Zack Snyder And Larry Fong Teasing Joker For BATMAN VS SUPERMAN?

We've been hearing for months that Batman Vs Superman will be taking major cues from Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns. This was confirmed with Ben Affleck's Miller inspired Batsuit. Another tidbit is making the rounds thanks to director of photography Larry Fong, after posting this image below on Twitter. It's obviously teasing the Joker, as it stands we don't have an actor confirmed for the role.

So what kinda of actor could fill the Joker's shoes. It's extremely difficult to pin-point what direction Zack Snyder and the studio would go. However, my vote goes to veteran character actor Steve Buscemi (Reservoir Dogs, Boardwalk Empire, Sopranos, Fargo, Con Air). He has the body of work and credibility to give us a chilling new take on the Joker.



 Only problem, Miller's version of The Joker is psychically imposing and built like a brick-house. An actor I could see in the role currently cast in the film is Australian actor Callan Mulvey (300: Rise of An Empire, Captain America: The Winter Soldier). He's huge and eerily looks like the Miller take of the villain facially as well. It's been rumored he would be taking a villain role, but what that role hasn't been confirmed. Then again, we already have Lex Luther (Jesse Eisenberg) and rumblings of other Superman villains, could they even have room for a Batman rogue?

SOURCE: LARRYFONG

We Need More Women Directing Comic Book Projects, How About Jane Goldman And Jovanka Vuckovic?

Yesterday, it was confirmed that Roberto Orci had been chosen to direct Star Trek 3. A screenwriter many believe is sub-par for the job, and is said to have forced his way into the director's chair. By blocking other candidates from even being considered, and bullying Paramount. It's beyond shocking that the studio would be even willing to consider a director with zero experience to spearhead a project that could be costing them north of $150 million in production costs. Orci was involved with television for decades, but it never occurred to him to direct an episode of the shows he was running/producing or writing for. The cons outweigh the pros, anyway you cut it, no matter what trolling screenwriter Max Landis (turned budding director?) will have you believe. 

This whole debacle was a slap in the face of budding directors and more the norm, female directors. 

It was pointed out that the highest budgeted film a woman directed was Kathryn Bigelow's K-19, which twelve years ago and cost $100 million. That's almost the cost for a large studio comedy film these days. The studio system doesn't even consider women for this high-profile projects, and if they do a reason if found to remove them. It's also a bit insulting to always fall-back to Bigelow as the only female director, because there are many hardworking ladies in the industry, they just aren't given the exposure she is. 

Marvel Studios famously hired Patty Jenkins (Monster, The Killing) to originally direct Thor: The Dark World, only a month or so after her announcement she left the production. The studio siting "creative differences", and Patty sounded unfazed by the whole experience. Jenkins would have made history as the first female director to make a mainstream studio comic book movie. Of course, Lexi Alexander being our first lady of Marvel, directing the brutally-fun Punisher: War Zone. Marvel missed their mark, while movies like Captain America: The Winter Soldier proved they can be equal, when it comes to on-screen characters. There's still hope that Jenkins could return to the franchise to direct Thor 3, since Alan Taylor will be busy with his Terminator trilogy.

There are already three female-driven comic book projects coming down the line. Marvel's Jessica Jones series on Netflix and their feature adaptation of Captain Marvel (the Black Widow movie now in limbo) which is in script development. Even Warner Bros. and DC Entertainment is coming to their senses, and have Gal Gadot contracted to make a Wonder Woman movie. The latter is more up-in-the-air, as Gal has to complete filming Batman Vs Superman and Justice League before anything is announced. 

My hope is that filmmakers like Patty and Michelle MacLaren (The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad) land the directing gigs on these female-driven projects. Let's face it's about time, and these projects are tailor-made for them to direct. I've already mentioned how perfect Michelle would be for the Wonder Woman movie. However, there are two ladies I'd love to see also get into the mix. 

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 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.

