Sci-Fi Monday Movie News: Transformers, Alien, Ghostbusters, Avatar, Hobbit, Iron Man + more

It is a special Monday edition of our SciFi Sunday wrapup of genre movie news. We have tons of updates on the new Transformers movie, with lots of clips, quotes, etc. Plus Ridley Scott may be involved in that Alien prequel and there’s more news on Ghostbusters, Hobbit, Avatar and much more, plus lots of previews, including Iron Man2 and Shorts, featuring Star Trek’s Jimmy Bennett.

MOVIE NEWS

Michael Bay: Transformers 2 "just about finished"
"Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" director Michael Bay left a message on his official website informing fans that the film is "just about finished":

"In Japan today. After a month and half seven days a week most days going till midnight me and my crew have just about finished Transformers. I have never seen such a level of dedication from every crew member in a movie before."

…

"It has been a long hard road, but really fun one to travel. What you will notice that is strikingly different than Transformers 1, is the level of animation detail. The robot characters (42 in all), you really can feel empathy for them. What is also very different is the sheer scale of the movie. We have been very tight holding back much of the best imagery in commercials and trailers."

Additionally, here’s an excerpt from a report posted on producer Don Murphy’s website from the Tokyo, Japan premiere of the film:

Movie was incredible, I liked it much more than the first! More action, more robots, less humans! Though there are some lame sexual innuendos like Wheelie humping Megan’s leg.

The VA thing in the credits was way too fast, sorry guys. The Fallen was Todd something. Welker does voice Soundwave, and Devastator too. Devastator has one line, screaming his name. Soundwave only has a few lines but he speaks English. But he never comes down to earth and never turns into a robot. Bleah. Very little screen time, but at least he doesn’t get exploded which leaves things open for the third movie.

Much more at the source. In other "Transformers" news, the DVD and Blu-ray release of the first film, which hits tomorrow, June 16th, will feature a sneak peek at the sequel.  The bonus content will be made available online through an access code included on the DVD package, and via BD-Live for the Blu-ray release. Meanwhile, Tyrese Gibson talks with SCI FI Wire about the pressure to deliver another blockbuster.  And lastly, the first four reviews of the film have popped up on Rotten Tomatoes (all Fresh, but with reservations).  Read them at: The Daily Mirror, Total Film (4/5), Empire Magazine (3/5) and IGN UK (3/5).

New Images [Transformers Live]

Ironhide [Cinematical]

CGI shot of The Fallen [TFG2]

Images from the Tokyo, Japan premiere [more at Superhero Hype!]

Images from the Paris, France premiere [more at ComingSoon.net]

More premiere images: Berlin, Germany || Madrid, Spain

CGI Megan Fox Even Hotter This Time

ET Interview with Megan Fox

Seoul, South Korea premiere

Tokyo, Japan premiere

German-dubbed clip

TV Spot

One more at this link

Fox Wants Ridley Scott To Direct Alien Prequel
Carl Erik Rinsch was recently announced as the director of the upcoming "Alien" prequel, but Entertainment Weekly reports that the studio, 20th Century Fox, is in conflict with the filmmakers about who should direct.  Reportedly, Fox would prefer to see Ridley Scott, director of the original film, take on the project:

Sources at Fox, however, tell EW that the studio is not interested in greenlighting a prequel unless Scott himself directs. Scott and his reps didn’t respond to calls for comment. But Tony Scott, Ridley’s brother and producing partner, was unequivocal in his support for Rinsch when asked about the project last weekend at the junket for his movie The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3. ”Carl is doing the prequel to Alien,” Tony told a reporter from Collider.com, before adding: ”I’m excited because Ridley created the original and Carl is one of the family.” Just which ”family,” personal or professional or both, was unclear.

Progress Update for Green Lantern Film
Screenwriter Marc Guggenheim spoke with SCI FI Wire and revealed that he has just completed a new draft for the upcoming live-action "Green Lantern" film based on a script written by him, Michael Green and Greg Berlanti:

"In fact, I’m … delivering another draft today," Guggenheim (TV’s Flash Forward) said in an exclusive interview on Friday. "So it continues to move forward."

