Marvel has an on-going writing program, where they continuously have projects being worked on and scripts being revised, etc. One of those is the Ms. Marvel. The other project that is mentioned is the newly acquired Blade property, which came back hoe to Marvel recently with Ghost Rider and Daredevil. This film would obviously be a reboot for the character and could be an interesting project for Marvel, should they go forward with it, as fans would expect to see an R-rated film. To date, the Disney-owed studio has stuck with PG-13 films.

This by no means means that films based on Ms. Marvel and Blade will happen, but it’s encouraging to hear they are exploring as many options as they can. Films centered on Doctor Strange, Black Panther, Iron Fist and The Runaways have also been either confirmed or discussed. Being that it was recently announced that RDJ was negotiating for two more Avengers sequels, it can be assumed that Avengers 3 is also in early stages of planning.

Josh "ecksmanfan" Johnson, Ms. Marvel & Blade Reboot Scripts in the Works at Marvel

Marvel

In EW‘s Marvel Iron Man 3-centric issue, they had a few words from Kevin Feige about the movie rights coming back into the fold. They’re very glad to have them back, but that doesn’t mean they’ll be making appearances in the current slate of movies. You can see for yourself in the the snippet via Bleeding Cool:

Now, if you’re like me, you’re thinking all those characters listed would make for a pretty great Marvel Knights film. Marvel might not have big screen plans for the guys just yet, but with Phase 3 reported to bring in new characters like Ant-Man and Doctor Strange, it would probably be a safe bet that they’ll do something with them before long. With these movie rights reverting back, that really only leaves X-Men, Spider-Man, and the Fantastic Four outside of Marvel Studios control. Those  are huge properties with an enormous roster of characters, but Marvel has quickly snatched up most all of their other characters. What do you think about these more anti-hero type characters coming back home? Will the fit with the new Disney/Marvel?Do you hope Marvel will start to pepper them in to the movies or should we get some solo movies first?

Cody "The Thorverine" Ferrell, Ghost Rider, Blade, The Punisher, And Daredevil Are Now Under The Marvel Studios Umbrella

Goyer adapted Blade for the big screen, launching the comic book movie craze and legitimizing the form in many people’s eyes. The scribe thinks a reboot is inevitable now that Marvel/Disney have the rights back: “I do, I do. Now that Marvel/Disney have recaptured the rights, I’m sure it will be [remade]. They made too much money on that character to not reboot him at some point.” Blade isn’t exactly a movie you’d think would work with Disney, but Goyer sees it as too big a property to just sit on the shelf- “I mean, look, between merchandise and what not, that little character generated almost a billion dollars.” If a Blade movie gets made though, don’t expect Wesley Snipes to portraying everyone’s favorite Human/Vampire hybrid. Goyers says there’s just “too much water under the bridge there.” It’s a well-known fact that Snipes didn’t get along well with people on the set. The last movie was a horror show of conflicting personalities.

The writer also kept one persistent rumor going when he refused to answer. Taking a note out of his friend Christopher Nolan’s playbook, Goyer played it close to the chest when asked about Joseph Gordon-Levitt playing Batman in a Justice League movie, saying he could “absolutely not answer that question.” He may not have to answer that question if the rumors about JGL closing in on the Guardians of the Galaxy lead pan out. In another quick movie comment, Goyer talked about his attachement to a Magneto movie before First Class came about. He was disappointed that movie didn’t pan out, but said a lot of his stuff ended up in First Class

Goyer also spoke with Access Hollywood about Man of Steel. He didn’t reveal much, but he did tease the upcoming Superman movie saying he thinks it is the perfect movie for the times. What do you think about Goyer’s statements? Are you wanting a Blade Reboot? Should JGL be Batman in Justice League?

Cody "The Thorverine" Ferrell, David Goyer Talks Blade, Justice League, Magneto, And Man Of Steel

Toward the late ’90s, before the success of Blade and the X-Men films that would boost the real image adaptations from comic books, a failure was created for everyone’s collection: “Nick Fury: Agent of SHIELD , “starring the iconic star of two of the biggest shows ever on TV, “Knight Rider” and “Baywatch”, the one and only David Hasselhoff. With a flap in his eye and cigar in his mouth!

Nick Fury came to the Hoff when he was looking for an exit from Baywatch. “Baywatch Nights” has just laid a giant steaming turd in syndication and The Hoff’s main character Mitch Buchanan was being phased out of the main series. Hoff was looking for a change.

