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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The logo, sometimes the first thing you see in a trailer and usually the first thing you see before a movie, represents a way for studios to introduces themselves to the viewers. Like many other big studios before, Paramount has decided to update theirs for the 100th Anniversary celebration. Starting with Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, this is the new way Paramount will greet you.

What’s nice about this new logo is that it stays true to the old ones and for those curious, here are the ones used by the studio over the years.

The original logo mountain (1916) was taken from the Wasatch mountains and according to Deadline, Devastudios (Lionsgate, Nickelodeon, Focus Feature) designed the logo. Starting from 2013 the “100th Years” will be removed and the logo will stay that away in front of Paramount movies, at least until they update it again.

Catch the new logo for the first time tomorrow if you’re planning on seeing Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol in IMAX theaters.

So what do you guys think of the new logo, like it, don’t like?

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We heard back in June that Black Swan director Darren Aronofsky was looking for studio backing for his biblical epic Noah, which will be a big screen adaptation of the Noah’s Ark story. Now Paramount and New Regency have announced that they will get behind the project, and the aim is to get into production as early as next spring.

In the press release Aronofsky said:

“Since I was a kid, I have been moved and inspired by the story of Noah and his family’s journey. The imaginations of countless generations have sparked to this epic story of faith. It’s my hope that I can present a window into Noah’s passion and perseverance for the silver screen”.

Academy Award nominated screenwriter John Logan (Gladiator, The Aviator) will now re-write the script by Aronofsky & Ari Handel. Christian Bale was previously thought to be in line to play the lead, so with the project on track we may hear about the actor making a deal soon. If not, they’ll be finding another actor to play Noah.

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Paramount has released a new full length trailer for Paranormal Activity 3. This trailer shows that the third installment (and prequel) of the franchise is upping the ante of brutal demon action and even throws off an 80s horror flick feel. But enough small talk, lets get to it!

Watch the trailer below:

Also, for those of you not familiar with the films, here’s a handy synopsis:

This time around, we will learn how sisters Katie (the victim-turned-demon from PA1) and Kristi (the victim of PA2) were terrorized as kids by the demonic entity that would later return and shatter their adult lives.

From the looks of it, the third film seems to correct what the other two suffered with, which was a slow and talky build up with only the very last minutes providing the heart pumping thrills you came to see in the first place. That being said, the cheesiness is still in full form, Poltergeist references and all, which has decidedly split audiences into those who hate it and those who love it. I have to hand it to the trailer, for actually giving us, dare I say it, actual paranormal activity happening in the trailer rather than just the talk of it. But, nonetheless, it will no doubt give those looking for some Halloween escapist thrills a quick but chilling fix. Oh and those of you who would like to have it open up in your city first, you can enter Paramount’s Twitter contest. Details can be found on www.paranormalactivity.com.

Paranormal Activity 3 is set for release on October 21, 2011.

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Is Paramount finally scraping the absolute bottom of the toy-based movie barrel? All signs point to yes. That’s right, according to Deadline, they are actually planning to make a movie based on one of the most useless toys to ever exist; the magic 8-ball.

In an amusing bit of irony, Christian screenwriting team Jon Gunn and John Man have been commissioned to write the screenplay. I wonder how they feel about going from a faith-based action movie (Mercy Streets) to a movie based on a toy which encourages young children to believe in the occult.

This has to be some sort of joke, right? A comedy based on an absurd premise? Outlook not so good. Apparently, it’s going to be a serious adventure movie likely based around a magic 8-ball that is always correct (no actual plot has been revealed yet, but really what else could they do?). Personally, I think Paramount should have consulted its own magic 8-ball before optioning the rights to the product, and if it is always right, it would have suggested that the likelihood of this movie actually being worth a damn is ‘very doubtful’.

I took the liberty of asking my magic 8-ball whether or not Paramount will ever manage to top itself in ridiculous movie ideas, but like the noncommittal piece of junk that it is, it told me to “try again later”. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see if the rumors of an Easy Bake Oven movie are true.

