Warlord of Mars #1, Princess of Mars, just came out from Dynamite Entertainment and looks absolutely fantastic. The comic series is written by Arvid Nelson and is illustrated by Stephen (Avengers/Invaders) Sadowski and Lui Antonio. The movie, John Carter of Mars, comes out 2012.
The character, John Carter, was created by Edgar Rice Burroughs in 1912 and first appeared in A Princess of Mars. Carter is an ex-cavalry officer in the Confederate Army who finds himself mysteriously transported to Mars, which its natives call Barsoom. He is imbued with superior strength, due to Mars’ lesser gravity, in comparison to Earth’s, along with other surprising “powers” that he has somehow acquired through the transport from Earth to Mars.
John Carter - by Frank Frazetta
He encounters both formidable alien creatures resembling the beasts of ancient myth and various humanoids and finds his true calling in life as a warrior-savior of the planet’s inhabitants. He wins the hand of Martian princess Dejah Thoris of Helium, but ultimately sacrifices himself to save Barsoom. Awakening again after this second death he finds he has been miraculously transported back to Earth, and his original body.
John Carter has appeared in various Big Little Books of the 1930s and 1940s, as well as a number of other comic strips and comic books. In the steps before the live action movie hits the screens in 2012, Dynamite Entertainment has now brought to life the works of Edgar Rice Burroughs.
John Carter by Boris Vallejo
The comic series is written by Arvid Nelson and is illustrated by Stephen (Avengers/Invaders) Sadowski and Lui Antonio, and features covers by Alex Ross, J. Scott Campbell, Joe Jusko and Lucio Parrillo! titled, “Warlord of Mars.” You can buy Warlord of Mars here at Dynamite Entertainment for only $1.00 and pre order #2 & #3 for $3.99.
John Carter Comic - Marvel Comics 1977
The John Carter series continues with The Gods of Mars (1918) and The Warlord of Mars (1919). Be sure to pick up the soft cover books and read the entire series. It’s well worth it.
In the upcoming 2012 film John Carter of Mars, he will be played by Taylor Kitsch, who you might remember played Gambit in the Wolverine Origins movie. Princess Dejah Thoris will be played by Lynn Collins, who was also in the Wolverine movie, playing Logan’s love interest Kayla Silverfox.
The Red Hood first appeared in Detective Comics #168 (1951), “The Man Behind the Red Hood”. In the original story, the man who is to later become the Joker was a master criminal known as the Red Hood. His costume was a large domed red helmet that looked like an eraser with a matching red cape. While attempting to rob a chemical plant, his men were killed and he was suddenly cornered on a catwalk by Batman.
Left with no alternatives, he dove into a catch basin full of chemicals and swam to freedom. He survived due to a conveniently breathing apparatus built into his helmet, however the toxic chemicals in the vat permanently discolored him, turning his hair green, his skin white and his lips red. Upon discovering this, he went insane, and adopted the persona of the Joker.
However, Alan Moore wrote an alternate origin of the Joker in “Batman: The Killing Joke,” in 1988. In Moore’s fantastic, retcon change to the already accepted Batman universe, the Red Hood is portrayed as a former chemical engineer, who is also a struggling stand-up comedian with a pregnant wife. He is approached by the Red Hood gang who want him to lead them through the chemical plant he once worked at, so they can rob the card factory next door. He reluctantly accepts, in order to make enough money to start a better life for his family.
The gang gives him the costume of the Red Hood. The day of the proposed robbery police inform him that his wife died in a freak accident. He attempts to back out of the robbery, but the gang strong-arms him into keeping his commitment. During the robbery, the plant’s security men spot the intruders and shoot the other criminals dead. The engineer tries to flee, but Batman appears and corners him on the plant’s catwalk. Terrified, he jumps off the catwalk into the chemical basin to escape. As in the previous origin story, he goes insane after discovering what the chemicals have done to his face, and becomes the Joker. The Joker himself is reluctant to admit that this iteration of his story is definitive, stating: “Sometimes I remember it one way, sometimes another… if I’m going to have a past, I prefer it to be multiple choice!”
