11:00 AM, Wednesday, May 16th, 2012 - Posted by John Wilson
Paul Lee still wants the Hulk to smash on ABC.
 The network's entertainment president told reporters Tuesday during a conference call ahead of his formal upfront presentation to Madison Avenue ad buyers in New York that he'd still like to "see some Marvel projects come to television."
"Hulk is in development," he confirmed. "It wasn't going to be ready this season but we hope it's going to be ready for next season."
Oscar nominee Guillermo del Toro (Pan's Labrynth) is developing the project for the Disney-owned network after ABC's parent company purchased Marvel Entertainment for $4 billion in late 2009.
With Disney distributing box office hit The Avengers, Lee touted the corporate synergy and expressed optimism that he plans to expand its superhero slate. "We're immensely proud to be a company with The Avengers," he said. "We're going to continue to develop aggressively."
Pressed for details, Lee remained mum only noting, "We've got some in development, but none that I can talk about at this point."
More recently, ABC Studios and Fox gave a put pilot commitment to an adaptation of Marvel's The Punisher, with Criminal Minds' Ed Bernero that didn't move forward.
The update news comes as The Avengers continues to build to its box office cume. The film, which stars Mark Ruffalo as the Hulk, has already topped $1 billion worldwide.
Source:The Hollywood Reporter Add a reply 
| 11:00 AM, Tuesday, May 15th, 2012 - Posted by John Wilson
As the credits roll on "The Avengers," moviegoers see a sinister alien revealed — it's Thanos, a being obsessed with nihilism and death, eventually falling in love with its embodiment, Mistress Death. The Mad Titan first appeared in Iron Man #55 in 1973 and would become a signature figure in the Marvel Universe's "cosmic level" sagas — the struggles that brought heroes, monsters, aliens, immortals and gods into conflicts that spilled across space, time and other dimensions. The character was created by artist and writer Jim Starlin, who we caught up with to talk about his Mad Titan getting a Hollywood close-up.
HC: When did you find out Thanos was going to be in the film — and was it hard to keep it a secret?
The Cosmic Cube in comics (called the Tesseract in the Marvel Studios films) is a prized object that would allow Thanos to destroy life (Marvel Comics)
JS: I was only alerted by friends to Thanos appearing in the film a few weeks before the opening. They'd come across rumors about it on the Internet. So I had no problem at all about keeping that particular secret.
HC: Thanos has such a memorable visage and powerful aura — even in a Marvel Universe packed with cosmic-level characters. Did the character arrive fully formed in your imagination or did it take awhile to get the character to the now-familiar version?
JS: Thanos came to me while I was taking a psychology class in college after coming out of the service; the ol' Thanos/Eros concept. I had him sort of roughed out before I ever started working at Marvel. When editor Roy Thomas asked me to do a fill-in Iron Man, I decided to add him to the mix. I showed some character sketches I had of the character to Roy, he asked if I could perhaps bulk up Thanos some and then let me run with it. Mike Friedrich then dialogued the issue. As time went on, Thanos just sort of grew organically on his own. Not sure where his loving Death came from. At the time I was recently out of the service and rather messed up. Hard to remember what was going through my head back then.
 HC: On that topic, most villains in comics usually want to conquer or destroy things, but Thanos' ends are more, well, romantic. Was there any specific inspiration that led to a character that — literally — courts death?
JS: I suppose the Mad Titan's doing a Pepe Le Pew on Death was an offshoot of the death wish that I was probably entertaining around then. If I hadn't had the outlet of writing and drawing comics, I guess there's a good chance I wouldn't be around today. But I got to vent and am still among the living and breathing.
HC: Through the years, what sort of reactions come back from fans? I can see Thanos setting up some unsettling questions or metaphysical argument, for instance...
JS: The conversations I have had on Thanos with fans over the years have ranged from the bizarre to the intense, as would be expected. The odder reaction to my handling of Thanos and (later) "The Death of Captain Marvel" came from my fellow professionals. I sort of became the go-to guy for killing off characters. At this point I don't know how many comic-book characters I've been asked to assassinate. I eventually did in Robin, Warlock and Captain Marvel but passed on Shang Chi and at least a half-dozen others.
HC: I spoke to Jerry Robinson once and I congratulated him on the billion-dollar success of "The Dark Knight" and he winced like I had poked him in the eye. Of course I instantly realized that watching Alfred, the Joker, Two-Face, etc. fill the coffers of Warner Bros. was like watching a son raised in another house with another family's name. I don't know the arrangements on this film, but has this project and its success been a mixed experience in any way?
