Pop Culture Flashback
Superhero movie news, Hollywood, Australia, gaming and more...
What an exciting time for superhero themed movie fans. There's also the latest on video games, celeb gossip and news and much more.
Marvel movie plots uncovered; Thor: The Dark World and Iron Man 3!...
Disney and Marvel Studios have released the official synopsis for Thor: The Dark World and for Iron Man 3. And without further ado, here are the details on the upcoming comic book-inspired films:
Thor: The Dark World plot: Marvel's Thor: The Dark World continues the big-screen adventures of Thor, the Mighty Avenger, as he battles to save Earth and all the Nine Realms from a shadowy enemy that predates the universe itself. In the aftermath of Marvel's Thor and Marvel's The Avengers, Thor fights to restore order across the cosmos...but an ancient race led by the vengeful Malekith returns to plunge the universe back into darkness. Faced with an enemy that even Odin and Asgard cannot withstand, Thor must embark on his most perilous and personal journey yet, one that will reunite him with Jane Foster and force him to sacrifice everything to save us all.
Iron Man 3 plot: "Marvel Studios' Iron Man 3 pits brash-but-brilliant industrialist Tony Stark/Iron Man against an enemy whose reach knows no bounds. When Stark finds his personal world destroyed at his enemy's hands, he embarks on a harrowing quest to find those responsible. This journey, at every turn, will test his mettle. With his back against the wall, Stark is left to survive by his own devices, relying on his ingenuity and instincts to protect those closest to him. As he fights his way back, Stark discovers the answer to the question that has secretly haunted him: does the man make the suit or does the suit make the man?"
Iron Man 3 arrives on May 3, 2013 followed by Thor: The Dark World hits theaters on or around November 8, 2013.
‘Iron Man 3’ Spoilers: Plot Synopsis Allegedly Released...
In 2008, “Iron Man” kicked off the new Marvel Cinematic Universe and since then has been breaking box office records in the sequel “Iron Man 2” and the crossover “The Avengers” and the franchise will likely keep the pace in the three-quel “Iron Man 3.” Stitch Kingdom posted what they claim to be the full synopsis from Walt Disney Studios, Marvel Studios, Paramount Pictures and DMG Entertainment; both IGN and Slash Film allege that this is an official plot synopsis.
“Marvel Studios’ Iron Man 3 pits brash-but-brilliant industrialist Tony Stark/Iron Man against an enemy whose reach knows no bounds. When Stark finds his personal world destroyed at his enemy’s hands, he embarks on a harrowing quest to find those responsible,” the official plot synopsis reads, reports Stitch Kingdom. “This journey, at every turn, will test his mettle. With his back against the wall, Stark is left to survive by his own devices, relying on his ingenuity and instincts to protect those closest to him. As he fights his way back, Stark discovers the answer to the question that has secretly haunted him: does the man make the suit or does the suit make the man?”
The film directed by Shane Black and starring a returning Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark/Iron Man is set to be released on May 3 of next year, being followed by “Thor: The Dark World” in Nov. 2013, as well as a second “Captain America” film, and an “Avengers” sequel in the coming years, among other movies.. Stich Kingdom notes that the seventh film of the Marvel Cinematic Universe will be available in Digital 3D and RealD.
Along with Downey Jr. reprising his role as the genius, playboy, philanthropist, the cast includes Guy Pearce as Aldrich Killian, Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts, Paul Bettany as the voice of Jarvis, Ben Kingsley as the main villain, The Mandarin, Jon Favreau as Happy Hogan, Rebecca Hall as Maya Hansen, and Don Cheadle as James Rhodes /War Machine, among other actors listed on IMDB. Director Black and Drew Pearce are adapting the screenplay from comics written by Stan Lee, Don Heck, Larry Lieber and Jack Kirby.
Box Office Mojo reports that the original “Iron Man” film grossed $318.4 million, and “Iron Man 2” took in $312.4 million. Both films’ revenues were dwarfed by May’s epic crossover “The Avengers” which included Iron Man, Thor, Captain America and the Hulk, and earned $623.3 million.
'Justice League' & 'The Avengers 2' coming to the movies in 2015...
Warner Bros. won a major victory this week with its legal battle against Superman cocreator Joel Shuster resulting in the studio announcing plans to move ahead with its 'Justice League' live action movie to be released in the summer of 2015. This is great news for fans and lovers of the league's superheroes. But it also raises the question of a coming superhero battle. It seems, coincidentally (or not), Marvel Studios has already announced a release date of May 1, 2015, for 'The Avengers 2.' And to up the stakes, Marvel also just announced November 6, 2015 as a release date for 'Ant-Man,' So the battle will be on in 2015, Marvel vs. DC as superheroes go up against each other at the box office.
