I guess it was only a matter of time, but the classic Charlton Heston film Ben-Hur is set to be remade by MGM. The film will be based on the 1880 Lew Wallace novel Ben-Hur: A Tale Of The Christ. According to Deadline the studio is buying a spec script for the film written by Keith Clarke (The Way Back), and it will be produced by Sean Daniel who says,

It’s one of the great stories of friendship and betrayal, and faith, that works in the context of a big onscreen action thriller for a global audience.

This will be the third Ben-Hur movie that MGM will have produced over the years. The first was a 1925 silent film called Ben-Hur: A Tale Of The Christ, and the second was the 1959 film that we all know and love. Apparently the new film that the studio wants to make is more faithful to the book, and is much different than the 1959 William Wyler film, which focused on the adult blood feud between Judah Ben-Hur and Messala.

I can actually see potential in this remake, with today's filmmaking tools it could be an extremely epic film. As much as I love the original movie, I'm not closed to the idea of it being remade. I just keep imagining how big and epic it could be, and the fact that it's going to be closer to the story of the novel is also a big plus because it won't be a direct remake. According to the report:

This film will tell the formative story of the characters as they grew up best friends before the Roman Empire took control of Jerusalem. Judah Ben-Hur was a Jewish prince and Messala the son of a Roman tax collector. After the latter leaves to be educated in Rome for five years, the young man returns with a different attitude. Messala mocks Judah and his religion and when a procession passes by Judah’s house and a roof tile accidentally falls and hits the governor, Messala betrays his childhood friend and manipulates it so that Judah is sold into slavery and certain death on a Roman warship, with his mother and sister thrown in prison for life.

Judah doesn’t die, and vows revenge on Messala which, like in the films, culminates in the famed chariot races. There is another way the script differs from the movie, in that it will tell the parallel tale of Jesus Christ, with whom Ben-Hur has several encounters which moves him to become a believer in the Messiah, and which culminates in Christ being sentenced to death by Pontius Pilate. Intertwined in all this is the lifelong struggle between Ben-Hur and Messala.

Hopefully they can bring a solid team of talent to bring this story to life in the right way. I could see Ridley Scott taking a project like this on. He makes these kinds of movies anyway, but I doubt that's who will end up directing it. Other than Scott who else do you think could take on the challenge of making this film?

Looks like Marvel is ready to jump back into the animated film market with both feet. A few months ago it was announced that they were developing an animated film for Home Entertainment called Iron Man & Hulk: Heroes Untied, but there's another animated feature scheduled to be released this year as well.

Jeph Loeb was recently a guest on the podcast worldballoon, and while on the show he revealed another unannounced animated project they're developing... The Punisher! Not many details were revealed, but it will also include the character Black Widow. 

Loeb also revealed that there are 15 other animated projects at different stages in production, and there's only a few of them who have been announced so far. Click Here to listen to the podcast in which he talks about some of the other Marvel TV projects that are being developed. 

I hope this new series of animated films they are making under the Disney banner are just as awesome as the ones they were making before, like Dr. Strange, Hulk Vs., and Planet Hulk. 

Source: CBM (http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/destruktor2k/news/?a=72614)

Is that a snake in our boots, or did these guys really do a shot for shot remake of Toy Story? Yes they did. Jonason Pauley and Jesse Perrotta matched every shot, scene, and piece of dialogue to perfection and managed to create a live action version of the beloved Pixar movie. Pretty awesome. Check out the full film below.

Homer's classic tale The Odyessy is getting a big screen adaptation by Warner Bros., but it's going to have a fun major twist. The studio is looking to turn the classic story into a futuristic sci-fi space adventure, and they've hired screenwriter James DiLapo to make it happen. DiLapo is a recent college graduate from NYU, and this would be one of his first big feature film writing gigs. Let's hope he can pull it off! 

The project was first announced way back in 2008 when the studio set Brad Pitt to star in it. I seriously doubt he's still attached to it though after all this time has passed, but I guess the studio thinks that now is the right time start digging in and developing it. 

The original story follows the Greek hero Odysseus and his journey home after the fall of Troy. It takes Odysseus ten years to reach Ithaca after the ten-year Trojan War. In his absence, it is assumed he has died, and his wife Penelope and son Telemachus must deal with a group of unruly suitors who are competing for Penelope's hand in marriage.

Turning this story into a sci-fi film should make for an extremely interesting and entertaining film. Hopefully they bring on a talented team of people to bring it to life. I can't wait to see what they have in mind for this movie! What do you think about The Odyssey getting the sci-fi treatment? 

