10th Annual New York Asian Film Festival Preview

Source: Edward Douglas June 30, 2011

For ten years, Subway Cinema has been presenting the best of Asian cinema for two weeks of mayhem to some of the rowdiest moviegoing crowds in New York City, and for the 10th Anniversary of the New York Asian Film Festival (aka NYAFF), they're pulling out all the stops with one of their biggest programs ever, showcasing 46 film from all over the Far East. Once again, the festival will be pulling double duties with screenings at the Film Society of Lincoln Center's Walter Reade Theater followed by screenings in partnership with the Japan Society's "Japan Cuts" program.

This year's festival kicks off on Friday night, July 1, with the Opening Night Selection, Yoshimasa Ishibashi's Milocrorze: A Love Story, dubbed a "bizarro musical/variety/ samurai/love story" with actress Takayuki Yamada playing three roles including the title character who breaks the hearts of three different men. Both Ishibashi and Ms. Yamada will be in attendance, which is par for the course for the festival who is responsible for bringing some of Asia's top creators to New York every year.

The big news is that this year's festival will hold the World Premiere of Takashi Miike's latest movie Ninja Kids!!!, which is another big budget kids' film in the vein of The Great Yokai War, which played at the New York Asian Film Festival a few years back. Miike's most recent film 13 Assassins will also be screening as a special "Director's Cut" with 20 extra minutes that hasn't been seen theatrically at least in this hemisphere.

Jackie Chan, Andy Lau and Nicolas Tse--all NYAFF veterans--star in Benny Chan's Shaolin, a loose remake of the 1982 Jet Li film The Shaolin Temple, telling the story of the 1,500 year old martial arts training shrine has produced fighting monks seen in dozens of martial arts films over the years. It will have its North American Premiere on Saturday night before its theatrical release in early September.

Anime fans will probably want to check out Osamu Tezuka's Buddha: The Great Departure, the latest adaptation of the works of "The Godfather of Anime" and creator of the likes of Astro Boy. This is the first of a trilogy adapting Tezuka's 8-volume manga based on the life of Buddha, produced by his production company, and it's sure to be one of this year's "can't miss" movies as it makes its North American Premiere.

Hong Kong director Tsui Hark is at the center of a mini-retrospective of his earlier films including Zu: Warriors from the Magic Mountain from 1983, 1992's Dragon Inn, and 1995's The Blade, presumably all with new prints. In September, his new movie Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame will be getting a theatrical release fresh off its presence at the Tribeca Film Festival. It stars Andy Lau as the title character investigating a series at murders surrounding the coronation of a new empress.

Mainland China doesn't have a lot of offerings this year, but they do have Ocean Heaven, which reteams Jet Li with Hero cinematographer Christopher Doyle for a dramatic film in which Li plays the father of a grown-up autistic son. We've also heard good things about Li Yu's Buddha Mountain about three slackers who answer an ad for a prudish Peking Opera star (Sylvia Chang).

South Korea is being showcased again this year with a lot of great new movies, and there probably will be quite a bit of excitement for the festival's Closing Night Selection, The Yellow Sea, the latest movie from Na Hong-Jin, director of The Chaser (which will also screen during the festival.) The filmmaker reunited with the stars of that classic action thriller for his new movie about a gambling cabbie who is framed to take a fall, and he'll be coming to New York to answer questions about both movies. Likewise, director Ryoo Seung-Wan will be there in person to present his latest film The Unjust as well as his 2005 action movie City of Violence, as well as appearing as the producer of Kwon Hyeok-Jae's Troubleshooter, a fantastic action-thriller that's one of the few movies we've already seen.

The New York Asian Film Festival is also one of the year's best showcases for what we can only dub "weird @$$ sh*t" which it has a-plenty with everything from Karate-Robo Zaborgar to Jun Tsugita's Horny House of Horror, something called Foxy Festival to BTS: Better than Sex, the first two are from Japan, and the latter two are from Korea and Taiwan, respectively. You'll have to read the descriptions to see if any of these three are for you.

The festival favorite documentary Machete Maidens Unleashed! from the filmmakers behind Not Quite Hollywood focuses on the Filipino exploitation movie scene with one of those movies 1982's Raw Force screening as part of a double feature on Saturday night, July 2.

Being the 10th Anniversary, you also can expect a lot of great movies from past years with repertory screenings of Ryuhei Kitamura's Versus and Kinji Fukasaku's Battle Royale, two of Japan's best loved genre films.

If you're in New York City for the 4th of July weekend or over the next two weeks, there's a lot worse things you can do than to check out what this year's New York Asian Film Festival has to offer as it runs from July 1 to 14. We know that we'll be trying to get up to the Walter Reade as much as possible, so we hope to see some of you there. You can see the full line-up of movies here and get tickets on FilmLinc and at the Japan Society.

The Trailer for Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol!

Source: Paramount Pictures June 28, 2011

Paramount Pictures has released the trailer for director Brad Bird's Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, starring Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Paula Patton, Vladimir Mashkov, Michael Nyqvist, Josh Holloway, Lea Seydoux and Anil Kapoor. You can watch the trailer below and you can view three new photos here as well.

Hitting conventional and IMAX theaters on December 16, the action thriller is produced by J.J. Abrams and written by Josh Applebaum and Andre Nemec.

A New Three Musketeers Trailer Debuts

Source: Moviefone June 28, 2011

A new trailer for Paul W.S. Anderson's The Three Musketeers has just debuted at Moviefone and can be watched using the player below!

Opening in 3D on October 14, 2011, the action adventure stars Logan Lerman, Milla Jovovich, Matthew Macfadyen, Ray Stevenson, Luke Evans, Mads Mikkelson, Gabriella Wilde, Juno Temple, Orlando Bloom and Christoph Waltz in an adaptation of the classic Alexandre Dumas tale.

In The Three Musketeers, the hot-headed young D'Artagnan (Lerman) joins forces with three rogue Musketeers (MacFadyen, Evans and Stevenson). They must stop the evil Richlieu (Waltz) and face off with Buckingham (Bloom) and the treacherous Milady (Jovovich).

Harry Potter Featurette Explores Where We Left Off

Source: iTunes Movie Trailers June 28, 2011

Warner Bros. Pictures has debuted, through iTunes Movie Trailers a new featurette on Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2. Check it out in the player below!

Opening in 3D, 2D and IMAX 3D theaters on July 15, Part 2 of the epic finale features the battle between the good and evil forces of the Wizarding world escalating into an all-out war. The stakes have never been higher and no one is safe. But it is Harry Potter who may be called upon to make the ultimate sacrifice as he draws closer to the climactic showdown with Lord Voldemort. It all ends here.

The Teaser Trailer for Steven Spielberg's War Horse

Source: DreamWorks Pictures June 29, 2011

DreamWorks Pictures has provided ComingSoon.net with the teaser trailer for director Steven Spielberg's War Horse, opening in theaters on December 28.

Spielberg's epic adventure is a tale of loyalty, hope and tenacity set against a sweeping canvas of rural England and Europe during the First World War. War Horse begins with the remarkable friendship between a horse named Joey and a young man called Albert, who tames and trains him. When they are forcefully parted, the film follows the extraordinary journey of the horse as he moves through the war, changing and inspiring the lives of all those he meets—British cavalry, German soldiers, and a French farmer and his granddaughter—before the story reaches its emotional climax in the heart of No Man's Land.