Guggenheim was tight-lipped, but did talk about the basic goal around the film:

"The goal here is to do the best cinematic representation of the Green Lantern character. You know, there’s no desire on anyone’s part to completely change the character and just call this other character Green Lantern and try to … draft off the name recognition. This is all about ‘How do we bring the best version of this character to the silver screen?’"

Head on over to SCI FI Wire to read the rest of the interview.

Ryan Reynolds Talks Deadpool Details + Update on Wolverine Leak
Ryan Reynolds says that he and Marvel Studios are currently looking for a director and writer(s) for the proposed "Deadpool" spinoff and when it comes to story, they don’t intend to stray too far from the source material:

“I get to be the authentication police, in a weird way,” grinned Reynolds, who added: “To their credit — the studio’s credit — they want to make an authentic ‘Deadpool’ movie; they want to make it as close to the source material as possible.”

In fact, some details have already been nailed down:

With that in mind, the actor told us that he and the studio have already agreed to some key terms. “He’s going to be the Merc with the Mouth, [we’re going to give] all those answers that everyone wants,” Reynolds explained. “He’s going to have the scarred-up face, he’s going to be in the suit — and, it’s going to be incredible.”

While at the same time, there’s still much to be discussed:

 “Right now, it’s just a question of trying to figure out what is the spine of the story,” Ryan said of their current discussions. “Who is the villain? What does Wade and/or Deadpool want?”

“And how do you tell that story? Are we going to see flashbacks to his old life, flash-forwards, present-day?” an obviously enthusiastic Reynolds added. “We’re just trying to figure that stuff out.”

Keeping it in the "X-Men" family, there’s an interesting development in the "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" leak.  Apparently, Fox head Rupert Murdoch may have been the cause.  Martin Garbus, lawyer for gossip columnist Roger Friedman, who was fired from Fox News after writing up a review of the film based on the leak, told the New York Daily News that the piracy occurred because Murdoch asked the studio to make him a DVD copy of the film:

According to Garbus, the leak of “Wolverine” onto the Web traced back to Murdoch asking the studio to make him a DVD copy of the unfinished movie. “Apparently, someone made another copy for themselves,” says Garbus.

Guillermo Del Toro Talks Hobbit; Confirms Weaving, McKellen and Serkis Casting
In a chat with BBC Radio 5’s Simon Mayo [via /Film], Guillermo del Toro confirmed that three players will be back for "The Hobbit" reprising their respective roles from "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy (Andy Serkis, Ian McKellen and Hugo Weaving): "Yes [and] Ian McKellen is back, [and] Hugo Weaving in the roles they originated in the trilogy." Del Toro also discussed how now the plan is to make just two films:

"There is a whole other chapter, so to speak, which is the comings and going of Gandalf which are dealt with, people that know the lore know that Gandalf was delayed with a crisis… with a character that is very shady called the Necromancer that proves to be Sauron."

Del Toro also touched on some other projects that he has been involved in, or is currently involved in, including "Blade", "Hellboy" and "The Strain".  You can listen to the full show at the BBC’s website.

Mark Millar Talks Kick-Ass and Wanted 2
Mark Millar, co-creator of the comic book series "Kick-Ass", talked to SCI FI Wire about his involvement in the upcoming Mathew Vaughn-directed adaptation:

SCI FI Wire: How hands-on were you during production of the movie?

Millar: Oh, massively. The first film I did, Wanted, I just dropped by for a few meetings, talked to the guys about the script, dropped by the set to shake everyone’s hands and then went home. But with Kick-Ass, it’s been unbelievable. Matthew did the same thing with Neil Gaiman on Stardust, where basically Matthew and I spent weeks and weeks on the phone every day for a couple of hours while he was writing the screenplay. Then I would get out to his house, and we’d spend days blocking it all out and so on and changing stuff and nailing it down. Then there was the casting process, where, every day, we were looking at actors and actresses, and that took weeks and weeks and weeks. We almost couldn’t find our lead, because there was nobody we liked, and then Aaron just came in at the last minute.

Millar also discussed the possibility of there being a sequel to another one of his comics, "Wanted":

SCI FI Wire: The success of Wanted as a film no doubt helped pave the way for Kick-Ass to get made. How much is riding on Kick-Ass? If it’s successful at the box office, do you expect it will open the door to film versions of The Unfunnies and some of your other titles?

