News

A live-action adaptation of Batman Beyond starring Michael Keaton as Bruce Wayne/Batman would have been in the cards if The Flash was successful at the box office.

Per ComicBook, Clerks III filmmaker Kevin Smith overheard Warner Bros. Discovery's potential plans for a live-action Batman Beyond movie. Smith's source comes from the son of executive producer Michael Uslan. Uslan has been connected to WB Batman projects since the 1989 release of Tim Burton's Batman. He's currently credited as executive producer on Matt Reeves' The Batman 2022 movie.

Related: Batman Beyond Fan Develops a Totally Schway Live-Action Costume

Smith broke the news on the latest episode of his Fatman Beyond podcast. "I was hoping that it did better than it did because Michael Uslan's kid said that...if the movie did as well as The Batman -- The Batman opened at $130 million -- one of the next Batman movies they're...

In this edition of Star Wars Bits:

"Andor" Reviews & BreakdownsDafne Keen Talks "The Acolyte"Marvel's Upcoming "Star Wars" ComicsAnd More!Andor Reviews & Breakdowns

Above, Nerdist's Dan Casey breaks down everything you might have missed in the season 1 finale of "Andor."

Next, Alex at Star Wars Explained shares his thoughts on "Rix Road."

On Live Action Star Wars, Ralph and James are joined by special guest Jay Glatfelter of Geek. Dad. Life. to discuss the finale.

And finally, Scotty Holiday gives their thoughts on the finale!

Dafne Keen Talks The Acolyte

In an interview with TechRadar, Dafne Keen (of "Logan" and HBO's "His Dark Materials") discussed working on "The Acolyte," the upcoming series created by Leslye Headland (Netflix's "Russian Doll"). Keen couldn't say much but did mention that the series will see the Sith infiltrate the Jedi order.

"It's set one hundred years before the prequel movies, and it's kind...

In this edition of Star Wars Bits:

"Andor" Reviews & BreakdownsMarvel's Upcoming "Star Wars" ComicsHasbro's Latest "Star Wars" RevealsAnd More!Andor Reviews & Breakdowns

Above, Nerdist's Dan Casey breaks down everything you might have missed in this week's episode of "Andor."

Next, Alex at Star Wars Explained shares his thoughts on "Daughter of Ferrix."

On Live Action Star Wars, Ralph and James discuss the penultimate episode of "Andor."

Marvel's Upcoming Star Wars Comics

Written by Marc Guggenheim and illustrated by Alessandro Miracolo with a cover by Ryan Brown, "Star Wars: Return of the Jedi – Jabba's Palace" #1 celebrates the 40th anniversary of "Return of the Jedi" with a series of one-shots that will spotlight Jabba the Hutt and fan-favorite characters from the film. Here's the synopsis for the issue, which arrives February 2023:

"Jabba's palace is one of many places to find the vilest of scum and villainy relaxing, wet their whistles and indulge their vices.

In this edition of Star Wars Bits:

"The Acolyte" Cast RevealedStudio Ghibli + Lucasfilm = ???"Andor" Reviews & BreakdownsExploring the Timeline of "Tales of the Jedi"Marvel's Upcoming "Star Wars" ComicsAnd More!The Acolyte Cast Revealed

Disney+ recently announced the cast for "The Acolyte," the upcoming "Star Wars" Original series from creator, showrunner, and executive producer Leslye Headland (Netflix's "Russian Doll"). Joining Amandla Stenberg ("Bodies Bodies Bodies") are Lee Jung-jae ("Squid Game"), Manny Jacinto ("Nine Perfect Strangers"), Dafne Keen ("Logan"), Jodie Turner-Smith ("Queen & Slim"), Rebecca Henderson ("Inventing Anna"), Charlie Barnett ("Russian Doll"), Dean-Charles Chapman ("1917"), and Carrie-Anne Moss ("The Matrix").

Here's the official synopsis:

'The Acolyte' is a mystery-thriller that will take viewers into a galaxy of shadowy secrets and emerging dark-side powers in the final days of the High Republic era. A former Padawan reunites with her Jedi Master to investigate a series of crimes, but the forces they confront...

In this edition of Star Wars Bits:

"Andor" reviews & breakdowns"Tales of the Jedi" & LGBTQ representationNew "Star Wars: Galactic Pals" Episodes"Star Wars" returns to "Fortnite"And More!Andor Reviews & Breakdowns

Above, Nerdist's Dan Casey breaks down everything you might have missed in this week's episode of "Andor."

Next, Alex at Star Wars Explained shares his thoughts on "Nobody's Listening!"

On Live Action Star Wars, Ralph and James discuss the ninth episode of "Andor."

Tales Of The Jedi & LGBTQ Representation

That Gay Jedi has an excellent video about "Tales of the Jedi" and the retconning of LGBTQ representation. Also, be sure to check out Hope Mullinax's thoughtful piece on this subject at Dork Side of the Force.

