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The 20 films in contention for the vfx Oscar have been announced.

The post Academy Reveals Contenders in VFX Category, Including ‘Rogue: One,’ ‘Jungle Book,’ and ‘Kubo’ appeared first on Cartoon Brew.

Also take a look at the latest set of covers featuring the cast

Say what you will about the MCU vs the DCEU, Warner BRos. is killing it with the art direction. Suicide Squad, in particular has had a fresh, striking ad campaign that really positions the film as something new and differen. That look continues with these two covers for the French movie magazine CINEMA TEASER. The […]

The Task Force X, also known as the Suicide Squad, first appeared in a DC Entertainment comic book called The Brave and The Bold written by Robert Kanigher (The Metal Men) and drawn by Ross Andru (The Amazing Spider-Man) in 1959. A revamped version debuted again in Legends #3 and spun off into an ongoing comic book […]

DC debuted a new trailer for August’s Suicide Squad film on their Promo special tonight and set it to “Bohemian Rhapsody” because everything goes better with Queen. This looks dark and a little wacky.  What say you, fans?     

DC’s Free Comic Book Day books have just been annoucned and they are pretty crafty: DC SUper HEro Girls and Suicide Squad. The former hits the target demo that DC is seeking to build up (kids, girls) and has strong licensing partner support; Suicide Squad should get more mainstream recognition with the movie coming out […]

We're going to get hurt really, really badly on January 19th.

Get a look at what will be gracing bookstore magazine shelves this December

With a huge frown on their collective entity’s face and a couple of stiletto-wearing foot stomps to boot, Warner Bros. has released an official copy of the Suicide Squad sizzle reel that leaked after being shown at a panel during SDCC.  The trailer comes with a statement:

“Warner Bros. Pictures and our anti-piracy team have worked tirelessly over the last 48 hours to contain the Suicide Squad footage that was pirated from Hall H on Saturday. We have been unable to achieve that goal. Today we will release the same footage that has been illegally circulating on the web, in the form it was created and high quality with which it was intended to be enjoyed. We regret this decision as it was our intention to keep the footage as a unique experience for the Comic Con crowd, but we cannot continue to allow the film to be represented by the poor quality of the pirated footage stolen from our presentation.”
– Sue Kroll, President Worldwide Marketing and International Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures

Deadline and a few other outlets have speculated that the leak of Suicide Squad and Deadpool footage meant exclusively for SDCC attendees could mean the end of the media practice.  Deadline characterizes this type of footage as a “gift,” and it is.  However, the reality of the internet is that information can be disseminated far and wide at increasingly rapid speeds.  There’s no way to stop this sort of thing from happening in the future, and not showing any promotional material at all seems like an emotionally driven reaction that ultimately hurts all parties, movie studios like Warner Bros. included.

It doesn’t make sense for companies to fight the future.  There’s plenty of room for innovation left in the internet.  Corporations simply need to embrace that.

Today, Warner Bros. filled SDCC’s main stage to capacity.  This is the convention capstone moment everyone has been waiting for.  Prior to the con, Marvel more or less waved the white flag preemptively, choosing to let DC’s film slate have its moment in the sun.  It was an apt decision, considering what’s transpired…

We’re currently updating this article as news comes in.  For up to the minute coverage, check out Heidi’s live-tweets.

As a lead-in to the DC Comics announcements, Zack Snyder said:

There’s a whole DC universe ready to be explored.

Green Lantern Corps Movie

It looks like the Ryan Renolds debacle couldn’t hold DC back for long.  The company just announced a brand new Green Lantern film, entitled Green Lantern Corps.  In lieu of focusing on one lantern, the title will feature a full team of guardians instead.

Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice

We got our first live look at Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman in a new footage reel.  This new trailer continues to characterize Superman as an alien menace.

Ben Affleck spoke at length about his journey to become Batman.  When Snyder approached Affleck with the role, Snyder told Affleck he’d be “perfect” for a “burnt out” Batman role.  In addition, Affleck met former Batman Christian Bale at some point.  The Nolan-era star gave Affleck a piece of advice:

“Make sure you can piss in the suit.”

I’m not 100% up to speed on canonical DC comics geography, but apparently workers commute between Gotham and Metropolis by ferry in Dawn of Justice.  It’s a 100% guarantee that terrible things are going to happen to those ferries.

Jesse Eisenberg‘s Lex Luthor is being characterized as the film’s wild card.  This movie is starting to give off Kingdom Come vibes in addition to the obvious TDKR influence.

“Black and blue. God vs man. Day vs night. The red capes are coming…”- Lex Luthor, from the trailer

Renowned actor Holly Hunter, who notably voiced Helen Parr in The Incredibles, will play a U.S. senator.  She’s shown having a conversation with Lex.

