Spider-Man to appear in The Avengers - Infinity War????

The Marvel - Sony deal is rumored to be done and Spider-Man will indeed make an appearance in the 3rd Avengers film in May 2018.  Obviously this is a rumor, and a huge one at that.  Over at Latino Review they have a detailed and spoiler-ful run down of the next few Marvel films including who may or may not be in the upcoming films and Spider-Man is said to be in the first part of the Avengers - Infinity War. Do not read this article as it spoils a lot.  Sony has of course denied this rumor stating it is an old one and so probably not but a surprise appearance by your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man would be way cool.

The Avengers Creator Dies - Brian Clemens RIP

Brian Clemens, who worked as producer and writer for such shows as The Protectors, The Professionals, Danger Man and The Avengers, has passed away at the age of 83.  One of the television greats of our time for sure.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Clemens

Marvel Vs. DC - Does DC have a chance to compete?

This is an updated post from a few weeks ago with some more titles and dates confirmed.  Included are the names of all the Marvel films into 2019.  We have DC, Marvel and the Marvel products released by Fox and Sony.


I always see this as a war between DC and Marvel and some of the release dates will have them battling for the Box Office.  It is interesting to note that these heavy hitters will be competing for biggest box office for the year not only against one another but against Star Wars, Terminator, Jurassic World, Independence Day 2, and a bunch of Avatar films. The superhero film will not be alone at the top of the box office and one will see if that genre can continue to perform strongly over the years.

Here is a schedule and some thoughts after.

Marvel Announcements - Avengers, Black Panther and Captain Marvel

Lots of news coming from Marvel including the casting of Black Panther and the two part Avengers film.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/28/marvel-black-panther-captain-marvel_n_6062940.html?ncid=txtlnkusaolp00000592


Some of these we already knew -

Captain America - Civil War - May 6, 2016 with Iron Man appearing. This is based on the comic book Civil War and will have infighting among the Avengers.





Doctor Strange - November 4, 2016 - This should star Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock) which is a superb choice for this part.







Guardians of the Galaxy 2 - May 5, 2017 - Yeah, this was a given.

Thor: Ragnarok - July 2017 - This was a bit of a surprise but makes sense.







Black Panther - November 3, 2017 - Chadwick Boseman (42) is set to play the title character but you see his introduction in Captain America: Civil War.






The Avengers - Infinity War Part 1 - May 4, 2018 - Wow a two part movie that will more than likely see the existing Avengers along with the new team being formed after the events of The Avengers Age of Ultron.

Captain Marvel -(July 6, 2018) Well, our first stand alone female superhero movie by Marvel. A rumor has it that she makes an appearance in the next Avengers film.

Inhumans - November 2, 2018 - a new group of heros.

The Avengers - Infinity War Part 2 - May 3, 2019 - DC, you didn't think it would be that easy, did you?

Avengers: Age of Ultron Official Plot Details

Marvel has released the plot details for the second Avengers movie Age of Ultron.  It looks like it might be Iron Man heavy in the plot but I can't wait to see it next year.

Marvel Studios presents “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” the epic follow-up to the biggest Super Hero movie of all time. When Tony Stark tries to jumpstart a dormant peacekeeping program, things go awry and Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, including Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, The Incredible Hulk, Black Widow and Hawkeye, are put to the ultimate test as the fate of the planet hangs in the balance. As the villainous Ultron emerges, it is up to The Avengers to stop him from enacting his terrible plans, and soon uneasy alliances and unexpected action pave the way for an epic and unique global adventure.

Marvel’s “Avengers: Age of Ultron” stars Robert Downey Jr., who returns as Iron Man, along with Chris Evans as Captain America, Chris Hemsworth as Thor and Mark Ruffalo as The Hulk. Together with Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow and Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye, and with the additional support of Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury and Cobie Smulders as Agent Maria Hill, the team must reassemble to defeat James Spader as Ultron, a terrifying technological villain hell-bent on human extinction. Along the way, they confront two mysterious and powerful newcomers, Wanda Maximoff, played by Elizabeth Olsen, and Pietro Maximoff, played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and meet an old friend in a new form when Paul Bettany becomes Vision.

