Hulk, Ant-Man & Doctor Strange Focus Of Marvel’s Phase Three

On the heels of “Iron Man 3” hitting the billion-dollar mark this week, Marvel Studios is opening up about which superheroes they intend to bring to the big screen in coming years.

Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige revealed which characters are favored to land in their multi-film project known as Phase Three.

The first officially confirmed project? Edgar Wright’s “Ant-Man,” which is slated to hit theaters in November 2015 (just six months after “The Avengers 2” is released).

“We started working with Edgar on that movie right in the dawn of us becoming our own studio,” Feige revealed to EW. “It goes back so long you maybe even remember our 2006 appearance at Comic-Con — Edgar was on that panel talking about ‘Ant-Man.’ And it had been a few years [of planning] at that point.”

“Ant-Man” features a superhero with a suit that allows him to shrink in size and communicate with insects and creatures. The lead character has yet to be cast.

Also a contender is Doctor Strange – the surgeon-turned-sorcerer tasked with protecting Earth from supernatural threats.

“I would love Strange to be a part of [Phase Three] only because he’s a great character. He’s a great standalone character,” Feige said. “He’s got a great origin story, for the most part. And that world of pure magic, we haven’t done yet.”

Adding, “There’s a whole supernatural/magic alternate dimension going on in the Marvel comics that we haven’t ever touched on. So I think that’s exciting.”

Also in the mix is a “Hulk” feature, starring Mark Ruffalo (who plays Hulk/Bruce Banner in “The Avengers”).

“Mark could stand in his own movie… We’re talking about it,” Feige said. “We’re excited to sit down and go, ‘What is a standalone Hulk movie?’”

— Erin O’Sullivan

Copyright © 2024 by NBC Universal, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

This material may not be republished, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Read More

Camila Mendes & Marisa Tomei Think ‘Upgraded’ Is The Perfect Date Night Movie