Sacha Baron Cohen got busted last week during a runway stunt for his upcoming Bruno project. The incident was caught on camera and has been thrown up on You Tube. Check it.

It appears McG was fibbing about receiving blessing from Cameron for Terminator 4. The mantle was not passed, the anointing was not poured; delusion is all that remains! We get the alternate history and clarification from Cameron himself though an interview with the National Post via the movieweb:

In an interesting Q&A posted by The National Post, James Cameron spoke out on the upcoming fourth installment of The Terminator franchise, Terminator Salvation. In recent interviews, McG has been quoted as saying that he went to Cameron, original creator of The Terminator mythos, to get his blessing on the film. But apparently that isn’t true.

Cameron recanted McG’s claim that his film had been blessed by the seminal sci-fi filmmaker, stating: “It could be a big steaming pile or it could be brilliant. Sam Worthington is in the Avatar and the new Terminator and he likes the script, but I never saw it. There was no blessing involved.”

This doesn’t mean that the film will suck; it really has no play on the film whatsoever. It does make McG look like an ass however. If you say you have the blessing of someone, you better have gotten that blessing; and they better know what the hell you are talking about. It’s proper for Cameron to call McG out on his shit. No one has the right to put word’s in someone else’s mouth, period. It’s extremely offensive and I’m glad Cameron didn’t let this slide.

Hopefully McG will learn from this experience and mind his manners.

Not having the blessing of Cameron changes my anticipation of the film a bit, I cannot lie to you. Perhaps this is why McG lied in the first place, to raise everyones expectations. Regardless of his intent, I’m glad Cameron called foul and gave this man a public education. McG was clearly wrong to pull this shit and should be ashamed of himself.

We have glorious news of a Trailer Park Boys sequel today thanks to our friends over at the movieweb:

Great news for all of you Trailer Park Boys fans out there. Mike Smith, who plays the iconic shed dwelling Bubbles, told Toronto’s Now magazine that they are currently shooting a sequel to Trailer Park Boys: The Movie, an off-shoot of the popular Canadian TV series, and it will be hitting the U.S. and Canada in October of 2009.

The gang is currently in Halifax shooting the comedy, which will wrap on October 10th. The entire gang is returning for another go around with Ricky, Julian, Bubbles, Mr. Lahey, and Randy all involved in another greasy cheeseburger scheme. The plot finds our trio of trailer park misfits being released from jail only to find that their beloved home, the Sunnyvale Trailer Park, has been taken over by a meaner, leaner park supervisor. This new Jim Lahey has some big changes in mind for the park, changes that don’t exactly go over well with the Boys, who will now face their biggest test since Grade 10.

These dudes are Canadian heroes that kept it real, stayed true to formula and are now enjoying international attention an acclaim. As a Canadian sellout currently living in LA I envy them and am proud that they were able to make a go of it in the northern gulag.

Sadly, I still have to get around to seeing the first film. I don’t follow the show but will watch it if I happen to be “flipping” and find it to be quite funny. The episodes that I have seen I have enjoyed; they have made a great show with next to no money.

As their following continues to grow, I think it’s appropriate that they release a second film. A Blues Brothers beginning (out of prison) is as good a way as any to start the sequel, and having a new park manager as the nemesis is just fantastic.

We will be sure to keep you up to speed on the progress of this project and with luck we will be able to score an interview with Bubbles.

Iron Man comes out on DVD today (I already got my copy) and I’m sure it’s going to be a big hit… all 8+ versions of it that you can grab. This is getting a little out of hand.

It seems that the studio cuts special deals with a ton of retail stores to give them each “EXCLUSIVE” versions of the DVDs to sell to their customers. My friend Brad over at RopeofSilicon put together just a short summary for you:

1. Circuit City - Access to exclusive Marvel Digital Comics featuring the artwork of Adi Granov.

2. Best Buy - Custom Lithograph created by Marvel artist Gerald Parel.

3. Target - Target Deluxe Edition includes exclusive Mark III mask packaging. Available on both the Ultimate 2-Disc Edition and 2-Disc Blu-ray.

4. Costco - Giftset includes the Ultimate 2 Disc Edition DVD and 3 Iron Man Bobbleheads, with all 3 Iron Man suits from the film. Giftset includes the “Battle Damaged Mark II”, available exclusively in this giftset at Costco.

5. Walmart - Two exclusive SKUs. Ultimate 2 Disc Edition packed with an exclusive comic book chronicling the Nick Fury story. The single disc giftset is packed with the 1st episode of the new Iron Man animated series.

6. Kmart & Sears - Save $5 on the Ultimate 2 Disc edition with any $25 Craftsman purchase.

7. Trans World - FYE and Suncoast Exclusive Steelbook Package available on the Ultimate 2- disc Edition. (pictured above, left)

8. Borders - On pack collectible book featuring original sketches by Bob Layton and the top 24 comic cover of Iron Man.

So if you’re a HUGE Iron Man Fan and want to collect all the various editions of the DVD… I hope you’ve got $300 in your pocket you weren’t planning on using on strippers later. Oh who are we kidding… we both know you were planning on using it on strippers. Have fun.

