Evangeline Lilly almost dropped out of ‘Ant-man’

‘Ant-man’ star Evangeline Lilly said she almost dropped out of the film after former director Edgar Wright left the project.

In an interview with Buzzfeed, [via Collider] Lilly explained what attracted her to the Marvel project in the first place, before the director stepped down.

“I thought Edgar’s idea to blend the [Hank and Scott] stories was brilliant. You’re going to have fans up there who insist that you tell the story of Hank Pym, and fans up there who will be more on the Scott Lang side of it. … I think we are going to come close to pleasing them all. And what’s cool is that, you know, Janet Van Dyne is my mom. Hank Pym is my father. I was raised by two superheroes. I’m no schlump. I’m a pretty smart, competent, capable, kick-ass female. She’s very cool.”

Photo courtesy of E! Online.

Lilly said she was shocked to learn Wright had left the project and considered dropping out herself.

“[I was] shocked. And mortified, at first. Actually, I wouldn’t say mortified. You know, a creative project is a moving target. You never end up where you start. But we all, I think, signed on very enthusiastically with Edgar. We were excited to work with Edgar. We were fans of Edgar. So when the split happened, I was in the fortunate position where I had not signed my contract yet. So I had the choice to walk away, and I almost did. Because I thought, ‘Well, if it’s because Marvel are big bullies, and they just want a puppet and not someone with a vision, I’m not interested in being in this movie.’ Which is what I was afraid of.”

Image courtesy of Cinema Blend.

She then went on to say what ultimately kept her on the project.

“I saw with my own eyes that Marvel had just pulled the script into their world. I mean, they’ve established a universe, and everyone has come to expect a certain aesthetic [and] a certain feel for Marvel films. And what Edgar was creating was much more in the Edgar Wright camp of films. They were very different.”

Collider also featured a small bit from actress Judy Greer about her role in the film.

“I’m Paul Rudd’s estranged ex-wife. We have a daughter together and our relationship is, well, estranged, but I feel like my character is still rooting for him to succeed. I guess that’s about as much as I can say. They gave us all these papers of things we’re allowed to say and things we’re not allowed to say, and I left them in Atlanta. Sorry! [Laughs]“

 This isn’t the first time we’ve heard that Wright’s vision wouldn’t have worked in the current Marvel Universe. To be honest, I’m glad Marvel had the stones to move forward with what it wanted instead of sticking with Wright.

It’s about what’s best for the over all story and if Kevin Feige didn’t like the direction the movie was going in, I think he’s earned the right by now to step in and take appropriate actions to go with what he wants. Wright has been on the project since around 2006, which is before the first Iron Man film came out. A lot has happened in the Marvel Cinematic Universe since then, and there is a gigantic plan in place that only a few people know about. If that original idea didn’t fit with Marvel’s established brand and tone, then it needed to be tweaked. If Wright didn’t want to do that, then the project is probably better off.

Image courtesy of Blastr.com

I am excited to see that Janet Van Dyne, aka Wasp, will be appearing in the film and not just mentioned. It’s more than a given that Lilly’s character will inherit the Wasp mantle alongside Paul Rudd’s Scott Lang Antman, but it’s nice to see Hank Pym [Michael Douglas] and Janet in the film as well. It represents the best of both worlds in the Ant-man universe.

What do you think about the interview? Does Wright leaving the project give you pause or have you decided to move on and give this new direction a shot? What about the film are you most excited/ nervous to see? Leave your thoughts in the comment section below.

While your at it, feel free to click that follow button to become a subscriber to this blog. Then make sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter in order to stay up to date on all the latest from the world of superhero movie news!

-Eric

‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ trailer – sweded

Hope you’re day is going well!

-Eric

Frank Grillo teases Crossbones return

Photo courtesy of Screen Rant.

We haven’t seen the last of Captain America villain Brock Rumlow aka Crossbones just yet. After inexplicably surviving a Hellicarrier plowing into him at the end of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, the character is scheduled to return in the sequel Captain America Civil War and reports say he’ll be the main baddie in the film.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly [via Superherohype.com], actor Frank Grillo teased what fans can expect from old Crossbones in the new film.

“[Winter Soldier] was only a taste of what’s to come with the next film, and I couldn’t be more humbled and excited,” Grillo said. “They just kind of called and said, ‘What kind of shape are you in? We’re going to need a body scan.’ They scan your body so that whatever you wear fits you like a glove.”

Hopeful for a return, Grillo talked about his love for Crossbones, noting that, “He’s a badass. He is just vicious. I like the idea that it’s no holds barred. I love the physicality. We all know what Crossbones represents in his world.”

And Grillo’s aware of the other rumors surrounding the film, a fact that gets him even more excited at the possibility of returning. “I hear Iron Man is in Captain America 3—he’s got a big role—and the Black Panther. It sounds like this Civil War is going to be pretty interesting.”

Image courtesy of Marvel Hero ICRP.

Hell yes! I’m down with Grillo coming back. He kicked major ass in Winter Soldier and I expect he’ll kick even more in Civil War.

The character has plenty of unfinished business to deal with. From his tussle with Agent 13, to his fight with Falcon and finally that Captain America ruined Hydra‘s plan and left him with a burned off face. There are a number of reasons why Grillo can go full on supervillain. And given the current state of Marvel’s villians,  it will be great to see Grillo really give a dark edge to the film. I wonder how the dispute between Iron Man and Captain America will help his own cause. Neither would be willing to work with him, but I’m sure he’d be more than willing to add fuel to the fire between the two heroes.

Image courtesy of Marvel.

I’ve said before I’ve been a huge fan of his since he starred in Warrior alongside Tom Hardy and Joel Edgerton, and gave a very inspiring speech towards the end of the film.

And who can forget that epic elevator scene in Winter Soldier?

Captain America Civil War hits theaters May 6, 2016.

What do you think of Grillo’s comments? What did you think of his character in Winter Soldier? Leave your thoughts in the comment section below.

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-Eric

Boseman talks ‘Black Panther,’ Robert Downey Jr. and more

Photo courtesy of Nerd Reactor.

Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman sat down with Entertainment Weekly [via Comic Book Movie]  and had a lot to say about his upcoming role, intial rumors and even Iron Man himself, Robert Downey Jr.

When asked about when the discussions with Marvel began about playing T’Challa, Boseman said:

“Not even a month,” he said. “The real official conversations happened really quickly. I think there were rumors out there, but those were rumors. Maybe that’s a form of conversation, but it wasn’t an actual conversation, if that makes any sense.”

EW then asked if he’d been a fan of the character growing up and Boseman admitted he’d heard of it but it wasn’t in his top ten favorites.

“I wasn’t, like, a fanatic,” he said. “I definitely read comic books, but this particular character was not someone that I knew very well until the last 10 years or so. I’d heard of him, but I hadn’t really been like I’m a huge Black Panther fan. I think once you get into the film business, though, you start thinking about things that would be really cool to do, and then I fell in love with [the character]. For me, that’s going to be the case for most people who watch it, for most people who see this character emerge inside the Marvel world. And it’s the right time for it, at the end of the day. It’s the right time for the character to emerge and to have his own life, so I’m really, really excited for it. And I just feel it can be done the right way right now.”

Image courtesy of DigitalTrends.com.

Boseman was then asked if he’d auditioned for other superheroes and about the casting process. He said he didn’t have to audition but did discuss the character with the producers of the film to see he was a good fit for the part.

“This was really the first… It wasn’t really an audition process. It was more of a discussion about what they wanted to do and how I saw it and what I wanted to do. It was more of a feeling out process and they’re really smart. I can’t talk too much about it—the only thing I can say is that they are smarter than you think they are.” He continued, “They have a lot of it figured out. This is the part where I have to be quiet. Because the same way that surprise happened at the El Capitan Theatre, I feel like it all has to happen like that. I just know they’re really good at what they do. And it’s not like, ‘Oh, I can make a whole lot of a money playing a superhero, or anything like that.’ For me, I’ve always been a person that says I’m not really looking to put on a suit and become a comic-book person. It’s never really been something in my scope, as far as a goal of mine. I’m more the person that says, ‘I want to do these really cool independent films with great characters with great directors, or studio films that have critical acclaim.’ But I think with Marvel, you have the best of both worlds.”

Finally he talked briefly about his Captain America: Civil War costar Robert Downey Jr. (and Captain America himself, Chris Evans) and if being on stage with him during Marvel’s upcoming slate announcement was the first time the two had met.

“…That was not the first time I had met Robert Downey,” he assured. “I met him before we were about to do Jay Leno [in April 2013]. And he’s so cool because he actually came to my dressing room to talk with me. I didn’t even know how to take it; it was so not what you would think he would do. He came and sat down, and we talked for a good 15, 20 minutes, just chatting it up. So when we got to the day with he and Chris Evans—Chris is also like that—it was just sort of a family atmosphere. They just invited me in and both walked me through that process. They seemed like they were reliving their own versions of that [introduction] through me.”

