The Best of 2015 – Half way review

In the first sixth months of 2015, we haven’t quite yet found a release worthy of the prestigious 10/10 score but there’s been no shortage of box-office goods with three films already breaching the $1 billion mark with more to come.

Worldwide:

1. Furious 7 – Director: James Wan – Stars: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker – $1,511,636,779
2. The Avengers: Age of Ultron – Joss Whedon – Robert Downey Jr, Scarlett Johansson – $1,372,063,254
3. Jurassic World – Colin Trevorrow – Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard – $1,259,873,609
4. Fifty Shades of Grey – Sam Taylor Johnson – Dakota Johnson, Jamie Dornan – $569,651,467
5. Cinderella – Kenneth Branagh – Lily James, Cate Blanchett – $538,986,777
6. San Andreas – Peyton Reed – Dwayne Johnson, Alexandra Daddario – $441,858,144
7. Kingsman: The Secret Service – Matthew Vaughn – Colin Firth, Taron Egerton – $403,788,617
8. Home – Tim Johnson – Jim Parsons, Rihanna – $367,811,449
9. Mad Max: Fury Road – George Miller – Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron – $356,649,491
10. Taken 3 – Oliver Megaton – Liam Neeson, Forest Whitaker – $325,771,424

US:

1. Jurassic World – Colin Trevorrow – Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard – $514,374,155
2. The Avengers: Age of Ultron – Joss Whedon – Robert Downey Jr, Scarlett Johansson – $452,963,254
3. Furious 7 – James Wan – Vin Diesel, Paul Walker – $351,032,910
4. Inside Out – Pete Docter, Ronaldo Del Carmen – $200,844,477
5. Cinderella – Kenneth Branagh – Lily James, Cate Blanchett – $200,286,777
6. Pitch Perfect 2 – Elizabeth Banks – Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson – $181,513,690
7. Home – Tim Johnson – Jim Parsons, Rihanna – $174,901,605
8. Fifty Shades of Grey – Sam Taylor Johnson – Dakota Johnson, Jamie Dornan – $166,167,230
9. The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water – Paul Tibbitt – $162,994,032
10. Mad Max: Fury Road – George Miller – Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron – $147,594,972

UK:

1. The Avengers: Age of Ultron – Joss Whedon – Robert Downey Jr, Scarlett Johansson – £49,096,981
2. Jurassic World – Colin Trevorrow – Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard – £39,216,914
3. Furious 7 – James Wan – Vin Diesel, Paul Walker – £38,399,325
4. Fifty Shades of Grey – Sam Taylor Johnson – Dakota Johnson, Jamie Dornan – £33,065,566
5. Home – Tim Johnson – Jim Parsons, Rihanna – £24,908,077
6. Cinderella – Kenneth Branagh – Lily James, Cate Blanchett – £20,886,693
7. The Theory of Everything – James Marsh – Eddie Redmayne, Felicity Jones – £20,446,079
8. Big Hero 6 – Don Hall, Chris Williams – TJ Miller, Maya Rudolph – £19.527,404
9. Pitch Perfect 2 – Elizabeth Banks – Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson – £17,466,588
10. Mad Max: Fury Road – George Miller – Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron – £17,260,896

Here’s our personal top 7 for January to June. To give you a taste of our opinions, 2014’s top picks were Interstellar, Nightcrawler, Boyhood, Guardians of the Galaxy and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.

8) Into the Woods

Director: Rob Marshall
Starring: Meryl Streep, Anna Kendrick, James Corden, Emily Blunt, Chris Pine
Budget: $50 million
Box-office: $212.9 million

7) Tomorrowland

Director: Brad Bird
Starring: Britt Robertson, George Clooney, Raffey Cassidy, Pierce Gagnon, Hugh Laurie
Budget: $190 million
Box-office: $202 million

6) Minions

Director: Kyle Balda, Pierre Coffin
Starring: Pierre Coffin, Sandra Bullock, Jon Hamm, Michael Keaton, Geoffrey Rush
Budget: $74 million
Box-office: $141 million

