Shia LaBeouf May Face Legal Action for Plagiarism

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Short Films, Drama, Celebrity Controversy, New Releases, Rumors,

Shia LaBeouf may face legal action for plagiarism over a short film he made.

The Transformers actor could be taken to court after being accused of the "blatant" borrowing of another artist's story for his project Howard Cantour.com without giving proper credit. Shia's project, which debuted online on Monday follows the story of a troubled internet film critic, and is extremely similar to a 2007 graphic novella by artist Daniel Clowes called Justin M. Damiano.

According to the New York Daily News newspaper, Clowes declined to comment, but his publisher Fantagraphics' Eric Reynolds claims the artist "is exploring his legal options." "LeBeouf changed the name of the main character, but he used the comic as a direct script and storyboard. Clowes has a real melodramatic voice that is very idiosyncratic and LaBeouf just used the dialogue word for word. There is no ambiguity. There is no way that anybody wrote this but Dan Clowes. It just defies any kind of logic or good sense. This was so blatant and inexcusable that it was as baffling as it was appalling," Eric told the publication.

Shia has since apologized for copying ideas from Clowes in a heartfelt statement posted online, admitting how "embarrassed" he feels about the situation. Howard Cantour.com has since been taken off the internet.

The Avengers to Be in 3-D

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Disney, Action, Adaptation, Science Fiction, Sequels, Thrillers, Celeb News, Technology, Upcoming Releases,

The Avengers will be released in 3-D. The Marvel movie - starring a huge cast including Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson and Chris Hemsworth - is now to be released in the special format alongside a 2-D version.

In the same release, Disney also confirmed another as-yet-untitled film has been moved from a release date of June 2014 to April 2014, with many speculating it may be the follow-up to Captain America: The First Avenger.

Joss Whedon has directed The Avengers, and Disney's distribution chief Dave Hollis has predicted it will be huge upon its release in 2012: "I don't know who doesn't know about The Avengers at this point. It will be an absolute phenomenon."

Jeremy Renner - who stars as Hawkeye in the movie - previously joked he had no idea how the final movie would look after it had been edited: "Someone's in the air, flying around. I'm on the ground, shooting a bow and arrow. There are a lot of things happening. I have no idea what that movie looks like. Zero idea. Most of the time, I have a good idea of how it's going to turn out because I've seen so much of it, but I have no idea. I feel like I might be an extra in it. I'm not sure."

Hilary Swank to Star in Shrapnel

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Action, Adaptation, Science Fiction, Thrillers, Casting, Celeb News, Filmmaking, Upcoming Releases,

Hilary Swank will produce and star in Shrapnel. The actress will take on the lead role of a former military official who leads an uprising on the planet Venus in the year 2250 in the big screen adaptation of the graphic novel trilogy written by Nick Sagan and M. Zachary Sherman.

"I am a fan of the work that Radical Pictures are doing in the comic and action arena. Shrapnel - and specifically the character of Sam - offer me the opportunity to dive into an exciting character with many layers and depth that are rarely found in this genre," Swank said.

Radical Publishing's President Barry Levine - who is developing the movie through Radical Pictures - added, "Hilary came to Radical excited to find a project with a strong female protagonist that could show off her abilities to do action films. With Hilary being an actor's actor, Shrapnel will give a whole new definition to that type of role."

Toby Wagstaff will write the script and although it is unclear who will helm the movie, a number of top directors are reportedly interested.

Rhys Ifans Reinvents Villain Role in The Amazing Spider-Man

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Universal, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Remakes, Casting, Celeb News, Filmmaking, Upcoming Releases,

Rhys Ifans is a "new" type of villain in The Amazing Spider-Man. The Welsh actor takes on the role of Dr. Curt Connors and his evil alter-ego The Lizard in the film, and director Marc Webb says he's done a "fantastic" job of bringing something different to the franchise.

"I can tell you this much - it's a new villain, something we haven't seen before and villains help define the story in a very specific way. Marvel villains - and Spider-Man villains in particular - are rich and complicated and interesting and Rhys has done just a fantastic job in translating that and there will be a lot of new things to explore for the fans. They're tragic in the Greek sense, meaning it's a competing idea of what's good. They're not just guys, they're people trying to do good or to do the right thing and on that journey that effort becomes subverted or manipulated or it sours. It makes for a much more compelling adversary," said Webb.

