TV on the rebound

Finally there are a few things to watch on television. Finally, finally I won't have to wait through another round of My Dad is Better than Your Dad, or the dreaded Moment of Truth. The times they are a changing. It seems like development deals are all over the place these past two weeks or so, and spirits are high with old shows finally starting to return to the airwaves and new shows getting their due. The writers strike may have claimed a few casualties along the way, but ultimately it was a necessary step that I think really will help the industry. Now the question remains, will SAG follow suit and walk off the job this coming summer... Hopefully that's not why the deals seems so fervent recently, hopefully people aren't just working in desperation preparing for the next big blow. We'll have to see where we are in a while...

For now lets be happy. Lost is, and has been going strong for the last few weeks, Juliet's episode not withstanding. This past weeks Sun and Jin story was simply fantastic, and next week we'll finally get to see what happened to Michael in this seasons mini cliffhanger. Very exciting stuff. I thought that the Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles finale was excellent. Brian Austin Green as an addition to the cast is perfect and if a second season does get approved I sure hope he returns permanently. Breaking Bad has a wonderful season finale. And some of the new shows that are starting up like New Amsterdam show potential. It's a good time for tv.

The really solid show that no ones watching Friday Night Lights has been renewed for a third season. This show has been on the verge of cancellation for a while now, but this new deal NBC has struck is really interesting. According to Ausiello's report over at TV Guide, NBC has partnered with Direct TV and will share costs on the show. Direct TV will probably getting first crack at airings, followed in suit by NBC. Weird I know, but anything to keep the show on the air is good.

And speaking of shows that you thought were gone getting a comeback, NBC looks to be renewing the uber long, and mostly annoying ER for a 15th season. sigh... just so long as my hero John Stamos has a job. In actually exciting news though the rumors of Scrubs return for a final season look to really by true. Scrubs is going back into production for an 18 episode final season, only its moving over to ABC!

New shows are making their appearances all over the place too at the moment. Obviously New Amsterdam, but there's Canterbury's Law (apparently a courtroom version of House), Unhitched, Oprah's Big Give all of which have had premieres in the last few weeks. And upcoming shows Miss Guided (which I think honestly looks funny), and The Return of Jezebel James. I haven't had a chance to check these all out but whether they last or not, I definitely would like to investigate more. Metacritic has a good run down of shows upcoming for this mid season.

Old fun shows like How I Met your Mother (with upcoming guest star Britney Spears! and new love interest Sarah Chalke!), Big Bang Theory, and I believe New Adventures of Old Christine are returning with new episodes this week. And ratings powerhouse Grey's Anatomy is coming back in two or three weeks as well. Of course my wife is probably most excited about the premiere of the new (and British) Bachelor series. But I personally am more into the new season of South Park which started this past week, and the always entertaining Big Brother.

The Hollywood Reporter has put together a snazzy little article about shows 'on the bubble' and where we might find them once upfronts are announced for next season. Check out their list as well. Some of the things I find it most interesting that they speculate that Terminator should be coming back, which is awesome, and makes sense with the buzz that is sure to grow as the new movie gears up for release. Jericho, the show saved by the fans, is not likely to make a comeback though. Rumor has it the producers had two versions of the final episode shot, one for if it gets picked up, and one if it isn't. Shows that should probably be canceled are likely to comeback: Prison Break, According to Jim, and Moonlight; and others like Reaper and Aliens in America are not. And the really ridiculous Knight Rider series looks like it will become a reality.

Finally a few brand new shows are on the horizon for us to speculate about. Totally unasked for, the CW is planning an updated version of Beverly Hills 90210. NBC looks to be signing Christian Slater into his first regular tv role as a Jekyll & Hyde style character who one day wake up from his boring suburban life to find that his alter ego is a super spy. Mitch Hurwitz, the man behind Arrested Development is putting together a new primetime animated show for FOX called Sit Down, Shut Up about a self centered high school faculty. And the short lived 90s show Cupid, about a man who believes Zeus has given him the mission of matching couples, is making a comeback on ABC in a new re-imagining.

We're sure to get more info on these and more as we move into the Spring. One thing for sure, tv is definitely on the rebound; both on air, and in development. And this revitalization is exactly what we need now. The break has far been too long. Thank goodness for television.
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Incredible Hulk trailer

Here it is kids, the one you've been waiting for... The brand new full length trailer for The Incredible Hulk, which opens in theaters on June 13th.



You can check out a number of great high rez screen grabs from the trailer including a good shot of The Hulk and one of Abomination over at IESB.net. So now that you've seen it, what do you think?

I want it to be great, I really do.... and that's about as far as I've got with that. Maybe I need more time to absorb it all.
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Final WALL-E trailer

I have to admit I actually laughed out loud at points while watching this 3rd and apparently final WALL-E trailer. Check it in HD here. This movie will be so much fun :)



WALL-E opens on June 27th, 2008.
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Monster Zoo on film

Comic writer Douglas TenNapel's upcoming graphic novel Monster Zoo has been preemptively optioned by Paramount and Sam Raimi for development for the big screen. TenNapel is probably best known as an animator and creator of beloved fan favorite Earthworm Jim, but his comic books have gained some notice too. One of his books, Creature Tech is the all time fastest selling Top Shelf book ever. And both Creature Tech and Tommysarus Rex are in development as films at other studios.

What is Monster Zoo though, well besides having a really intriguing name, not too much is known. It is a new graphic novel that will be published by Image this spring; pre-order it here, and tells the story of "a young boy who discovers his local zoo contains critters much more frightening than the ordinary collection." As of now, Sam Raimi has only committed to produce, but hey, any involvement by him is a good sign.

