John Goodman is back on board Pope Joan after getting sued for leaving. We get this interesting tale of back and forth from our friends at cinematical:

It can be a challenge just to work with people you clash heads with, but imagine going back to work after a big lawsuit? Back in April of 2007, John Goodman started off the Pope Joan plague by backing out of the project and getting sued. Then there were those director kerfuffles, and then star Franka Potente had to back out because the film was taking too damned long to come together. But now at least one drama is righting itself.

Variety reports that the case between Goodman and Constantin films has been settled, and he is once again starring in the film as Pope Sergius. With the cast now in place, the film is finally schedule to begin production next month in Germany and Morocco.

Going back to work after a legal battle would be weird; well, it would be weird for me. Goodman has been described as a consummate professional, and if anyone could pick and resume “business as usual” it would be him.

I am excited to see Goodman dressed up as a pope. This very well could be the only factor pulling me towards this project like a tractor beam. Say what you will about the Catholics - they have sharply dressed leaders, this is gospel!

It appears that all four original Ghostbusters may be returning to the silver screen - to pass their mantles unto the new school. We get the following scoop from out friends at Dread Central:

According to our source all four Ghostbusters — Dan Akroyd, Bill Murray, Harold Ramis and Ernie Hudson — have agreed to return to the franchise. A few years ago that would have been downright unbelievable, but considering they all just got back into their roles for the Ghostbusters videogame, it’s more than plausible that they’d do it on-camera one more time.

Now here’s the really interesting part; though not much is known about the plot, apparently the ‘Busters will be handing over their proton packs to Seth Rogan and the crew from 40 Year Old Virgin!

If they can get the full ensemble cast of The 40 Year Old Virgin to assemble as the Ghostbuster’s replacements - It could be cool. I am very pensive about it however. I don’t like the “passing of the guard” aspect of it. I know some may think that this is great news, but If they are going to do another Ghostbusters film; I really want to see the old gang back together and kicking ass one more time.

If they reserved the passing of the packs till the third act; I could live with that. It closes off the trilogy for the original four, and sets up a future film (or so) with the new crew. I think that this would be the best compromise, and make for the best story.

International Friends; I am interested to hear your thoughts on this news. Please share your thoughts.

We have another Spirit poster today that was crafted by a student of the Art Institute of California-San Diego. Thanks to moviesonline for the hookup:

For the full sized image please journey to the source article.

I agree with Luke at moviesonline in proclaiming that this is the best poster for the film to date. This poster is 1/9 in a series that that will be designed as part of a student program at the Art Institute of California-San Diego. I wish more professional posters looked as cool as this student’s assignment.

We have news today that Howard Stern seeks to remake Rock And Roll High School. We get the following skinny from our friends at Latino Review:

The trades are reporting something that Stern fans have known for some time. Radio Star Howard Stern has been talking about remaking the cult classic “Rock ‘n’ Roll High School” and partnering up with Larry Levinson.

Interestingly enough, Alex Winter, who is best known as Keanu Reeves dopy partner in Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, will write the script. The film was about a group of rebellious students who, with the help of punk rock band the Ramones, thwarted a repressive, rock-music-hating principal.

I like Howard Stern and think he’s a very funny man. I have no problem with him being involved in the making of films; in fact, I champion him. I don’t understand why he wants to do remakes however. We have too many of them as it is, and if he wants to make a movie - I want to see him do just that. Stern has the chops to do something fresh. I would much rather see him make his own high school film.

All that being said, I am pumped to see that Alex Winter will be writing the script. As a founding member of Wyld Stallyons, I cannot think of a better fit for a movie about rock & roll and teenage rebellion.

We have four new images from the Watchmen to show you today thanks to our good friends over at Empire. Check it out.

For those of you that would like to see the full sized images, please go to the source article over at Empire.

Each set of pictures looks better than the last. This film seems to be getting an escalating amount of buzz, and rightly so. Everything we have seen thus far has looked good and reception from the fans has seemed to be positive (so far as I can tell.)

International Friends; what are your thoughts of these pictures?

It’s totally natural that The Dark Knights remains a hot topic of conversation given the movie is so good and is dominating the box office like no other movie in years (hey Tapley, looks like I lost our bet). But it also means some of us get WAAYYYY ahead of ourselves and start jumping on any little rumor about the next movie (even though they don’t even know who is going to write the next one, let alone know which characters will be in it yet).

There has been a wild rumor burning around the internet the last 24 hours or so proclaiming that Johnny Depp has been approached about playing “The Riddler” in the next Batman film. Would that be a cool casting? Sure. Could Depp do a good job with it? Probably, why not? But let’s look past the obvious problems with this rumor (no script, don’t know who’s writing it for sure, don’t know who’s directing it for sure… yadda yadda yadda). The biggest problem is this…

Why you dig back through where this rumor came from, you find that the originating source is… the National Enquirer. Yes, THAT National Enquirer… who by the way doesn’t name any sources for the rumor.

