Marvel Studios Reveals ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ Cast as Production Kicks Off

 A series of empty chairs whipped comic book social media into a frenzy earlier today as Marvel Studios’ employed a slow-drip live-stream approach to reveal many – but all – cast members set to appear in the Russo Brothers’ Avengers: Doomsday, now officially in production. Marvel’s cross-platform stream unveiled a new cast member’s chair every few minutes for more than five hours, concluding with Doctor Doom himself, Robert Downey Jr., appearing at its conclusion.

In addition to MCU mainstays like Chris Hemsworth’s Thor, Paul Rudd’s Ant-Man, Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova, Tom Hiddleston’s Loki, Sam Wilson’s Captain America, Letitia Wright’s Suri/Black Panther and Simu Liu’s Shang-Chi, we also saw chairs for each member of the Fantastic Four –  whose debut film drops this summer – as well as X-Men series actors Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellan, James Marsden, Rebecca Romijn, Alan Cumming and Kelsey Grammer. Plus, it looks like Deadpool & Wolverine scene stealer Channing Tatum is back as Gambit!

This cast is absolutely stacked, but I also feel like the aforementioned Deadpool & Wolverine said pretty much everything that needed to be said about the Marvel Multiverse. This could just be a bunch of action figures being dumped onto the carpet and smashed into each other for three hours. Having said that, I not only love action figures but feel strongly that the Russos’ efforts are among the strongest stories in the MCU. This could be something really special. 

Notably, no Spider-Mans (Spider-Men?), members of the Guardians of the Galaxy, and neither Deadpool nor Wolverine were confirmed for Avengers: Doomsday but, then again, May 1, 2026 is a long time from now ... multiversally speaking. 

Check out the full list below!

• Chris Hemsworth as Thor
• Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm/The Invisible Woman
• Anthony Mackie as Captain America
• Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes
• Letitia Wright as Shuri/Black Panther
• Paul Rudd as Ant-Man
• Wyatt Russell as John Walker/U.S. Agent
• Tenoch Huerta Mejía as Namor
• Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm/The Thing
• Simu Liu as Shang-Chi
• Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova
• Kelsey Grammer as Beast
• Lewis Pullman as Sentry
• Danny Ramirez as Falcon
• Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm/The Human Torch
• David Harbour as Red Guardian
• Winston Duke as M'Baku
• Hannah John-Kamen as Ghost
• Tom Hiddleston as Loki
• Patrick Stewart as Professor X
• Ian McKellen as Magneto
• Alan Cumming as Nightcrawler
• Rebecca Romijn as Mystique
• James Marsden as Cyclops
• Channing Tatum as Gambit
• Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic
• Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom

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.

A Perfect Storm of Marvel Promo Images

Wow, and here I thought it was a slow week. Just today we got first looks at how four Marvel characters will look in live-action in the very near future.

First up, Marvel Entertainment has posted Daredevil's red suit in his Netflix-exclusive series, which drops tomorrow:



But that's not all! We've only gotten glimpses of Paul Bettany's Vision in Avengers: Age of Ultron, but today we got a full-on poster of the avenging android, sparking much speculation about his role in the film as its May 1 release date approaches:

Meanwhile, the folks at Fox are keen on reminding us that they, too, have Marvel franchises, releasing this image of The Thing from this summer's Fantastic Four reboot:

Finally, Fox has also released, via Empire.com, this concept art showing Ben Hardy as Archangel in next summer's X-Men: Apocalypse:

Not a bad day to geek out, eh?

Marvel Just Won At Everything

Even though it's not quite Halloween just yet, DC Entertainment must be absolutely terrified right about now.

In a fan event Tuesday, Marvel Studios unveiled Phase 3 of its Marvel Cinematic Universe, announcing a mind-boggling slate of movies through 2019. The expansive lineup includes Thor: Ragnarok, Captain America: Civil War, Guardians of the Galaxy 2, Dr. Strange, Captain Marvel, Black Panther, The Inhumans and a two-part Avengers sequel, Infinity War. 

Hearing about any one of these projects would be reason to celebrate, but Marvel Studios has gone ahead and dropped all of the nerd bombs in its arsenal, all at once. We're not just fortunate, True Believers. We're spoiled.

For all of the latest on The House of Ideas' blockbuster announcements, head over to Marvel.com.

‘Avengers’ Sequel Gets a Release Date

Marvel.com has confirmed that the Joss Whedon-helmed sequel to this summer’s blockbuster smash, Marvel’s The Avengers, will be hitting theaters on May 1, 2015.

The website also stated the following in the announcement:

“In addition to the Marvel's The Avengers sequel, Marvel Studios will release a slate of films based on the Marvel characters including Iron Man 3 on May 3, 2013; Thor: The Dark World on November 8, 2013; Captain America: The Winter Soldier on April 4, 2014; Guardians of the Galaxy on August 1, 2014; and Ant-Man.”

Looks like lots of cool Marvel Studios goodness is on the horizon. For more info on Marvel Studios’ upcoming crop of films, head over to Marvel.com.

