We've got a few photos from a new movie that focuses on Walt Disney called Walt Before Mickey. This is the first time I've heard of the film, but it's in the middle of production, and it stars  Thomas Ian Nicholas (American Pie) as Walt, Jon Heder (Napoleon Dynamite) as his brother Roy, Disney alum David Henrie as an animator, and Jodie Sweetin (Full House) as Charlotte Disney. 

This is an independent film being directed by Ari Taub, and it's based on a book by Timothy S. Susaninthat. The movie is set from 1919-1928, so it chronicles the life of Walt up to the point when Mickey Mouse was introduced to the world. The photos come from the film's Facebook page via: /Film.

Here's a full description of the book that the film is based on:

For ten years before the creation of Mickey Mouse, Walt Disney struggled with, failed at, and eventually mastered the art and business of animation. Most biographies of his career begin in 1928, when Steamboat Willie was released. That first Disney Studio cartoon with synchronized sound made its main character–Mickey Mouse-an icon for generations.

But Steamboat Willie was neither Disney’s first cartoon nor Mickey Mouse’s first appearance. Prior to this groundbreaking achievement, Walt Disney worked in a variety of venues and studios, refining what would become known as the Disney style. In Walt Before Mickey, 1919-1928, Timothy Susanin creates a portrait of the artist from age seventeen to the cusp of his international renown.

After serving in the Red Cross in France after World War I, Walt Disney worked for advertising and commercial art in Kansas City. Walt used these experiences to create four studios-Kaycee Studios, Laugh-O-gram Films, Disney Brothers Studio, and Walt Disney Studio. Using company documents, private correspondence between Walt and his brother Roy, contemporary newspaper accounts, and new interviews with Disney’s associates, Susanin traces Disney’s path. The author shows Disney to be a complicated, resourceful man, especially during his early career. Walt Before Mickey, a critical biography of a man at a crucial juncture, provides the “missing decade” that started Walt Disney’s career and gave him the skills to become a name known worldwide.

It's going to be a very long time before we see an actual trailer for Star Wars: Episode VII. In the meantime, I'm sure we're going to see lots fan-made trailers for the movie. It was created by YouTuber Mr88668866, and it uses footage from a ton of different sci-fi films and Star Wars video games. We can only hope the movie J.J. Abrams is developing ends up looking as good as some of the scenes in this trailer. 

Just in case you were still wondering if Will Smith was going to be in Independence Day 2, the answer is no. Director Roland Emmerich and co-writer and producer Dean Devlin have been developing the sequel for a few years, and now it looks like the people of Earth will have to battle the aliens without Smith.

According to Deadline, "Smith informed the studio that he won’t be joining in on a sequel that the filmmakers hope to have in theaters for July 4th weekend, 2016." 

Emmerich was prepared for this, and he had James Vanderbilt write two scripts, one of "which takes the battle to the aliens without [Smith's] cocky hero fighter pilot Captain Steven Hiller." So there's still a chance that the sequel will happen, and I really hope it does! I think it could be just as fun without Smith involved. I also think the movie would be just as successful. 

Here's a piece of fan art for Chip 'N Dale Rescue Rangers. It's an anime version of the character Gadget, and it was created by Ilya Kuvshinov. Disney recently announced a live-action/CG animated hybrid movie, which should turn out to be disastrous. 

Hanna star Saoirse Ronan and Sex in the City's Cynthia Nixon have been cast in a psychological thriller called Stockholm, Pennsylvania. The movie is to be written and directed by Nikole Beckwith. This will be her first feature film.

According to Deadline, "Ronan stars as developmentally stunted Leia, a young woman raised by a kidnapper who now struggles to acclimate to her actual parents after 20 years of separation. Nixon plays the girl’s grief-stricken mother, who goes to extreme lengths to recapture her daughter’s love. Jason Isaacs plays her captor, and David Warshofsky plays her father."

Ronan is a very talented young actress who will likely be great in the film. She will next be seen in Mary Queen Of Scots and The Grand Budapest Hotel. She also stars in the Ryan Gosling-directed How To Catch A Monster. 

