Idris Elba is just one of the many talented actors featured in Marvel’s upcoming Thor adaptation. In the film he plays Heimdall, one of the warriors from the mythical land of Asgard.The actor recently revealed (via Total Film) that he has a multi-picture deal with Marvel Studios, which might open the door to him playing more characters such as Luke Cage and even Blade.

When asked about his part in Thor, he said, “It was great to work with Kenneth (Director Kenneth Branagh) and the Marvel team, very dedicated guys, amazingly detailed, very clever.” He also stated that Thor won’t be the last Marvel film we see him in, but unfortunately he can’t reveal any more than that.

Elba was further pressed about the subject and asked what other character he would be interested in playing in the Marvel Universe. “I wouldn’t mind having a crack at bringing Blade back, personally. But erm, there’s a couple of things there that they have… Luke Cage is… very interesting.” What about Black Panther? Isn’t he in the Marvel Universe? He always gets forgotten about in these conversations.

As for Luke Cage and Blade, I always saw Tyrese Gibson as Cage. He’s been rumored to play the role for years so I got comfortable with the idea of him playing the part. As for Blade, I can’t let go of Wesley Snipes in that. Growing up with that series makes it hard to see anyone else in the role. Plus, Snipes had the martial arts background to match his character which made his incarnation of him even more believable.

Who do you think Elba should play next? Luke Cage, Blade, or Black Panther.

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Speaking from a set piece taken from the upcoming Thor film, Award winning author, “Heroes” showrunner, and recently appointed head of Marvel Studios TV Department Jeph Loeb announced that G4 Networks will be the home of 4 new animated series including, “Blade,” “Iron Man,” “Wolverine,” and X-Men.

There are several reasons to be excited for this: First of all, Jeph Loeb is the man! He wrote the phenomenal Batman: The Long Halloween (which held a great deal of influence over The Dark Knight) and was an executive producer of NBC’s “Heroes.” He knows what makes stories engaging, and holds his projects to a very high standard. The fact that these new shows will have to live up to his expectations bodes well.

Also, the G4 Network is geared towards nerds, fanboys, & young adults, rather than little kids,. That should hold at least a little bit of promise for the shows. They know their audience will be a bit more sophisticated than the average Saturday morning cartoon crowd.

And just in case you forgot how cool an X-Men animated series could be, here’s an awesome thing from your childhood you probably never actually saw…

What do you think of G4 and Marvel’s new collaboration?

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Did someone eat a huge bowl of nonsense for breakfast when they came up with this latest movie idea? According to Latino Review, director Stephen Norrington plans on further expanding the film adaptations of the Blade Trilogy. He directed the first installment in 1998, which was followed by two sequels done by Guillermo del Toro and David S. Goyer respectively. Norrington states that he plans on returning to the Blade franchise, but this time there will be one major change, no Blade!

Beware of spoilers ahead.

Norrington is currently working on his “reboot” of The Crow, but stated that he would be returning to the Marvel vampire franchise upon it’s completion. This time around instead of focusing on the title character, the director wants to shift the film’s focus to Deacon Frost, the villain from the first movie. Frost was a young vampire looking to wipe out the old regime in favor of a new establishment that he could control. He was portrayed by Stephen Dorff, and Norrington wants the actor back to star in a film specifically written for his character. According to Dorff this new take on the series would be “a prequel to the Blade movies, Deacon’s story. It’s a new trilogy the director has created. It will [be] cool.”

Norrington did confirm that he wanted to do a film with Deacon at the forefront, but also stated that “his vision for the film is not exactly how the article describes but close.” Yet, he does give Dorff kudos for coming up with the idea for the new film saying that it “has evolved into a very interesting story.” If you saw Blade, you know the character of Deacon Frost got chopped into little, bitty pieces in the end so there’s really no where to go but backwards with him.

I have to say that a Blade film without Blade just sounds ridiculous to me. There have been plenty of prequels and spin-offs from other properties that feature side characters, but I don’t personally think Frost is interesting enough to get a solo deal. There’s nothing about him that makes me ask “Why”. I really think they’re just grasping at straws here, and as a fan of the Blade comic, films, and the TV series (yes, I even watched that) I find this entire concept ludicrous.

Would you pay to watch a Blade movie without Blade in it? Can Deacon Frost carry a film by himself?

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It’s almost here! Warner Brother’s Watchmen will finally see the light of day this weekend, and we will get to see if all the Hollywood hoopla is justified. I’ve got a good feeling about Watchmen, and I’m hoping its a movie that lives up to all the hype. Therefore, in honor of the film’s release I’ve decided to compile a list of my top 10 comic book adaptations.  Some may be expected, while others may come as a surprise. Either way give me your two cents on who you think should or shouldn’t be included.

Let’s begin…….

10. Hellboy (2004)

Even though he’s not as popular as most mainstream heroes and comic books the red demon, with the sawed off horns finally came to the big screen in 2004. I enjoyed Hellboy and the snarky performance given by Ron Perlman in the title role, and the ever formidable Doug Jones as Abe Sapien. Due to Director Guillermo del Toro‘s amazing creative ability, this film spawned a sequel in 2008, and has shown audiences that it is a legitimate comic book franchise that’s here to stay.

