Zounds were abound this week when it was let out that the casting currently going on this week for a female lead in Superman wasn’t for Lois Lane. The initial speculation was that Snyder may have been kicking the script over to Lana Lang, the other alliterative female in Clark’s life. Not to be! Not to be at all. Snyder is currently casting for the role of Ursa, who is General Zod’s b-girl. According to reports, Alice Eve, Diane Kruger and Rosamund Pike are all in the running for the part.

Don’t know who Ursa is?

Slashfilm Cares:

[Ursa] first appeared in the Richard Donner’s  Superman and  Superman II as one of a trio of Kryptonians, lead by General Zod, who are sentenced to live in the Phantom Zone by Superman’s father Jor-El, before breaking out and ending up battling Superman on Earth. Ursa’s most noteworthy quality in the films is her hatred of men and that she collects badges/symbols of her kills. She didn’t appear in the comic books until only a few years ago.

Well, there you go. This news makes everything a bit interesting though, considering that Snyder said that Zod wasn’t going to be in the flick. Is Ursa running ahead, preparing the pathetic fleshsacs for Zod’s arrival? Or is the dude actually in the movie? Only Frat Boy Rock (Snyder) knows for sure. Oh, and I suppose those who have read the script.

Cobie Smulders is going to be Maria Hill in the Avengers flick. I had no idea who Smulders was until I googled her, and it turns out she’s in How I Met Your Mother…That explains why I had no clue. Nonetheless, according to Deadline:

I’m hearing that How I Met Your Mother star Cobie Smulders has emerged as the front runner for the role of SHIELD Agent Maria Hill in the Joss Whedon-directed The Avengers and that a deal could be done before the weekend is out.

Whelp! Don’t know her, but she is certainly pretty. Also, for what its worth, she looks excellent with hair that resembles Hill’s.

Thoughts? Anyone actually watch that show?

[images & words is the comic book pick-of-the-week at OL. equal parts review and diatribe, the post highlights the most memorable/infuriating/entertaining book released that wednesday]

Have you ever loved a series? Not enjoyed or flirted with, but truly loved a series? If you have, you’ll know it.

When you’re enamored of a narrative, the viewing of every episode isn’t just a desire, but a gahddamn need. After all, if the L-word’s being tossed around then you’ve become personally invested. Characters are no longer the fabrications of creators, but representatives of your own struggles. As symbols that have entrenched themselves within your own imagination, the characters are not caricatures, but as archetypal placeholders.

At that point, it’s not just about entertainment. It’s also about self-discovery.

What brings about this rumination? A cold brew and the realization that I’m in love with Sweet Tooth.

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Yo! Spoiler whores! You interested in seeing the cover to Marvel’s Fear Itself #1? If so, hit the jump.

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Marvel’s released the official Captain America poster, as well as dropping the first high-res look at the costume. Hit the jump to dive on in.

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Oh don’t you love shortlists and speculation? I mean, weren’t you getting worried with the hammering out all the details of The Dark Knight Rises would leave us in Speculation Limbo? Fear not, true mouth breathers such as myself! And innocent bystanders. Coming off of Samuel Jackson stating on Jimmy Kimmel that he’d be screen testing actresses for the role of his sidekick, today we have a purported list.

You ready for this shit?

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I’ve never really had much investment in Wonder Woman. Outside of her storyline playing off of Clark in Kingdom Come, and her bad ass neck snapping of Max Lord, she’s never done much for me. This is probably good news, given the details that have come out about the forthcoming Wonder Woman television show. If I was a fan of hers, I would probably be vomiting up blood somewhere.

Head inside for the details.

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For a good amount of time last year, it was speculated that Joseph Gordon-Levitt was going to be in the next Batman flick. I was stoked. There were senseless rumors being thrown around, that he’d be the Riddler and such. These rumors were seemingly quashed last year when it was announced that Inception co-star Thomas Hardy was going to be in The Dark Knight Rises. While I love the dude, I was bummed. Lucky for me, hope springs fucking eternal.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt is officially in talks to join Batman 3 / The Dark Knight Rises / Get Me A fucking Bat-Burger, Alfred.

This evening, Slashfilm reported the following:

Deadline has confirmed something that has been suspected for some time — Joseph Gordon-Levitt is in talks to reunite with his Inception director Christopher Nolan in The Dark Knight Rises. No one knows what role he will play, but rumor sites have been suspecting that Hugo Strange is part of the threequel story.

Where there’s fire, there’s apparently smoke! Sexy, JGL smoke. Joey as Hugo Strange? Sign me up. But I’m calling it now, JGL as fucking Robin.

Do completionist douchebag asshole geeks still exist? I’m going to say Yes!, but I’m not fucking certain. But if you douchebag completionists are out there, get ready to head down to Taco Bell! That’s right! Put on your fat kid sweatpants, beat back the fear that you’re a creepy virgin pedophile, and get ready to order some kids’ meals!

What sort of shit can you look forward to? Hit the jump!

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Abandon hope all ye who enter! This is Variant Covers, the column where I tell you what’s coming out in comic book land this week.  I’m penning this from what I previously thought was the Boston area in the United Empire. It has come to attention now that I have been living a lie, that I am actually firmly  ensconced  in Hoth. What can you do? I’m killing time in this world of continual snowfall through copious amounts of caffeine, and funny books.

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Daytripper TP.
The ten-issue series by Fábio Moon & Gabriel Bá caught my eyes on the racks while it was still coming out. Of course, I hadn’t heard about it until it was six issues deep, and I faced a financial decision: spend the money to catch up, or wait on my ass for several months and grab it as collected. What’d I do? Well, I’m picking it up tomorrow, so there’s that. Still though, I have a good suspicion that the thing is going to be fantastic. The twins’ artwork is always gorgeous, and I’m hard pressed to pass up anything they do. The premise is a bit on the surreal tip, but can be described as a work that “tells the life story of an obituary writer and the many potential paths (and deaths) that could color his existence.” It’s a roll of the dice to recommend something that a) I haven’t read, and b) isn’t cheap, but it’s a ten-dollar or so gamble. Take a risk! And if you hate it? Uh, kindly forget that I pimped it.

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Sweet Tooth #18. [Jeff Lemire Title #1 of the Week]
In a less propserous time, Sweet Tooth would be my favorite monthly. Easily. These days, it’s fucking complicated. It’s a great time for comic books. But whether or not it’s my favorite title, it’s fucking  excellent. The title began as a somber trip through a post-apocalyptic world, and its followed that with some bizarre shared collective unconscious between a couple of characters, and eerie biblical references. Jeff Lemire, I love you. The last issue hit with the emotional impact of nothing less than a fucking atomic bomb with the wrapping up of the  Animal Armies storyline.

This month our cadre of characters begin a long march, towards a world of snow and answers, and I’m interested to see where Lemire continues to take the storyline. It continues to open up, and the oddness and complexity that once was, continually is surpassed by what he thinks up next.

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