Three Musketeers & Man in the Iron Mask

Digging into my movie collection I find that there are a lot of historical adventure type movies. I have a weak spot for swashbuckling adventure in a simpler time.

Of those that I enjoy the most would be a pair of movies that were never meant to be a series, but they end up being so when I watch them. These two movies are Disney’s Three Musketeers and Man in the Iron Mask. Both take on the French novel legends at different times in their lives.

The Three Musketeers (1993) is a story about d’Artagnan meeting up with the Three Musketeers Aramis, Athos and Porthos to fulfil his dream of becoming a Musketeer. The Musketeers are disbanded by the plot of Cardinal Richelieu and now branded outlaws with their new friend, the Musketeers fight for King and Country. All for One and One for All!

Disney’s take deviates from the original novelization, but comes as close as I could hope Hollywood dares. It is a fun charming and amusing tale with plenty of one liners, lots of action and adventure for all.

The Man in the Iron Mask (1998) catches up with the Musketeers after their retirement and the young d’Artagnon is now captain of the Musketeers. The King is dead and his young heir Louis XIV has his own interests at heart and ignores the needs of his country. In a dangerous plot, the retired Musketeers reunite for one last adventure to swap the king with his twin brother - the man in the Iron Mask.

This movie is more serious in tone and though it has its amusing moments, it is not as light hearted and comedic as the movie I place as its prequel.

So why tie these movies together when they were never intended as a series, and in fact were created by two different studios? Because they work together.

The plots work well against each other leaving little to no conflict. It is almost as though they meant it. The only outstanding detail is when the older musketeers in Iron Mask are about to enter the final conflict, Athos states that they should wear the old black uniforms of their glory days. In the Three Musketeers, Disney changed the uniforms to a more family friendly blue. Only the badguy wears black.

If you haven’t seen these movies yet, I encourage you to.

And watch them like they belong together. They do on my dvd shelf.

Incredible Hulk Theatrical Trailer

The new Incredible Hulk Theatrical trailer has just hit the net. I just love the look of this thing!

If you’d like to see the larger HD version of the trailer you can go here

"Dark City" DVD Date Confirmed!

We heard rumors a few weeks back from writer David Goyer that a 10th anniversary DVD for the sci-fi cult classic "Dark City" was on the way, and now a date has been set: July 29th, 2008. The film will be released on both DVD and Blu-Ray (probably the way to go on a film this visually-oriented).

Brad from RopeofSilicon also reports that the new "director's cut" edition will contain fifteen minutes of additional movie (running time 111 minutes rather than 96), and "all new special features." Brad doesn't seem to know anything about the new score and special effects that Goyer mentioned earlier, but we'll all see in due time I suppose. I know Eugene from Cinematical and I are both hoping the filmmakers aren't so dense as to discard the fantastic Roger Ebert commentary, a must-hear for anyone who cares about film criticism and/or analysis.

Tony Stark and All Things Iron Man!

Hi guys, it's Roman, your comic book guide to the stars. Today's comic book lesson is Iron Man. I know what you're thinking: "I've seen the trailers, I've heard the buzz, just show me the damn movie!" I know it sucks to wait and maybe those Iron Man fires aren't burning as hot as they were six months ago, but bear with me and stay psyched cause its going burn this mother down.

If you feel like you can't wait another few days, I've got some recommended reading material that will excite and educate you in the Iron Man universe. What's that? You haven't read a comic book in ten years? Or, heaven forbid, you have never read a comic book at all? My heart breaks for you… Lets point you in the right direction.

The Ultimates
Written by Mark Millar, Illustrated by Bryan Hitch
If you are new to comics or have never read one, The Ultimates: Vol. One is a great place to start. This series is a fresh revamp of the Avengers adapted for a modern world. (The Avengers are the team that Iron Man fights for in the Marvel Universe.) The Ultimates reads like a superhero political thriller with plenty of action. It's not a classic version of the character and I speculate that much of the Iron Man movie will have references to this version.

