Louis Leterrier on short list to direct The Avengers
"I am on the shortlist, but I'm at the bottom of the shortlist, I'm sure. (Laughs) I don't know who the other guys are, but I have a great relationship with [Marvel], and I've been very vocal to them and everyone else that I am the one to direct it. I loved my time at Marvel. I loved those guys. They're fantastic. Kevin is such a passionate boss; he gets his hands dirty. It's a universe I want to keep exploring. I was frustrated with The Incredible Hulk. It was like, "That's it? Only one superhero? Can I do more???" We'll see. Time will tell."
The Avengers is set to hit theaters on May 4th, 2012. We will have more production information for you as soon as it is made available.
Marvel's The Avengers comes to theaters May 4th, 2012 and stars Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Chris Evans, Jeremy Renner, Robert Downey Jr., Cobie Smulders, Tom Hiddleston, Samuel L. Jackson. The film is directed by Joss Whedon.
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Moosebuddy
start the buzz with this guy as captain america
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2227414/
2 years agoby @moosebuddyFlag
renodc
I think Leterrier would do a good job. He seems very passionate about the comic book genre, but I doubt they'll put such an ambitious project in his lap unless Clash does exceptionally well at the box office. I also think it's really hard to judge him based on The Incredible Hulk, which I really liked, but unfortunately polarizes fans as much as Superman does for DC. No matter how you portray the Hulk, one side will love it and one side will hate it, and the line seems to be drawn between those that like the larger comic book Hulk and those that prefer the very different smaller '78-'82 television version.
2 years agoby @renodcFlag
T.Clark
I thought Lee's Hulk tried way too hard to be smart, and ends up alienating the viewer half way through with drawn out back story that not even a comic book reader can stomach. I liked it, but I think Leterrier's version will be the only definite Hulk film we see for a very long time, at least the way Marvel feels about the character's future on the big screen. Lee's version just isn't as appealing. I think he got the basic concept of the inner conflict with Banner and the Hulk, the whole "one man army" against an army idea...but Leterrier executed those aspects better. But to each his own.
2 years agoby @insertusernamehereFlag
Josh
@insertusernamehere: See. I thought that The Incredible Hulk WAS a "dumb" actioner. The way I always explain it is that Lee's Hulk was a cerebral film, and Leterrier's was a physical one, and they're both really heavy in their respective directions. I think both films are just okay, but they're very different and I think pretty equal in quality. If Lee's HULK had a better third act it would have been the much better movie of the two.
2 years agoby @shuabertFlag
Radimus-83
@The Fallen... I'm surprised that his name hasn't been brought up yet. No doubt it will over the next few months.
2 years agoby @radimus-83Flag
The Narrator: The Better Man
Lol. Singer could jump on as director. I definitely wouldn't mind that!
2 years agoby @narratorFlag
The Narrator: The Better Man
The direction of TIH was quite perfect for an Avengers film IMO. I have to agree with Comrade's first comment, "I'd love to see this as a cooperative with Leterrier Directing and Favreau/Branagh/Johnston producing as a team." It would balance out quite well and still be what fans want to see.
2 years agoby @narratorFlag
Tyranus
it's not just the terrifying factor it's also a very well conceived scene, most of the original doesn't hold up well to time, it's just a fun nostalgic film, but I've seen the medusa scene movie web posted and it just doesn't on a lot of levels, there's no suspense, no patient stalking or hunting, arrows coming out of nowhere, sudden hideous face with glowing eyes popping out of nowhere after seeing a shadow for five minutes. Medusa certainly looked ok in the new one but the original did it better. It was less actiony and more psychological. I think this sequence could be done again in a new way and maybe better, but the film really hinges on the medusa scene, it's the real climax, the Kraken is important overall but the Medusa scene is really the sequence that comes to define Perseus as a hero. The stygian witches look pretty cool though, the dialogue in the clip was pretty bad, but it certainly did look cool.
As for the Avengers I think Leterrier should stay well away. It would be nice if Favreau could do it. I guess we'll have to wait and see what happens. Team superhero movies are hard to pull off though, they need to find someone with a good enough understanding of the mythology behind the comics and who can sell a team-up of very different heroes. I mean we don't want another Fantastic 4 situation. (Although I thought Doom was pretty cool) Well whatever happens will be checking it out.
2 years agoby @tyranusFlag
T.Clark
In relation to Norton's hand in the movie, perhaps if Leterrier did direct the Avengers, it would be successful with the batch of other Marvel directors producing/mentoring the project, as Comrade mentioned.
