RW416 - MCU Rewatch - Thor

In this episode of The Marvel Cinematic Universe Rewatch, Cory and Nathan take a kingly stance in their discussion of "Thor."

Trailer:

Our Favourite Trivia:

Sam Raimi originally envisioned the idea for Thor after making Darkman (1990); he met Stan Lee and pitched the concept to 20th Century Fox, but they did not understand it. Thor was abandoned until April 1997, when Marvel Studios was beginning to expand rapidly. The film gained momentum after the success of X-Men (2000). The plan was for Thor to be made for television. UPN was in talks for airing it; excited by the prospect, they pushed for a script and approached Tyler Mane to play Thor. In May 2000, Marvel Studios brought Artisan Entertainment to help finance it as a film, but by June 2004 the project still had yet to be patronized by a studio. Sony Pictures Entertainment finally purchased the film rights, and in December 2004 David S. Goyer was in negotiations to write and direct. By 2005, though there were talks between Goyer and Marvel, Goyer was no longer interested, though at this point the film was still set to be distributed through Sony Pictures.

Mark Protosevich, a fan of the Thor comic book, agreed to write the script in April 2006, and the project moved to Paramount Pictures, after it acquired the rights from Sony. That year the film was announced to be a Marvel Studios production. In December 2007, Protosevich described his plans for it "to be like a superhero origin story, but not one about a human gaining superpowers, but of a god realizing his true potential. It's the story of an Old Testament god who becomes a New Testament god". In August 2007 Marvel Studios signed Matthew Vaughn to direct the film. Vaughn then rewrote Protosevich's script in order to bring down the budget to $150 million, as Protosevich's first draft would have cost $300 million to produce. After the success of Iron Man, Marvel Studios announced that they intended to release Thor on June 4, 2010, with Iron Man 2 being used to introduce the character of Thor.

In May 2009, Chris Hemsworth was in negotiations to portray the title role after a back-and-forth process in which the 25-year-old actor was refused early on, then given a second chance to read for the part. Hemsworth's brother, Liam also auditioned for the role, but was passed on by Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige.

When Chris Hemsworth (Thor) and Sir Anthony Hopkins (Odin) saw each other in full armor for the first time, Hopkins said, "God, there's no acting required here, is there?"

This is Rene Russo's first movie in six years. According to Russo, it was her daughter who persuaded her to work on the movie, after a long sabbatical.

Dr. Selvig (Stellan Skarsgård) mentions a comrade who got mixed up with S.H.I.E.L.D., whom he described as "a pioneer in gamma radiation". This alludes to Bruce Banner, whose experiments in gamma radiation mutated him into The Incredible Hulk (2008). A deleted scene also has him mention Hank Pym, from Ant-Man (2015).

Mjölnir" is ancient Norse for "grinder"

The final Marvel Studios movie shot entirely on 35mm film.

There are 1,309 visual effects shots in this movie.

Stan Lee Cameo: Lee appears among many people at the site where Thor's hammer Mjolnir lands on earth. He tears the bed off his pickup truck in an attempt to pull Mjolnir out of the ground with a chain and causes everyone in the scene to laugh by asking, "Did it work?". His character is credited as "Stan the Man", a nickname he had adopted in the Silver Age of Comic Books.

What's Up Next?

Next episode, we discuss "Captain America: The First Avenger"

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RW415 - MCU Rewatch - Iron Man 2

 

In this episode of The Marvel Cinematic Universe Rewatch, Cory and Nathan crash head first into "Iron Man 2."

Trailer:

Our Favourite Trivia:

Immediately following Iron Man's release, Marvel Studios announced that they were developing a sequel, with an intended release date of April 30, 2010. In July 2008, after several months of negotiating, Favreau officially signed on to direct. That same month, Justin Theroux signed to write the script, which would be based on a story written by Favreau and Downey. Theroux co-wrote Tropic Thunder, which Downey had starred in, and Downey recommended him to Marvel.

In October 2008, Marvel Studios came to an agreement to film Iron Man 2, as well as their next three films, at Raleigh Studios in Manhattan Beach, California. A few days later, Don Cheadle was hired to replace Terrence Howard. On being replaced, Howard stated, "There was no explanation, apparently the contracts that we write and sign aren't worth the paper that they're printed on sometimes. Promises aren't kept, and good faith negotiations aren't always held up.”

As Favreau and Theroux chose to reduce the role, Marvel came to Howard to discuss lowering his salary—Howard was the first actor hired in Iron Man and was paid the largest salary. The publication stated they were unsure whether Howard's representatives left the project first or if Marvel chose to stop negotiating. Theroux denied the part of the report which claimed the size of the role had fluctuated. In November 2013, Howard stated that, going into the film, the studio offered him far less than was in his three-picture contract, claiming they told him the second will be successful, "with or without you," and, without mentioning him by name, said Downey "took the money that was supposed to go to me and pushed me out."

