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.

Listen-Up Marvel, Neil Marshall Wants To Direct That BLACK WIDOW Spin-Off

British director Neil Marshall has made a career making fun B-movies, from Dog Soldiers to the more serious cult horror hit The Descent. He's also known for having strong female characters in his projects, his last two films having been more female-driven (Centurion and Doomsday) than his peers. Neil is responsible for two of the big event episodes of Game of Thrones as well, directing episodes Blackwater and The Watchers On The Wall. Easily, the two more action-heavy episodes of the series.

The director's next project will be a sequel to the classic tale of King Kong entitled Skull Island: Blood of The King, set 25 years after the original events. He recently directed the pilot episode of NBC's Constantine, which is based on the DC comic series Hellblazer. That might be the only comic book property the director is willing to dip-his-toes-in with, as he tells VanityFair that he'd take a shot at making a Black Widow film. Explaining why he believes the super-spy would work as a feature film.

I would love to do a Black Widow movie. That’s perfect, I would love to do that. That character is really interesting, she doesn’t have any superpowers, she just has extraordinary skills, and the world that she comes from, being this ex-K.G.B. assassin, I find that really fascinating, yeah.

As it stands, Marvel has quieted their talk of a Widow spin-off. So much so, that Kevin Feige has basically stated Natasha is more valuable as a supporting character. This does make sense, considering she has helped-out three Marvel franchises (Iron Man, Avengers, Captain America). We know that screenwriter Nicole Perlman (Guardians of The Galaxy) confirmed herself, that she did work on a new script treatment back in 2010/2011. Resurrecting the previous incarnation that was setup at Lionsgate back in 2008 by writer-director David Hayter (Watchmen, X2, X-Men).  New development on the project is currently unknown, and is considered in limbo. It's assumed that Marvel might put resources towards a Ms Marvel/Captain Marvel movie first.

Scarlett has proven herself as a box office draw this summer with Lucy opening number one (beating Dwayne Johnson's Hercules which opened the same weekend), and her character appearing in huge box office installments are definitely helping awareness/demand. The character's mysterious past concerning the events in Budapest and Osaka could be fun to explore, but being left as a mystery might be better too. Also, Scarlett's recent pregnancy could slow-down her action roles for next little while.



While we'd prefer a female director handling the female hero films at Marvel Studios, I don't think we should automatically dismiss Neil from the running. Considering a majority of his films are female-positive and has given solid roles to women in his previous work. He could also be the next Russo Brothers or even James Gunn, with a little help from Marvel. Plus, we already know that the studio people are fans of Game of Thrones, since they ended-up hiring Alan Taylor to direct Thor: The Dark World.

SOURCE: VANITYFAIR 

Marvel's Kevin Feige Finally Confirms Active Development On CAPTAIN MARVEL And BLACK PANTHER Movies

It looks like we all missed-out on the coolest tidbit of information about Marvel's upcoming projects, that Marvel's Kevin Feige briefly mentioned to IGN at SDCC. He was asked point-blank about Black Panther and Captain Marvel movies. In which Kevin replied in a much more positive way, than previously when asked about the projects. It's the first time Feige has confirmed development on a Captain Marvel film, which I've been talking about being in development for months now.

"There both characters that we like..development work has been done on it, and it continues to be done on...and certainly the public.. It's the question I get asked more than anything else...More than Iron Man 4, more than Avengers 3, and that's sort of the first-time that's ever happened to us...So I think that makes a difference, I think that's something we have to pay attention to."

He was asked if public opinion or online demands fuel Marvel's choices to what to make next. Kevin reaffirmed that they have their plans set out in advanced (likely by phases), and that fans attitudes change frequently. While stating Black Panther and Captain Marvel might be exceptions to this. It's also extremely possible that Marvel has been keeping plans in-house for the moment, and wanted to see Guardians success before moving forward with similar "risky" projects.

"But in this particular case, I think it's a groundswell, and I think it means something substantial." 

It's sort of a big-deal for this to happen, considering we have Marvel about to release their 11th film in May. None of the films have included female or non-white solo leads. Having Marvel's most recognizable female and black superheroes in theatres is something fans have been demanding since Avengers. It could change the landscape of the genre, and open-doors to actors/characters which might have been ignored for tentpole potential.

I have a feeling we'll see a bit of diversity casting when it comes to Jessica Jones, Iron Fist and Luke Cage. However, making the jump to the big-screen, might ruffle the feathers of the studio dinosaurs, who have been blocking the change-up. Warner Bros. has both Aquaman and possible Wonder Woman films in development, which won't have the typical white-male lead. Sony is actually the first of the new wave to announce development on a female-driven Spider-Man spin-off coming in 2017. The likelyhood is that film will focus on Felicia Hardy aka Black Cat. Kevin might be saying it's fan demand, but it's also pressure coming from competing studios.

