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More "Avengers" Images Assembled

2012-01-30T10:29:00.008-06:00

Marvel has released five hi-res images from Joss Whedon’s The Avengers, which is slated to debut on May 4th, and which some analysts think just might give The Dark Knight Rises a run for its money as the top superhero film of 2012. However that particular competition turns out, the new images concentrate on character (especially Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury) and cast interaction rather than on action or spectacle like some of the previously release images.

Skrulls Aren't "The Avengers" Villains

2012-01-25T11:55:00.002-06:00

Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige has shot down rumors that the alien menace in Joss Whedon’s The Avengers is the shape-shifting Skrulls. When photographers manage to capture a shot of mysterious alien inscriptions on “wreckage” at one of The Avengers location shoots, it appeared to confirm earlier speculation based on a supposed script leak that the Skrulls just might be involved in the new Avengers movie.

The ScarJo CoverSpeaking to Empire Magazine for an Avengers cover story, Feige was typically definitive: “It’s not Skrulls, I’ve been clear about that. The identity of the alien race is not impactful. It exists in the comic books, but we’re not setting up the Kree-Skrull war or anything like that.”

New 'Transformers" Cartoon Debuts in February

2012-01-23T17:33:00.003-06:00

A new Transformers animated series, Transformers: Rescue Bots will debut with back-to-back episodes on Hasbro’s The Hub cable network on Saturday, February 18th starting at 11:30 am (ET, PT). The Rescue Bots series, which is produced by Hasbro Studios and Atomic Cartoons, supports a toy line from Hasbro and targets pre-tween viewers, occupying a niche in the lineup of Transformers cartoons akin to that of the Marvel Super Hero Squad. The debut of Transformers: Rescue Bots kicks of The Hub’s “Transformers Mega Saturday Event,” which will unfold on February 18th.

Later that day Hasbro will launch the second season of the its CG animated series Transformers Prime, which will debut with the first episode of a 3-episode storyline on The Hub at 8:30 pm (ET)

The final event of the “Transformers Mega Saturday Event” will be an airing of the 1986 Transformers: The Animated Movie.

Ultimate Spider-Man to Anchor Marvel Block

2012-01-10T14:15:00.003-06:00

Marvel Entertainment has announced that the Disney XD cable channel will inaugurate a dedicated Marvel programming block on Sunday, April 1st anchored by the new Ultimate Spider-Man series. The Disney XD channel appeals to the tween and teen male demographic, while the new Ultimate Spider-Man animated series, which features some of the top creative talent in comics and animation including Paul Dini, Joe Quesada, Brian Michael Bendis, and the Man of Action group (Ben 10), is a serious state-of-the-art attempt to modernize the Peter Parker/Spider-Man saga for contemporary audiences.

In addition to various Marvel animated series including The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, and series featuring Iron Man, Captain America, Hulk, and Thor, the Marvel block on Disney XD will also include new animated short-form series, live-action interstitials, and other forms of Marvel content.

Harrison Ford in 'Enders's Game'

2011-12-22T09:09:00.002-06:00

Harrison Ford has joined the cast of Ender’s Game as Colonel Hyram Graff, who runs the training of boys at a military academy, according to Variety. Also added to the cast were Abigail Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine) and Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit), along with Aramis Knight, Moises Arias, Jimmy Pinchak, Suraj Parthasarathy, Conor Carroll and Khylin Rhambo. Breslin will play Ender’s sister; Steinfeld will Ender’s ally.

Asa Butterfield of Hugo fame was cast in the title role. Production will begin in New Orleans in early 2012, for a March 15, 2013 release. Marvel Comics has released five graphic novels based on the Orson Scott Card novel.

Peter Weller in "Star Trek" Sequel

2011-12-06T17:02:00.002-06:00

A couple bits of casting news for the Star Trek sequel came out on Monday. Actor/director Peter Weller of Robocop fame has been signed to join the cast of J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek sequel, according to Deadline. Alice Eve and Benicia del Toro have also been cast to join the actors playing the permanent cast from the first film in the reboot series.

And the rumor that came out last weekend that del Toro would be playing the iconic character Khan has been denied by both the studio and Abrams.

RIP Anne McCaffrey

2011-11-23T10:50:00.004-06:00

'Pern' Creator Dead at 85

Groundbreaking fantasy author Anne McCaffrey has passed away of a stroke on Monday, November 21, 2011 at her home in Ireland. McCaffrey is best known for the Dragonriders of Pern universe. She authored or co-authored nearly 100 books, with a lot of firsts as a writer:

First woman to win a Hugo Award (1968, for “Weyr Search”)

First woman to win a Nebula Award (1969, for “Dragonrider”)

First with a science fiction title on the New York Times Bestseller List (1978, The White Dragon)

McCaffrey was recognized as one of the best ever for her impressive career:

Named Grand Master by the Science Fiction Writers of America (2005)

Joined Science Fiction Hall of Fame (June 2006)

The Pern universe was introduced in the award winning short story, “Weyr Search” in Analog Science Fiction and Fact, in 1967. “Weyr Search, the novella “Dragonrider,” and a third story were published as the first Pern novel, Dragonflight, in 1968. The initial Dragonrider trilogy was not completed until 1976. McCaffrey began collaborating with her son Todd McCaffrey since 2003.
Fantasy artist Michael Whelan was strongly associated with McCaffrey due to the numerous covers he did for her books. Eclipse published three graphic novels based on Dragonflight in 1991. Mayfair Games produced a Dragonriders of Pern boardgame in 1983.

Doctor Who Movie Gets Director

2011-11-15T10:21:00.003-06:00

David Yates, who directed the last four Harry Potter films, is attached to direct a Doctor Who feature film, according to Variety. The film is being produced by BBC Worldwide Productions. Yates is currently looking for a writer, and says the process may take a while. He told Variety, “We’re going to spend two to three years to get it right.”

The plan for the story is to take off in a new direction that’s not tied too directly to the TV show; Yates said the property will need a “radical transformation” for the big screen treatment.
TV showrunner Stephen Moffat gave his blessing for a feature over three years ago ,giving some indication of the lengthy timeline this project may take.

Among licensees, IDW Publishing has the comics, Titan Publishing Group has the magazines and Cubicle 7 the roleplaying game.

