It can't feel great to be known as the guy who blew a primetime career simply because he couldn't keep his big mouth shut. But, there is still hope for Isaiah Washington, and The Hollywood Reporter announced he has picked up his first feature film role since being fired from Grey's Anatomy. Washington has now signed to star opposite Forrest Whitaker in Tim Story's sports drama, Patriots.

Patriots is based on the true story of Al Collins (played by Whitaker); a high school basketball coach. After the disaster of Hurricane Katrina, Collins put together a local team consisting of kids displaced from their schools and homes, and led them to the state championships. Washington will play the assistant coach who helps lead the squad to the championships.

I can't be the only one getting tired of all these inspirational sports movies. It's gotten to the point where they are bleeding together into one long Hallmark Movie of the Week, but for the ESPN set. Although, I should have expected nothing less from the writers behind Remember the Titans and The Great Debaters (debating is kind of a sport, right?). Patriots will begin shooting on location in New Orleans later this week, and will arrive in theaters later this year.

OK, correct me if I am wrong here, but did anyone really enjoy the last two Fantastic Four movies so much that a third installment is really necessary? I guess when the last film raked in $131,921,738, Fox figured they might as well take another shot. IESB recently got the chance to speak with Ms. Invisible herself, Jessica Alba, about the possibility of a third film. For those of us out there who thought the first two were a waste of time and celluloid, don't worry, it looks like we might have the writer's strike to thank for a delay. Alba tells IESB, "I know the writers strike and the impending actors strike has kind of put a wrench in everything production wise. That film takes a lot of prep, a good six months of prep and about six months to shoot. With the strike, I think, maybe it's put on hold."

The first two films were directed by Tim Story, who is currently working on the feel-good sports movie, Patriots, with Forrest Whitaker. So, if a Fantastic sequel is delayed, there is still plenty of time to get Story back at the helm for a third film. News of a third Fantastic film first surfaced back in June; however, while most reports pointed towards a reunion with the Silver Surfer, Alba made no mention of it in her interview with IESB. As for the rest of the cast, Ioan Gruffudd (Mr. Fantastic), Michael Chiklis (The Thing), and Chris Evans (Human Torch), I can only assume they would all be on board for another film. As long as there is some "gold in these hills," it looks like Fox is going to milk the quartet for all they are worth.

Variety reports that the desperate-for-a-hit Weinstein Company is close to signing Forest Whitaker to star in Patriots, a drama to be directed by Tim Story (Barbershop, The Fantastic Four). Whitaker will play "Al Collins, basketball coach for John Ehret High in Marrero, Louisiana, who led his Patriots to the state championship a year after Katrina ravaged the school and displaced many of its students." Collins' team was made up of ten players who had attended five different schools prior to Katrina. I smell Oscars, baby! This is the first film to set a start date as a result of the WGA's deal with The Weinstein Company. Robert Eisele (writer of The Great Debaters, which also starred Whitaker) wrote the script for Patriots.

Says Story, "I've gotten caught up with the Fantastic Four films but wanted to find a smaller film with heart, that brought me back to Barbershop, and this has come together with one of the best actors out there. What Coach Collins did to give back the lives of his players is so inspiring." It does sound like an inspiring story, and with its post-Katrina setting, it's bound to be moving. But Hollywood, you listen to me and you listen good. I need you to take a year off from the inspirational sports movies set against a backdrop of racism, adversity, etc. Just one year, that's all I ask. I can't take it anymore. I like these movies. The formula works. I love Forest Whitaker. But this is enough. They're all basically the same. And Great Debaters? You count too. Simply substituting debate for basketball or football doesn't disguise you. You're one of them, too. And this is enough.

Heading into Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, my expectations were pretty low. The original was slow, dull and gimmicky, with too much set-up and not enough punch. That said, I'm about to make a very bold statement -- not only is this film far superior to its predecessor, but it's also one of the best sequels this summer has to offer. Granted, that's not saying a whole lot, but when it comes to entertaining a mass audience -- delivering equal parts quirk and fast-paced action -- Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer serves up fun on a, well, silver platter. Unlike other recent comic adaptations content on force-feeding you bland melodrama to a point where the entire theater begins to reek like cheese, Silver Surfer never takes itself seriously. It's PG-rated summer popcorn fluff at its best, and while the new additions might irritate the hardcore FF fanatics, those simply looking for a check-your-brain-at-the-door night out at the movies will certainly surf away satisfied.

