Tue, July 28, 2009 /film has gotten hold of some High res goodness via Warner Brothers. First up we have the poster and first promotional still for Platinum Dunes "A Nightmare On Elm Street," Platinum Dunes is of course Michael "Awesome" Bay's production company so you know what to expect, Freddy vs the military in black choppers!
Tue, July 28, 2009 In 2006, writer Greg Pak wrote a large scale Marvel crossover titled Planet Hulk. The premise being, The Illuminati a secret orginazation of powerful superheoes have deemed the Hulk too dangerous a risk to the Earth. They rocket him to a peaceful planet uninhabited by intelligent life. They figure it's a win/win situation.
There's one problem, though. There was a malfunction in the trajectory and The Hulk gets sent to Sakaar a violent planet where he winds up as a gladiator. I shutter for his opponents. Oh yeah, he finds his way back to Earth, too. Uh oh.
Anyway Marvel Studios has done a direct to dvd animated video based on Pak's storyline. Watch it below. Personally, I cannot wait for it, and I'm not even the biggest Hulk fan.
Tue, July 28, 2009 
"I don't wanna hear anything about Back to the Future 3. Just give me Goddamn Back to the Future 2!"
That's how Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale say Syd Sheinberg (then big-cheese at Universal) first reacted to the news that two Back to the Future sequels would be shot concurrently and released six months apart from one another. And that, my friends, is also my first reaction to the news that we might end up with two Star Trek sequels within the next three years.
This past weekend at the San Diego Comic-Con, io9 was able to talk to screenwriter and executive producer Roberto Orci for a brief second about how things were going with Star Trek 2:
"Nothing was decided [at the last meeting]. It was really about, hmmm. You know what, I'll give you a tidbit. [They said to us] 'We thought maybe you could do that as like 2 and 3.'"
Yes, I know I should be open-minded. But history has not been behind the "let's film two sequels back-to-back" logic. That is, ironically enough, with the exception of the Back to the Future sequels - at least, in my opinion. We don't need another Matrix Reloaded and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, folks.
Tue, July 28, 2009 
From a technical standpoint (especially in today's age of CG everything up the ass), it's cornball as Hell. But dammit, Excalibur is one fucking great movie. In fact, it continues to be among my favorite films of all-time (along with stuff like Being There, JFK, Marty, Raiders of the Lost Ark and George Romero's Dawn of the Dead!) You'll never find a better King Arthur on screen than Nigel Terry and especially Merlin in the form of Nicol Williamson.
Now comic-book writer Warren Ellis reveals (via his official website) that he's hard at work on a treatment for a new King Arthur film - that happens to be titled Excalibur. So does that mean we're getting a more visually adequate and up-to-date adaptation of Mallory's Le Morte de Arthur?
Not necessarily as Ellis clarifies to Aint-It-Cool-News:
"'Untitled Arthurian Project,' as I call it (just so I can't feel John Boorman's EXCALIBUR looming down at me from my DVD shelf), differs from the prior 751 King Arthur movies in many ways, but perhaps most obviously in that it is very specifically about the gathering of the Knights."
As Ellis accurately puts it, there are plenty of cinematic versions of the Arthurian myth for people to enjoy. So if someone opts to deviate towards their own take, that's perfectly fine.
Let's just hope the one thing these two Excaliburs ultimately have in common are the "blood, guts and all" battle sequences. That, and let's go for unknowns in the lead roles please.
Tue, July 28, 2009 
It looked like the Narnia franchise was as good as dead after Prince Caspian churned out $420 million worldwide (a disappointing gross when you account for the $750 million the first film made) and not-so-hot home-video sales. It didn't help matters that Disney was purposefully dragging their ass in getting the third installment Voyage of the Dawn Treader off the ground. Sure they hired a director (Michael Apted), started constructing sets and had their young leads lined up to return to the world of fantasy-themed Christian allegory once again. But the start-date kept getting delayed with the final straw being the Mouse letting the rights to the franchise expire this past Christmas.
Then came along a savior in the form of 20th Century Fox who were ready, willing and able to spilt the $120+ million costs with Walden Media. A Christmas 2010 theatrical release date was set and all seemed right in the world of Narnia.
Now the studio has announced today (via Coming Soon) that filming has officially commenced on Dawn Treader in Australia. Production is expected to wrap up this coming November for it's "day and date" unveiling next December.
