Tag: Mark Millar

RUMOR: Famke Janssen Making Cameo As Jean Grey In ‘The Wolverine’

by Shawn Madden

There’s been quite a bit of talk and speculation lately wondering if James Mangold’s The Wolverine will tie into Matthew Vaughn’s X-Men: Days Of Future Past as well as whether or not we would see characters from the first three X-films appearing in the flick. There’s a rumor that just hit, that if it turns out to be true, would show that Fox may definitely be connecting the two films.

We Got This Covered reports that Famke Janssen, the actress who played Jean Grey in the first three X-Men films, recently flew to Sydney to shoot a cameo for The Wolverine. Just recently Janssen had stated that she would be interested in reprising the role in Matthew Vaughn’s upcoming X-Men: Days Of Future Past, which could mean we may be getting some form of connection between the two films. There is no word however just how big of a cameo appearance it is.

Josh Trank Looking At Jack Kirby & Stan Lee Material As Inspiration For ‘Fantastic Four’

by Shawn Madden

One of Mark Millar’s project that he will oversee for Fox will be the upcoming reboot of Fantastic Four. Josh Trank has been attached to direct the upcoming film, and Millar has stated thats Trank’s Chronicle was his favorite superhero film last year, and is excited to see what the director will bring to the table.

“You can tell from Chronicle that it was a new way of looking at superheroes, and I think he’s going to apply that same slightly skewed way of looking at heroes to the Fantastic Four, but do it in a way that feels incredibly reverential to the Kirby and Lee stuff.”

Millar went on state that for the Fantastic Four to work properly it really has to be done with the Lee and Kirby prospective. While the current trend for comic movies is to give them a darker feel, don’t expect that one from Marvel’s fantastic family.

“I don’t think you could do Fantastic Four and try and make it grim and gritty.”

It appears that Millar and Trank are going after a different approach than the current trend of movies. I’m pretty excited to see what the two combined can come up with. And I know for one thing that I hope this means we will get the Mole Man, The Moloids and his creatures on the big screen.

Source: SFX via ComicBook.com

Rob Liefeld Gives A More Encouraging Update On ‘Deadpool’ Movie

by Shawn Madden

Earlier today we posted a piece about director Tim Miller giving an update on the status of the Deadpool big screen adaptation that made it sound like there was nothing really going on with that at the moment. But, with Mark Millar coming in to oversee Fox’s comic book project’s the chance of Wade Wilson hitting the big screen have definitely increased. And it actually sounds like there may be going on with the flick than Miller let us know.

Deadpool creator Robert Liefeld has chimed in on Twitter stating that the departure of former Fox CEO Tom Rothman is one obstacle down on the path to bringing everyone’s favorite Merc With The Mouth to the big screen. Liefeld says that he’s actually already met with Mark Millar & Tim Miller to discuss the project.

But what was the most interesting piece of his Tweets today? Well, Liefeld re-tweeted the following tweet:

 

Could there be big plans to get re-introduce the character to the big screen after the abomination that was X-Men Origins: Wolverine? It’s quite possible. The script for the film has actually leaked out and been praised across internet forums and there is a bit of test footage that was made that Liefeld has called “Bloody PERFECT.” Fox, the fans have spoken. Make this one happen.

Director Tim Miller Offers An Update On ‘Deadpool’

by Derek Kraneveldt

As we all know, a Kickstarter for a film adaptation of the much loved comic The Goon was introduced at last weekend’s New York Comic Con (side note, funding is currently sitting at 37%, tell your friends!). David Fincher is set to direct the feature, which was introduced to him by friend Tim Miller.

A fan on the Kickstarter page recently asked about progress on the Deadpool film. Tim Miller, who is currently set to direct the project, had some unfortunate (if not expected) news:

“We’ve turned in an amazing script and done some early tests and visual development that–I’m confident–would get the fans stoked. And Ryan still loves the project. So it’s really up to Fox as to whether or not the film happens–all I can do is hope (and beg periodically) that it be allowed to move ahead. “

The news is basically a confirmation of what many of us expected. The film hasn’t been officially canned, but it seems as though it’s been sent down to development hell, unlikely to see the light of day anytime soon. Definitely a sad realization for all us fans.

The one sliver of hope here may be the fact that Mark Millar is consulting on all of the Fox’ Marvel properties. If anyone can get Deadpool off the back burner, it’s going to be him.

How excited were you for this movie to happen?

