A Writer for 'Star Wars Episode 7'

A screenwriter has already produced a 40- to 50-page treatment for Star Wars Episode 7, the first of the new trilogy that was announced in connection with the Disney acquisition of Lucasfilm, according to Vulture.  

Michael Arndt, who won an Oscar for Little Miss Sunshine and was nominated for Toy Story 3, has 
completed his treatment and is the leading candidate to pen the full script, according to the report.

The treatment is going to be pitched to top directors including Brad Bird (Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol), Steven Spielberg, and J.J. Abrams.

The studio hopes to get the three central stars from the first film to play the characters much older: Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, and Mark Hamill.   

The Vulture story is based on information from "informed sources," with no direct comment from any of the people involved, so should probably be taken with a grain of salt until confirmed, although Vulture is usually reliable.

Elizabeth Henstridge Joins ‘S.H.I.E.L.D.’ Cast

Elizabeth Henstridge, who acted in J.J. Abrams and Mark Schwahn’s Shelter pilot, will play the science-savvy Agent Gemma Simmons in the pilot for Joss Whedon’s S.H.I.E.L.D. TV series. 

She will join the previous announced Clark Gregg (Agent Coulson) and Ming-Na as well as Iain De Caestecker, who will play the technology whiz Agent Leo Fitz, who will often be at loggerheads with Henstridge’s Agent Simmons. De Caestecker has played the lead in two very well received BBC series, The Fades and Young James Herriot.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, which broke the news of the addition of Henstridge and De Caestecker to the pilot, Joss Whedon is slated to write the S.H.I.E.L.D. pilot along with his brother Jed and Maurissa Tancharoen, and he “will direct the pilot if his schedule permits.”

New 'G.I. Joe' Trailer with Channing Tatum

A new trailer for the delayed G.I. Joe: Retaliation has been released, and it displays a more prominent role for Channing Tatum.   Tatum’s early demise in the original version of the film was the reason for the reshoots; he’d become a star since the first film and it was determined that audiences wanted to see more of him.   It looks like the revamped film, which is now set to release March 29th, accomplishes that goal. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=46SycbqzGyA

Jamie Foxx in 'Spider-Man 2' As Electro

Jamie Foxx is in negotiations to play Electro in Amazing Spider-Man 2, according to Variety.  Foxx tweeted an indication that the negotiations are far along Thursday when he said, "Dressed up as Electro for Halloween last night. Costume fits well."

The storyline appears to revolve around the death of Gwen Stacy.  

Marc Webb is directing and Andrew Garfield will play Peter Parker; 
Shailene Woodley will play Mary Jane Watson. The film will 
premiere May 2nd, 2014.

The Return of Red Dwarf

For the  first time since 1999, Red Dwarf has returned in a full, 6-episode series – this time with a greater commitment to generating laughs than mind-bending concepts. The series, in which the original cast members Craig Charles, Chris Barrie, Danny John-Jules and Robert Llewellyn fall right back into their pre-established groove, began airing in the UK last week. From what we’ve seen, fans of the classic seasons will be pleased. We expect the DVD to be available early next year.

FX Developing TV Series Based on Del Toro's 'The Strain'



The FX basic cable network is developing a new TV series based on Guillermo Del Toro’s The Strain. Del Toro published The Strain, the first in a trilogy of novels in 2009 followed by The Fall in 2010 with the saga concluding in The Night Eternal in 2011. Dark Horse Comics is currently in the process of adapting Del Toro’s narrative into a comic book series by writer David Lapham and artist Mike Huddleston, which has reached eight issues, and which would certainly stand to benefit if The Strain TV series gets the green light and is picked up by the network.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, The Strain creators Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan are close to a deal with Lost producer Carleton Cuse to develop The Strain as a TV series for FX.

In The Strain, Del Toro and Hogan came up with an interesting and very different way of looking at vampirism. The protagonist of the novels is a doctor who is investigating a vampire plague that is striking New York City. The books treat vampirism as a parasitic disease and strip out all the layers of romanticism that have gradually clogged the arteries of modern vampire sagas. Though it does have enough grisly elements to please modern horror movie fans, The Strain is as much a “medical thriller” as a traditional vampire story. It should be interesting to see this rather novel take on the vampire genre will make it on TV where more conventional approaches to vampirism (True Blood) have found success.

Marvel Grabs Hot Scribe for "Guardians"



Marvel Studios has tapped Chris McCoy to rewrite Nicole Perlman’s draft of the script for Guardians of the Galaxy, the only new property announced so far in Marvel Studio’s second wave of releases. Guardians, which is based on one of Marvel’s lesser known properties and was announced at Comic-Con, is slated to debut in theaters on August 1st 2014. Given that galactic settings of a Guardians epic could require lots of special effects, Marvel will have to get cracking on this project in order to make the 2014 debut.

McCoy is considered one of Hollywood’s up-and-coming writers, even though as The Hollywood Reporter notes, he is yet to receive a screenplay credit. But McCoy has place three so-far unproduced scripts on the Black List that catalogs the best of the Hollywood screenplays that have yet to find a home. According to THR, McCoy’s screenplays "have been praised for their quirky comedic bent," a quality that might be very useful in crafting a script based on Guardians of the Galaxy.

