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Topics - Silver Nemesis

#201
Comic Film & TV / Marvel's Agent Carter (ABC)
Thu, 25 Sep 2014, 20:00
Agent Carter, the second TV show to take place in the MCU, will debut next year in January. I'm definitely more interested in Marvel's Netflix shows than their ABC offerings, but this is shaping up to be more interesting than I initially thought it would.


It's great to see Dugan and the Howling Commandoes back in action.
#202
Other DC Films & TV / Supergirl (CBS)
Sat, 20 Sep 2014, 16:30
Yet another DC property is being turned into a TV show. This time it's Supergirl that's getting the treatment, courtesy of CBS.

QuoteOn the heels of the success of Arrow and the strong buzz for its upcoming offshoot The Flash — both co-created and executive produced by Greg Berlanti — the top producer is looking to transition another popular DC superhero character to the small screen. I've learned that Berlanti has teamed with Ali Adler, who worked on his ABC series No Ordinary Family, for a TV series based on Supergirl. Warner Bros. TV, which is behind all DC TV series, will produce with Berlanti's studio-based Berlanti Prods..

I hear the project, which is still in development, will be a new interpretation of the Supergirl character and her story. Adler will write the script and will executive produce with Berlanti Prods.' Berlanti and Sarah Schechter. DC's Geoff Johns, who has been involved in both Arrow and The Flash, is also expected to be part of the project but it is unclear at this time what his role will be. The Supergirl show doesn't have a name yet. I hear the producers are considering several options that need to be cleared, including Super and Girl. The project is expected to be taken out in a couple of weeks and pitched to the major networks the way WBTV and DC did with their high profile Batman prequel Gotham, which landed at Fox with a big commitment. The Supergirl series had been in the works at WBTV for some time with Berlanti and Adler.
http://deadline.com/2014/09/supergirl-tv-series-dc-comics-829364/

It sounds like it's going to be a proper superhero show, and not another 'no flights, not tights' series depicting the main character's pre-costumed origin. Although it's not a CW show, Berlanti's involvement opens up the possibility of it being set in the Arrow/Flash universe.

With Brandon Routh involved in the DCTV universe, I wish they'd just let him play Superman again. I suspect the reason WB won't allow it is because they know a more traditional portrayal of Superman on television would be more popular than the Cavill version in the movies.
#203
Special thanks to Azrael for restoring the pictures to this thread.


With the new Flash TV series set to debut next month, I thought now might be a good time to look back over the original series from the early nineties and highlight some of the comics that influenced it. Executive producer Danny Bilson has cited the Silver Age Flash comics, the comics of the eighties and Tim Burton's Batman (1989) as influences on the show:

Quote"It was very influenced by the Batman movie [from 1989], which in turn was very influenced by the comics in the eighties that influenced us. We were trying to do the TV equivalent of the eighties comic version of The Flash. We mixed [the Silver Age and current Flash] and had a retro world going on [...] The Silver Age Flash was the Flash from our childhood. Wally West felt like a redo, a reinvention. We were too young for the Golden Age Flash. He didn't resonate with us. We also felt Barry Allen had the biggest audience. It was purely an emotional choice."
http://www.dvdverdict.com/interviews/bilsondemeo.php

Executive producer Paul De Meo has said:

Quote"What was important was the show was made and run by people who like comics, who have a real love for the mythology, and wanted to do it right."
http://www.dvdverdict.com/interviews/bilsondemeo.php

Now let's examine the show in more detail and see which aspects are most indebted to the source material.

THE FLASH & HIS ALLIES

The original Flash was a character named Jay Garrick, who first appeared in the Golden Age story 'Origin of the Flash' (Flash Comics #1, January 1940). The TV series focuses on the second Flash, Barry Allen, who first appeared in 'Mystery of the Human Thunderbolt!' (Showcase #4, October 1956). Showcase #4 has additional significance on account of it being the issue most comic historians use to denote to beginning of the 'Silver Age'.

Much of the 'Pilot' episode is adapted from Showcase #4. Both stories begin on a dark and stormy night in Central City.


