Thor: The Dark World (also known as Thor 2) is an upcoming American superhero film featuring the Marvel Comics character Thor, produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. It will be the sequel to 2011's Thor and the eighth installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Alan Taylor directed the screenplay by Christopher Yost, Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, which stars Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Stellan Skarsgård, Idris Elba, Christopher Eccleston, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Kat Dennings, Ray Stevenson, Zachary Levi, Tadanobu Asano, Jaimie Alexander, Rene Russo and Anthony Hopkins.
Development of Thor: The Dark World began in April 2011, when producer Kevin Feige announced plans for a sequel to follow the crossover film The Avengers. In July 2011, Kenneth Branagh, the director of Thor, withdrew from the project. Brian Kirk and Patty Jenkins were considered to direct the film before Taylor was hired in January 2012. The supporting cast filled out in August 2012, with the hiring of Eccleston, Dennings and Akinnuoye-Agbaje. Principal photography began in September 2012 in Surrey, England with filming continuing in Iceland and London, before wrapping up in December 2012. Like the first film, Thor: The Dark World will be converted to 3D in post-production.
Thor: The Dark World is scheduled to be released on November 8, 2013.
Development of Thor: The Dark World began in April 2011, when producer Kevin Feige announced plans for a sequel to follow the crossover film The Avengers. In July 2011, Kenneth Branagh, the director of Thor, withdrew from the project. Brian Kirk and Patty Jenkins were considered to direct the film before Taylor was hired in January 2012. The supporting cast filled out in August 2012, with the hiring of Eccleston, Dennings and Akinnuoye-Agbaje. Principal photography began in September 2012 in Surrey, England with filming continuing in Iceland and London, before wrapping up in December 2012. Like the first film, Thor: The Dark World will be converted to 3D in post-production.
Thor: The Dark World is scheduled to be released on November 8, 2013.
Premise for Thor: The Dark World (2013)
Set one year after The Avengers, Thor battles to save all the Nine Realms from a mysterious enemy older than the universe itself. A primeval race led by Malekith, who is out for revenge, intends to plunge the universe into darkness. Confronted by an enemy that even Odin and Asgard cannot overcome, Thor must reunite with Jane Foster and set out on a dangerous journey that will force him to make the ultimate sacrifice.
Set one year after The Avengers, Thor battles to save all the Nine Realms from a mysterious enemy older than the universe itself. A primeval race led by Malekith, who is out for revenge, intends to plunge the universe into darkness. Confronted by an enemy that even Odin and Asgard cannot overcome, Thor must reunite with Jane Foster and set out on a dangerous journey that will force him to make the ultimate sacrifice.
by The Centurion May 05, 2013
Spider-Man is a fictional character, a comic book superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko, he first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15 (cover-dated Aug. 1962). Lee and Ditko conceived the character as an orphan being raised by his Aunt May and Uncle Ben, and as a teenager, having to deal with the normal struggles of adolescence in addition to those of a costumed crimefighter. Spider-Man's creators gave him super strength and agility, the ability to cling to most surfaces, shoot spider-webs using wrist-mounted devices of his own invention (which he called "web-shooters"), and react to danger quickly with his "spider-sense", enabling him to combat his foes.
When Spider-Man first appeared in the early 1960s, teenagers in superhero comic books were usually relegated to the role of sidekick to the protagonist. The Spider-Man series broke ground by featuring Peter Parker, the high school student behind Spider-Man's secret identity and with whose "self-obsessions with rejection, inadequacy, and loneliness" young readers could relate. Unlike previous teen heroes such as Bucky and Robin, Spider-Man had no superhero mentor like Captain America and Batman; he thus had to learn for himself that "with great power there must also come great responsibility"—a line included in a text box in the final panel of the first Spider-Man story but retroactively attributed to his guardian, the late Uncle Ben.
When Spider-Man first appeared in the early 1960s, teenagers in superhero comic books were usually relegated to the role of sidekick to the protagonist. The Spider-Man series broke ground by featuring Peter Parker, the high school student behind Spider-Man's secret identity and with whose "self-obsessions with rejection, inadequacy, and loneliness" young readers could relate. Unlike previous teen heroes such as Bucky and Robin, Spider-Man had no superhero mentor like Captain America and Batman; he thus had to learn for himself that "with great power there must also come great responsibility"—a line included in a text box in the final panel of the first Spider-Man story but retroactively attributed to his guardian, the late Uncle Ben.
