'The Artist,' 'Hugo' big winners at Academy Awards

"The Artist" become only the second silent film ever to win best picture at tonight's 84th annual Academy Awards, during which the movie picked up five awards, as did Martin Scorsese's "Hugo."

"The Artist" was named best picture.

The star-studded ceremony, led by host Billy Crystal, was held tonight in the location formerly known as the Kodak Theatre. Crystal, as he has apt to do, opened the show with a pre-taped segment in which he was inserted in many of this year's nominated films.

The show, which seemed to maintain a quick pace throughout, was punctuated by mostly short speeches and mostly funny interludes.

In addition to best picture, "The Artist" won for best director (Michel Hazanavicius) while French actor Jean Dujardin beat out a tough line-up of nominees led by George Clooney. Also taking home Oscars for their work on the film were Ludovic Bource for original score and Mark Bridges for costume design.

Meanwhile, "Hugo" was awarded for cinematography, art direction, sound mixing, sound editing and visual effects.

In another hotly contested race, 17-time nominee Meryl Streep took home the Oscar for best lead actress for her portrayal of former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher over Viola Davis, who was nominated for her work in "The Help."

Mark Coulier and J. Roy Helland, who were tasked with transforming Streep into Thatcher, were honored  with the best makeup Academy Award.

The supporting actor and actress categories both went to the perceived frontrunners in Christopher Plummer for "The Beginners" and Octavia Spencer for "The Help."

Save the Date: 'Beautiful Creatures' hitting theaters Feb. 1, 2013

Warner Bros. announced Tuesday that Alcon Entertainment's adaptation of the supernatural thriller “Beautiful Creatures" will be released in theaters on Feb. 1, 2013.

The adaptation will arrive Feb. 1, 2013.

A coming of age story set in the South, “Beautiful Creatures” is about two star-crossed teenage lovers, Ethan, a local boy, and a mysterious new girl, Lena, who uncover dark secrets about their families, their history and their town.

Richard LaGravenese will direct from his own adaptation of Kami Carcia and Margaret Stohl's novel. Erwin Stoff (“The Matrix,” “I Am Legend”) will produce along with Broderick Johnson and Andrew Kosove (“The Blind Side, “The Book of Eli”), and Molly Smith (“Something Borrowed,” “P.S. I Love You”).

The cast includes Viola Davis ("The Help"), Emma Thompson ("Nanny McPhee"), Jack O’Connell ("This is England") and Alice Englert ("Singularity").

Filming on the adaptation is expected to begin in April in and around New Orleans.

NBC orders 'Hannibal' series

Hannibal Lector is heading to NBC after the network gave a "straight-to-series" order to Bryan Fuller's adaptation of Thomas Harris' iconic cannibal.

NBC ordered 13 episodes.

According to Deadline, the series will be based on Harris' "Red Dragon," featuring FBI agent Will Graham and Dr. Hannibal Lector in the early days of their relationship.

The book was most recently adapted into a film in 2002 featuring Anthony Hopkins as Lector and Edward Norton as Graham. Hopkins first played Lector in 1991's "The Silence of the Lambs" and returned to the role in 2001 for "Hannibal."

NBC bought the series in November and Tuesday's order is for a full 13 episodes.

Fuller ("Pushing Daisies") is executive producing the series Martha DeLaurentiis.

This is Fuller's second adaptation project for NBC, as he is also producing the pilot "Mockingbird Lane," a remake of the classic television series "The Munsters."

Paget Brewster leaving 'Criminal Minds' ... again

Paget Brewster, second from left, will be leaving "Criminal Minds" again.

Well, the gang at CBS's "Criminal Minds" were whole again this year, but it appears that will be a short-lived event.

This season marked the return of series regulars Paget Brewster as Emily Prentiss and A.J. Cook as J.J. Jareau. Their departure last season brought a clamor from fans who were upset at the decision to axe the stars, especially considering it appeared to have been a financial rather than creative one.

According to Deadline, however, Brewster will once again leave the show at the end of the season, but this time the decision is hers.

"After six wonderful years playing Emily Prentiss, I have decided it’s time for me to move on," she told Deadline. "As much as I will miss my 'Criminal Minds' family, I am excited about the future and other opportunities."

'Chuck' star Zachary Levi joins 'Let it Go'

"Chuck" star Zachary Levi has signed onto the pilot "Let It Go," which is being produced by Sony Pictures TV for Fox.

Zachary Levi

According to Deadline, the pilot follows a husband (Levi) and wife, along with his best friend and her sister, as they "try to navigate, negotiate and sometimes manipulate society's unspoken rules."

Levi's five-year run on NBC's "Chuck" ended last month when the spy comedy aired its final episode. He also provided the voice of Flynn Rider in Disney's "Tangled," which hit theaters in 2010. Prior to "Chuck," Levi starred in "Less Than Perfect."

"Let It Go" was written by DJ Nash and is executive produced by Peter Tolan and Michael Wimer.

'Transformers 4' to hit theaters in Summer 2014

Director Michael Bay will be returning to his multi-billion dollar "Transformers" franchise with a fourth film due out in the summer of 2014.

The third film earned $1.1 billion.

That's what producer Lorenzo Di Bonaventura told MTV News today (Monday), adding that the new film will feature new characters and storylines.

"He's excited," Di Bonaventura said of Bay, who directed all three "Transformers" films, which have grossed a collective $2.6 billion worldwide.

"I think the challenge there is we really are going to do a reboot," he said, but added he did not mean it in the "Spider-Man" sense in which "The Amazing Spider-Man" is throwing out everything from Sam Raimi's trilogy and started from scratch.

"It's an evolution," Di Bonaventura said. "There's still continuity that's going on and yet there's going to be a lot of new cast. It's going to be a whole new story."

