Venom 2 Set Video May Hint at Cletus Kasady's Carnage Transformation

A new set video for Venom 2 hints at Woody Harrelson's serial killer Cletus Kasady transforming into the symbiote supervillain Carnage.

A new Venom 2 set video hints at Woody Harrelson's Cletus Kasady transforming into the symbiote supervillain Carnage. The Oscar-nominated Harrelson made his debut as Kasady during a mid-credits scene in the first Venom, when journalist Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) is invited to interview the incarcerated murderer. Harrelson's casting was seemingly meant to be a secret, but leaked well ahead of the film's release in October 2018. Upon learning the news about his involvement was already out there, Harrelson revealed his character - who was still a mystery at the time - would only be in "a little fraction" of the first Venom before potentially playing a leading role in the sequel.

Many fans were quick to deduce this meant Harrelson is playing Kasady (one of the better-known Venom villains in Marvel Comics), and the film would set the stage for Carnage to enter the picture in Venom 2. Sure enough, Harrelson was later confirmed to be reprising his role in the sequel, with Andy Serkis directing from a script by Venom co-writer Kelly Marcel. Now, just a day after Hardy revealed the first photo of Kasady in Venom 2, some leaked footage offers a tease of the character going full Carnage (albeit, without any CGI).

Instagram user VenomIsComing has posted a video from the Venom 2 set showing Harrelson filming a scene for the sequel - one that, by the look of it, will involve Kasady unleashing his symbiote counterpart. Take a look, below.

The video shows Kasady standing aside his car and being held at gunpoint by what appears to be a federal agent, who quickly proceeds to open fire. Judging by his relaxed body language and odd hand movements, the scene will involve Harrelson's character using his symbiote to both absorb the bullets and subsequently attack the agent, with the Carnage effects being added in post-production. Fans will also notice Harrelson is wearing the same shirt and jacket he had on in the photo Hardy released yesterday, complete with his combed hair (a change from the wild hairdo he had in prison). The implication is this scene will take place sometime after Kasady has broken out and spruced up a bit before terrorizing San Francisco with the aid of his newly gained abilities.

Although the teaser for the original Venom refrained from revealing any of the film's symbiote CGI effects, it's a fair bet Sony will avoid repeating that mistake by offering a sneak peek at Carnage in the first preview for Venom 2. Similarly, Harrelson should be comfortably in his element playing the deranged killer, even in the scenes where he's just standing there and waving his arms while Carnage wreaks havoc (like the sequence teased here). Arguably, the first Venom suffered from its villain, Carlton Drake/Riot, being a little too serious and grounded in his behavior compared to the cheesy comic book movie around him. Fortunately, Harrelson as Carnage seems to be on the same wavelength as everything else in Venom 2, and the sequel should be all the better for it.

Marvel’s Moon Knight Show: Oliver Jackson-Cohen Responds To Fan-Casting

The Invisible Man star Oliver Jackson-Cohen has responded to him being the center of fan casts to play Marc Spector in Marvel's Moon Knight show.

Oliver Jackson-Cohen has responded to being a top choice among fans to play Marc Spector in Marvel's Moon Knight series on Disney+. Last year Marvel Studios announced Moon Knight's addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Since then, the notoriously tight-lipped studio hasn't said much else about the show.

Although Moon Knight is a favorite character among die-hard Marvel Comics fans, he is not a household name. The man behind the all-white suit is Marc Spector, a rabbi's son turned mercenary who gains his abilities from the Egyptian Moon God Khonshu - or at least that is what he believes. The magical Moon God is cool, but what makes Moon Knight truly unique is the reveal that he has a dissociative identity disorder. Each of his three personalities has it's own distinctive personalities and identities. Assuming the MCU version of Spector is the same, the studio will need to cast an actor who can handle the massive range required for the role.

Marvel hasn't cast the part yet, but fans have been hoping the Jewish superhero will be played by Oliver Jackson-Cohen. He recently starred in The Haunting of Hill House on Netflix and will next play the titular role in Blumhouse's The Invisible Man. Jackson-Cohen was doing press to promote the movie, and ET Online asked the actor about the internet's desire for him to play Moon Knight. The actor, while flattered, admitted that he's totally unfamiliar with the character. However, he certainly would love to be a superhero and work for Marvel.

