Noah May Be Next for Darren Aronofsky

We've seen time and time again. An acclaimed filmmaker, coming off an unabashed commercial smash, cash in all their chips and go for a normally unattainable project. But with their new-found clout following said hit, it's becomes a non-issue getting it off the ground and they're left to their own devices to make their film the way they want to make it. History has plenty of examples ranging from William Friedkin's Sorcerer to Christopher Nolan's Inception last year.

Darren Aronofsky might be the latest example.

"TOLDJA" says following Black Swan's big bank, Aronofsky is shopping his revisionist Nolan’s Ark project Noah around town and the director has every intention of making it his next film. Studios ranging from Paramount to 20^th Century Fox are said to be considering co-funding the fantasy epic. All the while, the money concerns sort themselves out; John Logan (Gladiator) is doing rewrites on Aronofsky's script.

This is exactly the kind of project I was hoping someone of Aronofsky's talent would go for next instead of a Wolverine sequel, Robocop reboot or Disney's Maleficent. Added bonus: this is the kind of film I can already imagine my old man wanting to go see.

Tron 3 Gets a New Writer

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Am I prepared to drain my words in pepper-jack cheese and Louisiana hot sauce and eat them? Not at the moment, but we're getting there.

Heat Vision says the prospects of Tron 3 increased as Disney has hired David DiGilio (who wrote/produced the Paul Walker/sled dog-centric Eight Below) for writing duties. Reports from the out-put, well before Tron: Legacy opened, said Adam Horowitz and Adam Kitsis would return to writer. They're out now and the chances of Joseph Kosinski returning to direct aren’t exactly 100% sure either – he's off readying Oblivion for Tom Cruise and Universal.

Also interesting to note the change of rational towards a potential Tron threequel. First, it was "Let's wait for the home video sales!" It's on the market for about two months now, and according to the trades, the focus has now shifted to see how the forthcoming Tron Uprising animated series does next year before authorizing a greenlight.

I can't be the only one to find that logic a bit off?

Dwayne Johnson Added to Epic Ridiculousness Also Known as G.I. Joe 2

"He's like a dog sitting by the dinner table, hoping that a scrap will fall to the floor for him to eat.  I love him, but fuck this!"

That wasn't exactly my first thought upon this news. But Queen Kristina (co-host of the Movie Moan podcast) brings up a valid point.

Dwayne Johnson, following in the same direction as jumping aboard the established Fast & the Furious franchise, has done likewise for G.I. Joe 2: Cobra Strikes. Variety says he's the first new addition to the cast for the Jon Chu-directed sequel, following the news of most of the original cast not returning for second-helpings. He's expected to play Roadblock, the resident heavy machine gunner/cook.

Like Fast Five, Johnson teamed up with the G.I. Joe name-brand is appropriate. But again, her Majesty is on to something. The wrestler-turned-actor (and I believe turned wrestler again?) has movie-star charisma and yet since making to the silver screen with the underrated The Rundown hasn't found the perfect vehicle to utility his on-screen charm.

Hunger Games Smells Money That Isn't There (Yet) – Going for 4 Film-Series

It's stupid, it's gimmicky and it's nothing more than a cash-grab.

But when Warner Brothers announced their plans to split Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows into two separate films, financially-speaking it made sense. That franchise shits money and that move gave the studio more time to build up to the final installment and squeeze out every penny from movie-goers' pockets. The same applies for the Twilight series. Not so much for The Hobbit since the long time-frame between The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King opening to The Hobbit: An Expected Journey and how long that series has been away from the public's eye.

Joining the ranks of those franchises is The Hunger Games, reports Coming Soon. Lions Gate is aiming to turn what was expected to be a trilogy (since it is three books - duh!) into, you guessed it, four films.

Now I happen to think that The Hunger Games will be one of the bigger hits of 2012 whenever Lionsgate opts to release it. It has a March 23, 2012 opening. But it wouldn't surprise if they moved to somewhere higher-profile such as June 29, 2012, a date that will soon be vacated by Star Trek 2 and Relativity Media's untitled Snow White with Tarsem Signh which jumped up to that March a few weeks back.

Even though yours truly does think the money will be there and people will show up. It's not the brightest idea for them to go ahead and admit their intentions to whore your money outta you when the first movie hasn't opened yet and won't for awhile. Might have been a wiser call to hold off on making said plans public.

Apes Rose Up, Bananas Were Peeled & Poo May Be Slung – New Rise of the Planet of the Apes Trailer Hits

Note to self: never play God and never feed monkeys at the zoo.