Although at first he said he couldn't say for sure if anybody would be returning due to the fact that there is no story at this time, he did say that Optimus Prime and Bumblebee would be back for the fourth film.

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Morgan Freeman joining Tom Cruise in 'Oblivion'

The cast of Tom Cruise's sci-fi thriller "Oblivion" continues to grow with the news that "Game of Thrones" star Nikolaj Coster-Waldau is joining the project.

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau

Directed by Joseph Kosinski ("TRON: Legacy") and based on his graphic novel, the film will be set in a future in which most people live in the sky with the surface unlivable and crawling with deadly aliens. A repairman on the surface (Cruise) discovers a crash-landed pod containing a woman, changing his life forever.

According to Deadline, Coster-Waldau, who is portraying Jamie Lannister in "Game of Thrones," will play Sykes, a military and weapons expert.

Coster-Waldau's involvement comes on the heels of the news, also broken by Deadline, that Morgan Freeman ("Wanted') has joined the cast as well. His role is not known at this time.

William Monahan ("The Departed," "Kingdom of Heaven") wrote the screenplay. The film is set for a July 19, 2013, release with production expected to begin this fall.

'Tree of Life,' 'Boardwalk Empire' awarded by American Society of Cinematographers

Emmanuel Lubezki, Jonathan Freeman, Michael Weaver and Martin Ruhe claimed top honors in the four competitive categories at the 26th annual American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) Outstanding Achievement Awards celebration Sunday at the Hollywood & Highland Grand Ballroom.

Emmanuel Lubezki was honored.

Lubezki won the ASC Award feature film award for "The Tree of Life." For the second straight year, Freeman earned top accolades in the one-hour television episodic category for HBO’s "Boardwalk Empire." Weaver was the inaugural recipient of the half-hour television episodic category for Showtime’s "Californication," and Ruhe won the TV movie/miniseries award for PBS’ "Page Eight."

The ASC Award for best feature was presented by award-winning actor Antonio Banderas who noted, “As I have found in my career on both sides of the camera, filmmaking at its core is about telling stories with images.”

Lubezki previously won the ASC Award in 2007 for "Children of Men," and was also nominated in 2000 for "Sleepy Hollow."

The other nominees in the feature film category were Guillaume Schiffman, AFC ("The Artist"), Jeff Cronenweth, ASC ("The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo"), Robert Richardson, ASC ("Hugo") and Hoyte van Hoytema, FSF, NSC ("Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy").

Currently onscreen in "The Artist," James Cromwell and Penelope Ann Miller presented Freeman the Outstanding Achievement Award for "Boardwalk Empire" (“21″). This is the third ASC Award for Freeman, who has won for "Boardwalk Empire" (2011), and for the telefilm "Homeland Security" (2005). His accolades include additional ASC nominations for "Boardwalk Empire" (2011), "Prince Street" (1998), "Strange Justice" (2000) and "Taken" (2003).

'The Artist' wins seven awards at BAFTAs including best picture, director

"The Artist" picked up seven awards including best picture at the 64th BAFTA Awards, the British equivalent of the Academy Awards, held today in the Royal Opera House in Covent Harden.

"The Artist" won 7 awards Sunday.

The silent film, which had earned 12 nominations, also took home the prize for best leading actor for Jean Dujardin and best director for Michel Hazanavicius, as well as original screenplay, cinematography, original music and costume design.

Meanwhile, the spy thriller "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy" was named outstanding British film for the year and was also awarded for best original screenplay.

Meryl Streep won best leading actress for her role as former prime minister Margaret Thatcher. The supporting categories went to the presumed frontrunners in Christopher Plummer ("The Beginners") and Octavia Spencer ("The Help").

In the animated category, Gore Verbinski's "Rango" beat out "The Adventures of Tintin" for the prize.

Martin Scorsese's "Hugo" was awarded for production design and sound. "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2," took home the prize for special effects.

The award show will air in the U.S. on BBC America tonight (Sunday) at 8 p.m. and again at 11:40.

A full list of the winners and nominees can be seen below:

'The Vow,' 'Safe House' lead record-breaking box office weekend

Romantic drama "The Vow" and the action thriller "Safe House" led the charge for a record-breaking weekend at the box office in which four films debuted with $20 million or more for the first time ever during a non-holiday weekend.

"The Vow" earned $41.7 million.

Additionally, if studio estimates hold up, "The Vow" and "Safe House" will be able to claim the sixth and 12th highest February openings respectively.

Starring Rachel McAdams and Channing Tatum, "The Vow" grossed $41.7 million, well above its reported $30 million budget. In a close second was "Safe House," featuring Denzel Washington and Ryan Reynolds, which took home $39.3 million, about half of its $80 million budget.

Dwayne Johnson's "Journey 2: The Mysterious Island" was in third place with $27.5 million. The film is riding ahead of its predecessor, 2008's "Journey to the Center of the Earth," which debuted with $21 million. That film, which starred Brendan Fraser, went on to gross $101 million domestically and another $140 million in foreign markets. The sequel has a ways to go to make back its $79 million budget, but a strong early showing overseas, where the film has already earned $41 million, will help.

Meanwhile, George Lucas' odyssey to re-release his famous franchise in 3D began this weekend with "Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace," which had to settle for fourth place with $23 million. While it was good enough to set the record, it was barely a third of what the film did during its first release in February 2000. As for 3D re-releases, "Phantom Menace" finds itself in between "The Lion King," whose re-release boasted an opening weekend of $30 million, and "Beauty and the Beast," which earned $17.7 million in its first weekend back in theaters.

Rounding out the top five was last week's champ "Chronicle," which dropped 44 percent to $12.3 million. The film has grossed $40.1 million in two weeks, nearly quadrupling its $12 million budget.

