Filming for Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy is well under way in London, but we still are missing people for the roles of two central characters, Groot and Rocket Raccoon. Vin Diesel has been dropping strong hints that he may be the voice for Groot, but we really haven’t heard a ton of chatter on who will voice Rocket Raccoon.

Well, that may have changed now as Latino Review is reporting that their “trusty sources out of England” have informed them that Marvel has made an offer to Bradley Cooper to voice Rocket Raccoon.

As always, file this away under rumor, even with Latino Review being a reputable source for these things, nothing is final until we officially hear something from Marvel/Disney.

I like Bradley Cooper, and after coming upon this news I pulled up a few clips of him and closed my eyes while he was talking. Despite how creepy that sounds, I can actually see this being the voice of a Raccoon with an attitude and arsenal of weapons to match. If this proves to be true, I’ll be quite pleased with this.

I honestly think that Groot and Rocket Raccoon are going to steal the show in Guardians of the Galaxy and is probably now my most anticipated Marvel Movie Phase 2 film because, frankly, I just don’t know what to expect!

Sound off with your thoughts of this rumored casting choice, and let us know who you think should voice Rocket Raccoon in the comments below!

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Telltale Games has released a brand new trailer for LEGO Marvel Super Heroes at Gamescom 2013, and not only is it adorable as all hell, but epic to boot!

These LEGO videogames have become wildly popular, not just because of the “cute-factor” of seeing your favorite franshises “LEGO-ized”, but because they are actually quality, fun games to play for all ages. So the fact that the next one hitting the shelves is bringing all of these Marvel super heroes and super villains together in one game has me incredibly excited.

Though, they might want to reconsider the line from Captain America, “I’m going to spangle you until you see stars!” . . . just sounds . . . weird.

LEGO Marvel Super Heroes will be available this Fall on PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, WiiU, and Nintendo 3DS.

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UPDATE: Swank-mo-tron just told me he interviewed Edgar Wright at SDCC, and that he has indeed finished a script for the movie — in fact, it’s been done since before Iron Man 2. All that is left (aside from his duties in promoting The World’s End) is to tailer it to what will take place in Marvel Stage 2 before going ahead full steam on the project. Despite that, though, I still stand firmly behind my conclusion below.

Twitter has been abuzz ever since Simon Pegg uploaded the following picture to his account:

As you can see, not only is he posing in front of the character, he is also discreetly pointing at him as well, and due to this, everyone and their brother is claiming that he has secretly signed on to play the character.

I call BS.

First, EVEN if Edgar Wright was already in the casting phase of his movie (which wouldn’t make sense since it’s at least 3 years away), and he did decide to have Simon Pegg play Hank Pym, don’t you think they would be under Non-Disclosure Agreements from hell that would prohibit them from even giving us an inkling of what was going on? This isn’t like Vin Diesel and Groot; we’re talking about a movie that most likely doesn’t even have a script yet, so revealing something as big as who is going to be the main character this early on is highly unlikely.

There’s also the fact that Simon Pegg has discredited this rumor as well, stating on Twitter:

FFS the Internet, all I did was point at the central character in my dear friend’s next movie, because I’m excited for him. #iamantman

Oh wait, I fucked up that hashtag. It was supposed to be #iamnotantman

It’s safe to say that all anyone is doing right now is reading way too much into a picture that was designed to push people’s buttons, and they are just looking for subtext where there is none.

Could Simon Pegg eventually be cast as that character? Of course, and that would be cool, but a Twitter post is hardly the evidence needed to jump to that conclusion.

Those that got to attend San Diego Comic Con this year were treated to a lot of cool movie footage. One of which was X-Men Days of Future Past. That’s it, you can only see it if you go… Until it finally leaks on the internet! Well, here is that footage that Fox showed in San Diego this year. The video does cut off and is not the full trailer. Having been there I’d say this is roughly 3/4 of the footage they showed in San Diego. Enjoy!

