Marvel Comics movies update

[Vic Sage]

Natalie Portman joins Marvel's 'Thor'
Chris Hemsworth stars as Norse god of thunder
By Borys Kit
July 13, 2009

Natalie Portman has been cast as the female lead in "Thor," Marvel Studios' adaptation of its comic book featuring the Norse god of thunder. Kenneth Branagh is directing.

Portman will play Jane Foster, who in early comic book lore was a nurse who became Thor's first love. The studio said the character will be updated for the feature adaptation, with Foster being a doctor-scientist type.

Chris Hemsworth is already cast as Thor. Tom Hiddleston is Loki, the god of mischief who serves as the movie's villain.

"Thor" is Marvel's stab at an epic fantasy adventure, spanning from present-day Earth to the realm of Asgard. The story centers on Thor, a powerful but arrogant warrior whose reckless actions reignite an ancient war. As punishment, Thor is cast down to Earth and forced to live among humans but once here, he learns what it takes to be a true hero when the most dangerous villain of his world sends the darkest forces of Asgard to invade Earth.

"(Jane) is the human lead, so to speak, who helps ground the film in reality," said Marvel's Kevin Feige, who is producing. "We spend a lot of time amongst the other realms of the Nine Worlds of the Thor mythology and our human anchor to that."

He added: "We wanted to avoid that syndrome of just because the hair is up and they're wearing glasses it means they're smart. ... We wanted somebody that can have the chemistry that the best of our Marvel couples have had, whether it's Tobey (Maguire) and Kirsten (Dunst) or Tony (Stark) and Pepper (Potts)."

Principal photography for the film is set for early 2010. The film will be released in the U.S. on May 20, 2011, distributed by Paramount Pictures.

Portman, repped by CAA and Brillstein Entertainment, is about to start shooting in Northern Ireland the Universal comedy "Your Highness," directed by David Gordon Green, and shoots David Aronofsky's supernatural thriller "Black Swan" in New York this fall. Her comic book and fantasy movie resume includes the recent "Star Wars" trilogy and "V for Vendetta."

[nymr83]

IMDB lists Jessica Biel (she was in 7th Heaven and nothing else I've heard of) as being in the upcoming Thor movie as well.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Mayhap she'll portray the fair Lady Sif?

[nymr83]

thats who she is listed as, but having never been a "Thor" fan growing up i don't know who that is other than being the name of a Norse deity.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Sif was Thor's Asgardian girlfriend, and, for a while, Jane Foster's rival. Jane eventually faded away, and Sif has more staying power. As a warrior, she was more suited to Thor than Jane, who was rather lacking in spunk. (I bet she'll be portrayed in the movie as a stronger character.)

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

To review:

THIS guy's going to be Donald Blake? (Much less an Asgardian?)



Loki, on the other hand, has a Royal Shakespeare Company background, and... well... this one works.



And if you need a Beta Ray Bill...

Edited July 15, 2009 by Guest

[Guest The Second Spitter]

Vic Sage wrote: Natalie Portman has been cast as the female lead in "Thor," Marvel Studios' adaptation of its comic book featuring the Norse god of thunder. Kenneth Branagh is directing.

Hopefully, he'll teach her how to act.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

IRON MAN 2 looks... um... good. Both of them.

http://popwatch.ew.com/popwatch/2009/07/this-weeks-cover-iron-man-2.html

Dios. Mio.


EDIT: Did I mention that this was the first picture of Scarlett Johansson in a Black Widow suit? I probably should have mentioned that.

Edited July 20, 2009 by Guest

[Vic Sage]

Triple Dee wrote: Natalie Portman has been cast as the female lead in "Thor," Marvel Studios' adaptation of its comic book featuring the Norse god of thunder. Kenneth Branagh is directing. Hopefully, he'll teach her how to act.

An earlier discussion of Natalie Portman's acting talents here:

http://cranepoolforum.qwknetllc.com/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=3718&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0

[Valadius]

You know, I was just thinking - if they ever choose to put the Vulture in a Spider-Man movie, Ben Kingsley would be a perfect fit.

