RUMOR: Irish Actor Jack Reynor Taking A Role In STAR WARS EPISODE VII?

AICN seems to have heard rumblings that an actor might have actually landed a role in Star Wars: Episode VII. We had heard from LatinoReview, that it was a sure thing that Breaking Bad's Jesse Plemons would be taking an named role as well (that remains to be seen). The new name to the rumor-mill is Irish breakout Jack Reynor. He's best known for his indie thriller What Richard Did, but will be one of humans in Transformers 4: Age of Extinction this summer.



I actually like the last couple of names being attributed to the Episode VII casting, I'd love to see Plemons and Reynor take roles. I'm just curious why we stopped hearing actresses being named or linked for casting. My concern is that the rumored direction of a female protagonist for the new trilogy might be getting scrapped all-together.

SOURCE: AICN

Oscar Nominated Composer Steven Price To Score ANT-MAN

Marvel is finally upping their game, concerning the composers of their films. I recent spoke to my opinion on their films having weak scores. Considering that these films will be affectionately compared to Star Wars by a generation, the scores are below the standard (for films of this size) and are pedestrian at best. My thoughts on that might change as Tyler Bates (300, Watchmen) is set to score James Gunn's Guardians of The Galaxy. Another promising name is being added to the Phase Three launch title Ant-Man.

Edgar Wright confirmed today on his Twitter account that BAFTA winner and Oscar nominated composer Steven Price (Gravity) will score Ant-Man. Price has previously worked with Wright on The World's End and Scott Pilgrim. Steven also worked on films such as The Lord of The Rings (Two Towers/Return of The King) and Batman Begins.

Another giant bonus for the project, which recently landed Oscar winner Michael Douglas (The Game, Wall Street, Black Rain ) to play Dr. Hank Pym. It seems Marvel and Edgar are swinging for the fences with everyone involved with Ant-Man. I'm still holding out hope Marvel approaches Michael Giacchino (Star Trek 1-2, Up) and Paul-Leonard Morgan (Dredd) to score future Marvel films, since they need that caliber of composer going forward.




SOURCE: EDGARWRIGHT

DOC STRANGE Happening And GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY 2 Is Not?

It's looking like a clash of conflicting rumors, concerning Marvel's Phase Three. We previously heard from JoBlo, that Marvel Studios is aiming to release Guardians of The Galaxy 2 in 2016. That news is being refuted by SchmoesKnow, who state that Marvel isn't even considering a GOTG sequel. Claiming, Guardians is a one-off and won't be sequels (something that conflicts with what we've seen with other Marvel movies).

I doubt they know this for sure. If the movie makes $500 million or more at the box office, Marvel will have reasons to continue with more installments (actors have already signed contracts which include many more movies). Money might not motivate their overall plans, as we've seen the studio somewhat abandon the prospect of making Iron Man 4 (RDJ holding up it's development, might be the real reason behind that). The studio putting aside a franchise which launches their massive cosmic universe (which Marvel compares to Star Wars), sounds very untrue to me.

They also state that Doc Strange will indeed take the final spot in Phase Three. The rest of the lineup has been slowly leaking out Ant-Man (confirmed for July 2015), Thor 3 (script is in development), Captain America 3 (directors The Russo Brothers outlining story) and Avengers 3.

Marvel's own Kevin Feige has pretty much confirmed Strange for Phase Three, months back. Since then, he's been talking-up the property. We've also been hearing casting tidbits, a search for a director going back to fall 2012 and possible news of script rewrites (studio is looking for a writer/director to handle Strange).

The site also hints that Black Panther and Inhumans, will be saved for Phase Four (I've been hearing this for about a year, and is really old news).

It seems more like logical guesses based on "actual key statements" from Kevin Feige and recent sequel announcements, rather than actual new information. The Schmoes setup their source as someone who has revealed key MCU secrets before, but the site isn't really known for their Marvel scoops. To be fair, neither is JoBlo, who really only had one big Marvel scoop (Ronan The Accuser villain in GOTG) in the last year.

