Natalie Portman in Thor?

First ScarJo joins Iron Man 2, now Natalie Portman could be the love interest in Thor? Marvel Studios, I'm beginning to like you more every day.

This is a bit of old news, but I just felt it was worth mentioning since Portman falls on my list of Favorite Actresses Right Now and has a little more credibility to her name than the aforementioned busty blonde.

Also worth mentioning (to me, anyway) is that Josh Hartnett has tested for both the role of Thor and Thor's brother, Loki. I think he'd be great as a mischievious character, since I don't really see him as a hammer-wielding superstar. We'll see how it all plays out.

Marvel/Iron Man 2 Stuff

In case you guys haven't already heard about this, I want to give a small update on the recent happenings over at Marvel Studios.

The big news is that they have pushed back almost all of their films by nearly a year. The original announcement had Thor and Iron Man 2 coming out in 2010, and the Captain America and Avengers movie would hit in 2011. I wondered (along with Jon Favreau) if this insane pace was going to be feasible - turns out they're playing it safe and pushing everything back instead of pumping out a less-than-quality project.

New Dates
Thor - June 17th, 2011
First Avenger: Captain America - July 22nd, 2011
The Avengers - May 12th, 2012

Sony Pictures still has the rights to Spider-Man, so they're releasing Spider-Man 4 on May 6th, 2011. Looks like the death of the superhero is a long way away...

In Iron Man 2 news, Mickey Rourke has finally been confirmed as the villain for the sequel, and Scarlett Johansson will be playing the Black Widow, a character that I have never heard of before. Keep in mind that I've read exactly four Marvel comic issues in my entire life. She's hot, so I'm pumped. Look at it this way - there's no way it can be worse than her performance in The Spirit. And with Sam Jackson signing that massive 9 pic deal with the studio, you can guarantee there will be at least one scene in it that will make this film worth seeing.

Site Update

Greetings.

I realize that I've been horrible about keeping up with this site lately, and I'm going to try to explain why, but the gist of this post is: I'm going back to the way I used to do things.

Ever since we did that first "Ben's Video Roundup," I had grand visions of making those once a week and doing most of my "daily" movie blogging in that format, with the occasional text post in between. This obviously didn't happen, and it's due in part to 1) me working a full time job and 2) me being lazy. Plus, my technical errors on that second episode really threw a wrench into my cog.

I used to horde stories and wait until I could fit them into a video post, but after I couldn't find the time to make one, the stories weren't relevant anymore. So I'm going back to my text posts and giving up the idea of making videos on a consistent basis (I'll save that for my other site). So keep checking back, and I'll be hitting you with the movie news that I deem worthy at a more regular interval soon.

Leo DiCaprio Joins Inception

Doth my eyes deceive me? Two of my favorite people in Hollywood will be working together for the first time on a project that sounds extremely interesting. (High fives all around.)

Leonardo DiCaprio (who has officially worked his way to Number One on my list of Favorite Working Actors) is set to star in Christopher Nolan's upcoming film Inception. The project is veiled in mysterious phrases like "contemporary sci-fi actioner," taking place within the "architecture of the mind," so we really have no idea what it is actually about.

I have blind faith in both Nolan's directing - as I've said many times, The Prestige is one of my favorite films - and DiCaprio's acting. The two joining together is a match made in fanboy heaven. 2010, here we come.

Sam Jackson Signs Huge Marvel Deal

There was word last month that Samuel L. Jackson might not return as Nick Fury in the upcoming Marvel slate of films. That rumor has been shot to hell today, as Jackson has signed a NINE picture deal with the studio!

The deal includes appearances in Iron Man 2, Thor, Captain America, The Avengers, and any spin-offs (even a possible one for S.H.I.E.L.D. itself). If you stayed until after the credits of Iron Man, you saw Nick Fury inform Tony Stark that he was putting together the Avenger Initiative, hinting at the upcoming Avengers movie. Now it is assured that he will be a part of every incarnation in the coming years. Awesome stuff - congrats to everyone involved with this deal. Mostly to us, the fans - since we get to see more Sam Jackson badassery for a while.

Hot Tub Time Machine Gets A Cast

Hi-ho! After first hearing about this movie almost a year ago, I never would have thought this type of film would get a cast like this. In case you forgot about the plot (shame on you), here's a refresher:

"Hot Tub" follows a group of guys, adults who used to be cads back in their heyday, who, after a night of vodka and Red Bulls in a hot tub, travel back in time and set out to rediscover their "mojo."

So on to the cast. John Cusack, Rob Corddry (Harold & Kumar 2), and Craig Robinson (The Office) have joined as the three main characters. Corddry and Robinson definitely feel like they belong here, but Cusack? I'm not saying it's a bad thing, but it's certainly not expected from me. I'll definitely be interested to see the normally-straight-laced actor in a ridiculous sex comedy.

Jonny Quest to Hit The Big Screen?

There's been a script for Jonny Quest floating around Hollywood for some time now, and apparently it's pretty darn good. As a matter of fact, it made it onto the 2008 Black List, which is an underground list compiled by studios, assistants, and people who actually read the thousands of scripts that come around each year and choose the best ones that didn't make it into production that year.

So now we get a rumor that instead of Peter Segal (Get Smart) directing the movie as previously indicated, it looks like Andy Fickman (She's The Man, The Game Plan) will be taking over. Perfect. Also in the "this sucks" category, Zac "High School Musical" Efron is supposedly lined up for the lead role.

