On the Set of Scream 4

Not particularly optimistic about Scream 4, but then again I always thought that franchise was overrated (Always laughed at the thought of people getting scared watching them) and coming back to the well a decade after swearing it was over reeks of desperation. There are also the much publicized troubles including losing Kevin Williamson for Ehren Kruger, actors dropping out left and right (Lauren Graham and Lake Bell) and massive rewrites on the set.

Will all those concerns by dust in the wind when Scream 4 opens next April? Personally, I think it'll under-perform. But there's always the chance of audiences clamoring to see the return of Sidney Prescott, Gail Weathers and Dewey Riley.

Entertainment Tonight has the "First Look" from the set, and boy does everyone appear upbeat. Maybe it's because of the cameras. You'd swear this was a stress-free shoot going off these interviews. Oh, the magic of people bullshitting!

James McAvoy Talks X-Men: First Class

X-Men: First Class is a couple of weeks into filming, and it shouldn't be too long before we get some official pictures from the production. Something we can certainly not expect is seeing a bald James McAvoy as the young Chuck Xavier.

Speaking to Music Television, the actor explains his approach to filling in the shoes of Patrick Stewart without doing a full on impression:

Interesting he points out a "next movie" (and quickly reneges). Wouldn't put it past Fox and I'm hopeful this Matthew Vaughn-directed/Bryan Singer-produced collaboration will work. Considering how this was fast-tracked like it was (it was announced this past June with a June 2011 release date written in stone), there's legit concern this will be a messy rush job not unlike X-Men: The Last Stand.

DC Film Announcements Expected Next Month?

By all accounts, she's doing a bang up job getting DC's shit together for Warner Brothers. But if there's one thing to take away, don't take DC Entertainment big-cheese Diane Nelson at her word. Christopher Nolan is producing a new Superman movie while he's prepping to direct Batman 3?! She said it was bullshit (to Music Television, of course). It was legit.

Warner Brothers and DC Entertainment plan to announce their feature film plans within the next month (as per Heat Vision)? She denied it, stating they'd been "misquoted" (via Comic Book Resources).

"TOLDJA" says otherwise, saying in about 4 weeks we’ll hear their plans. I'm not knocking her, mind you, and to be honest, I'm sick of this "announcement of an announcement" bullshit. If you've got your ducks lined up, then get on with it for God's sake. Although one thing that might have been holding all this back was Jeff Robinov (the big cheese at WB's film division and who spearheaded DC Entertainment) earning greenlight authority once Alan Horn vacates his position next April.

So what might be those DC projects announced? My personal guess is the obvious – Batman 3 (set for release July 20, 2012) and Superman: The Man of Steel (their Christmas 2012 tentpole). Beyond that, I'd say they announce screenwriters/producers onboard properties and "targeted" release dates.

Then again, 4 weeks could roll in and we hear dick. Or one of us movie-news sites leaks the details beforehand.

Elizabeth Banks Joining Man On a Ledge with Sam Worthington

My mind continues to melt towards why Elizabeth Banks isn't a star. She's smart, sexy, always a solid actor and has great comic timing. So of course, the "star" vehicles allude her and those fat checks get fished out to Katherine Heigl (you know, someone with considerably less talent) and Banks continues being wasted.

One of these days that'll turn I tells ya – knock on wood. Yes, she did star in Kevin Smith's Zack & Miri Make a Porno. But that did no one any favors despite her being funny and the movie was cute enough.

"TOLDJA" reports she'll co-star along with Sam Worthington, Jamie Bell and Anthony Mackie in the crime thriller Man On a Ledge. Yes, the film is about a man on a ledge. Here it's a falsely accused cop (Worthington) and Banks will play a crisis negotiator trying to talk him down. Oh, and they used to be an item.

Production starts in New York this November.

Details Emerge on the Wachowskis' Cobalt Neural 9

In the two years since the belly-flop heard round the world (aka Speed Racer), there was no telling what the Wachowskis were cooking upstairs for their latest. It doesn't help they're so damn secretive, and notoriously press-shy. If they wished to return to the graces of fandom, then they'd have taken the Superman gig offered to them.

Instead they've been working on what was initially described as a hard-R gay love-story between a U.S. soldier during the second Gulf War and an Iraqi with elements set in the future. Vulture has more details on the project titled Cobalt Neural 9. I’m not one to normally slap on a "Spoiler Warning" tag. But I'll make an exception here:

"First, if you don’t understand the title, don’t worry: Our spies who read the screenplay tell us it's gibberish designed to inspire debate as to its meaning; it appears nowhere in the actual script.

Secondly, part of the film takes place in the future all right — nearly a hundred from now. But its main story is told in Cloverfield-esque flashbacks by digital archeologists sorting through “found footage” from CNN and chips from old digital cameras from the U.S. occupation of Iraq. The heroes are indeed a gay American soldier named (with little irony) "Butch" and an Iraqi soldier turned militant. Butch is endearing, young, and a ravishingly handsome Marine. Our spies tell us that he "just wants to fuck and kill everything" in Iraq — until, that is, he falls in love with the Iraqi.

The two meet while Butch is on a combat patrol in Iraq during the second Gulf War, and soon enough, the two are engaged in graphically described sex (actual line from the script: "They rut like animals behind this fence") albeit while disguised in burqas. The two soldiers’ relationship blossoms, and Butch begins to get to know his lover's family. But after he inadvertently draws attention to their ancestral home, disaster strikes. This tragedy radicalizes the pair and they become convinced that the only way to rid the world of evil is to kill the architect of the invasion, the then-president of the United States, George W. Bush. And so, during one of the president’s secret sorties to Iraq, they attempt to assassinate him."