Justice League : Doom -- New OAV

2011-09-28T09:20:00.003-05:00

Warner Home Video will release Justice League: Doom, a new animated feature starring DC’s most popular superteam, in early 2012. The script was the last work by the late Dwayne McDuffie. It was inspired by Mark Waid’s “JLA: Tower of Babel” storyline, and finds the Justice League in peril when supervillains discover Batman’s contingency plans for stopping a rogue member.

Justice League: Doom will feature the voice talents of Nathan Fillion as Green Lantern and Tim Daly as Superman, along with the actors that starred in the Justice League animated series: Kevin Conroy as Batman, Michael Rosenbaum as Flash, Susan Eisenberg as Wonder Woman, and Carl Lumbly as J’onn J’onzz/martian Manhunter. Bumper Robinson will voice Cyborg; David Kaufman will voice Jimmy Olsen.

The Royal Flush Gang and six notable villains will appear in the film. Villainous voices will include Phil Morris as Vandal Savage, Olivia d’Abo as Star Sapphire, Alexis Denisof as Mirror Master, Carlos Alazraqui as Bane, Paul Blackthorne as Metallo, and Claudia Black as Cheetah.

The trailer for the film (along with the Catwoman short attached to Batman: Year One, will be shown during the Warner Home Video presentation at New York Comic Con.

SyFy Cancels 'Eureka'

2011-08-10T13:28:00.002-05:00

After first announcing a 6-episode season six, SyFy abruptly pulled an about face and cancelled the sixth season of Eureka, the science fiction comedy/drama created by Andrew Cosby and Jaime Paglia. The series, which debuted in July of 2006, is not going to disappear immediately. It will end with the 12-episode season 5 that is set to air on SyFy in 2012, so diehard fans will have some time to attempt to convince SyFy to keep the property going in some form.

One of the most original American science fiction TV series in years, Eureka takes place in a fictional high tech community in Oregon where nearly everyone is a scientist working on major technological breakthroughs at a corporation known as Global Dynamics. The key dynamic in the series is the tension between Sheriff Jack Carter (Colin Ferguson), a man endowed with considerable practical intelligence and the numerous resident Eureka double-domes, who either on purpose or inadvertently create problems for the community that Sheriff Carter has to deal with.

BOOM! Studios, which was co-founded by Eureka co-creator Andrew Cosby, has published several issues of a Eureka comic book, which are based on storylines provided by Cosby.

"Uncanny X-Men" Ending in October 2011

2011-06-10T15:17:00.004-05:00

Marvel has announced that Uncanny X-Men #544, out this October, will be the last issue of the longest-running X-Men title. The ending flows out of the X-Men Schism storyline, which Marvel has compared to Civil War in its far-reaching effects.The title will wrap up at the same time as Fear Itself, which Marvel says is no coincidence. The final issue will be written by Kieron Gillen with pencils and covers by Greg Land.

X-Men Schism launches in July.

ThunderCats Original Series on DVD

2011-06-07T10:09:00.004-05:00

Warner Home Video has announced the July 12th release of ThunderCats Season 1, Part 1 (MSRP $19.97), which includes the first 12 episodes of the original Rankin/Bass ThunderCats series that aired in 1985. The original series, which chronicled the adventures of the feline exiles from the planet Thundera who bravely fight the vicious mutants intent on destroying them, was a huge hit in the 1980s inspiring a Marvel comic book series as well as numerous toys and action figures.

A new ThunderCats series produced by Studio 4C (Tekkon Kinkreet, Batman: Gotham Knight, Transformers Animated), is due to debut on the Cartoon Network this year. The new series has a more conscious anime look than the original ThunderCats, though the original series was also animated in Japan.

So far the Cartoon Network has not released a date for the debut of the new ThunderCats series, but in its press release announcing Season 1 Part 1 of the Original Series, Warner Bros. said it would be available “just ahead of the premiere of the all-new ThunderCats on the Cartoon Network," and Mezco Toys is releasing the first of its new series ThunderCats action figures, a new Lion-O figure in July as well.

"Powers" Casting Begins

2011-05-10T10:04:00.002-05:00

Charles S. Dutton has been cast as Captain Cross in the FX pilot based on Powers, according to Deadline. Dutton is the first actor cast for the pilot, which was greenlit in February.

The Powers comics are by Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Avon Oeming.

Leonard Nimoy to Voice Sentinel Prime

2011-04-01T09:25:00.004-05:00

It must be “add some illustrious vocal credits to your summer blockbuster" week. Just a day after Warner Bros. announced that Oscar-winner Geoffrey Rush would be providing the voice of Tomar-Re in Martin Campbell’s Green Lantern movie, Paramount let it be known that the iconic Leonard Nimoy would handle the vocal chores for the robot Sentinel Prime in Transformers: Dark of the Moon.

Sentinel Prime is the “ancestor” of Transformers “good guy” autobot Optimus Prime. In Dark of the Moon the wreckage of Sentinel Prime is found on the moon by the Apollo 11 Astronauts and brought to Earth where he adopts the vehicle disguise of a Rosenbauer fire truck. Nimoy, who is most famous for his role as Mr. Spock in Star Trek, is no stranger to the Transformers universe. In 1986 he provided the voice of Galvatron in Transformers: the Movie.

Paramount Ends "Dune" Efforts

2011-03-23T11:35:00.002-05:00

Paramount’s option to make a movie based on Frank Herbert’s Dune has expired, and the studio’s four year efforts with the property have come to an end, according to Deadline. Efforts to reach a new agreement between the rights holder and Paramount were unsuccessful.

There’s a script by Chase Palmer that may survive in some new incarnation, according to the report, and Paramount’s last director for the project, Pierre Morel (Taken), could also end up working on the film for another studio if the project goes into turnaround.

Alcon Acquires "Bladerunner" Rights for Prequels & Sequels

2011-03-04T11:21:00.003-06:00

The Warner Bros.-based production company Alcon Entertainment is in final negotiations to acquire film, television, and ancillary rights to produce prequels and sequels to the iconic 1982 iconic science fiction thriller Blade Runner.

Although it will be able to produce films based on situations introduced in the original film, Alcon will not have the right to remake Bladerunner, which was based on Phillip K. Dick’s classic novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep.

