Daily Archives: March 4, 2014

Anthony Mackie Talks The Falcon & Defends Human Torch Casting

Posted: March 4, 2014 at 8:40 pm

Not everyone is totally thrilled with the casting of Michael B. Jordan (Chronicle) as Johnny Storm AKA the Human Torch in Twentieth Century Foxs upcoming Fantastic Four reboot, but Jordan himself doesnt seem too bothered by the backlash. When ambushed by reporters on his way into a club and asked for his thoughts on the matter, Jordan just smiled and responded, Theyre still going to go see it anyway. Hes definitely got the attitude down already.

Canonically speaking, the Marvel movies all take place in alternate universes and therefore any changes between the page and the screen are explained in the same way as the differences between, for example, Earth-616 and the Ultimates universe. Comic books have a long history of playing with continuity and retconning characters, so if anything this is in keeping with the traditions of the medium. As the first comic book ever published under Marvels name, Fantastic Four debuted three years before the Civil Rights Act was passed and as such the team members were white more or less by default. Now that more fifty years have passed, the idea of a black Human Torch should theoretically be a lot less controversial.

Weve already covered the reason why the decision to cast Jordan as the Human Torch makes sense from a business standpoint, and Captain America: The Winter Soldier star Anthony Mackie has also spoken out in defense of the casting. (For those unfamiliar, in the Cap sequel Mackie plays Sam Wilson AKA Falcon, an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. who is equipped with a pair of mechanical wings.)

In an interview with ComicBook.com Mackie admits that he was never into comic books as a kid (he preferred baseball), and that while he was emotional and overjoyed to be offered a role in the Marvel franchise, he finds the fans insistence on movies being identical to the source material a little baffling:

Its crazy how much they know, and if you deter from that, its like Well, thats not authentic. You know its not real. Its made-up, so we can change it. No, no, thats not right. No, hes real. Alright.

The distinction between real people and comic book characters is an important one, though you wouldnt think so by the number of comic book fans who insist that Michael B. Jordan playing Johnny Storm is analogous to a white actor playing Martin Luther King. When asked for his opinion on Jordans casting and the subsequent backlash, Mackie first confirmed that Jordan is definitely locked for the role, and then explained that an adaptation of such a fantastical story should be open to creative freedom on the part of the filmmaker.

Michael B. Jordan is a very good friend of mine. Ive known him since he was a teenager, and Im so happy, for more than anybody else for him to be getting the accolades hes getting, because he deserves it I think with these type of movies, everything else aside, you need a good actor. Michael B. Jordan is a good actor, black or white. So what you have to realize is, and go back and forth and just say, Superman cant fly, Batman aint real, the Human Torch dont really set himself on fire and fly around the room, so he can look like whatever they want him to look like. You just have to allow yourself to see him that way. And if you cant do that, that says something about you.

Fantastic Four co-creator Stan Lee has previously commented on the issue of characters having a different race in the movie versions. When Donald Glovers fans were lobbying for him to be cast as the next Spider-Man, Lee said in an interview with MTV:

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SDR I (2011-12) – Multimedia interpretation (Futurism 1914 vs Future 2012) – Video

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SDR I (2011-12) - Multimedia interpretation (Futurism 1914 vs Future 2012)

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Frankel Patient Recognized as Young Futurist! – Video

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Frankel Patient Recognized as Young Futurist!

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Futurist Yvette Montero Salvatico: The Future of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) – Video

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Futurist Yvette Montero Salvatico: The Future of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math)
This is a keynote presentation given by Futurist Yvette Montero Salvatico entitled "The Future of STEM." Mrs. Salvatico is a principal at Kedge LLC, a global...

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Paul Rooney: The Futurist excerpt, 2008 – Video

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Paul Rooney: The Futurist excerpt, 2008
The Futurist Single screen video with sound, 25 mins, 2008. In a dark, apparently derelict cinema, Tony, an amateur Liverpool comedian, chats with other comi...

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Futurist Greg Verdino to Keynote Contingency Planning Exchange Meeting

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Islandia, NY (PRWEB) March 04, 2014

Returning to New York after a series of European presentations in London, Berlin and Paris, acclaimed keynote speaker and futurist Greg Verdino will address members of the Contingency Planning Exchange (CPE) at the association's Long Island Chapter meeting on April 11, 2014. His talk entitled "The HyperNetworked Now" will cover emerging trends in technology and their impact on business, society and individuals. The event, which will be hosted by CA Technologies at its global headquarters in Islandia NY, is free for both CPE members and non-members. Interested attendees can learn more or register on the CPE website.