War Horse stars Emily Watson, David Thewlis, Peter Mullan, Niels Arestrup, Tom Hiddleston, Jeremy Irvine, Benedict Cumberbatch and Toby Kebbell.

Xerxes Retitled 300: Battle of Artemisia

Source: Deadline June 27, 2011

As reported earlier this year, Zack Snyder's involvement with Man of Steel is going to prevent him from returning for the 300 sequel, formerly titled Xerxes. Now, Deadline reports that the list of potential replacement directors is down to two: Noam Murro and Jaume Collet-Serra and that the film has officially been retitled 300: Battle of Artemisia.

Based on an upcoming comic book from 300 creator Frank Miller, the project is said to tell of the history of the "King of Kings" and his rise to power in fifth-century-BC Persia. Supposedly beginning about ten years before 300, the prequel would also offer an opportunity for Gerard Butler to reprise his role as Leonidas.

Murro's sole feature directing credit is the 2008 indie comedy/drama Smart People, though he's also responsible for the live-action marketing campaign for the video game franchise Halo and is attached to direct Die Hard 5. Jaume Collet-Serra, meanwhile, directed Orphan and, mostly recently, Unknown. He's also said to be helming the upcoming "Dracula" tale, Harker.

The Full 11-11-11 Trailer is Here

Source: Darren Lynn Bousman June 27, 2011

Bela: L'Homme Chat from Paul Trillo on Vimeo.

Darren Lynn Bousman has debuted the full trailer for his latest thriller 11-11-11 on his Vimeo page and you can check it out in the player below.

Opening on the same day as the title, the plot is said to be inspired by the real-life organization that believes the recurrence of the numbers 11:11 are of spiritual significance and a link to spirit guardians. The script specifically deals with 11 gates of Heaven and how, on November 11th, 2011, the final gate will open for 49 minutes.

Apollo 18 Debuts New Trailer

Source: Yahoo! Movies June 24, 2011

Dimension Films has revealed the full trailer for Apollo 18, the found footage horror/sci-fi hybrid opening on September 2.

Officially, Apollo 17, launched December 17th, 1972 was the last manned mission to the moon. But a year later, in December of 1973, two American astronauts were sent on a secret mission to the moon funded by the US Department of Defense. What you are about to see is the actual footage which the astronauts captured on that mission. While NASA denies its authenticity, others say it's the real reason we've never gone back to the moon.

Fast & Furious 6 Snags Memorial Day 2013

Source: Deadline June 24, 2011

Universal Pictures has snagged a release date for the yet-untitled sixth installment of the "Fast and Furious" franchise, temporarily titled Fast and Furious 6, and according to Deadline, they'll be releasing the movie on May 24, 2013 over Memorial Day weekend.

Produced by Neal Moritz, the franchise has grossed over $1.5 billion worldwide with the recent Fast Five having grossed nearly $600 million globally on its won.

There's no confirmation that director Justin Lin will be returning for his fourth movie in a row, although he's talked about completing the trilogy that began with 2009's Fast and Furious. There isn't any word on how much of the ensemble cast from Fast Five will be returning, but considering that they've established a new heist thriller format, one would expect at least Vin Diesel, Paul Walker and Dwayne Johnson, who joined the franchise with the last film, playing a special forces agent sent to stop the streetracin' criminals.

Fast & Furious 6 is the third movie to be scheduled for May 2013, although recent word and the fact it's also from Universal puts further question on whether Ron Howard's The Dark Tower would open the week before as previously scheduled.

Deadline is also reporting that Universal has picked June 28, 2013 for the horror-comedy R.I.P.D. (short for "Rest in Peace Department"), starring Ryan Reynolds and Jeff Bridges and directed by Robert Schwentke (Red). That's also produced by Neal Moritz with Michael Fottrell and Mike Richardson from Dark Horse Entertainment.

The Trailer and Poster for Bucky Larson: Born to be a Star

Source: Columbia Pictures June 25, 2011

Columbia Pictures has released the trailer and poster for director Tom Brady's Bucky Larson: Born to be a Star, which was written by Adam Sandler, Allen Covert and Nick Swardson.

The comedy, opening September 9, stars Swardson, Christina Ricci, Don Johnson, and Stephen Dorff. Bucky (Swardson) is a small town grocery bagger, going nowhere in life – until he discovers that his conservative parents were once adult film stars! Armed with the belief that he has found his destiny, Bucky packs up and heads out to LA, hoping to follow in his parents' footsteps.

The New Captain America Trailer!

Source: Yahoo! Movies June 23, 2011

Following the debut of the new poster, Paramount Pictures and Marvel Studios have now revealed the full trailer for Captain America: The First Avenger which you can watch using the player below!

Hitting 3D and 2D theaters on July 22, the Joe Johnston-directed action adventure stars Chris Evans, Hayley Atwell, Hugo Weaving, Sebastian Stan, Toby Jones, Samuel L. Jackson, Dominic Cooper, Tommy Lee Jones, Stanley Tucci, Neal McDonough and Derek Luke.

Captain America: The First Avenger will focus on the early days of the Marvel Universe when Steve Rogers volunteers to participate in an experimental program that turns him into the Super Soldier known as Captain America.

Captain America: The First Avenger Set Visit!

Source: SuperHeroHype June 24, 2011

ComingSoon.net's SuperHeroHype visited the set of Captain America: The First Avenger at Shepperton Studios in England and you can read their report and interviews by clicking here!

Opening in 3D and 2D theaters on July 22, the Joe Johnston-directed comic book adaptation focuses on the early days of the Marvel Universe when Steve Rogers volunteers to participate in an experimental program that turns him into the Super Soldier known as Captain America.

Chris Evans, Hayley Atwell, Hugo Weaving, Sebastian Stan, Toby Jones, Samuel L. Jackson, Dominic Cooper, Tommy Lee Jones, Stanley Tucci, Neal McDonough and Derek Luke star in the Paramount and Marvel Studios film.
ComingSoon.net's SuperHeroHype visited the set of Captain America: The First Avenger at Shepperton Studios in England and you can read their report and interviews by clicking here!

Clues to Apollo 18 Buried in US/USSR Timeline

Source: ShockTillYouDrop.com June 23, 2011

ShockTillYouDrop.com reports that the official Facebook page for Dimension Films' Apollo 18 has been updated with a timeline of the U.S. vs. USSR space race, which provides hints to the mystery surrounding what happened during the NASA mission, which was hidden from us until now.

Officially, Apollo 17, launched December 17th, 1972 was the last manned mission to the moon. But a year later, in December of 1973, two American astronauts were sent on a secret mission to the moon funded by the US Department of Defense. What you are about to see is the actual footage which the astronauts captured on that mission. While NASA denies its authenticity, others say it's the real reason we've never gone back to the moon.

Click here for more details! Apollo 18 hits theaters on September 2.

New Still From Toy Story: Hawaiian Vacation

Source: Disney*Pixar June 23, 2011

Disney•Pixar has released a new still from the short, "Toy Story: Hawaiian Vacation" that will play in theaters in front of Cars 2 beginning tomorrow.