Ultimate Iron Man
Written by Orson Scott Card, Illustrated by Andy Kubert
This five part mini-series gives us a look at how a young Tony Stark (Iron Man) struggles with family issues, unbearable pain and his father's near loss of Stark Industries. An ultimate version of Obadiah Stane (Iron Monger) makes an appearance along with his father, head of his own technological company, Zebediah Stane.

Iron Man: Viva Las Vegas
Written by Jon Favreau, Illustrated by Adi Granov
I, personally, am looking forward to the upcoming first issue due out May 7th this year. This comic book is going to be a fun piece that takes a look at Tony Stark enjoying some rest and relaxation in sin city itself. What's a billionaire playboy to do? Oh, and did I mention that this comic book is written by the director of Iron Man himself, Jon Favreau. Man, that guy loves Las Vegas.

Iron Man: Demon in a Bottle
Written by David Michelinie and Bob Layton, Illustrated by John Romita, Jr.
One more courtesy of EW.com: True, Jon Favreau's movie is more of a cheeky origin story, but it merely sets the foundation for what he's reportedly said will lend itself to a warts-and-all sequel. Enter Demon in a Bottle. Fifteen years after Iron Man's invention, Michelinie and Layton created this definitive portrait of the alcoholic hero. Tony Stark, the playboy industrialist under the armor, goes head-to-head against whiskey sours and amaretto and scotches — it's probably the only time you'll hear the battle cry, ”I should never have had that fourth martini!” Reminders that it's 1979 include disco fashions and Ed Koch.

If you are more of a classic comic book reader, you will have to refer to the Silver Age of comic books, which is the late 1950's to the 1970's. Iron Man first appeared in Tales of Suspense #39 in March of 1963.

To clear things up a bit, there are two distinct "universes" in Marvel. One being the regular "Marvel Universe", where all of your favorite Marvel heroes came from. And an "Ultimate Universe", where all of your favorite Marvel heroes were revamped to attract a new generation of readers. Most of the characters are the same, but have been given new origins to fit a new age. For example: Peter Parker in the "Marvel Universe" is a photographer for the Daily Bugle. In the "Ultimate Universe," Peter Parker designs and maintains the website for the Daily Bugle. Sorry if this is confusing for first-time comic readers.

This is my first column, so I'm not going to overload you on what to read… yet. Check these books out at your local comic book store to get familiar with the character. Don't get jaded by what you have read or will read before the film's release. Remember, these movies are geared towards everyone, so a bit or a majority of it is changed when adapted to the silver screen. Enjoy the movie and come back next month for more comic book reading suggestions. So long from Roman's comic land and I'll see you at the movies.

The Dark Knight’s Hong Kong Banner

Moviesoonhk has a new Hong Kong promo banner for The Dark Knight featuring the night view of Victoria Harbour in Hong Kong. The highest skyscraper in the picture, the Two IFC, is also featured at the beginning of the new Dark Knight movie trailer! As always, click to enlarge.

Batman vs The Dark Knight Trailer

Batman vs The Dark Knight Trailer created by College Humor

The Pitch: Why So Similar? The Dark Knight is a remake of Tim Burton’s Batman, didn’tcha know?

Dragonball Teaser Poster

Update: /Film reader Jim S sent me the above photo of the American version of the teaser poster. So it appears it is real after all.

The photo below has begun to circulate the message boards, claiming to be the Japanese poster for 20th Century Fox's upcoming live action big screen adaptation of Dragonball. But who knows, it could be an elaborate fan creation. I know there is enough of a fanbase looking forward to this movie, so I thought I'd share it.

According to dbthemovie, the poster translates into:

"Legend becomes reality
March 2009
Dragonball
www.dragonball-movie.jp"

Dragonball hits theaters in the states on April 8th 2009.

New Indiana Jones Television Spot

A second television advertisement for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull has begun to air. There is no official video available at this time, but someone video taped the new tv spot on YouTube. I know, not the best presentation… We'll update the post when a better quality version shows up online.

