AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR: All Good Things…

NOTE: As the directors have requested, “Thanos demands your silence.”

“Evacuate the city. Engage all defenses. And get this man a shield!”

- T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman), Avengers: Infinity War

Who would have ever guessed that a small publishing company called Timely would have led to several of the biggest box-office bonanzas of the 21st century? In their 10 years of existence, Marvel Studios has put out 19 feature films, 5 direct-to-DVD short films, 3 network television series, a few adjacent Netflix series and a revamped theme park attraction with loads more well on the way. The ambitious high-wire crossover nature of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has kept fans coming back for more and more.

On the creative side of Marvel Studios, there have been a few ups and downs in terms of maintaining consistency. Actors like Terrence Howard and Edward Norton were replaced early on when it was deemed that they were not team players. Directors like Louis Leterrier, Kenneth Branagh and Joe Johnston have rarely been recognized for their contributions to the MCU and have not been a part of the 10th Anniversary celebrations for unknown reasons. Joss Whedon, who came aboard to take on Marvel’s The Avengers, was quickly made Marvel Studios’ golden boy. After being forced to help fix a few movies, start a brand-new TV show and finish a long-awaited sequel, it was clear he was exhausted and simply wanted to go home.

Enter the Russo Brothers. They were primarily known for their background in comedies like You, Me and Dupree and episodes of “Community”. Fans were more than a bit skeptical when they were brought on to direct Captain America: The Winter Soldier. However, the brothers delivered a thrilling and engaging film that had great action and solid drama while still maintaining the levity the Marvel Studios films are known for. Naturally, they were brought back for Captain America: Civil War where they had a larger scope with even more characters to play with. They also introduced Black Panther and Spider-Man into the MCU. This too was a massive success for the duo. But producer and Marvel Studios head honcho Kevin Feige had a final stage in mind.

Several of the lead actors’ contracts were coming to an end and newer actors coming in needed their own films to thrive in. With the writers of the Captain America trilogy, Feige plotted out two new Avengers films that would effectively end one half of the MCU and push the other half in a whole other direction. Deciding to film both stories back-to-back, the Russos were up to the task. Not only were they working with nearly every cast member from Civil War but also the space superstars the Guardians of the Galaxy (who had just come off two highly successful films). The films were such large-scale events that, for the first time ever in a Hollywood feature film, IMAX cameras were used to film the entirety of production. With the largest main cast ever assembled for a Marvel Studios film, two proven directors and a multi-million dollar production of two separate films both shot in IMAX, the possibilities were infinite…

After the destruction of Asgard, the refugee ship commanded by Thor (Chris Hemsworth) is intercepted by the forces of intergalactic conqueror Thanos (Josh Brolin). The Hulk, who had been traveling with Thor, is sent back to Earth to warn their heroes as Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo). He crash-lands into the Sanctum Sanctorum of Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) who brings in Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.). While Bruce’s story seems unbelievable at first, it is not long before Thanos’ forces have arrived at Earth and begin attacking Manhattan. Spider-Man (Tom Holland) joins the fray in protecting Doctor Strange’s Time Stone, but Strange himself is soon captured. Iron Man and Spider-Man follow their enemies’ ship into space. Meanwhile, Thor has landed in amongst the Guardians of the Galaxy, who take off after the remaining Infinity Stones. Back on Earth, the remaining heroes retreat to the homeland of Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman), Wakanda. They are there to save the life of mortally wounded Vision (Paul Bettany), whose essence is stored in the Mind Stone. Though they are separated by millions of miles of space, the Earth’s mightiest heroes are giving their all to stop a tyrant from ruling the universe. Can they save the day one last time or will their efforts be in vain?

Note: This shot is actually nowhere in the film whatsoever.

To begin with, this film has a breakneck pace but it is welcome because the movie is over two hours long. Audiences have had 10 years to prepare for this and if you are not ready, too bad. It launches you headlong into the adventure not taking any time to reintroduce any of the characters or retell any major events. If one were to ask me what movies to watch beforehand, I would recommend Civil War and Thor: Ragnarok as they are the vital backstory to understanding what goes on in the film. I must admit, I am not usually a fan of movies that run by this fast; but for a long and intense movie like this, the speed is stunning.

As mentioned above, the film boasts a massive cast from all parts of the MCU. One surprise of the film has a long-lost character returning: the Red Skull, last seen in Captain America: The First Avenger. However, this is not Hugo Weaving returning to play the role as he has definitely burned the bridge connecting him to Marvel Studios. Maybe he played the part as a favor to his Wolfman director Joe Johnston. The Red Skull here is played by an impressionist. Regardless, it is gratifying that this particular missing puzzle piece has not gone astray. It is explained that in the climax of First Avenger, Red Skull was beamed away to a distant planet and has lived out of a lifetime keeping watch over the Soul Stone.

The one thing I guarantee everyone will be discussing for a full year until the sequel comes out is the ending in which after Thanos teleports away from Earth, a large amount of the heroes begin disappearing into thin air. The movie ends with the bad guy winning. No hint at how the story will resolve itself. This is Empire Strikes Back territory, not Back to the Future Part II where it ends with a trailer for Part III. But maybe, just maybe… Back to the Future is a clue here. Bear with me: the characters literally fade out of existence in a similar way to how Marty McFly was nearly erased from existence in the first film. Set photos from the next Avengers film feature what appears to be a re-creation of the Battle of New York from the original Avengers film. The two Avengers films were announced as a two-part event, but this was subsequently changed before release. True, Part films have gone out of style since Harry Potter, Twilight and Hunger Games used them to death. So could time travel play a part in getting these heroes back and stopping Thanos? I could conceivably be wrong. It is a comic book world. Anything can happen.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe can never be faulted for its ambitious nature and this is their biggest film since the original Avengers six years ago. In that span of time, other studios have tried and failed to launch their own cinematic universes and paid greatly for their folly. With this film, the House of Ideas has given audiences something they have not yet: a downer ending. But hope has not been extinguished quite yet. As the post-credit scene rolls to a close, it is revealed that Captain Marvel (Academy Award winner Brie Larson) herself is on the way. Marvel is literally coming to save… Marvel.

DEADPOOL: Making a Marvelous Murderer

NOTE: Spoiler alert, munchkins.

"This is a different kind of superhero story."

