Tag Archives: X-Men

Hero Express: ‘Black Panther’ Rumors & Bad News For ‘Justice League’?

Welcome back to the Hero Express, your one-stop sometimes SPOILER filled shop through the top stories in superhero comic based Film & TV news!

X-Men Days of Future Past

Bryan Singer uses Twitter to preview Beast and to fool.

https://twitter.com/BryanSinger/status/318836138452328448

I am not usually one who likes April Fool’s Day, but I did get a good laugh out of this “casting announcement”. Like in our last installment of Hero Express, Singer uses Twitter often to let fans in behind the scenes, including casting  news. So it wasn’t out of the realm of possibility that he’d cast Lady Gaga as the Dazzler, but let’s be honest, it was a sigh of relief when realized it was a prank.

Thankfully it appears as if all joking is over as he later tweeted out this picture.

X-Men, Superhero

Beast is looking pretty good! Nicholas Hoult (Warm Bodies) is set to reprise his role as the younger Kelsey Grammer/Hank McCoy/Beast, but its still unclear if this is simply a makeup test, a concept pic or the actual look of Hoult as Beast.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

What’s that about Black Widow?

Oh, you heard correctly, Black Widow has been confirmed by Marvel as a part of The Winter Soldier. Not only that but Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury also has a relatively substantial role in the film. Marvel was very chatty about the new Captain America movie and released info on Robert Redford’s role as……

superhero

Alexander Pierce!

A S.H.I.E.L.D Agent himself, Pierce works alongside  Nick Fury in what will amazingly enough be the first time Redford and Jackson have starred in a movie together. In the EW article it is said that he has been pulled back in to “help run” the agency.

As if all that wasn’t enough, they kindly gave us a glimpse behind the scenes with Chris Evans as Captain America and his trusty shield.

superhero

Marvel’s Black Panther

No, really, it’s a thing now.

First it was Ant-Man and Doctor Strange. Now its Black Panther. At this rate Marvel is going to be announcing movies about Auric and Silver Fox or another somewhat obscure superhero any day now. There isn’t much out there about the Black Panther project that’s been hinted at for an eternity (about as long as Ant-Man) but earlier today Morris Chestnut tweeted that “It’s time to get familiar with the Black Panther character!” which included a picture of the Black Panther comic.

Later in the day he responded to someone who everyone needs to maybe hold their horses a bit because –

I’m guessing maybe Marvel got a little touchy about this because now both tweets have been taken down as has the link on his Facebook page. Of course that’s all it took because now we are all talking about Black Panther! Well done Mr. Chestnut, well done.

Speaking of Doctor Strange, he’s got a director now. Well, a rumored director at least. The Latino Review (sadly this is not the first time I’ll mention them) are keeping at their somewhat amazing ability to sniff out rumors and are saying that Evil Dead‘s director Fede Alavarez is slated to helm Doctor Strange. Of course just rumor for now so we’ll have to see if it sticks around. There a lot of time between now and Doctor Strange’s scheduled premier in 2016.

Guardians of the Galaxy

From ballet slippers to “green skinned humanoid”

THR is reporting that the star of the hit movie Center Stage, Zoe Saldana, is in talks to join Guardians of the Galaxy. Okay, so she’s had a few roles since Center Stage, not the least of which would be Star Trek and Avatar (small little art films, maybe you can find them on Netflix), but she’ll always be that little ballet star wannabe to me.

superhero, guardians of the galaxy

If things progress like people think they will, Saldana will be joining Chris Pratt and Dave Bautista in the 2014 movie. Who will she play? Well, it’d be none other than “The Most Dangerous Woman in the Universe”, Gamora. All they need now is Groot and Rocket Raccoon and the Guardians will be set.

Justice League

Will someone please make this happen?

Seriously universe, outside of The Dark Knight trilogy, DC fans haven’t had much to brag on when it comes to big box office summer blockbusters. Would it kill you to let the pieces fall into place for the Justice League movie? Would it?

Apparently it would.

Once again, The Latino Review is behind the rumor that the Justice League movie is derailing. El Mayimbe joined the SchmoesKnows podcast and gave them the bad news.

It was one thing when they said Christian Bale wasn’t going to be Batman, that I can live with. I can even live with Christopher Nolan not being involved at all. Part of me was even okay with Ben Affleck directing. But it just seems that with each passing day, it becomes more apparent that this is never going to happen, no matter how much we want it to.