Boseman then was asked about the status of the script for the Black Panther solo film. He admitted he didn’t know much just yet.

“Honestly, I don’t think so,” he replied. “All of that is being come up with right now. How do they say that: My pay grade doesn’t reach that high.”

Finally, E! online asked Boseman said he’s already started training for the the Wakandan prince in order to be in the best shape of his life for the start of filming of Cap 3 in Atlanta, Ga.

A lot of strength and flexibility, but I’m not going to say anymore,” he told E!Online of his regimen, smiling. “I can’t say or reveal their training secrets. How do you know it’s not kickin’ right now?” Boseman asked. “I might be covering something up.”

What do you think about Boseman as Black Panther? What about Civil War? Leave your thoughts in the comment section below.

Then feel free to click that follow button to become a subscriber to this blog. And be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter in order to stay up to date on all the latest from the world of superhero movie news.

-Eric

Boseman talks ‘Black Panther’

Photo courtesy of Nerd Reactor.

Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman talked about his upcoming stint as the T’Challa in Captain America: Civil War. The actor didn’t give much in terms of details about his role in either of the flicks but did say he was excited to finally begin to talk about it in public.

Our friends at ComicBookMovie.com have the story.

“I’ll be in Captain America: Civil War,” he told reporters. “We’re preparing for that right now as well; [I’m] just sort of beginning the workout for that. We also have A Message From the King which will happen before [Civil War].” Meanwhile, IMDB asked Boseman what did he do right after finding out the casting was official. “I told some of my close friends,” Chadwick replied. “I had to keep quiet about it, so there wasn’t a lot I could do to be honest. It was mainly after it was announced I could celebrate it with people. Just to spend some time with people that I care about afterwards. I’m actually preparing for another role at this moment. A Message From the King is the movie I’m doing next. I’m doing prep for that. To some degree, there are some things I have to do at the same time. Black Panther will have its time when it gets complete focus.”

I wonder how large of  a role he’ll have in Cap 3. It’s been my assumption that he’ll take the place of Spider-man in the Civil War storyline, as far as the neutral party that both Steve Rogers and Tony Stark are fighting to bring to their side of the argument over superheroes working for the government.

In the end though, it’d be great to have Black Panther go his own way that sets up his solo film.

Image courtesy of DigitalTrends.com.

What do you think dear readers? Will the future king of Wakanda play a large role in Cap 3 or will it be something more a tune to a cameo? Leave your thoughts in the comment section below.

Then feel free to click that follow button and become a subscriber to Pow! After that be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter, in order to stay up to date on all the latest from the world of superhero movie news!

-Eric

Report: Crossbones main villain of ‘Civil War’

Image courtesy of Marvel.

When Marvel announced its plans for Captain America: Civil War a few weeks back, many assumed that Tony Stark/Iron Man would play the main antagonist in the film.

That doesn’t seem to be the case though, as Brock Rumlow aka Crossbones [Frank Grillo] looks like he’s back for revenge against our heroes after the events of Captain America: Winter Soldier. That’s the word at least according to a Tweet from Variety’s Justin Kroll.

Beat by Marvel in that one, two things he will play villain but not main one, Crossbones still main

— Justin Kroll (@krolljvar) November 14, 2014

Kroll is referring to the yesterday’s announcement that Daniel Bruhl has also been cast in the film and will most likely play  a villain, though that hasn’t yet been confirmed by Marvel.

I can’t wait to see more Grillo. I thought he was a great addition to the cast of Winter Soldier and have been an admirer of his work since his performance in Warrior. It was safe to assume he’d be back for Civil War, seeing as his character didn’t die at the end of the Winter Soldier, despite having a helicarrier crash into him.

I’m not sure what they’ll have the character do other than scheme ways to kill Cap, but maybe he’ll just serve as a physical threat, while Stark will serve as an antagonist simply because he views the world from a different point of view.

Photo courtesy of Screen Rant.

While I know Rumlow can hold his own against Falcon, I watched him get manhandled by Cap in that elevator scene, so I’ll have trouble buying that he can take on Cap one on one anytime soon.

What do you think? Does having Crossbones serve as the main baddie sound like a good thing or bad thing? Leave your thoughts in the comments.

Then make sure to click that follow button and become a subscriber to this blog. While you’re at it, feel free to follow us on Facebook and Twitter, in order to stay up to date on all the latest from the world of superhero movie news.

