MUST SEE! First Looks At SPIDER-MAN And CAPTAIN AMERICA!!

WOW. Quite a bit to digest all at once, but here we have two first looks at major Marvel movie super heroes coming out!!

First up is the long anticipated SPIDER-MAN costume as worn by Andrew Garfield. It looks like a really fine leather texture of some sort of exotic creature. Lizard? As in The Lizard? ;-)

Click images to enlarge...

I like the suit. It is different enough to reboot the idea in my mind, yet keeps the aura about it. Keep in mind we don't know if the suit has been through some sort of tribulation prior to this photo - look at Garfield's face! A slash or two on his cheek.

Take note of the two discs attached to his wrists - seems to me to be the webslingers? It looks like he developed these himself (like the classic tales) as opposed to the Sam Raimi biologically formed webs. I am far in favor of Peter Parker inventing them - I was raised watching the original cartoons and it worked then. It'll work now.

For a super high resolution image of the suit check out this link (courtesy of Collider).

SPIDER-MAN opens July 3, 2012.

Next up is the first look at the fully costumed Chris Evans as Captain America!

This shot is courtesy of EntertainmentWeekly. From the site: "...The hero’s main uniform was designed to resemble a tricked-out airman’s jumpsuit, the “A” on the helmet and star on the chest modest in size, the colors muted. It took Evans about 25 minutes to suit up. “He likes to do it all by himself,” explained costume designer Anna Sheppard. “I think it helps him feel like a super hero.”

The HYDRA soliders behind him certainly look menacing! Kind of a cross between WAR MACHINE and SNAKE EYES :-)

I am really enjoying that the suit is believable for the era (cloth / leather mainly) and really has that WWII vibe going. Should be a spectacular movie!!

Captain America opens July 22.

Spidey Gets A Date With S3D!

Jim here. Sony has finally and officially confirmed (via THR) that the next Spider-man movie (reboot or otherwise) will definitely be in stereoscopic 3D!

AND we have a release date too: July 3, 2012. As you know, Marc Webb will be directing.

No real surprise here, but good to get this in ink! :-) Most of you know that Spider-man is a character close to my heart since I was a kid so I will be following this one intently.

Sources, start your email clients!! :-)

3D Shorts: SPIDER-MAN Has It's Webb-slinger! Peter Jackson Aims At 3D Gaming? And Green Lantern Thinking 3D?

Jim here. Some rapid fire S3D shots comin' at ya!

First up: Marc Webb (500) DAYS OF SUMMER) has signed on as SPIDER-MAN's helmer!

From Comingsoon: Amy Pascal, co-chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment, and Matt Tolmach, president of Columbia Pictures, said, "At its core, Spider-Man is a small, intimate human story about an everyday teenager that takes place in an epic super-human world. The key for us as we sought a new director was to identify filmmakers who could give sharp focus to Peter Parker's life. We wanted someone who could capture the awe of being in Peter's shoes so the audience could experience his sense of discovery while giving real heart to the emotion, anxiety, and recklessness of that age and coupling all of that with the adrenaline of Spider-Man's adventure. We believe Marc Webb is the perfect choice to bring us on that journey."

Webb said, "This is a dream come true and I couldn't be more aware of the challenge, responsibility, or opportunity. Sam Raimi's virtuoso rendering of Spider-Man is a humbling precedent to follow and build upon. The first three films are beloved for good reason. But I think the Spider-Man mythology transcends not only generations but directors as well. I am signing on not to 'take over' from Sam. That would be impossible. Not to mention arrogant. I'm here because there's an opportunity for ideas, stories, and histories that will add a new dimension, canvas, and creative voice to Spider-Man."

Stan Lee, co-creator of Spider-Man, added, "I'm excited that Sony has chosen a director with a real penchant and understanding for the character. This is a brave, bold direction for the franchise, and I can't wait to see what Marc comes up with next."

SPIDER-MAN is slated for a summer 2012 release and pegged at a reported $80m budget.

If Stan Lee is good, then I am good. 'Nuff said.

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NEXT: Peter Jackson Aiming At Some 3D Gaming?

Gaming came up during a recent interview with Peter Jackson over on AICN, and it makes me think if he is taking yet another cue from James Cameron - I know they are good friends. Cameron has long postulated that movies and games are on a collision course - and even now many assets can be shared for the concurrent development of both at the same time for any given umbrella property. AVATAR went 3D in both the movie and the game - why not Jackson's Wingnut Games company entirely? He is certainly enjoying MODERN WARFARE 2 right now - which I play in stereo3D with my NVIDIA 3D Vision setup. Peter obviously loves 3D as he is doing TINTIN right now.

