Joss Whedon Responds To Directing CAPTAIN MARVEL; Reveals Female BATMAN Movie Idea

BuzzFeed was able to get writer-director Joss Whedon to sort of expand on his comments from his interview with Digital Spy, where he voiced distain for Hollywood's handling of the female superhero genre. Mainly, about Marvel Studios moving forward with Captain Marvel.


Yes, and not expecting it to get any traction, honestly. That’s something that [Marvel Studios chief] Kevin [Feige] has been working on for a while. And I obviously was a cheerleader, but he had to get all the ducks in a row and get all the minds in agreement. I think being a part of Disney maybe makes it easier, because they’re open to it. And Marvel now is in a position to shake up its own paradigm, because it’s got such a success record. 

Honestly, you know, Guardians [of the Galaxy] might have helped it, just because that was outside what was considered to be their box and did so well that— Well, let’s put it this way: If a raccoon can carry a movie, then they believe maybe even a woman can.

They then directly ask him if he'd be willing to make Captain Marvel.

Um, I would never rule anything out, because I like working here. By the same token, the biggest thing for me is that I need to do something that I create myself. It’s been way too long since I created a universe. The last thing I did before The Avengers was [directing an episode of] Glee, and in between I did Much Ado About Nothing. So I haven’t created my own universe for over five years. That feels wrong. You know, my own universe might be a book of haiku. I’m not necessarily saying I’ve got a grand scheme. 

I will say that when I was thinking about, Well, if I wasn’t going to do Avengers 2, what would I want to do? — of course the first thing I thought of was “turn-of-the-century female Batman.” Not Batman actually. But, you know, something cool. One person. Can’t stress that enough. Movie about one person — not a team, not 10, just one. But [I would] do a nice sort of hard action movie that combined all my favorite things. Something that would be the love child of Sam Fuller and Edward Gorey. You know, I’ve had many thoughts since then. Oh, I could do this! Oh, I could do that! But it is my instinct to want to tell those stories. 

Captain Marvel I don’t know as well. There have been a few [versions] of her. I have the first issue of Ms. Marvel, back when she was that, and had the Farrah hair. My only issue with her is that she always felt sort of on top. She was very driven. A winner. I always like to dig into the soil of things to find my heroes, if I can.

This is actually the first time we've heard Joss talk about making a turn-of-the-century female Batman film. We know he tried to get Warner Bros. to make his Wonder Woman adaptation, maybe they'll warm-up to this idea now that they know he's open to developing new superhero projects.

I mean, what studio in their right mind would reject a superhero film project from Joss after The Avengers? Plus, this isn't the first time DC Comics has played with timelines with their heroes.

Imagine Whedon making a steampunk Justice League movie.

SOURCE: BUZZFEED 

Joss Whedon Criticizes Lack Of Female Superhero Films; Could He Make CAPTAIN MARVEL?

Feminist filmmaker Joss Whedon has been a pioneer for female genre material ever since creating the breakout character Buffy The Vampire Slayer. Spending most of his career opening doors for actresses/female characters to be taken serious as leads of genre television series and feature films.

Even playing in the sandbox of my female-led franchise with his script for Alien Resurrection writing for the iconic genre character Ellen Ripley.

In an interview with Digital Spy he calls out Hollywood's "stupid people" blocking female-led comic book films. Also, pointing to fact Fox has access to the best female Marvel characters which isn't leaving Marvel Studios with much to work with. He would know since he wrote for the X-Men comics.

"It's a phenomenon in the industry that we call 'stupid people'," Whedon said. "There is genuine, recalcitrant, intractable sexism, and old-fashioned quiet misogyny that goes on. 

"You hear 'Oh, [female superheroes] don't work because of these two bad ones that were made eight years ago', there's always an excuse." 

"Hunger Games is a different structure and aesthetic to a certain extent, but these narratives where people are bigger than life and they're in these terrible, heightened circumstances, it's all part of the same genre," he said. 

"Marvel is in a position of making a statement simply by making [a female-led] movie, which I think would be a good thing to do. "But it has to be a good movie, it has to be a good character, and most of the best characters in Marvel are owned by Fox, let's face it!" 

Fox has yet to announce development a female driven superhero film since Elektra bombed.

Although, there has been talk from X-Men producers Lauren Shuler Donner and Simon Kinberg being interested in making Kitty Pryde and Mystique films but it's all been talk so far.

Whedon knows only too well what studio suits think of female superhero projects, Warner Bros. took an axe to his Wonder Woman film which had Cobie Smulders attached to star.

The studio is finally moving forward with a new adaptation with Breaking Bad's Michelle MacLaren and Gal Gadot in the titular role.

Joss would later gravitate towards Marvel and give us The Avengers, the big daddy of the comic book film genre.

Developing Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow into a total badass which was expanded upon in Captain America: Civil War. Not to mention giving Cobie a second-shot at the genre playing S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Maria Hill which has led to both becoming big supporting players in the cinematic universe.

When he was set on making it's sequel Age of Ultron he did all he could to add more female characters into the already cast heavy film. Giving us Godzilla's Elizabeth Olsen as Scarlett Witch and Marco Polo's Claudia Kim as a scientist friend of Tony Stark.

He's all about talking about Hollywood making these female comic book films but will he end-up making one of his own?

These new statements sound like there is a bit of a fire in Whedon to possibly tackle the genre, we'd all love to see him prove his point.

Joss was in attendance at the big Marvel event in October which he seemed really only there to help support Ultron. However, since he's already talking about leaving the Avengers franchise he could have been there for other motives.

This was the first official reveal that Marvel was making Captain Marvel and even was bold enough to set the release date for July 2017. If you've seen footage from the event people went apeshit when the film's title card was revealed.

Kevin Feige would go on stating the film had been in-development almost as long as Guardians and Doctor Strange, adding that news of a writer and director was coming soon.

Some speculate we'll hear the announcement around the time of the release of Age of Ultron, as production would likely have to begin sometime in 2016.

