Sci-Fi Movies Thursday: Spider-Man, The Dark Knight Rises, Prometheus, The Hobbit, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, X-Men: First Class, Captain America + more

Our Sci-Fi Movies Wrapup is back with a ton of big news this week. We have the big first looks at the new Spider-man and next X-Men cast, big casting/villains news for the next Batman (and big casting for The Hobbit), a big change in that Alien prequel, big details for the next Transformers and much more, including the latest casting bites, images and videos.

 

GENRE MOVIE NEWS

First Look: Andrew Garfield as Spider-Man + Stan Lee cameo confirmed

Sony has released the first image of Andrew Garfield as "Spider-Man" in Marc Webb’s 3D reboot.

If you look closely at the image, you can make out what appear to be web-shooters on his wrists which seems to indicate this version of Spider-Man will be reverting back to the old mechanical web-shooters. Co-star Emma Stone (Gwen Stacy) has confirmed that those are indeed webshooters, but it remains to be seen if the device will be fully mechanical..and Stone wouldn’t elaborate: "You’re just going to have to wait and see," she said. In other news, IGN is reporting that Daily Bugle editor J. Jonah Jameson won’t be in the film. J.K. Simmons played the role in the previous three Sam Raimi-directed "Spider-Man". In better news, Stan Lee has revealed that he will have a cameo in the film. "Spider-Man" is scheduled to hit conventional and 3D theaters on July 3, 2012.

Set images (first look at Denis Leary as Captain George Stacy) [via ComingSoon.net]

Set images (Garfield and Stone) [more at Just Jared]

Set video [YouTube via CBR]

Interview with Andrew Garfield [Extra]

The Dark Knight Rises casting: Anne Hathaway is Selina Kyle + Tom Hardy confirmed as Bane

Warner Brothers has announced that Anne Hathaway will play Selina Kyle (aka Catwoman) in Christopher Nolan’s "The Dark Knight Rises". Here’s what Nolan had to say about the casting:

"I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work with Anne Hathaway, who will be a fantastic addition to our ensemble as we complete our story."

WB’s release doesn’t actually make mention of Catwoman, but it’s probably safe to assume the character’s alter-ego will be seen in the film. To go along with the release, the studio also revealed that previously cast Tom Hardy will be playing Bane in the film:

"I am delighted to be working with Tom again and excited to watch him bring to life our new interpretation of one of Batman’s most formidable enemies,” Nolan said.

"The Dark Knight Rises" is scheduled to hit conventional and IMAX theaters on July 20, 2012.

Damon Lindelof written Alien prequel no longer a prequel; Gets a new title: Prometheus

The Ridley Scott-directed/Damon Lindelof ("Lost"/"Star Trek") "Alien" prequel has morphed into a non-prequel film titled "Prometheus". Here’s what Ridley Scott told Deadline:

“While Alien was indeed the jumping off point for this project, out of the creative process evolved a new, grand mythology and universe in which this original story takes place. The keen fan will recognize strands of Alien’s DNA, so to speak, but the ideas tackled in this film are unique, large and provocative. I couldn’t be more pleased to have found the singular tale I’d been searching for, and finally return to this genre that’s so close to my heart.”

The initial draft was written by Jon Spaihts from Scott’s idea. Damon Lindelof was then brought on board and together with Scott they began to expand the story with instructions to "go off and come up with what they want". Here’s what Lindelof had to say about the new script and the process that got them to this point:

“In a world flooded with prequels, sequels and reboots, I was incredibly struck by just how original Ridley’s vision was for this movie. It’s daring, visceral and hopefully, the last thing anyone expects. When I sat in a movie theater as a kid, feet raised off the floor for fear that something might grab my ankles, I never dreamed in my wildest imagination I would one day get to collaborate with the man responsible for it. Working alongside him has been nothing short of a dream come true.”

The studio has announced that Swedish actress Noomi Rapace will play the lead scientist role. Additionally, Deadline reports that Angelina Jolie and Charlize Theron are circling a secondary female lead (for the character "Vickers"). "Prometheus" is scheduled to be released on March 9, 2012.

Elijah Wood, Andy Serkis, Ian McKellen and Christopher Lee all confirmed for The Hobbit

It’s been a busy past few weeks in casting for Peter Jackson’s "The Hobbit". Elijah Wood, Andy Serkis, Ian McKellen and Christopher Lee are all expected to reprise their respective roles for the two-part adaptation. Of these announcements, Elijah Wood’s reprisal of Frodo is the most surprising given the character doesn’t appear in the novel. However, TORn has already reported on how the character will appear in the films [SPOILERS]:

As readers of “The Hobbit” know, the tale of “The Downfall of The Lord of the Rings” and “The Hobbit or There and Back Again,” are contained in the fictional “Red Book of Westmarch.” In Peter Jackson’s LOTR films, the book is shown on screen and written in by Bilbo and Frodo and handed off to Sam Gamgee. (Not explained on film are Sam’s progeny later having the book and being Wardens of the Westmarch — hence the book’s title.)

The fictional book, and either the telling from it or the reading of it, will establish Frodo in the films experiencing Bilbo’s story. Viewers are to learn the tale of ‘The Hobbit’ as a familiar Frodo gets the tale as well.

