Extra, Extra!: Marvel Finally Casts Spider-Man

In which I report on the latest in entertainment news.

After stringing us along for months about who they were considering - after disregarding brilliant up-and-comers and passing on obvious choices - Marvel has finally selected their cinematic Spider-Man.  And no, it's still not Asa Butterfield.

Marvel has selected generally unknown child actor Tom Holland to play the role of Peter Parker / Spider-Man.  If you don't recognize the name, don't feel bad.  Most people don't.

Holland's only notable movie to date was 2012's The Impossible, where he played a child trying to reunite with the rest of his family following 2004's devastating Indian Ocean Tsunami.  I only happened to see it by accident and was marginally satisfied with the results.

While the movie was (barely) well enough. Holland did an excellent job in it.  While I can hardly call him the best choice for the role, he is a perfectly serviceable young actor who fits the physical requirements of the role (early to mid teens, white, male, lithe frame).  While I would have hardly gone with him, he was an obvious improvement over the other finalist for the role.

There's more to the role than just acting, though, and that's where Hollands' real strengths come in.  He auditioned for the role with Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr., so he can obviously hold his own in a room with those two.  He's a (relatively) long-standing Spidey fan, which goes a long way toward his investment into and understanding of the character.

So while he's neither my first nor my second choice for the role, I'm perfectly satisfied with his inclusion in the MCU.  A young Spidey will be a refreshing change of pace from all of these old man Parkers running around and nearer to the heart of the character as it stands.

So are you happy with Holland as Peter Parker?  If not, who would you have preferred?  Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

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Extra, Extra!: Ava Duvernay to (Maybe) Direct Black Panther

In which I report on the latest in entertainment news.

So the internet is buzzing with what could possibly be the most exciting piece of Marvel-related news since Spider-Man joined the MCU and Benedict Cumberbatch became Doctor Strange.  According to inside reports, the director for 2018's Black Panther movie is going to be none other than acclaimed director Ava Duvernay.

Marvel has long since proven themselves to be on the forefront of diversity and inclusion when it comes to superheroes.  When they received hate mail for having an openly gay couple as members of the X-Men, they married them and slapped the event on the next month's issue.  They gender-swapped Captain Marvel and even Thor when the call went out for more inclusion for women in comics.  They even made an all-female lineup for the X-Men following Xaviers death.

Black Panther will be the first black superhero to headline his own movie.  When you consider both that and the fact that Warner Bros faced a huge backlash for initially not even considering a woman to direct their Wonder Woman movie, it was only natural that they choose a black director for Black Panther. 

But her complexion alone is not why this is exciting news for Marvel.  The fact is that Ava Duvernay is hands down one of the best directors working today.  She headlined the universally acclaimed Selma last year and was easily the most overlooked director at this year's Oscars.

With her behind the camera and Chadwick Boseman and Andy Serkis in front of it, it's looking to be one of the best solo movies of Marvel's Phase 3.  While the directorial appointment isn't set in stone yet, it's pretty much all but certain at this point.  Marvel is expected to comment on the matter in the next couple of days.

So is there anybody else that you would prefer to direct Black Panther?  If so, then who?  Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

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Extra, Extra!: Christopher Lee Dies at the Age of 93

In which I report on the latest entertainment news.

This last year has been marked by an uncommonly high number of celebrity deaths.  First there was Robin Williams.  Then there was Leonard Nimoy.  Now, at the age of 93, Christopher Lee has also left us.

He was easily one of the most exceptional men to ever work in Hollywood.  Even before he broke out as an actor in 1957, he served the British military in World War II.  He was an airman, an intelligence officer and a member of Churchill's "Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare," where he would conduct espionage, sabotage and reconnaissance behind the Nazi lines.  When Peter Jackson asked him to imagine the sound of a man being stabbed in the back, he told the Lord of the Rings director that he didn't have to imagine it.

His acting career has included over 250 film and television appearances, including a whopping 10 as Dracula.  He was golf partners with Ian Flemming - his cousin and author of the James Bond novels - and was his first choice for the role of Dr. No.  Although a scheduling conflict prevented him from the role - and others in future Bond films - he eventually was able to work on the series as Scaramanga, the titular "man with the golden gun."

