This being supported with the additions of Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow and Jackson's Fury. Anthony Mackie was cast as Sam Wilson (The Falcon) who is the modern side-kick of Captain America and also a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent in the Ultimates. It's expected that there will be more character development for supporting roles.

There are rumors that Widow's violent Russian past (hinted to in Avengers) and her connections to Winter Soldier would be explored in the film. Nick Fury's character might be getting more development than previously seen too. ComingSoon and MTV has word from Samuel L. Jackson dropping hints how Fury could be used in the film confirming it's a big role. He doesn't give details but gives the impression that elements from the Nick Fury film will likely be folded into Winter Soldier. Sam even mentions Nick's WWII past which could mean the infinity formula will be explained which had been rumored for The First Avenger. That could mean surviving Howling Commandos might be returning as well. Considering Winter Soldier is involved anything could be possible. Neal McDonough had been going around saying Dum Dum Dugan was coming back.

“Everybody likes a franchise character. Bruce (Willis) had his and Sylvester Stallone had Rocky, so I like coming back to Nick Fury. Nick Fury's a great guy. I think a lot of people know that. I know him as something else because I've been alive longer than most of the fans that watch the movies so I know Nick Fury as the World War II veteran and all that stuff. It might be interesting to do one day but we find out little bits and pieces about Nick and we're going into 'Captain America 2' in late March.” 

"It's a full-on role, from the original script that I read. It's a full-on S.H.I.E.L.D. operation in 'Captain America. But I don't know — I'm meeting with the directors this week to see what happens." 

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.

DREAM CAST: CAPTAIN AMERICA 2

We've already been given hints that Captain America 2 will likely include Nick Fury, Black Widow, Hawkeye and Maria Hill as supporting characters. However, I feel like we could see a couple more staple characters from the Cap comics join the ranks of SHIELD possibly creating a new unit The Invaders. Not to mention some iconic villains that were supposed to be included in First Avenger. Those villains may or may not end up as wranglers of Winter Soldier.

RALPH FIENNES AS BARON WOLFGANG VAN STRUCKER

DANIEL BRUHL AS BARON ZEMO

RUTH WILSON AS MADAME HYDRA

MICHAEL EALY AS SAM WILSON/FALCON

ALICE EVE AS SHARON CARTER/AGENT 13

SULLIVAN STAPLETON AS JOEY CHAPMAN/UNION JACK

FAN MADE: Poster For 'INCREDIBLE HULK 2' Co-Starring Alison Brie And Ron Perlman

MARVEL'S EXTENSIVE POST-AVENGERS PLANS: Release Dates And Other Films In Development

With Avengers breaking a decent amount of box office records it's apparent that the market for well-made superhero films is stronger than ever before. Now it seems like the studio that Iron Man built can finally make the films they've been developing for years (some of them decades) featuring new heroes and the worldwide audiences will flock to them. Thanks in-part to the goodwill done by the Avengers and the previous movies from Marvel Studios. I've put together a brief rundown of upcoming projects and ones currently still in developmental stages. So fans have a solid idea of what to expect in the next couple of years.


COMING SOON


IRON MAN 3 (MAY 3RD 2013): It's apparent that none of Stark's friends at SHIELD or his Avengers pals will be coming to save him when things go bad. The Extremis storyline will be the main influence for the film written and directed by Shane Black (Lethal Weapon, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Last Boy Scout). A bulk of the production will be shot on location in China, the first Marvel film to be shot in the country. It's possible that Stark will be teaming-up with Chinese superheroes to fight this new threat. New actors could include Guy Pearce (Lawless, Memento, Hurt Locker), Ben Kingsley (Sexy Beast) and Rebecca Hall (The Town, The Prestige). A main villain hasn't been named but rumors have pointed to Mallen, Mandarin, Ten Rings, Ghost or Whitney Frost (Madame Masque).