Excuse me as I go find a beer to cry into.

The Flashpoint Paradox

C. Thomas Howell goes from cop to comic bad guy.

Finally some non-Marvel news that’s good news!

That’s right, Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox production is moving along and none other than SouthLAnd actor C. Thomas Howell is voicing Professor Zoom/Reverse-Flash. We already knew quite a few of the other voices, including Vanessa Marshall as Wonder Woman and Ron Perlman as Slade Wilson but there hasn’t been any word on who play the voice of Flash yet. It is set for DVD/Bluray/Digital Download release on July 30th, 2013.

Superhero

Of course it would be wrong to mention Flash without paying tribute to the man behind the superhero, Carmine Infantino, who passed away on April 5th. A man who did great things for the DC Universe, such as being one of the guiding hands behind the Silver Age of DC Comics, he leaves behind a legacy that is not soon to be forgotten.

That about does it for this edition of Hero Express! Let us know what you think of these stories in the comments and we’ll see ya next time!

Marvel Previews: Hawkeye #9, Avengers #10, Age of Ultron #6, Iron Man #8, & More!

As Marvel NOW! prepares the second wave of new titles, the first continues to move ahead during the huge Age of Ultron event. Bendis and team have promised a universe changing and ‘unguessable’ ending to the series which is sure to impact a lot of the titles, if not all of them. However, not all the Marvel NOW! titles will be caught up in the Age of Ultron rush, as this week’s crop of previews plainly shows.

Continue reading Marvel Previews: Hawkeye #9, Avengers #10, Age of Ultron #6, Iron Man #8, & More!

Hero Express: Captain America, Iron Man, and Day of the Future Past…

Welcome back to the Hero Express, your one-stop sometimes SPOILER filled shop through the top stories in comic based Film & TV news!

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Roy Hobbs confirms his involvement along with a UFC fighter

I’m sure there could be a more random casting, but I’d have to think about it. However, Robert Redford signing on for the new Captain America might be my new go-to example. When it was first announced, I wrote it off as a ridiculous rumor but lo and behold, Mr. Redford himself confirmed it on stage at the Indie Focus Screening Series.

[quote]”I’m doing this film because it’s different. It’s a new thing for me… I think these films are really powerful. I think they’re great. This is the kind of film I would have loved to see as a kid.” – Robert Redford  via LA Times[/quote]

Superheros, Captain America, Hero, UFC
What he might look like after Captain America gets to him.

In addition to the fabulous Robert Redford, word has been circulating (starting with the Latino Review) that MMA fighter Georges St-Pierre has been cast as Batroc the Leaper. The real shocker in this headline is this is not Georges St-Pierre’s first film role. Oh no, he’s had the honor of being a part of some real cinematic masterpieces such as Death Warrior and Hell’s Chain. One might say he could be the next Robert Redford.

Superheroes, Hero, Captain America, Baltrac the Leaper

While we are on the subject, why not enjoy a Captain America: The Winter Soldier trailer?

Iron Man 3

New TV spot and what is this about a Chinese Iron Man?

I almost expected the headlines to read “Kid’s Choice Awards ratings skyrocket as thousands of fanboys tune in to catch new Iron Man 3 TV spot”. While no one went with this headline and I have no idea what the ratings for the Nickelodeon awards show were like, there is no doubt in my mind that there were people watching for no other reason than to see this.

Not much that in addition to previous trailers but it was fun to see anyways. With a little over a month left before the movie’s release date, it’s time to get excited about Iron Man 3.

Iron Man 3, superheroes, Hero
Fan Bingbing

Fans in China are no doubt as excited as the rest of us and they should be even more excited as their version of the Marvel studios film with be just a little bit longer than the rest of the world’s. The studio announced that the Chinese version will include bonus footage of a Chinese actress named Fan Bingbing cast as “Dr. Wu’s wife” but they did not say how the extra scenes related to the plot, if at all. Guess we’ll just have to wait until the illegal copies make their way to eBay to find out.

X-Men: Days of Future Past

Colossus returns, but sadly no Nightcrawler. Oh and more Fan Bingbing.

No really, I’m able to mention Chinese actress Fan Bingbing (let’s be honest here, that is a kickass name) twice in one post. Not only is she going to appear in the Chinese version of Iron Man 3 but it looks like she’s going to be in the new X-Men as well!

