Howard Jazzed by "Dark Tower" Project

Director Ron Howard is obsessed with adapting Stephen King’s seven-novel Dark Tower series into a movie trilogy bridged by two TV series. Howard told The Washington Post, “I really can't stop thinking about it. We've been meeting and talking, and I've been reading and researching and just kind of living with it.

I've been constantly going through stuff, and I've just been relistening to it (on audio books) on my iPod, and we've been sending e-mails back and forth, 'What about this approach? What do you think of this idea?' We're finding the shape of it. We're moving quickly now, as quickly as we can, and I feel challenged in the most exciting ways."

King’s seven Dark Tower novels encompass a mammoth 3,795 pages and have collectively sold over 30 million copies. Last year King announced that he was working on an eighth book in the series, The Wind Through the Keyhole. Marvel Comics has created a popular comic book adaptation of The Dark Tower, but Universal’s ambitious combination of movies and TV series marks the first really serious attempt to dramatize the groundbreaking fantasy saga.

Howard is working with writer Akiva Goldsman and producer Brian Grazer on The Dark Tower project--the same team responsible for the Oscar-winning A Beautiful Mind

Pee-Wee on HBO in 2011

HBO has announced that it will shoot a special performance of The Pee-Wee Herman Show on Broadway for airing on the network in 2011. The Pee-Wee Herman Show will end its limited six-week engagement at the Stephen Sondheim Theater on January 2nd; HBO will shoot a performance immediately following the conclusion of the engagement.

HBO aired a special taped from Paul Rubens’ original Pee-Wee stage show in 1981. It was directed by Marty Callner, who will also direct the 2011 special.

Rubens’ revival of his character continues to follow the path of its launch 30 years ago, which began as a stage show that was made into an HBO special. It remains to be seen whether Rubens can also engineer the transition to feature film and TV series that made the character a household word in the 80s.

Stargate Universe Cancelled!

Syfy has canceled Stargate Universe, according to Deadline Hollywood. The remaining ten episodes of the show’s second season will be aired in the spring, with no more to follow. This apparently marks the end of the Stargate franchise, at least as far as series are concerned. The first series ran ten seasons; Stargate Atlantis was canceled after five seasons.

A Stargate Atlantis-Stargate Universe crossover movie was greenlit last summer. At one point a Stargate movie, Stargate: Extinction was also planned

Spidey's High School Nemesis Set

Numerous reports from Hollywood indicate that Chris Zylka (Hannah Montana) has won the role of Flash Thompson, Peter Parker’s high school nemesis in Marc Webb’s reboot of the Spider-Man franchise, which begins production this week. Thompson is a high school football star who mercilessly bullies Peter Parker, but who also, in a marvelous example of how Stan Lee manages to humanize his villains, greatly admires Spider-Man’s exploits.

Flash Thompson didn’t have much of a presence in the Sam Raimi Spider-Man trilogy, but since Webb is taking Parker back to high school, the nasty jock’s role should figure more prominently in the reboot. The Wrap has confirmed that Zylka will get the key role of Flash Thompson.

Zylka, who recently played a dimwitted surfer in Gregg Araki’s Kaboom, joins a stellar cast that includes Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Martin Sheen, Sally Field,Irrfan Khan, Dennis Leary, Camp Rhys Ifans, Bell Scott, Julianne Nicolson, and Anne Parisse .

Mekhi Phifer Joining "Torchwood" for Fourth Season

American actor Mekhi Phifer (ER, Lie to Me) is joining the cast of the fourth season of the Doctor Who spin-off Torchwood, which is being co-produced by Starz and the BBC for a run on both networks. Phifer will be working with a trio of original cast members that includes John Barrowman, who plays the central role of con man Captain John Harkness, Eve Myles who portrays key team member Gwen Cooper, and Kai Owen who plays Gwen’s husband.

According to Deadline, Phifer will take the role of a new character, Rex Matheson, a CIA agent, “a fast-tracked, high-flyer with a lethal sense of humor” who will become the series’ third lead.

Titan Publishing has launched a Torchwood comic book series, which is based on the TV show, which has managed to build a strong following through its first three series.

HBO Renews hit series True Blood for 4th Season

HBO has renewed the hit show TRUE BLOOD for a 12-episode 4th season, it was announced today by Michael Lombardo, president, HBO
programming. Created by Alan Ball, the series will begin production of new episodes next year in Los Angeles, with debut set for summer 2011.

“The new season of TRUE BLOOD is off to a terrific start, as enthusiasm for this unique show continues to build among both subscribers and critics,” noted Lombardo. “We’re looking forward to more chills from Alan Ball and his gifted team next year.” “I am beyond thrilled to be able to continue working with this amazing cast and crew,” says Ball. “This is the most fun I have ever had.”

Mixing romance, suspense, mystery and humor, TRUE BLOOD takes place in the not-too-distant future, when vampires have come out of the coffin, thanks to the invention of mass-produced synthetic blood that means they no longer need humans as a nutritional source. The show follows the romance between waitress Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin), who can hear people’s thoughts, and her boyfriend, 173-year-old vampire Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer), who went missing at the end of season two, and is now the object of a frantic search. Alan Ball created and executive produces the show, which is based on the best-selling Sookie Stackhouse novels by Charlaine Harris.

