Potential 'Iron Man 3' Spoilers About Tony Stark's New Armor

At the beginning of Comic-Con 2012, a few days before the stage of San Diego Convention Center's largest hall would host the Iron Man 3 presentation, I learned that Marvel Studios had something special planned for the expo floor on that same day. They would be shipping in the new and yet-to-be-unveiled armor design from Iron Man 3 and showcasing it along with the Hall of Armor that has traditionally represented the centerpiece of the Marvel booth each year they promote an Iron Man film.

That armor (the Mark VIII) represents a drastic departure from the designs and color schemes featured in Iron Man 2 and the Mark VII from the final act of The Avengers. The traditional red primary color takes a backseat to a military beige-tan color and gone is the yellow gold that audiences are familiar with. Appearances aside, the functionality of the armor itself is also radically different thanks to Extremis technology. But there's even more tricks up Tony Stark's iron sleeve than we first thought.

As we learned back in March, before Iron Man 3 begin principal photography, the story of Iron Man 3 draws inspiration from Warren Ellis' 2005-06 'Extremis' mini-series. In that take on the character, Tony Stark is given a new contemporary origin of sorts where he's injected with what's essentially a bio-tech super-soldier serum that not only enhances his physical body and mental processes, but allows Stark to interface and control his armor and other machinery.

The few minutes of Iron Man 3 footage played for those in attendance for the Iron Man 3 Comic-Con panel demonstrated this new tech in action as Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark playfully called his new Mark VIII armor to him piece by piece by just thinking about it. Our Marvel scooping friends at Latino Review are reporting that the new Mark VIII armor does more than just attach itself to Stark upon command (as depicted in the Iron Man 3 Comic-Con character poster). Spoilers ahead.

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In Iron Man 2, Tony Stark's competitor Justin Hammer commissions Mickey Rourke's Ivan Vanko character to build what ends up being a fleet of remotely controlled Iron Man-esque drones. Vanko uses them to battle Stark and pal James 'Rhodey' Rhodes' War Machine armor but loses out to the good guys in the end. According to the report, it seems Stark was inspired by that idea and when overwhelmed by the Extremis-enhanced minions of the Mandarin (Ben Kingsley), he will use a drone army of his own.

In chatting with Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) in one scene, Stark name drops the Mark XLVII (that's 47) as the designation number of his current suit. Seeing as by the end of The Avengers, he's only at the Mark VII, that's an awfully large amount of armored suit upgrades, and Potts inquires about exactly that. The reason is that the 40 models in between are drones that Stark can control remotely from his Mark VIII suit.

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Tying in with the Extremis technology that new characters Maya Hansen (Rebecca Hall) and Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce) will help develop, another character who may play a role in improving Iron Man's chances against the Mandarin may be played by Chinese actor Xueqi Wang as we learned yesterday. That character - who Andy Lau was initially meant to play ' is reportedly going to be a variant of Chen Lu/Radioactive Man from the comics and could have an interesting character arc as someone from the comics who once worked for Mandarin as a bodyguard.

Iron Man 3 is directed by Shane Black based off of his and Drew Pearce's screenplay, and stars Robert Downey Jr., Ben Kingsley, Don Cheadle, Gwyneth Paltrow, Guy Pearce, Jon Favreau, Rebecca Hall, Cobie Smulders, William Sadler, James Badge Dale and the voice of Paul Bettany.

Iron Man 3 releases May 3, 2013, Thor: The Dark World on November 8, 2013, Captain America: The Winter Soldier on April 4, 2014, Guardians of the Galaxy on August 1, 2014 and The Avengers 2 on May 1, 2015.

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Follow Rob on Twitter @rob_keyes.

Source: Latino Review

5 Things the Rebooted Batman Can Do Differently Than Nolan's

It's a bittersweet time to be a Batman fan: The Dark Knight Rises is still fresh in memory, and the cinematic future of the brand is uncertain. Though the truth may not be what fans want to hear, facts are facts: Christopher Nolan has finished his 'Dark Knight Trilogy' and confirmed that his time with the character is finally over. With Nolan gone, and Bale claiming to be gone with him, the door is open for a new director and actor to tackle the iconic hero.

Director and star may be finished, but DC and Warner Bros. certainly are not. The Justice League looks to be the next film after Zack Snyder's Man of Steel, is tasked with introducing several new heroes, and (according to reports) rebooting a new Batman franchise at the same time. While Nolan loyalists may claim the odds are stacked against the next actor to put on the cape and cowl, we see opportunity.