5) The Theory of Everything

Director: James Marsh
Starring: Eddie Redmayne, Felicity Jones, Charlie Cox, Simon McBurney, David Thewlis
Budget: $15 million
Box-office: $121.2 million

4) Still Alice

Directors: Richard Glatzer, Wash Westmoreland
Starring: Julianne Moore, Kristen Stewart, Alec Baldwin, Hunter Parrish, Kate Bosworth
Budget: $5 million
Box-office: $41.8 million

3) Selma

Director: Ava DuVernay
Starring: David Oyelowo, Carmen Ejogo, Tom Wilkinson, Oprah Winfrey, Tim Roth
Budget: $20 million
Box-office: $66.8 million

2) The Avengers: Age of Ultron

Director: Joss Whedon
Starring: Robert Downey Jr, Scarlett Johansson, Mark Ruffalo, Elizabeth Olsen, Jeremy Renner
Budget: $280 million
Box-office: $1.3 billion

1) Jurassic World

Director: Colin Trevorrow
Starring: Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Irrfan Khan, Jake Johnson, Vincent D’Onofrio
Budget: $150 million
Box-office: $1,2 billion

The Theory of Everything review

Director: James Marsh

Starring: Eddie Redmayne, Felicity Jones, Charlie Cox, David Thewlis, Simon McBurney, Harry Lloyd, Maxine Peake, Emily Watson

Stephen Hawking not only the most iconic scientist but likely the most recognisable British figure of the past fifty years. A filmed adaptation of his life was always inevitable and it was hot stuff during this year’s awards race and its arrival leaves us poised to speculate if it was worth the hype.

Cambridge – early 1960s. Students Jane Wilde (Jones) and Stephen Hawking (Redmayne) meet and fall in love but their relationship is soon tested to the limits as Stephen is diagnosed with, seemingly fatal, motor neurone disease. With his body gradually ceasing to function, Stephen is obsessed in his mind achieving its full potential for the sake of science, putting an unbearable strain on his family.

Most disappointingly, the film never outlives is obvious tailor-made-for-the-Oscars roots. While they’re not quite the pet projects of The Grand Budapest Hotel or Boyhood, films such as The Imitation Game and Selma at least protest their own political purpose. This does little besides reiterating a already well publicised story but that doesn’t prevent it from being a surprisingly intimate relationship analysation and character study.

By charting their relationship from conception to the bitter end we gain a beautiful narrative depicting an family in their insurmountable search for normality through their struggles. Helming this wonderfully are the two central performances. Redmayne superbly portrays Hawking’s physical descent – masterfully conveying the disease’s horrific effects – while still maintaining a naive optimism. His Oscar, BAFTA and Golden Globe are all well deserved.

Jones, who is still a relative newcomer following the subdued successes of Like Crazy and The Invisible Woman, gives a performance that is never quite as impressive as her opposite number but is equally powerful and engaging. Still, later on in the film, she gets sidelined as the typical struggling wife and unintentionally unempathable in her involvement with Charlie Cox’s mild mannered choirmaster in a painfully blatant romantic subplot. Her presence in the aforementioned awards’ spot for Leading Actress is a pleasing sign for British talent however.

The film’s supporting cast do not let up either: both David Thewlis (Harry Potter’s Lupin) and Simon McBurney (Rev’s Archdeacon) are excellent as Hawking’s mentor and father respectively. Confusingly, the two time Oscar nominated star of War Horse, The Book Thief and Breaking the Waves Emily Watson receives a high billing only to be given an almost cameo like appearance as Jane’s mother.

Despite the glossy sheen of James Marsh’s direction, there is the odd gaping hole in the narrative. Harry Lloyd’s character, Stephen’s roomate Brian, is fictional and was created entirely for the purposes of the film, suspending the belief of the “true story”. Also, the passage of time is conveyed very poorly. For those, somehow, unaware of the story it’d be unclear is this is taking place of five or twenty years. The film’s conclusion is also confusing as it puts focus onto their children, characters who have barely had a single comprehensible line of dialogue despite having an equally intriguing story to tell.