James Gunn has revealed on his Facebook page that he will both rewrite and direct Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy. He’d been rumored to be in line to direct , but the rewrite is a new twist. The first script was written by Chris McCoy.

August 1, 2014 has been reserved as the release date.

Bandai Ending Sales of Manga and Anime

Bandai Entertainment announced today the discontinuation of Blu-ray, DVD, comic and novel sales. The final shipment of comic and novels to retailers will be made at the end of October 2012; home video products to their wholesale customers will be made on November 30, 2012.


About Bandai Entertainment, INC.

Bandai Entertainment, INC. is a subsidiary of Namco Bandai Holdings (USA) Inc. and a premier distributor of Japanese animation in North America. Titles include K-ON!, Gundam 00, Code Geass: Lelouch of Rebellion, Lucky Star, Gurren Lagann,The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, Cowboy Bebop, Outlaw Star, Escaflowne, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, My Otome.

If you need to obtain or finish your collection with any of these titles, You might want to get started.



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Michael Keaton in "Robocop"

Michael Keaton will play Raymond Sellars, the CEO of the corporation that builds Robocop, in the remake, according to Variety. The role had been thought to be Hugh Laurie’s, then Clive Owen, but it seems like Keaton is a done deal and the search is over. Joel Kinnaman is playing the title role; Jose Padilha is directing.

The film will open August 9, 2013.

Amazon Pulls "Avengers" Blu-Ray Set

Amazon has stopped taking pre-orders for The Avengers 10-disc Blu-ray set, presumably as a result of a lawsuit filed over the packaging. The limited edition set, Marvel Cinematic Universe Phase One: Avengers Assembled was slated to include all five movies leading up to The Avengers, as well as 3D versions of The Avengers, Captain America, and Thor, plus a bonus disc of The Phase One Archives It was to be packaged in a replica of the briefcase used by Nick Fury in The Avengers, a Rimowa case with a design so distinctive it’s been granted trademark protection.

The lawsuit, filed August 1st in federal court against Marvel Entertainment and Disney home video division Buena Vista Home Entertainment, alleges trademark infringement, trademark dilution, and unfair competition. The trademark claims were made as a result of the parallel, evenly-spaced horizontal bands that run across and around each of the cases, a trademark of Rimowa. The use of the mark was unlicensed, according to the complaint.

ABC Orders Whedon's S.H.I.E.L.D. Pilot

ABC has ordered a pilot episode for S.H.I.E.L.D., a live-action series from Joss Whedon, Marvel TV, and ABC Studios. Whedon will co-write the show along with his frequent collaborators, Maurissa Tancharoen and her husband, Whedon’s brother, Jed. The trio collaborated on Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, and Tancharoen and Jed also worked on The Avengers with Joss. No word yet on any potential casting moves for the series--is it too much to ask for Samuel L. Jackson?

Just a couple of weeks ago Joss Whedon signed an exclusive contract with Marvel Studios for both movies and television that runs through 2015, and even before the announcement of the S.H.I.E.L.D. project, Whedon’s influence at Marvel was already apparent in the studio’s interest in having Whedon’s friend (and off-beat genre director) James Gunn direct the Guardians of the Galaxy movie.

According to Deadline, "Joss Whedon is also set to direct the pilot, schedule permitting." This announcement marks a return to TV for Whedon who created the cult hit Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly, and Dollhouse series.

Marvel has had several live-action TV projects, including a Hulk series and Jessica Jones, in development longer than S.H.I.E.L.D., but this is the first Marvel live-action prime time series to get the green light since the company’s acquisition by Disney.



Of course the network still has to like the pilot in order to get the show on the air, but there is no doubt that a successful Marvel-based series on ABC would provide yet another boost for the comics market.

Match.com Shows Supes & Wonder Woman's 1st Kiss

DC Comics acknowledged the power and popularity of online dating sites by releasing the Jim Lee image of Superman and Wonder Woman’s first kiss to the popular Match.com site. Match.com also collaborated with DC on dating profiles for the two superheroes, who are set to start dating in Justice League #12. The profiles have a bit of humor that comic fans will enjoy such as Wonder Woman explaining the origin of her invisible plane or Superman referring to his Fortress of Solitude as “a pretty sweet man cave.”

But Match.com goes farther than the profiles when it had its "scientific" advisor Dr. Helen Fisher, who sees the hormones of each of the superheroes as key determining factors in how they act. With Supes it’s "an acute sense of justice and fairness are traits linked with the testosterone system in the brain. So Superman’s affiliation with the "Justice League" is an immediate tipoff to his personality type: a high testosterone male. Most important, this "Man of Steel" saves people he doesn’t know. Known as 'heroic altruism,' this willingness to confront severe danger to save a stranger is linked with elevated levels of testosterone." While Wonder Woman, "exudes qualities built by estrogen. This type is compassionate and nurturing; they seek peace and harmony, as Wonder Woman does. Estrogen is linked with verbal skills, with intuition, and with the ability to read faces, postures, gestures and tone of voice."

