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– Avengers: Infinity War, which it’s been revealed will have a grueling nine month production schedule (it is two films after all), will also be shot completely in IMAX using IMAX and ARRI’s next gen 2D digital camera. This marks the first time a Hollywood feature film has ever been shot completely with IMAX cameras and utilizing its larger aspect ratio.

Here’s a statement from the Russo Bros on this announcement:

The intent with the Infinity War films is to bring ten years of accumulative storytelling to an incredible climax. We felt that the best way to exploit the scale and scope required to close out the final chapter of these three phases, was to be the first films shot entirely on the IMAX/ARRI Digital camera.

Some select action scenes of Captain America: Civil War will also utilize the IMAX camera and format.

– This week, the broadcast networks are finalizing their pick-up decisions and what will make it onto the Fall and Spring schedule. Supergirl, for example, was picked up for a full series order yesterday by CBS, while iZombie was also renewed by The CW. The Flash and Arrow have also already been renewed for their second and fourth seasons respectively.

Now, all eyes are on ABC and NBC, as the former will be making its decisions regarding Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (which will surely be renewed) and Agent Carter (where things are far more uncertain), while the latter holds the final fate of Constantine in its hands.

My prediction? Agent Carter gets renewed for another short season, while Constantine finally sees its long-expected axe.

But even Powers got renewed, so I guess anything could still happen.

– 20th Century Fox has revealed the cover art for the upcoming X-Men: Days of Future Past “Rogue Cut”, which will include 17 minutes of additional footage, including all of Anna Paquin‘s sequences that were cut from the theatrical release:

– We’re only a week away from Mad Max: Fury Road hitting theaters across the country. While critics are still embargoed at this point, there’s a lot to be excited about, which I elaborated on a few weeks previous. Here’s a new featurette for the film:

– Here’s the new poster for Ant-Man, which is sadly pretty underwhelming, though that’s kind of par for the course with most blockbuster movie posters these days. Floating heads, so many floating heads!

– And in fun stuff, it looks like Captain America vs. Crossbones has started early:

Don’t underestimate the benefit of awe. Take time to be amazed by things. By anything. By everything.

— Chris Evans (@ChrisEvans) May 7, 2015

@FrankGrillo I’m amazed you can read. Be honest, your kids are helping you sound out the words. — Chris Evans (@ChrisEvans) May 7, 2015

@ChrisEvans I can read the hospital report for you after wake up from that that little snooze your gonna take hero boy.

— frank grillo (@FrankGrillo) May 7, 2015

I’m really looking forward to Civil War.

On this New Comic Book Day, here are some of the non-Joss Whedon related headlines that are making waves today:

– Not long ago, after the Marvel-Sony deal was struck over the usage of Spider-Man, it seemed a surety that Sony would hang onto Drew Goddard to helm the newest entry. Not so, reports Deadline, as they’ve uncovered what is reportedly Sony’s director shortlist for the film:

Jonathan Levine – Warm Bodies, 50/50

Ted Melfi – St. Vincent

Jason Moore – Pitch Perfect

John Francis Daley and Jonathan M. Goldstein – Vacation

Jared Hess – Napoleon Dynamite

From this list, it seems like Sony is still aiming for the comedic-slanted mindset that brought us the Marc Webb entries. We all saw how that turned out. Hopefully this is an incomplete list and Goddard is still in contention. With a 2017 release date, a decision will have to be made by January at the very least, if not much sooner.

– Following in the footsteps of Peter Serafinowicz and Chris O’Dowd, British actor Martin Freeman (The Hobbit Trilogy) is stepping into the Marvel Universe, as he’s joined the cast of Captain America: Civil War in an undisclosed role. Considering the cast is already fit to burst at this point, I have a hard time imagining he’s playing anything beyond a utility player (like the above two actors). Your guess is as good as mine.

– Machinima, the online network that is already producing the animated DC series Justice League: Gods and Monsters Chronicles, set to debut next month, announced this week two more DC related programs that will go into production in the near future along with a second season of Gods and Monsters Chronicles. The two new series include #4Hero, a modern adaptation of Dial H For Hero (this time it’s based out of a smart-phone app) and The DC Hero Project, a contest show where eight competitors must battle it out in elimination challenges to develop a short video based on their own interpretation of characters from the 90’s Starman series.

– For those thirsting for more X-Men: Days of Future Past, you’re in luck! The “Rogue Cut” that restores all of Anna Paquin‘s cut scenes from the feature, and adds 17 minutes to the film, will hit stores on July 14th. That date is also the 15th anniversary of the release of the first X-Men film. Now, don’t we all feel terribly old?

What if the animation Oscars were chosen by people who knew nothing about animation?