You know what, this is such a good and simple idea I’m shocked it wasn’t already being done for years. It was announced that Dell computers, as of today, is offering customers the option to buy their computer with a digital copy of Iron Man pre-loaded on their machine. It’s a $20 option.

So you order the computer, and when you crack it open Iron Man is already there. This is a GREAT idea.

Our friends over at IESB give us this:

Movies like Iron Man are now immediately accessible from a Dell computer desktop or laptop — no DVDs or downloads required. Dell plans to expand future entertainment selections and will continually refresh its offerings to include the most exciting Hollywood blockbuster and perennial classic movies. More information about the Dell Movies is available at www.dell.com/movies.

Now, I’m not thrilled with the price of the option (to me $20 for a digital copy is far too steep, especially when you consider that the copany doesn’t have to ship it, print a disc or the packaging and it has no weight). I’m also not thrilled that there is only one movie to choose in your order. However, the principle here it solid. I’m sure at some point (at least I hope) they’ll increase their movie selection and hopefully bring down the price to something like $9.99.

Will this have a serious impact on film distribution? No, probably not, but it’s a nice little addition to the distribution model for the studios to investigate. And all other things being equal, if I was going to buy a PC (I’m a Mac guy personally) and I was trying to decide between a Dell machine and a Gateway machine… I’d go for the one that had Iron Man pre-installed on it… all other things being equal.

The good, right and honorable Kris Tapley of In Contention has put up a list of his Top 10 Paul Newman performances. It’s a good read and a worthy way to remember a dude with chops. Check it out.

This morning, the PR people over at Warner Brothers sent us this video message to their fans who have expressed concern and some outrage regarding the delaying of the Harry Potter release. Once again, WB shows that they care and listen to their fans. See the video message below:

Mr. Gervais isn’t out of the running for the Oscars; he just doesn’t have it in the bag. We get this news of clarification from the Oscar lords themselves thanks to the thespian caves of Yahoo:

No doubt the Extras funnyman knows how to crack us up, but reports of him already being a leading contender for hosting duties have been greatly—well, hugely—exaggerated.

“We haven’t made one single phone call,” Larry Mark, who was announced yesterday as a coproducer of the 81st Annual Academy Awards show with writer-director Bill Condon (above, left with Jennifer Hudson and Mark), told me earlier today. “There has been no reaching out.” “We haven’t gotten that far yet,” said Sid Ganis, president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences. “We’re just not there yet.”

I wouldn’t mind Gervais as an Oscars host. I think he’s certainly talented enough to pull it off; I’m just not sure he’s the correct choice this year. Following up a very poor ratings year, I think it may be time to tap Mr. Clooney for the job. He has widespread appeal and the necessary wit to be a successful host.

Eventually, I would like them to give Steve Martin another shot. I enjoyed his hosting and thought his jokes were the best oscar zingers of my lifetime.

International friends - would you like to see Gervais get the gig? If not him, then who?

Current Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles star Thomas Dekker is looking to round out his leading man status with a starring role in the upcoming Fame reboot. We get wind of his musical desires from the whistling caves of Yahoo:

Thomas Dekker, the star of Fox’s “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles,” is in talks to take a lead role in MGM’s remake of the 1980 musical “Fame.”

Dekker is gunning to play Marco, a working-class kid with some gnarly acting chops who is competing with thousands of hopefuls to get into and survive an elite New York public high school for the arts. Dekker started acting at age 6 and comes from a musical family. He sang on the soundtracks of several films in the animated “Land Before Time” video series and has an album, “Psyanotic,” on iTunes.

Fighting Terminators and singing songs of inspiration? Is this young man trying to walk in the steps of Swayze, the warrior dancer before him? I certainly hope so, and who can blame him. You will be hard pressed to find a better role model in america today superior to Swayze.

I am not personally pumped for the Fame remake, nor do I watch the Sarah Connor Chronicles. For those of you that are fans of the show - what are your thoughts on this news?

Paramount and Marvel are happy with the music they’ve been making together and will continue to do so. We get news of their renewed vows from our friends at IESB:

Paramount Pictures, a unit of Viacom, Inc. and Marvel Studios, a subsidiary of Marvel Entertainment, Inc. today announced an agreement under which Paramount will distribute Marvel’s next five self-produced feature films on a worldwide basis.

The deal, an extension of the original agreement made by Brad Grey when he arrived as CEO and Chairman of Paramount Pictures, includes theatrical distribution in foreign territories previously serviced by Marvel through local distribution entities (Japan, Germany, France, Spain and Australia/New Zealand). The distribution pact capitalizes on Marvel and Paramount’s successful efforts with “Iron Man,” which has grossed $574 million worldwide for Marvel.

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. These are wise words, and it’s good to see Marvel adhering to them like scripture from magical golden plates.

This team up is currently working quite well and I have no doubt that they will continue to do so. Marvel just had had a great summer, now we just hope that they continue to do likewise. Greed can cause a world of mistakes, but hopefully they’re able to keep a level head about the money they made, keep their commitment to excellence and stay the course. All we want are quality films, and we will gladly shovel money into their coffers.