Could happen - I would love to see his imagination at work in gaming!

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FINALLY: GREEN LANTERN Thinking 3D?

Frosty over at Collider had the opportunity to speak with Martin Campbell who is directing GREEN LANTERN and specifically on 3D:

Martin Campbell: “[Warner Bros. and I] haven’t really talked about it.” But with the worldwide success of Avatar, it’s hard to imagine every studio not re-examining their big budget properties to see if they can release it in 3D and make a few extra dollars."

Sounds very interesting! Campbell also says that GL will be closer to IRON MAN than BATMAN BEGINS with "one foot in reality". Be sure to check out the whole interview here.

BREAKING: Raimi, Maguire And Dunst Out - Sony Plans SPIDER-MAN Reboot... In 3D?

Jim here. Sony just released the news that Sam Raimi, Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst are out for SPIDER-MAN 4 and in fact the studio plans to reboot the franchise!

From Sony: Culver City, CA (January 11, 2010) -- Peter Parker is going back to high school when the next Spider-Man hits theaters in the summer of 2012.

Columbia Pictures and Marvel Studios announced today they are moving forward with a film based on a script by James Vanderbilt that focuses on a teenager grappling with both contemporary human problems and amazing super-human crises.

The new chapter in the Spider-Man franchise produced by Columbia, Marvel Studios and Avi Arad and Laura Ziskin, will have a new cast and filmmaking team. Spider-Man 4 was to have been released in 2011, but had not yet gone into production.

“A decade ago we set out on this journey with Sam Raimi and Tobey Maguire and together we made three Spider-Man films that set a new bar for the genre. When we began, no one ever imagined that we would make history at the box-office and now we have a rare opportunity to make history once again with this franchise. Peter Parker as an ordinary young adult grappling with extraordinary powers has always been the foundation that has made this character so timeless and compelling for generations of fans. We’re very excited about the creative possibilities that come from returning to Peter's roots and we look forward to working once again with Marvel Studios, Avi Arad and Laura Ziskin on this new beginning,” said Amy Pascal, co-chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment.

“Working on the Spider-Man movies was the experience of a lifetime for me. While we were looking forward to doing a fourth one together, the studio and Marvel have a unique opportunity to take the franchise in a new direction, and I know they will do a terrific job,” said Sam Raimi.

“We have had a once-in-a-lifetime collaboration and friendship with Sam and Tobey and they have given us their best for the better part of the last decade.This is a bittersweet moment for us because while it is hard to imagine Spider-Man in anyone else’s hands, I know that this was a day that was inevitable,” said Matt Tolmach, president of Columbia Pictures, who has served as the studio’s chief production executive since the beginning of the franchise. “Now everything begins anew, and that’s got us all tremendously excited about what comes next. Under the continuing supervision of Avi and Laura, we have a clear vision for the future of Spider-Man and can’t wait to share this exciting new direction with audiences in 2012.”

"Spider-Man will always be an important franchise for Sony Pictures and a fresh start like this is a responsibility that we all take very seriously," said Michael Lynton, Chairman and CEO of Sony Pictures. "We have always believed that story comes first and story guides the direction of these films and as we move onto the next chapter, we will stay true to that principle and will do so with the highest respect for the source material and the fans and moviegoers who deserve nothing but the best when it comes to bringing these stories and characters to life on the big screen."

So stunning is a choice word to describe this announcement! SPIDER-MAN is by far my favorite character out there and to be honest I LOVE the move. It was time. I never liked the casting of Maguire and Dunst. Just something about them. Raimi was ok in the role of director though.

How about S3D for the reboot? You bet! Part of the reason for the negotiation set back was in fact 3D. You can read about that here. Sony is betting the bank on 3D so this should be a slam dunk. Will Cameron be interested? He DID write a script for Spidey back in the day and he loved the webslinger as a child...

Credit goes to Nikke Finke for the exclusive!

3D Shorts: 3 Pop Labs Sets Up Conversion Shop; SPIDER-MAN and COWBOYS AND ALIENS Going 3D? DEADPOOL?

Jim here. There is going to be lots o' news in the coming days so I will try to condense some of the swell by using 3D Shorts:

3 Pop Labs (imcube) has set up a Los Angeles services company to convert 2D properties to 3D. Brian Quandt will be heading up the operation. Says Quandt: “When I show Hollywood insiders the results of the imcube stereoscopic conversion process they are blown away by the quality. And when I share with them how rapid and cost-effective the conversion process can be, they pull out their calculators and get really excited.”

Quandt has other innovative tools including RushPlay and RushPlay 3D that have been used on over thirty major feature films in the past two years, including Year One, Julie and Julia and Love Ranch.