- Deadpool/Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds), Deadpool

2009 was an event year for both Ryan Reynolds and two screenwriters, Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick. A long-time comic book fan, Reynolds co-starred in the movie X-Men Origins: Wolverine, alongside the face of the franchise, Hugh Jackman. The film made a decent amount at the box office, but fans were up in arms over the treatment of Reynolds’ character. Months later, Zombieland, a film Reese and Wernick co-wrote hit the stratosphere. But times were about to change for all of them: Reynolds’ box-office clout hit rock bottom after the dismal release of another comic book film, Green Lantern (despite its failure, it resulted in the marriage of Reynolds and co-star Blake Lively). While waiting for their sequel to Zombieland to be made, Reese and Wernick wrote G.I. Joe: Retaliation, a film that tried to improve on its predecessor but wound up being quickly forgotten (even after being delayed for a year). None of these three men ever dreamed they would be working together. Especially on the same character that Reynolds had played seven years earlier. But that’s the thing about Deadpool: he is utterly unpredictable.

Deadpool was created by writer/artist Rob Liefeld and writer Fabian Nicieza in 1991 for Marvel Comics as a part of their “New Mutants” series. At first, he was a straightforward villain for the mutant protagonists; he was designed with a head-to-toe red and black super-suit and dual katanas. But as Liefeld and Nicieza continued, they saw that the character slowly grew a following; almost a Boba Fett-like effect. They decided to do something that really had never been done (outside of She-Hulk): they gave the character the ability to break through the fourth wall. Suddenly, Deadpool knew he was in a comic book. That sort of thing will drive you insane, and so a new personality for the character was born. To be sure, he was not an out-and-out good guy, but he was more likable than he had been.

Getting Deadpool his own movie was not easy. As mentioned earlier, the fan reaction to the use of Deadpool in X-Men Origins: Wolverine was vitriolic: Reynolds played Wade Wilson as the badass mercenary they knew from the comics but he never wore the suit and, even worse, he was transformed against his will into a mindless assassin with a sewn-up mouth. In 2012, Disney bought Marvel Comics and almost immediately, cries went up in concerns to their lesser family-friendly characters. Though Disney owned the characters, the film rights were another story and Fox was not about to let them go (except “Daredevil”). They tapped Reese and Wernick, hot off of Zombieland, to write the script. After they finished, the script was leaked online and fans were pleased with their take. Even legendary directors like James Cameron and David Fincher – neither of whom has ever (or likely will ever) direct a superhero movie – gave their thumbs up to the screenplay. Visual effects artist Tim Miller was hired to make his directorial debut with Deadpool. But Fox was still not willing to pull the trigger (pun intended) on Deadpool if the filmmakers were not willing to give the film a PG-13 rating with their R-rated character.

Things looked rather dire for the Merc with a Mouth’s movie. That is, until 2014. A video detailing test footage from two years earlier found its way online around Comic-Con time. Ryan Reynolds reprised his role in motion capture form, with the digital Deadpool suit being constructed around him. The scene detailed Deadpool’s attack on a group of henchmen in their van, complete with wise-cracks and breaking the fourth wall (most notably his greeting to the former head of 20th Century Fox, Tom Rothman). Fans were ecstatic, proclaiming this is exactly what they wanted to see. How and why the footage was released (and indeed who was responsible) remains a mystery to this day. But the response was enough; Fox finally greenlit the film with Reynolds proudly set to star. Ready or not, the world was about to be saved by Deadpool.

Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) is a mercenary who is good at what he does; but, because of the violence involved in his work, is doomed to a life of loneliness. That is, until he meets Vanessa Carlysle (Morena Baccarin) whose infatuation with him brings him the happiest times in his life. Sadly, they both discover Wade has been diagnosed with cancer. Wade decides to leave her to spare her the pain of watching him die. While commiserating his sorrows, Wade meets a mysterious man (Jed Rees; BTW he's the lead alien from Galaxy Quest) who tells him of an organization that can both cure his cancer and give him phenomenal abilities. Wade reluctantly agrees but quickly discovers that he has unknowingly sold his body to the sadistic Ajax (Ed Skrein) and his henchwoman Angel Dust (Gina Carano). Together they inject Wade with a serum to turn him into a mutate (someone with mutant powers who was not born a mutant) and put him through every torture one can think of. Eventually, the serum works but deforms Wade's skin to near unrecognizable levels. Furious at what they have done to him, Wade escapes and plots his revenge while adopting a vigilante persona: Deadpool. 

Let's cut to the chase: this movie is hilarious. Uproarously and relentlessly hilarious. Ryan Reynolds has done what he promised and delivered a no-holds-barred superhero film. This is the movie I thought Kick-Ass was gonna be years ago. Often the humor comes in a single line, a single reaction or even a single shot. When you can get laughs from something simple, your movie is working. Tim Miller constructs his movie very well, because he had plenty of time to do so and was not racing to catch up to a release date. You would never think he was a first-time director. It is startling to think that this was the same studio that released Fantastic Four a year ago to very public derision and rejection. What the difference is in this case is that enough effort was put into the characters and the story by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick. The movie does go into dramatic moments and does not shy away from how dark it is in places. The villain Ajax is a rather simply-written villain, but man is he utterly hateful. T.J. Miller as Weasel was not as well utilized as I would have hoped (I kinda only know about him from the more family-friendly video game "Marvel: Ultimate Alliance"), but he is a guy who is in Wade's corner when he has no one else. It was cool to see Colossus and Negasonic Teenage Warhead to help tie it back into the larger X-Men movie universe ("We're taking you back to see the Professor." "McAvoy or Stewart?").

The superhero movie that could has finally arrived and the world has gone as nuts as the title character for it. Ryan Reynolds is a successful movie star again and everybody is moving to Ryanville. For years he was one of the few voices in Hollywood advocating for a R-rated Deadpool movie; he finally got it made and it was a smash hit. This is another positive step forward in the argument against "superhero movies are utter nonsense and anyone who participates in them are idiots". There's not much else to say but, do yourself a favor and see this movie. AND SIT THROUGH THE WHOLE THING. There is a very important public service message in the last 30-45 seconds of the film that had me outright cheering.

AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON - Damaged Armor

NOTE: Sorry I've been gone for so long, what with school, work and other arrangements. I can't promise that I will go back to weekly reviews or news articles, but I will post here when I am "burdened with glorious purpose". 