"The Descendents" is continuing to have solid business, dropping one place to ninth with $3.5 million and a total of $70.7 million. It is currently the fourth highest grossing film among the nine Academy Award Best Picture nominees and it could find itself in second place by the time the Oscars air in two weeks. "The Help" remains the clear winner (money-wise, at least) in that category with $169 million, following by "War Horse" with $78 million and "Moneyball" with $75 million.

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

1. "The Vow," $41.7 million (New)
2. "Safe House," $39.3 million (New)
3. "Journey 2: The Mysterious Island," $27.5 million (New)
4. "Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (in 3D)," $23 million (New)
5. "Chronicle," $12.3 million (Total: $40.1 million)
6. "The Woman in Black," $10.3 million (Total: $35.4 million)
7. "The Grey," $5 million (Total: $42.8 million)
8. "Big Miracle," $3.9 million (Total: $13.2 million) 
9. "The Descendants," $3.5 million (Total: $70.7 million)
10. "Underworld Awakening," $2.5 million (Total: $58.9 million)

Saoirse Ronan in talks to join 'Order of Seven'

Actress Saoirse Ronan is in talks to return to the action genre with a starring role in Disney's "Order of Seven."

Saoirse Ronan

According to Variety, the film was originally created to be a kung fu version of "Snow White in the Seven Dwarfs." With two other Snow White movies--Relativity's "Mirror Mirror" and Universal's "Snow White and the Huntsman"--coming out this year alone, the film has removed its ties to the fairy tale.

Ronan would play Olivia Sinclair, a 19th century British ex-patriot in Hong Kong who seeks the protection of an ancient group of warriors--who have now become outlaws.

Michael Gracey is set to make his feature directorial debut with the picture. The script was last touched by Jayson Rothwell and Michael DeBruyn, who worked off of Michael Chabon's original screenplay, which was written when the film still had ties to Snow White.

The film has been in the works since 2002 and has gone through a number of directors over that time. Production is set to start in the fall.

Ronan's recent work includes 2011's thriller "Hanna," in which she played an assassin out for revenge. She was 13 when she was nominated in 2008 for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her work in "Atonement."

'Game of Thrones' character photos released

Arya Stark played by Maisie Williams

With the second season of HBO's hit show "Game of Thrones" set to debut April 1, the network has released a bevy of character photos of most of the major players, both returning and newcomers.

As large as the cast was for season one, the second second, which will follow George R.R. Martin's "A Clash of Kings," adds many more to the fractured world of the Seven Kingdoms.

The newcomers include: Stephen Dillane ("John Adams") as Lord Stannis Baratheon, Liam Cunningham ("Camelot") as Davos Seaworth the Onion Knight, Lucian Msamati ("The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency") as Salladhor Saan, Michael McElhatton ("Fifty Dead Men Walking") as Roose Bolton, Robert Pugh ("Robin Hood," "Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World") as Craster, Hannah Murray (the U.K. "Skins") as Gilly, Roy Dotrice ("Amadeus," "Beauty and the Beast") as Pyromancer Hallyne, Tom Wlaschiha ("Enemy at the Gates") as Jaqen H'gar, Gemma Whelan ("The Wolfman") as Yara Greyjoy, Carice van Houten ("Repo Men," "Valkyrie") as Melisandre, Gwendoline Christie ("The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus") as Brienne and Natalie Dormer ("The Tudors") as Margaery Tyrell.

The first season was awarded Outstanding New Program by the Television Critics Association and also picked up 13 Emmy nominations, including a win for Supporting Actor in a Drama Series (Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister). Season two will run for 10 episodes.

See below for more of the characters photos:

Emma Thompson will play two roles in 'Beautiful Creatures'

Casting news continues for Alcon Entertainment's adaptation of the supernatural thriller “Beautiful Creatures" with the announcement that Emma Thompson is joining the project.

Emma Thompson

According to Heat Vision, Thompson ("Nanny McPhee") will play the dual role of Mrs. Lincoln, a small-town religion firebrand, and Sarafine, the dark witch who possesses her.


A coming of age story set in the South, “Beautiful Creatures” is about two star-crossed teenage lovers, Ethan, a local boy, and a mysterious new girl, Lena, who uncover dark secrets about their families, their history and their town.

Richard LaGravenese will direct from his own adaptation of Kami Carcia and Margaret Stohl's novel. Erwin Stoff (“The Matrix,” “I Am Legend”) will produce along with Broderick Johnson and Andrew Kosove (“The Blind Side, “The Book of Eli”), and Molly Smith (“Something Borrowed,” “P.S. I Love You”).

Thompson joins Viola Davis ("The Help"), Jack O’Connell ("This is England") and Alice Englert ("Singularity").

Filming on the adaptation is expected to begin in April in and around New Orleans.

Billy Connolly joins 'The Hobbit' as Dain Ironfoot

Actor Billy Connolly is the latest to make the trip to Middle Earth, joining the cast of Peter Jackson's two-part adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkein's "The Hobbit."

Billy Connolly

Jackson made the announcement, stating Connolly will play Dain Ironfoot, a great dwarf and cousin of Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage, "Captain America: The First Avenger")

Connolly's resume include roles in "The Last Samurai," "Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events" and "The Boondock Saints."

"The Hobbit" will be presented at two films. The first, titled “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,” will be released on Dec. 14. The second, titled “The Hobbit: There and Back Again,” is slated for release the following year, on Dec. 13, 2013.

'Rango' scores at Visual Effects Society Awards

Gore Verbinski's animated film "Rango" was the top winner at the 10th annual Visual Effects Society (VES) Awards held Tuesday night at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California.

"Rango" won four awards Tuesday.

The annual event recognizes outstanding visual effects artistry in 23 categories of film, animation, television, commercials, special venues and video games.

"Rango" took home four awards, sweeping the animated film categories with wins for Outstanding Visual Effects in an Animated Feature Motion Picture, Outstanding Animated Character in an Animated Feature Motion Picture, Outstanding Created Environment in an Animated Feature Motion Picture and Outstanding Virtual Cinematography in an Animated Feature Motion Picture.

