Category: Marvel

Marvel’s ‘Avengers 3’ Gets Official Title With Temp Name Hung On ‘Avengers 4’

Marvel Studios has decided on a title for the in-development Avengers 3, making official that the film will be called Avengers: Infinity War. Avengers 4, meanwhile, has been given the placeholder name Untitled Avengers.

Infinity War

Infinity War is the first installment of a two-part story that concludes with Untitled Avengers; the two films were announced together at an event in October 2014 as Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 and Avengers: Infinity War Part 2. Their respective release dates of 5/4/18 and 5/3/19 have not been changed.

Both films are being helmed by Anthony & Joe Russo, who directed Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Captain America: Civil War and were handed the reins of Marvel’s flagship franchise following the departure of Joss Whedon, who directed 2012’s The Avengers and last year’s Avengers: Age of Ultron, both of which are among the seven top-grossing films of all time worldwide. The Russos confirmed in May that Avengers 3 and 4 were being retitled in part to put to rest speculation that the two films were merely one large film split in half.

Widely believed to be inspired by the 1991 Marvel Comics miniseries Infinity Gauntlet, Avengers: Infinity War and Untitled Avengers has been described by Joe Russo as an event in which the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe up to that point will unite “to battle the greatest threat to the world and universe that you’ve ever seen.” The miniseries saw the Marvel Comics universe faced with doom when archvillain Thanos the Mad Titan, in love with/obsessed with the (female) physical incarnation of Death, assembles all six “Infinity Gems,” granting him godlike power over the universe. (For those keeping score, the gems control Time, Space, Mind, Soul, Reality and Power.) Believing she’ll reciprocate his feelings if he delivers enough souls to her, his plan is to kill half of all living things.

Thanos, played by Josh Brolin, has been established as a major behind-the-scenes player in the events of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. First seen in a voiceless cameo in the stinger to Avengers, where the obsession with Death was teased, he showed up again as a major supporting character in Guardians of the Galaxy and later in the stinger for Age of Ultron. As with the comics, the Infinity Gems — called stones in the MCU — have played a major role, factoring into the plots of Captain America: The First Avenger, The Avengers, Thor: The Dark World, Guardians of the Galaxy and Age of Ultron.

While the plot and casting have been kept largely under wraps, Robert Downey Jr (Iron Man), Chris Pratt (Star-Lord), Chris Evans (Captain America), Chris Hemsworth (Thor) and Elizabeth Olsen (Scarlet Witch) have been confirmed to appear in the films, with the assumption being that Mark Ruffalo, Scarlett Johannson, Samuel L. Jackson, and other longstanding Marvel cast members also will appear. The Russos also have teased appearances by Benedict Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange as well as Brie Larson’s Captain Marvel, though Marvel Studios has clarified that Captain Marvel will debut first in a stand-alone film to be released between Infinity War and Untitled Avengers.

From Deadline.com

‘Captain America: Civil War’ Blasts Off to $180 Million Weekend

“Captain America: Civil War” is making U.S. box office history, blasting to the fifth-best opening weekend ever with an estimated $180 million.

Marvel-Disney’s tentpole launched the summer moviegoing season on Friday with a spectacular $75.3 million at 4,226 locations — the eighth-highest opening day of all time. That figure includes $25 million from Thursday night preview showings.

“Captain America: Civil War” should finish the weekend in elite company behind only four other films: “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” at $248 million, “Jurassic World” at $208.8 million, “Marvel’s The Avengers” at $207.4 million and “Avengers: Age of Ultron” at $191.3 million.

Projections on Saturday showed the third “Captain America” will replace “Iron Man 3,” which opened with $174.1 million on the same weekend in 2013, as the fifth-highest launch at the U.S. box office. Its per-location average is about $42,000 for the weekend.

The $75 opening day total for “Civil War” trails only seven titles, led by “The Force Awakens” at $119.1 million, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 2” at $91.1 million, “Ultron” at $84.4 million, “Jurassic World” at $82 million, “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” at $81.6 million, “Marvel’s the Avengers” at $80.8 million and “The Dark Knight Rises” at $75.8 million.

“Captain America: Civil War,” the 13th film in the Marvel Universe, has already shown plenty of power outside the U.S. with $291.2 million as of Thursday after nine days. That number should jump this weekend, thanks in part to the opening in China.

Disney’s marketing hooks for the movie include a duel between Chris Evans’ Captain America and Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man, plus the introduction of  Chadwick Boseman’s Black Panther and Tom Holland’s Spider-Man. The “Captain America: Winter Soldier” directorial team of Joe and Anthony Russo helmed the sequel.

Online ticketing service Fandango reported on Wednesday that “Civil War” had generated a record in advance sales for a superhero title, surpassing “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,” “Avengers: Age of Ultron” and “The Avengers.”

From Variety

Disney Removes Marvel’s ‘Inhumans’ From Release Schedule

Disney has confirmed what most fanboys have known for the past 11 days: The studio is pulling Marvel’s Inhumans off its July 12, 2019 release date for the time being, and leaving it as unset. Marvel has made a lot of additions to its release calendar, i.e. Spider-Man: Homecoming on July 7, 2017 and Ant-Man And The Wasp on July 6, 2018, which has pushed Inhumans to the back burner. In an interview with Collider, Marvel honcho Kevin Feige pointed to the fact that Disney/Lucasfilm’s next Indiana Jones film is scheduled for the weekend following Inhumans, July 19.

Inhumans isn’t dead, it’s just a matter of when Marvel will fire it up. Currently, there’s a script by Joe Robert Cole (Black Panther, American Crime Story). Originally, Inhumans was part of Marvel’s 3.0 phase where they were delving even deeper into their vaults to launch more of their niche superheros on the big screen.

Who are the Inhumans? They’re a race of super people, who were first introduced in a December 1965 issues of The Fantastic Four. They also appeared during the second season of Marvel’s Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.

From Deadline

Marvel Shake-Up: Film Chief Kevin Feige to Report Directly to Alan Horn

kevin_feige

After what one source describes as “several years of frustration,” Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige has pulled off a reorganization of the vaunted film company that has him reporting to Disney studio chief Alan Horn as opposed to the infamously micromanaging Marvel Entertainment CEO Isaac “Ike” Perlmutter.

Feige, the architect of Marvel’s transition from a flailing comic book company into a film powerhouse that was sold to Disney for $4 billion in 2009, is said to have vented his unhappiness to Horn and Disney CEO Bob Iger earlier this summer. The reorganization was put into effect last week, according to sources.

“Marvel Studios is taking the next logical step in its integration with The Walt Disney Studios, joining Pixar and Lucasfilm in centralizing many of its film-related functions in Burbank, with Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige and co-president Louis D’Esposito continuing to lead the Marvel Studios team reporting to Walt Disney Studios Chairman Alan Horn,” a Disney spokesperson tells THR in a statement.

The revamp is a blow to New York-based Perlmutter, a low-profile billionaire who has contributed to Marvel’s reputation in Hollywood for frugality and secrecy (as THR reported in a 2014 feature, he attended the premiere of Iron Man in a disguise to go undetected and once complained that journalists at a press junket were allowed two sodas instead of one). Jeph Loeb, head of Marvel Television, continues to report to Perlmutter, who will maintain oversight of Marvel’s TV group, publishing, animation and other New York-based operations.

Perlmutter, 72, is said to have accepted Feige’s insistence on the film group breaking free. But the move illustrates the power that Feige has amassed within the Disney empire, having overseen a slate of films since 2009 that has grossed more than $7 billion while rival Warner Bros. has struggled to turn its DC superheroes into a comparable cinematic universe. Disney has plotted out Marvel films until at least 2019.

The shift also evidences the tricky executive politics that Iger must manage as a result of assembling several freestanding feifdoms under the Disney banner over the past decade. Pixar Animation Studios, Lucasfilm and Marvel have been key acquisitions that brought with them valuable intellectual property assets and creative expertise. But each silo is overseen by powerful executives such as animation gurus John Lasseter and Ed Catmull, producer Kathleen Kennedy and Perlmutter and Feige, respectively, all of whom have tremendous influence within their corner of the Disney empire.

Feige, 42, has been considered the key man at Marvel, producing everything from the original Iron Man through this summer’s Avengers: Age of Ultron and Ant-Man. One insider says Feige has earned the opportunity to break free from Perlmutter, who is not only controlling, but also obsessed with thrift.

“Everybody knows Ike is difficult,” says one source close to the company. “This has been a long time coming. Kevin has grown his entire career under Ike and now it just makes sense.”

From The Hollywood Reporter

Stars & Filmmakers of Disney, Marvel Studios and Lucasfilm Featured at Live Action Presentation

Force Awakens Cast

 

Disney, Marvel Studios and Lucasfilm presented their live action film slates this morning at the D23 EXPO 2015 at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, Calif. The presentations, which revealed exclusive news and details about the upcoming live action films, were aided by live and video appearances from talent and filmmakers. Walt Disney Studios Chairman Alan Horn hosted the highly anticipated biennial event.

“It’s quite something to be able to have Disney, Marvel and Lucasfilm all on the same stage, and it’s tremendously gratifying to unveil our upcoming projects to our most dedicated fans first,” said Alan Horn, Chairman, The Walt Disney Studios. “We always have an incredible time at the D23 EXPO.”

After welcoming the crowd to D23 EXPO 2015, Horn introduced Kevin Feige, President of Marvel Studios, and Sean Bailey, President of Walt Disney Studios Motion Picture Production, to present overviews of the Marvel Studios and Disney live action slates. Later Horn returned to the stage to present the Lucasfilm film slate to the enthusiastic audience.

