Thanks to EW we have our first look at Tom Hanks in the Steven Spielberg Untitled Cold War Thriller that is currently in production. I love it when these two team up for a project! They always do great work. This will be the fourth film project that they’ve worked on together after Saving Private Ryan, The Terminal, and Catch Me If You Can.

The script for the film was polished up by Joel and Ethan Coen and follows the true story of James Donovan, a CIA-backed lawyer who worked to “secretly negotiate the release of Francis Gary Powers, a U.S. pilot shot down over Soviet airspace in 1960 while piloting a U-2 spy plane.”

Spielberg explained why he took on the project,

“This is one of the more astonishing stories about the Cold War I’d ever heard. James Donovan is a hero to me, and Tom made him so completely accessible… I’ve always wanted to make a spy movie, and this is that and then some.”

The movie is set to be released on October 16th, 2015. We’ll keep you updated on any additional information, including what the title will be. 

According to El Mayimbe from Latin-Review, Universal Pictures is looking to develop another big screen adaptation of the classic 1980s series Miami Vice. The studio is supposedly already out meeting with screenwriters and taking pitches for the project, which they want to turn into a franchise.

In 2006 Michael Mann made a Miami Vice movie that in no way represented the original series in any way, shape, or form. I like a lot of Mann's films, but his adaptation of Miami Vice with Jamie Foxx and Colin Farrell isn’t one of them. 

The NBC crime drama series was created by Anthony Yerkovich and was actually produced by Mann. The show ran for five seasons from 1984–1989, and it starred Don Johnson as James “Sonny” Crockett and Philip Michael Thomas as Ricardo “Rico” Tubbs. They were two Metro Police detectives working undercover in Miami. 

I imagine this next time around the studio will want a film that is closer to the TV series than the version that Mann gave us.

Remember that time when Hollywood thought Twilight star Taylor Lautner was going to be the next big movie star? That didn’t quite work out for anyone, did it? But he’s back in an upcoming movie called Tracers, which doesn’t look very promising. It’s described as a parkour action thriller, and this is the synopsis:

“Tracers follows a New York City bicycle messenger, Cam (Lautner) who is the hottest thing on two wheels, but is in debt to an organized crime gang. When he crashes his bike into a sexy stranger, Nikki (Avgeropoulos), Cam is immediately seduced by her and the thrill of the high-stakes world of parkour.”

Even though I enjoy parkour, Lautner just kills the whole thing for me, and it's hard to take seriously. The film was directed by Daniel Benmayor (The Manhunt) and had an army of screenwriters that included Leslie Bohem, Matt Johnson, Kevin Lund, and T.J. Scott. 

Tracers currently has no US release date from its distributer Saban, but the film is set to open in several foreign markets over the next few months.

A new trailer has been released for a interesting looking thriller called The Loft. The movie boasts an impressive cast that includes Karl Urban, James Marsden, Wentworth Miller, Eric Stonestreet, and Isabel Lucas. 

This is a remake of a 2008 Belgian film, and it was directed by Erik Van Looy, who also helmed the original movie. This looks like a really intense movie, and I’ll definitely be checking it out.

The story follows "five married friends who decide to rent a loft together where they can bring their mistresses and have their way with them. When the body of an unknown woman is found in the loft, they realize that they don't know each other as well as they thought. They begin to suspect one another of the murder, as they are the only ones who have keys to the premises. Through flashbacks, which are intertwined by scenes from the present, the entire story is unraveled."

The movie is set to be released in the US on January 23rd, 2015. 

The Babadook is a hell of a great horror film! It's currently in theaters, and if it's playing in one near you, go see it! This movie is awesome. We've got a great Babadook-inspired Christmas video for you to enjoy today called "How the Dook Stole Christmas." Here's a brief plot summary for the film:

A single mother, plagued by the violent death of her husband, battles with her son's fear of a monster lurking in the house, but soon discovers a sinister presence all around her.

That monster is The Babadook, and he's creepy as hell.

I recently started watching the first season of the BBC clone series Orphan Black. I’d heard so many good things about it that I figured I should jump on the bandwagon and see what the hype is all about, and so far, so good! For those of you who have been following the series, we have a promo trailer and photo from it to share with you.

EW talked with the show’s co-creator Graeme Manson about new developments hinted at in the photo you see above, which features Sarah Manning (Tatiana Maslany) face to face with one of the new male clones played by Ari Millen.

