Marvel to Disney transfer complete (Or is it?)

It was just announced that Paramount has transferred the worldwide rights to two of its Marvel properties, The Avengers and the Iron Man franchise, to Walt Disney Studios for at least $115 million.

When the Mouse bought Marvel a while back, I was wondering how this was going to work out, and I'm still curious. Now it's obvious that Disney will get the lion's share of the box office, including their cherished merchandising and theme park rights. However, who is going to be paying the millions of dollars it takes to produce the films? Marvel Studios (a.k.a. Disney)? Jon Favreau's production studio? Did Disney pay $115 million to get the movies after they were in the can and have no say in what happens during production? It's all very confusing.

It's also worth mentioning that Paramount still owns the rights to Thor and Captain America, Sony owns the rights to Spider-Man, and other Marvel properties have been sprinkled throughout Hollywood over the years. This means that Disney won't get to distribute these films, but will still retain their merchandising, etc.

Don't feel too sorry for Paramount, though, because they still have tons of tentpole franchises they've yet to milk completely dry: Mission: Impossible, Jackass, Transformers, Star Trek, Paranormal Activity, and G.I. Joe.

It may all be very difficult to understand, but the bottom line is that Disney will be distributing The Avengers in 2012, and Iron Man 3 in 2013, which means they'll be basking in the glory of billions at the box office. I'm glad that they're making all of this Marvel-ownership business slightly less confusing, but it is also starting to look like Disney will soon have a monopoly on the entertainment industry...

Oh well. As long as they keep giving Pixar their creative autonomy and don't destroy Pirates of the Caribbean at Disneyland, I'll stay a happy camper.

For a more detailed account of the deal and a little clearing up as far as studio logistics go, check out Variety.

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Comic-Con Day #3-4: Scott Pilgrim, 'Die Hard 5', and Even More 'Avengers'

The last two days of Comic-Con were a bit slower news-wise than the first, but we still got some great news from the entertainment world...



First, we get a little more information about where Joss Whedon will be taking The Avengers. In the video above, he discusses how he intends to keep the super squad "a family" but also keep the intense confrontations between the superheroes, especially between Iron Man and Captain America.

It looks like Mr. Whedon certainly knows his Avengers. But I'd expect no less from such a diligent and geeky filmmaker. The Avengers will be released in theaters in 2012, if all goes according to plan.



While discussing the upcoming action movie The Expendables with reporters, Bruce Willis mentioned that an announcement regarding Die Hard 5 "is imminent. The coin is about to drop."

I loved Live Free or Die Hard, and all of the other films starring our favorite New York Cop, John McClane, so I am excited to see what they'll dish up in this next sequel. It is impossible for them to beat the first Die Hard, but it is also very difficult to mess up an action movie starring Bruce Willis. More news about this will be reported right here as I find it...


Edgar Wright is a really great director. He directed Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, and, most recently, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. I am super excited to see Scott Pilgrim. It's a great graphic novel, and the style of the film looks very unique and interesting. Some very, very lucky folks at Comic-Con got treated to a sneak peek of the film, and, according to CinemaBlend, it "plays well beyond the hype, an enormous burst of energy and imagination that both plays with every cinematic convention we know of and re-invents the form entirely." I am very excited to see the film. To read more about the screening at Comic-Con click here, and to read about the great panel on the film go here.


While we're talking about Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, I thought I'd bring up the upcoming film, Paul, starring Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Seth Rogen, Bill Hader, Sigourney Weaver, and Jason Bateman. It is being directed by Greg Mottola (Superbad, Adventureland). Here's the plot synopsis from IMDb: Two British comic-book geeks (Pegg and Frost) traveling across the U.S. encounter an alien outside Area 51.

This should be a really funny movie, especially since it was written by Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. Click here to read about the Paul Comic-Con panel.


Last (but certainly not least), here is a link to an article about Favreau's Cowboys and Aliens at Comic-Con. I am so excited to see this film. Jon Favreau is an excellent director, and I love that he is going to shoot Cowboys and Aliens in the style of the classic westerns. The film, which comes out in 2011, stars Harrison Ford, Daniel Craig and Sam Rockwell.


If you can't get enough of this great Comic-Con news, here are some quick links, courtesy of /Film, Cinematical, and Cinema Blend:

• Goon panel. Goon is a CG-animated adaptation of Eric Powell's comic book series of the same name. It is being produced by David Fincher and stars Paul Giamatti.
• Thor, Captain America, and more Avengers.
• More on Snyder's Sucker Punch.
• First look at Super, a superhero flick starring Nathan Fillion (an excellent actor), Rainn Wilson, Ellen Page, and Kevin Bacon.
• Seth Rogen on Green Hornet's "stunning" visuals.
• Super cool Comic-Con costumes and floor reports.
• Adam McKay is directing The Boys.

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Some Un-Disney Links

Although my passions lie with Disney and Pixar, you may have noticed that I love all movies. And since the Disney news has been quiet lately, I thought I'd give you some links to update you about the part of Hollywood without Mouse ears:

Sony's animation division has announced that they are planning a 3D, CG version of the classic, spinach-lovin' Popeye. Producer Avi Arad is heading the project, after turning the Spider-Man franchise into a "powerhouse" for the studio.


The long and complicated casting search for the title role of The First Avenger: Captain America is finally over. After all of the possible stars, including The Office's John Krasinski, Speed Racer's Scott Porter, and Channing Tatum, they have finally settled on Chris Evans (Fantastic 4, Push). It is rumored that his contract if for a staggering 9 picture option and a quite un-staggering $300,000. Stay tuned for more details on all of the upcoming Marvel films.


While we're on the subject of casting action movies, the cast of Transformers 3 is starting to take shape. The huge Michael Bay production will, surprisingly, feature John Malkovich and Frances McDormand.



Finally watch the above trailer. I don't have much more to say about that; Sylvain Chomet's The Illusionist looks great.

That's all the news there is now. Keep checking back for more movie, Disney, and Pixar news.

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Disney/Marvel Mash-ups

Worth1000 is a website centered around Photoshop. They have recently held a contest based on Disney's recent acquisition of superhero giant Marvel Entertainment. Here are the best of the incredibly creative and realistic Disney/Marvel mash-ups from Worth1000:

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'The Avengers' Postponed

Marvel has just announced that they are postponing the releases of both The Avengers and Thor. The Avengers will feature popular superheroes such as Iron Man, Captain America, Ant-Man, Thor, and the Hulk; all of which will already have or will soon have their own films leading up to the release of The Avengers which was scheduled for July 15, 2011, but has been pushed back almost a year to May 4, 2012. These heroes featured in The Avengers will stay consistent with the individual heroes' movies: Robert Downey Jr. will play Iron Man, Edward Norton will play the Hulk, etc.

In conjunction with this announcement, Marvel mentioned that the release of Thor will be pushed back as well from July 16, 2010 to June 17, 2011.

Marvel also shifted the release date for The First Avenger: Captain America, which will now come out on July 22, 2011 instead of May 6, 2011.

Iron Man 2's release, however, is still on schedule with a release on May 7, 2010.


David Maisel, chairman of Marvel Studios, has said that Marvel decided to shuffle around these release dates because "it maximizes the visibility of our single character-focused films, leading to the highly anticipated release of the multi-character 'The Avengers' film in 2012."

Source: Reuters

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