Happy New Year! Hello 2011!

Happy New Year. Have a great 2011. 2010 was awesome, Let's hope 2011 will be better! 

1 Peter 1:3 

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. (NIV)

Glory to God in highest heaven,
Who unto man His Son hath given;
While angels sing with tender mirth,
A glad new year to all the earth.


“Another fresh new year is here . . .
Another year to live!
To banish worry, doubt, and fear,
To love and laugh and give!

This bright new year is given me
To live each day with zest . . .
To daily grow and try to be
My highest and my best!

I have the opportunity
Once more to right some wrongs,
To pray for peace, to plant a tree,
And sing more joyful songs!”

Avengers Bringing In Another Heroine?

While recent Avengers rumors have been debunked a new one coming from HollywoodReporter seems a bit more reasonable. They say that Marvel Studios is looking to add another actress to balance the mostly male cast. It's interesting they mention it could be Wasp who had been mentioned over a year ago. Yet it could also be Scarlet Witch who was going be featured in Iron Man 2. Witch was cut out out the film when Emily Blunt left the role of Black Widow and was filled by Scarlett Johansson. Director Jon Favreau stated in an interview with Wizard Magazine Johansson was originally lined up for Scarlett Witch.

 Of course this could also mean a slew other female characters could come into play. These could include Maria Hill, Carol Danvers (Ms. Marvel), Mockingbird (Hawkeye's partner), Sharon Carter and Jessica Drew (Spider-Woman). 

My best and worst moments of 2010 in technology & cricket.

MY BEST & WORST TECH MOMENTS OF 2010.

BEST: 
: Facebook 500 million users reached.
: Mark Zuckerberg - TIME's Person of the Year.
: Facebook Overtakes Google To Become Most Visited Website In 2010.
: Windows 7 and Internet Explorer hit market milestones.

WORST:
: Apple Overtakes Microsoft As Biggest Tech Firm.
: Microsoft Tried, and Failed, to Buy Facebook.

MY BEST & WORST CRICKET MOMENTS OF 2010.

BEST:

: Official England Cricket retaining the Ashes.
: England beat Cricket Australia to win the World Twenty20 in Barbados.

WORST:

: BLACKCAPS lost a five-match one-day series in Bangladesh.
: Mumbai Indians lost to ChennaiIPL by 24 runs in the IPL - Indian Premier League finals.

Michael Giacchino Could Score Captain America?

With a film that has director Joe Johnston who worked on both Star Wars and Indiana Jones it's expected Captain America's score could be just as iconic. Now there is word online via CBM that Michael Giacchino (Up, Star Trek, Let Me In, MI3) has been sent the script which could mean he's been hired to score the WWII superhero film.

Michael is no stranger to WWII scores as he worked on multiple titles for the Medal of Honor and Call of Duty video game franchises. He recently won an Oscar for his score of Pixar's Up and has been in high demand since. Giacchino is busy these days working on music for John Carter of Mars, Super8 and Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol so it's not a sure thing. Hopefully he can do for Cap what was able to do for the Star Trek reboot.

Jeremy Renner's Hawkeye To Have Cameo In Thor

There had been word from Jeremy Renner (Hurt Locker, The Town) back in 2009 when he spoke to Empire that his character Hawkeye could appear in Thor. Now TheWrap reports that someone has seen an early cut of Thor and confirms that Hawkeye indeed is in the film. Nick Fury on the other hand who had been attached to early cast listings of Thor is not.

While they don't mention the extent of Clint Barton's involvement in the film. It's expected the cameo could be similar to apperances made by Nick Fury, Agent Coulson and Black Widow in previous films. It would be sort of an introduction to the archer before The Avengers in 2012 which is very smart on the studio's part. The less time spent explaining new characters in Avengers the better.

Merry Christmas!!

God became man in Jesus Christ, he was born of the Virgin Mary and today he is reborn in the Church. He brings to all the love of the Father in heaven. He is the Saviour of the world! Do not be afraid, open your hearts to him and receive him, so that his Kingdom of love and peace may become the common legacy of each man and woman. Happy Christmas!

