A "Post-Avengers" World

We are now living in a "Post-Avengers" world. The after-effects of Batman Begins and The Dark Knight have finally lifted and a new air of care-free comic book movies has wafted into the Hollywood offices. Joss Whedon and his record breaking masterpiece have finally shown the big-wig executives that you don't have to be grim and realistic in order to be successful. A comic book movie is free to have a little fun!

Now if you haven't already noticed, The Avengers is one of my new favorite movies of all time. It embodied every single thing I love about comic books, and it opened the door for a plethora of new ideas that we never thought possible. Before The Avengers, did anyone ever think they would green-light something as silly as an Aquaman movie? Now it's closer than ever. Here's the latest news on all the comic book movies/tv shows coming down the pipeline. Be careful not to implode with giddy-ness as you read:

Warner Brothers

•  After this summer's "The Dark Knight Rises" and next year's "Man of Steel", not much was known about DC's plans for a movie universe. Until now!
• Reports now show that DC is planning a shared universe similar to Marvel's. To be "god-fathered" by Nolan (most likely as a producer), this universe will start with next summer's Man of Steel and continue with roughly two movies a year for the foreseeable future.
• The next movie to release after Man of Steel would be the sci-fi shoot-em-up "Lobo"; written by Brad Peyton. Much like last year's Green Lantern movie, it would still technically be canon to the new DC Movie Universe but have mere tangential connections to the other movies.

• A Justice League movie has been in the cards for a while. Will Beall is currently re-writing the script; and David Yates (of Harry Potter fame) is in talks to direct.

• Two movies are being penned to spin-out of the Justice League film: Michael Goldenberg is writing Wonder Woman; in addition to Marc Guggenheim & Michael Green on The Flash. All three writers had previously worked on the Green Lantern film.
• Other movies mentioned as possibilities were "The Batman" (a reboot of the franchise sans Nolan and Bale) Aquaman, Green Arrow, Suicide Squad, Shazam, and of course Green Lantern 2.
• On the animation front: the "New Teen Titans" shorts from the DC Nation animation block will be expanded into a full-length show titled "Teen Titans Go!" in 2013. The art style and tone of the show will be comedic much like the shorts; as opposed to the more serious nature of the original show.

 20th Century Fox

• The title "Days of Future Past" was registered with title registration board recently. For those not in the know, "Days of Future Past" is the name of an influential X-Men story arc written by Chris Clairemont. Fox has not commented on the matter, so I'm unsure if this will be the sub-title of the announced "X-Men: First Class 2" or a different movie entirely. The long awaited X-Men 4 perhaps?

 Sony

• The long dead "Venom" property seems to have been revived. Sony claims that the movie will serve as an updated origin for the character and finally give him the big-screen debut he deserves. It will be set in the same continuity as the recent Amazing Spider-Man reboot and could lead to a cross-over down the line. Josh Trank, who you may know as the director of Chronicle; is attached to direct. This news bodes ill for the supposed Fantastic Four reboot over at Fox, which also had Trank attached.

Marvel Studios

• Iron Man 3 has officially started filming; and in North Carolina! (My home state for those that don't know.) Both Robert Downey Jr. and Don Cheadle will return; and it seems they both will be getting new suits (Cheadle's armor looks quite similar to the comic's "Iron Patriot"). The plot synopsis seems to be an adaptation of the Extremis story-line, with a bit of Armor Wars thrown in for good measure. It features Guy Pearce as the main villain Aldritch Killian, the scientist who creates an army of Extremis monsters. Coldblood (James Badge Dale) and Firepower (Ashley Hamilton) will also be featured. In addition to that, Ben Kingsley will play a mysterious villain pulling the strings from the shadows, and he's rumored to be the mighty Mandarin! Taking into account that A.I.M. will also be in the film to some degree; we have quite a hodge-podge of villains on our hands. I'm interested to see how it will all play out.
• The Thor 2 script is proceeding as well. The film will be directed by Game of Thrones vet Alan Taylor; and it's rumored to feature Enchantress and The Executioner as villains. Mads Mikkelson is attached to be one of those villains (I'm sure you can guess which one).
• Captain America 2 is a little further away, but at the very least it's found it's director! Or in this case, directors: Anthony and Joe Russo. These guys have previously worked on Arrested Development and Community, so I'm curious to see what Marvel is trying to do here. They have talent for sure; but can they tackle a big-budget action movie?
• As for the other "Phase 2" films, Marvel is being quite tight-lipped. An Avengers 2 is guaranteed, and an Incredible Hulk sequel is also likely; but what about new characters? A mystery movie is confirmed for release in May of 2014, but what could it be? Names like Ms. Marvel, Black Panther, Doctor Strange, S.H.I.E.L.D. and even more ballsy ideas like Guardians of the Galaxy and The Inhumans are all being thrown around. But only time will tell what really comes to pass. I'm hoping for Edgar Wright's long-gestating Ant-Man epic.
• Marvel has also been trying to break into the live-action tv scene, but to no avail. It had four tv shows in the pipeline, three of which are now cancelled (Powers, AKA Jessica Jones, and The Punisher). Only the Incredible Hulk series is still being worked on, but it's been delayed a season, and with a possible movie sequel; is it even necessary?
• The animation front is also in an upset. The recent rumors of the cancellation of "Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes" now ring true. It will be replaced with a more kid-friendly show called "Avengers Assemble" that will be set in the same universe as the new Ultimate Spider-Man show and next year's Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. And the cries of fanboys was heard for miles around.

That was quite a mouthful of news...but it's been a VERY busy week. I'll leave you now with the new trailer for this fall's "Arrow" to debut on the CW. It's a little darker and edgier than I would prefer for a Green Arrow show, but it still looks interesting. Be sure to watch it and show your support so we can get more live-action comic shows made!

Until next time comics-fans, stay golden.