Hard Candy director David Slade has been said to be the guy Fox has hired to direct a reboot of its Daredevil franchise, but according to a recent report by Variety, rethinking the adventures of blind vigilante Matt Murdoch isn’t the only comics-to-film work that the director has on his plate. Apparently he has also been chosen to direct a film called Coward, which is the initial storyline that kicked off the first five issues of the comic book “Criminal”. The exciting part of this news, apart from the fact that Slade is working on something new outside of the Twilight franchise, is that “Criminal” was a smaller book done by Ed Brubaker, who is one of the best comic book writers of the last ten years. Apart from his smaller original works like the “Criminal” books, Brubaker has had legendary runs on books set in the Batman universe, “Captain America”, and even Slade’s other upcoming adaptation “Daredevil”. Coward tells the story of a pickpocket and master thief named Leo. It’s the typical professional with a set of rules who takes one risky job and has everything blow up in his face storyline, but it’s also really cool and seems like it would be easily adaptable to film. Brubaker himself has written the screenplay, which is why I’m so interested to see how this one turns out. I think that his writing and Slade’s directorial eye could prove to be a great match, and if this one works out then

It’s been quite a while since it was announced that saucy young actress Juno Temple would be appearing in Christopher Nolan’s upcoming and omnipresent The Dark Knight Rises. But other than the fact that she would be playing a “street smart Gotham girl”, nobody has been able to dig up the specifics of exactly who her character is, and if she would be somebody who has already appeared in the Batman mythos. Of course, when absolutely anything about a highly anticipated comic book movie is left unclear, speculation often runs rampant. Would she be the “The Dark Knight Returns” version of Robin, Carrie Kelly? Would she be playing the youthful psychologist turned clown-faced wacko, Harley Quinn? It turns out, no. Total Film seems to think they have a scoop on the role Temple is filling, and it’s that of sometime Catwoman sidekick Holly Robinson.

Director Joe Johnston loves good old fashioned fun. The Rocketeer, Hidalgo, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, and Captain America: The First Avenger don’t contain a dark or cynical bone in their bodies. While some superhero films try to go to darker places nowadays — usually by just having their hero mope around — Johnston has no interest in a sulky hero. Captain America is all about adventure, charms, and simply being a kid from Brooklyn. While many people question if Cap can reach an audience outside of the States, Johnston thinks differently. The Boba Fett and Iron Giant creator didn’t want to make a commercial about America’s awesomeness; he wanted to explore themes that nearly everyone can relate to. Like his previous films, the idea of finding one’s identity and coming of age is present in Captain America: The First Avenger. Despite being a super solider who looks the way that he does, Captain America is like any other kid trying to become the man he’s meant to be. Here’s what Joe Johnston had to say about Raiders of the Lost Ark, fully embracing the color palette of comics, the ego of Red Skull, staying sincere without being cheesy, and why he’s a true film school reject: