Samuel L. Jackson’s brief cameo at the end of Iron Man in 2008 forever changed the possibilities for superhero films. No longer did every franchise have to be a distinct entity – multiple movies could now take place in the same fictional universe, and the collective imagination of fans everywhere exploded at the potential for a massive crossover event bringing everyone together in one film.

With The Avengers, Marvel has achieved a seemingly impossible task: not only did they spend years building the foundation that supports this film by bringing together A-list stars from different franchises, but they managed to turn a project that could have collapsed under the pressure of its own ambition into one of the most crowd-pleasing superhero movies ever created.

Look no further than the 2002 series “Firefly” and its spinoff film Serenity for proof that Joss Whedon was the perfect choice to corral all of these monumental heroes into one storyline. Whedon is one of the best writers in the business, and he really excels at crafting meaningful relationships among ensemble casts and writing strong female characters, two things that were a requirement for a successful film adaptation of The Avengers. He was helped here by a terrific stable of actors, veterans of the industry who understand one of Marvel’s greatest strengths in these properties: the ability to keep the story critical to the film but allow enough humor that it won’t suffocate under its own seriousness.

The character work in The Avengers is fantastic, especially considering this particular team-up is jam-packed with characters that have already had entire films devoted to their singular adventures. Whedon gives each of them multiple moments to shine, and everything that we loved about them in previous films is on display here (and oftentimes it’s even improved). Even in scenes near the beginning of the film that contain massive amounts of setup and exposition, he manages to insert little “Whedonisms” to lighten the mood; there’s a gag with a $10 bet between Captain America and Nick Fury that’s a really small moment overall, but it brings a lot of humor to a sequence where people are just sitting around spouting information. Tony Stark has never been wittier, and Mark Ruffalo’s Bruce Banner actually has a personality outside of sulking in corners and fighting the beast inside him. (The Hulk is funny this time, too!) Natasha Romanoff is far better drawn than she was in the disastrous Iron Man 2, so ScarJo fans can rest easy.

The action sequences are spectacular and choreographed so that we know where our heroes are at all times. (That in itself is a pretty incredible feat because the sheer scope of this movie is so huge.) The climax is breathtakingly constructed, mixing spectacle and destruction with legitimate character moments and not letting the (admittedly awesome) visual effects take over the movie. There are memorable setpieces spaced throughout the movie, resulting in easily the most entertaining Marvel film so far.

Because there is so much ground to cover, I did feel a little like Loki’s villainous intentions were a bit unclear. He’s working with some sort of alien race, but we don’t ever find out why the destruction of Earth is so paramount to their greater mission. Also, how did Thor even arrive on Earth for this movie? At the end of Thor, they establish that the bifrost has been destroyed. I understand how things wrap up at the end of The Avengers, with the Tesseract from Captain America playing a key role in the travel element, but there was so much happening that they didn’t have time to get into the hows and whys of things like that. Granted, I’m not sure that I would have wanted them to if it meant cutting out anything from what we see in the final film; it’s easy to see how Whedon’s first cut was over three hours long, and I’d love to see that movie in its entirety at some point if it ever gets released.

But ultimately, the few tiny gripes I have are cancelled out by the sheer geeky thrills in this movie. Marvel is the new Babe Ruth: they called their shot, and freaking blasted it out of the park. At long last, The Avengers finally came together on screen and, thanks to the only man who could have made it succeed, it surpassed all the hype. I probably don’t need to tell you that this film deserves to be seen on the big screen to get the full impact, but I guess I just did (and you can skip the 3D – it’s passable, but not great). The Avengers is everything I wanted it to be and more, and I sincerely hope that a few years from now I’ll be writing about The Avengers 2 written and directed by Joss Whedon. But until then, we can thank him for giving audiences the most fun movie of 2012. Until next time…

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About this time last month, we wrote about how Scarlett Johansson was supposed to be returning to the cast of Iron Man 3. It makes sense, considering all of Marvel’s actors have signed on for multi-picture deals. But immediately before a recent interview with Screen Rant, Johansson said that she would not be appearing in the newest adventure of Tony Stark. But the second one actor leaves, another might step in; NeonPunch reports that Asian cinema superstar Andy Lau (Infernal Affairs) could join the cast. Hit the jump for more.

So ScarJo says she’s hoping for a Black Widow spin-off movie of her own, something reminiscent of Bourne. She says she’s had conversations with Marvel President of Production Kevin Feige and that there’s a ton of material that could provide the basis for a movie, but nothing has been officially announced yet. Rumor has it Feige plans on making an announcement at Comic-Con regarding the second Marvel movie of 2014, so perhaps that’s what it’ll be.

Because of the recent announcement that Iron Man 3 is being partly financed by a Chinese company and filming partially in China, it makes sense that they would bring a popular Asian actor on board the project. Here’s the quote describing who he’ll play:

Andy Lau’s character will be an OLD FRIEND OF TONY STARK’S that represents China’s technology sector – and will use China’s armored heroes to HELP Iron Man defeat “The Mandarin” who is seen as a terrorist against both the US and China.