The 12-episode third season of TRUE BLOOD, which launched June 13, has already inspired critical raves, with Entertainment Weekly calling it “faster, sleeker, more vicious, more fun than it already was,” as well as “summer’s best TV.” USA Today hails the show as “fabulously wild,” while the Washington Post describes it as “electrifying.”

Ellison: "I'm Dying"

Famed science fiction writer Harlan Ellison has declared, “The truth of what's going on here is that I'm dying," in an interview with Isthmus, a Madison, Wisconsin weekly. He told the publication that his appearance this past weekend at MadCon in Madison would be his last convention appearance ever. "I'm like the Wicked Witch of the West -- I'm melting. I began to sense it back in January. By that time, I had agreed to do the convention. And I said, I can make it. I can make it.'"

Ellison told the paper, “I'm not afraid of death, and there is not one iota of suicide in me. All I want to make sure is that when the paper comes out, it says, 'Harlan Ellison died in his sleep.'”

Ellison revealed that he has completed his last piece, a 15,000-word introduction, titled “Riding the Rails in Atlantis” to a book called The Discarded. The book is based on an Ellison short story and teleplay based on it co-written with Josh Olson for Masters of Science Fiction. This will be his last book, he told Isthmus.

"Mad" Cartoon Series Debuts

The new cartoon series based on Mad Magazine, Mad debuts on the Cartoon Network on Monday September 6th at 8:30 pm (ET, PT). The usual gang of idiots takes their parody-heavy satire to TV with features like “Avaturds,” “CSICarly,” and “Toys4Brats,” plus such Mad Magazine staples as “Spy vs. Spy,” Alfred E. Neuman, and cartoons by Don Martin and Sergio Aragones brought to life.

The Mad animated series was one of three new series (including the DC Comics-based Young Justice) announced by the Cartoon Network last spring.

SYFY Developing 7 New Shows

With the exception of a teenage vampire romance (and maybe pimply bloodsuckers are already passé) the list of Syfy Channel projects under development covers most of the current trendy subjects including superheroes, zombies, and aliens. The cable channel announced this week that it is developing seven new scripted series including Ball & Chain, the story of 2 ex-lovers who are given superpowers when they narrowly escape a meter impact. The twist is they only have the powers when they are in close proximity with each other.

Another new series Me and Lee stars former Six Million Dollar Man Lee Majors in a show that echoes the adventures of TV’s original bionic man. Three other science fiction-inflected series include Orion, a swashbuckling space opera about a female relic hunter that is described as “National Treasure meets Firefly,” Sherwood, a Robin Hood saga set in the 23rd Century, and Human Relations, which focuses on an office temp in a high tech ad agency who discovers that his boss and co-workers are all aliens scheming to conquer the world.

Legendary is a half-hour mockumentary featuring Kevin Sorbo as an exaggerated version of himself, a former syndicated TV star who uses his knowledge of the myths of Hercules to defeat an assortment of modern day monsters.

If AMC’s adaptation of The Walking Dead is a hit, Syfy will be ready with its half-hour series about the ZEROS (Zombie Extermination and Removal Operations) squad charged with defending Marshall City from a constant stream of zombie invasions.

First Look at Green Lantern's CGI Togs

The new issue of Entertainment Weekly provides the first look at Ryan Reynolds in his full CGI-created Green Lantern drag. The new look, which differs from the comic book GL costume, appears to feature different shades of green rather than the traditional mixture of green and black used in the comics. Unfortunately the high tech ribbed material depicted in the CGI image, which appears to be durable enough for the patrolling of Sector 2814, didn’t exist on the set where Reynolds wore a motion-capture suit, which evidently wasn’t enough to prevent the star from suffering a separated shoulder during filming.

The most controversial element of the “look” of the new Green Lantern is the treatment of his eyes. The filmmakers have definitely attempted to give the space patrolling superhero’s eyes the blank white look, but he does appear to have pupils, which makes it look like the designers were attempting to have it both ways.

The more successful aspects of the suit include the famous “Green Lantern” logo and way that power ring effect is depicted. Of course it’s impossible to really judge the effect of Hal Jordan’s CGI costume until it is presented in full onscreen mode, but it definitely appears to have possibilities.

Jennifer Lawrence, Kevin Bacon in "X-Men: First Class"

The cast for Matthew Vaughn’s X-Men: First Class re-boot is rounding into shape as the studio announced today that Jennifer Lawrence will be playing Mystique and Kevin Bacon will portray the film’s chief villain.

Lawrence, who is currently starring in Winter’s Bone, will play the blue mutant shapeshifter, who was portrayed by Rebecca Romijn in the first three X-Men films.

Fox has not released any information about the character that Kevin Bacon will play, though Variety is reporting than fan speculation is centering on Mister Sinister as the villain for the origin story that stars James MacAvoy as the young Charles Xavier and Michael Fassbender as the youthful Erik Lensherr (Magneto).

'Thor' in 3-D

Marvel will release two 2011 summer blockbusters, Thor and Captain America: The First Avenger, in 3-D, according to the Los Angeles Times. Both went through principal photography in 2-D, but special effects were done in 3-D from the beginning, according to the report.

Thor will be released on May 6th ,and Cap will be released on July 22, 2011.

'Jane Austen Zombie' Scribe Signed for 'Dark Shadows'

Seth Grahame-Smith, the Charles Dickens of the mash-up novel who began the craze with Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, has been signed to write the screenplay for a feature film based on the long-running vampire soap, Dark Shadows. Johnny Depp is attached to star as Barnabas Collins and Tim Burton will direct, a combination that pretty much insures that the Dark Shadows film will have a great chance to be a blockbuster, if it gets made.

Warner Bros. has not yet announced a date for the film, though Variety reports that it was included on a list of up to 20 films that Warners plans to release via IMAX through 2013. Scheduling for Dark Shadows is complicated, because Johnny Depp reportedly wants to take some time off after finishing Pirates of the Caribbean 4 and Burton is involved in numerous projects.

Grahame-Smith is already working on an adaptation of his historical mash-up Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter for Burton (producer) and Timur Bekmanbetov.

Nicholas Cage in 'Ghost Rider 2'

Nicolas Cage, who played the title role in Ghost Rider, revealed that he’s got a deal to reprise his role in Ghost Rider 2 on the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson on Thursday night. The film will be directed by Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor, who co-directed and co-wrote Crank. They also co-wrote Jonah Hex.

Columbia has been under pressure to start production soon to retain its rights to the property, and there was some question as to whether the film could be made in time with Cage in the title role.

FUNimation Announces a Host of New Licenses

At Anime Expo FUNimation demonstrated its position as the preeminent American anime company by announcing a host of new licenses including the new anime feature, Trigun: Badlands Rumble, which Funimation expects to exhibit in theaters before releasing on DVD. Among the anime that Funimation is planning to release in 2011 are the third Black Lagoon series, Black Lagoon: Roberta’s Blood Trail, Darker Than Black Season 2, Shakugan no Shana Season 2, Hellsing Ultimate Vol.s 5-7, Toaru Majutsu no Index (A Certain Index of Prohibited Books) and its related series Toaru Kagaku no Rerugan (A Certain Scientific Railgun).

Funimation also revealed that it would be simulcasting a number of anime series including Black Butler 2, Shiki, Sekirei—Pure Engagement, Sengoku Basara Two, as well as the live action Moyashimon, which is based on the manga about an ag student who can talk to bacteria and other micro organisms. FUNimation will begin simulcasting all these series this month as they air in Japan.

In addition to these new series FUNimation also announced that it had acquired the rights to a number of former Geneon properties including Ai Yori Aoshi, Armitage III, Haibane Renmei, Hellsing TV anime, Serial Experiments Lain, Tenchi in Tokyo, Tenchi Muyo!, Tenchi Universe, and Texhnolyze.

Amidst this horde of license announcements FUNimation also confirmed that it did not have the license for Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance. Considering that Funimation put out an excellent Blu-ray edition of the first Evangelion movie re-boot , this has to be seen as a real loss for U.S. fans. Perhaps another American anime company will release the remaining Evangelion films, but it appears that Gainax may just not realize how far the market has slipped even for a previously gilt-edged property like Evangelion. There is also the question of how many iterations of basically the same material that even the most devoted fan will buy, regardless of the substantial cosmetic improvements in the new re-booted version.

"Torchwood" on Starz Next Summer

Starz Entertainment, BBC Worldwide, and BBC Cymru Wales will produce a new 10-episode Torchwood series which will air on pay channel Starz in the U.S. and on BBC in the UK. The new series will premiere in the summer of 2011.

Series creator Russell T. Davies will lead the writing team; Jack Barrowman will star as Captain Jack; and Eve Myles will star as Gwen. The cast will also include “new faces,” according to the announcement. Storylines will widen to include settings in the U.S. and around the world.

BBC will distribute the series to other markets.

Torchwood was originally rumored to be going to Fox , but Starz got the deal.

Titan will launch a Torchwood comic series this summer

New "Thundercats" Series on Cartoon Network

Warner Bros. Animation has started production on Thundercats, an all-new animated series for Cartoon Network based on the original series from the 1980s, which followed the adventures of a team of cat-like aliens. The new version, which is a collaboration between Warner Bros. Animation and Studio4C, the Japanese animation studio responsible for The Animatrix, Gotham Knights and Halo Legends, promises to give the characters a “new cutting edge look while remaining true to the compelling storyline and mythology of the original series.”

The series is set to begin airing on Cartoon Network in 2011.

The Thundercats property has seen a whirlwind of activity recently, with a CGI movie in the works, and a license for figures recently awarded.

Rosie Huntington-Whitly to Replace Megan Fox

One of the biggest casting dramas in Hollywood may be drawing to a close. Although Paramount has not confirmed it, Victoria’s Secret has released a video congratulating leggy underwear model Rosie Huntington-Whitely for landing the ingénue role in Michael Bay’s Transformers 3.

Just a few weeks ago Paramount declined to pick up Fox’s option for the third Transformers movie, touching off a wave of speculation concerning Fox’s replacement. While Huntington-Whitely may be short on acting experience, she is definitely long where it counts--in the “gam” department--where she sports one of the best sets seen in Tinseltown since the heyday of Juliet Prowse.

Gaiman - McFarlane Skirmishing Continues

Legal wrangling over the damages in the eight year old lawsuit between Neil Gaiman and Todd McFarlane in federal court in Wisconsin continues, with a key hearing scheduled for June 14th. There still is no accounting of the revenues generated from the characters Medieval Spawn, Cagliostro, and Angela, which Judge Shabaz ruled back in 2003 would determine the amount of money owed Gaiman for their use. And Gaiman is also demanding revenues from “derivative characters” Dark Ages Spawn, Tiffany, and Domina, which he alleges are based on the characters he created.

The current round in the case began in March of 2009, when Image Comics filed a notice asking the judge to examine the original judgment in the case in the light of subsequent Supreme Court and Court of Appeals rulings. It argued that such an examination was appropriate since the judgment was not final because damages had not been determined.

The Image filing was the first significant action on the case since the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals denied the appeal back in 2004. That appeals court verdict affirmed the rulings at the district court level.

Image asked that it not be prohibited from selling inventory of books featuring the Gaiman characters without giving him credit, that Gaiman be ordered to pay Image its attorney’s fees, and that the court review its finding that the use of Gaiman’s likeness and biographical information without permission was not permissible.

On March 12th of this year, Judge Barbara Crabb (Judge Shabaz retired in the intervening years) denied the motion to re-open the judgment; that the judgment had been final. She left open the possibility that Image could sue to have the injunction requiring it to credit Gaiman on books containing the characters he created modified.

Crabb also noted the long time period during which damages had still not been calculated. “It is long past time to close this case definitively,” she said. “The parties have had more than enough time to undertake an accounting of the damages due plaintiff. Their failure to complete this relatively simple task makes it evident that the matter is not one to which they have given much consideration. A short deadline may serve to focus their attention.”

Crabb ordered that an the accounting of the damages be completed by July 7th of this year and that monthly reports be filed by Gaiman describing progress on the project.

A few weeks later, on March 30th, Gaiman’s counsel filed the first report. The two parties had been unable to resolve an accounting issue, which was whether or not to include revenues from the characters Gaiman argued were based on the ones he created. The bankruptcy court handling the matter ordered the accountant calculating the damages to decide the issue; he refused in August of 2007, stating that it was outside his experience.

McFarlane and Gaiman then unsuccessfully negotiated to resolve the issue.

The accountant charged with determining damages said in late March that after he got the documents he still needed, it would take three full-time people working for a minimum of four months, at a cost of $350,000 to determine damages.

Around the same time, Gaiman served discovery on the defendants, asking for the documents needed, and filed a motion with the court asking it to rule on the question of whether Dark Ages Spawn, Tiffany, and Domina were based on Medieval Spawn, and Angela.

On May 24th, Judge Crabb issued an opinion and order on the motion. She noted that the characters appeared similar (including the uniforms of Tiffany, Domina, and Angela, which consisted of “thong bikinis, garters, wide weapon belts, elbow-length gloves and poorly adjusted armor bras” but that she would hold an evidentiary hearing on June 14th at which all concerned could argue the question.

So the long road to a resolution of this case continues. Once Crabb rules on the motion regarding the three “derivative characters,” documents will still have to be produced and the accounting work done to determine damages. Without a settlement, it seems that this will go on for at least months to come.

Green Lantern Coming to Cartoon Network

Cartoon Network will air Green Lantern: The Animated Series, a new GL toon series, beginning in Fall 2011, according to Hollywood Reporter.

The new TV series is part of a broad campaign to expand the uses of the Green Lantern character, which includes the movie premiering June 17, 2011 ; videogames next May; “made-for-video;” expanded publishing; consumer products; and digital, including Motion Comics

Tommy Lee Jones in Captain America

Hayley Atwell revealed in an interview on Comicbookmovie.com that Tommy Lee Jones will appear in the Captain America movie. Jones’ role was not revealed.

The title role is being played by Chris Evans; Hugo Weaving will play the Red Skull.

Professor X Cast

Casting has begun for the upcoming X-Men film directed by Matthew Vaughn. James McAvoy has been cast as the young Charles Xavier, according to Variety.

Production is expected to begin this summer for the film, which will premiere in 2011.

NBC Picks Up New J.J. Abrams' Series

NBC has made its first pick-up for the 2010-2011 TV season by acquiring Undercovers, a new spy series created by J.J. Abrams and Josh Reims. The series stars Boris Kodjoe and Gugu Mbatha-Raw as a married couple who thought their careers in the CIA were over, until they are recalled to duty. According to Variety, Undercovers is being produced at Warner Bros. Television.

