Sci-Fi Movies Friday: Green Lantern, Harry Potter, Captain America, The Avengers, John Carter of Mars, The Shadow, Avatar + more

Our first Sci-Fi Movies column since Comic Con is chock full of goodness with details and previews from Green Lantern, Harry Potter, The Avengers. Plus there are project updates for the futures of the Avatar, Shadow and Terminator franchises. Plus tons of casting bites and all the latest images and videos, and box office news. So dive in.

 

GENRE MOVIE NEWS

Production wraps on Green Lantern, Studio hires writer for sequel + Final artwork for Green Lantern’s Kilowog

Geoff Johns, DC Comics writer/Chief Creative Officer, tweeted last Friday that production on Martin Campbell’s "Green Lantern" has wrapped:

“GREEN LANTERN IS WRAPPED!!!! Finished the last shot today!!! Celebrating in New Orleans. :) As co-producer of the film, I am very, very proud of what we’ve got in store. Much more to come. Martin Campbell FTW.”

The film was in production for 100 days: from February 26, 2010 to August 6, 2010. In related news, Warner Brothers is wasting no time moving forward with the sequel, announcing that Michael Goldenberg (“Where the Wild Things Are”, “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix”) has been hired to write the screenplay. A treatment for the sequel was actually commissioned by the studio a few months ago and turned in by "Green Lantern" writers Greg Berlanti, Michael Green and Marc Guggenheim. Here’s a look at the final version of Kilowog plus a new shot of Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively followed by a video from the set. "Green Lantern" is scheduled to hit conventional and 3D theaters on June 22, 2011.

Details on how Captain America’s suit and shield will change over the course of the movie

Chris Evans revealed that his ‘Captain America’ costume will go through several variations over the course of the film [via MTV]:

"There’s a couple stages and initially in the script, Steve isn’t Captain America right away," he explained. "He gets the injection and isn’t asked to go to war right off the bat. He’s used in different areas, so he has different stages of the suit. I don’t think he actually jumps into the final suit until the third act of the film."

Like the costume, the shield will also go through modifications:

"Well, during the USO tour, there’s obviously a different shield," Evans explained. "And he goes on a couple missions, he goes AWOL and kind of takes the USO shield. And he’s kind of allowed to be this soldier and they outfit him with the new uniform. They decide to outfit him with an updated shield."

Directed by Joe Johnston and co-starring Hugo Weaving, Hayley Atwell and Tommy Lee Jones, "Captain America: The First Avenger" is scheduled to hit theaters on July 22, 2011.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows split revealed + New images

"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" is the cover feature in the latest issue of Entertainment Weekly, and the article inside contains details on where the two-part feature will be split [SPOILERS]:

"Part I will end at about Chapter 24 of the book, with Voldemort gaining possession of the Elder Wand, one of the three Deathly Hallows that allow the bearer to conquer death."

The latest issue also contains some new images from the movie, a few scans of which can be found below. "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part I" hits theaters on November 19, 2010 followed by ‘Part II’ on July 15, 2011.

The Avengers starts shooting in February 2011 + Mark Ruffalo talks Hulk

Joss Whedon’s "The Avengers" will begin shooting in February 2011. In related news, Mark Ruffalo talked with EW about taking over as the Hulk in the film:

"It was very exciting – and I realized I had some pretty big shoes to fill," he said. "Those were my heroes up there! I was a comic book fan growing up. I loved the Hulk and the Avengers – it’s just strange to be entering that world as an actor. I never would have imagined that before."

Ruffalo also offered his thoughts on Bruce Banner’s persona:

"He’s a guy struggling with two sides of himself – the dark and the light – and everything he does in his life is filtered through issues of control. I grew up on the Bill Bixby TV series, which I thought was a really nuanced and real human way to look at the Hulk. I like that the part has those qualities."

"The Avengers" is slated to be released in theaters on May 4, 2012. Check out the Comic-Con teaser trailer embedded below.

 

John Carter of Mars set for 2012 + Disney wants it to be converted to 3D, but Stanton is resisting

Disney has slated Andrew Stanton’s "John Carter of Mars", his first live-action feature film, for release on June 8, 2012 and that the studio is trying to convince Stanton to convert it to 3D. /Film reports Stanton is resisting the 3D conversion, but the studio has reportedly hired some 3D tests in the hopes they can convince him to go along with the conversion. At the end of the day, it appears likely that Disney will opt to release the film in 3D. In other release date news, Disney has set Tim Burton’s stop-motion animated feature film "Frankenweenie" for release on March 9, 2012 (that film is also in 3D).

Guillermo del Toro will direct The Mountains of Madness; Cameron attached as producer

Guillermo del Toro will direct a 3D adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft’s "At the Mountains of Madness" for Universal Pictures with "Avatar" director James Cameron on board as a producer [via Deadline New York].