Gemma Arterton & Andrew Garfield Joining Michael Mann's Capa

Gemma Arterton revealed to Total Film (via ThePlaylist) that she is replacing Eva Green in Michael Mann's Capa. The film is based on the life of photographer Robert Capa and the novel Waiting For Robert Capa written by Susana Fortes. Arterton also says that Andrew Garfield is lined up for a role I assume Capa.

It's curious when it will actually happen as Mann's Big Tuna sounds like the better project and is currently being scripted by Sheldon Turner (Up In The Air). It would make sense that both actors could be ready to make Capa after their two large productions Spider-Man (Garfield) and Wrath of The Titans (Arterton).

Stephen Doriff Talks Blade Prequel

Deacon Frost has to be one of the greatest on screen Marvel villains so it's no surprise Stephen Doriff wants to continue playing him. Back in 2009 it was reported that Doriff and director Steven Norrington were working on a Blade prequel focusing on Deacon Frost. The prequel could spawn into a new trilogy which made sense since New Line was aiming to reboot the franchise.

The first Blade film was the first serious adaptation of Marvel material and it's first success story even though X-Men gets all the credit. The world Norrington created was a blue print for most of the comic book films we now see which mix comic book elements in a real world film.

Doriff while promoting his current film Somewhere commented on the status of the project (via DarkLordBunnykins) and gives insight of what it could look like. He mentions making a vampire version of Scarface which sounds like a perfect fit for the character. While he seems optimistic the pair doesn't count out throwing out the use of the Frost character to avoid being held back by New Line. It sounds like the studio could be asking for a PG-13 movie which goes against every that Blade had established. By not using the Deacon Frost name they could take their pitch to other studios while still making the film they want to. Currently Steven Norrington is working on his Crow reboot with Mark Wahlberg interested in the lead role (bad idea) so it's unlikely it would get made anytime soon.

RUMOR: Alan Tudyk Playing Hank Pym In Ant-Man?

ComicBookMovie is reporting the rumor that Alan Tudyk will be playing Ant-Man in Edgar Wright's film. While there is no reason to believe their out of the air source. This is pure speculation and wishful thinking until it's backed up by a credible source. It's still interesting and somewhat possible if you think about it.

Tudyk isn't a large film star something Marvel has been keen on when casting their heroes. Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr. (pre-Iron Man) were never known for headlining blockbuster films. Alan like the others is slowly gathering steam playing roles in films like A Knight's Tale, Death At A Funeral, Dale & Tucker Vs Evil and the upcoming Transformers: Dark of The Moon. He even had some scene stealing scenes alongside Kristen Wiig in Knocked Up.

His working relationship with Avengers director/writer Joss Whedon also could come into play. Alan and Joss worked together on the television series/movie Serenity and Dollhouse. They say that Hank Pym will indeed have a cameo in Avengers and will have an after credits scene. Considering Kevin Feige's recent update of Edgar Wright starting work on the second draft of the script it's possible they could be casting. The Avengers script wasn't even finished before they hired Jeremy Renner for Hawkeye.

Actor & Director For Superior To Be Announced In January

Mark Millar has Tweeted that along with a director to be announced in January an actor has been locked in to star in Superior. The comic focuses on a teen with MS who is transformed into his favorite superhero, think Superman meets Big. It mixes well established comic book mythologies from Superman, Thor to Shazam!. Even more impressive is Millar's statement "highest profiled actor of 2010". That is suggestive as there are lots of names that he could be referring to from Ryan Reynolds to Leonardo DiCaprio. The list of actors I have in my head that would consider this project include Sam Worthington and Tom Hardy. Jon Hamm's name has been tossed around by Millar for the film but didn't have a massive breakout in 2010 besides his role in The Town.

