Keanu Reeves as "Plastic Man" for the Wachowskis?

CHUD (http://www.chud.com) has posted a tidbit from a reader who writes into the site about some chatter surrounding a possible "Plastic Man" movie. The reader writes that producer Joel Silver mentioned on a German radio interview that the next project that he and the Wachowski Brothers ("The Matrix," "Speed Racer") may work on is a big screen adaptation of the classic DC Comics character Plastic Man - and that their "Matrix" trilogy star Keanu Reeves may headline it.

Plastic Man was created by Jack Cole in 1941 and tells of a crook named Eel O'Brian who undergoes a reformation - both spiritually and physically - while hiding in a monastery. He changes his ways and vows to fight crime using his rubber-like body abilities.

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Team begins writing "The Hobbit"

TheOneRing.net (http://www.theonering.net) reports that the "Lord of the Rings" team of Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, and Philippa Boyens have started the writing process with co-writer/director Guillermo Del Toro for "The Hobbit" and its sequel, scheduled to be released in Christmas of 2011 and 2012 respectively.

At the earliest, shooting will take place in the fall of 2009. It is expected that Ian McKellen, Andy Serkis and Viggo Mortensen will reprise their roles from the LOTR trilogy. "The Hobbit" is the prequel to the LOTR trilogy and was also written by J.R.R. Tolkien.

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Harry Potter & The Half-Blood Prince" pushed to July 17, 2009

Bad news for "Harry Potter" fans: "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, " which originally was going to be scheduled for release this November, will instead debut in theaters on July 17, 2009. The studio cites the summer family tentpole but perhaps a bigger reason, the writers' strike, as reasons for the delay in the release. The studio was quick to point out that the two films based on the last "Harry Potter" novel will not see a delay in production, however, as a result.

Commenting on the release date change for "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," David Heyman, the producer of all the Harry Potter films, offered, "When Jeff Robinov explained the rationale behind moving the release date of 'Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince' to July 2009, it was immediately apparent that this offered us the potential to reach the widest possible audience. I am extremely proud of this latest film and of the work of David Yates and our incomparable cast; I believe we have developed and pushed the series further still. We are all looking forward to sharing it with Harry Potter fans around the world, even if we have to wait just a bit longer."

David Yates, the director of both "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" and "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" and who will also helm "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," added, "It has been a joy to work on 'Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.' Dan, Rupert and Emma and all our returning young cast continue to blossom, and our new cast members bring fresh color and life to Hogwarts. Even as we put the finishing touches on this latest film, we are already beginning preparations on the final two films--we start filming in February--and I am excited to bring this remarkable series to the exciting and moving conclusion its loyal fans deserve."

source: http://www.cinecon.com/news/1687/harry-potter--the-half-blood-prince-pushed-to-july-17-2009/

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More talks of a "Superman" reboot

It's been hinted repeatedly ever since 2006's disappointing "Superman Returns" that both director Bryan Singer and possibly star Brandon Routh was let go by the studio regarding any future Superman projects. Now, Anne Thompson at Variety has posted on her blog that the studio is once again mulling a reboot of the franchise since Chris Nolan's take on Batman has done so well and the studio is hoping the same can be done for the Superman series.

Thompson writes:

"Today I was told that it is a priority at the studio to find the right direction and if Bryan Singer is willing to do that, fine, but if he gets in the way, he may not stay on the project. There are no writers working on a Superman script now. The studio wants to figure it out. 'It might be better to start from scratch,' one exec admitted. "

source: http://www.cinecon.com/news/1696/more-talks-of-a-superman-reboot/

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Superman Status Update

The debate continues to rage about what Warner Bros. should do with Superman. The last movie, Bryan Singer's Superman Returns, paid homage to the Richard Donner Superman movies without completely updating the franchise the way Christopher Nolan did with Batman Begins.

Fans have been clamoring all over the web--and on this blog--for a complete reboot. And within the halls of Warner Bros. the same debate rages on. They too believe that the last movie didn't break the mold and wound up in some kind of middle limbo. Today I was told that it is a priority at the studio to find the right direction and if Bryan Singer is willing to do that, fine, but if he gets in the way, he may not stay on the project. There are no writers working on a Superman script now. The studio wants to figure it out. "It might be better to start from scratch," one exec admitted.

source: http://weblogs.variety.com/thompsononhollywood/2008/08/superman-status.html

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Fantastic Four Movie Comic Book Adaptation

Probably the biggest complaint I think most comic book fans of the Fantastic Four will have is of the origin of Dr. Doom. In the original comic, Doom’s metal body is just a suit of armor that is incredibly powerful. Doom also gets his powers from sorcery. I understand that there will be many differences in Hollywood productions of movies, but I wonder, if they tried a little harder, I feel they could stay closer to the comic and still tell a great story that many would enjoy. The art is good, but not up to the standards of the current Fantastic Four, with Mike McKone. I have seen other work from Dan Jurgens, and this felt rushed to me. I just didn’t feel that it was the same quality I have seen in his other work. Even though this comic is 51 pages long, the comic can be a bit disjointed at times. This is due to the fact that trying to put a two hour movie into a short comic can be complicated. Just be warned that the comic will sometimes jump from one scene to the next with little transition.

