Captain America Trailer

I've been harping on how slotting Captain America the week following Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows – Part II (without question, the #1 box-office champion this year) was a bad idea for Marvel. The final Potter was going to be too much in the zeitgest for anything else coming immediately after it to make a dent.

Well, the trailer just got leaked. Fuck what I said earlier and what I've thought for months on the matter. This is gonna play big-time with both the comic-devoted nerd culture and the general public.

It works for two reasons. First and foremost, Chris Evans' Steve Rogers as the little guy who everyone dismisses at face-value. All it takes is an experimental serum and he goes from ugly duckling to juiced-up swan and here's his chance to prove himself. Universal theme of being the underdog at work.

Second, don't know the last time we as Americans got to proclaim our nationality as a source of pride (not meant as pro-Obama/anti-Bush statement; I actually like both guys). But the last time I can remember where a big commercial movie was met with such a "Ya for USA!" response was interestingly enough Sam Raimi's Spider-Man, and that was a year after 9/11. Kicking Nazi ass helps a lot too; just ask Inglorious Basterds.

Walden Hell-Bent (No Pun Intended) on Fourth Narnia

Christianity might be the religion of choice by most Americans, of which yours truly is one of, but that hasn’t translated to mucho-dollars for the Narnia movies in quite some time.

Past Lion, Witch & the Wardrobe (which to the surprise of everyone pantsed Peter Jackson's King Kong), the masses fell from the faith of the Christian-geared fantasy-series. Prince Caspian got stricken with a bad case of shitty release date syndrome and by the time this past Christmas' Voyage of the Dawn Treader dropped, there shouldn't be a doubt in anyone’s mind that this franchise isn't going to win anyone back beyond its committed fan-base.

When your third movie barely crosses the $100 million stateside, you'd think the producers would get the message. But those damn foreigners (kidding!) picked up the slack and their markets single-handedly helped Treader to $400 million bank worldwide. Naturally, another one is the pipeline producers tell The Christian Post.

If they get their way (and they probably will since Fox is reduced to developing a Percy Jackson sequel), the next installment will be The Magician's Nephew. I'm told it's the second most popular book in the series behind Lion. Don't have any figures to prove or disprove that statement. Although I do recall a married couple/old pals of mine saying how that was the one book they couldn't wait to see made into a movie after the first film hit.

Broadway's Spidey Claims Another Victim

Another day, another injury at Spiderman: Turn Off The Dark.   The NY Times is reporting that actress T.V. Carpio, who plays the villian Archane in the beleagured Broadway musical, suffered a neck injury while performing a fight sequence during a preview performance on March 16.  She is expected to be out of the show for at least two weeks.

Carpio is the second actress to play the role of Archane.  She replaced Natalie Mendoza, who left the show after suffering a concussion during a performance in December.  For those keeping score, Carpio is now the fifth Spiderman performer to be injured in the line of duty, the most serious being Spidey-double Christopher Tierney, who suffered multiple injuries (including a fractured skull) after a nearly 30-foot fall into the orchestra pit, also in December.  Earlier this month, Spiderman: Turn Off The Dark was slammed with three serious safety violations from US Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and the production was fined upwards of $12,600.

What a mess.  Understudy America Olvio has stepped in to the Archane role in Carpio's absence, and we're all keeping our fingers crossed that she gets through her time in the show without any serious incident.  It is believed that Archane is on borrowed time anyway.  The character, who performs the critically savaged spiders-in-high-heels song "Deeply Furious" (I'm not making that up), is rumored to be on the chopping block when the show shuts down for major rewrites next month. 

The re-written, re-worked, re-scored, and now reportedly re-choreographed version of Spiderman: Turn Off The Dark is scheduled to open at the Foxwoods Theater on Broadway on June 14.  But if you would like to see the current version of this train wreck (which I will be doing next week for some reason), you have until April 18.  Walk, don't run.

New 'Captain America' Image and Footage

Marvel today released a new photo from Captain America: The First Avenger showing Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) in full Captain America garb, standing around what looks to be a wreckage area.

I know, it's not much to look at, but maybe this preview ad ET is running for the debut of the first trailer hitting tomorrow will do something for you:

I'll hold my judgement until I see the whole thing.

Marvel Studios’ Kevin Feige will produce CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER. Alan Fine, Stan Lee, David Maisel and Louis D’Esposito will executive produce. The film will be released in the US on July 22, 2011 and distributed by Paramount Pictures.

CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER will focus on the early days of the Marvel Universe when Steve Rogers volunteers to participate in an experimental program that turns him into the Super Soldier known as Captain America.

Born during the Great Depression, Steve Rogers grew up a frail youth in a poor family. Horrified by the newsreel footage of the Nazis in Europe, Rogers was inspired to enlist in the army. However, because of his frailty and sickness, he was rejected. Overhearing the boy’s earnest plea, General Chester Phillips offered Rogers the opportunity to take part in a special experiment… Operation: Rebirth. After weeks of tests, Rogers was at last administered the Super-Solider Serum and bombarded by “vita-rays.” Steve Rogers emerged from the treatment with a body as perfect as a body can be and still be human. Rogers was then put through an intensive physical and tactical training program. Three months later, he was given his first assignment as Captain America. Armed with his indestructible shield and battle savvy, Captain America has continued his war against evil both as a sentinel of liberty and as leader of the Avengers.

CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER stars Chris Evans, Hayley Atwell, Tommy Lee Jones, Sebastian Stan, Toby Jones, Stanley Tucci, and Hugo Weaving.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt Playing...Somebody in Batman 3!

He's going to be in The Dark Knight Rises. That's all the Internet can agree on.

Days after Variety scooped Joseph Gordon-Levitt's role in Batman Numero Tres as being Alberto Falcone; son of Tom Wilkinson's Gotham gangster Carmine Falcone from Batman Numero Uno, Entertainment Weekly says to the contrary (or as translated, "NU-UH!")

The site offers no alternative nor does it go into further details. Comes off like a subordinate being told by a higher-up to fan the flames. Since EW and Warner Brothers are both owned by Time-Warner; similiar to how Henry Cavill wound up on the cover of the magazine last month. That's, however, not to say they're blowing smoke. They could very well be dead-on, and their status-report on the Aronofsky-absent Wolverine 2 rung true.

But it's reads like spin-control and wouldn't be the first (or last) time leaked info is "debunked" then winds up being legit. I'm with the trades on this one. But please, let's not turn this into a nerd dick-measuring contest. Those are just...sad.

WB Serious About Akira; Looking for Lead Actors

Already hearing the cries, "BUT...THEY'RE NOT JAPANESE!"

Not to excuse this shortlist (It's an oddity, I'll admit), but the setting behind the in-the-works live action Akira films isn’t New Tokyo, but New Manhattan. They're going to aim for young, white leading men as leads Kaneda and Tetuso. I'm sure their names will be changed too. How many white-bred New Yorkers do you know named Tetuso without a speck of Oriental in their blood?

Executives at Warner Brothers are anxiously awaiting word back from the select-few actors presented the script of the Steven Kloves-rewrite which Albert Hughes (one-half of the Hughes Brothers) is expected to direct.

The short-list, according to "TOLDJA," consists of Michael Fassbender, Garrett Hedlund, Joaquin Phoenix, Chris Pine and Justin Timberlake for biker Kaneda and Andrew Garfield, James McAvoy and Robert Pattinson for as Kaneda’s troubled, and psychic-powered, pal-turned-enemy Tetsuo.

The graphic novel and 1988 anime-feature don’t translate itself to the big screen, and most of these guys (ranging from the already-established like Pine to the on-the-verge like Garfield) seem too old. But their sources say the final pick will come from this list. So since they're gearing up to start filming in August, that rules some and leaves others open.

My random picks of who get cast from this shortlist? Hedlund and Pattinson; both are about the same age and don't appear to have anything on the horizon. That said, I'm still having a hard time fathoming that this is legitimately happening.

New 'Cars 2' Poster

In the film, star racecar Lightning McQueen and the incomparable tow truck Mater take their friendship to exciting new places in "Cars 2" when they head overseas to compete in the first-ever World Grand Prix to determine the world's fastest car.  But the road to the championship is filled with plenty of potholes, detours and hilarious surprises when Mater gets caught up in an intriguing adventure of his own: international espionage. Torn between assisting Lightning McQueen in the high-profile race and towing the line in a top-secret spy mission, Mater's action-packed journey leads him on an explosive chase through the streets of Japan and Europe, trailed by his friends and watched by the whole world.

Avatar 2 Also Impacted by Japan Tragedy

Putting aside for one second the recent director-shuffle, the tragedy in Japan has obviously affected any and all plans for The Wolverine, and there's no telling how long until Fox decides to get the wheel turning on that one again. But it appears that it isn't the only Fox-based project in a hairy predicament.

A source has told Corona Coming Attractions the studio's numero-uno priority, the sequel to James Cameron's Avatar, is in a similar boat – to be fair, probably nowhere near as severe if one had to compare the two.

Writer/producer/director Cameron planned to film scenes deep within the Marianas Trench for Avatar 2 utilizing 3D cameras and a specialty built-submersible to get him and his crew down there. But an insider has told our pal Patrick Sauriol those plans are in great jeopardy due to the situation with Japan:

"Hundreds of aftershocks have been felt since the first quake, and while the intensity of the aftershocks are of lesser strength than the original 9.0 quake, they will go on for an undetermined period of time -- perhaps for years. That's why Cameron's dive is now in jeopardy; the safety of the divers, including Cameron himself, may now be beyond a point where liability insurance will allow for."

Since Avatar 2 isn't scheduled for release until Christmas 2014, there's conceivably plenty of time to either come back to the Trench later (presumably when the risk factor decreases) or relocate altogether.

New Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides Trailer

Disney has kicked things into full-gear for Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides including new character-specific one-sheets to a second theatrical trailer, presented by Yahoo! Movies.

Whoever cut this trailer fortunately for us dialed back on the Jack Sparrow-isms and focused on the main narrative for this May's sequel (the search for the fountain of youth) and amped up the action. Still not much of Ian McShane's Blackbeard. But ten year-olds aren't going for him now are they? They were even so kind to throw in the obligatory Keith Richards cameo.

You guys know where I stand on this however, and how I think it'll end up. So no need of me turning blue in the face stating that again. For those anticipating another Pirates romp, enjoy.

Middle-Earth Lives Again; The Hobbit Finally Starts Production

There aren't enough fingers to count the problems plaguing The Hobbit. Losing directors (from Guillermo del Toro to Peter Jackson), financial woes (the near collapse of MGM), the near-lose of New Zealand as the base of operations, multiple delays for both the start of production and release dates and concerns of losing leads Martin Freeman and Ian McKellen to prior commitments, to name a few.

Yet all those headaches are in the past as cameras rolled on the two films yesterday in New Zealand, as the studio officially announced via press release along with new pictures of a healthy looking Jackson on set via Facebook:

"Production has commenced in Wellington, New Zealand, on 'The Hobbit,' filmmaker Peter Jackson's two film adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's widely read masterpiece.

'The Hobbit' is set in Middle-earth 60 years before Tolkien's 'The Lord of the Rings,' which Jackson and his filmmaking team brought to the big screen in the blockbuster trilogy that culminated with the Oscar-winning 'The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.'

The two films, with screenplays by Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Guillermo del Toro and Peter Jackson, will be shot consecutively in digital 3D using the latest camera and stereo technology. Filming will take place at Stone Street Studios, Wellington, and on location around New Zealand.

'The Hobbit' follows the journey of title character Bilbo Baggins, who is swept into an epic quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor, which was long ago conquered by the dragon Smaug. Approached out of the blue by the wizard Gandalf the Grey, Bilbo finds himself joining a company of thirteen dwarves led by the legendary warrior, Thorin Oakensheild. Their journey will take them into the Wild; through treacherous lands swarming with Goblins and Orcs, deadly Wargs and Giant Spiders, Shapeshifters and Sorcerers.

Although their goal lies to the East and the wastelands of the Lonely Mountain first they must escape the goblin tunnels, where Bilbo meets the creature that will change his life forever … Gollum.

Here, alone with Gollum, on the shores of an underground lake, the unassuming Bilbo Baggins not only discovers depths of guile and courage that surprise even him, he also gains possession of Gollum's 'precious' ring that holds unexpected and useful qualities … A simple, gold ring that is tied to the fate of all Middle-earth in ways Bilbo cannot begin to know.

Martin Freeman takes the title role as Bilbo Baggins and Ian McKellen returns in the role of Gandalf the Grey. The Dwarves are played by Richard Armitage (Thorin Oakenshield), Ken Stott (Balin), Graham McTavish (Dwalin), William Kircher (Bifur) James Nesbitt (Bofur), Stephen Hunter (Bombur), Rob Kazinsky (Fili), Aidan Turner (Kili), Peter Hambleton (Gloin), John Callen (Oin), Jed Brophy (Nori), Mark Hadlow (Dori) and Adam Brown (Ori). Reprising their roles from “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy are Cate Blanchett as Galadriel, Andy Serkis as Gollum and Elijah Wood as Frodo. Jeffrey Thomas and Mike Mizrahi also join the cast as Dwarf Kings Thror and Thrain, respectively. Further casting announcements are expected.

'The Hobbit' is produced by Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh, alongside Carolynne Cunningham. Executive producers are Ken Kamins and Zane Weiner, with Philippa Boyens as co-producer. The Oscar-winning, critically acclaimed ‘The Lord of the Rings’ trilogy, also from the production team of Jackson and Walsh, grossed nearly $3 billion worldwide at the box office. In 2003, ‘The Return of the King’ swept the Academy Awards, winning all of the 11 categories in which it was nominated, including Best Picture – the first ever Best Picture win for a fantasy film. The trilogy’s production was also unprecedented at the time.

Among the creative behind-the-scenes team returning to Jackson’s crew are director of photography Andrew Lesnie, production designer Dan Hennah, conceptual designers Alan Lee and John Howe, composer Howard Shore and make-up and hair designer Peter King. Costumes are designed by Ann Maskrey and Richard Taylor.

Taylor is also overseeing the design and production of weaponry, armour and prosthetics which are once again being made by the award winning Weta Workshop. Weta Digital take on the visual effects for both films, led by the film’s visual effects supervisor, Joe Letteri. Post production will take place at Park Road Post Production in Wellington.

'The Hobbit' films are co-produced by New Line Cinema and MGM, with New Line managing production. Warner Bros Pictures is handling worldwide theatrical distribution, with select international territories as well as all international television licensing being handled by MGM. The two films are planned for release in late 2012 and 2013, respectively."

Similar to finishing The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, there's a weird feeling of completion here. We've all spent years now detailing the multitude of stories (both the real and bullshit) about the two Hobbit movies and after all this time, they're finally shooting.

That said, it's only a matter of time before Jackson and/or the studio stop blowing smoke up fans' asses and fess up that Part I won't hit next Christmas.