Source: Kickstarter

Did Mark Millar Confirm That We Will See Sentinels In ‘X-Men: Days Of Future Past’?

by Shawn Madden

One of the smartest moves that Fox has made regarding their comic book titles was bringing Mark Millar on to oversee their project. An article featured on Digital Spy says that Millar recently gave an interview to SFX about the upcoming X-Men: Days Of Future Past where he called the the plot of the film “X-Men meets The Terminator”. He also said the following about the film:

“”You’ve got robots, you’ve got time travel, you’ve got superheroes – it’s got everything in one film.”

Robots? Well, I think there’s only one thing that could mean. Sentinels!

Millar also stated that it is “no spoiler on [his] part” to say that the film goes into an apocalyptic future.” He also confirmed that they have definitely increased the budget from the first film. Millar didn’t go on to mention what characters or time periods we will see in the film, but those small tidbits alone are enough to get any X-fan X-cited.

Universal Releases Official Plot Synopsis For ‘KICK-ASS 2’

by Shawn Madden

Universal Pictures have released the official plot synopsis for Jeff Wadlow’s KICK-ASS 2. The synopsis reveals a few new details about showing some of the differences between the film and the comic series.

Kick-Ass, Hit Girl and Red Mist return for the follow-up to 2010’s irreverent global hit: Kick-Ass 2. After Kick-Ass’ (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) insane bravery inspires a new wave of self-made masked crusaders, led by the badass Colonel Stars and Stripes (Jim Carrey), our hero joins them on patrol. When these amateur superheroes are hunted down by Red Mist (Christopher Mintz-Plasse)—reborn as The Mother F%&*^r—only the blade-wielding Hit Girl (Chloe Grace Moretz) can prevent their annihilation. When we last saw junior assassin Hit Girl and young vigilante Kick-Ass, they were trying to live as normal teenagers Mindy and Dave. With graduation looming and uncertain what to do, Dave decides to start the world’s first superhero team with Mindy.

Unfortunately, when Mindy is busted for sneaking out as Hit Girl, she’s forced to retire—leaving her to navigate the terrifying world of high-school mean girls on her own. With no one left to turn to, Dave joins forces with Justice Forever, run by a born-again ex-mobster named Colonel Stars and Stripes. Just as they start to make a real difference on the streets, the world’s first super villain, The Mother F%&*^r, assembles his own evil league and puts a plan in motion to make Kick-Ass and Hit Girl pay for what they did to his dad. But there’s only one problem with his scheme: If you mess with one member of Justice Forever, you mess with them all.

Source: IGN

Mark Millar Talks About Working With Fox On Their Marvel Properties

by Shawn Madden

It was announced just yesterday that Fox would be bringing Mark Millar (The Ultimates, Kick-Ass) on as their creative council for their Marvel films. Basically, Fox has made Millar their Joss Whedon. Below, Millar also thanks directors Matthew Vaughn and Joe Carnahan who were instrumental in Millar getting the gig. While we know that we can expect great things from the combination of  Vaugh and Millar, it’s going to be interesting to see what could possibly come from him and Carnahan. Maybe we will see Nemesis released by Fox? Anyway, Millar has decided to talk about what he will be doing with Fox which you can read below.

Dear Boys and Girls,

I’m just out of bed and hardly slept a wink. Weirdly, the baby slept right through and we could have had a clear eight hours, but I was still buzzing about the big announcement last night. It’s pretty much the biggest thing that’s ever happened to me so as you can imagine adrenaline is coursing. For those who missed, I’ve just signed a contract with Fox to work on ALL their Marvel movies, details of which can be seen here:

PRESS RELEASE: Mark Millar To Consult On FOX’s MARVEL ADAPTATIONS

It’s way too early to talk about plans just yet, but as you can imagine the idea here is to make exactly the kind of superhero movies you and I want to see most. There literally isn’t a more talented bunch of film-makers to be working with and the team at Fox are incredibly excited about this bold new direction too. I also want to post this here to say thanks for the hundreds of emails I woke up to this morning and the thousand-plus tweets I got overnight from well-wishers. I wish I had time to reply to them all today – I usually reply to most of my tweets @mrmarkmillar – but this morning was an AVALANCHE and so I just wanted to so a big thanks, that I’ve read every one and that they’re hugely appreciated. A highlight, I think, was well-wishes from Stan The Man himself. That’s like the Pope sending a message. Couldn’t have been more exciting.

