Superman: Man of Action!

If a picture says a thousand words, only one came to mind when I saw the newly released pic of Henry Cavill from Superman: The Man of Steel: action.

Yes, the word that was used so infrequently to describe Bryan Singer’s 2006 effort, Superman Returns. In fact, I believe the new picture is a promise to potential movie-goers that they are in store for some serious action when Superman does indeed return to the big screen to do battle with General Zod (Michael Shannon) and Faora (Antje Trau).

Harry Potter Producer Ready to Dive Back into Fantasy with ‘NonPlayer’

Hollywood appears to be digging the pitches for some of this year’s hottest comic books, because they sure aren’t basing their most recent purchases on a finished product.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, the latest unfinished comic book to get optioned is NonPlayer, the Nate Simpson opus that received a ton of attention when the Image Comics title was released this April. Simpsons handles every bit of the production on the comic book, which was fully illustrated and colored using Photoshop.

'Avengers' Teaser Trailer

Spoiler Alert!

So it looks like we will be getting our first peak at 2012's The Avengers after the credits of Captain America: The First Avenger. The very low-quality clip does not give anything away really, but oh boy, does it have us excited.

The Avengers is scheduled for release on May 4, 2012.

Judge Dredd Photo

He Is The Law

Excited about the Judge Dredd film?

Did you even know there was a film?

The film comes out in 2012 and stars Karl Urban as the famous Street Judge.

The film is being directed by Pete Travis and I am willing to bet it will be awesome. So take that Sylvester Stallone.

Anway, hope you are enjoying this photo.

Smallville attacked! Maybe.

Superman Homepage has posted some interesting images from the Plano, Illinois set of Zack Snyder’s The Man of Steel.

While I imagine more damage being done than just a small corner of a building coming down, it looks as though Superman and Zod might take their fisticuffs to Small Town, USA—wait—I know another famous town with the word small in it!

We’re still a year and a half away from the film’s release so we probably won’t see a teaser until Christmas at the earliest. I’m beyond eager to get a sense for the tone of this film since Snyder has said that this film will not have his trademark stylistic look.

The Man of Steel is scheduled for release for the 2012 Holiday season.

Warner Bros. Buys 'Undying Love'

The Hollywood Reporter is reporting that Undying Love, the new Image vampire-themed comic book by Tomm Coker and Daniel Freedman, has been optioned by Warner Bros.

Another vampire movie?

Don’t be fooled. If you’ve picked up this fantastic new title, you’ll already know that Coker and Freedman don’t fall into the lazy conventions of your typical vampire stories. There is nary a dripping candle, velvet cloak nor pasty-skinned lover.

Undying Love is an action yarn featuring vampires. Undying Love is the story of John Sargent, an American ex-Soldier on the bloody trail of Shang Ji—one of the oldest and most powerful vampires in China. Shang-Ji is responsible for turning John’s love Mei into a vampire and John must kill the villain, in a fairly grisly ritual no less, to return Mei to her former human self.

There’s a child apothecary who knows the secret to un-vampiring vampires, an Elvis-singing vampire, and vampires who sing karaoke, snort coke and play dominos. If this isn’t selling you, I don’t know what else to add!

There’s no word yet on a director or writer yet, but Coker and Freedman would be my first choice to handle the script duties.

Adrianne Palicki: YO JOE!!!!

Adrianne Palicki  may not be Wonder Woman any more, but don't fret, she'll next be seen as classic Joe Lady Jaye, in the next G.I. Joe film.

The upcoming film already has Channing Tatum as Duke, Ray Park as Snake Eyes, Dwayne Johnson as Roadblock, Elodie Yung as Jinx, DJ Cotrona as Flint and RZA as The Blind Master.

Paramount's G.I. Joe 2 (Joe Harder) is set for a summer 2012 release.

Damn It! This is Not the End of the Comic Book Movie!

Do you know what sticks in my craw?

The headline “Does (Failed Superhero Film Adaptation) Spell the End of Comic Book Films?”

Groan. It’s so lazy and it ridiculously generalizes audiences tastes. Every few years you get a Dark Knight or Iron Man and suddenly their phenomenal box-office take becomes a totally unrealistic benchmark. Just because a movie fails to capture a similar audience doesn’t mean this is the ongoing trend for a sub-genre.

Perhaps the film didn’t appeal to general audiences (Kick-Ass). Perhaps the film appealed to a very specific audience (Scott Pilgrim vs. the World). Perhaps the film suffered from the lack of the expected marquee names (X-Men: First Class). Or maybe the film just wasn’t all that great (Green Lantern).

Warner Bros. Not So Bullish on 'Green Lantern' Sequel?

Okay, now this makes sense. Or dollars and cents.

After the Hollywood Reporter ran a story on Sunday indicating that Warner Bros. was considering a Green Lantern follow-up, the trade was informed by the studio that “no decision has been reached” to film a sequel.

This idea that Warners was even considering a sequel was confounding considering that the film is performing so tepidly. The trade also indicated that industry observers expect the film to net somewhere between $260 and $275 Million—not enough to cover its projected—although rumored—$400 Million price tag (this includes the film’s worldwide marketing expenses).

