The good news is that a number of Marvel comics properties are back in the hands of Marvel Studios and may once again be seen on screen.  The bad news is that the feature treatment ain’t happening for all of them.  Marvel’s Kevin Feige talked about a number of planned and possible superhero films coming up in the next few years, including an adaptation of the lesser-known property Inhumans.  More recognizable names – like Blade, Punisher, Ghost Rider and Daredevil – are also under Marvel’s control once again, but will have to find the right time, place and treatment to fit into the studio’s current plans.  Hit the jump for updates on the above-mentioned properties and more, including the chances of a Marvel Zombies one-off.

There have been lots of rumors flying around about two potential films on Marvel’s upcoming Phase Three slate: a standalone Hulk film and a Doctor Strange origin story.  Marvel’s Kevin Feige recently talked about plans for a number of upcoming films, including these two standalone projects.  In short, Feige said that there are no current plans for a solo Hulk movie, but they are talking about it and he isn’t opposed to keeping Mark Ruffalo in the role.  For Doctor Strange, the property is expected to be a top priority for the studio and will feature the first film fully devoted to “a world of pure magic.”  Hit the jump for much, much more from Feige. 

Though Iron Man 3 only just hit theaters a couple of weeks ago (and crossed the $1 billion mark at the box office today), many of the conversations surrounding the film have revolved around the prospect of Iron Man 4.  A fourth film in Marvel’s most prominent—and successful—franchise seems like a no-brainer, but there’s the tiny matter of star Robert Downey Jr.’s contract.  His agreement with Marvel is currently up for renegotiation, meaning there is no guarantee that he’ll don the Iron Man suit again.  The actor is said to be in negotiations to return for The Avengers 2 and The Avengers 3, but an agreement has yet to be made regarding another standalone Iron Man film.

Downey and Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige recently talked a bit about the prospect of seeing Iron Man 4 pop up in Marvel’s Phase Three slate of films, and while Feige is confident that the character will live on no matter what happens, Downey seems keen on taking a break from Tony Stark for a bit.  Hit the jump for more.

Last night I turned to Xbox Live to check out Shane Carruth‘s Upstream Color for the first time. While not quite as impenetrable after one viewing as its predecessor, 2004′s Primer, Upstream still demands the utmost attention of its viewers in exchange for the slightest hint of clarity. The dialogue is sparse, the setting is ever-changing, the editing is heavily dependent on juxtaposition as a way of creating meaning, and the sound design/foley work is turned up to “11″ at times. Whereas Primer played more to the intellect behind making time travel a reality, Upstream is an extremely visceral experience that is more interested, or at least more successful, in eliciting an emotional response than explaining how a rare organism can be harvested, used as a method of mind control, and ultimately link humans to pigs. The exact degree to which it succeeds will vary from viewer to viewer but it’s ultimately an experience I recommend taking in.

Of course a movie like Upstream lends itself to more than a few lines of my humble analysis, but that’s not actually why we’re here. In this week’s Top 5 you can check out the first trailer and poster for Alfonso Cuaron‘s Gravity, a generous number of set pics from director Jonathan Liebesman‘s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles reboot, Steve’s exclusive phone interview with Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige, the first trailer for Ender’s Game, and a look at Iron Man by the Numbers. A brief recap and link to each will greet you after the jump.

When you get to talk to Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige, you never have enough time.  After all, he knows everything that’s going on behind-the-scenes at the studio, including which projects are getting ready to be announced.   So when I recently landed an exclusive phone interview with him for Iron Man 3, I tried to use the time to find out about a million different things.

During the wide ranging conversation, we talked about how long he’ll be staying at Marvel, how the studio goes about choosing directors, whether The Avengers sequel be called The Avengers 2 or if it will have a subtitle, whether they have considered casting Dwayne Johnson in a Marvel movie, the status of the Doctor Strange movie, if anyone is currently working on a Falcon or War Machine spinoff movie, whether they have cast Thanos yet, if they be at Comic-Con, D23, or both, and so much more.  If you’re a Marvel fan I promise you’ll enjoy reading this interview.

The release of Iron Man 3 kicked off Marvel’s Phase Two with a bang, as the Shane Black-directed film opened to the second highest grossing opening weekend of all time—second only to Marvel’s The Avengers.  Now the studio looks ahead to the future, and while we have a number of sequels headed our way in the immediate future (Thor 2, Captain America 2, The Avengers 2), the studio is also planning to branch out with new feature film adaptations of Guardians of the Galaxy and Ant-Man.  As the Marvel Cinematic Universe becomes more widely populated, fans have been wondering whether supporting characters from the previous films will get their day in the sun with their own spinoffs.