Reuniting the entire cast of Toy Story 3, "Hawaiian Vacation" features Barbie and Ken missing their chance to take a trip to Hawaii. Learning their friends are disappointed, the rest of the toys re-create a romantic getaway at home.

Click on the image below for a much larger version and click here to check out a clip from the short film.

Jennifer Lopez in Talks for Parker and What to Expect

Source: Deadline , Vulture June 22, 2011

"American Idol" judge Jennifer Lopez is in talks to star in both Parker and What to Expect When You're Expecting, report Deadline and Vulture.

Lopez would be joining Jason Statham in the Taylor Hackford-directed Parker, an adaptation of the Donal Westlake mytery novel series. Statham would play "a thief who follows a strict moral code, but a hard guy who's illing to kill if crossed... Lopez plays the female lead, a character named Leslie, who gets involved with Parker as he executes a heist." Filming is expected to begin in August.

Lopez is also in discussions for the Kirk Jones-directed What to Expect When You're Expecting. She would play the supporting role of Holly opposite Cameron Diaz in the Lionsgate adaptation.

With shooting scheduled to start in just four weeks on "What to Expect," Isla Fisher and Ed Helms are in talks to play parts as well. Matthew Morrison was going to star, but his schedule might not allow him to do so.

The Footloose Trailer and Poster Debut

Source: MTV June 22, 2011

Tags: Movie Trailers, Movies Blog

Paramount Pictures has debuted the first trailer, poster and new images from the upcoming Footloose.

In the remake of the 1984 film, Ren MacCormack (played by newcomer Kenny Wormald) is transplanted from Boston to the small southern town of Bomont where he experiences a heavy dose of culture shock. A few years prior, the community was rocked by a tragic accident that killed five teenagers after a night out and Bomont's local councilmen and the beloved Reverend Shaw Moore (Dennis Quaid) responded by implementing ordinances that prohibit loud music and dancing. Not one to bow to the status quo, Ren challenges the ban, revitalizing the town and falling in love with the minister's troubled daughter Ariel (Julianne Hough) in the process.

Footloose, directed by Craig Brewer, is set for release on October 14th.

A New Puss In Boots Poster is Here

Source: Yahoo! Movies June 20, 2011

DreamWorks Animation has revealed, through Yahoo! Movies, a new poster for the upcoming Shrek spinoff Puss In Boots, opening in 3D, 2D and IMAX 3D theaters on November 4.

Featuring the voices of Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek, Zach Galifianakis, Billy Bob Thornton and Amy Sedaris, Puss In Boots tells the hilarious and courageous (daring, bold, brave) tale of Puss's (Banderas) early adventures as he teams with mastermind Humpty Dumpty (Galifianakis) and the street-savvy Kitty (Hayek) to steal the famed goose that lays the Golden Eggs.

As you can see from the design below, the poster nods to the one-sheet to Banderas and Hayek's previous team-up, 1995's Desperado.

The 7th TV Spot for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2

Source: Warner Bros. Pictures June 19, 2011

Warner Bros. Pictures has started airing this 7th TV spot for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2, coming to 3D, 2D and IMAX 3D theaters on July 15. The epic final was directed by David Yates from a script by Steve Kloves and stars Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Helena Bonham Carter, Robbie Coltrane, Warwick Davis, Tom Felton, Ralph Fiennes, Michael Gambon, Jason Isaacs, Alan Rickman, David Thewlis, Julie Walters, Bonnie Wright and Kelly Macdonald.

In the film, the battle between the good and evil forces of the Wizarding world escalates into an all-out war. The stakes have never been higher and no one is safe. But it is Harry Potter who may be called upon to make the ultimate sacrifice as he draws closer to the climactic showdown with Lord Voldemort. It all ends here.

Exclusive CS Video: The Cast of Bad Teacher

Source: Silas Lesnick June 20, 2011

ComingSoon.net talked exclusively to the cast of director Jake Kasdan's new R-rated comedy Bad Teacher, opening in theaters on June 24. You can watch the interviews with Cameron Diaz, Justin Timberlake, Jason Segel, Lucy Punch and Phyllis Smith using the player below!

Diaz plays Elizabeth, who is foul-mouthed, ruthless, and inappropriate. She drinks, she gets high, and she can't wait to marry her meal ticket and get out of her bogus day job. When she's dumped by her fiancé, she sets her plan in motion to win over a rich, handsome substitute (Timberlake) – competing for his affections with an overly energetic colleague, Amy (Punch). When Elizabeth also finds herself fighting off the advances of a sarcastic, irreverent gym teacher (Segel), the consequences of her wild and outrageous schemes give her students, her coworkers, and even herself an education like no other.

Green Lantern Shows No Fear at the Box Office

Source: Box Office Mojo , Edward Douglas June 19, 2011

The ComingSoon.net Box Office Report has been updated with studio estimates for the weekend. Click here for the full box office estimates of the top 12 films and then check back on Monday for the final figures based on actual box office.

DC Entertainment's first major release based on a DC Comics character since its formation, Green Lantern (Warner Bros.), starring Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Mark Strong, Peter Sarsgaard and Tim Robbins, opened relatively weak with an estimated $52.6 million, averaging $13.8k in 3,916 2D and 3D theaters. After doing more in Thursday midnights than the recent X-Men: First Class, it took in roughly $21.6 million on Friday but then had a substantial drop on Saturday, which doesn't bode well for any sort of long-term success. Overseas, the film opened in 15 markets and earned $17 million.

J.J. Abrams' Super 8 (Paramount) held up well in its second weekend, off just 40% to take second place with roughly $21.2 million. It has grossed $72 million domestically in its first ten days compared to its reported production budget of $50 million. The movie earned an additional $12.5 million at the foreign box office to take its total to $22 million.

Jim Carrey returned with the family comedy Mr. Popper's Penguins (20th Century Fox), based on a children's book from the '30s, and it performed rather disappointingly, making roughly $18.2 million in 3,339 theaters. Although it opened in second place Friday with $6.4 million, it didn't have the normal Saturday bump family movies usually get, possibly because schools are out for the summer in many areas, so it ended up being passed by Super 8, forcing it to settle for third place.

The Matthew Vaughn-directed superhero prequel X-Men: First Class (20th Century Fox) brought in $11.5 million in its third weekend and it's grossed roughly $120 million in those three weeks in North America. The film added $21.2 million overseas for an international total of $163.2 million.

Todd Phillips' comedy sequel The Hangover Part II dropped to fifth with $9.6 million as it held its place as the highest-grossing movie of the year domestically with $232 million after a month in theaters. Internationally, the sequel earned $21.4 million to bring its total to $256 million and a worldwide total of $488 million, which surpasses the $468 million earned by 2009's The Hangover to become the highest-grossing R-rated comedy of all time.

DreamWorks Animation's Kung Fu Panda 2 also dropped two places with $8.7 million and $143 million domestically. Internationally, the movie added another $52.5 million to take its overseas gross to $280 million.

Dropping to 7th place, Kristen Wiig's R-rated comedy Bridesmaids (Universal) made $7.5 million this weekend bringing its grand total to $136.8 million.

The Johnny Depp actioneer Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (Walt Disney Pictures) took 8th place with $6.2 million, having grossed $220 million domestically so far. Internationally, the film earned another $25.9 million to take its impressive foreign total to $731.9 million. "On Stranger Tides" has now reached $952.2 million worldwide for the 11th spot on the all-time global box office chart.

Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris (Sony Pictures Classics) added 94 theaters and ended up in ninth place with $5.2 million, off just 10% from last weekend. Having grossed $21.8 million, it's less than two million from becoming Allen's highest-grossing movie in over 25 years.

The Top 10 grossed roughly $143 million, down nearly 30% from the same weekend last year when Disney•Pixar's Toy Story 3 opened with $110.3 million leading to it becoming the highest-grossing movie of the year with over $400 million

Also opening moderately wide in 610 theaters was Gavin Wiesen's coming-of-age tale The Art of Getting By (Fox Searchlight), starring Freddie Highmore and Emma Roberts, which bombed with just $700 thousand, estimating less than $1.2 thousand per site.

First Look at Tom Cruise in Rock of Ages

Source: TomCruise.com June 17, 2011

Tom Cruise's official website has posted the first look at the actor as Stacee Jaxx in director Adam Shankman's Rock of Ages. The New Line/Warner Bros. musical adaptation also stars Mary J. Blige, Julianne Hough, Alec Baldwin, Paul Giamatti, Diego Bonet, Russell Brand, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Bryan Cranston and Malin Akerman.

The movie, scheduled for a June 1, 2012 release, centers on two people who meet at the Sunset Strip club Rock of Ages, fall in love and try to stay together amid '80s rock anthems.

Click the photo for a bigger version!

Transformers Soundtrack Promo Features New Footage

Source: ComingSoon.net June 17, 2011


A new promo for the Transformers: Dark of the Moon soundtrack, featuring Linkin Park's "Iridescent," has your first look at new scenes from the June 29 release. You can watch it in the player below!

In the Michael Bay-directed sci-fi action adventure, a mysterious event from Earth's past erupts into the present day and threatens to bring a war to Earth so big that the Transformers alone will not be able to save us. Shia LaBeouf, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson, Kevin Dunn, Julie White, Frances McDormand, John Malkovich, Ken Jeong, Patrick Dempsey, Alan Tudyk and John Turturro star. Leonard Nimoy also voiced Sentinel Prime in the film.

Cowboys & Aliens Behind-the-Scenes Featurette Debuts

Source: iTunes Movie Trailers June 17, 2011

Universal Pictures has released, through iTunes Movie Trailers, a brand new behind-the-scenes featurette for their upcoming Cowboys & Aliens. The two-minute video features lots of new footage and interviews. Check it out in the player below!

Opening in theaters on July 29th, the action thriller stars Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, Olivia Wilde, Sam Rockwell, Adam Beach, Paul Dano, Noah Ringer, Keith Carradine, Clancy Brown, Ana de la Reguera and Abigail Spencer.

Green Lantern Takes in $3.35 Million at Midnight

Source: Deadline June 17, 2011


According to Deadline, Warner Bros. Pictures' latest dip into the superhero movie pool with Green Lantern, starring Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively, has made an estimated $3.35 million from its midnight showings, which is a comparable number to what Fox's X-Men: First Class did in midnight screenings two weeks ago. By comparison, Marvel's Thor did $3.25 million in midnights, while Fast Five did $3.8 million.

Check back tomorrow to see how the Martin Campbell-directed movie did in its first full day in theaters.

Dexter Has a Message for You

Source: ShockTillYouDrop.com June 17, 2011


Showtime has released a sinister new promo for "Dexter" featuring our favorite killer (Michael C. Hall) who simply wants to have a frank conversation with you, dear viewer. Bottom line, don't get on his bad side, because his bloodlust is kicking in to high gear.

The sixth season of "Dexter" begins this fall.

Captain America in His USO Costume!

Source: MDCU.fr June 14, 2011

Thanks to MDCU.fr, here are the first pics of Captain America (Chris Evans) in his USO costume in Paramount Pictures and Marvel Studios' Captain America: The First Avenger. Opening in 3D and 2D theaters on July 22, the Joe Johnston-directed comic book adaptation also stars Hayley Atwell, Hugo Weaving, Sebastian Stan, Toby Jones, Samuel L. Jackson, Dominic Cooper, Tommy Lee Jones, Stanley Tucci, Neal McDonough and Derek Luke.

New Voldemort and the Death Eaters Harry Potter Poster

Source: Warner Bros. Pictures June 14, 2011

There are two sides to every battle, and following yesterday's poster is the new companion poster featuring Lord Voldermort and his Death Eaters.

Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Helena Bonham Carter, Robbie Coltrane, Warwick Davis, Tom Felton, Ralph Fiennes, Michael Gambon, Jason Isaacs, Alan Rickman, David Thewlis, Julie Walters, Bonnie Wright and Kelly Macdonald star in the epic finale, opening in 3D, 2D and IMAX 3D theaters on July 15.

The Teaser Poster for John Carter

Source: iTunes Movie Trailers June 15, 2011

iTunes Movie Trailers has debuted the first poster for Disney's John Carter, directed by Andrew Stanton (WALL•E, Finding Nemo) and opening in theaters on March 9, 2012.

John Carter is based on a classic novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs, whose highly imaginative adventures served as inspiration for many filmmakers, both past and present. The film tells the story of war-weary, former military captain John Carter (Taylor Kitsch), who is inexplicably transported to Mars where he becomes reluctantly embroiled in a conflict of epic proportions amongst the inhabitants of the planet, including Tars Tarkas (Willem Dafoe) and the captivating Princess Dejah Thoris (Lynn Collins). In a world on the brink of collapse, Carter rediscovers his humanity when he realizes that the survival of Barsoom and its people rests in his hands.

Samantha Morton, Mark Strong, Ciaran Hinds, Dominic West, James Purefoy, Daryl Sabara, Polly Walker, Bryan Cranston and Thomas Hayden Church co-star.

LX11: Promo Poster for The Avengers!

Source: ESQ. June 14, 2011

A promo poster for Marvel's The Avengers was spotted at the Licensing International Expo in Las Vegas and photographed by ESQ.. It features all the heroes together and you can check it out below!

Directed by Joss Whedon, the anticipated Marvel Studios film stars Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, Jeremy Renner, Mark Ruffalo, Scarlett Johansson, Clark Gregg, Samuel L. Jackson, Cobie Smulders, Tom Hiddleston and Stellan Skarsgård. The movie hits theaters on May 4, 2012.

LX11: Despicable Me 2 Teaser Poster

Source: ComingSoon.net June 14, 2011

The Licensing International Expo has launched in Las Vegas and ComingSoon.net is on-hand to bring you the latest updates regarding upcoming film properties. We're pleased to debut the following, the first teaser art for the upcoming Despicable Me 2 which seems to be planned for a 2013 release.

Little is known about the film other than that it will follow-up the events of the 2010 animated hit and will presumably again feature Steve Carell in the role of Gru.

LX11: Promo Art for The Dark Knight Rises and More!