There are some major elements of the Batman character and comics that Nolan completely avoided, and were largely under-represented in past movies as well. If the next Batman films were to tackle those themes and angles, comic book fans could be in for a treat.

Open Discussion ' September 5, 2012

As usual ' talk about whatever you like as long as it's related to movies, TV or Screen Rant itself ' just remember to play nice.

'Dredd 3D' Writer Gives Ideas for Potential Trilogy, Including The Dark Judges

Forget Sylvester Stallone, forget removing the helmet, and most importantly forget Rob Schneider. Lionsgate's reboot of the Dredd property promises to be a faithful adaptation of the IPC Media comic, preserving all that fans love about it, and leaving everything else out.

While Dredd 3D doesn't hit theaters for another couple of weeks, its writer Alex Garland is already looking towards the future. He's not yet attached to scribe a Dredd sequel ' and box office returns have yet to show audiences are interested ' but Garland, nonetheless, has begun mapping out how he'd like to see future stories play out.

Speaking over on the 2000 AD Forums, Garland revealed that if a Dredd sequel were to happen it would throw classic Dredd icons like Fargo, Giant, the Angel Gang, and even Satanus into the mix. Conventional audiences might not be familiar with this venerable feast of characters, but Dredd fans will know them as integral pieces of the fiction.

Chief Judge Fargo, for example, is the founding father of the Judge System and was Mega-City One's first chief judge. More importantly than that, though, Judge Dredd is a clone of Fargo, making them essentially father and son.

Back when Fargo was first introduced, the writers had yet to establish this connection, and even revealed Fargo's likeness, ostensibly giving the mysterious Dredd a face. That being said, we doubt that will happen in the films, as the fact Dredd keeps his helmet on from start to finish is a major selling point.

A character like Satanus ' a blood thirsty tyrannosaurus rex - is a really arduous undertaking, but if done well could make the sequel really unique. The Dredd films released thus far ' both the Stallone adaptation and Dredd 3D ' have tried to keep the story somewhat grounded, but the inclusion of Satanus would be the writers accepting every element of the comics whole cloth.

There could be  a lot of characters to balance for a single film, but Garland seems to have it more fleshed out than he's letting on. He reveals that he'd like the character of Chopper ' a graffiti artist turned sky surfer ' to balance out the story, opening and closing the events of this second film.

If I was involved in a second movie, it would be about origins and subversion, and Chopper would feature. In fact, I think Chopper would start and end the story. Apart from him, my rough plan involves Fargo, Giant, Angel Gang, and a version of Satanus.

Garland doesn't want the film to end there, though; he'd like to see Dredd round out a trilogy with the Dark Judges serving as the main antagonists of this third movie. The Dark Judges are the epitome of the Judge Dredd villains, as they are undead versions of Judges who believe in the eradication of all life. Their thinking is that, since only living things can commit crimes, eliminating all living things (mainly humans) will prevent the potential for crime.

Even cooler than that, the Dark Judges (Death, Fear, Fire, and Mortis) are like the Four Horseman of the Apocalypse in that they have unique appearances centered on a specific idea. Judge Fire, for example, is constantly immersed in flames. But Garland doesn't want these Dark Judges to be a comic book parody of the Horseman; he wants them to be truly scary.

I think I'd try to make [the Dark Judges] really scary. Not play them for laughs. Just make them totally malevolent and lethal. And use practical effects where possible, except for Fire, which would be an on-set nightmare'The existential side to the Dark Judges is that they don't see a point to life. If my film-trilogy daydream was to play out, I would completely rewrite my original script for the Dark Judges ' because it was junk ' and start again.

In addition to info on key story beats and characters, Garland shared a few more details about the proposed trilogy, including the presence of Anderson (played by Olivia Thirlby in Dredd 3D) in all three films, showcasing the Cursed Earth, and the potential of continuing the Dredd story lines in a TV series. Shows like Game of Thrones and The Wire have opened Garland's eyes to the storytelling possibilities of serialized pay-cable television, and it's entirely possible that Dredd could work in that space.

But by the way, just so it has been said, I actually think that maybe the best way forward for Dredd is television. American TV has completely rewritten the rule book where filmed drama is concerned. Game Of Thrones/The Wire/Breaking Bad' An equivalent version of Dredd would be fucking great. Imagine the epics'

It's a lot of (exciting) talk from Garland, but it's also something his busy schedule may keep him from seeing through. It's most important that Dredd 3D be a success at the box office, then maybe the 28 Days Later writer can be swayed into scripting out the trilogy.

