Movie Crossovers For Both G.I. Joe/Transformers And Pacific Rim/Godzilla Being Considered

If there's one thing that will guarantee big bucks at the box office, it's getting many well known actors and characters into on big action movie, a formula proven very successful by Marvel's The Avengers just last year. With the release of G.I. Joe Retaliation just last week, a third film has already been announced to be in the works after the sequel scored big at the box office, but it seems another project may also be in store for the franchise. Now it seems producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura is considering putting two of his properties; G.I. Joe and Transformers together in one film. In the meantime, Guillermo Del Toro, director of this summer's Pacific Rim, is also contemplating the idea of doing a crossover film with Gareth Edward's new Godzilla reboot. But will we be seeing the stars of these films all teamed up in one movie, and what type of plot will they use to get all these characters together? 

The G.I. Joe/Transformers crossover seems to be the much less surprising of the two, as both franchises are created by Hasbro, produced by Lorenzo di Bonaventura, and are big money makers for Paramount Pictures. With Michael Bay's Transformers 4 set to be release summer of 2014 without Shia LaBeouf's Sam Witwicky leading the cast, it's likely the film could be focusing more on the NET division of the military from the series. It's still unknown just who Mark Wahlberg will be playing in Transformers 4, but many have assumed he will in fact be playing a soldier in the NET division, which is further supported by cats member Tyrese Gibson returning as NET soldier "Epps" for the first three films.

With Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson now practically leading the G.I. Joe series as Roadblock, if this crossover film really does come together then we'll be able to see The Rock reteaming with Wahlberg, as they'll both be starring in Michael Bay's Pain and Gain. Now depending on how much chemistry the two have on Pain and Gain, it seems a safe bet that Paramount is really considering the cash advantages of reteaming both Wahlberg and Johnson, especially if Michael Bay also directs the crossover film. Teaming up the Joes and the NET soldiers against a common threat lead by both Cobra Commander and Megatron seems like the type of plot we can expect to see if the crossover film goes through.

Now as for the other giant mechanical robots hitting the big screen this summer in Pacific Rim, director Guillermo Del Toro has brought up the possibility of a crossover film. Just a few weeks ago Gareth Edward's Godzilla reboot rolled into production for a 2014 release date. Godzilla also seems to have a very military based film, pitting the army against the giant reptile in an all out war. The film already has a very impressive cast which includes Elizabeth Olsen (Martha Marcy May Marlene), Ken Wantanabe (Inception), Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad), David Strathairn (The Bourne Ultimatum), Richard T. Jones (Super 8), Sally Hawkins (Happy-Go-Lucky), and Aaron Taylor Johnson (Kick-Ass) in the lead role of a soldier in the army fending off Godzilla.

While Gareth Edward's still hasn't commented on the possibility (We wouldn't expect him to since he's currently focused on the movie at hand), it isn't too far fetched of an idea. Both properties are being produced by Legendary Pictures, and Guillermo Del Toro made Pacific Rim in the first place to acknowledge his inspiration from Japanese monster films, most notably the original Ishiro Honda Godzilla film. The plot of Pacific Rim even involves the government using giant robots called Jaguers controlled by two soldiers to fight off monsters called Kaiju, which is the exact species that Godzilla belongs too. So pitting Jaguers against THE Godzilla itself would actually make a lot more sense then a sequel of them just fitting more random Kaijus. There's also the fact that the original Godzilla franchise itself has been famous for pitting Godzilla against another threat of large scale such as King Kong Vs Godzilla, Mothra Vs Godzilla, Godzilla Vs Destoroyah, Godzilla Vs Mechagodzilla, and more.

So what do you think of a Pacific Rim/Godzilla crossover? What about a G.I. Joe/Transformers one?

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Review: Evil Dead Will Swallow Your Soul, Y’know – In A Fun Way! Guest Post By Aaron

Guest Post by Aaron of TheCodeIsZeek.com. To bring some up to speed, I am a huge fan of the original Evil Dead trilogy. These films, directed by Sam “Spider-Man” Raimi and starring Bruce “Don’t Call Me Ash” Campbell, are ones that I watch every year in a marathon session and are known as cult favorites among many horror film fans. The idea of a remake could have been seen as sacrilege for a fan such as myself, but the fact that Raimi, Campbell, and producer Rob Tapert were behind the idea and heavily involved with the production made me hopeful. Given how the film played out, my optimism paid off, as this new Evil Dead is a wild ride that holds onto the spirit of the original, while amping up the quality of the blood, gore, dismembered limbs, vomit, and overall terror we see, thanks to the latest in modern technology when it comes to making this kind of movie. All of this and the film still managed to combine characters who take this stuff seriously with the wild and crazy fun seen in the film’s direction.