The Whedon link to Carol Danvers goes back a while when he first stated he hated the character, and then in an interview with HeyUGuys over the summer did a 180 on that previous statement.

Rumors of Danvers casting started back in 2012 around the time Whedon was developing the untitled sequel's early outline. The talk at the time was that the role would appear in the second film.

Since then we've been hearing that she might be in the film after all with a possible cameo at the end of the film, we'll know for sure if Carol is in the film come May.

Talk of the development on the solo film hit the trades about a year ago it was suggested the script was being written in-house at Marvel Studios.

Meaning that an outsider hadn't been hired to write it, giving us the impression it was either someone like Guardian's Nicole Perlman (who was apart of their screenwriting program) or an existing writer at the studio, which points towards a female centric writer like Joss Whedon.

Whedon is more than capable to handle this kind of material and it would allow him to move into a different aspect of the Marvel universe as Kevin has stated her adventures are indeed set in the comic universe.

I'm sure the big question during Age of Ultron's press tour will be, is Joss Whedon going to write or direct Captain Marvel?




SOURCE: DIGITAL SPY

Emily Blunt Could Star Opposite Chris Hemsworth In THE HUNTSMAN

Emily Blunt is returning to the world of fairytales as The Wrap reports she is in negotiations to play the new villain in Unversal's sequel to Snow White And The Huntsman, titled The Huntsman.

Blunt has previously been involved with genre in films such as Gulliver's Travels and Disney's musical Into The Woods. We don't often see the actress portray villains so this could be an interesting character for Emily.

The Wrap also adds that director Frank Darabont (Godzilla, The Mist, The Walking Dead) has exited the project this week citing creative differences. A shame, since we loved what Frank did with both The Walking Dead and The Mist. He also penned the recent draft of the script which had previous worked done by Craig Mazin and Evan Spiliotopoulos

Having both Chris Hemsworth and now possibly Emily Blunt attached as the film's leads it shouldn't be hard to find a new director for the sequel.

The sequel is said to be focusing on Chris Hemsworth's character Eric, and likely won't see the return of Kristen Stewart in any major way while Charlize Theron is expected to reprise her role.

Blunt's character is said to be the evil Snow Queen, sister to Charlize Theron's Ravenna, who was killed in the last film. The Snow Queen is looking to avenge Raveena's death, while Hemworth's Eric The Huntsman is on a mission to find the magic mirror which has been stolen.

The Huntsman's release date has been scheduled for April 22, 2016 which suggests production will begin extremely soon.

This along with last summer's Edge of Tomorrow could help boost Emily's status as an action star seeing her moving into more adventure focused roles in the future.

Carol Danvers is that you?

There's been a huge fan campaign to see Emily Blunt take the role of Carol Danvers in Marvel's Captain Marvel film.

Mainly, due to a rumor back in 2012 from a British paper that purposed the actress was in the mix to play the character Ms Marvel in Avengers 2.

The demand to see her in the role started gathering steam when she took on badass roles in films like Looper and basically playing a character similar to Danvers in Edge of Tomorrow.

You might remember that Emily Bunt was originally cast as Black Widow in Iron Man 2 but had to exit due to Fox pulling her out of the project to take a role in Gulliver's Travels instead. She would go-on to test for the Peggy Carter role in Captain America: The First Avenger but would turn down the role as well.

Since then, it's been somewhat confirmed that a draft of the shooting script for Avengers: Age of Ultron included a cameo from Carol Danvers. Slightly boosting the expectation Carol will indeed make her first appearance in the Avengers sequel.

However, it's unknown if the studio has or will shoot that scene.

We've seen Marvel previously setup future solo films with Chadwick Boseman getting a co-starring role in Captain America: Civil War before his own film Black Panther is released in 2017.

His character's kingdom of Wakanda is said to have an important role to play within Age of Ultron as well.

It's extremely possible that Marvel Studios could cast someone in the role before landing a director for Captain Marvel. Which would help setup her character within the cinematic universe before her solo debut in July 2018.

There are even recent rumors suggesting she'll be apart of the lineup in Avengers: Infinity War Part 1, which is due out months before her solo adventure. Feeding more speculation her origins will likely be told sometime before the events of Infinity War.

I would even go as far to consider Carol Danvers could be apart of Civil War in a minor way as well, that's if she ends up getting her cameo in Age of Ultron. Also, it not interfering with her involvement with The Huntsman production possibly shooting later-on in the year during reshoots or pick-ups.

During interviews for Into The Woods Blunt finally commented (via Screen Crush) on the campaign to see her take the Captain Marvel role. She went on to suggest it's all rumors and no offer had been made. However, seemed interested in the role if the character was a right fit for her.

"I think, it’s always for me, it’s always about—and now, more so—what am I putting out there? What would be interesting for me and what would be interesting for people to see. So, if it’s an awesome part, it doesn’t matter if it’s a Marvel movie or a tiny movie, I’d be up for it."

"That’s huge. How awesome. I love this. No one has actually called me about it, so, we’ll hold our breath. [Laughs] I don’t know if I’ll get the call ever if I pitch it should be a musical."

Emily blunt has some serious connections to Marvel Studios alumni.

Blunt, Hemswoth and Evans laughing it up!

She recently worked three Marvel actors in the Mexican cartel thriller Sicario. That cast includes Josh Brolin (Thanos), Benicio Del Toro (The Collector) and Maximiliano Hernández (Agent Sitwell).

Another huge Marvel connection comes from her role in director Joe Johnston's (Captain America: The First Avenger) The Wolfman starring opposite Del Toro again but also Anthony Hopkins (Odin) and Hugo Weaving (The Red Skull).

In The Young Victoria, she worked with Paul Bettany (Jarvis and Vision) and Thomas Kretschmann (Baron Wolfgang Strucker).

Emily has also worked with Chris Pratt (Star-Lord) in the Five-Year Engagement and Anthony Mackie (Falcon) in The Adjustment Bureau.