This really saddens me because I don’t think that the filmmakers brought the care and enthusiasm to this film that was necessary to not only kick-off a franchise, but also show the industry that DC’s second-tier characters are viable film properties.

Let’s go back to 2008, after Iron Man enjoyed an unexpectedly successful first weekend (and overwhelmingly positive reviews). On the following Monday, Marvel Studios laid out their three-year plan (which ballooned by a year) in which the company proudly announced their ambitious plans to bring Iron Man’s fellow teammates—Thor, Captain America and Ant Man—to the big-screen.

These films would culminate with an even more ambitious teaming of the heroes in The Avengers. While we continue to hear about forward movement on an Ant Man script, this summer has already seen the successful release of Thor, and Captain America: The First Avenger is a few weeks away from release. That Avengers thing is already half way through its filming and is scheduled for release next year.

So yeah, I’m disappointed in what Green Lantern was as a film, but more importantly what it could have meant for harder to sell properties like Wonder Woman, Aquaman, and the Justice League. I don’t picture Warner Bros. doling out big bucks on movies like these without a proven track record.

On the bright side, we are getting Batman and Superman films next year.

Warner Bros. Possibly Eyeing 'Green Lantern' Sequel

Ryan Reynolds may wear the ring again after all.

The Hollywood Reporter reported on Sunday that Warner Bros. remains bullish on a sequel to Green Lantern. This is surprising since the film has performed lower that the expectations of the studio, which is sitting on a veritable treasure trove of DC Comics properties (Warner Bros. is the parent company of the publisher).

I cannot think of a film that has underperformed as significantly as Green Lantern and has gotten the go ahead for a sequel. I recall talk of a Godzilla (1998) sequel since its worldwide earnings were significant enough to warrant another go round for the giant lizard, but that follow-up never materialized.

Green Lantern’s worldwide total comes to $118,711 million—still a far cry from its projected $200 million budget (which is rumored to actually soar an additional $100 million when factoring in the film’s marketing). According to the trade, Green Lantern’s box-office dropped a sizeable 66 percent. I think this is even more significant because the film wasn’t vying for the same audiences as this weekend’s other two major releases: Cars 2 and Bad Teacher. However, it will be when Transformers: Dark of the Moon is released midweek.

It’s still too early to tell if Warner Bros. will indeed go through with a Green Lantern sequel, but if they do I certainly hope they pick apart the first film and figure out what worked and what didn’t.

R.I.P.D. gets a release date

Today Universal Pictures, which acquired the rights, has scheduled a release date of 06/28/2013 for R.I.P.D.

The film stars Ryan Reynolds and Jeff Bridges and follows the adventures of Nick Cruz, a murdered man who signs up for the R.I.P.D.  "Rest in Peace Department" to help enforce the law amidst the city's undead community.

This an adaptation of Pete Lenkov and Lucas Marangon's Dark Horse Comics mini-series.

R.I.P.D. will be directed by Red Director Robert Schwentke

Superhero Box Office

Hey there movie goers and superhero fanboys...

It's June and we are now three superhero and comic book films in, let's check in and see how they are doing. Cause we all want sequels and spin offs, right?

Green Lantern opened this weekend and despite negative reviews the DC Comics 'space cop' brought in a worldwide total of $70,174,303.

X-Men: First Class has been out for 17 days and the merry group of mutants has so far brought in a worldwide total of $282,458,086.

and finally,

After 6 weeks Thor is still going strong (mighty even) with a worldwide total of $435,214,432.

Not bad for a bunch of guys and gals who have been in the funny books for over 50 years

'Green Lantern' Opens Today

I’m going to see Green Lantern in an hour or so and I’m completely torn as to what I can expect. The critics are ravaging it. A few people I know have seen it and loved it. Of course I’m concerned any time a film is not screened early for critics, which is the case with Green Lantern.

None of this seems to be totally affecting me though. I am going into this movie with a completely open mind. I think all of the negative reviews has kept my perspective more open than normal. I say this because I normally will walk into a film thinking “I’m going to really enjoy myself” or “the trailers haven’t been great, but I’m going to turn off my brain and just enjoy it.” With Green Lantern I have been asking myself “I wonder what I will think of this film?” Sure my head is telling me that the lack of confidence that Warner Bros. has shown in this film is all I should need to know about its quality, my head is also telling me that they don’t know what they have on their hands.

You can hear what Jerry and I thought of the film when our Special Edition Green Lantern podcast is posted this weekend. It should be interesting.

One last note: I am hopeful that the film that inspired the following magical moment from last year’s San Diego Comic Con will have a little magic of its own.

Mangold Signed to Direct 'The Wolverine'

While he has had hits (3:10 to Yuma) and misses (Knight and Day) in action films, James Mangold most consistent work has been in his more dramatic fare (Walk the Line, Girl, Interrupted and Copland).

According to the Hollywood Reporter Mangold has been tapped to direct The Wolverine for Fox; this, of course, is the sequel to 2008’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine. After Darren Aronofsky left the project after determining the shooting schedule would have taken him out of the country for too long a time, Fox began to whittle down a short—and eclectic—list of directors. The film’s co-producer and star, Hugh Jackman, has also made no secret that he is eager to keep this film on track.

