2011 Movie News & Buzz: Transformers 3, Captain America & Much More

Even though movie fans are grappling with the amazing action blockbusters still slated to debut this summer (from Star Trek to Terminator: Salvation), there's no harm in looking ahead. After all, if you're a movie lover, you're always searching for that next thrill from the silver screen. And the summer of 2011 is certainly showing some promise.

After the international success of Transformers (2007, directed by Michael Bay), a sequel was inevitable. Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen releases this summer, June 24, 2009, with acclaimed actors Shia LaBeouf and Meagan Fox returning to their respective roles as Sam Witwicky and Mikaela Barnes. But apparently, this much-anticipated sequel may lead Paramount into green-lighting a trilogy. According to rumors from Variety magazine, Paramount and Dream Works have officially decided to forge ahead with Transformers 3, dating the film for release on July 1, 2011. Variety writer Pamela McClintock said, "It's the first word of the three-quel, although Paramount insiders downplayed the importance of the move. They said the studio wanted to claim the date before a computer did, considering that the 2011 summer release calendar is filling up." (www.variety.com)

Yeah, no kidding. Even though Transformers 3 currently has no competition with the July 1 slot, Paramount decided to move up the release of Marvel Entertainment's Thor, from June 16, 2011 to May 20, 2011. The change was made on behalf of Marvel, who is obviously financing the much-anticipated superhero flick. That announcement came less than a week after Marvel announced it was pushing the release of Thor back by one full year, from July 16, 2010 to June 16, 2011. Marvel also received some criticism for scheduling Thor and The First Avenger: Captain America so close together. The Cap is set to make his silver screen debut July 22, 2011 (I'm sure die hard Marvel fans aren't responsible for the criticism. After all, what's better than a summer full of super hero flicks?).

As if two Marvel Comics films aren't enough, guess what the summer of 2011 is scheduled to kick off with? Spiderman 4. Yes, I'm serious. Spiderman's return is slated for May 6, 2011 and is supposed to mark the beginning of a second trilogy. Sony Pictures and Director Sam Raimi are returning to the helm of the popular Spidey film franchise (perhaps hoping to redeem themselves from the Spiderman 3 flop), along with actors Toby Maguire and Kirsten Dunst as Spiderman/Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson. According to The International Movie Database (www.imdb.com), filming will reportedly begin in early 2010. Although no details concerning the plot of the film have been released, countless film rumor blogs are discussing the possibilities of Carnage making an appearance for a villain.

Obviously, the previous three Spiderman films have included well-known villains from the comic book series. But rumors from Cinema Blend (www.cinemablend.com) suggest writers/directors may go with a newer adversary named Morlun. Having made his comic book debut in 2001, Morlun is still relatively new to the Marvel Universe. A terrifying, vampire-like being, he was co-created by Babylon 5 godfather/acclaimed screenwriter J. Michael Straczynski (who is also writing the screenplay for the 2012 Silver Surfer feature film).

You might think that three superhero flicks (and one about really cool, shape-shifting robots) is more than enough for one summer. But rumor has it Warner Bros. is considering a 2011 sequel to The Dark Knight for release as well. Another Batman film would certainly be well-received. But logistically, it's looking like the studio may have to push it off to 2012. After all, there are only so many hot blockbusters that can fit into one summer.