Description of Avengers footage from D23

Disney held their third annual D23 event this weekend for the fans, showcasing everything that’s coming up on all of Disney’s fronts, from television and radio, to films and video games. And since The Avengers didn’t make an appearance at Comic-Con this year, as expected, Disney and Marvel brought members from the cast along with sizzle real of footage to D23 instead.

Unlike Comic-Con, Disney was very protective in ensuring their presentations were exclusive to D23 attendees and they would not let cameras, cell phones, laptops or any other such tech/recording equipment into the rooms but we can still certainly describe what was shown for The Avengers.


Before the cast came on stage, The Avengers segment of the presentation was introduced with a video that recapped the series of movies before it, emphasizing the story and characters we’ve met so far and what it’s all been leading up to. It included bits of all the films to date (Iron Man​, The Incredible Hulk​, Iron Man 2, Thor and Captain America: The First Avenger) as well as all the “button” post-credit scenes of the films (teaser trailers/easter eggs). This footage ended with the scene of Nick Fury​ saying to Stark at the end of Iron Man: “I’m here to talk about the Avengers initiative.” This was quite an intro and the audience nearly lost it.

Marvel President of Production, Kevin Feige, then came on stage, explaining that director Joss Whedon is working away on the final two weeks of The Avengers shoot, but that he’s prepared a little something special for the D23 attendees. On comes the new footage the eager audience was waiting for.

Here’s what was shown:

• Loki (Tom Hiddleston​) is trapped in a high tech, glass prison room.
• Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) enters, and uses the panel to communicate to him: “In case it’s unclear, if you try to escape – you even scratch the glass – it’s 30,000 feet straight down.”
• Floor opens, revealing that this is taking place on the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier.
• Loki says the room is “an impressive cage,” mocking that it’s not good enough to hold him.
• Fury quips that the “cage” was built for something much stronger than Loki.
• Loki: “…a mindless beast makes play he’s still a man,” referring to the Hulk.
• Fury accuses Loki of bringing the world to the brink of war: ”You threaten my world with war. Steal a force you can’t control. You have made me desperate.”
• Loki points out that Fury nearly had true power, having the Tesseract (the Cosmic Cube from Captain America​ and in post-credits of Thor), and talks of what SHIELD’s plans are for it, mocking their purpose with using it as a “warm glow for all of mankind.” Loki taunts Fury about being so close to “real power” and says he’ll show him what “real power” is.
• Fury responds in classic Sam L fashion: “Let me know if real power wants a magazine.”
• The Avengers team is in a briefing room, sitting at the table from Captain America post-credits Avengers button with Thor standing in middle of the room – they’re watching Loki on the monitor.
• Bruce Banner​ (Mark Ruffalo): “He really grows on you doesn’t he?”
• Agent Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders) is also shown watching the happenings through a monitor of her own.
• Next scene shows Nick Fury explaining S.H.I.E.L.D.’s plan to bring together these heroes to handle the issues too big for the agency.
• Scenes are shown of SHIELD agents around the Helicarrier and we get a few action scenes of our favorite heroes.
• Next scene shows Tony Stark​ (Robert Downey Jr​.) behind a bar, introducing the team: “Let’s do a head count.”
  • Stark lists through The Avengers roster and as he names them, scenes are shown for each character (the Quinjet is also shown flying towards a city).
  • “We’ve got two deadly assassins” – Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner​) are shown on a bridge next to some destruction – Hawkeye shown aiming with his bow.
  • “A demi god” – Thor is shown with angry face, followed by slow motion action scene of him jumping, swinging is mighty Mjolnir hammer at Captain America’s shield.
  • “A legend that actually lives up to the legend” – Captain America (Chris Evans) dodging explosions – Also has a scene standing in front of a closet containing his new modern day costume.
• Stark follows up by saying “and somehow, you managed to piss them all off.”
• Loki is revealed to be the one talking to Stark and he retorts: “I have an army.”
• Stark: “We have a Hulk.”
• The final scene is showing Banner’s leg transforming into Hulk, followed by a close-up of his face while screaming Hulk-style.
• The Avengers logo.

Needless to say, this was very exciting – and intense – footage but it will not be available online for a very long time. It was a pure tease and not revealing of any additional plot details or villains – we actually have learned more from the recent set videos and photos. There sadly was also no news about what comes next on Marvel’s film slate (i.e. Guardians of the Galaxy or Runaways) so we’ll wait until next July for Comic-Con 2012 and hope Marvel holds a panel there.


Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth​, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Cobie Smulders, Tom Hiddleston were then introduced to the stage (above, click to enlarge) with Feige as Downey, being the spokesman and poster boy of sorts for the franchise, took the mic and got the audience excited by asking them if they wanted to watch the footage again… and so The Avengers reel was shown again to everyone’s pleasure.


The Avengers stars Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Samuel L. Jackson, Cobie Smulders, Clark Gregg, Tom Hiddleston and Stellan Skarsgard. It is of course written and directed by Joss Whedon, opening in theaters on May 4, 2012.

Captain America and Thor in Battle

What may be two of the biggest and most anticipated superhero movies ever are both hitting theaters everywhere next summer, and they are competing on every possible front. We are of course referring to classic fanboy battle of Marvel vs. DC, or in the case of their upcoming respective films, The Avengers vs. The Dark Knight Rises.
Disney and Warner Bros. both held back when it came to showing off their flagship blockbusters at Comic-Con but there’s no shortage of marketing materials and spoilers coming out of each film’s production anyway, and by that I mean viral marketing, unintentional viral marketing as a result of shooting the films public. Today’s addition to the library of candid unofficial set photos and videos focuses in on a scene of The Avengers featuring Thor and Captain America fighting together in costume.

The Pittsburgh production of The Dark Knight Rises introduced us to Bane and Catwoman in costume along with the film’s iconic vehicles, revealing several key moments and plot points of the film. For The Avengers, we’re learning more about the team’s battle with a mysterious new foe…

Before moving on to the goodies, be forewarned that all of what you’ll see below is entering spoiler territory. You may be familiar with the characters and costumes of Chris Hemsworth​’s Thor and Chris Evans’ Cap, but what’s occurring and who else is involved has only begun to unfold in the public’s eye and some may wish to save the surprise until the official trailer for The Avengers or until the movie debuts next May.

SPOILERS



Captain America​ isn’t feeling too great and it’s self-evident as to why -- Falling through windows onto cars even hurts super soldiers. Now for videos of the first Avenger and the Asgardian Avenger in battle. Here are the links to three Youtube videos that show the Star Spangled Avenger in battle with the Thunder God: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOOFJBHcm3k&feature=player_embedded 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-1dnZhemeY&feature=player_embedded    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQPPxkdNtjk&feature=player_embedded 

Some of the most fun and exciting moments of The Avengers will be when the team forms to fight a common threat together, and this is our first hint of that happening. The best part for me is seeing Evans and Hemsworth laughing and chatting it up in between takes, showing the team dynamic working both on and off the screens. That and Thor bringing hammer time to that sedan. Car, meet Mjolnir.

If you missed the, check out the previous set photos of Chris Evans in his Captain America costume, also fighting stuntmen in mo-cap suits. Those images also reveal one of the enemy’s weapons, hinting that these are likely the long-rumored Skrull or Kree alien forces.

Who do you think The Avengers are fighting and how will they look compared to their designs in Marvel Comics​?

The Avengers stars Robert Downey Jr​., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Samuel L. Jackson, Cobie Smulders​, Clark Gregg, Tom Hiddleston​ and Stellan Skarsgard​. It is of course written and directed by Joss Whedon​, opening in theaters on May 4, 2012.

All New Avengers pictures and videos reveal Captain America costume and plot elements

Thanks to a string of Comic-Con character posters and an all-too-brief teaser “button” at the end of Captain America, we already basically know what The Avengers are going to look like come May 4th, 2012. Basically.
However, if that wasn’t enough, now we have actual pictures of Chris Evans on the set of The Avengers in his entire modern-day Captain America costume – as well as some shots of a strange weapon and explosive (literally) pandemonium.

These on-set shooting details could provide MILD or MEDIUM SPOILERS for The Avengers. If you are attempting to avoid spoilers altogether, please be advised to turn away now – you have been WARNED.

Still here? Here we go…
First, check out the images below, courtesy of Celebrity-Gossip, Coming Soon, and Medical Mutual of Ohio and Its Family Companies:

The mask looks a tad goofier (or maybe that’s just Chris Evans’ smile in that picture) and more stilted than it did in Captain America: The First Avenger. Otherwise the costume looks excellent. The boots, gloves, and underarms are pure Ultimate Captain America​, while the wings on the mask are more First Avenger. Everything else seems like a quality mish-mash of 616, Ultimate, and First Avenger – with a little individualized flavor to boot.

The big question is, what is that alien-looking hardware? It looks like some sort of Men in Black weapon – not like anything we’ve seen in Iron Man​, The Incredible Hulk​, Thor, or Captain America. Do these pictures confirm the rumors that aliens – for example, the Skrull and/or the Kree – are at the heart of The Avengers conflict?

