Warner Home Video has released a new video clip from the upcoming Green Lantern: First Flight direct-to-video animated feature.
Click HERE to view the clip. Please note the clip requires Quicktime to play.
A co-production of Warner Premiere, DC Comics and Warner Bros. Animation, the direct-to-video Green Lantern: First Flight animated feature will debut Tuesday, July 28th, 2009 on DVD and Blu-ray disc.
G-Force Looks for the Green
Will the guinea pigs of G-Force be the able to steal the box office crown from the boy wizard?That’s what Disney is hoping for the VFX-heavy family adventure movie, which stars CG guinea pigs and opens in nearly 3,700 theaters. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, which has so far grossed more than $184 million at the domestic box office will not relinquish its title easily.
There’s plenty of counter programming out this weekend, with the horror film Orphan opening in 2,750 theaters and the romantic comedy The Ugly Truth, starring Katherine Heigl, Gerard Butler and Cheryl Hines, making its way to 2,882 venues.
The animated Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen are also still hanging on and should continue to do good business.
(Thanks Animation Magazine)
Comic-Con Gets Under Way
If you love animation, comics, toys, movies and the coolest TV shows, odds are you’re in San Diego, on your way to San Diego or wishing you were in San Diego.Fear not, however, as Animation Magazine is on the scene to make sure all the latest and greatest animation news gets covered.
If you’re at the show, be sure to stop by our booth (#2044) and check out our latest and greatest merchandise and subscription offers!
Also, be sure to check out the panel we’re offering in conjunction with Animation Mentor: Drawn to Life: 20 Golden Years of Disney Master Classes. The panel will feature Disney animation producer Don Hahn; Disney animator Glen Keane, creator of Aladdin's Genie Eric Goldberg; director/teacher/animator Tom Sito; and Masked Avenger Studios owner and sculptor Ruben Procopio as they discuss the life and influence of Disney mentor, trainer, and artist Walt Stanchfield. The panel will be held from 3-4 p.m. on Thursday, July 23, in Room 23AB, so stop on by.
(Thanks Animation Magazine)
Comedy Central Plans Drawn Movie
Comedy Central is giving the direct-to-DVD feature treatment to one of its more popluar cult series, announcing the production of Drawn Together: The Movie!The feature, which will be released by Comedy Central Home Entertainment and Paramount Home Entertainment in March, will feature series creators Matt Silverstein and Dave Jeser as writers and executive producers.
The series, which gathered several animated characters into a Real World-style reality show setting, was the network’s first original, 2D animated series. It debuted in 2004 and ran a total of 36 episdoes over three seasons.
More details on the movie will be announced at a Comic-Con panel set for Thursday, July 23, from 7-8 p.m. in Room 6BCF. The panel will feature Silverstein and Jeser, as well as voice actors Cree Summer, James Arnold Taylor, Abbey McBride, Jess Harnell and Tara Strong.
(Thanks Animation Magazine)
Konami’s Metalocalypse: Dethgame Due this Fall
Metal faithful rejoice! Konami and Adult Swim have announced the development of Metalocalypse: Dethgame, coming this fall to Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network.Players assume the role of Klokateers, loyal roadies to the world’s greatest metal band, Dethklok, and are unleashed upon the band’s rabid mutant fans. The game will feature the music of Dethklok, including three new songs from the upcoming “Dethklok 2” album, due out later this fall.
The game was co-created by Brendan Small, co-creator of the Metalocalpyse series and, before that, the cult animated series Home Movies.
"We have gone above and beyond and found the biggest nerds in the industry to help develop and deliver what will without a doubt be the most successful downloadable cartoon death metal game in recorded history," said Small. "I defy anyone to find another death metal cartoon that can claim the same. I think the most important thing to remember beyond the record-setting CD sales, and astounding ratings and growing rabid fans around the world, is that this game is going to be a blast to play. I am very excited to be a part of making video games metal."
Developed by Frozen Codebase, Metalocalypse: Dethgame is slated for release in Q4 2009. For more information on Metalocalypse: Dethgame, please visit: www.konami.com/metalocalypse.
(Thanks Animation Magazine)
Hulu Goes Shojo With Nana, Honey
More shojo anime is coming to the online video site Hulu.com, with VIZ Media properties Nana and Honey & Clover now available on the site. The first 11 episodes of Nana and the first 12 of Honey & Clover went live on July 21. The release of the series on Hulu is part of VIZ’s plan to make hit animated series available through various online video outlets.Honey & Clover is a romantic comedy about art school students who get involved in a love triangle with an innocent and talented 19-year-old. The series is based on the manga by Chica Umino and is rated T+.
Nana is about two girls who share the same name, but are otherwise completely different and become friends. The series is based on Ai Yazawa’s manga, one of the best-selling shojo titles of all time. The series is rated M.
(Thanks Animation Magazine)
Sam Raimi to Lead Warcraft Pic
Is the world ready for another feature based on a popular game? On the eve of Comic-Con, we got word that popular genre director Sam Raimi (Spider-Man trilogy, Drag Me to Hell, The Evil Dead) will helm a new movie based on the Blizzard Entertainment’s Warcraft universe."At its core, Warcraft is a fantastic, action-packed story," says Raimi. "I am thrilled to work with such a dynamite production team to bring this project to the big screen."
The Warcraft feature will be produced by Charles Roven (The Dark Knight, Batman Begins, 12 Monkeys), Alex Gartner, Thomas Tull, Jon Jashni and Joshua Donen.
