Marvel Studios is setting the bar ridiculously high for superhero movi- scratch that, Marvel Studios is setting the bar ridiculously high for movies in general. Robert Downey Jr, aka Tony Stark, aka Ironman, tweeted this all new solo poster for Avengers: Age of Ultron (hot on the heels of a team shot). He has also stated that a “big announcement” will be coming in 8 days. Ironman 4? Has Downey Jr extended his contract with Marvel further into the future? Will they confirm that Spiderman will be featured in Captain America: Civil War? It can be so many things, which is very exciting.

In other Avengers 2 news, we just got confirmation that Anthony Mackie (the Falcon), Hayley Atwell (Agent Carter) and Idris Elba (Asgardian Heimdall) will all be appearing in the gigantic sequel. They join an already stellar cast of heroes including Chris Evans (Captain America), Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow), Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury), Jeremy Renner (Hawkeye), Mark Ruffalo (Hulk), Don Cheadle (War Machine), Cobie Smulders (ex-SHIELD Agent Maria Hill), and Paul Bettany (Vision), Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Quicksilver), Elizabeth Olsen (Scarlett Witch), rumored villain Andy Serkis, and James Spader’s title character of Ultron. Hopefully they fit in some of our Agents of Shield, like Clark Gregg (Phil Coulson), Ming-Na Wen (Melinda May), and Chloe Bennet’s now “Inhuman” Daisy “Skye” Johnson.

Joss Whedon’s Avengers: Age of Ultron hits theaters on May 1st, 2015 and I’ll be in the first screening with a huge bucket of popcorn!

Marvel Studios has released a new poster and teaser trailer for Avengers: Age of Ultron. Check out the new poster, which is a very cool variation of the original Avengers poster.

You can check out the teaser trailer here. Directed by Joss Whedon, the action sequel teams up the original Avengers with a crop of new heroes from other Marvel solo movies (the Falcone from Captain America: Winter Soldier, War Machine from Ironman 2 & 3) to take on a much worse evil entity (the title character Ultron). The movie will star Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Samuel L. Jackson, Jeremy Renner, Mark Ruffalo, Cobie Smulders, and Paul Bettany, with newcomers to the Marvel Universe Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen, Andy Serkis, and James Spader as Ultron.  We have a long wait as it does not come out until May 1, 2015.

Wonder Woman Revealed
Sure, Warner Brothers and DC Entertainment released some Dark Knight Returns inspired footage for Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, but that was slightly overshadowed by the reveal of the movie’s Wonder Woman. Until now it was unknown if Gal Gadot would even don a costume, but here she is in a darkened version of her classic suit. The amazon warrior looks very similar to another warrior princess, but personally I don’t have any issue with that. Hopefully the outfit will get some classic red and blue before the trinity of heroes team up in Justice League.

Josh Brolin is Thanos
The Marvel Studios panel had almost everyone from Avengers: Age of Ultron in attendance, including Robert Downey, Jr, Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Jeremy Renner, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany, Cobie Smulders, Samuel L Jackson, and James Spader, but joining the panel was someone unexpected; Josh Brolin who will be stepping into the boots of Marvel’s cosmic big bad Thanos. He jumped on the stage wearing the Infinity Gauntlet, ate a rose that Robert Downey Jr gave him, and showed that he will be a force to be reckoned with… eventually.

Evil Dead: The Series
Talk about unexpected. There was nt an Evil Dead screening or anniversary panel or anything like that. Instead, during the Screen Gems panel Sam Raimi, there to talk about The Last of Us, dropped a bomb on the audience; he is developing Evil Dead as a TV series with Bruce “Ash” Campbell and Ivan Raimi. Campbell followed up the announcement with the reveal that if it happens, he will star in the series. The team is no stranger to TV, having worked on shows such as Jack of All Trades and Xena: Warrior Princess together, and each having a hand in many other shows. God, I hope this happens.

The Walking Dead Season 5 Trailer
Not many TV shows get presented in Hall H, but The Walking Dead is a show that has earned its place in the large ballroom. AMC aimed to please the crowd and showed a lengthy (and spoiler filled) trailer for the new season. There is so much packed into this trailer (you can watch it here); what secrets do Terminus hold? How will our survivors get out? What new characters were revealed? Where is Beth? I’m not posting the spoilers here, but the release of this trailer alone makes the San Diego Comic Con worth it.

What piece of news from the 2014 San Diego Comic Con excites you the most? Which of these 4 awesome things is your favorite?

Yesterday we talked about Captain America: The First Avenger, which comes out this weekend, and now thanks to Comic Con we have the first official poster for Marvel Studio’s The Avengers.

Directed by Buffy the Vampire Slayer‘s Joss Whedon, The Avengers brings together Marvel’s Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr), Captain America (Chris Evans), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Nick Fury (Sam Jackson) along with new additions Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) and SHIELD agent  Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders), and of course our new Hulk (Mark Ruffalo).

I think it is a safe assumption that we’ll get a taste of the team up flick at the end of this weekend’s Captain America, likely after the credits. Are you excited for The Avengers? I can’t wait to see more…

José Saramago’s Nobel Prize winning novel is one amazing piece of work. The flow of the novel is so strong; it reads like free writing with very little punctuation and pauses. It’s very visual while offering a glimpse into the frantic and horrifying minds of the blind. I am thoroughly enjoying the read.

I am a bit apprehensive about the film adaptation. As I read the book, I find myself wondering how a film could adapt such a unique literary style. Translated literally onto the screen I’m afraid the story would fall flat. There needs to be something that offers the haunting aspect that Saramago’s prose gives us in the novel. From what I understand (though I have only seen the brief teaser) the filmmakers are trying to be true to the novel in all aspects, even allowing their characters to remain unnamed as in the book. I can’t help but think how difficult this must have been to adapt, but I’m very anxious to see the attempt.

Also, while reading the novel I find myself picturing a different looking couple for the doctor and the doctor’s wife who are portrayed by Mark Ruffalo and Julanne Moore in the film. For some reason, I’ve been picturing someone older for the doctor, along the lines of Tom Wilkinson and someone younger, but with a run down look for the wife, such as Robin Wright Penn. It will be strange to see the younger couple in action on the screen, but I’m especially excited to see what Mark Ruffalo will do with the role.

For a full list of fall/early winter film adaptations, click here.