'The Avengers' are on the cover of Entertainment Weekly this week!

[littlepunkryo.livejournal.com]

This week's Entertainment Weekly has the first look at 'The Avengers', and the website released some new pictures to coincide with the announcement! I put the above picture above the cut because it's Steve/Tony but also because the cover itself is...not very good. A couple more pictures and the article under the cut.

This Week's Cover: 'The Avengers' -- EXCLUSIVE FIRST LOOK!

The whole enterprise is falling apart. Egos, tempers, uneasy alliances and bad attitudes are threatening the group, and failure would be catastrophic. Luckily, we’re talking about the actual team of superheroes in the Marvel Studios movie The Avengers, not the cast and crew. In this week’s issue, EW takes a deep dive into the May 4, 2012 movie that will finally unite Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man, Chris Hemsworth’s Thor, and Chris Evans’ Captain America — along with Mark Ruffalo’s The Incredible Hulk, Jeremy Renner’s Hawkeye and Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow — on the big screen. We use the word “unite” loosely. “Just because they’re super heroes doesn’t mean they’re super friends,” says Renner.

It was a different story with the cast and crew: If anything, they got along too well. Far from home on the Albuquerque set, they had little to do except hang out together, maybe hit a Motley Cruë concert, or go dancing with writer-director Joss Whedon, who says he knew “every dance club in Albuquerque.” Whedon was actually counting on a little bit of friction, since there’s so much in the actual story. “I was like, well, if they hate each other, I guess we can use that,” he shrugs. “But they don’t.”

When he wasn’t out dancing, Whedon was obsessively rewriting dialogue. On the Iron Man movies, Downey was notorious for pushing for heat-of-the-moment script punch-ups (or as he puts it: “I dominated like a rabid, horny gorilla”). And even as part of an ensemble in Avengers, he still nudged Whedon to go a little farther in some scenes. The day EW was on set, Whedon (the creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the acclaimed Astonishing X-Men comic book series) was scribbling out new pages of dialogue right before our eyes. Says the director, “There is a weird element of: they handed me one of the biggest movies of all time, and I’m making it up as I go.”

ETA: There's also a gallery of headshots up now.

ETA2: EW keeps adding stuff, there are some comments from the actors about their characters up now too!

ETA3: HQ scans of the article are up now.

Comments

[jwaneeta.livejournal.com]

That first one. Oh my God.

[suzanne78.livejournal.com]

The cover is hilariously horrific, but...

DEM STEVE/TONY PICS!! My Lord! They chose two of the most slashy pics! Thus, I forgive EW for their crappy cover... thing. This movie's turning out to be the most bromantic CBM yet.

[muccamukk]

I actually think the second one is more slashy, with the boys kind of gazing at each other. I'm convinced that Thor ships it.

[marinarusalka.livejournal.com]

Thor is totally writing Steve/Tony fanfic in his head. In very purple prose.

[marinarusalka.livejournal.com]

What I'm mainly getting from that first pic is that Tony is totally ogling Steve while trying very hard to look as if he's not.

[aquaocean.livejournal.com]

From the proportion of their heads, I think the photographer is playing with the perspective in the first picture. Tony stands a lot closer to the camera than Steve so they're not quite next to each other.

[bbucndrvemycar.livejournal.com]

Damn, Evans. You fill out that uniform nicely.

The second picture is epic tbh.

[bradygirl_12]

I gotta hand it to Marvel, they're waaaay ahead of DC when it comes to live-action movies. I've seen the Big Three's movies and loved them all, and am really looking forward to The Avengers.

And the slashy looks are SO much fun (threesome with Thor?)! ;)

[meilinn.livejournal.com]

And I loooove the look Joss's giving them :D

[valtyr]

Ahahaha yes.

[bbucndrvemycar.livejournal.com]

“[Chris] Evans raises another question as the cameras are about to roll. ‘Wait, how do I check for a pulse?’ he asks, realizing that Iron Man’s armor makes it impossible. [Joss] Whedon’s face furrows as he thinks. Right. ‘Press his chest, lean down, and feel for his breath,’ the director says.”
--from the new Entertainment Weekly article

ahhhhh

[marinarusalka.livejournal.com]

Oh God, if there's actual Steve/Tony hurt/comfort in the movie, I'm going to explode!

Another excerpt from tumblr

[littlepunkryo.livejournal.com]

“In the sequence they’re about to shoot, Iron Man has just suffered serious ass-kicking, and Thor and Captain America are coming to his rescue. When Thor rips Tony Stark’s helmet free, the unconscious billionaire was suppose to wake suddenly, catch his breath, and ask, “What’s next?” Downey felt there should be more. Whedon agreed and put pen to paper, which resulted not just in a new series of exchanges between the three heroes, but a few alternates for Downey to say, giving the editors some options when it’s time to assemble the movie. One choice line from the bunch: “What happened?” Stark groans, coming back to consciousness as Captain America and Thor loom over him. “Please tell me nobody tried to kiss me.”

