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Marvel Gets Cash to do 10 Films

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on from the make-going-to-the-theater-worth-remortgaging-the-house dept.

jmozena writes "Marvel has raised $525 million to independently finance 10 movies based on its comics over seven years. The titles named are Captain America, The Avengers, Nick Fury, Black Panther, Ant-Man, Cloak & Dagger, Dr. Strange, Hawkeye, Power Pack and Shang-Chi. The company's also changing its name from Marvel Enterprises to Marvel Entertainment."

5 of 604 comments (clear)

  1. Good Investment by fembots · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Based on the statistics, comic-turn-movies are bringing in around $350 millions each after cost.

    It's a pretty safe investment, they just need two good ones to break even, and another 8 crappy ones @ $20m each to have 30% return.

    --
    Rock that crushes, Paper & Scissors that don't matter.
  2. Don't get me wrong, but what? by ReformedExCon · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Just my impressions of the list:

    Captain America
    Didn't they do this one and it sucked?

    The Avengers
    A facless hero clan. I can't even name a single hero in this group.

    Nick Fury
    I guess because the Punisher movie worked so well...

    Black Panther
    Ah, a hero named after a hyper-racist group. I don't see anything wrong with that.

    Ant-Man
    Honey, I shrunk the superhero!

    Cloak & Dagger
    Not that Cloak was a completely contrived character, or that Dagger wore far too little clothing, but how could this movie possibly be interesting?

    Dr. Strange
    Who?

    Hawkeye
    Ah, Daredevil without charisma, but empowered with a ridiculous costume.

    Power Pack
    Never heard of them.

    Shang-Chi
    Is this like the token Asian guy?

    I think they probably need to stick with their franchise heros and stay away from these B and C-list zeroes.

    --
    Jesus saved me from my past. He can save you as well.
    1. Re:Don't get me wrong, but what? by jayhawk88 · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Captain America
      Didn't they do this one and it sucked?

      They also did Spiderman and FF movies that by all accounts were horrible before the "big" releases. It's not like anyone is not going to go see a summer blockbuster movie because that one time some independant film company in the 70's lucked into a license and the movie sucked.

      The Avengers
      A facless hero clan. I can't even name a single hero in this group.

      Captain America, Thor, Ironman, Hawkeye, Giant Man, The Wasp...Hell if they go really old school Hulk will make an appearance. Yes the Avengers don't have the kind of name recognition the X-Men, FF, or Justice League has, but that's what pre-movie hype is for.

      Nick Fury
      I guess because the Punisher movie worked so well...

      If they go for a Marvel Ultimates Universe style with this movie (which is pretty much what they did with FF), Nick Fury is a black, eye-patch-wearing James Bond ass-kicking character with a suit that allows him to fly and turn invisible. I guarentee you Sam Jackson's publicist is already pimping him for this role.

      Black Panther
      Ah, a hero named after a hyper-racist group. I don't see anything wrong with that.

      Are you posting this from the 1950's? Did someone invent timetravel:// and not tell me? Please, that argument isn't even worth responding to.

      Ant-Man
      Honey, I shrunk the superhero!

      Yeah, and? Those movies did pretty well if I recall; there is a huge movie market aimed at kids these days. I'll admit Ant-Man as serious comic-book movie doesn't sound too appealing, but Marvel has and obviously would love to continue to hit the 8-14 demographic or whatever, perhaps this is part of that?

      Cloak & Dagger
      Not that Cloak was a completely contrived character, or that Dagger wore far too little clothing, but how could this movie possibly be interesting?

      Hmmm...dark, brooding character who is in constant pain, running around fighting crime with an ultra-hottie. Nope, can't think of any demographic that would appeal to!

      Again, this probably isn't the type of movie that you take that seriously, but there is obviously a male teenage demographic to hit with this flick.

      Dr. Strange
      Who?

      Think of Gandalf battling the Balrog in Fellowship, except the Balrog is Dormammu, Lord of all Hell, and Gandalf is Dr. Strange, who can fly around and cast all kinds of CGI-friendly magic spells. And then take it times 10. Strange is all about magic in the MU, and this perhaps has the chance to be the best of the titles if done properly.

      Hawkeye
      Ah, Daredevil without charisma, but empowered with a ridiculous costume.

      Again, if they go the Ultimate Universe route, Hawkey basically looks like Brad Pitt; a super soldier who can use a bow like guys in John Woo movies use pistols. Hardcore action flick potential.

      Power Pack
      Never heard of them.

      Probably another kiddie flick, they were basically a bunch of kid superheros back in the 80's. Honestly this does seem like a strange choice to me, I would guess Marvel is seeing a Spy Kids type thing.

      Shang-Chi
      Is this like the token Asian guy?

      Yeah, because martial arts pictures aren't popular or anything.

      Look, I know most of these movies will probably turn out to be on the level of Elektra or Punisher, but the point is that there is material to work with here. These characters/teams are not as well known to the general public as a Spiderman, Hulk, X-Men or FF, but they do have interesting characters and stories to tell.

  3. Hey, what happened to... by shmlco · · Score: 5, Interesting
    Iron Man.

    And why not the Silver Surfer?

    --
    Any sect, cult, or religion will legislate its creed into law if it acquires the political power to do so.
  4. I work for the company that brokered the deal... by flicman · · Score: 5, Interesting

    ...and I pretty much agree that the slate sucks the way it's laid out. But consider this: Marvel has never before made their own films and had controlling interest in them. They've never had creative control to hire/fire screenwriters or directors, and they've only ever gotten a cut of the profits of the movies they make.

    This deal is important because it brings a new angle to the way movies get made in Hollywood - we created a mini studio out of a defunct has-been of a comic company, and we're going to do it again. All I'm saying is that you can bash the films all you want, but this is a good precedent because it's putting creative control for the first time in the hands of the creators. I know that in this case, there's no one left who helped create Captain America, but from a company standpoint, we're at the source. Who do you think is working on a deal with Image? Those cats aren't so old - there's a very real chance that they'll get to executive produce (at the very least) their own movies like no comic book geek has ever done before.

    Lastly, remember that the slate can (and will) change. I'm hoping that '300' can invigorate the hobbled historical epic genre because the script is good and the concept excellent. Sorry I'm late to the party.