MUST WATCH: New Trailer For THE AVENGERS!!

As promised, here is the new trailer for THE AVENGERS and it does not disappoint! Be prepared for a few surprises...

Here's a quick synopsis about what you are about to see:
Nick Fury and the international agency S.H.I.E.L.D. bring together a team of super humans to form The Avengers to help save the Earth from Loki and his alien army.

Director: Joss Whedon
Writer: Zak Penn
Studio: Paramount Pictures
Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Jeremy Renner, Scarlett Johannson and Samuel L. Jackson
Release: May 4, 2012

I won't talk about the trailer until after the embed because I don't want to give anything away... ENJOY!




Talk about a few surprises! I would never have guessed that The Hulk would be saving Iron Man's life - at least not in this movie. Those two characters have had a rocky history in the Marvel comics, in fact Tony Stark went so far as to design a suit meant for battling Hulk called the Hulkbuster (I have a review of that armor through my Sideshow Collectible found here).

And that airborne serpent - very interesting! Have to love the group shot with the pan around too! Bring on May 4th!!

WOW! New Footage In Russian Trailer For THE AVENGERS!!

Definitely take the time to watch this trailer guys! Very cool new footage for THE AVENGERS. I like what I see of Jeremy Renner's Hawkeye too.

"Marvel's The Avengers" is the Super Hero team up of a lifetime, featuring iconic Marvel Super Heroes Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, Captain America, Hawkeye and Black Widow. When an unexpected enemy emerges that threatens global safety and security, Nick Fury, Director of the international peacekeeping agency known as S.H.I.E.L.D., finds himself in need of a team to pull the world back from the brink of disaster. Spanning the globe, a daring recruitment effort begins.

Starring Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner and Samuel L. Jackson, and directed by Joss Whedon "Marvel's The Avengers" is based on the ever-popular Marvel comic book series "The Avengers," first published in 1963 and a comics institution ever since. Prepare yourself for an exciting event movie, packed with action and spectacular special effectswhen "Marvel's The Avengers" assemble in summer 2012.

Thanks for the link boffo3D!



You WILL see THE AVENGERS in my 2012 Most Anticipated List Of 3D Movies coming soon! :-)

Check Out New Banners For THE AVENGERS!

Well it certainly is a 'Marvel'ous day for super hero pics and posters!

Check out the new character banners for THE AVENGERS!

Be sure to click to enlarge...

Here's the storyline:
Marvel Studios presents in association with Paramount Pictures “Marvel’s The Avengers”–the Super Hero team up of a lifetime, featuring iconic Marvel Super Heroes Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, Captain America, Hawkeye and Black Widow. When an unexpected enemy emerges that threatens global safety and security, Nick Fury, Director of the international peacekeeping agency known as S.H.I.E.L.D., finds himself in need of a team to pull the world back from the brink of disaster. Spanning the globe, a daring recruitment effort begins.

Starring Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner and Samuel L. Jackson, and directed by Joss Whedon, “Marvel’s The Avengers” is based on the ever-popular Marvel comic book series “The Avengers,” first published in 1963 and a comics institution ever since. Prepare yourself for an exciting event movie, packed with action and spectacular special effects, when “Marvel’s The Avengers” assemble in summer 2012. In “Marvel’s The Avengers,” superheroes team up to pull the world back from the brink of disaster when an unexpected enemy threatens global security.

More as I get it!

THE AVENGERS At NYCC 2011 - Trailer Most Viewed Ever On iTunes! New Short Featuring Agent Coulson!!

We have some Avenger photos / clips for you from the NYCC 2011 show - wish I was there this year!

Mark Ruffalo was a surprise visitor apparently as it was not advertised he would be there, but why not? He is an Avenger after all.

Love the energy in that room for the panel! A lot of confidence being displayed - I guess I would be confident of my movie too if it had 10 million trailer downloads on iTunes in the first 24 hours (Oct 11)! That my friends, is a new record.

Marvel has also released a new short featuring Agent Coulson (Clark Gregg - who is also on the Avengers panel clip). The clip will also be on the CAPTAIN AMERICA DVD / Blu-ray coming out October 25. Great to see him in action! Hope that carries through to THE AVENGERS.

Here are the clips (the panel is first followed by Coulson's short) - ENJOY!

MUST WATCH: First Trailer For THE AVENGERS!!