I have heard this, yes! I don't understand what a Moon Knight is. [laughs] Every single time I open Instagram, it's like, 'MOON KNIGHT!' And I'm like, 'This is so great and thank you, but I don't know what it is!' No one's called me... I would love to be a Marvel superhero. That would be a dream. Tell all of your viewers to go and stand outside Marvel headquarters!

Jackson-Cohen may not yet be familiar with Moon Knight, but maybe he should read up on the character because he'd make a pretty good Marc Spector. He's in his early 30s, so he could play the role for a long time, and he's tall - 6'3 - meaning he could pull off the hero's imposing physical presence. Additionally, he's a rising actor in the industry (which Marvel loves to target) and has the range to play multiple personalities. But, Jackson-Cohen has not been contacted by Marvel to this point, so it is unclear if he's even under consideration. Rumors pointed to Daniel Radcliffe being in the running, but then a casting notice leaked, stating Marvel is looking for a Zac Efron-type Jewish-Israeli actor. That's good news for Jackson-Cohen, whose father is from an Egyptian-Jewish family.

Whether he does speak to the studio or not, it shouldn't be long before Marvel announces who is going to play Moon Knight. They hired Jeremy Slater (The Umbrella Academy) to lead the writing room ahead of production, beginning at some point later this year. With the costume fittings and training that will need to be done for whoever is cast as Moon Knight, a decision could come at any time. Now that Oliver Jackson-Cohen has expressed his interest in joining the MCU, though, maybe Marvel will look his way as the search for Moon Knight's lead actor continues.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars Trailer: Meet Clone Force 99, AKA The Bad Batch

Disney+ and Lucasfilm have debuted a new trailer for the seventh and final season of the acclaimed Star Wars: The Clone Wars introducing audiences to Clone Force 99, also known as The Bad Batch.

From Dave Filoni, director and executive producer of The Mandalorian, the final season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars will continue the storylines introduced in the original series, exploring the events leading up to Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith.

The 12-episode season will feature the voices of Matt Lanter as Anakin Skywalker, Ashley Eckstein as Ahsoka Tano, Dee Bradley Baker as Captain Rex and the clone troopers, James Arnold Taylor as Obi-Wan Kenobi, Katee Sackhoff as Bo-Katan, and Sam Witwer as Maul.

Created by George Lucas, the show first aired in 2008 and became an entry point into Star Wars for an entire generation, following fan-favorites like Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Padmé Amidala, while introducing major new characters like Jedi Padawan Ahsoka Tano and Captain Rex. It became a multi-Emmy winner and is now regarded as essential Star Wars.

Even though The Clone Wars will be having its epic conclusion this year, it appears it won’t be the end for the animated Star Wars universe as SWNN has also revealed that a sequel series to Rebels is currently in development to pick up the story of Ahsoka from the series finale and could premiere as early as this year.

Castlevania Season 3 trailer: Evil never stays buried On Netflix

Castlevania Season 3 trailer: Evil never stays buried

After revealing the premiere date for the series earlier this month, Netflix has debuted the first full trailer for the third season of its animated adaptation of Castlevania showing that the human world is in chaos and that evil never stays buried.

A Konami video game, the first Castlevania was a popular title for the original Nintendo Entertainment System, following the game’s release in 1986. The storyline has the player controlling a vampire hunter by the name Simon Belmont. Belmont, the last surviving member of the disgraced Belmont clan, is trying to save Eastern Europe from extinction at the hand of Vlad Dracula Tepe himself. Inspired by the game, the animated Castlevania hails from bestselling author and comic book legend Warren Ellis.

The Castlevania cast features the voice talents of Graham McTavish (The Hobbit, Preacher) as Dracula, Richard Armitage (The Hobbit trilogy) as Trevor Belmont, James Callis (Battlestar Galactica) as Alucard, Emily Swallow (Supernatural) as Lisa, Matt Frewer (Orphan Black) as The Bishop, Tony Amendola (Annabelle) as The Elder and Alejandra Reynoso (G.I. Joe: Renegades) as Sypha Belnades.

Castlevania is executive produced by Warren Ellis, Kevin Kolde, Adi Shankar and Fred Seibert. Production services are provided by Austin, Texas-based Powerhouse Animation with Brad Graeber supervising producer, Jason Williams as producer, and Sam Deats as director.