So let’s put this one to bed shall we? Oh sure, somewhere down the line Depp’s name COULD come up for the role, that’s possible. But as of right now, NO, Depp is not being talked to about The Riddler role… so let’s move on.

Mike Myers might just need this to get the hint. Or redeem himself.

It is official that Myers is now writing Austin Powers 4, but it apparently wont be so much about Austin.

Coming Soon says:

“We’re developing a fourth [movie], entirely from Dr. Evil’s point of view. That is part of what I’ve been doing in the last little while.”Now, Deadline Hollywood Daily has a few more details on which direction Myers is going:

I’m told that Mike Myers has started writing Austin Powers 4 which will be a homage to his father. “It’s very personal with a father and son theme loosely based on his own life,”

Much of Myer’s personal disappointment and insecurity came from his relationship with his father. While Myers was aspiring to be a comedian his father would gently encourage him to try something else insisting “you just aren’t that funny”

Myers spent most of his career motivated to prove his father wrong. Shortly before Myers hit it super big, his father passed away. Myers never got to prove to his father that he could do it and this affected him deeply.

Perhaps this comedic father son story would be a nice send off to his father and closure to this emotional hinge in Myers life.

I hope it is good. I always felt the Dr Evil character and especially Scott Evil were the strongest parts of the film.

Sony still has the rights to Spiderman so it is going to do what it can to maintain those rights. This also keeps a lot of the Spiderman stories separated from what Marvel Studios is planning, but it doesn’t seem to be slowing them down much. Having the rights to Spiderman also means they get the rights to Spidey’s rogues gallery so they have their badguys for the movies, but it appears Sony is considering taking the most popular of those badguys and making his own movie. Venom.

Yahoo says:

Sony is moving forward with “Venom,” a potential “Spider-Man” spinoff based on a bad guy.

The studio is developing the project, based on the gooey nemesis who appeared in 2007’s “Spider-Man 3″ and is hoping the character could serve as an antidote to the aging “Spider-Man” franchise just as Fox has used Wolverine to add longevity to its “X-Men” franchise.

Doug talked about a venom Movie before. If they did make a Venom movie I would hope that Topher Grace doesn’t play him. I like the guy enough, just NOT as this guy. Topher is supporting cast material, not tentpole star. Venom has bonded to other characters before, so maybe they will just move the storyline down handing off the symbiot to someone else.

I would presume if they are going to do a Venom movie, they are likely to introduce Carnage. The fans will love that.

However, I don’t see a lot of value to a movie based on a badguy. Venom has to show some vulnerability and redeeming qualities if he is to be accepted as a headliner in a movie. I think with seeing Venom in Spiderman3 didn’t give us enough behind the mask. Who wants to see a movie where Venom tears shit up and eats puppies. Sure, a scene or two of that has its entertainment value but where is the plot?

One of the best tips I ever got about writing bad guys is to make them NOT be evil. The best bad guys in films or comics are the ones that are just a different shade of right that take more drastic measures to accomplish their goals. The methods are what make them bad guys, but you can’t help but feel on some level they are trying to be right.

David Goyer once had a script on the table with Venom as the AntiHero and Carnage as the antagonist, but when NewLine lost the rights to Venom Sony took over and the project was shelved. Could they be bringing this idea back? They are looking for writers now. Perhaps he should apply.

I don’t want to see a story where Venom is the badguy unless it is a Spiderman movie with Spidey, Carnage and Venom. No one else.

Mark November 11th as the day to go pick up your copy of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crytal Skull. Some people might not have liked it, but it will be good enough to cap out my collected works of Dr Jones.

MovieWeb says:

It seems we finally have a confirmed date on when to expect that adventurous paleontologist on DVD. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull has been set for a DVD release on November 11.

Sadly, we have no cover art, pricing or special features details at this time, but we’ll be sure to update this story as soon as more information comes in. Also, there has been no official word on a Blu-Ray release for this title.

Paleontologist? Indiana is an Archeologist! Paleontology studies dinosaurs. Anyways, the movie will be yours for the having in November.

I am a little surprised that they would put this out and NOT release a BluRay on the same day. Maybe with the lack of cover art or special features news they just don’t want to assume it will.

But Lucas has his fingers in this project and we know how much he loves to put out multiple versions of the same release. So much so that around here to “Lucas your DVD” has become a verb. Special edition BluRay and 2disc set out by Christmas? BluRay only available in the 8 disc Adventure Pak collectors edition with special cameo appearances by JarJar and ET? I wouldn’t put it past them.

With Comicbook movies cleaning up at the boxoffice it is no surprise how many projects are being announced. But it isn’t just the comic book heroes that are getting films in this genre. Disney has just announced a new comedy project, and it will also have a superhero twist and Sam Raimi is being brought in to direct.