Including Chris Hemsworth (Thor) in The Huntsman, she will have worked with around ten Marvel Studios actors.

Also, check out this image of Emily being extremely chummy with Chris Hemsworth and Captain America's Chris Evans at the Critic's Choice Awards.

Come on, you can't tell me she wouldn't fit-in right alongside that group of actors.








SOURCE: THEWRAP

Emily Blunt Finally Talks About CAPTAIN MARVEL And How Likely Is Joss Whedon Directing?

While promoting her new Disney musical Into The Woods, Emily Blunt spoke to ScreenCrush who brought-up the Captain Marvel role. Seemingly unfamiliar with both the character and her fan-favorite status. This isn't a new phenomena, actors such as Paul Rudd and Benedict Cumberbatch have played dumb in-front of reporters. When questioned about the possibility of playing Marvel heroes. This is the first time Emily has ever been asked about the character directly, so she can very easily pretend to have no knowledge of her.

It might be a bit harder to come-off ignorant of the character the next time she is asked about her. I'm sure it'll end up start becoming "it's all, rumor man". That said, she could be generally unaware of the character. Yet, that feels off to me since her husband tested for Captain America and she was cast as Black Widow. You'd think she would have more of an awareness to what the studio is up to, even more so since the Phase Three news was in every trade and news outlet.




This is the entire interview with ScreenCrush, enjoy!

Are you aware of the Internet buzz surrounding you playing Captain Marvel?

Somebody told me about it this morning! I knew because my brother told me.

People want you to play Captain Marvel.

Which is kind of amazing.

You were in ‘Looper’ and ‘Edge of Tomorrow,’ you have that cred now.

I know. What’s she like, though? I don’t know anything about her. What’s it like, this character?

She’s great.

Cool. Is she fun? Or is she just like, straight…

No, she’s witty and strong. That’s why people keep bringing your name up. They don’t want a boring actor. A lot of personality.

Oh, cool.

I think people really liked what they saw in ‘Edge of Tomorrow.’

But it’s not the same type of character?

No. It’s weird I’m explaining this to you...

I know. Someone told me this morning, my brother, actually. They call it fan casting?

Yes.

Which is lovely. It’s my favorite kind of casting! I wish it was always like that.

Sometimes fan casting works.

Which would be cool.

Maybe they can make ‘Captain Marvel’ a musical now that you’ve done ‘Into the Woods.’

[Laughs] ‘Captain Musical Marvel.’ Let’s just call Marvel about that right now. We’ll call Kevin Feige about that. “Kevin Feige, we have one hell of an idea.” Yeah.

“Only if it’s a musical will you get your dream casting.”

Exactly.

But in seriousness, it does appeal to you?

I think, it’s always for me, it’s always about—and now, more so—what am I putting out there? What would be interesting for me and what would be interesting for people to see. So, if it’s an awesome part, it doesn’t matter if it’s a Marvel movie or a tiny movie, I’d be up for it.

You’d be a hero for every 10-year-old girl out there right now.

Really? Then that’s huge.

There’s no Marvel female superhero who has her own movie yet.

That’s huge. How awesome. I love this. No one has actually called me about it, so, we’ll hold our breath. [Laughs] I don’t know if I’ll get the call ever if I pitch it should be a musical.

Blunt talked to New York Magazine in March 2012 and her reluctancy to be involved with supporting Marvel roles like Peggy Carter. Sort of echoing what Jessica Chastain has said about passing on Iron Man 3. Perhaps, giving the impression what kind of comic book role she would be interested in playing.

"Usually the female parts in a superhero film feel thankless: She's the pill girlfriend while the guys are whizzing around saving the world," offered Blunt. "I didn't do the other ones because the part wasn't very good or the timing wasn't right, but I'm open to any kind of genre if the part is great and fun and different and a challenge in some way." 

"I would love to do a comic-book movie or a science-fiction film that would scare the bejesus out of me," she continued. "Maybe I need to be James Bond! I just did 'Looper,' because it's so original and breathtakingly cool. The time-travel aspect is just a backdrop to visit this heightened world, where you're atoning for something and attempting to be more than you've been."

Here's my case that Marvel wants Blunt for the role of Danvers.

We've been hearing Emily Blunt's name rumored for Carol Danvers since TheDailyMail (known for breaking Bond news) first linked her and actress Ruth Wilson for the role in Avengers 2. That happened to be back in October 2012, around the same time the studio was putting together ideas for the sequel. Before it's ultimate announcement next July at SDCC13 as Avengers: Age of Ultron. This is also around the same time that talk of a Black Widow spin-off slowly winded-down.

Funny, since we've been hearing from trusted sites and sources that there was a Ms Marvel cameo in the final Age of Ultron script. Which could still play-out at the end of Age of Ultron, unless Marvel axes the nod completely, seemingly the practice when these things leak. Basically, it was predicted back in 2012 that Danvers could be showing-up in Avengers 2, and it might actually happen. Shocking!

To those naysayers, this might be the reason why we never heard other names in the mix since that original rumor. It's extremely possible that Marvel took in consideration that Blunt was forced out of the Black Widow role by 20th Century Fox. Emily also tested for the role of Peggy Carter but passed on the character. We assume because the role wasn't meaty enough for her at the time, and it's quite possible in late 2012 Marvel put her on a candidate list for Carol Danvers. The studio is known to put actors on wish-lists without their knowledge.

A trade report in 2013 confirmed that a draft for Captain Marvel existed. It's possible that Marvel's screenwriting program developed an outline in-house and it's perhaps how they've been able to keep the development hush-hush. Kevin Feige stated that a Captain Marvel film had been in development at the studio almost as long as Doctor Strange, which could be true. Since the in-house script program wouldn't have revealed writers and what scripts they were working on. There are a pile of these scripts with unnamed titles and writers in their offices.

