The Captain Marvel film seems to finally be moving forward again, if this Variety item is anything to go by. Get Smart's Peter Segal has set a first-look deal at Warner Bros., and as part of the deal the studio acquired the John August-scripted Captain Marvel which Segel is still in line to direct.
The film was originally set up at New Line, but we all remember what happened there, so Marvel fans will be relieved to know he's got a new studio to call home -- and one that all his DC friends are at. I'm curious about the title switch ... are they going to retitle it Captain Marvel, and risk everyone being confused as to which comic brand he belongs to?
The last word we had on the project was precisely a year ago, when Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson signed on to play the villainous Black Adam. Variety makes no mention as to whether he's still attached. I hope he is, the fans chose him! You can't recast after a stunt like that.
Considering it has a script, a director, a villain, and a studio, all Shazam/Marvel needs is its hero, and it could be on the big screen before Warner Bros decides what to do with Superman. I'm not the biggest fan of the character, but he's a perfect one for the kids, especially in this era of dark and gritty superheroes.
Poor Jonah Hex. As William Goss reported earlier, Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor have left the scarred cowboy behind due to creative differences. But does he still have Josh Brolin to play him, or not?
The truth is, Brolin can't decide if he is. He had a chat with MTV News that didn't decide the question, but did reveal his enthusiasm for the project: "When I first read it I thought, oh my God it's awful! And then I had a moment a week later and I thought why is it awful? Maybe the thing to do is to do the most awful movie I can find ... [I love] the absurdity of it. It almost allows you to create a new genre. I love going back into the spaghetti western idea and completely turning it around."
Will he ever make up his mind? "Soon. In the last couple months I've been going back and forth about it. I went back to my gut. Is it a sell out? What is it I like about this movie? ... It's so tongue in cheek. It's so ridiculous. But once I started putting people in my mind and saying what if I put Malkovich in this role then what does this movie become? Now let's put this producer and director on it and think about how it plays out. Then it becomes fun. Now I love that movie. If you have a great filmmaker come in then suddenly these gags and characters become interesting."
...and yet still managed to be a damn good movie? Well I sure thought it was, anyway, even if the Tomato-meter doesn't seem to agree with me. I said lots of nice things about the flick back in my original review, but I also longed to see Peter Berg's original cut. The one that wasn't sacrificed at the altar of the demigod known as PeeGee-Thirteen.
So hey! Hancock comes out on DVD next week, and guess what? Two different versions! (Three if you count the Blu-Ray, which offers both versions in the same package.) OK, so according to this DVD cover, the theatrical cut runs 92 minutes, while this DVD coverclearly illustrates that the Unrated Cut goes about 102 minutes. And you don't need t snip a full ten minutes just to excise a few F-bombs. Needless to say, I'm very enthused about checking out the "unrated" cut -- but they don't actually call it a Director's Cut ... so could we be looking at another DVD somewhere down the line? (What a shocking assumption, I know.) For more on the Hancock DVD, check out this review that I'll read in about a week. But I trust the source.
It's a bird, it's a plane ... no wait, it's Bryan Singer dodging more Superman sequel questions!
Pretty soon Bryan Singer will be doing a big publicity push for Valkyrie, and when that time comes look for folks to be bombarding him with Superman sequel scenarios ("Well what if you half-produced it and starred as a villainous mutant Hitler who wears an eye patch -- is that an option?"). After all, things are still way up in the air regarding further installments for a franchise that's ... let's just say stalled at the moment. MTV managed to snag a quick chat with Singer regarding Valkyrie and you betcha they snuck a Supes question in there. On whether he'll be directing, Singer says, "At the moment, I can't really talk about that. I wish I could. From my perspective, I'm going to take a brief pause. This movie has taken a long time, so I'm going to take a pause. A movie like that takes some time to do right. That's all I can say about that."
The good news? Singer "can't" talk about it, which means something is brewing and he'd love to share his opinion. Most likely the studio has him on "shut the hell up" watch, which probably means we won't get anything more with regards to Superman until a decision on where exactly they're going with this sucker is made. Interestingly enough, he does admit to having dinner with The Dark Knight director Christopher Nolan. Says Singer, "We had dinner, and [Marvel Studios founder] Avi Arad ran into us. Isn't that strange? It was such a moment. The three of us were just sitting there thinking, "Isn't this bizarre?" I should have called ["Spider-Man" director Sam] Raimi up and said, "We've got sushi. Get over here!" Tom Cruise meets Hitler after the jump!
