Tag: The Avengers

Even More “Iron Man 3” Casting Updates!

by Shawn Madden

Shooting has started on “Iron Man 3” and we are getting more and more interesting additions to the cast.

First up. According to Latino Review:

“Yesterday, Guy Pearce (who will be playing Aldrich Killian) graced Wilmington for a costume fitting along with a familiar face that is as-yet-unreported. Who was that blond man wandering around the ‘Iron Man 3′ stages?”

That man was William Sadler. Most of us will best remember William Sadler from ‘Die Hard 2’.

Next up. Variety is reporting that Ashley Hamilton is in talks to play the villain Firepower. So that adds yet another villain to the cast. However if we actually see him suit up… is another story. But the addition of this character has led to speculation that they will incorporate elements of Armor Wars into the plot.

And finally. The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed that Jon Favreau will be returning as Happy Hogan. Which is good news for anyone that was worried about there being any bad blood between Marvel and Favreau after the mixed response to ‘Iron Man 2’.

So, that’s three more additions to what is shaping up to be an awesome cast including Robert Downey Jr, Gwentyth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce, Ben Kingsley, Andy Lau, James Badge Dale and Rebecca Hall.

‘Iron Man 3’ suits up May 3, 2013.

Heroine Addict: The Importance of Black Widow

by Molly Mahan

I have been meaning to write about Natasha Romanoff aka Black Widow for a while, and with Battleship do to overtake The Avengers in the box office this weekend, I better write it now! So, here we go: why Black Widow is important to the portrayal of women in action films, especially in the superhero subgenre. (That’s what you call a thesis, folks!)

Although I’m not very familiar with the Marvel Universe when it comes to comics, I am fairly versed with action films in general, and superhero films in particular. I have  seen just about every single superhero movie since they became the “thing” again with the release of X-Men in 2000. Batman Begins, Iron Man, Superman Returns, Spider-Man, etc., etc. As you can tell by the titles, they were about men, and if you watched any of them you might have notice a severe lack of women. While each of these films had a leading lady of some degree—Rachel Dawes, Pepper Potts, Lois Lane, and Mary Jane Watson—you might also have noticed that each of these women also happens to be the titular man’s love interest.

Now, before someone gets offended or pissed off at me for denigrating the clever Pepper Potts or the brilliant reporter Lois Lane to “love interest”, I must say that, with the exception of Rachel Dawes, I am quite fond of all of these women, especially in their comic book form. That said, in the comics they have lives of their own and arcs that consist of more than “I will not date you, but I think you’re adorable” to “you have won me over with your heroism, let’s get to it!” As far as the movies are concerned, there isn’t much else to them, no matter how snappy their dialogue may be.

Enter Black Widow.

There she is!

Just like the rest of these women, she’s attractive, sophisticated, and damn good at her job.  Unlike the rest, she exists without the need of a romantic story line. She is a supporting character who helps the hero meet his goals and doesn’t feel the need to bang him for doing a good job. She is a breath of fresh air, not only in action movies, but movies in general. It is rare to find a female character who wants things, not just in addition to, but completely outside of a husband or boyfriend. What’s more, is she has survived two films without falling into that trope. It was easy for her not to do so in Iron Man, as Pepper Potts is the leading lady in that franchise, but to hop ship to The Avengers and not be paired with any of the men (two of whom lacking girlfriends going in), is pretty spectacular.

Yes, there were a few hints by others that she and Hawkeye may have more than just a working relationship, but each time it was dismissed by the present party. Additionally, in their shared scenes it was standard banter between co-workers. It’s so good to see a male and female character work together without emphasizing the sexual tension. It’s good to see they can be friends and not be destined to the When Harry Met Sally endgame of holy matrimony. It’s good to have movies where the main female character is too busy kicking ass and saving the universe to even think about her libido or if she’ll find true love and all that jazz.

Black Widows kill their mates, anyway. Life is sometimes better than sex. Sometimes.

Now, I’m not saying love is a bad thing. Seriously, it’s one of my favorite things in the universe (you may read my Valentine’s Day article about it), but romantic love isn’t for everyone. Not everyone wants it (believe it or not!), and very few people want it all the time. We go through ebbs and flows regarding the relationships we want and need in our lives (at least I know I do), and it’s nice to finally be able to go to my kind of movie and see the character I self-identify myself with due to the vagina thing (if nothing more) and not have to watch her fall madly in love with the hero. It’s liberating.

What I also like about Black Widow is that she can, for the most part, take care of herself. Aside from the weird horror film sequence in The Avengers where The Hulk–I mean, “the  Other Guy”–chases after her and she runs around, trying to hide like a terrified little girl, she’s a fairly competent hero. A competent hero sans-powers, at that! She kicks ass, takes names, and helps her team save the day with her interrogation skills and ability to coax the villain into monologuing his schemes away (no matter how obvious it may have been to the audience). Additionally, Black Widow’s introductory scene was awesome. Even with the god-awful hair whipping that was supposed to be a headbutt. The way she worked around the chair was pretty spectacular, and not something I had seen before.

Which is more beneficial: A woman with a gun or a bowman?

An interesting, independent female character who is trying to seek redemption on her own terms, and not in the arms of a lover? Yeah, she gets my vote for Best On Screen Female Comic Book Character. Definitely. Even with the over-sexualized portrayal of her in the advertising of the movie (but that’s been talked about to death, and I want to stay mostly positive in at least once when talking about The Avengers).

That said, as much as I like Black Widow, I’m not sure if a solo film starring her is where it should go. Perhaps a S.H.I.E.L.D. film is a good idea; but a solo film, I’d imagine, would basically just be a female James Bond movie, and would negate all the pros I was pitching, as Bond is nothing if not hyper sexed and romanticized, even if he refuses to fall in love. And yes, I recognize that seduction may very well be one of her tools for gaining information, but so far it hasn’t been used and I’d like it to stay that way.

Nevertheless, I see this as a major step forward (be it conscious or not by the filmmakers), and I hope that we can see more women like this in action films, and maybe it will coax DC into finally bringing a decent Wonder Woman project forward, and not just some half-assed attempt like last year’s pilot (which I watched and it was just dreadful).