There’s quite a bit of discussion today regarding today’s Oscar nominations (I remain very sad for Ava DuVernay’s snub in the Best Director category), but let’s talk about the stuff that’s collectively of greater interest to the readership of The Beat, because there’s great work to celebrate there too!

Here are the nominations that include films that are based on comics, or have some kind of comics/cartooning based slant:

The lack of a nod for The Lego Movie is surprising given the critical and popular acclaim, but if I had to bet money on one, it’d be The Tale of Princess Kaguya. But, Big Hero 6 may surprise here, given that it was a huge hit and perhaps may have engendered more screener viewings from members of the Academy.

Best Short Film (Animated)
“The Bigger Picture”
“The Dam Keeper”
“Feast”
“Me and My Moulton”
“A Single Life”

And regarding this category, it’s sadly one of my big blind spots. Feast, being under the Disney brand, seems a likely choice as any.

Time to get your betting pools together, the 2015 Academy Awards will be held on February 22nd.

The nominees for the 2015 BAFTA Film Awards, the British equivalent of the Academy Awards, were announced yesterday.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced this afternoon the 10 films that have ben shortlisted for the visual effects Oscar.

Fans of X-men: Days of Future Past excitedly point to the film’s overt “social commentary” as a major reason for its success. We always equate the X-men with these kinds of subjects – race, social injustice, politics – but why is that?  Where does that stuff come from?

After the success of Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four, Stan Lee described his pre-X-men eureka moment as “What am I gonna do next?” Lee worked up a concept called “The Mutants” that he pitched to publisher Martin Goodman. It was soundly rejected. According to Lee, Goodman said: “Nobody is gonna know what a mutant is. You can’t call them the Mutants.”

So Lee changed it to “The X-men.” But in 1963’s X-men #1, he kept the word “mutant.” Why? Because Goodman was wrong. Lee, who read plenty of pulps and magazines, knew what the word meant. Most people did.

It was the Cold War and people were scared of radiation. A 1956 Times article titled “Atomic Mutants Unseen in Japan” tried to persuade readers that long-term fears were unfounded, though there might be “some other subtle change” in human physiology over time. Even when articles such as these were trying to assuage fears, their words inflamed them.

At the same time, Japan was watching the first Godzilla (1954) and Rodan (“Radon”) (1956) movies. Vague fears over “some subtle change” were enough to make pop culture monsters.

The most popular geneticist of the time was a University of Indiana professor named Dr. Hermann J. Muller. He won the 1946 Nobel Prize in “Physiology or Medicine” for discovering “that high energy radiations such as x-rays will produce mutations.” In his acceptance speech, entitled “The Production of Mutations,” Muller makes the claim that “there are sudden jumps, going all the way from one ‘elementary species’ to another” that he called mutation.  Muller argues that mutation happens because of the application of “X-radiation.” He was quoted — and pictured — widely in newspapers and magazines.

In a March 1960 issue of Popular Science, an article titled “How to Breed Supermen” notes that “blunt-spoken Hermann J. Muller . . . wants to upgrade the tired old human race into a world-wide family of paragons – upright, loyal, tolerant, kindly, and very, very smart” Muller adds that “Physical improvement is needed, too [including] a ‘third eye’ [that] would display thoughts as pictures.”

Mutants, bald scientists, and telepathy? All included in a “wide family of paragons.”

Though some letter-writers labeled him a Nazi, Muller is insistent of his version of the future. Though he admits that mutation will take “billions of years,” he still debates the education of these mutant children as if it were beginning that coming fall:

The chief aims in the bringing up and education of children – more robust health; keener, deeper and more creative intelligence; genuine warmth of fellow feeling and cooperative disposition . . . All these faculties require the proper environment and education for their development, but it is the genetic endowment of an individual that forms the basis of their realization.

In fact, stories about “special educational facilities for the so-called ‘the gifted’” were also being hotly debated in the press. Schools like Hunter Elementary in New York that limited “its enrollment to children with I.Q.’s of at least 130, [were] revolutionizing its entire approach to the teaching of the intellectually gifted child.”

Could Muller and his radical ideas about radioactive mutants and their education have influenced Stan Lee in his creation of the X-men? Of homo superior? It turns out there are many more possible sources, but given the provocative, protective Muller, it is hard to miss the obvious parallels. Talking about genetics was necessarily imaginative back then. Muller’s popularity shows that it was a topic that people were interested in. It is 2014 and two of the top movies of the summer are X-men and Godzilla. We still fear the future.

This is an excerpt of a much longer essay from The Ages of the X-Men: Essays on the Children of the Atom in Changing Times © 2014 Edited by Joseph J. Darowski by permission of McFarland & Company, Inc., Box 611, Jefferson NC 28640. www.mcfarlandpub.com. The book will be available next month.