"Isn't that why we fight? So we can end the fight and go home?"

- Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), Avengers: Age of Ultron

Like it or not, Marvel Studios has changed the way modern blockbusters are made. In the wake of Marvel's The Avengers, movie studios have tripped over themselves trying to follow in the footsteps of the shared movie universe that was set up for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. From Ghostbusters to Universal Monsters and even DC, Marvel's distinguished competition all want a piece of the billions Marvel Studios has been collecting for their parent company, Walt Disney Pictures.  But there's something major that the studios just aren't getting: the Marvel Cinematic Universe was built out of the structure of comic books. You start with a teaser, go into the story panel-by-panel, splash pages occasionally, and you wrap it all up with the last panel predicating the next story to read. Ghostbusters won't have that. Universal Monsters won't have that. DC could, but they're in it for the wrong reasons. It takes a leader (whether it be a talented director, a dedicated writer or a patient producer) to come in and take the reigns and stop the madness. However, with his newest summer opus Avengers: Age of Ultron, it is clear that writer/director Joss Whedon doesn't want this responsibility anymore.

When we last left the Avengers, they had all gone their separate ways. Tony Stark found himself stranded in Tennessee and had to track down the terrorist Mandarin and the mysterious tech company A.I.M. (Iron Man 3). Thor returned to Earth for Jane Foster who had accidentally come into contact with a mystical force that threatened to destroy her (Thor: The Dark World). And Captain America had the biggest issue of all when he discovered that S.H.I.E.L.D. was actually evil '40s organization HYDRA in disguise - not to mention that they had revived his best friend since childhood and turned him into an international assassin - and had to take it down from the inside (Captain America: The Winter Soldier). Oh, and there was a wise-cracking '80s kid,  a green girl, a tattooed maniac who took things too literally, a talking raccoon and a giant walking tree but it was all in space, so cool, hilarious and awesome as it was, doesn't really make much of a dent in our story. No, because right from the start of Age of Ultron, we have no idea what is going on. Sure there was a set-up scene from the mid-credits of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, but we have no idea how the Avengers got back together. We're just supposed to buy immediately that they all are peechy-keen with each other and are just ready and raring to go. That's not good enough for me. It was such a big deal in the first five MCU movies to get the Avengers all set up that it just seems like nothing here. Sure, most sequels can get away with immediately launching into another adventure without any set-up, like say, the opening to Lethal Weapon 2 where it's in the middle of a car chase. It just seems like a main credits sequence ala The Incredible Hulk, quickly explaining what's happened in the past three movies, how they got back together, maybe brief glimpses of crime-fighting and what their new mission is leading into the movie. Also, the pacing in the first 30 minutes of the movie is way too fast and I'm more than a passing reader of the comics. Whedon writes lightning-fast dialogue while the audience struggles to get their bearings; admittedly, there is a funny running gag regarding Captain America and curse words that I have no doubt was written in response to Loki calling Black Widow a "mewling quim" from the first movie. We have no idea what their mission is until Tony tracks down Loki's sceptor. (Which makes no ounce of sense considering why did Thor not take it back with him when he left Earth at the end of Avengers?)

Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Elizabeth Olsen had previously been co-stars in Godzilla,
where they were husband and wife. Here, they're brother and sister.

Two new characters in the film, Pietro and Wanda Maximoff (Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Elizabeht Olsen; a way to get around using their superhero names - Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch - because those names are owned by Fox), attack the Avengers and Wanda's psychic powers causes Tony to have a vision of the Avengers, defeated and dying, blaming him for their demise. After returning home, Tony is convinced that enough is enough and a more permanent solution is required. A "suit of armor around the world", as he calls it. So he and Bruce immediately get to working on building a peacekeeping android entity named Ultron, and by the film's depiction, we're supposed to already know who he is and what it means. I know these movies really, really well and there has been no mention or allusions to Ultron until now, so folks who haven't read the comics are going to be desperately lost. And there's no way that Iron Man 3, Thor: The Dark World and Captain America: The Winter Soldier were made without the knowledge that Ultron was the endgame for Phase 2. A little more set-up would've been nice.

And so, we get to the titular villain of the movie, Ultron (played via performance capture by James Spader of "The Blacklist"). While the Avengers throw themselves a party (which is a really funny scene), Ultron gains conciousness and quickly deciding that the only way humans can achieve peace is by their extinction, he seemingly murders Tony's A.I. JARVIS (voiced by Paul Bettany) and puts together a makeshift body for himself. He attacks the Avengers and escapes with Loki's scepter. Naturally, the Avengers are not too pleased with Tony trying to replace them without telling them; the trailer shot of Thor choking Tony is nothing but a trailer shot and might as well have been cut out. The Maximoffs team with Ultron to take out the Avengers. One point of contention I have is the characterization of Ultron. To be fair, I don't know much of James Spader's work. I'm kind of confused as to why "The Blacklist" is sometimes marketed as a comedy when it's supposed to be a drama (if I'm wrong, please let me know), but here he plays Ultron as somewhat aloof. He's a 9-foot-tall killer robot who sometimes forgets what children are, accidentally cuts off a character's arm and then actually apologizes for it. It works for Loki because he's the God of Mischief. Jokes and one-liners would come natually to him. But this is supposed to be the Marvel equivalent of Skynet, something cold and calculating, operating only on ones and zeroes. Quips shouldn't be a factor in his decision making.

From this point forward, Avengers: Age of Ultron becomes a global chase to stop Ultron from affecting a plan to cause worldwide extinction. One positive note I can give is that Jeremy Renner is given so much character development in this film than in the previous one. He gets a couple of funny lines and even a short heroic monologue about what it takes to be an Avenger, which is nice. Some of his development I can't mention here but it's well-worth seeing more human stakes for a character. Pepper Potts and Jane Foster are written away in lines of dialogue (in Jane's case, AGAIN). Nick Fury shows up out of nowhere with his eyepatch back (he burnt it at the end of Captain America: The Winter Soldier). And, as Whedon has promised, Agent Phil Coulson's resurrection will never be mentioned in the MCU films. This would be one heck of a breaking point for the Avengers, realizing that the Battle of New York was fought out of misguided guilt! Maybe even leading into Civil War, which is not even hinted at!

