Source: Coming Soon

The past few hours have rolled out some very interesting news about Marvel’s biggest superhero flicks. First, a new photo from Kenneth Branagh’s Thor has hit the web. It features Thor (with hammer), Loki (his adopted brother) and Odin their father and ruler of Asgard. But there’s some things that just feel weird about the picture. Second, a new rumor has surfaced that Mark Ruffalo is in final talks to take up the role of Bruce Banner/The Hulk in Joss Whedon’s The Avengers. As you may recall, Edward Norton is no longer attached to the roll. Last, both Thor and Captain America: The First Avenger are getting some special Hollywood treatment, which honestly now isn’t so much of a surprise. Check out the headlines below.

Weird #1 – Thor

There’s three things about this picture that strike me in a funny way. First, Chris Hemsworth (Thor) looks like Heath Ledger. I’m wondering with keeping the Norse mythology if they will speak in Olde English or sound Shakespearean. Loki doesn’t have his trademark huge-horn hat, like how Thor doesn’t have his, but I can’t help but feel there’ll be some shot or scene with it considering it’s such a staple of his character. Last, Anthony Hopkins looks like a futuristic pirate.  I’m not feeling the eye-patch but it could be a temporary thing, like Odin took an elbow in the face during a pickup game of basketball or something.

Weird #2 – Hulk in The Avengers

Mark Ruffalo is a good actor. I’ll give him that much. He was fantastic alongside Adrien Brody in The Brothers Bloom. I just wish Norton stayed with the role. According to Edward’s statements, it sounds like Marvel were the ones who cut ties with him. Apparently, Edward Norton is a difficult person to work with, so they might be pulling a Terrance Howard/Don Cheadle swap a la Iron Man 2. Cheadle played the role of James Rhodes differently from Terrance Howard, and I’m wondering how Ruffalo will do if he indeed is cast. He sort of doesn’t look comfortable in his own skin, so maybe Mark Ruffalo will have a deep understanding of having a giant monster caged inside himself.

Obvious – The Third Dimension

I wonder how people who have one eye feel about 3D. I imagine they get dragged to 3D flicks by family and loved ones, yet no doubt think to themselves about talking to movie theater managers about getting cheaper tickets. The best looking 3D features are the ones shot in 3D, like Avatar and Jaws 3-D. However, since Hollywood has caught on that they can make anything 3D and people will go to it, there’s been a major push to make movies 3D, including doing post-production 3D. Post-production 3D looks terrible, but it looks like both Thor and Captain America: The First Avenger will be made 3D in post-production. Speaking about the changes to the films, Captain America director Joe Johnston said they are giving the 3D process a lot of time and effort and Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige has said that the special effects in both movies began in 3D replication. Hope it looks better than Clash of the Titans or The Last Airbender.

The web has been buzzing with Marvel Studios decision not to bring Edward Norton back as the Incredible Hulk’s alter ego Bruce Banner in an Avengers feature film. Here is statement released to Hitfix from Marvel’s Kevin Feige:

“We have made the decision to not bring Ed Norton back to portray the title role of Bruce Banner in the Avengers. Our decision is definitely not one based on monetary factors, but instead rooted in the need for an actor who embodies the creativity and collaborative spirit of our other talented cast members. The Avengers demands players who thrive working as part of an ensemble, as evidenced by Robert, Chris H, Chris E, Sam, Scarlett, and all of our talented casts. We are looking to announce a name actor who fulfills these requirements, and is passionate about the iconic role in the coming weeks.”

Fans have been expressing their outrage online ever since. Fan polls galore have been on many sites and people have quickly drawn lines in the sand. In a show of true class Edward Norton shared some words with the fans on his Facebook.

See his letter after the jump.

This news had come as a shock to some, and inevitable to others. It was said that Norton had some issues with the final cut of THE INCREDIBLE HULK and many fans wondered if such an A-list actor could be part of an ensemble cast such as this. Could there have been enough room for the likes of Norton and Robert Downey Jr. on the same screen? It would have put two of this writers favorite actors together and I think it would have been gold. I think that it was nice to read these words from Norton and many will be able to move on. There is no news on who will play Bruce Banner in the Avengers project. Whom ever it is better be ready and on his A game.

What do you think? Post below.

Source: Heat Vision

When it comes to M. Night Shyamalan, there are two things that run through people’s mind: what sort of crazy story/twist is he coming up with next, and “is that how you spell his name?” A lot of his haters tend to knock him on his original stories and endings, like LADY IN THE WATER and THE VILLAGE. However, he may win over some critics with this summer’s THE LAST AIRBENDER, the adaptation of the action cartoon he wrote and directed. Looking towards his next project, he has gone back to his usual secrecy. There’s a bit of news though, and some of it might excite fans of one of Shyamalan’s best movies, UNBREAKABLE.