In the live action arena, "Hugo," "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" and "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" all took home two awards in the feature motion picture categories, while "Boardwalk Empire" and "Game of Thrones" each garnered a pair of awards in the television categories.

"Apes" won Outstanding Visual Effects in a Visual Effects-Driven Feature Motion Picture while "Hugo" won Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Feature Motion Picture.

More than a thousand attendees--filmmakers, producers, directors and members of the visual effects community--gathered to recognize the year’s best work and the artists who created it.

Stan Lee received the Lifetime Achievement Award and visual effects pioneer Douglas Trumbull received the Georges Méliès Award at the show, which was hosted by Patton Oswalt. Antonio Banderas, Lou Ferrigno, directors Chris Miller, Marc Webb and Jennifer Yuh Nelson, and a host of luminaries were on hand to present awards. A surprise appearance by Martin Scorsese, whose film Hugo received two awards, was one of the evening’s highlights.

Dave Bautista joining Vin Diesel in 'Riddick'

Professional wrestler and actor Dave Bautista is joining Vin Diesel in "Riddick," which started filming Friday.

Dave Bautista

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Bautista will be in "9/10ths of the film," which is directed by David Twohy and will follow 2000's "Pitch Black" and 2004's "Chronicles of Riddick."

Bautista, who is a WWE superstar, starred in the direct-to-video "The Scorpian King 3: Battle for Redemption" and will appear in the forthcoming "Man With the Iron Fists."

Diesel meanwhile reprises his role as the antihero Riddick, a dangerous, escaped convict wanted by every bounty hunter in the known galaxy.

The infamous Riddick has been left for dead on a sun-scorched planet that appears to be lifeless. Soon, however, he finds himself fighting for survival against alien predators more lethal than any human he's encountered. The only way off is for Riddick to activate an emergency beacon and alert mercenaries who rapidly descend to the planet in search of their bounty.

The first ship to arrive carries a new breed of merc, more lethal and violent, while the second is captained by a man whose pursuit of Riddick is more personal. With time running out and a storm on the horizon that no one could survive, his hunters won't leave the planet without Riddick's head as their trophy.

"Riddick," which is shooting in Montreal, Canada, is a One Race Films production. The film will be released by Universal Pictures in the U.S., and Lionsgate is handling international sales.

O'Connell, Englert in talks for 'Beautiful Creatures'

Less than a week after Alcon Entertainment announced it was adapted the supernatural thriller “Beautiful Creatures" into a feature film, its potential stars are in final negotiations with the studio.

Jack O'Connell

Jack O’Connell ("This is England") and Alice Englert ("Singularity") are in talks to star in the film, which will follow the first novel in the series written by authors Kami Carcia and Margaret Stohl.

A coming of age story set in the South, “Beautiful Creatures” is about two star-crossed teenage lovers, Ethan, a local boy, and a mysterious new girl, Lena, who uncover dark secrets about their families, their history and their town.

Alice Englert

Richard LaGravenese will direct from his own adaptation of the novel. Erwin Stoff (“The Matrix,” “I Am Legend”) will produce along with Kosove and Johnson (“The Blind Side, “The Book of Eli”), and Molly Smith (“Something Borrowed,” “P.S. I Love You”).

Last week's announcement also stated that Academy Award-nominated actress Viola Davis ("The Help") is in talks to portray Amma, a seer who looks after Ethan and his father after Ethan’s mother’s death.

Filming on the adaptation is expected to begin in April in and around New Orleans.

'The Wolverine' gets summer 2013 release date

Despite several high profile delays, "The Wolverine" now has an official release date: July 16, 2013.

Hugh Jackman

Last June, Fox signed director James Mangold ("Knight and Day," "3:10 to Yuma," "Walk the Line") to the project to replace Darren Aronofsky ("Black Swan"), who dropped out in March.

Christopher McQuarrie ("The Usual Suspects," "Valkyrie") provided a script, set mostly in Japan, and Mark Bomback ("Live Free or Die Hard," "Unstoppable") was signed in September to provide a rewrite.

"X-Men Origins: Wolverine" hit theaters in 2009, spinning off of the successful "X-Men" trilogy. It told the backstory of Logan/Wolverine (played by Hugh Jackman). That film was expected to be first of a number of films exploring the histories of various X-Men.

The next was supposed to be "Magneto," but it was eventually reworked into last summer's "X-Men: First Class."

Super Bowl Comercials: 'The Hunger Games' trailer

Stanley Tucci and Jennifer Lawrence in "The Hunger Games"

And finishing our Super Bowl trailer coverage is the one that I didn't actually see tonight: "The Hunger Games."

Although the trailer debuted online a few days ago, I was waiting to see it live during the big game, but somehow missed it. I'm going to have to back through my DVR recording to see if I can find it.

Anyway, the trailer for the highly anticipated feature adaptation of the first novel in Suzanne Collins' best-selling trilogy is definitely worth the wait. Unfortunately, I can't embed the trailer, but you can click this link to watch the 60 second spot.

Although the TV spot includes mostly footage from the full trailer, it does add several new scenes, most noticeably a peak at Caesar Flickerman's (Stanley Tucci) interview with Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence). We also get to see Katniss imploring Gale (Liam Hemsworth) to look after her family.

Fans of the books will note that the movie is apparently deviating from the source material as to how Katniss comes to possess the mockingjay pin, which becomes an important plot device in the books. I'm not surprised since the person who gives Katniss the pin in the books is ultimately a minor character.

Super Bowl Comercials: 'The Lorax' trailer

Hollywood's mining of the works of the Dr. Seuss continues with Universal Pictures' "The Lorax," from the folks behind "Despicable Me."

