Skip to Content

Exclusive: Rock Band Unplugged Track List

nick fury Tagged Articles at Cinematical

SDCC: Jon Favreau Brings the Awesome

Filed under: Action », Paramount », DIY/Filmmaking », Interviews », Comic/Superhero/Geek », Remakes and Sequels », ComicCon »

If you think you love Jon Favreau from a distance, try sitting next to him at a roundtable. (I know how fangirlish that sounds and I don't care.) Somehow, our seating arrangements switched up, and I ended up sliding into the chair next to him just as things got going. I think I can safely say we were both startled by that arrangement. For my part, I had just come from the Comic-Con floor, and was terrified the smell had rubbed off on me. To make matters worse, he smelled like cupcakes, sunshine, and expensive cologne. (I'm not the only one to remark on that, by the way. Jordan Hoffman did too!) But he is quite lovely to sit beside, and he's the kind of guy you really want to spend hours hanging out with. I mean, look to your right and see the nerdy shirt he was sporting! I do think that's the geekiest shirt I saw all week, and at Comic-Con that's saying something.

Below you'll find some Avengers hints, the lowdown on Mickey Rourke's cockatoo, and just why they rushed the footage to San Diego.

What do you most want fans of the comic book to know?

What do I most want them to know? Well, that we hear them. We're working from the same material that they're familiar with. We're going to stick with it in certain ways, and in certain ways we're going to change it, but we're not changing it out of ignorance. We're changing it as a choice to make it interesting, and maybe make it so they don't always know what to expect. I think that fans have been punished by studios that don't care, and they assume that when you change things, you don't know what you're doing, or you don't care about them. But sometimes, you do things -- sometimes you change it, like when you're telling a joke, to throw things off a little bit, and let there be some surprises when next May rolls around. Because with the level of curiosity, it's very hard to not open every Christmas present before the release date.

Go below for the rest!









SDCC: Marvel's Kevin Feige Tells You Just Enough ...

Filed under: Action », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Paramount », DIY/Filmmaking », Interviews », Comic/Superhero/Geek », Remakes and Sequels », ComicCon »

If there's a Marvel man you want to get drunk and pump for information, it's Kevin Feige. This is the man who has all the answers of cinema's Marvel Universe, and while his enthusiasm occasionally lets a spoiler or two slip, he generally just grins knowingly. Seriously, if you run into him, ply him with strong alcohol and see if you can get him to confirm whether or not the Skrulls will be the Big Bad of The Avengers. (Devin Faraci thinks so -- and so do I!) Now, onto the chat -- unfortunately, it's missing some quotes of "what a comic book movie is" at the end because I simply can't hear it behind the background noise. I got the good stuff though, don't worry.


KF: Hello! What are you going to ask me?

Are you going to make Green Lantern Vs Black Widow ... ?


Do you mean Marvel Comics Deadpool? [laughs] Anything? You got all your answers?

Coming into this, where you guys at Marvel are right now after Iron Man blew up so big, and the Marvel Universe became much more of a reality .... as you're finishing up Iron Man 2 how much of an eye are you keeping towards future projects?

It's a combination. Clearly, the four films that we've announced -- Iron Man 2, Thor, Captain America and The Avengers -- which are are all happening and are all in various stages, not just of development but of prep, clearly we're sowing seeds within them. I've always been very vocal about saying we're not just going to cram in Easter eggs that, you know, 1/10 of the audience will understand at the expense of the experience of watching the movie. That's all that really matters -- the movie itself.

Head below the jump for the rest!

New Dates for Thor, Captain America, and The Avengers

Filed under: Action », New Releases », Newsstand », Comic/Superhero/Geek »

It has been a busy couple of weeks for Marvel. After signing Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury for the rest of the man's natural born life and stalling on Iron Man casting (although that all worked out in the end), their behavior might have looked a little crazy -- but, it appears it was all a part of the plan. Deadline Hollywood Daily has posted a press release from Marvel today announcing "an adjusted release pipeline for its self-produced feature film properties that reflects the first time individual Super Hero characters and story arcs will be inter-woven and culminate in a multi-character motion picture."

So what exactly do they mean by adjusted? According to the new schedule, Thor will now be released June 17, 2011 (previously the big guy was slated for July 2010), The First Avenger: Captain America will now hit July 22, 2011 (one year later than expected), and the big bad daddy of them all, The Avengers has been moved to May 4th, 2012. Marvel even got a little feisty and stole some of Sony's thunder by announcing Spider Man 4's release date of May 6th, 2011. The good news for Marvel is this new schedule means that they will have a summer blockbuster entry every year between 2010-2012.

Samuel L. Jackson Signs With Marvel Until the End of Time

Filed under: Action », Casting », Deals », Newsstand », Comic/Superhero/Geek », Remakes and Sequels »

I was in the minority when it came to Samuel L. Jackson returning to the Marvel Universe. I know the Ultimate Nick Fury was based on him ... but the Marvel girl in me is traditional and boring.* I wanted to see someone like George Clooney sporting the eyepatch. I like Jackson (to dislike him is a sin) a lot, but he's just such a blatant fanboy choice nowadays ... and can anyone argue that he'll bring anything to Fury other than just being Jackson in an eyepatch? (Arguably, Clooney wouldn't either, but he'd bring that retro charm that non-Ultimate Fury swaggers with.)

