'The Grey' leaves the competition for the wolves

Liam Neeson's "The Grey" froze the competition, taking the weekend box office crown with $19.6 million, leaving its competition for the wolves.

The film earned $19.6 million.

Last weekend's number one film, "Underworld Awakening" dropped to second place with $12.3 million for a two-week total of $44 million. The film has a ways to go before it recoups its reported $70 million production budget. It's $40 million foreign total to date should help with that though.

The bounty hunter comedy "One for the Money" debuted in third place with $11.5 million, while George Lucas' "Red Tails" fell two stops to number four, grossing $10.3 million in its second weekend.

The third wide-release debut was "Man on a Ledge," which had to settle for fifth place and $8 million.

Several Academy Award best picture nominees saw their theater counts jump after last week's announcements, with the George Clooney-staring "The Descendants" jumping back into the top ten at number eight with $6.4 million. The film is now is full wide release with more than 2,000 screens.

"The Artist" finished just out of the top 10 in 12th place after expanding to almost 900 screens, grossing $3.3 million for the weekend, raising its total to $16.7 million.

The complete list of the weekend's top 10 grossing films is:

1. "The Grey," $19.6 million (New)
2. "Underworld Awakening," $12.3 million (Total: $44.9 million)
3. "One for the Money," $11.5 million (New)
4. "Red Tails," $10.3 million (Total: $33.7 million)
5. "Man on a Ledge," $8 million (New)
6. "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close," $6.9 million (Total: $20.9 million)
7. "Contraband," $6.7 million (Total: $56.5 million)
8. "The Descendants," $6.4 million (Total: $58.7 million)
9. "Beauty and the Beast 3D," $5.3 million (Total: $41.1 million) 
 10. "Haywire," $4 million (Total: $15.2 million)

Westeins, Relativity settle 'The Crow' lawsuit

The lawsuit between The Weinstein Co. and Relativity over "The Crow" remake has been settled and the companies will work together on the production

The companies released the following statement: "The lawsuit between Relativity Media and The Weinstein Company concerning THE CROW has been amicably settled out of court, and the parties will continue to work on the film together as planned. In addition, Relativity Media has dismissed all of its claims against The Weinstein Company for any wrongdoing regarding the release and distribution of NINE, and The Weinstein Company has dismissed all of its claims against Relativity Media."

The original film hit theaters in 1994.

The Weinstein Co. sued Relativity in April, claiming the company broke an existing contract between the two over the exclusive worldwide distribution rights of the film.

According to the suit, the Weinsteins claim that Relativity owner Ryan Kavanaugh "decided that Relativity would not perform that contract and will purport to sell TWC's distribution rights to others here and overseas in willful breach of the contract."

Relativity in turn rejected the suit and claimed the Weinsteins failed to uphold their distribution agreement for 2009's "Nine," which was partially financed by Relativity.

A remake of the 1994 original, "The Crow" will be a "gritty reboot of the gothic iconic character Eric Draven, who returns from the grave as The Crow on a mission to avenge his wife’s murder, so that his soul can finally rest."

"Watchmen" scribe Alex Tse was pegged to write the screenplay. Actor Bradley Cooper was at one pointed attached to play Draven, but has since pulled out of the project. The role was famously played by Brandon Lee, who was killed by an on-set accident.

'Underworld" takes a bite out of the weekend box office

"Underworld Awakening," the fourth film in the vampires versus werewolves franchise proved their still life in the undead series, leading the weekend box office with $25.3 million.

The movie grossed $25.2 in its debut.

The George Lucas-produced "Red Tails," documenting the real-life accomplishments of African American pilots during World War II, came in second with $18.7 million.

Last week's champ, "Contraband," fell to third with $12 million. "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close" expanded into wide release in its fifth weekend jumping to fourth place with $10 million.

Rounding out the top five was the 3D re-release of Disney's "Beauty and the Beast" with $8.7 million followed by newcomer "Haywire," which debuted in sixth place with $8.4 million.

