Legendary and Warner Bros. Officially Announce 'Godzilla vs. Kong'

Despite my own ill feelings toward Gareth Edwards' Godzilla reboot last year, I understand that it was a fairly popular film that thrust everyone's favorite mutant dinosaur back into the mainstream (even if he barely appeared in the movie). Now, Legendary Pictures and Warner Bros. have announced officially that three new films will be set in Godzilla's universe, including Kong: Skull Island (2017), Godzilla 2 (2018) and Godzilla vs. Kong (2020). 

King Kong last battled The King of the Monsters in 1962's King Kong vs. Godzilla, where both monsters were similarly scaled to make the match-up seem plausible (or at least as plausible as a radioactive dinosaur fighting a giant ape can be). Should this Kong have the proportions of most of his other cinematic incarnations, like Peter Jackson's 2005 version, we're looking at a pretty short movie. Spoiler alert: Godzilla goes over.

The press release, which you can read here, hints at other monsters appearing in this "shared cinematic universe," including Mothra, Rodan and King Ghidora. That's all fine and well, but if we don't get a gritty Jet Jaguar reboot before 2030, I riot. Who's with me?

Warner Bros. Moves 'Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice' Release Date

Warner Bros. is running scared, and based on the stellar performance of Guardians of the Galaxy this past weekend, it's hard to blame them.

Even though the studio has just announced release dates for nine unnamed DC Comics films, the bigger news reported today by Variety is that Warner Bros. changed its May 6, 2016, release date for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice to March 25 of that year. As such, the Zack Snyder-helmed Man of Steel sequel is no longer going head-to-head with Marvel Studios' third Captain America film.

Now, I'll be the first to admit that I was intrigued by the Batman v Superman footage revealed at Comic-Con International last month, and I'm sure WB/DC have some heavy hitters lined up in their film slate. But the fact that Marvel Studios just made household names of characters like Ronan the Accuser and Yondu proves how far ahead The House of Ideas has gotten compared to its Distinguished Competition in the film arena. Clearly, based on this scheduling shift and the vague, knee-jerk nature of their "we have a bunch of movies coming up too!" announcement, WB knows it.

Critics Weigh In on New 'Godzilla'

The embargo has been lifted for Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures' monstrous franchise reboot Godzilla, The King of the Monsters' first cinematic stomp since 2004's Godzilla: Final Wars. So what did the critics have to say about director Gareth Edwards' attempt to revive this classic kaiju?

The Hollywood Reporter: "Generally, Edwards honors the trust invested in him, taking his responsibility seriously, delivering the action goods and bringing it all in at a well-paced two hours. Where the film lets down is in the interpersonal scenes with the younger characters, which engage virtually no interest."

Variety: "Godzilla movies, like wrestling matches, are ultimately judged by the quality of the mayhem, and Edwards excels at blowing things up."

Time: "The title character looks imposing, in the CGI work of Peter Jackson’s Weta Digital sorcerers, but the movie is often so dark, using a palette of gray and brown, as if coasted in rust, that he’s hard to see. (The sound effects do most of the scary work.) And he gets little screen time. Godzilla isn’t even the main monster: he is the referee, rival or enabler — we won’t say which — to a pair of other creatures."

IGN: "Legendary Pictures' Godzilla origin story carries the weight of unwieldy expectations, but rather than buckle, it is ultimately a fantastic - though imperfect - example of the genre. Gareth Edwards both depicts what is beloved about this magnificent creature and creates a film that is distinctly its own entity, one that brings Godzilla to gorgeous new life."

Empire: "As you’d expect, Edwards excels in creating awesome kaiju juju — be it toppling aircraft like dominoes or Godzilla swimming under a battleship — that always leaves you wanting more until the battle for San Francisco delivers on the promise. This is not the men-in-suits wrestling we’ve seen before; instead it’s a beautifully shot (very Apocalypse Now-y) and choreographed smackdown that, for once, doesn’t feel like a bunch of pixels hitting each other."

The early reactions are encouraging, but Time's critique that Godzilla isn't "the main monster" is a bit discouraging. That said, it seems as though reviewers were mostly impressed by the special effects-charged action — the main reason we're all excited about this movie.

Judge Godzilla yourself when it hits theaters this Friday. 

Here's Your New Lex Luthor

Ahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!

Oh man, that’s good. You know what? I’m not even angry. Let’s just cast Jonah Hill as Ra’s Al Ghul or something and get this over with. Warner Bros., you’re…. something.

