Movie News - The Avengers

[Maxim Oleksyn]

It's official: Mark Ruffalo (The Kids Are Alright) will play Bruce Banner (a.k.a. The Hulk) and Jeremy Renner (The Hurt Locker) will play Hawkeye in director Joss Whedon’s feature film version of the Marvel Comics superhero team The Avengers.
Samuel L. Jackson, who plays Nick Fury in the Marvel movies will appear with the other actors who will play the other Avengers, including Chris Evans (Captain America), Chris Hemsworth (Thor), and Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow).

The movie is slated for a 2012 release. More to come!

[Earende]

You guys and your comics....

Mark Ruffalo is such a great actor, but so is Edward Norton. I thought he was an amazing Hulk.

[Horace]

It all sounds very good, but I’m still having trouble with Chris as Cap. The Marvel Team seems to know what they’re doing, so I’ll try to give them the benefit of the doubt. I saw a clip of the announcement and it really got me geeked!

[Jose Chan]

Me too. I think there should be a law where an actor can only play a superhero once in their career. Or a clause where they can double up but there must be a decade in-between.
And raspberries to all those naysayers who whinged about Chris Hemsworth. I think the promo pics and this one where he towers above them all is more than adequate proof that he will be an awesome Thor, physically speaking.

[Bruno]

Me three. I can’t believe they’re still going forward with this horrible Chris Evans as Captain America idea. It just doesn’t make sense. You never want to wish bad on a movie, but if there were ever a film that needs to either go so far overbudget it has to be temporarily sidelined or encounter a small series of glitches, it’s this one. I really wish Marvel or Fox or someone would put their foot down and realize how absurd it is to cast Chris Evans as two Marvel superheroes

[Felicia]

Well, I was hoping that there would be at least two women on the team, but it looks like there will be just the one (the Black Widow). Maybe there is still hope that the Scarlet Witch or the Wasp or … Ms. Marvel (?) will make an appearance.

[Eva]

I hope they at least have Ms.Marvel in the film. Scarlett was pointless in Iron Man.

[Zen Elipsys]

There’s no use for her yet really. None at all, she’d just be clutter. I’m not getting the problem with Widow; as well as being cool she served several purposes. Not least of all displaying S.H.i.E.L.D’s Extra human resources outside of the superhero boyband and that they had unknown number of spies as well as enforcers. Gave more of an insight into Nick Fury and the fact that supersuit or not Iron Man was not the king of the Marvel movieverse. It also gave us someone else, other than Pepper to show that there’s often someone else, behind the scenes, doing the dirty work that makes the superheroics pay off.
My only concern is that Hawkeye is more Ultimates than Avengers, simply because as much as I always liked Hawkeye’s humor etc., a guy running around with a bow and arrow is a pretty lame hero, when it comes to imagining him in “real life” on a movie screen.

[Rigor]

Scarlett was pointless in Iron Man 2 because all she did was strut around & get ogled. She only had one awesome scene of taking down bad guys (which was so great it made her mainly eye candy use downright insulting). I have faith in Whedon that Scarlett will get to do more in Avengers.

[Hotrod]

Again in Iron Man & Iron Man II and Incredible Hulk you think Betty, Pepper & Natasha served little purpose?? Considering they were none of them either the main hero or the villain they served plenty of purpose. I never bothered with The Punisher: War Zone so I can’t comment on that and those are the only 4 Marvel movies we’ve seen so far. (The Punisher was Marvel right?)

The real test will be when we get a standalone female hero film, like Black Widow or Wasp. Or, more likely, the Nick Fury film in which the female S.H.I.E.L.D agents, probably Widow and Marvel would have a much more central presence. Or Avengers II where some of the female Avengers can be introduced and some or most of the “original” Avengers don’t have to have more than Cameo appearances. She Hulk, the other Ms Marvel (The Black one who I always preferred) I’m guessing no Scarlett Witch if she was in X-Men before Avengers, even though Wolverine was in Hulk before X-Men and he’s a Fox character now. Tigra, Jocasta (a good lead in to mega-supervillain Ultron), there’s plenty to choose from.

I still can’t get around losing Norton as Banner / Hulk, such a waste. I know he’s a mare to work with but he’s worth it. Like Downey, if he wasn’t his career would have been over a long time ago.

[Earende]

Norton is one of the greatest actors of his generation, but he’s also a huge diva. With an ensemble cast as big as this one, you don’t need egos getting in the way.

[Maxim Oleksyn]

Sorry but am I the only one who envisions a pasty, skinny Banner? In that respect, Norton was a decent choice...diva or not. Ruffalo, while I have no qualms about him as an actor, seems a little…well-too manly for the science/dweeb Banner. Again, that may just be my impression.