I don't want to come off sounding too negative about this movie; there are certainly things I like about it and good moments of cool action to be sure, but it just doesn't have the same spirit that the first film did. And as I said in the beginning, it is apparent Joss Whedon just wants to go home. Years ago, he was excited to take on a big summer superhero movie, but I think Marvel began to lean heavily on him - he made a ABC TV series for them "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." that he soon had to reliqunish command of; he gave his opinion on the final edit of Iron Man 3; and he even had to be flown into England for an hour to fix the script on Thor: The Dark World (which didn't help much). Clearly, Whedon has been worn out and this film shows. The above quote (from an article on Buzzfeed) says it all. I truly think Whedon wanted a quick way out of the MCU. He even screws fans out of the famous battle-cry "Avengers Assemble!" at the last possible second. Could the director of Bring It On and the directors of You, Me and Dupree set the Marvel Cinematic Universe back to the high standards it's known for? Only time will tell.

The Mouse Strikes Back

The unthinkable has happened.

"There's no going back. You've changed things. Forever."

- The Joker (Heath Ledger), The Dark Knight (2008)

"Whoa, this is heavy."

- Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox), Back to the Future (1985)

"You've just taken your first step into a larger world."

- Obi-Wan Kenobi (Alec Guiness), Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope

Back in 1977, George Lucas could not have been more depressed. He had been in the middle of this science-fiction picture that seemed doomed to fail. The actors found it hard to take seriously, the special effects were late and unimpressive and the crew often mutinied against him. After it was all finished, 20th Century Fox began printing the film and sent it off to theaters. Then came May 25th, 1977. The day Lucas' life changed forever. Star Wars was the greatest film phenomenon anyone had ever seen. Soon, sequels followed - Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back and Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi. Both films were massive box-office hits, which provided millions of dollars in merchandising. In the 90s, after assisting Steven Spielberg with the visual effects in Jurassic Park, Lucas saw that computer generated graphics had finally become acceptable to continue with his vision of future Star Wars films.

Then came the prequels. Fans around the world revolted against George Lucas, blaming him for devaluing their favorite film series. Midichlorians, Anakin Skywalker, Jar Jar Binks and Darth Vader screaming the word, "NOOOOO!" all irritated fans to no end. There seemed to be no pleasing them. Lucas then allowed "Robot Chicken" and "Family Guy" to spoof the Star Wars films; giving others a chance to take a shot at his failures but also allow them to pay tribute to his successes. 5 years after Revenge of the Sith, a new Star Wars film came to theaters; but with a twist. The CG-animated Star Wars: The Clone Wars was released in later summer 2008 to dismal reviews, but it helped launch a massively successful animated TV series under the same name. This helped to win back old fans and got new fans. This seemed to be the course Star Wars had been fated to for the near future. Of course, in the Star Wars universe, things have a way of changing...

On October 30th, the Walt Disney Company announced that they had made a deal to acquire Lucasfilm Ltd. and their family of companies including Industrial Light & Magic, LucasArts and Skywalker Sound. In addition, this deal included the highly lucrative Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchise and characters. This was the biggest acquisition by Disney since their purchase of Marvel Entertainment in 2009. In the below video, George Lucas discusses what led him to this decision, putting long-time film producer Kathleen Kennedy in charge of Lucasfilm and his impending retirement.


WAIT. WHAT DID THEY JUST SAY?! A new Star Wars film?! Episode VII?!

"The last Star Wars movie release was 2005's Revenge of the Sith - and we believe there's substantial pent-up demand. In 2015, we're planning to release Star Wars Episode 7 - the first feature film under the 'Disney-Lucasfilm' brand. That will be followed by Episodes 8 and 9 - and our long-term plan is to release a new Star Wars feature film every two to three years."

- Bob Iger, CEO of The Walt Disney Company

So let me get this straight. George Lucas, the man who created Star Wars, who has been saying for years, "There will never ever be Episodes 7-9. When I said that in the '70s, I was kidding. I didn't realize I'd be the same age as Mark, Carrie and Harrison," has now given up all say to the franchise he created to one of the biggest corporations of all time? And they're planning to make more of the most beloved science-fantasy film series of all time?

My initial reaction was like this:


("What's going on? Is this a joke? Episode 7?! Come on, that's never happening. Somebody's hacked into Disney's mainframe or something.")
But then the validity was solidified.

And then my reaction was like this:

Let's face it. There's no better home for Star Wars than Disney. Lucasfilm wasn't going to do anything major with Star Wars other than "Star Wars: The Clone Wars". Disney will take the reins from Lucas (willingly) and implement it in all the ways they can. This means all new merchandise: toys, video games, comic books, etc. Did Disney have to start making more Star Wars movies now that they have Lucasfilm? Absolutely not. They simply could have held onto the endless moneymaking that could come from all the licensing from Star Wars. But they were interested in keeping the saga alive for the future generations (and continue making money from it).

It's like when Disney bought Marvel three years ago. Fans revolted, thinking Disney was going to water down their characters into family-friendly babies. Instead, they put an actual Marvel comics writer (Whedon) in charge of their biggest film, Marvel's The Avengers. The Hulk didn't become Mickey Mouse. Black Widow didn't become Hannah Montana. The film made $1.5 billion and was embraced by fans worldwide. Disney and Marvel are committed to taking their characters and making them international phenomenons. 

Disney and Lucasfilm can finally start making a brand new Star Wars theme park. The reason we haven't gotten anything outside of "Star Tours" and the "Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular" stateside is because Lucasfilm reportedly signed an agreement with Disney that said they could never open a Star Wars/Indiana Jones theme park in the United States. Now that they're together, all's fine and anything is on the table. I'm still waiting on that Tony Stark Expo, by the way.

What can Disney to satisfy these angry fans? Well, for one thing they can release the original, unaltered trilogy in high definition on Blu-Ray. And I'm not one of those fans who are enraged at ALL the changes Lucas made to the series. The only ones that bother me:

• R2 hiding behind more rocks. It makes no ounce of sense, how would he have gotten behind there? (Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope)

• Greedo shooting first. When even Lucas is wearing a "Han Shot First" shirt and doesn't change the scene back for the Blu-Ray, that's just wrong. (Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope)

• Darth Vader yelling "Noo!" picking up the Emperor and tossing him over the side. I get that the movies are meant to be poetic, but by this point it makes Vader look stupid. (Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi)

Only problem is, Fox still holds the "in perpetuity" rights to Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. They hold all the rest of the movies until May 2020. Now, Disney can always throw down a lump sum of cash, but Fox has been burned by Disney before: Chronicles of Narnia, anyone? Still, there have been some hints that Fox is willing to let bygones be bygones and play nice. I'm sure they'd ask for a cut of the profits. Still, there is some doubt as to whether Lucas would surrender the original 1977 prints. If he's willing to sell off the entire Star Wars franchise, what more worth does the original film prints have for him?

Now that there will be a brand new Star Wars film for the first time in a decade (unless one counts The Clone Wars), of course everybody wants to know who will be in the movie, what the new story is, and who will direct the film. I was pleased to hear that Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher were the first ones told about Lucas agreeing to have the sequel trilogy made. Hamill seems to be interested in coming back as Luke Skywalker. This is great, considering that by Jedi, Luke is no longer whining about, "going to Toschi Station to pick up some power converters" (which makes for a funny joke in "Robot Chicken"). He's a mature warrior who is ready to face his destiny. Seeing Hamill over the years just goes to show you his quiet wisdom and wry sense of humor. And of course, being the best voice for the Joker ever. He could easily pick up the character today.

Something refreshing to know about the new Star Wars films is that Lucas will be contributing story ideas, but beyond that, he'll have no real power. What does this mean? It means we're going to see a whole new direction for Star Wars. Uncharted territory. It won't be based on books, video games or anything authors have come up with. Luke, Leia and Han will be facing new adventures at the hands of whoever gets chosen to write the film.
The last major thing to wonder about the next Star Wars movie is who will be in the director's chair. With Lucas out of the pictures, hopefully the movies will move in a much faster pace ala J.J. Abrams' Star Trek. Yet all the names that have been thrown around from Brad Bird to Matthew Vaughn will not be chosen. Why? Because they are already busy!! This was a SURPRISE announcement. Most of everybody's suggestions are already in the midst of making new films. The Disney/Lucasfilm announcement stressed that the new films would be made with the involvement of "the new generation of filmmakers". So literally any director born after 1970 is eligible. But, really, let's not kid ourselves. Who in their right mind would take this job? Seeing all the trouble George Lucas has had to put up with for the last 25 years, and the amount of fanboys' eyeballs that would be following your every movement. It's not easy to think about.

Still, if Disney takes the same approach with Lucasfilm that they did with Marvel and Pixar, we're all in for a big surprise come 2015. Unless Max Spielberg decides he suddenly wants to do Jaws 19.

MARVEL’S THE AVENGERS: Assembling an Adventure

“‘I am Iron Man’. You think you’re the only superhero in the world? Mr. Stark, you’ve just become part of a larger universe. You just don’t know it yet. … [I’m] Nick Fury, director of S.H.I.E.L.D. I’m here to talk to you about the Avenger initiative.”

- Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) Iron Man (2008)

“What if I told you we were putting a team together?”

- Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) The Incredible Hulk (2008)

“Legend tells us one thing, history another. But every now and then, we find something that belongs to both.”

- Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) Thor (2011)

Sometimes, the fantastical can be realized in reality. It just takes a lot of work, innovative tools, a group of genius people and a lot of faith. This is the Marvel Cinematic Universe, something unheard of in today’s film landscape. Taking separate movies created by different cast and crews and tying them together with a single narrative. From the Iron Man films to Captain America, Marvel Studios has kept a series of films that takes its characters seriously but maintains a wry sense of fun.

In 2009, Marvel Entertainment was purchased by the Walt Disney Company, kicking open the doors to all possibility: TV series, video games, all sorts of merchandise and clothing and, most importantly, propelling its 5,000 characters into the worldwide lexicon. With the series of films now under the care of one of the world’s largest entertainment providers, it was time to finally go for the Hail Mary. To bring together all the heroes from the Marvel Cinematic Universe into one major motion picture: Marvel’s The Avengers.





The evil Asgardian god of mischief, Loki (Tom Hiddleston) arrives at a S.H.I.E.L.D. research facility, steals the ancient artifact the Tesseract and announces to Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) that he is bringing war to Earth. After the evacuation and destruction of the facility, Fury orders that the “Avengers initiative” be put into effect. Meanwhile, in New York, billionaire Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) has put the final touches on his new Stark Tower in New York with his girlfriend Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) until Agent Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) comes in and recruits Stark to help S.H.I.E.L.D. track down Loki and the Tesseract. Agent Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) goes to India to find the reclusive Dr. Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) who is afraid of unleashing his monstrous alter-ego, the Hulk. In New York, Fury talks to the recently awakened Steve Rogers/Captain America (Chris Evans) and convinces him to join the group. After capturing Loki, his brother Thor (Chris Hemsworth) arrives from Asgard joins them on the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier to make sure he is protected, believing he can still be returned home. However, Loki's scheme is much bigger than anyone knows and it is going to take a team to save the world from an alien threat.

What can be said about this movie that hasn't been said by the world? Although I am just now getting around to reviewing this film, I saw it on May 4th at midnight. That was a spectacular screening. People were just so geared-up for this movie (as I was) and we were blown away by how great it was. This, and The Dark Knight Rises, will change the game for superhero films in the years to come. Warner Bros. has recently announced they are going to try again to bring Justice League to the screen. If there is one thing I think they should learn from The Avengers, it's this: Take your characters seriously but remember to have fun. The Christopher Nolan Batman films are extremely serious, but even Nolan knows to add some levity every now and then to keep things moving. I'm glad Joss Whedon has finally gotten his time to shine; considering his time in Hollywood (from screenwriting and script doctoring to directing Serenity), it's a sweet reward. As the first Marvel Studios director to actually have written for Marvel Comics, it certainly has paid off in spades.