The 30-second Super Bowl spot manages to include some of the best bits from the existing trailers while giving us a few new glimpses at the film.



The Lorax's line about "That's a woman?!" pretty much sold me on the film when I saw it in the full trailer and it's a good way to end the TV spot as well. There were also the newly revealed bit using the fluffy bears as a defibrillator.

The movie features the voices of Zac Efron, Taylor Swift, Danny DeVito, Ed Helms, Betty White and more.

"Despicable Me" co-director Chris Renaud and screenwriter Ken Daurio are both involved "The Lorax." Both films were animated by Illumination Entertainment.

"The Lorax" hits theaters March 2.

Super Bowl Comercials: 'John Carter' trailer

Having never read the John Carter novels, I can't say how true Disney's adaptation is to the originals, but with every trailer or TV spot, I'm more and more intrigued.

The latest was a 30 second spot debuting during tonight's Super Bowl.



Although most of the footage had already been revealed in the two previous trailers, I have to say I loved the design of this spot, with scenes from the movie former the words John Carter, which morph to reveal the film's logo.

There's also an extended version available online which adds 30 seconds of footage which is again almost entirely from the existing trailers. Just on a design standpoint, I like the shorter version.

 Written and directed by Andrew Stanton ("WALL-E," "Finding Nemo"), "John Carter" will serve as his live action debut. He is the second Pixar star to try his hand at live action, and considering how well Brad Bird's "Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol" worked, I'm hopeful he can do the same.

The story follows a Civil War veteran (Taylor Kitsch, "Friday Night Lights") who is transplanted to Mars and finds himself in the middle of a war. It is based on the works of Edgar Rice Burroughs, who also write the "Tarzan" stories.

The film will hit theaters March 9.

Super Bowl Comercials: 'G,.I. Joe: Retribution' trailer

I made my thoughts on "G.I. Joe: Retribution," the sequel to 2009's "Rise of Cobra," pretty clear last summer after it was announced "Justin Bieber: Never Say Never" director John Chu was at the helm.

With most of the original cast tossed aside, I didn't hold much hope. Then the new cast started to take shape with a few surprises, most notably Bruce Willis. Even better, the first full trailer revealed that despite the cast overhaul, it seemed they weren't throwing away the story buildup from the first one.

Then they had to go and do this:



If you want to use some Jay-Z in your trailer, I'm fine with that. Use it in the movie, go right ahead. But to have Dwayne Johnson (portraying Roadblock) quote him in the actual movie? Seriously? And then use that clip in your big Super Bowl spot?

I'm not writing the film off for a second time quite yet, but I'm going to call this one a big step back, especially after how good the full trailer was.

Super Bowl Comercials: 'Battleship' trailer

Having already seen the available trailers for Universal Pictures' "Battleship" before tonight's Super Bowl, I have been wondering just how they people behind the summer blockbuster went from the Hasbro game to the movie they ultimately produced.

Starring Liam Neeson ("The Grey") and Taylor Kitsch ("Friday Night Lights"), the film follows a battle group caught by a seemingly alien armada which traps them and what appears to be Hawaii inside an impenetrable barrier.



The Super Bowl spots spend more time on the civilian side as cities and highways full of cars are decimated by the attacking force. Like the other trailers, this one name drops "Transformers" quite a bit, so here's hoping they remember to bring a story along for the ride.

Unlike Michael Bay, director Peter Berg is better known for less special effect heavy fare such as the film version of "Friday Night Lights" and "The Kingdom." Screenwriters Jon and Erich Hoeber last teamed up for the comedy action flick "Red."

"Battleship" is set to hit theaters May 18.

Super Bowl Comercials: 'Act of Valor' trailer

While most of the Super Bowl movie spots were for films not hitting theaters until March or later, "Act of Valor" was one of two February releases to get special TV spots during the big game. (The other being the "Star Wars" 3D re-release.)

As every bit of publicity for the film so far has stated, "Act of Valor" stars active duty Navy Seals and promises to be a more realistic portrayal of the actions of those soldiers.



From what I can tell, the Super Bowl spot reveal little to no new footage not already seen in the existing trailers. While the idea of casting with acting duty soldiers could just be a gimmick, the more I see from  the film, the more I want to see it.

Directed by Mike McCoy and Scott Waugh (who worked together on the documentary short "Navy SWCC"), the Relativity Media film is based on a screenplay from Kurt Johnstad ("300").

The film is rated R for strong violence including some torture, and for language.

Super Bowl Comercials: 'The Avengers' trailer

Hollywood had quite a night during tonight's Super Bowl, with a bevy of films showing new footage in commercials.

Up first is Marvel's "The Avengers," which debuted a 30 second spot packed quite a lot of action in a small package.



Like in the full trailer, the spot begins with Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) talking about dire the situation is, necessitating the formation of the Avengers team.

From there we get some quick cuts to the various team members, including apparently the first meeting between Captain American (Chris Evans) and Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.).

"I still believe in heroes," Fury says as we watch a panning shot of the entire team, which also includes Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) and Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson).

Directed by Joss Whedon ("Serenity"), "The Avengers" is one of the biggest can't-miss blockbusters of this summer.

'Chronicle' flies over Harry Potter to take weekend box office crown

The found-footage style film "Chronicle" narrowly beat out fellow newcomer "The Woman in Black" to lay claim to first place at the box office for what was a surprisingly strong February weekend.

"Chronicle" earned $22 million.

The low budget "Chronicle," which follows three teens who gain superpowers, earned $22 million over the weekend, almost double its reported budget of $12 million.

Meanwhile, Harry Potter himself, Daniel Radcliffe tried his hand at the horror genre with "The Woman in Black," which grossed $21 million for a respectable second place finish.

Last weekend's champ "The Grey," dropped 51 percent in its second weekend with $9.5 million and third place. Over two weeks, the $25 million picture has earned $34.7 million.