Joss Whedon to Return for ‘Avengers’ Sequel

Whedonites rejoice! As confirmed by Walt Disney executives during a conference call earlier this week, geek icon Joss Whedon will once again direct Earth’s Mightiest Heroes in the sequel to this summer’s runaway blockbuster The Avengers. The Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Firefly helmsman is also working with Marvel Studios and Disney to bring an unnamed “high-concept cop show” set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to ABC.

Whedon will be hard-pressed to top his first go-around with Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, the Incredible Hulk and the rest of the gang, but one of the main things he accomplished with that first Avengers film was inspire confidence among all of us True Believers out there. Not only has Marvel Studios been steadfast in putting out the best superhero films possible, but they’re hiring the best storytellers possible to keep that momentum going for years to come.

For more on this story, head over to MTV News.

My Thoughts on the Delay of ‘G.I. Joe: Retaliation’

Late last week, it was reported that Paramount Pictures had decided to delay big summer tentpole film G.I. Joe: Retaliation until March 29, 2013. This shocking revelation came just five weeks before the G.I. Joe sequel was scheduled to hit theaters. The official reason for the delay was that the film would be converted to 3D, however reports surfacing this week have unearthed new details regarding the nine-month delay of the film’s release.

According to Paramount insiders speaking to Deadline.com, the decision to convert Retaliation to 3D was certainly part of the reasoning behind the delay, but was not the sole deciding factor. If you’ve seen the trailers, it’s fairly evident that Channing Tatum’s character Duke dies in a Cobra attack early on the film, leaving Roadblock (played by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson) and a group of Joe survivors to rally together and bring down the terrorist organization in an act of—wait for it—retaliation. Although many fans of the property applauded the filmmakers’ decision to “wipe the slate clean” and distance Retaliation from 2009’s middling The Rise of Cobra, test audiences felt that the friendship between Duke and Roadblock wasn’t adequately developed fully in the original cut. Also, since Tatum has had a successful 2012 thus far with 21 Jump Street and The Vow, the studio is beefing up his role in this film and shooting additional scenes. Channing Tatum, in Paramount’s eyes, means profit.

I’m not necessarily a fan of 3D conversion, but I’m also aware that not distributing a 3D version of a blockbuster in today’s cinematic climate is akin to leaving money of the table. Plus, with The Avengers continuing to perform well as The Amazing Spider-Man and The Dark Knight Rises stand poised to dominate the summer 2012 box office, it’s not unwise for Paramount to reposition Retaliation and pit it against less formidable opposition. After all, a March release date did wonders for The Hunger Games this year.

Having said all of that, I can’t help shaking the feeling that Paramount is setting itself up for failure. After being delayed for nearly a year, is there any way G.I. Joe: Retaliation could possibly live up to the hype, 3D or otherwise? For the sake of this franchise—which I feel has some true potential—I hope it does.

‘Captain America’ Sequel Set for April 4, 2014

We’re all eagerly awaiting the release of Marvel’s The Avengers on May 4, but that doesn’t mean we can’t start getting ourselves hyped for the further adventures of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes in the years ahead. As reported by Deadline.com, Disney has confirmed that a sequel to Captain America: The First Avenger will hit theaters on April 4, 2014.

Although details are scarce at this point, the film is said to focus on Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) continuing his affiliation with Nick Fury’s S.H.I.E.L.D. and coping with contemporary life.

For the full story, click here.

I’m Still Geeking Out About the ‘Avengers’ Trailer!

It’s been two days since I saw it for the first time, but since I’m going to be spending my weekend wandering the halls of the Javits Center for New York Comic Con 2011, I figured I’d give the new trailer for Marvel’s The Avengers another look and…wowza.

I was really hoping director Joss Whedon would capture the group dynamic between Captain America (Chris Evans), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) and Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo), and the banter here in the trailer—most of which involves Downey—is a lot of fun. I wasn’t sure how necessary it was for Scarlett Johansson to reprise her relatively minor role of Black Widow from Iron Man 2, but then I saw her back in that outfit. Yeah, this makes perfect sense.

Plotwise, we get some glimpses of Loki (Tom Hiddleston) being menacing, but I really can’t wait to see the Skrulls in action. For now, this awesome trailer will have to suffice.

Trailer for ‘Marvel’s The Avengers’ Hits iTunes on Oct. 11

Gearing up for the fanboy frenzy of New York Comic Con next weekend, Marvel.com has announced that the full-length trailer for Marvel’s The Avengers—yes, that’s evidently the official title now—will arrive on iTunes Trailers next Tuesday, Oct. 11.

The ensemble flick featuring Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, The Incredible Hulk and other Marvel heavyweights will also be well represented at NYCC itself. An hour-long panel featuring Marvel Studios producer Kevin Feige, Chris Evans (Captain America), Tom Hiddleston (Loki), Clark Gregg (Agent Coulson) and Cobie Smulders (Agent Hill) will kick off on Saturday, October 15 at 6:30 p.m. Marvel will also be debuting never-before-seen footage during this special event at the IGN Theater.

Will I be there? Hell, does Thanos fear Squirrel Girl? See you at the Javits Center, True Believers!

