Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol trailer

Let the trailer fest continue. This is better late then never. The spy games continue, with or without Tom Cruise in the next installment of the Mission:Impossible franchise.  The film stars Cruise and newcomer to the team, Jeremy Renner, who will take over the lead in the franchise.  It is being directed by Brad Bird and looks pretty darn good.  Check it out:

Edward Norton may play the villain in The Bourne Legacy

It's been a long time since I've blogged about the next 'Bourne' film, titled The Bourne Legacy.  Maybe because it doesn't feel right without Matt Damon?  But, Hollywood doesn't care what I think.  A fourth Bourne film will be made and it will star Jeremy Renner in the part made famous by Damon.  I'm ok with the casting of Renner, he will do great, no doubt.  That's three viable franchises at once folks.  The Bourne films, The Avengers (where he'll play Hawkeye), and the Mission: Impossible films he's taking over from Tom Cruise. 

Today comes rumors that Edward Norton could play the villain.  This is spectacular because you all should know I think Norton is a great actor.  Yes, I also think he's a jerk and that's why directors can't work with him.  But he knows how to play a villain.  I doubt this movie will have a goofy tone the way his character was portrayed in The Italian Job; I think it will be darker like the world Matt Damon inhabited.  Either way, I'm psyched about the casting rumor and hope it's true.  Anyone else think Norton is worth the trouble?

X-Men: First Class is a first class film! Review...

Matthew Vaughn had a tough, tough task with X-Men: First Class.  He was asked to re-invent the franchise that was the catalyst to the superhero movie genre.  The film is actually a prequel, which has a completely different cast and a much more complex script than seen before in the franchise.  I can't wait to talk about it, so let's go!

What I liked about the film:
The Director

There were so many things working against Matthew Vaughn.  Let's start with a one year schedule from pre-production to release date.  That is unheard of in this superhero genre.  Vaughn quickly put together his cast and was off and running.  He did a lot right!  The pacing of the movie is intense.  Like I said before, the script is complex and has a lot to cover, so it was imperative to get the pacing right.  The editing, costume, set design and score were magical and helped create the world of America in the 1960's.  The casting is perhaps Vaughn's greatest achievement...

The Cast/Characters

James McAvoy plays Professor Xavier; he does a great job of being the leader of the X-Men.  You can see the character is optimistic about the future through McAvoy's eyes.  He sees the world with a bright and beautiful future.  Kevin Bacon plays the primary villain, Sebastian Shaw and does well.  He is a conniving, manipulative character pitting America against Russia during the Cold War. 

The support cast of heroes and villains are good.  January Jones turns in a mundane performance as the villainous Emma Frost, Shaw's right hand woman.  Jennifer Lawrence plays Mystique, the part Rebecca Romijn made famous in the first trilogy.  She does well playing the character as tormented and conflicted; she grew up with Professor X.  Rose Byrne is the liason between the CIA and the newly formed X-Men, she was great, I'm becoming a big fan of her work.  The rest of the heroes really only have minor roles in comparison, but did a good job.  Hopefully they will have more to work with in the sequels.   

The man who steals the entire picture is Michael Fassbender.  This man is hypnotizing on screen.  He plays Magneto, a Holocaust survivor who meets Professor X on his journey to kill the people who murdered his mother.  Fassbender portrays the character beautifully.  And I do mean beautifully.  Even though we see the character doing horrible things, we care about him, we see the pain and hurt that has scarred him for life.  He also has a swagger and arrogance; Sir Ian Mckellen showed that when playing the older version of the character.  Magneto knows he is a very powerful mutant, he knows what he's capable of and we see that in Fassbenders face and mannerisms.  I hope Michael Fassbender keeps his momentum going and continues to do great things.  Last time I said that, Sam Worthington became Genre Man with 'hits' like Clash of the Titans; hopefully Fassbender wont follow in those footsteps.