The script for the 'Justice League' movie will be darker than the comic book series and will start production in 2013. A director has not been named and no stars have signed on yet, but news should be coming soon on who has been cast.
Warner Bros. next franchise, after Christopher Nolan's highly successful Batman 'Dark Knight Trilogy', will be the new Superman 'Man of Steel' movie coming out next summer (June 14, 2013). It looks like Warner Bros. will also be releasing superhero spin-off movies in the future that could include characters like Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Aquaman, Cyborg, The Flash and Green Lantern, just to name a few.
New York Comic-Con gaming newsflash...
At the Games Panel at NYCC, Marvel Entertainment announced new characters and content for the mobile brawler Avengers Initiative and the hit Facebook game Marvel: Avengers Alliance.
MARVEL unveils NEW CHARACTERS AND GAMEPLAY FOR HIT MOBILE AND FACEBOOK GAMES
· Ghost Rider’s Spec Op 4 Chapter Coming to Marvel: Avengers Alliance
· Captain America Announced as Next Playable Character for Mobile Brawler Avengers Initiative
· Connected Marvel XP Promotion Awards Players Across Titles
During the Marvel Video Games Panel, Marvel revealed several new characters and gameplay additions for its hit mobile and social games. The announcements include:
Avengers Initiative (Mobile Game): Captain America will be the next playable Super Hero in the hit mobile brawler game Avengers Initiative. Fans will be able to play through the game using the First Avenger’s abilities and alternate costumes. Captain America was announced with a brand new trailer available here: http://bit.ly/Rm6Dqg
Marvel: Avengers Alliance (Social Game): In the spirit of Halloween Marvel also revealed a brand new Spec Ops mission for the hit Facebook game, Marvel: Avengers Alliance, featuring the flame-skulled Ghost Rider. The Spirit of Vengeance is the ultimate reward for players who complete Spec Op 4 by defeating Baron Mordo, Satana and Mephisto. Six brand new Super Heroes were also announced that will be coming out over the coming months, including Cable, Vision, Black Knight, Captain Britain, Union Jack and Psylocke.
Marvel XP: Marvel: Avengers Alliance and Avengers Initiative will be the first Marvel gamesto be interconnected through the MarvelXP platform, where for the first time in Marvel games, players can connect their play experiences across games and platforms. Through the Marvel XP platform, players who beat Hulkbuster Iron Man in Avengers Initiative will unlock the Iron Man Mark V armor for free in Marvel: Avengers Alliance. Players will need to sign-up to Marvel XP for alerts on when this promotion will go live.
For up-to-the-minute news and updates about Avengers Initiative, players can visit the Official Marvel XP Fanpage at http://www.facebook.com/MarvelXP.
Join the millions of social gamers and Marvel fans who have already joined S.H.I.E.L.D by playing Marvel: Avengers Alliance at: http://www.facebook.com/avengersalliance.
The game is one of the top rated games in Facebook’s App Center. Fans can also play Marvel: Avengers Alliance at www.playdom.com.
About Marvel Entertainment
Marvel Entertainment, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is one of the world’s most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of over 8,000 characters featured in a variety of media over seventy years. Marvel utilizes its character franchises in entertainment, licensing and publishing.
Justice League set for 2015 release...
'Justice League' is to go head-to-head with the 'Avengers Assemble' sequel after the DC Comics movie was given a prospective release date of summer 2015.
The DC Comics movie - which will star superhero characters Superman, Wonder Woman and Batman - is due to start filming next year ahead of its prospective release in three years, which is when Marvel is planning to put out a follow up to this year's 'Avengers Assemble'.
Warner Bros. won the rights to use Superman in the motion picture earlier this week and the studio already has 'Gangster Squad' scribe Will Beall working on a script for 'Justice League', but the film still requires a director and a cast to fill the lead roles.
Jeff Robinov, President of Warner Bros. Pictures, has already reportedly tried to persuade Christopher Nolan to produce 'Justice League', but the helmer - who is producing Superman movie 'Man of Steel' next year - wasn't convinced enough to sign up for the role.
While there is yet to be anyone officially cast in the DC Comics movie, Armie Hammer looks to be favourite to land the role of Batman, which comes after the 'The Lone Ranger' star was initially down to play the caped crusader in an earlier edition of the project before it fell apart.
The 'Avengers Assemble' sequel looks set to see a number of stars reprise their superhero roles with Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man), Jeremy Renner (Hawkeye) and Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow) all linked to the project.