That combination of information makes me hope this project never sees the light of day. But the one ray of light that comes out of this is that Dwayne Johnson (The Rock) is rumored to play Race Bannon. Now THAT is some solid casting. I can't see anyone else doing justice to the role.

I watched a lot of Jonny Quest when I was a kid, both the original 60's show and The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest. Because it was such great source material, I'm still holding out hope that this could be a good movie and maybe even the start of a new franchise for Warner Brothers. Just get the right people attached (ahem, keep The Rock and start over), and you're money in the bank.

Christopher Nolan Directing Inception

Nolan has decided to make another movie with Warner Brothers before he decides to return to his Batman franchise.

Inception, the title of his new movie, is described as "a contemporary sci-fi actioner set within the architecture of the mind." Nolan wrote the screenplay and hopes to film in the summer for a release date of next summer (2010).

He did the same thing with The Prestige, which turned out to be one of my all-time favorite films, so I'm totally down with giving the dude a break between Bat-Flicks. I just hope it's better than the similar-sounding Jennifer Lopez-Vince Vaughn film The Cell.

* Wow, this is already my 200th post. Time flies when you write tiny news stories/rumors instead of full-on reviews or editorials. Thanks for reading.

The Wachowskis Might Direct A New Superman Trilogy

Holy crap, this would be insane. The directing duo is rumored to be off their previously mentioned superhero project Plastic Man and offered a new Superman trilogy by Warner Brothers.

No word yet on if this is true, but keep checking back for more news as it becomes available. My two cents? I'd say give it to Mark Millar (he seems to have an epic tale already well planned out), but if you're going to give it to some big-name directors, the Wachowskis aren't a bad way to go. I just hope we see a GOOD Superman film on screen sometime in the next five years.

Michael Bay Is Awesome

I just saw this interview of Michael Bay and thought it was pretty funny how ridiculous he is. Check it out. He "fake punches" at least two people. He obviously thinks pretty highly of himself. It's excellent.



As an added bonus, check out his "awesome" Verizon commercial from last year.

Ong-Bak 2 Gets A Distributor

What does that mean? It means we will be seeing this movie in US theaters later this year. Righteous.

But potentially bigger news comes in the same press release that divulged the previous information - they say that Ong-Bak 3 is currently in production! Apparently OB2 will feature a cliffhanger ending that leads directly into OB3, which is itself a prequel to the original Ong-Bak: Muay Thai Warrior.

Want to hear the weird part? The only information that is known about the plot of the third film says that Tien's (Tony Jaa's character) limbs are tortured and damaged, so he has to fight without using his bones. I have no idea what that means, but he's fighting the dude who plays the main character in Dynamite Warrior. Should be interesting.

Fun fact: Tony Jaa directed most of Ong-Bak 2 before going into exhile in the jungle for weeks due to massive stress, leaving the project in the hands of the dude who directed Born To Fight. They both will supposedly be sharing the directing duties of Ong-Bak 3.

Four Score and A Possible Lincoln Film

Steven Spielberg's Lincoln movie is one that has been in development for years. Liam Neeson has been attached to play the role in the past, but it always seems like Ol' Steve jumps onto another project at the last second before finally committing this one to film.

Looks like all that could change, with the announcement coming that a decision regarding the film should be made this week. Tony Kushner, the writer of the movie, said that there are meetings going on and they should know by the end of the week whether or not the movie is getting the immediate greenlight.

The amazing part is that Kushner says if the movie DOES get the go-ahead, it will most likely be completed and in theaters before Christmas of this year! Pretty incredible turn-around for a film that hasn't even confirmed casting decisions yet. Neeson is apparently still attached to play the bearded ex-President, Sally Field (she's still around?) would supposedly play Mrs. Lincoln, and Harrison Ford is rumored to be up for the role of Andrew Johnson.

Call me crazy, but Spielberg has been slipping in recent years (War of the Worlds, Indiana Jones and TKOTCS). Could this be the project that brings him back to previously achieved heights?

Lantern...Green Lantern

Director Martin Campbell (Goldeneye, Casino Royale, The Mask of Zorro) is in talks to direct the upcoming Green Lantern film.

If this holds true and Campbell locks down the director's chair, this would be an excellent move for DC. Scoring big-name high quality directors is something that has been done before with the superhero genre, but for a film like Green Lantern where action would most certainly play a huge role (instead of the dark, brooding Nolan-tone), you need a guy who has primarily done action movies in the past. I feel like Campbell would be a great choice and would be a welcome addition to the ever-expanding list of comic book movie directors.

Megan Fox as Lara Croft?

Holy crap, I'm breaking this story before all of the major blogs out there. No offense to Hitfix (the source where I read it and am subsequently referencing), but they're not exactly top shelf when it comes to internet movie news sites.

Megan Fox is rumored to take over Angelina Jolie's role as Lara Croft in the Tomb Raider franchise. Seems like some good casting if they want to breathe some new life into the series after a couple of poor attempts (2001's Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, and 2003's Tomb Raider: Cradle of Life). The only better way to rebound a series based on a heroine that wears short shorts? Actually writing a good script and hiring a competent director. I know some of you may balk at this suggestion - but how about getting Michael Bay down on this action? At least we know it would be a fun summer movie if he was attached. The original article suggests that the film would start shooting in 2010 for a 2011 release.

Roundup 1/22

While many of you are expecting another edition of Ben's Video Roundup, I simply don't have the time to get one together right now (especially since I wrote most of this at work). That being said, I hope to get a BVR going next time a Roundup comes around. On with the show...

