NASCAR Teaming with Transformers 3?

Transformers 3. If the sound of that title alone doesn't get you all sorts of excited for the next installment of the robotic franchise, the news of NASCAR Transformers racing their way onto the screen could make you care less.

With some of the earlier reports of Bay saying he wanted to take it back to a serious tone and leave out a lot of the mistimed humor, I began to have a little more hope for the third film. If these cars are more than just props and make their way into the movie then it's going in a completely opposite direction.

The main thing worrying me is that these car characters may take on the personality of a stereotypical NASCAR fan, leaving us with similar characters to Skids and Mudflap from the second flick. Even worse could be the potential of the actual drivers voicing the cars they are associated with.

I smell a foul stench from this already.

Inception Prequel Comic Online!

As excitement and anticipation continues to build for Christopher Nolan's Inception being released this Friday more and more promotional material is being released. Yahoo! Movies has now revealed "The Cobol Job," which is a comic book that takes place before the beginning of the film.

If for some reason you've been living in a cave and you're not aware of what Inception is. In short its a James Bond meets The Matrix mind fuck from the director of The Dark Knight. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Ken Watanabe, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Marion Cotillard, Ellen Page, Tom Hardy, Cillian Murphy, Tom Berenger and Michael Caine.

Be sure to check back tomorrow night for my review!

Peter Jackson Doing Busy Work Waiting for Hobbit Greenlight

No, there's yet to be a greenlight. No, a deal hasn't been finalized to get Peter Jackson to direct. And Yes, MGM's bounced-checks are still a thorn in everyone’s side. But that hasn't stopped some work from being done on The Hobbit.

Heat Vision says the Lord of the Rings director/screenwriter/producer is hanging out in Los Angeles this week. His priority at this time is working with casting director Victoria Burrows, meeting with actors and slowly piecing together a cast.

It sounds like they want to have all their ducks lined up. So the moment either MGM gets bought or their share of the rights gets sold to another party (in high probability WB), they can get cameras rolling ASAP. Regardless, I don’t see how anyone seriously thinks that Christmas 2012 release date is happening.

Way too much time has been pissed away thanks to the Lion's troubles. If this flick was going to happen in the near-future, Guillermo del Toro wouldn't have resigned his directorial position. Simple as that, kids.

Pixar Reportedly Helping Out On Tron: Legacy

I was shooting the shit with a buddy/webmaster-colleague last night when he noted what a great job Disney has been doing for Tron: Legacy. No doubt, the studio and filmmakers are going to make their presence known at Comic-Con next week.

When you think about it, it's a ballsy move on the Mouse's part. Make a sequel to nearly thirty-year-old cult classic that was an expensive box-office flop upon its release. And shoot it in 3D. The funny thing is I think Legacy is going to be a monster hit this Christmas. I'm definitely going to pay the extra cash to see this sucker in 3D, and I hate the gimmick with all my might.

Entertainment Weekly says Disney has gone the extra mile to assure a quality product.

The studio hired Pixar alum Brad Bird (Oscar-winning writer/director of The Incredibles and Ratatouille) and Michael Arndt (who penned 2010's biggest blockbuster Toy Story 3 and himself an Oscar winner for Little Miss Sunshine) to pen a week's worth of reshoots that took place a month back. Before anyone starts foul, director Joe Kosinski called the shots behind the cameras and even screenwriters Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz were still involved.

Apparently the plan was to get Pixar onboard to beef up three areas they're well-known for: character, emotion and theme. Should be interesting to see how much said additional photography plays in the final product. I can't see this as a negative news-item.

Russell Brand as Arthur

The first shot of a Beardless Russell Brand as Arthur has surfaced online. The film is currently under production is New York City. For those unaware this a remake of the 1981 comedy of the same name.

The new version follows a very rich, happy drunk who is told by his mother that he must marry the wealthy girl of her choosing or else lose his inheritance, just as he meets a poor girl and falls in love.

Also just last week The Batmobile from Batman Forever was spotted being dropped off to the New York set. Does this mean that Batman will have a cameo or more likely that Arthur will for some reason be driving the batmobile. No idea, but I am interested to see if Brand can do the classic justice.

And for anyone who missed it Crashing Hollywood was lucky enough to have Brand on their podcast very briefly. You can check that out Here.

Amanda Seyfried is Forever Young in I'm.mortal

The jury is still out on how Amanda Seyfried will fare in the long-run. Personally, I think she very well could avoid being a "flavor of the month" like many her age and have a substantial career. But again, that remains to be seen.