But for the majority of fans, that's enough, and the following is news for you to rejoice over. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Jackson has signed on for nine (count 'em, nine) films with Marvel Studios. He's set to play Nick Fury in the following: Iron Man 2, Thor, Captain America, The Avengers, and any sequel that they might spawn. A S.H.I.E.L.D / Nicky Fury movie is also a possibility.

So, there you go. Not only is Jackson returning as Fury for Iron Man 2, but he will be the head of S.H.I.E.L.D for as long as it lives and breaths on our cinema screens.

* I will, however, give Marvel Studios major props for not making its movie universe a white one.

'Iron Man 2' Update: Mickey Rourke Offered Peanuts

Filed under: Action », Casting », Deals », Celebrities and Controversy », Fandom », Newsstand », Comic/Superhero/Geek »

Well, it would appear as if the harsh economic times are beginning to hurt our much-anticipated superhero sequels, as Variety reports that some actors are having to accept huge paycuts. With the exception of dudes like Will Smith and Johnny Depp (who still earn their ridiculously high quotes), everyone else in Hollywood is beginning to feel the hurt. For example, Variety says that the opening offer to Mickey Rourke for his villainous role in Iron Man 2 was a whopping $250,000 from Marvel. And while I'm sure we'd all love to make that kind of money for a gig, understand that for an Oscar-nominated actor enjoying a huge comeback year ... well, that's kind of insulting -- especially since we're talking Iron Man 2 and not some small, no-budget indie.

But it's these kinds of lowball offers that are also turning some actors away. Marvel attempted to pull the same sorta thing with Samuel L. Jackson, who was supposed to return to the big screen as Nick Fury, but the man walked claiming he'll never play the character for that money. [Raises hand] I'll play him ...

Here's my question to you, though: Should some of these actors suck it up and take less money if it makes their fans happy, or should they stick to their guns and hold out for the chunk of change they think they deserve?

Geek Daily: 'Watchmen' Settling, Nick Fury Casting News, and More!

Filed under: Action », Independent », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Casting », Deals », Warner Brothers », RumorMonger », Celebrities and Controversy », Scripts », 20th Century Fox », Newsstand », Comic/Superhero/Geek », Remakes and Sequels », Religious », Western »



First, let's tackle the Watchmen legal update. The Hollywood Reporter says that the January 20th court date has been canceled, and Warner Bros and Fox are talking about a settlement. It was expected we'd have one by now, since they started over the weekend, but it's apparently "serious" and probably heated too. You'll get your movie on March 6th though. What did we tell you?

Samuel L. Jackson
might be out as Nick Fury, telling Hero Complex: "I saw Jon Favreau at the Scream Awards and we had a conversation. He said, 'I hope things are working out for you because we're writing stuff for you.' Then all of a sudden last week I talked to my agents and manager and things aren't really working that well. There was a huge kind of negotiation that broke down. I don't know. Maybe I won't be Nick Fury. Maybe somebody else will be Nick Fury or maybe Nick Fury won't be in it. There seems to be an economic crisis in the Marvel Comics world so [they're saying to me], 'We're not making that deal.'" But Geoff Boucher called Marvel Comics, who refused to report on active (their emphasis) negotiations. So don't count yourself out yet, Mr. Jackson.

Sam Mendes
told MTV that he's still waiting for a Preacher script before he'll commit to the project, as he's not very good at "developing" projects, he needs to read the script. But he does love Garth Ennis' series. "I think it's absolutely brilliant. It's a gripping story, fantastic characters, great visual landscape. It mixes supernatural and real worlds brilliantly, it's not entirely a CGI creation if you make it into a movie. It's funny, and it's absolutely, completely blasphemous, possibly even sacrilegious I would say. Which might be a dangerous thing to take on. Whether or not I have the skill to make it into a movie, I don't know."

Stuff and Things: First Bond Reviews Trickle In

Filed under: Casting », Deals », Fandom », Newsstand », Trailers and Clips »



-- A bunch of early reviews for Quantum of Solace have arrived online, and the consensus seems to be that while exciting and fast-paced, it's not as good as Casino Royale. The Guardian adds, "I was disappointed there was so little dialogue, flirtation and characterization in this Bond: Forster and his writers Paul Haggis, Neal Purvis and Robert Wade clearly thought this sort of sissy nonsense has to be cut out in favor of explosions. Well, perhaps that is what Bond fans want (not this Bond fan, though). But I was also baffled that relatively little was made of the deliciously villainous Amalric." [More reviews: Empire, BBC]

-- Black Film snagged a whole bunch of new images from the film Cadillac Records, starring Beyonce Knowles (in the blonde wig above), Adrien Brody, Jeffrey Wright and Columbus Short, among others.

-- Anne Pressley, a TV news reporter who also played Anne Coulter in Oliver Stone's W., was attacked in her home over the weekend -- beaten and stabbed several times -- and is suffering injuries that police say are "life-threatening". There are no suspects right now, however seeing as her purse was missing, police suggest a robbery.

