With the successful launching of the “Iron Man” franchise in 2008, the first hints for what would be Marvel’s most ambitious new franchise to date began to surface— bringing together its beloved characters in one film for “Marvel’s The Avengers,” the holy grail of the Marvel Universe.

The idea for “Marvel’s The Avengers” first surfaced during the production of “Iron Man” when producer Kevin Feige had a notion that S.H.I.E.L.D. could be part of both “Iron Man” and “The Incredible Hulk.”

“We started looking at the list of characters in the Marvel Universe that hadn’t been taken by other studios: Iron Man, Hulk, Captain America, Thor, Hawkeye and Black Widow,” says Feige. “And I thought, ‘Isn’t that interesting; all of these characters happen to form one of the most popular comic book series—‘The Avengers.’

“When the idea of a Nick Fury cameo started coming up, we called Sam Jackson and he thought it was a cool idea,” continues Feige. “It was his enthusiasm about it that led us to shoot that end credit scene and what he says to Tony Stark in the scene, ‘You’re part of a bigger universe, you just don’t know it yet.’ The line was also Marvel telling that to the audience as well.”

The producer adds, “Audiences loved the cameo and the buzz about Nick Fury began. We did it again two months later on the ‘Incredible Hulk’ and the reaction once again told us ‘The Avengers’ is going to work. Our plan then became to build it one Super Hero at a time because it was really important that we introduced all of the characters first in their own franchises before putting them together in ‘The Avengers.’ We also hired filmmakers on ‘Thor’ and ‘Captain America’ who were open to the idea that they were playing in a shared sandbox.”

“The Avengers” was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby and first published in September 1963. “The Avengers” team originally consisted of Iron Man, Thor, The Hulk, Ant-Man and Wasp. Captain America joined the team in Issue #4 after being revived from being trapped in a block of ice. For Stan Lee, seeing so many of his characters continue to grow in popularity is a testament to the Marvel Universe he helped create over the last 50 years. “I’d like to think that one of the reasons that Marvel characters have been so successful is when we created them, we tried to give them interesting personalities and personal problems so people would still be interested in them even if they didn’t have superpowers,” explains Stan Lee. “In other words we tried to make our heroes and heroines three-dimensional, interesting people.”

Lee continues, “Sometimes people make the mistake of just concentrating on the super power while the real person beneath the costume gets ignored. That’s when those particular stories don’t do as well. Every character in ‘The Avengers,’ is flawed in some way and has a dynamic, interesting, personal story in addition to them saving the world.”

While Lee’s and Jack Kirby’s colorful characters have thrilled Marvel readers for decades, one challenge for filmmakers was that they would still be editing and releasing both “Thor” and “Captain America: The First Avenger” during the pre-production and production schedule of “The Avengers.”

“We had to have a lot of confidence in the direction we were heading, but two of the four characters had not been introduced to audiences yet and it was a bit of a leap of faith,” says Kevin Feige. “A big part of the puzzle was introducing both ‘Thor’ and ‘Captain America’ in self-contained origin stories with very distinctive beginnings and endings that segued nicely into the storyline for ‘The Avengers.’”

The plan worked to perfection for the filmmakers as both “Thor” and “Captain America: The First Avenger” were summer box office hits and fueled the fire for bringing “The Avengers” to the big screen.

(“Marvel’s The Avengers” will assemble in the Philippines on April 25 2012. The film is distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures International through Columbia Pictures.

Marvel’s “Spider-Man” and “The Incredible Hulk” animated series are now aired over ABS CBN, comprising an hour of early programming on Sunday mornings from 8:30-9:30am. ABS-CBN previously aired Marvel’s “The Avengers” and “X-Men” animated series.)

IMAX Corporation and Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures announced that the action-adventure film “John Carter,” from Academy Award-winning filmmaker Andrew Stanton, will be released to IMAX 3D theatres simultaneously with the film’s worldwide release in Digital 3D and regular theaters on March 9, including the Philippines.

