Rian Johnson, the director of amazing films such as Brick, The Brothers Bloom, and Looper, is set to write and direct Star Wars: Episodes VIII and IX! I couldn't be more excited about this, I'm seriously beside myself with geek enthusiasm. I'm seriously more thrilled about this news than I was when I first heard J.J. Abrams was directing Episode VII. 

Johnson is one of the most talented directors working today. It's so great that Disney and Lucasfilm recognize that talent and hired him to bring to life the next two more chapters of the Star Wars saga.

I couldn't think of a better choice to take over for Abrams. As much as I love Abrams, Johnson is a superior filmmaker. The guy has an extremely creative way with words in the scripts he writes and his film direction has always been stunning and beautiful. 

According to Deadline, the director is getting started on the films quickly, and it's obviously going to keep him busy for a few years.  What's funny about this, is that a year ago the director was asked what his chances on directing a Star Wars movie would be, and this is what he had to say:

"I don't think I'm on those sorts of lists. On the one hand, it's Star Wars, it would be very hard to say no to. 

"On the other hand, for me, I'm really enjoying just writing my own stuff, and right now that's what I'm doing, I'm writing another original screenplay now, and we'll figure out how to get it made.

"That's sort of what I'm in it for, is telling my own stories, and seeing if we can strike out on some new ground. So, luckily I don't think it's a problem that I'll have to deal with!"

Well, now he gets to tell his own Star Wars stories, and I'm so happy! This is so awesome!!!!

This clip from Dawn of the Planet of the Apes gave me the chills. It literally made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. It's simply terrifying and you'll see why after you watch it. That's if you even decide to watch it. If you're still not 100% sold on the film then you'll definitely want to check it out! The clip features the ape Koba interacting with two humans who believe he is harmless. The movie comes out on July 11th, and the clip originated from TotalFilm.

Check out this amazing set of Marvel cover art for their "What if" series. The illustrations were created by artists Christopher Stevens, and it features several members of the Avengers team battling Ultron. Here's a note from the artist who was obviously very excited to work on this project:

"This was a big one… I guess that's obvious, but I mean for me personally. It's always a big deal to me to be a Marvel cover artist and a pleasure to work on something that's going to be on the front of a Marvel book. I'm a Marvel kid, so it's still a nerdy dream. I feel unworthy, but I mean that in a good way. When I read the description for this I was intimidated and thrilled at the same time. Five connected covers? Avengers? Ultron? A new What If series? Yes, please. Laying out something like this is a bit of a nightmare and I'm still not crazy about the flow here and there, but I'm proud of this one."

Legendary Pictures has acquired the rights to Capcom's popular zombie video game franchise Dead Rising, and they are going to adapt it into a full-length digital feature film. This will be the first project to be developed by Legendary Digital Media, and it will stream on Sony's Crackle. 

The film even got itself a huge producer with Lorenzo di Bonaventura, who has been working on Michael Bay's Transformers franchise over the last few years. The studio has also hired Tim Carter to write and produce with Tomas Harlan through their Contradiction Films banner. They are still on the hunt for a director. 

Contradiction Films most recently produced the Mortal Kombat: Legacy digital series, which turned out to be really good. 

The story takes place during a massive zombie outbreak. "When a mandatory government vaccine fails to stop the infection from spreading, the four leads must evade infection while also pursuing the root of the epidemic, with all signs pointing to a government conspiracy."

Dead Rising is a great zombie game, and it has all of the elements to make for an awesome movie that fans of the franchise should enjoy… if done right. Legendary Digital chief, Tom Lesinski, had this to say in a statement:

“Dead Rising has a built-in fan base and rich characters and plotlines that are ideal for digital storytelling and on target for Legendary’s brand. Crackle and Content are adept at distributing cutting-edge digital content and we look forward to delivering a highly engaging and cool series for a global audience.”

The movie will be released on SVOD, DVD, VOD, and TV after its run on Crackle. We'll make sure to keep you updated on any more developments. 

Source: Variety

Artist Dan Shearn has created very cool series of LEGO mini figure art inspired by several classic pop culture characters from film and TV. These will be displayed at a solo art show he has at the Hero Complex Gallery in Los Angeles. The exhibit is called LEGO Memories and it opens on June 20th and will stay on display through June 29th. This is a fun idea, and they feature several awesome characters that we grew up from films and TV shows such as Evil Dead, Teen Wolf, A Nightmare of Elm Street, Friday the 13th, Halloween, Predator, Rocky, ThunderCats, Tron, He-Man, G.I. Joe, and more. 

All the artwork will be available online, Saturday June 21st 1pm PST, here.

Lionsgate has started to rev up their marketing campaign for The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1. They've released seven posters for the film, each one paying tribute to a different district of Panem. So far, there are posters for the Technology District, Fishing District, Transportation District, Lumber District, Grain District, Mining District, and Livestock District. There's something a little off on each of the posters that I'm sure most of you will notice right away. I gotta be honest, I think the tire pants are pretty damn cool

The posters don't feature any of the stars of the film, but the cast includes Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Julianne Moore, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jeffrey Wright, Stanley Tucci, and Donald Sutherland. The film will be released November 21, 2014. Thanks to Yahoo and The Capital. 

Ah, hyperbole. I know I tend to throw out words like beautiful and stunning more than I probably should, but in this case I think the words fit. Koto's latest ArtFx statue displays Diana in all her regality, and the cape is a huge part of that. It adds some dimension and movement to the sculpt, plus it just looks cool. Granted, I just described the reasoning behind half of the ill received (and ill designed) costume ideas on this list, but sometimes the "cool" method turns up decent results. Throw in a shield and a sword and I'm in nirvana, but for now the cape will do. I also look on the skirt variation of Wonder Woman's traditional costume fondly, but I know its not for everybody. Regardless of your feelings on the costume, Koto's work on Diana's face is truly well done, and to me portrays the look she'd have seconds before kicking someone's ass. 

If you feel the same way, the statue will run you about $120.00, and stands at about 12 inches tall, which is not a bad value at all for the money. You can head to Koto's site to pre-order the most under appreciated of DC's trinity, here. 

Pixar Animation Studios has announced a new short film they are developing called "Lava", and it is set to be shown in front of their upcoming feature film Inside Out. 

The studio released a poster and details for the short, which is a musical that will be directed by Pixar’s head of animation, James Ford Murphy. Here's the official synopsis that was released:

Inspired by the isolated beauty of tropical islands and the explosive allure of ocean volcanoes, “Lava” is a musical love story that takes place over millions of years.

It's definitely a vague description, but Collider offers up a little bit more information saying that it's a “a cute, if slight, tale about a lonely Volcano, prone to lament – via song – how he yearns for another to ‘lava.’ Unbeknownst to him, a female volcano lurks below sea level, listening to his ballad.”

Pixar always delivers amazing shorts, and I'm certain that this is going to turn out great.

The office battle continues in the fourth episode of the comedic fantasy web-series Cubicles & Careers. In this episode, the Knight finds out he's not doing as well as he thought, and he's once again shot down on going on a quest. Instead, he needs to fill out a form.

To watch episode 1, click here; for episode 2, here; and for episode 3, click here.

Doctor Who star Karen Gillan may already have a role in the Marvel universe as the badass villain Nebula in Guardians of the Galaxy, but she would also like to take on a more heroic role in that universe. 

In a recent interview with SFX, the actress is asked which superhero she would most like to play if given the opportunity, and it turns out she's a big Spider-Man fan. Here's how the short Q&A played out:

If you could play a superhero, which one would you choose?

"Yeah, who is there…? I want to play a version of Spider-Man that’s a lady."

Spider-Woman?

"Spider-Woman – does she exist?"

There’s a Spider-Woman and a Spider-Girl.

"I want to play Spider-Girl!"

I know this is just a hypothetical thing, but as a huge fan of Gillan, I would love to see her take on the role of Spider-Girl. I think she'd be awesome because she's adorable as hell, she's got the personality to play the character, she's extremely talented, and she's got the perfect look. Do you think that Gillan would make a good Spider-Girl? If not, who would you like to see play the character if a movie ever happened? 

Game of Thrones has ended, and I feel a hole in my heart because of it. Next year that hole will be filled when Season 5 begins. While we wait for that day, we will always have tons of fan-made creations to entertain us and make us miss the show even more. 

This wonderful set of Game of Thrones character art comes from Jerry Liu, a 2D animator, art director, and designer.

Lionsgate has released a new banner for The Expendables 3 and it features the full main cast of the film. They all look like they're having a grand ol' time with their laughter and big smiles. Too bad Steven Seagal is missing out on all the fun. Apparently he just doesn't like some of the people involved, which is why he has yet to take part in one of these films. In a recent interview with The Big Issue, he said:

"I just (don’t) like some of the people involved. Life is too short to work with funny people."

Maybe he's just mad because he wasn't invited to the party to play with them. Here's the synopsis!

"Barney (Stallone), Christmas (Statham) and the rest of the team comes face-to-face with Conrad Stonebanks (Gibson), who years ago co-founded The Expendables with Barney. Stonebanks subsequently became a ruthless arms trader and someone who Barney was forced to kill… or so he thought. Stonebanks, who eluded death once before, now is making it his mission to end The Expendables — but Barney has other plans. Barney decides that he has to fight old blood with new blood, and brings in a new era of Expendables team members, recruiting individuals who are younger, faster and more tech-savvy. The latest mission becomes a clash of classic old-school style versus high-tech expertise in the Expendables’ most personal battle yet."

The movie is set to in theaters on August 15th

I don't know anyone that isn't a fan of Disney. Those classic animated films have inspired the imaginations of the young and the old. A series of enchanting art inspired by these Disney films has been released by Acme Archives. My favorite illustration in the collection is "Little Mermaid" by Mark Englert. It's just a beautiful piece of art. Some of the others include Maleficent, Lilo and Stitch, Alice in Wonderland, Frozen, and more. 

All of these posters, which are numbered lithographs, went on sale today, June 20th, and will remain on sale until June 30th at 11:59 p.m. Each piece is $40, except Englert's LIttle Mermaid, which is going for $50. To buy one just click here. Below the detailed shots for the illustration above, you'll find the other art pieces. Thank to /Film for the tip.

FUNimation Entertainment has released a new full domestic trailer for Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods, which is the first animated Dragon Ball movie in 17 years. This upcoming movie looks like it could be really fun. 

Following the events from the Dragon Ball Z television series, after the defeat of Majin Buu, a new power awakens and threatens humanity. Beerus, an ancient and powerful God of Destruction, searches for Goku after hearing rumors of the Saiyan warrior who defeated Frieza. Realizing the threat Beerus poses to their home planet, the Z-fighters must find a way to stop him before it's too late. Only Goku, humanity's last hope, can ascend to the level of a legendary Super Saiyan God and stop Beerus from destroying Earth, and possibly the entire universe! Fans of the series will be delighted to know that Battle of Gods is an original work from Dragon Ball creator, himself, Akira Toriyama.

Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods will be released across 350 domestic theaters starting on August 5th.

"Sweetheart, your shorts are shrinking by the second!"

Paramount Pictures has released a new featurette for Transformers: Age of Extinction that focuses on the scenes of the film that were shot in IMAX. There's also an amusing new film clip for you to watch that shows what kind of character and father Mark Wahlberg plays in the story. The movie comes out on June 27th.

Clint Eastwood is such an amazing director, and he managed to turn the Broadway Musical hit Jersey Boys into a wonderfully entertaining movie that I think anyone could enjoy. Eastwood have never really done a musical before, so I wasn't really sure how this would turn out. But, he pulled it off brilliantly. The director once again proves that he's still one of the best directors working in Hollywood.

I know a lot of people in the "geek" world don't really care for musicals like this. If Jersey Boys doesn't seem like your thing… I understand, but I've got to at least ask you to please give it a shot. It's more than just a musical, it's got a timeless heartfelt story that has the power to inspire the people that see it.

The film is based on the true story of the classic four-man band Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. It follows them through their struggles as a group trying to make it in the harsh world of entertainment, and the difficult trials they go through after they find success. It's one of those stories that many of us can relate too even if you aren't trying to start a band. It's packed full of life lessons, and offers examples of the meaning of respect and loyalty to family and friends.

Eastwood cast several unknown actors in the movie, but they gave fantastic performances. The main cast of the band included John Lloyd Young (Four Seasons Broadway Show) as Frankie Valli; Erich Bergen (Four Seasons Broadway Show) as Bob Gaudio; Vincent Piazza (Boardwalk Empire) as Tommy DeVito and Michael Lomenda took on the role of Nick Massi. What I liked about Eastwood casting unknowns is the fact that I wasn't distracted by the actors. I was fully vested in the characters they were playing, and they were completely believable. Eastwood had this to say about the casting in a recent interview with THR:

"People are asking why I didn't use some pseudo Hollywood name—if the picture doesn't work, nothing works, so it doesn't need a name ... but I've been proven wrong before!"

If you're still not sure if this is a movie that you want to see I have one name for you… Christopher Walken. Everything this guy touches is gold, and even though he doesn't have a huge role in the movie he still steals every scene that he's in. I don't know how he does it, but the character he plays comes off so naturally on big screen, and he also offers up most of the laughs. The guy does stuff that nobody else could ever pull off the way he does. If you're a fan of Walken then you own it yourself to see this movie.

Then of course there's the music, it's perfect. It's packed full of catchy classic tunes from the band that is sure to get stuck in your head by the end of the movie. I saw the movie four days ago and I still find myself sing some of these song to myself. I haven't listened to this kind of music in years, but I went through an oldies stage, so it was good to be reminded of how good the music really was back then.

Jersey Boys was an entertaining movie, and it's one I'd drag someone too just to make sure they saw it. I hope you get a chance to see it in theaters, but if not  you can always watch it when it's released on Blu-ray and VOD. 

Here's a trailer for a wonderful looking film called About Alex. The movie has a great young cast that includes Aubrey Plaza, Max Greenfield, Nate Parker, Max Minghella, Jason Ritter, Maggie Grace, and Jane Levy. The story revolves around seven old friends who are brought back together when one of them attempts suicide. It sounds kind of bleak, but as you'll see in the trailer there's a lot of humor and heart behind it. I like these kinds of inspirational movies about life and growing up. Here's a more detailed synopsis:

About Alex is the story of seven college friends who reunite over a three-day weekend, after one of them attempts suicide. When the friends get together to keep an eye on Alex, the weekend that ensues will renew old crushes and resentments, shine light on bad decisions, and ultimately push friendships and relationships to the brink as the group tries to speculate when the simple life of their college years turned so muddy and complex. Sometimes irreverent, sometimes poetic, and always moving, About Alex is a searingly honest look at the changing nature of adult friendship in the Facebook/Twitter generation.

About Alex is set to be released on August 8th. I know this may not be considered a "geeky" movie, but I'm a movie geek, and I enjoy watching all kinds of films. Enjoy the trailer!

Here's another vintage photo from the set of Empire Strikes Back that popped up online. It comes via @mccrabb_will, and came along with the caption, "Good times on Hoth." It features Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, and Carrie Fisher with her hair down and all smiles. I honestly enjoy seeing previously unseen set photos from the old Star Wars films more than the ones that are leaking out from Star Wars: Episode VII. 

Thanks to MTV we have a new red-band trailer for Jason Segel and Cameron Diaz's new raunchy comedy Sex Tape.  The new trailer has some hilarious new footage and introduces you to the sex dojo. There's no nudity in the trailer, just some vulgar language. The movie was directed by Jake Kasdan, and it also stars Rob Corddry, Ellie Kemper, and Rob Lowe. Here's the synopsis: 

When Jay (Segel) and Annie (Diaz) first got together, their romantic connection was intense – but ten years and two kids later, the flame of their love needs a spark. To kick things up a notch, they decide – why not? – to make a video of themselves trying out every position in The Joy of Sex in one marathon three-hour session. It seems like a great idea – until they discover that their most private video is no longer private. With their reputations on the line, they know they're just one click away from being laid bare to the world... but as their race to reclaim their video leads to a night they'll never forget, they'll find that their video will expose even more than they bargained for.

Sex Tape is scheduled to be released in theaters July 25th.

Get More: Rob Corddry, Jason Segel, Cameron Diaz, Movie Trailers, Celebrity News

Certain kinds of fan art never get old, and the world of Batman is one of those properties that I love to see reimagined over and over again. This set of illustrations featuring the Dark Knight, Bane, and Catwoman comes from Kate Jones. You can check out more of her work here.