Oddly enough we're told it's Justin Theroux, who's making his screenwriting debut with Tropic Thunder a bit later this summer. Yes, that would be the same Justin Theroux who played the immortal role of Adam Kesher in Mulholland Dr. and the badass Irishman Seamus O'Grady in Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle. The trade piece breaking the story gives no hint of why Marvel Studios thought of Theroux for the project, and I couldn't find out anywhere else, but I'm sure someone will give an interview soon enough.

Last year, Theroux directed an indie called Dedication from someone else's script, starring Tom Wilkinson and Billy Crudup. It got mediocre reviews and I missed it, despite my eagerness to watch anything with Wilkinson. If a career change is what the actor was after, he certainly got it: writing Iron Man 2 is a pretty plum gig. Can you imagine?

Of course, I tend to doubt that the sequel -- which is set for release in April, 2010 -- is going to wind up with just one screenwriter when all is said and done. Theroux's draft will probably be reworked, retouched and polished a dozen times. But it's cool that the actor-turned-director-turned-scribe will at least take a first crack.

I've gotten excited over teaser trailers without any footage. I've even gotten excited over teaser posters with nothing more than a title (and the words "coming soon") on them. But I never thought I'd get excited over a mere title graphic alone -- no trailer, no poster, no nothing, save for a logo and a release year. Well, that's what just happened. I got all giddy over a post on MTV Movies Blog featuring a bunch of new logos for the next four Marvel Studios release. There's Iron Man II, Thor, The First Avenger: Captain America and The Avengers, all written in mostly familiar fonts (if you're a comic book reader, that is).

The logos were unveiled at the New York Licensing Expo, from which we've also seen new promotional materials from Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, from Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins and from Where the Wild Things Are. This latest image may not be as exciting as those, but if you grew up with any of these titles, you may still be as excited as I am by seeing their logos. I'm pretty glad they didn't go with the arched, red, white and blue striped logo for Captain America, and I really hope they stick with the plain old Roman numerals for Iron Man II and avoid any subtitle or alternate title. Also, The Avengers logo is just how I remember it.

Two complaints, though, coming from an old, old Thor reader: first, I much preferred the original Thor logo, with the torn-paper look; second, I wish Marvel would rethink their avoidance of "The Mighty" part before the character's name. After all, look what happened with the simply titled Hulk. Are we to assume the first Thor will be a disappointment and we can then look forward to a reboot titled The Mighty Thor?

So, will we be seeing this compilation of logos as a four-in-one teaser poster in theaters soon?

Early this week, we reported some ugly Iron Man 2 gossip, brought to us via IESB -- rumors that Marvel might not sign Jon Favreau to helm IM2 because they don't think he deserves whatever amount of money he's supposedly asking for the sequel.

As expected, IESB received a great deal of attention over this bombshell. Ain't It Cool News' Harry Knowles confirmed the story, while Devin Faraci of CHUD expressed skepticism that financial negotiations could be that far when Favreau himself had confirmed that he had only heard from Marvel once. But we all agreed that something was rotten at the studio of Marvel. It seems a bit presumptive to name a release date, but avoid talking to or signing your director, yes?

As you Iron Man fans know, the number one question everyone's been throwing at Favreau and Robert Downey Jr. has centered on which storyline we might see in Iron Man 2. The popular consensus was the famous Demon in a Bottle storyline, where poor Tony Stark hits rock bottom in his battle with alcoholism.

But that storyline might actually be in jeopardy due to another summer superhero movie: Hancock. Favreau told Collider, "The comic book fans might see Demon in a Bottle as a fresh story line but I haven't seen Hancock yet. From what I've seen it seems there is a lot of imagery that seems to be shared. Him flying through billboards and things. The idea of the hero whose biggest enemy is himself, and him fighting through his demons, you want to come at the audience with something fresh. You don't want to feel like you are echoing something that somebody else is doing." Hopefully, Hancock will keep clear of Stark's territory, and we might end up with that fresh storyline after all. Pop on over to Collider to read the rest of the interview.

