CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIERIGN spoke with Joe and Anthony Russo at D23 about directing "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" and what to expect from the upcoming film.

"[Ed] Brubaker's run [on 'Captain America'] to me, that's one of my favorite books ever," said Joe Russo. "I think it's amazing. I think the way he brought that character back in a post-modern bent that he put on it was genius. As a director, it's a gift to have a villain that's so close to the character emotionally. It really motivates the hero and provides really interesting surprises for the hero. The other big thing that really drew us to the project was Marvel's desire to take Captain America and merge him with a '70s political thriller. It gave the storytelling a real biting, a real texture. We felt like we're living in complicated times, and similar to the '70s, you can find some overt political tones that you can play with that will really resonate with the audience."

Opens April 4, 2014

THOR: THE DARK WORLDHitFix spoke with "Thor: The Dark World" actress Natalie Portman during D23 about her return to the franchise as Jane Foster, and whether her character is ready to bury the hatchet with Loki.

"I don't think she's as quite as forgiving as Thor is," Portman told HitFix. "Often times we protect the people we love more than we protect themselves. But, he's helpful in some places. Evil people can think like other evil people."

Meanwhile, IGN spoke with director Alan Taylor about his time directing "Thor: The Dark World" and how it compares with helming episodes of "Game of Thrones."

"In both cases, it's using the conceit of a fantastical alien world to make fresh what is really a domestic drama," Taylor told IGN. "In 'Game of Thrones,' seeing Tyrion battle with his sister, Sersi, seeing the relationship between children and their fathers, it's all stuff can relate to in the oldest stories we tell. It's all the stuff that we're interested in on a psychological level because we're living it all the time, but it takes place in this otherwise fantastical foreign realm. I think the same thing is true in 'Thor.'"

Opens November 8

KICK-ASS 2In anticipation of "Kick-Ass 2" opening this Friday, more press has begun to come up about the upcoming "Kick-Ass" sequel, including an interview over at Digital Spy where creator Mark Millar, director Jeff Wadlow and star Christopher Mintz-Plasse discusses the film and what actually got cut from the film.

Comic Book Movie also interviewed Claudia Lee about her character, Brooke, in the film.

"She is definitely Mindy's nemesis and she is very manipulative," Lee told CBM. "Brooke is definitely a force to be reckoned with. She's hardcore. She's cutthroat. She's very blunt. Her insecurities heighten all of these qualities that she has to a new level. She is definitely someone that views Mindy as a threat. She doesn't know that Mindy is really Hit-Girl, but she knows that there's something special about her. Brooke has always been the girl that's been the one that everyone has been idolizing and watching... She's been the special one. When she sees someone that's competition, the feelings turn and the claws come out, so it's been really fun."

Opens August 16

AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D.MTV has a profile on J. August Richards' character Mike Peterson following the screening of the pilot at both Comic-Con International and D23. Mike Peterson was a backup character in the Marvel Universe in "Slapstick" #1, and hasn't made an appearance since. Reportedly, Richards' version of Mike Peterson gains his powers via the Marvel Cinematic Universe's version of Extremis -- though how he got those powers is anybody's guess.

Debuts September 24 on ABC

STAR WARS SPEED DATINGHere's a video that's been making the rounds online from Stan Lee's World of Heroes. Check out what "Star Wars" speed dating is like in the Mos Eisley Cantina below.

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