2 years agoby @insertusernamehereFlag
T.Clark
The Incredible Hulk was a great comic book movie that I feel is underrated. It captured the character of both Banner and the Hulk. It was an action movie that never became a "dumb" movie, with heavy elements from both the comics and the TV show.
However, Norton had a big hand in the development of the film, and I fear that the success of the movie, as far as nailing the inner conflict with Banner, was more due to Norton's guidance than Leterrier's. It's a matter of how good Clash of the Titans is before it's certain if he can handle a movie like this.
2 years agoby @insertusernamehereFlag
Josh
@Tyranus: You make all very good points, but I wonder if it isn't that the effect of the Medusa scene in the new film is less effective, less "terrifying" in part simply because you're an adult. I also grew up on the original Clash, and found the scene frightening, but that's because I was young and hadn't seen anything like that before. It's very difficult to surprise people with special effects today because the market is so saturated with it. Just a thought, but keep in mind I have not watched the scene in question yet. Maybe it does look terrible.
2 years agoby @shuabertFlag
ed_wood
All the directors from the films should be part of The Avengers. At least in some way.
2 years agoby @ed-woodFlag
Yahzee
@mosorwvlad.... HAHAHA, that was mean! XD
2 years agoby @yahzeeFlag
Yahzee
The Incredible Hulk sucked, but this might be Marvel's fault. IF they make Avengers, we all see it was something better left on the comic book world or at most an animated film straight to DVD, nothing more
2 years agoby @yahzeeFlag
CBF
I am for Favreau as well, even though I know he will only stay on as Co-Producer.
2 years agoby @comicbookfanFlag
Tyranus
I didn't phrase my opinion on Worthington well. He's a good, solid actor, and I think like Leterrier he has a certain talent it just doesn't mesh with this material well. Take Harry Hamlin from the original, he really looked and acted the part quite well and he was conceivably Greek looking. Worthington still looks very out of place. He did well in Avatar (which I recommend) and Salvation because he fit the parts of a modern warrior, he looks like he could be a marine in real life, so it works, he does not however look like a Greek demi-god, he looks like a marine in Greek armor with an australian accent. He is talented but so are people like George Clooney but he certainly wouldn't be a good Perseus. Worthington is sort of the new Orlando Bloom in that he's getting lots of big parts because of the successful films he's made where he fit in, and like Orlando Bloom he's getting typcast slightly even in films where his acting style and his persona don't work. It might have been better to cast an unknown or someone who really is believable in the part rather than choosing an actor based on past projects. But Terminator Salvation is a very different film from Clash of the Titans.
As for the effects, agree to disagree. I like the original effects for nostalgic reasons and while I don't condone the consumer like need for newer and better effects, I do feel in this case the effects could be better. Directors like Peter Jackson, through some ability, understand how to give CGI real emotion and impact, and balance the CGI with a strong story and great human acting. That's rare and I understand. I don't begrudge Leterrier for being able to make a big movie like this after only four films under his belt, but the man has a certain directing style that doesn't mesh with this story. I mentioned Guillermo del Toro because if you listen to him talk he has wonderful insights into the world of fantasy and myth. Especially his interviews around Pan's Labyrinth. Titans is a tricky film to navigate because it is about the effects sequences and it is already a perversion of the Perseus myth. I just think there are even directors with as much experience as Leterrier whose styles would have gone better with the nature of this story.
I think what did it for me was the Medusa sequence. Take the original. That was a genuinely brilliant scene. It was suspenseful, genuinely terrifying, and beautifully animated. That is one of the classic sequences in special effects history. Now take the one movie web posted which is quite revealing. It lacks any subtlety, it deffinitely is good in it's own way, but it failed to do what Harryhausen's stop motion did, and that is deliver a truly terrifying and believable scene. Both are well choreographed, but the new one isn't special, it's not memorable. The Medusa scene and the Kraken scenes are really the two scenes that make or break the movie, they are iconic from the original. Part of what made the original so brilliant was the fact that for the first half we only see a shadow or the rattling of a tail and arrows coming from nowhere. The Kraken is very good I'll give it that. But all that is a matter of taste and opinion, I just value the Medusa sequence like I do the flying sequence in Avatar or Gollum in LOTR or any of the modern day special effects. In my opinion, effects, when used, should have a purpose and a heart to them aside from providing mind numbing battles, they should add something significant to the story and be a tool not the main focus. Films like LOTR and Pan's labyrinth are good because the effects feel like a part of the world and inspire awe without distracting from how good the performances are.