In the mean time, we’ll see two women in The Dark Knight Rises. One being Selina Kyle aka Catwoman, the other is Miranda Tate who may potentially be Talia Al Ghul. If so, then both women are known for their romantic ties to the Batman just as much as, if not more so, they are known for anything else. Considering Catwoman is advertised as a major villain in the film, I doubt it will be all that defines her (and if Miranda is Talia then of course there will be a bigger arc, due to her Ra’s role in Batman Begins). Nevertheless, it seems doubtful that a romantic story arc–no matter how doomed to fail or tragic–will be missed in the case of either of these women. Not to mention, since the death of Rachel in Dark Knight, there will surely be a hole to fill in the Caped Crusader’s heart.

This feels somewhat reminiscent of 1992 … did you used to be a blonde?

We’ll see. I won’t necessarily be disappointed either way, I just hope it doesn’t take another decade or so before a female hero can exist without her presence being justified or dependent upon her male counterpart.

Brave Nerd World: Outer Space…(but really The Avengers)

by Stephen Prescott

SPOILERS! Heidi and Stephen set out this week with a great topic in hand, Outer Space, and a “Favorite Moment In…” to feature The Avengers. Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, neither host could come up with just one moment in The Avengers that they loved the most. So they babbled on for most of the episode about how great the film was and what it means as a comic book film. Some of the concerns and criticisms brought up by Jonathan in the Geekscape Avengers episode are also addressed because Stephen only likes arguing with Jonathan when Jonathan can’t answer back.

They did however get around to talking a bit about outer space. Topics covered were “The Moon Treaty,” “The Outer Space Treaty,” and the recently brought to the media’s attention “Build the Enterprise” project.

Moon Treaty on Wikipedia

Outer Space Treaty on Wikipedia

Build the Enterprise.org

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:05:17 — 29.9MB)

‘The Avengers’ Smashes More Box Office Records

by Matt Blackwood

The Avengers continued to destroy box office records this weekend. According to Disney’s estimates, the Marvel blockbuster took in $103.2 million in its second weekend, surpassing Avatar‘s previously held record of $75.6 million.

This brings Joss Whedon’s juggernaut to $373.2 million in US earnings; worldwide, the film has now crossed the billion dollar mark in just 19 days, another record. Tim Burton’s soap opera adaptation Dark Shadows opened in second place, pulling in just under $29 million.

Shawarma sales are up by 80 percent, according to TMZ.

Geekscape 263: “The Avengers” Post Game Analysis with Ian Kerner!

by Jonathan

The Avengers is out and it’s time to get serious! Ian Kerner makes his triumphant return to Geekscape as he goes toe to toe with me on what he thought about “The Avengers”! We’ve both seen the movie twice and if there’s one person who knows The Avengers comic and movie universe inside and out, it’s Ian. I try desperately to play devil’s advocate but Ian just won’t have it. He explains to us the significance of all the little details in the movie, where he thinks the Marvel movie universe is headed from here and the ONE thing that bugged him in the film! It’s Assemble Time, baby!

Find it on iTunes

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:16:29 — 46.1MB)

Post-Avengers: What’s Next For The Marvel Movie Universe?

by Scott Alminiana

**WARNING: THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS AVENGERS MOVIE SPOILERS**

So now that The Avengers have assembled and saved the world from an alien invasion whilst simultaneously racking up $200.3 million dollars in its first three days of release the logical question is “what’s next?” Marvel already has sequels lined up for the big three, which will begin what many have dubbed “Phase 2.” These sequels will all focus squarely on each character and will not feature the other Avengers. “Phase 2” will consist of:

Iron Man 3, which is scheduled to begin filming later this month and will be released on May 3, 2013. It is being written/directed by Shane Black and will be heavily influenced by the Warren Ellis story arc “Extremis.” The movie is being co-produced in China and leads many to believe that Iron Man will finally face off against his greatest villain The Mandarin.

Thor 2, scheduled for a November 15, 2013 release date. Filming begins later this summer and this time around Alan Taylor (best-known for his work on Game of Thrones) will be directing. Not much is known yet about the story but Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige recently said in an interview that Thor 2 will pick up where the first film left off in terms of Jane Foster and Thor, as well as what’s been going on in the nine realms now that the Asgardians are unable to use the Bifrost. Loki will appear in the sequel but a new villain will be introduced. Could this new villain be someone that was introduced in The Avengers? I’m getting ahead of myself, so let me come back to that one in a bit.

Captain America 2 has already set a release date of April 4, 2014 but no director or story have been announced. Most likely it will follow Steve Rogers as he tries to find his way in this new world that he finds himself in.

Marvel has also announced that they will release a movie on May 16th, 2014 but they have not yet announced what that movie will be. Some are speculating that the mystery movie could be Edgar Wright’s long  in development Ant-Man. Just yesterday in fact, Wright posted a tweet that refers to Ant-Man.  With Edgar Wright’s previous flicks Shaun of The Dead, Hot Fuzz, and Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, he has already shown that he knows what to deliver the goods that we geeks so direly love. Henry Pym, the alter-ego of Ant-Man was referenced in Thor as the friend that Dr. Selvig e-mails that had previous “experience” with S.H.I.E.L.D., though his name was cut from the scene.

Now that the cosmic universe has been introduced into the Marvel movie universe with the alien race Chitauri in The Avengers, the sky is no longer the limit. Marvel now has the option of further exploring their cosmic characters if they so choose, and it would appear that they have indeed chosen to explore them. Kevin Feige has already confirmed that movies featuring The Guardians of The Galaxy and The Inhumans are currently in development.

I think that an Inhumans movie would be the perfect place to further explore the Chitauri, who are also known as the Skrulls in the comics. The Inhumans, the result of genetic experimentation by another alien race known as the Kree during their war with the Skrulls/Chitauri, have fought the Skrulls/Chitauri on numerous occasions in the comics so it would seem like a perfect fit for the Chitauri to be the villains in The Inhumans movie.

The other movie in development is The Guardians of The Galaxy, who are basically the cosmic equivalent to The Avengers. This film could help further establish the cosmic universe in the Marvel movies and could even lay the seeds for The Avengers 2, which the groundwork has already begun to be laid out as is evident by the post-credit scene featuring ***SPOILER ALERT*** “The Mad Titan” himself Thanos!

For those of you out there (after this weekend I doubt there will be many of you) unfamiliar with Thanos, he is one of the greatest threats that the entire Marvel Universe has ever faced. Thanos is essentially a god-like presence and he has quite the knack for causing death and destruction, which he does for the love of Death, whose love he tries to prove himself worthy of (she takes the form of a female-like Grim Reaper when she appears), hence the “courting death” line during the post-credit scene. He is not just a threat to Earth but the entire universe.

