Ava DuVernay in talks with Marvel, Fox announce new X-Men and Diego Luna joins Rogue One

For those unaware, The Marvel Cinematic Universe so far is split into two phases: Phase 1 featured Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2, Thor, Captain America: The First Avenger and Avengers Assemble while Phase 2 was comprised of Iron Man 3, Thor: The Dark World, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Guardians of the Galaxy, The Avengers: Age of Ultron and Ant-Man.

Phase 3 is set to be a belter with ten films: Captain America: Civil War, Doctor Strange, Guardians of the Galaxy 2, Spider-Man , Thor: Ragnarok, Black Panther, Captain Marvel, Inhumans and Avengers: Infinity War 1+2. As well as returning favourites Anthony and Joe Russo and James Gunn, Scott Derickson has been added to the directorial role call but the latest addition is Ava DuVernay. The director of Best Picture nominee Selma is reportedly either helming Black Panther (starring Chadwick Boseman and Andy Serkis) or Captain Marvel (written by Guardians’ Nicole Perlman and Inside Out’s Meg LeFauve).

Fifteen years after its debut, the X-Men franchise is moving faster than ever. The upcoming projects are Deadpool starring Ryan Reynolds, Gambit starring Channing Tatum, Wolverine 3 starring Hugh Jackman and X-Men: Apocalypse starring Jennifer Lawrence, James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Rose Byrne, Nicholas Hoult, Evan Peters and Oscar Isaac. A new film in the canon has been announced with The Fault in Our Stars director Josh Boone. The New Mutants focusses on a younger team of new superheroes.

Finally, The Terminal and Elysium actor Diego Luna is part of the cast of Rogue One, the first Star Wars Anthology spin off film. The film tells the story of the rebel pilots who steal the plans for the Death Star. Gareth Edwards (Godzilla) directs the cast of Felicity Jones (The Theory of Everything, The Invisible Woman), Riz Ahmed (Nightcrawler, Four Lions), Sam Claflin (The Hunger Games, The Riot Club) and Ben Mendelsohn (Killing Them Softly, The Dark Knight Rises).

Rogue One – December 16th 2016

The New Mutants – 2018?

Black Panther – July 6th 2018

Captain Marvel – November 2nd 2018

Adam McKay is on board for another Marvel film

Edgar Wright’s shock departure from Marvel’s sci-fi adventure Ant-Man led to the studio appointing director Peyton Reed in his place. They also sought out Anchorman’s Adam McKay as a writer but his work with Kevin Feige and co may not be ending there. A new report suggests that McKay is in line to helm an upcoming superhero project. Guys like Joss Whedon (Serenity), Anthony and Joe Russo (Welcome to Collinwood), James Gunn (Slither), Drew Goddard (The Cabin in the Woods) and Scott Derickson (Sinister) have already been appointed on Age of Ultron, Civil War, Guardians of the Galaxy 2, Spider-Man and Doctor Strange but there are several films currently without a director – Thor: Ragnarok, Black Panther and Captain Marvel remain unassigned.

We’d propose that McKay will be bringing us the ensemble spectacular Inhumans, which depicts an isolated community of alien superheroes descended from the Kree. The cast is so far unrevealed but we will have our suspicions. The line up may include Vin Diesel (Riddick and the voice of Groot) as Black Bolt, Aaron Taylor Johnson (Kick-Ass, Anna Karenina) as Quicksilver and Elizabeth Olsen (Godzilla, Martha Marcy May Marlene) as Scarlet Witch and the Agents of SHIELD stars Chloe Bennett (Nashville) as Daisy Johnson/Quake, Ruth Negga (World War Z) as Raina, Luke Mitchell (7 Minutes) as Lincoln and Kyle MacLachlan (Twin Peaks) as Calvin Zabo.

Inhumans – July 12th 2019

Al Pacino confirms discussions with Marvel and first trailer for Zemeckis’ The Walk

Al Pacino is perhaps the greatest actor of the past fifty years. The Oscar winning star of Scarface, Serpico, Heat, Scent of a Woman, Dog Day Afternoon, Insomnia, Carlito’s Way, Donnie Brasco and The Godfather trilogy did, earlier in the year, express interest in a collaboration with Marvel following his viewing and immediate delight in their space-set smash hit Guardians of the Galaxy. He’s now confirmed that he’s met up with Marvel’s studio head Kevin Feige about the possibility of a role in the films.

