Brie Larson In Early Talks To Play Captain Marvel

Several sources have revealed that Brie Larson, who won the Academy Award for Best Actress, is the frontrunner to star as Captain Marvel in the 2018 superhero film of the same name. Variety reports that Brie Larson is Marvel’s preferred choice to play Carol Danvers (Captain Marvel) though the negotiations are still in early stages.

Marvel has reportedly also been searching for a female director to helm the epic. Jennifer Kent (The Babadook) and Niki Caro (McFarland USA) have emerged as contenders to take on the directing job.

The movie already has a script written by Nicole Perlman who co-wrote Guardians of the Galaxy for Marvel Studios and Meg LeFauve who co-wrote Inside Out for Pixar.

Captain Marvel will mark Marvel’s first female led superhero movie. The film will hit cinemas in 2018.

Leaked ‘Thor: Ragnarok’ Details Emerge

So this morning I have found out that 3 unique bits of information have been leaked surrounding the new ‘Thor – Ragnarok’ movie which is also set to feature the return of Mark Ruffalo as The Hulk. It appears that the story arc will also be absorbing some of the Planet Hulk story line and I for one am very pleased about this as I love reading that story arc. So here’s what we found out from from the leaked information from Joblo.

1) We will see some sort of link to the Planet Hulk story arc that ran in comic book form back in 2006 where the ‘Illuminati’ decided that The Hulk was to dangerous to stay on Earth and tricked him into boarding a space craft before being launched into space. They had decided to send him to a peaceful planet in order to live out his remaining days but the ship was diverted and The Hulk ended up crashing landing on Warworld.

Kevin Feige has always insisted that it would not be a bright idea to do a Planet Hulk movie for some strange reason as I for one would love to have seen it he also had this to say on the matter last year when speaking to IGN.

“I think what’s cool about the Planet Hulk story is it’s all Hulk. He’s a gladiator, he’s fighting all these creatures on another world. Yes, some of those creatures show up in [Guardians of the Galaxy], which makes people think, ‘Oh, maybe it could exist.’ And maybe it could exist, someday. I don’t think that’s the first place we would go though for the very reason that you stated, which is, if we were ever able to do a standalone Hulk movie, 60 percent of the fun would be seeing Mark Ruffalo leading a Marvel movie — and that’s what we would do if we ever went down that road.”

In the Planet Hulk story line we see The Hulk become a Gladiator fighting all kinds of creatures from all kinds of different places but the most noticeable person he fights is the Silver Surfer. We also know that Jeff Goldblum is set to play The Grandmaster  in this movie who is a villain who enjoys pitting superheroes against each other so this also adds fuel to the story we will see bits of the Planet Hulk story arc. Joblo have also said that we will even see The Hulk appear in his iconic gladiator armor from the comic books.

2) According to Joblo we also know that Thor is also searching for the ultimate weapon to reset the universe and that his quest will initially see Thor fighting and then teaming up with The Hulk. We are not 100% sure what the weapon will be but they seem to think it may be the Time Gem which will link Thor: Ragnarok to the Infinity Gems plot line that is building up in the Avengers movies. Having possession of this Gem will litteraly allow Thor to control time and reset the universe.

3) We can also expect to see some majorly dramatic changes in this film according to Joblo’s more random spoilers:

“And speaking of appearances, expect a major change in the look of The God of Thunder himself for this part of the film as he will be sporting a shaved head (but not completely bald) for at least a portion of the film. Also, expect a very different look for Tessa Thompson’s Valkyrie, who is traditionally a blonde-haired warrior type in the comics. For Ragnarok she’ll be wearing war paint on her face, much like a Native American warrior, which should be an interesting take on this variation of the character.”

So there we go I cannot wait for more information on this story line and if these rumors come true this film could be up there with the best in the MCU universe.

As always for all your God of Thunder and Hulk smashing needs stick with @Deadpool_1984 only at skatronixxx.com

Phil? His First Name Is Agent

This post contains spoilers for Agents of SHIELD Seasons 1, 2 and 3.

