Voices From Krypton: Superhero Movie Roundup
January 15, 2010 by RetroEd
Filed under Featured, Superhero Tooniverse
The world of superhero movies is an ever-expanding one, and in this roundup of news we check out the latest news surrounding Captain America, Green Lantern and Spider-Man.
CAPTAIN AMERICA: Director Joe Johnston has begun promoting his remake of The Wolfman, and not surprisingly the topic is turning to Captain America, which he’ll be helming for a July 2011 release. Offers Johnston to Box Office, “It’s the origin story of Captain America. It’s mostly period – there are modern, present-day bookends on it – but it’s basically the story of how Steve Rogers becomes Captain America. The great thing about Captain America is he’s a super hero without any super powers. He’s an every man who’s been given this amazing gift of transformation into the perfect specimen – the pinnacle of human perfection. How does that affect him? What does that mean for him emotionally and psychologically?” Given his work on The Rocketeer, it’s obvious that Johnston can capture the era of the 1940s beautifully, which should serve Captain America as well.
GREEN LANTERN: Hitfix reports that although there is nothing final in this report, Jackie Earle Haley (seen last year in Watchmen, to be seen this year in the remake of Nightmare on Elm Street and co-starring in Fox’s Human Target TV series, debuting Sunday night) is the guy Warner Bros. wants in the role of GL’s arch enemy, Sinestro. Offers the site, “The groundwork is being laid in the first Lantern for a much larger role for Sinestro later on if this first movie does well, and they like the idea of continuing their relationship with Haley.” In other casting news, earlier this week Gossip Girl’s Blake Lively was cast as Carol Ferris, Hal Jordan’s boss and eventual love interest, who is destined to become Star Sapphire.
SPIDER-MAN: When Spider-Man 3 went into production, there was reportedly conflict between director Sam Raimi and Sony Pictures over creative differences. The nature of those differences became apparent in the film itself, which absolutely seemed to represent the creative desires of both, some of which were in conflict with each other. And now, with Spider-Man 4, it seemed that similar conflicts were arising, and rather than go forward, the parties have agreed to disagree and elected to part ways. The result? As has been widely reported, Sony is rebooting Spidey, as noted in the official press release:
“Peter Parker is going back to high school when the next Spider-Man hits theaters in the summer of 2012. Columbia Pictures and Marvel Studios announced today they are moving forward with a film based on a script by James Vanderbilt that focuses on a teenager grappling with both contemporary human problems and amazing super-human crises. The new chapter in the Spider-Man franchise produced by Columbia, Marvel Studios and Avi Arad and Laura Ziskin, will have a new cast and filmmaking team. Spider-Man 4 was to have been released in 2011, but had not yet gone into production.
“’A decade ago we set out on this journey with Sam Raimi and Tobey Maguire and together we made three Spider-Man films that set a new bar for the genre. When we began, no one ever imagined that we would make history at the box-office and now we have a rare opportunity to make history once again with this franchise. Peter Parker as an ordinary young adult grappling with extraordinary powers has always been the foundation that has made this character so timeless and compelling for generations of fans. We’re very excited about the creative possibilities that come from returning to Peter’s roots and we look forward to working once again with Marvel Studios, Avi Arad and Laura Ziskin on this new beginning,’ said Amy Pascal, co-chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment.
“’Working on the Spider-Man movies was the experience of a lifetime for me. While we were looking forward to doing a fourth one together, the studio and Marvel have a unique opportunity to take the franchise in a new direction, and I know they will do a terrific job,’ said Sam Raimi.
“’We have had a once-in-a-lifetime collaboration and friendship with Sam and Tobey and they have given us their best for the better part of the last decade. This is a bittersweet moment for us because while it is hard to imagine Spider-Man in anyone else’s hands, I know that this was a day that was inevitable,’ said Matt Tolmach, president of Columbia Pictures, who has served as the studio’s chief production executive since the beginning of the franchise. ‘Now everything begins anew, and that’s got us all tremendously excited about what comes next. Under the continuing supervision of Avi and Laura, we have a clear vision for the future of Spider-Man and can’t wait to share this exciting new direction with audiences in 2012.’
“’Spider-Man will always be an important franchise for Sony Pictures and a fresh start like this is a responsibility that we all take very seriously,’ said Michael Lynton, Chairman and CEO of Sony Pictures. ‘We have always believed that story comes first and story guides the direction of these films and as we move onto the next chapter, we will stay true to that principle and will do so with the highest respect for the source material and the fans and moviegoers who deserve nothing but the best when it comes to bringing these stories and characters to life on the big screen.’”
Reportedly two directors Sony is looking at are 500 Days of Summer’s Mark Webb and Kick-Ass’ Matthew Vaughn.
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