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Zack Snyder Talks ‘Robin’ Rumor, Superhero Fatigue, BATMAN V SUPERMAN And JUSTICE LEAGUE

by Stone Marshall | Oct 14, 2015 | Awesome Book News | 0 comments

Before addressing how he’s overseeing the DCEU, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice director Zack Snyder talks about the craziest rumors he’s heard about the movie and he also addresses Steven Spielberg’s recent remarks about superhero films. Check it out!

Zack Snyder recently chatted with Yahoo to help promote Doritos’ last Super Bowl advertising campaign, which will allow one lucky fan and aspiring filmmaker not only a chance to work with the director on the set of an upcoming DC Comics movie, but also to win a $1 million prize. Of course, during Snyder’s Q&A, talk eventually turned to the upcoming Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and rumors surrounding the overall DC Extended Universe that he is helping Warner bros. achieve.

When asked about Steven Spielberg’s comment that superhero movies would “go the way of the western,” Zack Snyder said he might not be wrong. “I think it puts more pressure on us, the filmmakers, to not just crank out superhero movies for the sake of it,” he said. “To me, the one thing I love working in the DC universe is that Superman and Batman and Wonder Woman are American mythology. It’s not about making a superhero, it’s a mythological universe that we live in. That I hope stands the test of time. They stood the test of time. That’s hopefully the sort of magic bullet. But who knows what audiences will want in the future.” As for what he does to keep the trinity fresh, “To me it’s about the drama, the humanity of it. Those are like Shakespearean characters, Bruce Wayne and Clark Kent, they have inherent drama built into their makeup.”

With Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, and Aquaman among the superheroes to be featured in Dawn of Justice, Zack Snyder was then asked if he worries about over-stuffing the movie. “I try and stay central,” he replied. “There’s something really fun about bringing the other characters in, but it’s really about staying central to the real core mythology is what I think the audience enjoys most.” About the many rumors surrounding DCEU, Synder was asked what are the craziest ones he’s heard so far. “There are so many, it’s insanity,” he said. “It’s funny because every now and then someone will touch on something that’s kind of true, but the next thing they say makes me realize that they took a wild guess. They’ll say something and I’ll say “Oh snap, they must have seen the script.” And then they’ll say, “And this happens!” And then I’ll go, They have no idea what they’re talking about. It’s fun for everyone to speculate and take shots and think of things and try to sell it. There’s an industry in selling your guess. [People think], “I’m going to make a fake script and look like I read the real one.” What length are you willing to go?” He continued, “There’s a rumor that my son is [playing] Robin. It’s not true. Now there are all these images of him that people have made where he’s dressed like Robin. It’s fun to hear and see them.”

Finally, Snyder was asked about his role in the development of the DC Extended Universe beyond Batman v Superman, which includes serving as a producer on Suicide Squad, Wonder Woman, and Aquaman. “I’m staying with Batman v Superman and Justice League and Justice League 2 — those are my main responsibilities, as well as producing the other movies,” he reassured. “That’s the main line. Once you get Justice League, you’re pretty deep in it. But like I was saying, not to be a selfless promoter of our program, what it shows is that we have this giant berth of opportunity with the DC movies now to I think find the opportunities for even young filmmakers to even get involved because there are so many projects.” Head over to Yahoo for more contest info.

Fearing the actions of a god-like super hero left unchecked, Gotham City’s own formidable, forceful vigilante takes on Metropolis’s most revered, modern-day savior, while the world wrestles with what sort of hero it really needs. And with Batman and Superman at war with one another, a new threat quickly arises, putting mankind in greater danger than it’s ever known before. Starring Henry Cavill, Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot, with Amy Adams, Laurence Fishburne, Diane Lane, Jesse Eisenberg, Jeremy Irons, and Holly Hunter, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is directed by Zack Snyder, written by Chris Terrio from David S. Goyer’s screenplay, and is scheduled to open March 25, 2016!

Zack Snyder Talks ‘Robin’ Rumor, Superhero Fatigue, BATMAN V SUPERMAN And JUSTICE LEAGUE

Did Marvel Cancel The Inhumans Movie Because of TV Feud? [Updated]

by Stone Marshall | Oct 14, 2015 | Awesome Book News | 0 comments

As Marvel Studios enters Phase 3 of The Avengers shared cinematic universe, several long-in-development projects are finally seeing the light of day: Black Panther, Captain Marvel, and Doctor Strange will hit theaters in the next few years. In addition to a recently unveiled Ant-Man sequel (titled Ant-Man and The Wasp), Thor: Ragnarök, Captain America: Civil War, and the two-part Avengers: Infinity War storyline, Marvel had planned to bring their Inhumans property to theaters on July 12, 2019 – as a full entry in the next wave of films.

