Michael Bay Leaves Transformers?

Hot on the heels of the ridic technical stats from T2: Revenge of the Fallen, Michael Bay is making headlines again. In semi-shocking news, Bay told wenn.com (via IMDB) that Transformers 2 will be his last directorial entry into the series.

Speculation arose a while back about Bay's future film intentions, but I don't know if anyone actually saw this coming. True, I suppose the exiting of writers Kurtzman and Orci from the franchise (they said they won't be writing the third film, if there is one) could have been a sign of things to come from the boom-happy director, but I honestly thought he'd stick around for one more and top off the trilogy. But he was pretty clear about his stance:

"After three and a half years of making these movies, I feel like I've had enough of the Transformers world. I need to do something totally divergent, something without any explosions."

I'm not sure how reliable this source is, but I would imagine that they wouldn't just conjure up a quote out of thin air, so I guess we can take this as truth until proven otherwise. Slashfilm suggested that Bay's small project with no explosions would be Pain & Gain, based on a couple of Miami bodybuilders who get involved in a drug deal gone bad.

I guess it would be wrong of us as an audience to demand that Bay make the same type of film over and over again, refusing to allow him to stretch his creative wings. But at the same time, that type of movie is what he's great at doing and is a proven way to make some money for the studios. It'll be interesting to see who will greenlight a Bay film that doesn't fit the profile. In my mind, this next project will be like a concept album for a singer - if it works, it'll establish some indie cred, and if it tanks, he'll go right back to the bread and butter.

UPDATE 6/19/09 - Well, it's a good thing I put a question mark in this title. Apparently the source DID conjure this quote out of thin air. Michael Bay responded today by saying he never said that and merely talked about taking a vacation. It's good to know that he appreciates his place in pop culture and isn't completely separating himself from the type of projects he's simultaneously loved and hated for.

Machete Actually Happening?

Robert Rodriguez has been getting some bad habits from his buddy Tarantino over the past few years, announcing projects and kind of bailing on them after a while. Granted, not much of that was his fault per se, but the fact remains that Sin City 2 is nowhere near being made and his remake of Barbarella has died a horrible death.

Good news, then, that Danny Trejo told Gordon and The Whale (via Slashfilm) that Rodriguez and Co. are starting production on Machete within five weeks. Machete, if you'll recall, is the ultra-awesome explotation trailer featured in 2007's Grindhouse. I'm glad we're definitely going to see this, whether it comes to theaters (not likely) or direct-to-DVD (much more likely). Trejo is fantastic in these roles, and it seems like a project where Rodriguez can have some good old fashioned fun directing it (or, to be more specific, co-directing it with his editor).

You can refresh your memory with the trailer here, although I can't verify that this link will work. I'll fix it later on tonight if it doesn't work.

DiCaprio Joins Poker Stars?

The guys who wrote Rounders, Brian Koppelman and David Levien, have sold an untitled pitch to Paramount about online casinos, and Leonardo DiCaprio and his Appian Way Productions have signed on to star and produce. Those dudes beat the "poker craze" by a good five years with Rounders, so maybe they'll be able to recapture that feeling with this new flick. They've worked on other projects since then (Walking Tall, Ocean's 13, The Girlfriend Experience, etc), so it'll be interesting to see if they just wanted to go back to the basics here.

In related news, the whole package (DiCaprio, Appian Way, Koppelman, and Levien) have teamed up for Beat the Reaper, which I mentioned back in January. To jog your memory: that one's about a former-mafia-hitman-turned-doctor who goes into witness protection, but is recognized years later by a patient who is still in the mafia. Sounds pretty clutch to me. And since we're on the DiCaprio train right now, check out the trailer for Scorsese's newest, Shutter Island (which comes out in October of this year), over at Ben's Movie Reviews.

LaBeouf Says No To Y: The Last Man

I know it's been a hot minute since I've updated this page, but this post completely defines the type of stuff that I do on this site. I post things that I find interesting and I don't bother with every insignificant update that floods the internet on a daily basis. For all of those updates, you can check out my man Head Hero's blog here. (I'm not saying that he deals ONLY with insignificant things, because he covers the good stuff, too. But the amount of coverage he provides just isn't my bag. I could care less about half of that stuff, and I know you guys don't give a crap either.)