As it stands now Marvel has two in-house scripts for both Panther and Captain Marvel. Both characters are expected to be hinted-to in Avengers: Age of Ultron. Not unlike Doctor Strange's Stephen Strange in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. The former project has a draft by Mark Bailey, which Marvel seemingly likes but could eventually get extensive rewrites. The latter has a script, which is rumored to have been written by Guardians of The Galaxy co-writer Nicole Perlman.

It was told to me that the Captain Marvel script was written in-house (as usual), and by someone who has already produced scripts for the studio. Nicole also wrote an updated draft for the Black Widow script while being apart of Marvel's screenwriting program. It's actually unknown how many scripts Marvel had her working on, because Marvel hasn't made that information public. Considering both Guardians and Widow are female-heavy scripts, it would make sense that Perlman would at least get a shot at Captain Marvel. Perlman is also one of the best known writers from the program, and one of the few that has actually earned writing credit for her work.

Speaking of casting, we haven't heard much in the way of T'Challa, since LatinoReview first revealed Chadwick Boseman (Gods of Egypt, 42, Get On Up) as a strong candidate back in May 2013. Boseman himself has been coy, but recently stated.."Ahhh, I don’t know anything about that…Until the contract is signed, I don’t know". It's not definitive, but sounds like the usual runaround answers actors talking with Marvel would be expected to say. Chadwick is charismatic and charming as hell, and would make one hell of a Black Panther.

The only source concerning the casting of Captain Marvel goes all the back to October 2012, which comes from the DailyMail (usually right when it comes to Bond news). They said that both Emily Blunt (Looper, Edge of Tomorrow) and Ruth Wilson (Lone Ranger, Luther) were the main candidates for the role of Ms Marvel, at the time was linked for Avengers 2. Since then, we've got confirmation that Ms Marvel indeed appears in the Age of Ultron script, and could make a cameo in the sequel. Interesting enough, Joss Whedon confirmed to HeyUGuys a fourth major female lead in Age of Ultron, which some have assume is actually Ms Marvel/Captain Marvel.

It would make sense that Emily Blunt would be in the mix for this role, considering she was forced out of the Black Widow role in Iron Man 2, because of a contract with 20th Century Fox. She's been since linked to a few other Marvel roles including Peggy Carter in Captain America: The First Avenger. I assume that she could become Marvel's go-to actress to head-up this franchise. We've seen her play badasses in both Looper and Edge of Tomorrow, which the latter seemed like a test-reel for a campaign to play Captain Marvel. I wouldn't rule out Ruth Wilson considering she's closely worked with both Thor alumni Tom Hiddleston and Idris Elba, but Blunt is currently my favorite for the role.



If I had to guess release dates, I would place Black Panther for either May or November 2017 (since we don't have a non-sequel announced for 2017, but have a cosmic one with GOTG2 and Thor 3 will take the Avengers-era spot), and Captain Marvel for a release in 2018 (since that year doesn't have either a cosmic film or new character). We can't be sure what Marvel's ultimate plan is until they make it official, but it sounds like Captain Marvel could be our next cosmic franchise and Panther our next new Earthbound hero.



SOURCE: IGN

Is Black Widow The Secondary Lead In CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER?

Marvel has been trying for years to put together a Black Widow movie. It started when the project was at Lionsgate but that would eventually go into limbo after Catwoman and Elektra bombed. Widow would be played by Scarlett Johansson in Iron Man 2 which fuelled talk of a new spin-off. A new script was penned by Nicole Perlman who wrote the original draft of Guardians of The Galaxy but seems like it's still in development.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier will include her and from this synopsis gives the impression that Natasha will have a larger role than previous Marvel films. It could actually be more of a secondary lead, as she's rumored to have connections with the shadowy enemies (her Russian employers?) and will be partnering up with Rogers to battle them. It's possible Widow having her character get more of a spotlight might mean her spin-off is right around the corner.

"Captain America: The Winter Soldier” will pick-up where “Marvel’s The Avengers” left off, as Steve Rogers struggles to embrace his role in the modern world and teams up with Natasha Romanoff, aka Black Widow, to battle a powerful yet shadowy enemy in present-day Washington, D.C."

Dave Bautista Joins Chris Pratt In Marvel's GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY

HeatVision confirms that Dave Bautista has been cast in the role of Drax The Destroyer in Guardians of The Galaxy. Jason Momoa had been in talks but couldn't agree on a fee/contract. Bautista will next be seen in the third Riddick film later this year. Dave joins previous addition Chris Pratt who plays Peter Quill/Starlord. Marvel's mantra has been developing their own stars such as Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston. Since Pratt and Bautista are lesser known names for a project like this I would assume whoever they get for Gamora it could be another actor Marvel could mold into an international star.

