A Dark World, A Bit Brighter...

God of Asgard, and rock and roll...

With each passing week, more and more information comes out about the God of Thunder's return...

Marvel Studios has finally released a more comprehensive description of Thor 2, aka: "Thor: The Dark World."  Read it below:

Marvel’s “Thor: The Dark World” continues the big-screen adventures of Thor, the Mighty Avenger, as he battles to save Earth and all the Nine Realms from a shadowy enemy that predates the universe itself. In the aftermath of Marvel’s “Thor” and “Marvel’s The Avengers,” Thor fights to restore order across the cosmos…but an ancient race led by the vengeful Malekith returns to plunge the universe back into darkness. Faced with an enemy that even Odin and Asgard cannot withstand, Thor must embark on his most perilous and personal journey yet, one that will reunite him with Jane Foster and force him to sacrifice everything to save us all.

Starring Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Stellan Skarsgård, Idris Elba, Christopher Eccleston, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Kat Dennings, Ray Stevenson, Zachary Levi, Tadanobu Asano and Jaimie Alexander with Rene Russo and Anthony Hopkins as Odin, “Thor: The Dark World” is directed by Alan Taylor, produced by Kevin Feige, from a story by Don Payne (credit not final) and screenplay by Christopher Yost and Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely (credit not final) and is based on Marvel’s classic Super Hero Thor, who first appeared in the comic book “Journey into Mystery” #83 in August, 1962.

“Thor: The Dark World” is presented by Marvel Studios. The executive producers are Louis D’Esposito, Alan Fine, Stan Lee, Victoria Alonso, Craig Kyle and Nigel Gostelow. The film releases November 8, 2013, and is distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.

Ok, so it's not a great deal of news, but it does flesh out the story somewhat.   It does give us a peek outside the curtain toward the direction that the screenwriters and Marvel plan on taking the character in this, and future films.

Looking forward to climbing further up the branches of Yggdrasil...

The Mighty Returns...

By Odin's beard...


Marvel Studios has announced the release of the next adventures of a temperamental Asgardian...

Well, they've made the general time they're going to be releasing it, not the actual date. "Thor 2" will be released in summer 2013. This will also see the debut of Shane Black's "Iron Man 3," which I am anxiously awaiting. Now, since Shellhead's third outing is coming May 3, it's very likely that the Nordic sequel will come out in June or July, but the studio is going to wait until they see what other films start to line up around that time.

This makes one wonder if that is all that will be released in 2013? Perhaps there will be a spring release? Or more likely, a Christmas release? Can we say "The Runaways" or another property in that large catalog? S.H.I.E.L.D. 2014!!!

Time will tell...

Thunderous Poster...

By Odin's beard...






Behold the one sheet, mortals...

The black and white, and red poster for Marvel Studios "Thor" is out. It looks nice enough, but I'm getting a little tired of seeing posters with the lead character looking over his shoulder at you. Drew Struzan where are you? How about a cool action scene from the film instead of just him standing there.

I wish this film all the best, but seeing a god drive a pick-up truck is a little hard to believe...

Behold...

Marvel Studios has released the trailer footage that it showed at Comic-Con...

Personally, I love the stuff in Asgard, but I'm not quite sure when he makes it to Earth. If you remember my post, "Unfinished Business" about the Top Best Scripts Hollywood Never Made, then you'll remember that "Thor" was on that list. But this one has been vastly rewritten, so I don't know how much will be left from what I read. The one I read had Thor Odinson being cast down to our world, but it fit the film because it was set in viking times and played more like a mythological tale. Seeing cars fly by this guy that is supposed to be the God of Thunder looks a little, I dunno, hard to take? Take a look and judge for yourself.

Now, about that "Captain America" trailer footage...

Portraits Of Odin's Son...

God of Thunder...



And Rock & Roll...
No sooner has concept art for 2011's Captain America been released than the God of Thunder's is revealed through the clouds...

And by clouds, I mean Cloud, as in the Internet. It looks like the same artist that worked on Marvel's other productions has rendered these pieces of Chris Hemsworth as the Marvel character in next years film. Go over to Collider and check them both out and in higher resolution.

Because nothing says Mighty Thor like higher resolution...

