New Clash of the Titans Sequel Set Photos from Tenerife, Spain

A new round of photos from Warner Bros’ sequel to Clash of the Titans — rumored to be titled Wrath of the Titans — have surfaced online, courtesy of the Spanish website Tumba Abierta. The pics are said to have been taken on the island of Tenerife in Spain, and show sets in the process of being constructed. Check out the photos below and click the link above for the full set.
The sequel, from director Jonathan Liebesman, will star Sam Worthington, Ralph Fiennes, Liam Neeson, Danny Huston, Edgar Ramirez, Bill Nighy, Toby Kebbell and Rosamund Pike.
Story summary: A decade after his heroic defeat of the monstrous Kraken, Perseus-the demigod son of Zeus-is attempting to live a quieter life as a village fisherman and the sole parent to his 10-year old son, Helius. Meanwhile, a struggle for supremacy rages between the gods and the Titans. Dangerously weakened by humanity’s lack of devotion, the gods are losing control of the imprisoned Titans and their ferocious leader, Kronos, father of the long-ruling brothers Zeus, Hades and Poseidon. The triumvirate had overthrown their powerful father long ago, leaving him to rot in the gloomy abyss of Tartarus, a dungeon that lies deep within the cavernous underworld. Perseus cannot ignore his true calling when Hades, along with Zeus’ godly son, Ares (Ramírez), switch loyalty and make a deal with Kronos to capture Zeus. The Titans’ strength grows stronger as Zeus’ remaining godly powers are siphoned, and hell is unleashed on earth. Enlisting the help of the warrior Queen Andromeda (Pike), Poseidon’s demigod son, Argenor (Kebbell), and fallen god Hephaestus (Nighy), Perseus bravely embarks on a treacherous quest into the underworld to rescue Zeus, overthrow the Titans and save mankind.
While the first Clash of the Titans was critically panned by most, yours truly actually enjoyed the film. I certainly understood the origin of many of the criticisms — you could spot plot holes and character deficiencies — but I didn’t feel they were as egregious as others.
Moreover, I felt that the attacks on the film’s visual effects were unwarranted. I usually have a sharp eye for substandard VFX, but never once took umbrage with any of the imagery in Clash of the Titans.
Late last year, Sam Worthington responded to the widespread criticism of the first film, stating the sequel will be better than the original. He told Moviefone:
“I just think we can improve on it. I think the first one, we kind of let down some people. And yeah, I totally agree. The only point of doing a sequel is either the audience demands it or you believe you can better the first one. What we’re setting out to do with this one — the writers and the director and myself — is improve. I think I can act f***ing better, to be honest… Just take all the notes from people that I have been reading about on the ‘net and give them a movie they f***ing want. This one I want to kind of try to satisfy a lot more people.”

New TV Spot for Steven Spielberg and JJ Abrams’ Super 8 Debuts

A lot of curiosity surrounds Steven Spielberg and JJ Abrams’ forthcoming film Super 8. It’s understandable. Story details remains scarce, yet at the same time it’s been revealed that the story is a pastiche of several of the movies that made Spielberg so successful in the 1970s…with the additional benefit of JJ Abrams’ directorial signature.
Today Paramount Pictures has debuted a new TV spot for the film, which you can check out using the embedded player below.
Story synopsis: In the summer of 1979, a group of friends in a small Ohio town witness a catastrophic train crash while making a super 8 movie and soon suspect that it was not an accident. Shortly after, unusual disappearances and inexplicable events begin to take place in town, and the local Deputy tries to uncover the truth — something more terrifying than any of them could have imagined.
Super 8 stars Kyle Chandler, Elle Fanning, Joel Courtney, Gabriel Basso, Noah Emmerich, Ron Eldard, Riley Griffiths, Ryan Lee and Zach Mills.

