Max Brooks Stoked About Development Of Movie: WORLD WAR Z

Last week, zombie aficionado Max Brooks appeared on Fangoria Radio to talk about his upcoming graphic novel Zombie Survival Guide: Recorded Attacks as well as the upcoming World War Z movie. You may remember that it was reported that 007 director Marc Forster would be helming the long overdue project written by J. Michael Straczynski. Here’s what Brooks had to say about the team:

“I’m thrilled that the man who created BABYLON 5 is working on this movie. I can’t give it away, but Straczynski found a way to tie it all together. The last draft I read was amazing.”
“Now that we have a director, we have a captain of the ship. Marc will determine start date, cast, locations, etc. For me personally, I’m content to go off to Iceland and let them make their movie.”

We reviewed the screenplay for WWZ a while back, but it sounds like there may be a new draft floating around. Either way, Brooks is right- things are looking good on the WWZ front.

Source: QuietEarth.us Read more

Review - Titans #7 - DC Comics

Koppy McFad over at the Comic Book Bin has a reviews of DC’s Titans #7…

“Match”, the flawed clone of Superboy–Conner Kent, whose body has been possessed by ex-Titans member, Jericho, battles the Titans in their own headquarters.

The complexity of the situation is pretty hard to sum up in one paragraph. You have to explain how Jericho has the power to inhabit other people’s bodies, how he got into Match’s body and who the heck Match is. Suffice to say, newcomers to this book will be mystified and may not understand what is going on. The one-page explanation that appears early in the book just doesn’t wrap things up completely.

Other than that, this issue is rather well done. “Match” breaks free, the Titans all make an attempt to subdue him and in the end, Jericho is separated from Match’s body with unexpected conseuquences. The action is well choreographed and the Titans show surprising strength instead of acting as punching bags as in so many previous issues.

Even the characterisation is remarkably good. The Titans speak in distinctly different voices and comes off as quite sympathetic– aside from Winick’s penchant for having his characters constantly spouting smart-azz wisecracks, even during inappropriate moments, like when their best friends are fighting for their lives.

The art is surprisingly good, considering it is clearly a last-minute fill-in job. The backgrounds are a bit sparse but at least all the characters end up looking good, especially Match who comes off as both menacing and comical as he screams for help even while he beats up the Titans.

Rating: 7/10

Source: ComicBookBin.com Read more

Dead But Dreamy - Robert Pattinson Is Twilight’s Edward

Normally, a vampire flick heading to theaters would attract the typical genre or horror fans curious to the latest spin on the bloodsucker mythology. But there’s nothing typical about the absolute tidal wave of buzz surrounding the big screen adaptation of Stephanie Meyer’s young adult skewing vampire tale, Twilight.

In the four years since Meyer’s released Twilight (the first book in the now completed four series), the book have sold more than 17 million copies in 37 languages, and maybe most importantly, spawned a fandom as passionate, vocal and obsessed over their work that most authors can only dream about. Granted a big reason for that kind of devotion is the love story at the center of the series – the forbidden kind between the human Bella Swan and the immortal vampire, Edward Cullen. Their story is exactly the kind of angsty, breathless affair that make women, young and old, swoon for and studio executives salivate over to convert to film.

The smart executives at smaller studio Summit Entertainment ended up acquiring the rights and now find themselves about to release what will assuredly be their biggest hit (and possible franchise) ever. Just according to the numbers from two weeks ago, online ticket destination Fandango reported that the film’s presales accounted for 51% of all daily ticket sales on the site, with plenty of the November 21st opening day and night showings already sold out. That’s the kind of hype that usually surrounds characters named Iron Man, Batman, Jason Bourne or any other typically male oriented blockbuster fare, not for a $37 million dollar budgeted vampire romance that takes place in Oregon. Read more

Call of Duty: World At War Invades Steam

Valve has announced that the PC version of Treyarch’s Call of Duty: World at War is now available on the Steam digital distribution service.

The World War II shooter, which is selling like hotcakes, can now be purchased online and downloaded through Steam for the price of $49.95, the same as buying the disc-based game from a brick-and-mortar retailer.

World at War released last week for a whole bevy of platforms. Treyarch handled the PC, PS3, Xbox 360 and Wiieditions, while the PS2 version came from Rebellion and n-Space handled the Nintendo DS port.

Source: ShackNews.com Read more

‘Chuck’ Creater In Negotiations To Write Next ‘X-Men’ Movie

Josh Schwartz is negotiating with 20th Century Fox to write the next X-Men movie, “X-Men: First Class” according to the Hollywood Reporter.

Schwartz is the creative mind behind “The O.C.,” “Gossip Girl” and “Chuck.”

The new installment of the X-Men series is rumored to be a prequel, focusing on some familiar X-Men as teens or a story focused on several new recruits to Xavier’s School for Mutants. No word yet on the focus that 20th Century Fox wants to take with the film.

This project hinges on the success of the upcoming “Wolverine” spin-off. Should that be a hit, “First Class” could be jumped onto the fast track.

Source: SliceOfScifi.com Read more

Stan ‘The Man’ Lee Receives National Medal of the Arts Award

George W. Bush recently announced the nine recipients of the 2008 National Medal of the Arts, managed by the National Endowment for the Arts, at a ceremony in the East Room of the White House.