Blizzard Entertainment's Warcraft universe is a fantasy based on the epic conflict between the opposing forces of the Horde and the Alliance. Since its debut in 1994, Warcraft has developed a loyal following across the globe, with several bestselling, award-winning PC games and a range of popular licensed products. World of Warcraft, Blizzard Entertainment's subscription-based massively multiplayer online role-playing game set in the Warcraft universe, is the most popular game of its kind in the world. Its most recent expansion, Wrath of the Lich King, is the fastest-selling PC game of all time, with more than 2.8 million copies sold in its first 24 hours of availability and more than 4 million in its first month.
(Thanks Animation Magazine)
SDCC ‘09: Craig Yoe
In case you were wondering where our buddy, artist/cartoon historian Craig Yoe will be during the San Diego Comic Con, here’s an abbreviated checklist:
THURSDAY JULY 23RD
- 12:00 to 1:00 pm Fantagraphics Book Signing “The Bizarre Comics of Boody Rogers”booth # 1716
FRIDAY JULY 24TH
- 3:00 to 4:00 pm Abrams Book Signing “Secret Identity: The Fetish Art of Superman’s Co-Creator Joe Shuster”booth # 1216
SATURDAY JULY 25TH
- 11:00 am to 12:00 pm Abrams Book Signing “Secret Identity: The Fetish Art of Superman’s Co-Creator Joe Shuster”booth # 1216
1:00-2:00 pm Comics Arts Conference Session #11: The (Strange) State of Siegel and Shuster Scholarship— Brad Ricca (Case Western Reserve University), director of Last Son, a scholarly documentary on Siegel and Shuster, moderates this conversational panel featuring Craig Yoe (Secret Identity: The Fetish Art of Superman Co-Creator Joe Shuster) and Lauren Agostino, an independent scholar, who will share letters connected to the 1947 lawsuit and portions of the original Superboy script that completely upset a lot of myths about who created Superboy. Room 30AB
Meanwhile, Variety reported that Yoe’s book Secret Identity: The Fetish Art of Superman’s Co-Creator Joe Shuster has optioned for major motion picture by the Gotham Group.
Oh, and if you are in L.A. next Wednesday, check out the “Secret Identity” West Coast L/Raunch Party - Wednesday July 29th from 8:00 to 10:00 pm at MeltDown Comix, 7522 W Sunset Blvd. in Hollywood California.
(Thanks cartoon brew)
SDCC ‘09: Jeremy Bernstein
Animation artist Jeremy Bernstein will be at booth C05 from Thursday to Sunday with his new book: Neon Lights in the Golden Hour. It’s filled with illustrations of owls and poetry. 56 pages. 28 illustrations. 28 original poems. Full color. 6 x 9. Only 200 copies printed! Plus every buyer will get a drawing done inside as well as a 4×3 sticker. Check out Jeremy’s blog to see more images.
(Thanks cartoon brew)
Updated: "Futurama" Voice Cast May Not Return for New Episodes in 2010
The Hollywood Reporter is stating that new actors are being auditioned for the Futurama cast for the return of the show on Comedy Central in 2010. 20th Century Fox TV issued a statement saying that they could not meet the salary demands of the original cast members John DiMaggio, Maurice LaMarche, Billy West, Tress MacNeille and Katey Sagal, with unnamed sources claiming that a deal may yet be made and that the actors were "seeking at least a tenfold increase of what they made when the animated series ran on Fox from 1999-2003."
Update: 7.23.2009 -- From Phil LaMarr (via Facebook): "[20th Century Fox] just dis-invited the cast members who were supposed to appear [at the Futurama Comic-Con panel] so it may not be entertaining but it’ll certainly be interesting."
Furthermore, LaMarr has refuted the previously-reported claim by Variety that the cast was asking for $75,000 per episode: "Apparently Fox has decided to just make up numbers. The $75,000 figure they cite is not even close to what the cast is asking for. If it was, Katey Sagal would be there now during character designs!"
Voice Actors in the News has been adding updates and links on this story as it develops.
SDCC: Jackson & Theron Have Astro Boy Cameos
Director David Bowers has just announced that both Samuel L. Jackson and Charlize Theron are set for roles in this fall's Astro Boy, joining an all-star celebrity cast that includes Freddie Highmore, Nicolas Cage, Kristen Bell, Donald Sutherland and Nathan Lane, among many others.
Though it is unclear exactly what characters either actor will be voicing, Bowers specifically mentioned that Jackson's role is a special cameo, which should come as no surprise as Jackson is a self-professed comic fan.
The Continuing Dino Rampage
I know this sounds repetitious, but there's a reason all the major animation studios keep making sequels:
... The $448 million golden egg laid so quickly overseas by "Ice Age 3" has been one of the season's bigger surprises.
Toon is currently the top earner of the summer (although "Half-Blood Prince" will ultimately overtake it) and is on the verge of surpassing the $456 million earned by "Ice Age: The Meltdown" over its entire foreign run.
Indeed, "Dawn of the Dinosaurs" will soon pass WB's "The Dark Knight," which cumed $468.6 million internationally.
...Box office observers say "Dawn of the Dinosaurs," helped by the extra cost of 3-D tickets, has a good chance of becoming the top-grossing animated title of all time at the international B.O., surpassing Pixar's "Finding Nemo" ($524 million).
Toon is now the biggest film of all time in Russia and a number of Latin American countries, including Mexico, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador and Uruguay. And in Brazil on Tuesday, "Ice Age 3" managed to outdo "Half-Blood Prince." ...
You can hardly blame our fine, entertainment congloms for making IIs, IIIs and IVs when all those foreigners keep flinging money at their newer installments of old standbys. (Not to mention the heavy coin that flows out of the U.S. of A.) Because as a wise old film editor once said to me:
"In Hollywood, a good movie is a movie that makes a lot of money."
