Are you ready for this? The complete programing schedule for the 2009 San Diego Comic-Con has been announced and is live on their official website! You can read through the entire schedule by clicking here. I've highlighted the panels related to movies below that we are planning to cover here on FS. This looks like it'll be another incredible year, which I will honestly say I wasn't sure it would be. It looks like Thursday is the biggest day of the whole thing, with footage from Tron 2, James Cameron's Avatar, and Kick-Ass. There are also a few surprises and a lot more in store at this year's Comic-Con! Take a look at the schedule below!

Thursday:

10:15-11:15 - Summit Entertainment: Astro Boy — A superhero origin story set in a futuristic world, Astro Boy is an all-new CG-animated feature film based on the classic manga about a young robot with incredible powers and his adventure-filled journey in search of his identity and destiny. Director David Bowers, producer Maryanne Grager, and stars Freddie Highmore (Astro) and Kristen Bell (Cora) debut footage exclusive to Comic-Con 2009 and answer your questions about bringing this beloved hero to the big screen. Room 6BCF

11:00-12:30 - Disney: 3D Panel — Walt Disney Pictures presents key filmmakers, select cast members and previously unseen footage from its upcoming slate, including Disney’s A Christmas Carol, Alice In Wonderland and Tron. Special guests include Robert Zemeckis, Tim Burton, Sean Bailey, Steve Lisberger, and moderator Patton Oswalt. Hall H

12:45-2:00 - 20th Century Fox and James Cameron present Avatar — In this first public screening of footage in 3D from his much-anticipated action/adventure/fantasy, James Cameron, producer Jon Landau, and cast members take you to a spectacular new world beyond imagination. Conceived 14 years ago and over four years in the making, Avatar breaks new ground in delivering a fully immersive, emotional story and reinvents the movie-going experience. Hall H

2:00-3:00 - Sony Pictures Animation: Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs — In 2009, Columbia Pictures' and Sony Pictures Animation's Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs will be the most delicious event since macaroni met cheese. Inspired by the classic children's book, the film focuses on a town where food begins to fall from the sky like rain. Bill Hader (Saturday Night Live, Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian) is the voice of Flint Lockwood, a young inventor who dreams of creating something that will improve everyone's life. Anna Faris (The House Bunny) takes on the role of Sam Sparks, a weathergirl covering the phenomenon who hides her intelligence behind a perky exterior. Appearing in person: Anna Faris, Bill Hader, Andy Samberg, Bobb'e J. Thompson, and directors Chris Miller and Phil Lord. Room 6BCF

2:15-3:15 - Summit Entertainment — Summit Entertainment presents a sneak peek of exclusive footage of some of its upcoming major film releases, including Astro Boy, Sorority Row, and The Twilight Saga: New Moon. Hall H

3:30-4:30 - Joe Dante: The Hole — Legendary director Joe Dante (Gremlins 1 & 2, Innerspace, Explorers, The Howling) makes his return to the genre he knows best with the 3D thriller The Hole. Three kids come face to face with their darkest fears after they unlock a bottomless hole in the basement that makes their nightmares come to life. Join Dante—along with actress Haley Bennett (The Haunting of Molly Hartley)—as he discusses his return to thrillers, working in 3D, and The Hole. Hall H

4:45-5:15 - Terry Gilliam's The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus — Celebrating the 40th Anniversary of both Comic-Con and Monty Python, we welcome the sole American Python, the great animator and director Terry Gilliam (Time Bandits, Brazil, 12 Monkeys) to introduce you to his new film starring Christopher Plummer, Johnny Depp, Heath Ledger, Colin Farrell, Jude Law, Verne Troyer, Tom Waits, and Lily Cole. Hall H

5:15-5:45 - Overture Pictures: Pandorum — Don't fear the end of the world. Fear what happens next. From the producers of the Resident Evil film franchise comes a terrifying thriller in which two crewmembers wake up on an abandoned spacecraft with no idea who they are, how long they've been asleep, or what their mission is. The two soon discover they're actually not alone—and the reality of their situation is more horrifying than they could have imagined. Appearing in person to give you a taste of Pandorum are stars Ben Foster (X-Men: The Last Stand, 3:10 to Yuma, 30 Days of Night), Cung Le (The Ultimate Fighter), and Antje Traue. Pandorum is in theaters September 18. Hall H