Stan Lee Media sues Disney for billions over Marvel rights...
Stan Lee Media, a company that says it controls the rights to Marvel characters including Spider Man and Iron Man, has filed suit in U.S. District Court in Colorado against the Walt Disney Co seeking "billions of dollars of profits."
Stan Lee, no longer associated with the company, created many of Marvel's stable of comic book characters. The company claims Lee assigned it his rights to those characters in 1998 but then agreed a month later to assign the same rights to Marvel Enterprises.
Disney acquired Marvel Enterprises, which had been renamed Marvel Entertainment, in 2009 for $4.3 billion.
"The Walt Disney Company has represented to the public that it, in fact, owns the copyright to these characters as well as hundreds of other characters created by Stan Lee," the suit alleges. "Those representations made to the public by the Walt Disney Company are false."
The lawsuit focuses on successful movies based on Marvel characters that Disney has released since its Marvel acquisition. Those films include "The Avengers," which has grossed more than $1.5 billion in worldwide sales and is second only to "Avatar" and "Titanic," according to movie site Box Office Mojo.
"This lawsuit is without merit," Walt Disney said in a statement. "It arises out of the same core facts and legal claims that have been rejected by three federal district court judges."
Stan Lee Media, which said it was created in 1999 to "sue to recover damages to its assets," has been involved in what it called a "somewhat tortured history" of litigation dating from 2001 over corporate governance issues and the characters rights in cases filed in Colorado, New York and California.
They include suits between the company, its shareholders and Lee.
The latest suit claims that Stan Lee Media owns the rights "to the billions of dollars that Disney has generated, or allowed others to generate". It cites more than $3.5 billion from motion pictures, and what it calculates is more than $2 billion from "other media," merchandising and the Broadway show "Spiderman: Turn off the Dark."
According to the Hollywood Reporter, the lawsuit states that “SLMI is entitled to proceed with this copyright infringement lawsuit against Disney, based upon Disney's independently actionable conduct which occurred after April 2009, regardless of the outcome of SLMI's appeal to the 9th Circuit in the 2007 Case."
Joss Whedon: 'The Avengers isn't a perfect movie'...
Joss Whedon has claimed that The Avengers isn't "a great movie".
The film has met with critical acclaim and outstanding commercial success, becoming the third highest-grossing film of all time in just a few months, but Whedon, the superhero blockbuster's writer and director, is determined to keep his feet on the ground.
In an interview with Vulture, the 48-year-old claimed that the box office numbers became, ultimately, "meaningless".
He said: "They're large, and you can't really count that high."
Describing what his goals were with The Avengers, he claimed: "I felt like I had a particular mission in making what I felt was a slightly old-fashioned movie, because I grew up wanting to make summer movies and wanting to make superhero movies, and I got to do both at once.
"I felt like summer movies haven't been what I remember them to be, so I felt like I would love to evoke something that's less hip and ironic and more heartfelt and character-driven, and apparently, other people cared about that in a large way."
The Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Firefly creator then conceded: "I don't think it's a perfect movie. I don't even think it's a great movie. I think it's a great time, and I'm proud of it, but for me, what was exciting is that people don't go to see a movie that many times unless it's pulling on something from within, unless there's a need there. That's very gratifying."
Whedon will oversee a Marvel-produced SHIELD television show for ABC, before starting work on the Avengers sequel, due for a summer 2015 release.
The Avengers Crosses $1.5 Billion At Worldwide Box Office...
While the re-release of The Avengers at the U.S. box office might have failed to break into the top ten Labor Day weekend movies, it did help The Avengers reach another major milestone. The Avengers has become the third movie in history to cross the $1.5 billion mark at the worldwide box office.
While retaining its number three position on the worldwide box office list, The Avengers took in another estimated $1.7 million over Labor Day weekend, which brought The Avengers U.S. box office total to $619.5 million and The Avengers worldwide box office total to $1.501 billion.
Interestingly enough, The Dark Knight Rises also reached a milestone recently, surpassing $1 billion at the worldwide box office, which means that combined The Avengers and The Dark Knight Rises have accounted for $2.5 billion at the worldwide box office this year. If you add in The Amazing Spider-Man, which currently sits at number four on the 2012 worldwide box office list with $734.9 million, then the total rises to $3.2 billion. It’s definitely a good time to be in the superhero movie making business.
New Trailer For Marvel Heroes...