Police scientist Barry Allen is working late in his lab. In the TV series Barry is played by Emmy-winning actor John Wesley Shipp. Barry has blond hair and blue eyes in the comics, while Shipp had brown hair and brown eyes. But other than that, he looked a lot like how artist Carmine Infantino drew Barry in the comics.


It's worth noting that Barry Allen's hair did actually change to brown during the Trial of the Flash story arc in the early eighties. This occurred following a brutal attack on the Flash by Big Sir in 'Trial and Tribulation!' (The Flash #341, January 1985) that left Barry horribly disfigured. The Flash then went to Gorilla-City in 'Smash-Up' (The Flash #342, February 1985) and underwent corrective surgery at the hands of advanced simian scientists. His new appearance, including his dark hair, was revealed in 'Dead Man's Bluff' (The Flash #346, May 1985).


Returning to Showcase #4, Barry is working late in his lab when a bolt of lightning crashes through the window and strikes the shelf he was standing beside. The combination of electricity and chemicals has a strange effect that grants him superhuman speed.


He first becomes aware of his super speed when he rushes to catch a taxi. In the 'Pilot' episode of the TV show he hurries to catch a bus, then later rushes to keep up with his pet dog. In both scenes his super speed causes him to overshoot his target, just like he did in the comic.


Barry's personality in the show is a mixture of the Barry Allen from the comics and his successor, Wally West, who was the Flash at the time the series was being made. He possesses the comic book Barry's straight-laced, analytical temperament, but also displays certain characteristics of Wally's: most notably his sense of humour and his need to consume vast quantities of food to fuel his super fast metabolism.

In the comics Barry was inspired to adopt the costumed identity of the Flash after the original Golden Age Flash, Jay Garrick, who first appeared in Flash Comics #1 (January 1940). In the TV series Jay Allen is Barry's older brother. He doesn't have superpowers but he does protect Central City as the leader of the police force's motorcycle division. He has silver hair like the Jay in the comics.


The episode 'The Trickster' features a statue of the Flash sporting Jay Garrick's tin hat and boots. This statue also bears a striking resemblance to the Barry Allen Flash from Alex Ross' Kingdom Come (1996).


Barry's own costume in the TV show is more or less identical to his outfit in the comics. The only major discrepancy lies in the boots; in the comics they're yellow and feature miniature wings, but in the TV show they're red and wingless. The nose on the cowl is also a slightly different shape.


Incidentally, I've always wondered if the Silver Age Flash costume was inspired by the power-man uniform worn by Flash Gordon during the 'Power Men of Mongo' storyline (1940). Gordon's costume even had a similar lightning bolt emblem across the chest.


The Flash's abilities in the show match those in the comics, allowing him to apply his super speed in a variety of inventive ways. In the 'Pilot' episode the Flash runs around a villain at super speed to create a cyclone.


In 'Double Vision' he catches a bullet in his hand by matching its velocity. He does this again in later episodes.


In 'Child's Play' he vibrates his molecules at super speed in order to pass through a solid wall.


In 'Fast Forward' he runs so fast that he crosses the 'time barrier' and journeys into the future. In the comics he is able to travel through time with more precision using the Cosmic Treadmill.

In the episode 'Good Night, Central City', Barry is imprisoned in a holding cell at police headquarters under suspicion of aiding the villains. In order to clear his name, he has to use his super speed to sneak out of his cell and capture the real culprits, then sneak back again so no one will notice his absence. The Jay Garrick Flash did the exact same thing in 'Stone Age Menace' (Flash Comics #86, August 1947).


The Allen family are of Irish extraction in the TV show, and in the episode 'Good Night, Central City' Barry's middle name is revealed to be Patrick. In the comics their lineage is unclear and Barry's middle name is Henry. Barry's parents in the TV show are called Henry and Nora, the same as in the comics. Henry is a doctor in the comics, while in the TV show he's a retired policeman. John Wesley Shipp would later play Henry in the CW Flash series.

Barry's high-maintenance girlfriend in both the comics and the first episode of the TV show is Iris West. In the comics she and Barry ended up getting married, but she doesn't appear in the TV series beyond the first episode. In the comics she's a newspaper reporter, but in the TV show she's a flaky artist.


