Disney orchestrated a one-of-a-kind premiere last Saturday at the Greek theater in Los Angeles, which was turned for the occasion into a 2,000-seat outdoor movie theater; NASA Mars rovers lined the red carpet. After the screening, 30 vans shuttled guests up the hill to the Griffith Observatory for the party, which included a special setup of super-high magnification telescopes and a powerful spotlight that lit the Hollywood sign from miles away. Writer/director Andrew Stanton called his film “a sci-fi love story” that’s distinct from other Pixar pics. He told Variety: “That’s why you go to the movies: to see something different. I spend four years on these movies. I don’t want to do them twice.” John Lasseter added, “Every Pixar film is different, but they all come from the same DNA.” The industry is wondering how a near-silent movie that reportedly cost $180 million to make will fare with mass audiences… The answer in 3 days! The reviews that started leaking have been overwhelmingly positive with many applauding the artistic risks that the Pixar studio took once again. Pink News calls it a “summer movie must” with Richard Roeper stating it is “one of the best movies of the year.”
Arthur and the Minimoys sequels update
Freddie Highmore told SCI FI Wire he just completed the final voice work for two more Arthur and the Minimoys films, inspired by the popular children’s fantasy books of Luc Besson. The 16-year-old British actor completed filming two sequels to the 2006 film more than a year ago and had to finish the looping for both films before his voice changed too drastically.Arthur and the Vengeance of the Maltazard is scheduled for release in 2009 and Arthur and the Two Worlds War is expected to come out in 2010. “We just finished the ADR session the other day. Half of this is live action, while half of it is 3-D animation. It’s going to take a while before it is released.” The story follows a 10-year-old boy named Arthur who befriends tiny creatures called Minimoys, who are no larger than a tooth. The first film, with an estimated $86 million budget, took in $113 million worldwide, but did a disappointing $15 million domestically at the box office.
Ambitious plans for Portland-based animation studio Laika
Variety reveals what Laika has in the works post Coraline , and it’s quite exciting! The studio, which does both CG and stop-motion features, was created when Phil Knight, whose Nike empire gives him an estimated worth of $7.9 billion, stepped in to buy the former Will Vinton Studios, famous for the California Raisins, after the company had fallen on hard times. This fall the company is wrapping production on its first feature, the stop-motion Coraline, helmed by Laika supervising director Henry Selick (The Nightmare Before Christmas) Laika is financing the film, based on the book by Neil Gaiman, with Focus Features to distribute. Lead animator on Coraline and head of animation for Laika is Travis Knight, son of the Nike founder. Travis Knight was already working as an animator at Vinton when his father bought the company and rebranded it. Now, Laika is taking out three pitches, any one of which could be its next project. Ultimately, it may produce all three:
Here Be Monsters! from the books by Alan Snow, is a steampunk-flavored story set in a fantasy version of 1850s London. The hero is a 12-year-old who’s grown up in an underground world beneath the city that is full of monsters but must find his way in the world when he moves to the surface to live like a normal boy. British writer Irena Brignell is penning the script; Antony Stacchi (Open Season) would direct. Stacchi calls the project “Dickensian” and “Python-esque.” It could be either CG or stop-motion.
Jack and Ben, an original for CG animation, revolves around brother bluebirds who get into a dangerous road-rally-style race to Florida along the north-south migration route. Barry Cook (Mulan) would direct, David Skelly is writing and Ric Sluiter (Lilo & Stitch) is art director. “What ‘Finding Nemo’ did under the water, we want to do in the air,” said Fiona Kenshole, VP of development acquisitions for Laika. Cook said the project features quirky characters inspired by the real-life Gumball Rally road race.
Paranorman, an original idea by Coraline story chief Chris Butler, concerns a small town under a secret curse. Only a 13-year-old boy can keep the town from being overrun by zombies, but no one will listen to him. Pic could be stop-motion or CG. Butler is writer and co-director. The project is being developed under Selick’s close supervision.
For Coraline, Laika put up the entire production budget of $50 million-$70 million. For all three pitches, however, the company is seeking 50-50 partnerships. Kenshole said Laika is looking for a niche that is edgier than that of most of its competish, while still being commercial. “We’re to the left of Pixar and to the right of Nightmare Before Christmas,” Kenshole told Daily Variety. “There’s a lot of people moving into animation, and what they do is copycat. The world isn’t waiting for another Pixar and another DreamWorks. We want a slate that’s uniquely ours, that hits the four quadrants and is commercial, but is really, really strong, based on good storytelling.”
Laika is also well into development on three more projects to be pitched in future months:
The Wall and the Wing, adapted by Lost co-creator Jeffrey Lieber from the novel by Laura Ruby. Story is about a parallel contemporary Manhattan where everyone can fly except one girl — but she can make herself invisible.
An untitled comedy-adventure story based on a young-adult trilogy. Dick Clement and Ian La Franais (Flushed Away) are penning the script. Courtney Pledger and Sarah Radclyffe are attached as producers.
An original story about the origins of Halloween by Selick and John Carls. Carls (Open Season) is producing.
Phil Knight is “in this for the long run,” said Nike vet and Laika CEO Dale Wahl. “One thing that points to his commitment is the fact that he went out and bought some land for a Laika campus.” The company expects to break ground later this year on that 30-acre campus in Tualitin, Ore. Designed by the same architects as the Nike campus, it will bring the CG and stop-motion operations together, though the company’s commercials division, House, will likely remain closer to downtown Portland. Laika now employs approximately 550 people, with some 100 in the House division.
Wall•E video interview
An exclusive video interview with Andrew Stanton, Fred Willard, and Jeff Garlin, all of whom had a hand in the creation and production of Pixar’s Wall•E, can be viewed on ComingSoon. Featuring several new clips from the film, Stanton, Willard, and Garlin each discuss the world that Wall•E takes place in, pointing out the reasons for certain creative decisions and character traits. Wall•E lands in theaters this Friday.
Persepolis, Futurama Debut on DVD
Two big animated releases arrive on home video today: one an Academy Award-nominated true story of life during Iran’s Islamic revolution and the other a silly comedy about an intergalactic delivery crew that encounters an amorous space monster. Toon fans can now rush to their local retailers to pick up Persepolis from filmmakers Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud, and Futurama: The Beast with a Billion Backs from creators/exec producers Matt Groening and David X. Cohen.Persepolis is based on Satrapi's internationally bestselling and award-winning graphic novel autobiography, which chronicles her coming of age in Iran during the Islamic revolution of the 1970s and ’80s. The film won the Jury Prize at last year’s Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Foreign Film. In addition to winning the Freedom of Expression Award from the National Board of Review, the pic was named Best Animated Feature by the New York Film Critics Circle, the Los Angeles Film Critics Association and the New York Online Film Critics.
