Congratulations, Superhero Hollywood; as of this week, you just might have a third major comic book player looking to dominate the multiplex. (Hint: It’s indie imprint Valiant.) But beyond publishers finding enough money to turn heads, the last seven days has also seen the emergence of a possible Green Lantern, news that makes it seem as though Captain America 3 will be an Avengers movie in all but name, and a rumor that might make Comic-Con International a little bit less appealing to fans. This, fangirls and fanboys, is the pick of the last week’s superhero movie news.
SUPER IDEA: Get Ready to Know the Name ‘Valiant’
Marvel and DC, prepare to share the big screen. Independent comic book publisher Valiant Entertainment announced Sunday it has received a massive investment from Beijing-based DMG Entertainment, with an undisclosed sum in the realm of nine figures specifically for the purposes of movie and television development. That’s on top of a general eight-figure investment in the company as a whole. Three properties are already in the works for the big screen: Bloodshot, Archer & Armstrong, and Shadowman. Start memorizing those names now, just in case.
What makes it super: Valiant’s CEO is Peter Cuneo, former Marvel CEO and the man who took the company from bankruptcy to Disney purchase. He’s on record saying that he thinks of Valiant as “Marvel 2.0,” and now he’s secured nine-figure movie funding, just like Marvel did 10 years ago. Seriously, we wouldn’t bet against Valiant ending up being the next big thing sooner rather than later at this point. (It also helps that their comics are pretty great.)
SUPER IDEA: Let’s Just Call Captain America: Civil War Like Avengers 2.5 or Something
Well, now it’s apparently official Jeremy Renner will, indeed, be joining Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., and Scarlett Johansson in 2016’s Captain America installment, meaning that only Mark Ruffalo and Chris Hemsworth are missing in terms of Avengers. Assuming that neither dies in Avengers: Age of Ultron (not impossible, as unlikely as it may seem), what are the odds that one or both will join the cast before shooting starts later this year? Also, given the movie is also supposed to feature the new Spider-Man and the movie debut of Chadwick Boseman’s Black Panther, exactly how many characters are going to show up in this damn movie?
Why this is super: If, as strongly rumored, the Russo brothers are going to end up directing the third and fourth Avengers movies, Cap 3 (which also has the Russos in charge) could easily be considered a dry run for what’s in store for the Mighty Marvel Movieverse. It’s looking like an Avengers movie in all but name.
SUPER IDEA: Joel Kinnaman Confirms He’s Suicide-al
The rumors, it turns out, are true; RoboCop star Joel Kinnaman is indeed replacing Tom Hardy as Rick Flagg, the leader of the group of government-sponsored ne’er-do-wells at the heart of David Ayer’s DC Entertainment adaptation. “I love the script,” Kinnaman told Screen Rant. “Sometimes you’re worried, if you’re going to do a film like that, that it’s just going to be superhero fun but nothing’s going to go under the surface. But here I feel like we can get both.” Turns out he might not be coming alone; the Screen Rant piece suggests that Kinnaman is trying to talk Ed Harris into playing his father in the movie. This is what we need to see more of: actors choosing their own on-screen relatives.
Why this is super: Kinnaman is just the latest interesting addition to a packed cast (which includes Will Smith, Margot Robbie, and Jared Leto), but what’s more heartening are his comments about the movie having the smarts to back up the almost inevitable spectacle. How did Suicide Squad end up becoming one of the most exciting superhero movies of 2016?
SUPER IDEA: Could Chris Pine Trek to Warner Bros.’ Green Lantern?
Building out his previous tease, Latino-Review’s Umberto Gonzalez took to Instagram, of all places, to suggest Warner Bros. is looking at the Internet’s second favorite James T. Kirk to play Hal Jordan in the upcoming Green Lantern movie. “Again, this is still just a RUMOR hence UNCONFIRMED,” Gonzalez wrote, so let’s all take it with a pinch of salt and pretend that we might still see a John Stewart as lead GL this time around. (No, not the Daily Show guy, this John Stewart.)
Why this is super: There’s no denying that Pine is charming as Star Trek‘s captain, and could easily add Hal Jordan’s somewhat-jackass superhero to his resume without breaking too much of a sweat. The question is, would he be able to do so without jeopardizing his Trek commitments, considering the third installment should be shooting sooner rather than later in order to make the 50th anniversary release date?
MEH IDEA: Marvel to Skip Comic-Con?
This summer is likely going to belong to Marvel, thanks to Avengers: Age of Ultron‘s May release and the July date for Ant-Man, but Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn suggested that the superhero giant might be missing from the summer’s big superhero bacchanalia when he quietly dropped the fact that Marvel won’t be at Comic-Con in San Diego during a Facebook chat. When contacted by … almost everyone, really, for confirmation or denial, Marvel Studios declined to respond. (Marvel’s publishing side will be present, as confirmed by executive editor Tom Brevoort.)
Why this is villainy: A Comic-Con without a Marvel panel for fans and media to obsess about will be a significantly different Comic-Con indeed. While it’s true that Marvel Studios’ 2014 SDCC panel was a disappointment, that should’ve been a sign to step up its game this year, not retire altogether. We can but hope this turns out to be a misunderstanding on Gunn’s side, or that the studio reconsiders.
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