Has Luke Skywalker Been Missing For 30 Years?

Warning, there are spoilers following for the upcoming episode VII. So read this at your own peril!

According to the people at This Is Infamous:

From what I’ve been told, Luke hasn’t been missing for a full 30 years, only about 10, with his early time post-RETURN OF THE JEDI being spent rebuilding the Jedi Order. Yeah, Luke had some things to do, in order to help get things back on track after the fall of the Empire. In addition, he has grown so powerful with his command of the Force that he can literally move mountains or bring down ships with merely a glance. But then Luke begins to feel a disturbance in the Force… and starts to feel the lure of the Dark Side. If word about the Emperor’s resurgence is true, I believe his presence and desire to court young Skywalker once again is the root of this new evil. Because he knows just what a danger he would be if successfully convinced to switch sides, Luke goes into a self-imposed exile and disappears.

But then Luke begins to feel a disturbance in the Force… and starts to feel the lure of the Dark Side. If word about the Emperor’s resurgence is true, I believe his presence and desire to court young Skywalker once again is the root of this new evil. Because he knows just what a danger he would be if successfully convinced to switch sides, Luke goes into a self-imposed exile and disappears.

But where does he go?

Where might he possibly set up shop in order to deal with this struggle once again?

It’s an existing planet from the STAR WARS Saga he’s been before where one might go to contemplate the Force and potentially face down the Dark Side.

. . . 

DAGOBAH!!

Luke Skywalker relocates to Yoda’s old home planet, and that is where he will be found and reunited with his old lightsaber by friends both old and new.

The Walking Dead (TV) - Is Daryl Dixon Gay?

Let's start this week off with a deep discussion. What do YOU think? Robert Kirkman was quoted as saying when asked about this fan favorite's sexual orientation:

All I can say is that it’s been discussed. We have very specific ideas about Daryl’s sexuality (or the seeming lack thereof), and if there’s ever a quiet period in the show where he’s not consistently distracted by crossbowing… we’ll tackle it in the show.

So, what do you think? Season 5 premieres on 12 October.

Mark Wahlberg To Become The Six Million Dollar Man

Total Film brings us the following rumor:

According to The Tracking Board, Universal has ear-marked Wahlberg, currently storming the box office as the new face of the Transformers franchise, as the man to head up the character’s revival.

The report also claims that Universal has approached Peter Berg to produce and direct, which would represent something of a Lone Gunman reunion between he and Wahlberg.

Universal has yet to confirm any of this, although given Wahlberg’s midas touch at the box office of late, it certainly sounds plausible. One to watch with interest…

Are Chris Pratt And Danny McBride Rebooting "Knight Rider"?

The Schmoes seem to have a line on a rumor saying this is the case.

Based off of the 1982 television series about a lone crime fighter battling the forces of evil with the help of his indestructible and artificially intelligent car, KNIGHT RIDER was one of my favorite shows growing up. Now, the only question I have is: who is up for what?

Is Chris Pratt up for Michael Knight? Or is it Danny McBride? My two cents? I think Pratt is being looked at for Michael Knight and McBride for the voice of KITT. Yup. There I said it.
And with that being said, we would be getting a decidedly different tone than we’ve previously had with any KNIGHT RIDER incarnation (and for The Weinstein Company). Obviously, this is turning into a sort of action-comedy hybrid; perhaps in the same vein as 21 JUMP STREET.  That remake worked and with the possibility of Pratt and McBride teaming up for a KNIGHT RIDER movie, I see no reason why this can’t work too. Consider me optimistic that this news will be confirmed soon.

But as I always say, never count out the Phantom (the source for the rumor; ed.) who has a pretty solid track record. Now, the waiting game to see if this pans out.

Batman Vs. Superman (2015) - Unconfirmed Batman Costume Design

Bleeding Cool brings us the following:

According to Little Bleeder Carl Wallace, the following image was posted to the Facebook page of Comic Art House and offered for sale. There was one comment, by Scott himself, that read “Wrong one.” And then it was pulled.

Well, it would seem to be authentic at first glance. The info at the top connects this image to Superman, the face is clearly Affleck and there are references to “Ben.”

But some of the caption seem too funny to be true.

