The Marvel Cinematic Universe: The Avengers, etc.

[swanpride]

It is really frustrating....Marvel had a great show to tie with the movies with Agent of Shield, and they just threw it away. 

[Raja]

1 hour ago, swanpride said:

It is really frustrating....Marvel had a great show to tie with the movies with Agent of Shield, and they just threw it away. 

Even if Fritzsimmons will never be in a movie the TV folks knew how to pace a TV show. And it seems as if the movie directors assume we understand the D+ offering. I have noticed that since few have seen Ms. Marvel or judging by the Dr. Strange comments WandVision, that Disney will give away Ms. Marvel on ABC to introduce her before The Marvels, Captain Marvel 2.

[tv echo]

Apparently Cosmo the Space Dog is not a SAG-AFTRA member...

Best Of Marvel @ SDCC 2023
Marvel Entertainment   Jul 24, 2023

FULL PANEL: Marvel's Next Big Thing at SDCC
Marvel Entertainment   Jul 24, 2023

FULL PANEL: Women of Marvel at SDCC
Marvel Entertainment   Jul 24, 2023

[Spartan Girl]

My thoughts after Secret Invasion:

 

Spoiler

Series in a nutshell: Maria and Talos are fridged, Rhodey’s been a Skrull since Civil fucking War, Talos’ daughter G’iah is a super Skrull that’s apparently the biggest power because she got injected with all the Avengers DNA, Fury went through most of the show being a GOT season 8-level dumbass, and now he’s got a Skrull wife.

Oh and there’s still a roomful of people taken by the Skrulls, but the show didn’t reveal who they were yet because they probably haven’t thought of them or they’re saving them for their next cheap shock twists.

My expectations for this show were low but HOLY FUCK…

 

[supposebly]

Thanks for the spoiler. It prevents me from spending more money on that abysmal Disney+ channel. I was a bit intrigued by the trailer. No more.

[Spartan Girl]

What kills me is that Secret Invasion was an opportunity to tie some things together and explain some of the more recent WTF OOC moments….and they squandered it.

Why does K.E.V.I.N. hate the Marvel comic book canon so much?

[Anduin]

Reaching back into my memory, wasn't the Secret Invasion comics arc received badly too? I remember that Civil War was, and the movie wasn't up to much either.

They shouldn't make lacklustre comics into lacklustre shows or movies. I can't imagine that anyone wants the next Spidey movie to be the bloody Clone Saga.

[Spartan Girl]

45 minutes ago, Anduin said:

Reaching back into my memory, wasn't the Secret Invasion comics arc received badly too? I remember that Civil War was, and the movie wasn't up to much either.

They shouldn't make lacklustre comics into lacklustre shows or movies. I can't imagine that anyone wants the next Spidey movie to be the bloody Clone Saga.

Oh God no.

Still, even crappy comic book storylines could have been modified with good writers. The Skrull invasion was their chance to fix some plot holes in the MCU. Give them the chance to fix certain characters that they screwed up…but obviously KEVIN isn’t interested in any that.

Worse still, the show proved that unless they’re in Wakanda, the MCU cant seem to do decent writing/character development for Black characters any more than their female characters. It makes me more nervous about what The Marvels has in store for Monica…the movie looks fun, but I have even less faith in the MCU than I did before, which says A LOT. 

[supposebly]

It all just shows me that I'm kind of over these types of movies and TV shows. I've never been a comic book fan, so I was quite surprised how much I enjoyed them. I only started watching because I've always been a fan of Robert Downey Jr.

I guess Superhero movie fatigue is real. At least for me!

[Tenshinhan]

2 hours ago, Anduin said:

I can't imagine that anyone wants the next Spidey movie to be the bloody Clone Saga.

I liked the Clone Saga and wouldn't mind if they attempted some kind of adaptation in the future.

[baldryanr]

1 hour ago, supposebly said:

It all just shows me that I'm kind of over these types of movies and TV shows. I've never been a comic book fan, so I was quite surprised how much I enjoyed them. I only started watching because I've always been a fan of Robert Downey Jr.

I guess Superhero movie fatigue is real. At least for me!

This is what happens to all franchises - see all the complaints about Star Wars, Star Trek, Mission Impossible, etc.  Marvel managed to do pretty well for a long time, but it's gotten to the point where failures are no longer excused because everything around it is fun and there's optimism for the future.  Thor 2 sucked and fridged Frigga, for example, but there wasn't a lot of complaining about that because hey, Thor and Loki will be more fun in the next movie.  Now any disappointing movie will be trumpeted as yet another sign that the hacks in charge are ruining things.

 

[arc]

On 7/18/2023 at 1:34 PM, swanpride said:

It is really frustrating....Marvel had a great show to tie with the movies with Agent of Shield, and they just threw it away. 