But can these two iconic superheroes find happiness locked in an embrace that would surely crush most mortals? Dr. Fisher, who may not be totally conversant with the conflicting demands of long term serial drama, thinks so: "Superman and Wonder Woman are a classic match, as a very high testosterone male and a very high estrogen female. They also have many cultural and biological traits that will fuel their romance. People also tend to fall in love with those of the same background. Although Superman comes from a different planet, while Wonder Woman harks from an isolated island, both are aliens to our modern world. More important, Superman and Wonder Woman share the same values and goals: They are both dedicated to truth and justice and both fight evil to save the good—traits shared by both the high testosterone and high estrogen type. Lastly, both value independence."

"Blake's 7" in Development at SyFy

Blake's 7, the cult British sci-fi hit from the late 70s and early 80s, is in development as a new series at Syfy, according to Deadline. The new version will be directed by Martin Campbell, who directed Green Lantern, two Zorro films, and two James Bond films, among many others.

Joe Pokaski, who wrote ten episodes of Heroes and was supervising producer of 22 episodes, is writing.

The series will go into production for a 13-episode series if Syfy likes the script.

"Doctor Who" Trailer for New Season

A new trailer has been released for the Seventh Season of Doctor Who, which premieres in the U.S. (BBC America) on September 1st. The big news is that the new season "changes everything!"

New Doctor Who Trailer

ttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNHEEZ_I74U&feature=player_embedded

Captain Jack Joins 'Arrow' Cast

The CW network has announced that Torchwood star John Barrowman has joined the cast of the DC Comics-based Arrow TV series that is slated to debut this fall. But the network has not revealed whether Captain Jack will play a DC hero in the new TV series that is based on the Green Arrow comic book series.

The network’s cryptic description of Barrowman’s role as reported by EW raises more questions than it answers with its description of his character as "a well-dressed man, as mysterious as he is wealthy... an acquaintance of the Queen family and a prominent figure in Starling city."

Liefield Leaves DC: Twitterstorm Erupts

A Twitterstorm erupted on Wednesday after Rob Liefeld tweeted the news that he had left DC, where he was working on three titles. "I walked off all 3 books," he tweeted. "Can’t wait to see any attempts to spin. I have every email." His runs will end with the zero issues, he said.

Liefeld said his reasons were "the same as everyone’s you hear." He added, "I had at least 20 editorial battles and won 80%, but those battles wear you down." It sounded like it had been coming for a while: "This is the 4th time I quit in the last 4 months. This time it will stick."

Liefeld had begun with DC’s New 52 relaunch on Hawk and Dove until it was canceled, and more recently was writing and penciling Deathstroke, and plotting The Savage Hawkman and Grifter.

Comic Movie Casting News : Kick-Ass 2 and Thor 2

Two comic movie sequels have added new cast members. Lindy Booth is in talks to join the cast of Kick-Ass 2: Balls to the Wall as Night Bitch, according to Hollywood Reporter. Booth has some geek credits in her resume, including multiple appearances in series The 4400 and Eerie, Indiana, and a role in Dawn of the Dead. Kick-Ass 2 will premiere June 28th, 2013.

Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje will play the dual roles of Algrim the Strong and Kurse in Thor: The Dark World, according to Variety. Akinnuoye-Agbaje had a recurring role on Lost, and appeared in G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra.

YGO!, Marvel, WWE in Rebranded CW Saturday Morning

Saban Brands has announced the programming for its rebranded Saturday morning block on The CW, which includes two hours of anime, an hour of Marvel shows, and a new WWE half-hour show, among other. The new block, dubbed Vortexx, was acquired by Saban along with some programming rights in the split of 4Kids assets out of its reorganization. It will launch August 25th.

Vortexx will feature an hour of Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal, as well as a half hour of classic Yu-Gi-Oh!. Zexal began airing on the block last October  A half hour of Dragonball Z Kai will also be aired each week, following up on 4Kids launch of the property in the U.S. in 2010.

A new WWE show targeting kids, WWE Saturday Morning Slam, will premiere in the block with wrestler profiles, behind-the-scenes footage, and an exclusive WWE match each week.

Two previously released Marvel half hours will be aired: Iron Man: Armored Adventures, which was originally shown on Nicktoons over the last few years; and Justice League Unlimited, which aired on Cartoon Network from 2004-2006.

Three more shows will be included in the five hour block: Cubix, Rescue Heroes, and Power Rangers: Lost Galaxy.

Moore Turned Down Millions for "Before Watchmen"



Watchmen writer Alan Moore declined millions of dollars over his refusal to support Before Watchmen, he told Leftlion, a Nottingham magazine in a wide ranging interview. Asked "how much money do you think you’ve turned down for taking a moral standpoint on this," Moore responded, "Well, they asked me if they could give me a huge amount of money to bring out these Watchmen prequel comics—which they were going to do anyway—and that was probably a couple of million dollars."

"You can't buy that kind of empowerment," Moore said. "To just know that as far as you are aware, you have not got a price; that there is not an amount of money large enough to make you compromise even a tiny bit of principle that, as it turned out, would make no practical difference anyway."

Moore has called Before Watchmen "completely shameless" , so it’s not a surprise that he rejected payment for the spin-off, but the amount had not been previously disclosed.

