DC Comic characters heading to the big screen - Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison and Marv Wolfman are the Trinity in control

DC Comics have got a few films in the works - The Losers, Jonah Hex, Green Lantern and Warren Ellis' Red. However, a recent article in THR shows there are a few lesser known characters being developed for the big screen, plus it also explains how DC are going about getting the characters and stories ready for the big screen.

In the past, Warners optioned a property, paying DC a fee comparable to what a property could command on the open market. But while the projects ostensibly were being developed under one roof, many were spread out over a host of producers, each with different visions for how to approach each adaptation.

To bring competing approaches into sync, DC Comics president Paul Levitz and DC's Los Angeles-based film exec Gregory Noveck have overseen a reorganization of the development slate. While Warners execs still drive the creative side, DC now has more input, making it an actual participant in the shaping of material.

"The creative process is by and large a true partnership," Noveck said. "They'll ask us a ton of questions, and we'll give a ton of answers. We will talk back and forth. We'll discuss writers and talent, but ultimately it's their decision."

Warners quietly hired three of DC's biggest writers -- Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison and Marv Wolfman -- to act as consultants and writers for its superhero line of movies. The move involved taking back the reins on projects being handled by such producers as Charles Roven ("The Flash") and Akiva Goldsman ("Teen Titans").

Some agents and scribes grumbled about being forced to work with the consultants, never mind that Johns started his career as a assistant to "Superman" director Richard Donner or that Wolfman has worked in animation since the 1980s.

Johns worked up a new treatment for a "Flash" script, being written by Dan Mazeau; Johns will act in a producer capacity on the project, which has not attached a director.

The projects Morrison and Wolfman are working on are in the early stages at Warners, whose execs declined to comment.

The process involves one writer taking point, though the trio do collaborate on projects, reading one another's materials while hashing out a story that will be at once accessible to nonfans yet still adhere to each character's long history. The writers also work in tandem with producers, writers and the Warners execs overseeing the projects, showing them treatments and providing notes on scripts.

Meanwhile, other superhero projects are moving forward at Warners.

The studio is taking pitches on sci-fi hero Adam Strange and the underwater hero "Aquaman," to be produced by Leonardo DiCaprio and his Appian Way shingle.

Also in the pipeline: "Bizarro Superman" being written by "Galaxy Quest" scribes David Howard and Robert Gordon; a sequel to "Constantine," with Goldsman and Erwin Stoff producing; two concurrent Green Arrow projects, an origin story and a prison-set one titled "Super Max"; and "Shazam," which was set up at New Line but has moved to Warners, with Pete Segal attached to direct.

However, it will be a while before we see DC's Trinity of main characters back on the big screen.

Warners and DC still haven't figured out how to translate "Wonder Woman" to the big screen. In part, that failure reflects the difficulties DC has had turning out a popular Wonder Women comic. Morrison, during a recent Q&A with Clive Barker at Los Angeles' Meltdown Comics, admitted he didn't have a complete handle on the character when he was writing the comic "Final Crisis."

Also, ever since Bryan Singer's 2006's "Superman Returns," a new Superman has been in limbo.

"Our hope is to develop a Superman property and to try again," Warner Bros. Entertainment president Alan Horn said in April. "What hurt us is that the reviews and so on for the Superman movie did not get the kind of critical acclaim that Batman got, and we have other issues with Superman that concern us."

On the Batman front, a sequel to "Dark Knight" also is quite a way off. Nolan is open to doing a third installment, but his next movie is "Inception," an original script he penned and is shooting for Warners.

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Green Lantern - Bradley Cooper, Ryan Reynolds or Justin Timberlake? Who will play Superman though?

The Guardians of the Universe and Warner Bros. are getting closer to a decision as to who will wield the most powerful weapon in the Universe.

That's right Green Lantern may soon be cast

THR have the news that along with director Martin Campbell and producers Donald De Line and Greg Berlanti, Warners has spent the past five months searching for the actor to play Hal Jordan, the hot-shot Air Force pilot who is chosen by a dying alien to be his successor in an intergalactic police force known as the Green Lanterns.

There have been numerous rumours as to who would play Hal - Anton Yelchin, Sam Worthington, Chris Pine, Nathan Fillion (my favourite choice), Michael Fassbender, Henry Cavill, Bradley Cooper and Jared Leto.

However, they have now picked three definite maybes and only Bradley Cooper is from the above list. The other two are Ryan Reynolds and Justin Timberlake. The holding deal the studio had on the actors expired Monday, meaning the three are now free to accept other offers.

I am a bit surprised about this threesome as none of them really fit the Hal Jordan I picture. Out of the three Ryan Reynolds is about the closest, but I would much rather see him as Deadpool (I hope that Green Lantern doesn't impact on that).

Bradley Cooper can act, but I just don't see him as Hal.

Justin Timberlake....I just don't know. Stunt casting like that can often harm a big film and I definitely cannot see him as Hal.

Apparently, De Line, Campbell and the studio each had a different favorite among the three finalists, making it difficult to come to a consensus.

Another issue impacting the casting process is the rising budget. "Lantern" is a full-blown space epic that is expected to cost between $150 million and $200 million, if not more. Warners would like to have the production costs at a reasonable level before proceeding.

The studio has scheduled the movie for a December 2010 opening.

I am assuming that one of these three will be Hal Jordan. Sadly the excitement I had for the film has gone down a notch or two.

On a slightly different tangent, there is the slight possibility that Superman, or more likely Clark Kent, may cameo in the Green Lantern film. MTV spoke to scriptwriter Marc Guggenheim.

“Honestly, it changes on a daily basis. Whatever information I gave you today would be obsolete in a week, and maybe come back again in two weeks,” said Guggenheim. ” And even if it wasn’t in flux at the script stage, it would still be constantly in flux because you can film it, put it in the original cut, and eventually it could end up on the editing room floor.”

However, he didn’t deny that the Superman’s alter ego would be making an appearance.

What do you think about one of those three playing Jordan?

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Is Brandon Routh the George Lazenby of the Superman franchise

Poor Brandon Routh. He was hyped up big time as the new Man of Steel, but sadly, the film sucked. Why have the kid in it? Now it looks as if he will be hanging up the tights.

“The term of the contract expired,” Routh told entertainment site Omelete “But if they call me again, [I'd go] back to the character without thinking twice!”

The expiration of Routh’s contract is pretty crap news for the “Superman Returns” star, as Warner Bros. is rumored to be going a Batman Begins route with a total reboot and a darker tone. Going dark for Superman is the wrong way to go in my opinion.

“I do not know of anything,” Routh said of the film’s progress. “I’m sure that Warner Bros. is moving there, but everything is still uncertain. Really, I do not know anything.”

He Still Routh does have the Dylan Dog film, Dead of Night, and he is also going to be one of the evil ex-boyfriends in Edgar Wrights adaption of Scott Pilgrim vs The World.

Do you want to see Routh in another Superman film? If not him who else?

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Teen Wolf - Lycanthropy a-go-go again

Another remake of a film from my childhood - Michael J. Fox's Teen Wolf is in early development.

Warner Bros looking for writers to do a new version of Rod Daniels’ 1985 hit. Moviehole say that the studio is not quite certain ''which way they’re going to go.''

I personally thought that Teen Wolf Too starring Jason Bateman had killed the franchise but it looks as if the studios are intent on redoing every film from the Eighties.

The original tells the tale of basketballer (Fox) who, upon discovering he’s a werewolf like his father (James Hampton), finds popularity and notoriety... and the ability to slamdunk. The only person not excited to be losing ‘the old Scott’ is long-time best pal, Boof (Susan Ursitti).

Nobody word on director or cast as it is still early days. However, if they are going to go big with this then Zac Efron and Robert Pattinson will no doubt be approached.

A remake too far? Do you want to see a new version? What should be in it? Who should be the star?

