The Dark Knight Rises next year, what about Batman after that?

The news is out about a Justice League film is in the works, but there's more.  We're about a year away from the release of The Dark Knight Rises; Christopher Nolan's third and final film in his Batman trilogy. That hasn't stopped Warner Brothers from planning ahead.  With news of the JL movie, came news of more Batman films. 

According to new president, Jeff Robinov, Warner Brothers has more Batman films to follow Nolan's version.  Robinov says that Nolan and his wife, Emma Thomas, will remain produces on the next set of Batman films.  Why this news scares me:  Look what happened with Batman Forever and Batman & Robin.  Tim Burton remained on as producer after his two Batman films, but Joel Schumacher found a way to butcher the Dark Knight.

I guess the same thing could be said about Nolan producing Zack Snyder's Superman film; but it's still something to worry about.  Is this a way for WB to keep Nolan in-house?  He has been a cash cow for years now, and I'm sure they want a long-term relationship with the director.  But what route do they take with the next incarnation of Batman?

Do they go Batman Beyond like the animated series?  Campy like the Schumacher variety?  How about more serious, reality based films like Nolan?  The character is so versatile, so complex, there's a million ways to do it.  How about a true Batman and Robin film?  One that features the Red Hood?  That would be amazing!  And, interestingly enough, could tie into Nolan's interpretation of Ra's al Ghul. 

With all this talk about the NEXT Batman franchise, do you think the CURRENT one will be neglected?  Let's hope not, because Nolan has his work cut out for him if he's planning on topping The Dark Knight.  What would you do with the next Batman franchise?

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.

The Hangover II trailer and poster

Check out the trailer to The Hangover. I mean The Hangover II ;)

Well, I guess we should have expected this.  I mean, how many different ways are you going to make a movie about some guys trying to figure out what happened to them the night before?  The first film easily ranks among the funniest films in history... easily!  This however feels like a repeat, with just a different person getting lost.  I hope I'm wrong, but I barely even chuckled during the trailer.  We'll have to wait and see how Alan, Phil and Stu finish their trip to Thailand.  

4 minutes of Green Lantern and a new poster!

It's been a long time since the trailer for Green Lantern was released, and really very little talk has happened since.  And now this!  Four minutes worth of the movie!  This video comes via /Slashfilm.  Check out the footage and my comments...

Wow! Like wow.  Am I going out on a limb by saying this footage totally redeemed the trailer!?  I love it.  I got chills during the footage and am looking very forward to this... NOW anyway.  When the trailer was released, I was less than thrilled BUT still wanted to watch the film.  This footage has placed the movie on my must-see list.  How about you?  Can we believe star Ryan Reynolds when he says this will be an absolute space epic?

Amy Adams will play Lois Lane in Superman reboot! ... my thoughts on the reboot

So this is what perfect casting looks like?!  Amy Adams has been cast as Lois Lane in the Zack Snyder reboot of Superman.  This is great great news.  Adams is a three time Academy Award nominee... the woman can act!  She exemplifies beauty, smarts, independence... all of which are traits that Lois Lane must possess. 

I have to tell you, producer Christopher Nolan is working his magic.  He is getting Snyder the actors necessary to round out the cast.  His Superman is of course Henry Cavill.  Also, Clark Kent's parents will be played by Kevin Costner and Diane Lane.  Now the casting of Adams has helped us to better understand the direction and tone of the film.

Snyder is doing what Nolan did with his Batman films, putting in top notch actors to create the world around the hero.  Much like the casting of Michael Cain and Morgan Freeman in Nolan's Batman trilogy.  

I think Snyder is going far far away from Bryan Singer's Superman Returns.  This is a good thing!  That movie felt like it belonged on the cover of a romance novel and is easily one of the worst superhero films I've ever seen.  He has promised a lot more action and is completely ignoring all Superman movies the preceded this one.  This is an important point.

One of the main problems with Superman Returns was that it paid TOO MUCH homage to the Richard Donner films of the late 70's.  A new franchise can be created and we can love both franchises.  It's time to move on from the Donner years and I love that Snyder is doing so.  Casting Adams is yet another indicator of this.  Can't wait!

Will Sasso will play Curly in The Three Stooges

In a stroke of casting genius: Will Sasso is officially cast in The Three Stooges as Curly.  I always thought Sasso was funny during his run on Mad Tv.  He's got the build to play Curly and I believe he'll do a great job.

Now that Curly has been cast, the casting of the other two stooges should happen pretty quickly.  Considering what this movie has been through the past few months to a year, this is good news.  Fox can relax now and believe the Farrelly brothers film is actually going to happen.

So now that Curly is cast, who plays Moe and Larry?  Check out who I guessed a few months ago.

Who do you think should play the other two stooges?

First, full-length Captain America trailer

This is the trailer a lot of people have been waiting for. The first full length trailer for Captain America: The First Avenger. Check it out and look for my comments after the jump!

So? What did you think?  For me, I love the tone and the pacing.  Every scene builds upon the previous.  The visual effects look top notch and Chris Evans will make a damn fine Captain America. The only thing I didn't like about the trailer, actually 2 things... one being there was no Red Skull in it except for a half a second.  The other is that the trailer focuses too much on Steve Rodger's transformation.  The movie will of course feature more than that, so they should have thrown in more.  But I have to tell you, seeing Chris Evans before the super soldier serum is astonishing.  He special effects have made him look like a short, scrawny man.

I am very excited about the film, more than Thor I think.  How about you?