Yahoo says:

The studio has picked up “The Transplants,” an action-adventure described as a superhero story with a comedic bent. The project was pitched by scribes Adam Jay Epstein and Andrew Jacobson, who are best known for “Not Another Teen Movie.”

I cringe a little to think a writing team that brought us a spoof movie would be responsible for this. The latest wave of spoof movies have just been terrible, but I have to say out of all of them I actually thought Not Another Teen Movie was pretty decent. It had its share of clever jokes aimed at the teen movie genre. It wasn’t just a silly version of a known character farting til he shit his pants. That’s just not cool. Spoof movies seem to no longer offer clever spoofs… they just offer crude irrelevant nonsense.

So hoping it has a decent script (which I am guessing by the title has people getting powers after receiving some sort of transplant surgery) why not get a superhero director to direct your superhero movie. And while you are at it, find one that can do comedy! Well Raimi’s style of comedy might be better suited for the geek crowd but I think that is the target audience here anyways, so it works as a fit for me.

Sam has a decent track record for entertaining films, and I am about ready to forgive him for Spidey3. This will also be Raimi’s first time on a Disney movie.

I had to rub my eyes to make sure they weren’t playing tricks on me. Hulk Hogan and Kimbo Slice are teaming up for a kids flick currently titled “Kung-Fu U”. A concept so horrible that it sounds more like a fake trailer in front of Tropic Thunder instead of an actual real movie.

You all know who Hulk Hogan is, however some of you may not know the name Kimbo Slice. Kimbo is a legendary street fighter who got famous off of people putting his back yard brawls on YouTube and then someone offered him an MMA (Mixed Martial Arts… think UFC) contract, and now he’s a big star in the sport (even though he sucks and couldn’t go 30 seconds with a real MMA fighter… they just keep putting him in with total stiffs to make him look good).

Did you ever think you’d see the day where Hulk Hogan would be in a movie… and HE’D be the most experienced actor? Not good news.

The plot for the film sounds pretty standard. A bunch of well off nerd kids get sent to a special boarding school by their parents where Kimbo and Hulk are the self defense instructors who will teach them to kick ass. I bet you’d be shocked to find out that by the end of the movie they kick all sorts of ass and even have to save their instructors too! Wow.

To make the news even BETTER (please note sarcasm) it looks like they’re aiming to make the movie 3D, so dust off those new Oakley 3D glasses of yours for the fall of 2009. Oh I’m just counting down the days!

First Showing was lucky enough to persuade San Diego’s own Bob $tencil to cover a number of panels for them. Sadly I didn’t have the pleasure of meeting this living legend, but I present you you his bio and a link to his footage.

Bob $tencil used to fly planes for Braniff International, but in 1982 they went bankrupt. Since then he’s been crooning, MCing, and playing and teaching poker in Southern California, Las Vegas, and Reno. Every year he travels to the San Diego Comic-Con to chat with old friends, hit on celebrities, and spread the word on moustache love.

You seriously have to check out his panel interview videos, they are hilarious! He was well worth his weight in cash and whores. Props to Alex for bringing him on board.

Follow this link for more.

Fresh out of the birthing chambers, it looks like Angelina has her sights set on Catwoman?! We get the following scoop from our friends at monsters and critics.

Angelina Jolie is reportedly being lined up to star as Catwoman in a new movie. The 33-year-old actress is said to be in final negotiations with studio bosses to play the feline villain who first appeared in the Batman comics.

Angelina has already been approved for the role by Julie Newmar, who played Catwoman in the ‘Batman’ TV series from 1966 to 1968. Julie, now 74, said: “Angelina would own the part. My industry friends tell me she has already made enquiries about the role. I can understand how it would pique her interest. Catwoman is Batman’s one true love.

I think Angelina Jolie would make an outstanding Catwoman. She is a sultry minx, and if anyone could play the character today; it would be her. I just have the same thought in my head that almost all of you do. Are people ready for another Catwoman after Halle Berry’s disastrous cinematic abortion?

I think Jolie is a name that will put asses in seats, and the right outfit will help to quell any doubts. Who knows, maybe they are even planning a tie in to the current Batman franchise. I personally think they should make the film in a few more years…but show us the outfit as soon as possible.

What do you guys think? Will Angelina be able to pull people back for another helping of Catwoman, or are its chances shot because of the previous film?

The studios have released the first Terminator Salvation Poster, and I’ve got to say, for a teaser poster it’s pretty bad ass.

I’ve got a lot of conflicting feelings about Terminator Salvation. On the positive side, it’s the Terminator baby! Christian Bale is the lead in it, this poster is great and the teaser trailer looked pretty damn sweet too.

HOWEVER…

Mc Fucking G is directing it. Uggg… this could go either way.

News of the day! It appears that Cheech and Chong will be putting their differences aside and launching into a comedy tour! We get wind of this story thanks to our friends at Latino Review:

According to a report on the Associated Press, Cheech and Chong are high on plans to reunite for their first comedy tour in more than 25 years. Cheech Marin told AP Radio that he and Tommy Chong “looked at each other going, `If we’re ever going to do something it has to be now because you’re not getting any younger and neither am I.’”