Now comes the director involved. I won't pretend to know what direction the film is going since I don't even know which studio has grabbed the project. If it's Universal or Fox I expect someone like Matt Reeves (Cloverfield, Let Me In) could very well be lined up. Reeves has been in contention for both Superman and Wolverine 2. He also made my list of possible directors for Iron Man 3. If it's Warner Bros. Guy Ritchie's name had been thrown around during talks for Nemesis before Tony Scott was hired. Yet since this is too similar to Superman I doubt he'll direct this one considering his relationship with both Warner Bros. and DC Entertainment.

Matthew Vaughn on the other hand could be another person to take on the film. He campaigned with Millar for their own pitch for the Superman reboot to Warner Bros. Vaughn also had been attached to direct Thor before Kenneth Branagh came on board. While Matthew has stated he believes the superhero film genre is on it's last legs he went on to direct X-Men First Class and is still interested in making Kick-Ass 2. Superior is a very different take on the whole genre and could interest lots of director, so who knows?

McG & Breck Eisner Frontrunners To Direct Ouija

TheHollywoodReporter says that McG (This Means War) and Breck Eisner (The Crazies) are the frontrunners to direct Universal's Ouija. The supernatural adventure film written by Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz (Tron Legacy) is becoming a priory for the studio with a set release date of November 9th 2012. It's being compared to films like The Mummy, Indiana Jones and Pirates of The Caribbean.

Other directors who presented pitches included Sylvain White (The Losers), Pierre Morel (Taken), Scot Stewart (Legion) and John Moore (Max Payne). McG would be my choice out of the two since the Charlie Angels films were entertaining enough and even his disappointing Terminator Salvation was still fun to watch. His next film This Means War could very well be a great action comedy.

Joseph Kosinski Teases The Return of Cillian Murphy In Tron 3

Tron Legacy director Joseph Kosinski was dropping hints on what could possibly go on in Tron 3 (via SpinoffOnline). While I'll avoid spoiling the film one character he mentions spends all of two minutes in the movie. Ed Dillinger Jr., the son of the first film's villain shows up in a very brief cameo played by Cillian Murphy (Inception). You don't get a great read on the character knowing if he's good or bad but I'd like to see him return none the less.

It's unknown at this point when we could see Tron 3 go into production since it's currently at the scripting stage and has yet to be greenlit by Disney. Tron Legacy writers have been put onto working the sequel and could very well have something for the studio soon. Disney has been vocal of rounding out a trilogy. Tron very well could be the studios' science fiction version of Pirates of Carribean and develop into a decent franchise. It's expected Disney could be waiting on the final worldwide box office returns before moving forward with a sequel.

Disney has two other projects lined up for director Joseph Kosinski. The first one is a remake of the classic Disney science fiction movie Black Hole. That one is still in the scripting phase with Travis Beacham (Clash of The Titans, Pacific Rim) working on it. The other is an original concept from Kosinski titled Oblivion. The studio has hired Oscar winning writer William Monahan (Departed, Kingdom of Heaven) to handle the script. The film revolves around a repairman named Jak who finds himself on a life-altering adventure after he discovers a mysterious woman in a crashed pod

Christian Bale To Star In Chinese Epic Nanjing Heroes

Christian Bale is coming into his own lately with his performance in The Fighter gathering tons of Oscar buzz. He's also primed to start production The Dark Knight Rises in the fall. His next project according to TheHollywoodReporter will be Nanjing Heroes a film focusing on the Japanese invasion of Nanjing during 1937 that lead to the Nanjing Massacre.

It's not new subject matter for Bale as a child actor he starred in Steven Spielberg's Empire of The Sun. Where he played a young British boy living in China and is forced into an interment camp but still idolizes Japanese pilots. The era has also been used as settings for recent films such as Shanghai and City of War.

The Chinese production will cost $90 million and will be the one of the most expensive films made in China along with John Woo's Red Cliff. It will be directed by Zhang Yimou who is best known to western audiences for making the Jet Li epic Hero. Zhang has hired Dark Side FX to handle the film's effects they've worked on Saving Private Ryan and The Dark Knight.

TRAILER: Hanna

My Top 10 Films of 2010

2010 was full of great and not so great flicks. Here is my list of my favorite ten films of year. I based this on my personal scale of enjoyment. Of course I will put out a revised version when I see films like True Grit and The Fighter.