Bladerunner, which was directed by Ridley Scott, was not a box office success, but the film, which has a wonderfully dense and rich mise-en-scene, has grown in stature over the years and is now an accepted science fiction classic.

Diane Lane Will Be Supes' Mom

2011-03-04T11:13:00.003-06:00

Warner Bros. has announced that the Oscar-nominated actress Diane Lane (A Walk on the Moon, Unfaithful, Secretariat) will play Martha Kent, Clark Kent's adoptive mother in the new Superman film directed by Zack Snyder. Deadline reports that Lane will star opposite Henry Cavill, the 27-year-old English actor, who will play Superman/Clark Kent.

Rumors continue swirl around other casting decisions for the film, which is slated to debut in December of 2012. Diane Lane’s co-star in A Walk on the Moon, Viggo Mortensen has been mentioned in several reports as being at the top of the list to play the villain General Zod, who was portrayed memorably in the 1980s by Terrance Stamp in Superman II. And a number of actresses are supposedly vying for the role of Lois Lane .

Snyder needs to get his Superman film underway by this summer, which means there will be more Superman casting announcements in the near future.

Elizabeth Hurley Is Wonder Woman Villain

2011-03-04T11:10:00.002-06:00

English actress Elizabeth Hurley, who is perhaps best known for her role as Vanessa in the Austin Powers movies, will play Wonder Woman’s antagonist in the pilot for the new David E. Kelley-created Wonder Woman TV series. Hurley posted on Twitter today, “Thrilled to be doing the NBC pilot Wonder Woman. I’ll be playing the evil villain. Can’t wait.”

In the Wonder Woman pilot Hurley will most likely be playing Veronica Cale, a founding partner of Cale-Anderson Pharmaceuticals and a major rival of Wonder Woman. Greg Rucka created Veronica Cale, who made her first appearance in Wonder Woman #196 in 2003, as a “Lex Luthor for Diana.” Cale is jealous of Wonder Woman’s powers and rejects her quest for peace as simplistic and unattainable.

The Red Skull Revealed

2011-03-04T11:06:00.002-06:00

Although Johann Schmidt, the Nazi weapons developer also known as “The Red Skull,” was glimpsed in the Captain America: The First Avenger trailer , no close-up full frontal shots of the Nazi villain have been released until today.

But

Entertainment Weekly has now posted a shot of Hugo Weaving in full Red Skull drag along with a short interview with Captain America: The First Avenger director Joe Johnston. Johnston talks about what he likes about Captain America—“he’s not a superhero in the true sense of the word. He becomes a superhero, but doesn’t really have any super powers.

He’s just the best possible human specimen. Imagine the fastest, strongest Olympian athlete. Add 30 percent. That’s Steve Rogers…I’ve had other offers for movies like this and usually turned them down. To me there’s something less interesting about a guy who can fly, and throw tanks around and stuff like that. The reason I wanted to do this one is he (Steve Rogers) is so relatable. I can relate to him”

R.I.P. Dwayne McDuffie

2011-02-23T09:11:00.002-06:00

Writer/producer Dwayne McDuffie passed away Monday. He was 49. McDuffie was the writer of the just released direct-to-DVD All Star Superman feature, along with Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths. He was a producer of 66 episodes of various Ben 10 series, and 65 episodes of Justice League. He wrote numerous episodes of the Ben 10 series, Justice League, and was story editor on Static Shock.

In the comic world, McDuffie was co-founder of Milestone Media in the early 90s, where he was Editor-in-Chief. His comic creations or co-creations include Static, Damage Control, Deathlok II, Icon, Xombi, Road to Hell, Hardware, and more.

McDuffie has also written numerous other comic series, including Spider-Man, Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight, Back to the Future, Hellraiser, and more.

Michelle Pfeiffer Heading for "Dark Shadows"

2011-02-17T16:55:00.003-06:00

Michelle Pfeiffer, who played Catwoman in Tim Burton’s 1992 Batman Returns, is in talks to team up with the director again in Burton’s feature film adaptation of the vintage TV soap opera Dark Shadows, which also stars Johnny Depp as Barnabas Collins.

According to Deadline Hollywood, Pfeiffer is up for the role of Elizabeth Collins Stoddard, the reclusive matriarch of the Collins clan and owner of Collinwood (a part that was played by Joan Collins in the TV series), while Helena Bonham Carter, who has become a recurring fixture in Burton’s films (and in his life), will likely portray Dr. Julia Hoffman, a specialist in psychology and rare blood disorders.

Paramount Narrows Search for G.I. Helmer

2011-02-17T16:51:00.002-06:00

G.I. Joe producer Lorenzo diBonaventura is meeting with directors and attempting to find the right helmer for a sequel to G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, the special effects heavy live action movie that earned $302 million worldwide in 2009. Since it sold distribution rights to the Avengers movie back to Disney, Paramount has a dearth of live-action tentpole movies for the summer of 2012, with only Star Trek 2 on the slate—and it’s still not clear that a final script for the Trek sequel is anywhere close to fruition.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the leading candidates to replace Stephen Sommers and direct the G.I. Joe sequel are F. Gary Gray (The Italian Job, Law Abiding Citizen) and Jon M. Chu (Justin Bieber: Never Say Never, Step Up 2: The Streets, Step Up 3D). Expect a decision soon, Paramount is looking to have production underway this June, which would make a late summer 2012 release possible.

The G.I. Joe franchise is, in Hollywood parlance, “extremely toyetic,” and it also tends to stimulate sales of comics and graphic novel collections as well as action figures and vehicles.

Guy Ritchie Offered "Xerxes"

2011-02-17T16:46:00.002-06:00

In what, if true, has to be one of the major studio reversals in years, Warner Bros. has supposedly offered Guy Ritchie the chance to direct an adaptation of Frank Miller’s Xerxes, the prequel/sequel to Miller’s 300, which was one the most successful (in ratio of revenue generated versus expense of production) comic book movies of all time. Zack Snyder, who directed 300, had been preparing to helm Xerxes , so the fact that the studio has offered the project to Ritchie is quite shocking.

