"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.