Avengers Animated Television Series

Disney is already begining to take advantage of their acquisition of Marvel Entertainment, and will be releasing an animated series on Disney XD in fall 2010: “The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes“

Louis Leterrier Officially In The Running To Assemble THE AVENGERS!

I just finished an interview with CLASH OF THE TITANS director Louis Leterrier, and, wouldn't you know it, the topic of him directing THE AVENGERS came up! Now, Leterrier has lobbied in the past for the gig, but I'm pretty sure today is the first time he's revealed that he is on Marvel Studios' official shortlist to helm the big superhero soiree geeks have been clamoring for since Nick Fury's surprise cameo at the end of IRON MAN.

Here's what he had to say:

"I am on the shortlist, but I'm at the bottom of the shortlist, I'm sure. (Laughs) I don't know who the other guys are, but I have a great relationship with [Marvel], and I've been very vocal to them and everyone else that I am the one to direct it. I loved my time at Marvel. I loved those guys. They're fantastic. Kevin is such a passionate boss; he gets his hands dirty. It's a universe I want to keep exploring. I was frustrated with [THE INCREDIBLE HULK]. It was like, "That's it? Only one superhero? Can I do more???" We'll see. Time will tell."

As for "the other guys" in the running, feel free to speculate. Jon Favreau took himself out of the running last October. Of the directors who've been directly involved in Marvel's run-up to THE AVENGERS, this leaves Leterrier, Kenneth Branagh (THOR) and Joe Johnston (THE FIRST AVENGER: CAPTAIN AMERICA). I suppose you could include Edgar Wright (ANT-MAN) and Zak Penn (who's writing THE AVENGERS) as well. Any favorites out of that group? I have one, but I very selfishly don't want to lose him to franchise filmmaking. Also, he has a very specific style that might clash with Marvel's insistence on a somewhat cohesive sensibility.

Finally, there's the very real possibility that Marvel's shortlist includes a director or two who has yet to work with the studio.

In the meantime, Leterrier's CLASH OF THE TITANS will Bubo your brains out on April 2nd.

Whedon to head 'Avengers'



Iron Man, Thor, Captain America and the Incredible Hulk will soon start taking orders from Joss Whedon.

Marvel Studios is wrapping up a deal for Whedon to helm "The Avengers," which assembles the superheroes in one pic on May 4, 2012, that Paramount will distrib. Whedon will also rework Zak Penn's script.

Whedon, a favorite among fanboys, most recently penned the script for "Cabin in the Woods," a horror pic that he is also producing for MGM. Pic co-stars Chris Hemsworth, who plays the hammer-wielding Thor.

The creator of series like "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," "Angel," "Firefly" and more recently "Dollhouse," all for Fox, has been close to helming a superhero pic before, namely "Wonder Woman" for Joel Silver at Warner Bros., but Whedon wound up ankling the project due to creative issues.

He directed episodes of those series, and recently helmed an episode of Fox's "Glee." "Serenity" is his sole film directing credit. The sci-fi western, distribbed by Universal in 2005, was based on the short-lived "Firefly."

"The Avengers" extends Whedon's long relationship with Marvel. He wrote for the comicbook company's "Astonishing X-Men" series.

"The Avengers" would star Robert Downey Jr. (as Iron Man), Chris Evans (Captain America), Hemsworth (Thor) and Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury). Edward Norton may also return as the Hulk.

"Iron Man 2" bows May 7, followed by "Thor" on May 6, 2011, and "The First Avenger: Captain America" on July 22, 2011. Paramount will distrib.

Downey Jr. Does His Avengers Homework

It looks like Robert Downey Jr. gave one comic book store clerk a day to remember. The "Iron Man" franchise actor was spotted buying both "Iron Man" and "Avengers" comics in Hollywood on Wednesday (June 2nd). It appears he's doing his homework for when he brings his Tony Stark/Iron Man to the set of Marvel Studios' The Avengers, which he'll film after shooting Sherlock Holmes 2.