Oh yeah! Perfect trailer!! Man I love the marketing team at Marvel. They push just the right buttons don't they?

Love the new footage too. We see Hawkeye with is very cool bow, interesting dynamics between Captain America and Iron Man (we all knew that was going to happen right?), glimpses of Mark Ruffalo's Hulk and so on. You get the idea!

Have a look at this!



Kind of silly question, but are you amped about THE AVENGERS or what?? :-) Release date is May 4, 2012.

New AVENGERS Photos Featuring The Hunk Hulk's Mark Ruffalo!!

I must say I can't stand whoever creates some of these characters shots - Mark Ruffalo's in particular. Sure he is in character but break this divergence gently to audiences, don't shove it down our throats like this image does. Then of course why not give all this to Entertainment Weekly who will further deface them with their watermarks! Anyway, you can view EW's photoshop mess by clicking the link.

I've done a bit of retouch to show the characters shots with a bit more flair in the first shot, but it is still desiring so much more.

Click images to enlarge.

On the plus side, EW has provided some behind the scenes shots too - still scourged by their watermark (which I promptly tried to get around).

On with the content. Yes Ruffalo is in character here (lower left in first photo) as Dr. Bruce Banner which is a bit of a surprise as traditionally Banner is presented as a mild and reserved physicist as the alter ego to the rampaging Hulk. Perhaps Marvel felt that personality wasn't appealing enough in the first couple of theatrical tries at THE HULK and wanted to reinvent the wheel a bit here. Whatever the reason, we are being introduced to it through this one photo and it WILL cause controversy. Clearly Dr. Banner is pushing his presence.

ET talks about how the Marvel characters are not getting along in the movie - "Egos, tempers, uneasy alliances and bad attitudes are threatening the group, and failure would be catastrophic." The trailer for THE AVENGERS hinted at this and it will certainly make an interesting backdrop to the action to say the least. "Just because they’re super heroes doesn’t mean they’re super friends," says Renner.

Joss Whedon is also taking a page from IRON MAN productions as he rewrites dialogue on the fly while shooting. "There is a weird element of: they handed me one of the biggest movies of all time, and I'm making it up as I go."

Here's the synopsis:
Continuing the epic big-screen adventures started in “Iron Man,” “The Incredible Hulk,” “Iron Man 2,” “Thor,” and “Captain America: The First Avenger,” “Marvel’s The Avengers” is the super hero team up of a lifetime. When an unexpected enemy emerges that threatens global safety and security, Nick Fury, director of the international peacekeeping agency known as S.H.I.E.L.D., finds himself in need of a team to pull the world back from the brink of disaster. Based on the ever-popular Marvel comic book series, first published in 1963, “Marvel’s The Avengers” brings together the mightiest super hero characters as they all assemble together on screen for the first time.

Here's the main cast:
Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark
Chris Evans as Captain America
Chris Hemsworth as Thor
Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury
Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner/The Hulk
Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye
Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow
Tom Hiddleston as Loki
Don Cheadle as Col. James Rhodes
Cobie Smulders as Agent Maria Hill
Clark Gregg as Agent Coulson
Stellan Skarsgård as Professor Erik Selvig

For all our coverage for THE AVENGERS click here. Look for this mammoth movie in theaters May 4, 2012 - they don't come any bigger than this one folks!

THE AVENGERS Update!! Video Clip Bridging THE HULK Over To The Team!

Are you ready for this thing? THE AVENGERS release is going to be massive next year and we are starting to see official marketing get underway. With this update we have new poster art and a couple of fairly amazing video clips.

With a line up of Robert Downey Jr., Samuel L. Jackson, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlet Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Stellan Skarsgard, Tom Hiddleston and Cobie Smulders we should be seeing some unforgettable action on screen!

The poster artwork is from Russia and has almost all the main characters in dynamic poses for the shot, however Fury is noticeably absent from the first one. I think many people are going to be surprised with Nick Fury as I believe that he will be getting a much more active role in THE AVENGERS as compared to the earlier movies for the others (except THE HULK where he did not have an appearance - more on that in a moment). To the uninitiated it may seem like Fury is more of a pencil pushing bureaucrat with connections than an action hero, but trust me he is going to be getting wet in this thing. If he doesn't I will be sorely disappointed.