Now, at New York Comic-Con, word is getting out that Marvel has cancelled Inhumans – due to ongoing strife between the company’s movie and TV branches.

Bleeding Cool was the first to break the news but before anyone dismisses the report as fabricated hearsay, it’s worth noting that Screen Rant has heard similar rumblings. This isn’t to say that the Inhumans film is officially canceled or that the situation might not change in the coming days but, according to sources, the Marvel movie department could remove Inhumans from their slate.

Longtime Marvel fans will recall that in spite of the interplay between Marvel films (most recently Ant-Man and The Avengers: Age of Ultron) and TV shows (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Agent Carter), the comics, film, and TV devisions contributing to Marvel’s shared universe do not always play nice. Previously, Marvel CEO Isaac Perlmutter oversaw all three divisions but, recently, Disney restructured the company – asking movie head Kevin Feige to report directly to the Mouse House (essentially side-stepping Perlmutter). Conversely, Marvel TV head Jeph Loeb still reports to Perlmutter.

Over the last two years, Marvel TV has taken cues from the larger movie universe, settling for minor cameos from supporting Avengers characters (Maria Hill, Lady Sif, etc) – while, at the same time, helping to set the stage for major events in the larger film story. No doubt, the relationship has been mutually beneficial but the movie side was seeing a greater return on the partnership (especially for its producers, directors, writers, and cast members). However, the recent addition of Inhumans to Agents of SHIELD was expected to be a turning point for the series – allowing Loeb’s team to lay substantial groundwork for an upcoming feature film project (with possible starring appearances from their key TV actors).

At the same time, Inhumans is an important property for the Marvel comics division – since the characters allow for a never-ending font of super-powered people and stories. The rise of the Inhumans at Marvel coincides with the publisher’s choice to gradually phase-out properties (X-Men and Fantastic Four especially) whose film rights are held by non-Marvel studios.

Understandably, with their feet firmly planted in Inhumans storytelling, Marvel TV and Marvel comics were banking heavily on development of an Inhumans movie. Unfortunately, Feige doesn’t directly share in either motivation – meaning that, if other movies are a better fit for Phase 3 or 4, there’d be no incentive for the producer to spend millions developing, producing, and distributing an Inhumans film. That might sound harsh, and without question Feige wants to see other Marvel divisions succeed, but it’s his job to look out for his own house first and foremost – and, currently, his team is responsible for Marvel’s resurgence in popularity. Marvel comics and TV have a strong following but they’re not printing money (and selling merchandise) like Feige’s film division.

That’s all to say: it’s very possible that Marvel Studios is planning to remove Inhumans – especially now that three untitled Marvel movies are scheduled for the following year (May 1, July 10 and November 6, 2020). There’s still a possibility that these NYCC rumors are just hearsay or a momentary snapshot of tense (but ongoing) discussions at Marvel HQ; though, there are also enough pieces falling into place to suggest that Inhumans fans may not see the characters arrive in theaters on schedule – if at all.

UPDATE: Hitfix is refuting this rumor, with its sources claiming that “certain elements of the ‘Inhumans’ universe that have been declared off-limits to the ‘SHIELD’ people as a result.” Meanwhile, BMD‘s Devin Faraci posted the following on Twitter:

We’ll keep you updated as future rumors or official comments from Marvel are released.

Did Marvel Cancel The Inhumans Movie Because of TV Feud? [Updated]

What Are Marvel’s 3 New Mystery Movies Releasing in 2020?

by Stone Marshall | Oct 13, 2015 | Awesome Book News | 0 comments

If you missed the surprise news yesterday morning, the Marvel Cinematic Universe just got a little bigger. Four movies bigger to be exact and we’re still pondering what it means for the larger long-form story of the franchise.

Here’s the simple part: Ant-Man is getting a sequel titled Ant-Man and the Wasp and it was slotted for release in July 2018, a release date previously held by Captain Marvel, then held by Black Panther. The schedule has adjusted twice now with the additions of Spider-Man and now the Ant-Man followup. Where it gets a little confusing is in the second part of the announcement where Marvel Studios set dates for three (3!) additional unannounced films in 2020.

The updated schedule of upcoming MCU feature films in Phase 3 now looks like this (Note: Black Panther was moved closer to February 2018 and Captain Marvel was pushed back into 2019):

2016

May 6, 2016 – Captain America: Civil War
November 4, 2016 – Doctor Strange

2017

May 5, 2017 – Guardians of the Galaxy 2
July 27, 2017 – Spider-Man
November 3, 2017 – Thor: Ragnarok

2018

February 16, 2018 – Black Panther
May 4, 2018 – The Avengers: Infinity War – Part 1
July 6, 2018 – Ant-Man and the Wasp

2019

March 8, 2019 – Captain Marvel
May 3, 2019 – The Avengers: Infinity War – Part 2
July 12, 2019 – Inhumans

2020

May 1, 2020 – Unannounced
July 10, 2020 – Unannounced
November 6, 2020 – Unannounced

Are Marvel’s 3 New Mystery Movies Part of Phase 3?