-- Page Six claims Steve Carell is interested in remaking The Bobo (1967), which originally starred Peter Sellers and Britt Ekland. Story tells of an unsuccessful singing matador who's offered a prime gig, but only if he's able to convince a beautiful woman to spend the night with him. Word has it Eva Mendes is on the wish list to play that beautiful woman.

-- Several outlets threw a number of Nick Fury questions at Samuel L. Jackson during the Soul Men press junket, and the actor told IESB that, according to Jon Favreau, Fury will have a much more prominent role in the Iron Man sequel. Also on IESB: Daniel Craig talks about turning down the role Thor in Marvel's upcoming movie.

Was Will Smith Offered Captain America?

Filed under: Action », Casting », RumorMonger », Fandom », Comic/Superhero/Geek »



Just when you thought Marvel was trying to get a blue-eyed, blonde-haired muscle head to play Captain America in their upcoming live-action flick, MTV sneaks onto the scene with one whopper of a rumor. While speaking to Derek Luke about Miracle at St. Anna up in Toronto, the actor let slip that, as far as he knows, Will Smith was offered the part of Captain America. Bet you didn't see that one coming.

Now keep in mind this is just a rumor right now -- and Luke could either have the wrong info or he could be screwing around; we don't know. However, I wouldn't put it past Marvel to switch things up and throw Smith into the role. Not only did Smith do a fine job as a homeless, alcoholic superhero in need of rehabilitation in this summer's Hancock, but the dude would guarantee a gigantic opening box office. As MTV points out, Marvel has changed the color of characters before; most notably with Nick Fury (who used to be a middle-aged white man, and was recently played by Samuel L. Jackson in Iron Man).

Hey, I'm all for it. We're close to electing the first African American president in the United States, so why not bring on the first black Captain America*? Just makes the eventual Avengers flick that much more interesting, huh?

The First Avenger: Captain America is due in theaters in May, 2011.

*Actually, Smith would technically be the second black Captain America; Isaiah Bradley (name of character) was the first.

UPDATE: AICN tells us that Marvel has debunked this, saying they've never offered Will Smith the role.

Samuel L. Jackson is Doing the 'Unthinkable'

Filed under: Action », Thrillers », Deals »

Remember how for the longest time whenever anyone talked about Samuel L. Jackson it was usually followed by the description of Jackson as one of the hardest working actors in the business? Well, it is not like he didn't earn that reputation -- Jackson currently has one film already headed to theaters and three other films in production. Variety reports that Jackson will add the spy thriller Unthinkable to the pile.

Gregor Jordan (The Informers) has already signed to direct the story of a "major threat to the United States when the locations of three nuclear devices are shrouded in secrecy by a single terrorist. With only two days before they are deployed, a black-ops interrogator and a female FBI agent have to decide how far they will go to find them" -- knowing Jackson's flair for interrogation I can only assume he will play the interrogator in the film.

Jackson is still filming the musical comedy Soul Men with Bernie Mac, so production on Unthinkable won't start until this fall in Minneapolis. But remember, Jackson likes to keep busy, so stay tuned for those Nick Fury updates -- because let's face it, Unthinkable will likely not be the Jackson film everyone is talking about in 2009.

Marvel Announces Media Line-up: Movies, Games and Even a Musical!

Filed under: Music & Musicals », New Releases », Comic/Superhero/Geek »

Whether you're a fan of comics, or just happen to watch superheroes on the big screen now and then, you've probably heard of Marvel. They've got almost all the biggies: Spider-Man, X-Men, Fantastic Four, Incredible Hulk, Captain America, Daredevil and Iron Man. And if you regularly read Cinematical, you know that at least a few movies are in production with these characters. Marvel Entertainment has now released their second quarter earnings for 2007, and have included the company's list of projects, which you can find over at SuperHeroHype.

We know all about some of them. Of course, under their character feature line-up, they've got my much-anticipated Wolverine, which we last blogged about a few days ago, and Punisher 2, which is going to be a do-over. Under the flicks in development, we've got Iron Man (which was very present in our ComicCon coverage) and The Incredible Hulk. But there's also a whole bunch of writers gearing up other super projects like Ant-Man by Edward Wright and Joe Cornish, Captain America by David Self, Nick Fury by Andrew Marlowe, Thor by Mark Protosevich and The Avengers by Zak Penn. There are also a few animated TV projects in the works -- Spider-Man, Wolverine and the X-Men and Iron Man, some direct-to-DVD projects -- Doctor Strange, Teen Avengers and Hulk Smash and video game projects for Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk.

And here's the kicker: Spider-Man the Musical. Yes, our webbed friend is going to hit the stage, and somehow I've
missed the buzz that has been lurking around. Woops. It's not a terrible surprise that Spidey is jumping out of the screen, especially after all the success of Sam Raimi's last flick to get theatrical: Evil Dead: The Musical. Julie Taymor (Titus and Across the Universe) is going to direct the production, and the music will come from U2's Bono and The Edge -- that pretty much guarantees us some funky music and stunning sights. Unfortunately, there's no word on when we can expect to see the web stick to the stage.
 
.