Instead the main love interest in the TV series is Dr Tina McGee, played by Amanda Pays. In the comics Tina was a scientist working at S.T.A.R. Labs who served as an ally of the third Flash, Wally West. She was Wally's main love interest in the comics at the time this series was being made, so the show's makers decided to have her play a similar role in the TV series. Her back story, where her husband had met a terrible fate after conducting experiments on himself, is also lifted from the comics. Pays would later reprise her role as Tina in the CW Flash series.


During the press conference in the 'Pilot' episode Barry is asked a question by a reporter named Linda Park. In the comics Linda Park is a television reporter and future wife of the third Flash, Wally West.

The WCCN reporter Joseph Kline (Richard Belzer) is a recurring character in the TV series. He was created especially for the show, but Danny Bilson and Paul De Meo introduced him into the comics during their 'Lightning in a Bottle' storyline for Flash: The Fastest Man Alive (2006-2007). Actor Richard Belzer would return to the DC universe a few years later to play Inspector Henderson in the first season of Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman.

In the episode 'Fast Forward' Kline refers to the Flash as the "Scarlet Speedester", his nickname from the comics.

In the comics Barry has several colleagues who work with him at the crime lab. In the TV show he has just one: Julio Mendez. Julio can be seen as a composite of Barry's comic book co-workers, such as James Forrest and Patty Spivot.

Barry's boss in the TV show is Captain Garfield, who seems to have been loosely based on the comic character Captain Darryl Frye.

CENTRAL CITY & COMIC CREATOR REFERENCES

In 'Out of Control' Barry receives a call for backup from the "corner of Gardner and Fox". This is a reference to comic writer Gardner Fox, co-creator of the Jay Garrick Flash.

In 'Honour Among Thieves' the Flash calls in a car crash on 4th and Garrick. This is a nod to the original Flash, Jay Garrick.

There is also an art gallery called 'Garrick Gallery' in the episode 'Mirror Master'.

Scenes from several episodes take place at the Infantino Hotel. This is named after comic book artist Carmine Infantino, who co-created the Barry Allen Flash and many of his classic rogues.

Keystone Drive is mentioned in the episode 'Tina, is that you?' This likely is a reference to Keystone City, the stomping ground of the Jay Garrick and Wally West Flashes.

Helltown is mentioned several times throughout the series (first time in 'Watching the Detectives'). This is an area of Central City in the comics.

In 'Flash Forward' the Flash travels into the future and discovers a Flash Museum has been created in his honour. The Flash Museum is a longstanding feature of the Central City in the comics.

In 'Deadly Nightshade' Lieutenant Garfield reads a letter from one of his predecessors on the police force named Julius Schwartz. This is a reference to the DC Comics editor of the same name who was responsible for reviving the Flash during the Silver Age.

REFERENCES TO OTHER DC HEROES

In the episode 'Watching the Detectives' Tina tells her secretary, "If Dr Carter Hall calls, can you tell him I'm going to be in the gene-splicing lab?" Carter Hall is the alter ego of the superhero Hawkman.

The Flash teams up with an aging superhero named Nightshade in a couple of episodes. This character bears a resemblance to the Golden Age superhero Sandman.


In 'Child's Play' Barry mentions the "Arkham expose". This is likely an allusion to Gotham City's Arkham Asylum, as featured in the Batman comics. Later in the same episode Barry walks past a cinema where Superman: The Movie (1978) and Batman (1989) are being shown. This moment is punctuated by a musical quotation from Danny Elfman's Batman theme. Elfman also wrote the main theme for this series.

In 'Captain Cold' Barry sarcastically compares would-be reporter Terri Kronenberg to Lois Lane.

During the fancy dress party at the end of 'The Trickster', one of the guests can be seen wearing a Superman costume.

THE ROGUES

In the episode 'Twin Streaks' the Flash goes up against a clone of himself named Pollux. Pollux has all the same powers as the Flash and an almost identical costume. Actor John Wesley Shipp has said that Pollux was the TV show's answer to the Reverse-Flash (aka Professor Zoom, aka Eobard Thawne), Barry's arch nemesis who first appeared in 'Menace of the Reverse-Flash' (The Flash #139, September 1963).

Pollux can also be seen as a variation of Bizarro Flash, an imperfect copy of Barry Allen that first appeared in 'Superman's Unbeatable Rival!' (Superman's Girlfriend, Lois Lane #74, May 1967).


The original Silver Age Bizarro Flash sported the inverted colours of the Flash's own costume. By contrast, Pollux's costume features a blue and silver colour scheme. I suspect this was done to avoid comparisons with the better known villain Professor Zoom, who also wears an inverted version of the Flash's red and yellow outfit. Note that Bizarro Flash and Pollux both wear a different emblem on their chest, whereas Professor Zoom sports the same lightning bolt design as the Flash.

The super fast fight scene between the Flash and Pollux is visually reminiscent of the many comic book battles between the Flash and Professor Zoom.


Barry uses the name "Professor Zoom" as an alias in the episode 'Mirror Master'. John Wesley Shipp would go on to play Zoom in Batman: The Brave and the Bold.

In the episode 'Deadly Nightshade' the original Nightshade reminds Fosnight of their last encounter back when the latter was "short counting for Gorilla Grodd out of Helltown". Gorilla Grodd is one of the Flash's greatest adversaries in the comics. Debuting in 'Menace of the Super Gorilla' (Flash #106, May 1959), Grodd is an intelligent gorilla with the ability to control other people's minds. Lieutenant Garfield dresses as a gorilla at the policeman's ball in 'The Trickster', though this may just be a coincidence.

The Trickster (aka James Jesse) appears in two episodes of the TV show, played by Mark Hamill. Hamill would later reprise the role in the DC animated universe. Jesse first appeared in the comics in 'Danger in the Air!' (Flash #113, July 1960). In the comics he came from a family of circus acrobats and developed an interest in crime after becoming fascinated with his namesake, the outlaw Jesse James. No mention is made of his circus background in the TV show. Instead he's depicted as a psychopath with an obsessive fixation on a nonexistent sidekick called Prank.

His costume is faithful to his comic book outfit, consisting of a domino mask, patchwork jumpsuit and a cape. The Trickster in the comics has special boots that allow him to walk on air. The TV show version lacks these, although his boots do visually resemble those from the comics.


In 'Trial of the Trickster' the Trickster uses sneezing powder to distract the Flash.


Later in the same episode he uses a brainwashing device to turn the Flash into a villain. The Trickster in the comics has a similar device called the 'Mesmeratron'.


In the same episode, the brainwashed Flash tells the Trickster, "I could vibrate my fingers through somebody's brain!" This is the same method Reverse-Flash used to murder Barry's wife Iris, as depicted in 'Flashback' (Flash #283, March 1980).

Leonard Snart/Captain Cold appears in the episode bearing his name. This character first debuted in the comics in 'The Coldest Man on Earth!' (Showcase #8, June 1957). In the TV show he's portrayed as an albino assassin who wields a special gun capable of freezing things. He doesn't wear the comic version's classic blue and white costume. However the blue and white colour scheme is reflected in his albino hair and pale complexion.


The Captain Cold in the comics abides by a moral code that prohibits unnecessary killing. He'll kill when he has to, but will generally favour non-lethal methods when possible (except when dealing with the Flash). By contrast, the Captain Cold in the TV series is much more ruthless and sadistic and seems to derive pleasure from murder.

At one point in the episode Captain Cold freezes the ground beneath the Flash's feet, causing him to lose his footing. The Captain Cold in the comics has used this same trick on many occasions.


Sam Scudder/the Mirror Master appears in the episode 'Done with Mirrors'. This character first appeared in the comics back in 'The Master of Mirrors!' (Flash #105, March 1959). The Mirror Master in the TV show doesn't wear the orange and green costume of the comic version, instead favouring an all black look. He does however wear gold ties, which may have been designed to evoke his orange costume from the comics.


