This summer's X-Man solo sequel, The Wolverine continues its trend of releasing posters featuring a shirtless Hugh Jackman looking buff and badass with this new Japanese poster showing a sword-wielding Logan with bad intentions written all over his face. 

The aim of the film's marketing team may have been either to tap into sex appeal or cater to an ever-growing militant anti-shirt movement. Coming off the long-awaited debut trailer which finally brings to light many of its important themes, this poster, while giving us more of the same, may, in a bizarre way, actually reflect the film the most deeply of all the "shirtless screaming Jackman" posters we've been getting.

In a quasi-avant-garde way, the katana Logan simultaneously wields with his signature claws for obliterating overkill effect seems to split the duel paths he will be forced to embrace. With Japanese characters representing "death" on the grim, blood-splattered left side and "life" on the glowingly hopeful right side, it manages to convey just how much of an existential crossroads Logan will come towards in this film regarding his own mutant-endowed virtual immortality. As we learned in the trailer, death is seemingly the "gift" that he could be granted, but certainly, he will learn that life still has good things to offer. -- Also, as previously mentioned, we have a shirtless Hugh Jackman. Soak it up, ladies.

The Wolverine relocates the war on shirts to Japan for bloody battles full of ninjas, samurai, and areolas when it hits theaters on July 26. Check out the poster below!

Read More »

Captain America: The Winter Soldier will have our serum-soaked super soldier going into battle with entirely new digs and apparently a scooper for ComicBookMovie may have revealed Cap's redesigned look by way of some new uncovered concept art.

When the first official photo for the unfrozen fighter's sequel hit earlier this week, there were noticeable differences draping Chris Evans' costumed crusader, despite the fact he was covered in shadows. Most noble among them, were the gloves, which were quite visibly shorter than the ones he sported in his previous appearances, also featuring exposed fingertips. That visual clue fueled speculation that Cap would be coming into this film with a costume possibly inspired by his appearance in the pages of Marvel Comics' "Heroic Age" storyline in 2010. While technically, it was a costume that a newly-resurrected Steve Rogers sported while his former sidekick and Winter Soldier, Bucky Barnes briefly cavorted as Captain America, it was still a popular entry in the annals of Captain America couture.

While the verdict verifying the authenticity of this costume is still not quite delivered (it could just end up being unused concept art,) we do know that changes of some kind are in store for Cap's costume. While his bright blue and red jumpsuit in The Avengers last year sported a more comic-book-friendly look, it did manage to divide audiences. This hybrid version seems to tap into the lighter, more utilitarian aspects of what he wore in 2011's Captain America: The First Avenger.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier rejects Easter Egg color schemes when it hits theaters on April 4, 2014. Check out the full picture of this (possible) sneak peak at Captain America's new look!

Read More »

Star Wars: Episode VII continues to be the center of casting rumors beginning with practically an ordered list of Original Trilogy veterans. After a recent interview with Digital Spy, the latest name to come in focus is Anthony Daniels, who played prissy protocol droid, C-3PO in all six existing films.

While avoiding any bold declarations made in jest like the one by Carrie Fisher last month which blogs and major media outlets mistook as an official confirmation of her return, Daniels took a more subtle approach when fielding the inevitable Episode VII question. Daniels speaks in all frankness about how early it is in the process, but he certainly is letting it be known that should the phone ring, he'll have no reservations with the possibility of jumping back into his gold-plated gear.

"Look, it's all very early days and I don't want to wear anybody out by speculating or letting you waste your energy by saying 'What do you think?" Adding: "I'm certainly not sitting by the phone, but it's always nice when it rings. Do you know what I mean?"

The actor was also asked to comment on the whole changing of the guard over at Lucasfilm with Kathleen Kennedy, the shift to the Disney banner, and the prospects of Episode VII director, J.J. Abrams. The glowing collection of compliments that ensued could be perceived as a "hint" that Daniels, possibly kissing the proverbial ring, might already be secretly locked in, just as reports on Harrison Ford's status have implied. On the Disney acquisition and naming of its new caretaker, Daniels states it's "wonderful," adding:

"It never occurred to me that it would happen. Everybody's really happy that Disney have taken over the mantle. Kathy Kennedy is so well loved and she is carrying George Lucas's [sic] torch so much further."