It's hard enough focusing all the attention around one superhero, and four makes the task even tougher. Director Tim Story took a real chance with this sequel; although fans would've loved a darker, more sinister tone, he went in a completely different direction -- opting to instead tap into the old school, feel-good vibes of the original Superman films (parts 1 and 2), while utilizing a bigger budget to really make this thing sail. However, not all the effects hit their mark (specifically Mr. Fantastic's stretch technique, which looked completely silly and over-the-top in more than a few scenes), but the work done on the Silver Surfer (voiced by Laurence Fishburne) more than made up for the minor faults in our main characters. In fact, the worst part of FF2 was the actual "all-media" screening -- chock-full of of delinquents who wouldn't stop talking the entire time. Not at the screen, mind you, but at each other. And I sat next to a homeless guy. Seriously. So if I can walk away from that experience and still enjoy this film more than any sequel/adaptation/threequel/you name it this summer, that's saying a lot for what the FF gang offered up for this, their second time around the block.

What happens to a director who helms three unwatchable films in a row? Well, it depends on how much money they make, obviously. After coming out with the snore-fest Barbershop, then following that up with the universally-panned comedy Taxi and directing a braindead adaptation of beloved comic Fantastic Four, Tim Story is now being handed the keys to another comic franchise, The Losers. The plot, which has gone through several permutations over the years, revolves around a bunch of Army misfits during WWII who are betrayed, then go on a mission to find out who set them up and why. HR reports that the movie "will be a one-off but with sequel potential," which I guess goes without saying. Interestingly, the adaptation that's getting greenlit was written by Peter Berg, who was set to direct but changed his mind for unspecified reasons.

Next week, of course, Story will see the release of Fantastic Four 2: Rise of the Silver Surfer, a film I really can't believe they let him direct after the way he handled the first one, but there you go. Silver Surfer reunites the original cast and adds a planet-surfing scout for a planet-devouring villain, who has a very familiar voice. We recently conducted a reader Q&A with the co-screenwriter of the film, Don Payne, and you can read some of the questions and answers from that by clicking here.

I'd like you to think that the only reason I watched So You Think You Can Dance last night was to check out the brand new super long trailer for Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. Strategically placed an hour or so into the show (that way people like me would find themselves slowly hypnotized by all those gyrating hips, to a point where the trailer becomes worthless and all you want is for the show to continue on), the trailer itself was fairly decent. I say 'fairly decent' because that's exactly how I felt after watching it -- kind of like, "Okay, it has potential but I'm not blown away." Perhaps I was the only one who felt that way; for the film's sake, I hope I was.

Part of the problem with all these Fantastic Four trailers is that, with the exception of that very first teaser (the one that showed Johnny Storm battling Silver Surfer), none of them have really kicked ass. Not only that, but none of them have shown us enough of a villain to adequately shake us up. Once again, all the Silver Surfer does here is fly around ... in every single scene. "Look, he's flying over there! Wait, now he's flying over there! Watch out, it's the Silver Surfer ... flying again!" I sort of dig the whole "swapping super powers" gimmick (and there's a really cool shot of Storm at the end using a number of different powers), but since I just watched Shrek the Third (a film that also used the swapping technique), it didn't hit me the way it should have. That's not to say I don't want to see the film; I really do. I'm truly rooting for Tim Story to deliver a dynamite flick -- God knows we need at least one blockbuster to knock one out of the ballpark this summer. And maybe it's better that these trailer don't build up too much hype; this way you're not completely let down (ahem, Spider-Man 3) when the movie fails to meet your expectations. Yeah, that's it.

For those that missed the trailer last night (as well as a highly-entertaining dance show), I've snatched it up and included it after the jump. Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer arrives on June 15. Enjoy.

Since it did not stand up to some of the buzz surrounding the other superhero flick this summer, the sequel to Fantastic Four has had a relatively low profile. There have already been a few sets of posters so far, and now Marvel.com is hosting 10 new international posters for Fantastic Four 2: Rise of The Silver Surfer. The one-sheets have been pretty consistent, and these latest posters are no different. Giving us a look at all 4 heroes decked out in their "spandexed" best. We also get another look at the Surfer himself, and now since we know what he is going to sound like too, a pretty clear picture is starting to emerge for fans.

Director Tim Story has already promised fans a definite improvement from the last film -- namely more action. Opinions have varied so far on whether a sequel can deliver, although considering the reaction the trailer received back in December, expectations seem pretty low to begin with. It's not like this latest round of posters is going to convince anyone to see the film who wasn't planning on it already. Although I'm sure a 30-foot Jessica Alba in a skin-tight cat suit will draw at least a few glances. Considering no one was all that excited about this sequel in the first place, any talk of a third film is going to have to wait until opening weekend.

