First Official 'Avatar' Pic Surfaces

In advance of "Avatar" Day on Aug. 21, SlashFilm.com has posted a photo taken from the movie:

 

For more details about the photo, head to SlashFilm:

http://www.slashfilm.com/2009/08/14/the-first-official-photo-from-james-camerons-avatar

For a refresher on what "Avatar" Day entails, head over here.

Update on Fri, August 14, 2009 by Sean Gerski

The 16-minute "Avatar" pre-screenings will take place at 6 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. on Aug. 21.

Tickets for the pre-screenings will be given away on a "first-come, first-served basis" at www.avatarmovie.com starting at 3 p.m. EST on Monday, Aug. 17.

'Reno 911' Star Announces Cancellation Via Twitter

While many people like to disparage Twitter, the truth is that the service offers many benefits. One of those is the direct access stars have with their fans (and vice versa).

Granted, some of those stars are, in fact, imposters. However, many of them are the genuine deal.

One of those celebrities on Twitter is Thomas Lennon, best known for his stints on "Reno 911!" and "The State."

Today, Lennon sent two messages via Twitter.

The first (which was funny, but ironic):

I now have 13k followers on August 13th. Must be my lucky day... Hey, dropped my iPhone in the toilet, and it still wrk123342133s ###xxDR10

And the second (which is the reason for this story) came an hour later:

Reno 911! was cancelled at 1:30 pm today. Won't be wearing the shorts again.

Reno 911! completed its sixth season on Comedy Central on July 8.

The benefit to using Twitter for Lennon, who is a co-creator and star of the show, was that he was allowed to announce the show's demise on his own terms. There was no studio press release and no blurb in Variety.

Lennon isn't the first celebrity to announce news via Twitter. For example, Paula Abdul recently announced she was leaving "American Idol" via Twitter.

Some people feel Twitter is a fad, with the end a foregone conclusion. And while that is certainly possible, one thing is for sure: we can expect more celebrities to take advantage of the service while it is available.

It's Not 'Complicated' To See Movie's Appeal

One of the great untapped markets for movies is the romantic comedy for people over the age of 40.

They don't come around too often, so it's worth noting when they do. It's especially worth noting when the movie features a love triangle made up of Meryl Streep, Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin.

"It's Complicated" has been building some solid word-of-mouth and the new trailer shows why:

Written and directed by Nancy Meyers, "It's Complicated" arrives in theaters on Dec. 25. In addition to the actors already listed, the movie also features John Krasinski, Zoe Kazan, Lake Bell, Hunter Parrish, Pat Finn and Rita Wilson.

'Where the Wild Things Are' Full Trailer Arrives

After a lot of discussion, a couple of well-received posters and a teaser trailer, we have the full trailer for "Where the Wild Things Are":

As my friend, who walked by when I was watching it, said: "Wow. It's crazy to see it come to life. I hope it doesn't suck. It was such a good book."

And that certainly sums up the feelings of a lot of people.

"Where The Wild Things Are" is an adaptation of Maurice Sendak's classic children's story. It is the story of Max -- a disobedient little boy sent to bed without his supper. Max creates his own world inhabited by ferocious wild creatures that crown Max as their ruler.

Max will be played by the aptly-named Max Records. In various ways, the movie also will make use of the talents of Forest Whitaker, Catherine Keener, Mark Ruffalo, James Gandolfini and Catherine O'Hara.

"Where The Wild Things Are" is scheduled to be released Oct. 16. 

Spielberg Pulls 'Harvey' Out of His Hat

While sites were reporting that Steven Spielberg was circling a spy franchise ("Matt Helm"), the hard-to-predict director instead was stealthily agreeing to remake "Harvey" as his next project.

"Harvey" is the story of Elwood P. Dowd, and his friendship with a 6-and-a-half-foot tall invisible rabbit.

The Pulitzer Prize-winning play from 1944 was turned into a 1950 movie starring Jimmy Stewart. It also has been produced as a television movie three times, with Stewart reprising the role in 1972.

According to a press release, the screenplay will by done by bestselling novelist Jonathan Tropper. 

The movie will be a co-production between 20th Century Fox and DreamWorks.

The release states casting and pre-production will begin immediately, with production to start early next year.

No actors are aligned with the project as yet, but would it really surprise anyone if Tom Hanks were the first actor to get a call for the role of Elwood P. Dowd?

Update on Wed, August 5, 2009 by Sean Gerski

While Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks did discuss the project, as expected, Hanks will not play the lead role (of Dowd, not Harvey).