Speaking of "Tales of the Jedi," Star Wars Explained has a great video highlighting all the Easter eggs and connections in the animated short series.

Star Wars: Galactic Pals

New episodes of "Star...

In this edition of Star Wars Bits:

"Andor" Reviews & Breakdowns"Tales of the Jedi" ReactionsA New "Star Wars" Movie?"Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga" Galactic EditionThe "Star Wars" Podcast Round-UpAnd More!Andor Reviews & Breakdowns

Above, Nerdist's Dan Casey breaks down everything you might have missed in this week's episode of "Andor."

Next, Alex at Star Wars Explained shares his thoughts on "Narkina 5."

On Live Action Star Wars, Ralph and James discuss the eighth episode of "Andor."

Tales Of The Jedi Reviews & Reactions

"Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi," a six-part animated short series, premiered on Disney+ this week.

Star Wars Explained provides a full breakdown and review of the series.

Dee Dyszn shares his thoughts on the series and how cool young Count Dooku is.

John Hoey with Star Wars News Net shares his impressions of the animated series.

For more "Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi" discussion, check...

In this edition of Star Wars Bits:

"Andor" breakdowns & reviews"Galactic Pals" ReturnsMarvel's Upcoming "Star Wars" ComicsHasbro's The Black Series Phase II Clone Trooper Premium HelmetAnd More!Andor Breakdowns & reviews

Above, Nerdist's Dan Casey breaks down everything you might have missed in this week's episode of "Andor."

Next, Alex at Star Wars Explained shares his thoughts on "Announcement."

On Live Action Star Wars, Ralph and James discuss the seventh episode of "Andor."

On The Bombadcast, Scotty and Gerry party with Mon Mothma.

Star Wars: Galactic Pals

New episodes of "Star Wars Galactic Pals" are available at StarWarsKids.com. A spinoff of the adventures of Sf-R3 in "Galaxy of Creatures," "Galactic Pals" follows M1-re, another member of the Galactic Society of Creature Enthusiasts, as she looks after and studies baby aliens, including Ortolans, Gungans, Rancors, Porgs, and more!

Watch the "Rancor" episode above and be sure to check out the new "Tauntaun" episode.

In this edition of Star Wars Bits:

"Andor" Breakdowns & ReviewsIs Lars Mikkelsen Playing Thrawn in "Ahsoka?" Actors on Ilm StageCraftMarvel's Upcoming "Star Wars" ComicsAnd More!Andor Breakdowns & reviews

Above, Nerdist's Dan Casey breaks down everything you might have missed in this week's episode of "Andor."

Next, Alex at Star Wars Explained shares his thoughts on the latest episode.

On Live Action Star Wars, I join Ralph and James to discuss the sixth episode of "Andor."

On The Bombadcast, Scotty and Gerry get wet 'n' wild with "The Eye."

Is Lars Mikkelsen Playing Thrawn In Ahsoka?

Back in September, Cinelinx's Jordan Maison said he'd heard Lars Mikkelsen, who voiced Grand Admiral Thrawn in the animated series "Star Wars Rebels," would be playing the character in the live-action "Ahsoka" series.

This week, journalist Christopher Marc is confirming the rumor that Mikkelsen will play the blue-skinned, red-eyed Chiss in the series. Check...

In this edition of Star Wars Bits:

"Andor" Breakdowns & ReviewsMarvel's Upcoming "Star Wars" ComicsThe "Star Wars" Podcast Round-UpHot Toys Cobb Vanth Sixth Scale FigureAnd More!Andor Breakdowns & reviews

First up, Nerdist's Dan Casey breaks down everything you might have missed in this week's episode of "Andor."

Next, Alex at Star Wars Explained shares his thoughts on the latest episode.

Ralph and James at Live Action Star Wars review the fourth episode of "Andor" above.

And finally, EckhartsLadder has a video discussing something hinted at in the latest episode of "Andor" — the Ghorman Massacre.

Marvel's Upcoming Star Wars Comics

In "Star Wars: Han Solo & Chewbacca" #6, Marc Guggenheim and illustrated by David Messina and Paul Fry, with a cover by Phil Noto, Han Solo is presumed dead and Chewbacca is stuck in jail. Check out StarWars.com for an exclusive preview of the comic, which is available now at your local comic shop or on ComiXology.

In this edition of Star Wars Bits:

"Andor," Nothin' But "Andor"!Regal Robot's Weequay Concept Maquette ReplicaAn Amazing Bb-8 Fan BuildTrailer Reactions for "Tales of the Jedi" and "The Mandalorian" Season 3And More!Andor! Nothin' But Andor!

The first three episodes of "Andor" are now available on Disney+. To celebrate, we've got tons of in-depth reviews and reactions from fans and content creators across the galaxy. We'll start with a spoiler-free review from HelloGreedo, which you can watch above!

Next, Dan Casey at Nerdist breaks down the first three episode and covers everything you might have missed.

Next up, Alex at Star Wars Explained shares his thoughts on the "Andor" premiere.