The film will be a big ticket item, shot in 3D, where Cameron’s expertise can really help. Cameron has said he won’t put his name on many future movies outside of the 3D reboot of Fantastic Voyage at Fox, but I’ve heard he’s making an exception for del Toro. Cameron’s presence helped win over the studio. I’m told the film will begin pre-production in the next few weeks, and shoot next summer.

In the Lovecraft tale, a gruesome discovery made during a scientific expedition to the South Pole in the 1930s hints at the true origin of mankind having come from elder gods from another planet. Bad things happen when those life forms are awakened.

This is del Toro’s second project announcement since he left "The Hobbit". He made a surprise appearance during Comic-Con to reveal that he would co-write and produce an adaptation of the Disney theme parks attraction "The Haunted Mansion". Del Toro may also direct that project.

James Cameron may shoot Avatar 2 and 3 back-to-back

James Cameron says he may end up shooting "Avatar 2" and "Avatar 3" back-to-back, telling MTV that he has already had discussions on the topic with 20th Century Fox:

“Avatar 2 we’re still working on deals. So we don’t start the movie until we get the deals worked out…We’re actually talking about [shooting 2 and 3 back-to-back] that’s not a decision yet, but that’s something that makes a lot of sense given the nature of these productions. I’m taking notes you know, I’m not sitting idle…”

Cameron also discusses the upcoming novelization which he says he wants to have done before any one else touches his material:

“…[B]ut really what I’m working on right now primarily is the novel. Because we never, I never, had the chance to get the novel done while we were making the movie and I always intended to and I didn’t want to do a cheesy novelization that was like where you know some hack comes in and just kind of makes #$%#. I wanted to do something that was kinda a legitimate novel that was inside the characters heads and didn’t have kinda the wrong cultural stuff the wrong language stuff, you know all that. And ideally that becomes a kind of bible for any other writers that want to come along and riff off with other Avatar-based stories, which I’m not ruling out. I don’t mind opening up the Universe I just don’t want that to happen until I’ve got more meat on the bones because the film is pretty spare when it comes to a lot of the specific details about the back story, the history, the company, what’s happening on Earth, you know, Grace’s back story, Jake’s back story, all that stuff. That all needs to be filled in before other writers can come in and run with it.”

You can watch the entire audio interview with Cameron in the player embedded below.

Cameron was also interviewed by MarketSaw and offered a few more details about "Avatar 2":

He has an overall story arc for 2 and 3, but has some modifications for that after spending some time during the last few months with native tribes in the Amazon basin. Script will be a ways out yet for AVATAR 2.

In more immediate news, the upcoming "Avatar" theatrical re-release will feature 9, not 8, extra minutes:

…and it will all be CG. No extra footage of live action characters drinking coffee. Rainforest; some at night; a hunt sequence – a lot of flying; high impact action; an emotional scene toward the end has been added back; "the best CG in the film has been added as far as facial performance"; A Na’vi counterattack after the bulldozer attack; more of Grace at the school; adding the Stingbat and Sturmbeast creatures; additional Quaritch final AMP Suit battle shots; more of the glade love scene. It is all on par with the best of the rest of the film. They had lots of footage to choose from and they put back the absolute best scenes and shots they could.

You can listen to the entire interview with Cameron at MarketSaw. "Avatar: Special Edition" hits 3D and IMAX 3D theaters on August 27, 2010. Check out a poster, a magazine scan featuring stills from the additional scenes (EW via Sam Worthington fansite) and a trailer below.

Report: Quentin Tarantino rewriting, and may direct, The Shadow

Quentin Tarantino has reportedly been hired by 20th Century Fox to rewrite the script for the studio’s adaptation of "The Shadow" with Pajiba noting that Tarantino may also end up directing the project:

"[T]he person that is now attached to the project is none other than Quentin Tarantino, who is also attached as co-writer. This comes as big a surprise to me as anyone, because I don’t know where Sam Raimi and Quentin Tarantino’s movie pathways have crossed, and so far as I know, The Shadow has never been mentioned among the 27 dozen projects that Tarantino has always been obsessed with. Maybe he loved original radio show and the pulps (which do seem up Tarantino’s alley), and maybe he saw Siavash Farahani’s script and decided that, if anyone could erase the memory of Alec Baldwin’s atrocity, it’d be him. Maybe Tarantino just loves the challenge. Or maybe he’s just added this to the huge pile of future possibilities and has no intention of ever directing. All I know is that, for the moment, he is being discussed (and this is a two-way discussion) and or already attached as the future director of The Shadow."

3D animated Terminator announced, but may already be dead

Hannover House and Red Bear Entertainment have announced a deal for "Terminator 3000", a $70 million 3D animated feature film based on the popular sci-fi franchise [via ComingSoon.net]:

Story details for Terminator 3000 are being kept under close wraps, but the writers and production team have a stated goal of minimizing violence in order to obtain a PG-13 level of material.

Hemdale produced and distributed director James Cameron’s original Terminator feature, but released the sequel rights in 1990 to Carolco, which later transferred the rights to ultimately end up under the control of Halcyon Media. Santa Barbara based Pacificor, LLC prevailed in the most recent auction and transfer of rights to the franchise in January, and retains approval and licensing authority over the proposed Terminator 3000 project.

