Rosario Dawson Joins Daredevil

Today, Marvel announced that acclaimed actress Rosario Dawson, age 35, will be joining Daredevil. Dawson's role has not yet been specified but we have been given this description, "Rosario Dawson will play a dedicated young woman whose quest to heal the wounds of Hell's Kitchen brings Matt Murdock unexpectedly crashing into her life, while her own journey forever alters the course of his battle against the injustices of this broken city."

Dawson has been in many films. She will be appearing in Sin City: A Dame to Kill For later this year. She has also had roles in Zookeeper, Unstoppable, Seven Pounds, Eagle Eye, Sin City, Men in Black II, and He Got Game. She won the 2004 Rising Star Award from the American Black Film Festival and the 2009 Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture for her role in Seven Pounds to name a few.

While her role has yet to be revealed, there are a few that seem to be the most likely: Elektra, Echo, and Jessica Jones. This is all pure speculation but each make sense for various ways.

Elektra, Elektra Natchios, is a former girlfriend of Matt Murdock. She broke up with Murdock after her father died and she began a life of crime. She worked for the Kingpin, who will also be in the Netflix series, for quite some time in the comics. She eventually turned to become an ally of Daredevil.

Echo, Maya Lopez, was raised by Kingpin after he killed her father. He raised her under the belief that Daredevil was the one to kill her father, and she trained in hopes of one day getting her revenge. She has been deaf her entire life. She eventually learned the truth about her father's death, killed Kingpin, and joined the Avengers as Ronin.

Jessica Jones has had the powers of flight and strength since she was a teenager. She grew up becoming a journalist and then a private investigator. She is married to Luke Cage and together with Daredevil and Iron Fist form the Heroes For Hire. This character is the closest to the official description of the three. Another nugget from the description and Jessica's origin story is how they say "Matt Murdock unexpectedly crashing into her life." The keyword there is crashing. In her origin story, she gains her powers through a car crash that exposes her to experimental chemicals.

Daredevil is set to debut on Netflix in 2015. It currently stars Charlie Cox, Vincent D'Onofrio, and new addition Rosario Dawson. The executive producers are Steven S. DeKnight, Drew Goddard, and Jeph Loeb.

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Ant-Man Gets New Director and Writer

After weeks of rumors and speculation, Marvel has finally landed a new director and writer for Ant-Man. Edgar Wright left the project about two weeks ago after pushing hard for an Ant-Man movie since 2006. He left due to creative differences over the script and vision of the movie. Marvel was unhappy with the script and even after multiple rewrites from Edgar Wright and Joe Cornish, Wright had enough and left the movie he loved so much.

Luckily for everyone, Marvel has finally found his replacements. Marvel announced today that Peyton Reed will take over as the director of the film, while Adam McKay will join the project as a writer. 

Peyton Reed has been the director on many films. His most notable films are Yes Man, The Break-Up, and Bring It On. Reed's name popped up as a candidate a few days ago, and after multiple others passed the project, Marvel and Reed agreed on the deal.

Adam McKay has joined the project as a writer. He was an early candidate for the movie but multiple news outlets reported that he had passed on the opportunity to join Marvel. That is no longer the case. McKay has written many comedies and has a strong connection with Paul Rudd, the film's star. He has written movies like Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues, The Other Guys, Step Brothers, and Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy.

Marvel was very concerned about getting people that could work with the current cast and still deliver an Ant-Man movie they can be proud of. Ant-Man is set to come out July 17, 2015 starring Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas, Evangeline Lilly, Patrick Wilson, Corey Stoll, Michael Pena, and Matt Gerald.

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Marvel Lands Doctor Strange Director

Doctor Strange has been on the horizon of Marvel's Cinematic Universe for some time now. Recently in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Strange even got a name drop from Agent Sitwell. It now seems that a Doctor Strange movie is closer than ever.

Variety reports that Marvel is close to agreeing to a contract with Scott Derrickson to direct the Doctor Strange movie. Marvel has yet to make any official announcement. Scott Derrickson is a unique choice to direct as he as mainly directed movies in the horror genre. He was the director and writer for The Exorcism of Emily Rose, Sinister, and Deliver Us from Evil which comes out later this year. He also was the director on The Day the Earth Stood Still. 

Derrickson should be able to deliver a whole new look and feel to the Marvel universe if he approaches a Doctor Strange movie the same way. Doctor Strange was a surgeon before a car accident crushed his hands. He studied under the Ancient One where he learned to develop magic abilities. The world of magic is a dark and creepy one, which makes Derrickson's background perfect.