Seeing Jane make the jump to director feels more natural than Roberto Orci or Mark Millar becoming directors. If we're going to talk about writers who deserve shots to become features directors, Jane is good place to start. There are a couple projects I think Jane would be excellent for, working closely with Matthew Vaughn on so many productions. She obviously has the vision needed to handle such a task.

The first is, Ed Brubaker's Velvet. This comic is actually very new but it takes and interesting concept, which would be perfect for film adaptation. Brubaker has describe this comic as, "what if Moneypenny was accused of killing James Bond". Considering Goldman has already written the spy genre with The Secret Service, and nailed the action-side in her Kick-Ass/X-Men scripts, she'd be perfect to also adapt the work. Brubaker is coming-off massive success with his Winter Soldier comic saga being a major influence on the recent Captain America sequel, and the third installment. Ben Affleck and Matt Damon are also adapting his comic Sleeper for the big screen. It's only a matter of time before Velvet makes the studio rounds. 

Goldman also has a knack for the supernatural and superpower side of the genre. Which could make her a prime candidate to direct Dark Universe/Justice League Dark. A project which Guillermo del Toro is hatching/producing with Warner Bros. and DC Entertainment, that explores the horror-side of the DCU. It's very possible that del Toro, like with many other projects he's producing will hand this off to another director. Jane could help with the script and could even make the film on a lower budget, guaranteeing that she and del Toro would get more creative freedom with their vision. 

The film would consist of a group of heroes with supernatural powers (not unlike the X-Men but with a horror edge), which would include John Constantine, The Spectre, Swamp Thing, Zatanna, Deadman and others. She's proven she can handle large-scale superhero narrative with First Class and Days of Future Past. Not to mention the supernatural element with movies like Stardust and The Woman In 
Black.

Speaking of team films, there's one that we've been waiting for ages which is BPRD. The Hellboy spin-off that's been mentioned almost as many times as the now-dead Hellboy 3. It's still a viable film as there are plenty of team members yet to be explored, and could be made without Hellboy in a lead role. 

I'd also totally be onboard to see her tackle Captain Marvel or if Marvel Studios ever resurrected the Black Widow movie. There are more than a few sources claiming that Ms. Marvel/Captain Marvel will be introduced in Avengers: Age of Ultron. We've been hearing for months that Marvel is ramping-up development on her solo film, with a script being penned by an unknown writer. Guardians of The Galaxy writer Nicole Perlman recently rewrote a new Widow script, which is completely different than the original film David Hayter (Watchmen, X-Men, X2) was attached to write-direct ten years ago.

Another lady that would flourish in this genre would be Jovanka Vuckovic. A Canadian horror director and of Rue Morgue fame. Her credits include The Captured Bird which was produced by Guillermo del Toro, and the all-female horror anthology XX. Variety just reported that Jovanka would make her feature directorial debut with an adaptation of Clive Barker's Jacqueline Ess with Lena Headey (Dredd, 300, Game of Thrones) in the lead role. A project that surely will get a lot of attention.  

While Goldman is not currently on Twitter, Jovanka is. During some exchanges on Twitter she mentioned being a fan of Mike Mignola's Baltimore, as I suggested she would be perfect for it. New Regency once tried to adapt the comic into a feature with David S. Goyer (Blade, Man of Steel) set to write-direct, but the studio passed with the rights reverting back to Migola and others. 

Considering her connections to Guillermo del Toro, it wouldn't be hard to imagine her being able to reach out to Mike Mignola or vise-versa. Legendary Pictures is now in the business of Guillermo del Toro working with him on Pacific Rim and Crimson Peak, which has now partnered with Universal Pictures. Universal was the studio that helped get the first two Hellboy movies made, also part of the comic universe of Mike Mignola. 