The cast, as expected, was fantastic. Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans and Chris Hemsworth delievered as they have before. The new guy, Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner/The Hulk, exceeded expectations by playing a different Banner than before: someone who is cautious but without daddy issues and isn't paranoid. Ruffalo is also the first actor to play the character of the Hulk live on set via performance capture and it is stunning to see. From what I've been hearing, Disney was not expecting this reaction to the Hulk and I am sure they are happy that the third time's the charm. Scarlett Johansson gets a little more to do than she did in her supporting role in Iron Man 2. On the other hand, Jeremy Renner, aka Hollywood's new golden boy, doesn't get much to do as Hawkeye. Hopefully, if he is given his own film or a supporting role in a larger S.H.I.E.L.D.-centered film. Samuel L. Jackson is Samuel L. Jackson. As Nick Fury, he can do no wrong, though I kinda wished for more one-liners like he did in Iron Man 2, but that's just me.

Marvel's The Avengers is probably the best blockbuster film I've seen in quite a long time. It's action-packed, smart, funny and can appeal to everyone. Even my mother got out and saw this movie! Now that it's one of the biggest films of all time, third only to James Cameron's own Titanic and Avatar, Marvel and Disney's partnership is one to watch out for because they now own 5,000 characters that they can pull out of obscurity and turn into major motion pictures. It's only a matter of time...

Top 10 Anticipated Films of 2012

10. G.I. Joe: Retaliation (June 29th, 2012)
Director: Jon M. Chu
Writers: Rhett Reese/Paul Wernick
Starring: Channing Tatum, Dwayne Johnson, Bruce Willis, Arnold Vosloo, Ray Park, Byung-hun Lee, Ray Stevenson, RZA, Adrianne Palicki, Joseph Mazzello and Jonathan Pryce
Studio: Paramount Pictures




Say what you will about G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra. One has to admit it was damned ambitious. It was also unbalanced, too heavily reliant on flashbacks and less true to the show and more of a “fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants” production. That didn’t stop it from being a worldwide sensation (maybe it was due to the disdainful delivery of the line, “Real American Heroes”). Forget for a minute that this is being directed by the same guy who brought us Justin Bieber: Never Say Never (in probably one of the most outrageous jumps from film to film on a resume). This is the second major feature film being written by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick who introduced the world to Zombieland, one of my all-time favorite comedies. It breaks my heart to see them not continue with a sequel, but I’m glad to see they got to see the original concept for Zombieland, a TV series, finally come around. You’ll notice that most of Rise of Cobra’s cast was jettisoned – Damon Wayans, Rachel Nichols, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and oddly Dennis Quaid (I thought he was the best actor in the entire film). I was also surprised to see that they continued the storyline of the President being kidnapped and replaced by an evil doppelganger, but if it serves this film better, I say let them go for it. Whatever appeals Dwayne Johnson into inserting himself into popular action films’ sequels escapes me but seeing him along for the ride will be just fine with me. And from what I’ve seen in the trailer, Bruce Willis will be very exciting to see in the film cast as the original G.I. Joe. If the film can also handle the Snake Eyes/Storm Shadow rivalry better than Rise of Cobra, which would be an improvement. All I can say is I trust the writers, the cast seems just fine and I’m all for a better film.
NOTE: Paramount Pictures moved the film from June 2012 to March 29th, 2013. The delay gives time for a 3D post-conversion and reshoots that are said to involve Channing Tatum.

9. Wreck-It Ralph [3D] (November 2nd, 2012)
Director: Rich Moore
Starring the voices of: John C. Reilly, Sarah Silverman, Jane Lynch and Jack McBrayer
Studio: Walt Disney Pictures

The last time Disney delved into the world of video games were the films Tron and Tron: Legacy. Both were adventurous but perhaps a bit too serious for their own good. With this film, Disney harkens back to the days of 8-bit video games in this parody of “Super Mario Bros.”, Wreck-It Ralph. The story is that video game bad guy Wreck-It Ralph (voiced by Reilly) is constantly angry when his good-guy nemesis Fix-It Felix (voiced by McBrayer) disrupts his sleep with his building construction. All Ralph wants is the glory and fame that Felix gets and not be hated. If he has to become a good guy in another game, why not? The film promises to have a depiction of various video game worlds and styles of animation from 8-bit to the full-on photo-realistic shooters of today. This is Walt Disney Feature Animation’s follow-up to Tangled, which excites me that this film about video games joins the hallowed ranks of such films as Snow White, Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King. I can’t wait to see a trailer.

8. Frankenweenie [3D] (October 5th, 2012)
Director: Tim Burton

Writer: John August
Starring the voices of: Winona Ryder, Martin Landau, Martin Short, Catherine O’Hara, Conchata Farrell, Christopher Lee, and Tom Kenny
Studio: Walt Disney Pictures

In 1984, a young Disney animator named Tim Burton made the leap to live-action short films with a little story he developed about a young boy named Victor Frankenstein (a bit on the nose, perhaps?) whose dog is killed in a tragic car accident, but reanimates the corpse of his beloved pet and causes chaos in the neighborhood. This black-and-white film was Frankenweenie and starred Daniel Stern and Shelley Duvall as Victor’s parents. Disney executives were puzzled by the film and the eccentric filmmaker was ejected from the Disney company until a film he produced and wrote the story for became huge overseas, The Nightmare Before Christmas. Burton retained his position as producer on another Disney production, the live-action/stop-motion fantasy James and the Giant Peach and afterwards, left the Disney Company for good. Until 2010, when Burton returned to give his spin on a classic Disney story – Alice in Wonderland – which ended up bringing the studio $1 billion in income. Apparently, one of the costs the Disney studio had to guarantee for Burton in exchange for directing Alice in Wonderland was to allow him to go back and remake Frankenweenie in black-and-white stop-motion. Disney green-lit the project and let Don Hahn, head of the Walt Disney Feature Animation group, oversee the project personally. The film features a veritable reunion of previously Burton-used actors (notably missing Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter, their first film apart in 7 years). On a side note, one actor I would like to see reteam with Burton is Batman himself, Michael Keaton. Anyhow, I think this film will be quite interesting to see as the original Frankenweenie had a lot of heart and humor.