Guillermo del Toro and The Hobbit Sequel

Since it was first announced, everyone has been wondering what will become of this supposed Hobbit sequel.

For the first time publicly Guillermo del Toro spoke publicly to TheOneRing.net about the planned continuation:

"You know, I traveled to New Zealand just a little while ago, and one of the main reasons for going was to sit down and talk about the second film. 'The Hobbit', the book, is really one self-contained film, so for the second movie we sat down and worked it out. When we did this we got really excited because this second film is not a 'tag on', it's not 'filler', it's an integral part of telling the story of those 50 years of history lost in the narrative. There will be certain things that we will see from the first movie but from a different point of view, but it will feel like a volume, in the 5 volumes of the entire story. It will not feel like a bridge, I've been hearing it called 'a bridge film', it's not, it's an integral chapter of the story, and I think we're all on the same page.”

Popular belief is that the sequel would reference The Silmarillion, a collection of J. R. R. Tolkien’s mythopoeic works, edited and published posthumously by his son Christopher Tolkien in 1977. The book contained five parts of The History of Middle-earth, but is considered by most fans to be dense and rather boring. So the question is how much of The Hobbit sequel will be an original creation by del Toro, Jackson and Walsh, and how much of it will actually be adapted from such text.

Discuss: What would you like to see in The Hobbit sequel?

Juno 2 Movie Trailer

Juno II Movie Trailer created by Mad TV

The Pitch: “From the irritatingly quirky mind of Oscar Award winning Diablo Cody comes the sequel that half the country has been violently waiting for. Juno kills a homeless man and has conversations full of inane pop-cultured nonsense.”

JJ Abrams on a Cloverfield Sequel

I heard a couple months ago that a Cloverfield sequel had been put on the backburner. With the recent release of the DVD, talk of a Cloverfield sequel has begun to reappear. Producer JJ Abrams tells G4's Attack of the Show that they have a good idea:

"There is a couple ideas that Drew Goddard , the writer, and Matt Reeves have that are pretty fantastic. So we're playing around with some ideas and obviously if it isn't something that really excited us and inspires us, we won't do it. But there are some good ideas out there."

When asked if the second film would be shot using the first person video camera style employed by the first film, Abrams replied:

"It could. I think it's a valid style," Abrams continued. "I think as a gimmick, people have already seen it, so if you're going to do it, you have to do something unique with it."

Abrams also confirms that there is absolutely no connection between LOST and Cloverfield, as he called the use of the Dharma logo a wink to his friends working on the popular sci-fi television series. You can watch the full interview with JJ Abrams below.

Poster oficial de “The Dark Knight”. ¿Son mejores los fakes?

Hace poco vimos el cartel oficial de “The Incredible Hulk”, el de “Indiana Jones y la Calavera de Cristal” también, incluso el de otro blockbuster como “Iron Man” ya hacía tiempo que se pudo ver por la web.

Pero faltaba un último revienta taquillas por mostrarnos su poster definitivo -no tease, que de esos sí que pudimos ver unos cuantos-.

“The Dark Knight” lo ha hecho recientemente. Aunque a mí me ha con un sabor ligeramente agridulce.

Por una parte es de agredecer ver el cartel que se verán en los cines de todo el mundo, aunque igual luego nos muestran algunos más, como suele ocurrir en la mayoría de los casos. Pero por otra, no me parece tan impresionante como se ha comentado en algunos sitios. Casi coincido con una opinión que destacaba el hecho de que Batman parecía metido con calzador y photosopeado en plan artesanal. Aunque pueda impactar el fondo, con ese edificio que forma en llamas la silueta del murciélago característico del personaje.

Existen otros carteles por la web que sí me han convencido más. Fakes, hasta que no se demuestre lo contrario, pero que han demostrado más imaginación en cuanto al oficial.

