Ant hardly wait

From comingsoon.net:

Rumored for the role since earlier this year, Paul Rudd is Marvel Studios' choice to headline Ant-Man! The Wrap reports that the Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues star will play Hank Pym in the July 31, 2015 release.

Set to begin production early next year in Georgia, Ant-Man will be directed by Edgar Wright, who co-wrote the script with Joe Cornish (Attack the Block).

Although there's no assurance yet that it remains the case, Wright's original plans for the film called for both Pym and the later Ant-Man of the comics, Scott Lang, to appear in the feature.

"The idea that we have for the adaptation is to actually involve both... Henry Pym and Scott Lang," Wright told SuperHeroHype some years ago. "So you actually do a prologue where you see Pym as Ant-Man in action in the 60's, in sort of 'Tales to Astonish' mode basically, and then the contemporary, sort of flash-forward, is Scott Lang's story, and how he comes to acquire the suit, how he crosses paths with Henry Pym, and then, in an interesting sort of Machiavellian way, teams up with him."

The film, which is supposed to launch "Phase Three" of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, will follow Avengers: Age of Ultron's May 1, 2015 release.

Preparing for War

It appears that the cast for The Avengers sequel is set to get even bigger.

Seems like The Avengers will have to make room for one more in their upcoming film as it appears Don Cheadle could be reprising his role of Colonel James Rhodes, AKA War Machine, in Avengers: Age of Ultron. Originally mentioned in passing at USA Today, Bleeding Cool reported the story as a rumor followed by a "confirmation" from HitFix on the actor's return for the film.

In addition, Bleeding Cool reports that British actor Simon McBurney is in line for a role in the film that they are hearing will be the "new Jarvis," which isn't a replacement computer but the actual butler named Jarvis.

This all remains unconfirmed by Marvel Studios, but check back here for official confirmation on the matter as we learn it.

Avengers: Age of Ultron will bring the Marvel Universe's biggest heroes together again to face one of their biggest villains, with Marvel's The Avengers director Joss Whedon returning to write and direct the sequel. The film is set to open May 1, 2015.

Superman's new Gal pal

From EW.com:

After decades of waiting in the wings while the boys had all the fun — a frustrating exile best epitomized by a failed television pilot — Wonder Woman is finally set to return in the biggest way imaginable. Gal Gadot, the Israeli model and actress who appeared as Gisele Harrabo in the Fast and Furious franchise, will star as the iconic Amazon in Batman Vs. Superman.

“Wonder Woman is arguably one of the most powerful female characters of all time and a fan favorite in the DC Universe,” said director Zack Snyder, in a statement. “Not only is Gal an amazing actress, but she also has that magical quality that makes her perfect for the role. We look forward to audiences discovering Gal in the first feature film incarnation of this beloved character.”

Gadot, 28, competed in the 2004 Miss Universe pageant as Miss Israel before becoming a professional model/actress. What better qualifies her to play a superhero, though, might be the two years she spent in the Israeli army.

Bad robot

We've got some cool Avengers 2 casting news today, courtesy of EW.com:

Avengers: Age of Ultron has its psycho robot.

James Spader has signed on to play the villain in writer-director Joss Whedon’s upcoming superhero sequel, Marvel announced today.

The film is set to open May 1, 2015.

Marvel’s announcement didn’t specify whether the three-time Emmy winner Spader (Boston Legal, The Practice) will perform motion-capture to play the mechanical being (as Mark Ruffalo does for his scenes as The Hulk), or simply provide the character’s voice.

Smart money says Spader’s commitment won’t be too intense. He’s starring in the NBC series The Blacklist this Fall, as an ex-government fugitive now helping the FBI track down the world’s most wanted criminals. That probably won’t give him a lot of time to go galavanting in a robot suit.

Whedon recently told EW’s James Hibberd about his plans for the character, an artificial intelligence with a heavy-duty god-complex, overwhelmed with rage toward his creators and longing to overtake the planet with his own spawn.

Think of him as a droid with one hell of a set of daddy issues. “As a character I love [Ultron],” Whedon says, “because he’s so pissed off.”