Strange is more likely at this point, as Gunn is busy as hell with post-production on Guardians. Doc has a draft (it needing rewrites is speculation at this point, but very likely) in place, and the hunt for a director has been a priority for over a year. Kevin Feige himself stating that we'd see two sequels and two new characters in Phase Three, which would mean Ant-Man and Strange are our new characters.

Kevin Feige confirmed Strange for Phase Three, all the way back in January of 2013 to MTV. I'm curious why we're even debating the film being apart of Phase Three, as Kevin is the man in-charge of the whole studio.

"'Doctor Strange,' which I've been talking about for years, is definitely one of them," he confirmed. "He's a great, original character, and he checks the box off this criteria that I have: he's totally different from anything else we have, just like 'Guardians of the Galaxy.' He's totally different from anything we've done before, as is 'Ant-Man,' which keeps us excited."


SOURCE: SCHMOESKNOW

END OF WATCH Actress Natalie Martinez Rumored For AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON

It seems like Marvel has a thing for the cop thriller End of Watch, we previously heard that Michael Pena might take a role in Ant-Man. Now, LatinoReview tweeted that actress Natalie Martinez (Death Race, Broken City) could take an unnamed part in Avengers: Age of Ultron. Martinez played Pena's wife in Watch, which might be the connection.

There are plenty of roles she could end up playing, Betty Ross is one that could be added to beef-up Mark Ruffalo's Banner scenes (it's rumored Bruce/Hulk will have a bigger part). Plus, a ton of other characters yet to be introduced in the MCU.

SOURCE: LATINOREVIEW

Kyle Reese Role In TERMINATOR: GENESIS Down To Jai Courtney And Boyd Holbrook

We have our Sarah Connor (Emilia Clarke) and John Connor (Jason Clarke), along with the return of Arnold Schwarzenegger. There is still another major role to fill in Terminator: Genesis, and that would be John's baby daddy Kyle Reese. Deadline reports that the two actors still in the mix for the role are Aussie Jai Courtney (Jack Reacher, A Good Day To Die Hard) and Boyd Holbrook.

Boyd has been sticking around like glue to the project, he was one of the first names linked and has stuck around throughout the entire casting process. If I had to bet money, I'd say that Holbrook ends up landing the role. It's expected that all the actors will have to commit to a three picture deal, as Genesis is the first in a new trilogy. Courtney could be called up for Die Hard 6 or even Divergent sequels (I have no clue about that franchise or his character).


SOURCE: DEADLINE

CAPTAIN MARVEL Movie Apart Of Marvel's Phase Four Plans?

We've been hearing a lot of Captain Marvel talk in the last couple of months, and her possible addition to the Marvel cinematic universe. Carol Danvers has the potential to be a leading super powered heroine, who doesn't have a villainous origin. Having a troubled past is something that Black Widow and Gamora both have in common. It would be nice to finally see a lead female character shake-off the love-interest cliche and given level footing with the rest of The Avengers. It's been rumored for over a year that Danvers would be joining the Avengers ranks for Age of Ultron. The size of the role (Carol Danvers/Warbird/Ms Marvel/Captain Marvel?) has never been explained or revealed.

I started taking the news seriously when TheDailyMail reported, that Ruth Wilson and Emily Blunt were candidates for the role, back in the fall of 2012. This was the same source that recently confirmed Paul Bettany would be playing Vision in Avengers: Age of Ultron. I have solid reason to believe these two might actually be the ladies truly in the running for the role. I know this might disappoint all the folks who were fan-casting Yvonne Strahovski and Alice Eve.

Emily Blunt has a notorious history with Marvel, originally signing-on to play Black Widow (Johansson set to play Scarlet Witch) in Iron Man 2, only to have Fox call-up her contract for Gulliver's Travels. Scarlet Johansson would fill-in for Emily, and has been the female face of the Marvel films ever since. This wasn't the only role offered to Blunt, she turned down the part of Peggy Carter in Captain America: The First Avenger (which went to Ruth's co-star Hayley Atwell from the series The Prisoner) and possibly Gamora (rumored only) in Guardians. If I had to guess why, the roles weren't large enough for her commit that much time. The Marvel contracts are quite lengthly, usually anywhere from three to six films.

Emily has been kicking-ass in her recent films Looper and Edge of Tomorrow, the latter has her killing a bunch of aliens. She's proven the ability to play strong and complex characters, which means she could easily support a Marvel franchise on her own. Having a well-known actress in the role of Danvers, is sort of a must, as Marvel can't gamble with hiring talent on a project like this. It's go big or go home.

Ruth Wilson had recently taken two high-profile Disney roles in films Saving Mr. Banks and The Lone Ranger. Not to mention, previously co-starring with Marvel actors Idris Elba in the amazing series Luther, and with Tom Hiddleston in short-lived series Suburban Shootout. I love Ruth Wilson to-death, but I'd rather see her take a different role in the MCU. Considering her working relationship with two Thor actors, seeing her play Amora The Enchantress or Brunhilde The Valkyrie in Thor 3 would be sublime. That said, Blunt has a track record of turning down Marvel roles and it could be up for grabs, if Emily walks again.

Katee Sackhoff (Battlestar Galactica, Riddick) teased that she might have been in the mix for the role, but it's possible her commitments to the horrible sounding ExpendaBelles might exclude her participation in the film. Let's not forget that Ruth and Emily, have been in the mix since 2012. It's quite possible Katee's "meeting" with Marvel was for something else entirely, non-Avengers related. I wouldn't rule out something like Inhumans, which is being compared to a mix of X-Men meets Game of Thrones. A property better suited for Sackhoff, as a team-based project is in her wheelhouse. Then again, I wouldn't be upset if she actually turns out to be in the running.

Joss Whedon would comment on using Ms Marvel, cutting down the character and teasing Tigra with a joke instead. Around the same time he was talking up the villainous twins Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver, hard to allow fans time to support Scarlet, if he was talking up Danvers (possibly a character with a smaller part in the film) as well. Let's not forget, Fox was going to include the mutant siblings in X-Men Days of Future Past. Joss needed to establish the twins as major players in the film. He's also not going to give everything away in an interview, keeping important elements and characters of the sequel a surprise. Baron Wolfgang von Strucker and Vision were recently revealed, which we weren't expecting to be added to the cast.


Whedon is supposed to be a "champion" of leading female characters, however, we don't have a franchise led by one (team-ups don't count). This is on the heels of Ant-Man (Wasp's inclusion only rumor at this point) kicking-off Phase Three in 2015. Along with mostly male-dominated projects like Doctor Strange, Inhumans, Black Panther and new Hulk film waiting inline for their own release dates. Yes, we have Jessica Jones finally getting her due, but that's television darling. Marvel could very well edge-out Warner Bros. by releasing a Captain Marvel film, before the studio can get their shit together to release Justice League or a solo Wonder Woman film. But, adding Carol to Age of Ultron makes sense and given the problems Joss has with her, he has the ability to fix those issues and create the cinematic version of that character.

Going even further than just a cameo, a rumor started circling that Marvel was strongly considering a Ms Marvel/Captain Marvel movie. We would later hear from THR, that Marvel Studios was working on a Captain Marvel script with an unnamed writer. I would assume it was coming from Nicole Perlman (Black Widow, Guardians of The Galaxy), who is apart of the Marvel screenwriters program (THR refers to the program). Perlman has a tendency to write the studio's female focused scripts (usually under the radar) and she is likely the writer spearheading the Captain Marvel script for Marvel.

There are plenty of entry points for Carol to get her powers, Age of Ultron is one and the Guardians of The Galaxy (or the sequel) is another. Ronan The Accuser (played by Lee Pace), a high-level member of the Kree Empire and will be seen in Guardians of The Galaxy, in the service of Thanos. I don't doubt that by the end of Guardians or even in the second film (expected for Phase Three), they could interact with Earth and it might involve Danvers (comic cannon suggests she'll get her powers by involvement of The Kree). The Kree connection would make things very tempting, to have her gain her powers within that franchise. It wouldn't hurt having another female team member either, it would also be a way to bridge Guardians and Avengers worlds without the need of Tony Stark.

Phase Three is quickly filling up with Ant-Man, Captain America 3, Thor 3 and possibly Guardians of The Galaxy 2 taking up the spots. There is still the expectation Marvel "might" make room for Doctor Strange. This means that Captain Marvel won't be ready until Phase Four. The Phase One characters will have their trilogies wrapped-up at this point, giving the new wave of heroes a chance to finally get their solo flicks released.