Abrams has created or co-created a number of TV series including Felicity, Lost, and Fringe, and has directed Mission Impossible III and the 2009 Star Trek. Abrams also created a previous “spy” series, Alias, which debuted on ABC in 2001 and spawned comic books, trading cards and other merchandise.

"The Phantom" Gets Short Shrift From SyFy

The SyFy Network has announced that it will air all four hours of The Phantom mini-series, which is based on Lee Falk’s classic adventure comic strip, on Sunday night June 20th, starting at 7pm (ET, PT). The fact that all four hours of the new Phantom, which was originally conceived of as a 2-part pilot movie for a new on-going series, will air on just one night certainly does not bode well for the prospects of the new Phantom getting a continuing series unless the ratings are extremely high.

The new 4-hour Phantom saga, which was produced by RHI and Muse Entertainment, features a bulkier costume that is impervious to bullets and doubles the masked hero’s strength and speed

Hugo Weaving to Portray The Red Skull

Marvel Studios has announced that veteran character actor Hugo Weaving will play the key role of The Red Skull in The First Avenger: Captain America, which begins production next month in London. Introduced in Captain America #1 in 1941, the original Red Skull was George John Maxon, an American industrialist turned Nazi saboteur, but the character in the movie has been identified by Marvel Studios as Johann Schmidt, who was actually the second Red Skull in the comic continuity. Schmidt, a German orphan who survived a harsh upbringing, was working as a bellhop in a Berlin hotel when he was chosen by Hitler for special training that the Fuhrer supervised himself.

Weaving joins a cast that so far includes Chris Evans and Hayley Atwell. Weaving is perhaps best known for his work in the Matrix Trilogy (Agent Smith), V for Vendetta (V), and Lord of the Rings (Elrond). Weaving has also provided the voice of Decepticon leader Megatron in Michael Bay’s two live-action Transformers movies.

"Dark Crystal" Sequel Set

Omnilab Media and The Jim Henson Company will produce Power of the Dark Crystal, the sequel to the original, in 3D. The feature will be a combination of live action, puppetry, and visual and special effects. Fantasy artist Brian Fround will be the conceptual designer of the film.

Brothers Peter and Michael Spierig (Undead, Daybreakers) have been hired to direct from a screenplay by Craig Pearce (Moulin Rouge) based on a script by Annette Duffy and David Odell.

Archaia has announced a Dark Crystal comic for later this year.

Dempsey in "Transformers 3"

Patrick Dempsey (Grey’s Anatomy) has joined the cast of Transformers 3 as Megan Fox’s boss, according to Variety. Fox and LaBeouf return to their roles from the first two films in the series.

Director Michael Bay will begin shooting the film this month, according to the report, to be ready for a July 1, 2011 release.

Will There Be a 'Magic 8-Ball' Movie?

Paramount, which scored a major success with Hasbro’s Transformers, has extended its deal with toy company Mattel by acquiring the rights to make a live action adventure movie based on the Magic 8-Ball, a predictive toy, which contains a die with 20 pre-set answers.

Hollywood’s headlong pursuit of “toyetic” properties, which is evident in numerous projects currently in development including Battleship, Stretch Armstrong, Risk, and Major Mason, made it likely that a studio would try to make a Magic 8-Ball movie, especially since Universal is already prepping a film based on Hasbro’s Ouija Board Game.

Deadline New York is reporting that Paramount, which is already working with Mattel on a Max Steel movie, has hired Jon Gunn and John Mann, who have written Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians for Dreamworks Animation, to write the screenplay for the Magic 8-Ball movie.

Smaller Marvel Movies Could Get Made Too

Marvel is meeting with writers and directors to discuss inexpensive movies based on less widely known characters, according to Chud. Among the properties being discussed are Dr. Strange, Ka-Zar, Luke Cage, Dazzler, and Power Pack, with the movies expected to be made for $20 to $40 million, a very small amount by today’s standards.

Marvel’s history would indicate that it might have some chance for success with the strategy. The first Blade movie, based on a relatively minor character, cost a reported $45 million to make and ended up grossing $131 million worldwide (plus video and TV sales), and spawned two sequels.

Vampire Knight DVD Launch Set for July

Viz Media will launch the Vampire Knight anime in the U.S. with the release of the first DVD, Vampire Knight Vol. 1, on July 20th at an MSRP of $19.97. This will be the first U.S. release of the original, uncut episodes.

The Vampire Knight anime launch will be supported with large scale marketing events at San Diego Comic-Con, Anime Expo, and select Twilight conventions nationwide.

Viz will cross-market the anime with the manga, which was the#2 shojo manga of 2009 and the #3 manga over-all . The DVD Volume 1 will include a manga mini-sampler; and the anime will be advertised in future Vampire Knight manga releases.

