Abrams had remained optimistic that he could do both. Simon Pegg even went so far as to state that Abrams would definitely direct Trek 3, only to backtrack later. In a recent piece about the director in the New York Times (via /Film) Abrams seemed to suggest he may just have to be a producer on the next Star Trek. While it’s not a direct quote, the article does say:

He was noncommittal about directing a third “Star Trek,” except to say that Bad Robot would produce it. He said it was unlikely that Paramount would wait another four years for such a film, in which case his “Star Wars” schedule would likely conflict with it.

This doesn’t come as too big of a surprise to anyone. The possibility of Abrams and Bad Robot only being producers was mentioned when the initial Star Wars announcement was made, but it seems the director is starting to word things differently to let the Trek community know he might not be back in the Captain’s chair. Star Wars is said to begin filming in early 2014, and you can imagine there will be a lot to do in post production. Rumors are circulating that Paramount wants Star Trek 3 in theaters by 2016 for the 50th Anniversary. This wouldn’t leave much, if any, room in between Wars and Trek for Abrams. What do you think? Should Trek have a new director? Do you have anybody in mind?

Cody "The Thorverine" Ferrell, J.J. Abrams Seems To Finally Admit Star Wars May Keep Him From Directing Star Trek 3

Hey U Guys caught up with the actor at the Critics Circle Awards in London. After chatting up all Jones has on his plate right now, they asked the big question. You can check it out around the 3:50 mark, but Jones said he will be coming back to Captain America. He seemed very happy about it which is always a good sign. Of course at this stage there are no details on whether it will be in flashbacks or we’ll be seeing his robotic form that was teased in The First Avenger. Whenever more info hits we’ll have it for you. What do you think about Jones’ return? Do you hope he’s more than a scientist this time around?

Cody "The Thorverine" Ferrell, Toby Jones Set To Play Arnim Zola Again In Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Work on Marc Webb’s Spider-Man sequel is coming along nicely. It seems the majority of the cast is in place and filming will start soon. Two of the new additions to the movie were out and about promoting their movies at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. Shailene Woodley, who will be playing Mary Jane Watson, and Dane DeHaan, Harry Osborn, talked a little about the upcoming Spidey movie.

Woodley spoke with MTV about joining the cast and how excited she was about the film. The actress couldn’t reveal too much, but she said she’s a fan of the character and really enjoyed the reboot:

Spider-Man has always been my favorite super hero dude, since I was a little girl. I think there’s something really special about flying. When I watched the previous Spider-Man with Andrew Garfield, he made me feel invincible. I think Marc Webb is amazing. I’m so stoked to work with Andrew and Emma [Stone], they’re the best of the best.

She went on to say that she didn’t know any real details about the film, but she assumes she’ll be part of a love triangle if the comics are anything to go by. Woodley also hinted that she’d be making the transition and become a redhead soon. You can watch the full video interview by clicking here.

Chronicle break-out star Dane DeHaan also chatted about The Amazing Spider-Man sequel while on the red carpet for his film with Daniel “Harry Potter” Radcliffe called Kill Your Darlings. The actor remained tight lipped on what he knows, but he did confirm that he will be involved in a love triangle. Is it with Gwen Stacy, Mary Jane, Aunt May? We’ll have to wait and find out. The director of Darlings may have spoiled a big plot point for the film though. HitFix reports an incident that occured during the cast introductions:

[Director] Krokidas introduced the cast of “Darlings” which includes Daniel Radcliffe, Ben Foster and Michael C. Hall. When he got to DeHaan he said “He’s the Green Goblin.” DeHaan just smiled, but it didn’t seem like Krokidas was kidding.

Is this a case of a director who doesn’t know a lot about comics or is Webb planning on skipping Norman and having Harry don the Green Goblin gear? I would say it’s the first, but it wouldn’t be a huge surprise if the second happened. The Green Goblin was used in Sam Raimi’s first film, so it would be a little too soon to simply rehash the character. What do you think? Would you be pleased if Harry is the first Green Goblin?

Cody "The Thorverine" Ferrell, Amazing Spider-Man 2: Shailene Woodley, Dane DeHaan, And A Possible Villain Spoiler

Cody "The Thorverine" Ferrell, Brad Bird Shows Off An Amazing Unused Incredibles Poster

IDW is releasing a comic book prequel for Star Trek Into Darkness, called Countdown to Darkness, written by Mike Johnson with a story by Roberto Orci. It is an official prequel comic to the movie and works to bridge the gap between the first film and the second. The cover to #4, the final in the miniseries, shows a Klingon warrior with the much debated helmet. The comic comes out in April and the film in May. Could it be setting the Klingons up for a big role for Into Darkness? Time will tell. What do you think?

