• 00:00-00:41 - Introduction
• 00:42-4:54 - Revisiting Elijah's 3-D comments briefly
• 4:55-7:30 - Summer Box-Office Challenge Update (chart below)
• 7:31-8:53 - Teasing Friday's podcast and what will happen with The Bourne Legacy review
• 8:54-14:33 - Security guard sighting
• 14:34-16:44 - Warner Bros. moves The Great Gatsby
• 16:45-24:18 - Laremy is reading a book called "Trust Me I'm Lying"
• 24:19-32:40 - #GoodComments
• 32:41-35:04 - [Listener Question] Least favorite Best Picture winner? [Elijah]
• 35:05-35:26 - [Listener Question] Do you think there will ever be a film with an intermission again, like Ben-Hur, or are those days too long gone? [Bustray]
• 35:27-38:36 - [Listener Question] Do you guys think you're more critical of all entertainment given your positions as movie critics? [G-Man]
• 38:37-42:45 - [Listener Question] Lincoln will be released in November, but we still have not seen anything from the movie and don't really know what it is about, could this be a bad/not so good movie? [Cordia]
• 42:46-43:51 - We saw the Man of Steel trailer
• 43:52-49:07 - New DVDs and Blu-rays
• 49:08-56:02 - Over / Under
  • 97 percent for a oscar nominated film this year on RT? [Cordia]
  • The Oscars will still be awarded in 2100? [Cordia]
  • 160 minutes Cloud Atlas running time [Cordia]
  • The Dark Knight Rises will have 4 oscar nominations [Cordia]
  • 11.5 movies to earn over $500 million worldwide this year (so far 7) [The Colleague]
  • 5.5 movies from the box-office draft that end up in the black for each of you [The Colleague]
  • 70 percent percent chance that even though Daniel Day-Lewis kills it as Honest Abe, Lincoln the movie will wind up being a dud. [G-Man]
  • 6 years before premium cable movie channels not producing original programming (i.e. Cinemax, Encore) become extinct [G-Man]
• 56:03-58:04 - Hank's Questions
  1. With the modest box office numbers plus affair between Kristen Stewart and the director what are the chances of the Snow White and Huntsman sequel happening?
  2. What did you think of Rupert Sanders direction in the Snow White movie? Does he have a future in filmmaking if he can stop sleeping with his female leads?
  3. Regarding the wounded party Robert Pattinson: how do you think his movie Cosmopolis will do, have you seen it yet or finished the book?
  4. Now that Total Recall looks like a dud what other '80s popular movie do you think Collin Farrell will sign up for next?
  5. The Master vs. Lincoln which movie do you expect to get the most Oscar nominations?
  6. Will Tom Cruise protest The Master or ignore it?
  7. Jeremy Renner the next big action star?
• 58:05-1:04:52 - Buy or Sell
  • Vertigo will not be #1 on Sight and#038; Sound's top 50 in 2022
  • The Hobbit will have extended editions
  • Cloud Atlas will be a very good film but will be disliked by many because they won't understand it.
  • Man of Steel will make people "forget" the first two Superman films, just like Batman Begins did to the two Burton films.
  • The Dark Knight Rises remains a movie with the longest running time for the rest of Chris Nolan's career.
  • Thomas Horn ever does another film.
  • Brad constructs an audio library of the best of the podcast, such as Laremy saying "TITS!" or his reinactment of the Prometheus scream.
  • Prometheus 2 is to Prometheus as Aliens was to Alien.
  • Ben Affleck lands the director's chair for a major franchise.
  • After two aborted superhero pics (Batman Begins and Wolverine) Darron Arofnofsky's picture after Noah will be a superhero pic.
  • In the future, HBO will release some of the movies they produce in theaters and not exclusively on their channel.
  • Phoenix pulls a punch and takes the Best Actor Oscar this year which many have thought would go to Daniel Day pretty much since Lincoln was announced.
• 1:04:53-1:08:38 � #GoodTweets � Laremy's egotistical Twitter thing
• 1:08:39-1:09:51 - [Listener Question] My friend recently pointed out to me that the most anyone has ever won the Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role is two, which I thought was surprisingly low. What do you think have been the biggest snubs in this category for actors with the two oscars? (Spencer Tracy, Fredric March, Gary Cooper, Marlon Brando, Dustin Hoffman, Tom Hanks, Jack Nicholson, Daniel Day-Lewis, Sean Penn) Who do you think is the likeliest to get the third leading actor oscar? [Jennifer]
• 1:09:52-1:11:22 - [Listener Question] Since the decision to split The Hobbit into three films generally received a lot of hate and criticism, do you think that this decision will negatively affect how people view the films, particularly the second film which presumably will have its content "stretched out"? [Lenano] (NOTE: There's an expletive yelled out rather loudly in this segment)
• 1:11:23-1:15:00 - Closing

You can find Laremy's writing here on RopeofSilicon.com and also at Film.com and on Twitter at @Laremy.

Summer Movie Box-Office Draft Brad vs. Laremy

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"The film follows a celebrated motivational speaker traveling the country, changing the lives of countless people. But in the course of transforming others, his life has become hollow and meaningless. It's a grey and monotonous existence where people literally look and sound identical. Suddenly one day, a girl's voice pierces through the veil of nothingness. She fills him with such a rush of "aliveness", he's willing to abandon everything and everyone, including his own family, and escape with her to a better life."

Like the costumes we saw for Thor, it's impossible to judge how these will look in the final picture, especially as a series of the images feature Crowe taking a smoke break... I wonder what kind of cigarettes the people of Krypton prefer?

Nevertheless, I've included one of the photos below and you can click here if you need more.

Russell Crowe on the set of Man of Steel

Along with Cavill and Crowe, the film co-stars Diane Lane, Kevin Costner, Michael Shannon, Antje Traue, Amy Adams, Harry Lennix, Laurence Fishburne and Ayelet Zurer and will hit theaters on June 14, 2013.]]> http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/article/general-zod-sighting-set-man-steel

Recently Warner Bros., who will distribute Man of Steel, promoted a similar decision with Ryan Reynolds' suit in Green Lantern, and outside of the awful looking mask, I thought that suit worked quite well. Considering my only knowledge of Zod, however, is from Terence Stamp's depiction of the character in Richard Donner's Superman films, the idea of him with a CG suit is beyond me.

