For a couple years now, there have been two rumors floating around concerning Zombieland, with the most logical being that a sequel was in the works, which is kind of has. Writers have been trying to come up with something, but it doesn’t look like anything will actually come of it. The second rumor is that a television series was being worked on for CBS and oddly enough, that’s the project that may be moving forward, as a casting call just went out.

According to I09, the call went out to cast the series main characters, which would carry over from the film. There are some minor spoilers ahead, so read on with caution. Below are some abbreviated descriptions for the characters, which also includes a couple of new characters. the series looks to delve into the back story of our four heroes.

Tallahassee is still kind of a snarky weirdo, but he seems to have a much less spiky relationship with Columbus. He and Columbus have a pretty amusing thing where they riff on the fact that Steven Seagal movies always have three-word titles like “Marked for Justice” or “May Cause Diarrhea.” But Tallahassee also dispenses homespun wisdom about how to feel happy with your life. He also tells a weird story about being in a trailer park with a perpetually nude Matthew McConaughey. He also has a somewhat heartwarming scene where he tells Columbus that he’s been wandering aimlessly for a long time, but maybe he’s been put here for a reason — to help Columbus and the others.

Columbus is much the same, except that he tracks down his grandma and grandpa (Bubbie and Peepaw) only to find them recently zombiefied. Also, Columbus is trying to deal with his new-found relationship with Wichita, after their first kiss. He has started calling her “Krista,” her real name — but there are some problems, especially after she finds him reading a book about fatherhood. He tries to organize a romantic scavenger hunt for her in the IKEA they’re camping out in, but it goes kind of horribly.

Wichita is still trying to look after Little Rock, trying to teach her math with problems about someone stealing from a liquor store and jumping on a train going 42 miles per hour, with a cop chasing in a car going 88 miles per hour. We also learn a lot more about Wichita’s backstory, including how she ran away from her father after he had her stealing people’s Christmas presents — and later, she found out she had a sister who was also being a grifter with her dad.

Little Rock seems actually kind of excited about meeting Columbus’ grandparents, before they turn out to be zombies. And she shares some of her own backstory, about how her dad parked her at a school while he went off grifting on his own — and then yanked her out of school right before a dance that she was looking forward to.

Fred and Ainsley are two office workers at the start of the zombie apocalypse, obliviously complaining about problems with their iPhones and getting the wrong order at Starbucks, which they admit are “first world problems” with a hashtag — while people are being disembowled just outside the window they’re not facing. Tallahassee shows up to bring them their lunch orders, wearing a green polo shirt.

As you can see, the writers plan to keep much of the same tone to the series that helped make the movie so enjoyable. Not unsurprisingly, they seem to be making the relationship between Columbus and Wichita the main focus, but also seem to be making a family out of the group. Not a terrible concept, especially considering they series will be a half-hour comedy. Things look promising!

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UPDATE! It’s been revealed by Broadcast that this series will actually end up streaming on Amazon, rather than be a traditional aired TV series, much like the resurgence of the cult favorite Arrested Development. No mention of time frame, but as with Netflix, it can be expected that Amazon won’t be restrained by the usual “seasons” as with traditional television series.

Josh "ecksmanfan" Johnson, Updated! Zombieland TV Series Begins Casting Process

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

We also have some details on characters who are very likely to show up in the game. The list includes: The Thing, Juggernaut, Sandman, Green Goblin in a OsCorp Tower level, and Magneto.

Traveller’s Tale took on the DC universe in Lego Batman 2: Dc Super Heroes, a result of the studio being purchased by Warner Bros. in 2007. Because WB owns DC and the gaming company, many thought a Lego Marvel videogame was all but impossible. The fact TT is working on a new Lego game featuring over 100 Marvel characters came as quite the surprise to fans and the game’s developers alike.  In a recent write-up in the newest issue of Game Informer, thanks to our friend Llama for some scans, the company talked on the new project and teased new details for the upcoming game.

Jonathan Smith, TT Games head of production, touched on the seemingly impossible task of WB making a Marvel game:

The experience we’ve had with massive media organizations is that they’re not entirely stocked by bad people. This may come as a shock to people on the internet, but it turns out that big media organizations are capable of making really good decisions with players’ best interests at heart.

The article reveals that the game will feature The Avengers as an important part of the game, but it will work in other characters, factions, and groups inside the Marvel universe. The game’s story will be written by Mark Hoffmeier. The writer is no stranger to big franchises having written some for Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Spider-Man: The Animated Series, and Marvel Super Hero Squad.  The story is still under wraps but it appears Loki will reach out to an unnamed villain to create a “bad-guy alliance to defeat the heroes who stand in their way.”