A recap of the presentation follows:

· Kevin Feige led off with a glimpse into the world of Marvel’s “Doctor Strange,” featuring a video greeting by Benedict Cumberbatch, who stars as the title character, followed by a pre-production piece that offered fans a taste of the look and feel of the upcoming film, opening in U.S. theaters on October 26, 2016.

Marvel’s “Captain America: Civil War” marched into D23 EXPO with an introduction by its producer, Kevin Feige. To the delight of the audience, Chris Evans and Anthony Mackie showed up on stage to help Feige show never-seen-before footage from the movie. Before the footage rolled, Feige revealed that there was a special “Easter egg” for fans to find: it was aptly a nod to D23 EXPO.

Marvel’s “Captain America: Civil War” picks up where “Avengers: Age of Ultron” left off, as Steve Rogers leads the new team of Avengers in their continued efforts to safeguard humanity. After another international incident involving the Avengers results in collateral damage, political pressure mounts to install a system of accountability and a governing body to determine when to enlist the services of the team. The new status quo fractures the Avengers while they try to protect the world from a new and nefarious villain.

The movie stars Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie, Emily VanCamp, Don Cheadle, Jeremy Renner, Chadwick Boseman, Paul Bettany, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Rudd, Frank Grillo, Tom Holland, with William Hurt and Daniel Brühl. Marvel’s “Captain America: Civil War” is directed by Anthony & Joe Russo and produced by Kevin Feige. Louis D’Esposito, Alan Fine, Victoria Alonso, Patricia Whitcher, Nate Moore and Stan Lee serve as executive producers and the screenplay is by Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely. Marvel’s “Captain America: Civil War” opens in the U.S. on May 6, 2016.

Sean Bailey took the stage to introduce the first film in the Disney live-action lineup, “The Finest Hours,” which is based on the remarkable true story of the most daring rescue mission in the history of the Coast Guard. Chris Pine, who plays Bernie Webber, the captain of the rescue boat, joined Bailey on stage to give fans a peak at the heroic action-thriller.

Presented in Digital 3D™, Real D 3D and IMAX® 3D, the film, which is directed by Craig Gillespie and also stars Casey Affleck, Ben Foster, Holliday Grainger, John Ortiz and Eric Bana, transports audiences to the heart of the action, creating a fully-immersive cinematic experience on an epic scale.

“The Finest Hours” is produced by Jim Whitaker and Dorothy Aufiero and Doug Merrifield is the executive producer. The film is based on the book by Michael J. Tougias and Casey Sherman and the screenplay is by Scott Silver and Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson. “The Finest Hours” storms into U.S. theaters on January 29, 2016.

After an introduction by Sean Bailey, Jon Favreau, director of Disney’s upcoming “The Jungle Book,” welcomed to the stage newcomer Neel Sethi, who was selected from thousands of candidates to play man-cub Mowgli; plus Oscar® winners Ben Kingsley, who helps bring panther-turned-mentor Bagheera to life, and Lupita Nyong’o, who lends her voice to the protective mother wolf Raksha. Favreau treated fans to a sneak peek of footage from the film, and each guest received a copy of the dramatic teaser poster following the presentation. The all-new, live-action epic adventure showcases Mowgli’s journey of self-discovery when he’s forced to abandon the only home he’s ever known.

Based on Rudyard Kipling’s timeless stories and inspired by Disney’s 1967 animated classic, the film features state-of the-art technology that immerses audiences in the lush world like never before. “The Jungle Book” also features the voices of Bill Murray, Idris Elba, Scarlett Johansson, Giancarlo Esposito and Christopher Walken. Jon Favreau and Brigham Taylor produce and the screenplay is by Justin Marks. “The Jungle Book” hits theaters in stunning 3D and IMAX 3D on April 15, 2016.

· Bailey welcomed Mia Wasikowska to the stage, where she thrilled fans with a preview of the all-new spectacular adventure, “Alice Through the Looking Glass,” featuring the unforgettable characters from Lewis Carroll’s beloved stories. Director James Bobin brings his own unique vision to the spectacular world Tim Burton created on screen in 2010 with “Alice in Wonderland,” in which Alice (Wasikowska) returns to the whimsical world of Underland and travels back in time to save the Mad Hatter. The film, which once again features Johnny Depp, Anne Hathaway, Helena Bonham Carter and the voices of Alan Rickman, Stephen Fry, Michael Sheen and Timothy Spall, introduces several new characters as well: Zanik Hightopp (Rhys Ifans), the Mad Hatter’s father, and Time himself (Sacha Baron Cohen), a peculiar creature who is part human, part clock.

Joe Roth, Suzanne Todd and Jennifer Todd, and Tim Burton produce and John G. Scotti is the executive producer. The screenplay is by Linda Woolverton. Presented in Digital 3D™, Real D 3D and IMAX® 3D, Disney’s “Alice Through the Looking Glass” opens in U.S. theaters on May 27, 2016.