Suicide Squad

DC dropped a full trailer for the film at the panel.  We got our first live look at Jared Leto’s Joker and his vocal affectations.

“Oh I’m not gonna kill ya. I’m gonna hurt ya. Really, really badly”

Apparently, Will Smith also hugs a kid.

We already knew that Warner Bros. had a big presentation lined up for Saturday mid-morning at SDCC, and outside of the Star Wars showstopper on Friday, it’s the other “biggest ticket” of the weekend.

It was safe to assume that Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was going to be the center-piece of that showcase, and no offense to Joe Wright, who is a fine director, but the amount of people that will show up for Pan is significantly less is my guess.

Yesterday afternoon Warner Bros. clarified just what films would comprise their Hall H panel, here’s the full press release below:

WARNER BROS. PICTURES REVEALS SUPERLATIVE LINE-UP

FOR THIS YEAR’S COMIC-CON

The Studio gets set to hit Hall H with Fan Favorites and a few surprises.

BURBANK, CA, July 1, 2015 – Warner Bros. Pictures continues its tradition of delivering its most anticipated tentpole properties and their biggest stars to Comic-Con International: San Diego with this year’s Hall H presentation.

On Saturday, July 11, beginning at 10:30 a.m., Warner Bros. will showcase several of its upcoming feature releases and offer up a surprise or two as well.

Keen to deliver a taste of one of next year’s most eagerly awaited pairings, director Zack Snyder and stars Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill take the main stage with “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.” They are joined by castmates Amy Adams, Jesse Eisenberg, Jeremy Irons, Holly Hunter and Gal Gadot for a sneak peek at the 2016 action adventure that brings the Super Heroes together on the big screen for the very first time, from Warner Bros. Pictures and RatPac-Dune Entertainment.

From “Pan,” Hugh Jackman, Garrett Hedlund and Peter himself, Levi Miller, together with director Joe Wright, soar into town with their high-flying adventure, coming to theaters this fall from Warner Bros. Pictures and RatPac-Dune Entertainment.

And Cavill once again takes the stage, this time with Armie Hammer, a duo with a very different dynamic in this summer’s fresh, über-stylish actioner from filmmaker Guy Ritchie, “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.,” along with fellow stars Alicia Vikander and Elizabeth Debicki.

Sue Kroll, President, Worldwide Marketing and International Distribution, stated, “Comic-Con provides us a fantastic opportunity to interact with the fans and this year, as with every year, our aim is to surpass their expectations. We’re also thrilled to give our filmmakers and talent a chance to experience the unique energy and enthusiasm of Comic-Con.”

With “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,” “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.” and “Pan” headlining the bill, Warner Bros. will also present some unexpected offerings that are sure to delight the crowd.

About “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice”

Fearing the actions of a god-like Super Hero left unchecked, Gotham City’s own formidable, forceful vigilante takes on Metropolis’s most revered, modern-day savior, while the world wrestles with what sort of hero it really needs.  And with Batman and Superman at war with one another, a new threat quickly arises, putting mankind in greater danger than it’s ever known before. Directed by Zack Snyder, the film stars Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Jesse Eisenberg, Diane Lane, Laurence Fishburne, Jeremy Irons, Holly Hunter and Gal Gadot. Snyder directed from a screenplay written by Chris Terrio and David S. Goyer, based on characters from DC Comics, including Batman, created by Bob Kane, and Superman, created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The film is produced by Charles Roven and Deborah Snyder, with Wesley Coller, Geoff Johns and David S. Goyer serving as executive producers. Warner Bros. Pictures presents, an Atlas Entertainment/Cruel and Unusual production, a Zack Snyder film, “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.” The film opens nationwide in 3D and 2D and in select IMAX theaters on March 25, 2016, and will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

About “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.”

Henry Cavill stars as Napoleon Solo opposite Armie Hammer as Illya Kuryakin in director Guy Ritchie’s action adventure “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.,” a fresh take on the hugely popular 1960s television series. Set against the backdrop of the early 1960s, at the height of the Cold War, the film centers on CIA agent Solo and KGB agent Kuryakin.  Forced to put aside longstanding hostilities, the two team up on a joint mission to stop a mysterious international criminal organization, which is bent on destabilizing the fragile balance of power through the proliferation of nuclear weapons and technology.  The film also stars Alicia Vikander, Elizabeth Debicki, with Jared Harris, and Hugh Grant. The screenplay was written by Guy Ritchie & Lionel Wigram, story by Jeff Kleeman & David Campbell Wilson and Guy Ritchie and Lionel Wigram, based on the TV series “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.” John Davis, Steve Clark-Hall, Wigram and Ritchie produced the film, with David Dobkin executive producing. Warner Bros. Pictures presents, a Ritchie/Wigram production, a Davis Entertainment production, a Guy Ritchie film, “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.” It will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company. The film opens nationwide in theaters and IMAX on August 14, 2015.