Oh, but we're not done! Earlier today, Erik shared the news that Favreau was being very vocal on MySpace regarding the Iron Man 2 release date and how there needed to be more time to create a successful sequel. He mentioned that perhaps Iron Man should take the three-year route, like Nolan's Batman films. Then, IESB dropped the bomb that the reason Marvel hadn't signed Favreau yet was because he wanted more money and they didn't feel he deserved it. Apparently, Marvel's David Maisel thinks an Iron Man sequel would kill with or without Favreau. Read more about that here.

Over on MySpace, writer-director Jon Favreau (aka the newest Marvel superhero) has been answering a bunch of Iron Man-related questions from fans ... though I may want to slip in there and ask about a Swingers sequel and throw everything off balance. One thing Favreau has been very vocal about are the scheduled release dates for Iron Man 2 and The Avengers. He's already stressed that it would be near impossible for him to direct both since they're only a year apart, but now he's going on record complaining about the 2010 release date for Iron Man 2.

He says, "I am concerned, however, about the announced release date of April 2010. Neither Robert nor I were consulted about this and we are both concerned about how realistic the date is in light of the fact that we have no script, story or even writers hired yet. This genre of movie is best when it is done thoughtfully and with plenty of preparation. It might be better to follow the BB/DK, X/X2 three year release pattern than to scramble for a date. It is difficult because there are no Marvel 09 releases and they need product, but I also think we owe it to the fans to have a great version of IM2 and, at this point, we would have less time to make it than the first one."

I'm just burning doin' the neutron dance ...

Iron Man 2: Though they're still ironing out all the deals and what have you, Terrence Howard told Military.com that Iron Man 2 is set to begin production in March of 2009. This gives everyone involved a little less than a year to get in shape, finish a script and ... do all those things that Hollywood people do prior to shooting a film. The current release date for Iron Man 2 is April 30, 2010, which will be followed by a live-action Thor movie a month or so later on June 4, 2010. According to an earlier report, Marvel Entertainment will not release a film in 2009.

Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen: Ever since the full, official title was announced for Transformers 2, fan sites across the globe have jumped at the chance to decipher some sort of hidden agenda. Does the title reference the return of those robots destroyed in the first film? Is it a reference to an actual Transformer named Fallen, a Generation 1 Transformer who looks to be on fire based on images from the Transformers Wiki. The character is referred to as Fallen and The Fallen, which makes it seem as if the title would read Revenge of The Fallen or Revenge of Fallen if it were indeed talking about this particular character. Or (and this is my theory), the entire title is made up of different robots. 'Revenge' could be the nastiest one, followed by its assistants 'of' and 'the', and then 'Fallen'. Whaddya think?

Additionally, TransformersLive has images of the Smithsonian set and what appears to be a photo of the Transformer Jetfire. Slashfilm also has an extensive report on future shooting and new robots. So much for Michael Bay keeping this one top secret, huh?

Update: Devin from Chud pointed out to me that his sources are saying the title does, in fact, reference the character The Fallen.

After the jump: Axel Foley? Whatchu doin' in a family-friendly sequel?

(Above: Transformers 2 filming in (and blowing up) poor Pennsylvania.)

Update: Paramount announced that the official title for Transformers 2 will be Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen.

And then there were two ...

Iron Man 2: I'm not sure how Coming Soon and IESB managed to ask the same exact questions to Iron Man director Jon Favreau (perhaps they're dating and, like, read each others' minds), but that's what it looks like from here. Both sites visited the set of I Love You Man, starring Paul Rudd and Jason Segel, where Favreau was starring in a supporting role. But who cares about that when we've got Iron Man 2 to talk about!?

According to Favreau, he still isn't signed on yet and negotiations with all the actors are ongoing. Of course, he's interested in directing both Iron Man 2 and The Avengers, but because Marvel scheduled the films a year apart, he feels it's literally impossible for him to do both. Favreau also discusses the many potential storylines that could exist in such a sequel, but notes that it's hard to talk about any of this because Marvel is extremely busy prepping the debut of The Incredible Hulk (which we'll talk about in another post). Check either site for much more from Favreau.