Marvel's First Gay Superhero & Kiss Accidentally Confirmed By Eternals Actor

• BY MOLLY FREEMAN
• FEB 13, 2020

Marvel's first gay superhero is Phastos (Brian Tyree Henry), who will have the MCU's first gay kiss, confirmed by Eternals movie actor Haaz Sleiman.

Marvel's first gay superhero is Phastos (Brian Tyree Henry), who will have the Marvel Cinematic Universe's first gay kiss, as confirmed by Eternals movie actor Haaz Sleiman. After Avengers: Endgame - and, to a lesser extent, Spider-Man: Far From Home - wrapped up Phase 3 of the MCU last year, Marvel Studios is kicking of Phase 4 in 2020. The two Marvel movies slated to hit theaters are Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow and Eternals. The latter will introduce a whole new team of superheroes to the MCU, played by an all-star cast that includes the likes of Richard Madden, Angelina Jolie and Salma Hayek.

As the MCU has progressed, there have been more and more calls for films with diverse lead characters. In 2018, Black Panther became the franchise's first black-led movie, while 2019's Captain Marvel was the first MCU solo movie starring a female character. Eternals promises to bring a great deal more representation to the MCU with a diverse ensemble cast. It's also been confirmed by Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige that Eternals would include the MCU's first gay superhero, but it was unclear which hero it would be. Now, one of the supporting actors in the film has confirmed as much.

In an interview with NewNowNext, Haaz Sleiman spoke about his role in the upcoming Marvel movie, Eternals. Sleiman confirmed he's playing the husband of Henry's Phastos, though he didn't specify his character's name: "I just shot a Marvel film with the first openly gay superhero, The Eternals. I’m married to the gay superhero Phastos, played by Atlanta’s Brian Tyree Henry, and we represent a gay family and have a child." When asked if Eternals would feature Marvel's first gay kiss, Sleiman confirmed it would. He said:

Oh, yeah, absolutely, and it’s a beautiful, very moving kiss. Everyone cried on set. For me it’s very important to show how loving and beautiful a queer family can be. Brian Tyree Henry is such a tremendous actor and brought so much beauty into this part, and at one point I saw a child in his eyes, and I think it’s important for the world to be reminded that we in the queer community were all children at one point. We forget that because we’re always depicted as sexual or rebellious. We forget to connect on that human part.

Last year, Avengers: Endgame introduced a gay character, the nameless support group member played by co-director Joe Russo, who became Marvel's first confirmed LGBTQ character in the MCU. Though technically a step forward for representation in the MCU, it was criticized for being such a minor part of the film, and for the role not going to a gay actor. Last spring, reports first surfaced that Eternals was casting a gay superhero, and ever since the film's cast was confirmed at San Diego Comic-Con 2019, many speculated it would be Richard Madden's Ikaris.

Instead, it appears the MCU's first gay superhero will be Henry's Phastos, and he'll share an on-screen kiss with his husband, the character played by Sleiman. Sleiman's comments fall in line with what Feige previously said about Phastos being married with a child, having a family of his own, though we didn't know at the time the studio head was talking about Henry's character. Based on Sleiman's comments, it seems Phastos' kiss with his husband will be more highlighted than the incredibly brief lesbian kiss in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.

Hopefully Phastos' sexuality will be a key part of his character in Eternals, bringing much-needed representation to the MCU. But it's also important the character isn't entirely defined by his sexuality either, which is something Sleiman alludes to in his comments about Phastos. Fans will learn more about Phastos, his husband and their child as the Eternals release date gets closer.

New trailer arrives for Horrible Bosses 2: watch now

A new trailer has landed online for Horrible Bosses 2, in which Jason Sudeikis, Charlie Day and Jason Bateman begin to settle in to their new life of crime.
Newly jobless, the trio have settled on kidnapping as their next big moneymaker, with Chris Pine, the heir to the fortune of hard-ass businessman Christoph Waltz, the latest target in their crosshairs.

However, life as a criminal isn’t always plain sailing, and it isn’t long before the boys are having to call in a favour or two from some familiar old faces…
Sprinkled with even more stardust than the first film was, the sequel certainly has a supporting cast to die for, while judging by this latest trailer, the script seems to have hit its mark also. Colour us excited!

Directed by Sean Anders and co-starring Jamie Foxx, Kevin Spacey and Jennifer Aniston, Horrible Bosses 2 will open in the UK on 28 November 2014.