Searching the Internet, I did come across the image you see to the right of Zod as drawn by Jim Lee, could this be what they are going for? I actually think that would be pretty bad ass and would be a strong departure from anything the Superman films have delivered to this point.

Of course, the speculation over what the suit could look like is only important if that photo actually is of Michael Shannon. What do you think?]]> http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/article/explosions-sets-the-avengers-man-steel-dark-knight-rises

First you have the extremely up-close and personal shot of Tom Hardy as the villain Bane from The Dark Knight Rises as they filmed a scene at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh courtesy of Metro.co.uk. The filming took place about a week ago.

Amy Adams as Lois Lane on the set of Man of Steel
Photo: Facebook

An explosion on the set of The Avengers
Photo: Comicbookresources.com

The video featured just below comes via Medical Mutual employees who were warned the explosions would be taking place and caught the footage from above.

Chris Evans on the set of The Avengers
Photo: I Am Rogue

An other-wordly weapon photographed on the set of The Avengers
Photo: ComingSoon.net

A stuntman wearing a motion capture suit on the set of The Avengers
Photo: ComingSoon.net

An explosion on the set of The Avengers
Photo: Comicbookresources.com

Additionally, we talk about a batch of new stories over the course of the first 18 minutes including the In Time trailer, Brett Ratner co-producing the Oscars, superhero talk including The Dark Knight Rises, Thor 2, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and Man of Steel plus news that Steven Soderbergh will direct second unit on The Hunger Games.

Like last week, this is a packed episode and it runs just over 49 minutes, but just like I've done over the last few weeks I've detailed the timing on a minute-by-minute basis below including a couple of moments where we do delve into spoilers

• 00:00-1:12 - Introduction
• 1:13-4:43 - In Time Trailer discussion (watch it here)
• 4:44-9:50 - Brett Ratner is co-producing the 2012 Oscars
• 9:51-16:17 - Superhero chatter including the first look at Anne Hathaway in The Dark Knight Rises and at Henry Cavill as Superman in Man of Steel
• 16:18-18:38 - Steven Soderbergh is directing second unit on The Hunger Games
• 18:39-25:26 - The Change-Up Review (read my review here)
  • MILD SPOILER ALERT FROM: 22:55-23:30
• 25:27-30:49 - Bellflower Review (read my review here)
  • SPOILER ALERT FROM: 27:43-32:32
• 32:33-45:49 - Rise of the Planet of the Apes Review (read my review here)
  • SPOILER ALERT FROM: 40:46-45:49
• 45:50-49:03 - Outro

NOTE: Apple's iTunes randomly checks for updated episodes, so sometimes the latest episode may not be immediately available in iTunes.

You can find Laremy's writing here on RopeofSilicon.com and also at Film.com and on Twitter at @Laremy.]]> http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/article/official-henry-cavill-superman-man-steel

With the pic we also get a clearer picture of the film's villains as the release says Superman will square off against two other surviving Kryptonians, the villainous General Zod, played by Michael Shannon, and Faora, Zod's evil partner, played by Antje Traue. Also from Superman's native Krypton are Lara Lor-Van, Superman's mother, played by Julia Ormond, and Superman's father, Jor-El, portrayed by Russell Crowe. Harry Lennix will play U.S. military man General Swanwick and Christopher Meloni as Colonel Hardy.

So as you can see, production is underway with Charles Roven, Emma Thomas, Christopher Nolan and Deborah Snyder producing and Zack Snyder (Watchmen, 300) directing David S. Goyer's script, from a story by Goyer and Nolan. I've included a hi-res look at Cavill from the image below and you can get a slightly larger look at the complete image in our gallery here.

Man of Steel hits theaters on June 14, 2013.

Henry Cavill as Superman in Man of Steel
Photo: Warner Bros.

White is described by Wikipedia as an archetypal image of the tough, irascible but fairminded boss. According to comic-book continuity, White was an award-winning journalist who served a term as Mayor of Metropolis. He worked as an assistant editor on the Metropolis Daily Star under George Taylor before becoming editor of the Planet.

In previous live-action portrayals of the character he was played by Jackie Cooper in the four Christopher Reeve-led films, by Frank Langella in Bryan Singer's Superman Returns and by Michael McKean on the television show "Smallville".

At this point, this cast is shaping up nicely. On top of Cavill and Adams, Fishburne is joined by Diane Lane and Kevin Costner who will play Clark Kent's Earth parents, Russell Crowe plays Superman's Kryptonian father Jor-El, Michael Shannon will play the villain General Zod, Antje Traue will play Faora and Harry Lennix will play General Swanwick. The film began production last month and will hit theaters on June 14, 2013.]]> http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/article/alternate-opening-sequence-superman-returns-unveiled

It was actually the only time I posted any kind of review for the film as Laremy wrote the theatrical review for the site back in 2006 and I haven't revisited it since that 2006 DVD review. So, in terms of the following alternate opening sequence which was featured on the Superman Anthology release back in early June, I don't really remember how it would have fit into the story, though the fact it was deleted means it probably doesn't matter.

Cinema Blend offers a few details as well as saying the sequence cost an estimated $10 million. That's a lot of money to toss away only to release it in the end as a special feature on an anthology home video release. I wonder if Zack Snyder's Man of Steel will run into similar costly road blocks compared to Singer's flick, which reportedly cost upwards of $270 million once all was said and done.

I'll begin with the long-gestating release of Drew Goddard's The Cabin in the Woods which is set for a April 13, 2012 release and stars Chris Hemsworth (Thor) as a young professional who visits a quaint cabin in the woods with a group of friends and ends up scratching the surface of something so massive and horrific that they can only begin to fathom it as time quickly runs out. The film was co-written by Joss Whedon (The Avengers) and also stars Richard Jenkins, Bradley Whitford, Kristen Connolly, Brian J. White, Amy Acker, Fran Kranz and Jesse Williams.