Additionally, there’s a guy covered head-to-toe in motion capture thingys, indicating that the creatures wielding the weapons (?) are going to be made entirely of CGI. Is that because they’re so monstrous and – dare we say it – extraterrestrial that no amount of practical effects can do them justice?
Speaking of extraterrestrials, an extra on the set told Comic Book Movie that an “invasion of aliens or some force” was the cause of the pandemonium in the scenes. Check it out below:

“Today was my first day of work as an extra on the movie [The] Avengers. There was a great deal of sitting around, but it was thrilling during the street scene. We were running and screaming from the invasion of aliens or some force.”

The Daily Mail seems to back up the “aliens are the bad guys” report as well, so those fans who were hoping for an Ultron, Kang the Conquerer​, Thanos, or The Beyonder five-way-battle are probably going be disappointed.

Marvel is banking quite a bit on The Avengers being one of the most awesome and successful superhero movies ever. Despite his fervent supporters, hiring Joss Whedon was a pretty massive risk – the one feature film he directed wasn’t financially successful and the last two TV shows he was involved in were canceled pretty quickly. And while the first of those shows, Firefly, was and is beloved, the second, Dollhouse, was not so much, to say the least.

Still, the man has skills, and if Avengers ends up being the most awesome and successful superhero movie ever – or even just, you know, really awesome – Marvel’s bet will have paid off and then some.

How do you guys think Chris Evans looks in the new Captain America costume? And what’s your opinion of aliens potentially being the bad guys? Let us know in the comments.

The Avengers hits theaters May 4th, 2012.

Mike Myer's is back as everyone's favorite British spy.

Despite making boatloads of cash, the animated Shrek franchise has arguably been driven into the ground, with its third and fourth installments failing to meet the critical success of the first two. Outside of this franchise, star Mike Myers hasn’t been working too much and it’s no surprise after his last live-action feature The Love Guru was a total failure.

While many fans would love to see him reunite with Dana Carvey for another Wayne’s World, especially after they paired up to bring the sketch back more than once in recent years, we definitely are going to see Myers return to reprise his most recognizable character, the shagadelic super spy we know as Austin Powers.

HitFix just broke the news that comedian and voice actor extraordinaire, Mike Myers, has officially signed on to return as the title character in Austin Powers 4, a film which will likely take on a different title, spoofing another James Bond movie.

For years, we’ve heard murmurings of interest and movement in developing Austin Powers 4, but it’s largely been up to Myers to make it happen and he’s now decided the time is right and we can expect the movie to release in 2013.

Back in 2008, it was reported that Myers had been working on the script alongside Mike McCullers who helped write the last two Austin Powers flicks, but nothing moved on that front for a two years, until director Jay Roach was asked about it at last year’s ShoWest. He explained that Myers was still pondering ideas for the next Austin Powers sequel and that he’d definitely be ready to jump back into the director’s chair (he directed the entire trilogy).

A while back there were also rumors of an Austin Powers spin-off movie that would focus on Dr. Evil but fortunately, that doesn’t seem to be in the cards anymore and we can expect him and other franchise familiars to return for fourth main franchise installment instead. Hopefully, Austin Powers 4 will bring back Michael Caine as Nigel Powers, Seth Green as Scott Evil and Verne Troyer as Mini Me, along with many of the characters Myers plays himself.

Who knows, perhaps Myers’ recent reappearances with Dana Carvey could lead to him being involved as well? Expect plenty of celebrity appearances regardless.

With the first three Austin Powers movies taking the names of International Man of Mystery, The Spy Who Shagged Me, Goldmember, what would you suggest for Austin Powers 4?

Catwoman's costume revealed.

Now that the summer of superhero movies is nearing its end, with all four of 2011′s comic book movie tentpoles having been released, three of which were Marvel films and the one Warner Bros​./DC Entertainment flick not meeting expectations, DC is attempting to take some of that spotlight. At Comic-Con two weeks ago, Warner Bros. had nothing to show audiences, while Marvel was releasing Captain America: The First Avenger alongside a first look at The Avengers.

With that out of the way, Warner Bros. is now dominating the headlines with casting news, a change in date for Man of Steel, the first look at Henry Cavill in his Superman costume and now, our very first official look at Anne Hathaway as Catwoman in The Dark Knight Rises.