Source: Deadline (http://www.deadline.com/2013/01/warner-bros-moves-forward-with-space-bound-the-odyssey/)

Later this week the GeekTyrant crew is headed out to The Sundance Film Festival to watch a bunch of movies. Some movie will be good, others will be bad, but this film, The End of Love, looks like a solidly good movie. It stars Mark Webber (Scott Pilgrim vs. The World) who also wrote, directed, and produced the film. He also has a great group of co-stars that includes Amanda Seyfried, Jason Ritter, Jocelin Donahue, and Michael Cera. It looks like a powerful film that is going to pack an emotional punch. Here's the synopsis...

When the mother of his two-year-old son Isaac suddenly passes away, struggling actor Mark (played by writer/director Mark Webber) is forced to grapple with his ability to grow up. As he kindles a relationship with a young single mother (Shannyn Sossamon), he begins to realize that he can no longer remain in denial about the real-life consequences his choices have on Isaac (Isaac Love, Webber’s real-life son). Set against the backdrop of Los Angeles, The End of Love is an intimate and stunningly honest portrait of a young father in transition between the life he’s been working for and the one that’s waiting for him.

The movie hits VOD on January 21st, and will then get a limited release on March 1st. We'll let you know how the movie is after we watch it up at Sundance. It definitely looks like it's going to be a tear jerker. 

Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema have released two new character banners for Jack the Giant Slayer. One features the giant characters, the other features the human characters. Even though it looks like a fun film, I really hope this movie turns out better than what I'm expecting. 

The film stars Nicholas Hoult, Stanley Tucci, Ian McShane, Bill Nighy, Eleanor Tomlinson, and EwanMcGregor. It will be released in theaters on March 1st, 2013. To watch the trailer click here. Do you think the Bryan Singer-directed film looks like it's going to be good? 

Jack the Giant Slayer tells the story of an ancient war that is reignited when a young farmhand unwittinglyopens a gateway between our world and a fearsome race of giants. Unleashed on the Earth for the first time in centuries, the giants strive to reclaim the land they once lost, forcing the young man, Jack, into the battle of his life to stop them. Fighting for a kingdom, its people, and the love of a brave princess, he comes face to face with the unstoppable warriors he thought only existed in legend–and gets the chance to become a legend himself.

A&E has released five teaser posters for their highly anticipated new series Bates Motel, some of which feature some twisted imagery. The show comes from executive producers Carlton Cuse (Lost) and Kerry Ehrin (Friday Night Lights), and it has a great cast of actors that includes Vera Farmiga, Freddie Highmore, Max Thieriot, Olivia Cooke, Nicola Peltz, Nestor Carbonell, and Mike Vogel.

In "Bates Motel," following the tragic death of her husband, Norma Bates buys a motel on the outskirts of the idyllic coastal town of White Pine Bay, seeking a fresh start. As Norma and Norman get ensconced in their new home, they discover this town isn't quite what it seems, and the locals aren’t so quick to let them in on their secrets. But the Bates’ are done being pushed around and will do whatever it takes to survive – and will do whatever it takes to protect their own secrets.

The series is set to premiere on Monday, March 18th at 10pm, and it looks like it's going to be a great, psychotic psychological thriller. 

Warner Bros. has cast Oscar nominated Silver Linings Playbook star Bradly Cooper to star in a new period spy thriller film called Dark Invasion. The movie will be an adaptation of the upcoming novel written by Howard Blum that was just snatched up by the studio. It tells the true story of the first German terrorist attacks on U.S. soil in 1915. The book isn't set to be released until September 11th, 2013, but here's the synopsis for the story thanks to Deadline...

The book is a true spy thriller set in 1915 when Germany, with war raging in Europe and the U.S. still neutral, decides to send their Secret Service to America to wage a covert war to keep this country from helping the Allies. The Kaiser’s spies bomb factories, sabotage ships, shoot JP Morgan Jr (a financier of the Allies), bomb the U.S. Capitol Building, and set up an anthrax lab six miles from the White House.

Cooper will play NYPD Captain Tom Tunney, who brings together a team of people that will bring the German spies to justice. The CIA considers Tunney to be its first head of homeland security. This sounds like an amazing story that will make for a fantastic film.

Source: Deadline (http://www.deadline.com/2013/01/bradley-cooper-in-warner-bros-deal-for-dark-invasion/)

Check out this adorably cool piece of Star Wars fan art created by Nick Scurfield who plans on doing a series of them. This first piece called "Destiny," and it features a little Luke Skywalker joyfully playing with his X-wing toy. Here's what the artist had to say about the illustration on his blog,

...this image is the first in a series of pictures depicting key characters from the series as 'younglings', engaging in acts that reference key moments from their future. Despite being completed before Disney took over the Galaxy, the style isn't out of place with their mantra, representing the childish outlook of the subject whilst drawing on and exaggerating the colour palette of the films worlds. I also liked the idea of Luke playing with his toy Star fighter just like many of us did in our youth.

