Although we’ve seen two incarnations of the Incredible Hulk on the big screen, it seemed Joss Whedon‘s version in The Avengers was by far the most successful with audiences - even if (or perhaps because of the fact that) Hulk was just a supporting role. Now Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige is throwing around the idea of making another standalone Hulk movie, this time starring Mark Ruffalo, who is under a multi-picture contract with Marvel.  But don’t get too excited, Hulk fans, as this would likely happen after The Avengers 2.

As you can imagine, there’s plenty of questions to answer about this, such as when this would happen and what the story would actually entail. In a recent interview with MTV, Feige continued to express interest in doing a Hulk movie, although this would probably happen after The Avengers 2, making it part of what is being called Marvel Cinematic Universe Phase Three (i.e.: Marvel films released after 2015).

As for the story itself, Feige commented that comic book plots much-loved by fans, such as Planet Hulk and World War Hulk were definite possibilities for a Hulk movie. Here’s what Feige had to say:

“Do I think Hulk can carry a movie and be as entertaining as he was in ‘Avengers’? I do believe that. I do believe he absolutely could. We certainly are not even going to attempt that until ‘Avengers 2.’ So there’s a lot of time to think about it.”

Now, as yet a standalone Hulk film does not currently have a screenwriter attached, and seeing as Phase Two already has four or even five movies before 2015′s The Avengers sequel, this was kind of predictable.  It also raises a lot of questions. For example, it leaves a bit of a gap between the Hulk and all the other characters, with their own storylines, so where does Hulk come in, and what has Bruce Banner been up to? Perhaps the Hulk will make a guest appearance in one of the other movies just as a reminder, but then again, there will be The Avengers 2 to look forward to.

Feige mused:

“I don’t think there’s a lot that we couldn’t do someday, as the cinematic universe continues to grow and expand and get as big as the comic book universe. ”Planet Hulk’ is a cool story, ‘World War Hulk’ is a cool story. I think there’s pitfalls of continuity-overload, and mythology getting so dense that it almost collapses in on itself [with those cosmic projects]. It happens every few decades or so in the comics. Apart from that, I’d say everything is on the table.”

Written by Greg Pak, Planet Hulk featured a storyline which the always antisocial Hulk, after proving that he is simply too dangerous to remain on Earth, is tricked into going into space, at which point a wormhole drops him on an alien planet upon which the Hulk rebels, takes over, and becomes king.  In the sequel, World War Hulk, the cranky green guy makes his way back to Earth to, well, smash.

Sounds pretty interesting, doesn’t it? It would certainly be a refreshing way to approach the Hulk’s character and give it something new, as well as opening up a world of possibilities in terms of story and character depth. So, it turns out we could be seeing a lot more of the not-so-jolly green giant in future. Happy about that?

What do you think of the latest Hulk news?

Now that Dredd 3D‘s been spectacularly, blood-spatteringly rebooted and is generally being deemed a success (check it out for yourselves), screenwriter/producer Alex Garland (28 Days Later, Sunshine) is already talking about getting his teeth stuck into a sequel, and is keen on focusing more upon the fascistic side of Judging. Read on for more.

Although no sequel has yet been confirmed by the studio, it hasn’t stopped Garland from bringing up a few ideas as to what direction it could take. Here’s what he had to say, according to Total Film (via Screen Rant):

“From my point of view, the politics is a lot of what I want to get into. There’s a lot of stuff that’s implied in the first film that you could really explore a lot more of in the second. Dredd is part of a police state. He’s a fascist…The subversives are sometimes the enemy in the comic books – there’s something really interesting about pro-democracy terrorists…I would like to explore that.”

Well, it’s definitely an interesting perspective from Garland, although if a sequel is confirmed we could probably still expect there to be plenty of bodies and gore in the sequel to the gritty, heavy and action-packed Dredd.

Garland also stated that if he was involved in a second movie, or even a trilogy, he might want to bring in the characters of Fargo, Giant, Angel Gang and a version of Satanus. For a trilogy, he added, he would also like to include Cal and the Dark Judges… kind of opening up a whole Dredd world onto our screens. He also mentioned he thought “Chopper would start and end the story” and Anderson, the psychic rookie from the first film would be in all three.

At least Garland already has some concrete ideas, instead of the usual, sometimes wishy-washy “the same, but darker…” sequel pattern.

Dredd 3D opens in the US today, and stars Karl Urban, Lena Headey and Olivia Thirlby.

Have you seen Dredd 3D yet? What do you think about a sequel?

There have already been reports that the movie 47 Ronin is in trouble, and now things only seem to be getting worse. A lot worse. Apparently director Carl Rinsch has been removed from the editing room by Universal, like a naughty schoolboy from a classroom (ouch), and the studio is working to try and save the film, which has seen its budget balloon up to $225 million. Universal co-chairwoman Donna Langley is now overseeing the production.

According to CinemaBlend (via The Wrap), the studio has already been doing reshoots, starting in late August, and it is said that they have added “a love scene, close-ups and individual lines to boost Keanu Reeves‘ presence.” The week-long reshoot schedule was delayed because of the London Olympics, and Reeves’ planned directorial debut Man of Tai Chi.

We first got wind of the problems last month when the film got pushed back again last month all the way to December 2013 (it had already been reshuffled to February 2013). Reshoots are a fairly regular thing in Hollywood, but that the production budget was just getting out of control to the point that the studio had to take the reigns away from Rinsch.

They’ve also reportedly halted some of the visual-effects production, having “shrunk the staff and only produced what it knew would make the cut.” It would seem to any outsider that Universal are a little gun-shy after having taken an $80 million loss on Battleship earlier this year.

We’re also getting some conflicting reports from an apparent unnamed Universal executive, who has stated that the production hasn’t gone beyond its original $175 million budget, despite the fact that the reshoots were done. It was said that Rinsch, who is directing his first feature, simply, “buckled under the pressure.” In accordance with Directors Guild of America rules, Rinsch was kept around during the reshoots and then dismissed from the project.

We first heard about 47 Ronin in 2009 when it was first announced that Rinsch would be directing, so it’s been a long time in development. The film is based on a screenplay by Chris Morgan (Fast Five) and Hossein Amini (Drive), and tells the story of a band of samurai in the 18th century who wish to avenge the death of their master. In addition to Reeves the film also stars Tadanobu Asano, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa and Rinko Kikuchi.

What do you think of the latest 47 Ronin news?

Sylvester Stallone is continuing to gather together every Hollywood action hero who ever lived for his ever-growing Expendables series. Sort of like Pokemon–gotta catch ‘em all! Lately, he’s added Wesley Snipes, Harrison Ford and Clint Eastwood to the list of possibles for The Expendables 3. However, it sounds like Eastwood may prefer to direct it, instead. Read on for more.

We already reported that producer Avi Lerner revealed Nic Cage has already been brought on board to join the cast, and apparently plans are afoot to add the other three, including Eastwood, as soon as possible. However, we all know Eastwood can be a bit unpredictable, and Sly’s plan to include him may now have a spanner in the works…

“He does?” asked Eastwood, when informed that Stallone wants him to join in the fun. “I haven’t had the opportunity to see The Expendables yet. I haven’t read any material.”

So when asked if he would consider taking a role, when Sly comes a-knocking, he replied: “Probably not. I’m probably more apt to direct something. Maybe I’ll direct Expendables 3.”

Imagine that. Clint Eastwood directing motorbikes flying into helicopters; it would certainly make an interesting change of pace, as TotalFilm mused.

And what of Steven Seagal, you might ask? And seeing as Jet Li has been in both films, it would make sense to get Jackie Chan and Chow Yun-Fat in the mix, and possibly Michelle Yeoh. We’ll probably be seeing more of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bruce Willis in this follow-up, too.