In addition to the 30-year-old Jesse Eisenberg being confirmed as Lex Luthor in the unnamed Superman-Batman film, Jeremy Irons will play Bruce Wayne’s (Ben Affleck) faithful butler Alfred Pennyworth. At least that’s somewhat reasonable, but then again, I’m a huge Die Hard with a Vengeance fan.

For the full story, head over to Deadline.com.

World Without a Batman: My Thoughts on 'Gotham'

I’ll go on record in saying that I’m wholly unimpressed with DC Comics’ “Villains Month,” and I honestly can’t wait until the gimmickry has run its course. Yet, even though DC seems to be struggling in the printed storytelling department at the moment, the company is making some major strides on TV. On top of an ongoing Arrow series, Warner Bros. is prepping a Flash spinoff, a Constantine series and, most importantly, a series set in Batman’s stomping grounds called Gotham. As reported by the Los Angeles Times, the series will star a young James Gordon and will be set before The Caped Crusader prowled the city’s rooftops.

It remains doubtful whether Batman will actually appear in the series at some point, making Gotham more of a CSI-esque procedural drama set in the DC Universe. The reaction has been mixed: After all, wouldn’t prime-time viewers rather see Batman punch dudes in and around the face area? It worked in the ‘60s …

One might argue that Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has proven that a studio need not fill a genre TV series with franchise heavy hitters — The Avengers don’t appear on the show — yet it’s important to distinguish that Marvel Studios has been building an interconnected universe for the past five years, while DC Entertainment’s live-action stories are fragmented without anything resembling a shared mythology. Arrow’s Oliver Queen does not appear in the Dark Knight continuity, while Henry Cavill’s Superman will never visit Christopher Nolan’s vision of Gotham City. Green Lantern exists entirely on its own, which is perfect because that movie kinda sucked.

Meanwhile, I can be be totally cool with watching S.H.I.E.L.D. go on a mission without Iron Man, because I’ve witnessed Tony Stark existing in that universe elsewhere (in four previous movies, in fact). I’m observing a multi-tiered story from a different point of view, and it makes that world feel like an organic place. A Batman-less show disconnected from any pre-existing continuity robs us of that satisfaction because it isn’t part of something bigger. That’s what makes comic books so awesome: Our favorite heroes share the same expansive space ... assuming they share a publisher.

If Gotham somehow served as a bridge between Man of Steel and the upcoming Batman/Superman crossover, then we’re talking. The show would enrich the film universe, while moviegoers who followed the series would have a better understanding of where Bruce Wayne is coming from. Otherwise, it’s just an insular cop show that might or might not include Little Jimmy Gordon chasing down Clock King. I’m not sure I want that.

For more on Gotham, click here.

‘The Dark Knight Rises’ Prologue to Screen before ‘Mission Impossible – Ghost Protocol’

The rumors are true. MTV News reports that a six-minute prologue to The Dark Knight Rises will run on select IMAX prints of Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol when the spy sequel hits theaters on Dec. 16.

According to the article, the brief clip—said to be the film’s opening sequence—will only play before Ghost Protocol on screens using true IMAX 70 mm projection. A mere 42 screens in the U.S. and Canada will show it.

I’m not sure if this convinces me to see Ghost Protocol—I barely remember seeing the third Mission Impossible movie to be honest—but this is undeniably a smart marketing move by Warner Bros. However, I think it’d be even smarter to widen the release to all IMAX screens whether or not they meet that specification, but what do I know?

For a full list of theaters playing the Dark Knight Rises prologue, click here.

‘Green Lantern’ Gets an Extra $9 Million to Fix Effects

So, you know how the Green Lantern trailers we’ve been seeing make the film look like a video game cutscene…from like 10 years ago? Well, as reported by Variety, Warner Bros. has taken notice, funneling an additional $9 million to the production to beef up the CGI before the film’s June 17 release date.

Now, this doesn’t necessarily mean that Green Lantern is going to suck entirely, but it seems to me as though the studio’s confidence in the Martin Campbell-helmed project might be waning as the release date approaches. We learned a few weeks back that Warner Bros. plans on expanding the cinematic DC Universe as Marvel Studios has done with its properties, and a misstep at this point would hurt the chances of other DC films getting the green light. Green Lantern needs to do well, and based on what we’ve seen so far, June 17 could be more of a Blackest Night than a Brightest Day for fans of the character.

