Despite the fact that “The Avengers 2” doesn’t even have a script and that Marvel hasn’t completely nailed down their Phase 2 plans yet, there are already rumors about the new characters that would appear in the film, and even about who will play them. So grab some salt and take a seat while we talk about stuff that’s not even close to happening.
That bastion of journalistic integrity (and credibility) The Daily Mail is not only claiming that the superhero Ms. Marvel will be appearing in the sequel to pop-culture behemoth “The Avengers,” but that the studio is already narrowed the casting field to either Emily Blunt, last seen in “Looper,” or Ruth Wilson, currently seen on British TV’s “Luther.” Wow, a British tabloid reporting that one of two high-profile British stars is set to star in the sequel the one of the biggest films of the year, imagine that.
We don’t doubt the film will feature new characters, the studio has admitted as much, but let’s be honest, all of this is premature. This kind of stuff always happens after a big movie. Remember that after “The Dark Knight” was released — and before we even knew “Inception” was going to be Christopher Nolan’s follow-up — there were all sorts of ridiculous casting rumors for the sequel. Rumors that ranged from the misguided yet plausible — Johnny Depp, Philip Seymour Hoffman and studio-favorite Leonardo DiCaprio — to the insane — Cher as Catwoman, anyone? So let’s take the latest casting rumors about “The Avengers 2,” scheduled for May 1, 2015 release, with a bit of of skepticism.
Also in non-news, Noel Clarke (that guy who was in a couple of seasons of the “Dr. Who” reboot) has revealed that although he’s very interested in handling a comic-book property, neither DC or Marvel wants to give the guy a chance. Said Clarke to Den of Geek, “I’ve tried everything. I’ve offered to write the film, they’re not interested. Obviously I’d love to play the part [of ‘Black Panther’], they’re not interested. I wanted to write ‘Black Lightning’ for DC, they’re not interested. I’ve tried. I want ‘Supergirl,’ they’re not interested. They’re just not interested.”
To be fair, although Marvel has gone for off-the-wall choices for their helmers, DC has pretty much stayed exclusively within the realm of high-profile directors. Besides, DC’s probably too busy figuring out what to do with the “Justice League” and Batman post-Nolan to worry about second or third-tier characters.