marvel movies

[Cecil]

By the way, has anybody seen Eric Bana's 'Chopper'.

ive seen it, its pretty good. funny. horrific

[MacGuffin]

John Singleton to Develop & Direct Luke Cage
Source: The Hollywood Reporter

John Singleton is in talks to develop and direct Luke Cage for Columbia Pictures. Neal Moritz and his Original Films are producing along with Marvel Studios' Avi Arad.

The comic book adaptation is about a former gang member who is framed for a crime he didn't commit. In prison, he volunteers for a medical experiment that goes awry, giving him superstrength and bulletproof skin. Using his newfound powers, Luke Cage escapes and becomes a hero for hire. Ben Ramsey wrote the script for the film.

The comic book, initially titled "Luke Cage, Hero for Hire," debuted in the 1970s and ran until the mid-1980s, with Cage becoming Marvel's first urban hero. Cage, who picked up the moniker Power Man, eventually teamed with a character called Iron Fist, a martial artist. Separately, Marvel is developing "Iron Fist" at Lions Gate Entertainment.

The UTA-repped filmmaker, who is a lifelong comic fan, burst onto the scene with the critically acclaimed "Boyz N the Hood." He followed that up by directing "Poetic Justice," "Higher Learning," "Rosewood," "Shaft" and "Baby Boy." Last year, he directed the hit "2 Fast 2 Furious."

"Cage" is the studio's third project with Marvel, a relationship that began with their successful collaboration on "Spider-Man" and continues with the upcoming sequel "Spider-Man 2." Columbia also has international rights to Marvel's upcoming "The Punisher."

[MacGuffin]

Columbus sets out on 'Sub-Mariner' voyage
Source: Hollywood Reporter

Chris Columbus has charted a course to direct and produce "Sub-Mariner," an adaptation of one of Marvel Comics' oldest superheroes, for Universal Pictures.

The film is being produced by Marvel Studios' Avi Arad, Kevin Misher and his Misher Films banner along with Columbus and his 1492 Prods.

The Sub-Mariner's other identity is that of Prince Namor, a half-man/half-amphibian creature from the underwater kingdom of Atlantis. He is known for his temper and rebellious nature and sometimes finds himself helping the human race and sometimes fighting against it when humans have polluted the waters.

The Sub-Mariner first appeared in "Marvel Comics" #1 back in 1939 when Marvel Comics was known as Timely Comics. He made his first modern appearance in the pages of "Fantastic Four" in the early 1960s.

David Self wrote the screenplay for what is intended as an epic film that will highlight various cultures, species and worlds beneath Earth's oceans. At the same time, it will tell the tale of Namor, a man who is torn between the world he grew up in and the world he belongs to.

"This is a giant project," Arad said. "Chris and I have been talking about this for six years, and once he saw where we were going with it and the world we were going to create, he jumped in."

Said Misher in a statement, "One of Marvel's original characters, the Sub-Mariner provides the opportunity to take the audience to the last unexplored region of Earth: the bottom of the ocean."

There has been a flurry of activity in comic book movies in the past week and a half. Earlier this week, it was announced that Nick Cassavetes would direct New Line Cinema's adaptation of Marvel Comics hero Iron Man, and last week Paul Greengrass stepped in to helm the seminal comic "The Watchmen," which is set up at Paramount Pictures.

"Sub-Mariner" will be overseen at Universal by Mary Parent, the studio's vice chairman worldwide production, and Damien Saccani, vp production. At Marvel the movie will be overseen by Kevin Feige and Ari Arad.

Columbus will segue to the movie after completing "Rent," which is prepping to shoot at Revolution Studios. He last directed the first two installments of the "Harry Potter" movies.

