RUMOR: Mads Mikkelsen Being Eyed For Role In DOCTOR STRANGE?

BleedingCool is giving us an early rumor concerning the casting of Marvel's Doctor Strange. I say early, because it's only coming from one source. There also isn't a role being mentioned, but none the less the name is interesting enough to consider it. Plus, BC has had a couple of solid scoops in the past.

They have heard that Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen (Casino Royale, Hannibal, King Arthur, Pusher Trilogy, Clash of The Titans, Three Musketeers, Valhalla Rising) had been or is in the mix, for an unknown role in Strange. You might remember that Mads had been originally wanted for Malekith in Thor: The Dark World, but exited the project to focus on his series Hannibal (which eventually became a hit). His recent film The Hunt has been nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at this year's Oscars.

I'm taking this rumor a little more serious than the previous ones. Mikkelsen has a couple connections to the people Marvel was reportedly meeting with to direct and write for the the project. Nikolaj Arcel directed Mads in the film A Royal Affair. He'll also lend his voice for Kung Fu Panda 3, the writers of that film could possibly pen the Strange script. Add that Marvel previously wanted him for main role, it sounds likely that the studio is at least interested in him.

This isn't the first actor being linked or rumored for Strange. The names we've heard over the last two years include Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Dark Knight Rises, Don Jon, Inception, Looper), Johnny Depp (old meeting with Marvel), Javier Bardem (Skyfall, No Country For Old Men, The Counselor), Jon Hamm (I can confirm has met with Marvel for unnamed project) and possibly Benedict Cumberbatch (Hobbit, Star Trek Into Darkness, Sherlock, War Horse).

SOURCE: BLEEDINGCOOL

Tom Hiddleston Pitching Amora The Enchantress For THOR 3?

Thor: The Dark World is about to be released in the next couple of weeks and we already have hints to where the third film could go. Actor Tom Hiddleston talked to TotalFilm revealing he's pitched Amora The Enchantress to Marvel for future films. Amora has been rumored since the first film as a villain and was linked for Dark World during it's early development. Enchantress just happens to be a villain of both Thor and The Avengers (alongside The Masters of Evil). The Asgardian sorceress is a conflicted character, playing friend and foe to both Thor/Loki.

"When I was first reading the comics, the relationship with the Enchantress was one of the really fun things I thought would be good to explore and may have even pitched it to [Marvel Studios president] Kevin Feige at some point. Because she is as sneaky and as untrustworthy as he was. ... They basically had a really fantastic and twisted relationship until they both say, ‘You know what? I don’t trust you as far as I can throw you. It’s over.’ Because they keep betraying each other, in a way. So it could be good."

Plans for a third Thor movie haven't been made public and will likely be determined by the box office numbers for The Dark World. However, since Loki won't be making an appearance in Age of Ultron and wants to see the Loki/Amora dynamic explored, it will likely be saved for Thor solo adventures. Chris Hemsworth mentioned to MTV he would love to see Charlize Theron in the role of Amora, if the actress was able to find the time to do it.

"I don't know much at all but it sounds interesting," Chris Hemsworth told MTV when asked for his thoughts on the recent Enchantress rumours. "I'm not playing the usual, sidestepping that we normally have to do, I haven't read a script. They have a bunch of different ideas, but that sounds interesting." After being told that his Snow White and the Huntsman co-star Charlize Theron is a fan favourite for the role, he said: "Oh right. Well she certainly plays a pretty intimidating villain, I think she'd be awesome but I think she's tied up in 20 other films. I think she's going on to 'Mad Max' next. [But] you never know. Fingers crossed!"

Natalie Portman Hinting MS MARVEL And BLACK PANTHER Films Coming Soon?