Dredd 3D releases September 21, 2012 in theaters.

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Source: 2000 AD Forums (via Bleeding Cool)

Will Radioactive Man Be Introduced in 'Iron Man 3'?

Guy Pearce describes his role as Aldrich Killian in Iron Man 3 as a cameo-type appearance, and while we won't know until next summer if that's true, he may not be the only notable character from Marvel Comics popping up on screen in a limited capacity.

A few weeks before Comic-Con we shared rumored details about characters and the post-credits scene of Iron Man 3, rumors that indicated fans would be introduced to two super-powered characters from the books, both of whom would have a larger part to play in Phase Two of the Marvel cinematic universe. One of those characters was going to be played by Andy Lau who dropped out of the project, but we know who might be replacing him.

Before passing on the blockbuster role to spend time with his newborn daughter, we found out that Lau might have been playing the non-villainous version of Chen Lu (Radioactive Man) from the books, who would be introduced in Iron Man 3 and would (according to rumors) become a reoccurring character in the other upcoming films. Mtime caught Chinese actor Xueqi Wang meeting with Iron Man 3 executive producer Dan Mintz at a Beijing restaurant for tea last week, where they were overheard discussing the Chen Lu character, later confirmed by Wang's studio.

From our previous discussion on Radioactive Man: In Marvel Comics, Chen Lu is a nuclear physicist for the People's Republic of China and a villain of Iron Man who works for The Mandarin. His abilities from exposure to radiation give him green-colored skin and the abilities to control radiation in various ways. We don't expect much of those attributes to show up in Iron Man 3.

In the books, there's an interesting relationship between Radioactive Man and Ant-Man where they once fought each other and later worked together ' and that's a potential plot thread that could be teased in a post-credits scene for Iron Man 3 should rumors about Edgar Wright shooting that scene as a lead-in to Ant-Man prove true.

The fact that this meeting only took place now, this late in production, lends some credence to at least one detail about the character, in that Chen Lu ' should he be the character Wang plays ' will only appear very briefly. According to the Chinese trades, the casting will be confirmed soon and Wang would be shooting this month. With the seemingly small part Chen Lu will play in the film, we're curious as to how the character will be utilized. When Lau was up for the role, the part was described as a 'good guy' scientist who helps Tony Stark develop  tech to fight against the Mandarin. Would we see him working for the Mandarin before that? Is he or does he become a scientist for S.H.I.E.L.D.?

With each report it's becoming more clear that Marvel Studios is planning to attain the same level of scope and scale as The Avengers by not only exploring a major character redefining story from the books in Extremis, but by upping the ante on action and characters, potentially laying the groundwork for many stories to come.

Stay tuned into Screen Rant for more on this as develops.

Iron Man 3 is directed by Shane Black based off of his and Drew Pearce's screenplay, and stars Robert Downey Jr., Ben Kingsley, Don Cheadle, Gwyneth Paltrow, Guy Pearce, Jon Favreau, Rebecca Hall, Cobie Smulders, William Sadler, James Badge Dale and the voice of Paul Bettany.

Iron Man 3 releases May 3, 2013, Thor: The Dark World on November 8, 2013, Captain America: The Winter Soldier on April 4, 2014, Guardians of the Galaxy on August 1, 2014 and The Avengers 2 on May 1, 2015.

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Follow Rob on Twitter @rob_keyes.

Source: Mtime (hat tip Smitty)

'Man of Steel' Star Henry Cavill Talks the Pressure of Playing Superman

Every little boy dreams of being him, and every grown man, well'some things never change. The chance to actually play Superman on film is an honor bestowed upon few in history, and Henry Cavill is aware of just how many doors can be opened should Zack Snyder's Man of Steel reboot be a success.

Great opportunities come at the cost of great risks, and Cavill is all too aware of just how many people could be let down if his performance as the Man of Steel is found lacking. With all that pressure on his all-too-human shoulders, Cavill is focusing on his own concerns for the film, not those of comic book fandom.

Any fan of the character has likely heard of the 'Superman Curse' that struck both George Reeves and Christopher Reeve following their portrayals of the Last Son of Krypton. But these days, the risks of occupying the blue spandex aren't supernatural at all. Bryan Singer gave what could have been a one-way ticket to leading man status to Brandon Routh in his Superman Returns (2006) ' but things, as we know, ended up quite differently; and as far as we know, Tom Welling is doing fine.