That seems to contradict reports that Ben Kingsley is NOT going to be playing The Mandarin (a villain in the Iron Man universe), so we’ll have to wait and see how this all shakes out to get more clarification. Filming begins soon, so we’ll expect some updates in the new few months. Lau would be the latest addition to a stellar cast which includes Ben Kingsley, Jessica Chastain, Guy Pearce, and returning members Downey, Paltrow, and Cheadle. What do you think about this casting switch? Bummed about ScarJo’s absence? Excited about Lau’s involvement? Both?

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[This story could be considered a spoiler, though I take that stuff pretty seriously and this isn't that big of a deal.]

Joss Whedon’s The Avengers is close to a month away from its world premiere, but Shane Black is looking ahead to Iron Man 3, which will reunite the director with his Kiss Kiss Bang Bang star Robert Downey Jr. We’ve already heard that Don Cheadle will be reprising his role in the upcoming sequel since he’s sitting out the Avengers party, and now the casting call for Iron Man 3 reveals the appearance of another Marvel character alongside Stark, Pepper Potts, and Rhodey. Read on to find out who it is.

The Daily Blam snagged a call sheet, which points out that Scarlett Johansson’s Natasha Romanoff, aka The Black Widow, will go from The Avengers straight into IM3. The quasi-spoilery part is that Johansson’s character survives The Avengers, but like I said, that’s not really much of a reveal. A lot of these actors have signed deals with Marvel to appear in nine movies as these characters, so an early death was never a realistic option.

Black and Drew Pearce are teaming to write the script, and Iron Man 1 and 2 director Jon Favreau has offered a helping hand should they need it. We’re still unclear about the full scope of the story of Iron Man 3, but it’s been said to be a more contained film that doesn’t feature any of the other major Marvel heroes. It will be more like a Tom Clancy thriller with Stark fighting real world villains. What can they do to compete with the epic-looking villains of The Avengers and still make things interesting? We’ll have to wait and find out.

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Joss Whedon’s The Avengers is unquestionably one of the most highly anticipated movies of 2012, and it might even have a legitimate shot at being one of the most anticipated films of all time. The way this movie came together is unprecedented, and now Marvel has teamed with Norton (not Edward, the antivirus company) to trace the origins of this superhero team-up film, featuring quick interviews with all of the major stars and even Whedon himself.

Here’s the official synopsis:

Marvel Studios presents in association with Paramount Pictures “Marvel’s The Avengers”–the Super Hero team up of a lifetime, featuring iconic Marvel Super Heroes Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, Captain America, Hawkeye and Black Widow. When an unexpected enemy emerges that threatens global safety and security, Nick Fury, Director of the international peacekeeping agency known as S.H.I.E.L.D., finds himself in need of a team to pull the world back from the brink of disaster. Spanning the globe, a daring recruitment effort begins. Starring Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner and Samuel L. Jackson, and directed by Joss Whedon, “Marvel’s The Avengers” is based on the ever-popular Marvel comic book series “The Avengers,” first published in 1963 and a comics institution ever since. Prepare yourself for an exciting event movie, packed with action and spectacular special effects, when “Marvel’s The Avengers” assemble in summer 2012. In “Marvel’s The Avengers,” superheroes team up to pull the world back from the brink of disaster when an unexpected enemy threatens global security.

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We haven’t talked about Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho yet on this site, so here’s the rundown: the story pulls back the curtain on the making of one of the most iconic horror films of all time and details the complex relationship Hitchcock had with his wife, Alma, at the time. In a stroke of brilliant casting, Anthony Hopkins is playing the famous director, Helen Mirren will play his wife, Scarlett Johansson is stepping into the role of Psycho star Janet Leigh, and now Jessica Biel has joined the cast as Vera Miles, the actress who played Lila Crane in the movie.

Anvil! The Story of Anvil director Sacha Gervasi is stepping out of the documentary world to direct this film, and Black Swan writer John J. McLaughlin took a crack at the script that was subsequently rewritten by Stephen Rebello, the author of the book on which this real-life story is based. The casting has been impeccable so far, and I can’t wait to see not only how an untested narrative director like Gervasi works with such an A-list cast, but also how these iconic actors in their own right slip into the skin of the infamous cast of Hitch’s most popular film. There are only a few spots left to cast before filming gets underway; James D’Arcy is up for the role of Anthony Perkins, but hasn’t officially signed yet. The whole project sounds very reminiscent of My Week With Marilyn, and coupled with the Oscar-winning success of The Artist, it looks like audiences are eager to revisit Hollywood’s glory days on film.

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Joseph Gordon-Levitt has been directing short films for a few years now through the collaborative community he’s set up at his website, hitRECord.org. Now, the busy actor has slated his feature directorial debut, and it’ll star fellow Hollywood heartthrob Scarlett Johansson.