The Theory of Everything makes the poor mistake of portraying both its leads as saints but it’s undoubtedly one of Britain’s most engaging, thoughtful and excellently acted films in years. While morally unsatisfying, it’s still a worthy contender as one of the finest entries of the 2014/15 awards season.

8/10

“There should be no boundaries to human endeavor. We are all different. However bad life may seem, there is always something you can do, and succeed at. While there’s life, there is hope.”

Sony and Marvel team: Spider-Man will join the Marvel Cinematic Universe

Wesley Spines’ gory fantasy action Blade was the very first major release based on Marvel’s legendary comic book franchise. From there, development of the adaptations increased dramatically with two new series (Bryan Singer’s X-Men and Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man) but they couldn’t exist together as they were owned by separate studios, Fox and Sony respectively.

When the Marvel Cinematic Universe kicked off in 2008 with Iron Man (later developing Thor, Captain America, The Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy). Sony attempted to bounce back into the fray with a new reboot, The Amazing Spider-Man, with director Marc Webb and Andrew Garfield (The Social Network) replacing Tobey Maguire as Peter Parker. Its impressive box-office stats didn’t match a mixed critical reception but Sony went ahead with plans for The Amazing Spider-Man 2, 3 and 4 as well as the spin offs Sinister Six and Venom. Writers, directors and release dates were set but the first sequel’s disappointment set the franchise slowly hurtling.

The infamous email hacks from North Korea, the one over The Interview that prompted Sony head Amy Pascal to stand down, also unleashed a rumour that Sony were handing Spidey over to Kevin Feige and Marvel. The stories have come to a conclusion with this new announcement.

“I am thrilled to team with my friends at Sony Pictures along with Amy Pascal to produce the next Spider-Man movie,” says Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige. “Amy has been deeply involved in the realisation on film of one of the world’s most beloved characters. Marvel’s involvement will hopefully deliver the creative continuity and authenticity that fans demand from the MCU. I am equally excited for the opportunity to have Spider-Man appear in the MCU, something which both we at Marvel, and fans alike, have been looking forward to for years.”

While we suspect Spidey will make his debut in Civil War, it’s unclear if Feige will be inheriting The Amazing Spider-Man franchise or heading toward another reboot. A different casting may well be in the pipeline. Kodi Smitt McPhee (The Road, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes), Craig Roberts (Submarine) and Anton Yelchin (Star Trek, Fright Night) seem like more age appropriate candidates than the now over-30 Garfield.

We do know that it’ll be aiming for a July 2017 release. This won’t effect anything going before it (Age of Ultron, Ant-Man, Captain America 3, Doctor Strange, Guardians of the Galaxy 2) it is causing slight delays for Thor 3, Black Panther, Captain Marvel and Inhumans.

Here’s the full upcoming Marvel schedule.

The Avengers: Age of Ultron – Director: Joss Whedon – Starring: Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans, James Spader, Scarlett Johansson, Mark Ruffalo, Jeremy Renner, Chris Hemsworth, Samuel L Jackson, Elizabeth Olsen, Aaron Taylor Johnson, Paul Bettany, Andy Serkis – Release: May 1st

Ant-Man – Peyton Reed – Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Douglas, Corey Stoll, Michael Pena – July 17th

Captain America: Civil War – Anthony and Joe Russo – Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr, Chadwick Boseman, Scarlett Johansson, Daniel Bruhl, Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie, Frank Grillo, Charlie Cox, Krysten Ritter, Mike Colter – May 6th 2016

Doctor Strange – Scott Derickson – Benedict Cumberbatch, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Daniel Bruhl – November 4th 2016

Guardians of the Galaxy 2 – James Gunn – Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Bradley Cooper, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Karen Gillan, Michael Rooker, John C Reilly, Glenn Close, Benicio Del Toro, Josh Brolin – May 5th 2017