A bite from a radioactive spider on a school field trip causes a variety of changes in the body of Peter Parker and gives him superpowers. In the original Lee-Ditko stories, Spider-Man has the ability to cling to walls, superhuman strength, a sixth sense ("spider-sense") that alerts him to danger, perfect balance and equilibrium, as well as superhuman speed and agility. Some of his comic series have him shooting webs from his wrists. Academically brilliant, Parker has expertise in the fields of applied science, chemistry, physics, biology, engineering, mathematics, and mechanics. The character was originally conceived by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko as intellectually gifted, but not a genius; however, later writers have depicted the character as a genius. With his talents, he sews his own costume to conceal his identity, and constructs many devices that complement his powers, most notably mechanical web-shooters. This mechanism ejects an advanced adhesive, releasing web-fluid in a variety of configurations, including a single rope-like strand to swing from, a net to bind enemies, and a simple glob to foul machinery or blind an opponent. He can also weave the web material into simple forms like a shield, a spherical protection or hemispherical barrier, a club, or a hang-glider wing.
by The Centurion November 05, 2014
Magneto is a fictional character that appears in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, as well as in a number of television, movie, and videogame adaptations; most often in fiction related to the X-Men. Created in 1963 by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, Magneto is the X-Men's first and most famous adversary.
Magneto is a member of a fictional subspecies of humanity known as "mutants", who are born with superhuman abilities. Magneto can generate and manipulate magnetic fields, which gives him power over metal objects. A Jewish Holocaust survivor, Magneto is driven to protect the mutant race from suffering a similar fate. His role in comics has varied from supervillain to antihero to superhero.
Magneto is a member of a fictional subspecies of humanity known as "mutants", who are born with superhuman abilities. Magneto can generate and manipulate magnetic fields, which gives him power over metal objects. A Jewish Holocaust survivor, Magneto is driven to protect the mutant race from suffering a similar fate. His role in comics has varied from supervillain to antihero to superhero.
Magneto first appeared in the debut issue of X-Men in 1963, along with the titular team. Through the decades from the 1960s, Magneto has appeared in several issues of the original X-Men series, generally known as Uncanny X-Men, as well as in such spin-offs as X-Men, Astonishing X-Men, Alpha Flight, Cable, Excalibur, The New Mutants, many X-Men miniseries, and several other Marvel titles. His first solo title was a one-shot special, Magneto: The Twisting of a Soul #0 (September 1993), published when the character returned from a brief absence; it reprinted Magneto-based stories from Classic X-Men #12 & 19 (August 1987 & March 1988), by writer Chris Claremont and artist John Bolton.
by The Centurion December 31, 2014
The Green Hornet was a television show on the ABC US television network.
It aired for one season from 1966-1967, and starred Van Williams as the Green Hornet/Britt Reid and Bruce Lee as Kato.
The show followed the adventures of playboy and media mogul Britt Reid, owner and publisher of the Daily Sentinel. As the masked vigilante Green Hornet, Britt fought crime with the assistance of his martial-artist partner Kato and his weapons-enhanced car the Black Beauty. On police records, Green Hornet is a wanted criminal when in reality Green Hornet pretends to be a criminal in order to infiltrate and battle criminal gangs, leaving them and the incriminating evidence for the police's arrival.
The Green Hornet and Kato crossover into Batman TV series:
Van Williams and Bruce Lee made an appearance as the Green Hornet and Kato in the 1960s Batman TV series.
They appeared in the episode "The Spell of Tut" and also in the two-part second season episodes "A Piece of the Action" and "Batman's Satisfaction".
It aired for one season from 1966-1967, and starred Van Williams as the Green Hornet/Britt Reid and Bruce Lee as Kato.
The show followed the adventures of playboy and media mogul Britt Reid, owner and publisher of the Daily Sentinel. As the masked vigilante Green Hornet, Britt fought crime with the assistance of his martial-artist partner Kato and his weapons-enhanced car the Black Beauty. On police records, Green Hornet is a wanted criminal when in reality Green Hornet pretends to be a criminal in order to infiltrate and battle criminal gangs, leaving them and the incriminating evidence for the police's arrival.