Shia LaBeouf has turned down the role of Yorick Brown in DJ Caruso's long-in-development adaptation of Y: The Last Man. Such a shame, but Shia's got a point on this one: he says the character is too similar to Sam Witwicky from the Transformers movies.

"You take Sam and you put a monkey on his shoulder. I don't know if that's a big differential. It seems like he's the ordinary guy in an extraordinary situation again. I'm not willing to make that movie currently, and may be too old to play the role by the time it does come around."

As much as I would have loved to see Shia in this role, I guess he's right. If he has any chance of breaking out of his stereotype and not coming down with a bad case of Michael Cera syndrome, he needs to start taking some parts that are a little off the beaten path for him. Here's hoping he finds a good one soon.

Aliens Vs. The Pearsons??????

My friend Jared sent me a version the poster for this film that said "The Aliens Vs. The Pearsons" on it. I was just as confused as he was as to what the hell this movie was all about, so I checked out the trailer and this is what I found. It's a shame that the Pearson name is sullied like this.

Movie Trailers - Movies Blog

Roundup 5/19

There's been an Information SuperStorm(TM) sighted in your path, so get ready for the whirlwind of destruction and movie mayhem that's about to blow you right out of your computer chair.

• In a shocking series of events, Hollywood has actually decided to greenlight some original material. [It IS based on a book, but at least it's not another mindless remake, sequel, etc.] The project is called The Minotaur Takes A Cigarette Break, and centers around the actual minotaur from Greek mythology. Apparently, he has survived Thesus's attempt on his life, and is now living in modern times working as a short order cook in a diner. He lives in a trailer park and falls for an epileptic waitress named Kelly. John Stevenson, co-director of Kung Fu Panda, will direct this as a live action movie.


• Contradicting previous reports that Stallone will appear in a Cliffhanger sequel, now the word comes that Cliffhanger is getting the reboot treatment. The producer made a comment about how "they just rebooted Star Trek, we're going to do the same to Cliffhanger." What the F is this guy smoking? There were ten Star Trek films, let alone hundreds (if not hundreds of thousands) of episodes of television devoted to the franchise; Cliffhanger has one movie. I hardly think the two can be compared. That said, I really enjoy the Stallone version for it's cinematography and intense swearing by John Lithgow, so rewatch that if you haven't seen it in a while.


• Martin Scorsese is planning a film about Frank Sinatra, approved by the heirs to Old Blue Eyes' estate. Frank's daughter Tina "trusts Scorsese implicitly" to present the truth about her dad. The guy who wrote Field of Dreams and Sneakers (also directing the latter) is writing the screenplay, (keeping in the tradition of one-word titles) called Sinatra. Johnny Depp is reportedly being considered for the role, but that claim hasn't been corroborated yet. I'm guessing it'll be a little while before we hear anything else about this project - Scorsese's a busy guy post-Oscar - but if they fast track this thing, we should be hearing some more confirmation regarding casting in the next couple months. And to those Sinatra enthusiasts out there, fear not - apparently the role won't require any singing.


• A while back, Disney had a bevy of announcements regarding their upcoming film projects. Updates included Johnny Depp as Tonto in the Lone Ranger, confirmation of National Treasure 3 and Pirates 4, and more. One of those updates now gets a little more light shed on it - the Mouse House will make a live action film based on the Tomorrowland ride, trying to capitalize on the success of the first Pirates of the Carribbean. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson has been pegged to star, playing a test pilot named Rip who gets thrown 350 years into the future while testing a concept plane. It's being written by the same guys who wrote The Hangover, the upcoming flick that could end up being my favorite comedy of the summer, so I have a little faith in this. It's gotta be better than Race to Witch Mountain, right?


• In "Why God, Why?" news, Peter Berg (The Kingdom, Hancock) is directing a Battleship movie, based on the classic board game. Robert "Twilight" Pattinson is rumored to be a part of the project. Humanity collectively weeps.


