From Variety.com

Paramount pacts for Marvel pix

Captain America, Nick Fury, others headed for screen


Paramount has inked a lucrative, exclusive distribution deal with Marvel for films based on the comicbook publisher's remaining characters.
The pact is the first major deal negotiated on the watch of new chief executive Brad Grey.

Many of its A-list characters are already "taken" by other studios -- "Spider-Man" lives at Sony, "Iron Man" is at New Line and "X-Men" resides at Fox.

According to a Dow Jones report Wednesday night, Marvel has already amassed a half-billion-dollar war chest to make a slate of movies with budgets as high as $180 million, drawing on its remaining 5,000 comic-book characters.

Among the first of its superheroes headed for the silver screen: Captain America and Nick Fury, an American version of James Bond.

The new studio is the latest step since its emergence from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 1998. The company now makes most of its profit from licensing its characters for toys, videogames and movies.

Marvel has never produced a movie on its own until now. To fund its slate Marvel arranged a seven-year $525 million revolving credit facility with Merrill Lynch Commercial Finance Corp., secured against the movie rights to 10 comic-book characters, including Captain America. Paramount isn't putting up any production money; it will receive a fee for marketing and distributing an initial 10 movies, the first of which is expected to hit theaters in two years. To ensure the maximum possible audience, none of the movies will be R-rated.

Please....PLEASE let them do right by Nick Fury.

No Ultimate, Sam Jackson Fury; I want pure Sterenko.

-Jason

I read this in the Wall Street Journal today, and it's far better news than I expected when a friend mentioned the deal. Marvel funding and producing the movies themselves, without a studio's input, could potentially make for some great movies. Prior to this Marvel movies were a dumb executive away from being a shingyblingy movie. Marvel at least knows and cares about creating accurate portrayels of their characters.

Plus the financial aspect of the deal is awe-inspiring. Basically Marvel only risks losing the movie rights to some characters, and gets the bulk of any profits made. It's basically no downside, unless the films flop majorly.

So I guess this means theres no hope of ever seeing an Avengers movie then? At least with the classic roster, anyway

Actually, in the Wall Street Journal, they specifically mention an Avengers movie, and it's mentioned that Marvel has the right to use the Hulk in any Avengers movie. I assume the same would be true of Iron Man and Thor as well.

Oh man...please do right by Cap this time....


B.

I"ve been waiting for a good Cap movie.........HEY, maybe they can get Hasslehoff to reprise his Nick Fury role!!!!!!!!!!

Bite your tongue!

Actually, he wasn't even the worst part of that movie. The total lack of production values, total lack of knowledge of what S.H.I.E.L.D. is and how it works and a completely crippling performance by Sandra Hess as Viper sunk the Fury TV movie deeper than Hasselhoff ever could.

I want Russell Crowe, an awesome heli-carrier and reverence, ya Goldbricks! Hop to it!

-Jason

>>Actually, in the Wall Street Journal, they specifically mention an Avengers movie, and it's mentioned that Marvel has the right to use the Hulk in any Avengers movie. I assume the same would be true of Iron Man and Thor as well.<<

WOW. Really Now that's interesting.

A big budget, live action Avengers movie with the complete roster ... Cap, Thor, Iron Man, Giant-Man, Wasp, Hawkeye, Wanda, Quicksilver and the Hulk ... man. Wonder who they could get to direct?

Mike
(And you know that if Marvel puts an Avengers movie on the fast track, it won't take long for the WB to get started on a Justice League flick.)

>>No Ultimate, Sam Jackson Fury; I want pure Sterenko. <<

Agreed.



Mike
(While it might be considered "too 60's" for some, the Steranko run on SHIELD will forever be the definitive version for me.)

I second that emotion...........




Hopefully they'll get an actor over 30 and not some young punk to appeal to a younger audience.....


Clooney would be okay, but I don't know if he can be threatening and tough enuff on screen.......but his age is about right...........