Iron Man 3 Poster: The Passion of the Stark

Good poster but it isn't something we haven't seen before. Shellhead's fallen from the sky a few times prior, notably The Avengers ending where he was famously saved by the Hulk. But there wasn't a poster for that. So I guess yeah this is new.

Marvel wants you to know Iron Man 3 is dark and serious. But not too dark and serious, as per Kevin Feige's reneging after the awesome trailer. That was dark and serious. At least they didn’t call it Iron Man Into Darkness.

In between the buffalo wings and Blue Moon (Budweiser is OK but is the worst "Beer Gut" offender), keep an eye out for a Super Bowl spot. Marvel put out a teaser to the commercial but those are bullshit. Not gonna waste your time posting it. I respect you readers too much. When the real spot airs, you'll see it here.

Duncan Jones Directing the Warcraft Movie

Making any fantasy film is all world building first and foremost. The environment is so crucial it's essentially the eighth character in a seven-character film. And getting that right comes before the most important part of any film: tell a compelling story with engrossing characters.

Now take that and, oh by the way, its based on a video-game; a genre plagued with the balance of capturing the look and spirit of the game while still making it a movie. It's proven to be an impossible task despite many expensive, failed attempts.

Warner Brothers and Legendary Pictures feel they're up for it adapting Warcraft, the popular Bizzard Entertainment series where people piddle away hours playing as fantasy characters (See the South Park episode Make Love, Not Warcraft). Sam Raimi came and went (Been flirting with fantasy genre ever since losing The Hobbit to Guillermo del Toro and settling on Oz: The Great & Powerful) and THR reports Duncan Jones has been hired to direct.

Moon and Source Code was great science fiction, doing a lot with tight money. Imagine Jones' talent unleashed with a budget.

Paperman Animated Short-Film Officially Online

Disney has officially released Paperman, the wonderful animated short-film that played in front of Wreck-It Ralph. It's up for the "Best Animated Short Film" Oscar. Knock on wood, it triumphs next month.

New Amy Adams as Lois Lane Image from Man of Steel

Some are calling this the "First Look" at Amy Adams as Lois Lane. We've seen her on The Man of Steel set (Pictures all over the Interwebs since the 2011 start of production) and she's in the trailer. Briefly and all she does is hold Superman's hand. But she's there.

Said photo comes courtesy of the Spanish site Desde Hollywood.

Anyone complaining "Amy Adams is too old!" or "She looks nothing like Lois Lane!" Do me a favor. Watch Doubt, Enchanted, The Fighter and The Master (and The Muppets, for good measure). Then shut up forever.

Barbara Streisand Performing at This Year's Oscars

The story goes everyone's Mom loves Barbara Streisand, owns all her albums and attends a minimum of three Farwell tours. I've never loved my mother more right now for being the dissenter (Is that where I got it from?)

She might be a pain in the ass (Infamously the only celebrity lampooned on South Park who Trey Parker and Matt Stone legitimately hate) but damn can she sing. And act, let’s not forget.

While we ponder if Argo can pull off a "Best Picture" Oscar victory without the crucial "Director" nomination (Still a head-scratcher; that and Kathryn Bigelow) or if the strong, but more inline with their type of winner, Lincoln sweeps, the Academy has announced Babs will perform at the upcoming telecast on February 24. First time she's sung there since 1977. No telling what she'll sing - the In Memoriam segment?

Whatever it is, your Mom will be happy.

First Look at The Muppets...Again!

Not into the whole "Let's talk to them like they're real!" interviews with the Muppets. I say that. Given the opportunity to do so back in November 2011, in conjuncture with The Muppets, I'd be singing a different tune. Hey, I can admit being a hypocrite.

Entertainment Weekly is following that tradition. A "chat" with star Kermit the Frog (Hehehe) but more importantly they offer up a first look at the new film and a new title: The Muppets...Again!

James Bobin is back directing (Filming's underway in the UK) and this time it's more in line with The Great Muppet Caper. Ricky Gervais is the lead, Tina Fey is a Russian, Ty Burrell an Interpol agent, Ray Liotta's in there and more celebrities to come.