“I would imagine either there’s something he feels is right for me,” he explained. For different roles the mysterious part of Star Lord’s father is still up for grabs; hopefully he won’t get stuck as a generic villain. Other more venerable actors to take the step into the fray of Marvel’s action packed world include Anthony Hopkins in Thor, Michael Douglas in Ant-Man, Jeff Bridges in Iron Man, Tommy Lee Jones in The First Avenger and Robert Redford in The Winter Soldier. It’s no long stretch to imagine Pacino accepting such a role. The Marvel movies up for casting are Captain America: Civil War, Doctor Strange, Thor: Ragnarok, Guardians of the Galaxy 2, Black Panther, Captain Marvel, Inhumans and The Avengers: Infinity War.

Although the story was comprehensively covered in the Oscar winning documentary Man on Wire, the death defying accomplishment of tightrope walker Philippe Petit, who walked on wire from one Twin Tower to the other, will be seen on screen again in The Walk, the first trailer for which has been released. Robert Zemeckis, director of Back to the Future, Cast Away, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Contact and Forrest Gump, commands the cast of Joseph Gordon Levitt (Looper, Inception, Lincoln), Charlotte Le Bon (Mood Indigo, The Hundred Foot Journey), James Badge Dale (Iron Man 3, World War Z) and Ben Kingsley (Gandhi, Hugo, Shutter Island).

The Walk – October 2nd 2015

Birdman tops Indie Spirit nominations and Andy Serkis discusses Age of Ultron

Andy Serkis is one of Britain’s great innovative actors of the century, providing the iconic roles of The Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit’s Gollum, Rise/Dawn of the Planet of the Apes’ Caesar and King Kong. While also starring in the flesh in Christopher Nolan’s The Prestige, he’s still by far best known for his legendary motion capture work but its unclear which format he shall take for his upcoming works, an unspecified role in Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens, directing and starring as Baloo in Jungle Book: Origins and a mystery shrouded appearance in Marvel’s blockbuster sequel.

In The Avengers: Age of Ultron trailer Serkis’ part was teased in a single shot in which, bearded, he turns toward the camera. He bares a great resemblance to the Marvel villain Ulysses Klaw, which’d make him the lead antagonist in 2017’s Black Panther alongside hero Chadwick Boseman. As well as this he’s assisting with the film’s mo-cap work with the characters Hulk and Ultron. He’s shed some light on that process.

“We did some work on Ultron,” Serkis reveals to Empire on their visit to his Imaginarium Studio. “On the development of Ultron before James Spader came on board. In terms of movement styles: was he gonna be human-like? Was he going to be robot-like? So we worked with a bunch of different people, from body-popping experts to dancers, to this guy called Neil who’s nearly eight feet tall.”

“We gave Mark weights, we had voice projections so he could do his Hulk roar. On screen we could have a virtual representation of the low-resolution avatar of The Hulk, so he could come out and feel that sense of scale.”

Written and directed by Joss Whedon (Serenity, Buffy and the Vampire Slayer, Toy Story), the sequel stars Robert Downey Jr (The Judge, Sherlock Holmes) as Tony Stark, James Spader (Stargate, Lincoln) as Ultron, Chris Hemsworth (Rush, The Cabin in the Woods) as Thor, Jeremy Renner (The Hurt Locker, The Town) as Clint Barton, Chris Evans (Snowpiercer, The Iceman) as Steve Rogers, Scarlett Johansson (Lost in Translation, Lucy) as Natasha Romanoff, Mark Ruffalo (Shutter Island, Foxcather) as Bruce Banner, Elizabeth Olsen (Godzilla, Liberal Arts) as Wanda Maximoff, Aaron Taylor Johnson (Kick-Ass, Anne Karenina) Pietro Maximoff, Paul Bettany (A Beautiful Mind, Margin Call) The Vision, Cobie Smulders (How I Met Your Mother) as Maria Hill, Don Cheadle (Crash, Flight) as James Rhodes, Thomas Kretschmann (The Pianist, King Kong) as Wolfgang von Strucker, Stellan Skarsgard (Good Will Hunting, Melancholia) as Erik Selvig and Samuel L Jackson (Pulp Fiction, Jurassic Park, The Incredibles, Django Unchained) as Nick Fury.

Followed by Martin Luther King biopic Selma and drumming drama Whiplash, Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu’s Birdman, a dark comedy centred on a former but now fledging and arrogant superhero star played by Beetlejuice’s Michael Keaton, is leading the pack in The Independent Spirit Awards with six nominations. The lack of a mention for acclaimed British wartime drama The Imitation Game has caused some controversy (a calculated conspiracy to snub the Brits?). Take a look at the full list.

Best Feature:

Birdman
Boyhood
Love is Strange
Selma
Whiplash

Best Director:

Damien Chazelle – Whiplash
Ava DuVemay – Selma
Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu – Birdman
Richard Linklater – Boyhood
David Zellner Kumiko – The Treasure Hunter

Best Screenplay:

Big Eyes
A Most Violent Year
Nightcrawler
Only Lovers Left Alive
Love is Strange

Best Female Lead:

Marion Cotillad – The Immigrant
Rinko Kikuchi – The Treasure Hunter
Julianne Moore – Still Alice
Jenny Slate – Obvious Child
Tilda Swinton – Only Lovers Left Alive

Best Male Lead:

Andre Benjamin – Jimi: All is By My Side
Jake Gyllenhaal – Nightcrawler
Michael Keaton – Birdman
John Lithgow – Love is Strange
David Oyelowo – Selma

Best Supporting Female:

Patricia Arquette – Boyhood
Jessica Chastain – A Most Violent Year
Carmen Ejogo – Selma
Andrea Suarez Paz – Stand Clear of Closing Doors
Emma Stone – Birdman

Best Supporting Male:

Riz Ahmed – Nightcrawler
Ethan Hawke – Boyhood
Alfred Molina – Love is Strange
Edward Norton – Birdman
JK Simmons – Whiplash

Best Cinematography:

The Immigrant
Birdman
It Felt Like Love
A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night
Selma

Best Editing:

Boyhood
Whiplash
Nightcrawler
A Most Violent Year
The Guest

Best International Film:

Force Majeure
Ida
Leviathan
Mommy
Norte, The End of History
Under the Skin

Robert Altman Award:

Inherent Vice; Director: Paul Thomas Anderson; Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Josh Brolin, Jena Malone, Benicio Del Toro, Owen Wilson, Reese Witherspoon

Special Distinction Award:

Foxcatcher; Director: Bennett Miller; Starring: Steve Carell, Channing Tatum, Mark Ruffalo, Sienna Miller, Vanessa Redgrave

The Avengers: Age of Ultron – May 1st 2015

Daniel Bruhl joins Civil War and Doctor Strange as villain

Ron Howard’s racing drama Rush became one of 2013’s most acclaimed films and is still IMDB’s 154th greatest film of all time. Although completely snubbed come the Oscars, it rejuvenated Howard’s career and gave Chris Hemsworth a major dramatic role away from Thor. Most importantly it put Spanish-born, German actor Daniel Bruhl (The Bourne Ultimatum, Inglourious) properly on the map. He’s now set to rejoin Hemsworth in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Captain America: Civil War is a major Marvel crossover event starring Chris Evans (Snowpiercer) as Captain America and Robert Downey of Jr (Sherlock Holmes) as Iron Man. As well as being the culmination of the disastrous events of next year’s The Avengers: Age of Ultron it’ll be setting up ties with the future of the Marvel universe. Chadwick Boseman (Get on Up) debuts as Black Panther, who receives a solo film in 2017, while The Winter Soldier’s Anthony and Joe Russo return to direct.

Bruhl will slot in as a villain who will then go on to oppose Benedict Cumberbatch’s (The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, Star Trek Into Darkness, The Imitation Game, Sherlock) Doctor Strange, soon to be directed by Scott Derickson. The role is still unspecified but rumours range from Baron Modo to The Punisher but it’s hard to judge the casting if we’re unsure of who it is. Punisher, AKA Frank Castle, makes sense for Civil War (especially with the fan theory that Punisher’s truck is aiding Cap and Fury at two points during Winter Soldier) but doesn’t quite match Strange.

I’d expect Civil War to also star Cap’ trilogy regulars Samuel L Jackson (Jurassic Park) as Nick Fury, Anthony Mackie (The Adjustment Bureau) as Falcon, Cobie Smulders (How I Met Your Mother) as Maria Hill, Frank Grillo (The Purge: Anarchy) as Crossbones, Emily Van Camp (Revenge) as Agent 13 and Sebastian Stan (Political Animals) as The Winter Soldier. More Avenger-associated characters, Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson – Lost in Translation), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner – The Hurt Locker), Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen – Godzilla) or Quicksilver (Aaron Taylor Johnson – Kick-Ass), may sit out.

Captain America: Civil War – April 29th 2016

Doctor Strange – November 6th 2016

Marvel confirm their future in massive announcement: Black Panther, Captain America: Civil War, Guardians of the Galaxy 2, Inhumans, Doctor Strange, Captain Marvel, Thor: Ragnarok and Infinity War!

In the summer, Marvel confirmed a series of release dates without a name to them but, at a recent presentation, the Phase 3 line up was at last revealed. It begins in 2015 with Ant-Man although that wasn’t mentioned today. What did steal focus was the third solo outing for Captain America which is now officially titled Civil War. It’ll be directed by Anthony and Joe Russo (The Winter Soldier) and will star Chris Evans (Snowpiercer) as Cap’ and Robert Downey Jr (Chaplin, Sherlock Holmes) as Iron Man while there are rumoured appearances from Scarlett Johansson (Lost in Translation, The Other Boleyn Girl) as Black Widow and Anthony Mackie (The Adjustment Bureau, The Hurt Locker) as Falcon. There’s new title artwork for the film.
Captain America: Civil War – May 6th 2016

Next up was Doctor Strange. Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock, Star Trek Into Darkness, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug) recently signed on to star with Scott Derickson (Sinister) directing but the harrowing casting process has pushed the film’s release back a few months.
Doctor Strange – November 4th 2016

The smash hit Guardians of the Galaxy has now taken over $750 million worldwide and its sequel will be released sooner than expected. Director James Gunn (Slither) returns with the cast of Chris Pratt (The Lego Movie, Moneyball) as Star Lord, Bradley Cooper (Limitless, Silver Linings Playbook) as Rocket, Zoe Saldana (Avatar, Star Trek) as Gamora, Vin Diesel (Saving Private Ryan, Pitch Black, Fast and Furious) as Groot, Dave Bautista (Riddick, Bond 24) as Drax, Karen Gillan (Doctor Who, Oculus) as Nebula and Josh Brolin (No Country For Old Men) as Thanos (probably).
Guardians of the Galaxy 2 – May 5th 2017

Thor’s second adventure, The Dark World, wasn’t consider the box office success of Cap’ 2 or the Iron Man films but it still grossed far north of $600 million globally. This has prompted the confirmation of Thor: Ragnarok, in which Asgard trembles at the threat of apocalypse. Chris Hemsworth (Rush, The Cabin in the Woods) and Tom Hiddleston (War Horse, Only Lovers Left Alive) will star as Thor and Loki respectively while I’d expect Natalie Portman (Black Swan, Leon) as Jane Foster, Idris Elba (Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, Pacific Rim) as Heimdall and Anthony Hopkins (The Silence of the Lambs, The Remains of the Day) as Odin. A director is yet to be found.
Thor: Ragnarok – July 28th 2017

Black Panther was the first of three new properties to be announced. Again no director is signed on but a writer is present in the form of documentary maker Mark Bailey. More excitingly 42 and Get on Up’s Chadwick Boseman was confirmed to be playing the tribal hero. We reckon Andy Serkis (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, The Prestige, The Lord of the Rings) will play villain Ulysses Klaw.
Black Panther – November 3rd 2017

The title itself is going to be tricky to sell but Marvel have at last invested in a female led film, following suit from DC’s Wonder Woman. There’s still no word on a director or star (is Longmire’s Katee Sackhoff still on the cards?) but a release date is in place.
Captain Marvel – July 6th 2018

New franchise Inhumans was also conceived is similar circumstances in that we know almost nothing but there are faint rumours that Vin Diesel (already voicing Groot) will play team leader Black Bolt.
Inhumans – November 2018

The most exciting announcement of all was that the third instalment of the central Avengers series will be split into two parts. Infinity War Part 1 and 2 will be released across 2018 and 2019. I sincerely hope that Serenity’s Joss Whedon will direct.
The Avengers: Infinity War Part I – May 4th 2018
The Avengers: Infinity War Part II – May 3rd 2019

Let’s just recap on the story so far in Kevin Feige’s Marvel Cinematic Universe:

Phase One:

Iron Man – 2008 – Jon Favreau – Robert Downey Jr, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jeff Bridges, Terrence Howard, Clark Gregg, Paul Bettany, Samuel L Jackson

The Incredible Hulk – 2008 – Louis Leterrier – Edward Norton, Liv Tyler, Tim Roth, William Hurt, Tim Blake Nelson

Iron Man 2 – 2010 – Jon Favreau – Robert Downey Jr, Gwyneth Paltrow, Mickey Rourke, Don Cheadle, Scarlett Johansson, Sam Rockwell, Clark Gregg, Paul Bettany, Samuel L Jackson

Thor – 2011 – Kenneth Branagh – Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Natalie Portman, Anthony Hopkins, Stellan Skarsgard, Clark Gregg, Jaimie Alexander, Idris Elba

Captain America: The First Avenger – 2011 – Joe Johnston – Chris Evans, Hugo Weaving, Hayley Atwell, Sebastian Stan, Tommy Lee Jones, Dominic Cooper, Stanley Tucci, Toby Jones, Samuel L Jackson

The Avengers – 2012 – Joss Whedon – Robert Downey Jr, Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Mark Ruffalo, Scarlett Johansson, Chris Evans, Jeremy Renner, Samuel L Jackson, Cobie Smulders, Clark Gregg, Paul Bettany

Phase Two:

Iron Man 3 – 2013 – Shane Black – Robert Downey Jr, Don Cheadle, Gwyneth Paltrow, Guy Pearce, Rebecca Hall, Ben Kingsley, Paul Bettany

Thor: The Dark World – 2013 – Alan Taylor – Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Christopher Eccleston, Anthony Hopkins, Jaimie Alexander, Stellan Skarsgard, Idris Elba

Captain America: The Winter Solder – 2014 – Anthony and Joe Russo – Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Anthony Mackie, Robert Redford, Samuel L Jackson, Sebastian Stan, Cobie Smulders

Guardians of the Galaxy – 2014 – James Gunn – Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, Dave Bautista, Lee Pace, Karen Gillan, Michael Rooker, Benicio Del Toro

The Avengers: Age of Ultron – 2015 – Joss Whedon – Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans, James Spader, Scarlett Johansson, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Jeremy Renner, Samuel L Jackson, Cobie Smulders, Elizabeth Olsen, Aaron Taylor Johnson, Paul Bettany, Andy Serkis

Phase Three:

Ant-Man – 2015 – Peyton Reed – Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas, Evangeline Lilly, Judy Greer, Michael Pena, Corey Stoll

Captain America: Civil War – 2016 – Anthony and Joe Russo – Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr, (unconfirmed) Anthony Mackie

Doctor Strange – 2016 – Scott Derickson – Benedict Cumberbatch

Guardians of the Galaxy 2 – 2017 – James Gunn – (unconfirmed)

Thor: Ragnarok – 2017 – (unconfirmed) – Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston

Black Panther – 2017 – (unconfirmed) – Chadwick Boseman, (unconfirmed) Andy Serkis

The Avengers: Infinity War Part I – 2018 – (unconfirmed) Joss Whedon – (unconfirmed) Robert Downey Jr, Mark Ruffalo, Josh Brolin

Captain Marvel – 2018

Inhumans – 2018

The Avengers: Infinity War Part II – 2019 – (unconfirmed) Joss Whedon – (unconfirmed) Robert Downey Jr, Mark Ruffalo, Josh Brolin

The Third Phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been unleashed so tell us which of the ten new instalments you are most excited about. For us, it has got to be both parts of Infinity War. Bye for now!

Game of Thrones star joins Star Wars and Stan Lee may have confirmed Black Panther

The casting process for Star Wars: Episode VII did seem to have come to a halt until the entire principal cast was announced at once. Since then a string of unknowns (Dixie Arnold, Crystal Clarke, Pip Andersen, Roman Bloodworth) have joined them and now JJ Abrams (Star Trek, Into Darkness, Super 8) has added to his ensemble. Miltos Yerolemou, best known as Syrio Forel in Game of Thrones, has been confirmed for yet another unspecified role.

Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Andy Serkis, Max Von Sydow, Domhnall Gleeson, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Gwendoline Christie, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong’o, Christina Chong, Kenny Baker, Anthony Daniels and Peter Mayhew.

Stan Lee is widely celebrated as the Godfather of Marvel comics and it’s only right that and is now best known for the cameo appearances he makes in almost every Marvel film, game or TV series. He’s no longer directly involved in the production of the films, he acts as a form of spokesperson for the studio and sheds a few secrets he may not have supposed to. Today, when asked on whether a Scarlett Johansson led Black Widow film was on the cards, he let loose a little more than what we expected.

“The chances are she will have her own movie because eventually all the superheroes are going to have their own movies,” Lee elaborated. “They are already working on Ant-Man, Doctor Strange and the Black Panther, and there are others I am not allowed to talk about.” Some of the casting suggestions for Black Panther include Chadwick Boseman and John Boyega There are great hopes for there to be Thor 3, Captain Marvel and The Inhumans but currently the MCU schedule looks like this.

Phase 2:

• 2015

The Avengers: Age of Ultron – Joss Whedon – Robert Downey Jr, Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Mark Ruffalo, Jeremy Renner, James Spader, Samuel L Jackson, Elizabeth Olsen, Aaron Taylor Johnson, Cobie Smulders, Paul Bettany, Don Cheadle, Stellan Skarsgard, Hayley Atwell, Thomas Kretschmann, Andy Serkis

Phase 3:

Ant-Man – Peyton Reed – Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas, Evangeline Lilly, Corey Stoll, Judy Greer, Bobby Cannavale, Michael Pena

• 2016

Captain America 3 – Anthony and Joe Russo – Chris Evans, Sebastian Stan

Doctor Strange – Scott Derickson – Joaquin Phoenix

• 2017

Guardians of the Galaxy 2 – James Gunn – Chris Pratt, Vin Diesel, Zoe Saldana, Bradley Cooper, Dave Bautista, Karen Gillan, Josh Brolin

Black Panther – 2017/18?