[MacGuffin]

Bentley joins Cage in seeing 'Ghost'
Source: Hollywood Reporter

Wes Bentley has signed on to play the bad guy in Columbia Pictures' upcoming Nicolas Cage starrer, "Ghost Rider." Bentley will play Black Heart in the Marvel Comics adaptation. The film stars Cage in the title role. He plays a former motorcycle stuntman who agrees to let his body become host to a vengeful spirit, Ghost Rider, a bike-riding demon, to secure the safety of his true love. Mark Steven Johnson is directing. Shane Salerno wrote the original draft of the Columbia project. Marvel Entertainment's Avi Arad and Crystal Sky's Steven Paul are producing the project with Johnson's producing partner Gary Foster and Michael De Luca. "Ghost" previously was set up at Dimension Films, with David S. Goyer attached to direct.

[modage]

the last three posts here all seem varying degrees of ridiculous.  marvel is going to start missing more than they hit and just run the comic book movie into the ground.

[Raikus]

Start missing? They're already sliding down the slope.

Huge hits with Blade, X-Men, Spider-Man, Blade 2, X-Men 2 and Spider-Man 2.

Huge misses with Daredevil, Electra, The Hulk, Blade:Trinity and Fantastic Four (I'm sure).

It seems that DC is on the upswing now with Batman Begins and (possibly this decade) Superman Returns. I don't think Marvel and DC can have hit movies at the same time.

[MacGuffin]

Director Aboard Silver Surfer?
So says Marvel Studios.
 
The recently released Wizard Mega Movie Issue includes a behind-the-scenes feature on Marvel Studios, wherein execs Avi Arad and Kevin Feige dropped some interesting tidbits about the long-in-development Silver Surfer movie.

CEO Arad informed the mag that a director is now attached to Silver Surfer but "we can't say who yet. ... Someone had a very cool take on it."

"Now that Fantastic Four is in the can, the plan was always to follow up with Silver Surfer," Feige said. "We've begun developing that right away. We wanted to make sure we were on the same page as (20th Century Fox) in terms of general direction and what we all see the Silver Surfer movie to be."

In related news, Superhero Hype points out an interview Arad did with SFX Magazine where he reveals that "Galactus is going to be in the Silver Surfer movie, which we're starting our journey towards. ... First we want to do the origin of the Silver Surfer and the Galactus story." He added that a Surfer/F4 cross-over movie is not inconceivable since both are Fox properties.

In an interview with IGN FilmForce last month, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson revealed that he's been approached about portraying the title character.

[MacGuffin]

Paramount Loves Marvel
Captain America & Nick Fury in the works!

Variety reports that Paramount Pictures has landed an exclusive deal with Marvel to distribute films of the remaining Marvel characters who have yet to hit the big-screen. Among the first to get the feature film treatment will be Captain America and Nick Fury.

"Marvel has never produced a movie on its own until now. To fund its slate Marvel arranged a seven-year $525 million revolving credit facility with Merrill Lynch Commercial Finance Corp., secured against the movie rights to 10 comic-book characters, including Captain America," according to Variety.

"Paramount isn't putting up any production money; it will receive a fee for marketing and distributing an initial 10 movies, the first of which is expected to hit theaters in two years. To ensure the maximum possible audience, none of the movies will be R-rated."

No word yet on which filmmakers will be involved with either Cap or Fury.

[MacGuffin]

Silver Surfer Stuff
Marvel, Fox brass talk up movie.

Sci Fi Wire spoke with Marvel Studios CEO Avi Arad and Fox Filmed Entertainment Co-Chairman Tom Rothman about the long-in-development Silver Surfer movie. Arad advised Sci Fi that Surfer will be next on the agenda following Fantastic Four.

Rothman was more forthcoming on some of the issues facing the film. "I think the tricky thing on Silver Surfer, which hasn't been resolved yet, is the nature of the Surfer and to what extent digital work is used and to what extent it isn't," Rothman informed Sci Fi. "And that's the fundamental difficult decision."

"Obviously, in The Hulk, they went one way [a computer-generated character]. And in the question of [Fantastic Four's] The Thing, we went a different way [putting actor Michael Chiklis in a rubber suit]," Rothman continued.

