Andy Wood

Now here is an idea. There is a Star Trek “fan film” in the works right now… but I’m not really sure it can be called a “fan film”. You see… it’s being made by Tim Russ (the guy who played Tuvok on Star Trek Voyager) and has the following people in it:

the upcoming fan film Star Trek Of Gods and Men. The picture shows actors Alan Ruck as Captain John Harriman of the Enterprise-B, Nichelle Nichols as Commander Uhura, Star Trek New Voyages’ James Cawley and Walter Koenig as Commander Pavel Chekov.

I think this is a hilarious idea… but the question remains… is it REALLY a fan film if it has a bunch of actual cast members in it? Maybe it’s something else entirely. I’m really interested in seeing how this thing turns out.

You can see a bigger version of the picture here. via The Movie Blog

Joblo talks about the upcoming sequel to Alexandra Aja’s THE HILLS HAVE EYES remake and, not long after that, that Michael Bailey Smith, who played Pluto in the remake, would return not as Pluto but as the mutant leader. Now, thanks to a scooper who wishes to remain anonymous, we have for you the official synopsis and character breakdown. Also note that the info below 1) confirms that Martin Weisz, a director who is known primarily for hundreds of music videos and commercials but is also responsible for an interesting-sounding horror feature called ROHTENBURG (no US release announced), will helm the sequel and not Michael J. Bassett (DEATHWATCH), as was rumored, and 2) it appears as though Hades, the mutant leader according to the breakdown, was yet to be cast as of a couple of days ago, so it’s unclear if Smith is still attached to star in the movie. It’s worth taking a look at mutant descriptions below as some of them are pretty cool (Hades has the face of a mandrill? One only needs to take a look at the picture above to see that is indeed “truly terrifying”) but beware of spoilers.

Producers: Wes Craven, Peter Locke, Marianne Maddalena
Director: Martin Weisz
Casting: Mark Bennett
Shoots: Sep. 4, 2006 for 7 weeks
Location: Morocco

SYNOPSIS: A team of National Guard cadets stops over at a desert outpost to deliver equipment to some military scientists. They arrive at the research camp to find it mysteriously deserted. Hearing a distress call on their walkies, they set off on what they think is a simple rescue mission into the hills – only to find a tribe of mutants, damaged by nuclear testing, who lie in wait for them…

[ HADES ] HUGE. The leader of, and the LARGEST of, the mutants – has a face sort of like a mandrill; truly terrifying. PERFORMERS WITH STUNTWORK AND/OR SPECIAL-EFFECTS MAKEUP EXPERIENCE A PLUS – PLEASE INDICATE EXPERIENCE ON SUBMISSION.

[ HANSEL ] 30s, HUGE AND HULKING, but with a childlike demeanor – an enormous simpleton. He helps Amber and Napoleon when they’re trying to rescue Missy – but it later turns out he’s not as innocent as he seems… PERFORMERS WITH STUNTWORK AND/OR SPECIAL-EFFECTS MAKEUP EXPERIENCE A PLUS – PLEASE INDICATE EXPERIENCE ON SUBMISSION.

[ CHAMELEON ] A bald mutant, LARGE, MUSCULAR, his skin changes color to match his surroundings. Along with Hades, the most prominent of the mutants. He grabs Missy, drags her into the mines and holds her hostage. POSSIBLE PARTIAL NUDITY INVOLVED. PERFORMERS WITH STUNTWORK AND/OR SPECIAL-EFFECTS MAKEUP EXPERIENCE A PLUS – PLEASE INDICATE EXPERIENCE ON SUBMISSION.

[ GRABBER ] A LARGE mutant, scarred, hard-muscled, but nearsighted and relies on his sense of smell in the dark. He attacks Amber, only to be fought off by Mickey. PERFORMERS WITH STUNTWORK AND/OR SPECIAL-EFFECTS MAKEUP EXPERIENCE A PLUS – PLEASE INDICATE EXPERIENCE ON SUBMISSION.

“IRON MAN,” DIRECTED BY JON FAVREAU, TO KICK OFF SUMMER 2008

Paramount Pictures and Marvel Entertainment will kick off the 2008 summer movie-going season on May 2nd with Iron Man, the first motion picture to be produced by Marvel under its alliance with Paramount, it was announced today by Rob Moore, President, Worldwide Marketing, Distribution, and Operations, Paramount Pictures; Michael Helfant, President and COO, Marvel Studios; and Kevin Feige, president of production for Marvel Studios. Marvel Studios is a subsidiary of Marvel Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE: MVL). Jon Favreau will direct the film, based on Marvel’s best-selling Iron Man comic book character.

The Iron Man film will be produced by Avi Arad, creative advisor to Marvel Studios, and Kevin Feige. Executive Producers are Ari Arad, Mr. Favreau and Louis D’Esposito. This project, the first feature film to be produced independently by Marvel Entertainment, is expected to be financed through Marvel’s $525 million revolving film financing facility and distributed under Marvel’s overall distribution arrangement with Paramount. Iron Man will mark the first production under Mr. Arad’s newly launched production company, Avi Arad Productions.

Commenting on the announcement, Mr. Helfant said, “We’re very excited to lock down the release date for Iron Man, Marvel’s first independently produced feature film. We couldn’t have asked for a better partner than Paramount to work with on this very powerful character franchise.”

Mr. Feige added, “We’re thrilled to be launching the summer 2008 movie season with Iron Man. Marvel has had great success with the first Friday in May – ‘Spider-Man’ broke records on that first Friday and ‘X2′ debuted at the top of the box office charts as well. We’re looking forward to extending that track record with Iron Man and are extremely pleased with the progress of the script, the production team we are forming and the initial production designs.”

Moore said, “Marvel is one of our most important partners and Iron Man is one of their premier heroes. We’re thrilled to be launching our relationship – and the summer season in 2008 – with this movie.”
Based upon Marvel’s iconic Super Hero, the film will follow billionaire weapons-manufacturer, Tony Stark, who confronts the sins of his past after he is injured by one of his own weapons. Equipped with a high-tech suit of armor, he becomes Iron Man to combat evil on a global scale.
Paramount Pictures is part of the entertainment operations of Viacom Inc., one of the leading global entertainment content companies, with prominent and respected brands in focused demographics across virtually all media.

The San Diego Comic-Con is fast-approaching. Come next week, more than 80,000 fanboys (and girls) will flock to the San Diego Convention Center. Some will be dressed as their favorite heroes or manga characters. Some will be a sight to behold. Others will be… Well, let’s just say the spandex will stretch next week.

Things kick off Wednesday, July 19 with Comic-Con’s Preview Night. Lucky members of the media (or anyone who can construct a website) and those who pre-registered for four days get to walk the convention floor for an early look at everything Con has to offer. There are no panels, no screenings and far fewer people on this night. There are, however, plenty of merchants looking to sell comics and toys. Plus, the fine folks at DC, Marvel, Image and every other publishing house on planet Earth will be in attendance to listen to complaints and compliments from readers.

The Con continues throughout the weekend, ending just as evening begins on Sunday. The Con schedule is overflowing with great panels, hot celebrities, cool videogames and incredible collectibles. This is geek heaven. So what are we jonesing for this weekend? Here’s a breakdown of what has us hyped.

It’s called Comic-Con for a reason. This once humble convention had its start as a comic-book and anime expo. Way back in the day (yes, some of us are old enough to remember this), the show attracted much smaller numbers, so few that it was held at a far smaller convention center and still had ample walking space. Times have changed and the San Diego Comic-Con has become a big freaking deal for other mediums. Still, at it’s core, the show is about the comics and it’s the main reason we make the trek to San Diego each summer. via ign