MY TOP 10 Films of 2010

  1. The Social Network
  2. Inception
  3. The Town
  4. Kick-Ass
  5. Scott Pilgrim
  6. 127 Hours
  7. Shutter Island
  8. Black Swan
  9. Nowhere Boy
  10. Animal Kingdom




HONORABLE MENTIONS

BEST HORROR: Let Me In

BEST ACTION: The Expendables & Machete

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE:  Snabba Cash (Sweden)

BEST ANIMATED: How To Train Your Dragon

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENTS

1. Iron Man 2
2. Wolfman
3. The A-Team
4. Daybreakers
5. MacGruber

Red Epic 3D Cameras Will Be Used For Alien Prequel

Cinematographer Dariusz Wolski confirms via BleedingCool Ridley Scott's Alien Prequel (aka Paradise) will also be using the revolutionary Red Epic 3D camera system. Wolski is a very talented cinematographer working on all four Pirates of The Caribbean films, Alice In Wonderland, The Crow and Dark City. His addition along with art director Peter Dorme (Goldeneye, Casino Royale, Dark Knight, Sunshine, John Carter of Mars,) and production designer Arthur Max (Se7en, American Gangster, Gladiator, Robin Hood) makes for a excellent crew being lined up for the films. Other high profile productions using the Red Epics include Peter Jackson's Hobbit and Marc Webb's Spider-Man. Noomi Rapace is still rumored as the frontrunner for the lead role but zero casting announcements have been made by the studio.

TRAILER: PAUL

Schwarzenegger & Tom Arnold Teaming Up For Expendables 2?

Tom Arnold was talking up a new film with former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger on Howard Stern yesterday. He didn't name the project but does admit the roles are similar to the ones they had in True Lies. While Tom previously mentioned a sequel to True Lies months back which seems unlikely. I believe it very well could be Expendables 2 and it makes sense. Arnold is expected to return to acting and his cameo in Expendables led many to think it was foreshadowing him returning for larger role in the sequel.

Bruce Willis will play the film's main villain and Charlie Sheen is rumored for a role. Sly is also rumored to be in talks with Jean Claude Van Damme who turned down a role in first film. I expect the next film is going to be bigger, louder and feature more body counts (if that's even possible).

Bana, Wilde & Hunnam In Talks To Star In KIN

Variety reports Eric Bana and Olivia Wilde (Tron, Cowboys & Aliens) are in talks for KIN. It focuses on two desperate sibling fugitives (Bana, Wilde) on the run who subsequently collide with the holiday homecoming of a troubled ex-boxer. Charlie Hunnam (Green Street Hooligans, Sons of Anarchy) is being pursued for the role of an ex-boxer.

Oscar winning director Stefan Ruzowitzky (The Counterfeiters) will helm the thriller. Stefan's next film is the Dracula horror flick The Last Voyage of Demeter which has Noomi Rapace and Ben Kingsley attached to star.

Eric Bana In Talks For Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter

TheWrap reports that Eric Bana (Star Trek, Munich) is considering the lead role in Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. The film produced by Tim Burton and directed by Timur Bekmambetov (Wanted) is based on the novel by Seth Grahame-Smith (Pride & Prejudice & Zombies). It features the President fighting and killing creatures of the night. Tom Hardy had once shown interest but I doubt it was for the role of Lincoln.

Director For Mark Millar's Superior To Be Announcent In 2011

Mark Millar might run his mouth on a regular basis even more so when it comes to the progress of Kick-Ass 2. Yet he is somewhat reliable when it comes to his comics becoming films. Recently Tony Scott signed on to direct Nemesis which Millar believes should star Brad Pitt and Johnny Depp.

Now there is word from Millar via an interview with TheList that his newest comic Superior is also getting the film treatment. While he doesn't give us a hint who is directing or even the studio. Mark teases an announcement for film's director will be released in January.