She also mentions a huge passion for Preacher. Luckily, for her Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg are showrunning/writing the project for television. The pair are responsible for films such as Superbad, Pineapple Express, The Interview and This Is The End. Their work on apocalyptic comedy This Is The End is basically a great example of what Preacher could be. The series will air on AMC, the network that has given us The Walking Dead, one of the most successful comic-to-television adaptations ever made. The duo are also directors, but let's hope they give others, such as Vuckovic a couple of episodes to direct.

"Preacher" follows Reverend Jesse Custer, a tough Texas preacher who has lost his faith, has learned that God has left Heaven and abandoned His responsibilities. He finds himself the only person capable of tracking God down, demanding answers, and making Him answer for His dereliction of duty. Accompanying Jesse on his journey is his former girlfriend and a friendly vampire who seems to prefer a pint in the pub to the blood of the innocent. On his tail is one of the most iconic bad guys in print – an immortal, unstoppable killing machine named the Saint of Killers – a western lone gunman archetype whose sole purpose is to hunt and kill Jesse.

It's our duty in the fan community to voice our distain to what Hollywood is doing, with this genre. We know there are talented female directors, and we all want to see female-driven films. Keep repeating these ideas and maybe the studios will finally get it into their heads, it will work. 

RUMOR: Is NAMOR Legendary's Secret 2016 Event Film?

It was reported that Legendary Pictures/Universal would be releasing a secret even film on November 4th, 2016, The studio failed to reveal it's title or what the project was, something Marvel Studios has made a habit of lately. We had assumed it could be The Great Wall, another monster movie that had been in development for ages, with Henry Cavill in the lead role.

However, LatinoReview has another theory, they believe it could be a comic book movie. Specifically, Namor The Submariner, which has been in-development limbo for ages at Universal. They are treating it as a rumor, but it was confirmed by Kevin Feige over the summer that Namor is indeed still at Universal. We've notice more than a few references to our underwater prince in Marvel Studios' films, so it will be interesting to see if the film is apart of the greater MCU. Since, Universal did play-nice with Marvel when working together on Phase One's The Incredible Hulk. We'll have to wait and see if this is the real-deal.

Legendary was asked about the news, but said "no comment". Which isn't a denial, that we'd expect from something like this, since it's only being treated as a rumor. A Namor movie has been in works for a while now. Jonathan Mostow (Terminator 3) once tried putting together a script with the intention to direct, and Jason Statham (former Olympic diver) was even interested one point for the role. It's not hard to imagine Legendary going-back to making comic book films, after giving us The Dark Knight Trilogy and Man of Steel. The studio has also put-out comic book tie-ins for Pacific Rim and Godzilla.

SOURCE: LATINOREVIEW

Harrison Ford Given An Official Offer For BLADE RUNNER 2

It's looks like everyone is courting Harrison Ford to reprise his old roles. Ford was confirmed for a major lead role in Star Wars: Episode VII (possible sequels too?), and is rumored be involved in the next two Indiana Jones films. The latter the actor has been more vocally enthused about reprising. Another 80's retread is also in development over at Alcon Entertainment and Warner Bros., which is a sequel to the cult sci-fi film Blade Runner.

Ridley Scott was confirmed a while back as returning to direct, with a new script being written by Hampton Fancher and Michael Green. Ridley has talked about including and reaching out to Harrison to return for the sequel, but it never seemed like sure-thing. Alcon announced they've made an offer to Ford, but aren't confirming it' a done deal.

“We believe that Hampton Fancher and Michael Green have crafted with Ridley Scott an extraordinary sequel to one of the greatest films of all time. We would be honored, and we are hopeful, that Harrison will be part of our project.”

At the moment production start hasn't been figured-out, as Ford will be busy with Star Wars and Ridley possibly with Prometheus 2 (getting rewrite from Michael Green) expected to begin shooting in the Fall or early 2015. It's still early and anything could happen, it's more than likely Harrison will have to turn it down because of other projects. While they could actually work around Ford to get this done.


