Teaser Trailer & Stills From MALEFICENT Reveal An Evil Angelina Jolie

Disney dropped the teaser poster to Malficent yesterday, the upcoming live-action movie starring Angelina Jolie as the villain from animated classic Sleeping Beauty.

Today we get an actual glimpse of the film with this dark teaser trailer.

Here is the film's official synopsis:

"From Disney comes "Maleficent"—the untold story of Disney's most iconic villain from the 1959 classic "Sleeping Beauty." A beautiful, pure-hearted young woman, Maleficent has an idyllic life growing up in a peaceable forest kingdom, until one day when an invading army threatens the harmony of the land. Maleficent rises to be the land's fiercest protector, but she ultimately suffers a ruthless betrayal—an act that begins to turn her pure heart to stone. Bent on revenge, Maleficent faces an epic battle with the invading king's successor and, as a result, places a curse upon his newborn infant Aurora. As the child grows, Maleficent realizes that Aurora holds the key to peace in the kingdom—and perhaps to Maleficent's true happiness as well."

Maleficent is scheduled for a May 30, 2014 release. Directed by Robert Stromberg, the film also stars Sharlto Copley, Elle Fanning, Sam Riley, Imelda Staunton, Miranda Richardson, Juno Temple and Lesley Manville.


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Angelina Jolie As Disney's MALEFICENT Revealed In New Teaser Poster

There has been much a buzzing about casting Angelina Jolie as the villainous title character in the big screen variation of Sleeping Beauty, most of it good. The majority of opinions sway towards an intrigued excitement over the prospect of seeing Jolie take this iconic role by horns.

We now have this new official image of Maleficent (beyond the concept image that surfaced online earlier this year) courtesy of the newly released one-sheet via the film's official Facebook Page. 

Disney also announced we can look forward to a first look trailer will hit tomorrow at 9am EST.

Here is the film's official synopsis:

"Maleficent rises to be the land's fiercest protector, but she ultimately suffers a ruthless betrayal -- an act that begins to turn her pure heart to stone. Bent on revenge, Maleficent faces an epic battle with the invading king's successor and, as a result, places a curse upon his newborn infant Aurora. As the child grows, Maleficent realizes that Aurora holds the key to peace in the kingdom -- and perhaps to Maleficent's true happiness as well."

Maleficent is scheduled for a May 30, 2014 release.

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New AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. Promo Teases Upcoming Season One Action

ABC's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. got off to a pretty solid start last night. The enjoyable pilot episode directed by Joss Whedon and anchored on-screen by Clark Gregg as Agent Coulson, also boasted a Whedon-penned script that provided plenty of his signature humor, ensemble cast interaction, and fun fanboy references fit for new and old Marvel fans alike. The show's groundwork was firmly set, and even with a weekly TV budget that falls far below the open checkbook big screen Marvel adventures are allotted, the show looked great and pulled off a good run out of the starting gate.

Here is an additional new promo that shows us what else is in store for fans later in the season.

Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. airs Tuesdays on ABC at 8PM.

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Teaser Trailer To 'Muppets Most Wanted' Is Online!

Disney has released the teaser trailer to Muppets Most Wanted, the welcome sequel 2011's The Muppets, the hit big screen re-launch of the iconic series under the watch of the House of Mouse.

This time out, Kermit and his life long friends find themselves in store for a European-set comedy caper that will take them to Berlin, Madrid and London. Joining the cast on the human side are Ricky Gervais, Tina Fey and Ty Burrell.

Official synopsis:

"Disney’s “Muppets Most Wanted” takes the entire Muppets gang on a global tour, selling out grand theaters in some of Europe’s most exciting destinations, including Berlin, Madrid and London. But mayhem follows the Muppets overseas, as they find themselves unwittingly entangled in an international crime caper headed by Constantine—the World’s Number One Criminal and a dead ringer for Kermit—and his dastardly sidekick Dominic, aka Number Two, portrayed by Ricky Gervais. The film stars Tina Fey as Nadya, a feisty prison guard, and Ty Burrell as Interpol agent Jean Pierre Napoleon."