"The digital component is the fundamental component that needs to be resolved, but it's a project that we're very very high on."

Finally, there's still no word on the identity of the mystery director reportedly attached to Silver Surfer.

[MacGuffin]

Strange Mutations
We chat X-Casting, FF and more in an exclusive 1:1 with Marvel's Avi Arad!
 
The name Avi Arad might not be a household one, but you've probably got a few movies bearing his name on your DVD shelf – X-Men, Spider-Man, Hulk, and Daredevil are just a few.

As the president and CEO of Marvel Studios, he heads a production juggernaut that's currently nurturing two franchises and hoping for a few more with the imminent arrival of the long awaited big screen debut of The Fantastic Four.

Avi took a break from his hectic schedule to announce an important piece of X-Men 3 casting, plus The Thing, Marvel's Hollywood future, and more…

IGN FILMFORCE: So, I hear you've got some news…

AVI ARAD: I've got some news… Basically, it's casting news. Kitty Pryde is in this movie, but we didn't pick the actress yet, so that will be a couple of days. The same with Angel. You already know we're looking for Angel. After the weekend, I think Angel will be done. Juggernaut is Vince Jones, which, I think, there's some prior knowledge, but that's now done.

IGNFF: That's confirmed…

ARAD: That's confirmed. The big news is that we have Beast in the movie in a major, major role, and Beast is Kelsey Grammer.

IGNFF: Really… I'm stunned… That's actually brilliant casting.

ARAD: That's what I thought!
 
IGNFF: Am I to assume this is a voiceover role with a CG character, or is there talk of make-up?

ARAD: No, there will be make-up and prostheses. It will be a combination of artforms to bring it to life, but a lot of it will maintain around his face – his eyes, his mouth, and so on. It will be very much like the kind of stuff we did with The Thing…

IGNFF: Well, I hope it comes off better than The Thing…

ARAD: Well, you didn't see it finished yet – Give us a shot, man!

IGNFF: Well, when all of the advertising looks nothing like The Thing that I fell in love with, that certainly turns me off to it…

ARAD: Which part of it that you fell in love with didn't you get?

IGNFF: Any emotion in the face – much of which, as a design element, is conveyed by the missing brow…

ARAD: Okay, so here's the deal we make – let's make a pact. As soon as you see the movie, you give me a call, and let's see what you tell me about the emotion out of the face.

IGNFF: I will make this pact with you, and ring you up at the office…

ARAD: Absolutely. Because I think when you see what Michael is doing with his face in the movie, emotionally, you're going to be blown away.

IGNFF: When you talk about realizing the Beast with similar kinds of techniques, what is your belief on this sort of redesign process on these iconic characters – because The Thing has had an iconic look that's been rather consistent for 99% of the book's history…

ARAD: So will be Beast, by the way… So will be Beast…

IGNFF: As a character, the Beast underwent a redesign a few years back to look more like the Ron Perlman Beast character from the Beauty and the Beast TV show from the late 80's…

ARAD: Right…
 
IGNFF: That more feline kind of look. Whereas the original blue version of the Beast looks much better in the sense that it wouldn't be perceived as ripping off the design from that TV show, which the current visual iteration of the character most certainly does.

ARAD: Right. What you'll see in the movie, it will be a combination of – we'll call it the "90's Beast" – more like, if you remember, from our animated show.

IGNFF: The classic more canine look…

ARAD: But even more important, it has the supreme intelligence look. You're going to get really close to his eyes, to his face, and so on. And obviously Kelsey has this delivery of a college professor. You expect his intelligence and warmth and calming ways, and as important with Beast is the way Beast reacts to adversity and violence, and so on. Knowing how powerful he is, he can almost be forgiving of it, and in some ways make fun of it in a gentle way without trying to hurt anybody.

IGNFF: As a character, I assume he's going to be presented as always being this blue, hairy version of the Beast – or is it showing the same transformation that the comics did years ago?

