Director Jordan Vogt-Roberts Confirming METAL GEAR SOLID Shooting After KONG: SKULL ISLAND?

Director Jordan Vogt-Roberts is about to begin shooting on Legendary's King Kong prequel Kong: Skull Island. He posted a tweet that suggested he was ready to tackle the massive production. Also mentioning that he was coming after Solid Snake next. Which is referring to his other massive project the Metal Gear Solid film setup over at Sony. We've had confirmation of sorts that Jordan is indeed our director along with David Goyer (Blade, Batman Begins, Call of Duty Black Ops 1-2) tackling the script.

A production date hasn't been announced but it sounds like things are coming together quicker than expected. Having Goyer write the adaptation of the popular video game series is actually a perfect match, considering he helped write two massive hit installments of the Call of Duty game franchise. One of the biggest problems with video game adaptations is they tend to cling onto fan service or nods, rather than focusing on a good story and cinematic experience. The hope from films like Metal Gear, Mass Effect, Assassin's Creed and Splinter Cell, is that studios will finally figure-out how to adapt this rich source material.

Goodbye burn center & 2014. Goodbye beard. Hello 2015. King Kong, I'm coming for you. Solid Snake, you're next. pic.twitter.com/JGIqWp67QJ
— Jordan Vogt-Roberts (@VogtRoberts) December 31, 2014

SOURCE: TWITTER

Will Warner Bros. Make David Goyer's DEATHSTROKE Movie After SUICIDE SQUAD?

It was recently rumored that Deathstroke will somehow be apart of the character lineup in David Ayer's Suicide Squad. While we still need more solid confirmation, the prospect does make a lot of sense all things considering. What makes me think Warner Bros. would want to include Deathstroke in Suicide Squad?

First-off, it was reported last year by BleedingCool that David Goyer was going to produce a bunch of DC Comics movies which included Suicide Squad and Deathstroke films. We don't know for sure if Goyer is still attached to either project, but it's very likely he was involved with the latter because he was going to write it. Deathstroke feels like a character that Goyer could really make a great script for, I don't think fans would complain about the body-count or gritty tone.

Second, Deathstroke is a current member of the new team in the comics. Harley Quinn only joined the ranks in 2011, but will be the female lead of the film. They could be including anyone slightly affiliated to group that are well known to fans. Warner Bros. might be looking for the most recognizable characters, since this isn't the original lineup from the Justin Marks script (Joker and Harley Quinn were never included in the original script). I'm sure Ayer's rewrites could see a couple of additions or swaps to the final character lineup (could Slade replace Rick Flagg?).

Third, the Marvel model for setting-up future films is a bit more Easter Egg-like, but having a character in the film before their solo adventure sounds about right for the DC Comics model. Remember, we'll see Wonder Woman, Aquaman and Cyborg in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice before they get their own movies. Deathstroke is still a relatively obscure character to general audiences, having him tag-along in Suicide Squad could definitely boost international awareness.

That said, what makes me believe that David Goyer would be or should be involved with this project?

Goyer is still in very good favor with Warner Bros., no matter what fans seem to think is going-on behind the scenes. He's still getting a writing and producing credits on Batman v Superman, even with Chris Terrio's rewrites to the original script (which I assume was apart of Affleck's contract, to have script approval). David is also writing-producing their NBC series Constantine and is involved with Joseph Gordon-Levitt's Sandman film writing the film's story. Godzilla's script had a rewrite from Goyer as well. It's possible that the Justice League script will include elements from the work Goyer contributed before Chris Terrio came onboard.

Last year he signed a three-year deal with the studio according to Deadline. The assumption that he would help godfather lesser known DC Comics film and TV properties for Warner Bros. It's led to him setting-up a Krypton prequel series at SyFy. His previous film development deals like Deathstroke would be alive and well, just not apart of the main release lineup.