“The boy’s name is Rudy. And obviously Rudy—or Scarface, as we call him in the writer’s room—is not Mark, who is the other Castor clone that we’ve known before. So immediately that poses a bunch of questions for us: How are they different? How are they the same, these brothers? And what the heck is Mark up to? Is Mark a traitor? Is Mark undercover? Like everyone else on Orphan Black, Mark has divided loyalties.”

Season 3 has the clone sisterhood realizing they are more vulnerable than ever before against the highly-trained, identical male-soldiers, with Sarah, Cosima, Alison, and Helena putting their friendship to the test.

The ten-episode third season is currently in production, and it is set to premiere April 18th, 2015.

Gotham is set to return to FOX on January 5th, and the second part of the season kicks off with the episode “Rogues’ Gallery.” I’m excited about the return of the series. I've been having withdrawals, but below we have all the details of what to expect from it, along with a promo spot, recap featurette, and photos.

DET. GORDON REPORTS TO DUTY AT ARKHAM ON AN ALL-NEW “GOTHAM” MONDAY, JANUARY 5, ON FOX

Det. Gordon’s assignment at Arkham Asylum gets off to a rocky start when the murder of a guard ignites an investigation, leading him to meet Dr. Leslie Thompkins (guest star Morena Baccarin, “Homeland”). Meanwhile, Cobblepot continues to build his army in the all-new “Rogues’ Gallery” episode of GOTHAM airing Monday, Jan. 5 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. (GTH-111) (TV-14 L, S, V)

Cast: Ben McKenzie as Detective James Gordon, Donal Logue as Harvey Bullock, Jada Pinkett Smith as Fish Mooney, Sean Pertwee as Alfred, Robin Lord Taylor as Oswald Cobblepot/The Penguin, Erin Richards as Barbara Kean, David Mazouz as Bruce Wayne, Camren Bicondova as Selina Kyle/the future Catwoman, Zabryna Guevara as Captain Sarah Essen, Cory Michael Smith as Edward Nygma/the future Riddler, Victoria Cartagena as Renee Montoya, Andrew Stewart Jones as Crispus Allen, John Doman as Carmine Falcone

Guest Cast: Morena Baccarin as Dr. Leslie Thompkins, Drew Powell as Butch Gilzean, David Zayas as Maroni, Allyce Beasley as Dorothy Duncan, Isiah Whitlock Jr. as Gerry Lang, Kyle Massey as Mackey, Christopher Heyerdahl as Jack Gruber, Kevin McCormick as Aaron Helzinger, Anthony Grasso as Ganza.

Via: Spoiler TV

I have some very fond memories of Pac-Man. That was the first video game that I played in my life, and it’s still just as fun to play now as it was when I was a little kid. You can read all about my first Pac-Man experience here in one of my "Growing Up Geek" columns. I’ve now learned that there is an actual Pac-Man themed restaurant opening up in Chicago in 2015!

The new restaurant will be called Level 257, which is the killscreen level in the arcade game. It’s scheduled to open at the Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg, IL., and they have an official Tumblr set up for it. Here are the details thanks to The Chicago Tribune:

“16 boutique retro-styled bowling lanes with smart technology, table tennis, pinball machines and our Lost & Found games parlor with original arcades alongside exciting new titles, plus custom-built game tables and free-to-play board games, provide a unique entertainment experience.

“A gallery space and first-of-its-kind PAC-MAN™ retail shop complete the venue and brand new concept for ‘fun dining’.

“So why PAC-MAN™? Level 257 comes from Namco Entertainment Inc. part of the global group of companies in BANDAI NAMCO GROUP, the same company that created the original PAC-MAN™ video game in the 1980s.

“Level 257 seeks to explore PAC-MAN’s impact upon our society and pop culture, reminding us all of the importance of play in our lives, while facilitating our desire to relive those times when beating the next level was the most important thing in our world. All while indulging that which we love now – great food and drink with our friends and family.”

As a long-time fan of Pac-Man, this is a place that I would have to visit. It just seems like it would be a really fun experience. I’ll just hold off on any trips to Chicago until after it opens. Do you think this themed restaurant will find success? 

Via: Polygon

One of my all-time favorite actors in Hollywood is Tom Hanks, and he’s looking at starring in a new film called The Circle. The project is an adaptation of a novel, and it being adapted by writer and director James Ponsoldt (The Spectacular Now). 

The news comes from Deadline, who says the book “focuses on a young woman who is hired for a big job in an internet monopoly called the Circle, which links users’ personal emails, social media, banking, and purchasing with their universal operating system, resulting in one online identity and a new age of civility and transparency. What could go wrong there? The novel turns into a thriller about the perils of life in a digital age where personal data is collected, sifted and monetized and used for surveillance, rendering privacy is obsolete.”

This sounds like a great project for Hanks to take on. The guy usually attaches himself to really good movies, and I like the concept of this story. This should make for a solid flick. Here’s a more detailed description of the book:

When Mae Holland is hired to work for the Circle, the world’s most powerful internet company, she feels she’s been given the opportunity of a lifetime. The Circle, run out of a sprawling California campus, links users’ personal emails, social media, banking, and purchasing with their universal operating system, resulting in one online identity and a new age of civility and transparency. As Mae tours the open-plan office spaces, the towering glass dining facilities, the cozy dorms for those who spend nights at work, she is thrilled with the company’s modernity and activity. There are parties that last through the night, there are famous musicians playing on the lawn, there are athletic activities and clubs and brunches, and even an aquarium of rare fish retrieved from the Marianas Trench by the CEO. Mae can’t believe her luck, her great fortune to work for the most influential company in the world—even as life beyond the campus grows distant, even as a strange encounter with a colleague leaves her shaken, even as her role at the Circle becomes increasingly public. What begins as the captivating story of one woman’s ambition and idealism soon becomes a heart-racing novel of suspense, raising questions about memory, history, privacy, democracy, and the limits of human knowledge.

Here is the first trailer for Terrence Malick’s latest film project, called Knight of Cups, which stars Christian Bale, Natalie Portman and Cate Blanchett. I’m not the biggest fan of Malick's films, but this one seems to have a different energy about it. It seems a bit more fast-paced. 

There’s no official synopsis for Knight of Cups, but if looks like Bale’s character looses himself in the tempting vices that life has to offer him. The cast also features Brian Dennehy, Antonio Banderas, Freida Pinto, Wes Bentley, Isabel Lucas, Teresa Palmer, Imogen Poots, Armin Mueller-Stahl, and the voice of Ben Kingsley.

One thing that Steven Spielberg has always been really great at is casting amazingly talented kids in his film productions. From Henry Thomas in E.T. to Christian Bale in The Empire of the Sun, he knows good young talent when he sees it. He has recently cast 10-year-old newcomer Ruby Barnhill from Cheshire England to take on the lead role in his upcoming film project The BFG.

In a statement about the casting, Spielberg said,

“I feel Roald Dahl himself would have found Ruby every bit as marvelous as we do. We have discovered a wonderful Sophie in Ruby Barnhill.”

Barnhill added,

“I feel incredibly lucky and I’m so happy. Sophie gets to go on this wonderful adventure and I’m so excited that I get to play her.”

The actress joins Mark Rylance, who was previously cast as the Big Friendly Giant character. The story is based on a 1982 book written by Roald Dahl. The film will tell the story of “a young London girl and the world’s only benevolent giant who introduces her to the beauty and peril of Giant Country. The two set off on an adventure (with the aid of the Queen of England) to capture the evil, man-eating giants who have been invading the human world.”

This is going to be a great project for Spielberg, and I’m looking forward to seeing what he does with it. He’s is set to begin production early in the new year, and Disney will release it on July 1st, 2016.

Source: Deadline

This Ghostbusters ghost trap inspired phone case is a must have for any Ghostbusters fan! In fact, I already ordered myself one. This is seriously one of the greatest phone cases I’ve ever seen. It will go perfectly with the Ghost Hunting app that I just downloaded on my phone. If you want one for yourself, click here!

AMC has released a new photo from the Breaking Bad spinoff series, Better Call Saul. As you can see, it features Saul Goodman (Bob Odenkirk) sitting in his office deep in thought.

Better Call Saul is the prequel to the award-winning series Breaking Bad, set six years before Saul Goodman became Walter White’s lawyer. When we meet him, the man who will become Saul Goodman is known as Jimmy McGill, a small-time lawyer searching for his destiny, and, more immediately, hustling to make ends meet. Working alongside, and often against, Jimmy is “fixer” Mike Erhmantraut (Jonathan Banks), a beloved character introduced in Breaking Bad. The series will track Jimmy’s transformation into Saul Goodman, the man who puts “criminal” in “criminal lawyer.”

The series is set to premiere on AMC with a two-night event on Sunday, February 8th at 10pm and Monday, February 9th at 10pm. It will then air every Monday night.

We’ve got another stop-motion animated LEGO trailer for you to check out today for Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The video was created by Antonio Toscano, and this is definitely the best one that I’ve seen so far. I hope you enjoy it! Two see the other two LEGO versions of the trailer click here.

We’ve got another trailer for the fantastically intense looking war thriller called ’71, which stars Jack O’Connell (Unbroken). The movie is set to screen at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival, and it's one I’ve got to make time to see because it looks great. Here’s the synopsis:

’71 takes place over a single night in the life of a young British soldier (Jack O’Connell) accidentally abandoned by his unit following a riot on the streets of Belfast in 1971. Unable to tell friend from foe, and increasingly wary of his own comrades, he must survive the night alone and find his way to safety through a disorientating, alien and deadly landscape.

Here’s a little history behind the development of the project from a general interview that was sent out:

After completing the critically acclaimed and multi award winning Channel 4 series ‘Top Boy’, director Yann Demange was ready to embark on his debut feature film. Despite developing and reading numerous scripts he had not found his next project. One screenplay he did not anticipate connecting with was a thriller set in Northern Ireland during the early years of the Troubles. However, after reading the script, he was gripped by the story of ’71, it struck a chord and the main character resonated with Demange.

The project was conceived a few years earlier as an original idea by producer Angus Lamont of Crab Apple Films. “I had a friend at school who joined the army at 15,” he said. “He’d already been to Cyprus and Northern Ireland while we were still doing our exams, he was so young to be in those situations. I’d also been researching The Troubles, and had come across a piece from the perspective of a Loyalist gang member. He talked about seeing a teenage British soldier crouched in a doorway, terrified, confused and crying in the middle of a sectarian riot. This young soldier, like most of the public on mainland UK, had no concept whatsoever of what was happening in Northern Ireland. I thought there was a story in his experience in that environment.”

It was this human experience that also attracted Demange. He immediately connected with the powerful narrative of the young man, which seemed universal and relevant in the modern world. This was a timeless story which would continue to appeal and captivate.

“I’d never had a burning desire to tell a story about Northern Ireland in that period” says Demange. “But it was a remarkable piece of writing. It was muscular, visceral and utterly engaging. Above all, the idea of young men sent to fight dirty wars also struck me as pertinent. Often, they have more in common with the kids they’re pitted against than the men they’re taking orders from. It could be Iraq or Afghanistan. In ’71’s protagonist, Gary, I saw the opportunity to explore the vulnerable masculinity of an anchorless boy, with no family, looking for a tribe to belong to and ultimately finding it in the army, only to be betrayed…”

‘71 will open in theaters February 27th, 2015.

Cinema Sins breakdown the films of director Zack Snyder, and points out all of the steps that you need to take to be able to pull it off making your own Zack Snyder style movie. 

Have you ever wondered how Zack Snyder does it? We pull back the curtain on his signature filmmaking style to help you learn how to make your own Zack Snyder film. 

Snyder knows how to create spectacular visuals for the movies he makes. He’s incredibly good at making his films look badass. I’ve enjoyed most of the films that he’s made in his career, and even my least favorites, like Sucker Punch, still look visually awesome. You can’t deny the guy has talent. He’s just more talented at some things than others.

I also included an "Everything Wrong" video for 300.

Some possible new details have surfaced regarding Marvel’s deal with Sony Pictures regarding Spider-Man. The news comes from CBM, and it both contradicts and confirms some of what we’ve heard so far. They say the information comes from additional leaked e-mails that they’ve seen, but they offer no direct quotes from them.

One of the most interesting things about the information is that it doesn’t sound like Sony and Marvel are trying to make a deal. It sounds more like they are collaborating on how to bring Spider-Man into the Marvel cinematic universe.

