JACKMAN SAYS NO TO 007
BY DF NEWS
The Australian newspaper The Age reported that Hugh Jackman has rejected the role of JAMES BOND after months of negotiations with the producers. He would have been the first Aussie to play the role, 36 years after countryman George Lazenby starred in On Her Majesty's Secret Service. He would have replaced Pierce Brosnan.
But Jackman found himself unswayed by the job's selective cult status, the newspaper reported. He was first offered the role some months ago, but has turned it down after talking with his wife, actress Deborrah-Lee Furness.
The report said Jackman, 37, rejected the deal because he had a sufficiently high global profile and did not feel the need to throw himself into the strange world of Bond.
-- SCIFI WIRE
BATMAN BEGINS IN TIME FOR HALLOWEEN
BY DF NEWS
Warner's finally gone and done it. They've officially announced the DVD release of BATMAN Begins for 10/18, as we've been expecting. You'll be able to buy a single-disc regular edition (SRP $28.98) and a 2-disc Deluxe Edition (SRP $30.97). Each will include the film in anamorphic widescreen video (2.40:1), with English and French Dolby Digital 5.1 audio. We believe there will be a full frame version of the regular edition as well.
We don't have all the details yet, but we do know that the 2-disc BATMAN Begins: Deluxe Edition will feature 8 documentaries (including Genesis of the Bat: BATMAN Incarnations from the Mid-1980s to the Present, The Journey Begins: Creative Concepts, Story Development and Casting, Shaping Mind and Body: Fighting Style, Gotham City Rises: Production Design, Cape and Cowl: The New Batsuit, The Tumbler: The New Batmobile, Path to Discovery: Filming in Iceland and Saving Gotham City: The Monorail Chase Sequence), several Confidential Files featurettes (broken into Characters and Weaponry), an interactive Inner Demons comic book, theatrical trailers, a photo gallery, Easter eggs and DVD-ROM features (including a BATMAN Begins "mobile game demo"). The set will also include an exclusive 72-page comic book containing 3 reprinted issues/stories that influenced the film (including Detective Comics #37, BATMAN: The Man Who Falls and BATMAN: The Long Halloween). There's no word yet on possible audio commentary, and additional extras are likely TBA.
-- THE DIGITAL BITS
MORE BIONICLES FROM DC
BY DF NEWS
DC Comics has teamed with Sports Illustrated For Kids and Lego Systems to publish the next series of Bionicle custom comics. This effort is an extension of DC Comics existing partnership with Lego Systems that has already featured Lego's Bionicle characters in 40m comic books. The new Bionicle comics will run in both S.I. for Kids and DC Comics kids comic books (e.g. The BATMAN Strikes, Teen Titans Go!, Justice leagues Unlimited Scooby Doo and Looney Toons). The program begins with Scooby Doo #99, on sale now, and runs through the end of the year. Each DC comic will offer a tag promoting the program. DC Comics is a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.
-- CYNOPSIS
DC COMICS ANNOUNCES MICHAEL TURNER VARIANT COVERS FOR SUPERGIRL #2, #3 AND #4!
BY DF NEWS
DC Comics announces that superstar artist Michael Turner continues contributing to the return of the Girl of Steel with variant covers for SUPERGIRL #2-4! The covers will be shipped to retailers in a 50/50 split between Turner covers and covers by regular series artists Ian Churchill & Norm Rapmund.
-- DC COMICS.COM
SUPERMAN #220 SELLS OUT AT DC COMICS
BY DF NEWS
Less than a week after reaching stores on August 3, SUPERMAN #220 (JUN050345) has sold out at DC Comics. Written by Mark Verheiden and illustrated by Tony Daniel & Marlo Alquiza, the issue featured the return of the Eradicator and guest-starred Superboy.
DC Comics has no plan to go back to press on SUPERMAN #220 at this time. Copies still may be available at retail.
-- DC COMICS.COM
SIN CITY DVD OUT NOW (PLUS WORD ON 2 AND 3)
BY DF NEWS
Below are a few snippets of an interview with SIN CITY director Robert Rodriguez posted at LatinoReview.com.