Cody "The Thorverine" Ferrell, IDW Seems To Hint At Klingon Involvement In Star Trek Into Darkness

The Godyssey tells of the Gods of the grand pantheon, including Zeus, Buddha, Ra and Pangu, are forced to join together in a battle against fallen gods to save mankind. While Jesus Christ plays a part in the comics, he apparently will not be included in the film. It is still early in the planning stages, so writers and a director have yet to be signed on to the project.

As mentioned earlier, the Deadpool film is still resting in development hell. Tim Miller is still attached to direct, with Ryan Reynolds still signed to play the Merc with a Mouth. Garner has a history with Liefeld, as the he took part in bidding for Planet Terry pitch while serving as Revolution’s president of production. That project ended up at New Line with LIefeld and Weaver producing.

Josh "ecksmanfan" Johnson, Liefeld’s ‘The Godyssey’ is Headed to the Big Screen

Speaking with SciFiNow (via Totalfilm.com), Millar praised Mangold’s movie saying the director is brilliant. The movie started filming before Millar got the consultant job, but he has overseen much of the film’s production. Having written one of the best Wolverine stories, Old Man Logan, Millar believes the character is ripe for solo movies:

I don’t think it detracts having individual Wolverine adventures from the X-Men. He’s like a lone wolf character, he disappears and does his own thing sometimes and then he comes back and hangs out at the mansion, so it does feel quite natural for him to be in these movies.

While Wolverine is a favorite among fans, he does have the potential to be overused as can be seen in several comics nowadays. Millar doesn’t want to make that mistake:

You don’t want to have him out there all the time, because I think if you’ve got him in X-Men and Wolverine movies and they’re all running at the same time, it’s a little bit too much but as long as you’re smart with it then there’s a lot of other characters to explore… The X-Men universe is about the same size as the Marvel universe in terms of the number of titles it sustains at any one time, so there’s a ton of stuff to play with there and a lot of characters I’d like to explore there too.

Wolverine has been slightly overused in the past few years. You can’t swing a cat in the Marvel universe without hitting a team he’s on (CBT doesn’t condone swinging cats, it’s just a phrase). Say what you will about Millar, but the man has had a good grasp on the character. We know Wolverine will pop up in Days of Future Past, but maybe we’ll see his appearances scaled back a bit afterwards. What do you think about Millar’s comments? Do you like your Wolverine in moderation?

Cody "The Thorverine" Ferrell, Mark Millar Doesn’t Want To Overuse Wolverine In Movies

Cheadle knows that expectations are extremely high for the first post-Avengers film, but it sounds like he and the cast are ready for the challenge:

I hope that it performs to those levels. We did a little piece of it at Comic-Con and people went crazy. It looked great. The script is good. We’re doing a couple re-shoots next week, but I’m encouraged.

Iron Man 2 was directed by Jon Favreau whereas 3 will be handled by the aforementioned Shane Black. Cheadle praises the new director saying he had a good time with a really good cast. He said the director came up with “an interesting script” that was “a lot of fun.” When asked how he would shake things up in Iron Man 3, the actor may have let a spoiler out of the bag:

I’m not supposed to say that he kills Robert Downey Jr.’s character.  Is that a spoiler?  That would be a spoiler.  You knew that was coming.  You read the comic books.  No.  I will just say that the buddy relationship that these guys have gets tighter.  The third act set piece for the big finale is bigger and badder.  It’s just a lot more.

OK that wasn’t really a spoiler. It would be an incredible shock though you have to admit. The actor did confirm what we had only heard rumors of, that some re-shoots will take place next week in Manhattan Beach. With the stills and clips we’ve seen from the film it does look like the Rhodes/Stark relationship will be explored even further than the second film. To read the rest of the interview where Cheadle talks about his TV show, production company, and family click right here. Everything he said about Iron Man 3 and the third act set piece being “bigger and badder” sounds incredibly promising. What do you think?

