Behold some 'Scott Pilgrim vs The World' Posters highlighting the 7 evil exes!

Thoughts?

The actors vying to play Spider-Man continues to grow...

...with two excellent new options being added, according to The Los Angeles Times:

Since it was announced back in the winter, some have hoped/worried that Marc Webb's Spider-Man reboot will go in a "Kick-Ass" direction, a not unreasonable thought given multiple parallels between the two stories as well as the warm reception (if not exactly hot box office) that greeted "Kick-Ass."

Could it now go that way literally?

You can add two names to the growing list of (very early) candidates for the young Peter Parker, and one of them is Aaron Johnson, who played the titular nerd-hero in "Kick-Ass," sources say.

Johnson, who for months has been the subject of relentless online speculation about his suitability for the part, would indeed in many ways make an appropriate choice. His role in "Kick-Ass" saw him as a seemingly ordinary teenager transformed into a superhero, much in the way of Parker's Spider-Man. Of course, the analogy is also off in several key ways: Johnson was a fake superhero, not a real one, and his star in the film was eclipsed by Chloe Moretz's Hit-Girl.

The second actor to make his way on to the shortlist of the Sony film, according to sources, is Anton Yelchin, who has been coming on strong since his 2009 double-whammy of "Star Trek" and "Terminator Salvation".

Yelchin would have his champions too. His supporting role as Chekov in "Star Trek" didn't leave a deep impression, but he did steal the show as Kyle Reese in "Terminator Salvation."

Both of the new names are a bit more prominent than the actors who have previously surfaced. That list includes "Billy Elliot" star Jamie Bell, "Harry Potter" actor Frank Dillane, "The Kids Are All Right" costar Josh Hutcherson and up-and-comers Alden Ehrenreich and Andrew Garfield.

Of course, just the fact that these actors are being considered means little in practice. Over the last few months, director Marc Webb has canvassed a wide group of young actors with the aim of seeing which one he and and the studio should anoint to take the role previously filled by Tobey Maguire. Screen testing is expected to start shortly. And the hue and cry over whether the right choice was made will follow shortly after that.

-I'm a big Yelchin fan, but Johnson would be a very solid pick too...thoughts?

Is this another image of Chris Hemsworth as Thor?

Well, it's just concept art, but it's still cool to see...thoughts?

Is Jeremy Renner going to be playing Hawkeye in 'The Avengers'?

According to Collider, yes:

When it comes to Marvel casting this week, we’re getting incrementally closer to the real thing. The Josh Holloway item was just a rumor. Neil McDonough is “in talks” to play Dum Dum Dugan. But Jeremy Renner has been talking to Marvel about playing Clint Barton for some time, and now the actor is in “final negotiations” to join The Avengers as Hawkeye.

Renner’s star rose considerably over the last year after his Oscar-nominated turn in The Hurt Locker, which opened up such opportunities as Peter Berg’s adaptation of Battleship and Paul Thomas Anderson’s untitled opus on religion. Renner seems to have passed on Battleship, and the Anderson film could take awhile to come together, so the actor remains a free agent ready to don Hawkeye’s purple bow.

The ensemble cast required for The Avengers, which Joss Whedon (Firefly) will direct, is approaching completion. There’s Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man (of course), Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Chris Evans as Captain America, Scarlett Johanssen as Black Widow, and Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury. (Of course, the big missing piece is Hulk — no deal has been made with Edward Norton to reprise his role from 2008’s The Incredible Hulk.) Heat Vision reports that, to keep the budget under control, Marvel has talked all the featured players into a paycut.

This is all shaping up pretty fantastically. Renner is a great get, and if there is any legitimacy to the Josh Holloway rumor (as Ant-Man, perhaps?)… I would apparently be at a loss for words.

-I dig Renner in this role, personally...thoughts?

Here's a first look at what Captain America might look like!

Thoughts?

'Scott Pilgrim vs. The World' gets a new Trailer!

Behold:

-I'm loving it in a big way...thoughts?

James McAvoy to play Professor X in 'X-Men: First Class'!

Via The Hollywood Reporter:

James McAvoy has signed on to play a young Charles Xavier, aka Professor X, in “X-Men: First Class,” which Matthew Vaughn is directing for Fox.