Teen Wolf picture by Dapper Dan

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Inception - Christopher Nolan's sci-fi film has a $200 million budget

A Sun source confirmed that Leonardo DiCaprio will be heading to Alberta, Canada this November to shoot scenes for the new Christopher Nolan film, Inception.

While the psychological sci-fi thriller is filming in five different countries, a significant portion of the $200-million movie will be shot in Kananaskis.

"It's not going to be just a two-day shoot," said the source.

"It's not just some CBC mini-series. It's pretty substantial.

"These guys are going to spend more money before lunchtime than most (networks) will spend on a series. It's as big a movie as has ever been shot here."

DiCaprio headlines the film's star-studded cast as a CEO. It also stars Oscar-winner Marion Cotillard, Canadian actress Ellen Page, Tom Hardy (Bronson), Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Cillian Murphy and Michael Caine. Ken Watanabe (The Last Samurai, The Dark Knight) will play the film's villain, a man who is blackmailing DiCaprio.

Director Christopher Nolan (The Dark Knight, Memento) has already been to Calgary twice to look at possible locations.

Nolan scouted nearby foothills and mountainous areas by helicopter and is said to have chosen Fortress Mountain (that's the one in the photo above) as the main Alberta location.

The Inception script, also written by Nolan, has been kept under tight wraps although it has been described by Warner Bros. studio as "a contemporary sci-fi actioner set within the architecture of the mind."

I do love the fact hardly anything is know about the actual plot of the film. From what little I do know it seems to be giving off a Philip K. Dick kind of vibe - businessmen from rival companies, set within the architecture of the mind.

The movie is slated for a July 2010 release.

Source: Calgary Sun

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Megan Fox talks about Jonah Hex

Megan Fox has been chatting to MTV about her role in the forthcoming Warner Bros. film, Jonah Hex.

"That movie is gonna be amazing," Fox stated. "It's a post-civil war, apocalyptic type Western. The director Jimmy [Hayward] is a lunatic, and he might be a genius. From some of the things I've seen him shoot, it's a badass movie."

"They've changed her name a couple of times - it's Leila now," Fox said. "She is a prostitute. She's a good ol' working girl, and she's a love-interest to Jonah... of sorts. I mean, it's by no means a classic type of relationship."

"Her name was initially Liala, and now they changed it - or it was Layla, and now they changed it to Leila. ... All the women in the movie are prostitutes. ... [I'm] sort of a tough, no-nonsense prostitute. Like, she'll shoot you in the head if she has to. And she does!"

The film stars Josh Brolin as Jonah along with John Malkovich and Will Arnett.

Check out the photos of Brolin as Hex and more of the lovely Megan Fox.

Jonah Hex is due out on 6th August 2010

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By the Power of Grayskull - He-Man gets another rewrite

Warner Bros. and Silver Pictures have signed on Evan Daugherty to write the latest draft of Grayskull, the studio's big-screen version of Mattel's He-Man and the Masters of the Universe cartoon and toy line.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, John Stevenson (Kung Fu Panda) is attached to direct the adaptation of the show, which followed a blond warrior named Prince Adam who, when uttering the magic words, "By the power of Grayskull -- I have the power," turned into the heroic He-Man. He and his allies -- Battle Cat, Man-at-Arms and Orko -- defended their planet Eternia from the evil forces of Skeletor, who tried week after week to conquer the fortress Castle Grayskull, which imbued He-Man with his powers.

Warners sees the big-screen version as a gritty fantasy and reimagines Adam as a soldier who sets off to find his destiny, happening upon the magical world of Eternia. There, Skeletor has raised a technological army and is bent on eradicating magic.

That sounds as if Prince Adam could well be from Earth and ends up in Eternia which is basically a reversal of the previous film that starred Dolph Lundgren.

Who would you like to see play the various characters in the film?