Cody "The Thorverine" Ferrell, Don Cheadle Says Iron Man 3 Is “Bigger and Badder”

one of the covers to the series, The Strain

Dark Horse has turned out some of the best large press horror books this side of the Walking Dead, and we should all be greatful for it. That’s the great thing about the comic book industry, there is something for everyone. Young, mature, horror, super heroes, slice of life, western or sci fi, we can all find something we’ll enjoy. And I’ll be honest, with the exception of the Walking Dead and 30 Days of Night, I’m not terribly into horror comics. Even though I love horror movies, horror comics don’t tend to float my boat. And to be honest with all the crap vampire lore that’s floating around out there, you might see this title on the shelf and think it’s just another attempt at cashing in on the vogue that teenage girls seem to glom onto. Trust me, THIS IS ANYTHING BUT THAT! You’re not gonna see tweens wearing The Strain t-shirts or Hot Topic selling crappy merch from this series. This IS a thinking man’s vampire story. Why? Cause it’s anything but typical. From the way the creatures feed, to the massive gore factor and the possible government involvement with The Strain’s creation you’re getting Tom Clancy meets The Lost Boys amped up on steroids.

What did you learn?

How far would you go to cover up possibly the biggest biological outbreak in the modern history of the world? Well, currently in the pages of The Strain, the epidemic which is growing to pandemic preportions, even the mighty United States government might not be able to contain this. And for those of us who love zombie outbreak type scenarios, could not be happier.

The cover art is very compelling for The Strain

I’ll be honest, when I first cracked open my advance PDF copy of this book, I wasn’t jazzed about the artwork. I mean I was weened on gigantic muscles clad in spandex and capes and this whole sensational idea of what comic book art was supposed to be. I think a lot of us grew up with this inherent flaw. Super heroes are larger than life. And the artwork is supposed to reflect that. But horror comics are a totally different monster. And the artwork, needs to bring that same, raw and gritty look from the equally blood dripping words. So clean lines and bold, powerful and almost blinding colors wouldn’t fit. And after breezing through the first issue, I was hooked.
Not to be over praise worthy, I mean there are still some things to improve upon, but that’s what an epic is supposed to do. It grows, with every panel and every issue. You have to build slowly. Sure you need to pace yourself, but much like one of my favorite horror novels ever, Intensity by Dean Koontz, you have to give your audience something quick. Like a junkie, that first hit has to be hard and lasting, otherwise we’re not gonna bother to finish. The creative crew on The Strain give us that. Although not in the way you might expect from a horror comic. It’s not visual. You meet a few of the characters and you learn about them. Making them relatable and dynamic. You abduct us with identifying with your main characters and then you sledgehammer us over the head with something so horrific that we as the readers will never be the same.
Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Take that barbie!

And keeping with my current use of professional wrestling finishing maneuvers for grades, here comes another one. And it’s just as vicious as The Strain. It’ll have you grabbing your neck anc sympathizing with its victim. Whether you call her Victoria, Tara or Lisa Marie, you’re sucked into her web as one of her Widow’s Peak Freaks. And her Widow’s Peak, which is one part Gory Special, one part hangman’s neckbreaker and all devastation… Lisa Marie, Tara or whatever you wanna call her will leave you lying in the ring, just like The Strain, unconscious, totally spent and loving every minute of it.

John Chihak, The Hardcore Review: The Strain

The Walking Dead Escape: San Diego Partners with Make-Up Effects Company KNB EFX Group, Inc. Lead by Co-Executive Producer of AMC’s The Walking Dead Greg Nicotero

The Zombie Apocalypse Event Debuts at Petco Park to Celebrate Robert Kirkman’s
The Walking Dead Issue #100 During San Diego Comic-Con July 12-14, 2012

San Diego, CA – June 19, 2012 – The Walking Dead Escape: San Diego announced its partnership with KNB EFX Group, Inc. and its founder Greg Nicotero, the force behind Special Effects Make-up for TV shows and movies such as AMC’s The Walking Dead, Kill Bill, Predators, Transformers 1-3, Pulp Fiction, Dances with Wolves, Land of the Dead, The Chronicles of Narnia, just to name a few. In conjunction with the release of Robert Kirkman’s Eisner Award-winning The Walking Dead Issue #100 at San Diego Comic-Con, The Walking Dead Escape: San Diego takes place July 12 -14 at Petco Park, centrally located near the San Diego Convention Center. Registration is now open at www.TheWalkingDeadEscape.com.

There are three ways to participate in this epic adventure. Participants can be a Survivor and race through the zombie infested evacuation zone; a Walker who becomes one of the undead, embracing the inevitable; or a Spectator who watches the apocalypse from sidelines at the Escape Party. Greg Nicotero and his team at KNB EFX will transform those who sign up to be Walkers into the most terrifying zombies to grace San Diego.

With their work on AMC’s The Walking Dead, Greg Nicotero and his KNB EFX team have deep experience creating some of the most incredible zombies in the industry. Founded in 1988, they have become one of the most prolific Special Make-up Effects Studios in Hollywood. One look at Nicotero’s creations for the undead and The Walking Dead Escape: San Diego participants will know they are in for a zombie experience like no other.