“John Carter” is based on a classic novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs and stars Taylor Kitsch, Willem Dafoe and Lynn Collins.

“John Carter,” set on the mysterious and exotic planet of Barsoom (Mars), tells the story of war-weary former military captain John Carter (Kitsch). He is inexplicably transported to Mars where he becomes reluctantly embroiled in a conflict of epic proportions among the inhabitants of the planet, including Tars Tarkas (Dafoe), and the captivating Princess Dejah Thoris (Collins). In a world on the brink of collapse, Carter rediscovers his humanity when he realizes that the survival of Barsoom and its people rests in his hands.

“Audiences will immediately feel transported in the epic adventure of `John Carter,’” said Dave Hollis, Executive Vice President, Theatrical Exhibition Sales and Distribution, Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. “Andrew Stanton has envisioned this vast landscape in a way that’s not been seen before, and we’re thrilled to be able to offer our viewers this film in the immersive IMAX 3D format.”

“`John Carter’ is a great addition to our 2012 film slate and is sure to resonate with our key demographic,” said Greg Foster, Chairman and President, IMAX Filmed Entertainment. “We are pleased to work, once again, with the talented teams at Disney to bring audiences worldwide this groundbreaking film in IMAX 3D.”

The IMAX 3D release of “John Carter” will be digitally re-mastered into the image and sound quality of The IMAX Experience with proprietary IMAX DMR (Digital Re-mastering) technology. The crystal-clear images coupled with IMAX’s customized theatre geometry and powerful digital audio create a unique environment that will make audiences feel as if they are in the movie.

Also opening in Digital 3D and regular theatres, “John Carter” is distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures International through Columbia Pictures.

It isn’t often that an actor gets the opportunity to play a Civil War veteran who gets transported to the planet Mars and meets a beautiful, strong-willed princess so that he can help her fight a civil war of her own. For Taylor Kitsch, who put himself on the map playing Riggins on the highly acclaimed TV series “Friday Night Lights,” the chance to play the title role of John Carter in Academy Award®–winning writer/director Andrew Stanton’s “John Carter,” was something he was not going to pass up.

“When I first read the script, I was drawn to the character-driven story and the fact that it will benefit from being a big studio movie,” he says. “It gave the filmmakers a chance to make the film in an amazing way. You get to know John Carter’s background with his family, the Civil War and everything. It’s heavy to play but it gives me such a base to draw from through the whole movie. For example, in one scene, you’ll see Carter playing with his rings and you’ll know what that truly means to him. It’s great as an actor because it’s something to really dive into.

“The grandeur, and what Stanton’s done, and how it works and how it’s all intertwined is quite epic and I felt that as an actor,” he continues. “My character is definitely on an epic adventure. We go from the 1800s on the streets of New York to the Arizona Territory in the West to the plains of Mars—all in one movie. As an actor I experienced my character John Carter in many different settings that had specific emotions and needs that I had to evoke.

“I can’t recall any movie that’s done it the way we have. The ending brings the adventure full circle brilliantly, but you’ll have to see it to understand what I mean.”

Like all of the other actors working on “John Carter,” Kitsch loves working with Stanton. “Andrew Stanton’s vision was very infectious,” he says. “He’s just brilliant and you just have to go along with it. You have to believe in it because it’s such an incredible vision that if you don’t, you’re not doing the story and the character justice.

“Our first meeting was great. I was so excited because I am a huge fan of ‘Wall-E’ and, come to find out, he’s a fan of ‘Friday Night Lights.’ It’s just been a great relationship from the get-go and trust has been there from day one. It was great to be able to have him explain his vision and then to become part of it.”

Kitsch also credits Edgar Rice Burroughs, who created the character of John Carter in 1912, with the power of the story and of his character’s journey. “I think Burroughs was way ahead of his time, especially for his first science-fiction novel,” Kitsch states. “It relates to what we’re living and doing right now—the lack of natural resources, the energy problems, the wars going on from racism to religion. He was hitting it all almost 100 years ago.