About Pan

From director Joe Wright (“Atonement,” “Pride & Prejudice”) comes “Pan,” a live-action feature presenting a wholly original adventure about the beginnings of the beloved characters created by J.M. Barrie. Peter is a mischievous 12-year-old boy with an irrepressible rebellious streak, but in the bleak London orphanage where he has lived his whole life those qualities do not exactly fly. Then one incredible night, Peter is whisked away from the orphanage and spirited off to a fantastical world of pirates, warriors and fairies called Neverland. There, he finds amazing adventures and fights life-or-death battles while trying to uncover the secret of his mother, who left him at the orphanage so long ago, and his rightful place in this magical land. Teamed with the warrior Tiger Lily and a new friend named James Hook, Peter must defeat the ruthless pirate Blackbeard to save Neverland and discover his true destiny—to become the hero who will forever be known as Peter Pan. The film stars Hugh Jackman as Blackbeard; Garrett Hedlund as James Hook; Rooney Mara as Tiger Lily; newcomer Levi Miller as Peter; and Amanda Seyfried as Mary. Wright directed “Pan” from a screenplay written by Jason Fuchs. Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter and Paul Webster produced the film, with Tim Lewis serving as executive producer. Warner Bros. Pictures Presents, in Association with RatPac-Dune Entertainment, a Berlanti Production, a Joe Wright film, “Pan.” The film is set for a worldwide release in 3D and 2D on October 9, 2015. It will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

The Wrap is reporting that cast from Suicide Squad are expected to appear as well. So, at the very least, we’ll be getting two DC films focused on. My guess is, we end up getting a full trailer for Batman v Superman (that hopefully will end up online in short order) and a teaser for Suicide Squad.

In truth though, this is the bare minimum that Warners needs to meet. Hopefully those Green Lantern and Justice League cast gathering rumors end up being true though. This is the studio’s time to shine, especially with Marvel Studios having completely tapped out from the show altogether.

UPDATE: EW just posted a ton of images from their upcoming Batman v Superman featured issue:

Tweeted out by director David Ayer this evening, here’s your full cast photo of the Suicide Squad (in costume)…

From the photo, you have your first glimpse of Margot Robbie‘s Harley Quinn, Will Smith‘s Deadshot, Karen Fukuhara‘s Katana (there’s a surprise development!), Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje‘s Killer Croc, Jai Courtney‘s Captain Boomerang, Joel Kinnaman‘s Rick Flagg and more that we haven’t gotten confirmation on.

Hit me with your thoughts!

Suicide Squad releases on August 5, 2016.

For weeks and weeks, we kept getting teases about Jared Leto‘s hair, his voice, and any other scrap of information that the internet could pull together about what his Joker looks like in David Ayer‘s upcoming Suicide Squad.

The wait is over folks, as Ayer has tweeted out the first official Joker photo in honor of the Joker’s 75th anniversary:

Not sure how I feel about the grille, and some of the tattoos (though they line up pretty well with the rumors that this Joker would look a bit like Jim Lee‘s from All Star Batman and Robin), but there’s something really unsettling about Leto’s appearance here…dare I say, it captures the kind of manic energy I was hoping we’d see in our next on-screen Joker. I’m rather creeped out looking at him, and that may be just the desired effect that Ayer and his team are going for.

Also, while I know that’s a riff on the whole “tear on the face” prison tattoo bit he has going on there…is that maybe a “J” for Jason Todd? Possibly a stretch, but we did apparently see a Robin costume in that Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice trailer.

I’m sure this totally won’t dominate the weekend at all.

It’s time to hop in the “Way Way Back Machine”, all the way to 2007 when Mad Max mastermind George Miller had lined up his cast for Warner Bros’ first attempt at a big screen interpretation of the Justice League. Entitled Justice League: Mortal, Miller’s film would have seen new versions of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Martian Manhunter, The Flash, and Green Lantern team up to take on Max Lord. The important part of the tale: in the role of Green Lantern was Hip Hop Artist Common, who at the time only had one film and a few television appearances to his credit.

Justice League: Mortal died on the vine after entering pre-production, being tabled due to shooting location tax issues and poor buzz surrounding the script. Once The Dark Knight happened, it was all basically forgotten anyway.

Common went on to become an Oscar winning songwriter and appear in a number of films since, as well as having a starring role in the AMC drama Hell on Wheels. But, as Henry Cavill learned when he was cast as Superman after losing out on the role the first time to Brandon Routh, if a studio is hot on you, there’s always a chance they’ll find another spot.

Thusly, THR is reporting that Common has been cast in Suicide Squad in an undisclosed role. Production has already begun on the picture in Toronto, and the cast had their initial table read of the script already, so it’s possible that his role is not a particularly large one (for this film anyway) or the script is being rewritten to accommodate him. Who really knows? Bronze Tiger has been the popular guess among the superhero movie beat, but that seems like too easy a guess.

Perhaps John Stewart is making a pre-Justice League appearance? Wouldn’t that be funny?

Suicide Squad opens on August 5, 2016. Common is repped by CAA and Myman Greenspan.

After David Ayer tweeted out the big Suicide Squad cast read-through photo last night, the question on many fans’ minds was: “Where’s Jared Leto?”

The obvious answer is, as “paul” pointed out in the comments section: he’s probably just on tour.

But nonetheless, it looks like Ayer heard you loud and clear as he shared a pretty amazing response:

#WhereIsJared#SuicideSquadpic.twitter.com/D5tMnMGBop

— David Ayer (@DavidAyerMovies) April 10, 2015

In the above picture, you’ll see Leto with his green Joker hair emulating the classic Brian Bolland cover that’s haunted me since I was 5 (though he got it backwards, points for the effort!):

Let’s just pretend he was the guy that took the first picture.

Suicide Squad opens on August 5, 2016.

Cute, right?

David Ayer posted this picture on his Twitter today as the cast gathered for their first read-through of the Suicide Squad script.

Let’s see if I can name them all:

From L to R:

Director David Ayer

Will Smith as Deadshot

Joel Kinnaman as Col. Rick Flagg

Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje as Killer Croc

Jay Hernandez (looking rather hairless) rumored to be El Diablo

Karen Fukuhara rumored to be Plastique

Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn

Jai Courtney as Captain Boomerang

Cara Delevingne as The Enchantress

Viola Davis as Amanda Waller

Adam Beach

Jim Parrack

Ike Barinholtz

A big thanks to Spencer Perry over at SuperheroHype for helping me identify that trio on the end. Their involvement in the film is news to me at least, and likely to a lot of people. I remember quite liking Parrack on True Blood, and I’ll be interested to see who he’s playing especially.

Jared Leto, who is playing the Joker, is conspicuously absent in this shot.

Suicide Squad releases on August 5, 2016.

UPDATE: Umberto at Latino Review is now reporting that Beach is rumored to be Ravan, Parrack is playing Deathstroke, and Barinholtz will be Dr. Hugo Strange.

We have our first Marvel to DC movie defector since James Marsden did it back in 2006 for Superman Returns.

Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, who appeared in dual-roles in Thor: The Dark World (as Algrim the Strong and Kurse) is heading over to the DC side of the school yard, as he’s set play Killer Croc in Suicide Squad per The Wrap.

First appearing in 1983’s Batman #357 and created by Gerry Conway and Don Newton, this will be the first live-action incarnation of one of Batman’s occasionally more terrifying rogues, though he’s been a mainstay of Batman-related animation in pretty humorous situations, including this fan-favorite sequence:

There’s no indication thus far as to what size his role will be, or whether he’ll be a part of the Squad. It’s possible that Killer Croc might be taking over the role that many had assumed would be filled in by King Shark, based on previous script drafts.

David Ayer’s film also added Karen Fukuhara and Scott Eastwood to the cast. According to Latino Review, Fukuhara may be playing Plastique, while Eastwood will be stepping into the role of long-time Wonder Woman love interest Steve Trevor.

They also report that Suicide Squad will take place between the events of Man of Steel and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.

Next year is a big, big year for DC fans, here’s hoping these two big gambles pay off.

We’re in the homestretch for the weekend, and after a pretty eventful day in the comics world, let’s take a look at a few headlines being discussed on the Entertainment side of things:

– AMC’s Preacher has acquired its first cast member and it is someone not wholly unfamiliar to the comic book world. Ruth Negga, who plays Raina on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., has joined the new series as Tulip. For those unfamiliar with Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon‘s much loved Vertigo series, Tulip is one of two compatriots of Jesse Custer, a man who merges with an escaped creature from heaven and goes on a quest to find God.

Here’s how Tulip is described by Deadline:

a volatile, action-packed, sexified force of nature, a capable, unrepentant criminal with a love of fashion and ability to construct helicopter-downing bazookas out of coffee cans and corn shine who’s not afraid to steal, kill or corn cob-stab her way out of a bad situation.

The pilot for Preacher is written by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, and the series will be showrun by Sam Catlin (a writer for Breaking Bad). The indication with Negga’s casting means she will likely be written out of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., which is a shame given she’s one of the few highlights of that series.

