Posts Tagged ‘Marvel’
4 items.
Unless you’ve been completely cut off from the internet today (in which case, I’m glad Theater Hopper was your first stop after being plugged back in to The Grid), then you might have missed the news that Disney has acquired Marvel Entertainment for $4 billion.
There aren’t a lot of details at the moment, but the news pretty much set the internet on fire this afternoon. Since I’m a bit of a movie nut AND a bit of a comic book nut, I feel a responsibility to comment.
A lot of people are responding to the news Chicken Little-style. They swear up and down that the sky is falling and that the House of Mouse is going to ruin their favorite super heroes by flattening their appeal, making them more mainstream and toothless.
As much as I have enjoyed portraying Disney as the Evil Empire in the past (and it is likely I will continue to do so in the future), I’m optimistic about this deal with Marvel.
People forget that roughly 15 years ago, Marvel declared bankruptcy. Getting in bed with Disney means the likelihood of that happening again are slim to none. Anything that protects Marvel’s solvency at this point is a-okay in my book.
Some people claim that Disney can be careless with the properties they acquire – citing Mirimax and The Muppets as examples. I don’t know if I see a lot of evidence supporting that. If anything, Marvel being associated with Disney gives them far more opportunities to cross-pollinate their characters into other media outlets than they would have been able to do otherwise.
Never mind the distribution advantage they now have with their movies. What other studio besides Disney can put a movie on 3,000 screens opening weekend every single time? Not many.
I guess I’m trying to be more pragmatic in my response to the acquisition rather than gloom and doom. If Spider-Man could survive The Clone Saga, he’ll survive this.
What are your thoughts about the Disney / Marvel merger? Are you a fan of the comics, movies or both. How do you think this will affect Marvel’s output in the coming years? What was your first reaction to the news?
Leave your comments below!
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According to Vulture, Jon Favreau will not be directing Iron Man 3. No reason has been given at this time, although I think it is a profoundly dumb move on Marvel’s part. Speculation is that the issue revolves around money. Considering what went down with Terrance Howard on Iron Man 2 and Edward Norton on the sequel to The Incredible Hulk, this seems feasible. Others suggest a creative split between Favreau and The House of Ideas. Considering the Iron Man 2 was basically a giant set-up for The Avengers, this, too seems feasible.
Business is business, I understand that. But considering the care and dedication Favreau took with what was – admittedly, at the time – a second-string Marvel property, it seems profoundly stupid of them to let him go. Considering his vision and dedication to practical effects (which I think was a large part of what made the franchise successful – a strictly CGI suit wouldn’t fly, so to speak), you’d think Marvel would be bending over backwards to keep Favreau happy.
What’s your reaction to this news? Who do you think the best candidate would be to replace the erstwhile Swinger behind the lens? Does this also mean Happy Hogan won’t be in the third film? DISCUSS!
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Haphazardly monitoring Twitter last night, I saw my feed lit up from people who were wetting their pants over the new Captain America trailer. Then enthusiasm was so unbridled, it almost made me want to skip watching the trailer myself.
Almost.
I understand the emphasis is on action with this trailer, that’s fine. But the use of Tool’s “Forty Six And 2” feels COMPLETELY out of place. So easily I could have pictured more anthemic orchestration like John Williams’ Indiana Jones score. But that’s a quibble.
Despite a summer plagued by superhero movies that have created anxious doubt(X-Men: First Class), suffered critical misfires (Green Lantern) or were merely serviceable (Thor), I am actually very optimistic about Captain America because it seems like they’ve gotten a lot of the little details right. More importantly, they haven’t given away the store with their previews. They’ve been promoting this movie for almost a year and I still feel like there are plenty of treats waiting for us on the big screen.
The casting is excellent. Can I say pleases me to no end to see Tommy Lee Jones barking orders at people? It goes without saying that Hugo Weaving as The Red Skull is perfect.
I’ll let the trailer speak for itself. What’s your take on Captain America? Leave your comments below!
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