The official press release on Marvel.com detailing these news bits was titled “Phase 3 Update” and nowhere in the announcement is the term “Phase 4″ so by that alone we could assume that the 2020 films are indeed part of Phase 3. When we asked someone at Marvel, they didn’t know for certain if that was the case however.

It remains the number one question since if Phase 3 does continue all the way until November 2020, than that chapter of the MCU does not end with the Avengers: Infinity War. Perhaps the war itself and the repercussions of it extend through another four films (Inhumans, which was originally scheduled to release before Avengers: Infinity War – Part 2 and three unannounced features). If so, this war could be shown on more fronts and perhaps embrace elements of Jonathan Hickman’s game-changing 2012-2015 Avengers runs in Marvel Comics which included the Infinity and Inhumanity storylines where a new cosmic threat emerges and Thanos takes advantage and attacks Earth. The aftermath sees the Inhumans unleash Terrigen Mists all across the world (something we’re right now starting to see on ABC’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.)

Phase 2 didn’t end with Avengers: Age of Ultron this summer however, and Ant-Man certainly didn’t cap off some larger story, instead serving more as a standalone origin tale, so the beginning and end points of each Phase don’t necessarily need to be well-defined as such.

If Inhumans or one of the 2020 features is the beginning of Phase 4 however, there’s a stronger likelihood that at least two of those new dates could be for sequels to established series.

What Movies is Marvel Planning For 2020?

We suspect Marvel doesn’t want to wait more than three years in bringing back the Guardians of the Galaxy after Volume 2 releases in 2017 so Volume 3 or a related cosmic spinoff seems an obvious contender for 2020. Guardians of the Galaxy 1 & 2 writer and director James Gunn has continually made mention and hinted at the idea of GOTG spinoffs, stating those are the only other movies he could see himself working on in the MCU.

So, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3? Nova origin story? Warlock and the Infinity Watch?

The 2020 titles haven’t been announced yet because they 1) aren’t finalized or 2) too revealing at this stage.

Since Captain America: Civil War kicks off Phase 3 next summer in 2016, we can also envision a fourth Captain America title featuring someone else wearing the star-spangled Avengers uniform (Bucky or Falcon) in Captain America 4. We could also see a followup for Doctor Strange since 2020 will be four years since his debut.

There’s also the “inevitable” day where Marvel TV heroes, including the Netflix Defenders (Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, Punisher, etc.) will appear in the films. Maybe they can get their own film after having their origins explored on the small screen.

We’re still unclear at this point on the details of the partnership agreement between Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures over the use of Spider-Man but it’s a guarantee that there will be more new Spider-Man movies and spinoffs coming after his 2017 re-reboot. Those could fall entirely under the Sony umbrella however, even if they take place in the MCU, and might not be counted on this list. If those future Spidey products are Marvel Studios branded however, then something along the lines of Spider-Man 2/Venom/Sinister Six will absolutely be out in 2020 as well.

We’ll learn more as casting and writer/director news trickles in over the next few months, but take this time to share your thoughts and theories on what directions Marvel Studios should explore next!

Are Marvel’s 3 New Mystery Movies Part of Phase 3?

Marvel Updates: Black Panther Date Moved Again + 3 Untitled Movies Set for 2020 (What Could They Be?)

by Stone Marshall | Oct 12, 2015 | Awesome Book News | 0 comments

Marvel has dropped some “Phase 3″ info that you should probably be aware of…

– First, and maybe of most interest to this blog, the Black Panther movie release date has been moved up to February 16, 2018, from July 6, 2018. Keep in mind that it was originally slotted to be released even earlier, on November 3, 2017. So today’s move doesn’t make a huge difference, considering how far into the future 2018 still is. But you’ll get to see the movie about 5 months earlier than the previous set date; that is, assuming Marvel doesn’t change the date again between now and 2018, which is still over 2 years away, so anything is possible.

– Second, “Ant-Man” is getting a sequel, this time with Hope Van Dyne at his side, in Marvel’s “Ant-Man and the Wasp,” which is set for a July 6, 2018 release (“Black Panther’s” previous date).

– Third, “Captain Marvel” is also getting a date shift, not set for March 8, 2019.

– And finally, Marvel says there will be 3 untitled films that will premiere on May 1, 2020, July 10, 2020, and November 6, 2020. The studio doesn’t say what those films will be. So, let the speculation begin!

