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After what has certainly felt like an excessively long period of silence, Marvel’s Avengers developer Crystal Dynamics finally unveiled some new gameplay for the action-rpg this week, though so far, at least, fan reactions haven’t exactly given them cause to celebrate. Two trailers, one a cinematic affair focused on narrative and the other on further showcasing combat, were released yesterday and it’s the latter, in particular, that’s gone down like a led balloon with audiences on social media.

The crux of the issue, it seems, is a noticeable lack of gameplay variety on show with Thor, who has demanded much of the spotlight in previous demos. Here, he’s largely reduced to routinely pummeling several waves of identical-looking enemies with his iconic hammer. Speaking of which, the lack of audible clout whenever the Thunder God swings Mjolnir continues to be a sticking point for many and...

Portuguese actor Diogo Morgado has been cast as Joseph in Aloe Entertainment's "Mary, Mother of Christ."

He joins Camilla Belle, Al Pacino, Peter O'Toole and Julia Ormond in the action drama about the biblical journey of young Mary and Joseph during the terrible reign of Herod the Great. James Foley ("Glengarry Glen Ross") is directing from a script by Barbara Nicolosi and "The Passion of the Christ" co-writer Benedict Fitzgerald.

The film is scheduled to begin principal photography in October.

Morgado turned up at the end of a global search to cast the lead.

"We saw a huge amount of young actors and a couple were great," Foley said. "We thought we had finished our search when a tape appeared with this incredible guy. A major future star walked in the room, and I knew we had found the one."

Morgado, repped by the Park Noack Agency in the U.

In a bid to attract the same faith-based moviegoers that made "The Passion of the Christ" a smash in 2004, Aloe Entertainment is producing "Mary, Mother of Christ," which MGM will release in spring 2010.

Camilla Belle, who is onscreen in "Push," which opens Friday, has been cast as Mary. Jonathan Rhys Meyers will take on the double role of Gabriel and Lucifer, while Peter O'Toole is set as Symeon, who meets Mary and her family in the temple shortly after Jesus' birth.

The filmmakers are seeking Al Pacino and Jessica Lange for the respective roles of Herod and Anna the Prophetess.

Argentinean director Alejandro Agresti ("The Lake House") will direct the film, scheduled to begin shooting in May in Morocco with production partner Dune Films. Benedict Fitzgerald, who co-wrote "Passion," wrote the "Mary" screenplay with Barbara Nicolosi.

Mary Aloe and Rodrigo Berlanga are producing. The executive producers are Mike Dolan,...