But my biggest thanks has to go to director Joe Carnahan, I think. It was Joe who suggested me to the bigwigs at Fox for this role as he’s always been a supporter of what I did in comics like The Ultimates and so on. He and Matthew Vaughn – both of whom have a very strong relationship with Fox – really pushed for me to get this gig and I just want to publicly thank them both for their support.

Right, better get my Scottish ass showered, dressed and onto work. Kick-Ass 2 resumes shooting here on Monday and I’m on set the week after next, but a TON of stuff to get written before I can get down to Pinewood. Finished issue 2 of Jupiter’s Children yesterday for Mister Frank Quitely and issue one of Kick-Ass 3 is now in the can too. Oh, and thanks to everyone who picked up Hit-Girl #3 this week. We sold out by yesterday afternoon and will be going back to press on this and with the FOURTH printing of issue one. Thanks again for spending your hard-earned cash on these Millarworld books and keeping it away from the Romney campaign!

Right. Work. Catch you all later and I promise you are in for an awesome few years. If you’re on this board you know how much I’m INTO this stuff.

Lotsa love,
MM

Not only is this a great decision it is a smart decision. It’s clear that these movie studios are learning from Marvel Studios success that the best choice for people to work on films are not studio people, but rather the people who actually write comics and read them. It may have taken a number of years for them to learn this but I am glad they have. While there are many fans who want Marvel Studios to get back their Fantastic Four and X-Men properties I think that it’s better that they don’t have them. Yes, I know I just probably pissed someone off with that one.

As long as they’re making money Fox isn’t going to be letting go of these properties any time soon. And it’s better that way. We don’t need a Marvel Studios reboot of these films while they have tons of other properties that we could explore. But now with Millar on board, who has written X-Men and Fantastic Four titles before, you can definitely expect it to stick closer to the source as well as bring in some awesome things that you may not expect at all. I definitely can’t wait to see what he brings to the table.

 

Mark Millar To Consult On Fox’s Marvel Titles

by Derek Kraneveldt

20th Century Fox announced today that they have hired Mark Millar as a creative consultant for their Marvel film properties.

Millar is obviously no stranger to either the comic or film world. He has written for a variety of huge and hugely popular titles, and two of his own creations (Wanted and Kick-Ass) have spawned highly successful films. Fox would clearly like a repeat of the success of these films, and as Deadline reports Millar has been tasked with finding new creative avenues for the X-Men and Fantastic Four franchises, which may be able to do just that.

Speaking with Deadline, Millar had this to say about the hire:

“As someone who has spent his entire life obsessed with both comic-books and movies, this is essentially my dream gig as it’s a unique combination of both,” stated Millar. “I spent ten years working at Marvel and am really happy with the work I did on the comic side of things so the idea of working with these characters now in a brand new medium is enormously exciting for me. I really like the Fox team, love this bold new direction they have for their franchises and am proud to be working alongside some of modern cinema’s biggest talents. James Mangold is incredible, Matthew Vaughn’s one of my closest pals and Josh Trank gave us, in my opinion, one of the greatest superhero movies of the last decade with Chronicle. The invitation to join this crew was maybe the coolest phone-call I’ve ever had.”

What do you think of this? Are you a fan of Millar’s work?

 

Take A Look At Christopher Mintz-Plasse In Costume From The Set Of ‘Kick-Ass 2’

by Derek Kraneveldt

Seems like there have been no shortage of set photos leaked from the procduction of Kick-Ass 2 (Check out some previous leaks here, here, and here). Today has been no exception: the latest images give us our first look at Christopher Mintz-Plasse as The Mother Fucker. Dude sure looks grown up from the first film!

Take a gander at the shots below, and let us know what you think!

Kick-Ass 2 hits theatres on June 28, 2013.

Source: ComicBookMovie

More Set Photos From KICK-ASS 2 Give Us A First Look At New Characters!

by Shawn Madden

Jeff Wadlow’s KICK-ASS 2 is currently filming and plenty of set photos have been leaking their way online. Now a new set of photos have made their way online giving us a first  full on look at Donald Faison as Dr. Gravity, Clark Duke as Battle-Guy and Aaron Taylor-Johnson back in his Kick-Ass costume. The pictures also give us a small look at the mother and father crime fighters “Remembering Tommy” as well as Insect-Man in them. Wow, they all pretty much look like their comic book counterparts, minus some minor changes to Insect-Man, which is pretty kick-ass. Pun fully intended.