• John August, the screenwriter behind one of my favorite movies (Big Fish) and frequent Tim Burton collaborator, has signed on to write the film adaptation of Preacher. Sam Mendes (American Beauty, Revolutionary Road) is still attached to direct. This news bodes well for the project - hopefully August can craft the script into something filmable. I'll keep you posted.

• 500 Days of Summer is the runaway hit of the Sundance Film Festival this year. Everyone has been giving it positive reviews, and I'm glad it turned into such a good project. Fox Searchlight has picked it up with intentions of releasing it to the rest of us sometime this year. If you'll recall, I've been hyping this one for quite a while now.

• Tom and Jerry will become a live-action movie in the vein of Scooby-Doo and Alvin and the Chipmunks. But get this - they're doing a freaking origin story. You think you might be taking it a little too far, filmmakers? That's like doing an origin story of the Three Stooges. Who gives a crap how they met? This movie will be so bad it'll induce instant vomiting, but inexplicably manage to be the number one movie in America during its release weekend.
  

• Dakota Fanning is in talks to join the Twilight sequel New Moon as some character named Jane. Children scream with delight. Apparently she didn't even audition - they just offered it to her straight up. No word yet on the final outcome, but it will assuredly make Hot Topic a little bit richer.
  

• Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard (the writer of Cloverfield and some LOST episodes) have teamed up for a movie. They both co-wrote the script, and Goddard is directing. It's called Cabin in the Woods, and hopes to re-invent the sub-genre of horror that gives the film its title. There is no telling how this will turn out - both guys have considerable geek cred, but time will tell if they'll be able to handle a serious horror film.
  

• The Shadow is coming back - but not in Alec Baldwin form. According to a producer of the new project, the film will go back to concentrate more on its pulp and radio roots. He says The Shadow may be multiple people instead of just one guy; I'm guessing something like The League of Shadows from Batman Begins.
  

• William Monahan, screenwriter of The Departed, will make his directorial debut with a film that he wrote called London Boulevard. Colin Farrell and Keira Knightley will star, with Farrell as an ex-criminal who becomes "a handyman for a reclusive young actress." Unless he goes all Liam-Neeson-in-Taken on somebody, this could be questionable at best.
  

• A bunch of film sites are just now getting around to reporting on the Ong-Bak 2 trailer that I posted to the site seven months ago, thanks to the guys at Twitch. Way to drop the ball, you other jackholes.

• Oh yeah - and the trailer to Outlander hit the net a couple weeks ago, but I guarantee none of you (save Branz) has seen it yet. A brief excerpt:
  

"Who are you, Outlander? And why were you there?"
"I was hunting."
"Hunting what?"
"Dragons."

Jackie Chan is Mr. Miyagi???

"Wash my car, fool. I didn't tell you to take a break."

You've got to be kidding me. Jackie Chan as Mr. Miyagi? This sounds like it's going to put the "ass" back in "disaster."*

Not only are they remaking The Karate Kid (unnecessary and probably insulting, by the way), but the jackhole who is directing The Pink Panther 2 is taking over the directing duties for the movie. And Will Smith's son is still going to play the Ralph Macchio part. In China, instead of America. Do me a favor right now, and promise me that you won't see this movie when it comes out, or ever - even on DVD. The only way the studios are going to learn their lesson is if their films don't make money, so for the love of Pat Morita - boycott this one.

*Yeah, I had to switch some letters around for it to work. Bite me - I'm pissed about this movie being made.

Ninja Assassin Training Video

This post is pretty much specifically for Mikey and Boze, but anyone with a hint of "Ultraman" in them should get excited for this as well.

This is a training video for James McTeigue's (V For Vendetta) new movie Ninja Assassin, written by the Wachowski's (The Matrix). The movie stars Rain (the Asian dude from Speed Racer) as one of the best assassins in the world, raised by a secret clan from childhood. But after they murder his friend, he goes on the run. He saves the life of a government agent who stumbles across the clan's ties to politcal assassinations, and they both go on the run from the killers that are now hunting them.



The flick should be released sometime in the first quarter of 2009, so keep your eye out for a trailer sometime in the next couple months.

DJ Caruso Directing Jack The Giant Killer

In what sounds amazingly close to the Fables spin off comic series "Jack of Fables," DJ Caruso is directing a live action adult look at the Jack and the Beanstalk legend called Jack The Giant Killer.

Caruso (Eagle Eye, Disturbia) sounds like a good choice for this project, and since I like most of his movies, I hope this goes well for him. No word yet on whether this will be his next project or if he will finally be able to start production on his long-waiting plan for Y: The Last Man trilogy before this one. Either way, I'm glad to hear he's attached to both of these projects. Sounds like it could be a cool movie.

DiCaprio's Company Picks Up Another Title

This story is a few days old, but I think it's worth mentioning because (as most of you know) DiCaprio is one of my favorite actors. His production company, Appian Way Productions, has recently picked up the rights to a novel called "Beat The Reaper."

The story follows a New York City surgeon who is in the witness protection program when he gets noticed by a mobster who recognizes him from his previous life as a hitman.

Obviously since Appian Way picked this up, a connection could be made that this could be a starring vehicle for Leo, but nothing has been announced yet. Sounds like an interesting project that I hope to see hitting theaters within the next couple years.

The Slammin' Salmon Trailer

This red band trailer for Broken Lizard's newest flick The Slammin' Salmon hit the web yesterday, and I thought it was funny/rare enough to share. The guys who brought us Super Troopers (and are currently writing a sequel that may or may not get made) are back with this story about a restaurant run by a famous boxer.

