Nathan Fillion Rules Out A Role In 'Ant-Man' Movie

After much fan speculation, Nathan Fillion has said that he will not be starring in Marvel's upcoming Ant-Man movie.

Directed by Edgar Wright, the film will finally introduce scientist-supreme and original Avenger Hank Pym, as well as acting Future Foundation leader Scott Lang, to the Marvel movie vault.

The Castle and Firefly star told IGN: “I will not be playing Ant-Man.

"I'm pretty booked-up right now as far as work goes and there's so much more going on in the entertainment industry than just, 'Oh, you know who would be great in that?' There's a lot more that comes into play."

For many comic book fans this is not the news they wanted to hear. It looks like the search for Wright's Ant-Man continues.

Here's to hoping that Fillion changes his mind, and decides that he would love to be a size altering hero who can speak to insects.

Ant-Man is set for release in 2015.

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First Look! 'Age of Ultron' Spin-Off, 'Hunger'

**WARNING: Spoilerphobic comic fans step away, this article contains spoilers.**


After the epic conclusion to Age of Ultron. Marvel has released a preview of the Joshua Hale Fialkov (Doctor Who) and Leonard Kirk's (Dark X-Men) spin-off Hunger.

The mini-series sees the 616 Galactus invading the Ultimate Universe due to a tear in the space-time continuum thanks to the time travelling actions of the characters in Age of Ultron.

Avengers 'founder' Rick Jones is set to return from space to lead the fight against the greedy planeteater Galactus.

Check out the stunning preview pages.

 

Hunger #1 debuts in July.

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Robert Downey Jr IS Iron Man… For Two More Movies At Least

Following speculation that he might leave the role after Iron Man 3, Robert Downey Jr has confirmed he'll star as Tony Stark in at least two more Marvel movies.

Not exactly a shocker, is it? After all, the past couple of years have seen RDJ star in two of the top five grossing films of all time.

Marvel Studios announced yesterday that the Hollywood actor will reprise his role as Tony Stark/Iron Man in both The Avengers 2 and The Avengers 3.

The Avengers 2 will be written and directed by Joss Whedon, with production beginning in March 2014.

It is currently scheduled to open at cinemas on May 1, 2015.

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No Loki For The Avengers 2? Boo.

Looks like we'll have to make do without everybody's favourite Marvel villain, Loki, in The Avengers 2.

Joss 'The Great' Whedon has confirmed that Tom Hiddleston won't be appearing in the sequel.

"Everyone is going to be looking for the Loki-Hulk smash moment and you'll be looking for 'quim'," the writer-director explained to Empire.

"First of all, imitating what I did before is the surest way to do it not as well. Second of all, Loki's not there to say those terrible things. Although I do think we should bring the word back, not as an insult, it's just a nice word."

The good news, though, is that we'll see Hiddleston return later in the year in Thor: The Dark World, which arrives in UK cinemas on October 30 and in the US on November 8.

The Avengers 2 is scheduled hit cinemas on May 1, 2015.

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John C Reilly's Guardians Of The Galaxy Character Confirmed

Following speculation about his involvement with the project earlier this month, actor John C Reilly has now been confirmed for Guardians Of The Galaxy.

And according to Deadline, the rumours were right - he'll play the very Coulson-like character, Rhomann Dey, and will appear as the go-between between the Guardians and Earth in several instalments in the franchise.

Benicio Del Toro, Glenn Close, Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Lee Pace, Karen Gillan and Michael Rooker have also joined the lineup of the upcoming film.

Guardians of the Galaxy will be released on August 1, 2014.

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CAPTAIN AMERIC...ERMAGHERD!

So we've seen some photos from the set of Captain America: The Winter Soldier that literally left us open-mouthed and wide-eyed.

But they're definitely, definitely spoilery.

So if you don't want to be spoiled, we suggest going and reading something else. Maybe this, or this… or this is really good.

Those of you that are still with us, however, are in for a bit of a surprising - not to mention confusing - treat.

 
Filming at Tower City Center in Cleveland yesterday, Chris Evans and Scarlett Johansson were spotted having a bit of a smooch.

Well, we say a bit, it looked to us like they were smooching it up good and proper. With their lips.

We know.

Cap and Black Widow.

Steve Rogers and Natasha Romanoff.

What in the name of Odin is that all about?

Of course, one snog doesn't mean they're getting it on. They could just be being sneaky and undercover… cos she's a spy and that's what she does. And it's kind of what their attire - sunglasses, hat, hoodie, etc - suggests.

But what if this is for realises? Eeek! 

Captain America: The Winter Soldier arrives in cinemas on April 4, 2014.

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Gillan's Guardians Of The Galaxy Character Revealed?

An unnamed Scottish newspaper reckons they've figured out which character Doctor Who star Karen Gillan will be playing in Guardians of the Galaxy.

Bleeding Cool reports that Screen Rant reports that the below image of a clipping from the unknown rag was posted on the NeoGaf forums.

The article claims that Gillan will take on the role of bikini-clad alien bounty hunter Angela, who shares Karen's fabulous flame red locks.

A Marvel insider said: "Karen will be stunning as the chief female villain of the movie. But she will have her work cut out as the role involves a lot of physical workouts and with a costume as revealing, she will have to be in top shape."

Whether the story proves to be true remains to be seen, but we're absolutely certain the gorgeous Scot will pull off the part - and the outfit.

Production on the film kicks off soon, while Guardians of the Galaxy is set to hit cinemas on August 1st, 2014.

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First Look! Sebastian Stan As The Winter Soldier

As Captain America's faithful sidekick Bucky Barnes, Sebastian Stan was decidedly cute.

But not any more, if this first look at the actor in costume as The Winter Soldier is anything to go by.

The superhero sequel, based on Ed Brubaker's 2010 comic book arc, sees Bucky return from the dead as a brainwashed Soviet assassin.

And it looks like he's set to give Steve Rogers one hell of a fight as Stan and Chris Evans were spotted shooting a brutal looking fight scene last week. Snaps from the set see Bucky leave his former friend bruised and beaten after the battle. 

Scarlett Johansson, Anthony Mackie, Cobie Smulders, Georges St-Pierre, Frank Grillo, Hayley Atwell, Toby Jones, Emily VanCamp, Maximiliano Hernández, Robert Redford, Alan Dale and Samuel L Jackson will also feature in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, which arrives in cinemas on April 4, 2014.

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Glenn Close & John C Reilly Rumoured For Guardians Of The Galaxy

Word on the grapevine is that James Gunn has added two more actors to the cast list for his upcoming Marvel adaptation, Guardians of the Galaxy.

Damages star Glenn Close is rumoured to be in talks to play a senior figure in intergalactic police force Nova Corps - a counterpart to S.H.I.E.L.D director Nick Fury, according to Deadline.

Wreck-It Ralph actor John C Reilly, meanwhile, has apparently been offered the role of Rhomann Dey - a character similar to Agent Coulson who will act as a go-between between the alien and human worlds. Hitfix reports that Reilly's character may have a partner and Hugh Laurie, Alan Rickman and Ken Watanabe are all being considered for that part.

Hitfix's Drew McWeeny also reckons that, though Michael Rooker's character Yondu will serve as the movie's big bad, every member of the team will have a personal grudge against Thanos, tying the movie further to Marvel's more Earth-based activities.

Guardians of the Galaxy will be released on August 1, 2014.

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Jackman Champions X-Men, Avengers Team-Up

Hugh Jackman has revealed he'd love to see one of geekdom's greatest wishes come true.

Speaking to Screen Rant, the actor revealed that he'd love to see Marvel Studios and 20th Century Fox work together to bring us a X-Men and Avengers team-up movie.

We'd love to see it too, Hugh.

"One of the great things about this movie is that a lot of people from Marvel are here and it seems a lot more inclusive than it has been in the past," he said.

"I don't know what's happening behind the scenes, but I think it's fantastic. I actually just asked the other day, I said, 'I don't know what the legal situation is, but why don't these companies come together? Why isn't it possible?'

"Because personally, I would love to mix it up with Robert Downey Jr and Iron Man and kick his ass. It'd be great."

We're sure RDJ would have something to say about that last dig, but oh, wow. Just imagine if Avengers vs. X-Men was brought to life on the big screen. It'd be a tough task, granted, but Joss 'The Great' Whedon could do it - we know he could.

As for the two studios working together, we'll see how negotiations over Quicksilver pan out as conflict over the use of the character in both X-Men: Days of Future Past and Avengers 2 continues. Wouldn't it be lovely if they found a way?

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Sackhoff To Play Ms Marvel?

A bit of Twitter banter just might mean the meeting of two of the greatest geek things of all time.

Battlestar Galactica actress Katee Sackhoff has said she'd be up for taking on the role of Ms Marvel in The Avengers 2.