– Another day, another interesting Latino Review rumor; this time they report that Watchmen actor Jackie Earle Haley‘s name is being tossed around Suicide Squad for the role of The Thinker. While they say to take this one with a grain of salt, more interesting to me is the fact that The Thinker is in the film. Based on comics history, the character will likely be one of the film’s antagonists.

– Were you keeping your fingers crossed for a possible Dredd sequel? Well, you can loosen those digits up a bit, as Alex Garland, the screenwriter for Dredd, has stated that it’s pretty unlikely to happen in an interview with Collider:

GARLAND: And I also feel a sense of responsibility because I know there are these people who do this stuff like they’ve got money and they spend money on a DVD to try and up the chance of a sequel getting made. Because I don’t have an online profile or persona or anything like that I can’t speak to these people directly, but what I want to say is that’s so good of you, and thank you, but keep your money because the people who make the decisions don’t get moved by that kind of thing. They’re moved by other stuff, other equations, other algorithms…How can I say this without being soppy? It’s touching. It means something that these people support the film in that way, but the thing people want, which is a sequel, I don’t think is going to happen. I think it will happen (let me rephrase that) I don’t think it’s happening with me and the people who made the last one.

It’s worth noting that Garland’s directorial debut, Ex Machina, is getting great reviews from the UK crowd where it has been screening. Hopefully that reaction will carry over here stateside. It’s easily one of my most anticipated movies of the year.

It was a slow news weekend on the entertainment front these past few days, but here are the the headlines that grabbed my attention in the past 48 hours:

– Both of the casts and creative teams for The Flash and Arrow were on hand at PaleyFest over the weekend. Nothing really earth shattering was announced, but there were a few teases that might excite fans, particularly for The Flash. According to TVLine, Greg Berlanti has hopes that they’ll tackle Wally West or Bart Allen, though no sooner than Season 2. They also hinted that the series will be adapting a major Flash comics storyline soon. Flashpoint, Crisis on Infinite Earths, or a meld of the two seem the obvious answers there, but who knows?

– James O’Barr‘s The Crow is getting another shot at the big screen, directed by Corin Hardy, and according to O’Barr, the film has already found its lead (per Dread Central):

O’Barr said that “Jack Huston has definitely been cast,” that he was “really happy with that choice,” and that the film “will shoot in a couple of months.” He also said the film will essentially be a straight adaptation of his original graphic novel, which differs quite a bit from the (still awesome) 1994 Brandon Lee vehicle.

Jack Huston is a fan favorite from Boardwalk Empire, so this makes for a fairly compelling choice. Whether or not the world needs another Crow film…I’ll leave that up to your discretion.

- The folks over at Latino Review have really been nailing the Suicide Squad news over the past week, dropping some choice tidbits about Jared Leto‘s Joker before the weekend hit. Now they have a few details regarding Batman’s appearance in the David Ayer directed ensemble picture:

According to sources, in the film Batman is some sort of big boogeyman that the government REALLY hates. Get this, prior to the events in #BatmanvSuperman, THE JOKER is the only one to really ever meet him or know him and that’s why he’s so important to Amanda Waller. They have footage of Batman in action which they watch. There is a bit of dialogue where they say Batman is the key to tracking down all “the supers.” Very cool stuff.

- I never find myself terribly excited about Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. for a number of reasons that have been covered by enough people, but it was pointed out to me this morning by Hannah that in the most recently released episode synopsis, Lucy Lawless‘ Isabelle Hartley is coming back:

“One Door Closes” – War comes to Coulson’s doorstep in a way he never anticipated as shocking revelations are brought to light, and Skye struggles to control her new abilities but will soon make a decision that irrevocably changes her life, on “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,” Tuesday, March 31 (9:00-10:00 PM, ET) on the ABC Television Network.

“Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” stars Clark Gregg as Director Phil Coulson, Ming-Na Wen as Agent Melinda May, Brett Dalton as Grant Ward, Chloe Bennet as Agent Skye, Iain De Caestecker as Agent Leo Fitz, Elizabeth Henstridge as Agent Jemma Simmons, Nick Blood as Lance Hunter and Adrianne Palicki as Bobbi Morse.

Guest starring are Henry Simmons as Alphonso “Mack” Mackenzie, Lucy Lawless as Isabelle Hartley, Edward James Olmos as Robert Gonzales, Jamie Harris as Gordon, Christine Adams as Agent Weaver, Kirk Acevedo as Agent Calderon, Cornelius Smith, Jr. as Case, Sai Rao as Susanna, Mackenzie Astin as Tim Maguire and Rick Otto as lead Hydra agent.

So, in other words, the pattern of no one ever actually staying dead in the Marvel Cinematic Universe continues, then again, I guess that’s pretty true to the comics.