Cinematical has been given an exclusive look at the first official still for Astro Boy (see above), while our very good looking cohorts over at Moviefone have just debuted the first teaser (see below or over on Moviefone in glorious HD). Based on the popular Japanese manga and television series, this computer-animated 3-D version of Astro Boy is being produced by those wizards over at Imagi Animation Studios, and stars the voices of Freddy Highmore, Kristen Bell, Nicolas Cage, Bill Nighy, Donald Sutherland, Nathan Lane and Eugene Levy.
From the synopsis: "Set in futuristic Metro City, Astro Boy is about a young robot with incredible powers. Powered by pure positive "blue" energy, Astro Boy (Freddie Highmore) is endowed with super strength, x-ray vision, unbelievable speed and the ability to fly-not to mention the purest spirit on the planet. Embarking on a journey across the planet to discover his powers, Astro Boy encounters a netherworld of robot gladiators and other comic characters, and learns the joys and emotions of being human. When he learns his friends and family are in danger, Astro Boy marshals all his awesome super powers and returns to Metro City, in a valiant effort to save everything he cares about and to embrace his place in the world."
Astro Boywill soar into theaters on October 23, 2009.
With only two features to their credit -- they co-wrote and co-directed 2006's Crank, and together scripted this past spring's Pathology -- maybe it's a bit premature to declare myself a fan of the duo known as Neveldine/Taylor. (Even if that's the case, Eugene's got my back.) Yes, I'm the guy psyched for Crank 2: High Voltage, and I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt for other upcoming projects, such as the Gerard Butler actioner Game and the comic book adaptation Jonah Hex...
Well, now, the latter's lost maybe only a fraction of what precious little interest it had, as Neveldine/Taylor has reportedly walked away from directing the project, citing (and say it with me now) "creative differences." However, the implication from this Variety brief is that their script is already done and will be the same one that Josh Brolin is still tapped to star in (to Thomas Jane's probable dismay).
Something tells me that a film that's gathered this much attention to date won't go unmade, but it's now a matter of who will helm it. 2009 will remain the year of N/T regardless, with Crank 2 scheduled to open in April and Game in September.
It's the middle of the work week, and I think you need some violence to carry you through the rest. Yahoo! Movies has a new behind-the-scenes clip from Punisher: War Zone, which you can access by clicking the link or the scope of Frank Castle's gun. It's short, but sweet, with some peeks at the glorious violence that will make this a real Christmas treat, at least in my warped out world. There's not much new footage, but you get to hear from Ray Stevenson, Dominic West, Julie Benz, the controversy magnet Lexi Alexander, and producer Gale Anne Hurd.
The best part? Hearing Stevenson's real Northern accent. I wish we had gotten a few more videos like these, Zack Snyder style, showing off the Punisher's hardware or something. My fondness for Stevenson has been well documented here, so you will sneer at that wish, but they really needed to sell their new Frank Castle. I'm convinced he's the perfect guy for the part, I just hope the film lets him prove it. If nothing else, at least we get to see someone killed by chair leg. I know that scene alone is going to be responsible for 95% of the tickets sold.
Since I started this crazy Cinematical gig, Gale Anne Hurd has become one of my heroes. She digs comic books, and she digs badass chicks, and she's often behind a movie that combines the two. And this project is no exception. According to Variety, she's has optioned Gearhead, Dennis Hopeless' four issue series from Arcana Comics.
Gearhead is the story of Shelby Cooper, a chick who disdains the electric cars and PC-living of a United States set in a fascist and post-apocalyptic future. She's the daughter of Gearhead, a vigilante hero who lacked superpowers, but fought crime with a giant wrench. Though she's more into racing and repairing her illegal gas guzzling car, she find herself taking on her father's vigilante persona in order to find her missing brother. All four issues are up on Wowio -- I've only read the first so far, but it seems like a lot of fun. Plus, Shelby owns a pug dog, which endears her to me even more than her skull-splitting ways.
Hurd is a self-avowed fan of the book, and told UGO last month that she thinks Ellen Page would be great in the title role. The dialogue certainly has that Page level of snark to it -- and it would be pretty fun to see her mouth off while bloodying someone up. I'll definitely be checking out the rest of the series, and looking forward to seeing Hurd bring another tough chick to the screen. Someone has to do it!
