According to Marvel Comics, it’s official. We’ll be seeing the Iron Man sequel in May 2010 and the first (live-action) movie featuring The Avengers in July 2011. The only lineup they’ve committed to so far for The Avengers is Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, and the Hulk …
Jon Favreau and Robert Downey Jr. are, thankfully, both returning for Iron Man 2. But it was nice to have it confirmed that not only will RDJ be reprising his role for The Avengers, but that Jon Favreau will be an executive producer for that movie as well — which should help maintain creative continuity. Previous buzz placed the Thor movie in July 2010 and the Captain America movie in May 2011, but I get the impression that these dates aren’t final yet, or Marvel would have mentioned them in this press release.
Also no mention of the Ant-Man movie that I keep hearing is in the works, to be written and directed by Edgar Wright, of Shaun of the Dead fame. Or of persistent rumors that Eva Longoria might be slated to play The Wasp in Ant-Man and/or The Avengers. Ant Man and The Wasp would be needed to fill out the team’s original “founding members” roster, which I’m guessing is something that’s important to Favreau.
To fill in the time between now and 2010, maybe I’ll get around to seeing the latest Hulk movie one of these days. Or just watch Iron Man a dozen more times.
Simpsonized Avengers above courtesy of Springfield Punx.
Don’t bother on the Hulk movie, it was awful. Then again, I really disliked the Spiderman series, so perhaps that’s one area where our tastes differ?
Yeah, I loved Spider-Man 1 & 2, and while I had some issues with the third movie, it was still fun to watch, and I liked it better than the first Hulk movie. From what I’ve heard about the new Hulk movie, I have a feeling I’ll like it, but not love it. As a comic book geek, I can’t just NOT see these movies, even if people warn me away from them. I spent too many years waiting for superhero movies with decent special effects. But I can at least wait until they reach cable.