Ralph and James at Live Action Star Wars review the first episode of "Andor" above. Check out their reviews of Episode 2 & 3 on their YouTube channel.

Star Wars: Rebel Rising Book Review

Just in time for "Andor" fever, Jedi Novel...

A new Fast & Furious spinoff is apparently in the works with Charlize Theron's Cipher in the central role. After debuting as the cyberterrorist Cipher in The Fate of the Furious in 2017, Theron reprised her role for this year's sequel F9. Perhaps happy with what Theron has brought to the series with her antagonistic role, Vin Diesel recently told Variety that he's tasked the franchise writers with developing a Fast & Furious spinoff led by Cipher.

News of Theron's Cipher getting her own movie follows prior comments from the cast that there should be a female-led spinoff. In a group interview hosted by SiriusXM, the cast was asked which one of the characters they feel should get the next spinoff. The first one to chime in was Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, who said "all of the badass, kick-ass women in [F9]" were the ones who really needed the spinoff.

"Think...

F9 is currently gearing up to once again tear up the silver screen with all manner of explosive, petrol-guzzling shenanigans, and director Justin Lin cannot help to look to the franchise's future. Teasing the return of several fan-favorite characters, including Hobbs and Shaw. Played by action hero duo Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham, Hobbs and Shaw have not been seen since leading their own spin-off back in 2019, but Lin is hoping audiences will see their shiny heads light up the screen once more before the Fast and Furious saga is through, and it quite possibly be in Fast & Furious 10.

"I think that's always been our approach... So many of the conversations I have is about characters that are not even in there, but are still, obviously, they are living and breathing in this universe. On this one, when I came back, I was thinking a lot about Hobbs and Shaw,...

John Wick director Chad Stahelski has jumped on board a new film project with his producing partner Basil Lwanyk, and it's a good one! He is set to helm a feature film adaptation of the Image Comics comic book Kill or Be Killed from Ed Brubaker, who is best known for his work on Captain America and the creator of the Winter Soldier. 

If you're not familiar with the story, it follows a depressed college student who attempts to commit suicide. "He survives due to unlikely events but is soon visited by a demon who explains that he was the one who spared the student's life. But there's a price to be paid: Going forward, the young man will be allowed to live one month for every person he kills."

That's such a fascinating and dark concept that will certainly make for a crazy film and it's a great project for Stahelski to take on.

Director Chad Stahelski is teaming up with his John Wick producer Basil Iwanyk to bring to the big screen Kill or Be Killed, a comic book from Winter Soldier creator Ed Brubaker.

Dan Casey, who previously adapted the Brubaker comic Incognito, now set up at Columbia, is attached to write the script. 

Iwanyk will produce with Erica Lee of the duo's Thunder Road, the company behind awards contender Wind River as well as the Wick action movies. Jeff Waxman (mother!) is also producing. Brubaker will act as executive producer.

The project tells of a depressed college student who attempts suicide....

Almost exactly two years ago, Sony Pictures brought on filmmaker Leigh Janiak (Honeymoon) to direct their upcoming The Craft follow-up, and to co-write the script with her writing partner Phil Graziadei. We haven't heard much on this project until now, with the studio bringing on Daniel Casey (10 Cloverfield Lane) to rewrite the script. It is believed that the studio bringing in this new writer is an indication that they're eager to move forward and get production rolling.

The Tracking Board broke the news earlier today, but it isn't ultimately clear if Daniel Casey is starting from scratch with a page-one rewrite, or if elements of Leigh Janiak and Phil Graziadei's script will remain intact. Leigh Janiak is still attached to direct, with producer Douglas Wick revealing last May that The Craft 2 isn't a reboot, but instead a sequel that takes place 20 years after the original movie, set in modern day.

Sony Pictures has been looking to invoke the spirit since they set Honeymoon co-writer/director Leigh Janiak to direct a new The Craft movie back in May of 2015. About one year later, it was revealed that the new movie would be more of a sequel than a remake of the beloved 1996 coming-of-age film about surviving high school, discovering yourself, making new friends... and performing witchcraft with them. Although it's been a while since we've heard any news updates on the new Craft movie, it's now being reported that a new writer has come aboard the project.

According to The Tracking Board, Daniel Casey has been hired by Sony to do rewrites on the script for the new Craft movie, which was written by Janiak with Honeymoon co-writer Phil Graziadei. Casey is reportedly also working on Fede Alvarez's adaptation of the comic book series Incognito and previously did some rewrites on 10 Cloverfield Lane.

If, a decade ago, you would have told me that two of my absolute favorite pieces of media from 2016 would come from the guy who directed the Night at the Museum movies, I'd have said you were nuts. But it actually happened, and Shawn Levy's 21 Laps production company produced both the Oscar-nominated Arrival and the incredibly addictive Stranger Things last year. The company is now continuing its exploration of science fiction; THR reports that they've hired The Spectacular Now, The End of The Tour, and Smashed director James Ponsoldt to direct a film adaptation of Larry Niven's 1971 short story "Inconstant Moon."