5:30-6:30 - The Physics of Hollywood Movies — Join physics instructor Adam Weiner (author of Don't Try This at Home! The Physics of Hollywood Movies) for an interactive presentation employing basic physical principles and a sense of humor in analyzing scenes from favorite Hollywood science fiction, superhero, and action movies, from Iron Man to 2001: A Space Odyssey, and actually learn the physics behind them—both good and bad! Room 30CDE

5:45-6:45 - Kick-Ass — World premiere footage from Kick-Ass, based on Mark Millar's bestselling comic, is presented by director Matthew Vaughn (Stardust, Layercake). Joining him on the panel are Nicolas Cage, Christopher Mintz-Plasse (Superbad), and comic co-creator John Romita Jr., among others, including a surprise guest. You don't want to miss the chance to be the first to experience this gritty, brash, and funny actioner. Hall H

6:30-7:00 - Focus Features: Thirst — Focus Features and Comic-Con present a rare U.S. appearance by acclaimed Korean filmmaker Park Chan-wook, whose "scandalous vampire melodrama" Thirst just won the Prix du Jury (Jury Prize) at the 2009 Cannes International Film Festival. Park will show clips from the movie— which opens in select cities on July 31—and discuss his career. Hall H

9:30-12:00 - Halloween Comes Early: Trick 'r Treat Screening — Be among the first to see writer/director Michael Dougherty's (Superman Returns, X2) creepy, darkly comic celebration of the scariest night of the year. Ballroom 20

The schedules for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday will be announced in the next few days, so stay tuned for those as well! We will be updating this same post with the complete schedule once everything else is out.

Discover More: Comic-Con 09, Hype

Apparently this game is going to last more than just 9 innings. THR says that Sony is bringing on Aaron Sorkin (Charlie Wilson's War, The Social Network) to write a new version of Moneyball for the studio after the Steven Soderbergh version of it fell apart in the last few weeks. The studio wants to move forward quickly with the new iteration of the baseball drama, with Sorkin set to turn in his draft as soon as August. Brad Pitt is still attached to star as Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane, but Soderbergh "is not involved in the film in any capacity," as we reported. So are they close to finding a new director, too?

Sorkin is pretty much in bed with Sony and Amy Pascal right now, so this actually makes sense. He has a sports background with the "Sports Night" TV show that he created in the '90s. He's also responsible for the script to that Facebook movie that is apparently pretty amazing. I'm a bit surprised that Sony is still very interested in pushing forward with this. I thought one of the reasons they were hesitant is that baseball movies weren't big moneymakers in the international market. Yet they still want to make this? At least they've brought on a talented writer. Now they just need to find a director who can live up to Soderbergh.

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Oh hell yes! Early this morning I was sent an email from a reader with a link to an article at a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles blog called GoGreenMachine.org. The post includes details about an open casting call in Hollywood for martial arts experts to audition for "the upcoming Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie, hitting theatres in 2011. We will select the best from the auditions to be a part of the stealth TMNT nemesis, the Foot Clan." Wait, what, the notorious Foot Clan is coming back for that upcoming live-action movie!? As a big TMNT geek, this is just plain awesome to hear! Too bad I'm not a martial arts expert.

The casting call is asking for anyone 14 years or older (they're going young) to prepare a 30-second martial arts demo. "Judges to include actor and martial arts expert Ernie Reyes, Jr (aka Keno from TMNT II), Jason Morgan from the American Taekwondo Association, and 2011 TMNT movie producers Scott Mednick and Galen Walker." This sounds like that scene from The Secret of the Ooze where Keno goes in and tries out for the Foot Clan. But it's real life! As we all know, The Mirage Group confirmed in April that a new live-action (not hybrid) TMNT movie is in development for 2011. Glad to see the Foot are back! But who is directing?

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Walt Disney Studios has announced their very exciting line-up for the 2009 San Diego Comic-Con today that starts on July 23rd in only a few more weeks. We've heard tidbits and details about what to expect, but we now finally have confirmation on everything, and this looks like it'll be some the best stuff we'll see. Animation greats Hayao Miyazaki and John Lasseter and directors Robert Zemeckis and Tim Burton will take part in their first ever Comic-Con. The filmmakers will be on hand to help Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures showcase a wide-ranging roster of upcoming films. Read on for the schedule and more details!

