Comic Strip: ‘The Amazing Spider-Man 2’ Trailer Preview, ‘Ant-Man’ Filming Conflicts and More

ScreenCrush’s Comic Strip is a weekly roundup of the hottest superhero movie news items. From Marvel to DC and points in between, if it pertains to costumed comic-book heroes, we’re covering it here, bringing you our expert analysis. This week, Sony preps audiences for Marc Webb’s ‘The Amazing Spider-Man 2,’ which reveals its first full trailer later this week.

‘The Amazing Spider-Man 2’

Unofficially, it’s “Spider-Man Week” at the Comic Strip, as we batten down the hatches and prepare to analyze every frame of the upcoming ‘Amazing Spider-Man 2’ trailer, which will make its worldwide debut on Thursday, December 5. Will it be the same sizzle reel shown in Hall H at San Diego Comic-Con? How might it differ? We’re days away from finding out.

Last week, patrons at the Red Rocks Casino in Las Vegas got the Spider-Man conversation rolling early, though, by snapping pictures of the film's first in-theater poster, which advertises, “His Greatest Battle Begins.” And it gives us the first, blurry look at the Rhino and a Goblin.

Is the Rhino mechanical? Which Goblin is that in the background? Norman Osborn (Chris Cooper)? Harry (Dane DeHaan)?

And will The Shocker join them as Sony puts together a cinematic Sinister Six? A story on the Spidey Tumblr, The Daily Bugle, hints at the villain’s presence … at least on the periphery.

Can’t wait for the full trailer? Well, fans who follow Sony’s international Facebook pages picked up on these quick video teases, which put us in Spidey’s POV as he skydives through the urban jungles of Manhattan. Take a sneak peek of footage we’ll likely see in this week’s trailer!

‘Ant-Man’

From one insect-inspired superhero to another.

Edgar Wright was expecting to film his ‘Ant-Man’ outside of London, where Marvel has set up shop for hit movies like ‘Thor: The Dark World’ and next year’s ‘Guardians of the Galaxy.’ But a lack of studio space means ‘Ant-Man,’ for the moment, is a superhero without a home.

“Ironically, 'Ant Man' was meant to shoot in London, but London is full because I guess that Pinewood extension got turned down,” the director told Screen Daily, referring to a plan to expand the Pinewood/Shepperton facilities. The initial plan was rejected. It’s currently being appealed.

“While the tax break is good for Hollywood films shooting here, it’s probably not that great for British films shooting in the UK,” Wright added. “Some middle-to-low budget films are going to find themselves without crew because all the American films are shooting here.”

Where will Wright film? Marvel still has a footprint in Southern California, obviously. Joss Whedon shot ‘The Avengers’ in New Mexico, while ‘Iron Man 3’ leaned on Wilmington, North Carolina for its massive production. Those are options, with Wright looking to begin filming in spring 2014.

‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’

Elsewhere in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Whedon continues to put major pieces into place for his hotly anticipated ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron.’

Elizabeth Olsen is a key cog, as Whedon has tapped her to play Scarlet Witch in the sequel. As she worked the promotional circuit promoting Spike Lee’s ‘Oldboy’ remake last week, she couldn’t help but answer a few ‘Avengers’ questions.

She told Moviefone:

I hung out with Mr. Whedon recently. I'm really excited about this movie. I'm so excited about Scarlet Witch. I have had so much fun reading all about her and I am like learning new words that I had to look up on Wikipedia. I'm really enjoying it. ...

I just love Scarlet Witch. I love her. It's so funny because I'm often talking about all these psychologically damaged people, but when you talk about Scarlet Witch ... She is a messed up lady. She has got more sh-t to deal with than anybody else I know. I'm excited to figure out what's appropriate to use for her, because there's so much material from all of these decades, and we're going to tell this one story. So to be able to choose what you're going to bring into it from all of this abundance, it's really fun.

She continued that theme of playing a screwed up hero in an Ain’t it Cool interview, saying:

She's nuts, she's crazy. She has more things wrong with her than any character I've ever played. She can tell you where an object has been, she can tell you what your future is, she can connect with the dead and people from other universes, and she's the only person in this universe who's capable of doing that. She's unbelievable; it's so cool. I grew up loving 'Star Wars' and 'Lord of the Rings,' and anything that has this other type of world or universe to it is so fun.

Olsen must have read enough of Whedon’s script to be figuring out how to play the Witch. I wonder how Quicksilver will be programmed opposite her, and how she’ll disrupt the dynamic of the current Avengers ensemble when the team assembles in summer 2015.

‘Batman vs. Superman’

Marvel, obviously, isn’t the only studio working toward establishing a multi-character superhero universe. Batman (Ben Affleck) and Superman (Henry Cavill) are teaming up for a massive DC blockbuster in 2015. Details of a secondary plan involving mid-range DC heroes is starting to take shape.

Bleeding Cool ran with a story saying that DC is developing smaller comics aimed at translating them into smaller, lower-budget movies. They talk about Suicide Squad, as an example, but also get into potential franchises like ‘Booster Gold’ and that ‘Sandman’ movie we told you about last week.

It could work ... but it still sounds like DC is years away from catching up to Marvel.

The studio, meanwhile, leans on Zack Snyder’s planned team-up extravaganza. To that end, SuperHeroHype ran with images from a reconstructed Kent Farm, suggesting that a portion of ‘Batman vs. Superman’ would be set in Kansas. See the pics HERE.

And Total Film asked Cavill what he thought of the casting of Affleck in the Bat suit: