Kevin Spacey Gets Asked About Lex Luthor 'Regularly'

Kevin Spacey says he gets asked about a sequel to Superman Returns on Twitter "regularly." He is understating it. Every time he goes on Twitter, quite a few people ask him about it.

Of course, his answer to the question has been the same for a while now. He would love to do it, especially if Bryan Singer is directing, and he is contractually obligated to do it.

With the court system doing everything it can to get Warner Bros. to make a sequel, the question remains as to whether he will get the chance.

Take a Gander Through the Looking Glass

And now here is the teaser trailer for Tim Burton's "Alice in Wonderland" via IGN.com:

If you thought the pictures were weird and creepy ... then the trailer obviously won't change you mind. The whole thing still looks creepy as all get out, but I am definitely intrigued. 

Update on Thu, July 23, 2009 by Sean Gerski

Okay, I hope you got to see it while it was up. Disney pulled the trailer, then put it back up, then pulled it again.

All I can say is that during Comic-Con week, you need to check the site often, because some trailers will be available for a limited time only.

Update on Thu, July 23, 2009 by Sean Gerski

And ... now it's up again (for now). 

Here is the 'Sherlock Holmes' Trailer in HD

With all of the news that is going to be released this week, don't be surprised if our news stories are shorter than normal for the next few days.

Anyway, here is the trailer for Guy Ritchie's upcoming "Sherlock Holmes" movie, starring Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law.

But honestly, is there anyone who doesn't plan to see this movie?

'Iron Man 2' Video Game Trailer Debuts Online

While we wait to see what this weekend's Comic-Con brings in terms of "Iron Man 2," IGN has a new trailer for the movie's video game.

The site also has an interview with the game's creative director, who pulls no punches when discussing the poor reception to the first movie's video game.

"The primary failings of that game in the eyes of players and reviewers can be boiled down to three things: repetitive gameplay, erratic difficulty, and counter-intuitive controls. There are plenty more, but those are the big ones."

Regarding the movie's relationship to the game, he says: "You'll be playing a new story, not reliving the movie, and you'll do it in the world of the movie."

DC Comics Properties Lining Up (Minus the 'Big Three')

A lot of DC superhero movies are getting under way, but the "Big Three" may be getting left behind. (This photo manip was done by JMC.)A new article in The Hollywood Reporter shows that Warner Bros. and DC Comics may be doing a better job at lining up some movie franchises than many have feared.

The article confirms some rumblings we have heard behind the scenes, and also introduces some brand-new developments.

The good news:

* Warner Bros. hired Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison and Marv Wolfman (three top comic book writers) to serve as "consultants and writers for its superhero line of movies."

* The studio took back the reins on "The Flash" and "Teen Titans" from a pair of producers. 

* Johns created a treatment for "The Flash," with the script to be written by Dan Mazeau. Johns will be a producer on the project.

* The studio is taking pitches on Adam Strange and Aquaman, with the latter character slated to be produced by Leonardo DiCaprio.

* Also in the pipeline: "Bizarro Superman"; a "Constantine" sequel; two Green Arrow projects, an origin story and "Super Max"; and "Shazam," with Pete Segal attached to direct.

The bad news:

* Warner Bros. and DC have no idea how to translate "Wonder Woman" to the big screen.

* Superman remains in limbo.

* A sequel to "Dark Knight" is a long way off.

* The Justice League movie franchise is inactive.

The full article can be found here. It's well worth reading.

It's also worth noting that for as much progress as the studio is making on its DC projects, the "Big Three" of Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman may be off the silver screen for longer than we all would like.

Catch Nearly Five Minutes of 'Green Lantern: First Flight'

As the news that Ryan Reynolds has locked down the role of Hal Jordan in the live action Green Lantern movie dominates the press (including this site), it's worth remembering that there is an animated Green Lantern movie on the horizon.

Here, courtesy of MTV, is the beginning of the animated movie (which is due to hit DVD and Blu-Ray on July 28):

As MTV would say: Well, readers, what do you think?

Ryan Reynolds Does Not Rule Out Deadpool

When Ryan Reynolds accepted the proposal from Warner Bros. and chose to take their ring, many -- if not most people -- assumed the fact that playing Green Lantern would mean the end of Reynolds' involvement in a Deadpool movie.

Now, Deadpool received some pretty lousy treatment in "X-men Origins: Wolverine," but fans of the character were confident (or at least hopeful) that Reynolds, himself a Deadpool fan, could make things right.

However, the left field plucking of Reynolds to play a character in the DC Universe (Green Lantern) left many wondering what that meant for his character in the Marvel Universe (Deadpool).

Apparently, Reynolds is not ruling out a return to Deadpool, telling Entertainment Weekly: "There's no rule that you can't play two different characters in two different comic book universes."

In fact, he added that he might not be done, saying, "There are so many interesting comic book characters out there. I would love to do others." 

Personally, I would be shocked to see Reynolds play Deadpool in a solo movie for a vast number of reasons, but at least Deadpool fans still have some hope. 

Worth noting: The image of Ryan Reynolds above is a brilliant photo manipulation by Australian graphic designer JMC. For more of his work, go here.

Lawsuit Sheds Light on Status of 'Superman' Franchise

The United States District Court, Central District of California, released a finding today in the case of Joanne Siegel and Laura Siegel Larson vs. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc., Time Warner Inc. and DC Comics Inc.

According to the court document: "The question of 'whether the license fees paid' by Warner Bros Entertainment Inc. to its corporate sibling, DC Comics, for the audiovisual rights to the Superman copyright pursuant to various licensing agreements entered into during the 1999 to 2002 period 'represents the fair market value therefor, or whether the license for the works between the related entities was a sweetheart deal.’"

After a 10-day trial, the court determined there is "insufficient evidence that the Superman film agreement between DC Comics and Warner Bros., whether judged by its direct economic terms or its indirect ones, was consummated at below its fair market value." The court also ruled that "the non-exclusive rights conveyed by DC Comics to Warner Bros. in the Smallville television agreement was not for below fair market value and, therefore, finds for the remaining defendants on this point as well."

During the trial, several statements came up that shed some light on the staus of a potential sequel to "Superman Returns."

Regarding the current development of the movie, the document says that Alan Horn -- referred to as "the head of Warner Bros." -- testified that "aside from his 'hopes' to develop the Superman character, at present the property is not under development at Warner Bros. No script has been written, filming has not commenced, and the earliest a Superman film could be theatrically released would be 2012. As Mr Horn explains 'we had hopes to keep the [superman] character alive and to once again reinvent Superman. We are -- our hope is to develop a Superman property and to try again. What hurt us is that the reviews and so on for the Superman movie ... did not get the critical acclaim that Batman got, and we have other issues with superman that concern us.'"

However, the lawsuit also details why it is in the company's interest to get moving on another Superman movie:

"Given that Mr. Horn testified that the release of a sequel to Superman Returns movie could occur in 2012, it is certainly now possible, based on the only competent evidence related to this issue introduced at trial, that filming of such a sequel could occur within the 2009 to 2011 time frame.
"Unless and until it can be shown at that point in time that no filming of a sequel to Superman Returns has commenced, it cannot be said, with any degree of certainty, that the Superman film agreement’s failure to contain a reversion clause keyed to continued and regular development of the property in film has caused any harm.
"In making this statement, the Court is certainly mindful of how close this market deficiency in the Superman film agreement is from shifting from speculation to concrete harm. Even under Mr. Horn's hopeful estimate, no filming of a Superman sequel will commence this year nor is it likely that it will commence next year. Without a script, and there is none at present, filming cannot be commenced. It is only the possibility that filming could begin on a Superman sequel in 2011 that has stayed the Court from making a finding on the reasonable certainty of harm having occurred.
"Given that the potential for said commencement of filming exists at the present time, plaintiffs have not shown that the Superman film agreement, sans a reversion clause, is below the reasonable range for what a willing buyer would pay for the property from a willing seller. If, however, by 2011, no filming has commenced on a Superman sequel, plaintiffs could bring an accounting action at that time to recoup the damages then realized for the Superman film agreement's failure to contain a reversion clause."

Click here to read the lawsuit in its entirety.

TMT Exclusive: The Teaser Poster For 'Mask-Head'

One of my most popular stories recently was a brief interview with writer-director Scott Swan.
In the piece, Swan promised to thank his first 500 followers on Twitter in the end credits of a movie -- if he reached the 500-follower milestone by July 4 at 6 p.m. PST.

Well, Swan reached the mark, but due to the ever-changing nature of the Internet, he has dipped under 500 again.
However, Swan said that since he made the goal, he will keep his end of the bargain and the names will be in the movie.

At the time I am writing this, "ScottObiSwan" is at 494 followers. So there is still room for six more people with a yearning to see their names on the big screen.

And, as that deadline fast approaches, I have uncovered something pretty cool. One of my spies was able to secure an exclusive look at the teaser poster for "Mask-Head" -- the very movie in which Swan's followers will get their names.

For my money, the image is perfect for a teaser poster -- it's appropriately creepy without revealing very much.

"Mask-Head" is based upon a short story written by Swan, who also is directing the movie. Filming for "Mask-Head" will get under way on July 6 in Pittsburgh.

On his Twitter page, Swan said he will deliver a "new on-set pic daily."
He also has sweetened the Twitter deal. If he reaches 550 followers by tomorrow, one of his followers will randomly win a copy of the DVD, which he said he is willing to sign.

Oh, and a word of advice: If you follow Swan to get in the movie's credits, don't drop him immediately. Not only are his posts worth reading, but you won't get your name in the movie if it isn't in his follower list when he does the credits.

'Iron Man 2' Gets in the Fast Lane

Road & Track magazine has tracked down a picture of a vintage race car sponsored by the fictional Stark Industries (the car will be featured in the upcoming "Iron Man 2").

According to the magazine: "This is the Stark Industries-sponsored vintage race car that the movie's main protagonist — genius inventor and swash-buckling lady's man Tony Stark — will be driving in a scene that depicts him racing in the Grand Prix de Monaco Historique, a vintage race held in Monte Carlo. The scene is not being filmed on the actual streets of the tiny, glamorous seaside principality near the south of France, but on an elaborate set that replicates the Monaco circuit. We're not sure what the Stark Industries car, which is built to resemble a '70s racer, is based on exactly, but this image leads us to believe that a fully functional race car — perhaps a Formula Ford or Formula Mazda car — resides beneath that blue-and-white Stark Motor Sports livery. Check out the Avon racing slicks and transmission sticking out the back of the car beneath the rear wing."

For a few more angles of the car, check out RoadAndTrack.com.