The source of the Ritchie/Xerxes rumor is New York Magazine’s usually reliable Vulture Blog, which provides several explanations for the move, the most convincing of which is Warner Bros.’ need to get Snyder’s Superman movie made in a hurry or face losing rights to the property. Clearly getting the Superman movie made is a major priority at Warners. And since it’s been 4 years since the 300 movie stormed theaters, the studio may have thought it was also important to get going on the Xerxes project while there were still a few people out there who remembered how popular the 300 movie was. Miller’s Xerxes, which will be published first as a six-issue mini-series and then collected as a graphic novel, is due to launch this year.

Vulture also speculated that Warner Bros. is very disappointed in Snyder’s genre mash-up Sucker Punch, which debuts on March 25th and reportedly has had some less than triumphant preview screenings. Snyder’s Watchmen and Legend of the Guardians were underwhelming at the box office, but then the studio was pretty much aware of that when they gave him the reins to The Man of Steel project.

HBO Promoting 'True Blood' Hardcover

2011-02-15T08:51:00.003-06:00

IDW’s first hardcover collection of its adaptation of HBO’s hit True Blood TV series is due out tomorrow, and HBO is attempting to spark additional interest in the book by emailing 400,000 fans of the show with news about the 160-page hardcover True Blood, Vol.1 ($24.99). The cast of HBO’s most watched series since The Sopranos is also going to be out and about over the next few months promoting the show’s fourth season, which launches on June 12th, and they will also be mentioning and promoting the IDW hardcover.

The IDW comic book has close ties to the show. It is co-plotted by True Blood series creator Alan Ball, and written by David Tischman (Bite Club) and Mariah Huehner with art by David Messina (Star Trek: Countdown).

Given the popularity of the True Blood TV series, IDW’s comic collection, which features Sookie on the cover, is likely to be a strong seller in both the direct and bookstore markets.

New "Thundercats" Series Reveals Its Anime Roots

2011-02-07T13:15:00.006-06:00

The new Thundercats animated series, which is being produced in Japan by Studio 4*C (The Animatrix, Batman: Gotham Knight, Tekkon Kinkreet, Halo Legends) and is set to debut on the Cartoon Network later this year, definitely has more of an “anime” look to it than the original 1980s Thundercats cartoon, even though that series was also animated in Japan.

While the Thundercats live-action movie appears to be stuck in Hollywood’s expansive “development hell,” the TV series, which was announced last summer, is on track for its 2011 debut and the new more anime-influenced character designs are on display in a recently released poster image and in the new series of licensed Thundercats toys based on the Cartoon Network series.

The new Lion-O has the faceted hairdo of a DBZ or Yu-Gi-Oh! character, while Cheetara is more waiflike in her new incarnation, and the bruising Panthro looks like he could have stepped right out of Heat Guy J. It turns out that the team’s pet/mascot Snarf, who does not appear in the poster illustration has a younger, somewhat less rotund appearance than the original character. The image of the new Snarf comes from the packaging of a new Thundercats Thunder Tank.

The sleek and powerful new Thunder Tank itself makes an interesting contrast to the original toy design. The packaging of the new Tank gives it a more massive appearance, but it also clearly pays homage to the original Thunder Tank concept.

Howard Jazzed by "Dark Tower" Project

2010-12-29T10:41:00.003-06:00

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

2010-12-22T09:15:00.002-06:00

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!

2010-12-17T09:13:00.004-06:00

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

2010-12-14T14:52:00.002-06:00

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

2010-12-14T14:47:00.003-06:00

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

2010-12-09T14:26:00.003-06:00

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"

2010-09-28T10:10:00.002-05:00

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

2010-08-27T09:19:00.002-05:00

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

2010-08-04T11:08:00.003-05:00

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

2010-07-20T14:41:00.002-05:00

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"

2010-07-20T14:35:00.003-05:00

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

2010-07-20T14:31:00.003-05:00

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'

2010-07-20T14:21:00.003-05:00

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'

2010-07-20T14:18:00.003-05:00

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

2010-07-06T11:10:00.004-05:00

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

2010-06-08T14:38:00.003-05:00

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

2010-06-03T09:52:00.003-05:00

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

2010-06-02T10:18:00.003-05:00

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

2010-05-28T14:43:00.003-05:00

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

2010-05-28T14:40:00.002-05:00

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

2010-05-28T14:35:00.003-05:00

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

2010-05-28T14:32:00.002-05:00

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

2010-05-06T09:37:00.003-05:00

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

2010-05-06T09:35:00.002-05:00

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

2010-05-06T09:30:00.003-05:00

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

2010-05-06T09:24:00.004-05:00

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"

2010-05-06T09:21:00.002-05:00

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?

2010-04-30T10:57:00.002-05:00

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

2010-04-28T16:57:00.002-05:00

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

2010-04-28T16:51:00.001-05:00

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

2010-04-28T16:46:00.003-05:00

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

2010-04-26T11:56:00.004-05:00

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

2010-04-22T10:13:00.009-05:00

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

2010-04-12T11:11:00.002-05:00

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"

2010-04-08T10:21:00.002-05:00

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

2010-04-08T10:15:00.006-05:00

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"

2010-04-07T10:31:00.003-05:00

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

2010-04-07T10:26:00.002-05:00

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

2010-03-25T10:33:00.003-05:00

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"

2010-03-25T10:28:00.004-05:00

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"

2010-03-24T09:40:00.002-05:00

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?

2010-03-23T14:22:00.003-05:00

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"

2010-03-21T16:02:00.003-05:00

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

2010-03-10T09:56:00.006-06:00

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

2010-03-10T09:48:00.002-06:00

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

2010-03-10T09:36:00.004-06:00

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

2010-03-02T13:37:00.004-06:00

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.

Alita: Battle Angel after Avatar 2

2010-02-22T13:56:00.002-06:00

James Cameron’s production partner Jon Landau told MTV’s Splash Page that the filmmaker plans to make a film based on the Battle Angel Alita anime and manga after he finishes an Avatar sequel. Cameron has been talking about making the film again recently, but exactly when had been in question.

Landau said that the new script by Laeta Kalogridis had incorporated all of the manga volumes rather than just the anime and a single volume, which had been the basis of Cameron’s past interest, and that had opened up a more rich world for a film. Landau also revealed that the property had originally been introduced to Cameron by Guillermo del Toro.