The Drew Barrymore-starring film "Big Miracle," inspired by a real-life whale rescue in Alaska, trailed its competitors with only $8.5 million in its first weekend. The movie has a reported budget of $40 million.

Rounding out the top five was "Underworld Awakening," which earned $5.6 million for a three week total of $54 million. The fourth film in the franchise was made for a reported $70 million.


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

1. "Chronicle," $22 million (New)
2. "The Woman in Black," $21 million (New)
3. "The Grey," $9.5 million (Total: $34.7 million)
4. "Big Miracle," $8.5 million (New)
5. "Underworld Awakening," $5.6 million (Total: $54.3 million)
6. "One for the Money," $5.2 million (Total: $19.6 million)
7. "Red Tails," $5 million (Total: $41.3 million)
8. "The Descendants," $4.6 million (Total: $65.5 million)
9. "Man on a Ledge," $4.5 million (Total: $14.7 million)
10. "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close," $3.9 million (Total: $26.7 million)

'Harry Potter,' 'Hugo,' 'Dragon Tattoo' win at Art Director Guild awards

The Art Directors Guild (ADG) presented its awards Saturday night helping to set two clear front runners for the Art Direction Academy Award.

"Harry Potter" was among the winners.

The guild splits its feature awards into three categories: period, fantasy and contemporary.

"Hugo" took home the award for period films, while "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2" was awarded in the fantasy category and "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" in the contemporary category.

"Hugo" and "Harry Potter" are among the five nominees for Best Art Direction at the Academy Awards along with "The Artist" as well as "War Horse" and "Midnight in Paris," neither of which were nominated by the guild.

In addition to Saturday night's win in the fantasy category, this year’s Art Directors Guild Cinematic Imagery Award was presented to the principal team behind the Harry Potter films as a whole, 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.

In the realm of television, HBO's "Boardwalk Empire" was awarded for One-Hour Single Camera Television Series and ABC's "Modern Family" for Episode of a Half Hour Single-Camera Television Series. HBO's "Mildred Pierce" took home the prize for Television Movie or Mini-Series.

The black-tie ceremony announcing winners took place 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 went to Emmy Award winning production designer Tony Walton. In addition, the ADG inducted the following legendary production designers from the past into its Hall of Fame: Robert Boyle, William Darling and Alfred Junge.

See below for a full list of nominees and winners.

'Rango' the big winner at the Annie Awards

While traditionally Dreamworks Animation has ruled the Annie Awards while Pixar takes home the gold at the Academy Awards, it was Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies which drew first blood this year with Gore Verbinski's "Rango" the big winner at the 39th annual Annie Awards, which were held Saturday evening at UCLA's Royce Hall.

"Rango" was the big winner Saturday.

"Rango" took home the awards for Animated Feature, Writing in a Feature Production, Editing in a Feature Production and Character Design in a Feature Production.

While Verbinski shared the writing award, he lost out in the directing category to Jennifer Yuh Nelson for Dreamworks Animation's "Kung Fu Panda 2." That film was also awarded for Production Design in a Feature Production.

"Tintin," which recently took home Best Animated Feature at the Golden Globes, was awarded twice Saturday for Music in a Feature Production for John Williams and Animated Effects in an Animated Production. Meanwhile, Steven Spielberg's first foray into feature animation was snubbed and will not be among the nominees for the Academy Awards later this month.

In the television categories, "The Simpsons" took home the top prize for Best General Audience Animated Television Production.

See below for a full list of this year's winners.

'The Hunger Games' to get one-week IMAX release

IMAX Corporation and Lionsgate on Thursday announced that Lionsgate’s "The Hunger Games," the first installment of the trilogy based on Suzanne Collins’ bestselling novels, will be digitally re-mastered into the immersive IMAX format and released in IMAX digital theatres in North America day-and-date on Friday, March 23. The film will have a limited one week engagement in IMAX theatres.

The film hits theaters March 23.

Written and directed by Gary Ross and produced by Nina Jacobson’s Color Force in tandem with producer Jon Kilik, "The Hunger Games: The IMAX Experience" stars Academy-award nominated actress Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth.

Suzanne Collins’ best-selling novels have already developed a massive global following, with more than 23.5 million print copies in the United States alone.

“With this news, the release of 'The Hunger Games' has truly become an epic event,” said Lionsgate’s Joe Drake. “'The Hunger Games' and IMAX are a match made in heaven--fans love this book because its world is so vividly imagined and seeing the film in IMAX will make them feel as if they have landed right in the middle of the action. It is the ideal way for fans to experience this film for the first time.”

“'The Hunger Games' is one of the most popular properties in recent memory and we’re excited to offer this passionate fan base the opportunity to experience this exciting adventure in the most immersive way,” said Greg Foster, chairman and president of IMAX Filmed Entertainment. “We’re proud to kick off our relationship with Lionsgate around this highly anticipated film that will make a strong addition to our 2012 film slate.”

The IMAX release of 'The Hunger Games' will be digitally re-mastered into the image and sound quality of The IMAX Experience with proprietary IMAX DMR (Digital Re-mastering) technology

Al Pacino will voice 'Despicable Me 2' villain

Actor Al Pacino ("The Godfather") will make his animated film debut in the upcoming "Despicable Me 2," the sequel to the hit 2010 film.

The first film grossed $543 million.

Deadine is reporting Pacino will play Gru's (voiced by Steve Carrell) new nemesis.

The first film, produced by Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment, grossed $543 million worldwide. It followed villainous Gru as he unexpectedly becomes the adopted father of three orphaned girls. No details about the sequel's plot have been released to date.

Original directors Chris Renaud and Pierre Coffin are returning for the sequel as are screenwriters Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio.

Renaud and Daurio were both involved in Universal's and Illumination's "The Lorax," which debuts March 2.

"Despicable Me 2" is set to hit theaters on July 3, 2013.