Some claim it was way too early for Marvel to consider casting for the role, which is kind of stupid if you ask me. Marvel is known for introducing characters in other installments, other than their solo adventures. Black Panther being a prime example, as he'll be first seen in costume in Captain America: Civil War and will get his own film in 2017. Marvel had been looking at actors for Panther for years before they announced Chadwick Boseman. I have a suspicion that Danvers might also have a role to play in Civil War as well.

Why would Marvel cast an actor before a director is even attached? It's likely a simple answer, they have a director already lined-up (Feige said we'll hear a director before casting) or they always knew they wanted Emily for the role (hence name on the top of their list). Due to her previous casting as Black Widow in Iron Man 2. I'm sure this was done without the awareness of Blunt, but they could have promised her another role in the future.

So who could they have in mind to direct? A bit of speculation on my part, but I have a sneaking feeling that Joss Whedon might be person behind this film. Clearly, early development took place behind closed-doors and Kevin Feige seemingly hints a director might be already chosen. We already know that The Russo Brothers are apparently wanted to direct the two Infinity War installments. Where does this leave Whedon if he's not making Avengers anymore?

That's a question a lot of people haven't been asking, automatically thinking he's done with Marvel (even though he has talked about writing a new Hulk film). Joss did show-up to that Phase Three announcement at the El Capitan, odd since none of his films are apart of that slate. I think it would be sort of odd that he would show-up just for his sneak peek. I'm sure he wanted to hear the fan reaction just as much as Feige did. What if he was directing one of those announced films?


Joss is known for writing strong female characters and already has a working relationship with Kevin Feige/Marvel. It wouldn't be hard to imagine Marvel insisting Whedon develop the film. He did plan on writing-directing Wonder Woman for Warner Bros. It would eventually get killed, and he would move on to Avengers instead. That potential for a female-driven superhero story could be refocused with a film like Captain Marvel. We've heard some interesting things from Whedon about the character. However, a recent interview with HeyUGuys gave some insight he or Marvel may have cracked the character. This eventually became true as the solo film is expected to come out July 2018. Whedon is known for keeping his mouth shut about scripts, and is the kind of writer to keep a secret Marvel script from scoopers.

If Joss Whedon is making Captain Marvel why are they waiting until 2018 to release it? I think we know the answer to this as well, he's going to be fucking exhausted once he's completed with the press rounds for Age of Ultron. It also might have to do with the overall release plans of Marvel and not just Joss possibly wanting to make more indie films. Whedon went straight into shooting A Much Ado About Nothing right after the Avengers release, that could happen again taking up a good chunk of his time. Having him tackle a smaller production would also give him enough time to put together the best script possible. I'm not excluding the idea that we'll see her possibly in both Age of Ultron and Civil War too.



SOURCE: SCREENCRUSH

Natalie Dormer And Mackenzie Davis Would Make Excellent CAPTAIN MARVEL Candidates

A majority of the Marvel movie fan community cheered when the studio announced plans to release a Captain Marvel movie in 2018. She's one of the most recognizable female superheroes and has slowly grown a huge fan-base named The Carol Corps., whose presence is active in most genre conventions overwhelming with their impressive cosplay turnout. Kevin Feige promised an announcement concerning a writer and director, before news of who will play her but that hasn't stopped us from creating casting wish-lists.

For months we've been talking about candidates such as Emily Blunt (Edge of Tomorrow, Looper, Five-Year Engagement), Jessica Chastain (A Violent Year, The Martian, Zero Dark Thirty, Crimson Peak, Mama, Interstellar) , Rosamund Pike (Gone Girl, Jack Reacher, World's End, Die Another Day), and Katee Sackhoff (Battlestar Galactica, Riddick). Who would all make excellent additions for the running. However, I'm not entirely sure how these ladies would actually feel about the commitment needed to be apart of the Marvel universe.

The Captain Marvel contract would likely include a five-to-nine picture deal. Wouldn't be shocked to see her heavily involved with Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War Part I, Inhumans and Avengers: Infinity War Part II. Not to mention future roles in Phase Four films. This is the sort of thing has scared off some talented actors in the past. Joaquin Phoenix has passed on both Bruce Banner and Stephen Strange roles because of this aspect. Actors such as Chris Pratt, Paul Rudd and Chadwick Boseman were in positions where they could make a giant string of Marvel movies. I'm unsure if some of these ladies would be willing to give-up future projects due to these Marvel movies. This might not be a huge issue for the likes of Katee Sackhoff, for others this could dip into their prospect of working with highly acclaimed actors, writers and directors.

I've been shocked how many Captain Marvel casting lists have been including Oscar winner Jennifer Lawrence. While talented, will likely have her X-Men contract re-upped very soon at 20th Century Fox. Jennifer might be slowly winding-down her Hunger Games franchise, but the X-Men franchise is growing and moving forward. The studio will need the key actors like her for their future plans to work.

 Hugh Jackman has talked at length about retiring as Wolverine. A move that will likely take place after James Mangold's The Wolverine 2. I expect to see Fox double-down on contracts for Lawrence, Michael Fassbender and James McAvoy. Giving them incentives to stick-around for another trilogy. As X-Men Apocalypse will complete the trilogy started by Matthew Vaughn's First Class. Including Lawrence in Carol Danvers casting lists isn't just lazy it's ignorant to the power and money Fox is willing to throw around.

Yes, Hunger Games is ending but it will also see her the face of a multi-billion dollar franchise. I don't think Fox will let that go, considering they've gone out of their way to mess with the X-Men timeline. Turning her character Mystique from villain to heroine, something obviously done to keep Lawrence's Raven in a heroic light. Let's not forget that the studio has teased giving Mystique her own solo film. I don't think that's something they've put out there for shits-and-giggles. That character is most likely to get her own spin-off. Considering Sony, Marvel and Warner Bros. are moving forward with female-driven superhero films, Fox will likely follow suit as well. Fox isn't afraid to pay actors what they need to stick around, they used to give Sigourney Weaver huge amounts to make more Alien movies.