The 'wide-screen' format gave the image a more cinematic quality whilst making the colours seem more vibrant and the text added to generate a more positive, motivational and life affirming blah blah blah blah blah...

I'm looking forward to seeing what he has planned for the rest of the series!

Millennium Films has released an incredible new trailer for the Michael Shannon mob crime-thriller called The Hitman. The film was directed by Ariel Vromen, and also stars Winona Ryder, Chris Evans, Ray Liotta, David Schwimmer, Robert Davi, Danny Abeckaser, Stephen Dorff, and James Franco.

It looks like Shannon is going to once again give a hell of an incredible performance. He plays notorious contract killer and charming family man Richard Kuklinski, who is believed to have killed 100 people between 1964 and 1986. The movie is based on Anthony Bruno's biography The Iceman: The True Story of a Cold-Blooded Killer. Here's the synopsis...

Inspired by actual events, The Iceman follows notorious contract killer Richard Kuklinski (Michael Shannon) from his early days in the mob until his arrest for the murder of more than 100 men. Appearing to be living the American dream as a devoted husband and father; in reality Kuklinski was a ruthless killer-for-hire. When finally arrested in 1986, neither his wife nor daughters have any clue about his real profession. The Iceman movie trailer 2013 is presented in full HD 1080 high resolution.

The movie comes out on May 3rd, and I can't wait to see this flick! It looks so damn good. Enjoy the trailer!

Wanted and Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter director Timur Bekmambetov is set to direct the Michael Bay produced aerial action movie Heatseekers. There's really not much known about the story other than that it will center on an ex-military pilot who takes on a group of aerial pirates.

The movie is being written F. Scott Frazer from a spec script by George Mahaffey that was picked up by the studio for a cool six-figure payout. Frazer is currently writing a film for Universal called Day One, another for MGM called Metro 2033 and a Warner Bros. project called Line of Sight.

It'll be interesting to see how this turns out, Bekmambetov may not be the best director, but he tends to make really fun films. 

When a petition gets 25,000 signatures or more and is filled out on WhiteHouse.gov, a response is required from the White House. A petition from the Galactic Empire of Star Wars was recently submitted for a Death Star to be built for the planet Earth. It ended up getting 30,000 signatures and the White House responded unsurprisingly denying the request. Why? Because it would cost $850,000,000,000,000,000, and America just doesn't have that kind of money, and the current administration doesn't really support blowing up other planets, "Why would we spend countless taxpayer dollars on a Death Star with a fundamental flaw that can be exploited by a one-man starship?"

Well, the Galactic Empire has responded to the White House's denial, which you can read below...

IMPERIAL CENTER, CORUSCANT – The overwhelming military superiority of the Galactic Empire has been confirmed once again by the recent announcement by the President of the United States that his nation would not attempt to build a Death Star, despite the bellicose demands of the people of his tiny, aggressive planet. “It is doubtless that such a technological terror in the hands of so primitive a world would be used to upset the peace and sanctity of the citizens of the Galactic Empire,“ said Governor Wilhuff Tarkin of the Outer Rim Territories. “Such destructive power can only be wielded to protect and defend by so enlightened a leader as Emperor Palpatine.”

Representatives on behalf of the nation-state leader from the unimaginatively named planet refused to acknowledge the obvious cowardice of their choice, preferring instead to attribute the decision to fiscal responsibility. “The costs of construction they cited were ridiculously overestimated, though I suppose we must keep in mind that this miniscule planet does not have our massive means of production,” added Admiral Conan Motti of the Imperial Starfleet.

Emissaries of the Emperor also caution any seditious elements within the Galactic Senate not to believe Earth’s exaggerated claims of there being a weakness in the Death Star design. “Any attacks made upon such a station – should one ever be built – would be a useless gesture,” added Motti.

This is both kind of cool, but incredibly silly at the same time. 

Ghost in the Shell is one of those classic Anime films that most general movie going audiences know about along with Akira and maybe Neon Genesis Evangelion. A new anime series has been announced called Ghost in the Shell: Arise, and although their aren't many details the series is set to launch sometime this year, which means it's been being worked on under the radar for awhile. 