Since filming of The Dark Knight Rises moved over to Pittsburgh, we’ve seen plenty of set photos and videos that reveal not only some of the vehicles and characters of the film, but plenty of potential plot spoilers. Such images gave us a better look at Tom Hardy in his Bane outfit and what may be the lowdown on Talia al Ghul.

This new photo however, wasn’t snapped by onlookers watching the crew shoot the film from a distance, and instead was released by Warner Bros. officially. It presents Selina Kyle​ in what appears to be her Catwoman outfit, or at least part of it, while riding the Batpod, putting to rest any speculation that Hathaway Selina Kyle character may not become Catwoman in the film.

She’s got the leather outfit on, so cross that off the list. Not too surprisingly, the outfit worn by Hathaway here is spot-on the rumored Catwoman costume description we reported on in June, which hinted at a less sexy, but more tactical form-fitting outfit with goggles – something a world class thief may actually wear.
[Update: Just Jared snapped a few photos of Anne Hathaway's stunt double using the Batpod during filming, offering a good side-angle shot of the Catwoman costume in action - see below!]

The tech-heavy glasses (look for them in Target and Walmart next summer) shouldn’t be too surprising, considering what we’ve seen from Batman’s vehicles and gadgets in Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. From the Tumbler and the Batpod, to the 3D sonar glasses Batman used through a cellphone network – as illogical as that may have been – director Christopher Nolan isn’t shy about introducing a little science fiction in his films about the caped crusader, which is especially true if the Lazarus Pits we’ve seen photos of play into the story of The Dark Knight Rises the way we think they might.

Looking past the surface details of this Catwoman photo, there are greater implications to be discussed. Firstly, Hathaway is riding the Batpod. Why? Did she steal it or at this point in the film, can we assume she’s working alongside Batman to fight what may be multiple villains in the story?

The Dark Knight Rises cast sees the return of Christian Bale, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman, Nestor Carbonell and Michael Caine along with franchise newcomers Anne Hathaway, Tom Hardy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Marion Cotillard, Juno Temple, Josh Pence, Daniel Sunjata, Burn Gorman, Diego Klattenhoff and Alon Aboutboul.

The Dark Knight Rises hits theatres July 20, 2012.



'The Dark Knight Rises' Photos reveal more to come

When it was first announced that Tom Hardy would be playing Bane in Christopher Nolan’s final Batman film, The Dark Knight Rises, Bat-fans around the world breathed a collective sigh of relief. If anyone could do justice to the man who broke Batman’s back, surely it would be the 33-year-old British bruiser, who rose to fame on the strength of his domineering performance in Bronson.

Still, there have been some questions about Hardy’s appearance in the film. Would he be as impossibly muscular as his comic book counterpart? How would his venom-pumping mask and suit look in the gritty, more realistic tone of Christopher Nolan’s Batman universe? Thanks to an eagle-eyed set visitor, at least some of these questions can now be answered.

To date, all we’ve been able to see of Bane are a couple of interesting looking publicity stills (like the image at the top of this article) and an extremely brief glimpse in the recently-released Dark Knight Rises teaser trailer, so it’s been hard to get a good sense of what the character will end up looking like in the movie.

However, a new series of photos from the Pittsburgh set of The Dark Knight Rises reveal Tom Hardy​ as Bane in full costume. The images, which come our way via Just Jared, don’t offer the best detail, but definitely give us a good idea of Bane’s appearance in Nolan’s final Batman film.

Before I dig into an analysis of Bane’s costume, it’s important to remember one important thing: these are set pics – which means that they don’t really reflect what Hardy will look like in the finished product. That being said, there are things to like and dislike about Bane’s look.

In the comics, Bane wears what is essentially a wrestling outfit, complete with a Mexican luchador mask. Obviously, that type of costume wouldn’t fly in the realistic world of Nolan’s Batman films, so it’s interesting to see the alternative they’ve chosen. Judging by these pictures, it looks like Nolan and his team have decided to go with a more militaristic look for Bane, including a Bomber jacket style coat and body armor.

On its own, the costume works and reflects an interpretation of Bane as a militaristic character. However, the somewhat conventional costume does provide a stark contrast to Bane’s mask, which seems out of place. Of course, we still don’t know how the venom-system works, so there could be a lot more functionality to the costume that we’re just not seeing yet. My guess is that there’s something interesting going on behind that upturned coat collar (like Bane’s venom delivery system).

When we see Bane briefly in the teaser trailer, he’s hulking toward a disoriented Batman…and he’s not wearing this coat – which suggests that when Bane bulks up on venom, he loses the coat to reveal his massive frame (an obvious statement, I know).