(Thanks Animation Guild Blog)
Fox Auditioning Fans for 'Simpsons 20th Anniversary Special'
Morgan Spurlock, Producer and Director of The Simpsons 20th Anniversary Special — In 3-D! On Ice will be holding an open casting call “for real-life Simpsons” at the San Diego Comic-Con this Saturday, July 25th from 10 AM – 8 PM at the Marriott Hotel and Marina next to the convention center.
Fans who resemble Simpsons characters in real life, are wearing a Simpsons costume, or who do imitations of Simpsons character voices are encouraged to come out to audition in person. And if fans are unable to attend Comic-Con, they are encouraged to send their auditions (photos, audio and video) to RealLifeSimpsons@gmail.com.
Here’s the promo video from Fox Broadcasting:
More 'Batman/Superman: Public Enemies' Details Revealed
Voice Actors in the News has posted highlights of a four-page feature article on Batman/Superman: Public Enemies in Life Story: Movie Magic Magazine which includes interviews with voice actors Kevin Conroy (Batman/Bruce Wayne), Tim Daly (Superman/Clark Kent), Clancy Brown (Lex Luthor), script writer Stan Berkowitz, and supervising producer Michael Goguen.
The article reveals character and plot details, and includes four cast/crew photos.
80's Singer John Oates' Mustache Headlines New Web Animation
The Hollywood Reporter notes the latest would-be star in the world of web animation: the mustache of singer John Oates, half of the 80's pop duo Hall and Oates. Last Tuesday, the webtoon J-stache premiered on the comedy website FunnyOrDie.com, accompanied by the mustache's weblog at jstache.com. While Oates and his "obnoxious, beer-swilling, skirt-chasing" mustache parted ways after a John Lennon tribute concert in Tokyo in 1990, the mustache (voiced in the cartoon by Dave Attell) has since been working to lure Oates back into the life of a rock star. The animation is a product of Primary Wave Music Publishing, which owns a majority stake in some of the biggest hits in Hall & Oates' musical catalog and is apparently in negotiations with several networks for distribution and broadcast rights to the series.
Rumors of the return of David Bowie's hair, Billy Idol's lips, and Kajagoogoo's kajagoogoos could not be confirmed at press time.
(NOTE: Oates' facial hair apparently lives quite a life of rock-star debauchery, so many of the links above contain mature content.)
Briefly: "Masters of Russian Animation," 2009 Seoul Int'l Cartoon & Animation Fest
* The short film compilation "Masters of Russian Animation" will be screened on August 15-16, 2009, at the Community Music Center in San Francisco, CA. World music quarted Gojogo will be performing new original instrumental music for the films, which were created in Soviet Russia from 1969 to 1984. [AWN]
* Animation Insider previews the highlights of the the 2009 Seoul International Cartoon & Animation Festival, running from July 22-26, 2009, in Seoul, South Korea.
"Variety" Spotlight on Hayao Miyazaki
Variety has posted a host of articles focusing on Studio Ghibli director Hayao Miyazaki, in advance of his appearance at the San Diego Comic Con International 2009 and the North American premiere of his latest movie Ponyo. Included are articles on the efforts to raise Miyazaki's profile (and Ponyo's box office receipts), comments from his many admirers in the artistic world, and the translation and dubbing efforts of Don and Cindy Hewitt.
Aniboom and Marvel Team-Up for Motion Comics Initiative
Aniboom and Marvel Comics have announced a collaborative effort to give the Aniboom community a chance to create original motion comics using some of Marvel's iconic array of superheroes. A panel of Marvel Comics creative talent will select the best motion comic of the submission, winning the animator a $10,000 prize and a showcase for their work across Marvel's digital network. The contest will launch on August 18, 2009.
The full press release follows:
VIRTUAL ANIMATION STUDIO ANIBOOM PARTNERS WITH MARVEL TO CREATE ORIGINAL MOTION COMICS CONTEST FEATURING RENOWNED SUPER HEROES WOLVERINE, THE HULK AND NOVA
Aniboom Community of Nearly 8000 Animators from Across the Globe to Have Opportunity to Compete for Chance to Have Their Original Motion Comic Interpretations of Stories Featuring These Heroes to be Spotlighted on Marvel.com
Motion Comics to Be Based on Acclaimed Marvel Stories Written by Hot Marvel Comic Talent
New York, NY, July 22, 2009 – Aniboom, the world’s first virtual animation studio, today announced a collaboration with Marvel Entertainment, one of the world's most prominent character-based entertainment companies. Through the partnership, animators registered with the Aniboom community, which currently consists of nearly 8,000 professional-level animators, will have the opportunity to create unique motion comics based on comic book stories starring such renowned Super Heroes as the Hulk, Wolverine and Nova. The winning Aniboom animator – as determined by a blue ribbon panel of Marvel Comics creative talent -- will have their work showcased across Marvel’s digital network, including Marvel.com, as well as receive a $10,000 grand prize. The competition will launch on August 18 at aniboom.com
In addition to showcasing the Hulk, Wolverine and Nova characters, this motion comics creation project with Aniboom also provides Marvel with high profile promotion for its newest digital endeavor. One of the hottest new entertainment categories for Marvel, motion comics refashion some of the world’s most popular comic book content into brand-new entertainment that remains true to the heritage of panel-by-panel graphic storytelling. With groundbreaking graphics, sensational soundscapes and the explosiveness of the Marvel Universe, Marvel motion comics bring to life favorite comics, authors and artists in a never-before-seen way.
