ABC put on a pretty awesome (yet albeit rushed and a bit too short for our tastes) Marvel Comics special. It gave newer fans of the comics/films/TV juggernaut a sixty-minute look into the humble beginnings and current-day run of Marvel. If you happened to stay until the very end of this quick documentary piece, you were lucky enough to see some exclusive scenes from two upcoming blockbuster films – 2015’s Ant-Man and Avengers: Age of Ultron. Take a peek at the video below to see some B-Roll footage from Marvel Studios’ next Hollywood projects.
I find myself making the above statement more and more every month, but it’s the truth. There is no better time than now to love comics, because there are so many avenues available to enjoy the characters and stories. Great comics coming from great creators, a new era of fresh TV adaptations, and an unprecedented slate of films heading to the big screen are all a part of what make this a damn good time to be a Marvel and DC comic fan.
Comic book fans have probably now had time to regain their sanity. DC Comics dropped a bombshell with news of their planned slate of upcoming films. Then Marvel Studios came into the picture and dropped the mic themselves by announcing their next slate of movies. The comic medium is really taking over film and television in a big way – and next up, Marvel’s ready to celebrate their 75th anniversary (it’s Batman’s 75th too!). To celebrate its three-quarter century of existence is a TV special – Marvel 75 Years: From Pulp to Pop!
This hour-long documentary will delve into Marvel’s humble beginnings in 1939, all the way up to their current reigns as media darlings. Emily VanCamp (star of Captain America: The Winter Soldier and ABC drama Revenge) will host this introspective look into the comic book entertainment juggernaut. You can expect to see plenty of archival footage, interviews with the company’s most noteworthy personalities, and a peek into the future of the brand.
Do yourself a favor and pay homage to Marvel by checking out this Tuesday night special (November 4) at 9 p.m. EST on ABC. Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. will have the week off, which sadly means no Adrianne Palicki in that awesome Mockingbird costume, but it should be interesting none the less.
Also coming to Marvel Tuesdays, during SHIELD‘s mid-season break, we will see Haley Atwell reprising her role from Captain America as Peggy Carter. We got our first trailer this week.
And speaking of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., they were set up for a nice ratings boost as the first trailer for May 2015’s Avengers: Age of Ultron was supposed to premiere during their show. However that was blown when those pesky Hydra operatives leaked it online last week. So on Tuesday night, we instead got this extra bit of sneak peek awesomeness. You gotta love the way Thor squirms as Captain America almost lifts his hammer.
Finally, as with any footage that is beloved by the internet in general – we’ve got a couple fun ones. First, the Pee Wee Herman voice over. Jimmy Fallon always finds fun stuff for his guests to do.
And in our last piece of Marvel news, check out this perfect mash-up of the 1st Avengers: Age of Ultron trailer backed by Celine Dion’s My Heart Will Go On. Yeah, that song. The theme from Titanic, the movie your Mom forced you to go see with her.
We gotta admit, though – this song gets us just a wee bit more amped than a Pinocchio song. Celine Dion – 1, Pinocchio – 0.
Remember how we were going to get the Avengers: Age of Ultron trailer during the October 28th Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. episode? Well someone decided to crash the party, and if you believe Marvel, it was Hydra.
It looks like Marvel and Disney has found their Scarlet Witch, and her name is Elizabeth Olsen.
According to The Wall Street Journal, the cat was let out of the bag in an interview with Marvel film mascot Samuel L. Jackson. In their interview, they asked him about Avengers: Age of Ultron and he dropped some pretty juicy details about the movie.
[quote]”I don’t think we begin shooting before March of next year. I know we’re shooting in London, that James Spader is Ultron and going to be the bad guy, and that we added Ms. [Elizabeth] Olsen [who will play the Scarlet Witch], but I don’t know what she’s doing, if she’s on the inside or the outside. I haven’t seen a script.”[/quote]
Now, it’s very important to note that he did say that Ms. Olsen is in the movie, not specifically saying Elizabeth, but let’s be honest here. We all know what role she was rumored for and it’s obvious Joss and company didn’t hire one of the Olsen twins to portray a role that has been burning up the casting rumor mill. While she has been coy about it, this is pretty much confirmed from the Head of S.H.I.E.L.D. himself.
Of course, we also got a bit more detail about the new Avengers sequel; We are about six months away from principal photography and it will film in London. Now, whether the Scarlet Witch is a good gal or baddie, that has yet to be determined, but Elizabeth Olsen has done some great work. If you haven’t seen Martha Marcy May Marlene yet, it’s definitely something to check out because she owns the screen. She’ll also be in the Oldboy remake by Spike Lee and the Godzilla movie due out next summer. So it looks like we’ll definitely get to see her kick some ass and make a name for herself when Avengers: Age of Ultron kicks off the summer movie season of 2015.
We already know that Joss Whedon has stated Loki isn’t part of his plan for the highly anticipated Avengers sequel, but does that rule out an appearance by the God of Mischief entirely? A recent interview via MTV.com with Tom Hiddleston hints at the possibility. “I do feel like there’s some unfinished business between Loki and the Hulk,” Hiddleston said. “I feel like he didn’t get a fair fight.” The Hulk’s brutal bruising of Loki is one of the most memorable scenes from The Avengers and a fan favorite. And surely even Joss Whedon can’t deny a god’s demand for a rematch.
With or without an appearance in The Avengers: Age of Ultron, we are going to see plenty of Hiddleston’s Loki soon. In Thor: The Dark World, a movie that Hiddleston says is “a sequel to Avengers as much as it is to Thor,” Loki has a prominent role in the story alongside Chris Hemsworth’s Thor. “Loki has a very complicated relationship with Thor. He is an agent of chaos without equal in the world he inhabits. He knows his true nature. He knows he doesn’t belong in the family of Asgard, and he’s locked away in the beginning of the film in the deepest, darkest recesses of the dungeon as public enemy number one.” Loki doesn’t stay locked up for long, however. Hiddleston playfully joked, “Lo and behold, Asgard needs his help. That’s going to be a very complicated allegiance.”
Once Thor: The Dark World is released on November 8, we may know more about Loki’s future in the Marvel Universe. When asked about when we can expect the trickster’s next appearance, Hiddleston answered, “Who knows. You’ll have to see what happens in The Dark World to find out where Loki finishes up.”
I think we’re ready for a Loki-centric movie, don’t you?
Grizzly Bomb 