Status of Marvel solo franchises and the Avengers...

[DieSmiling]

I've been thinking about the status of Marvel Studios and the Avengers...

First of all, I'm getting the feeling that the Avengers will be comprised of Captain America, Iron Man, Hulk, and Thor. This is based primarily on the heroes Marvel Studios owns the rights to these characters and it's a solid four man team... I don't see Spider-Man or any other Marvel heroes being included.

Assuming I'm right (maybe I'm not, but I think I am) what will be the status of future solo movies for these characters?

Iron Man 2 is scheduled for 2010, as is Thor, with Captain America set for 2011 along with the Avengers movie... So where do the solo movies come? Favereu has said he doesn't want to do a third Iron Man (read this somewhere, someone correct me if I'm wrong) so he's probably going to to IM 2 and Avengers, but will we get solo sequels to Hulk, CA, or Thor? Anyone want to make sense out of this? I like the idea of trilogies for each hero and Avengers at the end, but I guess that's just wishful thinking...

What do you guys think?

 

[Lebeau]

I think the schedule Marvel studies have announced so far is a good one. Introduces the characters before the Avengers (hopefully they can stick a low budget Ant-Man in there somewhere as well.) As for character trilogies, I think that's a good idea, but guys like Thor and Cap can wait until after the Avengers...as for Hulk, I see the Avengers movie as almost a Hulk sequel.

So the Avengers team could be: Thor, Iron-Man, Cap, Ant-Man and Wasp with their initial mission being to capture Banner who's stuck in Hulk form and gone renegade. On capture, they can look to some other threat (Ultimo?) and at some stage release the Hulk, or have Avengers mansioned threatened and Hulk escapes.

As for other characters and films, the other studios can arrange their films however they like as far as I can see it...slot Spider-Man and the X-Men where neccessary.

 

[Remy LeBeau X3]

I don't know about the Fav not wanting to do a IM3, that would be a mistake on his part. But the other characters like Spidey, X-Men, and FF will not make an appearance in the Avengers simply because Marvel doesn't have the rights to those movies.

But isn't it ironic that the Avengers team starts with Cap, IM, Hulk, Thor, Antman and Wasp, and that's who Marvel has the movie rights for? I think by the time that an Avengers sequel could be made, maybe Marvel will get the rights to the other movies by then and be able to include other characters. But who knows, it might/would be a long time by then.

 

[Lebeau]

You won't see SM, FF or the X-Men in an Avengers film. The Avengers is already constrained by having too many characters in it, that would be going way overboard.

 

[DieSmiling]

I don't know about the Fav not wanting to do a IM3, that would be a mistake on his part. But the other characters like Spidey, X-Men, and FF will not make an appearance in the Avengers simply because Marvel doesn't have the rights to those movies.

Yeah, that's what I was trying to say in the first post.

 

[Spider-Vader]

I think they're waiting with Hulk to see how this one does & if it gets good WOM. Ditto for Caps & Thor.

 

[Chris B]

Favereu has said he doesn't want to do a third Iron Man (read this somewhere, someone correct me if I'm wrong)

I don't think Favreau necessarily ruled out making a third solo Iron Man film, just that he thought that the Avengers would be a good way to maintain interest in the character.

But I'm hoping we do get IM3, as well as more solo Hulk, Thor, and Captain America films. There is still a story to tell for all of those characters past the Avengers, and ending the individual franchises with that is cheating the characters, IMO.

 

[Chris B]

Double post.

 

[FaT_tONle]

Don't bank on Hulk/Thor sequels or IM3... Captain America getting a sequel makes no sense if he is frozen at the end and revived only in Avengers (which is why I am against that approach... have him frozen at the end but as a much older Steve Rogers as an assasination attempt in the 1960's or something). Norton will pretty much need double the salary for Avengers let alone Hulk 2. I don't see that happening. It's possible if TIH pulls in a good 400. IM2 will need to do Spiderman numbers to get IM3 IMO because Downey and Favs will be burned out by then and will need 100 million a piece by then (only kidding but you get the point)... I don't see Thor being a quality film since it requires an extrodinary budget (which it shouldn't have)... look for at least one sequel if it does upwards of 350 though. I say leave Cap in Avengers 2... and leave Ant-Man in Avengers as well since his solo movie would likely bomb... I am cool with Avengers being the only Avengers movie we get in the next ten years but Marvel has so many other characters to get off the ground and that is the staple franchise to do such things... so expect Avengers sequels to spring board these other lesser characters sooner than later (within 3-4 years of the first)... afterall... if done right Avengers should be in the billions easily.