ARAD: You mean as young Hank?

IGNFF: Right.

ARAD: Ummmm… Well…

IGNFF: Since obviously a reference was made to the character in X2…

ARAD: Correct. So obviously, young Hank wouldn't be Kelsey… If there is a young Hank! If, if, if there is a young Hank! But the idea is that what you're going to see is that Beast is a major, major role, and I do believe we're going to outdo 1 and 2, because we have a bigger idea – a bigger concept 0 for this movie.

IGNFF: So what are all these rumors going around regarding casting for Young Xavier and Gambit? Has that been locked down yet?

ARAD: Hmmm… I cannot comment on it. That takes away all of the fun out of the mystery!

IGNFF: But I would be remiss in my duty if I didn't at least ask…

ARAD: No, no – you should! Absolutely.

IGNFF: Does that mean you're going to confirm Venom and Sandman as the villains for Spider-Man 3?

ARAD: Who? Ohhh boy…

IGNFF: Is that a no?

ARAD: Of course not! Venom? Venom is not even a Marvel character. And Sandman? Isn't that from DC?

IGNFF: Oh, of course… that's it…

ARAD: That's it. No wonder. You're good, man! You're good! (laughing)

IGNFF: So while we're full of assumptions, I shouldn't bandy about names like The Vulture…

ARAD: Vulture is a bird… (laughing)

IGNFF: You play this game far too well…

ARAD: Oh, man, you know… Years of following you online. You have to understand that, in my life – first thing in the morning, some people look at Wall Street or the news. I start with, "Okay – who wants me dead today?"

IGNFF: Well, I have to be honest – I've been less than thrilled with the direction of the Fantastic Four project.

ARAD: I'm telling you – I cannot wait for you to call me and say…

IGNFF: Are we putting a bet on this? I'll put a bet down on it…

ARAD: Yeah, I'll put a bet!

IGNFF: A symbolic $1 bet…

ARAD: No problem! A happy dollar… You got it! I'm telling you that Ben Grimm – the characters I really love in our universe, believe it or not, is Ben and Beast. I love the "Don't judge a book by its cover." Add a dollar to the bet that Ben is going to make you cry.

IGNFF: So a $2 bet…

ARAD: Yup. And if you choke on a tear and you say, "Oh my god" – okay? – that makes the bet two bucks.

IGNFF: I will be brutally honest with you… I have no reason to lie to you about it…

ARAD: Oh, I know. Listen, you speak your piece and that's how it should be. Listen, I try to be honest about my feelings about our movies – as much as I can do it politely without hurting anybody.

IGNFF: Hey, nobody wants you guys to succeed more than I do.

ARAD: Oh, I know – but I can tell you that this is going to be the feel-good film of the summer.

IGNFF: Are you at all worried that the Fantastic Four, at this point – for the uninitiated that don't know the characters or their long history, which also contains a good deal of the mainstream press – is largely being seen as derivative of The Incredibles?

ARAD: No no… I like that. We've taken the bull by the horn and we are educating a whole new generation. If you turn on kids TV, for example, you'll see the stuff that we are doing through Toy Biz. One of the most successful things we did this year – we have this thing called "Do The Right Thing," which is a school program, and the Fantastic Four deal with science and different things, and it is sent directly to schools. So kids are getting to know it… Everybody is getting to know it. Listen – after Thursday night, with the new trailer on Star Wars, there'll be no place to hide. Everybody's going to see it and enjoy it, and as new trailers come in, you'll see more of the effects, and The Thing with the retouching, of course, which you didn't see yet. But most important, the whole idea behind this contraption with Chiklis is never to lose the emotion – and you will see the frowning and the smiling and the loving, and all this stuff, come to life completely.

IGNFF: Obviously the character has a history of a progressive changing in his appearance when he first became The Thing – are you going to surprise me and, at the end of the film, he looks like the way The Thing should be, brow line and all? Because there was a piece of advertising artwork that went out a few weeks back that had a slightly more pronounced brow ridge – not like it should be, but certainly more than it was…

ARAD: You will have to wait and see. I promise you one thing – the one thing I can guarantee you…

IGNFF: That you'll be winning the bet?

ARAD: Well, you know what? I think I will. But more important, I think you're going to fall in love all over again with Ben Grimm.

IGNFF: God, I hope so. As you know from dealing with these properties, everybody has one that their more attached to – the touchstone – be it Spider-Man or X-Men…

ARAD: I know you are FF. I know that. And therefore I am so confident that you will feel the tragedy and the victory of Ben Grimm…

IGNFF: But if I don't…

ARAD: Then I lost two bucks! What can I do?

IGNFF: And I'm going to go and cry over those two dollars.

ARAD: There's nothing I can do about that! All that I can do is really try and capture the character and use Ben for what we should, and introduce Alicia, and make sure it's what you wanted from the books. What does it mean to be him, after? And what does it mean to want to be normal? And then having to make some decisions…

IGNFF: On a side tangent, what is the current thinking behind what to do with Captain America? Are you looking at it being a period piece – which is what I would hope – or are you going to make it a mostly modern piece?

ARAD: Well, it's a little early, but I can tell you that there will definitely be a period piece within it.

IGNFF: As a framing device?

ARAD: Not necessarily… Listen, it's an origin story – it can't be a framing device, it's too big a part. But I can not go into more detail, other than to tell you that, trust me, you're going to see how this man became who he is – how this young lad became who he is. And for that, you have to go somewhere in the past.

IGNFF: Since we last spoke, have you figured out yet exactly what Marvel project Joss Whedon is going to work on?

ARAD: You know what? He's been so busy. Recently, we got together, and I cannot wait. Let him release his movie, clean up his head…

IGNFF: Get past that DC character he's working on…

ARAD: Well, you know, that's okay. All guys as talented as him are looking at many, many projects, and who knows? So it's a year from now. A year in our business is nothing.

IGNFF: So post-Fantastic Four – and excluding the marquee titles like X-Men and Spider-Man – what is the one film you're most looking forward to getting off the boards, and why?

ARAD: You're talking about non-sequels… new stuff?

IGNFF: Right.

ARAD: There's so many of them that excite me. One of them is obviously Sub-Mariner, because it takes you to a new world. Nick Fury & SHIELD is a project we've been working on for quite awhile, and we now have a direction that makes that very interesting for Marvel. I don't want to spell it out because other people read your site! I don't want to give anybody an idea!

IGNFF: What are you trying to say?

ARAD: We like what we are doing with Nick. They're all excising in their own ways.

IGNFF: So what will be Marvel's first CG project?

ARAD: I don't know yet. We're looking at a bunch of things. In some ways, every project we do is CG in some ways…

IGNFF: Well, obviously there were those talks you had with Pixar last year…

ARAD: Yeah… Well… You know what? You have to have something that looks right. Shrek was so smart because they took human features and put them on imperfect human features, so they didn't have the same responsibility and aggravation of making things look perfectly human. So I thought that was pretty smart. The Incredibles was very smart. We have to find something that is unique to us, and we're looking at different things. We're not going to rush into it just because there seems to be a trend. We have to find something that translates right and still represents our universe. I don't think anything for us, at this point, replaces the opportunity of Thor, Sub-Mariner, Deathlok, or all this stuff that we are working on, that is all so different.

IGNFF: And what of Mort the Dead Teenager?

ARAD: It's holding for other reasons. It's moving forward, because there's something we want to do, but right now it's on hold because of all this Paramount thing. You'll figure it out.

IGNFF: And reflecting back on where it all started, is there a plan in place yet to finally translate ticket sales to comic sales? Because there still hasn't been that crossover of people who love Spider-Man: The Movie flooding into buy Spider-Man: The Comic.

