With Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans promising a big surprise on Jimmy Kimmel Live, we knew it had to be something special — that something is the first trailer for Captain America: Civil War. Not a teaser, but an actual, full trailer, dramatically highlighting the growing divide between Steve Rogers and Tony Stark, which will divide the Avengers and pit them against one another in what could be Marvel's most epic film yet.
The reviews for Stephen Colbert’s debut as the new Late Show host were mostly positive. Our own Matt Singer said the show got off to a “solid start” as Colbert took over for David Letterman, but the show almost didn’t get off to a start at all. On his second show, Colbert revealed that because of editing and technical glitches, his first episode almost didn’t make it on air.
We’re closer than ever to Stephen Colbert’s Late Show debut on September 8, and while George Clooney’s guest appearance gave a marquee head start, the full guest list for Colbert’s full week offers a much clearer view of the new series. Everyone from Jeb Bush to Elon Musk and Amy Schumer will fill out the ranks, with musical guests on deck as well.
A couple of weeks ago, Forbes revealed its annual list of the highest-paid actors in Hollywood, with Robert Downey Jr. effortlessly landing the top spot. This week, the publication has released the list of the highest-paid actresses in Hollywood, with Jennifer Lawrence taking the number one spot followed by Scarlett Johansson — hardly surprising, but what makes this list interesting is that many of the women on it earn far less than their male counterparts.
It seems a bit foolish for Marvel to heap easy cash into a giant dumpster and set it on fire by continually teasing a Black Widow solo movie we’ll never get. They have Scarlett Johansson, one of the most bankable actresses on the planet, playing one of the coolest, most interesting Avengers (and even more badass than the boys since she has zero superpowers), and yet, while we’re practically begging the studio to take our money for this, they’re just like, “Nah, we’re good.” We may never get that Black Widow movie, but one fan has put together a pretty sweet title sequence for one, which isn’t exactly satisfying our craving — it just makes us want a Black Widow movie even more.
It’s not coincidence that Scarlett Johansson guest hosted SNL on the same weekend that Avengers: Age of Ultron opened in theaters, so of course the show had to do a Marvel sketch of some kind. And unlike the previous Avengers sketches cooked up for Chris Hemsworth and Jeremy Renner, this one is actually a pretty effective dig at the Marvel movie machine. More importantly, it’s very funny.
There’s a lot to like about Avengers: Age of Ultron, but the coolest thing about it is the way it reclaims the comic book part of the phrase “comic-book movie.” Rather than using these characters to do something “edgy” or “adult” or “important,” or sanding down their quirkier edges to appeal to as broad and mainstream an audience as possible, Age of Ultron doubles down on its source material’s geeky origins.
If The Avengers feel like one big, slightly dysfunctional family, it's because they are. And that applies to off-screen as well as on. Playing off that chemistry, the cast of Avengers: Age of Ultron — Robert Downey, Jr., Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo and Jeremy Renner — appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live last night and played a rousing game of Family Feud.
We’re approaching that point in the ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ marketing campaign where it can start to feel like we’ve already seen every big stunt and setpiece in the film before the movie’s even opened. But the new ‘Avengers’ trailer reveals yet another amazingly cool beat that’s never been seen before: Chris Evans’ Captain America loses his shield in battle with James Spader’s Ultron, so Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow snatches it while trailing the fight on a motorcycle, then slides under a semi-truck Fast & Furious-style and tosses it up to Cap so he can continue the battle. Awesome awesome awesome. (Marvel’s going to try to use that as a pull-quote on the poster, aren’t they?)