Watchmen artist Dave Gibbons offered a lukewarm acceptance of the prequel series when it was announced.

'Alf' Feature in Development

Sony has acquired rights to Alf and plans a CGI/live action feature, according to Hollywood Reporter. Paul Fusco, who voiced the character in the 80s TV series, is attached, as is fellow show creator Tom Patchett.

Jordan Kerner, who had a big hit with Smurfs last year, is attached to produce.

BE VERY AFRAID!!!

Eccleston in "Thor 2"

Christopher Eccleston is in final talks for a role in Thor 2, according to Hollywood Reporter. He’ll play the role of the ruler of the Dark Elves of the Svartalfheim, according to the report. Eccleston is perhaps best known as Doctor Who in the 2005 season. He’ll join returning stars from the first film, including Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Idris Elba, Anthony Hopkins, and Tom Hiddleston, plus some other new additions.

DreamWorks Acquires Classic Harvey Comics

DreamWorks Animation is acquiring Classic Media, owner of properties such as the Harvey Comics characters (including Casper, Golden Books, Lassie, The Lone Ranger, Where’s Waldo, Rocky & Bullwinkle, Veggie Tales, and with some rights to Voltron, for $155 million, the company announced Monday. Eric Ellenbogen and John Engelman, who co-founded and ran Classic, will join DreamWorks. Classic Media has 80 employees at its headquarters in New York and offices in the UK and at its Big Idea Entertainment offices in Nashville.

Over its most recent year, Classic Media had $89 million in sales and $19 million in operating profit.


Classic Media has a bit of a convoluted history. It was sold to British company Entertainment Rights by Ellenbogen and Engelman in December of 2006. Ellenbogen and Engelman formed Boomerang Media with funding from GTCR in January of 2008. When Entertainment Rights ran into liquidity problems , Boomerang acquired its assets in April of that year.

The deal is expected to close by the end of Q3.

Del Toro & Perlman On Board for "Hellboy 3"



Comic-Con News: It has been over four years since the second Hellboy movie, and given the relatively mediocre box office success of the franchise there hasn’t been a lot of interest in a third film featuring the demonic do-gooder. In fact until Comic-Con, it wasn’t even clear that director Guillermo Del Toro, who appears to be in demand constantly for a variety of projects, or star Ron Perlman, who had complained about going through the elaborate makeup process, were even interested in a third Hellboy movie that would tie up the loose ends from the first two films.

But at Comic-Con promoting his Pacific Rim robots vs. monsters movie, Del Toro didn’t hesitate to talk about a third Hellboy film, stating flatly: "I can say publicly now that we (Del Toro and Perlman) are together in wanting to do Hellboy 3."


Perlman, who had recently donned the Hellboy makeup to fulfill the wishes of an ailing young fan, who had requested a meeting with Hellboy, was definitely on-board, telling Entertainment Weekly: "The first two movies were set up to have this incredible resolve. Everything that was done in both movies was leading up to this destiny, written in stone, of what Hellboy has been summoned to Earth to do. To not do it, particularly in light of the scope that Guillermo is thinking of for the resolve, would be to my mind a little bit of a shame."

Of course with no studio on board yet, a Hellboy 3 movie is still far from the big screen. Hellboy II: The Golden Army almost broke even theatrically, earning $160.4 million worldwide vs. a cost of $85 million. That might be close enough to convince a studio that wants to get in on the comic book movie parade to gamble that with Hellboy, the third time will indeed be the charm. If comic book movies continue to perform well at the box office, Hellboy 3’s chances should definitely improve.



"Captain America: the Winter Soldier"

Anthony Mackie, who rocketed to stardom in The Hurt Locker, is in negotiations to play The Falcon in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, which is being directed by Joe and Russo Anthony (You, Me and Dupree). Mackie will likely join Chris Evans in the Captain America sequel, which will be based on the Ed Brubaker Winter Soldier saga in which The Falcon aids Cap in his struggle against the Sentinel of Liberty’s former sidekick Bucky, who returns as a brainwashed super-assassin.

The Falcon was created by Stan Lee and Gene Colan and introduced in Captain America #117. Although Black Panther debuted first, T’Challa is a native of Wakanda, so The Falcon can lay claim to being mainstream comics’ first African-American superhero. The Harlem-born hero, whose alter ego is Samuel Thomas Wilson, has a suit that enables him to fly and a mental bond with his falcon Redwing. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Mackie will be seen in Warner Bros. Gangster Squad this fall, and is currently shooting Runner, Runner with Ben Affleck and Justin Timberlake.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier, which just received its real title at Comic-Con , is slated to debut on April 4th, 2014.

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Jessica Biel Cast as Viper

Comic-Con News: Pouty-lipped actress Jessica Biel has been cast in the key role of Victoria/Viper in James Mangold’s Wolverine sequel, which is now known as The Wolverine. Biel is no stranger to Marvel Comics-based films having starred in Blade Trinity in 2004. Biel is also starring in the upcoming science fiction film Total Recall with Colin Farrell.

