Comic book movies are not anything
new; despite the craze of the past decade and studios buying up every property
they can, they've been around since before Christopher Reeves made me believe a
man could fly. The difference with recent comic book movies, in particular with
Marvel properties, is that their narratives have been weaved together. Iron
Man (2008), The Incredible Hulk (2008),
Thor (2011), and Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), have all been working
towards one final goal"¦The Avengers
(2012).
It has been the wet dream of every
comic book nerd since they started making comic book movies; to have an
ensemble cast from their respective movies join forces to fight some great
evil. Marvel has the advantage of doing this over their rival DC, simply
because Marvel regained control of their properties shortly before the 2008
debut of Iron Man. With DC hero properties fracturing due
to lawsuits and various other reasons, it looks like a Justice League movie, at
least for now, is out of the question. So that leaves us with The Avengers, an
extraordinary story that has been a mere four years in the making.
Ever actor in the Avengers has
proven they can pull off their respective roles"¦..well, all but Mark
Ruffalo. Ruffalo will be replacing
Edward Norton as Bruce Banner/The Hulk after Norton and Marvel failed to
effectively negotiate contact terms for his return. While I think replacing Norton was a huge mistake, I'm
willing to give Ruffalo a chance.
I think he realizes that comic book movie fans aren't like other
cinephiles; if he fails he will be banned from the genre for life. Just ask Ang Lee, Ben Affleck,
Halle Berry, and Eric Bana. All
had their chance to shine "“ all will forever remain on the sidelines.
One of the only other unknowns to grace
the screen in next year's highly anticipated sequel is Hawkeye, played by Oscar
nominated actor Jeremy Renner.
Granted we got a small glimpse of him in this year's Thor, mere seconds on the screen hardly
counts as an adequate introduction.
I have no worries about Renner though, he's a spectacular actor and I
think he can pull off the smart-ass archer perfectly. Also, am I the only one excited about Colbie Smulders? I
didn't think so. The "˜How I Met Your Mother' hottie will be joining The Avengers cast as SHIELD super agent
Maria Hill. Need I saw anything
more?
The
Avengers will certainly have the weight of the world on its shoulders as
its reviews and box office take will most certainly determine how studios
handle hero movie properties from now on.
That leaves me with just one last thing to say"¦.AVENGERS
ASSEMBLE!.....summer 2012.