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Angelina Jolie Makes Bid for Catwoman in Next Batman Movie

Sexy action star Angelina Jolie has inquired about playing the feline role of Catwoman in the next Batman sequel--this according to senior Catwoman actress Julie Newmar.
Newmar, who made the role famous in the cornball Batman of the 1960s, told the New York Daily News: "Angelina would own the part. My industry friends tell me (she) has made inquiries about the role. I can understand how it would pique her interest. Catwoman is Batman's one true love. She's tremendously popular with women because she's both a heroine and a villainess."

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Megan Gale Ready to Play Wonder Woman in 2009

Now that George Miller has announced that the Justice League movie is revving up again for 2009, it looks like his planned pick for Wonder Woman, Aussie model turned actress Megan Gale will get her chance at the Amazonian Princess. Check her out! She definitely looks the part...

Earlier, the movie was put off originally as a result of the screen writers strike and then casting issues.

There have been various casting rumours since the Australian director of Mad Max was brought on board, but none have been confirmed until now. Miller seems to have taken a quick look around his back yard and plucked fellow Antipodean Megan Gale from obscurity to star as Wonder Woman.

"She got the job because she blitzed her screen test. I mean, I had no idea she was so good," Miller told Australia's Herald Sun. "She walked into our office in Sydney and read the part. She has done some Italian movies, but I didn't think she would be as good as she was."

Check out the size of her in that video to the right! She is certainly "Amazonian" in stature--otherwise that talk show host must be a midget. And if her acting is anywhere near the lusciousness of the pictoral below. We have a winner!

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Frank Miller and Jason Statham Team-up for Daredevil Reboot?

The rumor mill is offering a second Daredevil movie with the Transporter star as Matt Murdock, a.k.a. Daredevil, and fledgeling director Frank Miller leading the charge.Several entertainment news sites are reporting the possibility of Statham and Miller's involvement in a reboot of Marvel's blind attorney Daredevil.This is all spurious rumor as of now, but it seems a reporter for the LA Times questioned both Miller and Statham at a San Diego bar about a potential pairing on the project. Supposedly, the butt-kicking bloak was excited at the prospect. "Absolutely, just give me the chance, I would love to be Daredevil."

Miller thinks Statham would be a good pick, and liked the idea of another movie. Frank Miller's stint on the Daredevil comic book made his career.

But of course the bigger question is... What does Ben Affleck think about all this?

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McFarlane Doesn't Think Venom Movie will Work

Comic book artist/writer and action figure maker, Todd McFarlane, who is one of the creators of the Marvel villain Venom, doesn't think a Venom movie will do well. Get his take after the jump.But even if the new Venom is "creepier," the artist questioned the idea of a villain being the center character of a Spider-Man spin-off. "I'm thinking about how they want to make anti-heroes nowadays," he said, using the Halle Berry Catwoman film as an example. "Those don't work. The reason they're so cool as a bad guy is because they're bad. And as soon as you try to give too much humanity to them, then you go, no! Now they're not as good as a bad guy because you're trying to redeem them."

He said that although "smart people can make things happen in other ways," he doesn't think Venom can make an audience care about him if he's still a villain. McFarlane said that Don Corleone and the Sopranos are examples of characters who were able to entice viewer sympathy despite their villainy, "but they were human. Can you bring that mentality to Venom and make it work? Or do you make him all bad?

"You're trying to give something to people when they leave. I don't know if you can have a movie about a guy who goes out there and maims everybody and wins all the time," he said. "I don't know what their mindset is and how they can get there other than adding too much niceness to him, but we'll see."

Jim Littler

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Batman Beats Spider-Man for Biggest Comic Book Movie

The Dark Knight has just passed Spider-Man on the domestic blockbuster list to take the title, "biggest comic book movie of all-time" --in North America. Pirates of the Caribbean is its next target.

The Bat-film climbed to 7th place on Tuesday, knocking down Spidey who is now 8th.
Tuesday brings its massive total to $405.7 million after just 19 days. Spider-Man reached $403.7 million domestically during its entire run in 2002.

The movie will next target Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, which sits at #6 with $423.3 million.

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