WWE Superstars and their Avengers equivalents; Hulk Hogan - Marvel Entertainment connection; The Hulk Movies And TV Series Planned; The Wolverine May Be Rated 'R', Australia, Hollywood...Profiles
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WWE posted on their official website all time Avengers like teams from the history of the WWE and WCW.
Here's some WWE superstars and their Marvel superhero equivalents...
Mark Henry is Incredible Hulk: Both these guys are massive, have superhuman strength and short tempers. Sometimes Mark Henry wears a green onsie. Incredible Hulk may or may not have been a member of The Nation of Domination.
Dolph Ziggler is Thor: Technically one of the best Superhero’s in the business. Ziggler wears a pink T-Shirt as a cape so close enough.
CM Punk is Iron Man: Both are pretty much indestructible and cocky. They sometimes share the same facial hair.
Jack Swagger is Capitan America: Doesn’t really have any great powers but people seem to like them for some reason.
Vickie Guerrero is Bucky.
Kelly Kelly is Black Widow, but some will argue and say the role goes to super heel Eve.
R-Truth is Nick Fury: Seems to fit, and we know he's the right colour also. If the shoe fits...
Evan Bourne is Hawkeye: He’s not on the poster but both have pin point accuracy.
Hulk Hogan and Marvel Entertainment Background...Who owns the rights to "Hulkamania" "Hulk Hogan" and "Hulkster"?
Marvel Comics. When Hulk Hogan first wrestled under the "Hulk" name he was known at "The Incredible Hulk Hogan". Marvel Comics had a television show and comic book at the time called "The Incredible Hulk". Marvel thought the WWF was copying their "Hulk" character and warned WWF to stop. Instead of stopping the "Hulkamania" character the WWF made a deal with Marvel to recognize Marvel as the owner of all the "Hulk" names and in return Marvel gave the WWF a license to merchandise the Hulk name. When Hulk Hogan went to WCW they signed a similar deal with Marvel.
It should be noted that when Hulk Hogan became Hollywood Hogan he tried to cancel the Marvel deal but it didn't work out well and the deal is still alive.
The Avengers Premieres Early and Strong at International Box Office; Second Highest Opening of All Time in Australia...Marvel is experimenting with the typical release pattern for their giant tentpole movies. Thor premiered in dozens of foreign markets before the American release on May 2. The US got Captain America first for obvious reasons, but Marvel went international to unveil The Avengers before the U.S. gets a hold of it.
The Avengers debuted down under in Australia, New Zealand, and Taiwan with an awesome $8 million start. Per THR, most of that was grossed in Australia, where $6 million makes it the second highest opening day behind Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2. Marvel will release The Avengers in over 40 international territories this weekend.
Expect more stellar results, since the all-star cast—Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Jeremy Renner, Scarlett Johansson, Samuel L. Jackson—and the colorful action bust the language barrier. By the time it makes its way back to the U.S on May 4, The Avengers is expected to surpass $150 million domestic in the opening weekend.
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.
Marvel Planning More Hulk?; Mark Ruffalo's signed for six pictures...One of the big successes of Marvel’s latest superhero outing, Avengers Assemble, is how well writer-director Joss Whedon and actor Mark Ruffalo pulled off bringing Bruce Banner and his rage-fuelled alter ego to life. It's no shocker that Marvel wants to do more Hulk flicks.
From what Ruffalo and Marvel’s president of consumer products have been saying, that could happen sooner rather than later.
Speaking with media firm Collider, Ruffalo says that he’s signed the seemingly standard six-movie contract with Marvel, and that he had such a good time, he definitely hopes they’ll keep him around for more.
But while Marvel film boss Kevin Feige has previously said there are no concrete plans to bring the Hulk back solo just yet, consumer products chief Paul Gitter sat down with Forbes magazine (via The Playlist) and talked up the company’s surprise at just how well The Hulk has been received and that things could be changing.
According to Gitter, the current thinking is to spin the Hulk off into the already-planned standalone TV series and then a likely next film in 2015.
We will need to hear more from Feige before we start marking in more Hulk time to our diaries. He’s the man who sets the agenda for the movies, and basing the decision to make more Hulk movies on how many toys could be sold doesn’t really seem the Marvel way.
We want to see more Banner and Hulk outings, assuming they’re organised and planned properly. We’ve got faith in Marvel’s ability to pump out more quality superhero TV shows and movies, so here's hoping the new team doesn't let us down, and continues to impress the heck out of media and fans, just as The Avengers smash hit movie has done.
Stealing The Avengers - 3rd May 2012...As Loki, Tom Hiddleston is a villain who is equally happy destroying New York and stealing the show.
With the film set to break some box office records worldwide, everyone's buzzing about the all-star team of do-gooders in The Avengers, from Robert Downey Jr's Iron Man to Chris Evans' Captain America to Australian Chris Hemsworth's god of thunder, Thor.
Well how about this wily bad guy who's such a peril that humanity has to assemble half a dozen Marvel Comics superheroes to rein him in?
British actor Tom Hiddleston first played Loki, wicked younger son of Norse king of the gods Odin, in last year's Thor, scheming to banish brother Thor and take his place as heir to the throne.
Hiddleston's Loki proved so diabolical that he's back as the villain of The Avengers, which is currently playing in Australian cinemas.
As Hiddleston says, Loki is mean and hateful, which can be great fun - and greatly challenging - for an actor to play.
"Sometimes, it's really hard, especially when you get up in the morning feeling in a good mood, and that sort of innate contentment is of absolutely no use to you, because you're having to stoke the bonfires of anger and sadness and despair and all that stuff," Hiddleston said.