In January 2009, Rourke and Rockwell entered negotiations to play a pair of villains. A few days later, Rockwell confirmed he would take the role, and that his character would be Justin Hammer. Paul Bettany confirmed that he would be returning to voice J.A.R.V.I.S. Marvel entered into early talks with Emily Blunt to play the Black Widow, though she was unable to take the role due to a previous commitment to star in Gulliver's Travels. Samuel L. Jackson confirmed that he had been in discussions to reprise the role of Nick Fury from the first film's post-credits scene, but that contract disputes were making a deal difficult. Jackson claimed that "There was a huge kind of negotiation that broke down. I don't know. Maybe I won't be Nick Fury."

A lot of Whiplash's identifying features were suggested by Mickey Rourke. He wanted to perform half of his role in Russian, and consulted on the character's tattoos and gold teeth, as well as having a pet cockatoo. In fact, Rourke paid for the bird and the gold teeth out of his own pocket.

Mickey Rourke complained that many of his scenes were cut, especially scenes that provided more character development for Ivan Vanko.

(at around 22 mins) According to Jon Favreau, the Asian man who hands Vanko false papers, in order to get to Monaco, is a member of the Ten Rings, the terrorist organization Stark encountered in the first film. This organization is reportedly headed by Iron Man's nemesis, the Mandarin.

Hammer's factory is really Elon Musk's SpaceX facility in Hawthorne, California. The people walking in the background are actual employees, even though filming took place at night.

It has been confirmed by actor Tom Holland, who plays Peter Parker, a.k.a. Spider-Man, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, that his character appeared in the movie, and was the little boy at the Stark Expo wearing the Iron Man helmet when the expo is attacked by Hammer Tech drones.

Tony Stark's artificial intelligence "J.A.R.V.I.S." stands for "Just A Rather Very Intelligent System".

Stan Lee Cameo: during the Stark Expo, Lee, wearing suspenders and a red shirt and black and purple tie, is mistakenly greeted by Tony Stark as "Larry King".

After the release of Iron Man 2, Walt Disney Studios agreed to pay Paramount at least $115 million for the worldwide distribution rights to Iron Man 3 and The Avengers.

What's Up Next?

Next episode, we discuss "Thor."

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Send us an email! TheRewatchPodcast@gmail.com

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Head over to our TeePublic store today and buy some merch! Every item sold sees a small return to us to cover our hosting costs and we appreciate every purchase.

RW414 - MCU Rewatch - Incredible Hulk

 

In this episode of The Marvel Cinematic Universe Rewatch, Cory and Nathan hold back their anger and discuss "The Incredible Hulk."

Trailer:

Our Favourite Trivia:

After the release of Ang Lee's Hulk, screenwriter James Schamus was planning a sequel which would continue the story featuring the Grey Hulk. He was also considering the Leader and the Abomination as villains. Marvel wanted the Abomination because he would be an actual threat to the Hulk, unlike General Ross. During the filming of Hulk, producer Avi Arad had a target May 2005 theatrical release date. On January 18, 2006 Arad confirmed Marvel Studios would be providing the money for The Incredible Hulk's production budget, with Universal distributing, because Universal did not meet the deadline for filming a sequel. Marvel felt it would be better to deviate from Ang Lee's style to continue the franchise, arguing his film was like a parallel universe one-shot comic book, and their next film needed to be, in Kevin Feige's words, "really starting the Marvel Hulk franchise". Producer Gale Anne Hurd also felt the film had to meet what "everyone expects to see from having read the comics and seen the TV series"

Shortly after the release of The Incredible Hulk, Gale Anne Hurd commented on the uncertainty of its relationship with Ang Lee's Hulk film. "We couldn't quite figure out how to term this ... It's kind of a reboot and it's kind of sequel." Hurd said that "requel", a portmanteau of "reboot" and "sequel", was a "perfect" description for the film. Norton explained his decision to ignore Lee's origin story: "I don't even like the phrase 'origin story', and I don't think in great literature and great films that explaining the roots of the story doesn't mean it comes in the beginning."

Norton and Leterrier argued with the producers over the final running time: they wanted it to be near 135 minutes, while the producers wanted the film to be under two hours. This was made public, and rumors spread that Norton "made it clear he won't cooperate with publicity plans if he's not happy with the final product". Norton dismissed this: "Our healthy process [of collaboration], which is and should be a private matter, was misrepresented publicly as a 'dispute', seized on by people looking for a good story, and has been distorted to such a degree that it risks distracting from the film itself, which Marvel, Universal and I refuse to let happen. It has always been my firm conviction that films should speak for themselves and that knowing too much about how they are made diminishes the magic of watching them."