Over the years, his roles have included The Lord of the Rings' Sarumon, The Wicker Man's Lord Summerisle, Star Wars' Count Dooku, Sherlock Holmes, Frankenstein's Monster and Kharis the Mummy.  He was known for doing as many of his own stunts as possible and has participated in the most on-screen sword fights in history.

The thing is, it gets even better.  Among his other accomplishments, he was a champion fencer.  At the age of 88, he recorded a heavy metal concept album about Charlemagne.  He was additionally fluent in five languages - English, Italian, French, German, Spanish - "moderately proficient" in three others - Swedish, Russian, Greek - and conversational in Mandarin.

 After completing work on last year's The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies, he had already moved on to his next project, the now-completed Angels in Notting Hill.  He, and his work, will be dearly missed.

So what is your favorite Christopher Lee film?  Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

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Extra, Extra!: Our First Look at X-Men: Apocalypse's Nightcrawler

In which I report on the latest entertainment news.

With everybody's attention turned decidedly on either Age of Ultron or Dawn of Justice, a lot of X-Men: Apocalypse news has managed to sneak its way under the radar.  And that's really a shame, because at virtually any other time, this would have been some pretty exciting stuff.  There's the matter of its rapidly expanding cast (which includes series newcomers Jubilee and Psylocke), our first look at the impressive Archangel and, now, our first look at the revamped Nightcrawler.

I'm definitely a lot happier with this rendition of the character than I was with X2's.  That other version always seemed too thick for me: where you could pretty much tell that the the actor was wearing a prosthetic to achieve his wildly alien look.  I was never unhappy with his appearance - it was, after all, a very good prosthetic - but it was never quite as convincing as I hoped it would be.

It was the same basic issue that I took with the original Mystique, although her constant shapeshifting considerably lessened this effect.  This Nightcrawler seems to have taken its visual cues from First Class' Mystique, however, as he is smaller, lither and considerably younger.

That's not to say the the original version was necessarily lacking, just that whatever makeup technology that they were using back then doesn't hold up as well as whatever they're using now, which really shows off the physical abilities of these superhuman characters.

It probably helps that they chose to go with a much brighter shade of Blue, which makes him visually pop in a way that the duller hues of his original version couldn't quite manage.  It also shows of his distinctive scars a lot better than the first time around, which further highlights his incredibly distinct appearance.

X-Men: Apocalypse's Archangel

If there's one thing that I dislike about this particular version of the character, it's his emo bangs, but I doubt that it'll bother me too much when I finally get to see him in action.  Visually, at least, X-Men: Apocalypse is probably my most anticipated movie to come out in the next couple of years.  As long as these reveals keep coming, I see no reason why that should change.

So do you prefer the new version of Nightcrawler, or the old version?  Why?  Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

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Extra, Extra!: Director Michelle MacLaren Departs from Wonder Woman

In which I report on the latest entertainment news.

I remember when it was first announced that Michelle MacLaren was tapped to direct 2017's Wonder Woman for Warner Bros.  It was honestly the best news to come out of the nascent DC Cinematic Universe since they slowed their release schedule to only two movies a year instead of three (odd as that might sound when I say it out loud).

MacLaren is an immensely talented, Emmy award winning director who lent her talent, experience and credibility to a shared universe whose start can only be described as rocky.  Her work with Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones and The Walking Dead proved her immense understanding of character-driven "genre" narratives like the one she was tackling for DC.

This is why news of her departure from the film is so utterly distressing.  While there are certainly directors who can replace her, nobody that DC's likely to get will be the equal of what they just lost in MacLaren.  The only way that this can be cast in a good light is if they somehow manage to bag Kathryn Bigelow, who already passed on the project the first time around.

The reason for her departure is irreconcilable creative differences between her and Warner Bros.  Not only could they not agree over something as basic as a time period to set it in, but MacLaren evidently wanted Wonder Woman to have a Tiger sidekick / pet that would have joined her in battle and comforted her in the film's quieter moments.  While I have nothing but respect for the woman, that last caveat is something that I'm glad that DC was resistant to.

Production on the movie shouldn't be hindered too badly, as DC has already vetted her replacements.  Patty Jenkins, the celebrated director of Monster, has stepped in to take over where MacLaren left off.  I can only hope that her relationship with DC proves to be better than MacLaren's was, as I don't think that the production can really afford another directorial walk-out.