They tossed around some ideas and figured a comedy tour would be “the most fun” and “the least hassle,” the 62-year-old Marin said. Marin said he thinks dope humor can be as funny today as it was back in the ’70s. “I think it’s time for a revival of dope jokes. It’s a much bigger audience now, it’s much more widespread and institutionalized,” he said in an interview earlier this month.

Details of the “Hey, What’s That Smell?” tour were to be announced Wednesday at a news conference in West Hollywood, Calif.,.

I am very, very excited and hope to catch one of their shows. Chong sells out rooms like few others when he comes to Canada and does sets at Yuk Yuks. I can only imagine the frenzy that will occur when this team of titans hits the road after 25 years off of the stage.

When I was a fledgeling teenager my brother and I would pester my mom relentlessly until she let us rent Cheech and Chong films. I loved them then and I love them now, I will consider it a milestone in my own life if I get to see them live on stage. This is huge fuckin’ news, with luck we will see a resurgence of retired comedians follow; Steve Martin - I am looking at you.

It looks like Marvin The Martian is next up to bat for a CGI feature. We get the following news from our friends at comingsoon:

Variety says Warner Bros. is developing a Marvin the Martian feature at Alcon Entertainment, with principals Broderick Johnson and Andrew Kosove producing along with Steve Crystal. The project will blend live action and CGI. Marvin was created by Chuck Jones and made his first appearance in a Looney Tunes cartoon in 1948. The character was often intent on blowing up the Earth, only to be foiled by Bugs Bunny.

Crystal, a former Warner executive with a first-look deal at Alcon through his Charlie Co. banner, developed the pitch as a Christmas story, with Marvin coming to Earth to destroy Christmas but being prevented from doing so when he’s trapped in a gift box. Alcon’s out to writers and directors

I really don’t like the sound of this one. From the character himself, to the otherworldly landscapes in which he inhabits; the 2-D universe is where they shoud stay. Marvin The Martian is a classic and I am wary that this new fangled adaptation is just going to shit the bed and come off as incredibly awkward. The only positive story that I can see is that he comes to earth with intent to take over.

I suppose they could do something in the vein of Who Framed Roger Rabbit, but having Marvin as the only animated character may be off putting. I didn’t like Space Jam and I am going to bet that this will not tickle my fancy either. We will be sure to hunt for more news about this one, and with luck we will have some hints at the direction they will be taking.

It looks like Patrick Swayze is being courted to do another Dirty Dancing film. We get news of this casting call and information about his cancer treatment thanks to our friends at monsters and critics:

Patrick Swayze is rumoured to be starring in another ‘Dirty Dancing’ sequel. A studio insider said: “It’s great news that Patrick is so well and there are lots of offers for him. Everyone wants him to star in a ‘Dirty Dancing’ sequel. It’s just a matter of him making his mind up.”

The 55-year-old actor has been bombarded with acting offers after as he continues to make good progress after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He credits his recovery to his undergoing pioneering Cyberknife radiotherapy at California’s Stamford University Medical Center. He has also been sticking to a strict diet of fruit and vegetables.

Cyberknife radiotherapy sounds bad ass! I can picture Patrick sitting in front of a chalkboard with a doctor going over the different treatment options. As soon as he writes the words “Cyberknife radiotherapy” Patrick says “Hold up doc, that’s what I want. I want to shank cancer in it’s supple face!” The more I hear about Swayze’s victorious battle - the happier I get. Never give up kids, eat your fruits and vegetables like Swayze and you watch what happens.

I am glad that the Swayze is getting lots of offers, but I’m not sure if I would want to see a return to Dirty Dancing. I know lots of people loved the original and may want to see a sequel, as long as Swayze is the star I guess I wouldn’t mind too much. I am hoping to see him return to films like Roadhouse or Black Dog. We need more Swayze action in our lives.

We have a few posters to show you today for the upcoming Twilight film. Thanks to our friends over at moviesonline for the following hookup:

This film is based on a novel about vampires. I know very little about the book, but it seems to have a rabid fan following.

I am not blown away by these posters, but it’s always nice to see vampires in love. People seem to go ape-shit for stories of vampire romance; I am waiting for a film about werewolf love.

For those of you that are Twilight fans, what do you think of the posters?

Hellboy 2 director Guillermo del Toro has signed on to produce a remake of a TV movie frim 1973 called Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark.

Yahoo reports

Comic book artist-writer Troy Nixey will make his feature directorial debut with the adaptation of ABC’s 1973 chiller, which gained a cult following through syndication and home video release. (It is known as “Nightmare” in Europe.)

Now since this movie came out on TV in 1973 (a year after I was born) I am not surprised I hadn’t heard of it before. But there is an apparent “cult following” of this movie, and though I don’t profess to know every corner of every fandom I tend to pride myself on being in tune with pop culture. I have yet to hear of any cult following for this movie.