The news is that Shyamalan has a script completed and shopping it around to top studio executives. While the details of the script are being kept secret, there are a few actors loosely attached to the movie, including Bradley Cooper, Gwyneth Paltrow and Bruce Willis. While we do not know what the story is exactly, Willis said in an interview with MTV during promotion for COP OUT that he had spoken to Shyamalan over the holiday season and that they had an idea about having Willis’ character face Sam Jackson’s villainous Mr. Glass. He said they thought about taking the story further into the action genre since they set up the dramatic origin in the first film. Bruce also added he would be on board as long as Jackson is. With THE LAST AIRBENDER coming out in two weeks, Shyamalan may be feeling a bit generous to shed some light on the secret film. Does anyone out there want to see a sequel to UNBREAKABLE?

This coming weekend two big 80s franchises are getting the Hollywood Brazilian treatment. But before Roman and Jordan get to that, they hit up the highlights from the MTV Movie Awards (hint: there’s not any) and discuss some interesting casting news for Marvel’s upcoming hero flicks. However, Roman had a pretty hard time coming up with the actors’ names and their characters from THE A-TEAM, so the episode begins with a few good bloopers. Check out the video below and let us know if you like it.

A lot of buzz concerning Marvel’s team-up flick THE AVENGERS has rolled out the past few days. First, IRON MAN director Jon Favreau confirmed The Hulk will be a main character in the film. Although Favreau himself isn’t directing the project his franchise films are directly tied to AVENGERS, so it’s safe to say he’d know if that was true. Second, LOST fans got excited for a few hours after reports surfaced that Josh Holloway was in talks for an unspecified role. However, that was shot down by his agency. But now, there’s finally been some solid casting news concerning THE AVENGERS and CAPTAIN AMERICA, specifically the roles of Hawkeye and Dum Dum Dugan. Who’s it looking like it’s going to be? Read below for the casting news.

Hawkeye

THE HURT LOCKER star Jeremy Renner, according to Heat Vision, is in talks to play Clint Barton/Hawkeye in Joss Whedon’s THE AVENGERS. Adding him into the mix with Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, and Nick Fury should excite fans of the comics since he’s never graced the screen before. Renner was outstanding in THE HURT LOCKER and has somewhat of a cavalier acting style that should play well off Robert Downey, Jr.’s Tony Stark/Iron Man. We still are waiting to find out if Edward Norton will reprise his role of Bruce Banner/Hulk in the film.

Dum Dum Dugan

Neal McDonough, who’s played in MINORITY REPORT and the cinematic masterpiece 88 MINUTES, is reportedly in the final steps to play Dum Dum Dugan in Joe Johnston’s CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER. While he isn’t seen as a major player when it comes to comic book characters, his importance is great as Nick Fury’s right hand man. No doubt he’ll be getting his hands dirty with Chris Evans fighting Nazis back in the 1940s. Some of Marvel’s latest video games have featured Dum Dum as a side character, typically NPC or computer controlled. Neal will probably sport the bowler hat and cigar, but I’m wondering how they’ll handle the mustache.

Roman and Jordan are back with The Z Cast, and with them, some grim news for movie fans. It looks like Hollywood just doesn’t get what’s good, and is settling for what makes the most money. They chat about the new Pirates of the Caribbean film with 3D fun!, Eddie Murphy talking about another Nutty Professor travesty, and a movie with a nasty-looking ogre (no not that movie, Sex and the City 2 is next week). Check out the second episode of The Z Cast below.

Peter Sarsgaard must be letting the role of villainous Hector Hammond in GREEN LANTERN give himself a big ego, because he has one huge head! The photo below is a photo shot from the set between takes, presumably after he got out of make-up. It looks very strange and weird, but it fits the look of the character well. I hope the giant head look works for the movie, because out of context he looks like the Elephant Man. Check out the pic below and leave your comments on the look.

Apparently, today was a pretty big day in comic book movie adaptation news. Lots of stuff was floating around the net today, so I’ve done my best to pin it down. First, we got some news on the next Batman movie from Warner Bros. on the release date of the presumably final installment from director Christopher Nolan. Second, Yahoo! Movies got their hands on the first pic of Chris Hemsworth in costume shooting the Thor film. Lastly, rumor mill is churning over a possible co-star in Captain America joining up. Continue reading for the details on the three projects below.