SOURCE: ALCON ENTERTAINMENT

Tom Hardy And Kathryn Bigelow Team-Up For THE TRUE AMERICAN

Cannes 2014 has begun, and the new movie projects have started rolling-out. The most impressive news comes from high-end studio Annapurna Pictures, who has announced The True American. A thriller based on a true story and has Tom Hardy (Locke, Bronson, Warrior, Drop ) attached to star. Not to mention Oscar winner Kathryn Bigelow (Zero Dark Thirty, Hurt Locker) set to direct. Here's the full press release via ThePlaylist. The project sounds like another knockout, but a writer isn't named. We shouldn't be surprised if Kathryn's collaborator Mark Boal ends-up penning the script.

Annapurna’s Megan Ellison, who previously worked with Bigelow as a producer on ZERO DARK THIRTY, is set to produce. Annapurna’s Matthew Budman, who co-produced ZERO DARK THIRTY, will serve as Executive Producer.

THE TRUE AMERICAN meticulously reconstructs two lives that collided in horrific fashion. In the charged, angry days after 9/11, self-styled “American Terrorist” Mark Stroman murdered two immigrants in Texas, while a third man survived being shot in the head during Stroman’s spree: Raisuddin Bhuiyan, a Bangladesh Air Force veteran, was working at a Dallas-area convenience store as he established himself in America.

With Stroman identified and apprehended, the tale begins its tack toward deeper emotional waters. THE TRUE AMERICAN is a richly detailed, affecting account of two men bound, as it turns out, by more than just an act of violence.

The deal was brokered by Annapurna’s Paul Hanson and Christopher Corabi with CAA, which represents Rais Uddin Bhuiyan and Anand Giridharadas, as well as Bigelow and Hardy. Anand is represented for publishing by Katherine Flynn at Kneerim Williams and Bloom. Bigelow’s attorney is Warren Dern of Sloane Offer Weber & Dern; Hardy is represented by Lindy King at United Agents in the U.K. and attorney Jason Sloane of Sloane Offer Weber & Dern.

RUMOR: Zac Efron Might Be Getting A Role In A Marvel Studios Project

It's been a very busy week for Zac Efron, his comedy Neighors co-starring Rose Byrne and Seth Rogen was number one this weekend. Knocking-off Amazing Spider-Man 2 from the top-spot, earning an impressive $51 million. Making it one of the biggest openings for an R-rated comedy. It's now come to the attention of LatinoReview that Marvel Studios is now interested in Efron. They reported the following this afternoon.

We can exclusively report that Zac Efron is being looked at for unspecified role in an upcoming Marvel Studios project. He was given a script for the project just recently and currently no one knows which part is actually in play.

This comes about a day after we learned that Channing Tatum has landed the role of Gambit in the X-Men franchise, which would include a standalone film. I noticed that Zac Efron recently earned some respect from the comedy community, in the same way Tatum has from 21 Jump Street and This Is The End. Thanks in part to recent comedic roles and his hosting duties on SNL. I supported the suggestion that Zac could make an excellent young Scott Summers in future X-Men films.

It should also be noted that two of his co-stars (Miles Teller and Michael B Jordan) from That Awkward Moment were cast in The Fantastic Four reboot. So there was already a bit of a Marvel connection. Not to mention that Zac was linked for a Star Wars role, which many were surprised he didn't end-up getting (it might still happen). Efron has a longstanding history with Disney and the company placing one of their rising stars into a Marvel franchise wouldn't be unheard of.

The role and project are being kept unknown at this point, but it sounds like it won't be Doctor Strange (expected to be an older actor) or Black Panther. LR mentions the Netflix series which opens-the-door for Efron to be considered for both Daredevil and Iron Fist. We've seen a younger Danny Rand portrayed on the Ultimate Spider-Man cartoon series, which has Agent Coulson as lead character. I would have to lean towards Iron Fist at this point, as some have pointed-out that Matt Murdock might be played by a more seasoned actor as well.