Like the comic version, he uses false images to distract and confuse his enemies. But instead of generating those images using mirrors, like in the comics, this version of Mirror Master creates them using hi-tech holographic devices. At the end of the episode, he creates multiple illusions of himself to confuse the Flash.


Paul De Meo and Danny Bilson had plans for other comic villains that never made it into the finished show. Speaking to Starlog in November 1990, De Meo said:

Quote"We're toying with the idea of making the Pied Piper a female jazz musician who works in a club in the dirty underbelly of the city."

In an interview in The Flash TV Special (January 1991), Bilson and De Meo also indicated they had plans for an episode centred around the villain Captain Boomerang. This episode was rumoured to have been put aside for Season 2.

The premiere episode of Season 2 was allegedly to have depicted the Trickster, Captain Cold and Mirror Master teaming up to destroy the Flash. But of course Season 2 was never made, so we'll never know if these things would have come to pass.

And on that note I'll end this analysis.
#204
I know there are several other shows in the early stages of development, but for the purpose of this thread I'm only listing shows that are scheduled for broadcast over the next nine or so months. I'm also only counting live action shows.

For me it's Daredevil all the way. The Flash is my second most anticipated.

The one I'm least interested in at this point is probably Gotham. I'm not saying it won't be good. I'm just not excited about it.
#205
Other DC Films & TV / Titans (2018 TV series)
Fri, 12 Sep 2014, 00:30
QuoteTNT is getting into the superhero game, as the cable channel and Warner Bros. are nearing a deal on a pilot production order for "Titans," a one-hour live-action drama based on younger characters in the WB-owned DC Comics universe.

Focusing on known names (at least to comicbook fans), the show would center on Dick Grayson, the former Robin who emerges from Batman's shadow to become Nightwing and the leader of a fearless band of heroes who include Starfire and Raven. Scribes Akiva Goldsman ("Batman Forever") and Marc Haimes ("The Last Word") will serve as exec producer and co-exec producer, respectively, with Warner Horizon Television producing.
http://variety.com/2014/tv/news/titans-dick-grayson-nighwing-tnt-1201303968/

And yes, that's the same Akiva Goldsman who wrote Batman and Robin (1997).  ;D
#206
Graphic Novels / Batman: Knightfall
Sat, 2 Aug 2014, 19:38
After reading DocLathropBrown's 75th anniversary feature, I figured it was about time this story got its own thread.


Surely every Batman fan has read it at some point. I first read it back in primary school, not long after the first trade paperback edition was published. More recent editions have included the Vengeance of Bane one-shot at the beginning, but the copy I first read didn't. It does help if you've read the relevant prelude materials before embarking on the main story. And by 'relevant prelude materials' I mean:

•   Batman: Venom (1991)
•   Batman: Vengeance of Bane (1993)
•   Batman: Sword of Azrael (1993)

A couple of other significant stories which aren't included in the collected editions:

'Killer's Bane' (Batman #489, February 1993): The fateful encounter between Bane and Killer Croc, during which the former breaks the latter's arms. Also the issue in which Jean-Paul Valley first dons the batsuit, only to be dismissed by Bane as an imposter. This is why Jean-Paul is so keen to prove himself against Bane later in the saga.


'Who Riddled the Riddler?' (Batman #490, March 1993): Bane injects the Riddler with Venom, giving Batman an early taste of what the super steroid can do. The issue ends with Bane and his gang planning the Arkham breakout. If you ever wondered why the Riddler has his arm in a sling after he breaks out of Arkham, it's because he got shot in this issue.

While it helps to have read these stories, they're by no means essential. I always think of Knightfall as being the Batman equivalent of the 'Death of Superman' storyline. Partly because they were published within a year of each other, but mainly because they both show the hero meeting their match against an insurmountable physical adversary. That said, I definitely rate Knightfall a lot higher than the Death of Superman.

What does everyone else think about this one?
#207
Comic Film & TV / Marvel's Daredevil (Netflix)
Thu, 31 Jul 2014, 17:11
Who else is looking forward to this? Netflix is planning to release all 13 episodes simultaneously in May 2015. Steven S. DeKnight (Spartacus) is the series showrunner. English actor Charlie Cox (Stardust, Boardwalk Empire) is playing Matt Murdock/Daredevil.