According to Fox, “First Class” will “chart the epic beginning of the X-Men saga. Before Charles Xavier and Eric Lensherr took the names Professor X and Magneto, they were two young men discovering their powers for the first time. Before they were archenemies, they were the closest of friends, working together, with other Mutants (some familiar, some new), to stop the greatest threat the world has ever known. In the process, a rift between them opened, which began the eternal war between Magneto's Brotherhood and Professor X's X-Men.”

Patrick Stewart played the character, a bald-headed, wheelchair-bound telepath, in the original "X-Men" trilogy. Fox did not reveal if McAvoy will sport a follicle-free pate.

Fox is moving fast on the production, hiring Vaughn in early May and planning a summer start in London. The movie is being planned for a June 3, 2011, release.

Bryan Singer, who conceived the story for “First Class,” is producing along with Lauren Shuler Donner and Simon Kinberg.

McAvoy, repped by UTA and Ruth Young/United Agents, already has comic book movie experience, having starred in “Wanted.” The British actor was last seen in “The Last Station.”

-Not bad casting at all...thoughts?

Has the list of actors in line to play Spider-Man thinned?

Indeed it has, and The Hollywood Reporter has the list of the finalists Marc Webb is choosing from:

Even as Alvin Sargent rewrites the script for Columbia’s rebooted “Spider-Man,” director Marc Webb has been ensnaring actors in his web(b) in his search for the new Peter Parker, aka Spider-Man.

Webb has been meeting and reading actors quietly for several months, but the list has narrowed in the past week or two. No screen tests have been conducted at this early stage (though it will be a requirement), and insiders point out that the director and studio are still on the lookout.

The candidates for the web-slinger include:

-- Jamie Bell: The 24-year-old English actor, repped by WME and Artists Independent Management, who made his film debut playing the title character in “Billy Elliot,” has been doing the proper British actor thing in period movies such as “Nicholas Nickleby” and “Jane Eyre” (he’s also appeared in Hollywood movies such as Peter Jackson’s “King Kong” and Ed Zwick’s “Defiance”). More important, he’s already stepped into the comics world by portraying Tintin in Jackson and Steven Spielberg’s “The Adventures of Tintin” movie, which won’t hit screens until December 2011.

-- Alden Ehrenreich: The Los Angeles-born 20-year-old has a juicy backstory, having been “discovered” by Spielberg, who saw a comedy video starring Ehrenreich at a bat mitzvah of his daughter’s friend. A couple of TV appearances followed, but the actor’s next big leap came when he was cast by Francis Ford Coppola in 2009’s “Tetro.” He is repped by WME.

-- Frank Dillane: The 19-year-old Brit’s main credit is last year’s “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,” where he played a young Tom Riddle. Is a minor role in a “Potter” film a good springboard for a mega-franchise? It worked for Robert Pattinson.

-- Andrew Garfield: The L.A.-born actor had a short stint on a BBC TV series called “Sugar Rush” but gained notices for playing a young reporter in a gritty British TV movie trilogy titled “Red Riding.” The 27-year-old appeared in “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus” and will be seen in David Fincher’s movie about Facebook, “The Social Network.” He is repped by CAA and the Collective.

-- Josh Hutcherson: The youngest actor of the bunch -- he turns 18 this year -- is also the one with the most experience. The past six years alone have seen the Kentucky-born kid rack up credits with key roles in Jon Favreau’s “Zathura,” drama “Bridge to Terabithia” and the upcoming “Red Dawn” remake. He appears in the Sundance hit “The Kids Are All Right,” which insider buzz suggests could be an Oscar contender, and starred with Brendan Fraser in “Journey to the Center of the Earth.”

Hutcherson, repped by ICM and Beddingfield, just signed on to star in the “Journey” sequel, and that movie could prove a fly in the ointment if the actor’s schedule collides with “Spider-Man.” (Though you can bet every effort would be made to make it work.)

The group of actors seems to fall in line with what Webb has been looking to do with his take on Spider-Man, which is to cast relative unknowns in a story that roots Parker back in high school. The movie will be an angst-ridden tale of a teen dealing with the knowledge that his uncle died even though he had the power to stop it.

Columbia wants to begin production by year’s end, but Webb and the studio are taking their time choosing the actor while Sargent gets the script in spider-shape.