But you know what? That is a good thing. If you are going to remake a movie, as TMB readers will know, we have our rules, and this certainly seems to fit the bill.

If it had a fan following I am assuming it had a decent story. Sounds like a good enough premise for a suspense horror. Also, being 35 years old, most of the target audience will have never seen this. As well, judging by the poster, this certainly could benefit from a modern retelling.

I have always thought if you were going to remake a movie, don’t piss on someone’s memory of an existing franchise, find something that was good in its time and was forgotten. Then remind people with a remake. There clearly are some exceptions to that rule, and some remakes I actually do enjoy even though they might violate “the rules” but those are rare.

And giving this lesser known minor film to a first time director? Great. Let him prove his worth with something that won’t break the studio if it fails. As a comic book writer AND artist, Troy Nixey has a leg up on visually telling a story so we hope this will translate to film.

Last we spoke about Tarantino’s Inglorious Bastards shopping for money men it was said after approaching some AList stars, the studios were all lining up.

Now it looks like a deal is in the works and Tarantino will have some big guns backing this project if it works out.

Yahoo says:

Universal Pictures is in negotiations to partner with the Weinstein Co. on “Inglorious Bastards,” Quentin Tarantino’s long-in-the-works World War II project.Universal would co-finance the picture and handle international distribution. Weinstein Co. principals Bob and Harvey Weinstein will oversee production and distribute domestically.

Its so hard to maintain that edgy independent filmmaker bit when the armoured car parade of cash is at your drive-thru window.

But a lot of die hard Tarantino fans have been chomping at the bit hoping for this film, so getting some coin on it just speeds that process up.

The theatrical poster for James Bond Quantum of Solace is available online, and Rope of Silicon was nice enough to put up a nice clean version for us to gawk at.

Gemma Arterton looks just tasty in this, but frankly this is one story where we just don’t care about the Bond girl. We are still exploring those early events of Bond’s career when he was still ruled by emotional attachment. A lesson apparently taught with a high powered firearm.

And this title? A quantum is a portion or particular amount - lets say “piece” and a Solace is a comfort or resolution - lets just call that “peace”. So we can deal with Quantum of Solace or we can just be thankful it wasn’t called A Piece of Peace

After seeing the trailer last week, I think the ONLY thing I have to complain about is the title. That is not a lot to complain about.

Back when the title for the Transformers sequel was revealed as Revenge of the Fallen, the comic book fans were quick to draw the paralell to the storyline of a badass Transformer who’s name was lost to history and is only known as The Fallen.

Well it turns out that storyline WILL be featured in Transformers Revenge of the Fallen. IDW Publishing is creating a line of comics to bridge the gap between the first and second movies that will deal with the Reign of Starscream.

Rope Of Silicon says:

“[We're going to] explore the background of The Fallen — the main villain of the movie — as well as expand on the ‘Reign of Starscream’ story that we’re doing and tie everything in to what this next movie is going to be,” explained writer Chris Mowry to MTV, who partners on the book with artist Alex Milne. “The next movie starts out with just tons of action and there’s obviously going to be a lot of questions, so we’re hoping to answer some of those beforehand.”

So this makes me wonder if Megatron will have a presence at all short of flashbacks. A great deal of Cybertronian history, revealing more about the Fallen as well as Prime and Megatron’s prior encounters will be in the film.

Sadly we are warned that Starscream will not be the ambitious maniacal power monger from the G1 mythos, but more of a loyal military leader. I am disappointed in this as I often liked his scheming in the background. Some of this may be addressed with the IDW bridging comic.

Will Megatron be returning in time for the next film or will the Fallen be rounding up Starscream’s Decepticons for his army?

Oh the emotional rollercoaster Disney takes us on. First they launch Pixar into a mega giant studio under their banner. Then Pixar leaves the nest and Disney abandons traditional 2d animation for the new popular cg format. Now Pixar is back in the fold and they bring back their 2d feature film department.

First project out of the gate? A take on the Princess and the Frog, but this time its set in the French Quarter of New Orleans.

/Film offers:

Written/directed by Ron Clements and John Musker, creators of The Little Mermaid and Aladdin, the animated musical is set in New Orleans. The movie follows Tiana, a young African-American girl who lives in the infamous French Quarter. The new movie will feature a soulful singing crocodile, voodoo spells, and the music of Randy Newman (as heard in the teaser). The Princess and the Frog hits theaters on Christmas 2009.

Clearly this is taking a cue from some of the amazing scenery found in Beauty and the Beast and still implementing 3d landscapes and objects in with traditional cel animation.

But for me, the quality of the cg scenery is still a tiny bit of a distraction from 2d. Go one way or the other.

Now this is just a teaser trailer, so I will reserve judgement on the animation until later.