Landau said that the film would have to be named Alita: Battle Angel in order to keep Cameron’s string of films whose titles begin with “T” or “A” (Avatar, Titanic, Terminator, Aliens, etc.) intact.

Funimation Acquires 'Trigun'

2010-02-16T11:49:00.004-06:00

Funimation Entertainment has acquired home entertainment, theatrical, broadcast, digital and merchandise rights to the 26-episode Trigun anime series previously released in North America by Geneon. The space cowboy saga was a hit on the Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim and was actually more successful in the U.S. than it was in Japan. The anime series was based on 3-volume Trigun manga by Yasuhiro Nightow, which is published here by Dark Horse along with the 14-volume Trigun Maximum manga sequel.

A dozen years after the property first appeared on Japanese TV in 1998, it is set to regain some major visibility. Madhouse, which produced the original Trigun anime, is releasing an anime feature film, Trigun: Badlands Rumble (directed by Satoshi Nishimura) in Japan on April 24th.

Funimation did not announce the acquisition of the Trigun movie, but did indicate that it plans to release the original 26-episode Trigun series on DVD in the fall of 2010. Even if Funimation does not acquire the rights to the new Trigun: Badlands Rumble film, given the popularity of the property here in North American, someone will, which should provide a sales boost for Funimation’s re-release of the original series.

Also the fact that Trigun was one of Geneon's bestselling titles would appear to make it an excellent candidate for release on Blu-ray in order to recapture some of those original sales in the upgraded hi-def format.

Adult Swim to air FMA: Brotherhood

2010-02-05T10:39:00.003-06:00

Funimation has confirmed that the Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim will start broadcasting the 26-episode Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood series on Saturday night, February 13th. The series will debut at midnight (ET, PT) and at 11pm (CT, MT). Produced by Bones (the same studio responsible for the first 51-episode FMA series), the new series hews much closer to the narrative of the popular Full Metal Alchemist manga by Hiromu Arakawa, but the basic saga of the Elric brothers who attempt to resurrect their mother with alchemy and pay a significant price for their effort remains the same.

L.A. Weekly is reporting that Funimation’s vocal cast for Brotherhood is also the same with a few exceptions: Maxey Whitehead replaces Aaron Dismuke as Alphonse Elric and J. Michael Tatum takes over from Dameon Clarke as Scar.

The Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood anime began airing in Japan last April and Funimation started streaming subtitled episodes of the series here in North America almost simultaneously.

Funimation plans to release FMA: Brotherhood in two half-season 2-disc sets with Part One (episodes 1-13, 325 min. $49.98) due on May 25th. Two things about the release are very significant. First of all the fact that a high profile title like FMA: Brotherhood is debuting in the multi-disc format means that single-disc releases for TV anime series have virtually become obsolete, and secondly Funimation is releasing Part 1 on Blu-ray ($54.98) the same day as the conventional DVD version, which signals the increasing importance of the hi-def format.

The acquisition of FMA: Brotherhood by Adult Swim was expected , but there may be additional anime-related announcements from the popular late night network that has been the most potent North American TV outlet in terms of spurring anime and manga sales, but which had been reducing the amount of anime it aired over the past 12 months.

Worldwide "Sailor Moon' Revival Spreads Worldwide

2010-02-04T14:21:00.003-06:00

A resurgence of interest in the Sailor Moon property has led to a return of the classic magical girl anime series on the Japanese airwaves last fall. Now Toei Animation is hoping to revive the property on a global scale starting in Italy. Toei is partnering with Backstage, which will handle the property’s rights in publishing, TV, and merchandising. Mediaset has acquired the TV rights to the 200-episode anime series and plans to begin broadcasting it in Italy in the fall of 2010.

Toei Animation’s Kanji Kazahaya told Global License: “We are certain that strategically Italy is the ideal country to initiate a global re-launch of the classic Japanese animated series such as Sailor Moon. The Italian public has traditionally been passionate about anime.”

No word yet on a possible North American revival of the property. DIC introduced the series (in a bowdlerized form) to American TV, while Pioneer and ADV released uncut versions of various elements of the extensive library of Sailor Moon anime. Tokyopop released the Sailor Moon manga here, but the licensed lapsed before it could issue the new revised editions that were issued in Japan starting in 2003.

"Cold Space" from Afro Samurai Duo and BOOM!

2010-02-01T14:45:00.002-06:00

BOOM! Studios will launch Cold Space, a four issue $3.99 comic miniseries by two of the forces behind Afro Samurai, in April. Co-written by Samuel L. Jackson and Eric Calderon, who worked together as voice star and producer, respectively, of Afro Samurai, the launch issue will feature covers by Dave Johnson and Jeffrey Spokes, and interior art by Jeremy Rock. The two covers for the first issue will be in a 50/50 split, with a 1-in-10 incentive cover.

The story is of an on-the-run outlaw who crash-lands on a planet on the brink of civil war and decides to profit from the chaos.

“I’m a long time comic reader and big fan of many genres in graphic novels and manga…,” Jackson said. “Now’s my chance to put my stamp on the medium with something new, but with a classic taste of the stuff I already like.”

"Gundam Unicorn" is an Amazon Exclusive

2010-01-25T16:18:00.003-06:00

Bandai Visual Japan is giving Amazon.com a two-month exclusive window on the Blu-ray disc of the first episode of the new Gundam anime, Mobile Suit Gundam UC (Unicorn). Based on a popular series of light novels by Harutoshi Fukui (over 2 million copies sold in Japan), the Gundam Unicorn anime takes place in the standard Gundam Universal Century timeline just three years after the events in the film Char’s Counterattack. The Gundam Unicorn series will consist of six 50-minute episodes. The first episode of the Gundam Unicorn anime, which will include an English language track as well as the Japanese track with English subtitles, will be released simultaneously in Japan and the U.S. on March 12th.

Bandai Visual, which failed in its attempt to establish a U.S. subsidiary selling anime DVDs with the high price points that are common in Japan, has hit upon a new strategy for the Gundam Unicorn series. It remains to be seen whether granting Amazon a two-month window will lead to a different outcome than that experienced by Bandai Visual U.S., given a pricing policy that flies in the face of the downward trends in the receding U.S. anime market. Even in the Blu-ray format, Bandai Visual’s SRP of $49.98 for the first 50-minute episode of Gundam Unicorn is quite high, in spite of Amazon’s 30% discount, which lowers the price to $34.99.