After the shocking finale of Season 3 which left many openings for Season 4, it was revealed to the audience that Season 4 would become “darker” with promises to the change of character, Phil Coulson. In an exclusive interview with Entertainment Weekly(http://www.ew.com/article/2016/05/27/spoiler-room-arrow-unreal-blacklist-spoilers), Clark Gregg stated  that “The person he cares about is on the run and seems to be very sought after by the authorities. It’s very much changing the game for Coulson. Certainly from that teaser of where we’ll be next season, he does not seem to be in good shape.” We can certainly sense interesting twists to Season 4 and a darker theme, new creations are coming to surface (Doctor Radcliffes Life Model Decoys), Phil Coulson is no longer Director of SHIELD and we are left questioning who is and Daisy Johnson, beloved member to the team has taken back to the streets and is running from SHIELD.

Daisy Johnson Played by Chloe Bennet, Breathing Life Into the Character of Quake.

 

But before we explore the depths of what Season 4 could hold for a darkened atmosphere and a slight change of character for Coulson, just who is this agent?

Agent Phil Coulson was first a character who was introduced onto our screens during the first Iron Man movie, an agent and representative of SHIELD (Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division- someone really did want their initials to spell out SHIELD). Appearing every so often as a small, minor character in the mainstream movies, the agent quickly captured the hearts of Marvel fanatics, causing devastation across the entire fan base when he met his rather pointy end at the wrath of Loki, God of Mischief.

Phil Coulson dying however caused an unpredicted reaction from across the world as fans seemingly mourned the death of this small character whose swagger and sass captured the hearts of thousands. Phil Coulson, played by Clark Gregg, no longer was an irrelevant character that Marvel had to spare, but to the fans. a beloved hero whom they demanded to see more of.

Thus, the TV series titled ‘Agents of SHIELD’ made its way to our screen, capturing the audience made up of thousands of Phil Coulson lovers and fans, all wondering the same thing- How did Phil Coulson really survive?

This of course, was covered in Season 1 of the TV show which ran for an amazing 22 episodes which first seemed to be a team of agents, and a hackervist picked up from the streets, trying to save the world in their own way and discover who they were. Things however began to take a dark twist when reaching the episode titled ‘The Magical Place’ in which we caught a glimpse of what project TAHITI really was. An island with a massage and cocktails? Nothing more than mirage concocted by a small number of doctors under strict orders by Director Fury himself. Perhaps Tahiti wasn’t such a magical place after all.

The Truth Behind Tahiti. No Golden Sands or Cocktails Here.

If things weren’t dark enough by this point in Season 1 where fans heard Phil Coulson begging for his death, then the next episode certainly was a culture shock. Fans of the TV show that was just beginning to unravel its web were surprised to hear about the shocking truth of Skye (played by the wonderful Chloe Bennet), a character that had left fans marvelling (no pun intended) at her relevance in the TV show after all, she was just a hacker that the team had picked up. Turns out, as many could have predicted, that writers Maurissa Tancharoen, Joss Whedon, Monica Owusu-Breen and Jed Whedon had more planned for this character than truly expected. Where she goes, death follows.

Things quickly picked up from that point on varying from shootings  to an inhuman revelation being produced (no that wasn’t a pun to Season 2) in which Phil Coulson discovers that he was brought back to life with a mixture of Kree blood. This then sent the TV show into a spiral of questions such as, who designed this Kree blood program? But more importantly, who was the Clairvoyant playing amidst with the SHIELD team?

Things certainly did get a whole lot darker upon the episode ‘End of the Beginning’ where we see Grant Ward, who was clearly in love with the hacker Skye to viewers at home, shoot the supposed Clairvoyant, killing him instantly. This to fans at home seemed to be something that was spurred on by the mans untameable feelings for Skye however, was something entirely different. The episode ‘Turn, Turn, Turn’ certainly was a turning point for the TV show as Grant Ward was revealed to be in alliance with the twisted organisation labelled as Hydra.

Hail Hydra? Stand With Ward?

Deaths, shootings, murder and oxygen starvation (sorry Fitz) seemed to follow in the footsteps of this revelation and even brought to light an amazing fight between Melinda May (Ming-Na Wen) and Grant Ward (Brett Dalton), resulting in the defeat of Grant Ward and causing him to be captured by SHIELD. However, the show offered a more interesting turn of events when the Director of SHIELD himself gave up the job of Director, handing the job to Phil Coulson. No longer was he Agent Coulson of SHIELD, but more so Director Phil Coulson, leader of an organization that technically wasn’t legal anymore.

This left such a wide opening for Season 2 which premiered on September 23rd, dragging a massive 5.98 million US watchers. The first episode titled ‘Shadows’ officially introduced us to new characters but more so, dipped fans into the ideas of powered individuals without the unnatural enhancements from the program ‘Centipede’, only seen previously in Season 1 once or twice. Season 2, episode 1, gave fans subtle hints as to what the season would produce, which was further emphasised in the following episodes. Episode 1 in Season 2 really did kick off with a darkened atmosphere, showing us the fate of Grant Ward and introducing us to a new prop which would later be the centre piece of Season 2. We also discovered how Phil Coulson was taking to being Director, often enclosing himself away from his team that he had created that was now seemingly in ruins (Jemma Simmons was gone, Fitz had suffered brain trauma and a former member of his team was locked in a cellar down below).

Season 2 however quickly kick started the dark theme, revealing the truth of Skye’s parents. Cal Johnson was revealed to be her dad, a doctor with a murderous side and anger issues that seemed to be out of control. More of the past of Grant Ward was revealed and he ended up escaping having the climatic result of him burning down his old house with his parents and brother, Christian Ward, inside. Carvings soon also became something dark as Phil Coulson began carving odd symbols which later turned up carved into a dead body. The TAHITI program was sending everyone carving.

So This Is What He’s Been Doing In His Spare Time…

Everyone except for Skye.

This led to the possibility that maybe she wasn’t as human as we thought she was, which then led to a whole new turn of events. Skye meeting her mentally unstable dad, Skye shooting Grant Ward, explosions and the death of short timed agent, Agent Antoine Tripplett and more so, Inhumans. Throughout the entire Season we see deaths, hear truth revealed regarding Skye’s mom and Hydra, and see a new side to Phil Coulson that fans had been anticipating to see since Season 1- his fatherly side for Skye which is emphasised during the final few episodes of Season 2 where he states “she’s not my daughter but she’s as close to family as I’ve got”. Season 2 then brought up a darkened ending with Skye losing her mother who tried to kill her, her father going through the TAHITI protocol, Bobbi being rescued from being tortured and Phil Coulson losing his handy hand. Melinda May also left, Simmons was taken by the monolith and Inhumans were left without a leader and protector.

Which is where Season 3 came into play, shining a light on Daisy Johnson, formally known as Skye and Director Phil Coulson who was dealing with having his hand quickly removed. Season 3 instantly kicked off with the darkness where we see a side to Leo Fitz that had been hidden throughout the past two seasons, in which he kills several men with a splinter bomb to obtain scroll leading to Jemma Simmons. We see Daisy Johnson becoming Quake, Phil Coulson suffering without his hand and Melinda May and a new Inhuman villain is born going by the name of Lash.

Season 3 presented so much and offered an insight to new sides of characters we had yet to see (much like Andrew Garner who was in fact Lash). For Phil Coulson who was typically relaxed in the past two seasons, it was the revelation of his darker side in which his demons came out to play upon the death of Rosalind Price, sniped down by former agent, Grant Ward, now top of the Hydra food chain. The darkened side is emphasised upon the death of Grant Ward which is done by Coulsons own hand (although it wasn’t necessarily his own hand as strictly speaking, it was robotic). Things soon enough began taking more and more dark twists and turns as Ward came back from the dead, taken over by the deathly character of Hive.

From there on, things seemed to escalate down a darkened path when Ward took over Daisy, Daisy brought the base down, the Kree made a short appearance, agents Bobbi and Hunter were lost and Coulson retracted his want to kill Grant Ward, stating that he should have left him alive. The darkened era of Season 3 came to a close upon the death of Grant Ward, a long time running character, and Lincoln Cambell (Luke Mitchell). We then jump to 6 months later where we discover that Daisy is on the run from SHIELD and other authorities, Phil Coulson is no longer the Director of SHIELD and characters Fitz, Simmons and Melinda May are nowhere to be seen. There is also a hint as to what the centre piece of Season 4 will be about upon the small clip of character Doctor Radcliffe creating Life Model Decoys.

So is a character change for Phil Coulson and a darker season for Agents of SHIELD the way go?

In my personal opinion, yes. Throughout the previous seasons of Agents of SHIELD we’ve had an insightful character development and change of Grant Ward. The former agent went from Agent of SHIELD, to someone who just wanted redemption for his family, to a Hydra agent and then to the character named Hive, an Inhuman with a murderous twist. Through these means we got to see a broad range of acting skills from Brett Dalton and audiences got to see a continuous character change that always left them wanting to see more and on the edge of their seats.

For a short while through the movies we saw Phil Coulson as an agent and this was later seen in the first season of Agents of SHIELD. However, Phil Coulson has been the Director of SHIELD for the past two seasons which is why I believe a character change is good. Through the character change we get to see Phil Coulson become an agent again, perhaps allowing the audience to have more of an insight to the character and see the relationship between him and Daisy Johnson emphasised. Whilst other characters have undergone major developments much like Daisy Johnson, Coulson has remained close to home throughout despite having a darkened side and his Director side revealed. It’s about time we see our beloved agent take over the spotlight and become something more than just the Director of SHIELD. Fans look forward to the change through the fact that we may have more of an insight to Coulson’s darker side, we may get to see him break the rules he once strongly abided by and we may get to see how much Coulson truly does need and appreciate the character of Daisy Johnson. We also may see Coulson have some guilt towards the previous events like Hive returning and the death of Lincoln Cambell.

Considering Agents of SHIELD is dark in the eyes of some given the previous seasons, I think it’d be interesting to see what writers can do with their promises of a darker season in comparison to others. The writers are a talented bunch with twists and turns in their writing everywhere so seeing more of them is something I both fear (as an avid fan of the program) and look forward to.

As a fan of Clark Gregg and a fan of Agents of SHIELD, I hope that this character change is seen through, accompanied by the darker promises that the writers have made. I look forward to writing about Season 4 and more so, look forward to seeing what it has to offer.

Phil? His first name is agent. Not anymore, Phil Coulson is someone who has stole the hearts of millions across the globe and is known more than just an agent. Here’s to Season 4 and seeing more of this much loved character (and maybe some Philinda action?).

Do you think a character change and a darker atmosphere is the way to go? Leave your comments below!

Daredevil SN1 EP2 – ‘Cut Man’

After a fight, Daredevil is found in a dumpster by Claire, a nurse who takes him in. Daredevil is mum about his personal details, but informs Claire on his battles with the kidnappers and how he needs to rescue the kidnapped child. Meanwhile, there are flashbacks about Matt dealing with his father being hired to take a dive by mafia. Elsewhere, Karen and Foggy are having a night of bar hopping.

Much of this episode is slower, but effective nonetheless. The scenes between Claire and Matt are good at building suspense and establishing the character. Introducing a new character is good way of being a third person perspective to introduce Matt’s powers as we see him hone his incredible hearing skills. We also learn about Claire and she is a good character. She’s caring but no-nonsense as she wants to learn about Matt. She also holds her own when dealing with the criminals.

The flashback scenes between Matt and his father. Matt’s father shows some tenderness when helping Matt with his blindness. He is also faced with conflict when presented with the choice of taking a dive. He wants to set an example for his song, but he knows the mafia won’t take kindly to that. He eventually stands by his guns and it costs him. With a little character development, we feel the pain at his death. The B-plot of Karen and Foggy hanging out may sound like filler, but it does help flesh out Foggy’s character as a goofball.

While most of this episode is an effective character building episode, there is one terrific fight scene when Daredevil confronts the kidnappers. The fight is successful in its bare bones approach. Rather than a big sprawling fight, this is a fight that takes place in an enclosed hallway. The fight is brutal. Daredevil does not just dispatch these guys with no effort, he has to wail hits just to knock out one guy. Also the whole fight is done in one take (or at least appears that way). This works because the raw technique makes us feel more absorbed in the fight.

Overall, this was another great episode. It was set up to establish characters and have an intense fight scene. “Cut Man” succeeded in both.