In this 1998 TV movie, which did have a clause to be turned into a series if successful, Hoff plays retired Col. Nick Fury who has seen the greatest missions of his life pass him by.

But when his arch-nemesis’s body is stolen from a secure facility, Nick is called back into action.

Think Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Commando with a Marvel comics twist.

The movie is written by David S. Goyer who wrote this movie the same year as the “Blade” franchise was launched and the cult classic “Dark City” was released. Both movies Mr. Goyer also wrote.

Goyer would go on to reboot the “Batman” franchise with Christopher Nolan almost a decade later with the awesome “Batman Begins”.

What people seem to forget when it comes to this film is that it is extremely loyal to the source material and in some ways feels like a pre-cursor to the new Marvel movement. You see, previous Marvel films had been disasters and the properties seemed cursed with films like 1989′s The Punisher, 1990′s Captain America, 1986′s Howard the Duck, etc. It wasn’t until really the success of “Blade” and Sony’s 2002 Spider-Man film that it all slowly started to change.

In 1997, when Goyer sat down to write both Blade and Nick Fury he really dove into the source material. A comic fan himself he knew that if you stay close to the source then the concept will work.

When I actually sat down and revisited Nick Fury, I was shocked. The movie isn’t really all that bad. You have Nick Fury facing off against Baron Von Strucker (well, his twisted offspring). It is a vintage SHIELD vs. Hydra struggle.

The movie was on a really restrictive budget but you also get the Helli-Carrier, SHIELD gadgets and vehicles.  The Hoff buts heads with his love interest played by soap vet Lisa Rinna.

Like all action films of this vain, you have silly one-liners and some macho dialogue but really nothing strays far from Fury’s hard demeanor we all know from the comics.

The Hoff’s performance as Fury is a mixture of all the macho men of action he has played over the years. If you can get over the idea of him playing this character then the film isn’t that bad. Actually even surprising in parts.

One of those surprising things is that Hasselhoff’s performance is actually the most subdued of the cast. Sandra Hess’s performance as the daughter of Von Strucker is just plain ridiculous.

This movie is better than any of those other cursed Marvel projects I mentioned before. A series could have even been interesting especially if it could have landed a syndicated deal like Hasselhoff’s Baywatch.

It is not as bad as you might think.

3.5 out of 5

Have you seen it? What did you think? Let us know in the usual place!

wolverinept, The Time Capsule: Nick Fury: Agent of Shield

The one that was successful in this age of darkness was Conan the Barbarian which was published by Marvel Comics, with a big budget for the time and careful production it became a blockbuster film. The House of Ideas, also known as Marvel Comics, is one of the largest American comics publishers in the world and has a catalog of over five thousand characters.

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Captain America, 1944

A wave of suspected suicides begins to occur between scientists and entrepreneurs, and all die holding a small beetle. The Mayor asks the police commissioner and prosecutor Grant Gardner to solve the case while waiting for Captain America, a masked man who helped defeat the crime in the past. The victims were members of an expedition to some Mayan civilization ruins. One of the few survivors, Professor Lyman, asks Dr. Maldor for help, but he turns out to be the man responsible for the deaths. Lyman developed the “Dynamic Vibrator” a device for mining operations that can be expanded and transformed into a devastating weapon. Using his “Purple Death”, a hypnotic chemical, he was able to stage the suicides, Dr. Maldor forces Lyman to disclose the location of the equipment. It is up to Captain America to stop the nefarious plans of the villain Beetle, which is actually Dr. Maldor. Trivia: It was a show that lasted 15 episodes, the secret identity of Captain America was not the rookie Steve Rogers, but, Grant Gardner, Public Prosecutor. The Captain had no shield and carried a pistol.

Original Title: Captain America Director: Elmer Clifton, John English Starring: Dick Purcell, Lorna Gray, Lionel Atwill, Charles Trowbridge, Russell Hicks, George J. Lewis, John Davidson Production: William J O’Sullivan Screenplay: Royal Cole, Harry Fraser, Joseph Poland, Ronald Davidson, Basil Dickey, Jesse Duffy, Grant Nelson Soundtrack: Mort Glickman Duration: B & W – 15 chapters – 243 min. Year: 1944 Country: USA Genre: Action / Adventure / Comics

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Captain America, 1979

Steve Rogers (Reb Brown), an advertising designer suffers an attack by terrorists who were after the secrets of his late father. On the verge of death, he receives an injection of a super secret serum called FLAG, with it, he acquires superhuman strength and agility. The government than decides to tell him that his father was actually Captain America. Taking on the Captain America identity and with the support of the U.S. government, he must fight to combat the terrorist group that murdered his father and is threatening the security of the country with nuclear weapons. He had a van equipped with a motorcycle and a transparent bulletproof shield. Trivia: It was a movie made directly to TV. The look of the hero differs from the comics but just at the end of the movie he gets the original uniform of Captain America.