This story raises the question: How would you spend your last night on Earth? When the Moon suddenly starts shining brighter, Stan and Leslie realize the sun must have gone nova and they only have a few hours until the Earth rotates into the deadly sunshine.

Ponsoldt is a terrific filmmaker,...

Sylvester Stallone moves in mysterious ways. His ways are not our ways, and it is best for us to not strain our psyches endeavoring to understand his actions. Some days he decides to make a fun action film like The Expendables 2, and other days he decides to make The Expendables 1 and 3. In one breath, he attaches himself to a small crime drama with enormous potential, and with the next he consigns it to the turnaround void by rescinding his favor.

Deadline is reporting that the 70-year-old star has unexpectedly stepped away from the lead role in Godforsaken, leading Stx Entertainment to pull the handbrake on pre-production for Jim Mickle’s film just two weeks before shooting was to commence. Working from a script by screenwriter Daniel Casey, Stallone was to play a regretful ex-con who feels obliged to avenge the death of a son he barely knew ...

Simon Brew Nov 28, 2016

Sylvester Stallone has left the drama Godforsaken, two weeks before shooting was set to begin...

Ah, this is a shame. Jim Mickle, who directed the impressive Cold In July, was set to start lensing his new movie, a mystery drama by the name of Godforsaken next week. But the film looks to have fallen apart with the last minute departure from it by Sylvester Stallone.

See related The Amazing Spider-Man 3: what would have happened?

Stallone was responsible for bringing the movie to Stx Entertainment, and he’s worked on the screenplay with Laurence Grey, following the original script by Daniel Casey.

Stallone was set to play an ex-con who has to protect his remaining family following the death of his son. The reason for his late departure from the film has now been revealed. Stx isn’t abandoning the project, but there’s little chance of...

Exclusive: Stx Entertainment has halted pre-production on Godforsaken, after Sylvester Stallone abruptly decided not to go forward with the starring role. Jim Mickle has been set to direct the Daniel Casey script, which was to begin production in Atlanta December 5. This one has to hurt as it was the mystery picture that Stallone boasted about during Stx's presentation at CinemaCon, coming off Stallone’s Oscar nomination for Creed. Stallone brought it to Stx and worked on…...

Six years is an awfully long time for any artist to go silent, and such an absence is all the more palpable in the case of Lee Chang-dong, whose previous features (most prominently Secret Sunshine and Poetry) are considered by critics and, judging from the festival awards, his peers to be among the finest his prolific South Korea’s produced this century. Consider it a relief, then, that Chosun Media (via The Playlist) tell us Lee’s looking to begin shooting his next feature in November — “if things run smoothly,” he added as a condition.

Kang Dong-won and Yoo Ah-in, themselves some of the nation’s biggest stars, are expected to lead the mystery thriller, in which two men (one rich, one poor) become entangled with a woman. What happens from there (e.g. why it’s even a “mystery thriller) is just for us to guess right now, though...

Fede Alvarez’s “Don’t Breathe,” about three friends who become trapped in a blind veteran’s house after planning to rob him, is one of the year’s most acclaimed horror films, with IndieWire’s own Eric Kohn describing it as a “dazzling example” of the home invasion thriller. After the success of “Don’t Breathe” and his 2013 “Evil Dead” reboot film, Alvarez has become of Hollywood’s most sought-after directors, and according to The Hollywood Reporter, he’s already attached to an upcoming comic book film: An adaptation of Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips’ comic book limited series “Incognito” for Sony Pictures.

Read More: Fede Alvarez: ‘We Might Write a Sequel’ to ‘Evil Dead’ and 8 More Cool Ama Reveals

The original series follows Zach Overkill, a supervillain who is in Witness Protection after testifying against a powerful hero The Black Death. Though required to take a drug...

The biggest deal to emerge during the Toronto International Film Festival (Tiff) came together before the event started, which says a lot about the acquisitions scene these days.

Distributors need no reminding of the treacherous terrain they occupy. Too many films continue to compete for a slice of the North American box office in a traditionally theatrical manner, only to fall short of expectations in an increasingly fractured marketplace bloated with consumer choice.

Buyers invest early in the best prospects and so Focus Features took worldwide rights off the table to Paul Thomas Anderson’s upcoming 1950s London haute couture drama to star Daniel Day-Lewis in a deal reportedly valued at $35m.

CAA handled that one on behalf of the filmmakers. Similarly, Wme Global and Good Universe touted an action-thriller package called Kin ahead of the festival and Lionsgate pounced on worldwide rights for what was understood to be in the mid-to-high $20m range.

“The entire...