There is no word yet on when the film is set to begin rolling, but my guess would be that Fox is eager to get The Wolverine out for a 2012 summer or Christmas release. If it’s summer, the hero won’t have much room to stretch out his claws since that movie season is already stuffed with the biggest franchises in comic book moviedom: The Avengers, The Amazing Spider-Man and The Dark Knight Rises.

The Wolverine, written by Christopher MqQuarrie, is said to be based on Chris Claremont’s class Wolverine 1982 mini-series, which is primarily set in Japan. With Mangold on hand as the director, I would assume that Jackman and company are looking to keep the material as serious as we would have expected from Aronofsky’s take on the film.

First 'Avengers' Promtional Poster Appears Online

Bleeding Cool got their hands on a promotional image for 2012’s Avengers film, which features Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, Hawkeye and Black Widow jumping into action. While the art look more like something that might adorn a Trapper Keeper file (do they still make those?), this is our first official glimpse of promotional artwork from the film.  As promised Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) looks more like his Ultimate Universe counterpart (sans the cool goggles). Cap (Chris Evans) appears to also be wearing a costume which is akin to his Ultimate duds.

The Avengers soars into theaters on May 4, 2012.

Eight is Enough: Fox Searches for 'Wolverine' Director

Variety is reporting tonight that Fox is still hot on The Wolverine, a film that seemed near derailment after the departure of Darren Aronofsky (who couldn’t have seemed hotter after last year’s indie-darling Black Swan).

According to the trade, no less than eight directors are on the short list to bring Hugh Jackman back to the screen for a fifth time as the world’s most famous mutant.

José Padilha (Elite Squad), Doug Liman (The Bourne Identity), Antoine Fuqua (Training Day), Mark Romanek (One Hour Photo), Justin Lin (Fast Five), Gavin O’Connor (Pride and Glory), James Mangold (3:10 to Yuma) and Gary Shore (no major film credits, but has an extensive resume of directing commercials).

These directors’ films are incredibly varied in their styles. I’d like to offer up a name that I’ve mentioned in a previous article and on our podcast: Katherine Bigelow. The Academy Award-winning director is as big on characterization as she is on action. While I would like to see what could be done with this property, I want to see a film by a director who doesn’t get pushed around by the studio—which is what seemed to have happened on the lackluster X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

Positive 'Thor' Reviews Continue

Is that thunder I hear?

We are just a day away from the release of Marvel’s new Thor movie and the reviews are starting to pour in. And they’re good!

As of this moment, the film has scored an extremely positive 87% on Rotten Tomatoes (overall). I tend to head straight to the “Top Critics” tab to see what the cream of the crop thought of the film and was pleased to see positive reviews from Time, Entertainment Weekly and the Hollywood Reporter.

Here’s a sample:

Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly

“Pulls off something I wouldn't have thought possible: It restores the innocence to big-budget superhero mythmaking.”

Meghan Lehmann, Hollywood Reporter

The hammer-hurling god of thunder kicks off this superhero summer with a bang.

Peter Howell, Toronto Star

“What really seals the deal is Hemsworth's undeniable charisma, making us ignore the patchiness of the scene changes and the occasional dialogue howler.”

Thor is set for release nationwide tomorrow.

*Listen to our special-edition podcast this weekend for our review of Thor.

More 'Amazing Spider-Man' Set Pics Appear

I’m kind of shocked how many pictures have been released from the set of The Amazing Spider-Man, Marc Webb’s 2012 reboot of the franchise (sorry Mr. Arad, I’m calling it an reboot). These latest pics come courtesy of Splash News Online (click here for the whole set).

Also, where the original series seemed to mainly use CGI for the character’s swinging and derring-do, we’ve seen a lot of live-action action taking place on the set of the new film. I cannot wait to see some finished clips of this film to get a better idea of what Webb and have planned for the look and feel of this film.

I’m also pretty surprised to hear people still are not sold on the costume. Even here, not properly lit, I think the design and texture are both great. I’m sure the debate will come to an end for most when the first trailer is released.

The Amazing Spider-Man is scheduled for release on July 3^rd 2012.

The Shhhhhh 'Thor' Scene

Spoiler Alert!

Okay, well I promise to take this post down as soon as the video is scrubbed from YouTube, which should be hours away. After the jump, if you really want to see it, is a shoddy YouTube video of the after credits scene from Thor. I mentioned last week in another post that I'm not a big fan of movie spoilers, but I read a description of the scene below and instantly regretted it because it's a fairly big spoiler (in the larger scheme of things).

Please Don't Spoil My Movies!

I knew of a big end credits scene when I saw Iron Man,
but I had no idea how big!

Do you like to be spoiled?

Generally I do not mind reading spoilers as long as they are on my terms—and it can never be about a movie that I plan to see. If I’m not planning to see a movie I’ll ask you to spoil everything—partly because I’m curious and partly because I love the trepidation on the person’s face. “Are you sure?” the person asks, certain they’re breaking some unwritten celluloid law.