According to Deadline, Biel will play The Viper, who was formerly known as Madame Hydra. Created by Jim Steranko she has ties not only to HYDRA, but also to the Hellfire Club and the Serpent Squad. She is closely associated with the Silver Samurai, and this association will be on display the new Wolverine film. Will Yun Lee recently signed on to portray the Silver Samurai in Mangold’s film alongside Hugh Jackman in the title role, Tao Okamoto as Mariko, Wolverine’s former fiancé, and Brian Tee who plays Noburo Mari, a corrupt minister, who is currently engaged to Mariko.

Mangold’s The Wolverine is slated to debut in just over a year on July 26th, 2013. Christopher McQuarrie’s screenplay is based on Chris Claremont and Frank Miller’s Wolverine miniseries from 1982.

First Trailer for "Oz : the Great and Powerful"

Comic-Con News: Here's the trailer for Sam (the original Spider-Man trilogy) Raimi's Oz: The Great and Powerful. Disney has released this trailer for the big budget fantasy film just minutes after it premiered at Comic-Con. Raimi's film is intended as a prequel to the 1939 Wizard of Oz film. It stars James Franco as the eponymous anti-hero with Mila Kunis, Michelle WIlliams, and Rachel Weisz as the three witches.

Note how Raimi's film mirrors the format of the 1939 Wizard of Oz film with a black-and-white prologue set in Kansas and the settings and characters in the colorful realm of Oz also recalling the 1930s fantasy. Raimi's Oz: The Great and Powerful is slated to debut on March 8th, 2013.

Fox Pushes "Fantastic Four", Daredevil" Reboots

Comic-Con News: Twentieth Century Fox may not have a major institutional presence at Comic-Con this year, but the studio made waves by announcing its firm intentions to reboot two of its dormant Marvel Comics-based franchises, the Fantastic Four and Daredevil. Of course Marvel’s "use it or loose it" motion picture licensing agreements make it mandatory for the studios who hold the rights to Marvel characters to use them or let them revert to Marvel Studios. No studio wants to relive the red-faced embarrassment of Paramount after Marvel Studios scored a major hit with the Iron Man property, which Paramount had acquired and then relinquished.

So in spite of two disappointing (both financially and critically) Fantastic Four films, Fox is far from giving up on the property. According to Deadline, Fox has indicated that it has convinced the hot young director Josh Trank, who helmed the sleeper hit Chronicle and has been mentioned as a likely helmer for a Venom movie, to preside over a rebooting of the FF franchise at Fox. In fact Deadline states flatly that the Fantastic Four will be "the next Marvel property to be slated for production and dated for release by the studio."

The clock is ticking on Daredevil at Fox. The studio has a script it likes, but director David Slade, who has been attached to the project since early in 2011 has bowed out of this reboot because of scheduling conflicts. Look for the announcement of a director for the Daredevil reboot soon, because the film has to be in production by this fall or Fox could lose the rights to the character.

Gaiman to Write New "Sandman" Series

Comic-Con News: Neil Gaiman appeared at the Vertigo panel via a 4-minute film clip in which he described a new Sandman miniseries that he is writing, and which Vertigo plans to release in 2013, the 25th anniversary of the publication of Gaiman’s first Sandman comic book. The miniseries will be a prequel and it will explain how what happened to Morpheus before we met him in the first issue of Sandman. "This was one of the few stories that I felt, that after I finished Sandman, I felt that I had failed because I had not told this story," Gaiman explained in the video.

The as-yet-untitled Sandman miniseries will be published day and date digtially and will be drawn by J.H. Williams. Gaiman was enthused at the prospect of working with Williams telling the Comic-Con crowd, "I am incredibly excited that it is going to be drawn by J.H. Williams. I’ve been a fan of his since Promethea. I love his Batwoman stuff, but on this you are going to see a side of J.H. that you have never seen before."

In other Gaiman-related news, according to The Guardian, the author has signed a contract with Harper Collins for five children’s books. The first, which is due out in January is Chu’s Day, the story of a little panda with a big sneeze that will be illustrated by Adam Rex. Gaiman’s contract includes a sequel to Chu’s Day along with Fortunately the Milk, a middle grades novel that Skottie Young (Oz) will illustrate, a sequel to Gaiman’s 2008 saga Odd and the Frost Giants, and an as-yet untitled project.

"Wolverine" Villain Cast

Will Yun Lee has been cast as the villain, the Silver Samurai, for The Wolverine feature, according to Variety. His credits include: TNT's Witchblade series, Elektra, Die Another Day, and Hawaii Five-0.  The film starts production next month with director James Mangold, after a number of delays.

New 'Sailor Moon' Anime



A new anime series based on Sailor Moon will be released in the summer of 2013, according to Anime News Network. The new series will be released simultaneously worldwide. The theme song will be performed by Momoiro Clover Z.

Despite its age, the Sailor Moon manga has been tearing up the charts here in the U.S. since its re-launch by Kodansha last year, a new anime series, especially if it’s broadcast on TV, can only fuel greater awareness and sales.