Evil Dead starts off with a familiar story, as five friends head to a remote cabin in the woods for a weekend-long trip. The reasons are a little different than normal however, as the purpose of this trip is to get Mia (Jane Levy) to stop doing drugs, by way of a “giving it up cold turkey” approach. Mia is joined by her friends Eric and Olivia (Lou Taylor Pucci and Jessica Lucas), her brother David (Shiloh Fernandez), and David’s girlfriend, Natalie (Elizabeth Blackmore). The cabin they all stay in is an old family property (or at least some kind of timeshare), that David and Mia grew up with. Now, as much as an issue it is to keep Mia from doing something drastic as she goes through withdrawal, much, much worse things are in store for these people, as a trip to the cellar leads to the discovery of a book wrapped in barbed wire. The obvious thought would be to not open, let alone read from this book, but just that is done and it unleashes something very evil from within the woods. Soon, everyone in the cabin is subject to pure terror via possession or brutal attacks from those who are possessed. One can only hope that these people brought a change of clothes, because things are going to get messy.

After having watched the film, I can see what the appeal was in remaking the first film (and incorporating several elements from its sequel). Given that the first film was made by amateurs and starred amateurs, it is not surprising that the acting seen is not great and the effects are certainly dated. The real strength that remains intact for The Evil Dead is Sam Raimi’s frenetic direction. That film is fantastically innovative with its use of the camera and the overall intensity of its production. Evil Dead fortunately has a few good things in its corner, going in. The film has actors with experience, a big enough budget and improved technology to make the nasty stuff look proper nasty, and a lot of inventiveness from director and co-writer Fede Alvarez, who is clearly a huge fan of the franchise.

What this new film lacks in the way of true inventiveness, it makes up for in its overall “go for it” attitude that is quite present throughout. Alvarez has a good handle on how to make this a new and unique take on the series that is scattered with references to the original film, for sure, but certainly stands on its own and is readily accessible for everyone…who is a fan of very gory horror films. I may have seen this sort of story before, but it is presentation that is key and the work done to make this a pretty horrific film is very effective. For being such a dark and serious minded film (and I will address this in a bit), there is a great level of energy in it, which really keeps the film moving, as we witness some pretty crazy stuff going on in this cabin. Alvarez adds many of his own stylistic touches, such as the way he drops all sound in some instances, has the camera move fluidly in obscure manners, different from Raimi's ways, and finds places where he can just let his camera observe the horror occurring. With that, he also replicates some key shots, such as the POV shots of the woods, which many fans love.

Maybe one of the biggest compliments I can pay to Evil Dead is how I did not think of Cabin in the Woods, while watching it. I will say that Cabin in the Woods, one of the best films from 2012, set up certain points of view in regards to horror movie and how to regard them, ruining many in their wake in some instances, given how familiar certain plots and the threats involved are. Sitting through Evil Dead, I was not so much concerned with the thesis statement-turned horror film, conceived by Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard, so much as I was concerned with whether or not a girl would be alright, after forcing a box cutter on her own tongue. Credit goes to the filmmakers for keeping me so wrapped up in the atmosphere and story created by the film. To speak of said atmosphere and the overall vibe that the film goes for, I think there is a lot of concern as to whether this film will be “funny” in the same way the original is.  For that, I can only say that The Evil Dead was not built as a humorous feature when it was originally released.  It plays as a straight up horror film that happened to capture the imaginations of a drive-in horror crowd.  It has since become a more humorous feature to watch, but not because of its tone.  Evil Dead is the same way.  No one is trying to be funny in the film, but the mood does know how to straddle the line between deadly serious and over-the-top; most notably in regards to the very effective score by Roque Banos.

Wisely, this new film chose not to have a new “Ash”. Ash is the quintessential character of the original films and this new film avoids having to deal with the comparison. Instead, we have a pretty capable cast in terms of their performances, regardless of how bad certain decisions they make turn out to be.The story also sets up a good amount of proper cause for the characters to be where they are, let alone remain in the area. Now, this isn’t the deepest character study, but there was a good amount of effort put forward to have me give a damn for these people (and really resent the one guy who not only reads from the evil book that was locked in freaking barbed wire, but tries to translate it). There may be a lack of a truly charismatic lead such as Ash this time around, but it really wasn’t until Evil Dead 2 that Ash became such an iconic character, for those who are truly concerned with this factor.

To get back to the gore and nastiness of it all, I can say that that is generally not the kind of thing I go for in horror films. I am not a splatter guy and I also tend to not like seeing certain levels of mean-spiritedness. With that said, the Evil Dead films are my weakness, because for whatever reason, I get on board with what they have to offer. We see a ton of crazy effects of this film (all achieved practically, rather than through the use of CG) and it is shocking, gross, ridiculous, and kinda awesome all at the same time. And regarding the evil creatures and those who are possessed, rules generally do not apply, meaning that practically everything is possible and people suffer horrible because of it. That’s really one of my few quarrels with this film, given that it tries to establish some boundaries, rather than embrace the truly all-out mayhem seen in Raimi’s films. It is not too much of an issue however, because certain established scenarios lead to a final 15 minutes, which is full of utter horror brilliance.

While the deadites may try to take the souls out of the characters in the film, this film was not a soulless production. I had a lot of fun with this new Evil Dead and I think it has to do with how no one held back.It is certainly darker, in a sense, than the first film, but having the characters take everything serious in the midst of a film that indicates its inherit craziness via the crazy camera zooms and angles, along with the ridiculous amount of nasty stuff seen, makes for an Evil Dead film that I can get behind. Maybe in years to come we can look back at this film as a camp fest (much like the original), despite the fact that it plays as an effective horror film in its direction. For now, I will easily settle for this being a worthy companion film to The Evil Dead, whose tagline described it as “the ultimate experience in grueling terror.”This new film may not be “The most terrifying film you will ever experience,” as its tagline suggests, but it is pretty damn horrific in a very good way

Aaron gives Evil Dead 4 out of 5 stars:

Aaron is a writer/reviewer for WhySoBlu.com and TheCodeIsZeek.com. Follow him on Twitter@AaronsPS3. He also co-hosts a podcast,Out Now with Aaron and Abe, available via iTunes or at HHWLOD.com.

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Michael Bay's Ninja Turtles Casts Jeremy Howard, Pete Ploszek, Noel Fisher, and Will Arnett

Well since it's conception, Michael Bay's produced Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles reboot, also known as 'Ninja Turtles' hasn't exactly been shaping up to be a dream TMNT movie. First there's the fact that the movie's been delayed twice, secondly Battle: LA and Wrath of the Titans director Jonathan Liebsman signed on to head the film, and most horrifying was the leaked draft of the script that was released which involved alien Ninja Turtles and Shredder and the Foot being nothing more than a military unit. Our first casting news for the film was that of Megan Fox (Transformers) signing on to portray April O'Neil and actor Alan Ritchson (Hunger Games: Catching Fire) as Raphael, but now there's news that the rest of the turtle roles have been filled. Jeremy Howard has been cast as Donatello, Noel Fisher (Battle: LA) as Michelangelo, Pete Ploszek (Park's and Recreation) as Leonardo, and Will Arnett (Arrested Development) in an unspecified role.

The first casting announcement came just last month via Michael Bay's official website that he would be reteaming with Megan Fox for Ninja Turtles, but the role she was playing had not yet been specified. Well now we have confirmation that Fox is in fact playing April O'Neil, the human companion of the Ninja Turtles along with her boyfriend Casey Jones (Who has yet to be cast). The casting comes as a big surprise as Fox has a well publicized feud with Bay during the filming of the Transformers series going as far to comparing working with him to working with Hitler, and she was later replaced by Rosie Huntington-Whiteley in Transformers: Dark of the Moon. None the less it seems Bay and Fox have been able to settle their differences for Ninja Turtles, although it probably helps that Bay isn't actually the director on this one and Jonathan Liebsman is.

After Fox's surprising casting came the casting of Alan Ritchson, best known for his performance as Aquaman on Smallville as the hot tempered brother of the Ninja Turtles Raphael. Now he is joined by actors  Jeremy Howard who is quite unknown but has starred in movies such as The Grinch and Galaxy Quest as the brains of the team Donatello, as well as also relatively unknown actor Pete Ploszek who has starred in an episode of Park and Recreation as the team's leader Leonardo, and Noel Fisher who has already worked with Liebsman on Battle: Los Angeles. The choices aren't exactly fitting in my eye but then again I've never seen Ploszek or Howard act, and I'm only familiar with Fisher from his young performance as bully Troy McKenzie in Max Keeble's Big Move. So in other words it'd be unfair to judge how they'd be in these roles yet.