Gazillion Entertainment is proud to show off a new trailer for Marvel Heroes. The new trailer announces 3 new playable heroes in the game – Daredevil, Punisher, and Squirrel Girl. The trailer made its debut at the Marvel Heroes panel at PAX 2012. The panel featured Gazillion President David Brevik (one of the creators of Diablo!), legendary Marvel writer Brian Michael Bendis (Ultimate Spider-Man! Avengers vs. X-Men! And) and Marvel’s mighty VP of Games Production TQ Jefferson. If you look closely, you’ll also see a bunch of villains were also revealed in the trailer, including Mr. Fisk the notorious crime lord.
Website:
http://www.youtube.com/marvelheroesonline
About Marvel Heroes...
Marvel Heroes is a FREE-TO-PLAY action-packed massively multiplayer online game created by David Brevik, the visionary behind Diablo and Diablo 2. Set in the iconic Marvel Universe, Marvel Heroes combines the core game-play style of Diablo and MMOs with the expansive library of heroes from the Marvel Universe. In the game, players can collect and play as their favorite Marvel Superheroes (including Iron Man, Thor, Wolverine, Hulk, Spider Man, Captain America and many others). Team up with friends and try to stop Doctor Doom from devastating the world with the power of the Cosmic Cube in a story crafted by comic-book super-scribe Brian Michael Bendis.
CM Punk writes introduction to Marvel Comics' 'Avengers vs. X-Men'
As evidenced by his historic “pipe bomb” and succeeding WWE Championship reign, CM Punk is a revolutionary and controversial figure in WWE's history. As such, it’s only fitting that mighty Marvel Comics sought out The Second City Saint when it came time to write an introduction for the publisher’s historic and controversial universe-spanning event, “Avengers vs. X-Men.”
The book, which will be released in a special hardcover edition that collects all 12 issues of the record-breaking sales juggernaut series, set the comics world on fire in 2011 and into 2012, as it pit Marvel’s two premiere super hero teams against each other. For comics fans, the thought of seeing X-Men leader Cyclops and his band of usually merry mutants take a very firm stand against the likes of Captain America, Spider-Man and Thor presents a dream matchup akin to seeing, say, CM Punk square off against WWE Hall of Famer “Stone Cold” Steve Austin.
Axel Alonso, editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics, took time out of his insane schedule at the recently concluded New York Comic Con to talk about the upcoming release and reigning WWE Champion's involvement in the project. For his part, Punk, a noted comic book fan, certainly brought his A-game to the intro. “It’s funny, he provides great context, and he understands the heart of what we were doing and I couldn’t be happier,” Alonso said. “If I had to describe my writing style,” The Second City Saint told USA Today in a recent interview, “it's very sarcastic and self-deprecating.” About the series itself, Marvel’s head honcho stated, simply, “Avengers vs. X-Men” (or, as it’s become known online and in comic shops, “AvX”), is "the biggest event Marvel’s done in a decade.”
“It’s a fight that transforms the Marvel Universe,” Alonso explained. “There was a winner and loser, and it was as big an event as you could possibly imagine.”
“AvX” is a unique event for a number of different reasons. As Alonso told WWE.com, “AvX” marks “the first time [Marvel] did a universe-spanning event that was equally important to both the Avengers and the X-Men.”
It was a story so grandiose, in fact, that it took a group of creators to see the vision through to fruition. Written by five of the top writers in the industry — Brian Michael Bendis, Jason Aaron, Matt Fraction, Jonathan Hickman and Ed Brubaker — and with art by comic book luminaries John Romita Jr., Olivier Coipel and Adam Kubert, “AvX” is unlike anything the comics landscape has witnessed in a long time.
“Because we knew we were doing a story that was so big,” Alonso said, “It just felt like it needed to be powered by more than one brain. Our motto was, ‘five fingers make a fist.’ ” Broken down into three distinct acts, each issue of “AvX” was handed off to the writer/artist team best suited for the events of that particular issue. The results speak for themselves, as the series was both a commercial and critical success.
In addition to presenting the entire story in one massive hardcover book for the first time, the upcoming “Avengers vs. X-Men” collection will have an assortment of special features, including behind-the-scenes peeks, AR applications and previously digital-only Infinite Comics supplemental material.
“Topping it all off,” Alonso added, “What is a good collection without a great introduction?”
The editor-in-chief continued, “CM Punk wrote the introduction — it’s fantastic, it’s pitch-perfect, because who understands two teams getting into the ring and going at one another for all the stakes more than CM Punk?”
“I worked really hard to get to where I'm at and it's cool to be afforded opportunities like this,” Punk told USA Today. “To me, it's hard work paying off and I'm having a lot of fun right now.” (Credit: WWE) http://www.wwe.com/inside/overtheropes/cm-punk-writes-introduction-to-marvel-comics-avengers-vs-x-men-26059962
What an exciting time for superhero themed movie fans. There's also the latest on video games, celeb gossip and news and much more.