The Brotherhood

We know from the later (earlier) pictures, that Magneto is a character that was very close with Charle's X, as close as brothers.  Their ideals have always been different, but they have always had a mutual respect for one another.  There are a few scenes in the film that show you how that relationship was shaped and how it changed over time.  I loved the scenes featuring McAvoy and Fassbender just talking.  The actors nailed it!  There is just this great chemistry between the two that really helps with the emotional undertone of the film.  The scene when they meet gave me chills, excellent!

The Story

This could have been a much different movie in the hands of another director.  There is a lot that must happen during the film.  The origins of several main characters, the manipulation of Bacon's character on the Americans as well as the Russians, the training of the new recruits, the list goes on and on.  That being said, it is very easy to follow.  A lot of credit must go to the screen writers and the director.  It is a clean story that does a lot with the time he has.

The Fanboy Winks
Even if you haven't seen the original franchise, this film will work for you.  BUT!  For those of you who have read the comics, know the characters, and have seen the original franchise, you will love the 'easter eggs'.  Everything from cameos, to name dropping, to jokes about the obvious future of the character.  I really like how they included the hard core fans and made it accessible to non-fans as well.  FYI, the cameo in the movie is hilarious and I will not spoil the surprise like other idiots on-line.


What I didn't like about the film:
The Sequel Setup
I have to be very careful here not to give anything away.  I believe, by the end of the film, they've given away too much.  I wish there would have been a few open doors for future films instead of rushing to the obvious.  It's like Star Wars Episodes I-III, we know what is going to happen, but George Lucas was able to stretch it out for three films.  Not that I EVER want this franchise to become like that one, but the concept is what I was looking for.  Watch it and then email me if you agree, don't want to discuss too much here.


The Verdict:
A beautiful film in so many ways

The movie will rank among the best in the superhero genre.  The threat of a nuclear attack was very real in the 1960's.  That fear of the unknown worked perfectly for 'First Class'.  Mutants were just being discovered and no one knew what to make of it.  The relationship between Professor X and Magneto is wonderful.  The movie is not perfect, but again, considering the one year turn around, bravo.  Thank you Mr. Vaughn and company for continuing my hot streak at the movies this Summer.  Please see the movie and let us know what you think.

The rest of the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 posters

Harry and Hermoine both got their own posters for the next and final Harry Potter film.  Now check out the remaining posters for the film.  They feature Ron Weasly (Rupert Grint) as well as other primary characters like Neville (Matthew Lewis), Malfoy (Tom Felton), Snape (Alan Rickman) and of course, the evil wizard Voldemort played by Ralph Fiennes.  Check them out below and let's all count down to the final chapter of an incredible movie franchise!

The Dark Knight Rises villain... Bane!

Click on the image to enlarge

Did you ever doubt Christopher Nolan for a minute?  Did you doubt that he would find a creative and original way to bring Bane to life?  Don't, don't ever doubt this man.  The image above is an official release from Warner Brothers of the new villain The Dark Knight Rises; which is of course the sequel to 2008's The Dark Knight. 

There was so much talk about how Nolan would make the character fit into the realistic world he's created for this Batman trilogy.  The picture shows Inception actor, Tom Hardy, ripped as can be.  I love the mask, it's dark, creepy and mysterious.  Nolan has been masterful at giving just enough to wet the appetite without giving anything away.  The way Bane is turned and looking back to the camera out of the corner of his eye is a little unsettling.

This is the first official glimpse into the third and final film, can you image what's still to come?  This is going to be an film of epic proportions, watch.

A more recent version of Bane

A stand alone Justice League film is in the works... for 2013?!

It feels like a case of deja vu.  A few years ago, just before the writers strike in Hollywood, we were supposed to see a Justice League film.  Now, the writers are happy, superhero films have flourished, and Warner Brothers is promising a Justice League film by 2013.

Warner Brothers owns DC Comics and is the sole distributor of all of it's films, unlike Marvel comics.  Marvel is owned by Disney.  Before superhero movies were the huge money makers they are now, Marvel licensed out its movie rights to various studios (Fox got X-Men characters, Sony has Spider-Man, etc.).  Even with various studios distributing their films, Marvel has created a film universe where all of its characters co-exist, culminating in The Avengers film. 