THOR 2 (NOVEMBER 15th 2013): Alan Taylor (Game of Thrones) is directing the sequel which will be set in a more grounded Norse-based Asgard. While Loki is back he'll be taking a backseat as the film's main baddie. The rest of the original cast will be returning as well. Jane Foster and her friends will be taken to Asgard and possibly to other realms/worlds. The main villain hasn't been announcement but there is a likelihood that Thanos will show up at one point to collect Loki's head and maybe even the infinity gauntlet. The cast of Asgardians will be doubled which could lead to infighting among the immortals and question the leadership/reign of Odin might bring about civil war amongst the Asgardians.

CAPTAIN AMERICA 2 (APRIL 4TH 2014): The Cap sequel is currently without a director as a few candidates are being considered. What we do known about the film is that it will directly follow the events of Avengers including Steve's role in SHIELD and integrating as a man-out-of-time. Kevin Feige confirmed that the film will be for the most part set in present day with possible flashbacks. There had been talk of the reunion of Peggy and Steve being in Avengers but Whedon wisely axed it out of the film. It's emotional scene best saved for Captain America 2. No word on new additions but Sam Wilson aka The Falcon is a strong possibility along with Sharon Carter. As SHIELD will be in film cast members such as Sam Jackson (Fury), Cobie Smulders (Maria Hill), Scarlett Johansson (Widow) and Jeremy Renner (Hawkeye) should be appearing in the film. A baddie or villain organization hasn't been named but Baron Zemo and Baron Strucker were included in original drafts of the script for First Avenger. It's possible A.I.M. or a resurrected HYDRA could be trying to take out SHIELD and the World Counsel.

ANT-MAN (2014-2015): While the film doesn't have an official release date it has a solid script and a director confirmed. Edgar Wright (Hot Fuzz) and Joe Cornish (Attack The Block) co-wrote the film with Wright set to direct. First we'll be seeing World's End go into production in September with a Spring 2013 released. It's assumed production on Ant-Man will move forward seemly as soon as Cap 2 wraps.

INCREDIBLE HULK 2 (2015): Mark Ruffalo is confident that he'll be able to convince Joss Whedon to help develop a solo adventure for Hulk. Giving the impression that Joss could end up tackling the film's script. Kevin Feige revealed that Hulk could appear as a supporting character but won't be showing up in Iron Man 3 or Thor 2. Another Marvel executive recently mentioned plans to bring a new Hulk film to screens in 2015 following a new television series on ABC.

AVENGERS 2 (2015-2016): Disney officially announced the sequel to Avengers but have yet to confirm that writer/director Joss Whedon will be returning. It would be odd not to bring him back as he's now seen as the Christopher Nolan of the Avengers franchise. Even thought the film is already a massive success they won't be rushing to make the sequel just yet. Feige wants to see Civil War used it won't be until the third film. Thanos was teased as a possible villain for the sequel which would be a bigger and better threat than Loki and his army.

IN DEVELOPMENT

THE RUNAWAYS: Brian K. Vaughan and Drew Pearce were writing the script with with Peter Sollett (Nick And Norah's Infinite Playlist) hired to direct. Casting was underway when it was eventually put on hold so the studio could focus on Avengers' large production budget. Drew would keep the Marvel train running and signed on to help Shane Black write Iron Man 3. It's unknown if the project will ever get made as it seems Marvel is focused on other team-based projects like Inhumans and Guardians of The Galaxy.

DOCTOR STRANGE: Wes Craven, David S. Goyer and Neil Gaiman were involved or asked to work on scripts. Craven (Scream 1-4, Nightmare On Elm Street), Stephen Norrington (Blade) and Guillermo del Toro (Blade 2, Pacific Rim, Hellboy) were in talks or attached to direct at some point. Johnny Depp's name had been bounded around as a possible lead wanted by del Toro. Recently Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock, War Horse, Star Trek 2, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) and Javier Bardem have been linked for the project. Marvel hired Thomas Dean Donnelly and Joshua Oppenheimer (Cowboys And Aliens, Conan The Barbarian) who seemly developed a screenplay the studio was happy with. The film is without a director but back in August the studio put the script out to prospective directors. It was also reported that Strange could be apart of Marvel's small-budget experiment ($20-40 million range). There had a been a hint to Strange with an item in Odin's Vault. It would be interesting to see Marvel move into the mystical world which somewhat similar to the cosmic world of Thor. A character like Scarlet Witch could easily slide into a movie like this.