Cinematical has just received this exclusive final poster for The Spirit, which sports Frank Miller's (300, Sin City) solo directorial debut and stars Gabriel Macht, Samuel L. Jackson, Eva Mendes, Scarlett Johansson, Sarah Paulson and our favorite fangirl, Jaime King. Based on Will Eisner's famed comic book series. The Spirit tells of a rookie cop who returns from the dead to fight crime in the shadows of Central City and square off against the villainous Octopus (Jackson), who kills anyone unlucky enough to see his face ... all the while facing a bevy of beautiful women who either want to seduce, love or kill our masked crusader. Check out a larger version of this poster in the gallery below.
The Avengers won't be the only Marvel superteam on the big screen -- the X-Men are returning! According to Variety, 20th Century Fox is kicking X-Men: First Class into gear by hiring Josh Schwartz to pen the screenplay. Schwartz was also offered the director's chair, but he declined, leaving the job open for now. Schwartz's specialty is teen fare -- he's the man behind Gossip Girl, The OC, and Chuck. Happily, Lauren Shuler Donner will be producing, so it should stay on the right track, and not stray too far into silly teen fare.
The studio is keeping quiet on the finer points, but it's unlikely that it will revolve around the teenage versions of Cyclops & Co, as the series X-Men: First Class actually does. Instead, they'll be using the young X-wannabes introduced in the previous three films, like Iceman, Angel, Rogue, Kitty Pryde, Jubilee (if you can call her cameo an introduction), and Colossus. I'd love it if they kept it current to the comics by mixing some of the Astonishing students, like Blindfold and Armor in -- especially if Armor replaced Jubilee.
Is there room in Hollywood for more than one giant robot franchise? Well, Warner Bros. certainly seems to think so. The long-gestating feature film version of the classic anime Robotech isn't dead in the water yet -- and to prove it, WB has hired two new writers to give the script another polish. The Hollywood Reporter has announced that Alfred Gough and Miles Millar have signed to write the live-action adaption.
Robotech originally aired during the '80s in North America (and was compiled from three different series' released in Japan); the film is being described as "A sprawling sci-fi epic" and takes place in a not-too-distant future where humans have developed giant robots from an alien technology. When another invasion looms, mankind hops in their giant robots to fend off the alien hoard, and the fate of the human race is left in the hands of two young pilots. Tobey Maguire will still produce, but it remains to be seen if Maguire will star -- and at the rate this project is moving, Maguire is going to be in his 40's by the time this film hits theaters.
Gough and Millar aren't the first writers to take a stab at the anime classic. Back in June, we reported that Lawrence Kasdan was drafting a script, but the project seemed to stall after that. According to THR, Warners is keen to get the film into production, and the hiring of Millar and Gough could give the film a needed boost of "geek cred" since both worked on Spider Man 2 and The Mummy Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, as well as a stint writing for Smallville.
It looks like it could be some time before Robotech finally makes its way to the big screen, but here's your chance to sound off on whether you would actually want to see it on the big screen ...
By necessity, I spend a lot of time on the Internet – and that time is quite narrowly focused on movie and comic book sites, with quick dashes to CNN or Jezebel to see what is going on outside of Warner Bros or Marvel. I'm constantly plugged in, Borg style, and the trailers, rumors, debunkings, rants, and reviews fly by in a rapid stream of information. I'm generally a month or two ahead of everyone I know in "real life," and I've gotten used to the fact that most of my friends and family are only just now hearing something about this weird Watchmen movie. Movie news just doesn't move the same way "out there."
Occasionally, though, a story will shatter through the space-time continuum and everyone will be chattering about it while its still on my radar. Last week, it was Beyonce as Wonder Woman. It was being argued over everywhere I went, and was still being hashed out at my gamer/comic hangout last night. The staying power of this story is not only impressive, it's refreshing for one reason – people really care about Wonder Woman. Men and women of all ages and levels of geekery were incredibly passionate about this story; they all had very definite opinions, and there was little debate. Beyonce shouldn't be Wonder Woman. End of story.