EXCLUSIVE: Edward Norton is not the Hulk in 'The Avengers'... but he'd like to be

That’s the word from Hitfix, who cites “Marvel sources” as saying that the company have decided to part ways with Edward Norton as Bruce Banner aka the Hulk, and will instead be hiring an unknown to play the role for Joss Whedon’s “The Avengers”. Of course, like a lot of Marvel films nowadays, it’s all just conjecture and unnamed sources until the studio comes out and says it, and let’s face, there has been plenty — and I do mean plenty — of rushed “exclusive scoops” when it comes to Marvel movie casting, and this could very well be one of them.

Again, until Marvel makes it official via one of the trades, it’s just another Internet rumor, and should be treated as such.

What we do know is this: Robert Downey Jr. will definitely be playing Tony Stark aka Iron Man, Chris Hemsworth will definitely be playing Thor, Chris Evans is definitely Captain America, Samuel L. Jackson is definitely Nick Fury, Scarlett Johansson is the Black Widow, and Jeremy Renner is most definitely Hawkeye.

The Hulk? Well, that’s up in the air. And in case you’re keeping count, if this turns out to be true, the Hulk will have gone through three actors since it resurfaced as a movie franchise in 2003. That is one confused superhero.

CONFIRMED: The Avengers Will be Assembling a New Hulk/Bruce Banner

Marvel Studios has confirmed  that Edward Norton won’t be reprising his role as The Hulk in “The Avengers”. This from Marvel Studios President of Production Kevin Feige himself:

    "We have made the decision to not bring Ed Norton back to portray the title role of Bruce Banner in the Avengers. Our decision is definitely not one based on monetary factors, but instead rooted in the need for an actor who embodies the creativity and collaborative spirit of our other talented cast members. The Avengers demands players who thrive working as part of an ensemble, as evidenced by Robert, Chris H, Chris E, Sam, Scarlett, and all of our talented casts. We are looking to announce a name actor who fulfills these requirements, and is passionate about the iconic role in the coming weeks."

Edward Norton’s agent Brian Swardstrom has responded  to Marvel’s decision to re-cast The Hulk in Joss Whedon’s upcoming “The Avengers”:

    "This offensive statement from Kevin Feige at Marvel is a purposefully misleading, inappropriate attempt to paint our client in a negative light. Here are the facts: two months ago, Kevin called me and said he wanted Edward to reprise the role of Bruce Banner in The Avengers. He told me it would be his fantasy to bring Edward on stage with the rest of the cast at ComiCon and make it the event of the convention. When I said that Edward was definitely open to this idea, Kevin was very excited and we agreed that Edward should meet with Joss Whedon to discuss the project. Edward and Joss had a very good meeting (confirmed by Feige to me) at which Edward said he was enthusiastic at the prospect of being a part of the ensemble cast. Marvel subsequently made him a financial offer to be in the film and both sides started negotiating in good faith. This past Wednesday, after several weeks of civil, uncontentious discussions, but before we had come to terms on a deal, a representative from Marvel called to say they had decided to go in another direction with the part. This seemed to us to be a financial decision but, whatever the case, it is completely their prerogative, and we accepted their decision with no hard feelings.

    We know a lot of fans have voiced their public disappointment with this result, but this is no excuse for Feige’s mean spirited, accusatory comments. Counter to what Kevin implies here, Edward was looking forward to the opportunity to work with Joss and the other actors in the Avengers cast, many of whom are personal friends of his. Feige’s statement is unprofessional, disingenuous and clearly defamatory. Mr. Norton talent, tireless work ethic and professional integrity deserve more respect, and so do Marvel’s fans."

So, who do you believe in? The Agent or the President?

So, third Bruce. Ok. Bring it. Just don't tell me its Adrien Brody sudah lah or else I will ROFL.

We know a lot of fans have voiced their public disappointment with this result, but this is no excuse for Feige’s mean spirited, accusatory comments. Counter to what Kevin implies here, Edward was looking forward to the opportunity to work with Joss and the other actors in the Avengers cast, many of whom are personal friends of his. Feige’s statement is unprofessional, disingenuous and clearly defamatory. Mr. Norton talent, tireless work ethic and professional integrity deserve more respect, and so do Marvel’s fans."