The Guardians of The Galaxy flick could further explore this and lead directly into The Avengers 2 or Thanos could also be the new villain that Kevin Feige was referring to for Thor 2 but I hope not. Just think of how awesome it would be for The Guardians to figure out Thanos’s plan at the end of their own movie, and realize that they must warn “Earth’s Mightiest Heroes” of his plan. Avengers 2 could start similar to AVX and show Nova crashing on Earth and warning The Avengers that “he’s coming…” just before he passes out. That would be a pretty awesome start to the sequel.

Soon to be guarding a galaxy near you!

But just what might be Thanos’s plan, you might be asking yourself? Well, the answer is simple… he wants The Infinity Gauntlet!  Previously introduced in Thor as an easter egg in Odin’s treasure room, The Infinity Gauntlet contains six gems known as the Infinity Gems (or Soul Gems) and when all six gems are brought together give it’s wielder the power over power, mind, space, reality, time, and the soul. An object containing that much power in the hands of Thanos would surely spell doom and it would make for a pretty epic battle between Thanos and The Avengers. In order for Thanos to get the Infinity Gauntlet he would have to fight his way into Odin’s treasure room on Asgard to obtain it. That in itself would make for one bad-ass action scene between Thor, the entirety of Asgard and Thanos (and actually could make conceivable content for Thor 2).

The Infinity Gauntlet as seen at Comic Con '10

Marvel has proven this weekend that anything is possible in their movies and that not just the sky is the limit. While this article has been half fact and half pure speculation, I know one thing is for sure. Whatever else Marvel releases from here on I am immensely looking forward to it! To quote the great Stan Lee himself, “Excelsior!”

Post Avengers- 12 Easy Steps To An Awesome Justice League Movie

by Eric Diaz

So  The Avengers movie has finally come out, and knocked the socks off pretty much everyone out there, comics fanboy or not. In many ways it has proved to be the ultimate comic book movie, finally realizing in live action what fans have been only reading about and dreaming about for decades. It has raised the bar on what comic book super hero movies are capable of doing.

But without DC Comics’ Justice League, in a way there wouldn’t even BE an Avengers. As legend has it, the first few issues of Justice League of America were selling so well back in 1960, that DC publisher Jack Liebowitz was bragging about to them to rival comics publisher Martin Goodman of Timely Comics one day on the golf course. This caused him to ask his editor in chief Stan Lee to create his own super team to rival the League, and thus the Fantastic Four was born, the first official Marvel Comic. This of course led to the Marvel Universe and ultimately, the Avengers. But none of it would have happened if there had been no Justice League in the first place. In fact, if you see the JLA as merely an extension/re-branding of the original Justice Society of America concept, then they are even more significant as the world’s first super team.

And yet while the past decade of cinema could almost be called “The Marvel Decade,” DC Comics’ parent company Warner Brothers have done next to nothing with their collection of DC heroes to compete with Marvel’s, with the notable exception of Batman. They keep making attempts and then canceling them at the last minute; the last ten years is filled with announcements for movies like David Goyer’s Flash, Joss Whedon’s version of Wonder Woman (all the more heartbreaking after having seen his Avengers) and George Miller’s Justice Leauge. When they finally got around to bringing us a classic DC hero to life, the studio micro managed it till it became a shell of what it should have been. And yes, I’m referring to last year’s Green Lantern.

The thing is,Warner Brothers kind of have to make a Justice League flick at this point. With the incredible critical and financial success of the Avengers, they’d look like utter idiots not to. It isn’t even about the movie itself at this point really; if Warners wants to continue to sell Wonder Woman T-shirts at Urban Outfitters and Flash underwear at Target, then those characters need to be culturally relevant, and that’s not going to happen via comic books, as much as I wish they would. Without big screen exposure, these characters will be seen as only Cartoon Network fodder at best, or relics of a bygone era at worst. And I think Warners knows that they have way too much $$ invested in the future of these characters as licensed properties to let that happen.

In other words, to use vulgar slang, it is time for Warner Brothers to shit or get off the pot.

So from a lifelong DC fanatic, here is a guideline if you will, an open letter for the suits at Warner Brothers who have no idea what they’re doing with the wonderful DC Comics heroic legacy that they own. Here’s your guide to not just a competent, but an awesome Justice League movie, and all in just twelve easy steps.

Step #1:  Don’t Try And Use The Marvel Studios Strategy

We all know, despite whatever the official line from Warner Brothers might have been in the press, that if Green Lantern had been last summer’s Iron Man then they would have been instantly announced a sequel, as well as a Flash movie, etc. leading up to a Justice League team up flick.  With Green Lantern making only $219 worldwide on a supposed $200 million dollar budget, barely eeking out a profit and getting mediocre to downright shitty reviews, I’d say those plans were dashed pretty fast. With the box office disappointment of Green Lantern,  the best  way to do a Justice League film at this point is to simply bite the bullet and just do it. Have a JL movie be the actual launching point to eventual solo films for certain characters, instead of trying to replicate the Marvel Studios method of doing all the solo movies and then building up to one big team up movie. In an ideal world, this would be the proper way to do it, but simply put, Marvel roundly beat them to it.

Also, it is safe to say that audiences are sick of super hero origin stories at this point in the game.  If Green Lantern had hit big, then they could have maybe tried to replicate the Marvel Studios method to some degree of success, but now it will look like a cheaper knock off.  However, if Warners decides to come out of the gate swinging, with a super hero movie that dwarves the scope of every other super hero movie that came before it with a Justice League movie…it could revitalize the entire genre. Or be the genre’s awesome swan song.

Obviously, the one instance where any kind of lead up to JL movie makes sense is the upcoming Man of Steel Superman reboot. The movie is already shot and is hitting theaters next year, and they might as well make Henry Cavill’s version of Superman the one the JL movie uses. It can only help both franchises to be tied in together. But forget about making Flash and Aquaman as lead ins to a JL movie, ‘cause that ship has sailed.

#2.  Hire Brad Bird To Direct, and JJ Abrams To Produce

Getting someone as qualified as Joss Whedon to helm a JLA movie is going to be really, really difficult. Whedon came in with both the comic book fanboy pedigree and just regular ass pedigree pedigree. Where are you going to find that again?