Original Title: Captain America Director: Rod Holcomb Cast: Reb Brown, Len Birman, Heather Menzies, Robin Mattson, Joseph Ruskin, Lance Legault Screenplay: Don Ingalls Soundtrack: Ted Roberts Duration: 120min. Year: 1979 Country: USA Genre: Action / Adventure / Comics

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Captain America II – Death Too Soon, 1979

In the same year, Universal decided to produce the second tv film. This time the hero fights the mad scientist Michael, played by actor Christopher Lee, who intends to blackmail the U.S. government if his demands are not met. He will unleash a drug that causes accelerated aging in major American cities. In this production the uniform is closer to the comics, despite wearing a helmet as mask and the shield remaining transparent. In one memorable sequence, our hero to escape from a prison, with one arm throws his motorcycle over the wall of the prison and then jumps on her at full speed in the air, turning it into a glider and landing on a road in pursuit of the villain.

Original Title: Captain America II – Death Too Soon Director: Ivan Nagy Cast: Reb Brown, Connie Selleca, Len Birman and Christopher Lee Producer: Allan Balter and M. Martin Goldstein Writers: Patricia Payne and Wilton Schiller Music: Mike Post and Pete Carpenter Duration: 83 min. Year: 1979 Country: USA Genre: Action / Adventure / Comics

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Howard – The Duck, 1986

A scientific experiment brings extraterrestrial life forms on planet Earth, among them Howard who is hit by the laser beam fired by the experimental machine. He is brought through the laser beam to the city of Cleveland, USA, where he meets a girl named Beverly (Lea Thompson) Cherry Bomb’s band leader, and she becomes his only friend. Howard must then try to adapt to the difficult life and local customs, things become worse when he discovers another alien that arrived on our planet, called Dark Overlord, which was also brought by the laser and wants to dominate our world. Trivia: This film was a box office flop and almost turned George Lucas production company broke.

Original Title: Howard – The Duck Director: Willard Huyck Cast: Lea Thompson, Jeffrey Jones, Tim Robbins, Paul Guilfoyle, Liz Sagal, Dominique Davalos Production: George Lucas and Gloria Katz Writers: Gloria Katz, Steve Gerber, Willard Huyck Soundtrack: John Barry Duration: 110 min. Year: 1986 Country: USA Genre: Adventure / Comedy / Fantasy

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The Incredible Hulk Returns, 1988

Dr. David Banner is back! Two years after his last transformation, he is working on a research company on a way to get rid of the Hulk forever, while maintaining a relationship with a widow. Banner receives a visit from a former student called Donald Blake, who explains that he was a mystical bond with a Norse god, and to prove the validity of his story he summons Thor, causing Banner to turn into the Hulk. Thus, the two start fighting destroying the laboratory and all of Banner’s research. Trivia: Movie made for TV. Thor is the first Marvel character to appear in this television series nest to the Hulk.

Original title: The Incredible Hulk Returns Director: Nicholas Corea Cast: Bill Bixby, Lou Ferrigno, Jack Colvin, Lee Purcell, Charles Napier, Eric Allan Kramer, Steve Levitt Production: Bill Bixby and Nicholas Corea Writers: Stan Lee and Nicholas Corea Soundtrack Lance Rubin Duration: 88 min. Year: 1988 Country: USA Genre: Action / Adventure / Drama

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The Trial of the Incredible Hulk, 1989

While trying to stop a robbery in the subway, David Banner is arrested and charged with assault and defended by a blind attorney named Matt Murdock (Rex Smith, from the former sitcom Motolaser). But when the Hulk freaks out and escapes from jail, Murdock tries to help him and reveals his own secret to Banner,he is in fact a masked vigilante known as Daredevil. These two men with unusual powers must join forces to defeat an international crime syndicate, led by none other than the Kingpin. Trivia: directed by Bill Bixby, the movie is the first of its kind to contain a cameo by Stan Lee, creator of countless characters from Marvel Comics. Its the first appearance of Daredevil, the blind hero Marvel on television.