The film has a proposed start date of January 2011. But it may all be for naught. Deadline Hollywood reports that Hannover House was sent a cease and desist order from Pacifor, the rights holders to the property:

Hannover House’s Eric Parkinson said that he just got his cease and desist letter, and then told Pacificor’s attorneys of his proprietary rights position, and the fact that he’s got backers in place to make a movie and deliver a big rights fee to Pacificor. "We’ve arranged a meeting, we’ll show them our money and if the rational brain prevails, they’ll take the deal. If not, I can’t do it without them. You’ll have a follow-up next week that we are either holding hands, or not doing the film. At least we now have our meeting. I hope they will can think outside the box, because if we can make a movie that delivers a $20 million to $30 million rights payment, that is an income source they didn’t realize was possible. If not, it was a good idea anyway."


PREVIEW Videos & Images

Battle: Los Angeles

Viral posters [more at Movies.SpoilerTV.com]

4-second sneak peek [YouTube]

Captain America: The First Avenger

First look at the logo for the organization Hydra [Comic Book Movie]

Centurion

Character posters [ComingSoon.net / see one more poster at Joblo]

Clip [ComingSoon.net]

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

Movie poster [Teaser-Trailer]

Movie trailer [YouTube via Narnia Fans]

Devil

Movie poster [Empire]

Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark

Teaser trailer [MySpace via Trailer Addict]

Drive Angry 3D

Comic-Con teaser trailer [YouTube]

Dylan Dog: Dead of Night

First footage [YouTube via Shock Till You Drop]

Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole

Movie poster [Yahoo! Movies]

Let Me In

Promotional stills [more at io9]

Movie poster [Cinema Blend]

Monsters

Movie poster [Shock Till You Drop]

Never Let Me Go

Movie poster [The Film Stage]

Movie trailer [The Film Stage]

Piranha 3D

First still of a Piranha [EW]

Clip [YouTube]

Watch the leaked Comic-Con footage here

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

Set images [more at Movies.SpoilerTV.com]

Set video [watch another BTS clip at WorstPreviews]

Priest

Movie poster [Teaser-Trailer]

Real Steel

Set images [more at ComingSoon.net]

Red Riding Hood

Set images [more at Teaser-Trailer]

Resident Evil: Afterlife

International poster [IMP Awards]

Rise of the Apes

Set images [JustJared (via Bleeding Cool) & more at FADEDYouth (via Movies.SpoilerTV.com)]

Saw VII 3D

Movie poster [Lionsgate / see this poster with 3D effect here]

Scream 4

First look at Ghostface on set [Wes Craven]

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

Interactive movie trailer [Universal Pictures]

Clip [MTV]

Watch two more clips here and here and a featurette here

Interview with director Edgar Wright and cast [IGN]

Skyline

Teaser trailer [Apple via Trailer Addict]

Sucker Punch

Banner poster [IMP Awards]

Super

Promotional stills [JamesGunn.com]

Thor

Interview with Tom Hiddleson (Loki) [IGN]

Also, the 5-minute Comic-Con trailer has leaked online and is still available to watch here.

Transformers 3

Set images [more at Movies.SpoilerTV.com]

Set images via video (Shia LaBeouf and Patrick Dempsey) [YouTube]

Tron Legacy

International posters [Filmz.ru & IMP Awards]