Since the speculation is now everywhere around the interwebs, TORn can confirm that as of now, the plans are to feature Frodo in the opening sequence of the films. It is unlikely that studio Warner Bros. or Team Jackson would change the script at this point in response to the web buzz so we may have just “spoiled” December 2012 for some, but we warned you. (And, sat on the spoiler until leaks started to appear!)

Here’s what Woods told reporters at the Television Critics Association press tour about his return to the franchise:

"I think it’ll be relatively minimal. That’s my impression. I actually haven’t read anything yet. I haven’t read a script. I have almost as much information as you guys have!"

Rounding out the coverage: For a great read be sure to head on over to Sir Ian McKellen’s blog to read his thoughts the whole ‘Hobbit’ situation. In other news, extended cuts of the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy are rumored for release later this year on Blu-ray, however, it’s not all good news. TORn.net reports that the Blu-ray’s won’t contain all the extras contained in the Ultimate Edition DVD’s.

Michael Bay talks Transformers: Dark of the Moon

Director Michael Bay doesn’t deny the fact that people were disappointed with "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen", in fact he embraces the criticisms and has used them to help craft what he believes to be a superior film: its follow-up "Transformers: Dark of the Moon". Here’s what Bay told Hero Complex | LA Times: "It was kind of a mess, wasn’t it?", Bay said about ‘Revenge of the Fallen’. Bay added: "Look, the movie had some good things in it and it was entertaining and it did very well, but it also failed in some key ways. I learned from it. And now with this third movie we’re going back to basics and I absolutely believe this is going to be a much better film than the second one." Bay expanded further on this aspect:

"I think we have something to prove with this third one…We’re back to basics. The second one was something going on inside of Sam, the way he’s affected and feeling, and that’s a hard thing to do. It’s more mystical, in a way. This one, there’s nothing mystical about it. It’s a good old-fashioned mystery and it’s a tougher movie … it’s funny but it’s not a wisecrack-funny; it’s funnier in the situation."

Bay also highlighted the film’s use of 3D even if he himself has been, and continues to be in certain respects, a critic of the technology:

Bay is wildly excited about the 3-D achievements he’s seeing already in postproduction but overall it’s early days for the moviemaking approach and Bay has the impatient air of a man who wants the equipment to catch up to what he sees in his mind’s eye. He puts up with it though, because, again, he is a man with something to prove.

In an unusual move, the filmmaker recently invited a small group of online journalists to a screening room to show them a 3-D teaser trailer for “Transformers: Dark of the Moon.” The goal was to refute Internet rumors that the movie’s 3-D footage was underwhelming and, by the reactions in the room, the director succeeded in a big way. Instead of stopping there, though, Bay brought the startled correspondents into a cramped editing suite to show them raw chunks of the movie, far more than they expected or studios executives would like. Afterward, Bay didn’t mince words about his motivation. “I’m trying,” he said, “to make up for movie two.”

‘Dark of the Moon’ is scheduled to hit conventional and 3D theaters on July 1, 2011.

Images of some of the cars featured in the movie [more at Beyond Hollywood]

Confirmed: Star Wars movies will be released on Blu-ray this September

20th Century Fox has confirmed that the complete six-film "Star Wars" saga will be released on Blu-ray on September 27. Fans will have three choices to choose from:

  • Star Wars: The Complete Saga on Blu-ray (9-disc Set includes all six films)
  • Star Wars: Prequel Blu-ray Trilogy (3-disc set includes Episodes I-III)
  • Star Wars: Original Blu-ray Trilogy (3-disc set includes Episodes IV-VI)

Here are some details from the press release:

Star Wars: The Complete Saga on Blu-ray will feature all six live-action Star Wars feature films utilizing the highest possible picture and audio presentation, along with three additional discs and more than 30 hours of extensive special features including never-before-seen deleted and alternate scenes, an exploration of the exclusive Star Wars archives, and much more.

First look at X-Men: First Class cast + Interview with director Matthew Vaughn

A few days ago an image featuring the cast of director Matthew Vaughn’s "X-Men: First Class" turned up online at MSN (since removed–but you can still see it here above courtesy IGN). Turns out the image is not an official release by Fox and Vaughn spoke to /Film to set the record straight:

“I freaked out on them [Fox]…I don’t know where the hell that came from. I don’t think it’s a Fox image. It’s not a pre-approved image. When I found out, I said, what the fuck is this shit, and Fox is running around trying to figure out what happened as well. I agree. It’s like a bad photoshop, which maybe it was by someone. It didn’t reflect the movie. I was shocked when I saw it. I was like ‘Jesus Christ’…I’m a fan of X-Men. We’re not bastardizing X-Men, I’m trying to get them back to being whole again.

That doesn’t mean the costumes were wrong though. Vaughn says they’ll be in the movie but that their presense will be limited:

“The costumes are blue and yellow as well, because fuck it, lets take it back it the original. Also, by the way, those costumes are hardly in the movie. The main costumes are like these cool 60’s James Bond…”

To compensate for that cast image the studio has released five new stills and a teaser poster — courtesy Hero Complex | LA Times, /Film and AICN, respectively — and they clearly show off the 60s vibe. Check those out below. "X-Men: First Class" is scheduled to hit theaters on June 3, 2011.