UPDATE: Scott Derrickson took to twitter to confirm the news along with this selfie

No news of a release date or lead actor have been announced yet, but that shouldn't last long. The San Diego Comic-Con is from July 24-27 and would seem to be an ideal time to announce more on this movie. The likely release date for the movie would be July 8, 2016 which is only a few months after Captain America 3. While no official casting news is out there, actors often mentioned with this movie are- Johnny Depp, Jon Hamm, and Orlando Bloom.

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Marvel Finds Their Daredevil

Back in February, Marvel and Netflix announced a partnership to bring four superhero series to the small screen. The heroes being brought to Netflix in 2015 are Daredevil, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, and Jessica Jones. Once each of the characters have completed their own seasons, they will team up to form The Defenders and have another series featuring all the characters.

Daredevil is the first series to hit Netflix and filming will start sometime this summer. We did not know who would be portraying Matthew Murdock, until today. Latino Review and The Hollywood Reporter are reporting that Charlie Cox has signed on as the lead. Cox is most recognized for his roles in Stardust and Boardwalk Empire.

With Cox now reportedly on board, Marvel can continue to announce the supporting characters that will be in the series. Filming is set to begin this summer in New York and this should be just the beginning of lots of casting news. With 13 episodes set to be in the series, you can guarantee there will be many familiar faces to the comics in the show. Once casting is out of the way, we should learn when exactly the show will start filming, as well as getting our first looks at how Daredevil and others will look.

Marvel has yet to confirm the signing but it should be seen as good news after the show lost Drew Goddard as its show-runner late last week. Marvel quickly announced that Steven DeKnight would be taking over with Goddard gone. Goddard left to focus on producing Sony's Sinister Six movie, but will remain as an adviser for the Daredevil series. Marvel will likely confirm the signing soon, and when they do, we will let you know!

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Edgar Wright Leaves Ant-Man

Today Variety reported some very shocking news to Marvel fans. Edgar Wright and Marvel have decided to part ways. According to Variety, Marvel has already found a new director for the film and it will still launch on July 17, 2015.

For those of you that may not know, Edgar Wright has been pushing for Marvel to make an Ant-Man movie for about a decade, dating back to 2006. He had been the driving force to get Ant-Man on the big screen and it is very surprising he is no longer part of the project, especially since he was the writer and director. 

Marvel and Wright decided to part ways "due to differences in their version of the film", according to the report by Variety. The film was described earlier on as a heist movie, and whether that is still the case remains to be seen.

While the movie is still going to happen according to Marvel, just how true that is should be in serious question. Kevin Feige and Marvel have stated in the past that Edgar Wright's vision for the character and movie was the only reason they decided to green light the project. With him no longer attached, Marvel may not have enough support within or belief in the project itself to continue on.

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For the full story by Variety click here.

10 Burning Questions Heading Into Season 2 of Agents of SHIELD

Season 1 of Agents of SHIELD is officially in the books. The 22 episode season had many twists and turns and came into its own following a tie in with Captain America: The Winter Soldier that changed the series. The writers and producers did a decent job answering questions that were brought up in this series, but there are also many questions they still need to answer. Thankfully Agents of SHIELD was picked up for a second season that will debut in the fall at 9 p.m. on ABC. The second season will give the fans a chance to get some of their questions answered. Here is a list of 10 questions season 2 of Agents of SHIELD needs to answer-

***** SPOILERS for season 1 of Agents of SHIELD to follow *****

1) What is Skye's Real Name?

In the pilot episode of Agents of SHIELD, Skye is helping Mike Peterson erase his identity. She states that this is not the first time she has done this before. Later in the season, she is interviewed by Eric Koenig and when he asks if that is her real name, she replies that's her self-given name. Season 2 needs to give us insight into Skye's past more as they have laid many different seeds as to just who or what she might be. Her real name could prove to have a high impact on the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with many, including yours truly, thinking she could/will become Carol Danvers, Ms. Marvel.

2) Who/What are Skye's Parents?

Early on in the series, mysteries surrounding Skye's parents and her upbringing came into question. SHIELD had restricted all files about Skye's parents but it was later revealed that the people that were protecting Skye were killed by "monsters" and died keeping Skye alive. The agents protecting Skye deemed her an 0-8-4, an object of unknown origins. Raina, who will be discussed later, is apparently in contact with Skye's father, bloody hand and all. Season 2 seems poised to deal with her parents as Skye's father should comes to the forefront to find his long lost daughter.

3) What Makes Raina Special?