Be sure to tell us what you think in the comments section, even if actually think it’s a good idea.

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The recent success of Paranormal Activity, which was made for $15,000 and has a current box office taking of $107 million, has promoted a new way of thinking at Paramount. According to Variety they are hoping recreate this type of financial success by spending $1 million anually on microbudget films.

Seeking to replicate the stunning success of “Paranormal Activity,” Paramount’s launching an initiative that will spend $1 million annually to develop and produce microbudget films.

Move, unveiled Thursday, is designed to place between 10 and 20 projects in development by the end of next year, with no individual budget topping $100,000.

Goodman indicated the funds, which will come out of the studio’s overall production budget, will be targeted at both unknowns and established filmmakers, with the goal of increasing the studio’s ability to find new voices and ideas. In addition, the initiative’s aimed at giving Paramount a more diverse portfolio of titles at a time when Hollywood’s devoting most of its resources to megabudget pics, such as Par’s “Transformers” and “Star Trek” franchises.

The studio hasn’t set a target of how many projects would receive a theatrical release. The microbudget projects could also conceivably be remade with conventional budgets.

This is a smart move be Paramount. Not only will it give small filmmakers a chance to shine, it could also produce some very creative films. There is also the fact that they could make a bucket load of money if they produce more hits like ‘Paranormal Activity’ ever now and again.

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I don’t think I can talk about Paranormal Activity without mentioning The Blair Witch Project, because the same thing is going to happen to this movie.

Paranormal Activity is good. It was shot by Oren Peli on a budget of $11,000 – even if the version Paramount Pictures is releasing is a tad more expensive, the core of the film is cheaply shot. Paramount bought the film with the intention of remaking it, but when they held a screening for writers they had a near-record amount of walk outs. The studio thought they had a bomb until the talked to the walk outs: they had left because they were scared.

In 1999 The Blair Witch Project was released on the general public. It was an independent phenomena that ended up grossing $248 million on a $60,000 budget. The backlash was quick to come. The shaky cam was too much for people, not enough actually happened on screen for the hardcore horror fans, a number of valid and fictional reasons piled on the media hype for this movie, eventually leading to one of the film’s stars, Heather Donahue, to call the experience a “train wreck.”

When I saw The Blair Witch Project, it was in limited release like Paranormal Activity is now. I was taken by a friend of mine and I had no idea what I was in for. As we waited in line, a Lionsgate representative gave everyone a glossy mini-magazine with press clippings and backstory of what we were about to see. Then we saw it, and we were blown away. When Blair Witch was released wide and the print was forced to grain out over the large screens of the nation’s multiplexes, I saw the film twice more and neither time replicated the atmosphere of the first. The movie did its job with its editing and story, but the atmosphere was never there. The movie’s hand had been tipped, its secret out.

Paranormal Activity stands to do the exact same thing down to the letter.

I’m not a huge horror fan, but I can appreciate it. I’ll take fear of the unseen over the gore of the torture porn subgenre, but I don’t mind seeing someone’s head cleaved in half. That doesn’t happen in Paranormal Activity. I’m not going to say what happens in Paranormal Activity except to say this: If you can and have up to this point, avoid the trailer. It’s not misleading, but the necessary evil of teasing money shots in three-second blasts doesn’t serve what this movie is. I didn’t ever leap out of my chair at a jump scene, but I did do some nervous gripping of the arm rests.

Paranormal Activity is “found footage” shot by Micah Sloat and his girlfriend Katie Featherston. Kate has been haunted by something since she was 8 and Micah is determined to tape the phenomena even as things get worse.

The problem with a movie this cheap being this good isn’t what you initially think it is. Remember Blair Witch? Remember your smart ass friends worrying that now any crappy little movie with no action could be shot on a Hi-8 camera and released? Remember how that didn’t happen?