2 years agoby @tyranusFlag
HighCaliberINC
@Tyranus -Dude, that was much better than the last thing I read from you. I don't necessarily agree with most of what you are saying though... I didn't see Avatar so I wouldn't know, but I thought Worthington was real good in TerminatorSalvation...so I'm not sure if anyone can say he is good or bad in a movie which still hasn't come out yet. Again, difference of opinion on the f/x as well.
I also want to point out that when you listed directors that you think could have made this movie more appealing to you.. you gave directors that have more movies under their belt, that of course make them better than Leterrier just on body of work alone. I do like that you mentioned del torro however. I could imagine how much different the entire concept of this remake would be if he was doing it.
2 years agoby @highcaliberincFlag
Tyranus
of course the effects in the original are dated by today's standards but they have heart to them. You watch it and think hey some guy spent 12 hours moving models by hand to make five seconds of footage. The effects in this new one just have no soul. It's easier nowadays to make incredible images and creatures and I just don't think it looks like a lot of thought went into them.
regarding the acting, Sam Worthington did not even attempt a different accent, he's just sort of Sam Worthington in Greek armor, virtually indistinguishable from his Avatar performance, while the likes of Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes (the one appealing aspect I'll admit) sound like and look like classically trained actors. It's sort of like in the new Star Wars where you have all of these famous British actors and Hayden Christensen and the clash between the two is grating. Sam Worthington really gave a very bland performance in Avatar but it worked because it was overwhelmed by the beauty and amazingness of the rest of the movie. In Clash of the Titans he won't have a big blue alien to hide his flaws. I'm biased towards the original, I'll admit. It didn't take itself too seriously and it reveled in the campyness, but this one IS taking itself seriously and it just isn't right. There are plenty of better directors out there who could do a much better job. Even if I hadn't seen the original, the trailer was a big turn off for me, especially the rock music. Leterrier really just seems out of his element. He can do some things well, but his style clearly isn't meant for fantasy/superhero fare. He's a very good action director though and he should use those skills to make an awesome action film. With a film like Titans it would take someone like Peter Jackson, Guillermo del Toro, Alfonso Cuaron, or James Cameron to do it right. Obviously that won't happen, but it would take someone with a better sense of how to tell a myth. Leterrier certainly has an interesting style, and I may have been overly harsh in my criticism of him before, but he really never seemed right for a project like this, he should try it out on something other than fantasy epics and superhero films.
2 years agoby @tyranusFlag
The Serial Killer
This is great news! I loved "The Incredible Hulk" and I can't wait for "Clash Of The Titans," so yes, let Louis Leterrier direct this new upcoming project!
2 years agoby @traeFlag
ejk1
Why don't they wait and see which director did the best job with their individual superhero movie? That way, they can get the guy that did the best job. I know this would push the movie back, but I'd rather wait for a porterhouse than be served some bologna.
2 years agoby @ejk1Flag
The Dark Knight
Favreu
2 years agoby @thedarkknight23Flag
Buriblazing
No let john Favreu direct the avengers
2 years agoby @buriblazingFlag
Batman Rules !!!
good Luck with that Lol
2 years agoby @the-fallenFlag
TheMime
-Clash of the Titans="AWESOME"
-The Incredible Hulk="Not really" yeah there are some cool actions to it but there ain't much story to work with. It was not Great but ..yyyeah, nice enough.
So, about the directer; I personally think that it should be someone else. I don't know, it's just a thought. With great respect to Mr. Leterrier, I just figured that this project should be for other directors. But hey, I love Leterrier's work and if he's appointed then awesome enough for me.
2 years agoby @themimeFlag
mosorwvlad
Ha ha ha !!! what did you guys expect James Cameron , Riddley Scott, Steven Spielberg, Peter Jackson ???? Of course they will bring a second hand director !!
2 years agoby @mosorwvladFlag
CBF
Please, no. The guy who directed The Incredible Hulk? Just...no.
2 years agoby @comicbookfanFlag
Mmm_mmm
I COULD see it. Would be down with it.
2 years agoby @mmm-mmmFlag
Radimus-83
this isn't the worst idea i've read recently. JF won't do it. Can't remember why, but it was posted here a while back that he would only produce. The Incredible Hulk was a good movie. It was fast paced, Norton was great and the look of the Hulk was pretty good. We have to remember what he looks like, and Leterrier got him as close to the comic version that he could without making him look completely stupid.
Clash of the Titans will show us if he can handle alot of big characters on screen together.
2 years agoby @radimus-83Flag
Cripple
I really like his Incredible Hulk, and I can't wait for Clash of the Titans. He certainly is not the worst choice, but I would like to see who else is on that shortlist.
2 years agoby @crippleFlag
ZanyZap
Louis Leterrier to play Captain America? ;P
2 years agoby @zanyzapFlag