Now we do know that Bay has spoken about how the Turtle's will be done in the movie, which will be using the mo-cap technology similar to the one used in Rise of the Planet of the Apes and Avatar. Ritchson, Plostek, Howard, and Fisher will all probably be providing their likeness to the Turtles themselves (Such as their facial expressions, features, etc. in Turtle form) as well as also voicing the actors and maybe even providing for some of the martial art moves that the Turtles are known for. While the roles of the main Turtles were the most important to fill, there's still many supporting character that have yet to be cast such as the Turtle's sensei Master Splinter, April's boyfriend Casey Jones, and the main antagonist Shredder himself. Will Arnett, best known for his work on TV shows Arrest Development and 30 Rock has also joined the cast in an unspecified role, but it's been rumored that he's playing one of two roles. Either Vernon Kitbash, best known for being the snobby cameraman of April O'Neill in the original eighties cartoon, or Agent Bishop who was a popular character from the 2003 animated TMNT series who was the leader of the Earth Protection Force (Which fits with the alien based plot Bay and Liebsman seem to be going with for Ninja Turtles). 

So what do you think of the casting for Leonardo, Michelangelo, and Donatello? Are you happy with Bay and Liebsman's choices? And who do you think Arnett will be playing?

Ninja Turtles is set to hit theaters June 6, 2014

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Fan-Cast: Top New Recruits I Want To See Join The Avengers 2 And Who Should Play Them

Like with any big blockbuster film, now that after years of anticipation The Avengers has finally been released, all audiences and fans alike can think about is the sequel. Well while it's still too early to really know any bit of information on the sequel, what I can tell you from having been a fan of the comics is that there will always be new faces joining the ranks of the Avengers team, and with Marvel already setting up Phase 2 of their Cinematic Universe, I can assure you that new characters will be introduced, and they will be for a reason. So I've decided to put together my own list of characters that I'd like to see join Earth's Mightiest next time around on the big screen, and my personal choices for those roles.

1. Ant-Man/Hank Pym-Ewan McGregor

While many movie goers have come to accept the line-up featured on the big screen this summer to have been the original Avengers, in reality this isn't the case. Neither Hawkeye nore Black Widow were original members of the team, but the famous super couple of Janet Van Dyne and Hank Pym aka Wasp and Ant-Man were. Neither Ant-Man or Wasp have been featured in the MCU yet, but with an Edgar Wright (Shaun of Dead, Scott Pilgrim) directed Ant-Man film already set up for Marvel's Phase 2, it's safe to say we'll finally be seeing them as part of the team. Ewan McGregor was not my original choice for the role, as I had considered Aaron Eckhart (The Dark Knight), Simon Baker (The Mentalist), and Patrick Wilson (Watchmen), but after hearing the suggestion of McGregor for the role I quickly caught on with the pick. McGregor was easily the best part of the Star Wars prequels, really carrying his own as a young Obi Wan Kenobi and he gave the role a lot more emotion and depth then even Alec Guinness did. After seeing him in Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, I think Ewan is the perfect pick for Hank Pym, and it'd be great to see him interact with Mark Ruffalo's Bruce Banner and Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark.

2. Black Panther/T'Challa-Chadwick Boseman

Black Panther is easily one of the most well rounded Marvel superheroes ever, rivaling that of only Captain America himself. T'Challa's contributions and sacrifice for the team would be an excellent addition, as we saw in the Ultimate Avengers 2 animated film. Not only would T'Challa himself bring a lot to the table, but his home of Wakanda, Africa would be a great and different setting to introduce into the MCU, and maybe even use as the back drop for Avengers 2. While I had originally been all for actor Chiwetel Ejiofor (Serenity) taking on the mantle of the Black Panther, especially given his past with Joss Whedon, I decided that he's now too old to play the young prince of Wakanda. Chadwick is a very unknown actor currently, but he has a lot of talent that will be showcased soon in his portrayal of Jackie Robinson in 42. Just looking at the trailers and footage from the film, Boseman seems to have a very mature and likable persona as Jackie, which is something that is definitely need for a role like T'Challa. On top of that, I really wanted an actor that would work well opposite Chris Evan's Steve Rogers, and I think Chadwick is just the man for the job and he would bring even more younger talent to The Avengers line-up.

3. Luke Cage-Michael Jai White

Luke Cage has always been a favorite of mine, and he plays a key part in the Marvel comic universe having been a core member of the New Avengers, so it would only make sense that he'd have a key role in the MCU too. As a bullet proof man with super human strength Cage is like The Thing and Wolverine in one package (Give or take a few abilities of course). None the less Cage would be a great addition to the team, and while Terry Crews has always been a fan favorite for the part, my personal pick is none other than Michael Jai White. White is no stranger to comic book movies having already starred as Spawn and having a small role in The Dark Knight, but it's time for him to finally get a big lead as a hero and I think he was born to play Cage. Not only does he have the look, height, and physique down but White is also an expert in martial arts which would definitely make from great combat scenes in an Avengers action sequence during the film.