Possible production timeline for Superman: The Man of Steel

A possible production timeline for Zack Snyder’s "Superman: The Man of Steel" has found its way online. The film doesn’t have a star or a release date yet — WB says "Holiday 2012" — but this timeline, if true, fleshes out some more information including a release date on either the 14th or 21st of December 2012 [via Collider]:

Principle Photography begins 22 August 2011 and shooting will run until April 2012. “Superman” will enter Post-Production May 1, 2012 and will continue until November 2012 set for release in Mid-December 2012 (14th – 21st) [Date still TBC].

Principle Photography will start in [Location TBC] which will act as “Smallville” and will film for about 40 days for 4 scenes: [HOMECOMING], [FUTURE DISCUSSION], [SHIP DISCOVERY] and [FUNERAL].

Filming will then move to [Location TBC] where the majority of filming takes place. Shooting here will last Mid-September until Early January 2012.

Filming will then move to the European and Asian continents as well as the Middle East for minor shoots from January 5th to mid February 2012.

Filming will then move to a UK Studio until late April 2012 for interior shoots and set shoots before entering Post-Production on May 1.

In other news, Jon Hamm has ruled out starring in the film telling MTV at the Red Carpet of the Critics Choice Awards that the role is a "young man’s game":

Possible title change for Super 8 + Super Bowl spot

The Brazilian trailer for J.J. Abrams’ "Super 8" refers to the movie as "Darlings". MovieWeb has confirmed that the project has indeed changed its title internationally in Brazil, but when the site asked Paramount about the change, they wouldn’t confirm if the movie’s title has been changed in the United States as well. You can watch the trailer in question below. Although the movie remains veiled in secrecy, we do know one thing: Abrams has confirmed that filming has concluded. "Super 8" is scheduled to hit theaters on June 10, 2011.

In other news, Paramount has slotted several of their upcoming movies for TV spots during the Super Bowl. They include: "Super 8"; Jon Favreau’s "Cowboys & Aliens" (which was written by Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman and Damon Lindelof); "Transformers: Dark of the Moon"; "Captain America: The First Avenger"; "Thor"; "Rango" and "Kung Fun Panda 2". Other studios confirmed to have TV spots are Disney ("Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides"), Relativity Media ("Limitless"), Sony ("Battle: Los Angeles" and "Priest"). Fox and Warner Brothers won’t be airing any spots this year, at least not yet.

Ivan Reitman says Ghostbusters 3 script is ready

Ivan Reitman has revealed that a "very good script" for "Ghostbusters 3" has been completed by screenwriters Gene Stupnitsky and Lee Eisenberg. The script has now gone out to Bill Murray who has veto power, to see what he thinks. In the meantime, Reitman says everything we’ve read on the internet about the project "is not accurate". Reitman was also asked about the timeline and casting [via Cinema Blend]:

"Virtually everything you’ve read on the internet [about Ghostbusters III] is not accurate." When I asked about if the project was still on schedule to begin production in May, as it was reported back in November, Reitman said that they still need to get their actors, though they "have some actors who seem to be interested in doing it, a ton of interest in the film."

But even beyond who will star in the film, Reitman said that the plot details are also off, as the first full script, written by Gene Stupnitsky and Lee Eisenberg, was only finished about a month ago. Given the stamp of approval, a copy has been sent to Bill Murray, who has been the most outspoken about the project, to see what he thinks.

Joe Johnston: Captain America will be "more than people are expecting" + New photos

"Captain America: The First Avenger" director Joe Johnston says he just watched the first cut of his movie and he couldn’t be more thrilled [Hero Compex | LA Times]:

"[T]here is so much entertainment value — it’s just flat-out fun to watch…Maybe I’m somewhat biased — I was there [when we made it] — but, seriously, it’s funny, it’s exciting and there’s great visual effects. The movie is going to be something more than people are expecting. This movie is going to surprise some people."

Johnston also touched on what distinquishes the film from others, namely how its an origin story / period piece:

"It is the origin story of Captain America but it is also something rare — it’s a period superhero film but there’s great action in it. You don’t normally think of guys driving around in 1939 sedans in an action film but there are some great action beats in it. It’s just a helluva lot of fun to watch."

Check out more interview bits with Johnston at CBM here and here. Closing out this week’s ‘Captain America’ update are two new images from the film. As always, click to enlarge."Captain America: The First Avenger" is scheduled to hit conventional and 3D theaters on July 22, 2011.

First look at Red Skull (via a Halloween costume) [Big Bad Toy Store via ComingSoon.net]

Disney moving forward with Pirates of the Caribbean 5

"The Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" is still four months away from its release (May 20, 2011) but Disney has already announced movement on a fifth installment. The studio has hired Terry Rossio to write the project. Rossio co-wrote the first four films with Ted Elliott, but Elliott isn’t returning for the new. Deadline notes that the studio wants to bring back ‘On Stranger Tides’ director Rob Marshall and that Johnny Depp, while not a lock, already has a deal structure in place for the film.