Millar: Wanted made $350 million. So that was the thing that opened the doors. I didn’t expect that. For some reason I just assumed, "Oh, yeah, this will come out and do OK. If I get another movie at some point, wonderful." But what happened very quickly was that several of the titles got picked up to be made into movies. Kick-Ass. War Heroes. I’m doing American Jesus. Kick-Ass 2 is already being plotted out. We’re planning it, because all the actors are quite young and we have to make it relatively quickly. So we’ll definitely do that inside the next 18 to 24 months.

Read the rest of the interview at SCI FI Wire.  In terms of casting, the Russian news site RIA Novosti [via ComingSoon.net] talked to "Wanted" director Timur Bekmabetov and he says that [SPOILERS] they’ve found a way to bring back Angelina Jolie’s character.

Some More Avatar Details Trickle Out
Over the last few weeks, 20th Century Fox has screened about 25-minutes of James Cameron’s upcoming Sci-Fi 3-D epic "Avatar".  /Film has spoken to some people who have seen Fox’s presentation, and while they’re under NDAs, their basic comments are very encouraging: "mind-blowing. Game-changer. Dreamlike. Completely unlike anything they’d seen before."  /Film also reports that if the film succeeds, it’s expected that Cameron will continue the project with at least one sequel.  The film’s premise was also explained in greater detail than we’ve read in the past.  Here’s an excerpt from /Film’s report:

The story begins on Earth. Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) is a soldier who hasn’t found anything worth fighting for. Adding injury to insult, he’s lost the use of his legs. So when the opportunity comes to travel to the planet Pandora and work with a mining operation there, Jake accepts.

What’s on Pandora that is so important? A mineral, found nowhere else, that is a game-changer with respect to energy production. Befitting the mineral’s status as a MacGuffin, Landau jokingly called it ‘unobtanium’. Pandora is a lush but harsh planet. The air is poisonous to humans. Plants and creatures alike are predatory and very dangerous. And the natives, ten-foot tall blue humanoids called Na’vi, aren’t exactly pleased about the men and machinery that are scarring the surface and digging to find the unobtanium.

…

Head on over to /Film to read the rest.  "Avatar" hits 3-D and conventional theaters on December 18, 2009.

Ghostbusters III Updates
Harold Ramis spoke with Empire Magazine [via /Film] about the upcoming "Ghostbusters III" and relayed the following bit of information about the film:

"I’m intrigued by my idea for where Egon has been. He’s been working in the International Institute For Imaginary Science, in Geneva. He’s evolved a post-rational, non-conclusive logic for dealing with problems of chaos. Someone asks him ‘What does that mean?’ and he says ‘There are no spatial, conceptual or intellectual models to describe it – so we don’t know.’ Egon’s gone so abstract, even he doesn’t know what he’s doing!"

Ramis also revealed that if signed, Alyssa Milano would "be playing the same character [Dr. Ilyssa Selwyn] she does in the game”, who is described as a "love interest", while also mentioning that Eliza Dushku, who was also rumored to be considered for the film, would not be competing for the same character and instead would play a different role.  Meanwhile, ComingSoon.net also caught up with Ramis where he confirmed that there will be a new cast: "Oh, yeah. There will be new Ghostbusters. It’s not about us running around. We’ll be introducing new people."

Preview for "Shorts" Kid Kirk’s new movie
Nickelodeon has the exclusive preview of Shorts, the kids adventure from Spy Kids director Robert Rodriguez, starring Jimmy Bennett (aka young James T. Kirk in Star Trek).

Sorcerer’s Apprentice set visit and images
Monica Bellucci and Alfred Molina on the set of 2010 Disney feature Sorcerer’s Apprentice starring Nicholas Cage.