Thy Story Begins Lensing Today...

I forgot about this...

Today, principal photography began on Marvel Studios film adaptation of the comic character "Thor." Kenneth Branagh enters the world of geekdom today and will hopefully be worshipped alongside such heroes as Bryan Singer and Jon Favreau after we watch it on the silver screen. I'm rooting for him. I know it's not the script I read, but I'm trusting that Marvel knows how to treat their characters far better than the studio suits of the past. Particularly the ones in charge of Thor's last incarnation alongside the Incredible Hulk back in the 80's. Truly horrible, but not as bad as the Captain America of the 70's. Amazing how far comics have come over the past couple of decades, isn't it?

By the beard of Odin this sounds exciting...

Who's Your Daddy...

Yet another great American actor joins the adaptation of Marvel Comics' "Thor" film...

Anthony Hopkins is in final negotiations to join the Kenneth Branagh production as Odin, the father of the God of Thunder. This coming after the false news that was circulating a week ago about Robert De Niro and Jude Law joining the film.

A decade or two ago and no one would have believed that rumor. With the power and prestige that has come to these pop-culture creations even those rumors had enough believability to be taken seriously. It shows that the caliber of actors in this film will be amazingly high.

Comic book adaptations have come a long way since the 1930's and 40's when they were relegated to appearing in low budget serials. Studios of the day thought they were beneath appearing in major motion pictures and put them in the back of the cinematic bus. Now they are becoming tent pole films with top stars and huge budgets.

Times change...

What? Are You Casting Me!?

Well now, this is turning into one interesting super hero film...

The casting of two more stars has quietly leaked out and it's another surprising pair. Not exactly who you'd expect to see with someone wearing their underwear on the outside of their clothes.

Robert De Niro and Jude Law have joined the cast of Kenneth Branagh's upcoming Marvel feature. The German edition of Gentlemen's Quarterly seems to be giving us the scoop.

I'm trying to imagine what parts these guys are playing. This certainly ain't the script I read a couple years ago. I just hope with all that talent this interpretation is as good as the one I read. I look forward to the interesting events that unfold around this film.

It looks like this slowly becoming the "it" comic book adaptation...

Hat Tip to Ain't It Cool News.

More Gods...

Marvel keeps adding to the cast of their new "Thor" feature...

The production has cast Jaimie Alexander as Sif, an Asgardian warrior and former lover of Thor, while Colm Feore will play a secondary villain under Tom Hiddleston, who will play Loki.

I truly hope that they've retained most of the script I read. I know that part of this one is set in the modern day world, which worries me. The original was very faithful, following closely to Walt Simonson's run on the character, but being a Norse myth, it set the events on Earth in the ancient world of the Vikings and it was truly epic. Here's crossing fingers and wishing for the best. Mark Protosevich seems to have bad luck with great scripts. Zack Stentz will hopefully enhance and not take away from the brilliance of Protosevish's script. Unlike "I am Legend," which went from great to average under the guidance of Akiva Goldsman.

Time will tell...

Thor Finds His Maiden...

Well I can tell this script is definitely different than the version I read...

If you haven't heard, Natalie Portman has been cast in the new Marvel Studios "Thor" as Jane Foster. So now that I've heard that I know that the draft I read has been changed dramatically. I can only hope that it's still a great script, as the one I read is one of the 5 Best Scripts Never Made. That version was set in Asgard and a cold, cruel, blood drenched world of vikings. I loved that story. It was pitch perfect "The Mighty Thor" without trying to cast him as a superhero in tights, much closer to the Walt Simonson stories of the 80's. This new take is a balanced one I hope. The change to a modern world was done for the sake of making sure Thor could appear in The Avengers film and while I don't mind him appearing in it, I'm uncomfortable with changing a brilliant tale simply for the sake of synergy and marketing.

Still, Natalie is a great actress; especially when given a good script (hear that, George?), and Kenneth Branagh is assembling a fantastic cast.

By Odin's Beard, I'm crossing my fingers that it all comes together...

Marvel Finds Their Trickster...

Another piece of Kenneth Branagh's puzzle falls into place...

