In a move that has shocked the movie blog community, Paramount has decided to bump G.I. Joe: Retaliation from June 29th, 2012, all the way back to March 29, 2013, to do a massive post-conversion process to 3D. More info below.

Deadline broke the news, and they have a quote from a Paramount executive that gives a reason for the delay:

We’re going to do a conscientious 3D job because we’ve seen how it can better box office internationally.

Wow. I’m not going to call this a stupid decision on Paramount’s part because they very well could end up making more money in a less-crowded blockbuster year like 2013, especially early in the year and with the added 3D ticket prices. But I will say that it’s one of the most blatant cash grabs I’ve seen in a long time. It’s not like the 3D boom is a recent fad – they had plenty of time to make this decision beforehand, and chose not to. Now, after half of the marketing has been done and the film barely a month away from release, they’re bumping it? As my friend Ethan at FirstShowing points out, there are toys already on the shelves! Kids are going to have to wait another year to see this? Bad form, Paramount.

What do you think about this decision? Smart? Stupid? Sound off in the comments.

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With the success of the Paranormal Activity franchise and the surprise hit The Devil Inside at the box office earlier this year, Paramount is combining elements of the two to create an all-new franchise. The studio is teaming with the big players behind Paranormal to create a new horror movie with an all-Latino cast that centers around “Catholic-based paranormal mythology.” More below.

The Hollywood Reporter has the story, and they’re reporting that producers Jason Blum and Oren Peli (who also directed the first Paranormal Activity film) are teaming with PA 2 and 3 writer Christopher Landon for this new venture, which Landon will write and direct. (Landon wrote and directed Burning Palms, a movie I consider tied with Just Go With It as the worst film I saw in 2011.) This new movie doesn’t have a title yet, but it’s being described as a “cousin” of the Paranormal series and not a spin-off, prequel, reboot, or sequel.

Even in today’s marketplace, it’s rare that studios will announce something with their intentions being quite this transparent; it’s obvious that this entire movie is just a targeted grab at the Latino population (especially considering many are involved in Catholicism), so I imagine this going one of two ways. First, the Latino population could find it refreshing that a studio is going out of its way to represent them on screen. Or, they could reject the film as pandering. Either way, it’s a ballsy move on Paramount’s part to be so straight-up about their intentions, and we’ll have to see if this little experiment works or not. The budget will likely be so small that the risk of a surprise box-office success is definitely worth the effort.

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When it comes to comedy, Will Ferrell tends to rely on applying the same formula of characters to a different environment and plot, which has turned out to be successful in most cases.

Although this didn’t necessarily work well for Ferrell’s latest Casa De Mi Padre, who’s gimmick was a comedy entirely in Spanish, poking fun at both low budget films and Spanish soap operas. While the film was given a limited release, Ferrell’s name alone didn’t really draw people to the theatre. Ferrell’s solution? Make a sequel of one of his most successful films of course!

Yep, according to Deadline, Anchorman 2 is indeed being made despite the project being seemingly extinct, this time being produced by Paramount instead of Dreamworks due to Dreamworks 2.0 departing the studio.

So you’ll finally get to see the return of Ferrell’s Ron Burgandy and original cast members Steve Carrell and Paul Rudd in all their raunchy, over-the-top glory. The announcement was actually done by Ferrell himself on Conan O’Brien’s talk show, which aired last night, and you can check out the clip for yourself below:

The film will be produced under Judd Apatow’s banner and Adam McKay will both direct and write the script with Ferrell. Despite the usual skepticism regarding sequels to comedies (Hangover Part 2 anyone?), the film could work if it focuses on a solid plot rather than a rehashing, but also not relying on just a one-note gag like Casa De Mi Padre.

Again, it’s still early to actually determine virtually anything at all regarding the project, but one thing’s for certain; expect the typical Ferrell brand of comedy. Whether this is a great idea or just another “beating a dead horse” attempt is yet to be determined until more is revealed, but is the world ready for another Anchorman? Better yet, do they even want one?