At the time, Disney-Marvel’s live action efforts were split in two (even leaving aside all the characters licensed away to other studios). Feige had the movies and cheapskate/terrible person Ike Perlmutter was demoted to TV. Also, Jeph Loeb was leading efforts on the TV side and he also sucked. So aside from the practical difficulties of trying to coordinate between the movies and TV, there was also the problem of the TV side being led by people with really bad ideas.

And it’s not like Iger could have fixed this much earlier. Perlmutter owned Marvel before selling to Disney, and retained clout just for his wealth and shares. Disney demoted Perlmutter because Feige was more successful, and then took TV away from Perlmutter too because whatever the handicaps of working without the full blessing of the movie side were, the TV side wasn’t executing that well either, most notably in the Inhumans debacle.

[tv echo]

Marvel's 5 Best MCU Reveals from Comic-Con 2023, Ranked
By Russ Milheim  July 27, 2023
https://thedirect.com/article/mcu-comic-con-2023-marvel

5.) Collectible MCU Pins
4.) The Marvels SDCC Poster
3.) Previewing The Marvels 
2.) A Glimpse into Loki Season 2
1.) X-Men '97 Shows First Footage

[tv echo]

Bucky Barnes Almost Got a Much Bigger Role In Disney's Rogers: The Musical (Exclusive)
By Savannah Sanders  August 02, 2023
https://thedirect.com/article/bucky-barnes-disney-rogers-the-musical-exclusive 

Quote

The Direct's Savannah Sanders spoke exclusively with Rogers: The Musical's conductor and composer Christopher Lennertz and discovered the reasons behind Bucky Barnes' scaled-back role. 

According to Lennertz, who's also known for Agent Carter, The Boys, and the Disneyland Resort's "Wondrous Journeys," Rogers: The Musical could only be 30 to 35 minutes as Disney intended to offer the show four times a day. 

As a result, he and the team were forced "to make some choices we really didn't want to make. Probably the biggest one being that we didn't want so little of Bucky."
*  *  *
In the real-life Rogers: The Musical, Bucky appears prior to Steve's Super Soldier transformation. And, even though he's referenced at other points throughout the show, he doesn't return until the final musical number. 
*  *  *
"There was a much longer version of this show, and there is a much longer version of this show. Hopefully, you know, if anybody would ever let us do it, the longer version of this show had Bucky as a much bigger player in this. That's the other really big person in Cap's life from the get-go. I could absolutely see a Bucky and Cap song in there somewhere. But we just literally didn't have the time."
*  *  *
"We know there are tons of fans who are upset because Peggy said a line that Bucky said. Obviously, we all knew that. It wasn't a mistake. We all knew; we all knew. We all made the choice that for this 35-minute show we wanted to get the line in, and the way to get it in was to land on the Peggy storyline."
*  *  *
"Absolutely there could be a great Broadway version of this show in which Bucky has a really big part and will say the lines he needs to say. So it's interesting to think how that could work."
*  *  *
"We knew it was basically a Cap and Peggy love story from start to finish. Once we came up with that, we're like 'we can do that show and make it great in 30 minutes'."

Edited August 4, 2023 by tv echo

[Bruinsfan]

Okay, I like the Steve and Peggy love story and this is still making me side-eye the producers of the show.

[tv echo]

Robert Downey Jr. Breaks Down His Career, from 'Iron Man' to 'Oppenheimer' | Vanity Fair
Vanity Fair    Jul 21, 2023

Quote

00:00 "It never will get better than it is right now." 
*   *   *
10:54 Iron Man 
*   *   *

‘Iron Man’: Timothy Olyphant Recalls Losing The Lead Role But How Meeting Jon Favreau Led To ‘The Mandalorian’
 theplaylist July 31, 2023 
https://theplaylist.net/iron-man-timothy-olyphant-recalls-losing-the-lead-role-but-how-meeting-jon-favreau-led-to-the-mandalorian-20230731/ 

Quote

And in a recent episode of The Playlist’s Bingeworthy podcast, Timothy Olyphant talked about the process of auditioning for the Tony Stark role in “Iron Man,” and how he holds no ill will towards director Jon Favreau after getting passed up. (Apparently, landing a “Star Wars” role is payment enough.)

“I can only tell you that I remember thinking that was the first time where, because I’m a bit of a slow learner and I think I was scared to death of the things that come with success in this business, but that was the time where I remember thinking, ‘Well, I can’t get any more grounded and so this would be fun,’” Olyphant said about auditioning for “Iron Man.”  “I think prior to that I was like, ‘Oh, I don’t want those kinds of problems.’ And I think part of that appeal was those conversations that I had with [Jon] Favreau – I just have a tremendous amount of respect for him and I just like the guy. He’s just a good dude.”