Bryan Singer took to twitter a bit ago and posted this

with the following picture attached.

Hero, X-Men, Superheroes

So everyone we expected – Hugh Jackman, Ellen Page, James McAvoy (yum), Patrick Stewart (sexiest bald man alive), Peter Dinklage, and who is that? Oh that’s just Daniel Cudmore which means he is reprising his role of Colosses from X-Men: The Last Stand. Not only that, but the aforementioned Fan Bingbing is there and on her IMDb profile it says she is going to be playing Clarice Ferguson aka Blink. [Ed. Note – The editorial staff would just like to express how much we love this news as Blink is one of our favorite characters, the Age of Apocalypse was awesome, and she doesn’t get the love she deserves…]

Blink, X-Men, Hero, superheroes

All these names are great and wonderful, but I think we can all agree it would be better is Alan Cumming were mentioned amongst them. Unfortunately there will be no Nightcrawler in Days of Future Past. Don’t worry Alan, we’ll always have Spy Kids.

That about does it for this edition of Hero Express! Let us know what you think of these stories in the comments and we’ll see ya next time!

The Wolverine: Posters and Trailer Teaser for the Newest X-Movie…

The Wolverine is coming and we have got a bevy of information and pics for you to take a look at. The main reason for all this the first trailer is being released on Wednesday and we wanted a place where you can get all of the content online and get all updates to be ready for Wednesday. We have oh so many images from the film, both leaked and released. We got posters and banners, all the latest news and cast information and we hope you all keep an eye out here Wednesday because we’ll have the trailer on our page ready for consumption. We know we got a while until The Wolverine hits theaters on July 26th (in 3D as well mind you) so let’s drop some knowledge and get you guys situated.

The Wolverine

The Wolverine Plot

Official Synopsis:

The Wolverine

Based on the celebrated comic book arc, this epic action-adventure takes Wolverine, the most iconic character of the X-Men universe, to modern day Japan. Out of his depth in an unknown world he faces his ultimate nemesis in a life-or-death battle that will leave him forever changed. Vulnerable for the first time and pushed to his physical and emotional limits, he confronts not only lethal samurai steel but also his inner struggle against his own immortality, emerging more powerful than we have ever seen him before.

Wolverine Comic:

The Wolverine

The celebrated comic book arc mentioned is the comic Wolverine released in 1982 and covers a large period of Wolverine’s origins and his Weapon X days. In the comic, Wolverine’s love Mariko Yashida wound up getting an arranged marriage set up by her father Lord Shingen. Logan travels to Japan to rescue her and troubles ensue with Samurai getting gutted by some Adamantium claws. We will not go much further as not to spoil the plot of the film. However, we are not sure how closely the film will follow this story line. For example, the film story is set after the events of the third X-Men film but the comics have no specific timeline with the rest of the X-Men. The comic is great and the story arc only has 4 issues so if you feel like getting ahead of the curve, pick it up and enjoy.

The Cast of The Wolverine

Wolverine

Hugh Jackman plays Logan/Wolverine: A mutant and member of the X-Men. I don’t feel I need to explain this character too much. In the film, Logan leaves the X-Men to find himself and get away from the devastating losses that took place in X-Men: The Last Stand. On his journey, he falls in love with a woman Mariko Yashida, although she is to be married off by her father. Logan feels he must do something and naturally gets into a middle of a gang war where probably chaos ensues.

The Wolverine
Bloody Claws! Rated R

Lord Shingen

Hiroyuki Sanada stars as Shingen Yashida, a character created by Chris Claremont and Frank Miller, who is a Yakuza crime boss and antagonist to Wolverine. Lord Shingen will be one of the main villains in this film as a father to both Silver Samurai and Logan’s love interest that figures into Wolverine’s conflicts. Lord Shingen arranges his daughter Mariko Yashida to marry another crime boss to settle debts.

The Wolverine
Shingen

Mariko Yashida

Tao Okamoto plays Mariko Yashida, the daughter of Shingen and one-time fiancee to Wolverine. K.I.S.S.I.N.G. as Logan’s love interest in this film Mariko is the main cause for conflict within the story. Logan falls in love with her but her father arranges a marriage to honor his clans’ debt. Logan goes to rescue her from an abusive husband but the clans obviously don’t like this and violence ensues. This plot could be way off but it is the basic layout of the comic arc the film is based off so I would be surprised if it wasn’t close to this.