“I knew right away what I wanted to do with him,” Whedon added. “He’s always trying to destroy the Avengers, goddamn it, he’s got a bee in his bonnet. He’s not a happy guy, which means he’s an interesting guy. He’s got pain. And the way that manifests is not going to be standard robot stuff. So we’ll take away some of those powers because at some point everybody becomes magic, and I already have someone [a new character, Scarlet Witch] who’s a witch.”

In Marvel comics lore, Ultron is the creation of scientist Hank Pym, a.k.a. Ant-Man, a hero who has a suit that allows him to shrink to tiny proportions and a transmitter that can manipulate insects to do his bidding. Pym is a genius R&D guy, and Ultron is one of his greatest creations. But since the machine is designed to be self-aware and self-teaching, it quickly develops a narcissistic quirk in its programing that sends it off the rails into murder and mayhem.

Ultron begins rebuilding himself into more and more powerful iterations and seeks to create artificial life on his own in a twisted desire to become a parent — especially important since he feels betrayed by his own builder, Pym, when he doesn’t support his programming’s new murderous bent.

But Ant-Man, a film being co-written and directed by The World’s End filmmaker Edgar Wright, won’t be out until after the Avengers sequel. So there is a question about whether Ultron’s origin story will be changed, or if Pym will show up a little early. (Whedon has told Annalee Newitz of io9.com that he won’t.)

In footage shown at Comic-Con in July to announce the title and reveal Ultron as the new villain, it begins with a close-up of what appears to be Iron Man’s mask. We hear various lines from the assorted Avengers that were spoken in previous Marvel movies. As they bicker, the Iron Man helmet revolves and is pulverized by an unseen force.

At the end, we see the title reveal — and Iron Man’s mask has become Ultron’s grinning, fang-like metallic skull.

That has led to a lot of speculation that Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark, no slouch in the Research & Development field for new technology, may be rewritten as the creator of Ultron, whose mission is to eradicate organic life from Earth and replace it with his own mechanical offspring.

Right now, we can only guess. But one thing is for certain — this pairing of ’80s Brat Packers Downey Jr. and Spader is the most unlikely Less Than Zero reunion anyone could have imagined.

Maybe Ultron just wants Stark to give him his 50K?

UPDATE: Even Whedon has gotten in on the action, tweeting this out to his followers…

All these old Spader & Spader/Downey references and NO LOVE FOR “TUFF TURF”?!?!?! Step up your game, people! #madthrilledbtw

Forging a new Bond

Big news regarding the next installment in the James Bond franchise...

From comingsoon.net:

Producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, EON Productions; Gary Barber, Chairman & CEO, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer; Michael Lynton, CEO, Sony Entertainment, Inc, and Amy Pascal, Co-Chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment today announced that Daniel Craig will once again return as the legendary British secret agent in the 24th James Bond film and Sam Mendes will also return to direct the screenplay written by John Logan. The film is set for release in UK theaters on October 23, 2015 and in US theaters on November 6, 2015 (currently the same date as Ant-Man and Peanuts).

Skyfall, the 23rd James Bond film, took in $1.1 billion worldwide and set a new mark as the highest-grossing film of all time in the UK; it was the best-selling Bond film on DVD/Blu-ray and was the most critically acclaimed film in the history of the longest-running film franchise.

Commenting on the announcement, Wilson and Broccoli said, "Following the extraordinary success of 'Skyfall,' we're really excited to be working once again with Daniel Craig, Sam Mendes and John Logan.

"I am very pleased that by giving me the time I need to honour all my theatre commitments, the producers have made it possible for me to direct 'Bond 24.' I very much look forward to taking up the reins again, and to working with Daniel Craig, Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli for a second time, said Mendes.

Barber added, We are thrilled to reunite the extraordinary talents of director Sam Mendes with our star Daniel Craig for the next great Bond adventure. He added, "As evidenced by the phenomenal success of our last collaboration with EON Productions and Sony, the incredible legacy of this 51-year-old franchise continues to amaze."

Lynton and Pascal said, "It's a privilege to work on the Bond films. EON, John Logan and Sam Mendes have come up with an extraordinary follow up to 'Skyfall' and we, along with our partners at MGM, can't wait to share this new chapter with audiences all over the world."