Avengers movie third in line...

Marvel is planning something weird and wonderful, if you hadn't heard. Spiderman, the x-men and the fantastic four are all stuck with other studios, so they have to use their other super team. Unfortunately, this team is made up of individual super heroes that all sort of deserve their own movie. But Marvel is trying to create a consistent 'movie version' of their comic universe, evidenced by Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury in all projects (except the 'regular' comic universe, where he's still white) since the Hulk 2. Now that Jon Favreau has shown exactly how to make a cool, efficient and structurally solid comic book movie, that template can be used again and again. Iron Man 2 is a great example of what Thor and Captain America will be like. Nothing spectacular, just solid, straightforward action. The big problem is that they won't have Robert Downey Jr., who had as much to do with the success of those movies as Favreau. Instead, we're going have to watch some generic attractive men do it, and less than perfect directors. Kenneth Branagh for Thor, because of the Shakespearean dialogue and Joe Johnston for Captain America, presumably because the movie will be about his 1940's origin. Johnston directed the excellent the Rocketeer, but also Jumanji, which would bode ill. Both Films have to recoup 100 million plus budgets and lead in to a probably even more expensive Avengers team up film, but just imagine if it works. DC has been much more cautious with properties that aren't Batman or Superman, but they are making a green lantern film with Van Wilder as the titular hero. They'd just have to reboot Superman, or save costs and use Brian Singer's gay version - the sensible choice if Batman has to be Christian Bale, and maybe make a wonder woman movie to get just about every character for a Justice league movie. Don't fuck this up, Hollywood...