If there’s one thing that a quick look at the current state of television and movies will tell you, it’s that there’s not much need for original ideas when there’s so much out there ready and waiting to be adapted, updated or just outright ripped off. That’s why we’ve decided to help in that process with a series that offers up some of the things we’d like to see being brought to big screen or small. This week’s suggestion? Avengers Academy.
The (somewhat surprising) revelation that Guillermo del Toro really is working on a movie that teams DC Comics’ supernatural characters like Zatanna, John Constantine, Deadman and Swamp Thing isn’t just a tease for what would likely end up being a good movie, it’s a sign of a way that DC could avoid looking like they’re attempting to follow in Marvel’s footsteps a little too closely.
With Hallowe’en out the way, we can finally start turning out attention to the inevitable oncoming onslaught of the holidays, and the question of whether or not we’re going to be able to escape our families during these stressful periods with televisual distractions. The answer…? Of course so. Here are five highlights of November’s new shows.
It’s hard to know how to react to the news that Clark Gregg will be reprising his role as the SHIELD pilot that Joss Whedon is putting together for ABC. Of course, the fan faithful who adored the character in his appearances through all of the Marvel movies to date are excited to see that his career didn’t end with Marvel’s The Avengers, but still… Isn’t this ultimately a bad decision on Marvel’s part?
That Joss Whedon has been signed by Disney/Marvel to write and direct Avengers 2 shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone, given the outrageous success of the first one. But that he’s also going to create a “Marvel-based” series for ABC is the far more interesting news to come from Disney today – and the kind of thing that’s likely to drive speculation for quite some time to come.
This weekend’s Total Recall marks the last blockbuster release of the summer season, closing us out with a remake of a much-beloved movie from two decades earlier. Remakes, comic book movies and a misconceived toy movie: What’s been your favorite of this summer’s big blockbuster movies?
Congratulations to Marvel’s The Avengers, which has now become only the third movie of all time to cross $600 million in US box office take alone, with its worldwide take now in the region of $1,438.3 million. Unsurprisingly, with the prospect of the movie potentially becoming the most successful movie in history suddenly coming on the horizon, the question is now raised: Can Marvel and Disney ensure there’s enough gas left in the tank to ensure the movie topples Avatar?
At what point does corporate synergy start becoming ridiculous? I find myself wondering that question upon the announcement of Marvel’s Avengers Assemble, the new animated series that will replace the current Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes series because… it’s closer to the movie, apparently? Maybe? But is that enough reason to kill a successful show?
When is a spoiler not a spoiler? When a spoiler for something that doesn’t actually happen in a movie or television show falls in a forest, does anyone hear it? The revelation this week that GI Joe: Retaliation was delayed in part to reshoot scenes that would change a crucial plot point in the movie – which revealed said plot point – has gotten me thinking about the nature of spoilers that aren’t quite spoilers.
If there’s one thing that this weekend’s Men in Black 3 does, it’s offer a particular nostalgia. No, not for when Will Smith movies were good (Yeah, Hancock is the kind of stink that sticks around, Will. Sorry), but for when pop songs were part of the whole movie package.
The Avengers director Joss Whedon says he’s unsure about returning to helm the sequel to Marvel’s $1-billion blockbuster, admitting, “It’s an enormous amount of work telling what is ultimately somebody else’s story.”
By now, chances are you’ve seen Marvel’s The Avengers if you have any interest at all in seeing it – or, for that matter, have a partner who has any interest at all in seeing it – and have made your own mind up about its quality or lack thereof (But, really, come on; it’s a good movie). With follow-ups apparently planned for potentially four of the six “official” Avengers, though, we started to wonder: Which character from the movie most deserves the solo spotlight next?