The DVD includes the original French-language version with English subtitles, as well as a dubbed English version featuring the voices of Sean Penn, Catherine Deneuve, Gena Rowlands and Iggy Pop. Bonus materials include a making-of featurette titled The Hidden Side of Persepolis; a behind-the-scenes look at the recording of the English-language version; audio commentary by Satrapi, Paronnaud and actress Chiara Mastoianni on select scenes; animated scene comparisons with commentary by Satrapi; and video of the 2007 Cannes Film Festival press conference Q&A with the cast and crew. The Sony Pictures Home Entertainment release carries a suggested retail price of $38.96 for Blu- ray and $29.95 for DVD.
Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment’s Futurama: The Beast With A Billion Backs is the second of four new feature-length adventures based on the cancelled FOX series. This latest adventure finds Bender, Fry, Leela and the rest of the crew caught up in a disturbing, yet sensuous, interplanetary love story when they run afoul of a repulsive, planet-sized creature with billions of probing tentacles. Guest stars lending their voices to the film include David Cross (Alvin & The Chipmunks, Arrested Development), Brittany Murphy (King of the Hill, Sin City), Dan Castellaneta (The Simpsons) and world-renowned physicist Stephen Hawking.
Extra features include commentary from Groening and Cohen, cast members Billy West, John DiMaggio and Maurice LaMarche, director Peter Avanzino and producers Claudia Katz, Lee Supercinski, and Michael Rowe. There’s also an entire 30-minute "lost” Futurama adventure produced for the Futurama video game, featurettes titled Meet Yivo! (behind the scenes with David Cross) and A Brief History of Deathball, a sneak peek at the next Futurama epic dubbed Bender’s Game, storyboard animatics, deleted scenes, bloopers and more. The disc lists for $29.98.
Environmentally conscious fans who purchase Beast with a Billion Backs will be happy to know that the title is the studio’s second carbon-neutral DVD release, the first being Futurama: Bender’s Big Score. Futurama, Twentieth Century Fox Television and Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment have all made a commitment to reducing their impact on climate change. For more information on how the carbon emissions were reduced during production, go to www.newscorp.com/energy.
10,000 B.C., Spiderwick Bring FX to Disc
CG animation and other big-budget visual effects abound in two of today’s major home video releases. Prehistoric man encounters mammoths, terror birds, saber-tooth tigers and other menacing beasts in 10,000 B.C., and a family moves into an enchanted and mysterious house that is visited by strange creatures in The Spiderwick Chronicles.10,000 B.C. is the latest vfx-laden epic from Independence Day and The Day After Tomorrow director Roland Emmerich. The film follows the adventures of a young mammoth hunter who must make a perilous journey to secure the future of his tribe. Putting her stamp on the film is visual effects supervisor Karen Goulekas, who collaborated with Emmerich on his version of Godzilla and his tongue-in-cheek creature feature Eight Legged Freaks before earning a BAFTA for her work on The Day After Tomorrow. Shops that contributed to the film’s extensive visual effects work include Motion Picture Company (MPC), The Senate VFX, Double Negative and Machine FX. The DVD includes an alternate ending and additional scenes.
Timed with the release is Journey to 10,000 B.C., a new History Channel documentary that employs computer animation to explore a world inhabited by giant ground sloths and saber-toothed cats. Released by A&E Home Video, the disc lists for $19.95.
Based on the bestselling series of books by Holly Black and Tony Diterlizzi, director Mark Waters’ The Spiderwick Chronicles has peculiar things happen to the Grace family when they move into the secluded old house owned by their great, great uncle, Arthur Spiderwick. In addition to a host of CG-animated critters, the film stars Freddie Highmore, Mary-Louise Parker, Nick Nolte, Joan Plowright and David Strathairn, and features Seth Rogen and Martin Short in voice roles. Over the Hedge director Karey Kirkpatrick collaborated on the screenplay with David Berenbaum (Elf) and filmmaker John Sayles (Limbo). Visual effects were created by Industrial Light & Magic and Tippett Studio.
The two-disc Field Guide Edition DVD lists at $39.99 and includes the featurettes Spiderwick: It's All True, It’s a Spiderwick World, Meet the Clan, Making of Spiderwick and A Final Word of Advice. Other bonus features include Arthur Spiderwick's Field Guide, deleted scenes, Nickelodeon TV spots and theatrical trailers. The Blu-ray release offers a special, enhanced version of Arthur Spiderwick's Field Guide and can be had for $39.99 or less.
WALL●E Game Launches
In advance of this weekend’s opening of the new Disney/Pixar feature, THQ has shipped its WALL●E game in North America for Wii, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, PSP, Nintendo DS, Windows, Mac and mobile devices. Developed by THQ’s Heavy Iron Studios, the game will also be made available worldwide in more than 69 countries including the U.K., France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Japan and Australia over the coming months.The WALL●E game has layers take control of the title robot and his mechanical love interest, EVE, as they undertake a fast-paced adventure that revisits some of the movie’s most thrilling moments while introducing new storylines and other fresh elements. There are ten worlds to explore and head-to-head, multiplayer challenges in addition to intense missions set in a futuristic world. The title also features voice talent from the movie, including Jeff Garlin (Curb Your Enthusiasm) and Academy Award-winning sound designer Ben Burtt.
THQ’s current agreement with Disney/Pixar, announced in 2004, includes rights to create games based on four newly created film properties from the top CG animation machine. Last year’s Ratatouille video game was the first property released by THQ under the deal.
WALL•E is rated E for everyone and is now available for the suggested retail prices of $49.99 (Wii, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3), $39.99 (PlayStation 2), $29.99 (PSP, Nintendo DS) and $19.99 (Windows, Mac). To download a free demo of the game, go to www.wallevideogame.com. For more information about this and other THQ offerings, hit up www.playthq.com.
Paramount Hits $1 Billion for 2008
The DreamWorks Animation feature Kung Fu Panda and other summer hits have helped Paramount Pictures become the first studio to reach $1 billion in ticket sales in North America this year. The studio crossed the billion-dollar mark overseas last week, and currently has the three highest grossing domestic releases of 2008 in Iron Man ($305 million), Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull ($291 million) and Kung Fu Panda ($156 million).Over the weekend, Kung Fu Panda overtook 20th Century Fox Animation’s Horton Hears A Who! to become the year's highest grossing animated movie, a title that may very well go to Disney/Pixar’s WALL●E before the summer is over. The latest effort from Finding Nemo director Andrew Stanton hits theaters this Friday.
