It's almost like I am actually at Comic Con (except I'm not ::CRIES::)

[trinityvixen]

Well, I guess that answers that:

When asked whether Marvel Studios might ever get some of the other characters back in order to make their own movies, [Kevin Feige, Marvel Studios' President of Production] said that there were very specific contractual obligations and he didn't think Sony or Fox would let go of Spider-Man or The X-Men anytime soon.

Yeah, that's about what I thought. If Fox was smart, as soon as they got wind of Marvel starting up its own studio, they'd have renewed their rights to films based on the X-Men forever. Seems like they have. That's a blow to Marvel because it's not just the X-Men, it's like any character associated therewith if they had even one second of screen time and no matter how bastardized the character was. Fox has the Fantastic Four and Dr. Doom and the Silver Surfer because of that ridiculous sequel. They've got Wolverine in the can forever--or for as long as Hugh Jackman can keep on doing it. (Wolverine spin-off news: it doesn't sound like a load of crap! Then again, I'm just excited by the idea of Liev Schreiber as Sabretooth. FUCK YEAH. But since when was Gambit in Weapon X!?)

But the good news is that Marvel is free to make as many movies with their second-tier heroes as they like! Here comes the Ant-Man movie! SWEET. And don't count out the Hulk or the Punisher. Although The Incredible Hulk did decent-if-not-great box office, they're still sweet on him. And there's a new Punisher movie in December (check out the trailer at the bottom of this link). Punisher: War Zone looks ultraviolent, which is great because that's all that character is anyway. Frank Castle is like the Joker without the gimicks and the makeup as far as I'm concerned--if they could share a cell in Arkham, they'd either fall in love or kill each other. (Probably both.) Ray Stevenson is disturbingly hot as the Punisher, so that means my love of Julie Benz with brown hair is going to be challenged. At least they can both act so I can pretend that's why I'm in love with them, right!?

Comments

[chuckro.livejournal.com]

if they could share a cell in Arkham, they'd either fall in love or kill each other. (Probably both.)

Rule 34. All I'm sayin'.

Also, for the record, I always preferred Julie Benz as a blond. But then, she got some serious Fetish Fuel scenes on Buffy.

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

Rule 34?

[edgehopper.livejournal.com]

A party may serve on any other party a request within the scope of Rule 26(b):

(1) to produce and permit the requesting party or its representative to inspect, copy, test, or sample the following items in the responding party's possession, custody, or control...

Wait, that's not the Rule 34 you were talking about.

Try TVTropes.

On a sidenote, copyright law doesn't quite work that way. Marvel still owns the characters, even if Fox used them in the movie. Fox at most owns any modifications to the characters it made in its movies. What Fox is doing is holding Marvel to any contracts it signed licensing the characters for a period of time, not renewing contracts.

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

I didn't mean to imply that Marvel couldn't have their characters at all, only that Fox/Sony have the rights to put them onscreen and merchandising related to that is also their purvue. As far as I've understood it, when you buy the rights to make a film based on something, those are separate rights that the printed/other media of the original. Meaning that you could make TV shows etc. but you couldn't do another movie with the same character unless Fox/Sony permitted it or the rights had elapsed.

[edgehopper.livejournal.com]

That's right, but it's entirely by the exclusive contract, not by a separate copyright. So Fox can only hold Marvel to its original contract, it can't extend its control over the characters.

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

From what I heard, Sony was able to extend the rights on Spider-Man. I'm not sure of details (SuperHeroHype posted something about it). It's a new contract, I'm sure, and Marvel's foolish for signing it unless they didn't realistically expect to ever get around to making anything of that character any time soon. (And they might not have. They were new to the movies, they're not exactly flushed with cash from the comics, and there was no way for them to know for sure that Iron Man would be a hit.) I wonder...

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

I think Julie Benz is pretty as a blonde but much more striking as a brunette. The only reference I have for her as a brunette, however, is one still picture associated with Punisher: War Zone, so it's entirely possible that she's not even that much more attractive with one hair color versus another. Pictures can be deceiving.

[gryphonrose.livejournal.com]

It is smart of them, you're right. And a shame.
Ant-Man might actually be okay, since it's by the guy who did Shaun of the Dead. Not sure about Punisher, myself--I didn't see the last one--and I don't know Ray Stevenson at all, but Julie Benz, absolutely!

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

The previous Punisher was just dead boring. Thomas Jane slept through the whole thing. The murder of his family was also bigger, bloodier, explodier, vengeance-inducinger, too. Instead of his wife and child being picked off, it was literally everyone he was even remotely related to. (The bad guys showed up at their family reunion. That's how you know they're EEEEVIL.) It also made no sense whatsoever, since a) Castle survived a gun shot wound at close range to the chest, b) only received medical attention at least a day later, c) made no effort to hide where he was when he came back to kill people, d) didn't really kill anyone, just set them up to turn on each other. Which is cool, but not at all the Punisher's MO.

Ray Stevenson played Titus Pullo in the HBO series Rome. I loved it for the fact that he was sorta lovable despite being a bully at times. He and the other main character also had one of the deepest, non-sexual friendships I've seen between male characters ever, let alone recently. The show has its flaws, but he was excellent.

[equustel.livejournal.com]

As much as people pooh-pooh the Thomas Jane Punisher film, I vastly prefer his Frank to what I see in the War Zone trailer. Another, better fan than me had a rundown as to why; my knee-jerk reaction is wire-fu? WTS? Frank isn't flashy (at least not deliberately). He walks up, kills you, and moves on with his life. Julie Benz, however, is indeed win. Oh, who am I kidding? I'll end up seeing it regardless.

As for him and Joker sharing a cell at Arkham - hee! Joker would probably fall in love with him, yes. But Frank would more likely have tantalizing dreams about slicing Joker up into bitesize pieces of flesh - he'd drive him nuts.

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

Joker+Punisher 4EvR!!

There's some graphic novel where humanity is all but wiped out by some cosmic event or another, but prisoners, being isolated survive. Only Frank Castle, who's in custody, also survives and starts killing everyone who's left because, hey, they're criminals, and that's what he does. Doesn't matter if he's literally the extinction event for humanity as a result. That's...bad ass and also really, really scary. And that's what made me think of him and the Joker being bestest pals until they blew one another up.

I didn't notice too much about the trailer that indicated he's operating too far outside the norm for a soldier. I think the incorporation of some of the wire effects is more in line with making the Punisher more a Rainbow Six/Splinter Cell type military assassin than just a soldier. According to the article, the focus was on up-to-date military weaponry and technique. It just looked brutal. Depending on reviews, I'm there. (For a matinee. Jesus Christ, movies are so expensive in New York!)

[newredshoes]

Related to the smallest part of your entry: now that I've actually seen FNL, I'm totally psyched about seeing Taylor Kitsch as Gambit.

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

According to that link, he's fabulous in the role, and good for him. It's a nearly impossible one to do right--the accent alone is forbidding because that particular creole speech is fastly dying. (Was before Katrina, and probably even more so now.) I look forward to seeing what he does with it.

And you're not the first to be diverted by Friday Night Lights, so maybe I'll investigate, see if he's all that before he plays one of my favorite X-Men ever :)

[newredshoes]

I was a skeptic for a long time. People have been telling me to watch this show for well over a year. I mean, it's about a small, dead town in Texas that's obsessed with high school football -- hits a little close to home for me: why would I be interested? But it's really well made and well written and well done. And it's free on Hulu.com, which helps!

[gryphonrose.livejournal.com]

Heh, actually speaking Cajun isn't all that hard. But then I've had practice. :)

I always thought Gambit an interesting character, though I hope they get a better Storm for him to play off.

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

I don't think there will a Storm in this one. Truthfully, there shouldn't be a Gambit either. But, hey, I'll take it.

[slackwench.livejournal.com]

The Punisher is what Batman would be without self control. Frank Castle is what Bruce Wayne is terrified of becoming.

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

Pretty much. I'd love to see the two of them sit and chat some time. I'm pretty sure their heads would explode.