Under The Red Hood
In this recent storyline, a new Red Hood appears in Gotham, written by Judd Winick. To brush up on a bit of history, in 1988 “Batman: A Death in the Family” was written by Jim Starlin where Robin #2, Jason Todd was brutally killed by The Joker. Writer Judd Winick, reintroduces the Red Hood but this time the Red Hood is revealed to be the resurrected Jason Todd out for revenge.
The new Red Hood, who kills as easily as any criminal, assumes control over various gangs in Gotham City and starts a one-man war against Black Mask’s criminal empire. He actively tries to cleanse the city of corruption, such as the illegal drug trade and gang violence, but in a violent, antiheroic way. He eventually comes to blows against Batman and other heroes.
The video is actually well worth watching. The Joker’s voice takes some getting used to, but the storyline and art are excellent.
The scene is atop the George Washington Bridge. The Green Goblin has kidnapped Gwen and left a pumpkin bomb, or “one of Goblin’s Lanterns,” atop Gwen’s handbag as a calling card for Spidey to find in his apartment.
Death Of Gwen
The stage is set, players on their marks, and Gobbie opens up:
“Spider-Man! Or should I say– Mister Parker? I have your WOMAN up here, my friend– I trust you understand what that means? …. Your presence in this world has been a source of constant Agony to me. I wish you to leave it– Permanently. Or else… Gwen Stacy Dies!”
The Green Goblin’s threat is critical to what happens next. There’s been a lot of conjecture regarding Stacy’s death; did Spidey really kill her or was she already dead by the hands of the Goblin. Either Green Goblin’s is threatening with the truth, and Gwen is alive, or he’s lying and Gwen is already dead. But, as we all know supervillain types are consistent in at least one area; they simply do not go through all of their insane efforts and plot twists simply to have only an empty threat to throw at the hero.
No, they have plot twists and traps, and yes plenty of lies, but the lies are there to lead the hero further into the trap. In this scenario, Spidey is already at the climax of the story, he is confronting the villain, right where Goblin wants him. Goblin wants the throw down, so he isn’t lying because it simply doesn’t help him move the plot along. It doesn’t help his cause to have Stacy already dead.
Death Of Gwen Stacy - Drugs
Why is this story so successful? It’s an awesome story for two reasons; 1) the prelude leading up to this point is socially relevant and mirrors the times with continual references of drug use, and 2) this one scene , of Gwen dying, is the nail in the coffin for Peter’s guilt. Spiderman needs Peter to wallow in pain, it’s what pushes Spiderman to continue doing the right thing, for we all know, “With great power comes the fact that if you sit on your ass or think of yourself for just one second, someone you love will die and it’s all your fault, you Shmuck!”
Early in the story Spiderman follows some cops to a scene where a black kid, “stoned right out of his mind,” is about to jump off a building. Spidey saves the kid, hand him to the cops and for once, actually manages to show up on time for one of MJ’s Off-Broadway gig.
Drugs (pills),keep popping (no pun intended) up in the story as Harry continues to take LSD to help him through his anxiety over the whole MJ fawning over Peter thing that’s going on. Although it’s pathetic watching Harry wallow in his drug induced jealousy, it’s nice to see Peter smack around a cheesy looking drug dealer and his two thugs while out of costume.
Fight With Dealers 1
Fight With Dealers 2
Gwen’s death set a new tone in comics where previously it would have been unthinkable to kill off such an important character, the hero’s girlfriend, but Stan took comic readers into a more mature story setting where people die and stay dead for good, leaving a wake of pain and misery in their passing. This one story is part of the transition from the Silver Age of comics to the Bronze age.
Stan Lee and Gerry Conway were the writers on board for this story line while John Romita Sr. and Gil kane did the art, which is fantastic by the way. What’s nicely done here is how they were able to get to the poignant truth good job of naturally entwining a relevant message regarding drugs not being just a ghetto problem, into a Spidey story without getting all preachy like all of those those socially relevant comics are put out by special interest groups to “stop smoking” or “just say no to drugs,” or “don’t talk to strangers,” or “Jesus Loves You,” or “Stop! Drop! Roll!”
