A Muppets Sequel Coming, Possibly Sans Jason Segel

While it wasn't a big grosser in the alternative programming against a Twilight movie in November slot like Tangled, The Muppets wasn't expensive to produce and turned up decent business for Disney to give the go-ahead for more.

Vulture reports the studio has upped deals with helmer James Bobin and co-writer Nicholas Stoller to return for a sequel. The catch is Jason Segel, who first convinced Disney they should give the Muppets another shot on the silver screen, is out from the writing end, citing his commitments to How I Met Your Mother and the forthcoming promotional circuits for Five Year Engagement and This Is Forty. A claim I don't buy since how could that stop him from, at least, working on a treatment, working on it while on the out-and-about pimping his movies or the God-given ability to multi-task?

His returning to star isn't out of the question, Disney spies tell the trades, but in lieu of this development, and said logic, don't hold your breath waiting to see Segel singing and dancing next to Kermit again.

Red Band That's My Boy Trailer Tries Way Too Hard

His brand comedies, produced every year by Sony down the assembly line from its direction by pal Dennis Dugan down to the random celebrity cameos, show no signs of letting up financially-speaking.

On paper however, That's My Boy sounded like what Adam Sandler needed to get out of his creative rut if he still wants to churn out an annual comedy. Go for a hard-R rating, fill it up with foul language and do as many filthy things as he and his writers can think of, and stop playing the loveable everyman with the hot wife, cute kids and wacky sidekicks. These are all good ideas.

Alas the red-band trailer for the comedy, where Sandler plays a sleaze ball tries mooching off the son (Andy Samberg) he fathered as a teenager on the eve of his wedding, tries too hard to tell us, "See, guys! Adam Sandler can be raunchy too!" without getting any laughs.

See Superman & Lois Lane Sweat on The Man of Steel Set!

Nuke the Fridge (You remember they're the guys who got the early word on how fat Russell Crowe would look as fat Jor-El) got this picture of Superman Henry Cavill and Lois Lane Amy Adams on the Edwards Air Force Base set of The Man of Steel.

So much for psycho Facebook accounts or sites who can't spell Comic Book "debunking" their info from last week because Adams supposedly wasn't there, huh?

Lucas & Spielberg Want (More of) Your Money; Indiana Jones Blu-Ray Set Coming

This fall, "Adventure" and "Shameless Format Whoring" have a brand-new name: Indiana Jones. Paramount Pictures and Lucasfilm have announced all four films will be released in The Complete Indiana Jones Blu-Ray Collection:

"The man with the hat is back – and looking better than ever! The world’s favorite globe-trotting archaeologist is, at long last, embarking on his greatest adventure – when 'The Complete Indiana Jones Blu-ray Collection' comes to Blu-ray Disc from Lucasfilm Ltd. and Paramount Home Media Distribution. The Complete Indiana Jones Blu-ray Collection will be excavated in the fall of 2012 and will include all four of Indy’s thrilling adventures, using the highest possible high definition picture and audio presentation – along with a 'best of' collection of documentaries, interviews, featurettes and a few new surprises."

The picture and sound will be up to date quality and that's great (Both Phil and Robert have lectured me about how much I need to buy a Blu-Ray player ASAP). But my wallet isn't exactly overflowing with Benjamins and "a few new surprises" better translate to something really worth my, and that of average Joes, money, like a Spielberg/Lucas/Ford commentary track (Which will never happen, sadly) or deleted scenes.

Raiders of the Lost Ark remains one of my top-five favorite films, and the one of the reasons I fell in love with movies as a little kid. As a matter of fact, it won't be too long till I introduce my nephew (Age 21 months) to it.

Please Leave Bill Murray Alone; He's NOT Doing Ghostbusters 3

Long held the stance that we at TMT won't cover anything Ghostbusters 3 related if the source is straight outta Dan Aykroyd. The man has had a tendency to regurgitate the same information about Bill Murray mulling over the script, Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky (or "The Office writers" as he's referred to them) and everyone being totally psyched to wear the proton-packs again. Followed by everyone online dashing to their laptops, or cell-phones sadly, to bang out articles and pretending, or maybe forgetting, Aykroyd has said all this crap before.

Knock on wood, his reign of non-news terror is over... oh am I kidding until another two months from now. Nonetheless, this he hasn't said before. Hence my wasting time covering it before you, the good reader, right now.

Speaking to The Telegraph, Aykroyd confirms legendary holdout Murray has definitively told him to take a hike on his Ghostbusters 3 participation calling it a "surety." Yeah... it's been that for awhile. Since the last decade of him always looking bored, if not a tad annoyed, at always fielding the "Will you do Ghostbusters 3?" question.

It's for the best, Mr. Aykroyd. None of you guys exactly need the money, at this point in your lives. Except Ernie Hudson.

Tales From Development Hell is An Enjoyable Read

In the annals of film history for as many movies that get made, there have to be, at least, ten times as many that will never see the light of day. For whatever reason, whether it is budgetary concerns, similarly-themed productions at rival studios, the director butting heads with high-ranking executives, the pervading politics of the time, etc.