Not only are we wondering who’s going to be in the Expendables 3, we’re also pondering over who might be cast in the first female Expendables movie, which is apparently going to happen.

Who would you want to see in an Expendables sequel?

Director Rupert Wyatt has caused a bit of a stir by pulling out of 2014’s Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, after seemingly coming down with a case of cold feet – and Wyatt may even be dropping out of the series altogether. Read on for more.

It’s not entirely unheard of for film franchises to switch directors between installments, but it is a bit disappointing, since Wyatt’s sharp direction was a major contributor towards Rise of the Planet of the Apes being one of the most unexpected successes of last summer. In fact, it’s been considered an “all-round smash”.

So the initial reaction from studio execs and fans alike was excitement when Wyatt agreed to return for the follow-up, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. Now he’s left them high and dry, and on the hunt for a new director.

Deadline first reported Wyatt’s exit, though it should be noted that even they don’t sound 100% positive about the details at this point, according to /Film. Nothing’s been confirmed from Fox, either, and they’ve declined to comment on the story. Apparently the website’s spies have reported that Wyatt’s reason for leaving is similar to Gary Ross’ for dropping out of The Hunger Games: Catching Fire earlier this year, and that reason seems to be scheduling.

Fox announced earlier this year that Dawn of the Planet of the Apes would hit theaters May 23, 2014, and apparently even then Wyatt felt uneasy about that timetable. Now things have well and truly been shaken up, but the studio’s plan to move forward with a new director shouldn’t be too difficult to implement; after all, Rise of the Planet of the Apes was a big hit critically and commercially, so hopefully another filmmaker willing to tackle such a well-regarded franchise should come out of the woodwork fairly soon. Stay tuned, folks!

The script has already been written by Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver, and at this point the film still looks on track to hit its spring 2014 release date.

And what’s Wyatt up to? Well, apparently he’s already been eying up a couple of other projects, and he seems to be in a pretty good position right now. As of last year, he was signed on to the KGB drama Londongrad, but was forced to drop out to work on Apes. That project still seems to be open, so there’s a chance Wyatt could go back to that. He’s also attached to Agent 13, a sci-fi project starring Charlize Theron.

Who would you like to see direct Dawn of the Planet of the Apes?

Only yesterday it was announced by Peter Jackson that the new trailer for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey would be coming on Wednesday, plus more special content to look out for as well. Now it seems we’ve got the first of that special content in the form of six new photos via USA Today, so check them out below!

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is set to hit 3D, 2D and IMAX theaters on December 14, and according to ComingSoon, follows the character Bilbo Baggins (played by Martin Freeman), who is swept into an epic quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor, which was long ago conquered by the dragon Smaug. Approached out of the blue by the wizard Gandalf the Grey, Bilbo finds himself joining a company of thirteen dwarves led by the legendary warrior Thorin Oakenshield. Their journey will take them into the Wild; through treacherous lands swarming with Goblins and Orcs, deadly Wargs and Giant Spiders, Shapeshifters and Sorcerers. Although their goal lies to the East and the wastelands of the Lonely Mountain, first they must escape the goblin tunnels, where Bilbo meets the creature that will change his life forever… Gollum. You’ll see him pictured below.

Bilbo finds himself alone with Gollum, on the shores of an underground lake, and not only discovers depths of guile and courage that surprise even him, he also gains possession of Gollum’s “precious” ring that holds unexpected and useful qualities… A simple, gold ring that is tied to the fate of all Middle-earth in ways Bilbo cannot begin to know.

Most of you already know this is a prequel to The Lord of the Rings trilogy, and explains how Bilbo ended up with the ring in the first place. Silly Bilbo, what were you thinking? Anyway, take a look at the rather impressive photos we have here.

Bet you can’t wait ‘til Wednesday now, eh? We reported last month that the first film will only be showing at a higher frame rate at selected theaters come December… as for which ones, we’re not sure yet. Guess we’ll just have to wait and see. It’s expected the two films to follow will probably be shown more widely at higher frame rates, although it will probably depend on the audience reaction to An Unexpected Journey.