I for one am glad to hear that traditional animation styles are not forgotten forever. This is what made Disney GREAT, and Pixar is GREAT too. So let each of them do their own thing and lets get back to the magic of these films.

Hop on over to /Film to see the teaser trailer!

They’ve just released the Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince trailer and I’ve got to say I’m VERY impressed with it. Everyone knows I’m not the worlds biggest Harry Potter fan, but this trailer takes the film from being just another silly yet fun Potter adventure and makes it look like a bloody film I really want to see. Completely unlike any Potter trailer I’ve ever seen. Very nice.

What did you think of it? Are you looking forward to this one?

We have news to celebrate today. Alvin and The Chipmunks will be back for a sequel, as per Justin Long. We get the following scoop from our friends at MTV:

I recently caught up with the very cool, very funny Justin Long, a little voice in the back of my head said: “Chipmunks! There were 354 comments on the last article about the ‘Chipmunks’ sequel!” And so, I made sure when we were done discussing his Comic-Con-buzz-building flick “Drag Me to Hell” that I attempted the difficult transition from a hardcore horror flick to whether we’d ever see the sequel to a family-friendly movie detailing three rodents who sing about hula hoops.

“Oh yeah,” was the response of Long, who is the voice of the rebellious Alvin. “They’re doing it.”

So there you have it folks, from the enthusiastic mouth of Mr. Long we have obtained verification. There will be a Chipmunks sequel, you can pray less and start worrying about other things like peak oil and alien invasion! I don’t think any of our readers will be too enthused about this news, but I thought I would pass it along anyway.

MTV also asked Long about the appearance of the Chippetes in the sequel, and he replied with the following: “I don’t know,” Long shrugged, saying he expects to learn more soon. “I don’t know if the Chipettes are in it.” We will be sure to keep you abreast of the Chipettes situation and up to speed on all Chipmunks news.

It appears that Russell Brand will be playing his Sarah Marshall character for another round in Welcome To The Greek. We get word of the connection thanks to our friends at CHUD:

When Get Him to the Greek was announced as a starring vehicle for British comic Russell Brand and Jonah Hill, I thought it was just cast that way because of the chemistry the two had on the set of Forgetting Sarah Marshall. But yesterday I had a one on one interview with Judd Apatow and he revealed that the film is actually a spin-off from Sarah Marshall - Brand will be playing the same character in Greek.

This time, Brand’s rock star character has fallen off the wagon and Jonah Hill has to get him safe and in one piece to LA’s Greek Theater for a show. I don’t actually know if Hill is also playing the same character. Sarah Marshall director Nicholas Stoller has written and will be directing this one, which Apatow seemed very excited about.

Now the question that immediately arises is wether or not Jonah Hill will also play the same character. I am with Devin on this one, and certainly hope that it isn’t the case. However, if Brand is playing the same character and Hill isn’t - I think that is lame as well. Less lame, and the lesser of two evils - but lame nonetheless.

Leaving aside the question of Jonah, I think that this is a great move. Brand’s character is a perfect fit for a spinoff film, and I am very glad that we will see him in action again. I think a film like this will be perfect to showcase his comedic stylings, and I am pleased that he will be the star of the show. Cheers again to CHUD for bringing this news to our attention.

International friends what do you think of this news? Are you glad that this will be a Forgetting Sarah Marshall spinoff, and do you think Jonah’s character should be brought over as well?

We have a cool new film to bring your attention to called American Reaper. It is based on an upcoming graphic novel of the same name and we get the scoop from the memory caves of Yahoo:

Rocker Sting’s wife Trudie Styler has acquired film rights to the upcoming graphic novel “American Reaper.”

The story is set in a future where identity theft leads to victims having their minds erased and replaced by those of the elderly rich seeking a second youth or by criminals and terrorists with more sinister motives. A team of special agents, known as Reapers, are formed to track down and terminate those responsible.

It was created by Pat Mills and Clint Langley. Mills, who will write the screen adaptation, has helped to create a string of hit graphic novels, including “Judge Dredd” and “Marshal Law.” Langley, who is known for his innovative use of computer art imagery, has been his regular collaborator since 1991.

Trudie Styler has a bitchin’ name - I was ignorant to the fact that Sting was married to a movie maker; but many facts escape my realm of knowing. I must admit - this story sounds like a kick ass tale of memory wiping, body snatching and the rich finding an all new way to own the poor.

I love tales of dystopian futures that seem out of reach, but possibly achievable; given time. I am very interested in the idea of being able to “download” your memory and personality into a machine, and by doing so living on as a data ghost well past the demise of your body. I welcome these advancements and one day hope to achieve this sort of life in either a cyborg body or virtual universe.

This is a film that has hooked my interest and I will follow the developments closely.

Way back we talked about a rumoured X-Babies movie as well as Zak Penn writing some X-Spinoffs and now we might be getting closer to figuring out what one of them is. X-Men: First Class is a title currently being bought up in many forms (listing in production magazines, website etc) that hints to a Young X-Men story.

