New Poster For CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER, First Trailer Coming Thursday

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

First Official Still From CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER As Production Begins

SOURCE: Collider

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

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

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

Cobie Smulders Confirmed For CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER

While her role may be minor the Captain America sequel. Cobie Smulders has been confirmed by Variety to be apart of the cast of Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Agent Maria Hill in a deleted scene was at odds with Nick Fury while speaking to the World Council after the events of The Avengers. It's possible she could be planning a takeover of S.H.I.E.L.D. by replacing Fury as director. Setting in motion the events of Civil War which has been rumored for to be used in future Avenger films.

SPOILER SPECULATION: Plot Theories Of IRON MAN 3

The new trailer for Iron Man 3 seems to have given fans a lot to speculate over not to mention confirming some of the rumors as well. Here are a couple of my thoughts on what may or may not be in the film from previous rumors, rumblings, set photos and now this footage. Be warned this could very well spoil the film for you if you read any further.

THE TEN RINGS RETURN: Similar to The Dark Knight Rises, Iron Man 3 looks to close the circle of a trilogy by bringing back old villains. The terrorist group The Ten Rings headed by The Mandarin (self-proclaimed terrorist) looks to get very personal by blowing up Tony's home. We should assume they are very well armed this time-around and will be a force to be feared.

MANDARIN UPDATED AND RINGS COSMIC POWERED: It's looking like Ben Kingsley's Mandarin will be less a Fu Manchu and more terrorist guru. Previously, it had been rumored that the Chinese version of the film would have to change the villains because of the sensitivity of Chinese audiences. By sound of Ben's voice he might end up becoming more of an Eastern European baddie (possibly Chechnyan). His rings look like they may or may not be cosmic relics, could Mandarin be yet another pawn of Thanos?

SUPPORTING CHARACTERS GETTING BUMPED-OFF: In the image above things aren't looking so good for Happy Hogan (Favreau). After the death scene in Avengers it looks like anyone is fair-game to get the ol' axe, even Pepper. Notice Happy's chest which looks like his own chest-reactor. My previous speculation of The Iron Legion could be at play here. Where friends of Stark come together and don their own suits to save the day. Perhaps, Hogan isn't so lucky fighting the new threat.

WHITNEY FROST/MADAME MASQUE: Nothing confirmed here but it's looking very likely that French actress Stephanie Sozstak (seen above in the screengrab) has been at least cast in a similar role. Frost has been both friend and enemy of Stark so she could help or try to hurt him within the entire film. There is also talk this is just a random hook-up scene but Stephanie seems a little too aggressive.

PEPPER BECOMING RESCUE: This image gives the impression that Pepper is in a bad place from the look on her face. Possibly getting her own chest reactor like Tony, leading her to get her own suit with the nickname Rescue. It's been mentioned before that Feige and Shane Black would love to see Potts in her own suit. Finally, giving Pepper equal footing with Tony as one of the stronger female characters in the Marvel universe.

NO S.H.I.E.L.D. OR AVENGERS HELPING TONY: While there had been talk of replacing Agent Coulson with Maria Hill as Tony's new assigned S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. The organization along with fellow Avengers won't be there to help Stark in his darkest hour. It's pretty obvious that he might have to go off-the-grid to keep himself and others alive.

NEW ARMOR AN ANDROID: In Avengers we heard Tony refer to life-model decoy which is reference to androids. The new suit seems to be piloting itself in a few spot unless a villain or someone else is actually in there. If anyone would be able to create the technology that would lead to Ultron/Vision it would be Stark. It seems like there are some glitches if that's the case.

KILLIAN A BRIDGE TO WINTER SOLDIER: Killian (Pearce) seems to be heading up Advanced Idea Mechanics if the set photos are to be believed. Another group linked to HYDRA and started by Baron Strucker. It wouldn't be shocking to see him revealed as indeed Strucker leading to a resurrection of HYDRA or at the very least planting seeds for Captain America: The Winter Soldier.

Alternate Opening For AVENGERS Reveals Tention Between Hill And Fury?