For a reminder Nick Fury was a WWII war hero and now a modern super spy who does in fact act as a liaison between government agencies and the super heroes. But he has his secrets too! I don't want to go into them as it may spoil the surprise for many to read it before the movie opens. It is available to you to read on the net though and I fully recommend catching up through this page if you so desire. I am not saying that everything that happens in the comic universe will happen in the live action, but you can believe that Marvel will base a good portion of his character on it.

So lets get to the clips!

Remember I mentioned that S.H.I.E.L.D. was not involved in THE HULK movie? That was more or less a hole that needed to be filled and this first clip addresses that need. The Hulk needed to bridged over into The Avengers - have a watch! This was also shown at Comic-Con and is now available online. Very cool clip...



How awesome is that??

The second clip is designed to amp up everyone's excitement level through the use of all of the characters in various spoken, comic and live action scenes. And as director Joss Whedon aptly points out - this cast is his "dream team". Have a look...



Look for THE AVENGERS on May 4, 2012. Who won't be... I mean, really?

Sources: THR | SpiderMedia | Movies.com via /Film

Update From THE AVENGERS Set: Official Photo And Press Release...

Here's the first official shot from THE AVENGERS set! Certainly gets you in the mood to see what they have in store for these guys.

Here's the official press release:

Production has commenced today in Albuquerque, New Mexico on Marvel Studios’ highly anticipated movie “Marvel’s The Avengers,” directed by Joss Whedon (“Serenity”) from a screenplay by Whedon. The film will continue principal photography in Cleveland, Ohio and New York City. Robert Downey, Jr. (“Iron Man,” “Iron Man 2″) returns as the iconic Tony Stark/Iron Man along with Chris Hemsworth (“Thor”) as Thor, Chris Evans (“Captain America: The First Avenger”) as Captain America, Jeremy Renner (“Thor,” “The Hurt Locker”) as Hawkeye, Mark Ruffalo (“The Kids Are Alright”) as Hulk, Scarlett Johansson (“Iron Man 2″) as Black Widow, Clark Gregg (“Iron Man,” “Thor”) as Agent Phil Coulson, and Samuel L. Jackson (“Iron Man,” “Iron Man 2″) as Nick Fury. Set for release in the US on May 4, 2012, “Marvel’s The Avengers” is the first feature to be fully owned, marketed and distributed by Disney, which acquired Marvel in 2009.

Continuing the epic big-screen adventures started in “Iron Man,” “The Incredible Hulk,” “Iron Man 2,” “Thor,” and “Captain America: The First Avenger,” “Marvel’s The Avengers” is the super hero team up of a lifetime. When an unexpected enemy emerges that threatens global safety and security, Nick Fury, director of the international peacekeeping agency known as S.H.I.E.L.D., finds himself in need of a team to pull the world back from the brink of disaster.

Based on the ever-popular Marvel comic book series, first published in 1963, “Marvel’s The Avengers” brings together the mightiest super hero characters as they all assemble together on screen for the first time. The star studded cast of super heroes will be joined by Cobie Smulders (“How I Met Your Mother) as Agent Maria Hill of S.H.I.E.L.D., as well as Tom Hiddleston (“Wallander”) and Stellan Skarsgård (“Angels & Demons,” “Mamma Mia!”) who will both reprise their respective roles as Loki and Professor Erik Selvig from the upcoming Marvel Studios’ feature “Thor.”

“Marvel’s The Avengers” is being produced by Marvel Studios’ President, Kevin Feige, and executive produced by Alan Fine, Stan Lee, Louis D’Esposito, Patty Whitcher, and Jon Favreau. Marvel Studios’ Jeremy Latcham and Victoria Alonso will co-produce.

The creative production team also includes Oscar nominated director of photography Seamus McGarvey (“Atonement”), production designer James Chinlund (“25th Hour”), Oscar winning costume designer Alexandra Byrne (“Elizabeth: The Golden Age”), Oscar winning visual effects supervisor Janek Sirrs (“Iron Man 2,” “The Matrix”), visual effects producer Susan Pickett (“Iron Man,” “Iron Man 2?), stunt coordinator R.A. Rondell (“Superman Returns”), and four-time Oscar nominated special effects supervisor Dan Sudick (“Iron Man,” “War of the Worlds”). The editors include Oscar nominated Paul Rubell (“Collateral”) and Jeffrey Ford (“Crazy Heart”).