Next is news that Warner Bros. has officially moved Zack Snyder's Superman flick, Man of Steel out of what was expected to be a December 2012 release to June 14, 2013. This isn't a big surprise for the film which is being shepherded by Christopher Nolan (The Dark Knight Rises). December 2012 is already loaded with highly anticipated releases including Peter Jackson's The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Ang Li's Life of Pi, Gore Verbinski's The Lone Ranger, Judd Apatow's untitled Knocked Up spin-off and Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained. No reason to tangle with that lot if you don't need to.

Man of Steel will now release just ahead of Pixar's Monsters, Inc. prequel, Monsters University and in-between fellow superhero flicks in Disney's Iron Man 3 on May 3 and Thor 2 on July 26. Of course, there are many other films slotted around the same frame such as Roland Emmerich's Singularity (5/17), Fast Six (5/24), Guillermo del Toro's Pacific Rim (7/12) and Joseph Kosinski's Oblivion starring Tom Cruise on July 19, but who's counting?

And finally, Arnold Schwarzenegger's return to the big screen in The Last Stand for Lionsgate and director Ji-woon Kim (I Saw the Devil) has already landed in 2013's dumping ground and a January 18, 2013 release.]]> http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/article/watson-del-toros-beauty-beast-righetti-joins-the-avengers-yates-considers-kings-the-stand Harry Potter star Emma Watson, a new film for Tom Cruise, a new screenwriter for Zack Snyder's Superman, a new actress for The Avengers and a choice to be made by Harry Potter's most recent helmer. Let's dig in...

After David Goyer penned Zack Snyder's upcoming Superman feature Man of Steel it is now being reported Christopher Nolan's brother Jonah Nolan (The Dark Knight) took a pass at it and now Snyder's 300 co-writer Kurt Johnstad has as well. [Moviehole]

Amanda Righetti ("The Mentalist") is joining the cast of Joss Whedon's The Avengers in an unspecified role, though speculation pegs her as Carol Danvers -- also known to comic fans as the superpowered heroine Ms. Marvel -- or Sharon Carter, niece of Peggy Carter who is played by Hayley Atwell in Captain America: The First Avenger and acts as Steve Rogers' WWII partner and love interest. [The Daily Blam]

Tom Cruise is now confirmed to star in One Shot, an adaptation of the Lee Child bestselling book series in which Jack Reacher (Cruise), a former military policeman-turned-drifter, investigates a case in which a lone sniper murders five victims before being captured. Reacher discovers it's more than a simple open-and-shut case. Christopher McQuarrie (Valkyrie) is set to direct. [Deadline]

David Yates, director of the final four Harry Potter releases, apparently has a choice to make as he is said to be considering whether or not he wants to tackle a multi-picture adaptation of Stephen King's "The Stand" at Warner Bros. or work on an Al Capone origin story called Cicero or which he's been developing with Tom Hardy (Inception) attached to play the lead role. The Capone project was originally written in the seventies as a TV pilot by Walon Green (the screenwriter of Sam Peckinpah's The Wild Bunch) but is now being readapted as another multi-picture franchise. Word is the first film would track the gangster up to his rise to the top of the Chicago criminal food chain; his reign and downfall would be in a subsequent film(s). [Vulture]]]> http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/article/talk-transformers-trilogy-lennix-joins-man-steel-mccarthy-joins-apatows Transformers 4 and even talk of a Bridget Jones' Diary 3. All that and more in today's bit of movie news bites.

Michael Sucsy ("Grey Gardens") has signed on to direct Rosaline for Fox, an adaptation of Rebecca Serle's debut novel set in modern-day high school where Rosaline, Romeo's jilted ex-girlfriend, tells her side of William Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet." [Variety]

Harry Lennix (Matrix Reloaded) has been cast as a high-ranking military officer named General Swanwick in Zack Snyder's Superman pic Man of Steel. Lennix joins a cast that includes Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Michael Shannon, Russell Crowe, Julia Ormond, Kevin Costner, Diane Lane, Christopher Meloni and German thesp Antje Traue. The film is scheduled for a December 2012 release. [Variety]

Paul Feig (Bridesmaids) is reportedly "in the middle of very complex negotiations" to direct a Bridget Jones' Diary 3. The 2004 sequel, Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason, didn't fair too well here in the States making only $40 million, but overseas the film hauled in over $222 million. The 2001 original based on Helen Fielding's novel was a worldwide hit making over $281 million worldwide. Outside of Feig, deals with principal actors Renee Zellweger, Colin Firth and Hugh Grant have also not yet been made. [The Daily Mail]

Transformers producer Don Murphy has taken to his message boards to comment on the potential for more Transformers films saying:

What happens next? Certainly not a reboot. We haven�t lost the Transformers. They didn�t grow up or become expensive like Toby Maguire. I don�t know what happens next. I�m pretty sure there will be a second trilogy. I am pretty sure it will kick ass. And I am pretty sure some of you will hate it because it wasn�t all bots.

Nine images from the under construction set of Zack Snyder's Superman reboot, The Man of Steel, in Plano, Illinois have arrived online showing the destroyed remains of a few buildings. You can see a couple of the images directly above and click the following link for the rest in much higher resolution. [Superman Homepage]

A new rumor has surfaced saying Spike Lee (Inside Man, Do the Right Thing) is in talks to direct the long-rumored Hollywood remake of Park Chan-Wook's Oldboy, a film that was previously being shopped around with Will Smith attached to star and Steven Spielberg directing a script from Mark Protosevich (Thor, I Am Legend). That teaming fell apart and at one time it was said Matthew Vaughn and Danny Boyle were next in line, but perhaps that has all changed.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter Lee talked about how hard a time he was having trying to get a sequel to Inside Man greenlit, even though it was the highest grossing film of his career. I wonder, would you rather see Lee directing an Oldboy remake or Inside Man 2 with Denzel Washington and Jodie Foster? [Twitch]