So would you have preferred to see MacLaren's version of Wonder Woman, or the version that DC evidently prefers?  Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

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Extra, Extra!: Joss Whedon, Drew Godard and Lionsgate Sued for Copyright Infringement for The Cabin in the Woods

In which I report on the latest entertainment news.

The Cabin in the Woods has been praised as one of the most original movies - let alone horror movies - to come out in decades.  It singlehandedly re-invented the horror-comedy proved that intelligent, skillfully made films could come from any genre, even traditionally maligned ones.  This is why news of a new lawsuit against writer Joss Whedon, writer-director Drew Godard and producers Lionsgate for copyright infringement comes as such a genuine shocker.

Author Peter Gallagher claims in a $10 million lawsuit filed on Monday that The Cabin in the Woods is a blatant ripoff of his self-published 2006 novel The Little White Trip: A Night in the Pines.  According to Gallagher,

“Comparing the Book to the Film, the plots, stories, characters, sequence of events, themes, dialogue, and incidents portrayed in the two works are fictional and, in many respects, the elements in the two works are virtually identical,

 The alleged similarities include the number of characters (5), their sexual distribution (3 men, 2 women), their age range (between 17 and 22) and even their names (Jules and Dana instead of Julie and Dura).  The novel's plot involves a group of friends that travel to a remote cabin in the woods whose previous tenants were murdered by their father.  The family comes back as zombies to terrorize the protagonists, only to have it revealed that they're being filmed and have become the "inadvertent characters in a real-life horror show for the enjoyment of others."

While I have to agree that there are a striking number of superficial similarities between the two stories, they're really only just that: superficial similarities.  From my understanding about the novel and allegedly copied details, it lacks the plethora of horror icons (ranging from "Fornicus, Lord of Bondage and Pain" to "Kevin"), its third act reveal of human sacrifice to ancient gods and any number of other details that made the movie the cultural phenomenon that it is.  All it has are a similar group of protagonists in a similar second act scenario.  That's it.

Just because two (or in this case three) people have a somewhat novel idea - deeply based on genre tropes and conventions, mind you - doesn't mean that it's copyright infringement.  The similarities are far from systematic and far from particular enough to warrant intellectual theft.  They're not even as similar as the annual pair of obviously poached movies between rival studios (Volcano vs Dante's Peak, Armageddon vs Deep Impact, Antz vs A Bug's Life).

What's more, is that the novel's distribution casts very reasonable doubt that Whedon, Godard or anybody at Lionsgate could have ever read it - let alone known about it - before production on the film began.  It was self-published and self-distributed at only a few locations across California.  There are only 7,500 copies of the novel in question, so they would have had to be in the exact right place at the exact right time to get one of the absurdly few copies of it in order to pluck a few mildly similar details and scenarios from it.  This lawsuit isn't adding up to anything more than a desperate author trying to make a few (million) bucks off of a novel that didn't take off like he thought it would.

So do you believe that The Cabin in the Woods is the product of copyright infringement?  Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

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Extra, Extra!: Our First Look at Ant-Man's Yellowjacket

In which I report on the latest entertainment news.

With Age of Ultron well in hand and Daredevil having finally hit Netflix, Marvel seems to be redoubling their marketing push for Ant-Man.  And seeing as how we've really only been working off of one trailer for that movie so far, that suits me just fine.  Late last week, we finally got our first look at the movie's antagonist: Yellowjacket.

If the measure of a villain was how awesome he looked in his getup, Yellowjacket would be Marvel's best one yet.  By making black the costume's prominent color and yellow its supporting color, it changes it from looking mostly silly to massively intimidating.  The same goes for changing out the "popped collar" look for what appear to be weaponized stingers modeled after his namesake,

These changes are just further proof that things that look good on paper don't necessarily look good on screen.  If we would have seen his traditional accoutrement, we would have laughed our way out of the theater.  The same goes for if we would have seen more strongly comic-inspired versions of Wolverine or Electro.  Imagine if we would have seen something closer to this instead:

And that's the best rendition that I could find of the costume.  Most were far brighter shades of yellow and much less muscular (in a sense, sillier).  The new getup, though?  It's just the right combination of badass and terrifying for a supervillain.