The Wolverine
Mariko

Yukio

Rila Fukushima stars as Yukio, one of the deadliest assassins in Shingen’s clan. We think she will be an amazing character to watch out for. In the comics, she is a heroine but is described here almost on the other side. Yukio is an occasional thief by profession, as well as a ronin, a masterless samurai. Yukio has been portrayed as a free spirit with an almost careless disregard for personal danger. While she is highly skilled in the martial arts, Yukio is not a mutant and possesses no super powers. Unless being a badass is a mutant power.

The Wolverine
Yukio

The Silver Samurai

Will Yun Lee plays Kenuichio Harada, more commonly known as the Silver Samurai, who possesses an electrified suit of samurai armor and is the illegitimate son of the crime lord Shingen. The first Silver Samurai was a mutant with the ability to generate a tachyon field (some kind of heat energy), with which he can surround anything. He commonly used this power on his sword, enabling it to cut through nearly anything, except adamantium, hence the fun with Wolverine. From what we have gathered, the Silver Samurai will be working for the crime boss Shingen Yashida as a bodyguard. In the comics, he has worked for Viper so speaking of…

The Wolverine
Silver Samurai

Viper

Svetlana Khodchenkova plays Viper, a one-time peer of Wolverine’s as well as an enemy. Viper, also known as Madame Hydra, should be an interesting character to watch. She was not in the comic arc but she does have affiliations with both the Silver Samurai and Wolverine in other comics. She is certainly a villain but it remains to be seen how she fits into this film. Not sure how I feel about the costume though, it doesn’t really look anything like the original other than the color.

THE WOLVERINE
Viper

Teaser

Below is a short GIF released by director James Mangold to give a small teaser to the trailer. It looks very interesting and I am certainly pumped to see the trailer.  Are you teased?

[blackbirdpie url=”https://twitter.com/mang0ld/status/316221584950038528″%5D

The Good and The Ugly

Just thought I would devote a part of this round up to point out how to make a good poster and how to make a terrible poster. Below is a great example of a trailer for this film, its got that brilliant hand drawn Japanese style painting which makes Wolverine look cool and strong whilst showing off the claws.

The Wolverine

Next however is one of the worst posters I have ever seen for large budget film. It’s just awful! I have seen better Photoshop jobs from my 7 year old cousins (spoiler alert: they’re not good). What is this! Loads of Ninjas with quick cut and paste of an angry Wolverine. To be honest, I am not even sure Ninjas are involved in this story as the main opposition is from Samurai clans. Please look and laugh.

The Wolverine

With that, we’ll leave you with a bunch of production stills from the set as well as other photos we have gathered. And how about a 20 second trailer tease too? Hopefully this piques your interest and gets you excited for Wednesday when we finally get to see The Wolverine in action!

http://media.mtvnservices.com/embed/mgid:uma:video:mtv.com:891992/cp~series%3D36%26id%3D1704352%26vid%3D891992%26uri%3Dmgid%3Auma%3Avideo%3Amtv.com%3A891992

Marvel Preview: All-New X-Men #8

Probably one of the biggest changes to come about from Marvel NOW! has to be the return of the Original X-Men to the mainstream Marvel U. This of course comes with the new driving force behind the X-Men, Brian Micheal Bendis, who isn’t afraid to shake things up a bit. He’s actually kind of well known for it.

He revolutionized the classic tale of Peter Parker with Ultimate Spider-Man, then created a franchise out of the Avengers, elevating them to a new height never before experienced. And for the last few months he has been doing the same with the X-Men, whether it’s with the return of the Original X-Men (Jean Grey is back, y’all!) or the new look for Beast (his 4th, to be exact).

Continue reading Marvel Preview: All-New X-Men #8

Hero Express! ‘Iron Man 3’ Post-Credit Scene Spoiler, Paul Giamatti in ‘Amazing Spider-Man 2’, & The ‘Superman:Unbound’ Trailer!

Welcome back to the Hero Express, your one-stop sometimes SPOILER filled shop through the top five stories in comic based Film & TV news!

Continue reading Hero Express! ‘Iron Man 3’ Post-Credit Scene Spoiler, Paul Giamatti in ‘Amazing Spider-Man 2’, & The ‘Superman:Unbound’ Trailer!