Aaron Johnson Frontrunner to Play Quicksilver in “The Avengers 2″

June 7, 2013 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting Leave a comment

aaron-johnson Watch out, Evan Peters, a new Quicksilver may be coming to town. By now we all know of the struggle between Fox and Marvel in their dueling bids to use twin mutants Pietro and Wanda Maximoff in “X-Men: Days of Future Past” and “The Avengers 2″, with Fox and director Bryan Singer throwing the first gauntlet with the casting of Peters. Today the duel got a little more real, with The Wrap reporting Aaron Johnson has emerged as the top choice for the role in Marvel and Joss Whedon’s superhero team-up sequel.

In the comics, Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch (Wanda’s superhero alias) were the children of Magneto and are born mutants. With Fox and Marvel splitting rights on these two characters who began life as foes of the X-Men but eventually joined the Avengers, Whedon would not be able to call them by their superhero names, and would not be able to allude to their mutant bloodline or their famous father. On the Fox side, Singer will be able to call them by their code names, but not Pietro or Wanda. Oh what a tangled web rival film studios weave. The Wrap further cautions that Johnson is simply a frontrunner at this point, and no negotiating has begun. There’s also no word yet on who may play Wanda for Whedon, but Soairse Ronan has expressed interest after learning she was the “prototype” of the character in script form.

Johnson is already a big screen comic book hero, having originated and then recently reprised the titular “Kick-Ass” opposite Chloe Moretz and (coincidentally) Peters. This summer’s “Kick Ass 2″ promo tour should be fun! Johnson broke out in 2008′s “Nowhere Boy” and recently played Count Vronsky opposite Keira Knightley in Joe Wright’s “Anna Karenina.” He’s currently filming “Godzilla” for director Gareth Edwards opposite Elizabeth Olsen.

Gauntlet Thrown? Evan Peters to Play Quicksilver in “X-Men: Days of Future Past”

May 23, 2013 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting 1 Comment

evan-peters Well, this just got interesting. It appears Fox may not be quite as happy as the internet is about the possibility of X-Men characters Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch appearing in Marvel Studios’ “The Avengers 2.” Today “X-Men: Days of Future Past” director Bryan Singer tweeted out another casting announcement that caught at least this writer off guard. “American Horror Story” star Evan Peters is joining the cast playing none other than Pietro Maximoff, aka Quicksilver.

Now, this announcement could be taken one of two ways. Either Fox is none too pleased about Marvel taking characters who have been central to X-Men lore for decades and are staking ownership first, or Singer and “Avengers” director Joss Whedon reached some sort of compromise to allow Quicksilver and his twin sister the Scarlet Witch to appear in both film canons as played by the same actors, marking a major crossover development in the world of comic book movies. Of course, the likeliest scenario may just be that Peters and whichever actress is cast by Singer will play one version of Pietro and Wanda (with mutant origins as Magneto’s children in tact) and Whedon will cast his own version of the brother-sister duo (with no mention of mutant genetics and Magneto? Who’s that?). Either way, like I said, this just got very, very interesting. We’ll see how things develop from here. Whether Saoirse Ronan is cast as Singer’s Scarlet Witch may be our first clue to how this whole thing will shake out.

Evans, who’s wrapped up filming on indies “Adult World” with Emma Roberts and “Truck Stop” with Juno Temple, is most known for his TV work on Ryan Murphy’s “American Horror Story”, on which he’s appeared in all three standalone seasons. He’s also attached to indie thriller “The Preppie Connection” with Bella Heathcote, expected to film this summer.

Saoirse Ronan Interested in Playing the Scarlet Witch in “The Avengers 2″

May 23, 2013 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting 2 Comments

saoirse-ronan By now we’ve all heard the rumblings that Joss Whedon sees Irish actress Saoirse Ronan as a “prototype” for casting Marvel superhero the Scarlet Witch, who is set to join the team in “The Avengers 2″, but does Ronan have any interest in taking the role herself? The Mary Sue recently caught up with the actress and the answer was a resounding “yes.”

Ronan recently heard about the rumors herself and answered enthusiastically when asked if she would like to join the Marvel family: “I have heard about it and yes, I would. Yeah, of course I would. I love Joss and I love those films, and I love his handle on them and how he portrayed these kinds of superheroes. I think it’s very different from what anyone else has done. So yeah, I’d love to be in it.”

Scarlet Witch, aka Wanda Maximoff, is one of the most prominent figures in the Marvel universe, and she and twin brother Pietro aka Quicksilver have taken both heroic and villainous turns within the comic canon throughout the decades. They are also the children of Magneto, who, of course, falls under X-Men canon and is being portrayed by Michael Fassbender in the currently filming Fox film “X-Men: Days of Future Past.”

It’s been speculated that Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver cannot legally be referred to as Magneto’s children or even as mutants, but we’ll let Marvel’s and Fox’s lawyers hammer that one out. The important thing is Whedon is (allegedly) interested, Ronan is definitely interested, how do we make this happen? Ronan should probably make sure her ever crowded schedule is clear for February 2014.