MOVIE BITES

  • Previously on TrekMovie.com: Scott Bakula says Quantum Leap movie is in the works
  • Previously on TrekMovie.com: JJ Abrams Producing Victorian Robot Movie “Boilerplate"
  • Previously on TrekMovie.com: Damon Lindelof Rewriting Alien Prequel (& Possible New Sci-fi Film) – Is Trek Team Taking On Too Many Projects?
  • At the Box Office: "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World" opens today. The $60M-budgeted (although other reports pin it at $80-90M) comic book adaptation from director Edgar Wright wasn’t expected to take the weekend but preliminary data has it debuting with a weaker than expected $12M for the weekend (the early Friday number is $5M). [Deadline Hollywood]
  • "Inception" has grossed more than $488 million worldwide and is now both director Christopher Nolan and star Leonardo DiCaprio’s 2nd highest-grossing films of their respective careers. The film is WB’s top-grossing film of the year in domestic box office ($237.2M), far exceeding the studio’s previous top-earner of the year "Clash of the Titans" ($163.2M). "Inception" still has a little ways to go before becoming the studio’s top-earner for the year worldwide, with "Clash of the Titans" having grossed $491.9M. [Box Office Mojo]
  • "Toy Story 3" will hit DVD and Blu-ray on November 2, 2010. The film recently became the highest-grossing animated film ever, taking in $920 million worldwide ("Shrek 2" held the previous high with $919.8M). [The Digital Bits via StitchKingdom & THR]
  • The $50M+ musical "Spider-Man, Turn Off the Dark" finally looks ready for primetime. The Broadway musical has been slated for previews beginning November 14 at the Foxwoods Theaters with a December 21, 2010 opening date. [Variety]
  • Timur Bekmambetov will direct the big screen adaptation of Seth Grahame-Smith’s novel "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter". Here’s an update on the project by Bekmambetov: "It is not a comedy at all – it is a very entertaining, epic history lesson for millions and millions of teenagers. If you remember Nightwatch, it is maybe in the vein of that kind of movie. We are keeping the traditional look of Lincoln – the big hat and the beard. He has to be historically correct, but with a few special weapons." [Empire]
  • German studio Constantin Films is developing a 3D animated feature based on "Tarzan". Constantin recently acquired the animation rights to the "Tarzan" novels from the estate of author Edgar Rice Burroughs. Disney had a huge hit with 1999’s 2D-animated "Tarzan", which grossed more than $448 million worldwide. [Variety]
  • Tony Scott is attached to direct a big-screen adaptation of writer Mark Millar and artist Steve McNiven’s comic book series "Nemesis". [Deadline New York & Bleeding Cool]
  • Disney-Pixar have moved up the release of "Monsters, Inc. 2" to November 2, 2012 from November 16, 2012 while also officially pulling "newt" from its release schedule (originally tentatively set for summer 2012) along with "Beauty and the Beast in 3D" (originally scheduled for release in 2011). [Box Office Mojo]
  • Disney has picked up the rights to Joseph Kosinksi’s upcoming graphic novel "Oblivion". Kosinski will direct the project, whose story is described as being "set on a future Earth, where civilization lives above the clouds and scavengers collect ancient artifacts from the polluted surface below. [Heat Vision]
  • Stephen Sommers will return to direct the sequel to 2009’s "G.I. Joe: The Rise of the Cobra". The sequel is being written by "Zombieland" screenwriters Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick and the studio is reportedly happy with the first draft they’ve turned in. [The Wrap]
  • "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 2" will hit theaters on November 16, 2012, Summit Entertainment has announced. As previously announced, ‘Part 1’ will hit theaters on November 11, 2011. The two-part movie is being directed by Bill Condon. [Summit Entertainment]
  • MGM has hired writers Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstant (writers of four of the seven "Saw" movies) to write a feature film based on the 1960s sci-fi series "The Outer Limits". [Variety]
  • Sony/Columbia Pictures have set start dates for Marc Webb’s "Spider-Man" still untitled reboot (December 2010 in Los Angeles) and "Men in Black III" (September 2010 in New York). [ComingSoon.net]
  • Robert Rodriguez is reportedly in talks with 20th Century Fox to direct "Deadpool", but creator Rob Liefeld has been tweeting that WB’s quick movement with the "Green Lantern" sequel could kill the project: "Warner Bros. just trying to protect their investment. They don’t want Ryan Reynolds playing Deadpool AND Green Lantern. Interesting 2 watch…Ryan Reynolds is the new Will Smith, if FOX can’t maximize this window of opportunity with this star, this character, that script=MASSV FAIL". [24 Frames & Den of Geek]
  • The next "Fantastic Four" movie is officially titled "Fantastic Four: Reborn" and unlike the 2005 and 2007 films, it will feature a fully CG The Thing. Also of note, the project has been put on hold at Fox until after "X-Men: First Class" is complete. That film doesn’t begin shooting until September 21, 2010 and will release in theaters on June 3, 2011. [Screen Rant]
  • Len Wiseman ("Underworld") is in negotiations with Colmbia Pictures to direct a remake of the 1990 Paul Verhoeven / Arnold Schwarzenegger sci-fi classic "Total Recall". That film was based on the Philip K. Dick story "We Can Remember It for You Wholesale" and this new project is described as a "contemporized adaptation of the movie". [Heat Vision]
  • Ridley Scott is bringing in "Blade Runner" scribe David Peoples to write the script to "Forever War". [Joblo]
  • Universal Pictures reportedly considered pulling the plug on Peter Berg’s "Battleship" which will cost the studio $200M, two claims the studio denies. [THR]
  • Warner Brothers is considering taking advantage of significant tax incentives to shoot as much as half of Christopher Nolan’s "Batman 3" in Louisiana. The project, reportedly set to cost $200 million, will begin production March/April 2011 and is scheduled to hit theaters in the summer of 2012… [Comic Book Movie]
  • …Another rumor, this one dealing with casting, says that according to some "script notes" from Nolan, the third film will feature Selina Kyle (aka Catwoman) as a character in the film… [Comic Book Movie]
  • …And lastly, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hardy are all competing for the role of The Riddler in the film. [Comic Book Movie]
  • D.J. Caruso says he’s "loosely attached" to an adapation of "Y: The Last Man" but he may not be directing it. Part of his problem with New Line is that they wanted to cram too much content into the film: "that he wants it to be the start of a new trilogy: "…I felt you had to make this film as a trilogy. [I felt] that you really had to deal with books one through four on their own…They really wanted to cover a lot more ground [in one film], which I didn’t think would make for a great movie. I thought you’d be cramming too much into one movie…I really do love that project, so I hope we can make something work out." [MTV via Fangoria]
  • The character Jolt (portrayed by a Chevy Volt in ‘Revenge of the Fallen’) will not be appearing in "Transformers 3". [TFW2005]
  • "X-Men: First Class" director Matthew Vaughn says that he’ll have to rewrite a few pages from the script because it’s too similar to Nolan’s "Inception" : ""I saw ‘Inception,’ which I loved…But my heart sank when I saw that a few of the ideas we had were up [on the screen]. So it’s either leave it in and look as if you’re copying or change things. We completely ripped out about 12 pages of the script and the storyboards." [Hero Complex]
  • Greg Berlanti confirmed that he is still a producer on "The Flash" and he’s working on the story with his felow "Green Lantern" writers Michael Green and Marc Guggenheim. [Collider]
  • Mark Millar says he’s currently working on the comic for "Kick-Ass 2: Balls to the Wall" and he expects development on the big-screen adaptation to begin in April with Matthew Vaughn returning to direct. [Movieweb]
  • Check out an interview with "Let Me In" director Matt Reeves over at Shock Till You Drop.
  • "Cowboys & Aliens" screenwriter Alex Kurtzman describes the aliens in the film as being "Scary as hell". [IGN]
  • David Fincher has confirmed that work on "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" continues to move forward, with Disney Presidident of Production Sean Bailey saying relaying a conversation he had with Fincher where he said "Look, I’ve never really thought about Disney before, but I really want to try to do my Empire Strikes Back. And I think 20,000 Leagues is the title." [MTV]
  • Duncan Jones has announced that "Source Code", his follow-up film to his directorial debut "Moon", has finished shooting and is in the editing room. [Man Made Movies via /Film]
  • "Green Hornet" co-writer Evan Goldberg says that a plot is in place for a sequel to the film: "You don’t make a movie like this without considering the sequel. Yeah, we have the whole plot planned out, which is kind of what we would have done in the first place." [The Playlist]
  • Zack Snyder says he and co-writer Kurt Johnstad have started writing the script to Frank Miller’s "300" prequel "Xerxes" and they’re actually ahead of Miller’s writing: "I’m using Frank’s frames to whack at this…Sometimes we don’t have images– we’re a little ahead of him right now. We have an outline, we have dialogue, it’s pretty detailed. We might double back once we get the pictures to fill in if there’s something cool, which there certainly will be." [Cinema Blend]
  • Ant-Man isn’t part of "The Avengers" because Edgar Wright’s script for the solo project is an origin story: "The thing is, the script that I’ve written…is very much an introduction to that character, and so it wasn’t something where it felt right to introduce him in that film. Maybe if I do the solo Ant-Man film and maybe there’s a later Avengers then they could draft him in later. But it didn’t work with the kind of the angle that we were going to do with the origin that I’d written." [Cinema Blend]
  • Musician/screenwriter Nick Cave has been brought on board to rewrite the script to Relativity Media’s "The Crow". [The Wrap]
  • Darren Aronofsky’s "Robocop" reboot is "Gone. Kaput. Canceled" according to an MGM source: "[Darren] has lost interest anyway, I believe. Think we’re all just going to have to be happy with the three RoboCop movies that are out there". [Moviehole]
  • MGM may be getting close to resolving their debt issues. The studio has reportedly entered into talks with Spyglass Entertainment about a deal between the two companies, which would ultimately see Spyglass running MGM. [WSJ]

