Weekend box-office – 6th to 12th of June – is it a fault-less start for San Andreas?

Dwayne Johnson (AKA The Rock) is widely respected as one of the biggest action stars of his time. Despite mixed success – Doom ($55 million), Southland Tales ($0.3 million), Race to Witch Mountain ($106 million), Tooth Fairy ($112 million), Pain & Gain ($96) – he hit his biggest stride in the past couple of years with Hercules ($243 million), Journey 2: The Mysterious Island ($325 million) and the Fast and Furious franchise ($2.9 billion in three films). His latest work is the disaster action San Andreas and its challenger is Aloha, the new romantic drama from Jerry Maguire’s Cameron Crowe and starring Bradley Cooper (American Sniper, The Hangover), Emma Stone (Easy A, Birdman) and Rachel McAdams (About Time, The Notebook).

US:

1. San Andreas – Director: Brad Peyton – $54.6 million
2. Pitch Perfect 2 – Elizabeth Banks – $14.8 million
3. Tomorrowland – Brad Bird – $14.3 million
4. Mad Max: Fury Road – George Miller – $14.2 million
5. The Avengers: Age of Ultron – Joss Whedon – $11.4 million

UK:

1. San Andreas – Brad Peyton – £4.6 million
2. Pitch Perfect 2 – Elizabeth Bannks – £1.9 million
3. Mad Max: Fury Road – George Miller – £1.7 million
4. Tomorrowland – Brad Bird – £1 million
5. The Avengers: Age of Ultron – Joss Whedon – £0.9 million

San Andreas is a clear victor with an impressive $50 million debut but Aloha has been a major disappointment in a poor sixth place with a dismal $9 million. Last week’s sci-fi mystery Tomorrowland slips to third while musical sequel Pitch Perfect 2 and action reboot Mad Max: Fury Road continue to perform well.

US:

1. Spy – Paul Feig
2. Insidious: Chapter 3 – Leigh Whannell
3. San Andreas – Brad Peyton
4. Entourage – Doug Ellin
5. Tomorrowland – Brad Bird

UK:

1. Spy – Paul Feig
2. San Andreas – Brad Peyton
3. Insidious: Chapter 3 – Leigh Whannell
4. Pitch Perfect 2 – Elizabeth Banks
5. Mad Max: Fury Road – George Miller

Dwayne Johnson in San Andreas, this week’s US and UK number one.

Tom Hiddleston and Idris Elba are set for more Marvel

This week was one dominated by the stellar announcement of Marvel’s Phase Three lineup and we were thrilled by the confirmation of Thor 3. Following the success of The Winter Soldier, Kevin Feige and co were quick to confirm Captain America 3, now titled Civil War, but seemed hesitant with the thunder god, despite The Dark World’s grand takings, but Thor: Ragnarok is now scheduled for a Summer 2017 release.

The presence of Chris Hemsworth (Rush) as Thor and Tom Hiddleston (War Horse) as Loki was immediately announced. The cast is now looking to be expanded as Idris Elba will reprise his role as Asgardians watchmen Heimdall. Elba’s career was built on supporting roles on The Wire, American Gangster and RockNRolla before leads in the likes of Prometheus and Pacific Rim. I’d expect further additions to include Natalie Portman (Leon, Black Swan), Stellan Skarsgard (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Good Will Hunting) and Anthony Hopkins (The Elephant Man, The Silence of the Lambs) as Odin.

The likes of Ultron (James Spader), Ulysses Klaw (maybe Andy Serkis) and Thanos (Josh Brolin) will soon be dominating Marvel’s villain screentime but their beloved Loki is not forgotten. In addition to Ragnarok, the god of mischief’s on screen life has been extended to The Avengers: Infinity War, a two part event beginning in 2018 and likely directed by Serenity’s Joss Whedon.