In addition to attending the film’s presentation in Hall D23 at the Convention Center, fans had the opportunity to transform themselves into their favorite characters from Underland with an interactive experience, Travel Through the Looking Glass. By means of a first-to-market face-tracking application, D23 EXPO participants entering one of four photo booths located on the show floor were able to become the Mad Hatter, the Red Queen, the White Rabbit or the Cheshire Cat with full digital-makeup and cinematic 3D objects seamlessly—and instantly—applied to their reflections, and in real time. They were then emailed a 10-second video and still image, which they could share on their favorite social media platforms.

Bryce Dallas Howard joined Bailey on stage to talk about her starring role in “Pete’s Dragon,” a reimagining of Disney’s cherished family film. The heartwarming adventure of an orphaned boy named Pete and his best friend Elliott, who just so happens to be a dragon, “Pete’s Dragon” is directed by David Lowery, produced by Jim Whitaker, and executive-produced by Barrie Osborne, and also stars Oakes Fegley, Wes Bentley, Karl Urban, Oona Laurence and Robert Redford. “Pete’s Dragon” opens in U.S. theaters on August 12, 2016.

Bailey, with the help of Lupita Nyong’o, introduced the crowd to the upcoming film “Queen of Katwe,” which is based on the inspirational true story of a girl from the poverty-stricken slums of rural Uganda who dreams of becoming a champion chess player. Directed by Mira Nair from a screenplay by William Wheeler based on the book by Tim Crothers, “Queen of Katwe” stars Nyong’o, David Oyelowo and newcomer Medina Nalwanga.

Bailey next presented “Beauty and the Beast,” including a musical greeting from stars Emma Watson, Josh Gad and Luke Evans—sent from the London set where they are currently filming. The live-action musical, a retelling of the studio’s animated classic, stars Watson, Dan Stevens, Evans, Gad, Kevin Kline, Ewan McGregor, Stanley Tucci, Emma Thompson, Ian McKellen, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Audra McDonald and newcomer Nathan Mack. The film is directed by Bill Condon. Alan Menken, who won two Academy Awards® (Best Original Score and Best Song) for the animated classic, provides the score, which will include new recordings of the original songs written by Menken and Tim Rice, as well as several new songs. “Beauty and the Beast” will be released in U.S. theaters on March 17, 2017.

A surprise visit by Johnny Depp, who showed up on stage completely decked out as Captain Jack Sparrow, brought down the house and thrilled fans at Sean Bailey’s presentation of the next exciting film in the “Pirates of the Caribbean “ franchise, “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales.”

Thrust into an all-new adventure, a down-on-his-luck Captain Jack Sparrow finds the winds of ill-fortune blowing even more strongly when deadly ghost pirates led by his old nemesis, the terrifying Captain Salazar (Bardem), escape from the Devil’s Triangle, determined to kill every pirate at sea…including him. Captain Jack’s only hope of survival lies in seeking out the legendary Trident of Poseidon, a powerful artifact that bestows upon its possessor total control over the seas.

The film is directed by Espen Sandberg & Joachim Rønning and stars Johnny Depp, Javier Bardem, Brenton Thwaites, Kevin R. McNally, Kaya Scodelario, Golshifteh Farahani, Stephen Graham, David Wenham and Geoffrey Rush. Jerry Bruckheimer is the producer and Chad Oman, Mike Stenson, Joe Caracciolo, Jr. and Brigham Taylor serve as executive producers. Jeff Nathanson wrote the screenplay. “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales” releases in U.S. theaters on July 7, 2017.

Alan Horn took the stage again to present the Lucasfilm slate and timeline to the D23 EXPO fans. Horn told the audience that there were only 124 days to the release of Episode VII, “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” on December 18, 2015 and added that there have been record-breaking trailer views and fantastic fan response. Touching on “Star Wars: Episode VIII,” Horn reminded the audience that Rian Johnson will be directing the film slated for release on May 26, 2017. Then in a surprise announcement, Horn informed everyone that Colin Trevorrow (“Jurassic World”) has signed on to direct “Star Wars: Episode IX,” which is scheduled for release in 2019.

Moving on to the new Star Wars stories series, Horn touched on the “Untitled Han Solo” stand-alone film, slated for release on May 25, 2018 by reminding everyone that it will be directed by Christopher Miller & Phil Lord, with Lawrence Kasdan and his son Jon Kasdan writing the screenplay.

Horn then took the audience by surprise, announcing the cast for “Rogue One,” the first of the standalone Star Wars stories to hit the big screen, which has commenced principal photography. Gareth Edwards (“Godzilla,” “Monsters”) is directing “Rogue One,” which tells the story of resistance fighters who have united to steal plans to the dreaded Death Star.