XDOFP Footage by Jakes2765

Last Friday  at San Diego Comic-Con, a few thousand lucky people were able to pack themselves into Ballroom 20 to witness the first panel for Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Moderating the panel was Marvel’s head of television Jeph Loeb. He welcomed everyone to the panel, then introduced the cast to the public. Last to be come out to a deafening roar from those in attendance were Clark Gregg and Joss Whedon.  We then jumped right into a Q&A. The first question was from a kid wanting to know if we’ll see any of the other heroes from the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the show. The panel couldn’t answer that right now. The next question was if we would see Deadpool anytime soon. And the answer, due to 20th Century Fox owning the film rights to him, is probably not. The last question that was asked was for Joss. He was asked if we could see a clip. Joss replied that legally Disney’s lawyers said they couldn’t show us a clip… They’d show us the entire episode!

This next bit will be a light review/synopsis of the first part of the show, be warned there are spoilers!

The show starts out with a kid with his father, played by J August Richards,  looking into the window of a toy store. The toys he’s looking at are of the Avengers, so this is definitely after the Avengers movie. There is an explosion at a nearby building and his dad runs in to save anyone he can from the fire. Moments pass and we see him jump out of the window with a survivor in his arms. He’s obviously super powered and doesn’t want anyone to know so he puts the hood on his sweatshirt up and disappears into the crowd.

We then move to a scene introducing us to Agent Grant Ward, played by Brett Dalton. He is a black ops type agent and one that prefers to work alone. We see the kind of bad ass he is as he beats the crap out of some bad guys, then gets airlifted out and goes back to S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters. We then cut to  Agent Ward talking to someone about what S.H.I.E.L.D. stands for and their purpose. That person turns out to be none other than a returning Cobie Smulders as Maria Hill. She tells him that Coulson wants to build a team of the best and brightest S.H.I.E.L.D. has to offer to specifically take care of super powered individuals. Grant brings up the fact that he knows  Coulson is dead because he is  clearance level 6. Phil Coulson steps out of the shadows and welcomes him to level 7. Coulson tells us that he stopped breathing for 40 seconds after his encounter with the “Asgardian Mussolini” and that Fury sent him to Tahiti for a few weeks to recover. Coulson leaves and a S.H.I.E.L.D. doctor, played by Ron Glass from Firefly, approaches Maria Hill and says “He still doesn’t know does he?” To which she responds “he can never know.”

From here we get to meet the rest of the cast as they build their team to hunt down the super powered hero from the beginning. There are Agents Leo Fitz and Jemma Simmons, played by Iain De Caestecker and Elizabeth Henstridge. These two are your tech and science people. Next up is Agent Melinda May, played by Ming-Na Wen. She reluctantly joins the team, serving only as the “Pilot”, but has a mysterious past. By the end of the episode you find out the she one of the most ass kicking-ist agents S.H.I.E.L.D. has to offer. The last recruit also joins up reluctantly. Skye, played by Chloe Bennett, is a computer hacker that works for a group called “The Rising Tide” whose sole purpose is to expose S.H.I.E.L.D. By the end of the episode she is convinced that S.H.I.E.L.D. may not be so bad and joins them as their computer tech/hacker.

I won’t go into much detail about the rest of the pilot as I want to save some of the surprise, but it definitely has a tie to the other Marvel films including a BIG tie to Iron Man 3. Overall I thoroughly enjoyed the pilot. It does a great job of setting up the rest of the show. There is just the right mixture of action, drama, and comedy in this, but that’s usually a given with something written and directed by Joss Whedon. If the reaction from the crowd watching it was any indication then I think people are going to have a lot of fun with this show. And if you think you know the importance of Lola, think again!

There wasn’t much said after the episode aired other than the panel thanking the fans because their love for Coulson is what made this show happen. We also got reminded that the show premiers Tuesday, September 24th on ABC.

As hinted last week, Gearbox has more DLC coming for Borderlands 2. The “Ultimate Vault Hunter Upgrade Pack 2” will add 11 levels to the current cap and a new Digistruct Peak Challenge. This expansion will be $5 (not included in Season Pass) and will release before the end of October. No additional DLC will be needed to use it. A fifth story expansion is also coming, “T.K Baha’s Bloody Harvest.” This one will be a throwback to the “Zombie Island of Dr. Ned” from the first Borderlands. Without further details, the assumption is that this horror-themed add-on will probably come in October and also won’t be included with the Season Pass. Randy Pitchford of Gearbox added that they have plans for one or two more DLC expansions.

Soul Calibur II HD Online has been announced for XBLA and PSN. No date was revealed but the release will celebrate the 10th anniversary of the game this Fall. Despite Heihachi originally being a PS2 exclusive, he will be in both versions. GameCube exclusive Link is almost definitely out, and the XBox exclusive Spawn is probably out as well (licensing issues). This is good news for the many fans who would argue this was the best game in the series.

Several more characters have been confirmed for LEGO Marvel Super Heroes. The “big” news is about the big figs. We’ve known since the game’s reveal that characters like Hulk would be made to a larger scale than the normal minifigs, but Hulk has been the only one confirmed until now. The recent reveal tells us several more characters we will see in the larger format: Kingpin, Rhino, Lizard, Colossus, Blob, Juggernaut, Thing, and Iron Man’s Hulkbuster. Howard the Duck and a playable Stan Lee were also confirmed at Comic-Con. The game is set for release October 22nd on virtually all consoles.

Despite Microsoft’s reversal of the always online requirement for XBox One, not all of the games will be so disconnect friendly – which is obvious for certain types of games. Forza MotorSport 5 shouldn’t be one of the obvious games. It won’t require you to be “always” online, though it will require DLC to complete it. Initial reports were that the game would require a download before you could start playing, which is incorrect. You’ll need the download in order to complete the game instead. Not all of the tracks, cars, etc. will be included on the disc. Later content in the game will have to be downloaded before you complete it. This can be done in the background while playing, but if you don’t have high speed internet access you’ll find yourself paying full retail price for only part of a game. Oddly, this reminds of people who complain about the exact opposite problem, shipping a disc with “DLC” on it. Which will be more annoying next-gen: buying a physical disc and having to download the retail content, or having to pay extra for “DLC” that’s on the physical disc you already own?

The announcement of Saints’ Row IV left a few fans wondering about the fate of the “Enter the Dominatrix” DLC that was planned for Saints’ Row III. The expansion was nearly complete but then apparently shelved. Volition has confirmed that the add-on still exists and will be releasing for the fourth game, as a documentary-style story, within 45 days of the August 20th retail release. This will actually be more of a “Director’s Cut” (with developer commentary???) of concepts they had when it was planned for the third game. All of the basic elements will be there, just not in the exact way they were initially visualized. The whole thing seems a little bizarre, but what should I expect from a game that features a gangster being elected president and fighting of aliens with dildo-shaped probes.

The Assassin’s Creed franchise has become so successful it’s now branched away from video games in multiple directions and the mythology remains interesting. While we’re still awaiting more news about the upcoming movie and the release of Black Flag this October, the latest foray into comics has actually piqued my interest the most. Assassin’s Creed: Brahman is a graphic novel coming this Autumn. It features a new Assassin, Arbaaz Mir. As the title would suggest, Arbaaz is of the highest caste in 19th century India. The novel will apparently “dive into the rich lore of the Assassin’s Creed universe, unveiling new information and teasing future storylines.” Brendan Fletcher and Karl Kerschl are writing. A preview is available here. This concept page reminded me that the series was actually conceived as a Prince of Persia title that shifted focus and became a new franchise.

There have been a few announcements for various Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles games recently. How many of them are actually happening is a little hard to know, but we can add one more to the mix. Out of the Shadows, based on the current Nickelodeon cartoon, has been confirmed as a downloadable. Meanwhile, Magic Pockets is developing an Activision-published retail title based on the cartoon as well. This is expected to be more closely tied to the show, bridging the gap between seasons one and two. It will, of course, have four player co-op. Other features announced include secondary weapons, an an upgrade system, and multiple modes. It is a side-scroller, like the classic games, and it’s coming to XBox 360 October 22, 2013.