Source: Warner

Batman Vs. Superman's Production Is Still On Schedule Despite Release Date Shift

Don’t change that Bat-channel too quickly! The industry has been scattered since news broke that the Man of Steel sequel was being pushed from its 2015 release date to May 2016. Everyone figures with a shift like this, everyone simply moves to the right, and we start talking about Wonder Woman movies, Ben Affleck’s other jobs, and an inevitable Justice League film. Instead of everything shifting, however, could it be that Warner Bros. plan is to just build on the production plans they already had set?

Buried within a Deadline report about Ben Affleck’s possible commitment to direct the Fox pilot The Middle Man is the news that Affleck will not be free to shoot the show due to plans that involve a certain black cape and cowl. Despite the release date change, the report says that production on Batman vs. Superman is imminent and Deadline claims that "the main players have been summoned to start work right away." This scuttles plans for Affleck to helm his first ever series pilot, a step several major directors have been taking recently (just last night, Fox debuted Rake with Sam Raimi behind the camera). On the TV side of the story, the network remains undecided about either pursuing another director, or waiting for Affleck’s schedule to clear up.

The question is, will that ever happen? Or will the WB ride Affleck like The Lone Ranger rode Silver? Part of this whole Affleck-as-Batman situation, which will involve the actor starring in multiple films as WB’s crown jewel superhero, was about pleasing the actor/director, given that both The Town and Argo were such mainstream successes for the studio. Affleck wants to continue directing, shooting his next feature Live By Night sometime later this year, and in the fall he’ll have press obligations for David Fincher's Gone Girl. Basically, commitments to Batman vs. Superman - which promises to have both a long, arduous blockbuster-level shoot and will be a tremendous physical strain on the 42 year old thespian - mean that he doesn’t have a lot of free time for anything else. The studio likely knows that pushing the superhero film to a start date during any other time in 2014 was a fool’s game, and that by postponing or losing Live By Night they’d be losing another potential moneymaker as well as angering one of their treasured filmmakers. So, hey, maybe they do have a script ready to go, namely one from Affleck’s Oscar-winning Argo collaborator Chris Terrio.

Of course, if they’re ready to shoot now, why was the movie delayed at all? Why depart that primo 2015 release date? The opening slot of summer 2016 is undoubtedly also primo real estate, but by that time it will be only the fifth big DC hero film (not including Jonah Hex) since 2008, the start of Marvel Studio’s self-produced empire. In contrast, the competing studio will have put out ten films in the same time period, with the eleventh currently carrying the same May 6, 2016 release date. Seeing Superman and Batman tango onscreen is undoubtedly the audience draw. Waiting another year certainly tempts the overexposure of the genre, though, particularly if it’s a long and drawn-out production period. All it takes is the smallest droplet of bad buzz, and the project will look like a sorry sister next to whatever Marvel is cooking up for that date - or even later that summer. Perhaps there’s more to this story, but regardless: full steam ahead on the Man Of Steel sequel!
By Gabe Toro

The Fantastic Four Screenplay Completed, More Actors Testing This Month

Variety reports that screenwriter Simon Kinberg has completed his re-write of Fox's The Fantastic Four reboot and that they're looking to finalize the film's cast shortly. The site notes that actors will continue testing for roles in the film later this month, including Miles Teller, Kit Harington and Richard Madden for Reed Richards aka Mr. Fantastic, and Kate Mara and Saoirse Ronan for Sue Storm aka The Invisible Woman.

As previously mentioned, the only name reported for the Johnny Storm/Human Torch role is Chronicle‘s Michael B. Jordan. No names have been mentioned for the Ben Grimm/The Thing role, though Terry Crews says he wants it.

Filming on the reboot is expected to begin in Baton Rouge this March. Josh Trank will direct the big screen adaptation, which is currently set for release on June 19, 2015​.

Rupert Sanders to Direct Live Action Ghost in the Shell

Next to Katsuhiro Otomo's Akira, a movie that Warner Bros. has been trying to turn into a live action epic for a long time, Masamune Shirow's Ghost in the Shell may be one of the most known Japanese Manga comics and Anime films outside of Japan, and DreamWorks seems to be ready to move forward with the idea of doing a live action version of the Japanese cyberpunk cartoon after years of trying to make it happen. According to Deadline, DreamWorks has made a deal with Rupert Sanders, director of Snow White and the Huntsman, to help bring the sci-fi police thriller to life from a script by William Wheeler.