The problem with the cheap-to-good ratio is that the studio that releases it doesn’t know when to scale back the hype for maximum effectiveness. They don’t need to, because even if they get your butt in the seat and you hate it, you still paid for your butt space. But, the hype on this one isn’t going to help it. If you go below a $20,000 budget, your film is going to have some visual limitations (or you end up being Robert Rodriguez), and the movie season we’re in now – coming out of summer and into Halloween – is peppered with leftover, flashy fare (Pandorum, anyone?). Paranormal Activity may have been a fantastic movie going experience and I could have resorted to hyperbolae and written something like: “The most fun I’ve had at the theater all year!”

But Paranormal Activity can’t live up to that, and the movie deserves to be seen with little-to-no expectation if at all possible.

Spoiler: It’s not possible. Countdown to backlash, starting now.

Demand Paranormal Activity in your area HERE.

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The news around Moneyball has gotten worse, now that the studios have had the weekend and Monday to weigh the risks behind the Steven Soderbergh/Brad Pitt baseball film.

As explained previously (CLICK), Moneyball is a film based on the true story of William Lemar “Billy” Beane managing the Oakland A’s to a winning record without massively overloading the team’s budget. Pitt is attached to play Beane and comedian Dimitri Martin is one of the few other actors in the cast made up of real life baseball players.

Columbia head Amy Pascal put the project into limited turnaround, hoping either Warner Brothers, who had ties to Soderbergh or Paramount, which houses Brad Pitt’s production company Plan B.

It was a bad weekend to go to Paramount with last Friday’s executive shake-up changing the company’s creative development landscape and, according to The LA Times, a bad movie to shop around to Warners in the first place:

By Monday, Paramount and Warner Bros. had already decided to pass. Similarly budgeted dramas aimed at adults, such as “State of Play,” “Duplicity” and “The International,” have all fared poorly at the box office this year. “Moneyball” has the added burden of being about baseball, which would not only limit its appeal among women, but also overseas audiences. International receipts from theatrical, television and DVD sales typically account for more than half of a film’s total sales.

As studios continue to tighten their belts, those added up to more than enough reasons to flash a red light.

“In light of the economic climate, Warner and Paramount said they weren’t going to make the movie,” said Pitt’s manager, Cynthia Pett-Dante. She added that Pitt “totally supports Steven all the way” in his vision for the movie.

Soderbergh’s manager, Michael Sugar, declined comment on behalf of the director.

The details about how and what went wrong seem to vary from source to source. The LA Times piece sounds reasonable when suggesting that the current economic climate and short-comings of similarly themed films chased Columbia, Warners and Paramount away, but something feels off about that sentiment.

Judging from all reports, it seems that Soderbergh’s most recent draft made Pascal nervous about the financial prospects of a baseball film that needs to gross $100 million dollars to break even. What’s odd is that it doesn’t seem like the new draft was that drastically different, and given the above reasons cited by the Times, I can guarantee you that it’s always been an adult-themed baseball movie. Just what flick did Pascal think she was developing, and when did it start seeming like a bad idea?

We do know that Pascal and Soderbergh have met and agreed to disagree, which isn’t unusual for the director, who had a similarly convoluted and turnaround-filled process for his film Traffic (a picture studio execs were also nervous about, both because of it’s subtitled sequences and run-and-gun visual style), but Russ Fischer from /Film pointed me in the direction of a post on “The Hot Blog” that suggests Brad Pitt is “pulling a State Of Play” by holding up Moneyball and Pascal is falling on the poor-PR sword to save Pitt from a nasty industry reputation.

Sad thing is, if that report has any air of truth to it, we’ll never know. It’s not like Brad Pitt is hiring bush-league publicits.

For all intensive purposes, Moneyball is dead, at least with this particular cast and crew. Short of a financing miracle akin to DreamWorks’ Dubai connections (not that it worked out, but it was exciting), we probably won’t be seeing a Brad Pitt/Steven Soderbergh baseball film.

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