The filmmakers have assembled a stellar cast, including Felicity Jones, nominated for an Academy Award® for her leading role in “The Theory of Everything”; Diego Luna, who was featured in 2008’s Oscar®-winning “Milk” and the critically acclaimed “Killing Them Softly”; Ben Mendelsohn, recently nominated for an Emmy® for his leading role in “Bloodline” and co-starring in the upcoming “Mississippi Grind”; Donnie Yen, Hong Kong action star and martial artist who starred in “Ip Man” and “Blade II”; Jiang Wen, who co-wrote, produced , directed and starred in the award-winning “Let the Bullets Fly” and “Devils on the Doorstep”; Forest Whitaker, recently featured in the critically-acclaimed Lee Daniels’ “The Butler” and winner of an Academy Award® for his leading role in 2006’s “The Last King of Scotland; Mads Mikkelsen, who starred in “The Hunt” and was the memorable villain from 2006’s “Casino Royale”; Alan Tudyk, who plays a performance-capture character in “Rogue One,” stars in the soon-to-be-released “Con Man” series and “Trumbo,” which releases this November; and Riz Ahmed, who was recently featured in “Nightcrawler” and starred in the BAFTA-winning film “Four Lions.”

The film is produced by Kathleen Kennedy and is slated for a December 16, 2016 release.

“Star Wars: The Force Awakens” ended the live-action presentation with a bang as J.J. Abrams introduced stars John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Oscar Isaac and Lupita Nyong’o. The crowd cheered when John Boyega announced that everyone there would get a Drew Struzan D23 EXPO commemorative poster to take home. Then, in a bringing-down-the house surprise moment, Harrison Ford, who is reprising his role as Han Solo, joined Abrams on stage to wild applause.

“Star Wars: The Force Awakens” stars Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong’o, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew and Max Von Sydow. Kathleen Kennedy, J.J. Abrams and Bryan Burk are producing with Tommy Harper and Jason McGatlin serving as executive producers. The screenplay is by J.J. Abrams & Lawrence Kasdan. “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” releases in U.S. theaters on December 18, 2015.

 

‘Ant-Man’ Opens With Tiny (For Marvel) $58M Weekend

Marvel's Ant-Man..Scott Lang/Ant-Man (Paul Rudd)..Photo Credit: Zade Rosenthal..? Marvel 2014

Walt Disney and Marvel’s Ant-Man got off to a solid start with a $58 million debut weekend. It is not a little amusing that the two smallest opening weekends in the Marvel Cinematic Universe thus far are from the biggest and smallest heroes in their ranks at the moment. So yes, Ant-Man opened this weekend with $58m, which is the second lowest debut for the Marvel Cinematic Universe behind the $55m debut of The Incredible Hulk, a 2D film from 2008 whose debut would be around $70m adjusted for inflation and the 3D/IMAX/PLF bump. But before we panic too much, we should be aware that Ant-Man was the cheapest film in the MCU thus far, coming in at a comparatively puny $130m for production. And considering it’s already made $114m worldwide as of today, Ant-Man is a small(er) scale film that will likely be a small(er) scale success. Its 2.5x domestic weekend multiplier is right in the Marvel safe zone.

As much as we might like to think that the Marvel offices are reenacting everyone’s’ favorite scene from Event Horizon, that’s not fair and not true.  Ant-Man was the closest thing we’ve seen thus far to a Marvel B-movie. That’s not an insult, but it’s a cheaper, lighter, and smaller-scale caper that served as something of a Phase 2 epilogue after the epic season finale that was Avengers: Age of Ultron. Truth be told, the Paul Rudd/Michael Douglas/Evangeline Lilly heist adventure played closer to a Phase 1 Marvel movie than the somewhat supercharged Phase 2 entries. It was the first solo hero origin story/franchise-starter since Captain America: The First Avenger way back in July of 2011.

That film opened with $65m and ended with $176m domestic and $373m worldwide on a $140m budget. I have to assume that we’ll see a similar result here, with stronger overseas potential factored in accordingly. The film played 42% 3D, 10.5% IMAX, and 9.5% PLF in America, The film earned $9.1m worldwide in IMAX. In terms of demos, it played 53% under-25 years old (“The kids, the kids!”) and 63% male.  Marvel movies tend to make around 2.4x their opening weekend (Iron Man 2, Iron Man 3, Avengers 2, The Incredible Hulk, Thor: The Dark World) in America, over/under 2.7x their opening weekend (Thor, Captain America, Captain America 2), or 3x or above (Iron Man, The Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy).