Produced by Avi Arad, Ari Arad and Steven Paul and with the backing of Steven Spielberg, the rights to Shirow's original 1989 complex futuristic thriller about the members of a covert ops unit that takes on technology-related crime were picked up several years ago with plans to use the latest 3D technology to film it. In Japan, the huge success of the comics led to a number of anime film adaptations, a TV series and a series of video games with DreamWorks releasing the second anime film in North America.

It's not yet determined whether Sanders might tackle Ghost in the Shell next since he has a number of other projects lined up, including 90 Church for Universal, a Napoleon Bonaparte movie at Warner Bros., a film called Juliet with Sony and New Regency, as well as an adaptation of Frederick Forsyth's thriller The Kill List.
Source: Deadline
January 24, 2014

Ellen DeGeneres To Return As Dory In Finding Nemo 2

 


We still don't know much about what will happen in Finding Nemo 2, the upcoming sequel to one of Pixar's biggest hits that sees director Andrew Stanton returning to the studio for the first time since Wall-E. But now we at least know one character we can expect to see. Ellen DeGeneres, who voiced the blue tang fish Dory so well that many of us thought she ought to win awards for it, is in negotiations to reprise her role.

She's been open about wanting to participate in a Finding Nemo sequel in the past, according to The Hollywood Reporter, so it probably won't be tough to hammer out a deal. Stanton was only confirmed to be returning to develop the film last month, so we haven't gotten any story details yet, or any idea of which characters the film might include. But Dory probably makes more sense than anyone else to return. At the end of Finding Nemo Marlin and Nemo were content, having reunited and going back to their normal lives, but Dory had just started out living in their community and understanding the meaning of "home." Inevitably a sequel would disrupt that, but as a character with no short-term memory, Dory's adventures could spin off in any number of interesting directions.

But if Dory is set to be the film's main character, and not just a jabbering sidekick, we might run into trouble. Because what worked so well about the original film was the balance of stick-in-the-mud Marlin and flighty Dory, and how the two learned to complement each other and rely on each other. Pixar's already centered one sequel around the former goofy sidekick by making Mater the center of attention in Cars 2, and we all know how that turned out. Despite the various issues with John Carter, I still have faith in Stanton as a storyteller-- and he and DeGeneres are both talented enough to make a great movie even without the Pixar team. But until we hear about more voices being added to the cast, we might have to wonder just what they have in story for Dory, and whether it will work a second time around.

Finding Nemo 2 is currently set for release in 2016.

Gerard Butler Won't Be In The 300 Sequel

 


The sequel to Zack Snyder's 300, which has been called 300: The Battle of Artemisia but may not stay that way, has already gone into production in time to meet its August 2, 2013. But it's taken us this long to figure out what we all kind of already knew for sure-- Gerard Butler, who broke out as a star in the original 2007 film, won't be making a return appearance in this stylized comic book universe.

Talking to MTV, Butler pretty blithely said "Oh yeah, I'm not doing it. I wish them the best, but it didn't [work out]. It wasn't really my thing." Of course, given that Battle of Artemisia is a prequel to 300, and Butler's character really didn't have to be involved in the story, that's not really a surprise-- they're taking the story in a new direction for one thing, and for another, Butler is a lot more expensive than he was five years ago.

Returning from the original film, though, will be Rodrigo Santoro as the villainous Xerxes-- we talked to him earlier this summer about his preparation to return to the part, and how he'll handle getting all those piercings back in. Who knows if Battle of Artemisia can be as big a hit as 300 was, but I think we can all admit Gerard Butler's absence isn't going to make a huge difference.

John Travolta Could Headline Toxic Avenger Remake

 
 This summer Colin Farrell stepped into the amnesiac action hero role originated by Arnold Schwarzenegger in Total Recall. This fall Karl Urban will take to theaters in Dredd, playing a part previously defined by Sylvester Stallone and Richard Waters. And next summer Joel Kinnaman will be the new (and improved?) Robocop, following in the clunking footsteps of Peter Weller and Robert John Burke. But beyond that John Travolta could re-define the role originated by Mitch Cohen in 1987's The Toxic Avenger.