This sounds like it could be a cool project. We'll have to see how the book is when it comes out and decide from there.
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Punisher: War Zone online

The Punisher: War Zone official website has launched. So far there's not too much there, just two small photos and a place to register for future updates, but I recommend you go check it out anyhow. There's a pretty cool opening flash animation, and the sound design of the site is very nice. Very... Punisher. You can check it out at www.punishermovie.com
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The Road, book to film

Last weekend the library in my neighborhood of Noe Valley re-opened after more than two years of renovations, the mayor was there, and it was this whole big ceremony. My wife Erica and I, being active community members (not really) decided to check it out (mostly for a shot at meeting San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom). After the ceremony we went into the new library, which was extremely nice, and I felt somewhat obligated to check something out. So I picked up the first two volumes of the One Piece manga, and an audio book of a title that struck me as very familiar. The Road, by Cormac McCarthy.

Back in January I mentioned the next project on deck for Viggo Mortenson, and Charlize Theron, would be a post apocalyptic film based off a 2006 Pulitzer prize winning novel, The Road. And once I realized that this was what I held in my hands I eagerly took a listen.

I think you have to be of a certain mindset to enjoy an audio book. I personally love them. I spend a lot of my day with an ipod headphone planted in my ear and find that every now and again, to just let myself drift away to the sounds of someone reading to me is absolutely amazing. It's super relaxing but keeps me focused. And I really need that kind of centering sometimes.

Having finished listening to The Road today, I have to say I was amazed. It is a fantastic, and tragic story set against the backdrop of a bleak and grey world. The style of writing is stilted and plain, but amazingly poetic. I completely understand why many people compare Cormac McCarthy to William Faulkner. It is Americana, pure and simple. Only Cormac's America is the broken shell of what once was. I haven't read too many post-apocalyptic books before, maybe a few, but this was definitely the best 'real world take' on what the future could hold. It is scary, really scary. The plot follows a man, and his son as they walk the road. Headed south and west, across the country, stumbling through a world in perpetual cloud, covered in ash. I suppose its supposed to be after the bombs have fallen, in a nuclear winter, but thats never explicitly said. The world that is seen in The Road has been in this state of decay for a number of years, maybe 10 or more. And its gotten to a point where even the Mad Max style lawlessness and the blood cults of cannibals have stopped for the most part. It is a world on the very edge of death. There are no more birds, no more trees, no more living anything. It is really the end. I kept hoping that it would have some sign of hope, and while it does ultimately show some for people in themselves, there is no refuge for the world at large in the book. I was moved by how sad this story is.

I am definitely looking forward to seeing how they screenwriters handle the ongoing internal monologue of the book. If the beauty and poetry can translate from the words onto the screen. This could be a fantastic film though. It is so emotionally charged, that it could be just heartbreaking. We'll see, I am definitely excited to keep my eye on The Road now more than ever though.
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Man of Steel update

The long awaited (maybe?) Superman Returns sequel, Superman: The Man of Steel has gone back into development. Slow but steady... I wonder if maybe ShoWest got a bit crazy for the reporters out there, because there seems to be some snarky fighting over minced words and unsubstantiated rumors has been brewing online over this.

First IESB reported that Bryan Singer has resolved the speculation, and claimed that he is 100% on board for the film, and intends to direct it himself. Well, that part seems like it may be true, but the contention comes here. As we know the writers from Returns have moved onto other projects; so who would be left with the task of penning a new Superman story? Well IESB reported that it was to be Transformers writers Robert Orci and Alex Kurtzman. However, this may or may not be the case. CHUD reports that IESB has bad information and that there is absolutely zero truth to the rumor... While there probably are new writers on board at this point, it has definitely not been revealed who they are.

Meanwhile in totally credible news, Empire Online managed to get a few words in with Singer at ShoWest regarding the upcoming film. He confirms that work is underway, that he intends to direct, and that he's been meeting with writers since the end of the strike to work on the details. I think, very candidly he also explains how he understands some fans weren't happy with Superman Returns. But the reports that the film was a failure are ridiculously far from true. Saying: "That movie made $400 million! I don’t know what constitutes under-performing these days..." He also mentioned how he plans to include a more action heavy script than Returns had, which was probably the main gripe I heard from critics and fans alike. Check out the entire interview here.

With older reports that Brainiac is planned to be the main villain in the film I think The Man of Steel could be a really great film. Look, we all know Superman is a great character. But like the continuing Star Wars franchise, we've all got these unrealistic preconceptions as to what the film should be. I respect that someone like Singer is trying his hardest to make the best movie possible. I say more power to him. Hopefully this comes together and we actually get a Superman: Man of Steel film, and hopefully it will rock. I guess we'll just have to wait and see what else develops.
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Monsters vs Aliens cast

Ok, so I know I sometimes bag a bit on Dreamworks Animation. I know I shouldn't, but there's a part of me that can't help but be annoyed at the continued Shrek series. I mean it honestly feels like they're trying just a bit too hard.

I know that they can deliver the goods sometimes, and I sure hope Monsters vs Aliens is the real deal. I mean do you even really need to know any more?! Its called MONSTERS VS ALIENS! a truly awesome title if I've ever heard one. Wait to your hear the stellar cast involved though.

From Wikipedia:

"When California girl Susan Murphy (voiced by Reese Witherspoon) is unexpectedly clobbered by a meteor full of outer space gunk on her wedding day, she mysteriously grows to 49-feet-11-inches tall and is instantly labeled a "monster" named Ginormica. The military jumps into action, and she is captured and held in a secret government compound. The world learns that the military has been quietly rounding up other monsters over the years. This ragtag group consists of the brilliant but insect-headed Dr. Cockroach, Ph.D. (voiced by Hugh Laurie); the macho half-ape, half-fish The Missing Link (voiced by Will Arnett); the gelatinous and indestructible B.O.B. (voiced by Seth Rogen); and the 350-foot grub called Insectosaurus. Their confinement time is cut short however, when a mysterious alien robot lands on Earth and begins storming the country.