"Iron Man 3" Concept Art

New concept art released by Marvel Studios for Shane Black’s Iron Man 3 appears to confirm the widespread speculation that Warren Ellis’ 'Iron Man Extremis' storyline will form the basis for the film’s storyline. The illustration by Marvel Studio’s mainstay Ryan Meinerding appears to show Tony Stark under attack employing his armor without his wristband sensors. This sort of action would be possible for an "Extremis-enabled" Stark, since in the "Extremis" storyline Stark’s armor actually becomes part of his physiology thanks to nanotechnology.

The concept art was first published by Entertainment Weekly  , which notes that the "Extremis" storyline is perhaps the most logical explanation for what is happening in the concept art. But nobody including EW can definitively explain the black-ops types who are attacking Stark, though they could be members of the domestic terror cell that is featured in the “Extremis” storyline.

But it is important to note that so far Marvel Studios’ movie storylines have rarely been confined to one comic book story arc. While this can make selling graphic novel tie-ins more difficult for retailers, it provides lots of narrative flexibility for Marvel Studios, which can mine the entire Marvel universe compatible characters and events. Last month Variety noted that James Badge Dale was joining the cast of IM3 as the cyborg character Coldblood. While the character of Coldblood, who was originally Army officer Eric Savin before he stepped on a landmine and was then transformed into a cyborg, makes sense in an Iron Man movie, Coldblood has yet to appear in an Iron Man comic.

Tom Hanks' "Electric City" Animated Web Series to Launch on July 17, 2012



Yahoo! has announced that Playtone and Reliance Entertainment's Electric City animated series will be premiering on July 17, 2012, with the first ten 5-7 minute episodes going live on that date. The series was created by Tom Hanks, who stars along with Jeanne Tripplehorn, Holland Taylor, Ginnifer Goodwin, Jason Antoon, Chris Parnell, Paul Scheer, June Diane Raphael and Georg Stanford Brown. The series focuses on the seams and cracks in the facade of the urban utopia of Electric City, which stands for peace and order in a dystopian future world.

Avengers to Home Video in September

Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment will release The Avengers for home video in three packages, and will also release the Marvel Cinematic Universe Phase One: Avengers Assembled, a six-movie set. The Avengers release will take place on September 25 as a single DVD for $29.99; a two-disc DVD/Blu-Ray Combo Pack for $29.99; and a four-disc 3D Blu-ray, Blu-ray combo pack with DVD and digital copy at $49.99.

Of course, special features will abound, including Joss Whedon commentary (on all versions) and featurettes.

Disney is also planning a limited edition 10-disc Blu-ray boxed set, Marvel Cinematic Universe Phase One: Avengers Assembled, with all five movies leading up to The Avengers, as well as 3D versions of The Avengers, Captain America, and Thor, plus a bonus disc of The Phase One Archives. The release date for this set has not been announced.

Guardians of the Galaxy in 2014?

The previously un-named Marvel movie for 2014 will be Guardians of the Galaxy, according to the usually reliable Latino Review. The film is to be announced at Comic-Con, according to the report, and will feature Thanos, who was teased in the closing of Joss Whedon’s The Avengers. That will put four movies in the run-up to The Avengers 2, including two in 2013: Iron Man 3 and Thor 2.

Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige had previously revealed that a Guardians of the Galaxy film was in the Marvel slate, albeit unscheduled. And Disney had reserved dates for two Marvel movies in 2014. It’s expected that one of those two films, scheduled for May 16th and June 27th, will be Captain America 2. Now Guardians of the Galaxy is expected to be the second 2014 Marvel feature. Stay tuned for the official announcements at Comic-Con.

Hero Initiative Raising Money for "Static" Co-Creator's Burial

Robert L. Washington III, who created Static for Milestone along with Dwayne McDuffie and Jean Paul Leon, is facing a pauper’s burial on Hart Island unless a fund-raising drive spearheaded by the Hero Initiative is able to raise enough money for a decent burial. Washington, who died from a heart attack on June 6th, will be buried without ceremony in a pine box in an unmarked grave dug by Rikers Island inmates, unless enough money can be raised via the Hero Initiative to provide for a decent internment.

Washington was unable to find work as a writer after the comic book industry imploded in the mid-1990s. Washington was reduced to homelessness several times in the past decade and had received some help from Hero Initiative while he was alive. The outhousers.com site is leading the charge to see that Washington gets a proper send-off. Those interested in helping can contribute via the Hero Initiative Website in order to spare Washington the bleak send-off of an indigent burial on Hart Island with no services or ceremonies.

"House" to Play "Robocop" Villain

Hugh Laurie, the versatile English actor who has portrayed both the irascible and brilliant House on the long-running Fox medical series and the delightfully oblivious upper class twit of all time Bertie Wooster, is in negotiations to play the villain in MGM’s remake of Robocop with Jose Padilha is directing.
Laurie will join a cast that includes Joel Kinnamon, Gary Oldman, Samuel L. Jackson, and Abbie Cornish.According to The Hollywood Reporter, Laurie will play “the evil and ultra-rich CEO of Omnicorp, the company that makes Robocop. The flurry of casting announcements is an indication that MGM really wants to get this project underway.