Jim Carrey And Adam Sandler Wanted For GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY, Plus More Actors In The Running For Star-Lord

The very reliable LatinoReview is reporting that Marvel Studios is looking into getting both Jim Carrey and Adam Sandler for the upcoming production of James Gunn's Guardians of The Galaxy. While the roles aren't named they speculate it could be for Rocket Raccoon and Groot. Those roles would likely involve motion capture and voice acting similar to Mark Ruffalo's work as the Hulk.

Jim Carrey has had experience with motion capture when he made A Christmas Carol. Carrey recently filmed a supporting role in Kick-Ass 2 which could help his credibility with comic book fans. Also, opening doors for him to tackle action roles in the future. He's tackled dramatic roles in Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind and Man On The Moon. I feel like if Marvel/Gunn has re-imagined Groot like they with Drax and Gamora, Carrey could make a great Groot.

Adam Sandler on the on the other hand has been loosing a lot of respect with a wheel-house of terrible low-quality comedies recently. It's possible taking on a lovable role like Rocket Raccoon would help his image with audiences. Sandler took on a lead voice role in Hotel Transylvania and has decent roles in the past with Punch-Drunk Love, Airheads and The Wedding Singer. So it's possible he could knock it out of the park if he actually put some effort into this project. Quentin Tarantino originally wanted Sandler for the role of Sgt. Donny Donowitz (Eli Roth) in Inglorious Basterds but he had to turn it down because it conflicted with the shooting of Funny People.

The site also mentions new names to the candidates running for the lead role of Peter Quill. They include Wes Bentley (Hunger Games, American Beauty), Chris Lowell (Up In The Air, The Help), and Cam Gigandet (Easy A, Pandorum, Twilight, Never Back Down). These names don't exactly inspire me to get excited but none-the-less they could end up with supporting roles instead of Star-Lord. Marvel is known to test everyone in Hollywood for leads to make sure they get the right actor in the role.

The list of actors linked to the role is starting to move into Captain America territory. They include Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Inception, Looper, Dark Knight Rises, Sin City 2), Zachary Levi (Chuck, Thor The Dark World), Jim Strugess (Cloud Atlas), Jack Huston (Boardwalk Empire), Joel Edgerton (Animal Kingdom, Zero Dark Thirty), Lee Pace (Hobbit, The Fall), Eddie Redmayne (Les Miserables, Jupiter Ascending), John Krasinski (The Office, Promised Land), Michael Rosenbaum (Smallville), Sullivan Stapleton (Strike Back, Animal Kingdom, 300: Rise of An Empire), James Marsden (Superman Returns, X-Men Trilogy) and Garrett Hedlund (Tron Legacy, Troy).

However, out of the new names I think Chris Lowell has a decent shot. Lowell has history on television with supporting roles on Veronica Mars and Private Practice. While also landing roles in films such as The Help alongside Emma Stone (Gwen in Amazing Spider-Man) and Jessica Chastain (who was looked at for Iron Man 3). He also had a small part in Jason Reitman's Up In The Air.

Lee Pace Confirms His Audition For GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY

MTV talked to Lee Pace (The Fall, Lincoln) for his upcoming film The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and brought up reports of him auditioning for Marvel. The role Lee had been linked to being Peter Quill aka Star-Lord from James Gunn's Guardians of The Galaxy. While he's not the only actor going for the role, Lee is a strong contender.

“I go in on Monday to meet them all and audition for it, so wish me luck...I'm very excited about it. The script is great. The character is a lot of fun. I have been [reading up on Star-Lord]. You want to know what you're doing. The character is a lot of fun. I hope it works out."

“We'll see. We'll see,” Lee Pace said about his chances of nabbing the Star-Lord role and possible appearance in The Avengers sequel. “I've got to audition. I've got to go get it. I actually love auditioning, so I'm happy to go meet them all and do it.”

Nova Corps Showing Up In GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY?

A interesting Guardians of The Galaxy rumor has surfaced. A Marvel insider has been Tweeting scoops which for the most part have been on the money. He teased recently that the lineup for Guardians of The Galaxy might be changed slightly and that the concept artwork has an Easter Egg in it. Apparently, someone guessed the ships in the background were apart of the Nova Corps. fleet. Which might be true seeing as Nova is aligned with the Guardians. Again, pure speculation but the ships are in the shape of the Nova symbol. There have been plot rumors suggesting that members of the Guardians start out as escaped convicts. Perhaps, the Nova Corps are the ones trying to put them back in prison.

