old Coventry Telegraph - The Geek Files

Guardians of the Galaxy to feature modern team, Marvel confirms Ant-Man, Inhumans, Doctor Strange as other priorities

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 00:01:34 +0000

IF THE X-Men and upcoming Avengers don't fulfil your wishes for super-teams on the big screen, there's always Marvel's planned films of the Inhumans and Guardians of the Galaxy.

Talk of the Guardians of the Galaxy comic book series being turned into a movie first emerged in August 2011.

The team first appeared in print back in 1969 and were portrayed as 31st century heroes, each the last of their kind, who banded together to stop alien invaders.

A crossover storyline called Annihilation: Conquest set the scene for a new version of the cosmic ensemble, launched in 2008.

Marvel boss gives early verdict on Amazing Spider-Man, director Marc Webb reveals why he chose Lizard

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 23:01:45 +0000

AS you may know by now, the rights to some of Marvel's comic book characters were sold off during the 1990s during a bleak financial period for the publisher.

So, while the company now has its own studio making the films for Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, Avengers and many more, the screen rights for Ghost Rider and Spider-Man are with Sony and those for X-Men, Daredevil and Fantastic Four are with 20th Century Fox.

Other rights have moved around over the years but that's the gist of how the land lies today.

And this year, Sony is re-spinning its Spider-Man franchise with a reboot starring Andrew Garfield. New cast and crew, different villain, different love interest and a new parental backstory.

And although Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige isn't directly involved with Sony's Amazing Spider-Man, the character is still part of the Marvel heroes family and Feige has seen an early version of the new film.

Thor 2 to have new 'big villain', Captain America could get sidekick in sequel, Doctor Strange update debunked

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 21:57:56 +0000

AS The Avengers gets ready for cinematic release, it's Marvel's time in the spotlight and there is already much discussion about what's in the works beyond the super-team's big-screen debut.

There will be no shortage of releases to keep fans happy over the coming years. Next up is Iron Man 3, which hits on May 3, 2013, followed by Thor 2 on November 15, 2013, and there will be two films coming out in 2014.

We know Captain America 2 will be one of them, hitting screens on April 4, 2014, while the other is so far unspecified and will launch on May 16, 2014. It might well be Edgar Wright's slow-crawling Ant-Man movie that takes that second slot on the calendar, or perhaps a film focusing on Nick Fury and his SHIELD agency.

Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige has been bombarded with questions about these other films while doing the rounds promoting The Avengers (or Marvel Avengers Assemble, as it will be called in the UK). He has already given some thoughts on Iron Man 3 and on whether they are planning another solo film for Hulk.

Chronicle soars on to Blu-ray and DVD on May 28

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 14:02:54 +0000

FOUND-FOOTAGE styled superhero movie Chronicle will soar on to Blu-ray and DVD on May 28, 2012.

Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment announced the upcoming arrival of Josh Trank's feature-film directing debut in UK stores.

Trank has since gone on to be linked with other superhero projects, namely Fox's planned Fantastic Four reboot and Sony's Spider-Man spin-off Venom.

Avengers fans invited to help create Marvel artwork in London

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 10:53:40 +0000

SUPERHERO enthusiasts across the world are being invited to bring the Avengers to life in London with an exclusive piece of Marvel artwork.

Starting today (Wednesday, April 18), fans can help graffiti artist Alex Young 'Odisy' create the work in a global event called Assemble Live.

The Avengers named most anticipated movie of summer 2012

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 16:31:12 +0000

THE AVENGERS has been named the most anticipated movie of summer 2012 by cinemagoers.

A survey of customers by tickets site Fandango names the superhero ensemble as the film that people are most looking forward to seeing.

Prometheus Q&A with Ridley Scott, Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron and Noomi Rapace

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 11:51:09 +0000

RETURNING to the world of sci-fi following his iconic films Alien and Blade Runner, filmmaker Ridley Scott has caught everyone's attention with the exciting trailer for his upcoming Prometheus.

Although it began life as a straightforward prequel to Alien, the project spun off into something else.

Damon Lindelof, who co-wrote the script with Jon Spaihts, had earlier explained how Prometheus and Alien are connected.

No plans to do a third solo movie for the Hulk after The Avengers

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 22:07:39 +0000

THE AVENGERS is the third big-screen outing for the Hulk following solo movies in 2003 and 2008 that were only a moderate success.

After Eric Bana and Edward Norton's iterations, this time it's Mark Ruffalo with green, clothes-ripping, anger management issues.

The new version of Hulk has been well-received already, so will there be another standalone movie?

Iron Man 3 goes to China, will see Tony Stark facing 'most fearsome foes yet'

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 18:24:02 +0000

IRON MAN 3 is to be partly filmed in China, it's been announced, in a new deal that lends further weight to suspicions that the Mandarin is the villain of the story.

Disney, Marvel Studios and DMG Entertainment issued a joint statement about the partnership. It explained that DMG will invest in the project and co-produce it as well as distributing the film in China in collaboration with Disney.

DMG chief executive Dan Mintz said: "Our collaboration with Disney and Marvel marks a milestone in the global entertainment landscape, as this signifies the first multi-billion dollar franchise to be produced between Hollywood and China."

