'Green Lantern' may in fact be a year away, but 'Green Lantern 2' already has a writer!

Here's the story from The Hollywood Reporter:

“Green Lantern” is a year away from release, but Warner Bros. already is starting development on a sequel.

The studio has hired Greg Berlanti, Michael Green and Marc Guggenheim, all of whom worked on the “Lantern” screenplay, to write a treatment for the second installment.

The trio has also been tapped to pen the treatment for the silver-screen incarnation of “The Flash.”

Under the deal, they would then go on to write the screenplay for one of the two projects, though which one has not been determined.

“Lantern” is shooting in New Orleans under the direction of Martin Campbell with Ryan Reynolds starring as the emerald ring-wielding DC Comics superhero who is part of an intergalactic police force known as the Green Lantern Corps.

Development on a second installment this far out from a movie’s release date is rare, signaling the studio’s confidence in what it sees so far.

It also appears to be the first moves the studio is making under its newly configured relationship with DC.

In September, DC was reorganized to bring it closer to Warners, with Diane Nelson named president of newly created DC Entertainment. In February, artist Jim Lee and executive editor Dan DiDio were named publishers of DC Comics. Star writer Geoff Johns was appointed chief creative officer of DCE, with the aim of bridging the comics and filmed entertainment sides.

With new Batman and Superman films in the writing stages and “Lantern” filming, the team thought “Flash” was the next logical hero to tackle.

Development on a feature version of the scarlet speedster has gone through several false starts over the years, but the character is close to Johns’ heart. The writer recently brought back to prominence one version of the character not seen since the mid-1980s and is working on a relaunch of the series.

The “Flash” film will take inspiration from Johns’ recent work and will feature the Barry Allen incarnation of the character. (In comics lore, several names have wielded the Flash mantle, though Allen, created in 1956, remains by far the most popular.)

Berlanti, creator of “Everwood,” recently directed the feature “Life as We Know it,” starring Katherine Heigl, and is an exec producer on ABC’s “Brothers and Sisters.” He co-created “Eli Stone” with Guggenheim, who is exec producing ABC’s upcoming superhero drama “No Ordinary Family.” Berlanti co-created "Family," which stars Michael Chiklis.

Green worked with Berlanti on “Everwood” and created NBC’s “Kings.”

The trio is repped by WME.

-One would hope this means that there's a kick-ass flick coming our way next year...thoughts?

Another film in the Bourne franchise appears to be on the horizon...

...according to this in Deadline:

Well, I'm excited by this breaking news. Universal is bringing back what it's calling "the key screenwriter" behind the Bourne franchise to write the treatment for the fourquel, whose working title is the The Bourne Legacy. And he's also writing what studio insiders are calling the "Bourne Bible". Tony Gilroy, of course, was the key writer on The Bourne Identity, The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ultimatum. Frank Marshall and Pat Crowley are back to produce alongside Captivate Entertainment which is the Robert Ludlum estate production company led by Jeffrey Weiner and Ben Smith. (The pic won't be based on the book The Bourne Legacy written by Eric Lustabader in Ludlum’s series.) Bourne 4 will have a 2012 release. No word yet on whether Matt Damon or Paul Greengrass will be back. (Matt has said he won't do Bourne 4 unless Paul does. And Paul has said he's not.) But I bet Gilroy's involvement might lure at least Damon, who'd be an idiot not to continue the best role of his life -- not to mention the best payday.

-This doesn't seem especially necessary, but there are worse projects these people could be involved in...thoughts?

Has Jamie Bell landed the role of Spider-Man?

Well, that seems to be the hot rumor (though there's a competing rumor that it's Josh Hutcherson with the inside track to the gig), according to Cinematical:

There's been a lot of heated discussion lately as to who should don the webby red and blue. Not surprisingly, Sony wasn't really paying attention to any of it, and stuck with their final five candidates. While Drew McWeeny at HitFix heard Josh Hutcherson was very, very close to becoming the new Peter Parker, Bleeding Cool reports that Sony and Marc Webb have settled on Jamie Bell. We're trying to get an official confirmation from Sony, so stay tuned.

I think Bell is a surprising choice. He's certainly the biggest name of the bunch, and a very good actor, but his performances tend to lean towards the intense and angry. Even when he's playing a quiet secondary character, Bell is just burning up with something. It's his gift as an actor. Perhaps that's the right attitude for great power and responsibility, but Parker is supposed to be awkward, nerdy, and an unlikely hero.

