Okay, Avengers, you’re on notice–you’re all replaceable…
Marvel isn’t wasting any time after the success of Iron Man. They’ve rushed out a schedule of films for the next few years, beginning with Iron Man 2, set to be released on April 30th, 2010. Presumably all major players will return for part two.
After that, look out for Thor. The hammer-twirling Norse god will come to theaters on June 4, 2010. Matthew Vaughn is set to direct. No word on whether there will be a talent search in Scandinavia for said Norse god. If there is, though, I can round up a bunch of volunteers to conduct it.
2011 will bring us The First Avenger: Captain America on May 6th, and in July, The Avengers, featuring Iron Man, the Incredible Hulk, Captain America, and Thor all working together. Zak Penn is writing the script for the multihero epic (question: what do they do if one of these characters’ movies tanks? Can they swap in another character? Goodbye, Captain America, hello, Ant-Man? Oh yeah, btw, Ant-Man is still supposedly in development with Edgar Wright writing and directing).
2009 is quiet for Marvel, as you may notice–the writers’ strike essentially got in the way of completing any projects.
Obviously Iron Man has been a huge success so far. The next big question for Marvel is The Incredible Hulk, opening June 13th. These two movies are Marvel’s first real chance to cash in on the public’s appetite for superhero movies–remember, they just licensed Spider-Man, X-Men, and The Fantastic Four; Sony and Fox cashed in on those films (again, btw, Variety notes that a fourth Spidey movie is in development. Really? I wonder if any of the major players wants out).
How excited is Marvel about its new schedule of movies? The press release from the studio is seven paragraphs long and contains ten exclamation points! All right! Now we’re all excited!