PREVIEW Videos & Images

The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn

Promotional stills [FilmoFilia via CBR]

The Avengers

Interview with Robert Downey Jr. [Access Hollywood]

Battle: Los Angeles

Movie trailer [Yahoo! Movies]

Cars 2

Promotional stills [Pixar Blog & Herald Sun via Collider]

Green Lantern

Promotional still featuring Ryan Reynolds (Hal Jordan) and Peter Sarsgaard (Hector Hammond) [CinemaTeaser via ComingSoon.net]

Note: Tim Robbins, who plays Hammond’s father, is also reportedly in the image (in the background on the left-hand side of the frame)

Kung Fu Panda 2

Movie poster [ComingSoon.net]

Promotional still [ComingSoon.net]

Limitless

Set images [more at Just Jared]

One Thousand A.E.

Interview with M. Night Shyamalan [Movies Blog | MTV]

Priest

Movie trailer [Yahoo! Movies]

Red Riding Hood

Movie trailer #2 [YouTube]

Sucker Punch

Movie poster [Yahoo! Movies]

Concept art [more at /Film]

Thor

French poster [Movies.SpoilerTV.com]

Promotional still [Inside Movies | EW]

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1

First look [Cinema Blend]

Wrath of the Titans

Interview with Sam Worthington [Movies Blog | MTV]

MOVIE BITES

  • Warner Brothers has confirmed that Zack Snyder’s "Sucker Punch" won’t be in 3D. [Bad Ass Digital]
  • Disney has announced their slate of 3D Blu-ray releases for 2011. They include: "The Lion King"; "Beauty and the Beast"; "TRON: Legacy"; "Tangled" and "Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas". [Disney via YourEntNow]
  • McG will direct "Ouija" for Universal Pictures. The film is an adaptation of the classic Hasbro board game of the same name. "TRON: Legacy" writers Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz wrote the script. [Heat Vision | THR]
  • Kevin Tancharoen will direct a 10-episode web series based on the popular video game "Mortal Kombat". Tancharoen is responsible for the R-rated online short based on the video game that was released a few months back. [Bloody Disgusting]
  • Summit Entertainment has hired Jon and Erich Hoeber to write the screenplay for "Red 2". The duo wrote last year’s action comedy which grossed a respectable $164.7M worldwide, including $90.1M domestically. Outside the ‘Twilight’ franchise, "Red" is Summit’s highest-grossing move in domestic box office. [Collider]
  • Edgar Wright says he’s started working on a second draft of his script for "Ant-Man". Wright came onto the project in 2006 and wrote the first draft in 2008. Wright is co-writing with "The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn" collaborator Joe Cornish. [24 Frames | LA Times]
  • The plot for the the "Toy Story" short film — which will be attached to "Cars 2" when it hits theaters on June 24 — has been leaked online. Check it out at Pixar Blog.
  • Rumor has it that Disney is close to announcing a sequel to "TRON: Legacy". [AICN]
  • …Thus far, "TRON: Legacy" has grossed more than $329M worldwide, including an impressive $50M from IMAX alone. [BOM]
  • A rough cut of Kenneth Branagh’s "THOR" was recently shown to Marvel executives and details from the screening have been leaked online. Check them out at the Superhero Hype forums. [via CBM]
  • "The Avengers" will be filming, at least in part, in Michigan and New York. The movie will be primarily filmed in New Mexico. [Freep]
  • David Fincher has revealed that his adaptation of the Jules Verne classic "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" will be 3D. [Collider]
  • A film version of James Dashner’s fantasy novel "The Maze Runner" has been set up at Fox with "Twilight" and "Red Riding Hood" director Catherine Hardwicke attached to direct. [24 Frames | LA Times]
  • A possible plot synopsis for "Scream 4" has been leaked online. Check it out at Shock Till You Drop.
  • Director Gary Ross says his adaptation of Suzanne Collins’ "The Hunger Games" won’t be R-rated: "It’s not going to be an R-rated movie because I want the 12- and 13- and 14-year-old-fans to be able to go see it,” says Ross. “This book means too much to too many teenagers for it not to be PG-13. It’s their story and they deserve to be able to access it completely…I don’t need to have a huge prosthetic budget or make this movie incredibly bloody in order for it to be just as compelling, just as scary, and just as riveting." [Inside Movies | EW]
  • Stephen Sommers won’t be directing the sequel to "G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra". As previously reported, "Zombieland" writers Rhett Rheese and Paul Wernick are writing the sequel. [24 Frames | LA Times]
  • Keeping with tradition, the band Linkin Park will have one of their songs featured in "Transformers: Dark of the Moon". The singles "What I’ve Done" and "New Divide" were used for "Transformers" and "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen", respectively. Although the band’s involvement hasn’t been officially confirmed, director Michael Bay has reportedly chosen "Burning In The Skies" from their current album "A Thousand Suns" for ‘Dark of the Moon’. [Transformers Live]
  • Relativity Media has picked up the theatrical rights to market and distribute the 3D fantasy epic "Immortals". The film stars Mickey Rourke, Henry Cavill, Stephen Dorff, Isabel Lucas, Freida Pinto, Luke Evans, Kellan Lutz and John Hurt. Directed by Tarsem Singh, "Immortals" hits theaters on November 11, 2011. [MTV]
  • Todd McFarlane recently talked about his upcoming low-budget "Spawn" movie: "The story that I pitch is very tight, very contained, but done right. I want a movie that gets people’s hearts racing. I want to scare them. Spawn, done right, is a creepy character. Instead of a superhero who just stands there…Spawn is Batman untethered, without the corporation behind it. Batman without limits, Batman who kills the Joker". [Hero Complex | LA Times]
  • "Thor" star Chris Hemsworth says he has read an early draft of "The Avengers" and calls it "mind blowing": "I have no idea how they’re going to shoot it. It’s huge and incredible." [via CBR]
  • Disney has shifted the release dates of "John Carter of Mars" and "Frankenweenie". ‘Mars’ will hit theaters on March 9, 2012 (instead of June 8) and "Frankenweenie" will hit theaters on October 9 (instead of March 9). [BOM]
  • Mike White is no longer attached to direct "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies". White had to exit the project due to a preexisting commitment with HBO that he was unable to work around. Here’s his statement: "I loved the project and looked forward to working with Lionsgate. Unfortunately, the timing could not be worked out. I wish them the best with the movie". [Lionsgate]
  • A death scene from "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" has been changed for ‘Deathly Hallows Part 2’. If you don’t mind spoilers, click over to Collider for the details.
  • 20th Century Fox is developing a film adaptation of the Atari video game "Missile Command". Burk Sharpless and Matt Sazama will adapt the game to screen. "Missile Command" celebrated its 30th anniversary last year. [Variety]
  • Check out an interview with "Source Code" director Duncan Jones at /Film.
  • "The Green Hornet" opened to a solid $40M over the MLK holiday and has grossed $58.8M worldwide through six days of release. [BOM]
  • The Spider-Man musical "Turn Off the Dark" has been hit with yet another delay. The musical is now scheduled to open on March 15, 2011. Producers Michael Cohl and Jeremiah J. Harris said the delay was "to allow for more time to fine-tune aspects of the show, including the new ending." [Arts Beat | NY Times]
  • …That new ending is said to involve "an airborne finale moment that will be familiar to Spider-Man fans around the world," according to a spokesman for the production. [Arts Beat | NY Times]
  • Marvel Studios is moving forward with a "Black Panther" movie. The studio has hired Mark Bailey to write the film with Marvel’s Kevin Feige set to produce. [Heat Vision | THR]