Even though Norman isn’t on drugs, his transformation into the Green Goblin is what causes him to leave his troubled reality behind. Where LSD is Harry’s addiction, the Goblin is Norman’s drug of choice. The Goblin is powerful, Norman is weak, the Goblin can fly and is free to kill, while Norman’s stock is plummeting and his son has entered a drug induced schizophrenia.
And when the Goblin bubbles to the surface, yet again, hell bent on killing Parker, it is Gwen Stacy he finds in Peter and Harry’s apartment, taking us back to the kidnapping scene again. The scene is atop the George Washington Bridge. The Green Goblin has kidnapped Gwen and left a pumpkin bomb, or “one of Goblin’s Lanterns,” atop Gwen’s handbag as a calling card for Spidey to find.
Spidey catches up to the Goblin and gets one good punch in, forcing the Goblin to plummet to the river below while he swings to where Gwen is at, atop a pillar on the bridge. But Osborn is too quick, he reunites with his glider, flies up to Gwen just as Spidey reaches her, and knock’s her off the pillar top.
Spiderman manages to shoot off a line of webbing, hoping to “stop her fall before she hits the water!” which he manages to do, but if you look closely you can see the little “snap” right behind her neck. This is where Gwen dies. Spiderman accidentally broke Gwen’s neck while trying to save her.
But here’s the problem. It would have been fine if Stan left it at that. But he didn’t. the next words spoken by the Goblin are criticle:
Romantic IDIOT! she was dead before your webbing reached her! A fall from that height would kill anyone—- before they struck the ground!
Romantic Idiot
Now, again, a critical moment for this could be interpreted a couple of different ways. It could mean that Gwen was actually dead by the hands of the Goblin, as seen by the first part of the statement, “she was dead before your webbing reached her!” But, Gobbie’s second sentence invalidates it by having Gwen’s death contingent on the height of the fall, “A fall from that height would kill anyone—- before they struck the ground!”
I happen to think that Stan made a mistake. I think he was under the impression that a fall from that height would kill a person through.. ohhh… I don’t know… some misconceived notion of asphyxiation while falling? It’s the only thing that can account for both sentences because they simply just do not add up. And besides, a note on the letters page of The Amazing Spider-Man #125 states: “It saddens us to say that the whiplash effect she underwent when Spidey’s webbing stopped her so suddenly was, in fact, what killed her.”
Kill You Goblin!
And, for the first time in comics, the roles are reversed. Normally we see the supervillain attempt to do “X,” a crime of some sort, his plans are unfortunately thwarted by the hero, the villain has something bad happen to him because of his foiled attempt at doing X, like going to prison, so the villain then blames (and curses) the hero while shaking fist in air. But, this time we see the hero cursing the villain for his own actions. “You killed the woman I love! And for that, you’re going to die!”And it’s Spidey who is left shaking his fist in the air.
Goblin Dead
The one last thing that Stan got right was that Spiderman did have his vengeance. Norman does die, just like you saw in the movie, by his own hands impaled on the end of his damaged glider . As a comic reader, it gets to be quite the cliche to see contrived conflict where the villain, eg. the Joker, continue to commit crime after crime only to never be properly punished for his crimes. And deep down, we want to see some form of justice, some sort of balancing of the scales, some form of comic karma or tit-for-tat, for god’s sake, a little bit of what our parents always taught us, “what goes around comes around” in the superhero universe. Stan delivers.
Gwen is dead, but we saw justice as Norman got himself crucified on the end of his glider, so Peter is left to go on living with the guilt, a husk of a man… but there is more? With each death there is a new birth; we see MJ stepping up to the plate.
Throughout the whole story line she’s been flirting ruthlessly with Peter, and in the end he gives her her due tongue thrashing… but she doesn’t walk. As Peter crumples and goes fetal in pain, Mary Jane slowly and consciously closes the door, with her still in the room, possibly making this the first real commitment in her life to somebody other than herself. She’s choosing to be with Peter, to help fill that void that, they both feel. Yes, Tiger did hit the jackpot.
Enter MJ
The entire story is enough to make you cry.
Featuring the talents of Stan Lee, Gerry Conway, John Romita Sr. and Gil Kane.
Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law are back as Sherlock Holmes and formidable colleague, Dr. Watson, in “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows.” Holmes has always been the smartest man in the room until the new criminal mastermind at Professor Moriarty (played by Jared Harris, TV’s “Mad Men,” “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” and also played the voice of Ridley in Tales of the Black Freighter) shows up. Moriarty is Holmes’ intellectual equal with a capacity for evil and complete lack of conscience proves to give our renowned detective a run for his money.
Holmes’ investigation into Moriarty’s plot becomes increasingly more dangerous as it leads him and Watson out of London and across Europe, to France, Germany and Switzerland. But Moriarty is always one step ahead, weaving and spinning a web of death and destruction, which, come to find out, is all part of a greater evil plot that will change the course of history…. or, in their case, the future. See, it’s changing our history, or, our fictional history which ties into Holmes’ stories but since it hasn’t happened yet… ugh… it’s just like in the Start Trek movie with changing time and stuff.
Guy Ritchie returns to direct “Game of Shadows,” .. you thought I was going to say Game of Thrones, didn’t you.
In her first English-speaking role, Swedish actress Noomi Rapace, who gained international attention in the Swedish film “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,” plays Sim. Stephen Fry (“Alice in Wonderland,” “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire”) is Mycroft Holmes, Sherlock’s older brother.
“Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows” is written by Michele Mulroney & Kieran Mulroney. Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson were created by the late Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and appear in stories and novels by him. Go out and start reading some Sherlock, it won’t disappoint.
The Adventures of Tintin – December 23
The Adventures of Tintin is a series of classic comic books created by the Belgian artist Georges Rémi (1907–1983). It is one of the most popular European comics of the 20th century, translated into more than 80 languages and more than 350 million copies of the books sold to date. Set during a largely realistic 20th century, the hero, Tintin, is a young Belgian reporter who ends up on adventures to far away places. With him is his faithful fox terrier dog Snowy.
Additional cast include cynical & grumpy Captain Haddock, the intelligent but hearing-impaired Professor Calculus, two incompetent detectives Thomson and Thompson. The author, pen named Hergé, himself is featured in several of the comics as a background character, thinking of Alfred Hitchcock here. Appears to be a promising family flick.
2012
Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance – February 17
Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter – Feb 22 Read the book. It’s pretty good.
The Avengers – May 4
Men In Black III – May 25
John Carter of Mars – March 9
Prometheus – June 8 Prequel to Alien, directed by Ridley Scott
G.I. Joe 2 – June 29
Amazing Spider-Man – July 3
Batman: The Dark Knight Rises – July 20
Total Recall – Aug 3 starring Colin Farrell
Dredd – Sept 21
The Hobbit Pt.1 – Dec 19
300: Battle of Artemisia
Akira
Dark Tower
Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance – Feb 17
Directed by Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor, Nicolas Cage will reprise his role as Johnny Blaze / Ghost Rider. It is the second film to be released under the Marvel Knights banner after 2008′s Punisher: War Zone.
Set several years after the first film, Johnny Blaze, a tormented soul who is convinced that his powers are a curse, is in self-imposed exile from the world. Blaze is approached by Moreau, a member of the monastic order of Michael, the warrior angel. Moreau seeks a protector for a mother and son duo who are being hunted by a figure named Roarke – a fellow with a detailed knowledge of the Ghost Rider and his different identities over the centuries
This isn’t from the movie, it’s just an ad for the book.
The Avengers – May 4
Written and directed by Joss Whedon, featuring an ensemble cast, including Robert Downey, Jr. (Iron Man), Chris Evans (Captain America), Mark Ruffalo (Hulk), Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow), Jeremy Renner (Hawkeye) and Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury).
When an unexpected enemy emerges who threatens global safety and security, Nick Fury, the director of the S.H.I.E.L.D. (Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division), finds himself in need of a team of superheroes and ends up recruiting Iron Man, Hulk, Thor, and Captain America to pull the world back from the brink of disaster and destruction.
Tom Hiddleston is back as Norse god of mischief, and adopted brother to Thor, Loki who comes to Earth to subjugate it, to rule the human race as their king. About his character, Hiddleston said, “I think the Loki we see in The Avengers is further advanced. You have to ask yourself the question: how pleasant an experience is it disappearing into a wormhole that has been created by some kind of super nuclear explosion of his own making? So I think by the time Loki shows up in The Avengers he’s seen a few things.”