And who wouldn't want to see that?

In response to a tweet calling for her to play the part in Joss Whedon's superhero sequel, Sackhoff said: "Hell yes!", retweeting the post to her followers.

But whether Joss Whedon, who was included in the conversation, was paying attention remains to be seen.

Of course, there's always the possibility that the actress could take on the title role in Marvel's proposed movie about the character, which could mark the comic giant's first female-led superhero movie.

The Avengers 2 hits cinemas on May 1, 2015.

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Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D Will Be Linked To Marvel Movies

Joss 'The Great' Whedon has confirmed that his new S.H.I.E.L.D. TV series will be closely linked to the Marvel movieverse.

Speaking to TV Fanatic, the writer/director/all-round genius revealed that the upcoming ABC drama could contain hints about future films.

"We're absolutely on top of all the movies," he said. "We never contradict [or] replicate - we will be flowing in between them, maybe occasionally we'll throw something in that foreshadows [or] echoes, but we're very much beholden to the Marvel cinematic universe."

Meanwhile, ABC president Paul Lee has said that Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is "driven by character" and has "relationships at the heart of it".

"Everything has to push character forward, including action," Whedon affirmed. "We don't want 'spectacle' characters, we want... spectacle that addresses character. We always want the two to mix."

Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. will air on Tuesdays at 8/7c on ABC this autumn.

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A New Hawkeye For Avengers 2?

We're a little bit in love with Jeremy Renner here at GG♥SF. He's a great actor, and he's got really good arms.

So we're a little upset to hear that Marvel may be recasting the part of Hawkeye ahead of Phase Two.

According to Comic Book Movie, it's suspected that the actor displeased the comics giant with negative comments about his role in The Avengers Assemble.

The actor told Total Film last year that his role was "limited" and without "emotional content" for most of the film. Ouch.

CBM's source reckons that there's a chance he could return, but as Renner hasn't been mentioned in relation to any Phase Two films so far, it's very small indeed.

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First Look! Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Well if this wasn't the most pant-wettingly exciting thing we've seen so far this year.

Having ordered a full season of Joss Whedon's Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (which will be henceforth simply known as 'SHIELD' on this site because the full title is painstaking to type... and a little ridiculous), ABC released a 30-second teaser trailer and a six-second vine, causing geeks the world over to squee like they've never squeed before.

Agent Phil Coulson takes center stage among the action, cars and explosions. We still don't know quite how he survived that brutal Avengers stabbing at Loki's hand, but we are pleased to see his trademark wit is alive and well - #COULSONLIVES!

Speaking of things we don't know, J.August Richards' character is still a mystery. Following glimpses of him in the trailer, the whole of the internet seems certain the former Angel actor is taking on the role of Luke Cage - aka Power Man. And we'll admit, it's a theory we'd quite like to be true.

We also get glimpses of the rest of the cast, Ming-Na Wen (Agent Melinda May), Elizabeth Henstridge (Agent Jemma Simmons), Iain De Caestecker (Agent Leo Fitz), Brett Dalton (Agent Grant Ward), Chloe Bennet (Skye).

Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D is slated to debut this autumn on ABC. There's no news yet on whether a UK channel has picked up the rights.

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Saoirse Ronan To Play Scarlet Witch?

Following heavy hints from Joss 'The Great' Whedon, we're pretty certain that we'll see Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver appear in The Avengers 2.

And rumour has it that Marvel are in talks with Hanna and The Host star Saoirse Ronan for the role.

According to Super Hero Hype, the actress is the studio's "prototype" for the part of Wanda Maximoff. The site also reports that the plan is to make the character British, rather than have actors ape an Eastern European accent.

Wanda's brother Pietro, meanwhile, is being described as "euro" and "edgy"... which really doesn't give us much of a clue.

Let the fantasy casting commence!

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Vote For Your Favourite Female X-Man!

As Marvel are celebrating the female contingent of the X-Men with Brian Wood and Olivier Coipel's first issue of the Marvel NOW! series, we thought we'd do a bit of digging to find out which X lady is your favourite.

Does Rogue rev up your engine, do you swoon over Storm, or does Psylocke push your buttons?

All you need to do is go to our Facebook page and cast your vote! We've started with some of our favourites, but please do add your personal choices - we'll bring you the results at the end of the month. 

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New Cap 2, Thor 2 And Guardians Of The Galaxy Pics!

