Time to get back into the swing of things Towelites! CynicNerd is back and it’s time to round up all the latest news and rumors circling the interwebs about Marvel Studio’s Phase 2!!

A new pic of Iron Man 3 bad guy, the Mandarin surfaced this week, a very pensive and EVIL, Sir Ben Kingsley. I cannot wait for his interpretation of the role, and a villain I actually give a damn about in an Iron Man movie.

Frank Grillo will definitely be playing Crossbones in the upcoming Captain America sequel, but Grillo has revealed that he’s gonna live through this flick and show up in another Marvel sequel:

“Yeah, it’s a good run,” Frank Grillo said. But more interestingly, after he left the chat to “finish beating [actor] Jason Statham’s ass” for Homefront, Matthew Aaron said that, according to the same ‘Marvel rat’ that informed him of Frank Grillo’s involvement, one of the future films that Crossbones will appear in post-The Winter Soldier is Joss Whedon’s Marvel’s The Avengers sequel. Aaron added that Grillo will apparently portray Crossbones in three films total, with the inevitable third Captain America movie presumably being his final one.
Via: ComicBookMovie.com

Also look forward to cameos from some of you other favorites characters: Nick Fury, Black Widow, and Maria Hill! Here are some more rumors via ComicBookMovie.com

– The main antagonist of the movie is a certain Baron (this was only a tease and we are not sure if it is Baron Zemo)

Crossbones will have a rivalry with the Winter Soldier.

Captain America will lead a small team that includes Falcon and Black Widow.

Black Widow’s past will be revealed in flashbacks and will have ties with the Winter Soldier.

 

And speaking of SHIELD agents, looks like according to Television Show Auditions, SHIELD the television show will start shooting in January 2013!

“S.H.I.E.L.D.” will begin shooting mid-January, 2013 in Los Angeles.

The Walt Disney Company’s Marvel Television division of Marvel Entertainment is currently in pre-production for a new television series pilot titled “S.H.I.E.L.D.” for ABC. Casting directors in Los Angeles and New York are holding auditions for series regulars, recurring roles, and guest starring roles. The show’s extras will be cast throughout the season, which begins shooting in Los Angeles mid-January, 2012. “S.H.I.E.L.D.” will be set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, sharing constancy with the films in that franchise.

Academy Award winner Joss Whedon will direct the pilot episode from a teleplay written by himself, brother Jed Whedon and sister-in-law Maurissa Tancharoen. Joss Whedon directed and co-wrote the Marvel Studios feature films “Thor” and “The Avengers,” served as consultant on “Captain America: The First Avenger,” and is also going to direct “The Avengers 2”. Jed Whedon and his wife Maurissa Tancharoen worked together on “The Avengers,” and they will be showrunners/executive producers on “S.H.I.E.L.D.” with Jeffrey Bell if it is picked up to series by ABC. Jeph Loeb, Marvel Television Executive Vice President Head of Television, will also executive produce.

“S.H.I.E.L.D.” will be independent from “The Avengers” film, and people who haven’t seen the Marvel movies can jump right in and understand the storylines. There will generally be new characters and agents who are not superheroes, and even though they are a large organization, they will be underdogs since they still exist in that superhero universe. Clark Gregg is playing Agent Phil Coulson, the same role he has played in “Iron Man I & II,” “Thor,” and “The Avengers”. The series will center on his character. Screen Actors Guild Awards nominee Ming-Na Wen has been cast as as Agent Melinda May, an ace pilot and weapons expert.

More rumors about SHIELD TV being spread via ComicBookMovie.com:

– The show will use “the villain of the week” formula in its early episodes.

– Marvel will use the show to introduce new characters and villains to the Marvel cinematic Universe.

– Actors Cobbie Smulders ( Maria Hill), Maximiliano Hernández (Agent Sitwell), and Titus Welliver (agent from the Item 47 short) are all set to reprise their roles in the TV Series.

 

Great news on all fronts!! One more small rumor I wanted to share with you is Adam Warlock will be one of the featured characters in Guardians of the Galaxy!! Something we all have been waiting to hear about.

Stay tooned 😛

~CynicNerd