Captain America To Be Set During World War II
Marvel Studios President of Production Kevin Feige revealed today that the Captain America movie will be a period film, set during World War II. I’ve never read any Captain America, but some of my friends who are really into the series have insisted that a WWII period setting would be the only way to do the story justice.
This basically confirms that Marvel will be sticking close to the original origin story which involved Steve Rogers volunteering to be a test subject in Operation: Rebirth, a top-secret defense project for the U.S. Army. Rogers took a Super-Soldier serum which altered his physiology, turning him into a “nearly perfect human being”. Unable to duplicate the process, the United States government turned Rogers into a superhero who served as “both a counter-intelligence agent and a propaganda symbol to counter Nazi Germany’s head of terrorist operations, the Red Skull.”
The First Avenger: Captain America (and not Captain America: The First Avenger, which sounds infinitely better) is scheduled to hit theaters in May 6th 2011, just weeks before Marvel’s superhero team-up film The Avengers hits screens in July. It’s assumed that the film will likely end with a cliffhanger. In the comic series The Avengers discovered Steve Rogers’ body in a block of ice in the North Atlantic years after his supposed death, and were able to revive him. It’s assumed that a similar situation will probably happen to bridge the two movies, especially considering that The Avengers takes place in modern day. But Feige promises that you won’t need to see any of the other films to understand The Avengers:
“Each of them have to stand on their own,” Feige said. “You won’t have to have seen any of the films to understand The Avengers… but it will help.”
Feige also confirmed that Matthew McConaughey is not in consideration for the film adaptation as was rumored on CinemaBlend weeks back. That should make fans happy. You can read more about Feige’s “State of the Marvel Address” on CHUD.
Matthew Vaughn Off Thor
Marvel just announced a June 4th 2010 release date for Thor (six weeks after Iron Man 2), but Matthew Vaughn (Layer Cake, Stardust) is no longer is attached to direct the live action adaptation because his holding deal expired December. Back in October Vaughn told the Guardian that Marvel loved the latest draft of the script, which he was working on with Mark Protosevich (I Am Legend).
“The only problem is that it has been costed at $300m and they ask how I am going to reduce it by $150m. I think I prefer being asked what it’s like working with De Niro.”
Vaughn was also previously attached to direct X-Men 3 but left the project at the last minute due to pressures. Marvel is now waiting on a script polish from screenwriter Mark Protosevich before they find a new director. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige describes Thor as a period fantasy in the vein of The Lord of the Rings series.
“It’s very much a Marvel superhero story but against the backdrop of nothing you’ve seen before.”
A $150-$300 million period fantasy comic book adaptation? Sounds like Marvel’s first disaster of epic-proportions. Count me in.
source: THR
Edward Norton wrote The Incredible Hulk
At the Marvel Studios panel at Comic Con 2007, it was revealed that The Incredible Hulk star Edward Norton also wrote the script.
“I came into this and I wrote the screenplay,” revealed Norton. “I was the Marvel kid. I had subscriptions to a lot of the marvel comics. I loved Hulk, the early incarnation of Hulk and than the television show when I was a kid.”
“And I always felt like it was one of those great contemporary myths. It’s almost like out of greek mythology. This suppression of your inner demon,” said Norton who also confirmed that this is a brand spanking new Hulk.
“This is a part one, this is the beginning of a whole new Hulk saga,” confirmed The Incredible Hulk producer Kevin Feige.
So will the film feature Hulk’s origin story?
“If there was something that I wish was done better in these movies it’s that I wish they wouldn’t rush through that origin,” says Norton. “Let’s grapple with our own version of the history of the story is, but unspoll it out throughout the film in our own way.”
“The fun in this was not to remake anything, but to spin our own fantasy,” said Norton. “Re-visioning the story as a mythic story was appealing to me. Hulk has limitless potential to remake it re-conceive it. The idea of this mortal person at war with this thing inside of him and this sort of fugitive aspect of it.”
“We have a great character story to tell, in the tradition of the Hunchback of Notredame,” said producer Gale Anne Hurd. “We have a Hulk who will not be three different sizes in this movie. I think everyone will be happy about that.”
And Edward Norton will be playing both roles.
“Once the Hulk pops out, does that take me out of the picture as an actor. Like Gale eluded, there are a whole bunch of new technologies which allow an actor to interface,” said Norton. “The notion of not having these two characters be split, but playing both sides of it.”
“Making an effects driven movie is a different thing for me,” said Norton. “I’ve done a lot of low-fi tough characters but I haven’t done anything that involves the interface between effects like this does.”
“I was a huge fan of the tv show as a kid. Like Edward was saying, there was so much humanity in it,” said Liv Tyler who has yet to start filming.
“One of the fun things was to reference some of those different parts of the Marvel Universe,” says Norton. Comic book character Leonard Sampson is part of the story.
“Look for a lot of easter eggs and homages,” said director Louis Leterrier.
Filming on the project just began so it’s clearly too early in the process to show any video clips. But because the film will premiere before next year’s comic-con, the studio insisted on flying out to have a presence at this year’s con. They did however show one conceptual art photo of a dark green looking Hulk. Yellow eyes, black hair, and a much tighter face than the Ang Lee version. I’m not sure exactly how to describe it, I’l sure a photo will turn up online. It definitely looks better than the previous incarnations of the character.
Leterrier says the film will be nonstop.
“A regular movie has 150 scenes our movie has 350 scenes,” promises Leterrier.
Superhero Showdown!
This summer is shaping up to be the BIGGEST comic book showdown in history.
I don’t know if any of you have thought about it, but there are SIX movies releasing this summer based on comic books. That’s more than any other summer, EVER!
It’s a wonder they’re all going to make money (because they will!)…!
“It’s not a fad,” Marvel Studios president of production Kevin Feige said. “It’s the new archetype for the summer blockbuster. Everybody loves special effects, everybody loves epic entertainment, and that’s what comics have been delivering for decades and decades.”
“If they were all about a guy who runs into an alley and changed into a costume or into a phone booth to put on a mask,” he continues, “they would have come and gone in a year or two.”
Interesting!
Which do YOU think is going to make the most money?
IRON MAN - May 2
THE INCREDIBLE HULK - June 13
WANTED - June 27
HELLBOY II: THE GOLDEN ARMY - July 11
THE DARK KNIGHT - July 18
PUNISHER: WAR ZONE - September 12
My money’s on The Dark Knight… Batman Begins scored with $205 million, and TDK is expected to make upwards of $280 million. I’d wager that it’ll hit $300 mil. Don’t underestimate the power of Heath’s last completed performance!