Source: ComingSoon.net June 14, 2011

The Licensing International Expo has launched in Las Vegas and, while the exhibit hall floor doesn't open until tomorrow morning, a few early promotional images have snuck out in the pages of the latest issue of License Global magazine.

As you can see below, newly showcased art includes The Dark Knight Rises, The Amazing Spider-Man, Men in Black III, Arthur Christmas, The Pirates! Band of Misfits, Hotel Transylvania (also referred to in the magazine as Hotel T), Hugo Cabret, Footloose, Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol, Star Trek 2 and G.I. Joe 2.

Check out all the images below and check back for more updates soon!

The First 8 Minutes of True Blood Season Four

Source: HBO June 14, 2011

HBO has released the first eight minutes of the fourth season of "True Blood" premiering on June 26 at 9pm.

"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. Alan Ball created and executive produces the show, based on the best-selling Sookie Stackhouse novels by Charlaine Harris.

Tom Cruise Offered One Shot

Source: The Hollywood Reporter June 14, 2011

The Hollywood Reporter says that Tom Cruise is considering an offer to play Jack Reacher in Christopher McQuarrie's One Shot at Paramount Pictures.

The project is based on a series of novels written by Lee Child that center on Reacher. "One Shot" is the ninth book in the series and is described as follows:

"Jack Reacher is working on his tan with a Norwegian blonde on the beach in Miami. The weather is hot and he is so cool you could skate on him. But he doesn't like to stick around. He likes to be on the move. He was in the machine his whole life. Then the machine coughed and spat him out. Now he takes it easy. He's not looking for trouble. But sometimes trouble looks for Reacher.

A lone gunman hides in a parking garage and shoots into a crowd in a public plaza in a small Indiana city. Five random people die in a senseless massacre. The shooter leaves a perfect trail behind him and the police quickly track him down. His name is James Barr. It's a watertight case. After his arrest, James Barr refuses to talk. Then, to his lawyer, he utters a single phrase: "Get Jack Reacher for me." But Reacher's already on his way. What could connect this obvious psychopath with our wandering ex-army cop?

By the time Reacher hits town, Barr's been beaten badly enough to forget everything about the day in question. So Reacher begins to piece together the wealth of evidence; he does the math and comes to a few conclusions of his own."

McQuarrie co-wrote the screenplay for Valkyrie, which Cruise starred in.

Joel Silver Taking Ben 10 to Theaters

Source: Cartoon Network June 14, 2011

Cartoon Network has signed an agreement with producer Joel Silver and Silver Pictures to develop a live-action motion picture for its globally successful animated action-adventure property, "Ben 10," it was announced today by Stuart Snyder, president and COO of Turner Broadcasting System Inc.'s Animation, Young Adults and Kids Media division (AYAKM). The movie, which will be produced by Silver, along with Dark Castle Entertainment co-presidents, Steve Richards and Andrew Rona, gives Silver and his production company the exclusive rights to develop and package the property and advance it towards a theatrical production.

"I cannot think of anyone better suited than Joel Silver to develop a theatrical action-driven adventure based on our 'Ben 10' franchise," said Snyder. "As a producer of mega-hit movie franchises like, 'Die Hard,' 'Lethal Weapon' and 'The Matrix,' to the successes of 'Sherlock Holmes' and 'The Book of Eli,' Joel has both the passion and movie-making know-how to turn 'Ben 10' into a spectacular theatrical experience for our fans."

"In 'Ben 10,' Cartoon Network has built a property that is loved across the world," said Silver. "It has a fun premise with a great leading character that lends itself to the big screen and I am looking forward to seeing how we can take it to the next level."

Created by Man of Action (Joe Casey, Joe Kelly, Duncan Rouleau, Steve Seagle), the series about a boy (Ben Tennyson) who discovers a strange wrist watch that allows him to transforms into 10 different aliens with super powers, premiered on Cartoon Network in January 2006 and quickly became a global hit, reaching more than 165 countries. With these powers, Ben can play the part of a superhero, righting wrongs, saving the world and getting into some old-fashioned kid-style trouble. A #1 hit for the network on Saturday mornings, the "Ben 10" saga continued to expand as a series, first with "Ben 10: Alien Force" in April 2008 and then with "Ben 10: Ultimate Alien" in spring 2010, now airing on Friday nights.

"Ben 10" has also spawned a highly successful and award winning global merchandise line including the recent Toy of the Year at the annual BTHA Awards in London and two live-action movies for television, which set new ratings records for Cartoon Network. "Ben 10" is the #1 brand for all of Cartoon Network in electronic sell-through, which includes iTunes, Xbox, PlayStation and Comcast on Demand. Online, the "Ben 10 Alien Force Game Creator" lets kids build their own web games and share them with the world. To date, users have posted more than 790 million gameplays since launch, with more than 6.6 million games created by fans.

The 6th Transformers: Dark of the Moon TV Spot

Source: ComingSoon.net June 13, 2011

The 6th TV spot for Michael Bay's Transformers: Dark of the Moon aired during Sunday's NBA Finals game and you can watch it using the player below!

Opening in 3D, 2D and IMAX 3D theaters on June 29, the film stars Shia LaBeouf, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson, Kevin Dunn, Julie White, Frances McDormand, John Malkovich, Ken Jeong, Patrick Dempsey, Alan Tudyk, John Turturro and Leonard Nimoy.

Shia LaBeouf and Michael Bay Not Doing Transformers 4 -- Who Would You Replace Them With?

By Mike Bracken Jun 10, 2011

Michael Bay’s two Transformers films have grossed over $1.5 billion dollars worldwide, and with the third installment – Dark of the Moon – due out later this month, that tally will only get bigger. It’s no stretch to imagine Paramount and Dreamworks (with dollar signs in their eyes) are already envisioning a fourth film in the franchise. There’s just one catch – that film will have to find a new leading man and possibly a director.

Star Shia LaBeouf spoke to MTV during their recent movie award ceremony and tells the channel this was his last go ‘round squaring off against “giant f***ing robots.” The actor, who plays main character Sam Witwicky, says “I'm not coming back to do another one.” He then goes on to add that he doesn’t think he’ll be the only departure – and that Paramount will probably have to find a new director too. “I don't think Mike will either. It still is a hot property, I think, especially coming out of the third one. So I imagine they'll reboot it at some point with someone else.”



We doubt they’ll reboot it. Why start over when they can just transform the story and move in a new narrative direction instead? It’s not like the tale told in the first two Transformers movies is some kind of canon that must be preserved at all costs – or that future films are following some kind of series bible that must be adhered to. Let’s be honest – not one person has ever gone to the ticket window and plunked down their hard earned cash for a Transformers ticket thinking “I really wanna see more of Sam Witwicky.” The real franchise-killing departure here would be the giant robots – and since they’re CGI and don’t have agents, they’re not going anywhere anytime soon.

As far as Bay leaving goes, no one really knows if that will come to pass. The filmmaker insisted he wasn’t going to do a third film after the last entry, but he came back anyway. LaBeouf, meanwhile, has no animosity toward the franchise that made him a star, saying he’d be at an opening night premiere for a fourth film even if he wasn’t in it. Instead, the actor seems to want to go out on top, saying Dark of the Moon is “our best movie.”

