Random News of the Week (June 9 - June 15, 2008)

Lawrence Kasdan (RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, DREAMCATCHER) is currently writing the script for the upcoming ROBOTECH movie. It will be live action. Tobey Maguire's Maguire Entertainment was developing the picture for Warner Brothers. This was my first real experience with anime style. I always thought this world was really interesting so I’m excited to see what this could become.

Very disturbing news about IRON MAN 2 and John Favreau. He has STILL not been signed. It turns out that David Maisel (head of Marvel Studios) is not wanting to give Favreau an increase in rate based on the success of the first. He’s playing hardball. It is looking more and more likely that Jon will not direct the next IRON MAN. He’s had exactly one short phone call from Marvel since the movie hit. This is beyond dissappointing.

Very cool bit a news came out this week. Roger Deakins served as Visual Consultant on WALL-E for Pixar! In what is supposed to be a simple animated kids movie, Pixar has really upped the status and class of the film!

A few new developments came out this week in regards to the in development MUPPET MOVIE. They are trying to get Paul Williams to come back and do the music so we will have more of those cool Muppet style songs. They will use all the original muppet line-up that we all know and love. No CGI muppets will be used. They are trying to make a movie that fits exactly with THE GREAT MUPPET CAPER, MUPPETS TAKE MANHATTAN, etc.

Some new TRANSFORMERS 2 details are out. The REVENGE OF THE FALLEN (lame title) is actually in reference to a character from the comic books. He's an ancient Transformer who was one of the original good 13 Transformers who turned on his fellow beings and was cast down. Now he's 'The Fallen', a being of power, darkness, and absolute dedication to Unicron.

Harrison Ford’s working on a new film called CROWLEY. It is a drama based on the true story of a scientist searching for a cure for a rare genetic disorder affecting 2 young siblings. It’s based on the book “The Cure: How a Father Raised $100 Million and Bucked the Medial Establishment In a Quest to Save His Children”.

It was inevitable. Sony has picked up the rights to SMURFS (those blue freaks from Saturday morning cartoons eons ago). David Stem and David Weiss (SHREK 2, SHREK THE THIRD) will be writing the screenplay.

Neither Ken nor Ryu will be in the STREET FIGHTER movie that is currently in production. The focus will be on Chun Li. That probably can’t be good but I doubt anyone cares that much either.

M Night talked a bit about AVATAR: LAST OF THE AIRBENDERS which is his next movie. “It will be tough to keep it PG from PG-13. It will be tricky. I don't know how to make a PG movie so that's going to be much harder, because with R, everything was no problem.” The film is still planned to open in 2010.

It looks like Nicolas Cage will be playing Lynch in the KANE & LYNCH movie along side Bruce Willis who is already set to play KANE.

One of Pixar's animators has allegedly confirmed that the upcoming "Toy Story 3" was to be the last in the series with the on-screen action providing "fitting closure for the characters".

The WATCHMEN teaser trailer will be in front of THE DARK KNIGHT.

James McAvoy has officially denied reports of him playing Bilbo Baggins in THE HOBBIT, saying "It's all internet rumoring and nothing else I'm afraid. Sorry". Good.

Leonardo DiCaprio is apparently the favourite and Brad Pitt the back-up choice for Captain America in the upcoming superhero flick. So ridiculous!