Green Lantern Debuts a 9th TV Spot

Warner Bros. Pictures has aired a ninth TV spot for Green Lantern. You can check it out using the player below, courtesy ofthemoviebox.net.
Plot Summary: In a universe as vast as it is mysterious, a small but powerful force has existed for centuries. Protectors of peace and justice, they are called the Green Lantern Corps. A brotherhood of warriors sworn to keep intergalactic order, each Green Lantern wears a ring that grants him superpowers. But when a new enemy called Parallax threatens to destroy the balance of power in the Universe, their fate and the fate of Earth lie in the hands of their newest recruit, the first human ever selected: Hal Jordan (Ryan Reynolds). Hal is a gifted and cocky test pilot, but the Green Lanterns have little respect for humans, who have never harnessed the infinite powers of the ring before. But Hal is clearly the missing piece to the puzzle, and along with his determination and willpower, he has one thing no member of the Corps has ever had: humanity. With the encouragement of fellow pilot and childhood sweetheart Carol Ferris (Blake Lively), if Hal can quickly master his new powers and find the courage to overcome his fears, he may prove to be not only the key to defeating Parallax…he will become the greatest Green Lantern of all.
Directed by Martin Campbell, the film stars Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Peter Sarsgaard, Mark Strong, Angela Bassett, Tim Robbins, Temuera Morrison, Jay O. Sanders, Taika Waititi, Jon Tenney, Geoffrey Rush and Michael Clarke Duncan.
Green Lantern arrives in both conventional and 3D theaters on June 17.

Trailer Scares Up Korean Monsters in Sector 7

Drilling for oil has always been a dirty and dangerous job, but when the crew of a drilling rig encounter a vicious sea beasty, well, it’s not going to be a good day. While there are obvious comparisons to Bong Joon-ho’s The Host, we’ll have to admitSector 7 looks like a viable contender and a real corker. This summer we’ll see which Korean monster emerges victorious.
Check out the film’s official website for the new trailer. Looks like another compelling argument against the dependency on fossil fuels…
Story Synopsis: In Sector 7, an underwater oil field located south of Jeju Island, Hae-jun is working as a marine equipment manager on an oil prospecting ship called Eclipse. Joining the crew later is Jeong-man, a former colleague of Hae-jun’s father, assigned to Eclipse as captain. Though his job is to oversee the withdrawal of the ship, he suggests conducting some drilling one last time. After 3 weeks of preparation, Hae-jun takes new recruit underwater, but he sinks to the bottom of the sea when his equipment fails. Shortly after crew members begin to turn up dead, one by one, their bodies viciously mutilated. What the few survivors soon discover is a transparent underwater creature they encountered once before. The viral monster infiltrated the ship through the drilling pipe and has been feeding on the crew to survive. For Hae-jun and his colleagues, a fight for their lives begins.

DreamWorks Unveils International Poster for Real Steel

After already debuting the domestic poster for Real Steel, DreamWorks Pictures has today unveiled the international poster for the film (via heyyouguys.co.uk), which gives one a better look at the featured robots. You can check it out below.
Story Synopsis: A gritty, white-knuckle, action ride set in the near-future, where the sport of boxing has gone hi-tech, Real Steel stars Jackman as Charlie Kenton, a washed-up fighter who lost his chance at a title when 2000-pound, 8-foot-tall steel robots took over the ring. Now nothing but a small-time promoter, Charlie earns just enough money piecing together low-end bots from scrap metal to get from one underground boxing venue to the next. When Charlie hits rock bottom, he reluctantly teams up with his estranged son Max (Goyo) to build and train a championship contender. As the stakes in the brutal, no-holds-barred arena are raised, Charlie and Max, against all odds, get one last shot at a comeback.
Opening in conventional and IMAX theaters on October 7, the Shawn Levy-directed film stars Hugh Jackman, Evangeline Lilly, Dakota Goyo, Anthony Mackie and Kevin Durand.

Come Back Green Lantern, All Might be Forgiven

DC Comics’ Green Lantern character may come back in a sequel to the summer superhero flick despite that film’s underwhelming performance.
Speaking at New York Comic Con, DC Entertainment’s Geoff Johns told his audience that Warner Brothers was hopeful of seeing the man with the lamp light up again despite the poor box office performance of The Green Lantern.
“[O]bviously, you want it to be as big asTitanic,” he is quoted as saying by The Hollywood Reporter. “I hope that the character gets another film, and it will be live-action again – I guarantee.”
The promise of a live-action film may be intended to allay fears that a straight-to-DVD ‘sequel’ might be spun off from the upcoming animated series on TW’s Cartoon Network.
The Green Lantern stars Ryan Reynolds as Hal Jordan, who is recruited by the Green Lantern Corps to help defeat an enemy called Parallax. An extended cut with footage not seen in theaters was released on Blu-ray and DVD by Warner Home Video today.