The trades report she’ll headline Andrew Niccol's sci-fi thriller I'm.mortal. The film is set in a future society where the aging process has been stopped. The catch is in order to maintain immortality (essentially stay at 25 years old) one has to pay for it. Thus the rich and powerful will live on forever and the middle and lower class wither and die thanks to Father Time.

The actual plot centers around one such lower-class individual being falsely accused of murder and going on the run. In the midst of this, he takes a wealthy young woman (to be played by Seyfried) and, of course, sparks fly as our hero attempts to discover who framed him.

That male lead has yet to be cast.

Production is expected to start at the end of this year.

I See Naked People

Yes, a cheap joke. But as you know, I am a cheap man.

Remember ten years ago when everyone thought Haley Joel Osment was going to be the next Jodie Foster and/or Ron Howard? What the Hell happened? Spielberg's A.I. has grown in quality over time (for my money) and Secondhand Lions was cute. It’s not like the kid turned into Lindsay Lohan, but then again we haven’t seen him onscreen in forever it seems.

THR says that's about to change. He's set to star in the comedy Sex Ed for commercial director Isaac Feder. He'll play "a college graduate who dreams of teaching high school Algebra but due to budget restraints, ends up teaching sexual education, despite being a virgin. He discovers an unlikely mentor in a blues bar, a ruthless enemy in the local PTA, and a gorgeous Polish girl for whom English is a distant second language."

Eh, don't want to judge a book by its cover here. Maybe this is one of those quiet little projects that sneaks up on everyone and turned out great. Or its direct-to-video crap. We'll see.

Brian Cox Joins Rise of the Apes

A report from The Wrap says scenery-chewing great Brian Cox has joined the cast of 20^th Century Fox's Planet of the Apes prequel (*Sigh*) Rise of the Apes. This is a reunion for Cox and director Rupert Wyatt having previously worked together on The Escapist.

Cinema's first Hannibal Lector (or Lecktor as it’s spelled in Manhunter) will play "the villainous owner of a primate sanctuary who runs the facility without compassion for the animals that live there." I'm guesstimating his abuse stems from either punching or flipping off the monkeys.

Either way, he's another solid actor getting a nice paycheck for an otherwise pointless project.

No 3D for Sucker Punch

About two weeks ago, director Zack Snyder dropped hints to Music Television (as reported by Mitch Anderson) his latest Sucker Punch would in fact not be post-converted to 3D. This is despite Warner Brothers making it loud and clear all of their big-releases would be presented in the gimmick/technology from hence forth.

Coming Soon has received confirmation on the matter. The source of this info is the closest you'll hear to Snyder himself – his wife/producing partner Deborah.

The short version is basically this. The 3D results as of late look like crap and the film supposedly looks great enough as is. There's also this looming 3D backlash with the general public thanks in no part due to the ass-tastic reception to Alice in Wonderland, Clash of the Titans and The Last Airbender's slapped-on 3D. Plus it's not like the Snyders are 100% against it as a whole. Their forthcoming Legend of the Guardians was specifically worked on with 3D in mind from the get-go a la Avatar.

Then again, there’s always the chance WB heads come down from the top of their mountain and order them to do 3D or else!

Did Zachary Levi Read For Superman?

We were bound to start hearing names – regardless of whether or not it's bullshit.

Geek Tyrant reports they know of at least one actor whose read for Superman/Clark Kent in Warner Brothers' forthcoming reboot The Man of Steel – Chuck star Zachary Levi.

Before anyone starts with the "Chuck Bartowski as Superman?!" knee-jerk reactions, keep in mind Levi was originally supposed to appear in Kenneth Branagh's Thor. He even went as far to get into ripping shape for the role – that of Fandral, one of the "Warrior's Three." Although he's not someone we'd heard personally, I could see it. Assuming this is legit (the site is labeling this under "Rumor").

Yes, this is especially odd in a "Six degrees of Kevin Bacon" fashion given two of the higher-profile guest starts on Chuck were Brandon Routh (the most recent cinematic Kal-El) and Matthew Bomer (Brett Ratner's favorite while he was onboard).

The site additionally reiterates the rumors of Jonathan Nolan serving as the director. Someone who yours truly first reported back during my tenure elsewhere (the link is down so I'll instead link to my pal Clint Morris).