Before this morning's news, I was starting to think that Fox (like Disney a year ago) had cold feet towards bankrolling such an expensive property that basically peaked with The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe back in 2005. I still maintain that had Disney kept Caspian in its original Christmas 2007 release date, we wouldn't be here talking about how a third Narnia film is just now getting made (and with an opposing studio to boot!)
It will nevertheless be interesting to see how the film holds its own (if at all!) against the likes of Disney's Tron Legacy and Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows - Part I next year.
Tue, July 28, 2009 
Weekend Actuals (July 24th - July 26th)
1 G-Force $31,706,934
2 Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince $29,462,187
3 The Ugly Truth $27,605,576
4 Orphan $12,871,483
5 Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs $8,408,430
6 Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen $8,124,427
7 The Hangover $6,461,370
8 The Proposal $6,379,926
9 Public Enemies $4,352,650
10 Bruno $2,832,870
Mon, July 27, 2009 Originally Posted On Our Sister Site SupermanLives.Net
When it comes to the film franchise, fans of Superman have been dragged through a meteor shower of rumors, vague quotes, and studio spin for the last three years. They have debated the possibility of a sequel or reboot, even throwing out buzz words like “Requel” and “Routhboot” to try and make sense of it all. Smallville fans haven’t been treated any better and this past week’s Comic Con is all the proof needed to present the case which all started with a Aint It Cool News report and went up, up, and away from there. This is a story of a phantom film called “Metropolis”, Rosie’s suit under the stairs, and the actor who made them all forget.
The madness commenced on June 24th within the body of a seemingly harmless article courtesy of the previously mentioned, Ain’t It Cool News. Said article pointed to a possible “Smallville” related movie which was to be called “Metropolis”. The “untested source” by the name of “Yoda’s Bitch” relayed the below to AICN:
“On black, with crimson/red text in the same font lettering that Smallville uses, and a transparent grey Superman "S" watermark behind the text:
METROPOLIS
CHRISTMAS 2010
Then at the bottom is a banner advertising the Smallville presentation, with the time/place (can't remember).'''
After receiving a “few bits of convincing detail” that AICN wouldn’t share, they suggested the possibility of both a direct-to-tv movie and a feature length film before warning their readers to “kindly take it all as a rumor”. AICN made the choice to report what they heard and presented all the necessary warnings according to the “Grain of Salt” rolodex, but it was too late. Numerous web sites started to pick up on the report. The speculation and rumor mill had been put into motion and fans of the show were eating it up like Ma Kent’s homemade apple pies
The second part of the saga involves another scoop sent to AICN on July 23rd pointing to the possibility of Mr. Welling wearing an early prototype Supermanish style suit during season 9. According to scooper “X Anne” a woman named “Rosie” was pulling people aside at random next to a Starbucks at “Comic Con” and down a flight of stairs for a sneak peak at the “Red-Blue Blur” suit.
“it's gobsmackingly awesome! no spandex it looked like leather, its one suit, the top is blue at front and back, red on sides and arms, the trousers are blue at the front and back, red at sides. the superman symbol on the chest protruding out, its red. no cape. it was on a stand we could walk around.”
On top of that “X Anne” claimed that Welling was flying down to San Diego to wear the suit on stage at the Smallville panel. Another “confirmation” soon was added to the article from a sourceby the name of “Richerways” who insisted “the suit makes its on screen debut in the Season Nine premiere, which is called, “Superman”. If you write it, it will be linked. Some web sites ran with it, further exciting an already amped up fan base.
The news from AICN was already coming on the heels of TV Guide’s proclamation that a “major Smallville announcement is expected to come down at Comic Con International this weekend in San Diego.” The fans were geeked. Could it be a movie announcement? Was Tom finally going to be Superman? In the minds of the fans it is all connecting, things now make sense.
Cut to the “Smallville Panel” at Comic Con on Sunday Morning on the Left Coast where all the faces of Smallville were present, including Tom Welling himself. Tom Welling had never before attended a Comic Con, the fans thought, this must be it. Why would Tom show up if nothing big was going down? There were questions, there was footage, Tom and his pearly whites were there. However, there were no Metropolis banners, no “Big Announcement”, no “Red-Blue Blur” suit. There was a shot in the sizzle reel of a black Columbinesque type suit, ironically with a bluish “Superman Returns” \S/. Smallville fans were duped again, first it was rumors of Tom Welling playing Superman on the big screen back in 2004, then it Welling suiting up for a Justice League feature. Now this.