A name Mark has thrown around for the lead is Jon Hamm. If Hamm doesn't get the Superman job which is very likely. This could be an excellent consultation prize. The story takes influences from Superman, Thor and Shazam! combining elements of their mythologies.

George Clooney Joins Sandra Bullock In Gravity

HeatVision reports that George Clooney will replace Robert Downey Jr. in Alfonso Cuarón's (Children of Men) Gravity. The site also confirms that Sandra Bullock will indeed star in the lead. Previously Angelina Jolie had been attached but left to focus on her directorial debut. Then a slew of talented young actresses were tested for the role they included Marion Cotillard, Scarlett Johansson, Blake Lively and Natalie Portman.

I'm excited to see Alfonso jump into the space side of science fiction but hesitant to picture Bullock in the film. It centers on a female astronaut struggling to survive and trying to make it to Earth after a disaster in space.

When Will We See Guy Ritchie's The Real RockNRolla?

 The article on the site that gets the most traffic and comments is the one focusing on Guy Ritchie's The Real RockNRolla. It's been promised ever since the original theatrical release of RockNRolla and it was even teased in the credits. Since then Guy Ritchie has been focused on many other projects. I'm going to run down what those movies are and the prospects of when we could expect Ritchie to start production on the RockNRolla sequel.

When it comes to Ritchie's current project he is shooting Sherlock Holmes 2 with Robert Downey Jr. The now established franchise is giving Guy more commercial success than he's ever had before. I expect like with other dedicated Warner Bros. directors (Nolan, Snyder) he will be rewarded with financing for his original projects. The only setback is that he might want to round out a Holmes trilogy before jumping into anything else. I wouldn't be shocked to see Sherlock Holmes 3 his next film.

Guy's previously attached projects could also become a hold up on The Real RockNRolla. He's been in talks with producer Joel Silver to helm both Lobo and Sgt. Rock which are based on the DC comics.
The studio had filmed test shots for Lobo with Jeffery Dean Morgan (Watchmen) and possibly Clancy Brown (Highlander, Starship Troopers). Sgt. Rock is also in development hell and is being re-tool from being set during WWII to the future. I'm not sure if the productions stopped because of Holmes 2 or the fact the characters were taken from Silver by DC Entertainment.


Ritchie has also been attached to direct remakes of the Dirty Dozen and Excalibur for the studio. From what I understand Dozen got the axe because of Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds. I'm sure it will eventually happen but needs time between the Tarantino film.

Excalibur was once part of Bryan Singer's long list of projects in the works. He's been focused on Jack The Giant Killer which made opt out on directing X-Men First Class. Giving Matthew Vaughn the chance to finally show us his version of the X-Men universe. It would be interesting to see Ritchie take on the world of fantasy.


Another dreaded obstacle could be Ritchie signing onto new projects. Mark Millar teased that Ritchie along with Sam Raimi had been interested in making a movie based on his comic Nemesis. The project now has Tony Scott in the director's chair setup at 20th Century Fox. It's not surprising to see his name involved with Millar's projects since Kick-Ass director Matthew Vaughn is a friend and producer of Guy's films. Vaughn helped produce Lock Stock, Snatch and Swept Away. Millar is now teasing that his new comic Superior will become a film. Superior is a mix of iconic comic book mythology taking influences from Superman, Thor and Shazam!. The comic writer says the director would be announced in January. There is a possibility Guy Ritchie very well could be this name.

A very doubtful but still possible project could be Iron Man 3. It's unlikely because of Guy's current relationship with both DC and Warner Bros. Yet Robert Downey Jr. has director approval and could choose someone he's worked with before.

There could also be other unnamed projects which come up and he signs on. My expectations is that while The Real RockNRolla script is more than likely completed Guy could focus more on his high profile projects first. I wouldn't assume to see it go into production until 2012-2013 at the earliest. While there is enough of a demand from fans of the original he is sort of moving forward with different types of films. You can't blame him for wanting to expand his genres and can respect wanting to try different things.

