This summer is beginning to look a little dangerous. If it's not Spider-Man catching punches thrown by the Winter Soldier, it's the X-Men having to rebuild themselves to stop a mutant apocalypse. Even if we survive that, though, we shouldn't get too comfortable. The future has racebending, scary clowns, and perhaps even the second coming of Jesus heading our way in short order. Here, as ever, is the best of the last week's superhero movie news.
Following online uproar over the fact that *Doctor Strange'*s traditionally Tibetan mentor the Ancient One is being played by Tilda Swinton, one of the movie's screenwriters—C. Robert Cargill—took to the podcast airwaves to defend the decision, saying that "every single decision that involves the Ancient One is a bad one, and just like the Kobayashi Maru, it all comes down onto which way you’re willing to lose." Using a Tibetan character would have angered the massive Chinese market, he argued, while using an Asian actor or actress also wouldn't work: "The levels of cultural sensitivity around this thing is, everyone is staking out their one particular place and not realizing that every single thing here is a losing proposition," he argued. "We knew that the Social Justice Warriors would be angry either way." Soon afterwards, Marvel Studios released a statement on the matter, explaining "The Ancient One is a title that is not exclusively held by any one character, but rather a moniker passed down through time, and in this particular film the embodiment is Celtic."
Why this is super: Marvel's statement doesn't really reveal any new information—"the character isn't Asian like in the comics because she's Celtic" isn't actually an explanation, merely a statement of fact—but it is, at least, an attempt to address the growing controversy that has certainly eclipsed any excitement over seeing Benedict Cumberbatch throw shapes in an attempt to make magic. Will it work? Stay tuned.
Never mind the many, many times we've seen Batman's origin on the big screen; current rumors are suggesting that Suicide Squad will feature the birth of his arch-nemesis the Joker, citing an interview with Jared Leto where, when asked about the possibility, he demurred, "I don't think I'm allowed to talk about that so much. But we walked in a completely new direction." This won't be the first on-screen origin for the so-called clown prince of crime; 1989's Batman also showed a potential starting point for the character.
Why this is super: It should be noted that DC Entertainment has hinted strongly that the Joker's real name will soon be revealed in the Justice League comic book series; whether or not the movie origin is connected to this remains a mystery—which, really, should be the Riddler's schtick. But this could be the closest thing audiences get to a live-action version of The Killing Joke, especially considering the fact that there'll be an R-rated animated adaptation before too long.
Anyone who guessed "Wonder Man" would be the next Marvel character to make it to the big screen... Well, we just won't believe you, to be honest. But apparently it's happening in some form. New photos from the set of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 show Nathan Fillion as the actor Simon Williams, better known to the Marvel faithful as the ionic (he's powered by something euphemistically referred to as "ionic energy") powerhouse and occasional Avenger known as Wonder Man.
Why this is super: There's almost certainly no way that this is anything other than director James Gunn having fun with a friend who's showed up in a number of his other projects. But if this leads to an announcement for Wonder Man and Howard the Duck: The Movie, we won't be too upset.
Turns out, Deadpool director Tim Miller and producer Simon Kinberg have big ideas concerning the future of Ryan Reynolds' Merc with a Mouth, even though they know it'll likely never happen: They want to introduce him to the Marvel Universe. "Those decisions are made by people at a much higher part of the food chain than Tim and I," Kinberg told Comic Book Resources. "But yeah, we would love it, and we certainly each have a really good relationship with Kevin Feige. Maybe one day there's a sit-down, Godfather-style dinner where we could broker a deal. It'd be cool." Miller added, "I honestly can say, as an adult who works in this industry, you certainly can see all the reasons why it doesn't happen. The corporate inertia, just the lawyering of that deal alone is so daunting that I don't think anybody would seriously consider it. But as a fan, you just want to go, 'Fuck man! Why can't I see that?'"
Why this is super: As easy as it is to be cynical about such crossover suggestions, it's not as if Marvel hasn't proven to be a little open to the idea with the new shared-ownership deal over the cinematic Spider-Man. It's unlikely that Marvel would be down with letting their much-merchandised Avengers appear in an R-rated movie, but that doesn't mean that it'd be impossible to see Deadpool hang out with some lesser-known Marvel characters. Like, say, Wonder Man... Hey, James Gunn! We have an idea for you!
Continuing his desire to become his own Marvel or DC, Mark Millar—the writer behind Kick-Ass, The Kingsmen, and Wanted—just got two more comic book projects optioned for film adaptations this week. American Jesus is pretty much exactly what it says in the title (a young kid realizes that he is actually the second coming of Jesus Christ), while Supercrooks is a heist movie featuring supervillains. As if that doesn't sound like enough Millar in your cinematic future, it's worth remembering that he has six other comic books also in active development as movies right now.
Why this is super: That's right: One comic book writer has managed to get four produced movies based on his work, with eight movies optioned and/or in development. That's rather staggering, if you think about it. Never doubt the self-belief of a man from Coatbridge, apparently.
