Of all the whining I heard over the past few days from Comic-Con, the complaints about missing the Iron Man 2 panel and footage seemed to be the loudest and most drawn out. Perhaps people were just that eager to see Scarlett Johansson as she talked about playing Black Widow? It’s likely considering the whole SDCC event has apparently turned into something more to do with sex appeal than comic books (though one could argue that comics have always been about sex appeal anyway).

The big topic of the day seems to regard ScarJo’s character in the movie, specifically her weight loss and fitness training for the role, which makes her somewhat the female equivalent to New Moon’s Taylor Lautner, who helped promote his movie at the Con by showing off his amazing abs. But because this isn’t a gossip blog, I’m going to spin the discussion toward the more important things learned from the actress and the rest of those involved with IM2.

Check out the last of my collection of favorite Comic-Con coverage, as it focuses on the man of iron, after the jump:
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I’m historically not a DC Comics defender, but the company could really use some support today following the very weak reception of an announcement that DC and Warner Bros. have some new film ideas up their sleeves. Sure, the news isn’t that exciting, but that may be The Hollywood Reporter’s fault for making it sound like DC is “storming the film world.” Compared to Marvel, DC’s plans still seem more like a light breeze, and therefore it’s understandable that the geeks and fanboys are disappointedly bitching today.

But as much as I’d love to see a Flash or Aquaman movie, neither of which I’m expecting anytime soon, I have to continue giving DC & WB credit for having given us the first and last great superhero movies. Superman is still the film to which comic book adaptations are compared, and it’s more than 30 years old. And now we also have The Dark Knight to judge every other movie against. Marvel has more films to show for themselves, but they actually have fewer great adaptations and therefore fewer films I’d call classics. Even Iron Man, in my opinion, fails to hold up as well as a number of DC films.

So let’s just be patient. It might be worth it. Or, feel free to keep up the whining and ridiculing in the comments section below. First, check out what the film blogs have to say after the jump:

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Between Jon Favreau Tweeting the making of and USA Today and Entertainment Weekly covering promotional bases in more-traditional ways, we may actually be sick of Iron Man 2 by the time it’s done shooting, let alone by the time it opens next summer. Okay, that’s not at all true, but isn’t it still a bit premature for EW to feature the Iron Man sequel on its magazine cover already? Even with Comic-Con around the corner?

Well, the mag and the production might at least be a little more careful about what is being let out of the figurative poly bag so early in the game. After all, on the day that Paramount releases the first official (and initially blurry) look at Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow the online discussions shouldn’t be focused on Mickey Rourke’s cockatoo. Never mind that not all the reactions to Rourke’s quote in EW aren’t negatively the sort of preemptive backlash studios fear, the distraction from the big sell alone should be cause for slight alarm.

Personally, I’m more excited about the bird than the chick, anyway, seeing as how awesome Rourke was with a little dog sidekick in Once Upon a Time in Mexico. Let’s see the rest of the blogosphere’s reactions to Rourke’s new pet after the jump:

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A few days after unveiling Mickey Rourke as “Whiplash” from Iron Man 2, USA Today brings us the first image from Michael Moore’s new documentary, which is still without a title. In a way, it corresponds well to the earlier photo premiere, because many people think of the liberal filmmaker as the true villain of his own movies. Others believe him to be the superhero, however, which would make Goldman Sachs the nemesis in this picture, in which Moore is once again met with police opposition, likely because he’s attempting to trespass on the financial institution’s property.

Apparently the trailer for the movie hits theaters this weekend, too, so hopefully someone will find a bootleg or copy of that somewhere on the web [update: I've embedded the Jimmy Fund-parodying teaser below]. My hope is it’s appropriately attached to The Taking of Pelham 123 due to that film’s involvement of a stock market scam. For now, though, let’s see what the film blogs are saying about this promotional photo:
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The first photo of Mickey Rourke as the villain Whiplash in Iron Man II popped up online last night, courtesy of USA Today, and the film blogs have been critiquing it and/or defending it all day (and night, if they got to it early). I’m not familiar with the character from the comics, so I can’t judge how faithful Rourke’s appearance is, but I will say that the costume looks terrible. It reminds me of both Dolph Lundgren in Masters of the Universe and Halle Berry in Catwoman. I’m not saying that it will take away from Rourke being totally awesome in the Iron Man sequel. And maybe this isn’t the guy’s final getup, so it shouldn’t be criticized so harshly. But this image is hardly a worthwhile promotional tool, since many bloggers are immediately trashing it. Personally, I hope we eventually get to see Rourke in the more fabulous Blashlash wardrobe.