On the franchise sequel's new director, Daniels comments:

"The old Star Trek thing is pretty good isn't it? He [Abrams] clearly knows how to make it all work and put it all together. But again that's pie-in-the-sky to a certain extent that is the future."

Of the various speculations about returning cast members, the idea of Daniels returning as C-3PO is probably the most likely of them all. Perhaps no other character truly represents the official Star Wars stamp like the bumbling bot and his astromech companion, R2-D2 played by Kenny Baker. In fact, there's no realistic scenario where the duo are NOT in this film. Even if the film's plot is somehow gleaned from various sources in the Expanded Universe of novels and comic books, there is definitely an established place for the ersatz Ewok deity.

Star Wars: Episode VII reiterates the dangers of trusting strange computers when it hits theaters sometime in 2015.

[Source]

It seems that when Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger team up this fall for a prison break drama that was called The Tomb, the film will be graced with a new title: Escape Plan. Additionally, its release date has been bumped-up from September 27 to the new date of September 13.

While no reason has been given, one must assume that a film featuring an on-screen duo of two of the biggest action stars in history might want to stick to titles that are not quite so grim and depressing. The new title does seem to be more straightforward and plot-descriptive with a helpful verb conveying action. While it may not be the most creative brainchild, "Escape Plan" does seem to be an improvement.

The film depicts Stallone as Ray Breslin, an architectural expert in the design of prisons who is framed for a serious crime and thrust into a hidden lock-up of his own design that's considered his Mona Lisa. There, he strikes up an unlikely alliance with a notorious cybercriminal (or, as he will pronounce it, "cybahcreemeenul") named Emil Rottmayer played by Schwarzenegger, who, say what you will, is at least TRYING to expand his acting repertoire. Together, with the help of another incarcerated computer wiz, Hush played by Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson, they will attempt an epic prison break while fighting off a twisted warden played by Jim Caviezel and his corrections officer henchman played by Vinnie Jones.

The film was certainly greenlit during more auspicious times for the "80's action stars making a comeback" era after The Expendables films made a significant box-office impact. However, after early 2013 solo experiments in Schwarzenegger's The Last Stand and Stallone's Bullet to the Head embarrassingly underperformed, the film title "Escape Plan" might actually be a nod to something the studio wish it had. -- With that being said, it's tough to predict how the film will fare. This will actually be the first proper on-screen team-up between Stallone and Schwarzenegger, minus the large cast of Expendables alpha males. It could still have potential to work if it contains some accessible chemistry. It will need it since its revised release date puts it against genre peers in Machete Kills and Insidious Part 2.

Escape Plan tries to break the aging action hero genre out of solitary when it hits theaters on September 13.

[Source]

Interstellar, the next outing from directorial visionary, Christopher Nolan will be graced by a familiar feline. According to Deadline, recent Oscar winner, Anne Hathaway will return to her The Dark Knight Rises director's fold, prospectively as the female lead of the film.

Hathaway is the second cast member set for this experimental space epic after Matthew McConaughey was confirmed to be on board last week. At the moment, nothing is known about the specifics for either of the roles. However, considering that Hathaway is coming fresh from her Oscar win for Les Misérables, it could be reflective of a post-Oscar palette-cleanse and might not be a conventional "leading lady" type role. The actress' career has certainly hit the highest of peaks and now one would think that this potential role would be redefining after having achieved such a milestone.

The film, which at one point in its genesis in 2006 had Steven Spielberg attached, will reportedly be based on the scientific research of physicist, Kip Thorne which theorizes the use of wormholes for time travel. Once the film started to carry the Nolan name (brothers, Christopher at the helm and Jonathan on the script,) it became the center of a rarely-seen co-production/co-distribution deal between studios, Paramount and Warner Bros. Certainly, with Nolan's mind-bending 2010 dream drama, Inception still fresh in the minds of moviegoers, this film will undoubtedly carry the same stylistic, cerebral, but action-packed tone. -- Also, if the Nolan-esque trends of repertory casting continues, then the phones of Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Cillian Murphy, and Tom Hardy may be ringing soon enough.