It's also strange to see Sony go for one of their older picks. Remember, this Spider-Man is supposed to be set entirely in high school, and Bell is 24. He certainly looks young for his age now, but so did Tobey Maguire (who still doesn't look his age.) If Sony is aiming for another trilogy, won't they run into the same problem they did with Maguire, and have an actor who is far too mature to be believable as a teenager? He's likely to be 30 by the end of the story, or close to it.

As I said, without official confirmation all protests feel a bit too much. But what do you think of Bell as Spider-Man? Are you up in arms he's not even American? (That's sarcasm.)

UPDATE: Sony has told us that they are officially not commenting on this, which means they did not deny it, so ...

-Between Hutcherson and Bell, who would you choose?

Gus Van Sant actually chased the 'Breaking Dawn' gig...

...according to The Playlist:

An interview with writer Bret Easton Ellis touching on his collaboration with Gus Van Sant on "The Golden Suicides" has seemingly revealed that Van Sant was not only targeted by 'Twilight' producers for the concluding installment of the franchise but that he was in fact actively chasing the gig.

"Van Sant, meanwhile, was trying to get the gig to direct 'Twilight,'" NY Mag reports with Ellis adding that "you can make a lot of money doing that."

We originally noted out of producers original dream trio — Sofia Coppola, Bill Condon and Van Sant — that the "Milk" helmer's sensibilities was probably the most qualified for the job. That was, of course, before Condon sidelined his work on the adaptation of "Salmon Fishing In Yemen" and the Richard Pryor biopic "Is It Something I Said?" for the uber-popular series. While we joked about the producers' targets at the time, it seems like the position was eventually fought over by at least two of the aforementioned three.

Ellis' comment about money suggests the paycheck might have been an enticing prospect for Van Sant with the director also a personal favorite for the franchise's breakout star, Robert Pattinson. It all seems perfectly lined up but why then didn't it happen then? Was Van Sant's vision far too "out there" for Summit to risk their golden calf? We guess it'll remain to be seen what transpired leading up to Condon's recruitment.

Van Sant is a busy man nevertheless but currently finishing of his own tale of young love in "Restless" due for release this fall. He also his long-gestating adaptation of the Dustin Lance Black-scribed "The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test" and, as we mentioned, the Ellis-scribed "The Golden Suicides" about the two artists Jeremy Blake and Theresa Duncan who mysteriously committed suicide, which is reportedly traveling well despite being an understandably tough sell.

“You can imagine what trying to sell a movie about two people killing themselves was like," Ellis explained. "It was a highly comic movie in its own right. And everyone said, ‘Oh, we’d love to see this movie, we just don’t want to pay any money to see it through."

Condon, on the other hand, he is preparing to direct the two-part conclusion to the 'Twilight' franchise with all key talent now on board.

-Thoughts?

'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows' gets a Trailer!

Proving the MTV Movie Awards aren't completely useless:

-Thoughts?

Here are two character Posters for 'Predators'!

Thoughts?

'Scream 4' begins casting up...

...with three young stars being announced to go along with some franchise staples. Here's the story from Coming Soon:

Dimension Films has confirmed that Hayden Panettiere ("Heroes") and Rory Culkin will star in Scream 4 as well.

They join original "Scream" cast members Neve Campbell, David Arquette, and Courteney Cox Arquette, as well as newcomer to the franchise, Emma Roberts.

To be directed by Wes Craven from a Kevin Williamson script, the anticipated follow-up starts shooting in June for a release in theaters on April 15, 2011.

Iya Labunka is producing along with Craven.

-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?

Today's Posters: New looks at Splice and The Twilight Saga: Eclipse

Thoughts?

Will the next 'Pirates of the Caribbean' flick be in 3D?

Yup, and not a 2D conversion either. Here's the story from Coming Soon:

A lot of the 2011 summer tentpole releases have already been announced as being either filmed in 3D or converted afterwards, but so far, May 2011 has been somewhat devoid of 3D release announcements... until now!

Walt Disney Pictures has announced that the fourth installment of Jerry Bruckheimer's popular action franchise Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, directed by Rob Marshall, will be filmed in Disney Digital 3D. Bruckheimer's only previous 3D movie before that was last year's G-Force.

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides is still slated for release on May 20, 2011.

-Least it's not a conversion, though I'm not a fan of the franchise...thoughts?

Today's Posters: The Chronicles of Narnia 3, Charlie St. Cloud, and The Last Exorcism

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

Brad Bird's 'Mission: Impossible IV' and a 'Planet of the Apes' prequel get release dates!

