Idris Elba & Johnny Whitworth In Talks For Ghost Rider 2

HeatVision reports that Idris Elba and Johnny Whitworth (Pathology) are in talks to join Ghost Rider: The Spirit of Vengeance. The Neveldine/Taylor (Crank, Gamer) directed and David S. Goyer (Blade, Dark Knight) written sequel will be set in Europe where Blaze has to stop an evil plot by the devil. Idris isn't new to the world of comic book films starring in Thor, The Losers and possibly in talks for Luke Cage or Blade. The two actors would join the returning Nicolas Cage along with possible additions Ciarán Hinds (Munich, Rome) and Italian actress Violante Placido (The American).

Fox Offers Wolverine 2 To Darren Aronofsky

Deadline reports that 20th Century Fox is aggressively pursuing Darren Aronofsky to direct Wolverine 2. While he hasn't accepted the offer he has been in active talks with the studio and star/producer Hugh Jackman. Darren is the best choice when it comes to directors since the first film was disastrous and the fledgling franchise needs new life. Aronofsky brings a strong understanding of emotion, tension and action. It doesn't hurt that the film is set in Japan when Darren was once attached to direct a remake of Shogun Assassin. The script is written by Christopher McQuarrie (Usual Suspects, Valkyrie) so we shouldn't have to worry about magic memory killing bullets. Fox has really put the effort when it comes to their comic book directors lately. When they were able to hire Matthew Vaughn for X-Men First Class and pursued Robert Rodriguez for Deadpool I started warming up to their projects. If they get Aronofsky they will be one step closer to re-gaining the trust of both fans of the characters and critics of their previous movies.

Emma Stone Officially Gwen Stacy In Spider-Man

In an odd last minute twist Emma Stone is not playing redhead vixen Mary Jane Watson but rather blond sweetheart Gwen Stacy in Spider-Man. Deadline both broke the original casting news but now has the official press release from Sony which lists Stone as the main love interest Gwen. I'm not sure how Emma will look blond but she's officially the female lead. Director Marc Webb had some kind words for the actress.

“The chemistry between Andrew and Emma was stunning and made Emma the clear choice. At the heart of the story of Peter Parker is not only the amazing Spider-Man, but also an ordinary teenager who is wondering what he has to do to get the girl. Andrew and Emma will bring everything audiences expect to these roles, but also make them their own. Much to my surprise, it was fun to find out that our choice for Gwen (Emma) is also a natural blonde.”

Captain America Game Reveals Arnim Zola & Madame Hydra?

Sega just announced their plans to release a video game based on the Captain America movie. The game titled Captain America: Super Soldier seems to give us glimpses of possible designs from the film itself. DailyBlam was able to post concept artwork from the game. The artwork shows HYDRA bases, soldiers, weapons and vehicles. They even have artwork for villains Madame Hydra and Arnim Zola.

This is the first time I've caught wind that Madame Hydra could be in the film. It's likely she's just being thrown in similar to villains in the Iron Man 2 game. Yet I do believe Viper who one of the many Madame Hydras is owned by Fox because of her connections with Wolverine. So they could have used another character like Private Lorraine to fill in. DCMarvelFreshman over at ComicBookMovie helped correct me with the affiliation (Nazi/HYDRA) of Private Lorraine who is being played by Tudor's actress Natalie Dormer. I wouldn't be surprised if we see Dormer become Madame Hydra.

Arnim Zola on the other is known to be in the film and is being played by Tobey Jones. I'm really hoping the artwork is being used for the film because they are very close to the comics. Beyond the coolness of the character design it looks practical enough that it wouldn't look ridiculous on camera.

Idris Elba Talking With Marvel For Blade & Luke Cage?

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

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

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

Mark Ruffalo Teases More Hulk Films

Talking with Empire Mark Ruffalo spoke about playing the iconic Marvel character. During his interview he teased sequels for Avengers and even a new Hulk film.

"They set up several pictures over a couple of years and possibly there will be a Hulk movie. There'll probably be a couple more Avengers too, which would be fun."

While I assume we could be seeing the exploration of more gamma related villains like the Leader. Showcasing characters like She-Hulk (Jennifer Walters), Rick Jones (A-Bomb), Red Hulk (General Thunderbolt Ross), Red She-Hulk (Betty Ross), Lyra and Skaar could help expand the Hulk lore. There is also the possibility of seeing Hulk off-world in a Planet Hulk type storyline. Hulk is shipped off Earth to a peaceful unpopulated planet but ends up crashing onto warlike planet instead. He has to fight aliens as a gladiator and ends up saving the planet.

General Zod To Be Villain In Snyder's Superman?

HeatVision reports that General Zod (the villain in Superman II) could be a villain in Zack Snyder's Superman reboot.. J.J. Abrams' original script for Superman Returns was rejected when Bryan Singer came on to direct. Abrams' story re-imagined Superman as a Kryptonian prince sent to earth as a baby to avoid an impending civil war between king Jor-El and his brother Kata-Zor. Raised as Midwestern teen Clark Kent, and in love with his high school sweetheart Lois, Superman becomes humanity's defender when Kata-Zor invades Earth, aided by CIA Agent Lex Luthor, who is actually a Kryptonian in disguise. The film ended with Superman returning to Krypton to rule over his people after the death of Jor-El. I'm unsure if this script will be used but I would love to see a Kryptonian war on Earth.