Among the recipients of this prestigious award was comic book legend, Stan Lee, creator and co-creator of Spider-Man, Fantastic Four, The Incredible Hulk and the X-Men.

Established by Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government, the Endowment is the nation’s largest annual funder of the arts, bringing great art to all 50 states, including rural areas, inner cities, and military bases.

Source: ComicNews.info Read more

L.A. ‘Twilight’ Premiere Attracts Shrieking Masses

There were hundreds of people lining the Los Angeles streets screaming and chanting. There were homemade signs, punny slogans, and custom T-shirts. Attendees declared whose team they were on. There were moms and daughters, men and women, couples and singles. There were even a few people so overcome by emotion that tears were shed. They stood for hours, some for days, to make sure their opinions were seen and heard despite the harsh, ashy air quality caused by the numerous nearby wildfires.

I’m not talking about last weekend’s anti-Proposition 8 rally. No, this chaotic scene, which featured more black, less rainbows, was for the Nov. 17 premiere of Twilight, the epic love story of a high-school girl (Bella) and her vampire beau (Edward) based on the hit book series by Stephenie Meyer. While the two events had several similarities, I dare say the Twilight folks were slightly more fanatical.

“We drove from the Bay Area yesterday, got in line at midnight last night, slept out here, took the day off work, and stood all day in order to fulfill a dream to take a picture or get an autograph from the stars,” enthused Cyndee Sauceda, 40, who works in a law office. “And if that doesn’t work out, it will all still be worth it if we get to touch Kellan Lutz or Robert Pattinson.”

Pattinson & Co. obliged for the most part — posing for cell photos, doling out hugs, signing books, bodies, clothes, signs, pizza boxes, any surface that didn’t cause a black Sharpie to run. “I’m going to have to ice my autograph hand when I get home,” joked Taylor “Jacob” Lautner. Pattinson, Cam Gigandet, and a few other actors even did a victory lap to slap fan hands after they had completed their initial round of interviews and fan appreciation despite holding up the screening over 45 minutes past its scheduled start time.

“This is crazier and louder than I was prepared for,” said Pattinson (pictured with co-star Kristen Stewart), running his fingers through his trademark floppy locks and looking sharp-dressed goth in his fitted black suit. “With every week, the fervor and anticipation seems to grow. This is my life. People know my name and ambush me in public and try to figure out what hotel I’m staying at and ask me to bite them and want to touch my hair. I have accepted it as real now, but it still feels surreal.” Read more

Age Of Conan Getting DirectX 10 Support in ‘Next Major Game Update’

The long-promised DirectX 10 support for Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures will arrive in the “next major game update” for the PC MMO, developer Funcom has revealed.

“We have been determined that the new DirectX 10 functionality would not just be a ‘gimmick’ addition to the game and would add visual quality to the game,” newly appointed game director Craig Morrison wrote in his November Letter.

“We feel that the version we are preparing now for testing does achieve this and in a way that will find the right balance between visuals and performance,” he added.

While Morrison did not specify when the “major” update will arrive, he revealed that the next update will pack two new dungeons “aimed at maximum level players” in an attempt to begin filling “content gaps [at] the highest level.”

Source: ShackNews.com Read more

Sony To Release Madhouse’s Marvel Hero Anime Worldwide

The Variety entertainment trade news source confirms that Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has agreed to globally distribute the four series that the Madhouse anime studio is producing with “re-imagined” characters from Marvel Comics. The company created a new International Product Expansion Group that signed the deals.

Vice President Tony Ishizuka has been assigned to lead the new group with Maxwell Mattord as a director. Marvel revealed in August that the first of the 12-episode series with Marvel’s Iron Man and Wolverine characters is launching on Sony’s Animax premium anime channel in Japan in Spring 2010.

Source: Anime News Network

Catalyst Game Labs Bids on WizKids Properties

Catalyst Games has announced that it has submitted a bid for WizKids Games properties, including HeroClix, the Pirates PocketModel Game, Star Wars PocketModel TCG, BattleTech/MechWarrior, and Shadowrun.

Catalyst already produces games based on BattleTech and Shadowrun under license from WizKids, which it says will continue in any case (see “WizKids Week Wrapup”). The bid included not only those underlying properties but also the WizKids games based on them.

Catalyst was not on our original shortlist of companies that came to mind as potential acquirers of the WizKids properties (see “WizKids: Reactions and Next Steps”).  But statements by company executives emphasized Catalyst’s experience with licensed properties and its ability to ramp up for new acquisitions. “Catalyst has demonstrated our ability to manage large and important intellectual properties,” Catalyst majority owner Loren Coleman said. Coleman recently met with Topps execs in New York to discuss the potential acquisition.

And Operations Manager (and former WizKids employee) David Stansel-Garner talked about Catalyst’s potential entry into a new category–CMGs. “While we would be new to the collectible miniatures market, we have proven experience in quickly acquiring the talent and infrastructure needed to produce high quality games,” he said, referring to Catalyst’s ramp-up in the wake of its acquisition of BattleTech and Shadowrun licenses formerly held by FanPro (see “Catalyst Now Has Battletech”).

Source: icv2.com Read more

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