He continued, “And so, if you’re going to go down that road, you’re not going to find anyone better to go down it with, so I have fond memories of that experience, you know? I try to see things simply for what they are and not what they could be and any conversations I had with Jon about that job and about that process, I remember it very fondly. It was an enjoyable process…And, well, he’s the one who hired me for [‘The Mandalorian’], so he doesn’t owe me anything.”

On paper, Olyphant would be an inspired choice for Stark. He has the charm and leading man qualities that it would take to inhabit the role. But also, you are probably getting a very different version of Iron Man, right? Olyphant has the ability to perform well in a comedy, but he has a much more serious demeanor in almost everything he takes on. At the time, in a pre-RDJ world, that actually works well for the character of Tony Stark. It resembles the version we saw in comic books for decades. However, it’s so difficult to imagine anything other than the self-aware snark from Downey, Jr. that someone like Olyphant seems like such a crazy choice.

Edited August 7, 2023 by tv echo

[tv echo]

Disney Needed to Change 1 Part of 'Rogers: The Musical' from Hawkeye (Exclusive)
By Savannah Sanders  August 07, 2023
https://thedirect.com/article/hawkeye-rogers-the-musical-disney-change-exclusive 

Quote

The Direct's Savannah Sanders spoke exclusively with Rogers: The Musical's conductor and composer Christopher Lennertz on how this fictional Broadway show became a reality at the Disneyland Resort. 
*  *  *
However, when bringing the number to the show, Lennertz and the team found that how the Avengers were introduced needed to change. 

For reference, in Hawkeye's version, the individual Avengers (Ant-Man included!) are revealed through the following lyrics: 

"The Hulk is incredible, smashing things up
While Iron Man takes to the sky
(Takes to the sky)
Captain America’s strong, and that Thor is a god
And lord knows they're easy on the eyes!
Black Widow’s a knockout who can knock you out
And when Ant-Man flies you won't hear a sound!
While Hawkeye seems cool, like a really nice guy
We just wish that New York wasn't the battleground!"

But in the real-world version, it's Nick Fury who introduces each member of the roster through "What You Missed," a musical number that cleverly combines Steve's notebook from Captain America: The Winter Soldier with the Avengers Initiative.

In discussing the song, which Lennertz described as a "Gilbert and Sullivan patter" mixed with an almost "'Uptown Funk' kind of chorus." He added that when Fury gets to his "famous line" is when "we get really serious and turn it into the Avengers announcement:"

"He's going to wake up from the ice, and Nick's going to be there, and he's going to be like, 'Here's what you missed,' and, he's just gonna plow through it as fast as possible. And, when he gets to this great task, this idea, and his famous line - at that point is when we get really serious and turn it into the Avengers announcement." 

Speaking of which, the Avengers announcement in "What You Missed" offers a different run-through of The Avengers' heroes, with lines like "Hulk is quite explosive, just a tad impulsive," and "Thor's speech is kinda odd, did I mention he's a god?"
*  *  *
"That's the reason it had to be cut from 'Save the City'. Because they also introduce them in the 'Hawkeye' version of 'Save the City,' but we announce them here as part of Nick's recapping. We knew Nick had to bring Cap up to speed. So we were not only letting the audience know who the Avengers were, we were letting Cap know who the Avengers were. And, we had to do that in this song before we got to 'Save the City' in order for it to work dramatically."

Edited August 8, 2023 by tv echo

[tv echo]

Marvel Sets Record-Breaking 2024 Slate With These 6 Movie Releases
By Sam Hargrave  August 08, 2023
https://thedirect.com/article/marvel-movie-releases-2024-slate 

Quote

2024 will be historic for Marvel as it marks the first time six live-action movies based on the brand's heroes have been released in one year.

Following the latest release shifts, the unprecedented year will include three movies from the Marvel Cinematic Universe and three from Sony's Spider-Man Universe.

While this will be the first year Marvel has released six live-action movies, the brand had six theatrical releases in a year once before in 2018 - with one of them being an animated affair.

1.) Madame Web - February 14, 2024
2.) Deadpool 3 - May 3, 2024
3.) Venom 3 - July 12, 2024
4.) Captain America 4 - July 26, 2024
5.) Kraven the Hunter - August 30, 2024
6.) Thunderbolts - December 20, 2024

Edited August 9, 2023 by tv echo

[Anduin]

I completely forgot about Madame Web, and looked it up on IMDB. Sydney Sweeney as Julia Carpenter. I wonder if she'll be wearing the BNW Venom-esque costume JC wears in the comics. Anyone know?