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After “LOST” director Jack Bender had to step away from the new Jack Ryan movie at Paramount due to his television commitments, the project’s future was uncertain. Variety reports that Thor director Kenneth Branagh has now taken over as director on the movie, which still has Chris Pine attached to star.

The film is currently untitled but was once called Moscow, and is said to be an origin story of Tom Clancy’s famous Jack Ryan character. He’s been played by Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford, and Ben Affleck in movies like The Hunt for Red October, Clear and Present Danger, Patriot Games, and The Sum of All Fears, and rumor had it that this story would follow the young Marine after surviving a helicopter crash.

There’s no official start date yet, but Pine wants to shoot it quickly after Star Trek 2, so Paramount is putting it back on the fast track. Thor proved that Branagh can handle action adaquately, but do you think Branagh is a good choice for this film?

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Big news from Paramount today, as the studio announced a shakeup of some upcoming release dates. Brad Pitt’s highly anticipated World War Z was once set for a release on December 21st, 2012, but it’s been pushed back to next summer – June 21, 2013, to be exact – while Tom Cruise’s One Shot is sliding from a February 2013 release into the newly-available December 21st, 2012 spot. Cruise performed well in that release slot last year with Mission Impossible – Ghost Protocol doing gangbusters at the box office. Looks like WWZ is getting the shaft in this situation, moving to the always-more-competitive summer for blockbusters.

Also, the studio has set Jonathan Leibesman’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles adaptation for release on December 25th, 2013. (Think they’re doing that solely to coincide with the onslaught of toys for Christmas?) Either way, that movie reportedly has a budget of $100 million and will be a mixture of CGI and live-action.

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Yep, you read that correctly. Etan Cohen – not to be mistaken for Ethan Coen, one of the Coen Brothers – the writer of Tropic Thunder and frequent Ben Stiller collaborator, is all set up at Paramount to direct his first film, the aptly named Boy Scouts vs. Zombies. What’s it about? A troop of boy scouts that has to save a troop of girl scouts from zombies coming to wreck their camping trip. Duh.

Gut reaction? This sounds really stupid, and yet another example of Hollywood execs greenlight projects with buzzwords in the title. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies and Vampire Hunting and etc. But putting cynicism aside for a minute – and this is tough when I report on stories like this every day – there’s a chance that with the right tone and some solid casting, this could turn out better than the title would indicate. Cohen has proven himself a capable comedy writer, and he’s overseeing a rewrite of the script by Lona Williams (Drop Dead Gorgeous). The original script was one the 2010 Black List, voted among the best unproduced scripts of the year, so I’m not quite sure why they’re rewriting it at all, but let’s hope it’s to improve the project and not conform it further to the pop culture trend. Anyone out there think this has potential with a great young cast?

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Paramount has finally released the much anticipated trailer for the epic superhero mash-up The Avengers and as usual, it does not disappoint. The main focus of the trailer is still centered around the big battle in the streets of New York, but there’s still a whole bunch of new footage to geek over.

Check out the trailer below!

Loki isn’t the main focus this time, which makes way for new looks at the interactions between our heroes, including some dialogue between Black Widow (Scarlett Johanson) and Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo), with much more drama being brought in this time around. We also get a glimpse at the enemy in the film, with a few shots of what is to be believed the alien race Loki somehow summons, and a final shot of the giant insect-like ship making its way in the last few seconds.

With a much better glimpses of the Hulk, great voiceovers by Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), and the presence of the alien race we’ve been teased with (possibly something different than the skrulls) all backed up by an epic soundtrack, the new trailer gives a much better feeling of “Wow this is actually going to happen.”

Continuing the epic big-screen adventures started in Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2, Thor and Captain America: The First Avenger, Marvel’s The Avengers is the superhero team up of a lifetime. When an unexpected enemy emerges that threatens global safety and security, Nick Fury, Director of the international peacekeeping agency known as SHIELD, finds himself in need of a team to pull the world back from the brink of disaster. Spanning the globe, a daring recruitment effort begins.