Two of the game’s most unique characters will be Spider-Man and Hulk. The city of New York will be destroyed in part and rebuilt by players, but gamers can cause destruction of their own with Hulk. The game developers had to work a lot of things around the green behemoth who will be a major focus of the game. Objects have to be destroyable and react to Hulk’s hyperstrength. While the Lego game will have the skillset characters of the previous game, Spider-Man seems to be in a class of his own. Instead of having isolated areas for web use like Batman’s grappling hook, the web slinger can use his webs to stick to any surface and swing wherever players want. Spider-Man’s webs can also be used to tie up bad guys and grab/pull objects. The trademark Spider sense is also in the game. According to one developer “Spider-Man is quite possibly the most difficult of the characters we’ve worked on, but he’s becoming the most satisfying from a design perspective.”

You can learn even more about the upcoming Marvel Lego game by picking up the newest issue of Game Informer. It sounds like this will be going well beyond the usually superhero Lego game fare. With the level of detail and free playing ability to Hulk and Spider-Man, it will be exciting to see what they bring for the other 100+ characters. What do you think? Will you be picking this game up?

Cody "The Thorverine" Ferrell, UPDATE: New Details For The Lego Marvel Super Heroes Game

Now that Smallville has come to an end on the youth-oriented CW network, execs have been scrambling to find a replacement for the hero oriented series. Earlier this year, the CW introduced Arrow, a gritty and darker take on the Green Arrow, who played a major role in Smallville, though the two series are not connected. With that series proving to be successful, the network is looking to add one more DC character in Wonder Woman.

The new series, which has yet to be green lit for a pilot is said to be centered on a younger Diana, currently being called Isis, before she becomes the famed hero. CW President Mark Pedowitz recently stated that Amazon would be  “an origination story in the sense that Smallville was an origination story.” take that for what it’s worth.

Casting for the series has been underway for a few weeks now, despite not having a pilot ordered. But the fact they are moving forward with casting shows they are fairly confident in the project. Today, STV have learned that Amy Manson is being eyed for the lead role in the series. Manson has had roles in several “geek” shows, including Torchwood, Being Human and Misfits.

I think most would agree that this series is fighting an uphill battle with fans of the character and casting will play a major part in whether this show is successful. Is Manson right for the role? Is she enough to keep this series from collapsing like the most recent failed attempt with Adrienne Palicki? Only time will tell.

Josh "ecksmanfan" Johnson, Torchwood’s Amy Manson Up for CW’s Amazon

Now, I understand this isn’t the most geeky thing to be highlighting, but when I’m not slaving away for the militant owner of this site, I’m slobbering and drooling over vehicles that I wish to someday own. Not to mention, some of these vehicles have graced the pages of our beloved comics in the past. As with many of the lists you’ll see me post, these are in no particular order. How do you put a level of awesomeness on these things, really?

A-Team G15 Van
1983 GMC Vandura
Van/Minibus
5.2 Liter V-8
When you think of a group of bad-asses, the A-Team should be at the top of your list. If it isn’t, please leave your man-card on the table as you escort yourself out of the building. This team, which consisted of H.M. Murdock, B.A. Baracas, Hannibal Smith and Templeton “Faceman” Peck, used this van for many things, anything from an every day vehicle to a battering ram to a  full-on assault vehicle. But no matter what, this beast made it through everything. The van was revived for Joe Carnahan’s film adaptation and fans couldn’t help but giggle a little bit when the van made its appearance.

Supernatural “Baby”
1967 Chevy Impala
Sedan
V8 427 4 Barrel
While my opinion of Supernatural  has changed over the years, one thing that remains the same is my love for this classic American car. This vehicle makes me happy in ways an inanimate object should. The sound of the metal doors creaking as they open and close, the rumble of the exhaust and the simplistic back paint, what’s not to love? At the end of season five, Chuck sums things up nicely by  calling the Impala “the most important object in the universe.” The classic rock soundtrack that is always present on the show never hurts either. This is a classic car for a pair of brothers that do what “Murica” does best: kick ass!

Starsky & Hutch Torino
1975-1976 Ford Gran Torino
Coupe
351 Windsor V-8 4 Barrel
The paint job is just as iconic as the car itself. When one sees this classic look on a car, only one show (or movie for the younger crowd) comes to mind: Starsky & Hutch. While the car may not have been the biggest and baddest muscle car ever made, you wouldn’t know by looking back at the series. Originally, a Chevy Camaro was to be the car of choice, as show creator William Blinn fondly remembered his convertible he owned. But being that the leasing program was through Ford, they opted for a Ford Gran Torino, which featured the famed 351 Windsor V8 engine and the now iconic red and white paint theme. The rest, as they say, is history. Talk about a good move!

