Strangely enough, the web has been full of discontent about Andrew Garfield’s distinctly undernorished look as Spidey recently, but judging by this peek at shooting, he (or his stunt double) are certainly going to provide an action packed take on Marvel’s wall-crawling everyman.

It seems that director Joe Johnston has been using his post-Wolfman time wisely, bypassing regional premieres in favour of homing in on a lead for The First Avenger: Captain America.
Chatting to Marvel.com, Johnston says he expects to announce a lead in the next fortnight.

“We need to cast it soon,” said Johnston. “We have a very short list, but we’re still juggling actors here. I’d say within the next couple of weeks we’ll have ourselves a Captain America, I hope.”

Sam Worthington was most recently linked to the star-spangled spandexer, but it’s unclear whether the grunting half-wall half SHOUTING ACTOR has made the shortlist. Tyrese still appears to be in the running for the role of proto-super soldier Isaiah Bradley.

Despite some shouting from fanboys – and speculation that the plot may include Marvel’s dodgy Brit-hero Union Jack – Johnston is still set on filming in the UK, which given the WWII period piece that’s been mooted, makes perfect sense, with Marvel’s head honcho Kevin Fiege claiming it will be
“One of the most international films we’ve done”. So Europe-wide Nazi-crushing super-carnage then – this can only be a good thing.

Tony Stark may get an all-new weaponised tin can to play in Iron Man 2 – not to mention back up from War Machine – but that doesn’t mean he isn’t a cautious type. Obviously not itching to become cannon fodder – or given the plot, whip-fodder – it seems we’ll be treated to a series of ‘Battle Drone’ suits as well – and our friends over at Diamond Toys Select have seen them all. And made teeny-tiny little models of them!

Now you too can experience the unique pleasure of inflicting battle-damage on a massive suit of armour armed only with a candle (or pulling Gwyneth Paltrow’s head off – whatever floats your boat ya weirdy ). Now if we can just figure out who the figure in black below is….

More reasons to get excited – the new theatrical trailer for Kick-Ass! All set to preview at this year’s SXSW, a movie with a nine-year-old assassin and Nic Cage killing people while wearing his wife’s mascara can’t be all bad can it?

For some unknown reason, people seem quite excited by the thought of Seth Rogen playing “worst-superhero-ever-apart-from-the-steel-spider” The Green Hornet, so it’s with some fervour that these production pics of the costume have leaked out.

Rogen himself has reportedly seriously slimmed down for the role, but it’s unclear whether that’s him dolled out like a doorman at a hotel for Leprechauns. Either way, the production has been busy dropping bulldozers onto traffic and blowing things up in LA this month, so it’s possible there’s hope yet.

What do you think? Does the post-Watchmen return of non-powered capes to our screens warrant an air-punching “Yesssss!!!” or a nonchalent “meh”?

News from the four-colour world this morning, with Ant-Man rumours rife, and a certain Parent company swallowing up the DC Universe like Galactus on a particularly peckish day.

It’s fairly obvious the STS has a speacial (read ‘borderline dangerously obsessive’) relationship with comic book movies, rarely a day passing without one of our staffers donning a towell/paperclip cape and leaping out of the window onto the already messy London streets below. So when our super-hearing (no – we don’t know how it works either…) first picked up news a couple of years ago that Edgar Wright was planning a take on Marvel’s little-known Ant-Man property, we were hooked.

A gruesome horror helmer in charge of a cynical, downbeat comic property? Sounds golden to us, and this morning things move a little closer to completion, with young Edgar spilling the beans over on CHUD about some possible Pixar involvement:

“The news that Pixar is involved is not wholly accurate and a little premature to comment on. I love Pixar’s work more than anyone and indeed would love to collaborate with them. I just spoke to (Marvel’s movie supremo) Kevin Feige for the first time since I wrapped and we are meeting this week to discuss the next phase. It’s been something that I have worked on for over five years on and off. There’s even a treatment I wrote that dates even further back than that.”

’Not wholly accurate’ certainly sounds intriguing, and although things have ground to a temporary halt while Wright works on another comic property, the sublime Scott Pilgrim Vs The World, the thought of the Incredibles boys bringing their particular brand of sparkle to an established super-hero property-particularly one as subversive as Ant-Man – sounds like an enticing prospect. Expect further news on weather this particular ant will spoil the Directors (blood and) Ice Cream trilogy schedule shortly.

Meanwhile there’s massive Cape-based turmoil as Warner Brother’s finally give in to Super Villain megalomania and swallow up DC Comics.

The Batman and Superman parent company have remained a separate arm of WB until now, but with it’s properties struggling for recognition against Marvel Studios – Dark Knight excepted – the newly formed DC Entertainment brand will attempt to increase visibility for lesser known characters, and may even drag The Flash and Wonder Woman out of development hell and into cinemas. According to Warner big cheese Alan Horn:

“It’s no secret that DC has a myriad of rich and untapped possibilities from its deep library of iconic and lesser-known characters, the formation of DC Entertainment will help us bring more DC properties across additional platforms to fans around the world.”

Here at STS we’re hoping this means we finally get to see the so-bad-it-can’t-possibly-exist ‘Haunted Tank’ on our screens-and get to hear Brandon Routh trying to pronounce ‘Mxylzyzylpkt’ in the near future.