If you choose to be optimistic about Thor -- the once highly-anticipated Marvel comic adaptation set to smash into theaters next summer -- maybe it's just getting all of its backlash out of the way now. Otherwise, is there a movie that more desperately needs a fast-acting image rehabilitation heading into Comic-Con '10? Probably not.
Leave it to the Weinstein Company to find a way to showcase its skintastic summer gorefest Piranha 3D at Comic-Con this week, despite the fact that 'Con organizers deemed the planned sizzle reel too hot for the all-ages audience. The solution: Show it somewhere else!
Add Zack Snyder's upcoming Sucker Punch to the list of movies that Movieline will be fearlessly covering during Comic-Con 2010. The first image from the film has appeared online and... huh. If you loved Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, then here's your movie!
A flood of new Comic-Con-set images from the new Simon Pegg/Nick Frost comedy Paul reminded me: I should let you guys know that Movieline is going to Comic-Con next week! What do we have in store for you?
Whether you loved today's first look at Ryan Reynolds's new striated Green Lantern costume or thought it made him look like a glow-in-the-dark refugee from Body Worlds, I think we can all agree that two things were missing: love interest Blake Lively, and a better look at Peter Sarsgaard as the elephantitis-stricken Dr. Hector Hammond. Let us now oblige you!
Ryan Reynolds says, "Knucks for everybody!" Err -- that's probably not the first impression Warner Bros. wanted you to have upon seeing Reynolds wearing the Green Lantern suit, but at least it averts your attention away from the CGI-palooza of the thing. Right?
Maybe you won't have to wait until Comic-Con to find out who's going to replace Edward Norton in The Avengers. According to Deadline, Marvel is in "late stage talks" with -- wait for it -- Mark Ruffalo! Because if there is one audience that has been woefully under-marketed to when it comes to comic book movies, it's indie film lovers.
Considering the marketing campaign for Piranha 3D has revolved around girl-slapping videos, wet t-shirts, straight up nudity and all-around misogyny -- not to mention the implied carnage that thousands of CG-created 3D piranhas can do to an unsuspecting co-ed swimming in the water -- that it has been deemed not appropriate for families attending Comic-Con next weekend should come as a surprise to exactly no one.
Color me irresponsible, but I'm going to go ahead and deduce that Hasbro's re-introduction of Strawberry Shortcake this month at Comic-Con is a prelude to the trade story we all know is coming: The aromatic toy will have its own girl-oriented franchise in development by the end of the year. What else is there to expect from the promised "emo" version with a yarn hat and... sex appeal? "She's always been a girl that Mom and kids adore," said Jeffrey Conrad, the executive whose company licenses the character to Hasbro. "Now she'll be able to provide a little extra eye-candy for the fan boys and at Comic-Con." A direct-to-DVD release is officially planned, but come on. This could be Girl With the Dragon Tattoo for fruit-scented dolls. Developing... [NYT]
It simply doesn't seem possible for anyone to care this much about who plays the seventh lead in a comic book movie that won't be released for another two years, but leave it to Marvel to make a simple casting decision feel like an event. All that was missing from the "Let's toss Edward Norton under the bus!" e-mail that Kevin Feige sent out this weekend was an option to read it in 3D and a picture of Scarlett Johansson wearing a skin-tight leather jumpsuit. But there is good news: Once Comic-Con hits in two weeks, all these Avengers stories, rumors and innuendos will be over. But until then: Have you heard the one about Joaquin Phoenix?
And who says that those in power never listen to the common man? Yesterday we reported that Marvel Studios was allegedly going to go with a new actor to play Bruce Banner/the Hulk in their big action ensemble, The Avengers. Edward Norton had previously played the tortured scientist/purple pants enthusiast in 2008's The Incredible Hulk, but got into a bit of tiff with Marvel execs over his script and the focus of the movie. But late last night Marvel Studios released a statement to HitFix explaining away the whole situation.
Marvel Studios has certainly been putting their super-powered ducks in a row with their upcoming superhero ensemble movie, The Avengers. They've got Robert Downey, Jr. as Iron Man, Samuel Jackson as Nick Fury, Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Chris Evans as Captain America, Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye and probably even Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow. But is Edward Norton no longer Marvel's pick to play the Incredible Hulk's alter-ego, puny Bruce Banner?
Are you, by chance, familiar with the movie Dead Snow? (Of course you are, but please, just play along.) Here's the pitch: Nazi zombies terrorize some medical students on a ski vacation. Nazis, zombies, skiing, terror. This is an excellent pitch. Chances are good that you, the discerning moviegoer, would be interested in such a film. (Please wait until the end of this post to click over to Netflix and do a Watch Now. It's not going anywhere.)
But you know what? That's only the second-best Nazi-related pitch you're going to hear today. How about:
If the name Neill Blomkamp isn't yet familiar to you, give it a week. Hand-picked by Universal based on the strength of his short films and commercials, the gifted director -- a 29-year-old, South African-born Vancouverite -- was months into pre-production on the Halo film when studio infighting scuttled the project. Guided by mentor Peter Jackson, Blomkamp instead went to work on Sony's District 9 -- an original idea about a race of insectoid aliens, held for decades against their will in a slum in Johannesburg. It's a rich concept that provided him the opportunity to weave weightier themes about race, cruelty and intolerance into an undeniably fun summer thrill ride. And Blomkamp delivered, producing the thinking-man and thinking-woman's alternative to the glut of sci-fi brainlessness currently dominating the box office. Movieline spoke to the director on the cusp of his well-deserved breakout success.
Last weekend, Paul W.S. Anderson was at Comic-Con promoting the upcoming Pandorum -- a claustrophobic space horror he produced that stars Ben Foster. We took the opportunity to pick the AVP: Alien vs. Predator director's brain about Predators, the Robert Rodriguez-produced franchise reboot set for a July 2010 release. He told us that AVP would be his last venture into the realm of the rastaterrestrial mercenaries, but advised Rodriguez et al. to start stocking up now on KY Jelly: the sexual lubricant 9 out of 10 Predators prefer!
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