At an SDCC demo of Killer Instinct on XBox One, Ken Lobb (Creative Director, Microsoft Studios) explained a little more of the video storage process. According to Lobb, “The idea is you’re always recording. The last five minutes of any game you’re playing are always being stored on your hard drive. Say you’re playing online and you just did the best thing ever – you can’t pause as you’re playing online. You can say ‘Xbox, record that’ and it’ll grab the last 30 seconds of gameplay for you to play around with later.” Which, frankly, is the first Kinect perk I’ve seen that interests me. PS4, on the other hand, continually records your last 15 minutes. Without the voice activation, the longer recording time will be important. On both consoles, footage can be edited in multiple ways and instantly published as well as streamed by your friends.

The Martian Manhunter character add-on releases for Injustice: Gods Among Us next week, but there’s some content this week as well: 40 new STARS Labs missions, free with your Season Pass. That’s 10 missions each for Lobo, Batgirl, Scorpion and Zod. The missions will be $1.99 if you don’t have a Season Pass.

It’s sad news for Darkstalkers fans, of which there apparently aren’t very many. Because of Resurrection‘s poor sales, Capcom stated they have no future plans for the franchise. Things like this are always subject to change, but that’s where your occult fighting franchise stands for the now. Resurrection was only the latest in Capcom’s string of updated legacy titles, all of which have been slowly declining in sales. The company is not planning to update any other titles for now, leaving Street Fighter as their only viable franchise in the genre.

Following a Facebook poll and a vote at Comic-Con, the newest Tekken Revolution character has been decided. While still unnamed, the Female Vampire was a character conceptualized for Tekken 6 but ultimately dropped because the staff was too lean towards the end of the project. The original plans had her as a martial artist that could also use supernatural powers like fireballs. We’ll have to wait and see how much of that is retained or altered. She should be joining the free-to-play fighter this Fall.

The latest character reveal for Batman: Arkham Origins is the original tea partier, the Mad Hatter. He was a minor character in Arkham City, but looks to have a much larger role in this prequel. The game releases October 25, 2013. I apologize that I don’t have a picture worth including. The reveal is still exclusive to the Official XBox Magazine and the only image floating around the internet is a flash-addled picture of the magazine itself.

MercurySteam has announced that Lords of Shadow 2 will be their last Castlevania title. Producer Dave Cox explains:

I’ve always thought that this was a torch being passed down. Nobody on the team ever felt like we owned Castlevania. We always felt it was our responsibility now but it wouldn’t be ours forever. Let’s do what we’re going to do, tell our story, and move on.

So we’ve told Japan headquarters that this is the last one for us… there’s nothing worse than when somebody’s got something to say, and when they’ve said it, they just keep talking. We’ve got a beginning and end, and it’s a cool ending and a cool story. Once we’ve done that, it’s time to say to somebody else, ‘now it’s your turn.’ Maybe it will be a young producer in the company looking for his first break. I think you’ve got to bring in fresh blood.

The spin-off, which revitalized a series in sore need of freshening up, will conclude in Winter 2013.

Crystal Dynamics’ reboot of Tomb Raider has proven highly successful for them. I know I enjoyed the hell out of it. A sequel is on the way, but that won’t be the next step in Lara’s new universe. Gail Simone is writing a comic, coming in 2014, that will lead directly into the sequel. According to Simone, “I chose to do this series solely because I loved the game so much, so we’re definitely keeping the tone of the game.” “The biggest difference is,” Simone continued, “the game told a claustrophobic story in an isolated setting. We are going globetrotting. We start just a few weeks after the end of the game, and this is all in continuity, it will be Tomb Raider canon, and lead DIRECTLY into the sequel. This is what got me excited; we get to be part of Lara Croft history.” Dark Horse is releasing the book February 26, 2014. Could that be a hint as to when we’ll see the sequel?

Still holding out hope for Rockstar’s Sony-exclusive Agent? After ten years it’s hard to think this could still be a thing, but apparently it is. The game was originally being developed by Rockstar San Diego and slated for PS2 back in 2003; at E3 2009 Rockstar North was in charge and it was heading for PS3. Tt once again seemed to have died on the vine. Now, Rockstar has just renewed the trademarks for both the name and the logo of the Cold War thriller. With Rockstar releasing Grand Theft Auto V in September, could they be resuming work on Agent? Will it still be a PS3 exclusive? Will it be heading for PS4 now? Is it still Sony exclusive at all?

Kind of a robust early edition this week. Let’s keep the hot news rolling, check in Friday for the rest of the week’s news.

Entertainment Weekly’s Comic Con issue drops tomorrow, and they’ve graced the cover with the clearest shot of Jaimie Foxx as Elctro so far. I’m pretty sure fan reactions to the way Electro looks will be mixed, but I personally like it quite a bit. Definitely looks a lot like Electro from Ultimate Spider-Man, don’t you think?

So, what do you think? Too much? Too blue? Just right? Or are you ticked that they didn’t go with the classic green and yellow suit?

According to Vin Diesel’s Facebook Page, he has now officially met with Marvel Studios assumably for a role in an upcoming Marvel/Disney film:

“Marvel meeting today, only the people in the room can tell you what was discussed…P.s. Thanks to Our page, for pushing to make it happen… you know I get tunnel vision with my work… and after that meeting today… wow!”

He also included the following picture:

This, of course, raises the question: “Who could Vin Diesel be playing?!”

Two possible hints from his post point to two different characters. In his post, he uses the word Vision – of course, not in any context that would imply that that is the role he is up for, but perhaps it was a word used for a very specific reason? In the photo, he is standing in front of a poster of an Avengers comic book cover that prominently features Giant Man (Henry “Hank” Pym) – perhaps this was intentional? Maybe this is more a hint towards that this mystery role will be in the Avengers sequel? At this point, this is speculation border-lining grasping at straws; it’s not like the word “vision” isn’t a common word in the English language and I’m sure the Marvel Studios headquarters’ walls are plastered with posters like the one seen in this photo.

I quite like Vin Diesel and his films and think he would make a fine addition to the Marvel Movie Universe. Could I see him playing Hank Pym? Not really, but that doesn’t mean it couldn’t work – hell, I didn’t think Chris Evans would make that great of a Captain America and look how that turned out. It will definitely be interesting to see if he picks up a part in a future Marvel film, perhaps we will hear something at Comic Con? . . .

Which Marvel character do you think Vin Diesel should play in the Marvel Movie Universe? Sound off in the comments below!

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I think they nailed who Deadpool was. Now I’m interested to see how he interacts with Spider-Man himself.

Here’s the text of the press release for this episode:

Ultimate Heroes. Ultimate Villains. Ultimate Responsibility.

Spider-Man must lead his team of teen heroes against the greatest assembly of super villains the world has ever seen! Season Two of the hit series ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN continues as Spider-Man comes face to face with the Marvel Universe’s most unhinged hero – Deadpool! Spider-Man envies Deadpool’s free-spirited life, but that all may change after one day in Deadpool’s madcap world!

Don’t miss the next amazing episode of ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN debuts this Sunday at 11a/10c inside Marvel Universe on Disney XD.

El Mayimbe, the scourge of Marvel, has produced this report on the secrets he’s learned about the plot to Dr. Strange.

WORLDWIDE EXCLUSIVE! ‘Doctor Strange’ Plot Details REVEALED! from Mayimbe Media on Vimeo.

Here’s part one of his report on Latino-Review.

If this take pans out, it’s certainly an interesting take on the origin of Dr. Strange. It’s a movie I’m incredibly excited, Dr. Strange is one of my favorites and I want his story on screen to be amazing. And if El Mayimbe’s previous scoops about the villains comes true, this will race to the top of my “most anticipated Marvel movie” list.