Marvel Weekly News #22

This week was the slowest in the past few weeks for Marvel. They did not announce anything officially but there was a bit of leaked and rumored news as usual. Some of the points that will be looked at more below is the possible villain of AKA Jessica Jones, new Guardians of the Galaxy info, new roles in Avengers: Age of Ultron, and an actor being courted by Marvel for Doctor Strange.

Jessica Jones Villain Revealed?

Now that Krysten Ritter has been cast as Jessica Jones, the production for the second Netflix show should start production soon. A.K.A. Jessica Jones does not have a set release date, but a tweet from a Marvel worker, Agent M, seemed to indicate it will come out before 2015 is done. It may have been revealed this week who the main villain Jessica will face during season 1. Some videos from auditions for the show seem to indicate that The Purple Man will be featured in the show.

Agent Carter Finishes Season 1

Marvel's Agent Carter had a one week hiatus this past week. With episode 4 premiering next week, we will hit the halfway point for the show. This week, Marvel finished filming the first season of their new hit. Hopefully the show will get renewed for a second season that could potentially be longer than 8 episodes.

Vision's Been a Plan For 3 Years

We have yet to get our first official look at Paul Bettany as Vision but just like everything at Marvel, he's been in the plans for a while. Bettany said in an interview this week that he has known about him transforming into Vision for 3 years. Marvel will likely have a TV Spot or new teaser during the Super Bowl and hopefully will give us our first look at the newest addition to the team.

Marvel Looking at Ejiofor

Even though Marvel has 3 movies sitting between them and Doctor Strange, it appears they are starting to look for more cast members to put next to Benedict Cumberbatch and possibly Daniel Brühl. This week, The Hollywood Reporter was told that Marvel is currently courting the star of 12 Years a Slave, Chiwetel Ejiofor! The role is a complete mystery but it is reportedly not a villainous role but it will be significant. 

James Gunn Gives New Info in Q&A

James Gunn held a live Q&A on Facebook this week while having a simulcast viewing of Guardians of the Galaxy with fans across the world. As he shared his own thoughts on different scenes and answered fan questions, some new information became known. Here is some of the new information- 1) Gunn elaborated on the inclusion of Thanos in the film. He said that despite what previous interviews made it seem, he very much wanted Thanos in the film because he "didn't want to lose the connection to the Avengers since more people would see the movie. I also like Thanos. But he was difficult because he made the relationships to the other characters so difficult and more complicated - and he served future stories more than this one." 2) Gunn once again said he wanted more Nebula but would not say when she will return. 3) Gunn said that Ronan will not return in Guardians of the Galaxy 2 despite what Lee Pace wants, but would not rule him out entirely for returning at some point. 4) Gunn revealed that he originally planned to blow up Yondu's ship at the end of the movie by Rocket placing a bomb in the orb. He said he removed it because he knew fans would love Yondu.

Serkis's Role in Age of Ultron Confirmed

Since the first Avengers: Age of Ultron trailer when we first saw Andy Serkis's character, everyone has assumed that he will play Black Panther villain Ulysses Klaw. Now, Schmoes Know is reporting that their sources have confirmed that Serkis is playing Klaw.

New Guardian may Appear in Age of Ultron

As Schmoes Know was dropping the news about Serkis playing Klaw, they also revealed that a new female character may also pop up during the movie. If this is true, the character has strong ties to both the Avengers and the Guardians in the comics and could serve as a way to tie the cosmic side and the earth side of Marvel's universe together. According to Schmoes Know's sources, that character may be Mantis. This is the first time Mantis' name has come up for Avengers: Age of Ultron so it is an interesting report but one I would be okay with.

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Marvel Weekly News #14

This was a relatively slow week for Marvel. This will be one of the shorter posts so far. This week's news dealt with a fan favorite speaking out on her willingness to play Captain Marvel, new footage for Agent Carter, Gwyneth Paltrow on her role in Captain America: Civil War, whether or not we will see Nova in Guardians of the Galaxy 2, and another possible addition to the cast of Captain America: Civil War.

Emily Blunt Up For Captain Marvel

Emily Blunt has been doing press tours for her upcoming movie Into the Woods. In an interview with ScreenCrush this week, they asked Blunt about her desire to play Captain Marvel in the future movie. Blunt has been a popular fan choice for the role and even she wants to play the part. Blunt said, "If it’s an awesome part, it doesn't matter if it’s a Marvel movie or a tiny movie, I’d be up for it." She went on to say that she has not received any calls for the part so we will just have to wait and see.

New Agent Carter Footage

We are just over a month away from the premiere of Marvel's new television series Agent Carter. Marvel is starting to release more clips to see Peggy Carter in action. Check out the two clips below.

