Marvel Studios Introduces Disney’s Greatest Love Story with First ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Teaser Trailer

 

Sure, the Super Bowl ended in fairytale fashion with Travis Kelce celebrating a hard-fought gridiron victory by smooching his pop megastar girlfriend Taylor Swift, but let’s be real: The night’s true power couple was a cantankerous clawed Canadian and a foul-mouthed mercenary with a thing for Crocs and unicorns.

Yep, Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool is back … and this time, he’s very much in Disney’s Marvel Cinematic Universe.

The trailer for the third Deadpool film – now named Deadpool & Wolverine – brings us up to speed on Wade Wilson, whose last film was somehow six years ago. When agents from Loki’s infamous Time Variance Authority come knocking at his door, DP is pulled into a self-aware adventure that promises to change the MCU as we know it … or just s*** all over it, I’m not quite sure yet. 

But what I am sure of is that we’ll get at least one scene featuring Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine in his most comic book-accurate costume to date, plenty of meta humor, and more than a few familiar faces popping in. Hell, they brough back Pyro from the original 2000s X-Men trilogy, and if the rumors are true, he’s not the only surprise character from the 20^th Century Fox Marvel films who will be making their return. I can’t wait. This thing is gonna be BONKERS. 

Directed by Shawn Levy, Deadpool & Wolverine hits theaters July 26. Watch the teaser below!

P.S., was I hallucinating, or was there a trailer for a Twister sequel during the Super Bowl? What a time to be alive.

Disney and Epic Games Collaborate on New Universe Connected to Fortnite

As a 40-year-old man with far too many hobbies, I’ll warily admit that I dabble in Fortnite from time to time. Whether popping in to spend way too much money on a new Star Wars skin or killing time while another game downloads, Fortnite serves as an easy-to-pick-up palate cleanser that’s a lot more fun and immersive than a lot of people my age assume it is. I’m also pretty terrible at it.

Well, I might be spending a lot more time getting one-shotted by buff Peter Griffins following news that Disney and Fortnite makers Epic Games are teaming up to bring us “an all-new gams and entertainment universe that will further expand the reach of beloved Disney stories and experiences.”

According to the press release, which you can read in full here, the new experience will connect to Fortnite, and “the new persistent universe will offer a multitude of opportunities for consumers to play, watch, shop and engage with content, characters and stories from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, Avatar and more. Players, gamers and fans will be able to create their own stories and experiences, express their fandom in a distinctly Disney way, and share content with each other in ways that they love. This will all be powered by Unreal Engine.”

Disney is also investing $1.5 billion to acquire an equity stake in Epic Games as part of this multiyear project.

So might we soon see Lightning McQueen do the griddy through Pandora as Babu Frik wields a Keyblade against Goofy in Iron Man armor? God, I hope so.

Watch the announcement video below!

The Mandalorian and Grogu Head to Theaters

 

Although I wasn’t particularly enamored with The Mandalorian’s third season – it was fun but didn’t quite reach the meteoric highs of the first two seasons – I’m intrigued by news that Din Djarin and his little, green, and marketable buddy Grogu are going to star in a feature film entering production this year.

StarWars.com reports that Jon Favreau will direct The Mandalorian and Grogu (likely a working title), with Kathleen Kennedy and Dave Filoni joining him as producers.

“I have loved telling stories set in the rich world that George Lucas created,” said Favreau in a statement. “The prospect of bringing the Mandalorian and his apprentice Grogu to the big screen is extremely exciting.”

"Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni have ushered into Star Wars two new and beloved characters, and this new story is a perfect fit for the big screen," added Kathleen Kennedy, president of Lucasfilm.

My hope here is that the film looks, feels, and plays out like an honest-to-goodness Star Wars film and is not merely an extended and slightly more expensive-looking episode of the series. Plus, with Mando and Grogu’s story tying up nicely in the final moments of Season 3, I’m curious as to what this “new story” will entail and how much money I will be somehow compelled to spend on new Grogu merchandise when it gets here.

In other news, Ahsoka Season 2 is officially in production, and the below concept art featuring Ahsoka Tano and her apprentice Sabine Wren standing on one of the mammoth statues featured in the first season’s finale sets up what just might be the best “pull my finger” joke of all time!