Michael Rooker Wants To Be Rocket Raccoon In GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY

While there has been lots of speculation that Nathan Fillion is a lock for the role of Star-Lord in Guardians of The Galaxy there hasn't been much of the way for the other team members. There had been rumblings of Bob Hoskins' gravely cockney voice for Rocket . However, character actor Michael Rooker (Super, Slither, Mallrats, Henry, Walking Dead) has come out in support for James Gunn landing the directing gig via MovieWeb. Rooker has a solid supporting role in both Gunn's Slither and Super having a close working relationship. He hopes that he'll be asked to take on the role of Rocket Raccoon which seems like a perfect fit. Michael is known for badass roles, so to see him take on Rocket could make him yet another breakout star from the Marvel franchises.

"Oh, yeah. Most certainly. I know that James Gunn is doing it. He is directing it, and he is re-writing it. He is a very loyal director. He is a very loyal writer, when it comes to working with people that he knows and loves. He really appreciates the efforts that each actor puts into these roles. And I would be very honored and pleased to work with James Gunn again...Whether it will happen or not, I don't know. But he is a dynamite guy, and we have remained friends ever since we worked together on Slither.

I haven't done much research on it at all yet. Because I don't know what is going to happen. I'm really crazy busy with The Walking Dead right now. But you know what? Write this up. Tweet the [frick] out of it. If the fans want me as Rocket Raccoon, Marvel will listen to you guys, I think, sometimes...Perhaps I will be lucky and blessed enough to go in there, and go at it with Mr. Gunn again, who knows?"

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY Getting A Rewrite From James Gunn

Joss Whedon was at TIFF and spoke to MTV about James Gunn directing Guardians of The Galaxy. He gives the impression that the deal is pretty much a done deal for James to direct the cosmic team. Calling his take "twisted", giving the impression Gunn will also be contributing to Nicole Perlman's script with his own rewrites. Whedon is going to be the creative force behind the Phase Two movies so his word is the gospel at this point. We should expect a more official announcement concerning Guardians in the coming months.

“James is what makes me think it will work. I myself was sort of like, 'Well, I liked Rocket Raccoon as a kid, but I'm not sure how that plays [to a wider audience].' And then they said, 'Well, we're thinking about using James Gunn.' And I said, 'Oh, then no, you're fine.' He is so off the wall, and so crazy, but so smart, such a craftsman and he builds from his heart. He loves the raccoon. Needs the raccoon. This is the guy who wrote 'The Specials.' People don't understand how influential that movie was about heroes, about taking heroes and making them mundane. And [he directed] 'Super.' Gunn has barely started, but already has a very twisted take on it, but it all comes from a real love for the material. It's going to be hard for the humans to keep up," said Whedon. "I know he's going to come from left field and I'm going to go, 'What?' And then, 'Of course, why didn't I think of that?' And then I'm going to beat him!”

CAST EM': Guardians Of The Galaxy

At the moment casting is in full swing for both Thor: The Dark World and Captain America: The Winter Soldier. However, we haven't heard anything on Guardians of The Galaxy since they're still trying to wrangle James Gunn as it's director. I've come up with a few of my own casting choices for the game-changing superhero project that will see Marvel enter the off-world (also set in future?) science fiction epic genre. Guardians has the potential to be the next Star Wars for the studio as it would open the door to the cosmic world which has only been hinted to in previous films.

NATHAN FILLION AS STARLORD

BOB HOSKINS AS ROCKET RACCOON

GEMMA ARTERTON AS GAMORA

TERRY CREWS AS DRAX

JEFFREY WRIGHT AS GROOT

STEPHEN DILLANE AS THANOS

CHARLIE HUNNAM AS ADAM WARLOCK

JASON MOMA AS RONAN

CAREY MULLIGAN AS PHYLA (QUASAR/CAPTAIN MARVEL)

Do you like these choices? Are they inspired casting or way-off the mark? Feel free to add your own thoughts in the comments below.

Marvel's 'GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY' Coming August 2014, Plus Concept Artwork

It's official Marvel has announced that Guardians of The Galaxy will be released on August 1st 2014. This will be the first film featuring new characters since Captain America: The First Avenger and could setup events leading to Avengers 2. We currently don't know the film's antagonist but it very well could be Thanos as the Avengers button scene was likely setting up Guardians. The film's script was written by Nicole Perlman who also turned in a draft for the Black Widow solo film. It's expected a director will be chosen soon along with casting set to begin.

Here is a piece of exceptional character concept artwork from artist Charlie Wen who has contributed to many of the Marvel films. Shown at SDCC it features Star-Lord, Rocket Raccoon, Drax The Destroyer, Groot and Gamora revealing the team's lineup. Their costumes look definitely more cinematic than the comic book versions of the characters.