Movies

Yet another new poster for Iron Man 3 has been released. Just after the debut of a spectacular, redefining new trailer, it's safe to say that the week's movie news cycle effectively belongs to the Avenger's solo sequel.

One glance upon the new image and it's immediately clear that this is a variant of the pre-trailer teaser poster released last week. (Possibly earlier than planned, due to it leaking.) The theme is essentially the same: Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark is beat to hell, armor in shambles, but nevertheless appears to be in command of his brand new Iron Army, looking to make Ben Kingsley's The Mandarin and his Extremis-enhanced underlings pay for wrecking his awesome cliff-side crib. Indeed, it seems that the shadowy schemes of that pusillanimous player-hater will come back to bite him in a big and satisfying way.

So, what's the difference here? This time, in true classic Hollywood fashion, he stands triumphantly above the remnants of his epic ass-kickery with his gorgeous gal, Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) securely in his arm. Of course, he still has one of his repulsor beams cocked, locked, and ready to rock just in case any more hapless hooligans want to get close and creepy.

Iron Man 3 gets ready to blast some AC/DC while taking self-proclaimed "teacher," The Mandarin to school at theaters on May 3.

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It appears that 2015's Star War: Episode VII will see the return of a gun-toting, bikini-clad, princess without a planet. In a recent interview, actress, Carrie Fisher has confirmed that she will indeed reprise her role as Princess Leia Organa in the upcoming sequel trilogy kick-off.

While the substance of this strong confirmation will likely send chills down the spines of Original Trilogy fans, the news should hardly come as a huge surprise, given the buzz around news cycles in recent months. At this point, Harrison Ford is, at least according to a yet-to-be-confirmed report, already locked-in to return as Han Solo and Mark Hamill recently revealed that he was indeed in talks to once again fill the role of the ultimate Star Wars protagonist, Luke Skywalker. Thus the addition of Fisher returning as Leia seemed all but inevitable.

After fielding the all-important Star Wars question with a powerfully-blunt "yes," Fisher would then go on to describe how she believes this older version of Leia will come across in the film.

"Elderly. She’s in an intergalactic old folks’ home [laughs]. I just think she would be just like she was before, only slower and less inclined to be up for the big battle."

If the film does indeed follow the guidelines of the path set for her future in the Expanded Universe of Star Wars novels and comic books, then it should see this Skywalker twin as the mother of another set of fatefully force-sensitive, tragedy-destined twins fathered by husband, Han Solo named Jacen and Jaina. While the certainty of that scenario still remains up in the air, Fisher's older version of Leia will undoubtedly find herself as a matriarch of some kind in the newly-threatened post-Imperial galactic order.

So, with Leia seemingly confirmed, Han and Luke looking likely, could the announced return of Anthony Daniels' C-3PO, Kenny Baker's R2-D2, and Pater Mayhew's Chewbacca be far off? Perhaps we may even soon break open a Colt 45 to celebrate the return of Billy Dee Williams as Lando Calrissian?

*UPDATE: Apparently Fisher's rep has told CNN that "she was joking," reiterating that "nothing has been announced." We could take this to mean that the news actually was true and the retraction was just damage control or that...you know, she was joking.

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The sixth and final entry in the Resident Evil film series now has a release date set. Fans of the venerable video game and film franchise can mark the date, September 12, 2014 on their calendars for the series' dead-destroying denouement.

Certainly, the idea of a sixth Resident Evil film should come as no surprise to fans of the franchise since director and grand maestro, Paul W.S. Anderson previously stated that 2010's Resident Evil: Afterlife (the fourth film) would be the first of a trilogy finale, which was eventually continued with last year's Resident Evil: Retribution, and soon to be concluded with the yet-to-be-titled sixth film.

The success of this series is actually an unsung tale in the modern film industry as it has seemingly garnered so much fan loyalty, evidenced by consistent box-office numbers. While most people (even some of those fans) will attest that they are not masterpieces, each iteration continually defies odds that are usually stacked against films adapted from video game titles. Now, in appropriate fashion, the loyalty of those fans who have made this film franchise a nearly $1 billion dollar cashcow will get a proper send-off. Milla Jovovich's once-again-super-powered shambling-slayer, Alice and company, now in a shaky alliance of mutual convenience with Shawn Roberts' Albert Wesker, will look to finally end this viral zombie apocalypse by physically uninstalling the sinister super-computer, The Red Queen. -- Certainly with twists and turns along the way.