A Columbia spokesperson did not comment on the casting process, saying “There have been a number of names floated online and almost every week, someone calls with a new rumor. We are not commenting on the casting process or rumors such as these.”

-I lean towards Hutcherson or Garfield...who do you prefer?

Will 'Captain America' be Marvel's first 3D flick?

Perhaps, according to Cinematical:

With 3D films being seen as a license to print money, it's not at all surprising that Marvel would be pondering when to jump on the bandwagon. Rumors abounded that Iron Man would be converted into 3D, to accompany a 3D Iron Man 2. Those proved to be unfounded, though Kevin Feige admitted to Heat Vision that they thought about it, but ran out of time in post production. "We couldn't have turned over a version of the movie 10 or 20 weeks earlier for 3-D conversion without undermining the quality," he said. "We used all the time we had for mixing and editing and discovering the right tone." (Seeing the quick-and-dirty 3D Clash of the Titans may have helped that decision too!)

If Marvel is going to do 3D, they want to do 3D right. "The team has been doing a lot of research into 3-D processes, and we're looking at it on future films when we have the time," Feige said. "We will be doing it at some point." That point may be Thor (which wasn't shot on 3D cameras and would have to be converted in post), but it's far more likely to be The First Avenger: Captain America. That begins shooting this summer in England, giving them ample time to use 3D cameras and all kinds of technological wizardry. It would also be a pretty ideal character to debut 3D with -- Cap is, after all, known for throwing that indestructible shield of his. He also slams people around a lot. It's the ideal prop for 3D, moreso than Mjolnir. (That's my humble opinion, of course.)

Of course, to those who really don't care for 3D, this will come as a bitter disappointment. If there's one thing the Marvel Universe might not need, it's more bells and whistles. Then again, the possibility of seeing Iron Man do 3D pelvic thrusts is an awfully tempting one.

-I trust Marvel to not do conversion, but we'll see...thoughts?

What does Jon Favreau have in mind for Iron Man 3 if he ends up directing it?

Well, Collider has some details:

Director Jon Favreau is already looking ahead to Iron Man 3 even though he admits he has no idea what it will look like until after the events of Thor, Captain America: The First Avenger, and The Avengers. However, he told MTV that he would still like to have Iron Man's arch-nemesis The Mandarin be the film’s villain. For those unfamiliar with the character, he’s a Fu-Manchu-looking Asian caricature who possesses ten magical rings. Favreau admits that the character from the comics will require some alterations, but he’s been setting up Mandarin’s presence in the last two films. The terrorist organization in the first Iron Man is part of the “Ten Rings” and if you look through the credits of Iron Man 2, you’ll see Ali Khan credited as “10 Rings Gangster” (he’s the one who hands Vanko the forged ID and travel documents).

I like that Favreau’s willing to say “I don’t know” at this point and it should now be clear that he’s taking the time to make Cowboys and Aliens (which comes out next summer) so that the Marvel Universe can simmer before jumping into a third Iron Man movie without knowing how Tony Stark is going to fare during and after The Avengers.

-A lot will depend on who the hire to write it, if it even happens...thoughts

Toby Jones joins the cast of 'Captain America'!

As one of the villains, according to The Hollywood Reporter:

Toby Jones, the British actor best known for playing real-life characters such as Truman Capote in “Infamous,” will play in his first comic book movie with Marvel Studios’ “Captain America.”

Jones is in final negotiations to portray a villainous scientist named Arnim Zola in the production, which already has Hugo Weaving as another bad guy, the Red Skull. The movie shoots this summer in England.

In comics lore, Zola was a genetic engineer who created clones and various monstrosities for Hitler. He also captured his own mental self, inserting it into a robot, and survived the war.

Joe Johnston is directing the World War II-set movie, which sees Chris Evans as the famed superhero. Sebastian Stan is playing sidekick Bucky Barnes, while Hayley Atwell is the hero’s love interest, Peggy Carter.

Jones also is known Stateside for playing Swifty Lazar in “Frost/Nixon” and Karl Rove in Oliver Stone’s “W.” He also does voice work for the “Harry Potter” movies, playing Dobby the House Elf, and will soon shoot "The Rite" with Anthony Hopkins.

Jones, repped by UTA and ARG, will next be seen in Universal's comedy "Your Highness" with James Franco and Natalie Portman.

-He's a talented actor, so this isn't bad casting at all...thoughts?

Is Matthew Vaughn directing 'X-Men: First Class' after all?

Well, yes...according to the latest from The Hollywood Reporter:

Fox has closed a deal with Matthew Vaughn to direct “X-Men: First Class” and has set a date of June 3, 2011, for the film.

Vaughn’s involvement had been on and off, with negotiations resuming yesterday thanks to the involvement of producer Bryan Singer. Another factor had been Fox’s desire of wanting to have a finished film for next summer, making the search for a director who can deliver a quality film a priority.

On top of that, Ashley Miller and Zack Stentz, who worked on Marvel's "Thor" movie, did a rewrite on the "First Class" script that convinced execs that making a movie for next year was possible.

Singer, who conceived the story for "First Class" and was to initially direct the movie before choosing to focus on “Jack the Giant Killer” for Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures, is producing along with Lauren Shuler Donner and Simon Kinberg.

According to Fox, “First Class” will “chart the epic beginning of the X-Men saga. Before Charles Xavier and Erik Lensherr took the names Professor X and Magneto, they were two young men discovering their powers for the first time. Before they were archenemies, they were the closest of friends, working together, with other Mutants (some familiar, some new), to stop the greatest threat the world has ever known. In the process, a rift between them opened, which began the eternal war between Magneto's Brotherhood and Professor X's X-Men.”

The June 3 date sets “First Class” in a boxoffice battle with DreamWorks Animation's “Kung Fu Panda: The Kaboom of Doom.” Warners’ comic book movie “Green Lantern” opens two weeks later, June 17. And the sequel to “The Hangover” opens June 5.

-I think he's a very good choice, all in all...thoughts?

Sam Rockwell joins the cast of 'Cowboys and Aliens'!

Via The Hollywood Reporter:

Sam Rockwell is reteaming with Jon Favreau for another comic book adaptation, DreamWorks' "Cowboys and Aliens."

Rockwell, who portrays arms manufacturer Justin Hammer in the Favreau-directed "Iron Man 2," has joined the cast of "Cowboys," the alien invasion-meets-the Wild West project that Favreau begins shooting in June.

Daniel Craig, Olivia Wilde and Harrison Ford are already cast in the tale, based on a Platinum Studios graphic novel, of cowboys and Indians rising up against aliens.

Rockwell will play a bar owner named Doc who joins in the pursuit of the aliens. Once Favreau and the writers -- Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci and Damon Lindelof -- learned that Rockwell was interested in the movie, they reconceived and expanded the role, which initially called for a heavy-set man.

"Cowboys" keeps Gersh-repped Rockwell, who is known more for his smart indie fare such as "Moon," working in the big-studio world, at least for another movie.

Steven Spielberg, Ron Howard and Brian Grazer also are producing along with Scott Mitchell Rosenberg.

-Thoughts?

Today's Trailers: Jonah Hex, Splice, and Wild Target

First up is the eagerly awaited first look at the upcoming comic book action western 'Jonah Hex':

Next we have a new trailer for the science fiction horror flick 'Splice':

Lastly, we have a peek at an upcoming British action comedy by the name of 'Wild Target':

-Thoughts?

Do we now know who the frontrunner to play the new Spider-Man is?

Well, according to this article in Hit Fix, we do:

The search for the new "Spider-Man" appears to be over.

HitFix has exclusively learned that Logan Lerman is first choice for Sony Pictures and the clear frontrunner to replace Tobey Maguire as Peter Parker in the reboot of the blockbuster franchise. A source close to the production tells HitFix Lerman is "almost 100% locked" but not in contract negotiations for the role yet.

Marc Webb ("500 Days of Summer") is directing the new untitled "Spider-Man" which is being written by James Vanderbilt ("Zodiac," "The Losers") and is meant to be a more teen-friendly incarnation, taking Peter Parker back to his early days of balancing girl trouble, homework, and crimefighting. The new film is expected to begin production later this year for a July 3, 2012 release.

Maguire, co-star Kristen Dunst and director Sam Raimi were expected to continue their version of the wall-crawler's adventures until Raimi bowed out after creative differences with the studio earlier this
year. At that time, Sony Pictures decided to re-cast the film and move in a new direction, and had already been developing a reboot script as a contingency plan.