A couple of other roles could be Nova, Adam Warlock or Black Bolt, cosmic characters that would easily fit into a Captain Marvel movie, a sequel to Guardians of The Galaxy or the long in-development Inhumans film. It sounds like something the could be announced during Comic-Con along with the rest of Phase Three plans. That said, the character he is looking to play is included in an existing script.

Another character that has been teased for an extremely longtime, is Namor the Sub-Mariner. A movie has been in the works for ages at Universal Pictures, which actors such as Jason Statham mentioning interest. Iron Man 2 and Captain America: The Winter Soldier have had easter eggs teasing the underwater prince. Only problem is that the film rights are at Universal, right? Well this didn't stop Marvel from including The Incredible Hulk into the Phase One lineup, when the production was split between the two studios. It's very possible a similar deal could be worked-out in the future.


SOURCE: LATINOREVIEW

THE RAID's Badass Actor Yayan Ruhian Joins Takashi Miike's YAKUZA APOCALYPSE

ScreenDaily reports that Yayan Ruhian, best known for his duel roles in The Raid: Redemption and The Raid 2: Berandal has landed a lead role in Takashi Miike's next feature. The film titled Yakuza Apocalypse: The Great War of The Underworld, focuses on a group of yakuza (Japanese gangsters) that turn out to be vampires. One yakuza discovers his boss is a vampire, only to be bitten just before going up against a group of international assassins. 

Considering Miike is known for crazy genre-bending stories, this should end-up a crazy awesome film. Yayan played the two heavies of the Raid films, and could easily be the standout addition to the cast. He'll play one of the international assassins in the film. Hayato Ichihara plays the yakuza underling who is bitten by his vampire boss. The movie is being eyed for 2015 release date. 

SOURCE: SCREENDAILY 

Roberto Orci In Talks To Direct STAR TREK 3 Without Any Directing Experience, But Why?

Variety reports that Roberto Orci, who has been a franchise writer for the new wave of films, is now in talks to direct Star Trek 3. Orci previously revealed a desire to direct the third installment, but seemed like a long-shot, considering Roberto has almost zero directing experience. Compared to high-profiled candidates such as Attack The Block's Joe Cornish. Sure, Orci has been involved as one of the franchise's many screenwriters, but what made Paramount choose him to takeover for J.J. Abrams?

"After weeks of rumblings that he was the frontrunner, sources have told Variety that Skydance and Paramount have tapped Roberto Orci to direct Paramount and Skydance’s “Star Trek 3.” Orci is currently writing the story with J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay and had been campaigning to replace J.J. Abrams as director for some time. Abrams is busy with directing the next installment of the “Star Wars” franchise and will only be producing this pic."

The big question at the moment is why? Yes, we've recently seen Orci's writing partner land the directing gig on Sony's Venom, but Alex Kurtzman has at least directed films such as People Like Us (let's try to forget how horribly it bombed on it's tiny budget). It's sort of crazy to think a first-time director would get a shot at directing the third installment in a blockbuster franchise like Star Trek. Without any previous material to back-up his directing candidacy.

We've seen first-time directors such as Wally Pfister crash-and-burn already this year with Transcendence, you'd think that would have been a wake-up-call to some studios. Not to say this will entirely turnout to be a disaster, as we've seen people like Drew Goddard shine. He at least hasn't been dubbed a terrible writer, lacking vision which Orci has.

Vision, is a major element a director needs. We've seen from scripts for Amazing Spider-Man 2, The Island, Cowboys & Aliens and The Transformers franchise, that Orci lacks the basics of storytelling, plot structure and character development as a writer. So, how the hell could he finally muster those necessary tools now, when he's placed in the director's chair? I just don't see why he's the prime choice when there are plenty of budding directors already working for Bad Robot, who could have taken-up the director's seat and given something special to the franchise. This decision screams, a rushed production to meet a release date, rather than a solid choice for a director. It's who they could get and one that was willing to take every single note from the studio, without butting-heads over the studio's vision. There's one story that's making the rounds, which could explain how Roberto was able to get Paramount to sign-off on him.