Aniboom’s community of animators will have the opportunity to create motion comics for classic Marvel Universe storylines, including Hulk vs. Wolverine and Nova. The Hulk vs. Wolverine story was written by acclaimed film, television and comic book writer Jeph Loeb (“Heroes”, “Lost” and “Smallville” and Marvel’s The Ultimates and Captain America). The Hulk vs. Wolverine features art by Ed McGuinness (Hulk, TheUltimates, Deadpool). Animators will also have access to a Nova story, written by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning (War of Kings, Annihilation) with art by Kev Walker (Marvel Zombies, Exiles, The Eternal).
Marvel will provide the original art, voiceovers, soundtracks and storylines, giving the animators the opportunity to put these stories in motion and compete for best creativity in execution. Five finalists chosen by a panel of Marvel judges will each receive $2,000 to expand their motion comic into a full-length story. These five, plus one additional “wildcard” finalist, will compete for the grand prize of $10,000. The Top 50 motion comic submissions – as voted on by the Aniboom community – will each receive a free one-year subscription to Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited, which features online versions of your favorite Marvel Comics that are created from the original artwork used to print them. This easily accessible online library has over 6,000 comics, and new comics are being added each month.
“Creating motion comics is an amazing new challenge to our community of animators to explore – it’s quite different from the programming development we’re doing with Fox and History Channel,” said Uri Shinar, founder and CEO of Aniboom. “The Marvel Universe is one of the most vibrant story and character libraries, beloved by Aniboom’s animators worldwide. Our partnership with Marvel provides a very efficient model for creating quality, versatile content.”
John Dokes, Vice President, Sales and Marketing for Marvel Entertainment, added, “We are excited to work with Aniboom’s virtual studio for this innovative new motion comic project, combining the work of Marvel’s esteemed comic book artists and writers with some of the best animation talent from the Aniboom community to create unique new content presentation variations for Marvel fans. These new motion comics will be the latest in an ongoing array of exciting new things to come to the Marvel Universe.”
Aniboom’s content creation competition with Marvel comes off the heels of the HISTORY competition announced earlier this month, where Aniboom’s community of animators were invited to create short form animations for the highly anticipated The People Speak film airing on HISTORY later this year. Additionally, Aniboom has partnered with Fox Broadcasting Company and 20th Century FOX Television in a search of a new signature holiday special with their FOX-Aniboom Holiday Animation Challenge. The contest is generating substantial buzz and as of July 15, entries from up-and-coming animators around the world can now be seen and commented on at www.Aniboom.com. The winner will be chosen later this year.
Oops! - iNext Reveals Next Series
iNext Creator, a Taipei-based CG studio that specializes in character animation for kids, created this series, titled Oops!, which stars a mischieveous bunny who turns household items into weapons. This episode riffs on Transformers.
Rigaud’s Copy and Clone
Copier coller (Copy and clone) is a Louis Rigaud’s diploma project from his studies at l’École supérieure des Arts décoratifs in Strasbourg. It’s a clever metaphor that illustrates the potential harm that may already be happening by way of animal cloning.
Supinfocom Arles Students Trip to Candyland
Laurent Harduin, Delphine Bourgois, Victor Phrakornkham, Pierre-Vincent Cabourg and Fanny Vergne, 5 former students at France’s Supinfocom Arles school, created this 6-minute CG short staged in a world made of candy. The film, titled Miam!, answers the burning question - what lies above the candy shelves at the supermarket?
… and here’s a making of featurette in French, with English subtitles:
Sesame Workshop’s Spike and Bubbles
Check out this beautiful short produced at Dancing Diablo. Lineboil.com contributor Dan Forgione was the animation director on the piece, which was produced for Sesame Workshop. It’s titled Spike and Bubbles.
H-B voice actor Bruce Watson, 68, takes own life
Bruce Watson, the voice of Phineas Fogg, Jr. in Hanna-Barbera's 1969 series Around the World in 79 Days, died June 11 in his unfinished home on the foothills of the Manzano Mountains in New Mexico, just south of Albuquerque. He was 68.Watson "took his own life in a horrific act of self-violence... after a long, hard-fought and tragic struggle with mental illness," his nephew Randy wrote on his blog. "It was an impulsive act in a fit of pain and rage."
Watson guested as Crewman Green in "The Man Trap," the first Star Trek episode to air on television. He died exactly 10 years after Star Trek co-star DeForest Kelley.
Around the World in 79 Days was a segment of the ABC series The Cattanooga Cats.
Watson also voiced D'Artagnan in The Three Musketeers, a segment of H-B's The Banana Splits Adventure Hour, which aired on NBC in 1968-69.
He continued doing voice work as a professional reader for audiobooks when his acting career slowed.
Many of Watson's TV appearances were as "expendable" characters, said his nephew.
"That's the person you pull up from the hull of the ship, or out of the Western town, or off the side of the road when the plot requires a sacrificial death. Not a main character, but someone, well, expendable. As a result, Bruce's appearances on shows were, by necessity, limited."
Born on July 27, 1940, Watson was a nephew of Gene Lockhart. His first TV role was as Ted Stover in the 1961 My Three Sons episode "Trial by Separation."
He also guested on such series as Bonanza, Mission Impossible, Adam 12, Mannix, The Mod Squad, Gunsmoke and Dragnet. His last screen appearance was in "Angel on the Line," a 1981 episode of Charlie's Angels.
In films, Watson appeared in the 1966 drama This Property Is Condemned, the 1971 war drama Johnny Got His Gun, and two 1975 movies: the blaxploitation feature Bucktown and the independent thriller The Swinging Barmaids, in which he played the lead role. He was also in the 1977 TV-movie Billy: Portrait of a Street Kid, starring LeVar Burton.