So is Warner Brothers taking a page out of the Marvel handbook?  Nope.  They're going to make a completely separate franchise, independent of the individual characters' films.  So we will not see Christian Bale as Batman and Henry Cavill as Superman in the Justice League.

I have to be honest, at first glance, this made me upset.  Maybe because I'm a fan of continuity and love to see the same actors portray the same characters in sequels and such.  But this makes a lot more sense.  Marvel shot themselves in the foot by making Iron Man 2 a prequel to The Avengers.  That movie suffered greatly because of continuity issues (and a new actor for War Machine).  So maybe it's not a bad idea after all to make it a separate franchise.

There are multiple comic books going at once, why not multiple stories in films at once.  Everyone online seems to differ on this point, but I like it.  Hopefully the same skill, patience and story telling will go into the Justice League that Christopher Nolan has put into the Batman films.  Only time will tell.  With Green Lantern coming out this summer, Superman: The Man of Steel late next year, and a Flash film in development, this may be a BETTER culmination than The Avengers.  Your thoughts?


The picture above is from DeviantArt artist: daikaiju.

Casting rumors for the fourth 'Bourne' film

I know I have already talked about this before, but a fourth 'Bourne' movie without Matt Damon is very real.  There's a long list of rumored actors (about 8-10).  But three names keep coming up across the internet-sphere.  /slashfilm mentions three big names in the running.  Let's look at them now:

Jake Gyllenhaal:

Hmm, I'm conflicted.  I don't like his acting whatsoever, I've pretty much hated him in everything I've seen, except Prince of Persia.  That's why I'm conflicted.  The 'Bourne' films need a good dramatic actor ala Matt Damon.  We need to see his confusion, his desperation.  BUT, Bourne may not even be the main character.  The sequel has only promised to be in the same world as Jason Bourne.  So maybe Gyllenhaal could pull it off?

Tobey Maguire:

He could totally be Gyllenhaal's twin

My absolute favorite of the trio here.  I feel like he needs to do something to shed that goody goody Peter Parker persona.  This film/franchise could do just the trick!  He has the dramatic chops, we've seen it.  He has the action background of the Spider-Man franchise, he is a real talent.  His body may not fit the world the way Damon's did, but he could make it work.





Garrett Hedlund:

Why?  Why am I even writing about this guy?  He totally stunk up the screen in Tron: Legacy and I hated every aspect of his acting in that film.  Why would I want to see him replace one of the greatest actors of my generation (Damon) in one of the most critically acclaimed action trilogies in history?  The answer is I don't want to see him get the role, period.

It's my opinion, you're on my blog so you obviously care, or you're just curious.  Feel free to drink some Haterade in the comments.  Who of these three should get the role?  Or maybe it's not any of these three, what do you think?

Click the jump for a little extra. (SOILER ALERT TO BOURNE ULTIMATUM)

You know who they should bring back, Édgar Ramírez!  His character of Paz in The Bourne Ultimatum was incredible!  He demanded our attention on the screen and held is own against Damon.  SPOILER ALERT:  Jason Bourne doesn't kill Paz in the film, he spares his life.  So why not continue the franchise with a revenge-filled Paz seeking to clear his name and start a new life?  The producers can leave the door open for Damon to return to the franchise, and fulfill their wish of staying within the confines of the 'Bourne' world.  What do you think?

Shane Black to direct Iron Man 3

This is pretty interesting news.  Marvel has chosen Jon Favreau's successor to the Iron Man franchise.  Shane Black will be in charge of the third installment of the Robert Downey Jr. starring franchise.  Black has only directed one film, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang.  But here's where the information gets interesting, he may write the movie as well.  As far as writing credits, Black has a ton.  Those films include the Lethal Weapon films, The Last Boy Scout, and The Long Kiss Goodnight.  Funny thing about those films is, they're all action films.  This is work really well for Black when it comes to Iron Man. 

