Tag: Comics

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Paul Rudd has been cast as the titular character in the upcoming Ant-Man movie. Rudd is famous for his comedic (and bromantic) performances in Anchorman, The 40-Year Old Virgin, I Love You Man, and more. Ant-Man is famous…well, he’s not really a famous Marvel superhero, is he? The casting is interesting; Ant-Man is an unusual character and it’s surprising that he’s getting his own movie, while it’s equally surprising that Rudd will don some spandex and play a superhero on the big screen. It’s so wacky that it just might work!

For those of you that haven’t been keeping up with news on the movie, Ant-Man will be directed by Edgar Wright. The English director is best known for Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, and the big-screen adaptation of Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. While many comic-book fanboys expect a healthy dose of comedy, I’m hoping that the quirkiness behind the humor permeates Ant-Man.

So what are the chances of the following exchange happening in a future Avengers movie?

Ant-Man: Do you know how I know you’re gay?

Captain America: How?

Ant-Man: You had a little boy as a sidekick and crashed an airplane into some ice instead of making out with a hot British chick.

(It’s early morning and I have jet lag. I’ll come up with a much better joke later.)

My initial reaction is, “I don’t know about this one.” To me, Ant-Man (the Hank Pym version) is notable for two reasons — being one of the smartest men in the Marvel Universe and being an abusive husband. I can’t see Rudd being a genius or a wife-beater, let alone both.

Anyway, please let me know what you think of Paul Rudd as Ant-Man in the comments section. Are you intrigued by the casting? Or do you see him as too much of a comedian to play a superhero (even a tiny one)?

Ant-Man is slated for a July 2015 release.

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Embedded below is the trailer for X-Men Days of Future Past. Somewhat based on the classic Chris Claremont X-Men storyline, the movie blends elements of Bryan Singer’s X-Men films and the more recent X-Men First Class. Singer is back in the director’s chair X-Men Days of Future Past and is joined by actors from all the previous films. Hugh Jackman (Wolverine), Patrick Stewart (Professor X), Ian McKellen (Magneto), Halle Berry (Storm), Jennifer Lawrence (Mystique), James McAvoy (young Professor X), and Michael Fassbender (young Magneto) are just some of the actors in the star-studded cast.

If you’re not familiar with the original story, it involves time travel, giant mutant-hunting robots, alternate futures, and timeline manipulation. It sounds confusing, but it boils down to a future X-Man going back into the past in order to avoid a horrific future. While the basic premise of the movie is the same, longtime X-Men fans will be able to spot several differences in the trailer alone. Character roles, team composition, and various interactions are some obvious, but understandable, differences. Naturally, any excuse to give Hugh Jackman more screen time is a good thing for attracting mainstream viewers. While comic-book fanboys will likely take umbrage to the Hollywood-influenced rewrites, general moviegoers aren’t likely to complain (or notice).

My excellent friend and fellow comics nerd Paul Semel is approaching the movie with caution. He loathed X-Men First Class and is afraid that X-Men Days of Future Past will have many of the elements he hated about that movie. I’m way more optimistic than he is on X-Men Days of Future Past’s potential. The source material (though altered) is great, the director is solid, and the cast is outstanding. The danger is that multiple time jumps and a large cast of characters will add up to a Giant-Sized X-Men mess, but I have faith in Bryan Singer.

How about you guys and gals? What do you think of the X-Men Days of Future Past trailer? Are you more excited for or afraid of the movie?

Waking up to the Captain America: The Winter Soldier trailer made this morning excellent. There are several things in the trailer that make my inner fanboy go gaga. Cap’s S.H.I.E.L.D. uniform looks pretty sweet and Falcon’s brief flying sequence is rad (though it’s weird to see Papa Doc from 8-Mile as a superhero). The coolest thing about the Captain America: The Winter Soldier trailer is…The Winter Soldier. He’s a complete bad-ass in the clip! I’m a big fan of the comic-book character and it makes me happy that the trailer shows Bucky Barnes in all of his kick-ass glory.

The only thing disappointing about the trailer is the lack of gratuitous butt shots of Scarlett Johansson. Though I suppose that’s what trailer two is for….