Cobie Smulders is S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Maria Hill who works closely with Nick Fury. Regarding her preparation, Smulders stated, “I hired this amazing black-ops trainer to teach me how to hold a gun, take me to a shooting range, how to hit, how to hold myself, how to walk and basically how to look. I don’t do a ton of fighting in the movie, which is why I wasn’t offered a trainer, but I wanted to look like I had the ability to. And I really just got down and dirty with the character, but then I finally went on set; when you’re about to roll, all the “blubbity blue” you’ve been working on kind of messes with you. And you become a little bit detached.”
Note: S.H.I.E.L.D. the espionage and secret military law-enforcement agency was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in Strange Tales #135 (Aug. 1965). The acronym originally stood for Supreme Headquarters, International Espionage, Law-Enforcement Division. It was changed in 1991 to Strategic Hazard Intervention Espionage Logistics Directorate and when the Marvel movies started hitting the scene, it changed once again to Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division.
Based off the Hasbro game. … no, we’re not kidding.
Battleship is directed by Peter Berg who’s done a lot of TV, Prime Suspect (TV series), Friday Night Lights (TV series) & Trauma (TV series), but not much for producing movies. Alexander Skarsgård, who’s done Straw Dogs, and played Eric Northman in True Blood (TV series). Taylor Kitsch, John Carter, Gambit in X-Men Origins: Wolverine , Friday Night Lights (TV series) and smoking hot Brooklyn Decker, Jessica Simpson clone, plays Sam(antha).
In the Hawaiian Islands, the naval fleet engage in intense battle against an alien race known as “The Regents”. The aliens come to planet Earth, to build a power source in the Pacific Ocean. The film is to show both sides of the story, the aliens’ as well as the humans’ so the audience knows exactly where the opponent’s ships are.
John Carter of Mars – June 8
You might remember Taylor Kitsch as Tim Riggins in Friday Night Lights (TV series), or better as Remy LeBeau/Gambit in X-Men Origins: Wolverine. What’s interesting is that Edgar Rice Burroughs, played by Daryl Sabara, actually wrote himself in his own books as a surrogate nephew to John Carter.
John Carter
Edgar Rice Burroughs wrote the Barsoom series of John Carter from 1912 – 1964. Captain John Carter is an Earthman, was a Virginian who fought in the American Civil war as a Confederate soldier. After the Civil War, Carter moved to the SW United States to work as a prospector. In 1866 he and his prospector partner strike wealth; but the partner is killed by Indians and Carter takes refuge in a cave where he is overcome by smoke produced by an Indian woman. Carter wakes up to find himself on Mars. While on Mars, Carter was believed to be dead by those who knew him on Earth, but he re-emerges in New York 10 years later in 1876, settling on the Hudson River.
John Carter appeared to die in 1886, leaving instructions for a Burroughs, who refers to him as an ‘uncle’ of the family, to entomb him in a crypt, and leaving Burroughs with the manuscript of A Princess of Mars with instructions not to publish it for another 21 years. He has no memory before the age of 30 and seems never to age. If you haven’t read the books, you can start with A Princess of Mars or you might be interested in the recent John Carter comic book, Warlord of Mars.
Ridley Scott‘s Prometheus – Jun 8
Director Ridley Scott’s sci-fi pic Prometheus has been shrouded in mystery for some time, up till now as the first crop of actor-revealing images appear in this week’s EW. We get a look at stars Noomi Rapace and Michael Fassbender in spacesuits on an unknown planet, a gigantic head statue, and what look to be primitive forms of the eggs seen in Alien. “What are they?? …. they look like eggs of some sort that house a creature that might kill all of us. .. let’s take a closer look and see.” We also get a peek at Charlize Theron and Idris Elba.
Long said to be a prequel to Scott’s sci-fi/horror classic Alien, the director recently revealed that the last eight minutes of Prometheus will “evolve into a pretty good DNA of the Alien one.” Keep an eye out for the trailer. Prometheus opens in 3D on June 8th, 2012.