During an interview with SciFiNow actress Natalie Portman hinted about future Marvel projects. She revealed the studio is working on female led film (Ms Marvel?) and one focusing on a non-white title character. There has been talk from numerous outlets and even Marvel about the developing of both Black Panther and Ms Marvel films over the last couple of years. According to outlets both projects currently have scripts written. Not to mention casting rumors linking Emily Blunt (Looper, Edge of Tomorrow, The Wolfman), Ruth Wilson (Saving Mr. Banks, Lone Ranger, Anna Karenina, Luther) and possibly Katee Sackhoff for Carol Danvers. Even more actors have been linked for T'Challa over the last two years. However, this is the first time that a Marvel cast member has revealed possible plans for unannounced films that weren't spin-offs of their own character (Black Widow/War Machine).

"There are definitely many strong women, but it will be exciting when there is a central female character which I think is coming – I have heard is coming – and, of course, also a central non-white character will also be exciting. Title characters."

12,000 Fans Petition Marvel For A LOKI Solo Film

Well I didn't see this coming. THR reports a large group of fans (over 12,000) have signed a petition to get Marvel to make a solo Loki film. Their aim is to get 20,000 signatures from Loki supporters. We'll see Tom Hiddleston this November in Thor: The Dark World but he won't be making the rounds in Avengers: Age of Ultron. There have been rumblings that Dark World might be the last film that will include Loki. However, Marvel knows that Loki is the second most popular character. Who is second only to Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark.

This could give the studio the message fans want more Loki in the MCU but I doubt they'll make a Loki solo film. Marvel's slate of Phase Three is likely all but cemented at this point, expected to be revealed in full next July at Comic-Con 2014. If a Loki film did happen it might not even happen until Phase Four. By the sounds of things Phase Three is expected to rollout a majority of fresh characters. Ant-Man is confirmed post-Avengers: Age of Ultron in July along with possible candidates Doctor Strange, Inhumans, Black Panther and Ms. Marvel/Captain Marvel in the mix.

Director Alan Taylor In Talks To Helm TERMINATOR Reboot

Variety reports that Alan Taylor (Game of Thrones, Thor: The Dark World) is in talks to direct The Terminator reboot. The film is expected to be a the first installment in a new standalone trilogy within the Terminator universe. Producers recently announced Avatar screenwriter Laeta Kalogridis (Shutter Island) would co-write the script with Patrick Lussier. Arnold Schwarzenegger has mentioned having a role in the reboot with rumors Dwayne Johnson is being looked at to play the new Terminator.

Loki And Thor Grace Empire Covers Along With New THOR: THE DARK WORLD Posters

Could Ultron's Cosmic Origin Be Explained In GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY Leading Into AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON?

People have been speculating for weeks now how Joss Whedon will introduce Ultron in the MCU. Whedon confirmed a new origin for the Marvel villain played by James Spader (Stargate, Less Than Zero, Lincoln) which wouldn't include Dr. Hank Pym (Ant-Man). A new quote from Iron Man 3 co-writer Drew Pearce to SciFiNow (via CBM) gives the impression most theories haven't hit the mark. Also, hinting that Ultron's origins might be cosmic having connections to Thor: The Dark World and Guardians of The Galaxy.

"There is a hell of a lot of rumors, though. Ultron may be something that appears in Guardians of the Galaxy, or it may appear in the Thor universe. I've read a lot of stuff online, and I don't think anyone has got close to the real plan yet."

I had been wondering how the hell Guardians would factor into Avengers: Age of Ultron, since the film leads right into the Avengers sequel. Having the film establish the cosmic side of the universe seemed like a legimate reason to make the film on it's own merit. However, if Ultron has a cosmic basis rather than being a robotic Frankenstein monster could give the character more depth. We've heard from Kevin Feige that Thanos would be the villain behind the scenes in Guardians of The Galaxy and won't be a major player in Age of Ultron. It could be that Thanos convinces Ultron to attack Earth (maybe giving it to him if he destroys The Avengers) and is an alien that is able to inhabit technology ala Ghost In The Shell's Puppet Master (which highly influenced The Matrix). Perhaps, to convert the planet to his own means or bend it to the will of Thanos.