Thor: Ragnarok – July 28th 2017

The Avengers: Infinity War Part I – May 4th 2018

The Avengers: Infinity War Part II – May 3rd 2019

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

Dave Bautista teases Avengers 3 role and Jennifer Lawrence in new poster for Hunger Games 3

This year’s smash hit Guardians of the Galaxy has expanded Marvel into the interstellar realm and has paved a way for the studio’s future. We’ve been hoping for a while that our cosmic heroes will soon team up with The Avengers. One of the film’s many unexpected delights was former wrestler Dave Bautista playing Drax but he’s now let slip that he’ll be playing a major role in Avengers 3 – hopefully teasing a Guardians crossover.

This is one of the Marvel projects we know the least about, other than guesses based on past experiences. Should it follow suit with previous films, Joss Whedon (Serenity, Firefly, Toy Story, Buffy the Vampire Slayer) may direct while the cast will vary depending on the events of the upcoming films. We’d expect it to be along the lines of Robert Downey Jr (Sherlock Holmes) as Iron Man, Chris Hemsworth (Rush) as Thor, Chris Evans (Snowpiercer) as Captain America, Scarlett Johansson (Lost in Translation) as Black Widow, Jeremy Renner (The Hurt Locker) as Hawkeye, Mark Ruffalo (Foxcatcher) as Hulk, Elizabeth Olsen (Godzilla) as Scarlet Witch, Aaron Taylor Johnson (Kick-Ass) as Quicksilver, Paul Bettany (A Beautiful Mind) as Vision and Samuel L Jackson (Pulp Fiction) as Nick Fury as well as the Guardians, Chris Pratt (The Lego Movie) as Star Lord, Zoe Saldana (Avatar) as Gamora, Bradley Cooper (American Hustle) as Rocket, Vin Diesel (Pitch Black) as Groot and Dave Bautista (Riddick), most likely fighting against Thanos (Josh Brolin – No Country For Old Men). Paul Rudd (Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy) and Joaquin Phoenix (Walk the Line) as Ant-Man and Doctor Strange respectively may have joined the crew by this time.

Finally today we’ve got the main poster for the upcoming blockbuster sequel The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1, the third and penultimate instalment of the franchise. Francis Lawrence (I am Legend) direct the cast of Jennifer Lawrence, Woody Harrelson, Julianne Moore, Liam Hemsworth, Sam Clafin, Willow Shields, Josh Hutcherson, Donald Sutherland, Jena Malone, Natalie Dormer, Stanley Tucci, Toby Jones, Elizabeth Banks and Philip Seymour Hoffman.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 – November 21st

The Avengers 3 – July 6th 2018?

Terminator sequels announced and new look at Vision for Avengers 2

James Cameron (Avatar, Titanic, Aliens) was the man who magnificently made sci-fi thriller The Terminator and its sequel, the immortal classic Judgement Day, but his lack of involvement with the rest of the series caused a franchise that sped out of control. The fifth instalment will see Alan Taylor (Thor: The Dark World) attempting a new resurrection with the cast including original Terminator Arnold Schwarzengger (Predator), Emilia Clarke (Game of Thrones), Jason Clarke (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes), Jai Courtney (Divergent), Matt Smith (Doctor Who) and JK Simmons (Spider-Man).

Paramount appear confident enough with the film to set preliminary dates for two more sequels. Terminator 6 will arrive May 2017 while Terminator 7 will follow up in June 2018. This isn’t the first attempt at getting the franchise to run consistently. 2003’s Rise of the Machines’ critical failure prevented the rebooting while you may remember that Christian Bale was signed on for a trilogy before various controversies plagued 2009’s Salvation. Hopefully Genisys can return the series to its former glory.

Marvel spent three years and five films establishing its main heroes, with mixed success. When the franchise’s ensemble combined in 2012’s The Avengers the series became something else entirely. Not only did it gross $1.5 billion worldwide but gained an irreplaceable spot in fan’s hearts. Marvel’s third phase saw spin off sequels Iron Man 3, Thor: The Dark World and Captain America: The Winter Soldier were great successes while Guardians of the Galaxy has proved that Marvel will be able to conquer with new properties. However next year they return to The Avengers once more for Age of Ultron.