JS: Very mixed. It's nice to see my work recognized as being worth something beyond the printed page, and it was very cool seeing Thanos up on the big screen. Joss Whedon and his crew did an excellent job on "The Avengers" movie and I look forward to the sequel, for obvious reasons. But this is the second film that had something I created for Marvel in it — the Infinity Gauntlet in "Thor" being the other - and both films I had to pay for my own ticket to see them. Financial compensation to the creators of these characters doesn't appear to be part of the equation. Hopefully Thanos' walk-on in "The Avengers" will give a boost to a number of my own properties that are in various stages of development for film: "Dreadstar," "Breed" and the novel "Thinning the Predators."
HC: Where did you see the film and what was it like for you?
JS: I saw the film at a midnight showing at a local theater. Of course the audience was packed with comic-book crazies. It was like going to a comics convention. I had two heavy-duty geeks sitting behind me, narrating and commenting on the film throughout. I thought about asking them to pipe down but then realized they were actually adding to the experience for me and let it ride. My only surprise when I saw Thanos up on the screen was how violet he was. I always saw his exposed hide as being more grayish violet. I've only seen the film once and the Mad Titan appears quite briefly, but I had the impression he could perhaps use a bit more chin, but I could be wrong about that. I liked the voice.
Source: LA Times Add a reply
| 4:45 PM, Sunday, May 13th, 2012 - Posted by Brant Fowler
 The Avengers took the lion's share of the box office for its second weekend in the US, and blows past the billion dollar mark worldwide only two weeks after its US release.
The domestic total as of today, May 13th, is $373,182,000, which already makes it more successful than Iron Man's total domestic intake.
The Avengers is posed to become the highest selling movie of all time if it continues on this track, and it's already up there with Titanic and The Dark Knight.
Source: Box Office Mojo
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| 2:00 PM, Friday, May 11th, 2012 - Posted by John Wilson
Joss Whedon has thanked his loyal fans for the success of The Avengers.
He acknowledged the ongoing support of his "peeps" in a post on Whedonesque.
 "What doesn't change is that I've had the smartest, most loyal, most passionate, most articulate group of - I'm not even gonna say fans. I'm going with 'peeps' - that any cult oddity such as my bad self could have dreamt of," Whedon wrote.
"When almost no one was watching, when people probably should have stopped watching, I've had three constants: my family and friends, my collaborators (often the same), and y'all. A lot of stories have come out about my 'dark years', and how I'm 'unrecognised'...
"I love these stories, because they make me seem super-important, but I have never felt the darkness (and I'm ALL about my darkness) that they described."
Whedon continued: "I have so much. I have people, in my life, on this site, in places I've yet to discover, that always made me feel the truth of success: an artist and an audience communicating."
Whedon also admitted that he would "feel sad" if Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises exceeds The Avengers' unprecedented box office success, but went on to say that the success of superhero films is a "boon" to everyone involved in the genre.
"The Avengers is notably imperfect, which makes its success mean so much more to me - because it's striking a chord that matters more than its obvious flaws," he continued. "Like the team, it appears to be more than the sum of its parts. Boo-yah!"
The Avengers opened to a record-breaking $200 million in the US box office on its first weekend.
A sequel is already in development.
Source: Digital Spy Add a reply
| 11:00 AM, Thursday, May 10th, 2012 - Posted by John Wilson
 Captain America 2 will be the upcoming Marvel sequel most directly tied to current blockbuster Marvel's The Avengers.
In a chat with CHUD, Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige said "as we go forward - particularly in Iron Man 3 - the notion of how singular the stories can become. Iron Man 3 is a very singular Tony Stark story. As is Thor 2. Cap, who is stuck in the modern day with no friends or family, there will be some revelations of who is still alive from his days in WWII, but SHIELD and Nick Fury are kind of his confidants right now. So of all these movies, Captain America 2 will be most closely associated with Avengers."
Hmmm. Bucky, aka Winter Soldier perhaps? Actor Sebastian Stan is contracted for multiple films. Or perhaps the return of Hugo Weaving's Red Skull? An appearance by a now-elderly Peggy Carter? All of the above?
And in an interview with Variety, Feige said the present-day Cap 2 will be in "a wholly different genre than we've done before" as it's "all about surprising the audience." Maybe Cap 2 will be more of a Bourne or Bond-esque espionage thriller than a straightforward superhero adventure.
Captain America 2 is slated for an April 4, 2014 release.
Source: IGN Add a reply
| 9:00 AM, Thursday, May 10th, 2012 - Posted by John Wilson
Disney has no plans to buy back Marvel Comics characters.
 The publisher's parent company has revealed that it has no intention of pursuing the rights to properties owned by other studios, reports ComicBook.com.
"Marvel's got a slew of great characters to mine, and we'll continue to do that," said Disney CEO Bob Iger.
"They've got development in the works for a number of unnamed characters that are going to give Marvel the ability to make numerous films over the years ahead, so I don't think you'll see necessarily a need to buy back characters or all that much opportunity."
Spider-Man is currently owned by Sony, while the X-Men rights rest with 20th Century Fox.
Iger also revealed that Avengers 2 is already in the works.
Joss Whedon's movie adaptation of the superhero team opened to a record-breaking $200 million at the US box office last week.
Source: Digital Spy Add a reply
| 11:00 AM, Wednesday, May 9th, 2012 - Posted by John Wilson
 The Hollywood trades are reporting that Universal Studios is in talks with Matthew Vaughn to make and distribute Kick-Ass 2 the sequel to the 2010 movie that Vaughn made independently for $30 million, and which earned $96 million worldwide. Vaughn, who is busy preparing the sequel to X-Men: First Class, will produce, though he will not return to helm the Kick-Ass sequel. However he has chosen Jeff Wadlow (Never Back Down) to direct the sequel with Aaron Johnson (Kick-Ass), Chloe Moretz (Hit Girl), and Christopher Mintz-Plasse expected to reprise their roles.
These reports in the trade confirm earlier assurances from Kick-Ass comic creators John Romita, Jr. and Mark Millar that the sequel to Kick-Ass 2 was on track, though it now appears that the movie will be financed by Universal and that shooting won't start until the fall.
Lionsgate distributed the first Kick-Ass movie, which achieved cult movie status, was actually one of the most effective Marvel movies yet in terms of actually selling books. The sequel will reportedly adapt the Hit-Girl spin-off as its first act, which will be folded into the narrative of the Kick-Ass 2 miniseries.
Source: ICv2 Add a reply
| 9:00 AM, Wednesday, May 9th, 2012 - Posted by John Wilson
Still at the start of its rapidly-increasing box office take, Marvel's The Avengers is already set to be followed next year by Iron Man 3 and Thor 2 with Captain America 2 following in 2014.
 Today, Disney Chairman and CEO Bob Iger spoke with CNBC about the massive success of Marvel's The Avengers and what it means for the future of the cinematic Marvel Universe.
"The Avengers isn't just a film," says Iger. "It's a franchise from our perspective. Obviously, it was helped a lot by the success of the 'Iron Man' movies and of 'Thor' and 'Captain America'. From 'The Avengers' we get a chance to make 'Thor 2' and 'Captain America 2' and 'Iron Man 3' and hopefully another 'Avengers' movie. So this one film that is immensely successful... is going to get a number of other films and franchises."
In addition to the films he lists, the studio has announced plans for an as-of-yet-undisclosed project to be released on May 16, 2014. There's no confirmation yet on whether or not that will be a sequel or if it might be based on a new Marvel Universe character.
"We have an ability to leverage what was a very fun film done by a great group of filmmakers into something much bigger for the company," he continues, "and the effect will be prolonged and that's very, very exciting for us."
Source: Superhero Hype Add a reply
| 11:00 AM, Tuesday, May 8th, 2012 - Posted by John Wilson
 Character actor George Murdock, who portrayed Dr. Salik on Battlestar Galactica Admiral J.P. Hanson in two episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation, and "God" in Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, died April 30 in Los Angeles. He was 81, according to variety.
Murdock earned over 200 credits in TV and film over the course of a career that spanned more than five decades. He was likely best known as Lt. Scanlon on Barney Miller.
:The actor began a steady stream of small-screen roles in the early 1960s with credits in Twilight Zone, The Untouchables, 77 Sunset Strip," the site reported. "Later came roles in Hawaii Five-O, Mod Squad, Ironside, Gunsmoke, McCloud, Lou Grant and The Rockford Files. He played generals in miniseries The Winds Of War and War And Remembrance, and he was a regular on the brief Yakov Smirnoff vehicle What A Country in 1986. Later credits included L.A. Law, ER, The X Files series and movie and CSI."