Lou Ferrigno provides vocal performance as the Hulk. During the 2008 New York Comic Con Leterrier publicly offered Ferrigno the chance to voice the Hulk for the film. This marks the third time Ferrigno portrayed the Hulk, having also voiced the character in the 1996 animated series. Originally, the Hulk's only line was "Betty" at the film's ending, which would have been his first word. Leterrier was aware that fans wanted him to speak normally, and added "Leave me alone!" and "Hulk smash!" The latter line received cheers during a screening he attended. Ferrigno also has a cameo in the film as a security guard who is bribed by Banner with a pizza.

Louis Leterrier wanted Mark Ruffalo for the role of Bruce Banner, but Marvel insisted on Edward Norton. Ruffalo would go on to replace Norton as Banner in future Marvel Cinematic Universe movies.

Captain America: Civil War (2016) is the first reappearance of William Hurt as General Thaddeus Ross since this film, an eight-year absence for his character. The Russo brothers, directing that film, wanted to incorporate Ross, as they felt that character had been forgotten a bit since this film.

The only film in Marvel Cinematic Universe Phase One not to be distributed by Paramount Pictures, as Universal has had the rights to "The Incredible Hulk" since the television series, The Incredible Hulk (1977).

At 1hr 52min, this is the shortest film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

This is the only Marvel film in which the post-credits scene is actually the last scene before the credits roll.

Denise Cronenberg designed the costumes for this film, as well as for her brother David Cronenberg's previous film The Fly (1986). Jeff Goldblum was considered for the role of Bruce Banner, and later appeared opposite Banner/Hulk in Thor: Ragnarok (2017).

Stan Lee: (at around 13 mins) the comic writer who co-created The Incredible Hulk in 1962 is the man who drinks the soft drink contaminated with Bruce Banner's blood.

Martin Starr has a brief appearance in the film as the Computer Nerd. Nine years later, Starr appears as a teacher in Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017). One theory in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is that Starr's character in this film is the younger version of his character in the latter film working on his degree. This was later confirmed by Kevin Feige who produced both films as well as the rest of the MCU.

What's Up Next?

Next episode, we discuss "Iron Man 2."

Contact Us:

Send us an email! TheRewatchPodcast@gmail.com

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Head over to our TeePublic store today and buy some merch! Every item sold sees a small return to us to cover our hosting costs and we appreciate every purchase.

RW413 - MCU Rewatch - Iron Man

 

In this episode of The Marvel Cinematic Universe Rewatch, Cory and Nathan suit up and discuss "Iron Man."

Trailer:

Our Favourite Trivia:

Iron Man premiered in Sydney on April 14, 2008, and was released in the United States on May 2, as the first film in Phase One of the MCU. It grossed over $585 million on its $140 million budget, becoming the eighth-highest grossing film of 2008. The film was praised by critics for its acting (particularly Downey's), screenplay, direction, visual effects, and action sequences. It was selected by the American Film Institute as one of the ten best films of 2008 and received two nominations at the 81st Academy Awards for Best Sound Editing and Best Visual Effects.

In April 1990, Universal Studios bought the rights to develop Iron Man for the big screen, with Stuart Gordon to direct a low-budget film based on the property. By February 1996, 20th Century Fox had acquired the rights from Universal. In January 1997, Nicolas Cage expressed interest in portraying the character, while in September 1998, Tom Cruise expressed interest in producing as well as starring in an Iron Man film. Jeff Vintar and Iron Man co-creator Stan Lee co-wrote a story for Fox, which Vintar adapted into a screenplay. It included a new science-fiction origin for the character, and featured MODOK as the villain. Tom Rothman, President of Production at Fox, credited the screenplay with finally making him understand the character. In May 1999, Jeffrey Caine was hired to rewrite Vintar and Lee's script. That October, Quentin Tarantino was approached to write and direct the film. Fox sold the rights to New Line Cinema the following December, reasoning that although the Vintar/Lee script was strong, the studio had too many Marvel superheroes in development, and "we can't make them all."

In December 2004, the studio attached director Nick Cassavetes to the project for a target 2006 release. However, this deal ultimately fell through, and Iron Man's film rights returned to Marvel.

In November 2005, Marvel Studios worked to start development from scratch, and announced Iron Man as their first independent feature.

Jon Favreau was hired to direct the film in April 2006, celebrating getting the job by going on a diet, losing 70 pounds (32 kg).