Johnny Depp is confirmed to star in the Whitey Bulger mob film Black Mass. He was attached to the project last year, but was reported to have dropped out of the project. He got interested again when Scott Cooper came on board to direct it, and now it's official.  Depp will play Bulger in the movie, and Tom Hardy is in early talks to play his FBI handler, John Connolly. 

The story revolves around the ruthless Boston kingpin who inspired movie characters such as the one Jack Nicholson played in The Departed and the one Pete Postlethwaite played in The Town. The movie is based on the 2001 Dick Lehr/Gerald O’Neill New York Times bestseller Black Mass: The True Story of an Unholy Alliance Between the FBI and the Irish Mob.

Bulger was also an FBI informant so he could help discreetly take down a rival gang. In the end, the tables were turned on him, and he was double crossed and prosecuted by the Feds, along with his partner in crime and the original FBI agent working with him. Connelly is the "FBI agent and childhood pal of Bulger and his brother. Connolly was tasked with bringing down the Italian mob, and he was aided by Bulger, who burnished his own position as Boston crime kingpin by getting rid of the competition for his Winter Hill gang."

I love watching this kind of movies, and this one is sure to be great. 

Check out this cool collection of Pixar-themed Nike shoe designs created by Rachael Loraine. I love these, and I'm sure collectors would love to get their hands on them if they were actually for sale. You can stare at them all you want though! 

Via: Deadline

Bill Paxton is set to direct a new film based on a novel written by Joe Lansdale called The Bottoms. The story is set in East Texas and follows "an adolescent boy, his little sister, and their father who stumble across the body of a black woman who has been savagely mutilated and left to die in the bottom of the Sabine River. The townsfolk cover up the crime until the body of a white woman is found in similar circumstances and it falls to the family to unearth the truth."

The script for the film was written by Brent Hanley who also wrote the 2001 film Frailty, which Paxton also directed. The movie is scheduled to start shooting later this year. Paxton had this to say in a statement,

“I have been a big fan of Joe Lansdale’s writing since the Hap And Leonard novels. His stories and characters are vivid, original and indelible. The screenwriter Brent Hanley and I have been looking to team up again, since Frailty and when we read Joe’s book The Bottoms, we knew we had hit pay dirt. With a story and script this good, we have a chance to make a bonafide classic. I couldn’t be more excited!”

The last film that Paxton directed was The Greatest Game Ever Played in 2005, which starred Shia LaBeouf.

This awesome Doctor Who t-shirt art features the latest regeneration from Matt Smith's 11th Doctor to Peter Capaldi’s 12th Doctor. It's presented in a fun comic book form called Time Lord Comics. The design comes from Creative Outpouring, and it's available on Red Bubble. 

If the art looks familiar, that's because there is similar set-up that was done years ago when Batman introduced Robin. I included that cover for comparison below. 

Here are four clips from Paul W.S. Anderson's disastrous adventure film Pompeii. A couple of the clips show off some of the action that you'll see in the film, including a gladiator battle and volcanic destruction. There doesn't seem to be a lot of excitement for the film, which is perfectly understandable, as it looks awful. 

The movie stars Kit Harington, Emily Browning, Kiefer Sutherland, Jared Harris, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, and Carrie-Anne Moss. 

Set in 79 A.D., POMPEII tells the epic story of Milo (Harington), a slave turned invincible gladiator who finds himself in a race against time to save his true love Cassia (Browning), the beautiful daughter of a wealthy merchant who has been unwillingly betrothed to a corrupt Roman Senator. As Mount Vesuvius erupts in a torrent of blazing lava, Milo must fight his way out of the arena in order to save his beloved as the once magnificent Pompeii crumbles around him.

The movie is scheduled to be released on February 21st.

Here's an awesome short film for you to check out called "Project Arbiter." The story is set during World War II and follows a solider in an experimental suit fighting off an army of Nazis. It has a cool, sci-fi, steampunk feel to it, and the action is done extremely well. I also thought the cinematography was really great. Here's the synopsis:

1943. Thousands of feet above Northern Europe a small plane carries a skeleton crew of the Allies best, including special operative captain Joseph Colburn. His handler, major Thomas Hardy does a final review of the mission's grim intel: infiltrate a mysterious villa on the Polish border and uncover its secrets. Colburn emerges donning a prototype suit, which can temporarily render its user invisible. As the plane's bay doors howl open Colburn begins to put on the skull-faced helmet when the plane is rocked by an anti-aircraft shell. Rapidly losing air pressure and altitude, now there's no question... This is a one-way mission.

