It seems Warner Bros.’ 300 spin-off is having a bit of an identity crisis, starting with the title; originally being called Xerxes, after Frank Miller’s prequel comic by the same name, only to be renamed 300: Battle of Artemisia. But even now, that title isn’t official and may change later on.

As a matter of fact, not even the plot is official. It was originally pegged as a prequel, but that’s now an uncertainty. The current word is that the film is “neither a prequel or a sequel and that the filmmakers are still figuring out its positioning.” So possibly a film taking place at the same time but from a different perspective? Who knows?

Well, today’s news has nothing to do with a title change or plot news, but rather the fact that the first actor is in final negotiations to join the historical epic. According to Variety, that actor is none other than Sullivan Stapleton, most notable for his role in the Australian film Animal Kingdom, as well in the upcoming Gangster Squad.

So who will he play? Well, it was originally speculated that the actor would portray Xerxes – the central antagonist in 300 played by Rodrigo Santaro – but it’s looking likely he’ll play Themistocles, “the famed archon and general who led the Greeks to victory against the invading Persians in 480 BCE”. Regardless to who he will play, Stapleton is in talks to be the main character.

Though not official yet, Eva Green (Casino Royale) is reportedly finalizing a deal to join the film as Artemisa, a fact-based character formulated in Kurt Johnstadt and Zack Snyder’s screenplay. On that note, Snyder is also producing, but is giving up the director’s chair Noam Murro due to the scheduling of Snyder’s Man Of Steel.

Like I stated before, the plot has not yet been confirmed but it may be safe to bet that it might somewhat resemble the plot to Miller’s Xerxes comic:

“This is a more complex story. The story is so much larger. The Spartans in ’300? were being enclosed by the page as the world got smaller. This story has truly vast subjects. The Athenian naval fleet, for instance, is a massive artistic undertaking and it [sic] dwarfed by the Persian fleet, which is also shown in this story. The story has elements of espionage, too, and it’s a sweeping tale with gods and warriors.”

So things may not seem stable or official just yet, it’s still good to see the film actually getting on track and out of production limbo. With that being said, it can almost be certain that the film will take a less stylized, artistic approach than Snyder’s 300, due to the nature of the plot. But, again, hardly anything can be confirmed just yet so take these as just speculations. Considering the prequel/sequel is slated to shoot in summer 2012, confirmations may be coming soon.

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In recent years, Hollywood has had quite an obsession with bringing retro cartoons on to the big screen, like Alvin and the Chipmunks, Yogi Bear, Garfield, as well as last year’s The Smurfs, and, like any live-action rendition of a popular cartoon, they don’t really have a great reputation. But despite the poor response they still make money, which in return makes a sequel, which makes even more money; a very common cycle for movies targeting a younger audience and families.

So, of course, when it was revealed that Warner Bros. was intending to make a live-action Jetsons movie, it understandably angered those who grew up with the classic Hanna-Barbera cartoon, mostly due to the iconic nostalgia that the original series had and to turn it into a big-budget film would only diminish it.

Now, the project hasn’t really moved much since it was announced, but Variety confirms that Warner Bros. has hired newcomers Evan Susser and Van Robichaux to rewrite the script. The pair have created some buzz with their spec script Chewie, that centers around Chewbacca actor Peter Mayhew and his account of making the original Star Wars. The script was originally being penned by Fanboys writer Adam F. Goldberg, who was one of the many writers originally signed on to the project.

So going off both Susser’s and Robichaux’s experience alone, it’s impossible to even guess if the project has the potential to be good or doomed to be the latest laughing stock, but knowing that the producers have been trying to get the project moving for a few years doesn’t sound to promising. The producers, Donald Di Line and Denise Di Novi (who both worked on Green Lantern and Yogi Bear), have had trouble sticking with a director, with both Peter Segal (Get Smart) and Robert Rodriguez (Spy Kids) being in talks.

But, the most surprising bit of news here? Kanye West is attached to the project to serve as an unofficial art department supervisor, so this can almost guarantee that the film will be much more than the typical CGI-riddled comedy (maybe). So what do you think? Interested in seeing the Jetsons on the big screen?

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Todd Phillips has made Warner Bros. a ton of money over the past few years, and that studio has a reputation for taking care of its own. WB has just given Phillips’ Green Hat Films a first look deal that lasts until the end of 2013, and the director now has four projects lined up to take on once he finishes The Hangover 3.