Spider-Man – July 28th 2017

Thor: Ragnarok – Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Natalie Portman, Stellan Skarsgard, Jaimie Alexander, Kat Dennings, Idris Elba, Anthony Hopkins – November 3rd 2017

The Avengers: Infinity War – Part I – Josh Brolin, Robert Downey Jr, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Benedict Cumberbatch, Chadwick Boseman – May 4th 2018

Black Panther – Chadwick Boseman, Andy Serkis – July 6th 2018

Captain Marvel – November 2nd 2018

The Avengers: Infinity War – Part II – Josh Brolin, Robert Downey Jr, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Benedict Cumberbatch, Chadwick Boseman – May 3rd 2019

Inhumans – Vin Diesel, Chloe Bennett, Ruth Negga, Aaron Taylor Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen, Luke Mitchell, Jamie Harris, Kyle MacLachlan – July 12th 2019

68th British Academy Film Awards Live

Welcome to our BAFTA hub for 2015. Tonight is the biggest night of the British film calender as the esteemed academy elects its triumphant films, directors and stars. Keep on refreshing the page for the latest updates.

If you’re not preoccupied before the ceremony, try out our prediction game. Rank the nominees for Best Film, Director, Actor/Actress, Supporting Actor/Actress, Cinematography, British Film and Rising Star from 1-5. If your number one pick is correct you receive five points, number two gets four, number three gets three and so on. Comment your score from a maximum of 59. Unsure where to start? Try our own predictions as a primer. Get the full nominations list here.

The red carpet lineup is amassing: Benedict Cumberbatch! Eddie Redmayne! Keira Knightley! Steve Carell! Ralph Fiennes! Ethan Hawke! Mike Leigh! Jack O’Connell! Michael Keaton! Mark Strong!

Here we go!

Stephen Fry begins his annual interrogation of the esteemed audience members. Rosamund Pike! Julie Walters! Edward Norton!

Outstanding British Film:

The Theory of Everything
Pride
Under the Skin
The Imitation Game
’71
Paddington

Beckham awards the first win of the night. Does that put Theory in the front seat for Best Film?

Special Visual Effects:

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Interstellar
X-Men: Days of Future Past
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
Guardians of the Galaxy

It missed out on the main categories but it made up here. Jones and Hawking’s humour shining through again.

Supporting Actor:

Steve Carell – Foxcatcher
Edward Norton – Birdman
Ethawn Hawke – Boyhood
Mark Ruffalo – Foxcatcher
JK Simmons – Whiplash

Witherspoon on her way to Leading Actress as she awards J Jonah Jameson a BAFTA.

Next two British greats award a third.

Outstanding Contribution to British Cinema:

BBC Films (Revolutionary Road, We Need to Talk About Kevin, Jane Eyre, Made in Deganham, Notes on a Scandal, Billy Elliott, Coriolanus, Pride, An Education, Quartet, In the Loop, Philomena, Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa)

The Butler’s Cuba Gooding Jr dishes out the second acting category.

Supporting Actress:

Rene Russo – Nightcrawler
Emma Stone – Birdman
Keira Knightley – The Imitation Game
Patricia Arquette – Boyhood
Imelda Staunton – Pride

A rising star and Bilbo himself award Birdman’s first win.

Cinematography:

Mr Turner (Dick Pope)
The Grand Budapest Hotel (Robert Yeoman)
Interstellar (Hoyte Van Hoytema)
Ida (Lukasz Zal)
Birdman (Emmanuel Lubezki)

The ever sharply suited Loki and MI6 Head celebrate a great career beginning.

British Debut:

’71
Northern Soul
Lilting
Kajaki
Pride

A fitting tribute to a true great, Lord Richard Attenborough, from Prince William and Robert Downey Jr.

Best Actress favourite Julianne Moore arrives.