Enjoy the show!

FX is set to develop a new sci-fi comedy series based on an amazing sounding book called Redshirts by John Scalzi. The book is the 2013 Hugo Award winner, and the plan is to turn it into a limited series. 

The story is set in the 25th century, and it "follows the adventures of five new recruits on the Starship Intrepid who come to realize that the ship’s crewmembers are dying at an alarming rate. Their investigation leads to the mind-bending discovery that a science fiction television show, produced in the early 21st century, has somehow 'intruded' upon their reality and 'warped' it. In other words, the lives of the crew are following the course of a television narrative over which they have no control."

I haven't read the book, but I have to say it sounds pretty freakin' amazing! I can't help but think that is is going to make for an incredible series. Producer Jon Shestack had this to say in a statement,

“Redshirts is a madcap, hyper-meta tale. If Jorge Luis Borges had been a staff writer on the original Star Trek, he would no doubt have concocted a story like Redshirts.”

I think I'm going to have to read the book before the series is released.

Via: Deadline

Marvel has released the first TV spot for Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and yes… it does have some more new footage for you to watch. This movie looks freakin' amazing, and I'm excited for everything that it promises to lead into. Earlier this week we learned that the film will set "critical events in motion" for Joss Whedon's Avengers: Age of Ultron. Captain America: The Winter Soldier hits theaters on April 4th.

Here's a ridiculously funny trailer for a silly movie called Zombeavers. And yes, it involves zombie beavers! There's really not much I can say about this trailer that will do it justice. This is one of those things you have to see to believe, and I know you'll get a laugh out of it. 

From the producers of CABIN FEVER, THE RING, WE’RE THE MILLERS, and AMERICAN PIE. Three college girls go on a care-free vacation of drinking games, topless sunbathing, and sexual exploration. Their frolicking fun comes to an abrupt end when toxic zombie beavers try to EAT THEM.

Thanks to FilmDrunk for the trailer! 

Planet Pulp

We haven't really posted a lot of Silver Surfer art on the site, but I saw this piece by Michael Penick and had to share it! I've never been a big fan of Silver Surfer, but I really loved this illustration. I hope you like it too.

Via: Variety

OC and Southland star Ben McKenzie has landed the lead role of a young Commissioner Gordon in the Batman inspired TV series Gotham. McKenzie is a solid choice to take on the role, as he's been really good in the things that he's been involved with. This isn't the first time that the actor has worked in the world of Batman either. He also provided the voice of Bruce Wayne/Batman in the 2011 animated film Batman: Year One.

The series will show us Gordon's origin story along with the rise of Gotham City’s infamous villains. A young Bruce Wayne will also be featured in the series, and we will follow his pre-teen years to the moment when he puts on the iconic Batman cape and cowl for the first time. I hope the series actually runs that long! I guess they plan on it being really freakin' good. 

It was previously reported that Sons of Anarchy's Donal Logue was offered the role of detective Harvey Bullock. There's still no word on whether he accepted the part or not. The pilot was written by Bruno Heller and is being developed with Fox and Warner Bros. TV. 

The Walking Dead returns tonight, and I couldn't be more excited to get back into the shit with these characters. While we wait for it to start, here's one more awesome promo trailer called "A Mad World."

You're going to want to check out this radical new fan film called "Batman Evolution," featuring actor and real life ninja Eric Gable as Batman. The short has some pretty awesome action and fun comedic elements in it that I think you'll all enjoy. It shows us a cool imagining of 1960s Batman transforming into the Dark Knight.

Witness how the 60's Batman became the Dark Knight. Featuring Eric Gable portraying Batman doing authentic Ninjutsu moves. Also starring Joel Hebner as Black Mask and Mark Erman as Robin with stunt team 87Eleven playing henchmen in this slick knockout black comedy action fest!!!

The video comes from CBM, and I've also included some words from Gable below the video. I hope you like it!

