"The Legend Continues" with Anchorman 2 Poster

The Anchorman sequel has a title, (albeit vague) release date and poster via The Lebanese Cinema Movie Guide.

Not much to go by. We still don't know if Christina Applegate is coming back (Knock on wood - easy to forget how hard it is to play the straight-man against dead-brain Brick Tamland or Champ fighting his urges for Ron). Guessing by 2013, they mean July. There also remains the task of matching Anchorman's quotability-factor and being funny enough to justify its existence (Imagine if John Belushi hadn't died and we got the Animal House sequel they were planning?)

But those are concerns for a little later. Right now, its about a simple poster sending a simply message. Action 4 News Team returns!

New Prometheus Viral-Video Centers on Noomi Rapace as Elizabeth Shaw

More Prometheus is better than none, I suppose.

Courtesy of Verizon FiOS is a new viral video focusing on Noomi Rapace's Elizabeth Shaw. Doesn't grab you like the video centered on Prometheus' resident android David (played by Michael Fassbender). Is it the overabundance of effects or simply the fact Shaw, at face value, doesn't strike you as compelling a character to watch as David?

One more viral video is expected before release. Hopefully it does a better job.

Exclusive: Superman - The Lost Prince of Krypton?

Something not talked enough in this crazy business. The compromises filmmakers make. Forced to cast actors who aren't their first choice, shoot in locations they don't particularly want, scale back to fit their budget (As famously happened in Back to the Future with its original "Nuclear test-site" deus ex machina to get Marty McFly back to 1985) or incorporate ideas from others. Art thrives through restriction, as Nicholas Meyer said.

In lieu of Collider's report of purported leaked scenes (Sounds right but can't help but feel "Iffy" about the source), it had us thinking of The Man of Steel, Zack Snyder's big-screen reboot of the Superman mythos. Amazing to see how much out in the open is clearly taken from Superman: Flyby, the J.J. Abrams script intended to kick-start Kal-El into the twenty-first century with McG directing.

Warner Brothers spent a fortune getting the franchise off the ground before Bryan Singer's Superman Returns. Way more than the $65 million quoted. They want to justify spending all that cash, even though they wrote it off years ago. Economically, makes sense. Don't blow money when you have perfectly good ideas collecting dust in the Burbank archives. Also helps despite the backlash, Warner Brothers loved the Abrams script (that and Andrew Kevin Walker's Batman versus Superman). Hence you look at The Man of Steel and marvel at the comparisons to Flyby; the same suit, same actor wearing said red-and-blue, trunk-less design (Henry Cavill was originally cast by McG), Krypton modeled after Coruscant (per Latino Review), among others.

Rumblings we hear is another vital Flyby component is being used; the revelation Supes/Clark/Kal is a lost Kryptonian prince prophesied to save the world. Is it as radical as the big stink being made about changes to Spider-Man's origins in The Amazing Spider-Man as leaked by Badass Digest? It's out there, and lazy, let's be honest throwing in the tired "Chosen One" or "Destiny" cliché. But considering how far Flyby originally deviated, it was the least egregious material Abrams cooked up (God forbid they used Supes dying and visiting his father in Kryptonian Heaven!)

Some of you might instantly cry "Bullshit!" with claims of "Christopher Nolan would never let that happen!" Well for one, Nolan's not signing the checks paying for The Man of Steel and second, while the property was in his control (and he had a blank check at his discretion) Bryan Singer agreed to incorporate stuff from earlier, unmade iterations. The sequence where Superman incinerates glass falling with his laser eyes? Directly out of Batman vs Superman.

As a friend put it, these mandates create a creative challenge for the filmmaker (As pointed out with the aforementioned BTTF, it helped the final product) and word is the studio is psyched with what Snyder has delivered.

New Les Miserables Photo: Valjean & Valjean (sort of)

A new photo from Tom Hooper's Les Miserables was released via the film's official Facebook page today, and it's a great shot of Jean Valjean and the Bishop of Digne.  As fans of the musical already know, this is a pivotal moment early in the story where the Bishop's simple act of kindess essentially shapes the entire direction the disgraced ex-convict goes from this point on. 