[Benjamin Grimm]

He would be a good choice.

If I were developing Spidey 4, I'd have Spidey team up with Johnny Storm to fight the Wizard and Paste Pot Pete. (I think I've posted that before, perhaps even in this very thread.) It would be a great homage to those old Strange Tales stories of the 60's.

[stevejrogers]

Houston, we may have a problem...

Disney buys Marvel Comics for 4 Billion

Disney owns the characters now, but I don't think they own the film rights. I see big legal battle coming.

This is pretty much all because of the DVD legal mess of the 1990s cartoons (X-Men, Spider-Man, Iron Man, Fantastic Four and Hulk).

[Benjamin Grimm]

Wouldn't Disney have ownership of any rights that Marvel had ownership of?

If Marvel can make Thor or Iron Man 2, and now Disney owns Marvel, then I don't see why Disney wouldn't have the rights to make the movies.

I suspect that this will make it easier for the Marvel characters to come to the movies or TV. I'm not saying that Disney will do a better job, but if they produce more, then there will be more quality stuff (as well as more poor stuff).

If I was still reading the comics, I'd probably be concerned about their future, but I don't, so I'm not.

[Edgy MD]

Marvel hadn't really been making Marvel films. Fox and Paramount had, with the properties licensed from Marvel.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Weren't Iron Man and Incredible Hulk made by Marvel Studios.

Either way, if Paramount or Fox have licenses with Marvel, then they now have licenses with Disney. Marvel still exists, it's just become yet another subsidiary of Disney.

[Guest Mets Guy in Michigan]

Wonder what happens to the Spiderman ride -- and others -- at Universal Studios, a direct competitor to the Mouse.

[Edgy MD]

I think Marvel Studios was sort of a paper studio.

If Fox and Paramount have licenses to make films with Marvel characters, and Marvel's side of those licenses are now held by a rival studio, it doesn't take too much imagination to think of how the universe they've been building can get caught in a tug-of-war.

Here's one scenario: Should I develop an awesome Thor movie when my license expires after one film and a rival studio gets to make a half dozen sequels and residual profits? It's perhaps better, business-wise, to hold the license as many years as the contract allows me, forcing Disney to buy back the license under a hard bargain.

Edited August 31, 2009 by Guest

[metirish]

From the Times of London

is currently developing four films for release over the next two years, Iron Man 2, Thor, The First Avenger: Captain America and The Avengers,

[Benjamin Grimm]

Paramount: 'Thor,' 'Iron Man 2' still coming despite Marvel sale by Alynda Wheat Paramount Pictures issued a statement today in the wake of Marvel Studios� sale to Disney, reported earlier. The $4 billion deal won�t affect Paramount�s distribution arrangement for five upcoming films, the studio announced, including the highly anticipated Iron Man 2 and Thor. �Paramount Pictures has enjoyed a productive and fruitful relationship with Marvel Studios from the start of our distribution agreement in 2005,� the statement began. �So much so, we announced a five-picture slate distribution deal last year which includes worldwide distribution rights for upcoming films: Iron Man 2, Thor, Captain America, Avengers, and Iron Man 3. This distribution deal will be unaffected by today�s transaction. We look forward to continuing to work with Marvel and, with today�s announcement, to working with Disney to replicate the incredible success of Iron Man on all our future collaborative projects.�

[Benjamin Grimm]

Latest news is that Fox is planning to "reboot" the Fantastic Four series. Apparently they hold the rights to the characters "in perpetuity" as long as they keep making films.

So their options are:
1. Lose the characters
2. Make a third movie in the current series, which has had mediocre (at best) quality and less than mediocre reception.
3. Reboot, as was done with the Hulk. New cast, new interpretation, new... whatever.


I think this is good news. I'm still hoping to see my favorite characters get the treatment they deserve. I was afraid that the two recent movies doomed my hopes for at least a generation. Now... maybe not.