The potential departure of Bay and LaBeouf got us thinking – who would we replace them with for Transformers 4? There’s no shortage of directors we’d like to see do a Tranformers flick, but after a lot of consideration, it seems like it would be really cool to see a lesser known filmmaker tackle the next installment. Someone like Panic Attack director Fede Alvarez seems perfect for a Transformers flick. We could even see a director like Carl Erik Rinsch doing it. Maybe Monsters director Gareth Edwards would be a good choice? There are lots of interesting options.

Casting a new lead is even more wide-open. Producers could go out and find another young up-and-coming star, the next LaBeouf, if you will. That would be boring, though – if Transformers is going to change stars and directors, it should probably go in a slightly different direction story-wise, if only so the new creative talent can put their own spin on the franchise. Instead, why not go with a slightly older and established Hollywood leading man? Not someone super-serious, but someone like Chris Pine, perhaps? These are just my thinking out loud options – I’m betting you guys have some even better ideas. Swing by the comments section below and share your picks for the next Transformers movie.

The Master Conspiracy Theory: Will Smith Refusing Django Unchained Part Based on Scientology Connection

By Alison Nastasi Jun 10, 2011

Paul Thomas Anderson's The Master cast was recently confirmed, as Philip Seymour Hoffman, Joaquin Phoenix, Amy Adams, Jesse Plemons, David Warshofsky, Laura Dern, Lena Endre, Rami Malek, and Madisen Beaty have all signed on for the story about the charismatic Lancaster Dodd (Hoffman) – an L. Ron Hubbard-like figure – who returns home from World War II and starts a new religion, while mentoring former alcoholic Freddie Sutton (Phoenix). In a related, real-life Scientology connection is a rumor coming from The Playlist (they're skeptical, but have shared an interesting tidbit from their comments section) that actor Will Smith is refusing to commit to Quentin Tarantino's western epic, Django Unchained, because the Weinstein's are also producing Anderson's controversial religious group film.

All narrative connections between the religion – based on the work of Dianetics author Hubbard – and PTA's movie appear to be pretty obvious, but all involved seem to be steering things in another direction. Producer JoAnne Sellar, who recently spoke to the Vallejo Times-Herald, confirmed that the production is already underway and that the film is expected to open in late 2012 (just in time for the Oscars), but avoided any religious associations by saying, "It's a World War II drama. It's about a drifter after World War II."

An early draft of the script that made the rounds last year had dubbed the work in progress as "Untitled Scientology Project," but Anderson has adjusted things since then – supposedly changing it to an "Untitled Western Project." The plotline also took on a more generalized tone about "a man who returns after witnessing the horrors of WWII and tries to rediscover who he is in post-war America. He creates a belief system, something that catches on with other lost souls."

As The Playlist points out, Anderson's 2008 Largo play about a couple who try to connect over a series of personality tests (similar to the ones the Church of Scientology issues) might further confirm the director's interest in Scientology, but nothing's ever been made official. The same goes for Will Smith, who that same year created a bit of a stir when he helped fund a school in Los Angeles that used some part of the church's programs. He's denied any connection to the religion, but the year before that, there was a giant spread in Men's Vogue where the actor said, " I’ve studied Buddhism and Hinduism and I’ve studied Scientology through Tom … "

Smith's talking about friend Tom Cruise of course, who has been quite public about his beliefs and connection to the church. Smith also said he felt that "98 percent of the [Scientology] principles are identical to the principles of the Bible." This of course should all be taken with a grain of salt, and hopefully several more Django and The Master stories later we'll finally find out what's really going on with both highly anticipated projects.

Can we stop playing conspiracy theorist now, and get back to reaffirming how excited we are to see PTA's latest? There Will Be Blood is amazing, but 2007 was a long time ago. The Master cast is looking more than interesting, and with Tetro's Mihai Malaimare Jr. shooting the controversial story in part on 65 mm (another rumor, but one you should be more interested in), there's a lot to look forward to.

J.J. Abrams' Super 8 Shows a Solid Debut

Source: Box Office Mojo , Edward Douglas June 12, 2011

The ComingSoon.net Box Office Report has been updated with studio estimates for the weekend. Click here for the full box office estimates of the top 12 films and then check back on Monday for the final figures based on actual box office.

Director J.J. Abrams and producer Steven Spielberg must have known they were taking a chance on Super 8 (Paramount), a nostalgic sci-fi period thriller that had a cast of mostly unknowns, but thanks to a brilliant last-minute marketing push by opening the mysterious project a day early, it topped the box office with an estimated $37 million in 3,379 theaters this weekend, $4.4 million of that coming from its 239 IMAX screens. With a solid B+ CinemaScore, it should continue to bring in business from word of mouth and with a reported production budget of $50 million, it shouldn't be hard for it to be profitable.

Meanwhile, Matthew Vaughn's superhero prequel X-Men: First Class (20th Century Fox) dropped 55% in its second weekend, taking second place with roughly $25 million, bringing its 10-day total to $99 million. It also added another $42.2 internationally to bring its worldwide total to $223 million.

Todd Phillips' comedy sequel The Hangover Part II was the first of two movies to cross the $200 million mark this weekend, dropping 41% to third place with $18.5 million, as it becomes the highest grossing movie of 2011 with $216.5 million. Globally, it took in $38.3 million and has grossed $432.1 including international.

DreamWorks Animation's Kung Fu Panda 2 dropped to fourth place with $16.6 million and $126.9 million total, a rather weak domestic showing for the $150 million budget animated movie. On the other hand, the sequel grossed $56.5 million internationally this weekend to bring its global total to $331 million total.

Disney and Jerry Bruckheimer's popular pirate franchise Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides brought in $10.8 million in its fourth weekend for fifth place with $209 million grossed so far, putting it just ahead of Fast Five as the third-largest grosser of the year. Worldwide, it's the highest grossing film of the year with $887 million amassed since opening in mid-May.

In fifth place, Kristen Wiig's R-rated comedy Bridesmaids (Universal) continued its impressive run with another $10.1 million, down less than 16% from last week, and a total gross of $123.9 million.

Based on a popular series of children's books, the family adventure movie Judy Moody and the NOT Bummer Summer (Relativity Media) took in an unimpressive $6.3 million for seventh place, averaging just $2.5k per site.

Expanding nationwide into 944 theaters, Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris (Sony Pictures Classics), starring Owen Wilson and Rachel McAdams, remained in eighth place for a second week with $6.1 million. It has grossed $14.2 million since opening last month and it's looking very likely it may be Allen's biggest hit since Hannah and her Sisters, which grossed $40 million in 1986.

Marvel Studios' Thor (Paramount) dropped to ninth place with $2.4 million and $174 million total.

The Top 10 grossed an estimated $134.6 million, down 6% from the same weekend last year when The Karate Kid (Sony), starring Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan, topped the box office with $56 million.

Terrence Malick's The Tree of Life (Fox Searchlight) took eleventh place with $875 thousand and $2.4 million since opening over Memorial Day weekend. Rumors have it expanding nationwide on July 1.

Opening in limited release in just six theaters, Michael Winterbottom's The Trip (IFC Films), starring Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon, opened with $84 thousand, averaging $14.1 thousand per site.