Michael Keaton Back In Talks To Star In ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’

After initial talks didn’t get past the offer stage, Michael Keaton is now in final negotiations to take on a villain role in Spider-Man: Homecoming.

Whilst the role hasn’t been confirmed, and Sony and Marvel are keeping their usual tight lid on these things, there’s a lot of speculation that he’ll be staring as the Vulture, one of Spider-Man’s most popular and recurring villains.

Spiderman: Homecoming is a reboot of the Spider-Man franchise – however, this time Sony will be partnering with Marvel to produce it. Amy Pascal and Marvel’s Kevin Feige will be producing, and Jon Watts will be sitting in the directors chair.

Tom Holland will be starring at Peter Parker/Spider-Man. He made his debut in the role during Captain America: Civil War, which has had an amazingly positive reception, and has just passed $1m at the global box office.

Other cast members include Marisa Tomei as Aunt May, and Zendaya has been cast as the main female lead. Tony Revolori and Laura Harrier are also on board.

Robert Downey Jr. is also confirmed for an appearance as Iron Man/Tony Stark.

Spider-Man: Homecoming is currently scheduled for release on July 7th, 2017.

 

‘Thor: Ragnarok’ Casting Confirmed By Marvel Studios

Marvel Studio’s have confirmed their incredible cast for Thor: Ragnarok, and it looks incredible.

Cate Blanchett, two time Oscar Winner, will be joining the movie as the new villain Hela, along with Jeff Goldblum who has been cast as accentric Grandmaster.

Also joining in on the third Thor movie is Tessa Thompson, who has been cast as the hero Valkyrie, and Karl Urban who will be adding his talents as Skurge.

Returning cast for the new members to play alongside will be Chris Hemsworth, reprising his role as Thor, Tom Hiddleston as the trickster demi-God brother Loki, and Idris Elba as Heimdall, the Asgardian sentry.

And, in incredibly exciting news for returning Marvel cast members, Mark Ruffalo will be reprising his role of Bruce Banner/the Hulk – that’s excellent news, especially after his sudden departure at the end of Avengers: Age of Ultron.

Overall, the cast for Thor: Ragnarok looks incredibly solid, and it’ll be fascinating to see what the realm of Asgard holds for viewers this time.

Thor: Ragnarok is currently scheduled for release on July 28th 2017.

 

Wolverine 3 Cast Adds Elizabeth Rodriguez

So it has been announced that Elizabeth Rodriguez (Fear of the Walking Dead/ Orange Is The New Black) to the cast they have not yet released what character Rodriguez will play but we do know it will be a “small but key role”.

 

But if the rumors that are coming out about the film are true about it being linked to the old man Logan story line we could see Rodriguez take up one of two roles either as Laura Kinney (X-23) this being linked to my article about Bryan Singer pitching a female Wolverine or we could see her play Maureen Logan’s wife from the comic books these are all rumors of course and we could see her play another part in the film.

Rodriguez is only another member added to an already growing cast which includes the likes of Stephen Merchant, Eriq La Salle and Elise Neal in as yet unknown roles. We also know that Boyd Holbrook (Narcos) is set to play the films main antagonist and that Richard E. Grant (Jekyll & Hyde) has been signed up as an unspecified mad scientist and Patrick Stewart as Professor X.

I for one am extremely excited to see this film when it is released in 2017 as I am a huge Wolverine fan and will also sorely miss Jackman’s portrayal of one of my favorite Marvel characters.

As always Bub for all your feral clawed mutant needs stick with @Deadpool_1984 only at skatronixxx.com.

‘Iron Man 3’ Reveals Main Villain Was Re-Written as a Man – For Toy Sales.

Yep. Yep, yeah, you read that correctly.

Iron Man 3, the first movie in Marvel’s Phase 2, and the third Iron Man movie, was supposed to star a female villain, namely, Maya Hansen. And this would have made a lot of sense – she created Extremis alongside Aldrich Killian. He then stole it and sold it on, resulting in his suicide.

Shane Black was excited about this too – having the whole world focus on the formidable “Mandarin” – and then it’s a small brunette woman who’s been running the show the whole time.

Being a character who was so important to the original plot, and who also you know, was a key factor in Extremis existing, you think that would earn her the spot as the Big Bad, right?