Classic Batmobile
1955 Lincoln Futura Concept
Modified
351 V8
You didn’t think I’d make a list like this and not include this car, right? Despite it being over 50 years old, this car is still considered to be among the top Batman vehicles ever, movies, TV or comics; not to mention of any famous vehicles…ever. Hence its inclusion here. The car cost a whopping $125,000, which doesn’t sound like much for a fully custom vehicle, but if you factor in inflation, you’d be looking at a vehicle with a value of about $2 million today. Everything about this car is custom made, including the “bing bong” warning bell and the sender/receiver computer in the trunk.

Dukes of Hazzard General Lee
1969 Dodge Charger
Coupe
318, 383, & 440 CID V8 big block (Varied depending on use)
When I was a kid, nothing impressed me more than seeing Bo and Luke Duke racing to the General Lee, sliding across the hood and climbing through the window to head off on a back-country, high speed chase. I wanted to be a Duke more than anything. To this day, whenever I see an old Charger, I can’t help but smile. Fun fact: anywhere from 250 to 300 Dodge Chargers were used- and wrecked- during the taping of The Dukes of Hazzard. They often times would recycle parts to fix some of the cars up to reuse them. Even more cop cars were damaged during film. Sadly, whenever this car makes appearances now, the Confederate flag that is featured on the roof will no longer be used.

Green Hornet Black Beauty
1966 Chrysler Crown Imperial
Sedan
440-C.I. V8
You want to talk assault vehicle? The Chrysler Imperial that was used for Black Beauty not only had a drastically modified exterior, but the gizmos and weapons that were included make the Batmobile look like a Barbie Power Wheel. The car was able to launch rockets via tubes below the headlights, a concealed-when-not-in-use, drop-down knock-out gas nozzle in the center of the front grill, and the capabilities to launch a video surveillance device- or scanner- from a hidden compartment. Just to name a few things. The car featured a one-of-a-kind paint job that included 30 layers of black paint. For the 2011 remake, the car kept to the same concept, but upped the ante and was easily the highlight of the film.

Knight Rider KITT
1982 Pontiac Trans Am
Coupe
5.0L V8
Before David Hasselhoff was running around in little red shorts, he was behind the wheel of this super smart, ultra computerized Trans Am. KITT, which stands for Knight Industries Two Thousand), has literally dozens of high-tech upgrades: turbo boost, Etymotic Equalizer (he could hear), Olfactory Sensor (he could smell), Silent Mode, Oil Jets/Smoke Screen, Flame Thrower and Ultramagnesium Charges. That list could go on for some time, but I’ll hold off on the awesomeness. Take all that and drop it into one of the most iconic cars of the 80′s (it’s still quite popular among folks with a mullet and have a hankerin’ for pork rinds) and you have yourself a pretty bad-ass whip.

Magnum, PI Ferrari
1977 Ferrari 308 GTS
Targa Coupe
2.9 L FI V8
When you mention the classic series Magnum, PI, most people will remember Tom Selleck’s luscious push-broom mustache or his ridiculously short shorts. But not me. What I remember most is that bright red, targa-topped Ferrari 308, a car that some enthusiasts to be among the most beautiful cars that the Italian automaker has ever produced. I couldn’t agree more. This care was able to bring down the fastest of getaway cars and looked damn good doing it. This thing is about 14 levels of pure awesomeness.

I have to list a few honorable mentions, as they are just too cool to leave off, so I have to at least give them a bit of love:
19986 Ferrari Testarossas from Miami Vice
1976 Austin Mini from Mr. Bean
1980 GMC Pick-up from The Fall Guy
Th Munster Koach from The Munsters
The Mystery Machine from Scooby Doo

What are your favorite cars from television? I know there are some that I missed, but the important ones are here and I’d be more than happy to take anyone of these home. Now if I only had someone to buy them for me…

Josh "ecksmanfan" Johnson, Top 8 Vehicles of Television

Ruby’s thirteen. She sells newspapers for pennies. And she’s got The Green Hornet’s gun. Will Hornet and Kato find Ruby before the mob does…or can THE GREEN GUN GIRL save herself? The original Green Hornet in a super special tale from writer Nate Cosby (Cow Boy)!

The Green Hornet Year One Special is written by Nate Crosby and illustrated by Edu Menna. Marcelo Pinto handles colors while Marshall Dillon provides letters. This special features a story within a story, and the old style comic sequences are done by Evan Shaner. So is the Green Hornet Special really special or are you left feeling stung?