Well, how about Brad Bird? Bird’s The Incredibles was easily one of the best super hero films of, well….ever. After that film came out, many people were hoping Bird might direct a live action Fantastic Four film, but that super team is a bit too similar to the Incredibles in style and tone-the Justice League would be an ideal step up. Aside from his work on The Incredibles, Bird  made the transition smoothly into live action with last year’s amazing Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, easily one of (if not the best) action films last year. So you know he’ll deliver on the much needed big action setpieces. So for my money, Brad Bird is your man.

And to produce this movie, I’d get Bird’s collaborator on MI4, JJ Abrams. Yes, I know he’s a busy man, but he’s always been able to juggle mutlitple projects at once. Besides, the best recent example of the “let’s round up a bunch of misfits together and form a team” movies has got to be JJ Abrams Star Trek reboot. In many ways Star Trek 2009 should be the template for a Justice League film, at least in structure. Abrams also has a knack for ensemble casts as evidenced by shows he produced like Lost and Alias. He and Brad Bird made magic together last year with MI4, let em do it again.

My JL Movie Dream Team: Brad Bird & JJ Abrams

The only thing Brad Bird doesn’t have is Whedon’s intimate knowledge of comic book history, never really having read comics growing up. But that’s where the next step comes in:

#3. Get A Really Talented Fanboy Screenwriter

First off, get a screenwriter or screenwriters who are comic book fanboys, at least somewhat. People who love and have a knowledge of these characters beyond just their value as copyrights to be exploited.  They don’t need to be massive comic book geeks with a closet full of longboxes, but they should have a working knowledge and love for the DCU. (and no, not Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman, they can’t write everything geek related) But someone who is well versed in what makes these characters tick and can also crank out a great script, with real drama between the characters and action and humor to match. It is gonna be difficult to find someone to pull off what Joss Whedon just did with Avengers, but it can’t be impossible. (Say, how about Damon Lindelof? Just puttin’ it out there) And whoever Warners finds, make sure they give Joss Whedon a call and take him out to lunch and pick his brain.

#4. Cast The Movie Impeccably

One of the reasons that The Avengers works so well is that everyone was cast to perfection, from Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man down to Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye. Another recent example of a perfectly cast ensemble of iconic characters was JJ Abrams’ previously mentioned Star Trek reboot.  Even when the actors didn’t really look like the character they were portraying (Anton Yelchin as Pavel Chekov for example) they totally captured the spirit of that character.  So please Warners, don’t Halle Berry/Storm or Jessica Alba/Invisible Woman us here. Don’t cast the male leads with guys from the CW, and don’t cast the women based on whoever is hot in the pages of Maxim right now. Everyone needs to be perfect. They don’t need to be big stars, they just need to fit their roles to a T.

#5. Make Darkseid The Villain

For the ultimate DC Universe movie, get the ultimate DC Universe villain: Darkseid. While Loki was a god, Darkseid is THE God…the God of Evil itself. It doesn’t get bigger or badder than that.  Much like Marvel’s The Ultimates was kind of the petri dish for an eventual Avengers movie, it is pretty clear that much of DC’s New 52 reboot in the comics is a similar testing ground for an eventual JLA movie.  Why else make Darkseid the League’s first villain and the reason the team formed? Believe me, at some point when Geoff Johns was writing it, he was thinking about an eventual JL movie.

Although there was a lot to be desired in Geoff Johns and Jim Lee’s opening story arc in the new Justice League reboot, the basic premise of the team forming to defeat an invasion from Darkseid and his Parademon minions is a good one. Darkseid  in that story was handled pretty poorly, as he barely spoke and was more like Superman villain Doomsday, so the filmmakers should look to classic Jack Kirby New Gods stories for proper inspiration, or his excellent portrayal in the Bruce Timm’s Superman and Justice League Unlimited animated series.  A live action version of Darkseid should be this generation’s Darth Vader and the Emperor combined. This would also be a great opportunity to bring the classic look of Jack Kirby’s legendary art and design aesthetic  to life, something Marvel failed to do completely with their Fantastic Four movies and only gave a nod to in Thor.

#6. Forget Martian Manhunter, Use Cyborg Instead

-I almost hate to say this, but J’onn J’onzz the Martian Manhunter is maybe just one element too many for a live action JLA movie.  I know, I know…he’s an original founding member of the team, and many say he’s the heart and soul of the League.  And yes, he kind of is. But having said that, there were several years where J’onn wasn’t a member of the team (he left in 1969 and didn’t return till fifteen years later in 1984) and they managed to do OK without him.  But the problem with using J’onn is that so much of who and what he is is already represented on the League by Superman. Superman is the lone survivor of a dead planet who is super strong, flies, has heat vision etc.  Plus, J’onn has the powers of Professor X and Mystique from the X-Men as well…he would kind of dwarf Superman in a movie that should serve to show how Kal-El is the ultimate super hero among super heroes.  I’m all for J’onn showing up in a sequel, but I think he should be benched for movie #1.

As for using Cyborg as a replacement for J’onn? I totally understand DC’s logic in having him replace the Martian on the team in the recently rebooted Justice League comic series. And why add Cyborg to the team? Maybe because when Warner Brothers finally does get around to making a JL flick, there is no way they can get away with making them the “all white people squad,” as that sends a pretty horrible message. And Cyborg/Victor Stone is easily one of the best African American heroes that DC has. If they introduce the concept of Cyborg as a leaguer in the comics first before the movies, and get all fanboys used to the idea, the cries of political correctness will be less due to the fact that it happened in the comics first. Believe me, a potential future JL movie was in the back of Geoff Johns’ head when he made this decision.

#7. Let JL Be Your Batman Reboot

-Warner Brothers has made some noise about rebooting the Batman franchise after Christopher Nolan wraps up his trilogy this summer with The Dark Knight Rises. While it is inevitable that there will be a new Batman film at some point in the future, the Nolan films have so far been so well received on every level that pulling a Spider-Man and rebooting the Bat-verse so soon seems dumb. Especially after creating something so iconic, it would seem like asking for trouble and inevitable comparisons. But including Batman in the League would insure his presence on the big screen in a very different kind of film series, while letting his own franchise get a much needed rest for awhile. Everyone wins.

#8. Use A JL Movie to Redeem Green Lantern

–Despite my trash talking Green Lantern at the top of this article, I don’t think it was nearly as awful as many think…just painfully mediocre. But I liked Ryan Reynolds as Hal Jordan, and think the Green Lantern mythology was pretty darn faithful to the comics (too bad there wasn’t more of it) I’m all for using this version of Green Lantern in a JL movie, even if Reynolds doesn’t come back and is replaced by another actor (we can call it “pulling a Ruffalo on us”) If he proves to be the scene stealer in a JL movie that Hulk was in Avengers, we might see a Green Lantern continuation of some sort spinning out of a JL movie yet.