CASTING BITES

  • Blake Lively and Scarlett Johansson are vying for the female lead opposite Robert Downey Jr. in Alfonso Cuaron’s sci-fi project "Gravity". Johansson is said to be the favorite, but a decision is expected to be made within the next week or two. [Heat Vision]
  • Christoph Waltz ("Inglourious Basterds", "Green Hornet") will not be playing the villain in "Spider-Man"… [Superhero Hype]
  • …And will not be playing a role in Matthew Vaughn’s "X-Men: First Class". "Don’t believe everything you read in the papers about Aaron, unfortunately. Aaron’s kind of busy, yeah," said producer Tarquin Pack… [Movieweb]
  • …Meanwhile, "Twilight" star Edi Gathegi has joined the cast of the film. He’ll play Darwin, "the first bi-racial mutant (in the comic series), has the power of ‘reactive evolution,’ which allows him to adapt to any situation or environment." [Deadline New York]
  • Josh Hutcherson’s audition tape for Marc Webb’s "Spider-Man" reboot has been leaked online. Check it out at Latino Review. The role ultimately went to Andrew Garfield.
  • Lee Pace ("Pushing Daisies") is in talks to join "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn". Pace would play Garrett, the best friend of Edward. His character is described as "laid-back and down-to-earth, with a rugged, long-haired look and a decent sense of humor for a vampire." [The Wrap]
  • Jamie Bell has signed on to star with Cillian Murphy and Thandie Newton in "The Retreat". The thriller is about "a couple vacationing on a remote island as they try to repair their marriage. When they find a soldier washed up on the beach in a biohazard suit, they discover everyone else has been killed by an airborne virus." [Deadline Hollywood]
  • Riley Keough, the granddaughter of Elvis Presley, is in talks to play a role in George Miller’s "Mad Max: Fury Road". [Heat Vision]
  • Zachary Levi ("Chuck") says there is no truth to the rumor about him being pursued to play Superman: "No. As much as I wish that I could say yes — no, I’m not."… [Buzz Sugar]
  • …With that rumor out of the way, here’s another: Warner Brothers is reportedly "seriously considering" Jon Hamm ("Mad Men") for the role. No offers have been made and there’s no indication Hamm or his representation have met with WB. [thinkmcflythink]
  • Gemme Arterton says she expects to reprise her role for "Clash of the Titans 2": "I think I am doing the second ‘Clash,’" Arterton said. "I don’t know anything about it yet though. It’s one of those things." [MTV]
  • Justin Timberlake has reportedly been offered the lead role in Andrew Niccol’s "Im.mortal". [Deadline Hollywood]
  • Rihanna will make her feature film debut in Peter Berg’s sci-fi-infused "Battleship". [Variety]
  • Producers Andrew Macdonald and Allon Reich have confirmed that Karl Urban will play the leading role in "Judge Dredd". [Empire]