Comic-Con's First Ever 3D Panel - Veteran directors Robert Zemeckis and Tim Burton join Tron producers Sean Bailey and Steve Lisberger on Thurs., July 23 at 11AM for an unprecedented presentation featuring behind-the-scenes filmmaker insights about the highly anticipated 3D adventures Disney's A Christmas Carol, Alice in Wonderland, and Tron. In addition to Q&A opportunities with each of the filmmakers, the 90-minute panel will feature never-before-seen concept art, trailers, actual 3D film footage and other Comic-Con-only footage debuts. In a groundbreaking technical feat, this is the first time ever that 3D footage will be shown at Comic-Con. Patton Oswalt will moderate.

Animation Panel - Animation legends Hayao Miyazaki and John Lasseter join veteran animation directors Lee Unkrich, Kirk Wise, Ron Clements and John Musker on Fri., July 24 at 12:45PM for an animation panel which will highlight upcoming animated films, including Pixar's Toy Story/Toy Story 2 double feature, Pixar's Toy Story 3, Walt Disney Animation Studios' Beauty and the Beast, Walt Disney Animation Studios' The Princess and the Frog and Miyazaki's Ponyo. John Lasseter will host the panel and Patton Oswalt will moderate a group Q&A following the presentation, which will include filmmaker insights, trailers and select film sequences.

Oddly missing from their line-up is anything on Mike Newell's Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time movie. Although you can be certain that Disney has got a few surprises in store for fans attending both of these presentations. Maybe we'll get to at least see the trailer for Prince of Persia during one of these panels at some point, I hope? I'm definitely very excited for both of these - Disney has a fantastic line-up for the next year and they're showcasing the cream of the crop here. Word is that we'll get to see the first official trailer for Tron and I have a feeling this is where we'll see the first footage from Alice in Wonderland as well!

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Fresh off of the success of the brilliant film Let the Right One In, Swedish director Tomas Alfredson has signed on to direct Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy for Working Title. The new feature film adaptation of John Le Carre's seminal cold war novel is being adapted by Oscar nominated screenwriter Peter Morgan (The Last King of Scotland, The Queen, Frost/Nixon). Set in the aftermath of the cold war, the thriller tells the tale of a spy-hunt within the highest echelons of the British Secret Intelligence Service. In the 1970s, it was adapted into a British TV series that starred Alec Guinness as retired intelligence officer George Smiley.

"Tomas is one of the most hotly sought-after and gifted directors in the industry at the moment and we're really looking forward to working with him on such an exciting project," said Tim Bevan said of this news. "The timing is right for a new screen version of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy so it's great for us to be able to continue our creative collaboration with Peter Morgan on this and to have Tomas onboard who we've no doubt will bring a unique vision to the material." That is certainly going to be the case. I'm already hoping Alfredson does for the spy genre what he did for the vampire genre with Let the Right One In. Interested?

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Pixar. Immediately, with that single proper noun, connotations of sheer cinematic glee rush into my brain. Visions of superheroes and monsters, toys and space, fish and race cars, flying houses and little, shy desk lamps. And every one of those images that that name conjures is rendered in beautiful, brilliant, fully-realized CGI animation. A marvel of modern technology, of modern filmmaking. The ability to show us anything, to explore any world, to give voices to the voiceless, emotions to the emotionless. The ability to break beyond the constraints of live-action filmmaking. But is that necessarily a good thing for kids?

Of the highest grossing animated films of all time, 30 of those top 40 films were made within the last ten years. The number of animated films made in the 2000s alone is staggering. And that number is climbing. There's obviously a desire for them; they're always sure to open to big audiences of their target demographic (kids and their parents), and with Shane Acker's 9, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, Astro Boy, Planet 51, and The Princess and the Frog still yet to be seen this year, there's no end in sight. But what I'm here to question is what exactly is this doing to that target demographic. What is this doing to the kids?

When I was growing up in the late 80s and early 90s, the majority of my film entertainment came by way of VHS tapes. On those tapes were amongst some of my favorite films then and now: The Goonies, Willow, E.T., Hook, The NeverEnding Story, The Wizard of Oz, The Sandlot, Benji, Homeward Bound, Harry and the Hendersons, The Dark Crystal. Notice anything? Not a single animated film.

Sure, I watched the Disney classics — The Jungle Book being the one to which my fondest memories are attached — but the quantity of live-action kids' films with which I connected is far greater than animated ones. And I think you'd be hard-pressed to talk to any eight-year-old whose favorite movies aren't on the complete opposite end of that spectrum. It's just not what they're exposed to now and, frankly, it's not what they want. They're used to animals who, right before their eyes, actually speak, emote, and feel like they do — and haven't just had some voice thrown on top of their actions. They're used to seeing everything in the closest of detail, not just in suspense-inducing glimpses. They're used to connecting with toys and robots and monsters more than they're used to connecting with actual human beings. It's just what they know.

And that's a shame.

As a kid, when a magician pulled a rabbit out of his top hat, it was baffling — even when it happened right before your eyes. Where did the rabbit come from? Does it live in the hat? There are infinite possibilities. It's magic. For all the beautiful, heart-warming, spectacular storytelling in Pixar's films — they've shown me the inside of the hat. They've shown me the very tip-top that opens, hinges down, providing access to the rabbit's cage below the table upon which the hat rests. Amazing mechanics, sure, but the magic is muddled. There are no longer infinite possibilities for the impressionable audience. There's only the one right in front of you. And while it still may be magical, it is certainly not magic.

Instead of walking out of the theater (or from my couch to the refrigerator) pondering what it might be like to find an extraterrestrial in my backyard or live with Bigfoot or if that dog across the street is actually a giant behemoth hellbent on stealing my baseballs — I am convinced I know what it's like to live under the sea and I know the bureaucratic inner-workings of the monsters in my closet. Magical, yes. Magic, no.

It took a certain leap of faith, a suspension of disbelief, an imaginative trust to lose oneself in a film like The NeverEnding Story or The Goonies. But that imagination, that faith is something that the viewer added to the experience. It made them active. I could be Bastian. The next time I open a book, it could be me flying around on top of Falkor. But with so much handed to us, to this generation of kids, it's all a more passive experience. Sure, the kids connect with the story, they laugh and cry when they're supposed to, and they may even fantasize that their toys do actually come to life — but it's all been handed to them.

The worlds are so fully realized that one doesn't even feel the need to question them, to expand upon them, to live in them further. It's the mechanics of the magical without the magic. It was the disconnect of human connection in kids' films that, while growing up, was so crucial for me to experience. And that is still very crucial. Perhaps soon we'll see a resurgence of live-action family films, ones that make us dream and wonder and take that leap of faith instead of being led through a lighted, railed walkway with our dreams projected for us on the walls. I hope so. Because I want my kids to be baffled when that rabbit comes hopping out of that hat. I want them to ask me, "How? But– Where from?" And I want to tell them, "It's magic."

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IFC has finally debuted an official US trailer for the Danish WWII thriller Flame & Citron. I'm one of the few people who has actually seen this (read my review) and has been supporting it as much as possible. I've been comparing it to The Untouchables but set in WWII and featuring two awesome Danish assassins. This film stars Danish actors Mads Mikkelsen (from Casino Royale) as Citron and Thure Lindhardt as Flame. Lindhardt you may recognize most recently from Angels & Demons, but this movie is his calling card - he is absolutely phenomenal in this and deserves recognition. I strongly encourage everyone to check this out!

Watch the official US trailer for Ole Christian Madsen's Flame & Citron:

You can also watch the official trailer for Flame & Ctron in High Definition on Apple

Flame & Citron aka Flammen & Citronen is directed by Danish filmmaker Ole Christian Madsen, of Pizza King, Kira's Reason, and Prague previously. The screenplay was co-written by Madsen and fellow Danish writer Lars Andersen, of Sinan's Wedding and Pizza King previously. The film is inspired by the real life stories of freedom fighters Bent Faurschou-Hviid (aka "Flame") and Jorgen Haagen Schmith (aka "Citron") in Denmark during World War II. This first premiered at the Telluride and Toronto Film Festivals last year and was picked up by IFC Films. Flame & Citron will arrive in limited theaters starting on July 31st.

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Yesterday we debuted a brand new red band trailer for Judd Apatow's Funny People, which I expect to be one of the best movies of this entire year. It didn't feature too much new footage that we haven't seen before, which wasn't a problem because I love saving all of it for the actual theatrical experience. However, if there are a few of you dying to see more from this, Universal has posted a great 3-minute video podcast on iTunes (download link here) featuring Judd Apatow talking a bit about making this movie and as well as some new scenes. You also get to see a rare glimpse of Apatow, some 17 years ago, doing stand up comedy himself.

"As a former stand up comedian and obsessive stand up comedy fan, this movie is the culmination of my journey in comedy, so I'd like to get it right, because I will not be allowed to do it again." -Judd Apatow

There are a few great moments in this little podcast that really struck me. First off, that scene where Adam Sandler runs down Seth Rogen with his car in the parking lot. Normally, I'd say I hate that kind of humor, but it harkens back to Sandler's Billy Madison and Happy Gilmore and I laughed out loud at it. Maybe it'll work better in the context of the movie, too. And lastly, at the end, when Apatow is talking about how this is, in essence, his life project, because in his life he's been surrounded by so many funny people. It's this kind of genuineness that I think will make Funny People such an exceptional movie in the end. Download it here!

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Sony is really going all out on this one. They've hired a third screenwriter to rewrite Spider-Man 4 once again. Back in 2007 it was announced that James Vanderbilt (The Rundown, Zodiac) was the very first writer to work on this script. Then it was announced last year that Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright David Lindsay-Abaire (Robots, Inkheart) would work on it. Now it's Oscar nominated screenwriter Gary Ross responsible for Big, Pleasantville, Seabiscuit, and The Tale of Despereaux. He's a good writer and has a long-standing relationship with Tobey Maguire, which is a good thing, but will that work wonders here?

This could be taken as bad news, but I'm trying to look on the bright side. Sony is just making sure they're getting a damn good script. They've got to recover from the bad taste that Spider-Man 3 left in everyone's mouth and they've got boatloads of cash to spend to make sure it's perfect. So why not go through as many big name writers as possible until they find the right one? Most tentpole movies usually do this anyway, we just don't hear about each new one when they're hired. And then there's the concern that maybe there's just too many cooks in the kitchen. Who knows what's really going on, it's far too early to tell. Thoughts?

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There has been quite a bit of good buzz recently surrounding Matthew Vaughn's Kick-Ass movie and its appearance at Comic-Con in a few weeks. SlashFilm just confirmed that comic book artist John Romita Jr. will be joining Mark Millar and Matthew Vaughn on the panel. MTV also just debuted a brand new photo of Christopher Mintz-Plasse as Red Mist. And lastly, Comic Book Resources has some update information from an interview with Romita Jr. that I'm featuring here. The last time we ran a report that a movie based on a comic was going to have animated sequences (in Scott Pilgrim) it ended up being a very inaccurate claim.

This time, however, we've got some confirmed details. "I'm also working on some animation for the film," Romita Jr revealed. "Matthew Vaughn is a fan of the comic, and that's where the flashback animation sequence comes from. He wanted an homage to the comic. He was a fan of my pacing and storytelling and used as much as he could along those lines. As long as you get along with people professionally and don't get too abrasive, generally you're going to find the happy medium." Sounds like everyone is working together very well - writer/director Matthew Vaughn, comic book author Mark Millar, and artist John Romita Jr.

Word is that those attending the Kick-Ass panel at Comic-Con will get an exclusive first at footage from the movie which hasn't been shown to anyone, anywhere yet. I, for one, am very excited for this movie overall. This news reminds me a bit of that animated sequence in Kill Bill Vol. 1 and that worked out perfectly. I'll be looking forward to seeing what Matthew Vaughn has whipped up for us in San Diego in a few weeks!