RUMOR: Ms Marvel Next Addition To AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON?

We've been getting a bunch of new additions to the cast of Avengers: Age of Ultron, which include James Spader (Ultron), Aaron Johnson (Quicksilver), Elizabeth Olsen (Scarlet Witch), Thomas Kretschmann (Baron Wolfgang von Strucker) and Paul Bettany (The Vision). LatinoReview says that there is one more character to be added to the movie, and it's one that's been long rumored for the sequel. Ms Marvel or whatever they end up calling her, is apparently the next character that will be cast in the film.

Finally, we could get a superpowered female character among the main cast, something lacking in the MCU. One of the trades reported a while back, that Marvel is developing a Ms Marvel script, which could mean they intend the character to have her own franchise in the future.

There have been a couple of actresses linked for the role over the last year or so, they include Emily Blunt (Looper, Edge of Tomorrow), Ruth Wilson (Saving Mr. Banks, Luther, Lone Ranger) and Katee Sackhoff (Battlestar Galactica, Riddick). Katee hinted to a meeting with Marvel a while back, which may or may not be for Age of Ultron. She went on to tell SchmoesKnow her thoughts on Marvel's female characters. I would like to think if Katee was offered Age of Ultron, she would take it over the horrible sounding ExpendaBelles. We've seen Katee's Riddick co-stars Vin Diesel and Dave Bautista land major roles in Guardians of The Galaxy, it's possible Marvel casting really digs the movie. 

“There’s obviously a drumbeat that is banging louder and louder that we want a female lead superhero,” he says. ”… [W]e have strong female characters in our films from Black Widow to Pepper Potts to Peggy Carter and you never know. Maybe there’s an offshoot film with one of them. Or Captain Marvel, you know?”

"It's hard," he says. "because we have a small group at Marvel. We do two films a year. To get those two films done and to do them right takes a lot of work and manpower. And female-power, obviously. To add a third film and to just put it in the slate right now is difficult. We have these next three, four, five films coming out and that's what we're really concentrating on."

SOURCE: LATINOREVIEW

Paul Bettany's J.A.R.V.I.S To Become The Vision In AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON

It looks like Paul Bettany's Jarvis is getting an upgrade afterall, it had been previously rumored that Jarvis (Tony Stark's A.I.) would become Ultron in Avengers: Age of Ultron. However, that didn't seem to be the case when James Spader was announced to play the villain instead. Yet, news from TheDailyMail states that Bettany is going to be still involved in the sequel in a big way. He'll instead play Avengers villain turned member The Vision in the film. Making this the first time Paul might be shown in camera within the MCU. There had been also speculation that this role could possibly go to Clark Gregg, but that won't be happening either.

This could be an interesting turn of events, as The Vision (Paul Bettany) ends up getting romantically involved with Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen). I doubt this will be explored in Age of Ultron, but this will at least give fans three new Avengers members on screen. It's expected both characters will start-off as villains, as Vision is a creation of Ultron and Scarlet is rumored to be the daughter of Baron Wolfgang von Strucker.


SOURCE: DAILYMAIL

Drew Pearce Teases CROSSBONES AND SIN Marvel One-Shot

Drew Pearce first got involved with Marvel Studios, when they tasked him to write a screenplay for a Runaways movie. That movie would eventually get shelved, and Drew was asked to co-write Iron Man 3 with director Shane Black. He recently wrote and directed the newest Marvel One-Shot short film titled All Hail The King, which put to rest the Mandarin switch-up. It seems like Marvel might ask Drew to make another one, and he already has ideas that's revealed to TotalFilm.

Oh, gosh - lots of them. One that was Sin and Crossbones (from Captain America). I love Jessica Jones, and while obviously Jessica Jones and Alias is NOW going to exist in the Netflix part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), I'd always obsessively been trying to put her in stuff I'd been working with Marvel on… but about three or four other ones, too.

My Marvel obsession with Damage Control is still there… but it's pretty difficult to make into a short. The clue is in the title that you have to do a lot of damage to then control it - and that's not really in the budget of a short movie. I just think it's got huge potential as a franchise.