Thinking that having Goyer's scripts rewritten is some sort of insult towards, goes to show fandom doesn't understand how the industry works. Many of Goyer's scripts have been rewritten or reworked for the screen, none of this has really effected his work relationships with studios.

Having written films like Blade and Dark Knight Trilogy/Man of Steel, Goyer understands all types of cinematic comic book worlds. Blade becoming the first Marvel success story, it's often forgotten the R-rated film was a hit two years before X-Men. Goyer is never credited for starting this genre, but he should. I could see Goyer doing for DC's Slade, what he did for Marvel's Blade. Turning him into a badass anti-hero, and one we might actually root for. Since, we've only seen him as a straight-up villain. Funny, since New Line Cinema (apart of Warner Bros.) was the home of Blade just until recently.



David also wrote the two Call of Duty: Black Ops games, two of the most successful games ever made. The first one selling 26.2 million copies and it's sequel earning over a billion within the first fifteen days. Those games show he has the chops to explore Slade's world of black ops soldiers and mercenaries. Sony announced him as writing their Metal Gear Solid adaptation, which has the director of Kong: Skull Island attached. Another intense military focused film which is another reason why Goyer staying-on as producer or writing the Deathstroke script might be a good idea.

What do you think? Should Warner Bros. pursue a Deathstroke film and keep David Goyer involved in some capacity?

Gareth Evans Is Open To Making Marvel Film In The Future, Let's Hope It's HEROES FOR HIRE

Indonesian director Gareth Evans is clearly making a name for himself in the action world. His debut feature The Raid captured everyone in love with both action and martial arts films. He's currently filming it's sequel and was recently asked by FlicksAndTheCity if he'd consider making a superhero film. More specifically a Marvel one and his answer is interesting.

"It's tough. The thing is right now, where I am, the kind of things that I'm doing, I don't know if I fit the superhero mold yet. It's something I need to learn at some point but I don't know if I can deliver a PG-13 movie. I don't know how to do that yet. I should learn but yeah, I'm not sure. Maybe a darker, superhero [film] from Marvel."

The one Marvel project that comes to mind that would be perfect for Evans would be Heroes For Hire. A while back Marvel's Joseph Loeb let slip they were developing a Heroes For Hire film. Likely, setting up a ground level Marvel team that would include Luke Cage and Iron Fist. Two characters that have had their own solo films in development for ages. Combining them into one movie would solve issues of their crowded release rollout.

"Just like we just announced Guardians of the Galaxy, we are certainly looking at the Heroes for Hire franchise which is Luke Cage and Iron Fist."

The film should also include characters such as Moon Knight and The Punisher. Which could finally solve the problem of how to make a movie with Frank Castle that people will actually pay to see. Along with the possibility of throwing rebooted versions of Blade and Daredevil into the mix as well. All of them street level heroes based in New York City and since the rights are back at Marvel they might as well use them.

While they could be decent solo features a bigger team-up adventure would be a great way to introduce a great deal of Marvel heroes leading up the rumored Civil War/Thanos battle in Avengers 3. We have some idea of what the Phase Three lineup will look like. Ant-Man, Doctor Strange and possibly features such as Black Panther, Inhumans and a new Hulk film. A Heroes For Hire film would seemingly grab the attention of the action driven audiences who fork all of their money to see films like Fast And The Furious. Imagine setting a Marvel team film in the world crime and throwing in actual superheroes and super villains in there, it could be something very unique. Gareth brings a lot of style and validity to the table. Similar to when Marvel hired Game of Thrones' Alan Taylor to make Thor: The Dark World. So having him involved could also help gain a little more attention to the project.