The complete list of the weekend's top 10 grossing films is:

1. "Underworld Awakening," $25.3 million (New)
2. "Red Tails," $18.7 million (New)
3. "Contraband," $12 million (Total: $45.9 million)
4. "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close," $10 million (Total: $10.7 million)
5. "Beauty and the Beast 3D," $8.7 million (Total: $33.5 million) 
6. "Haywire," $8.4 million (New)
7. "Joyful Noise," $5.9 million (Total: $21.7 million)
8. "Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol," $5.5 million (Total: $197.3 million)
9. "Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows," $4.5 million (Total: $178.3 million) 
10. "The Iron Lady," $3.6 million (Total: $12.5 million)

'Contraband' steal holiday box office crown

Mark Wahlberg's "Contraband" stole the box office crown, pulling in a better-than-expected $24.5 million over the four-day holiday weekend.

'Contraband' earned $24.5 million.

Disney's 3D re-release of its classic "Beauty and the Beast" performed quite well in second place with $17.7 million.

"Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol" continued its solid performance, dropping to third place in its fifth week with $11.7 million and a cumulative total of $186 million.

Rounding out the weekend's new wide releases was the Dolly Parton and Queen Latifah-starring "Joyful Noise," which drew $11.2 million.

"Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows" has been another successful December holdover and added $8.6 million over the four-day period.

Last weekend's surprise champ, "The Devil Inside," however, plummeted 76 percent in its second week, collecting only $8 million.

Expanding into a semi-wide release of 800 theaters, "The Iron Lady" just missed the top 10, collecting $5.4 million.

The complete list of the top 10 grossing films is:

1. "Contraband," $24.5 million (New)
2. "Beauty and the Beast 3D," $17.7 million (New)
3. "Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol," $11.7 million ($186.9 million)
4. "Joyful Noise," $11.2 million (New)
5. "Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows," $8.6 million ($170.2 million) 
6. "The Devil Inside," $8 million ($46.3 million)
7. "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo," $6.7 million (Total: $87.8 million)
8. "War Horse," $5.9 million ($66.1 million)
9. "Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked," $5.9 million ($118.8 million) 
10. "We Bought a Zoo," $5.5 million (Total: $64 million)

'Thor 2' getting a rewrite by 'Saving Private Ryan' scribe

"Thor 2" is getting a rewrite, continuing the sequel's pre-production struggles.

"Thor" earned $449 million worldwide.

According to Deadline, "Saving Private Ryan" writer Robert Rodat has been brought in by Marvel STudios to take a crack at the script.

In December, the studio brought in "Game of Thrones" director Alan Taylor to replace Patty Jenkins, who left the project over creative differences.

"Thor 2" has been set for a 2013 release, but it is not clear whether this latest issue will affect that timetable.

The sequel will feature Chris Hemsworth, who will reprise his role as Thor. The actor will next play the character in "The Avengers," which hits theaters this summer.

Meanwhile, Jaimie Alexander, who played Thor's ally Sif, told MTV that while she does not have a contract in place for "Thor 2," she has been in talks and also has several ideas about where she would like to see the character go.

"I'm a comic book nerd at heart, so I'd like to see the relationship between Thor and Sif progress," she said. "Whether or not they do that, we're not sure yet. We'll see. I think that element will be in there, but I don’t know how much."

"Hunger Games" actress Isabelle Fuhrman joins "After Earth"

"Orphan" star Isabelle Fuhrman, who will next appear as Clove in "The Hunger Games," is in talks to join M. Night Shyamalan's "After Earth."

Isabelle Fuhrman

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Fuhrman would join Will Smith and his son Jaden Smith in the film as the younger Smith's friend Rayna.

Formerly titled "1000 A.E.," the film is set in the far future after humanity abandoned Earth. The Smiths crash-land on Earth and must find a way to survive.

The cast also includes Zoe Kravitz ("X-Men: First Class") and Sophie Okonedo ("Hotel Rwanda").

"After Earth" is set to begin filming in March and hit theatres in June 2013.

'The Devil Inside' possesses weekend box office

The new year got off to a surprisingly fast start thanks to an over-performing horror film that's getting decided mixed reviews from audiences.