Mucho mejor para mi gusto (pero claro, no se ve al personaje. ¿Eso no vende? Pues recordemos que en la primera película de Tim Burton el cartel tan sólo nos enseñaba el símbolo de Batman). Con sólo un vistazo sabemos a quién se va a enfrentar y de forma rotunda.

Luego tenemos los fakes clásicos. Con el personaje en un primer plano.

Batman mirando la carta que deja como firma el Joker. Todo en un color oscuro, santo y seña el personaje por otro lado. Y por supuesto, los murciélagos. A Batman no le va a dar por los mosquitos.

También esta la pose característica. Dejando ver casi el cuerpo entero de Batman y de nuevo con murciélagos de fondo. Algo que estan dejando ver en esta saga, porque en las anteriores creo que no abusaban en sus carteles. No hablo sólo por estos fakes, si no que en los oficiales de Begins no había casi ninguno que no se salvara de ese complemento.

Bueno, es lo que hay. El que nos han mostrado no es que sea para tirarse de los pelos, pero me siguen gustando más los de la primera entrega. Cuestión de gustos supongo.

Fuente: Fantasymundo

The Dark Knight Trailer Hunt on Monday!

If you live in Boston, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Chicago, Dallas, Seattle, New York, Kansas City, Toronto, San Francisco, or London you will want to read this. On Thursday night we debuted the new poster for The Dark Knight as part of the on-going viral marketing game. The website where it was discovered was located at whysoserious.com/itsallpartoftheplan/.

However, the site hinted that more would be coming and now its been updated. A new viral hunt will take place on Monday, April 28th in those cities mentioned above and this time I know you'll want to get involved. I'll bet anyone $10 that they'll end up at a movie theater in the area where you'll be shown the brand new trailer (or even more?) in its entirety. Why do I think that? Read on…

The website now features 12 clickable defaced photos of presidents on the wall. Each one corresponds to a city. If you click each photo, it will open a new window that has instructions on how to play the game on Monday. Here is what each photo reads:

Gather with 300 of your closest friends at this exact spot on April 28th.

You'll need to be in contact with a partner-in-crime who has online access to relay your instructions once you're there. These instructions will give you the TRAIL to follow, but be sure to look both ways when crossing the street; we wouldn't want you to make an unscheduled visit to the ER now, would we?

Put on a smile and plan to spend about an hour or so bonding with your fellow clowns.

Check back here often for updates or changes.

There are a couple of things to notice. First, did you catch the TRAIL and ER? What do those put together spell? This is now confirmation that we will be seeing the new Dark Knight trailer Monday. However, if you want to see it in theaters early and live in one of those 12 cities, you just need to play the game. All countdown clocks are set to hit zero at 5:30PM in their respective timezones. Click on each city to find coordinates and a link to Google Maps to find out where exactly to meet on Monday. You can find groups arranging meetups on SuperHeroHype.

Here's why I think everyone will end up at a movie theater on Monday. They wouldn't lead 3600 hungry fans on a wild goose chase to a random destination and debut the trailer online at that moment because all 3600 people would have no way of watching it and would've wasted their time outside. What better way to satisfy them than lead them right to a movie theater? And 300 is just about the average size for an auditorium in a cineplex nowadays - which makes even more sense that they specify only that many people. If I were you, I'd definitely be joining in on this hunt on Monday. I wonder how many kids are going to skip school for this?

MovieWeb also received a new package from the Joker. You can find photos over on their site, but contained within it was a creepy clown mask, Joker playing card, and tattered piece of paper with instructions. While they didn't reveal exactly what the instructions said, you can make out some of them and it sounds like they're details about the trailer on Monday. The playing card they got is their ticket to get into the trailer screening.

Unfortunately I live in Colorado and there is no nearby city that is hosting one of these trailer hunts. However, I'll be at home anxiously awaiting the debut of the trailer online and getting ready to deliver it all of you also waiting anxiously. Monday will most definitely be a glorious day for The Dark Knight. I've seen the new trailer and it just as incredible as the first one. And if you're concerned about it showing too much, don't worry, they've done a wonderful job of not showing that much but teasing it just enough for you to wet your pants in excitement. We'll be back on Monday!