Paramount was also the first studio to hit $1 billion last year, with ticket sales led by DreamWorks’ Transformers, which took in 700 million worldwide in 2007. The company hopes to keep the 2008 box office raging with the comedy DreamWorks' Tropic Thunder starring Ben Stiller, Robert Downey Jr. and Jack Black (August 15), DreamWorks Animation's Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (Nov. 7), DreamWorks' The Soloist starring Jamie Foxx and Robert Downey Jr. (Nov. 21), The Curious Case of Benjamin Button starring Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett (Christmas Day) and DreamWorks' Revolutionary Road starring Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio (Dec. 26).
Publicist Howard Brandy inspired Dudley Do-Right
Longtime public relations specialist Howard Brandy, whose square-jawed visage inspired Jay Ward's Mountie stereotype Dudley Do-Right, died Monday in Los Angeles following a long illness. He was 78.Brandy worked in Hollywood for nearly five decades. He became Jay Ward Productions' West Coast press agent in 1961.
Keith Scott's book The Moose That Roared: The Story of Jay Ward, Bill Scott, A Flying Squirrel and a Talking Moose quoted Brandy as saying that he approached Ward after catching a Rocky and His Friends episode late one night.
Brandy dreamed up a unique cross-country stunt to promote a new season of The Bullwinkle Show. In 1962, dressed as Dudley Do-Right, he led a petition drive to make Moosylvania the 51st state. Brandy and Ward received 50,000 genuine signatures.
To promote the "Statehood for Moosylvania" campaign, Ward purchased a small island in the Minnesota lake region and called it "Moosylvania." He converted a van converted into a circus wagon with a calliope and a "Wossamatto U." logo. While Brandy played Dudley, Ward donned an Admiral Nelson costume.
All went well until Ward drove the van, calliope blaring, onto the White House lawn.
What they didn't know was that this was the day the Cuban Missile Crisis erupted. Armed guards escorted the pair off the White House grounds at gunpoint.
Born and raised in Brooklyn, Brandy served in the Marines during the 1950s. He then moved to Los Angeles, beginning his career in the music industry. During the 1960s, he worked with such teen idols as Fabian and Frankie Avalon. He also handled such performers and groups as Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, the Fifth Dimension, the Temptations, the Monkees, Marvin Gaye, Sam Cooke, Lionel Richie and the Captain & Tennille.
Brandy headed publicity for several record labels, including A&M Records, Uni Records and Motown.
He represented such films as Bernardo Bertolucci's The Last Emperor (1987), winner of nine Oscars (including best picture), and The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002), the winner of two Academy Awards.
Although his early PR work included the Beatles' films Hard Day's Night and Help!, his career really got off the ground with Privilege (1967).
Other films that he repped included Silent Running (1972), Young Frankenstein (1974), The Omen (1976), Idolmaker (1980), Quest for Fire (1981), My Favorite Year (1982), Gorky Park (1983), The Pope of Greenwich Village (1984), Runaway Train (1985), Russia House (1990), The Last Seduction (1994) and About Schmidt (2002).
He did public relations for the Police Academy movie series, as well as the TV remakes of East of Eden (1981) and The Magnificent Ambersons.
As well, he was involved with Academy Award campaigns for films including Woody Allen's Sweet and Low-Down, Pedro Almodovar's All About My Mother and Sexy Beast.
He handled press for major studio executives Ned Tanen, Mike Medavoy and Alan Ladd.
Brandy was known all over Hollywood for his odd, rough voice. Motown producer Berry Gordy once left Brandy and Stevie Wonder alone together in a hotel room, actor-producer Gene Kirkwood remembered.
"The minute Howard spoke, Stevie jumped up on the bed, terrified," Kirkwood said. "He'd never heard a sound like that before."
Howard Brandy is survived by Rose Einstein, vice-president and associate publisher of The Hollywood Reporter, as well as two daughters (including Rebecca) and a son.
A memorial service will be held at 111 a.m. Friday, June 27 at Hillside Memorial Park, 6001 West Centinela Avenue, Los Angeles.
Donations may be made to the Motion Picture & Television Fund Foundation, P.O. Box 51150, Los Angeles, CA 90051-9706.
Academy invites Suzie Templeton, other animators
British cartoon director Suzie Templeton, herself the recipient of an Oscar, is among eight animators invited Monday to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which presents the Academy Awards.
Templeton directed, adapted and edited Sergei Prokofiev's Peter & The Wolf, which won this year's Oscar for best animated short film. She shared the Academy Award with Hugh Welchman.
Other animators among the 105 artists and executives invited to join AMPAS are Ash Brannon, who shared an Oscar nomination this year for best animated feature film for Surf's Up, and Caroline Leaf of the National Film Board of Canada, whose The Street (1976) was nominated for an Oscar for best animated short fillm.
Rounding up the list of animators are David Bowers (Flushed Away, Wallace & Gromit in The Curse of the Were-Rabbit), Doug Cooper (Bee Movie, Shark Tale), Jeremy Lasky (Cars, Finding Nemo), David Schaub (I Am Legend, Polar Express) and David Silverman (The Simpsons Movie; Monsters, Inc.).
Among others invited to join the Academy are actor Ray Winstone (the title voice of Beowulf) and Ronna Kress, the 2007 Warner Bros. film's casting director; film editor John Carnochan (The Simpsons Movie, Ice Age); and composers Glen Ballard (The Polar Express) and Michael Giacchino (Ratatouille).
Those who accept the invitation will be the only additions this year to the Academy’s roster of voting members.
"These individuals are all incredibly talented and a credit to the world of filmmaking," said AMPAS president Sid Ganis. "They exemplify the high standards of the Academy, and I welcome each and every one of them to our ranks."
The membership policies that the Academy adopted in 2004 in order to slow the growth of the organization would have allowed a maximum of 137 new members this year. However, as in previous years, the various branch committees sometimes endorsed fewer candidates than were proposed to them. Voting membership in the organization has now held steady at just under 6,000 members since 2003.
New members will be welcomed into the Academy at an invitation-only reception at the Fairbanks Center for Motion Picture Study in Beverly Hills in September.
Hi-Def Animation Contest
Get with the Times!, an HD animation contest, is on. Animators are invited to submit their own HD animations for a chance at weekly prizes cumulating in the Grand Prize, a trip top New York and your video shown above Times Square.
Running through September 4, 2008, Get with the Times! invites animators to upload their HD animations for a chance to win a two-night trip to New York City to eat dinner at the strategically located and world renowned Chop Suey restaurant while watching their animation play once every hour on the Spectacolor HD Clear Channel billboard over Times Square. In addition to this all-inclusive trip, the winner will also take home a copy of Adobe Creative Suite 3 Master Collection.