The studio also seemingly gives the cast a bit of breathing-room between installments, something RDJ,  Scarlett Johansson, Chris Evans have been dreaming about for a while now.

We know that Marvel is known for demanding huge commitments of their actors, something that could hurt Jennifer's indie roots and awards-level productions. The young actress is still attaching herself to Oscar level work, even after winning for Silver Linings Playbook. Notice how her co-star Bradley Cooper was only willing to commit to voice acting for Rocket Raccoon? Yeah, Jennifer Lawrence signing-on for Captain Marvel is a huge stretch. Sticking with Fox's X-Men franchise, will keep her profile in the spotlight while allowing her the time to make the more artsy dramas we're used to her making. We've seen how Marvel can scare-off talented actors with these contracts. Joaquin Phoenix turned down both Bruce Banner and Stephen Strange roles over these demands from the studio. It's hard to believe Jennifer Lawrence is viable candidate with all this possibly putting up walls.

However, two actresses we haven't really been talking about could make a huge impact on the Marvel cinematic universe, while also being able to commit to their crazy lengthy contracts. Those names are Natalie Dormer and newcomer Mackenzie Davis. Two ladies who I haven't really seen mentioned previously to Marvel's announcement that Carol Danvers is getting her own film in July 2018.

Natalie Dormer (Rush, Counselor, Fades, Silk, Tudors, The Girl Who Invented Kissing) might have had a cameo in Captain America: The First Avenger, but that really shouldn't completely destroy her chances for a role. Previously, we've heard Idris Elba campaigning for roles like Luke Cage, Black Panther and Blade. Let's not forget that Elba also had a role in Ghost Rider: Spirt of Vengeance and Chris Evans was in Fantastic Four before he was Captain America.

Since Dormer's role as the flirty soldier, could easily be the grandmother of Carol Danvers. Marvel has never shied away from family legacy, Stark and Carter are excellent examples of this.

She's all over genre work and is making a name for herself as the best walk-on character actress. Her profile has been recently increased thanks in-part to her role in Game of Thrones and Hunger Games franchises. Natalie is and extremely hard worker and goes quickly from project to project. It's the type of work ethic that might be a perfect fit for Marvel's notorious contracts.

Canadian actress Mackenzie Davis (That Awakward Moment, What If) is quickly gathering steam as a newcomer, taking roles in the AMC series Halt And Catch Fire and Ridley Scott's The Martian. She's placing herself in an array of different genres. Something that echoes what we saw with Chris Hemsworth before he landed Thor.

It also doesn't hurt that she has worked or will work with Marvel alumni Sebastian Stan (Captain America 1-2), Lee Pace (Guardians of The Galaxy), Scoot McNairy (All Hail The King), Michael Pena (Ant-Man), Patton Oswalt (Agents of SHIELD), Shea Whigham (Agent Cater), Michael B. Jordan (Fantastic Four) and Miles Teller (Fantastic Four). The actress is a prime candidate for one of Marvel's lengthly contracts, which would likely see her committed to five-nine films.


Do you think Marvel is going to be able to wrangle a high-profile actress or will they go with someone under the radar?

Marvel Pulls A Fake-Out And Announces CAPTAIN MARVEL Movie For 2018

Another huge Phase Three announcement was that Captain Marvel is coming July 2018, and she will indeed be Carol Danvers. The comic reboot of the character has been one of the more popular female titles and the super-powered heroine has long been championed to join the Marvel cinematic universe. Marvel's Kevin Feige confirmed that the film has been in development at the studio just as long as Doctor Strange.

"This film has been in the works almost as long as Doctor Strange or Guardians of the Galaxy before it came out, and one of the key things was figuring out what we wanted to do with it. Her adventures are very earthbound, but her powers are based in the cosmic realm.”


Like I've stated dozens of times, Marvel has a draft already in place. However, a new writer and director aren't ready to be announced. Production on the film more than likely won't begin until 2017, they the studio has plenty of time to find a director. There are already rumblings she'll have a cameo in Age of Ultron, this announcement will likely keep that rumor kicking until it's confirmed or debunked in May.

I'm still placing a huge bet we'll be seeing former Black Widow actress Emily Blunt as Carol Danvers in 2018. My hunches have payed-off recently with Chadwick Boseman confirmed for Black Panther and Benedict Cumberbatch the frontrunner for Doctor Strange. Hopefully, this casting support for Blunt get's the Marvel stamp of approval as well. The actress best known for kick-ass roles in Edge of Tomorrow and Looper, has been linked for the role since 2012.



SOURCE: MARVEL 

Claudia Kim Might Be The Fourth Lady In AVENGERS AGE OF ULTRON But What Is Her Role?

Besides the reveal of Andy Serkis in the teaser trailer for Age of Ultron, one more thing fans are curious about. Who is that third woman at that party scene with the rest of the Avengers? It hasn't been confirmed but it looks like it just might be Claudia Kim.



Claudia's role in Avengers Age of Ultron might be bigger than we are expecting. Considering she very well might be the third lady at the party Ultron crashes in the recent teaser trailer. A lot of people were claiming this was just Jane Foster played by Natalie Portman, but she was never added to the film's lineup. Kim actually confirmed her role in the film to ScreenSlam on the red carpet of the premeire of Captain America: The Winter Soldier.



I think it's more mysterious who her character might turnout to be in the film, rather than the fact she's getting screen time in the teaser. Mainly, because there are so many female roles to be filled for the Marvel cinematic universe. Sometimes we can over estimate a supporting actresses' role the Marvel films. However, Joss Whedon confirmed to HeyUGuys that fourth female character fit into the film somehow. Is it possible that Kim's character is that fourth lady?

At this point all we know about Claudia's character is that she is "a doctor/sciencetist who is friends with Tony Stark". A pretty damn vague character description, which must make Marvel less nervous about her talking to press about it. Who could Kim be playing?