Harvey Keitel Also Joining Martin Scorsese's Irishman

I'm just beyond shocked at the amazing cast Martin Scorsese is putting together for The Irishman. First Robert De Niro, then yesterday with the confirmation from the actor himself that Al Pacino and Poe Pesci are joining. Now De Niro tells ShowBiz411 that Harvey Keitel is also in the movie. It's another big reunion with the addition of Keitel who worked with both Robert and Scorsese on such classics as Mean Streets and Taxi Driver. While it's too early to say I believe this new film quite possibly could rival the Departed and Goodfellas in awesomeness.

De Niro Confirms Pesci & Pacino For Scorsese's The Irishman

Robert De Niro while speaking with MTV confirms that Joe Pesci and Al Pacino have roles in The Irishman. The mob film which will be directed by Martin Scorsese and written by Steve Zallian (American Gangster, Gangs of New York) is quickly becoming one of my most anticipated films in development. I think this very well might be the epic teaming of Pacino and De Niro we've all been waiting for.

Robert also reveals Eric Roth (Benjamin Button) wrote a script that involves flashbacks and could be considered for a sequel/prequel in the future.

5 Candidates To Take Over Iron Man 3

Now that it's been confirmed by Jon Favreau himself that he is not returning for Iron Man 3 to focus on Disney's Magic Kingdom. Could Disney favorites Andrew Stanton (John Carter of Mars) and Joseph Kosinski (Tron Legacy) be hired to replace him? Other possibilities could include Marvel directors on the current payroll like Edgar Wright or Joss Whedon. To bring a new vision and blood to the franchise Marvel might want to look at some of the following directors.

MY TOP CHOICES

Ruben Fleischer is my personal choice to enter the world of Iron Man and re-tool it. If the studio is serious in bringing in new blood they'll get Ruben to bring the perfect balance of comedy and action. His smash hit Zombieland has lead to studios like Warner Bros. to offer him their big period crime film Tales From The Gangster Squad . If Marvel is looking to get this guy on the cheap now is the time. Ruben is currently finishing up on the adrenaline fueled comedy 30 Minutes Or Less. Production on Zombieland 2 is expect to start shooting sometime this fall/winter.






Ben Affleck is gaining praise for his recent work on The Town and it's rightly deserved. Affleck proved himself as an excellent director back when he made Gone Baby Gone. He's been offered high profile directing gigs over at Warner Bros. with the Superman reboot and Gangster Squad. While he's directed mostly dramatic films he got his start in comedy. Starring in such classics like Kevin Smith's Chasing Amy and Mallrats. He  played a comic book artist in Chasing Amy so I think that's enough geek credit. Including his decent portrayal of Daredevil (in a sloppy written/directed film) opposite Jon Favreau.

Another Ben that comes to mind is Ben Stiller, yes that Ben. Stiller has come into his own with directorial efforts Zoolander and Tropic Thunder. The latter which earned Robert Downey Jr.'s recent Oscar nomination. Ben like Edgar could double as writer and director saving Marvel some money on a screenwriter. Hopefully Stiller would stay behind the camera a mistake Favreau made during Iron Man 2. His character Happy Hogan was charming in the first film but became a large distraction in the sequel.

Matt Reeves best known for his work on Cloverfield could very well be another excellent candidate. He's been in contention for directing duties on both Wolverine 2 and Superman: Man of Steel. He's been able to impress a lot of people with his remake of Let The Right One In (Let Me In). Ending up a compliment to the original rather than a horrible mistake. Reeves visual style screams Marvel if he doesn't get the gig Kevin Feige needs to consider him for other properties.





David Gordon Green might not seem like a likely choice but he's been able to double as director talented in both comedy and drama. One of his first films Snow Angels was a deep dramatic piece. It wasn't until he jumped into directing the Seth Rogen comedy Pineapple Express that we really got see his wild side. I believe like Ruben, David would be able to bring that different vision to the Iron Man world and give it the much needed face-lift. He's putting the finishing touches on his epic stoner fantasy/comedy Your Highness which uses lots of practical and digital effects. So he wouldn't be new to the world of the green-screen and pre-visualization.