Brad Ricca is the author of Super Boys: The Amazing Adventures of Jerry Siegel & Joe Shuster – The Creators of Superman, now available in paperback. Visit www.super-boys.com and follow @BradJRicca.

Fox pictures have a number of exciting movies coming out this year, spanning a number of different audiences.

Guest moderator Ralph Garman introduced the first movie, How to Train Your Dragon 2. Director Dean DeBlois and surprisingly Jay Baruchel (voice of Hiccup) took to the stage. After showing a completed first five minutes of the movie (which looked fantastic by the way) DeBlois elaborated that this second film of what is to be a trilogy takes place five years after the first movie, showing how our characters and the village have both grown and learned to make living with dragons part of their daily lives. “We also see that Stoick (Hiccup’s father) has changed from seeing his son as an embarrassment, to becoming an overly proud dad that has high hopes for his son. Hiccup can’t deal with these aspirations.” And we’ll be introduced to a new villain, Drago Bludvist, and how he plans to put a permanent wedge between the humans and dragons. How to Train your Dragon is coming to theatres June 13th.

Following next, Ralph Garman introduced the cast of Dawn of the Planet of the Apes to the stage. Director Matt Reeves, Keri Russell, Gary Oldman, and Andy Serkis. “This movie follows years after the virus is released from the first movie and humans are extinct, or that they are thought to be,” says Matt. “We see that Caesar now is the leader of his tribe, and he has a family; a wife, one teenage son and a new baby.”

As it later introduced into the film that humans are still alive, it creates a conflict between the two species and inside Caesar himself. “Caesar is an ape, but he also had a human dad,” explained the director. “And he knows how it is to lose someone you love, so he’s empathetic to the survivors. He has to walk a fine line between his feelings and keeping his tribe together. And we see how there was a possibility that two could have lived together, but of course we all know what happens. That’s not a surprise.”

After watching the short movie clip they show us and listening to the discussion of the internal struggles on both the important parties of the movie, it’s difficult to decide who you want to root for. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes will be seeing theatres this July 11th.
Based off the widely popular young adult book by the same name, Maze Runner is what I see as a futuristic Lord of the Flies. This movie adapted by James Dashner’s book has all the makings of the next Hunger Games, by which I mean futuristic technology set in a forest setting, and the murder of teenagers. The movie does have some exciting action shots for those who like to run and fight, thrown in with a lot of CGI.

Presenting the movie were the director Wes Ball, author James Dashner, actor Will Poulter, and actor Dylan O’Brien (made famous by the series Teen Wolf). The author confessed that for his book a number of influences were the book Ender’s Game, the book Lord of the Flies, the show Lost, and his fear of mazes. “Remember in the Shining with the maze scene? Mazes creep me out. If you’ve ever been in a corn maze then you know.” The anticipated Maze Runner will be out September 19th of this year.

Moderator Ralph Garman introduced a last minute addition into the screening lineup. Coming out this fall is a spy movie called Secret Service. Its notable actors are Colin Firth (famous for many things including his portrayal of Mister Darcy in a BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice) and Samuel L. Jackson who will be playing the villain in this movie. Its setting is somewhere in the U.K., and the premise is that it deals with an organization that is funded by private investors as to not be hampered by politics and bureaucracy. The action sequences appear to be a faster paced Avengers, and technology stolen by Spykids. Still a work in progress.

And finally, what the Arena seemed to be waiting the most for, Ralph Garman introduced X-Men: Days of Future Past. The extended trailer and snippet of the movie looked beautiful and action packed. Unfortunately as a last minute change up, director Bryan Singer didn’t show (for reasons I’m sure we all know), but in his stead we had writer Simon Kinberg. He elaborated on things in the movie spanning from the politics in the 70’s, art styles of the bleak future and bright past, and as well as the convoluted concept of time travel. “Even though in the original comic that the movie is based off of they had Kitty go back in time, we decided that Wolverine worked better. James Cameron really helped us with the idea of time travel and how it scientifically would work, so you’ll see a lot of that in the film.”

In part of his final words, Simon Kinberg also added that he hopes this movie will make up for the failures of the 3rd X-Men movie, which was based off of the Dark Phoenix comic arc. X-Men: Days of Future Past will be out May 23rd; Not soon enough.

Spoiler: I am totally going to see this movie.

Unlike past teaser trailers this one is all about the plot, and all the “You sent me 50 years from now!” fun of time travel stories. Also: Sentinels.