Best Original Screenplay:

Richard Linklater – Boyhood
Wes Anderson, Hugo Guinness – The Grand Budapest Hotel
Alejandro Gonalez Inarritu, Alexander Dinelaris, Nicolas Giacobone, Armando Bo -Birdman
Damien Chazelle – Whiplash
Dan Gilroy – Nightcrawler

Two JJ Abrams collaborators on stage. Shared universe? It’s all a conspiracy!

Foreign Language:

Leviathan
The Lunchbox
Two Days, One Night
Ida
Trash

He’s semi-bald! Future Lex Luthor Jesse Eisenberg and Noomi Rapace turn up.

Best Adapted Screenplay:

Gillian Flynn – Gone Girl
Anthony McCarten – The Theory of Everything
Graham Moore – The Imitation Game
Jason Dean Hall – American Sniper
Paul King – Paddington

We taking a minute off to honour the In Memoriam section.

X-Men’s James McAvoy arrives – we forgot he was Scottish again.

EE Rising Star:

Gugu Mbatha Raw
Miles Teller
Shailene Woodley
Jack O’Connell
Margot Robbie

Your new one to watch is Jack O’Connell, one of the many protogee’s of E4’s Skins who’s starred in the acclaimed likes of Starred Up, Unbroken and ’71.

Brick is back.

Director:

Alejandro Gonzale Inarritu – Birdman
Richard Linklater – Boyhood
Damien Chazelle – Whiplash
James Marsh – The Theory of Everything
Wes Anderson – The Grand Budapest Hotel

Only God Forgive’s Kristen Scott Thomas compliments her opposite number.

Leading Actor:

Eddie Redmayne – The Theory of Everything
Michael Keaton – Birdman
Benedict Cumberbatch – The Imitation Game
Jake Gyllenhaal – Nightcrawler
Ralph Fiennes – The Grand Budapest Hotel

Another crossover in the work: Superman V Captain America!

Leading Actress:

Felicity Jones – The Theory of Everything
Amy Adams – Big Eyes
Julianne Moore – Still Alice
Reese Witherspoon – Wild
Rosamund Pike – Gone Girl

That was a surprise: Tom Cruise!

Film:

The Imitation Game
The Theory of Everything
Boyhood
Birdman
The Grand Budapest Hotel

Fellowship:

Mike Leigh (Mr Turner, Life is Sweet, High Hopes, Career Girls, Abigail’s Party, All or Nothing, Topsy Turvy, Secrets and Lies, Naked, Vera Drake, Happy Go Lucky, Another Year)

Here comes the quickfire awards.

Original Music:

Alexandre Desplat – The Grand Budapest Hotel

Documentary:

Citizenfour

Makeup and Hair:

The Grand Budapest Hotel

Production Design:

The Grand Budapest Hotel

British Short Film:

Boogaloo and Graham

British Short Animation:

The Bigger Picture

Editing:

Whiplash

Sound:

Whiplash

Animated Film:

The Lego Movie

Costume Design:

The Grand Budapest Hotel

We managed 53/59 so comment how you did. Here’s the winners leaderboard.

The Grand Budapest Hotel – 5
Boyhood, The Theory of Everything, Whiplash – 3
Ida, Interstellar, The Lego Movie, Pride, Citizenfour, Still Alice, Birdman – 1

Sam Rockwell in Poltergeist images, Cranston and Paul rumoured for new roles and new Daredevil trailer

“Theeere heeeere!”

Firstly today we have the very first look at the new remake of horror classic Poltergeist, courtesy of producer Sam Raimi (Spider-Man, Evil Dead) and British director Gil Kenan (City of Ember). It’ll depict a family moving into a new home, occupied by evil spirits and will star Sam Rockwell (Moon, Seven Psychopaths, Iron Man 2, The Assassination of Jesse James), Rosemarie DeWitt (The Company Men, Kill the Messenger, Mad Men) and Jared Harris (Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, Mad Men, Lincoln, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button).

In 2014, Breaking Bad duo Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul went almost head to head with Godzilla and Need for Speed respectively getting released, the former Japanese beast being the obvious winner. They may be butting heads again as they are both connected with two different roles. Cranston (star of the Best Picture winning Argo) is rumoured for Star Trek 3.

