Big Gay Picture Show

Taking a look at the world of film through gay eyes - news, reviews, trailers, gay film, queer cinema and more

Taking a look at the world of film through gay eyes - news, reviews, trailers, gay film, queer cinema & more

Marvel’s S.H.I.E.L.D. Pilot Gets Chloe Bennet As Skye

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chloe-bennettWith all the excitement over Marvel’s S.H.I.E.L.D. TV series, it’s easy to forget that it isn’t a series yet. All it is is a planned pilot episode, and there’s no guarantee it’ll get picked up or see the light of day. However with Joss Whedon onboard to direct that pilot, you’ve got to imagine it’s got a good chance of becoming a fully-fledged show.

Now the pilot has rounded out its mains cast, adding Nashville star Chloe Bennet as Skye. She joins Ming-Na (Agent Melinda May), Elizabeth Henstridge (Agent Gemma Simmons), Iain De Caestecker (Agent Leo Fitz}, and Brett Dalton (Agent Grant Ward), along with Clark Gregg as the ubiquitous Agent Coulson, although it’s still not known if Gregg will be a regular character or if he’ll just be in the pilot.

Back in October, a character breakdown said about Skye, “This late-20s woman sounds like a dream: fun, smart, caring and confident – with an ability to get the upper hand by using her wit and charm.” The character is also apparently obsessed with superhero culture, which is likely what leads her to work at S.H.I.E.L.D.

Joss Whedon will direct the pilot episode from a script he co-wrote with Jed Whedon and Maurissa Tancharoen. They’ll shoot the episode in January, and if all goes to plan, the series will start airing on ABC in the US next autumn. (Source: THR)

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Joss Whedon Says He’s Completed Avengers 2 Outline

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Joss Whedon is a busy man. He’s overseeing Marvel’s Phase Two movies, directing and co-writing the pilot episode of the planned S.H.I.E.L.D. TV series and he even found time to make Much Ado About Nothing, set for release next year. However what most people care about is The Avengers 2, which is already set for May 1st, 2015.

After the incredible success of The Avengers, Entertainment Weekly has named him one of the Entertainers Of The Year, so Joss sat down with the magazine for a chat, revealing that he already has the story mapped out, and has recently turned in an outline to Marvel Studios. Of course, no story details have been revealed yet.

The main Avengers cast are expected to return, including Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, and Samuel L. Jackson. It isn’t known when it might shoot, although many expect cameras to roll before 2013 is out.

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Marvel’s S.H.I.E.L.D. TV Series Lands Brett Dalton As Agent Grant Ward

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Plans for the S.H.I.E.L.D. TV series continue to build with the news, via THR, that Brett Dalton has signed on for the pilot, which Joss Whedon has written alongside Jed Whedon and Maurissa Tancharoen.

The actor will portray Agent Grant Ward, who’s described as ‘a skilled rising star within the organization who is described as deadly, precise and cool under fire but lacking people skills.’. He joins Ming-Na as Melinda May, Elizabeth Henstridge as Agent Gemma Simmons, and Ian de Caestecker’s Agent Leo Fitz. Initial casting breakdowns also featured an agent known as Skye, but so far nobody has been cast in that role.

Dalton isn’t a particularly well known actor, although he has guest spots on the likes of Army Wives and Blue Bloods, and is due to appear in National Geographic’s telepic Killing Lincoln next year.

Joss Whedon is also expected to direct the pilot episode, with production slated to begin in January. Quite when we’ll get to see it isn’t known yet.

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S.H.I.E.L.D. TV Series Gets Iain De Caestecker & Elizabeth Henstridge

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The S.H.I.E.L.D. TV series is certainly coming together. The pilot already has Ming-Na and Clark Gregg attached, and now THR reports that two British actors have signed up for this expansion of the Marvel universe, Elizabeth Henstridge and Iain De Caestecker.

The actors will play Agent Gemma Simmons and Agent Leo Fitz, who both came up through the academy together and spend a majority of their time with each other. While that might sound like a recipe for romance, a recent character breakdown describes their relationship as being more like siblings, and they spend much of their time bickering. Gemma is a science expert, with Leo specialising in technology.

This will be Henstridge’s first major mainstream role, although she has filmed a role in the upcoming Tooting Broadway and appeared in a couple of episode of Hollyoaks. Caestecker is best known for The Fades and Young James Herriot and will shortly be seen in the mini-series, The Secret Of Crickley Hall.

Joss Whedon will direct the pilot episode S.H.I.E.L.D, and is also writing the pilot script with Jed Whedon and Maurissa Tancharoen. It isn’t known when production will begin on this highly-anticipated pilot.

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James Gunn Confirmed For Guardians Of The Galaxy

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A few weeks ago info emerged that Marvel wanted Slither and Super helmer James Gunn to direct their planned sci-fi superhero movie, Guardians Of The Galaxy. A few days ago Joss Whedon seemed to confirm the news, talking about Gunn’s take on the film, but it’s only now the director himself has stepped forward and said he’s doing it.

On his Facebook page Gunn says, “As a lifelong lover of Marvel comics, space epics, AND raccoons, this is the movie I’ve been waiting to make since I was nine years old. Kevin, Joss, and all the folks at Marvel have been amazing collaborators so far, and we’re committed to bringing you something majestic, beautiful, and unique. I am incredibly excited. I am also incredibly grateful to the fans and the press for all their words of encouragement and support regarding my involvement with this project since the news first leaked. Thanks – you have, honestly, touched and overwhelmed me. And that’s it for now. Other than the occasional photos of my dog and cat here on Facebook, I’ll talk to you again in August 2014 when Guardians is released!”