Related, Mary Parker is Peter's mother? Making this a prequel?

I'm somewhat interested in Madame Web, Cap 4, and T-Bolts, but pass on Deadpool, Venom, and Kraven.

[Guest]

3 hours ago, tv echo said:

Marvel Sets Record-Breaking 2024 Slate With These 6 Movie Releases
By Sam Hargrave  August 08, 2023
https://thedirect.com/article/marvel-movie-releases-2024-slate 

1.) Madame Web - February 14, 2024
2.) Deadpool 3 - May 3, 2024
3.) Venom 3 - July 12, 2024
4.) Captain America 4 - July 26, 2024
5.) Kraven the Hunter - August 30, 2024
6.) Thunderbolts - December 20, 2024

Since 4 of the 6 have had to halt filming due to the strike there is no chance that is actually happening. 

[Spartan Girl]

Just now, Dani said:

Since 4 of the 6 have had to halt filming due to the strike there is no chance that is actually happening. 

Well, if they want it to happen, then they can end the strike by settling a fair deal with the writers and actors, can't they?

[Guest]

Just now, Spartan Girl said:

Well, if they want it to happen, then they can end the strike by settling a fair deal with the writers and actors, can't they?

They should but it’s probably already too late to avoid more delays. Trying to keep to that schedule would be a nightmare for those working in visual effects and Marvel is already receiving a lot of pushback in that area.

The two films on the list that have finished filming are Sony’s so they have a chance of still releasing all three. 

[Tenshinhan]

7 hours ago, Anduin said:

I wonder if she'll be wearing the BNW Venom-esque costume JC wears in the comics.

I kind of doubt it, based off the vibe I get from set pics.

7 hours ago, Anduin said:

Related, Mary Parker is Peter's mother? Making this a prequel?

Something like that possibly, based on the rumored plot.

Edited August 9, 2023 by Tenshinhan

[Anduin]

4 minutes ago, Tenshinhan said:

I kind of doubt it, based off the vibe I get from set pics.

Something like that possibly, based on the rumored plot.

Pity, I like the BNW costume, much more than the red and yellow Jessica Drew wears. Anyway, thanks!

Edited August 9, 2023 by Anduin

[starri]

19 hours ago, Anduin said:

Pity, I like the BNW costume, much more than the red and yellow Jessica Drew wears. Anyway, thanks!

Weirdly, the set pics I’ve seen of Dakota Johnson have her wearing a similar costume to the one Julia wore during her period as Madame Web.  

[Anduin]

5 hours ago, starri said:

Weirdly, the set pics I’ve seen of Dakota Johnson have her wearing a similar costume to the one Julia wore during her period as Madame Web.  

Red trenchcoat? Still not the B&W costume. :( Ah well, I'll cope.

[starri]

15 hours ago, Anduin said:

Red trenchcoat? Still not the B&W costume. :( Ah well, I'll cope.

I mean, if they were going there, why not just have Dakota Johnson play Julia?

[Anduin]

7 minutes ago, starri said:

I mean, if they were going there, why not just have Dakota Johnson play Julia?

Hollywood sometimes feels like a complete shambles that succeeds despite its best efforts. I agree, it's an odd choice.

[Tenshinhan]

I don't find any of it weird or odd at all.  Johnson is playing Madame Web, and that's one of Madame Web's outfits, regardless of whether it's Cassandra or Julia.  They certainly aren't gonna put her in her original classic outfit.

Webb in this film seems like she will be a mentor of sorts to the other Spider-Women.  Perhaps, like in the comics, she will pass down her abilities onto Julia, who could even end up wearing the jacket maybe.

 

[tv echo]

Black Widow | Marvel Studios' Legends
Marvel Entertainment   Aug 15, 2023

[Spartan Girl]

I just realized Rhodey being a Skrull would actually go a long way to explaining why Dickweed Ross was allowed to show up at Tony’s funeral without Rhodey, Bruce, or anyone calling him out or even doing anything to give him the comeuppance he so richly deserved**. No, I’m not giving Feige or the MCU credit for a cheap shock value twist, but Skrull Rhodey would probably still want to make nice with both the Avengers and Ross to keep his place in the government.

Still bitterly wish this would happen.