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Diminishing Returns?

 

Indiana Jones came out of retirement for one last adventure on June 30 for James Mangold’s Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, a film rife with nostalgia in Disney’s continued plundering of time-tested IP in pursuit of theatrical fortune and glory. Given the lukewarm box office reception in its debut weekend, during which it fell short of projections by whipping up just $82 million domestically over five days, it’s safe to say that fortune eluded Indy this time around – especially given its $300 million budget. As for the glory? Well, that depends.

Way back in 2008, I was remarkably high on Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, a film that became the subject of much derision due to its fridge-nuking propensity for silliness. Although I affirm that Crystal Skull is still the weakest in the series to this day (spoiler: Dial of Destiny is a stronger film), it still has that classic Steven Spielberg charm in spots and features Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones – one of the greatest marriages of actor and character in movie history.

And it’s that strength of Ford’s performance that carries much of Dial of Destiny, even when it veers into the realm of the preposterous. Infamously a curmudgeon in the press these days, Ford, 80, has a twinkle in his eye as he closes the curtain on a character that he, Spielberg and George Lucas created more than 40 years ago. Indy alumni Karen Allen and John Rhys-Davies return as Marion Ravenwood and Sallah, joined by series newcomers Phoebe Waller-Bridge as Indy’s goddaughter Helena Shaw, Ethann Isidore as aspiring aviator Teddy, and Mads Mikkelsen as the villainous Jürgen Voller. The story, which spans several decades, revolves around Archimedes’ Dial, a device that gives its wielder the power to transcend space and time.

Mangold had big shoes to fill in directing the first and only Indiana Jones film not helmed by Spielberg, but as he did with the phenomenal Logan, he tells a compelling story about an aging hero coming to terms with the mistakes of the past and the mounting limits of his mortality. A well-paced first act shows us a younger World War II-era Indy (by way of some impressive de-aging technology) escaping Nazis on board a speeding train, where we’re introduced to the film’s main villain and the titular Dial (or at least half of it). We then catch up with an elderly Indy in 1969 on the cusp of his retirement, but a chance reconnection with his estranged goddaughter Helena brings him back into conflict with Nazis and back into pursuit of an artifact that has the power to alter the course of history.

A fun first act gives way to a muddy middle that caused me to look at my own Dial of Destiny (my watch) a few times, and the climax is going to be something scholars (nerds) debate for a long, long time. That said, for a series that’s featured beating hearts plucked from chests, an eleventh-century knight living long enough to learn the Charleston and actual ALIENS, I didn’t bump into the film’s final scenes as much as some other people on the internet and I’m satisfied with where Indy ultimately winds up.

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny likely won’t be the most memorable film you see this year or even this summer, and anyone expecting it to reach the highs of the original three films will be as disappointed as Walter Donovan when he wet his whistle in the Canyon of the Crescent Moon. That said, getting to see Ford as Indiana Jones one more time goes a long way. And when it comes to long-running, decades-spanning franchises – Indy or otherwise – it’s not the years. It’s the mileage.  

"Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" is the Blockbuster We Need in 2017

It's not controversial to state that 2014's Guardians of the Galaxy is among Marvel Studios' best efforts, with a solid ensemble cast, an incredible blend of humor and action and a cinematic swagger rarely seen in modern-day blockbusters. There's no way a sequel could measure up, right?

Wrong. So, so wrong. Somehow, James Gunn did it again, giving us a follow-up that takes even more risks than the original while maintaining that rebellious spark that made us all fall in love with Star-Lord, Drax, Gamora, Rocket Raccoon and Groot three years ago.

My new obsession with all things Baby Groot aside (various plush and plastic iterations of the little guy seem to be making their way into my apartment lately), Guardians 2 immediately struck me as a welcome rarity among recent, laboriously interconnected Marvel Studios films in that it exists solely as a sequel to the first movie. As such, the film is able to take its time telling a smaller, character-driven story that doesn't exist solely to bring us crossover cameos or propel the Guardians team toward Avengers: Infinity War.

Granted, I just called a story revolving around a sentient planet "smaller," but all things being relative in the Marvel Universe, it's fairly focused in its scope.