I don’t think Ant-Man is a zeitgeist film and the deluge of PG-13 action fare over the next five weeks (Pixels, Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation, The Fantastic Four, The Man From U.N.C.L.E., Hitman: Agent 47)  is going to be brutal in terms of demo competition. But the film works as intended, kids love it, and I don’t see it disappearing quietly into that good night. So yeah, I’m guessing a 2.7x multiplier with an estimated $156m cume here and hopes that it will play like The Wolverine and/or Thor overseas for an over/under $435m worldwide cume, or 3.3x its budget before post-theatrical. But that’s highly speculative (a standard 40/60 split gives it $390m worldwide) and we’ll know more next weekend.

The success of The Avengers took Marvel to a different playing field, and the Phase 2 films have been remarkably successful especially when compared to Phase 1. Most of the them were sequels. Guardians of the Galaxy was something of a fluke, coming off of strong buzz, superb reviews, and the sense that the film was the great late-summer blockbuster that was going to save us from the otherwise lackluster summer.  Even if Ant-Man was hoping to be the late-summer gem to save us all (think Warner Bros./Time Warner with Inception and the last two Dark Knight movies), this summer has had plenty of crowd-pleasing spectacles along the lines of Avengers: Age of Ultron, Mad Max: Fury Road, Pitch Perfect 2, San Andreas, Spy, Jurassic World, Inside Out, and Minions. Summer didn’t need to be rescued in mid-July this time around. Coming after a super kid-friendly Minions probably didn’t help either, as said film is going to do another $49m this weekend to boot.

On one hand, the general moviegoers likely didn’t care about the behind-the-scenes gossip (“Edgar who?,” says your average moviegoer of the film’s infamous director switch last year). If they went, they went because of the Marvel brand, the quirky trailers, and the brand name value of star Paul Rudd. On the other hand, they probably didn’t care all that much about Ant-Man at least in comparison to the last handful of Marvel movies. And the reviews were “good, not great,” with a number of critics using ESP or travelling to an alternate dimension to view Edgar Wright’s Ant-Man so they could determine that it was clearly superior to Peyton Reed’s version.

So yeah, this is the closest we’ve had to a Marvel movie not really being an event. When you have a track record like Marvel’s, “okay” should be allowed now and then when you’re offering what amounts to a comic intermission in between “mythology episodes.” If Age of Ultron and Civil War are the super important main features, then Ant-Man was the cartoon playing in between them on a double-bill (I have no such comparisons for the newsreel, unless you toss in an episode of Agent Carter). Ant-Man was something of a risk and to a certain extent Marvel came through okay.

It might actually be a good thing over the long haul, as it will reset expectations for the likes of Dr. Strange, Captain Marvel, and Black Panther down the road.  I’ll discuss this tomorrow if time allows, but the film’s mid-credits cookie will surely get everyone’s hopes up for an Ant-Man 2, since it sets up the potential upside of such a sequel as well as any superhero movie since Batman Begins. So with Avengers: Age of Ultron currently at $1.3935b worldwide, superhero fatigue hasn’t quite set in yet.

From Forbes

Disneyland to Host Special ‘Ant-Man’ Sneak Peak

Ant-Man

Who doesn’t like a little sneak peek of movies before it hit the theaters? And what if that sneak peek is in Disneyland! Well, the park will be offering a sneak peek for their newest Marvel Cinematic Universe film, “Ant-Man” later this month.

According to Comicbook.com, the special 3D preview of “Ant-Man” will be seen on June 19, 2015 in Disneyland. It was said that it will be shown at the Bug’s Life Theater inside Disney’s California Adventure Park. Not only this, the “Ant-Man” costumes will also be on display for the fans to admire them before the film hits the theater. The special and unique ability of Bug’s Life Theater will create some unique effects that will be unlike anything which the moviegoers have ever seen.

The Bug’s Life Theater is famous for showing 3D short films including the film entitiled “It’s Tough to be a Bug,” which was based on “A Bug’s Life” by Pixar. The theater gives “a sensation that there are bugs running underneath the seats and they are crawling right beside your feet.” So, to give the sneak peek of “Ant-Man” Disney has indeed chose one hell of a place.

The outlet also reported that both Disney’s park in Anaheim, CA, California Adventure and Disneyland have been used to promote multiple films in the recent years. They featured sneak peeks for  “Guardians of the Galaxy,” “Big Hero 6,” and “Cinderella.” To enhance the special effects of the films, these theaters include all the current special 4D effects like “flashing lights, shaking seats, squirting water and others.” There is also speculations that “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” which is the newest “Star Wars” film from Disney and Lucasfilm, will get a preview in Tomorrowland Theater at Disney.

There is no announced date for the “Ant-Man” preview at the Bug’s Life Theater but we expect that the preview will run very soon. The film will release in its entirety in July 17, 2015

Sony Pictures Entertainment Brings Marvel Studios Into The Amazing World Of Spider-Man

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Sony Pictures Entertainment and Marvel Studios announced today that Sony is bringing Marvel into the amazing world of Spider-Man.