Lower the bat ears… No Bat Nipples!!!

and

Texture should separate Batman from rest of JLA and Superman! Ben wants no Bat Nipples

We’re having our legs pulled, right? The only thing standing between us and the return of the Bat Nipples is Ben Affleck?

Batman Vs. Superman (2012) - Could Timothy Dalton Be Alfred?

Cosmic Book News brings us the following rumor:

We are told it is by no means official, but Snyder, and to an extent David Goyer, have ideas for the major supporting cast members already. We are told Timothy Dalton is being looked at for a different take on Alfred Pennyworth as an example of something that is being thrown about.

Our DC Entertainment source previously provided us with early Man of Steel script information which mentioned the bus crash scene, Lana Lang witnessing Clark using his powers, LexCorps in the skyline, and our DC source most recently had Ben Affleck named as a potentional for Batman as well as Tyler Hoechlin, which I've been able to verify through a second source.

The film is scheduled to hit theaters on 17 July 2015.

The Avengers: Age Of Ultron (2015) - Secret Villain Revealed

Don't watch this video if you want to have the film be a surprise to you, as it may reveal some hidden portion of the story.

Star Wars: Episode VII (2015) - How Will Palpatine Return?

The Latino Review tells us this rumor:

One would think that they would at least give you the title or some casting from the upcoming trilogy, but all you got was what you already know, J.J. Abrams will direct “Star Wars: Episode VII” from a script by Michael Arndt and that John Williams is back to score the next “Star Wars” film, which is set for release in the summer of 2015.

Yadda, yadda, yadda…

Anyway, then came a rumor that actor Ian McDiarmid was to return for a role in the upcoming sequels.

McDiarmid played Emperor Palpatine in the original trilogy and Supreme Chancellor Palpatine in the prequels. As you know in “Return of the Jedi” the Emperor dies, so it was kind of shocking that he will return.

The specifics of McDiarmid’s return was unclear and it was even said he might come back as a clone, like in the comic books.

According to my source, he does come back in a way. Here is what I was told.

Palpatine comes back as a Force Ghost..like Obi Wan. (Sith Lords learned similar techniques, which in some cases allowed them to physically interact with their environment.)

Palpatine will not be a clone, not in human form.

Now here is a HUGE tidbit…

SPOILERS!

Palpatine had a new apprentice before he got killed.

Why would the clone be an old emperor? Go look at some of the old Dark Horse Comics. They cloned the emperor in those comics. Why would they repeat that? Why bring the emperor back to life? That would just be stupid as all hell.

Sorry to geek fans who made up their own world but it just is NOT how it is.
Once again not going by any books. Not one thing they have in the script is from a book.

Superman Vs. Batman (2014) - Is Christian Bale Back?

Digital Spy offers asks us to consider the following:

Christian Bale has allegedly been offered a deal to reprise his Batman role.

Warner Bros is said to have approached the British actor with a $50 million contract, in the hopes of securing him for the Superman vs Batman project.

Bale himself has publicly ruled out returning as Bruce Wayne in any more movies, explaining that three Dark Knight films were enough.

However, author Vince Russel has claimed in his new eBook Beyond Batman: The Unauthorized True Story of Christian Bale and His Dark Knight Dilemma that Bale is not out of the running just yet.

Russel writes that Bale is under "extraordinary pressure" to reprise his superhero role in the upcoming sequel to Man of Steel.

Is Jim Carrey In The Amazing Spider-man 2?

It's Jim Carrey! #sorrynotsorry he came to the spiderman set today! I wonder what he's doing there!!! 😄 http://t.co/PoDVnik8qQ
— Danny Browne (@dannypbrowne) March 13, 2013

What Is Vin Diesel Trying To Say?

Does this mean he's doing the voice acting for Groot? After all, he hinted that he had something going on with Marvel recently, just not exactly what it was. Now the rumor mill says he's doing the voice for Groot, and this FB post is him tickling the rumor mill.

What do you think?

Is A TV Series Based On The Exorcist In Development?