CASTING BITES

  • Lena Headey ("300", "The Sarah Connor Chronicles") has reportedly been cast as Madeline Madrigal, aka Ma-Ma, Peter Travis’ "Dredd". ‘Trek’ vet Karl Urban is starring in the film as the title character Judge Dredd. Filming is underway with a release expected later this year. [Bleeding Cool]
  • Jodie Foster has been cast in Neill Blomkamp’s "Elysium", Blomkamp’s directorial follow-up to 2009’s "District 9". Foster joins previously cast Matt Damon and Sharlto Copley. [Deadline]
  • Gemma Arterton ("Clash of the Titans") will star as Gretel in director Tommy Wirkola’s dark action "Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters". Jeremy Renner had previously been cast as Hansel. [Heat Vision | THR]
  • Robert Pattinson ("Twilight") will star in David Cronenberg’s adaptation of the Don DeLillo novel "Cosmopolis". [Deadline]
  • Edgar Ramirez, Toby Kebbell are in negotiations to join the cast of the "Clash of the Titans" sequel "Wrath of the Titans". Ramirez is negotiating for the role of Ares and Kebbell is negotiating for Agenor. Other actors not cast, but being pursued for roles, include Bill Nighy (for Hephaestus) and Hayley Atwell (for Andromeda). [Deal Central | The Wrap]
  • Naomie Harris ("Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest", ‘At World’s End’) is being considered for the female lead in Ron Howard’s "Dark Tower" trilogy. [NY Post]
  • Here are the current frontrunners for the lead love interest role in "Incarceron", which stars Taylor Lautner as the male lead: Blake Lively; Jennifer Lawrence and Emma Watson. [Deadline]
  • Timothy Olyphant has denied reports that he’s testing for the lead role in "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter": "No, that’s not true. I’m not doing that, no. Thanks for asking, but no, that’s not true." [Collider]
  • Lee Byung-hun will reprise his role as Storm Shadow in the sequel to "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra". [THR]
  • Robert Downey Jr. will voice the genius, talking dog Mr. Peabody in DreamWorks Animation’s "Peabody and Sherman". [Inside Movies | EW]
  • According to reports, "True Grit" star Hailee Steinfeld could be portraying Katniss Everdeen in the film adaptation of Suzanne Collins’ "The Hunger Games". [MovieFone]
  • Producer Neal Moritz has confirmed that Colin Farrell will play the lead role in the "Total Recall" remake which will be directed by Len Wiseman. [Collider]


You can follow Russ on his website at Your Entertainment Now and on Twitter at Twitter.com/YourEntNow.

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X-Men: First Class and Captain America look good. Superman starts shooting in August?!? I guess they ought to pick someone to play Superman soon. Please no Flash Thompson!

After seeing January Jones in the below Golden Globes dress, I’m definitely interested in the new X-Men movie, even if I’m tired of all the rebooting. She looks great in the picture above too.