ARAD: Well, actually, after Spider-Man: The Movie, there was a huge spike in children reading Spider-Man.

IGNFF: But it was just that – a spike. Those new readers went away shortly thereafter.

ARAD: Part of it is distribution, in all fairness, and as maybe you do or don't know, our distribution is now going to 7-Eleven…

IGNFF: Has it decided which titles are making that transition, and when?

ARAD: That will be announced pretty soon. And the product is right for that – for the right age.

IGNFF: Which has been a considerable problem in the past, regarding bringing new young readers in. There simply wasn't anything appropriate for them in the Marvel line…

ARAD: Well, some of our titles are doing very big numbers…It's starting to remind me of the 90's…

IGNFF: But those are big numbers for the current depressed market – not big numbers for what the industry once was…

ARAD: To have a 300,000 piece book in our market today – that's a huge number.

IGNFF: But that's 300,000 for a single issue…

ARAD: Avengers…

IGNFF: But that's not sustained readership. That's a spike again…

ARAD: Yeah, but you can put excuses on either side of this assumption. People are reading them. There are more and more books now getting into the numbers where we would like to see them, and this demand is happening because the books are better. Listen, I am very proud of what we are doing with comics. I think we are writing better books than we wrote 10 years ago, and it shows. And we worked very hard to get distribution in place where younger kids can get to it, and we are going to the schools. It's such a beautiful artform. If it's written right, we want more and more kids to get into it. We are proud of this.

IGNFF: Beyond just the distribution, arguments are beginning to flare about the extreme rise in price point for a single book – how can you expect a kid to pay $3 for a single 22-page comic? Are there thoughts of introducing a lower price point comic line?

ARAD: Yes – something like that is definitely coming. We're going to do it with a major chain. I cannot go into details on it right now until it is all done. Listen – our job is to put a book into the hands of kids. Kids should read these things. These are fun. These are great. We all grew up on it, we love it, and we want other people to experience it. The only reason they didn't experience it, obviously, are choices – television, videogames, you name it. You will see the major chains going back into the comic book business in a major way, and that will take care of this issue.

IGNFF: Well, in a little over a month, I'll let you know if you won the bet. I'm hoping you do…

ARAD: Okay, man!

[MacGuffin]

Nick Fury Dies Hard?
Casting buzz for the Pa/Marvel movie.
 
Moviehole points out a Marvel movie casting rumor that recently appeared in SFX Magazine.

According to SFX, Paramount Pictures is considering casting aging action icon Bruce Willis as aging comic book super-spy Nick Fury in their planned feature film version of the Marvel character.

Willis is no stranger to comic book movies, having his most recent commercial and critical success with the big-screen adaptation of Sin City. Willis is currently shooting 16 Blocks for Superman director Richard Donner.

Nick Fury is part of the recent Marvel/Paramount deal that also includes Captain America. No screenwriter or director for Fury have been announced yet.

[MacGuffin]

Silver Surfer Director Rumors
Avi Arad addresses the buzz.
 
Marvel Studios honcho Avi Arad has let slip a few tidbits about the identity of the heretofore unnamed director interested in the Silver Surfer movie. "There is a director who should make Silver Surfer," Arad recently revealed. "He is mentally committed to it [but] he's doing another movie now. ... What's most important to me about this guy, first, is that he's incredible with visuals. But he's also a spiritual guy, a Zen Buddhist."

Hollywood Elsewhere has pegged David O. Russell (Three Kings) as the filmmaker in question. When asked by Rope of Silicon, however, if Russell was the director, Arad replied, "That's news to me." (Thanks to Comics2Film for the heads-up.)

IGN FilmForce recently investigated another possible director but to no avail. Richard Linklater has referenced Zen Buddhism in a number of his films, and also shares an agent and manager with Chris Columbus, one of the producers of the Fantastic Four film who also so happens to be directing Sub-Mariner.