As a last resort, under the guidance of General W.R. Monger (voiced by Kiefer Sutherland) (on a desperate order from The President (voiced by Stephen Colbert)), the motley crew of Monsters is called into action to combat the aliens and save the world from imminent destruction."

The movie is being released in Ultimate 3D, which is the new stereostropic 3D technology that we've been seeing showing up in IMAX theaters here and there. Since this is fully animated in 3D it will employ the technology to an effect never seen onscreen before, and marks the first film of many as Dreamworks Animation has announced they intend to treat all of their films to this technique in the future.

Check out this great report from ShoWest where ComingSoon describes a very funny scene that was screened. "Do something violent!" haha... :) I'm definitely looking forward to this film. Sounds like something right up my alley, and reports are really indicating that the film is aimed not just at kids, but has plenty to enjoy for adults too.

Monsters vs Aliens will come out in theaters on March 27th, 2009.
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Forbidden poster

The new poster for Forbidden Kingdom is out and it looks so cool, it almost makes me forget how f---ing bad the trailer looks. Almost...

Oh Jackie Chan and Jet Li.... why have you forsaken us?
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Playing a Shell Game

Len Wiseman, the 'mastermind' behind the enjoyable yet fluffy Underworld films, and last summers Live Free or Die Hard is set to direct his next film. A "passion project" that has been at least 5 years in the making. The film is called Shell Game and is a "sci-fi action thriller that follows a detective who is faced with a moral dilemma as he investigates the dangerous black-market business of immortality."

Nice... We need more stories about all powerful future tech gone awry. I like to think of it as cautionary fun, in the vein of Terminator, I Robot, or Freejack. This film sounds a bit like all three of those, only possibly better. Possibly worse of course, but I think I'll be positive for now. Shell Game will at the least be action pack, full of fun, and look great, if Wiseman's other films are anything to judge by.

Wiseman mentions in the Variety article that he'd waited to make the film until now, so that he could work with a budget he thinks the film deserves. More on Shell Game as it develops.
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Harbinger of good movies

Paramount and Brett Ratner are bringing the classic comic book series Harbinger to life on the big screen. What never heard of it? well, no worries, neither had I. But its a book that was created by comic book legend Jim Shooter and has a really awesome sounding plot.

According to wikipedia the comic book story revolves around these people with psyonic abilities, like telepathy, telekeniseis, and mind control. These people are called called Harbingers and hide their powers from the world (think Scanners). The plot chronicles a war between two factions of Harbingers, one good one bad, both badass. Toyo Harada is the baddie, a wealthy industrialist who has used his powers to create a multinational corporation where he can recruit more Harbingers and slowly take over the world, 'for its own good' of course. And our hero is 17 year old Pete Stancheck, a regular kid who gets thrown into a world above his head. But after being tempted by the dark side he decides to form a resistance to fight Harada's evil power grab.

Sounds like a cool story to me. I know Brett Ratner leaves a sour taste in many people's mouths, but I think he might do well with something like this. At the least it'll be bring another cool book to light that might have gone on in the shadows, unknown and unread. And that's a good thing no matter what. What becomes of the film is anyones guess so far.
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J.C.V.D. the movie!

Ok, so anyone whose known me for a while should know of my honest love for all things Jean-Claude Van Damme. Honestly he was always one of if not my absolute favorite action hero. The man made a few great films, and a lot of really funny "great" films. I feel a bit bad that his career took something of a nosedive; but honestly pretty much every actors does. Thats just the lifecycle of fame. It only last for the very very few. So when I saw this trailer today on Ain't it Cool News I was really excited.

Jean Claude Van Dame, back in action in a really quirky film, that takes place in Brussels, and is in French, and stars JC as... himself?! exactly. WTF is going on. Well, as Vern over at AICN puts it, this movie is closest in tone to seeing John Malkovich star as himself in Being John Malkovich. J.C.V.D. is a film, a quasi real biopic, that features parts of Jean Claude's real life. He's in it as himself, he has been involved with a few scandalous drug issues, and is in a very real way acknowledging that his career is not even remotely what it used to be. The point where this film differs from reality, as far as I know, is where Jean Claude travels back to his home to fight and lose a messy custody battle for his daughter, then he loses all his money, and in an odd turn of events is mistaken for a bank robber. From there apparently it falls into a sort of Dog Day Afternoon. Seriously... totally out there, eh?

ok, enough talk, check out the trailer for J.C.V.D. and tell me what you think...



Pretty strange eh? Strange, but maybe what the aging star needs right now for his career. I hope so. JCVD was never a bad actor, he just took cheesy scripts. There was a point in college where I owned almost every single movie he had made... about 25 or so. Just check out something like Legionnaire and you'll see. Van Damme does have some skills to bear. I hope this is a film that can breathe new life into our perceptions of him. So far he's on the right track, especially if the rumors that he turned down Rush Hour 3 (which he obviously wasn't in) and the new Street Fighter films are true. J.C.V.D. does not have a solid U.S. release date yet, and I'm not sure it even has a US distributer, but I sure hope it makes it to our screens.

If you're interested in more check out this really weird promo for the movie. Its a scene of JC crashing the casting session for this very film; and forcing them to hire him as himself...


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Star Wars updates

Thanks to AICN for pointing the way to this great Collider article that went up today about the new Star Wars animated and live action tv series. It's a really interesting read and I suggest you head over to check out the entire story. Of course, having done the reading for you here are the salient details...