Peter Jackson To Direct The Hobbit

TheWrap reports that Peter Jackson is in final talks to direct The Hobbit. The production has had such a streak of bad luck let's hope this news brings things around. While I would have loved to see del Toro's version of Middle Earth I'm glad Jackson is returning.

Zack Snyder To Direct Superman

Deadline reports that Warner Bros. and producer Christopher Nolan have chosen their new director for Superman. Zack Snyder will direct the reboot which is likely to develop into more films. Snyder has been one of my favorites directors mentioned for the project. Hopefully he can make Superman compelling when I've found nothing interesting about the hero. Snyder's prolific visual style should help bring the series in a new direction. I wouldn't expect him to honor the previous incarnations of the original Richard Donner films. Like what we saw with Bryan Singer's disappointingly familiar Superman Returns.

UPDATE:  Deadline has updated their article with direct comments from Snyder. The director confirmed and said he would get started on the film when he finishes post-production on Sucker Punch.

"I've been a big fan of the character for a long time, he's definitely the king of all superheroes, he's the one,"


"It's early yet, but I can tell you that what David and Chris have done with the story so far definitely has given me a great insight into a way to make him feel modern. I've always felt he was kind of awesome. I'll finish Sucker Punch and get right at it."

TRAILER: New Full True Grit Trailer

First Look: The Thing Prequel

Collider has posted the first images from The Thing prequel. The sci-fi horror film stars Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Scott Pilgrim), Joel Edgerton (Animal Kingdom), Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (Bourne Identity) and Eric Christian Olsen (Beerfest). It's been reported the New York Comic-Con will be treated to the film's trailer and some footage. The trailer itself should make it's way online soon after since it will be released on April 29th and the Halloween season is perfect for it. It will follow the events of the Norwegian camp where they first discover the frozen alien ship and it's monstrous contents. I'm excited for this movie but hope it's more than just an homage like Predators.

3 More In The Running For Gwen Stacy

Most know Mary Jane Watson as the love of Peter Parker's life. Yet Gwen Stacy was his original girlfriend and will be the leading lady of the new film. Peter even asked her to marry him and also was one of the first people he told was Spider-Man. Deadline reports that there are three more actresses in the running for the role. They include Dominique McElligott (Moon, Dark Floors), Dianna Agron (Glee) and newcomer Georgina Haig. Out of these actresses including Mia Wasikowska (Alice In Wonderland) I would have say I'd like to see Dominique McElligott get the part.

My choice since day one for Gwen Stacy has been Amber Heard (The Rum Diaries). She's another actress like Emma Stone who is well known to audiences and is old enough to play either high school or college versions of the character. Amber has had some decent smaller roles in films like Zombieland and Pineapple Express. She even gave an excellent lead performance in the horror flick All The Boys Love Mandy Lane which still hasn't been released in theaters or DVD in North America.

Emma Stone Is The New MJ In Spider-Man

Deadline reports Sony has sent out an offer to actress Emma Stone to play the new Mary Jane Watson in Spider-Man. It's very likely she'll except the offer and will be officially announced soon. Stone would play opposite Andrew Garfield (The Social Network) in the reboot. It's known that MJ won't be be the only female lead as Parker's first love Gwen Stacy will be in the movie too. Casting seems to be revving up so more news should be coming out in the next week or so.

Olivia Wilde & Vincent Kartheiser Join I’m.mortal

It looks like Andrew Niccol's (Lord of War) I’m.mortal is getting some more talent added to it's roster. TheWarp reports Olivia Wilde (Tron Legacy, Cowboys & liens) who is quickly becoming the go-to-girl for Hollywood blockbusters has joined the film. Mad Men's Vincent Kartheiser will also have a role in the sci-fi thriller. The pair will be joining Justin Timberlake (Social Network), Amanda Seyfried, Cillian Murphy (Sunshine, Inception) and Collins Pennie. The film's confusing title is likely to change when production starts. When a rebel from the ghetto named Will (Timberlake) is falsely accused of murdering a wealthy man for his time, he's forced to go on the run with a beautiful hostage (Seyfried). The duo unite in a battle against the system as they struggle to stay alive.

Philip Seymour Hoffman To Play Venom?

Deadline reports Sony is loosely talking about casting Philip Seymour Hoffman in the new Spider-Man reboot. Interesting enough it's the villain who got seriously burned in the last film, Venom. Raimi obviously ran the character through the ringer with serious miscasting and making him a third wheel villain. Now it looks like the studio could be trying to re-introduce the anti-hero/villain. I doubt they would make Venom the main villain with talk of heavy weights like The Lizard and Kraven The Hunter rumored for the reboot. I have a feeling it could be the studio finally moving forward with their Venom spin-off written by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick (Zombieland, Deadpool). Personally I'd rather see Hoffman playing Venom in a solo film instead of Spider-Man. Christoph Waltz who plays villains in both Inglourious Basterds and Green Hornet has also been rumored for the movie.