I think he's a good choice for the script, I don't think he's the man to direct.  I think it will be nearly impossible for anyone to fill Favreau's shoes.  This is his baby, as much as Marvel doesn't think so.  He created the world that Iron Man inhabits and he got the Avengers movement going.  We'll see how long Black works with Marvel before they too ruin that relationship. 

Fast Five movie poster

Click to Enlarge

I know we haven't talked about Fast Five much on the blog; I can speak for myself by saying I'm not a huge fan of the franchise.  Well, I sort of take that back.  The first one did nothing for me.  The second one, which most people hated, was entertaining at best.  The third was terrible in my opinion.  But the forth film, Fast & Furious, really did it for me.  I believe director Justin Lin was the difference.  He re-invented the franchise with a swagger and grit, the franchise was missing.  He did great bringing back Vin Diesel back to the franchise, along with Paul Walker, Jordana Brewster and Michelle Rodriguez.  This year?  This year the franchise adds Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson!  Also joining the huge cast are Tyrese and Ludacris from the second film.  Check out the official synopsis and my thoughts below (minor spoilers):

Since Brian and Mia Toretto (Brewster) broke Dom out of custody, they've blown across many borders to elude authorities. Now backed into a corner in Rio de Janeiro, they must pull one last job in order to gain their freedom. As they assemble their elite team of top racers, the unlikely allies know their only shot of getting out for good means confronting the corrupt businessman who wants them dead. But he's not the only one on their tail.

Hart-nosed federal agent Luke Hobbs (Johnson) never misses his target. When he is assigned to track down Dom and Brian, he and his strike team launch an all-out assault to capture them. But as his men tear through Brazil, Hobbs learns he can't separate the good guys from the bad. Now, he must rely on his instincts to corner his prey...before someone else runs them down first.

 I have to give credit where credit is due.  The franchise has financially always done well.  I'm really not into cars, but I know a LOT of people who are.  I have to give the producers credit for always making the films different and distinctive from one another.  That's really hard when you're dealing with relatively the same subject matter.  I doubt I will go see Fast Five in theaters, but you can bet I'll rent it.  Your thoughts?

"Mission: Impossible" without Tom Cruise and a "Bourne" Film without Matt Damon?

Ok so we know Mission: Impossible 4 is filming right now. We also know it co-stars Tom Cruise and Jeremy Renner. But what we didn't know was that the studio wants to continue the franchise without Cruise. Crazy thought considering Cruise has been the face of the franchise for the better part of 15 years. So Jeremy Renner is going to carry the franchise?

I don't know. I'm scared to say "he can't do it", then he turns out to be the next Matt Damon/bad ass (more on him later). I also don't want to say "that's a great idea" because Renner is yet to carry a film on his own. His biggest part obviously came in The Hurt Locker, but he wasn't the main attraction there. Here's what Renner had to say about the rumor that he's taking over the franchise:

It’s a franchise to potentially take over… I can’t predict the future and what they want, but that’s certainly the idea.

Sounds like he's pretty confident what's set to occur. I'll hold judgment until after I see Renner in M:I 4. Now, the other franchise losing it's main actor... 'The Bourne' franchise. I hate to admit it, but I just wrapped up the trilogy the other day after watching The Bourne Ultimatum. Wow, it's freakin' awesome. It is so good, so well directed, so well acted, I was blown away. It was a fitting end to Damon's take on the man rediscovering his past. But the film makers kept it open fore more chapters in the saga.

Now it's been confirmed that not only is director of parts 2 and 3, Paul Greengrass, leaving the franchise, so too is Matt Damon. And we also know that the studio has started pre-production on a fourth film. It's not a re-boot per say because the are not recasting the Jason Bourne character. They're launching a new franchise with a new lead actor. Why? The hell for?

