Marvel Considers Next Franchise

With Iron Man set to pop, the Masterminds at Marvel are considering which super-hero to launch next. We get the following news from the magical caves of Yahoo:

With “Iron Man” set to explode this weekend, the next question for producer Marvel Entertainment is: What now? Marvel likely won’t be releasing any movies in 2009, as the studio would have to be in pre-production now to make a summer date but isn’t, mainly because of fears that Hollywood’s actors will go out on strike in the summer. The studio’s next project is expected to be announced on an earnings call Monday, with “Avengers,” “Ant Man” and “Thor” the favorites. (”Captain America” is a prime property but is perceived as a tough sale overseas.)

Some question whether the Marvel characters waiting in the wings have the appeal of previously licensed characters like “Spider-Man” and “The X-Men.” But Marvel president David Maisel said the key ingredient to make a film successful isn’t “more well-known or less well-known characters but tender-loving care.”

From the reports coming in, Marvel has done a fantastic job with Iron Man, and I think the heroes will be best represented in their hands, rather than farming them out to various studios. We will have to wait and see if Marvel Studios had beginner’s luck, or if their dedication to excellence will continue.

I personally hope the next hero up to bat is Thor. I have always loved the character and would lose my shit if they were able to make a kick ass film in his honor. It would be my hope that the writings of Simonson would be the largest source of inspiration, along with the viking myths themselves. I love Kirby Thor comics as well, but Simonson really nailed the character in a way that has yet to be duplicated. The man started his tenure with the arrival of Beta Ray Bill and ramped into a story line that featured Surtur the fire demon and the impending DOOM of Ragnarok.

If I were helming the series - I would use the first film as intro to the world, and set the stage for the Ragnarok story line in 2&3.

As much as I favor Thor, I will welcome any of the above heroes. It’s a blast to see the heroes you grew up with on the big screen, and downright fun to share in the mythology with others. With hope, Marvel has learned from the Fantastic Four disaster, and the Iron Man success. Quality benefits everyone in the long run. When you delight the fans with excellence - money floods into your storehouses.