BLACK PANTHER: Years ago John Singleton had been approached to direct. Documentarian Mark Bailey was hired by Marvel to pen a script. Wesley Snipes (pre-Blade/jail), Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje and Idris Elba have been linked for the role of T'Challa. In Iron Man 2, a small Easter Egg pointed to Panther's fictional African country Wakanda on a SHIELD map pointing out the locations of "Meta-Humans". I think that along with Strange, Black Panther could be so different from the other movies they'd be worth making. Considering Panther would be set in a futuristic and technically advanced mysterious country steeped in tribal traditions on Earth. Wakanda is technologically superior to most developed nations rich in natural resources, particularly the rare metal vibranium which Cap's shield is made up of. T’Challa is a rigorously trained gymnast and acrobat, showing mastery in various African martial arts as well as contemporary ones and fighting styles that belong to no known disciplines. Not to mention an superior intelligence equal to Reed Richards or Tony Stark.

IRON FIST: Ray Park (X-Men, G.I. Joe 1-2) had been wanted for the lead when the film was originally announced. A year or so ago Richard Wilkes (xXx) was hired to write a script. It's possible that the film will take influence from The Immortal Iron Fist series which had two Iron Fists (Daniel Rand and Orson Randall). Plunging his fists into the molten heart of the dragon Shou-Lao the Undying infused the dragon’s superhuman energy into Rand; this along with training by Lei Kung the Thunderer gave Rand the power of the Iron Fist, allowing him to summon and focus his chi (or natural energy) and enhance his natural abilities to extraordinary levels. His strength, speed, stamina, durability, agility, and reflexes and senses can all be astronomically intensified, making his already formidable martial arts skills even more so.

LUKE CAGE: Originally the film had a script from Ben Ramsey (The Big Hit) with John Singleton set to direct. Singleton wanted Diamondback, Chemistro and The Wrecking Crew as the film's villains. Actors Jamie Foxx, Tyrese Gibson, Dwayne Johnson, Isaiah Mustafa and Idris Elba were all linked for the lead role with Terrance Howard once wanted for the villain Diamondback. Wrongly sent to prison and in order to get early parole, Luke submitted himself to an experiment that gave him superhuman strength and impervious skin.

NAMOR THE SUB-MARINER: At one point Namor was about to get his own film with Universal Pictures hiring Jonathan Mostow (Terminator 3, Surrogates, U-571) to write and direct. The studio would later hire screenwriter David Self (Road To Perdition, Wolf Man, God of War) to pen a script. Self was also involved with Captain America: The First Avenger and an adaptation of Deathlok. Prince Namor is half-human and half-Atlantiean along with being the first mutant in the Marvel universe. He's best known for his war-time comics alongside Captain America in The Invaders and his solo adventures against the Germans/Japanese during WWII. Actors such as ex-professional diver Jason Statham (Expendables 1-2), Dwayne Johnson (G.I. Joe 2, Pain And Gain, Fast Five/Six), Daniel Dae Kim (Lost, Hulk, Angel, 24, Hawaii Five-0) and David Boreanaz (Buffy, Angel, Bones) have been linked for the role. It was rumored that he would show up in Captain America (didn't) along with the upcoming Iron Man 3 (likely not). Kevin Feige hasn't mentioned that Namor is back at Marvel but I assume that the rights have or will revert because the film was never made. However, Namor with Black Panther was teased in Iron Man 2 as apart of the "Meta-Human" map.