And in one of the best pieces of comic book casting ever, Vincent D'Onofrio (Full Metal Jacket, Law and Order: Criminal Intent) will be playing Wilson Fisk/the Kingpin.


Other confirmed cast members include Eldon Henson as Foggy Nelson and Deborah Ann Woll as Karen Page. Rosario Dawson's also been cast in an undisclosed role.

Filming began in July. DeKnight commented on the tone of the series, saying:

Quote"We're going for a gritty, 1970s' New York feel for the show. We love the idea of beauty and the decay of the city, and Hell's Kitchen being a place that's both beautiful and gritty at the same time. And that's why Matt Murdock loves it and wants to protect it."
http://uk.ign.com/articles/2014/07/22/netflixs-daredevil-to-have-a-gritty-1970s-new-york-feel

I've got high hopes for this show. I'm predicting this will be Marvel's best live action TV series since The Incredible Hulk (1978-82).
#208
QuoteAfter testing actors over the past couple weeks, Warner Bros. and D.C. have tapped theater actor Ray Fisher for the role of Cyborg in the untitled Batman-Superman pic.

Victor Stone or 'Cyborg,' while not a major part in the Batman-Superman feature, is a member of the Justice League and will become a much more significant role as Warner and D.C. develop more films related to the Justice League universe, sources confirm.

Warner Bros. had no comment on this story.
http://variety.com/2014/film/news/batman-superman-cyborg-ray-fisher-1201163390/
#209
#210

Most of this is familiar to us Batman 89 scholars, but there were a few things I hadn't noticed before: namely the portrait of Thomas Wayne in Wayne Manor, and the thing about the helicopter taking precisely ten minutes to arrive. I also never noticed the mug shot of young Jack in his police file. That detail debunks the old fan theory about Bruce wrongly projecting Jack's identity onto that of his parents' killer.
#211
Graphic Novels / Batman '66 Volume 1
Sun, 13 Apr 2014, 22:48
The first collected edition of the Batman '66 comic comes out in the UK this week. I haven't actually read any of this series so far, as I decided to wait for the collected volume. So I'm dying to read this. I've pre-ordered my copy. I hope some other site members will be picking it up too.

#212
Movies / The Expendables III (2014)
Sat, 5 Apr 2014, 18:17
I enjoyed the first two films and I'm looking forward to this one. Mel Gibson, Harrison Ford, Antonio Banderas, Wesley Snipes, Ronda Rousey and Robert Davi all make good additions to the line-up.


Anyone else planning on seeing this?
#213
QuoteEW has learned the eagerly awaited Batman prequel series has also cast an actor as Edward Nygma (the future Riddler). Cory Michael Smith has landed the hot role. He's tagged as guest star in the pilot with an option to expand into a series regular.

In the Fox project from showrunner Bruno Heller (Rome), Nygma is a brilliant young forensic scientist working for Gotham PD and a penchant for speaking in ... rather cryptic language. Inquisitive, eccentric and outgoing — yet socially awkward — he wants to be liked, but he doesn't quite know how.
http://insidetv.ew.com/2014/04/01/gotham-riddler/

#214
It was 75 years ago today – 30th March 1939 – that Batman made his first appearance in 'The Case of the Chemical Syndicate' (Detective Comics #27).


There was no Gotham City in that first story. Nor was there a Wayne Manor, Batcave, Batmobile, Robin, Alfred, or any of the classic rogues. There was just Bruce Wayne/Batman and Commissioner Gordon. But that humble six-page story is where it all began.

Here's to another 75 years!
#215
I was just browsing a gallery of trading card scans, and I found dozens of rare images from Batman Returns. Some of these I don't think I've ever seen before. Here are just a few of them.




































































































This last one is my personal favourite. I think this is the best picture I've ever seen of the Batman Returns suit. Has anyone got a better quality version?