Under the deal, the new Spider-Man will first appear in a Marvel film from Marvel’s Cinematic Universe (MCU). Sony Pictures will thereafter release the next installment of its $4 billion Spider-Man franchise, on July 28, 2017, in a film that will be co-produced by Kevin Feige and his expert team at Marvel and Amy Pascal, who oversaw the franchise launch for the studio 13 years ago. Together, they will collaborate on a new creative direction for the web slinger. Sony Pictures will continue to finance, distribute, own and have final creative control of the Spider-Man films.

Marvel and Sony Pictures are also exploring opportunities to integrate characters from the MCU into future Spider-Man films.

The new relationship follows a decade of speculation among fans about whether Spider-Man – who has always been an integral and important part of the larger Marvel Universe in the comic books – could become part of the Marvel Universe on the big screen. Spider-Man has more than 50 years of history in Marvel’s world, and with this deal, fans will be able to experience Spider-Man taking his rightful place among other Super Heroes in the MCU.

Bob Iger, Chairman and CEO, The Walt Disney Company said: “Spider-Man is one of Marvel’s great characters, beloved around the world. We’re thrilled to work with Sony Pictures to bring the iconic web-slinger into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which opens up fantastic new opportunities for storytelling and franchise building.”

“We always want to collaborate with the best and most successful filmmakers to grow our franchises and develop our characters. Marvel, Kevin Feige and Amy, who helped orchestrate this deal, are the perfect team to help produce the next chapter of Spider-Man,” said Michael Lynton, Chairman and CEO of Sony Pictures Entertainment. “This is the right decision for the franchise, for our business, for Marvel, and for the fans.”

“Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios share a love for the characters in the Spider-Man universe and have a long, successful history of working together. This new level of collaboration is the perfect way to take Peter Parker’s story into the future,” added Doug Belgrad, president, Sony Pictures Entertainment Motion Picture Group.

“I am thrilled to team with my friends at Sony Pictures along with Amy Pascal to produce the next Spider-Man movie,” said Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige. “Amy has been deeply involved in the realization on film of one of the world’s most beloved characters. Marvel’s involvement will hopefully deliver the creative continuity and authenticity that fans demand from the MCU. I am equally excited for the opportunity to have Spider-Man appear in the MCU, something which both we at Marvel, and fans alike, have been looking forward to for years.”

Spider-Man, embraced all over the world, is the most successful franchise in the history of Sony Pictures, with the five films having taken in more than $4 billion worldwide.

Marvel Studios Announces Phase Three Slate…Includes Two-Part ‘Avengers’ Threequel

Avengers Infinity War

Marvel Studios spends most of its time clamping down on secrets, so when they open up the vault, it’s usually something big.

Usually that happens at San Diego Comic-Con before an audience of 6,000-plus screaming fans, and everything is planned out months in advance. But on Tuesday morning at the El Capitan theater in Hollywood, Marvel put on a relatively impromptu show, gathering press and fans alike to reveal …

Phase 3 has been announced, and it’s everything — everything you could want. Captain Marvel! Black Panther! Inhumans! And most incredibly, a two-part Avengers: Infinity War!!! Keep checking back for updates!

Among those sitting in the very front row of the theater are Anthony and Joe Russo, the directors of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, who are also overseeing the third Cap film. The brothers were also at Comic-Con last July and hoped to make an announcement about their film there, but held back at the last moment because some details weren’t finalized. Robert Downey Jr. has been in talks to co-star in Cap 3, bringing the clash between Iron Man and the do-gooder patriotic hero to the fore in a cinematic version of the Civil War comics storyline.

Avengers writer-director and Marvel brain-trust member Joss Whedon was in the second row behind the Brothers Russo, who are turned around in their seats talking with him and Marvel Studios co-president Louis D’Esposito. Whedon wouldn’t be here if the event didn’t involve the broader Marvel Cinematic Universe.

The complete slate is as follows –

• Doctor Strange on November 4th, 2016

No casting was confirmed, obviously.

• Guardians of the Galaxy 2 on May 5th, 2017

• Thor 3: Ragnarok on July 28th, 2017

• Black Panther on November 3rd, 2017

Chadwick Boseman, star of 42: The Jackie Robinson Story, has already been cast as Black Panther!

• Captain Marvel on July 6th, 2018

Kevin Feige confirmed this will star Carol Danvers, not Mar-Vell. YESSSSS.

• Inhumans on November 2nd, 2018

• Avengers: Infinity War Part One in May 2018

• Avengers: Infinity War Part Two in May 2019

Robert Downey Jr. to Join ‘Captain America 3′

Captain America - Tony Stark

From Variety –

Robert Downey Jr. is on the verge of signing on to “Captain America 3,” with Tony Stark’s Iron Man set to play a key role in bringing the Civil War storyline from Marvel’s comicbooks to the bigscreen and trigger the start of a new phase of movies from Marvel Studios.

