Marvel Studios has announced that British actress Hayley Atwell will play Peggy Carter in Captain America: The First Avenger.

Peggy Carter, in the comics, was an American who worked undercover with the French resistance and was a romantic interest for Captain America. Atwell will still play Carter as Cap’s love interest, but taking into account her nationality and the fact the film will be set in wartime London, expect the other aspects of her comic book beginnings to change.

Atwell is perhaps best known to American audiences for her role in 2008′s Brideshead Revisited and The Duchess. Fun Fact: her The Duchess co-star Keira Knightley was also considered for the role, as was Alice Eve  and Emily Blunt.

It’s not like Hugo Weaving needs any more geek cred. His role in the Lord of the Rings trilogy secured that. If that wasn’t enough, his performance in the Matrix trilogy cast it in iron. Then his adding his voice to Megatron in the Transformers films plated it in gold. And even his role in The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert ensured that he will always have a cult status.

But apparently that wasn’t enough. The Hollywood Reporter is reporting that the actor is in negotiations to play the Red Skull in the upcoming Captain America film.

If this goes through, it will be the second time in ten years that Weaving has starred in a comic book movie, following 2005′s V for Vendetta. It would also reunite him with his director for The Wolfman, Joe Johnson.

The Red Skull, Captain America’s arch-enemy, was a German bellhop whose merciless nature caught the eye of Adolph Hitler. He quickly rose to the position of Hitler’s right hand man and was a constant foe for the star-spangled hero.

The search for who is to play the lead is still going on, but the list of potential candidates has been whittled down to Mike Vogel (Cloverfield), Wilson Bethel (The Young and the Restless, Generation Kill),  Chris Evans (The Losers, Fantastic Four) and Garrett Hedlund (Friday Night Lights, Tron Legacy), according again to The Hollywood Reporter.

Maybe Hugh Jackman told Daniel Craig how great working in an American comic book movie is during their time on Broadway doing A Steady Rain, because MTV’s Splash Page blog is reporting that the British actor is in negotiations to star in the adaptation of Platinum Studios graphic novel, Cowboys and Aliens.

Craig would play Zeke Johnson, the same role Robert Downey Jr. was attached to before he withdrew from the project earlier this week.

If this goes through, it will actually be second film based on a comic book that Craig will have out in 2011. He is signed to star as Red Rackham in The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn, which was adapted from a legendary Belgian comic book series.

The announcement that the Green Lantern movie was officially green lit (no pun intended) reassured fans of the character that a film version would soon be on its way. However, a recent casting announcement might have them worried just a bit.

The Hollywood Reporter’s Heat Vision blog is reporting Blake Lively, known for her work in The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants and the TV show Gossip Girl, has joined the cast as Carol Ferris. Ferris is the woman who runs Ferris Aircraft, the company where the Green Lantern’s alter ego Hal Jordan works, and is a love interest for Jordan, who will be played by Ryan Reynolds.

The anal comic fan will be quick to point out that the comic character is a brunette and Lively, as you can see here, is a blond. A package of Clairol could fix that right up. But another issue that has been raised is about her age.

Lively is only 23, almost a full 10 years younger than Reynolds.  But the female lead being younger than the male lead is a Hollywood standard. But how many 23-year olds do you know running a military aircraft design and construction company?

It is unknown if Lively has signed on for any sequels, because her character in the comic books would later become the Green Lantern villain known as Star Sapphire, which would be a natural for inclusion if the franchise continues.

The casting department will now be turning their eyes to filling the roles of Hector Hammond, the film’s villain, and Sinestro, Hal’s trainer in this film, but as comic fans know, eventually becomes his greatest enemy.

Green Lantern is scheduled to be released on June 17, 2011. You can read a review of the original script here, although the Hollywood Reporter informs us that it is currently undergoing a series of rewrites.

Do you think there is a contest in the Reynolds-Johansson household to see who can do the most comic book movies? Scarlett held the lead with three (Ghost World, The Spirit, and Iron Man 2) to Ryan’s two (Blade: Trinity and X-Men Origins: Wolverine) He tied it up when the spin-off Deadpool film was announced, and now has pulled ahead by signing on to play one of DC Comics’ most iconic heroes.

The Hollywood Reporter  and Variety are reporting that Ryan Reynolds has signed on to play Hal Jordan in the long awaited Green Lantern film. He beat out such heady competition such as Bradley Cooper, Jared Leto and Justin Timberlake.

Reynolds on-screen persona is, in my opinion, a perfect match for the cocky, authority-bucking Hal Jordan of the script, which was reviewed by us in February. However, other denizens of the Internet have not been as kind. 

For those of you worried that this will force Reynolds out of the Deadpool film, relax. Deadpool is still in the early stages of development, while Green Lantern is scheduled to arrive in theaters in December of 2010. Odds are very good that he will be able to do both.

Danny McBride might not be the first person you would think of as starring in a comic book film, but star in one he will. Yesterday, Variety reported that Warner Brothers has acquired AIT/PlanetLar’s Hench as a star vehicle for McBride, a fact confirmed by the comic’s co-creator Adam Beechen on his Facebook page.

Hench is one of the most unique concepts to come out of comics in the past few years. Created by Beechen and artist Manny Bello, the graphic novel presented its story from the viewpoint of one of the nameless henchmen who populate comic books. It followed a former football player named Mike who suffered an permanent injury that took him out of the game. Since he had no other skills outside of football, he took the only job that became available to him–a professional henchman.

McBride is set to star in the film and plans to write the movie with frequent collaborator Shawn Harwell using the graphic novel as a “template.” While the comic had comedic elements, it wasn’t the flat-out comedy McBride is known for. We should probably expect some changes from page to screen.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine hasn’t even been in theaters a week, but already they are talking about spin-offs and sequels.