Ever since Raina and her flower dresses showed up in Agents of SHIELD something about her has seemed "off". Raina is drawn to people with special abilities whether that was Scorch, Garrett, Deathlok, or Skye. She even had to use the same machine she used to torture Coulson at some point in her past. When talking with Garrett in the season finale, Raina asks him, "What will I become?" Viewers do not get to see Garrett's answer but a popular theory on "Flowers" is that she could be an Inhuman, a group of genetically enhanced beings operated on by the Kree long ago. Whether or not Raina is or could be an Inhuman or another type of alien, will need to be answered in season 2.

4) Will Fitz Ever be the Same?

Fitz became a fan favorite quickly and his future on the show will be a big question on fans minds till season 2 starts. As we all know, Fitz's brain was without oxygen for quite some time trying to save himself and Simmons. Simmons reiterates that while Fitz is alive, something is wrong with him. Since  that is one of the biggest cliffhangers the show left us with, it should be dealt with early on in season 2. Unfortunately, it does not seem like he will be the same Fitz fans grew to know and love. But who knows, with everything SHIELD has or had at it's disposal, Fitz could turn out to be just fine after all.

5) Is Coulson Unraveling?

Coulson is still angry about what happened and Nick Fury did a really good job not answering any questions fans and Coulson had. The one thing that Fury said that stood out was that Coulson is not "special." The reason Fury saved his life is because he is one of the few people that Fury trusts. Fury even went as far as to say that Coulson was an Avenger. Now whether that means he just views him as part of the team or is a foreshadowing of what's to come (Captain Marvel anyone?) remains to be seen. What we do know is that Coulson was injected with GH 325 to save his life, the same stuff Skye and Garrett got injected with. Skye seems fine but Garrett went a little crazy in the eyes of many. Coulson might be heading down the crazy path too. The final scene of the season is him copying down an alien formula of some sorts. What exactly that formula is remains to be seen and brings us nicely into our next question.

6) What is the Alien Formula?

This formula was first shown in episode 4 ("Eye-Spy"). The team used the robotic eye technology to send Ward on a mission meant for Akela Amador. Once Ward got to his final destination, he gazed upon a wall with bizarre markings on it. You can view that formula here. We have no clues on what that could be but it is believed to be of alien origin and either a formula, equation, or maybe coordinates. We will have to wait for season 2 to find out.

7) What was the Blue Alien?

The blue alien shown in episode 14 ("T.A.H.I.T.I.") is still an 0-8-4 as far as we know. Rumors have circled that is a Kree, even Chloe Bennett might have confirmed it. It has markings similar to ones of aliens seen in Guardians of the Galaxy so that movie could prove to shed a lot of light on this situation. What kind of alien this is will determine the futures of not only Coulson but also Skye.

8) Is Koenig a L.M.D.?

One of the more surprising scenes of the final was the return of Patton Oswalt. Weirdly enough, he did not return as Eric Koenig but as Billy Koenig. The first thing that my mind went to was Koenig being a L.ife M.odel D.ecoy. The L.M.D.'s were first brought into the thoughts of fans in the Avengers when Tony Stark answers Coulson's call but says that he is not Tony Stark and just a Life Model Decoy. Koenig being a L.M.D. seems the most likely answer as it would allow SHIELD to operate many bases with the same man.

9) What happened to all their villains?

Now this is not a huge question and one that is always likely to happen in finales. Over the course of the season Marvel made many villains for the team to battle. Their biggest, John Garrett, is now dead, but many of his creations and followers are still out there. Deathlok is now free and has set out to right his wrongs but there are many other people whose whereabouts are unknown. Ian Quinn and Raina left The Bus together along with the case of Gravitonium. As to where they went, we don't know but they unknowingly brought along another teased villain. In episode 3 ("The Asset") Dr. Franklin Hall falls into the Gravitonium but manages to survive. This teases his eventual transformation into "Graviton." These 3, along with Raina's connection to Skye's father could prove to be a deadly group. There is one more mystery person. Donnie Gill. Gill was introduced in episode 12 ("Seeds") where he created a machine for Ian Quinn that could generate storms. When he tried to turn it off, he got struck by lighting and was given frost/freezing powers. He will eventually become a villain known as "Blizzard". He went into SHIELD custody but where exactly he went is unknown. His future and whereabouts, along with those of Raina, Deathlok, Quinn, and Graviton, will hopefully be addressed in season 2.

10) Can Coulson truly rebuild S.H.I.E.L.D.?

The happiest moment of the season possibly was Fury giving him the task of rebuilding SHIELD with the help of "The Toolbox". The Toolbox is a little black box that contains information to help Coulson rebuild SHIELD. Coulson has many friends capable of helping him do this whether it is Melinda May, Maria Hill, Tony Stark, or Steve Rogers. All 4 of these people along with Director Coulson, would form a very good core for SHIELD to revolve around. It will be a tough task for Coulson to rebuild a secret organization the world views as one built on terrorism. Coulson now holds a big key to the future of Marvel's Cinematic Universe. First he needs to go inform his fellow Avengers that he is in fact still alive, even if not all there. With them by his side, SHIELD will be able to rebuild and form many new allies.