STAR TREK 3 director Bob Orci believes the Boston Marathon Bombing and the Sandy Hook massacre were set up by the government.
— Devin Faraci (@devincf) May 14, 2014

Devin at BadassDigest has been a giant advocate against Mr. Orci. Pointing out his public break-up to longtime writing parter Kurtzman, had to do with his "alcoholism" and crazy conspiracy theories. A few including the government was involved in the Boston Marathon Bombing and Sandy Hook Massacre. Painting Orci as an unstable person that just might overshadow the craziness of Mel Gibson, as Mr. Gibson never rained-down such lunacy in his own film Conspiracy Theory. It's actually shocking that Paramount would place Roberto as the face of their squeaky-clean franchise. At least the press tour will be interesting when his crazy theories are explored in front of cameras. Devin also added the following to his own write-up on the news, which might explain why Orci was hired. It's safe to say BadassDigest won't be supporting the new film, and others just might follow-suit.

"I've already told you what I heard, that Orci cock-blocked every director who came in for meetings on the project, making it look like anyone who helmed would be his dancing monkey. Who wants that when you already have pressure from the fans and the studio? Orci made a power move to guarantee his ass in the director's chair despite a huge lack of experience. How did Paramount allow this to happen?"

SOURCE: VARIETY

FIRST LOOK: Ben Affleck As Batman In BATMAN VS SUPERMAN And The Batmoblie

Zack Snyder has shared the first still of Ben Affleck in his Batman costume on the set of Batman Vs Superman, along with the first look at the Batmoblie. I love the costume and it seems to fit the descriptions of the costume.

SOURCE: ZACK SNYDER

Channing Tatum Confirmed For GAMBIT Role, Should We Expect To See Him In X-MEN APOCALYPSE?

On the red carpet for the premiere of X-Men Days of Future Past, producer Lauren Shuler Donner confirmed to TotalFilm, that Channing Tatum (Jupiter Ascending, 22 Jump Street) has been cast as the new Gambit. His actually participation in the X-Men universe hasn't been revealed, but Bryan Singer mentioned the character for X-Men Apocalypse. A solo movie featuring Remy has been in development since X-Men Origins: Wolverine, and it seems like the studio might have a viable actor to finally head-up the franchise.



Fans of Taylor Kitsch might be disappointed but shouldn't be shocked. Kitsch post-Origins led two of the biggest box office disappointments in the last decade with Battleship and John Carter. Not exactly the type of actor wanted for a budding comic book franchise.

SOURCE: TOTALFILM

FIRST LOOK: Charlie Hunnam, Jessica Chastain And Mia Wasikowsa On The Set Of CRIMSON PEAK

Guillermo del Toro's Victorian era horror film Crimson Peak has been shooting in and around the Toronto area for months now. We now have some first looks at Charlie Hannam, Jessica Chastain and Mia Wasikowsa on the set of the film, along with previously spotted Tom Hiddleston. The shots were taken by local paper TheHamiltonSpecator, as scenes were being filmed at Dundurn Castle. Other scenes had been also been shot at equally historical building The Scottish Rite, near Hess Village in Hamilton (both buildings pictured below as well). If I had to guess it's possible the Scottish Rite, could be the exterior for the haunted house, as the red brick does standout. These sets are in my old neighborhood and I've been in around those two buildings most of my life. They are stunning from the outside and inside, and will likely be major set pieces of the film. The primary stage location is at Pinewood Studios, Toronto. Which is the same place where del Toro shot Pacific Rim.

SOURCE: HAMILTONSPEC 

FILMS THAT SHOULD BE MADE: Zack Snyder's SEVEN SAMURAI Inspired STAR WARS Spin-Off

Disney has confirmed that Star Wars spin-offs are coming and we should expect three of them. The release dates haven't been revealed but are expected to be 2017, 2019 and 2020, with main Episodes 7-9 to be released between them. We hear that Larry Kasdan is still working on a Boba Fett script, but that apparently hasn't been greenlit by the studio. Other possible spin-off movies include ones based around Yoda and Han Solo (there has also been talk of movies based on Jabba The Hutt and Star Wars: Rebels).