The surprise winner earned $34.5 million.

The low budget, found-footage horror film "The Devil Inside" dominated the weekend box office, grossing an estimated $34.5 million, good for the third highest grossing January weekend ever behind 2008's "Cloverfield" and the 1997 re-release of "Star Wars."

Paramount picked up the film for only $1 million and managed to make its money back on the Thursday midnight showings alone. The downside was the incredibly poor reception from those who did see the movie, leading to a rare "F" CinemaScore.

Following in second place was "Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol," which picked up $20.5 million in its fourth weekend.

"Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows" also performed dutifully in its fourth weekend, bringing in slightly more than $14 million.

"The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" had the smallest weekend to weekend drop-off of any returning film in the top 10, finishing with $11.3 million. It still has some ground to make up with a total gross over three weeks of $76 million compared to its $90 million production budget.

Rounding out the top five was "Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked" with $9.5 million.

Meanwhile, "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy" expanded into a semi-wide release on some 800 screens, grossing $5.7 million and placing ninth in its fifth week.

The top 10 grossing films were:

1. "The Devil Inside," $34.5 million (New)
2. "Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol," $20.5 million ($170.2 million) 
3. "Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows," $14 million ($157.4 million) 
4. "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo," $11.3 million (Total: $76.8 million)
5. "Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked," $9.5 million ($111.5 million) 
6. "War Horse," $8.6 million ($56.8 million)
7. "We Bought a Zoo," $8.4 million (Total: $56.5 million)
8. "The Adventures of Tintin," $6.6 million ($61.8 million) 
9. "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy," $5.7 million (Total: $10.4 million)
10. "New Year's Eve," $3.2 million ($52 million)

Tim Burton wants Robert Downey Jr. for 'Pinocchio'

Tim Burton is eying Robert Downey Jr. ("Sherlock Holmes") for proposed Warner Bros. live-action adaptation of "Pinocchio."

Robert Downey Jr.

According to Heat Vision, Burton wants Downey to play Pinocchio's father Geppetto, around whom this particular adaptation will revolve.

Based on a script from Bryan Fuller ("Pushing Daisies"), the movie would follow Geppetto as he sets out to find his missing marionette.

While neither the director or actor have deals with Warner Bros. for the project, Heat Vision quotes various souces saying Burton is "keen" to direct the film and Downey has "serious interest" in both the the film and working with Burton.

'Star Trek 2' adds '24,' 'Doctor Who' alums, will begin filming Thursday

'24' Actress Nazneen Contractor is the latest to join the cast of the upcoming "Star Trek 2," which will be directed by J.J. Abrams.

Nazneen Contractor

 According to Entertainment Weekly, which first broke the news of Contractor's casting, she will play the wife of former Doctor Who actor Noel Clarke's character.

The news of Clarke's casting was announced earlier this week by Variety, which said he will be playing a "family man with a wife and young daughter." No other details about either of the new characters are available at this time.

They will join fellow newcomers Benedict Cumberbatch ("Sherlock"), Alice Eve ("Sex and the City 2") and Peter Weller ("Robocop") for the film, which will be a sequel to Abrams' successful 2009 "Star Trek."

Noel Clarke

That film starred Chris Pine as Captain Kirk and Zachary Quinto as Mr. Spock, along with Karl Urban as Dr. McCoy, Zoe Saldana as Uhura, Simon Pegg as Scotty, John Cho as Hikaru Sulu and Anton Yelchin as Chekov.

Meanwhile, Collider is reporting that Abrams, speaking during today's Television Critics Association winter press tour panel on his upcoming "Alcatraz" series for Fox, said filming on "Star Trek 2" will begin Thursday.

The screenplay for "Star Trek 2" is from Abrams, Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman and Damon Lindelof. The sequel is set to hit theaters May 17, 2013.

The first film grossed $257 million domestically and $385 million worldwide.

Fox to launch late-night animation block in 2013

Fox is looking to create its own late-night animation block with the help of a former Adult Swim executive.

Fox President of Entertainment Kevin Reilly first made the announcement today during the Television Critics Association winter press tour.

