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.

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:

What's Japanese for "Bland-Looking Amazing Spider-Man Character Posters?"

I'd ask Latino-Review, but Kelvin and his crew are more masters in Spanish.

"Character posters" suck. You want a poster of the new Spider-Man (Andrew Garfield) in action, not him without the mask, Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone) or Doc Connors (Rhys Ifans) with gills, not full-tilt Lizard. Probably because the Lizard in the finished product sucks and Sony wants you to see as little of him in trailers, TV ads, promotional images, etc.

Seriously if you want cool one-sheets for The Amazing Spider-Man, get the ones from last month of Spidey swinging over a blue New York. Here's the one of our fresh-faced hero. Want to see the rest, follow the link above.

Chloe Moretz Headlining Zombie-Film Maggie

If this is what Chloe Moretz is doing as a little girl, God only knows the kind of roles on her filmography ten years from now. Strong hunch says an Oscar, if not a nomination or three, is included. Seems like a sweet kid and nothing she's done onscreen has warped her in real life. Could she take the next step reaching adulthood to be another Jodie Foster or Christian Bale? Time will tell.

But in the here and now, Moretz continues with her genre antics. Variety reports the Kick-Ass star will headline Maggie, alongside Paddy Considine. Here’s the tagline from the trades:

"Set against the backdrop of a zombie apocalypse, story concerns a father's unconditional love for his daughter. Considine is in talks to play the father, while Moretz would play his titular daughter."

Doesn't sound too crazy. Until you read the first sentence of their post. Blabs a key plot-point for Maggie and Dark Shadows, which in theaters today. Interesting, don't think I've ever seen an entire zombie centered on...that.

The Campaign Trailer

If there's a negative thing to say about the trailer for The Campaign, the new Jay Roach comedy about two idiots (Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis) running for Congress in North Carolina, is they didn't have the nuts to show that baby getting punched. Don't talk, show, fellas!

One complaint though, the rest had me laughing.

Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio Finds Its Director… Guillermo del Toro!

Hard to muster up any feeling upon seeing the headline, "Guillermo del Toro Attached to New Movie!"

Normal for one director attached to a multitude of vehicles knowing only a few will see the light of day. That’s the nature of the beast. You want all of your babies to be born but know deep-down most will be stillborn. But del Toro, God love him, is attached to so many films, in both directing and producing capacities. I go numb every time a new one gets announced.

Here's an interesting exception, reports Coming Soon. Del Toro will co-direct, as in let someone else take control as he juggles his busy career, Pinocchio. Or to be specific, Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio (Yes, that's the title), a 3D stop-motion version of Carlo Collodi’s serial-turned-children's book. Mark Gustafson will co-direct.

Everyone thinks of Pinocchio as an innocent, sweet-natured children's yarn (Thanks to Disney). While there's a moral center to the story and a happy ending, its darker than you probably remember, and if that donkey transformation was frightening as a child, you dare not read the original source material.

Kurt Russell Exits Django Unchained

Indeed, Mr. Petty. Waiting is the hardest part.

Got word late last week of Kurt Russell walking off (!?!) the set of Django Unchained. As I twiddled my thumbs waiting for back-up confirmation, what should happen but Variety's Jeff Sneider tweeted the following last night:

"EXCLUSIVE: First KEVIN COSTNER, and now KURT RUSSELL has EXITED the cast of QT's DJANGO UNCHAINED. No reason given or replacement named..."

Well played, Sir. Sigh.

Unfortunate turn of events as Russell, for the second time playing back-up for Quentin Tarantino after Mickey Rourke exited Death Proof and Costner, proved a great fit for Tarantino's way with words and his love of cult cinema from yesteryear. You know the thought of having Snake Plissken (or specifically John Carpenter's Elvis) was too much to resist. He won't be recast however as AICN says his role will be "absorbed" into another part filled by Walton Goggins.

Russell's not the only casualty. Sacha Baron Cohen also left, but his part was basically a cameo; no harm, no foul.

The World's End is Next for Edgar Wright

Be honest.

If you had to pick Edgar Wright's next, did you really want it to be Night Stalker, where Johnny Depp would jackass his way through another weirdo-cum-hero, or Ant-Man, and have follow the guidelines of whatever Kevin Feige ordered? Nah, of course you didn't (Neither project is dead!)

After Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, best thing for the brilliant, yet-to-breakthrough-to-the-masses (Its coming) British director was to get back in a room with Simon Pegg and Nick Frost and get The World's End, the "Blood & Ice-Cream Trilogy" capper, going. "TOLDJA" reports its next, filming starts in September for a spring 2013 release, and here's the official synopsis:

"20 years after attempting an epic pub crawl, five childhood friends reunite when one of them becomes hell bent on trying the drinking marathon again. They are convinced to stage an encore by mate Gary King, a 40-year old man trapped at the cigarette end of his teens, who drags his reluctant pals to their home town and once again attempts to reach the fabled pub, The World’s End. As they attempt to reconcile the past and present, they realize the real struggle is for the future, not just theirs but humankind’s. Reaching The World’s End is the least of their worries."

Gangster Squad Trailer Shows Promise

The trailer for Gangster Squad is good, not great.

Josh Brolin full-on leading man, swagger and all (We'd be talking about him as one of the great movie-stars were we living in the 40s), Sean Penn displaying equal charm and menace as Mickey Cohen, Nick Nolte still unintelligible and Ruben Fleischer playing with new toys, not a trace of Zombieland or 30 Minutes of Less. I'd say something about Ryan Gosling, but hard to get a gauge.

Copsters and gangsters in Hollywood? Bring it.