In regards to Spidey’s appearance in Captain America: Civil War, which is said to be dead at this point, the report explains that Sony will co-finance 25% of the movie. In return, Marvel will co-finance 25% of Spider-Man's next solo film, which is scheduled to be released in July 2017. The deal also “allows Sony to use TWO major Marvel characters and continue the plot from Civil War in regards to how it relates to Spider-Man. Spider-Man would also appear in Avengers: Infinity War - Part 1 in 2018, with another Marvel produced Spider-Man movie following in July 2019.”

It would be pretty cool of Marvel to allow Sony to use two of their characters in return. That seems like a good thing worth taking advantage of. The site explains that the way the next set of details are worded in the document sounds like it’s much more like “a collaboration rather than one studio having more control than the other.”

“Sony asked for approval over the costume, script (but only the parts specifically involving Spider-Man), and casting, with said actor required to sign a three-picture deal or more… They do however point out that Kevin Feige must serve as a producer, and if for some reason he leaves Marvel, they would be allowed to select his replacement. They also want Avi Arad and Matt Tolmach to be given executive producer credits, and state that it would be pre-agreed that Drew Goddard both writes and directs the first movie.”

We previously heard that Feige didn’t want Arad in involved with the project. I do like that Drew Goddard (Cabin in the Woods) could be writing and directing the project. He’s currently developing Sinister Six for the studio. It’d be great to have him collaborate with Joe and Anthony Russo, who offered to help with the development of a new Spider-Man trilogy.

The report goes on to talk about some business details. Apparently, if Marvel were to miss any of their release dates for any movies that include Spider-Man, Sony would be paid damages of $100 million, and the deal would be terminated. They also claim that Sony has three years and nine months to start pre-production on another Spider-Man film before the rights revert completely back to Marvel, but if the character were to appear in Captain America: Civil War, the clock would be reset. Sony also asked for Marvel's help in “ensuring that the ‘D Machine’ would have to be accessible for Spider-Man's solo movies in regards to their TV channels, radio networks, theme parks, and more.” Then, if the deal was to go through, they would make a joint announcement at a press event on a mutually agreed time. The site then says,

“We've also seen documents which indicate that The Amazing Spider-Man 2 earned only $65 million BEFORE overheads, and that they expect earnings to significantly increase after making the deal with Marvel. These are internal documents, and it's not clear how much would change as the deal is discussed. However, this appears to have been put together following discussions rather than as a proposal. We have of course heard that talks broke down, but nothing specific in regards to why, and various outlets have since reported that this is going to happen.”

This is all just a rumor for now, but it would be really cool if everything actually did work out between Marvel and Sony before Captain America: Civil War. I’m pretty sure that one day we will see Spidey introduced into the MCU, and I know fans are looking forward to that day.

In the spirit of the holiday season, artist Mike Maihack created a few fun comic strips featuring Batgirl and Supergirl at Christmas. I like Supergirl’s overly cheery holiday demeanor and how much it annoys Batgirl. At least Batgirl is a good sport, and seems to grudgingly put up with Supergirl's overexcitement.

We have another trailer for the horror thriller It Follows. This movie looks really great! It has been making the film festival rounds, and it looks like it’s been getting a lot of positive buzz. It’s set to screen at next years Sundance Film Festival as well, and it’s definitely on my list of films to check out while I’m there. I can’t wait to see it! 

For 19-year-old Jay, fall should be about school, boys and weekends out at the lake. But after a seemingly innocent sexual encounter, she finds herself plagued by strange visions and the inescapable sense that someone, or something, is following her. Faced with this burden, Jay and her friends must find a way to escape the horrors that seem to be only a few steps behind. 

The film comes from director and screenwriter David Robert Mitchell, and it stars Maika Monroe, Keir Gilchrist, Daniel Zovatto, Jake Weary, Olivia Luccardi, and Lili Sepe. 

It Follows hits theaters on March 27th, 2015.

James Gunn put a funny video on his Facebook page of Dave Bautista as Drax doing his best Tinkerbell impersonation. The video came along with the following comment from Gunn:

"In honor of this holiday season, from my galactic family to yours, here's a Dave Bautista (Batista) Tinkerbell for you."

Gunn also revealed some humorous original dialogue from the script of the film between Peter Quill and Drax. Here’s what the director posted:

QUILL
I agree with the walking thesaurus.

DRAX
Do not ever call me a thesaurus. Ronan killed my family. A thesaurus has never known such pain.

"Someone brought up the thesaurus joke, and remembering the original pain line for the first time in a year made me laugh."

Now enjoy the video!