Here are both stories, starting with the M:I4 one from Collider:

Paramount Pictures has set December 16, 2011 as the release date for Mission: Impossible IV. No director has been announced, but when we last reported on the film, it appeared that the studio was hammering out the final details with Oscar-winner Brad Bird (The Incredibles). There are no story details on the fourth film, but Tom Cruise will return as Agent Ethan Hunt. J.J. Abrams, who directed the third film, will return as a producer. Screenwriters Josh Applebaum and Andre Nemec are attached to write the script, from an original idea by Cruise and Abrams.

There are three films currently slated to open in December 2011 other than Mission Impossible 4: Martin Scorsese’s The Invention of Hugo Cabret on December 9th, Alvin and the Chipmunks 3D on December 16th, and The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn on December 23rd. Of these four films, Mission: Impossible IV is the only one that isn’t set to be in 3D. Of course, I wouldn’t be shocked if M:I-4 was infected by the 3D plague somewhere down the line.

Tom Cruise just today confirmed that it's apparently Bird in the director's chair.

-Here's the Apes story from Variety:

Twentieth Century Fox will release prequel "Rise of the Apes" on June 24, 2011, with Rupert Wyatt confirmed to direct.

Title is tentative.

Studio is partnering with Peter Jackson's visual effects company WETA Digital on the film, which relaunches the "Planet of the Apes" franchise.

Chernin Entertainment is producing.

Wyatt will direct from a script by Amanda Silver and Rick Jaffa, who also are producing with Chernin Entertainment's Peter Chernin and Dylan Clark.

"Rise of the Apes" is an origins story set in present-day San Francisco. The film is a reality-based cautionary tale, where man's own experiments with genetic engineering lead to the development of intelligence in apes and the onset of a war for supremacy.

WETA will render, for the first time ever in the film series, photo-realistic apes rather than costumed actors.

-Thoughts?

What the world apparently needs now is one more 'Die Hard' flick...

...according to Fox, at least. Here's what The Hollywood Reporter had to say:

John McClane’s string of bad luck may not yet be over.

“Hitman” screenwriter Skip Woods is in negotiations with Fox to take a crack at a new “Die Hard” script. The New York cop known for consistently being in the wrong place at the right time has already survived four run-ins with terrorists, traitors and psychotic loose cannons of one stripe or another.

In his last outing, “Live Free or Die Hard,” written by Mark Bomback and directed by Len Wiseman in 2007, McClane battled Web terrorists to $378 million in worldwide grosses — 20 years after first pitching Hans Gruber out a broken window at Fox towers. So the studio justifiably sees another installment as a strong bet.

There’s no word yet on the new project’s story line, but former Fox exec Alex Young (“Unstoppable”) is producing.

The CAA-repped Woods has already co-written several tentpole projects for Fox, including “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” and the forthcoming TV adaptation “The A-Team.” He also wrote the original screenplay for “Swordfish.”

McClane himself, the CAA-repped Bruce Willis, has several projects moving toward release — Sylvester’s Stallone’s “The Expendables” and the Summit actioner “Red” — and then a late-summer production start on the Lionsgate video game adaptation “Kane & Lynch.”

After that, he’s free again to dig out the stubble, filthy T-shirt and beleaguered wisecracks.

-I'm not thrilled with their choice of scribe, but I liked the last film in the franchise more than some of the other ones, so I'm not necessarily against this...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?

What does a strong opening weekend mean for the future of Freddy?

Well, a sequel of course...in 3D, no less. Here's the story, according to Worst Previews:

Now that "A Nightmare on Elm Street" earned almost $33 million (on a $27 million budget) during its opening weekend, Warner Bros has decided to move forward with a sequel. According to Platinum Dunes producer Brad Fuller, the 3D sequel is "already in the works."

This doesn't mean that the second installment has received the greenlight, and there is a good chance that the new movie may never get made. "Friday the 13th" remake performed even better. It took in $40 million (on a $19 million budget) during its opening weekend, but then dropped by 80% the following weekend.

"Nightmare" is being trashed by the critics, which could play a part in the film's quick decline. Plus "Iron Man 2" is coming out, and that's not going to help. But if it is able to maintain decent numbers, then a sequel could be ready by as soon as next year. Stay tuned.

-I hated the film with a passion, but there's nowhere to go for them but up...thoughts?

If it's not going to be Matthew Vaughn directing X-Men: First Class, then who?

Well, there's a list of 8 directors in the running, according to Cinematical:

After Bryan Singer dropped out of X-Men: First Class, I expected the rumor machine to kick into high, high gear. But things have remained relatively quiet until today, when Deadline Hollywood Daily and Entertainment Weekly reported that Matthew Vaughn had been offered the director's chair. As geeks remember, Vaughn was once offered X3: The Last Stand, and once held Thor in the palm of his hand. Losing the latter was a huge reason as to why he chose to do Kick-Ass.