Full Trailer For THOR: THE DARK WORLD Promises A Bigger And Better Film Than The First One

New THOR THE DARK WORLD Poster

Joss Whedon Hints Loki Won't Be In AVENGERS 2 And Brian Tyler Hired To Compose Score For THOR THE DARK WORLD

Joss Whedon has revealed to Empire that our favorite Marvel conflicted villain Loki played by Tom Hiddleston won't be showing up in Avengers 2. Loki is still playing a rather large role in Thor: The Dark World. As he has to join forces with his brother Thor to save the nine realms from a bigger threat.

“First of all, imitating what I did before is the surest way to do it not as well. Second of all, Loki’s not there to say those terrible things. Although I do think we should bring the word back. Not as an insult. It’s just a nice word.”

Also, composer Brian Tyler (Expendables 1-2, Rambo) has been hired to score the Thor sequel according to FilmMusicReporter. Tyler recently did the score for Iron Man 3 which has seemingly impressed the folks over at Marvel. He'll be replacing previous composer Carter Burwell (True Grit) who left over creative differences.

Tom Hiddleston In Early Talks To Play Eric Draven In THE CROW

We've heard names such as Mark Wahlberg, Bradley Cooper and James McAvoy linked for the role of Eric Draven in The Crow reboot. However, a new name has been revealed via The Wrap as Tom Hiddleston (Deep Blue See, War Horse) best known for playing Avengers and Thor villain Loki might take the lead part. The British actor is currently in early talks to play Draven.

Behind The Scenes Images From THOR THE DARK WORLD Reveal Jane In Asgard And A Ship Crashing Into The Throne Room

Legendary Prop Sculptor Brian Muir Will Work On GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY

BleedingCool reports that legendary prop sculptor Brian Muir will be working on Marvel's Guardians of The Galaxy. Brian Muir has worked on a numerous amount of stellar productions including Star Wars: A New Hope (Vader, Storm Troopers), Alien (Space Jockey), Superman, Excalibur, Dragonslayer, The Dark Crystal, Indiana Jones And The Raiders of The Lost Ark, Krull, Indiana Jones And The Temple of Doom, Return To Oz, Willow, Erik The Viking, Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade, Lost In Space, Planet of The Apes, Harry Potter (The Prisoner of Azkaban, The Order of The Phoenix, The Half-Blood Prince, The Deathly Hollows), James Bond (Skyfall, Die Another Day, Tomorrow Never Dies, Golden Eye, License To Kill, The Living Daylights, A View To A Kill, For Your Eyes Only, The Spy Who Loved Me) John Carter, Captain America: The First Avenger, Thor: The Dark World and Snow White And The Huntsman. Including creating the iconic helmet for Darth Vader in the first Star Wars film.

Chris O'Dowd Confirms Small Role In THOR: THE DARK WORLD, Could He Be Playing Doctors Donald Blake, Stephen Strange or Hank Pym?

Irish comedic actor Chris O'Dowd has confirmed to Indiewire that he's shot a scene for Thor: The Dark World. He had been previously unannounced which will likely be the case for the majority of the smaller roles in the film. The question is, factoring in his high profile could Chris be playing an actual Marvel character in the film?

"I think I'll do more dramatic stuff and I think I have some stuff coming out that's a bit more dramatic. I don't know if I'd do an action movie because I don't know if I could keep a straight face honestly, I just think it's so silly. Like I love watching them but I can't imagine me doing one. Actually, you know what I've done, just for fun because I didn't think there was any way that I could be in a superhero movie, so I've done a scene in the new "Thor" movie, just for that. I just do like one scene, which was quite fun."

One theory is that he could be playing Jane's ex-boyfriend Dr. Donald Blake who was mentioned in the original film. Along with being at least close to Thor's height which Chris could pull-off. Blake in the comics is Thor's alter ego and fragile human form (having a mobile disability).