Iron Man 2 Casting Rumors

Today is officially Mickey Rourke Day here at Ben's Daily Movie News. Not only was it announced earlier this morning that the comeback kid would be joining the ridiculously awesome cast of Stallone's The Expendables, now he's in consideration for Iron Man II.

Rourke, along with fellow actor Sam Rockwell (Matchstick Men), are rumored for villain parts in Jon Favreau's upcoming sequel. Rourke would play either Crimson Dynamo or Whiplash (I have no idea who either one is), a Russian counterpart to Tony Stark who battles the hero in his own nuclear powered suit. Rockwell's character, if the deal goes through, will be the manly-named Justin Hammer, a rival industrialist of Stark's with a genius IQ who finances criminals and requires half of their profits for his services.

I'm really digging how comic book movies have slowly gone from casting ridiculous actors to more respected ones. Iron Man II hits theaters in May of 2010.

Could The Expendables Cast Get Any More Awesome?

I think not. Mickey Rourke has joined the already-legendary cast of Stallone's next action flick, The Expendables. He'll play an arms dealer who the soldiers go to before they try to take down a South American dictator.

In case you've been in hiding for the past few months, here's the rundown of who's involved so far: Stallone (writing, directing, starring), Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Randy Couture (the only subpar addition), Forest Whitaker, and now Marv himself, Mikey Rourke.

I didn't think I could get any more excited about this movie, but Stallone has stepped it up for me yet again. Hurry up and get this thing into theaters!

Crank 2: High Voltage Teaser Trailer!

All right kids, this is what you've been waiting for. I'm going to say right now that this trailer is definitely not appropriate for children or people who are easily offended by graphic language, violence, nudity, or high amounts of electricity. If any of that sounds good to you, check this trailer out below.



Crank 2: High Voltage brings Jason Statham back to the screen as Chev Chelios, the hitman who survives a fall from a helicopter at the end of the first Crank movie. This time around, a Chinese mobster replaces his heart with a battery that needs continuous jolts of energy to stay operational. Needless to say, I'm seriously looking forward to April.

BVR Episode 2!!! Oh, Wait...

Due to some rookie mistakes on my part during the filming of the second BVR episode, the project had to be scrapped because of unusable footage and some audio problems. Fear not though, for we're not giving up on the idea as a whole: BVR will be back*, much like Schwarzenegger in T2 (Can you tell we're on a Terminator kick around here?). Speaking of which...

• Terminator 5 has just been greenlit due to some well-received early footage from Terminator: Salvation. I guess John Connor was lying to us when he said "this war ends tonight" in the trailer, because what's going to happen in T5 if that proves true? In related news, Christian Bale recently underwent successful trachael surgery in order to keep his now-trademarked "Bat-Voice" going in every project he ever does from this point on.

• Rob Zombie's sequel to his remake of Halloween has been given the go-ahead, and it's called H2. Yes, that's it. Not Halloween 2, and it's not a remake of that 1981 movie. This one just joins letters and numbers together ala Se7en and P2 to form one of the laziest titles we've seen in a while. Spoiler alert - Michael is her brother.

• Guess what they're rebooting now? The Phantom, the 1996 Billy Zane classic, is getting the update treatment. Apparently this movie will have nothing to do with its predecessor and is taking the en vouge "dark beginnings" storyline. I'm sending out a plea to anyone who reads this - let's start a petition to get Zane back in that purple costume. (That movie actually holds up pretty well if you watch it today. Which I would highly recommend.)

• Also in the remake queue is The Crow. I've never seen it, but I'd venture a guess that it's not actually about a crow. Other movies they could make about animals? Cybernetic emu, and flesh-eating sheep. Oh, wait...

• In Twilight news (ugh...), they hired the guy who directed The Golden Compass to direct the Twilight sequel New Moon, set for release in November '09. Way to take this seriously, Summit Entertainment. My definition of success is Daniel Craig and Nicole Kidman fighting talking bears and god-killing children. Hot Topic vampire clothes are on sale, now with a free side of atheism.

• In more manly news, The Expendables is coming! Stallone's sure-to-be masterwork (he's writing, directing, and starring) is picking up steam as it heads for production. So far in the cast, we've got Sly himself, Dolph Lundgren, Jet Li, Jason Statham, and...Randy Couture? Who the hell is that? Oh, yeah - a UFC fighter. That sport where sweaty, shirtless dudes T-bag each other into submission. Stallone, I'm disappointed. This was your shot to pull Arnold out of the political sphere and back into action where he belongs (not that Arnie's not a good governor, but you know). Oh, what could have been...

• I had a pretty funny voiced-over trailer for Seven Pounds worked up, but the video file is corrupted. Technology is not my friend right now. Hopefully if I can un-corrupt it (is such a thing possible? I'm about to find out), then I can get it posted somewhere soon.

• It's Alice! Word from the Tim Burton Alice in Wonderland camp comes in today that the movie is going to feature live action, performance capture, AND stop motion technology. Alan Rickman says his face is going to be digitally inserted onto a model of a caterpillar, and he reveals the Helena Bonham Carter (The Red Queen)'s head will be three times its normal size on top of a normal body.
  