According to Variety: "While it appears there was a conversation, Hanks and Spielberg won't pursue it because Hanks is so identified with [Jimmy] Stewart. The last thing he would want to do is star in a project so closely identified with the actor. Hanks didn't even read the Jonathan Tropper script."

Additionally, Variety states the movie's script will hem closer in tone to the play than the 1950 film did.

Meet the 'Fantastic Mr. Fox'

It is the rare animated movie that will get me to go out to the theater. But, then again, very rarely do you see a movie with such a unique list of talent as is associated with "The Fantastic Mr. Fox."

The movie is directed -- rather improbably -- by Wes Anderson (who directed "The Royal Tenenbaums," among other gems). The vocal talent includes George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Owen Wilson, Willem Dafoe, Bill Murray, Adrien Brody, Anjelica Huston, Brian Cox, Michael Gambon and Jason Schwartzman.

'Losers' Poster is a Winner

It is turning out to be a great weekend to be a superhero fan, especially if you prefer DC Comics.

Here is the teaser poster for the upcoming comic book movie "The Losers" (via Aintitcool.com):

Check Out 'Chuck'

One of my favorite hobbies is watching TV shows on DVD.

It's fun to watch the ones I have already seen before, but what I really love to do is watch a show that has been on for a while, that I never saw, and just watch season after season all at once.

I have done this with "Scrubs," "The OC," "Dark Angel," "Mad Men" and "That '70s Show," among others and I always really enjoy it.

One of the shows I have on my list to do this with before too long is "Chuck." The show looks like fun and I'm looking forward to sitting down and running through the episodes released so far.

Anyway, the show's makers are giving out the poster at the right at the Comic-Con and I absolutely love it.

If you are a fan of the show, I know you are drooling already. Just don't spoil the show for me. I have a lot of catching up to do.

Veil Lifting From 'Avatar'

In an age where everyone must know everything they can about a movie immediately, it can be very difficult to maintain any mystery about a project.

Considering how long James Cameron has been gestating "Avatar," it is amazing how tight he has kept security around the project - especially considering the movie is less than half a year away from hitting theatres.

Well, the veil is being lifted and we can expect to see more very soon.

Here is the official desciption of the movie (due in theaters Dec. 18):
Avatar is the story of an ex-Marine who finds himself thrust into hostilities on an alien planet filled with exotic life forms. As an Avatar, a human mind in an alien body, he finds himself torn between two worlds, in a desperate fight for his own survival and that of the indigenous people.

More than ten years in the making, Avatar marks Cameron's return to feature directing since helming 1997's Titanic, the highest grossing film of all time and winner of eleven Oscars® including Best Picture. WETA Digital, renowned for its work in The Lord of the Rings Trilogy and King Kong, will incorporate new intuitive CGI technologies to transform the environments and characters into photorealistic 3D imagery that will transport the audience into the alien world rich with imaginative vistas, creatures and characters.

Written and directed by Cameron, "Avatar" stars Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Stephen Lang, Michelle Rodriguez and Sigourney Weaver.

A web site featuring some music (and not much else, at this point) has sprung up at www.avatarmovie.com. There are many ways in which one can sign up to receive updates about the movie.

And most significantly, today at Comic-Con, a lucky group of people got to witness 25 minutes of footage.

Luckily for everyone else, a chance to see footage from the movie will arrive Aug. 21, or as Cameron has dubbed it: "Avatar Day."

On that day, Twentieth Century Fox will debut the film's trailer. Even better, select cinemas and IMAX theaters will screen extended footage from the film. The  trailer will be launched worldwide, on that day only, in a variety of formats, including: IMAX 3-D; IMAX 2-D; digital 3-D; digital 2-D; 35mm 2-D; and online online. Details on locations and tickets for this are expected to be announced soon.

To complete the "Avatar Day" experience, the trailer for James Cameron's "Avatar: The Game" and Mattel's line of action figures will show up that day as well.

(For those who can't wait, our friends at Screen Rant can describe the footage shown at Comic Con to you. But I have to warn you: it will make waiting until "Avatar Day" just that much more difficult.)

Update on Fri, July 24, 2009 by Sean Gerski

The Hollywood Reporter sat down with Cameron yesterday for an interview about the movie. You can find it here.

'Dead of Night' Poster Debuts at Comic-Con

Of all of the movies on the horizon, there is no movie to which I am looking more forward than "Dead of Night," starring Brandon Routh.

At left is a look at the teaser poster from Comic-Con.

If you will notice, there is a web site listed at the bottom of the poster. Take a look at the site: http://www.deadofnight-themovie.com/.

And for a refresher on the movie, my previous interview with Plantinum Studios Vice President Dan Forcey is here.