 

[PyroChamber]

I just thought of something, isn't this sort of how it's done with the comics; have the one group together while at the same time have them go off into adventures on their own also?

 

[Evil Twin]

First of all, I'm getting the feeling that the Avengers will be comprised of Captain America, Iron Man, Hulk, and Thor. This is based primarily on the heroes Marvel Studios owns the rights to these characters and it's a solid four man team... I don't see Spider-Man or any other Marvel heroes being included.

You can pretty much bet that there will be at least one female superhero in the mix. Wasp (w/ Ant-Man) being the most likely, with Black Widow and Scarlet Witch as other possibilities.

 

[chrisfishlock]

Is Ant Man being made by Marvel Studios? If so that will be linked it i reckon.

and also for The Avengers i reckon we will see Wasp and Giant Man and possibly Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver.

 

[Steve Holt]

i think if they can negotiate with fox they could use mutants in general for this universe. you can easily do without spider-man from sony. but mutants are a big part of the avengers. that way they can call use wanda and pietro and call them mutants, and they kids of magneto.
and have a wolvie cameo in capt america.

then again this is probly overkill

 

[FaT_tONle]

I don't see how they are going to intertwine the mutant universe with these Marvel films... it just seems odd that the world has all these events going on at once without hinting at each other the slightest bit. They can only go so far. I understand these are movies and the audience is more than capable of extending their imagination... I just have a hard time seeing how the government can be preoccupied in all these different events at once.

 

[Chris B]

Don't bank on Hulk/Thor sequels or IM3... Captain America getting a sequel makes no sense if he is frozen at the end and revived only in Avengers (which is why I am against that approach... have him frozen at the end but as a much older Steve Rogers as an assasination attempt in the 1960's or something). Norton will pretty much need double the salary for Avengers let alone Hulk 2. I don't see that happening. It's possible if TIH pulls in a good 400. IM2 will need to do Spiderman numbers to get IM3 IMO because Downey and Favs will be burned out by then and will need 100 million a piece by then (only kidding but you get the point)... I don't see Thor being a quality film since it requires an extrodinary budget (which it shouldn't have)... look for at least one sequel if it does upwards of 350 though. I say leave Cap in Avengers 2... and leave Ant-Man in Avengers as well since his solo movie would likely bomb... I am cool with Avengers being the only Avengers movie we get in the next ten years but Marvel has so many other characters to get off the ground and that is the staple franchise to do such things... so expect Avengers sequels to spring board these other lesser characters sooner than later (within 3-4 years of the first)... afterall... if done right Avengers should be in the billions easily.

I think my biggest problem with this though is that if guys like Norton, Downey, and Favreau are as passionate of their respective franchises as they claim, why wouldn't they continue the Hulk and Iron Man franchises? As long as there was a story to tell, I think they would want to continue.

 

[FaT_tONle]

How many stories are there to tell though??? I am not saying there isn't source material. But is there a story good enough for the budget these sequels will demand? Plus the age of these actors... especially Downey. I mean when is the soonest we'll see IM3? 2013 earliest. Downey/Favs will be burned... especially after working on two films so close to one another. We know Downey will be in both IM2/Avengers in all likelyhood if all goes accordingly. Favs may direct both who knows. Three movies is enough and RDJ will probably call it quits. As for Norton... you sign an actor like that and you know there is going to be baggage. I'll say it before and I'll say it again... don't be shocked if we are looking at another actor playing Bruce Banner in Avengers. It may not be because TIH flopped. Maybe Norton is just bored of the character and finds a more interesting project. Thing is we'd need a sequel by 2012 or else the supporting cast (Hurt/Tyler) will have aged too much. Plus the fact that Norton will have to do two movies as Hulk in two years. The actors for the other heroes will be on the same schedule but I doubt we'll be seeing "Norton calibur" names for Thor/Cap. I could be wrong of course so I'd need to see who they cast for those roles before I can know for sure. I'm not trying to reinvent the wheel by saying these movies are going to need to be smashes both critically and at the Box Office in order to get sequels. I am just saying I think it's going to be hard getting all of these actors (for the four main heroes) to comitt to three films each. It's hard finding "A" list actors that just love this type of work so much that they are comitted to at least three films no matter what. That's all I'm saying.