Variety is reporting that Fox has begun development in a Deadpool movie as a star vehicle for Ryan Reynolds.

The article makes it seem like the project just sprung up just this week, but the project has been in the pipeline with Reynolds in the lead for years.

Reynolds starred as Wade Wilson, Deadpool’s alter ego, in first half of  Wolverine, putting on a pitch perfect reading as the character from the comic. However, when they character returned during the final act, another actor portrayed the retooled Deadpool (IMDB lists the actor as Scott Adkins).

While Reynolds’ performance  as Wilson was arguably the best part of the film, the actual appearance of Deadpool in the finale was anti-climatic. The character was a hideously scarred mute with little personality. You get the impression that the producers thought fans would be blown away by the character’s power set and not mind that he was dull as a piece of wood. If they do make the spin-off, hopefully they will plug Reynolds into the super-hero role and  build the character up to fit Reynold’s personality.

The above article also mentions that planning has begun on another Wolverine sequel. The plot is rumored to take place in Japan, which sounds like it will follow, at least in part, the Chris Claremont/Frank Miller series we spoke about here.

Megan Fox really doesn’t need to work on her “geek” cred. Just her being one of the most attractive up-and-coming young starlets in Hollywood would be enough to warm the cockles of most genre fan’s hearts.

But her starring in the two Transformers movies pretty much enshrines her in the hall of fame of many Comic-Con goers. And her starring as a demonically possessed cheerleader in Diablo Cody’s next film, Jennifer’s Body guarantees her plaque will get a primo location in that hallowed hall.

But recent news out of Hollywood could give some the idea that Megan Fox is one of us. Could she be a comic book geek too? Signs point to yes.

The Hollywood Reporter tells us that Fox has signed on to not one, but two upcoming comic book adaptations.

First is the upcoming Jonah Hex. I’ll let THR describer her role:

…Fox will play Leila, a gun-wielding beauty and love interest of Hex (Brolin), a scarred bounty hunter tracking a voodoo practitioner (Malkovich) who wants to raise an army of undead to liberate the South.

I don’t know about you, but that plot description alone makes me want to see that movie. The fact that the cast consists of Josh Brolin, John Malkovich and Megan Fox makes me want to see the film NOW!

The other comic book film Fox has sign on for is the lead in the film adaptation of Aspen Comics flagship title, Fathom. Created by the late Michael Turner in 1998, the comic deals with a woman named Aspen Matthews whose ordinary, everyday life is changed forever when she finds out she is a member of an underwater race with the power to control water.

As you can see to the right, Fox bears an uncanny resemblance to the character.

According to THR, Fox will also be taking a role in the developing and shaping the property because, get this, she was a fan of the series since its 1998 debut. See, she is one of us (or at least she was).

Jonah Hex is set to hit theaters August of next year, while Fathom is still in the development stage.

Iron Man 2 is shaping up to be a Marvel Comics fan’s dream. First, they get to see a live action War Machine. Then Crimson Dynamo. Then possibly Whiplash. Now, the sexy secret agent known as Black Widow is rumored to appear in the 2010 sequel, personified by The Devil Wears Prada‘s Emily Blunt.

Varietyis reporting the Blunt is a front runner to play Russian spy Natasha Romanoff, who spends her free time as the black bodysuit clad femme fatale known as the Black Widow.  She joins the previously rumored Mickey Rourke and Sam Rockwell, who are said to be in negotiations to play the aforementioned Iron Man villains Crimson Dynamo and Whiplash.

It is not known whether the film Black Widow will be an ally or an enemy of Tony Stark. In the comics, she started off as a villain, but eventually became a hero. What is known that it appears that the film will have a very Russian feel. Considering the first film was at least partially set in Afghanistan, this opens a lot of possibilities for directions for the story  to go in.

With The Dark Knight making almost $1 Billion worldwide while in theaters and the DVD being one of the hottest gifts this holiday season, it is not a question of will there be a sequel, but who Batman will face in it.

You may have seen in the last few weeks a number of websites giving their two cents as who the villain or villains should be and who should play them. Well, now that almost every other website has given their picks, we here at FilmBuffOnline are going to give ours.

We are going to break it all down for you. Which comic bad guy or girl should be involved, why they make a good choice and why they don’t and which version should they use. And we’ll also give you who we think should play them.

We are naturally going to ignore Ra’s Al Ghul, Scarecrow, Joker, and Two-Face (All could come back, with recasting to replace Heath Ledger a remote possibility). Instead, we are going to focus on new characters–including ones fans are clamoring for.

Catwoman:

Who is she?: Selina Kyle is a cat burglar with a heart of gold and a flirtatious relationship with Batman.

Why she’s a good choice: After the events of The Dark Knight (heretofore referred to as TDK), Bruce Wayne could use a little female companionship, preferably someone who could handle herself well in a fight.

The Catwoman character would fit with the realism of the films and the Robin Hood-like nature of the character in the comics would provide a nice contrast to the movie Batman (Both break the law for the greater good). And her story arc would lend itself to a lighter tone, something the franchise could use.

Why she’s not a good choice: It might be a bit too soon for Batman to engage in any romantic entanglements.

Who should play her?: Definitely not Cher. Or, not that it needs to be said, not Hallie Berry either. No offense to either, they are both fine actresses, they just aren’t Catwoman.

Angelina Jolie seems to be the popular choice, but I get the feeling it’s more from a purient desire to see her in skin-tight plether than her considerable acting skills.

My choice would be a little bit unusual. I’d choose Ellen Page. I see the current comic Catwoman as being scrappy yet able to mix in high society. I think Page can pull that off well.

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