Weekly winners are determined by a combination of community votes and MyToons judging, and will take home an iPod Nano filled to the brim with awesome MyToons animation. Site-wide voting is ongoing and will continue through September 4th. The Grand Prize Winner will be announced on September 12th, and two runners-up will also take home a copy of Adobe Creative Suite 3 Master Collection.
To be a part of this movement or for more details, please visit http://www.MyToons.com/contests/TimesSquare.
"Silverhawks" Coming to DVD (Updated)
Tvshowsondvd.com reports that the long awaited Silverhawks are officially coming to DVD in Silverhawks: Season 1-Volume 1.The toon features a group of heroes who are partly metal, and partly real. There's Quicksilver, the leader of the group. The Steel twins Steelheart & Steelwill. Bluegrass, the guitar playing pilot of their ship, the Mirage. And the super genius Copper Kid as they protect the galaxy under the command of Commander Stargazer to stop Mon-Star and his intergalactic mob.
Silverhawks was produced by Rankin/Bass productions and Lorimar-Telepictures, the same production company behind the ThunderCats. The toon aired for one season in 1986 in syndication. The toon features the voices of ThunderCats voice actors Peter Newman (Tygra and Monkian) as Quicksilver, Mumbo Jumbo, and Timestopper. Larry Kenney (Lion-O, and Jackalman) as Bluegrass, and Poker-Face. Robert McFadden (Snarf, and Slithe) as Yes-Man, Hardware, Steelwill, and Commander Stargazer. Doug Preis (Alluro) as Windhammer, and Mo-Lec-U-Lar. And Earl Hammond (Mumm-Ra) as Mon-Star. Other voices include Maggie Wheeler as Steelheart and Melodia, and Adolph Caesar as Hotwing and Seymour the Space Cabbie.
Silverhawks: Season One-Volume 1 will be in stores on October 14th.
Updated June 24:
Tvshowsondvd.com has posted the cover art.
"Kung Fu Panda" Received with Enthusiasm in Asia
Variety reports a good reception for DreamWorks Animation's Kung Fu Panda in South Korea and China's Sichuan province. Even though the movie slipped to the #2 box office spot in South Korea this past weekend, Kung Fu Panda's $20.7 million box office take from 3.3 million admissions has made it the most successful animated feature film in South Korea to date.
The movie also debuted in the earthquake-torn Sichuan province in China, which is home to giant panda nature reserves. The movie's release in the province was blocked at first after a complaint from a performance artist that the movie was in poor taste and was disrespectful to victims of the May 12 earthquake, but the complaint triggered an on-line backlash that stated "people who lived in the quake zone needed a movie to cheer them up." So far, the movie has been well-received in China and claims a total of $1.45 million in ticket sales.
Washington Post on Celebrities vs. Veteran Voice Actors
The Washington Post examines the trend of casting celebrities for animated voice acting roles, such as Jack Black and Angelina Jolie in Kung Fu Panda and for multiple supporting roles in the sequel to Madagascar. The article notes that the celebrity actors don't claim many accolades for their performances, citing the negative or non-committal reviews given to Kung Fu Panda, and talks with several veteran voice actors about the trend (including Veronica Taylor and Keith David).
Elsewhere, the Economic Times looks at how the rise of animation in India is leading many veteran actors into voice acting careers. The relative youth of India's animation industry means there is no pre-existing cadre of voice over actors.
Quint talks with Stan Winston Studios' Shane Mahan and Lindsay Macgowan about Stan, his films and the future of the Studios
Two days after Stan Winston passed, AintItCoolNews was contacted by Shane Mahan and Lindsay Macgowan, two of Stan Winston’s partners in Stan Winston Studios. They had read the initial report and obituary that was written and were following along with their tribute, as stories about Mr. Winston came in.
It turns out they wanted to talk to AintItCoolNews in order to give their thoughts of Stan, share some memories and let all of you in on what will happen with Stan Winston Studios from here on out.
Variety reports a good reception for DreamWorks Animation's Kung Fu Panda in South Korea and China's Sichuan province. Even though the movie slipped to the #2 box office spot in South Korea this past weekend, Kung Fu Panda's $20.7 million box office take from 3.3 million admissions has made it the most successful animated feature film in South Korea to date.
The movie also debuted in the earthquake-torn Sichuan province in China, which is home to giant panda nature reserves. The movie's release in the province was blocked at first after a complaint from a performance artist that the movie was in poor taste and was disrespectful to victims of the May 12 earthquake, but the complaint triggered an on-line backlash that stated "people who lived in the quake zone needed a movie to cheer them up." So far, the movie has been well-received in China and claims a total of $1.45 million in ticket sales.
Washington Post on Celebrities vs. Veteran Voice Actors
The Washington Post examines the trend of casting celebrities for animated voice acting roles, such as Jack Black and Angelina Jolie in Kung Fu Panda and for multiple supporting roles in the sequel to Madagascar. The article notes that the celebrity actors don't claim many accolades for their performances, citing the negative or non-committal reviews given to Kung Fu Panda, and talks with several veteran voice actors about the trend (including Veronica Taylor and Keith David).
Elsewhere, the Economic Times looks at how the rise of animation in India is leading many veteran actors into voice acting careers. The relative youth of India's animation industry means there is no pre-existing cadre of voice over actors.
Quint talks with Stan Winston Studios' Shane Mahan and Lindsay Macgowan about Stan, his films and the future of the Studios
Two days after Stan Winston passed, AintItCoolNews was contacted by Shane Mahan and Lindsay Macgowan, two of Stan Winston’s partners in Stan Winston Studios. They had read the initial report and obituary that was written and were following along with their tribute, as stories about Mr. Winston came in.
It turns out they wanted to talk to AintItCoolNews in order to give their thoughts of Stan, share some memories and let all of you in on what will happen with Stan Winston Studios from here on out.
The Dark Knight TV Spots 7, 8 and 9!
The 7th, 8th and 9th TV spots for Warner Bros.' The Dark Knight are now also online and can be viewed here, here and here!
Opening in theaters and IMAX on July 18, the Christopher Nolan-directed film stars Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Gary Oldman, Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman.
New and Upcoming Productions
According to MoonPhase Giant Robo and G Gundam director Yasuhiro Imagawa will be working on Go Nagai's mecha meets Greek myth remixed of his first piloted mecha series, Z Mazinger.
Subatomic Brainfreeze explains why this is something to look forward to.
The release of the direct to video Lucky Star OVA has been delayed a month to September 26th.
Anime News Network reports that Korean production company Tewon Media will be adapting Masashi Tanaka's mini-dinosaur meets nature manga Gon to be aired in early 2010.