While not much of anything is known about the film's specifics, as evidenced by the previous film's wistful revival of dead characters as clones, this does seem to be a series that's in touch with its own decade-plus history. Thus, the finale will certainly be an epic cavalcade of carnage, while likely looking to bring things full circle back to its roots in certain ways.

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Iron Man 3 has released a brand new trailer chock full of amazing new footage and a scene with an army of Iron Men that might just force some fanboys to change their drawers.

Likely serving as the final preview trailer before the film's May 3 release, this sneak peak has certainly saved the best for last; a welcome revelation, especially after the recent footage-lacking Super Bowl spot fell flat. Indeed, this is the mother of all Iron Man 3 trailers, giving us not only a look at some eye-popping effects spots that were previously just concepts to us, but an insightful delve into the film's mysterious plot.

Up until now, we've known that Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark has somehow become the hapless target of the mysterious militant puppet master of The 10 Rings in Ben Kingsley's The Mandarin. However, despite all the monumentally malicious machinations of the guru-like hyrbid of the comic book villain, this trailer finally gives us a look at what happens when you decide to pick a fight with a billionaire genius jacked-up on Extremis energy and his legion of autonomous armors. Well, what you get is, as Tony himself says, "No politics, here. Just good old fashioned revenge."

Enough talk. Talking is for people without nanites in their bloodstream to control armies of Iron Men. The stage is set, check out the brand spanking new Iron Man 3 trailer below in all its glory.

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It appears that next year's time-slicing sequel, X-Men: Days of Future Past will add yet another important mutant alumnus to its already-amazing cast. Halle Berry has confirmed that (at least, as far as she knows,) she will reprise her role as weather-wielding mutant and de facto leader of the X-Men, Ororo Munroe aka Storm.

In an interview with Access Hollywood, the Oscar-winning actress, in promoting her new kidnapping thriller, The Call, fielded the inevitable X-Men question with an answer in the positive.

“I’m in. I think I’m in.” Adding, “I am [excited], yeah. I love Storm. That’s one of my favorite characters that I’ve played. And people love that character as well.”

Berry would also echo those sentiments in an interview with BlackTree TV that seemingly solidifies the news:

"The fans really love Storm, and so I'm really happy that it's worked out that way. No matter what my part will be or won't be, to be a part of that is always a good thing. I love it.

Berry does seem to acknowledge the possibility that her role would (much like in the original Days of Future Past comic book story,) be limited, at best. However, it does seem that for her, and likely the others, reprising this role will be a labor of love. Indeed, Berry joins a crowded cast that includes heavies like Hugh Jackman, Jennifer Lawrence, and just about EVERYONE that has even a passing connection to the original X-Men trilogy and its rebooted 2011 prequel, X-Men: First Class. As a consequence of director, Bryan Singer "getting the band back together," pretty much ANY scene that contains even a speaking role will likely be considered prime real estate.

It will be interesting to see what's in store for Halle Berry's Storm when the Sentinel-centric X-Men: Days of Future Past hits theaters like a conjured tornado of awesomeness on July 18, 2014.

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Has the allegedly chaotic state of the Justice League live action movie lead to it getting a famous taskmaster? Well, according to a report by Latino Review, Warner Bros. studio has handed the reigns of their would-be franchise to the one and only Christopher Nolan.

As the story goes, Nolan would oversee the Justice League film as a producer armed with extreme discretion at his disposal. Possibly serving alongside him as co-producer could be Zack Snyder, director of this summer's Superman reboot, Man of Steel. Given how things fare at the box-office for the Blue Bomber's bounce-back, Snyder may even be given the okay to direct the ensuing mega-movie. However, the primary theme of the report is that Christopher Nolan, much like Joss Whedon with Marvel Studios' Avengers films and J.J. Abrams overseeing both Star Trek and Star Wars, would be a puppet master in his own right for Warner Bros.' ambitious plans to recreate the lucrative crossover magic that worked so swimmingly for Marvel.

What could be the most notable benefit of this proposed "Chris-tatorship," may come in the form of the renewed feasibility that Nolan's Batman, Christian Bale could reprise his role for the spinoff film, starting the team-up of DC Comics titans alongside Henry Cavill's Superman. While Bale has said that last year's The Dark Knight Rises would be his last grizzled-voiced outing in the black bat-suit, he also did indicate that a possible return depended solely upon Nolan's involvement.

How did things come to this? Apparently, through a bit of trial and error.

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It appears that next year's sequel, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes will be graced with the presence of one of the movie biz's premiere chameleons in Gary Oldman.

