Sam Worthington Confirms ‘Dan Dare’ Involvement, Updates ‘Last Days Of American Crime’ Status
“We’re putting ['Last Days of American Crime'] together as we speak,” Worthington said. “The writer of the comic is actually doing his take on a draft. I thought that was a smart thing for me and my mates to get him to do, and we’re looking for directors — a director who would be able to handle it.”

‘Smallville’ exclusive: Someone is going to [major spoiler alert]!
Smallville’s ninth season finale will feature a cameo by one of TV’s most feared guest stars: The Grim Reaper. Sources confirm to me exclusively that producers of the everlasting superhero saga are planning to kill off a major castmember in the May 14 capper.

Kenneth Branagh is hammering away on ‘Thor’ — and those nasty rumors
“Growing up, my single comic book passion was Thor,” says the 49-year-old actor and filmmaker who surprised many industry observers by taking on the director’s job on the big-budget adaptation of the Marvel Comics thunder god. “From my time in Belfast as a kid, that’s the first time I came across that comic, really, exclusively, I don’t know why, but it struck a chord. I was drawn to it. I liked all the dynastic drama.”

Leading Contender in Line to Direct THE AVENGERS…
Leading contender on that short list to direct THE AVENGERS  film is none other than Joss Whedon. Whedon, who was previously writing and directing WB’s long gestating Wonder Woman film, has a history with the Marvel brand as a comic book writer. His run of the Astonishing X-Men was one of Marvel’s best selling lines and was nominated for several Eisner Awards. He was also the second writer on the Runaways line for Marvel and wrote short stories for Stan Lee Meets Spider-Man.

Judge dismisses $750-million lawsuit against Marvel, Stan Lee
The lawsuit, filed in January 2009 by Stan Lee Media shareholders Jose Abadin and Christopher Belland, accused Lee of improperly transferring rights to characters like Spider-Man, Iron Man and the X-Men from the now-defunct company to Marvel in 1998. According to the claim, the defendants denied shareholders of the failed dot-com their rights to 50-percent ownership of Lee’s co-creations at Marvel. Abadin and Belland argued they, as shareholders, were owed $750 million in profits from movies based on Lee’s characters.

‘Resident Evil’ Filmmaker Discusses Making ‘Buck Rogers’ In 3-D
‘I have a lot of specific ideas,’ Paul W.S. Anderson said of bringing the astronaut hero of yesteryear to the big screen.
“Buck Rogers is the longest-running comic strip in the world,” Anderson said of why the character deserves a comeback. “There are whole scenes from ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’ and the original ‘Star Wars’ that were taken from Buck Rogers comic strips, because Lucas and Spielberg were growing up heavily influenced by these TV shows and comic strips.

Ryan Reynolds to Star in R.I.P.D. (REST IN PEACE DEPARTMENT) Plus an Update on THE CHANGE-UP
R.I.P.D.  Rest in peace department.  A terrific script by Manfredi & Hay at Universal that we hopefully going to make at the beginning of next year… It’s terrific based on the graphic novel. It’s about two cops, one recently dead and a gunslinger who’s been dead for hundreds of years who work on the Rest in Peace department – which is the police department of the dead. And they basically…it takes place on a normal day and it’s about trying to keep the dead quiet.

Captain America sidekick: Sebastian Stan
Sebastian Stan, one of the actors who tested for the title role of Marvel’s “Captain America,” has nabbed the key role of Captain America’s sidekick Bucky Barnes. In comic book lore, Barnes, a teenaged orphan, was too young to join the army but became one camp’s mascot. When he discovered Captain America’s identity, he joined Captain America as a partner in his Nazi-fighting escapades. The character died in Captain America’s final World War II adventure. Insiders also say Stan has signed on for five or six pictures.

Losers director confirms he may do Robotech
“Well, it’s not a project that’s greenlit, so you know, … It’s a great cult series. When it came out, I actually saw it in France, growing up. I saw it in French. It’s a pretty amazing cartoon. And I’m hoping it’s going to come to fruition. I read a draft that’s really good. … I’m interested in doing it, but the project is not fast tracked or anything like that, so there’s no official thing. There’s no deal. … They sent me a draft. I liked it. It’s a work in progress.”

DC Comics CCO Geoff Johns on the Possibility of a Justice League Movie: “We’ll Talk in San Diego”
Asked if DC and Warner Bros were planning to do something like Marvel is doing with The Avengers, with the goal being a Justice League of America live-action feature film, Johns responded nervously: “Can’t talk about it yet, but we’ll talk in San Diego.” When asked if he is still working on the big screen adaptation of The Flash, Johns responded “We’re developing it right now — The Flash movie. Can’t say anything about it right now, I’m sorry.” Most of Johns answers reguarding the future of the DC movie universe resulted in the same type of response. LAter someone asked if there would be a Wonder Woman movie. Geoff responded “Look — Obviously, everyone at DC wants to see it, I would like to see it, but can’t talk about it right now.”