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The Green Lantern moved from 2010 to 2011

Warner Bros has pushed back the announced release of Martin Campbell’s DC comic book adaptation of The Green Lantern, from 2010 to 2011. The film was originally due out on 17th December 2010. Now it will be out on 17th June 2011, a week before Pixar’s Cars 2.

Releasing it during the summer blockbuster season would suggest that the studio is really getting behind it. Plus the extra time they now have to make it can only be a good thing. I really hope they have lots of space bound adventures and big up the sci-fi side of Hal Jordan's adventures.

The $150 million film was hoping to begin production in mid-September at Fox Studios in Sydney Australia. Yesterday I posted that Bradley Cooper was close to being cast as Hal Jordan, but the producers still haven’t made any final decisions. The new date might give the production a bit more time to finalize the cast.

What and who do you want to see in a Green Lantern film.


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Green Lantern moving forward with a budget of $150 million.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Warner Bros. and DC Comics' Green Lantern will be made at Fox Studios Australia in Sydney, New South Wales.

Martin Campbell, director of "Casino Royale," will be at the helm of the comic book's big screen adaptation, working from a script by Greg Berlanti and Michael Green. Donald Deline will produce with a reported budget of $150 million.

Quite a big budget and it will go a long way down under as it should receive the Australian federal government's 15% location rebate on top of the incentives supplied by the New South Wales government to bring the project to Fox.

The film will also create around 500 jobs and include a "substantial investment" in digital effects work in Australia.

Pre-production on "Green Lantern" is set to begin in July, and filming scheduled to start in November. Warner hopes to release the film in December 2010.

Great news that this is moving forward. I do hope they keep it space bound for a big chunk of the film. Let's see some major sci-fi in a comic book film.

Still no word on who will play Hal Jordan. Any ideas?

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John Ostrander talks about what he wants to see in the Suicide Squad film

When it was announced in February that DC/Warner Bros had set its sights on the supervillain team-up series Suicide Squad as one of the next properties to get the big-screen treatment, MTV Splashpage spoke with the “Squad” creator John Ostrander to get some thoughts on the series and which characters were must-have cast members. Along with giving us the lowdown on the characters he considered a necessity for a proper “Suicide Squad” film, Ostrander also shared some thoughts on the story he thinks would provide a proper introduction to the cast of unwilling heroes.

“Some fans have suggested that the first storyline, trying to keep the Jihad from launching a terrorist attack, would make a good storyline [for the film],” Ostrander told MTV News. “I don’t think they’ll adapt any actual storylines but that story could be a good model of what makes the Squad work.”

According to Ostrander, the formula for a faithful representation of the “Suicide Squad” — an ever-changing cast of supervillains forced to engage in dangerous missions by a shadowy government agency — consists of “espionage and a touch of politics and the usual Squad double dealing.”

“[That's] the stuff that makes the Squad the Squad,” explained Ostrander.

However, Ostrander was quick to point out that the aforementioned suggestions are exactly that — suggestions — and not must-have qualities that will determine whether it’s “mission accomplished” for a “Suicide Squad” adaptation.

“Movies and comics are too different mediums and I’m not going to try to tell anyone how to do their jobs,” said Ostrander. “These are just a few of my stray thoughts here on the sidelines.”

What line up of the Suicide Squad do you want to see? They have to include Deadshot, Captain Boomarang and Amanda Waller in the mix.

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Could those who worship evil's might beware Chris Pine's power, Green Lantern's light!

There was a rumour a little while back that a crew member of the Star Ship Enteprise could be in the running for the most powerful weapon in the Universe - a Green Lantern's power ring. That person was Anton Yelchin (Chekov). The internet generally said, "What the..?!" Now it looks as if half of that rumour is totally incorrect. It won't be the weapons officer it's the Captain. Kirk to be exact.

IESB.net has posted a rumor that Star Trek's Chris Pine ("James T. Kirk") is being eyed as the title character in Warner Brothers' upcoming Green Lantern movie.