The 31-year-old classically trained actor, who studied at London's Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, clearly managed to overcome his good moods to imbue Loki with venom. Not only was he cast in The Avengers, but Hiddleston's also returning for Thor 2, which begins shooting late this year for release in November 2013.
"He sort of steals the movie," Hemsworth said of Hiddleston's performance in The Avengers. "He's the catalyst for everything that's happening. What he's doing, that's where it either stands or falls, and he really pulled it off."
A rising star of British theatre and TV drama, Hiddleston followed Thor with a charming turn as F Scott Fitzgerald in Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris, then played a noble English cavalry officer in Steven Spielberg's War Horse.
Hiddleston co-stars with Rachel Weisz in Terence Davies' infidelity drama The Deep Blue Sea, now playing in US theatres. He also just finished production on British TV adaptations of Shakespeare's Henry IV parts one and two, playing Prince Hal, and Henry V, in which he has the title role.
Despite his comic-book roots, Loki himself has a Shakespearean dimension akin to such villains as Iago in Othello and Edmund in King Lear, Hiddleston said.
"He's motivated by the same things. He's motivated by jealousy and pride and ambition and vanity," Hiddleston said. "Shakespeare's very unforgiving of those things, and in a way, it's the same job. It's just, I'm wearing a crazier costume and blowing up Manhattan."
Hiddleston has older and younger sisters but no brothers. Yet he still recognises the Thor-Loki rivalry as a universal struggle.
"I've never had a brother, but I really understand it, because I had friends when I was a kid, whose brothers were very close in age, and they would beat the crap out of each other. And I could understand that that was sort of a natural thing."
Hiddleston can't say yet whether Loki and Thor are still beating on each other in Thor 2. He had not yet received the script, so he's as curious as any other fan about what Loki will be up to next.
"What's interesting for me is whether he's redeemable now at this point. ... Can he be forgiven by Thor, by Odin, and can he forgive himself?" Hiddleston said. "Is he even self-aware enough to know that's what he needs?"
Tune in late next year to find out. (AP)
Marvel sued over 'Iron Man' deal...Just as it releases The Avengers in the U.S., Marvel Entertainment is being sued over a deal involving Iron Man.
Box-O-Mania, a Los Angeles toy company, sued the studio Thursday over a merchandising deal involving the character.
Maxim Tselevich, the owner of Box-O-Mania, claimed that he approached Marvel about a deal to use its superheroes on a kids’ playhouse he created in 2009.
Marvel was purchased by Disney that same year, although Disney was not cited in the suit.
The following year, Marvel and Box-O-Mania worked out a deal to create Iron Man Lair Play Boxes, which would be released to coincide with the DVD release of Iron Man 2 (2010) on Nov. 16.
However, Tselevich said that Marvel refused to provide the needed intellectual property and artwork to complete the playhouses. A few months later, he claimed to have learned that Marvel never had the licensing rights to the required IP, which led to a loss of $33,000.
The 23-page suit cites Marvel on nine counts, including fraud, concealment, misrepresentation and negligence.
“As a further result of the executor fraud,” it read. “Box-O-Mania has been damaged in lost business, business opportunities, and reputation and otherwise in an amount to be proved.”
Box-O-Mania has requested a 10-day jury trial.
Fox CEO Promises 'The Wolverine' Will Be 'True Berserker and Bad Ass'...Tom Rotham additionally says that the Marvel superhero film will kick off filming in both Australia and Japan right after Hugh Jackman wraps 'Les Miserables' in London...
After being postponed for some time, "The Wolverine" will finally kick off its production in the near future. Giving some updates on the status of the long-gestating Marvel superhero movie project, 20th Century Fox CEO Tom Rothman stated that the anticipated film will be shot in both Australia and Japan, as well as promised that it will be "a true Wolverine movie."
Speaking to Collider, Rothman explained that "Wolverine" will start filming soon after lead actor Hugh Jackman wraps "Les Miserables", which is currently shooting in London. He said, "Hugh Jackman is finishing 'Les Miserables' in London, we're gearing up and prepping now."
"We'll shoot the stage work in Australia and the location work in Japan, and we'll start casting in the next month or so," Rothman went on saying. Since the plot will mainly be set in Japan, Rothman said that "there'll be a lot of local Japanese talent in it."
Asked about where the upcoming "Wolverine" movie will stand on, the CEO revealed, "This is a pretty original take." Hinting that the film will be grittier, he said, "It's based on a very successful run in the comics, but it's a true Wolverine movie, I mean this is the true berserker, bad ass Wolverine."
Rothman's statement somehow encourages Jackman's previous comments that he and director James Mangold might make "Wolverine" an R-rated movie. "James Mangold and I talked about [an R-rated version] and we're like 'Look, let's not put it off the table'," Jackman told MTV News.
Jackman said that he's been considering filming the superhero movie in both R and PG13 versions. "There's even talk about us doing two versions, as in finding a way to do both while you shoot it, which could be really cool. But you need to have a really good reason to exclude those fans," he explained.
"There is such great temptation to make an R-rated 'Wolverine'. I've always felt that, I know a lot of fans would like that, and if there's ever gonna be a superhero that's gonna be R-rated it's Wolverine," so Jackman dished.
"The Wolverine" will take its cue from the early 1980s Chris Claremont/Frank Miller miniseries, which is set in Japan. It features the mutant hero dealing with ninjas as he struggles whether to follow his animal killer instincts or live under a samurai's code of honor and respect.
20th Century Fox has scheduled to release the superhero film in the U.S. on July 26, 2013.
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