Jon Favreau returns to the indie movie scene with Chef, a sure to be heartwarming comedy about a fine dining chef who recaptures his passion by taking to the streets in a food truck. Favreau wrote, directed, and stars in the film. It’s a bit of a departure from his recent big budget action explosion films, but I have a feeling that movie Favreau’s small, independent food truck may have some parallels with real-life Favreau’s small, independent movie.

He scored a great cast for this one, including his old friends from the Iron Man series, Robert Downey Jr. and Scarlett Johansson. (There is a shot of Johansson sitting on Favreau’s bed in the trailer, and if she plays his love interest, I am going to throw something at the screen.) The rest of the cast includes Dustin Hoffman, John Leguizamo, Bobby Cannavale, Oliver Platt, and Sofia Vergara. 

Chef opens on May 9. Check out the trailer below.

Here's the official synopsis.

When Chef Carl Casper (Jon Favreau) suddenly quits his job at a prominent Los Angeles restaurant after refusing to compromise his creative integrity for its controlling owner (Dustin Hoffman), he is left to figure out what’s next. Finding himself in Miami, he teams up with his ex-wife (Sofia Vergara), his friend (John Leguizamo) and his son to launch a food truck. Taking to the road, Chef Carl goes back to his roots to reignite his passion for the kitchen—and zest for life and love.

Would The Doctor take a selfie? I think he absolutely would, with the exception of the War Doctor, who would think it was nonsense. This Doctor Who art by Tom Kurzanski really has captured each Doctor’s personality mugging for the camera. The folks at TeeFury have sold out of this design, but you can demand they bring it back here.

via: NY Daily News

I know tie-in ads for big blockbuster films are just part of getting the word out, but I also feel the particularly silly ones are part of the reason superhero films still aren’t taken seriously by many people. Films feel especially tainted when they really try to make the ads seem like a scene in the movie. So I’m glad to see that Carl’s Jr./Hardee’s went the route they did for their tie-in ads for X-Men Days of Future Past. The ads, which showcase the mutant abilities of Quicksilver and Colossus, clearly take place on a set, so it’s easier to look past the silliness. It’s also kind of nice to see a Carl’s Jr. commercial that isn’t overtly sexual and isn’t narrated by a creepy and lethargic voiceover. Wait, that voice is still in there.

The first video features Evan Peters as Quicksilver munching down on an “X-Tra Bacon” Egg and Cheese Biscuit. I’m not sure if the way they display his super speed in the commercial will be consistent with how they shot it in the actual film, but it’s cool to see him in action nonetheless, ridiculous outfit and all. The second video is a behind the scenes vid that shows part of the Colossus ad with Daniel Cudmore… copious amounts of bacon are again the main feature.

Days of Future Past hits theaters May 23rd. Also, bacon is delicious, but we already knew that.

An interesting fight is brewing between MGM and Universal. Last year, Universal paid $1.2 million to acquire the rights to Section 6, a screenplay by Aaron Berg. Attack the Block’s Joe Cornish is attached to direct, and Jack O’Connell (Unbroken, Skins) is set to play the lead. But on Friday, MGM filed a lawsuit to prevent production, claiming that the project is a James Bond “knockoff” and that it infringes on their mark.

Section 6 is about the creation of MI6 during World War I, focusing on the agency’s first director, George Mansfield Cummings, who was the inspiration for “M” in the Bond series. It is set long before any of the Bond books or films. Reading that description, you might think that MGM is being overly aggressive, trying to prevent any other film about MI6 being made, ever.

However, according to the filing, Section 6 features “a daring, tuxedo-clad British secret agent, employed by ‘His Majesty’s Secret Service,’ with a ‘license to kill,’ and a 00 secret agent number on a mission to save England from the diabolical plot of a megalomanical villain.” The filing asserts that “most moviegoers would assume from that description alone that this lawsuit concerns the next James Bond picture. It does not.” The suit also claims infringement based on the way the main character introduces himself – last name, full name – Bond, James Bond style. That does sound like the script is, um, “influenced” by our favorite caddish secret agent.