Regarding Black Panther, as of Tuesday this week, Joe Robert Cole is currently in negotiations to pen the screenplay for “Black Panther,” which will star Chadwick Boseman.

If Cole’s name isn’t at all familiar to you, it won’t be a surprise, given that he really doesn’t have any IMDB credits. The scribe comes from an in-house writer’s program, so he’s a fresh face, you could say.

Still no director attached however. I’ve said before that I wouldn’t be shocked if the job went to F. Gary Gray, a director whose name is being tossed around for other high-profile projects currently (“Furious 8” most recently), after the immense success of “Straight Outta Compton.” But given that he appears to be all-but certain to direct “Furious 8,” that would likely put him out of contention for “Panther,” given that “Furious 8” is set for a spring 2017 release, meaning it’ll be shooting next year. I’d imagine that whomever is tasked with directing “Black Panther” will likely have to commit 2 years of their life (starting in 2016 probably) to seeing the project from start to release and beyond. So I can’t see him directing both films, which would each intense in its own way, I would imagine.

The only certainty as of this post is that Boseman will star as Black Panther.

No one else has been cast; no director attached.

If you missed it, check out my thoughts (here) on directors that Marvel should consider meeting with for the job.

Also feel free to speculate on what you think the 3 untitled films will be – specifically if any of them will center of black Marvel superheroes.

Marvel Updates: Black Panther Date Moved Again + 3 Untitled Movies Set for 2020 (What Could They Be?)

Marvel Studios Phase 3 Update

by Stone Marshall | Oct 12, 2015 | Awesome Book News | 0 comments

Now that Phase 2 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has officially reached its conclusion with the release of Marvel’s “Ant-Man,” we have new details on what to expect in Phase 3!

Following our hero’s debut adventure in this summer’s “Ant-Man,” Scott Lang will return alongside Hope Van Dyne on July 6, 2018 with Marvel’s “Ant-Man and the Wasp.” The sequel will mark the first Marvel Studios film named after its heroine.

Additionally, Ant-Man’s second adventure will lead to a couple of other films shifting their dates, with Marvel’s “Black Panther” moving up to February 16, 2018 and Marvel’s “Captain Marvel” landing on March 8, 2019.

Finally, three untitled Marvel Studios films will premiere on May 1, 2020, July 10, 2020, and November 6, 2020.

The announcement of “Ant-Man and the Wasp” follows the success of “Ant-Man,” which has earned $178.5M domestically and $231.3M internationally for a global total of $409.8M. It’s the #9 film of the year domestically, and opens in its final international market, China, on October 16.

“Ant-Man” followed one of this year’s biggest blockbusters, Marvel’s “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” which has earned $458.9M domestically and $946M internationally for a global total of $1,404.9M, making it the #2 film of the year domestically and the #6 film of all time globally.

Stay tuned to Marvel.com for more exciting announcements on Phase 3 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the future.

Marvel Studios Phase 3 Update

World of Tanks developer reenacts a 1941 battle for 360-degree video and virtual relaity

by Stone Marshall | Oct 5, 2015 | Awesome Book News | 0 comments

Above: Wargaming hired 40 war reenactors to act as infantry.

Image Credit: Wargaming

Wargaming wants to put you into a battle.

The company released a special video today called “1941 Battle: 360-degree Reenactment” that enables viewers to get an immersive look at what a World War II tank fight looked like. Wargaming worked with Google and The Bovington Tank Museum in Dorset, U.K. to record and accurately portray the fight, and you can watch it all in a video on YouTube. If you do, you can use your arrow keys or your mouse to look around and see different angles of the battles. If you want even more immersion, you can boot up the video on the YouTube app for the Google Cardboard VR holster for your smartphone to make it feel like you’re truly standing in the middle of the mayhem.

Check it out for yourself:

To bring the battle to life, Wargaming took to a field with a platoon of war reenactors as well as the T-34 and Panzer III tanks. The publisher even had artillery guns and planes flying over head. Then Google set up its 360-degree recording equipment, which is similar to the Google Jump technology it introduced earlier this year for enabling consumers to produce their own 360-degree VR videos.

This is more evidence at just how much money Wargaming has to market its free-to-play PC shooter. World of Tanks is a highly lucrative game that has caught on with gamers around the world — and especially in emerging markets like Russia and Brazil. While it doesn’t generate the same level of revenues as something like League of Legends (what does?), it’s in that second tier of globally popular PC games. It made approximately $400 million in 2014, according to the SuperData research firm. That was enough to put it in the top-five PC releases in terms of cash made from in-app purchases.

World of Tanks developer reenacts a 1941 battle for 360-degree video and virtual relaity

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