The Hollywood Reporter has descriptions of the movies Phillips may tackle next:

• Mule, about a young couple who resort to drug trafficking to make it during the tough economy. Based on a book by Tony D’Souza.
• Arms and the Dudes, about two stoners in Miami who become successful arms dealers before the Pentagon steps in to take it all away.  Based on an article in Rolling Stone magazine.
• The Island, with no relation to Michael Bay movie from 2004. The story for this one is being kept secret.
• Million Dollar Strong, based on the FunnyOrDie short “What’s It Gonna Be?” by Ken Jeong and Mike O’Connell. Jeong stars in The Hangover franchise and the awesome-but-currently-on-hiatus NBC show “Community.”

Phillips has also got the found-footage party movie Project X coming out in March, though he just produced that one and didn’t direct. He’s been at WB since 2005 when he directed Starsky and Hutch, and has also directed Due Date for the studio in 2010. The Hangover Part II made a staggering $581 million at the worldwide box office, so it’s a no-brainer that Warners wants to keep the dude around.

Do any of these potential films sound interesting to you? The first two seem to have shades of Michael Bay’s upcoming Pain and Gain, so we’ll see how Phillips’ projects progress in the wake of Bay’s smaller budget action flick.

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The Academy has released the names of the 10 short animated films still under consideration for nominations. The list was shortened from the 45 films released earlier this year, and between three to five films from this current list of ten will be nominated.

You can preview the 10 shorts over at Rope of Silicon who have done a great job compiling all the films, which include Pixar’s La Luna and Warner Bros’ Sylvester and Tweety Pie short I Tawt I Taw a Puddy Tat.

The Oscar nominations will be announced on January 24th, 2012.

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According to Box Office Mojo, Zombieland director Ruben Fleischer’s mafia epic The Gangster Squad has found a release date for October 19, 2012. The film tells the real life story of notorious mobster Mickey Cohen and the LA police department looking to bring him down. Said Mobster will be played by Sean Penn and also stars Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, Josh Brolin, Nick Nolte, and Anthony Mackie (The Hurt Locker) among others.

From the sound of it, this has complete Oscar potential written all over it and it seems like Warner Bros. agrees with that philosophy, considering the fall release that normally bears those big name award winners. After all, the fall, Warner Brothers, and gangster movie are just a few buzz words that shout back to The Departed which went on to win the Oscar for Best Picture in 2007. With an all-star cast and intriguing storyline, The Gangster Squad seems like one to watch out for.

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Today sees the release of both a new image and a new poster for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2. The image above comes from Entertainment Weekly and gives us our first look at Professor McGonagall (Maggie Smith) since Half-Blood Prince, and she is leading numerous Weasleys and Hogwarts students in the (destroyed) Great Hall.

Warner Bros. also released a new poster which features Mr. Potter himself:

In the film, once again directed by David Yates, Harry, Ron, and Hermione return to Hogwarts after months on the run in the wilderness with the aim of finding, and destroying, Voldemorts final horcruxes. Voldemort finds out about their mission and the biggest battle of their lives begins as the Dark Lord and his Death Eaters descend upon Hogwarts.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 will be released July 15th and we should be getting a new trailer soon. In the meantime, here’s the one we got last month.

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I can remember back in 2007 Disney had to throw buckets of money at visual effects houses in order to get Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End finished on time, and a similar situation is now happening with Warner Bros. and Green Lantern.

Earlier this month producer Donald De Line said, with only 2.5 months left to go, they were only half way through completing all 1500+ visual effects shots, and now reports suggest Warner Bros. are bringing in additional visual effects houses to help.

From Variety:

“The visual effects budget for Warner Bros.’ “Green Lantern” has risen by $9 million, with new vfx houses recruited to bolster the team that’s been working overtime to meet the film’s June 17 launch.

“Whispers about problems on the production grew louder after schedule concerns early in the new year triggered high-level meetings to get the project back on track. The cost of its roughly 1,400 visual effects is more than $9 million over the $45 million original f/x budget. That budget is on the low side for a vfx-heavy tentpole, but 3D hadn’t been taken into account in the original budget.

“Sony Imageworks and Rising Sun Pictures are the primary vfx studios on “Green Lantern,” and both say they’re delivering on schedule or according to contract. De Faria said one all-CG pre-credit sequence had been cut in development, then added back once the studio saw an early cut, so Pixomondo was brought on late to complete it.

I wouldn’t worry just let, unless we hear about a sudden release date change in the upcoming weeks. Personally I feel sorry for the VFX artists who probably won’t see their families or sunlight for the next 2 months.