Lerman beats out rumored contenders Anton Yelchin, Jesse Eisenberg, Patrick Fugit and Johnny Simmons.

The 18-year-old Los Angeles native is best known for his role as Percy in February's hit "Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief." His other credits include "Gamer," "My One and Only," "Bill," "3:10 to Yuma," "The Number 23" and the TV series "Jack & Bobby" where he played Bobby. Lerman got his start in two Mel Gibson films "What Women Want" and "The Patriot" at the young age of 8.

The attention focused on the casting of this role is not surprising when one considers that, historically, one of the reasons "Gone With the Wind was a phenomenon when it was released in 1939 was the deep investment that the audience already had in the characters thanks to the popularity of the book. Mega-producer David O. Selznick made canny use of the the casting process to hype the film, and the search to find the right Scarlett O'Hara and the right Rhett Butler was international news for a full year.

These days, it seems that the search for each new superhero has become a major sport for outlets that cover entertainment news, no doubt because modern audiences have a major investment in seeing these characters done right. When Sony Pictures decided to reboot "Spider-Man," speculation began immediately, and Lerman was one of the early names bandied about. At the time, those conversations were premature, but it appears that the process has brought Sony back around to the young actor, and now he is poised to wear the familiar red-and-blue costume after all.

-While Patrick Fugit or Anton Yelchin would have been my first choice (though I love Jesse Eisenberg in everything he does), this doesn't appear to be a bad pick, if it does indeed come to pass...thoughts?

Jon Favreau uses Twitter to drop a big casting announcement on us?

He sure seemed to do so, as you can see in this from The Hollywood Reporter:

Is Harrison Ford in "Cowboys and Aliens?"

Casting speculation has run rampant since Monday when Jon Favreau tweeted that he had some cool casting news coming down the pipe regarding the new movie he is directing for DreamWorks.

It was Latino Review that first speculated it was Ford who was joining the movie.

Today, Favreau tweeted “Please stop asking if Harrison Ford is in 'Cowboys & Aliens.' Okay? He is. Please don't tell anybody.”

While the tweet took DreamWorks execs as well as Ford’s agency by surprise, it isn’t the first time that Favreau, an avid tweeter, has gone rogue with his Twitter account. The director initially feverishly tweeted from the set of “Iron Man 2” and was told to reign it in.

Tom Hanks is another Hollywood-ite bypassing the media or publicity machine, recently tweeting casting updates for the dramedy he is directing, "Larry Crowne." Hanks sent out a picture of a wall of headshots, and later showed table readings with the actors. Publicists for some of the actors were none too happy to learn that some media outlets would not be covering their actors boarding the movie.

-And people say Twitter is useless...thoughts?

Iron Man 2 gets an IMAX Trailer...

...so take a gander:

-Thoughts?

Chris Evans' Captain America gets his sidekick...

...and it's up and coming actor Sebastian Stan. Here's the story from The Hollywood Reporter:

Sebastian Stan, one of the actors who tested for the title role of Marvel’s “Captain America” which ultimately went to Chris Evans, has nabbed the key role of Captain America’s sidekick Bucky Barnes.

In comic book lore, Barnes, a teenaged orphan, was too young to join the army but became one camp’s mascot. When he discovered Captain America’s identity, he joined Captain America as a partner in his Nazi-fighting escapades. The character died in Captain America’s final World War II adventure.

After decades of being “dead,” the character was revived in 2005 and brought back into modern comic continuity, initially as a covert assassin named Winter Soldier.

It is not clear if the movie version of Barnes sets up the Winter Soldier identity. Marvel would only confirm that Stan is playing Barnes.

Insiders also say Stan has signed on for five or six pictures.

Shooting on the Joe Johnston-directed pic starts this summer in Europe.

Stan, repped by CAA and Brookside Management, starred in NBC’s short-lived “Kings” and had a stint on the CW’s “Gossip Girl.” His feature film career has been on a roll of late, having recently appeared in “Hot Tub Time Machine" and wrapped the Joel Silver-produced thriller “The Apparition” and Darren Aronofsky’s “Black Swan."

-Thoughts?

Believe it or not, Iron Man 2 gets "2" more Posters...

No April Fools Day joke here...thoughts?

Iron Man 2 gets a new Poster!

Thoughts?