Coming Soon says:

An interesting listing at Production Weekly caught our eye - “X-Men: First Class.” Could 20th Century Fox be developing a movie based on the series written by Jeff Parker and pencilled by Roger Cruz? Or are they using the title of that comic for their proposed Young X-Men spin-off?

The Comic book by that title was a miniseries that focused on the first 5 XMen: Cyclops, Angel, Beast, Iceman and Marvel Girl.

Well since we are already introduced to those characters in different spans of the storyline already existing in the movies it is unlikely that they will use that lineup in a movie.

My prediction is that this is a new take on New Mutants. New Mutants was a book that focused on the young teenage members of Xavier’s school that formed a junior X-Men team. Not many of the original New Mutant lineup was seen in the three X films, so they might go with Cannonball (who’s real name Guthrie was seen in an Easter Egg on screen). Wolfsbane, Psyche, Karma, and Sunspot.

They might litter up the lineup with popular later members Magik (Colussus’ little sister), Cypher and Warlock. Or even the graduated paramilitary X-Force members like Domino or Cable. This would be a great moment to introduce Cable unsuspected on the franchise though if they did I imagine he would be a late teen to still fit in the ideology of a Young X-Men movie

I think I would really like to see a Young X-Men story, especially if they used it as a platform to introduce younger members into X-Men and let the X-Men focus their adventures on something other than school business.

It looks like Jennifer Lopez has signed on for another romantic comedy, this time she is a love burglar! We get the following scoop from our friends at comingsoon:

Jennifer Lopez will topline Yari Film Group’s romantic comedy The Governess, with Nigel Cole directing. Variety says The Governess was written by Kevin Wade, who also penned Lopez starrer Maid in Manhattan, and Wendy Braff. Don Roos is polishing the script.

The story centers on a professional thief who, in order to pull off a major bank heist, poses as a nanny to the three unruly children of a wealthy widower. When she starts to fall for the kids and their father, she must decide if she can give up her past for a chance to start over.

This sort of film certainly isn’t my cup of tea, but this synopsis sounds especially lame. Jennifer Lopez seems to be a blight on any film she has been in as of late and I would really like to see her doing projects other than shitty romantic comedies to try and buck her trend. Maybe a film about a female lumberjack that is forced to fight tree monsters, or a pregnant cop that has to birth her baby into the mouth of satan in order to save the city from demonic invasion.

This reminds me of the Sound Of Music, with no music, nuns or a story of interest. I don’t hate JLO, but she needs to start rocking shit like ELO to get the love back.

David Goyer is working on a sequel to the 1993 film based on H.G. Wells novel The Invisible Man.

ShockTillYouDrop says:

Picking up months after the events of Wells’ novel (it’s a period piece), Goyer says his take is loaded with historical figures including William Melville, head of Scotland Yard and the founder of MI6. “He instituted fingerprinting and was friends with Harry Houdini. He’s where the ‘M’ comes from in MI6. In my story, he’s the one who captures the Invisible Man in my story and says, ‘Listen, we want to turn you into a secret agent and send you into Imperial Russia.’”

I find a certain amount of amusement thinking of a visual artist being hired on to conceptualize the look of an invisible man. I also find it funny that they are “fleshing out” the story of something that isn’t there.

It sounds like an interesting take, and I really like these sort of suspense fantasy stories that are set in this time period. Such a rich source for some great visuals.

Even if the star of the movie won’t be there. Mostly.

We talked earlier about Hero Fiennes-Tiffin playing a teenage Voldemort in some critcal scenes of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and now his look right from the movie is revealed.

Coming Soon says:

In anticipation of the teaser trailer for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince debuting on Tuesday, USA Today has given a sneak peek at the young Tom Riddle, who grows up to become Lord Voldemort. The young Tom Riddle is played by Hero Fiennes-Tiffin, the nephew of Ralph Fiennes.

Also, another image they offered up was a cool image of Dumbledore opening up a can of magical whoopass. Its about time they showed why everyone was afraid of him.

I am really looking forward to this.

So while Shia LaBoeuf was proving how socially irresponsible he is, he decided to endanger passengers too. And while ANY passengers would be a shame to involve in this reckless act, it turns out the lady riding shotgun was Isabel Lucas, the Australian actress also starring in Transformers Revenge of the Fallen.

Yahoo says:

Lucas, 23, who lately has been spotted on the arm of Entourage star Adrian Grenier, was already back on the set of the Michael Bay-directed Transformers 2 today, a rep for Paramount Pictures told E! News.

LaBeouf, 22, underwent surgery Sunday morning at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center for extensive injuries to his left hand. He’s expected to be out of commission for about a month, after which he’ll continue shooting, according to his rep.

It is just fortunate that no one was seriously hurt, and that Shia himself got the worst of it.

I can’t help but think that Isabel is a victim of Shia’s bad choices here, but she willingly got in the truck with him, so I halfway have to hold her responsible for this too. Victim, yes. But of her own choice, not Shia’s.

