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The prodigal sons and daughters return to "defy" your expectations once more.

Just a couple of quick notes before the weekend hits: The CW announced today that it would be giving early renewals to 11 of its programs including everything under its DC Comics slate: The Flash, Arrow, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, and iZombie. This is welcome, but unsurprising, news as those first three series are among the […]

– 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.

Happiest of Fridays everyone! I just got back from a big lobbying trip in D.C. for a cause I’m pretty passionate about, so I’ve been a little off the radar this week. Let’s get back into the swing of things:

– iZombie‘s premiere is next week, and while its delays have left me feeling a little nervous about the potential end product, involving Mike Allred in any capacity is a nice way to salve that wound. He’s been tasked with designing the opening credits, and they’re lovely as anything he touches usually is:

– Latino Review is reporting that former True Blood star and one-time Flash Thompson actor Joe Manganiello is the front-runner to play Deathstroke in David Ayer‘s Suicide Squad. According to their sources, he’ll be the hired gun of the film’s primary antagonist, ONSLAUGHT. Manganiello has long been on WB’s radar, having come in second to Henry Cavill for the role of Superman.

He also kind of reminds me of Manu Bennett, who plays Deathstroke on Arrow, but maybe I need to get my eyes checked.

– Dominic Cooper, who famously plays the younger version of Howard Stark in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, may be wading into the comic book waters again; this time he’s being considered for the role of Jesse Custer in AMC’s upcoming Preacher pilot, via a rumor published by The Tracking Board. Much to a few of my friends’ dismay, I’ve never read Preacher, so I’ll let you decide if Cooper would be a good fit or not.

– After yesterday’s Star Wars announcement, we’re already starting to see some schedule shuffling. The first of which being the already announced sequel to Fantastic Four is moving back a week. Fantastic Four 2 will now open on June 9, 2017 (from its original June 2nd, 2017 date). Whether the movie actually happens or not still depends on the success of this year’s first installment. On that note, here are some new images from Total Film (via GamesRadar) that showcase the team’s new costumes, with nary a 4 in sight.

– Lastly, per Disney-Pixar’s Twitter, Josh Cooley, the story head for the upcoming Inside Out, has been announced as the co-director for Toy Story 4. He’ll be working with John Lasseter in the role. For this one, my interest is mostly piqued by Rashida Jones co-writing the script with Will McCormack.

It’s been a slow news day today, post Age of Ultron trailer, but I did go see Chappie last night (it’s terrible, I suddenly fear for the Alien franchise). Here’s your quick round-up of today’s entertainment-related news:

– Per Latino Review, Jared Leto‘s hairstylist Chase Kusero just posted a picture on Instagram of a “work in progress” look at Jared Leto’s Joker hair as it will appear in Suicide Squad. From that back-shot, it looks very Greg Capullo-esque:

The end of an era

A photo posted by @chasehair on Mar 5, 2015 at 1:04pm PST

– As we’re on the verge of Avengers: Age of Ultron debuting, in just under two months, it should be no surprise that theaters are planning big Marvel movie marathons. But it’s not just Phase 2 they’re showing, no sir/ma’am, it’s the entire Marvel oeuvre to this point. Starting April 29th at 6 pm and ending just before 10 pm or so the next day, select AMC and Regal theaters across the country will be showing all 11 Marvel Studios films in their order of release.

Here’s the full schedule:

6:00 p.m. – Iron Man
8:25 p.m. – The Incredible Hulk
10:35 p.m. – Iron Man 2
1:00 a.m. – Thor
3:10 a.m.  – Captain America: The First Avenger
5:30 a.m. – The Avengers
8:48 a.m. – Iron Man 3
11:15 a.m. – Thor: The Dark World
1:45 p.m. – Captain America: The Winter Soldier
4:20 p.m. – Guardians of the Galaxy
7:00 p.m.– Avengers: Age of Ultron

As you can see, you can take a nap during Iron Man 2, and maybe run out for IHOP around the showings of Iron Man 3 or Thor: The Dark World. Otherwise though, there’s no breaks built in and you better make good use of that unlimited refill on the popcorn and sodas!