Alcon adapting 'Beautiful Creatures' with Viola Davis in key role

Alcon Entertainment announced Thrusday it will finance and produce the supernatural thriller “Beautiful Creatures,” based on the New York Times best selling novel of the same name--the first in the popular series written by authors Kami Carcia and Margaret Stohl.

The series includes three novels.

The announcement, made by Alcon co-founders and co-CEOs Broderick Johnson and Andrew Kosove, also noted that two-time Academy Award nominee Viola Davis, most recently nominated for her leading role in “The Help,” is in negotiations for a key role.

The film will be released by Warner Bros via Alcon’s output deal.

Alcon, which has film rights to all three books in the series published by Little Brown Books--including "Beautiful Darkness" and "Beautiful Chaos"--is looking at “Creatures” to kick off a possible franchise at WB.

Viola Davis

Richard LaGravenese will direct from his own adaptation of the novel. Erwin Stoff (“The Matrix,” “I Am Legend”) will produce along with Kosove and Johnson (“The Blind Side, “The Book of Eli”), and Molly Smith (“Something Borrowed,” “P.S. I Love You”).

LaGravenese, director of Alcon’s “P.S. I Love You,” “Freedom Writers,” among others, is the screenwriter of such features as “Water for Elephants,” “The Bridges of Madison County,” and “The Fisher King,” for which he received an Oscar nomination for original screenplay. LaGravenese’s screenplay is an adaptation of the first of the three books in this best-selling franchise that has been translated into 30 languages worldwide.

Octavia Spencer joins sci-fi project 'Snow Piercer'

Octavia Spencer, who is considered the front runner for Best Support Actress at this year's Academy Awards for her work in "The Help" has signed on to star in Bong Joon-Ho's sci-fi project "Snow Piercer."

Octavia Spencer

Acording to Heat Vision, Spencer will join Chris Evans ("Captain America"), John Hurt ("Tinker, Tailor, Solider, Spy"), Tilda Swinton ("We Need to Talk about Kevin") and Korean actor Kang Ho Song, who starred in Joon-Ho's "The Host."

Joon-Ho co-wrote the script, which is an adaptation of the 1970s French graphic novel "Le Transperceneige." In the future a failed attempt to stop global warning ushers in a new ice age, killing off all life on the planet. The only ones left live on the Snow Piercer, a train traveling around the world powered by a perpetual-motion engine.
The film will follow a revolution which breaks out on the train and Spencer will portray one of the passengers who joins in to save her son.

Kelly Masterson ("Before the Devil Knows You're Dead") wrote the most recent draft of the script.

'Hunger Games' social media game to launch simultaneously with the movie

Funtactix, a worldwide developer and publisher of social games based on the world’s premiere entertainment brands, in partnership with Lionsgate, a leading global entertainment company, announced Wednesday that "The Hunger Games Adventures" will launch day and date with the highly anticipated film adaptation of Suzanne Collins' bestselling novel on March 23.

The film hits theaters March 23.

 "The Hunger Games Adventures" is an adventure-based social game where fans can explore the world of Panem--the setting for The Hunger Games trilogy, the companies said. Players will explore Panem and complete missions that will take them to each of the Districts and the Capitol where they will interact with the familiar characters from the book. With each mission they complete, they will advance their own storyline within the world.

As the official game of the series, "The Hunger Games Adventures" will be the first place fans can see the official map of Panem, and how the districts are laid out. Details for the Map of Panem will be rolled out in the game with a steady stream of chapter expansions as the game, and the world, reveals itself over time.

Filming underway on 'Riddick'

"Riddick" will be actor Vin Diesel's third turn as the titular antihero.

Universal Pictures, One Race Films and Radar Pictures announced today that principal photography has begun on the action-driven, sci-fi thriller "Riddick." The shoot will take place in Montreal.

The latest chapter of the saga that began with 2000's hit sci-fi film "Pitch Black" and 2004's "The Chronicles of Riddick" reunites writer/director David Twohy ("A Perfect Getaway," "The Fugitive") and star Vin Diesel (the "Fast and Furious" franchise, "xXx)". Diesel reprises his role as the antihero Riddick, a dangerous, escaped convict wanted by every bounty hunter in the known galaxy.

The infamous Riddick has been left for dead on a sun-scorched planet that appears to be lifeless. Soon, however, he finds himself fighting for survival against alien predators more lethal than any human he's encountered. The only way off is for Riddick to activate an emergency beacon and alert mercenaries who rapidly descend to the planet in search of their bounty.

The first ship to arrive carries a new breed of merc, more lethal and violent, while the second is captained by a man whose pursuit of Riddick is more personal. With time running out and a storm on the horizon that no one could survive, his hunters won't leave the planet without Riddick's head as their trophy.

'Short Circuit' remake has a screenwriter

Dimension Films has a writer for its planned remake of the 1986 comedy "Short Circuit."

The original was released in 1986.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Matt Lieberman will provide the scribe for the film.

Dimension Films optioned the property in 2009 and had director Steve Carr ("Paul Blart: Mall Cop") and screenwriter Dan Milano ("Robot Chicken," "Greg the Bunny") attached. It was announced in August, however, that director Tim Hill ("Alvin and the Chipmunks," "Hop") had been brought in to revive the project.

"Dimension has had great success with the 'Spy Kids' family series which grossed over $500 million worldwide," said Bob Weinstein, co-chairman of The Weinstein Company, which is the parent company of Dimension. "We are looking for 'Short Circuit' to be our next family franchise and are excited to be working with Matt Lieberman and Tim Hill, who has had great International success with 'Hop' and 'Alvin and the Chipmunks'."

In the original, a military robot is struck by lightning, making it sentient. Johnny Five runs away and befriends a woman (Ally Sheedy), who strives to keep him safe from the pursuing military. A sequel was made two years later.