The new banner for the film has been published online and it offers the very first full look at the android Vision, played by A Knight’s Tale and A Beautiful Mind’s Paul Bettany. Joss Whedon (Serenity, Firefly, Toy Story, Buffy the Vampire Slayer) will write and direct the film that’ll also star Robert Downey Jr, Mark Ruffalo, James Spader, Scarlett Johansson, Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, Jeremy Renner, Elizabeth Olsen, Aaron Taylor Johnson, Cobie Smulders, Don Cheadle, Hayley Atwell, Thomas Kretschmann, Stellan Skarsgard, Samuel L Jackson and Andy Serkis.

The Avengers: Age of Ultron – 24th April 2015

Terminator: Genisys – June 26th 2015

Terminator 2 – May 19th 2017

Terminator 3 – June 29th 2018

Marvel Triple-Bill: Jack Huston rumoured for Doctor Strange, Neil Marshall wants to direct Black Widow and Jeremy Renner won’t rule out Cap’ 3

Under Kevin Feige’s leadership, Marvel Studios have conquered both the box office and fan’s hearts, over ten films they’ve garnered near $7 billion in total with an average of around $700 million a piece. With Joss Whedon’s The Avengers becoming a worldwide smash hit, the studio significantly upped their game for their second phase and their new property Guardians of the Galaxy has defied numerous predictions of disaster to become the biggest hit of this summer. Phase 2 concludes early next year with Joss Whedon’s follow up The Avengers: Age of Ultron and that’s followed by Phase 3 instalments Ant-Man, Captain America 3 and Guardians of the Galaxy 2 and a further six unannounced projects but before that things are going to get a little Strange.

Doctor Strange is on the way for a 2016 release. Sinister’s Scott Derickson is confirmed to be directing the project whose current focus is finding its leading man. Joel Edgerton (Warrior, Zero Dark Thirty), Jon Hamm (Mad Men, Million Dollar Arm) and Adrien Brody (The Pianist, King Kong) have proved as popular choices; it’s rumoured that Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock, Star Trek Into Darkness), Jared Leto (Dallas Buyers Club, Fight Club) and Tom Hardy (Mad Max: Fury Road, The Dark Knight Rises) were on Marvel’s wish list but Joaquin Phoenix (The Master, Gladiator) is currently the only star we know haJack Huston had a similar meetings had discussions with Marvel about the role until now. It’s reported that Broadwalk Empire’s Jack Huston has entered similar meetings. Should he get the role he’d be the second Broadwalk Empire star to join MCU after Charlie Cox was cast as TV’s Daredevil however I’d tip the role in the favour of either Jon Hamm or Joaquin Phoenix.

After The Winter Soldier’s huge success, one of Marvel most anticipated upcoming instalments is Captain America 3. Anthony and Joe Russo are confirmed to be returning as directors although our official knowledge of the cast besides Chris Evans as the titular hero. We’re expecting there to also be appearances from Scarlett Johansson (Lost in Translation) as Black Widow, Sebastian Stan (Black Swan) as The Winter Soldier, Anthony Mackie (The Adjustment Bureau) as Falcon, Cobie Smulders (How I Met Your Mother) as Agent Hill, Frank Grillo (The Grey), Emily Van Camp (Revenge) as Agent 13, Toby Jones (Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets) as Arnim Zola and Samuel L Jackson (Pulp Fiction) as Nick Fury. What fans are desperate to know is if the pinpoint-accurate archer Hawkeye will return in Cap’s next outing.

Hawkeye, played on film by two time Oscar nominee Jeremy Renner (The Hurt Locker, The Bourne Legacy, American Hustle, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, The Town), or Clint Barton has so far made two MCU apperances: first a cameo in 2011’s Thor before probably being the least prominent of The Avengers the following year, in that he spent crucial character development time as Loki’s flying monkey (I understood that reference). He’ll continue his role next year in Age of Ultron and Renner himself hasn’t ruled out a reappearance claiming he’d experienced “rumblings” of a role in Cap’ 3.

Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow is one of Marvel’s greatest icons. With three feature film appearances under her belt, she’s up there with the big three of Captain America, Thor and Iron Man but so far she’s only been tagged into supporting roles in Iron Man 2 and The Winter Soldier. It has been strongly suggested that one of Marvel’s upcoming spaces should be dedicated to a Black Widow solo adventure although there may be greater demand for Thor 3, Ant-Man 2, Black Panther, The Inhumans or Ms Marvel. Johansson proved that she could gain success without relying on a more bankable male hero in this year’s Lucy so Marvel may just be waiting for the right person to propel the project. Emmy nominee Neil Marshall (The Descent, Dog Soldiers, Game of Thrones) has now expressed great interest in tossing in his hat.

“I would love to do a Black Widow movie. That’s perfect. I would love to do that. That character is really interesting, she doesn’t have any superpowers, she just has extraordinary skills, and the world that she comes from, being this ex-K.G.B. assassin, I find that really fascinating, yeah.” Marshall appears to be on the right path with heading the films towards exploring, not necessarily setting in, Romanoff’s murky past. Since the flops of Elektra and Catwoman, both DC (Wonder Woman) and Sony (Black Cat/Spider-Woman) are keen to once again expand into a female-centred comic book film but Marvel seem as if they’re the ones to set mould for the new market.

Black Widow – 2017?

Captain America 3 – May 6th 2016

Doctor Strange – July 8th 2016

Andy Serkis confirms undisclosed role in Avengers 2

Not long ago it was revealed that the master of motion capture Andy Serkis, whose work defined The Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit, The Adventure of Tintin, King Kong, Godzilla and Rise/Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, would assist star Mark Ruffalo with the mo-cap portrayal of the Hulk in Marvel’s Avengers sequel Age of Ultron. The BAFTA nominee and future cast member of Star Wars 7 has no confirmed that he will play a yet unspecified part in the superhero film. He gave no indication as to who he’ll play or if he’ll don the licra suit once more.

“It’s all the same to me. I’ve never drawn a distinction when playing a role, whether it be live action or performance capture. Acting is acting. It’s just basically what you wear to the set that’s different.” Joss Whedon (Toy Story, Buffy, Serenity, Much Ado About Nothing Angel, Firefly) directs the cast of Chris Hemsworth (Rush), Robert Downey Jr (Tropic Thunder), Scarlett Johansson (Lost in Translation), Jeremy Renner (The Hurt Locker), Mark Ruffalo (Zodiac), Chris Evans (Snowpiercer), James Spader (The Blacklist), Elizabeth Olsen (Martha Marcy May Marlene), Aaron Taylor Johnson (Kick-Ass), Thomas Kretschmann (The Pianist), Hayley Atwell (Agent Carter), Don Cheadle (House of Lies), Cobie Smulders (How I Met Your Mother), Paul Bettany (A Beautiful Mind) and Samuel L Jackson (Jurassic Park, Django Unchained, Pulp Fiction).

The Avengers: Age of Ultron – May 1st 2015

Whedon discusses Dark Knight effect, Transformers and Bourne 5 slot into 2016 and first look at Jurassic World’s dinosaur

I, and countless other fans, find themselves in fits of uncontrollable excitement whenever a news story features geek god Joss Whedon, the writer of TV’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Agents of SHIELD, Dollhouse, Dr Horrible, Firefly and Toy Story and the director of Much Ado About Nothing, Serenity and The Avengers (the third highest grossing film of all time). Today’s news is of coarse surrounding The Avengers’ sequel titled Age of Ultron and Whedon has spoken out about the modern pressure of making a follow up an Empire Strikes Back, a Godfather Part 2 or (in particular) a Dark Knight. “Now, I watched ‘The Dark Knight’ and I thought of that as riffing on the genre. That was a superhero movie as ‘The Godfather.’ And I was like, ‘But I just still want to see a superhero movie!’ We had just gotten the technology to make it awesome, and I wasn’t ready to be post-modern about it yet.

