Sequel Bits: 'Captain America 2,' 'Iron Man 3,' 'Terminator 5,' And More

Sequels! Everyone loves them. That is, if we define 'everyone' as studio and production executives who don't like to take risks, and so are prone to throwing money at new projects that are recognizably related to old projects that have already made money. That particular 'everyone' really, really likes sequels. 2012 won't be any different from most of the last ten years, in that a great many sequels will go before cameras during the coming months.

So, just like the title says, after the break you'll find some minor updates on:

Most of what we've heard about Marvel movies in the past six months has had to do with the revolving door of creative talent on Thor 2, the shoot for Joss Whedon's The Avengers, and the developments for Shane Black's Iron Man 3.

But a Captain America sequel is also in development, and Neal McDonough, who played Dum Dum Dugan in Captain America: The First Avenger, tells IMDB that the sequel could shoot this year:

They're planning [to go into production] for the end of this year, because Marvel does one film at a time. So they're going to do Thor 2 and as soon as Thor has wrapped, they'll do Cap 2. Hopefully right after that, we'll jump into Nick Fury because that's the one I'm looking forward to more than anything... Because it'll be me and Sam Jackson. In the real Marvel universe, Dum Dum Dugan is Nick Fury's right hand man.

I'll restate something we often mention at times like this, which is that actors are often the last to know what's really going on with a film, especially if the actor plays a less than pivotal role in the film. So take this with a grain of salt. But Disney and Marvel do have two 2014 release dates set for as-yet unspecified films (April 4th 2014 and May 16th 2014) so Cap 2 could easily be intended for one of those.

And a Nick Fury or S.H.I.E.L.D. movie is something that has been rumored for a long time now, so McDonough's mention of that is just a bit of extra confirmation that such a film is at least in the planning stages. [via JoBlo]

Speaking of Iron Man 3, it seems like that shoot could start a couple weeks earlier than previously planned, with the shoot beginning in Wilmington, North Carolina during the last week of April or first week of May. [ComicBook.com]

A fifth Terminator film is in development, with the rights now held by Annapurna Pictures. There is no director at this point, as Justin Lin, who was briefly attached to the project, committed instead to further Fast and Furious films with Universal. But Terminator 5, or whatever the film will be called, is still moving forward.

Asked by @terminatorfans if the new film will be rated R — or, more specifically, I guess, @terminatorfans pleaded that the new film "bring this franchise back from the brink of PG-13 HELL" — financier Megan Ellison said via Twitter,

We can't really tell you guys anything about Terminator BUT it will be an R rated film as God and James Cameron intended.

Since there isn't yet a film to put before the fickle eyes of the MPAA it is too soon to proclaim that Terminator 5 will be rated R, but for those who want a certain level of violence in the series, that intent to make a R-rated film is probably heartening.

J.J. Abrams' sequel to Star Trek is in production right now, and there is one big difference between this film and the 2009 movie that it follows: when the last Trek movie was made, the WGA strike had just gone into effect, and so no changes could be made to the script. At least, not according to the terms of the contract the production had with the guild.

So the sequel is happening now, and there is no writers' strike to lock the script into static form. Accordingly, that script is doing what pretty much every other movie script not written by the Coens or Quentin Tarantino does: it is changing bit by bit as the shoot turns it into film. Zachary Quinto, who is once again playing Spock, told E! at the Producer's Guild awards:

It was the middle of December and finally I had to be like, 'We need to read the script,'" Quinto said, with a smile. "They waited a pretty long time, but that's because they were working on it. There was a writer's strike the first time so they weren't able to let the script evolve. Now it's really changing...on a regular basis."

Finally, Sergio Mendes, just nominated for an Oscar for his song 'Real in Rio,' as featured in the family-oriented animated film Rio, says that a Rio sequel is likely to happen, and that it might tie to the 2014 World Cup, which will be held in Brazil.

Fox has been talking about (it) and it looks like it's going to happen. We're going to have a meeting I think next week and Carlos [Saldanha, director] is coming to town to tell us the story, and it looks like it's a go.

Fox confirmed that Rio was seen as the start of a franchise, but said there is no script at this point, and no deals for creatives or performers to return. [HitFix]