Without delving into spoiler territory, I'll state that the film revolves mostly around the relationship between Peter Quill, a.k.a. Star-Lord (Chris Pratt), and his otherworldly dad Ego (Kurt Russell), who has a lot of explaining to do regarding his relationship with Peter's late mother. Meanwhile, Peter's blue-skinned "adoptive" dad Yondu Udonta (Michael Rooker) is on the outs with the Ravagers since we last saw him, and the rest of the Guardians, including the aforementioned infant Groot, get incredibly involved in Star-Lord's daddy issues, making a friend or two along the way.

With its story being fairly simple, Guardians 2 spends much of its screen time building on relationships, including the aforementioned father/son connections. We see Gamora (Zoe Saldana) make amends with her "sister" Nebula (Karen Gillan) as Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper) realizes he has more in common with Yondu than their love of money. The overtly literal Drax (Dave Bautista) strikes up an unexpected friendship with empathic series newcomer Mantis (Pom Klementieff), while Groot (still somehow voiced by Vin Diesel) essentially brings the whole dysfunctional family together as its curious, mischievous and sometimes stubborn child.

The film just works as a humorous, escapist fantasy, which is something that's pretty necessary given how crazy, unpredictable, divisive and, at times, scary the real world has gotten lately. For 136 minutes, I was completely immersed in the spacey Marvel Universe and for that, I'm grateful.

But Guardians 2 is not necessarily a perfect movie. The effects-laden climax drags out for a bit too long, and the soundtrack, while memorable, doesn't resonate as much as that of the first film. That doesn't mean I haven't been rocking out to "Mr. Blue Sky" before work every day this week, but it's hard to complete with the music of the original Guardians.

Overall, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is an easy film to love, and if you enjoyed the first movie, there's no reason why you won't have a blast this time around. And, as is always the case with Marvel flicks, be sure you stay through the credits.

Disney Wants You to Live in a "Star Wars" Spaceship

I haven't talked it over with my fianceé yet, but given the fact that Walt Disney World is planning Star Wars-themed resort that lets you live inside a spaceship, a permanent move to Orlando might need to happen.

As reported by Walt Disney World News Today, the resort would immerse visitors in a two-day night interactive story involving live performers, lightsaber training and secret missions in Disney's Hollywood Studios' Star Wars land. This is of course in addition to an "on-board" cantinas, dinner shows, exclusive park access and droid butlers.

I repeat: Droid. Butlers. 

The resort experience would cost roughly $1000 per guest, and would coincide with the anticipated Star Wars land opening in 2019.

This information came to light thanks to a Disney guest survey about the forthcoming resort that was distributed by a third party. Naturally, people are excited.

If this actually happens, the Force faithful will finally get the chance to legitimately live, eat, drink and breathe Star Wars for two nights. I know I basically do that every weekend, but never with droid butlers or actors dressed like Duros. 

For more details on Disney's plans for a Star Wars resort, head to wdwnt.com.

What Exactly is 'The Avengers Project'?

Confession time: I'm not particularly into mobile gaming. Yes, I understand its popularity and I can get into games like Super Mario Run and Pokemon Go as fleeting distractions, but it's hard for me to devote the kind of time to them as I would console titles. I also spend enough time playing around on my phone as it is.

With the rise in popularity of mobile games in recent years has also come the pop-culture dominance of Marvel's mighty stable of superheroes under the stewardship of Disney. This convergence has resulted in no shortage of Marvel mobile experiences, such as Contest of Champions and Future Fight, but for anyone looking for a substantial, quality story-based game on a console or PC has been mostly out of luck. This year's Spider-Man PlayStation 4 exclusive is a glimmer of hope, but we want much more than we've been getting.

Square-Enix and Marvel are seemingly aiming to remedy that issue with The Avengers Project, a large-scale video game undertaking developed by Crystal Dynamics and Eidos-Montreal, the folks behind the current Tomb Raider games. The project kicks off a multi-game deal between Square-Enix and Marvel. But what kind of game or games will we be getting with The Avengers Project? RPG? Action-adventure? Platformer? Will it take place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe? If so, when?

Until more info is released about this exciting new partnership, salivate over this announcement trailer for The Avengers Project below.

Let's Unite Over the New 'Rogue One' Trailer

Social media has been a pretty toxic place in the lead-up to the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election, with people on both sides of the aisle spewing vitriol at the other with little regard for compromise. I'm trying to stay out of it, for the most part, which unfortunately means limiting my interaction with the digital world as much as possible. That's a major reason why it's been a few weeks since I've posted.

Yet, I think there's one thing that we can all agree on in these divisive times. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story looks freakin' amazing. The final trailer for the forthcoming Gareth Edwards film chronicling the heist of the Empire's plans for the first Death Star was released today, giving us a better idea of what the Rebel Alliance is truly up against, the nature of Jyn Erso's mission and, finally, what "Rogue One" actually stands for.

What I dig most about the new trailer, embedded below, is that Edwards made a conscious effort to shoot this movie differently than any Star Wars film before it, but it still feels like that galaxy far, far away. We're in for something special on Dec. 16.

Watch the trailer below.

Why We Can All Stop Freaking Out About 'Rogue One' Reshoots

If you're a Star Wars geek (and really, who isn't?), you probably know by now that Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is undergoing four weeks of reshoots this summer after Disney executives screened a rough cut of Gareth Edwards' standalone film set in that galaxy far, far away. According to reports, the changes are to match the lighter tone of previous Star Wars films.

Many fans on social media are losing their minds over this news, worried that the film will be a massive misstep following the critical and financial success of The Force Awakens.

To steal a phrase, I find their lack of faith disturbing.

Movies undergo reshoots all the time, largely to address studio notes and streamline the narrative, which is necessary since we're dealing with the first Star Wars film that doesn't revolve around the Skywalker family. Marvel's The Avengers had extensive reshoots, as did The Force Awakens, the surprisingly funny Ant-Man and, if we want to go further back, The Lord of the Rings, Back to the Future and even Rocky required additional shooting after principal photography. The studio isn't panicking, they just want to give us the best version of Rogue One possible. This is a good thing.

I know we're in an outrage culture these days, constantly searching for a reason to froth at the mouth, but maybe, just maybe, Disney knows what they're doing. Let the Mickey win.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story hits theaters on Dec. 16.

'Captain America: Civil War' Might be Marvel's Best Film

After the depressing Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, I admittedly approached 2016's second hero vs. hero comic book flick, Captain America: Civil War, with some degree of caution. Sure, it's helmed by Anthony and Joe Russo, who also directed the spectacular Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and sure, it features Spider-Man's debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but how could a movie that pits Earth's Mightiest Heroes against each other be any fun at all? The comic book by Mark Millar, upon which this film is loosely based, certainly doesn't have the trappings of an escapist adventure. At its core, this a story about the shattering of longtime friendships, the crossing of moral boundaries and the dangers of Big Government.

So why did I have a stupid smile on my face from beginning to end?

Somehow, the Russo brothers have transformed what could have and probably should have been a very bleak narrative into one of the most exciting Marvel movies to date, even as it puts our characters in a precarious position for future installments in the expansive MCU.

This third Captain America film (and 13th in this movie universe), is set one year after the events of Avengers: Age of Ultron, and leaders of the world are none too pleased about the Avengers' lack of government oversight. The United Nations seeks to pass legislature known as the Sokovia Accords, which would force the superhero team to report to a UN panel. Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) sees the value in accountability, while Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) does not. With Iron Man and Captain America unable to see eye-to-eye, battle lines are drawn, sides are chosen and the Avengers are divided. 

Returning from previous films are Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen), Vision (Paul Bettany), Falcon (Anthony Mackie), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) Ant-Man (Paul Rudd), Agent 13 (Emily VanCamp) War Machine (Don Cheadle) and Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan), whose past life as Hydra's secret weapon continues to haunt him throughout the film.

M.I.A. during all of this hero-on-hero action are Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), although their whereabouts will likely be explored in Thor: Ragnarok, due in theaters next year. That hero deficit is more than rectified, however, with the introduction of Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) and Spider-Man (Tom Holland). Boseman's T'Challa is a pure badass, bringing to life a complicated character that I never thought I'd see in a live-action movie. Holland's Peter Parker, meanwhile, puts a fresh spin (ha) on a character we've seen in five other films already, but he just might be the best and most comic-accurate version of the Wall-Crawler to date. This version of Parker never seems to shut up, especially during the film's big fight scene, and the way he annoys other heroes on the battlefield gives us the smartass (and sometimes accidentally insulting) Spidey we've never really seen on the big screen. I can't wait to see more of this iteration of the character in Spider-Man: Homecoming, where Stark will no doubt continue to horn in on Peter's Aunt May (Marisa Tomei).