The new series is being directed by Kise Kazuchika who's worked on other projects such as Blood: The Last Vampire, Dennou Coil and Neon Genesis Evangelion franchises, as well as previous Ghost In The Shell projects that have been made. Then there's Mardock Scramble creator Ubukata Tow writing the series.

It has yet to be seen how this series will connect to previous adaptations of Shirow Masamune's original manga series. 

Ghost In The Shell is set in a far future world in which technology has allowed for human augmentation to the point where people are commonly retrofitted with cybernetic implants that offer increased abilities but also open the possibility of individuals being hacked. the principal story in other incarnations has followed the work of a special police force set up to police this sort of mind-hacking with the action packed storyline also affording many opportunities for more philosophical discussion of the nature of the soul, human consciousness and human identity, those latter issues being particular drivers of the Oshii Mamoru feature film projects based on the title.

Alfonso Cuarón’s long awaited sci-fi film Gravity finally gets a release date! The movie has been described as being Castaway in space, and it has a great cast that includes George Clooney and Sandra Bullock. Warner Bros. set the film to be released on October 4th, 2013. The movie sounds like it's going to be pretty awesome, if you're not familiar with it here's the synopsis,

Bullock plays Dr. Ryan Stone, a brilliant medical engineer on her first shuttle mission, with veteran astronaut Matt Kowalsky (Clooney) in command of his last flight before retiring. But on a seemingly routine spacewalk, disaster strikes. The shuttle is destroyed, leaving Stone and Kowalsky completely alone--tethered to nothing but each other and spiraling out into the blackness.

The deafening silence tells them they have lost any link to Earth...and any chance for rescue. As fear turns to panic, every gulp of air eats away at what little oxygen is left.

But the only way home may be to go further out into the terrifying expanse of space.

Guillermo del Toro's amazing looking next film, Pacific Rim, doesn't come out until this summer, but Del Toro is already working on developing the sequel. In a recent interview with The Playlist he's asked if he plans to shoot it in 3D, and this was his reply...

Yes. Provided, at that point, that the technology is becoming easier and easier…

Even then they were super respectful. By then we were already getting ILM shots. I was realizing that out of 100 shots, maybe 10% of the shots were risky. They said, "If we go 2D on those shots, we can do it." Then I gave them my list of conditions. They spent twice of what they normally spend on [this process], because they gave me the chance to pay ILM to do every single shot in native 3D. They aren't being converted. So all the big 3D effects shots are being done by ILM from the get go. Normally they give a movie a 14 to 16 week conversion time [for 3D]. I started the conversion back in September. So it's six months for conversion. It's very classy.

Well, it's good to know the 3D on this Pac Rim movie is going to be decent. It seems the films that Del Toro is making are just getting bigger and bigger. He's asking for huge budgets for the films he makes, which is one of the reason At the Mountains of Madness never happened. During the interview he's asked if he'll go back to making smaller films, which in the past have been his best films.

Yeah, but it's not like I have two screenplays under my bed. I successfully reached page 25 for Saturn and the End of Days and on another [script] I have successfully reached page 45. Those things take years to write. Devil's Backbone was like 15 years it took me to make. Pan's Labyrinth it took me two or three years to solve the screenplay. I work on them but they are trickier propositions. As soon as I finish the screenplay to one of them, I'll leave everything I have to go make it.

That's cool to hear! I hope he finishes one of them soon, I'd like to see what they were about. He goes on to give an update on The Haunted Mansion film project saying,

Haunted Mansion is very much alive and in process. Disney is very supportive and we are doing another draft of the screenplay… Yet another draft… And they really want to do it. I know we're going to talk about other possible directors, for me to produce, and having written it, produce it for somebody else.

It's going to be scary. Hopefully it will be fun scary, rather than funny scary. It's going to be fun but the idea is to make it scary like when you go through the ride as the kid – part of you is charmed and part of you wants to get out of there.

I'm relieved that the project isn't dead, that's one I really want to see happen! It has potential to be incredibly fun. Then there's the Beauty and Beast film with Emma Watson that he's developing, he gives a little update on that one as well...

We just got the first draft from Andrew Davies, who wrote some BBC Charles Dickens miniseries, to great effect, including two of my favorites of his – "Little Dorrit" and "Bleak House." I love his work. So we just got it. I'm doing a pass myself and then we'll send it to the studio for reactions.

I suggest you head on over to The Playlist to read the whole interview, because there's a lot of good stuff that the filmmaker talks about. Out of all the projects that Del Toro has been developing over the years which one are you looking forward to seeing most?

From the same artist who brought us Iron Vader: Billion Dollar Dark Side comes this awesome Iron Man and Mega Man mashup called "Iron Mega Man." The piece was created BossLogic, and I love the outcome. If anyone could create a real life Mega Man it would have to be Tony Stark. 