9. Blade II (2002)

One of the most underrated comic book franchises ever! I loved the first Blade, but I really loved it’s sequel. This time Guillermo del Toro took over the directing reigns and you could tell. The directors visual imprint is all over the movie. With far superior action than the first, Blade II is hands down the best in the trilogy. Wesley Snipes actually suplexes a guy in this one! )That’s a  wrestling move in case anyone was wondering)

8. X2: X-Men United (2003)

These days it’s hard to find sequels that actually improve on the original. On this list you will notice several that have actually pulled off the task, maybe action films just need time to breath. X2 was the second and final X-Men film that was directed by Bryan Singer. Even though I don’t fully agree with the changes Singer made to the X-Men universe, he gained some redemption with this one. Easily, the best addition to this series was Alan Cummings as NightCrawler. His make-up, his accent and his shy, yet endearing personality was the perfect representation of the blue demon with a soul.

7. Superman: The Movie (1978)

One of my earliest encounters of a superhero film had to be with 1978′s Superman. A fresh faced Christoper Reeve embodied everything I thought and wanted Superman to be. I always had my reservations about Margot Kidder as Lois Lane, but what can you do? With Reeve, Gene Hackman as Lex Luthor, and who can forget Marlon Brando as proud papa Jor-El? It’s no wonder this film still stands the test of time.

6.V for Vendetta (2005)

This isn’t just another movie where a chick shaves off her hair, V for Vendetta means business. Based off of the graphic novel by Alan Moore (Watchmen, From Hell) Natalie Portman and Hugo Weaving star as Evey and V, two individuals who are effected in one way or another by their corrupt government. Nothing like a man wearing a mask, and a cape to get me interested. Did I mention that he has wicked aim with those daggers?

5. Spiderman 2 (2004)

Another good sequel to throw onto the fire is Spiderman 2, which fans and critics agree out shined the original and definitely the third. With far better graphics, and a natural maturation of it’s main characters it won it’s spot on this list fair and square. The inner conflict of Peter vs. Spiderman was a well written story that made you feel sorry and almost anxious about the decision that he’d eventually have to make.

4. Batman Begins (2005)

Daring to go where no one would ever go again after 1997′s Batman and Robin, Christoper Nolan resuscitated the shamed Batman franchise in 2005 with Batman Begins. He constructed a strong cast that included Christian Bale, Morgan Freeman, Tom Wilkinson, Rutger Hauer, and Sir Michael Caine. When you can get a knighted, two-time Academy Award winner to play a butler you know the movies going to be good.

3. Iron Man (2008)

I was pleasantly surprised by Jon Favreau’s summer blockbuster Iron Man. When I first heard the film was getting made, I wasn’t particularly interested. I was never really into Iron Man or any of the Avengers, but this movie changed my tune. Robert Downey, Jr.’s quick wit, and carefully manicured goatee had me glued to the screen. Good job Favreau, good job!

2. Sin City (2005)

In my opinion without this film there would definitely be no 300, or Watchmen in terms of visual style. This adaptation of the graphic novel of the same name was co-directed by the books creator, Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez. This was a huge ensemble piece that included all the characters you know and love. There’s only one Sin City, often imitated but never duplicated.

1. The Dark Knight (2008)

This is what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object. The legendary relationship between Batman and The Joker parallels the traditional conflict between good and evil. With an Academy Award nominated and winning cast which included 2009 Best Supporting Actor winner Heath Ledger it’s no wonder this film earned the top spot. With a complex script, beautiful direction, and an amazing score The Dark Knight is one of the the first comic book adaptations to stay faithfully true to the source material. TDK has set the bar pretty high and let’s other comic book filmmakers know that this is how it should be done!

Honorable Mentions

• Batman (1989)
• Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut (1980, reissued 2006)

Where will Watchmen fit on this list? Will it be able to knock DC alum The Dark Knight out of it’s top spot?

What do you think?

For further reading:

• Interview with Jeffrey Dean Morgan
• Interview with Jackie Earl Haley
• Watchmen Review
• Win a Free Watchmen T-Shirt

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According to Variety, original Blade director Stephen Norrington has signed on to write and direct an updated version of The Crow. Based on the comic book by James O. Barr, a live action Crow adaptation was previously produced in 1994, and starred the late Brandon Lee in the title role.

Ryan Kavanaugh’s Relativity Media is negotiating with producer Ed Pressman to acquire the film franchise and finance the film.

Pressman produced the 1994 Alex Proyas-directed screen transfer, in which rock musician Eric Draven is murdered trying to rescue his girlfriend from thugs, and returns from the dead one year later to exact vengeance. Though the original became a gothic-style hit that grossed nearly $100 million worldwide, it is primarily remembered for a tragic accident in which star Brandon Lee was killed during filming.

“Whereas Proyas’ original was gloriously gothic and stylized, the new movie will be realistic, hard-edged and mysterious, almost documentary-style,” Norrington told Daily Variety.

So I take it that they’re totally disregarding the several subpar sequels The Crow has spawned?  The Crow: City of Angels, The Crow: Salvation, and who can forget the failed TV series, The Crow: Stairway to Heaven? Don’t tell me I’m the only one who remembers that one?

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