Transformers 2: For the first time in a couple hundred years, Pennsylvania has become the cool place to be. Oh yes, that's because Transformers 2 is causing all sorts of mayhem -- with their blowing up of a steel factory, sending hundreds of Asian extras running through the streets of make-believe China. (Is it me, or should Michael Bay receive an Oscar nod simply for making Pennsylvania pass off as China?) Tons of photos from around the set have popped up online over at TFW2005 (see one above).

After the jump: Did someone say Star Trek sequels?

Attention, Marvel Studios: You forgot to call Jon Favreau about Iron Man 2 when you set the release date and stuff. Please put it on your To Do list. Thanks.

Favreau was on Howard Stern this past Tuesday, and revealed that he has not yet been signed for the sequel. "They haven't offered me anything yet. They're all talking -- they want to do it, they even announced a date."

I want to believe that it means nothing, that things are in such a talky, pat-on-the-back stage that they don't mean anything by it. But still, before you talked to Entertainment Tonight and announced a release date, wouldn't you slap the director on the back and say "I hope you're coming back for the sequel!" Just as a courtesy? A "Good job, Favs!"

After being pressed by Stern, Favreau revealed his director's salary -- $4 million for the first film, with a NET profit deal which will pay a very small percentage once the film begins to turn a profit. But that won't happen for years with the magic of movie bookkeeping. And when a film makes mega bucks, like Iron Man did, all previous contracts are pretty much thrown out the window. That includes those Iron Man actors who have signed on for sequels. "They're all signed for three but it doesn't work that way. That all goes out the window when you make $100 million dollars," said Favreau. "Because people want to have a good relationship with the people they are working with, and if they're making that kind of money, it's an understanding that they're going to negotiate." (Isn't this a fun look into the world of legalities? I thought so.)

There's all sorts of madness going on at Marvel right now in the wake of Iron Man's ridiculous opening weekend. Marvel's Kevin Feige was promoted to God and now it's time to start looking toward the future. While we await the release of Marvel's second self-financed flick (The Incredible Hulk) later this summer, The Hollywood Reporter tells us Matthew Vaughn is no longer directing Thor (currently scheduled to arrive in theaters on June 4, 2010, not July 4 as previously reported -- unless HR made a typo). According to HR, Vaughn's holding deal expired. In the meantime, Marvel is waiting for a script polish from writer Mark Protosevich (I Am Legend).

On what we should expect from Thor, Feige says, "It's very much a Marvel superhero story but against the backdrop of nothing you've seen before. " He then described the flick as a "period fantasy in the vein of The Lord of the Rings." Sounds pretty cool to me. Who do you think they should get to direct Thor? Heck, why not throw Peter Jackson on it -- I'm sure fans would freak over that one.

Additionally, and this is just a rumor right now, HR also claims that Hulk might be featured in Iron Man 2 (due out April 30, 2010). They don't go any further than that except to say we should expect cross-referencing in all these films now that Marvel has control over the movies its characters are in. However, one thing's NOT for sure right now -- and that's Robert Downey Jr.'s participation in the Iron Man sequel. He's signed on, but HR says Marvel may have to "sweeten the pot to reward the movie's star." Oh, they'll sweeten ... or else millions of fans will look to bring on a world of hurt.

In all the breathless excitement, possibility and release date for Iron Man 2, it's always good to step back and hear from the main men. You might be surprised (and maybe relieved) to know they haven't really started thinking about the sequel yet. On the other hand, one immediately begins to panic, thinking "Dear God, they won't actually ditch Jon Favreau, will they?" To answer that, Entertainment Weekly sat down with both Robert Downey Jr. and Favreau, the weariness apparent in their voices as they tried to actually comprehend doing it all again.

Let's start with Stark himself on where the sequel will go. "There's this idea of Terrence [Howard] putting on a suit and coming back as War Machine, who is pretty iconic in the Iron Man and Marvel universe. Just seeing where it can all go, but grounding it in a very modern mythology. I see it as the greatest dysfunctional family story ever told .... In The New York Post a couple days ago, [there was a cartoon] of Iron Man suited up, and he's telling the governor even his super-powers can't get him out of the budget problem. That was what Jon was hoping for and excited to see the most, the idea that Tony Stark and Iron Man can become part of the cultural fabric. When we heard posters were being defaced to promote political or social ideas, he just got such a hoot out of that."