Emma Stone is currently in negotiations to join Guillermo del Toro's new haunted house horror thriller Crimson Peak. The project is set up at Legendary Pictures, and it's going to be the directors next movie gig. Stone isn't officially attached yet, but she is expected to sign up for it. 

The movie is an original ghost story that Del Toro wrote with collaborator Matthew Robbins. Before it goes into production it will go through a re-write with Lucinda Coxon. There aren't many details on the story, but the director previously described it as “a very set-oriented, classical but at the same time modern take on the ghost story. It will allow me to play with the conventions of the genre I know and love, and at the same time subvert the old rules.” When talking about the inspiration for the this project he said,

To me that is Robert Wise’s The Haunting, which was a big movie, beautifully directed, with the house built magnificently. And the other grand daddy is Jack Clayton’s The Innocents. I’ve always tried to make big-sized horror movies like the ones I grew up watching. Films like The Omen, The Exorcist and The Shining, the latter of which is another Mount Everest of the haunted house movie. I loved the way that Kubrick had such control over the big sets he used, and how much big production value there was. I think people are getting used to horror subjects done as found footage or B-value budgets. I wanted this to feel like a throwback.

This is a project that Del Toro's very excited about making it. He was also asked about the project in a recent interview with The Playlist in which he said,

There are so many ways to tell a ghost story. "Crimson Peak" is a gothic romance. I don't mean that there's going to be a guy who appears with a dozen flowers singing in the balcony, what I mean is that, in the most classical definition of the term, it's a gothic romance. It's got a lot of darkness and sound and fury and drama and stormy; but at the core of it is a scary movie.

It's going to be great to see Stone and Del Toro working together on this horror project. I can't wait to see how it turns out! 

CBS Films has released a second trailer for the horror film The Last Exorcism Part II. I'm personally not at all that excited about this horror movie. It once again features a dark evil demon who possesses a girl's body so it can turn her into a human Pretzel. The movie was produced by Eli Roth, and was directed by Ed Gass-Donnelly from a screenplay he wrote with Damien Chazelle. Here's the synopsis...

Continuing where the first film left off, Nell Sweetzer (Ashley Bell) is found terrified and alone in rural Louisiana. Back in the relative safety of New Orleans, Nell realizes that she can't remember entire portions of the previous months only that she is the last surviving member of her family. Just as Nell begins the difficult process of starting a new life, the evil force that once possessed her is back with other, unimaginably horrific plans that mean her last exorcism was just the beginning.

The movie will be released in theaters March 1st.

Now this is something I never thought I'd see! MGM wants to make a sequel to Steve Pink's 2010 comedy Hot Tub Time Machine. I thought the first movie was extremely funny, but a sequel? Did any of you see that coming? 

The studio is currently in “exploratory talks” with Rob Corddry, Craig Robinson, and Clark Duke who all starred in the first film. Pink is also in talks to return to direct it. John Cusack was also in the first film, but he's not involved with the sequel at this point. I hope he does end up in it if the film gets made though. 

Since nothing is set in stone yet there's always the chance this sequel won't happen, but THR reports that if everything starts to shape up the studio will put it on the fast track. 

The first movie kind of paid tribute to some of the classic films of the 80s. The story centered around a malfunctioning time machine at a ski resort that takes a man back to 1986 with his two friends and nephew, where they must relive a fateful night and try not to change anything to make sure the nephew is born.

Who knows what they have in store for a sequel, but I imagine it will be a ridiculous ride. Are you excited to hear that there's a possibility we'll see a sequel to this comedy? 

Remember little Winnie Cooper from The Wonder Years? Well she grew up to be a wild flame thrower and kick some ass in the new SyFy original movie Tasmanian Devils. A new red-band trailer has been released for the TV movie, and it's packed full of blood and gore. This actually looks like a ton of ridiculous fun. Not only does it star Danica McKellar, but it also stars Apolo Ohno, who doesn't really last that long in the trailer. Here's the synopsis...

A group of daredevil base jumpers in a remote Tasmanian national park are pursued by grizzly bear-sized Tasmanian Devils – legendary creatures created to protect the land from intruders. The film stars Danica McKellar (The Wonder Years) and Olympian medalist Apolo Ohno.

The movie was made by Zach Lipovsky, the visual effects maven on Steven Spielberg’s 2007 Fox reality TV series On The Lot. It's set to premiere on January 19th, 2013 at 9pm, hope you enjoy the trailer!

Tasmanian Devils Trailer - January 19th from Zach Lipovsky on Vimeo.