There's a lot of "gee-whiz" action on display in Civil War (just wait 'til you see what Ant-Man can do now) but by the end of the film's tense climax, characters' lives are forever altered, at least one beloved MCU character goes to the Great Beyond and relationships are irrevocably tarnished. Despite its somber moments, though, the film doesn't wallow in darkness, nor does it betray the moral foundations of its characters, even when they're at each other's throats. I sincerely hope Batman v Superman director Zack Snyder takes in a screening at some point.

It's hyperbolic to say that Civil War is the best Marvel Studios movie yet, but it also might be true. It's vastly superior to last year's uneven Age of Ultron, and it's right up there with the original Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy and The Winter Soldier in its combination of spectacle, humor and character growth. Go see it, and if you wind up with a stupid smile like I did, don't worry. That's supposed to happen.

My Thought on the 'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story' Teaser Trailer

What, you thought Disney wasn't going to immediately follow the Blu-ray release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens with something awesome? I find your lack of faith disturbing.

The House of Mouse has released the first teaser trailer for Rogue One: A Story Wars Story, Gareth Edwards' spinoff that takes place between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope. The film, hitting theaters Dec. 16, follows a group of rebels as they attempt to steal the plans for the first Death Star and set in motion the events in the original 1977 Star Wars film.

The trailer is loaded with familiar elements, like Original Trilogy Imperial Stormtroopers, Star Destroyers, AT-ATs and even Rebel Alliance leader Mon Mothma (now played by Genevieve O'Reilly), but there's something about it that feels very different from the Star Wars movies we've seen before. Perhaps it's the more grounded feel of the teaser or the fact that the trailer is loaded with humans with nary an alien to be seen, but I think this will nicely set the tone for these standalone spinoff movies. These should stand apart from the main movies, and based on what we've seen thus far, Rogue One will do just that.

Central in the trailer is Felicity Jones as Jyn Erso, a criminal loner who is selected for the Rebel Alliance's ultimate heist. I've already seen plenty of folks complaining online that this is the second Star Wars film in a row that features a young, dark-haired woman with a British accent in a lead role, but I don't necessarily think that's a bad thing at all. If she's also really good at scavenging in the desert and bypassing hyperdrive compressors, we might have an issue.

I also really dig that Forest Whitaker is in this, as I never imagined that the guy who played Idi Amin in The Last King of Scotland would ever star in a Star Wars flick. I can't wait to learn more about his role in Rogue One.

Check out the trailer below!

'Star Wars: Episode VIII' Release Pushed Back

The release date for Star Wars: Episode VIII has been pushed from May 2017 to Dec. 15 of that year, StarWars.com confirms. The film, directed by Rian Johnson, is currently in pre-production and will begin principal photography next month in London.

Although it's clearly a bummer that we're getting the next chapter in the saga several months after we had hoped, I don't necessarily mind that Lucasfilm is taking its time with this one. Plus, with Rogue One: A Star Wars Story hitting theaters at the end of this year, it's not like we won't be getting our Star Wars fix soon enough, right? RIGHT?!

'Civil War' to Conclude 'Captain America' Trilogy

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is set to steamroll movie theaters every year for the foreseeable future, but Steve Rogers will be starring in his final solo film in 2016, according to Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige.

"It's very much, in a certain way, the completion of a Captain America trilogy, Feige told MTV at an Avengers: Age of Ultron press event. "I think one day you’ll look back and watch Captain America: The First Avenger, Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Captain America: Civil War, and it’ll be one of the most unique and different trilogies ever around a single character."

Does this confirm rumors that Cap won't be making it out of Civil War alive, as was the case in the comic books? (Don't worry guys, he got better.)

Avengers: Age of Ultron is now available on Digital HD and Disney Movies Anywhere, and will hit Blu-ray this Friday. Captain America: Civil War is slated for release on May 6, 2016. For the full story, head over to MTV.com.