It looks like lord Bay will be blessing us with giant robot Imax violence. We get the following scoop from the professionals at Variety via IESB:

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is set to have at least three action setpieces shot in IMAX! Variety had the news today. The trade has an article on the effect the IMAX shots in the summer’s biggest film, The Dark Knight, has had on other upcoming blockbuster movies.

Here’s the exact quote, Michael Bay will film at least three action setpieces using Imax cameras for “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen,” which is lensing.

As much as there was to dislike about the first Transformers film, they were able to create some pretty outstanding CGI action with the robots. The highway fight scene was very cool, and a testament to the visual effects today. It’s this sort of scene that screams to be part of the IMAX experience, and I’m glad that the sequel plans to do just that.

No word yet on how many IMAX minutes will be in the film, but we’ll be sure to look for further details, and shoot you the information as soon as it becomes available.

Aside from the army of gaffs and problems with Spider-Man 3, most fans seem to agree that the weakest link in the entire Spider-Man franchise up to this point has been the brutal portrayal of Mary Jane by Kirsten Dunst. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think Kirsten Dunst is a brutal actress… sometimes I think she can actually be quite good… but this was a classic case of miscasting. It just wasn’t the role for her.

Over the previous couple of years, the bright side of the potential of Raimi, Toby and crew leaving the Spider-Man franchise for another creative group to come in and take over the reigns was the fact that this would have meant that Dunst would be gone as Mary Jane.

Then word came out a couple of weeks ago that both Sam and Toby had resigned for Spider-Man 4. There was still some hope that Dunst wouldn’t be back… but it appears she is also returning to Spider-Man 4 sadly. The folks over at MTV give us this:

MTV News posed the big question to Dunst while she was promoting her upcoming film, “How to Lose Friends and Alienate People” with Simon Pegg. Is she in or is she out? “I’m in,” said the actress matter of factly.

Now it should be mentioned that the article goes on to point out that she then backtracked a little bit and said “I’m not saying anything yet. I’ve heard the rumors”, but it seems clear to me that she let it slip. Too bad.

This isn’t going to surprise anyone. I mean, with Sam and Toby returning it seemed like a foregone conclusion that Dunst would return also. I was just really crossing my fingers and hoping it wouldn’t come to pass. What are your thoughts on this?

Director John Moore’s wish of a PG-13 Max Payne has been granted. We get the following news from the man himself thanks to the following interview with Game Daily via ropeofsilicon:

In a new interview with GameDaily he gives the following message regarding the film finally getting the required PG-13 rating:

I must say, and that’s what’s a little bewildering about this, I didn’t have to change much. We trimmed some frames more for the sake of trimming frames than anything, but we got the rating without any major changes at all. I’m a little surprised that we changed their minds, effectively, but I’m happy about it. It proves that if you stick to your guns and you have the creative, and dare I say moral sense, that you’re in the right, that you can get the right thing done.

I’m not sure if this is good news or bad news for this film. When a story revolves around gun violence - I personally would like to see an R rating. If you have a film that seeks to revel in violence, it seems peculiar to me not to let it gush forth, under the umbrella of an R rating.

According to the source article John Moore recently slammed the MPAA; he assumed they would give him a hard time with his project (he wanted a PG rating). His previous fears appear to have been all for naught. It would seem that he made the PG-13 cut without much trouble at all.

I can see why they would want the PG-13 rating for a video game film. It will allow the game’s demographic to buy tickets, I just worry that reining in the violence will be detrimental to Max Payne the movie. From what I have seen in the trailers my hopes certainly aren’t high; and a PG 13 rating isn’t helping the situation.

Movie Blog reader Johnathan sent me an interesting story today revolving around Oscar winner Forest Whitaker and his upcoming film “Winged Creatures”.

Turns out the film almost got sunk and that Whitaker was almost removed from the movie because one of the film studio’s originally behind the film thought that Whitaker was “ugly, black and unbankable”. This comes to us from the folks over at LiveNews:

Despite having “the hottest ensemble cast in town”, including Guy Pearce, Kate Beckinsale, Dakota Fanning, Jeanne Tripplehorn and Jennifer Hudson, Woods said the company who owned the script wouldn’t accept Whitaker as a leading man.

“The initial finance fell through when I stuck with Forest Whitaker for the role of Charlie,” Woods (the director) said. “An executive told me straight: `Even if he wins the Oscar he’s ugly, he’s black and he’s unbankable.’”

Ok, now I admit that on the surface that quote appears horribly insensitive and outright racist. But before taking a comment out of context and assume the worst, let’s just for a moment choose to believe that the unnamed studio executive was speaking as a studio executive. Let’s assume for a moment that he didn’t have a problem with Whitaker being black because he hates black people, but that because he believes (rightly or wrongly) that black leading men (aside from Will Smith) aren’t as marketable or “bankable” as some other potential stars. Or that perhaps he made the comment because the script didn’t call for the character to be black.

I’m going to play devil’s advocate here for a moment and defend what the executive said (at least the PRINCIPLE of what he said). Keep in mind, he is the money guy. The movie doing well or doing poorly directly effects how much money his company gets. If he (for whatever reason) doesn’t believe that Forest Whitaker is capable of drawing in a large audience… doesn’t he have a right to object to his casting?