That list is a long one, but a couple of key characters might fit well into this storyline. One name that comes to mind is Betty Ross, the scientist peer of Bruce Banner. Kevin, Mark and Joss have all spoke to the increased role Banner will have in the sequel, so it wouldn't be hard to imagine having important people in his life show-up, now that's living stateside.

We know that it's extremely possible the rest of the Incredible Hulk cast will be rebooted, having a new actress play Betty would be a natural step. Even more so if Marvel was indeed planning on moving forward with a new Hulk film. Betty also worked with SHIELD during the Ultimates, which the movies are heavily influenced by. She would also eventually become a hulk herself (Red She-Hulk). Including her would be a possible way to get around the use of Jennifer Walters and another green hulk, for the moment. Would Marvel push forward with another superpowered heroine other than Captain Marvel?

The friend aspect might clue us in as well. We do know that Tony's best buddy is Jim Rhodes who works for the Air Force. Well there is a female Marvel character that also works for the Air Force. That would be Carol Danvers (not to mention the C.I.A. and NASA), better known as Ms Marvel/Captain Marvel. It wouldn't be much of a stretch to make Carol friends with Rhodey, placing her into Stark's circle of friends. Danvers has a background with the C.I.A. and they've already established Sharon Carter is working with them after leaving SHIELD. There have been rumblings Claudia's character could have twist and his hiding among the Avengers for other motives. It's possible she's spying for the US Government (C.I.A.?) or whatever SHIELD has become after it's fall.

Carol isn't a stranger to science as well, and does spend some time working for NASA. This working environment could lead to the accident that gives her powers, or something similar to what happened in the comics.

Marvel is in active-development of a Captain Marvel film, and a script had already been drafted at one point. There was even early casting talk back in 2012, which was linked to the Avengers sequel. We've also heard buzz about her cameo in the film, being referred to as Ms Marvel at the end of the film. It would seem odd to have her at the end of the film. Could this be the reason why Marvel hasn't announced Captain Marvel, because they want to keep her a secret for Age of Ultron?

Another idea is that she's a member of the every sneaky HYDRA, who already have a presence in this film with Strucker creating the twins (Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch) and likely Captain America 3. A super-spy character like this wouldn't have much trouble embedding herself with someone like Tony Stark or the Avengers. We've been dying for Madame Hydra to finally show-up, in the films, and they are lacking in the way of developed female villains in the MCU. Marvel still owns the rights to use Madam Hydra as she's a long standing Captain America and Avengers villain. One of her aliases "Viper" was used in The Wolverine, mainly because of her connection to the hero and the X-Men. While none of her connections to Hydra were used in the film, including her codename/title or real name. Although, they did make Viper a doctor/scientist in the film. We know that Marvel has a slight issue with Fox, and have no problem pushing forward with characters already in the X-Men stable that they share. Adding Madame Hydra to the fold wouldn't surprise me a bit.

Another aspect to Madame Hydra is her roots with Asia. She has ties to the Yakuza in Japan, not to mention is the ruler/dictator of the fictional island country of Madripoor. HYDRA controlled country modelled after Singapore, that just happens to be located in Southeast Asia. The island is the launching-ground for many of the group's terrorist plots. While the island is very James Bond, it existing might explain where they could be setting up shop, once they've been rooted out of North America and Europe. Yes, the location is connected to X-Men, but I think the fact it also has a Hydra link might give them the ability to share it with Fox. Hiring an Asian actress like Kim for the role of Ophelia would make sense, but it also wouldn't be a requirement.

Marvel shot on location in South Korea, while I doubt they would replace the country with the fictional location of Madripoor (Hydra's base of operations). There is already talk of Italy doubling for Marvel's fictional Eastern European country Latveria (home of Wanda and Pietro Maximoff), and possibly (unlikely) that the South Africa shoot would include scenes for Wakanda (birthplace and kingdom of Black Panther). All three locations are fictional Marvel countries and could be a way to expand the scale of the Earthbound mythology for future movies.

We already know that Marvel is ramping-up Captain America 3, and having Hydra return in a big way is key. Tony Stark getting involved in the film brings-up a lot of possible story angles, which will spark the events of Civil War. Stark resurrecting SHIELD, for selfish reasons or restore the legacy of his father (Howard Stark helped create the organization). He eventually becomes the director of SHIELD (already rumored Tony takes a Fury role in MCU) and this could put the events in motion that sees the Avengers team split-up and fight each other.

What could possibly piss-off Rogers even more than rebuilding SHIELD after he spent all that effort and blood tearing it down? Working with the enemy to get results. Stark might not have that strong connection fighting Hydra, and might see them as an asset if twisted in his favor. There is point where he makes deals with the likes of Baron Zemo and the Thunderbolts (the return of Crossbones?). Tony working with a now legitimized Hydra could push Steve over the edge. Fuelling another attempt to takedown a bulling government organization that Rogers sees as corrupt and harmful to the world. These possible actions mixed with a "join SHIELD or be imprisoned" policy with the SRA, could lead to some crazy shit going down.

The thought of Stark becoming the unintentional villain of Captain America 3 would be worth seeing come together. Giving that amazing edge that we saw in Winter Soldier, where basically the rules of a superhero film are kind of thrown out the window to give us a strong/compelling story. The title Captain America: The Fallen Son could also allude to Stark's heroic status slowly fading away.

Could Kim take on the villainous role of Ophelia Sarkissian, alongside Baron Strucker and the modern incarnation of HYDRA? Will she playing more of a supporting role as Betty Ross or the future heroine Carol Danvers? The answers are clearly, we don't know for sure. And until someone get's confirmation from studio sources we're going to be in the dark for a little while. Who do you think Claudia Kim is playing in the Avengers sequel? And remember HAIL HYDRA!

Marvel Studios Needs To Consider Jane Goldman For CAPTAIN MARVEL

While Marvel is still playing the marketing-game of when to announce the rest of their Phase 3 and Phase 4 lineups. Warner Bros. and Sony have planted release dates for their female-led superhero projects. Warners aiming to release Wonder Woman in July 2017 and Sony giving their in-development Spider-Man spin-off (Spider-Woman/Black Cat?) a to-be-determined slot sometime in 2016.

