Comic-Con 2013: Superman/Batman Movie Announcement Coming?

Comic-Con is all about making a splash. Send everyone out of Hall H and running to their laptops/iPhone buzzing about what they just saw. That has always been the Marvel strategy and it's worked for years. Warner Brothers wants in on that action, and, if this pans out, they have the upper hand.

LA Times says the studio will announce a Superman/Batman team-up film to serve as the Man of Steel follow-up for 2015. They plan to make the announcement at their panel this morning, while showcasing forthcoming releases Gravity, 300: Rise of an Empire and The LEGO Movie.

If true, it's certainly the best way they can counter against geek blockbusters The Avengers 2 and Star Wars Episode VII; the latter I'm still not convinced will be out that summer.

Comic-Con 2013: Vin Diesel Keeps Talking About Himself At Marvel

Not that I dislike Vin Diesel. The opposite in fact, he's a self-confessed geek who learned the hard way who butters his bread. Back in the 2000s, he bought into his own hype and effectively killed returning for Fast & Furious and XXX sequels by demanding too much money. Not until Chronicles of Riddick failed and reducing himself to poopy diaper joke comedies like The Pacifier did he learn his lesson.

Here on out, he's a team player and on the Fast train for life or until Universal wears out those tires. Guess that's why Diesel is thinking past that series and tooting his own horn about joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe. For the last month, he admitted to taking a meeting and posted pictures of himself next to Avengers cover-art.

I wish he would cool it until Marvel comments. Yes, even if it is a denial and knowing denials mean nothing. At the Riddick panel this afternoon, he was asked if he had a "Vision" for the future of Marvel on film. He said he couldn't answer but promised "big news" was coming for the end of the month before muttering, "Poor Marvel."

The big Marvel panel is tomorrow night and they always make an effort to "win" every year. If they want to make a splash, they will do it tomorrow night and announce the new The Avengers 2 additions. This is assuming Diesel is telling the truth and not bullshitting us all. I’m choosing to take the guy at his word. God help me.

Comic-Con 2013: Kick-Ass 2 Trailer

At least it's clear why Jim Carrey is a no show. Kick-Ass 2 couldn't look less interesting.

Aaron Johnson and Chloe-Grace Moretz appear older and it shows, bad green-screen galore and the general "It is the same thing as last time... only BIGGER!" vibe. Why have Kick-Ass, Hit-Girl and the Red-Mist (here The Motherfucker) when you can have an army of new characters including the afore-mentioned funnyman Carrey as Colonel Stars and Stripes; the only part that stands out.

Not bad looking; just pointless.

12 Years A Slave Trailer Is Why We Go to the Movies

The wonder of cinema is taking us to places we've never been to before. Sometimes make believe, like Oz or Middle Earth and sometimes to send us back to the past. To remind us of times before. That as strange as it may sound, there was a rhythm and way to life prior to our existence.

Just last night I re-watched Schindler's List, and one of several thoughts to run through my mind was reminding myself that this happened. The world was this stark. Our fellow man was that monstrous, as portrayed by the Nazis, and by the same token noble as portrayed by Liam Neeson’s title character.

Which brings us to the trailer to 12 Years a Slave, the third directorial effort from acclaimed filmmaker Steve McQueen. The plight of Solomon Northup isn't full of plot devices to engage us for its duration and move on. We're not meant to be entertained. This is a reminder. This really happened. Something we should never forget.

It's why cinema exists and will continue to long after we're gone.

Kevin Costner Headlines Midnight Delivery

He was the butt of every joke thanks to Waterworld and The Postman; accumulating to the immortal "I'm so sorry" commentary track gag on The Simpsons. But you know what? Life has turned the other cheek for Kevin Costner. About damn time it did. Now all he needs to do is direct again.

Variety reports he's in talks to headline Midnight Delivery for Universal and producer Guillermo del Toro, who should direct this after his fanboy-masturbation-material Pacific Rim didn't perform this weekend. But he's not. Those monsters don't create themselves, you know. Sigh.

Anyway, the plot entails a father going into the world of drug smuggling to save his son's life.

Comic-Con 2013: Godzilla Poster

The under-performance of Pacific Rim, while expected, has repercussions beyond its cast and filmmakers. Legendary Pictures better rethink whatever strategy planned to sell Godzilla, due May 2014.

In lieu of an expensive gamble reliant on a niche market, it was always one of the dumber decisions to follow that up with another $200 million-budget monster movie the very next year. If Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin couldn’t make Americans care about Godzilla after Independence Day, what chance does Gareth Edwards have?

Nevertheless, Edwards has promised a big presence in San Diego this weekend and IGN has the world premiere of the Comic-Con poster. Hopefully they remember to sell this to those hundreds of millions who don't roam forums, know the names of movie-bloggers by heart and only rely on what looks cool. 