Ok, so he finds Forest ugly (I don’t), don’t pretend like you’ve never called someone that before. Ok he mentioned he’s black. Well… if he thinks that will have an impact on his bottom line, then he has the right to object. He thinks Whitaker is unbankalbe. Can we say he’s wrong about that? How many $100+ million movies has Forest headlined? None.

Forest Whitaker is one of the best actors out there, no doubt, but when you’re talking to the people who will be investing money, you also have to show them that getting a certain actor will also increase the potential for them to make money on their investment. If this guy (for whatever reason) thought Whitaker was a bad investment, can we blame him for fighting to get him out of the movie?

Personally, I’d put Forest Whitaker in as Dorothy in my “Wizard of Oz” remake if he wanted the role (I think he’s that good), but I can’t judge this studio exec for making… well… a business decision. Just my two cents worth.

We have the new Seven Pounds trailer for you to check out. It is sopping wet with drama and emotion. The only thing that could add greater drama to this trailer would be a wide shot of 10 000 doves, followed by a close up slo-mo shot of one single dove in flight. Someone get Woo on the phone.

We have some picture of Jason Voorhees with and without mask to show you today thanks to our friends at comingsoon:

I am very skeptical about this remake, but have been pleased with what I have seen of the legendary villain thus far. It looks like they are staying true to form with his signature look, and this makes me glad. For the rest of the photo set make sure to check out comingsoon.

We have some news to share regarding George Romero’s next zombie film. We get the following quotes from Romero and Chartier thanks to our friends at the Movieweb:

Movieset talked to producer Nicolas Chartier, who confirmed the movie is not a direct sequel to Diary of the Dead and is not yet titled but will most likely have the word “dead” in there somewhere. “We’re shooting underwater zombies,” Chartier said. “They’re swimming, grabbing people’s legs, pulling them down. It’s a lot of fun.”

Romero also told schlock around the clock that this next project will include a couple of characters from Diary of the Dead and that the movie is about “tribalism”.

“It starts with the blonde who drove away and the national guardsmen who robbed the people. So those are the only characters that return. What it’s about is tribalism. How the internet creates a Hatfields and McCoys situation. It’s on an island, where people have been lured by someone on the net as a safe haven, but really what these guys are trying to do is hold them up at the boat docks. I don’t know if it’s going to be made. The script is in, so we’ll see what happens.”

This film is yet to be named, but will be shooting in Toronto. Sadly there will be no wintertime arctic zombies, but underwater zombies are a decent compromise. It would be hilarious to see zombies in winter, they would keep slipping on the ice and make snow angels as they try to get up. Canadians would just have to fend off the dead till winter, and then launch into full scale warfare with shotguns and snowmobiles. Cold weather has its advantages - It kills bugs and creates mobility issues for the living dead.

I have yet to see the famous zombie vs shark battle that I have heard so much about. I believe the name of the film is Zombie Flesh Eaters. I know there is a group of people that have a soft spot for underwater zombies, and I am glad that this film will tickle their fancy. The slow walkers plod on on the land, in the sea, and one day (with luck) in the air.

In order to tide you over, here is the aforementioned Zombie Vs. Shark:

It looks like Zack Snyder (director of 300 and The Watchmen) has been hired by EA to assist in the development of three video games. We get the following scoop from our friends at IESB:

Electronic Arts Inc. today announced that renowned filmmaker Zack Snyder will bring his unique vision to the development of three original EA games. Snyder will lead the creative direction of the games while working in partnership with the production team at EA Los Angeles, the same studio currently collaborating with Steven Spielberg on Boom Blox™ and other games in development with Mr. Spielberg. Snyder’s recent works include hit movies, “The Dawn of the Dead” and “300”. He is also currently working on an adaptation of “Watchmen” based on the legendary comic book series, due to release in March 2009.

Film directors crossing over to games is a phenomenon that will increase as the days go on. With the amount of coin that games have the potential to pull in, the drive for excellence and to stay ahead of the pack is as competitive as ever. Bringing on talented visual story tellers from the world of film makes sense to me.

I enjoyed the look of 300, and have been pleased from what I have seen of The Watchmen. I think Zack Snyder is a great pick; and the fact that he’s already a fan of EA is icing on the cake.

I am curious to see details about the titles he will be working on. We will be sure to hunt for updates, and will keep you posted when we are in the know!

Brad Pitt is one of the best actors out there today who has never won an academy award… and it looks like he’s taking the gloves off for The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button, because from the looks of this trailer it seems he’s making a big run at one this year. Holy crap this movie looks amazing. Visually breath taking, the story is unique and the cast is beyond wonderful.

For those of you who may not yet know, The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button is about a man (Pitt) who ages in reverse. He is born as an old man and slowly grows younger as he “ages”. Take a look.

A lawyer has taken on the case of Matilda Rose, and is fighting for her to receive the 10 million in insurance that her father (Heath Ledger) took out for her. We get the following scoop from the justice caves of Yahoo:

A former attorney for Heath Ledger is suing over a $10 million life insurance policy he claims has gone unpaid since the actor’s death.

Attorney John S. LaViolette sued Minnesota-based ReliaStar Life Insurance Company in July, claiming the company is trying to avoid paying the claim to Ledger’s young daughter, Matilda Rose.

