"Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles"
Director Jonathan Liebesman ("Battle: Los Angeles", "Wrath of the Titans") is in negotiations to helm Paramount's upcoming "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" reboot. The project would reunite Liebesman with producer Michael Bay. The two last worked together on the 2006 prequel "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning". There are very little details at this time on the storyline of the new 'Turtles' flick, but the studio is calling this a "re-imagining" the respective comic book and television versions of the characters.

"Transformers 4"
Director Michael Bay will return for a fourth outing at the helm of Paramount's hugely successful "Transformers" franchise. Bay will first direct the film "Pain and Gain" which will star Mark Wahlberg and Dwayne Johnson. "Transformers 4" is set for a June 2014 release and will be a reboot of sorts of the franchise, meaning that while the film will stay with the current continuity, it will feature new characters as well as a new lead. Here is the studio's official press release...

HOLLYWOOD, CA (February 13, 2012) – Paramount Pictures announced today that director Michael Bay has signed a two-picture deal with the studio, which will commence this spring with the filming of "Pain and Gain," and will be followed by the next installment in the hit "Transformers" franchise.

Based on a true story, "Pain and Gain" follows a group of bodybuilders who engaged in a campaign of kidnapping, extortion and murder in Florida. First told in an article from the Miami New Times, "Pain and Gain," will be directed by Bay and will star Mark Wahlberg and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. Expected to begin production in early spring, the movie’s producers include Bay, Donald De Line and Ian Bryce.

Following "Pain and Gain," Bay will bring audiences a new take on the "Transformers" franchise as he begins production on the fourth installment in the hit series of movies based on the best-selling Hasbro toyline. The third, and most recent installment of the franchise, "Transformers: Dark of the Moon," is the fourth highest global grossing film of all time with 1.24 billion dollars of worldwide box office success. Directed by Bay, the movie will re-unite the filmmaking team from the hit franchise, including producers Lorenzo di Bonaventura, Don Murphy, Tom DeSanto and Ian Bryce; and executive producers Steven Spielberg, Bay, Brian Goldner and Mark Vahradian. Paramount Pictures will release the film on June 29th, 2014.

"Michael has been working on PAIN AND GAIN for a number of years but has patiently waited for the perfect casting to trigger a start," said Adam Goodman, President of Paramount’s Film Group. "Clearly his patience has paid off as we couldn’t be more excited about this combo. His passion for this project is just awesome."

"The Amazing Spider-Man" Trailer 2 review...
The second trailer for the upcoming reboot debuted last night (technically this morning) and expanded even further on the film's plot.  While this movie is very much the Spidey version of "Batman Begins", it looks incredible and far more impressive than the Sam Raimi films (in my humble opinion).  In fact, I'll go as far as saying that this is easily the best trailer for the entire Spidey franchise.  I've said it before, but it needs to be repeated, writer/director Marc Webb may be on the verge of doing for this franchise what Christopher Nolan did for Batman, the new trailer is that good. 

The reboot looks closer to the comic books in terms of plot and the overall tone, while the action looks spectacular with the Lizard making for a legitimately scary villain.  The thing that impressed me the most about the trailer wasn't the visuals though, but the easy chemistry between the two leads, Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone.  Both looked to have really done their homework on the characters of Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy. 

Many predicted that "The Amazing Spider-Man" would be one of the top three biggest summer 2012 hits (along with "The Dark Knight Rises" and "The Avengers"), and this latest preview does nothing to dispute that. A+

"Total Recall"
Sony released the official synopsis of the upcoming "Total Recall" reboot which will be hitting theaters on August 3rd of this coming summer.  Check it out...

"Total Recall" is an action thriller about reality and memory, inspired anew by the famous short story “We Can Remember It For You Wholesale” by Philip K. Dick. Welcome to Rekall, the company that can turn your dreams into real memories. For a factory worker named Douglas Quaid (Colin Farrell), even though he's got a beautiful wife (Kate Beckinsale) who he loves, the mind-trip sounds like the perfect vacation from his frustrating life - real memories of life as a super-spy might be just what he needs. But when the procedure goes horribly wrong, Quaid becomes a hunted man. Finding himself on the run from the police – controlled by Chancellor Cohaagen (Bryan Cranston), the leader of the free world – Quaid teams up with a rebel fighter (Jessica Biel) to find the head of the underground resistance (Bill Nighy) and stop Cohaagen. The line between fantasy and reality gets blurred and the fate of his world hangs in the balance as Quaid discovers his true identity, his true love, and his true fate.

"The Dark Knight Rises"
More new pics from "The Dark Knight Rises" hit the net, courtesy of Entertainment Weekly.  My fave being the shot of Bruce Wayne standing in front of the Batsuit "locker" in the Batcave. 

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE IMAGES

"The Amazing Spider-Man"
Several amazing (sorry, couldn't help myself) new shots from the Spidey reboot are now available (from the official site as well as Empire Magazine).  Enjoy.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE IMAGES

"Police Academy"
"Tosh.0" director Scott Zabielski has inked a deal with New Line/WB to helm the reboot to the popular "Police Academy" series.  The franchise was launched in 1984 and spawned six sequels.  No plot details have emerged, but expect this one to be every bit as raunchy as the original flick was back in '84.  Let's hope they're not going for a PG-13.  Look for this one to hit theaters sometime next year.

New Posters...

It's not difficult to see how Nolan's BATMAN franchise went on to inspire subsequent superhero reboots. If nothing else, the poster comparison above unquestionably validates that inspiration. The line between DC and MARVEL films has been indefinitely blurred...

New - Dark Knight Poster | New - Amazing Spiderman Poster

"He-Man"
In a move that is sure to excite fans of 'He-Man', Sony has opted to extend its current contract with film production Escape Artist through 2015. The deal will see the two sides producing and distributing many film projects, which includes the long dormant re-imagining of "He-Man and the Masters of the Universe."

There have been a few attempts to get this one off the ground since the poorly received 1987 film which starred Dolph Lundren and Frank Langella.

"Starship Troopers"
Sony has hired writers Ashley Edward Miller and Zack Stentz to pen the reboot to Paul Verhoeven's 1997 sci-fi flick "Starship Troopers".  The duo also scripted last summer's "Thor" and the reboot "X-Men: First Class".  The latest 'Troopers' flick will be produced by Neal Moritz, who is currently producing the big screen remake of another Verhoeven flick, "Total Recall".  "Starship Troopers" was made popular in the novel of the same name by author Robert A. Heinlein which was published in 1959. 

"Mad Max"
The Bleeding Cool website has revealed that writer/director George Miller's 'Mad Max' (titled 'Fury Road') will be the first of a trilogy of new films.  The script for the second film (titled 'Furiosa') is complete and the third is nearly done.  Tom Hardy ("Bronson", "Inception", "The Dark Knight Rises") will be playing the role of Max, following in the footsteps of Oscar-winner Mel Gibson (that role essentially put Gibson on the Hollywood map).  Despite massive delays in production the current plan is to start shooting the first film sometime in 2012 to make a 2013 release.  Stay tuned.

"The Amazing Spider-Man"
The spidermedia.ru (link: http://spidermedia.ru/news/amazing-spider-man-lizard-exclusive-first-look) has revealed concept art showcasing what we're in store for in terms of the look of The Lizard (portrayed by Rhys Ifans) in new 'Spider-Man' reboot.  Check it out.

"The Dark Knight Rises"
Empire magazine has unveiled the covers for their special coverage of next summer's sure-to-be blockbuster.  I have to say, the more I learn about this project the more excited I am to see it.  I think writer/director Christopher Nolan may have indeed saved the best for last.  Photos from the article are also included. 

"Prometheus"
This week's Entertainment Weekly has new scans from Ridley Scott's ultra-secret film "Prometheus". Check out the images...

This is one of many 2012 features that I am absolutely amped to see.  The movie hits theaters on 6/8/12.

"Godzilla"
WB and Legendary Pictures have hired scribe Max Borenstein ("The Seventh Son") to write the script for the upcoming 'Godzilla' reboot.  David Goyer (the current Batman trilogy) recently took a stab at the script.  The film will be helmed by indie director Gareth Edwards. 

"Rise of the Planet of the Apes"
With the film turning into an unexpected summer blockbuster (earning $453.3 million worldwide) Fox is planning to push for an Oscar nod for motion capture actor Andy Serkis in the Best Supporting Actor category.  Serkis drew much of the same buzz for his mo-cap work as Gollum in 'The Lord of the Rings' trilogy, as well as for his work on 2005's "King Kong".  Back in 1980, Fox and Lucasfilm tried unsuccessfully to get an Oscar nod for puppeteer Frank Oz for his work as Yoda in "The Empire Strikes Back".  Disney also attempted to get Oscar considering for Robin Williams for his work in the 1992 animated hit "Aladdin" (Williams ended up walking away with a special award from the Golden Globes that year).  If Fox is successful this time out, it would be the first time in history for an actor receiving Oscar recognition for not technically appearing on screen.

"Blade Runner"
Director Ridley Scott has confirmed in an interview with Speakeasy that the new "Blade Runner" project is "liable to be a sequel".  Scott also went on to say that the film will have a new cast, meaning that we won't be seeing either Harrison Ford or Edward James Olmos in the new incarnation.  Scott revealed that the sequel will probably be his follow-up to next year's "Prometheus".  Funny how history is repeating itself.  "Blade Runner" was Scott's first film after the 1979 classic "Alien".  Now the sequel to "Blade Runner" is following the prequel to "Alien".  Go figure.