#9.  Focus Primarily On The Trinity

-While all seven members of the JLA should have ample screen time, you have to focus on the DC “Holy Trinity” of Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman. Because let’s face it, that’s who everyone wants to see interact the most. The dynamic of the three of them, and how they’re each alike and yet very different from one another, has been the basis for some excellent comic book stories over the years.

And as inspiration, I say look to the Galaxy far, far away. While riffing on the template of the original Star Wars seems a bit like the easy way to go, (just ask JJ Abrams, whose Star Trek is essentially a remake of A New Hope) the Luke/Leia/Han dynamic is very much the dynamic of DC’s Trinity; the idealistic farmboy, the feisty princess who can more than take care of herself thank you, and the dickish but charming rogue with a sidekick. And just like Luke and Leia have a sibling relationship, Superman and Wonder Woman are more like brother and sister as well. All her real chemistry is with bad boy Bruce. Really, this is all just writing itself now guys….

#10. ….But Don’t Forget the Other Guys.

-Yes, I just said focus on the “Big Three.” But you can’t just have Green Lantern, Flash and the others just standing there glaring. They need to be able to contribute and have a reason for being there. Look, I never said this would be easy ok??

#11. Focus Not Just On the Similarities to Avengers, But Also The Differences

-Obviously, the League is really, really similar to the Avengers in a lot of ways. But where the Avengers are more like a sports team, the JL are more like a pantheon of Gods. (yes, even Batman in a way. Hades anyone?) The Avengers are at the disposal of the government, or S.H.I.E.L.D, or whatever, but the League is above humanity in a way, either up in space on a satellite or on the friggin’ moon. Yes, there have been incarnations of the team that were based on Earth and worked for the U.N, but you know they are gonna go with the most classic version of the JL here if it gets made, and that’s not the Justice League International.  So sorry, JLI fans. You can bet Hollywood is gonna go with the most classic incarnation of the team, more or less.

“The Justice League is like the pantheon of Greek gods. Hermes made more sense to me as the Flash. Wonder Woman means so much more to me than Hera or Aphrodite. I could make a much quicker connection with the archetype of Zeus in the form of Superman. Aquaman is Poseidon, of course. Batman is Hades, the god of the underworld" -Grant Morrison

The potential fear and adoration the world would have at such a combination of powerful beings together is similar to the love/terror the ancient Greeks had towards their own Gods.  It would be an angle that would be interesting to play up, and one that’s different from The Avengers.  Of course, Avengers did a ton of things right they should just outright copy, but they need to remember how the JL is different from the A- team too.

The Avengers and the League have a lot of similarities, but they need to remember how they're different too.

#12. Go Big…And Don’t Hold Back For Part 2

-One of the best things about the Green Lantern movie was Mark Strong as Sinestro. But instead of giving us any Hal Vs. Sinestro in the movie, they held back for sequel. A sequel that might never come now, squandering such perfect casting. Even if you want a sequel, you can’t be shortchanging the movie that you’re actually doing for  “just in case.” Christopher Nolan could have saved Two Face for a sequel, but at the time of filming  he didn’t even know there would even be one, so he decided to go for broke and use Joker AND Two Face, and we’re all better for it. George Lucas once had this problem with the original Star Wars, as the Death Star wasn’t going to be the big finale till the end of the entire trilogy. Then he realized that there might not ever be another Star Wars movie, and put the Death Star finale at the end of A New Hope, because he knew he needed a big ending.  A lot of folks reading this might think using Darkseid right off the bat is too soon, but I saw worry about part two later…make the best JL movie you can and don’t save anything for later. Worry about later if and when you get there.

So there it is….everything you need to know to get the Justice League the big screen glory they deserve. It is either that, or the only live action League will be this one:

Let’s not let that happen.

Why I Couldn’t Care Less About Joss Whedon: Confession of a Whedonaught

by Molly Mahan

By this time, every Marvel fanboy and girl and self-proclaimed Whedonite is either hanging out in line waiting for the moment to watch the first “fade in” of The Avengers flick they have been waiting for since prepubescence (or since it was first hinted at in Iron Man back in 2008) or just about to step out of the theatre (time zones!). Since I am neither of those things, I am writing this article. I’ve been a DC girl for well over a decade, and I have never been a  Whedonite. That’s right: I am a woman who is into geek things (who even writes about the female perspective on a geek themed website) and I could not give two shits about Joss Whedon, the man who is all too often praised for his “strong female characters” and “excellent dialogue” and his ability to “revolutionize genre”, and countless other lauds that I cannot quite wrap my head around.

Before I get started, I want to make two things clear: first, I don’t hate Joss Whedon or his work. I can’t hate someone I don’t know, and his portfolio of work is okay, even marginally enjoyable at times. But it’s not great, and its hardly revolutionary. My problem surrounding the man, for the most part, rises from his fans. Which brings me to the second: when I say “Whedonite”, I don’t mean someone who generically likes Joss Whedon’s work. I mean someone who treats you like a subhuman because you don’t like Buffy.  Someone who believes that anything his name is attached to is immediately turned to gold, like he’s some branding alchemist (people like  you, perhaps, if you’re reading this and already getting riled up). It’s amazing. And if someone dare to say anything about his projects besides that it was or will be the greatest of its genre, then you are labeled a “hater” by such a person. At least that has been my personal experience since the first one reared its head, and it has especially been my  experience ever since I saw Cabin in the Woods last week (more on that later).

Joss Whedon, King of the Geeks? Sorry, I worship at a different nerd shrine.

Typically, seconds after his latest project is announced, my Twitter, Facebook, and e-mail light up with squeals of delight for something nobody knows anything about aside from the fact that one Joss Whedon is attached. It happened with Dollhouse, Cabin in the Woods, whichever Shakespeare movie he’s doing (because we need another adaptation of the Bard’s work), and, of course, The Avengers. Granted, The Avengers was masturbation material long before he was attached; nevertheless it was nerd Carnivale when his name was first thrown out there. “Joss won’t let us down~!” “O Joss, great and merciful, thou art Lord over Nerdom and earth! Thou can do no wrong! Blessed are we to be living in a generation that is filled with your mastercrafts!” Blah, blah, blah.