- Both shows will be considered canon
- The animated show is going to be aimed squarely at kids, with the hope that adults will join in, I mean, it is Star Wars after all...
- The live action series will be dark, and should garner a PG-13 rating, or whatever the tv equivalent is
- While the live action show has not as of yet been sold to any network the talk is that it might go to something like Showtime or even HBO, and will run in short seasons of maybe as little as 12 episodes (which will make it take a long time to reach the proposed 100 episodes)
- Think Deadwood meets he Sopranos for the live action series
- The Skywalker story is really and truly finished, there is no plan to have them appear on the live action show
- The live action show might very well feature as main characters a mob family
- As we already know the animated show will take place between episodes II and III, and the live action between III and IV

Sweet, sweet, sweet. I would really love for the live action series to follow a mob family. I always love the Black Sun stuff in the Star Wars Expanded Universe and I think this could be cool. Also, I like the point that they're really going to try to make it dark, trying to make it honestly cool again. That's all really good stuff.

The Star Wars: Clone Wars animated series kicks off in theaters this summer, on Aug 15th, with the first 3 episodes in movie form. And the as yet untitled live action series is still at least a year or so away from being really to go to air. I personally can't wait for both. They're going to be great. And yes, I've been burned somewhat by Star Wars in the past, we all have... But I have faith that the Lucas crew can bring it home for something great here. I really do.
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Browder vs the Greeks

One of my favorite genre tv stars, Ben Browder, of Farscape and Stargate SG-1 fame has announced that he is working on a surprising and intriguing mini-series with his former Farscape director Andrew Prowse. It's a modern day, real world meets Greek mythology meets science fiction, series called Going Homer.

According to Sci -fi Wire "The miniseries follows a modern American 12-year-old boy, named Homer Ulysses Jones, who can see Greek and Roman gods walking among the populace. Homer and his father run away together after a fierce custody battle and head to the home of their ancestors in Ithaca, N.Y."

ummm. ok, alright I'm rolling with it I guess... so far... I get how tough things might be for a boy dealing with a messy custody battle. Especially if he has to grow up with a name like Homer. But I think a lot will depend on where the story actually goes from there.

Browder has said that he really is excited to bring some of these characters to life. The big three: Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades of course are at the top of his list, but what other elements of Greek mythology will be addressed has yet to be disclosed. I suppose its not surprising. Browder's was on Stargate for a number of years, which is a show really heavily steeped in all walks of mythology including Greek.

The miniseries is still in development, as the dynamic duo work through their second draft of the "weighty" script. But I've no doubt we'll be hearing more on Going Homer, which is sure to end up on Sci Fi channel before too long. I know I'm just keeping my fingers crossed for hottie Tethys to make an appearance. Or do you think the Titans are too neuveau for this one???
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New Amsterdam review

Well, I know I mentioned before that I had just missed the premiere of New Amsterdam. And actually it turns out my DVR has a conflict so I won't be recording it. But luckily, the episodes are set to show up online for free. FOX's online media player isn't the best quality so you might want to check out somewhere else. But my opinion on that is that the network should be happy I'm seeking it out at all.

The show itself, just aired episode 3 tonight, and I have yet to watch it, but I thought I'd give my opinion on the first two, seeing as there's definitely still time to catch up if your interested. And for now at least I'd say its conditionally worth checking out. Definitely not something I'm going to invest too heavily in but the show has 'potential' to be very good. So far it only has moments of good.

The premise is that a man back in the 17th century gave his life in the pitch of a battle to save that of a native American woman. In return for the foreigners kindness the woman brought him back from the dead and blessed, or cursed him with immortality. That is at least until he finds his "true love". Once he completes that fairy tale he will be made mortal once again to love and die as a man. Cut to present day and we find our hero John Amsterdam, somewhat world weary but no less worse for the wear, working as a homicide detective in New York City. In the pilot, while chasing down a criminal in the subway he unexpectedly has a heart attack. Proof positive, in his mind that somewhere in that station, somewhere was the woman he is destined to love. Now he only has to find her in a city of millions.

It's basically like The Highlander, only instead of chopping heads off, its about finding true love...

So, not an entirely original premise, and honestly a bit thin around the edges, BUT there is something to it. Immortality is always an interesting hook to me. I like the sci fi element of it, I like the magic. The rest of the show, so far at least, is fairly disposable. It's a procedural cop show. His best friend is the local bartender who knows his secret, also ripped from the Highlander playbook. Although interestingly as revealed in episode 2, the bartender is actually his son. And of course there's romance around every bend; that's for the ladies in the audience ;) New Amsterdam is definitely still finding its feet. Understandably I suppose. Rumor was a few months back that the show was held off from its intended Fall mid season start-up not only because of the then looming writers strike, but because executives at FOX weren't happy that the show seems to lack direction. They did not abandon it though, and I think the fact that its still on the air after 3 episodes is commendable work on the studios part (this is FOX after all).

Is New Amsterdam worth checking out? I'd say yes, but only if you're interested in this kind of a hook. Only if you want some magic and sense of the fantastical in your shows. This isn't a gritty show. It doesn't have any teeth at all, but it might yet develop them. I will definitely say though, like the Highlander tv series before it, the show could grab people more with the interesting backstories. The flashbacks where we have the same man in many times, that's what we need to draw us into the world. The interest and development of the present day characters will come in time. Highlander had the swordplay and action to fall back on, this does not. You see, I get what they're trying to do with the fairy tale love story, and its sweet; but so far I just don't care about these people enough to feel much of anything along with them. The trips through time are what attract me, and possibly you, to the story.

You should know by now if you want to check it out, if you're still not sure though, maybe it'll be better to wait and watch it all as a season set on dvd. I bet once it gets through these first awkward episodes, New Amsterdam could be a really worthwhile show. Of course that's only if it makes it.