[stevejrogers]

Latest news is that Fox is planning to "reboot" the Fantastic Four series. Apparently they hold the rights to the characters "in perpetuity" as long as they keep making films. So their options are: 1. Lose the characters 2. Make a third movie in the current series, which has had mediocre (at best) quality and less than mediocre reception. 3. Reboot, as was done with the Hulk. New cast, new interpretation, new... whatever. I think this is good news. I'm still hoping to see my favorite characters get the treatment they deserve. I was afraid that the two recent movies doomed my hopes for at least a generation. Now... maybe not.

Same deal as they have with the X-Men franchise, hence why Wolverine's movie was called "X-Men Origins"

I wouldn't quite call this "good news" though. While the FF, Doctor Doom and others aren't essential to to the Avenger stories, I wonder what characters are "officially" Fantastic Four properties? For example, what if Marvel Studios had a hankering to use the Skrulls, or Inhumans in a film? Both of those races got their starts in the Fantastic Four universe.

Or even Namor! Is Namor considered part of the FF "family" of characters?

This also has the potential of seeing some Roger Corman style rush jobs as well because they HAVE to get a movie made under whatever deadline that the contract says.

[Benjamin Grimm]

I think it's good news, if another FF film gets made, rather than have the characters on the shelf for another 20 or 30 years.

It may not be a good movie, but I'll take my chances.

And I don't think they'll "rush" to make a bad movie just to hold on to the characters. It's not good business sense. Why spend the money to make a bad movie, when the bad movie will only devalue the property that you're trying to hang on to?

[Benjamin Grimm]

'Thor' moves up release date while 'Spider-Man 4' stalls By Melissa Moseley, AP Hot on the heels of the news this week that production of Spider-Man 4 is delayed, Paramount and Marvel Entertainment have pushed up the release of Thor by two weeks to May 6, 2011, reports Variety. Thor, starring Chris Hemsworth and Natalie Portman, was going to open on May 20. Disney has now grabbed that date for Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. Spider-Man 4 was supposed to start filming in February, reports Nikki Finke, then it pushed to March. Then late March/early April. And now there's no date at all. Finke says director Sam Raimi "hated" the script.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Spider-sense tingling a little quizzically... hope you liked the ones you got.

EXCLUSIVE: 'SPIDER-MAN 4' SCRAPPED; SAM RAIMI & TOBEY MAGUIRE & CAST OUT; FRANCHISE REBOOT FOR 2012 Mike Fleming and Nikki Finke have just confirmed that Sony Pictures decided today to reboot the Spider-Man franchise after franchise director Sam Raimi pulled out of Spider-Man 4 because he felt he couldn't make its summer release date and keep the film's creative integrity. This means that Raimi and the cast including star Tobey Maguire are out. There will be no Spider-Man 4. Instead, Mike Fleming is told, the studio will focus on a Summer 2012 reboot from a script by Jamie Vanderbilt with a new director and a new cast. All this took place today at meeting on the lot today. An official Sony Pictures news release about it is expected out now (see below). Immediately, the news brought celebration and consternation equally to webslinger fanboys who say the reboot plot puts Peter Parker back in high school. There's also much unconfirmed speculation that this new franchise will be in 3D. And the fans also recall that, in 1991, James Cameron wrote a treatment for Spider-Man and now they're wondering if he might helm the reboot. (Sony ended up acquiring his treatment in a legal settlement.)

http://www.deadline.com/hollywood/urgent-spider-man-4-scrapped-as-is-raimi-and-cast-out-franchise-reboot-planned/

[stevejrogers]

Is there any way that Disney can break the contract?

[Edgy MD]

Boo.

[Valadius]

Sony Pictures has killed Spider-Man. End of story.

[Valadius]

Short list for Captain America:

Chace Crawford (CW�s Gossip Girl), John Krasinski (NBC�s The Office), Scott Porter (NBC�s Friday Night Lights), Mike Vogel (Cloverfield), Michael Cassidy (CW�s Privileged), Patrick Flueger (Brothers).

[nymr83]

i don't know any of those names, I guess they want to go young? i'd rather an older Captain America, like Kevin Sorbo!

[Benjamin Grimm]

The only one of those names (and faces) that I know is John Krasinski. I don't get a "Captain America" vibe from him at all.