     

Phil Coulson, Melinda May, Skye, Jemma Simmons, Leo Fitz, Billy Koenig, and Antoine Triplett will be back for Season 2 of Agents of SHIELD in the fall of 2014.

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Agents of SHIELD Season 1 Finale Review

 It's over. Not forever thank goodness as Marvel and ABC announced that season 2 of Agents of SHIELD will kick off in the fall, but season 1 is now officially over. Through all of it's highs and lows, Agents of SHIELD has turned itself into a quality television show. Ratings were not where Marvel wanted which prompted them to push back the time slot next season to 9 pm. "End of the Beginning" finished the season strong and had many great moments

***** SPOILERS for season 1 of Agents of SHIELD to follow *****

"End of the Beginning" delivered on every front fans could want. It had a great story. It had great one liners. It had great action scenes. It had a lot of emotion. It had a big time cameo. It gave us fans a lot of things to think about.

One of the first things we see from the season finale is John Garrett sketching that at first looks like gibber jabber, but when we get a closer look, it is actually very familiar. Garrett is copying down what is believed to be some type of alien formula or equation. Now that Garrett has GH 325 flowing through him as well as the centipede formula and Cybertek gear, he feels one with the universe. The formula is not something small, and even though it is still a mystery as to what exactly it is, it looks like it could play a big part in season 2. 

Meanwhile, Fitz and Simmons try to rescue themselves from the bottom of the ocean and Fitz is willing to do it at all costs. In his plan to rescue them, he gives up his chance at surviving. Luckily, once Simmons pulls herself and him to the surface, a friendly face appears. Nick Fury. 

The rest of the team is busy stealing armored trucks, blowing holes in walls, and breaking into Cybertek for a showdown with Deathlok, Ward, and Garrett. Ward thinks Garrett is losing his mind and confides in Raina where she tells him to get the one thing he cares about, Skye. Raina says she is important to the evolution of the world and that Ward, a monster, and Skye, whose parents are "monsters", are not that different.

When Ward goes to get Skye, she delivers many one liners and sets up an amazing fight sequence between May and Ward, where May is the victor. Coulson is trying to take down Garrett when Fury show up. Garrett calls it the first tag-team fight between 4 dead guys, which prompts Coulson to say, "I only see one." Thanks to Skye's ability to deliver a message to Deathlok, he turns on his master and shoots a rocket right at Garrett, seemingly killing him. Ward gets taken into custody where Coulson says he will find new ways to make his life miserable.

Skye lets Deathlok walk away free but he knows SHIELD, or what's left of it, will monitor his actions. Coulson finally gets his yelling session with Fury where we still don't get many answers thanks to a wonderful surprise from Fury. He hands Coulson a little black box that holds the key to rebuilding SHIELD. Director Coulson, weird to say, is now the overseer of SHIELD and will rebuild it slowly and from the ground up. Fury, meanwhile, states nobody will see him for quite some time.

In one of the craziest scenes of the episode, the believed to be dead John Garrett, kills the people guarding him and drags his body to a machine that equips him with brand new Cybertek gear. With the audiences jaws dropped and Garrett poised to be back for season 2, Coulson destroys him using the 0-8-4 from episode 2. As the team takes off, they head to the first coordinates found in the black box, where they are met by a familiar face. Simmons shows up outside The Bus and is greeted with hugs from the rest of the team. With Fitz not by her side, the team asks questions leading to an uncertain future on how/if Fitz will recover. 

Another familiar face, or maybe not so much, appears after. Agent Koenig. But this time not Eric Koenig, Billy Koenig. Billy Koenig, played by Patton Oswalt, could have a mysterious origin. Is he a life model decoy? Is he a clone? Is he a twin? Only season 2 can answer those questions.

As far as what to expect for season 2 of Agents of SHIELD, the last few minutes plant a couple HUGE seeds. The first is Raina handing a picture of Skye to a person in a dark room with bloody hands. Raina tells this person that she has found their daughter. Raina has previously mentioned Skye's parents being monsters, so just what kind of monster will be a big question on fans minds till next fall. The second seed, and the final scene for season, involves Coulson. Coulson sees the alien formula/equation that Garrett sketched and walks to a near by wall with a knife. He then starts making the same markings as Garrett, leaving us with questions on his sanity. 

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