Bond 23 May Show 007 to be of Scottish Blood

Prior to Daniel Craig taking on the role of British Secret Service agent 007, you could bank on the vast majority of James Bond fans voting for Scotsman Sean Connery as the actor whose interpretation they most enjoyed. Yet, even going as far back as David Niven, it seems that the character has often been interpreted as a suave Englishman. But what if Bond’s lineage is, in fact, Scottish?
That notion might become canon in the next (and officially the 23rd) Bond film. According to 411mania.com, the woman who owns Duntrune Castle near Lock Crinan in Argyll has claimed that the producers want to use the place in the movie, possibly as the home of Bond’s forebears.
“I think it is meant to be James Bond’s ancestral home – he will bring all the villains here,” Patricia Malcolm is quoted as saying. “I believe it’s mostly being filmed in China and Turkey. It looks as if they are going to construct the set and then blow it up. I think they are going to attack the castle from land and sea – there are going to a lot of bangs and explosions.”
The website says that the location will be in the film’s finale and that director Sam Mendes (American Beauty, Revolutionary Road) has not yet started shooting the movie. All of these pieces of information are unconfirmed.
Media speculation is that the next Bond movie could be called Skyfall, a title that sounds a bit too much like Skyline for our liking. What do you think of it and of the idea that 007 could be Scottish? Is Bond a bonnie lad?

Cowboys & Aliens DVD and Extended Blu-ray Specs

If you follow our Twitter feed (@CinemaSpy) you’ll know that a couple of days ago we promised you the specs for the December 6 Blu-ray and DVD release of Cowboys & Aliens.
Forgive our tardiness but our stagecoach was delayed a day by a washed out road and the 1G wi-fi at the nearest saloon was spotty at best. Hence, it’s taken us a bit longer than expected to reach the best Western (OK, bad joke). Anyway, here are the full details.
According to Universal, the Blu-ray combo pack release will include and extended edition of the John Favreau-directed sci-fi western while the DVD will have the theatrical version. As far as we can tell, the extended edition includes roughly 17 minutes of extra footage but we’ve no idea what that shows. As for Bonus Features, here’s the list:
Blu-ray and DVD
IGNITING THE SKY: THE MAKING OF COWBOYS & ALIENS —A comprehensive, behind-the-scenes look at the production that invites viewers on set to meet the filmmakers and cast as they create this one-of-a-kind action film. In revealing conversations, Jon Favreau, Steven Spielberg, Ron Howard and Brian Grazer, as well as stars Harrison Ford, Daniel Craig and Olivia Wilde, share their insights about the movie. Also featured are visual-effects powerhouses Legacy Effects and ILM, which join forces once again to push the technological envelope beyond anything ever seen before on screen. It includes:
FINDING THE STORY — Cowboys & Aliens, based on the graphic novel by Scott Mitchell Rosenberg, has been in development for over a decade. Filmmakers, writers and cast explain why this particular team of Hollywood heavyweights hit the right note to bring this to the big screen.
THE SCOPE OF THE SPECTACLE —A look at the team behind the camera for the film’s massive New Mexico shoot, as the stars ride horses, shoot guns, jump from explosions, and get yanked 80 feet in the air! Director Jon Favreau stages unforgettable action set-pieces as cameras capture every moment, while legendary stuntman and Cowboys & Aliens’ second unit director Terry Leonard brings a lifetime of experience to the big-screen stunts, from legendary moments in John Wayne classics to doubling for Harrison Ford in Raiders of the Lost Ark.
OUTER-SPACE ICON — Take a closer look at the creation of a new, terrifying alien design from Legacy Effects and Industrial Light and Magic.

A CALL TO ACTION — A profile of prolific actor, writer and director Jon Favreau featuring on-set video diaries shot throughout the production.
ABSOLUTION — A look at the practical re-creation of a dusty Old West mining town, the town’s inhabitants and the amazing ensemble of actors who portray them, as well as an exclusive look at the film’s meticulous production and costume designs.
CONVERSATIONS WITH JON FAVREAU – Jon Favreau hosts candid interviews with cast and crew, including Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, Olivia Wilde, Steven Spielberg, Ron Howard and Brian Grazer, Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, Damon Lindelof