Batman : Under the Red Hood

DC Comics and sister companies Warner Premiere and Warner Bros. Animation will release Batman: Under the Red Hood on DVD and Blu-ray on July 27th. The PG-13 animated feature was written by Judd Winick, who wrote the 2005 comics on which the feature is based. It’s directed by Brandon Vietti (co-director of Superman Doomsday) and exec produced by Bruce Timm.

Voice talent includes Bruce Greenwood (Star Trek) as Batman, Jensen Ackles (Supernatural) as Red Hood, Neil Patrick Harris (everything) as Nightwing, John DiMaggio (Futurama) as The Joker, and Jason Issacs (Harry Potter) as Ra’s Al Ghul.

Three SKUs will be offered: a single disc with a $19.98 MSRP, the Special Edition Two-Disc DVD set at a $24.98 MSRP, and Special Edition Blu-ray at a $29.98 MSRP.

The Special Edition DVD set will include two hours of bonus features, including a “Robin’s Story” featurette; two episodes from Warner Animation’s history, chosen by Timm; and an extended preview of the next DC OAV.

In addition to those extras, the Blu-Ray Special Edition will include another featurette, “Death in the House of Batman;” two more Batman toon episodes; and a digital copy.

Death Threats Lead to 'South Park' Censorship

Comedy Central bleeped mentions of the Prophet Muhammad in this week’s episode of South Park, after the edgy 200th episode last week led to death threats against creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker. The censorship extended to Kyle’s final speech, in which he talked about the dangers of “intimidation and fear,” without referencing any religious topics.

Last week’s South Park episode featured a depiction of the Prophet Muhammad in a bear suit. RevolutionMuslim.com, a U.S. Website that has since been shut down, then warned Stone and Parker that they could share the fate of Theo Van Gogh, a Dutch filmmaker who was murdered by extremists in reaction to a film that was critical of the treatment of women in Islam. The site included a photo of Van Gogh’s corpse, and published the addresses of the show’s production office and a link to a story about a house owned by Parker and Stone.

Stone and Parker continued the gag in this week’s show, but Comedy Central apparently decided to pull the plug on any references to Islam, and even to the threat. Stone and Parker issued a statement, in which they said, “In the 14 years we’ve been doing South Park, we have never done a show that we couldn’t stand behind. We delivered our version of the show to Comedy Central, and they made a determination to alter the episode.”

Young Justice, Mad, Looney Tunes

Cartoon Network announced a number of new shows in its upfront presentations this week, including new DC superteam show Young Justice, an animated Mad, and a reboot of Looney Tunes. Young Justice, produced by Warner Bros. Animation with Sam Register (Teen Titans, Ben 10, Batman: The Brave and the Bold) exec producing, will include Robin, Aqualad, Kid Flash, Superboy, Miss Martian and Artemis. Brandon Vietti (Batman: Under the Red Hood, Superman Doomsday, The Batman) and Greg Weisman (Gargoyles, The Spectacular Spider-man, W.I.T.C.H.) will produce.

The Mad animated series will feature comedy sketches on current movies, TV shows, games, and pop culture. Classic characters such as Alfred E. Neuman and Spy vs. Spy will appear. Register will exec produce for Warner Bros. Animation, and Kevin Shinick (Robot Chicken) and,(KaBlam!, The Andy Milonakis Show) will produce.

The Looney Toons reboot will put Bugs and Daffy in the burbs, along with other classic characters. Musical numbers will be branded Merrie Melodies, and Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote will appear in CG shorts.

Toei Shopping 'Sailor Moon' Anime

Toei Animation is offering 200 refurbished episodes of the Sailor Moon Magical Girl anime at the MIPTV market that will be held next week in Cannes. MIPTV is a worldwide content market at which producers such as Toei offer their wares to representatives of TV networks and syndicators of electronic entertainment from more than 100 countries. In addition to the Sailor Moon episodes Toei is also offering the rights to the 243 episodes of the 1980s TV anime Dr. Slump, which is based on the manga series by Dragon Ball-creator Akira Toriyama.

The 200 episodes of Sailor Moon would presumably include all the Sailor Moon TV anime series including the original series (46 episodes), Sailor Moon R (43 episodes), Sailor Moon S (38 episodes), Sailor Moon Super S (39 episodes), and Sailor Moon Stars (34 episodes, the only episodes that have never been available in the U.S.).

Harrison Ford in "Cowboys & Aliens"

Harrison Ford has been cast in Cowboys & Aliens, according to a Tweet by director Jon Favreau. Ford joins Olivia Wilde and Daniel Craig.

Favreau is done with Iron Man 2, and with casting well underway it seems that production on the film based on the Platinum graphic novel could start soon.