Routh Badmouths Justice League

In the continued epic of the on again off again Justice League movie we all sit anxiously waiting for them to drop the ax once and for all. Now the next gen Supes himself has chimed in on the topic.

/Film offers from the mouth of Routh:

"I think we've been doing a great job representing Superman and Batman and there is definitely a time and place for the Justice League movie. I kinda think that now isn't that time."

We have been saying this all along. Routh must be reading this site. But we are not the only ones saying this. In fact, I have yet to find ANYONE who thinks their current (and repeatedly failing) Justice League idea is going to work. If they want to make them into Teen Titans, why not do a Teen Titans movie?

The Justice League movie is not a BAD idea and it pretty much gives you the permission to print money, but the way they are hoping to do this failed Justice League film while other chapters of the DC Universe are putting forward such a fine example is just silly.

Wait for each member to have its own standalone film, sweet talk its stars into taking an epic Oceans 11 scale paycut to form an ensemble cast and give the fans what they want.

A Real Justice League film.

Routh also mentions in passing that he expects Man of Steel to begin on set early next year.

Guillermo Declares Maximum Of 3 Hellboy Films

The mighty Guillermo Del Toro has proclaimed that if HB:2 is a success, it will be followed by a third and final installment. We get the following news from our friends at slashfilm:

"If there was ever a third one, I would really make sure that we at least sign a contract that there is no more," del Toro told SciFi. "No prequels and no sequels: nothing. If that happens, then there is a third one we have planned, and the seeds are planted in this film." Guillermo's plan for a third film would involve Hellboy facing off against twenty-first century Nazis.

I am simmering with anticipation for HB:2. I loved the previous installment, and everything I have seen coming out of production for the upcoming film suggests that it may be all that, and a bag of chips. I guessed that if they went this far they would at least do a trilogy; and it appears my suspicions were correct (who does 2 movies anymore?) I am thrilled that we can look forward to another film, and am pleased that Guillermo wants to wrap the series up as a trilogy.

The use of man-in-suit monsters should be reason enough for everyone to see this film. In an age where people seem to be forgetting about this special effect option Guillermo is bringing it to the forefront. He has employed fabled master smiths to create creatures of lore and legend that have the “creepy” realness about them that only a man in suit can bring.

Pete from slashfilm goes on to suggest that Hellboy will fight sewer Nazis in the third installment. This suits me just fine, I hate Nazis and want them out of my sewers as much as anybody.

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian Trailer and Poster

Another much darker trailer for The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian has debuted. This version presents a much more grungier and intense Narnia than we know from the first movie.

After seeing all of this footage I'm much more inclined to see it, but I'm still not the least bit excited for it. As much as I love fantasy adventure movies, I just can't get into the Narnia world. It feels too much like a group of misfit kids who get stuck in an overly fantastical world that steps too far out of the boundaries of Lord of the Rings. Despite my own opinion, there are lots who do like it - let's hear your thoughts on the trailer.

You can watch The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian trailer in High Definition at MySpace

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian is co-written and directed by Andrew Adamson, who directed the first Chronicles of Narnia as well as Shrek and Shrek 2. The movie is based on the second book in C.S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia series. Prince Caspian arrives in theaters everywhere on May 16th! The latest poster for the film is featured below.

Uma Thurman Reveals The Animated Future of Kill Bill

Two year ago Quentin Tarantino piqued the interest of film fans everywhere when he promised two new anime companion films to “Kill Bill,” one supposedly about the origin of The Bride and the other about Bill himself.

We don’t know what’s happened to the story of The Bride, but the other animated film is going to blow you away, insisted star Uma Thurman.

“His anime stuff is strong,” she smiled.

We say we don’t know what happened to the story of the Bride, by the way, because Thurman claims to have never recorded a voice-over for the anticipated project.