• And I'm sure everyone has heard about this already, but I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that Eddie Murphy has been cast as The Riddler and Shia LaBeouf is going to be Robin in the upcoming sequel to The Dark Knight. This report comes straight from The Sun, the uber-reliable British tabloid that proves with this announcement that they have moved from "ridiculous" to "ludicrous" reporting. I guess they missed the memo that a sequel to The Dark Knight hasn't even been confirmed yet (let alone a script written and actors cast), and Warner Brothers is still in talks with Nolan on if he'll return or not. Other people who have supposedly been "cast" in this movie? Johnny Depp as The Riddler, Phillip Seymour Hoffman as The Penguin, and - my favorite - Cher, Angelina Jolie, and Rachel Weisz as Catwoman. You might as well start making up your own rumors at this point, readers, because it's tough to get any more outlandish than Eddie Murphy as the Riddler.

*I'm not linking to my sources this time, because these were all things I was planning on covering in video form so I didn't bookmark them and I'm too lazy to go back and find them now. You'll just have to trust me. And I'd like to thank Tyler Branz, editor of The Solar Sentinel, for co-writing the content of this post for Ben's Video Roundup. We'll get them next time, Gadget.

Hot Tub Time Machine Update!

Wow, I had almost forgotten about this movie. Glad it's getting a little love.

The co-writers and director of Sex Drive, a funny Superbad-esque film that came out back in October, are taking over and are set to co-direct HTTM. It's being written by first-time screenwriter Jason Heald (previously referred to as "Josh Heald"), and in case you need a little reminder, here's the logline:

"Hot Tub" follows a group of guys, adults who used to be cads back in their heyday, who, after a night of vodka and Red Bulls in a hot tub, travel back in time and set out to rediscover their "mojo."

Sounds pretty awesome. Keep this project rolling.

Jurassic Park 4 Is Not Happening

For those of you who are fans of the JP franchise, I've got some bad news. It appears that Michael Crichton's death last month had a great deal of influence when it comes to continuing the series.

"You know, when Crichton passed away, I kinda felt maybe that's it. Maybe that's a sign we don't mess with it." - Producer Kathleen Kennedy

The first movie's success has been well documented, and while The Lost World wasn't as good, it still was pretty enjoyable. And I'll be right alongside you in saying that Jurassic Park 3 sucked terribly, but call me an optimist - I was kind of looking forward to a fourth entry. Recent talks featured ideas of dinosaurs being outfitted with weapons for governmental attack purposes, and the return of Dr. Ellie Satler (Laura Dern's character) led me to believe that Sam Neill and the honorable Jeff Goldblum might come back also. I guess it's for the best that this isn't going to happen. But maybe in a few years...

Fables Coming To ABC

Fables, an ongoing comic series created by Bill Willingham, has been picked up for development by ABC television.

The comic, which features all of the fairy tale characters (The Big Bad Wolf, Snow White, etc) living together in New York City after they escaped from their home worlds, has been running since 2002 and shows no signs of slowing down. Incidentally, it's one of the few comics that I read and I can't recommend it highly enough. Check it out at a library if you have to, but do whatever you can to get your hands on a copy of this series. The first issue is free online here.

As far as the news of its new television counterpart - I was talking with Jared (who got me hooked on Fables) and we agree that the source material is best adapted into a long form TV series rather than trying to squeeze things into a film. That's not to say that after a few years of running on ABC, a movie spin off couldn't happen. All I have to say is I hope the creators of this show do the comic justice. If done correctly, this could easily be one of the coolest shows on TV.

Roundup 12/4

I know it's been a while since I've updated this page. Here's what you need to know.

• As the Hollywood remake train continues to rape and pillage memories of good films, Romancing The Stone becomes the next victim. The original was really awesome - a treasure hunting adventure through the jungle starring Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner when she was still hot. Check that out if you get a free couple hours.

• Jay Baruchel (the serious soldier in Tropic Thunder) is in talks to star in a live action version of The Sorcerer's Apprentice, Disney's famous animated segment from Fantasia. Baruchel would play Mickey Mouse's character, while (get this) Nicolas Cage would play the part of the mean old wizard, this time looking for an apprentice in modern day New York. National Treasure director Jon Turtletaub will direct. Sounds interesting, and I actually think that casting with Nic Cage is spot on.

• There's a new Tarzan movie on the horizon, but it's not animated and I don't think Phil Collins has anything to do with it. This time around, they're losing the "raised by apes origin story for a 1930's set-romp" featuring a romantic subplot. This is a real quote from the article: "Think Pirates of the Carribean with buffed-and-tanned actors flying through the jungle and sprinting up trees, parkour style." I can't take this seriously at all. There's got to be a lot of precaution taken to avoid making this one of the most stupid films of the decade.

• Supposedly, there's a treatment of Speed 3 making its way through Hollywood. Nothing has been greenlit yet, but there's talk that Keanu could come back for this one after (wisely) sitting out the disastrous Speed 2: Cruise Control. If they get Keanu back and keep the Speed-related subtitles, I'm totally down with this.

• For the Shia fans out there, LaBeouf has signed on to star in the adaptation of John Grisham's (read: probably boring court stuff) upcoming book, The Associate. Sounds like pretty standard Grisham from the plot description - brilliant law student, seedy firms, guy with a secret past, blah blah blah.

• Ben Stiller is interested in Zoolander 2. Honestly, this movie is still being quoted eight years after it's release, so that probably means it's warranted this time. Whether or not it'll actually happen is a different story. ("How are we going to teach kids how to read if they can't even fit inside the building?")

• Since Neveldine/Taylor left Jonah Hex, Punisher: War Zone and Green Street Hooligans director Lexi Alexander has tossed her hat into the ring as a possible replacement. I think she'd be great - Green Street Hooligans was awesome, even if Punisher looks painfully bad. I'll give her the benefit of the doubt with Jonah Hex.