He's fought alongside Batman, taken on Soviet spies, broke up The Sex Pistols, and has even escaped from Azkaban. However, according to the report by Deadline, Oldman has been thrust into this ape apocalypse allegory as a character called "Dreyfus," described as a leader in the human resistance movement. Putting that into context, this film, a sequel to 2011's Rise of the Planet of the Apes, will reportedly take place some 15 years after the last film in a world that is overrun by the Adderall Apes. The focus will shift between a small group of San Francisco-based scientist survivors and a returning motion-captured Andy Serkis as principal of the primates, Caesar.  

With the recent announcement that Jason Clarke of Zero Dark Thirty was cast as the film's still-unnamed protagonist, we can assume that he heads the small ragtag group who eventually meet up with Oldman's larger, more formal resistance cell. However, it's still anyone's guess whether Oldman's character will be a friendly sage type or if he ends up being an unhinged megalomaniacal antagonist created by the unfavorable elements of the ape apocalypse.

Regardless, the addition of Oldman, just coming off his final go as James Gordon in The Dark Knight Rises and soon set for next year's RoboCop remake, is a great coup for this sequel which makes the somewhat risky move of not featuring its previous star, James Franco. A name like Oldman's attached to the film should alleviate some of that risk.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes flings bodily waste at paying onlookers at theaters on May 23, 2014.

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The third and final installment of the current Middle Earth trilogy, The Hobbit: There and Back Again has been given a new release date. Originally scheduled to conclude at theaters on July 18, 2014, fans will now have to patiently wait five whole months for its new release date: December 17, 2014.

If anything, the move should satiate any potential OCD objectors since the new date falls more in line with the traditional December releases of The Lord of the Rings trilogy from 2001-2003, last year's The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (December 14) and this year's The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (December 13). However, speculation is attributing the reason for the move being primarily due to the Shire swan song sharing its previous July 18 release date with a little obscure art house movie called X-Men: Days of Future Past. (You know, the upcoming X-Men sequel that's essentially going to star EVERYONE, EVER?) Thus, the move was a wise choice, ensuring that this new trilogy does not sail off to Valinor with the narrative of a knock-down, drag-out box-office struggle dominating headlines.

For fans who have been waiting over a decade to get this live-action take on the iconic kick-off to J.R.R. Tolkien's literary universe, the five month delay shouldn't be too much of a struggle; especially with the second film, The Desolation of Smaug still being relatively fresh in their minds.

Likely containing heart-wrenching drama, a sublime take on "The Battle of Five Armies," and a tear-jerking conclusion on its menu, The Hobbit: There and Back Again will hopefully still prove itself to be an unforgettable conclusion to Peter Jackson's Middle Earth movies. -- Just five months later.

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As some may recall, Latino Review dropped a major bombshell back in the beginning of this month with what seemed to be a detailed run-down of where Mark Ruffalo's version of The Hulk from The Avengers winds up throughout Marvel Studios' continuity-connected Phase Two and Phase Three set of films. Well, according to a report from Ain't It Cool News, that whole thing may have been an illusion concocted by Loki, as their sources say it is "1,000% inaccurate."

To briefly recap, the LR rumor implied that Ruffalo's Hulk would start to lose control of his destructive rage, culminating in a moment in Marvel's Phase Two denouement, The Avengers 2 in 2015, where members of a movie version of Marvel's team of powerful super-thinkers, The Illuminati exile Hulk in space. He eventually lands on the war-torn planet, Sakaar, setting things up for a solo film that would be a take on the popular comic book storyline, "Planet Hulk." This would allegedly culminate in Phase Three with The Avengers 3 where Hulk, bitter over his exile, returns to Earth with an invading army of aliens; a take on the comic book storyline, "World War Hulk." -- So, all of that, at least, according to AICN, is NOT happening.

AICN's "debunking" (if you will) of the LR story also brings up the infeasibility of a "Planet Hulk" solo movie being rooted in the idea that the Bruce Banner character was not in the storyline. While it is true that you can't just have an all-CG Hulk movie without a human protagonist, it's an aspect that could easily be fixed by simply tweaking the story and having Hulk turn to Banner when he's not doing his "Alien Gladiator" thing in the arenas of Sakaar. (After all, The Avengers introduced the idea that Banner CAN change into Hulk at will, since he's "always angry.") While we don't know for sure what kind of Hulk solo movie could be in the works, it is all but inevitable that we are getting one, considering that Ruffalo signed a six-picture deal with Marvel. (And they can't all be cameos and Avengers sequels.)

Of course, Marvel Studios, who prefer to keep their secrets close, aren't likely to step in and settle the debate. That leaves these conflicting reports as fodder for a potential (albeit gentlemanly, given the AICN report's civil language) battle of Internet entertainment journalists. At this point, there's no substantive evidence leading one to conclude who is right or wrong.

