The next Iron Men?

By Steven Zeitchik

With "Iron Man" putting the hurt on the boxoffice this weekend, Marvel is smacking its lips over which of its superhero properties it can next unleash on -- we mean set free to rescue -- the great global public. But what will that property be? (Besides "Iron Man 2," that is, which will have to wait until 2010 and may in fact not come out until 2011, according to what Marvel president of production Kevin Feige told us last week -- before the dollars rained down at the boxoffice, it should be noted.)

Fans won't have to wait long to find out. The studio is expected to announce its next green light on an earnings call Monday morning; the movie likely will come out in 2010 from Paramount,  which has distribution rights to the next pic. (There'll be no movie from Marvel Studios in 2009.)  Here's a handicap of which project the studio will select, which we'll maintain is deadly accurate ... at least until we're proven dead wrong Monday morning.

*Ant-Man: "Shaun of the Dead" director Edgar Wright, who's signed on to "Ant," is moving ahead with another graphic-novel adaptation, "Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World," which could prompt Marvel to back-burner the insectoid one -- though if 2010 is the target, that could give the helmer enough time. Plus it's got the comedic, post-superhero quality that worked so well with "Iron Man."

*The Hands of Shang-Chi: There's already a director on board, but martial arts may be too niche for the splash Marvel wants with Wall Street.

* Captain America: It was originally supposed to be the studio's first project until Jon Favreau decided he wanted to concentrate on Stark & Co. But how in the name of Thor does a distributor retail to the international market a product of WWII jingoism?

* Thor -- Speaking of Thor, Guy Ritchie protege Matthew Vaughn is already attached, and Marvel may feel inspired to give him the reins after its windfall with a similarly vision-driven helmer like Favreau. Vaughn does have a passion project at Miramax called "The Debt" -- and "Thor" does seem a little dated -- but don't be surprised if it ends up on the fast track.

* Nick Fury -- The military/boxing tale would be an attractive choice; it's topical and the character has a high Q rating. But the project lacks a writer and a director and it's unclear if Marvel will want to start from scratch when so many others have attachments.

*The Avengers: The mother-lode, the big kahuna, the property that actually resonates broadly, and which as an ensemble piece, already contains "Iron Man." Will Marvel go for the big score now or save it for rainier days?

Regardless of which project they choose, the next project will be a lot easier after the $100 million opening for "Iron Man.' "

That's because the b.o. knockout doesn't only justify the half billion dollars in credit Marvel  nabbed form Merrill Lynch or the multiple executive shuffles over the last few years -- it shows the company can kickstart a property little-known outside the world of fanboys. And that, in turn, will help it launch other lesser-knowns. As  chairman David Maisel told us last week, "We can have our lesser characters pop up in other movies ... and the audience can get to know them that way." There's already, for example, an "Iron Man" cameo in "The Incredible Hulk," though we can imagine the superpowers they'd trade to have it the other way around. But hey, sometimes even "Iron Man" can't get what he wants.

Comments

[Patrick]

Steven,

great article, but I have to take issue with your description of Captain America as "a product of cold-war jingoism". Captain America was created in 1941, and was famously featured on the cover of a comic book punching Hitler in the face. Captain America imagery was used to sell war bonds, just like Superman.

When written right, Captain America, as a character is a living incarnation of the American Dream. As a person he is incredibly idealistic, and conflict often comes from the confrontation between the character's idealism and the corruption he sees in the world around him (corrupt politicians, dictators, etc)...

I think the current state of international relations, and America's terrible image in the world today offer an ideal context for making a Captain America movie, which would try to address these issues, while also offering moviegoers the basic thrills of seeing Captain America punching bad guys....

To see the real potential of a character like Captain America, I strongly recommend reading Mark Millar's "The Ultimates" 1 & 2.