Hunger Games sequel Catching Fire eyes Cronenberg and Cuaron; RoboCop recruits Sean Penn, Edward Norton, Gael Garcia Bernal, Rebecca Hall

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 16:48:08 +0000

THE HUNGER GAMES has topped the north American box office for a fourth consecutive weekend, a feat not seen since Avatar's similar achievement in January 2010.

The film has now earned $531m globally and with sequel Catching Fire set to shoot in August ahead of release on November 22, 2013, the race is on to secure a new director after Gary Ross confirmed he wouldn't be returning.

According to the LA Times movie blog 24 Frames, Lionsgate has compiled a list of seven or eight contenders that includes Alfonso Cuaron (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Children of Men), David Cronenberg (The Fly, A History of Violence, A Dangerous Method, Cosmopolis) and Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (Babel, Biutiful).

Various names are also being linked to the remake of RoboCop, to be directed by Jose Padilha with Joel Kinnaman starring as murdered police officer Alex Murphy, who is revived as a cyborg.

The Tracking Board reports that Edward Norton is in line for the role of the scientist who creates the half-man, half-machine crimefighter, while Sean Penn (pictured) may play a right-wing news reporter called Novack.

In addition, Gael Garcia Bernal (recently cast as the new Zorro) and British actress Rebecca Hall (Frost/Nixon, The Town) are under consideration for supporting roles. Bernal is set to join the production as Jack Lewis, the title character's former police partner who begins a relationship with Hall's character Ciara, the wife of Alex before he was transformed into RoboCop.

New clips unveiled for The Avengers plus pictures from fan screening and premiere

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 12:53:28 +0000

AS excitement builds for the big-screen debut of The Avengers - to be released as Marvel Avengers Assemble in the UK - several clips containing footage and interviews have been unveiled.

You should, of course, avoid the clips if you are trying to stay free of spoilers.

The film's US premiere was held in Los Angeles on April 11, with the European premiere taking place at Vue Westfield, Shepherds Bush, London, this Thursday, April 19.

In the UK there has already been an advance screening for multimedia writers which I attended last Friday, April 13. There's an embargo on reviews until April 20 (so check back then for my full verdict) but we were allowed to tweet and you can see my reaction by visiting my Twitter page.

The UK also held a fan screening on Saturday, April 14, as part of a series of such events worldwide.

Special edition comic book for JRR Tolkien, plus Middle-earth weekend at Birmingham's Sarehole Mill

Sun, 15 Apr 2012 20:11:03 +0000

HE imagined realms of wizards, elves, orcs and hobbits and elevated fantasy from pulp to respected literature - which then became an Oscar-winning film trilogy with more movies on the way.

J.R.R. Tolkien, the iconic author who captivated generations with his rich mythology of Middle-earth, is the subject of his own tale in a special edition of Bluewater Productions' biography comic series Orbit.

Jaws is back in the water for Blu-ray debut in September 2012

Sun, 15 Apr 2012 00:06:42 +0000

THE KILLER SHARK is back - and looking better than ever.

Steven Spielberg's iconic thriller Jaws will be released on Blu-ray for the first time later this year.

Arriving in stores on September 3, 2012, the film has been digitally remastered and fully restored and will include two new features among its wealth of bonus material.

Comic Book Bites: Sin City 2 officially announced, starts casting next week; Russell Crowe's Noah to arrive in 2014

Sat, 14 Apr 2012 21:33:34 +0000

DIMENSION Films announced that Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller are to begin production on the long-promised sequel to 2005's Sin City.

Sin City creator, screenwriter and co-director Frank Miller said: "The first Sin City knocked out audiences who had never seen anything like it before. Robert Rodriguez and I are going to shake things up and deliver a ferocious film experience that is going to go even further than the first."

Comic Book Bites: Dwayne Johnson set for Lore, Sharlto Copley may be Old Boy villain

Sat, 14 Apr 2012 00:02:45 +0000

WARNER BROS is to make a film based on the IDW graphic novel Lore, with Dwayne Johnson set to star in what's described as "Men in Black with mythological creatures."

Screenwriters Cory Goodman and Jeremy Lott are adapting the book, according to HeatVision.

The story, which was originally written and illustrated by husband and wife team Ashley Wood and T.P. Louise, sees the return of beasts once held at bay by a secret society of shepherds.

Meanwhile, Variety is reporting that Sharlto Copley (pictured; District 9, The A-Team) has been offered the part of the villain in Spike Lee's Old Boy, a remake of a 2003 South Korean film based on a Japanese manga.

The Mandate Pictures production will follow a man called Joe (played by Josh Brolin) who is kidnapped and locked in a hotel room for more than two decades and then freed with just five days to find out the reason for his imprisonment.

Colin Firth previously turned down the role of the villain, which was then rumoured to have been offered to Clive Owen.

A previous incarnation of the project developed by DreamWorks was to have starred Will Smith and been directed by Steven Spielberg. But it was scrapped amid claims by the manga publishers that the Korean film's producers gave the rights to Spielberg without their permission.

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