Give me a break. It’s a super hyped action movie that will, in all likelihood and probability, add nothing or take away anything from the canon it pertains to (except maybe kill a hero or other character that has no franchise awaiting him or her, but has some kind of fanbase–I’ll give you one guess who that might be). Loki’s in it, presumably as the main villain, and he’s already been announced as attached to Thor 2, so at best the big bad is going to elude the world’s mightiest heroes. Which is fine, but does not meet my standards of “revolutionary.” I’m not saying it won’t be fun: it has Robert Downey, Jr., in it after all, and he’s the essence of fun, in my ever-so humble opinion (spoiler alert: this whole article is just, like, my opinion, man).

Am I going to watch it? Of course I am. Tomorrow. I have work tomorrow, and a midnight showing for a film I’m barely invested in doesn’t sound appetizing. I’ll reserve that ticket for Expendables 2 or Dark Knight Rises.

But back to me not caring about Joss Whedon. For the record: I have seen everything he has cranked out since Buffy the Vampire Slayer, except for Dollhouse. The only reason I haven’t seen Dollhouse is because I’m not a Whedonite, duh, and no one has convincingly tried to get me to watch it. As far as I know, it’ll be the first thing by him that I thoroughly enjoyed. Additionally, I haven’t read his comics because, again, not a Whedonite, nor am I an active Marvel reader. If I’ve read a Marvel comic in the last five years, it’s because someone lent it to me. So I’m not going to actively seek out some Astonishing X-Men trades to appease my friends or show how pious I am to their geek god.

Buffy, like most of his work, is okay. Pretty generic and mediocre, if we’re honest with ourselves. It’s essentially another story about a girl who is in love with a vampire. Like all of those stories, she knows better (hell, she on a mission to kill them); nevertheless there’s always one whom she’ll excuse his undeadliness for and bang. Be it he has a soul or looks like Billy Idol. Either way, it’s an unhealthy, co-dependent relationship that is not becoming of a ‘strong’ female lead. The best parts of that show are the minor characters, and they all too often got annoying. I rather read an Anita Blake Vampire Hunter novel. The sex is was better.


I’m so totally turned on right now. You have my number, right?

But it’s not only his female leads who are into unhealthy relationships or making “excuses” for that one person who goes against everything they believe in. Mal Reynolds is the exact same in Firefly when it comes to Inara (who I find unbearable), only he’s man enough to not have sex with her. Regrettably, this makes every scene they share boring and predictable. “You’re a whore!” “You’re a pig!” “Let’s not have sex even though I totally want to bang you!” “That’s fine, I’m banging this guy anyway.”

Now there was a show that could have been something. And no, not in the “oh, why was it canceled after only it’s first season?!” way. I mean in a Space Cowboys way. I’m a huge fan of both genres, and really expected it to be awesome. Instead, I completely understood why Fox canceled it: because its ratings, like the show, were mediocre. You can say it was before it’s time or you could say it was poorly executed. Classic Joss!

Now, before you tell me he’s “too clever” for me or some other tripe, I’m going to tell you something: he’s not. He has good ideas, I agree. I enjoy the premise of everything he cranks out. But the method in which it’s cranked? No thank you.

Last week, I saw his latest “masterpiece”: Cabin in the Woods. I’ll admit, I was against seeing it at first. Not because of my feelings (or lack thereof) towards Whedon (I’m always hoping he’ll show me he can do more than be competent), but because I hate horror. Finally, enough people were like, “You gotta see it, zomg~! It’s like Buffy season 4” (or 5? It all blends together). So, I saw it. Guess what? It’s not a horror movie. It’s not even a satire on horror flicks–it’s an homage. And, again, like all of Whedon’s work, it has a really cool premise. It goes back to mythology and brings it to the modern day. It was a concept I was ready to get behind, but then the 2nd and 3rd acts happened and I didn’t care about anything anymore. The characters were boring, despite moderately amusing dialogue, and the twists and “revolutions” on the genre (whichever genre you could claim it was trying to be) failed to take. All the interesting stuff happened in the first five minutes. Seriously. The rest was just cute.

Especially the bits with Chris Hemsworth in it. He’s so dreamy!

This is the first movie in a long time that I had to make sure I was right about my expectations. “It was advertised as a horror film, right?” I asked a friend of mine. “It was,” he began, “but like all Joss Whedon things it never is what you expect it to be.” Now unless he means I expected it to be “good” after all the hype, then he’s right. It wasn’t what I expected; but, if I’m wrong to expect a movie to be what it’s billed as (i.e., a horror flick) then I have no idea what advertising and trailers are supposed to be about. You got me, marketers. I’m gullible. I believe all your precious lies!

So, here I go again, ready to sink into another Whedon trap. The east coast should be releasing now, while Pac-Time is about to head in, and I’m going to wage in 24hrs when I spend my money and take the time to watch it, I’ll feel much the same way as I did six day ago: a moderately clever and interesting first act that fails to get off the ground, so by the climax I’m ready to leave.

But I hope I’m wrong. Why? Because I prefer to like things than dislike them, and for once in my life I’d like to be as enthralled by something as my Whedonite friends are. It’s really frustrating to watch something because it’s been hyped up so much, and then be like, “It was okay”, which all your friends in turn take to mean you hated it.

Hey guys: hating is different from thinking something’s okay, but by the time you’re through with your little tirade on how I didn’t “get it” or can’t “appreciate” it for whatever made up reason you’ve come up with, then you better believe I hate it now.

So, Whedonites this tirade’s for you. Enjoy your mediocre storyteller. I’m not trying to take his work away from you. You can have it. All of it.

Remember folks: It’s okay to like things, just don’t be a dick about it. Otherwise, eventually push will come to shove and this happens. We’ll fight back. Now, excuse me, I need to be reminded how magical friendship can be.

Buffy-shy and, well, Spike. And a bunny. Stand back, Anya.

“The Avengers” – Eric Diaz’s Geekscape Review

by Eric Diaz

As a little kid growing up in the 80’s, I remember imagining the super heroes I so dearly loved from comics books and Saturday morning television coming to life on the big screen in full live action glory. I’d play with my Marvel Super-Heroes Secret Wars action figures on the playground at recess and dream up how maybe one day, there might be a Captain America movie, then maybe a kick ass Thor movie, and then everyone would meet up together in one big giant omigod awesome Avengers movie…wouldn’t that be like, totally radical?!?  Then I got older, and middle school and high school hit, and I realized that those fantasies were just playground pipe dreams. There was simply no way this would ever happen. Hollywood was just to lame to ever allow it happen. Hollywood’s idea of a comic book movie was Dick Tracy and Howard the Duck. Well, It took some twenty five years from those playground outings, but The Avengers movie has finally happened. And oh boy, did they ever happen. They happened hard.

