The ‘first phase’ of the Marvel Studios shared universe comes to a climactic end on May 4th, but the ‘second phase’ continues to chug along and is set to begin one year later. On May 3rd, 2013 Iron Man 3 should be hitting theaters nation wide.

According to Variety, Marvel Studios might have finally found their foe in the Shane Black directed sequel:

Ben Kingsley is in final talks to play the villain in Marvel Studios and Disney’s “Iron Man 3,” but fans of the comicbook character will be disappointed to learn he won’t take on original Tony Stark archenemy the Mandarin.

Instead, Kingsley’s character is involved in the spread of a virus through nanobots, given that “Iron Man 3″ is loosely based on Warren Ellis’ six-issue “Extremis” comicbook series first published in 2005. That arc — which also heavily influenced the first “Iron Man” pic — introduced a new origin story and focused heavily on nanotechnology.

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If there’s one particular Marvel comics series I’ve been enjoying for the last many months it’s Secret Avengers. The story and characters really seem to resonate with me and I really like where the series is going.

As pleased as I am with the series I was even more intrigued to learn that one of my favorite writers, Warren Ellis, was taking over the scripting duties on it. That work has now arrived with Secret Avengers #16 and, not surprisingly, it was hugely successful. In fact, it sold out and is going back for a second printing.

That second printing hits store shelves on September 28th. But wait, there’s more.

To get you interested in this great arc, we’ve got a preview for Ellis’ next issue for you today. In this one, Ellis is joined by artist Kev Walker and sends Steve Rogers and his team to Eastern Europe to stop a global bio-threat.

Can’t wait to check that one out. Sounds awesome.

Check out the preview for Secret Avengers #17 after the break. Look for it in comic store on September 28th too.

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Red certainly isn’t an important or groundbreaking film, but it is a lot of fun, and that counts for something in my book.  Sometimes that is exactly what we are seeking out, and this film delivers.  It’s a blast.

Bruce Willis plays Frank Moses, a man who appears to be living a  ho-hum existence  in the suburbs.  He spends his free time convincing a government employee in Kansas City (Sarah, played by a sassy Mary-Louise Parker) that he has not received his government checks.  He is really ripping them up, just so he can call her every few days and talk.  The two have adopted a flirty rapport during their chats.

In a thrilling opening sequence, Frank finds out (rather unexpectedly) that he is being targeted by assassins, and he quickly and efficiently employs a variety of weapons and booby traps to thwart their efforts.  It is clear that this is no ordinary citizen, you see Frank is classified by the CIA as RED (Retired Extremely Dangerous.)

After he has time to get his wits about him, Frank rushes to Kansas City to rescue/kidnap Sarah, because she will be targeted l if the unknown assailants check his phone records.

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The name of this year’s movie game seems to be massive casting. If Expendables was for the slightly older action star, then Summit Entertainment’s RED is definitely skewing much older in terms of casting.

The film stars Bruce Willis as the leader of the greatest CIA agents ever to go through the agency. The only problem? They’re all over the hill and retired. Willis leads a team of Morgan Freeman, John Malkovich, and Helen Mirren, with folks like Ernest Borgnine and Richard Dreyfuss joining along as well. In order no to alienate the viewers under the age of 50, Mary Louise Parker, Julian McMahon, and Karl Urban fill out the cast.

If the action and casting isn’t enough to warrant your $10, then how about the fact that the film is based on a comic of the same name? Originally written by Warren Ellis, the script comes from the Hoeber brothers, who also brought Whiteout to the silver screen.

We’ve got 5 brand new clips for you to check out after the jump, so be sure to enjoy the action, and catch RED in theaters on October 15th.

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A brand new trailer for Red, featuring Helen Mirren, John Malkovich, Morgan Freeman, Bruce Willis, and Mary Louise Parker made its debut at San Diego’s Comic-Con. The film is based on the cult D.C. graphic novels by Warren Ellis and Cully Hammer.