Happiest of Fridays everyone! I just got back from a big lobbying trip in D.C. for a cause I’m pretty passionate about, so I’ve been a little off the radar this week. Let’s get back into the swing of things:

– iZombie‘s premiere is next week, and while its delays have left me feeling a little nervous about the potential end product, involving Mike Allred in any capacity is a nice way to salve that wound. He’s been tasked with designing the opening credits, and they’re lovely as anything he touches usually is:

– Latino Review is reporting that former True Blood star and one-time Flash Thompson actor Joe Manganiello is the front-runner to play Deathstroke in David Ayer‘s Suicide Squad. According to their sources, he’ll be the hired gun of the film’s primary antagonist, ONSLAUGHT. Manganiello has long been on WB’s radar, having come in second to Henry Cavill for the role of Superman.

He also kind of reminds me of Manu Bennett, who plays Deathstroke on Arrow, but maybe I need to get my eyes checked.

– Dominic Cooper, who famously plays the younger version of Howard Stark in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, may be wading into the comic book waters again; this time he’s being considered for the role of Jesse Custer in AMC’s upcoming Preacher pilot, via a rumor published by The Tracking Board. Much to a few of my friends’ dismay, I’ve never read Preacher, so I’ll let you decide if Cooper would be a good fit or not.

– After yesterday’s Star Wars announcement, we’re already starting to see some schedule shuffling. The first of which being the already announced sequel to Fantastic Four is moving back a week. Fantastic Four 2 will now open on June 9, 2017 (from its original June 2nd, 2017 date). Whether the movie actually happens or not still depends on the success of this year’s first installment. On that note, here are some new images from Total Film (via GamesRadar) that showcase the team’s new costumes, with nary a 4 in sight.

– Lastly, per Disney-Pixar’s Twitter, Josh Cooley, the story head for the upcoming Inside Out, has been announced as the co-director for Toy Story 4. He’ll be working with John Lasseter in the role. For this one, my interest is mostly piqued by Rashida Jones co-writing the script with Will McCormack.

It’s been a slow news day today, post Age of Ultron trailer, but I did go see Chappie last night (it’s terrible, I suddenly fear for the Alien franchise). Here’s your quick round-up of today’s entertainment-related news:

– Per Latino Review, Jared Leto‘s hairstylist Chase Kusero just posted a picture on Instagram of a “work in progress” look at Jared Leto’s Joker hair as it will appear in Suicide Squad. From that back-shot, it looks very Greg Capullo-esque:

The end of an era

A photo posted by @chasehair on Mar 5, 2015 at 1:04pm PST

– As we’re on the verge of Avengers: Age of Ultron debuting, in just under two months, it should be no surprise that theaters are planning big Marvel movie marathons. But it’s not just Phase 2 they’re showing, no sir/ma’am, it’s the entire Marvel oeuvre to this point. Starting April 29th at 6 pm and ending just before 10 pm or so the next day, select AMC and Regal theaters across the country will be showing all 11 Marvel Studios films in their order of release.

Here’s the full schedule:

6:00 p.m. – Iron Man
8:25 p.m. – The Incredible Hulk
10:35 p.m. – Iron Man 2
1:00 a.m. – Thor
3:10 a.m.  – Captain America: The First Avenger
5:30 a.m. – The Avengers
8:48 a.m. – Iron Man 3
11:15 a.m. – Thor: The Dark World
1:45 p.m. – Captain America: The Winter Soldier
4:20 p.m. – Guardians of the Galaxy
7:00 p.m.– Avengers: Age of Ultron

As you can see, you can take a nap during Iron Man 2, and maybe run out for IHOP around the showings of Iron Man 3 or Thor: The Dark World. Otherwise though, there’s no breaks built in and you better make good use of that unlimited refill on the popcorn and sodas!

Those who are feeling a little more time crunched can instead opt for Cinemark‘s Avengers double bill. I remember I tried to do something like this once with The Lord of the Rings movies right before The Return of the King came out. By the time I got to the third film, I was ready to see Frodo tossed into Mount Doom. But more power to anybody that gives this one a go!

– Variety spoke with WB’s CEO Kevin Tsujihara for a piece about the possibility of audiences facing superhero fatigue, an assertion that he dismissed. Yet, the quote that fans are zeroing in on specifically is one that posits WB’s upcoming DC-based superhero slate against the meteorically successful Marvel one:

“The worlds of DC are very different,” he said. “They’re steeped in realism, and they’re a little bit edgier than Marvel’s movies.”

