Marvel Jumps Into 3D With Both Feet! THOR And CAPTAIN AMERICA Going Stereo!!

Well it's about time! I fully thought that IRON MAN 2 could have raked in an extra 25% minimum if it went to screens in 3D, but oh well.

Click images to enlarge. This is the first official image of Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Anthony Hopkins (Odin) and Tom Hiddleston (Loki).

Officially, it will be THOR being the first entry with CAPTAIN AMERICA coming after in 3D. Marvel is a company who meticulously maintains it's intellectual property (although some will say the current X-MEN comics are off somewhat - too many monthly titles and Wolverine is in practically ALL of them), so it is no surprise that they are going 3D with their future projects.

What will be a surprise to many is that these first two movies will be converted 3D. Yes, in spite of the slap in the face we got from TITANS and AIRBENDER many still have supreme confidence in 3D conversion. So do I. I know it can be done right. But the time and money NEEDS to be spent. It sounds like Marvel is doing it the right way.

Kenneth Branagh on 3D (LATimes): "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 said, taking a break from post-production. The filmmaker said the terminology of the 3-D process initially made him cringe -- at first, it was "math and physics and way over my head," he said with a chuckle -- but then he started to pulse with the unexpected artistic opportunities. "It's another draft of the story that can reveal itself in a different way," he said. "I had a healthy degree of skepticism up front ... I've become somebody extremely excited about working with possibilities of doing it this way. A pretty careful conversation is what we've been having for quite some time about what we know has to be the most sensible decision: Is it led by story? Can this offer a different type of experience and exploit what we have in the story? It absolutely can ... we travel very long distances in the movie and the opportunity to export and exploit the journey of the hero is really offered up as a great potential enhancement here."

THOR is due to hit theaters May 6, 2011.

With CAPTAIN AMERICA, Joe Johnston investigated native 3D briefly but decided against it...--

(From LATimes): Johnston did a one-day test shooting with a 3-D rig -- as opposed to shooting in 3-D and converting -- and said it was "a nightmare" due to bulky gear, calibration issues and restricted filmmaking options. He said he's a firm believer, though, in the conversion approach if done right and he's enthused to move forward. "It's a new challenge and it's exciting," Johnston said.

Personally, it sounds like he didn't want to mix and match cameras for the various shots he has, nor take the time to truly get into shooting in 3D. A one day test? Not likely to get you to change your shooting style. You can easily use REDs or FUSION cameras for larger scenes and something like a SI-2K or even an ALEXA for more intimate shots. So sounds a bit like a cop out with an easy target to blame. To each their own though.

What both directors had better watch is to ensure their movies have a balanced 3D style to them. THE LAST AIRBENDER suffered horribly from this as the converted scenes were practically flat while the CG scenes popped like a champagne bottle (Remember those warship hulls sticking out at you?). I hate seeing movies like that almost as much as a generally bad conversion like CLASH OF THE TITANS.

CAPTAIN AMERICA is slated for a July 22, 2011 release.

I have a good feeling about them though. If Marvel can follow the conversion success of ALICE IN WONDERLAND or even the partial scenes from previous HARRY POTTERs, they should be fine.

Marvel is all about spectacle. If you think these turn out well, wait until AVENGERS. That movie is truly the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow for all of this work. That project should be conceived and shot in native 3D and I will push for that at all costs. Native 3D and of course that we need to see the Iron Man Hulk Buster suit too :-) I have a little surprise coming up about that suit. More about that in an upcoming post in a month or so.