Well, according to Shane Black, Marvel execs didn’t think so, and figured toy sale success was much more important, and that a female villain toy would not sell. Thus, Shane Black was made to re-write the script.

Yeah. Because of toy sales. Because I sure remember the shelves being stocked with Killian toys, and kids begging their parents for the Aldrich Action Figure for Christmas.

Shane Black said in a statement;

“All I’ll say is this, on the record: There was an early draft of Iron Man 3 where we had an inkling of a problem. Which is that we had a female character who was the villain in the draft. We had finished the script and we were given a no-holds-barred memo saying that cannot stand and we’ve changed our minds because, after consulting, we’ve decided that toy won’t sell as well if it’s a female.”

He continued, “So, we had to change the entire script because of toy making.”

Now, given that there weren’t really any Killian Toys outside of the mini-mates double pack (pictured above), most are a little unsure about the logic behind this statement beyond the mere “that is a ridiculous and outdated point of view .” Black did, however, go on to say that the powers-that-be that made this decision are no longer at the head of those decisions.

These statements came shortly after backlash towards toy companies for not including Rey in the initial release of toys for Star Wars: The Force Awakens. You know, Rey – the main character.

But hey, I suppose now the ending isn’t the only awkward thing about that movie now.*

Hopefully, Marvel and other large franchises will continue to take fans comments on board, to help improve, impress and expand their fanbases.

(*Just a note – I like Iron Man 3 – I’ve watched it multiple times. However, the ending made no sense to me because of the whole “Yay I just got my arc reactor removed!” – did no one remember Iron Man 2? When it was literally killing him from the inside out? Surely that whole movie would have been solved if he could just cut it out? Or the Avengers, when he called it his Terrible Privilege and used it to bond with Bruce Banner? Because I do. And I am still so deeply confused.)

 

ABC’s ‘Agents of SHIELD’ To Get “Edgier” For Season 4

ABC’s fall line-up revealed that their seminal Marvel-show Agents of SHIELD, will move to a later time slot at in an effort to be in lieu with Netflix‘s darker comic-book offerings.

Speaking with the press, ABC President Channing Dungey explained the move in order “to go a little bit edgier, go a little darker and take some risks.“

Although Agents of SHIELD has found its audience. The show has never been the ratings success that ABC hoped for back in 2013. Debuting with an 8pm time slot, the show was soon moved to 9 before ultimately finding itself at 10pm for season 4, effectively losing the kids market.

The channel is in no doubt seeking a new audience in leaning towards the dark side. But a change in tone would put Agents of SHIELD in step with Netflix’s already mature superhero shows like Daredevil, Jessica Jones and their upcoming Luke Cage and Iron Fist ventures.

With regards to future of Marvel television on ABC, Dungey revealed that “We are in extensive conversations with Marvel. I had a really long talk with Dan Buckley from Marvel last week. We’re very excited about a few things we have in development. We think there’s a long future ahead and excited to explore it together.”

Specifics aren’t clear as to what exactly ABC have planned. But even with the throughly popular Agent Carter receiving its marching orders last week, it seems that the network are still committed to producing Marvel centric shows on their programming for the foreseeable future.

For all your TV News & Reviews, stick with @mitch_rated only on Skatronixxx.com

Bryan Singer Pitches Female Wolverine

So it appears that Bryan Singer is already preparing for life without Hugh Jackaman as Wolverine by pitching the idea of a female Wolverine to Fox. So as we know Jackman is hanging his claws after the third installment of the movie, Singer has revealed in an interview with fandango that he pitched a Fox studios with replacing Jackman with the new female Wolverine Laura Kinney previously X-23.

“I have discussed that with the studio” Singer advised fandango “I actually initially pitched the X-Force and the female”

I’m not 100% convinced that a female Wolverine would work I started reading the comics and did not really connect with the character so stopped after issue 4 as I thought I would give it more of a chance.

Singer also revealed that he has started work on the X-Force movie but it is still just at the ideas stage. He told fandango “Simon Kinberg is the earliest script stage, so that’s kind of where it stands and we’ll see how it evolves”

For all your mutant needs stick with @Deadpool_1984 only at skatronixxx.com