Alas, both a longtime source, as well as Linklater's reps, denied that he was the director of Silver Surfer.

[MacGuffin]

Captain America's Big Shot

Spider-Man is about to get company--a lot of it--in makeup.

Marvel Entertainment, the Webslinger's corporate boss, announced plans Tuesday to produce as many as 10 new films based on 10 characters from its considerable comic-book collection.

Captain America, Black Panther and the supergroup known as the Avengers are among the crimefighters in line for their big-screen closeups.

As announced last April, Paramount will distribute the films, all of which are slated to be live action. The first made-by-Marvel movie is due out in summer 2008. Which tights-wearer will be the subject of that inaugural production is undecided.

"No character before its time," Avi Arad, chairman and CEO of Marvel Studios, told the Hollywood Reporter. "The scripts will dictate which is first."

The other characters jockeying for position: Nick Fury, the one-eyed agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.; Ant-Man, the ant-sized avenger from Coral Gables, Florida; Cloak and Dagger, a pair of vigilante teenagers; Doctor Strange, a neurosurgeon turned sorcerer previously immortalized in a 1978 made-for-TV movie; Hawkeye, a mere mortal with a costume and spot-on archery skills; Power Pack, a sort of kid-centric Fantastic Four; and Shang-Chi, a kung-fu fighting master.

There's nothing new in Marvel product becoming movie product. Spider-Man, the X-Men, the Hulk, Daredevil, Elektra, the Fantastic Four and Blade all hail from the comics giant, and all have recent big-screen credits. Next year will bring more Marvel releases: Ghost Rider, The Punisher II and X-Men 3.

What's new is the amount of control Marvel will exert over its legion of heroes--no small thing for a company that has wrangled in the past with producing partners. In the new set-up for the 10-picture slate, Marvel will set the budgets (approximately $165 million), secure prime release dates (the summer or winter holiday seasons) and keep the kitty from all film-related merchandising.

Additionally, Marvel will hire the writers, and decide which screenplays are ready to shoot, and when. In the Reporter, Arad dropped a heavy hint that a certain shield-baring, star-spangled superhero might have the inside track. "I cannot wait to tell Captain America's story," he said. "It's a doozy of a story." (Variations of the story have been told already, most ignobly in a low-budget 1991 feature that was dumped on video.)

Marvel's exclusive pact with Paramount also is new. In the past, the company's heroes have worked freelance for the likes of Fox (the X-Men franchise), Universal (The Hulk) and Sony (the Spider-Man movies). As a result, a project like The Avengers might present a lineup challenge to Marvel and Paramount since Avenger members such as the X-Men's Wolverine and Hulk already have appeared in films for rival studios.

She-Hulk, however, is unattached and available at a moment's notice.

[Pas]

Hulk was never and X-Men and Wolverine was never an Avenger ????    

[MacGuffin]

Marvel Studios outlines slew of superhero titles
First is Favreau-helmed 'Iron Man'
Source: Hollywood Reporter

Marvel Studios has hired Jon Favreau to develop and direct the big-screen adaptation of "Iron Man" and has attracted an impressive roster of writers to help bring some of its high-profile characters such as Captain America and Thor to the big screen.

Favreau will direct a feature version of Marvel's armored hero and develop the script with the writing team of Arthur Marcum and Matt Holloway ("Convoy"). The project originally was set up at New Line with Nick Cassavetes directing.
 
In the comic, Iron Man's real identity is that of billionaire industrialist Tony Stark, who develops an armored suit that lets him fly and shoot "repulsor rays." The comic debuted in the 1960s, and Iron Man's origin involved Stark being a prisoner of the Viet Cong. The comic evolved into Stark fighting spies, both political and industrial, while also battling alcoholism.