Star Wars: Episode VII – December 18th 2015

Seth Rogen enrols for Console Wars, Marvel unveils Doctor Strange directing shortlist and find the Empire Award nominees

The award ceremony season is in full swing with last week’s BAFTAs, this weekend’s Oscars and last night’s homegrown Tuorhoth Awards. Another alternate look on the last year’s films can be found with the Empire Awards for which the nominations have just been announced. The winners will be announced on March 30th but you can vote for your favourites here.

Best Film:

12 Years a Slave

Captain Phillips

Gravity

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

Best Director:

Alfonso Cuaron – Gravity

Edgar Wright – The World’s End

Paul Greengrass – Captain Phillips

Peter Jackson – The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

Steve McQueen – 12 Years a Slave

Best Leading Actor:

Chiwetel Ejiofor – 12 Years a Slave

James McAvoy – Filth

Leonardo Di Caprio – The Wolf of Wall Street

Martin Freeman – The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

Tom Hanks – Captain Phillips

Best Leading Actress:

Amy Adams – American Hustle

Cate Blanchett – Blue Jasmine

Emma Thompson – Saving Mr Banks

Jennifer Lawrence – The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

Sandra Bullock – Gravity

Best British Film:

Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa

Filth

Rush

Sunshine on Leith

The World’s End

Best Supporting Actress:

Evangeline Lilly – The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

Jennifer Lawrence – American Hustle

Lupita Nyong’o – 12 Years a Slave

Mia Wasikowska – Stoker

Sally Hawkins – Blue Jasmine

Best Supporting Actor:

Daniel Bruhl – Rush

Michael Fassbender – 12 Years a Slave

Sam Clafin – The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

Richard Armitage – The Hobbit:The Desolation of Smaug

Tom Hiddleston – Thor: The Dark World

Best Sci-fi/Fantasy:

Gravity

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

Pacific Rim

Star Trek Into Darkness

Best Thriller:

Captain Phillips

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

Now You See Me

Prisoners

Trance

Best Comedy:

Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa

Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues

This is 40

This is the End

The World’s End

Best Horror:

A Field in England

The Conjuring

Evil Dead

World War Z

You’re Next

Best Female Newcomer:

Adele Exarchopoulous – Blue is the Warmest Colour

Antonia Thomas – Sunshine on Leith

Elizabeth Debecki – The Great Gatsby

Freya Mavor – Sunshine on Leith

Lupita Nyong’o – 12 Years a Slave

Margot Robbie – The Wolf of Wall Street

Best Male Newcomer:

Aidan Turner – The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

Barkhad Abdi – Captain Phillips

George McKay – Sunshine on Leith

Oscar Isaac – Inside Llewyn Davis

Tye Sheridan – Mud

Will Poulter – We’re the Millers

Picking up a Best Comedy nomination at the Empires was This is the End and the writing/directing duo behind it are lining up a new project. Evan Goldberg (writer of Goon, Pineapple Express and Superbad) and Seth Rogen (Knocked Up, 50/50, Paul) have been hired by Sony for Console Wars. This is a comedy detailing the vicious rivalry between Sega and Nintendo in the ’90s which lead to the multi-billion industry we know today. The pair will write and direct, as they did in This is the End, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Rogen went on to star in the film yet nothing’s been confirmed about that just yet.

Finally, we can announce the directing shortlist for Marvel’s upcoming fantasy project Doctor Stranger. The film was greenlighted by producer Kevin Feige in October and since there’s been huge speculation as to both who would call the shots on the superhero adventure as well as who would portray the titular hero. The potential directors are Mark Andrews, Nicolaj Arcel, Dean Israelite and Jonathan Levine. We’ll give you a quick brief for these four candidates.

Oscar winning director Mark Andrews directed Pixar’s feature length Brave and short animation One Man Band as well as writing Pixar’s short Jack-Jack Attack and John Carter. Israelite, cousin of Jonathan Liebesman is the director of successful short films The Department of Nothing and Magician. The most famous of the quartet is probably Jonathan Levine (50/50, Warm Bodies, The Wackness) but the most promising is Danish born Nikolaj Arcel, director of King’s Game and the brilliant period drama A Royal Affair.