Obviously, the last possibility is strange on a few levels. First up, when a reboot is discussed, it's often with a mind to bring in young audience unfamiliar with the prior version. To attract this crowd, it's frequently a young, and often rising star that is attached to the project, not an established and aging A-lister. Then, there's the fact that of all the titles above The Toxic Avenger is by far the one that seems least likely to attract a mainstream audience. And yet Twitch reports industry tracking site It's On the Grid has Travolta attached to star in the reboot of the cult classic about a mutant and his mop destined for greatness!

It's worth noting, the item doesn't say what role Travolta would play, and as I outlined above, it seems highly doubtful that he'd play Toxie. More likely, he'll play some sort of bloated villain. But despite its B-movie origins, this Toxic Avenger is looking to avoid campiness as the project is described as an action-comedy remake in the vein of The Mask, basically a comedy meant to appeal to a broad audience. Though comedy is not exactly Travolta's strong suit (Old Dogs, Wild Hogs), but he made for a wily and captivatingly over-the-top baddie in Oliver Stone's Savages, so maybe this casting news isn't so crazy after all.

Hot Tub Time Machine helmer Steve Pink will directThe Toxic Avenger reboot, which he co-wrote with Daniel Mitchell. There's no word on when the film may lens. Author: Kristy Puchko

Dumb And Dumber Sequel Plot Revealed

 


 At this point the Dumb & Dumber sequel might need to live on as a "wishful thinking" kind of movie, though one with more powerful wishful thinking behind it than most. It seemed to be full speed ahead into production earlier this year, until Jim Carrey suddenly backed out over the summer, claiming the studio wasn't committed enough. Then Jeff Daniels stepped up to promise that it was really going to happen, but no firm dates have yet been set.

But all this time, directors Peter and Bobby Farrelly have stuck by the movie, and talking in the UK to Digital Spy (they're just now getting The Three Stooges over there, poor bastards), the Farrellys hinted at a spring start date, as well as the story that will send Harry and Lloyd on a new adventure:

"I can tell you that there is no growth out of either one of them and it's 20 years later… The story revolves around the fact that one of them may have sired a child. They want to go and find the child because he's having a kidney problem and he wants to ask him for one of his kidneys."

All that stands to reason, both the fact that Harry and Lloyd haven't gotten any smarter-- wouldn't it be disappointing if they had?-- and that it takes a selfish request for a kidney to get one of them to hunt down the kid. Of course, all this depends on one of them convincing a woman to sleep with him, and given how things went with Mary Swanson last time, that doesn't seem too likely. If we do finally wind up getting this long-promised sequel, though, I'm sure we can get over that little narrative hump. 
  Author: Katey Rich

Karen O Debuts Frankenweenie Song Strange Love

 





Many modern moviegoers grew up with the weird and wonderful movies of Tim Burton inspiring our dreams and sometimes our nightmares. Now, one of these self-proclaimed "impressionable offbeat youths" is all grown up and giving back to the wild-haired auteur who inspired her. Yeah Yeah Yeahs front woman Karen O has recorded a brand new track for Burton's upcoming animated feature Frankenweenie.

Based on a live-action short the filmmaker crafted prior to his feature debut with Pee-Wee's Big Adventure, Frankenweenie centers on a young boy named Victor Frankenstein who brings his beloved family pet back from the grave with a little bit of mad science and plenty of electricity. Through the film's latest trailer and a string of character images, it's clear that Burton drew inspiration for his latest venture from classic horror films of his childhood idol Vincent Price and James Whale. So, it's fitting that O, who told Rolling Stone her artistic sensibility was shaped by Burton's catalog, is continuing the daisy chain of nostalgia-based inspiration.

When Burton asked her to create "unconventional unconditional love song," she married her memories of early Burton movies with the very influences that shaped Frankenweenie, saying:

"My music inspiration came out of the same era of B-movie fright film references sprinkled throughout the film. I went in the direction of exotica and calypso stylistically because it's quirky, good vibes music of that era, and when you throw in a Theremin solo, it's a marriage made in heaven. I remember Beetlejuice introducing me to the genius of Harry Belafonte's calypso record, so I wanted to give a nod to that, too."