[tv echo]

Peggy Carter | Marvel Studios' Legends
Marvel Entertainment   Aug 26, 2023

[tv echo]

The Avengers Initiative | Marvel Studios' Legends
Marvel Entertainment    Aug 28, 2023

The Marvel Cinematic Universe: An Official Timeline | Official Trailer
Marvel Entertainment    Aug 28, 2023

 

Edited August 30, 2023 by tv echo

[tv echo]

The Ravagers | Marvel Studios' Legends
Marvel Entertainment    Aug 30, 2023

[tv echo]

Doctor Strange | Marvel Studios' Legends
Marvel Entertainment   Sep 3, 2023

 

[tv echo]

The Scarlet Witch | Marvel Studios' Legends
Marvel Entertainment   Sep 5, 2023

Wong | Marvel Studios' Legends
Marvel Entertainment   Sep 4, 2023

[tv echo]

Thor | Marvel Studios' Legends
Marvel Entertainment   Sep 7, 2023

[tv echo]

Marvel Announces 2023 New York Comic Con Panel Line-Up
BY MARVEL   September 7, 2023
https://www.marvel.com/articles/live-events/marvel-2023-new-york-comic-con-panel-line-up?linkId=233740589 

Quote

This October, Marvel is returning to New York Comic Con with a line-up of fan-favorite panels, can’t-miss activations, exciting announcements, New York Comic Con convention-exclusive merchandise, all-star talent signings, and countless fan experiences at the Marvel booth from Thursday, October 12 through Sunday, October 15.

New York Comic Con, October 12-15, 2023, currently lists among its scheduled guests: Chris Evans, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff, Sean Gunn, Michael Rooker and Chukwudi Iwuji...
https://www.newyorkcomiccon.com/en-us/guests.html 

Edited September 8, 2023 by tv echo

[tv echo]

Jane Foster | Marvel Studios' Legends
Marvel Entertainment   Sep 9, 2023

[tv echo]

Valkyrie | Marvel Studios' Legends
Marvel Entertainment   Sep 10, 2023

[tv echo]

Mantis | Marvel Studios' Legends
Marvel Entertainment   Sep 12, 2023

[tv echo]

The Wonder of Marvel | Disney100
Marvel Entertainment   Sep 12, 2023

[tv echo]

Bruce Banner | Marvel Studios' Legends
Marvel Entertainment   Sep 13, 2023

Drax | Marvel Studios' Legends
Marvel Entertainment   Sep 15, 2023

[tv echo]

Marvel VFX Workers Unanimously Vote to Unionize
BY MATT WEBB MITOVICH   SEPTEMBER 13, 2023
https://tvline.com/news/marvel-vfx-workers-vote-unionize-visual-effects-1235042860/ 

Quote

Marvel Studios’ visual effects (VFX) workers have unanimously voted in favor of unionizing with the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE), the union announced on Wednesday.

This marks the first time that a unit of solely VFX Workers has unionized with IATSE since visual effects were pioneered nearly a half-century ago. All votes were in favor of Marvel Studios’ VFX workers unionizing with IATSE, with zero against.

Walt Disney Pictures VFX staffers have similarly begun voting in their own NLRB election, with the results expected on Oct. 2.

The Marvel vote came amid an increasingly public dialogue about the unrealistic demands put on VFX workers these days, and the untenable working conditions under which they must perform. A main cause of this turning point is the fact that VFX houses typically need to bid a flat rate for any TV or movie project, regardless of the hours and hours that ends up being required. And since inevitably the lowest bid wins, VFX houses barely survive (…or fold) by generating the slimmest of margins.

And because the majority of VFX workers don’t collect overtime pay (even for 12-plus hour days), the lowest-paid employees might wind up making less than minimum wage.
*  *  *
Following the outcome of this vote, the next step for the union is to engage in collective bargaining negotiations with the employer to draft a contract that outlines terms and conditions of employment, including wages, hours and working conditions. Both the union and the employer are “obligated to negotiate in good faith” to reach an agreement on these terms. At this early stage, IATSE reports, no negotiation dates have yet been scheduled.

Edited September 15, 2023 by tv echo

[tv echo]

The Dora Milaje | Marvel Studios' Legends
Marvel Entertainment   Sep 17, 2023

Princess Shuri | Marvel Studios' Legends
Marvel Entertainment   Sep 16, 2023

 

[tv echo]

King T'Challa | Marvel Studios' Legends
Marvel Entertainment   Sep 18, 2023

[tv echo]

[tv echo]

Chris Evans Is Having Second Thoughts
By Zach Baron    September 19, 2023
https://www.gq.com/story/chris-evans-october-cover-profile-2023 

Quote

This was Evans’s jocky-pricks era. Johnny Storm, the Human Torch, in 2005’s Fantastic Four—Evans’s first Marvel go-round—was like this. So was the character he played in 2010’s Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, and 2011’s What’s Your Number?, and so on. “I came up as an asshole,” Evans says. “And I got cast as a lot of assholes.”
*  *  *
But, he says, in total earnestness: “In terms of, you know, morality, in terms of your personal integrity and the man you want to be? I’d like to believe I have more in common with Captain America. He sets a pretty high bar.”
*  *  *
Captain America. First seen as part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2011’s Captain America: The First Avenger, a fun, quippy World War II movie that came a few years after 2008’s Iron Man, which starred Robert Downey Jr. Iron Man, of course, was shockingly successful, and basically set us on the increasingly narrow path, American movies–wise, we are still walking to this day. The first Avengers, which combined Evans and Downey alongside Scarlett Johansson, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, and Jeremy Renner, came out in 2012 and made $1.5 billion. It’s been Marvel all the way down ever since.