Blu-ray Combo-Pack cover art courtesy of Universal.U-CONTROL: Universal’s exclusive feature that lets the viewer access bonus materials without leaving the movie!
BD-LIVE™: Access the BD-Live™ Center through your Internet-connected player to access the latest trailers, exclusive content, and more!
pocket BLU™ App: The popular free pocket BLU™ app for smartphones is now even better with newly updated versions for iPad®, Android™ tablets, PC, and Macintosh computers, with features made especially to take advantage of the devices’ larger screens and high resolution displays.
Advanced Remote Control: A sleek, elegant new way to operate your Blu-ray™ player. Users can navigate through menus, playback and BD-Live™ functions with ease.
Video Timeline: Users can easily bring up the video timeline, allowing them to instantly access any point in the film.
Mobile-To-Go: Users can unlock a selection of bonus content with their Blu-ray™ discs to save to their device or to stream from anywhere there is a Wi-Fi network, enabling them to enjoy content on the go, anytime, anywhere.
Browse Titles: Users will have access to a complete list of pocket BLU™-enabled titles available and coming to Blu-ray™. They can view free previews and see what additional content is available to unlock on their device.
Keyboard: Entering data is fast and easy with your device’s intuitive keyboard.
UNIVERSAL’S SECOND SCREEN: an innovative and interactive viewing experience, that allows viewers to control, interact and explore Cowboys & Aliens with groundbreaking new features right on a networked tablet or computer, in synchronization with the movie on the television screen! While the movie plays, experience features such as:
Flick View: Interact with the movie, move content from the Tablet to the TV screen, and compare storyboards, animatics, and other executing content by “Flicking” them from on their tablet to their TV screen, simply by gesturing their fingers upwards on their tablets.
Scene Explorer: Viewers select various progressions of the same scene including storyboards, pre-visualizations and behind-the-scenes.
Behind the Scenes: Viewers get an all access look at the making of the film featuring interviews with cast and crew.
Storyboards: Viewers will be able to take a closer look at the storyboards created for some of the amazing sequences in the film.
3D Models: Viewers can take a look at the aliens and otherworldly gadgets in Cowboys & Aliens by the touch or swipe of their fingers. You can move the models in a 360 degree view, get tech specs and more.
Cowboys & Aliens stars Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, Olivia Wilde, Sam Rockwell, Adam Beach, Paul Dano, Noah Ringer, Keith Carradine, Clancy Brown and Ana de la Reguera. The story takes place in 1873 and focuses on gunslinger Jake Lonergan’s (Daniel Craig) attempts to protect the remote town of Absolution from alien attacks while he tries to unravel the mystery of his lost memories. The film has a 44% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. You can watch the trailer below.

Tim Burton Seeks Ethereal Tone for Dark Shadows

One of the projects yours truly is chomping at the bit to see when it’s released in theaters is Tim Burton’s remake of Dark Shadows, starring Johnny Depp as Barnabas Collins. While I can take Burton or leave him, his work on films like Sleepy Hollow, I believe, could lend a contemporary Dark Shadows the sort of quality that renders it timeless.
Here’s hoping, anyway.
Meanwhile, TheWrap caught up to Burton at the LACMA, which has begun hosting a Tim Burton exhibit in Los Angeles — showcasing props, early writings and artwork from the filmmaker — and had an opportunity to ask him about how filming on Dark Shadows was progressing.
Here’s what Burton said:
“I’m just starting, and it’s a weird tone and it’s a lot of actors and, you know, we’re not starting with the simple stuff; we’re sort of getting right in there. You like to kind of sneak up on it a little bit, but this one we just kind of slammed right into it. [asked if it will have a soap opera quality] Yes, I don’t know. I’m early into it because it’s a funny tone, and that’s part of what the vibe of the show is, and there’s something about it that we want to get. But when you look at it, it’s pretty bad. I’m hoping that it will be — it’s early days, let’s put it — I’m very intrigued by the tone. It’s a real ethereal tone we’re trying to go for and I don’t know yet.”
The filmmaker mentioned that he’s not shooting the film in 3D. So right away, there’s that to take away as a positive.
Dark Shadows also stars Michelle Pfeiffer, Helena Bonham Carter, Eva Green, Jackie Earle Haley, Jonny Lee Miller, Bella Heathcote, Chloe Moretz and Gulliver McGrath. It’s a cast that certainly fills one with anticipation at the possibilities.

X-Men First Class Touted as Marvel’s Casino Royale

Watching all the early teasers, trailers and clips for X-Men: First Class, we’ve often remarked that the film feels different; special in some way. It takes a period of history from which much of today’s culture, fashion, art and architecture has begun to borrow — the 1960s — and sets its story in that era. Even more interestingly, at the most politically-charged moment in that era’s history: the Cuban Missile Crisis.
So what happens when you mix X-Men with a little of Gerry Anderson’s Fab Future, a bit of Carnaby Street…and throw in some crazy Khrushchev for good measure? According to an increasing number of critics: a helluva film.
According to THR critic Todd McCarthy:“roughly the first half of this massive and very well-cast origins extravaganza is arguably the best hour of Marvel Comics-derived filmmaking among the torrent of it that’s cascaded across screens in recent years.” McCarthy even goes as far as to draw a comparison to Casino Royale, suggesting that X-Men: First Class has done for the Marvel franchise what the reborn Bond film did for the 007 franchise back in 2006.
He’s not the only one. Garth over at Dark Horizons calls the film “not just the best of the series but the best adaptation of a Marvel title yet.”
Variety, meanwhile, says the movie reclaims “much of the pop-operatic grandeur and insouciant wit so evident in the series’ first two installments”, extolling director Matthew Vaughn’s skills at blending style and substance into a ‘mainstream movie’: “…[Vaughn] manages to invest this unabashedly commercial product with a unique stylistic identity…”
CinemaSpy’s review of X-Men: First Class will appear on Thursday. Meanwhile, if you missed it — and even if you didn’t — give the official international trailer below a viewing.