The 90-minute block, which will air from 11:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. Saturday nights, is shooting for a January 2013 start date.

To run this new unit, FOX has inked an exclusive deal with Nick Weidenfeld, former head of program development for Adult Swim and executive producer of acclaimed series “Childrens Hospital” and “The Boondocks.” The network has also tapped producer Hend Baghdady (“Warren The Ape,” “The Andy Milonakis Show”) as the executive in charge of production for the new division.

According to the network, the block will consist of animated shorts and series which will air both on the network and online. Four new series are planned per season.

“This may be the first time a network is building a clear bridge for talent to develop and grow ideas in the digital/alternative arena and organically move them into the mainstream,” Reilly said in a press release. “These new late-night series will be assets in their own right – but the clear possibility exists for a breakout digital success to graduate to primetime.

“Nick had an incredible track record at Adult Swim and is a dynamic guy with the instincts to cultivate and produce inventive and irreverent series that animation fans love. Together with Hend, they are the perfect partners for us in this exciting new venture,” Reilly continued.

National Society of Films Critics honors 'Melancholia,' 'The Tree of Life'

The National Society of Film Critics has announced its annual awards, naming controversial director Lars von Trier's "Melancholia" the top film of 2011 although "The Tree of Life" took home the most awards.

The film picked up two awards.

They also awarded Kirsten Dunst for her work in the film as well as Brad Pitt, for his roles in "Moneyball" and "The Tree of Life."

Albert Brooks was named best supporting actor while actress Jessica Chastain was similarly recognized for her busy year, with roles in "The Tree of Life," "Take Shelter" and "The Help."

"The Tree of Life" also picked up best director for Terrance Malick and best cinematography for Emmanual Lubezski.

"A Separation" meanwhile was named best foreign-language film and best screenplay for writer Asghar Farhadi.

Netflix streamed more than 2 billion hours in 4th quarter; studios fighting back

Despite Netflix's very public troubles last fall involving its pricing schemes and the aborted attempt to split the company in two, the DVD rental and digital streaming service remains one of the biggest players in the online entertainment world.

In fact, Netflix announced Wednesday that it streamed more than two billion hours of TV and movies in the fourth quarter of 2011 to its subscribers.

Based on those numbers, BTIG analyst Richard Greenfield, as quoted by The Hollywood Reporter, said the company would be the 15th most watched TV network is it was actually a network.

"Netflix had more hours of viewing in October than FX, HGTV and History and had more than twice the viewer hours of CNN, Discovery, MSNBC and BET," Greenfield said.

With that success, however, the studios which provide Netflix the movies and television series it offers are increasingly seeing the company as a competitor rather than a partner. As such, the relationships are becoming more and more strained.

AllThingsD.com reported today that Warner Bros. is set to announce a new deal with Netflix, along with Redbox and Blockbuster, which doubles the window between when its DVDs go on sale and when they will be available for rental by the companies.

Previously the window was 28 days, but now it will be 56 days, almost two months, which is seen as part of a broader movement by all studios to boost their DVD sales.

Academy Awards: Josh Duhamel, Megan Fox travel the globe in search of Billy Crystal

When the Oscars' producers announced late last year that they had secured Billy Crystal to return and host for a ninth time, they didn't mention all of the work--and miles--that had gone into the quest.

According to the award show's official trailer, which hit the net yesterday, "Transformers" co-stars Josh Duhamel and Megan Fox traveled the globe in search of the elusive comedian.

See for yourself:

Warner Bro. shuts down 'Akira' production

"Akira" is running into trouble...again.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Warner Bros. has shut down production on the live action adaptation of the popular anime film over "casting, script and budget issues."

The remake has run around again.

Deadline is reporting that the budget, which is currently estimated to be around $90 million under director Jaume Collet-Serra ("Unknown"), is not the major stumbling block at the moment. The film was sporting a $150 million budget under former director Albert Hughes, who left the project in May.