Alright so there's more to the new trailer for Rise of the Planet of the Apes here thanks to Yahoo! Movies. But why do I get the feeling we’ve just sat through all the major beats from this prequel?

I still say if you're going to make a Planet of the Apes movie, just restart the whole damn thing and put your own spin to the material instead of trying to link it to the earlier (and speaking for most of them, better) films. You tell me I'm wrong, folks.

Oh for Christ's Sake, Terminator 5 Might Copy Star Trek Reboot?!

The problem with this idea is going off the history of how they always retcon whatever came before, this idea won't stick. They'll throw in some bullshit "You can't change history" line and carry on. But when you’re backed in a corner like the new Terminator filmmakers are, I guess one has to take that risk if they really want to get the damn thing made.

What's Playing reports Justin Lin might take a cue from J.J. Abrams' Star Trek for Terminator 5.

Translation: go for the "time-travel resulting in a reboot" continuity story/gimmick and hand the reign over to a new younger actor with Paul Walker, who's worked with Lin on two Fast & the Furious flicks, as a name of interest.

Why even go in this direction? Because if you don't have a television and/or any communication with the outside world, Arnold Schwarzenegger is having his ass torn to shreds in the eyes of the public and soon enough in divorce courts (rightfully so, I'd add) and has held off his plans to fully commit to a fifth Terminator since the scandal broke. He'd still be involved in a "fairly substantial role in the new story" but with substainally less screen-time to take some weight off him. Because Lin and the new rights-holders are smart enough to know a Terminator film without Arnold involved is on the stupid side of things. See Terminator: Salvation and The Sarah Connor Chronicles.

Look this idea worked for Trek, but to this day, I remember reacting about how stupid and convoluted that sounded on paper. Then again, the Terminator franchise is already pretty damn convoluted with its timeline. So...I guess this can't do any more (...or less...) damage.

Dark Knight Rises Viral Videos Suggest Gotham Might Not Be a Friendly City

Following that clever unveiling of Tom Hardy's Bane a couple of weeks back, new videos have appeared on YouTube under handle of The Fire Rises. That's the same phrase that launched the viral marketing for The Dark Knight Rises.

Assuming this is the real McCoy, see if you can decipher anything. Once we get pictures of Christian Bale as Batman, Anne Hathaway's Catwoman, etc. then I can give an honest assessment of what's in front of me. Viral campaigns, on the other hand, give me a headache. Something about Arkham Asylum inmates escpaing is all my little brain can process.

Amy Adams Continues Awesomeness Streak – The Muppets, Superman & Now PTA Film

As a big fan I am, I didn't think there was anything Amy Adams could appear in that would trump her participation in The Man of Steel.

I was dead wrong.

"TOLDJA" has it she's joined the cast of Paul Thomas Anderson's as-yet-titled religious drama (formerly The Master). The soon-to-be-Lois Lane will play the wife of a WWII vet-turned-L. Ron Hubbard-type leader played by Phillip Seymour Hoffman. She's joining a growing cast of rock-solid actors including Joaquin Phoenix, Lauren Dern and, as per Variety, Friday Night Lights alum Jesse Plemons and David Warshofsky.

Filming will commence forthright later this month. So you need not worry thinking this could affect the Zack Snyder-helmed, Christopher Nolan-produce Superman reboot. The Weinstein Company will handle distribution and, knock on wood, this will be out by the end of next year. PTA doesn't do enough flicks for my money and I love Adams. Bring this on, baby.

New Captain America Posters Urge You to Get Your Yearly Checkup

For as much as we've talked on the Movie Moan podcast about how it's going to kick-ass and take names, these posters for Captain America appear to have a high altitude of fakery. Nowhere near the levels of the infamous head-crotch one-sheets for X-Men: First Class awhile back.

But the Red Skull might want to check with his doctor. It looks like he's having a problem taking a piss. Follow the link over to CineMarcado to check out the other two posters with a stiff-standing Sentinel of Liberty and Peggy Carter in full-on sassy pose.

Girl With the Dragon Tattoo Green-Band Trailer "Shockingly" Devoid of Side-Boob

It took them long enough, but Sony's legal department pulled the "leaked" red-band Girl With the Dragon Tattoo trailer.

Cue the green-band hitting the interwebs none-too-long afterwards via Movie-List. The big newsflash is it's basically like the trailer we all saw, and in the case of most loved, during the holidays. Minus the Rooney Mara side-boob/nipple action on display. Sigh. Fear not though, this week's Movie Moan podcast had plenty of gratuitous examinations of that shot for you perverts out there.

It's still a good trailer nevertheless.