Here’s the latest trailer for Green Lantern which was released last week:

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While the U.S. was given The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando, UK fans were informed that Warner Bros. would be opening a tourist attraction at Leavesden Studios (where all the films were made) which would allow them to visit the actual sets used in the films.

Today Warner Brothers announced that their tour ‘The Making of Harry Potter’ will open in the Spring of 2012.

Here are the details from MuggleNet:

Tickets will go on sale later this year and must be booked in advance via a dedicated website www.wbstudiotour.co.uk or through approved tour operators.

Featuring the authentic sets, costumes, animatronics, props and effects used in the production of all eight Harry Potter movies, the tour will showcase the British artistry, technology and talent that went into bringing this beloved film series to life.

Among a series of never-before-seen exhibits on the three hour long tour, visitors will be able to walk onto some of the most memorable sets from all of the films in the Harry Potter series including the iconic Great Hall, Dumbledore’s office and many others to be announced at a later date.

One of the first sets ever to be created for the series, the Great Hall was built in 2000 for the series’ first outing, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. Designed by BAFTA-winning production designer Stuart Craig, it is 120ft long by 40ft wide with a solid stone floor and includes the tables and benches used in the films.

Dumbledore’s office, meanwhile, was built for Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and is also the home of the Sorting Hat, The Sword of Gryffindor and Dumbledore’s desk which is surrounded by a library of ancient looking books. Adorning the office walls is a myriad of paintings commissioned specifically for the films, including two of Professor Dumbledore himself.

Tickets will go on sale at a date to be announced later this year, but interested guests are encouraged to visit www.wbstudiotour.co.uk and register to receive ongoing updates and information on Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter.

While the Warner Bros. Studio Tour will only be focusing on Harry Potter for now, the plan is to incorporate other Warner Bros. films in the future. I guess this means we can expect tours of Christopher Nolan’s Batman movies and Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes films in the future.

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Alcon Entertainment, the production company based at Warner Bros. who are behind movies such as The Blind Side and The Book of Eli, are in final discussions to secure film and television franchise rights to produce prequels and sequels to Ridley Scott’s iconic 1982 sci-fi thriller Blade Runner.

According to the press release “Alcon’s franchise rights would be all-inclusive, but exclude rights to remake the original. The Company, however, may produce projects based on situations introduced in the original film. The project would be distributed domestically by Warner Bros. International rights are yet to be determined.”

Blade Runner starred Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, and Sean Young, and was based on the novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick. It is considered the greatest science-fiction film of all time by many, and currently sits at #117 on IMDB’s Top 250.

The film depicted a dystopian Los Angeles in November 2019 in which genetically engineered organic robots called replicants—visually indistinguishable from adult humans—are manufactured by the powerful Tyrell Corporation. Their use on Earth is banned, and replicants are exclusively used for dangerous, menial or leisure work on Earth’s off-world colonies. Replicants who defy the ban and return to Earth are hunted down and “retired” by police special operatives known as “Blade Runners”.

The plot focuses on a brutal and cunning group of recently escaped replicants hiding in Los Angeles and the burnt out expert blade runner, Rick Deckard, who reluctantly agrees to take on one more assignment to hunt them down.

No creative talent has been hired so far, but it will only be a matter of time before a screenwriter and/or director is brought on-board.

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What’s the matter, Ridley Scott’s Robin Hood didn’t do it for ya this year? Perhaps the Wachowskis have the cure. The infamous directing duo behind The Matrix and Speed Racer have signed a deal with Warner Bros. to direct Hood, “a modern, urban take on the Robin Hood myth.”

As is the case with most of their projects, details surrounding this one are scant. What we do know is that the siblings will direct from a screenplay they wrote, and they’re currently seeking actors for the lead role. Will Smith is said to be high on their list, but no actors have been signed as of yet.

The Hollywood Reporter also reminds us about the Wachowskis other project in development: Cobalt Neural 9, an Iraqi war tale “told from the point of view of archeologists piecing together events from the U.S. occupation of Iraq using found footage and include[ing] two male soldiers falling in love and a plot to assassinate George W. Bush.” The script is apparently very controversial and therefore it’s tough to secure funding, so I’m guessing we’ll see Hood in theaters way before CN 9.

Let’s not forget the siblings also have the upcoming adaptation of Cloud Atlas on their plate, set to star Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Natalie Portman, and James McAvoy. Berry recently said that film could shoot as early as next summer. We’ll keep you posted with any further developments.

What do you think of Will Smith as a modernized Robin Hood?

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