BY JENNIFER M. CONTINO If this past weekend's taste of Iron Man has left you wanting more, worry not! Marvel announced some of its upcoming features through 2011 and Iron Man II was definitely on the list! Other heroes getting their own features included fellow Avengers Captain America and Thor. Speaking of one of Marvel's first teams, The Avengers should be ready for their close ups by July 2011.
Marvel.com has all the dates and bits of information in their round up. As most comic fans know, Iron Man, or rather his alter ego Tony Stark, is set to make a brief cameo in this summer's The Incredible Hulk film. But here's what we know about the other upcoming films at this point in time.
So far Matthew Vaughn, who produced, directed and adapted Stardust; and was set to direct X-Men: Last Stand until a family problem forced him to bow out, is the only one confirmed as attached to next summer's Thor film. Vaughn is directing while Journeyman's Kevin McKidd is rumored to be Thor's alter ego, Donald Blake.
There aren't many details about Captain America at this point in time either. X-Men: Last Stand and The Incredible Hulk's Zak Penn is working on the screenplay. The Notebook's Nick Cassavetes is rumored to be attached to the project as director. It is unknown if this film will be set in the present or the war torn era when the hero made his debut.
Zak Penn is also attached to The Avengers as writer. One would hope that the actors playing Iron Man, Captain America and Thor would also be the ones featured in that film. It isn't known at this point in time who else will round out The Avengers team or who the Marvel heroes would be facing in their first feature film outing.
At this point in time, Iron Man II should be in theaters April 30, 2010. In July of that year, Thor is supposed to be released. In May or June of 2011, Captain America is supposed to be released. In July of that year, The Avengers make their silver screen debut, if all goes according to Marvel's plan.
But you don't have to wait until next year or beyond to get your next fix of Marvel's comic book superheroes brought to life. Iron Man is in theaters now and doing quite well if its first weekend is any indication. As mentioned in this PULSE review, you'll want to stay until after the credits run to see a fantastic bonus!
The Incredible Hulk is smashing its way into theaters this June. None of the original Hulk primaries return for the sequel. This time Edward Norton, who worked on the screenplay with Zak Penn, is taking on the role of Bruce Banner that Eric Bana brought to life in the first film. Liv Tyler, not Jennifer Connelly, is taking on longtime gal pal and confidant Betty Ross. William Hurt fills Sam Elliot's boots as the hard-nosed military man General Thunderbolt Ross, who wants to use the Hulk as an ultimate weapon. He's not the only thorn in the Hulk's side though. Long time foe, The Abomination a.k.a. Emil Blonsky, brought to life by Tim Roth, will be giving him a run for his money in the destruction department. PULSE readers can see everyone involved with the sequel here.
As most comic fans know, The Punisher sequel, Punisher: War Zone is set to be released this September. Rome's Ray Stevenson is taking over the reigns from Thomas Jane as Frank Castle, The Punisher. His longtime adversary Jigsaw is being portrayed by The Wire's Dominic West. The Punisher: War Zone is directed by A House Divided's Lexi Alexander. On a fun side note, Alexander is an actress and an accomplished master of several martial arts. In 1996, she was featured in the Mortal Kombat Live Tour as Princess Kitana. Matt Holloway, Arthur Marcum, Nick Santora and Kurt Sutter are all listed as writers of the film at its Internet Movie Database listing here.
X-Men Origins: Wolverine is supposed to come out next May. Hugh Jackman, who brought the hero to life in the trio of X-Men films was happy to don the claws again for this solo feature. Wolverine staples Deadpool, Silver Fox, and Sabertooth are also featured in the film; while comic villains The Blob and William Stryker make appearances, as does one of comics most popular mutants, Gambit. Ryan Reynolds, who starred as Hannibal King in Blade: Trinity brings Deadpool to life in, hopefully, all his comedic glory. Love in the Time of Cholera's Liev Schreiber has been tapped to portray Victor Creed a.k.a. Sabertooth. The Lake House's Lynn Collins stars as the love interest Silver Fox. Friday Night Lights' Taylor Kitsch is tackling the role of Gambit and, hopefully, bringing all his Cajun mannerisms to life. A complete cast and crew list is here.
Marvel regularly updates its website with the latest movie and comics news. PULSE readers can learn more about these and other projects by visiting it here: http://www.marvel.com.
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