Ant-Man is a movie that I think will actually sneak up on a lot of people.  Think about it, Marvel's big 2015 release is Age of Ultron, which has seen an incessant marketing push for months now.  DC, the only other substantive name in superheroics, has been pushing both Batman vs Superman and The Suicide Squad pretty hard.  To top it off, it seems like every other 2015 blockbuster is getting a larger slice of the public's attention than Marvel's pint-sized July release: from Fury Road to Terminator: Genysis to Spectre to The Force Awakens.

But Ant-Man?  It's pretty much just killing time until its release date at this point.  People know that it exists, obviously, but their attention has been firmly directed elsewhere.  If the movie proves to be even half as good as Guardians of the Galaxy, it'll be a monumental success seemingly out of nowhere.

So what are your thoughts on Yellowjacket's new costume?  Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

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Extra, Extra: Our First Look at Fantastic Four's Thing

In which I report on the latest entertainment news.

It seems like everybody came together to show off their made over superheroes and villains on the same exact day.  Not only did we get our first looks at The Suicide Squad's Joker and Fantastic Four's Thing, but Daredevil's iconic red costume, Ant-Man's antagonist Yellow Jacket and X-Men: Apocalypse's Archangel.  They even chose yesterday to release Vision's character poster for Age of Ultron.

Normally, this would have been a week's worth of news by itself.  But for God only knows what reason, we got every last one of those on a Thursday.  So please bare with me as I parse through these at a less than ideal rate, given everything else that I had planned to do between yesterday and today.

 Like the Incredible Hulk, Thing has always been a visually problematic character for the big screen.  He's so distinctively non-Human that you're left with few good options on how to render him alongside more ordinary characters like Mr. Fantastic.  Do you stick the actor in a suit and pray for the best, or do you CG in the effect and pray that the effect holds up over the span of 90 minutes?

Remember this atrocity?  Pepperidge Farm remembers.

Even those who'd written off the upcoming reboot still held out hope that Ben Grimm would at least fare better than with Fox's last swing at the character.  And having now seen him, I have to say that I'm impressed.  This is probably the best version of the character that we cold have hoped for, physically at least.

Rather than a cartoonish orange, he favors a stonier pallet: earthy browns and slight touches of rusted red.  Rather than looking like he just has an especially bad case of Shingles, he actually looks like a golem: a creature made from stone and earth.  Rather than just being bulky, he actually has a dominating physical presence within the frame.

I for one am glad that they tackled Thing mostly from a CG angle.  While I normally will happily take anything I can as a practical, in-camera effect, there are just some things that don't work in-camera.  Most of those come from comic books: iconic character designs that you just can't do justice to with a physical costume.

While I still have my reservations about the overly altered Fantastic Four reboot, this is at least one thing that I can cross off of that list.  Thing looks amazing, and is likely to be the best visual that the movie has to offer.  As for the rest... well, we'll just have to wait and see.

So what do you think about Thing's new look?  Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

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Extra, Extra!: Our First Good Look at Jared Leto's Joker

In which I report on the latest entertainment news.

Between its increasingly high profile cast, pitch-perfect director and the fact that it marks the first cinematic appearance of The Joker since Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight,  DC's The Suicide Squad seems to be snagging up headlines every week.  If it wasn't for the fact that every last shred of news to come out of the nascent production was so interesting, it'd be easy enough to tune the deluge out.

But DC's gone and done it this time.  They've finally given us our first look at Jared Leto as The Joker, and it's without a doubt the coolest thing that I've seen since they revealed Deadpool's new costume.

Although Heath Ledger set a new standard in menace with his horrific take on the Clown Prince of Crime, Jared Leto may very well give him a run for his money.  Although neither as disfigured nor as made up as Ledger's Joker (although just give that last part some time), Leto cuts an unsettling figure with his tight-cropped green hair, hollow eyes and lightly reddened lips.

Leto's dramatic costuming reveal draws upon the iconic Joker cover for 1988's The Killing Joke.  The comic - often cited as the definitive Joker story - involves him shooting and paralysing Barbara Gordon and positing that it only takes "one bad day" to make anybody go insane.  Christopher Nolan cites it as an inspiration for The Dark Knight's Joker and gave a copy of it to Ledger to reference during shooting.