Source: Collider

Check Out These ‘Kick-Ass 2’ Set Photos!

by Derek Kraneveldt

A bunch of cool shots from the Toronto filming of Kick-Ass 2 have made their way online.  Here we get a great look at Hit Girl’s new gear, as well as another shot of Mother Russia! Still no look at Jim Carrey however!

I can’t wait for this one. I thought the first film was a great time, and certainly made me a fan of the books. I can only hope for more of the same here!

Thanks to ComicBookMovie for collecting these! Kick-Ass 2 is set to hit theatres on June 28, 2013.

Fan of the books? First film? What do you think of these shots?

Geekscape Comics: First Look At Geof Darrow’s Awesome HIT-GIRL #4 Variant!

by Shawn Madden

Take a first look at Geof Darrow’s action packed and bloody as hell variant for Mark Millar & John Romita Jr.’s ‘HIT-GIRL #4’!

Mindy finally gets an ultimatum: No more Hit-Girl or else. But when danger lands on her doorstep, Hit-Girl may face her biggest challenge yet: not spilling blood on the living room carpet. Meanwhile, Red Mist lives out his Bruce Wayne fantasy abroad. A limited edition variant by Geof Darrow will be released for this issue.

Source: CBR

 

UPDATE: Director Jeff Wadlow Releases Another Tease Of Mother Russia In KICK-ASS 2

by Shawn Madden

Well. seems yet another image Russian bodybuilder, Olga Kurklina, in her Mother Russia costume has hit the net. They have definitely changed the costume around for director Jeff Wadlow’s Kick-Ass 2. But hopefully they don’t change the story around because some bad stuff is definitely about to happen on that street.

UPDATE: Well, yet another image has popped up. But this time it was Tweeted by director Jeff Wadlow himself. Geez, I wouldn’t want to go head to head with this woman.

KICK-ASS 2 hits theaters June 28, 2013!

Source: Imgur

UPDATE: KICK-ASS 2’s Mother Russia Finally Revealed

by Shawn Madden

Recently KICK-ASS 2 director Jeff Wadlow has been tweeting some teaser images but never really revealing who will be playing Mother Russia in next year’s film. Well, it appears that a rumor about who will be playing the character has turned out to be true. Bleeding Cool has done some researching and found an excerpt from IronWorld.ru the reveals that Olga Kurkulina has indeed been cast in the coveted role of Mother Russia, the key villainess of Kick-Ass 2.

I competed against other candidates from America, Switzerland and Holland. I spent three weeks in the casting, which took place at Pinewood studios. At the end, the director told me that I was getting a role. This was a difficult time psychologically and physically.

Mny people worked hard and from the heart to help me. On August 30th we fly to Toronto for a month’s shooting on location, and then we go back to London where stunts will be filmed at a local studio.

Now I’m train hard, learning new movements for attack and defense working with professionals on my acting and speech training.

So, are you guys ready for the epic final battle in KICK-ASS 2?! I know I am. I just hope they stay true to the ending of the comics this time around.

UPDATE: Thanks to the guys over at Bleeding Cool we also now have a set photo revealing a first look at Olga Kurkulina as Mother Russia. It’s definitely a bit different than the one in the comics but then again so were the costumes in the last movie.

Mark Millar Shares Who He Wants To See As Johnny Bolt In ‘Supercrooks’ Movie

by Shawn Madden

Director Nacho Vigalondo (Timecrimes) is already attached to bring a big screen adaptation of Supercrooks sometime next year and that is definitely some time away and we shouldn’t expect any casting news soon. However, Mark Millar last night tweeted an idea on who he thinks should play Johnny Bolt in the upcoming adaptation.

 

 

Personally I would lean more towards Reynolds for this one. I could definitely see him playing Johnny Bolt even though he does have a bad track record with comic book adaptations. But honestly i’ll be happy with either choice as long as the adaptation sticks to the series and we get the lazer room scene. If you haven’t read the series, and you definitely should read it, you have no idea what I am talking about but it’s one of the best scenes in any recent comic. Trust me. Seriously, go to your comic shop now and pick up the four issue series. Sound off below and let us know who you guys think would be a good pick for Johnny Bolt in the Supercrooks movie.