Once again, you can watch all the episodes online here.
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Hulk: trailer for a trailer

Check out this Incredible Hulk trailer trailer... yes I know. :/



The real trailer will launch online on the night of 03/12. The film comes out 06/13.
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Vaughn gives Thor update

Only thing is, there's almost nothing to say. Empire Online got a few words with him at their recent awards show and director Matthew Vaughn says that the Thor movie, much like Ant Man is in a "holding pattern". Although he seems upbeat about it all saying “I think you have to respect that it is comic book and silly to be frank, so you have to combine that with a modern style and hopefully come up with something fresh. I think we can come up with something special.” Unfortunately there's still nothing much to really say, until Marvel announces their decision on whats next on their plate.

Vaughn did mention that he intends to cast a total unknown in the lead role. A smart move if you ask me. The character is so 'bigger than life' that only someone the audience has no preconceptions about would fit.

As I've mentioned before, I personally expect Thor to be the movie Marvel commits to for 2009, but we'll have to wait and see. Hopefully they'll announce something soon...
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Ant-Man update

The Ant Man movie is something that feels like its been on the books at Marvel for a long time now. They've been working on the minuscule heroes story and how to bring it to the big screen since at least August of '06. And despite being tossed around on the 'upcoming projects slate' for a few years now, it looks like we finally might have some legitimate movement on the project. With Iron Man, and Incredible Hulk coming so soon, and presumably Thor and Captain America on the near horizon, the pieces are falling together for a possible Avengers film, and Marvel could use a few second stringers to round out the cast. Ant Man falls perfectly into that category.

Director, writer Edgar Wright of Shaun of the Dead, and Hot Fuzz fame is helming the picture. Don't worry, he's not planning to do a spoof. At the recent Empire Awards he spoke with the magazine about where he's at in the process currently. Apparently he's currently working with his writing partner Joe Cornish on the second draft of the script at the moment. Wright has a vision for the character that he's clear on. Or should I say characters... Wright has mentioned that he intends to feature both the original 1960s Ant Man Dr Henry Pym, and the modern age Ant Man Scott Lang. As opposed to the comedy, for which he's known Wright said "It’s more of a full-on action adventure sci-fi film but with a comedic element – in the same spirit of a lot of escapist fare like that." and that the film is in a distinct 'holding pattern' until Marvel decides when it will fit into their production schedule. My honest guess is 2009 sees the Thor film in production, and 2010 gets Ant Man, and hopefully Captain America. At the moment Wrights has said he has no one in mind for the lead role, of either the classic or modern Ant Man. My suggestion, Guy Pierce. Of course he was my original suggestion for Silver Surfer too, so we'll see what they decide on.

Ant Man will come one of these days. Read more about the character on the wiki. And as always, more on this film as it develops.
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New Indy poster

Care of Comingsoon.net, check out this cool new poster for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Click to enlarge.

So I guess that answers my question as to whether they were going to show the skull, and all that it implies, in the promotional material. I suppose it was unavoidable. And anyways I think its cool; then again I would :) Te movie comes out May 22nd, '08.
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Two new Speed Racer trailers

Wow, check out these two very cool new Speed Racer trailers. These are set for the international market, and I think they look amazing. Are you guys excited about this film? I think people will either love it or hate it...





Speed Racer comes out on May 9th, '08.
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ShoWest posters...

IESB.net has some great early poster and standee pics from the ShoWest convention that happened this weekend in Las Vegas. Check all their great pics out HERE. I'm just going to post twp specific ones, but you should definitely look through all of their great coverage, I know I appreciate seeing it.

First check out this pretty cool poster for the new Mummy film. Reminds me of the Mortal Kombat logo. Click to enlarge.

And now check out this great Clone Wars poster art. Nice eh?

Also, IESB has pics of posters and standees for Ice Age 3, Wanted, Iron Man, Starship Dave, Baby Mama, and more. Looks like a fun time. Although I think most of the press done at ShoWest is specifically for theater owners and distributors we'll have to see what news manages to leak out of this show in the coming days.
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Bone to the big screen

Some great news for comic to film fans everywhere, the fantastic comic series Bone by writer / artist Jeff Smith has been picked up by Warner Brothers for development.

The series which is fairly well known and yet still outside mainstream books follows the three Bone cousins, who are not exactly human, as they travel out of their home and find themselves in the big wide world. This is a fantasy series that featured talking animals, and lots of laughs. But it also showed real emotion, and serious relationships. The most significant characteristic though would be pure adventure. Because of course the beloved valley is in danger. The Lord of the Locusts in on the warpath and it might just be up to Fone Bone, our hero, and his friends including the Great Red Dragon, and beautiful warrior woman Thorn to stop him.

Apparently back in the 90s the property was in development at Nickelodeon but Jeff Smith halted the development process after learning how they intended to only target a children's audience in an animated version of the story, and wanted to include songs by the likes of Britney Spears and N'Sync. Of course, while it might have been successful I think anyone whose actually read the books can say this story deserves better.

This new production is still in the very early stages, but just to have the news of development out there is good news. Whether the Bone movie will take a live action or animated form has yet to be determined.
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Tropic Thunder lands online

Ben Stiller, Jack Black, and Robert Downey Jr. are all starring in this could be hilarious new film called Tropic Thunder, which although coming out this very August, has somehow flown pretty much under the radar. This past week though, a teaser image found its way online which automatically caught the web's attention as it shows Robert Downey in full blackface, and then just a day or two ago this teaser website launched with a pretty funny age restricted trailer. Check out the site HERE.


Pretty crazy photo eh?

The movie, according to wikipedia, is about a group of self obsessed actors and a filmmaker trying to make a Vietnam war movie. But after it goes way over budget and the studio cancels the production; the frustrated director takes his actors literally deep into the jungles of SE Asia where they end up in the middle of an real civil war. Stiller plays Tug Speedman, a self obsessed action hero movie star and the lead role in the film. Black plays a comedian turned drug addict who is best known for playing multiple parts in his films. And Downey Jr. plays Kirk Lazarus, an Academy Award winning actor who is so method that he dyes his skin black to play his part in the film.