• In Marvel film news, Kenneth Branagh's Thor is finally getting some casting under way. Chris Helmsworth (George Kirk from J.J. Abrams' Star Trek) will play the hammer-wielding hero, and British actor Tom Hiddleston will play his conniving brother Loki. The movie is scheduled for release in 2011. What happened to Josh Hartnett as Loki? Who the hell is Tom Hiddleston? And is Natalie Portman still being considered for the love interest? All this and more in future episodes here at Ben's Daily Movie News!


• Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes has a trailer. I'm sure action adventure fans will be pleased, as it features many slow-mo punches, explosions, jumping through windows, etc. I don't know about how quality it will be overall, but it looks kinda fun. We'll find out on Christmas Day.

Keanu Reeves in...Jekyll

This sounds fake. Like it could be one of those "Funny or Die" parody videos. But bake me a cake and call me grandma, it's real.

Keanu Reeves has been signed to play the dueling personas of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in a modern retelling of the tale from Universal.

Look, Universal - I'm not trying to tell you how to do your jobs, but you might want to hire someone with actual acting ability to play such a classic character. If you're going to make ANOTHER Jekyll and Hyde adaptation (how many times has that been done?), then just make a movie out of the outstanding BBC TV series that came out a few years ago. To the readers, I'd highly suggest checking that out any way you can get your hands on it.

Hey Mikey - This One's For You

Yeah, these shirts are on sale at this website and you can get them for around 18 bucks. Thanks to Cinematical for tracking these down. (There's one that looks like John McClane's shirt from the original Die Hard, and a Bruce Lee one as well.)

DC Drops The Ball Again, ETC

Big surprise, DC has done it again. By delaying Green Lantern until the summer of 2011 (are you kidding me?), they have proven that they honestly have no plans to even try to catch up with Marvel Studios' recent dominance.* Mind boggling. By the time GL hits theaters, Iron Man 2 and Thor will already have been released, and The First Avenger: Captain America will finish out the summer on a high note building anticipation for The Avengers, which will come out that next summer (2012, assuming the world doesn't end). Effectively, this leaves Green Lantern stuck in the ver forgettable territory of mid-summer heatwaves.

Speaking of Green Lantern, forgettable actor Bradley Cooper (Wedding Crashers) is rumored to be at the top of the pile of candidates for donning the green spandex and ring. I don't take this to mean anything as of yet, since both Anton Yelchin and Chris Pine (both of Star Trek fame) have been talked about for this slot as well - and both quickly debunked. I'll be sure to let you know about the official announcement whenever it occurs.

In unrelated news, Warner Brothers has pushed Zack Snyder's live action follow up to Watchmen, called Sucker Punch, back from 2010 to 2011 as well. Weak-freaking-sauce. I hate it when films that I'm excited for get delayed. Synopsis has been compared to "Alice in Wonderland with machine guns."

One thing that IS coming out in 2K10 is the third entry into the Harold and Kumar series, appropriately titled A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas. Expect massive blasphemy, nudity, and copious amounts of drug use - all possibly on or near a nativity scene. And you better believe NPH is getting down on that action.

*OK, OK - The Dark Knight is a pretty freaking huge exception, but it's been a few months now and we haven't actually heard any commitment from Nolan and his crew on a sequel. I know Warner Brothers is being nice to the guy who made them some serious bank, but you've got to put your foot down at some point if you ever want to lock anything down.

20,000 Leagues Adds A "Rock" Star

*UPDATE* - Apparently the "facts" presented in this article have already been disproven. McG said yesterday that he has never spoken to The Rock about this role. I guess that's what I get for trusting a .pdf picture. Thanks a lot, Production Weekly.
*END OF UPDATE*

Sorry - I just threw up at my own article title.

According to Production Weekly, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson has joined McG's adaptation of Jules Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea. McG has recently said he wanted Will Smith to star in the movie, but no announcement to that effect has arrived yet. Filming should begin in Australia later this year.