Batman

Warner Bros. has set a release date for the follow-up to The Dark Knight. On par for some of the news we’ve been hearing for a while, July 20, 2012 is the tentative date. It seems sort of weird for it to be set so late into the summer. It is going to be a few weeks after Sony’s Spider-Man reboot, but regardless it’s going to be a big hit.

Thor

Here’s the first picture of Chris Hemsworth as the title character in Thor.

Captain America

Tommy Lee Jones is supposedly eying a role in the upcoming First Avenger film. Jones is an authority actor who seems perfect for a role in the military. Hopefully we will get confirmation on his involvement in the project shortly.

Stay tuned to Fanboyz.net for updates on all these projects.

Throughout Hollywood history, countless characters have been played by various actors. While some have clearly been better than others, other times it is difficult to decide which actor does the best job in the role. Square Off takes two actors and puts them against each other, and determines the best. For our first match-up, we are going to take a look at Brian Cox and Danny Huston in their portrayals of Col. William Stryker from the X-MEN series.

Col. William Stryker rivals many humans with his hatred for mutants in the X-MEN universe. As a father, he was unable to stop his mutant son from manipulating his wife’s mind as she killed herself. From that point on, he set himself to rid the world of mutants. Pragmatically, he surrounds himself with mutants and pulls their strings to work towards his sick final solution. In X2, Stryker is portrayed by one of Hollywood’s greats, Brian Cox. Stryker’s plan in the film is to use Charles Xavier’s Cerebro machine to end the lives of all mutants around the world. Danny Huston, in the prequel X-Men Origins: Wolverine, plays a younger Stryker, who seeks to create the ultimate mutant weapon, and use it to do his evil bidding. Two very different actors, two very different movies. Which one will the winner?

Brian Cox – X2

Brian shows the more emotional side of Stryker in X2. Stryker explains to Xavier the reason for his hatred stems from the loss of his wife. He describes in detail how his wife put a power tool to her head while his son manipulated her thoughts. Instead of being short-sighted and thinking small, Stryker uses his learned knowledge of Cerebro to strike at all mutants around the planet at once. He successfully invaded Xavier’s mansion, and his deep pockets through the military have supplied him with a tactical force to secure one of the most powerful mutants, Xavier himself. The last we see of him, his plan has been foiled, and Wolverine leaves him injured and chained up to face a storm of flooding water from the broken dam at the military facility.

Danny Huston – X-MEN Origins: Wolverine

Danny Huston plays Stryker as a younger and more fluid man. His overall plan in the film is to create the ultimate killing machine, but throughout the movie he goes back and forth with allegiances. The opening shows him with his mutant team, including Wolverine. After Wolverine leaves the team, Stryker goes after the other teammates who left before sending Victor Creed after him. Ironically enough, Stryker puts Wolverine through the Weapon X program, testing him to see if the adamantium process is viable. It’s with the indestructible metal that Wolverine would eventually defeat Stryker in the future, but not before the Colonel shoots him in the head, leading to his memory loss.

And the winner is…

Brian Cox, who not only gave Stryker a deeper portrayal than Huston, but also is comes across more believable as a rogue military man. This decision was fairly straightforward, but in upcoming Squared Off features, we will be looking into some that are much more difficult to determine. Do you agree with this outcome? Leave your comments below.

At the beginning of the month we reported that a script  for a Wolverine sequel had been finished and was set to start shooting in 2011. The film is supposed to pull from Chris Claremont’s and Frank Miller’s comic that takes place in Japan and, as I recall, doesn’t have Sabretooth in it. io9 reports that Liev Schreiber had dinner with Hugh Jackman who has read the first draft of the script and seemed ” really excited”. At this point there is no director attached and the cast remains a mystery for the time being. So, will Liev Schreiber be in the sequel?

Read what he had to say after the jump.

“It’s still not clear whether or not Victor will be present in the Japan storyline. In the Japan storyline as I remember it from the Wolverine comics, Victor wasn’t there. So I don’t know, of course I’ve got my fingers crossed because I love the character so much, to have the chance to do it again would be a lot of fun, but I’m not sure.”

One of the few saving graces from X-Men Origins: Wolverine was Schreiber’s Sabretooth. His look, posture and swagger were a great update from page to screen and it would be a shame not to have him back. I know, as a comic book fan, that Sabretooth has no business in the Japan storyline, but it could make for an attractive tweak to a story that is 20 years old. I actually hope that they just loosely base the script on Claremont’s tale and throw in some other X-Men related characters like the Silver Samurai or Sunfire. Either way the film just needs to be more coherent than the first one and have better CGI and I know I will be happy.

Would you like to see Liev Schreiber in the sequel or should we get some fresh characters? Post below.