7. Hotel Transylvania [3D] (September 21st, 2012)
Director: Genndy Tartakovsky

Writers: Dan Hageman, David Feiss and Kevin Hageman

Starring the voices of: Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Selena Gomez, Andy Samberg, Fran Drescher, David Spade, Steve Buscemi, Molly Shannon and Cee Lo Green
Studio: Sony Pictures Animation

Yes, I know the film looks like a reunion of actors from I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry and Grown Ups. Might I direct your attention back to the director? If you don’t know who that is, Tartakovsky is most famous for creating the Cartoon Network shows “Dexter’s Laboratory” and “Samurai Jack” and overseeing the animation of the original “Star Wars: Clone Wars” series. He even was allowed to storyboard a War Machine/Iron Man at the World Expo battle sequence in Iron Man 2. For the longest time, he was attached to directing a sequel to the Jim Henson classic, The Dark Crystal, but was abandoned by the Henson Company. This will be his first feature-length directorial debut. The film centers around Dracula (voiced by Sandler) and his daughter (voiced by Gomez) running a “five-stake” hotel resort where all of Dracula’s friends – Frankenstein (voiced by James) and his Bride (voiced by Drescher); the Invisible Man (voiced by Spade); a family of werewolves (voiced by Buscemi and Shannon); and a Mummy (voiced by Green) – can all relax and live it up until a unsuspecting human guy (voiced by Samberg) stumbles onto them and falls in love with Dracula’s daughter. If that concept doesn’t sound appealing to you, I would advise to just wait for a trailer and allow Tartakovsky’s talents to shine through.

6. Django Unchained (December 25th, 2012)
Director: Quentin Tarantino
Writer: Quentin Tarantino
Starring: Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio, Samuel L. Jackson, Dennis Christopher and Tom Wopat
Studio: The Weinstein Company

That’s right! Six years after Inglourious Basterds, Quentin Tarantino is back! Who else but Tarantino would be crazy enough to have their film released eleven days after Peter Jackson’s 3D juggernaut The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey? This film is his take on a Western. Jamie Foxx plays Django, a former slave who was freed and became a bounty hunter. Now he has returned to the Mississippi plantation he once worked at to free his wife from the tyrannical reign by the brutal Calvin Candie (played by DiCaprio). The cast is full of Tarantino regulars – Waltz, Jackson – and great actors like DiCaprio (in his first role as a villain) and Tom Wopat (most famous as Luke Duke from “The Dukes of Hazzard”). I’m enthusiastic to see what Tarantino does with this film.

5. The Amazing Spider-Man [3D] [IMAX 3D] (July 3rd, 2012)
Director: Marc Webb
Writers: James Vanderbilt/Alvin Sargent
Starring: Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Rhys Ifans, Martin Sheen, Sally Field, Denis Leary, Campbell Scott, Julianne Nicholson and C. Thomas Howell
Studio: Columbia Pictures





Ten years after Spider-Man’s first cinematic adventure comes this re-telling of his origins which most people complained was already told quite well in the first film, directed by Sam Raimi. However, this film appears to expand on more of Peter Parker’s years in high school and the mystery surrounding the disappearance of his parents. Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man film spent fifty minutes on Peter Parker in high school and zero on his parents (albeit one brief mention of his father). Also, a pivotal character in Peter’s high school years, Gwen Stacy was only introduced in Spider-Man 3, when Peter is in college. After the critical drumming that Spider-Man 3 got, Raimi and his team set out to make a Spider-Man 4. I’ve read the outline that they came up with and man, was it bad. One of the main plot points was revealing that Mary Jane was really fathered by the Vulture (to have been played by John Malkovich). Reboot away, please! When I first heard that Andrew Garfield was going to play New York’s Wondrous Web-Slinger, I was a bit outraged because he was a British guy playing an American icon (slipping my mind of course that Christian Bale was British playing Batman and later Henry Cavill was British playing Superman). However, I was calmed later by two reasons: first, I learned that Garfield was indeed an American, having been born in Los Angeles and was simply raised in England and secondly, seeing his fantastic performance in David Fincher’s The Social Network. I can’t imagine how much pressure he’s got to be under having to take such an iconic role from a decent actor like Tobey Maguire, who will be forever identified with Spider-Man (he seems to have disappeared off the face of the planet outside of his role in the upcoming The Great Gatsby). I love Emma Stone. For real. On the outside, she is the living, breathing incarnation of Mary Jane Watson, even more so than Kirsten Dunst who could not bring herself to play the Mary Jane from the comics. However, for this film she plays Gwen Stacy (taking the role from her The Help co-star Bryce Dallas Howard). Hopefully she can still bring a sense of fun with her naturally blonde beauty. I don’t know much about Rhys Ifans, but the Lizard was the character that was hinted at in the Sam Raimi movies from a brief mention in Spider-Man to a one-armed portrayal in Spider-Man 2 and Spider-Man 3. The late great Cliff Robertson had a great role as Uncle Ben in Spider-Man and gave a fantastic delivery of the famous line, “With great power comes great responsibility”. Having Martin Sheen come in surprised me because he is a quality actor and I wouldn’t have figured him for a superhero movie. I’m not quite convinced that Sally Field is really OLD enough to play Aunt May, but that’s beside the point. James Cromwell was severely underused as Captain George Stacy in Spider-Man 3 (really he’s in one scene). Denis Leary is a great actor and him leaving his show “Rescue Me” to make this film tells me his character’s death probably won’t happen in the first movie. All in all, Amazing Spider-Man has a lot of heat against it, but also has a lot of potential. There’s no question that the movie will be a box office hit.

4. Men in Black III [3D] (May 25th, 2012)
Director: Barry Sonnenfeld
Starring: Tommy Lee Jones, Will Smith, Josh Brolin, Jermaine Clement, Emma Thompson, Nicole Scherizinger and Alice Eve
Studio: Columbia Pictures





Will Smith’s last two films in 2008, Seven Pounds and Hancock, were not well-received critically and only one (Hancock) was financially successful. In the four years since his film absence, he has gotten his son in a well-received remake of The Karate Kid and making his daughter into a pop star and in a new adaptation of Annie. Now he has returned to the black suit and the black shades of the Men in Black. Granted, Sonnenfeld hasn’t directed a film since 2006’s RV (he was busy show-running ABC’s “Pushing Daisies”). Putting together a new Men in Black film clearly wasn’t easy from the set reports of the actors often working without a finished script. The teaser shown recently certainly shows that Jones and Smith are clearly back in character and Brolin’s impersonation of Agent Kay is flawless. As a fan of the films, I’ll continue to hold out hope for it.