“It has nothing to do with me,” she said. “It has to do with another character. You’ll have to see.”

That screams Bill to us. But the best part? It looks as if we’ll get to “see” real soon, perhaps as part of an expanded DVD release, Thurman teased, indicating that the short will be part of a larger re-release for “Kill Bill.”

“Right now he’s putting the two films together with an intermission with an added anime sequence he had already written,” she said of the ongoing saga of Beatrix Kiddo. “So additional stories are in there, in animation.”

Sounds pretty groovy to us? What about you? Would you plunk down some coin to buy an expanded “Kill Bill” set? Looking forward to more animation from Tarantino? Sound off below.

Teaser poster de The Spirit

Frank Miller odia las adaptaciones que hacen en cine de sus historias, por eso ahora el mismo dirigirá The Spirit, y por eso esta fascinado como muchos de ustedes lo estarán con el arte de el más reciente cartel preventivo de The Spirit.

Un comic en alta definición con una cinta artística de principio a fin… o por lo menos eso esperamos.

Escena de War, Inc. con John Cusack y Hilary Duff

En ComingSoon podemos ver este vídeo que contiene una escena de la nueva comedia de Joshua Seftel. Protagonizada por John Cusack, su hermana Joan Cusack, Marisa Tomei y Hilary Duff, el film se estrenará el próximo 23 de mayo en los EE.UU.

War, Inc. es una comedia política que se desarrolla en Turaqistán, un país desértico del Medio Oriente que es desgarrado por un motín gubernamental, después de que una corporación privada norteamericana (propiedad del ex presidente de los Estados Unidos) se ha hecho cargo del Estado. John Cusack interpreta a un asesino a sueldo que debe matar a un ministro. Para ello, se infiltrará como un importante productor artístico.

Parece que pinta bien la cosa, pero no niego que me dan cierto miedo estas comedias políticas hollywoodenses.

Moon Bloodgood in for "Terminator Salvation"

Moon Bloodgood, actress and suspected vampire, is in negotiations to join the cast of McG's "Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins." The Hollywood Reporter describes her role as "the female lead" and that of a "no-nonsense and battle-hardened member of the resistance."

She joins a cast that already includes Christian Bale as the heroic John Connor, Sam Worthington as someone named Marcus, and Anton Yelchin as the young Kyle Reese. Bloodgood's most recent work, aside from prowling the night seeking sweet crimson vein-fluid, was her role on the short-lived NBC drama "Journeyman."

David Campbell Wilson, John Brancato, and Michael Ferris wrote the screenplay. Principal photography is set to begin May 5, with a release date expected sometime during summer 2009.

Iron Man Does Appear In Hulk Movie

Some time ago very strong rumors started circulating that the two upcoming Marvel super heroes who each have films coming out this summer (The Incredible Hulk and Iron Man) would, in one form or another, be making special appearances in each others movies.

Recently however, reports have been surfacing that those rumors weren’t true. Well, it appears that they were indeed true! This past weekend at Comic-Con New York there was a special Incredible Hulk panel which included Director Louis Leterrier, Tim Roth (Abomination), producers Kevin Feige and Gale Anne Hurd, and Lou Ferrigno. At this panel they showed some footage from the film (which they usually do) and to everyone’s delight Tony Stark (Iron Man) shows up on screen (and yes, it was Robert Downey Jr.).

Apparently people at the panel were thrilled with the footage they were shown as well:

Leterrier added that we can expect “many and long fights” in the film, and that looking through the Hulk’s history made it clear that he needed to battle two things this time out: the Army and The Abomination.