The sequel (after both JJ Abrams and Roberto Orci quit) is on its third director with Justin Lin (Fast and Furious series) now set at the helm and will star Chris Pine (Into the Woods, Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit), Zachary Quinto (Heroes), Zoe Saldana (Avatar, Guardians of the Galaxy), Karl Urban (The Lord of the Rings, Dredd), Simon Pegg (Shaun of the Dead, Mission: Impossible 3), Anton Yelchin (Like Crazy, Fright Night) and John Cho (American Beauty).

Aaron Paul, last seen in biblical epic Exodus: Gods and Kings, may be in the running for the male lead in the first Star Wars spin off. Paul was involved in Star Wars before, playing Luke in Kevin Smith’s New Hope live script read. The subject of the film hasn’t been established but it’ll be directed by Godzilla’s Gareth Edwards and the female lead is in contention between Felicity Jones (The Theory of Everything, Like Crazy), Tatiana Maslany (Orphan Black) and Rooney Mara (The Social Network, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Her).

Finally today we have the first full trailer for Netflix and Marvel’s very first collaboration: Daredevil. This teaser is both surprisingly brilliant and brutal. Showrunner Steven S DeKnight (Spartacus) commands the cast of Charlie Cox (The Theory of Everything, Stardust), Rosario Dawson (Sin City, Trance), Elden Henson (The Hunger Game: Mockingjay), Deborah Ann Woll (True Blood), Ayelet Zurer (Man of Steel, Munich) and Vincent D’Onofrio (Full Metal Jacket, Men in Black, The Judge).

Daredevil – April on Netflix

Star Trek 3 – July 8th 2016

Star Wars spin-off – December 16th

Poltergeist – July 31st

Emma Watson joins Beauty and the Beast and David Tennant joins Marvel

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has provided some brilliant franchises on film (Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Guardians of the Galaxy, Ant-Man) but it’s expanding with a set of new Netflix shows. Daredevil will star Charlie Cox, Rosario Dawson and Vincent D’Onofrio; Luke Cage will star Mike Colter. The other announced series, AKA Jessica Jones, stars Breaking Bad’s Krysten Ritter as its titular hero but just cast its lead villain. David Tennant (Doctor Who, Broadchurch, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire) will play The Purple Man/Zebadiah Kilgore.

Disney have had mixed success rebooting their classic animated materials as live action franchises. From Mia Wasikowska in Alice in Wonderland to Kristen Stewart in Snow White and the Huntsman, Angelina Jolie as Maleficent or even the cast of Into the Woods. British actress Emma Watson (Harry Potter, Noah, The Perks of Being a Wallflower) will be the Belle of the new Beauty and the Beast film, directed by Twilight/Kinsey’s Bill Condon.

AKA Jessica Jones – Netflix in 2016?

Beauty and the Beast – 2017

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!

Robert Downey Jr joins Captain America 3 confirming outbreak of Civil War!

Contains major spoilers for the ten Marvel films so far

Having hit their stride pre-Avengers, Marvel Studios’ second phase has taken the franchise to new heights and they’ve given themselves plenty of room to launch from: having dispatched of Odin, Loki’s return will undoubtedly cause mischief; Cap’, Black Widow, Fury and Hill have left the imploding SHIELD to Coulson and co to rebuild; Daredevil will soon encounter Iron Fist and Luke Cage; HYDRA, in possession of Loki’s staff, and Arnim Zola’s return spells trouble; Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch, Ant-Man, Doctor Strange, Wasp, Falcon and Vision will succeed as the teams core members; Guardians of the Galaxy introduced a barely glimpsed interstellar vibe to the Marvel Universe all the while Thanos is collecting those mysterious Infinity Stones.

