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• Darren Aronofsky OFF “The Wolverine”
• Batman 3 casting news
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• Chris Hemsworth Q&A Panel
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• Fantastic Four canceled?
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• Wolverine and Jubilee
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TV Show/Media Reviews

• Young Justice—New Episode:  “Bereft”
• DVD release of “Astonishing X-Men” Motion comic
• It turns out “Chuck” likes Brian K. Vaughn

The Super Topic Discussion

• Is it better to read the book first or watch the movie first??
• Our review of “All-Star Superman” the DVD and the graphic novel.

Video Games

• Marvel vs. Capcom 3
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Silliness at the End

• Winner of last weeks email contest!!!
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When I first heard that Academy Award nominated director Darren Aronofsky would be directing the new Wolverine movie (now titled “The Wolverine”) I was both excited and puzzled at the same time. I didn’t understand why his next film would be a follow up to a movie that critically, was not very successful. Did he have a take on the character that no one had expressed yet? Was he a fan of the failed samurai stories? I guess we’ll never know because as of this morning Aronofsky has left the project. In a press statement he said:

“As I talked more about the film with my collaborators at Fox, who have been totally supportive throughout my work on the movie, it became clear that the production ofThe Wolverine would keep me out of the country for almost a year. I was not comfortable being away from my family for that length of time. I am sad that I won’t be able to see the project through, asit is a terrific script and I was very much looking forward to working with my friend, Hugh Jackman, again.”

Who’s your next choice for director?

-Reid Ackerman

Randy, check your email please.

Everything I see from this movie just makes me more and more excited. Each TV spot looks at a different aspect of the movie, and reveal new insights into the plot. Who knew a Wolverine movie might be so cool…

Outcasts

Brothers

Legends

Hey everyone –

It’s Hugh Jackman, sending this note from freezing Vancouver. I have read a lot of your online comments regarding the footage that we are currently shooting and I share your passion for the Wolverine character and the movie – I owe it all to you guys!

I wanted to reach out and let you know that due to scheduling conflicts with certain cast members and location/weather considerations, we had to wait until now to shoot a couple of scenes. Please rest assured that WOLVERINE will be badass and hopefully meet all of your expectations. I am stoked by the positive response to the teaser, which clearly reflects the tone and scope of the film. If you like that, we’ve got much more in store!

In the meantime, here’s an exclusive shot of some characters you may recognize…

Cheers,

Hugh

AICN

Now it looks like Fox is letting him.

I consider this to be a good thing, and no Randy its not my blind hatred towards Fox. I think that after a weak 2008, Fox needs a badass, hardcore Wolverine movie that will not only open big, but stay in theaters for more than a couple of weeks, like Iron Man. The fact that they’re letting Hood go back and reshoot scenes of the film the way he envisioned is great in my opinion, though I can’t help but wonder how much of the awesome trailer we saw was of Hood’s creation or Fox’s commission? Maybe Hood’s vision was a deep, multi-layered, action-lite character study? Guess we’ll just have to wait and see…

• Time for the Holidays
• New Writers
• Delgo sets low point record
• Iron Man 2 Talk picks up
• Crazy rumors about third Batman film
• Fable 2 DLC delayed until “Late Jan ‘09″
• X-men Origins: Wolverine
• Majel Roddenberry Dead at 76
  

Box Office Report (Dec 12-14):

Geek Jerk Reaction (December 25):

Bedtime Stories
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Marley & Me
The Spirit
Valkyrie

First off, we talk about what has been playing on out television screens, but then shift our focus onto some bogus rumors involving The Dark Knight sequel. Then its time to get into the news, including an interesting new comic adaptation and horrifying news from Rob Zombie. Trailers this week are for: The Great Buck Howard, The Proposal, The Brothers Bloom, Terminator Salvation, Dragonball Evolution, and X-Men Origins: Wolverine. All this and more in this weeks episode of Two Geeks a Mic and a Podcast.

Opening May 1st, the Gavin Hood directed action thriller Hugh Jackman, Liev Schreiber, Ryan Reynolds, Taylor Kitsch, Will.i.am, Danny Huston, Dominic Monaghan, Daniel Henney and Lynn Collins. The prequel tells the story of Wolverine’s epically violent and romantic past, his complex relationship with Victor Creed, and the ominous Weapon X program.

X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE HD

(via SHH!)

Attendees at Comic Con were lucky to see an early preview of the film which featured Gambit in action.

Gambit first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #266 in August 1990. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artists Jim Lee and Mike Collins, Gambit is skilled in card throwing, hand-to-hand combat, the use of a bo, and possesses the ability to manipulate kinetic energy. A professional thief and self described ladies man, the character has had a longtime on and off again romantic fling with Rogue.

Wolverine will be the character’s first appearance in a movie. The fan favorite has appeared in previous television cartoons and video game releases. The character was supposed to make a small appearance during the prison convoy scene of X-Men: The Last Stand, but Marvel decided the role was too small for the character. James Franco supposedly auditioned for the part.

The first trailer for X-Men Origins: Wolverine will be attached to The Day The Earth Stood Still.

Rather than go the route of a direct sequel to the mega-successful X-Men franchise, Fox has opted to focus on the many spin-off opportunities for the series. This includes Deadpool, a would-be film featuring the character played by Ryan Reynolds in next year’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine, an odd choice for sure considering both the C-list status of the character as well as the simple fact that his popularity with audiences has yet to be gauged.

Also in the pipeline is X-Men: First Class, a rumored prequel being written by Chuck and The OC mastermind Josh Schwartz. This would follow the early years of the team, including teenaged versions of Cyclops, Jean Grey, and Beast (sans the blue fur). The only real question here is how this film would fit into the current X-Men movie continuity started by director Bryan Singer.

A second X-Men Origins film, focusing on a young Magneto and his relationship with an equally young Charles Xavier, was to be written and directed by Blade and Batman Begins scribe David S. Goyer, but was recently bumped from it’s summer 2009 release date by Goyer in favor of his Invisible Man remake.

Most interesting of all, Fox seems to be discussing a possible Daredevil revival. The original film, while a flop with most critics, was anything but a financial let-down, earning a world-wide total of $179 million for the $78 million budgeted film. Rather than a direct sequel to the 2003 film, Fox seemed content on doing a spin-off in the form of 2005’s Elektra, which has become a running joke amongst comic-fans, usually competing with only Catwoman as the worst comic-based film ever made. It’s with this spin-off that I believe Fox was originally judging the merit of another Daredevil film on, a mistake that they apparently plan on rectifying in the near future with some sort of relaunch of the series.

Another long discussed spin-off has been a film focusing on The Silver Surfer, who originally appeared in 2007’s Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. Originally announced to be scripted by Babylon 5’s J. Michael Straczynski and helmed by The Crow and Dark City director Alex Proyas, the project has apparently been shelved. Whether that was because of the lackluster performance of the Fantastic Four sequel, or the allegedly over-budgeted first draft of Straczynski’s screenplay, we may never know.