Writer-director-actor Favreau appeared as "Foggy Nelson" in 2003's "Daredevil" movie, and as he grew as a director -- helming the effects-heavy family adventure movie "Zathura: A Space Adventure" -- he and Marvel chairman Avi Arad looked for projects to collaborate on. Favreau's sensibilities have been to eschew CGI in favor of an almost retro aesthetic, but "Iron Man" will see him changing his tune.

"I've always been very reticent to use CGI to the extent that it has been used by other filmmakers," Favreau said in an interview. "I think that now, through motion-capture and the integration of miniatures with CGI, like in 'King Kong,' I'm starting to be a lot more convinced by what the technology can do. But the idea of using CGI and relying solely on that to tell your story, those days are past. I think that integrating practical filmmaking and augmenting it with CGI is the key to making it an emotionally involved story."

"Iron Man" will be Favreau's next movie, and he hopes to go behind the camera early next year. Favreau is repped by CAA.

Among Marvel's other projects is a sequel to 2003's "Hulk," being penned by Zak Penn, whose credits include Marvel's "X2" and upcoming "X-Men: The Last Stand."

"Ant Man" is being adapted by "Shaun of the Dead" co-writer/director Edgar Wright. Wright will direct and co-write with scribe partner Joe Cornish. Edgar also will co-produce with his Big Talk Prods. partner Nira Park. Ant Man is really Dr. Hank Pym, a biochemist who discovers a rare group of subatomic particles from which he concocts a size-altering formula that he tests on himself.

"Captain America" is being adapted by David Self, who is no stranger to Marvel, having worked on adaptations of "Namor, the Sub-Mariner" for Universal, and "Deathlok" for Paramount. He also wrote "Road to Perdition," the Sam Mendes-Tom Hanks movie that was originally a graphic novel.

Captain America is a character created during World War II as a symbol of American strength and values who fought Nazis. After his popularity waned in the 1950s, he was brought back as a member of the superhero team the Avengers. Part of his origin included being frozen in suspended animation, thus having a "man out of time" foil to it. Self said it's an aspect Marvel will be keeping.

"He's a Norman Rockwell character who is faced with today's America and is forced to look at his own past, things in the '40s that weren't necessarily what they were cracked up to be, and also how today's country may be different than it looks," UTA-repped Self said.

"Nick Fury" is Marvel's hero who is an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., (Supreme Headquarters International Espionage Law-enforcement Division), a spy agency. Andrew Marlow, whose credits include "Air Force One," "End of Days" and "Hollow Man," is writing.

"Thor" follows the adventures of the legendary Norse thunder deity and is being penned by Mark Protosevich ("Poseidon").

"In the comics, the stories that appealed to me most were the features called 'Tales of Asgard,' " CAA-repped Protosevich said. "They were very much based on the traditional Norse myths and how the relationship between being like Thor and Loki and Thor and Odin, and how these beings manifested themselves. I don't want to give too much away, but I will say the movie will take place in the world of myth and legend but will not betray some of the thematic elements of the comics that made them so appealing, like the idea of a god growing to truly understand man."

The writers and directors Marvel has brought on board are huge comic book fans -- Favreau read comics in high school and doodled, and according to Self, "Captain America was my favorite superhero as a little kid because my dad told me I could one day be Captain America" -- which is the No. 1 prerequisite, Marvel chairman Arad said.

"Unless you buy into the gestalt of what is Marvel and understand the characters and metaphors and treat them as living people, we are not interested," Arad said. "This is material that has withstood the test of history, and the director and writers have to feel a sense responsibility."

Marvel is moving ahead into discussions with talent and visual effects houses as it gears up for full-scale production. The first release is anticipated in 2008.

The movies are expected to be financed with Marvel's $525 million revolving film financing facility and distributed under Marvel's overall distribution arrangement with Paramount. The sequel to "Hulk," however, will be distributed by Universal, which distributed the original.

President and chief operating officer Michael Helfant will oversee the company's growth to accommodate this newly expanded production activity.

The projects will be shepherded and produced by Marvel president of production Kevin Feige and executive vp production Ari Arad.