But as far as Transformers goes, this does bring a bitter shadow on the project, but by the time the movie comes around everyone will have forgotten this. However I do like how later in the story Yahoo quotes “there’s plenty of stuff to shoot that doesn’t involve either LaBeouf or living, breathing humans in general ” which might be the only silver lining to this story.

So one of the biggest human players in Transformers Revenge of the Fallen skips a MONTH of filming and its no big deal. Sounds to me its more about the giant fucking robots than people.

At least I hope.

Issac Asimov’s Foundation series is legendary. An epic tale spanning 40 years of a man’s efforts to craft the perfect science fiction masterpiece. His novel I, Robot was translated to film. Though I actually liked it, I think “inspired by Asimov’s work” would have been more appropriate.

Now his ultimate achievement, the Foundation series is going to be a film made by Bob Shaye and Michael Lynne, who like desperate rats were among those fleeing the sinking ship known as New Line Cinema. The sinking ship got absorbed by a bigger ship, but Bob and Mike were already gone.

Yahoo says:

Science fiction is a genre in which the duo and New Line had dabbled, most notably in recent years with “The Last Mimzy,” which Shaye directed. That 2007 film grossed just $27 million worldwide, according to tracking firm Box Office Mojo.”Foundation” is based on Asimov’s “Foundation Trilogy,” which centers on a society that has figured out how to predict the future based on a method called psychohistory and sets up a foundation devoted to scientific research to protect itself and ensure its survival.

Wow. Where do I start.

Let’s see.

Mimzy was a stuffed bunny rabbit in a kids movie about a magical device that gives kids strange powers. All family film fluff and I am not talking about the bunny.
Foundation is a hard look at the fall of society and a metal planet that houses the very foundation of scientific theories.

Yup. I can see why they wanted to take this on. Their sci-fi roots make them the perfect choice.

If there was EVER a pairing that made me think that they might just deviate from the source material this is it. Besides the heady science talk, this is not exactly the story I would envision entertaining the masses.

Yeah Asimov is legen… wait for it…. and I hope you are not lactose intolerant because the rest of that word is -dary! He is the man. All science fiction writers wish they could share even a tiny bit of the shade of the pillar upon which this man’s reputation is laid.

I just have little hope for something as complex and intellectual as Foundation being helmed by the guys who brought us The Last Mimzy.

We have good news from the mouth of Robocop producer Mike Medavoy today regarding the rating of Robocop. Much thanks to our friends at MTV for the hookup:

“Well I was involved with the original ‘Robocop,’ and it was an R, and the likelihood is that this will be an R,” producer Mike Medavoy told MTV News. “It’s likely to be an R unless the director cuts back on some of it.”

That director being Aronofsky, it’s unlikely he’ll pull any punches. Initial trepidation, in fact, didn’t center around his vision, but on the possibility the film would be in 3D. If it’s in 3D, the argument goes, that alone necessitates skewing younger. Medavoy is adamant 3D hasn’t even been discussed. “I don’t think that’s even come up,” he said.

I really had no doubt that Robocop was going to be restricted, but it’s good to lay concerns to rest. I am still not sure if the film is going to be a sequel, a remake or a re-invisioning. Differing stories have been swirling round the web and at this point I’m just going to wait and see.

I for one hope Peter Weller can be called back to wear the suit. He did an outstanding job as Murphy and I think this film would be much better off if they could get him on board again. Mind you, this is all dependent on what direction they will be taking the story. As concerned as I m about this Robocop picture, I am excited to see that Medavoy is on board again, and genuinely seems excited about the project.

We have a new poster to show you this morning for RockNRolla. We get the following hookup from our good friends over at moviesonline:

This poster isn’t rocking my ass, but the trailer looked pretty good. The film looks like it will be an enjoyable enough heist/chase movie and I look forward to checking it out. The release date for RockNRolla is Halloween 2008; I think everyone should watch it in costumes opening night to add to the experience.

Present are David Ike & Ronald D Moore (Executive Producers), James Callis (Baltar), Tricia Helfer (Six), Katee Sackhoff (Starbuck), Jamie Bamber (Lee Adama), Michael Trucco (Anders) and a latecomer, Tahmoh Penikett (Helo).

I would have loved to have been at this panel. Kevin Smith is awesome. The biggest fanboy and still Hollywood enough to moderate.

They talk about their best moments of the show, memories as well as hints to the future and the last 10 episodes. They also reveal that the 5th Cylon is Boxey’s pet Muffit. (kidding)

Scifi.com didn’t offer an embed feature, but it is the ENTIRE 1 hour panel. Click here to go view it. Some great stories, fun times.

And dare I say that Katee looks HOTTER than Tricia Helfer? No easy feat. Maybe it’s just that shes so badass on the show that when we finally see in her girl clothes (aka cleavage) and being pretty that we are overwhelmed. But wow.