The most revealing tidbit to come from talking with Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige is the idea that he equates box office success with the quality of a film – not the kind of mega-million dollar marketing campaigns that put characters’ faces on soda cans, or comic book fandoms that date back half a century, or any other factors that will surely help Marvel’s The Avengers seize the box office crown this Friday. Instead, with twelve years at Marvel and billions in box office under his belt, the exec who’s been integral to the new golden age of the superhero movie is still, refreshingly, idealistic when it comes to making movies: “Every time we actually do it, I get very excited and can’t believe that we pulled it off.”
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Shia LaBeouf popped up on a whim last weekend at Chicago's C2E2 to peddle three original comic books he created, and thanks to the lucky and enterprising comics fans on the ground the internet now has a look at the imagery and philosophical musings whirling around in Shia's brain. Like: Random thoughts on poets (they bore him), someone who looks an awful lot like the boogeyman (okay, LaBeouf pal Marilyn Manson), and the adventures of a canyon-jumping biker and his sombrero-wearing pal.
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Screenwriting duo Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely began their partnership in college, moved to Los Angeles together ("We watched Baywatch and thought, 'Somebody wrote Baywatch -- we could do that!'" quips McFeely), wrote a film for Bill Pullman, scripted The Life and Death of Peter Sellers, and caught the eye of Andrew Adamson, who then hired them to write all three Chronicles of Narnia films. Now they've penned Captain America: The First Avenger, the latest in Marvel Studios' multi-film Avengers franchise and a rollicking WWII-set adventure that they hope to follow up with a sequel. It's safe to say Markus and McFeely might have some wise words to share on the subject of their craft.
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Who wants to be saved by one-time bodybuilding champ, action star, and former state governor Arnold Schwarzenegger? (Not the people of California, amirite?) EW breaks the news that Ahnold is jumping back into showbiz with the help of Stan Lee, who will help him launch a TV cartoon and comic book called The Governator. Yes, seriously. But wait, there's more!
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