“We couldn’t be more pleased to have Greg and his KNB EFX team on board for The Walking Dead Escape: San Diego,” said event producer Liam Brenner. “People who sign up to be Walkers will have the opportunity to be completely transformed into zombies by the leader in the Special Make-up Effects industry. It’s really a chance of a lifetime!”

Skybound.com’s The Walking Dead Escape: San Diego is unlike any obstacle course event in the U.S., expanding on the best-selling The Walking Dead comic book series and graphic novel storylines, allowing Survivors and Walkers to explore the initial days of the apocalypse.

Survivors will climb, crawl and slide in an effort to avoid confrontation by hordes of Walkers, while achieving the ultimate adventure on The Walking Dead-themed obstacle course. The Walking Dead Escape is not a race, and Survivors are not timed, but the end is near, and they must move swiftly. If they’re lucky, Survivors will reach the decontamination zone at the end where it will be determined if they have been infected.

For more information or to register for the event, please visit www.thewalkingdeadescape.com.

About Greg Nicotero & KNB EFX Group, Inc.
Greg Nicotero is Co-Executive Producer, Director and Special Effects Make-Up designer on The Walking Dead. In 2011, he received two Emmy nominations and won the Emmy (his 3rd) for Outstanding Prosthetic Make-Up for a Series for The Walking Dead. The web series “Torn Apart” based on the WALKING DEAD Franchise which he co-wrote and directed, won the 2011 Writer’s Guild Award for outstanding achievement in writing for new media.

His company, The KNB EFX Group (KNB) has contributed to such films as Dances with Wolves, The Green Mile, Sin City, Transformers and Pulp Fiction. Prosthetics and character make-up can be seen in everything from Kill Bill, Splice, Drag me To Hell, The Hills Have Eyes to Boogie Nights, Grindhouse, Austin Powers: Goldmember and Army of Darkness. Nicotero supervised make-up effects on no less than 90 films, from Inglorious Basterds to the Steven Spielberg/Tom Hanks HBO series The Pacific and Predator. He also won a British Academy Award for Best Make-Up as well as an Oscar for The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe.

About Robert Kirkman
Robert Kirkman’s success and passionate advocacy for creator-owned comics led him to become the first person invited to become a partner at Image Comics since the company’s inception twenty years ago and he formed his own imprint there, Skybound, in 2010. Kirkman is the creator/writer of the Eisner Award-winning The Walking Dead, long-running Invincible, all-ages Super Dinosaur, The Astounding Wolf-Man, and new title Thief of Thieves, among many others.

Kirkman has earned the respect of the comic, writing and television communities and topped the New York Times bestseller list for graphic novels in 2011 and in April 2012, he took the top five spots on both the hardcover and paperback lists. He’s the creator/executive producer and writer of the hit television show, AMC’s The Walking Dead, the highest-rated basic cable drama of all time in the U.S, also an international success in 120 countries and 250 million households. AMC is developing Thief of Thieves as a potential series with Kirkman serving as creator/executive producer and writer. www.Skybound.com is your destination for all news and merchandise for Robert Kirkman, The Walking Dead and all Skybound titles.

Agent Burgos, The Walking Dead Escape: San Diego Partners With Greg Nicotero

Possible spoilers ahead, be warned:

For those that don’t know, in the comics A.I.M. is an organization of scientist dedicated to the acquisition of power and technology in aims of overthrowing government.  A.I.M. is also known to have created M.O.D.O.K. (Mental Organism Designed Only for Killing) and wearing yellow “bee keeper” suits.

The site On Location Vacation has also released some more photos from the filming, along with the following description of what was filmed:

One of our readers, A. K. Trujillo, told us, “The crowd was told to be quiet when shots were filmed outside, or else they would heighten security and ban spectators from watching. [There were] no big action scenes. All actors were in business suits or security uniforms. The director was heard yelling, “Action”, “Turn, Turn, Turn, Turn” and “Cut”.” Though the photos were taken from a distance, you can see a few extras in uniform and a decorated tree that indicates the scene is set during the holidays.

Spotted on the set today, via Tumblr’s HannibalDelarge, we have the following images that seem to confirm A.I.M. involvement:

Of course, my mind goes to the same place I’m assuming a lot of your minds are going: Namely that A.I.M. is perhaps best known as the guys behind one of the greatest all-purpose comic book villains ever… M.O.D.O.K.

Speaking of him, Peter Dinklage For M.O.D.O.K.!

What do you guys think of all this? Sound off below!