Plus here are some set images [more at Stitch Kingdom via CinemaBlend]

New Preview Images

9

Final poster [Film School Rejects]

Blood: The Last Vampire [more at SCI FI Wire]

Gamer [IGN]

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Set images [more at io9]

Iron Man 2

First look at Mickey Rourke as Ivan Vanko/Whiplash [USA Today]

Rec² [STYD]

Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World

Set images [edgar wright here]

Surrogates [SpoilerTV-Movies]

The Twilight Saga: New Moon

Set images [more at RadarOnline]

Zombieland [more at AICN]

CASTING BITES

• Taylor Kitsch and Lynn Collins have joined the cast of Andrew Stanton’s adaptation of the Edgar Rice Burroughs book series "John Carter of Mars". Kitsch will play the title character, while Collins is playing Dejah Thoris, heir to the throne of Mars’ Helium kingdom. [THR]
• Bradley Cooper ("The Hangover") is in talks with 20th Century Fox to play Lt. Templeton “Faceman” Peck in Joe Carnahan’s big-screen adaptation of the 80’s TV series "The A-Team" (June 11, 2010). This casting news was originally reported by IESB in May… [THR]
• …Also, Liam Neeson ("Batman Begins") is reportedly in negotiations with the studio to play John “Hannibal” Smith. [Variety]
• Todd McFarlane says that he would like to cast Leonardo DiCaprio as the lead character in his planned "Spawn" reboot: “The main character isn’t Spawn, per se, it’s the guy chasing Spawn,” McFarlane told MTV News. “And I’ve always had [Leonardo] DiCaprio in the back of my mind.” [MTV]
• Joe Lo Truglio has reportedly been cast in Greg Mottola’s Sci-Fi comedy "Paul". [Greg Mottola via /Film]
• 10-year-old Korean-American actor Isaac Jin Solstein has been cast as ‘Earthbending Boy’ in M. Night Shyamalan’s "The Last Airbender". [Last Airbender Film]