4. The Vision-Benedict Cumberbatch

As soon as Agent Phil Coulson died in The Avengers, rumors began speculated that we hadn't seen the last of Coulson. Word had spread the Coulson's brain wave patterns would be transferred to an artificial intelligence robot from the comics known as Vision. While the idea was far fetched, considering the fact that Hank Pym hasn't even been introduced yet and he invents the Vision, plus the brain wave patterns of the Vision in the comics belong to that of Wonder Man. So now that it seems Coulson will be back for Joss Whedon's planned SHIELD TV show, it seems the Vision rumors weren't exactly on point, but that doesn't mean we still shouldn't see the character. Now that we are finally getting an Ant-Man movie, we may finally get to see the Avengers take on Ultron, and android invented by Hank that basically goes rogue. Having Vision on the team would make a lot of sense to help the team take on Ultron, and wouldn't definitely make for an exciting match-up on screen. Now for a character like Vision, he would be heavily CGI based so we'd need an actor with a really profound and fitting voice to take on the part, and who better then Cumberbatch he has recently voiced Smaug in Peter Jackson's Hobbit trilogy and the villain John Harrison in Star Trek Into Darkness.

5. Dr. Strange/Stephen Strange-Luke Evans

Ever since the release of Thor, the chances of a Doctor Strange movie have become much more likely, after Thor has already introduced audiences to a more fantasy based and magic filled side of the MCU. Since the Warlock's Eye was spotted in Odin's vault during Thor, the Doc Strange movie has been inevitable, and he's own solo film can practically confirm him a spot of the Avengers roster. Although according to Kevin Fiege it seems we won't be seeing a Dr. Strange movie till Phase 3, rumors have circulated that a pre-Sorcerer Supreme Stephen Strange will be a part of Thor: Dark World. If this is true, I know just the guy who should play him and that's Luke Evans. Evans has proven himself to be an outstanding actor that fits the profile of Strange perfectly, and while many would type cast Johnny Depp into the role, Evans would be able to bring a much more interesting and accurate version of the character to life. Evan's hasn't been getting put in the best of film's lately which include Immortals, Three Musketeers, and Robin Hood, but now he's finally landed himself a role in the Hobbit trilogy which will hopefully help him grab Marvel's notice for the role of Strange.

6. Nova/Rick Rider-Scott Porter

Nova is easily one of the most badass heroes Marvel has to offer and one of the most deserving of big screen treatment. With Marvel now releasing Guardians of the Galaxy, chances of Nova making an appearance in the MCU are very high, but we still have yet to know whether he'll be appearing in GOTG or not. The line-up according to Marvel's released concept art at Comic Con includes only Star-Lord, Gamora, Drax, Rocket Raccoon, and Groot, but rumors have pointed to the stars in the concept art shown at Comic Con that are nearly identical to the symbol of the Nova Corps. Nova has always been the most Earth bound of any member of GOTG, which is why he really isn't a consistent member, but of all the GOTG members Nova would be the most likely to cross pass with The Avengers and eventually join the team. Guardians would be a good way to introduce him to audiences for a bigger role as an Avengers member in a later film, and later appearances in Guardians sequels. As for who should play the role, Scott Porter (Friday Night Lights, Speed Racer) has openly expressed interest in the part, being a comic book fan himself, and he fits the part very well too. Now that Chris Pratt has been casted as Star-Lord, Porter seems to be a good fit for Nova age wise and would work well along Pratt on screen. 

So who would you like to see in Avengers 2? Do you agree with my casting choices?

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X-Men: Days Of Future Past Update: Returning Characters, New Cast Additions, And Story Details

Ever since director Matthew Vaughn (X-Men: First Class, Kick-Ass) left X-Men: Days of Future Past in the hands of Bryan Singer (X-Men, X-Men 2: United, Superman Returns), we've seen the film go from a sequel to 2011's X-Men: First Class, to an all out reunion of all the original X-Men cast members in what appears to be Singer's answer to X-Men 4. But with so many original cast members being confirmed to return to their respective roles, as well as returning characters from First Class and of course new cast additions, news on X-Men: Days of Future Past has been rapidly hitting the web. So rather then constantly confirming and denying rumors, now we've got it all for you in one collective post, you're welcome.

So where to begin with X-Men: Days of Future Past. Well as we already know that the movie will bring us a combination of X-Men from different time periods, presumably the First Class of X-Men and the Brotherhood of Mutants, and the post X-Men: The Last Stand team which is the current one. While it still remains unclear whether the mutants from both time periods will actually meet each other, but it doesn't seem likely as James McAvoy has already stated he and Patrick Stewart do not share any scenes together, although that doesn't stop the possibility of them communicating telepathically. While this may confirm the Charles Xavier won't be meeting his future self, it still remains unclear whether other First Class characters will run into their counterparts, such as Michael Fassbender and Ian McKellen's Magneto.