Instead, the script seems to be the big issue now and a new writer is expected to be brought in for another take. The most recent draft was from David James Kelly, and before him "Harry Potter" scribe Steve Kloves took a stab at the remake.

The original anime film, like the manga series it was based on, follows story follows Kaneda, the leader of a motorcycle gang in Neo-Tokyo, who tries to save his friend Tetsuo from a military experiment gone awry. Kloves' version of the script reportedly moved the action from Neo-Tokyo to New Manhattan.

"Akira," if it escapes this latest setback, is expected to star Garrett Hedlund ("TRON: Legacy") as Kaneda, with Kristen Stewart ("Twilight"), possibly Ken Watanabe ("Inception") and Helena Bonham Carter ("Alice in Wonderland") all rumored to be in talks as well.

According to Deadline, the production was targeting an early March start. That is most likely no longer in the cards.

Natalie Portman considering Waschowskis' 'Jupiter Rising'?

Actress Natalie Portman, who has been on a career hiatus since her pregnancy and the subsequent birth of her son Aleph with her "Black Swan" co-star Benjamin Millipied.

Natalie Portman

Now the L.A. Times blog 24 Frames is reporting Portman may have found her comeback project, the Wachowskis' upcoming “Jupiter Ascending.”

According to the report, Lana and Andy Wachowski want Portman to star in the Warner Bros. sci-fi project, which they would shoot following their work on "Cloud Atlas." No plot details have been released about the proposed film.

Portman previously worked with the Wachowskis on "V for Vendetta," which the pair wrote and produced.

Academy announces eight science and technical awards

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced that eight scientific and technical achievements represented by 28 individual award recipients will be honored at its annual Scientific and Technical Awards Presentation at the Beverly Wilshire on Saturday, Feb. 11.

The ceremony will be held Feb. 11.

Unlike other Academy Awards to be presented this year, achievements receiving Scientific and Technical Awards need not have been developed and introduced during 2011. Rather, the achievements must demonstrate a proven record of contributing significant value to the process of making motion pictures.

The Academy Awards for scientific and technical achievements are:

Technical Achievement Award (Academy Certificate)

To Andrew Clinton and Mark Elendt for the invention and integration of micro-voxels in the Mantra software.
This work allowed, for the first time, unified and efficient rendering of volumetric effects such as smoke and clouds, together with other computer graphics objects, in a micro-polygon imaging pipeline.

'50/50,' 'Young Adult,' 'Bridesmaids' score Writers Guild Award nominations

The winners will be announced Feb. 19.

The Writers Guild of America, West (WGAW) and the Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) have announced nominations for outstanding achievement in writing for the screen during 2011.

Winners will be honored at the 2012 Writers Guild Awards on Sunday, Feb. 19, during simultaneous ceremonies in Hollywood and New York.
 
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
50/50, Written by Will Reiser; Summit Entertainment
Bridesmaids, Written by Annie Mumolo & Kristen Wiig; Universal Studios
Midnight in Paris, Written by Woody Allen; Sony Pictures Classics
Win Win, Screenplay by Tom McCarthy; Story by Tom McCarthy & Joe Tiboni; Fox Searchlight
Young Adult, Written by Diablo Cody; Paramount Pictures

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
The Descendants, Screenplay by Alexander Payne and Nat Faxon & Jim Rash; Based on the novel by Kaui Hart Hemming; Fox Searchlight
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Screenplay by Steven Zaillian; Based on the novel by Stieg Larsson, originally published by Norstedts; Columbia Pictures
The Help, Screenplay by Tate Taylor; Based on the novel by Kathryn Stockett; DreamWorks Pictures
Hugo, Screenplay by John Logan; Based on the book The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick; Paramount Pictures
Moneyball, Screenplay by Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin; Story by Stan Chervin; Based on the book by Michael Lewis; Columbia Pictures

DOCUMENTARY SCREENPLAY
Better This World, Written by Katie Galloway & Kelly Duane de la Vega; Loteria Films
If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front, Written by Marshall Curry and Matthew Hamachek; Oscilloscope Pictures
Nostalgia for the Light, Written by Patricio Guzmán; Icarus Films
Pina, Screenplay by Wim Wenders; Sundance Selects
Position Among the Stars, Script by Hetty Naaijkens-Retel Helmrich, Leonard Retel Helmrich; HBO Films
Senna, Written by Manish Pandey; Producers Distribution Agency

Benedict Cumberbatch to play 'Star Trek 2' villain

"Sherlock" and "War Horse" star Benedict Cumberbatch will play the principal villain in the forthcoming "Star Trek 2."