Footloose Sneak Peeks This Friday

Paramount Pictures wants everyone to get Footloose and they're making it easier for some fortunate fans to do so by setting up a night of free screenings. The studio's hosting a 'Footloose Friday' event on September 30th at 26 theaters in the US and Canada. There's no charge to attend the screening, but you have to visit for ticketing information.
And, here's the deal about Footloose. I wasn't behind the idea of a remake of the 1984 Kevin Bacon dance film when it was announced, and never bought into the idea of a new version of the '80s film. However, I've actually seen the movie (which I readily admit I wasn't looking forward to) and it was reallyentertaining. Director Craig Brewer did a great job of sticking with what made the first film fun (including keeping a few of the hit songs) and Kenny Wormald and Julianne Hough are terrific in the lead roles. Now, I'm not saying Footloose fans are going to forget Kevin Bacon and the first film altogether after seeing this new version, but it's great that this newFootloose doesn't besmirch our memories of the original film. The new Footloose is just plain fun, which is all you can ask of a Footloose remake.
Anyway, the cities hosting 'Footloose Friday' screenings are:
Atlanta (Regal Town Center); Boston (Regal Fenway); Chicago (Regal Webster Place); Cleveland (Regal Crocker Park); Dallas (Rave Ridgemar); Denver (Regal UA Pavilions); Detroit (MJR Partridge Creek); Houston (Regal Edwards Marq*E); Kansas City (AMC Barrywoods); Los Angeles (AMC Century City and AMC Burbank 16); Miami (AMC Sunset Place); Minneapolis (AMC Southdale); New York (Regal Union Square); Orlando (Regal Winter Park); Philadelphia (Regal King of Prussia); Phoenix (Harkins Tempe Marketplace); Sacramento (Century Roseville); Salt Lake City (Gateway Megaplex); San Diego (Regal Mira Mesa); San Francisco (AMC Metreon); Seattle (Regal Meridien); St. Louis (Wehrenberg Ronnies); Tampa (AMC Veterans); Toronto (Cineplex Odeon Varsity Theatre); and Washington DC (Regal Majestic)

Catwoman Spied in Full Costume on Set

The folks at ComicBookMovie have snagged themselves some pics of Anne Hathaway, cat ears and all, on the set ofThe Dark Knight Rises.
This is the first time anybody has seen her in full costume and we can’t help being reminded of Julie Newmar in her black tights from the TV series. The photos look to be spy pics and I suspect will not last long online, so be quick and click the link above to admire the form-fitting feline.
Not quite as iconic as Tim Burton’s version and I would have liked to have seen something a little more imaginative, but it’s serviceable…

Can Sly Stallone and Walter Hill Deliver Action Gold Together?

By now you may have heard about the Sylvester Stallone/Walter Hill team-up for a new action-thriller. If you haven’t, here’s the skinny: Hill is attached to direct the new film, which will be produced by Joel Silver’s Dark Castle Entertainment, IM Global and After Dark Films, and will star Stallone as a New Orleans hitman who works with a NYC cop (casting TBA) to bring down the killers of their respective partners.
The as-yet untitled film Headshot will be based on the Dynamite graphic novel “Bullet to the Head”, written by Matz (Killer) and illustrated by Colin Wilson (Star Wars Invasion). Here’s the publisher’s description of the novel: Two cops. Two killers. A political scandal. One beautiful corpse. And a city gripped with fear.
According to The Wrap, the project will begin production in Louisiana later this month and be distributed domestically by Warner Bros.
One’s first thought when one hears action-thriller + Sylvester Stallone is: Again? Really?
One’s second thought might be: With Walter Hill at the helm, could this also be crafted into an interesting character-driven piece that gives the action star more story to sink his teeth into?
Before you scoff at that notion, remember that F.I.S.T. — though long ago — showed what Stallone could do as an actor when under the helm of a truly top-notch director (in that case, Norman Jewison).
Hill, on the other hand, definitely knows a thing or two about drama—and for a long while now: Director and Consulting Producer on HBO’sDeadwood. Director and Writer of 48 Hours. Producer of Alien. Director ofThe Warriors. Producer and Story Writer of Aliens. Uncredited Second Assistant Director for Bullitt. Second Assistant Director of the original The Thomas Crown Affair (speaking of Norman Jewison).