Both James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender will be returning as First Class versions of Xavier and Magneto, and Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen are also confirmed to return as the older counterparts. Nicholas Hoult will be returning as Hank McCoy aka Beast, and Jennifer Lawrence as Mystique.  Now from the current X-Men, Hugh Jackman will be reprising his role as Wolverine directly after this summer's The Wolverine, and Ellen Page will be returning as a much more key Kitty Pryde/Shadow Cat. Also returning are Shawn Ashmore as Iceman, Anna Paquin as Rogue, Daniel Cudmore as Colossus, and Halle Berry as Storm. 

On the First Class side of things, we so far know that we'll see the team now set in the 1970s, and it seems the times politics will come in to play with Richard Nixon some how being involved in the plot of that time period (Similar to in Zack Snyder's Watchmen). There's still no confirmation whether Lucas Till will be returning as Havok (Brother of Scott Summers/Cyclops), or Caleb Landry Jones as Banshee, but it's likely the team has been reshaped a bit in the eleven years since First Class. While Havok and Banshee don't seem as necessary to the movie due to the fact that they aren't even in the current X-Men line up (So something must of happened that disbanded them from the team), but we can only hope this is explained and not just left as a plot hole for a future film to patch up. So as I said, it does seem likely and realistic that both the X-Men and Magneto's Brotherhood would have some new recruits by the 70s, but if there will be we still have yet to know who they are, and if it can be a young Cyclops and Jean Grey as many fans have hoped for.

So there's really only two new major casting additions to Days of Future Past that have never made an appearance in the series before, and these two actors are Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones) and Omar Sy (The Intouchables). Much speculation has been made on just exactly who these two are playing, but it's been said they will have pivotal roles. Dinklage has been said to be playing a villain in the film, and most rumors have suggested that Dinklage will in fact be playing Bolivar Trask, the creator of the Sentinels who are expected to make an appearance in the film. While the character does fit the bill, as it's been confirmed that Dinklage won't be playing a motion capture character (Such as any of the Sentinels), but the problem is Bolivar Trask already appeared briefly in X-Men: The Last Stand. While Dinklage could just be playing a similar character with just a different name to avoid continuity issues, Fox may just be completely ignoring the existence of the character in The Last Stand.

As for Omar Sy, he's actually a French actor who has never starred in an American movie, but he was highly praised for his performance in the film The Intouchables.  While Bryan Singer has yet to announce just what character Sy is portraying, many fans and sites have jumped to the conclusion that he'll be playing none other than Lucas Bishop. Bishop is a popular X-Men character who travels back in time from a post apocalyptic  future who joins the X-Men. While Bishop's character might seem like a fitting choice to join Days of Future Past with it's time travel based story line, but it seems a bit of an odd choice since Bishop really isn't involved with the Days of Future Past story line at all. Not only that but Bishop has a very complicated back story, and introducing him would mean introducing the time period he came from into the story line, which would leave us with three different time periods all in one movie. If this is the case, we can go as far as to assume that this will open the door for other X-Men characters of the future including Cable and Hope Summers either appearing in this film or in a future sequel. 

The Bishop idea may simply be a cameo or introduction of the character as of yet, but now that we're hearing plans of Fox's own Cinematic Universe coexisting all of their Marvel owned characters together, we can expect quite a few more X-Men films to come. Introducing Bishop and the mutants of the future could be a very interesting way to continue the X-Men franchise without having to resort to the same characters and actors constantly returning. Speaking of which, while Days of Future Past may seem like the opportunity to really begin the so called Fox Marvel Universe, especially with Josh Trank's Fantastic Four reboot coming out in 2015, it seems Bryan Singer has no plans to incorporate Days of Future Past into this. According to Bryan Singer, Mark Millar, who is reportedly going to godfather the Fox MCU (Similar to Kevin Fiege's role at Marvel Studios), has never met with Singer to discuss Days of Future Past and has no involvement with the film. This comes as a surprise as Matthew Vaughn, who is close friends with Millar, is not only still creatively involved with Days of Future Past but he was also recently announced to produce Josh Trank's Fantastic Four reboot.

Singer's quote to Bleeding Cool is as follows:

“I’ve not spoken to Mark Millar at all. He’s not involved. I don’t know what his role is about. All I know is that I have my own specific beliefs about how to take this universe forward. I started with the first X-Men, then First Class and now I am combining them and I think it could go further than that and I have some ideas about that, so perhaps he should chat to me at some point.”

Two characters we can definitely not expect to make an appearance in DOFP are both Nightcrawler and Azazel. Both actors who portray the roles, Jason Flemyng and Alan Cumming have stated that they won't be appearing in the film. Azazel's lack of return comes as less of a surprise, with the character not even having a speaking part in First Class, although it was expected that is character would have more to do in a sequel, and maybe even have the fact that him and Mystique are Nightcrawler's parents explained in the film. But Alan Cumming was even named dropped by James McAvoy during an interview as a returning actor in DOFP, but it seems that wasn't exactly accurate since Cumming himself has denied any involvement with the film, and on top of that he says he won't even be available when filming begins. 

And lastly we have to most recent castings that Bryan Singer has confirmed via twitter which are Chinese actress Fan Bingbing and Twilight actor Boo Boo Stewart. Boo Boo Stewart has been cast in an unspecified role, but rumors suggest that he can be playing popular X-Men character Forge, or Thunderbird who like Stewart is of Native American decent. As for Bingbing, she's been confirmed to be playing none other than X-Men mutant and teleporter Blink, most likely making up for the absence of teleporters Azazel and Nightcrawler. The featuring of Blink further supports the rumors of Apocalypse making some sort of appearance in the film as Blink plays a very key role in the film, and if Omar Sy is indeed playing Bishop we could either be seeing a mix of both the Days of Future Past and Age of Apocalypse storlines, or perhaps a set-up for the next sequel.

So what do you think of X-Men: Days of Future Past? Could it be the best X-Men film yet?

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Karl Urban And Michael Ealy Set To Star In New J.J. Abrams' Android Cop TV Show 'Almost Human'

While J.J. Abrams may currently be best known as a film director with the sequel to his highly successful Star Trek reboot Star Trek Into Darkness just months away from release, and being given one of the biggest directional jobs in Hollywood as the official director of Star Wars: Episode VII, we can't forget that Abrams is still a highly successful TV producer. With numerous popular TV shows under his belt including Felecity, Lost, and that recently concluded Fringe, now he has a new series on his hands in the form of FOX's Almost Human. Karl Urban (Star Trek, Dredd) and Michael Ealy (Underworld 4, Think Like A Man) have been tapped to star as a cop/android duo in the all new series.

The premise of the show will take place in the new future in the LAPD where each human cop is partnered with an android cop on duty. Karl Urban will be playing the show's protagonist John Kennex is a human cop practically emotionally shutdown after a disastrous mission that killed nine officers and left him critically injured. Michael Ealy will be portraying his android police partner Dorian, and Lili Taylor (Six Feet Under) will be playing the police captain  Other supporting cast members include Minka Kelly (Friday Night Lights), Mackenzie Crook (Game of Thrones), and Michael Irby (Law Abiding Citizen).

Former Fringe director, writer, and showrunner J.H. Wyman is writing the script for the pilot of Almost Human, so fans of Fringe should really look out for this one. Abrams and Bryan Burk will be executive producing the series along with Wyman, and Kathy Lingg and Reid Shane will be on board as co-executive producers.

The show seems to have a bright future ahead of it, as Abrams and Bad Robot's track record has never failed to disappoint, and the show will be a welcome addition alongside Bad Robot's only current running show Revolution. The show's premise doesn't seem to be anything too original for right now, but I'm sure Wyman and Abrams' will surprise us with a different approach to the android cop adaption. With Karl Urban being such a big name now in Hollywood after portraying Bones McCoy in the Star Trek series, and his performance just this summer in Dredd, the show already has a lot of potential with such a talented lead.

So what do you think of Almost Human? Are you excited to see Karl Urban and Michael Ealy star together?

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Iron Man 3 New Trailer, Rumors, Expectations, And What The Trailer Confirms

Phase 2 of Marvel's Cinematic Universe has officially begun! With the release of the Iron Man 3 trailer it is safe to say that we are at the start of Marvel's Phase 2. The trailer showed us Tony Stark in a much darker story, as he's pushed to the brink by the terrorist known as the Mandarin. What you may not realize is that Iron Man and Iron Man 2 were simply to introduce Tony's character and give you a small dose of what Iron Man can do. In Iron Man 3 we will be seeing a lot more action, a deeper storyline, and almost a set tone for Marvel films to come.

First off here's the all new Iron Man 3 trailer:

And here's what we've learned so far about Iron Man 3:

-Tony will have the Extremis Armor and Extremis creator Aldrich Killian (Played by Guy Pearce) will be a significant character in the film.
-Mandarin will be appearing as a terrorist figure pulling the strings of a larger operation.
- War Machine will become the Iron Patriot and will work for the President as a sort of body guard.
- Tony's beautiful mansion, the one that hangs off the side of a cliff and holds all of suits will be destroyed.
- There will be aerial action sequences taking place (Iron Man saving people falling out of a plane).
-There will be an army of Extremis infected people like in the comics.
-At some point in the film both Tony and Rhodes will stripped of their suits, having to survive without tech and using Stark's Iron Legion of armors to fight off Mandarin's army.

So far Iron Man 3 sounds awesome. The supposed storyline states that Tony will be under going some type of post traumatic stress since he almost lost his life in the Avengers and he feels that no matter what he does, there is someone always out there trying to kill him. In the trailer there are a few scenes where Tony isn't in the suit, yet the suit is operating which is kind of creepy. One instant where Pepper is in bed with Tony and the suit reaches in and pulls him away. The second time being when Tony is laying on the floor and the suit is standing over him.

Seeing the armor perform without Tony in it brings up the question whether someone else is in the suit or whether the new suit is the Sentient Armor. For those who do not know who Sentient Armor is, it's one of Iron Man's suits that was hit by lightning during a fight with Whiplash which caused it to form an Artificial Intelligence system and function on its own. It would be cool to see the Sentient Armor atleast mentioned in Iron Man 3 because it's similar to the tech used on both Ultron and Vision.

Another thing that we saw in the new Iron Man 3 trailer was Mandarin. Most people expected him to be a Asian man with long hair and talon like fingers... well you were wrong. Referencing the Ten Rings Terrorist group in the first Iron Man, they made Mandarin more of a Middle Eastern Terrorist instead of his traditional look. In my own personal opinion ,this changes the tone of the story majorly, taking it from a comic book conversion to almost a realistic scenario in regards to all that has been happening in the world lately.

Ben Kingsley (Gandhi, Hugo) as Mandarin caught me off guard when I saw the pictures originally, it was nothing like what I expected it to be. In a sense I like where it is going and it has raised my expectations for the film. The scene in the first trailer where a whole bunch of news crew helicopters fire at Tony's mansion with rockets and we hear voice over of Mandarin stating  "Lesson number one heroes... there is no such thing". That statement alone makes Mandarin seem a whole lot cooler and a much bigger threat for Tony to me.

The trailer also confirms rumors so far stating that there will be a scene involving forty Iron Men (As in the Iron Man suits that Tony made between The Avengers, Iron Man, and Iron Man 2 and now) also known as the Iron Legion appearing in the films climax battle. POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT: One of which is said to be an A.I. version of Tony's body guard Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau) who will die in the film and his brain patterns will be placed in the suit. END SPOILER. Other confirmed armors include the Heartbreaker armor, the Hulk buster armor, the Stealth armor, Layered platting armor, Aquatic armor, Asgardian Destroyer armor, Particle Radiation Canon armor, Rescue armor, Deep Space Armor, and the Godkiller armor.

There are also rumors of Radioactive Man and Wasp popping up somewhere in Iron Man 3. The Wasp rumors come from Wang Xueqi's casting in the film as a character known as "Dr. Wu" who is believed to be a pre-Radioactive Man Chen Lu working a a scientist for the Mandarin. Seeing Wasp in Iron Man 3 is more likely to occur, because the Avengers are probably going to recruit a majority of their members in order to take on Thanos in the Avengers 2. Stephanie Szostak was casted into the film quite late and it's still unspecified which role she will be playing, but rumors point to her role indeed being Janet Van Dyne a.k.a. Wasp. So if Wasp is to pop up, it wouldn't and shouldn't be a big surprise. Also there have been reported rumors floating around that Iron Man may get a vehicle of some sort, but when you think of it, why the hell would Iron Man need a vehicle when he can frickin fly!

 Another Marvel character that's been rumored to make a post credits appearance in IM3 in none other than Guardians of the Galaxy leader Star Lord aka Peter Quill. Rumor has it that either Iron Man will be flying into space to help the Guardians out with Thanos using the suit we've seen leaked online, or that Star Lord will be sending a distress signal out to Stark either for help with Thanos or warning him of Thanos heading to Earth, most likely setting up Avengers 2. Either post credit scene makes a lot of sense, especially with Thanos most likely fighting the Guardians before making it to Earth and taking on The Avengers, plus Chris Pratt has already been casted as Star Lord so he can easily make an appearance.

As of yet, Iron Man 3 really sounds like a recipe for success with so many great actors, characters, and event set to take place. So it is up to Marvel now to either give us an Iron Man movie that will top it all off and knock the socks off our feet, or give us a movie that will leave us on our backs in the snow wondering, what just happened here? 

What did you think of the Iron Man 3 trailer? What are your expectations for Iron Man 3?

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