Marvel is jumping into the 3D ocean with both feet, as the company has confirmed to the LA Times that the upcoming Thor and Captain America: The First Avenger will both be presented in 3D. The upcoming Spider-Man reboot starring Andrew Garfield will also be in 3D, and although it is too early to confirm, it seems likely that Joss Whedon’s The Avengers will also be presented in the same way.
The directors of Thor and Captain America: The First Avenger, Kenneth Branagh and Joe Johnston respectively, will both be on hand at the upcoming ComicCon to discuss the 3D aspect of the film, as well as to officially introduce the cast. On July 24, Marvel has the final studio presentation at the Comic expo, and both directors are expected to explain why they think 3D will not just work for their respective movies, but why it will add another layer to each film- as well as attempt to win over skeptics fearing that the addition of 3D will amount to little more than a gimmick.
Both Thor and Captain America will be filmed in 2D, then converted into 3D in post-production. The process can be very effective, or it can be Clash of the Titans- a movie that critics across the board derided for a 3D conversion process that was at best rushed, and at worst was handled so badly that it made people ill. The brain needs at least two seconds to fully process a 3D image, and if a movie is filmed with quick cuts and rapid camera movement, the effect can be difficult to watch.
“We came to feel that in our case 3-D could be the very good friend of story and character for a different kind of experience,” Branagh told the LA Times. “I had a healthy degree of skepticism up front … I’ve become somebody extremely excited about working with possibilities of doing it this way.”
This ComicCon will be a big one for Marvel’s future regarding its film franchises. Along with an expected cast round ups of Thor and Captain America, it is expected that Joss Whedon will be officially announced as The Avngers director, and could be joined on stage by cast members Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Jeremy Renner and Chris Evans. With Ed Norton now officially out of the movie, Marvel may be looking to quickly sign a new actor to take the role of the Hulk and introduce him with the rest of the cast. Rumors have mentioned Joaquin Phoenix, Adrien Brody, Nathan Fillion (who is also rumored to be playing Hank Pym) and David Tennant.
Along with the announcement, Marvel also released the first image of Anthony Hopkins as Odin, Tom Hiddleston as Loki.
Production images of Hemsworth as Thor were leaked last month, but this is the first image of the supporting cast. Captain America has not yet begun filming, but images of the production design of the costume have also been released.