Marvel v DC Movie Release Dates (Updated August 2014) with a new Batman v. Superman release date!

This is an updated post from last week with the biggest change being DC's heavy hitters Superman and Batman getting out of the way of Captain America 3 - see right -

So many movies coming out from Marvel and DC - lets take a look.  Obviously most of these dates are subject to change, especially movies further out.  I am uncertain of the accuracy of these dates as different web sites list different dates and some of the more official sites don't seem to be updated.

Color Key
Marvel Studios
Fox-Sony - Marvel Product
DC
DC - new on schedule

Batman v Superman moves away from Marvel!!

2014 

August 1 - Guardians of the Galaxy

2015

May 1 - The Avengers - Age of Ultron

June 19 - Fantastic Four reboot

July 17 - Ant-Man


2016

March 25 - Batman v Superman

May 6 - Captain America 3

May 27 - The X-Men - Apocalypse

July 18 - Doctor Strange

July - Shazam

August 5 - Untitled DC - probably Shazam

November 11 - The Sinister Six

December - Sandman

2017

May 5 - Unannounced Marvel Studios (Thor 3?)

May - Justice League

July 28 - Guardians of the Galaxy 2

June 23 - Untitled DC

July - Wonder Woman

November 3 - Unannounced Marvel Studios

November 17 - Untitled DC

December - Green Lantern - Flash

TBD - Wolverine sequel

TBD - Fantastic Four sequel


2018

Better late than never......

March 23 - Untitled DC

May 4 - The Avengers 3

May - Man of Steel 2

July 6 - Unannounced Marvel Studios

July 27 - Untitled DC

November 2 - Unannounced Marvel Studios

TBD - The Amazing Spider-Man 3

2019

April 5 -  Untitled DC

May 3 - Unannounced Marvel Studios

June 14 -  Untitled DC

2020

April 3 -  Untitled DC

June 19 -  Untitled DC

So I called it that DC would move to April or June and they are moving to March. Good call for DC.  This movie needs to be a big movie and it has to be good.

I left the original dates for the DC films but it would appear that the new untitled dates are for Shazam, Wonder Woman, etc.  So the August 2016 date is probably Shazam and June 2017 might be Wonder Woman, staying away from Guardians of the Galaxy 2. Who knows at this point but there are more films in the list and so Cyclops, Aquaman and other possibilities are there.  We could also see Justice League move away from that Marvel title so that could be now set for July 2017.

Marvel is doing everything right and DC has not.  Sure, DC has just come off a monster Batman trilogy, but that is starting to seem like ancient history now.  Marvel is even toying with (or joking about) bringing back one of their massive failures of the past and would no doubt make a success of it now!!!  Marvel will at some point screw up but nobody is thinking it is going to happen in the next few years.

DC has something to prove and they have not gotten to the point where they can boast all these untitled films and expect people to get excited.  They need to give us their Iron Man or Captain America or Avengers version for DC first, then they can talk!


http://comicbook.com/blog/2014/02/23/your-wonder-womanrocket-raccoon-post-is-still-missing-the-point/

Marvel v DC Movie Release Dates

So many movies coming out from Marvel and DC - lets take a look.  Obviously most of these dates are subject to change, especially movies further out.  I am uncertain of the accuracy of these dates as different web sites list different dates and some of the more official sites don't seem to be updated.

Color Key
Marvel Studios
Fox-Sony - Marvel Product
DC

2014 

DC is staying away from Marvel until 2016!!

August 1 - Guardians of the Galaxy

2015

May 1 - The Avengers - Age of Ultron

June 19 - Fantastic Four reboot

July 17 - Ant-Man


2016

May 6 - Captain America 3

DC comes out swinging in 2016 - one of the May 6 movies needs to move

May 6 - Batman v Superman

May 27 - The X-Men - Apocalypse

July 18 - Doctor Strange

July - Shazam

November 11 - The Sinister Six

December - Sandman

2017

DC may have the upper hand in 2017

May 5 - Unannounced Marvel Studios (Thor 3?)