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

Russo Brothers To Direct 'CAPTAIN AMERICA 2'

ShowBlitz reports that The Russo Brothers are in final talks to direct Captain America 2 which starts production in January and is set for an April 14th 2014 release date. They're best known for their comedic work on projects like Community, Arrested Development, Happy Endings, Welcome To Collingwood and You, Me And Dupree. It will an interesting directing duo for sure as we've seen some excellent sibling directing teams in the past with The Wachowskis and The Hughes Brothers. I assume that the pair will also include some humorous rewrites to the script from Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely.

We currently don't have a synopsis for the film but it's been confirmed it will take place directly after the events of The Avengers. Seeing Steve become a full-fledged agent of SHIELD and his missions with them. It's expected that Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury), Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow), Jeremy Renner (Hawkeye) and Cobie Smulders (Maria Hill) will be along for the ride. No word on if Winter Soldier will be involved but Kevin Feige has teased Cap's present day partner The Falcon is a possibility.

Michael Goldenberg Will Also Ruin 'WONDER WOMAN' With A Script

Variety reports that Green Lantern scribe Michael Goldenberg has been set to write the feature film adaptation of Wonder Woman. Goldenberg had also been involved with the writing of Green Lantern 2 and The Flash which were handed into the studio during the Christmas season of 2010. Since Lantern  flopped last summer the sequel seemingly has been given the axe and Flash is currently in limbo. Goldenberg's only redeeming credit is helping on the script for Harry Potter And The Order of The Phoenix.  Nicolas Winding Refn's (Drive, Bronson) offered his services to direct the film which WB should jump on.

Originally, Joss Whedon had been hired by producer Joel Silver to write and direct a Wonder Woman film starring Cobie Smulders (Maria Hill in Avengers). The studio didn't like the project enough to give it the greenlight, so Whedon walked. This led to Joss lobbying to make Avengers for Marvel which has turned out to be one of the greatest success stories of the genre.

FAN MADE: Teaser Poster For 'CAPTAIN AMERICA 2'

Black Widow, Hawkeye And Maria Hill Showing Up In 'CAPTAIN AMERICA 2'?

It's starting to look like we're going to have to wait patiently for our Black Widow and Hawkeye solo spin-off films. As Marvel's Kevin Feige is cryptically giving some insight to where we'll be seeing the SHIELD agents again. First during a spoiler filled interview with CBM he hinted that Widow, Clint and Maria will be featured in Cap 2. There is further talk of this with Movieline during an interview confirming Black Widow spin-off is still awhile away. He also pretty much confirms she'll show up in Captain America 2.

"We have already planned her next appearances and where to take that character because we believe in it and we believe in her in a big, big way....We do like when some of the characters appear in other people’s movies...And that’s probably where you’ll see Black Widow next."

Captain America 2 set for April 14th 2014 and will start production next January. Neither Iron Man 3 or Thor 2 will include other heroes outside of their own film universe leaving them on their own. It also gives the SHIELD actors a large enough break between Avengers which seemed more psychically demanding for them. It's been confirmed that Captain America 2 will have a strong SHIELD presence leading us to believe their best agents will be along for the ride. Feige has also pointed out that the Cap sequel is the only one of the sequels to deal with the events after Avengers. Giving the impression that Nick Fury's clashes with the World Council could jeopardize  the loyalties within SHIELD.

Two More Avengers Posters

First Official Stills Of Cobie Smulders In Avengers As Maria Hill

Better Look At Cobie Smulders As Maria Hill In Avengers

Marvel Confirms Cobie Smulders, Tom Hiddleston & Stellan Skarsgård For Avengers

In a press release attached to the first set photo for Avengers we also get a short synopsis and confirmation on a few actors. Previously Marvel hadn't officially announced Cobie Smulders as Maria Hill it was only confirmed by the trades. They also go on that Tom Hiddleston (Loki) and Stellan Skarsgård (Professor Erik Selvig) from Thor will also be in the film. The synopsis while interesting doesn't give us the big picture which will likely either leak out or be featured at Comic-Con in July.

Continuing the epic big-screen adventures started in “Iron Man,” “The Incredible Hulk,” “Iron Man 2,” “Thor,” and “Captain America: The First Avenger,” “Marvel’s The Avengers” is the super hero team up of a lifetime. When an unexpected enemy emerges that threatens global safety and security, Nick Fury, director of the international peacekeeping agency known as S.H.I.E.L.D., finds himself in need of a team to pull the world back from the brink of disaster.  