I mean the studios are so greedy it has come to this? The director and actor don't want to continue so we'll just swap them out for someone else. I understand the studios want to profit off of a hot property, but come-on! At least go a few more years before starting another franchise and let people forget the past incarnation. I hate that both franchises are losing their stars, how about you?

Darren Aronofsky's "Wolverine" Sequel Now Has a Title

So, yes, it has been confirmed that Darren Aronofsky will re-team with Hugh Jackman for the Wolverine sequel. We already know the director and lead actor, as well as the plot. It will follow the Frank Miller, Japan Saga. Where Logan (aka Wolverine) falls in love with a married woman, the wife of a samurai. Logan must battle the villagers in hopes of ending up with the woman he loves.

The title has been revealed by Aronofsky himself. The movie will be called; The Wolverine. Back to basics, I like it! I never really liked the whole "X-Men Origins" part of the title anyway. It doesn't make sense to even use that if 'Wolverine' was going to be the only entry in the franchise; now that X-Men Origins: Magneto has been canceled. Aronofsky has an interesting visual style as well as the ability to tell a love story. He will do well and I will see this movie. That is all.

Emma Stone Cast in "Spider-Man," But NOT as Mary Jane Watson

Emma Stone is indeed going to be in the new Spider-Man film, but NOT as Mary Jane Watson. Huh? We've been talking about Stone joining Andrew Garfield in Spider-Man for some time now, but we always assumed it would be as Mary Jane Watson, Peter Parker's red-headed love interest. Well let me tell you something. Sony wants this next franchise to be completely different than the previous, starting with Stone's character.

Stone will play Gwen Stacy, who was previously portrayed by Dallas Bryce Howard in Spider-Man 3. She's the beautiful blond who goes to the same school as Peter. Another thing to note is that Stone is naturally blond. She dyed her hair red for Superbad and it just kind of stuck.

I like what they're doing at Sony. The first franchise was so big, so successful, it's going to take clever moves like this one to differentiate between the two franchises. If you read this blog, you know Emma Stone is my Hollywood crush, so I love the casting aspect of all this, but I'm more intrigued by the choice of character (Gwen Stacy as apposed to the obvious Mary Jane Watson). Either way, Sony just improved their chances of getting my 12 bucks at the theater. It will probably be 18 bucks by the time the movie comes out. Ooouf.

Green Lantern vs. Deadpool, Who's Going to Win?

This is not good news. Or is it news at all? The creator of the Deadpool comic is Rob Liefeld. He's Tweeting away some nonsense, at least I think it is anyway. He's accusing Warner Brothers of taking the star of Deadpool, Ryan Reynolds, away from the project. He's Tweeting that WB wants to film the Green Lantern sequel immediately, even though the first film JUST WRAPPED!

Is it me, or does this feel like an episode of Entourage? WB wanted "Vinnie Chase" to film the sequel to Aquaman, rather than filming another movie. Wow, the similarities are really interesting.
I doubt WB is going to take Reynolds away from the Deadpool movie. First of all, unless it was planned, there's no way a trilogy will be filmed on a whim like this. The writers were just hired to write the sequel.

Second, Reynolds was already committed to both Deadpool AND another film to follow the filming of Green Lantern. That's not to mention the news today about R.I.P.D. He would not cancel two, potentially three, movies to film a Green Lantern sequel.

Third, and most importantly, Reynolds has a say! The man is one of the most sought after actors in Hollywood. He can carry a franchise, or two or three; you think he's going to give up possibly 100 million dollars because WB says so? No! He campaigned for the role of Deadpool and it's an important project to him. Check out the video below to see his knowledge and passion for the character. The Deadpool movie/franchise WILL happen, with Reynolds dawning the mask, period. It was a story that really wasn't. Rob Liefeld needs to relax and cool it on the Tweets.

"Saw 3D" Poster In... 3D

Check out the new poster for Saw 3D on BloodyD. It's actually pretty awesome looking, wish I could say the same for the franchise. I stopped watching after Saw III and from what I've read/heard, that's where it began to go downhill. The franchise will not die, much like Friday the 13th and Halloween and Nightmare on Elm Street.