Interstellar launches Catwoman into space with a laid-back male stripper when it hits theaters on November 7, 2014.

[Source]

Elysium, the amped and upgraded next dystopian sci-fi epic from District 9 director, Neill Blomkamp has released its debut trailer.

It seems that the year 2154 is indeed the best of times and the worst of times. However, I don't think even Charles Dickens could imagine a scenario where humanity is as literally class-divided as they are in this film. While unlucky urchins of the future like Matt Damon's Max toil in miserable manual labor, living so low on the totem pole of existence that he's forced to take orders from robots, "the rich" have it just slightly better. And by that, we mean an aesthetically luxurious existence in a giant space station called Elysium away from all those blue collar bozos where they sip wine, sunbathe, and lay in magic beds that detect and remove cancer easier than a hangnail. (Although, in all frankness, hangnails are pretty annoying.)

Sick of it all...and sick in general after a radioactive work-related incident left his days numbered, Max is not just going to lay back and die like a good lemming. Seeing as he has nothing to lose, he decides he's going to get himself to Elysium, get cured, and in the process, wreck the system itself. Of course, he'll need a little help to do it, namely major cybernetic surgery performed by grumpy "resistance cell" types in a dirty basement that surely must be on the up and up. Upon completion of that, he gains new levels of destruction and badassery, as well as what his shady surgeon says will give him the ability to "override their whole system." (And also make showering and pooping into an unspeakable crucible.)

Max will need all the help he can get since he is not only being hunted by lackeys of a bitchy bureaucrat named, Secretary Rhodes (Jodi Foster), but also a tenacious bounty hunter who also appears to be cybernetically enhanced (though extremely unwashed) named Kruger (Sharlto Copley). He'll definitely need to channel his inner-Jason Bourne if he wants to break into rich people heaven.

Elysium makes the rich sell mass-produced Chinese-made cancer beds at Costco when it hits theaters on August 9. Check out the trailer as well as the new theatrical poster below!

Read More »

300: Rise of an Empire, the long-awaited follow-up to the blood-splattering, ab-glistening 2006 action epic, 300 has released its very first official images. Not only that, but plot details have been finally dropped giving fans a much-needed clarification on the film, which was vaguely known to depict the historical Battle of Artemisia.

The summer sequel, thus far shrouded in mystery, has revealed its visual tone by way of this set of photos released to USA Today. Clearly, it echoes its predecessor film quite a bit.

One photo gives us a proper hero shot of our protagonist, Athenian general, Themistokles played by Sullivan Stapleton (Gangster Squad). A legitimate historical figure in his own right, Themistokles will carry the burden of leading the armies of Athens into battle in the wake of the legendary sacrifice of King Leonidas and the 300 Spartans depicted in the previous film. However, Themistokles will be quite a different hero than Gerard Butler's war-reaping well-kicker of a king. A more complex thinker, Themistokles will be the type of leader presented in a more modern context, that of a warrior who must also adhere to the nuances of politics. According to the USA Today report, which nabbed info straight from the source with director, Noam Murro:

"Themistokles is battle-scarred and a warrior, but at the same time he's a politician. He's not the king. He has to rule in a democracy. It's a different complexity of character."

Besides a deeper protagonist, the dynamic of the film's various battles may also be equally upgraded in complexity. While the eccentric gold-gorged Persian king, Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro) will indeed return, the film's encompassing antagonism could actually be between Themistokles and Xerxes' radiant ravaging female Persian general, Artemisia (Eva Green). The comely commander, carrying her own vendettas against the Greeks into battle will, much like Themistokles, be a more cerebral nemesis. Surely set to sport Eva Green's well-known beauty, never will oblivion look so enticing. It's a dynamic which could potentially create an odd type of sexual tension between the two leaders amidst the grandiose battles.

Check below for more and a full look at the new photos!

Read More »

Man of Steel, this summer's sizzling screen-splashing Superman saga has released its first TV spot.

The new spot may not exactly provide too many revelations, especially to those familiar with the full trailer that debuted back in December. However, clocking in at a tight 32 seconds, it manages to convey the atmosphere of the film just as effectively in 1/5 of the time of the aforementioned preview.

At the moment, specifics about the film's plot other than an obligatory Superman origin tale still remains somewhat mysterious. Yet, what we have been shown does seem to expose the heart of the movie. Indeed, we witness Henry Cavill's new version of The Blue Bomber go from your typical super-powered alien orphan living on a farm who's at a perpetual quandary about the responsibilities his powers might entail, evolving into the blue-suited bringer of justice who's ready to use escaped Kryptonian war criminal, General Zod (Michael Shannon) and his merry band of misfits as the cannon-fodder for his heroic coming out party. 

Man of Steel pounds you with pure pathos at theaters on June 14. In addition to the TV spot, an updated version of the film's official synopsis has hit, shedding some (I stress, "some") light onto the context of the film's characters. Check it out below!

Read More »

Super soldier sequel, Captain America: The Winter Soldier has released its first official image.

The photo unveiling comes in conjunction with the announcement that principal photography for the Phase Two film has finally begun rolling. Indeed, the iconic image of the circular star-and-striped shield strapped to the back of Chris Evans' Captain America immediately pulls your gaze, only to be directed towards the S.H.I.E.L.D. logo which he stands before solemnly. However, observant fans are already noticing a detail that might prove revealing to the film: Gloves. -- Specifically, the shorter gloves that Cap seems to be sporting. While there may be a scene-specific explanation, these mysterious mitts, which even appear to display exposed fingers have led to speculation that our hero might be in store for a radical costume change this time around.

On a sidenote, the posting of the picture by Marvel also included official confirmation of a casting rumor. The report reveals that legendary actor, Robert Redford has indeed hopped on board the film to play a character named "Agent Alexander Pierce," who is said to be a high-ranking senior leader within S.H.I.E.L.D. Redford joins an already-impressive cast consisting of: Scarlett Johansson as the bodacious baddie-beating Black Widow, Samuel L. Jackson as cycloptic S.H.I.E.L.D. superior, Nick Fury, Toby Jones as the villainous Arnim Zola, Frank Grillo as the skull-sporting Crossbones, Emily VanCamp as Agent Sharon Carter, the UFC's Georges St-Pierre as the roguish Batroc the Leaper, Anthony Mackie as The Falcon, and Sebastian Stan as Cap's unfrozen and brainwashed former friend in the titular Winter Soldier.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier reunites old army buddies with a hint of unmitigated bloodlust and vengeance when it hits theaters on April 4, 2014.

[Source]

Marvel's upcoming expansion of their movieverse into the realm of TV with organization, S.H.I.E.L.D. has just been given an official title and logo. Previously referred to simply as "S.H.I.E.L.D.," network, ABC just made official on its media website that the show will be titled: Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. -- On top of that, there is news of the addition of another cast member who may be familiar to longtime fans of The Avengers mastermind and director of the pilot episode, Joss Whedon.

The amended title is clearly an attempt to differentiate itself from the 2002-2008 police drama, The Shield starring Michael Chiklis. While the kind of viewers who would actually be confused by such a thing would probably not be tuning in, it does serve to put the distinguished Marvel stamp on the series. However, the move is hardly unprecedented and even the show's setup film in last year's superhero dream team extravaganza, The Avengers actually carries the official (though rarely acknowledged) title of Marvel's The Avengers, so as to avoid confusing people who might mistake a blockbuster film about superheroes fighting off a rogue Norse God and armies of aliens with a British spy show from the 1960's and its 1998 remake movie. Thus, in all likelihood, you, me, and everyone else will probably just end up referring to the show as "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." sans the Marvel marking.