During the days of, who is going to direct Star Wars: Episode VII? An interesting story arose from the trades, which pointed to a Star Wars pitch from director Zack Snyder (Watchmen, 300, Man of Steel). His film would be greatly inspired by Akira Kurosawa's classic film The Seven Samurai. A poor village under attack by bandits recruits seven unemployed samurai to help them defend themselves.



Something George Lucas had previously did with New Hope, taking direct cue's from Kurosawa's The Hidden Fortress. Not mention lifting entire shots and scenes from the film.

Snyder would eventually deny the pitch every took place, a common practice these days as directors and actors will deny any involvement to press about potential projects. In Zack's case likely due to his then unannounced commitments to the Man of Steel sequel Batman Vs Superman and now Justice League, which he was also taking with Warner Bros. about. Abrams himself lied about his involvement with Episode VII, until he was announced by Lucasfilm as it's director. It should be noted that when it comes to Star Wars just expect everything to be denied, until a press release from their site confirms it.

My impression is that Zack both signed a non-disclosure agreement with Lucasfilm, as did a majority of other directors who were courted around the same time (Matthew Vaughn..ect), and he also didn't want to look like his idea was being rejected by the studio. For all intensive purposes it looks like that film may never happen, as Zack's commitments to the DCU have increased. He could be called upon to direct even more DC movies in the future.



It's also possible that Zack might ask to leave Warner Bros. to make other movies, such as Christopher Nolan did between Batman films with The Prestige and Inception. When Justice League wraps, that would make it three back-to-back DCU installments from Snyder. I'm sure he'll want a bit of break from the comic book genre. Synder proved with the Krypton scenes in Man of Steel, he could have an interesting take visually on the Star Wars universe. I still believe this could end up happening, but it's a long-shot.

It's hard to say where Lucasfilm will want to go with Han Solo, but I do believe incorporating the Seven Samurai elements into a Yoda film could work very well together. Establishing an untold mission Yoda and other exiled jedi took-on, could be a very compelling spin-off or standalone feature. Even more so if it was set within the new Rebels saga, which is apparently official canon. Having a rag-tag group of former jedi knights who have been on the run or hiding from the Empire, coming together for a common goal or one last heroic event. Before they truly dissolve the jedi order as Kenobi and Yoda did by hiding out on remote planets, and never contacting the other jedi again.



I'm sure Rebels will try to explain what has happened to the remaining the jedi across the universe, but this could specifically speak to Yoda, Ashoka Tano (finally appearing in the films) and even Kenobi. I just feel like Seven Samurai screams jedi knights, and if the legacy/expanded universe if off-limits. Placing it into Yoda movie, set within the timeline of Rebels could make for an extremely entertaining adventure. We could even see the Rebels team get into the mix, with new cowboy jedi Kanan and even possibly Ezra. That's already five of seven spots possibly filled with canon characters.

Of course, Synder could end-up locking into a crazy contract with Warner Bros. to direct all the DC films (which would be insane for both the studio and Zack). Placing this whole idea into limbo, which for all we know will be it's fate. I'm excited at the possibility of Zack tackling a Star Wars movie, even if can't even admit to his pitch ever happening. Allowing him to play within the Star Wars sandbox, could be one of the more bold moves Lucasfilm might make moving forward with these spin-offs.

STAR WARS UPDATES: Disney Confirms Three Spin-Offs And Sophie Turner Possibly Linked

Today, Disney's Bob Iger officially confirmed that Lucasfilm will be making "at least" three spin-off movies. We don't know exactly what they'll be, but Lawrence Kasdan (Episode VII, Empire Strikes Back, Return of The Jedi) has been linked for writing the Boba Fett movie. Other candidates include Jabba The Hutt, Yoda, Han Solo and a possible movie based on the new cartoon series Rebels.

Another tidbit was also mentioned by BadassDigest relaying the rumor that Game of Thrones actress Sophie Turner is currently meeting with Bad Robot. Abrams' production company is working on the Star Wars films, so it's expected this could be connected to Episode VII. It's been revealed that casting hasn't completed, with actors such as Zac Efron and Lupita Nyong'o still in the mix.

Considering her red-locks it's hard not to think she'd make an excellent Mara Jade. Originally in the novels, she is the disciple of Darth Vader and marries Luke Skywalker. As Lucasfilm is scrapping legacy/expanded universe canon, it's possible they could insert her into the new trilogies. It wouldn't hurt to pair her up with Ben Skywalker, if they do indeed to focus on the children. That said, we really have no clue what characters will be used.

Marvel Screen Testing BLACK PANTHER And Wakanda In AGE OF ULTRON?

LatinoReview is picking up on a rumor that Marvel Studios could be screen testing for Black Panther. It should be noted that they aren't 100% sure about it, but it's very plausible. As we've been hearing Marvel beating-the-drum that a Black Panther movie is on the way (script written by Mark Bailey). There was even talk that he might be apart of Avengers: Age of Ultron. At one point the last Phase Two spot was a head-to-head between Panther and Guardians of The Galaxy.

A bunch of actors have been linked, wanted or campaigned for the title role. Those names include John Boyega (Attack The Block, Star Wars: Episode VII), Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years A Slave, Children of Men, Serenity), Chadwick Boseman (Get On Up, 42), Idris Elba (Pacific Rim, Thor 1-2, Luther) and others. We have no idea if any of these people are indeed in the mix for the role.

Drew from HitFix has replied to the rumor by confirming that T'Challa's home country Wakanda will indeed appear in Avengers: Age of Ultron. The fictional Marvel African nation, which is self-sufficient and has the most advanced technology on the planet. It's currently unknown if Panther himself will show-up in the sequel, but Marvel has apparently "left the door open" for that to happen. I'm beyond excited to see Wakanda, it will be interesting to see how "sci-fi" the country becomes.

@elmayimbe Wakanda's in the film, but as of the start of production, Black Panther wasn't. They left the door open, though.
— Drew McWeeny (@DrewAtHitFix) May 5, 2014

SOURCE: LATINOREVIEW

Mars Crain Making Promo Video For His Campaign To Play Marvel's LUKE CAGE

Actor Mars Crain (Hancock, Key And Peele, Inherent Vice) has taken advice from comedian Jordan Peele and put his hat into the ring to play Mavel's Luke Cage. Peele suggested on his twitter account that Crain should take the role, which is currently being eyed for Marvel's wave of Netflix shows. Cage would get his own solo series, with possible cameos in the other shows before teaming-up for the Defenders mini-series. We've heard others like Terry Crews, Idris Elba and Isaiah Mustafa (also put out a teaser video) speak-to wanting the role as well. Mars has shot his own promo reel for the role, which is expected to hit social media soon. The announcement included a teaser image of Crain as Power Man.

Scott Adkins campaigned for the role of Bruce Wayne in Batman Vs Superman, which in-turn led to a meeting with Zack Snyder (confirmed by Scott). At the very least this end-up with Marvel taking a look at Crain for the Cage role, or future ones. It's possible Mars could get a little more attention as he's taken a role in Paul Thomas Anderson's next film Inherent Vice. Luke Cage is expected to be the last series shot before Defenders, so Marvel will likely have plenty of time to cast the role. It should be noted that the studio wouldn't need massively well-known names for their Netflix series, as they would with their films.

@JordanPeele and thank once again for the support and inspiring me to shoot my own teaser for Luke Cage. pic.twitter.com/Sy9j0icrHt
— Mars Crain (@marscrain) April 30, 2014

SOURCE: TWITTER