Let’s just get the important stuff out the way here; The Avengers is freakin’ awesome. It is everything you could want out of both a Summer blockbuster and a super hero movie.  Marvel Studios’ grand experiment of building an interconnected Marvel “movie-verse” in much the same way as the Marvel comic book universe was built, which began four years ago in Iron Man and culminating with this movie, has payed off in spades. And they really saved the best for last. (well, not “last”– just the end of phase one I guess) Incredible kudos have to go to Marvel Studios for having the vision to pull this one off. They gambled big and the pay off was just as big. If any one of the solo movies for the main cast of Avengers has failed spectacularly, this movie wouldn’t have really worked. Remember, production on The Avengers started before either Thor or Captain America was even released; either of those movies could have tanked. This kind of gutsy, confident move from a studio hasn’t been seen since New Line Cinema greenlit The Lord of the Rings trilogy. And Marvel cast these films perfectly. From Robert Downey to Chris Hemsworth and Chris Evans, I know I can’t imagine anyone else playing these parts now.

But good studio choices aside, so much of what makes Avengers work like gangbusters falls squarely on writer/director Joss Whedon’s shoulders. Everything about character, team dynamics, and blending together action and drama and comedy that he learned while working on television series like Buffy, Angel and Firefly is applied to Avengers with the polish of a seasoned film veteran. You’d never know the man had only directed one feature film before when watching this one. In fact, I kind of shudder to think what this movie might have been like under almost anyone but Joss Whedon’s hand; while there are plenty of fanboys out there with an intimate knowledge of super hero comics, there aren’t that many talented writer/directors out there who also happen to be big fanboys. But lucky for us, Joss Whedon is the whole package, which is why he was the ideal man for the job. Aside from just being able to create the structure of this thing and keep it from being unweildy, and getting amazing performances from his ensemble, Whedon knew just what aspects to draw on from the comics, and just what to ignore.

Whedon knew that while some superficial aspects of Mark Millar’s The Ultimates made more sense for the big screen, he couldn’t make the characters as unlikable as they were presented in that book, and chose their original classic Marvel Universe personalities instead.

And not to knock the various Marvel solo films, but under Whedon’s hand almost all the main members come off better here than in their own previous solo movies. Captain America is the ultimate military leader here, something we only glimpsed towards the second half of his own movie. Thor is the fully powered God of Thunder from the moment he steps into frame in this one, a bigger bad ass than he was in the entirety of his own film, where he spent so much of the running time de-powered. And Black Widow is far, far more interesting and developed under Whedon. Her introduction scene alone in this movie is better than her whole role in Iron Man 2. I should have known uber feminist Joss Whedon would not have let her merely be just “the chick” on the team. Even Robert Downey Jr. is better here as Tony Stark than he was in much of the second Iron Man movie. And Mark Ruffalo’s take on the Hulk might be the best thing in the whole movie, period. And I’ve never been a particularly big Hulk fan, so that’s saying something coming from me.

Every single character in the Avengers has their moment to shine (or several.) This isn’t like X-Men The Last Stand, where characters like Angel and Colossus are introduced just to stand around and do nothing. Every single member of the Avengers has something to do here, has something to contribute to the team, not just in action scenes but in dialogue scenes as well.  And unlike so many so called “popcorn” movies, some of the best parts of Avengers is just dialogue and performances. I can’t stress enough how different that makes this movie from the current crop of summer action blockbusters, most notoriously the Transformers franchise.

As for that the movie is actually about, well…the plot of this movie isn’t complicated; if you’ve seen the trailers (and since you’re reading Geekscape, chances are you’ve seen it like a dozen times already) then you pretty much know the plot: Loki is evil, wants to use the Tessaract (also known as the Cosmic Cube ) and subjugate the Earth with his Alien army. Super Heroes are gathered to stop him. There’s your plot. There are no Dark Knight style “plans within plans” like with the Joker. This movie isn’t trying to say anything about society at large. Avengers is a classic straightforward Summer popcorn movie. But this movie reminds us that straightforward can be great too; it’s not like the plots to Raiders of the Lost Ark or Jaws were particularly complex, they were just incredibly well executed and had great acting, characters and action set pieces, all things this movie has in great abundance. To tell you anymore, about specific story and character beats would just ruin the movie for you, and I don’t wanna do that. Just trust me when I say they’re great. Especially the last act. And unlike so many movies where the trailer gave everything away…let’s just say that’s not this movie.

Much of the basic plot comes straight out of Avengers #1 back in 1963

If there are any minor quibbles I have with The Avengers, they’re just that—quibbles. I wish that Alan Silvestri’s score was a lot better. I so wish it contained a memorable theme like Indiana Jones or Superman or even Tim Burton’s Batman. Like most of the Marvel Studios film scores, it merely gets the job done. I also wish Hawkeye was more developed as a character, something the plot mechanations kept him from really being for most of the movie. And finally, I guess I sort of wish that Avengers could have stood on its own more as a film, without needing to have seen the solo films for Iron Man, Thor and Captain America first. I’d be outright lying if I said that this movie wouldn’t be confusing for newbies without having done their homework first. But that’s not really a knock on the film; even The Empire Stikes Back doesn’t make sense without having seen Star Wars first, and that doesn’t keep Empire from being brilliant. Oh, and not once does anyone shout out “Avengers, Assemble!” I mean, how could they forget to do that? But when that’s almost your worst complaint, I think the movie is doing pretty ok.

For comic book fans, The Avengers is literally a dream come true. For non comic book fans, who remember when summer action blockbusters were good and not just big and loud and stupid, it is just as much a dream come true in its own way. The Avengers has raised the bar for comic book super hero movies for all time—I’m not sure that introducing a movie with this just one super hero fighting just one super villain is going to be enough anymore after this movie comes out, I can’t help but feel something like that will seem like slim pickings from now on.