Anyway, check out the Captain America: The Winter Soldier trailer below and let me know what you think of it (please!).

Here’s a a sweet clip from Thor: The Dark World that shows two things. First, it shows how pissed off Thor has become. In the past, he’s always held back in his fights against Loki because a part of him still loved his adopted brother. Those days are over and the thunder god is no longer putting up with Loki’s trickster ways. Secondly, it cements the awesomeness that is Loki. Tom Hiddleston plays Loki marvelously. He’s evil and conniving, but extremely charming. He’s the kind of bad guy that you want to have a flagon of mead with…while secretly worrying that he’s just getting you drunk in order to sleep with your sister. He’s one of the most entertaining villains in the history of comic-book movies and the clip below shows why.

It looks like Kick-Ass and the “other” Olsen sister will be playing Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch in Avengers: Age of Ultron. Latino Review has posted confirmation that Aaron Johnson will be playing Quicksilver, while the sexy Elizabeth Olsen will be playing the Scarlet Witch. Many of you are familiar with Johnson for his solid work in the Kick-Ass movies, while a few of you are familiar with Olsen for not being Mary-Kate or Ashley.

It will be interesting to see how Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch are portrayed. In the proper Marvel Universe, they have a rich and storied history. The pair have been heroes and villains several times over. The Scarlet Witch is most famous for decimating the world’s mutant population with a single wish. In the Ultimate Marvel Universe, the two have a racy history where they have an incestuous relationship. In both cases, their father is Magneto, a character that’s currently licensed to another company for movie purposes. While I understand the legalities of not having Magneto involved in the characterization of Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch in Avengers: Age of Ultron, the fanboy in me will be irritated.

I’m curious to see how Johnson handles Quicksilver. The actor was lovable goof in Kick-Ass. Quicksilver, on the other hand, is a lovable prick. I haven’t seen Johnson in anything other than the Kick-Ass movies, so I have no idea if he can pull off that Pietro Maximoff (Quicksilver’s real name) arrogance.

As for Olsen, I’m totally being a male by saying that I’m less concerned with her portrayal of the Scarlet Witch and more concerned about seeing her in the character’s famous Medieval swimsuit. In my head, a scantily clad Scarlet Witch played by Elizabeth Olsen will have outstanding scenes with  the skin-tight leather wearing Black Widow played by Scarlett Johansson. It will look something like this.

Anyway, what do you think of Aaron John and Elizabeth Olsen as Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch?

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Here are some bits of Christian Bale reading for the Batman role in Batman Begins. A lot of people are talking about the far-less-ridiculous-than-in-the-movies voice Christian Bale used in the auditions. That’s certainly an interesting topic for (nerd) discussion, but what really grabs me here is Amy Adams. (And yes, I would love for Amy Adams to actually grab me.) Adams read opposite Bale as a favor, but imagine what Christopher Nolan’s Batman movies would have been like with Adams onboard?

I’m a huge mark for Adams. I think she’s beautiful, talented, and absolutely delightful on film. Some would argue that Katie Holmes is physically more attractive and/or that Maggie Gyllenhaal has more range as an actress. (For the record, I can see the argument for the former, but vehemently disagree with the latter.) As the total package (not Lex Luger), Amy Adams trounces them both. She’s fantastic in dramas, comedies, musicals, etc. She’s just an utterly charming woman that would have given the Rachel Dawes character several additional layers. Ah, what could have been….

Now back to Christian Bale’s voice. While I agree that Batman and Bruce Wayne should have different voices, most fanboys would say that Bale took things too far. The voice he used in the auditions could have used a bit more gravel, rather than the 57 layers he added in the movies. It makes you wonder, who told him that voice was a good idea? Nobody stopped to say, “Dude. You sound like a dick.”? You mean to tell me that not a single person involved in pre-production or early production had a Kevin Conroy clip to play for him? In the immortal words of Chazz Michael Michaels, “It’s mind bottling.”

Check out the clip when you have a chance and let me know what you think in the comments section (please!). Do you agree that Amy Adams would have knocked it out of the park as Rachel Dawes? How much better is Christian Bale’s voice in the auditions than in the movies? Lastly, why is it so difficult to find saucy photos of Amy Adams on Internet?!?