Marvel Eyeing “42″ Star Chadwick Boseman for “Black Panther”

May 1, 2013 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting Leave a comment

Perhaps this should come as no surprise since “42″ is overperforming like hell at the box office, but Latino Review reports its breakout star, Chadwick Boseman, is becoming a hot commodity and now Marvel has him in their sights for their long-gestating adaptation of “Black Panther”, rumored to make his debut in Phase 3 of the Marvel cinematic universe.

The first black superhero in mainstream comics, the Black Panther predates Anthony Mackie’s “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” onscreen alter-ego by several years, though Sam Wilson, aka Falcon, gets the distinction as the first African-American superhero. T’Challa, on the other hand, is from the fictional African nation of Wakanda. He got his superhuman superpowers after ingesting an herb, and subsequently became King of Wakanda, ultimately developing it into the most technologically advanced nation on earth. He eventually made friends with other Marvel superheroes and became an Avenger, so Latino Suggest a cameo for Black Panter in “The Avengers 2″ before headlining his own film seems likely.

Of course, this is all in the very early stages and not only is there no official offer on the table yet, Marvel is also taking general meetings with various actors for a wide range of roles, so it’s possible Boseman could end up in the Marvel family in a completely different project, but Black Panther is likely to be the among the highest of priorities and most coveted.

Boseman, an award-winning playwright, stuck almost entirely to television, appearing in guest spots on every show from “Third Watch” to “Lincoln Heights” to “Fringe” and “ER” before landing his breakthrough role as Jackie Robinson in “42″, which opened t the #1 spot atop the box office and is still playing like gangbusters. He’s now filming another sports-related drama, the NFL-sanctioned “Draft Day” starring Kevin Costner, which recently filmed at the actual NFL draft in New York.

Scarlett Johannson is “Lucy” in New Luc Besson Action Flick

April 25, 2013 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting Leave a comment

scarlett-johansson Scarlett Johansson is currently reprising her role as Black Widow in “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” and it looks like she wants to stay an action hero just a little longer. THR reports the Marvel actress has chosen her next project, which will allow her to continue kicking ass after the comic-book sequel wraps production.

Luc Besson’s “Lucy”, with Johansson in the titular role, revolves around a woman forced into becoming a drug mule, but the event has transformative powers as the drugs enter her system, making her immune to pain, telekinetic, and able to instantaneously absorb knowledge. The French director also wrote the script and plans to shoot it right after Johansson wraps on “Captain America.”

Johansson was last seen as the Black Window in last year’s epic blockbuster “The Avengers” – she’s expected to continue to reprise the role in future Marvel films, “Winter Soldier” and beyond – and “Hitchcock”, about the legendary director’s making of “Psycho”, in which she played Janet Leigh. She co-starred with Joseph Gordon-Levitt in his directorial debut “Don Jon”, which premiered at Sundance and comes out later this year, and she also has Jonathan Glazer’s “Under the Skin” awaiting release.

Tom Hiddleston In Early Talks For “The Crow” Remake

April 22, 2013 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting 2 Comments

Tom Hiddleston could be stepping into the shoes of the late Brandon Lee (and, briefly, Bradley Cooper) as The Wrap reports the British actor is in early talks with filmmakers about taking on the lead role in Relativity Media’s new adaptation of “The Crow.”

Hiddleston is the latest start linked to the role of Eric Draven, a rock star brutally murdered while trying to protect his fiance from a gang of thugs. He is resurrected by supernatural forces and seeks revenge. The original film starring Lee – itself adapted from comics by James O’Barr – spawned three sequels but with a different victim and resurrection each time. F. Javier Gutierrez is directing the latest incarnation of the gothic superhero tale, which Hiddleston is so keen on that he did his own makeup test in London and brought it to a recent meeting with producers. He will also undergo more proper visual tests soon as Devan has a specific look that is important to the franchise’s die-hard fans. With many false starts in its wake, production is for now tentatively scheduled for this fall.

Most known to audiences as main villain Loki in both “Thor” and “The Avengers”, Hiddleston is expected to continue to have a presence in the Marvel cinematic universe but has proven to be a versatile actor in plenty of other roles. He especially impressed us in 2011, with roles in “War Horse” and “Midnight in Paris” in addition to his Marvel duties. He has wrapped up filming on Jim Jarmusch’s “Only Lovers Left Alive” opposite Tilda Swinton and is attached to play wartime photographer Robert Capa in the long-gestating biopic “Capa.”

Tom Hiddleston to Play Wartime Photographer Robert “Capa” in Biopic

April 17, 2013 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting 1 Comment

This one has been in development hell for quite some time, but it appears there’s movement on one of two dueling biopics of wartime photographer Robert Capa, with British actor Tom Hiddleston confirming to Shortlist (via Playlist) that he will play the titular role in Paul Andrew Williams’ “Capa.”