Sprite Animations Studios, a studio founded by Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within co-director Moto Sakakibara and other former Square USA employees, announced in 2005 that it was working on a computer-graphics film version for a 2007 release, but the project has yet to materialize.
Leaf's (Comic Party, Utawarerumono) relationship games White Album and Tears to Tiara will be adapted into anime series.
The buzz on Anime Suki notes that Yoshiki Nakamura’s Skip Beat, released in North America by Viz, is being adapted into an anime series.
The manga Alive, released in North America by Del Rey, will be adapted into an anime series.
A OVA 13th episode of Shigofumi ~Stories of Last Letter~ will be released in Japan on September 26th.
Action fantasy "visual combat books" Queen's Blade will be adapted into an animated series
Bandai announced that it will be launching the Battle Spirits collectable card game with associated anime and manga series in Japan this fall. ICV2 has a description of the franchise here
ingresA is making statement that point to a potential Tales of the Abyss anime series, based on the new "Tales of" RPG game.
Tower of Druaga ~the Sword of URUK~ and Vampire Knight are getting a second season.
ANN notes that the July issue of Square Enix's Monthly Shonen Gangan magazine has provded details Gainax studio's television anime adaptation of Yoshiichi Akahito's Shikabane Hime (Corpse Princess) manga. The "Corpse Princess" of the title is Makina Hoshimura, an undead girl who hunts down 108 corpses in order to go to heaven.
Masahiko Murata (Jinki:Extend, MazinKaiser, GR -GIANT ROBO-) will direct the Shikabane Hime: Aka anime with scripts by Shou Aikawa (Fullmetal Alchemist, Martian Successor Nadesico). Chikashi Kubota, an animation director on both The Girl Who Leapt through Time film and episode 14 and 24 of Gurren Lagann, will be designing the characters with Kikuko Sadakata, a fellow animation director on Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann (episode 5, 15, 22) and Sugar Sugar Rune.
Bishonen (cute guy) fantasy Neo Angelique Abyss -Second Age- will follow up the first Neo Angelique Abyss anime starting July in Japan.
Trailers/Promos
The Telepathy Girl Ran
Sekirei
Highlander: The Search for Vengeance
Clannad: Tomoyo Edition
Strait Jacket movie edit
Korean manga creators Youn In-Wan and Yang Kyung-Il, best known for their work on Shin Angyo Onshi (the anime of which was released as Blade of the Phantom Master by ADV) will start new manga Burning Hell in Big Comic Spirit
ANN reports Yu Yagami (Those Who Hunt Elves, Hikkatsu!, Dokkoida?!) started his new "medical comedy) Dageki Joi Saori (Batting Female Doctor Saori) in Comic Charge.
Chihiro Tamaki's fashion manga Walkin' Butterfly, released in North America by Aurora, will be adapted into a live action TV drama.
Event News
New York Tokyo Satoshi Kon will be at NYC's ImaginAsian for ANA PRESENTS “NIPPON EIGA” SERIES: PART 13, with a screening of Paprika.
ANA PRESENTS
“NIPPON EIGA” SERIES: PART 13
Paprika
- with special guest appearance by director Satoshi Kon -
Monday, June 30th
Doors Open 6:15pm, Director Talks: 7:00pm, followed by Screening
The ImaginAsian: 239 East 59th Street, NYC
ANA PRESENTS
“NIPPON EIGA” SERIES: PART 13
Paprika
- with special guest appearance by director Satoshi Kon -
Monday, June 30th
Doors Open 6:15pm, Director Talks: 7:00pm, followed by Screening
The ImaginAsian: 239 East 59th Street, NYC
Jerry Beck detailed his Worst Cartoons Ever panel, which will take place at the San Diego Comic Con on July 25th
Tokyograph notes that the band Glay will make their American debut in August with perfoemance at the The Fillmore in San Francisco on August 12 and The House of Blues Sunset Strip in Hollywood on the 15th and 16th.
A look at JAM Project's set list from their tour. The super group will be performing at Otakon.
The animated anthology Batman: Gotham Knight will be screened on June 28th at Wizard World Chicago
Attendees at this year’s Wizard World Chicago convention will have the opportunity to see the direct-to-DVD animated film Batman: Gotham Knight a little bit earlier than the rest of us. Warner Video sent over some info on the premiere screening of the film on June 28 in the Windy City. Hey, one of our bloggers even gets to introduce the movie:
According to Blog@Newsarama The Batman: Gotham Knight premiere will commence at 7:00 p.m. in the 1,500-seat hall within the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, and the screening will be followed immediately by a panel featuring executive producer Bruce Timm (Superman Doomsday, Justice League: The New Frontier) and a quartet of the film’s writers: Academy Award nominee Josh Olson (A History of Violence), Eisner Award-winning writers Brian Azzarello & Greg Rucka, and five-time Emmy Award-winner Alan Burnett. The film will be introduced by DC Comics President and Publisher Paul Levitz, and DC Comics Senior Vice President of Creative Affairs Gregory Noveck will moderate the panel.
The 21+ Providence Anime Conference has posted a list of featured panels
Anime Expo announced that it will hold the 3rd Annual SPJA Industry Conference at the convention, July 3-6, 2008 at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, CA.
Key note speeches will be provided by representatives from the Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation, Japan External Trade Organization, FUNimation and Crunchyroll.
Panel will be moderated by key editors and journalists from the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, The Anime Insider, Otaku U.S.A. and the Anime News Network. Participants include executives from Anime News Network, Axis Entertainment, CMX, Crunchyroll, Dark Horse Comics, Digital Manga Publishing, FUNimation, GDH K.K., Go! Comi, MTV, Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation, Spike TV, The Right Stuf International, TokyoPop, Tomy Corporation and Viz Media, LLC. Panel topics include:
SCHEDULE:
KEYNOTE SPEAKERS/PANELISTS
THURSDAY; 11:00 am
Trulee Karahashi-Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation, Chief
Executive Officer
THURSDAY; 3:30 pm
Shigeru Kimura-Japan External Trade Organization, Chief Executive Director
FRIDAY; 10:00 am
Gen Fukunaga-FUNimation, Chief Executive Officer
SATURDAY; 10:00 am
Vu Nguyen-Crunchyroll, Vice President-Business Development and Strategy
ANIME IN THE U.S.: FANSUBS-THE DEATH OF ANIME?