WB Waiting Till Man of Steel Opens to Not Make Justice League for 2015

Said too many times, on the Twitter, in posts here, on Movie Moan, in everyday conversations with my geek brothers Justice League wouldn’t drop for summer 2015.

Eventually? Sure.

Ready in two years? Not in your life, buddy.

Buried in a post on the ramifications of a new Warner Brothers CEO, Variety offers up this update. They're waiting for the outcome, commercial and critical, of Man of Steel, before pulling the trigger on Justice League. That still doesn't leave enough time, especially if they're dragging their feet as they appear to be. No sign of a director (Chatter suggests Episode VII rejects being eyed) and even the Will Beale script is in question following the failure of Gangster Squad and Ben Affleck inadvertently implying to HitFix his drafts were tossed.

My prediction? A writer is officially hired to pen the Superman sequel before it opens and in event that takes off (I think it will), the talk will be all on said follow-up for 2015 instead. And Justice League gets thrown to the back-burner and everyone is happy. Or I'm dead wrong and we get the damn movie in two years.

Star Wars 3D Re-Releases 2012-2012

Disney slapped 3D on The Lion King, reissued it theatrically and swam in the receipts. They followed with a number of other animated favorites to less favorable, and profitable, results. So they quit while they were ahead and cancelled further rereleases including The Little Mermaid.

Lucasfilm had a similar situation. Rerelease every Star Wars chapter in 3D starting with The Phantom Menace once a year. Only it did just OK last year. And since then you might have noticed them selling their company to the afore-mentioned Disney and Episode VII coming in 2015. The novelty of the rereleases was seeing them on the big screen. Since there were never gonna be anymore, right?

They certainly thought of that as they announced this afternoon those plans have been scrapped citing their plans to focus on the new trilogy. Thing is Lucasfilm says it was their call. But doesn't 20^th Century Fox still retain distribution rights? Wouldn't it be their decision to make? And does this call bode well with them?

Source: Star Wars.com

Nicolas Cage's Superman is Here to Haunt Your Dreams

Fanboys are oohing and aahing over the latest Man of Steel photos.

But think back to that magical (Read: fucked up) time Warner Brothers almost let Tim Burton make a Superman movie with Nicolas Cage. Imagine an alternate reality where Zack "I end every sentence with 'Awesome!'" Snyder wasn't rebooting Supes after Bryan Singer. A world where Superman Lives was real.

One picture of Cage in suit wasn't enough to disturb us. Another one has surfaced online and it looks... strangely like Nicolas Cage as Superman. Still trying to find out where it came from – I spotted it on the Super Hero Hype! forums (Thanks to Kal-El.9859).

While we're on the subject, run to Kickstarter and throw some bucks Jon Schnepp's way, if you can. He's making a documentary on the making, and unmaking, of Superman Lives and working to get interviews with everyone from Kevin Smith (a non-issue given his self-admitted "Press whore" status) all the way up to Burton and Cage. His plans are as ambitious to film select films from what would have been Burton's relaunch, had Warner Brothers been run by idiots and given it the greenlight.

Paul Giamatti is The Rhino in The Amazing Spider-Man Sequel

This here is the face of a rhino. Strike that, the Rhino, the baddie from the Spider-Man comics whose abilities was yes to smash stuff up, like a rhino. THR says he's another member of Spidey's rogue gallery giving him grief in the Amazing Spider-Man sequel.

Like Electro, they're striving for Oscar-worthy talent versus Andrew Garfield. Paul Giamatti is in talks. A casting item years in the making, he confessed his desire to wear the horn on Conan a couple of years ago:

Giamatti as Rhino, Jamie Foxx as Electro and Dane DeHaan as Harry Osborn (His villain status here remains TBD) - sounds like they're going for the Sinister Six. Was that always the plan on the sequel or is this an answer to The Avengers? A couple of superheroes versus one supervillain and aliens, you say? How about one superhero versus a bunch of supervillains, mothafucka?!?

The Webhead has the best roster of antagonists in comics-land (Sorry, Bats!) You might as well exploit it in the movies while you can, Sony - before Disney gets its stinking mouse-mittens on the web-slinger.