Let's cover the back story first, for those reader who aren't in the know. According to the
Marvel database, the Savage Land is:
"A tropical region surrounded by volcanoes deep in Antarctica, created over 200 million years ago by the alien Nuwali as one of several planetary "game preserves" for the mysterious godlike Beyonders. The Nuwali stocked the Land with Earthly life of the era, most notably dinosaurs; as Earth's flora and fauna changed over succeeding millions of years, they supplemented their preserve with prehistoric mammals and early hominids, or "Man-Apes." When Earth's continents shifted circa 50 million BC, the Nuwali augmented the Land's volcanoes to preserve its tropical status. Following the Nuwali's departure in 200,000 BC, little is known of the Land's history for over a hundred millennia, although a faction of superhuman Eternals dwelled there at least briefly, leaving a temple complex behind. Circa 18,500 BC, it was colonized by humans of Atlantis, who exported prehistoric life throughout their empire while importing unicorns and other mystic creatures.
"Over twenty years ago, British nobleman Robert Plunder, searching for Vibranium, found his way into the Savage Land. Back in England, Plunder was threatened by those who coveted his secret, and he returned to the Land with his nine-year-old son Kevin, who was orphaned when Robert was slain by the Man-Ape Maa-Gor. Nurtured by the sabretooth Zabu, Kevin, perhaps enhanced by the Land's mysterious "Place of Mists," became known as "Ka-Zar," or "Brother of the Tiger," his uncanny skills and heroism won him respect throughout the Land while still in his teens."
Now, on to the important part. A rumor began circulating the net several days ago, regarding Marvel Studio's possible pursuit of several actors for the role of Ka-Zar. I took this information to one of my reliable sources at the studio, who told me Marvel has been planning a Savage Land film for some time now. Any official casting or production work on the adaptation is still very far away, since the studio is completely focused on their next two projects,
Captain America and
The Avengers.
When I asked how long Marvel has been seriously considering a Savage Land film, I received a very unexpected answer. Apparently, there have already been hints of it dropped in the current Marvel Cinematic Universe, and at least one more heading our way in next year's
Captain America movie. Take a look at these screecaps from the recently released
Iron Man 2. The scene showed Tony Stark opening a case that belonged to his father, Howard, which contained the first Captain America comic book, home video, a journal and blueprints for the original arc reactor. If you pay close attention, you'll notice a satellite photo and a map of Antarctica; and on the map you can see an area annotated that matches up with the Savage Land's location in Marvel Comics continuity:
Will
Savage Land be one of the smaller budget films Marvel Studios is already planning, or will it fit into the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe?
Only time will tell, until then, share your thoughts below.