Are you excited about The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey?

We’ve finally got some news on the new Godzilla reboot, but unfortunately it’s not the trailer you’ve been waiting to see since it was shown at the San Diego Comic-Con earlier this year… at least now we know when the actual film be will in theaters, though. That’s right: Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures have set the date for May 16 2014 – and it’ll be in 3D.

As yet, we’re not sure whether it’ll be shot natively or post-converted, and the other details are a bit sketchy, too. But here’s what else we do know; Gareth Edwards (Monsters) is directing, and the script is by David Callaham (The Expendables), and Max Borenstein (The Seventh Son). We reported that David Goyer (Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy and also the man behind the upcoming Superman reboot, Man of Steel) came on-board back in July.

From Deadline:

Toho’s Godzilla franchise boasts one of the most widely recognized film creatures worldwide, resulting in a series of books, television programs, video games and more than 25 films worldwide. Legendary intends to approach the film and its characters in the most authentic manner possible and was smart to get a pro like Goyer on board so early in the process since he has so much experience creating franchises.

Thing is, do we really need a new Godzilla film? Could this actually turn out well? We spoke to Gareth Edwards about it back in February, and he told us that basically he was aware of the pressure and doesn’t plan on “f*cking it up.”

According to /Film, Toho Studios, the original Japanese home of the character, who also own the rights to the oversized reptile, is overseeing the efforts of Legendary and WB so that things don’t turn out the way they did when Roland Emmerich made the last US Godzilla film. Deadline says the film “will return the character to its epic roots with a gritty, realistic actioner.” Hmmmm. Doesn’t sound quite like classic Godzilla, does it? Guess we’ll just have to see what Edwards & Co. come up with.

Are you excited about Godzilla?

UPDATE:  Disney has released a statement confirming that Pirates 5 is in development, but that the news of a Puerto Rico shoot this November “isn’t accurate.”

Pirates of the Caribbean 5 has been a long time in the making – the script (written, and rewritten) was in development long before before Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides grossed over $1 billion worldwide – and now apparently the film will finally begin shooting soon. Pirates 5 will star Johnny Depp and will likely be directed by Rob Marshall.

So, what was the hold-up? Well, according to /Film, it seems with producer Jerry Bruckheimer off making The Lone Ranger with Gore Verbinski, things went a bit quiet on the seven seas. There was also the question of who was to direct.

Now, this story’s been reported on a Caribbean business website (CaribbeanBusinessPR.com), which states the film will begin shooting this November citing the location as Puerto Rico, which seems a bit odd considering the rest of the series had been primarily shot in Hawaii.

The website quoted the executive director of the Puerto Rico Film Commission saying “Disney just confirmed that they have picked Puerto Rico over Hawaii” in regards to Pirates 5. But maybe it’s not so strange after all, considering Gov. Luis Fortuno signed a tax break package for the island earlier this summer hoping to attract more Hollywood productions. Ah, that’ll be why. Mystery solved.

However, Disney have not confirmed anything apart from the fact that the film is in development, and we’re not sure how accurate some of the details from above website are. We’ll keep you updated as soon as we hear anything new.

In the meantime, here’s what co-star Geoffrey Rush had to say about it in an interview with Collider:

“I believe, in the script that’s being developed for the fifth film, they do it with great care and consideration. The writers and Jerry Bruckheimer, as producer, can’t start a film like this, with a creative team that’s so huge and the amount of money that’s involved, without knowing that the script is in good shape. You can’t start shooting this sort of stuff, if there’s holes in it. But, as to when it will go, I know nothing.”

What do you make of the Pirates 5 news?

It seems Lionsgate have become a sort of guardian angel for Joss Whedon – first they took on Cabin in the Woods after it had been taking up dust on the shelves for months due to the MGM bankruptcy, and now they’ve once again agreed to distribute one of Whedon’s movies, this time Much Ado About Nothing. Read on for more.

This acquisition comes after the film’s premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, and according to CinemaBlend (via THR), the company will distribute the movie in cooperation with Roadside Attractions.

So, what’s it about? The film is a modern retelling of William Shakespeare’s plays, following the tale of two lovers. Whedon was very involved in this one, as he wrote and directed the movie, actually shooting all of it… wait for it… at his own house. Not only that, but for the first time in his career, he also wrote the musical score.

As for the cast, you can expect to see many Whedon regulars, such as Amy Acker, Alexis Denisof, Reed Diamond, Nathan Fillion, Clark Gregg, Fran Kranz, Tom Lenk, and Riki Lindhome. Whedon shot the feature entirely in black and white. Sounds like this is going to be interesting…

Lionsgate has already picked up Kristen Wiig‘s Imogene and Mark Ruffalo and Gwyneth Paltrow‘s Thanks For Sharing at the Toronto International Film Festival, so they’ve been on a bit of a spree. Here’s what Whedon had to say about it:

“I’m thrilled to be working with my cronies at Lionsgate again, and with The Roadside team. That they all embrace a Shakespearean romance with the same enthusiasm they had for Cabin in the Woods shows that they’re exactly the mad fools we want to be partying — I mean working — with.”

There’s no mention yet of mention when they plan to release Much Ado About Nothing in theaters, but watch this space. Must be great to have Lionsgate on your side, eh?

Are you excited about Much Ado About Nothing?

There’s been much talk of the upcoming Avatar films recently; last week, producer Jon Landau clarified that they would be shooting the second and third Avatar films back-to-back, then James Cameron chimed in that if there was to be a fourth film, it would be a prequel. Now Cameron has revealed he’s in the process of making up an ocean ecosystem for Pandora. Read on for more.

ComingSoon got the chance to talk to Cameron about Avatar 2 and 3 when he made an appearance at Best Buy in New York’s Union Square on Monday to discuss the new Blu-ray release of Titanic.

One subject they touched upon was Cameron’s previous oceanographic exploration themes in movies such as Titanic, The Abyss and his documentaries, and what aspects he would still like to explore in his upcoming movies. This was his answer:

“We’re doing ‘Avatar’ films now, so we’re making up an ocean ecosystem for Pandora. That’s gonna have less to do with the deep exploration that I’ve done than it has to do with my concerns about conservation of Earth’s oceans. The fact that we’re basically overfishing, climate change… a few degrees of temperature rise are gonna basically take out the coral reefs. All those beautiful images of the coral environments we all grew up with won’t exist in 50 years at the rate we’re going in terms of pumping greenhouse gases into the environment. These are the things that concern me.”

Cameron went on to state that there wasn’t a direct map between the deep ocean exploration that he’s done and the ocean stuff that they’re working on in the Avatar films, but that he was going to continue in the future making documentaries and continuing “explorations stuff”, because he’s always been fascinated by that. He continued by saying:

“We don’t have to explore the coral reefs at this point because we understand them very well. We also understand that they’re dying and they’re ultimately doomed if we don’t change our profligate ways. I hope that explains it, ’cause people have connected the dots directly together. ‘Oh, going to the challenger deep has a direct connection to what we’re going to see in Avatar 2,’ and that’s not the case at all. It’s all the scuba diving I did before I even started the deep ocean stuff that has more of a direct connection to Avatar 2 & 3, which by the way won’t take place completely in or under the water. That’s just part of the environment of Pandora that we’re going to see.”

It certainly sounds like Cameron is very deeply involved in the details when it comes to the Avatar series – and after all, why shouldn’t he be? The first film was a phenomenon in theaters, where it made an unprecedented $2.78 Billion dollars worldwide, and more than $750 Million domestic. But will the rest be as successful? Only time will tell.

Twentieth Century Fox was targeting a December 2014 release date for Avatar 2 and a December 2015 release for Avatar 3.