Portia de Rossi Will Play Lily Munster

NBC and Bryan Fuller have finally found their Lily Munster for Mockingbird Lane, the reboot of the 1960s sitcom  The Munsters. Portia de Rossi (Arrested Development) will take on the role originally played by Yvonne De Carlo in the original. De Rossi joins a cast that includes Jerry O’Connell, Eddie Izzard, Mason Cook, and Charity Wakefield in the production of the pilot episode of Mockingbird Lane, which will be directed by Bryan Singer (The Usual Suspects, X-Men).

NBC had originally wanted Mariana Klaveno for the role, but Klaveno was under contract to ABC to play a supporting role in the ABC series Devious Maids, and the studios evidently couldn’t reconcile their differences.

The Hollywood Reporter noted that Fuller and NBC had tried to revive the Munsters last year, but the new version, which the trade paper described as a "hyper stylized reboot… an "edgier and slightly darker take that will explore the origins of Herman (O’Connell) and Lily (De Rossi) and how they arrived at the famed 1313 Mockingbird Lane."

Marvel Wants "Chuck" Star for 'Thor 2'

Marvel Studios originally wanted Chuck star Zachary Levi to play the role of Fandral, one of the "Warriors Three" in Kenneth Branagh’s Thor, but at the last minute Levi’s cult favorite NBC series was given a reprise and he had to bow out. Now it’s Josh Dallas, who ended up playing Fandral in the original Thor, who has the conflict and has had to back out of Thor 2 because of his TV series, ABC’s Once Upon a Time.

So, according to Heat Vision, Marvel is back pursuing Levi for the role in Thor 2, which is moving quickly towards a July start to filming with Game of Thrones director Alan Taylor  to helm. Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Idris Elba, and Anthony Hopkins are all slated to return for the sequel along with Tom Hiddleston (Loki), who will be joined by another villain played by Mads Mikkelson (the Danish actor who played the heavy in Casino Royale).

Russo Brothers in Talks for "Captain America" Sequel

The Russo Brothers, Joe and Anthony, are in talks with Marvel Studios to direct the sequel to 2011’s Captain America: The First Avenger. The Captain America sequel, which remains untitled at this point, is slated to be released on April 4th 2014. The Russo brothers, who are from Cleveland, wrote and directed the 2002 crime comedy Welcome to Collinwood as well as the 2006 comedy feature You, Me, and Dupree.

The Russos also won an Emmy award for directing the pilot for Arrested Development, and are credited with developing the series’ idiosyncratic visual style. They are currently serving as executive producers (and sometime directors) for the ABC series Happy Endings and the NBC show Community.

Deadline reports that the brothers are already deep in negotiations with Marvel Studios for the Captain America sequel, but there has been no official announcement yet.

Samuel L. Jackson Joins "Robocop" Cast

Samuel L. Jackson will play Pat Novak, a charismatic TV Mogul, in MGM’s remake of Robocop. Jackson, who is fresh off a star turn in Joss Whedon’s The Avengers, joins a cast that includes Joel Kinnaman (The Killing) as the film’s eponymous hero and Gary Oldman as the scientist/creator of the cyborg policeman created from the gravely wounded beat cop Alex Murphy. Jackson is currently shooting the revenge drama Django Unchained for director Quentin Tarantino.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, MGM hopes to begin shooting the Robocop remake with Jose Padilla directing in Toronto this September

"Gangster Squad" Scribe Writing "Justice League" Script

Over a year ago Warner Bros. tapped Gangster Squad writer Will Beall to create a script for a Justice League movie. Warner Bros. will likely point this out when others accuse the studio of trying to copy Marvel’s superhero team-up movie success with The Avengers. Beall is a busy boy and is quickly becoming a studio favorite. The Beall-penned Gangster Squad is due out from Warner Bros. on September 7th, and Warners has also tapped him to script the remakes of Lethal Weapon and Logan’s Run. Variety reports that Beall has yet to finish his Justice League script, but the fact that the studio assigned its “go-to” writer to project is an indication that the project is a high priority.

Actually it was Warners that was very close to making the first major superhero team-up film back in 2007 when George Miller was set to helm a Justice League film featuring Adrian Brody as The Flash, Megan Gale as Wonder Woman, and Armie Hammer as Batman, but the writers’ strike made fixing the script by Kieran and Michele Mulroney impossible and the project was abandoned in early 2008.

According to Variety, which broke the news of the Beall Justice League assignment, other DC Comics projects with writers assigned include The Flash with Marc Guggenheim and Michael Green, Wonder Woman with Michael Goldenberg working on the adaptation, Lobo with Brad Peyton, while David Koepp and John Kamps are developing a live-action Spy vs. Spy.

Lily Munster Cast--Sort OF!

NBC’s Mockingbird Lane, Bryan Fuller’s re-imaging of the classic 1960s monster sitcom The Munsters, is almost ready to begin production with just one key role to cast, that of Lily Munster, Herman’s vampire wife. Fuller wants Mariana Klaveno, who is perhaps best known for her role as Lorena Ball (Krasiki) in HBO’s True Blood. But Klaveno also recently played a role in Devious Maids, a pilot for an ABC series that may or may not be heading to one of ABC’s cable networks rather than the over-the-air parent.