Hugo Award Nominations for Best Graphic Novels

The nominations for the Hugo Awards have been announced, including the list of titles nominated for the Best Graphic Story Award:

Batman: Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader?
Written by Neil Gaiman; Pencilled by Andy Kubert; Inked by Scott Williams (DC Comics)

Captain Britain And MI13. Volume 3: Vampire State
Written by Paul Cornell; Pencilled by Leonard Kirk with Mike Collins, Adrian Alphona and Ardian Syaf (Marvel Comics)

Fables Vol 12: The Dark Ages
Written by Bill Willingham; Pencilled by Mark Buckingham; Art by Peter Gross & Andrew Pepoy, Michael Allred, David Hahn; Colour by Lee Loughridge & Laura Allred; Letters by Todd Klein (Vertigo Comics)

Girl Genius, Volume 9: Agatha Heterodyne and the Heirs of the Storm
Written by Kaja and Phil Foglio; Art by Phil Foglio; Colours by Cheyenne Wright (Airship Entertainment)

Schlock Mercenary: The Longshoreman of the Apocalypse
Written and Illustrated by Howard Tayler

Girl Genius won last year’s award in this category. Like Girl Genius, Schlock Mercenary is a Webcomic (with trade paperback editions).

FUNimation Gets "Chobits and "Eden of the East"

FUNimation announced two acquisitions over the weekend, both of which are planned for DVD and Blu-ray release in 2011: Chobits and the three Eden of the East features. The 26-episode Chobits anime series, based on the hit manga series from Tokyopop (in the U.S.), was previously released by Geneon.


The three Eden of the East (Higashi no Eden) films from Fuji Creative Corporation are all written and directed by Kenji Kamiyama (Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex) and produced by Production I.G. The story line follows the event in the Eden of the East tv series.

"True Blood" Comics

IDW announced at WonderCon this weekend that it will produce comic series based on the HBO series True Blood in partnership with HBO. True Blood #1, the first issue of a six-issue miniseries, will launch in stores and at San Diego Comic-Con in July.

The story is by True Blood series creator Alan Ball, along with series writers Elisabeth Finch and Kate Barnow, and co-written by David Tischman and Mariah Huehner. Interior art is by David Messina; covers by J. Scott Campbell.

The comic series will be available both in print and digital formats

"Buck Rogers" Movie to be in 3D

Paradox Entertainment, which is currently rebooting the Conan franchise, has acquired the rights to create a new Buck Rogers film and hired Paul W.S. Anderson (Alien vs. Predator, Resident Evil, Mortal Kombat) to direct the science fiction epic from a script by Iron Man scribes Matt Holloway and Art Marcum.

Paradox’s Frederik Malmberg told Variety that “Buck Rogers is among our top priorities once we wrap Conan.” Variety also indicated that the Buck Rogers film would likely be shot in 3D, which is currently all the rage in Tinseltown thanks to the success of Avatar and Alice in Wonderland.

In December of 2008 The Hollywood Reporter ran a story indicating that Frank Miller would write and direct a Buck Rogers film ,but that was before Miller’s film adaptation of Will Eisner’s The Spirit bombed. Buck Rogers first appeared in the science fiction pulp magazine Amazing Stories, but found its greatest fame in a syndicated comic strip that ran from 1929 to 1967. Dynamite currently publishes a Buck Rogers comic book series

Angela Bassett in "Green Lantern"

Angela Bassett is joining the cast of the Green Lantern movie that is currently in production in New Orleans under the direction of Martin Campbell. Bassett will play Dr. Amanda Waller, a government agent and former Congressional aide best known in the DC Universe for her role as the leader in charge of the Suicide Squad, a semi-secret government-run group of supervillains who are working for the government in return for amnesty. Waller was voted the “60th Greatest Villain of All Time” in a 2009 poll conducted by IGN.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, it is not known at this time if Amanda Waller’s role in the film means that the Suicide Squad will make an appearance in the Green Lantern movie. Bassett joins a cast that includes Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Peter Sarsgaard, and Tim Robbins. The Green Lantern movie is a Warner Bros.' tentpole film for the summer of 2011 and is being shot in 3D.

4KIDS Has "Tai Chi Chasers"

Look Familiar?

4Kids Entertainment has acquired worldwide rights (excluding Asia) for the 39-episode anime series Tai Chi Chasers, which was produced in 2007 by Toei using a mixture of cel and computer animation. Tai Chi Chasers is the first anime series that 4Kids has acquired since Dinosaur King, which debuted here in the U.S. in 2008, and the acquisition represents a first step toward taking 4Kids back to its original business model . 4Kids is currently offering the Tai Chi Chasers series at MIP-TV 2010 for broadcast in all countries outside of Asia starting in the fourth quarter of 2011.

For those familiar with Yu-Gi-Oh!, Tai Chi Chasers has a familiar look. A fantasy adventure series with an overlay of Oriental mythology and at least the potential for exploitation as a CCG, Tai Chi Chasers is the story of a young lad named Rai who discovers that he is the last descendant of the Tigeroids, a race of beneficent beings locked in a struggle with the evil and ruthless Dragonoids. In a parallel universe the Tigeroids and Dragonoids attempt to recover 500 lost tai chi symbols, which if possessed would yield ultimate power. Rai has to hone his innate tai chi card skills in order to fight the Dragonoids and become one of the champion Tai Chi Chasers

Another Star Wars Animated Series?