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The film stars Robert Downey Jr., Ben Kingsley, Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Rebecca Hall, James Badge Dale, Ashley Hamilton, and Guy Pearce.

Iron Man 3 hits theaters on May 3, 2013.

wolverinept, Is Advanced Idea Mechanics (A.I.M.) Featured In Iron Man 3?

Has it been that long already on this one? Wow, who would ever thought an innocent family move into a new sprawling suburban community could be such a horror? Heheh… Yes, its blockbuster season for the movies and Comic Book Therapy takes another nostalgic lookback at a blockbuster classic from years past! On June 4th, 1982, we were taken into a new level of haunted house problems more than ever before.  Steven Spielberg and director Toby Hooper’s nightmare masterpiece and one of Hollywood’s most celebrated films on paranormal invasion: POLTERGEIST!

Poltergeist Original 1982 Trailer

Spielberg, still coming off the success of CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND back in 1977, and his direction masterwork on RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK in 1981,  took his own writing and producing craft up another notch into the great beyond of the spirit realm.  POLTERGEIST was directed by none other than horror master Toby Hooper (TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE (1974)) and starred and kickstarted the movie careers of ’80s film stars Craig T. Nelson, and JoBeth Williams.

What resulted, was an ghostly epic beyond other haunted house films at the time, and grossed over $120 million in box office receipts alone and made watching the static of an end-of-broadcast day screen on the TV all the more frightening to this day. It was also a film that brought to light the technology and phenomena of paranormal investigators and psychic mediums at work in their search for the truth in alleged ghost sightings. It also brought to public fascination, the wonders of what is on the “other side” when one lost soul ventures into the afterlife, and brought the phrase “Carol Ann, don’t go into the light” into popularity for years on.

Heather O’Rourke – Poltergeist 1982 / Part – “They’re here.”

Eric Schock, head of EVIL ROBO PRODUCTIONS comic book studios, offers his controversial view on the dark history of this amazing ghost fright flick as well:

According to reports accumulated in Wikipedia(Read “The Poltergeist curse” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poltergeist_(film_series) from various media research, POLTERGEIST was plagued by the deaths of several actors that appeared in the series of the first and third movies of the POLTERGEIST trilogy. Further note from this wiki, states the legendary curse of the film was fueled by the fact they used real cadavers in several scenes in the film. What made the curse and tragedy so notorius afterward was to the fact that two of the deceased actors from the films were of the main Freeling family (the character family from the first and second movies); that being both daughters in the story, Heather O’Rourke as Carol Anne Freeling(from illness) and Dominique Dunne as Dana Freeling (murdered).

Eric’s own view of the film:

“It was pretty experimental for its time. The overall movie had such a pull for the viewers. It made me think about the darkness that might be out there, and the respect that you need to have for the dead. Don’t build anything over a graveyard to save on cash, cause you will not like what will happen.”

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At the just beginnings of the films’ popularity from over the summer and a subsequent Halloween release that first year, Dominique Dunne’s murder occured on November 4, 1982, the most publicized as the movie had just been out only five months in. Just with that, the first death alone added more for the film’s notoriety from its own popularity the first year and onward.

Original Film Release poster

All in all, Spielberg and  Hooper gave us a haunt classic that seats itself right next to other legends like THE EXORCIST in giving us the creeps on all things supernatural.

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Stay tuned for next week…when we salute thirty years of Spielberg’s more happier and wondrous side of film classics: another 1982 hit about a lovable alien being from far off who only wants to get home….E.T., THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL! (Note: It was a matter of fact released ONE WEEK after POLTERGEIST too!)  See you all then!

DocBBanner, 30 Years Of NEVER Heading Into The Light, Comic Book Therapy Salutes POLTERGEIST!

Branagh unfortunately will not be returning for Thor‘s next adventure and director Patty Jenkins was brought in to take over for him. MovieFone chatted with Branagh recently and amongst other things, the question of  why he left the project had to be made:

“It was simply timing. I loved doing the movie, I’d love to do another movie for Marvel, and it was just timing. The requirement for me was just to get back in the saddle so swiftly that it wasn’t really feasible, but it was a decision [Marvel] understood.”

When asked about Jenkins taking over for him:

“I, along with a lot of other people, are very excited about the appointment of Patty Jenkins. I think that’s a great choice to direct the movie. I know that Kevin Feige and all the people I worked very closely with, who were absolutely parts of the creation of that movie, are keen to produce a great second picture. So it was the right decision for me and for them and I am really looking forward to see how the second one develops.”

Thor 2 will hit theaters on November 15, 2013

wolverinept, Kenneth Branagh On Why He Is Not Directing Thor 2!