MGM told the Wrap that they sent Universal “20-page dossier last fall detailing their concerns.” Although Universal assured them that there would be changes to Berg’s screenplay and any movie they made would steer well clear of MGM’s trademarks, MGM wasn’t satisfied and asked to see the script. Universal refused. MGM and Danjaq (the holding company with all the film rights for James Bond) responded in court. Universal has not commented yet.

Hopefully they will come to a settlement soon, because this sounds like an interesting project. If the case drags on too long, they may lose the talent attached, which would be a real shame. Cornish did great work on Attack the Block, and O’Connell is a live-wire of an actor. Of course, Bond 24 won’t be affected by this at all. It starts filming this summer for a November 2015 release.

Via: The Wrap, Deadline

It seems like anything can be remade in Minecraft these days. I still have never tried as I just don't have the time an patience for it, but I do have the time to play Titanfall! The latest example of a really cool looking Minecraft remake is Ironfall which is a version of Titanfall, and it looks like a lot of fun. The creators of the game had this to say:

"When we saw Titanfall, we knew right away that we would have to try and remake it, to the best of our abilities, in Minecraft. This is Ironfall, the product of that idea." 

Ironfall works like an Attrition match from Titanfall. Basically two teams of eight pilots score points by killing each other, and the first team to reach 100 points wins game. 

Players can even call down their own style of Titan mechs that they call Golems. It drops down from the sky, and you can then climb inside of it. When you do, you get new weapons and you lose your ability to jump. 

You can check out a video walkthrough of the Ironfall mod below!

THR is reporting that Peter Mayhew, who played Chewbacca in the original Star Wars trilogy, will reprise his role in Star Wars: Episode VII. This is great news to fans who have supported Mayhew (age 69) though his many recent health struggles. They can easily use a stunt man for the more physically demanding action that Mayhew would not be able to perform, because I imagine that Chewbacca suit is pretty heavy. Let's hope we don't get a CGI Chewbacca, which is a worry for several readers on Facebook.

With no official cast other than R2-D2, Star Wars: Episode VII face punches theaters December 15, 2015.

Published by: Dark Horse Comics - Writer: Paul Tobin - Art: Joe Querio - Colors: Carlos Badilla

Geralt has never been everyone’s cup of tea, but Jakob, a hunter he comes upon in the opening pages of Witcher #1, doesn’t even bat an eye. In fact, he goes so far as to offer him cheese and onions (which probably tastes as wonderful as it sounds) and even his hard caught fish. Pretty impressive, as some people will wince even if you ask them for directions, much less even think about sharing a small piece of their subway sandwich.

Jakob’s past is the center of this initial arc, and he fills the book with soul. Geralt’s style of character is at its best when playing off of others, and Jakob fills that supportive role quite well. For the record, there will be spoilers here, but I do recommend you give the issue a read for yourself. You can also scroll down to see the free preview.

MAJOR SPOILERS FROM THIS POINT ON

You see, Jakob used to have a wife, whose name was Marta. On an ill-advised journey into the black forest, Marta was taken, bitten, and subsequently turned by a group of vampires. This was not the end of his and Marta’s story however, as since that fateful day she has been watching him from afar, never approaching, but still within plain sight. The only acknowledgment of her coming is the humming of the songbirds, which comes into play later on in a nice callback. The haunting image of your dead wife still watching over you from afar is made even more poignant by the wonderful illustration and colors of artist Joe Querio and colorist Carlos Badilla, respectively. 

Since her turning, Marta has had a habit of going all wakka flocka on other travelers who happen upon the area, something Jakob has been attempting to prevent for the past 9 years. After conveying this to Geralt, he asks if he would enjoy some company on his journey. It seems it's time for him to move on, so Geralt accepts. Paul Tobin captures the spirit of the games so well throughout the entire book, but especially after this point in the story. The sense of mystery and tension permeates the air as they travel through the black forest, and monster encounters succeed in furthering that erie feeling, as they rightfully should. There is room for some light, however, due to Geralt’s "it is what it is" mentality. It’s through his demeanor that Tobin succeeds in breaking up the suspense with some nice moments of levity. These conversations also give Jakob’s personality room to manifest itself, and while I’m not sure how high the chances are, I would be interested in seeing Jakob stick around for a little while. 

