In what was either a direct admission or truth or a masterstroke of misdirection, Avengers director Joss Whedon shot down rumors of a cameo appearance by everyone’s favorite wallcrawler in the superteam flick that’s released in May.
“There is no Spider-Man cameo. But the Avengers do turn off the dark,” Whedon quipped to one participant in a global Twitter chat about the movie that was conducted on Tuesday afternoon (31 Jan).
Whedon and actors Clark Gregg (Agent Coulson) Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury) and Tom Hiddleston (Loki) also participated in the chat. But the floor seemed mostly to belong to the director.
Some other highlights:
Describing the movie to one fan, Whedon joked it was “a combo platter: classic, Ultimate, plus a little “Richie Rich” & “Mastering the Art of French Cooking.”
Asked for his favorite Avenger, Whedon chose The Wasp (who does not appear in the movie) because “She’s goofy and sting-y.”
In an apparent question about the presence of Easter eggs in the movie (like Thor’s hammer in Iron Man and Cap’s shield in Thor), he responded: “There will be actual dyed eggs. Try to find them all!”
And that was about it. There were plenty more wisecracks, but little to be gleaned in actual news from the 30-minute fan interaction.
… and with it, the entirely justified annual spate of stories about why the cover stars are so … ahhh … lacking in diversity (save the inclusion of Paula Patton and Adepero Oduye).
Here’s a scan of the cover:
Included in this year’s cover are: Rooney Mara, Mia Wasikowska, Jennifer Lawrence, Jessica Chastain, Elizabeth Olsen, Adepero Oduye, Shailene Woodley, Paula Patton, Felicity Jones, Lily Collins, and Brit Marling. It’s shot by Mario Testino.
Here’s a majorly spoilerly featurette from Chronicle, the Josh Trask-directed “Found Footage” superhero flick that gets its release this weekend. The film examines what happens when some seriously moody kids get superpowers. They’re more villain than hero, as the footage shows.
Get your inner nerd on at 2 p.m. EST/11 a.m. PST today for a live Twitter chat with stars of the Joss Whedon-helmed superteam flick.
Via Marvel, here’s the full details:
“Marvel Studios announced they will be sponsoring a Global Twitter Chat on Tuesday, January 31, 2012 at 2 pm ET/11 am PST with cast members and the director of their highly anticipated action-adventure Marvel’s The Avengers, opening in theaters on May 4, 2012. The 30-minute live tweeting event features writer/director Joss Whedon and cast members Tom Hiddleston and Clark Gregg.
Fans around the world will be able to participate in the Q&A on Twitter by using the @Avengers handle and the #Avengers hashtag. Participating fans will have the opportunity to see a 10-second tease of the 30-second Super Bowl spot that will air during Super Bowl XLVI on February 5 on NBC. They will also have a chance to answer Avengers trivia for a chance to win Avengers prize packs.
International fans will be able to submit questions for the talent in their native language through a global translation tool provided by Ortsbo.com. The chat will be moderated by Marvel’s @Agent_M.”
I’ll be back at 2 p.m. with updates. See you then.
By Odin’s hammer! Looks like things are rolling for the new adventures of everyone’s favorite Earthbound Norse god.
Actor Tom Hiddleston, who plays the villainous Loki, tells the Belfast Telegraph that shooting will get underway in London this spring on a sequel to last year’s mildly successful “Thor.”
“There is a Thor 2. It’s been green-lit, and I think it will start shooting in London in the spring. Chris Hemsworth and Natalie Portman are coming back. I haven’t seen the script. This is where I feel the Marvel snipers are waiting and watching across the street…”
Speaking To Total Film …
… “The Amazing Spiderman” star sheds some light on how he prepared for the reboot of the famed Wall-Crawler and his kiss with actress Emma Stone, who plays Gwen Stacy in the film:
“There is the first kiss between Peter and his love interest, Gwen Stacy,” said Garfield when asked whether there were any iconic moments to look forward to. “I got to practise for that – although on my own, I must add! I practised kissing on my hand, arms and in the mirror. I was just hoping I’ll remember how to kiss when the moment comes and not fumble.”
Liam Neeson’s Man vs. Wolf Pack adventure “The Grey” leads the weekend box office, while the latest installment of the Vampires vs. Werewolves saga, “Underworld: Awakening,” finished second.
From BoxOfficeMojo, here’s the weekend by the numbers:
Meanwhile, the New York Times profiled the resurgent Hammer Films with a story in Sunday’s editions. I have fond memories of Christopher Lee’s Dracula scaring the crap out of me when I was kid. It’s good to know that the venerable British company will be scaring new generations of filmgoers. Hammer put out “The Woman in Black,” which opened this weekend.
Here’s the nut graf:
“The early efforts by the rebooted Hammer, including the acclaimed remake “Let Me In” and “The Resident,” have not found huge box office success. But Mr. Oakes, the chief executive and president, said that those were only “building blocks” setting up his ambitious next move, a $13 million adaptation of “The Woman in Black,” opening Friday. Like the classic Hammer movies, this ghost story, shot in Britain, is a period piece with a high-toned pedigree. (Adapted from a Susan Hill novella, it also was a long-running West End play.) In keeping with Hammer tradition, it has a star. In his first post-Harry Potter film role, Daniel Radcliffe plays a guilt-ridden father and lawyer who starts seeing ghosts while going through the estate of a recently deceased woman. “For Hammer to succeed, it has to honor its legacy,” Mr. Oakes said by Skype.
What that means is not obvious, since Hammer has a long, colorful history full of reinventions. But the upscale direction of the new Hammer is a far cry from the company’s origins. It was founded in 1934 by a group led by a music hall comic named William Hinds, whose stage name was Will Hammer. While the company dabbled in comedy and science fiction, its most sustained and successful movies were gothic costume dramas that revisited the classic Universal Pictures monsters.
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The Cineaste's Lament. 