The Avengers, directed by Joss Whedon, will be released May 4th in the US and April 26th in the UK.

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Update: Producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura confirmed the 2014 release to MTV, and said Michael Bay will return as director. He also said it will essentially be a reboot with a new cast and a whole new story, although some familiar faces may return.

Original post below

Although Transformers: Dark of the Moon was said to be the final film of the franchise, we all knew deep down that the billion dollar box office revenue and all-out popularity would be too valuable for Paramount to pass up. So even though we know the inevitable fourth installment in the series is coming, everything else has been unclear. Where will the story go? Who will be replacing Shia LaBeouf? And will Michael Bay return as director?

Well at least one question is clearer, that of the release date. Thanks to Coming Soon, we now know that Paramount is aiming to release Transformers 4 in…2014.

Even though no day or month was has been specified, it’s safe to say the film will most likely be released in the early summer of 2014, in order to continue the trend of the first three films.

What may come as a shock to some is that Paramount and Hasbro aren’t following their normal rapid-fire trend of releasing a hefty dose of Transformers in 2 year cycles, and are instead leaving an extra year of breathing room. That may be to allow extra time for Michael Bay to finish other projects, including the Dwayne Johnson/Ed Harris thriller Pain and Gain, but it could just be because Paramount already has it’s summer 2013 slate occupied (Star Trek 2 anyone?).

No matter the reason, the fact of the matter is Transformers 4 is a reality, so don’t pack up your merchandise just yet. Now that Paramount has essentially given themselves a deadline, our unlimited questions (Will Jason Statham star? Will it be part reboot? Will there be robots blowing stuff up?!) will soon be answered. So mark your calendar, folks, because Transformers 4 is coming to theatres in 2014.

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When news first surfaced that there was going to be a sequel to G.I Joe: Rise of Cobra, it’s safe to say people were more than up in arms, and who can blame them? Then Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Bruce Willis were added to the cast, getting people curious, but no matter what, it was a still a G.I Joe movie.

However once that first trailer hit, a forgetful summer movie that no one cared about rapidly turned into one of the most anticipated in a matter of minutes.

Well if you weren’t convinced now, we’ve got the new French trailer, which, despite having a similar structure to the U.S trailer, reveals a bit more of the plot and motives of both the heroic Joes and the villainous Cobra. Plus, there’s some new action-packed battles being showcased, different angles of previous ones, and a lot of great close ups of the new vehicles. Oh, and we even get treated to Cobra Commander’s new look, which looks a heck of a lot better than he did in the previous movie. But don’t just take my word for it, check it out for yourself!

When Cobra spy Zartan has most of the Joes assassinated, the remaining Joes band together to strike back.

Now some may say that an overwhelming focus on the same set pieces that all of the current trailers showcase is a bit redundant, but it’s better to know as little as possible, on Paramount’s part anyway, rather than just bombarding the audience with a whole bunch of new concepts that would make even the modest movie fan scoff at (like the first one did).

But there’s no doubting that even with the limited amount of footage we’ve seen, it’s still a huge improvement and a viable addition to the rough-and-tough action genre that the summer movie season is known for. So what do you guys think? Does the footage we’ve seen before make you actually excited for a G.I Joe movie or are you still skeptical? Let me know in the comments!

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Paranormal Activity 3 was released back in October and made $200 million worldwide, making it the most popular movie in the Paranormal Activity franchise so far (the previous two made $190m and $180m). As the third film cost just $5 million to make Paramount are effectively just printing money, so it’s no surprise to hear that they’re planning Paranormal Activity 4.

The studio confirmed the fourth film in a press release, and while no details on director, cast, plot or shooting were revealed, the movie will have a release date sometime this year.