The results are a fittingly, funky and sweet tune called "Strange Love," which you can hear in full at Pitchfork. O's catchy ode to puppy love—complete with barking back-up singers—will be reportedly play over Frankenweenie's end credits and will be included on the album Frankenweenie Unleashed!. The supplemental soundtrack will include songs from Neon Trees, Plain White T's, Robert Smith, and Winona Ryder. It will be released alongside Frankenweenie: The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack on September 25th. The Frankenweenie
  Author: Kristy Puchko

Warner Bros. Passes On The Dark Tower Series Movies

 




As of a couple of weeks ago, it was looking like the fate of the feature adaptation of Stephen King's The Dark Tower series would be determined at some point this month. And sure enough, the verdict from Warner Bros. is in, and it's not good. Word is, the studio has decided to pass on the project.

We shared word earlier this month that a new draft of the screenplay for the first Dark Tower movie was being submitted by Akiva Goldsman, after which WB would made a decision as to whether or not to move forward with the ambitious project. The series was set to be adapted to a number of films, with TV series bridging the gap between movies. Ron Howard and Brian Grazer were set to produced through Imagine Entertainment, with Howard directing and Stephen King set up as a producer. Variety reported today that Warner Bros. has decided not to green-light the budget for the film.

This is likely to be disappointing news for fans of the books, who've been hoping to see the story of the gunslinging Roland Deschain brought to the big screen. As Variety notes, Imagine can take the project to other studios, but if Warner Bros. is passing, that can't be a good sign. The endeavor may be too costly and risky for other studios to tackle. I don't think I'm in the minority in saying it's better to have it done right or else, not done at all. So we'll have to wait and see whether there's another studio interested in Imagine's project.

Is This How We'll Meet Smaug In The Hobbit?

 




Benedict Cumberbatch is usually pretty good at being sneaky, to the point that we still don't really know the identity of the character he'll be playing in the upcoming Star Trek sequel. But now the actor who seems to be everywhere, and really is everywhere, has slipped a very intriguing detail about another one of his huge upcoming projects: The Hobbit. You won't actually see Cumberbatch in the trilogy of films, since he's playing Smaug the Dragon, but here's some info straight from the horse's mouth about when you'll get to see him:

I think my eye might open at the end of the first film and then you’ll get the rest of me in the second.

That comes from Bleeding Cool, where they picked up on a comment Cumberbatch made while doing press for an upcoming BBC series Parade's End. And from the way he's talking, it sounds like he was thinking of there only being two Hobbit movies, which was the case until a few weeks ago, when Peter Jackson confirmed they'll be making a third film. So who knows if Cumberbatch's story is still valid, or if we'll somehow see Smaug's appearance in the middle of the second movie now-- after all, he's the dragon guarding the gold at the end of the journey for Bilbo and his band of dwarves, so it wouldn't make sense for him to appear a third of the way through the story.

And yet, Cumberbatch's version of the story makes sense, even if you're just looking at how Gollum was introduced in Fellowship of the Ring, teased briefly before taking center stage in the next film. And the trick of showing just a character's eye before smash cutting to the end credits has occurred in two notable places lately, at the end of Avatar and in the last Twilight installment, Breaking Dawn Part 1. Maybe Jackson is ready to make it an official trend by doing it a third time?

Either way, this is at least one Hobbit mystery that will be answered sooner than later-- The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is set for release December 14. Click here to learn much more about it.

DreamWorks Animation Moves Over To 20th Century Fox

 

 Though DreamWorks Animation released the very successful Madagascar 3 this summer, through their distribution partnership at Paramount Pictures, the company has been preparing for over a year now to make one giant change. Now the animation outfit has finally confirmed that they'll be departing Paramount for 20th Century Fox, setting up a new distribution partnership through which the independent animation studio can get their films out to moviegoers but still operate largely on their own.

According to Deadline Sony was in the running to pick up DWA until very recently, and for a while some thought that they would self-distribute, especially after bringing in a former Disney executive last year. But while Fox has had strong family-friendly releases like the Alvin and the Chipmunks franchise and the Diary of a Wimpy Kid movies, their only big animated successes have been with the Ice Age films, now in their fourth installment and likely winding down.

Fox will retain Blue Sky Studios, which is currently set to release a sequel to Rio as well as Epic, which is due next spring and recently unveiled a trailer. Under the 5-year deal with DreamWorks Animation, Fox will also be responsible for the release of The Croods and Turbo, as well as any number of potential films announced in development including Kung Fu Panda 3 and a movie all about the penguins of Madagascar. Fans of DreamWorks Animation's movies, especially the younger ones, probably won't notice much of a difference, but now that the animation studio has moved on to a more comfortable home, we might be able to look forward to some interesting developments going forward.