Irdis Elba has been meeting with Marvel for a while now about playing a second role in the MCU. His wish-list of roles includes Black Panther, Blade and Luke Cage. Considering Marvel's interest in Legendary Pictures' Godzilla main cast Aaron Johnson and Elizabeth Olsen for Avengers: Age of Ultron. It wouldn't be a stretch to see them also looking at cast members in Legendary international smash Pacific Rim as well. Elba as Luke Cage makes a whole lot of sense with his gritty roles on shows such as The Wire and Luther. Charlie Hunnam has equally as much background in street level themes with his series Sons of Anarchy. Plus, he showed off some impressive fighting abilities in Pacific Rim. Which could be amped up ten-fold by Gareth's stunt team and fight trainers. Hunnam was actually in the mix for Thor and Captain America at one point. So having him play Danny Rand could be just as exciting.

SPECULATION: LatinoReview Teases New Writer For JUSTICE LEAGUE, Could It Be David Goyer Or Jonah Nolan?

LatinoReview has tweeted a tease for a news concerning a new writer for Justice League. It's possible they could be hinting that David Goyer or Jonah Nolan (Memento, Prestige) might be hired to take a shot at the script. Will Beall's recent script was thrown out by the studio because of it's horrible quality. Having two writers so close to the Batman franchise write Justice League seems logical. There had been rumors dating back to before the release of The Dark Knight Rises that Jonah would not only write Justice League's script but also direct it. Considering Wally Pfister is branching out with directing Transcendence anything is possible.

Jonah wrote along with brother Chris the final two Batman films with story credits from Goyer. David has his own lengthly genre credits with writing Batman Begins, Blade trilogy, Dark City along with recent reboots Godzilla and Man of Steel. He also wrote for Black Ops 1-2 which are considered some of the highest grossing video games.

METAL GEAR SOLID Film Officially Announced

Columbia/Sony Pictures and producer Avi Arad (Spider-Man 1-3, Blade 1-3, X-Men 1-3) have announced (via SlashFilm) along with Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima that a film based on the iconic video game franchise is on the way. Metal Gear Solid follows Solid Snake, a retired soldier who infiltrates a nuclear weapons disposal facility to neutralize the terrorist threat from FOXHOUND, a renegade special forces unit. Avi's other current video game film projects include Mass Effect at Legendary Picutures/Warner Bros and Uncharted. Let's just hope this doesn't end up the next Resident Evil.

Hideo gave his wishlist of actors that included Matt Damon, Hugh Jackman and Ben Affleck. Not mention dropping the name of Christopher Nolan as his dream director. Nolan is unlikely as he's a loyal director for Warner Bros. and wouldn't jump ship to Sony. Affleck is in the same boat as he's making his mark as a director with WB as well. However, Nolan hasn't officially signed on to his next film . If he did make MSG he could develop Solid Snake into his own version of Bond set in a high-tech globetrotting action genre.

Previously, it had been rumored that Christian Bale had been wanted for the lead role of Snake.

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.

Marvel Films The Venture Bros. Creators Should Make

At the tail end of last year there was yet another call to Marvel from Venture Bros. creators Doc Hammer and Jackson Publick to allow them to be apart of the Doctor Strange film. It sounded they were more disappointed than anything else. They weren't even contacted considering their cartoon series is a giant homage to the characters of Marvel comics. One hero being a direct wink to Strange himself with Dr. Orpheus. While it looks like their involvement is looking unlikely I have a few other Marvel Studios films they could be perfect for as writers.

IRON FIST: Similar to Doctor Strange, the origin of Iron Fist takes place in a world of mystical mysticism and the occult. There could also be noir elements of classic heroes like the Phantom or the Shadow mixed in as well. It would do the film justice if it took cues from the Immortal Iron Fist including both Daniel Rand and Orson Randall. My take is that it could be a kung-fu version of Highlander if done properly. Spanning a bunch of different time periods would also be a great way to separate the character from Strange.

Originally Ray Park (G.I. Joe 1-2, X-Men) was set for lead with John Turman (Fantastic Four 2, Hulk) handling the script and Kirk Wong (The Big Hit) was set to direct. Wong left the project and Steve Carr (Next Friday, Daddy Daycare) was brought in, luckily the film was again put on hold and he exited. Currently,  Rich Wilkes is attached as the film's screenwriter but there is no word if the studio was happy with his script so far.