Follow Russ on his website: Your Entertainment Now and on Twitter: Twitter.com/YourEntNow.

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ScarJo FTW as the chick in that movie!

Jon Hamm as Superman! Oh yeah! I just hope Lois and Jimmy like three-martini lunches…

Narnia looks good

I think Joseph Gordon-Levitt would be fantastic as The Riddler.

I could definitely live without DiCaprio in that role, but there’s plenty of stuff I like him in.

Cat Woman needs to be Batman’s rebound girlfriend, than he should kill her.

Hamm?? Clark Kent, yeah.
Supe, NO!
Need an unknown. Not Routh again either.
Fifth! (of gin!)

Kick-Ass 2 has been redlit by everybody but Mark Millar, it seems.

Seeing The Avengers stuff in the news I really wish for a Justice League movie.

I think I’m the only person who still hasn’t seen Avatar. Or any of these new 3D movies. In fact, I haven’t been to the theater in over a year, I don’t think.

On the Green Lantern movie, hooray for Kilowog! After hearing about the movie, I went out and bought the animated DVD “Green Lantern: First Flight” and just read “Green Lantern: Rebirth” and “Green Lantern: Secret Origin.” What made me love this hero as a kid was the idea of being part of an elite crime fighting force of aliens. This could be really cool to see Kilowog and Tomar Re. Checked the movie at IMDB and have not seen an actor for Kilowog, so I’m guessing he’s CGI. IF he’s hasn’t been cast, might I suggest Michael Madsen who voiced the role in the DVD. Hopefully, I won’t sound like a poozer for suggesting that.

Cant see DiCaprio doing the Riddler. Just doesnt seem to fit in with his body of work. I do think Joseph Gordon-Levitt would be a good choice ( I actually thought Jim Carrey was a good choice but it was just poorly written and directed role). I actually think Johnny Depp would be a great Riddler.

Thoughts??

Green Lantern: I assumed sometime around 1995 that they’d get to a Green Lantern movie real soon. I sure was wrong about that one … but I’m glad they finally got around to it. I have my concerns, but I have my hopes. Time will tell.

Avatar: Sounds like Cameron continues to care very much about it. That’s what made it special to begin with; his obvious affection for the material. Good for him. Good for us, too.

Dylan Dog: Heck yeah; bring it on.

Narnia: Sure, okay; I’m in for another one. We’ll see.

Red Riding Hood: Gary Oldman should wear more bright, candy-like purple crushed velvet robes. I think he’s found his look.

Sucker Punch: So far it feels phony, formulaic, manipulative, empty. Hopefully they’re holding back the good stuff for later phases of the promotional crawl … I like sexy action chicks who look like fan-fetish themed videogame characters as much as the next geek, but frankly, it’s not like the world isn’t already well-supplied with them. The movie will need substance or it’ll just be another forget-me-fest dripping with self-conscious theme like League of Extraordinary Gentlemen apparently was (the trailers never sold me).

Tron: Still a bit giddy and excited, despite my cynical side giving me stern looks and reminding me that it’s not like the original was all that great to begin with. Shut up, cynical side, and enjoy the sexy trailers.

#11: I still want those David Tennant rumors to be true.

I wonder what the de al wit h terminator-3000 is???