-Eric

H/T to our friends at ComicBook.com for the tip.

New ‘Age of Ultron’ trailer hits the web

Photo courtesy of Movie Pilot.

A new Avengers: Age of Ultron extended trailer has hit the web and it is chock full of new footage to compliment the bits we’ve already seen.

Take a look!

I really like that shot of Maria Hill [Cobie Smulders] cocking her gun and Thor gripping his hammer a little tighter. It really adds to the seriousness of the threat Ultron possesses.

H/T to ComicBookMovie.com for the link.

What did you think of the new footage? Leave your thoughts in the comments below. Then click that follow button, and follow us on Facebook and Twitter. It will help you stay up to date on all the latest from the world of superhero movie news.

Thanks!

-Eric

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Nolan: “A real movie wouldn’t do” post-credit scenes

Hey, so you know how we didn’t get a Marvel-style post credits scene at the end of Man of Steel? You can go ahead a blame Christopher Nolan.

The Dark Knight Trilogy, Inception and Interstellar director,  and Man of Steel producer  put the kabash on the idea of a post-credit sequence, according to a new report from The Guardian [via Comic Book Movie].

When the studio asked if Snyder would add a comedy coda ending, in the style of Marvel, Nolan’s reply was “A real movie wouldn’t do that.”

Oh, Chris, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize there were real movies and fake movies. Thank you so much for clarifying that for all of us.

In all seriousness though, at the time Warner Bros. didn’t even have a plan as to what its DC Cinematic Universe would look like during the production of Man of Steel, so what would have been the point of filming a post-credits sequence? The Dark Knight Rises had just ended, Green Lantern bombed and all WB could do was wait and see what kind of reception Man of Steel generated at the box office before it made its next move, so there would have been very little to show audiences.

It’s not like Marvel, who cast Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury just for the post-credits sequence of the first Iron Man in the hope that the film would do well and set the stage for The Avengers. Which of course it did, and the studio then signed Jackson to a nine picture contract. Marvel is known for taking huge risks that yield huge rewards (:cough: Guardians of the Galaxy :cough:) and that was one of them.

Up until recently, WB wasn’t known for that type of game play. The studio played a more wait-and-see approach to its comic book releases. Now with new WB Entertainment CEO Kevin Tsujihara at the helm, the studio is all in on its comic book properties (thank god) having announced 10 DC films between 2016 and 2020.

But again, what really irks me about the Nolan quote is the air of pretension. Sure he makes great films, but acting like films without post-credit sequences are somehow more real than those that have them is moronic. While I loved Man of Steel, there are plenty of people out there who didn’t. And you know what? Many of those same people loved The Avengers, which- shocker- included a post-credit sequence. Does that, by Nolan’s logic, mean The Avengers is not a real film? Hardly.

Had he said something along the lines of ‘we want to establish our universe in a way that distinguishes us from our competitors” that would have made more sense. But again, it’s a rip off to fans who wait through all of the credits and aren’t rewarded. But that’s more of a fan entitlement issue than anything else, which is separate from my point.

Maybe I’m overreacting. What do you think? Leave your thoughts in the comments. Then click the follow button when you’re done!

-Eric

Favreau: ‘Age of Ultron’ trailer wonderful; leak shows fan enthusiasm

Image courtesy of What Culture.

Access Hollywood caught up with Iron Man 1 and 2 director Jon Favreau recently and asked him about his thoughts on the Avengers Age of Ultron trailer and the early leak by fans.

He also spoke briefly on a possible Iron Man 4.

“Well, by the time I knew it happened, it had already been released officially,” Favreau said. “I remember back during Iron Man, footage snuck out from [San Diego] Comic-Con. I think what it shows is that there is tremendous enthusiasm for it, and fortunately it was ready to go out officially. You know, things don’t always happen the way you want them to in the information age, but I really love the reaction that the trailer got and I think it’s wonderful.

Gotta love Favreau. Not only does he make great movies, but he’s a gifted actor and he seems like a really charming, cool guy that has a passion for this kind of stuff. If you haven’t seen his latest film Chef yet, check it out, it’s excellent.

H/T to Screen Rant and Comicbook.com for the word.

Let me know your thoughts. Wasn’t it cool the way Marvel released the official trailer after the leak? Do you think Favreau should return to helm IM4?

Leave your thoughts in the comments.

Also, be sure to click that follow button to subscribe to this blog for all the lastest in the world of superhero movie news.

-Eric