Seems all kinda kooky to me. Will it be good? I haven't decided, but the caliber of stars is a good sign. We'll probably have to wait to see more as we get closer to the Aug 15th release date.
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I believe in Harvey Dent...

Wondering how on earth the Dark Knight film was ever going to get back on its feet with a solid marketing campaign in the wake of the tragic death of Heath Ledger? Well wonder not longer citizens of Gotham. http//www.ibelieveinharveydent.com has gone live.

The campaign site for the new potential district attorney Harvey Dent needs your support. Join the struggle to take back Gotham and show you care, by printing banners, and flyers for the current ADA. You can send in your pictures of support, and even hear a message from the man himself.

I believe in Harvey Dent, do you...

Why not let Aaron Eckhart convince you in this interview.
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Righteous Kill trailer

Check out this Heat 2, I mean Righteous Kill trailer. Do you think it'll be as good as The Departed?



No; me neither. But it should be entertaining at the very least. The film comes out September 12th, 2008.
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Iron Man floating heads!

Woot! I love floating head posters!!!

Care of ComingSoon, here is the new domestic poster for Iron Man. Click to enlarge.

And now here is the international one.



So very uninspired. sigh... ah well, Iron Man is going to rock so I forgive them. The film comes out stateside on May 2nd.
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PoP update

Almost a year ago I posted about what was at the time the next project on the horizon for "awesome" action director Michael Bay, an adaptation of the very popular and extremely fun video game Prince of Persia. Well back in November, there was a shifting of the sands at the Jerry Bruckheimer camp, and the directors gig fell to Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire helmer Mike Newell. Good news if you ask me, of course Bay would've done a tremendous job, but Newell is more than adequate to bring this story to the screen. And now that the strike is over, and the script by Day After Tomorrow scribe Jeffrey Nachmanoff is in, production is really starting to gear up.

The story itself will reportedly not directly follow the plot of the game, although The Sands of Time will be retained as a subtitle. The original screenwriter Jordan Mechner claimed that PoP would be closer in style to the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. And undoubtedly Disney and producers would love to have another tentpole action series that rakes in the money like the Pirates films.

Frankly, I think they just might. While a lot will depend on casting, the story (at least in the game) is strong, the visuals are something American film audiences won't have seen much of before, and come on, who seriously doesn't love a rollicking adventure film? The film will be shot in England and Morocco probably beginning sometime this June assuming the SAG doesn't strike. I am definitely looking forward to this one. Considering the pedigree of the games, this should be a really cool film.
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Sony Picture Animation's lineup

You know I'm not overly familiar with Sony Pictures Animation. They're a relatively new division of Sony, which was formed after the very funny short film The ChubbChubbs! won the 2002 Academy Award for Best Animated Short. It's a great little 5 minute film that you should definitely watch. Here, check it out.



There was also a sequel made called The ChubbChubbs Save Xmas, which you can watch clips of at the Sony Pictures website. Or you can see as a bonus feature on the Surf's Up dvd. The only actual feature films they've made are Open Season, and Surf's Up, neither of which I've seen yet. But I wanted to mention two films that are in development at SPA, both of which sound really fun.

The first is Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, which is based on a children's book I definitely remember reading back in the day. According to Zap2it the films story is "about a fictional town called Chewandswallow where the sky provides all meals, whether it's a soup rain, mashed potatoes snow or hot dogs blowing in at five miles per hour. Unlike the book, the film will give the origins of the phenomena: a scientist who seeks to end world hunger by creating the unusual weather. Unfortunately, the weather, like sour milk, takes a turn for the worse." As a kid I always found the idea of food raining from the sky both amazing sounding and totally gross; kind of a magic combination really. I think this should be a story kids will love. I mean I love cheeseburgers as much as the next guy, but do I love a tornado of them??? How could kids not be fascinated by that.

And the second project that was newly announced is Hotel Transylvania, according to Variety the "story centers on Simon Van Helsing, the youngest in a long line of monster hunters. The last thing Van Helsing wants to do is fall in love with Dracula's Daughter, Mavis. Upon discovering that they are natural enemies, the doomed couple attempts to bring peace between monsters and humans. In the end, each family will have some new blood." While Open Season's director Jill Culton has been hired to direct there are no writers attached yet. It sounds really fun to me. I mean talk about your star-crossed lovers. This could be a really sweet film too, and you know there'll be some action.

As an animation house Sony Pictures Animation has said that they don't want to have a set 'style' they want each of their projects to find their own voice and distinction. I like that attitude. I think this is definitely a group to watch. Sure they're not quite at Pixar's level, but already they've proven themselves to be smart at picking their projects and I like to know that there are other studios making animated films that Disney and the often overrated Dreamworks. Hopefully they'll keep it up and we'll get more quality stories in the years to come.
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The end of the world will be furry

When I was in 5th grade I wrote this story about how the arctic animals gained super-intelligence and turned on the humans of the world. I think it was really the multitude of polar bear and moose attacks I was interested in exploring that drove me to write it. I thought it was great, and actually so did my classmates. The story actually got printed in the school yearbook that year, on the "artwork" page. Very cool, I know. The only bad part about it was that pretty much right after I wrote the story someone told me that penguins actually live at the South Pole not the North... which made me feel pretty stupid.

Anyhow, it looks like the film industry is once again ripping off my ideas as Columbia Pictures has just picked up the rights to the screenplay Animals. Which is a contemporary story that chronicles what happens when all the worlds animals turn on humans and take back the planet.

I tell you people, it could really happen. We'll see how this film develops in the coming months.
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Death Note trailer

Care of Fangoria's website check out this trailer for the live action adaptation of Death Note, which is coming stateside sometimes this spring from Viz Media. When released, the movie will be subtitled but this trailer has been dubbed into English for promotional purposes.