Marvel REALLY Wants To Be in the Joseph Gordon-Levitt Business

Marvel likes the sound of Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Not hard to see why. Multi-talented, rising star making the rare transition from child actor to adulthood without winding up in a ditch or worse on TMZ. Levitt is an actor we look forward to seeing what he's going to do next.

But yeah, Marvel mainly wants him to rub it in to Warner Brothers/DC Entertainment. Take someone firmly planted in their "family." Imagine the bragging rights of apprehending Batman, or in this case Robin too. They unsuccessfully took a shot at Guardians of the Galaxy before settling on Chris Pratt (Levitt was up for Star-Lord).

Latino Review says he's their favorite for Doctor Strange. The Sorcerer Supreme is expected to be one of their big Phase Three projects and a name as recognized as Levitt could help considerably awareness among the general populous. But will the deal go down or is this execs bullshitting at the water-cooler?

It's a cool notion and adds to how thinking outside-the-box can work in spades. Everyone forgets the gamble it was to cast Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man circa 2006 in the wake of his years of substance abuse issues. Comic-Con is this weekend and Marvel always likes to drop big announcements there. So... we'll see, I guess.

Saving Mr. Banks Trailer

When Walt Disney's daughters begged him to make a movie of their favorite book, P.L. Travers' "Mary Poppins," he made them a promise - one that he didn't realize would take 20 years to keep. In his quest to obtain the rights, Walt comes up against a curmudgeonly, uncompromising writer who has absolutely no intention of letting her beloved magical nanny get mauled by the Hollywood machine. But, as the books stop selling and money grows short, Travers reluctantly agrees to go to Los Angeles to hear Disney's plans for the adaptation.

For those two short weeks in 1961, Walt Disney pulls out all the stops. Armed with imaginative storyboards and chirpy songs from the talented Sherman brothers, Walt launches an all-out onslaught on P.L. Travers, but the prickly author doesn't budge. He soon begins to watch helplessly as Travers becomes increasingly immovable and the rights begin to move further away from his grasp.

It is only when he reaches into his own childhood that Walt discovers the truth about the ghosts that haunt her, and together they set Mary Poppins free to ultimately make one of the most endearing films in cinematic history.

James Bond Will Return November 2015 (and He's Bringing Sam Mendes Along)

The news many (but not all) Bond fans wanted to hear and were expecting judging by the rumblings is here. Daniel Craig and director Sam Mendes will re-collaborate on the next James Bond installment for the typical late October release for our UK brethern and early November for us yanks. Only this time in 2015. It looks like I know when I'm visiting Phil in the UK.

Here's the press release:

"Producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, EON Productions; Gary Barber, Chairman & CEO, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer; Michael Lynton, CEO, Sony Entertainment, Inc, and Amy Pascal, Co-Chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment today announced that Daniel Craig will once again return as the legendary British secret agent in the 24th James Bond film and Sam Mendes will also return to direct the screenplay written by John Logan. The film is set for release in UK theaters on October 23, 2015 and in US theaters on November 6, 2015.

SKYFALL™, the 23rd James Bond film, took in $1.1 billion worldwide and set a new mark as the highest-grossing film of all time in the UK; it was the best-selling Bond film on DVD/Blu-ray and was the most critically acclaimed film in the history of the longest-running film franchise.

Commenting on the announcement, Wilson and Broccoli said, 'Following the extraordinary success of SKYFALL, we’re really excited to be working once again with Daniel Craig, Sam Mendes and John Logan.'

'I am very pleased that by giving me the time I need to honour all my theatre commitments, the producers have made it possible for me to direct Bond 24. I very much look forward to taking up the reins again, and to working with Daniel Craig, Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli for a second time,' said Mendes.

Barber added, 'We are thrilled to reunite the extraordinary talents of director Sam Mendes with our star Daniel Craig for the next great Bond adventure.' He added, 'As evidenced by the phenomenal success of our last collaboration with EON Productions and Sony, the incredible legacy of this 51-year-old franchise continues to amaze.'

Lynton and Pascal said, 'It’s a privilege to work on the Bond films. EON, John Logan and Sam Mendes have come up with an extraordinary follow up to SKYFALL and we, along with our partners at MGM, can't wait to share this new chapter with audiences all over the world.'"

Joseph Kosinski "Updates" on Tron 3 & Black Hole Remake That Will Never Happen

The financial receptions to Tron: Legacy and Oblivion alone say neither Tron 3 nor The Black Hole remake gets made. The climate at Disney and their growing reliance on underlings Marvel, Pixar and Lucasfilm does not help their case. What they will directly have their hand in won't be niche genre crap in the wake of The Lone Ranger.

But Joseph Kosinski still has to put on a brave face anytime some press junket schmuck asks as illustrated by Entertainment Tonight: