The exciting future of superhero movies
Godzilla vs. Kong officially confirmed
About a month ago, we learned Universal Studios had transferred the rights of King Kong to Warner Bros, undoubtedly to setup a Godzilla vs. King Kong movie. That dream has now officially been realized! The formal joint release came from Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures describing the trilogy of films coming down the pike, leading to its culmination in Godzilla vs. Kong.
The press release read, "Following Legendary’s and Warner Bros. Pictures’ 2014 success with the global reinvention of the Godzilla franchise, the companies have come together to create an epic, new shared cinematic franchise. All-powerful monsters become towering heroes for a new generation, revealing a mythology that brings together Godzilla and Legendary’s King Kong in an ecosystem of other giant super-species, both classic and new. Monarch, the human organization that uncovered Godzilla in the 2014 film, will expand their mission across multiple releases."
Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures have slated a new trilogy incorporating the biggest, baddest monsters ever seen on screen beginning with Kong: Skull Island, set for release on March 10, 2017. The following is Godzilla 2, bringing back director Gareth Edwards, which is set for June 8, 2018. Godzilla vs. Kong follows in 2020.
Mark Ruffalo's Hulk to appear in *Thor: Ragnarok*
The Marvel Cinematic Universe expands wider and wider every year. They add new characters and they expand the characters we've seen already. After Avengers: Age of Ultron, the MCU looked forward to Ant Man, Captain America: Civil War, and Doctor Strange. We've deduced the roster of heroes making their appearance in Captain America: Civil War (including Spider Man), and the two missing pieces are the Mighty Thor and Hulk, which makes sense. In Civil War, the heroes get divided and have a standoff with each other. Which squad will win? Whichever squad has Thor or Hulk. Making their story peel away from the other heroes was a brilliant move on the part of Marvel Studios. The last we saw the big green guy, he was flying off into space in a Quinjet. It has been confirmed, that Hulk will land in Thor's third standalone film Thor: Ragnarok. The Hulk will join the God of Thunder on a new planet facing the Norse Apocalypse.
Bringing back the Hulk before Avengers: Infinity War means the character is not being left behind, which was a genuine fear many fans felt after seeing the character evolve in Age of Ultron. Hulk is not a versatile character. Audiences want to see a lot more of the Hulk and not as much of Bruce Banner. Using him as a side character, in Avengers or any of the other characters' standalone films, allows Marvel to give us plenty of Hulk without slowing down the film. This is a power Marvel uses well and I'm excited to see that the character will be returning to the Universe. Thor: Ragnarok is set for release on July 28, 2017.
Robin Hood: Origins delayed to accommodate Taron Egerton
Some two weeks ago, Robin Hood: Origins was on the verge of delay due to Kingsman star Taron Egerton. His contract binds him to play "Eggsy" for the Kingsman sequel, which starts production next April. His lead role in Robin Hood: Origins was planned to begin a lengthy production in February. See the problem? Lionsgate, who is producing Origins, had two options: recast Egerton's role or push the production schedule. Choosing the latter, the studio will begin production on Origins after Kingsman 2 closes principal photography late-next summer. This move will undoubtedly push back the release date on Origins, but fans will now get the film the producers envisioned, with the actor they wanted cast for the main role. Kingsman 2 and Robin Hood: Origins are currently set for release in 2017.
George Miller comments on future of Mad Max franchise
After Mad Max: Fury Road, director George Miller revealed his conceptualization for two separate sequel films, one focusing on Max and the other on Charlize Theron's character "Imperator Furiosa." Whether they both get made is still up in the air, but the acclaimed director spoke with DigitalSpy about whether Furiosa will appear in the next film: "I'm not sure, is the answer. She's not in the Mad Max [sequel] story, but in one of the stories there's an interaction between [Max and Furiosa]. I can't really say more than that because it's still in progress."
Regarding the next film, Mad Max: The Wasteland, and future films, Miller said, "That name came out, that was just a working title. Nico Lathouris (Fury Road co-writer) and I wrote deep backstories on all the characters and they eventually became screenplays — so we have two [more movies]. I'm happy to say that there's discussions about them right now, but I hope the next film I make is a very small without any special effects and not many stunts."
As far as the Mad Max franchise goes, I'm interested in seeing both films. Tom Hardy's character in Fury Road was not explored very much. He barely had any dialogue with other characters, but the moments when he was on screen were not wasted. We learned that he has a deep history that should be explored. Even though Max's name is in the film's title, Fury Road was Furiosa's movie. Charlize Theron played the role beautifully. Furiosa is the only female Imperator, as far as we know, and is more intellectual than any other Imperator. I am excited to see the rich history Miller has also fleshed out for her character. I could not be more thrilled to further explore the Mad Max world. Fury Road is in my Top 5 of the year.