This may come across as way to much to fit in but Marvel still have all the time in the world. The great thing is that they can produce a wide range of stories at different scales. Daredevil can be battling regular gangsters while a talking tree embarks on intergalactic mayhem without either losing audience interest. Captain America: The Winter Soldier proved that Marvel can still rock even deprived of its more fantastical antics. Captain America 3 has long been confirmed in the schedule with Chris Evans signed on to star and director Anthony and Joe Russo directing once more but today’s announcement changed everything.

Robert Downey Jr, better know as the actor portraying Tony Stark/Iron Man, is reportedly signing on for Cap’ 3. This came with the confirmation that the sequel will be adapting the brilliant Civil War series.

In one of the more tragic storylines, this crossover event divides the superhero world into those who oppose or enforce the recently implemented Superhuman Registration Act which forces every hero to give up their identity. The sides are led by Captain America and Iron Man respectively. The problem with adapting it is that the series is more of a saga. Around fifty major characters get involved in some way and the current MCU don’t have the rights to all of them. Obviously there’s Fantastic Four and the X-Men but individuals such as Spider-Man, Namor and Punisher greatly affect the story.

The worry is that the narrative won’t function without them but I think it can be overcome. During the series, the X-Men, although they were requested to weigh in, kept their distance. Quite major adjustments may have to be inflicted on the beloved work to eliminate the likes of the FF, some of whom are crucial, and Spider-Man.

Through gathering various bits of information we can see how this links up with other reports. Downey Jr has made differing statements about the potential project of Iron Man 4, sometimes claiming that its done or that he’s up for it. When he recently let slip that it was in development he was likely referring to this. This is still contradictory to the rumour that Hawkeye will be cropping up. Another key hazard is that by piling in team members in there’ll be no distinction between this and The Avengers 3 but if it includes only a few of the group in central roles then we ought to be fine. Keep the focus on it being a Rogers/Stark crossover. The Guardians better not get involved just yet.

Tell us any hopes or fears for the film as well as your suggestion for a title. Current favourites: Civil War and Fallen Son. Key players in the future Marvel Universe include Robert Downey Jr (Iron Man), Chris Evans (Captain America), Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow), Mark Ruffalo (Hulk), Jeremy Renner (Hawkeye), Samuel L Jackson (Nick Fury), Don Cheadle (War Machine), Charlie Cox (Daredevil), Paul Rudd (Ant-Man), Evangeline Lilly (Wasp), Michael Douglas (Hank Pym), Corey Stoll (Yellowjacket), Paul Bettany (Vision), Aaron Taylor Johnson (Quicksilver), Elizabeth Olsen (Scarlet Witch), Gwyneth Paltrow (Pepper Potts), Clark Gregg (Agent Coulson), Cobie Smulders (Agent Hill), Chris Pratt (Star Lord), Bradley Cooper (Rocket), Zoe Saldana (Gamora), Vin Diesel (Groot), Dave Bautista (Drax), Anthony Mackie (Falcon), Sebastian Stan (Winter Soldier), Toby Jones (Arnim Zola), Thomas Kretschmann (Baron Von Strucker), Natalie Portman (Jane Foster), Stellan Skarsgard (Erik Selvig), Anthony Hopkins (Odin), Benicio Del Toro (Collector), James Spader (Ultron), Josh Brolin (Thanos), Tom Hiddleston (Loki) and not Joaquin Phoenix (not Doctor Strange).

Captain America: Civil War? – April 29th 2016

First look at Charlie Cox in Marvel’s Daredevil and new posters for Hobbit 3

An additional two posters have now been revealed for Peter “Lord of the Rings” Jackson’s final Middle-Earth adventure, The Battle of the Five Armies. This time, Elf warrior Tauriel and Dwarf prince Thorin take centre stage. The film stars Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, Evangeline Lilly, Orlando Bloom, Luke Evans, Benedict Cumberbatch, Lee Pace, Christopher Lee, Hugo Weaving, Cate Blanchett and Ian McKellen.