Another possibly could be Dr. Stephen Strange aka Doctor Strange. It's expected that Strange will be likely cast by a European actor and talk over the Summer via ThePlaylist that Strange could show up in the sequel has been mentioned by a couple different sources. Considering his high profile it wouldn't be hard to see Marvel quietly casting O'Dowd in that role or even Ant-Man's Dr. Hank Pym for that matter. Since The studio has a tendency to hire actors named Chris for their lead roles (Hemsworth, Pratt and Evans). However, it seems like Blake is the most likely role he's taken as Chris downplays ever starring in a action film.

Empire Reveals New Images From THE WOLVERINE, KICK-ASS 2 And THOR: THE DARK WORLD

SOURCE [CBM]

Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje Talks THOR THE DARK WORLD And BLACK PANTHER

Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje was interviewed by MTV taking in length about his experience playing dual roles of Algrim and Kurse in Thor: The Dark World. He also gives the impression he's already talking with the studio about another role in an upcoming film. Two major roles seem to standout as perfect for him that being Drax The Destroyer and the villain Thanos The Mad Titan in Guardians of The Galaxy.

“Thor 2; great movie, great opportunity. I've been a fan of the Marvel Comics and I got a massive opportunity to play two characters in the movie: Algrim and Kurse. You go in thinking, 'Yeah this is great.' But when you get in there, you're like whoa; six hours of makeup, prosthetics, all the physical [stuff]. But honestly, I loved it. It's going to be such an epic. And both of the characters; I have blonde hair, blue eyes, pointed ears, fangs, horns; everything you could want as boy in an action hero movie. It's amazing. The Fighting was really demanding. For instance, Kurse is the one that does all the fighting. It's forty pounds of extra weight and the good thing about it is that it's very flexible and elastic. I have a routine before I put it on: I stretch and do all my pilates. You see this big creature doing pilates, it's great. And then we'd have to go fight. Me and Chris [Hemsworth] go toe-to-toe. It was hardcore. But you don't really get into [these kinds of movies] of you're not ready for that kind of thing. You gotta be mentally fit, physically fit because you're going to shoot a scene ten to fifteen different ways.”

“[Thor and Kurse] fight differently. Chris has his hammer while Kurse is very animalistic, he's got horns. So I tried to go with that flow. My movements are [basically] like an animal: twisting my body, turning my head, all kinds of things. Kurse is meant to be extremely powerful, nothing can stop him. It's a great ride. There's fights everything in the movie. Loki gets his fair share of fights; [one of which] is between him and I as well. The great thing about Kurse is he is having it with everybody. But yes, Loki has some amazing fights. [Fans] are really gonna be happy with this movie. Everybody gets their little shine. I won't tell you what really happens, but there's some great surprises.”

“As we speak, [Marvel and I] are talking about [playing in another Marvel movie]. Obviously, Marvel is a great family that I'm happy to be working with. We had a great time on Thor: The Dark World. I loved to continue that relationship. (After Guardians of the Galaxy was brought up) I'm not talking about anything yet, just having a good relationship with Marvel.”

He also told MTV that he's still pursuing his campaign for T'Challa in Marvel's Black Panther. Considering he now has a relationship with the studio it's hard to say it would never happen.

"Who do I want to play him? Myself, let’s be real," Akinnuoye-Agbaje told MTV News with a smile, when asked if he is still carrying the torch for the role. "I would hope that playing Kurse would ingratiate me to becoming the Panther. You get in and have success in one, and you go and do the next one. [My campaign] is definitely not dropped."

"He’s one of my faves. I would love to play him," he continued. "You have to keep at it, you have to keep your card in the hat and see what comes out but I have to say I’m thrilled, I’ve been able to play two characters in one movie and if [Marvel] likes this and it this does well, it just gives you a better chance."

CAPTAIN AMERICA Writers Christopher Markus And Stephen McFeely Did Rewrites On THOR 2 Script, Plus Jaimie Alexander Comments On The Film

I must have missed this news but apparently Marvel Studios hired a few more writers to tackle rewrites on the script for Thor: The Dark World. Originally, it had been reported that Don Payne's (Thor, Simpsons) outline for the sequel was being reworked by Oscar nominated screewnwriter Robert Rodat (Saving Private Ryan, The Patriot). There is word that Marvel has hired some of their own in-house talent to work on the film. It's possible that Robert Rodat's work might have been excluded from the film entirely.