Bella Heathcote Joins Brad Pitt In Cogan’s Trade

Deadline says that Australian actress Bella Heathcote has signed on for a supporting role in Cogan’s Trade. This would knock the actress out of the running for the lead role in Snow White & The Huntsman. Bella is currently filming Andrew Niccol's Now which stars Justin Timberlake, Amanda Seyfried, Cillian Murphy, Alex Pettyfer and Olivia Wilde.

HeatVision first reported on the project which has Brad Pitt attached in the lead role of Jackie Cogan. The film is based on the novel by George V. Higgins and will be directed by Andrew Dominik. The story centers on Jackie Cogan, a professional enforcer who investigates a heist that takes place during a high stakes poker game under protection of the mob.

Brad Pitt teamed up with director Andrew Dominik previously on excellent western drama The Assassination of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford. Other names that had been attached or interested include Sam Rockwell, Casey Affleck, Mark Ruffalo and Javier Bardem.

 

MARVEL UPDATES: Jon Favreau Not Directing Iron Man 3 & Pepper Not In Avengers

Vulture has learned that Jon Favreau has passed on directing Iron Man 3 for Marvel Studios. The site claims that Jon was frustrated over the studios' insistence to cram more of their heroes into the next film. One of the biggest hindrance of Iron Man 2 was the fact audiences has to endure over saturation of Marvel Easter eggs. From the pointless Captain America shield scene to the one to many Nick Fury appearances. While I doubt Iron Man 2 will be his last Marvel property I do expect him never to do another Iron Man. Of course this has yet to be confirmed by either Marvel/Disney or the director himself.

Jon is now branching out his genre brush with Cowboys & Aliens mixing science fiction with the classic western.  I'd love to see Jon tackle some hybrid Marvel heroes like Iron Fist, Black Panther and even Dr. Strange in the future. Now that Iron Man 3 is without a director I'm curious if they'll still be aiming for the May 2013 release date.

As expected Gwyneth Paltrow has confirmed that her character Pepper Potts will not be appearing in The Avengers. It's been mentioned previously that neither Jim Rhodes (War Machine) or Pepper Potts would be included in the Avengers films. Making perfect sense as not to over crowd the budding new franchise and to leave the Iron Man films somewhat separate.

McGraw Joins Denzel & Ryan Reynolds In Safe House

CinemaBlend reports that musician turned actor Tim McGraw has joined Daniel Espinosa's American debut film Safe House. The film written by newcomer David Guggenheim which made the 2010 Black List already has snagged Denzel Washington and Ryan Reynolds as the leads. It centers on a young U.S. intelligence agent who must go on the run with a newly arrived prisoner after his titular safe house comes under attack.

Daniel Espinosa's Snabba Cash is a wonderfully shot movie set in the underworld of Swedish drug trade. There is a lot of expectations for Safe House to be a near perfect film so everyone should keep an eye on it.

Felicity Jones Testing For Snow White & The Huntsman

Deadline reported today that Charlize Theron is still pursuing the role of the evil Queen in Rupert Sanders' Snow White & The Huntsman. They also mention Michael Fassbender is now up for the role of the Huntsman which had been rumored for Johnny Depp and Tom Hardy.

HeatVision adds to the story by releasing Universal's shortlist of actresses they'll be testing for the lead role of Snow White. The group includes mostly unknowns like Riley Keough, Bella Heathcoat and Alicia Vikander. Felicity Jones is best known actress on the list who has starred in The Tempest and Cemetery Junction. Jones is my favorite of the bunch and this could be her breakout performance.

This is director Rupert Sanders' debut film and is mostly known for his commercial work. Which includes the impressive live-action trailer for Halo ODST. He also made a short film entitled Black Hole which I assume is based on the comic book by Charles Burns.