May - Justice League

July 28 - Guardians of the Galaxy 2

July - Wonder Woman

November 3 - Unannounced Marvel Studios

December - Green Lantern - Flash

TBD - Wolverine sequel

TBD - Fantastic Four sequel


2018

Marvel will come back in 2018 and dominate

May 4 - The Avengers 3

May - Man of Steel 2

July 6 - Unannounced Marvel Studios

November 2 - Unannounced Marvel Studios

TBD - The Amazing Spider-Man 3

2019

May 3 - Unannounced Marvel Studios

I will be interested in seeing what happens in May 2016.  The Batman v Superman movie is going to be huge and important to this entire plan for DC.  They cannot go up against the established Captain America.  Both films will suffer in the end and DC has more riding on this than Marvel.  Expect DC to move to April or June.

Later in 2016 the battle of the unknowns will be interesting as well.  If Batman v Superman sets up Shazam and Sandman properly then we should see some big hits.  Marvel's next new superhero introduction won't be a given by any stretch.

2017 will have three big DC movies and Marvel may counter with some heavy hitters of their own.  It would appear that Guardians is going to be a huge hit in 2014 and so should do well again.  It depends on what Marvel has in store for the rest of its films in 2017.

2018 should be all Marvel even with Man of Steel 2 there. Still, if DC has managed to have duplicated Marvel's success then by 2018 there could be more DC movies in the works.

I don't expect any battles per say but if both franchises give each other a little distance, both should do well.

Marvel V. DC - The Next Stage - Looking at the Schedules for 2014 and Beyond!

By Ken Parker

Well, WB has released a very ambitious plan for the DC universe that certainly mimic’s Marvel’s success over the past few years. 

May 2016 - BATMAN V. SUPERMAN

July 2016 - SHAZAM

Xmas 2016 - SANDMAN

May 2017 - JUSTICE LEAGUE

July 2017 - WONDER WOMAN

XMAS 2017 - UNTITLED GREEN LANTERN/THE FLASH TEAM-UP

MAY 2018 - MAN OF STEEL 2

This looks pretty cool but how will Shazam and Sandman do is a big question.  Man of Steel was not the massive success that Iron Man was and Green Lantern was not a determining factor in all this either.  Certainly the Batman franchise has been healthy but without Christian Bale and no stand alone Batman film in the plan, one has to wonder if DC can keep the momentum going.  The majority of audiences probably can’t tell the difference between DC and Marvel and will just see these as just more superhero films.  This may steer them to the franchise they have grown to know and love, Marvel.  Of course the Marvel path is a few years old now and perhaps the new franchise will be what people want to see, something different with DC.

Marvel Movie Updates - Brolin is Thanos and Ant-Man Director

Josh Brolin will play Thanos for the upcoming Marvel movies.  His planned appearance against The Avengers will be most likely in the 3rd installment potentially in 2018 but he may make his presence known earlier than that. One would imagine that Brolin would be the voice actor for Thanos but as with many CG characters in movies lately, could provide the motion capture body for the part as well.

Brolin - Sin City 2, Men in Black III, True Grit

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thanos

http://www.latino-review.com/









Meanwhile the departure of Edgar Wright from the Ant-Man project is the biggest not-so-good-news to hit Marvel in a while but three contenders for replacing him are being batted around including Ruben Fleischer (Zombieland), Rawson Thurber (We're the Millers) and Adam McKay (Anchorman). Wright left the project due to creative differences.

http://www.latino-review.com/news/ant-man-director-contenders-revealed

Captain America – The Winter Soldier and Agents of SHIELD Overview

Over the weekend I watched around 3 hours of the some of the best Marvel Superhero Avengers product I have ever see.  Captain America - The Winter Soldier was a spectacular movie that had a near perfect plot and action mixture.  It was a perfect continuation of the Captain America character and storyline from the original Captain America - The First Avenger and The Avengers movie.  The character, played by Chris Evans sticks to his guns in an ever build up of conflict from the problems with SHIELD to still having to exist into today's society to leaving behind his life of the past to dealing with threats from that same past.  This movie sees a slow reveal and decay of an existing society that Steve Rogers is already questioning and his concerns suddenly become so much more.

What Other Missing Shows Could Be Found? Part One

By Ken Parker

Wendy wants to find more missing episodes!