Jeff Wadlow Teases A Look At Mother Russia In ‘KICK-ASS 2’ And More!

by Shawn Madden

There’s only a few days until filming begins on KICK-ASS 2 and director Jeff Wadlow has been tweeting some images from the set to tease the fans. One including a look at ‘Mother Russia’, even though there has been no announcement on who will be filling the role yet. From the looks of it this one may just top the original movie and will stay true to the two-series that the film we be an adaptation of. However, if it does do that…we could see an R-rating attached to this movie, not that it would be a bad thing. But honestly from the looks of it this movie just may, well…kick ass.

Mark Millar Confirms Jim Carrey As Colonel Stars In ‘KICK-ASS 2’

by Shawn Madden

Well, it looks like earlier reports that Jim Carrey would be joining the cast of KICK-ASS 2 just may be true. Earlier tonight Mark Millar and Jeff Wadlow had an interesting little back and forth on Twitter revealing that the role of Colonel Stars had been filled that included some very interesting references.

With obvious references to both The Mask and Ace Ventura it appears that Carrey is indeed on board to play Colonel Stars in KICK-ASS 2. When fans asked Millar directly he would not confirm but it’s pretty damn obvious here what actor they’re referring to.

If you’re unfamiliar with the character that Carrey will be playing, Colonel Stars is an ex-thug and born again Christian who sets up Justice Forever, a superhero team that Kick-Ass joins early on in the second volume. The characters dog plays a large role in the comic but we won’t spoil that one for you.

Kick-Ass 2 hits theaters June 28, 2013.

Claudia Lee Joins The Cast Of KICK-ASS 2

by Shawn Madden

It seem’s just about every other day that we get a new cast addtion to Jeff Wadlow’s upcoming sequel to KICK-ASS. Deadline report that Claudia Lee (Hart Of Dixie) has been cast in a co-starring role in the upcoming sequel. However the site does not currently have any info regarding who the young actress will be playing. Based on her age alone she could be playing one of the girls who bully Mindy aka Hit-Girl. Or possibly even another member of the Justice Forever team? Who do you think she could be playing? Sound off in the box below.

KICK-ASS 2 hits theaters June 28, 2013.

The Cast Of ‘KICK-ASS 2’ Gets A ‘Tumor’

by Shawn Madden

According to his official website [via Bleeding Cool] English actor, writer, director and magician Andy Nyman has been cast in Jeff Wadlow’s upcoming sequel to KICK-ASS. Yes, he really is a magician. Nyman joins the cast as The Tumor, one of the members of the super-villain team, The Toxic Mega-Cunts.

Nyman may not be the most familiar name over here in the states but the actor has starred in movies such as Dead Babies, Severance, Death At A Funeral, and Black Death. With production set to begin in September there is still no word on who will be played Mother Russia, one of the major roles to be filled.

KICK-ASS 2 is set to be released June 28, 2013.

Lindy Booth In Talks To Join Cast Of ‘KICK-ASS 2’

by Shawn Madden

According to The Hollywood Reporter, actress Lindy Booth (Dawn Of The Dead) is set to join the cast of KICK-ASS 2. She is talks to take on the role of ‘Night Bitch’, a character who does not have a large role in the comic series, but is one of the characters inspired by Kick-Ass to be come hero. The character claims that the main drive behind what she does was the murder of her sister, who was found in a dumpster. Oh, those comic book bad guys do love dumping bodies in the dumpsters and alleys. That one is for sure.

The actress previously has worked with Jeff Wadlow on the thriller, Cry Wolf.  You know…the one that had Bon Jovi in it. Wait, you haven’t seen that? It’s okay I wouldn’t have expected you to. She definitely looks the part and wouldn’t be a bad addition to the already pretty damn impressive cast. But as per usual…sound off with your thoughts below.

Jim Carrey In Talks To Join Cast Of ‘KICK-ASS 2’!

by Shawn Madden

This is definitely not the news I expected to be reporting today but I am glad that I am. Deadline reports that Jim Carrey is in talks with Universal to join the cast of Jeff Wadlow’s Kick-Ass 2. They have apparently offered the actor the role of ‘The Colonel’.

The character is called The Colonel, and he helps galvanize the team of misfit super heroes assembled to fight evil.

If you haven’t read the comic series I will let you know that it’s safe to assume that they are referring to ‘Colonel Stars’. This character is an ex-Mafia member turned vigilante who forms “Justice Forever”  with his brother ‘Lieutenant Stripes’. I am kind of wondering if we will get the scene where The Colonel allows his dog to eat the gentials of a bad guy or they’ll cut that one out. While no deal has been made yet I think I should point out that Carrey was a huge fan of Vaughn’s original KICK-ASS film and even appeared on Conan O’Brien in a Kick-Ass costume. I think this would be a great addition to an already pretty damn impressively funny cast. So, fingers crossed that he takes the deal here.