Last we heard from director Tim Story, he told us (via his MySpace Page) that Galactus would make an appearance in Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, but that the design was not finished yet. However, he did say "it will be pretty powerful." Seeing as, in the comics, Galactus is a God-like villain who consumes entire planets in order to stay alive, one would assume his/its first appearance on screen would be quite epic. You'd think that, right? Well, according to AICN (via one of their secret scoopers), you best break out the umbrella because Galactus is going to look like ... a storm cloud. Ya know, as in "I think it's going to rain -- oh wait, that's not rain, it's ... a God-like villain looking to consume our planet. Gee, how easy it is to confuse the two."

For a more detailed description, the scooper says we should expect something like "Superman/Silver Surfer flying through clouds with Galactus/Jorel VO." As to who would be voicing this monstrous, planet-eating rain cloud, AICN recently received word that Laurence Fishburne might be lending his voice. (Something tells me fans might want to ingest the blue pill and the red pill in order to thoroughly enjoy this sequel.) Keep in mind, these are just rumors right now, and nothing has been confirmed. For all we know, Galactus will be hidden behind this cloud and, at the very end, will reveal itself to be ... Mike Myers dressed as an Indian guru. Oh wait, that's another film. Nevermind. Regardless, we'll all get to see for ourselves when Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (aka Tim Story's Last Chance to Deliver a Successful Franchise) hits theaters on June 15.

Oh, it's on! For the past few months there's been a ton of speculation over whether Galactus would appear in Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. On paper, one would assume it's practically impossible to include the Silver Surfer and not throw Galactus a bone; after all, in the original comics Surfer serves as a herald to Galactus in which he roams the universe searching for new planets for Galactus to consume -- hence his business on Earth where he runs into the Fantastic Four. (Yes, in case you weren't aware, Galactus is a God-like villain who must consume entire planets in order to stay alive.)

Though we've had confirmation from folks as high up as Fox Chairman Tom Rothman, rumors also circulated recently alluding to Galactus not being featured in the highly-anticipated sequel. Well, director Tim Story finally put an end to all the nonsense by officially announcing Galactus as a character on his MySpace page. Says Story, "There continues to be much speculation about Galactus. Major speculation. We haven't finished the design of him/it so be careful about what you read and believe. Trust me...no one knows. One things for sure, you can expect to see him/it. It will be pretty powerful."

But how much of a role will Galactus have in the sequel? If you want my opinion, I see him/it showing up toward the end -- I mean, they do have to set up a third installment, right? In the comics, the Silver Surfer eventually betrays Galactus who dooms him to exile on Earth. So, if there is a Fantastic Four 3, will it feature The Four teaming up with Surfer to battle Galactus? What do you think? Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer hits theaters on June 15.

I was pretty bummed this past weekend that more studios didn't show up to New York's ComicCon to promote some of their big, highly-anticipated films. I thought for sure Warners would be there with an exclusive 300 something, and Fox did nothing for Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. Sure, there was a booth set up promoting the FF2 video game (as well as a TV monitor featuring pic's current trailer), but how about a new trailer, some clips or a panel? Heck, I'd even take some dude dressed up as the Silver Surfer signing autographs. (Oh wait, there was someone dressed up signing autographs ... nevermind.)

Needless to say, a new Silver Surfer character poster has just hit the net, and it features the Surfer on his board -- all silver-like -- with the word "Rise" scrawled across the top right-hand corner. It's a pretty cool poster, and I believe it was floating around ComicCon, but I could be wrong. Set to surf into theaters on June 15, I imagine we should be getting another trailer soon; the first one definitely piqued my interest, and I wasn't a fan of the original flick. But, like with most superhero-related sequels, all the boring set-up is now out of the way leaving director Tim Story plenty of room to (hopefully) blow our minds. Worse case scenario: We get to look at Jessica Alba in a skin-tight suit for an hour and a half. Life could be a lot worse, folks ...

For regular readers, it is no big secret yours truly adores The Fantastic Four. The comic book, mind you -- although I do secretly enjoy the movie far more than I have any right to. While the first flick was something of a disappointment, I continue to hold out absurd and probably entirely ungrounded hopes for the second film. After all, Doug Jones is in it, which alone should raise the standards of the movie considerably. For a while there, we were getting hit from all sides with new Fantastic Four movie information -- plots, casting, etc., but recently it has quieted down to nothing more than a parade of set pictures. And so in an effort to fill the Fantastic Four void I decided to jot down some things I'd learned from the original film in what may become the first of a sequence of "things I learned from comic book movies" installments of the Geek Beat.