Victoria's Secret model and Transformers: Dark of the Moon star Rosie Huntington Whitely may be the ticket for finding Jason Statham a role in a now rumored Transformers 4 as a new rumor surfaces saying the model-turned-actress' boyfriend is "being mentioned" as a candidate for the fourth film's lead role, replacing Shia LaBeouf. A source was quoted saying, "It's clear the franchise still has huge potential but with a new leading man capable of taking Transformers in a new, darker direction. Jason could be just the man to do that and his relationship with Rosie would be an added bonus in marketing the movie." [ShowbizSpy]

An adaptation of Marie Phillips' "Gods Behaving Badly" is heading to the big screen with an all-star cast. The film tells the story of the Greek Gods, alive and well and living in a brownstone in New York City, as they cross paths with a young couple, Kate and Neil. The intersection of the Gods and the mortals threatens not only the couple�s budding relationship, but the future of everything else. Kate will be played by Alicia Silverstone and Neil by Ebon Moss-Bachrach. The gods are: Aphrodite (Sharon Stone), Apollo (Oliver Platt), Artemis (Edie Falco), Demeter (Phylicia Rashad), Dionysus (Nelsan Ellis), Eros (Gideon Glick), Hades (John Turturro), Hermes (Henry Zebrowski), Persephone (Rosie Perez) and Zeus (Christopher Walken). The film was co-written by Josh Goldfaden and Marc Turtletaub (who is also directing) and production is set to begin this month. [Movieline]

Rodrigo Santoro, Anna Kendrick, Chris Rock and "Glee" star Matthew Morrison are set to join Lionsgate's What to Expect When You're Expecting to be directed by Kirk Jones. They join previously cast Jennifer Lopez, Cameron Diaz and Brooklyn Decker in the film based on the global bestseller by Heidi Murkoff and Sharon Mazel with Santoro set to play Lopez's wife in the story which follows six couples of varying ages and backgrounds in the run-up to delivery of their babies, in a manner very similar to New Line Cinema's ensemble features He's Just Not That Into You and Valentine's Day. The film is eying a production start in Atlanta later this summer. [The Hollywood Reporter]]]> http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/article/hanks-talks-toy-story-4-meloni-talks-man-steel-foster-rumored-r-i-p-d Toy Story 4? I can already hear people not liking this idea, calling it a cash grab, a merchandising opportunity... You know, everything they called Cars 2 without actually reviewing the film. Additionally we have news on Zack Snyder's Superman movie, a possible Foster sighting and then some. Check it all out below...

I mentioned over the weekend how Christopher Meloni ("Oz") was in negotiations for a major role in Zack Snyder's Superman reboot Man of Steel, but we didn't know which role. I speculated it would be the part of Daily Planet Editor-in-Chief Perry White, but the actor has since said he'd be playing a general in the movie and that he starts filming at the end of August and he'll shoot his part over the course of five months in locations including Chicago, Vancouver, and Edwards Air Force Base. [Vulture]

Universal just confirmed a release date of June 28, 2013 for their upcoming actioner R.I.P.D. starring Ryan Reynolds and Jeff Bridges and now there's a rumor Jodie Foster is being courted to join the cast as a character named Proctor. There's no telling what role this character plays in the film based on the Peter Lenkov comic, but the film centers on Nick Cruz (Reynolds), a recently slain cop who joins a team of undead police officers working for the Rest in Peace Department and tries to find the man who murdered him. Foster last teamed with R.I.P.D. helmer Robert Schwentke on Flightplan. [Bloody Disgusting]

Allen Hughes (The Book of Eli) recently dropped out of directing Akira for Warner Bros. and he is already moving in a new direction as he is in early talks to team with Mark Wahlberg on Broken City, a noir-style drama about an ex-cop turned private detective who is hired by the mayor to see if his wife is cheating on him. When the mayor's wife's cheating partner ends up dead, the private eye immerses himself in the mayor's business and uncovers a real estate scandal that involves dealing himself choice city-owned properties. Emmett/Furla Films will finance the picture which has been budgeted at $60 million. [Deadline]

I have yet to mention A Place Beyond the Pines, the next film from Blue Valentine director Derek Cianfrance which he co-wrote with Ben Coccio, but perhaps now is about time. Cianfrance will re-team with his Valentine star Ryan Gosling in the film which follows around a pro motorcycle rider (Gosling) who starts robbing banks to support his newborn son -- until he crosses paths with a determined young cop. Bradley Cooper plays the young cop and is joined by Eva Mendes and Greta Gerwig. Additionally, Ray Liotta has joined the film and will play a corrupt police officer and Animal Kingdom star Ben Mendelsohn will play Robin Van Der Zee, the mechanic who turns Gosling's character onto the life of crime.

Cianfrance recently commented on the film saying, "I have a film called The Place Beyond The Pines, which is all about fathers and guns, and it has motorcycles and guns in it. One thing I wanted to do with Blue Valentine was to make a really violent film without guns in it. The next one will have guns, so it will be easier." [The Playlist / THR / Variety]]]> http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/article/coen-bros-folksy-meloni-joins-man-steel-examination-transformers-3 There were just enough stories left over for a weekend edition of the Movie Morsels column and come to think of it, ending with news of a new Coen brothers film makes it even better than most editions.