Back in 2010, it had appeared now-Spider-Man Andrew Garfield and Gemma Arterton may have the lead roles, though even then we were skeptical and it appears that skepticism was founded. Arterton is no longer attached to the film despite having starred in Williams’ “Song for Marion” last year, so now Hiddleston will need a co-star to play Gerda Taro, a fellow wartime photojournalist with whom Capa had an intense love affair. Michael Mann had long been attached to direct a rival biopic, “Waiting for Robert Capa” but he’ll be, uh, waiting for a while longer on that with other projects on his plate in the immediate future.

Hiddleston was one of our Breakout Stars of 2011, the year that brought us his mischievous Loki in “Thor”, noble Captain Nicholls in “War Horse” and charming F. Scott Fitzgerald in “Midnight in Paris.” He hasn’t slowed down since, reprising Loki in “The Avengers” last year and soon headlining Jim Jarmusch’s vampire saga “Only Lovers Left Alive” opposite Tilda Swinton.

First Image of Chris Evans in “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” As Sequel Begins Production

April 8, 2013 | Posted by Linda Ge in Images 1 Comment

wintersoldier001 One of our most anticipated sequels kicks off production today and to mark the occasion (and perhaps to lower the price tag for the first unofficial paparazzi photos from the set), the first official image of Chris Evans reprising his role as Steve Rogers in “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” has been released via EW.

Nothing too exciting to see in the first photo, just reinforcing Rogers’ relationship with S.H.I.E.L.D. but the film’s official tagline was also released, which proves a bit more interesting: “Steve Rogers struggles to embrace his role in the modern world and teams up with Natasha Romanoff, aka Black Widow, to battle a powerful yet shadowy enemy in present-day Washington, D.C.” That would make Scarlett Johansson front and center in this sequel, while that shadowy enemy, as comic fans are well aware, is taking the form of Sebastian Stan’s Bucky Barnes, Steve’s wartime buddy who’s been resurrected as the titular villain Winter Soldier.

Emily VanCamp is also on board and her long-rumored role as Agent 13, aka Sharon Carter, is finally officially confirmed, while Hayley Atwell, as the first Carter Steve loved, will make an appearance via flashback. Samuel L. Jackson is expected to have a large supporting role as Nick Fury, and Robert Redford recently signed on to play the head of S.H.I.E.L.D.

“Captain America: The Winter Soldier”, under the direction of Joe and Anthony Russo, will be released on April 4, 2014. The first photo of Evans can be seen below.

Chris Hemsworth attached to untitled Michael Mann thriller

February 14, 2013 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting Leave a comment

Director Michael Mann has not made a movie since 2009′s “Public Enemies” but appears finally ready to get back behind the camera, and Variety reports he has boarded an untitled thriller set up at Legendary Pictures which has Australian action star Chris Hemsworth attached to the lead role. There are not plot details, other than to say the film takes place “in a world of cyber threats and attacks.” Mann has been developing the project for over a year and co-wrote the screenplay with Morgan Davis Foehl. Filming is tentatively scheduled for June.

Hemsworth is looking to fill the rest of his year now that Steven Spielberg’s “Robopocalypse”, which had been slated to begin this spring, is on hold for the time being. Having just wrapped “Thor: The Dark World” in London, the plan is to film the Mann pic over the summer and then transition to maritime actioner “In the Heart of the Sea”, which Ron Howard is in negotiations to direct. Howard first directed Hemsworth in F1 racing biopic “Rush”, which is slated for release in September. All this activity likely leaves Hemsworth just enough time to catch his breath before picking up Mjilnor to play Thor again in “The Avengers 2.”

Jeremy Renner to “Kill the Messenger” in true life CIA conspiracy thriller

January 31, 2013 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting Leave a comment

After a string of big budget studio blockbusters, Jeremy Renner is set to return to the darker and more serious films that made him a two-time Oscar nominee. Deadline reports Renner will star in “Kill the Messener”, a true life thriller that will be directed by Michael Cuesta this summer.

Renner will play Gary Webb in the film written by Peter Landesman. Webb was a San Jose Mercury News reporter during the Iran-Contra scandal in the 1980s, who published an expose detailing the link between the CIA and Contra rebels in Nicaragua in importing and selling cocaine on the streets of California. Rather than make his career, the expose elicited harsh criticisms which rendered Webb unable to find another job, sending him into a downward spiral that culminated in his suicide in 2004. The film seeks to validate Webb’s side of the story by proposing his findings were correct and he was the victim of a smear campaign in order to hide the CIA’s more morally ambiguous actions taken in the name of the greater good.

After critical success and Oscar nominations following supporting performances in “The Hurt Locker” and “The Town”, Renner moved into the mainstream in rapid succession by starring in “Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol”, “The Avengers”, “The Bourne Legacy” and the currently playing “Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters.” It’s become rather clear, however, he’s much better in more prestigious, intimate films that really showcase his acting. There are no more blockbusters on his plate for the foreseeable future (minus an “Avengers” sequel or two). Instead, he has dramas like James Gray’s “Lowlife” and David O. Russell’s untitled Abscam film (previously titled “American Bullshit”) coming down the pike.

Page 1 of 512 3 4 5 »

the avengers