The movie, if you still can't tell from the trailer ;) is about a university student named Light who finds a notebook dropped into our world by one of the death gods. Whenever he writes someone's name in the book, no matter who, they will die. Frustrated by the crime and corruption in the world Light decides that now that he has the power, he should use it to make the world a better place. And so the killing begins. Soon though, he attracts the attention of the International Police Organization and a mysterious detective known only as L. A metal battle and game of cat and mouse begins as Light tries to evade the police and finish his work.

The film is based on the popular Japaneses manga, which also inspired a hit anime show overseas. There was a live action sequel made to this film, which was released in Japan in 2006, that Viz also has the American distribution rights.
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new Wanted trailer

Care of IGN, check out this very cool new trailer for Wanted.



The film is set to come out on June 27th, '08.
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Watchmen pics

As posted today on the official Watchmen production blog, here courtesy of director Zack Snyder is the first look at a number of the Watchmen's key characters up close and personal. Check it out, and don't forget to click to enlarge.

Rorschach


The Comedian


Silk Spectre


Ozymandias


Nite Owl

The film is one year exactly from release today, as it comes out on March 6th, 2009. I think its looking great :) This could be a absolutely fantastic movie. Especially since as I mentioned a few days ago, it has now been confirmed that The Black Freighter story within the story will be made. Possibly to be included on the dvd, and rumored to an animated film that will be "direct to dvd" and released in conjunction with Watchmen; the chillingly morbid tale will feature Gerard Butler, as The Captain.

Have a good night everyone and enjoy this picture of Rorschach in his element...

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I Am Legend original ending

Care of AICN, and Firstshowing.net check out this video of the original ending to I Am Legend...

I think it is a much better ending to the film than what we saw in the theaters. Why on earth did they cut this?!



Speaking of this film, I recently watched Vincent Price in The Last Man on Earth, which alongside Omega Man are the other adaptations of the book I Am Legend. Vincent Price is a star I understand, and he's a star from a different time, I honestly get that. But he's so theatrical, the film just reeked of melodrama. In my opinion, the Will Smith I Am Legend is the superior version of this story. And this ending is definitely more interesting than what we were given.

What were you thinking Warner Brothers? Seeing this is just disappointing...

UPDATE 03/06 - I noticed that the GT vid was pulled, so I've posted a Youtube version of this clip. Watch it now, before that gets pulled too...
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just missed it...

Damn, did you guys manage to catch the premiere of New Amsterdam tonight on FOX? I missed it by that much. Was too busy doing dishes and watching Big Brother... Hmmmm... well after checking FOXs website, it looks like it might come online for our viewing pleasure soon enough. The show intrigues me a lot, but it could be really badly done. Check out this preview.



What do you think? The show is next on, this coming Thursday (03/06/08). But is it seriously being put up against Lost?!? Thats just crazy talk. I know there was some rumblings that this show was having problems finding its direction while they were shooting before the strike, but honestly, FOX is just weird...
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Iron Monger art

From Bad Taste, care of Latino Review, check out this snappy official artwork for baddie Iron Monger from the upcoming Iron Man film. Sweet eh? Check out the Italian Bad Taste for other cool production art of the Mark I and II.

Oh, and speaking of pictures, not sure you guys saw this one, which I actually picked up a hard copy of in poster form for free at Wondercon. Pretty sweet... The film comes out May 2nd, '08
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G.I. Joe broad strokes hint at detail

The G.I. Joe movie has started filming and I for one couldn't be happier. The cast looks great, and it's one of the few properties from my childhood that I feel has really legitimately held up to the test of time. Granted some of the updates are a bit silly, if you read in my Wondercon post, I recently picked up a bootleg of the G.I. Joe Extreme 90s cartoon, and it is hilariously bad. Still, that aside, as you should all know, I love the property and I think this film will be great. Just look at that sweet revamped logo up above. Nice work :)

While at New York's Toy Fair '08, Hasbro's COO and exec producer on both the Transformers, and G.I. Joe films Brian Goldner, talked with MTV about some of the broad strokes involved with the film. But those broad strokes hinted at much more. Check out the full interview here if you like. He mentioned a number of interesting things about the film. The following is minorly spoilerish stuff, nothing too bad but you have been warned...

First and foremost, while Goldner made a point to reference and note specifics from the Real American Hero tv series, as well as the even older original 12 inch line of Joe toys, this story, which he claims will chart the rise of Cobra Commander will be mostly based on the initial 155 issue Marvel comic run on the franchise. To that end Goldner confirmed that Joe godfather Larry Hama is indeed working on the film in a hands on consultant capacity, and will be even making a cameo in the film.

He also really wanted to address how the American patriotism angle has not, as was reported, been dialed down. Duke is going to be the archetype. He is as American as the original grunt with the kung fu grip. This will be about an American team, and yes it will feature The Pit; but it's not just a story about that. This is a sweeping, globe trotting adventure, that takes place as Goldner mentioned in as varied locations as the deserts, mountains, cities, and even underwater. And of course, this is why Stephen Sommers is such a good choice for the film. His track record on The Mummy franchise follows that same adventurous spirit. That same, classic 1960s James Bond vs Spectre feel.

That was about all he said, but hey what could you expect. From there though I stumbled across an actual account of the sneak peek presentation Goldner was giving at Toy Fair. The report, which is moderately spoiler filled, can be read HERE. As should be expected from a Hasbro executive, it focused more on the toys than the film itself, but there were definitely some really interesting details in here too.

Firstly, the Joe toys based on the movie will be the 3 1/4" size of the Real American Hero line, that I grew up with. So thats great news in my books. But also, most of the vehicles we will see in the film, and in toy version, are not exactly as you remember them. During his presentation Goldner reminded the audience how G.I. Joe was always trying to be about 10 years ahead of current military technology, just slightly into the realm of science fiction. Well despite the unfortunate lack of BATs or lazer guns in the everyday world, the filmmakers, and consequently toy makers have kept that 10 year rule of thumb alive with both new vehicles and updates on the ones we remember and love.