I mentioned Querio’s pencils and Badilla’s colors before, and those also shine in the second half. The last 4 pages especially feature some beautiful artwork, and like everything else in the book, the art fits the tone of the Witcherverse just perfectly. I can’t wait to see more from this team.

The book ends on a suspenseful note, with Marta giving a helping hand to the duo whilst leading them to her (supposed) home. With a door creak, the issue ends. The book is off to a promising start, and I’m looking forward to spending much more time in the world of The Witcher. 

A while ago, Robert Downey Jr. said he was planning to screen Captain America: The Winter Soldier for a bunch of kids on his birthday. The now 49-year-old star was born on April 4, which also happened to be the release date of the Marvel movie. So this weekend he did it. About twenty kids came over to his house where they watched the movie with the Iron Man actor, and presumably ate popcorn and cake. I mean, you go for the big gesture, you don’t cheap out on the snacks, right? 

The star posted the above photo on his Facebook page with the caption, “Let the partaaaaay begin!!!” Look at that picture, and ask yourself, “What room are they in?” Is that his garage, or does he have a commercial gym in his giant ass house and that’s where they teach yoga and step aerobics classes? Either way, my birthday is next week, and if I had his money and Marvel connections… I probably still wouldn’t do anything this cool and nice.

Of course, this isn’t the first time RDJ has been adorable with children. Jamie Foxx’s daughter bragged to her friends that she knew Iron Man and he was going to be at her birthday party, and he came through, bringing a tub of Iron Man toys and hanging out all day. Here’s a pic Foxx tweeted from the party:

My daughter told me she wanted Tony Stark to come to her birthday party. Much love to RDJ, thanks for making her day. pic.twitter.com/GrpfVEMgqj

— Jamie Foxx (@iamjamiefoxx) October 9, 2013

Remember when Downey had to shoot U.S. Marshals on a day-pass from jail? This turned-his-life-around, nice-to-kids, cool dude is a much better version of him. Good on ya, mate.

Via: Geekosystem

The Dark Knight Returns is arguably one of the best comic story arcs in Batman history. Entertainment Earth has created a "Real Action" Collectible that truly recreates Frank Miller's aged and hardened version of Batman. This 12 inch figure is fully posable and has fabric clothing that covers up the joints for a more natural look.

You can pre-order this antihero for $170 on Entertainment Earth's site.

Source: Geek Alerts

By Tim Flattery

Now that Captain America: The Winter Soldier is out, artists Jamie Rama and Tim Flattery are able to share their concept art with the world. It’s gotta be hard working on a film for several years without being able to tell anyone about it.

In case you’re wondering, there is an art book for Captain America: The Winter Soldier available now on Amazon.

Thanks to CBM for finding these from Flattery’s portfolio and an exclusive post from Film Sketchr.

via GeeksAreSexy

I’m guessing two groups of people are looking at this picture and screaming for two very different reasons. Toy collectors are probably up in arms because Etsy user Marc Potter just “destroyed” a perfectly good C-3PO collectibles case. And guitar players are likely exclaiming, “I need that right now!” I belong to the latter group, but I’m quite skeptical about whether this would actually sound good.

Rainy Day Instruments presents …#063 C3PO electric Star Wars Guitar, Nice used Behringer maple neck securely attached to a Classic C3PO collectors case. Action figure case still can open and TALKS!

Since I’m not seeing any electronics on this “electric” guitar, I’d guess that keeping the case functional took a front seat to the playability of the guitar. I’m just amazed the case can handle the tension from the strings at all, assuming they’re tuned. In any case, I'd proudly display this on my wall. To peruse more of Marc’s custom musical creations, head over to his Etsy page.