MOVIE BITES

• Joss Whedon says that the producers of the recently revealed "Buffy the Vampire" film reached out to his agent, but he’s not interested in getting involved: "I think that’s something better left untouched by me. So, I wish them luck."… [EW]
• …Meanwhile Roy Lee, one of the producers of the project, denied rumors that Megan Fox is being considered for the title role: "The rumors of Megan Fox being involved with Buffy are just rumors. … While I think she would be great for our project, we are still in the early stages of developing the script." [IGN]
• Bruce A. Evans has been tapped by Intrepid Pictures to direct the paranormal-themed thriller "Diver". [Variety]
• Kevin Lima will direct Warner Bros.’ update of "The Incredible Mr. Limpet", a story about a man who turns into a talking fish. [THR]
• John Leguizamo’s character Frank in the upcoming sci-fi film "Gamer" provides comic relief. [SCI FI Wire]
• Robert Rodriguez reveals that his live-action adaptation of "The Jetsons" may begin shooting as early as next year: "I’ve been developing [The Jetsons] for a while," Rodriguez said, that they’re "writing the script right now." [MTV]
• TriStar Pictures has launched a new viral website for the upcoming Peter Jackson-produced/Neill Blomkamp-directed film "District 9".  Check it out at www.facebook.com/9scientist.
• Christopher Nolan’s original Sci-Fi project "Inception" will film in Alberta, Canada and will reportedly carry a budget of $200 million (likely Canadian dollars). [The Calgary Sun]
• "Friday the 13th" producer Andrew Form told reporters that they are eying a summer 2010 release (likely Friday, August 13, 2010) for the sequel: "There’s a nice date coming up next summer that we hope everyone can see another Friday the 13th on." They’re also discussing a snowbound Jason: "…we want to present something audiences haven’t seen before and one of the things they haven’t seen before is Jason in the snow." [STYD]
• Sony Pictures Animation has picked up the film rights to "The Familiars", an upcoming children’s fantasy book series written by Adam Jay Epstein and Andrew Jacobson. [THR]
• Ruairi Robinson has left the live-action adaptation of "Akira" making the project "dead as a doornail". [Bloody-Disgusting]
• Robert Rodriguez has denied reports that he has reached out to Arnold Schwarzenegger about his upcoming "Predators" film: "But, no, we’re still writing a new script, and although I know Arnold personally and he’s the coolest person on the planet, I have not contacted him about this at all at this time," Rodriguez said. "…he could very well have told someone he’d be into it. Who knows? Personally, I haven’t heard anything. But it’s still early in the day." [Ain’t It Cool News]
• Megan Fox has revealed her character in the upcoming Sci-Fi western "Jonah Hex": "They’ve changed her name a couple of times—it’s Leila now," Fox said. "She is a prostitute. She’s a good ol’ working girl, and she’s a love interest to Jonah [Josh Brolin] … of sorts. I mean, it’s by no means a classic type of relationship." [MTV]
• MGM Studios has opened up their production office at Hollywood Production Center in Glendale, CA for the studios’ remake of "Red Dawn". [Production Weekly]
• Writer Ben Bova’s B-Four Prods. has teamed up with Red Giant Media to develop Bova’s novel "The Immortality Factor" as a feature film. The book follows two brothers, one a scientist and one a medical doctor, divided over stem-cell research but united by the need to save the life of a woman they both love. [Variety]
• James Marsters says that a sequel to "Dragonball Evolution" will begin filming this fall. [press.civilizedjames.org via io9]
• Hoyt Yeatman, director of the upcoming 3-D film "G-Force", says that the film is more realistic than you’d expect. [SCI FI Wire]
• Darren Aronofsky’s "Robocop" project is delayed until 2011.  An MGM spokesman insists that the film is still on track, just that initial reports that had its release slated for 2010 were incorrect. [io9]
• Top Pup Media has announced that it will release the sci-fi movie "Fissure" as a series of weekly webisodes starting tonight, June 15th, leading up to a DVD/On Demand release on August 11th. [fissure.tv]
• Danny Trejo says that shooting on "Machete", a feature film version of the trailer that was featured in "Grindhouse", will begin shooting in five weeks. [Gordon and the Whale via /Film]
• The schedule for the LA Film Festival, which runs June 18th-June 28th, has been revealed.  In addition to the U.S. premiere of "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen", much more is planned.  Head on over to the official website for details. [via SCI FI Wire]
• Andrew Stanton’s live-action adaptation of Edgar Rice Burroughs "John Carter of Mars" will film at least 45 days in Utah, with production spending at least seven months in the state. [Salt Lake Tribune via i09]
• Stephen Chow will executive produce what is being described as an animated sequel to "CJ-7".  The film will begin production this September, with animation veteran Toe Yuen tapped to direct. [Variety]
• Marcus Nispel ("Friday the 13th") has reportedly been signed to direct the remake of "Conan the Barbarian", a project originally slated to be directed by Brett Ratner. [C.H.U.D.]
• A rumor surfaced last week on "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra" producer Don Murphy’s message board that the director, Stephen Sommers, had been fired.  But producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura completely denies that accusation: "It’s very unfair to Steve, it’s completely untrue. He was never asked to leave or been fired or any of that," di Bonaventura said. "That’s ridiculous. The movie tested very well." [Latino Review]
• The IMAX release of "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" has been pushed back two weeks to July 29th.  The delay is due to IMAX having a prior commitment with Paramount for a four-week run for "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen". ‘Half-Blood Prince’ is still set for conventional release for July 15th, but for those wanting to see the exclusive 12-minutes of 3-D content will have to wait until the 29th. [THR]

MISC BITES

• Tyrese Gibson talks about his upcoming new comic book series "Mayhem", which will be published in August by Image Comics. [SCI FI Wire]
• "Robocop" will return to comics via Dynamite Entertainment.  Check out an interview with Dynamite President and Publisher Nick Barrucci and writer Rob Williams at Newsarama.
• Curious about how Guillermo Del Toro’s new book "The Strain" turned out?  SCI FI Wire has a review.
• The site also reviewed the new "Batman and Robin" Issue #1. [SCI FI Wire]
• Evan Rachel Wood, who plays Mary Jane in the upcoming musical "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark!" told reporters that the company is ready for rehearsals but that they’re still looking for who will play Spider-Man: "We’re still looking for our Spider-Man, but it’s going to be incredible," adding: "I just spoke with [director] Julie [Taymor] today, actually. It’s going to be a crazy rock ‘n’ roll circus show… [SCI FI Wire]
• …Meanwhile, U2’s Bono and Edge spoke about scoring the musical .  Watch the video below.

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