I have to believe that a Crossbones And Sin one-shot is more probable, since we're starting to see the One-Shots having direct connections to both upcoming television shows and films, focusing on established characters. Brock Rumlow (Crossbones) is already established in the MCU (Winter Soldier) and is played by Frank Grillo. My biggest problem with Marvel is their lack of well known female villains and superheroines, including Sin would be the first step of fixing this issue. Having the villainous team-up could make for action-packed and fun one-shot.

The greatest aspect of this proposition would be the addition of Sinthea Shmidt aka Sin (daughter of Red Skull) to the MCU. It would interesting to see her introduced or explored in a short, which may or may not set her up for Captain America 3. Hydra villain Baron Strucker will have a role in Avengers: Age of Ultron, but it's odd that they haven't included Madame Hydra, as she's Strucker's second in-command. I could see Marvel end up using Sinthea as the MCU version of Madame Hydra for future Captain America films.

Also, Crossbones being a member of Thunderbolts might lead to his own film. Guardians of The Galaxy writer/director James Gunn has voiced a desire to make a Thunderbolts movie, if Marvel wants it to happen. It wouldn't be much of stretch to see a female member like Sin among the rest of the lineup.

SOURCE: TOTALFILM

RUMOR: Marvel Gearing-Up For GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY 2 In 2016?

Marvel has been more unofficial about their plans for Phase Three, than previous ones but will start things off with Edgar Wright's Ant-Man (starring Michael Douglas, Paul Rudd, Michael Pena, Clifton Collins Jr. and possibly Evangeline Lilly). There has been a lot of chatter from Marvel's Kevin Feige about his passion project Doc Strange finally getting made, while a director and lead haven't been announced. Recent development on sequels to Thor: The Dark World and Captain America: The Winter Soldier, also give the impression those movies are going to be apart of the Phase Three plans.

JoBlo is tossing a monkey into the works, stating a rumor that could see a sequel to James Gunn's Guardians of The Galaxy invade theatres on May 6th, 2016. Oddly enough, that's the same date Warner Bros. has set for Batman Vs Superman, previously releasing in the same month as Ant-Man. Although, Marvel had claimed the spot ages ago and likely won't be bullied (since Disney is now backing them) if they announce the actual project for the release slot. Joblo even says treat it as a rumor, this is the first time we've caught wind of Guardians of The Galaxy 2. As it stands, Marvel has only announced three spots for 2016-2017, the only way to make room for something like Doc Strange, would be to add a second date for 2017. It's assumed that Avengers 3 would be saved for a 2018 release.

Having a trilogy of Guardians films wouldn't be a terrible thing, and it looks like Marvel might be giving each franchise a trilogy (Iron Man, Captain America and Thor). Expanding the cosmic side of the MCU seems to be the overall plan at the studio, we've already noticed a lowkey push to add Easter Eggs referencing a Planet Hulk movie (looking more likely for Phase Four, if it happens). The great thing about The Guardians is that the team roster changes all the time, there are plenty of new members that they could switch-in or add-on. Characters like Adam Warlock (already teased in a button scene), Nova, Quasar, Angela (new addition to Marvel cosmic lineup), and even the Iron Man himself Tony Stark. There was speculation and a couple of rumors that stated Karen Gillan would be playing Angela in the film, which turned out to be untrue.

Adding Tony to the Guardians 2 lineup could be a way to have Iron Man apart of Phase Three, without having an entire film (Iron Man 4) on his shoulders. Robert Downey Jr. seems to enjoy productions like The Avengers, as he's signed on to make Avengers: Age of Ultron and an untitled Avengers 3 (but not a fourth solo Iron Man film). Robert makes a ton of money for less work and get's to have a great time with the cast and crew, it's sort of win-win for him. Allowing him more time to do other projects, instead of having a huge chunk of his time dedicated to both Iron Man and Avengers sequels.