In addition to the images of Bane, Just Jared also snagged a set photo of a camouflage version of the Tumbler Batmobile. This version of the vehicle, which we haven’t seen since Batman Begins​, raises some interesting possibilities. Since we know that there will also be a classic black version of the Tumbler in The Dark Knight Rises, one has to wonder why the camo version is also on set.

One possibility is that Batman wrecks his black Tumbler in some way, and needs to use a quick replacement. It’s boring, but it works. There’s also one more (highly speculative) possibility, however. Maybe Miranda Tate, Marion Cotillard’s character (who many suspect to be Talia al Ghul), uses Wayne Enterprises resources to give a Tumbler to Bane!

This theory is nothing but wild speculation. That said, imagine if Tate (secretly Talia al Ghul) used her position as a board member of Wayne Enterprises to supply her father’s chosen assassin (Bane, freed from prison) with the tools to defeat Batman. Doesn’t that sound plausible?

Now on to the next bit of juicy news, and this is certainly gonna make everyone giddy with delight.

The first image, from fan Matt Maranowski (via Latino Review), shows Christian Bale and Tom Hardy between takes standing around the set. Interestingly, the pair don’t seem all that far apart in size. Does this mean that Bane isn’t going to be the massive hulking beast we all expect (at least not from the get-go)? Of course not. Check out Latino Review or these Getty Images (Here & Here) for a few added images of Batman and Bane duking it out. More on why Bane will still be a big brawler after the image.

In looking at this picture, there are a couple of things to discuss. First off, Bane and Batman look like they’re roughly the same height and body type. Obviously, that’s a big change from the comics, where Bane is so overwhelmingly large that he’s able to snap Batman like a toothpick over his knee.

Before everyone pulls out their fanboy pitchforks though, let’s remember that this doesn’t reflect what the characters will look like on the big screen. There are tons of camera tricks to make one actor look big and another actor look small, and it’s not like Christopher Nolan is an amateur, so I’m sure that the size issue won’t come into play.

More to the point, Bane seems to be in his regular costume here. As noted in the Dark Knight Rises teaser trailer, when Bane is hulking toward Batman, he’s showing off a lot more muscle. My guess is that these photos represent Bane when he isn’t on the super-steroid Venom. Presumably, he will inject the steroid (or inhale it), when he really needs to put a hurt on the Caped Crusader.

But wait, that’s not all. I also have another picture from the set of The Dark Knight Rises, and this one definitely confirms an earlier story SPOILER. Seriously, this image (from the SuperHeroHype forums) could spoil a big action scene plot-line in the movie, so if you’re at all sensitive about these things, look away!

Consider yourself warned the following could be considered major Dark Knight Rises spoilers!

Can anyone say Knightfall? As a lot of people know, the Knightfall saga is one of the most critical stories in Batman history. The series begins with the mysterious Bane breaking out every super-criminal from Arkham Asylum. As Batman subsequently tries to recapture them all one-by-one, he breaks down both mentally and physically. By the time he faces off against Bane, Batman is so weak that he’s easily defeated, leading to Bane literally breaking him in half.

If I’m reading these images right, it seems like Nolan and company may be using a similar set-up to introduce Bane in The Dark Knight Rises. If Bane breaks a bunch of criminals free at the beginning of the film, it would send Gotham into a panic and force Batman to come out of hiding (where he’s been since the end of The Dark Knight). Could this scene be the first big action set-piece of the film?

Check out the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twPypRSpj-M&feature=player_embedded 

And now onto the last, and certainly interesting piece of news yet. A reader over at Comic Book Movie snagged a video from The Dark Knight Rises set, which features a sequence of what looks like armed mercenaries escorting “a lady wearing a brown jacket and dark khakis,” out of Gotham City Hall. The mercenary and their lady all climb into…a camouflage tumbler and drive off.

Now, the speculation is that this is a scene of Marion Cotillard’s character, “Miranda Tate,” who we (and a lot of others) have long speculated will be revealed as Ra’s al Ghul’s daughter, Talia -- thereby tying this third and final chapter directly to Batman Begins. While the footage is from a distance, a closer look at some still images of Cotillard in costume confirm it is in fact her emerging from Gotham City Hall and hopping in that tumbler.

Take a look at that piece of fan footage here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rmhalbv6k60&feature=player_embedded 

What do you think? Are Nolan and company going to take a page from the Knightfall saga? If so, is it also possible that Bane will break the Batman’s back?

The Dark Knight Rises hits theaters a little less than a year from now on July 20, 2012.