Gwyneth Paltrow Wants Civil War Role

Gwyneth Paltrow has been with Marvel since the very beginning. She has been in Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Iron Man 3, and Avengers. As you can see, she has been in every movie that Robert Downey Jr. has been in. It's unknown if she will be in Avengers: Age of Ultron but it's likely she will be in some capacity. It's hard to picture Tony Stark without Pepper Potts, which brings us to Paltrow's desire to be along side Downey again in Captain America: Civil War. She spoke to DishNation this week about the possibility and said, "My fingers are crossed. I would love to be Pepper Potts again at some point in my life." 

No Nova in Guardians 2

The once risky property of Guardians of the Galaxy has turned into a huge hit, thanks in part to director James Gunn. Gunn is now working hard on the sequel and has spoken about his desire for more characters in Guardians of the Galaxy 2. One character that everyone wants to see in the movie is Nova. Unfortunately for Nova and fans of the character, he will not be appearing in Guardians of the Galaxy 2. Gunn took to Facebook to confirm this as he responded to a fan question. Gunn said that Nova does not currently serve a purpose to the story, right now.

Maria Hill Could Appear in Civil War

As I was writing this, another rumor popped up saying that Cobie Smulders could return as Maria Hill in Captain America: Civil War. The rumor comes from Spanish sites elmulticine and Cinemax. They both claim that Smulders will in fact return as Maria Hill for the epic Civil War storyline.

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Marvel Weekly News #2

This past week was relatively quiet for Marvel. Thanks to that, this week's post will be pretty short. We did get a few new looks at season 2 of Agents of SHIELD as well as some tidbits on what we could see in Guardians of the Galaxy 2.

Agents of SHIELD Promo Video

This week Marvel released the first promo video for season 2 of Agents of SHIELD. With that, we got a look at Skye and her bangs, Ward and his beard, Melinda May fighting the Absorbing Man, and what looked like a perfectly fine Fitz. There was also a look at the new darker logo that the show will feature. You can watch the promo video here and the new logo here.

Agents of SHIELD Season 2 Premiere Will Answer Questions

Jeff Bell spoke with TV Line this week about the upcoming season 2 for Agents of SHIELD. He revealed that the premiere of season 2 will answer some of those burning questions season 1 left us with. For instance, the premiere will address Skye's father, what Ward's future may be, and the state of the Fitz/Simmons relationship.

Earth Characters in Guardians 2?

James Gunn is hard at work on Guardians of the Galaxy 2. Gunn knows that fans want more and new characters in the sequel but he has stated that not all characters will be considered. Many wanted Ms Marvel to make an appearance but Gunn has said that he will steer clear of earth based characters. With that being said, which characters do you hope are added to the roster?

First Look at Lance Hunter

Marvel has made many new additions to the Agents of SHIELD cast. At Comic-Con they announced, along with others, that Nick Blood will play the mercenary known as Lance Hunter. We got our first image of Lance Hunter this week, which can be seen here.

Al Pacino in a Marvel Movie?

Al Pacino has apparently caught wind of the Guardians of the Galaxy fever. Pacino has been on record many times this past week raving over how much he loved Guardians of the Galaxy, even comparing it to Shakespeare. When asked if he would like to be in a Marvel movie he said, "I would do anything that I could understand in terms of how I fit in it. And you know, of course if I could fit in it. Anything’s possible." What role would you want to see Pacino play if any?

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Guardians of the Galaxy Review

Guardians of the Galaxy has officially hit theaters and opened up with a bang. It raked in over $11 million on opening night. I saw it at midnight in a crowded theater. If you haven't seen it yet, I highly recommend seeing it in IMAX 3D. James Gunn even made a video about how this movie was planned from the beginning for IMAX 3D and was well worth it.

***** Some slight SPOILERS for Guardians of the Galaxy below *****

Guardians of the Galaxy captures your attention right after the Marvel logo pops up. Star-Lord dancing and singing on an abandoned planet sets up the tone for this movie perfectly. As a whole, the movie is incredibly funny, action packed, and pulls you in. Star-Lord and Rocket Raccoon are constantly throwing witty one liners in every situation. Whether it is Star-Lord making jokes about the girls he has been with or Rocket constantly mocking everyone he encounters. Groot is also funny in his own unique way. The way he smiles after taking down a group of bad guys is one of the best Groot moments in the film.

The action sequences in the movie are captivating. The first scene when Gamora, Star-Lord, Rocket, and Groot are fighting is a great way to introduce how incredible they are. The prison break scene absolutely insane and that is where Rocket really shines for the first time. 

The visuals in the movie are some of the best in any Marvel movie, especially in IMAX 3D. All of the new planets and environments are eye opening and completely beautiful. Whether it is Xandar, Knowhere, or the Klyn prison, each place has a unique feel and look that is unlike many places we have seen so far in Marvel's universe.

