I was too stunned by the announcement last week of the casting of Stretch Armstrong and forgot to post news that the Battleship movie has been bumped up to May 25, 2012 from the originally scheduled July 29th date. Now, word from Universal has Jon Favreau’s Cowboys & Aliens filling the spot. The only other movie currently scheduled for that date is the 3D Smurfs movie that could be a real hit overseas.
The Los Angeles Times (yes, it is still around) has news that isn’t good for the Platinum Studios Cowboys and. Aliens movie. Robert Downey Jr. won’t be putting on a cowboy hat and fighting it out with visitors from beyond. Instead, speculators believe Downey is gearing up for a new Sherlock Holmes film. While Jon Favreau appears to still be on board, for now the Iron Man team of director/actor won’t be using their six shooters to stop and alien invasion.
While a sequel to Sherlock Holmes would be welcome, with the coming release of Iron Man 2, I can’t help but wonder if Downey isn’t saving himself for a third Iron Man film, or better yet, the Avengers flick. If Sherlock Holmes 2: Gaslight Boogaloo is greenlit, it would go into production in June.
While the second installment of the Iron Man series is in post production, word out of H’wood is that Robert Downey Jr. and Jon Favreau are set to team again in another movie. This isn’t news about a third Iron Man (although I wouldn’t write that one off), but rather Platinum Studios Cowboys and Aliens movie adaptation. Downey has been signed to star in the movie for a while, but now with Favreau on board as director, expect this movie to start moving through the Hollywood Machine pretty quickly.
The sci-fi Western explores what would happen if the traditional Old West enemies — cowboys and Native Americans — found the prairie attacked by aliens in mid-1800s Arizona.
And even though there is a pretty bad taste in everyone’s mouths about Platinum Studios (go check the archives) the company has been able to bring some pretty big names on board the project, including Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, who wrote the relaunched Star Trek franchise movie, and that Transformers movie as well.
Jon Favreau is kickin’ it at the Attack of the Show booth at the San Diego Comic Con, and while there, he’s Twittering a bunch of images.
One of the classic sci-fi stories I would really love to see made into a movie is the John Carter of Mars. Production has started and stopped so many times, it’s hard to remember who was involved with what. Iron Man director Jon Favreau was involved in the movie at one point, and offered up a shot of Woola (the dog like creature from the series) that was whipped up during that time.
If audiences can put up with a naked Dr. Manhattan running around for two hours, than bare breasted beauties from Mars and John Carter wang shouldn’t be that big of a deal.
He was in, then out, and now he’s back in again. Mickey Rourke has signed on the bottom line to appear in Iron Man 2, directed by Jon Favreau.
Rourke also met with Jon Favreau and scribe Justin Theroux and got to be part of the development of his character. He’ll play Whiplash, a character that includes elements from that comicbook villain and Crimson Dynamo, another Russian baddie.
Variety is reporting that Marvel is remaining mum on the announcement.
Note: That image may or may not be an official concept sketch.
Press Release
ROBERT DOWNEY JR. AND JON FAVREAU SUIT UP FOR MARVEL STUDIOS’ THE AVENGERS AND IRON MAN 2
As part of his four picture deal with Marvel Studios, Robert Downey Jr. is appearing as Tony Stark in THE AVENGERS motion picture, as well as reprising his starring role as the larger-than-life leading character in IRON MAN 2. Jon Favreau will return to direct the sequel to the blockbuster IRON MAN, which to date has grossed over $578 million worldwide, as well as executive produce THE AVENGERS.
The Hollywood Reporter is reporting actor turned director/producer/writer Justin Theroux is in final negotiations with Marvel to script the second installment of the Iron Man franchise. The first film had four writers; Mark Fergus & Hawk Ostby and Art Marcum & Matt Holloway.
If you are unsure of Theroux’s work, Tropic Thunder is coming out in August, which also stars Robert Downey, Jr. Iron Man 2: Electric Boogaloo is scheduled to kick of the summer movie season in 2010.
This doesn’t sound good at all.
It’s been five weeks since the one and only phone call my reps have gotten from Marvel. I know their hands are full with the Hulk and I’m sure they will get into it shortly, as they tell me they intend to. I ran into the Marvel guys at the Hulk premiere and everyone sounded eager to get to work on IM2.
I am concerned, however, about the announced release date of April 2010. Neither Robert nor I were consulted about this and we are both concerned about how realistic the date is in light of the fact that we have no script, story or even writers hired yet. This genre of movie is best when it is done thoughtfully and with plenty of preparation. It might be better to follow the BB/DK, X/X2 three year release pattern than to scramble for a date. It is difficult because there are no Marvel 09 releases and they need product, but I also think we owe it to the fans to have a great version of IM2 and, at this point, we would have less time to make it than the first one.
Come on Marvel! Give Favreau the paycheck bump and get to making the film. IF Marvel decides to go with another director, I guarantee you, that director will go more CGI for the film and do away with most of the live action and practical effects that Favreau loves using.
We live in a different movie world than we did a few years ago, when a 51% drop in box office revenues would have spelled death for a film (Jurassic Park II anyone…). Today, with movie studios eager to nab as much as they can opening weekend, the drop is probably expected, especially as the summer box office heats up with a major motion picture hitting theaters each weekend.
Regardless, Iron Man took the top spot once again bringing in an estimated $50.5 million for its second weekend, racking up up an estimated $177.1 million in domestic box office sales. Even though this drop sounds dire, Nielsen EDI estimates ticket sales are up 16% from this time last year.
But year to date, 2008 trails the same portion of last year by 2% with $2.87 billion in industry grosses. The young summer boxoffice is off 4% from the same stretch of the previous swimsuit season, as even the strong “Iron Man” grosses have failed to measure up against the first two weekends of the biggest film from summer 2007, “Spider-Man 3.”
Sounds to me like the only thing that can save the movie industry is YOU. Stop those illegal downloads and start buying those $15 tickets, overpriced popcorn and drinks, so you can sit in a noisy theater listening to the jack-ass behind you gabbing away during the best parts of the movie, while Stinky McFat crowds you out of your seat while smacking his lips loudly with every bite of that Kit Kat bar. Yes, those cell phones ringing non-stop only add to the ambiance, and the crying child – who should never have been allowed in the theater in the first place – makes you long for those days when everyone knew how to behave themselves when attending the movies.
Because you like girls in bikinis, and because Iron Man is the topic on everyone’s lips as of late, Marvel comes to the rescue with this cover for Iron Man: Viva Las Vegas written by the film’s director Jon Favreau.
The title is available right now.
Following the success of the Iron Man movie over the weekend, Marvel Studios updated its movie schedule as follows:
It was announced that Iron Man 2 would introduce Thor. While Robert Downey Jr, Gweneth Paltrow, and Terrence Howard are signed for three films, it is uncertain if Jon Favreau will return as director.
Take the jump for the rundown of the animated series and animated direct to DVD projects