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It appears that the upcoming Michael Bay-produced Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles reboot film will be emerging further down the pipeline than previously scheduled. Last set for May 16, 2014, the yet-to-be-titled franchise film revival is now set to emerge from its proverbial manhole on June 6, 2014.

For a project that has been delayed several times and at one point was even marked for Christmas 2013, the three-week move is probably not a huge deal. However, it is noteworthy that the May 16 date would have put it in direct debut competition with the Warner Bros. Godzilla reboot project starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Bryan Cranston, and Elizabeth Olsen. At the moment, June 6 should leave the mutated...err, alien reptilian foursome relatively unopposed from the initial wave of summer movie heavy hitters like Captain America: The Winter Soldier (April 4), The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (May 2), and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (May 23).

Yet, at the same time, the June 6 move jeopardizes its potential box-office longevity, putting it in competition with second wave summer heavies like Jurassic Park 4 (June 13), How to Train Your Dragon 2 (June 20), and, ironically enough, Michael Bay's other baby, Transformers 4 (June 27). The move was certainly a calculated gamble by Paramount.

One thing is for sure, when Nickelodeon laid down a cool $60 million back in 2009 to purchase the TMNT franchise, they came up with a carefully planned strategy to gets this franchise back to its early 1990's glory days. With the current animated series renewed for a second AND third season, it's clear that they have a lot riding on this tent-pole. The acquisition of a name like Michael Bay (even in just a producer capacity) and now the recent addition of Megan Fox to the cast seems to telegraph their desire to use the monolithically successful Transformers formula of old-school franchise revival. (Explosions, hot chicks in slow motion, ubiquitous product placement, followed by more explosions.)

Will it work? Well, that all depends on how this whole "Teenage Alien Ninja Turtles" angle ultimately plays out.

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It appears that next year's sequel, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 has just procured yet another iconic baddie to tangle with 'ole Web-Head. It is being reported that actor, Chris Cooper has landed the role of Norman Osborn, the influential industrialist who's also been known to covort above the skies of New York as the maniacal Green Goblin.

In what is already becoming a cast stacked with big name stars portraying big name characters, the 61 year-old Cooper, known for roles in The Bourne Identity, American Beauty, and The Town will fill the role of one of the most important characters in the Spider-Man mythos with Osborn; a role played by Willem Dafoe in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man film trilogy.

Interestingly enough, Cooper's version of the character may be more nuanced than Dafoe's. Osborn's name and presence were certainly felt in last year's The Amazing Spider-Man, especially with the idea of his company, Oscorp, in looking for a cure for Norman's terminal illness, being responsible for the experiment which accidentally gave Andrew Garfield's Peter Parker his spider-powers. However, the report indicates that Cooper's Norman Osborn, who will juggle a role as father to Peter's friend, Harry Osborn (Dane DeHaan), may actually start out as a mentor of sorts to the clandestine Wall-Crawler before his eventual "heel turn" into the demented emerald air-gliding pumpkin-bomb-pusher. (Which, in the comics, was the result of a chemical accident, leaving him with multiple personalities.)

What might affirm the idea of the character not stepping into the Goblin costume just yet, is the fact the film already has two major villains lined up with Jamie Foxx as Electro and Paul Giamatti as Rhino. However, the last film implied that Osborn was as a shadowy puppet master behind the scenes of the film's events and we'll certainly see that aspect explored in this sequel. Also, the relationships he establishes with Peter Parker and his girlfriend, Oscorp lab intern, Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone) will also prove pivotal since Gwen famously meets her death at the Goblin's hands in a 1973 issue of The Amazing Spider-Man that is widely considered to be the culmination of the Silver Age of comic books. (A fate that will most likely be echoed at some point in this film series.)

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 remotely pilots its goblin glider to hit theaters on May 2, 2014.

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It appears that the long-discussed Fantastic Four reboot project is still on deck over at Twentieth Century Fox. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Seth Grahame-Smith has been brought on board for what is being referred to as some "polish screenwriting." (And that's "polish," the verb, rather than a setup for a potential ethnic joke.)

There was plenty of movement on this project last summer when Josh Trank of Chronicle was brought on board to occupy the director's chair. However, half a year later, we find that very little has progressed with the project, which has been in the works since early 2009 in the more immediate aftermath of the last Fantastic Four film franchise which starred, among others, Jessica Alba and future Captain America, Chris Evans. -- That was, until the recent news that Kick-Ass and X-Men: First Class director, Matthew Vaughn was brought on board the film as producer.