Finally today, we’ve at last got our hands on the first official stills from Marvel’s Netfilx-based adaptation of Daredevil. The cast includes Charlie Cox (Stardust, Broadwalk Empire) as blinded hero Matthew Murdock, Rosario Dawson (Trance, Sin City) as secretive nurse Claire Temple, Elden Henson (Cast Away) as lawyer Foggy Nelson and Vincent D’Onofrio (Full Metal Jacket, The Judge) as crime Kingpin Wilson Fisk.

Daredevil – 2015

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies – December 12th

Damon in new rumour for Bourne 5, first trailer Downey Jr’s Judge, Dawson joins Daredevil and director confirmed for Star Wars 8

It’s been well established that the Bourne franchise, a series that began with a trio of action masterclasses (Identity, Supremacy, Ultimatum) from Doug Liman and then Paul Greengrass with star Matt Damon (Saving Private Ryan, Green Zone, Good Will Hunting) as Jason Bourne before Tony Gilroy turned it into an unintelligent mess in The Bourne Legacy with Jeremy Renner (The Avengers, The Hurt Locker, The Town) as all new spy Aaron Cross, will soon be continuing with its fifth instalment. The film was, however, pushed back till 2016 and its now rumoured that the delay was to accommodate for returning star Damon. While we’d love this to happen, its unlikely as the Oscar winner only expressed interest in reprising the role should he do it with Paul Greengrass (Captain Phillips) directing. I’d bet that the film’ll go on without them.

It’s hard to make early predictions for the next years awards season as so very few of the Oscar contenders by been seen by any audience, although Before I Go To Sleep, Magic in the Moonlight, Foxcatcher, Fury, The Birdman, Big Eyes, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Gone Girl and Interstellar are proving popular options. We’ve got our eyes on The Avengers/Sherlock Holmes star Robert Downey Jr’s return to drama in the hotly tipped The Judge. With director David Dobkin (Wedding Crashers, Clay Pigeons) and acting ensemble of Robert Duvall, Vincent D’Onofrio, Vera Farmiga and Billy Bob Thornton, it sees a successful lawyer returning to his hometown to find his father, the local judge, at the centre of a murderous conspiracy whist the two try to bond. Find the first trailer here.

It’s awesome to see that Marvel and Netflix’s new collaboration on comic book adaptation Daredevil is building up a truly awesome cast of film stars. Charlie Cox (Broadwalk Empire, Stardust) portrays the titular blind lawyer, inheriting the role from the disastrous Ben Affleck, while Vincent D’Onofrio (Full Metal Jacket, Jurassic World) will take on the villainous Kingpin. Showrunner Stephen S DeKnight has now cast Rosario Dawson (Seven Pounds, Trance, Sin City) in an unconfirmed role and suggestions from Marvel fans are stretching from Misty Knight to Karen Page to Elektra. We’ll be bringing you all the latest from Daredevil and the rest of The Defenders very soon.

2012’s genius time travel gangster thriller Looper currently ranks as our second favourite sci-fi film of the decade so far, only just beaten by Inception. Its director Rian Johnson (who also wrote and directed Brick, The Brothers Bloom and numerous episodes of Breaking Bad) has been heading for the big leagues for some time and he’s now landed his biggest gig of career yet. He’s officially been appointed to helm Star Wars: Episodes VIII and IX.

We couldn’t be more thrilled with the hiring. This follows the excellent appointments of JJ Abrams (Super 8, Star Trek Into Darkness), Josh Trank (The Fantastic Four, Chronicle) and Gareth Edwards (Monsters, Godzilla) for Episode VII and the untitled spin offs. Abrams fans need not worry as he’ll still scribe the new trilogy just with the assistance of Johnson, Lawrence Kasdan (Empire Strikes Back) and Michael Arndt (Toy Story 3). The rebooted series will star Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Domnhall Gleeson, John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Peter Mayhew, Gwendoline Christie, Kenny Baker, Anthony Daniels, Oscar Isaac, Max Von Sydow, Lupita Nyong’o and Andy Serkis.

Daredevil – 2015

Star Wars: Episode VII – December 18th 2015

The Judge – October 24th

The Bourne Betrayal – July 15th 2016