Additional Snow White and the Huntsman casting reveals Lily Cole (The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus) will play a girl by the name of Greta, and Sam Spruell (The Hurt Locker) will play Finn, the Queen's henchman sent to kill the Huntsman (Thor's Chris Hemsworth) and Snow White (Twilight star Kristen Stewart). Chalize Theron plays the queen. The film is expected to go into production this fall with a release date set for June 1, 2012. [Variety]

Christopher Meloni ("Law and#038; Order: SVU") is in negotiations for a major role in Zack Snyder's Superman reboot Man of Steel. Of course, the "major role" is unknown at this moment, but the likeliest character left in my estimation would be Daily Planet Editor-in-Chief Perry White, who was played by Frank Langella in Bryan Singer's Superman Returns and by Jackie Cooper in the four Christopher Reeve films. [Deadline]

Universal Pictures has scheduled the Ryan Reynolds and Jeff Bridges action-comedy R.I.P.D. for June 28, 2013. The film is based on the Peter Lenkov comic and centers on Nick Cruz (Reynolds), a recently slain cop who joins a team of undead police officers working for the Rest in Peace Department and tries to find the man who murdered him. Red helmer Robert Schwentke directs. [Deadline]

Photo: Paramount Pictures // New York Times

Joel and Ethan Coen are moving back into O' Brother, Where Art Thou? territory as their next film will be based on the life of black blues and folk singer Dave van Ronk, a legendary musician who presided over New York city's iconoclastic coffeehouse period of the mid-20th century. In a recent conversation moderated by Noah Baumbach the brothers referred to the film saying it was kind of like Baumbach's Margot at the Wedding, which is to say that, like that film, their new work will offer natural dialogue and a feeling of being dropped into the middle of a world. They also said they expected the film to contain musical performances. "We're working on a movie now that has music in it [that's] pretty much all performed live, single instrument," Joel Coen said.

Van Ronk passed away in 2002. His work helped give birth to the likes of Phil Ochs, Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell. His nickname was "The Mayor of MacDougal Street" which it wouldn't surprise me if that became the title of this next film, the Coens are said to be drawing in part from Van Ronk's posthumous memoir of the same name for the script, which they are penning themselves. [Los Angeles Times]]]> http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/article/mcavoy-caught-boyles-trance-superman-casting-terminator-talk Man of Steel casting, big budgets and continued Terminator talk. Oh yeah, it's a genre-filled update. Dig in...

Green Lantern made a bunch of news when it was reported the film had a $300 million budget ($200 million for production and $100 million for worldwide marketing). Well, I wonder what people will make of the now reported $215 million production budget for Will Smith's Men in Black III. Get the full details at the link. [The Wrap]

Talks of Terminator 5 are creeping up again as the complicated Halcyon Holding Group bankruptcy case has quietly been resolved, with creditors due to receive $14 million in expected distributions. Prospects for another Terminator now rest with Megan Ellison's Annapurna Films, which closed a deal a month ago during the Cannes Film Festival for rights to make two Terminator films. Recently Fast Five helmer Justin Lin was said to be in line to direct the fifth feature, then Arnold Schwarzenegger put a quick kink in those works. [Variety]

James Wan (Insidious) is in final negotiations to direct The Conjuring for New Line. The film is said to be inspired by the true-life story of the Perron family, who claimed they "lived among the dead" in the 1970s as spirits both friendly and sinister inhabited their Rhode Island farmhouse. [Variety]

The Grudge and Ju On helmer, Takashi Shimizu, is set to direct the claustrophobic thriller Flight 75 for CBS Films. The story is set on a transpacific airliner where the passengers encounter what seems to be a supernatural force. There is still no word on whether snakes or Jodie Foster searching for her missing child will be involved. [Variety]]]> http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/article/podcast-4-talking-oscar-picture-changes-green-lantern-poppers-penguins Hey look, two weeks in a row and hopefully we can keep it going next week as the latest installment in the RopeofSilicon "No Name Podcast" (it's a working title) is here.

This time around Laremy and I offer up commentary on two of this week's new releases -- Mr. Popper's Penguins and Green Lantern -- and we also briefly discuss the news from earlier this week that the Academy had decided to change the Best Picture nomination format to where they will have anywhere from 5 to 10 nominees depending on the number of films that receive at least 5% of the first place votes.

Now I want to clarify a figure I use in the podcast because I think it will sound a little confusing if I don't. The Academy has just under 6,000 members, which means if everyone voted then a film would need to get approximately 300 first place votes to secure a spot as one of the potential ten nominees. In the podcast I use the number 250 for a few reasons, but primarily because of everything Steve Pond brought to light in his latest post regarding the rules changes, including a "surplus rule" that explains why the 250 number makes sense. Here's what he said:

In the field of close to 6,000 Academy voters, if we assume that most of them cast nominating ballots, that translates to a new magic number of about 250.

Note: according to [retiring Academy executive director Bruce Davis], the 5-percent rule will kick in after [PricewaterhouseCoopers] tabulators will redistribute any ballots that are put in play by the surplus rule, and then redistribute the ballots of all films that received less than 1 percent of the total vote.

The bottom line: To be eligible, a film will need about 250 voters to either put it at the top of their ballots, or put it in the No. 2 spot behind a film that receives fewer than 50 first-place votes. That's what studios, consultants and campaigners need to keep in mind: get 250 Academy members to put you up high, or you're out of luck.

Laremy and I also briefly discuss James Mangold being hired to direct The Wolverine, Russell Crowe being cast as Jor-El in Man of Steel, the proposed Hot Wheels movie and films like it, Transformers: Dark of the Moon and a couple of other asides.

You can listen below or download the audio by right-clicking here and saving it to your computer.

You can also find Laremy's writing at Film.com.]]> http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/article/russell-crowe-play-supermans-father-man-steel Russell Crowe has joined the cast of the Christopher Nolan-produced and Zack Snyder helmed Superman reboot Man of Steel and will play Jor-El, the father of Superman, a role played by Marlon Brando in the 1978 feature film and Terrence Stamp in the "Smallville" television series.

Bryan Singer opted to use archival footage of Brando for Superman Returns in 2006, but Variety's Justin Kroll reports it has always been Nolan's intention to cast an A-list actor for the part, which is a definition I'd say Crowe certainly fits.

Crowe joins Henry Cavill ("The Tudors") who will play Superman/Clark Kent in the character's reintroduction to the big screen. Additional previous casting includes Amy Adams as Lois Lane, Kevin Costner as Superman's Earth father Jonathan Kent, Diane Lane as his Earth mother Martha and Michael Shannon will play the film's main villain, General Zod, alongside Antje Traue (Pandorum) as the villainous Faora.