Joe Carnahan WILL Be Directing Mark Millar’s ‘Nemesis’!

by Shawn Madden

Well, while it looks like Joe Carnahan’s ideas for a Daredevil movie have gone up in smoke he still is getting his at bat at a violent comic book adaptation with Nemesis. This project has been in development for quite some time now with Carnahan rumored to direct. However, sometime back in January, Carnahan tweeted that the project wasn’t happening. But then it seemed the project was happening again later that month when Carnahan and Liam Neeson did an interview for The Grey and the movie came up. Also during this interview Carnahan expressed an interest in casting Liam Neeson in the role of Blake Morrow, the Chief Inspector who Nemesis sets his sights on. Rumors also spread around that Michael Fassbender may be in talks to play as the title character but nothing was ever confirmed. But since then there has not been much word on the project. Well, that is until now. This morning Mark Millar made a post on the Millarworld forums offering a bit of an update on the project that confirms that Carnahan will indeed direct and that the project definitely is not dead.

Shot straight from a wedding in Manchester last week to the City of Angels and plunged straight into some studio biz on the Nemesis movie. Mighty Joe Carnahan is directing (from a script by he and his brother Matthew), but this much you already know. Fox wanted us to get in the same room for the first time and really hash this out, which was exciting. Joe has a really brilliant take on this and Matt and he are going to take things from here so I’m really happy. Absolutely no casting has been done formally although you can google the MTV interview from last January where he and Sir Liam Neeson are chatting about it. More news as it happens

I, for one, definitely loved this mini-series and cannot wait for the second one to come. If you’ve never read it at all I am not going to try and explain it to you but instead post a quote from Mark Millar himself explaining the story.

Marvel President Dan Buckley sort of paid me a compliment, saying, “This is such a stupidly simple and obvious idea. I can’t believe nobody’s ever come up with it before. You are the master of the stupidly simple idea.” Which I suppose is kind of flattering because everyone said that about “Kick-Ass” too. It’s almost too simple.

But, yeah. “Nemesis” is a reversal of the Bruce Wayne or Tony Stark archetype. What if this genius billionaire was just this total ****, and the only thing that stood between him and a city was the cops? It’s Batman versus Commissioner Gordon, in a weird way. Or maybe a super-villain version of “Se7en.” A billionaire anarchist up against ordinary people. The Joker’s the best thing in the Batman movies, so this guy is a bit of an amalgamation of all the stuff we like.

After seeing Carnahan’s sizzle reels for Daredevil I can’t help but get pretty excited for this film and hope it really does happen. We’ll be sure to keep you updated as more news develops on Nemesis. The project has been rumored to go into production sometime next year but for now in the meantime you should go out pick up and read the comic…just sayin’.

Donald Faison In Negotiations To Join Cast Of ‘KICK-ASS 2’

by Shawn Madden

Reports are coming in that Donald Faison (Scrubs) is in negotiations to join the cast of Kick-Ass 2 as the gravity pole wielding Dr. Gravity, one of the members of “Justice Forever” who fights alongside Kick-Ass in volume two.  The sequel begins shooting this September, and Faison will be joining returning cast members Aaron Johnson, Chloe Moretz, Christopher Mintz-Plasse and Nicolas Cage as well as new addition John Leguizamo. The sequel is currently looking at a 2014 release.

Honestly, this movie sounds like it’s going to be alot of fun based on the cast alone.

Source: Deadline

John Leguizamo Joins The Cast Of ‘KICK-ASS 2’!

by Shawn Madden

Deadline is reporting that John Leguizamo (Spawn, Summer Of Sam) is the first new cast member to sign on to the upcoming sequel to Mathew Vaughn’s Kick-Ass. Leguizamo will be playing Javier,one of the bodyguards assigned to protect Red Mist (now calling himself “Motherfucker”, leader of “The Toxic Mega-cunts) who will be played by the returning Christopher Mintz-Plasse. Aaron Johnson, Chloe Moretz and Nicholas Cage will all be reprising their roles in the movie as well.

Geekscape Comics: First Look At ‘Hit-Girl #1’

by Shawn Madden

With the events of this book taking place in the film adaptation of ‘Kick-Ass 2’ we have your first look at ‘Hit-Girl #1’. Click the thumbs below for a larger look.