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I'm not trying to over-hype this, the title is actually Whip It! with the excalamation point, just like Steven Soderbergh's The Informant!. Our friends at USA Today have debuted a very badass batch of photos from Whip It!, the roller derby movie starring Ellen Page, Drew Barrymore, Juliette Lewis, Kristen Wiig, and Zoe Bell that is directed by Barrymore as well. I've been waiting to see something from this! "Ellen Page plays a 17-year-old Texas girl named Bliss Cavendar, who hates the beauty pageants her mother makes her compete in and finds a release for her secret aggressive side by joining the underground world of roller derby."

"Everything I've learned throughout my whole life has been going into this piggy bank, and I just smashed it all over the floor for this one," Barrymore explains about her experiences starring in movies like E.T. and producing other movies before making her directorial debut on Whip It!. Take a look at the gallery below and click any of them to see more photos. First up, the girls from the good team aka the "Hurl Scouts."

Juliette Lewis, whose nickname is Dinah Might, as the leader of the rival team aka the "Holy Rollers."

On the left, Ellen Page as Babe Ruthless. On the right, badass stuntwoman Zoe Bell as Bloody Holly.

And lastly, Drew Barrymore as Smashley Simpson, who I assume is the leader of the Hurl Scouts team.

"You leave behind whatever sweet librarian you are in the day," screenwriter Shauna Cross explains about choosing skater names. "It's kind of like being a superhero. You get a new name, and then you get to be a whole different person. Clark Kent can't run around saving people in a cape. It's got to be Superman." I love the badass attitude even the screenwriter has. Kristen Wiig's character's nickname is Maggie Mayhem.

As for the title of this movie, no it's not a reference to that Devo song, it's actually a tactical roller derby move. "Whip It actually refers to a teammate move, grabbing someone by the arm and swinging her around the bend in the track to maximize speed and break ahead of the pack. It's also something that's a little aggressive and sounds painful, but is pretty fun," Cross says. "It's not a Devo musical biopic on skates. Though that would be a genius movie." I'm not sure I'd agree. Fox Searchlight will be bringing us Drew Barrymore's Whip It! on October 9th this fall. We expect this to premiere at the Toronto Film Festival.

Discover More: First Look, Indies, Photos

Well that settles it. Quentin Tarantino has confirmed on Variety's BFDealMemo blog (via The Playlist) that the final finished running time of Inglourious Basterds is a complete 149 minutes. "I've heard these rumors that the studios told me to cut out 40 minutes. These are complete lies. The movie is actually a minute longer, in running time, than it was in Cannes. It was 2:28, without end credits, and now it's 2:29, or 2:32 with end credits." The scene he added was the one that was first mention during Cannes, a filler sequence between when Michael Fassbender is sent to meet the Basterds and the infamous bar sequence.

That new scene helps smooth out that jolt in the progression of the overall story - as the bar sequence and Fassbender's introduction don't fit back-to-back that well. I'm sure he made some other tweaks we don't know about as well; The Playlist is also reporting that Tarantino has added four new music cues. "Harvey wanted me to add more music, he asked me to go through my music collection again and just find a couple more pieces," Tarantino explains. I don't know how these will fit in, but I'm still curious. I'm actually very excited to see this finished, polished cut in hopes that it's slightly better than the version I saw in Cannes.

Another scene that Tarantino added involves a laugh-out-loud moment from the script where it quick-cuts to Hitler's minister of propaganda Joseph Goebbels having raucous sex with his French translator. I'll be sure to look out for this, since it wasn't in the version I saw. But don't expect to see that notorious sequence where Eli Roth, aka Sgt. Donny "The Bear Jew" Donowitz takes his baseball bat around Boston and gets it autographed by all the Jews in his neighborhood. Tarantino says he's putting that "in reserve" and will potentially use it if he ever makes a prequel. Sounds like we won't be seeing it on the DVD at all either.

Not only is this good news for everyone who wasn't in Cannes, but it makes me very excited to see this new cut. The more I think back to it, the more I love Inglourious Basterds. I hope it holds up just as well the second time around. And as for that over-two-hours length, don't worry, you'll relish every minute of it.

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Only someone like Michael Moore could turn the announcement of the title of his newest movie into headline news. Variety has announced today that Moore's new documentary about our economy will be titled Capitalism: A Love Story, a play on the "A Love Story" title just like how all of his past docs play on other titles as well. "It will be the perfect date movie," Moore said today. "It's got it all — lust, passion, romance and 14,000 jobs being eliminated every day. It's a forbidden love, one that dare not speak its name. Heck, let's just say it: It's capitalism." A wacky new teaser trailer debut a few weeks ago for this.

