When the long-awaited Marvel Comic-Con panel kicked off in Hall H last Saturday, I expected there might be at least a little something from the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy. There was, but not what I was expecting. The first news came at the end of the Ant-Man panel (more about that below), in a video with Guardians of the Galaxy star Chris Pratt and director James Gunn.
They were supposedly chatting together, while ‘waiting for the feed to go live,’ and thought it would be hilarious if they just announced the secret news that a sequel to the film is a go, and that Guardians of the Galaxy 2 will hit theaters July 28, 2017. Calendars marked.
The next bit of Guardians news — well, kind of, in a way, Guardians news — came at the end of the Avengers: Age of Ultron panel. Here’s part of the panel that wasn’t included in our Monday Marvel post, with the aforementioned twist at the end:
Clip: Avengers: Age of Ultron – Comic-Con 2014 Panel Final Part Plus Special Guest
[youtube]http://youtu.be/Q4k_PtQY1uQ?list=UUvC4D8onUfXzvjTOM-dBfEA[/youtube]
Here’s the full info via Marvel.com:
SDCC 2014: OFFICIAL: Josh Brolin is Thanos in the Marvel Cinematic Universe
The acclaimed actor set to menace the Marvel heroes!
Thanos, Marvel’s most cosmic villain, now has a face as Josh Brolin joins the Marvel Cinematic Universe!
The celebrated actor can first be seen and heard as the Mad Titan in Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy,” in theaters August 1, and will subsequently play Thanos in future Marvel Studios films.
“Josh brings all the weight and stature necessary for a character as iconic and significant as Thanos,” said Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige. “We’re incredibly excited for fans to see more of him as the Marvel Cinematic Universe continues to expand.”
Brolin’s career began with the cult-classic “The Goonies,” and in his 29-year career since then the actor has taken on countless roles in both film and television, including critically-acclaimed performances in “No Country For Old Men,” “W.” and “True Grit.” In that time, Brolin has worked with such esteemed directors as Oliver Stone, Spike Lee, Joel and Ethan Coen, Woody Allen, and Robert Rodgriguez, who he will next reunite with on “Sin City: A Dame to Kill For” later this year. Following that, Brolin will appear in director P.T. Anderson’s “Inherent Vice,” adapted from the novel by Thomas Pynchon.
And finishing off with the start of the panel, moderator Chris Hardwick first brought out Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige, who then introduced… well, you’ll see:
Featurette: Ant-Man – Marvel Comic-Con 2014 Panel Highlights
[youtube]http://youtu.be/S3Gb3IyY1q4?list=UUvC4D8onUfXzvjTOM-dBfEA[/youtube]
Aww, Paul Rudd is adorable. And yes, this was the reveal for Hope Van Dyne and Darren Cross/Yellowjacket. 2015 is looking so great! We were also shown a clip, when Scott Lang is first learning how to be Ant-Man, directed by Hank Pym. Of course we’ll post it as soon as it’s released.
Guardians of the Galaxy starring Chris Pratt, Bradley Cooper, Dave Bautista, John C. Reilly, Karen Gillan, Benicio Del Toro, Glenn Close, Vin Diesel, Zoe Saldana, Lee Pace, and Michael Rooker is slated to hit theaters August 1st, 2014.
Avengers: Age of Ultron, starring Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Samuel L. Jackson, Jeremy Renner, Thomas Kretschmann, Aaron Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen and James Spader, is slated to hit theaters on May 1, 2015.
Ant-Man starring Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas, Evangeline Lilly and Corey Stoll, is slated to hit theaters on July 17, 2015.
Guardians of the Galaxy 2 is slated to hit theaters July 28, 2017.