Now you may be thinking, "Tony, you watch the first few Saw movies? I thought you don't watch scary movies." Well you would be correct in your assessment, my young Padawan. But what was great about the Saw films was they were less about horror, and more about the puzzle. How does each character relate to the next? What is their common denominator? That's what made the first few films so great. Now? Not so much.
Click this link to check out the 3D version of the poster above.

UPDATE: MGM Granted Extension of Its Debts. "Bond 23" No Longer Delayed, It's Canceled?

UPDATE: There is a great article at The Hollywood Reporter about MGM's continuous debt issues. THR is saying MGM was granted an extension on its debt until September 15th, that's an extension of a $250 MILLION dollar payment by the way. In addition to the $250 million, there is another $200 million in interest.

All this is going to do is give the executives time to restructure the studio or sell it; that's all. I'm a business major and I've seen a lot of company's go through what MGM is going through, GM most recently. GM closed down or sold off most of it's line/assets to become a more slimmed down version of its former self. So what now for MGM?

Apparently Warner Brothers offered a buy out last year to the tune of 1.5 BILLION (with a B) dollars, and the offer was considered "too low". Wow, hindsight is 20/20 and MGM should have probably accepted the deal. But it's too late for that. Does MGM sell off its assets, a la the 'James Bond' and 'Hobbit' franchises to recover from this mess? I'm going to say no. If they could just get some additional funding, which is a lot harder than it sounds, they could get these projects off the ground. And unless they do so, there's no winning this battle. So I figure MGM has until September to reorganize and sell the studio or file bankruptcy and hope for a sympathetic decision. It's too bad, another 'Bond' movie would have really been nice in this abismal summer of crap films.

This is really sad news. The 23rd movie in the Bond franchise has not only been delayed, it's been canceled. AICN via /slashfilm is reporting from a source that the studios future is to blame.

Here's the quote from the source: "Due to the continuing uncertainty surrounding the future of MGM and the failure to close a sale of the studio, we have suspended development on ‘Bond 23? indefinitely. We do not know when development will resume and do not have a date for the release of ‘Bond 23'."

I've been reading for months about how MGM was going under, then it was going to be sold, now this. So for all of us Bond fans, this is devastating news. What now? Well, the only case I can remember off the top of my head that compares to this is what happened with The Terminator franchise. That franchise went up for sale just like MGM.

Best case scenario is MGM is bought up by one of the majors and the franchise lives on. Let's hope that happens. But for now, the picture above of Daniel Craig (ridiculously ripped) will be all we get. Then we get to see him in Jon Favreau's Cowboys and Aliens. Keep hope alive!

Remember that talk about "The Last Airbender" sequels? Yeah, probably not

UPDATE: The Last Airbender opened to the tune of 40 Million dollars, second behind Eclipse. The experts are predicting a sharp drop off in business for next week.

Every once in awhile I go back to some of our older posts just for kicks. Just to re-evaluate my writing style, see if old rumors ever came true, etc. Well I stumbled across this beaut; a posting about how The Last Airbender was actually a trilogy and how the three films would NOT be filmed back to back.

Here is the quote from poducer of The Last Airbender, Frank Marshall. That post was on July 2nd, 2009, exactly a year ago today:

We’re shooting them one at a time, because they’re being written one at a time. [M. Night Shyamalan] is now working on the script for the second movie, but he hasn’t had time to write the second or third ones. He’s looking at the arc of all three. One of the things we’ll be doing is using the sets, ships and elements for each different nation in this film and incorporating them into movies two and three. We’re not waiting. There just isn’t enough time. Night will finish this movie, then the script and then we’ll prepare for the next one. I think it’ll probably happen over six years.

You might be asking yourself, "why is this so absurd"? Because of The Last Airbender's reviews and potential flop status, that's why. The movie is out to a terrible start in the early numbers. And as far as critics are concerned? 8% with over 100 critics writing into Rotten Tomatoes.