• In the latest case of people stealing our ideas, the official title for the sequel to District B13 has been released - District B13: Ultimatum. David Belle and Cyril Raffaelli (the stars of the first one) are coming back, and French action guru Luc Besson is writing the script (which should just include a lot of sweet parkour stuff). Count me in.

• Speaking of sequels, Hancock 2 is on the way. According to Will Smith, there are many unexplored characters in the Hancock universe that haven't been explored yet and we'll "definitely" be seeing a sequel in the next few years. I kind of liked the "twist" in the first one, but as is the case the most of these, I really don't think a sequel is necessary. Although it is Will Smith, so you've got to give him a little credit that he knows what he's doing. The guy is by far the most bankable actor working in Hollywood today.
  

The Hobbit Begins Shooting in 2010

Guillermo del Toro's The Hobbit will begin shooting in 2010, and though most productions shoot for about three or four months, this shoot will last an astounding 370 days.

Granted, the movie will eventually be split into two films (and probably released a year apart), but this is still a ridiculously long shoot. Those 370 days are just shooting days, not to mention the post-production work that is involved with a project of this nature.

Guillermo also hinted at some of his plans for mixing animatronics and CGI effects for Smaug the dragon and some of the other creatures featured in the story. Unlike his puppet-esque work from Hellboy II, this will rely more on computer work to create a new type of creation that we've never seen before on camera. He sounds pretty psyched about it, and if Peter Jackson's not directing this movie, I can't think of anyone else that is a better fit.

Ben's Video Roundup 11/23

Roundup 11/23 from Ben Pearson on Vimeo.

Jonah Hex Needs New Director

Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor, the guys who created Crank, have dropped out of the Jonah Hex project with Warner Brothers. Jonah Hex, a cowboy gunslinger comic book character, was set to hit the big screen with these guys writing and directing and Josh Brolin in talks to star, but things have fallen apart because of creative differences with the studio.

This kind of sucks, because (needless to say) I really like these guys and it would have been awesome to see their take on a western, no matter how supernatural it got. Word is that Brolin is still attached to the project, but the studio is quickly trying to find replacements for Neveldine/Taylor.

Roundup 11/13

I'm back from the DC trip, so we've got some catching up to do. Giddy up!

• Ridley Scott is directing a movie based on the board game Monopoly. Conflicting quotes state he wants to give the movie a futuristic look (ala his own Blade Runner) or make a family oriented humor-based comedy. Either way, I'm almost positive it's going to be absolutely awful.

• It's well known that I love Will Smith (as I'm sure 95% of America does), but this one is just a bad idea. His 10-year-old son Jaden (Pursuit of Happyness) is starring in a remake of The Karate Kid. The story will be moved from America to Beijing but keep many of the same story elements, which makes it even worse. Not only are they remaking it, but they're giving it to the Chinese? Come on...

• Beyonce apparently had a meeting with some execs at Warner Brothers to talk about being Wonder Woman in the long-developing movie that can never seem to get off the ground. Honestly, I could care less about this project because Wonder Woman has never been of any particular interest to me personally, but I'm sure a lot of younger girls would find Beyonce's casting empowering and inspirational. The movie will probably suck, but what can you do?

• Marvel has officially announced a director for The First Avenger: Captain America: Joe Johnston, the director of one of my favorite movies, The Rocketeer. I think this is a great choice, and Kevin Feige (big time exec at Marvel Studios) mirrors my confidence in him with this quote. "This is a guy who designed the vehicles for Star Wars, who storyboarded the convoy action sequence for Raiders of the Lost Ark. From Rocketeer to October Sky to The Wolfman, you can look at pieces of his movies and see how they lead to this one."

• Dear Lord - it's happened. The universe is going to collapse onto itself. Aside from the upcoming Wayans production Dance Flick (which follows in the shoes of Epic Movie, Date Movie, Disaster Movie, etc), there is a film in production called Not Another Not Another Movie. It's a spoof...on spoof movies. It stars Chevy Chase (just retire already), Burt Reynolds (he's still alive?), and Vinnie Jones (why would you do this? They can't possibly be paying you enough), and the plot makes me want to cry. It's hard to believe crap like this is still being shoveled into theaters, but ONLY YOU can stop the studios by not seeing these movies in any context, whether that be in theaters, DVD, or HBO (ahem...Joe).

• I was going to save this spot for the link where you can watch Midnight Meat Train for free online, but it's been taken down. What I DID find, however, is something much more to your liking - a link for Leprechaun 5: In The Hood starring Warwick Davis, Coolio, and Ice-T. I want to say I saw Back 2 Da Hood, but missed this one. Let me know what you think if you actually take the time to watch this.
  

This Sounds AWESOME

"I've got at least one more in me."

I'm leaving for DC for like five or six days, so the site will be a little slow for a while, but I couldn't resist making this my last post before I hit the road.

Sylvester Stallone will write, direct, and star in a movie called The Expendables, co-starring (are you ready for this?) Jet Li and Jason Statham.

The film follows a group of "expendable" mercenaries trying to take down a South American dictator and free the oppressed population. Filming starts in February, and I couldn't be happier about it.

Universal Soldier 3

The Muscles from Brussells, Jean Claude Van Damme himself, is coming back for a third (technically fifth) entry into the Universal Soldier series.

But for what kind of role? He says he'll only be acting with the project for 10 days, which is a remarkably short time for a lead but slightly longer than just a cameo. Timecop director Peter Hyams will be the director of photography for the movie, and no one is sure whether it's getting a theatrical release or going straight to DVD.

Unfortunately, Dolph Lundgren will not make an appearance. Oh, and in case you're wondering about the story - fear not. It's depth can only be imagined after this convincing quote. Van Damme says "it has to do with something in the past."

Roundup 11/4

I hope you went out and voted today - I know I did. Wait, you thought I was talking about the National Election? I meant for the Branzy Awards. You better vote now, because the polls for this election are closing in like a week. Get your votes in (and hopefully you voted in the National Election as well). On with it!

• A prequel to Joe Carnahan's Smokin' Aces has been greenlit. No word on whether or not it will be direct-to-DVD. I don't think anyone really cares, anyway.

• Universal has won the rights to a movie adaptation of another yet-to-be-released property, this time a video game (huh?). The game will be a version of the epic poem "Dante's Inferno." I can't imagine that the game will be good (unless it's like Grand Theft Auto in hell), and the movie can't be much better. But there was a huge bidding war among the studios, so I guess Universal knows something we don't.

• Joaquin Phoenix, known for his roles in Gladiator and Walk The Line, has retired from acting in favor of his newfound music career. Let me know how that turns out for you, buddy.

• The Farrelly Brothers (who used to direct funny stuff like Dumb and Dumber but now direct crap like The Heartbreak Kid) have announced that they are going to make a Three Stooges movie set in current times. I guess this has been in the works for upwards of five years now, but this can't be a good idea.

• Road to Perdition is one of those movies that nobody really talks about, but was pretty solid. Solid enough for two sequels, though? The co-writer of the original source material (a comic book) has signed on to write and direct two movie sequels, concentrating on the character of Tom Hanks' son. The films will be called Road to Purgatory and Road to Paradise.

• And in my favorite news of the day, Charlize Theron and Tom Cruise will be working together for a thriller called The Tourist. Charlize will play an Interpol agent who uses a tourist to lure an elusive criminal out of hiding. I really enjoy both of those actors so I'm definitely interested in this project.
  

Mark Millar Talks Superman

Mark Millar (writer of the comic Wanted, among others) has been talking for a while now about how he wants to take over the Superman franchise at Warner Brothers when they get around to resurrecting those movies.

Some more details about his storyline came out today when he spoke to Empire Magazine. Millar wants an eight-hour epic, told over three films released a year apart from each other. The story would follow Kal-El's birth on Krypton a thousand years ago and "end with Superman alone on Planet Earth, the last being left on the planet, as they yellow sun turns red and starts to supernova, and he loses his powers."

Epic indeed. In semi-related news, Christopher Nolan has returned from his post-Bat vacation and has said that if they can get the story right, then he's down for a third Batman movie. Otherwise, he's a no-go. Some Warner Bros. exec has said that they won't make a decision on Superman's release date until they figure out what's going on with Batman, so needless to say - get the freakin' story right and let's get this show on the road.

Preacher is Coming To The Big Screen!

I never thought I would see this day. Preacher, the comic series that I've been hyping for a year since I read it, is finally getting it's long-discussed movie adaptation. Sam Mendes will be directing, and they don't have a writer yet.

Mendes is...an interesting choice. He directed one of my favorite movies, American Beauty, and is responsible for the upcoming DiCaprio-Winslet reuniting Revolutionary Road. Why Columbia Pictures would think that he is the man for the job remains unseen, but he must have blown them away at the pitch meeting for them to finally get this project off the ground.

Kevin Smith was once attached to a movie version, and then Robert Rodriguez and Mark Steven Johnson were in talks to direct the movie for HBO. Man, I really hope this doesn't suck. I still recommend that everyone check out the comic version before this hits theaters.

Alan Rickman? Really?

This one can still be classified as rumor, but I hear that Alan Rickman (of Die Hard and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves fame) is in talks to play the role of The Caterpillar in Burton's upcoming 3D Alice in Wonderland.

Since this is a 3D thing and there's probably going to be some motion capture involved, it'll be interesting to see how much of that technique they use and how much of the actors' real performances they keep. As far as my opinion goes, Rickman would be a fine Caterpillar. But then, so would Jack Black.

More Alice in Wonderland Updates

Christopher Lee (Lord of the Rings, Star Wars prequels) and Danny Elfman have joined the cast and crew for Tim Burton's 3D adaptation of Alice in Wonderland.

Lee's role has not been determined, but I'll let you know as soon as that information becomes available. Elfman has done music with Burton before (Big Fish, Edward Scissorhands, Batman, etc) and Lee has worked with him on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (among others), so the addition of these two continues the trend of Burton working with a tight unit (that's what she said).

This Doesn't Surprise Me

One of the strangest men alive has joined the cast of Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland.

Crispin Glover (The Epic: Quest for Schneider, Back to the Future, Willard) has signed to play the Knave of Hearts. It's been a while since I've seen the animated version of AIW, so I don't specifically remember this character. Evidently, he steals the queen's tarts and is put on trial with Alice defending him.

The world is one step closer to harmony now that Burton and Glover are working together - I'm shocked their careers haven't crossed paths up until this point.

Cleopatra Rock Musical - in 3D

I never thought I'd be saying this, but Steven Soderbergh has just been signed to direct a rock 'n roll musical about Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt.

Soderbergh has directed some great stuff in the past (Solaris, Ocean's 11, etc), but this project sounds a little out of his league. I'm not saying that he can't pull it off, but it definitely caught me by surprise that he was the one chosen for this. Oh yeah - the budget is $30 million and it's starring Catherine Zeta-Jones and Hugh Jackman as Cleopatra and Marc Antony, respectively.