Natalie Portman & Stellan Skarsgård Confirmed For Avengers

It looks like there will be more cross-pollinating in the Marvel universe. BadTaste has word from Chris Hemsworth that Natalie Portman will be returning as Jane Foster in The Avengers. It was also recently mentioned by Stellan Skarsgård himself that he would be reprising his role of Professor Erik Selvig in the film as well. They join an already impressive cast that includes Robert Downey Jr., Samuel L. Jackson, Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, Jeremy Renner, Scarlett Johansson, Mark Ruffalo, Clark Gregg and Cobie Smulders.

This news makes me wonder if Pepper Potts and Rhodey/War Machine will eventually show up in the film as well. As both Don Cheadle and Gwyneth Paltrow have given the impression neither had been approached and will stay in the Iron Man films.

Cobie Smulders Talks Avengers & SHIELD Uniform

While there was confirmation that Cobie Smulders would be playing Maria Hill in Avengers there hadn't been an announcement from Marvel Studios. Well Smulders herself has confirmed the role to Zap2It and discussed her costume for the film. Cobie reveals she will wear a SHIELD uniform which sounds similar to what Scarlett (Black Widow) wore in Iron Man 2. Jeremy Renner had also mentioned wearing a variation of the outfit as Hawkeye. It will interesting to see if Hill is just a cameo or a full out action role for Cobie.

"We start in April, which is like... tomarrow," Smulders says. "I literally leave here and I go to Albuqerque, New Mexico, to shoot some scenes in a catsuit. I've tried on portions of the catsuit," says Smulders, "[and] I've seen conceptual drawings of what they want it to be. It's fascinating to me. I feel like wardrobe becomes very creative on these types of movies because they literally spend weeks designing just the pants or the emblem. It's such an all-consuming process, so I'm excited to see how it all turns out"

Cobie Smulders Confirmed For Maria Hill Role

HeatVision confirms that How I Met Your Mother actress Cobie Smulders is in final negatitions to take the role of Maria Hill in Joss Whedon's Avengers. It won't be official until there is an announcement from Marvel Studios but it looks like she's got the part. Whedon had Cobie pegged for Wonder Woman when he was developing the movie so it's not surprising that Smulders was offered a role.

Cobie joins the already rather large cast which includes Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark/Iron Man, Sam Jackson as Nick Fury, Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow, Clark Gegg as Agent Coulson, Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Chris Evans as Steve Rogers/Captain America, Jeremy Renner as Clint Barton/Hawkeye and Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner/Hulk.

It's expected there will be a few more additions to the film in the coming weeks. Other possible characters could include Sharon Carter, Carol Danvers (Ms. Marvel), Captain Marvel, Nova, Rick Jones, Janet van Dyne/Wasp and Dr. Hank Pym/Ant-Man.

Morena Baccarin Testing For Avengers, Mary Elizabeth Winstead Also Interested

That didn't take long. Previously Sam Jackson confirmed that Nick Fury would have a female sidekick in Avengers. HeatVision confirms that Morena Baccarin (V) will be testing for the unnamed SHIELD role. Baccarin seems too unknown for the role which would include signing a nine-picture option. Her connection to director Joss Whedon might be coming into play as she co-starred in Serenity.

Other actresses are also working out deals to test include Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Scott Pilgrim, The Thing, Die Hard 4, Death Proof), Jessica Lucas (Cloverfield) and Cobie Smulders (How I Met Your Mother). Winstead has my vote out of the bunch as she's been involved with a lot more action roles. MEW had also been rumored to be in the mix for the Lois Lane role.

Considering all the actresses are brunettes it narrows down the role. It's either Janet van Dyne (The Wasp) or Maria Hill. Hill is more a sidekick to Nick Fury but Wasp could also be introduced. Considering Wasp is a founding member of the Avengers and should be included in the film.

There's also a connection to Ant-Man with Mary Elizabeth Winstead as she previously worked with Edgar Wright on Scott Pilgrim. Wright is currently working on a new draft of the Ant-Man script and might be involved with the casting of The Wasp. Since the heroine will be featured in Ant-Man as well.