I had to fight for insurance over a stolen bike once, and that was a pain in the ass.
You pay insurance so when something horrible happens - money is given to you in response to the tragedy. It’s like the lottery, only you buy your ticket with sorrow. Insurance companies are notorious for doing their best to avoid their end of the bargain, even if that means ripping off the Joker’s daughter. Word of mouth is the best weapon against shady companies, and is also the best means to find quality sellers.

It’s kind of this lawyer to go to bat for Ledger’s daughter. I’m going to give him the benefit of the doubt and assuming he is doing this for selfless reasons. I would hate to see him jump to her rescue, only to take half. But until I hear otherwise, I will call him a samaritan and hope that the law is in his favor, and that girl gets the moneys that are owed to her.

Now this is something I never would have seen coming from 10 miles away nor from the tops of Asgard itself. Kenneth Branagh as the director of Thor?!?! That’s the word floating around right now.

Apparently the Shakespearian specialist is in negotiations to helm the Thor movie. Yes, that Kenneth Branagh. The same Kenneth Branagh who directed Hamlet and Much Ado About Nothing. The same Kenneth Branagh who gave one of the all time great performances in Henry V (the man seriously knocked the crap out of that role!). This same Kenneth Branagh to direct Thor? Wow.

The good folks over at MTV give us the following:

If the pairing does become official, it would put one of the primary ambassadors of Shakespeare’s work to mainstream culture behind the camera for the live-action debut of Marvel’s favorite Norse superhero — a character who, like many of Branagh’s roles, doesn’t shy away from using “thee” and “thou” in conversation. “Thor” is currently scheduled for release on June 4, 2010

Now here’s the thing… there is the question on if this is a good FIT. On that level I’m not sure. No, Branagh has never done anything like this before in his life, but at the same time if they want to bring that sort of old world shakespearian feel to Thor then I can’t think of many people who would be better for the task.

Also, outside of the issue of “fit”, I always say that “it’s never a mistake to add talent”, and there are very few people out there who would deny the pure talent that Branagh brings to the table… he oozes it. As a matter of fact it would be pretty cool to see him take one of the roles in the film as well considering how solid of an actor he is too. Perhaps one of the other gods.

This is still in the negotiating stage, but I’ll say that IF this works out and Kenneth Branagh ends up being the director for Thor, then you can count me in as a supporter of the decision.

A while back we talked about the potential Live Action Smurfs Movie that was being planned. No I am not talking about Members of the Finnish BDSM organisation SMFR who are called “Smurfs” because of the similarity of the names. I am talking about the movie about 3 apples high mythical folk from a dark age mushroom village.

Still don’t know what I am talking about? Wikipedia helps us out:

The Smurfs (Les Schtroumpfs) are a fictional group of small sky blue creatures who live in Smurf Village somewhere in the woods. The Belgian cartoonist Peyo introduced Smurfs to the world in a series of comic strips, making their first appearance in the Belgian comics magazine Le Journal de Spirou on October 23, 1958. The English-speaking world perhaps knows them best through the popular 1980s animated television series from Hanna-Barbera Productions, The Smurfs.

Clearly this will be a combination of CGI Smurfs with a live action world. Among the very few Human interactors Gargamel is clearly the most predominate (followed by the far less popular PeeWee and Johan)

Gargamel was always after the Smurfs for his dark magical arts. Seen as a crackpot and a failure by more predominate medieval wizards. Apparently, aside from being rather tasty, a Smurf is one of the critical components for the formula to transmute lead into gold. Thus Gargamel is on the constant quest to obtain these tiny blue monsters.

I haven’t heard much news about this lately aside from them still working on it. No casting news yet. But who should play Gargamel? Likely the only human in the film, or at least the one that has the most interaction with the little fellas, so for those of you old enough to remember Gargamel I posted some ideas on who I would like to see:

Rowan Atkinson

Better known as Mr Bean actually is a very capable comedic actor who even speaks. Just mostly in BBC productions (Watch Black Adder - seriously). He has a look that would suit Gargamel, but perhaps too comedic. I don’t know if he can pull off the dark evil of Gargamel. He can nail the underdog rejected wizard and certainly he could do curiously mischievious, but I couldn’t take him serious as evil.

Sasha Baron Cohen

He fits the tall slim figure of Gargamel, and the dark hair and heavy brow would make an easy transition to the character. Sasha has already proven to be able to take on different characterized personas so he could rock the house on this cartoon brought to life. He can even grab that evil that is not pure, but greasy uneasy slippery evil.

Danny Devito

Clearly a dead ringer in the face, but Gargamel has always been presented as a slender chap. Forgivable considering just how shifty and of questionable morals Devito can splash all over the screen. We have seen more than once, Devito in a role of a character on the bottom half of the morality barrel. He can be scary and evil without being disturbing. Easily a top contender for me. I can see him snacking on Smurfs.

Jeff Goldblum

This has always been my top pick for Gargamel. Add some bushy dark hair and bald out that dome and this guy just has everything Gargamel needs. He can play the crackpot, the quack among peers, that crazy uncle that people don’t take seriously. And he can be scary! But he has a tiny bit of a soft side we sometimes see of Gargamel when a smurf looks at him with those big puppydog eyes just before he is about to throw them into a boiling potion pot. He has a likeabilty (despite easily being dark and twisted) that will make you invest emotionally in this conflicted villian.