Pine would play Hal Jordan, a pilot who finds a powerful ring and its lantern-like battery when a spaceship crashes on Earth. Jordan is selected to succeed the craft's dying occupant as the next Green Lantern, a galactic guardian who is a member of an interstellar corps, the site reported, citing an anonymous source.

The movie has set up production offices and is on track to start shooting in September in Australia for the previously announced 17th December 2010 release date.

Pine is reportedly at the top of a list that also supposedly includes Terminator Salvation's Sam Worthington.

Neither Pine or Worthingtom seem Hal Jordanny enough. They are apparantly going for someone under 30 so Nathan Fillion and Aaron Eckhart are out. I just don't know. Would you be happy with Chris Pine as the Green Lantern of sector 2814? If not him who could it be?

Source: Sci-Fi Wire

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Superman / Batman: Public Enemies to be next DC Comics animated film

AICN have the news on the next animated film scheduled for release in the Fall of 2009 from Warner Animation.

United States President Lex Luthor uses the oncoming trajectory of a kryptonite asteroid to frame Superman and declare a $1 billion bounty on the heads of the Man of Steel and his “partner in crime” Batman. Super heroes and super villains alike launch a relentless pursuit of Superman and Batman, who must unite – and recruit super help – to stave off the action-packed onslaught, stop the asteroid, and uncover Luthor’s devious plot to take command of far more than North America.

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Orphan - Trailer

The tragic loss of their unborn child has devastated Kate and John, taking a toll on both their marriage and Kate’s fragile psyche as she is plagued by nightmares and haunted by demons from her past. Struggling to regain some semblance of normalcy in their lives, the couple decides to adopt another child. At the local orphanage, both John and Kate find themselves strangely drawn to a young girl named Esther. Almost as soon as they welcome Esther into their home, however, an alarming series of events begins to unfold, leading Kate to believe that there’s something wrong with Esther—this seemingly angelic little girl is not what she appears to be. Concerned for the safety of her family, Kate tries to get John and others to see past Esther’s sweet facade. But her warnings go unheeded until it may be too late…for everyone.

Director: Jaume Collet-Serra
Writer: David Leslie Johnson
Studio: Warner Bros Pictures
Cast: Vera Farmiga, Peter Sarsgaard, Isabelle Fuhrman
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Wonder Woman may be heading over from her Island Paradise

IESB have the news that the Amazon Princess may be getting her way to the silver screen after all.

There was a regime change late last year over at Silver Pictures, Andrew Roma is now the man in charge and will be the man spearheading the live action Wonder Woman project along with mega producer Joel Silver.

Sources in the Burbank studios have confirmed there is quite a bit of movement on the WW front. With Green Lantern going into production this year, it looks like Princess Diana may finally get the go ahead from WB.

WB and Silver Pictures are in the early stages but they are eager to get started on the movie. Sources tell IESB that WB is looking for new writers on the project and have been taking pitches the last few weeks.

This project has been back and forth a number of times. At one point Joss Whedon was attached to direct and another script was set during World War II.

I don't think Wonder Woman has ever been done correctly on screen so I do hope they get this right. It would also be great if they could tie it into the Green Lantern and other DC Comic based films.

Who would you like to see as Diana? Who should direct it and when should it be set?

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Green Lantern may be the start of a linked DC Universe on screen

Donald De Line, producer behind Green Lantern, gave fans an idea of what to expect in terms of tone and content from the next live-action superhero film to come from Warner Brothers. De Line was promoting I Love You, Man when the folks at Collider snuck a few Green Lantern questions in on him.

De Line confirmed that the film would feature the Hal Jordan version of Green Lantern, and also said that the film would be an action/adventure piece with a good deal of character based humor. He also said that it isn't "dark", and said that the tone will probably be similar to that of Marvel's recent Iron Man. This news will undoubtedly be a comfort to fans who worried that Warner Brothers was going to put a The Dark Knight-style veil of darkness over all of their future superhero films.

It was also confirmed that Martin Campbell would direct the film, and he said that they had a production designer and a costume designer on the film already, as well as a date on the release calendar. De Line went on to say that they were going to Australia to scout in the next week.