The Green Hornet and Kato crossover into Batman TV series:
Van Williams and Bruce Lee made an appearance as the Green Hornet and Kato in the 1960s Batman TV series.
They appeared in the episode "The Spell of Tut" and also in the two-part second season episodes "A Piece of the Action" and "Batman's Satisfaction".
The Green Hornet and Kato (Van Williams and Bruce Lee) visit Gotham City to bust a counterfeiting stamp ring.
The Green Hornet: (taking routine inventory on his gadgetry before cruising into action) "Hornet gun...check. Hornet sting...check. Let's roll, Kato!"
The Green Hornet: (taking routine inventory on his gadgetry before cruising into action) "Hornet gun...check. Hornet sting...check. Let's roll, Kato!"
by The Centurion October 03, 2014
Street Hawk is an American television series that aired for 13 episodes on ABC in 1985.This series was originally planned for a debut in 1984 but ABC executives changed their minds and Street Hawk was pushed back to next year.
Street Hawk made its debut on January 4, 1985 on ABC and ran until May 16, 1985.
The Man
The series' protagonist is Jesse Mach(Rex Smith), a police officer and former amateur dirt-bike racer.Jesse Mach is secretly chosen to test a top secret project called Street Hawk.
Street Hawk is a high-tech, all-terrain attack motorcycle capable of speeds in excess of 300 miles per hour.
The Machine
MODEL: Top secret government project.
TOP SPEED: 200 MPH, 300 MPH with Hyperthrust.
WEAPONRY: Laser Cannon,Machine Guns,Rocket Launcher.
OTHER FEATURES: Infrared Cameras,Compressed Air Vertical Lift System,On and off road capability.
Street Hawk also had a computerized command system that allowed its operator to provide the motorcycle's rider with real-time information from various sources,and even operate the motorcycle on "autopilot" during its high-speed runs, achieved through a process called "hyperthrust".
Street Hawk
The show featured a number of guest appearances by up-and-coming actors who would go on to find success in their acting careers.
They include:George Clooney(ER);James Avery(The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air);Christopher Lloyd(Back to the Future); and Dennis Franz(NYPD Blue).
Street Hawk made its debut on January 4, 1985 on ABC and ran until May 16, 1985.
The Man
The series' protagonist is Jesse Mach(Rex Smith), a police officer and former amateur dirt-bike racer.Jesse Mach is secretly chosen to test a top secret project called Street Hawk.
Street Hawk is a high-tech, all-terrain attack motorcycle capable of speeds in excess of 300 miles per hour.
The Machine
MODEL: Top secret government project.
TOP SPEED: 200 MPH, 300 MPH with Hyperthrust.
WEAPONRY: Laser Cannon,Machine Guns,Rocket Launcher.
OTHER FEATURES: Infrared Cameras,Compressed Air Vertical Lift System,On and off road capability.
Street Hawk also had a computerized command system that allowed its operator to provide the motorcycle's rider with real-time information from various sources,and even operate the motorcycle on "autopilot" during its high-speed runs, achieved through a process called "hyperthrust".
Street Hawk
The show featured a number of guest appearances by up-and-coming actors who would go on to find success in their acting careers.
They include:George Clooney(ER);James Avery(The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air);Christopher Lloyd(Back to the Future); and Dennis Franz(NYPD Blue).
by The Centurion March 11, 2012
Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) is an American Academy Award-winning motion picture visual effects company that was founded in May 1975 by George Lucas. It is a division of the film production company, Lucasfilm, which Lucas founded, and was created when Lucas began production of the film Star Wars. ILM originated in Van Nuys, California, then later moved to San Rafael in 1978, and since 2005 it has been based at the Letterman Digital Arts Center in the Presidio of San Francisco. Lynwen Brennan, who joined the company in 1999, currently serves as ILM's President and General Manager. In 2012, The Walt Disney Company acquired ILM as part of its purchase of Lucasfilm.