Last week, I had the chance to visit the set of Dear John, Lasse Hallström's adaptation of Nicholas' Sparks heartbreaking novel. I'll get to tell you all about the visit and the movie at a later date, so keep an eye out. In the meantime, though, I thought I'd tease fandom with a Captain America soundbite. While talking to the film's leading man, Channing Tatum, I couldn't resist asking him if he'd play the First Avenger, mentioning that at least one reader had nominated him for the part last week. Surprisingly, that reader isn't the first one to think of him for the part -- a crew member tried to soften him up, too! Here's his unvarnished response:
"Captain America? Oh my God! Oddly enough, I just got given a book – one of the painters came up and here gave me a book. I would think about it. Maybe it's destiny! I would definitely think about it – I just got done doing G.I. Joe, though. If Joe does well, and it doesn't seem to be the exact same story, then I would. I don't know. They seem to be very, very similar – almost identical. Except for the – I think he takes a serum? Like a strength serum? [But the WWII setting] could be very very cool. "
So, there you have it. Tatum is definitely a bit reluctant to jump into the All American Hero mold again -- but it is Captain America, which is a pretty tempting superhero for any actor to play. I'll freely admit a bit of bias in saying that Tatum has risen on my personal "Who should play Cap?" list, because he certainly has the right personal qualities. He's a genuine, stand-up guy -- there's a reason Hollywood is itching to have him play in uniform so often. And hey, there's worse things than being typecast as the heroic soldier!
(Note: This evening, Cinematical screened a whole bunch of footage from J.J. Abrams' Star Trek in New York City. We'll have a breakdown of scenes screened, our thoughts and some words from Abrams himself real soon. In the meantime, here's a little Trek guide for you newbies out there.)
By now, you've probably seen the leaked trailer for J.J. Abrams' reinvention of Star Trek. Hopefully, as you're reading this, you will probably have seen a shiny official version. This is supposed to be Trek for a new generation, a movie that reintroduces the original characters of Kirk and Spock to people who have only seen Trek through watered down sequels and spin-offs. As impossible as it seems, there are people who find all things Trek a mystery -- and when our beloved editor, Erik Davis, asked me to put together a guide, I found myself in a bit of a panic. I began asking my Trekkie friends what they would tell a newbie -- and since we all arrived at roughly these same ten facts, I feel less silly sharing them. If you're new to the final frontier, read on. If you've been wearing your Spock ears since preschool, just go watch the trailer again.
Fact #1:Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry modeled the show on Gulliver's Travels, wanting each episode to be both an exciting adventure and a social parable. The show tackled all kinds of 60s social issues -- feminism, racism, ecology, religion, the Cold War, and Vietnam. Perhaps the biggest hurdle facing Abrams' film is whether or not it can attain that same level of social awareness. Will the new Trek film make a commentary on anything, or will it be nothing but empty action in the name of rebooting?
It was last August when I first heard the phrase "WAR MONKEYS," and I've been waiting for fresh news ever since. Yes, seriously. Now it comes, courtesy of Shock, and the news is this: War Monkeys will be directed by Kevin Munroe, which thrills me not because I necessarily loved Munroe's last movie (TMNT), but because a production company doesn't sign a director unless the movie is actually being made. Which means that WAR MONKEYS is being made. That's awesome.
Munroe told Shock that Cleve Nettles' script is sort of like "Quentin Tarantino's Gremlins," which is a description that makes my salivary glands kick in. But wait, there's more! It's also "an older, meaner brother of [an] Amblin [production]. It's real horror with real scary elements. You've got real monsters here with the monkeys. But the characters are a modern day Abbott and Costello. In the same vein of Shaun of the Dead but scarier."
And in case you thought the title was a joke of some kind ... it's not. The movie is about two guys trapped underground with a gang of furious, military-trained rhesus monkeys who are mega-smart and weapon-trained. I wish this movie could come out tomorrow.
The Captain Marvel film seems to finally be moving forward again, if this Variety item is anything to go by. Get Smart's Peter Segal has set a first-look deal at Warner Bros., and as part of the deal the studio acquired the John August-scripted Captain Marvel which Segel is still in line to direct. 
Poor Jonah Hex. As William Goss 
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Is there room in Hollywood for more than one giant robot franchise? Well, Warner Bros. certainly seems to think so. The long-gestating feature film version of the classic anime Robotech isn't dead in the water yet -- and to prove it, WB has hired two new writers to give the script another polish. The Hollywood Reporter has 
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