Since its inception, the movie making wing of Marvel Comics has been batting close to a thousand. Iron Man tore up the summer box office and The Incredible Hulk not only reinvented the character but also tied the Big Green Goliath to the rest of the Marvel Universe and the upcoming crossover movie, The Avengers.
Iron Man 2 on the Way
With the box office success of Iron Man, Marvel wasted little time in signing director Jon Favreau to direct the sequel and sweetened the deal with an Executive Producer deal for The Avengers. The adding of Favreau to the team behind The Avengers was a move that was greeted with enthusiasm by fans as it seems to ensure that the movie gathering big name heroes Iron Man, Captain America, Thor and The Incredible Hulk will take at least some of its cues from the slick and successful Iron Man film. At the moment, Favreau is the darling of both Marvel and its fans. With the anticipated success of Iron Man 2 which is due in theaters on May 7, 2010, he is likely to be Marvel's golden boy for years to come.
Captain America Gets A Director
Favreau can't do everything for Marvel. While Iron Man 2 is gearing up for filming, Marvel has announced the signing of the director for First Avenger: Captain America. Joe Johnston, director of October Sky and The Rocketeer, has been hired to helm the big screen debut of one of Marvel's most iconic characters. Johnston is a good fit for a comic book action film like this one, having started in the film industry doing visual effects on films like Star Wars and Raiders of the Lost Ark before taking a seat in the director's chair. First Avenger: Captain America is due to open May 6, 2011.
God of Thunder on the Horizon
As of today, no announcements have been made about casting or a director for the soon to lens Thor feature film. Rumours place Kenneth Branagh behind the camera, but that is currently just speculation. The decision needs to be made soon if the studio plans to stick to it's proposed release date for the film of June, 2010.
Samuel Jackson, Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.
In a brilliant stroke of marketing, Marvel created an offshoot of their comic book universe which they dubbed The Ultimates. They created The Ultimate Spiderman, The Ultimate X-Men and more, effectively reusing their stable of popular characters with new art and updated stories. The once white Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. Was reinvented to look suspiciously like actor, Samuel Jackson. In fact the artists freely admit that Jackson was their model. Obviously, Marvel Studios was paying attention to the change and quickly signed Jackson to play the role in a brief cameo at the end of the Iron Man film.
Jackson has since said in an interview with MTV, “I'll do every movie they want to do. I'm down.” Using the Nick Fury character to bring The Avengers team together and into theaters on July 15, 2011 will be a crowning achievement for Marvel's fledgling movie studio and set the bar for future comic book crossover films.
Putting It All Together
There are rumours that diminutive heroes Ant-Man and Wasp may also appear in The Avengers, but with a proposed Ant-Man movie languishing in development hell, getting the original comic book line up of Iron Man, Captain America, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, Ant-Man and Wasp on the big screen is still not a certainty. What is certain is the giddy excitement of fans as Marvel continues to roll out hit films.
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