It has been branded as  “an explosive action-comedy.” Mirren, Willis, Freeman and Malkovich play a foursome of retired CIA operatives who are now being framed for assassination, because they know too much.  They must band together and use their combined wit and skills to survive.  They also uncover a massive conspiracy.

Red is directed by Robert Schwentke (The Time Traveler’s Wife.) I think it looks like a blast.  Who doesn’t love seeing Helen Mirren toting weapons? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

Red is being released by Summit entertainment on October 15. Check out the new trailer after the break.

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If you’re not familiar with Warren Ellis’ three -issue comic miniseries Red don’t worry. Unless you’re a fan of Ellis (which I am) you may not have seen it before. Regardless of that, Hollywood — and Summit Entertainment in particular — has seen fit to adapt Red for the big screen and we have the first trailer for that adaptation to show you today.

To be honest, this trailer doesn’t really remind me much of the comic. In fact, it almost seems like an entirely different story. Sure, the original miniseries was only three issues so some enhancement had to take place. But this trailer and the movie it represents seems more like a comedy than the balls out action comic about a retired assassin who should have been left alone I remember reading.

Although it does seem quite a bit different, at least to me, I still kinda like it. That’s the problem with adaptations of novels, comics, games or whatever, they don’t usually stay the same way you remember them. But that isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

If changes are made that are simply arbitrary, that’s where I start to have a problem with them.

Having read Red very recently, I’m probably just sensitive to perceived changes. After all, its just a trailer with a whole movie still to come. Guess I should just wait and see.

Does this trailer work for you or is it yet another sub-standard adaptation of a comic to come out this year? Judge for yourself after the jump. Red, which features Bruce Willis, Helen Mirren, John Malkovich, Mary-Louse Parker and Morgan Freeman, opens October 15th.

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As we have in the past we’ve got another look behind the scenes of the Iron Man Extremis motion comic from Marvel. So far, these motion comics have been of very high quality and it looks as if Marvel is sparing no expense on their production.

This one involving Iron Man and the Extremis story is no exception. With superstar writing from Warren Ellis and art from Adi Granov, this take on Tony Stark and his legacy as Iron man is sure to be remembered as an important arc for the character. To support this motion comic we’ve got another behind the scenes video for you today.

And, like always, here’s the description from our friends at Marvel:

Experience Iron Man in a whole new way – IRON MAN: EXTREMIS Motion Comic. From the story by Warren Ellis & Adi Granov, this incredible epic blends seamless motion, dynamic voice acting, and stunning special effects, bringing to life the story that redefined Iron Man for the 21st Century. Now you can get an exclusive look behind the scenes with Magnetic Dreams, who bring Iron Man and Co. to life!

Check out the behind the scenes video after the jump. Iron Man Extremis Episode 3 is available at Apple’s iTunes Store now.

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As we’ve done with the last two episodes we’re pleased to bring you a preview of the next episode of the Iron Man Extremis motion comic. The episode, which will be available at Apple’s iTunes Store today, continues the Warren Ellis written story of a military-sponsored nanotechnology called “Extremis” that Tony Stark must take to save his own life.

It’s an interesting take on Iron Man as we explore Stark’s character and his guilt over creating weapons and being one himself. I’m enjoying it and if you haven’t checked it out, you should — especially if you’re a fan of Iron Man.

And, as we agree to do to bring you these little video treats, here’s the scoop on the video from Marvel’s own virtual lips:

Experience Iron Man in a whole new way – IRON MAN: EXTREMIS Motion Comic. From the story by Warren Ellis & Adi Granov, this incredible epic blends seamless motion, dynamic voice acting, and stunning special effects, bringing to life the story that redefined Iron Man for the 21st Century. Now you can get a sneak peek at the third episode of this breathtaking visual breakthrough in motion comics! IRON MAN EXTREMIS episode 3 goes on-sale Wednesday, May 12th!

Check out the preview of Iron Man: Extremis after the jump.

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Previously on The Flickcast we brought the first preview taking you behind the scenes for Marvel’s latest motion comic Iron Man Extremis. The comic sold well and now they are back with another installment and we’ve got another preview to share with you again this time.