Mila Kunis In Talks To Join Mark Wahlberg In Ted

HeatVision reports that Mila Kunis is negotiations to play Mark Wahlberg's girlfriend in the Seth McFarlane comedy Ted. The film focuses on a man who as young boy wishes his teddy bear would come alive. Twenty-five years later the bear has evolved into a pot smoking slacker and is holding him back. Seth McFarlane who wrote the film will play the bear Ted and also direct. Kunis is a regular on Family Guy playing Meg and previously worked with Wahlberg on the disastrous video game film Max Payne.

GEEKDOM: Hugo Strange Is The Best Villain For Dark Kngiht Rises!

Hugo Strange has been rumored for months now as the main villain in The Dark Knight Rises. Until this is confirmed it's pure speculation but it's very likely since he's a real-world based villain. There had been reports that Batman: Prey would heavily influence the next movie. The comic featured Dr. Hugo Strange a bizarre psychologist who is obsessed with Batman to point of wanting to replace him. Strange figures out Batman's identity then starts attacking him on a personal and psychological level.

Batman of course is a sociopath vigilante and psychology could be a great theme for the next film. Now that Batman is on the run after taking the blame for Harvey Dent's murders and the death of Dent himself. It's likely the manhunt would include a criminal psychologist brought in to analyze the situation and the identity of the masked killer.  

Christopher Nolan's track record of using obscure real-world villains speaks for itself. In Batman Begins he combined Ras al Ghul with Henri Ducard also using Dr. Crane (Scarecrow), Carmine Falcone and he teased Victor Zsasz. The Dark Knight used better known villains with The Joker and Harvey Dent (Two Face) but used lesser known Sal Maroni as the face of the mob. Nolan has excluded Mr. Freeze and The Riddler which gives the impression others like Poison Ivy, The Penguin and Catwoman could very well not be in the film.

While Hugo isn't very well known even to a Batman fan like myself. He soon will be courtesy of Arkham City the sequel to the massively successful video game Arkham Asylum. Strange is one of the game's main villains and with the new trailer he'll soon be known to the target audience of the next film. Considering the expectations from the gaming community it looks like the game could exceed the first installment. Giving Nolan and Warner Bros. their first promotion of the little known villain.

Tom Hardy & Jessica Chastain Join The Wettest County

John Hillcoat's (The Road) The Wettest County which had been retitled The Promised Land is finally back on track. TheHollywoodReporter says that actress Jessica Chastain has joined newly added Tom Hardy and Shia LaBeouf. Jessica is about to become better known with her upcoming films The Debt and Tree of Life. Before the project got snagged months back Ryan Gosling, Amy Adams, Paul Dano, Michael Shannon and Scarlett Johansson were involved.



The film based on the novel The Wettest County in the World by Matt Bondurant focuses on on his grandfather and two great-uncles, the true gangsters story tells of the Bondurants boys, bootlegging siblings taking the law into their own hands in Prohibition-era Virginia while making a run for the American Dream. The film's script was written by musician Nick Cave who also wrote Hillcoat's The Proposition. I hope that Cave will also score the film like he did with the other project.

TRAILER: Pirates of The Caribbean On Stranger Tides

Martin Scorsese's The Irishman Next, Steve Zallian Handling Script

DigitalSpy (via ThePlaylist) reports on some new quotes from Martin Scorsese on one of his many gestating projects The Irishman. He reveals the film is currently in the financing stage and could shoot as early as next year. The film is based on the book I Heard You Paint Houses by Charles Brandt which focuses on WWII vet/union official turned mob hitman Frank 'The Irishman' Sheeran. Robert De Niro is attached to the role of Frank and Joe Pesci will also have a role in the project. It would be the first time the three have worked together since Casino.

Martin also confirms that Steve Zallian will be working on the script. Zallian has written scripts for films like Schindler's List, American Gangster, Gangs of New York and David Fincher's The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo remake. 

While I've been dying to see the much talked about prequel and sequel to the Departed, The Irishman sounds just as thrilling if not more. I'm not sure what this means for the planned roles for both De Niro and Pesci in David O'Russell's Drake's Fortune which will star Mark Wahlberg. I expect The Irishman could end up starting production in late summer or early fall giving the actors enough time to do both films.

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