Other 2D to 3D conversion companies include PassmoreLab and In-Three. Certainly seems to be a booming business! And rightly so - plenty of existing library needs to be converted and of course S3D post production for new movies!!

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Is SPIDER-MAN 4 going to be shot in S3D or what?? My sources tell me yes and Sony is definitely a soup to nuts 3D company now. So that makes sense.

Sam Raimi is having words with the studio over a number of things including what villain to immortalize. I originally uncovered that The Lizard would be the sole antagonist, but Variety is now reporting that Raimi is backing The Vulture as his prime choice. Sony wants The Black Cat plus another criminal to keep spidey busy.

So because of all this villain villainy, writer after writer has been called in to try and piece together something that works for as many inside people as possible.

The end result is a LOT of confusion. One thing is for sure though - shooting has been delayed and with that comes a later release date too (possibly late summer 2011). You can't hurry special effects all that much. I am glad that Raimi is giving this his all - it improves my confidence in this iteration after what happened in SPIDER-MAN 3.

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COWBOYS AND ALIENS 3D?? Could be according to The Daily Beast. They are saying that the AVATAR effect could sway Jon Favreau (who loves 3D) and DreamWorks to shoot in S3D.

The story is about aliens invading the old west Earth - cowboys are about the only thing around to defend the world! A great writing team is behind this: Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci and Damon Lindelof. (via SuperHeroHype)

Thanks to @PROJECTCOULD for the heads up.

Yes please. I'll take this in 3D in a heartbeat. Now if we can just get Favreau shooting 3D for everything on his plate... *cough* IRONMAN *cough*. You KNOW you want to do it. Don't leave that cash on the table dude.

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And how about DEADPOOL? We know Marvel is VERY in tune with S3D. And this was before 3D hungry Disney bought them out! So could it happen? YOU BET. And with "The AVATAR Effect", it should be sooner than later. :-)

Variety is now reporting that Zombieland writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick will be penning DEADPOOL.

More on this when I get it...

EXCLUSIVE: SPIDER-MAN 4 Will Have Only One Villain - The Lizard!!

EXCLUSIVE:

Jim here. In what must be exclusives week at MarketSaw, we get a quick update on SPIDER-MAN 4 which of course is getting lensed in stereoscopic 3D.

We all pretty much knew that either The Lizard and/or Carnage would be in this movie and now we have word that it will be The Lizard ONLY. No multiple villains. Again, strong source here. Of course, things could change - but it is highly doubtful.

I couldn't be happier! SPIDER-MAN 3 suffered from too many story lines in my mind and with only one villain, Sam Raimi can focus on the character development and really build Dr. Curt Connors / The Lizard the way it should be. If there are too many bad guys you lose the connection - it is a good thing to almost feel bad for them when they lose (or win as the case may be). It is very hard to develop two villains within the same movie and establish that honest mind meld with them.

So what do you think? You happy with The Lizard being the sole villain? Who should be cast? Dylan Baker? (sounds like he has the job!)

Sony Thinking Spider-Man 4 In 3D?

Jim here. Well I knew that Amy Pascal was pro-3D, but that didn't stop me from loving every word of this interview with her and Michael Lynton (both are Sony's chiefs) over on Forbes.

Here is the excerpt to do with 3D:

You have an animated movie coming out this fall, Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, in 3-D. Do you see that as the future of the industry?
Pascal: For sure. You're not going to see a lot of animated movies that aren't in 3-D any more. I think Jeffrey Katzenberg preached that and he was right.
Lynton: I didn't understand what he was talking about until I saw [DreamWorks Animation's ( DWA - news - people )]Monsters vs. Aliens. It's a very immersive experience. It's like seeing perspective for the first time. I think it is something different and terrific and a new group of directors will have to figure out how to do it.

What about for live action movies?
Pascal: I think James Cameron's new movie [Avatar] could change the world. I think everyone is in anticipation thinking it's going to be like Star Wars. It's going to change the way you consume entertainment. I don't know that it will ever be the way you see dramas, but I can't say anymore that it won't be.

Are you considering doing any live action movies in 3-D? What about Spider-Man 4?
Pascal: Could be.
Lynton: People are paying a premium to see movies in 3-D and that's a very big deal. It's never been done before that someone says you have to pay more to see Spider-Man than a romantic comedy.

My stereoscopic sense is tingling! I have been watching Spider-Man since the original cartoon on TV with that wonderful music score. I have yet to keep the habit. Spider-Man in 3D would be something I would place on my bucket list, you know? It has to be done right of course, but wow - that would be so cool.