“And even in the film we address all those things,” he says. “What Stanton has done is taken the base of John Carter from Burroughs and definitely gone into more depth of who John Carter really is and where he comes from.

“Stanton has given me so much more to dive into with the character that wasn’t realized in the books. It’s been really great, script wise, to draw from that.”

The love story in “John Carter” has also been a great experience for Kitsch to play. His co-star, Lynn Collins, plays Princess Dejah Thoris and their relationship has taken on a full, exciting life of its own. Kitsch credits Stanton and his screenplay for this. “In the books it’s almost love at first sight and John would do anything for Dejah, but in the film you follow an arc that happens with John and Dejah as their relationship develops,” he explains. “I love the banter back and forth. We rib each other and we challenge each other through different scenes and finally the truth just comes out. It’s a love story with everything else going on but it means so much to the film. It’s quite the backbone of it.

“Our characters’ relationship at first is about pushing each other’s buttons to see how we’ll each react. That changes as we grow and she stops trying to test him and begins to see the real John, the part he can’t even see himself.

“But through the relationship, Dejah and John have so much going on that those moments become very special and, in a sense, earned. It would be unreal just to play that relationship as it is in the moment. You have to understand that the stakes are always so high, so you have to create these small moments that are earned and not just like, ‘Oh, you’re pretty today.’ You definitely have to work and earn those moments, which make them that much more special in the film.”

In the end, Kitsch has never worked harder or been more grateful for an experience as he is for his work on “John Carter.”

“Honestly, no job will ever be as physical and exhausting, yet rewarding, as this one,” he says with a smile. “I’ve been tested on every level and then some. The pure physicality of it, to the arc of the character, to the emotional spectrum he has. I’ve had to keep up my endurance this whole time, but again what you put in is what you hopefully get out. And I think that will be very specific to this role.”

Opening across the Philippines in March 2012, “John Carter” is distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures International through Columbia Pictures.

As darkness settles in theaters, “Fright Night” in 3D is sure to bite a brand-new generation of horror-film devotees with its imaginative take on a cult classic—a perfect blend of horror and action.

As lead actor Colin Farrell explains, “There are none of those romantic leanings. This vampire is just a killer. He’s over four hundred years old. He’s probably a little bit bored when we find him, but he feeds. He just feeds.”

A revamp of the 1985 comedy-horror classic, “Fright Night” revolves around Charley (Anton Yelchin), a high school senior who’s on top of the world—he’s running with the popular crowd and dating Amy (Imogen Poots), the most coveted girl in school. But trouble arrives when Jerry (Farrell) moves in next door. He seems like a nice guy––at first. But there’s something not quite right, and no one else, including Charley’s mom (Toni Collette) seems to notice! After observing some very strange activity, Charley comes to an unmistakable conclusion: Jerry is a vampire preying on the neighborhood.

Farrell admits he was, at first, skeptical about remaking this classic film because he holds the original in such high regard. “I was 11 or 12 years old the first time I saw ‘Fright Night,’” Farrell recalls. “I don’t want to say it’s sacrosanct,” he explains about his take on the original film, “but in a way it is and it’s kind of perfect in its own form.

“So I was frustrated when I read the script,” he continues, “because it was so good, I really wanted to do it! Just like the original, it seemed to straddle the line between horror and a kind of sweet tongue-in-cheek comedy.”

The entire cast seems like a hypothetical wish list, beginning with Farrell, who was the filmmakers’ first choice to play Jerry, the centuries-old vampire. “I was so excited that we could get him,” says director Craig Gillespie about casting Farrell in the complex lead role. “I couldn’t think of anyone more perfect. As written, Jerry’s an incredibly charismatic personality, but there is a sinister aspect to him too. I thought Colin would embody that perfectly.”

Farrell, clearly delighted to be baring vampire fangs, says, “When I met Craig, he was enthusiastic and had a very clear idea of how he wanted to tell this story. I want to say it was a no-brainer for me to want to be in his film. It really was a pretty easy decision.”