Marvel's Kevin Feige has insisted in recent interviews there is active development on a Captain Marvel movie. The studio isn't seemingly ready to commit or announce this to the public officially. Behind closed doors we know that Marvel is developing the film, but it's unknown when they'll reveal their plans for it. Bloggers who have got a hold of the shooting script for Age of Ultron, have mentioned a cameo for her in the final scenes. It's possible the leak may cause the studio to cut the scene entirely, but rumor is it hasn't even been shot yet. I assume because they haven't hired/announced the actress for the role.

We know at the moment the Black Widow film is in limbo, and Scarlett Johansson might agree to join Warner Bros./Dreamworks Ghost In The Shell franchise. The project would spawn sequels if successful, the material lends itself to be serialized. Not giving Marvel much room if they did decide to make the Widow film happen. As her contract with Marvel expires soon, and her new contract with Shell (a reported $10M offer) could be a problem. This adds further fuel to the talk Marvel is going with Captain Marvel instead of a Black Widow movie.

I suggested earlier this week that Marvel would be smart to release Captain Marvel in their slot for November 2017. Mainly, because that month has served well for the Hunger Games franchise and could support a bigger film before the holiday event films in December. This would give over a year of room between Doctor Strange and Captain Marvel, should Marvel decide to make this a priority.

While I've been giving out many casting suggestions for the film. Emily Blunt being previously linked for the role and sounds like a safe bet. Blunt was original cast as Black Widow, exited Iron Man 2 and ever since Marvel has been trying to find a role for her.

In all the casting talk and bitching about the lack of announcements from Marvel. I don't think many are actually talking about who should actually write or direct this project. When Lexi Alexander suggested Jane Goldman to direct WB's Wonder Woman, I totally agreed. I've mentioned Jane for smaller comic book projects, but never for the big ones. Shockingly, it dawned on me that Jane could very well make an amazing Captain Marvel film too.

Jane Goldman (Stardust, The Woman In Black, The Debt, Pinocchio, Nonplayer, Miss Peregrine, Dan Leno And The Lighthouse Golem) is best known as a screenwriter, and the sometimes writing partner of director Matthew Vaughn. Her comic book writing credits include Kingsman: The Secret Service, Kick-Ass, X-Men: First Class and X-Men: Days of Future Past. I have to assume she might also get involved with scripting for other comic film projects such as Superior, Golden Age and Bloodshot. A seasoned writer of genre material, and has written some excellent female characters. The only thing that makes me lean toward Danvers over Diana, is Jane's humor and playful action scenes. I'm not actually sure the serious tone of the new DC Comics cinematic universe would be a good fit for her.

Besides writing a ton of scripts for comic book movies she lives with a comic book writer/creator. British television host Jonathan Ross is Jane's husband, and is well-known in the comic book community. He's created comics such as The Revenger,  Golden Age and Turf. I'm this shared interest is what's helped them both stay so creative. Ross' amazing BBC documentary Searching For Steve Ditko is still one of my favorite things ever covered about the community. With Doctor Strange about shoot at Marvel, I recommend learning a bit about one of the character's co-creators.

Goldman actually has a love and passion for comic book material. This is one of the key reasons why Joss Whedon's Avengers and James Gunn's Guardians of The Galaxy have made such splashes with audiences. They respect and also understand the original material. This is sort of why I believe she's a solid fit for a project at Marvel Studios. Sometimes when hired-guns are brought-in you can tell they don't really get the characters or even the world they are set in. Moving forward it would be nice to see Marvel tapping more people who are actually obsessed with their comics to make their movies.

We've seen that the better Marvel films have the directors also contributing as writers as well. I've been hearing for a while that Marvel is keen on having future directors being able to juggle both getting behind the camera, and also contributing to the script. Doctor Strange's Scott Derrickson might not end-up with writing credits on the film, but is an accomplished screenwriter and will have likely been working closely with Jon Spaihts (Prometheus, The Mummy). The Russo Brothers are also working hard with Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely to get Captain America 3 on the level of Winter Soldier and Avengers installments. Having Jane work together with another talented writer could echo her relationship with Matthew Vaughn.

The trades have reported that a Captain Marvel script exits over at Marvel, but we don't know who actually wrote it. It's rumored Guardians' Nicole Perlman may have written an early Captain Marvel outline for Marvel at some point. Marvel is known for using their writer's program to get early outlines, and then sending these off to potential directors/writers. The thought of a collaboration between Jane Goldman and Nicole Perlman is too good not to consider. Plus, having two female writers on one project would correct a lot of potential blunders, before they even happen.

Seeing Jane make the jump to director feels more natural than Roberto Orci, Frank Miller, Mark Millar or David S. Goyer. If, we're going to talk about writers who deserve shots to become features directors, Jane is good place to start. Working closely with director Matthew Vaughn on Stardust, Kick-Ass, X-Men: First Class and Kingsman. Obviously, she has the vision and passion needed to handle such a task, which you can clearly see with her writing. Jane's also been able to adapt novels into solid screenplays, so another reason why she would be a great choice.

Five Actresses Marvel Needs To Consider For The CAPTAIN MARVEL Role

Marvel apparently understands the fan demand to see Ms Marvel/Captain Marvel join the Marvel cinematic universe. Kevin Feige confirmed during Comic-Con that new active development is underway for both Black Panther and Captain Marvel films. Trades revealed months back that the studio was indeed developing a script for a Ms Marvel film.

We've heard plenty of names rumored and wanted to fill the role of Carol Danvers in a Captain Marvel film, or cameo in Avengers: Age of Ultron (could be cut out of the final film). They include ladies such as Emily Blunt (Looper, Edge of Tomorrow), Ruth Wilson (Lone Ranger, Luther), Alice Eve (Star Trek Into Darkness), Jessica Chastain (Crimson Peak, Zero Dark Thirty, Mama, The Help), and Katee Sackhoff (Riddick, Battlestar Galactica). I still think they'd make excellent candidates, but I have my own list of hopefuls.