3. John Carter [3D] [IMAX 3D] (March 9th, 2012)
Director: Andrew Stanton
Writers: Andrew Stanton/Michael Chabon
Starring: Taylor Kitsch, Lynn Collins, Willem Dafoe, Thomas Hayden Church, Mark Strong
Studio: Walt Disney Pictures





This is another one of those films that most people I know don’t have much faith in. All I have to say is, “Trust in Andrew Stanton”. He’s made two fantastic animated movies – Finding Nemo and Wall•E – both of which won Academy Awards for Best Animated Feature. This is his first live-action film, and if the success of fellow Pixar alumni Brad Bird’s Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol is any indication, I think people will be highly receptive. The film’s biggest obstacle will be trying to differentiate itself from popular science-fiction films like Avatar and Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones. What people don’t seem to realize is that is that Edgar Rice Burroughs wrote “A Princess of Mars”, the first story to feature John Carter was written over 100 years ago! The cast seems to be made up of actors involved in Marvel movies: Taylor Kitsch and Lynn Collins both appeared in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Willem Dafoe and Thomas Hayden Church were both in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man movies and Mark Strong was in Kick-Ass (a graphic novel published in part by Marvel). I know a lot of people are also worried about giving a first-time director a budget of $200 million, which is very, very risky but if Stanton made a good film, it will all be worth it.

2. The Dark Knight Rises [IMAX] (July 20th, 2012)
Director: Christopher Nolan
Writers: Jonathan and Christopher Nolan
Starring: Christian Bale, Anne Hathaway, Tom Hardy, Marion Cotillard, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Gary Oldman, Juno Temple, Josh Pence, Joey King and Liam Neeson
Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures



I’m sure most people will be upset with me putting this film in second place and leaving out The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and Prometheus. One reason it’s in second place is because this film features ONE superhero. The full-length theatrical trailer left me somewhat confused and wanting more, but that’s exactly what Christopher Nolan wants. This man is a true genius. The cast is fantastic and anticipation for this film has never been higher. I went to a New Years Eve party where someone had the audacity to ask me if I thought The Dark Knight Rises will be good. I angrily replied, “Does a bear $#*! in the woods?” He didn’t know what I meant. Sigh.

1. The Avengers [3D] (May 4th, 2012)
Director: Joss Whedon
Writer: Joss Whedon
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Samuel L. Jackson, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Mark Ruffalo, Clark Gregg, Colbie Smulders, Tom Hiddleston, Stellan Skarsgård, Gwyneth Paltrow
Studio: Walt Disney Pictures/Marvel Studios





This is a film I’ve been waiting for since 2008. With one line delivered by Samuel L. Jackson playing his comic-book counterpart Nick Fury at the very end of Iron Man, “I’m here to talk to you about the Avengers Initiative,” Marvel Studios launched the imaginations of a thousand fanboys like me everywhere. One bump in the road was losing The Incredible Hulk’s Edward Norton (who would’ve been great fun to see with this team) but I’m sure Mark Ruffalo will do just fine (he previously co-starred with Downey in David Fincher’s Zodiac). This is the first Marvel film that Walt Disney Pictures will be distributing (not publicly apparently, thanks to Paramount Pictures). Chris Evans and Chris Hemsworth both gave fantastic performances as Captain America and Thor, in their respective films and I can’t wait to see more from them. Two time Oscar nominee Jeremy Renner rises from a brief post-production cameo in Thor to his full role as Hawkeye/Clint Barton. It’s always nice to see Clark Gregg as Agent Coulson who probably has the best dry comedy delivery in the business. For the first time in cinematic history, the Avengers will assemble and you can bet your ass I’ll be there opening day.

Honorable Mentions:

The Hunger Games (March 23rd, 2012)
Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax (March 2nd, 2012)
Brave (June 22nd, 2012)
Ted (July 13th, 2012)
The Watch (July 27th, 2012)
Skyfall (October 26th, 2012)
Prometheus (June 8th, 2012)
Rise of the Guardians (November 11th, 2012)
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (December 14th, 2012)

THE AVENGERS opening revealed!

ORIGINALLY @ COMICBOOKMOVIE.COM:


A friend of mine on Facebook, Rick Kinkade, was able to visit the Albuquerque offices of The Avengers and meet with director Joss Whedon. He had participated in a charity benefiting the Gulf Coast and had won an audience with “The Whedon”.


Initially, Whedon had planned to use the Wasp in the film and said, “I tried to write her in, but I could not make it work.” He laughed and said, “I need more chicks in this movie!” It’s possible that Whedon could not use the Wasp due to Edgar Wright’s impending Ant-Man film. At the time, the thing Whedon was most worried about was the lack of rehearsal time with the cast and a table read was pretty much out of the question. Regarding the CG elements, the only two purely CG characters would be the Hulk and Iron Man. He had worked on Ang Lee’s Hulk script and tried to salvage the last third of the film (which in my opinion sucks, but I don’t blame Whedon).

Here’s where the really previously unknown stuff kicks in: Rick and Joss discovered they were both fans of actress Joan Leslie (who was in films like Sergeant York and Yankee Doodle Dandy; coincidentally, she was also on an episode of “The Incredible Hulk” – “My Favorite Magician”). Whedon is planning to digitally recreate her image (Whedon described this as “Gumping” in reference to using CG in a historical significance ala Forrest Gump) in a newsreel, similar to Citizen Kane as a way to start the film back in the 40s. Rick suggested a film Leslie was in called This is the Army. The newsreel supposedly would feature Leslie as Cap’s girlfriend, which of course, would not be canon with Captain America: The First Avenger, but I have a theory. In the days of the 40s, tabloid journalism was a lot different. News hounds basically had to make up their own information and hope that their guesses were right. My idea is that Leslie is coupled with Cap as a kind of “celebrity couple” akin to Katherine Hepburn and Howard Hughes’ relationship (coincidentally, Hughes was the inspiration for Tony Stark and his father).


Outside of The Avengers, Joss talked about how he thought The Matrix was a perfect film but they had lost the originality of it when the sequels came around. He also expressed his dislike of Superman Returns. It seems to me, however, that Whedon would be utilizing similar technology that brought Marlon Brando back to life for Returns to bring Joan Leslie into The Avengers.

I have to thank Mr. Rick Kinkade for allowing me to use this information. I fully appreciate his willingness to help us anticipate Walt Disney Pictures’ The Avengers. To me, May 4th 2012 can’t come soon enough!