However, DHD and THR's Heat Vision are already saying Vaughn has passed. Reportedly, Fox is now looking at Louis Leterrier (who could use it to nurse his wounds over not getting The Avengers), Jonathan Mostow, Daniel Espinosa, and Rupert Sanders. Timur Bekmambetov, David Slade, and Carl Erick Rinsch are also in consideration. Perhaps it might be easier to make a list who isn't up for the job!

The decision will reportedly be made next week, as Fox wants to get X-Men: First Class enrolled by the summer or fall. Personally, I'm hoping for Espinosa or Sanders. (Once upon a Night Watch, I might have rooted for Bekmambetov, but I've cooled on his style since then.) I'd like to see someone fresh come in, and get to make their mark. I still think this is a silly way to return to the X-Men franchise, and giving it to a Hollywood newcomer feels like a good justification for its existence.

-Personally, I'd like to see Rinsch or Slade get the shot, though none of them are particularly great or terrible choices...thoughts?

Today's Posters: Sex and the City 2, MacGruber, and Shrek Forever After

Thoughts?

Not that anyone will be surprised, but 'Iron Man 2' is raking it in overseas...

...which means it could be on track for possibly 150 million next weekend here in the States. Here's the story from Deadline:

It doesn't matter if this sequel is any good. (Some early reviews are saying it disappoints although it has a 70+% positive on Rotten Tomatoes.) It doesn't matter that it's not in 3D. (Some fanboys are griping that it's only in 2D but ticket prices will be cheaper.) Because this Marvel comic book caper distributed by Paramount is still gonna make a mint even without lifting an armored finger. Maybe $135 million domestic its first 3-day weekend, or so rival studios predict. The original IM made $98.6M. Only some expect IM2 to break The Dark Knight's 3-day record of 158.4M.

Iron Man 2 opened internationally Wednesday early so as not to get in the way of the monthlong World Cup begininng in South Africa on June 11th.) The pic immediately jumped to the top of the box office in 6 markets for a total $2.2 million. In France, the Jon Favreau-directed campfest ran 11% ahead of 2008's Iron Man bow there. On Thursday, Paramount continued its international rollout in 21 total countries (+17 markets) for a cume already of $10 million). Australia and Korea came in at $1.7 million (Down Under just ahead of where Spider-Man 3 opened in May 2007, and Russia $1.3 million, or 14% ahead of the Spidey threequel. Paramount rolls Iron Man 2 into 32 more territories today, or 6,450 theaters across 53 markets, which is 80% of international. China, Japan, Germany, Turkey, and India open over the next 4 weeks. The original Iron Man grossed $265 million internationally and $318.3 million domestically.

The online ticketseller Fandango reported Iron Man 2, which opens May 7th in North America, is a "Must See" by a 32% margin.

-I don't know if anyone is actually "griping" that it's not in 3D (I know I'm not), but one thing is certain...this is going to be a big hit at the Box Office next week. Thoughts?

Is Kick-Ass director Matthew Vaughn going to helm X-Men: First Class?

Possibly, according to this in Entertainment Weekly:

In a move that may tilt the axis of fanboys worldwide, Kick-Ass director Matthew Vaughn is in talks to direct X-Men: First Class for Twentieth Century Fox. Why is this so bizarre? Because Vaughn is the very director who turned down directing X-Men: The Last Stand back in 2005 after he had already negotiated his deal with the studio. (Fox later hired Brett Ratner to helm the most successful of all X-Men films.) Vaughn went on to direct the disappointing Stardust for Paramount and, just two weeks ago, released the well-reviewed R-rated Kick-Ass.

Of course, considering Vaughn’s history with the X-Men franchise, he could very well turn down the First Class offer, as well (sources say the studio is also speaking with other possible directors). Should a deal come together, however, Vaughn would be helming an origin story of the X-Men crew, one that tells the story of Cyclops, Jean Grey, and the other X-Men in their younger years, played by younger actors. (No word yet on whether Hugh Jackman would reprise his role as Wolverine since his character doesn’t age as the others do.) The script comes from Jamie Moss based on Bryan Singer’s treatment. Though the studio had wanted Singer to direct once again, the director is only signed on to produce, since he’s preoccupied with directing Jack the Giant Killer for Warner Bros.

-I think it'd be a good mix of material and talent, but that's just me...thoughts?