You could also join the cast as a casting call has gone out for men, women and children in Illinois to participate in the shoot with auditions in Chicago, Naperville and Plano as production is set to start next month for a December 2012 release.]]> http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/article/week-dvd-blu-ray-june-7-2011

DEAL ALERT: I don't catch the deals at Amazon all that often, but when I do I like to share them and I noticed that right now you can buy the Alien Anthology (Alien, Aliens, Alien 3 and Alien: Resurrection) on Blu-ray for only $52.99 (list price $139.99) and for anyone that read my review you already know I consider this one of the best Blu-ray sets ever released. Click here to purchase.

Additionally, the Back to the Future Blu-ray trilogy is on sale for just $24.99 (list price $79.98) and it's another one where I reviewed it and was thoroughly impressed with the transfers. You can click here to purchase that one.

That said, the deals are done, though one thing I point out below is that with this week's releases all of the ten films in my top ten movies of 2010 are now available to own. You can click here to have a look.

True Grit
	The best film of 2010 (according to me) is now available to own on high definition Blu-ray and it is beautiful from a sound and audio perspective with perfect visuals and a DTS-HD audio track that will force you to purchase a better sound system if you don't own one already. I, however, haven't had time to dig into the special features, but being this is my favorite of 2010 I would have bought it regardless and if you want my suggestion, I'd say you should do the same.

The Marx Brothers Singles
	I've been discussing these releases for the past two weeks in my What I Watched columns as two weeks ago I watched Duck Soup and this past weekend I mentioned Monkey Business. Now what you are looking at are five new single edition releases of those two Marx brothers films along with Animal Crackers, Horse Feathers and The Cocoanuts. Personally, yes, I think these are worth owning, but with these single edition releases it's just price gouging considering these titles haven't been remastered and they don't come with any special features... at all. So, instead of the $89.95 ($17.99 each) Amazon is charging to buy all five, why not just buy the seven-year-old "The Marx Brothers Silver Screen Collection" which includes all five of these exact same movies for only $30.99? I've included the Amazon links to all of them in the Buy Now link below to help you make your decision.

Another Year
	Another film that made my Top Ten of 2010, coming in at #3 in fact, is Mike Leigh's Another Year. Come to think of it, with this release and True Grit, my entire top ten from last year is now available to own (click here for a look). I feel I have talked this film to death already, so I will just quote the blurb I wrote for my top ten and leave it at that: "There's life in every corner of this film, be it the ups or downs, it's simply brilliant and while it does hit some rather tragic lows at times, I rewatched it only a few days ago and it's just as good as it ever was."

Superman: The Motion Picture Anthology (1978-2006) [Blu-ray]
	UPDATE: I have been corrected on Twitter and in fact this set marks the first time the theatrical versions of Superman and Superman 2 have been made available on Blu-ray. The previous Blu-ray edition of Superman was the director's cut and the previous version of Superman II was the Donner cut. I still, however, stand by the opinion I don't think this set is worth it as we all know singles of those two theatrical releases will likely be made available quite soon. But, that's just my opinion. I have no interest in this set, so little in fact, I didn't even ask for a review copy. Who needs it? If you enjoy the Superman films I am guessing you already own them on Blu-ray. Am I right? So unless you're interested in shelling out $90 for what I would say are two good films, don't bother.

Rubber
	Average, inventive, but not really a good film, Rubber is, however, an interesting movie. My suggestion, rent it from Netflix and that should take care of it. If you want more, you can read my theatrical review right here.

The Company Men
	I was incredibly unimpressed with this movie, depressed even. How so? Here's how I opened my theatrical review: "So far as I can tell the moral of the story is that in the current economic climate you better hope you don't lose your job, but if you do, you damn well better hope you know someone with millions of dollars who can come along and set up a new company so you can get another one. Other than that, you're all screwed."

Blue Crush 2
	I teased this one in my What I Watched column on Sunday as I watched it last week, but held off commenting until now. Suffice to say, this is a 100% terrible movie and the one thing I was asking my girlfriend while we watched was to wonder why they didn't just cast actual surfers if they were going to choose actresses this bad for the two lead roles. The story has nothing whatsoever to do with the Kate Bosworth original as it centers on a girl (Sasha Jackson) who runs off to South Africa to explore the locales where her dead mother surfed before she married her father (Gideon Emery). When she gets there she immediately makes friends with a girl named Pushy (Elizabeth Mathis) and finds herself involved with a bunch of South African outcasts, some of which are involved in killing elephants while another is interested in protecting them. Oh, Sharni Vinson from Step Up 3D is also in here, playing the villainess and also proving she needs to gain about 25 pounds before she can look remotely healthy. Seriously, she makes Angelina Jolie look like she needs to go on the Biggest Loser. From the acting down to the story it is a truly terrible film that I would never suggest any of you watch unless you're interested in a good laugh or coming up with a new drinking game.

Just Go With It
	Never saw it and don't ever intend to. Adam Sandler has quickly become an actor I only am interested in his dramas. Then again, there are two of his earlier films hitting Blu-ray this week that I included in the "EVEN MORE" section of today's report that I would pick up in a heartbeat if I didn't already own the DVDs.

Sanctum
	Awful, awful, awful. James Cameron should be ashamed to have his name attached to this terrible movie. If you want more of my negative opinion click here.

• The Outlaw Josey Wales (Blu-ray Book Packaging)
• Breaking Bad: The Complete Third Season
• Burn Notice: Season Four
• Green Lantern: Emerald Knights
• Leverage: Third Season
• The Man Who Would Be King [Blu-ray Book]
• 61*
• The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert [Blu-ray]
• Vera Cruz [Blu-ray]
• Happy Gilmore [Blu-ray]
• Billy Madison [Blu-ray]
• Shadows and Lies
• American: The Bill Hicks Story
• The Bridge on the River Kwai [Blu-ray]

• Paul (buy now)
  Releasing on August 9, 2011
• Soul Surfer (buy now)
  Releasing on August 2, 2011
• 13 Assassins (buy now)
  Releasing on July 5, 2011
• Dylan Dog: Dead of Night
  Releasing on July 26, 2011
• Super (buy now)
  Releasing on August 9, 2011
• The Conspirator (buy now)
  Releasing on August 16, 2011

• Paul
  Releasing on August 9, 2011
• Soul Surfer (buy now)
  Releasing on August 2, 2011
• 13 Assassins (buy now)
  Releasing on July 5, 2011
• Dylan Dog: Dead of Night
  Releasing on July 26, 2011
• Super (buy now)
  Releasing on August 9, 2011
• The Conspirator (buy now)
  Releasing on August 16, 2011

The news was just announced that Traue will play Faora in the feature alongside Michael Shannon who will be playing the film's lead villain, General Zod. Apparently there were more than one instance of the character in the Superman universe and since I know nothing of the comic I will make way for the following description of the character courtesy of Wikipedia:

The first Faora, Faora Hu-Ul, was introduced in Action Comics #471. She was a beautiful Kryptonian woman whose unexplained hatred for men led her to torture and kill 23 men at a secret concentration camp in her home. For this, she was imprisoned in the Phantom Zone to complete a sentence of 300 Kryptonian years, the second longest term after Jax-Ur. Ironically this allowed her to survive her homeworld's destruction, along with the other Phantom Zone prisoners, albeit in an invisible ghostlike form. While imprisoned in the Phantom Zone, she was often depicted plotting against Superman with General Zod and Jax-Ur. Her hatred of men was not limited to Kryptonians, as demonstrated by her pointless murder of a young Frenchman who was attracted by her beauty.

Faora was an expert at the Kryptonian martial art of Horo-Kanu, which utilized the pressure points on the Kryptonian body. This made her an extremely dangerous foe for Superman to face in hand-to-hand combat�he was forced to flee from their first encounter. During one of her first appearances, Faora could manifest some sort of "mental lightning" to physically attack other Kryptonians, but did not exhibit this additional power during later appearances.

Production on Man of Steel is scheduled to start this summer in Chicago, with a release planned for December 2012.]]> http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/article/michael-shannon-entertains-as-he-discusses-being-cast-in-superman A fun interview with Michael Shannon ("Boardwalk Empire") from the RiverRun International Film Festival in Winston-Salem, NC is making the rounds as moderator and filmmaker Jeff Nichols chats with him regarding his recent casting as General Zod in Man of Steel.

The candid nature in which Shannon discusses the process is refreshing as he describes visiting Zack Snyder at his home and listening to him tell the story for 30 minutes while he gazes at hummingbirds in the backyard and sees the Rose Bowl in the distance. He describes the surreal experience saying he felt like he was on acid, and later discusses auditioning alongside Henry Cavill, who plays the new Clark Kent/Superman, and describes the trials and tribulations of trying to turn off an air conditioner.

Give the video a watch below and also tell me if I'm crazy, but doesn't Nichols remind you a lot of Bradley Cooper? At first I thought he reminded me a lot of Snyder, whom I've interviewed three times, but when he asks Shannon if he's seen the original Christopher Reeve Superman it just screamed Cooper to me.

Man of Steel will shoot this summer for a December 2012 release.]]> http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/article/michael-shannon-cast-as-lead-villain-in-zack-snyders-superman Warner Bros. is obviously determined to make each Sunday a "Super" Sunday as once again they announce a major piece of casting for Zack Snyder's Superman.

Previously it was Amy Adams as Lois Lane and today the press release brings word Michael Shannon (�Boardwalk Empire") will play the villainous General Zod in what is now officially titled Man of Steel. As General Zod, Shannon will go toe-to-toe with Henry Cavill, who plays the new Clark Kent/Superman in the film. Along with Cavill, Shannon and Adams the film co-stars Diane Lane and Kevin Costner as Martha and Jonathan Kent.

Shannon was among other names including Viggo Mortensen and Edgar Ramirez ("Carlos") in contention for the role. Shannon, you may remember, played a particularly nasty character in Sam Mendes's Revolutionary Road as well as delivered the only notable performance in Floria Sigismondi's The Runaways as the eccentric producer Kim Fowley.

Quoted in the release, Snyder said, �Zod is not only one of Superman�s most formidable enemies, but one of the most significant because he has insights into Superman that others don�t. Michael is a powerful actor who can project both the intelligence and the malice of the character, making him perfect for the role.�

Zod was last played on the big screen by Terence Stamp in Richard Lester's Superman II back in 1980.

Charles Roven, Emma Thomas, Christopher Nolan and Deborah Snyder are the serving as producers on the film with a screenplay David S. Goyer based on a story by Goyer and Nolan. Thomas Tull and Lloyd Phillips are serving as executive producers.

Man of Steel will shoot this summer for a December 2012 release.]]> http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/article/would-you-like-to-see-zack-snyder-replaced-as-director-of-superman For the record, my answer to the question posed in the headline is... No. The reason I'm asking this question is because a pair of articles over at The Guardian and MTV contemplate the possibility of such a scenario. Personally, I think Snyder is the right director to give the Superman franchise the kick in the pants it needs, a jolt of energy it's been missing... that is, as long as he can tone down the number of slo-mo shots and simmer a bit on the in-movie music video sequences. You know, go back to the days of Dawn of the Dead.

Ben Child at The Guardian is certainly the harshest on Snyder, opening his article saying, "Can one film ruin a career? Maybe it can, if that film is Sucker Punch." He then adds, "Speculation has been rife this week that Zack Snyder might find himself out of the Superman hotseat due to the critical drubbing and poor US box-office bow for his salacious new action fantasy."

Of course, Child is just dumping on Snyder as he then points to the MTV article saying a "number of critics" are betting Snyder will be dumped when in actuality MTV only talked to three people, only one of which really seems to think there's even the slightest chance Snyder gets the boot.

"Next month would be the moment when Snyder 'decides to do a more personal project,' if he was being given the heave-ho," David Poland of Movie City News told MTV.

"[I]t's more about the bosses second-guessing. Will the noise level turn [CEO] Jeff Bewkes' head?" Poland added. "Could another Superman flop -- meaning just $400 million worldwide, hit numbers for most films -- change how Jeff Robinov is seen inside the company? ... I do believe that [Snyder] is Robinov's guy and that Robinov's career is on the line here."

[poll id = "179"]

Much of the MTV article then turns to producer and Superman: Man of Steel "godfather" Christopher Nolan. Jeff Bock at Exhibitor Relations tells MTV, "[Warner Bros.] needed Nolan in a godfather capacity, and Snyder to up the hip quotient. Snyder knows how to create a dynamic spectacle on the silver screen, as he has shown with 300 and Dawn of the Dead, and with Nolan guiding the story process, Superman may just be the next big thing -- again."

The reason this is even a topic of conversation is because Snyder's Watchmen slightly underperformed and Sucker Punch took a critical drubbing, the latter of which was pretty much the first time Snyder was given total and complete control. Thing is, that won't be happening with Superman as Bock points out. The collaboration between Snyder and Nolan could result in a reigning in of Snyder's more destructive tendencies while letting his visual eye bring some life to the Man of Steel we haven't seen before.]]> http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/article/will-the-visual-directors-of-today-fizzle-and-fade Superman: Man of Steel, which is a leg up on his co-horts who are just out there trying to use special effects to mask the problems of the stories they are telling. While Snyder's got his share of problems, chief among them being massive early success affording him the chance to go wild without being reigned in, he's now got someone to look up to and impress. He's working with a script he didn't write and hopefully it will be a turning point in his career. But what about the rest of them?

Other names that come to mind include Scott Stewart (Legion), the Strause Brothers (Skyline), Paul W.S. Anderson (Resident Evil: Afterlife) and Jonathan Liebesman (Battle: Los Angeles). I'd add Michael Bay to the list, but in some cases name recognition such as Transformers in Bay's case and even Resident Evil when it comes to Anderson makes a property worth even more, no matter the absence of storytelling.

It just seems the more and more Hollywood turns to these visual storytellers, used to working in effects and/or commercials, we are getting films that are pretty much empty vessels. It's like a bad date and the person across the table from you stares like you're speaking another language while you're trying to make conversation. No amount of good looks makes up for that blank stare and it seems like we are getting closer and closer to Hollywood becoming fed up with this idea of selling to the video game crowd... or at least to a point where the budgets will begin to get reigned in.

I have a feeling studios won't be wagering upwards of $170 million on an untested director again. I'm sure we'll still get those risks such as Sucker Punch to try and bring in the Comic Con crowd, but the reported $82 million budget on that one may also be a thing of the past. Battle: Los Angeles was made for a reported $70 million (though I have to assume marketing costs had to be at least another $50m) and the $152.8 million it's made worldwide will likely make that $70 million figure something of a ceiling for these kinds of films in the future. At least, that's the clear indication I'm getting from Disney and its decision to say good-bye to Oblivian.]]> http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/article/look-for-a-nolan-lead-batman-reboot-and-a-justice-league-movie-in-the-near-future There was talk yesterday of Warner Bros. revisiting the abandoned Justice League film for a 2013 release in a profile piece focused on Warner Bros. chief Jeff Robinov. The mention was small and there wasn't much to go on so I held back. However, today the news is confirmed as the WB is ready to put in motion the DC Comics superhero team-up to rival Paramount's The Avengers.

Word is that one year after both Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises and Zack Snyder's Superman: Man of Steel, Warner Bros. is eying both a Justice League film as well as a "reinvented Batman".

Currently a Justice League script is being written, though no screenwriter is mentioned by name, along with scripts for films based on the DC characters Flash and Wonder Woman, both of which could see spin-off films following the as yet Untitled Justice League Movie. Even though a Wonder Woman television series is currently in production with Adrianne Palicki for NBC, Robinov says, "Wonder Woman could be a film as well, the same way that Superman Returns came out while 'Smallville' was on." Yeah, we all know how that turned out.

As for this news of a Batman reinvention, Robinov may have said the right thing. Just as everyone seems to breath a little easier knowing Christopher Nolan is involved with Snyder's Superman, Robinov says, "We have the third Batman, but then we'll have to reinvent Batman... Chris Nolan and [producing partner and wife] Emma Thomas will be producing it, so it will be a conversation with them about what the next phase is."

This is obviously a reaction to Sony's decision to abandon a Spider-Man 4 and instead go in a whole new direction with The Amazing Spider-Man, but the difference is people grew detached from the Spider-Man franchise after the third film, while excitement for Nolan's Batman only seems to grow and grow. Of course, should The Dark Knight Rises turn into a villain-filled cheese fest similar to Spider-Man 3 (not likely) perhaps there will be merit for the idea of a quick reboot. It just seems a bit hasty to me unless they decide to go Darren Aronofsky's route with Bruce Wayne as a Gotham street urchin riding in a Lincoln Towncar with Alfred is an African-American mechanic going by Big Al. Then we might have something, but that will never happen.

Then there's the whole world of the Justice League to consider. I'm curious if there is any way they can rope Christian Bale into playing Batman in the Justice League film, because you have to assume our new Superman, Henry Cavill, certainly has a Justice League appearance as the Man of Steel in his contract.

Bale was quoted by E! talking about The Dark Knight Rises saying, "The thing is that this will be, I believe, unless Chris says different, this will be the last time I'm playing Batman." Yeah, I'm sure you're looking closely at that "unless Chris says different" line as Bale doesn't entirely rule out the possibility. Like Lloyd Christmas said, "So you're saying there's a chance."

Should Bale not sign on, I wonder if they'll go back to their previous choice of Armie Hammer (The Social Network) to fill the caped crusader's boots.

I also wonder if the Wonder Woman television series will be a big enough hit to get fans petitioning for Palicki to play the role on the big screen as well. You also have Ryan Reynolds in Green Lantern, which I am sure we can expect him to be crossing over. Teresa Palmer was previously eyed as Talia al Ghul and Adam Brody as The Flash in the abandoned George Miller feature.

Lots of questions, few answers, but I'm sure you'll have something to say. So speak up in the comments below.]]>