No sooner have they named(not officially) the hammer holder himself than they announce who will be his nemesis in the upcoming film. Again, I'm glad they didn't just go with a star(Disney are you listening?) and picked an unknown. I know Josh Hartnett had been talked about for the role, but he's way too buff to play this character and doesn't have the range for part if it's the same character from the script I've read. Loki is a tormented villain. He's definitely evil, but complex and not a cardboard cutout supervillain. Tom Hiddleston looks exactly right. I like the direction they're going in. Maybe they plan on using an older famous actor as Odin and that way they'll appease the Suits with a name.

But right now I'm happy the direction this is headed...

Your God Of Thunder Has Been Chosen...

It appears Kenneth Branagh has chosen his Thor...

And it appears to be a pretty good choice. Chris Hemsworth who was last seen as the father of James T. Kirk in the new "Star Trek" series will play the long blond haired, hot tempered Marvel superhero. I was very worried that a Pro-Wrestler would get the gig. From what I hear the audition went pretty good and I trust Branagh as he's someone that knows how to stage something like this. I only hope they stick to the script I read. I really don't want to see the son of Odin turn into an ordinary doctor. I was always fond of the Walt Simonson stories which are what the Mark Protosevich script was really like.

Developing...

Thundering Forward...

Those of you that remember my post a while back about the "The 5 Best Scripts Hollywood Never Made" will be glad to know that one of those projects is moving forward...

The Mighty Thor, or just Thor is progressing further in pre-production and has gotten a fantastically perfect person to direct it. Kenneth Branagh, who I think is near perfect to adapt this material, but the only downside is...

It won't be the script I was talking about. As good as it was, it apparently wasn't good enough for Marvel and they, along with Branagh are moving forward with another script. Hopefully it'll be as good as the Mark Protosevich draft, but I doubt it. Although they do have a great screenwriter working on it, I'm biased.

Here's hoping...

Unfinished Business: The 5 Best Scripts Hollywood Never Made...

Question: "How many Development Executives does it take to screw in a light bulb?"

Answer: "Does it have to be a light bulb?"

- An old Film Industry joke about Development Executives.


Not all of the movies we see that suck started out that way. A film can take literally decades to gestate before going before cameras with the right team... or wrong team leading it. Hollywood is filled with giant egos, all wanting to take credit for something to validate a reason for having the title above their office door...

I've had quite a few people e-mail me over that past year or so whenever I talk about scripts or films. Many have asked me about other scripts I've read that I love. I thought I'd make a short list of several of the scripts I've read and put together what I believe are the best five scripts that Hollywood hasn't filmed. Granted, this is based on my own personal taste and if you don't like my taste you may not like these scripts. I originally thought I'd do a top ten list, but felt that it might be too many in one post. I'll instead focus on these five. If there's enough interest I'll add to the list with another five.

So without further ado...


Captain Blood - Screenplay by Jonathan Hensleigh

PITCH: Think "Gladiator" set in the age of pirating. A swashbuckling epic that took the great 1935 film by director Michael Curtiz starring Errol Flynn into a much more gritty realization. Unlike "Pirates," there are no cursed, ghost pirates or giant, mythic sea creatures... only cursed men and high seas action. A doctor named Peter Blood is sold into slavery and put to work in Port Royal. Spanish pirates attack the unprepared Port Royal, Blood and other prisoners escape while the pirates attack is happening and take their galleon with them. The Pirates are quickly captured by the British. They set a path for a prisoner island filled with many more like themselves and then begin a pirating career on the open ocean that leads Blood back toward justice and redemption against the man responsible for his fate.

STATUS: Dead and buried. This was in development before Disney or anyone else thought about turning "Pirates of the Caribbean" into a film. The movie was to star a very career hot, at the time, Alec Baldwin. It went through various revisions and Frank Darabond did the later versions. Not a bad person to do a rewrite of your work, if you ask me. With the box office bomb "Cutthroat Island" in the mid 90's, pirate movies became "persona non grata" and the film languished for a while before Suits had it walk the plank...