To gin up interest in the new Gundam series Bandai is allowing free streaming in North America and Europe of six previous Gundam series including Mobile Suit Gundam, Mobile Suit Z Gundam, Mobile Suit Gundam Wing, Mobile Suit Gundam SEED, Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny, and Mobile Suit Gundam 00 for a limited time on Anime News Network, Crunchyroll, and YouTube.

Bandai Visual’s unlikely combination of expensive new Gundam BD releases supported by free streaming of the Gundam backlist is more evidence that the anime market in North America remains in flux with no clear path to profitability, at least not for an entity like Bandai Visual that is striving to become the “Criterion” of anime-on-DVD producers. Amazon.com has increasingly become the exclusive home for certain niche DVD titles, some of which are produced on demand via the online giant’s CreateSpace DVD-on demand-program. Is Gundam Unicorn a niche title on the order of an obscure MTV animated show like The Head? Time will tell.

"Conan the Barbarian" Actor Chosen

2010-01-25T16:13:00.004-06:00

Jason Momoa, who plays the dreadlock-wearing Ronon Dex on Stargate Atlantis, is in negotiations to portray Robert E. Howard’s Conan the Barbarian in a new film that Marcus Nispel is directing for Nu Image/Millennium Films. The reboot of cinema’s number one barbarian franchise in which Conan avenges the death of his father and the slaughter of his tribesmen, will begin principal photography in Bulgaria in the middle of March.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, producers of the Conan film had narrowed their choice to Momoa and Kellan Lutz of Twilight before settling on the six foot-four-inch half-Hawaiian, half Iowan actor, who will also be seen in HBO’s adaptation of George R.R. Martin’s A Game of Thrones.

U.S. Version of 'Torchwood' in Development

2010-01-21T11:05:00.002-06:00

A U.S. version of Torchwood is in development at Fox, according to Hollywood Reporter. Original series creator Russell Davies is writing the script. He’s joined by fellow BBC vets Julie Gardner and Jane Tranter.

Fox hasn’t ordered a pilot yet, but if it does, BBC star John Barrowman may be tapped to star in the U.S. version as well.

Torchwood has been getting great ratings in the U.S. on BBC America. The five-episode miniseries Torchwood: Children of the Earth was recently a factor in bringing BBC America its best ratings week ever .

Director Hired for 'Spidey' Reboot

2010-01-21T11:01:00.003-06:00

A new director has been hired for Spider-Man 4, which will now be the beginning of a new series of films that focus on a younger Peter Parker. Marc Webb, who directed the Golden Globe-nominated (500) Days of Summer, has been signed to direct the reboot, according to New York magazine.

Not only will Webb bring a new sensibility to the film, he also will be significantly cheaper than Sam Raimi, who was receiving gross points for his work on the franchise according to the report

Columbia to Re-Boot 'Spiderman'

2010-01-12T11:43:00.002-06:00

Sony/Columbia has decided to pull the plug on Spider-Man 4. Signs of trouble appeared last week when the studio announced that the production was put on hiatus. Now the studio has decided to fire director Sam Raimi who has helmed all three of the highly successful Spider-Man films and ditch Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst and all the high priced talent in front of the camera as well. In a successful series such as Spider-Man all the key players generally get raises for each subsequent film, which naturally drives up production costs.

Variety is reporting that the studio, which could risk losing the rights to the Spider-Man character if it doesn't produce a new film, had a contingency plan in case of problems with the Raimi-helmed Spider-Man 4. The plan involves a “reboot” script by James Vanderbilt that takes Spidey back to high school in a version that will feature all new younger actors and cost the studio far less to produce. Avi Arad and Laura Ziskin, who have been involved in the production of all 3 Spider-Man movies, will be producing the new Spider-Man film. The new teenage Spider-Man movie, which has no stars or director attached at present, is slated to debut in the summer of 2012.

Spider-Man 4 had originally been scheduled for early May of 2011, thus it was a very bad sign for the film when, in the wake of stories about delays in the production of the next Spider-Man film, Marvel Studios moved the debut of its Thor movie into the Spidey 4 slot , which just happens to coincide with Free Comic Book Day. Reports indicate that the studio was unhappy with the script for Spider-Man 4 and the villain (The Vulture) that Raimi had chosen for the film. Raimi, who obviously could have been a diplomat if he had wanted to, told Variety: “While we were looking forward to doing a fourth one together, the studio and Marvel have a unique opportunity to take the franchise in a new direction, and I know they will do a terrific job.”

Though the studio will save a potentially huge amount of money in production costs by rebooting the series, Sony/Columbia is messing with a billion dollar franchise. Let’s hope the studio is not jettisoning the character-driven approach that made the first two films in the series so compelling

Adult Swim Nabs 3 New Anime, Loses 2

2010-01-12T11:36:00.003-06:00

The Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim announced on air via title cards that it had lost the rights to show the anime series Death Note and Blood+. The entire Death Note anime series was shown on Adult Swim at least three times, while Blood+ was shown just once in its entirety (50 episodes).

The Anime News Network is reporting that Adult Swim followed the news of the expiration of the rights to Death Note and Blood+ with a cryptic announcement indicating that on a recent visit to Tokyo “we think we bought three series (maybe).”

It should be interesting to see which new series that Adult Swim, which has been aggressive in producing its own animated series and has even added live action shows to its lineup, has picked up. Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood, the sequel to the FMA series that had a very successful run on Adult Swim, is a likely candidate, as is Inuyasha: The Final Conflict, the finale to the long-running Inuyasha anime that has a rich history with the Cartoon Network that goes way back to the early days of Adult Swim.

Funimation, which handled the original Full Metal Alchemist anime, has acquired U.S. rights to FMA: Brotherhood . Viz Media distributes the Inuyasha manga and anime series as well as the Full Metal Alchemist manga in North America.

Venture Brotherrs Action Figures

2010-01-08T10:40:00.002-06:00

Bif Bang Pow! will produce a line of action figures, bobble heads, and vehicles based the Adult Swim show The Venture Bros. First up is a line of 7” resin bobble heads due out this spring. Articulated action figures will follow in the summer, featuring Dr. Venture, The Monarch, Brock Samson, Hank & Dean Venture, and others.