Are you looking forward to more Avatar movies?

Back in August we reported that Ryan Gosling was teaming up with Christina Hendricks for his directorial debut; the dark, modern fairytale, How To Catch A Monster — and now Hendricks has revealed some exciting new details about the fantasy thriller. Read on for more.

According to TotalFilm, the official synopsis goes something like this:

“Set against the surreal dreamscape of a vanishing city, Billy, a single mother of two, is swept into a macabre and dark fantasy underworld while her teenage son discovers a secret road leading to an underwater town. Both Billy and Bones must dive deep into the mystery, if their family is to survive.”

Hendricks has managed to elaborate on that a little, in her own, skilled way, without giving up too much of the story details. Here’s what she had to say:

“[My single mother character is] supporting two children and trying to provide a home for them and a place of comfort in a continuously harder place to be. And I find myself working in this very surreal club that gets me into a sort of predicament, and in the meantime, these boys are off on their own adventures and they discover this underground city.”

She then went on to discuss the general feel of the film, the budget, and how her primary reaction to the script was one of nostalgia:

“I don’t know what the exact budget is, but I think we’ve got a nice amount. I’m sure it will be incredibly clever, and Ryan already has storyboards and pictures of neighbourhoods and homes, and he’s already collecting music for it… when you read it, it gives you the feeling, maybe, of a memory. Something from your childhood that you can’t really pinpoint.”

Sounding good so far? The fact that Gosling has also written the screenplay, described as a “beautifully haunting script” by producer Marc Platt, has certainly piqued our interest. Here’s what Gosling had to say about it last month:

“I am very appreciative to Marc Platt, Adam Siegel and Bold Films for being so supportive and I look forward to making this film with all of them.”

Gosling, Hendricks, Platt and Siegel all worked together on Drive, the gangster thriller from Danish director Nicholas Winding Refn – highly regarded as one of last year’s best-received films. How to Catch a Monster will see Hendricks, best known for her role as Joan Harris in Mad Men, in a rare lead film role. We’re sure to have more on this story as it develops.

How to Catch a Monster is scheduled to start shooting in spring, with an expected arrival sometime in 2014.

Are you excited about How to Catch a Monster yet?

Michael Keaton is back in a big way; his acting is on the rise and now it seems he’s looking to get behind the camera again, as well. Just a week after taking the opportunity to replace Hugh Laurie as the juicy new RoboCop villain, news is out that Keaton’s now attached himself to direct the indie film Buttercup, described as a “dramedy”.

Buttercup will be Keaton’s second time in the director’s chair, but it’s been a while – he made his directorial debut with 2008′s The Merry Gentlemen.

According to /Film, Buttercup centers around a neurotic woman whose irresponsible, drunk father has been arrested for driving under the influence yet again. Forced to take responsibility for the old man, she tries to help him get his life back on track. In the process, she comes to terms with her dad’s flaws and even learns to trust other men again. The title Buttercup refers to the older man’s nickname for his daughter.

The script was written by relative newcomer Alice O’Neil, who apparently introduces comedic elements into that dramatic setup to help humanize the characters.

Michael London (Sideways) will produce, with Brian Koppelman and David Levien. Buttercup has been in the works for a few years now, and in that time has changed hands multiple times. Keaton is stepping in for Niki Caro (Whale Rider), who in turn was a replacement for Sarah Polley.

When Caro had the helm, Jennifer Aniston and Alan Arkin were lined up to star as the father-daughter duo, but both have since left the project. There’s no word on the cast for this incarnation, and as yet, we’ve got no word on when shooting will begin. Watch this space.

Keaton’s been keeping a bit of a low profile these past several years, but now it seems the star is going to be really quite busy, having already wrapped a thriller titled Penthouse North with Michelle Monaghan, and has Robocop due out next summer. He also has a comedy with Larry David and Jon Hamm in the works for HBO.

What do you think of the Keaton news?