Everyone in this movie delivered high quality performances. Chris Pratt, who plays Star-Lord, gives me a reminder of dare I say a young Tony Stark. He has a huge ego, looks the part, and turned away from his selfish ways to help the greater good of the galaxy. Zoe Saldana (Gamora) is both terrifying and captivating in this movie. Dave Bautista (Drax) may not be the actor that the rest of the cast is but the way he speaks and the words he used I thought were perfect for his role. At different points in the movie you are scared of him one second and then you blink and you are rooting for him and care about his well being. Bradley Cooper (Rocket) and Vin Diesel (Groot) both did a great job voicing their characters. Cooper's voice felt perfect in the tiny (not raccoon) body of Rocket. Vin Diesel was actually very good with all the different ways he was able to deliver the same 3 words, I am Groot, over and over.

The villains were, at times, underwhelming and I would've liked to see more screen time for Ronan, Nebula, Korath, and Thanos. Ronan scared the crap out of me every time he was on screen and getting to see more scenes, specifically fight scenes, with him would have been very enjoyable. Nebula and all of her technological enhancements caught my eye and the way Karen Gillan showed off the jealousy she has towards Gamora was great. I'm hoping we get more back story on their sibling rivalry in the sequel. Josh Brolin's voice as Thanos was deep and just perfect. I really wanted to see him standing for the first time to get a look at just how big he actually is.

All in all Guardians of the Galaxy is packed with fun, will make you laugh, cry, and maybe even scare you a bit. I highly recommend seeing it as soon as you can and in IMAX 3D. Also go pick up the soundtrack on iTunes because I thoroughly enjoyed it in the movie. Guardians of the Galaxy is one of the best Marvel movies they have made so far and has earned itself a 4.5 out of 5 on my rating scale.

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Marvel Comic-Con 2014 News Wrap Up

Today is the last day of the 2014 San Diego Comic-Con. Marvel has wrapped up all of its major panels so far. They have 4 small panels going on later today but those should not give us any new and surprising news.

Marvel was expected to announce a few things about Agents of SHIELD, Agent Carter, Ant-Man, and Avengers: Age of Ultron. We have already written a post breaking down what they announced for Agents of SHIELD (you can read that here). They did not make any big announcements of Agent Carter unfortunately. The biggest thing announced was that the Russo brothers, who directed Captain America: The Winter Soldier, will direct episodes 2 and 3.

Marvel did make some noise with Ant-Man. They brought Paul Rudd (Scott Lang) and Michael Douglas (Hank Pym) out to talk about their roles. Both are very excited with the new script and what the future holds. Marvel also brought out and confirmed that Corey Stoll and Evangeline Lilly will be in the movie and announced their roles. Corey Stoll will be playing Darren Cross. He will be the main villain in the movie and become Yellowjacket. In the comics Yellowjacket was another hero Hank Pym became. In the movie, Cross is the next in line for Hank Pym's business and when he tries to take it down a different (evil?) path, he gets some Pym particles and a suit.

Evangeline Lilly will play Hope Van Dyne, the daughter of Hank Pym and Janet Van Dyne. It seems likely she will be the love interest of Scott Lang and hopefully (possibly) become the Wasp. In the comics she becomes a member of the Revengers under the name Red Queen. It is unknown what path Hope will go down as the new script has just recently been finished.

Robert Downey Jr was the first to come to the stage when the panel turned to Avengers: Age of Ultron. As the poster boy of Marvel he was obviously received with a huge applause. He also served as a sort of hype man during the panel, helping introduce the likes of Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch, Vision, and Thanos. No real news came from this panel except for a teaser trailer of sorts that won't be made to public for what seems like some time. I'm still hopeful we get a glimpse after Guardians of the Galaxy or even the full clip when Captain America: The Winter Soldier comes out on DVD. Many other sites have listed the description of the footage so I won't delve into that here.

Marvel ended their panel with a short video featuring James Gunn and Chris Pratt. The announcement? Guardians of the Galaxy 2 will hit theaters July 28th, 2017! That's right. Even before Guardians of the Galaxy makes its US debut, Marvel has green lit a sequel for this space adventure franchise. What storyline it will take and who will be in it will become more clear later this week after everyone gets a chance to see Guardians of the Galaxy.

This year's Comic-Con would be deemed as a slight disappointment by most Marvel fans. We didn't get any announcements about Captain America 3 or a possible Doctor Strange movie. It seems Marvel is going to be releasing their info slowly for Phase 3 to keep fans on the edge. Instead of announcing all their titles till 2019, they are holding their cards close to their chests to get fans even more excited and for the speculation and buzz to continue to grow. We will hopefully get a steady flow of announcements on titles and casting in a few weeks.

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