Director
Joss Whedon revealed at this year's Comic-Con Marvel panel, that the sequel to
"The Avengers" will be called
"The Avengers: Age of Ultron". Although everyone believed Whedon was going to use the storyline from the
"Age of Ultron" book, the director made it clear that the villain Ultron will be featured in the film, but his origin story will be different from the comics. This also means that Henry Pym aka Ant-Man will also be absent from the sequel, although Marvel is working on an Ant-Man movie which will be released on November 6, 2015.
"The Avengers: Age of Ultron" will be released on May 1, 2015 and according to Whedon, the sequel will be darker and will feature more sci-fi elements. Here are selections from
Joss Whedon's clarifications:
"A lot of people—because we called it Age of Ultron and there was a book, Age of Ultron just recently—assumed that was the storyline we are doing, which is not the case. We’re doing our own version of the origin story of Ultron. The other thing is, in the origin story, there was Hank Pym. So a lot of people assumed that he was going to be in the mix, but he’s not. Because we’re basically taking the things from the comics for the movies that we need and can use. A lot of stuff has to fall by the wayside. Ultron was their chief villain. He’s been the Avengers villain for so long. I was amazed anybody was surprised that it was going to be him in the movie. We are crafting our own version of it where his origin comes more directly from the Avengers we already know about.
It’s a little bit darker than the other film because Ultron is in the house. There’s a science fiction element that I think is a bit stronger than the other film… It is very much a global Avengers film. A lot of the movie has to do with their place, not just in America, but in the world.
Part of the fun for me this time around is writing Hawkeye. Because he did get possessed pretty early by a bad guy and had to walk around scowly for most of the movie last time. So now it’s nice to actually have the character there and really see him interact with the other guys.
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The Comic-Con this year generated a lot of buzz about the
"Man of Steel" sequel. Everyone already knew that a sequel was in the works, but what few saw coming is that the new movie will feature both Superman and Batman.
Henry Cavill will return as Clark Kent/Superman, but the big mystery is who will play Batman since
Christian Bale ended his work as the Dark Knight in
Christopher Nolan's trilogy and has no plans to return. About a year ago, Warner Bros. was talking about rebooting Batman with a new actor and with no
"Justice League" movie in sight, it seems that this will be as close as DC and WB will get to having more than one of their superheroes in a movie at the same time. The
"Man of Steel" sequel will be directed by
Zack Snyder and written by
David S. Goyer. The sequel is scheduled for release in Summer 2015. Here is the official press release:
"On the heels of the worldwide success of “Man of Steel,” director Zack Snyder is bringing together the two greatest Super Heroes of all time—Batman and Superman—for the first time on the big screen. The announcement was made today by Greg Silverman, President, Creative Development and Worldwide Production, and Sue Kroll, President, Worldwide Marketing and International Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures.
The current hit, “Man of Steel,” has taken in more than $630 million at the worldwide box office to date, and climbing. Along with its star, Henry Cavill, the upcoming film brings back Amy Adams, Laurence Fishburne and Diane Lane. The new Batman has yet to be cast.
Snyder is co-writing the story with David S. Goyer, who will then pen the screenplay. Production is expected to begin in 2014, with an anticipated release date in Summer 2015.
Silverman stated, “Zack Snyder is an incredibly talented filmmaker, but beyond that, he’s a fan first and he utterly gets this genre. We could not think of anyone better suited to the task of bringing these iconic Super Heroes to the screen in his own way.” Kroll added, “We are thrilled to be back in business with Zack and his team on this next movie. The success of ‘Man of Steel’ is a wonderful testament to the love and support that both fans and new audiences, worldwide, have for these characters. We are very excited to see what Zack has in store for all of us.”
Diane Nelson, President, DC Entertainment, noted,“Superman and Batman together on the big screen is a dream come true for DC fans everywhere. All of us at DC Entertainment could not be more excited for Zack’s continuing vision for the DC Universe.”
Zack Snyder, who made a surprise appearance at Comic-Con today, breaking the news to audiences there, later said, “I’m so excited to begin working again with Henry Cavill in the world we created, and I can’t wait to expand the DC Universe in this next chapter. Let’s face it, it’s beyond mythological to have Superman and our new Batman facing off, since they are the greatest Super Heroes in the world.”
The new film brings back Charles Roven and Deborah Snyder as producers. This time, Christopher Nolan and Emma Thomas are serving as executive producers, along with Benjamin Melniker and Michael E. Uslan.
Thomas offered, “Whilst our ‘Dark Knight’ trilogy is complete, we have every confidence that Zack’s fresh interpretation will take the character in a new and exciting direction. His vision for Superman opened the door to a whole new universe and we can’t wait to see what Zack does with these characters.”
The film is based on Superman characters created by Jerry Siegel & Joe Shuster, and Batman characters created by Bob Kane, published by DC Entertainment."
and
Ron Howard will team up once again for a
Dan Brown adaptation. After working together on
"The Da Vinci Code" and
"Angels & Demons", the duo will next adapt Brown's novel
"Inferno
" in which Robert Langdon becomes entangled in a mystery involving
"Dante's Inferno", dealing once more with sophisticated classic art riddles. Although it was initially believed that
"The Last Symbol" will be the third installment in the Langdon series, Sony decided not to move forward with that book and instead picked up
"Inferno" which was released this year in May. Screenwriter
David Koepp will return to write the screenplay for the sequel. Here is the synopsis for
"Inferno":
"In the heart of Italy, Harvard professor of symbology, Robert Langdon, is drawn into a harrowing world centered on one of history’s most enduring and mysterious literary masterpieces . . . Dante’s Inferno.
Against this backdrop, Langdon battles a chilling adversary and grapples with an ingenious riddle that pulls him into a landscape of classic art, secret passageways, and futuristic science. Drawing from Dante’s dark epic poem, Langdon races to find answers and decide whom to trust . . . before the world is irrevocably altered."
James Wan's hugely successful horror
"The Conjuring" performed better than anyone expected it to, so Warner Bros. is moving forward with a sequel and is hoping to build it into a franchise. The film was focused on the true story of Ed and Lorraine Warren (
Patrick Wilson and
Vera Farmiga), a husband and wife team of paranormal investigators. The Warrens dealt with numerous other cases of supernatural encounters, so there should be plenty of stories for several sequels.
James Wan is currently involved in directing
"Fast & Furious 7" and has stated his desire to leave the horror genre behind, so it's unlikely that he will direct
"The Conjuring" sequel.
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