Capitalism: A Love Story is scheduled to hit theaters on October 2nd this year from Overture Films and Paramount Vantage. That release date is exactly a year and a day after the US Senate voted to approve a $700 billion bailout of Wall Street. The film is described as focusing on "the disastrous impact that corporate dominance and out-of-control profit motives have on the lives of Americans and citizens of the world." I'm actually looking forward to seeing it and that first teaser, while a completely odd bit of viral marketing as well, looked like only the start of some kooky Michael Moore antics yet to come. Thoughts?

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Are you ready to see this? Sony has just debuted the latest full-length trailer for District 9, the new movie about aliens in South Africa from director Neill Blomkamp. Everyone saw the teaser trailer for this in front of Wolverine, but this new trailer really ups the ante. We finally get to see more of the story and the real intentions of MNU, the government corporation that's attempting to control the aliens. But what's going on with Wikus? So this may exactly not be the next Cloverfield, but it still looks incredible. It's so refreshing to see an original story with some great effects and a whole heap of unknown actors. I can't wait to see this!

Watch the latest full trailer for Neill Blomkamp's District 9:

You can also watch the full trailer for District 9 in High Definition on Yahoo

An extraterrestrial race forced to live in slum-like conditions in Johannesburg, South Africa suddenly find a "kindred spirit" in a government agent from MNU that is exposed to their mysterious biotechnology.

District 9 is both written and directed by first-timer Neill Blomkamp, a South African filmmaker who previously directed the awesome Halo: Arms Race shorts. The screenplay was co-written by Blomkamp and writing partner Terri Tatchell. This project is based on Blomkamp's short film Alive in Joburg, which can be seen online here. Sony will be bringing District 9 to theaters everywhere on August 14th this summer.

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And it's not for the I Am Legend prequel we've heard about. THR announces today that director Francis Lawrence may be teaming up with Will Smith again for an original "fantastical drama" called The City That Sailed. Lawrence has been developing the project at 20th Century Fox and is interested in directing it. The script, written by Andrew Niccol (Gattaca, The Truman Show), follows a New York street magician whose daughter lives in England. While exploring a lighthouse, the girl discovers a magic room and wishes to be reunited with her father, causing the island of Manhattan to break away and drift across the Ocean.

Fox picked up the spec script back in 2006. No deals have been made for either Lawrence or Smith, so don't take this as news that we'll be seeing The City That Sailed next year. Lawrence is simultaneously developing Water for Elephants and The World Without Us, both at Fox. As for Will Smith, it's still unknown what he'll be doing next to follow-up Seven Pounds, though he's got a lot to choose from. If I can make a suggestion, Smith should really do this. It sounds like a different role for him and I'd absolutely love to see him play a magician (Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman did it!). We'll keep you updated on the status of this project.

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Whoa, what the heck? Entertainment Weekly is reporting that Cameron Diaz is interested in playing the female lead in The Green Hornet that will star Seth Rogen and be directed by Michel Gondry. Years ago this might have been a good choice, as Diaz had a lot of star power, but nowadays she's almost a nobody. Well, not really, but she only does the occasional romcom and not much else. I had high hopes for her in Richard Kelly's The Box, but she looks like the weakest link in that as well! We don't know anything about her character, but I got a kick out of AICN joking that she's going to play Kato (instead of Stephen Chow).

The Green Hornet is set to start shooting in the next few months and Sony planning to release it during the heat of the summer on July 9th, 2010. I've been a very big supporter of this project all along - its got great writers, a great cast (I like Rogen), and a very awesome director. But Diaz? I'm now officially worried. Hell, they could've just gone without a female lead. Or at least just chosen an attractive, lesser-known actress and just made that character's role smaller. I could say that's probably what's happening anyway. I don't know that much about Green Hornet mythology, but is a female lead that important? And is Diaz the right fit?

