[The_Return]

Before some noob comes in here and calls me out on it - yes, I know that this isn't horror related. Fuck you :)

So, we all know by now that Marvel is planning to make a big ol' epic franchise out of The Avengers - they started with Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk, both of which featured pretty badass references to future films.

From what I've read, the plan is to put out Iron Man II and Thor in 2010, followed by Captain America early in the summer of 2011 and capping things off with The Avengers later that season. They've also announced plan for an Ant-Man movie to be part of the saga(with Edgar Wright directing, supposedly), and rumor has it that Nick Fury might be in line for his own film, but to my knowledge no dates have been released for those projects.

So far, they're knocking the ball out of the park IMO. Iron Man and Incredible Hulk are both near perfect superhero movies - lots of action, super faithful the the source material, great effects and writing that's miles beyond your typical blockbuster. But what I think really sets them ahead of a lot of similar movies has to be the actors. Not only are people like Downey and Norton perfect for the roles, they are award winning, highly respected actors. This adds talent and prestige to the a genre that is ofter sorely lacking.

And they dont even stop with just the main characters; even the supporting casts are star studded in the best possible way. Guys like William Hurt, Tim Roth, Terrence Howard, Gweneth Paltrow, Jeff Bridges...Jesus, the amount of Oscar winners + nominees in these movies is simply mindblowing.

This does leave them with pretty massive shoes to fill for the upcoming projects though...can they find enough A-listers to round out the casts of at least 3 more major projects?

Supposedly, Marvel's first choice for Cap is Leonardo DiCaprio, if he wants the role. Personally, I think he's a great actor, but a very strange choice for Steve Rogers. But that said, I have complete faith in Marvel after Iron Man + Incredible Hulk, so if they think he'll pull it off, then he'll pull it off.

Casting Cap has an extra challenge: whoever they cast has to be able to command the screen as a leader, in a room with powerhouses like Downey and Norton. A lot of people are saying that they should try and cast an unknown for the part, but I really can't see somebody without much experience being able to hold their own with guys like that. Leo has the presence for sure, IMO, which is another reason that I'm backing up Marvel's choice.

I haven't heard anything even remotely concrete for Thor as yet...Matthew Vaughan is directing, but casting is still a total mystery. Rumor mill is suggesting that Brad Pitt and Kevin McKidd are being considered, and Karl Urban seems to be the fan favourite, but to the best of my knowledge Marvel hasn't released anything.

So, what do you guys think? Any ideas for casting? Should they use the classic 616 versions of the characters, update things to the Ultimate universe, or an amalgam of the two (as they seem to be doing so far)? What are your thoughts on Ant-Man - he is Marvel's Aquaman afterall, the butt of every joke - but can Wright make him worthwhile? What about Thor - the movies thus far have been as realistic as possible, but how can that treatment work for the son of a Norse god?

We've had some pretty good brief conversations about this stuff in other threads, but I thought it'd be fun to have an overall discussion thread. So, lets hear some opinions!