The Hobbit Adds Evangeline Lilly…and Dame Edna?

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Things are getting interesting with The Hobbit films. In a Facebook post published over the weekend, filmmaker Peter Jackson announced that his two-movie version of the J. R. R. Tolkien fantasy novel had added three new castmembers.
First, Evangeline Lilly of LOST fame. Perhaps ironic, given that her beau and other LOST alumna Dominic Monaghan played Meriadoc ‘Merry’ Brandybuck in The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Lilly will play a newly created elf character named Tauriel.
Meanwhile, Barry Humphries, the comedian best known for alter ego Dame Edna Everage, has also joined the production. He’s set to play the Goblin King.
Finally, Benedict Cumberbatch, who plays the title character on the television series Sherlock is aboard and will provide the voice of the dragon Smaug.
Here’s what Jackson had to say in its entirety:
Yikes! I can finally get back to some postings! We’ve finished our first block of shooting and moved straight into location scouting. More on that soon… But today, I’m thrilled to announce two new cast members who will be joining us for our second block of shooting.
Evangeline Lilly will be playing a new character—the Woodland Elf, Tauriel. Her name means ‘daughter of Mirkwood’ and, beyond that, we must leave you guessing! (No, there is no romantic connection to Legolas.) What is not a secret is how talented and compelling an actress Evangeline is; we are thrilled and excited she will be the one to bring our first true Sylvan Elf to life.
I’m also highly excited that Barry Humphries will be portraying the Goblin King, in much the way Andy Serkis created Gollum. Barry is perhaps best known for his business and social connections as the long-time manager of Dame Edna Everage. He has also been an ardent supporter of the rather misunderstood and unfairly maligned Australian politician, Sir Les Patterson. However, in his spare time, Barry is also a fine actor, and we’re looking forward to seeing him invest the Goblin King with the delicate sensitivity and emotional depth this character deserves.
Evangeline and Barry, along with Welsh actor Luke Evans as Bard and Benedict Cumberbatch as Smaug, just about rounds out the major casting. I cannot wait to get stuck into these new scenes!
More soon, including a flurry of answers to your questions. Sorry for the delay!
Cheers,
Peter J

According to Deadline

According to Deadline, actress Julia Ormond (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) is in talks to star as Superman’s birth mother, Lara, in director Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel. If cast, she will share the screen with Russell Crowe, who has taken the role of Superman’s father, Jor-El.
With Henry Cavill cast as Supes, Amy Adams as Lois Lane, Kevin Costner, as Pa Kent, Diane Lane as Ma Kent, and Michael Shannon as Zod, this is turning out to be quite a cast indeed.
Lara was last seen played by Susannah York in Richard Donner’s 1978 film and in its sequel.

Ahoy! Aardman’s The Pirates! Band of Misfits Trailer Off the Port Bow!

Arrrggghhh… nothing gets our timbers shivered and jollies rogered like a good pirate movie (no, we’re not countingPirates of the Caribbean 4). And the good folks at Aardman Animation (the geniuses behind Wallace & Gromit) have one ready to set sail. Just lay your eyes on the trailer below.
Like most of their animated productions,The Pirates! is being produced using Aardman’s signature claymation technique. In addition, it will be their first foray into 3D. The last film to combine stop-motion in 3D was Henry Selick’sCoraline.
The plot follows the adventures of The Pirate Captain (Hugh Grant) and his crew of swashbuckling pirates as they attempt to beat his rivals Black Bellamy (Jeremy Piven) and Cutlass Liz (Salma Hayek) in the Pirate of the Year Award. On their quest they battle Queen Victoria (Imelda Staunton) and meet a young Charles Darwin (David Tennant).
For more information, check out their Official Website.
The Pirates! Band of Misfits is set to plunder and pillage audiences March 30, 2012.

The Amazing Spider-Man Trailer Swings Into Action

Columbia Pictures’ reboot of the very popular franchise has been shrouded in much secrecy since it began and there has been much fan speculation regarding how director Marc Webb (500 Days of Summer) will make his version different than Sam Raimi’s previous incarnation. Well, wonder no more, true-believers. Here, then, is your first look at ol’ Webhead in action. Take a look below, and let us know your thoughts…
The Amazing Spider-Man stars Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Rhys Ifans, Denis Leary, Martin Sheen, and Sally Field and will hit theaters on July 3, 2012.