Because of the Devious Maids pilot Klaveno is still under contract to ABC, which has until the end of the month to choose to pick up her option for Devious Maids. NBC wants to get cracking on its Mockingbird Lane project, and according to Deadline, has even offered to allow Klaveno to have a recurring role in Devious Maids as long as the peacock net can have her for Mockingbird Lane.

So far ABC has refused to budge, so we still aren’t sure who will end up playing Lily Munster, who was portrayed memorably by actress Yvonne DeCarlo in the original series. Stay tuned for confirmation one way or the other.

Jerry O'Connell to Play Herman Munster on NBC

Jerry O'Connell has a new address: 1313 Mockingbird Lane. The former Defenders star has been cast as Herman Munster in NBC's Munsters reboot, Mockingbird Lane, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed. The actor will play the patriarch of the family, who in the 1960s CBS comedy was played by Fred Gwynne. In the reboot, Herman -- like in the original series -- has a permanent home under Grandpa Munster's thumb. O'Connell joins the previously cast Eddie Izzard, who will play the powerful and quick-witted vampire in a role that was originated by Al Lewis. Mason Cook will play Herman and Lily's werewolf son, Eddie. Bryan Singer will executive produce and direct the pilot.

"Prometheus" Scribe Rebooting 'The Mummy'

Jason Spaihts, who co-wrote Prometheus with Damon Lindelof, has been tapped by Universal to write the screenplay for a rebooting of The Mummy franchise. In spite of often confused plots and cheesy computer effects the three modern Mummy movies were remarkably consistent with each earning over $400 million.

Spaihts told Variety, “I see it as the kind of opportunity I had with Prometheus to go back to a franchise’s roots in dark, scary source material and simultaneously open it up to an epic scale we haven’t seen before.”

Given the success of the three modern Mummy movies that debut in 1999, 2001, and 2008 respectively, the chances of another Mummy movie getting made are pretty good.

Alan Horn to Head Disney Studios

The Walt Disney Company announced today that Alan Horn has been named Chairman of The Walt Disney Studios, where he will oversee worldwide operations for the studio as well as production, distribution, and marketing for live-action and animated films from Disney, Pixar, and Marvel, as well as distribution and marketing for DreamWorks Studios films.

It appears that in Horn Disney has found someone with a wealth of studio experience. Horn, who was head of Warner Bros. for 12 years. Films released under Horn’s regime at Warner Bros. include the Harry Potter films, The Dark Knight, The Departed, Sherlock Holmes, Batman Begins, and the Oceans Eleven trilogy

The position of head of the Disney Studios has been vacant since Rich Ross was pushed out in mid-April in the wake of the box office failure of Disney’s John Carter, which forced the studio into an embarrassing $200 million write-off and upset former Marvel owner Ike Perlmutter.  There was some speculation that Marvel Studios’ Kevin Feige would take the job, but position of Disney studio chief, which involves dealing with and placating the company’s various sacrosanct fiefdoms (Pixar, Marvel, and distributing for DreamWorks), is not exactly one of the prize jobs in Hollywood , though the Disney Studio does have the potential to contend for global box office domination if all the company's units are performing at peak levels.

It certainly hasn't  taken long for Horn to make some changes at Disney. The first acts of the new regime have been schedule changes. The studio has shifted the debut of Gore Verbinski’s The Lone Ranger, which stars Johnny Depp from May 31st of 2013 to July 3rd, 2013, and it also moved Thor 2 from November 15th, 2013 to November 8th. While these scheduling tweaks appear minor, Horn appears to have definite opinions on how to get the most out of the studio’s slate of films. The move of Thor 2 makes a lot of sense in that it will give the movie a full two weeks at the box office before the debut of The Hunger Games sequel Catching Fire on November 22nd.

Fox Sets Date for 'X-Men: First Class' Sequel and 'POTA' Sequel

Twentieth Century Fox has announced that the sequel to X-Men: First Class, which for scheduling purposes is now known simply as “X-Men,” will debut on July 18th, 2014.  The X-Men: First Class sequel, which Matthew Vaughn will direct, will begin production early next year. The cast of X-Men: First Class, which includes The Hunger Games’ Jennifer Lawrence, is set to reprise their roles in the sequel.

Vaughn’s X-Men film will actually be Fox’s third summer tentpole for 2014. It will be preceded by Dawn of Planet of the Apes, the sequel to the highly successful Rise of the Planet of the Apes, which earned $483 million worldwide in 2011. As was the case with Matthew Vaughn and the X-Men: First Class sequel, the director of Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Rupert Wyatt, will return to direct the encore movie.

The first Fox blockbuster to unspool in 2014 will be Steven Spielberg’s Robopocalypse, which the studio is producing along with Dreamworks and Disney. It will debut worldwide on April 25th, 2014. Robopocalypse is based on the bestselling science fiction novel by Daniel H. Wilson.


Fox also announced that it would be re-releasing Roland Emmerich’s 1996 blockbuster Independence Day in re-processed 3-D on July 3rd, 2013, though adding “depth” to the cardboard characters in this overripe exercise in mind-numbing silliness will take more than all the computing power of Silicon Valley put together.