BLACK WIDOW: I assume after The Avengers hits theaters in May the studio is going to quickly gear up on the Black Widow spin-off. Marvel has Scarlett Johansson locked in the role and have previously mentioned a new film is in development back in 2010. At one point there was a Widow film setup at Lionsgate with David Hayter (Watchmen, X2) writing a script. He was expected to also direct but the film ultimately never happened. I would hope that while including some elements of the original script they'd be better off scrapping most of it.

Venture's Molotov Cocktease seems to have a slight edge to her that Widow has always been missing. It might be interesting to see the character in more of a hard boiled Bourne styled spy setting. The Venture guys have always written episodes with lots of classic Bond moments and as long as they go more grounded and less Austin Powers I think they could a great job here.

BLADE: Just last year Marvel regained the film rights to Blade from New Line Cinema and I assume all of the characters from Tomb of Dracula. The character rights includes Blade, Whistler, Hannibal King, Morbius The Living Vampire and Dracula's Daughter Lilith. Jefferson Twilight is obviously inspired by Blade and they seem like they could tackle the satirical nature of the world the Day Walker inhabits. In the first two films Stephen Norrington and Guillermo del Toro were able to balance the horror elements with some grounded actions scenes along with the satirical humor you would normally see in movies like Robocop and the original Total Recall. I know beyond a doubt with the reboot already in the works Hammer and Publick would be able to write the hell out of this. Not to mention that Blade has always been more geared to adults and they wouldn't be hindered by the amount of violence and raunchy humor they could include.

LEGION OF HORROR: The Legion of Horror has never been mentioned as a future film but with the rise of horror based action films and television shows it's likely that it will eventually come up at the studio. The lineup includes team leader Jack Russell (Werewolf By Night), Michael Morbius (The Living Vampire), Santana Hellstrom, N'Kantu (The Living Mummy), Dr. Ted Sallis (Man-Thing) and Manphibian. It could be interesting to see this group being an occult division of SHIELD becoming Marvel's answer to Hellboy's BPRD and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. It would also leave the door open for Blade and Doctor Strange crossovers.

RUMOR: Could Marvel Be Using Vampires In Doctor Strange?

A new rumor points out that the Avengers post-credits scene could involve a vampire or vampires has surfaced via ComicBookMovie. This doesn't seem to fit with Iron Man 3, Thor 2 or even Captain America 2. So if true this could mean that we'll be seeing a new film that vampires would inhabit. That narrows things down to Blade or Doctor Strange.

Blade comes to mind but they don't have a script, director or even a new Blade. I assume when Marvel Studios regained the Blade rights from New Line they got all the vampire characters back including Deacon Frost, Hannibal King, Dracula, Lilith (Dracula's daughter), Morbius and The Blood Pack.

Morbius was going to be the main baddie in Blade 2 before Guillmero del Toro came in for the sequel. The living vampire had a cameo at the end of the first Blade movie but was ultimately cut out. One of the great things about Morbius is that he's also been a hero so he could be an interesting conflicted character.

The rights would also include Jack Russell from Werewolf By Night who had a cameo in a Blade 3 cute scene. There had been talk of Werewolf By Night film in development but nothing came of it. I figure all these characters are now fair game at Marvel and could be used in many different films.

Doctor Strange just happens to be the best bet to what this post-credit scene could be teasing. The film has a script and has been the one project most voiced by Marvel as apart of their next lineup. It's unknown what angle they'll be going with Strange but he runs the gauntlet of cosmic, magic, occult and horror elements. Strange has run into a few vampires in his time which includes Morbius, Dracula, Lilith, Baron Blood (his brother Victor) and many others. I would love to see Strange end up becoming more of a horror style Marvel franchise. A vampire could also just be one of the many monsters that Strange will have to face in the movie.