Check out a sample of the comments from the blogosphere after the jump:

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It’s a pretty slow news day for movies, with everyone’s concentration on last night’s Tony Awards (congrats to Billy Elliot for making up for the Oscar snub eight years ago), but there is one bit of geek movie news that I’m really intrigued about: the hint of yet another Marvel comic book adaptation due in 2012. Among much information concerning the upcoming films Iron Man 2, The Avengers, Thor and The First Avenger: Captain America, Alex Billington at First Showing brought word this morning from a conference at the Sony Pictures lot that Marvel Studios will be announcing this secret title within the next few months.

What could it be? And what do you want it to be? Personally, I’m hoping that Scarlett Johansson has impressed the studio so much with her portrayal of Black Widow in the Iron Man sequel that she’s been given her own solo film. That is pretty unlikely, though, considering all the other ideas Marvel has floated over the years. So, will it be Doctor Strange? Luke Cage? Black Panther? S.H.I.E.L.D.? Another Hulk reboot tied to the Avengers movie? Let’s see what the film blogs think, after the jump:

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Thanks to the six-year-old site April Fool’s Day On The Web, there isn’t much need for me to link to film-related gags that can be found on the Internet today. And thanks to Cinematical’s annual roundup, you’ve probably already been clued into some of the best film foolery, including the very cool, very unfortunately fake Empire Strikes Back-referencing Tauntaun Sleeping Bag posted on ThinkGeek. Regardless, I’m going to sample some of the most creative of bloggery bamboozlement. Because there isn’t any other story that’s funnier or more interesting than the stuff that was made up for this special occasion.

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• Fox may frustrate fanboys once again. Though not as sharp a jab as the studio’s Watchmen lawsuit, an option Fox holds on Emily Blunt could potentially keep her from playing Black Widow in Marvel/Paramount’s Iron Man 2 (a role she’s perfect for). Instead, she’ll have to settle on starring opposite Jack Black in Fox’s reimagined adaptation of Gulliver’s Travels.
• And speaking of disappointing fanboys: as if Scott Derrickson hasn’t already done enough damage to science fiction with his recent remake of The Day the Earth Stood Still, he has just been tapped to direct a single movie combining two of Dan Simmons’ Hyperion novels.
• 2009 Oscar nominee John Stevenson (Kung Fu Panda) will direct the new He-Man movie, Masters of the Universe. Worse than that, however, is Variety’s reminder that another 2009 nominee, Frank Langella, costarred as Skeletor in the godawful 1987 Masters of the Universe.
• 2009 Oscar nominee Mickey Rourke (who is also slated for Iron Man 2) will star in a kind of anti-Slumdog Millionaire, an American gangster flick titled Broken Horses, that will be scripted, directed and co-produced by Indian filmmakers. It will be the first Hollywood film from Reliance Entertainment since the company funded the DreamWorks exit from Paramount last year.
• “Breaking a longstanding taboo, Fox is releasing male-driven pic Taken on Super Bowl weekend,” begins the weekend box office preview from Variety. While I may believe that Taken could indeed be a guy movie, it certainly hasn’t been marketed as such. Anyway, I never understood the concept of a Sunday event keeping men from going to the movies on the Friday and Saturday before. So, if the film does take the top spot this weekend, I for one won’t be too shocked.

• Robert Downey Jr has signed on to star as Tony Stark in Iron Man 2, Iron Man 3, and The Avengers. This, plus his starring role in Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes, will put the Less Than Zero survivor in at least one summer tentpole per year through 2012. Say it with me: poor, poor Andrew McCarthy.
• Mike Nichols will direct a David Mamet-scripted remake of Akira Kurosawa’s High and Low. Martic Scorsese comissioned the script from Mamet; he’ll now executive produce.
• In an unusual deal, Janus and sister company Criterion Collection have acquired theatrical and DVD rights to Revanche, the Austrian Foreign Language Oscar contender which premiered in Berlin and went on to Telluride. Janus, known for its library of classic art films, hasn’t handled a first-run theatrical release in 30 years.

• After being on track to be as perfect as the first film, Iron Man 2 has received a monkey wrench in the form of a recasting: for unspecified reasons (money), Terrence Howard will not reprise his role of Jim Rhodes, aka the future suited-hero War Machine, allowing Don Cheadle to replace him. While the same (or better) level of actor will be involved, the remodeling of the part is sure to be a little discomforting.
• Universal will be the new distributor of DreamWorks films in a deal that everyone expected to happen. But just because it was inevitable doesn’t change how perfect the relationship is. For one thing, their Earth and moon logos fit together so well. And as a team, they’re like Elliot and E.T. riding that bike across the sky (but which studio is in the basket?). Sorry if that only makes sense to me.
• Who knows what the markets will be like when the film is released, but Fox appears to be fast-tracking the sequel to Wall Street, titled Money Never Sleeps, which will see Michael Douglas’ Gordon Gekko released from prison into an unrecognizable financial world. 21 screenwriter Allan Loeb will be rewriting the film so expect the world to also be unrecognizable to most on Wall Street, as all the Asian traders will presumably be replaced by whites.
• In news that is probably only exciting or interesting to me, the National Association of Theater Owners is breaking away from the dog and pony show known as ShoWest to begin a new yearly convention for the exhibition business. Hopefully NATO can use this opportunity for better progress in the industry before the studios turn it into just another celebration of Hollywood.

