More Marvel Rumors

Over the last week a couple more rumors have surfaced surrounding a number of Marvel projects. None of these reports have been confirmed (as of yet) but that doesn't mean they are not titillating enough to ponder and talk about. The rumors include the upcoming Spider-Man reboot, 20th Century Fox's latest attempt at the X-Men universe along with a potential reboot to the Fantastic Four. Take a look at the full stories below...

I'll start with Spider-Man because it has the most news surrounding it. We know that Sony/Columbia is re-booting the franchise and has selected 500 Days of Summer director Marc Webb to helm it. What we don't know is who will be playing Spidey along with who the hell will be the villain. This week Bleeding Cool reports that Jamie Bell is in the final running to play the webslinger. Bell is a superb actor but not the most likely choice. I actually love the idea (hence why I'm reporting it) but remain a little skeptical that Sony would choose a Brit to play a New York based super hero. I'm sure Bell can skirt his accent, but I remain a little bit weary of this rumor turning out to be true. There are quite a few other names that have floated for the role recently, but I'm not about to get into all of those.

Continuing along with Spider-Man we've got another rumor(s) surrounding the would-be villain. Showbiz 411 is reporting that Michael Fassbender is in the running to play the lead villain. Their report does not confirm who exactly Fassbender would play, but IESB has got word that the villain could be the Lizard. Fassbender as the villain in the next Spider-Man is kind of a can of worms and there is more to Fassbender and Marvel, but I will get to that in a bit. If Sony decides to finally include the Lizard in this re-boot and Fassbender does sign on, it would be a epic kick in the balls to Dylan Baker who has been set up to become the Lizard in the previous Spider-Man flicks.

On to "X-Men: First Class," rumors are swirling that two more X-Men may be getting closer to being cast. The White Queen a.k.a. Emma Frost and Magneto a.k.a. Erik Lehnsherr. Looking at Magneto first, it is reported that Michael Fassbender is up for that role as well. It seems that Fassbender must choose between playing a younger version of Magneto in 'First Class' or the villain in Spider-Man. For me, I'd rather see Fassbender in X-Men. He would compliment James McAvoy (recently cast as Xavier) perfectly.

As far as Emma Frost, The Playlist is claiming that Rosamund Pike is in the running to play the White Queen. Apparently Pike was spotted with 'First Class' casting director Lucinda Syson, not to mention Pike was seen clutching a Emma Frost X-Men: Origins comic. If the Pike rumor holds out to be true, it is becoming clear that Fox is recasting the entire squad of X-Men instead of using the same actors from the previous X-Men Origins: Wolverine movie. Honestly, that is fine by me. None of the chosen actors from 'Wolverine' stood out and can all be replaced without worry. Also still yet to be confirmed is the rumor that Aaron Johnson (Kick-Ass) may be playing one of the X-Men in 'First Class.' Strong money says Johnson will play Cyclops.

The last bit of Marvel rumor/news comes from AICN. Harry Knowles has got word that Fox is ready to reboot The Fantastic Four. The studio seems to be keeping tight-lipped on the project, but a possible title is "Fantastic Four Reborn." I can't say this is exciting news by any means. Truthfully, I wish 20th Century Fox would've given up the property rights to the Fantastic Four so that Marvel would've been able to scoop back up the rights. There really is no other news surrounding F4 reboot, other than Fox is doing it and hoping to make a better film than the previous two films were.

Stay tuned updates on all of these fronts as they break...