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Universal has finally debuted a new red band trailer for Judd Apatow's Funny People that will also be showing in front of Bruno this weekend. We haven't seen another actual trailer for this comedy since the first one debuted back in February. This is not a lot of new footage in this, which is perfectly fine, because I definitely want to see the funniest moments in theaters and don't want any of this to be ruined. I've still got that feeling that this could be one of my favorite movies this year, just because it has some great humor and some emotion that I think only someone like Judd Apatow can balance. Definitely give this trailer a shot!

Watch the red band trailer for Judd Apatow's Funny People:

You can also watch the new Funny People trailer in High Definition on MySpace

When seasoned comedian George Simmons learns of his terminal health condition, his desire to form a genuine friendship causes him to take a relatively green performer under his wing as his opening act.

Funny People is both written and directed by comedy mastermind Judd Apatow, of 40 Year Old Virgin and Knocked Up, as well as "Freaks and Geeks", previously. The story in the film is inspired by Apatow's own real life experiences. Universal will be bringing us Funny People in theaters on July 31st this summer!

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A basterd's work is never done. These posters for Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds just don't stop coming! We recently featured a batch of beautiful character posters and before that we all saw the "is a Basterd" poster series that was put out for Cannes. Yahoo has debuted another new one; what I presume is the official US poster, since it's an entirely different game selling this movie to Americans. This isn't my favorite poster, but it is definitely still pretty damn cool. Now if only they actually had a scene with stacked up Nazi bodies like from 300 in the movie itself, that would be even cooler. Check this new one out below!

So out of all of the Inglourious Basterds posters we've seen so far, which one(s) is your absolute favorite?

During World War II, a group of Jewish-American soldiers known as "the Basterds" are chosen to spread fear throughout the Third Reich by scalping and brutally killing Nazis. The Basterds soon cross paths with a young French girl named Shosanna who runs a movie theater in Paris that is frequented by soldiers.

Inglourious Basterds is both written and directed by the infamous Quentin Tarantino, of everything from Reservoir Dogs to Pulp Fiction to Kill Bill to Death Proof previously. The Weinstein Company and Universal have partnered to bring us Tarantino's WWII masterpiece in all of its brilliant glory. After first debuting at the Cannes Film Festival, Inglourious Basterds will now hit theaters worldwide on August 21st this year.

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With that story about George Clooney from last week, it seems as if Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan is back in the mainstream conscious once again. As we mentioned in that article, Paramount hired Killshot screenwriter Hossein Amini last year to write a new Jack Ryan screenplay for them to turn into a franchise. Anne Thompson (via Variety) provides a small update on the project, saying that Amini is due to turn in the first draft of an original screenplay currently called the Untitled Tom Clancy Project. Paramount is working with Transformers producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura to develop the feature but it's still very early on.

We don't know much more about this, but I did hear from an anonymous tipster that Ryan Gosling has been Paramount's top choice for Jack Ryan for a few years now. However, Thompson did add that, "Yes, Clooney has been discussed for Jack Ryan." Obviously they're not going to officially cast anyone until the script is in and they have a director. But they could go in the younger direction with Gosling or a bit older with Clooney. The best way to end this today is with a great set of discussion points from Thompson: "Are Tom Clancy movies out of date? Too 80s? Am I the only one who still adores The Hunt for Red October?"

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The Smurfs are finally, after 28 years, headed for the big screen. Columbia Pictures has hired Raja Gosnell to direct the 3D live-action / animation hybrid that has been in development for a while. Gosnell's previous films include Big Momma's House, Scooby-Doo, and Beverly Hills Chihuahua. I obviously don't like any of those movies, but for this he's a perfect fit, as he's got a lot of experience working with hybrid CGI creations. They won't say what the story is about just yet, but this does make me wonder if the Smurfs will be involved in our real human world in some way, or if they'lll just be CGI creations placed into live-action backgrounds.

Jordan Kerner, who has been developing the project for as a producer the past seven years, said: "With Raja coming aboard, we now have a brilliant director who has proven time and again that he has a deft touch in blending the worlds of physical comedy and honest emotion with both live action and photo-real animated characters. Our three-apple-high heroes are in good hands, and we feel absolutely positively Smurfy to be working with him." Sony is already pushing this into development now for a December of 2010 release. All you favorite characters like Papa Smurf, Smurfette and the villainous Gargamel will all be in it.

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