Christopher Yost who is best known for writing Marvel animated shows including Earth's Mightiest Heroes and Wolverine And The X-Men was brought on to work on the script. Not to mention the studio also hired Stephen McFeely and Christopher Markus (Captain America: The First Avenger, Pain And Gain) to add some magic. It's unknown who did what but it sounds like the scale of the film could have been increased since McFeely and Markus seem to write big action set-pieces. A key element that was missing in the first Thor film. The screenwriting pair also recently completed the Captain America sequel Winter Soldier which is about to begin production in March.

Actress Jaimie Alexander who plays Sif in the Thor franchise is currently on a press tour for her upcoming film The Last Stand which stars Arnold Schwarzenegger. In an interview with IAmRouge she revealed a bit info on The Dark World, giving the impression the film is bigger (more realms being explored) and her character will be given more development (possible love triangle?). Jaimie also briefly comments on director Alan Taylor, new writers and the addition of Zachary Levi as Fandral. [IAmRogue]

“I just finished shooting about a week and a half ago. There's going to be a bit of a darker feel and obviously a lot more action. We get to explore different realms a lot more and you see a lot more Asgard; and you get to know the people of Asgard. There is more [character development] with Sif. We sort of explore the Thor-Sif relationship a little bit; kind of [in a romantic way]. It's more like getting a feel of who these people are, how the way they are with each other. It was really fun for me and Chris. Him and I are almost like brother and sister too, so I was like maybe that translates into 'ohh they love each other on camera.' We had a good time making that movie.” 

“That was hard at first [returning with a new director] because I didn't know what to expect. I love Kenneth Branagh very much He was a huge staple in my life because he launched my career. I gotta say, however, it is always great working with new people. Alan Taylor has brought a whole new vision to Thor. We've remained our own characters obviously, so there's still that similarity between the first and second one. But there's a darker feel to this one; a little more Gladiator-ish, a bit more viking-ish. So I'm really excited to see how it turns out.”

 “The script did [feel more rooted in the comic book stuff]. I could read certain scenes and actually see how someone would do the drawings on the page. With that sense, Marvel was great; they said 'make it your own.' We just have a great team. I have been very lucky in my career. It was slightly different [with Zachary Levi coming in], because he's not Josh Dallas, but he's fantastic. And I've know Zach for years. He was actually one of the first choices for Fandral, so it's great to have him on board. He's definitely Fandral, and he's such a lovely guy, team player and really sweet. Everybody welcomed him with open arms and he's definitely a part of the family.” 

Updated Asgardian Einherjar Costume From THOR: THE DARK WORLD

Jim Sturgess And Zachary Levi Frontrunners For Star-Lord In GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY

Variety reports that Marvel Studios has two frontrunners for the role of Peter Quill better known as Star-Lord in Guardians of The Galaxy.  They report the two actors are Jim Sturgess who was originally in the group of five actors listed as testing for the lead along with Marvel alum Zachary Levi . Levi recently wrapped production on Thor: The Dark World replacing Joshua Dallas as Fandral The Dashing. An unnamed actor might also test after the holidays.

Zachary had been originally considered for Fandral but had to turn it down because of his series Chuck. Jim recently caught the attention of Marvel by his multiple roles in The Wachowskis' Cloud Atlas. One of them giving the actor a chance to play an action heavy part. At one point he had also been considered for Peter Parker in The Amazing Spider-Man before Andrew Garfield was eventually cast as Parker.

UPDATE: Writer/director James Gunn has tweeted that the casting stories have been mostly false. However, he could be just misdirecting while the hunt for the lead is likely still wide open.

Artist Olly Moss' THOR: THE DARK WORLD Poster