Lionsgate emerged victorious in an auction at the Toronto International Film Festival and will finance and distribute “Kin,” a sci-fi thriller starring Jack Reynor, James Franco, Zoe Kravitz and Dennis Quaid, a source close to the project confirmed to TheWrap. Jonathan and Josh Baker will direct the film, which is based on their short “Bag Man.” Daniel Casey wrote the story about an ex-con (Reynor) and his adopted brother who are forced on the run while being chased by a vengeful criminal (Franco). Quaid will play their father, and Kravitz is cast as a fellow traveler they meet along the way.

by Terry Keefe

I wanted to give a big Thanks! to Nerdist News for the mention of my comic Supernovas today. Nerdist made a big splash at WonderCon when co-founder Chris Hardwick (formerly of MTV and G4) made the announcement of the new shows that would be premiering this week on their YouTube Channel, including shows by Harry Knowles of Ain't It Cool News and Geoff Boucher of Hero Complex at the L.A. Times. Wednesdays are Comic Book Day at Nerdist and today they launched the debut episode of their Comic Book Club show, featuring guests Judah Friedlander and Joe Kelly. Subscribe to their daily newsletter here. Many thanks to editors/contributors Dan Casey and Luke Y. Thompson.

I recently cut together a trailer for Supernovas. We're starting to get some genuine Hollywood interest in the property, possibly as a television series, so I figured I'd give them something...

Set photos of Daniel Craig and Naomie Harris shooting the new James Bond film Skyfall on a London rooftop, new photos of Bradley Cooper and Olivia Wilde in The Words, and stills of Christian Bale in The Flowers of War.

"Nominations for the 39th Annual Annie Awards were announced on Monday. "Kung Fu Panda 2" leads the pack with 12 noms, "Puss in Boots" and "Rango" with 9 noms, and "Winnie the Pooh" with 8…" (full details)

"Daniel Casey has been tapped to write an untitled sci-fi crime thriller project being directed by Bobby Glickert. Justin Lin and Scott Stuber are producing…" (full details)

"Fox Business Channel anchor Eric Bolling says the new "The Muppets" movie is "liberal Hollywood using class warfare to brainwash our kids", pushing an anti-capitalism agenda due to the villain being an evil oil tycoon…" (full details)

"Benderspink has optioned Jonathan Ross and Tommy Lee Edwards' comic "Turf". Set...

As THR tells us, Reliance/Imagine Writing Lab alum Daniel Casey has been tapped to script an untitled sci-fi thriller for Universal. Bobby Glickert, former assistant to Fast Five director Justin Lin, will be directing the project.

This is the first feature-length writing project for Casey, who graduated from the Writing Lab last December. Universal picked up the sci-fi thriller back in June, after Glickert wrote the outline for the film with plans of directing. Lin will be producing the project alongside Scott Stuber, and it just so happens that news first got out on the project in late August, when it was announced as part of a production deal Lin had made with the studio.

Details of the project are currently under wraps, but Lin did provide some insight, stating that “the tone and the gritty approach to the sci-fi genre taken here is something that hasn’t been seen in a while.

Universal Pictures is developing a new sci-fi crime thriller project, and they've just hired Daniel Casey to write the script for director Bobby Glickert who is a former assistant to Fast Five director Justin Lin. this will be the first feature film that Casey is set to write, he is the product of a writing lab called Reliance/Imagine Writing Lab. It was "created in Dec. 2010, the lab is a partnership between Imagine Entertainment and India’s Reliance Big Entertainment, the latter of which funded the program. Ten scribes were selected to work on pitches and scripts with each other. Casey is repped by Wme and Circle of Confusion."

The studio picked up the spec script back in June from Glickert. The story details are being kept secret, but Lin had this to say about it when it was first acquired, “The tone and the gritty approach to the sci-fi...

Daniel Casey has been tapped to write the untitled sci-fi crime thriller project being directed by Bobby Glickert, a former assistant to Fast Five helmer Justin Lin and a burgeoning filmmaker. Lin and Scott Stuber are producing. The project marks the first feature gig for Casey, who just came out of the Reliance/Imagine Writing Lab. Created in Dec. 2010, the lab is a partnership between Imagine Entertainment and India’s Reliance Big Entertainment, the latter of which funded the program. Ten scribes were selected to work on pitches and scripts with each other. Casey is repped by Wme and Circle of

read more...

New York, NY (December 2, 2011) Top Cow Productions and Image Comics announced today a premiere launch event at Meltdown in Los Angeles for the Pilot Season 2011 voting period. The Pilot Season “Take Control” party invites Los Angeles fans to meet the various creative teams involved in 2011′s Pilot Season competition, get their books signed, and get the details on how they can determine the winning series this year. The event is co-sponsored by Chipotle Mexican Grill, through arrangement with marketing firm Bonfire Agency.

Since 2007, Pilot Season has become the leading fan-driven comic event, allowing creators to compete with brand-new original properties for fan votes. This year, Top Cow released eight unique pilot issues by eight creative teams ranging from established industry pros to up-and-coming talent to screenwriters and even one NFL All Star. With all eight books in stores, voting will begin on Monday, December 5th at topcow.com, where fans...

28 percent of Nintendo 3Ds users say that the 3D effect detracts from games, according to a new study. Interpret LLC vice president Dan Casey announced the results of the study during the 3D Gaming Summit earlier today. Only 22 percent of users surveyed said that the 3D effect benefited games, compared to 28 percent who said 3D had a negative effect. 13 percent also stated that they preferred to play games with 3D effects turned off. In a more general survey of 1600 adults, 60 percent of respondents were aware of the system's existence, with 28 percent of those unaware that the handheld did not require 3D glasses. Only 7 percent of users responded that a handheld device would provide an ideal 3D game experience. This was far outweighed by 56 percent who responded that a 3D-enabled console on an HD TV was ideal for (more)...

28 percent of Nintendo 3Ds users say that the 3D effect detracts from games, according to a new study. Interpret LLC vice president Dan Casey announced the results of the study during the 3D Gaming Summit earlier today. Only 22 percent of users surveyed said that the 3D effect benefited games, compared to 28 percent who said 3D had a negative effect. 13 percent also stated that they preferred to play games with 3D effects turned off. In a more general survey of 1600 adults, 60 percent of respondents were aware of the system's existence, with 28 percent of those unaware that the handheld did not require 3D glasses. Only 7 percent of users responded that a handheld device would provide an ideal 3D game experience. This was far outweighed by 56 percent who responded that a 3D-enabled console on an HD TV was ideal for (more)...

With the recent release of the first trailer for a new entry in the "Hitman" video game franchise, now comes word that the new game and a new "Hitman" movie are both set to share more than a 2012 release date says The Hollywood Reporter.

Square Enix and Io Interactive are behind "Hitman: Absolution", the fifth game in the series which follows master assassin Agent 47 who takes on his most dangerous contract to date. Betrayed and now hunted, he finds himself at the center of a dark conspiracy. Most of the action takes place in the United States unlike previous installments.

It is the first in the series to use performance capture, done at the same studios used for James Cameron's "Avatar". The likes of Keith Carradine ("Deadwood") and Marsha Thomason ("White Collar") have been cast as the villain and Agent 47's handler respectively.

The new game is darker,...

Producers Adrian Askarieh and Chuck Gordon are developing a new Hitman feature film to arrive in theaters in 2012. Timothy Olyphant starred as the bald assasin Agent 47 in 2007's adaptation of the game from 20th Century Fox. Danish game maker Io Interactive, which has spent the past few years developing a new installment for the video game franchise, entitled Hitman: Absolution.

The new film follows "Agent 47, a cold-blooded assassin, who takes on his most dangerous contract to date. Betrayed by those he once trusted — and now hunted by the police — he suddenly finds himself at the center of a dark conspiracy and must embark on a personal journey through a corrupt and twisted world."

Here is what Askarieh had to say about the project:

“Everyone would very much like to have both the game and the movie released in the same window. Whether the film is a sequel or a reboot,...

It's been a few years since we first saw Agent 47 transition onto the big screen in the 2007 film "Hitman." It's not like the movie didn't do well, as a matter of fact it accumulated an estimated $100 million in the worldwide box office, but there never was any follow up film for the potential franchise.However, there may be a light at the end of the tunnel with a possible sequel if producers Chuck Gordon and Adrian Askarieh have anything to do with it. Next year Square Enix will be releasing "Hitman: Absolution," and if these two producers can get their idea off the ground, it may be accompanied by a movie sequel at the same time."Everyone would very much like to have both the game and the movie released in the same window," said Askarieh. "Whether the film is a sequel or a reboot, we think the past...

We'll begin with the unnecessary sequelization of Hitman as new rumors suggests Daniel Casey's script has been turned in and a source says "it's great." Apparently the villain will be someone known as 'Albino' which is rumored to be based on albino twins, Mark Puriyah II and Mark Parchezzi III, from "Hitman: Blood Money". There is no word on whether or not Timothy Olyphant will return as Agent 47 and to be honest this all sounds like a film Fox would release direct to DVD.

Speaking of hitmen, Sylvester Stallone is set to star as a New Orleans hitman who teams with a New York City cop in action pic Headshot for Running Scared helmer Wayne Kramer. In the film, Stallone's character teams with a young NYPD detective in a high-stakes investigation that leads from the dingy back alleys of New Orleans all the way to the power corridors of Washington,...

2007's "Hitman", the $24 million film adaptation of the hit video game series, took in around four times its budget worldwide theatrically. Thus when talk of a sequel emerged, it wasn't a major surprise.

Kyle Ward was originally hired to write the script a few years ago, now scribe Daniel Casey ("Jimmy Six") has apparently penned the most recent draft and has turned it into 20th Century Fox who are said to be pleased with the results reports Latino Review.

According to their source the sequel is a "new take on Agent 47 and the franchise...the story mostly takes place in the U.S. I was also told that a the villain known as 'Albino' is whom Agent 47 goes up against."