Marvel Studios most recently produced “Iron Man 2″ which was released in theatres on May 7, 2010. The sequel to “Iron Man,” starring Robert Downey, Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow as well as Don Cheadle, Scarlett Johansson and Mickey Rourke, took the number one spot its first weekend with a domestic box office gross of $128.1 million. To date the film has earned over $620 million in worldwide box office receipts.

In the summer of 2008, Marvel produced the summer blockbuster movies, “Iron Man” and “The Incredible Hulk.” “Iron Man,” in which Robert Downey, Jr. originally dons the super hero’s powerful armor alongside co-stars Terrence Howard, Jeff Bridges and Gwyneth Paltrow, was released May 2, 2008 and was an immediate box office success. Garnering the number one position for two weeks in a row, the film brought in over $100 million its opening weekend and grossed over $571 million worldwide. On June 13, 2008, Marvel released “The Incredible Hulk” marking its second number one opener of that summer. The spectacular revival of the iconic green goliath grossed over $250 million in worldwide box office receipts.

Stay tuned for breaking set photos and clips as we get them! We will be following this movie's production with a fine tooth comb :-)

3D Geek Alert: Life Size HULK Now Available... For A Fair Chunk Of Green...

Wow! This is one impressive mannequin! Standing almost 8 feet tall (94 Inches), this made of fibre piece is quite intimidating. One has to consider their ceiling height before ordering!

And also your wallet. Muckle Figures of Germany has the price at about $3300 USD without considering shipping, etc. Not completely sure as of yet, but I believe there is a US distributor for these pieces, Section 9 Entertainment.

Stephan Lokotsch of Section 9 spoke to Marvel:
"I believe when choosing a design for a consumer product like this, it is best to commit to one version or another to do it justice--either film or comic--not a blend," Lokotsch said. "When tying the marketing into the movie campaign, it is even more paramount to mirror the look people are then exposed to via the film and its advertising."

"We always aim for characters in dynamic poses as opposed to statues simply standing lifelessly with their arms down," Lokotsch said. "In the case of Hulk, Studio Oxmos nailed the character pose, without which, the character would not have as much impact as it does. We oftentimes seek guidance from trailers, comics and cover shots to choose the most representative and affective pose. A crucial factor hereby is also for both Muckle and Oxmos to determine that the pose can practically be manufactured, the process of which has become sort of short-hand language, as Oxmos' Marc Klinnert knows exactly what will and will not work."

Here are the specs:
Client: Muckle Mannequins
Marvel: TM & © Marvel
Sculpture: Studio Oxmox
Figure Height: 240 cm
Base: Metal base 140 x 80 cm
Material: Fibre
Parts: Body, arms, hip with leg, leg
Packaging: 5 boxes per figure
Edition: Limited
Cost: ~$2400 Euro (~$3300 USD)

Personally I prefer the smaller and high quality Sideshow Collectibles for my collection. Then again, I don't have a 10 foot high collectibles room yet at my place! You can check out other pieces Muckle Figures have to offer on their site right here.

You can see THE HULK next in THE AVENGERS coming May 4, 2012. In 3D of course...

CONFIRMATION! Mark Ruffalo: THE AVENGERS Will Be In 3D And Use AVATAR's Tech!!!

I couldn't be happier! In what I think will be the biggest comic-based movie of all time (yeah, I think TDK could go down a notch), Marvel's THE AVENGERS will in fact be 3D and use AVATAR's motion capture cameras for character creation - at least with The Hulk (played by Mark Ruffalo).

Says Mark Ruffalo (nymag): "I'm really excited. No one's ever played the Hulk exactly, they've always done CGI. They're going to do the Avatar stop-action, stop-motion capture. So I'll actually play the Hulk. That'll be fun."

I am assuming that when he says stop motion he is talking performance capture / motion capture. If he hadn't of mentioned AVATAR I would not be able to place the quote really as he clearly doesn't mean Henry Selick will be setting up stop motion puppets to play THE AVENGERS! :-)

And on the Hulk (and therefore THE AVENGERS) being in 3D: "I hope I don't bulge in anyone's face, that's all I have to say."