Now, it seems that the inertia may have been attributed to issues with the script which was picked up from a relatively unknown commodity in scribe, Jeremy Slater. As a result, the novelist/satirist/screenwriter, Grahame-Smith of Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter and Dark Shadows fame has been brought in to perform a bit of literary feng shui to the existing script by Slater. It does now appear that the studio is providing experienced guidance for the new creative team.

What could this mean for the live action revival of Marvel Comics' radiation-riddled warriors of right?

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Iron Man 3 has released yet another new poster. However, unlike the character posters we've been getting, this one is serving as a proper welcoming for the March 5 premiere of the film's final trailer. Originally leaking on Tumblr in low-res form, the poster was subsequently posted in official capacity this morning on Yahoo.

Indeed, if the poster is any indication, then next week's trailer should be giving us some new insight into the film's plot...which apparently involves Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark being backed up by a horde of bad-ass-looking Iron Man armors. (Not to mention an Iron Patriot-decked James Rhodes.) While the existing preview trailers have let fans know for some time that The Mandarin (Ben Kingsley) will concoct a cruel conspiracy to humble the brash billionaire genius, it seems that the part of this plot involving a dangerous newly developed nanovirus called "Extremis" could ultimately backfire on the sinister self-proclaimed "teacher."

We all know the loose run-down as it now stands: An exploded armor collection, an ostentatious abode reclaimed by the sea, a crashed and beaten Tony forced to take a shivering trek through snow, and rogue pervert Iron Man armors creeping up on Gwyneth Paltrow's Pepper Potts while she's asleep in bed. However, several months after witnessing nothing but the initial offense of the bad guys, it is now surely time to get a look at the rebound. Well, the cocky Avenger who once bragged about having "a Hulk" could soon find himself becoming a literal army of one.

Check out the full poster below and wonder if The Mandarin's camouflage pants can handle urine stains.

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It appears that the long-discussed remake of The Crow, much like its protagonist, has been brought back from the dead. Not only that, but according to a report from Bloody Disgusting, the latest name being circulated to play the macabre mauler of the menacing is none other than Professor Charles Xavier of the current X-Men film franchise, James McAvoy.

Long delayed, the film seemed to be on the fast-track with its then-rumored star, Bradley Cooper seemingly on board until it was again derailed by a drama-infused lawsuit in 2011 between Relativity Media and The Weinstein Company. However, things seemed to be looking up for the project at the beginning of 2012. While Cooper was out, the creative team of screenwriter, Jesse Wigutow and Spanish director, F. Javier Gutiérrez were hired to get things moving. While there wasn't too many widely-known previous projects between each member of this collaboration, it did appear that the franchise, once glorified by James O'Barr's original comic book title and the 1994 original film starring the late Brandon Lee, was well on its way towards another iteration.

Now, one year since we last heard any substantive news, the Scot-born McAvoy is reportedly close to donning the goth white facepaint to play murdered rocker, Eric Draven. Resurrected by a mystical, mysterious crow, Draven is endowed supernatural powers and Wolverine-like instant healing to carry out vengeance against some stone-cold killers for not only his own death, but the death of his beloved girlfriend.

At this point, nothing has been revealed in regards to the new film's plot, stylistic approach, or even a projected release date. However, it's sure to be a tour de force montage of unapologetic, viciously-violent, and strikingly-satisfying revenge porn against a gritty, dark Detroit's most wretchedly repugnant.

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Iron Man 3 continues to roll out its series of character posters, this time with an Empire exclusive focusing on Gwyneth Paltrow as Tony Stark's love interest and corporate caretaker, Pepper Potts.

While the exact details on the film's plot are still somewhat vague, what is perfectly clear, is that at some point in the film, Iron Man gets his ass handed to him in a huge way. The aftermath of this incident will leave a wave of destruction that won't even exclude his kick-ass pad and collection of armors. However, if we are to go by the tone of this poster, then it appears that the possession which is most precious to him, Pepper, will be left in mourning for her man...at least for a little while.

As Pepper holds the now-familiar imagery of Iron Man's gashed-inflicted empty helmet, it looks like Tony won't be going through this sequel of suffering alone in the build-up to game-changing events with the dreaded Mandarin, his villainous cohorts, and the Extremis nanovirus. While the film will see Tony's old life destroyed, something that is perhaps even more powerful could rise from the sparky remnants.

Iron Man 3 gets ready to file the biggest private insurance claim ever at theaters on May 3. Check out the full Pepper Potts poster below and speculate if she's in mourning or just giving an impromptu performance of Hamlet.

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