All things considered, it's worth thinking about just how much pressure is being placed on Henry Cavill: playing the most famous superhero of all time, at the peak of comic book movie popularity (not to mention budget), with a successful film beginning a multi-picture deal rivaling Marvel's movie universe. Cavill has explained how his work on Immortals prepared him for the physical strain of becoming Superman, but keeping one's head clear with that kind of expectation has to be taxing for the most grizzled thespian.

 

In an interview with Cineplex, Cavill explained that the amount of people hoping for Man of Steel to deliver the goods is something he acknowledges. But at the end of the day, he's got the memory of the Big Blue Boy Scout to answer to:

''It's important to do the role justice. There are a lot of people relying on me to do this well. I gladly accept that responsibility, and it's a great one to have because it's a wonderful opportunity. I don't let the pressures get to me because that's going to hinder my performance and, therefore, let people down. So I choose to ignore the pressure side of it and focus on doing justice to Superman.'

Again reemphasizing Snyder's goal of modernizing Superman and making him easier to identify with, it's becoming clear just how much of an optimist Cavill truly is. Not that it wouldn't be anyone's dream to play as universal an icon as Superman, but for someone with a promising acting career already built, that's quite a gamble. Some may see the odds as stacked against Cavill from the start, since his face will be the one linked to Man of Steel's success or failure.

But for every Brandon Routh, there's been a Christian Bale, Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans; the list of overnight stars goes on. Obviously the established names had more experience in the spotlight prior to their time in costume, but then again, Cavill is British ' and they tend to have a knack for this kind of thing. Success in this case might even mean a future stint as the world' most famous spy, but Cavill is clearly looking at the task at hand.

As far as betting on the outcome of his being cast as Clark Kent, it's hard to deny the quality of his past performances. And as much as Zack Snyder may be a somewhat divisive name among comic book fans, his casting choices have spoken for themselves. The selection of not just Gerard Butler for 300 (2206), but the casting of then-relatively-unknown Michael Fassbender earned praise. Patrick Wilson and Jackie Earle Haley being cast as Nightowl and Rorschach, respectively, were two aspects of Watchmen (2009) that are rarely attacked.

Now he's hand-picked a young British actor over other well-known names and faces in the running, despite his being passed on the last time around. Whatever else may happen, it seems unlikely that comparisons between Man of Steel and Superman Returns will be obvious. With a new face, a completely redesigned suit, a far more grounded artistic direction, and even a new origin story to tell, the tools are in place for a fresh start.

Just don't tell that to Cavill: he needs to focus.

Man of Steel will be arriving in theaters on June 14, 2013.

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Follow me on Twitter @andrew_dyce.

Source: Cineplex

Kyra Sedgwick Talks 'The Possession' and Hollywood's Exorcism Obsession

The Possession, the latest horror offering from producer Sam Raimi (Evil Dead and the upcoming Oz the Great and Powerful) and director Ole Borendal (Nightwatch), opens in theaters this weekend.

In the film, Kyra Sedgwick plays a mother who is forced to confront her own skepticism as her daughter is overcome by a malicious spirit that is housed in an old wooden box purchased at a garage sale.

We had the opportunity to sit down with Sedgwick recently to talk about the appeal of horror, the recent uptick in possession/exorcism tales in particular and the very creepy abandoned hospital that they shot the final, climactic scene in.

Synopsis:

Based on a true story, 'The Possession' is the terrifying story of how one family must unite in order to survive the wrath of an unspeakable evil.

Clyde (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) and Stephanie Brenek (Kyra Sedgwick) see little cause for alarm when their youngest daughter Em becomes oddly obsessed with an antique wooden box she purchased at a yard sale. But as Em's behavior becomes increasingly erratic, the couple fears the presence of a malevolent force in their midst, only to discover that the box was built to contain a dibbuk, a dislocated spirit that inhabits and ultimately devours its human host.

Starring Jeffrey Dean Morgan ('Watchmen') and Kyra Sedgwick ('The Closer'), 'The Possession' is directed by Ole Bornedal ('Nightwatch'), written by Juliet Snowden & Stiles White, and produced by horror master Sam Raimi.

Look for The Possession in theaters now.

Follow me on twitter @JRothC