Here’s the full press release from Yahoo! Finance:

HOLLYWOOD, Calif. , Jan. 2, 2012 /PRNewswire/ – Paramount Pictures announced today it ended 2011 in the No. 1 position among all studios, having achieved the highest total combined gross of any studio for the year, earning a record $5.17 billion worldwide. The studio, which released a total of 16 new releases domestically this year, placed first in the North American market share with $1.96 billion , while also amassing record grosses at the international box office with $3.21 billion .

“This achievement reflects the combined efforts of our entire team across the globe and the careful process by which we select the projects and partners we believe in,” said Paramount Pictures Chairman & CEO Brad Grey . “We produce pictures that aspire to entertain audiences around the world, while at the same time we have sought to find innovative ways to reach movie-goers in this changing entertainment environment.

“This year our studio reached some key milestones, including the release of three vibrant Paramount franchise pictures and our first original CGI animated film. Our studio had its first ever $1 billion worldwide grossing film in Michael Bay’s hit ‘Transformers: Dark of the Moon’; we successfully re-launched our ‘Mission Impossible’ franchise with Tom Cruise , JJ Abrams and Brad Bird ; our latest installment in the ‘Paranormal Activity’ franchise had another $100 million dollar success; our first original animated film ‘Rango,’ from director Gore Verbinski, earned rave reviews and more than $100 million at the domestic box office; and we released global phenomenon ‘Super 8,’ directed by JJ Abrams, who will now direct the newest ‘Star Trek’ for 2013. We also benefited from our distribution partnerships with DreamWorks Animation and Marvel and I want to thank them both.

“Film President Adam Goodman and his team in production and development, and Vice Chairman Rob Moore and his team in marketing and distribution, did outstanding work and truly delivered. “As we prepare to celebrate Paramount’s 100th year in 2012, we are all grateful to be part of this wonderful institution as it continues to prosper,” added Grey.

In 2012, Paramount’s release slate highlights include “World War Z,” a zombie thriller starring Brad Pitt and directed by Marc Forster , “G.I. Joe: Retaliation,” the next installment in the global franchise starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Channing Tatum , a new chapter in the “Paranormal Activity” franchise, and “The Dictator,” starring Sacha Baron Cohen and directed by Larry Charles , the team behind “Borat.”

The 2011 box office results seen from the studio were built on a wide reaching range of titles, including the following (with current domestic grosses): “True Grit” ( $85 mil this year, $171.2 million total), Ivan Reitman ‘s “No Strings Attached” ( $70.7 mil ), Jon Chu ‘s ” Justin Bieber : Never Say Never” ( $73 mil ), Gore Verbinski’s “Rango” ( $123.5 mil ), Marvel Studio’s “Thor” ( $181 mil ), DreamWorks Animation’s ” Kung Fu Panda 2? ( $165.2 mil ), JJ Abrams “Super 8? ( $127 mil ), Michael Bay ‘s “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” ( $352.4 mil ), Marvel Studio’s “Captain America: The First Avenger” ( $176.7 mil ), Craig Brewer ‘s “Footloose” ( $51.7 mil ), the third installment in the hit “Paranormal Activity” franchise ( $104 mil ), DreamWorks Animation’s “Puss In Boots” ( $145.8 mil ), Sundance prize-winner “Like Crazy” ( $3.4 mil ), Martin Scorsese and GK Films’ “Hugo” ( $50.2 mil ), Jason Reitman ‘s “Young Adult” ( $12.8 mil ), Brad Bird ‘s “Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol” ( $142.8 mil ) and Steven Spielberg ‘s “Tintin” ( $51.4 mil ).

About Paramount Pictures Corporation

Paramount Pictures Corporation (PPC), a global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment, is a unit of Viacom (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB), a leading content company with prominent and respected film, television and digital entertainment brands. Paramount controls a collection of some of the most powerful brands in filmed entertainment, including Paramount Pictures, Paramount Animation, Paramount Vantage, Paramount Classics, Insurge Pictures, MTV Films, and Nickelodeon Movies. PPC operations also include Paramount Famous Productions, Paramount Home Media Distribution, Paramount Pictures International, Paramount Licensing Inc., and Paramount Studio

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