Back to the Future: The Game Gets a Release Date

Telltale Games has finally announced that December 22 will be the official release date of the PC and Mac versions of the first chapter of Back to the Future: The Game.  Playstation 3 and iPad versions will arrive in 2011.  Set some six months after the events of Back to the Future: Part III, the first part of the game will feature Marty McFly reuniting with Doc Brown for new time travel adventures set in what appears to be the 1930s. 

IGN also has some new gameplay videos up of both Doc and Marty:

Looks pretty cool.  There's still time to pre-order the game, and if you do you also receive a free copy of the game Puzzle Agent, and $1 of your pre-order will go to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's research, which is definitely a great reason to order the game early.

"Black Death" Poster

Set  during the time of the first outbreak of bubonic plague in England, a young monk is tasked with learning the truth about reports of people being brought back to life in a small village.

"And Soon The Darkness" Clip

When two American girls on a bike trip in a remote part of Argentina split up and one of them goes missing, the other must find her before her worst fears are realized. 

"Like Water For Elephants" Trailer

Based on the acclaimed bestseller, WATER FOR ELEPHANTS presents an unexpected romance in a uniquely compelling setting. Veterinary school student Jacob meets and falls in love with Marlena, a star performer in a circus of a bygone era. They discover beauty amidst the world of the Big Top, and come together through their compassion for a special elephant. Against all odds — including the wrath of Marlena’s charismatic but dangerous husband, August — Jacob and Marlena find lifelong love.

Thanks To First Showing For The Video.

"Hell On Wheels" Greenlit To Full Series By AMC

AMC has announced a full series order for "Hell on Wheels," which is set in post-Civil War America and centers on former Confederate soldier Cullen Bohannan (Anson Mount), whose quest for vengeance has led him westward to work on the construction of the first Transcontinental Railroad. The series is created and written by Joe and Tony Gayton (Faster/Uncommon Valor/Salton Sea/Bulletproof) who also serve as executive producers. The project is developed by Endemol USA and Jeremy Gold, Endemol's SVP of scripted programming serves as executive producer. David Goldberg is Chairman of Endemol North America. Entertainment One (eOne) continues its role as studio producing the series. eOne's Television CEO John Morayniss and SVP creative affairs Michael Rosenberg oversee production in partnership with co-producers Mike Frislev and Chad Oakes at Nomadic Pictures.

"We are thrilled to bring 'Hell on Wheels' to series," said Joel Stillerman, AMC's SVP of original programming, production and digital content. "AMC's commitment to the western is long standing, and the genre is an important part of our brand and history as a channel. This show has some incredibly original twists and turns and a contemporary sensibility that we think will bring a very broad audience to our newest drama series."

"Entertainment One is delighted to be partnering with AMC to bring this unique and compelling drama to series," said Michael Rosenberg. "Like AMC, eOne is coming off an exceptional year where we have clearly established ourselves as one of the leading independent television production studios. We are looking forward to working with AMC and Endemol USA to turn Hell on Wheels' into an international success."

"Endemol USA has been passionately committed to this project from the beginning, said David Goldberg, Chairman of Endemol North America. "We are thrilled to be producing this with such a prestigious network as AMC and we look forward to collaborating with them and E1 on this remarkable series."

"Hell on Wheels" tells the epic story of post-Civil War America, focusing on a Confederate soldier (Anson Mount) who sets out to exact revenge on the Union soldiers who have killed his wife. His journey takes him west to 'Hell on Wheels,' a dangerous, raucous, lawless melting pot of a town that travels with and services the construction of the first transcontinental railroad, an engineering feat unprecedented for its time. The series examines the railroad's institutionalized greed and corruption, the immigrant experience, and the plight of the newly emancipated African-Americans during reconstruction. Over time, "Hell on Wheels" chronicles this potent turning point in our nation's history, and how uncivilized the business of civilization can be.

Along with the AMC deal, eOne and Endemol USA have entered into its first international distribution partnership. Under the terms of this agreement, Endemol will hold all television distribution rights across Europe with eOne selling "Hell on Wheels" in all remaining territories. As a leading international content distributor, eOne will also hold worldwide rights for DVD/Blu-ray, VOD and Digital distribution.

"Hell on Wheels" stars Anson Mount (In Her Shoes, "Law & Order") as Cullen Bohannon; musician/actor Common (Just Wright, Date Night) as Elam; Dominique McElligott ("The Philanthropist") as Lily Bell; Colm Meaney (Get Him to the Greek) as Thomas "Doc" Durant; Ben Esler ("The Pacific") as Sean McGinnes; Philip Burke ("Law & Order," "Mercy") as Mickey McGinnes and Eddie Spears ("Into the West") as Joseph Black Moon.