I recently found an old issue of the now defunct Wizard magazine from 2005 in one of my comic book longboxes; in it there was an article called “55 Comic Book Movie Things We Can’t Wait To See.”  Interestingly, #5 on that list was a Joss Whedon directed super hero movie, and entry #34 was seeing an Avengers movie come to life. On the notion of a potential Avengers movie, the article stated  “Marvel zombies will know that moment has arrived, when Captain America , Thor and Iron Man stand tall on the silver screen, rallied to battle—we’re getting superpowered chills just thinking about it.”  Well, seven years later, I know I got superpowered chills seeing it, and unless you just plain hate fun, chances are so will you.

Geekscape Casts: The Avengers 2

by Matt Blackwood

The Avengers, the movie that multitudes of Marvel maniacs have been discussing ad nauseum for over three years now is almost upon us. And the movie’s financial success is pretty much a foregone conclusion at this point, so a sequel is likely to be green-lit the Monday after it opens.

That realization got us wondering- What classic characters will be recruited into the next Avengers Initiative? And who should play them? A few years ago, we gave our ideal Avengers cast for the first film! Here, Geekscape is at it again as we assemble some of our best ideas on who should suit up for Avengers 2!

ALAN TUDYK as GIANT MAN

First off, let’s assume that writer/director Joss Whedon is brought back for the next chapter due to universal fan approval (that happens, right?). Like most directors, Whedon loves to cast actors that he knows can deliver and Alan Tudyk has been stealing scenes since Firefly. Tudyk can bring the intellect, awkwardness, and, yes, even darkness to the role of inventor/hero Hank Pym.

MAURISSA TANCHAROEN as WASP

Tudyk may be in Whedon’s inner circle, but smart and spunky writer/actress Maurissa Tancharoen is family, having recently married his brother Jed. Tancharoen’s dancing background should help her with the flying wirework as she brings the final founding Avenger to the sky and screen.

CAM GIGANDET as QUICKSILVER

The next two Avengers in comics were reformed mutant terrorists Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch. Quicksilver’s super speed makes him a formidable fighter, but gives him little patience for others. Gigandet’s turn as a cocky, misanthropic pilot in Pandorum makes him a great choice to play Magneto’s son.

ROONEY MARA as SCARLET WITCH

Mara’s star-making performance in 2011’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo gave her a chance to show off her strength with action, accents, and insanity. She’ll need all three to play Quicksilver’s powerful but off-kilter sister.

AARON STATON as VISION

With Scarlet Witch in the mix, her synthetic sometime husband would be a smart addition. Staton brings a simplicity that comes off as serene rather than vapid as Ken Cosgrove on AMC’s Mad Men, perfect for the passionless Vision. Plus, Staton’s motion-captured detective Cole Phelps from Rockstar Games’s L.A. Noire already showed us that he can pull off the “creepy lifeless android” thing.

COLM FEORE as ULTRON

Hank Pym’s misguided breakthrough in artificial intelligence is one of the Avengers’ most fearsome villains, and Feore’s cold, terrifying performance in Stephen King’s Storm of the Century give him all the evil cred he needs.

ANNA TORV as MS. MARVEL

Some fan-favorite New Avengers might jump the line and join the cast, such as USAF officer-turned-superhero Carol Danvers. Anna Torv already plays a super-powered government worker on Fox’s Fringe and is one of very few humans who could pull off that costume.

MICHAEL JAI WHITE as LUKE CAGE

White has already played a superhero in the terrible live-action Spawn film, but he didn’t get a chance to show off his attitude and fighting skills. If Black Dynamite had bulletproof skin… Wait, maybe this should be its own movie.

MIA KIRSHNER as SPIDER-WOMAN

Kirshner was sexy and dangerous as recurring assassin Mandy on 24, proving she has what it takes to bring SHIELD/HYDRA double agent and super-powered femme fatale Jessica Drew to life.

JOE MANGANIELLO as HERCULES

Few men have the body to emulate a god (or demi-god), but Manganiello’s True Blood nude scenes keep him in the gym pretty perpetually. A recurring role on How I Met Your Mother showed the former Flash Thompson’s comedy chops, which he’d need to pull off the mirthful Prince of Power.

Did we miss? Hit? What other AVENGERS would you like to see in a sequel? Let Geekscape know in the comments below!

“Iron Man 3” Now a Chinese Co-Production! Is The Mandarin Far Behind?

by Jonathan

This is some interesting news over at Deadline Hollywood. It was announced today, that The Walt Disney Company China, Marvel Studios and DMG Entertainment announced that Iron Man 3 will be co-produced in China.

This is evidence of a relaxing Chinese foreign film quota and a recent increase in Chinese capital being invested into Hollywood and Silicon Valley entertainment companies.  As part of the deal, and in order to receive a portion of the government fund, some of Iron Man 3 has to be filmed in China using local talent.

So of course the question has to be asked: Is The Mandarin going to finally be an Iron Man movie villain? In interviews, director Shane Black has denied having the Asian Mandarin character show up (and he was in Predator so why would we doubt him) but could things have changed? After Iron Man 1, I thought that The Mandarin would be represented in the Marvel movie universe solely as a terrorist organization but could it be represented as one man? Let’s just hope that they keep out the racist stereotypes. Or at least the pigeon English.

Brave Nerd World: Spring Movie Preview

by Stephen Prescott

You might notice a slight delay between the recording and releasing of this episode and you can blame that squarely on Stephen. Regardless, you still get to hear which movies coming out in the next couple of months Heidi and Stephen are looking forward to and looking to avoid in the Brave Nerd World Spring Movie Extravanganza!

Already out…
●John Carter
●21 Jump Street
●The Hunger Games
●Bully

●Mirror Mirror
●Wrath of the Titans
April 4th
●Titanic 3D
April 6th
●Comic Con Episode IV: A Fan’s Hope

April 13th (Friday)
●Cabin in the Woods

●The Three Stooges
April 20th
●The Raven
●The Five Year Engagement
●Pirates! Band of Misfits

May 4th
●Marvel’s The Avengers

May 11th
●Dark Shaddows

●The Dictator
May 18th
●Battleship
●What to Expect When You Are Expecting
May 25th
●Men in Black III

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:11:45 — 32.9MB)

Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard Talk to Geekscape About “The Cabin in the Woods”!

by Jonathan

At SXSW tonight, I got a chance to talk to Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard about their new movie “The Cabin in the Woods”. We talked about the movie being shot 3 years ago, whether Chris Helmsworth got Joss the job directing The Avengers and what it was like developing a “cabin in the woods” style horror film!

We also talked to Cabin actress Anna Hutchison about her role in the movie… and her former life as a Power Ranger! Yup. We’re pretty much awesome… and so is the film! Expect a review soon!