The untitled “sexy comedy” will feature Gordon-Levitt playing a womanizer who tries to become less of a “selfish dick.” He wrote the script, and will star alongside Johansson and another female lead that will be cast soon. Ram Bergman, who produced both Gordon-Levitt’s 2005 breakout indie Brick and this year’s Looper for director Rian Johnson, will produce this one as well.

Filming begins in April of this year, adding to the insanity of JGL’s 2012. This year alone, he’s got The Dark Knight Rises, Premium Rush, Looper, and Lincoln all coming to theaters, and he’s going to try to balance production on his own movie and also appear in Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained, which would be yet another film released this year for the actor.

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Earlier this month a German trailer for The Avengers hit the web and gave us some new snippets of footage. Now a Russian trailer has been released which is a mix of both the German and US trailers, but contains more shots Loki, the villain of the film once again played by Tom Hiddleston.

Watch below:

The Avengers, directed by Joss Whedon, will star Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man), Mark Ruffalo (The Hulk), Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow), Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury), Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Chris Evans (Captain America), Clark Gregg (Agent Coulson), Jeremy Renner (Hawkeye) and will be released May 4th, 2012.

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The German arm of Marvel has released a new trailer for Joss Whedon’s The Avengers. It’s similar to the teaser trailer we got earlier this year, but contains new footage of Black Widow and Bruce Banner meeting and a few new action shots. Those who don’t speak German probably won’t be able to understand it, but it’s still worth a watch.

From De.Marvel (via CBM):

The Avengers, directed by Joss Whedon, will star Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man), Mark Ruffalo (The Hulk), Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow), Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury), Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Chris Evans (Captain America), Clark Gregg (Agent Coulson), Jeremy Renner (Hawkeye) and will be released May 4th, 2012.

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Empire sat down with The Fighter director David O. Russell to discuss his Best Picture-nominated movie and also his upcoming projects: namely, his highly-anticipated adaptation of the PS3 video game Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune. Though Russell acknowledges that no paperwork has been drawn up yet, the director mentions a few names he has in mind for the character of Elena, a main force in the movie alongside Mark Wahlberg’s Nathan Drake.

ComingSoon provides the conversation below:

What is the situation with your Uncharted movie script? It seems such a natural game to turn into a movie…
The game is very cinematic; there’s no question about it. That’s what I’m working on real hard and I’m writing it as we speak and I’m really excited to make it. I’d love Mark to be in it, I’d love Bob De Niro to be in it; I love the idea of growing them into a cinematic family; I think that’s a really cool idea, but… I guess you’ll have to wait until you see the script.

What thoughts do you have about the love interest, Elena?
Ah, Elena. I’ve cultivated her quite a bit and I think I’ve added a lot of dimension to her so that’s all I’m going to say. I love the woman characters and the more robust they are, the more robust the movie.

From watching The Fighter, we would love Amy Adams to play Elena…
Oh I would love that too, I love Amy. I also love Scarlett Johansson; there’s a lot of great actors I think might suit. Hopefully, we’ll see how it works out with everybody who are being scoped to do that role…

[We should mention that in the original article at Empire, they want to make clear that these are just rumblings and nothing is set in stone yet. So this post is just for the sake of discussion; don't go around telling your friends this is a done deal just yet.]

Since Uncharted is my favorite video game series of all time, I’m really looking forward to seeing how Russell brings this story to the big screen. I think Adams and Johansson are both fine choices for Elena, but I think Kristen Bell (Veronica Mars) would be the perfect choice. I’m guessing that won’t happen, but who knows? From the sound of it, Russell didn’t even seem sure about the casting of Wahlberg and De Niro. Uncharted fans, speak your minds – who do you think would be a good Elena in the eventual movie version of this story?

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According to Deadline Scarlett Johansson has beaten the likes of Amy Adams, Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Rachel McAdams for a role in We Bought a Zoo, which will be directed by Cameron Crowe (Jerry Maguire, Vanilla Sky). Matt Damon joined the film earlier this year, which is an adaptation of Benjamin Mee’s memoir about an American who moves to England to run a zoo.

Johansson will play Damon’s wife, Katherine, who according to THR will be seen in flashbacks. I think Amy Adams or Rachel McAdams would have been more age appropriate for the role, but I doubt Damon (40) will have a problem starring opposite Johansson (26).

Here’s the synopsis for the book:

Between his wife Katherine’s diagnosis of glioblastoma and her quiet death less than three years later, Benjamin Mee, his siblings and his mother bought a bedraggled zoo, complete with decaying buildings, a ragtag group of animals, an eclectic staff and a reputation that had been quickly going to the wolves. Mee writes about caring for his dying wife and their two young children, dealing with Code Red emergencies (when a dangerous animal escapes its confines), hiring staff, learning about his new two- and four-footed charges and setting his sights on refurbishing his zoo into a sanctuary for breeding and raising endangered animals.

20th Century Fox are aiming to get the film ready for a December 2011 release, which suggests it could be Oscar bait. I would have preferred to have seen Damon in Bourne 4, but I guess chasing after an escaped jaguar will get the actors adrenaline going.

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