Disney 'Star Wars' Land Construction to Begin in 2016

Hey guys, it's been a while! Between weddings, work and post-Force Friday toy hunting, blogging unfortunately hasn't been making its way onto the ol' calendar, but I've had a lot of pumpkin iced coffee today, and I think I'm up for some vigorous typing. And since I'm having a hard time concentrating that isn't somehow related to The Force Awakens, let's talk Star Wars!

We already knew that Disney was planning to bring Star Wars theme lands to its parks in California and Florida but Disney COO Tom Staggs revealed at a financial conference in Beverly Hills that construction on the park expansions will begin next year.

Staggs also noted that these are the biggest "single-theme" additions in the history of Disney parks, and that they'll include attractions that invite visitors to the Mos Eisley Cantina and inside the Millennium Falcon.
There's no word as to when these new lands will open to the public.

It's amazing how Disney's acquisition of Lucasfilm has benefited the Star Wars brand, with the franchise practically engulfing popular culture months before the release of The Force Awakens. Heck, who doesn't want an interactive Sphero BB-8? If such people exist, I don't want to meet them.

For the full story, head over to The Hollywood Reporter by clicking here.

‘Star Wars’ is Only Beginning to Take Over the Universe

Thanks to some big reveals at Disney’s D23 Expo last week, Star Wars has dominated the collective nerd consciousness months ahead of the December 18 release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. We got a dozen new images from the new movie, courtesy of Entertainment Weekly. We’ve learned that Jurassic World helmer Colin Trevorrow will direct Episode VIII of the saga, picking up where J.J. Abrams and Rian Johnson leave off and rounding out the third Star Wars trilogy. We caught our first glimpse at the cast of Gareth Edwards’ Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, which includes Oscar winner Forest Whitaker, The Theory of Everything’s Felicity Jones, Firefly’s Alan Tudyk and Casino Royale’s Mads Mikkelsen. We found out that Disney is planning Star Wars-specific “lands” in its theme parks. We even got new details on the Star Wars-themed makeup from Cover Girl! Lipstick for Sullustans, you guys!

As more announcements and teases continue to make Force-hungry fans as giddy as Han Solo in a vest shop, it’s important to take a moment and reflect on the fact that we’re mere weeks away from the release of a brand-new Star Wars movie — something that seemed impossible a decade ago when the presumed “final” film in the series, Revenge of the Sith, hit theaters. Once “Force Friday” rolls around and we’re clamoring for Black Series Kylo Ren action figures and Jakku Micro Machines playsets, it’ll be a bit more of a sprint to opening night for a lot of us in the world of Star Wars fandom. But for now, let’s take quietly appreciate the fact that we’re about to take our first step into a larger world … and I have a good feeling about that.

Marisa Tomei is the New Aunt May

Imagine you're a mutated spider. You're crawlin' along, you get hungry, you spot a nerdy, little teenager. You put your little spider lips down to his cool, soft skin ... BAM!

Sorry, but the latest Spider-Man casting news required at least one My Cousin Vinny joke on my part. Variety reports that Oscar-winning actress Marisa Tomei will play Aunt May in Marvel Studios and Sony's forthcoming Spider-Man reboot. Tomei will star alongside 19-year-old Tom Holland, who was recently announced as Marvel's new Peter Parker. Obviously, with Tomei just entering her 50s, we're skewing younger all around, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.

You can next see Tomei in Amy Schumer's Trainwreck, which hits theaters next week. For the full story on this Spider-Man casting, head over to Variety by clicking here.

The Journey to 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' Begins in Marvel Comics

StarWars.com has debuted this cover image announcing Shattered Empire, a Marvel Comics event that's part of Disney's "Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens" program. The series begins in September, and evidently begins where Return of the Jedi left off.

It's here that we'll see Disney's new, unified canon truly begin to diverge sharply from the former Expanded Universe. What do you think we'll see in this series? Will this be required reading before the new film hits theaters on Dec. 18? Is Marvel hitting a saturation point with its multiple Star Wars titles? Regardless, expect more tie-in novels, comics and other media as the "Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens" continues this fall.

'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' Teaser Now Online

"Have you felt it?"