This time around we get more of a traditional trailer approach to the motion comic with exciting visuals, action and lots of blood. After all, it’s not called “Extremis” for nothing. Additionally, as we agree to do when we run video like this, here’s what Marvel has to say on the subject.

Experience Iron Man in a whole new way – IRON MAN: EXTREMIS Motion Comic. From the story by Warren Ellis & Adi Granov, this incredible epic blends seamless motion, dynamic voice acting, and stunning special effects, bringing to life the story that redefined Iron Man for the 21st Century. Now you can get a sneak peek at the second episode of this breathtaking visual breakthrough in motion comics!

The second episode of IRON MAN EXTREMIS goes on-sale Wednesday, April 28th!

Check out the video after the jump.

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You have to give it up for Marvel. They truly seem to be embracing the online and “digital” new media. They’ve got an iPad application that lets you read comics on the device, they offer comics online at Marvel Digital and they’ve released a series of very well done motion comics, which you can play on your iPod Touch or iPhone.

They don’t just phone it in or do a half-assed job on the motion comics either. Everything is professional and of the highest quality. Heck, they even get superstars like Joss Whedon and Brian Bendis to write the motion comics and artists such as John Cassaday and Alex Maleev to draw them, so they must be taking these projects pretty seriously.

The latest character to get the full Marvel treatment is Iron Man in the new Iron Man Extremis motion comic, which is written by Warren Ellis and Adi Granov. To commemorate this event we’ve got a behind the scenes video of the making of the new moco, courtesy of Marvel. As we’ve done in the past, here’s the synopsis provided by Marvel:

Experience Iron Man in a whole new way – IRON MAN: EXTREMIS Motion Comic. From the story by Warren Ellis & Adi Granov, this incredible epic blends seamless motion, dynamic voice acting, and stunning special effects, bringing to life the story that redefined Iron Man for the 21st Century. Now you can get an exclusive sneak peek at this breathtaking visual breakthrough in motion comics with a brand new behind the scenes video! The first episode of IRON MAN EXTRMIS goes on-sale Friday, April 16th!

Check out the video after the jump and just like it says above, get your own copy of Iron Man Extremis this Friday.

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Summit Entertainment (The Twilight franchise) has announced the release date for the upcoming film Red. In case you’re not familiar, the film features Bruce Willis as Paul Moses, a former CIA assassin, who after years of retirement ends up hunted by the government for the things he knows. Red has been set for release on October 22, 2010.

The film, based off the mini-series by Warren Ellis (Transmetropolitan) and illustrator Cully Hamner, has an A-list ensemble cast lined up including Morgan Freeman, Helen Mirren, John C. Reilly, Mary-Louise Parker, Brian Cox, Richard Dreyfuss and just announced the other day, James Remar (Dexter).

The film is being directed by Robert Schwentke (The Time Traveler’s Wife), from a script by Jon and Erich Hoeber, who gave us another recent comic-book adaptation, Whiteout.

According to THR’s Heat Vision Blog, John C. Reilly and Mary-Louise Parker are now in negotiations to join the cast of Red, Summit Entertainment’s adaptation of the Wildstorm/DC Comics miniseries written by Jon and Erich Hoeber and being directed by Robert Schwentke. If they do end up signing up for the film, they will join a cast that already includes Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman and Helen Mirren.

Originally published in 2003 and 2004, Red was co-created by writer Warren Ellis and artist Cully Hammer. It centers on a former black-ops agent Paul Moses (Bruce Willis), now in retirement, who has to contend with younger, more high-tech assassins who want to kill him and keep his former exploits from going public. Naturally, the first hit squad fails and alerts Moses that he’s being targeted. So, he goes on the offensive in order to stay alive.

If cast, Reilly would play a retired CIA agent who is paranoid that everyone is out to kill him. Parker would play Willis’ character’ love interest, a federal pension worker who becomes embroiled in the Willis character’s struggle to stay alive. Red is expected to begin filming in January in Toronto with an projected release later in 2010.