Caffeinated Clint
Our buds at IESB sat down with the big man of Marvel, Avi Arad, today, and chatted for 40 odd minutes about what’s going on in the incessantly busy comic-to-film world.
The Fantastic Four 2
Arad confirmed that all the cast are signed for a sequel, and that he likes the idea of bringing The Puppet Master in as the rogue for the next bout. "Puppet Master’s a great character", he says "Don’t we all wish we had this power – especially when we are mad at someone". Arad confirmed that Kerry Washington’s character Alicia Masters will have a bigger role to play in future instalments. "It’s not a big role in this one, but it’s establishing her".
The Silver Surfer
"I think you’re going to see a very interesting movie about the man who fell to earth kind-of-a-thing", says Arad. "It has biblical elements to it about who we are to him, what is he to us. We’re suspicious when someone like that arrives here".
X-Men 3
That online script that was reviewed, says Arad, was something "verbally passed on. It wasn’t even a script". Arad says he loves all his babies, but "rarely do I say this is the best script of them all". Arad says the script is getting better day by day, and "you re-write scenes while you’re in production". He adds, "I tell you what really pisses me off about this stuff – is the ignorance to the comics, because if you know the comics at all, OK, lot of our leaders of the X-Men died and came back in one form or another".
Arad hints that Patrick Stewart’s character, Xavier, may die in the movie. "He died [in the comic]. One of the most famous panels in the comic was his funeral. They all die and come back. We don’t kill anyone just for the hell of it – [only] if it works for the story".
Onto casting and Arad confirmed that Maggie Grace ["Lost"] is out as Kitty Pryde, hinting that it had something to do with her TV schedule. So when do we hear who’s replacing her? "Tuesday", he says. As for who is playing Angel, Arad says Mike Vogel was up for it – but his schedule clashed. "He decided to go with the Poseidon Adventure". And what happened to Alan Cumming, why isn’t he back as Nightcrawler? "This film has like ten new mutants, and some of them are like mind-fucking characters", says Arad. "We have to move on. In our story bringing someone [in] who is not from the immediate leadership does not serve the story". Arad says there would just be no screentime for Cumming.
Third "X-Men" spin-off
Arad says he hasn’t heard what that rumoured third "X-Men" spin-off – after "Wolverine" and "Magneto" – is. "I really don’t know anything about it", he says, of the film that’s apparently being penned by Zak Penn. "[So] I really cannot comment on it".
Spider-Man 3
Arad says there may be 4 villains in the next "Spider-Man" sequel. "Maybe five", he jokingly adds. "Obviously I cannot tell you, but I can tell you that we’re on our way to the biggest of the three". What about the rumours that Tobey Maguire wants out as Spiderman and that Jake Gyllenhaal might be bought in to replace him for number 4? "It’s all too premature", says Arad, "we have to get to May 2007 [first]".
"Spider-Man" spin-off’s
Arad says he’s urging Marvel to do film spin-off’s for a couple of the characters from the "Spider-Man" series. It sounds like he could be keen on giving the villains – Hobgoblin maybe? – their own show.
Hulk 2
Yup, it’s still happening, says Arad. "I can’t wait to do Hulk 2. In my opinion, [it’ll] be huge because people dissapointed with it’s box office I guess, in today’s landscape, would be ecstatic with it’s box office. The end of the [first] movie set the stage to do the other Hulk – a lighter version of Hulk", he says. "Diet Hulk". Arad says he’s looking forward to "getting closer to the Hulk. The beast. To see the primal naive part…because Banner is complicated, Hulk is not, and it’s hard to get that close to him with CG". Arad suggests that the next Hulk might be a comination of a guy in a suit and CGI, so "that you can really feel humanity".
The Punisher 2
The script is being re-written as we speak, says Arad, but "will shoot this year".
For more from Avi, including the latest on "Iron Fist", "Luke Cage", and "Black Widow" – go to IESB.