Those who are feeling a little more time crunched can instead opt for Cinemark‘s Avengers double bill. I remember I tried to do something like this once with The Lord of the Rings movies right before The Return of the King came out. By the time I got to the third film, I was ready to see Frodo tossed into Mount Doom. But more power to anybody that gives this one a go!

– Variety spoke with WB’s CEO Kevin Tsujihara for a piece about the possibility of audiences facing superhero fatigue, an assertion that he dismissed. Yet, the quote that fans are zeroing in on specifically is one that posits WB’s upcoming DC-based superhero slate against the meteorically successful Marvel one:

“The worlds of DC are very different,” he said. “They’re steeped in realism, and they’re a little bit edgier than Marvel’s movies.”

“Edgier” is a word I wish he hadn’t used, as that brings to mind many of the major criticisms that detractors struck Man of Steel with: that it was film too grim for its own good, among many other complaints. Whether that will prove true for the upcoming offerings in 2016 remains to be seen. Where I feel like WB should set the DC films apart from Marvel is by making them more auteur-driven, rather than forcing an overall edict of realism onto Aquaman and Shazam!. The one big Achilles’ heel that Marvel has is that they’re a bit “samey” in their approach, in that every film has to fit the same tone, plot beats, and has to uphold the on-going universe above all else. There’s no real room for a director to really lay his stamp onto the characters the way Tim Burton and Christopher Nolan did for Batman and Sam Raimi did for Spider-Man (the good ones anyway, whichever those are, I’ll leave to your discretion). But, I can’t think of anything less appealing than a cinematic universe that operates just like Marvel but in the same gray sludgey tones as Man of Steel. For all its faults, the MCU at least has some great color throughout and is a good deal of fun to watch on the biggest screen possible. I’ll keep my fingers crossed that I’ll be pleasantly surprised come next year.

– After Marvel’s early Age of Ultron trailer release, today they let loose with a few short behind the scenes videos with Cineplex featuring Joss Whedon and Jeremy Renner while in the midst of filming:

-Last but not least and just in case it slipped your mind; on March 17th, the same day The Flash returns to CW, iZombie will be debuting just after, here’s a trailer for the upcoming adaptation by Rob Thomas (Veronica Mars) of Chris Roberson and Mike Allred‘s Vertigo comic:

This future CW show will be appearing as a mid-season replacement so ther’es a ways to go. But in the menatime, here’s Rose McIver in the title roll of iZombie, based on the Chris Roberson Mike Allred comic. Hopefully there will be mroe Allred-ian touches to come.

Wow what a week for DC’s tv properties! iZombie, The Flash and Constantine have ALL been picked up for series commitments! The Flash, which is a spinoff of Arrow, will air on The CW, as will iZombie, based on the Chris Roberson/Mike Allred Vertigo book of the same name. And NBC has ordered Constantine, based on the famed Vertigo comics. Score another one for The Original Writer!

iZombie will be helmed by Veronica Mars Rob Thomas and Diane Ruggiero. Arrow’s Greg Berlanti is running The Flash as well while Geoff JOhns wrote the pilot, which I’m sure made him very very happy. David Goyer is running Constantine, which stars Matt Ryan as the rumpled demon fighter.

NBC’s also passed along the first still from Constantine which features Ryan and Lucy Griffiths, and doesn’t look stilted or posed at all. Also: trenchcoat rumbledness is wayyyyyy too low. Work on that, Smithers.

Harold Perrineau and Charles Halford are also in the cast.

This is a pretty stunning sweep for Warner’s TV unit, and reinforces why investing in the Vertigo imprint is still a good idea from a development viewpoint. It’s also a nice riposte to Marvel’s dominance in the movie sphere.

This week, everything isn’t coming up MIlhouse, but it is coming up Warner Bros./DC TV.