Horror comics were once a major part of Marvel, titles included The Living Vampire, Tomb of Dracula, Werewolf By Night, Brother Voodoo, Son of Satan, Legion of Monsters, Santana and others. It would be interesting to see Marvel Studios bring this sort of comic book universe to the screen. It had been sort of teased with the Blade films but the occult, magic, other creatures and demons were never the focus.

Marvel Studios Regains Blade Rights From New Line Cinema

Marvel's Joe Quesada (via ComicBookMovie) has confirmed that Marvel Studios has officially gained the rights to make future Blade films. A reboot has been long in-development with Idris Elba (Thor) very interested in the role.

It would make sense that Blade along with a new Punisher film could be a way for the studio to break into the R-rated action market with fall releases.

Stephen Doriff Talks Blade Prequel

Deacon Frost has to be one of the greatest on screen Marvel villains so it's no surprise Stephen Doriff wants to continue playing him. Back in 2009 it was reported that Doriff and director Steven Norrington were working on a Blade prequel focusing on Deacon Frost. The prequel could spawn into a new trilogy which made sense since New Line was aiming to reboot the franchise.

The first Blade film was the first serious adaptation of Marvel material and it's first success story even though X-Men gets all the credit. The world Norrington created was a blue print for most of the comic book films we now see which mix comic book elements in a real world film.

Doriff while promoting his current film Somewhere commented on the status of the project (via DarkLordBunnykins) and gives insight of what it could look like. He mentions making a vampire version of Scarface which sounds like a perfect fit for the character. While he seems optimistic the pair doesn't count out throwing out the use of the Frost character to avoid being held back by New Line. It sounds like the studio could be asking for a PG-13 movie which goes against every that Blade had established. By not using the Deacon Frost name they could take their pitch to other studios while still making the film they want to. Currently Steven Norrington is working on his Crow reboot with Mark Wahlberg interested in the lead role (bad idea) so it's unlikely it would get made anytime soon.

Idris Elba Talking With Marvel For Blade & Luke Cage?

 Idris Elba (RockNRolla, The Wire, 28 Weeks Later) seems to have developed a strong relationship with Marvel after co-starring in Thor. He's been talking with TotalFilm (via DailyBlam) about the prospects of playing other Marvel characters. He doesn't confirm anything but does mention Blade and Luke Cage. Idris talked to TheDetroitNews previously mentioning how he wants to play Nick Fury and Blade. While it might seem odd that Idris would ply another character within the Marvel universe. Blade is setup with New Line/WB and Luke Cage is with Marvel Studios so it's likely he could end up playing both/either characters. Ryan Reynolds and Ray Stevenson have got away with playing more than one Marvel character.

"I have a picture deal with them (Marvel). I can't tell you much about that, but I can tell you I'll be back. I wouldn't mind having a crack at bringing Blade back, personally....But erm, there's a couple of things there... Luke Cage is... very interesting."

"I would like to be in the lead position, with characters around me," says Elba, mentioning Nick Fury or Blade  as potential roles for him to sink his teeth into. "If that's what I'm going to do, it's better to be the kick than the sidekick."

Ridley Scott's The Passage

Ridley Scott is a very very busy producer and director these days. He's just finished principle photography on Robin Hood and has multiple future projects in development. The projects include Alien 5, The Forever War, Monopoly and Brave New World. Now it's being reported that the director is in talks to helm The Passage. The film centers on a group of terminally ill patients who are cured after being bitten by South American bats. John Logan (Avaitor, Sweeny Todd) will develop a screenplay based on the novel by Justin Cronin. Logan previously worked with Ridley on Gladiator, so the re-teaming could make for an epic vampire film. While I understand this seems to be a recation to the feverish fandom of the Twilight series. Although vampire franchises such as Underworld and Blade have also done quite well, without pandering to tweens. My hope is that films such as Daybreakers will bring back the quality and lore back to the genre.