Benedict Cumberbatch

Deadine first broke the news of Cumberbatch's casting, with TrekMovie.com and Variety confirming that the actor will be the villain. There is no word yet on who exactly he will play.

Until recently, Cumberbatch was best known in the U.S. for his role as Sherlock Holmes in BBC's modern take on the iconic character. Season two of "Sherlock" recently debuted in the U.K. and will appear in the states later this year.

His casting in "Star Trek" is only his latest break, however, with a role in Steven Spielberg's "War Horse," now in theaters. He also appeared in "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" and will portray Smaug the Dragon (via motion capture) and voice the Necromancer in Peter Jackson's two-part adaptation of "The Hobbit."

"Star Trek" director J.J. Abrams will return to helm the sequel based on a screenplay from Abrams, Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman and Damon Lindelof. The sequel is set to hit theaters May 17, 2013.

The first film, released May 8, 2009, grossed $257 million domestically and $385 million worldwide.

'Boys Don't Cry' director to helm 'Carrie' remake?

Boys may not cry but telekinetic girls get revenge.

Deadline is reporting that "Boys Don't Cry" director Kimberly Peirce is in talks to helm a remake of Stephen King's "Carrie."

The original film hit theaters in 1976.

The original 1976 film, which was directed by Brian De Palma, starred Sissy Spacek in the title role, a girl with special abilities pushed over the edge by her classmates at prom, leading to disastrous results.

News of a remake first appeared last May when it is was reported that MGM and Screen Gems had brought in screenwriter Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, who rewrote the "Spider-Man" musical. A comic book writer, he also wrote the graphic novel adaptation of King's "The Stand."

It is expected that, Aguirre-Sacasa's script will stay more faithful to King's book than the original film.

Despite King's connection to the screenwriter, however, the author did not appear pleased at the news of a remake, telling Entertainment Weekly in May, “The real question is why, when the original was so good? I mean, not 'Casablanca,' or anything, but a really good horror-suspense film, much better than the book. Piper Laurie really got her teeth into the bad-mom thing."

King added that he could "get behind it" if David Lynch ("Mullholland Dr.," "Twin Peaks," "Dune") or David Cronenberg ("The Dead Zone," "The Fly," "A History of Violence") was involved.

With today's news, however, that doesn't appear to be the case.

'Harry Potter,' 'The Artist,' 'Drive' among Art Director Guild award nominees

The Art Directors Guild (ADG) on Tuesday announced nominations in nine categories of production design for theatrical motion pictures, television, commercials and music videos competing in the ADG’s 16th annual Excellence in Production Design Awards for 2011.

The nominations were announced by ADG Council President Thomas A. Walsh and awards co-producers Tom Wilkins and Greg Grande. Deadline for final voting, which is done online, is Feb. 2.

The award winners will be announced Saturday, Feb. 4.

The black-tie ceremony announcing winners will take place Saturday, Feb. 4, at the International Ballroom of the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills with Paula Poundstone serving as host for the third consecutive year.

A Lifetime Achievement Award will go to Emmy Award winning production designer Tony Walton. In addition, the ADG will induct the following legendary production designers from the past into its Hall of Fame: Robert Boyle, William Darling and Alfred Junge.

This year’s Art Directors Guild Cinematic Imagery Award will be presented to the principal team behind the Harry Potter films including producers David Heyman and David Barron; director David Yates; creator and author J.K. Rowling; screenwriter Steve Kloves; production designer Stuart Craig; art director Neil Lamont; and set decorator Stephenie McMillan. Filmmaker Cindy Peters’ will present a special 75th Anniversary film in eight chapters that celebrates inspirational achievements in design.