Marvel movie plots uncovered; Thor: The Dark World and Iron Man 3!...
Disney and Marvel Studios have released the official synopsis for Thor: The Dark World and for Iron Man 3. And without further ado, here are the details on the upcoming comic book-inspired films:
Thor: The Dark World plot: Marvel's Thor: The Dark World continues the big-screen adventures of Thor, the Mighty Avenger, as he battles to save Earth and all the Nine Realms from a shadowy enemy that predates the universe itself. In the aftermath of Marvel's Thor and Marvel's The Avengers, Thor fights to restore order across the cosmos...but an ancient race led by the vengeful Malekith returns to plunge the universe back into darkness. Faced with an enemy that even Odin and Asgard cannot withstand, Thor must embark on his most perilous and personal journey yet, one that will reunite him with Jane Foster and force him to sacrifice everything to save us all.
Iron Man 3 plot: "Marvel Studios' Iron Man 3 pits brash-but-brilliant industrialist Tony Stark/Iron Man against an enemy whose reach knows no bounds. When Stark finds his personal world destroyed at his enemy's hands, he embarks on a harrowing quest to find those responsible. This journey, at every turn, will test his mettle. With his back against the wall, Stark is left to survive by his own devices, relying on his ingenuity and instincts to protect those closest to him. As he fights his way back, Stark discovers the answer to the question that has secretly haunted him: does the man make the suit or does the suit make the man?"
Iron Man 3 arrives on May 3, 2013 followed by Thor: The Dark World hits theaters on or around November 8, 2013.
‘Iron Man 3’ Spoilers: Plot Synopsis Allegedly Released...
In 2008, “Iron Man” kicked off the new Marvel Cinematic Universe and since then has been breaking box office records in the sequel “Iron Man 2” and the crossover “The Avengers” and the franchise will likely keep the pace in the three-quel “Iron Man 3.” Stitch Kingdom posted what they claim to be the full synopsis from Walt Disney Studios, Marvel Studios, Paramount Pictures and DMG Entertainment; both IGN and Slash Film allege that this is an official plot synopsis.
“Marvel Studios’ Iron Man 3 pits brash-but-brilliant industrialist Tony Stark/Iron Man against an enemy whose reach knows no bounds. When Stark finds his personal world destroyed at his enemy’s hands, he embarks on a harrowing quest to find those responsible,” the official plot synopsis reads, reports Stitch Kingdom. “This journey, at every turn, will test his mettle. With his back against the wall, Stark is left to survive by his own devices, relying on his ingenuity and instincts to protect those closest to him. As he fights his way back, Stark discovers the answer to the question that has secretly haunted him: does the man make the suit or does the suit make the man?”
The film directed by Shane Black and starring a returning Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark/Iron Man is set to be released on May 3 of next year, being followed by “Thor: The Dark World” in Nov. 2013, as well as a second “Captain America” film, and an “Avengers” sequel in the coming years, among other movies.. Stich Kingdom notes that the seventh film of the Marvel Cinematic Universe will be available in Digital 3D and RealD.
Along with Downey Jr. reprising his role as the genius, playboy, philanthropist, the cast includes Guy Pearce as Aldrich Killian, Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts, Paul Bettany as the voice of Jarvis, Ben Kingsley as the main villain, The Mandarin, Jon Favreau as Happy Hogan, Rebecca Hall as Maya Hansen, and Don Cheadle as James Rhodes /War Machine, among other actors listed on IMDB. Director Black and Drew Pearce are adapting the screenplay from comics written by Stan Lee, Don Heck, Larry Lieber and Jack Kirby.
Box Office Mojo reports that the original “Iron Man” film grossed $318.4 million, and “Iron Man 2” took in $312.4 million. Both films’ revenues were dwarfed by May’s epic crossover “The Avengers” which included Iron Man, Thor, Captain America and the Hulk, and earned $623.3 million.
'Justice League' & 'The Avengers 2' coming to the movies in 2015...
Warner Bros. won a major victory this week with its legal battle against Superman cocreator Joel Shuster resulting in the studio announcing plans to move ahead with its 'Justice League' live action movie to be released in the summer of 2015. This is great news for fans and lovers of the league's superheroes. But it also raises the question of a coming superhero battle. It seems, coincidentally (or not), Marvel Studios has already announced a release date of May 1, 2015, for 'The Avengers 2.' And to up the stakes, Marvel also just announced November 6, 2015 as a release date for 'Ant-Man,' So the battle will be on in 2015, Marvel vs. DC as superheroes go up against each other at the box office.
The script for the 'Justice League' movie will be darker than the comic book series and will start production in 2013. A director has not been named and no stars have signed on yet, but news should be coming soon on who has been cast.
Warner Bros. next franchise, after Christopher Nolan's highly successful Batman 'Dark Knight Trilogy', will be the new Superman 'Man of Steel' movie coming out next summer (June 14, 2013). It looks like Warner Bros. will also be releasing superhero spin-off movies in the future that could include characters like Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Aquaman, Cyborg, The Flash and Green Lantern, just to name a few.
New York Comic-Con gaming newsflash...
At the Games Panel at NYCC, Marvel Entertainment announced new characters and content for the mobile brawler Avengers Initiative and the hit Facebook game Marvel: Avengers Alliance.
MARVEL unveils NEW CHARACTERS AND GAMEPLAY FOR HIT MOBILE AND FACEBOOK GAMES
· Ghost Rider’s Spec Op 4 Chapter Coming to Marvel: Avengers Alliance
· Captain America Announced as Next Playable Character for Mobile Brawler Avengers Initiative
· Connected Marvel XP Promotion Awards Players Across Titles
During the Marvel Video Games Panel, Marvel revealed several new characters and gameplay additions for its hit mobile and social games. The announcements include:
Avengers Initiative (Mobile Game): Captain America will be the next playable Super Hero in the hit mobile brawler game Avengers Initiative. Fans will be able to play through the game using the First Avenger’s abilities and alternate costumes. Captain America was announced with a brand new trailer available here: http://bit.ly/Rm6Dqg
Marvel: Avengers Alliance (Social Game): In the spirit of Halloween Marvel also revealed a brand new Spec Ops mission for the hit Facebook game, Marvel: Avengers Alliance, featuring the flame-skulled Ghost Rider. The Spirit of Vengeance is the ultimate reward for players who complete Spec Op 4 by defeating Baron Mordo, Satana and Mephisto. Six brand new Super Heroes were also announced that will be coming out over the coming months, including Cable, Vision, Black Knight, Captain Britain, Union Jack and Psylocke.
Marvel XP: Marvel: Avengers Alliance and Avengers Initiative will be the first Marvel gamesto be interconnected through the MarvelXP platform, where for the first time in Marvel games, players can connect their play experiences across games and platforms. Through the Marvel XP platform, players who beat Hulkbuster Iron Man in Avengers Initiative will unlock the Iron Man Mark V armor for free in Marvel: Avengers Alliance. Players will need to sign-up to Marvel XP for alerts on when this promotion will go live.
For up-to-the-minute news and updates about Avengers Initiative, players can visit the Official Marvel XP Fanpage at http://www.facebook.com/MarvelXP.
Join the millions of social gamers and Marvel fans who have already joined S.H.I.E.L.D by playing Marvel: Avengers Alliance at: http://www.facebook.com/avengersalliance.
The game is one of the top rated games in Facebook’s App Center. Fans can also play Marvel: Avengers Alliance at www.playdom.com.
About Marvel Entertainment
Marvel Entertainment, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is one of the world’s most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of over 8,000 characters featured in a variety of media over seventy years. Marvel utilizes its character franchises in entertainment, licensing and publishing.
Justice League set for 2015 release...
'Justice League' is to go head-to-head with the 'Avengers Assemble' sequel after the DC Comics movie was given a prospective release date of summer 2015.
The DC Comics movie - which will star superhero characters Superman, Wonder Woman and Batman - is due to start filming next year ahead of its prospective release in three years, which is when Marvel is planning to put out a follow up to this year's 'Avengers Assemble'.
Warner Bros. won the rights to use Superman in the motion picture earlier this week and the studio already has 'Gangster Squad' scribe Will Beall working on a script for 'Justice League', but the film still requires a director and a cast to fill the lead roles.
Jeff Robinov, President of Warner Bros. Pictures, has already reportedly tried to persuade Christopher Nolan to produce 'Justice League', but the helmer - who is producing Superman movie 'Man of Steel' next year - wasn't convinced enough to sign up for the role.
While there is yet to be anyone officially cast in the DC Comics movie, Armie Hammer looks to be favourite to land the role of Batman, which comes after the 'The Lone Ranger' star was initially down to play the caped crusader in an earlier edition of the project before it fell apart.
The 'Avengers Assemble' sequel looks set to see a number of stars reprise their superhero roles with Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man), Jeremy Renner (Hawkeye) and Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow) all linked to the project.
Stan Lee Media sues Disney for billions over Marvel rights...