Essential in Farrell’s portrayal of the vampire is a little help from the special-effects makeup department to aid his facial transformations. The filmmakers wanted to peg Jerry’s transformations to the heat of the moment. As his anger increases, so, too, does his more demonic physical changes. Subtle in the beginning, the process is ramped up throughout the film.

Farrell was definitely up for the task of wearing all six stages of Jerry’s vampire makeups. “That’s sort of unheard of for actors,” says make-up designer Howard Berger. “But Colin is a trouper, and I think he felt like it was Halloween every day. He is, by far, one of my favorite actors to do makeup on, aside from just being one of my favorite people as well.”

The different stages of Jerry’s transformation were actually an experience that Farrell very much enjoyed, mainly because of the artistry of the makeup team. Offering enthusiastic praise, the actor says, “They’ve done an amazing job. They’re Academy® Award–winning makeup artists, and it was a blast to be around them. The days were long, but it was incredible from the get-go.”

Opening soon across the Philippines, “Fright Night is a DreamWorks Picture distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures International through Columbia Pictures.

MANILA, May 23 — Capt. Jack Sparrow found the elusive Fountain of Youth at the Philippine box-office, as Disney’s “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” opened at No. 1 with a nationwide gross of a swashbuckling P62.37-million for the Friday to Sunday (May 20 to 22) period. That opening figure is 2011’s highest to date, overtaking “Thor’s” P59.5-M several weeks back.

This was announced today by Victor R. Cabrera, managing director of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures International which locally distributed the film.

The film’s three-day haul also managed to become the third biggest opening weekend ever for a Disney title, close on the heels of 2007’s “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End” (P71.3-million) and 2006’s “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” (P65.5-million) which both had the advantage of five-day opening weekends.

Along the way, “On Stranger Tides” also triumphantly broke the following Disney records: Biggest opening day ever at P18.8-million, beating 2005’s “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” at P18.6-million; biggest Friday (P18.8- million), Saturday (P21.4-million) and Sunday (P22-million) receipts ever, surpassing the grosses of 2010’s “Toy Story 3” on the same days.

SM Mall of Asia (P5.01-M) posted the highest sales over all cinemas, followed by SM North EDSA (P3.35-M), Trinoma (P3.23-M), SM Cebu (P2.56-M), SM Megamall (P2.48-M), Power Plant (P2.20-M), Glorietta 4 (P2.14-M), Greenbelt 3 (P2.11-M), Eastwood (P1.78-M) and Alabang Town Center (P1.65-M).

Also reporting robust figures are Newport Cinema (P1.58-M), Gateway (P1.39-M), Shangri-la (P1.34-M), Ayala Cebu (P1.27-M), Greenhiils (P1.10-M), Robinsons Ermita (P1.05-M), SM Baguio (P1.03-M), Robinsons Galleria (P1.02-M), Festival (P1.01-M) and Market Market (P 994,626).

Starring Johnny Depp in his iconic role of Captain Jack Sparrow, “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” captures the fun, adventure and humor that ignited the hit franchise—this time in Disney Digital 3D™. Crossing paths with the enigmatic Angelica (Penélope Cruz), Jack Sparrow is not sure if it’s love—or if she’s a ruthless con artist who’s using him to find the fabled Fountain of Youth. When she forces him aboard the “Queen Anne’s Revenge,” the ship of the legendary pirate Blackbeard (Ian McShane), Jack finds himself on an unexpected adventure in which he doesn’t know whom to fear more: Blackbeard or Angelica, with whom he shares a mysterious past.

Still playing across the Philippines in IMAX 3D, Disney Digital 3D and regular format, “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” is distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures International through Columbia Pictures.

For a guy in his 30s doing research for a film, going to prom was surprisingly fun. “I didn’t know how much I loved prom until I went to five of them this year,” jokes Joe Nussbaum, who is director of his own “Prom,” Walt Disney Pictures’ new coming-of-age comedy. “It’s such an amazingly good feeling.

“We walked into a lot of high schools to scout locations, and it can make you feel unnerve,” Nussbaum adds. “You remember it all: the stress, you see kids arguing, or someone walking down the hall looking lonely. And that all comes rushing back. It’s not pleasant visiting high school as an adult, and I thought prom would be the same sort of thing. But it wasn’t.”

Though the movie is a lighthearted story, complete with standard high school character archetypes of geeks, preps and jocks, Nussbaum wanted to capture the intensity of emotion that comes from one of the most memorable (or notorious) nights in adolescent life.

Aimee Teegarden (TV’s “Friday Night Lights”) stars as the know-it-all good girl who runs the prom committee and finds herself drawn to a guy who couldn’t care less about it (newcomer Thomas McDonell). “It’s set in your head when you’re a little kid — prom is that defining moment, when you get to look back on your school career and have a moment just for yourself,” she says.

One thing the movie tries to do differently is show the mingling among cliques. They aren’t as separate as some teen films would suggest. “What I like about this movie is it’s a little more real in that sense,” Adler says. “The offbeat character sometimes is friends with the straight-A people.”

Teegarden is definitely one of the latter, playing teacher’s pet Nova Prescott, who finds herself stuck working with bitter outsider Jesse Richter (McDonell) after he gets blamed for a fire. “Nova is the person you all knew would be a politician when she grows up, or run a Fortune 500 company,” Teegarden says. In other words, she’s not someone very open to the unexpected.

It’s almost impossible to live up to the expectations of a prom, Teegarden says. But everyone tries.

“High school elevates all the highs and lows in life,” Nussbaum says. “Everything is a big deal. It’s supercharged emotionally.”

“It’s kind of like a wedding day,” Teegarden adds.

Nussbaum agrees: “You put ‘wedding’ in front of any other word and it takes on a much different meaning. Prom is the same way. There’s a dress, and then there’s your prom dress, and you’re supposed to go shopping for it four times, and pick it out with your mom and friends, and you’ll remember it forever.”

Though it’s a Disney movie, it’s not all sunshine and cheer. Nussbaum says he wants to explore the pressures of being that age, too. It’s what separates a kiddie high school movie from something that touches even with those who aren’t kids anymore.

He witnessed that stress firsthand on his five excursions to study local proms. “I was walking by a table where this girl was just bawling her eyes out,” Nussbaum says, though he had no idea what had gone wrong.

“She was like, ‘I planned for this for soooo loooong!’ She really did. And that’s what gives it so much importance, and hopefully that’s what will make the movie resonate.”

Opening soon across the Philippines, “Prom” is distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures International through Columbia Pictures.

Two Filipino-American actors join Johnny Depp in his quest for the Fountain of Youth in Walt Disney Pictures’ “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.” They are Daphne Joy and Michael Rosales, who play a mermaid and a pirate on the Queen Anne’s Revenge, respectively.

Produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and directed by Rob Marshall, “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” captures the fun, adventure and humor that ignited the hit franchise—this time in Disney Digital 3D™. Crossing paths with the enigmatic Angelica (Penélope Cruz), Jack Sparrow (Depp) is not sure if it’s love—or if she’s a ruthless con artist who’s using him to find the fabled Fountain of Youth. When she forces him aboard the “Queen Anne’s Revenge,” the ship of the legendary pirate Blackbeard (Ian McShane), Jack finds himself on an unexpected adventure in which he doesn’t know whom to fear more: Blackbeard or Angelica.

A multicultural actor/rap artist/performer, Michael Ilano Rosales was chosen to play a “pirate from the Philippines” from a pool of over 4,000 aspirants. It was also his first-ever acting audition. His Hollywood journey would take him from his home of Hawaii, across 11,000 kilometers to London, where his scenes in “On Stranger Tides” were shot.

As a musician, Rosales transforms into Mic3—Mic (Mike), short for Michael, 3 for the third child, and the 3 for the main islands of the Philippines. His goal is to reconstruct today’s hip-hop landscape, to bring it back to its artistic foundation and roots and provide a meaningful message to the listener. In 2008, Rosales released his first full-length album, “Respect My Pride.” The album features English and Filipino language music that inspires an appreciation of the Filipino culture and heritage. A feature video, “Balikbayan,” was filmed in the Philppines, reinforcing the cultural messages found in his music behind a backdrop of historical Philippine landmarks. Rosales has shared the stage with several notable performers, including Damian Marley and Busta Rhymes.