I'm not trying to be mean to M. Night Shyamalan, I'm really not. In fact, I am a big fan of his OLDER work (The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable, Signs). And I hate prejudging a film before I go see it, but this one seems to be universally hated. Maybe it's because it is based on prior works, maybe it's because the story doesn't translate well from cartoon television series to film, or maybe M. Night Shyamalan's script/directing suck. I hate to be the barer of bad news, but his movies have gotten progressively worse after Signs. Oh well, I'll rent it from Redbox for a dollar and hope for the best!

Another stupid Ice Age movie coming in 2012

Yes, the title should tell you what I thought of previous incarnations of the Ice Age franchise. I do have to admit, I enjoyed the first film, but 2 and 3 were so bad, so NOT funny, I don't understand how they made so much money. According to Variety; Part 4, titled Ice Age: Continental Drift is coming July 13, 2012. That's only a week before Batman 3 and 10 days before Spider-Man 4 (or The Amazing Spider-Man depending on who you ask). I think strategically it's a great release date; this is the family friendly type of movie that will not rival the other two action films.

Don't forget all the other movies coming out 2012 we told you about. Do you care that there's a fourth Ice Age coming soon?

X-Men First Class get's a director and a release date

Matthew Vaughn director of Kick-Ass, has been tapped to take on the X-Men. In a prequel of sorts, X-Men First Class will focus on the first class at Professor Xavier's school for the gifted.

Based on the first 8 issues of the 2006 comic books, the line up of mutants include the following: Angel, Beast, Cyclops, Iceman, Jean Grey and Professor X.

I think Fox is planning on creating a totally new franchise independent of the first trilogy of X-Men films. I say this because the studio is already planning a fourth film in the 2000-2006 franchise.

I've already told you how much I enjoyed Vaughn's Kick-Ass; so I love this move by Fox. I can't wait to see Vaughn's take on the X-Men. I don't think it will take itself as seriously as the Hugh Jackman starring franchise, and I don't think it should. This is a younger group of heroes who haven't come into their own yet.

The studio also announced the movie would be released next year! That's right, June 2011 is the tentative release date. What do you guys think about the news?

The picture above was provided by Deviant Art, and created by "Apollorising". Check out the artist's other work here.

Batman 3 release date announced, G.I. Joe sequel coming as well... 2012 is going to be a good year!

UPDATE: Ice Age 4 (Ice Age: Continental Drift) will also be released in 2012 (July 13th). That's all you get for this stupid, unneccessary sequel.

Warner Brothers has announced the release date for the next installment of the Christopher Nolan Batman franchise. July 20th, 2012 I will standing in a very long line to see this movie. I will not be blogging, I will not be texting or talking on the phone; I will be immersed in the film that I would have waited 4 years for! God I can't wait!

Batman is not the only big budget movie that summer, nor is it the only big budget comic book movie that summer. UNofficially, a sequel to G.I. Joe has been announced as well. MTV Movie Blog interviewed the producer, Lorenzo di Bonaventura, and he told them the sequel could film as early as the Spring of 2011 for a Summer of 2012.

Not a bad list of summer 2012 films so far huh?

Batman 3
The Amazing Spider-Man
The Avengers
G.I. Joe 2

Quickie: How to Train Your Dragon sequel is coming!

Ever since I saw How to Train Your Dragon, I've wondered when Dreamworks would announce a sequel. Now they have! Coming in 2013, a sequel to the number one movie in America. Check out the press release from Dreamworks about their first quarter earnings.

2010 is off to a strong start, thanks in large part to the performance of How to Train Your Dragon, which – having grossed nearly $375 million to date in worldwide box office – has become DreamWorks Animation’s next franchise. We plan to release the sequel theatrically in 2013. 3D continues to have a tremendous impact on the industry at large and we are now looking forward with great anticipation to bringing Shrek Forever After, the final chapter in our beloved Shrek series and the first in 3D, to audiences across the globe next month.