The story is a Green Hornet tale told through the perspective of a young girl named Ruby. Ruby is a thirteen year old who hocks newspapers on the street corners. The news isn’t great, but everyone wants to read what The Green Hornet is up to. The masked menace captivates the young and old alike with his exploits plastered on the front page of the Daily Sentinel. Ruby’s mind tends to wander as she imagines herself as a young sidekick of sorts to Hornet and Kato. While selling papers or sneaking into the home of her alcoholic father, Ruby fantasizes about a particular episode where only she can save the Hornet from the circus thug. When Ruby’s fantasy world comes into existence as Hornet and Kato try to stop thugs on her street, can Ruby be as cool and collected as she is in her dreams?

Crosby crafts a great and touching story. Having a young dreamer cross paths with their hero isn’t a new story, but the way Crosby weaves the imagined with the real keeps it fresh and interesting. There’s enough character development with Ruby and her world to keep the reader entertained while they wait for the inevitable appearance of The Green Hornet. Menna does an apt job with the comic. At times the art looks and feels a little rough, but the street level scenes come off really well. The old comic strip style of Ruby’s fantasies are handled brilliantly by Shaner. It looks like it was lifted straight form an old comic serial.  The way the page and words fade into the old style strip is fantastic.

Bottom Line: The Green Hornet Year One Special is truly that, special. With a touching story by Crosby and astounding old comic serial images, this book is one for Green Hornet fans new and old. With a different take on the dreamer meeting the hero angle, the script and art make something really fresh. Check this one out 4/5

Cody "The Thorverine" Ferrell, Review: Green Hornet: Year One Special

• It’s off to Jotunheim, the land of the Frost Giants as Bruce Banner and his lab team embark on an all-new secret mission for S.H.I.E.L.D! Caught trespassing by the local natives, they’re going to need the help of the mighty Avenger, Thor!

Waid is excited to get Simonson on the book and having the legendary artist draw Thor again. While Thor will be showing up, the question should be which Thor is showing up? Waid makes an interesting  statement about the Thor we’ll be seeing:

Why on Earth would you have the amazing Walt Simonson aboard and NOT ask him to draw Thor? The teasing question is–which Thor will we be seeing? Banner and his team of assistants build a portal to Jotunheim, land of the Frost Giants, in order to obtain a rare metal there–but in doing so, they may have accomplished something totally unforeseen!

While we’ll have to wait and see exactly what Waid means, Simonson touched on revisiting the world of Thor and how he goes about tackling the Hulk:

It’s been interesting drawing Thor and not writing him. (laughs) I like what Mark’s been asking me to draw a lot, and he has kindly allowed me to kibitz a little. My earliest work on Thor was done pretty much the same way when I did layouts for Len Wein to write on the Thor title in the 70s. I also got to draw Thor in some of the Brian Bendis Avengers recently. I’ve found it’s been a lot of fun for me to go back and revisit the old boy again.

Regarding the drawing the Hulk and Thor, there’s an essential difference in their natures I try to reflect in the figure work.
I’ve approached drawing the Hulk with a certain ‘wildness’, since he is essentially a ‘monster’ who is the unfettered version of a mortal. The shapes that make up his figure as well as the actual lines used to define those shapes can be far less restrained that they might otherwise be for a more ordinary character. In other words, the drawing technique itself is meant to suggest the limitless quality of the Hulk’s fury and power. And because of his ‘monstrous’ nature, the Hulk’s figure and face don’t require the kind of symmetry that a character like Thor needs in order to be handsome within the context of the comic. I’m also inspired by the earliest versions of the Hulk by Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko where there seems to me to have been a nod to the Karloff Frankenstein monster of the early Universal horror films. All of which means I can pack a lot into my drawings to try to capture some reflection of the Hulk’s wild nature.

If you want to check out the full interview with Waid and Simonson click here. It will be exciting to see Simonson taking on Thor again. The artist did some incredibly work with the thunder god back in the day, so having him return to draw again mixed in with it being a Hulk book makes this a must get. What do you think about Simonson’s return? From what Mark Waid said do you think we’ll get a big twist with the Thor story?

Cody "The Thorverine" Ferrell, Waid And Simonson Talk Indestructible Hulk

 Newsarama has the exclusive preview of Green Lantern New Guardians #1 by Tony Bedard and Tyler Kirkham and Batt.

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GREEN LANTERN: NEW GUARDIANS #1
Written by TONY BEDARD
Art and cover by TYLER KIRKHAM and BATT
Kyle Rayner has assembled the most powerful team in all the universe, selected from the full spectrum of corps. But can he even keep this volatile group together?
32pg. Color
$2.99 US
On Sale September 28, 2011

Comic Book Therapy, Dc Comics Preview: GREEN LANTERN: NEW GUARDIANS #1