Well, this morning brought me some major déjà vu as I sat on my bed frantically refreshing my Twitter feed awaiting the arrival of the promised teaser trailer for Star Wars: The Force Awakens to arrive. As was the case with each Prequel film, I approached viewing this teaser with bizarre single-mindedness, determined to be among the first online to gaze upon J.J. Abrams' bold new vision for the Star Wars Saga.

When I saw Ralph McQuarrie-esque X-wing fighters skimming over water in formation, the Millennium Falcon gracefully soaring into battle against TIE fighters and (gasp!) actual location shots, I was immediately won over, watching the clip three more times in a row.

Although the teaser presents more questions than it answers (what's the deal with that droid and how does that new lightsaber work?), I'm ecstatic about Star Wars right now ... and judging by my aforementioned Twitter feed, so are many of you.

Check out the teaser below!

How to Say 'I Am Groot' in 15 Languages

You guys, not only is Guardians of the Galaxy now available on Digital HD (it hits Blu-ray Dec. 9), but Marvel has released a video teaching us all how to say the best catchphrase of the year in 15 different languages. It's slick and, like the movie itself, it's a lot of fun. Enjoy Groot going all international on your ears for nearly two minutes straight. Io sono Groot!

'Hooked on a Feeling': Why 'Guardians of the Galaxy' Soars

James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy is Marvel Studios’ most ambitious feature yet, marking the first time the Marvel Cinematic Universe has veered away from the core Avengers characters to tell an offbeat intergalactic yarn involving a talking raccoon, a sentient tree and The Runaways’ “Cherry Bomb.” It’s also the most fun you’re going to have in a theater this summer.

Guardians begins in a familiar Earth setting back in 1988, where a young Peter Quill sits outside his dying mother’s hospital bed as he tries to tune out the rest of the world with a Sony Walkman — arguably the film’s most central MacGuffin. After his mother dies just a few moments later, Peter flees the hospital and is abducted by space pirates led by the morally ambiguous Yondu (Michael Rooker). Fast forward a few years and we meet Peter as a grown man (Chris Pratt), who has become an intergalactic treasure hunter who goes by the self-ascribed moniker “Star-Lord.” He’s in search of a mysterious orb we later learn houses one of the Infinity Stones, powerful items that grant their bearer incredible destructive powers.  Collect the whole set and get a free gauntlet while supplies last!

Anyhow, Peter’s quest for the orb soon aligns him with an odd assemblage of characters, including Gamora (Zoe Saldana), the adopted daughter of the mad titan Thanos; Drax the Destroyer (Dave Bautista), a muscled warrior seeking to avenge his family; Rocket (Bradley Cooper), a quick-tempered, furry science experiment; and Groot (Vin Diesel), a tree creature with an extremely limited vocabulary. Once united, the rag-tag crew seeks to prevent the villainous Ronan the Accuser (Lee Pace) from using the Infinity Stone for his own nefarious means.

This movie is goofy as hell, always embracing its own absurdity while somehow never crossing over into self-parody. Much of the fun throughout comes from the interaction between the incredibly strong ensemble cast — an impressive feat since two of the main characters are digital creations. Pratt’s Star-Lord is a swaggering, quick-witted Han Solo-type who clashes nicely with Saldana’s no-nonsense Gamora. Rocket and Groot will go down as one of modern cinema’s most memorable comedy parings, digital or otherwise, while Bautista’s surprisingly gets some of the movie’s biggest laughs as a naïve barbarian who just can’t wrap his head around metaphors.

There are visual thrills, sure, with harrowing space battles and elaborately staged shootouts. Yet, perhaps the best special effect in Guardians is its ability to be uproariously funny without being cynical or mean-spirited. In fact, this might even qualify as a “feel-good” movie. There, I said it.

Keen-eyed Marvel fans will notice plenty of Easter eggs throughout the film, including nods to the comic source material as well as previous Marvel Studios films. It goes without saying that you should stay through the end credits for what is, in my opinion, one of the best post-credits sequences of all time.

I’d love to be “that guy” and point out a few reasons why Guardians doesn’t live up to the hype, but I’m hard-pressed to recall any specific gripes about the film. It’s action-packed, it’s hilarious and it’s loaded with fan service while being inclusive of casual moviegoers. And yeah, I’m saying that about a movie starring a gun-toting raccoon.