Stan Lee Media, a company that says it controls the rights to Marvel characters including Spider Man and Iron Man, has filed suit in U.S. District Court in Colorado against the Walt Disney Co seeking "billions of dollars of profits."
Stan Lee, no longer associated with the company, created many of Marvel's stable of comic book characters. The company claims Lee assigned it his rights to those characters in 1998 but then agreed a month later to assign the same rights to Marvel Enterprises.
Disney acquired Marvel Enterprises, which had been renamed Marvel Entertainment, in 2009 for $4.3 billion.
"The Walt Disney Company has represented to the public that it, in fact, owns the copyright to these characters as well as hundreds of other characters created by Stan Lee," the suit alleges. "Those representations made to the public by the Walt Disney Company are false."
The lawsuit focuses on successful movies based on Marvel characters that Disney has released since its Marvel acquisition. Those films include "The Avengers," which has grossed more than $1.5 billion in worldwide sales and is second only to "Avatar" and "Titanic," according to movie site Box Office Mojo.
"This lawsuit is without merit," Walt Disney said in a statement. "It arises out of the same core facts and legal claims that have been rejected by three federal district court judges."
Stan Lee Media, which said it was created in 1999 to "sue to recover damages to its assets," has been involved in what it called a "somewhat tortured history" of litigation dating from 2001 over corporate governance issues and the characters rights in cases filed in Colorado, New York and California.
They include suits between the company, its shareholders and Lee.
The latest suit claims that Stan Lee Media owns the rights "to the billions of dollars that Disney has generated, or allowed others to generate". It cites more than $3.5 billion from motion pictures, and what it calculates is more than $2 billion from "other media," merchandising and the Broadway show "Spiderman: Turn off the Dark."
According to the Hollywood Reporter, the lawsuit states that “SLMI is entitled to proceed with this copyright infringement lawsuit against Disney, based upon Disney's independently actionable conduct which occurred after April 2009, regardless of the outcome of SLMI's appeal to the 9th Circuit in the 2007 Case."
Joss Whedon: 'The Avengers isn't a perfect movie'...
Joss Whedon has claimed that The Avengers isn't "a great movie".
The film has met with critical acclaim and outstanding commercial success, becoming the third highest-grossing film of all time in just a few months, but Whedon, the superhero blockbuster's writer and director, is determined to keep his feet on the ground.
In an interview with Vulture, the 48-year-old claimed that the box office numbers became, ultimately, "meaningless".
He said: "They're large, and you can't really count that high."
Describing what his goals were with The Avengers, he claimed: "I felt like I had a particular mission in making what I felt was a slightly old-fashioned movie, because I grew up wanting to make summer movies and wanting to make superhero movies, and I got to do both at once.
"I felt like summer movies haven't been what I remember them to be, so I felt like I would love to evoke something that's less hip and ironic and more heartfelt and character-driven, and apparently, other people cared about that in a large way."
The Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Firefly creator then conceded: "I don't think it's a perfect movie. I don't even think it's a great movie. I think it's a great time, and I'm proud of it, but for me, what was exciting is that people don't go to see a movie that many times unless it's pulling on something from within, unless there's a need there. That's very gratifying."
Whedon will oversee a Marvel-produced SHIELD television show for ABC, before starting work on the Avengers sequel, due for a summer 2015 release.
The Avengers Crosses $1.5 Billion At Worldwide Box Office...
While the re-release of The Avengers at the U.S. box office might have failed to break into the top ten Labor Day weekend movies, it did help The Avengers reach another major milestone. The Avengers has become the third movie in history to cross the $1.5 billion mark at the worldwide box office.
While retaining its number three position on the worldwide box office list, The Avengers took in another estimated $1.7 million over Labor Day weekend, which brought The Avengers U.S. box office total to $619.5 million and The Avengers worldwide box office total to $1.501 billion.
Interestingly enough, The Dark Knight Rises also reached a milestone recently, surpassing $1 billion at the worldwide box office, which means that combined The Avengers and The Dark Knight Rises have accounted for $2.5 billion at the worldwide box office this year. If you add in The Amazing Spider-Man, which currently sits at number four on the 2012 worldwide box office list with $734.9 million, then the total rises to $3.2 billion. It’s definitely a good time to be in the superhero movie making business.
New Trailer For Marvel Heroes...