That much was obvious in the next clip, which was new footage of Edward Norton being pursued by the military and transforming into the Hulk in full daylight. Though some of the effects in the sequence are still unfinished, it was evident that the movie has truly nailed the look of the Hulk and his abilities. He battles with the Army personnel, smashing armored vehicles to pieces, running directly into machine-gun fire, and finally fighting with a very human Blonsky. This clip would appear to be from early in the film, because Blonsky has not yet transformed into his monstrous self. But still, as a tiny human being next to the Hulk he nevertheless fights it out with him, tempting the beast — who is wielding a piece of shredded tank in each hand — with the line, “Is that all you got?” Apparently it isn’t, because the kick-ass clip then ends with the Hulk booting Roth’s character right in the chest before cutting to black.

After the house lights came back on and the clip was over, Hurd said to the crowd, “You told us ‘Hulk smash,’ you get Hulk smash.”

Sounds bloody sweet to me.

Now, we just have to see if we’re going to catch of glimpse of Edward Norton in Iron Man or not. (Source: Moviehole)

Indiana Jones 4: First Review and 14 New Photos

Someone has seen Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Jeff Wells has the scoop from someone on the Crystal Skull team over in Spielberg-land (read: I'm not sure how much you can believe this over-the-top positive report), and here are the highlights:

• “The best of the Indy sequels."
• "The film has the strongest supporting cast of the sequels."
• "There are many breakneck set pieces, with a protracted jungle chase being particularly memorable. As well as being evocative of the truck chase from the first movie."
• "…an ending that any longtime diehard fan of the films could only dream about. Expect a particularly resounding reaction in the theater."

You can read the full report on Hollywood-Elsewhere. A bunch of new production photos have also surfaced on the web:

More Photos (with potential spoilers) after the jump.

ScaryBunnies726 has a bunch of photos from the Universal City Metro Station in Los Angeles, California, which has been taken over Indiana Jones marketing.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull hits theaters on May 22nd 2008.

New Hulk Images

Empire Magazine has quickly become my favorite print movie rag, and today we got word about a couple of new exclusive images they have for the upcoming new Incredible Hulk film (that has nothing to do with the Hulk film from a couple of years ago with Eric Banna). Check it out:

For a bigger version of this one and another shot from the movie, you can check it out over here.

Thundercats to the CGI Screen

Thundercats Ho! Do you remember Thundercats from the 80's? I do. I thought Lion-O's sword, The Sword of Omens, which he used to summon the team and do battle with Mumm-Ra and his minions was totally cool. I also liked Panthro's cool toys and Cheetara's speed.

In case you don't know who / what the Thundercats are, they are a group of cats in humanoid shape that fled their home planet of Thundera after it was destroyed. After escaping that catastrophe, they rename the planet on which they landed 'Third Earth.' They must also constantly defend themselves from the evil sorcerer Mumm-Ra who is hell bent on destroying them.

In June of 2007, it was reported that Warner Bros. optioned a script by Paul Sopocy with the intent of making it into a movie. Paula Weinstein was lined up to produce the film via her Spring Creek Productions logo with Jerry O'Flaherty to direct, in hopes of taking advantage of his time in video game art direction for games like Gears of War as an edge in directing this CGI based film.

Yep - you read right. They've chosen to go with the idea of animation for the new film that is starting to build momentum towards it's rumored release date of 2010.

The latest news about the project is being reported over on ThundercatsLair.org. They say the concept artist being hired for Thundercats is Charlie Wen, who has previous visual work as the Visual Development Director for the critically-acclaimed video game God of War II.

Wen confirms this with an entry on his own blog: "took an Art Directing/Character Designing gig on Thundercats."

The script was written as an origins story line centered around Lion-O coming of age and is Sopocy's first studio script sale as a screenwriter. His "day job" is senior writer, print advertising, at Fox Broadcasting Co., and he has some previous short film stories under his belt, including Staring at the Sun which screened at the Sundance Film Festival in 2005.

The Thundercats franchise has spurred a number of animated series, toy lines and comic books. Warner Bros. has owned the rights to the animated series since acquiring Telepictures Corp. in 1989.

If you know you've watched Thundercats in your younger days, but can't quite remember it, or you'd just like to see the opening sequence just one more time for old time's sake, here you go:

Other Sources: Variety