Unless you were frozen in ice for a while, chances are you saw (or knew about) Captain America: The Winter Soldier, which released stateside last weekend, earning a record breaking opening for domestic box offices in April with $96 Million. Cap’s first film, and his appearance in the Avengers have revived the world’s fandom in Captain Rogers. So much so that Marvel Studios is already planning the pre production and release date of a third Cap film in Marvel’s Phase 3. Producer and mastermind, Kevin Feige has recently made it known that he has a calendar of upcoming Marvel projects leading up to 2028. Nobody but a select few executives know what these projects are, as 2028 will be the 20th anniversary of Iron Man, but we at least know what they have in mind leading up to Avengers 3.
Well, we think we do. Winter Spoilers may be ahead.
Phase 2: Guardians of the Galaxy
August 1st 2014
Directed by James Gunn
Cast: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, Lee Pace, Benicio Del Toro, John C. Reilly
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With a strong marketing campaign to make general audiences take interest in these B-list “Space Avengers,” Guardians of the Galaxy puts a human named Peter Quill with two dangerous alien mercenaries, a demolitionist raccoon and a tree together to make the worst team in the cosmos desperately trying to work together. This film will most likely set up alien races like the Skrill and the Kree, and the ultimate challenger to the Avengers: Thanos and his Infinity Gauntlet. But we won’t know for sure until we get to see it this August!
Phase 2: Avengers Age of Ultron
May 1st 2015
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Directed by Joss Whedon
Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Jeremy Renner, Elizabeth Olsen, Aaron Taylor Johnson, Paul Bettany, James Spader
Recently filming in South Korea, the Avengers will be assembling in just barely a year from now to square off against the mighty Ultron 5, the living automaton. Casting and production news point to the conflict against this living machine potentially having the hardest impact on our beloved playboy, Tony Stark. Paul Bettany, the voice of his trusty A.I. Jarvis, has been cast (in human form!) to play the Vision, Ultron’s personally made android serviceman, suggesting Jarvis will be turned against Stark and co. in the film. With Tony having to face off against his own friend, and the fact that Ultron is constantly upgrading to be the superior being, this fight may bring out the worst in Earth’s Mightiest Heroes…
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Phase 3: Ant Man
July 17th 2015
Directed by Edgar Wright
Cast: Michael Douglas, Paul Rudd, Patrick Wilson, Matt Gerald
This film’s script has been ready to go even before Avengers was conceived, and now that the very funny director of the Cornetto Trilogy has the time, production this original Avenger’s film has begun. The story is being kept under wraps, but the more we get to see in images, test footage and casting, it’s looking more and more badass, and it will be ready to kick off Phase 3 not even two months after we get Age of Ultron.
Phase 3: The Netflix Series – Daredevil, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, Jessica Jones
Cast Director & Release Unknown (as of April 2014)
Were you a bit disappointed by Agents of SHIELD as Marvel Studios’ first televised outing? Did The Winter Soldier leave you wanting more super-stories with fear and grit? Look no further than these street level heroes based right out of New York’s Hells Kitchen, and Marvel plans on taking the production of these 13 episode series’ to the streets of Manhattan when they begin filming. Given the dismantled fate of SHIELD in The Winter Soldier, it’s possible that Coulson and his team could be appropriated somewhere within these shows.
Phase 3: Doctor Strange
Cast, Director & Release Unknown (as of April 2014)
Spoiler for The Winter Soldier: Famous neurosurgeon, Stephen Strange has apparently been monitored by Hydra’s intelligence system for some time, bundled with the likes of Bruce Banner. The Sorcerer Supreme’s place in the Marvel Universe is crucial and brings the fantastical magic to a more human place, as he often does the same kind of street level crime fighting as Spider-Man or Daredevil, he just does it… inter-dimensionally. And if the Guardians of the Galaxy starts introducing new “Infinity Stones” for Thanos to get his hands on (and we here at The Young Folks believe there’s already been 3 through the films right under our noses), someone needs to start letting Earth’s Mightiest Heroes in on the potential danger. The project is officially unannounced, but with that big of a name drop in The Winter Soldier, and magic slowly becoming more vital to this universe, the Doctor is undoubtedly in the house somewhere, and coming to a theater near you soon.
Phase 3: Captain America 3 (Untitled)
May 6th 2016
More adventures for Cap, Falcon and Black Widow? Who doesn’t want that. There are plenty of stories this could tie into, but The Winter Soldier most certainly leaves us hungry for a hunt to find Bucky and bring him back to the light. Chris Evan’s contract is running out, as this and Avengers 3 would be his last Marvel films, and he very much is not interested in renewing. Sebastian Stan, on the other hand, has many more films to portray Bucky Barnes in. Given these contracts, and cosidering Hydra Assassin Frank Grillo (known as Crossbones in the comics) being merely burned at the end of Winter Solder, could this third film put Captain Rogers in a position that he is unable to don the Shield and Spangles? Could Bucky pick up the mantle that stands for the ideal America? Only time will tell, but the word is straight from the Hulk’s mouth over at Marvel that a May 6th 2016 date is being considered.
Phase 3: Avengers 3 (Untitled)
Release, Cast and Director: Only The Whedon Knows
The purple chin cometh. Whether it’s through Doctor Strange, the Guardians visiting Earth, or some revelation in a potential Thor 3, the Avengers will receive word that an intergalactic war between the Kree and the Skrull is on it’s way to our world, and Thanos is at the helm, driven by his literal love for death. Could this film see a teaming up of the Avengers and the Guardians? Will Earth’s defenses be ready now that SHIELD and it’s alien research is a scrap heap? We’ll see if the Avengers can play keep away with these Infinity Stones long enough, but not too long, or we won’t see this Avengers 1 setup realized until Avengers 4. Hopefully that’s not the case, but I’m a huge Marvel fan and have given up on trying to predict what they have up their sleeves, so I’ve resigned to letting myself be surprised by their moves on this insane chess board.
Other potential films on the boilerplate not mentioned in this list include: Iron Man 4, Thor 3, Guardians of the Galaxy 2 and hopeful Marvel fans have Black Widow, Black Panther and Ms. Marvel on the mind, too. More will be officially revealed in time, most likely at San Diego Comic Con in August of this year.
Jon’s review for Captain America: The Winter Soldier can be found here…
… as well as his detailed breakdown on the state of the Cinematic Universe post-Winter Soldier
Ally and I also discussed the film as will in The Young Folks Vlog feature last week.
For more about Captain America and other Marvel news, stick around on The Young Folks.
Until then: Excelsior, True Believers.
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