Avengers Deleted Scene Asks Bruce Banner A Tough Question

 WIth The Avengers coming to Blu_ray on September 25, it's time to start getting a glimpse at all the extras the disc will hold, and now we've got our first look at one of the deleted scenes. When Hulk leaves the helicarrier and crash lands into a warehouse somewhere, only to chat briefly with Harry Dean Stanton, it turns out we didn't see all of it in the theatrical release.
 The clip debuted at Entertainment Weekly, where they've had a fantastic stranglehold on all kinds of awesome Avengers extras-- their video roundtable interview, surrounded by a bunch of action figures, is a must-watch. And somehow it seems entirely appropriate that the first deleted scene we see involves The Hulk, who had the most heavy lifting to do as the biggest "new" character to the film, and whose identity crisis in dealing with his "condition" is one of the film's best emotional through lines. Leave it to Harry Dean Stanton to make it all so crystal clear.

Hopefully there will be a lot more to learn about whether Hulk is "a big man who turns into a little man, or a little man who turns into a big man" when we see The Avengers Blu-Ray in late September.

Female Expendables Already In Development

 




Though The Expendables has obviously become a brand name, with two hit films now out there and rumors of a third all over the place, the concept of uniting a bunch of famous action stars isn't something you can copyright. So while we may never get an official female version of The Expendables-- which, inevitably, would be called something awful like The Expendablettes-- a different production company is apparently ready to give it a shot.

According to Variety< production outfit 1984 Private Defense Contractors-- who h are behind upcoming movies like Steven Soderbergh's The Bitter Pill and the Brad Pitt-starrer Killing Them Softly-- are in the works on a female version of The Expendables, with writer Dutch Southern hired to handle the script, and "several prominent actress affiliated with the action genre" reportedly in talks. Southern, despite the name that seems ready-made for a career in 70s Hollywood, is a relatively unknown property, with one film-- Hoof Harrington's Greatest Hits-- in development, according to IMDB.

Meanwhile, the idea of a female Expendables is kicking around all over the place-- Expendables 2 director SImon West even suggested the title "Expenda-Belles" to E!, while name-dropping the likes of Angelina Jolie Cameron Diaz, Milla Jovovich and Jamie Lee Curtis. His casting idea makes sense, and I'd be surprised if at least one of them isn't one of the "prominent actresses" in talks, but the title Expenda-Belles makes me want to take a nap, so I'll leave it at that. Let us know who you'd like to see in this still theoretical movie, and stay tuned for our own take on who ought to be in The Expendables 3 later today.
Author: Katey Rich

Anna Kendrick Leads Shortlist For Captain America 2 Female Lead

 



Though we're all excited to see the return of Captain America in his sequel, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, the movie will be missing a lot of what made the first one so fun. As we all know thanks to The Avengers, Captain America is now living in modern times, and though his 1940s values and sense of right and wrong intact, familiar figures like his love Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell), his mentor Howard Stark (Dominic Cooper) and his best friend Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) are all long gone… or are they?

As you might have heard, the title Winter Soldier suggest Bucky will be making a comeback as a bad guy, and now they're coming up with a way to keep Peggy Carter alive, at least in spirit. The New York Post reports that Anna Kendrick, Imogen Poots and Felicity Jones currently make up the shortlist for the lead in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Though they're not specifying the role, a quick look at the physical similarities between all three of them and Hayley Atwell-- plus the fact that Cap's love interest in the Winter Soldier arc of the comics is Sharon Carter, Peggy's niece-- makes things pretty clear.

In the comics, at least, Bucky/Winter Soldier kidnaps Sharon, which helps Cap identify the villain as his former friend. But who knows what directors Joe and Anthony Russo are planning for the story this time around, so don't count on anything just yet. Captain America: The Winter Soldier is set for release on April 4, 2014, which means the production is probably moving fast to get the cast in place. Poots and Jones ought to have an advantage from being British, as Carter is, but never rule out Kendrick, who snagged an Oscar nomination for her first major role in Up in the Air, and seems tenacious enough to tackle a natural British accent in no time. If the Post's shortlist turns out to be true, though, we should count on one of the three of them snagging the role very soon.