Although it will likely turn out to have only been referenced because of its iconic stature in Joker canon, I can't help but wonder if there's going to be some connection between The Killing Joke and The Suicide Squad.  We already know that The Joker and Harley Quinn will have broken up by the time of the movie because of him murdering Jason Todd (Robin).  Has he already crippled Gordon too, or is that being saved for some stakes raising later in the DCCU?

Either way, expect to hear and see more about The Suicide Squad and especially Leto's Joker now that production on the movie's officially started.  There's bound to be a few more juicy details waiting in the pipeline.

So what do you think about the Joker's new look?  Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

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Extra, Extra!: Daniel Craig Injured on Spectre Set

In which I report on the latest entertainment news.

Injuries on the sets of major action movies aren't all that uncommon.  Just last year Harrison Ford broke his ankle while filming The Force Awakens.  Brandon Lee actually died while filming The Crow.  So to add Daniel Craig's name to that list for Spectre isn't just unsurprising, in a lot of way's it's pretty expected.

Craig injured his knee while shooting an action scene last February and had arthroscopic surgery performed on it over a previously scheduled break in shooting during Easter.  In addition to being a generally non-serious injury (as far as these things tend to go), it ultimately will not interfere with the movie's production.  Craig will return to work on the 22nd.

This unfortunate news aside, my already heightened expectations for this movie have flared up with every new report coming out of the latest Bond production.  The film's teaser trailer was already better than most movie's first full trailer.  Even reports of money-nabbing script rewrites have only served to make me more excited for it, because those rewrites actually made more specific references to the film's Mexican setting.

So what are you most looking forward to seeing in Spectre when it finally hits theaters?  Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

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Extra, Extra!: The Russo Brothers to Direct Infinity War

In which I report on the latest in entertainment news.

Although I've been slow to come to terms with this, it's pretty obvious by now that Captain America: The Winter Soldier is the best MCU movie to date: winning out against even fan favorites Guardians of the Galaxy and The Avengers.  While arguments for its success could be made for the inherent depth of the character, the terse of the plot and the emotional core of the story as a whole, my money is ultimately on the films directorial duo: Anthony and Joseph Russo.

When it became increasingly obvious that Age of Ultron was going to be Joss Whedon's last Avengers film, rumors quickly spread that the Russo brothers were in line to replace the fan favorite director behind the camera: rumors, as it turned out, that were true.  Despite rumors that they were set to direct the now-defunct Amazing Spider-Man 3 - and then The Spectacular Spider-Man - official reports now attach them to the third and fourth Avengers films.

Assuming that Whedon's mind is made up about the move, I for one could not be happier with this turn of events.  The Russos are a phenomenal directorial team whose work on The Winter Soldier proves beyond a doubt that they are up to the task of helming a star-studded, franchise-crossing blockbuster.

Sony will doubtlessly have to find somebody else to helm the latest Spider-Man reboot.  Given its high-profile, blockbuster status and the fact that the franchise has finally been reigned into Kevin Feige's mindful control, there will certainly be more than a few takers for the position.

And as for Whedon?  I'm willing to bet that it wasn't blockbuster fatigue that pulled his attention away from Infinity War.  Given his usual gendered predilections, I wouldn't be surprised at all to see him directing Phase 3's Captain Marvel.

So would you rather watch a Russo-directed Infinity War or a Whedon-directed Infinity War?  Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

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Extra, Extra!: Meet Disney's Newest Princess

In which I report on the latest in entertainment news.

Disney hasn't shied away from diversifying their Princess lineups in recent years.  The Princess and the Frog's Tiana was the company's first Black princess.  Sofia the First debuted Elena, the company's first Latina princess.  Coming in 2016 is Moana, whose title character will be the company's first Polynesian princess.

Although we only have rough details to go on at the moment, the movie will be set approximately 2000 years ago in the South Pacific.  The teenaged Moana will sail from island to island in her attempt to complete her "ancestor's quest."  Along the way, she will team up with Maui - a legendary demi-god - a potbelly pig and the Tiki god Moke Moke.

I'm actually pretty stoked about this movie.  The concept art is not only phenomenal, but apparently betrays the fact that it won't be digitally animated.  The story is like a Disney-fied cross between Whale Rider and The Legend of Zelda, and I'm always for increased diversity in movies (and especially kids movies).  The only thing that has me scratching my head is the inclusion of the pig, but that's so classic Disney that it's afforded a free pass at this point.

As good as 3-D animation tends to look, the over-saturation of kids movies with it has left me somewhat blase about the medium.  I've long argued that Disney and Pixar should be more strictly branded: with Pixar focusing on 3-D animation and Disney focusing on traditional 2-D animation.  And while The Princess and the Frog gave me hope that they would go in this direction, Tangled, Frozen and Big Hero 6 all suggested otherwise.

The movie is obviously too soon into production - with too little known about it at this point - to make any kind of sweeping predictions about it, based on the concept art that Disney's provided, it does appear to be a more traditionally animated film: breaking up the animated landscape with something so old that it's refreshing.  I can only hope that Disney will continue to explore options for traditional animation in the 21st century: at least when it fits the story that they're trying to tell.

So what are you looking forward to seeing in Disney's upcoming Moana?  Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

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Extra, Extra!: Deadpool Movie to be Rated R

In which I report on the latest in entertainment news.

From the allegedly "leaked" test footage to the reveal of the new costume, Deadpool is proving to be Fox's most exciting project since Days of Future Past.  After the X-Men: Origins debacle, they certainly have a lot to prove.  So when they announced the movie's rating, they were sure to do it in the most Deadpool way possible.

That's right, Deadpool will be rated PG-13 R.  Deadpool's free to be Deadpool without having to answer to the studio censors.  Expect all of the excessive violence, gruesome deaths and exaggerated profanity that fans have come to expect from him.

Everything about the movie's marketing campaign suggests that they finally understand why the character is so loved.  He's quick-witted, profane and has absolutely no respect for the fourth wall.  Fox is bending over backwards to convince Deadpool fans to come out for the movie, and thus far it seems to be working.  Fans are understandably stoked about the movie's shaping up, and it's easy to see why.

Fox's April Fool's Day joke also gave us the opportunity to see the character's costume in action.  Seeing Reynold's sprawled out on a bear skin rug in front of a fireplace was one thing, but a picture can only show so much by itself.

So what are you hoping to see in the upcoming Deadpool movie?  Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

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Extra, Extra!: Deadpool's New Threads

In which I report on the latest in entertainment news.

It's been an interesting road to production, to say the least, but it finally looks like Deadpool is getting the cinematic treatment he deserves.  With Days of Future Past resetting Fox's X-Men franchise of all of its past mistakes, Deadpool is free to come out and play in his true form.  And this last week, Ryan Reynolds - who perplexingly is still attached to the project - showed off his full costume in true Deadpool style.

Clearly Fox has learned its lesson after their mistreatment of the character in X-Men Origins, bringing him back to his roots as the hilariously non-traditional "merc with a mouth" whose sometimes unhealthy relationship with the X-Men as a whole - and Wolverine in particular - is the source of all kinds of zany antics.  Even though I will still defend my love fondness for Origins, I can't defend its absurd non-fidelity to its source material.

The costume looks fantastic, and the tone of the picture (not to mention the leaked test footage from a while back) makes them appear to be going in quite the opposite direction: extreme fidelity to the comics and Deadpool's off-the-wall character quirks.  How a one-note character like Deadpool will manage to stay fresh over the course of an entire movie remains a pretty big question in my mind, but I have no problem shelling out $10 a ticket to find out the answer to it.

So what are your thoughts on the new Deadpool movie?  Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

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Extra, Extra! Hugh Jackman Hanging Up His Claws After Wolverine 3

In which I report on the latest in entertainment news.

This isn't a good news week for Fox's X-Men film franchise.  Not only did Jennifer Lawrence announce that she won't be reprising her role after X-Men: Apocalypse, but now Hugh Jackman has cryptically announced his retirement from the franchise as well.  The Australian actor posted a picture of Wolverine's signature bladed fist on Instagram, promising "Wolverine... one last time."

It should really come as no surprise to anybody that the now 46-year-old actor wouldn't be eager to continue the extremely physical role of Wolverine.  Even Robert Downey Jr. needed some convincing before he agreed to reprise his role as Iron Man, and his action scenes are far more CGI assisted than Jackman's.  After 17-years of reprising and bulking up for the same role, it only makes sense that he'd be ready to step down from it.

It's a foregone conclusion at this point that he will have some role to play in X-Men: Apocalypse, even if it is just a cameo (remember his amazing appearance in First Class?).  I'm likewise certain that they'll be able to convince him to appear in the new Deadpool movie, if only to save face for X-Men Origins.  The only substantive outing that we'll get with him, however, will be in the currently untitled Wolverine 3.

This has fueled speculation about what Fox has planned for their final Wolverine cash-grab.  One popular option is 2008's Old Man Logan, in which the world is conquered by super villains and all superheroes have been effectively eliminated.  Decades after being tricked into slaughtering the X-Men (thanks to Mysterio's illusory powers), a cash-strapped Wolverine is contracted to deliver a mysterious package that may prove to be the world's salvation.

The problem with Old Man Logan is just how many non-Fox-owned Marvel characters appear in the story.  Wolverine's landlord is the bastard child of Hulk and She-Hulk.  He an a blinded Hawkeye deliver the package - a case of Captain America's Super Soldier Serum - to some undercover SHIELD agents working for the Red Skull.  It's certainly doable, but requires some major work-arounds to make feasible and clashes with the optimistic ending of Days of Future Past.

A more likely option for Fox to explore is the recent Death of Wolverine storyline, which could be a fitting farewell to Jackman's character.  The problem with that, however, is how similar it is to the plot of The Wolverine, as both feature Wolverine losing his healing factor as a way to allow his enemies to take him out.

There is also a third possibility, one that wouldn't require such a character-ending turn of events.  Fox could simply replace Hugh Jackman with another actor after Wolverine 3 and carry on as if nothing's changed.  It's the same basic game that studios have been playing with Bond, Batman and even Bruce Banner for decades.

Either way, it will be interesting to see how Fox handles Jackman's departure from the series that is so firmly entrenched in his character (and more specifically, his portrayal of that character).  Maybe this will be opportunity enough for Fox to explore solo projects with its other mutant characters, many of which are just as capable as Wolverine of carrying the weight of a solo title.

So do you think that Fox is going to kill off Wolverine when Jackman leaves, or simply replace him with another actor?  Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

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Extra, Extra!: No Legend of Zelda Series Coming to Netflix

In which I report on the latest in entertainment news.

Nintendo fans the world over awoke last week to supremely disheartening news.  Although it had been previously reported that Nintendo was going to produce a live-action Legend of Zelda series with Netflix, Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata firmly rejected that the series was in progress.

Described as being like a family friendly version of Game of Thrones, the Legend of Zelda series was a massively exciting idea.  It would have been the first real cinematic endeavor that Nintendo's taken since the God-awful Super Mario Bros movie in '93 and come at a time when the appeal of high-concept fantasy and its ability to be rendered on screen have created the perfect market for it.

It wasn't even just the idea of the series itself that was so exciting.  There was also the prospect that Nintendo might loosen up the iron grip that it held onto all of its other franchises with - like Mega Man, Metroid, Star Fox and, yes, even Mario.  I would pay through the nose for a Metroid movie, and this was as close to one as we've ever gotten.

According to Iwata,

“As of now, I have nothing new to share with you in regard to the use of our IPs for any TV shows or films, but I can at least confirm that the article in question is not based on correct information.”

While it is a disheartening statement, it's not a complete denial of it either.  It's entirely possible that the leaked information was based on a negotiation with Netflix still in progress, or even purely internal (and hypothetical) discussions.  It's just as possible that it will never happen at this point as it is that it might happen at some point down the line.  It might not even end up being anything like what Nintendo was allegedly working on in the first place.  All we know is 1) that they aren't talking about any new plans and 2) the article wasn't right.

So now we play the waiting game to see if Nintendo does move forward with any big or small screen plans for their intellectual properties.  They certainly have a lot to choose from, and while video game adaptations haven't had the best track record, neither did superhero movies for the longest time,and now they're a blockbuster mainstay.

So would you watch a live action Legend of Zelda Netflix series?  Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

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Extra, Extra!: Age of Ultron Clocks in at 142 Minutes

In which I report on the latest in entertainment news.

With only about a month to go before Age of Ultron hits theaters, speculation abounded on what the Avengers sequel's final run time would be.  Most reports claimed that it would hit the 160 minute mark, while others put its eventual length at closer to three hours.  We now have official word that the movie will be a relatively scant 142 minutes long.

While people generally presumed that it would be longer - in some cases much longer - than its nearly two and a half hour predecessor, it actually managed to shave a minute off of The Avengers 143 minute run time.  We can expect the movie to be roughly as long and roughly as face-paced as the one it's following up, which is fine by me.

To be completely honest, I don't know why people were expecting it to be so long.  Whedon is an immensely talented director who knows how to not overstay his welcome.  Even with such an expansive cast and a considerable more plot than The Avengers, there's only so much time that you can devote to a CGI smash fest, even one as perfectly crafted as Age of Ultron is shaping up to be.

All the same elements that made the first movie so great are already there in the sequel.  There's the core Avengers team, plus some mistrusted extras (and I'm not just talking about the twins).  The enemy is a charismatic megalomaniac with an army of faceless drones to do most of the heavy lifting.  There's tense in-fighting (Cap vs Stark sets up Civil War while Hulk vs Stark potentially sets up Planet Hulk). spectacular action sequences and Black Widow's omnipresent playful banter.  Age of Ultron is sporting the full package.

So what do you hope to see in Age of Ultron that the trailers didn't already give away?  Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

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Extra, Extra!: Jennifer Lawrence Is Leaving X-Men after Apocalypse

In which I report on the latest in entertainment news.

Although the franchise languished through a listless trickle of Wolverine spin offs in its awkward adolescent years, Fox's X-Men franchise has proven to be one of the biggest players in the recent superhero boom, and it's really no surprise why that is.  The series powered through the wake of Batman & Robin with the first X-Men, survived the fallout of X-Men United, and completely rebuilt itself from the ground up with First Class and Days of Future Past.

No small part of that is that through trial and error, Fox has succeeded in sniffing out the right talent for their movies.  Bryan Singer, who had never tackled a big-budget action movie before X-Men - and who would go on to helm the supremely disappointing Superman Returns - found his stride in X-Men: tackling the first two movies plus Days of Future Past with a surprising degree of confidence and insight.  When Fox desperately needed to reboot the franchise, Matthew Vaugn was the perfect choice for a fresh perspective on a languid series.

Casting Michael Fassbender and James MacAvoy as Magneto and Xavier was as inspired a choice as casting Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart in the same roles years before.  Hugh Jackman, known today as the literal embodiment of Wolverine, was a little known Australian TV actor when he was cast in the role.  And, of course, securing Jennifer Lawrence for the role of the young Mystique ensured bringing over hoards of Hunger Game fanatics to the franchise and securing every shred of respect her presence invariably lent to the project.

This is why the news of her departure from the franchise after the upcoming X-Men: Apocalypse came as such a big shock: she was as absurdly perfect in her role for X-Men as she was in the also-ending Hunger Games series.  After 2016, Lawrence won't have a single blockbuster franchise to call her own.

The weird thing is, though, that nobody's really going to be all that hurt by her walking away.  Fox has already gotten three huge movies out of her and has absorbed as many of her fans as it possibly could at this point.  Given that Mystique usually opts to go commando in blue scales, and just as frequently transforms into other characters, the role should be easy enough to recast for future movies.  It's not even like Lawrence was the first person to take on the role.

And Lawrence herself?  Don't worry about her.  She's a media darling who won't be hurting for fans following her X-Men breakup.  At just 25 years old, she's already won an Oscar and had two other nominations for good measure.  She and Bradley Cooper have already teamed up for Serena, which gets its North American release this week, and both are joining forces with David O. Russell once again for next year's Joy.

In short, she had a career before X-Men and she'll continue to have one after X-Men.  She's the most vibrant, likable and, above all, talented actress of her generation, and she's going to have to work a lot harder than passing on another superhero sequel to ruin her career.

So what are your thoughts about Jennifer Lawrence's departure from the X-Men franchise?  Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

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