Set for release on March 21, 2014, The Muppets' James Bobin returns as director and co-writer, as will Academy Award Winning songwriter Bret McKenzie (for "Man or Muppet").

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New Poster For ABC's 'Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.' Is Revealed

Agent Coulson and his team are set to hit the ABC airwaves on September 24th at 8PM in the highly anticipated Avengers spin-off Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.  New promo art has been unveiled.

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The First Poster For 'Thor: The Dark World' Is Unleashed

The first poster for Thor: The Dark World has been released. The sequel to 2011's Thor and the second film on Marvel's Phase Two plan of big screen adventures that will begin with next month's Iron Man 3 and culminate with Avengers 2 in 2015. The first teaser trailer for The Dark World is expected on April 23rd.

Chris Hemsworth returns as Thor along with Tom Hiddleston (Loki), Natalie Portman (Jane Foster), Kat Dennings (Darcy Lewis), Anthony Hopkins (Odin), Idris Elba (Heimdall) and Christopher Eccleston (Malekith).

Official synopsis:

"Marvel’s “Thor: The Dark World” continues the big-screen adventures of Thor, the Mighty Avenger, as he battles to save Earth and all the Nine Realms from a shadowy enemy that predates the universe itself. In the aftermath of Marvel’s “Thor” and “Marvel’s The Avengers,” Thor fights to restore order across the cosmos…but an ancient race led by the vengeful Malekith returns to plunge the universe back into darkness. Faced with an enemy that even Odin and Asgard cannot withstand, Thor must embark on his most perilous and personal journey yet, one that will reunite him with Jane Foster and force him to sacrifice everything to save us all." 

Thor: The Dark World is set for the big screen on November 8th.

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'The Lone Ranger' Character One-Sheets Showcase The Cast

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TRAILER: 'Iron Man 3' Final Trailer

Yahoo! Movies has the first look at the epic second trailer to Iron Man 3. Robert Downey Jr. reunites with his Kiss Kiss Bang Bang director Shane Black for what looks to be a dark redefining adventure for the billionaire Avenger Tony Stark.

No spoilers here in revealing that in the film Stark has his house blown to bits and will recruit a legion of Iron Man armored backup in his battle against Ben Kingley's Mandarin, including a suit that has been dubbed The Hulkbuster. Apparently since the events of The Avengers, Stark has seen fit to be prepared to take on the Hulk if push came to shove with the gamma ray green goliath.

And for what its worth, if the final shot of the trailer isn't killer, I don't know what is.

Official synopsis:

Marvel Studios’ Iron Man 3 pits brash-but-brilliant industrialist Tony Stark/Iron Man against an enemy whose reach knows no bounds. When Stark finds his personal world destroyed at his enemy’s hands, he embarks on a harrowing quest to find those responsible. This journey, at every turn, will test his mettle. With his back against the wall, Stark is left to survive by his own devices, relying on his ingenuity and instincts to protect those closest to him. As he fights his way back, Stark discovers the answer to the question that has secretly haunted him: does the man make the suit or does the suit make the man?

Iron Man 3 is set for theaters in 3D, RealD 3D and IMAX 3D on May 3rd and stars Robert Downey Jr. (Tony Stark), Gwyneth Paltrow (Pepper Potts), Don Cheadle (Col. James Rhodes), Jon Favreau (Happy Hogan), Paul Bettany (Jarvis), Sir Ben Kingsley (The Mandarin), Guy Pearce (Aldrich Killian), Rebecca Hall (Maya Hansen) and James Badge Dale (Eric Salvin).

Source: Yahoo! Movies

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TOY FAIR 2013: 'Pacific Rim' and 'The Lone Ranger' Figures

Swinging by the NECA booth today at the 2013 Toy Fair, on display were three robot Jaegers from Pacific Rim: the Gypsy Danger, Crimson Typhoon and the Striker Eureka. 

The highly anticipated giant robots versus giant monsters film directed Guillermo del Toro directed film hits the screen on July 12.