"Crewmember Green suffered from manic depression. A condition he fought all his life," his nephew said. "He was, for the most part, able to function amazingly well. And then not so much.
"In Hollywood, Bruce was expendable. Bruce's dream was expendable. It's the kind of dream you pull up when the plot line requires a dreamer and a tragedy."
The Movie Based On Gerry Anderson's UFO Is Closer To Reality!!
Merrick here...
Visual effects guru Matthew Gratzner has been attached to direct a bigscreen adaptation of Gerry Anderson's UFO television series; the show ran for 26 episodes back in the early 70s. Gratzner was a VFX Supervisor on THE FOUNTAIN, IRON MAN, HANCOCK, NATIONAL TREASURE, and Scorsese's forthcoming SHUTTER ISLAND.
A script has been written by Ryan Gaudet and Joseph Kanarek. Gratzner's studio has begun developing concept art and pre-visualizations; after they're completed, the picture will be shopped for financing.
Like the Gerry Anderson series, the film will revolve around Shado (Supreme Headquarters Alien Defense Organization), a secret military operation hidden beneath a Hollywood studio, whose operatives battle an alien race that has been kidnapping and killing humans for decades and using the body parts.
...says Variety HERE.
I really loved this show; as stiff and cheesy as it was, there's a great concept waiting to be exploited if its essence is approached seriously - and potentially some truly bad ass design work to be found.
The TV show was the first fully adult program created by the Andersons, who up until that point had been making more kid-friendly fare such as Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlet, Stingray and Fireball XL5 filmed in their Supermarionation technique of using advanced and detailed puppets/marionettes.
If you've never seen it, the entirety of the original UFO is available through Netflix - or can be purchased for around $40 HERE.
No word yet on casting, or if the show will preserve the highly memorable purple wigs sported by a number of female cast members. The last Gerry and Sylvia Anderson show to make the transition to the big screen, Thunderbirds, directed by Jonathan Frakes, was a critical and financial flop.
More details about the series can be found HERE or HERE.
(Thanks Aint It Cool)
Frank Miller working on 300 sequel?
It looks like graphic novel icon Frank Miller, who changed the art form back in the 1980s with his The Dark Knight Returns, is setting aside his Batman vs. Al-Qaeda book for the time being. According to the Hollywood Reporter's Risky Business blog, Miller is working on a graphic novel follow up to 300 that will serve as the basis for a sequel to director Zack Snyder's huge 2006 hit.
No firm word word yet on whether or not Miller's graphic novel is a true sequel to 300, a prequel, or a sequel that focuses on a new group of characters... which, given the mortality rate of principals in the first movie, seems a likely route for the new story arc to take.
There are early indications that 300 director Zack Snyder and screenwriter Kurt Johnstad will be returning for the new movie, but nothing is confirmed at this point. Producers Gianni Nunnari and Mark Canton have reportedly been pushing for a sequel to the $400 million-grossing, spears-and-loincloths hit for some time.
We can only hope the Meet the Spartans guys don't know about this yet.
Comic-Con: Seth Rogen, Michel Gondry & Evan Goldberg Unveil Green Hornet's Black Beauty
"The Green Hornet" star and co-writer Seth Rogen, his writing partner Evan Goldberg and director Michel Gondry kicked off the 2009 Comic-Con in San Diego in grand fashion this evening, unveiling the film's "Black Beauty" -- a night-black, gadget-filled car that Green Hornet and his sidekick Kato will use in the film.
The debut of the tricked-out ride earned a fair share attention from fans -- including the trio of filmmakers, who each posed for photos around the car like regular ol' conventioners after the vehicle was revealed.
"Sometimes you have to go a long way to get back to where you started," Rogen told MTV News. "We went to a lot of major auto manufacturers who pitched different designs and different futuristic takes on it. To us, it was important that it seem like a guy could actually build this car, that it was something you could use on the streets. We ended up falling back on the original '66 Chrysler Imperial."
Comic-Con: 'Green Hornet' Cast Reveals Cameron Diaz, Nicolas Cage Character Names, Details
It’s been a busy last few days for Seth Rogen and his “Green Hornet” team, who kicked off Comic-Con Wednesday by unveiling The Black Beauty -- the iconic car that the funnyman will be driving when cameras soon begin rolling on the 2010 release. After the unveiling of the sleek auto, we also got them to cough up the name of Cameron Diaz and Nicolas Cage’s characters in the film, as well as some other brand-new details.
“Lenore Case, would be her role,” Rogen said of Diaz, confirming that out of the several female leads in the “Green Hornet” radio, TV and movie incarnations over the last 70 years, the “Charlie’s Angels” star will be playing the character nicknamed “Casey.” “Assuming all the deals close, which it looks like they will."
“In the original show there was Britt Reid, Kato and Lenore Case their secretary,” explained Evan Goldberg, Rogen’s longtime writing/producing partner. “She was one of the only people who knew they were The Green Hornet and Kato. Cameron Diaz is a new development, we’re real excited, she plays a secretary for Britt Reid.”
As director Michael Gondry was quick to point out, however, their take on Casey will be quite different – including a Lois Lane-like obliviousness to GH’s identity, and an affinity for crime TV.
“The idea is that in the first episode -- let’s say that we’re going to do a lot of sequels -- in this story, she doesn’t know the identity of The Green Hornet yet,” explained the “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” filmmaker. “But I don’t want her to just be there, not doing much. She’s a crime specialist, a big fan of the forensics TV shows [like 'CSI'] ; there’s a flashback where she surprises her husband by discovering he’s cheating on her. She’s gone through all sorts of forensics evidence to prove that, and then she ends up seeing her husband having sex with his girlfriend in their bedroom. That’s how she starts [in ‘Green Hornet’], and then she goes back to work.”
