Presenting our weekly round-up of all the biggest news stories from the world of movie superheroes…
So, another week, another flood of leaks from the set of The Dark Knight Rises, beginning with video footage from the shoot at Heinz Field which drew fire from fans due to the ‘wacky’ voice Tom Hardy has adopted for Bane. As io9 points out, there seems to be a growing backlash against Christopher Nolan’s sequel, leading Anne Hathaway to vent her frustrations over the incessant fan-shot material that’s been dominating the web lately, with the actress also responding to criticism over her Catwoman costume by telling MTV that “if you didn’t like the photo, you only see about a 10th of what that suit can do.” As I wrote earlier in the week, all the flak is getting a bit silly now and yes, some of the stuff we’ve seen may be a little underwhelming, but I really think it’s a bit early to be making judgments on the film, especially when all we really have to go on is about twenty seconds of footage from the teaser trailer.
Anyway, for those of us not quite ready to boycott The Dark Knight Rises, a few other bits and pieces have emerged from the production this week to sink our teeth into. First up comes rumours that the Riddler is set to join the ever-increasing roster of villains (can’t see it myself), along with talk that a major character – who we won’t name here – is likely to bite the dust (which I can see). We also got a glimpse of Joseph Gordon-Levitt filming an intriguing scene as ‘John Blake’ as well as a good look at the Batwing / Batjet / Tumblery-thing in action, while Anne Hathaway gave us an insight into the casting process for the film in an interview with The Examiner. Oh, and while we’re on the subject of Christopher Nolan, a few set pics have started popping up from the Zack Snyder-directed / Nolan-produced Man of Steel – check out the galleries here and here.
With all this talk of The Dark Knight Rises, it’s easy to forget that Joss Whedon is busy filming Marvel Studios’ big 2012 offering, The Avengers, and perhaps Warner Bros. could learn a thing or two from their rivals about how to keep stuff under wraps. Apart from a few set pictures (which seem to suggest a Hulk rampage), we really don’t know all that much about the superhero team-up and there still hasn’t been any confirmation on what villain(s) will be joining Tom Hiddleston’s Loki. A few whispers this week pointed to the inclusion of Ultron, but personally I’m still leaning towards the Skrull. Kevin Feige chipped in to suggest that “it is a very big event that requires all of The Avengers. It’s big. IT IS BIG.” So, we can safely assume the threat is ‘big’, and perhaps we’ll find out a little more at Walt Disney’s D23 Expo next weekend.
Talking about the D23 Expo, might we also get an announcement on the two mysterious Marvel Studios movies were revealed via BoxOfficeMojo for release in 2014? With Iron Man 3 and Thor 2 set to arrive in 2013, it’s probably a bit of a push to squeeze The Avengers 2 in so soon, but the studio have plenty of other projects to pick from. There’s been a lot of talk about Doctor Strange and Ant-Man recently, and over the past few months properties such as Luke Cage, Iron Fist and Guardians of the Galaxy have all been mooted as potential features. Marvel have also recently reacquired the rights to The Punisher and Blade and there’s always the possibility of bringing the likes of Samuel L. Jackson, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Clark Gregg and Cobie Smulders together for a S.H.I.E.L.D. movie. If I had to take a guess, I’d go for Captain America 2 and maybe the Edgar Wright / Joe Cornish Ant-Man, although I’m not sure if the latter would be a big enough draw for Marvel to use as a summer tentpole release; maybe the aforementioned S.H.I.E.L.D. idea, with a few new characters thrown into the line-up?
Wrapping up the best of the rest…
…Despite the fact he’s behind bars, Wesley Snipes took part in an interview (huh?) with IGN and talk got onto the Blade series, with Snipes stating he’s up for another outing as the vampire slayer: “Under the right circumstances, with the right team, yes, I’d do another one. But don’t get me wrong, I’m not waiting around for the opportunity. I’ve got plenty to do.” Presumably that includes peeling potatoes, sewing mailbags and fiddling his next tax return…
…The unofficial Marvel Cinematic Universe page on Facebook reports that Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy) could be following his Middle-Earth adventure in The Hobbit with an unspecified role in a future Marvel film…
…According to ABC Entertainment President Paul Lee, development is well underway on the small screen Marvel adaptations AKA Jessica Jones (Alias) and The Hulk, with a view to having pilot episodes for both shows ready next year…
…In addition to confirming his return as Heimdall in Thor 2, Idris Elba had a few words about his next superhero outing, the Nicolas Cage reboot/sequel Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, which is expected to get its first trailer some time next week…
…MTV caught up with The Amazing Spider-Man director Marc Webb for a brief chat about the upcoming reboot, while Andrew Garfield took part in an interview with AICN about the responsibilities of being Spider-Man…
…And lastly, Marko Manev has put together a gallery of ‘Marvel Minimalist Posters’ that you can check out here.
Be sure to vote in our poll for your favourite superhero movie of 2011…
Holy Franchise, Batman! – Coming 2012.
Originally published August 13, 2011. Updated November 29, 2022.