Steve recently spoke with Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige for an extended interview, and during the course of their conversation Steve asked Feige if anyone at Marvel was currently developing any spinoff films for War Machine or Falcon.  Somewhat surprisingly, Feige answered in the negative.  Hit the jump for more.

As the two biggest comic companies, Marvel and DC Comics have always been rivals.  They have huge stables of superheroes and decades of history.  But when it comes to movies, Marvel has taken a gigantic lead having been able to crank out seven hit superhero movies in the last five years while Warner Bros. (which owns DC Comics) has been stuck trying to create a bankable movie superhero who isn’t named “Batman” or “Superman” despite having other recognizable names like Wonder Woman and The Flash.  Warner Bros. has been trying to figure out how to get to their own Avengers-like movie, Justice League, to the big screen but their most recent effort was sent back to the drawing board, and the studio’s superhero hopes now rest on Man of Steel.

Steve recently sat down with Marvel Studios President of Production Kevin Feige, the guiding force behind the Marvel Movie Universe.  Since Feige found a way to get his superheroes to The Avengers, Steve asked the Marvel chief if he has any advice on getting Justice League to the big screen.  Hit the jump for what he had to say.

Much has been made recently about the fact that Robert Downey Jr.’s contract with Marvel is currently up for re-negotiation.  When Downey finally landed the lead role in Iron Man back in 2007, he signed a contract with Marvel for a set number of films.  Cut to five years later and RDJ is now the most recognizable face of a unique and ambitious cinematic universe that culminated in last year’s The Avengers, which currently holds the record for the highest grossing opening weekend of all time.  While Downey’s performance as Tony Stark was certainly one of the keys to Marvel’s success, that crazy Marvel Cinematic Universe plan and its execution are the brainchild of Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige.

Steve recently spoke with Feige for an extended interview, and during the course of their wide-ranging conversation, Steve asked Feige when his contract with Marvel ends.  While it’s tough to think of an Iron Man movie without Robert Downey Jr., it’s impossible to consider the whole Marvel Studios going forward without Kevin Feige at the helm.  Hit the jump to for Feige’s response and how long he thinks he’ll be running Marvel.

Marvel makes it look easy. That’s what kept running through my head while watching Iron Man 3 Thursday night. Pumping out one solid standalone film after another with the overall goal of creating a whole that is equally, if not more, entertaining than its formidable parts can’t be that easy. And yet, Marvel makes it seem that way. In a medium outside of their native reach no less. Granted, Iron Man 3 isn’t without its flaws. But it doesn’t have to be. It succeeds on the exact level it’s meant to: in moving both the individual character and universal stories ahead in an entertaining and logical way. If “Marvel makes it looks easy” was my primary takeaway from IM3, “DC has their work cut out for them” isn’t far behind.

But enough Marvel love for one opening paragraph. In this week’s Top 5 we’ve got Iron Man 3 interviews with director Shane Black and more, a video blog review for Star Trek Into Darkness, the Pacific Rim trailer from WonderCon, Fox’s courting of Michael B. Jordan the the role of Human Torch in its upcoming Fantastic Four reboot, and the new trailer for Channing Tatum and Jamie Foxx‘s White House Down. A brief recap and link to each is a “Continue Reading” click away.

There’s no such thing as too much Marvel news, right?  With Iron Man 3 hitting theaters this weekend, a bevy of details regarding Marvel’s upcoming films have been making their way online.  While it’s exciting to look ahead to Marvel’s Phase Two slate post-Iron Man 3, all roads lead to one of the most anticipated sequels in recent memory: The Avengers 2.

Steve recently spoke with Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige, and during their extended conversation Feige talked quite a bit about how Iron Man 3 gives audiences an idea of what to expect from The Avengers 2.  He also talked about writer/director Joss Whedon’s script for the follow-up (which he describes as hilarious, awesome, and moving) and whether or not the film will have a subtitle.  Hit the jump to read on.