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Image via SuperHero Hype

Christopher Nolan can’t talk about Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s rumored appearance (which has already been completely and totally denied by JGL’s peoples) in Man of Steel as The Bat. And while we are on the subject of Man of Steel, I am just going to assume that you saw the trailer that everyone went frikkin’ batsh*t over this week. I saw it and I have the same thing to say about it that I’ve been saying for months – TARNISHY. One other Man of Steel related thing, the French magazine, Studio Cine Live, has a cover which shows a closeup of the new, very tarnishy and high tech sporty Superman suit for the super reboot. (via Movieline, IGN, and Studio Cine via SuperHero Hype)

Here are a bunch of movie posters for that zombie love story movie we discussed a while ago, Warm Bodies. The film comes out February 1^st, 2013. (via ComingSoon.net)

My boyfriend, John Barrowman, is set to play the villainous Malcolm Merlyn on the CW’s Arrow, while TV Guide reports that Teen Wolf’s Colton Haynes is joining the cast as Roy Harper (aka Speedy). (via CBR and TV Guide)

It’s not looking like Alan Cummings’ Nightcrawler is going to be one of the returning mutants for X-Men: Days of Future Past. Nobody called him about it. (via SuperHero Hype)

Iron Man 3 has added Chinese actor, Wang Xuequi to the cast as Dr. Wu. (via Deadline)

Spinoff Online picked up a rumor from Latino Review that the long-awaited Justice League movie will be based on the story arc from 1980′s Justice League of America Issues #183-185 (via Spinoff Online)

Zambell Films has acquired journalist, Laurie Sandall’s Eisner-nominated graphic novel, The Imposter’s Daughter (via Deadline)

Cartoon Network has ordered 14 episodes of a new animation short series called Clarence, created by Skyler Page. Clarence will be the third series to be developed by the network’s “shorts development initiative.” The first two series to come out of the short’s initative, Rebecca Sugar’s Steven Universe and Pete Browngardt’s Uncle Grandpa, were announced in September, with production reportedly beginning early next year (via Deadline)

Lastly, The Fantastic Four reboot release date has been announced. The film’s release is set for March, 2015. (via ComingSoon.net)

Have a nice weekend, people! Try not to do anything too weird.

@shannonsplanet

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Variant Entertainment Weekly cover celebrating next week’s release of The Hobbit

There’s hobbitses just around the corner, people. Peter Jackson’s Hobbit opus opens next Friday to so far mildly positive reviews (it’s currently clocking in at 71% Fresh over at Rotten Tomatoes). In celebration, EW has released four variant covers for this week’s issue, featuring different Hobbit principals. Peter Jackson is preparing for the release by defending his choice to show the film at 48 Frames per second while Warner Brothers is already teasing audiences with pics of the second Hobbit movie, in which Orlando Bloom, “returns” (or is it seen for the first time?) as Legolas (via Rotten Tomatoes, EW, and Comingsoon.net)

Get ready! There is a big plot twist coming up on the next episode of Arrow. It’s the mid-season finale though, so shouldn’t that be expected? In other Arrow related news, casting is underway for an actress to play the DCU character, Shado, an archer and assassin who becomes Oliver Queen’s lover. (via InsideTV and CBR)

Joss Whedon was named Entertainer of the Year by Entertainment Weekly. In this naming ceremony, newsy tidbit, EW reveals that Joss’ brother, Jed Whedon, and sister-in-law, Maurissa Tancharoen (who were the showrunners of Dollhouse and have co-production credits on Dr. Horrible) will be the showrunners for S.H.I.E.L.D., along with Jeffrey Bell (who has co-production credits on another Whedon show, Angel). The piece also says that Whedon already turned in an outline for Avengers 2 (EW)

Anne Hathaway would love to play Catwoman again. I could get into that. (via Access Hollywood)

And while we’re on the subject of Anne Hathaway’s turn as Catwoman, it is worth mentioning that Indiewire talked to Christopher Nolan who answered questions about Man of Steel (he’s producing) but skirted around any Justice League related inquiries (via Indiewire’s The Playlist)

Entertainment Weekly got a first look at the live action adaptation of Orson Scott Card’s Enders Game.

Enders Game first look (Image via EW)

Here is a picture of Harrison Ford as Colonel Graff and Asa Butterfield as Ender. The film will be released November 1st, 2013. Enders Game Director, Gavin Hood told EW that they have upped the ages of the children from 6 to 12 because it’s just, well, easier all around for everyone. Plus, middle grades are where it’s at, just ask any YA author you might know about their latest editorial revisions (via EW)

 THR has an interesting read about X-Men: Days of Future Past which speculates as to how Fox might bring back all the now very busy and totally famous X-Men from the original films. It is unconfirmed but rumored, for example, that Halle Barry and James Marsden will be reprising their roles as Storm and Cyclops (via THR)

The USA Network has picked up a World War 2 alien space drama called Horizon, which will be produced by The Walking Dead’s Gale Anne Hurd (via Deadline)

And, even though this came out a few weeks ago, just in case you missed it – here is a trailer for Season 2 of Derek Kirk Kim’s web series, Mythomania (via Mythomaniashow YouTube Channel)

Have a nice weekend!

@shannonsplanet