#216

Here's an interview with the film's creator, Mitchell Hammond: http://goo.gl/Es5QQr
#217
Someone's uploaded the whole thing to YouTube in separate videos. I'm only going to post the first part. You can select the rest of the commentary from the links at the end if you want to. But be warned, Smith really seems to hate this film. I didn't realise how much until I saw this.

#218
With so many films in this genre scheduled for release in 2014, which do you think will be the best? And which do you think will be the most disappointing?

I suppose we should count The Lego Movie as the first comic book film of the year, since it features Batman and other DC heroes so prominently. I haven't seen it yet myself, but I'm looking forward to watching it eventually. It's got a 96% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, making it the highest rated theatrically released Batman movie of all time. It's nice to see that a lighter, funnier version of Batman still resonates with audiences.

We've also already seen the releases of RoboCop and 300: Rise of an Empire. Both movies have received mixed to negative reviews but are doing ok at the box office.

There's another belated Frank Miller sequel coming out this year in the form of Sin City: A Dame to Kill For. It's scheduled for an August release.



Sony is releasing The Amazing Spider-Man 2 in April, just in time for the Easter holidays.



Disney is releasing three Marvel movies this year. Captain America: The Winter Soldier comes out later this month. So far it's receiving positive word of mouth from people who attended the preview screenings.



Guardians of the Galaxy is scheduled for release in August.



They're also releasing a computer animated movie based on the Big Hero 6 comic series, though it's only coming out in America and a few other places towards the end of the year. We won't get it in the UK until early 2015.

Fox are continuing their own Marvel universe with X-Men: Days of Future Past, which should come out in May.



Then of course there's Michael Bay's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles reboot, which is slated for an autumn release, just in time for Halloween.

DC Comics, as usual, have no live action movies scheduled for release this year. They are however releasing two animated Batman movies in 2014: Son of Batman and Batman: Assault on Arkham. This latter film will take place in the same universe as the Arkham game series.



So unless I've forgotten anything, that gives us the following comic book/superhero movies for 2014.

•   The Lego Movie
•   RoboCop
•   300: Rise of an Empire
•   Captain America: The Winter Solider
•   The Amazing Spider-Man 2
•   Son of Batman
•   X-Men: Days of Future Past
•   Guardians of the Galaxy
•   Sin City: A Dame to Kill For
•   Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
•   Batman: Assault on Arkham
•   Big Hero 6

I'm most looking forward to The Lego Movie, Captain America 2, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and Son of Batman. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is probably the film I'm most apprehensive about. That one could go either way.

What does everyone else think?
#219
It's been revealed that the previously untitled Marvel film scheduled for released on May 6 2016 is in fact the third Captain American film. Marvel bagged this date first, then DC moved the Superman/Batman movie to the same release date. Everyone thought Marvel would blink and reschedule their film's release, but it appears they're sticking to their guns.
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/mystery-solved-captain-america-3-688384

So it looks like Batman and Superman will go head to head against the Star-Spangled Avenger at the box office.
#220
And Camren Bicondova is playing Selina Kyle.

QuoteThere's a new budding millionaire bachelor in Gotham City. Warner Bros. TV has tapped "Touch" alum David Mazouz for the role of a pre-teen Bruce Wayne in "Gotham," the studio's Batman origins drama for Fox.

Mazouz will play boy who leans on his butler Alfred and Commissioner James Gordon for guidance after his wealthy parents are murdered. Bruce Wayne has traditionally been the alter ego of the Caped Crusader — but Mazouz will not at any point become Batman in the show, something Warner Bros. took pains to point that out in announcing the casting.

Mazouz played Kiefer Sutherland's son in the Fox drama "Touch."

Also cast in "Gotham," which has a series order from Fox, is Camren Bicondova, who will play Selina Kyle, a teenage orphan and street thief who is suspicious and wholly unpredictable.

Deals for Mazouz and Bicondova mark the last two regular roles to be cast in "Gotham," which focuses on young Commissioner Gordon's adventures in law enforcement and in the roots of the villains that Batman later faces in trying to police Gotham City.
http://variety.com/2014/tv/news/bruce-wayne-role-cast-in-wbtvs-batman-origins-drama-for-fox-1201125089/