The 'Albino' he refers to could be the character from the fourth game in the series, "Hitman: Blood Money", which is also the game that marked the arrival of...

As with many film adaptations of video-games, Xavier Gens’ Hitman was panned by critics and many fans alike, but that didn’t prevent the film from grossing enough to make a sequel ($99,965,792 total). Daniel Casey was brought in by Twentieth Century Fox, and penned the most recent draft for the film. Latino Review was able to get information from an insider source, and buzz surrounding that script is “great”. The new villain for this new take on Agent 47 (Timothy Olyphant) is said to be “Albino” from Hitman: Blood Money.

The game featured Agent 47 arriving in the United States, and word is the film will be taking that route. It’s unclear if Olyphant is still attached as the lead, but Daniel Benmayor will be directing this time.

I for one besides loving movies, love video games. My close friends know this and one of my favorite video games are the ones from Hitman.  And when "Hitman" was released in 2007, I liked it. And whether people liked it or not the movie ended up grossing just shy of $40 million dollars in the Us, and overall made almost $100 million on a $30 million dollar budget. Twentieth Century Fox decided to make a sequel to the film based on the Eidos videogame about  Master Assassin Agent 47.  Daniel Casey (who wrote 2009 Blacklist script Jimmy Six) has written the most recent draft, which Kyle Ward was originally hired to write and Spanish helmer Daniel Benmayor is set to direct. I was just told by a source that the script for "Hitman 2" was recently turned in and the buzz on it is that it's a hot script. The source states, "It's great." The...

Usually Americans are the ones to adapt foreign concepts for their markets. This year alone has seen three remakes of British television shows to hit the American airwaves and it’s only February: MTV adapted E4’s controversial teen-drama “Skins” for the American market, Syfy remade BBC Three’s “Being Human” and Showtime went with a new take on E4’s long-running drama “Shameless”.

It’s rather unusual for a British network to adapt an American tv series, but that’s exactly what ITV did with its newest drama-series “Marchlands”, which premiered last week. “Marchlands” is based on the American tv series “The Oaks”. Written by David Schulner, it was developed for Fox in 2008 and starred Matthew Morrison (”Glee”) and Jeremy Renner (”The Hurt Locker”) among others, but was ultimately rejected by the network’s executives, when the produced pilot failed to make an impression. Rejected pilots rarely get a second chance of life,...

The 17th annual Slamdance Film Festival is all set to run for eight days and nights Jan. 21-27. The festival is featuring a bold theme this year of “All Is Not Lost” where — due to the current devastating economic climate — Slamdance will donate 10% of ticket proceeds back to the filmmakers.

The fest is screening 14 feature films — 10 of which are in competition — and 8 feature documentaries, all of which are in competition. In addition, there will be 56 short films screening.

Plus, there are a couple of special screenings, including the Straight 8 event where anybody can register to receive a single roll of Super-8 film that they can use to direct their own in-camera edited mini-masterpiece. Also, on the 26th, there will be a special retrospective of the works of renegade ’60s filmmaker J.X. Williams.

The full film lineup is below, but for more information on the site please visit the official Slamdance website.

New Delhi -- Reliance Big Entertainment has inked a partnership with Ron Howard and Brian Grazer's Imagine Entertainment to set up a writers' lab that will employ 10 screenwriters per year to develop both film and TV projects.

The partnership -- called Imagine Reliance Writers Lab -- extends last November's first-look deal between Imagine and Reliance, which also has similar silo funding deals with banners toplined by A-listers like George Clooney, Tom Hanks and Brad Pitt.

Reliance will fund an undisclosed amount for the program, which will be run by Imagine co-chairperson Karen Kehela Sherwood. Sherwood will oversee both the film development department at Imagine and also assign projects for the writers group. Reliance will have the rights to co-finance any project Imagine sets up at Universal Pictures or at other studios. Imagine has an existing first-look deal with Universal Pictures, which will have first rights on completed screenplays from the writers lab.

It seems that "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time," which hits theaters this Friday, might be spurring some things along in Hollywood on the video game-to-film adaptations front. First there's "Hitman 2," which has been in development for a little while. Fox has taken the step of nailing down a director and a writer to put the thing together: relative newcomer Daniel Benmayor will sit at the helm while TV writer Daniel Casey takes the script.

In non-sequel news, Legendary Pictures now owns the rights to BioWare's excellent space-based RPG series, "Mass Effect" and they've hired Mark Protosevich ("I Am Legend," "The Cell") to develop a script. If ever there was a game whose story is perfectly suited to a film treatment, it's this one. There are "Star Wars" levels of depth in the universe BioWare created, and a proper movie treatment could turn out to be something really special.