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY: Guardians could very well end up becoming Marvel's first completely cosmic focused feature with the entire film set entirely in outer space and on alien planets. The lineup has been confirmed as Star-Lord, Drax, Gamora, Groot and Rocket Racoon. Nova and Adam Warlock are likely apart of the team as well or supporting heroes. While a writer hasn't been named I wouldn't be surprised to see J. Michael Straczynski involved in some way. Straczynski wrote the two Fantastic Four films, credited on Thor (also had a cameo), created Babylon 5 and helped adapt Word War Z.

INHUMANS: The Inhumans has been talked up as a potential new X-Men-like franchise for Marvel Studios. The lineup would likely include Black Bolt, Medusa, Karnak, Crystal, Gorgon and Triton. The comic tells the story of a group of beings who were the result of experiments by the alien species Kree to create a race of super soldiers. The aliens abandoned their test subjects, and the “inhuman” mutants formed their own society.

BLADE: Since the Blade rights (that New Line Cinema held) reverted back to Marvel there have been rumblings that the studio had been searching for a new actor to play the Day Walker. Nothing has been officially announced and since the graphic nature of the series they'd have to create an R-rated shingle for the new film to be even possible. The Marvel Studios brand is attributed to family friendly features so a new company might be needed. I would assume they would bring back the Marvel Knights company name to release adult geared films like Blade and Punisher (also back with Marvel). Idris Elba (Thor, Prometheus, Pacific Rim) has mentioned that he'd love a shot at playing the anti-hero.

BLACK WIDOW: David Hayter (Watchmen, X-Men 1-2) wrote a Black Widow film that he was expected to direct back when the rights were at Lionsgate. A bunch of female driven action films bombed which put the final nail in the project's coffin. The rights reverted back to Marvel and they decided she would better suited as the female member of the Avengers. In the film her backstory was slightly touched upon including her relationship with Hawkeye. There seems to be enough richness to her background as an assassin giving reason a film of her origin would be worthwhile. Johansson has stated she'd want a Black Widow movie similar to the Bourne franchise.

NICK FURY/SHIELD: Andrew W. Marlowe (Air Force One) wrote a treatment for a SHIELD film a while back but nothing come of it. Captain America actor Neal McDonough (Dum Dum Dugan) stated that he would be reprising his role in a 70's set SHIELD film alongside Samuel L. Jackson (Fury). However, without an official announcement from Marvel it's hard to take the actor on his word. He very well could be talking about Captain America 2 which will have a large SHIELD presence and will hopefully answer some questions with flashbacks. Like what happened to the Howling Commandos, Bucky and Peggy.

WAR MACHINE: Since January 2011 there has been talk of a War Machine spin-off which actor Don Cheadle confirmed. It's expected that after Iron Man 3 Robert will be taking a rather lengthy break from Iron Man. It would allow War Machine pick up the slack in a solo film between Iron Man 3 and Iron Man 4. War Machine did lead the Iron Legion which was a group of suited loyal Stark employees and friends.

HAWKEYE: Oddly enough a Hawkeye film has been in development before he was even added to the Avengers lineup and placed in Thor as a cameo. It's doubtful Hawkeye will be anymore than just a supporting character in the Marvel film universe. Since he is slightly more useful as a secondary character in a SHIELD franchise or the partner of Black Widow in her film. That said, Jeremy Renner (Hurt Locker, MI4, The Town) is slowly building himself up as a franchise actor. He'll be starring in the Bourne spin-off The Bourne Legacy, the fairy tale action comedy Hansel And Gretel: Witch Hunters and possibly Mission: Impossible 5.

Other possible future projects include Ka-Zar, Power Pack, Dazzler, Vision, Nighthawk and Killraven.

What Marvel Hero Will Take The Second 2014 Release Date?