And the ultimate of all green screen films is SIN CITY. Robert took the graphic novels of Frank Miller and put them on the big screen. Latino Review had the chance to sit down with Robert, who talked about the release of the DVD, SIN CITY 2 & 3, and again, working with Quentin on an upcoming double feature. Check out what he had to say:
What are you guys working on story wise for the sequels?
Robert Rodriguez: A Dame to Kill For is the basis for the second one.
So which characters would be returning?
Robert Rodriguez: I think Marv (Mickey Rourke) will come back, before he died and Dwight’s (Clive Owen) in that one, Gail’s (Rosario Dawson) in that one, both Goldie and Wendy (Jaime King) are together, you see the twins together – one blonde, the other black and white, Miho’s (Devon Aoki) in that one, and then there’s a bunch of new characters.
And for the third?
Robert Rodriguez: Yeah, we’re still writing the script to see if there’s enough for a third one or we might just stick with the second one.
When is that going to start?
Robert Rodriguez: We’re supposed to start in January, but we might start earlier if we keep working up this clip.
Your name was attached to a few big franchises like CONAN.
Robert Rodriguez: Yeah, and A Princess of Mars. It’s hard to do the studio stuff now that I’m out of the DGA (Directors’ Guild of America) because they develop a project, I can’t do it because I’m not a member. I’m just doing more original material like Grind House and SIN CITY.
-- SUPERHEROHYPE.COM
BATMAN RAKING IT IN
BY DF NEWS
BATMAN Begins has passed The Matrix: Reloaded as Imax's highest-grossing digitally remastered 2-D release, taking in about $14.5 million on 72 Imax screens worldwide, Zap2it reported.
--- SCIFI WIRE
MARVEL/FOX, SONY/REVOLUTION SETTLE OVER X-MEN/ZOOM
BY DF NEWS
According to Bloomberg, MARVEL and 20th Century Fox have settled their suit against Revolution Studios and Sony in regards to Zoom’s Academy and its similarities to X-MEN and it’s proximity to the planned release date of MARVEL/Fox’s X3 (two weeks before May 26th).
The parties filed paperwork with the court on August 12th asking that the court dismiss the complaint because the issue had been settled. Terms were not disclosed.
MARVEL/Fox originally filed the complaint in June.
--- NEWSARAMA.COM
ARCHIE COMICS SUES "THE VERONICAS"
PRESS RELEASE
On August 15, 2005, Archie Comic Publications, Inc. ("ACP") filed a lawsuit to enjoin teenage twins Lisa Marie and Jessica Louise Origliasso, and the record industry businesses acting "in concert" with them, from infringing on ACP's rights in the world renowned VERONICA Trademark and Veronica character.
Prior to filing the lawsuit, ACP sought an amicable resolution, even going so far as to try to work out a license so that the Origliasso twins could use "The Veronicas" name for their rock band. (This would have been the second time in recent months that ACP agreed to license the entrepreneurial efforts of young women. As reported at www.archiecomics.com, ACP licensed 14 year old Marisa Rodriquez to produce ARCHIE brand belt buckles).
The Origliasso twins not only rejected ACP's offer of a license, they relied upon bad advice to ill-advisedly assert, as the reason for rejecting the offer, that they were unwilling to allow ACP to control how they used their "The Veronicas" trademark. ACP was thus left with no other alternative but to file legal action against the Defendants in order to protect and maintain ACP's rights in its extremely valuable VERONICA brand.
-- ARCHIECOMICS.COM
BEOWULF JOHN MALKOVICH
BY DF NEWS
Dark Horizons has a report from the Locarno Film Festival in Switzerland where actor John Malkovich, one of the few living actors to have a movie named after them, talked about his upcoming projects including a possible role in Robert Zemeckis' animated epic Beowulf. Malkovich may be joining Robin Wright Penn and Anthony Hopkins in the film, which will use the same performance capture technique Zemeckis used in last year's The Polar Express with Tom Hanks.
According to Dark Horizons, Malkovich stated that his role would be that of "a sort of advisor to the King," and he added, "I don't have the newest script, which will be on my desk when I am back in France. It's not definitive [that Malkovich is in it]. But it is very likely."
-- COMINGSOON.NET