Lucasfilm is preparing a second animated Star Wars series to join Clone Wars, according to IESB.net. The new series, Star Wars: Galactic Heroes, will be based on the toy line. The target audience will be young kids, according to the report

Chris Evans Offered "Captain America"

Chris Evans, who played Johnny Storm in two Fantastic Four films and who also stars in two other comic book-based films due out this summer, The Losers and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, has been offered the key role of Captain America. Reportedly the deal includes three Captain America movies, a similar number of Avengers films as well as appearances in several other Marvel movies.

The Hollywood Reporter broke the story that Evans has been offered the title role in Captain America: The First Avenger, which Joe Johnston (The Wolfman) is directing. According to The Reporter, the film will be shot in England and released on July 22nd, 2011.

If the report is correct and Evans does take the job, it will mark the end of one of the major casting competitions of recent years. A horde of hunky young actors including Michael Cassidy, Patrick Flueger, Wilson Bethel, Chace Crawford, John Krasinski, Mike Vogel, Scott Crawford, and Garrett Hedlund have all been mentioned in conjunction with the role.

'The Phantom' On SyFy in June

Six months after The Phantom mini-series debuted on Canadian TV, it will get its American debut when the SyFy Channel airs it June. The three-hour Phantom movie, which stars Robin Carnes as Kit Walker the new Phantom, aired as a two-part mini-series in Canada in December. The Phantom movie, which features the 22nd incarnation of Lee Falk’s masked crimefighter, was ordered as the pilot for a possible Phantom series by the SyFy (then the "Sci-Fi") Channel .

Produced by RHI and Muse Entertainment and directed by Paolo Bartzman, the new Phantom also stars Isabella Rossellini as the villainous Lithia. Sandrine Holt plays Guran and Cameron Goodman portrays Kit’s girlfriend Rennie. The new Phantom wears a bulkier costume that is impervious to bullets and doubles his strength and speed. Moonstone Books is currently in the midst of its Phantom Generations Maxi-Series, which will include an issue for each of the first 21 incarnations of The Phantom, and has also announced a Phantom/Captain Action 2-issue crossover.

From 'Avatar' Heavy to 'Conan' Villain

Stephen Lang, who played the tough as nails, nearly impossible to kill, marine-turned-mercenary Colonel Miles Quaritch in Avatar, will portray Khalar Singh, the villain in Millennium Films’ reboot of the Conan franchise, which is being directed by Marcus Nispel.

Lang confirmed his participation in the new Conan film when he was interviewed by MTV at the Academy Award show. Lang will join a cast that includes Jason Mamoa and Leo Howard as Conan and and Rachel Nichols as Tamara.

Captain America Actor Will Get 9-Picture Deal

The question of who will wield the shield is one of the most intriguing casting mysteries in contemporary Hollywood. It appears that Marvel has narrowed the field down quite a bit, though it is still unclear whether the studio will decide to go with a relative unknown or someone with a modest resume like Chris Evans (the Human Torch in the FF movies). The success that directors like J.J. Abrams who chose Chris Pine for Star Trek and James Cameron who went with Sam Worthington for Avatar have enjoyed certainly tends to indicate that casting unknown actors is no deterrent to creating a box office bonanza.

According to Borys Kit of The Hollywood Reporter, Marvel has already crossed a number of names off the well publicized list of Captain America wannabes including John Krasinski (The Office), Michael Cassidy (Smallville), and Chace Crawford (Gossip Girl). Actors who are “still in the running” include Wilson Bethel who starred in HBO’s Generation Kill and is currently appearing in the Young and the Restless, Mike Vogel (Cloverfield), Garrett Hedlund (Four Brothers, Tron Legacy), and Chris Evans, who is currently shooting the movie Safety Point in Texas.

According to The Reporter, Marvel Studios wants to sign its Captain America to a 9-picture deal, with The Avengers film being the second movie. The Captain America movie is set to debut on July 22, 2011.

Milestone Universe Is Reborn

Written by Dwayne McDuffie. Art by John Paul Leon, MD Bright, and Romeo Tanghal. Cover by Admira Wijaya. DC Comics and Milestone Media entered into an unprecedented creative partnership 16 years ago this month by producing 14 interlocking, creator-owned titles including HARDWARE, ICON, and the multimedia hit that would best be known as STATIC SHOCK.

Now, nine Parents Choice Awards, four Eisner Award nominations, and one Emmy and Humanitas Award-winning hit TV series later, Milestone is back, its continuity mysteriously merged with the DCU. While we saw the DC side of the story in JUSTICE LEAGUE: WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE, the 2-issue MILESTONE FOREVER gathers the original artists from Milestone's launch titles - including John Paul Leon, Mark Bright, Chris Cross and Milestone founder Denys Cowan - to complete the tales told in the original runs of STATIC SHOCK, ICON, HARDWARE, SHADOW CABINET and BLOOD SYNDICATE.

Milestone editor-in-chief Dwayne McDuffie reveals the final fate of each of Milestone's launch characters in a bittersweet tale that chronicles the literal end of a universe and the birth of something new...with major consequences for the future of the DC Universe. 48 pages, full color.