Marvel’s The Avengers arrives in theaters on May 4, 2012.

Thanos Will Menace ‘The Avengers’

Latino Review reports that in addition to tangling with Loki and a Skrull invasion in next summer’s Avengers film, Earth’s Mightiest Heroes will also contend with Thanos, according to a reliable source at Marvel Studios.

I didn’t think it was possible to be many more excited about The Avengers, but…here we are.

Check out the full story by clicking here.

Chris Evans: Captain America Gets an ‘Awesome’ New Look in ‘The Avengers’

This was probably expected, but Captain America star Chris Evans revealed in an MTV News interview that the character will be getting an entirely new look when he is thawed out to team up with Iron Man, Hulk, Thor and other Marvel Comics luminaries in Joss Whedon’s The Avengers, which hits screens next summer.

“[It’s a] new costume,” Evans told MTV of Cap’s modern garb, which promises to be a departure from the World War II-era look he’ll be sporting in his film debut this summer. “Yeah, it’s awesome. It’s really cool.”

The Avengers started filming this week in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Check out video of MTV’s sit-down with Evans below.

Movie Trailers - Movies Blog

‘Avengers’ Assembles!

With Marvel Studios’ Thor getting glowing early reviews leading up to its May 6th release date, we’re officially allowed to start really geeking out about next Summer’s The Avengers, Joss Whedon’s ambitions Marvel team-up flick featuring the aforementioned Asgardian hammer-wielder, Captain America (whose solo film hits screens in July), the Hulk and Iron Man. As reported by Entertainment Weekly, the anticipated ensemble flick—long believed to be unfilmable—has begun principal photography in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Other shooting locations include Cleveland and New York City.

Here’s what we know so far. Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr. will be returning as Thor, Cap and Iron Man respectively, while Mark Ruffalo steps in for Ed Norton as Bruce Banner/Hulk. Tom Hiddleston, who plays Thor’s devious brother Loki, is also set to reprise his Marvel Studios role, as are Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow), Stellan Skarsgard (Professor Eric Selvig) Samuel L. Jackson (Agent Nick Fury) and Clark Gregg (Agent Phil Coulson).

Newcomers to this veritable cinematic Merry Marvel Marching Society include How I Met Your Mother Star Cobie Smulders as S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Maria Hill and Jeremy Renner (The Hurt Locker) as Hawkeye. It should be noted that Renner reportedly has a cameo in Thor, so keep an eye out for him. Get it? Because…nevermind.

Head over to EW.com to check out an exclusive set photo from the first day of filming, which gives us a glimpse of the S.H.I.E.L.D. logo as it appears in the film.

'How I Met Your Mother's' Cobie Smulders to Join 'Avengers' Cast as Maria Hill

How I Met Your Mother star Cobie Smulders is expected to join Robert Downey Jr., Mark Ruffalo, Scarlett Johansson, Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, Jeremy Renner and other screen luminaries in Marvel Studios’ superhero ensemble film The Avengers, Variety reports. In the anticipated 2012 flick—written and helmed by genre-friendly director Joss Whedon—Smulders will play S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Maria Hill.

According to Variety, Smulders’ deal is for nine films, similar to the multi-picture agreements signed by many of her Avengers castmates.

Smulders has phenomenal comic timing on How I Met Your Mother, but I have to admit I don’t necessarily see her playing an imposing authority figure like Agent Hill. Then again, if Whedon is known for anything, it’s hard-as-nails females. Well, that and bad luck with the Fox network.

The Avengers hits theaters on May 4, 2012.

Ed Norton Won’t Return in ‘The Avengers’

According to a Marvel Studios statement posted on Hitfix, Ed Norton will not reprise the role of the Hulk/Bruce Banner in Joss Whedon’s superhero team-up flick, The Avengers.

“We have made the decision to not bring Ed Norton back to portray the title role of Bruce Banner in The Avengers,” said Marvel Studios president of production Kevin Feige. “Our decision is definitely not one based on monetary factors, but instead rooted in the need for an actor who embodies the creativity and collaborative spirit of our other talented cast members. The Avengers demands players who thrive working as part of an ensemble, as evidenced by Robert, Chris H, Chris E, Sam, Scarlett and all of our talented casts. We are looking to announce a name actor who fulfills these requirements, and is passionate about the iconic role in the coming weeks.”

Ouch. In other words, following Norton’s reportedly controlling behavior on the set of The Incredible Hulk, Marvel doesn’t view him as a team player. Norton’s agent, Brian Swardstrom later issued a statement of his own to Hitflix, calling Feige’s comments “mean spirited” and “accusatory.”

“Counter to what Kevin implies here, Edward was looking forward to the opportunity to work with Joss and the other actors in the Avengers cast, many of whom are personal friends of his,” Swardstrom wrote. “Feige’s statement is unprofessional, disingenuous and clearly defamatory. Mr. Norton’s talent, tireless work ethic and professional integrity deserve more respect, and so do Marvel’s fans.”

Wow. It will be interesting to see how this develops in the lead-up to Comic-Con International, which kicks off in San Diego on July 22.

The Avengers hits theaters on May 4, 2012.