With rumors of missing Doctor Who episodes found, numbers ranging from 11 to 97, one has to wonder what else might have been found.  If we are talking a huge find of thousands of film cans, what other gems could we be looking at soon?  That is a tough question because many older series do not have the popularity like Doctor Who.  Some of these series might not have been sold to that many countries and even if some of this stuff is found, would the money be spent to restore and release these?  In theory, yes.  Beyond some historical gems like the BBC's Apollo 11 coverage and some appearances by The Beatles, there are so many other series that people fondly remembered from that time period.

There are a fair number of sci-fi and fantasy series included in the missing category and it would be great to see these recovered.  What else could be found?  Here is a list of some of the series that I would love to see returned. Some of these I have seen parts of the seasons, the ones that exist.  Others I have just read about and am curious.

Marvel is Thinking About a Black Widow Movie

Marvel continues to flood the market with their superhero films and this is a good thing, at least right now. Marvel president Kevin Feige stated that a female superhero movie is needed for the franchise and why not Black Widow.  Potentially starring Scarlet Johansson, this film seems logical and would no doubt be another huge hit.

No official green light has been given but Marvel is certainly considering a movie that will provide more back story for Natalia Romanova and perhaps how she became Black Widow.

Agent Carter - Marvel Short

Peggy Carter will be back and kicking bad guy's butts in Agent Carter, a short created by Marvel in the same vein as last year's prelude to The Avengers, Item 47.  Peggy Carter, played again by Hayley Atwell, will be after something called Zodiac.

Peggy Carter was the love interest for Steve Rogers in Captain America - The First Avenger.  A planned appearance by Carter (in her 90's) in The Avengers movie never happened but rumor has it she might be in the next Captain America movie, The Winter Soldier.

Agent Carter will debut at San Diego Comic Con.

Sources - ainticool.com and Entertainment Weekly

Top Sci-Fi and Fantasy TV Series That Need To Be Remade

by Ken Parker

I still think there is original ideas out there but there are series that are begging for an updated version to be made for new audiences today.  Here are a few.

The Twilight Zone – sure, it has been tried before but this is probably the easiest one to pick.  An anthology series with short stories seems like an easy idea but the drawback in this day and age is most people are into ongoing storylines.  It is rare, these days, to have stand alone stories in any series. People need something to follow week after week and so The Twilight Zone may not be the show to bring back right now.  Still, what better way to showcase new talent by bringing in fresh writers and directors or perhaps bring in a famous cast and crew to work on something.  Imagine William Shatner starring in an episode or Chris Carter writing an episode.  What a better platform to see something different and unusual.

Current Status – rumors are out there attaching J.J. Abrams to this franchise.  Well, why not!

Joss Whedon Confirms Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver For Avengers 2

Joss Whedon has confirmed today that The Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver will be in The Avengers 2 which  will be out in 2015.  The news was confirmed in an interview with IGN

My Top 10 Superhero Movies - Part Two

My Top 10 Superhero Movies - Part Two

By Ken Parker

Sorry for the delay of this article - I meant to post it a while ago.

Link to Part One - 10-6

Jonathan Hickman's "The Avengers" Lineup Revealed

Marvel has revealed writers Jonathan Hickman's Avengers line up.  There is one mystery though as the covers show one person shadowed out.  These three interlocking covers of the first three issues shows the members to be Captain America, Captain Marvel, Cannonball, The Hulk, Wolverine, Black Widow, Falcon, Thor, Sunspot, Iron Man, Spider-Man, Spider-Woman and Hawkeye. The first issue of Jonathan Hickman's The Avengers is due out this December.

SHIELD TV Series

As suspected, an Avengers related TV show was in the works and it was announced that ABC will be bringing us SHIELD.  The TV series will include Joss Whedon as writer and director (at least on some of the episodes.)  It is uncertain how connected this series would be to the movie franchise and whether any actors would appear on the show.

Alternate Opening To The Avengers

Joss Whedon Confirmed To Write and Direct The Avengers 2

Disney has confirmed today that Joss Whedon will be writing and directing The Avengers 2.  If you have been under a rock all summer you would know that this will be the sequel to The Avengers to which he wrote and directed to the tune of 1.5 Billion Dollars in movie revenue so it was kinda a no brainer to bring him back.