Dispatches From the Set - Season 2 Director Michelle MacLaren

　　The director of an upcoming episode in The Walking Dead Season 2, Michelle MacLaren, describes planning a zombie attack with military precision and why she'd prefer being eaten by ticks over seeing a fake rat. New Dispatches From the Set are released every week throughout the production.
　　Q: You directed the second episode of Season 1, "Guts." What's it like to go from downtown Atlanta to a rural farm?
A: There's a lot more bugs! And there's ticks! And gnats! And I'm covered in Deet all the time! I loaded up in Los Angeles, and I'm wearing all the bug-sprayed clothing that Amazon.com has been kindly delivering to me. But I would say that the biggest difference is the beauty, really. In the city, it has its own beauty but it has a lot of concrete and it was very hard and very severe: Skyscrapers, hard cement, that kind of thing. And then you come out here and you're in this gorgeous location -- everywhere you look is stunning, and I love the contrast to the horrible zombie world that we're in. So you've got the stark contrast between beauty and post-apocalyptic zombies and death.
Q: You've directed several episodes of (and are an Executive Producer on) AMC'sBreaking Bad, which is known for depicting vast landscapes. Does this feel like more familiar territory?
A: We do shoot a lot in the desert in Breaking Bad. And there's a lot of starkness and it's gorgeous and a lot of light. Actually, I was looking at the light here the other day and it reminded me of New Mexico. It's just stunning when the sun's setting and rising. And a large part of that are the golden browns in the fields here.
Q: Last season you had to contend with rats. Which is worse: rats or bugs?
A: [Laughs] I knew you were going to ask me that. Hmm. I don't know, we haven't shot in the swamps yet. We went into the swamp to scout, and our driver Will had shorts and a T-shirt on. And we had to traipse through bushes and things like that. And Will is actually a biologist and he was telling us all about it and I was asking him about ticks while we were walking through these bushes, and he goes, "See, I've got ticks on me right now," and he took 10 ticks off his body. Also, the other day I was giving Jon Bernthal [Shane] notes and he pulled a tick off my neck. That was pretty gross. But rats were pretty bad, I have to say. Funny enough, I'd probably rather deal with this than rats. Greg Nicotero came up to me at lunch one day to show me the fake rat for approval, and I turned around and I just screamed. [Laughs]
Q: Your episode of The Walking Dead this season features a large action set-piece. How does it compare to the action scenes you've done on Breaking Bad?
A: I actually approach both of them the same way, which is I plan everything out ahead of time, like a military operation, basically. In order to really pull this off you've gotta be really prepared. This one is different, though, because there are a lot more people. I looked at the call sheet and I have never seen so many people on a call sheet before. You've got your cast, then you've got your hero zombies, then you've got your stunt zombies, and suddenly the entire page is filled with actors. It's a challenge, because it's a lot of coverage.
Q: What are some strategies you've picked up for filming such a complicated scene with so many people?
A: We actually had to think of a lot more logisitics: The amount of time it takes for the makeup, the amount of time it takes to resquib, the amount of people that we have to cover. So we came up with a plan to have different groups of zombies so that while we shoot one group we're squibbing the other, and while we're resquibbing the first group we turn around and shoot coverage on the shooters. I don't think you're gonna get everything you need unless you approach it that way. But also -- and this is the hard part for me -- you have to let go of some of your shots. Because you're not going to get everything. So right before lunch we got a fair amount of squibbing, but we don't have everything that I would like to have. But we made the decision to move on to the next piece of the puzzle, so at the very least we get the basic story and we can cut it together. And then hopefully, we can have enough time to go back and get some more zombie squibbing later.
Q: Your first The Walking Dead episode was named for its gore; this episode has a fair amount of blood and guts as well. Are you becoming desensitized to Greg Nicotero's handywork yet?
A: I always judge the effectiveness by the "ew" factor. I mean, it grosses me out -- I love looking at it first of all for the story, I know it's not real, but if I'm grossed out by it, that's awesome. I suppose I'm not used to it... I'm still not used to it, but I love it.

The Big Lebowski Cast Reunites For One Night Only

The internet is buzzing with the appearance of a new vehicle for Batman as seen in public during shooting of The Dark Knight Rises in Pittsburgh. Although a few pics have turned up online, your best look is in this video which clearly shows it to be some kind of hovercraft/plane that recalls the same design esthetic as Batman’s Tumbler.
You bet I want one.
Very. Cool.