Dredd - Sept 21
In a violent, futuristic city where the police have the authority to act as judge, jury and executioner, a cop teams with a trainee to take down a gang that deals the reality-altering drug, SLO-MO
As in, Judge Dredd! Karl Urban, who played McCoy/Bones in Star Trek (2009), Vaako in The Chronicles of Riddick, and Eomer in The Lord of the Rings, is playing Judge Dredd. Apparently, all you’ll see is his lower face since he’s not removing his helmet through the entire movie since it is verbotten, says the comic geeks, to show Dredd without his helmet. Directed by Pete Travis, who directed Endgame & Vantage Point. Also starring Olivia Thirlby, from Juno,
Dec 19 – The Hobbit Pt.1
2013
The Wolverine – Jan 1
Iron Man 3 – May 3
Man of Steel – June 14
RED 2 – Aug
Hancock 2 – 2013
The Flash – 2013
Teen Titans – 2013
X-Men Origins: Magneto – 2013
The Hobbit Pt.2- Dec 1
Billy Batson and the Legend of Shazam
Venom
Flash Gordon
Luke Cage
Justice League – Mortal
Runaways
Lobo
Die Hard 5
Dorothy of Oz
Dracula 3D
Flash Gordon
Gambit
Green Lantern 2
HALO
Star Trek 2
Hellboy 3
Logan’s Run
Oblivian
R.I.P.D. – A recently slain cop joins a team of undead police officers working for the Rest in Peace Department and tries to find the man who murdered him. Based on the comic by Peter M. Lenkov. R.I.P.D. is a Dark Horse publication. Staring Ryan Reynolds. … yes, Ryan Reynolds.
Deadpool (2014)
Sin City 2
Ant-Man (2014)
Kick-Ass 2: Balls To The Wall
Wanted 2
Doctor Strange
Iron Fist
Nick Fury
Silver Surfer
Sub-Mariner
Thundercats
There isn’t a man alive who didn’t love Conan, and Arnold playing Conan, back in the ’80s. We all wanted to be both… but just lacked the intestinal fortitude and due diligence needed to manifest such a beast of a body. Especially when there were hundreds of hours of Gilligan’s Island and Brady Bunch, to watch.
If you needed a reminder of how cool both were, way back then, then here’s a little YouTube vid.
Well, Arnold may be a legend, but even legends need to recognize that the world needs a new actor to fill the boots that Robert E. Howard created. The new Conan to be is Jason Momoa, the guy who plays the dreadlock-wearing Ronon Dex on Stargate Atlantis. Momoa is currently in negotiations with the Conan the Barbarian team. If you’re like me, and you’ve never watched any of the umpteen Stargates, except for the 1994 movie, then you won’t know anything about Jason Momoa. But after doing a quick search for him on YouTube, I found this.
Jason Momoa Is Conan
I actually think Momoa can pull it off. The Hawaiian/German-Irish-Native American is a massive 6’5″ tall. If he added another 20 pounds of muscle, he’d be the perfect shoe-in for Conan. In the vid above, you actually see some of his sword play.
Leo Howard is Young Conan
The actor who will play Conan as a child is none other than the black belt pre-teen Leo Howard who played a young Snake Eyes in flashback scenes in G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra. And yes, Howard does actually have a black belt.
Also from the G.I. Joe team is smokin’ hot actress Rachel Nichols, she was red headed, uber-brainiac Scarlet.
Spider-Man 4 Cancelled, Raimi, Toby and Kirsten gone.
Marvel, Sony and Columbia have decided to kill Spider-Man 4. The film had originally been scheduled for May of 2011. Now… pfffft. At first the studio stated that production was “Delayed”. But ultimately, Spider-Man director Sam Raimi has actually been let go. Also gone are, Tobey Maguire/Peter Parker and girlfriend Kirsten Dunst/Mary Jane.
What seems to be in the forefront minds of studio execs is the axing of over priced actors and staff as well as assimilating a “Smallville” type theme that focuses on Peter Parker in high school. …Just like Clark Kent, but different. Check out Ultimates Spider-Man comics, to get a good idea of what’s around the corner. It is quite awesome, at least up to issue #100 or so. I think it was Brian Michael Bendis who wrote it. Definitely NOT Smallville-Spidey by any means. Way cooler, edgier. Like way, way cooler-edgy.
