Two New Mystery Marvel Movies. What Will They Be?

While some things are better stated and made abundantly clear, other things are sometimes more fun left in the dark and shrouded in mystery! Two of those latter things got announced just yesterday, as Disney/Pixar rolled out the dates and some teasing details about some upcoming film projects over the next two to three years. One of those was stated as, according to Entertainment Weekly, "The fantasy drama The Odd Life of Timothy Green, which stars Jennifer Garner and Joel Edgerton as an infertile couple who wish for a child and, lo and behold, magically wind up with a 10-year-old boy (C.J. Adams). It's slated to hit theaters on Aug. 15, 2012. However, two very anticipated projects were left unsaid, two more movies from Marvel, slated to be released on May 16th, 2014 and June 27th, 2014. No titles or any hint of content was given, but let's speculate anyway as to what they might be! Doctor Strange: Could Marvel's most well-known sorcerer be headed to the big screen on either of these two dates? According to a recent post here, Marvel appears to be eyeing a 2013 release for a film based on the master of the mystic arts, but is that realistic at this time? With so many other Marvel projects on the way, The Avengers and already scheduled Iron Man 3 and Thor 2 projects in the works, is 2013 too soon to get things rolling? 2014 might be a reasonable date for this next franchise piece. Who knows though. Marvel has done a pretty solid job recently of going from conceptualization to reality with many of its film properties.

Fantastic Four Reboot: This could be a sure bet. Sources indicate that a reboot of this two-film franchise is scheduled for 2014. This series is a strange one. Considering that both films, The Fantastic Four and Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, performed very well at the box office and exceeded their budgets by a substantial margin. However, mixed reviews from critics and fans alike over various aspects of the series led to a desired reboot. It's a bit surprising that a third film never was made, and it is surprising that Marvel's premier super family hasn't been seen on film in several years now. With signs pointing to a reformed FF in the near future, a new film in 2014 seems highly likely. Will fans rejoice over this new attempt, or will it be hated? Will any of the actors from the original series return, and will the movie even attempt to keep the mix of silly and dramatic that was struck in the first two films? (Yes, technically 20th Century Fox owns the rights, but think of this film opening up against a rival film from Marvel!) Tension!

A New Hulk Film: This one could be a stretch, and a lot may ride on how the new Hulk, Mark Ruffalo, is perceived in 2012's anticipated Avengers movie. There have been so many changes in cast, public disputes over the film and a host of other factors that could complicated a future Hulk film, despite The Incredible Hulk's box office success and return to the "Hulk smash" mentality that many fans were wanting from Ang Lee's The Hulk. While a sequel was certainly and plainly laid out in the last film, with The Leader set to be the villain it appeared, buzz around this movie has been pretty quiet. It could be perfect timing for reviving this franchise, and the potential for lots of action is unlimited given the Hulk's size and power. His villains are relatively unknown, and perhaps something will be established with Avengers that might lead into a logical sequel for Bruce Banner's gamma-powered alter ego. Keep your eyes and ears peeled! The green-skinned giant could be coming your way very soon!

Captain America Sequel: I would also mark this one under high probability. With a commercially and critically successful first film released this summer, and which I, personally ,highly recommend, a sequel to this film is not a far-flung idea. The first film ended with *SPOILER ALERT* Cap waking up in the modern era after a battle with the Red Skull and a deep, frozen sleep for the past sixty years. There's lots of undiscovered territory here, and the first film ends with lots of questions and no clear set-up for the next film. Captain America is a heavy feature of the Avengers film, and with the battle royal set for a showdown with Loki, there's no telling what might be set up for the next film. Perhaps an introduction of Baron Zemo, another longtime Cap nemesis? Will HYDRA resurrect itself for the Cap sequel? Stay tuned and maybe an answer will materialize soon! There's unlimited potential here, and the creative team behind the first film has already hinted that they want the sequel to have a mix of World War II elements built into the modern story, but details are sketchy at this time. So what films have a I missed? Is an Avengers sequel a likely guess, even though the turnaround with that many big name stars involved would be a close one? Could a spin-off from one of the Avengers such as Hawkeye or Black Widow be in the future? Is it another Punisher movie? Comment and let me know!