“You’re trying to make a populist film with fascist iconography that is just bigger, and better, and longer, and trying to break that down and find a weakness and humanity.” Age of Ultron will star Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Chris Hemsworth, Jeremy Renner, James Spader, Aaron Taylor Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen, Don Cheadle, Thomas Kretschmann, Hayley Attwell, Paul Bettany, Cobie Smulders, Josh Brolin, Samuel L Jackson and Robert Downey Jr.

As we all know, 2015 is the new 2012 which was the new 1999 in terms of 12 months of mega-releases one after the other. Next year it’s Avengers 2, Bond 24, Hunger Games 4, Cinderella, Ant-Man, Inside Out, The Man From UNCLE, Jurassic World, Terminator: Genesis, Fast and Furious 7, Jupiter Ascending, Mission: Impossible 5 and Star Wars 7 jamming the schedule from April through to Christmas. Despite this, 2016 is becoming a quick rival (Star Trek 3, X-Men: Apocalypse, The Amazing Spider-Man 3, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, Doctor Strange, Captain America 3, Warcraft, Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, Finding Nemo, Through the Looking Glass, Avatar 2) and it’s just added three more films to its roster. Michael Bay’s (Bad Boys, Armageddon, The Island) Age of Extinction follow up Transformers 5 with Mark Whalberg, Gregory Plotkin’s Paranormal Activity 5 with Katie Featherson and Justin Lin’s (Fast and Furious) untitled Bourne film with Jeremy Renner.

Certain members of sci-fi reboot Jurassic World’s human cast have been revealed already but indie director Colin Trevorrow (Safety Not Guaranteed) has got trigger-happy on Twitter and unveiled a small insight into Jurassic World’s main villains. We’re unsure but I’d bet that this is a teaser for the upcoming big reveal, similar to the Batmobile earlier this year. Jurassic World will star Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Nick Robinson, Ty Simpkins, Jake Johnson, Omar Sy, Judy Greer, BD Wong, Katie McGrath and Vincent D’Onofrio.

Jurassic World – June 12th 2015

The Bourne Betrayal – 2016

Transformers 5 – 2016

The Avengers: Age of Ultron – May 1st 2015

Marvel has cast its new Thanos!

We were planning tonight to be the premier of our X-Men: Days of Future Past review but some huge news has now come our way.

Across the Marvel Cinematic Universe, villains such as Hydra, The Ten Rings and most iconically Loki have dominated the evil doing across the nine instalments yet it’s been hinted all along that the real string puller is Thanos. You may remember that, back in The Avengers, Loki (Tom Hiddleston) was granted both his sceptre (which we know will be of great importance in years to come – it’s rumoured to be the power source of Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch) and his Chitauri army by The Other (Alexis Denisof). Possibly the most famous post credit scene of all time depicted The Other addressing his master, unveiled as Thanos. The Titanian Eternal is likely to be doing some suspicious dealings with Loki and The Collector (Benicio Del Toro) in order to gain the Infinity Stones. Since we’ve had no word on who could be playing Thanos but know we have the official casting.

Oscar nominee Josh Brolin (No Country For Old Men, Milk, W., Goonies, True Grit) is Thanos. It’s hard to say when we’ll first see Brolin in the role on screen but I’d hedge my bet on him cropping up in this August’s Guardians of the Galaxy (directed by James Gunn) and I wouldn’t be shocked if he makes a special guest appearance in Joss Whedon’s The Avengers: Age of Ultron. It’s likely that he’ll step up to the podium as the leading villain in The Avengers 3. Brolin is an excellent modern actor so it’ll be interesting to see him in a franchise role as well as one that’ll transform him into an giant mutant alien.

Guardians of the Galaxy – July 31st

The Avengers: Age of Ultron – May 1st 2015

The Avengers 3 – 2019