If I Love You Phillip Morris struggled for U.S. distribution, I wish them the best of luck doing so with this one. Not surprisingly, all signs point to this being independently financed. This already sounds like the kind of project that’ll spark debate on talk radio and the 24/7 cable news-networks.

Deadpool or R.I.P.D. Will Star Ryan Reynolds

The fate of the Deadpool movie is as clear as your hand in front of your face.

With Ryan Reynolds suited up (motion-capture suited up, that is) for Green Lantern and any hypothetical sequels in the years to come (not to mention, the morsel of a chance his Hal Jordan bullshits onscreen next to Christian Bale's Batman and whomever is tapped as the next Superman), there's no way Warner Brothers will allow him to run off and play another costumed comic-book character for a rival studio. Why many refuse to accept that is beyond me. Blinded by the nerdgasm yet again, one can guess.

I09 caught up with Reynolds (while on the press rounds for the thriller Buried), and for the first time he didn't sound all too positive towards its prospects. In fact, it sounds like he's beginning to plant the seeds of the X-Men spin-off falling apart.

Basically the next open slot for Reynolds is after production of the action/thriller Safe House with Denzel Washington and that doesn't start filming until the early months of 2011. It's (supposedly) between the horror/action/buddy-cop R.I.P.D. for Universal and the afore-mentioned Merc with the Mouth:

"People sort of ask this question, like I have any say in the matter. They're both movies I'm interested in, they're both movies that are in fast-track development. But I never say I'm doing a movie until I break for lunch the first day. Because it's such a crapshoot, this industry. Everything's so fickle and so contingent on so many factors, aside from just an actor. And because it has an actor, and because these films have interested directors, it's obviously likely that they'll both get made. But I think it would be more likely that only one of them gets made with me."

Universal not too far back locked down director Robert Schwentke in for R.I.P.D. with a late summer 2011 shoot being targeted. Meanwhile, Deadpool has...a script, was flirting with Robert Rodriguez for a brief period to direct and that's about it. Don't worry, kids. This won't be the last time Reynolds is asked about Deadpool and we'll repeat this cycle all over again.

Gavin Hood Attached to Ender's Game

The closest I recall Ender's Game hitting the silver screen was about a decade ago. Ron Howard was attached to direct and Jake Lloyd to play our hero Andrew "Ender" Wiggin. That never materialized and the Orson Scott-Card novel has long since been labeled as a "If only someone will make it" movie amongst fans. If the Lord of the Rings trilogy can be accomplished, I don't see what's stopping Ender's Game (and Dune for that matter!)

24 Frames reports Odd Lot Entertainment is getting the wheels turning in development. They've gone as far to nab director Gavin Hood as their man for the job. He's already rewritten a recent draft penned by creator Card himself.

They're quick to note however that doesn't 100% mean he'll direct once financing is secured - assuming they acquire proper funds. For some reason, I find it odd them stating that. Of course, there's a chance he won't direct.

At least it's an upgrade from Wolverine.

Steven Spielberg May (or May Not) Direct Robocalypse Next

Steven Spielberg has so many "to do" projects it could fill up this page. There's also no telling exactly what he'll pick as his latest.

Such was the case earlier this year as the Beard flirted with many a properties before settling on War Horse (currently lensing in the UK and set for an August 2011 release). But that's not to imply the ones he passed over will sit in Development Hell and not have "Directed by Steven Spielberg" pressed in big bold letters on the one-sheets.

Among those included the Drew Goddard-penned Robocalypse, from the forthcoming novel by Daniel H. Wilson. The Cloverfield writer was assigned the gig back in March with the Beard keeping a close eye on how his adaptation turned out.

Vulture says the script was recently submitted to DreamWorks, and everyone around town is playing the waiting game. What will Spielberg's verdict be? Will he decide to direct it next or pass it to some younger talent? Agents for both actors (in case the Beard says, "Oh yeah I’m totally filming this bitch next!") and directors are gearing up for either verdict.

The logic being "If Spielberg thought it was great, then it has to be and therefore it’ll make us lots and lots of moneys!" Eh, I don't have a horse in this race either way. But I'd much prefer him finally tackle Lincoln, Trials of the Chicago 7 or Interstellar.

And because I said that, he'll pick Indiana Jones 5 next.

Anthony Peckham Writing New Jack Ryan Film

Paramount has commissioned screenwriter Anthony Peckham for Moscow. As per Heat Vision, the Sherlock Holmes and Invictus writer will perform rewrites duties on the newest Jack Ryan reboot.

Chris Pine is onboard as the fourth actor to portray Tom Clancy's CIA hero with Jack Bender (responsible for a good chunk of Lost episodes) expected to direct.

Production is being eyed to commence early next year.

HBO Eyeing True Blood Movie?

Fans certainly let their disdain be heard after the season three finale of True Blood, and yet, most of them will be back next year when the fourth starts up. But would they fork over $10 for say True Blood: the Movie?

What's Playing reports that's the rumblings heard at the HBO offices. The prospects of Sookie, Bill, Eric, Tara & Co. carrying a big-budget feature-length film version happening is said to go down "sooner rather than later" with a reported shot of series creator (and Oscar winning screenwriter of American Beauty) Alan Ball sitting in the director's chair.

HBO quasi-successfully transferred Sex & the City to the silver screen. I say "quasi" because the desire of fans to see those characters return got $420 million box-office, and a movie said devoted fans hated with a fucking passion. As a result, its sequel under-performed last May and a Sex & the City 3 is highly unlikely. HBO is also said to be developing an Entourage movie to be made and released after the final season next year.

But a True Blood movie? Isn't it too soon to be thinking of that, HBO? You guys have still got a few more good years worth of entertaining trash ahead of you.