These reports just screamed fake to most people who read them, but when you are fan, of course you would love it to be a possibility and you look for ways in which it “could be” rather than why it “wouldn’t be”. All of us have been guilty of it at one time or another, hoping an obviously flawed rumor turns out to be true. I think in the age of the internet, any fan has to be on their toes, weeding through the falsities in order to uncover the truth. This applies to me and my fellow web jockeys as well, we all have been bitten in the ass by an untested source.
There were a couple of winners in all this, the major one being Michael Ausiello, who scooped everybody’s tights off regarding the upcoming season of Smallville. Ausiello debunked the “Metropolis” rumors on July 8th along with the tidbit that fans would see an \S/ on Clark’s chest and later being the first to officially report Welling would be in attendance among other season nine spoilers. Superman Homepage also came out on top, having people in place at Con that actually did the leg work and checked up on this phantom Rosie and her mysterious suit rightfully calling it a hoax.
The losers? Well to me it is the fans, sure Welling was in attendance, but this was most likely due to the fact that this is the last season of Smallville. Granted that really was special for the fans at the panel but I don’t see how they can’t feel duped after going through this whirlwind yet again. Smallville fans are the most loyal group of television fans out there and they continually are hit in the face with a disappointment pie perpetuated by the rumor mill that is the internet. Can you blame the fans? Something they wanted for so long seemed well within their grasp and now they are forced to settle for something of lesser value. Thus the trials and tribulations of being a fan.
Do you blame the web sites that are running these rumors? What about TV Guide and AICN in all of this? The link to the AICN article regarding the suit has disappeared, “node 41794” now takes you to a Brett Ratner article which was written in 1969. Not sure what the benefit is of erasing the article, it is still linked on dozens of web sites, so although it has been taken down at AICN it surely still exists. AICN is one of the pioneers of internet based film and television news and have helped to pave the way for other web sites but I disagree with pulling the article. Gone but not forgotten.
Smallville Season premieres September 25th.
Mon, July 27, 2009 
Earlier this year, Bryan Singer, Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale attached themselves to The Prisoners, a spec script from freshman screenwriter Aaron Guzikowski.
The idea of course was their involvement would (hopefully) gain momentum behind the project and entice someone to front the cash. And considering the subject matter (a desperate father who imprisons the man he believes kidnapped his daughter), said logic was sound.
As the trades report, the project is now being fast-tracked for an October 2010 release with Alcon Entertainment (who were behind Christopher Nolan's Insomnia as well as the forthcoming Book of Eli) ponying up $40 million.
However, they'll have to find a new set of lead actors as Wahlberg and Bale are out (they opted to headline the currently filming The Fighter with David O. Russell instead) and Singer walked due to issues with the budget. That sucks as I was curious to see this trio work together.
Mon, July 27, 2009 Empire have an exclusive set of new stills from "Prince Of Persia: The Sands Of Time," now granted they do look a bit like the covers off some cheesy romance novel, or maybe someone caught Jake Gyllenhaal and Gemma Arterton filming a tie in deodorant ad? but regardless, they certainly capture a lush romanticism reminiscent of the oldschool epics.
Check the film stills below and if you want to see two more pics on set, that look like Jerry Bruckheimer was looking for the lost ark during the shoot, then click the link.
Sun, July 26, 2009 
We here at Think McFly Think realise that most of you good folks weren't able to attend the San Diego Comic-Con this past weekend. But don't feel bad - neither were we! So on this week's edition of Movie Moan, Phil, Jamie, Ed and Lou will play "Monday Morning Quarterback."
Among the topics up for discussion include the Twilight series and how regular fans like yourselves are apparently being fucked over by "media types" at the Con, the reception to James Cameron's Avatar and why Jamie thinks "Avatar Day" is retarded (that's right, he said it!) as well reactions to Tron Legacy, Nightmare on Elm Street and Alice in Wonderland.
All of that, plus Gary Oldman "confirming" Batman 3, Sam Raimi on Warcraft, the situation going on with Futurama over at Fox, how Jamie gets Gary Cole and Steven Weber mixed up and of course...T.J. Hooker!
Movie Moan - I Missed Comic Con and All I Got Was This Podcast