I am not going to go into a whole Women's Studies 101 rant about cross-gender cosplay, but generally, it's cool for a girl to dress as a male character, less cool for a boy to dress as a female character, and that is sort of lame. Which is why I love these photos from Sunday Cosplay, because no one is a bigger badass than Batman. Check out all the pics and have fun imagining Batman sewing princess dresses to recharge after a long day of fighting crime. Or better yet, imagine him on a fitting pedestal while Alfred adjusts his hem.

Cosplay by Elpeluka Sabe. Photos by Decade Three Pictures. It was inspired by the piece of art below.

Thanks to Fashionably Geek.

Variety reports that Battlestar Galactica is getting a reboot at Universal. Around 2009 there were whispers of Bryan Singer developing a movie based on the series, but that never went beyond rumors. Creator of the original 1978 TV series Glen A. Larson is set to produce this new iteration. Jack Paglen, writer of of the underwhelming-looking Transcendence and possible writer of the Prometheus sequel, has signed on. It sounds like the 2003 series producer Ronald D. Moore is not involved, but who knows what details might emerge.

This reimagining of Battlestar Galactica with the original creator and an unproven writer is an intriguing combo so far. Thanks to a bigger budget and modern effects, the scope, scale, and action will easily be beyond what we've seen on TV. But can they create a successful 2 hour story for people who aren't fans of either series run? This announcement is pretty early in the development process, so everything is subject to change.

Nebezial

Cabin In The Woods director Drew Goddard is in the process of making a deal with to direct Sony's Spider-Man spin-off, Sinister Six. He's already writing the script for the film, so it makes sense that he would come on board to direct it as well. It was kind of expected. The guy did an amazing job with Cabin In The Woods, and I would love to see him take on a film that focuses on these villains. 

The studio is looking to build up their own Marvel-style cinematic universe with all of these Spider-Man characters. It will basically be The Avengers of villains, consisting of Doctor Octopus, Electro, Kraven the Hunter, Mysterio, Sandman, and The Vulture. Those are the original villains. They could change things around, though, and swap out a couple for Lizard and Green Goblin. Many of these characters have been teased in the trailers for The Amazing Spider-Man 2.

Then, of course, there's Venom, who is getting his own film that is currently being developed by Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci, and Ed Solomon.

Spider-Man has done very well for Sony, and they have to keep making movies or the rights to these characters will revert to Marvel. I wouldn't care if that happened at all, but the studio obviously wants to hold on to them so that they can keep making their money. 

There's no word on when Sinister Six or Venom will be released, but it will most likely happen after Spider-Man 3, which is set for release on June 10th, 2016. I think it will happen before the fourth film, though, which will be released on May 4th, 2018.

It will be interesting to see how this movie comes together, and if Spider-Man will be involved with the story in any way. Goddard is a talented individual, and I have confidence that he'll create some really special and cool for the fans.

On a side note, Goddard and Joss Whedon have worked together before – on Cabin in the Woods and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I can't help but have a fanboy hope that they could help merge these two cinematic universes. Seeing Spider-Man in an Avengers film would be one of the greatest things ever. I know it will never happen, though. 

Via: THR

Marvel has released a clip from James Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy, followed by a promo real showing a montage of scenes from the amazing looking sci-fi adventure film. There's some new footage for you to check out here, and the clip features an extended scene from the first part of the trailer in which Star-Lord (Chris Pratt) is caught by Korath (Djimon Hounsou) as he's trying to steal some kind of ancient intergalactic artifact. We get to see how Star-Lord escapes this little awkward confrontation. 

This movie looks ridiculously cool, and I'm so excited about seeing it when it's released on August 1st, 2014. It's so cool that we have another Marvel film to look forward to seeing this year! Thanks to MTV for the clip.