Original producer David Foster is on board the sequel to produce along with Ryan E. Heppe and John Hyde.

'Evil Dead' lures Fernandez, Levy to play leads

Casting is picking up in earnest for the remake of the 1981 cult horror classic "Evil Dead," with Shiloh Fernandez ("Red Riding Hood") signed and Jane Levy ("Suburgatory") in talks to play the male and female leads respectively.

Jane Levy

Original director Sam Raimi, Bruce Campbell (who played Ash in all three "Evil Dead" films) and original producer Rob Tapert are partnering to bring the remake to life.

Fede Alvarez (responsible for the short film "Panic Attack) will direct based on a script written by Alvarez and Rodo Sayagues. Diablo Cody ("Juno") also provided revisions.

Shiloh Fernandez

"Evil Dead" followed five college students who are traveling to an isolated cabin become possessed by evil spirits, leaving Ash alone to battle the dead.

"Evil Dead 2," released in 1987, was essentially a remake of the first film, while "Army of Darkness" in 1992 follows Ash to 1300 A.D., where he must battle an army of the dead and retrieve the Necronomicon so he can return home.

Ghost House Pictures partners Joe Drake and Nathan Kahane are executive producing the remake.

'The Hunger Games' will feature two new President Snow scenes

Next month's adaptation of Suzanne Collins' "The Hunger Games" will include two scenes featuring President Coriloanus Snow that were not in the best-selling novel.

Donald Sutherland

According to Entertainment Weekly, actor Donald Sutherland ("The Mechanic"), who is portraying Snow in the upcoming film, wrote to director Gary Ross seeking the role.

"It was a long thoughtful analysis of the way power is wielded and why, how it controls people and what the use of the Games were and how pernicious they were and the way that they were used as an instrument of political control," Ross told EW. "It was so eloquent and brilliant that it actually inspired me to write two extra scenes for him that I think are pivotal in the movie and that Suzanne really loves."

Ross said he came up with the new scenes while filming in Asheville, N.C.

"So I sat down in this chair and stared at the lake and came up with these two scenes," he said. "And I realized that not only were the scenes vital but they actually fit a piece that was missing. That was a gift I got from the actor."

Snow has a limited role in "The Hunger Games" novel but is featured much more prominently in the two sequels, "Catching Fire" and "Mockingjay."

"The Hunger Games" will hit theaters March 23.

Full cast announced for 'Romeo and Juliet'

With filming now underway in Italy, the full cast of director Carlo Carlei's adaptation of Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" has been announced.

Hailee Steinfeld

Based on a script from Oscar-winning screenwriter Julian Fellowes ("Gosford Park"), the film is set to star the already announced Hailee Steinfeld ("True Grit") as Juliet and Douglas Booth ("The Pillars of the Earth") as Romeo.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the new cast members include Damian Lewis ("Homeland") as Lord Capulet, Natascha McElhone ("The Truman Show") as Lady Capulet, Stellan Skarsgard ("The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo") as Prince of Verona, Lesley Manville ("Another Year') as The Nurse, Christian Cooke ("Where the Heart Is") as Mercutio, Tomas Arana ("Gladiator") as Lord Montague, Laura Morante ("Remember Me, My LOve") as Lady Montague and Leon Vitali as Apothecary.

They join Paul Giamatti ("The Ides of March") as Friar Laurence, Kodi Smit-McPhee ("Let Me In") as Benvolio and Ed Westwick ("Gossip Girl") as Tybalt.

The Reporter quoted Fellowes as saying the film will be "the romantic medieval love story as conceived by Shakespeare. We felt that really what we needed was just to make it slightly more accessible to today’s generation."

Platinum Studios to adapt 'The Weapon' into feature film

Platinum Studios, Inc., announced Tuesday that they are developing comic book series "The Weapon" into a feature film.

"The Weapon" was written by Fred Van Lente.

Scott Rosenberg, CEO of Platinum Studios and producer of "Cowboys & Aliens," will act as producer on the film.

"The Weapon" is about a martial arts enthusiast, Tommy Zhou, who has discovered a means to create solid objects from light--and invented a superhero persona to promote it, The Weapon. Not believing the legends his grandfather told him as a child, Zhou's inventions unsuspectingly make him the target of a millennia-old assassin cult that's convinced he's unlocked the ancient mystical techniques of the Order of Wu-Shi--"The Way of the Weapon."

"We believe 'The Weapon' will be an attractive project for both international film financiers and Hollywood producers," Rosenberg said. "This property is one of those with enormous franchise potential."

"The Weapon" is written by New York Times bestselling author Fred Van Lente. Mr. Van Lente is also the author of "Marvel Zombies," "Incredible Hercules" (with Greg Pak), "Odd Is On Our Side" (with Dean R. Koontz) and "Cowboys and Aliens," which was adapted into last summer's feature film.

Matthew Vaughn will return for 'X-Men: First Class' sequel

Most assumed it was only a matter of time, but now it is official. Director Matthew Vaughn will be back for the sequel of last summer's hit blockbuster, "X-Men: First Class."

The first film earned $353 million.

The prequel/reboot grossed $146 million domestically and another $207 million in foreign markets, but even more importantly became one of the best reviewed summer blockbusters of the year.

As first reported by Deadline, 20th Century Fox broke the story of Vaughn's return Monday at the same time they announced they had signed production president Emma Watts to a new contract.

Joining Vaughn will be returning producer Bryan Singer--who directed "X-Men" and "X2"--and scribe Simon Kinberg. The latter, unfortunately, was responsible for the script behind the lackluster "X-Men: Last Stand." On a brighter note, he was one of three people with screenplay credit for Robert Downey Jr.'s "Sherlock Holmes."

"First Class" featured James McAvoy as Charles Xavier and Michael Fassbender as Erik Lehnsherr, and both actors are expected to return as well.