The deal was reached between Bif Bang Pow! and Cartoon Network Enterprises, which handles licensing and merchandising for Adult Swim.

Bif Bang Pow! has produced other tv-based toy lines, including one based on the hit show Lost

'spider-Man 4' Delayed

2010-01-06T14:15:00.002-06:00

Shooting on Spider-Man 4 has been pushed back and the May 6, 2011 release date is in jeopardy, according to Deadline Hollywood. The problem is the script, which has been on a second rewrite since the summer and is still not ready to shoot. Crew members are being told to stand down until a new shooting start date is set.

Marvel movies (both from Marvel and its licensees) have aggressively staked out the first weekend in May (Free Comic Book Day!) for years, especially for Spider-Man, so the date will not be given up lightly, but a script would have to be approved soon for production to be completed in time.

'Deadpool' Movie Gets Writers from Zombieland

2010-01-06T14:12:00.003-06:00

Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick have been signed to write the screenplay for Deadpool , according to Variety. The pair wrote Zombieland and also did a draft of the Venom script.

The Deadpool movie is set to star Ryan Reynolds, who’s about to begin shooting Green Lantern.

'Dune' Gets New Director

2010-01-06T14:10:00.003-06:00

Pierre Morel (Taken) has signed a deal to direct a remake of Dune, according to Variety. Morel replaces Peter Berg, who had been working on a Dune pic , but got diverted to the Battleship film.

The 1984 David Lynch Dune film wasn’t a commercial success, but did spawn a wide range of merchandise.

Disney Expands Ties With Stan Lee After Marvel Acquisition

2010-01-04T18:29:00.002-06:00

The same day that its acquisition of Marvel was finalized, The Walt Disney Company announced that it was expanding its ties with Stan Lee’s Pow! Entertainment. The Disney Studios signed a “first look” agreement with Pow! in 2007 . Under the new agreement, Walt Disney Studios gains enhanced rights to the creative output of Pow! Entertainment as well as exclusive consulting services. In addition Disney has taken a 10% equity stake in Pow! with an investment of $2.5 million.

Bob Chapek, President of Worldwide Distribution for the Disney Studios, commented on the new agreement: “Stan has incredible creative energy and continues to come up with great original stories that can work across many of our platforms, ranging from console games to motion pictures and from our boys-focused Disney XD network to mobile devices. Put that together with his knowledge and familiarity of the Marvel universe and it makes perfect sense to extend our excellent working relationship with Stan and POW!

'Ghostbusters 3' Progressing

2010-01-04T18:26:00.002-06:00

Harold Ramis who co-wrote the original Ghostbusters films and starred as Dr. Egon Spengler, told an interviewer that the long-awaited Ghostbusters 3 “is progressing with plans to shoot next summer and release in 2011.” The GB3 project will include much of the original cast as well as a new generation of younger Ghostbusters.
Ramis told Heeb.com “Dan (Aykroyd) did write a spec GB3 screenplay a few years ago, but no one was motivated to pursue it. Now, 25 years after the original, there seems to be some willingness to proceed and apparently a substantial public appetite for a sequel.”

'Captain America' Filming in June 2010

2009-12-30T10:58:00.002-06:00

Joe Johnston, the director of Marvel Studios’ Captain America has revealed that he is working toward a June start for filming the The First Avenger: Captain America, which is slated for a July 22, 2011 debut.

In an article in Fangoria about Johnston’s remake of The Wolfman, Johnston told the interviewers that he was speaking from the Marvel Studios’ art department where he was readying the Captain America film for a June start. So far none of the cast of the Cap movie has been announced, though if the film is to begin principal photography in June, casting announcements will likely be made over the next few months.

Lupin the 3rd Episode 0 : the First Contact

2009-12-30T10:53:00.003-06:00

Amazon currently has a listing for Lupin the 3rd Episode 0: First Contact, which is slated for release on March 20th, 2010. The 92-minute TV Special, which aired in Japan in 2002, will be available from Discotek Media for $24.95. This is the first Lupin DVD out in North America since Geneon stopped the release of the Lupin the 3rd TV show (many episodes of which were directed by Miyazaki), and Funimation finished with the eight TV specials that it licensed in 2002. Unlike the Geneon and Funimation releases, the Discotek DVD won’t have an English dub track, just English subtitles.

Based on the seinen manga created by Monkey Punch, Lupin the 3rd is the saga of a team of super thieves led by Arsene Lupin III, the grandson of the fictional French cat burglar created by Maurice LeBlanc. Hundreds of episodes of various Lupin the 3rd anime series were produced in the 1970s and 1980s along with six theatrical films including a certified classic, Miyazaki’s Castle of Cagliostro, as well as 21 movie-length TV specials that have remained a fixture on Japanese TV right up to the present day.

"300" tie-in is 'Xerxes'

2009-12-18T10:19:00.001-06:00

Frank Miller has plotted a new graphic novel tied to "300" titled Xerxes, the comics auteur told Geoff Boucher of the LA Times, and is beginning to work on the art. The book will tell the story of the Battle of Marathon, which takes place prior to the events in 300.

Dark Horse publisher Mike Richardson told ICv2, “We hope so,” when asked whether he thought he would get a new Miller project in 2010

"The Borrowers" from Studio Ghibli

2009-12-18T10:15:00.002-06:00

Studio Ghibli will release a new animated feature based on The Borrowers, the award-winning 1952 children’s fantasy novel (plus sequels) about small beings that borrow things from full-sized humans and keep their existence hidden, next summer. The film, Karigurashi no Arrietty (Arrietty Borrows Everything), will be directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi with uber-director Hayao Miyazaki writing and overseeing the production.

Bryan Singer on 'X-men: First Class"

2009-12-18T10:10:00.002-06:00

Bryan Singer has signed to direct X-Men: First Class for Fox, returning to the franchise he started by directing X-Men and X2, according to the Heat Vision blog. The characters will be younger than in the other movies, and the movie will tell the story of Xavier and Magneto’s first meeting and the founding of the Xavier Institute.

A new writer, Jamie Moss, has been hired to produce a script. Josh Schwartz did an earlier version.