Hit-Girl spins off into her own blood-soaked series by the sales-busting creative team of Mark Millar and John Romita Jr. This story takes place between Kick-Ass volumes 1 and 2 as Mindy McCready tries to settle into life as a regular school-girl, but wants nothing more to be dispensing hot justice to the scum of New York City. Her mother and step-father think she’s doing her homework, but in reality she’s taken Kick-Ass on as her sidekick and training him up to punch, shoot and stab… just like Daddy would have wanted. A limited edition variant by Leandro Fernandez will be released for this issue.

HIT-GIRL #1
Written by MARK MILLAR
Pencils & Cover by JOHN ROMITA JR
Variant Covers by LEANDRO FERNANDEZ, PHIL NOTO

Timur Berkmambetov Says ‘Wanted 2’ Will Be “Shocking”

by Shawn Madden

It’s been awhile since we’ve heard anything new on ‘Wanted 2’ and to be honest I think alot of people had kind of forgot about the project even. But recently during the press round for ‘Abraham Lincoln:Vampire Hunter’ The Playlist spoke with Berkmambetov and he told them about the film being very much back on track.

“An unbelievable thing happened three weeks ago,” Bekmambetov said “Because we stopped, we didn’t know what to do for three or four years. Three weeks ago I came up with a great idea and I pitched this idea and everybody fell in love with it. And now I think we’re on track. Right now the writer is working on the script, and it will be shocking.”

“It’s a continuation of the story, with Wesley Gibson (James McAvoy). Other people are dead, you know, we can’t bring them back. The story is the same character, same mythology, but it’s got a great twist.”

Now while ‘Wanted’ was quite dramatically different than the comics I thought it was a really good and well done movie. Here is hoping to a sequel that lives up to it.

Wanted is a 2008 German-American action film, very loosely based on the comic book miniseries of the same name by Mark Millar and J. G. Jones. The film is written by Chris Morgan, Michael Brandt, and Derek Haas, directed by Timur Bekmambetov, and stars James McAvoy, Angelina Jolie, Morgan Freeman, Thomas Kretschmann, Common, Terence Stamp, and Konstantin Khabensky. The storyline follows Wesley Gibson (McAvoy), a frustrated Account Manager who discovers that he is the son of a professional assassin and decides to join The Fraternity, the secret guild in which his father worked. Production began in April 2007, with filming in the Czech Republic later to superimpose the sets on images of Chicago. Wanted was released on June 25, 2008 in the United Kingdom and two days later in the United States, to both critical and commercial success. It was nominated for two Academy Awards: Best Sound Editing and Best Sound Mixing.

Will ‘Kick-Ass 2’ Be Rated R? “Oh, yeah!”

by Shawn Madden

Collider recently sat down with Aaron Johnson to discuss ‘Kick-Ass 2’ the sequel one of the best comic films of 2010.

The film tells the story of an ordinary teenager, Dave Lizewski, who sets out to become a real-life superhero, calling himself “Kick-Ass”. Dave gets caught up in a bigger fight when he meets Big Daddy, a former cop who, in his quest to bring down the drug lord Frank D’Amico, has trained his eleven-year-old daughter to be the ruthless vigilante Hit-Girl.

When asked about the sequel Johnson went on to say “It’s pretty much set to go, this Fall.  I think now Chloe [Grace Moretz] and Chris [Mintz-Plasse] are on board.  I’m certainly set up to do it.  Jeff Wadlow is to direct.  Yeah, I think it’s going to happen.”

Johnson went on to say that he has read the script and on the R-rating of the film “Oh, yeah!  It keeps the standard, from the first film.”

He didn’t seem surprised that they were making a sequel to this film and seemed quite confident that it would live up to the expectations we may have after seeing the first. “Yeah, and I think that’s why Matthew Vaughn has got his name all over this one, as well.  The only way he was ever going to make a sequel was if it could be anywhere close to the first one, and keep that class and that quality, and just maintain something original and new and refreshing.  And this script delivers all of that, right now.  I’m excited to get back in the suit.”

I’m really hoping this one goes into production soon. This was one of the truly fun comic-book movies to see come to life and even though we have a new director and i’d have loved for Matthew Vaughn to return…i’m still excited to see how this turns out.

Geekscape Comics: Shawn Maddens “Five Titles You Should Be Reading”

by Shawn Madden

So, not too long ago Scott Alminiana did a list of books you should be reading. With it being such a slow news day I thought i’d take it upon myself to do my own list of five titles I think you should be reading.

UNCANNY X-FORCE

This book is a no-brainer. With a team consisting of Deadpool, Psylocke, Wolverine, Fantomex and Archangel (currently replaced by AoA Nightcrawler) and the creative team of Rick Remender and Jerome Opena this is one of the best X-books out there right now.

‘The Dark Angel Saga’ was critically acclaimed and even won IGN’s Best Story Arc Of 2011.

Currently we see the team going head to head with The Omega Clan and the new Brotherhood Of Evil Mutants in ‘The Final Execution’. While everyone was praising this weeks Batman…i’m sorry but this weeks Uncanny X-Force excelled. The art and writing were flawless and back on track for this book after the somewhat weak last story arc. This book has improved over time unlike a number of titles.

I think one of the most interesting aspects of this book is the conflicting personalities amongst the team. The particular highlights of characters in this book are Fantomex (especially his relationship with Psylocke) and Deadpool who can seem to make light of any situation and make you crack a smile in the darkest of books even. I’m not ranking these five but this title is definitely at the top of my list.

SUPER CROOKS

It’s Millar. It’s Yu. It’s like ‘Oceans Eleven’ with a bunch of supervillains if Steven Soderbergh made that movie a bloody violent mess. At first I was quite skeptical of this book but chose to pick it up just to check out Lenil Yus artwork. But man…am I glad I started reading this. This book is fun while violent and *&^%$’ed up at the same time.

Now…i’ll say this right off the bat. If you do NOT like Mark Millar…this book may not be for you. But if you like, love or just kinda-sorta like his work here and there. Check this title out. For $2.99 it’s well worth it.

RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS

DC somehow managed to take a character that no one liked and turned him into one of the coolest characters in their universe. If you haven’t been reading comics for awhile…Red Hood equals Jason Todd. Remember Jason Todd? The Robin that fans voted to die at the hands of The Joker with a crowbar? Yeah. Its him. Throw in the sexually promiscuous Starfire, ex-addict Roy Harper aka Arsenal and toss in some mystic elements with the beautiful artwork of Kenneth Rocafort and writing by Scott Lobdell and you have one great DC title.

There really is nothing I dislike about this title. I’m not the biggest DC fan but I make sure and read this book the day it’s released. Even though i’m not sure if Kenneth Rocafort and Scott Lobdell will be staying on after they take over Superman but i’m really hoping so because i’ve loved this book so far and gotten quite a few people hooked.

ULTIMATE COMICS: X-MEN

“What? An Ultimate title?! Why would I read that?” says die-hard Marvel fan. And i’m going to tell you why. It is good. No, it’s not just good. It is fantastic. “But there is no Wolverine or Cyclops in this book!” Good point. Too bad the writers of this book make you not even care that the house hold X-names are not present. I actually came into this title late out of curiosity around issue six. Lets just say the comic shop saw me return the next day to pick up issues one through five.

I think what I like most about this book is its a 180 of the current status of mutants in the Marvel U. In the Ultimate U they’re on the run. They’re labeled as terrorists. They’re put into containment camps. And in recent issues they’ve been pushed and now they’re pushing back. All of the Ultimate books are about engage in something big with ‘Divided We Fall’ which is starting soon and a big part of that can be seen in Ultimate Comics: X-Men. The team of writer and Nick Spencer and artist Paco Medina  really delivered with this title. With the most recent issue Brian Wood has taken over writing duties and not dropped the ball one bit. This book is a “top of the stack” title for sure.

X-Factor

Yup…it’s another X-book! Holy $#!+ Peter David is writing a GREAT book here. You have Neil Edwards pencilling. And you have a book with Havok, Polaris, Siryn, Longshot, Shatterstar, Madrox, M, Strong Guy, Rictor and Rahne. Those should be selling points alone.

I’m not going to get too deep into why you should be reading this book but if you haven’t reaqd this title in awhile…come back. If you’ve never read this title…check it out. This is another one i’ve told people to check out and it has ended up on their pull lists.

Feel free to comment in the box below!

Geekscape Comics: First Look At Mark Millar & Lenil Yu’s SUPERCROOKS #3

by Shawn Madden

Here’s a lettered preview of Millar & Yu’s SUPERCROOKS #3 hitting shelves soon. If you haven’t been reading this book or heard of it yet I highly recommend it. Imagine Oceans Eleven… but with super villains. And well… in the style of Millar.

Source: Comics Continuum