Murdock was a natural to play judges, and he did so repeatedly not only onstage but also on television ("aw and Order, Judging Amy) and in film (Timescape, Final Analysis).
Born in Salina, Kans., Murdock is survived by his wife, Cathy, and a stepdaughter.
Source: SCI-Fi Pulse Add a reply
| 8:00 AM, Tuesday, May 8th, 2012 - Posted by Brant Fowler
 Today, Mon. May 7, production of The Walking Dead Season 3 officially kicks off. Now AMCtv.com begins its series of on-set interviews with the show's talented creative team by chatting with Executive Producer Robert Kirkman about Danai Gurira's (Michonne) sword skills and the most impressive set he's ever seen on the show. (Yes, we're talking about the prison.)
Q: After two seasons, you must feel like an old pro on set. What aspects of production still surprise you?
A: One thing that's surprising me is how much I've fallen in love with Georgia. The town Senoia where we're filming is absolutely beautiful...The big change this season is we've got this amazing prison that we're filming in. It's absolutely stunning, and I never get used to being on set.
Q: What went into constructing the prison?
A: They've taken a lot of what you see in the comic book series and brought it to life in ways that I didn't think possible. This is going to be one of the most impressive looking things that's ever been put together for a show.
Q: The room in the prison with all the guns and the SWAT gear in the comic is really cool. Is that going to come up on the show?
A: We're a big fan of the SWAT gear here at The Walking Dead writer's room... maybe that's an indication that we'll be seeing that stuff in the show. It's important to us to maintain the tone of the show. Thus far [the characters] have been out on the road, desperate and living in the heat, and we don't want it to be that they're relaxing in this safe place now.
Q: With the evil Governor in the picture, does that mean the humans are the bigger threat this season?
A: The plan was always to evolve naturally into a place where the zombies essentially become a manageable threat. You know the rules. You know how to deal with them. To a certain extent they become something to not really be scared of unless you mess up. Humans, however, do not follow any rules and will always do something that surprises you and are capable of doing things far worse than trying to eat you...We're definitely going to be seeing a lot of horrible things.
Q: What can you tell us about David Morrissey's portrayal of the Governor? Have you seen him in costume yet?
A: I'm actually waiting desperately to see him dressed up in Governor mode and walking the streets of Woodbury. I think he's going to be absolutely great playing against Andrew Lincoln.
Q: Michonne was introduced in the Season 2 Finale. How are Danai Gurira's sword skills shaping up?
A: There's been quite a bit of sword training going on and [Danai] is doing an amazing job. She's going to be do all of the hard character stuff and drama that The Walking Dead is known for, but she has tremendous physical capability and the sword training that I've seen is absolutely amazing. I can't wait to see her hack up some zombies.
Q: Can you tell us anything about the sword she's using?
A: She's using a sword that we specially designed for the show...The origins of the sword will be revealed on the show.
Q: This season has got so many exciting story lines...
A: When you think about The Walking Dead comic series, you think about oh, the stuff they with did the Governor, the stuff they did with the prison and Woodbury and Michonne. And that's really a lot of the stuff that people remember the story for and that's stuff we haven't even gotten to in the TV show yet. So as much as people love the show, and as high as the ratings are, and as cool as the show is, I feel like we haven't even gotten to the good stuff yet. This season is absolutely going to blow people away.
Q: You're developing another of your comics, Thief of Thieves, with AMC. What can you tell us about that project?
A: Thief of Thieves is a great heist story about a man named Conrad Paulson who leads a double life as a master thief known internationally as Redman...I am working with Chic Eglee, who is a fantastic writer who worked on the first season of The Walking Dead, and right now we are in the pilot development stage, so he's going to be working hard on the pilot script and once that's written we'll go from there. But it's really exciting to be working with AMC again.
Q: This season will be 16 episodes instead of 13. Are you looking forward to the longest production time yet?
A: The actors and the crew and a lot of the producers would not be thrilled to hear me saying this, but I love doing 16 episodes a year. I think the more the better, and I think it's a lot of fun. We are going to get to tell bigger stories, and tell more stories, and get into the characters a lot more. So the more the merrier.
Source: AMCTV.com
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