Red Sonja Update: Rose McGowan Out. Megan Fox In?
The broader truth, it seems, is that the previous incarnation of the Red Sonja remake has been scrapped, as some have already speculated. Rose McGowan is off. In fact, it seems that director, Douglas Aarniokoski, is also off the project, and Millennium Films is searching for another writer, someone to take another pass at David N. White’s script. But the project is far from dead. The potentially bigger news here is that there’s an offer out to another actress to take the role. That actress? Megan Fox.

San Diego to Build $753 Million Expansion to Convention Center in a Bid to Keep Comic-Con
The Port of San Diego has agreed to a $753 million expansion to the San Diego Convention Center keep Comic-Con and other festivals in the city.  There has been rising doubts about whether Comic-Con would stay in San Diego when the contract between the city and organizers Comic-Con International (CCI, a non-profit organization) expired after 2012.  The problem is in accommodating the 126,000+ attendees. The center began operating at capacity in 2001, shortly after completion of its first expansion, which cost $216 million.  In that time, the convention center has had to turn away almost 400 events in recent years, 80% of which could have been accommodated had the venue been larger.

Joss Whedon, Paul Sollett in Running to Direct Marvel Comics’ RUNAWAYS
Director Paul Sollett (Nick and Nora’s Infinite Playlist) is in negotiations with Marvel Comics to helm an adaptation of Brian K. Vaughn’s Runaways, but Joss Whedon may be in the running as well. Whedon just so happened to write the second volume of the comics. The series, created by Brian K. Vaughn (Y: The Last Man), starts out with a group of kids who runaway together because they discover their parents are supervillains, and an eclectic bunch at that: mob bosses, alien invaders, dark wizards, mad scientists, telepathic mutants, and evil time-travelers.  The kids steal their parents’ gadgets and discover their own special powers as they try to avoid being caught by their illegal guardians.

David Wain Circling Too Cool to Be Forgotten
Wain is circling a fantasy comedy based on Alex Robinson’s Top Shelf graphic novel, Too Cool to Be Forgotten. It’s about a middle-aged man who, after trying hypnosis to quit smoking, is transported back to 1985, where he must relieve his awkward and gangly formative years and get the girl of his dreams.

Meanwhile, Back at The Hall of Justice…

• Red Hot Chili Peppers & Oasis Sign Up For ‘Beck’ Manga Adaptation
• M. Night Shyamalan says ‘Airbender’ rises above race issues: ‘That’s what’s so beautiful about anime’
• What Does Felicia Day Want To See In The ‘Dr. Horrible’ Sequel?
• Mark Valley Talks ‘Human Target’ Fight Sequences, Considers Ways To Kill Me
• Louis Leterrier Spoke To Marvel During ‘Clash Of The Titans’ Filming, Praises Chris Evans As Captain America
• ‘Green Lantern’ Character Designer Promises ‘Lots Of Aliens’ In Hal Jordan’s Debut
• Alan Ball Talks TRUE BLOOD Comic Book + New Promo Poster!
• Sylvain White Back To Work On ‘Ronin’ Adaptation, Wants 3-D Treatment For ‘Cult Classic’ Comic
• Marvel makes Emily Blunt an offer for ‘Captain America,’ but British actress probably will say no
• Marvel introduces iPad app for comics (video)
• Chris Evans doesn’t know jack about Captain America
• Chris Evans and Columbus Short WonderCon Video Interview THE LOSERS
• Rob Zombie Wonders “Whatever Happened To Baron Von Shock?”
• Are The Hughes Brothers Looking To Divide And Conquer On Pic Projects, incl. ‘Akira’?
• Nicolas Cage Talks Ghost Rider 2, Drive Angry And More National Treasure.
• Chris Evans Doesn’t Think Captain America Will Be ‘The Boss’ In ‘Avengers’
• Brad Meltzer To Explore ‘The Final Taboo’ In Joss Whedon’s ‘Buffy The Vampire Slayer’ Universe
• ‘Interview With A Vampire’ Author Anne Rice Next Up For ‘Female Force’ Biography Comic Line

The Fine Print

This is by no means meant to be a comprehensive roundup of the entire weeks’ news. All stories are chosen by me for no other reason than that they got my attention and might capture yours. If something you think is more important chime in on the feedback; we’d love to hear comments and have a conversation about it.

• Director: David Wain
• Writer: Paul Rudd, David Wain
• Year of Release: 2008
• Actors: Paul Rudd, Seann William Scott, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Bobb’e J. Thompson, Elizabeth Banks, Jane Lynch
• Genre: Comedy
• Country of Origin: USA

Trailer

[See post to watch Flash video]