Lucas wanted his 1977 film Star Wars to include visual effects that had never been seen on film before. After discovering that the in-house effects department at 20th Century Fox was no longer operational, Lucas approached Douglas Trumbull, famous for the effects on 2001: A Space Odyssey. Trumbull declined as he was already committed to working on Steven Spielberg's film Close Encounters of the Third Kind, but suggested his assistant John Dykstra to Lucas. Dykstra brought together a small team of college students, artists and engineers, and set them up in a warehouse in Van Nuys, California. Lucas named the group Industrial Light & Magic, who became the Special Visual Effects department on Star Wars. Alongside Dykstra, other leading members of the original ILM team were Ken Ralston, Richard Edlund, Dennis Muren, Joe Johnston, Phil Tippett, Steve Gawley, Lorne Peterson and Paul Huston.
by The Centurion December 28, 2014
The Phantom is an American adventure comic strip created by Lee Falk, also creator of Mandrake the Magician. A popular feature adapted into many media, including television, film and video games, it stars a costumed crimefighter operating from the fictional African country Bangalla.
The Phantom is the 21st in a line of crimefighters that originated in 1536, when the father of British sailor Christopher Walker was killed during a pirate attack. Swearing an oath on the skull of his father's murderer to fight evil, Christopher started the legacy of the Phantom that would be passed from father to son, leaving people to give the mysterious figure nicknames such as "The Ghost Who Walks", "Guardian of the Eastern Dark" and "The Man Who Cannot Die", believing him to be immortal.
Unlike many fictional costumed heroes, the Phantom does not have any superpowers but relies mainly on his strength, intelligence, and fearsome reputation of being an immortal ghost to defeat his foes. The 21st Phantom is married to Diana Palmer, whom he met while studying in the United States; they have two children, Kit and Heloise. Like all previous Phantoms, he lives in the ancient Skull Cave, and has a trained wolf, Devil, and a horse named Hero.
The series began with a daily newspaper strip on February 17, 1936, followed by a color Sunday strip on May 28, 1939; both are still running as of 2014. At the peak of its popularity, the strip was read by over 100 million people each day.
The Phantom is the 21st in a line of crimefighters that originated in 1536, when the father of British sailor Christopher Walker was killed during a pirate attack. Swearing an oath on the skull of his father's murderer to fight evil, Christopher started the legacy of the Phantom that would be passed from father to son, leaving people to give the mysterious figure nicknames such as "The Ghost Who Walks", "Guardian of the Eastern Dark" and "The Man Who Cannot Die", believing him to be immortal.
Unlike many fictional costumed heroes, the Phantom does not have any superpowers but relies mainly on his strength, intelligence, and fearsome reputation of being an immortal ghost to defeat his foes. The 21st Phantom is married to Diana Palmer, whom he met while studying in the United States; they have two children, Kit and Heloise. Like all previous Phantoms, he lives in the ancient Skull Cave, and has a trained wolf, Devil, and a horse named Hero.
The series began with a daily newspaper strip on February 17, 1936, followed by a color Sunday strip on May 28, 1939; both are still running as of 2014. At the peak of its popularity, the strip was read by over 100 million people each day.
Lee Falk continued working on The Phantom until his death in 1999. Today, the comic strip is produced by writer Tony DePaul and artists Paul Ryan (Monday-Saturday) and Terry Beatty (Sunday). Previous artists on the newspaper strip include Ray Moore, Wilson McCoy, Bill Lignante, Sy Barry, George Olesen, Keith Williams, Fred Fredericks, Graham Nolan and Eduardo Barreto.
New Phantom stories are published in comic books in different parts of the world, among them by Dynamite Entertainment in the United States, Egmont in Sweden, Norway and Finland (not anymore), and Frew Publications in Australia.
The Phantom was the first fictional hero to wear the skintight costume that has now become a hallmark of comic book superheroes and was also the first shown wearing a mask with no visible pupils, another superhero standard.
New Phantom stories are published in comic books in different parts of the world, among them by Dynamite Entertainment in the United States, Egmont in Sweden, Norway and Finland (not anymore), and Frew Publications in Australia.
The Phantom was the first fictional hero to wear the skintight costume that has now become a hallmark of comic book superheroes and was also the first shown wearing a mask with no visible pupils, another superhero standard.
by The Centurion December 20, 2014