This will melt your mouse.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/16/january-jones-golden-glob_1_n_809764.html

Holy sh*t – that’s a lot of stuff on the horizon. Can’t wait.

The Clip from Spiderman is funny, I know he is young and just got his powers but running along the streets instead of swinging is great! I know its only a “set positioner”, but still Spiderman running – great

Looking forward to the “Captain America” movie. It´s the spiritual sequel to the “Rocketeer”.

NO RISE OF THE APES !? SHAME ON YOU !!

I guess I’ll have to see the new Peabody & Sherman, no matter how bad it is.

Rosario:

Is Leonard Nimoy voicing Smaug in the Hobbit?

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000559/

“•Robert Downey Jr. will voice the Mr. Peabody’s talking, genius dog Sherman…”

Um – Mr. Peabody IS the dog. Sherman is the boy. So which one is Downey voicing?

Interesting casting for The Dark Knight Rises

Anne Hathaway not my choice for Selina Kyle but perhaps like Heath Ledger she will prove to be excellent.

Great to hear Tom Hardy will be in it.

Hard to believe Tom Hardy is only becoming big now, Nemesis was nearly a decade ago now.

Love the Dark Knight Rises casting news! I was hoping that Anne Hathaway would get the part.

It will also be interesting to see, if Tom Hardy can pull Bane off…

Anyone remember Bane from “Batman & Robin”? Aaaaaargh, Bane… smash… Hope they will give him more depth than that!

Looks like alot of good stuff coming over the next couple of years!!!!

“In a world flooded with prequels, sequels and reboots … ”
Truer words haven’t been spoken. Waiting for the reboot, of star wars, avatar or a reboot of the ST-reboot.

It would be nice if they could save x men. Another franchise that started well then went lame then lamer.

I have had doubts re spiderman but Emma Stone could hold a movie on her own. Hoping it’s good but i think losing Raimie was never a good idea.

I love that Anne Hathaway is in batman. She has a very 1940,s hollywood goddess style about her and i hope they use that.

I just have to jump in and say I am astounded at the huge amount of material that has been collected in this report, chock full of interesting stuff. Great job and thanks for all your work Rosario.

Tom Welling for Superman Returns.
All Star Wars on Bluray. Hmm What’s next. Another realase on Blu Ray next year except in 3D.
Green Lantern looks great.
Can’t wait for the Hobbit.
Anyone think we can get this thread to over 2,000 like the last one did.

Bane? Why?

Not sure about this new Spiderman. I mean. We just had 3 fantastic Movies of Spiderman. They should have continued it and not Re Rebooted it again. What’s next. A Re Boot of The Lord of the Rings. A Reboot of Star Wars. A Reboot of Transformers. A Reboot of (Insert Here.)
At least Bob Orci and J.J are coming up with new and fresh things. Cowboys and Aliens and Super 8. Though Battle L.A looks good. But please. No more Reboots for a while. Lets get some Orignal stuff going.

Bane is so….1990´s.

Bane is the dude who defeated Batman, and broke his spine, and
unless there´s Azrael, the violent Batman substitute, there´s no point in introducing Bane. :\

11

I have a feeling with Tom Hardy, Bane will be done right this time

@ 19

Well i hope it IS actually something like that, or else there is no point introducing Bane. Maybe not his spine but something major like that. Maybe in Nolan’s version, not Azrael but Catwoman takes over… who knows…

@20

I have the same feeling.

Are the LOTR actors being brought in to beef-up the trailers? Obviously, most of the characters don’t belong in the kinder-gentler (but still with orcs and a dragon) world of The Hobbit. It will almost be distracting to think of Sauron (or Sauriman) whenever Bilbo slips on the ring to pop out.

M. Night Shyamalan? They still let him west of Kansas?

Can’t say I know the Bane character, but I see in the all-knowing Wiki that he’s intelligent and focused, in addition to looking like The Macho Nacho masked wrestler. I trust Christopher Nolan. It would also VERY MUCH be nice to see Catwoman done in an interesting way, and not just as an excuse to slap vinyl on Anne Hathaway’s every succulent, supple, delectable curve. OK, I’ll be back after I get a cold shower.

23.
The 90´s were tough for DC comics. Marvel was enjoying a huge success with titles such as the X-men and the Punisher.
Then Image comics arrived, with better quality paper and the beginning of the Photoshop era.

So DC got desperate, and thus killed Superman and crippled Batman.

The “Knightquest” story, in which Bane defeats Batman, prompting a long and difficult recovery for Bruce Wayne, was an interesting and enduring one. I don´t think it could be squeezed in a movie, would work better in a minisseries.

11. Sebi – January 21, 2011

Bane, done right, should be a truely terrifying character. I’m not writing the story, but if this is the last of the Bale/Nolan Batman movies, what better way to end it then having a physically broken and emotionally crushed Bruce Wayne handing off the responsibility to another…

I think the Spider Man footage is fake. The color of the costume seems different from the Andrew Garfield promotional shot…

I hope they don´t film Tom Hardy´s lips on IMAX.

THAT would be creepy, to see Bane and Batman face to face with those giant lips.

“Batman, we´re together alone at last, now you´re mine”,
“‘NOOOOOO”

haha I just about lost my head when I read the heading that said Elijah Wood was coming back as Frodo for The Hobbit. Read a little further, and it acually made sense. Ok, sure, we can have that.