As fans of the musical also know, what makes this particular moment even cooler is that the Bishop is being played by Colm Wilkinson, who originated the role of Jean Valjean in both the London and Broadway productions of Les Miserables.  He can be heard on both the original London and Broadway cast recordings - the latter of which I first owned on cassette tape, and I played it so much it actually broke.  He played the role again in the 10th Anniversary Concert version of Les Miserables at London's Royal Albert Hall in 1995, and he also appeared at the 25th Anniversary Concert of the show (this time at London's O2 Arena) in 2010. 

It's been said that Valjean's Act 2 tearjerker, "Bring Him Home", was written especially for Wilkinson's tenor voice, and there's a famous story about how when Wilkinson sang it for the first time in rehearsal, a cast member reacted by telling the composers, "You told us the show was going to be about God, but you didn't tell us he was going to be singing in it."

Here's a performance of Wilkinson singing "Bring Him Home" at the 10th Anniversary Concert:

Seriously...how could they have made the movie without him?

Incidently, "Bring Him Home" was just filmed for the movie version.  According to Twitter, via actor Andy Coxon, who plays one of the "barricade boys" in the film, Hugh Jackman sang the song 14 times in two hours today, and was reportedly "phenomenal".  Whether or not he has a voice left after that (14 times?!) is anyone's guess.

Can't wait to hear it, though.  Les Miserables opens in theaters in December.

Scott Z. Burns Takes Over Writing Duties on Rise of the Apes Sequel

This is the virus connection talking, isn't it?

Scott Z. Burns, writer of Contagion (of which Warner Brothers reportedly wants a sequel – UGH!) is writing the Rise of the Apes sequel for Fox, per Heat Vision. Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver, who penned Rise, did a few drafts but have since vacated. Not much on plot details besides taking off where the last left with a virus spreading that (eventually) wipes out the human race and "the apes on the path to emerge as society’s new rulers."

Only returning players, for the moment, are director Rupert Wyatt (turned out plum work elsewhere, thank you very much contractual obligation) and star Andy Serkis. Both were to the key to its surprising success last August. Locked them down, then we're set.

If there's one request (Not lose James Franco or Freda Pinto since it's doubtful either return, me thinks), go in your own path. Many still want to label Rise as a reboot when it was clearly following the original 1968 Planet of the Apes' continuity. Considerate of you but drop it. You have an audience now and don't need to get bogged down by the original franchise’s (at times) loopy time-line. If you want to end on mankind eradicated, have at it.

Prometheus TV Spot Doesn't Know the Meaning of the Term "Spoilers"

Hard to believe Ridley Scott's Prometheus opens in three weeks. With little time left to make an impact to general public type, expect to see it make its presence known with an overload of interviews with Scott and the actors, magazine covers, billboards, bus-stops ad and, of course, TV spots on primetime television.

Latino Review (via PrometheusForum.Net) noticed this spot airing during the NBA Playoffs, and to say its heavy on spoilers is an understatement. Showing that much reduced to thirty-seconds doesn't paint a confident picture on Fox's part, commercially-speaking. Watch it at your own discretion – AKA: spoilers don't bother you:

"The Amazing Spider-Man" 4 Minute Preview

Originally debuting with America's Got Talent, a 4 minute preview of The Amazing Spider-Man has now swung it's way online. Basically it is one scene on a bridge combined with the last trailer which forms the preview.

This site and the writers on this site, have been accused of being "Anti-Spidey", "exterminators" would be a better term but what do I know. This is simply untrue. I personally believe that The Amazing Spider-Man will be a well hashed out superheroic romp, the problem isn't us, the problem is The Avengers and The Dark Knight Rises. If the Webhead was to return next year or even the year after, the studio wouldn't be sweating it out like they are right now. Those flicks are going to drink Spider-Man's milkshake by default.