Variety notes that this last-minute scurrying is typical of many big budget special effects-heavy films as of late, and this summer’s Captain America: The First Avenger and Transformers 3: The Dark of the Moon have faced similar production crunches.

Chris de Faria, Warner Bros.’ executive vice president of digital production, had some assuring words for those eagerly anticipating the film.

“There is no problem on Green Lantern,” he said. “We try to add things to make the movie better until the 11th hour. That doesn’t mean we're risking the movie up to the 11th hour.”

To read the full story, click here.

Warner Bros. Casts a British Superman

Seeing as how Richard Donner’s 1978 Superman: The Movie essentially created the superhero film genre as we know it today, it boggles the mind how Warner Bros. has experienced so many creative misfires in bringing Kal-El back to the silver screen over the years. From Tim Burton’s failed attempt to resurrect the character in the 1990s to Bryan Singer’s lukewarm franchise relaunch in 2006 with Superman Returns, the blue-and-red boy scout just can’t catch a break in Hollywood these days. However, Zack Snyder’s forthcoming reboot of the Superman film saga hopes to reverse that unfortunate trend. But the big question has remained: Who’s the new Man of Steel?

Deadline.com reports that Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures have chosen British actor Henry Cavill (The Tudors) to play the coveted role.

“In the pantheon of superheroes, Superman is the most recognized and revered character of all time, and I am honored to be a part of his return to the big screen,” Snyder said in a statement. “I also join Warner Bros., Legendary and the producers in saying how excited we are about the casting of Henry.”

Cavill had previously auditioned for the role of Batman/Bruce Wayne in Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins—another superhero reboot—but he lost out to fellow Englishman Christian Bale. It’s hard not to appreciate the symmetry here.

Overseen by Nolan and penned by his Batman Begins/The Dark Knight collaborator David S. Goyer, Superman’s next onscreen outing hits theaters in 2012.

Meanwhile, in Gotham City...

Speaking of Nolan, Deadline.com is also reporting that Joseph Gordon-Levitt is in talks to reunite with his Inception director for The Dark Knight Rises, although it’s not yet known what role he’d be playing. Nolan has vehemently denied the Joker’s return in the Dark Knight sequel, but Gordon-Levitt would be an interesting replacement for the late Heath Ledger if the Clown Prince of Crime were to make a brief appearance in Nolan’s third and presumably final Batman film.

I’ll have more on this story as it develops.

Hollywood to Resurrect Godzilla in 2012

Thanks to Netflix, I recently revisited Roland Emmerich’s 1998 Godzilla remake, and you know what? I didn’t completely hate it. But I did feel a pang of embarrassment for my 14-year-old self, who actually saw the thing more than once in theaters and later bought it on VHS. I even have a copy of Godzilla: The Album kicking around somewhere. Keep in mind, Godzilla was the movie of summer 1998, and many of us weren’t about to admit that the year’s most anticipated blockbuster was a huge letdown. Or maybe we were unknowingly preparing ourselves psychologically for the release of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace the following year.

While Godzilla has since starred in a string of man-in-suit monster films in his native Japan—concluding with Godzilla: Final Wars on the King of the Monsters’ 50th anniversary in 2004—a lukewarm reception to the American reimagining of the iconic Toho monster has kept him from resurfacing in the United States. But, Variety reports, Legendary Pictures and Warner Bros. are co-producing and co-financing a Godzilla film that will hit theaters in 2012.

“Godzilla is one of the world’s most powerful pop culture icons, and we at Legendary are thrilled to be able to create a modern epic based on this long-loved Toho franchise,” said Thomas Tull, chairman and CEO of Legendary. “Our plans are to produce the Godzilla that we, as fans, would want to see. We intend to do justice to those essential elements that have allowed this character to remain as pop-culturally relevant for as long as it has.”

This could be pretty cool, as long as Legendary and Warner Bros. deliver in terms of giant monsters (CGI or otherwise) and massive amounts of simulated property damage. I have many fond memories of spending Saturday afternoons with Godzilla movie marathons on New York’s WPIX (channel 11) when I was younger. And, as an adult (snicker), I still love Ishirō Honda’s original 1954 Gojira, a post-World War II cautionary tale about the dangers of nuclear weapons that bears only slight resemblances to the cheesier 1956 American re-edit, Godzilla: King of the Monsters, and its increasingly campy sequels (although many of those are fun too).

With Hollywood’s current obsession with reviving all things with built-in fanbases, I’m honestly surprised it took this long for producers to exploit Godzilla. Did I say exploit? I meant…exploit.