Contributed by Josh Wigler
With the announcement of Marvel Studios’ newly adjusted movie schedule, including a release date for Sony Pictures’ “Spider-Man 4,” some have wondered what the delays will mean for “Thor,” “The First Avenger: Captain America,” and “The Avengers.”
While there’s some speculation that the big-screen debut of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes was pushed back to compete with a sequel to “The Dark Knight,” an anonymous source tells Ain’tItCoolNews that the reasons are more a creative decision than a business one -- and that the move could be an attempt to get "Iron Man" director Jon Favreau behind the camera for the superhero team-up.
“The plan is for Favreau to helm [‘The Avengers’],” reported AICN's anonymous tipster. “Everybody here loves the guy and he wants to do it, but it would have been impossible for him to do before the date change given his 'Iron Man 2' commitments.”
While the source didn’t comment on the delay for “Thor,” there was some talk about the potential casting of rumored "Thor" frontrunner Alexander Skarsgård.
“If all goes well and [Skarsgård is cast] then we hope to get Stellan Skarsgård for Odin,” noted the anonymous source.
The source also confirms previous reports that Josh Hartnett is close to nabbing the role of Thor’s mischievous nemesis, Loki.
“Branagh’s a big fan of the Othello adaptation ‘O’ where Hartnett played Iago, who is very similar character wise to how he sees Loki,” explained the source, who also dispelled rumors that Hartnett is looking to match the late Heath Ledger’s Oscar-winning role as The Joker in “The Dark Knight.”
Finally, the AICN source indicated that Fox is serious about their attempts to relaunch the “Daredevil” and “Fantastic Four” franchises, mentioning that the rights to these films will revert to Marvel Studios if Fox fails to produce more movies in the immediate future.
Do you want Jon Favreau to direct “The Avengers?” How do you feel about relative no-name Alexander Skarsgård as Thor? And who wants to see a Marvel Studios take on “Daredevil” and “Fantastic Four?” Let us know in the comments!