Anne Hathaway for catwoman? Somehow, that doesn’t seem to fit all that well in my mind….

23/CmdrR:

Gandalf and Gollum certainly do belong.

I guess Peter Jackson can proceed from the (usually wrong) point of view that most viewers have not read the source material, and would rather see a prequel to his original filmed trilogy than a faithful recreation of the book itself.

His LOTR trilogy was so damn good, he can do whatever he wants, IMHO. Best trilogy ever.

Christopher Lee CONFIRMED in the Hobbit? Really?! Before casting even started he said that he likely wouldn’t do it because of his age and he doesn’t think he’d be up to flying down to New Zealand again….if he is on board though, fantastic! As for McKellan and Serkis, those were pretty much must-haves or the movie would be crap.

The upcoming “Spider-Man” looks stupid. Can’t stand the new costume.

Looking forward, though, to “The Dark Knight Rises”. Anne Hathaway as Catwoman and Tom Hardy as Bane are big wins.

Looks to be a great year for Blu Ray as well. All six “Star Wars” films. “The Lion King”, the extended “Lord Of The Rings” films. Let’s hope the original “Tron” is released as well. And isn’t it long overdue that the original “Indiana Jones” films get the Blu Ray treatment? George? Steven? Guys…………..?

It’s surprising how colorful the new Spider-Man costume is in broad daylight. Quite awesome that the stunt actor performed all those moves in one take, too!

I have to take a leap of faith here because Nolan has done such a fantastic job with the Batman films. he’s got his work cut out for him as Catwoman and Bane will have to be “reworked” from past attempts in comics, TV, movies, etc. I had wondered if Hardy would’ve been cast as Hugo Strange, the doctor in charge of Arkham. We’ll see.

About the Hobbit – I was told to read the Hobbit first before tackling the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Although Frodo is not mentioned in the Hobbit, he is Bilbo Baggins nephew, so there is the connection. I don’t know, of course, but I suspect that Frodo may come in at the end of the movie… so leading into the LOTR trilogy. There is no reason why Peter Jackson should not do a fairly faithful rendering of the Hobbit. I see the Hobbit film is in two parts, even though the book itself is not that long. I wonder if Peter Jackson will use this movie(s)? as an opportunity to explain and expand the whole Tolkien world for people. There is a lot more to this world that Tolkien created, as in other books, than what is just in the Hobbit and LOTR books. They are all connected.

This could be so awesome. You go, my fellow compatriots, Peter Jackson, Weta, et al! THIS PLACE HERE IS MIDDLE EARTH!

I played Bilbo in my 4th grade school play in 1973, and our homeroom teacher read us the book aloud in chapters every morning before dropping the bombshell we’d be acting it out.

It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, being 9, but I loved the story. I tried to tackle LOTR at that early age, and failed, and started voraciously reading it over and over in my early 20s.

I think whatever Peter Jackson does, he’ll do it right, though I hope it remains something for kids to revel in before graduating to to the other books.

I’d like to see him tackle the Silmarillion. Pretty grand stuff.

Another great round-up, as usual!

Unfortunately, the ‘TORn.net’ link above that was to do with the upcoming extended LOTR Blu-ray releases, has revealed that each movie is likely to end up spread over TWO discs again!! How ridiculous. One of the best things about the Blu-ray format is the fact that they have the capacity to hold very long cuts on a SINGLE side in high quality, unlike standard DVDs.

The excellent extended AVATAR:Collectors Edition’ cut has thankfully been put onto ONE side of it’s current Blu-ray release, so I don’t see why each extended LOTR movie can’t be put on a single disc too! Those responsible may as well, put each of them onto one of those damned hated ‘flipper’ discs, as the end result will remain the same! Anyway, I added a few suitably disgruntled comments about this disappointing issue at the bottom of that article…

And speaking of Blu-rays, I see that although seperate, individual ‘Star Wars’ Original Trilogy and Prequel Trilogy boxsets will be available, we’ll still have to buy the FULL, most expensive boxset to get hold of ANY of the new ‘extras’ goodness…

Some other things –

Still unsure about the new Spidey costume and actor, but have fingers crossed for a more ‘wise-cracking’ take of the character this time around. It’s criminal that they haven’t brought back the J. Jonah Jameson guy though, as he was one of the best things in the previous trilogy.

Thankfully I previously saw my first impression of ‘Captain America’s RED SKULL nemesis in a neat mock-up elsewhere first…otherwise that ‘halloween costume’ reveal would have seemed worryingly laughable to me, lol. Having said that, although I love Joe Johnston’s period ‘Rocketeer’ movie…I reckon his cumbersome Captain America costume is certainly laughable compared to how it could have been designed… Hope the movie’s good, regardless.

Interesting that Ridley Scott seems to have steered away from an ALIEN prequel to something only ‘vaguely’ referencing it’s elements in his forthcoming ‘Prometheus’. This will no doubt be a real star-making vehicle for Noomi Rapace, just like the original made Sigourney Weaver. But please Ridley, DON’T cast Jolie in this!

And I’ve read someone comment somewhere that Leonard Nimoy is in contention to voice SMAUG the dragon in ‘The Hobbit’… Is there any truth to this, whatsover?