While it doesn't look like we'll be getting substantive details anytime soon, ABC did release a new synopsis for the show. Check it out below, as well as news about another addition to the cast!

Read More »

X-Men: Days of Future Past's tweet-happy taskmaster, Bryan Singer has unveiled the very first image of a character in the upcoming prequel-sequel by way of...you guessed it, Twitter. We now have our first look at actor, Nicholas Hoult as he will appear when he reprises his role as scientist and acrobatic one-man wrecking crew, Hank McCoy, aka Beast.

Besides the film's time-traveling and surreal array of returning cast members including Hugh Jackman's Wolverine and Jennifer Lawrence's Mystique, it will also carry the distinction of being centered in a timeline that takes place 10 years after the events of its 1962-set predecessor in 2011's rousing reboot, X-Men: First Class. As a result, the appearance of Beast, who mutated into his furry blue form in the last film, does come across far more aged and grizzled, even sporting some grays in his beard this time around.

For Hoult, the prospect of returning to the X-Men fold is probably music to the ears after the embarrassing run his starring vehicle, Jack the Giant Killer recently suffered. However, the young blue-chipper (heh-heh) still has some aces up his sleeve with this return as Beast and with a promising role in next year's Mad Max: Fury Road. Plus, he can take solace that February's Warm Bodies was anything but cold at the box-office.

X-Men: Days of Future Past decides how to best accessorize full-bodied blue fur when it hits theaters on July 18, 2014. Check out the full Beast reveal below!

Read More »

Iron Man 3 will blast into theaters exactly four weeks from today. For fans that keep getting bombarded by the blitz of promotional pizazz, it may still be a tough wait. However, fret not, fanboys and fangirls, the movie has officially hit online...well, 47 seconds of it, anyway.

Some of this new clip may seem familiar since elements of it have been featured throughout the recent trailers and TV spots. However, it makes a debut in full, uninterrupted glory with this clip, exclusive to Yahoo. After we've been exposed to the colossal crucible to which Tony will be subjected in this threequel, it's clear that he's had enough and he's drawn a line in the proverbial sand. Translation: "Don't just hide in the shadows like a bitch, Mandarin! Come get some!"

Indeed, that reporter's wrecked cell phone could serve as a violent metaphor for Tony Stark's plans for the repugnant ring enthusiast. There's no more "negotiations," no more "I don't want to stoop to his level" crap. Tony's out to jump in his armor and squash himself some Mandarin jam before spreading it on the burnt toast of terror itself.

Iron Man 3 draws inspiration from wrestling promos when it hits theaters on May 3.

Disney's upcoming remake of its 1979 classic, The Black Hole now has a writer. Scribe, Jon Spaihts, author of the original draft of last year's Alien tie-in, Prometheus (before Damon Lindelof stepped in), also currently set to co-write next year's reboot of The Mummy, has been tapped to pen this robot-ridden space odyssey.

At the moment, the remake has Oblivion and Tron: Legacy director, Joseph Kosinski attached to occupy the helm with producer, Justin Springer, a collaborator on Legacy also on board. While the project has been in development since 2009, it does seem odd that it's getting made since Disney has bigger, more significant space-related projects (purchased for $4.05 billion) on the menu. However, it may be possible that The Black Hole remake is simply destined to whet appetites of moviegoers with a space epic before Disney's new baby, the Star Wars franchise returns to theaters in 2015 with Episode VII.

Indeed, The Black Hole's parallels with the Star Wars franchise are hardly coincidental. The original 1979 film was released in the wake of the 1977 post-Star Wars space-surge in films. Disney's answer to that trend was to throw-down $20 million (big money for a production at the time) for something that matched the genre. What they got was a fairly successful film grossing $35.8 million domestically, featuring a solid cast, while ubiquitously promoting the images of friendly helper robots, B.O.B. and V.I.N.C.E.N.T. and the sinister towering red robot named Maximilian.