Click here for the full box office results of the top 12 films.

Amplify’d from www.comingsoon.net

Tom Hanks & Playtone Developing American Gods and Idiot Source: The Hollywood Reporter June 11, 2011 The Hollywood Reporter caught up with Tom Hanks' Playtone producing partner Gary Goetzman at the ScreenSingapore premiere of Larry Crowne, and they got the update on a number of projects their production company is developing including an adaptation of Neil Gaiman's best-selling novel "American Gods" as an HBO series and a movie version of the Broadway musical American Idiot based on the music of rockers Green Day. They're also in talks with long-time Hanks collaborator, director Robert Zemeckis, to possibly helm Major Matt Mason, a live action toy-to-screen project based on the Mattel action figure that will be Playtone's second 3D production. With Neil Gaiman on board as writer and executive producer, the HBO series based on his popular novel is being geared for six seasons of ten to twelve one-hour episodes and a budget of roughly $35 to 40 million per season with its debut planned for 2013. Goetzman said this on the project and the amount of FX necessary to bring it to television: “There are some crazy things in there. We’ll probably be doing more effects in there than it’s been done on a television series." Before that will be the live action space-faring family film Major Matt Mason, with Hanks and Goetzman in talks with Robert Zemeckis, who has directed Hanks three previous times, to direct the screenplay written by Hanks and Graham Yost for Universal. Hanks was directed to one of his Oscars by Zemeckis for Forrest Gump in 1995, then was nominated again six years later for Cast Away. The budget for the project is upwards of $100 million. Playtone is also developing a movie based on the Green Day musical "American Gods" with Michael Mayer, director of the stage version, on board to direct the movie and Green Day frontman Billy Joe Armstrong playing the role of St. Jimmy. (Tony Vincent originated the role on Broadway, but the band's frontman stepped in for a one-week run as the character a few years back when Vincent had to deal with personal issues.) This would be Playtone's second musical following the hit Mamma Mia!, which grossed more than $600 million worldwide. You can read more about all of the above in the interview over on The Hollywood Reporter.

See more at www.comingsoon.net

 

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E3: The Return of XCOM

Source: Jenna Busch June 10, 2011

We got a chance to check out the revival of the nineties PC strategy game XCOM at E3 yesterday and it's got quite a few changes. The new XCOM from 2K Games is a first person shooter set in the sixties that leans heavily on your tactical skills. You play Agent Carter, a member of XCOM, a government agency preparing for the possibility of alien invasion. It's 1962 and the country is right in the middle of the Cuban missile crisis. Kennedy is President and marginalized groups are finally beginning to be heard. In fact, a very fine point was put on that in the presentation. Because of the alien invasion and the chaos it throws the world into, people who were shunned for their race, beliefs or sexuality are given an even stronger voice. Well, the aliens have landed and they're not exactly E.T.

Agent Carter must build up his alien fighting team with a group of agents. He can only choose two at a time, but each has a different skill set that might be needed to battle the baddies. We were told that they were very much traditional class based characters. You have your main missions, but there are also side missions that help you build up your experience and get you what you need in terms of weapons. You can also send your field agents out to do these while you're out somewhere else so they can level up as well.

We got to check out a mission to recover a scientist (one of those who's sexuality and politics have kept him on the fringes of society until the government needed his skills). He's been captured by the aliens, who are basically living technology, here to terraform Earth into a planet for themselves. You have to use your tactical skills to beat these aliens, including choosing your style of attack, stealth or straight on, how many people to use, etc. You get a time slowdown and a radial menu where you can see how much each tactic will cost in terms of time. Once you capture a piece of alien technology, you have two choices. You can either have it fight for you with it's superior power or you can bring it back to home base where it can be used for research and better weapons.

The game is fairly linear and we were told that most conversations you have back at base won't really take you on a different path. This is a story, and though side missions are optional, what you choose to do doesn't really take you off the rails. XCOM is set for a Spring 2012 release for PC, PS3 and Xbox 360. This one looks pretty intriguing, despite being in the early stages. We're looking forward to seeing what other goodies it has in store.

New Extended Cowboys & Aliens Sneak Peek!

Source: Universal Pictures June 11, 2011

Universal Pictures debuted this new extended sneak peek of director Jon Favreau's Cowboys & Aliens during Friday night's Spike Guys Choice Awards.

Opening in theaters on July 29th, the action thriller stars Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, Olivia Wilde, Sam Rockwell, Adam Beach, Paul Dano, Noah Ringer, Keith Carradine, Clancy Brown, Ana de la Reguera and Abigail Spencer.

Our Idiot Brother Debuts Poster

Source: Moviefone June 10, 2011

The one-sheet for the upcoming comedy Our Idiot Brother has debuted at Moviefone and you can check it out below the synopsis. Directed by Jesse Peretz, the August 26 release stars Paul Rudd, Elizabeth Banks, Zooey Deschanel, Emily Mortimer, Rashida Jones, Hugh Dancy, Kathryn Hahn, Shirley Knight, Janet Montgomery and Steve Coogan.

Every family has one: the sibling who is always just a little bit behind the curve when it comes to getting his life together. For sisters Liz (Emily Mortimer), Miranda (Elizabeth Banks) and Natalie (Zooey Deschanel), that person is their perennially upbeat brother Ned (Paul Rudd), an erstwhile organic farmer whose willingness to rely on the honesty of mankind is a less-than-optimum strategy for a tidy, trouble-free existence. Ned may be utterly lacking in common sense, but he is their brother and so, after his girlfriend dumps him and boots him off the farm, his sisters once again come to his rescue. As Liz, Emily and Natalie each take a turn at housing Ned, their brother's unfailing commitment to honesty creates more than a few messes in their comfortable routines. But as each of their lives begins to unravel, Ned's family comes to realize that maybe, in believing and trusting the people around him, Ned isn't such an idiot after all.

Elodie Yung Up for G.I. Joe 2?

Source: The Hollywood Reporter , YoJoe.com June 10, 2011

Casting continues on Paramount Pictures' untitled G.I. Joe sequel. Following a report earlier this week that Dwayne Johnson is likely to join the cast comes, via The Hollywood Reporter, word that Elodie Yung is likely as well.

Yung, a French actress best known for her role in District 13: Ultimatum, would play Jinx, a ninja that joins the Joes. The actress will also soon appear in David Fincher's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

The entire cast of the original 2009 G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra is not slated to return, but Channing Tatum is expected to return as Duke, as is Ray Park in the role of Snake Eyes.

Though the specifics may differ in the film version, details of Jinx can be found on her original action figure file card, pictured below (courtesy of YoJoe.com and the collection of Corey Stinson).

James Badge Dale Enlists for World War Z

Source: Variety June 10, 2011

James Badge Dale, best known for starring in the TV miniseries "The Pacific," has joined the cast of Marc Forster's World War Z, Variety reports.

Based on the novel by Max Brooks, the film is about a worldwide infestation of flesh-eating zombies. Brooks -- the son of Mel Brooks and Anne Bancroft -- wrote a detailed tome in which a researcher for the U.N. Postwar Commission interviews survivors from countries all over the world 10 years after the crisis to gather a first-person post-mortem on a war that obliterated every country on the map.