With yesterday's announcement that Captain America 2 has been given the greenlit and the release date of April 4th 2014. We're one step close to finding out what that mystery Marvel film will be in May 2014. Cap 2 likely won't start shooting until later in the year or even until 2013 given it's two years away from release and that untitled Marvel film will shoot not soon after. The studio has finally lined up their three main sequels so they can now focus on new characters. Marvel has been pussy-footing around the thought of spin-offs that include Black Widow, War Machine, Hawkeye and even Winter Soldier. Yet they have yet to lock down a release dates for their many new hero projects. A few other movies that have been in the works include Black Panther, Guardians of The Galaxy, Inhumans, Runaways (put on-hold/axed), Sub-Mariner, Luke Cage and Iron Fist which all seem to be still in development phases. Currently there seems to be only three films ready to go into production at this point and below is a quick rundown.

ANT-MAN: Ant-Man is a clear standout between the three films as it has both a script and direct set for it. Edgar Wright and Joe Cornish have been working on the script for years with Wright being on board for eight years. Marvel will have to move quickly because there is already talk of Edgar lining up at least three other films. The characters of Hank Pym (Ant-Man) and Janet (Wasp) would have been added to Avengers but Wright had been stating their introduction and origins were meant for his film. Edgar has promised a spectacle to a scale we've never seen from him before along with Simon Pegg (Hot Fuzz, MI3, MI4, Star Trek 1-2) stating he'd love to play the film's villain.

DOCTOR STRANGE: Strange is another future film that Marvel producer Kevin Feige has been spending a lot of time winking at during the summer flood of press interviews last year. Quoted as saying it would be coming "sooner rather than later". Given the fact it has a script in place from Thomas Donnelly and Joshua Oppenheimer it's a strong candidate. There have been previous casting rumors linking Benedict Cumberbatch (Star Trek 2, Sherlock Holmes, Hobbit) and Javier Bardem for the film. I think Doctor Strange is just different enough from the other characters with the horror/occult genre, he could be a great second wave of heroes added to Avengers 2. Since it's already been hinted that Marvel is planning on working towards that in their second phase. Including heroes like Ant-Man, Wasp and Strange into the Avengers lineup could shakeup the sequel.

NICK FURY/S.H.I.E.L.D: A S.H.I.E.L.D. film has aslo been in development for years. With a script from Air Force One screenwriter Andrew Marlowe that's been kicking around. However, the agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. have mostly been sprinkled in as filler supporting characters in other Marvel Studios films. There has been talk of Nick Fury (Sam Jackson) playing a larger role in Avengers than previously seen before. Personally, I'm not sure if we really need a S.H.I.E.L.D. film if we already have them in the other franchises. It's been stated that S.H.I.E.L.D. will have a large presence in Avengers and the upcoming Captain America sequel. If Marvel does make this project they're going to have to hurry up as Sam Jackson isn't getting any younger if they're looking to make this a franchise. I assume that the ten directors being looked at for Captain America 2 might also end up in the running to direct the S.H.I.E.L.D. film among their other projects. This would be the first spin-off from the studio and could lead to other supporting heroes getting their own films.

'CAPTAIN AMERICA 2' Release Date Announced

So it's official as Marvel Studios and Disney announce that Captain America 2 is set for a release on April 4th 2014. Even though that's about two years away the studio is already on the hunt for a director as Joe Johnston won't be returning. Not to mention a script is already underway from writers Stephen McFeely and Christopher Markus. The studio also reveals the first brief synopsis which confirms that S.H.I.E.L.D. will indeed play a big part in the sequel along with it's director Nick Fury (Sam Jackson). Now that Marvel has all there sequels lined up we can finally start seeing some new heroes get their own films. Since the final May 2014 release slot has yet to be filled by an announced project.

The Walt Disney Studios has announced a release date for Marvel Studios’ sequel to the blockbuster Captain America: The First Avenger on April 4, 2014. The second installment will pick-up where the highly anticipated Marvel’s The Avengers (May 4, 2012) leaves off, as Steve Rogers continues his affiliation with Nick Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D and struggles to embrace his role in the modern world.