Hopefully NOT A new franchaise with terminator, but another word for TERMINATOR-4!!!!!!!!

wha the xcvv? Another ff movie this time all cgi 4 the thing? damn no m chicless? stan lee himself said he was the best part of the ff movies–his costume wasnt bad lookin to me-

Wow, am I looking forward to Green Lantern, my favorite childhood superhero. I just hope that Hollywood won’t mess up another beloved classic, but what I’ve read about the movie so far looks good.
Tarantino doing the Shadow – awesome!! Seems a match made in Heaven. I think the Baldwin Shadow movie was OK, and an entertaining little piece, but it was also sort of a disappointment because it didn’t nearly live up to the potential of The Shadow. I mean, Batman IS a ripoff of the Shadow, and the Shadow is a darker, more interesting character.

The Forever War, one of my favorite books of all time. Ridley Scott is the perfect director for this project.

I liked Avatar, but personally I didn’t like it as much as the rest of the world seemed to… or the rest of the world seemed to like it through the eyes of Fox and Cameron and the media but my god, on the subject of Cameron, what a complete arse.

Not a fan of 3-Dumb. Hope this fad is over soon.

Not many posts. Bet a bunch of people went to Florida to the STAR WARS Celebration. Its being broadcast on Sirius 108 XM 39. I just listened to the Mark Hamill Q & A. It was great. They should consider something similar for Trek fans who can’t make it to the conventions.

@12: Tennant as the Riddler? Yes to power of infinity. That fan-made poster still gives me chills when I see it (in a good way).

@9: You are not alone. It’s wierd, I’m a big fan of CGI and computer art, but the hype for Avatar just left me kind of cold. *shrugs*

Despite the mostly disparaging things that a lot of people are saying on the Superhero Hype boards…I’d like to see the Spider-Man musical. Musicals are a lot like the space program. A lot of good sideline things came from the space program and a lot of good songs and concepts have made their way into main stream society and pop culture from musicals. More then most people realize.

Frank Gorshin was the one true Riddler. Although John Astin was fun to see doing it once. Gorshin was so maniacally insane. Hope this new one is fun too.

#9 & #20

Count me in, too. Never saw Avatar. And I don’t plan to anytime soon. I was satisfied with the Kevin Cosner version twenty years ago.

# 22

I liked “Avatar” but it was not the revolution in cinema that it was hyped up to be. Oh and by the way, besides “Dances With Wolves” here are other movies with the theme of advanced society displaces natives for natural resources. “The Emerald Forest.” (1985): “Ferngully: The Last Rainforest” (1992) and drum roll please…..

‘Star Trek: Insurrection” (1998) Remember the Federation wants to displace actress Donna Murphy from Broadway to Hollywood, um… sorry, the Federation wants to displace New Age residents so they can use the fountain of youth elements of their planet. Picard revolts and also discovers that actor F. Murray Abraham was an Oscar winner in “Amadeus.” Okay, I’m sorry for that. again. Picard discovers alien Abraham (Ru’fafo) was also a native and wants revenge. Holy “Wrath of Khan” revenge plot again! Star Trek Nation, we we were ahead of the revolutionary “Avatar.”

And before you Avataries attack me, I liked the movie. I liked the environmental theme. It’s just not the greatest thing since sliced bread, soft ice cream, Jennifer Aniston etc.

#23

Emerald Forest, Dances with Wolves, Ferngully, Insurrection…

Exactly the reason Avatar didn’t need to tell THAT story over again. I suppose in the sequel Cameron will have those big blue people attacking Earth’s landmarks with mile-wide ships…

#23: “I liked “Avatar” but it was not the revolution in cinema that it was hyped up to be. Oh and by the way, besides “Dances With Wolves” here are other movies with the theme of advanced society displaces natives for natural resources. “The Emerald Forest.” (1985): “Ferngully: The Last Rainforest” (1992) and drum roll please…..”

… and a lot of us who love Avatar had already seen those movies and know the similarites. We’re not all novelty fetishists; some of us are into quality :)

Quality? I’ve heard of that!

@ 24. Vultan

I thought after the environmental pollution that has happened lately, Avatar is a good film to check out.
even just for great 3D visuals :)

#26

I think it was some kind of gimmick they used in old movies. ;)

#27

Oh, heck, I’ll probably see the big blue movie eventually—on TV. I’m mostly just too darn cheap to rent anything right now. That’s my environmental problem—the economy!

“Avatar” is a great movie. Is it “original”? No. Is it entertaining? Hell yes!

I think people overlook the fact that “originality” doesn’t necessarily mean “quality”. Though the pursuit of originality should be at least a part of any movie and show, if only to set it apart from everything else. “Avatar”s originality came in the form of cgi and visual effects that hadn’t been seen before, and thus the movie can’t be confused with any other. The theme on the other hand, has been done many times before as others have already noted.

“Avatar” on Blu Ray is absolutely spectacular. Can’t wait for the special edition. The special features are sure to be a real treat.

#11 I think Mark Hamil Should play The live action joker. He has the laugh, and Hamil is insane!!!

Emerald Forest, Dances with Wolves, Ferngully ..Weird that I have not seen any of those movies, Now I know why some don’t think the story of Avatar was original. I will say that Avatar was way better than Insurrection.