— Entertainment Weekly

Re: Another excerpt from tumblr

[muccamukk]

There's Tony Stark/Jack Harkness fic around isn't there? I totally remember seeing some at one point.

[tsukinofaerii.livejournal.com]

EEEEEEEEEE. EEEEEEEEEEEEE. EEEEEEEEEEEEEE.

(flails)

I love that the cast is getting along. Happy casts make happy movies. Also liking what I hear about ScarJo demanding more action. And, of course, that second picture is so adorable homg.

(hyperventilates)

Is it May yet?!

[suzvoy.livejournal.com]

[neuers.livejournal.com]

STEVE AND TONY IN THE SAME ROOM! LOOKING AT EACH OTHER! HEARTS IN MY EYES!!!!!

I mean, the cover is still terrible but the rest of the pictures are glorious ♥

[tavella.livejournal.com]

Nearly everything about this movie has made me happy so far. About the only faint shadows are the set shots of Cap's full uniform have not looked great -- the cowl still doesn't work -- and I'm slightly apprehensive about Whedon getting such a free hand with the script. Hopefully we'll get good Whedon with snappy dialogue and great group bonding and not bad Whedon with the cheap-ass tragedy.

[emiliglia.livejournal.com]

I feel like my flailing keeps being interrupted by laughing at Mark Ruffalo's face on the cover. I mean...WTH is he doing Blue Steel for?

[ladygrendel.livejournal.com]

I actually had to go back and look at the cover again to see what you were talking about. OMG what kind of expression is that?

[ladygrendel.livejournal.com]

I can't wait! EW is the only magazine I actually read from cover to cover. Maybe they'll have a better cover closer to the time the movie comes out.

[gaypornninja.livejournal.com]

This write-up makes me feel 17000 times better about life.

[truthiness-aura.livejournal.com]

I have had an absolute shitpile of a day (don't ask, it's too stupid to explain), but these images- and the knowledge that my EW will be in my hot little hands tomorrow- makes things better. So does seeing everyone's excited reactions. You are my superheroes today, wonderful denizens of the Interwebs.

[gaypornninja.livejournal.com]

HI! I am sorry you had a horrible day. <3 <3 <3 Endless parade of glitter.

[indigocat.livejournal.com]

Besides a bromance between Iron Man and Captain America, I hope they keep the I-love-him-but-I-hate-him relationship that Loki has with Thor.

[nightwalker.livejournal.com]

No one where I live has this! Curse you B&N, why do NONE of your stores have any idea when they're getting in the new issue!

*right-click, saves on adorableness*

[curseangel.livejournal.com]

Dear universe: if you are kind, let Target have EW when I go to get Avengers-related action figures tomorrow? :D

*/I MEAN WHAT I must own this*

[bitchinminority.livejournal.com]

Do you think someone will upload scans? I live in the UK and am being deprived of all this lovely goodness. However, I did see a Captain America advent calender today... which I didn't buy solely because I don't know ANYONE young enough to still have one.

[kahn.livejournal.com]

PSHH. Buy it for yourself! I'm 30 and I still have fun with those. :-D Also, if you feel comfortable PMing me your address, I'll see if I can pick you up an extra copy (they're not out in my area, yet, so it'll have to be next week).

[elspethdixon.livejournal.com]

... I can't believe I was so distracted by Thor's amusingly sassy hipshot pose in the second picture that I initially missed Steve and Tony eyefucking in the foreground. All they need are coffee cups and domestic chatter about the children running the team to be a live-action version of the one What-If scene.

Also, there's going to be Tony getting beaten to hell and Steve tenderly leaning over him to check if he's alive by putting his face next to his? *dies* Every new piece of information that comes out about this movie just makes me more excited.

I feel that Clint's movie costume isn't purple enough, but the actual Hawkeye costume is probably too pointy-masked and skirt-having and bright purple for the big screen. Also, he and Natasha are in a promo photo together! I choose to interpret this as meaning that they're going to be an item.

(edited to close html tag)

[muccamukk]

Filmability be damned. That costume should be more purple!

"I come at you with raw feelings."

[aquaocean.livejournal.com]

Does anyone else notice that RDJ is holding his sunglasses while talking to Chris Evans? The thing about RDJ is that his eyes are very expressive so people can read what he thinks by looking at his eyes. So that's why during his interviews/public showings, he wears glasses so people can't tell how much he hates being there.

Re: "I come at you with raw feelings."

[littlepunkryo.livejournal.com]

I didn't know that about RDJ. I always wondered why he wears sunglasses during interviews/on red carpets/around paps!

[nathcoelho.livejournal.com]

totally awesome! and captain america and ironman get along every time! love it
=D

[ollee.livejournal.com]

Um. What's with the Bruce Banner duckface? Talk about the most unflattering picture ever.

But the squee from all the S/T love in these pics makes up for it. :-)