Die Hard 5 and Captain America 2?!?

THE DIE HARD 5 DIRECTOR MAY NOT MAKE YOU SHOUT "YIPPIE-KAY-AY"

When Live Free or Die Hard earned over $383 million worldwide in 2007 (partly thanks to the shift to PG-13), it seemed inevitable that 20th Century Fox would eventually move forward with plans for a Die Hard 5. The sequel reached the next logical step this week with the hiring of a director, but Fox's choice is sure to baffle many. The Die Hard 5 directing job has gone to Noam Murro, a commercials director whose only feature film to date is the 2008 indie-flavored comedy Smart People, starring Dennis Quaid, Ellen Page and Sarah Jessica Parker. Generally, the Die Hard franchise is perceived as more action-heavy than focused on the foibles of academic white folks, which is why this is one of this week's Rotten Ideas. The screenwriter of Die Hard 5 however does have more of an action-oriented resume. Skip Woods wrote Swordfish and Hitman, and also cowrote The A-Team and X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

~~

CAPTAIN AMERICA 2 IS ALREADY IN THE WORKS

In a summer full of sequels, Marvel Studios is going the opposite route and releasing two new superhero movies which more or less will stand alone, as well as tie into previous (and upcoming) Marvel movies: Thor and Captain America: The First Avenger. Although Thor is being released first (May 6, 2011), and Captain America: The First Avenger is still five months away (July 22, 2011), the latter movie is the first of the two that we have heard any firm sequel news about. The news broke this week that screenwriters Stephen McFeely and Christopher Markus have been hired to start work on Captain America 2 (or whatever it ends up being titled). In addition to adapting Captain America: The First Avenger, McFeely and Markus have also both cowritten the three movies in the Chronicles of Narnia franchise. As much as this is possibly great news for Captain America: The First Avenger, it can also be seen as a possible sign of a lack of confidence in Thor that we haven't yet heard about the Norse God of Thunder also getting his own direct sequel. No details have yet been revealed about what this Captain America sequel might be about, but it is expected to be set in the modern era, following the events of The Avengers (whatever those might end up being). There is no release date for the Captain America sequel, but it's possible that it could be scheduled for sometime in 2013, along with Iron Man 3 (see below).

Seriously, first it was Pirahna 3D's opening weekend and they announced that Monday that they green lit part 2. Now they have Cap America 2 in the works before the first one is even in theaters?

Colonel Sandurz: Sir, I have an idea. Corporal, get me the video cassette of Spaceballs: the Movie.
Corporal searches a Mr. Rental shelf full of Mel Brooks films
Dark Helmet: Colonel Sandurz, may I speak with you please? [lifts helmet] How can there be a video cassette of the movie? We're still in the middle of making it!
Colonel Sandurz: Yes, but there's been a new breakthrough in home video marketing.
Dark Helmet: There has?
Colonel Sandurz: Yes! Instant cassettes. They're out in stores before the movie is finished!
Dark Helmet: ... Nah!
Corporal: [Holds up Cassette] Here it is, sir- Spaceballs!

as long as Bruce Willis comes back it will rock!
but I am surprised they didn't get Wiseman back