Gazillion Entertainment is proud to show off a new trailer for Marvel Heroes. The new trailer announces 3 new playable heroes in the game – Daredevil, Punisher, and Squirrel Girl. The trailer made its debut at the Marvel Heroes panel at PAX 2012. The panel featured Gazillion President David Brevik (one of the creators of Diablo!), legendary Marvel writer Brian Michael Bendis (Ultimate Spider-Man! Avengers vs. X-Men! And) and Marvel’s mighty VP of Games Production TQ Jefferson. If you look closely, you’ll also see a bunch of villains were also revealed in the trailer, including Mr. Fisk the notorious crime lord.
Website:
http://www.youtube.com/marvelheroesonline
About Marvel Heroes...
Marvel Heroes is a FREE-TO-PLAY action-packed massively multiplayer online game created by David Brevik, the visionary behind Diablo and Diablo 2. Set in the iconic Marvel Universe, Marvel Heroes combines the core game-play style of Diablo and MMOs with the expansive library of heroes from the Marvel Universe. In the game, players can collect and play as their favorite Marvel Superheroes (including Iron Man, Thor, Wolverine, Hulk, Spider Man, Captain America and many others). Team up with friends and try to stop Doctor Doom from devastating the world with the power of the Cosmic Cube in a story crafted by comic-book super-scribe Brian Michael Bendis.
CM Punk writes introduction to Marvel Comics' 'Avengers vs. X-Men'
As evidenced by his historic “pipe bomb” and succeeding WWE Championship reign, CM Punk is a revolutionary and controversial figure in WWE's history. As such, it’s only fitting that mighty Marvel Comics sought out The Second City Saint when it came time to write an introduction for the publisher’s historic and controversial universe-spanning event, “Avengers vs. X-Men.”
The book, which will be released in a special hardcover edition that collects all 12 issues of the record-breaking sales juggernaut series, set the comics world on fire in 2011 and into 2012, as it pit Marvel’s two premiere super hero teams against each other. For comics fans, the thought of seeing X-Men leader Cyclops and his band of usually merry mutants take a very firm stand against the likes of Captain America, Spider-Man and Thor presents a dream matchup akin to seeing, say, CM Punk square off against WWE Hall of Famer “Stone Cold” Steve Austin.
Axel Alonso, editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics, took time out of his insane schedule at the recently concluded New York Comic Con to talk about the upcoming release and reigning WWE Champion's involvement in the project. For his part, Punk, a noted comic book fan, certainly brought his A-game to the intro. “It’s funny, he provides great context, and he understands the heart of what we were doing and I couldn’t be happier,” Alonso said. “If I had to describe my writing style,” The Second City Saint told USA Today in a recent interview, “it's very sarcastic and self-deprecating.” About the series itself, Marvel’s head honcho stated, simply, “Avengers vs. X-Men” (or, as it’s become known online and in comic shops, “AvX”), is "the biggest event Marvel’s done in a decade.”
“It’s a fight that transforms the Marvel Universe,” Alonso explained. “There was a winner and loser, and it was as big an event as you could possibly imagine.”
“AvX” is a unique event for a number of different reasons. As Alonso told WWE.com, “AvX” marks “the first time [Marvel] did a universe-spanning event that was equally important to both the Avengers and the X-Men.”
It was a story so grandiose, in fact, that it took a group of creators to see the vision through to fruition. Written by five of the top writers in the industry — Brian Michael Bendis, Jason Aaron, Matt Fraction, Jonathan Hickman and Ed Brubaker — and with art by comic book luminaries John Romita Jr., Olivier Coipel and Adam Kubert, “AvX” is unlike anything the comics landscape has witnessed in a long time.
“Because we knew we were doing a story that was so big,” Alonso said, “It just felt like it needed to be powered by more than one brain. Our motto was, ‘five fingers make a fist.’ ” Broken down into three distinct acts, each issue of “AvX” was handed off to the writer/artist team best suited for the events of that particular issue. The results speak for themselves, as the series was both a commercial and critical success.
In addition to presenting the entire story in one massive hardcover book for the first time, the upcoming “Avengers vs. X-Men” collection will have an assortment of special features, including behind-the-scenes peeks, AR applications and previously digital-only Infinite Comics supplemental material.
“Topping it all off,” Alonso added, “What is a good collection without a great introduction?”
The editor-in-chief continued, “CM Punk wrote the introduction — it’s fantastic, it’s pitch-perfect, because who understands two teams getting into the ring and going at one another for all the stakes more than CM Punk?”
“I worked really hard to get to where I'm at and it's cool to be afforded opportunities like this,” Punk told USA Today. “To me, it's hard work paying off and I'm having a lot of fun right now.” (Credit: WWE) http://www.wwe.com/inside/overtheropes/cm-punk-writes-introduction-to-marvel-comics-avengers-vs-x-men-26059962