Date, Time: Thursday; 11:30 am
MANGA IN THE U.S.: MANGA-ULTIMATE PUBLISHER SHOWDOWN 2008
Date, Time: 4:00 pm
TECHNOLOGY, ENTERTAINMENT AND LICENSING
Date, Time: Friday; 10:30 am
THE FUTURE OF ANIME IN MOVIES, TELEVISION, VIDEO GAMES, ONLINE AND CABLE
Date, Time: Saturday; 10:30 am
The arcade version of Aksys Games's 2d fighting Blazlue will be making a Location Test Tour stop at Anime Expo.
Speaking of Anime Expo, it looks like Mecha Fetus (featuring Paul Robertson of Pirate Baby's Cabana Battle Street Fight 2006 fame) will have an artist's table at the event.
Worth Checking Out...
Gainax has posted the first and second music video from their Gurren Lagann Parallel Works here
Macross F All That VF videos and "Interstellar Flight"
UNIGLO's Shonen Sunday Magazine's 50th anniversary display
Episode 69 of Right Stuf's Anime Today podcast features an interview with translator John Thomas
In this new interview, Thomas discusses his career in Japanese translation and reviewing, the differences between translation and adaptation, the intricacies of translating novels versus manga, and some of the challenges that come into play when translating a property that spans multiple media (and domestic licensors), such as Blood+ and The Dirty Pair.
Part 2 of ComiPress' detailed Review of Kara no Kyoukai translation, and part 2
Production I.G's The Making of Asience 5 part I: Kazuto Nakazawa (Director)
Production I.G also interviewed Takashi Miike about Phone Braver 7. Their site also features English language info on the series here, with staff and cast here
Library War Flash game
Anime Hell looks at music from Jem and the Holograms
Alt Japan presents ¡Cerveza Rangers!
Pop Culture Shock's Definitive Guide to Shirow Masamune
Asian media fans should note Kaiju Shadedown's piece on upcoming releases
Anime Hell Saturday MatineeHELL features black and white anime Prince Planet
Also, VHS Hell Space Warriors and Deception of a Generation
Read Write Web talks to Akinana's Jane Fong on Aiming to Bring Anime Online, as a Woman, a Foreigner and an Entrepreneur in Japan
Ogiue Maniax covers the ending of Inu Yasha
The creepy comedy about a young girl who makes sexual advances towards her teacher, Kodomo no Jikan, aka Nymphette made an appearance in the ad for a TV hardware scam
Patrick Macias continues his look back at 1978 the Gatchaman movie, Lupin III - The Mystery of Mamo and Starwolf Graffiti Also an Otaku USA update
Anime Pulse has posted a recording of a Q and A by the Pillows (FLCL) from Anime Boston
FUNimation has launched a FUNimation Update preview podcast
Following the recent conversations about whether the live action Robotech movie, frequent commenter GodMars DX points of this discussion of the legal tangle.
A trailer for First Second's Prince of Persia comic is online here
An oil-spill cleaning fish mech
Johanna Draper Carlson posted her josei PiQ article
AOD previews Faust
AniPages Daily looks at the work of Keiji Hayakawa
Attentiondeficitdisorderly Too Flat looks at the Paraside Kiss manga
Astro Boy made from recycled train tickets
Christina Ricci leading voice cast for Hero of Color City
Movieweb reports that Christina Ricci will voice the lead role of the timid crayon Yellow in Exodus Film Group’s animated CG feature The Hero of Color City. She plays one of several crayons whose colorful world is threatened by an evil tyrant. She is the first member of the cast to be announced for the film, which is now in preproduction. Exodus also announced upcoming lines of merchandise, art supplies and educational products based on the film. Upper Deck will manufacture trading cards and Kidthing will create interactive games, digital books and activities available on its free downloadable player at Kidthing.com.
Toy Story 3 plot details revealed
MTV Movies Blog features new plot points for Pixar’s upcoming sequel, Toy Story 3. According to John Ratzenberger and Estelle Harris, who played Hamm the piggy bank and Mrs. Potato Head in the previous Toy Story flicks, both characters will be playing a bigger role this time around. Harris also assures readers that there’s no need to worry about the quality of this particular threequel. “You know the wonderful thing about Disney/Pixar movies I think is they believe in this above all, to thine own self be true - and they are.” Toy Story 3 is set to hit theaters during June of 2010.
SAG Strike Threatens: No Transformers, No Nottingham
Here we go again! There’s another strike that’s about to blow in Hollywood, and its not going to be pretty. Not that many people really know how badly these things affect not only movies, but the television shows you watch every night. Haven’t you wondered why there are more and more reality shows? It’s because of these strikes. It’s cheaper and easier to put together a show about 5 people competing against one another buy eating dog food in the snow, then a television show that has actual writers, actors and a script.If that’s not a bad enough result because of the strikes then how about this? No Bumblebee or no Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen movie…..no Nottingham with Russell Crowe and Sam Riley….No G.I. Joe! These are possibilities if things get out of control when these artists go on strike. Believe it nor not, it’s all because of the computer you’re reading this on. It’s all about the Internet…. well maybe not entirely but a big chunk of it for sure.
According to an article in The Independent:
Bones of contention are said to include payments for film and video clips screened online, the issue that was at the heart of the previous writers' dispute.
It makes sense. No body knew the internet would be what it is today when these unions were created, so eventually they were going to have to face the royalties, I mean the music, and reconfigure how artist are to be compensated in then age of the world wide web.
Now know it’s not your job (you the reader) to worry about this, but know that the next time you go to the movie theaters, there’s a lot of politics going on behind the scenes, just so you can get your jumbo popcorn, and soda pop, and then sit in a dark room watching your favorite flick. If there’s a strike though, it will have huge effect on big films this year. It already does as of this writing. The Transformers sequel is about to begin a planned hiatus, along with Angels & Demons, the follow up to The DaVinci Code. If and when the strike does happen, films like Nottingham won’t even begin production and will just sit in limbo until things are resolved.
The dispute has gained added importance in trade union circles because SAG's smaller rival union AFTRA recently concluded contract negotiations with the AMPTP. SAG is now attempting to prevent Aftra's members endorsing that deal.
SAG has urged its roughly 44,000 members who also are AFTRA card holders, to vote down the current AFTRA agreement on the table. The union's leaders said they can get a better deal and do not want to be constrained by AFTRA's contract.
It seems like no big deal and your all saying, what’s the big deal? They all make millions of dollars…why not just settle. The big picture is that this doesn’t impact Tom Hanks or Tom Cruise….it impacts the people behind them on camera. It impacts the people behind the scenes…the little guys. The Joe shmos that haven’t made it big yet are the ones feeling this. The people that cant even pay they’re $3,000 SAG dues each year, because they’re not working, or because they didn’t get paid when the movie they made, went to DVD, or to you tube. There’s a lot of work that needs to be done, and once it gets done, then everyone will be satisfied. But think of how hard it is to get a jury of 12 to agree on one verdict. And now make that jury a group of 44,000….or more! It’s easier said than done.
Dody Goodman, mom on "Mary Hartman," dead at 93
Deliberately ditzy comedian Dody Goodman, the title character's mom on the 1970s TV soap opera spoof Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, died Sunday at 93.Goodman played emotional principal's assistant Blanche in film musicals Grease and Grease 2.
The actress died at Englewood Hospital and Medical Center in New Jersey, said close family friend Joan Adams, adding that she had been ill for some time. Goodman had lived in the Actors Fund Home in Englewood since October, Adams said.
Billed as Dody Goodman, she provided the voice of Miss Rebecca Miller, babysitter to the Chipettes (Brittany, Jeanette and Eleanor), in the 1983 Ruby-Spears Productions series Alvin and the Chipmunks, which aired on NBC, as well as its later incarnations, The Chipmunks (1988) and The Chipmunks Go to the Movies (1990).
She reprised the role in Bagdasarian Productions' 1987 feature film The Chipmunk Adventure and the 2000 direct-to-video movie Alvin and the Chipmunks Meet the Wolfman.
Goodman took her shaky Southern voice to the stage as well as the big and little screens. In 1958, she was nominated for an Emmy for her work as the resident oddball lady on The Jack Paar Tonight Show.
Paar's show was where Goodman, with her strange offhand remarks, first garnered national notice.
"I was just thrown into the talking," Goodman said in a 1994 Associated Press interview. "I had no idea how to do that.
"In fact, they just called me up and asked me if I wanted to be on The Jack Paar Show. I didn't know who Jack Paar was. They said, 'We just want you to sit and talk.'"
However, she and Paar parted company the year that she was nominated for her Emmy. Paar complained years later that she was starting to dominate his show.
But her career was far from over. Goodman would add spice to such other talk shows as The Merv Griffin Show and Girl Talk.
Goodman gained new fame in 1976, when she played Martha Shumway (Louise Lasser's mother) on Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman. Goodman was the lady at the beginning of the show, calling out, "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman!" And on the series, she was the eccentric who talked to plants.
Nicknamed "Red," she was born Dolores Goodman on October 28, 1914, in Columbus, Ohio, where her father ran a small cigar factory. In the late 1930s, she moved to New York to study dance at the School of American Ballet and the Metropolitan Opera Ballet School.
Later, she moved on to Broadway musicals. In the 1940s and early 1950s, she was a chorus member of such musicals as Something for the Boys, One Touch of Venus, Laffing Room Only, Miss Liberty, Call Me Madam and My Darlin' Aida. She originated the role of Violet the streetwalker in Wonderful Town.
"I had to make so many transitions into other things," Goodman said . "When I first came out of dancing, I did revues."
Goodman provided comedy alongside the likes of Bea Arthur in small, topical nightclub reviews in the early and mid-1950s. She performed in shows by Ben Bagley and Julius Monk, as well as in Parade, Jerry Herman's first show.
On TV, she guested on such series as Diff'rent Strokes, St. Elsewhere and Murder, She Wrote.
More recently, Goodman was a regular in Nunsense, Dan Goggin's musical comedy about the Little Sisters of Hoboken. She was also in its sequels, appearing off-Broadway and on tour. At first, she was Sister Mary Amnesia (who lived up to her name); later, she would become the Mother Superior.
"Dody had the most impeccable comic timing," Goggin said. "When we had her in the show, she was the only person on earth who could walk on stage, say, 'Are you ready to start?' and bring the house down. Within seconds, the audience was eating out of her hand."
In later years, Goodman returned to late-night TV, guesting on Late Night With David Letterman.
"He understands my sense of humor. I will do a dumb thing for fun," she told AP. "That's how I got the reputation for being dopey and dumb. I don't like dumb jokes, but I will do dumb things for a laugh."
Dodie Goodman never married. She is survived by seven nieces and nephews, 11 great- nieces and great-nephews, and 15 great-great-nieces and great-great-nephews, Adams said.
A memorial service is planned.
DC Comics’ Hollywood Crisis: Our Unsolicited Advice
From the MTV Movies Blog:
As the home of such icons as Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman, you’d think DC Comics would rule the superhero universe. But no. In fact, rival Marvel Comics is kicking DC’s butt. How can this be?Movies are where the real superhero action is these days, and Marvel, having scored major hits with the current “Iron Man” and “Hulk” films (and with “Thor,” “Captain America” and the all-star team-up “Avengers” already in the pipeline), is cleaning up at the box office. Meanwhile, DC and its corporate parent, Warner Bros., haven’t quite exploited their own stable of stars — not just Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman, but also the Justice League of which all three of those characters are a part, along with Flash and Green Lantern. Turning these revered comics properties into money-minting movie franchises should have been a no-brainer. If the process has been mishandled, DC’s numbers are down, and fanboys are in revolt, what can be done about it? Plenty.
– Observe Neil Gaiman’s “Law of Superhero Movies,” which is that “the closer the film is to the look and feel of what people like about the comic, the more successful it is.” This, Gaiman says, is “something that Warners tends singularly to miss, and Marvel tends singularly to get right.” Warners may prove Gaiman wrong here with the forthcoming “Watchmen.”
– Get a lock on the Justice League. Despite earlier reports, a studio rep told MTV News this one is now a “go.” Don’t let tax-incentive issues in Australia derail the potential “Justice League” franchise, just find another place to shoot the movie. And if there are problems with keeping some of the cast because of the delay, look for new actors who can play superheroes in and out of the League.
– Flesh out the other fellas. David Goyer already has a script done for “Green Arrow,” and that can set the stage for some “League”-like villains if you plan ahead. Then there’s “Shazam,” an unmade movie that already has a star and a director (the Rock and Peter Segal, both coming off of “Get Smart”). Get this picture going.
– Respect your holy trinity. Why, oh, why did Joel Silver not find a way to keep Joss Whedon when he was aboard for “Wonder Woman”? There are very few people who can write both movies and comics, and Whedon is one of them. Plus, he has a knack for connecting with both fanboys and fangirls at the same time. If an in-the-works replacement script by Matthew Jennison and Brent Strickland (version two) doesn’t measure up, it would be worth the groveling to get Whedon back. In the meantime, either start shooting “Superman 2,” or, if you feel like Brandon Routh was miscast, go back and try something that’s more of an origin story a la “Batman Begins.” After all, if Marvel can get away with rebooting “The Hulk”…
– Speaking of worship, get “Preacher” back on the schedule. At different points, this Garth Ennis series was supposed to be either a film or an HBO miniseries, and Cameron Diaz was interested in playing Tulip. But WB waited too long and lost its option on the property, so producer Neal Moritz is now quietly shopping it around to studios once more. Get. It. Back. And then do something with it.