After the relative commercial success of the mishmash that was Hitman, Fox is not surprisingly pushing on for a sequel to the action film, which was based on the best-selling videogame series by Danish developers Io Interactive. Urgh. Where the games succeeded, the film failed. Being a professional killer was exciting and nail-bitingly suspenseful at times in the games, where you wondered if the passing guard around the corner was going to catch you before you disposed of the dead body you were currently dragging. In the film, every situation was overplayed and trying to be cool, rather than just letting the situation play out and be cool on its own. That, and the fact that Timothy Olyphant - who is usually brilliant - was horribly miscast as Agent 47, the film's lead. Anyway, the sequel now has a director attached: Daniel Benmayor, who has previously directed the no-name film Paintball from 2009, a bunch of commercials,...

There are those who saw Timothy Olyphant in video game to big screen remake, Hitman back in 2007 and there were those who didn’t. I fall into the latter category as the film really didn’t interest me personally, however it seems that the property interested some people enough to warrant a sequel – and now that sequel has it’s director!

Deadline Hollywood/New York or whatever they’re calling themselves now they’ve been bought out, have reported that Spanish director Daniel Benmayor is in their sights as director of the sequel, which has yet to secure Olyphant for a return. This from Deadline:

Benmayor will make his Hollywood debut on the sequel to the film based on the Eidos videogame about a master assassin. Fox is planning a fall production start.

Benmayor, the Barcelona-born Nyu grad created a following shooting Spanish commercials for Sony PlayStation, Renault, Mercedes, Heineken and Samsung.

Spanish filmmaker Daniel Benmayor ("Paintball," "Bruc") has been hired to direct a sequel to the 2007 video game-based action feature "Hitman" for 20th Century Fox reports Deadline.

Xavier Gens directed the original $30 million film which starred Timothy Olyphant as the bald assassin Agent 47, a film which went on to gross $100 million worldwide. Whether or not Olyphant will return is still unclear but there's an option on him to return.

Story details will borrow from the video game "Hitman 5" in which a beaten Agent 47 must build himself back psychologically and physically to reclaim his mantle as world’s most feared assassin.

Daniel Casey has penned the most recent draft of the sequel, taking over scripting duties from Kyle Ward. Adrian Askarieh, Alex Young and Chuck Gordon will return as producers. Shooting could kick off as early as this Fall.

Fox is moving forward with a sequel to 2007’s awful adaptation of the Hitman video game franchise. Last August it was reported that writer Kyle Ward was chosen by the studio to pen the script for a sequel and now they’re looking at a director.

Timothy Olyphant played the title character, known as Agent 47, in the first but there’s no word yet on whether or not he’ll return. There may be an option in his contract and when asked about the idea of playing the part again, Olyphant seemed partially interested in Hitman 2.

Deadline has the scoop on Fox’s top choice to direct Hitman 2. They’re reportedly interested in Spanish commercial director Daniel Benmayor to work the latest script treatment by Daniel Casey.

The story of the Hitman…

Continue reading Director Chosen For Hitman 2?...

• Has Yoda ever been more badass? No. No he has not. Check out more great (and often Nsfw) illustrations at the artist's page. Few others are film based, but if you play WoW or various other fantasy games, you'll want to click that link.

- Warner Brothers has already earned over $1 billion at the international box office (a record pace for any studio) and Inception and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I haven't even come out yet. Take that, global recession!

- Fox has hired Daniel Benmayor to direct and Daniel Casey to write Hitman 2. Because the first one was so great it demanded a sequel from different filmmakers that may not even be able to get back Timothy Olyphant as Agent 47.

- It currently has no title and no plot known, but since he seems like such a great guy it's worth mentioning that actor Andy Serkis...

20th Century Fox is eying Spanish director Daniel Benmayor and writer Daniel Casey for a sequel to Hitman.

Benmayer directed 2009’s Paintball, a low-budget thriller about a group of players participating in a match deep in the forest only to find out one of them is using real ammunition. Casey made a name for himself with the 2009 Black List script Jimmy Six.

The sequel’s story will follow elements from “Hitman 5,” the game release from Eidos Interactive in late 2010. Hitman 2 (the movie) will catch the character at a “low point” and Agent 47 must build himself back up as the most feared assassin in the world.

The original, released in November 2007, made $100 million worldwide on a production budget of $30 million, but was critically panned (14% on RottenTomatoes). Timothy Olyphant played the lead role, a genetically-engineered killer codenamed Agent 47, but there is no word on whether he’ll return for this sequel.

Riddick Promo Reel Offers Concept Art and More: RopeofSilicon reader Mario Z. shot over the YouTube video you see to the right featuring a Livestream event Vin Diesel held promoting the upcoming third Riddick feature simply titled Riddick. Diesel talks at length and around the 5:30 mark a promo reel featuring director David Twohy begins to play in which he talks about the fourth film saying, "We hope to go back to a more visceral kind of filmmaking, back to a single contained world, back to an R-rating." After that he talks a little about the story and shows several pieces of concept art.

Daniel Benmayor Attached to Direct Hitman 2: Spanish helmer Daniel Benmayor is set to direct Hitman 2 for 20th Century Fox although at this point it is unclear as to whether or not Timothy Olyphant will return as the bald assassin for another go 'round...