Original title: The Trial of the Incredible Hulk Director: Bill Bixby Cast: Bill Bixby, Lou Ferrigno, Marta DuBois, Nancy Everhard, Rex Smith, John Rhys-Davies Production: Bill Bixby and Gerald Di Pego Writer: Gerald Di Pego Music: Lance Rubin Duration: 95 min. Year: 1989 Country: USA Genre: Action / Adventure / Drama

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The Death of the Incredible Hulk, 1990

David Banner and Dr. Ronald Pratt tried to undertake a project to get rid of the monstrous alter ego of Banner, The Incredible Hulk. A spy named Jasmine attempts to steal the information that Dr. Pratt found about the Hulk and deliver it to terrorists to turn them into men with immense power, but the spy falls in love with David Banner and the two get involved. In the film’s climax, the hostages are freed from the terrorists and the villains flee by plane. But before the plane takes off, the Hulk grabs it, a gun shot hits the fuel tank making the aircraft exploded, killing Hulk. Trivia: It was the third and last TV movie made for the character of the Hulk. The intention of the producers was to present the She-Hulk in a fourth film, titled Revenge of the Incredible Hulk, where Banner would control the monster, but with the death of Bill Bixby in 1993 the project was canceled.

Original title: The Death of the Incredible Hulk Director: Bill Bixby Cast: Bill Bixby, Lou Ferrigno, Elizabeth Gracen, Philip Sterling, Barbara Tarbuck, Anna Katarina Producer: Robert Ewing and Hugh Spencer Phillips Writer: Gerald Di Pego Music: Lance Rubin Duration: 95 min. Year: 1990 Country: USA Genre: Action / Adventure / Drama

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The Punisher, 1989

The police are on alert due to a series of recent murders. Determined to end the crime wave, Frank Castle (Dolph Lundgren) decides to investigate the case. Castle is a former police officer seeking revenge since his wife and son were murdered by the mafia, and since then as devoted himself to fighting crime on the streets. When Castle believes that the organization is nearly destroyed, he starts facing a new criminal group that aims to to become the new mafia. Trivia: At the time the producers did not want to fully embrace the look of the comics (even the white skull on his chest), they were afraid that the character would instigate acts of violence.

Original title: The Punisher Director: Mark Goldblatt Starring: Dolph Lundgren, Louis Gossett, Jr., Kim Miyori, Jeroen Krabbé, Bryan Marshall Producer: Robert Mark Kamen Screenplay: Boaz Yakin Soundtrack: Dennis Dreith Duration: 92 min. Year: 1989 Country: USA Genre: Action / Adventure

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Captain America, 1990

During World War II, american soldier Steve Rogers (Matt Salinger) undergoes a military experiment led by scientist Maria Vaselli (Carla Cassola) to become a supersoldier. He becomes Captain America. However, the doctor responsible for the secret of turning a human into a supersoldier is dead, thwarting a plan to create several others like him. In combat against the Red Skull (Scott Paulin), a supersoldier created by the Nazis, Captain America is stuck in a rocket, which is on route to the White House. The hero manages to divert the rocket’s path, but ends up falling in Alaska, where he is frozen until the 1990s. After waking up from the hibernation, he discovers that the Red Skull is alive and wants to kidnap President Tom Kimball and use a revolutionary technique to take the place of the President of the United States. Trivia: Dolph Lundgren and Arnold Schwarzenegger were listed to play Captain America.

Original Title: Captain America Director: Albert Pyun Cast: Matt Salinger, Ronny Cox, Ned Beatty, Darren McGavin, Michael Nouri, Scott Paulin Producer: Menahem Golan, Stan Lee, Joseph Calamari, Tom Karnowski Screenplay: Stephen Tolkin, Jack Kirby, Joe Simon Soundtrack: Barry Goldberg Duration: 103 min. Year: 1990 Country: USA Genre: Action / Adventure / Comics

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Fantastic Four, 1994

It all starts with Dr. Reed Richards and Victor Von Doom, a few years ago, in a scientific experiment to capture the cosmic rays of a spacial phenomenon called “Colossus”, everything goes wrong and Victor is presumed dead after the event. Years later, Dr. Richard corrects the errors that caused the accident and goes into space with his pilot, Ben Grimm, taking also siblings Susan and Johnny Storm. It turns out that his ship did not have adequate protection to cosmic rays and everything goes wrong… again. They wake up back on earth, amidst the wreckage of the ship, but find it strange not to have been destroyed along with it. At this point, Dr. Doom comes in, who captures the heroes. They must now use their new powers to defeat the villain and protect humanity. Trivia: so bad that it was never even released. The uniforms of the characters are true to the comics, with special attention to Dr. Doom.