Through her love for crime shows, Diaz’s character unwittingly masterminds the Green Hornet’s early missions.
“Basically, Kato and Britt have no idea how to become criminals. They want to be criminals -- that’s their way to fight crime -- to be criminals themselves,” revealed Gondry. “So they ask her what they should do, and she doesn’t know she’s talking to The Green Hornet, but she gives them indications by saying ‘I think the Hornet will do this and this,’ and then they go out and do what she said. Later on, she’ll say ‘See? I was right!’ And that’s the humor of her character."
"I think there is a very funny trio with Britt, Kato and Lenore," said Gondry. "She likes Kato better, which gets Britt a little mad. There is a good thing forming there in the story.”
According to Goldberg, Casey is one of several classic characters they’re bringing back. “We still need to cast the character Mike Axford -- the head editor of the paper -- then there’s District Attorney Frank Scanlon from the show. Their roles aren’t as big in our movie, but we tried to keep the names around.”
“We also tried to work with some of the villains of the show,” Goldberg said of the attempts that eventually put Nicolas Cage into the character of Chudnofsky, a gangster. “But that didn’t work out. Our main things are Britt Reid, Kato and Lenore.”
Comic-Con: New 'Jonah Hex' Poster With Josh Brolin & Megan Fox Revealed!
Among all of the visual stimuli teasing comic book movie fans at this year's Comic-Con, a new poster for "Jonah Hex" was quietly unfurled, offering a nice peek at stars Josh Brolin and Megan Fox. Some fuzzy images of the poster have been popping up around the 'Net in the last 24 hours, but here's a good look at the new promo image for "Jonah Hex" that's now available on Yahoo Movies. Check it out:
Comic-Con: Next Wave Of DC Motion Comics Announced - Get Your First Look At 'Superman: Red Son' Here
At a Comic-Con panel today, Warner Bros. announced three more additions to their Motion Comics line, which previously saw "Watchmen" being adapted in numerous chapters. The projects on the docket include Mark Millar's "Superman: Red Son" (an alternate timeline tale where Superman landed in Communist Russia rather than Smallville, Kansas), "Batgirl: Year One" and "Batman: Black and White Collection 2."
The comics will be available through iTunes, with "Red Son" and "Batgirl" hitting the digital airwaves first. Catch a sneak peek at "Red Son" below, and then click here to download it for free.
Comic-Con: Sequel gets name - Tron Legacy
Disney announced the name of the new Tron movie at Comic-Con today:
Tron Legacy
"It's basically a story about a son's search for his father," star Jeff Bridges told the audience in San Diego. "The first Tron, when we made that, ... there was no Internet. Cell phones were these big things you carried around in a [case]. ... So what you saw was so new and fresh, ... and i guarantee that you're going to get that same kind of pop with this one. Everything is going to be superized.
More on Tron Legacy from Comic-Con later.
Comic-Con: Tim Burton on his weird new vision for Alice
Alice in Wonderland seems as suited to Tim Burton's distinct vision as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory or Sleepy Hollow, and the quirky director told reporters that he's come up with a new vision for the classic material in a news conference today at Comic-Con in San Diego.
The images of the film's characters so far released confirmed the Burton aesthetic, albeit heightened by a blend of costume, animation and visual effects technology. Burton himself introduced a 3-D trailer of trippy, psychedelic images from the movie, which wowed the Hall H audience (and Disney host Patton Oswalt) so much, it was screened three times to wild cheers.
What Burton feels is a really new vision for the Lewis Carroll tale is a cohesive story. "The emotional connection came from the fact of seeing other movie versions of it that I never felt an emotional connection to," Burton said. "It was always a series with a girl wandering around form one crazy character to another. I never felt any emotional connection, so it was an attempt to give it some framework and emotional grounding that I felt never seen in any version before."
,
Don't worry, the Mad Hatter, Queen of Hearts, et al. will still be plenty crazy. "Every character is weird, but I tried to give them their own specific weirdness. I think all those characters and this imagery sort of indicates some type of mental weirdness that everybody goes through, but the real attempt was to try to make Alice feel more like a story as opposed to a series of events."
Don't worry, Burton's not just throwing Carroll out the window and doing his own version. He found consistent elements from Carroll's stories to tie Alice's encounters together. "A lot of it is based on this 'Jabberwocky' [poem] that's in one of the stories. That's not a big part of the story, but we're just using elements of all the books because that's just the nature. They don't follow a specific structure."
You could also interpret Alice's encounters as disparate elements of the same personality. "It's a fairly universal concept," Burton said. "These kind of stories whether The Wizard of Oz or Alice in Wonderland, it's an internal journey. These characters represent things inside the human psyche. I think that's what every child does. You try to work out problems as you go. As an adult, some people get therapy, some people get to make movies there are different ways of getting this worked out."
Disney will release Alice in Wonderland in 2010.
Comic-Con: Tron Legacy will speak to old, new
A new version of Flynn's Light Cycle
After debuting the title of the Tron sequel and showing early footage in Hall H, the producers and director of Tron Legacy spoke to press about the latest announcements. Director Joseph Kosinski promised fans of the 1982 original many easter eggs in the 2010 sequel, through the 27-and-under sect could still enjoy a fresh new movie.
"I think fans of the original film, there will be a lot in there for them to discover," Kosinski said in a press conference today in San Diego. "It's a movie that even if you haven't seen the original Tron, you'll be able to watch this and get totally wrapped up in the world. If you are a hardcore fan, there are a lot of things hidden in the film you will enjoy. Our crew worked really hard to make sure everything lined up perfectly."