Shot on location in Alberta, Canada, the series is produced with assistance of the Government of Alberta, Alberta Film Development Program.

AMC's Joel Stillerman, SVP of original programming, production and digital content and Susie Fitzgerald, AMC's SVP of original programming oversee development and production for "Hell on Wheels.

"The Tree Of Life" Trailer & Poster

From Terrence Malick, the acclaimed director of such classic films as Badlands, Days of Heaven and The Thin Red Line, The Tree of Life is the impressionistic story of a Midwestern family in the 1950’s. The film follows the life journey of the eldest son, Jack, through the innocence of childhood to his disillusioned adult years as he tries to reconcile a complicated relationship with his father (Brad Pitt). Jack (played as an adult by Sean Penn) finds himself a lost soul in the modern world, seeking answers to the origins and meaning of life while questioning the existence of faith. Through Malick’s signature imagery, we see how both brute nature and spiritual grace shape not only our lives as individuals and families, but all life.

"Take Me Home Tonight" Trailer

As the summer of 1988 winds down, three friends on the verge of adulthood attend an out-of-control party in celebration of their last night of unbridled youth.

Mike Johnson To Direct "Oz Wars"

John Williams, President and CEO of Vanguard Films, announced today the company has signed Oscar and Annie Award-nominee Mike Johnson, co-director of Corpse Bride, to direct its CG/stop-motion hybrid feature film, Oz Wars.

"Mike Johnson is a spectacular director and one of the masters of stop-motion," says Williams. "We all think 'Oz Wars' is a wildly original and commercial project that will thrill and astonish audiences. Additionally, due to revolutionary new stop-motion software, Mike will be making this world-class quality film at an unprecedentedly economical cost point."

Oz Wars, written by Rob Moreland (Space Chimps 1 & 2 and Vanguard's upcoming live action City of Dragons) and Athena Gam (Vanguard's recently announced Alien Rock Band), transforms the Oz narrative into a contemporary, freaky action-packed PG-13 audience pleaser, with Dorothy caught up in a whirlwind of warrior witches, black magic, martial arts and monsters.

"'Oz Wars' is an animated action-adventure story, but unlike most animated films, it's not just for kids," Johnson says. "The Land of Oz will be re-imagined using stop-motion to create a world that's dark, slick, sexy, and dangerous. It's long been a goal of mine to create a hard-hitting, grown-up action film using stop-motion animation. 'Oz Wars' is my opportunity to do that."

The announcement comes on the heels of an ambitious Vanguard production slate released at AFM which includes CG, live action and CG/live action hybrids. Vanguard recently announced an overall producing/directing deal with Kung Fu Panda co-director John Stevenson, whose first Vanguard directorial project will be Alien Rock Band, a live action/CGI hybrid, with musician Dave Stewart (Eurythmics) attached as a producer.

A veteran animator and director, Texas-native Mike Johnson won the British Animation Award and earned Oscar and Annie Award nominations (with co-director Tim Burton) for his feature film Corpse Bride. As an animator his credits include The Nightmare Before Christmas, James and the Giant Peach and the Emmy Award-wining children's series "Bump in the Night." Johnson's directing credits also include episodes of the Emmy Award-winning television series "The P.J.'s," and the award-winning short The Devil Went Down To Georgia, which he also produced.

New "Rango" Trailer

Helmer Gore Verbinksi (Pirates of the Caribbean) directs this family-oriented animated adventure starring the voice of Johnny Depp as a family pet who leaves the comfort of home in order to explore the outside world. John Logan (The Aviator) provides the script for the Paramount Pictures production. Abigail Breslin, Isla Fisher, Alfred Molina, Ray Winstone, Harry Dean Stanton, and Ned Beatty provide the voices for the rest of the cast.

Charlize Theron vs Julia Roberts: Long Live The Queen

According to the scoopsters over at TOLDJA! there is a battle between two very recognizable female actresses for the right to wear the crown of the evil queen.

Universal is trying to work their magic to bring in Charlize Theron to play the part of the Evil Queen in "Snow White And The Huntsman". If they crown their queen, she would most likely be joining Michael Fassbender who is a strong possibility to play The Huntsman. Universal is doing everything in it's power to move this project along with a strong cast after dropping 1.5 million on the spec script with Rupert Sanders set to lense.

Relativity media is not backing down as they are setting up their rival project "The Brothers Grimm: Snow White". The powers that be are after Julia Roberts to strut her stuff as the evil queen. Tarsem Singh is set up to direct this version from a script by Melisa Wallack.

Going to Charlize Theron is a great move but going for Julia Robert is even bigger. It's hard to imagine that both of these projects are going to happen, my bet is on "Huntsman", anybody want to take that bet?