“Edgier” is a word I wish he hadn’t used, as that brings to mind many of the major criticisms that detractors struck Man of Steel with: that it was film too grim for its own good, among many other complaints. Whether that will prove true for the upcoming offerings in 2016 remains to be seen. Where I feel like WB should set the DC films apart from Marvel is by making them more auteur-driven, rather than forcing an overall edict of realism onto Aquaman and Shazam!. The one big Achilles’ heel that Marvel has is that they’re a bit “samey” in their approach, in that every film has to fit the same tone, plot beats, and has to uphold the on-going universe above all else. There’s no real room for a director to really lay his stamp onto the characters the way Tim Burton and Christopher Nolan did for Batman and Sam Raimi did for Spider-Man (the good ones anyway, whichever those are, I’ll leave to your discretion). But, I can’t think of anything less appealing than a cinematic universe that operates just like Marvel but in the same gray sludgey tones as Man of Steel. For all its faults, the MCU at least has some great color throughout and is a good deal of fun to watch on the biggest screen possible. I’ll keep my fingers crossed that I’ll be pleasantly surprised come next year.

– After Marvel’s early Age of Ultron trailer release, today they let loose with a few short behind the scenes videos with Cineplex featuring Joss Whedon and Jeremy Renner while in the midst of filming:

-Last but not least and just in case it slipped your mind; on March 17th, the same day The Flash returns to CW, iZombie will be debuting just after, here’s a trailer for the upcoming adaptation by Rob Thomas (Veronica Mars) of Chris Roberson and Mike Allred‘s Vertigo comic:

There’s snow on the ground here in Atlanta, and I can’t wait for Spring to finally arrive. Seriously.

Here are the big updates for this morning:

– This is not a big surprise, given that probably every actor that signs up for a superhero film these days has a multi-picture contract, but Suicide Squad star Margot Robbie has confirmed that she has one too. Get used to seeing lots of Harley Quinn in future DC movies, provide all goes well for the studio.

– Making the rounds yesterday was James Gunn‘s Facebook post regarding the awards-season/Birdman-birthed narrative that superhero movies are the death-knell of creativity in Hollywood, it’s pretty wonderful:

Whatever the case, the truth is, popular fare in any medium has always been snubbed by the self-appointed elite. I’ve already won more awards than I ever expected for Guardians. What bothers me slightly is that many people assume because you make big films that you put less love, care, and thought into them then people do who make independent films or who make what are considered more serious Hollywood films.

I’ve made B-movies, independent films, children’s movies, horror films, and gigantic spectacles. I find there are plenty of people everywhere making movies for a buck or to feed their own vanity. And then there are people who do what they do because they love story-telling, they love cinema, and they want to add back to the world some of the same magic they’ve taken from the works of others. In all honesty, I do no find a strikingly different percentage of those with integrity and those without working within any of these fields of film.

If you think people who make superhero movies are dumb, come out and say we’re dumb. But if you, as an independent filmmaker or a “serious” filmmaker, think you put more love into your characters than the Russo Brothers do Captain America, or Joss Whedon does the Hulk, or I do a talking raccoon, you are simply mistaken.

At this point, I have a hard time imagining that a comic-book based superhero film will ever win a live-action Best Picture Oscar (if The Dark Knight couldn’t even be nominated), but does it actually matter? Not really. Let’s just continue to hope for more Avengers, Dark Knights, Winter Soldiers and films with a nice personal stamp on them and less of the Amazing Spider-Man 2 variety.

– Telltale Games has, over the the past few years, sparked a revival of the adventure game genre with comics-based titles like The Walking Dead and Fables (along with Game of Thrones and Tales from the Borderlands). Today, Lionsgate Films and Telltale announced the former’s investment into the burgeoning game developer. What does it mean for Telltales’ output? We may see some television and video game co-development soon, particularly in terms of an original property. At the very least more Lionsgate properties will surely be headed into the development cycle.

– Former Bat-Mite voice actor Paul Reubens is bringing his famous Pee-Wee Herman character back to television, as Netflix has announced that the feature, Pee-Wee’s Big Holiday, will be coming to the streaming service. The new film is co-written by Reubens and Paul Rust (Comedy Bang Bang), with John Lee (Inside Amy Schumer) directing. Judd Apatow will produce under his Apatow Productions banner.

This is incredibly minor in the wake of today’s Aquaman news, but WB/DC Entertainment’s other big comic-based film, Suicide Squad, got a little bit of press today.

Jared Leto, who gets the unenviable task of following Heath Ledger in the role of the Joker, spoke to Billboard briefly about what drew him to the character:

The opportunity to take on this nearly Shakespearean character…that’s what graphic novels and comic books are becoming, right?…[He’s] this beautiful disaster of a character, what a big challenge.