It doesn't seem like a lot of people are happy with this Point Break remake. So far the movie stars Gerard Butler as Bodhi, Luke Bracey as Johnny Utah, and Ray Winstone in the role of Utah’s partner originally played by Gary Busey. The movie is being directed by Ericson Core (Invincible) from a script written by Kurt Wimmer (Salt, Total Recall).

Thanks to producers Broderick Johnson and Andrew A. Kosove, we have some additional information on the film and what they are planning for it. Speaking to Collider, Johnson said that they've started shooting aspects of the film:

We’ve actually been in photography on the film, beginning our stunt work with our real athletes.  This is a movie with a lot of stunts and no stunt people in it because the stunts are way too dangerous for people who are stunt people. 

Isn't the job of a stunt person to do crazy dangerous stunts? I guess, technically, the stunt people being used in this film are real athletes. Does that mean movie stunt people aren't real athletes? Is this offensive to any stunt people in the industry? I do understand, though, that you can't get a stunt person to surf huge waves if they don't know how to surf. 

In case you're wondering who they brought in to do some of these stunts, surfers Garrett McNamara and the legendary Laird Hamilton are helping with some of the surfing scenes. The producers also revealed that they got a couple of 70-foot waves, saying, "It’s the most incredible footage that we’ve ever gotten on a film." 

Now that's going to be awesome to see! When asked whether the script for the remake follows the narrative of director Kathryn Bigelow’s 1991 film, Johnson said,

Not at all. The script only shares in common with the original the characters and the nature of the character dynamic between Utah and Bodhi and their relationship.  Everything else about the movie is different. The narrative of the movie is different. While we do have surfing in the film, it is only a subset of the extreme sports that we deal with, including free-climbing, motocross, wing-suiting, and so forth. The movie is being shot in 10 countries across the globe.  

I'm still not too crazy about this movie, but of course I'm going to go see it. I just want to see how those 70 foot waves look on the big screen!

Fandango

Sony Pictures, IMAX, and Mondo have teamed up to bring us this glorious poster for Marc Webb's The Amazing Spider-Man 2. The spectacular poster was created by artist Matt Taylor, and it features Spider-Man swinging over the streets of New York City. I would love to get my hands on one of these. Here are the details on how to get one.

Exclusively for IMAX fans as part of the IMAX FANFIX™ program, those attending the first shows at 7 p.m. on May 1st will receive a limited-edition FANFIX print. 

I'm such a big fan of Spider-Man, and all I can hope for at this point is that the movie will be as good as it looks. 

via: Laughing Squid

"We'll miss you, Dave."

David Letterman announced last week that he'll be retiring from the Late Show in 2015. Over the weekend, The Simpsons aired this special couch gag that bid farewell to the Late Show host. Either The Simpsons staff moved really quickly on this and got Letterman to record his part, or this was already in the can and they decided to roll it out after his announcement. The typical Simpsons episode takes 6-8 months to complete, and Letterman only made the announcement last Thursday. Regardless, Dave, you will be missed… but not for like another year.

via GeeksAreSexy

What do video games do when you're not looking? Nothing. Ok, bye. That was an easy article to write… and a boring one. Luckily for you, John Huffnagle asked that same question and did something about it. Unlike me, lazy bastard.

John did a fantastic job with all of the filming, editing, music, VFX, and animation for this fun short film that imagines the world of Super Mario breaking out of his television and into the real world. The countless destructive objects and creatures would surely wreak havoc on the world if they escaped from your TV. And the first casualty would certainly be your house.

Sony Pictures has hired The Crazies director Breck Eisner to direct Jackie Chan and Jaden Smith in Karate Kid 2. I enjoyed the first movie. It turned out way better than I thought it would. I was surprised by how much I liked it, and I'm happy to see that the studio is finally moving forward with the sequel.

It can't be any worse then the sequel to the original film. It was on TV over the weekend, and wow… it was bad. It had been a long time since I've seen it, and that ending is laughable in the most ridiculous ways. I do hope they stick with a similar concept though, where Smith's character has to fight for his life outside of a tournament setting. I bet they could do something really cool with that.

Via: Deadline