Finally, and perhaps most significantly, De Line suggested that with Green Lantern, Warner Brothers may be taking a page out of Marvel's book and integrating their films, similar to how this past summer's The Incredible Hulk and Iron Man tied together, loosely. De Line specifically said "I haven't gone there because I'm just doing Green Lantern, but DC Comic is a part of Warner Bros. and they both have a very large agenda with that. So I think they've got all kinds of things in the works. Yeah, definitely."

Source: Movieweb

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The Hangover - Where did we put the groom?

Two days before his wedding, Doug and his three friends drive to Las Vegas for a blow-out bachelor party they'll never forget. But, in fact, when the three groomsmen wake up the next morning, they can't remember a thing. For some reason, they find a tiger in the bathroom and a six-month-old baby in the closet of their suite at Caesars Palace. The one thing they can't find is Doug. With no clue as to what transpired and little time to spare, the trio must retrace their hazy steps and all their bad decisions in order to figure out where things went wrong and hopefully get Doug back to L.A. in time to walk down the aisle.

Director: Todd Phillips
Writer: Jon Lucas
Studio: Warner Bros Pictures
Cast: Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis

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Terminator Salvation - Lots of new photos

Yahoo have some new posters and photos released by Warner Bros for Terminator Salvation.
They feature Christian Bale, Sam Wortington, T-600's and other bits and pieces of McG's vision for the Terminator Universe. The new trailer is due out at some point today so keep checking back as I'll get it posted here as soon as it hits.
After Skynet has destroyed much of humanity in a nuclear holocaust, a group of survivors led by John Connor (Christian Bale) and his wife Kate, struggle to keep the machines from finishing the job.
The film is due out on 22nd May 2009.
I do like the look of the new Terminator film. It can't be any worse than Terminator 3 (although that did have a great ending). Are you excited for the new film? Will it rock?

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Warner Bros release dates - Green Lantern, Harry Potter, Sherlock Holmes, Clash of the Titans, Inception, Jonah Hex and Sucker Punch

ERC Box Office is reporting that Warner has announced a slew of release dates, most notably a December 17, 2010 release date for Green Lantern. The site is also reporting that, while the title character hasn't been cast, the studio is eyeing up Martin Campbell (Casino Royale) to direct the superhero film.

The studio also announced a July 15, 2011 release date for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II, which is the same date already chosen by Marvel for The Avengers. Warner Bros. also moved Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes to Christmas Day 2009, from an originally-planned November 13 release.

Other release dates set were Louis Leterrier's Clash of the Titans on March 26, 2010, Christopher Nolan's Inception on July 16, 2010, Jonah Hex on August 6, 2010 and Zack Snyder's recently-announced Sucker Punch on October 8, 2010.

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Wachowski's are not getting into Superman's tights

Last week I posted the news / rumour that the Wachowski Brothers had been in talks with DC and Warner Bros about possibly directing the reboot of Superman. James McTeigue had apparantly mentioned it on a radio show in Germany while he was bigging up Ninja Assassin.

Well now, according to /film, that piece of news has been confirmed as a big fat untruth. Double plus ungood as that would have been something to see.

Oh well, that's life in the ever changing world in which we live in. Say live and let die and all that.

If the Wachowski brothers aren't doing it who do you feel should direct the Superman reboot? Does anyone know if James McTeigue actually appeared on that radio show?

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Full Transformers: Revenge of The Fallen trailer debuts with Friday the 13th

The Superbowl had the 30 second teaser trailer for Michael Bay's Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. Now Movieweb have the great news that the full trailer will be on before Warner Bros' Friday the 13th reboot that opens this friday...the...13th.

There you go. I know may of you were going to see Jason do his machete thing anyway, but now for those undecided the chance to see some giant robot action and Megan Fox may be the reason to head on over to the cinema.

If you go see it let me know what you think about the trailer and the film. By the way the photo is the first look at the action figure for The Fallen.

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