If the rumors are true, Marvel is trying to setup Doc Strange as the new staple character of the MCU (taking over for Tony), having Iron Man leave Earth for cosmic adventures would explain his departure from The Avengers. Plus, would allow Stark to explore an ever expanding sci-fi fuelled universe, populated with a ton of enemies that could give him a real threat, not just more science experiments (which is getting boring). It doesn't hurt that it's currently comic book cannon that Stark is a Guardian. Having Iron Man apart of the lineup could also be a way to scare-off competition like Batman Vs Superman from considering going head-to-head with Guardians 2.

SOURCE: JOBLO

Evangeline Lilly In Talks For Role In ANT-MAN

Variety reports that Canadian actress Evangeline Lilly (Lost, Real Steel) is currently in talks for a lead role in Edgar Wright's Ant-Man. The role is unnamed, but is expected to be Pym's (Michael Douglas) daughter and love-interest to Lang (Paul Rudd). It's also possible this could also be Janet van Dyne, who becomes The Wasp. Lilly recently took on a action-based role in Peter Jackson's Hobbit trilogy, which would make her an excellent candidate for Wasp.

Ladies previously linked for the role included Rashida Jones, Bryce Dallas Howard and Jessica Chastain. Clifton Collins Jr. is also attached for an unknown role in the film. Production begins in April, with the release date set for July, 2015.





SOURCE: VARIETY

HORRIBLE BOSSES Director Seth Gordon Will Direct UNCHARTED Movie

Deadline has an update concerning Sony's Uncharted movie, which lost director David O. Russell a while back. They say that Seth Gordon (King of Kong, Horrible Bosses, Identity Theft) has signed on to direct the video game adaptation. Fingers crossed, Gordon isn't eyeing the awfully dull Jason Bateman for the charming Nathan Drake. The film's recent script was penned by David Guggenheim (Safe House), who was recently hired to write Bad Boys 3 for the studio.

SOURCE: DEADLINE

Zachary Quinto And Hannah Ware Join HITMAN Reboot AGENT 47

Deadline reports two new additions to the cast of Agent 47 a reboot of the Hitman reboot (based on the popular video game franchise). Zachary Quinto (Heroes, Star Trek 1-3, Margin Call) and Hannah Ware (Boss, Oldboy) have taken roles alongside Homeland's Rupert Friend. Production will begin in Berlin and eventually head over to Singapore.

SOURCE: DEADLINE

Emmy Rossum And Christian Cooke Testing For FANTASTIC FOUR Leads

THR is reporting new names and debunking a few for the screen tests for Josh Trank's Fantastic Four reboot. They say, that Kate Mara (Transcendence, House of Cards) and Emmy Rossum (Shameless) are up for the role of Sue Storm. Seemingly confirming Miles Teller is a front-runner for Richard Reed and Michael B. Jordan a lock for The Human Torch.

While British actor Christian Cooke is up for the role of Ben Grimm/The Thing, not sure what this means for the Josh Gad/Grimm rumor. Cooke is pretty much unknown to American audiences (besides his role in Magic City), and is best known for a lead role in the Ricky Gervais' directed Cemetery Junction. The film co-starred Felicity Jones, who has a role in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, which is rumored to be possibly Black Cat (not confirmed).

They go-on to say that Saoirse Ronan (Hanna) and Kit Harington (Game of Thrones) won't be testing for roles after-all. Adding, that the role of Doctor Doom might even have it's gender-swapped. However, that could be dependent on casting, since Richard Madden (Game of Thrones) isn't even mentioned in the report. It's possible Madden might be up for Doom rather than Reed.

SOURCE: THR

RUMOR: Quentin Tarantino's THE HATEFUL EIGHT Back On With Sam Jackson?

It's starting to sounds like Quentin Tarantino has calmed down about the leak of his HATEFUL EIGHT script. The current rumor circling is that he's pushing forward with script rewrites and is talking with Samuel L. Jackson about taking a lead role. I've been hearing this rumor over the week from different sources, but Jeff over at TheWrap is posting it on his Twitter account, being clear it's only a rumor at this point. I'd love for it to be true, but unless it comes out of the mouth of Quentin, we never really know if it's actually going to happen.

I really hope we end up hearing new names such as Michael K. Williams (in the running for Django) and Kurt Russell (dropped out of Django), being in the mix for the film. No matter what happens, we should expect Christoph Waltz will also have a role.

SOURCE: THEWRAP