– Sign up Shia LeBeouf. He’s reportedly interested in playing Yorick in a movie version of “Y: The Last Man,” as well as Sexton in “Death: The High Cost of Living.” Both of these prospective films have scripts and directors are in place, but both are languishing because of New Line’s implosion. Neither are superhero stories, but both are smart, funny, wouldn’t cost much to shoot, and have built-in cult appeal for both genders — how often do you get that with comics? “Death” could be next year’s “Juno.”
– Consider “Fables.” You want some name recognition? How about Snow White, the Big Bad Wolf, Little Red Riding Hood…in all-new, super-hip versions? In the ongoing DC/Vertigo series by Bill Willingham, these magical characters live among us — in fact, they live in New York City. Goldilocks is a demented terrorist. Cinderella is a secret agent. Prince Charming is a seductive mayor who’s in over his head. The acclaimed “Fables” has “franchise” written all over it — which one character, Jack Horner, exploits to blockbuster levels in his own series-within-a-series. Consider the possibilities.
Names of the Avengers Marvel Will Feature
The shock wave that was felt around the movie world. It was subtle, and missed by most people since it was tucked away like an after thought. If you left before the credits rolled, like most people did…. you missed it. Then the release of The Incredible Hulk did it too. You know what I’m talking about, that commercial, with Him in it. Saying the same thing Sam Jackson said to him at the end of Iron Man. It was five words that made every comic book fan squeal with delight. “We’re putting together a team”.It’s that Holy S#!t moment you’ve always thought would be cool, but no one would have the balls to do it, because….well because its just not done that way. Well the fans have spoken, and Marvel is listening.
It’s a done deal that Marvel will be making The Avengers featuring their most prominent superheroes on the same silver screen (or dare I say digital screen) for the first time. Now the question on everyone’s mind is who? Who will be the featured heroes?
Iron Man director Jon Favreau, who is developing a sequel to be released in April 2010, says Marvel's plan is "to team up the heroes for The Avengers, which is made up of all of the Marvel heroes they have the rights to."
And which characters do they have the rights to exactly?
Favreau says the team's lineup has changed throughout the years, "but the ones Marvel is talking about now are Captain America, Hulk, Thor, Ant-Man and Iron Man. I would love to see that."
So there it is…the best of the best Marvel has to offer on one screen! Even just reading it, doesn’t allow you to appreciate how spectacular this can be!
Kevin Feige, Marvel Studios' president of production, confirms that he's working toward the day when "heroes can cross into each other's adventures and occasionally team up if there's a foe too great for any one of them to handle."
He and screenwriter Zak Penn (X2: X-Men United, Elektra, X-Men: The Last Stand, The Incredible Hulk) are uniting to get Avengers in theaters by summer 2011.
The story continues to give you each here that will be featured and lists his origin, and release date for the film. I always strive to make things easy for my readers so you can either click here to go to the link, or I’ll just list the names below. Either way, its going to be fun the next few years for comic books world wide!
Thor
Release date: Solo film to be released June 4, 2010
Screenwriter: Mark Protosevich (I Am Legend)
Origin: Disabled medical student Donald Blake discovers a mighty hammer that transforms him into his alter ego, the Norse warrior Thor. Lee recalls meeting years ago with Fabio, the romance-novel cover boy, about playing the part. "Someone brought him up to my office to see if he could play Thor," Lee says. "Visually, he would have been good, but in those days we weren't even in a position to do a movie." Lee says Thor "will have to be someone big and strong and kind of blondish. And there should be a nobility."
Ant-Man
Release date: Solo film, but timing not yet available
Director: Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead)
Screenwriters: Wright and Joe Cornish
Origin: Biochemist Hank Pym can alter his size as well as communicate with and control insects. Ant-Man creator Stan Lee recently had lunch with Wright to discuss the direction of the film. "There's never been a hero like this in the movies," Lee says. "I did one comic book called The Man in the Ant Hill about a guy who shrunk down and there were ants or bees chasing him. That sold so well that I thought making him into a superhero might be fun."
The First Avenger: Captain America
Release date: Solo film to be released May 6, 2011
Origin: Captain America made his debut in 1941 as lowly U.S. Army Pvt. Steve Rogers. "We had him peeling spuds," creator Joe Simon recalls. "The government shot him up with a super-serum, which made him the first of what was to be an army of superheroes." Simon and comic-book artist Jack Kirby, who died in 1994, created the character during World War II as an all-American adversary to Adolf Hitler. "We were a war-consumed nation, just like today," he says. "Hitler was a comic foil for our character, and every comic sold out that first year." Simon now suggests that Osama bin Laden might be an appropriate foe for Captain America to pursue. But Captain America more likely will take on his most famous adversary, the Red Skull — a Nazi (later turned Communist) introduced by Simon in Captain America Comics #1.
Nick Fury
Release date: Not intended as a solo film, but character will appear in The Avengers universe in summer 2011
Origin: Lee introduced the character in 1963 in the war magazine Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos. "It did very well," Lee says. "But after a couple of years, I got bored with it and wanted to kill it. Years later, I got a lot of fan mail asking, 'What happened to Sgt. Fury?' In those days, there was a popular show called The Man from U.N.C.L.E., so I brought Nick back as a colonel for S.H.I.E.L.D.: Supreme Headquarters, International Espionage, Law-Enforcement Division."
"Fantastic Four" Marathon Friday on Toon Disney
Toon Disney is slated to air a special marathon of the 1990s animated series featuring The World's Greatest Heroes on Friday, June 27th, 2008.The three-hour marathon will feature the following episodes from both the popular 1990's Fantastic Four animated series and 1990's Spider-Man: The Animated Series, as seen below. All times are listed in Eastern.
-Friday, June 27th, 7:00pm - "The Silver Surfer And The Coming Of Galactus, Part 1"
-Friday, June 27th, 7:30pm - "The Silver Surfer And The Coming Of Galactus, Part 2"
-Friday, June 27th, 8:00pm - "And A Blind Man Shall Lead Them" (with Daredevil)
-Friday, June 27th, 8:30pm - "Nightmare In Green" (with the Incredible Hulk)
-Friday, June 27th, 9:00pm - "Secret Wars, Part 1: Arrival" (Spider-Man: The Animated Series)
-Friday, June 27th, 9:30pm - "Secret Wars, Part 3: Doom" (Spider-Man: The Animated Series)
The marathon will air during the "Jetix" programming block on Toon Disney.
For further information on the 1990s Fantastic Four series, check out the Marvel Animation Age Fantastic Four subsection.
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