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.