The actor is in final negotiations to play the billionaire in the yet-to-be-titled third installment, that is slated to begin production in the Spring for a May 6, 2016, release. Downey suits up as the superhero in next summer’s “The Avengers: Age of Ultron” as part of a previous deal that also calls for him to reprise the role in “The Avengers 3.”

The new pact is significant for the Marvel cinematic universe considering the plot will pit Stark against Captain America’s alter-ego Steve Rogers, played by Chris Evans, as they feud over the Superhero Registration Act, which forces anyone with superhuman abilities to reveal their identities to the U.S. government and agree to act as a police force for the authorities.

Stark supports the program, but Rogers does not, saying it threatens civil liberties, causing sides to be taken and Rogers, among others, to go on the run to avoid arrest. The moral question and battle with his Avengers teammate essentially makes Stark a villain of sorts in “Captain America 3,” providing Downey with a meaty role he could play out into future Marvel films, including a fourth “Avengers.”

Marvel on Monday announced plans to reboot the Civil War comicbook miniseries in 2015, which will help introduce the story to new readers leading up to “Captain America 3.” The first crossover of Marvel’s biggest characters, including Spider-Man, was published in 2006.

But the deal for Downey to return as Iron Man almost didn’t happen.

Originally, Marvel wanted to hire Downey for a small role, which would have required just three weeks of work. But Downey wanted Stark to have a more substantial role in the film’s plot, which would give him more screen time and naturally a bigger payday. This angered Marvel Entertainment chief Ike Perlmutter, who ordered the screenwriters to write Iron Man out of the script entirely, according to sources with knowledge of the situation.

Even though the deal appeared dead, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige and Downey’s reps at CAA continued talks in hopes of working out their issues. Feige was bent on executing his grand vision for extending the life of the Marvel characters over many years.

The executive needed his boss to see the big picture, considering the introduction of the Civil War story is seen as a way to drive the plots of sequels and new franchises for the next seven years, given the dramatic possibilities it offers for future films. The fallout from the government and Stark’s actions would factor into a new “Avengers 4″ film and beyond that will assemble new characters being introduced like Ant-Man and Doctor Strange, among others, in their own movies.

Downey, who earned $50 million for “The Avengers” alone, will collect around $40 million plus backend participation for “Captain America 3,” said sources, and will get an additional payout if “Captain America 3″ outperforms “Captain America: The Winter Soldier’s” $714 million worldwide haul. Since the actor did not appear in the first two “Captain America” films, the thinking is that if the third installment surpasses the last movie, its success could be attributed to Downey.

It’s also worth noting that Evans is clearly a bigger star now, evidenced by the fact that “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” grossed nearly twice as much as “The First Avenger’s”” $371 million in 2011.

Marvel still could have worked around Downey if need be. With the studio having already reworked plots from the comicbooks to fit its bigscreen agenda, it’s certainly feasible that Stark could have been turned into a different character to butt heads with Captain America — the Incredible Hulk’s Bruce Banner, for example. Another option could have been dropping the Civil War plot entirely, which would have required major rewrites.

Downey already has been open about wanting to remain in Marvel’s cinematic universe beyond his current contract that expires after the third “Avengers.” In early September,  Downey told Variety in Toronto that currently “there is no plan for a fourth ‘Iron Man.’”

Yet Downey also has been wanting to play a larger role in future films as a way to remain creatively involved and close to his fanbase that would undoubtedly come out to see his non-Marvel movies.  However, those fans didn’t show up in droves this past weekend to the actor’s latest picture “The Judge,” which debuted with just $13.3 million.

As for the future of Marvel movies, the Disney-owned studio already has 11 releases  dated through 2019, including next summer’s “Avengers: Age of Ultron” and “Ant-Man.”

Anthony and Joe Russo, who directed “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” will return to helm “Captain America 3.” The brothers are working on the script with Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely.

While Frank Grillo is expected to return as the villain Crossbones, Anthony Russo told Movies.com last month, “I can’t divulge who is going to be in the film, but I think fans are going to freak out when they hear about it,” clearly hinting at Downey being in the next sequel.

While Downey was instrumental in getting Marvel’s film franchises off the ground with the first “Iron Man” in 2008, the studio has since become a brand strong enough to launch titles that have little built-in audience awareness or major stars doing the heavy lifting — as evidenced by this summer’s mega-hit “Guardians of the Galaxy.” That film earned $687 million worldwide, surpassing “Iron Man 2.”

Marvel has long been known as a tough negotiator — and by some accounts cheap — but the studio hasn’t shied away from giving Downey what he’s asked for in the past. He’s reaped between $250 million and $300 million for the “Iron Man” trilogy, his role in “The Avengers” films, and a brief appearance in “The Incredible Hulk,” according to knowledgeable sources.

Now with “Captain America 3,” it doesn’t look like Downey is ready to hang up Iron Man’s suit anytime soon.

Marvel and CAA declined to comment.

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