Two More Avengers Posters

Fantastic New Avengers Poster Finally Puts The Team Together

Fan Made Nick Fury Poster

Bond Inspired Fan Poster For SHIELD Movie

Marvel Studios To Make Three Films A Year?

Marvel Studios has always stated their mantra would be one film at a time. It looks like the studio could end up making three superhero films in 2012 which includes Iron Man 3, Thor 2 and Captain America 2. Thor 2 and Iron Man 3 being the first in the studio's history to have overlapping productions. Having a juggernaut like Disney behind them they can finance films quicker than previously.

If this process is indeed going to be Marvel's new model. I wouldn't be shocked to see Nicky Fury, Doctor Strange and Ant-Man end up in the 2013 shooting block for the studio. Of course nothing is set in stone here and the Captain America sequel hasn't even been officially announced. Other Marvel movies currently in development include Black Widow, Hawkeye, Inhumans, Black Panther and Iron Fist.

Thor 2 Production Moved Up To This Spring

Marvel has a slew of projects about to go into production in 2012. Reportedly Iron Man 3, Thor 2 and Captain America 2 are all shooting within the year. The production start for Thor 2 has been sort of a mystery since it's gone from fall to early/late summer. Tom Hiddleston now tells the BelfastTelegraph that it will begin shooting in London this spring. It's going to be an interesting experiment for both Iron Man and Thor sequels to be shooting at the same time. 

New Avengers Image Scans From Empire

Dum Dum Dugan In Captain America 2 & Nick Fury Film?

Recently Neal McDonough was speaking with IAmRogue (via CBM) about his future with Marvel Studios. He mentioned the possibility of showing up in Captain America 2. Being featured in either flashbacks or present day scenes. Neal goes even further and mentions possibilities to include him in the Nick Fury film which has been mentioned since the first Iron Man. Saying the film could be set in the 60's or 70's.


"Yeah the talk now is that they are going to flashback to WWII and without going to much into, because I’m not supposed to say too much at all, but whatever they do I guarantee you this … it’s going to be an awesome movie. The villain is going to be crazy, and it will be really terrific. The origin of Cap being in WWII is definitely paramount to the guys over at Marvel."


"In the origin with Dum Dum, he got a small portion of the super serum himself and he was actually the head of S.H.E.I.L.D. until four or five years ago. So he aged really slowly. He aged quicker than Nick and quicker than Steve Rogers did but he aged quite slowly. He was chronologically frozen him self for ten years. So there are all kinds of stuff that I’ve read in the comic books but who knows how they’re going to do it. I know they are going to go back to WWII in Cap 2. You know in flashbacks but past that I’m not sure. Also what would make me happier than a pig in poop would be to be part of and see Sam Jackson as a ‘60s or ‘70s version of Nick Fury. That would just be awesome. Hopefully we’ll get that one done soon. I know Sam is very excited about it."

In a separate interview with ABC News (via CBM) Neal stated that again he would be alongside Samuel L. Jackson in a Fury movie.

"Oh yeah, Cap 2 is in the works. The script is written and hopefully we will go into production fairly soon. I'm really looking forward to the Nick Fury films. Sam Jackson and myself will be partners in that one. And I know Sam is really excited about doing it. So fingers crossed we start that one up pretty soon."


His character does get exposed to a different super soldier formula known as the infinity formula. That ends up slowing down his aging along with Nick Fury and the Howling Commandos in the comics. If the studio wants more period pieces perhaps focusing on the Cold War in the Fury film or having flashbacks of the Howlers fighting a numerous amount of war campaigns the infinity formula is a good way to do it. It's unknown if Marvel is going to use this avenue but it would be a science fiction way to include the Howling Commandos in present day films.

FIRST LOOK: Loki & Nick Fury In Avengers From EW

Screengrabs From Avengers Teaser Trailer