Nevaland - Screenplay by Kevin Lewis & Troy Scott

PITCH: Think of "Peter Pan" meets "Romeo & Juliet"(the Leonardo Decaprio film version) with the action from "The Fast and the Furious" thrown in. This modern day retelling of the classic story by J. M. Barrie is set in contemporary New York during Christmas time. It's an enchanting love story about a young girl named Wendy from the New York burrows that meets a young, edgy party bad-boy named Peter who is on the run from some gang members working for a night club owner with one hand, one hook and a vendetta against him. He takes Wendy into his world which involves nightclubs, wild chases and a romantic night filled with romance and adventure on the island of Manhattan. Get it? As Long Island is a motiff for Neverland? A truly great read. A clever reinvention that's fast, fresh and perfect for todays market.

STATUS: Development Hell. I particularly loved the cast that was attached or rumored to be with this script. Samuel L. Jackson was connected with the Hook/Nightclub Owner character and if you've read the script he would've been dead-on. There was talk of Hayden Christensen as the Peter character, Rosario Dawson as the daughter of a rival nightclub owner named Lily, and Rachel Lee Cook for a punker pal of Pete's nicknamed Tink. Oh well...


Sherlock Holmes and the Vengeance of Dracula - Screenplay by Michael B. Valle

PITCH: Think literally Sherlock Holmes meets Dracula. Everything that "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" got wrong, this script got right. It takes two classic characters from the turn of the century, that occupied a similar place and has them meet. Taking place in 1891, it involves a great deal of characters from both books and has Holmes investigating a series of murders as Dracula has made it back to London. Holmes, a man of absolute logic has to come to grip with the fact that the criminal he's hunting doesn't correspond to his "elementary" view of the facts. Many of the characters that populate the novels of each book are here... including that "Napoleon of Crime, Professor Moriarty" as well. I love, love, love this script. There is not a day goes by when I go to a theater that I don't wish I was setting down to watch this on the silver screen.

STATUS: Dead. But like Dracula, I pray it rises from the dead. I just don't hope some fool does a unneeded rewrite like happened on "I Am Legend" that winds up taking a great script and turning it into a good one. Chris Columbus was at one time attached to direct this. It languished for the last four or five years before dropping off the buzz meter. Sigh...


Smoke and Mirrors - Screenplay by Lee Batchler & Janet Scott Batchler

PITCH: Think "Raiders of the Lost Ark" meets "Lawrence of Arabia" meets "Casablanca." Nice huh? It's a deeply rich, action/romance that involves a famous French magician Jean Robert Houdin(a real person, btw) who is enlisted by his government to go the French colony of Algeria to expose a local shaman that is terrifying people with his magic. He takes his young, lovely wife with him and encounters a handsome French Legionnaire that has a fancy for his wife. If you'd like to read more about the film/script check out this article I wrote last year called: Development Hell: Disney Style.

STATUS: Dead. Worse that dead, really. Dead and gone... It was a script designed to star Sean Connery. If you've read it, you'll understand that only a few people could do this roll. With Connery retired it's harder to find someone with his charisma that could fill this roll. It was on the verge of being made in the mid to late 90's and then fell back into oblivion and hasn't been seen or heard from since...


Thor - Screenplay by Mark Protosevich

PITCH: Think "Conan" meets "The 13th Warrior" set in the world of "Lord of the Rings." Wow... pretty cool, huh? The adaption of the Marvel Comics character throws away the version where he's a mild, normal man who's a disabled doctor that becomes the Mighty Thor after finding a stick and follows closer to Walt Simonson's take on the hot-headed Norse god(comic book geeks will know what I'm talking about here). In this story which takes place in an unnamed world populated by Norsemen, Thor and his brethren do battle with the Ice Giants. His brother Loki discovers a long lost secret and plots the downfall of his brother, clearing the way for his plot to seize Asgard. Primal, Macho action here. Young boys will be eating this up...

STATUS: Languishing. Marvel Comics still hasn't decided to greenlite the film. Matthew Vaughn is attached to direct it and is waiting to hear from the Marvel Suits. It is truly an epic film and will take an epic budget. I pray that they don't decide to go for a rewrite like they did with a fabulous "Fantastic Four" script by Michael France and Chris Columbus in favor of the sitcom style mediocrity that the final film turned out to be. Will it get made as is? Or will the tinkering of development executives destroy what would be a huge blockbuster for Marvel? Only the gods know...