Though we'll never know about them all, Tales From Development Hell: The Greatest Movies Never Made?, from author David Hughes, chronicles some infamous cases of unmade movies; the attempts to adapt The Lord of the Rings long before New Line Cinema put their company on the line with Peter Jackson including John Boorman and yes, The Beatles as we’ve all heard, Ridley Scott's Crisis in the Hot Zone and that long awkward period for Batman fans in the aftermath of Batman & Robin but before Christopher Nolan brought the character back to life onscreen.

How do you go from something as ambitious, and awesome-sounding, as Adam Rifkin's Return to the Planet of the Apes to the Tim Burton-helmed "reimagining" in 2001? As often the case, the moment higher-up executives are shown the door; the projects they shepherded tend to meet the same fate. As a lifelong Apes fan, it's fascinating to read of all the ill-fated revival films starting with the afore-mentioned Rifkin iteration in the late 80s, described as "Spartacus with apes" about the descendant of Charlton Heston's Taylor leading a human revolt against the Roman Empire era apes. Right down to the details of its Lawrence of Arabia-inspired teaser trailer. Much as the franchise eventually went back to its glory days with last year’s prequel Rise of the Apes, have to admit I'd love to see the alternative universe to see how Return would have turned out.

Easily my favorite chapter of the book though focuses on Crusade, what was meant to be the reunion of Paul Verhoeven and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Developed in the early 90s in a time when sword-and-scandal epics were a thing of yesteryear, Crusade wasn't exactly a sure thing with its intended brutal violence or political statements against Christians and Muslims. But what it did have was Arnold, still in his mega-star status, in what could have been another iconic role as Hagen, a thief who cons his way into knighthood joining the Crusades. Unfortunately, the $100 million price-tag along with Carolco's financial woes and Arnold beginning to show signs of box-office morality (The Last Action Hero bombed as Crusade was entering pre-production) forced the studio to make a choice. Either make the hard-R rated Crusade or the PG-13 pirate adventure Cutthroat Island. After producing the latter, Carolco went belly up.

Details like that are what to expect over the course of the 272 pages. If this subject matter is your kind of thing, then it's hard pressed to imagine how you won't enjoy this as a causal, Sunday afternoon, lay-around-the-house read. Tales From Development Hell is available now.

Let the Prometheus Viral Marketing Begin

A piece of viral marketing, cleverly disguised as a TED Conference albeit from the year 2023, has surfaced online showcasing our first look at Guy Pearce as Peter Weyland from Ridley Scott's Prometheus.

The "conference" plants the seeds behind the title (If you don't know your Greek mythology) and the usage of androids, such as the one played in the film by Michael Fassbender.

New Avengers Poster Still Begs the Question Who Are They Fighting

Tomorrow, we're expected to get a new trailer. But to hold fans over, Marvel has unveiled a new one-sheet for The Avengers.

As any smart company would do, it's the biggest star of the crop (Robert Downey Jr.) front and center. Just don't ask who or what Iron Man is aiming his repulsor rays at.

Horrible Bosses Writers Directing New Vacation Sequel

Hot off the success of Horrible Bosses, THR reports the writing team Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley will jump to the director's chair(s) for Vacation, a sequel, for some reason labeled a reboot (Because that’s the "buzz" term they love to use for everything these days?) to the 80s/90s comedies starring Chevy Chase, Beverly D'Angelo and whatever child actors they cast for each individual film at hand as the Griswolds, the unluckiest family at taking nice, relaxing vacations. This will be the directorial debut for the duo.

They were initially commissioned to write two years back for helmer David Dobkin. But he's moved on, and presumably off Bosses' success (The two are also working on a sequel) Goldstein and Daley are itching to try out directing. Odd to think Daley is linked to Vacation and his Freaks & Geeks co-stars Seth Rogen and Jason Segel wound up with The Green Hornet and The Muppets, respectively.

For this entry, the focus will shift to a grown-up Rusty Griswold and his own attempt to have the perfect family vacation. Proving how stupid Russ grew up to be since none of his family outings as a kid worked out. Does having GPS and iPhones make him think things will turn out different for him?

No word on the return of Chase or D'Angelo though the indication, back when the duo was onboard strictly to write, was cameos were planned for the two. Just throw some money on a fishing line in front of Chase's house and lure him onto the set. Heard that’s how they got him on Community.

Who is Guy Pearce Playing in Prometheus?

Everyone involved with Prometheus are still walking the "Oh, it's totally not a prequel to Alien" line despite all the early promo images and teaser trailer screaming at our faces otherwise. As long as it's a good movie, that's all that matters at the end of the day.

While continuing with that narrative, helmer Ridley Scott tells the Hungarian site Mozinezo (and transcribed by AvP Galaxy) what role Guy Pearce will play in the not-an-Alien prequel-but-really-it-is:

"When the first Alien movie and Blade Runner were made, I thought that in the near future the world will be owned by large companies. This is why we have the Tyrell Corporation in Blade Runner, and Weyland-Yutani in Alien. They sent the Nostromo spaceship.

The Prometheus is owned by an entrepreneur called Peter Weyland, and is played by Guy Pearce. That’s the connection between the two films, and nothing more. Prometheus is a new film, a new world, and is full of new ideas. And of course new monsters as well."