With the talent assembled here (great casting on Zeta-Jones), I'm going to call myself a fan of this project until I see something that sways me in the opposite direction. It'll be a while before this gets into production (Soderbergh has two more movies lined up before he shoots this one), but I'll keep you updated.

No More Terrence Howard

Don Cheadle will be replacing Terrence Howard as James "Rhodey" Rhodes in the upcoming Iron Man 2.

This news certainly comes as a shock to me, since I was pretty sure the Big Three (Downey, Paltrow, Howard) were signed as a unit to the sequel. Apparently there were monetary differences (among others) that drove Howard away from the movie.

I guess if there was any actor to replace him, it would be Don Cheadle (or perhaps Chiwetel Ejiofor). Those guys are always solid, so we shouldn't be expecting the worst here.

Holy Balls, I Just Realized This

All right. Brummitt and I were just talking about the news of Johnny Depp possibly making $75 million dollars for Pirates 4, and I didn't fully understand the gravity of that statement until we started talking about the numbers broken down in terms we can wrap our heads around. So for those of you who don't quite get it yet, let's take a look at what this would mean.

The average filming time for a standard Hollywood movie is three months. Let's say that Mr. Depp works every single day of those three months, for nine hours a day (which is highballing it, in all honesty. There's no way he would work nine hours straight for 90 straight days). But giving him the benefit of the doubt, here's the breakdown.

• For a three month shoot, Depp would be making an astonishing $833,333 dollars PER DAY.

• This translates to $95,593 dollars PER HOUR. Keep in mind, in 2007 the median American family was making approximately $50,000 dollars PER YEAR. In one hour, he's nearly doubled their yearly income.

• If this deal is legitimate, it would mean Depp would be banking $1,543 dollars PER MINUTE.

• Sickeningly, this breaks down into a mind-blowing $25 dollars PER SECOND. Within a mere 8 seconds, Johnny Depp will have made what the average American pulls down in a single day. Un-freaking-believable.
  

Roundup 10/9

Seems that casting rumors have been all the rage in the past week around the internets, so let's get to it.

• Kicking things off, we've got the possibility of Russell Brand (the hilarious Aldous Snow from Forgetting Sarah Marshall) playing Captain Jack Sparrow's brother in the recently-confirmed Pirates 4. Also in talks for the role is Borat himself, Sacha Baron Cohen. Tim Burton is rumored to be replacing series director Gore Verbinski, but Timmy's obviously got to finish Alice in Wonderland first (if it's even true that he's interested). In related news, Johnny Depp is said to be banking a record-breaking $75 million dollars for his role in the upcoming sequel. That's 75 million for ONE GUY. Incredible.
  

• Josh Brolin, recently thought to be the next Terminator in next summer's flick, has now switched genres and has reportedly signed to play western anti-hero Jonah Hex in the production directed by Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor - the guys who wrote and directed Crank. Thomas Jane was considered, but eventually turned down by the directing duo; we'll see if Brolin actually gets confirmed here in the next couple of weeks. I wouldn't mind seeing him as Hex. He's got the gruff aspect down pretty well.

• Surprisingly, Warner Brothers wants Ryan Gosling to play Hal Jordan in the upcoming superhero blockbuster of Green Lantern. I guess they figure with all the talent they assembled with The Dark Knight, they might as well keep going for Oscar nominated actors for their superhero movies. It's seemed to work for them so far, and I know next to nothing about the Green Lantern, but Gosling is OK in my book and I'd be down for him to have a huge summer in a couple years like Robert Downey Jr. did this year.

• DC Comics President told Latino Review that they had meetings with Brandon Routh about the future of the Superman franchise and are still interested in him playing the character. He also said they are waiting on Chris Nolan to sign for the a third Batman film before they figure out the release date of the tentatively-titled Man of Steel.

That's enough of the rumors. Let's get to some confirmations.

• My girl Anne Hathaway (get off me, Branz - I saw her first) has signed to play the White Queen in Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland. Helena Bonham Carter has been signed to play the Red Queen. While HBC seems right at home, Annie seems a little out of place here. Let's see if she can hang with the big dogs or if she'll be relegated to Get Smart 2 (which has coincidentally just been greenlit).

• Jamie Foxx (who, on a personal level, I absolutely despise but was phenomenal in Collateral) has joined Frank Darabont's Law Abiding Citizen, an awesome-sounding movie co-starring Gerard Butler. The plot follows a criminal mastermind (Foxx) who controls the city from inside his prison cell, while the assistant D.A. (Butler) stands in his way. It's being co-written by Darabont (director of The Shawshank Redemption) and Equilibrium writer Kurt Wimmer.

That's all for now. I'll have more for you soon, I'm sure. In the meantime, check out the ever-increasing post frequency over at The Solar Sentinel.

Under Siege 3 - With Aliens?

Steven Seagal, taking a break after his fantastic performance in The Onion Movie*, told MTV that there's a definite possibility of an Under Siege 3 - a film that could bring him back to theaters after years of wallowing in the direct-to-DVD market.

"I personally want it to be something more modern...in other words, I wouldn't mind if it was about something more mystical or maybe extraterrestrial in nature."

So what does that mean? Casey Rybeck is now the head chef for a space station that gets hijacked? If that's the case, I'm absolutely down.

*Here's one of the better parts of The Onion Movie, which was pretty funny and I'd recommend you checking out if you haven't yet.