Evans got in just late enough, in terms of when he was offered the part, to know what he was getting into. “I was really apprehensive about taking the role initially,” he says. At the time, he was nearly 30. “I remember in my late 20s having a real shift in how I felt on set, how I felt promoting films: a little more anxiety, a little more uncertainty. You always end up questioning, Is this what I should be doing?” To the extent that he recognized the trajectory he was on, it didn’t feel like a great one. “I just wasn’t sure if I was moving closer to myself or further away. And something inside me kept saying that I was getting further away—that something about this industry wasn’t healthy.” The work was messing with his psyche, his sense of joy, even his sense of self.

So he said no a few times before he said yes. Negotiated down the commitment, in terms of how many movies he was going to owe Marvel. Weighed the positive and the negative—“the pros were that I’d be able to take care of my family forever; the cons were that I would become deeply, deeply unhappy with fame and loss of control”—and then, in the end, put on the suit and became the man.

“I often think about the parallel world where he said no,” Kevin Feige, head of Marvel Studios, says. “Robert Downey Jr. gets a lot of attention, deservedly so, for being the foundation of this studio we have here. But in many, many ways, Chris Evans was one of those additional pillars that the house would not be standing today, if not for him.”

Looking back on it now, Evans says, he mostly just feels gratitude. He did not in the end lose control, or become deeply unhappy. “I love playing that role,” he says. “I feel connected to it in a way that when you revisit a character so many times you can’t help but try to absorb some of their traits and measure yourself against them.”

And beyond gratitude, a bunch of feelings that he chooses not to examine at all. “I think sometimes it feels like almost nothing in my career or life is really happening to me. It feels like you’re watching someone else do it, or you feel like you’re spectating. So when you get asked questions like that”—the question, for what it’s worth: Did Evans feel like he was able to walk away from the character with his sense of independent self intact?—“you’re like, Shit, I don’t know, ask him. Oh, it’s me. Oh, fuck. That’s right. I don’t know. I just feel like I’ve been sitting here watching it happen to that guy with everyone else. So sometimes you feel very outside of it. Like I said, the time in the field has shown that the more you spend thinking about those things, the less happy you are.”

“I think the world knows he did a spectacular job,” Feige says. “And a lot of it was getting out of his own head.”
*  *  *
What Evans does notice, what he will allow himself to think about, is freedom that the reported tens of millions of dollars he received for playing the role of Captain America provides him. “If I wanted to stop everything now, I could,” he says. “Which is incredible. And that’s a blessing beyond words. Specifically, because life is unpredictable and anything can happen.” Evans is still an anxious guy. But now he’s an anxious guy who knows, somewhere in that swirling mass of anxiety, that he has the resources and power to take on whatever thing may come. “I’m a bit of an overplanner. I try to set things up so that any sort of future curveball that happens, I’ve planned for it. And that’s ostensibly exactly what Marvel’s provided.” He can relax. “And part of that relaxing is just, uh, putting my brain down, putting my anxiety down. And the analysis, the kind of planning for tomorrow. I don’t have to do that as much anymore, and I can just be present.”

Evans is, of course, aware of the story that now gets told about the comic book movies he was central to: that they were a tidal wave that changed Hollywood forever, ushering in a new age of interconnected franchise entertainment that quickly became the dominant model for the industry. In terms of box office, the Avengers movies and their assorted spin-offs are some of the most successful and lucrative films Hollywood has ever made. Evans takes only a very, very, very small amount of credit for this. “You kind of feel like you were just lucky enough to go along for the ride,” he says. “It’s like winning the Super Bowl, but you weren’t Tom Brady. I mean, you were on the team. You might have had a couple good plays, but it’s not your victory to own. You are a part of it, which is wonderful. And you’re a part of a cultural phenomenon.”
*  *  *
Evans says that in many ways, despite the multiple movies the character headlined, Captain America felt like a supporting role too: “That was the beauty of working on Marvel films. You never really had to be front and center. Even in your own films sometimes. Quentin Tarantino said it recently”—on a podcast, Tarantino said, “Part of the Marvel-ization of Hollywood is, you have all these actors who have become famous playing these characters, but they’re not movie stars. Captain America is the star”—“and I was like, you know, he’s right. The character is the star. You’re there, but you don’t feel the burden of it.” (Feige gently disagrees: “I think it’s something he was telling himself, and I think it’s something many of the Avengers, including Robert, would tell themselves, which actually was very helpful to the process. But in certain cases, including Chris’s, it’s not entirely true.”)