Click to continue reading Rhys Ifans Reinvents Villain Role in The Amazing Spider-Man

Box Office: Thor Hammers Competition

Posted by K.C. Morgan Categories: 20th Century Fox, Paramount, Universal, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Animation, Family, Sequels, Comedy, Box Office, New Releases,

Thor debuted as the number one film over the weekend, earning a cool $65.7 million. Fast Five, the previous number one, fell to the second spot with its $32 million take.

Jumping the Broom ($15.2 million), Something Borrowed ($13.9 million) and Rio ($8 million) finish off the top five.

Read More | Yahoo! News

Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s Batman Role Revealed

Posted by K.C. Morgan Categories: Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Sequels, Casting, Upcoming Releases,

The cast for the new Batman film, The Dark Knight Rises, is rounding out nicely. The mystery surrounding actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt has finally been cleared up: he’ll be playing Gotham City beat cop John Blake.

Marion Cotillard’s role as Miranda Tate has also been officiliazed by Warner Bros. Tate is a board member for Wayne Enterprises who will assist Bruce Wayne in his philanthropic efforts for the city.

It was previously announced that Anne Hathaway will play Catwoman and Tom Hardy will portray Bane. After The Dark Knight Rises, the entire Batman film franchise will be re-booted with a new cast (and main hero).

Read More | Huffington Post

Remake News: Bradley Cooper as The Crow?

Posted by K.C. Morgan Categories: Action, Adaptation, Remakes, Casting, Celebrity Gossip, Rumors,

It might be hard to take the headline seriously (we had to find three sources before we would even believe the story), but it could actually happen: Bradley Cooper may become the title star in a remake of The Crow. He’s reportedly in talks to take the role.

The original 1994 flick, based on the comic book, shot to cult fame as soon as it was released, but it’s always been tainted with a somber reality: actor Brandon Lee was killed during the filming of one of the movie’s more iconic scenes. Lee, son of Bruce Lee, was only 28 at the time.

Lee’s shocking death was the result of a props mistake on set; a live round was accidentally mixed into the blanks which were meant to be fired. The Crow, the story of a slain-before-his-time rocker who returns to the land of the living to avenge his dead love, was acclaimed by many critics.

Click to continue reading Remake News: Bradley Cooper as The Crow?

Read More | E! Online

General Zod named as next Superman Villain

Posted by K.C. Morgan Categories: Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Remakes, Casting, Upcoming Releases,

The Superman reboot officially has a name and a villain. Michael Shannon (of Boardwalk Empire fame) has signed on to play General Zod in Man of Steel.

General Zod appeared in Superman: The Movie (1978) and Superman II (1980). He’s been a part of the DC Comic world since 1961. In the comics, Zod is also from Krypton and has many of Superman’s powers and abilities.

As Zod, Michael Shannon will square off against Henry Cavill as Superman. Amy Adams will play Lois Lane, Kevin Costner Jonathan Kent and Diane Lane will portray Martha Kent.

Read More | E! Online

Batman Reboot Already Scheduled

Posted by K.C. Morgan Categories: Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Remakes, Sequels, Filmmaking, Upcoming Releases,

Doesn’t this take away some of the excitement of The Dark Knight Rises? Warner Bros. has already announced it will re-boot the Batman movie franchise (for the fourth time) after the newest sequel in the current storyline plays out. The hero will be reinvented, again, for the big screen. An entirely new cast and crew will address the epic comic book icon in future feature films.

Christian Bale’s last turn as the Caped Crusader will come to theaters July 20, 2012.

Read More | Perez Hilton

X-Men 4 and 5: Is That What You Want?

Posted by K.C. Morgan Categories: 20th Century Fox, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Science Fiction, Sequels, Rumors, Scripts,

At least one big screen comic book adaptation is still thriving, no reboots needed. The X-Men movie has already spawned two successful sequels (X2, X-Men: The Last Stand) and two prequels (X-Men Origins: Wolverine and the as-yet-unreleased X-Men: First Class) -- so, how about a few more?

Laura Donner, producer, says that Fox has received a treatment for another installment in the ongoing X-Men saga, and according to sources the idea will lead directly into yet another movie.

If Hugh Jackman is willing to keep putting on the claws, are you ready to keep making trips to movie theaters to watch him?

Read More | Perez Hilton