Keep in mind, this is based solely on the movie version of the Fantastic Four, and not the World's Greatest Comic Magazine. Some of the principles would hold true for the comics as well; some would not.

The Geek Beat Presents: Ten Things I Learned From The Fantastic Four ...

Ok, I'll admit it. I'm as big a sucker for a comic book/action film as I am for a beautiful woman, so this story satisfies me on both counts. To which comic book/action film and beautiful woman am I referring? Glad you asked. The woman is the seriously cute Vanessa Minnillo and the film is Tim Story's upcoming Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer.

According to Variety, the comely brunette MTV VJ and Entertainment Tonight correspondent is joining the cast of the Fantastic Four sequel to play the love interest of Johnny Storm (aka The Human Torch, aka actor Chris Evans) in the film. Minnillo joins returning Fantastic Four vets Evans, Michael Chiklis, Ioan Gruffudd and the exquisite Jessica Alba, who are already cast and hard at work on the film.

This marks Minnillo's first feature film role, and it appears the gal has come a long way since first appearing in an episode of City Guys (2001) as "Hot Girl." While she'll have a similar part in FF2, at least she'll be given a name (why do I feel like she'll still be referred to as "that hot girl Johnny Storm is into?"). Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer hits theaters on June 15, 2007. I know, you're counting the days. But in case you're not, I think its around 235.

Related Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer News here at Cinematical:

Silver Surfer Joins the Fantastic Four

Fantastic Four Sequel Goes Nova

Fantastic Four Starts Filming

Director Tim Story's current mood is "productive," in case you were curious. But not just productive, no, productive with a little winky smiley face -- the kind which playfully says "hey, we're buddies, you understand!" I know this because Story just stopped by his old MySpace to drop off a Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer update. Unlike certain other movie creators, Story did not get angry about photos being released from on set (the wedding pictures which have been floating around lately); he just promised there were still a few surprises from the scene which the photos didn't share. He also said he and Michael Chiklis were having "a ball" with The Thing wearing regular old clothing, as Ben Grimm is becoming more comfortable with his monstrous form. The only other news Story dropped before signing off with "peaces" was a quick note on early production stuff from WETA: "Bad a** Ladies and Gentlemen. Trust me - digital is the way to go with this."

Now granted Story is the director, and thus is supposed to say very positive things about his own film, but nonetheless I trust him on this one. Whatever else happens with the film, and regardless of how great or terrible the whole movie turns out, I expect to love the look of the Silver Surfer.

Can you tell Fantastic Four: Rise of The Silver Surfer is really getting underway? I sure can, because news and pictures are starting to pop up faster than I can blog about them. Today brings us a collection of pictures via Flickr, and just a bit of news to boot. Ready for an eyeful of Marvel's latest project?

• The page with tons of wedding pictures we pointed you towards yesterday has been updated with even more wedding pictures. I continue to delight in the slight, but very good looking, improvement to The Thing's costume. Ben Grimm has been my favorite Marvel character since my pre-school days, and his new movie persona looks straight out of the pages.
• Speaking of wedding pictures, here is a shot of Stan Lee as mailman Willie Lumpkin. The word you are searching for to describe him is swank. Boatloads of it.
• And while we're on the subject of Stan the Man and swank, may I point you to this picture of Stan with director Tim Story?
• Want to see what the Silver Surfer is going to look like? Too bad. But you can see him decked out in green doing some pseudo-stunts. Looks like fun.
• And for a bit of news, multi-talented production company North Projects claims to be doing some vague "behind the scenes" work for the flick. What they mean by this is anyone's guess ... I'm sure there are plenty of good innuendo-filled jokes you could make here if you were so inclined.
  

Over at Hollywood Report, they've snagged a few new set pictures from the filming of Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. The crew is currently shooting on the streets of Vancouver, and opportunity abounds for cameramen to get nearby enough to snap a few shots. In today's edition, you can have a look at the Baxter Building (known in the non-Marvel world as Vancouver's Marine Building), star Ioan Gruffudd in his civilian clothes (with his Fantastic Four costume sticking out), and a "Fantastic Four Store." The store is obviously a nod to the Four's increasing popularity and celebrity appeal in the new film -- unlike other Marvel heroes such as the X-Men and Spider-Man, the Four tend to enjoy enormous, almost unchallenged support from everyday people, government, and law enforcement figures. Yours truly wishes such a store truly did exist, but that would require the actual existence of the Fantastic Four. Which would likewise require the existence of super villains and world devourers and such ... and nobody wants that.