The Contingency Planning Exchange aims to provide its members with innovative strategies, tools and forums to advance the practice of business continuity and crisis management. Verdino was a natural choice for the inaugural meeting of the association's revitalized Long Island Chapter. His eye opening, thought provoking presentation on The HyperNetworked Now will focus on the Internet of Things and how its adoption by enterprises will create new opportunities while presenting key challenges related to security, privacy, ethics and corporate responsibility. He will also consider the business and societal implications of big data, cloud computing, social networking and global-mobile ecosystems. You can read his thoughts on some of these topics here and here; and watch a previous speech from last year's xPotomac conference here.

Over the course of 24 years working at the forefront of business and technology change, Verdino has served as an advisor to 50 of the Fortune 500 and a speaker at hundreds of events for marquis clients including American Express, The Coca-Cola Company, Hershey, L'Oreal Paris and Novartis. He has appeared on CNBC, Cablevision News12 and MSNBC; and has been quoted in a wide variety of print media including Bloomberg Businessweek, Investors Business Daily, Newsday and the Wall Street Journal. He is the author of microMARKETING: Get Big Results by Thinking and Acting Small (McGraw-Hill, 2010) and a contributing author of Reinventing Interactive and Direct Marketing (McGraw-Hill, 2009).

Greg Verdino is founder of Create New Futures -- the foresight consultancy that helps business leaders identify opportunity amidst sweeping change and formulate bold strategies for transformative growth. Parties interested in learning more about his work, his thought leadership activities, or his availability for speaking or consulting projects are encouraged to visit his website gregverdino.com. Media interested in learning more about his upcoming event or in interviewing Greg may contact him directly at 631-747-1451 or greg(at)createnewfutures(dot)com.

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Award Winning Author & Futurist Jack Uldrich to Address the American Medical Association Regarding Long Range …

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Washington, DC (PRWEB) March 04, 2014

The 2014 National Advocacy Conference (NAC) will take place in Washington, DC, from March 4-6, 2014. And futurist Jack Uldrich will kickoff the event with his keynote speech, The Big AHA: How to Future Proof the AMA Leaders Against Tomorrows Transformational Trends, Today. Through the NAC, physicians will have the opportunity to discuss advocacy issues, attend educational sessions on a variety of topics, and visit with their representatives on Capitol Hill.

Uldrich will be giving the AMA leaders a sneak peek at his upcoming book, Business as Unusual: How to Future-Proof Yourself Against Tomorrows Transformational Trends, Today. He will outline the top ten trends in information and communication technologies, robotics, cloud computing, next generation mobile and social technologies, artificial intelligence, nanotechnology, genomics, wearable technologies, the Internet of Things and Big Data. He will discuss how these technologies, and physicians use of them, will help improve health outcomes, accelerate changes in medical education, and enhance job satisfaction by striving toward less paperwork and more quality time with patients. The speech is specifically designed to provide AMA attendees with a solid foundation upon which they can take action to create their own, and the Associations, success by identifying a series of concrete actions to take in order to future-proof themselves against the tides of tomorrow.

In the past year, Jack Uldrich, who is also recognized as a leading expert in the field of change management and unlearning, has addressed hundreds of organizations both nationally and internationally. Recent engagements include the Million Dollar Round Table in Malaysia, The Allan P. Kirby Lecture Series at Wilkes University. He was also recently awarded the Bellwether Book Award for his book, Foresight 20/20. A synopsis of some of Uldrich's ideas on tomorrow's transformational technologies can be found in this Forbes article: http://smallbusiness.forbes.com/small-business-articles/10-game-changing-technological-trends-transforming-tomorrow-2880 A video of his keynote address at United Health Care can be viewed in this youtube video.

Parties interested in learning more about Jack Uldrich, his books, his daily blog or his speaking availability are encouraged to contact Amy Tomczyk at (651) 343.0660.

Jack Uldrich is a renowned global futurist, technology forecaster, best-selling author, editor of the quarterly newsletter, The Exponential Executive, and host of the award-winning website, http://www.jumpthecurve.net. He is also the founder and "Chief Unlearning Officer" of The School of Unlearning - an international leadership, change management and technology consultancy dedicated to helping business, governments, and non-profit organizations prepare for and profit from periods of profound transformation.

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