The film will likely be the second in Marvel’s third phase but, if you can’t wait till 2016, there’s plenty of superhero action to keep you company. Captain America: The Winter Soldier comes this March, Guardians of the Galaxy launches in August, The Avengers: Age of Ultron battles in May 2015 followed by Ant-Man in July of that year. After that, there could be Captain America 3, Thor 3, Guardians 2 or Black Panther before Avengers 3.

Console Wars: Sega, Nintendo and the Battle that Defined a Generation – 2016

Doctor Strange – 2016

2014 Empire Awards – March 30th

Guy Ritchie may revive King Arthur, JJ Abrams talks 3D & secrecy in Star Wars and Cap America 3 in the works

The success of bringing Celtic legend King Arthur has varied dramatically. They’ve ranged fro, classics such as Excalibur, The Sword in the Stone and, erm, Monty Python and the Holy Grail to flops like King Arthur and First Knight. Since the disappointment of the 2004 instalment, Warner Bros has been trying to get a new Arthur project into cinemas. Two ideas were considered, one conception led by Guy Ritchie (Rock ‘n’ Rolla, Sherlock Holmes) and the other by the more comedically seasoned David Dobkin (Wedding Crashers, Fred Claus) who pitched Arthur and Lancelot. Dobkin was hired and got as far as hiring Kit Harrington and Joel Kinnaman for the leads and Gary Oldman was in negotiations to play Merlin before the project fell through, due to budget disagreements, and was shelved.

Now, Ritchie is in line to take up the mantle as Arthur’s director. The hope is that this’ll spawn into a franchise and saga of Arthurian goodness, according the reliable Deadline. I’d presume the approach will be to go for a more traditional fantasy tale with magic, witches, Merlin and all as previous attempts to ground and realise the story have flopped. Ritchie himself is still hard at work on The Man From U.N.C.L.E., starring Armie Hammer and Henry Cavill so should he accept the Arthur role that’d confirm his departure from the beloved production of sequel Sherlock Holmes 3, starring Robert Downey Jr and Jude Law.

Above is JJ Abrams, creator of Lost, Alias and Felicity and director of Star Trek, Star Trek Into Darkness, Super 8 and Mission: Impossible 3 as well as writer/director of the upcoming sequel Star Wars: Episode VII. He recently talked, to The Daily Telegaph, about some of the major issues found in his previous works that he hopes to resolve with his work on Star Wars, namely 3D and secrecy.

Abrams professes he’s “not a 3D fanatic” but “understood why it was important to the studio” to release Into Darkness in the format. His films have been known to take some not-the-norm promotion techniques but says that Episode VII’s will be more conventional. “Star Wars is in every way a different animal,” he said. “It’s always been a more open, fan-engaged universe than I’ve been used to, so I’m sure there’ll be some sort of compromise.” Having seen Into Darkness or not, you’ve probably picked up that the villainous John Harrison’s real identity was leaked online for all to see several months before the film’s release and that’s not the only high-profile case, see Naomie Harris’ Eve, not, Moneypenny. “We were trying to preserve the unexpected for the audience”, he explained, “but it came across as if we were trying to be too clever”. “It feels to me like there’s a purity in not knowing every little thing.”

The mega-franchises butting heads in 2015 will be Marvel, who launch Avengers 2 and Ant-Man, and Star Wars, who release the aforementioned Episode VII. Additionally, this year Disney’s Marvel finds only its main competition from Sony’s Marvel (The Amazing Spider-Man 2), Fox’s Marvel (X-Men: Days of Future Past), Hunger Games 3, Hobbit 3, Transformers 4 and Godzilla. Disney Marvel are to release the double bill of Captain America 2 and Guardians of the Galaxy; today, we focus on the former. Stars, directors and producers alike are appropriately confident about Captain America: The Winter Soldier, which stars Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Robert Redford, Cobie Smulders, Anthony Mackie, Samuel L Jackson, Frank Grillo, Toby Jones, Hayley Attwell, Dominic Cooper, Sebastian Stan and Emily VanCamp.

Variety now reports that this goes to the extent of a third Cap film entering development. Winter Soldier director Joe and Anthony Russo are in talks to call the shots again, meaning they’ll join Jon Favreau and Joss Whedon as the only directors that Marvel have called back for a second sitting. Marvel have confirmed that two new project will arrive in 2016 and 2017, the former confirmed to be Doctor Strange while the latter is rumoured to be Black Panther, with sequels accompanying them. Will Cap 3 and Thor 3 be those sequels? And, if so, will Cap 3 come around as early as 2014? Follow Tuorhoth Movies for each development as it happens to find out more.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier – March 28th

Guardians of the Galaxy – August 1st

The Avengers: Age of Ultron – May 1st 2015

Ant-Man – July 17th 2015

Doctor Strange – 2016

Captain America 3 – 2016?

Thor 3 – 2017?

Black Panther – 2017?

King Arthur – 2017?

Star Wars: Episode VII – December 18th 2015

The Man From U.N.C.L.E. – 2015

Sherlock Holmes 3 – 2017?

Pixar shifts release dates and Stan Lee confirms trio of Marvel projects

Pixar hasn’t been at it’s lovable excellence recently. The recent sequel/prequel films such as Cars 2 and Monsters University really weren’t up to the imaginative level of their classics (Toy Story trilogy, Monsters Inc, Up, Finding Nemo, The Incredibles). After they managed to bring Sully and Mike down to about average earlier this year I’m not sure if I’m looking forward to seeing Marlin, Nemo and the crew again in Finding Dory. And now we know that we won’t be able to see a new Pixar production until 2015.

The Good Dinosaur has been shifted back to 2015 to much disappointment. The development slowed dramatically when Pixar’s Brain Trust removed Bob Peterson from the project recently. Disney’s balancing act of 2015 release dates is starting to become a pain. Edgar Wright’s Ant-Man went from November to July; JJ Abrams Star Wars: Episode VII went from Summer to Christmas; Angelina Jolie’s Maleficent ditched July for May; Johnny Depp’s Pirates of the Caribbean; Dead Men Tell No Tales sailed away to 2016 alongside Finding Dory; The Good Dinosaur now slots into Ant-Man’s previous November opening. It looks as if Joss Whedon’s The Avengers: Age of Ultron (May 1st), Pixar’s Inside Out (June 19th) and Kenneth Branagh’s Cinderella (March 13th) are the only ones staying put, or are we speaking to soon.

It is disappointing that we won’t be able to see Pixar get back on the horse for another couple of years but it’s better they wait to release a great film than rush to a mediocre finish.

Stan Lee is the king of Marvel Comics and certainly as much as a franchise figurehead as Hugh Jackman, Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield, Samuel L Jackson and Robert Downey Jr. He’s not at the heart of Disney’s Cinematic Marvel Universe as much as producer Kevin Fiege or directors like Joss Whedon, Alan Taylor or Jon Favreau but he’s definitely at the level to give some of Marvel Film’s biggest announcements.

“The people at Marvel are looking through our whole list of candidates and wondering which ones are we going to use now,” Lee told website TooFab. “They are going to do the Black Panther. They are going to use Doctor Strange. They are going to do Ant-Man. They are going to do the Guardians Of The Galaxy. And they’ll probably do the Inhumans.”

Guardians of the Galaxy is not news to us. James Gunn directorial effort stars Vin Diesel, Bradley, Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Karen Gillan, Lee Pace, Benicio Del Toro, Michael Rooker, Glenn Close and John C Reilly and will be released August 1st 2014. Nor is Ant-Man. Edgar Wright will direct Dr Hank Pym’s story with a screenplay by Joe Cornish but Lee’s statement hasn’t clarified a plot or the film’s star. I’m still keeping my fingers crossed for Firefly’s Nathan Fillion.

The interesting stuff is Black Panther, Doctor Strange and the Inhumans. All three were names thrown into the mix by the internet as a collective collective when Marvel announced two untitled 2016 and 2017 projects. If your not quite up to scratch on your Marvel character knowledge, here’s a quick guide to Panther, Strange and the Inhumans.

Black Panther was one of the first African-American superheroes, not just in Marvel but across the world of comic books. His origin story sees his alter ego T’Challa, the leader of an African tribe who cross with the Fantastic Four. He soon realizes that he’s in a position to do some good and becomes one of Marvel’s most established heroes. Dr Stephen Strange is a neurosurgeon focused only on fame and fortune until a near fatal car crash that takes him, kicking and screaming, away from his beloved profession. He seeks the help of The Ancient One in the Himalayas who, after being convinced that Strange’s days of selfishness are over, grants him great powers, and a cloak of levitation.

The Inhumans are a group of superheroes given their various powers after exposure the the magical water vapour known as the Terrigen Mists. Their members include Medusa, Black Bolt, Karnak, Gorgon, Crystal, Maximus the Mad, Lockjaw and Triton. Of all of the names, Inhumans was the one Stan Lee seemed least sure about but it should come off. Who do you think should play classic Marvel characters like Wasp, Ant-Man, Black Panther and Dr Strange? Tell us in the comments!

The Good Dinosaur is out November 15th 2015

Finding Dory is out 2016

Dr Strange is out 2016

Black Panther is out 2017

Inhumans could be out 2018