One of the enticing teases was a photo of Tron City, which Kosinski described as the evolution of Tron. "Like I said downstairs, the world of Tron has evolved on its own, like an aquarium," Kosinski continued. "It's disconnected from the outside world for 25 years, so as it's continued to evolve. The scale has gotten bigger, the realism, the physics, the visceral quality of it. I wanted it to feel like we went in and shot everything with motion picture cameras. The line between what's real and not should be blurred."
That evolution means a direct connection to the history established in Tron. Producer Sean Bailey explained, "What we did do was look very closely at the movie and tried to build a mythology between 1982 and 2010," Bailey said during the press conference. "This takes place in 2010 except the history of what happened in 1982 really happened. [The story] considered the original and accepts the original as fact."
Tron Legacy wrapped principal photography last week and will be in post production until 2011.
(ED. Note - Here's some videos I found - I don't know how long they'll be up, so watch 'em while you can...)
Behold The TRON LEGACY Title Design!!
Here's the official title treatment for TRON LEGACY (formerly TRON 2.0, TR2N, TRON, and "That New TRON Movie").
Click on the image to see a larger version -
Comic-Con: Disney unveils first 3-D Tron footage ever
Following presentations for the upcoming Disney films A Christmas Carol and Alice in Wonderland, moderator Patton Oswalt introduced the cast and crew of Tron Legacy, the highly-anticipated sequel to Steven Lisberger's 1982 sci-fi opus. Lisberger, along with Legacy director Joe Kosinsky, Garrett Hedlund, Olivia Wilde, and Jeff Bridges fielded questions from Comic-Con attendees and showed images from the film.
After unceremoniously announcing the film's title, which was broadcast on the main screen while new music by Daft Punk played, Kosinsky introduced a series of images from the new film, including designs for several vehicles. These included pictures of the updated Recognizer, the solar sailer, and of course the newest light cycle, which has evolved since the first film and has advanced five generations. The recognizer is the vehicle Flynn pilots in the original film, although its design is more complicated and mechanical (as opposed to purely geometric). Additionally, Kosinsky briefly described the universe of Tron as of modern day: calling it a "photo-real, or photo-surreal environment," he explained that the original Tron universe has sort of evolved on its own, and the images indicate that much of the world is familiar to fans of the first film, but evolved or updated in a fascinatingly "futuristic" way.
Speaking to Patton Oswalt, Lisberger said that he was reinvigorated by the process of returning to Tron. "I feel like Rip Van Winkle," he said. Discussing how the old film and new one compare, he continued, "we got to get to this frontier first and we got to dream big. {but now,] we just scanned Jeff Bridges for real and put him on the game grid."
Mock-reluctantly, Kosinsky set up a clip from Tron: Legacy in which Sam Flynn, played by Hedlund, revisits Flynn's arcade from the original film. Remarkably, the building looks identical to the way it was some 27 years ago, albeit appropriately aged: video games, all covered with dust-coated plastic, form a maze of entertainment that leads upstairs to Flynn's old residence, complete with caddy-cornered sofa, and then to a wall display that trumpets his company's greatest creation, Tron itself. Pulling a tarp off of the game, he attempts to insert a quarter and play it - and awesomely, it perfectly resembles the look and sound of the actual vintage video game - but it falls on the floor, revealing a scratch on the floor which suggests there's something behind the machine. Pulling the machine aside, Sam discovers a door and enters, flashlight in hand. As he ventures further into the room, the game slides back in front of the door, potentially locking Sam inside.
Fielding a few questions from the audience, Kosinsky said that Daft Punk was a natural choice for them when choosing who would record the score - "how could you not go to those guys?" he asked rhetorically - and went on to reveal that the electronic duo already recorded some 24 tracks for the film. Because time was running short, however, the remainder of the question and answer session was abbreviated, albeit primarily because Patton Oswalt insisted that Kosinsky show the original teaser from last year's Comic-Con, which has since been refitted with 3D.
Announcing that attendees who received coins saying "Tron" and "Flynn's Arcade" upon entry were invited to join a "Friends of Flynn" party outside the convention center later that day, the cast and crew departed as Tron's legacy lingered in the air.
Comic-Con: Avatar 3-D footage wows Comic-Con
Screenshots from the video game
After an afternoon at San Diego's Comic-Con packed with amazing new revelations, including a first look at images from Tron and clips from New Moon, James Cameron offered fans the first-ever look at footage from his forthcoming, highly-anticipated film Avatar. And while his prerecorded comments at yesterday's IMAX event might have suggested that the filmmaker's confidence outweighed his capabilities, rest assured that the 20 minutes or so of material he screened more than lives up to expectations in a full 3-D screening this afternoon.
The footage drew cheers of wild appreciation from the crowd, and Cameron, clearly pleased, said, "Everybody always asks: So where've you been? Well, that's where I've been. Pandora."
The first scene introduces Jake (Sam Worthington), a paraplegic grunt who serves on the remote planet of Pandora under Commander Miles Quarich, a gruff military man who reminds one of familiar drill sergeants like R. Lee Ermey in Full Metal Jacket. Jake jokingly absorbs Quarich's motivational speech about the sad fact that not all of his fellow soldiers will survive the battle against the Na'vi, an indigenous race of alien creatures: "nothing like an old school safety brief to put your mind at ease." Enlisting for the military's avatar program, which allows the personality of humans to be projected into clones of the Na'vi people, Jake lies down in a tomblike chamber where his brain is connected to that of his designated host. Interestingly, he and his companions' avatars look remarkably similar to their human counterparts, even though they are in fact tall, blue-skinned creatures with tails, whose primitivism is exceeded only by their grace and beauty.