Brad Pitt is already attached to star in the Paramount Pictures film as the U.N. researcher. Badge Dale would play a military officer who is one of the earliest to come up against the threat of the undead. Mireille Enos and Anthony Mackie are both said to be in talks for roles as well with the film looking to go into production immediately for a summer 2012 release.

New Super 8 Video Teases Creature

Source: Yahoo! Movies June 9, 2011

With just a matter of hours to go before Super 8 hits theaters everywhere, Paramount Pictures has debuted, through Yahoo! Movies a viral clip that offers the first glimpse at the film's mysterious alien creature. Check it out in the player below!

Starring Kyle Chandler, Elle Fanning, Joel Courtney, Gabriel Basso, Noah Emmerich, Ron Eldard, Riley Griffiths, Ryan Lee and Zach Mills, Super 8 takes place in the summer of 1979 where a group of friends in a small Ohio town witness a catastrophic train crash while making a super 8 movie. Soon they 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.

Damon Lindelof Plans 1952

Source: Deadline June 9, 2011

Damon Lindelof, best known for his work on "LOST", has signed on to both write and produce a mysterious project called 1952, Deadline reports.

Little is known about the project and, indeed, 1952 is said to likely be just a working title. What has been revealed is that the film is a big-budget sci-fi project and is designed to expand beyond a single feature into a multi-tiered franchise.

Lindelof's feature work includes contributions to the upcoming genre projects Cowboys & Aliens, Prometheus and the as-of-yet-untitled Star Trek sequel.

New Green Lantern TV Spot

Source: Warner Bros. June 9, 2011


With just over a week until Green Lantern hits theaters, another TV spot has come online that showcases a number of new scenes.

Opening in 3D and 2D theaters on June 17, the Martin Campbell-directed action adventure 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.

Visiting the Set of Horrible Bosses

Source: Silas Lesnick June 9, 2011

Please be aware that, due to the nature of film, the following contains some strong language.

It's another week of the daily grind for best friends Nick, Kurt and Dale (Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis and Charlie Day) and as usual, they're meeting up at the local Rivetti's (think T.G.I. Friday's) for a drink and to commiserate over their respective Horrible Bosses. As bad as their jobs are, though, the boys are about to find out that it could get a lot worse.

From the crowd, the trio is approached by an old high-school alum, Kenny Sommerfield (P.J. Byrne). He seems jovial enough, but begins to explain that he recently lost his six-figure job at Lehman Brothers. As his story goes on, the smile is quickly revealed to be a grimace.

"I can't even pay for this drink!" he says, pleading to borrow some money.

Embarrassed for him, the group tries to look away, but Kenny begins propositioning, offering handjobs for cash, starting off with somewhat subtle hints and rapidly getting filthier and filthier.

"[W]e're so clearly, firmly R as our approach to this movie," laughs director Seth Gordon, "As we should be, right? Given the topic."

After all, things are about to get decidedly darker. When the boys realize that simply quitting their jobs won't be enough, they conspire to take care of their bosses once and for all with the help of a hitman named Motherfucker Jones (Jamie Foxx).

"He earns that name," adds producer Jay Stern, "By the way, you say that 'Motherfucka,' not 'Motherfucker.' That's one of the things he says."

With a character moniker like that, Horrible Bosses doesn't skirt a PG-13. The determination to bring the script to the screen in its adult form was something that has kept the project in development for quite awhile.

"I started out over five years ago by bringing this to New Line and saying, 'This is a great script and a great idea and let's make this movie!'" recalls Stern, "They were pretty eager right from the start, but we had a bunch of stops and starts. At the time, it was hard to do an up-and-coming -- a great up-and-coming cast -- at New Line because they were so internationally-oriented."

While Bateman, Day and Sudeikis are well-known, they're not necessarily the superstars for whom an R-rating would be no obstacle, or at least, they wouldn't have been a few years ago. Stern admits that the success of The Hangover in 2009 helped get "Bosses" the greenlight, enabling them to really push the edge of the envelope. What's more, the film banks some extra star power on the bosses themselves, casting Jennifer Aniston, Colin Farrell and Kevin Spacey in the supporting roles.

"We haven't really done the scary stuff yet," says Bateman of working with Spacey, who famously portrayed a sadistic employer in Swimming With Sharks, "but you never really catch him acting. He's very intense about what he does. It's certainly perfect for this character."

"[Colin's] exercising a lot of demons from his past I would imagine," jokes Sudeikis of Kurt's supervisor, "His character has a love of cocaine. He knew his way around that stuff. I would say he was definitely into it, and yet also good at going back into his lovely Irish accent. I wish I could do that."

"He has a great comb-over," adds Stern of Farrell's Bobby Pellitt, "I think he has a world-class comb-over that will be remembered for years to come. But he created a character. There was a great character on the page, but he took it in a really wonderful direction. He plays this character as somebody that doubts his manhood all the way along the line, but compensates all the time for it."

"I've never been sexually harassed by a gorgeous dentist," Day laments of his own character's dilemma in the film, "so I can't really draw from experience. I haven't had the right boss, I guess."

In the film, Dale is getting married to a woman played by Lindsay Sloane and Aniston's character's extreme advances put his relationship in jeopardy. He does admit, though, that rejecting advances from Jennifer Aniston isn't the worst problem in the world.

"Everyone says 'I can't understand why you wouldn't just sleep with her,'" he explains, "But I'm a happily married man in real life and if she was asking me to sleep with her, I wouldn't sleep with her. It doesn't seem like such an outrageous thing."

"You've gotta go for the threesome though, right?" jabs Sudeikis.

"She hasn't done that since 'Friends'!" laughs Day.

On the other side of the camera, Gordon faces the tricky task of matching his leads' quick wits on a technical level, having to edit around copious amounts of improvisation. To take on that feat, he's making use of a camera called the Genesis. A high-end digital device from Panavision, the Genesis allows for 42-minute takes and lets the actors run wild with alternate, on-the-spot lines, giving Gordon free-range in he editing room.

"What's great about that camera is you can roll and roll and roll and you don't have to worry about circling takes," says Day, "It frees us up to be able to really experiment and try other things."

In the case of the scene today, Gordon was particularly interested in pushing the ratings boundaries, giving Byrne free rein to throw out as many handjob euphemisms as he could.

"My instinct is probably to try the dramatic first and see if it works," says Gordon of maintaining a "real world" approach to the film's humor, "Obviously, we're a comedy, but there's great comedy in drama. I think some of the funniest stuff taps into real human emotions. So that's what we were exploring here. But it's pretty heavy, the heavy version. So I'd be crazy to only capture that."

On-set, the actors are all too happy to run with the more extreme versions. One repeated take involves Byrne going into graphic, graphic detail about his handjob techniques, including describing a game he's dubbed "the cum-tucky derby." At the end of Byrne's speech, Sudeikis punctuates the scene with a bewildered question, also changing with each take.

"What kind of hats would you wear to the cum-tucky derby?" he wonders.

"What are the horses named?"

"What's in the mint juleps?"

If any of those questions have answers, you'll have to wait to hear them until July 8th when Horrible Bosses hit theaters everywhere.