Leto also let on that he’s bulking up for the part. Now, I realize Leto is a skinny guy, but the Joker is typically fairly thin too. Perhaps they’re going for the Frank Miller/Jim Lee All Star Batman and Robin approach:

Will Smith, who plays Deadshot (but probably not with Michael Rosenbaum‘s awesome Kevin Spacey impression) spoke with MTV News about being able to make the character his own:

With this character and the DC world, I love that I’m getting the opportunity for the global definition of Deadshot. There’s been Deadshot in little appearances here and there, there’s an idea, but Deadshot isn’t defined, really. I get to be a part of the creation that will be the biggest historical image of Deadshot.

Suicide Squad, directed by David Ayer, hits theaters on August 5, 2016.

Per The Wrap, Warner Bros may finally be on the verge of casting a new Rick Flagg for their super-villain establishing feature Suicide Squad.

According to their report, the studio is looking at Robocop remake star Joel Kinnaman to step into the role recently vacated by Tom Hardy. Hardy left the production citing scheduling concerns with Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu’s The Revenant and his upcoming promotional work for Mad Max: Fury Road. Though, there have been some reports that Hardy was also unhappy with his amount of screen-time in David Ayer‘s film.

Regardless, the studio is moving forward and it sounds like they’re on Plan C right now, as Jake Gyllenhaal didn’t pan out either.

Kinnaman is a capable enough actor and given how the role has apparently shrunk a good deal since the casting of Jared Leto as the Joker, a less big name probably makes sense here.

If he signs up for the film, he’ll be joining Leto, Will Smith as Deadshot, Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, Jai Courtney as Captain Boomerang, Cara Delevigne as Enchantress, and potentially Viola Davis as Amanda Waller.

Suicide Squad is scheduled to open on August 5, 2016.

It’s almost the end of the week, so let’s gather up a few more of today’s entertainment headlines:

– While on the press circuit promoting their new film, Focus, Will Smith and Margot Robbie discussed with USA Today the casting situation with the now-vacant Rick Flagg role in David Ayer‘s Suicide Squad:

Robbie: This happens all the time. People act like, ‘Oh my god, the movie must be ending!’ It’s just the deal with movies.” Not to mention “a lot of the characters haven’t been portrayed before so it’s a pretty big undertaking. And it’s a big undertaking for the people who are going to play the characters who have been played, like the Joker (to be played by Jared Leto). It’s big shoes to fill.

Smith:  Ayer “turned the screenplay in before Christmas. What happens is Hollywood shuts down. But he was still working and he wanted to (start shooting) April 13th. So it takes a couple weeks to gear back up at the top of the year and people have taken (other) movies. He’s moving really quickly.

A few days ago, Umberto Gonzalez over at Latino-Review stated on Twitter that the Rick Flagg casting may be announced this week. We still have a day to go, so it’s possible that we may see some resolution there. I’m going to throw my money on Joel Edgerton, but it’s probably just because I just saw Zero Dark Thirty again on FX last night.

– Ryan Reynolds took to twitter today and celebrated being one year out from the release of 2016’s Deadpool, teasing fans with the mask that will be used in the upcoming film:

Sepia tone disguises the fact the mask is ballerina pink. It’s early. 365 sleeps early. #deadpool #prototypes pic.twitter.com/PekFa2KS7S

— Ryan Reynolds (@VancityReynolds) February 12, 2015

The fact that they’re even using a mask is cause for some celebration.

– It’s been some time since Sam Hamm had last been on the scene. The Tim Burton Batman, Monkeybone, and one-time Watchmen screenwriter’s most recent on-screen credit was for an episode of Masters of Horror about ten years ago. That all changes today, as Viz Entertainment has announced that Hamm will be adapting Sayuri Ueda‘s short story The Street of Fruiting Bodies, which originated in the Phantasm Japan anthology, into a feature-length film. That anthology, it’s worth noting, comes from the same imprint (Viz Media’s Haikasoru) as All You Need Is Kill, which was eventually adapted into last year’s Edge of Tomorrow.

Viz describes the story in detail:

The Street of Fruiting Bodies depicts the sudden spread of a mysterious and lethal species of hallucinogenic mushroom. The infestation is deadly, but it also offers visions of deceased loved ones to the infected, hinting at the reality of an afterlife, or at least a new kind of existence that is beyond human comprehension.

Hamm elaborates on the project:

Ueda creates a world in which the most profound human emotions – love, grief, longing, and hope – can lead to one’s salvation or one’s undoing, and the true horror is that it may be impossible to tell the difference. ‘The Street of Fruiting Bodies’ is not only disturbing, it is moving.

– Lastly, do you have $375 bucks to spare? Then you can be the owner of this pretty stunning looking Ultron Figure from Hot Toys/Sideshow Collectibles, expected to ship in early 2016.