Edited September 20, 2023 by tv echo

[tv echo]

Marvel Secrets Revealed: Alternate Castings That Would Have Changed Everything
Chadwick Boseman as Drax. Alexander Skarsgård as Thor. John Krasinski as Captain America. An exclusive book excerpt dives into the formative days of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
BY JOANNA ROBINSON, DAVE GONZALES, AND GAVIN EDWARDS    September 21, 2023
https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2023/09/marvel-secrets-revealed-alternate-castings-that-would-have-changed-everything 
 

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... In an excerpt from the upcoming book MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios, authors Joanna Robinson, Dave Gonzales, and Gavin Edwards reveal the paths not taken, starting with who could possibly bring the God of Thunder to life…
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While Miller and Stentz labored over the script, Branagh worked with Marvel casting director Sarah Halley Finn. Stentz recalled seeing pretty much every notable Hollywood actress between the ages of twenty-five and thirty as they came by the production office to read for the role of Jane Foster, earthbound scientist and Thor’s love interest. He described Branagh’s reaction immediately following a meeting with Natalie Portman. “He was very taken with her,” Stentz said. “Not in a romantic way, but with her intelligence. Jane is a physicist, and we needed someone who could convey that intelligence. That’s what struck him about her: he said, forgive me, ‘Because the last thing we need is nuclear physicist Denise Richards.’” (Richards had played the nuclear physicist Dr. Christmas Jones in the James Bond movie The World Is Not Enough, earning much mockery and a 1999 Razzie Award for “Worst Supporting Actress.”)
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The casting of Downey set the terms for the Marvel audition process: in nearly all cases, the studio valued screen tests over reputation. When casting a role, Finn would typically bring in top choices for an audition with a small camera crew, the core Marvel Studios producers, and (ideally) the movie’s director. The first round was the reading of a scene (known in industry parlance as “sides”), either in person or, if the actor wasn’t in Los Angeles, on tape. Further testing could involve new sides to showcase different aspects of the character, another actor to test potential chemistry, and even costumes or sets to see how natural the performer looked in a world of superheroes.

In the name of continuity, Marvel Studios revived another practice from the old Hollywood system: signing actors to long-term contracts, typically for nine movies. While the immediate justification was that Marvel needed its superheroes on call for crossovers and team-ups, the underlying motivation was financial. After Downey used the success of Iron Man to negotiate gargantuan paydays, Marvel Studios wanted the cost certainty of young talent locked into affordable multiyear deals. (That was another reason Finn didn’t focus on the biggest possible name for each role.)

Finn’s challenge with Thor was finding “an actor who could play Asgardian, which we equated to Shakespearean, almost, and yet be completely earthbound and relatable.” Back in 2004, when Avi Arad had almost set up a Thor movie at Sony, the leading contender for the role had been Daniel Craig. He still seemed like a strong candidate, but Craig quickly declined because he had committed to the James Bond franchise. Other actors Marvel seriously considered included Charlie Hunnam (Sons of Anarchy), Joel Kinnaman (a Swedish actor then largely unknown in the US), Tom Hiddleston (a British actor also little known in the US), Alexander Skarsgård (True Blood), and Liam Hemsworth (an Australian actor and another unknown). The guiding principle, according to Branagh: “Don’t let it be like Fabio.”
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With Thor and Loki, Marvel Studios had, through a mixture of skill and luck, gotten things exactly right with a pair of obscure actors. It was willing to look at some marginally better-known names to play Steve Rogers. “We knew the central core of qualities we were looking for,” Finn said, “but the property was not well-known. People didn’t get it, it seemed a bit ‘B,’ it seemed a bit dated.” Ryan Philippe auditioned, as did Garrett Hedlund, Jensen Ackles, Chace Crawford, and (on a break from The Office) John Krasinski. Some of the finalists, including Krasinski, were brought in for screen tests that included dressing up in a Captain America costume on a period set. Krasinski, who would eventually appear in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness as the rubber-limbed superhero Reed Richards, later told the story of being half-dressed when a pumped-up Chris Hemsworth walked by in his full Thor costume. Krasinski regarded his own shirtless body and concluded that maybe he wasn’t actually cut out for playing an Adonis.

Some of the other actors who auditioned for Captain America also ended up in the MCU with different roles. Wyatt Russell, son of Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn, had his first-ever professional audition with Sarah Halley Finn. A decade later, he would finally get to carry Captain America’s shield as John Walker (aka U.S. Agent) in the Disney Plus series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.