The original film set in the year 2130 focused on a crew of space explorers in the USS Palomino who come across a ship thought to be long lost in the USS Cygnus which is seemingly teetering on the border of a black hole. Upon boarding the lost ship, the Palomino crew led by Captain Holland (Robert Forster) and Dr. Durant (Anthony Perkins) meet the Cygnus' lone human survivor, Dr. Reinhardt (Maximilian Schell). While at first Reinhardt seemed to be just a normal scientist-type guy living in space amongst a population of robots (minus the task of "watching cheesy movies"), things start to look fishy; especially when it comes to the mystery of what happened to the rest of the Cygnus crew, their connection to the ship's robotic denizens, and Reinhardt's true agenda towards the bordering black hole.

The Black Hole will do its best to "suck" in a good way when it hits theaters at a date not yet revealed.

[Source]

Crimson Peak, one of several projects cooking on the stovetop of director/producer, Guillermo del Toro has procured a cast member whose stock is currently soaring in Benedict Cumberbatch.

While details on the film's plot are still vague, it has been described as being Del Toro's love letter to old school set-oriented haunted house films, specifically the 1963 Robert Wise classic, The Haunting, mixed with The Omen, The Exorcist, and The Shining. Such a cocktail seems to indicate a more insular, psychological type of film where the various threats are not only represented by the obligatory ghosts, but the very setting itself. What little bit of information the report had to provide on the plot states:

"The gothic horror story centers on a woman who discovers that her husband might not be whom he appears to be."

Cumberbatch joins confirmed cast members, Charlie Hunnam and Emma Stone (who are likely the couple in question) and should bring some considerable weight to the project. At this point, no details have been revealed about Cumberbatch's role, although a supernatural antagonist of some kind seems a likely choice.

The actor, known for starring in the BBC's acclaimed Sherlock, is a little over a month away from the release of what looks to be an impressive career-altering effort as villain, "John Harrison" in Star Trek Into Darkness. (Although, renewed rumors still persist that the character may actually be someone else we already know.) Having even nabbed a critical voice role in The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug as the titular the fire-breathing dragon (he will also voice The Necromancer in the series), his arrival for Del Toro's extra-corporeal epic could prove to be an even bigger acquisition by the time production commences in February.

Crimson Peak tries its best to remove the stain left by The Haunted Mansion from the ghost genre when it hits theaters on a date yet to be determined.

UPDATE: You can now add recent Oscar nominee, Jessica Chastain to the cast.

[Source]

Iron Man 3 will be hitting theaters in just under a month. That fact, however, is still not stopping the hype train from dropping the occasional surprise on fans who fancy themselves informed. In this case, that surprise comes from yet another new TV spot which may go through the usual routines, but then quickly manages to give us our first look at some of the virus-plagued Extremis Soldiers that will terrifyingly tangle with Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark.

Previous trailers showed us the "before" picture of some hapless guinea pigs as they underwent a procedure set up by villain, The Mandarin (Ben Kingsley) to become infected with the Extremis Virus. Developed by scientists, Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce) and Maya Hansen (Rebecca Hall), the experiment was designed to produce "super-soldier" elements like Captain America's, while endowing instant healing abilities. (In the comics, its nanite-based nature allowed Tony to modify it and upgrade his tech significantly.) Indeed, it does provide some cool physical benefits. -- Unfortunately, it also turns the subjects into silvery-skinned-psychos with red glowing eyes and pulsating neon lesions that would give zombies on The Walking Dead a run for their money in the department of unaesthetic excellence. (...Okay, maybe not.)

Clearly, Tony has enough problems with The Mandarin plotting him an exotic and intricate death, guys in choppers wrecking his pad, getting himself stranded in the snow, and his armors seemingly coming to life to creep over him in bed. Things spiral to a point where even poor Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) has to put on his proverbial pants, getting into an Iron Man armor to "Rescue" him. Adding "ashy glowing-eyed zombies" into the mix is certainly not helping.

Iron Man 3 takes up major slack for the CDC when it hits theaters on May 3. Check out the new spot below!

Read More »