• Marvel Studios has signed a three-year deal with Raleigh Manhattan Beach Studios to shoot Iron Man 2, Thor, The First Avenger: Captain America and The Avengers at the Southern California facility’s soundstages. But hopefully it’s only the interiors of the latter two movies that will be filmed there. Despite my support for Hollywood productions to shoot locally in the Los Angeles area, particularly in these hard economic times, The Avengers better be set in New York City or else feature a team led by Hawkeye.
• Steve Carell will officially be back as Maxwell Smart in a Get Smart sequel for Warner Bros., where the actor has just signed a first-look deal to develop projects he’ll produce, write and/or star in under the name Carousel Productions. Partnering with him are a couple of old friends and collaborators, including fellow former Daily Show correspondent Vance DeGeneres.
• For those Americans becoming impatient with the wait for Election Day, the president of Lionsgate suggests they “vote with their box office dollars three weeks before they vote at the actual ballot box” by seeing Oliver Stone’s W when it opens October 17.
• After disappointing at the box office, TV’s episodic continuation of Star Wars: Clone Wars seems to be a hit for Cartoon Network. Yet the viewership for the series was technically less than the amount of people who saw the movie (not taking into account all the multiple tickets purchased by hardcore fanboys) and contrary to what Variety’s headline seems to indicate, it didn’t even give Cartoon Network its best ratings ever.

• Paramount will continue to distribute films produced by Marvel Studios, including 2010’s Thor, which Kenneth Branagh is now confirmed to be directing. The deal was expected, especially after Paramount’s handling of Iron Man. Also in the news: that film’s first sequel has been pushed back a week from April 30, 2010 to May 7, 2010. Iron Man 3 is also being planned, but hasn’t yet been given a planned release date.
• Meanwhile, Paramount and Dell have teamed up to offer Iron Man preloaded into newly purchased computers. For $20, the Iron Man add-on will include exclusive bonus footage. I can’t wait to see if there’s an “I’m a Marvel, I’m a DC” video related to this.
• Now that digital and 3-D projection systems are finally to receive an increase in numbers (see yesterday’s TR), short-attention Hollywood is already thinking about another moviegoing incentive: large-format projection. Thanks to the success of the Imax sequences in The Dark Knight, more and more filmmakers are shooting Imax segments for upcoming blockbusters, including Transformers 2, Iron Man 2 and Y: The Last Man. Hopefully this new trend will encourage someone to build a second Imax theatre for NYC. One screen per 20 million people is not cutting it.
• Very appropriate casting: actress Danielle Panabaker (Sky High), who graduated from high school and was valedictorian at age 14, and who got her bachelor’s at 19, will be the female lead in Prodigy, a sci-fi film about a prep school that creates geniuses through questionable means.

• Iron Man 2 has a release date! Also, as hinted in the first film’s post-credits scene, and Avengers film is in the works, set to team up Robert Downey Jr’s character with the Incredible Hulk (Edward Norton’s Hulk? Let’s see how much money it makes!), Captain America and Thor.
• Rapper Common has been cast as “a freedom fighter and member of [John] Connor’s inner circle” in that new Terminator sequel where Christian Bale plays a grown-up John Connor.
• It Might Get Loud, a documentary about the history of the electric guitar directed by Davis Guggenheim (the director/producer of An Inconvenient Truth) and featuring appearances from Jack White and Jimmy Page, will make its debut in the market at Cannes.
  
• Milos Forman and Arthur Penn are among a group of major directors who have protested the newly-elected mayor of Rome’s proposal to shut Hollywood films and stars out of the budding Rome Film Festival.

In case you were like me and didn’t stick around after the credits of Iron Man this weekend, you may be in luck. If one of a number of YouTube clips is still up by the time you read this post, then you can kind of see (in a bad quality video capture) Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. approaching Tony “Iron Man” Stark about something called “The Avengers Initiative.” (If the clip above is down, try this one, or try Movieweb’s video, or else find one I’ve missed … or, of course, go see the movie again).

Some non-comic fans who may have stuck around may have wondered who this guy is and what he’s talking about. So, just in time to coincide with the box office news this morning, Marvel Studios officially announced its lineup of adaptations through the next few years. And The Avengers is among the titles, coming to theaters in July 2011.

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