They are actually filming that reboot thing of Spiderman, huh? Wow.

The Frodo thing actually makes sense from a movie standpoint. You have to come up with ways to tie stories together visually in movies that books get to do with lot’s of written exposition. Excepting for the fact that The Hobbit came first of course. And that movie audiences saw LOTR’s first. Oh well.

All the rest of the comic book films don’t do a lot for me. Best not to say anything.

John Carter of Mars is getting it’s release date moved up from June to March 2012. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? Can’t wait to see it in any case.

That’s a lot of information in one article. Did I miss any news on Battle Los Angeles? Or The Dark Tower? How about if they plan on releasing an english subtitled (or dubbed even!) version of Space Battleship Yamato? And there is this flick called Love that looks interesting.

Great Job, Rosario!

Easy choice for the Superman movie Messrs Nolan & Snyder, Tom Welling = full Movie Theaters and big Box Office returns.

Interesting Spidey costume. I like it better than the one from the 2000s with the spider-web lines that stick up, but I’d still prefer one closer to the original (well the 2000s costume was very close to the original except those spider-webs.) I hope this movie features more of a “transitioning” costume as the movie evolves. The way the first movie didn’t feel right to me was that Peter Parker went from wearing a ski-mask and sweat pants to a ridiculously expensive costume that if you paid attention between takes he couldn’t even put on or remove the mask by himself (they used a “prop” mask for those scenes, and then the lining didn’t match the rest of the costume). I hope we see the new Parker’s costume evolve as he is able to make it better over time.

I’m very amazed and pleased with the villain choices for “The Dark Knight Rises.” I felt Catwoman would be a great character to add to the film but I thought they’d never go along with adding her out of fear that audiences would relate the new Batman films with the Halle Berry movie.

Bane is a very interesting and exciting move. He’s never been given a good portrayal, even in the otherwise praiseworthy 1990s animated series. It will be good to see the character redeemed from his appearance in “Batman & Robin.” What I’m curious about is how Nolan plans to deal with his super-strength and the Venom drug that gives it to him. Certainly part of the creepy-scary factor of the character is seeing him instantly inject chemicals into his brain and grow in size on the spot, but it seems to go against Nolan’s general theme of making things more realistic and less fantasy-based (although there have been some interesting leaps in technology, they’ve all been devices such as Batman’s sonar-vision or the microwave-emitter, not direct superpowers or abilities of bad guys). I wonder if that means that Nolan will be gradually moving Batman away from reality as we know it and opening up the possibility for future directors to introduce more “fantastic” villains such as Mr. Freeze or Clayface.

I really hope Bane doesn’t lose the Venom drug theme, but I wonder if parent’s groups are going to become concerned and/or boycot the film over fear of the image it sends to children that you can use drugs to make you stronger. If we see Bane as a guy who’s strong just because he pumps iron it will destroy an important part of that character.

Oh, and #24, I think you meant “Knightfall.”

#10

I don’t think Tom Hardy puts Nemesis on the top of his resume when out on auditions.

“In a world flooded with prequels, sequels and reboots”

More original stories, please? Or barring that at least let the quality of the final product justify the reboot.

No Alien prequel? Bummer! I was really looking forward to that! : (

Transformers 3: Saw the trailer about a week ago. It looks incredibly weak!

All this reminds me: it seems like other films headed for Summer 2012 openings are well underway. Star Trek 2? Not a peep!

angelina jolie in the alien ‘prequel’? god please tell me you’re joking. as if salt wasn’t bad enough. get back to natalie portman or someone with real talent.

good idea changing the title for super 8. every time i see that i think of the motel chain.

Battle: Los Angeles better not the same humans lose earth to the aliens bullshit that skyline had, we need more Independence day like movies were aliens attack and we fight back and kick ass

In regards to Catwoman it will be hard to beat Michelle Pfieffer.

Batman Returns was an awesome movie.

Michael Keaton is still my favourite Batman but Christian Bale is a close second.

Total Recall remake? HELL YES! I LOVED that film! I’m also gratified to learn that someones death scene in Deathly Hallows has been changed. I read who it was, so I’m not spoiling it here for people who want to wait for the film in 6 months. I was also confused at first with all the casting confirmations for The Hobbit. Now that i FINALLY realize it is being told bu Bildo to Frodo, I see why Galadriel, Elrond and Legolas are involved, and it finally all makes sense. I am sure, however, Saruman was not in The Hobbit, so I’m still confused about that casting. I’m also surprised and very excited to hear that Disney wants a sequel to Tron: Legacy. I left the theater thinking ‘So Quorra’s in the real world now, wtf happens next?”. It was like a cliffhanger moment for me. perhaps this sequel that’s being talked up will answer that question.

Rosario as always a great pice!!!! Thank you for the Hobbit information i have already told a few people and were getting more excited about the new hobbit movie.

This has been one of the best “Sci Fi Movies” articles in a long time! Great tidbits and the comments were very interesting as well. It was well worth the wait!

Good work, Rosario!

@47–

Saruman’s in there because scenes featuring him will explain where Gandalf ran off to before Bilbo and the dwarves are nabbed by trolls.