Deadline brings us the following:

As we mark the 40th anniversary of William Friedkin’s horror classic The Exorcist this year, a TV series take on William Peter Blatty’s best seller is brewing. I hear Morgan Creek, which has the rights to the property, is shopping an Exorcist drama series penned by hot young feature writer Jeremy Slater. I hear there is interest in the project from broadcast and cable networks. Roy Lee, executive producer of The Departed and The Ring, is set to executive produce. Last year, Morgan Creek and Lee shopped an Exorcist limited series project with a different writer, Sean Durkin. I hear Slater’s is a brand new take on the material. On the feature side, UTA-repped Slater penned the upcoming Fantastic Four reboot and has been tapped by Warner Bros. and David Heyman to adapt graphic novel Fables.

We reviewed the film back in episode 160.

Is Mark Strong Possibly Playing Lex Luthor?

Digital Spy brings us the following:

Mark Strong has hinted that he will play Lex Luthor in Man of Steel's untitled sequel.

Following the release of Zack Snyder's film, it was strongly rumored that Superman's iconic nemesis would feature in the sequel, with Strong named as one of several contenders for the role.

Asked by Digital Spy whether there was any truth to the rumors, Strong responded: "All I can say is... watch this space."

You'll remember Strong played Sinestro in the Green Lantern from 2011, so he's no stranger to playing a bad guy in a DC film.

Superman Vs. Batman (2015) - Could Jeffrey Dean Morgan Be Batman?

Think McFly Think brings us the following:

In addition to the aforementioned Matthew Goode, We're hearing that that another Watchmen alum is a contender for Batman.

Jeffrey Dean Morgan.

The actor is taking a meeting with Zach Snyder for the role of Batman. This doesn't mean he is a lock for the part but Morgan was rock solid as Comedian in Zack Snyder's Watchmen and a little familiarity doesn't hurt. The actor seems to have an eerily similar look to other names previously listed such as Jon Hamm. Passing by Josh Brolin he would be the oldest candidate at 47 years old. You can now see Morgan on Magic City, a TV series that centers on Miami mobsters and other characters from Miami Beach in the late 1950s. Starz has decided not to pick up the series after two seasons.

The Avengers: Age Of Ultron (2015) - Did Tony Stark Create Ultron?

IO9 shares the following casting call for the film with us:

In "The Avengers: Age of Ultron" Loki is gone and the new villain will be the evil robot Ultron, who has the ability to keep upgrading his own strength, making him extremely fearsome. Tony Stark/Iron Man becomes the unwitting creator of Ultron. The brother-and-sister team of Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch become the seventh and eighth members of The Avengers. Quicksilver has extreme speed, while Scarlet Witch can cast spells and has telekinesis ability. Black Widow and Hawkeye will be key figures in the film.

Which explains why Hank Pym isn't necessary for the film. But there's no final confirmation that the above is completely authentic.

The Amazing Spider-man 2 (2014) - Character Revelations To Be Made

Total Film spoke with director Marc Webb, who said the following:

There are a few actors in the film whose characters haven’t been revealed yet, is that because they’ll be familiar to fans?

“Hmmm... Well, how do I answer that? [Laughs] How about this? Anything you expect, you'll be surprised. To be totally honest, I intentionally conceal these things because I want people to be engaged and surprised when they see the film and experience it for the first time. It's not like Harry Potter or Twilight necessarily where you know the stories.

"And we are constructing them from elements of the comics obviously, from the canon, and we pay homage and are very protective of certain elements of the canon, but we want people to experience it for the first time in the theatre and I think that’s an experience that it often robbed from the audience, so you’ll forgive me being coy [grins].”

 And rumors abound that these concealed characters are going to form the movie version of the Sinister Six:

Image Source: http://veryill.deviantart.com/art/The-Sinister-Six-151049535

MOS Sequel May Be "Batman VS Superman"

Comicbook.com brings us the following:

During the Superman 75th Anniversary panel, Man Of Steel writer David S. Goyer said, “So over in Hall H at the Warner Bros.–I guess most people know now–at the end of the Warner Bros. panel, Zack came out and he brought Harry Lennix, who plays General Swanwick in Man of Steel and we–actually, Harry read a bit from [The Dark Knight Returns] and so the next film we’re making, we’re already in pre-production, comes out in summer of 2015 and it’s–we’re actually not sure whether the title is Superman vs. Batman or Batman vs. Superman but yes, it’s–that rematch, that combination, the two guys onscreen and that’s happening.”