Original Title: Fantastic Four Director: Oley Sassone Cast: Alex Hyde-White, Jay Underwood, Rebecca Staab, Michael Bailey Smith, Joseph Culp Producer: Steven Rabiner, Roger Corman, Bernd Eichinger Screenplay: Craig J. Nevius, Kevin Rock Soundtrack: David Wurst, Eric Wurst Duration: 90 min. Year: 1994 Country: USA Genre: Action / Adventure / Fantasy

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Generation X, 1996

They are mutants and live in a world that hates and fears their skills. They live in the Xavier School for Gifted Students, a private and selective school only for mutants. The students are taught by two adult mutants: telepath Emma Frost (Finola Hughes) the White Queen, and Sean Cassidy (Jeremy Ratchford), Banshee, an Irishman who has a sonic scream capable of cracking steel. The villain of the story is Russell Trask (Matt Frewer), a mad scientist who wants to use mutants to advance his evil plans. When he discovers that the White Queen, his old adversary, is teaching a group of young mutants, he decides to kidnap mutants for his experiments. The young mutants are: Jubilee, Skin, Mondo, Buff and Refrax. Trivia: made for TV movie.

Original Title: Generation X Director: Jack Sholder Cast: Heather McComb, Agustin Rodriguez, Amarilis Samon, Bumper Robinson, Suzanne Davis, Randall Slavin, Finola Hughes, Jeremy Ratchford, Matt Frewer. Production: Stan Lee Screenplay: Eric Blakeney Soundtrack: David Sibley Duration: 87 min. Year: 1996 Country: USA Genre: Action / Adventure / Fantasy

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Nick Fury – Agent of Shield, 1998

Nick Fury is retired, but he is called to return to his old secret agent job. Nick Fury is approached to return to duty to take down agents of the terrorist organization HYDRA, led by the children of Baron Wolfgang von Strucker, an old enemy of his. HYDRA has reconstituted a pathogen known as the Death’s Head virus, and threatens to attack Manhattan with it, barring payment of US $1 billion.

Original Title: Nick Fury – Agent of ShieId Director: Rod Hardy Cast: David Hasselhoff, Lisa Rinna, Sandra Hess, Neil Roberts, Garry Chalk Producer: Avi Arad Written by: David S. Goyer Music: Kevin Kiner and Gary Lionelli Duration: 120 min. Year: 1998 Country: USA Genre: Action / Adventure / Fantasy

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Tune in next week for part 2 where we will take a look at movie pearls such as Blade, X-Men and Fantastic Four!

NOTE: Second part already available, click the link: Part 2

wolverinept, Marvel Studios: A Difficult Start But A Fantastic Movie History Part 1

When four Autobots drifting through space recieve a broadcasted message from Optimus Prime, they make their way to Earth and meet the Autobot leader. On Earth Optimus gives the four new bots a new mission, become the Rescue Bots.

This iteration of Transformers is geared towards the younger generation, but isn’t the typical children’s program. This show has some good stories and great characterization. The Rescue Bots, Heatwave, Chase, Blades and Boulder each have their own personalites that are very adult in nature. Heatwave the leader is stubborn and a bit hot-headed, Chase is a by the book bot who follows all the rules, Blades is an easy going fun-loving dude who is afraid of heights and rounding out the team is Boulder a gentle giant who has become enamored with the beauty of nature. Each Rescue Bot is partnered with a human who is for the most part opposite in nature to each bot which leads to some good laughs and shows kids how to get along with others. If you have ever seen Marvel’s Super Hero Squad this show is in the same vein as that show.

The animation is pretty well done and the animation is pretty clean. The crew at Atomic Cartoons (Atomic Betty and Johnny Test) do a fantastic job handling animation chores. The voice acting is top notch with the likes of Steve Blum, Maurice LaMarche, LaVar Burton and Peter Cullen all lending their expertise to this show.

Transformers: Rescue Bots is a nice addition to the franchise and a great way to get the younger generation into the world of the Transformers.  This is a show that both young kids and adults can watch together and have a laugh with and share their love for Robots in Disguise. Transformers Rescue Bots airs Saturdays on The Hub 11:30 EST/ 8:30 PST, If you’re looking to get your kids into the world of Transformers without having to worry about the darker themes of the ‘Prime’ series then this is the show you can’t miss.

Wilt Manglicmot, Transformers Rescue Bots Review