ELIZABETH BANKS: Yes, Banks had a supporting role as Betty Brant in Sam Raimi's, Spider-Man trilogy. However, she recently revealed to MTV that James Gunn, considered her for the role of Gamora in Marvel's Guardians of The Galaxy. Seemingly still game for another Marvel role in the future. Elizabeth co-starred with Chris Pratt in The Lego Movie and Ant-Man's Paul Rudd in 40 Year-Old Virgin, which could mean having these ties to their stars might help her chances.

We've seen plenty of Marvel leads having previous working relationships, before being cast. The combos include Samuel L. Jackson/Scarlett Johansson, Robert Downey Jr./Mark Ruffalo, Johansson/Chris Evans, Chris Evans/Idris Elba and Jeremy Renner/Anthony Mackie/Evangeline Lily. Banks hasn't exactly appeared on most of these casting lists, but with her huge success with the Hunger Games franchise, her awareness level worldwide is extremely high.


IMOGEN POOTS: Imogen is actually an excellent suggestion, originally mentioned by Devin of BadassDigest. I think she's a perfect candidate because she's versatile and has the personality to push any role forward, possibly a franchise as well.

Poots has an amazing amount of connections to other actors with existing Marvel roles. Her action credits include Neil Marshall's Centurion (Marshall put his name out to direct a Black Widow film) alongside Michael "Magneto" Fassbender, the superior horror sequel 28 Weeks Later with a supporting roles from Idris "Hemidall" Elba and Jeremy "Hawkeye" Renner. the dumb-but-fun racing flick Need For Speed that featured Dominic "Howard Stark" Cooper as the villain, and the serviceable remake of Fright Night.

Her more comedic roles come from projects like the fabulous black-comedy Filth co-starring with James "Professor X" McAvoy and Jamie "The Thing" Bell, along with the average rom-com That Awkward Moment with Michael B. "Human Torch" Jordan and Miles "Mr. Fantastic" Teller. Given that a majority of her co-stars have been or became Marvel heroes/villains, I'm actually shocked she hasn't landed a role. Even though she was in the mix to play Agent 13 in Winter Soldier, I think she deserves a shot at a larger hero.


ALISON BRIE: Maybe we should go the Chris Pratt route? Hiring an actress best known for her comedic performances. Community's Allison Brie is easily the female version of Pratt, funny considered they played a married couple in Five-Year Engagement (along with doing voice work on The Lego Movie with Pratt). She's also worked with Captain America franchise directors the Russo Brothers on Community. It might have led to her being rumored for the role of SHIELD agent Sharon Carter in Winter Soldier, which she didn't end-up landing.

I've been rooting for Alison to land a Marvel role like Wasp or even Betty Ross, but she's got enough personality to take-on a larger role within the MCU. Leading a film like Captain Marvel feels something like Marvel would do, she's beyond likeable and has played around with action scenes in Community.


TESSA THOMPSON: Carol Danvers doesn't need to look exactly like she does in the comics. We've seen Marvel make modern casting choices, first with Samuel L. Jackson taking-on the Ultimates version of Nick Fury. A bold decision that has panned-out for the studio and Jackson's Fury has become a staple human character within the cinematic universe. Then again, when it was time to cast Heimdall (The Guardian of Asgard). We got one of the better additions to the Thor franchise, with British actor Idris Elba. The studio caught a bit of anger (but mostly from racist or ignorant people) from a small group of upset fanboys.

Currently, we don't have a single female character of color in the main MCU (sorry folks, Zoe Saldana is playing an alien). I'm not saying Ms Marvel/Captain Marvel needs to be Monica Rambeau, but it would be a nice hint to the character. I'm not even saying Monica is out of the question in the future, I just think this isn't a terrible idea. I've already placed my two-cents on casting Almost Human's Michael Ealy for Richard Rider in the possible Nova spin-off. My original tweet seemed to have caught his interest, as he retweeted the idea to his followers. Keeping an open-mind towards future casting is a must, considering Marvel has gotten a lot flack for their films only being lead by white males. It's the reason why Black Panther and Captain Marvel movies are such hot-topic among the fan community.

Dear White People's breakout star Tessa Thompson (Cooper) is already gathering serious buzz, from the film's debut at this year's Sundance Film Festival. In the film, Tessa balances both serious topics laced with extreme humor, and satire. She fits the Marvel mold, of an comedic actor with strong potential. Like Brie, her whit seems like a solid fit for the MCU, and not to mention for potential heated exchanges between Stark or Rogers. Either arguing or kicking their asses, via Civil War.

TAYLOR SCHILLING: Television is an extremely powerful vehicle for actors these days. Even more so for non-network shows that draw-in a mature audience. We've seen plenty of actors plucked from the small screen to lead huge movies before, including Bryan Cranston. Son of Anarchy's Charlie Hunnam took on Pacific Rim, and might lead other franchises (Knights of The Roundtable: King Arthur and Escape From New York are rumored projects).

Orange Is The New Black is undoubtably a massively popular series, that is watched by many of the demographic that Marvel wants to target in the future. Basically, women over the age of 18. Taylor Schilling is a name we don't often hear when speaking of franchise players, but I think that's kind of the point. She could be very appealing, because she isn't a name I've ever heard mentioned for superhero roles.

HONORABLE MENTIONS: Antje Traue (Man of Steel, Seventh Son, Pandorum), Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Scott Pilgrim, The Thing, Live Free or Die Hard, Smashed, Spectacular Now), Rosamund Pike (Die Another Day, The World's End, Gone Girl, Jack Reacher, An Education), Andrea Riseborough (Welcome To The Punch, Oblivion, Shadow Dancer), and Sarah Gadon (Dracula Untold, Cosmopolis, Amazing Spider-Man 2).