Even if Will Smith doesn't join this (which he still might), I'm fine with this because Dwayne Johnson is the man. If the two are in the same movie, that would be extra awesome. Here's hoping Terminator Salvation is as good as we all think and McG can start making some solid movies instead of more Charlie's Angels sequels.

Roundup 5/1

Dear readers, I know you missed me. But don't fret - I'm back with a vengeance from LA. You know what that means: we've got a hell of a lot of catching up to do. Onward!

• Christian Bale has revealed that he is signed on for a third Batman film whether Christopher Nolan returns or not. Interesting. I'm guessing Bale is praying on a nightly basis that Nolan decides to come back and the sequel doesn't end up in the hands of someone less qualified. Because let's face it - if your name isn't Christopher Nolan, you shouldn't be directing a sequel to The Dark Knight.

• Speaking of Nolan, two more have joined the cast of his next film Inception. The "sci-fi actioner set within the architecture of the mind" will now feature Joseph Gordon-Levitt (replacing James Franco due to scheduling conflicts) and Michael Caine. Freaking brilliant. They join the already-stellar cast of Leo DiCaprio, Marion Cotillard, Ellen Page, and Cillian Murphy. If the cast, writers, and director are any indication, this is shaping up to be one of my favorite science fiction movies of all time.

• And back to speaking of Bale, he has apparently joined the cast of The Fighter. No, not the sequel to that Channing Tatum movie. The Fighter is a movie that tells the tale of "Irish" Mickey Ward, a Boston boxer coached to the world title by his half brother. This film has gone through some serious changes recently: Matt Damon and Mark Wahlberg were originally going to star as the brother and the boxer, respectively. I think I remember Wahlberg saying he's been training for two (maybe three) years. Brad Pitt then jumped in to replace Damon. The latest has Bale replacing Pitt and Wahlberg staying on board. Visionary director Darren Aronofsky (The Fountain, The Wrestler) was set to direct for a long time, but left the project due to creative differences. David O. Russell (who?) has stepped into the director's chair to fill the void, but what a void to fill. Can't imagine this will be as good without DA behind the camera.

• These pictures are a bit old, but still worth posting. To your right is the first look at Megan Fox in the new Jimmy Hayward western Jonah Hex, based off the comic book cowboy. If you needed another reason to see this movie besides the cast of Josh Brolin, John Malkovic, Will Arnett, and Michael Shannon, Megan Fox-y (see what I did there?!?!?!) just gave it to you.

• And finally, Oliver Stone and Michael Douglas have signed on for Wall Street 2. This is actually good news in my opinion, as I found the original to be a fantastic film and I think that Stone is better off tackling this kind of film than another war movie. Plus, it has the chance to be topical (i.e: the current economy) and not be too preachy - the fault of many of the war-based films of the past few years. Added bonus: Shia LaBeouf is in talks to take on a Charlie Sheen-esque role in this edition. (Sheen played the fresh faced youngster in the first film.) Gordon Gekko is the man.
  

Trick 'R Treat Might Have Release Date

Spooky. I was sitting in my room, recouping from a screening of Crank 2: High Voltage (which was disappointingly terrible), changing my desktop background from the Crank poster to get the bitter taste out of my mouth. I scrolled through all the pictures I've used in posts on this site, and quickly stumbled across a pic of Anna Paquin from this Trick 'R Treat post a while back. I sighed and shook my head, wondering why we would never get to see the film whose trailer was attached to 300 way back in March of 2007.

Well, the horror gods must have heard my disappointment, because literally an hour later I checked Slashfilm and they have an update about Trick 'R Treat. Spooky, indeed. The gist of it is that on a new trailer for the movie, it ends with "Coming to Blu-Ray & DVD This October." They are dubious of a theatrical release, but I don't care - as long as I get to see the freakin' movie soon, I'll be happy. I've seriously been jonesing for this flick for two years, and I still think it has the potential to be one of my favorite horror films. I'll let you know what happens with this, and hopefully you'll be seeing a review come October.

This is the last post before my trip to LA (I leave early in the morning), so posting will be nonexistant for the next week. Feel free to check out the archives if you're bored, or keep up with This Week in Comics over at The Solar Sentinel and the recent resurgence in sports posts over at The Playing Field.