Haymitch, Cinna showcased in latest 'Hunger Games' still released by Lionsgate

The latest still from "The Hunger Games' features Cinna and Haymitch.

Lionsgate has release its latest production still from its upcoming adaptation of "The Hunger Games."

The new photo shows Peeta (Josh Hutcherson, "Bridge to Terabithia") talking to the drunkard Haymitch (Woody Harrelson, "Zombieland") and stylist Cinna ("American Woman" singer Lenny Kravitz).

Neither of the latter character received much screen time in the film's full-length trailer, and the new photo provided perhaps the best glimpse thus far of the pair.

Anticipation is high for the first of what is expected to be three (or possibly four) films based on the best-selling trilogy from author Suzanne Collins. What little of the film we've seen so far has looked pretty solid.

"The Hunger Games" follows Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence, "Winter's Bone") and Peeta as they are chosen to participate in an annual fight to death involving two children chosen from each of the 12 districts of Panem. Haymitch is tasked with mentoring the pair, while Cinna works to make Katniss memorable. Peeta has his own stylist.

"The Hunger Games" is being directed by Gary Ross ("Seabiscuit," "Pleasantville") based on a screenplay from Bill Ray ("State of Play"). It is set for a March 23, 2012, release and is expected to be rated PG-13.

'The Artist,' 'Hugo,' 'Bridesmaids' among Producers Guild's top films of 2011

The Producers Guild of America (PGA) announced Tuesday the motion picture and long-form television nominations for the 23rd Annual Producers Guild Awards.

The categories include: The Darryl F. Zanuck Producer of the Year Award in Theatrical Motion Pictures; The Producers Guild of America Producer of the Year Award in Animated Theatrical Motion Pictures; and The David L. Wolper Producer of the Year Award in Long-Form Television. The documentary film category and other television category nominations were already announced by the Guild in December 2011.

All 2012 Producers Guild Award winners will be announced on Jan. 21 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.

This year, the Producers Guild will also award special honors to Leslie Moonves (Milestone Award), Steven Spielberg (David O. Selznick Achievement Award in Theatrical Motion Pictures), Don Mischer (Norman Lear Achievement Award in Television), Stan Lee (Vanguard Award), and IN THE LAND OF BLOOD AND HONEY (The Stanley Kramer Award). The 2012 Producers Guild Awards co-chairs are Paula Wagner and Michael Manheim.

Work continues on 'The Girl Who Played With Fire'

Despite less than stellar returns at the box office for David Fincher's English-language adaptation of the best seller "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo," work continues on the film's sequel, "The Girl Who Played With Fire."

Entertainment Weekly quoted a source from Sony as stating, "['Dragon Tattoo'] continues to do strong business and nothing has changed with respect to development of the next book."

The sequel is targeting a 2013 release.

To date, the first film in the potential trilogy has grossed about $59 million at the domestic box office on a reported production budget of $90 million, though it has yet to open in most overseas markets.

According to EW's source, "development continues" on the sequel, which is expected to be released in late 2013. Screenwriter Steven Zaillian is working on the script although Fincher has yet to confirm he will return.

Stars Rooney Mara and Daniel Craig have already signed on for both sequels should they come to fruitition.

Tuesday was a good day for the film, as it picked up nominations for Producer of the Year from the Producers Guild and Best Art Direction for a Contemporary Film from the Art Directors Guild.

'World War Z' to be a trilogy?

The feature film adaptation of Max Brooks' "World War Z" may well end up being a trilogy.

In a sprawling interview with lead actor Brad Pitt, the Los Angeles Times reported Tuesday that both director Marc Forster ("Finding Neverland") and Paramount Pictures are eying the project as a three-parter.

"World War Z" hits theaters Dec. 21.

Brooks' novel is described as a recounting of the "apocalyptic and horrifying years that will make sure we never forget how close we came to total annihilation. Told from the perspective of numerous survivors from all over the world, from Denver to South Africa, Sydney to Yonkers, Malibu to India, 'World War Z' captures the sacrifices and, toward the end, the ingenuity of our race to defend and save our cities, towns, and villages from a plague that seemed virtually impossible to stop."

