MARVEL UNIVERSE (UPDATE)

• MARVEL UNIVERSE

With Marvel's The Avengers getting set to hit theaters onMay 4th, Marvel Studios is moving forward with plans for the next two years.They've got Iron Man 3 scheduled for a May 3, 2013 release and, according toComicBook.com, filming will likely start the first week of May for the thirdinstallment (presumably after Robert Downey Jr.'s publicity tour for"Avengers").

Multiple sources have told ComicBook.com that shooting forIron Man 3 will begin prior to The Avengers hitting theaters May 4th, weeksahead of previously published dates.  Thefilm is scheduled to be shot in Wilmington, NC at the EUE/Screen Gems Studiosand is believed to be the largest production ever to be filmed in NorthCarolina.

Previous reports have listed late May as the officialproduction start date, but one source close to the North Carolina operationssaid that Marvel “will have staff in Wilmington as early as mid-March, withshooting scheduled to begin the last week of April or the first week of May.”

When asked to verify this, all Marvel Studios replied was,“It is not April for sure.”

Marvel Studios also has Thor 2 scheduled for November 15,2013, but after that things get a little bit more vague. We know that thecompany has set release dates for two untitled projects on April 4, 2014 andthen on May 16, 2014. With the first date being 4/4/14, one project that comesto mind is the Fantastic Four reboot, though that is still a Twentieth CenturyFox release. So perhaps it could be Dr. Strange instead? Fanshare has thefollowing bit on that project:

Mark Ruffalo (Bruce Banner) & Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man)

It has been confirmed that the script for Doctor Strange hasbeen completed by Thomas Donnelly and Joshua Oppenheimer (Conan The Barbarian,Sahara) and Marvel Studios are now actively seeking a director to come in andhelm the project. Once the director has come on board, they will then besearching for the cast to star in Doctor Strange.

The budget for Doctor Strange is not expected to be anywherenear as much as that of the bigger Marvel movies but it is still believed that,with the right script, the right director and the right cast, a good superheromovie could definitely come out of this. Production on Doctor Strange isexpected to begin this year, with a release date likely to be sometime in 2013.

We think production might start a little later, however,since Neal McDonough spoke with IMDb about Captain America 2, which could bethat May 16, 2014 project, he also stated that he hopes to be in Nick Furyfilm. So could that other date be for a possible Nick Fury film? We will justhave to wait and see.

FANTASTIC FOUR (In Development)

•  FANTASTIC FOUR

Chronicle releases on 17 February 2012

Earlier thismonth, Variety reported that 20thCentury Fox was eyeing Chronicledirector Josh Trank to take on the FantasticFour reboot. SuperHeroHype spoke to Trank earlier this week. Here iswhat he had to say about the speculation:

"I know as much as you guys know. I'mtotally serious. I know as much as you," he said. "I saw that leak online and I was like, 'Um, okay, I'm trying tofinish Chronicle right now.' This is weird. There's nothing to say, 'Chronicle'is exactly the kind of superhero movie that I wanted to make and, goingforward, I want to have some original ideas and different things I'm workingon."

So the studio couldbe interested in him, but they might not of gotten into contact with him asyet.

THE HOBBIT (Lilly Speaks)

• THE HOBBIT

Evangeline Lilly (Real Steel, "LOST") was asked byEntertainment Weekly about her character Tauriel in the upcoming,highly-anticipated Hobbit films.

Evangeline Lilly

When asked if she had to learn archery and swordplay, Lillysaid "Yes, she is a warrior. She’s actually the head of the Elven guard.She’s the big shot in the army. So she knows how to wield any weapon, but theprimary weapons that she uses are a bow and arrow and two daggers. And she’slethal and deadly. You definitely wouldn’t want to be caught in a dark alleynext to Tauriel."

Lilly then spoke more about Tauriel and added that, "She’snot in the first film very much. She comes into the first film near the end,and has a very small part to play. Her role in the second film is much moreinvolved. Although, I have to say, when I first read the scripts and took thejob, she had a lot less going on in the second film. I think the role isbecoming a bit more demanding that I had expected it to be. There’s a lot morefor me to do now, which is a lot of fun, but it’s a little more pressure."

Lilly added that she has to go back to New Zealand for fivemore months of filming.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey opens in 3D, 2D and IMAXtheaters on December 14 and is followed by The Hobbit: There and Back Again onDecember 13, 2013.

GODS AND KINGS (Speculation)

• GODS AND KINGS

Spielberg to direct Moses!!

It was rumored back in November that Steven Spielberg was"in talks" with Warner Bros. to direct the studio's Moses film,entitled, Gods and Kings. Now it would seem that the final negotiations areunderway, leaving us to assume that Spielberg will be in the director’s chairfor the film.

In an interesting twist, one insider at Deadline claims thefilm is envisioned as a "Braveheart-ish version of the Moses story,"depicting the character in a grittier light. Added the insider, "Therehave been glossy versions of the Moses story, but this would be a real warriorstory."

Warners has been courting Spielberg since last Septemberwhen he first read the script by writers Stuart Hazeldine (Paradise Lost) andMichael Green (ABC's The River). Spielberg, meanwhile, has just finisheddirecting Lincoln and has already begun production on Robopocolypse. Thedirector will be looking for another big feature next, and sources believe Godsand Kings will most likely be his next.

HANGOVER PART 3 (In Development)

• HANGOVER PART 3

Hangover again!!!

The Hollywood Reporter says that Bradley Cooper, ZachGalifianakis and Ed Helms are negotiating together to get $15 million each tomake The Hangover Part III. The trade adds that they are likely to get it withdealmaking wrapping up.

According to them, the three stars made under $1 millioneach for the first film, which grossed a massive $467 million worldwide. Theythen received around $5 million each for the sequel, which then grossed another$581 million worldwide. So, provided the third film is as successful, WarnerBros. should easily be able to recoup the money spent on the actors.

The studio is hoping to start filming the third installment,set in Los Angeles, this summer with Todd Phillips again directing for a MemorialDay 2013 release.

NICK FURY (Speculation)

• NICK FURY

Neal McDonough as Dum Dum Dugan

Neal McDonough starred as Dum Dum Dugan in Captain America:the First Avenger. Many can argue that he was under used in the film, yetMcDonough believes that he will be returning for Cap 2. He also assumes that hewill be in a Nick Fury film as well??!?!  

IMDb spoke to the actor, who said that Captain America 2will start shooting by the end of 2012.

"Yeah, they're planning [to go into production for]Captain America 2 for the end of this year, because Marvel does one film at atime," he says. "So they're going to do Thor 2 and as soon as Thorhas wrapped, they'll do Cap 2. Hopefully right after that, we'll jump into NickFury because that's the one I'm looking forward to more than anything."

After all, Dum Dum is Nick Fury's right-hand man. So youwould expect him to show up in a substantial role in any film starring theleader of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Sam Jackson as Nick Fury

"I just pray that they have a 1970s setting, because Iwant to see Sam Jackson with lamb chops kicking people's asses for [the] Marveluniverse," he continues. "It would just be awesome."

Still, we don't even know if a Nick Fury movie is actuallybeing planned, though Jackson too has often said he'd love to get a solo film.And no doubt, a 1970s Marvel Universe would be pretty awesome.