The story of Peter Parker (Garfield), an outcast high schooler who was abandoned by his parents as a boy, leaving him to be raised by his Uncle Ben (Sheen) and Aunt May (Field). Like most teenagers, Peter is trying to figure out who he is and how he got to be the person he is today. Peter is also finding his way with his first high school crush, Gwen Stacy (Stone), and together, they struggle with love, commitment, and secrets. As Peter discovers a mysterious briefcase that belonged to his father, he begins a quest to understand his parents' disappearance – leading him directly to Oscorp and the lab of Dr. Curt Connors (Ifans), his father's former partner. As Spider-Man is set on a collision course with Connors' alter-ego, The Lizard, Peter will make life-altering choices to use his powers and shape his destiny to become a hero.

Weekend Box Office: May 11-13

Courtesy of Box Office Mojo:

1.  The Avengers - $103.1 million

2.  Dark Shadows - $28.8 million

3.  Think Like a Man - $6.3 million

4.  The Hunger Games - $4.4 million

5.  The Lucky One - $4 million

6.  The Pirates! Band of Misfits - $3.2 million

7.  The Five-Year Engagement - $3.1 million

8.  The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel - $2.6 million

9.  Chimpanzee - $1.6 million

10.  Girl in Progress - $1.3 million

Puny Dark Shadows...

It was a given that The Avengers was going to easily take first place in its second weekend, and that it would significantly Hulk-smash its only competition, the big-screen adaptation of Dark Shadows.  But damn, it wound up doing so in record-breaking fashion, earning an estimated $103.1 million.  That would make The Avengers the first film in history to earn more than $100 million in its second weekend, should those numbers hold up when the final grosses are tallied up tomorrow.  But even if it does fall below the $100 million mark, that would still make it the highest-grossing second weekend of all time, a record previously held by Avatar, which earned $75.6 million in its second weekend in 2009.

Domestically, The Avengers has earned $373 million, putting in second place for the year behind The Hunger Games' $386 million, which Avengers should overtake by the time you finish reading this article.  It also claimed records previously held by The Dark Knight to become the fastest to reach milestones of $300 and $350 million within its first 10 days of release.  Although, with The Dark Knight Rises waiting just around the corner, it's anyones guess how those records will shuffle around by the time the summer is done. 

Combined with overseas totals, The Avengers should pass the $1 billion mark this weekend, which, in just 19 days, will add another record to its growing list of box-office accomplishments.  So it goes without saying...this movie is HUGE.

And what of Dark Shadows?  Those middling reviews didn't help.  But in the end, it simply couldn't withstand competition from The Avengers and opened even lower than expected with $28.8 million.  It did a little better overseas with $36.7 million.  However, the outlook is not great for the $125 million film.

The other winner this weekend was The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, which in limited release earned $2.6 million - that's a per-screen average of $14,888, which was second only to the $23,721 per-screen average of The Avengers.  The trailers for that one have been funny as hell, so it's no surprise that's been doing well.

Next weekend sees the releases of Battleship (which has already grossed $216 million overseas), The Dictator, and What to Expect When You're Expecting.  The TV ads in the US for Battleship have already declared it "the biggest movie of the year".  You're adorable, Battleship.

"Crazy Eyes" Official Trailer

With too much money and time on his hands, Zach (Lukas Haas) looks like he's living the dream. There's a steady stream of beautiful women and the party never ends. He meets a girl he calls "Crazy Eyes" (Madeline Zima), and she's unlike anyone he's ever met before. She's the one woman Zach can't have, so naturally he wants her. While Zach's hard-partying lifestyle threatens to go off the rails, family concerns begin to play a major role in Zach's life. Will the quest for love and the responsibilities of family life help this poor little rich boy become a man?

"30 Beats" Trailer

Paz de la Huerta, Justin Kirk, Lee Pace, Thomas Sadoski, and Jennifer Tilly headline an ensemble of New Yorkers whose lives interconnect via a string of life-changing sexual encounters during a summer heat wave. The international cast also includes Lithuanian actress Ingeborga Dapkunaite, Peruvian Jason Day, French actress Vahina Giocante, Ben Levin and Condola Rashad. 30 BEATS follows ten characters drawn into a ring of love and desire, each one caught beyond his or her control in a chain reaction of seduction, impulses and self-discovery. The screenplay was freely inspired by Arthur Schnitzler's play LA RONDE. The film was produced by Molly Conners, Carl Ford and Lloyd and executive produced by Susan Batson, Ronald Guttman and Pierre Lagrange.