Who Will Direct Pirates 4?

Gore Verbinski, director of all three Pirates of the Caribbean films, has announced he will not return to the director's chair for the recently announced Pirates 4.

Johnny Depp has signed on to return as Captain Jack Sparrow, and no other details are known for sure about this project as of yet. I've heard rumors over the past few months that the story will revolve around Geoffrey Rush's Barbossa character and Captain Sparrow searching for the Fountain of Youth, and that Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley will not return.

So what's next for Verbinski? He's working on a film adaptation of the video game BioShock, which is supposed to be pretty awesome from what I can gather. I'm glad he's decided to step down, since I'm sure he watched just like the rest of us as that series was run into the ground. He's probably sick of it, even though he must have made massive bank from the record breaking numbers it earned at the box office. Perhaps he'll return in a producing capacity or something; either way, the next film should be much better without the return of Will and Elizabeth.

Inception Adds More To Cast

Christopher Nolan's Inception, the mystery project he's directing next, has some more big names attached to it.

Cillian Murphy (a Nolan favorite), Marion Cotillard (upcoming Public Enemies), and Ellen Page are in talks to join Leonardo DiCaprio in the sci-fi action flick. Fantastic news, as I am a fan of all of the above. More on this as it arrives.

The Hangover

I don't normally post trailers on this site, but this one is my most anticipated comedy of the summer (at the moment). Check it.

It's Alice! In 3D!

To appease the fans (cough Becky Ashley cough), it's time for a little Alice in Wonderland update.

Tim Burton's newest film has been confirmed for an IMAX 3D release. This will surely excite the legions of fans for this sure-to-be-insane movie. Mark your calendars, Crispin Glover fans - March 5th, 2010 can't come soon enough for you.

More Ong Bak 2

To appease the fans (cough, Mikey Boze Branz, cough), I'm showing this kick-tacular clip featuring the one and only Tony Jaa. Ong Bak 2 is sure to be immaculate, and I'll let you know when it is going to be released over here in the States. Honestly, I don't even care if it hits theaters or not - as long as I can see it in some form (DVD, Blu-Ray, Dick Tracy Watch Viewer, etc.), I'll be happy.

Gemma Arterton in Clash of the Titans

Gemma Arterton, better known as "Strawberry Fields" from Quantum of Solace, just announced that she will be playing the character of Io in Louis Letterier's (The Incredible Hulk) remake of Clash of the Titans.

This is the second high-profile project in a row for the up-and-coming actress (she's only 23), after next summer's Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time with Jake Gyllenhaal. Clash will be a reimagining of the stop-motion influenced 1981 film, and definitely has the potential to be awesome if handled correctly. I don't have any knowledge about her character in this film (I don't remember an "Io" in the original, but it's been forever since I've seen it), so I can't say with certainty that she's a good choice for the role. But Gemma's uber-cute, so I'm just glad we'll get to see her up on screen again.

Captain Kirk = Green Lantern?

Chris Pine, the actor who portrays Kirk in J.J. Abrams' Star Trek movie out this summer, has been narrowed down as a candidate for the upcoming adaptation of Green Lantern. Conflicting sites say this isn't true, but who cares? It's amusing to talk about.

A DC superhero and member of the Justice League, Green Lantern can form any object he imagines with a special ring, bestowed on him from a dying alien. The movie version is being directed by Martin Campbell (Casino Royale, Goldeneye) and is said to be close in tone to Iron Man.

Pine hasn't really been in anything other than chick flicks so far (a forgettable role in Smokin' Aces doesn't help), but director Kevin Smith had nothing but praise for the young actor after seeing an early cut of Star Trek. I'm pulling for him - he seems like a good dude and a respectable young Kirk, so hopefully his team of representatives can pull the strings that will allow us to see him as Hal Jordan in the near future.

[Plus I'm holding out hope that Ryan Reynolds will one day be in a Flash movie, and they'd make a pretty good team in a Justice League movie. God forbid they ever decide to make that, at least those two would probably be enjoyable.]

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.