On August 16, Hammerstein Ballroom in NYC was alive with the shouts of hundreds of excited fans celebrating the blu-ray release of the cult classic The Big Lebowski. A regular blu-ray release party would most likely not inspire such fervor amongst even the most ardent of fans, but this screening party was different. The majority of the Lebowski cast was there to celebrate with their fans.
After making their way through a red carpet overflowing with paparazzi and fans alike, the cast of Lebowski made their way to the stage for a Q&A with “Entertainment Weekly” writer, Clark Collis. Collis, admittedly an Achiever himself, appeared as excited as the fans while introducing T. Bone Burnett, John Turturro, Steve Buscemi, Julianne Moore, John Goodman and The Dude himself, Jeff Bridges.
The Q&A, which lasted about an hour, covered only Lebowski-related topics. Bridges revealed that he’d kept a good portion of The Dude’s wardrobe, which was his to begin with, but also held several bowling pin hats as souvenirs of filming. Buscemi hesitantly mentioned that he owned a bowling ball signed by all members of the cast, but was afraid of mentioning it for fear of having it stolen.
While battling problems with audio difficulties, the cast shared stories about their favorite moments from the set, including Turturro’s whirlwind sole day of filming and Buscemi’s confusion about why he would want to play a character who is treated so badly throughout the film. After followed an intense discussion on the idea that Buscemi’s character, Donny, might actually be a figment of Goodman’s character’s mind. They also agreed as a whole that they all knew the movie had jumped from film to “classic film” when people on the streets claimed they’d seen the movie ten times or more. The audience at the Hammerstein thought that number was low.
As the audience screamed line after line of dialogue at the actors, they gamely quoted their most beloved dialogue back to the crowd. Even a hesitant Goodman finally chimed in with a, “You’re out of your element, Donny” after a bit. In fact, the crowd’s enthusiasm grew so loud that Bridges felt the need to lead the room in a group chant to ground the conversation back to a workable level. It was an almost successful attempt.
The final question of the evening, before the film was screened for the excited crowd, was given to Bridges. Collis asked what message the audience should take from their time with The Big Lebowski. Bridges leaned back in his chair, flung his Dude-like hair and said, “That’s just, you know, like your opinion, man.”
You can check out video footage of the event, below.

Lauren Shuler Donner Reveals Hints About Future of X-Men Movie Universe

If you’re curious about what producer Lauren Shuler Donner has up her sleeve with respect to future big screen Marvel fare, then you’ll want to read on…
With X-Men: First Class (arguably the best of this past summer’s big-screen superhero releases) arriving on DVD and Blu-ray tomorrow, Donner has been talking to the press and revealing a few hints here and there about a potential sequel to First Class, along with the status of The Wolverine andDeadpool.
Beginning with a sequel to First Class, Donner told Hitfix that discussions have begun and the plan is to see Matthew Vaughn return as director. Asked by Home Media magazine if fan-favorites like Cyclops or Jean might appear in the film, Donner would only say, “Maybe. Let’s just say, I hope so.”
Regarding The Wolverine, Donner told HitFix that the film isn’t planned as a sequel to 2009′s X-Men Origins: Wolverine. “It’s much more of a standalone [movie],” she said. “…[We want] to distinguish it from the other one… I’m not sure when we’ll start. Maybe summer 2012 we’ll start shooting. It’s based on Hugh [Jackman]‘s schedule, frankly. When he’s available, we’ll film. … He’s doing ‘Les Miserables’, and then he has to come and train for us. So it’s all dependent on him.”
At the same time, Deadpool is being planned simultaneously, she told HitFix.
“We’re working on getting it ready,” she continued, “and presenting some things to the studio, cause we’re gonna give it a little bit of a different look. It’s a different kind of movie. If you know ‘Deadpool’ …it’s true to ‘Deadpool’. So you know, it’ll be violent, and outrageous, and funny, and all that.”
Donner also confirmed to I Am Rogue that Ryan Reynolds would reprise the title character. “With Ryan absolutely,” she said.
Meanwhile, Total Film has confirmed that director Tim Miller is still attached and that audiences can expect to see a film in which the character departs significantly from the way in which he was portrayed inX-Men Origins.
“[H]e was treated totally wrong in the Wolverine film and yes we will redeem him,” Donner said, “…We have a few more things to do and then it’s up to the studio to decide whether we’re going to go forward or not.”