Counting the recent hit “Just Go With It” and such popular TV shows as “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,” “Criminal Minds” and “Curb Your Enthusiasm” to her credits, Daphne Joy was born and raised in the heart of Olongapo, Philippines. Although her family relocated to Los Angeles when she was just 8 years old, she was able to retain her Filipino culture and upbringing. Despite the language barriers and overall culture shock, Daphne was able to completely readjust to her new surroundings, and with her natural beauty, easygoing personality and wit she made friends and was able to adapt to the American way of life.

Intrigued by her new country’s pop culture, Daphne became interested in entertainment, becoming involved in dance groups, choir, cheerleading and talent shows. At the age of 18 she transferred that interest to acting, and was soon working in front of the camera. She was also featured in several A-list recording artists’ music videos, along with commercials, national print campaigns, magazine covers and features.

Opening across the Philippines on May 2011, “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” is distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures International through Columbia Pictures.

Time Magazine’s choice as the Best Motion Picture of 2009, “The Princess and the Frog” marks Walt Disney Animation Studios’ return to hand-drawn animation, a return to the classic fairy tale and a return to the musical – in the tradition of “A Little Mermaid,” “Beauty and the Beast,” “Aladdin” and “The Lion King.”

“If there was a single lesson we could take from Walt Disney himself to take Walt Disney Animation Studios into the future,” says executive producer John Lasseter, “it is to leverage the richness of its past: its beloved storytelling forms, its successful characters, its musical opulence—all of these are an essential part of our newest hand-drawn project.”

The filmmakers saw the hand-drawn medium was as vibrant and appealing as ever, and ventured into recapturing and reinventing the art form with reverence, purpose and a renewed sensibility. “At every turn,” director Ron Clements says, “we realized that we could reach out and touch the legacy of the animated Disney fairy tale, and yet move in surprising and interesting new ways, rather than slavishly imitating or reproducing what had been done before.”

Once upon a time, not so many years ago, the traditional hand-drawn Disney animation gave way to new technology, leaving behind the single art form most closely identified with Walt Disney himself.

In 2006, when John Lasseter and Ed Catmull took the reins of Walt Disney Animation Studios, they understood that traditional handcraft of Disney animation certainly had not lost its value as either art or entertainment. And although his greatest fame has come from pioneering in the field of computer animation, Lasseter’s love was not exclusive to his own specific form. He grew up with and began his career in the traditional animation that Disney invented, nurtured and developed over decades into an art form all its own. New animated features were being considered, in whatever animation technique was deemed most suitable.

“We were invited to pitch ideas for new hand-drawn Disney features,” director John Musker recalls. “We were all particularly inspired by the Brothers Grimm tale of ‘The Frog Prince.’”

Producer Peter Del Vecho has taken great personal pleasure in being part of the rekindling of a great art form. “There’s something really rewarding about watching the animator put down pencil to paper, and then when you’re watching the film, you forget all about the individual pencil lines and those characters are really coming off the screen. You kind of take them home with you in your mind—each of the characters is rich and has a life of their own.”

Music was another element of the Disney legacy that the creative team wanted to reach back and touch, but take in a new direction, too. Clements and Musker pitched the film as a musical, but not in the traditional Broadway-style form that Disney had pioneered in 1937 and reinvented in the 1980s. They pitched the idea that the music would be a tapestry of zydeco, blues, gospel, jazz and all of that distinctly American sound.

The return to tradition allows audiences to once again share an opportunity to see whether true love can really triumph, to strive for an ending where everyone lives happily ever after, and to leave the theater humming that song that they can’t seem to get out of their heads.

Opening soon across the Philippines , “The Princess and the Frog” is distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures International.