Favreau planned to cast a newcomer in the title role, as "those movies don't require an expensive star; Iron Man's the star, the superhero is the star. The success of X-Men and Spider-Man without being star-driven pieces reassures [executives] that the film does have an upside commercially." However, before the screenplay was prepared he had approached Sam Rockwell to play the part. Rockwell was interested, but Favreau changed his decision after the screen-test of Robert Downey, Jr. (Rockwell would later portray Justin Hammer in Iron Man 2 (2010)). In September 2006, Robert Downey, Jr. was cast in the role. Favreau chose Downey, a fan of the comic, because he felt the actor's past made him an appropriate choice for the part

The script was not completely finished when filming began, since the filmmakers were more focused on the story and the action, so the dialogue was mostly ad-libbed throughout filming. Director Jon Favreau acknowledged this made the film feel more natural. Some scenes were shot with two cameras, to capture lines improvised on the spot. Robert Downey Jr. would ask for many takes of one scene, since he wanted to try something new. Gwyneth Paltrow, on the other hand, had a difficult time trying to match Downey with a suitable line, as she never knew what he would say.

Paul Bettany has never seen the film, and is unfamiliar with the plot. He said J.A.R.V.I.S. was the easiest job ever, and it was almost like a robbery, since he only worked for two hours, got paid a lot of money, then went on vacation with his wife (Jennifer Connelly, who would later voice the A.I. in Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)). His role would, however, be expanded considerably in the later Marvel films, and even require his physical presence from Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) on.

(at around 1h 50 mins) Just before the final press conference, Tony Stark is reading the newspaper with a grainy, amateur photograph of Iron Man on the cover. The picture is part of a video, shot by onlookers hiding in a bush during initial filming, that appeared on the Internet in 2007.

This is the last film special effects expert Stan Winston completed before his death.

What's Up Next?

Next episode, we discuss "The Incredible Hulk."

Contact Us:

Send us an email! TheRewatchPodcast@gmail.com

Follow the show on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram 

Support the Show:

Head over to our TeePublic store today and buy some merch! Every item sold sees a small return to us to cover our hosting costs and we appreciate every purchase.

RW412 - Wes Anderson Rewatch - Isle of Dogs

 

In this episode of The Wes ANDERSON Rewatch, Cory and Nathan will do absolutely anything to be able to discuss "Isle of Dogs."

Trailer:

Our Favourite Trivia:

Anderson has said that he was inspired by seeing a road sign for the Isle of Dogs in England while Fantastic Mr. Fox was in development. Anderson said that the film was strongly influenced by the films of Akira Kurosawa, as well as the stop-motion animated holiday specials made by Rankin/Bass Productions.

Production began in October 2016 at the 3 Mills Studios in East London.

The animation department included a number of people who had worked on Fantastic Mr. Fox.

About 20,000 faces and 1,105 animatable puppets were crafted by "12 sculptors working six days a week" for the film; 2,000 more puppets were made for background characters. The detailed puppets of the main characters typically took 2–3 months to create.

Some critics have argued that the film is an example of racial stereotyping and cultural appropriation, and that one of its characters aligns with the trope of the "white savior". The Japanese characters speak unsubtitled Japanese, with their dialogue instead being translated by an interpreter or a machine.

Wes Anderson hosted a competition for someone to be a member of the voice cast for this film. The only requirement was that they donated ten dollars or more to the Film Foundation, a non-profit founded by Martin Scorsese, which specializes in the preservation and restoration of film around the world.

The title "Isle of Dogs" is a play on words. Said quickly and fluidly it sounds like "I love dogs." However, the play on words only works in English and loses that meaning in the Japanese pronunciation of the kanji, "Inu ga shima."

There is a mention of a Toho Mountain in this film. Toho is a leading Japanese film studio responsible for many of Akira Kurosawa's famous films (including Seven Samurai (1954) and Yojimbo (1961)) as well as the Godzilla franchise (which began with Godzilla (1954)) and many other giant monster and sci-fi tokusatsu (Japanese special effects) movies.

The film was released in 2018, which is the year of the dog in the Chinese Zodiac.

Wes Anderson said the character design of Tracy Walker was inspired by Kerry Fox's character Janet Frame in An Angel at My Table (1990).

The film's cast includes four Oscar winners: F. Murray Abraham, Tilda Swinton, Fisher Stevens and Frances McDormand, and eight Oscar nominees: Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Jeff Goldblum, Harvey Keitel, Bryan Cranston, Greta Gerwig, Scarlett Johansson, Roman Coppola and Bob Balaban.

At the end of the movie, Anjelica Huston, who is a long time collaborator with Wes Anderson, is credited as the "Mute Poodle."

The film received nominations at the 76th Golden Globe Awards, 72nd British Academy Film Awards, and two nominations at the 91st Academy Awards, for Best Animated Feature Film (but lost to Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse, which also starred Schreiber) and Best Original Score.

What's Up Next?

For the next film series, we'll be starting a Marvel Cinematic Universe Rewatch! We'll be breaking it up into the respective phases, starting with phase 1 and Iron Man.

Contact Us:

Send us an email! TheRewatchPodcast@gmail.com

Follow the show on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram 

Support the Show:

Head over to our TeePublic store today and buy some merch! Every item sold sees a small return to us to cover our hosting costs and we appreciate every purchase.