THE AVENGERS is setting up to absolutely pulverize the box office come May 4, 2012! Yes, a fair amount of anticipation will be set with the performance of THOR and CAPTAIN AMERICA and the fact that those will be conversions. I know who is converting THOR and let me say I have trepidation at this point. CAPTAIN AMERICA's conversion is still in bids from what I gather. DO THIS RIGHT GUYS. Don't mess around; spend the time and money.

Whew baby - THE AVENGERS is looking more and more exciting with every announcement!

MarketSaw's Review Of The IRON MAN HULKBUSTER Comiquette From Sideshow Collectibles!

I am suitably impressed with the products out of Sideshow Collectibles! I received my HULKBUSTER IRON MAN Comiquette from them a few weeks ago and decided I would give you a review of the statue because it is so impressive. So I hope you enjoy! Please forgive the decidedly low tech production - I just wanted to get it out to you.

I am hoping that the Hulkbuster Iron Man armor sees light in THE AVENGERS movie (in 3D!) as it potentially could - what an awesome battle that would be: IRON MAN vs. THE HULK!

Here's the Hulkbuster description: Each piece is individually painted and finished to exacting standards, each with its own unique quality and detail that is the trademark of a handcrafted Sideshow Collectibles product. It perfectly captures Tony Stark's most formidable armor in approximately 1:6 scale.

From Wikipedia: First Appearance: Iron Man (vol. 1) #304 (May 1994). The Hulkbuster armor is a heavy-duty exo-frame (an add-on to the Mk. XI Modular Armor) designed for maximum strength amplification at the cost of reduced versatility and mobility. As its name suggests, it was specifically designed for hand-to-hand combat with the rampaging Hulk. The armor was rated with a lift (press) capacity of 175 tons. During its maiden run, the armor enabled Stark to hold his own in sustained physical combat with the Hulk. An armor similar to the Hulkbuster armor appears in Iron Man: Armored Adventures referred to as the Dynamobuster armor. Also, in the video game Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction, the military forces begin using "Hulkbuster" battle-suits, which are usually of similar size to the Hulk himself.

Check out the review!



Here are the statue's stats:
Price: $429.99 or Flexpay of $143.33 / month
License: Marvel
Product Type: Polystone Statue
Product Size: 21" H (533.4mm) x 18" W (457.2mm) x 18" D (457.2mm)*
Product Weight: 15.00 lbs (6.8 kg)*
Box Size: 26.75" H (679.45mm) x 19.25" W (488.95mm) x 14.25" L (361.95mm)*
Oversized Item
Est. Shipping Weight: 15.00 lbs (6.8 kg)*
Dimensional Weight (DIM): 68 lbs *

If you are interested in more details check out the Hulkbuster Iron Man Sideshow Collectibles page right here. I will be reviewing more Sideshow items soon - stay tuned!

Marvel's "Avengers" in 3D?

My good friend Alex Billington over at FirstShowing posted about the possibility of the future Marvel's "Avengers" movie being in 3D - or perhaps what animators call 3D sometimes, which is really 2D - I know, a bit confusing. In fact Alex's source, Zak Penn who may be tapped to write the movie, spoke about Avengers being perhaps like Beowulf - which of course set off the 3D speculation! Head over to First Showing for a more in depth report - he always has great Marvel reading.

Here is an excerpt from his post:

PENN: "Absolutely. It's not only something I've considered doing, but there's been the discussion about The Avengers doing some sort of next level… Whatever the next iteration of computer animation is after this, the next step after Beowulf, is something we would definitely conisder for that."

BILLINGTON: "From what it sounds like, Zak is implying that the Avengers movie could (key word) become something like an animated movie that is the next level beyond Beowulf, which was a 3D CGI movie. As far as I can imagine, we're talking about very photorealistic CGI and motion capture, maybe along the lines of what James Cameron is doing with Avatar. Which brings up the question of whether they're holding off on an Avengers movie because they want the individual franchises to develop and the technology to advance to a point even beyond Avatar where they can really go all out."

My opinion is that it would be awesome in 3D. After watching the 2D "Ironman" trailers, I am spellbound by just how good it looks - I can only imagine that in 3D - hence my exuberant opinion for "Avengers" in 3D. By the way if you don't already know, the Avengers are made up of a team of super-heroes some of whom are Iron Man, Ant-Man, Wasp, Thor, Hulk, and Captain America. Go for it Marvel. You're the king of action heroes - join the 3D bandwagon! :-)