As Marvel kicks off Phase Two with a bang this weekend with the release of director Shane Black’s excellent Iron Man 3, the studio is now looking ahead to the end of Phase Two and beyond.  Over the years, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige has frequently talked about the possibility of a feature film adaptation of the comics character Doctor Strange.  While Marvel was focused on introducing audiences to their new approach to superhero movies with Phase One, Thor and The Avengers opened the door to more cosmic-geared stories, and Phase Two is heavy on the otherworldly with Thor: The Dark World and Guardians of the Galaxy.  As such, the inclusion of Doctor Strange—a practicing sorcerer who wields magical powers—seems like a swell fit in the near future.

Steve recently sat down with Kevin Feige for an extended interview, and during the course of their wide-ranging conversation Feige offered a promising update on the impending Doctor Strange movie.  Feige said that they are now actively working on the film, and it should be one of the next Marvel movies following the beginning of Phase Three.  Hit the jump to read on.

It’s almost like this weekend is a national holiday with regards to all the hoopla surrounding the release of Marvel’s first Phase Two film, Iron Man 3.  We’ve already shared details and images for Thor: The Dark World and Ant-Man as well as new info and concept art for Guardians of the Galaxy, and now it’s time for some updates on Marvel’s foray into television: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.  The pilot for the S.H.I.E.L.D.-centric potential series has already been shot (Joss Whedon co-wrote and directed), and now the series awaits an all-but-guaranteed greenlight from ABC.

We know that Clark Gregg’s Agent Coulson returns as the star of the show (under some strange circumstances) and the series takes place after the events of The Avengers, but further details about how Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. would fit into the larger Marvel universe have thus far been unclear.  EW’s recent cover story on Phase Two provides a closer look at the show, however, with Marvel’s Kevin Feige addressing the possibility of using the series to introduce new characters and Robert Downey Jr. talking about a possible appearance on the show.  Hit the jump to read on.

Marvel’s biggest challenge in Phase Two is Guardians of the Galaxy.  All of the other films are direct sequels, so not only does Guardians have to bring in five new characters, but it’s also the oddest assortment yet.  Led by half-human, half-alien Peter Quill (Chris Pratt), the team is comprised of humanoid aliens Gamora (Zoe Saldana) and Drax the Destroyer (Dave Bautista), a gun-wielding, talking Raccoon appropriately named “Rocket Raccoon”, and Groot, a giant, walking tree.  Marvel has earned the faith of audiences, and this is where it will be tested.  But President of Production Kevin Feige isn’t worried.  “We can take it to all those crazy places as long as all the characters respond in an emotionally truthful way,” he tells EW.

Hit the jump for what else Feige about the film had to say as well as a new piece of concept art.  The film also stars Michael Rooker, Ophelia Lovibond, and Lee Pace.  Guardians of the Galaxy opens in 3D on August 1, 2014.

Iron Man 3 opens this weekend so it’s old news.  It’s six months until Thor: The Dark World so now we need to know almost everything about it.  The sequel has Thor (Chris Hemsworth) reuniting with Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), and faced with the new threat of sorcerer Malekith the Accursed (Christopher Eccleston) and his horde of dark elves.  New director Alan Taylor (Game of Thrones) takes the action off of Earth and into the mystical realms that will lend themselves to some impressive sets and set pieces.

Hit the jump for what Kevin Feige, Marvel’s President of Production, had to say about the Asgardian’s upcoming adventure, and also comments on Edgar Wright‘s Ant-Man.  The film also stars Tom Hiddleston, Stellan Skarsgård, Idris Elba, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Kat Dennings, Ray Stevenson, Zachary Levi, Tadanobu Asano, Jaimie Alexander, Rene Russo, and Anthony Hopkins.  Thor: The Dark World opens in 3D on November 8th.  Click here for Feige’s comments on Captain America: The Winter Soldier and The Avengers 2.

The wait is almost over for Shane Black’s Iron Man 3, which debuts in the States on Friday, May 3rd.  However, if you’re looking ahead to the rest of Marvel’s Phase Two slate of films, we’ve got a few nibbles of information to pique your interest.  Since there’s currently no Iron Man 4 on Marvel’s lineup, it’s looking like Robert Downey Jr.’s next appearance as the armored Avenger will be in Joss Whedon’s The Avengers 2.  But who else will be joining him?

Hit the jump for more on Iron Man 3 from Downey Jr., Black, Gwyneth Paltrow and Marvel’s Kevin Feige, along with updates on The Avengers 2 and Captain America: The Winter Soldier.  Spoilers ahead.