The crafty folk at Entertainment Weekly have gotten their grubby little mitts on new images from Thor: The Dark World and Captain America: The Winter Soldier.

The still from Thor 2 shows Chris Hemsworth standing majestically, and rather moodily among a group of Asgardians.

 

Meanwhile, the new concept art from Captain America gives us a glimpse at the Winter Solder as he catches Cap's iconic shield. 

And the latest concept art from Guardians Of The Galaxy shows “a young Peter Quill’s first close encounter on Earth, before he is whisked away to the far reaches of the galaxy. Marvel isn’t revealing much about the craft, but it is not the ship from the comic books that goes by the name “Ship” -– a sentient spacecraft with a feminine persona who has a kind of crush on Star-Lord”

Speaking about Guardians, Marvel Studios' Kevin Feige discussed the movie and the cast with Entertainment Weekly:

“Guardians takes place within the continuity of the [other movies] but it’s on the other side of the universe,” he said.

“We’ve always wanted to do a space movie. I’m obsessed with Star Wars, I’m obsessed with Star Trek.

“Chris Pratt is a hilariously frumpy, doofy guy in Parks and Rec, and he’s an incredibly kickass ripped guy in Zero Dark Thirty and that’s pretty awesome,” says Feige. “He’s going to need that in Guardians. That’s a big range right there.

“We did a lot of auditions, a lot of screen tests, just as we did for Thor, just as we did for Cap,” Feige says. “[Pratt] was hilarious, he was moving, he was … you bought him in the early versions of the outfit.

“One of the reasons Bautista got the part was because his banter, and ad libs, and screen tests with Pratt were awesome.

“We can take it to all those crazy places as long as all the characters respond in an emotionally truthful way. That’s why I believe people are going to respond to Chris Pratt and to an alien Zoë Saldana—because they did respond to that one time before [with Avatar]. And to a tree and a raccoon who, it is certainly our intention, will steal the whole movie.”

Feige also revealed that Edgar Wright's Ant-Man requires a rewrite to bring it into line with Marvel's shared cinematic universe.

"We've talked about various names [to play the lead] over the past eight years but as you can imagine they keep changing as time goes by," he added. "But towards the end of this year, we'll buckle down and start casting and start refining the script, which is great and which is very Edgar.

"He has done a great job being incredibly true to the comics but is putting his own spin on it, so we'll be drawing on multiple mythologies for this one."

Thor 2 hits cinemas in the UK on October 30 and in the US on November 8. Captain America: The Winter Soldier is scheduled for April 4, 2014.

Ant-Man will arrive alongside Doctor Strange as one of Marvel's Phase Three films following the 2015 release of Avengers 2.

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Sneak Peek! All-Female X-Men #1

There have been lots of reasons to get excited about Marvel NOW!, but we must admit we're extremely excited about X-Men in a female solidarity sort of way.

Marvel have released a preview of #1 of Brian Wood and Olivier Coipel's relaunched title, which features an all-female team including Storm, Jubilee, Rogue, Kitty Pryde, Rachel Grey and Psylocke.

"An old enemy shows up at the X-Men's door, seeking asylum from an ancient evil come back to Earth," reads the blurb.

"Meanwhile, Jubilee has come home, and she's brought with her an orphaned baby who might hold the key to the Earth's survival... or its destruction.

"With an imminent alien invasion and an eons-spanning war between brother and sister around the corner, Storm steps up and puts together a team to protect the child and stop a new threat that could destroy all life in the Marvel Universe."

X-Men #1 hits all good comic book stores on May 29.

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The Great Whedon Teases The Avengers 2

Joss Whedon has given a hint at his grand plan for the Avengers trilogy.

And those who were expecting Thanos to be the film's big bad might be disappointed.

It looks like the writer/director is saving the Mad Titan for the end of the trilogy, telling DesdeHollywood: "Well, Thanos is more powerful [than The Avengers]. He's so powerful he's not someone you just trot out and then you punch him.

"Like he did in the comics, you want him to be threading through the universe and to save the big finale for the big finale. He is definitely a part of what I've got going on."

And there's more. Whedon went on to discuss the possibility of Robert Downey Jr. hanging up his suit of armour following Iron Man 3.

“I am not the guy who has to worry about him being replaced. He is Iron Man at this point," he said, comfortingly. "When I heard that he was cast I knew that something had just changed, and I usually don't know stuff like that. I was like 'Now we are in a new phase.' The way he embodies it… I love working with him. He is so perfect for it, Shane [Black] captures it so perfectly in this movie.

"I want him to play it forever. The great thing is that he has a flying metal suit. So it's not like those Charles Bronson or Roger Moore movies where you're like 'Dude, you can barely stand.' He’s got some fight in him. At the same time, if Robert decides to hang it up, he has a perfectly good excuse."

So, what will be in store for Downey Jr. and his fellow heroes in the next Avengers installment?

“The thing about the Avengers is that they are very powerful, but they're not very stable," said Whedon. "So, there will definitely be some people that will shake them up in the next installment."

Two of those characters could be Magneto's offspring Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver, if what the director told Yahoo! Movies recently is anything to go by. Check this out for a whopper of a hint:

"I’ve been writing and meeting with actors and we’re starting to storyboard, all the preliminary processes. This is the part where it’s all still fun," Whedon teased.

"I’ve got these two characters, two of my favourite characters from the comic book, a brother-sister act. They’re in the movie."

Is everybody else as excited as we are? Give us your casting thoughts for Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver!

The Avengers 2 is due out on May 1, 2015.

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Five Reasons To Watch Iron Man 3

Five years ago Robert Downey Jr. donned a suit of red and gold armour and gave geeks the world over a happy as he perfectly embodied one of Marvel's most-loved comic book characters. Four films and a cameo later, the man has perfected the art of quipping and the sexy arrogant swagger, making the role so much his own we can't imagine anyone else in it.

But can he keep the momentum of the role going in his third solo outing as genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist, Tony Stark?

As if there was ever any doubt. Here are five reasons to go see Iron Man 3 immediately...

Tony's Tale
After the events of The Avengers Assemble and the battle that nearly destroyed New York, we find Mr Stark in a very different place. Not physically, he's still got that amazing sea view, but emotionally. We always knew Tony Stark secretly had a heart and now he's finally showing it. Not quite sure how to deal with nearly dying for realsies, Tony figuratively throws himself into his work and quite literally hides in his basement. But when a terrorist attack by new big bad on the block The Mandarin hurts the people he loves, Stark decides it's time to fire up those thrusters once more and picks the biggest fight of his life.

Tony's tale is the true beauty of this movie. Unable to match the spectacle of The Avengers Assemble, Shane Black instead shrinks the focus back down to one hero - one man - and intelligently tells a story that delivers on all kinds of levels, packs a punch and gives us some genuinely brilliant laugh-out-loud moments, too.

We're Potty For Pepper
Gwyneth Paltrow's Pepper Potts has always been somewhat sidelined in the Iron Man movies. Omnipresent, but never quite important, and often - rather irritatingly - in distress. In Iron Man 3, however, we see a welcome change. The former PA gets her moment to shine… in fact, she gets loads of them, and it's extremely gratifying to see that she's no longer the whimpering damsel in need of rescue.

The Mandarin
We've been waiting to see Tony Stark face his archenemy on the big screen since 2008, but must admit we always thought The Mandarin would be a difficult character to realise in live action, what with his insane abilities and power rings and all. Thankfully, we thoroughly approve of the way the character is handled here. Sir Ben Kingsley is simply brilliant, several scene-stealing performances. While we're at it though, special mention must go to Guy Pierce, who kills it as scientist Aldrich Killian.

The Fighty, Actiony Bits
This movie being what it is, there's action galore as Iron Man faces some of his toughest, most ruthless foes yet. It'll surprise nobody to learn that the film builds to one hell of a climactic battle - and if ever there was a geekgasm to be had, it's the moment where we see Tony Stark's armour come into its own. We see them all in action - from Red Snapper to Heartbreaker, Igor, Shotgun and Silver Centurion - and each has been given its own playful personality not to mention some awesome weaponry we haven't seen before. Trust us, you'll tingle.

The Really Good Bits We Can't Talk About
So here's the thing. There's so much about this film we want to talk about. There's the ****, the **** and the **** is amazing! But we can't go there, because to go there would spoil too much and totally ruin the film for you. What we will say is that a huge room of people, including hardened journalists, laughed, cried and clapped at the advance screening we saw - and if that doesn't convince you to buy a ticket immediately, we don't know what will. Oh, and make sure you stay to the very end for some post-credits goodness.

GG♥SF Verdict: ♥♥♥♥♥ - Spectacular superhero fun of the highest quality.



Iron Man 3 hits UK cinemas on Thursday 25 April and flies into theatres in the states on Friday 3 May.

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