Weekly News Roundup: 1

Welcome to Matinée Idol! This blog is dedicated to inform readers about the latest headlines in the world of film. Along with posting about film related news, I’ll be giving my two cents on said news.

Let’s begin with a couple of major casting announcements. In the wake of Warner Bros. announcing  Ben Affleck as the new Bruce Wayne/Batman in the untitled “Man of Steel” sequel, Marvel Studios announced the casting of James Spader as the evil robot Ultron in “Avengers: Age of Ultron.”

While not stealing the headlines as Warner Bros. did with their announcement, Marvel Studios addition of Spader is excellent casting. Mostly known now for his TV work on shows like “Boston Legal” and “The Office”, Spader should be able to bring his trademark creepiness to the sentient robot.

            As far as we know Spader will be voicing Ultron; but will he be donning a motion capture suit to bring the character to life? That hasn’t yet been revealed.

            You can catch Spader and the rest of the Avengers coming to a theater near you in May 1, 2015.

            Marvel Studios also announced that Bradley Cooper will be lending his voice as Rocket Raccoon in James Gunn’s “Guardians of the Galaxy.”

Fresh of the heels of his Oscar nomination for Best Actor in “Silver Linings Playbook”, this marks the first time that Cooper will be doing voiceover work. For those who don’t know, Rocket is a gun wielding raccoon that is well-versed in high powered firearms and a master tactician and strategist.

Cooper and the rest of the Guardians hit theaters Aug. 1, 2014.

            Finally, the summer movie season concludes this weekend at the box-office. The 3D concert film, “One Direction: This Is Us” won the three day weekend with an estimated $17 million. However, the film might be overtaken in the four day holiday by “Lee Daniels’ The Butler”, which came in second at an estimated $14.74 million.

            The weekend didn’t fare so well for Warner Bros. new release “Getaway.” The thriller starring Ethan Hawke and Selene Gomez barely cracked the top ten with an abysmal $4.5 million from 2,130 theaters.  The film also had the distinction of scoring a 2 percent critic rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a C+ Cinemascore from audiences.

            Come back next week as we recap more film news and the start of the Toronto International Film Festival. Until next time, this has been Matinée Idol.