I would love to see Goldblum in this, but I would accept any of my other three picks as well.

If you have a serious consideration for the role, who would you like to see chasing smurfs and kicking poor Azreal?

Just when I was starting to think “The Spirit” couldn’t possibly look any worse than it already does, along comes the new trailer that have sunk my expectations about 3 floors below the basement. What is starting to materialize is what many of us have suspected all along… Frank Miller shouldn’t be directing. At least not a movie of this scale and at least not yet. Behold more of the evidence.

The trailer was already abysmal, and then came that damn line “I’m gonna kill you all kinds of dead” and I almost laughed out loud (not in the good way either). This flick looks like it’s going to suck on a Jenna Jameson level.

How do you top the fantastic one, two punch of Russell Crowe (the single best actor alive today bar none) and Leonardo DiCaprio in the upcoming “Body of Lies”? You do a movie with a one, two punch of Russel Crowe and Russell Crowe. That’s Ridley Scott’s genius idea (no sarcasm intended) for his upcoming Robin Hood film “Nottingham” where Crowe will apparently play BOTH Robin Hood and the Sheriff of Nottingham.

The good folks over at MTV gives us this:

The news comes straight from the helmer himself, with Scott revealing “He’s playing both!” exclusively to MTV News during an interview for his new film “Body of Lies,” which co-stars Crowe. While Scott held additional details close to his chest — saying they would take too long to describe — he did exclaim that Crowe’s dual roles would be “a good old clever adjustment of characters. One becomes the other. It changes.”

I’ve got to admit I would have never imagined a property like Robin Hood as a type of film where you could have one actor play two different roles… but if anyone can convincingly portray two completely different people in the same film then it’s Russell Crowe, who is hands down the most diverse actor in the business with the most pure range we’ve seen in a long long time.

BUT… one potential downside in a gimmick like this is that the gimmick (Crowe playing the two lead roles) could overshadow the movie’s story itself. People start talking about “that movie where Crowe plays Hood and the Sheriff” instead of about “Nottingham”. Don’t get me wrong, I’m very interested to see how this “gimmick” plays out… I just hope it doesn’t overshadow the film itself.

I’m keeping a little video journal as a non-filmmaker, of my experience trying to get my first little movie made. A guy who has no bloody idea of what he’s doing. Maybe it’ll give you some inspiration for doing a film yourself (”well if this idiot can make one, so can I” sort of inspiration), or maybe just laugh at how fast I go down in flames. Either way it’s all good. :)

This installment I about keeping my expectations in check and being realistic about the fate and purpose of The Anniversary.

PAST INSTALLMENTS:

Part #1 - Fear of Rejection
Part #2 - Cutting Down The Script
Part #3 - Casting Call

One of the absolute best the is, was, or ever will be has past away. Paul Newman has died from cancer at the age of 83.

There really isn’t anything that one can say that hasn’t been said about this icon a thousand times before… and each and everyone of them is true. The man was a legend in the business and a benchmark for which all other leading men in Hollywood were measured for decades.

His performance in Cool Hand Luke was one of the first I saw as a kid where I recognized the difference between a normal actor and a GREAT actor.

His “best of” roles reads like a hollywood all-star list of films. We’ve lost one of the titans.

It looks like the digital dilemma facing the studios has been ironed out thanks to a liberal lathering of funds. We get wind of the theatre upgrade package thanks writing on the walls of the dimensional portal caves of Yahoo:

Walt Disney, Paramount, Twentieth Century Fox and Universal are soon expected to announce a long-sought $1.1 billion digital cinema deal that Hollywood hopes will boost attendance, cut costs and enable more 3-D viewing, sources close to the deal said on Thursday.

Long delayed by debate over who should pay for the system, digital cinema offers a potential solution to declining movie attendance at a lower ongoing cost. The upgrades will enable studios to send movies digitally to theaters, saving them billions of dollars in print and delivery costs. Once outfitted with digital projectors, theaters can add 3-D capabilities.

Well this is good news. I thought it only fair that the studios foot the bill for the upgrade. They have the capital to fund such an endeavor and stand to gain substantial distribution savings in the long run. The delivery companies responsible for dropping off the reels are the ones that will lose on this deal.

For the average movie goer this simply means better setups in which to view our films. We win! I for one am excited about the 3-D possibilities these updated theaters will offer. With a glut of 3-D projects coming down the pipe the studios kinda put a gun to their own head. If they didn’t foot the bill for the theaters, not enough screens would be able to showcase the 3-D magic. (see above picture of 3-D magic in action)

With all this talk of savings perhaps the price of tickets will drop as well. It seems they are trying to get attendance up and cutting ticket prices is a better strategy than most.

We have an update for you regarding the legal battle between New Line Cinema and the estate of J.R.R Tolkien. It was decreed that punitive damages have been stripped from the case. We get the scoop from the justice caves of Yahoo:

Tolkien’s heirs claim New Line Cinema has failed to pay any royalties from the estimated $6 billion they say the movie has grossed worldwide. The lawsuit is seeking more than $150 million in compensatory damages based on breach of contract, fraud and other claims.