For a full list just go check out the report, but there are a few I wanted to mention specifically. Sharcs play a major role in the film, which is great because it was by far my favorite everyday vehicle used on the tv show, and this makes sense as from whats been implied there will be a major fight sequence underwater in the movie. Of course speaking of classics, the Night Raven has to be in there too. The last big one to me is finally seeing Destro's M.A.R.S. base, which sounds like an awesome location that I'll be really excited to see on film.

The report continues with it's interpretation of what Goldner presented as the story for the film. According to him, "The film centers around a speechless Snake Eyes (Ray Park) and Storm Shadow (Byung-Hun Lee) and the female roles of The Baroness (Sienna Miller) and Scarlett (Rachel Nichols) play huge roles equal to if not more important then Destro (Chris Eccleston) and Duke (Channing Tatum)." Interesting eh? Makes me wonder if maybe that recent blonde haired picture of Sienna Miller as The Baroness was from a flashback or something. And if they're going so far into her backstory that we will really get to see that kind of thing.

The film is being designed to be as accessible as possible, with time given to develop backstory for the Joe team, Cobra, and M.A.R.S., which obviously makes sense. The studio wants this to be the start of a long and lucrative franchise, with most of the actors already signed on for 3 picture deals. Relying on nostalgia and he very specific and targeted group of people like me, probably won't make them boatloads of cash...

Finally despite Dennis Quaid 's contention in recent interviews that fan favorites like Shipwreck, Wild Bill and the Crimson Twins would not be in the film, the report says that there will be LOTS of opportunity for these fan favorites to pop up in any of the numerous large scale battle scenes in the background. Just because they're not focused on in this film doesn't mean they can't play a bigger role in the next one.

So I guess we're looking at some pretty solid continuing developments on the G.I. Joe front. Its great news that the film is rolling, and I'm definitely looking forward to more on this as it develops. G.I. Joe is scheduled to release on August 7th, 2009.
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FOTC at SXSW

Are you guys fans of Flight of the Conchords? Well if you're not you should be. They are effing hilarious. I definitely recommend you check out their show on HBO. Season 1 is available now on dvd. Or just go download some of their videos off youtube, or their myspace page.

If you have no idea who they are, you have seriously missed out on one of the funniest comedy rock bands ever. I can't say their better than Tenacious D, but it's a really close second.

I just watched about half of this video and had to share. It's a 40 min long documentary they made at South by Southwest in Austin back in 2006. If you like the band you'll love this. It's got a number of their songs performed live, as well as their trademark humor. Check it :)


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Warner's gets smart with ideas

So as we should all know by now, There is a Get Smart movie in the works. It comes out on August 15th, and I think looks pretty funny. Check out the trailer.



I mean, maybe it won't be the funniest movie ever, but it definitely looks decent enough for a rental. And I'm sure if I was a bigger fan of the original tv series I would be all over the film, but frankly it was a bit before my time. Just ever so slightly...

Some really interesting news has come out of Warner's recently regarding the film. Sci Fi Wire reports that the secondary characters Bruce and Lloyd, played by Masi Oka, and Nate Torrence are going to be getting their own spin-off film. And not in a year or two; they are actually going to be getting a spin-off movie that will be direct to dvd, and come out within a few weeks of the theatrical release of Get Smart. The characters as far as I can tell are the techhie guys and provide zany comic relief. Well more zany comic relief. The spin-off is unfortunately not set to feature Steve Carell at all.

While kind of cool in and of itself, the implication is also made that this, multi platformed media onslaught is all part of a new business plan for Warners. Get Smart director Peter Segal, who did not direct the spin-off film, said its "a new idea that Warner Brothers is trying to do, and we are sort of the maiden voyage." I have to say I think this is a great idea. I know there are lots of times I've watched a film, and been more interested in the secondary characters than the predictable main plotline. Or even just being able to get more backstory in general, is a great idea.

What other upcoming Warner films do you think would benefit from this kind of treatment? I's have to go immediately for something like Speed Racer, although here's already the animated series on the way. How about Ender's Game, if that ever gets made actually, but Bean's story is an obvious choice there. The Watchmen film is another great chance, and Warner's is stepping up already on that with a plan to release an accompanying anime film, of The Black Freighter, starring none other than Gerard Butler.

This is a great plan of action for Warners and I hope other studios follow suit. It doesn't have to be as big a budget as the main property, but when I like a film I want to see a lot of it. And if it comes to an extra little direct to dvd film, or an accompanying anime, or tv series spinoff; planning ahead of time to make something that can come together at the same time as the original just makes the most sense. We'll have to wait and see what other films get this extra special treatment, hopefully it'll be all the ones I like most.
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New Iron Man trailer

Check out this great new tailer for Iron Man.


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new Wall-e poster

Cinematical has debuted this fantastic new WALL-E poster. Looks great doesn't it? Click to enbiggen.

The movie is set to come out on June 27th, '08.
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quick Astroboy update

Following the announcement only a few weeks ago that a new director, David Bowers, of Flushed Away fame has stepped onto Astroboy, we have even more news today. The vocal talents of the teen whose in everything at the moment Freddie Highmore has been cast as the voice of Astro. Is this good news? meh... I guess its moving along. I don't have anything specifically against Highmore, other than a general unsubstantiated annoyance with him. But that's probably irrational. I'm sure he'll be fine, and hey, the film itself should be a good time, right?

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Step Brothers trailer

This pretty darn funny trailer for Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly's new comedy Step Brothers has just dropped online. I think it looks great. According to one early review the film is hilarious too. Check it out.



Step Brothers is set to come out on July 25th, 2008.
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