The big-budget ensemble brings together characters such as Rocket Raccoon and Drax the Destroyer, although it’s still not 100% clear whether it’ll be animated or a live action mix.

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Avengers Assemble (Blu-ray)

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We all remember the Battle Of New York, when Thor, Captain America, Iron Man, The Hulk, Hawkeye and Black Widow got together to fight off extra-terrestrial terrors coming through a wormhole, due to a plot by Loki. This documentary looks at what led up to that battle.

Well, okay, I’m sure you’re aware this isn’t a documentary, as we’re in a world sadly lacking in superpowered heroes (although the lack of alien terror-mongers is a bit of a plus), but as audiences proved earlier this summer, we do love to escape to a comic book world. Avengers Assemble is only the third film ever to gross more than $1.5 billion (and the first not directed by James Cameron). It’s an astonishing success, particularly as the movie made more than twice as much as any of the movies that led up to it (Iron Man 2 was the biggest previous Marvel produced movie, taking $623 million). [Read more…]

Joss Whedon Talks Avengers 2 – ‘The creation of the team is not the happy ending’

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Director Joss Whedon is currently prepping for the monstrous task of following up this summer’s blockbuster Marvel’s Avengers Assemble with The Avengers 2 in 2015 (as well as overseeing the rest of Marvel’s plans for Phase 2 of its superhero world).

Speaking to Vancouver.24, the filmmaker has revealed he plans to take these superheroes to the edge, testing their cohesive relationships. “The creation of the team is not the happy ending,” he says. “It is the beginning of something that is complex and difficult, and now I get to dig a little deeper. And maybe, while I’m digging, just twist that knife. And that’s exciting for me.”

The filmmaker will also be consulting and overseeing the likes of Iron Man 3, Thor: The Dark World, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and Guardians of the Galaxy. However, he doesn’t plan on ruling with an iron fist, saying “Very talented people are writing and directing these movies, and what I don’t want to be is the guy they dread, who’s going to come in and say ‘Oh, well I have the power to say change this.’ I’m not that.”

The Avengers 2 comes to theaters May 1st, 2015.

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Guardians of the Galaxy Is ‘Twisted’ Says Joss Whedon

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Last month, it was revealed that James Gunn was Marvel Studios’ top choice to direct Guardians of the Galaxy, a big-budget ensemble that brings together characters such as Rocket Raccoon and Drax the Destroyer.

The filmmaker has since been confirmed to write and direct the upcoming project. Marvel’s The Avengers director Joss Whedon knows a thing or two about superhero ensembles, and he is also serving as a creative adviser on this project. He recently spoke to MTV about James Gunn’s take on the material, saying, “He has a very twisted take on it, but it all comes from a real love for the material. It’s going to be hard for the humans to keep up. I know he’s going to come from left field and I’m going to go, ‘What?’ And then, ‘Of course, why didn’t I think of that?’ And then I’m going to beat him!”

Joss Whedon admitted he initially had some doubts about this project, but that initial trepidation was put to rest once James Gunn signed on. “James is what makes me think it will work,” he says. “I myself was sort of like, ‘Well, I liked Rocket Raccoon as a kid, but I’m not sure how that plays [to a wider audience].’ And then they said, ‘Well, we’re thinking about using James Gunn.’ And I said, ‘Oh, then no, you’re fine.’ He is so off the wall, and so crazy, but so smart, such a craftsman and he builds from his heart. He loves the raccoon. Needs the raccoon. This is the guy who wrote The Specials. People don’t understand how influential that movie was about heroes, about taking heroes and making them mundane. And [he directed] Super.”

Joss Whedon also said that James Gunn has ‘barely started’ writing the screenplay, but he has plenty of time until the August 1, 2014 release date.

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Avengers Assemble Alternate Opening – The film could have had a more sombre start

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Avengers Assemble could have started on a slightly bleaker note, with New York covered in rubble and SHIELD’s Maria Hill bemoaning what happened, and then the rest of the film told in flashback. Marvel has now released this opening, ahead of the movie’s DVD/Blu-ray release on September 17th. Although I’m glad this didn’t make it into the movie, it’s interesting as it would have set a different tone and also has the kind of self-knowing attitude Joss Whedon is known for. Take a look.

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S.H.I.E.L.D. TV Series Gets A Pilot, With Joss Whedon Writing It

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Last month it was revealed that US TV network ABC is looking to tap into the superhero realm, with a potential TV series set in Marvel’s superhero universe. Now Variety has revealed that the network has ordered a pilot for S.H.I.E.L.D., a series that will centre on the Strategic Hazard Intervention Espionage Logistics Directorate, which brought all the superheroes together for The Avengers.

Avengers director Joss Whedon has signed on to write the pilot script with his brother Jed Whedon, and sister-in-law Maurissa Tancharoen (Dollhouse). Joss Whedon is also expected to direct the pilot episode, if his schedule permits. It is possible for the various actors and heroes currently seen in the movie to make guest appearances, although we can’t imagine Samuel L. Jackson will be a series regular, but he may pop up now and then.

It is said that production will begin immediately, so more info should emerge in the near future.

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