Usually I never have me a disparagin’ word…

But Green Lantern? Havin’ a power ring is fur’ tha’ lasses… get married and turn yer’ finger band inta’ a superpower fur’ him ta’ take oot’ tha’ trash, watch “American Idle” instead o’ Manchester United and shave tha’ cat when needed…

On another note…

Tha’ worst plot I ever heard be that film Billy Pilgrim havin’ ta’ go through tha’ slaughterhouse ta’ make whoopsies wit’ tha’ Rainbow Brite lass… Great Scott, that’s just bangke boor!

Look, if a lass tolds me I had ta’ defeat her numerous former exes, I’d steal her purse and leave her at Heathrow…

Oh, I never saw “Avatar” either. And only will when WGN runs it late one night.

Let me ends on a positive note: I likes how all tha’ Marvel heroes I read as a child be comin’ alive in some really well done films.

‘Course as I write this, I be as hammered as Thor.

Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr…

Hmmm, an Outer Limits movie…….Great potential but could go either way………..To the creators of Saw……….Please don’t screw it up guys. The remake of Day the Earth Stood Still shows how bad a remake can be. Please make the stories well written. The original show influenced generations.

@30: Exactly! Like they say over on TVtropes, “Tropes Are Tools.”

Owain Yeoman for Superman!

Right height and build too…

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1466859/

I hope The Avengers will include Ant-Man and Wasp as well as some of the following villains:

Baron Zemo, Collector, Count Nefaria, Egghead, Grandmaster, Graviton, Grim Reaper, Immortus, Kang, Korvac, Legion of the Unliving , Lethal Legion, Loki, Master Pandemonium, Masters of Evil, Morgan le Fay, Nebula, Space Phantom. Super-Adaptoid. Supreme Intelligence, Squadron Sinister, Taskmaster, Thanos, Ultron, Zodiac

I was hoping they only make another Terminator film if the script was good and that they hopefully conclude the movie series.

When they announced that Helena Bonham Carter was playing the main villain in Terminator: Salvation, I was expecting her to be the Skynet equivalent of the Borg Queen from Star Trek. I was so disappointed in the end when I saw the film and it was a wasted opportunity to have a really iconic and memorable villain in the franchise. They should have had a confrontation between her, Christian Bale and Sam Worthington towards the end like with Picard, Data and the Borg Queen in Star Trek: First Contact’s climax.

The main villain in Batman 3 will be The Riddler and The Penguin, Black Mask and Rupert Thorne will be secondary villains. NO Catwoman or Robin, NOT EVER. In addition, I hope Christian Bale has at least two love interests who are played by Hollywood’s most beautiful young actresses and that Batman 3 has a larger all-star cast with many recognisable actors making cameo appearances. This will be the biggest movie of 2012. Christopher Nolan is the undisputed best and greatest director in the world.

I hope Alec Baldwin has a cameo in the new Shadow movie and this film pays tribute to the classic original 1994 film. Shia LaBeouf would make a good Lamont Cranston / The Shadow. Margo Lane will probably be either Evan Rachel Wood, Kat Dennings, Blake Lively, Leighton Meester or Mischa Barton.

re 33:
In brightest day
in blackest night
no evil shall escape my sight.
Let those who worship Naval’s might
behold my power:
Green Lantern’s Light!

40-
Good one!
Guess I should gives Green Lantern a chance afore he rings me.

Oh, I kidz cuz I luvz.

Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr…

Guys, the original “Avatar” from the seventies, “Star Wars” is coming to Blu-Ray. If you’ve watched a blu-ray movie on a HDTV, you know it’s spectacular looking. Check the N.Y. Times article below.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/16/movies/16lucas.html

Marvel is doing it back-asswards–they are replacing michael chiklas as the thing with a cgi—they should be replacing the hulk cgi with lou ferrigno since he did a better job being the hulk–making the thing cgi in the next fantastic four wont fix what was wrong with the other 2 movies-

Oh, Hermione. Thou art so hot.

9, 20, 23, and 24…yep, couldn’t agree more. i’d give a good plug nickle to someone’s, anyone’s favorite charity if mr cameron would just get ticked off at hollywood again and go away for another long time or just stop makin’ political statement movies.

and joe gordon-levitt will be the riddler

Star Wars on blu ray. My point of view on that, no originals equals no sale.

Would love to give Lucas my money, but since he says he cannot afford to restore the theatrical cuts I will pass on it.

Anyone else think this is kind of ridiculous coming from a multi billionaire?

#31 Sirius broadcast a live Q&A with Mark Hamill this weekend from the Orlando Celebration. He spoke a bit about his fondness for comics and comic charactors. He may be a bit too old to play the charactor though.

#40
That’s “beware”, not “behold”…..let an old 60s Hal Jordan fan help you get it right. BTW, they’re not gonna call his jet mechanic “Pie Face” in the movie, are they?

Jon Hamm. Yes!! He has the square-est jaw in the business.

Hopefully the kid-friendly CGI Terminator film is a bullet we have dodged. Let us hope it dies and we see a proper sequel to wrap it up back at the beginning.