Marvel Movie News: No 'Hulk' in Iron Man 3; 'Thor' to Encounter Elves in Thor: The Dark World [POSSIBLE SPOILERS]
Posted 07.19.12 by BrentJS
Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.) and Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) really seemed to click in The Avengers, but apparently the budding bromance was only meant to be a short-lived one. Despite the fact that Stark suggested that Banner swing by Stark Industries, we won't be seeing the Hulk and Iron Man teaming up again in Iron Man 3, Marvel Studios President of Production Kevin Feige told ScreenRant during an interview conducted at the recent San Diego Comic-Con. Though still a highly successful movie, most fans agree that Iron Man 2 suffered under the weight of too many characters and too many continuity strings tying it to the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, something that Feige does not want to see happen to its sequel.
The trick is to not let it get complicated. If you’re a fan of the comics than you’ll know that continuity in the comics can be really interesting and really fun and it can also start to crush under its own weight. Iron Man 3 is a direct move to prevent that from happening. So it is very much a [co-writer and director] Shane Black Tony Stark story.
There will still be plenty of familiar faces in Iron Man 3, however. Jon Favreau, director of the first two Iron Man movies, will reprise the role of Happy Hogan, Stark's pugilistic bodyguard and chauffer, and Gwyneth Paltrow will be back as Stark's main squeeze, Pepper Potts. Don Cheadle also returns as Lt. James "Rhodey" Rhodes, though he will be trading in his boring silver War Machine armor for a new, star-spangled version. Stark and co. will face the threat of the global terrorist known as the Mandarin (Sir Ben Kingsley) in the threequel, as well as cybernetically-enhanced bad guys juiced up on Extremis nano-technology.
***
In other Marvel movie news, Hollywood stunt man James Grogan may have spilled the beans on the threat that Thor (Chris Hemsworth) faces in Thor: The Dark World and reason for the movie's mysterious title. While chatting with Simon Bland of I Review Too... about the importance of acting to stunt work, Grogan inadvertently revealed that elves will be featured in the sequel.
The other day for example — this is quite random but I was working on Thor 2 — I had a load of stunt guys in and the director came in and he said, "Look, we want you all to be elves," and I was like, "What the hell is an elf anyway?" and he said, "I want you all to walk around like these supernatural animals." Honestly it was the most ridiculous thing ever but you just have to not be self aware and get on with it.
Granted, Grogan did not say that the elves were evil, but using our knowledge of Marvel mythology, coupled with the new title of the movie — The Dark World — we can infer that the elves in question are likely the "Dark Elves" of Svartlalfheim, one of the Nine Worlds that make up the Asgardian dimension. If that is the case, then it's likely that the big bad villain might be Malekith the Accursed, power-mad ruler of the Dark Elves and one-time possessor (in the Thor comics) of the Casket of Ancient Winters, which figured prominently in the plot of Thor.
Thor: The Dark World will be directed by Alan Taylor (Game of Thrones) from a script written by Thor screenwriter Don Payne and Robert Rodat (Saving Private Ryan). Chris Hemsworth returns as Thor, with Tom Hiddleston as Loki, Jamie Alexander as Sif, Idris Elba as Heimdall, Stellan Skarsgård as Dr. Erik Selvig and Natalie Portman as Jane Foster. Sir Anthony Hopkins is expected to reprise the role of Thor's father, Odin, but Joshua Dallas will not return as Fandral. We have yet to hear about Ray Stevenson returning as Volstagg or Tadanobu Asano as Hogun.
Next Showing: Iron Man 3 opens May 3, 2013;
Thor: The Dark World opens Nov. 8, 2013