Blake's 7 Audio CDs'

2009-12-01T11:23:00.005-06:00

Created by Terry Nation, the writer who brought The Daleks to Doctor Who, Blake’s 7 is a legendary BBC science fiction series that aired in the U.K. from 1978-1981. Noted for its dark pessimistic tone this Robin Hood-like space opera has earned a devoted following over the years. In 2006 B7 Productions began creating a series of Blake’s 7 audio narratives written by Ben Aaronovitch, Marc Platt, and James Swallow that were produced in association with the Sci-Fi Channel. Described as a “radical new re-interpretation of Terry Nation’s original series,” the radio plays featured Derek Riddell as Roj Blake, Colin Salmon as the tech-savvy con man Kerr Avon, and Daniela Nardini as megalomaniacal Terran Commander Servalan.

The B7 Productions audio dramas have been collected in a series of 3 CDs. CD #1 Rebel and CD #2 Traitor have an MSRP of $15.98, while CD#3 Liberator, a 2-CD set is $27.98. All three are available in a slip-cased set for an MSRP of $59.98. The Blake’s 7 CDs are available from Davis Marketing Services and will be offered in the January issue of Diamond Comic Distributor’s Previews.

Another audio series from B7 Productions, Blake’s 7: The Early Years takes listeners back to the early years when the seeds of the rebellion were sown. The Early Years series, which provides the backstories for the key characters in the series, was also written by Aaronovitch, Platt & Swallow. The Early Years CDs feature vocal work from original Blake 7 cast members Michael Keating and Jan Chappell as well as from some of the actors from the B7 productions. The first five of the Blake’s 7: The Early Years CDs will also be listed in the January Previews.

Justice League : Crisis on Two Earths - New DC DVD

2009-11-24T13:40:00.003-06:00

'Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths'
Plus a Spectre Short

Warner Premiere, DC Comics, and Warner Bros. Animation will release Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths, the seventh in the DC Universe Animated series of direct-to-DVD features, on February 23rd. The story by Dwayne McDuffie will be exec-produced by Bruce Timm and co-directed by Lauren Montgomery and Sam Liu. It will kick off when a good Lex Luthor arrives from an alternate universe to get help from the Justice League in saving his Earth from a team of villains with identical powers to the Justice League.

The voice cast will include Mark Harmon as Superman, James Woods as Owlman, Chris Noth as Lex Luthor, William Baldwin as Batman, Gina Torres as Superwoman and Bruce Davison as the President.

The film will be released in three versions: single-disc version for $19.98; two-disc Special Edition for $24.98, and Blu-ray for $29.99.

Both the Special Edition and Blu-ray versions will include the first in a new series of animated shorts, DC Showcase: The Spectre. The Spectre will be written by Steve Niles; the voice cast will include Gary Cole and Alyssa Milano. Both will also include The New World, a documentary featurette about Brad Meltzer’s Identity Crisis narrated by Michael Uslan; a sneak peak at the next DC Universe Animated feature; and two episodes of Justice League Unlimited hand-picked by Bruce Timm.

In addition to those extras, the Blu-ray version will include two additional episodes of Justice League Unlimited, plus TV pilots for the live action shows Wonder Woman and Aquaman.

The most recent DC Universe Animated feature, Superman/Batman: Public Enemies was released in September.

Three Cast for Thor Movie

2009-11-19T11:57:00.002-06:00

Marvel has announced that actors have been chosen to play the Warriors Three (Fandral, Hogun and Volstagg) in the upcoming Thor movie. Stuart Townsend will play Fandral; Tadanobu Asano will play Hogun; and Ray Stevenson will play Volstagg.

Anthony Hopkins also recently joined the cast as Odin for the rest of the cast. The Kenneth Branagh film will premiere on May 20, 2011.

"V" Ratings Drop in 2nd and 3rd Weeks

2009-11-19T11:54:00.001-06:00

Ratings on the new series of "V" have dropped significantly since the highly successful premiere episode . Viewership dropped a third between the first and third episodes.

After 13.9 million viewers tuned in to the first episode, 10.7 million viewers watched the second, and 9.3 million viewers watched this week’s episode.

One more episode will air in this initial grouping, followed by a long break before the season resumes.

"Chipmunks", "Tinker Bell" are Surprises Up for Oscars

2009-11-19T09:44:00.004-06:00

Twenty films have been submitted for consideration in the Animated Feature Film category at next year's Oscars. Under rules for the category, a max of five will actually be nominated.
According to the Associated Press, 20 is a record number of submissions in the category. The previous best was 17 in 2002.

The list includes some clear favorites including Up, Coraline, and Fantastic Mr. Fox. The inclusion of the upcoming animated/live-action Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel is a surprise since the film is mainly live-action like the first one.

Another surprise is Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure. The movie is considered a direct-to-video release by most but must have had the necessary theatrical release shortly before its Oct. 27 DVD/Blu-ray street.

Here are the 20 films up for consideration:

Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel
Astro Boy
Battle for Terra
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
Coraline
Disney's A Christmas Carol
The Dolphin – Story of a Dreamer
Fantastic Mr. Fox
Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs
Mary and Max
The Missing Lynx
Monsters vs. Aliens
9
Planet 51
Ponyo
The Princess and the Frog
The Secret of Kells
Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure
A Town Called Panic
Up

No indication of quality is inferred in these submissions. They simply have been submitted by each film's producers and meet the necessary requirements. Obviously if they were submitted, the studio thinks the movie is good enough to at least be nominated.

The 82nd Academy Awards nominations will be announced on Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2010, at 5:30 a.m. Pacific Time. The awards will be given out on Sunday, Mar. 7.

Source: AMPAS

"Dollhouse Canceled"

2009-11-12T11:58:00.005-06:00

Joss Whedon’s Dollhouse, which premiered to weak ratings this season , has been canceled by Fox, according to the Hollywood Reporter . It’s expected to finish its thirteen episode season, but it’s not clear when the episodes will air. It has been off the air during sweeps month and was slated to resume airing new episodes in December .

The fact that the series has been canceled does not necessarily mean the property is dead. Whedon took the ideas from his canceled series Firefly and turned them into the theatrical release Serenity, after the devotion of fans showed that there would be a market for the film.