David S. Goyer only gave two examples of what the title could be, so we did a little research, figuring that Warner Bros. would likely have registered the domain name that they would want to use for the title. It turns out that Warner Bros. owns both SupermanVsBatman.com and BatmanVsSuperman.com, which could be used to protect comic book titles as well as movie titles. However, when we added movie to the end, we found out that Warner Bros. had only registered BatmanVsSupermanMovie.com but not SupermanVsBatmanMovie.com.

Could DC Reboot Batman Movies With "Batman Beyond"?

Batman On Film is bringing us word of this rumor:

Warner Bros. has been playing around with a lot of different ideas in terms of bringing Batman back to the big screen. From asking Ben Affleck to star and director the next movie, to bringing back Joseph Gordon-Levitt, or even Christian Bale — they’ve gone through a lot of options. According to a new report from BOF, the latest reboot idea is a Batman Beyond movie. Batman Beyond was an animated TV series which aired from 1999-2001. It featured teenager Terry McGinnis as a new Batman in a futuristic Gotham City. The original Batman, a much older Bruce Wayne, was McGinnis’ mentor.

 

X-Men: Days Of Future Past (2014) - More Plot Speculation

Vulture brings us the following:

One of those reveals won't come as a shock to anyone who's been following paparazzi pictures from the Montreal set: Though Singer hasn't yet announced the identity of the villain that Game of Thrones star Peter Dinklage will be playing, expect official confirmation on Saturday that Dinklage's baddie is Bolivar Trask, known to comic-book readers as the creator of the mutant-hunting Sentinel robots. However, what's been unknown till now is that Days of Future Past features another famous X-Men villain, who'll be played by the recently cast Australian actor Josh Helman. When the Wrap broke the news that Helman had joined the production in a major part, fans speculated that he might be playing a young Cyclops, since the actor shares some enviable bone structure with original X actor James Marsden. Not quite: Helman will be playing a young Bill Stryker, the primary antagonist role that was filled by Brian Cox in X2: X-Men United.

Singer may also tease details of the film's plot, which is based on a 1981 comic-book story line authored by Chris Claremont. That version presented a dystopian future ruled by Sentinels, a setting so grim for our heroes that fan-favorite mutant Kitty Pryde sends her consciousness back in time to warn the X-Men, who then try to stop the assassination of a senator that would set in motion the mutant-threatening events to come. In Singer's take, Ellen Page returns as Kitty from the Brett Ratner–directed X-Men: The Last Stand, but this time she uses her powers to send Hugh Jackman's Wolverine back into the past, where he encounters the younger mutants played by James McAvoy, Jennifer Lawrence, and Michael Fassbender. However, something bad happens to Kitty during the time-travel trance, and while Wolverine is still under her spell, the other X-Men must race to find a mutant who can siphon Kitty's powers and bring their friend back to the future. Could that be the plot development that brings Anna Paquin's power-copying Rogue into the fold once again?

Possible "Hulk 2" Plot (Rumor)

Comic Book Movie brings us the following:

Now, according to one of The Daily SuperHero's screenwriting sources—who is closely plugged into Marvel movie development ideas—word on the street says the Hulk sequel might be getting a treatment based on some of the Bruce Banner-specific concepts in Marvel NOW's Indestructible Hulk comic.

In case you are not familiar with the Indestructible Hulk comic, the basic premise of the story is that Hulk is an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. To get into more detail about the current comic title, Banner feels he needs to give back to society so he approaches S.H.I.E.L.D. and asks for a lab where he can give the world inventions that will help society in exchange for letting S.H.I.E.L.D. "point and aim" the Hulk whenever needed.

So why would this work on the big screen? First of all, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige has openly said the key to another Hulk film is Ruffalo's portrayal of Banner. Hulk is just the icing on the cake in any future movie. Plus, Marvel's continued vision and focus since the days of Stan Lee running the show has been all about the person and his or her character behind the hero. So far this has been true in Marvel's Phase 1 and seems to be continuing during Phase 2 as well.

In the case of an Indestructible Hulk-based movie script, Banner would definitely be a big focus. As would S.H.I.E.L.D and having Hulk as a SHIELD agent brings a more realistic use for the green hero instead of telling the story that he's always running and hiding to stay away from stress, anger and putting people in danger.