The charity’s trustees, which include Tolkien’s heirs, joined publisher HarperCollins to sue the studio in February. Besides damages, the lawsuit seeks a court order that would terminate New Line’s rights to make a two-film prequel based on “The Hobbit.”

So if I am to understand this correctly (and I may not be) the estate of J.R.R. is still able to proceed with the lawsuit, but punitive damages have been removed from the list. Compensation is still being sought and the desire to put a halt to the progress of The Hobbit still exists. I want to see the Hobbit and certainly hope they get this matter settled pronto.

It’s a shame that New Line and the trust of Tolkien cannot come to a mutually beneficial agreement. In memory of J.R.R., and with respect to his work, I hope everyone keeps it classy and considers him in all of this. WWJRRTD?

For those of you interested in the case - I suggest you mull over all the details that the source article has to offer.

The Weinsteins are splitting with MGM 3 months early. We get wind of this separation from our friends at comingsoon:

Less than a week since DreamWorks announced that they would be going it on their own without their distribution partner Paramount, The Weinstein Co. and MGM have cut short their distribution deal three months earlier than the original three-year contract, which was scheduled to expire on December 31. Harvey and Bob Weinstein’s company will take back seven movies to release between now and the end of the year including Kevin Smith’s upcoming Zack and Miri Make a Porno (October 31) and the anticipated adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s The Road (November 14). MGM will still distribute the two planned Dimension Films releases, the comedy Soul Men (November 7) with Samuel L. Jackson and the late Bernie Mac and Forest Whitaker’s sports drama Hurricane Season (December 25).

Divorce is all over that place in studio land! I’ m wondering if this split will change the distribution situation of Zack and Miri Make a Porno. Currently scheduled for Oct 31, we will have to wait and see if this split will push the film back. With luck everything will simply fall into place, according to plan, without a hiccup.

I have no idea if this will be better or worse for the Weinsteins, future film announcements will be the only way to see I suppose.

We will be on the lookout for news about Zack and Miri’s release date and will be sure to inform you if any changes should occur.

Jeepers! An E reporter recently chatted with Armie Hammer about the status of Justice League, and Armie thinks it is still happening! We get the peculiar scoop from our friends over at IESB:

Got an alert to an article posted on the E! Website, interesting in a purely comical way, the columnist talked to Hammer while he was shooting in Vancouver this week and says Justice League is still a go and they are just waiting for a location. Now that’s a double take!

I’m sorry, did you all not read the Wall Street Journal interview with Warner Bros. Pictures Group President Jeff Robinov where he had a whole lot to say about the future of JLA? Apparently not.

I am not sure if Armie is being kept in the dark, being lied to or suspending disbelief. As glad as I am that the Justice League project has been axed, you have to feel for the people that were cast as the heroes. Armie Hammer apparently has a Batman suit made for him, wore it ….and now will not be Batman. That is like getting the best christmas present ever, only to have your father hawk it for booze the next day.

The reporter that interviewed him should have gave him the straight goods and talked about other topics. Poor Armie now looks like a discombobulated dullard as a result of this. I hope someone from Warner Bros. gives the dude a call and sets him straight; and in the name of all that is good and just - let him keep the suit.

We have rumblings about a Disney announcement about National Treasure 3 from our friends over at IESB to share with you:

It was certainly an all Disney, all the time kind of day here at IESB. The studios’ preview and showcase of upcoming films was full of a lot of good information and surprises.

One surprise had producer Jerry Bruckheimer and actor Nicolas Cage on stage to talk about their favorite Disney franchise, “National Treasure.” Jerry Bruckheimer, Nicolas Cage and Disney’s Dick Cook confirmed that National Treasure 3 was currently in development.

I don’t think this will surprise anyone. We knew they were going to do another film, this simply confirms common knowledge and expectations.

I am not interested in this film. I haven’t enjoyed what I’ve seen of the franchise (saw 2, missed 1), and do not expect this to change the third time around the block. I am curious to know more about Disney’s Dick Cook however. When I read that line - I did a spit take. I pictured a man wearing a leather mask, stirring a cauldron (ala Conan orgy scene) in the disney lunch room full of boiled man tubes. I apologize for the childishness of my imagination - but I had to share.

We have news from an interview with Anne Hathaway that The Devil Wears Prada will be done at one, and plans for a sequel were killed. We get the scoop from our friends at MTV:

“I’m really, really proud of Fox’s decision not to pursue a sequel,” the 25-year-old actress said of the 2006 film that became an unexpected $100 million blockbuster. “When I did [the upcoming film] ‘Bride Wars’ with them I asked what happened, and they said we can’t make a story, and it’s not worth it to damage the original film.”

I n the interview Hathaway goes on to mention that after the success of the first film, she called up the studio and pleaded “Can we just come up with a story please?” They told her that one was in the works, but has been killed. I’m glad the studio decided to make this decision and applaud them for doing so. I can understand Hathaway’s excitement to revisit the character but I’m pleased that she too can see the benefit in leaving things be.