Spiderman, MJ and Raimi
Columbia’s deal with Marvel states that Columbia needs to keep “actively developing” Spider-Man films or else Marvel yanks their license and either makes the movie themselves or sells it another party… or simply sits on it just to piss us Spidey fans off. But DC is the one notorious for that more so than Marvel. Of course, Columbia had a card up their sleeve, just in case the actors were tanked. Call it the, “Just in case the director and all the primary actors of Spider-Man get fired,” plan. Or the, “Let’s do Spider-Man over again but more cheaper and just like Smallville… but different! Ok!?” plan.
This contingency, or “reboot,” has James Vanderbilt writing the script. A quick jaunt over to IMDb has Vanderbilt already slated for Spidey 5 and 6! Ouch! Talk about fast movers; Toby’s not even done opening his pink slip and eating his Wheaties while ol’ Vanderbilt’s working on a new script with Flash Thompson giving Peter a swirly.
You remember Vanderbilt, don’t you? He wrote all those movies you never saw, like. … The Losers, Zodiac, The Rundown, Darkness Falls and the one everyone remembers, Goodbye Toby & Kirsten.
The new teenage Spider-Man movie, staring absolutely nobody famous whatsoever, which could be a good thing [remember Hugh Jackman/Wolverine], is currently looking for a director to fill Raimi’s shoes. One thing is for sure though, Marvel has a hell of a track record when it comes to reboots not cutting the mustard! Let’s hope ol’ Vandi can do a better job on Spidey than Marvel did with The Hulk the second time around or The Punisher the second time around or The Fantastic Four the second and third time around or even Captain America the second time around. …. Oops, forgot… they didn’t mess that one up again yet.
Through all of this, Raimi could have been a real sphincter, having been let go, but he instead showed the world how a class act gets kicked in the teeth, “While we were looking forward to doing a fourth one together, the studio and Marvel have a unique opportunity to take the franchise in a new direction, and I know they will do a terrific job.” Good form Sam.
So… how does all of these changes affect you and me? Well, we get more Spidey, which is a good thing, and, Marvel Studios moved the debut of the Thor movie into the recently vacant Spidey 4 slot, which could possibly be a bad thing due to the rushing of the story for the sake of having another superhero movie under their belt.
If only they could put as much love and commitment into honoring the superheroes in their true form as comic geeks come to expect. In short… “Do your damn job and do it well.” How many of us would like to forget Spider-Man3? Batman Returns? Batman Forever? Batman & Robin? Superman: III? Superman: The Quest for Peace? The Punisher (1989 w/Dolph)? The Punisher (2004 w/Thomas Jane)? The Punisher War Zone? Or Hulk by Ang Lee? I mean, … COME ON! It shouldn’t be that hard to make a movie out of comics. All the content and history is already done and laid out for you.
Spider-Man Web-Shooters!
All I want is for Marvel to bring back the friggin mechanical web-shooters and drop the stupid spider talons that come out of Parker’s finger tips and toes that allow him to climb walls. Those were two of the biggest mistakes Raimi ever did, along with putting Maguire and Dunst in for Parker and MJ. Yeah, they’re great actors, but Toby simply isn’t Peter Parker and Kirsten aint no drop drop drop dead supermodel like MJ is supposed to be!
Gerry Conway, over at Newsarama, said it best, … who’s Gerry Conway? He’s not only known for co-creating The Punisher along with DC’s Firestorm and for scripting the first major, modern-day Marvel/DC crossover, Superman vs. the Amazing Spider-Man but is most famous for single-handedly killed off Gwen Stacy! during his long run on The Amazing Spider-Man. This guy has balls!
“Well, of course, I hope this time they kill Gwen Stacy.
About the third movie. Never really got behind Tobey Maguire as Spider-Man — he’s a great actor, did a great job with the part, but didn’t have the internal energy that I’ve always associated with Peter Parker. He just didn’t impress me as someone who’d wisecrack in the face of death.