After a literally shaky start in his new body, which affords Jake the chance to walk, he descends to the surface of Pandora, where he is endlessly fascinated by the flora and fauna. While exploring a patch of indigenous, orange conical flowers that retract when touched, he accidentally reveals himself to a nearby creature that design-wise seems to combine a hammerhead shark with a prehistoric triceratops. Ushered by his fellow Avatar, Grace (Sigourney Weaver), to stand his ground, he scares off the creature and its herd, only to discover that what in fact drove them away was an even more fearsome creature, a black, reptilian monster that chases him deep into the forest. Narrowly escaping by distracting the creature with his backpack, he falls to the ground, and the scene comes to an end.
Cutting next to a shot of Jake alone in the rainforest, he tries to hunt, or perhaps protect himself with a spear. High above in the trees, an actual Na'vi native, stealthily aims a bow and arrow at him and plans to kill him. Before she shoots, however, a small, wispy jellyfish-like creature floats down and perches on the end of her arrow. Mysteriously enchanted by the creature, she lowers her weapon as Jake wanders further into the lush vegetation. Before long, however, he is attacked by a band of small creatures who look and act like wild dogs. The female Na'vi, whose name is Natiri (Zoe Saldana), bravely saves Jake's life, twisting and turning in a balletic display of athleticism. But when he approaches her to thank her for saving his life, she reprimands him, calling him a baby who knows not what he does.
He challenges her, asking why then she saved him from death, and she explains that "he has a strong heart." As he follows her back to the treehouse community where she lives, more of those jellyfish creatures float down and swarm him, which seems to indicate that he is indeed a special person even among these magical beings. But before this is explored, the footage cuts to a scene in which Jake and Natiri are training to tame these large winged creatures, like a cross between a Nazgul and a horse. Negotiating a narrow cliff that runs beneath a waterfall, Jake emerges onto a cliff face where a herd of pterodactyl-like monsters are shrieking at the Na'vi creatures who have invaded their territory. After being told that his supposed "mate" would be the creature that would try to kill him, Jake challenges one of the creatures and it responds.
After the two of them grapple with one another for a few minutes, Jake successfully mindmelds with the beast by lassoing its ear and weaving his own animal tendrils into its. He is told that he now has control of the creature, and when it is suggested that he tell it to fly, it promptly dives off the cliff face and clumsily begins weaving in and around its fellow flying monsters. But just as he seems destined to crash land atop the beast's back, he demands that the creature fly straight, at which point it begins gracefully gliding through the air. Jake, empowered as he controls the creature, instructs it to bank left, and the screen goes to black as he flies off into Pandora's expansive landscape.
Even such a thorough description fails to do justice to the footage: This truly is something unlike anything any filmmaker has ever created, both technically and artistically. The images themselves are breathtaking in their beauty - as when Jake, intoxicated by this new world, runs free and excited through a landscape that looks as if it's been shot only with black lights. Technically, the 3D looks immaculate, and is fully immersive while not sacrificing the visceral quality that Cameron's action scenes classically possess. But the performances are complete, and the scenes are not purely a technical virtuosity; Worthington, Saldana and Weaver (among others) do a brilliant job investing the characters with depth and emotional dimension.
As the panel came to a close, Cameron revealed that even non-attendees will soon get an opportunity to at least some of the footage from the film prior to release, when he shows 15 minutes of material absolutely for free at IMAX 3D and regular 3-D theaters across the globe. But even if he showed nothing between now and the film's December 18th release date, Cameron has proven that his film shows all signs of being worth the 12-year wait, and that Avatar promises to be one of the biggest and most groundbreaking films of the year, if not all time.
UPDATED!! Comic Con: No Cape For SMALLVILLE’s Superman Costume??
I am – Hercules!!
This just in:
Herc.
Confirming to you the Superman outfit for "Smallville" is real, there is a mad dash to a bunch of Warner reps happening right now.
But your previous report is slightly off --the suit makes its on-screen debut in the Season Nine premiere, which is called "Superman".
from Richerways
That would explain the absence of a cape!
Original post:
We got a tip about a month ago suggesting The CW appears is planning a “Smallville” TV-movie sequel titled “Metropolis” slated to air Christmas of next year. (Official announcement is expected here at Comic Con Sunday.)
Here’s something that just fell into my emailbox from an untested source:
Hey!
Comic Con is fab - yeh, i'm one of those pms-ing Twilight bitches taking over the floor, New Moon roxx!!!
Warner bros reps are grabbing random people at the show and giving them a sneak peek at the new Superman costume for Smallville Me and friends were grabbed by one girl (details below) and taken to a room (down the stairs next to the giant starbucks) and shown it.
it's gobsmackingly awesome! no spandex it looked like leather, its one suit, the top is blue at front and back, red on sides and arms, the trousers are blue at the front and back, red at sides. the superman symbol on the chest protruding out, its red. no cape. it was on a stand we could walk around.
There were no photos allowed, but the lady (name Rosie, slightly bigger build, brown hair) said we could tell others at show, to build hype. They're showing random people the suit throughout today, tomorrow and Saturday, and sunday Tom Welling is flying in just to wear it when its unveilled at for Smallville presentation on sunday.
wanted to email you this right now, back to the show, but Any more questions reply back!
x Anne
(Thanks Aint It Cool)
Wachowskis. McTeigue. NINJA ASSASSIN Trailer. Badass Poster.
MTV has unveiled both a a trailer and poster for NINJA ASSASSIN - from the Wachowskis and V FOR VENDETTA director James McTeigue.
You can view this via the embed below, which originates HERE.
Here's a look at the poster. Click it for a fuller, larger, clearer version!
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