I liked The Devil Wears Prada very much, Largely due to the performance of The Streep. A sequel would have bothered me quite a bit This news is very refreshing in a time where everything seems to be milked to death. So my hat’s off to Fox for leaving well enough alone.

International Friends, do you agree - or do you have interest in a Prada sequel?

We have the new Valkyrie trailer for you guys to check out today thanks to our friends from ropeofsilicon, Check it out.

We also have the following new poster thanks to Tapley over at InContention:

We have news about a new Nick Nolte film that’ s set in Greece. We get the following scoop from the Epicurean caves of Yahoo:

Nick Nolte, Haley Bennett and Carter Jenkins face a Greek holiday tragedy in the independent coming-of-age-drama “Arcadia Lost.” Bennett and Jenkins play step-siblings whose first family trip is cut short by a car crash. With their parents dead, the stunned teens roam the Greek countryside and befriend an expatriate vagabond (Nolte) who leads them to a mysterious spiritual ceremony.

Director Phedon Papamichael, best known as the cinematographer of “Sideways” and “Walk the Line,” is filming David Ariniello’s screenplay in his native Greece. The shoot can be tracked by Facebook members in the site’s “Follow a Film” section.

What sort of spiritual ritual will vagabond Nolte lead them through? Is Nolte a worshipper of the old Gods? Does he take the youngsters to the temple of the Taurobolium cult where they’re baptized in bull’s blood? I hope so, I want the rituals are crazy. If you’re going to have Nick Nolte as a shaman shambler in Greece, you better make his rituals intense.

It’s cool that they will have a “follow a film” section on their facebook page. I will see if I can add these fellows as a friend and keep an eye on the progress. I am very curious about the voodoo of Nolte and hope to see him wearing a majestic robe of many colors, with a face always covered in a bright shiny coat of Bull’s blood.

Worship at the gates of Nolte.

Well this is something completely different. It appears Billy Crystal will be joining The Tooth Fairy. We get the following scoop from Variety via our friends at cinematical:

Variety reports that Crystal has joined the cast of Tooth Fairy. This is that comedy where The Rock … sorry, Dwayne Johnson, is a minor league hockey player skating around and knocking lots of dudes’ teeth out. His disregard for dental gets him in trouble with the world of tooth fairies, and he’s forced to become one for a week.

There has been no mention of what role Billy Crystal will play… but this film seems to get stranger by the day. I thought it may be a kids film about a tooth fairy, then I thought maybe it’s about a guy nicknamed the Tooth Fairy. As it turns out - it’s both. This peculiar premise is amplified with the casting of an ex professional wrestler and now Mr. Orcar is thrown in the ridiculous mix for good measure.

I have low expectations for this film, but a corner of my mind wants this to be a sensational surreal surprise. Someone asked me on the live show the other day about films to see under the influence; this may be a quality candidate for the list.

Could this be the Goodburger of the new millennium? Special props to my friend Hay-zeus the Rose City Condor who is the most ardent supporter of Goodburger, home of the Goodburger.

Well this is exciting news indeed. It looks like Ms. Rachel McAdams will be joining the cast of Sherlock Holmes. We get the scoop from our friends at comingsoon:

The Hollywood Reporter says Rachel McAdams will star opposite Robert Downey Jr. in Sherlock Holmes, a reimagining of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s character that Guy Ritchie is directing for Warner Bros. and Village Roadshow.

McAdams plays Holmes’ enigmatic love interest, Irene Adler, a character who appeared in Doyle’s 1891 “A Scandal in Bohemia.” While the character only appeared in that one story, McAdams’ personage would return for any possible sequel. Downey will play Holmes while Mark Strong plays the main villain, Blackwood. Jude Law is portraying Holmes’ colleague Watson.

I like Mr. Sherlock Holmes, and I like this cast. My anticipation for this picture grows more and more with each casting announcement, and this news is no different. I wouldn’t say that Rachel McAdams is my favorite actress at present, but her star is rising and I’m curious to see her tangle among these master thespians.

Much talk has been said about this being a film for fans of the Sherlock Holmes novels, and that is what pleases me most. The character is a legend for a reason, and those reasons always need to shine through, in every incarnation.

It appears that Guillermo Del Toro will be taking on a writing assignment by co-authoring a triloogy of vampire novels! We get the following scoop from the blood caves of Yahoo:

“Pan’s Labyrinth” director Guillermo del Toro is collaborating with crime author Chuck Hogan on a trilogy of vampire novels, starting next summer with “The Strain.”

“The idea is epic in scope,” del Toro said in a statement issued Wednesday by publisher William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins. “The trilogy advances in unexpected ways and each book contains unique and surprising revelations about the history, physiology and lore of the vampiric race, tracing its roots all the way back to its Old Testament origins.”

Guillermo is booked for the next decade and somehow he manages to find the time to co-author 3 novels? I don’t know how he does it, but I’m guessing he’s found a way to enjoy 38 hour days.

I think the man has incredible imagination and is well suited to co-author vampire novels with Chuck Hogan. If the books are well received, I can certainly see them being adapted into film whenever Guillermo is able to eek out enough time to do them. The only thing that is going to stop this man’s work ethic is heart failure.

If we had a “busiest dude” award, Guillermo would get the gold.