Sebastian Stan also read for Steve Rogers. “But we saw something there that was a bit darker, a bit edgier,” Finn said. “And as we continued to go through the process, it seemed like the best role might be Bucky.” Captain America’s sidekick Bucky Barnes had been one of the rare Marvel characters who died and stayed dead. In the comic books, he expired heroically at the end of World War II and remained deceased for five decades before writer Ed Brubaker came up with the plotline that revived him as the brainwashed Russian assassin called the Winter Soldier. It wasn’t going to take Marvel Studios fifty years to turn Bucky into the Winter Soldier. Stan signed a nine- picture deal, which, for fans who kept up on Hollywood contract news, slightly undercut Bucky’s apparent death in Captain America: The First Avenger.

Also reading sides for Captain America was Parks and Recreation cast member Chris Pratt. Finn was intrigued by the actor but decided “it wasn’t quite a fit.”
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There was one performer the studio really wanted, but early on, he had declined even to audition. Chris Evans had already played a Marvel superhero, the cocky Johnny Storm, also known as the Human Torch, in the two Fantastic Four movies directed by Tim Story for Fox. Finn was very familiar with his work. “My oldest two boys and I had seen Fantastic Four maybe 50 or 60 times,” she said. “We kind of went round and round and came back to Chris.”
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Robert Downey Jr. called Evans and encouraged him to take the role, telling him that the fame that came with it would expand his opportunities as an actor, not constrict them. To entice Evans, Marvel Studios rolled back his commitment to just six movies: a trilogy of Captain America movies and three Avengers films. Evans would still be locked into the role for roughly a decade, which scared him. But sometimes, he decided, “maybe the thing you’re most scared of is actually the thing you should do.” He took the part.
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She remembered her first meeting with Hayley Atwell to discuss the role of Peggy Carter, the superspy who would develop a relationship with Captain America, and the actress, “in her most perfect British accent, saying she was tired of period pieces, and she really wanted to kick some ass. And then she worked very, very hard. So knowing they have that willingness is great, but it’s never been a requirement. It’s been about ‘Let’s find the person who makes this character come to life.’ ”

Finn identified the casting of another Chris as her proudest moment in her long career at Marvel: she realized that Chris Pratt could play Star-Lord in Guardians of the Galaxy, the 2014 movie directed by James Gunn about a gang of reluctantly heroic outer-space misfits. Pratt was famous as the dimwitted goofball Andy Dwyer on the NBC sitcom Parks and Recreation, but Finn remembered the spark he had shown in his audition for Captain America years earlier: “I was so excited, and I went to James [Gunn], and he said, ‘Chris Pratt, no way, he’s totally wrong.’ ”

Finn secretly kept Pratt on the short list for Star-Lord while casting the rest of the Guardians ensemble. She saw Chadwick Boseman for the role of Drax and Lupita Nyong’o for Gamora, and although both parts went to other people (Dave Bautista and Zoe Saldaña, respectively), each actor made enough of an impression to get a leading role in Black Panther years later. Another example of slow-burn casting was the Scottish actress Karen Gillan, who had auditioned for Sharon Carter (a secret agent and Peggy Carter’s niece) in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. The role went to Emily VanCamp, but Finn realized the actress would be a perfect fit for Gamora’s sister Nebula, because she had a cherubic look even when she was projecting menace.

Star-Lord remained uncast, so Finn prevailed on Gunn to at least let Pratt do a screen test for the role (remembering well how that had helped showcase Downey as a good fit for Tony Stark). Pratt was intrigued, if skeptical that he was actually the right man for the job. But his screen test was the type of moment casting directors dream of: “Chris walked in the room, and we have this audition, and it’s really magical. Within ten seconds, James turned around and looked at me and said, ‘He’s the guy.’ ”

Edited September 23, 2023 by tv echo

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Some of the world’s most distinguished creative visionaries and next generation talent have joined Disney’s Create 100, a global celebration of Disney’s 100 years of storytelling. Renowned creators, brands, and next-generation talent from 18 countries are taking part, including those from and inspired by Marvel. To find out more and to sign up for Create 100 e-mail notifications, visit http://www.disney.com/create100

Fans around the globe will have the chance to bid on unique items and experiences inspired by each creator’s personal connection to Disney and Marvel, in addition to Pixar, Star Wars, and 20th Century Studios’ stories and characters. The auction will run across 18 countries from October 12 until October 30, 2023, with funds from auction sales going to Make-A-Wish.

To commemorate this initiative, Disney is donating $1 million globally to Make-A-Wish to support the granting of life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses.

Edited September 27, 2023 by tv echo