I also was never fond of Kirsten Dunst as Mary Jane. Again, a terrific actor, but she didn’t strike me as the right casting for MJ — MJ, in my view, is a woman who’s cursed by the expectations others have for her based on her appearance. She should appear to be a vaguely slutty babe, and whatever one might say about Dunst, wonderful actress that she may be, a babe she’s not.
Both Dunst and Maguire are actors who bring a great deal of internal intelligence to their performances, but not a lot of charisma. I’m not in favor of casting this like a CW show, but it seems to me Peter Parker should be a charismatic character underneath his shy, homebody exterior — that’s the internal energy that bursts out when he’s Spider-Man, that’s what becomes liberated when he puts on t he mask, but it should be apparent, as a potential, even when he’s not in superhero mode.
As for MJ, she should present as a Bad Girl, as misunderstood and underestimated by the world as Peter is. Recasting these actors can only improve the impact of the franchise.
If you’re old enough, like some folks around here, you probably yell at the local kids, “HEY You kids, STOP THAT!” from your porch. But you might also remember Mickey Rourke from old movies like Angel Heart and Nine 1/2 Weeks and The Pope of Greenwich Village back in the 80s.
Mickey Rourke To Play Villain in Iron Man 2
But most of yous guys probably remember him from his fantastic role as Marv in Frank Miller’s Sin City (2005)… notice who the priest is in the movie?
Well, well see more of him in Sin City 2 in 2010. I can’t wait! Many of you also remember Rourke’s most recent role of Randy ‘The Ram’ Robinson in The Wrestler (2008) about an aging professional wrestler, decades past his prime, who ekes out a living working small wrestling shows in VFW halls and as a part-time grocery store employee who attempts to come to terms with his life outside the ring. He struggles with his new life as a nobody when an offer of a high-profile wrestling rematch with his 1980s arch-nemesis, The Ayatollah, comes his way.
Mickey Rourke To Play In Iron Man 2
So, that Mickey Rourke has just signed up with ICM for the role of the Russian villain in Iron Man 2! Rumor has it that Rourke was low-balled by the studio to the unsavory tune of $250K. Jesus, give the guy a break! Fortunately, Rourke’s agent, David Unger, got the quote up to a “significant” level in spite of the current melting economy where the studios are taking advantage of talent, attempting to screw them to the pool table… stupid studios!
Mickey Rourke As Marv in Sin City
Rumor also has it that Rourke is tapped to play the villain in Spider-Man 4. Apparently, Marvel did the same thing to Samuel L. Jackson, low-balled him hell’s canyon! … Stupid Marvel! They low-balled him, but then eventually came up from their pathetic offer and secured in a long-term, 9 film commitment for Jackson to play Nick Fury. One of those films Jackson is expected to be in is Iron Man 2. Go Jackson!
Samuel L. Jackson is Nick Fury
As for Samuel’s Nick Fury role in the 9 Marvel films, they haven’t all been announced yet, but so far they include Iron Man 2, Thor, Captain America, The Avengers(!!!), and perhaps even a S.H.I.E.L.D movie with Jackson’s Fury as the lead. Any of you people out there remember who played Nick Fury before? … No?…. David Hasselhoff! He might look the part but he ain’t no cigar chompin’ Fury.
I leave you with Mickey Rourke’s Marv.
… Oh COME ON! You tell me that doesn’t look like Hasselhoff!!
notorious for that more so than Marvel. Of course, Columbia had a card up their sleeve, just in case the actors were tanked. Call it the, “Just in case the director and all the primary actors of Spider-Man get fired,” plan. Or the, “Let’s do Spider-Man over again but more cheaper and just like Smallville… but different! Ok!?” plan.
[remember Hugh Jackman/Wolverine], is currently looking for a director to fill Raimi’s shoes. One thing is for sure though, Marvel has a hell of a track record when it comes to reboots not cutting the mustard! Let’s hope ol’ Vandi can do a better job on Spidey than Marvel did with The Hulk the second time around or The Punisher the second time around or The Fantastic Four the second and third time around or even Captain America the second time around. …. Oops, forgot… they didn’t mess that one up again yet.
