Fantastic Four Flex Their Powers in Final Trailer
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While San Diego Comic Con 2015 was a huge hit for superhero films, Fantastic Four unfortunately got buried beneath the hype surrounding Deadpool, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and Suicide Squad. After all, it's hard to build more excitement for a film with no new information and scheduled for a release less than a month away.
Nevertheless, Fox is prepared for Fantastic Four to be a big hit, as showcased in this final trailer for the film. The trailer holds no punches back (pun intended) by showing off each of the Fantastic Four's powers. The new cut is decidedly more action-oriented and should help sway any potential moviegoers on the fence. Don't forget, this is the year for Michael B. Jordan.
Miles Teller, Kate Mara, Jamie Bell, and Toby Kebbell all star with Josh Trank directing. Fantastic Four will be in theaters on August 7th.
Marisa Tomei Cast as Aunt May in Spider-Man Reboot
In a surprising (but delightful) move, Sony and Marvel have tapped the lovely Marisa Tomei (My Cousin Vinny, The Wrestler) to play Aunt May in the upcoming Spider-Man reboot opposite Tom Holland. While nothing official has been announced, Variety is reporting that the two studios offered the role to Tomei last week.
Aunt May has traditionally been depicted as the older, wise maternal figure in young Peter Parker's life. However, the Ultimate Spider-Man version of the character depicted her as a bit more "street smart" and not as fragile or naive as her counterpart. Ideally, Tomei's Aunt May will be more like the Ultimate Spider-Man version. Tomei doesn't necessarily fit what most are used to as the "Aunt May-type," as can be seen by the online backlash from the comic book community. However, as both a comic and film fanatic, I'd love to see what Tomei can bring to the role and for the Spider-Man reboot to shed the cobwebs (hurr hurr) off of what we've already grown accustomed to to establish a new status quo for this now third reboot of the Spider-Man film franchise.
This'll be an interesting career move for Tomei. The actress typically opts for dramatic roles, my favorite of which was Pam in Darren Aronofsky's The Wrestler. Depending on the writer Sony and Marvel find for the film (they haven't found/announced one just yet), this could be the best depiction of Spider-Man on the big screen yet.
[via Variety]
Marvel's Daredevil Finds Its Elektra In Elodie Yung
Marvel have announced the casting of French-Cambodian actress Élodie Yung as Elektra in the upcoming second season of Daredevil on Netflix. Yung is well versed in the action genre, having played Jinx, a ninja, in 2013's hopeless G.I. Joe: Retaliation. Marvel's Jeph Loeb described Yung as 'the perfect actress to embody both Elektra’s impressive and deadly physicality, as well as her psychological complexity. Paired with Charlie as Matt Murdock, the two will bring one of the most beloved and tumultuous comic book relationships to life with all the accompanying sparks and spectacular action sequences the show is known for.'
There will likely be some curiosity over whether Yung's interpretation of the character will see some changes to her history. In the comics, Elektra is a Greek woman who trains in martial arts following the deaths of her parents. She shares a mentor with Matt Murdock in the shape of Stick, played by Scott Glenn in the series, despite her later choosing to ally herself with The Hand, a sect of ninja assassins who have been hinted at as a long-term threat. Given Yung's heritage, it is also possible her Elektra will be linked in some capacity to Nobu, a ninja-turned-businessman who, prior to his fiery death at Murdock's hands, was allied to both Wilson Fisk and a clan with a strong resemblance to The Hand. That's strictly speculation, but with Jon Bernthal also joining the series as Frank Castle, aka The Punisher, there will be no shortage of fan favourites in play when the series returns in 2016.
[via Marvel]
Miles Morales Replaces Peter Parker as Spider-Man
Yesterday, news broke that Miles Morales will replace Peter Parker as Marvel Comics' official Spider-Man following the end of their current Secret Wars event in the adjective-less Spider-Man written by Miles co-creators Brian Michael Bendis and Sara Pichelli. This comes four years after Morales' debut alongside vocal communities calling for Miles to become the de facto Spider-Man across the board. However, this doesn't mean Peter will disappear entirely. While he'll be hanging up the webs for the foreseeable future, he'll still be a supporting character in the books, serving a mentor role to young Miles.
The importance of Miles, a bi-racial character with an African-American father and Puerto Rican mother, being elevated as THE Spider-Man in the Marvel Comics comes after a purported leak over the weekend that detailed film depictions of Peter Parker must maintain the status quo of him being a heterosexual caucasian male. However, while the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Marvel Comics have shared elements in their respective media, the Marvel Comics world has grown more and more diverse, as I detailed last summer following Sam Wilson being named Captain America. Bendis himself has praised the importance of having a person of color take the mantle of Marvel's most famous and popular character, telling the New York Daily News:
Our message has to be it’s not Spider-Man with an asterisk [...] It’s the real Spider-Man for kids of color, for adults of color and everybody else.
Before long, the long-standing image of superheroes as white, strong-jawed males will be replaced by people of all shapes, sizes, and colors, and Marvel's move to cement Miles as THE Spider-Man is just the next step towards accomplishing this goal. The decision also increases the chances of Miles Morales appearing in future Spider-Man films (assumedly not until after the next wave of Spider-Man films run their course).
Jon Bernthal Joining Marvel's Daredevil as The Punisher
Jon Bernthal has been had quite the acting repertoire since being killed off in the second season of The Walking Dead, appearing in films like The Wolf of Wall Street, Fury, and one of my current favorite films of the year, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl. However, Bernthal's next role could be his biggest to date.
Yesterday, Marvel announced that Bernthal has been cast as Frank Castle/The Punisher for the next season of Marvel's Daredevil. For those unaware, The Punisher is a brutal vigilante/anti-hero unlike any of the other mainstream Marvel superheroes who has no problem killing villains for the greater good. In saying that, Bernthal has the look and demeanor necessary to portray such a character. Marvel's Head of Television Jeph Loeb had the following to say about Bernthal's casting:
Jon Bernthal brings an unmatched intensity to every role he takes on, with a potent blend of power, motivation and vulnerability that will connect with audiences. Castle’s appearance will bring dramatic changes to the world of Matt Murdock and nothing will be the same.
This will be the fourth time The Punisher has been depicted in a live-action film or series, but the first time under the watchful eye of Marvel Studios. With rumors that Marvel Studios has plans to incorporate its TV series characters with the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, could it only be a matter of time before we see Bernthal and the rest of the Daredevil cast side-by-side with Robert Downey, Jr, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, et. al.? It's an exciting time to be a Marvel fan.
Sony Shortens List of Spider-Man Directors, Actors
Over the weekend, Sony screen-tested their list of six actors to portray Peter Parker/Spider-Man in their next wave of films. The actors, which included Asa Butterfield (Ten Thousand Saints, Ender's Game), Tom Holland (Locke), Judah Lewis (Point Break), Matthew Lintz (Pixels), Charlie Plummer (Boardwalk Empire), and Charlie Rowe (Red Band Society), were flown out to Atlanta (not far from the Captain America: Civil War set) to test in front of Sony and Marvel execs.
However, Deadline is reporting that the list has been lowered to two, with Butterfield and Holland seen as the best candidates for the role. Personally, my money is on Butterfield thanks to his experience with big Hollywood films, as well as his great performance at this year's Sundance film, the aforementioned Ten Thousand Saints. What's more, Butterfield is only 17, which gives Sony and Marvel a primetime actor who they can build a multi-film franchise around well into the 2020s.
Deadline is also reporting that the shortlist of Spider-Man directors has been shortened even more, with Warm Bodies director Jonathan Levine and St. Vincent's Ted Melfi at the top of the list. However, another name has surprisingly joined the fray in Cop Car director Jon Watts. Vacation writers/directors John Francis Daley and Jonathan M. Goldstein are still in contention, as well. However, at this point, I would bet on Levine getting the nod.
We'll have more for you once Sony and Marvel make their final decisions.
[via Deadline]
Damsel in Distress: The Lack of Female Superheroes in Hollywood
In the '90s, my parents encouraged my tomboy ways and let me play with the boys toys, as if back then letting girls play with boys toys was taboo. They’re just toys, right? Almost 20 years later, I went to Target to grab some superhero merchandise for the opening night of The Avengers: Age of Ultron. To my dismay, all of the merch was located in the boy's toy section; including the female superhero items, which wasn't more than a pen-sized action figure or two. As I picked up the last Captain America mask, I passed the bright pink aisles where all of the "female-friendly" toys were. There wasn’t a superhero Barbie, plush toy or action figure in sight. What gives, Hollywood?
After seeing the film, I walked out disappointed. Scarlett Johansson played Black Widow in The Avengers: Age of Ultron, a former USSR assassin trained from a young age who uses her skills for her own gain and later on for the good of mankind. As a big Marvel fan, I was excited to see the return of the strong, female superhero in a Hollywood blockbuster (besides the X-Men). Unfortunately, her backstory was watered down as her relationship with Bruce Banner (e.g. Hulk) in the film grew into a sappy "woe is me" superhero complex as she revealed she was unable to bear children. As if in the year 2015 this was the number one, sure-fire way to humanize a former Soviet-bred killing machine to American women. Why does her mystery have to be washed over by pointless sentiments of humanity? They’re superhuman. Then, in the end, it’s Banner who ends up leaving her behind, despite their plans to run away together. Whether or not this was an accuracy issue from the comics to the big screen, why couldn’t Black Widow be the one to leave? Left at the altar, even in fantasy, the woman is still portrayed to be more vulnerable than her male counterpart.
I’ll admit, there’s the occasional female powerhouse (e.g. Gamora in Guardians of the Galaxy, the ladies of the X-Men and Catwoman in The Dark Knight Rises), but the damsel in distress routine is getting blase to say the least. These are the women who know they’re needed for a team to function and most importantly, vital in saving the planet if not the universe. In X-Men: Days of Future Past, without the women of the X-Men, the people of Earth would live forever in chains and the mutants of Earth left to be brutally murdered by robots. Without Gamora in Guardians of the Galaxy, Star-Lord wouldn’t have been able to save the planet. In the comic book world, there are plenty of women superheroes, but until those books come to life in a way that empowers us mere mortals on Earth, it’s a man’s universe; real or fantasy.
When comics started in the '20s, it was a man’s world. While the comic book universe is booming with female leaders, it's Hollywood who pass over these women like they're minor characters. But, in 2015, something has to change. The question is: what is Hollywood going to do about it?
10 Badass Superheroines and Supervillains in Comics
Recently, there has been tension in the superhero world over the lack of strong women in comics. While there is a huge gap between the number of men versus women in the comic book world, there are powerhouse superheroines fans seem to phase over. Don’t be fooled, some of the names that you might recognize are bigger in the comic book world than their blockbuster film roles have lead you to think. Regardless of your gender, here are 10 female comic book characters that kick ass harder than their male counterparts.