Batman Evolution was super fun to make! And although it IS a comedy, in the midst of all the silliness we get a chance to show off authentic ninjutsu techniques for the first time on film. This is the martial art Batman supposedly trained in, yet we’ve never seem him use it…before now. I traveled to Japan to study ninjutsu years ago, and I'm really surprised no one has brought it to film yet. Literally, all the "ninja" movies to date are actually using karate. And, I truly mean no offense to anyone by saying this, to me it's like having a movie about baseball where everyone's actually playing football! I really do have a sense of humor about it though. Anyway, creating the real "ninja Batman" is something I've been dreaming of for years. 

I know some of you have questions about the costume, the lack of cape, etc., and most of those questions should be answered in the video itself. One of the challenges was to find a Bat-suit that wouldn't fall apart under all the strain. The motorcycle Bat-suit was chosen for this because we knew that it could take a beating. The suit was a size smaller than what you'd want to wear, and I was only at about 40% mobility, but luckily that's all we needed this time out. The cowl was donated by a friend. 

There were a few other major challenges. First of all, the reason for the long delay is that this was a film that got made based on favors, not cash, and you can’t really rush people who are willing to work for free. So, it was in limbo for the better part of a year while we waited for some of those favors, but I'm not complaining because we got the best in the biz on this! 

We did have some other troubles along the way, but overall it worked out the way I envisioned it and it was a blast to make. Hopefully, the fans will forgive anything that's less than perfect and just enjoy it for what it is. After all, it's virtually a no-budget project! 

James Franco's production company, Rabbit Bandini Productions, has optioned the rights to the book The Disaster Artist: My Life Inside The Room, which was published last fall. Franco will direct the film, and his brother Dave Franco has been cast in the lead role.

The Room is considered to be one of the worst movies ever made, but over the years it has gained a huge cult following. It was directed by Tommy Wiseau and starred actor Greg Sestero, who also co-wrote the book about the making of the film. The making of The Room is definitely more interesting than the film itself, and this project should make for an entertaining movie.

Ryan Moody is writing the script for the film, and Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg will also produce it. Here's a more detailed description of the book:

The hilarious and inspiring story of how a mysterious misfit got past every roadblock in the Hollywood system to achieve success on his own terms: a $6 million cinematic catastrophe called The Room.

Nineteen-year-old Greg Sestero met Tommy Wiseau at an acting school in San Francisco. Wiseau’s scenes were rivetingly wrong, yet Sestero, hypnotized by such uninhibited acting, thought, “I have to do a scene with this guy.” That impulse changed both of their lives. Wiseau seemed never to have read the rule book on interpersonal relationships (or the instruc­tions on a bottle of black hair dye), yet he generously offered to put the aspiring actor up in his LA apart­ment. Sestero’s nascent acting career first sizzled, then fizzled, resulting in Wiseau’s last-second offer to Sestero of costarring with him in The Room, a movie Wiseau wrote and planned to finance, produce, and direct—in the parking lot of a Hollywood equipment-rental shop.

Wiseau spent $6 million of his own money on his film, but despite the efforts of the disbelieving (and frequently fired) crew and embarrassed (and fre­quently fired) actors, the movie made no sense. Nevertheless Wiseau rented a Hollywood billboard featuring his alarming headshot and staged a red carpet premiere. The Room made $1800 at the box office and closed after two weeks. One reviewer said that watching The Room was like “getting stabbed in the head.”

The Disaster Artist is Greg Sestero’s laugh-out-loud funny account of how Tommy Wiseau defied every law of artistry, business, and friendship to make “the Citizen Kaneof bad movies” (Entertainment Weekly), which is now an international phenomenon, with Wiseau himself beloved as an oddball celebrity. Written with award-winning journalist Tom Bissell, The Disaster Artist is an inspiring tour de force that reads like a page-turning novel, an open-hearted portrait of an enigmatic man who will improbably capture your heart.

Via: Deadline

Artist Fabian “Monk” Schlaga has released some incredibly awesome key art that he did for Sideshow Collectibles' DC Universe line. The character illustrations include Harley Quinn, The Joker, and Batman. Thanks to Geek Draw for the heads up on these.