Pitt will star as the U.N. worker who collects the accounts. Mireille Enos (AMC's "The Killing") will play Pitt's wife, while James Badge Dale (HBO's "Pacific") will play a soldier who tries to warn everyone of the impending threat. French actress Julia Levy-Boeken ("Entourage," "Road Trip: Beer Pong") is also attached, as is Elyes Gabel ("Game of Thrones"), who will play Fassberch.

Forster is directing based on a screenplay from Matthew Michael Carnahan ("State of Play") and J. Michael Straczynski ("Babylon 5," "Thor").

Concept art from 'Cloud Atlas' now online

Concept art from the film adaptation of "Cloud Atlas."

Work continues on the Wachowski siblings' adaptation of "Cloud Atlas" with co-director Tom Tykwer and some new concept art has hit the web in recent days.

Based on the novel by David Mitchell, the movie will tell six stories in different times and places, ranging from 19th century Australia to post-apocalyptic Hawaii. The novel was originally published in 2004.

Concept art from the film's futuristic setting.

The film is set to star Tom Hanks, Hugh Grant, Halle Berry, Hugo Weaving, Susan Sarandon and Jim Broadbent. Also appearing in the film is Bae Doona ("Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance") and an early still featuring her has also appeared online.

Bae Doona in 'Cloud Atlast'

According to reports, Andy and Lana Wachowski ("The Matrix") and Tykwer ("Run Lola Run," "Perfume: The Story of a Murderer") will be filming simultaneously with the former handling the more futuristic settings while the latter shoots the period stories.

Harry Potter enchanted the domestic box office in 2011

With 2012 now upon us, it's time to look back at the top grossing films of 2011.

Although "Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol" ($141 million to date) and "Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows" ($136 million) have a shot of cracking the top 10, the following list is pretty solid.

Harry Potter ruled the box office one more time.

There aren't many surprises considering seven of the top 10 films are either sequels or new installments in existing franchises. The rest consist of a remake of a famous series and two comic book adaptations from Marvel.

"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2" led the way in 2011 with $381 million at the domestic box office, good for number 13 on the all-time box office list (discounting inflation of course). Proving the decision to split the J.K. Rowling's seventh and final book into two movies was both a creative and financial success, the combined gross from both parts topped out at $676 million.

"Deathly Hallows Part 2" was the highest grossing film in the franchise both in the U.S. and overseas, carrying it on to a $1.3 billion worldwide total, making it the third highest grossing film in history behind James Cameron's "Avatar" and "Titanic."

Coming in second for the year was "Transformers: Dark of the Moon," grossing $352 million, the only other film of 2011 to break the $300 million mark. It's at 19 on the all-time domestic list, while it's $1.12 billion worldwide gross is good for number four behind "Deathly Hallows Part 2."

The "Twilight" franchise also decided to split it's final installment in two and the first part of "Breaking Dawn" came in at number three for the year with $276 million.

Paramount takes the 2011 worldwide box office crown

Paramount boasted a record $5.17 billion worldwide box office gross in 2011.

Paramount Pictures announced today it ended 2011 in the No. 1 position among all studios, having achieved the highest total combined gross of any studio for the year, earning a record $5.17 billion worldwide. The studio, which released a total of 16 new releases domestically this year, placed first in the North American market share with $1.96 billion, while also amassing record grosses at the international box office with $3.21 billion.

Warner Bros. had held the title for the past three years.

“This achievement reflects the combined efforts of our entire team across the globe and the careful process by which we select the projects and partners we  believe in,” said Paramount Pictures Chairman & CEO Brad Grey. “We produce pictures that aspire to entertain audiences around the world, while at the same  time we have sought to find innovative ways to reach movie-goers in this changing entertainment environment.

We're back!

It's a new year and with it, Marquee Entertainment is back up and running with a new design and renewed enthusiasm to report and comment on the world of film and television..

Other obligations forced me to put my blogging into retirement for the past few months, but I don't plan on that happening again.