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It's OFFICIAL: Disney & Lucasfilm Confirm J.J. Abrams for 'Star Wars: Episode VII'

Millions of voices cried out over the internet on Thursday afternoon, and not in the bad way that forced Obi Wan Kenobi to take a breather. TheWrap broke the news first and faster than light the reports spread over every inch of cyber space that J.J. Abrams had sealed the deal to direct Star Wars: Episode VII. 

Via StarWars.com, Lucasfilm and Disney have made it official and confirmed that the mastermind behind Lost, Fringe, Alias, Mission: Impossible III and the captain of the rebooted big screen Star Trek series, will indeed take the helm of first film in the planned trilogy sequel to Episode VI: Return of the Jedi targeted for 2015. 

"To be a part of the next chapter of the Star Wars saga, to collaborate with Kathy Kennedy and this remarkable group of people, is an absolute honor," J.J. Abrams said in a press release. "I may be even more grateful to George Lucas now than I was as a kid."

George Lucas had this say about Abrams. "I've consistently been impressed with J.J. as a filmmaker and storyteller. He's an ideal choice to direct the new Star Wars film and the legacy couldn't be in better hands."

Also confirmed as a consultant on the project is Lawrence Kasdan, the screenwriter of The Empire Strikes Back. Empire is not only easily the fans choice as the best film in the Star Wars series, but also widely considered one of the greatest sequels of all time. Also noted is Abrams' production company Bad Robot will produce the film along with Disney and Lucasfilm. So you can forget about seeing the signature 20th Century Fox logo before "A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away" appears on the screen.

While Abrams is at the helm of the film, keep in mind the screenplay is actually being written by Academy Award Winner Michael Arndt (Toy Story 3, Little Miss Sunshine) from George Lucas' outlines. Abrams' production company joining the mix solidifies the faith Disney has with him and his vision, and will allow the director that much more creative input into the film across all platforms.

I think we can safely assume this new creative team will have better ideas than to have Jar Jar Binks lead a squadron of covert Ewok mercenaries to the destroy the now in-shambles Galactic Empire's third Death Star.

Here is the press release posted on StarWars.com:

After a bevy of emails and phone calls, the formalities have been wrapped up, and at long last everyone can exhale and properly share the word with an excited Internet. Yes, J.J. Abrams will direct Star Wars: Episode VII, the first of a new series of Star Wars films to come from Lucasfilm under the leadership of Kathleen Kennedy. Abrams will be directing and Academy Award-winning writer Michael Arndt will write the screenplay.

"It's very exciting to have J.J. aboard leading the charge as we set off to make a new Star Wars movie," said Kennedy. "J.J. is the perfect director to helm this. Beyond having such great instincts as a filmmaker, he has an intuitive understanding of this franchise. He understands the essence of the Star Wars experience, and will bring that talent to create an unforgettable motion picture."

George Lucas went on to say "I've consistently been impressed with J.J. as a filmmaker and storyteller." He's an ideal choice to direct the new Star Wars film and the legacy couldn't be in better hands."

"To be a part of the next chapter of the Star Wars saga, to collaborate with Kathy Kennedy and this remarkable group of people, is an absolute honor," J.J. Abrams said. "I may be even more grateful to George Lucas now than I was as a kid."

J.J., his longtime producing partner Bryan Burk, and Bad Robot are on board to produce along with Kathleen Kennedy under the Disney | Lucasfilm banner."

Also consulting on the project are Lawrence Kasdan and Simon Kinberg. Kasdan has a long history with Lucasfilm, as screenwriter on The Empire Strikes Back, Raiders of the Lost Ark and Return of the Jedi. Kinberg was writer on Sherlock Holmes and Mr. and Mrs. Smith.

Abrams and his production company Bad Robot have a proven track record of blockbuster movies that feature complex action, heartfelt drama, iconic heroes and fantastic production values with such credits as Star Trek, Super 8, Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol, and this year's Star Trek Into Darkness. Abrams has worked with Lucasfilm's preeminent postproduction facilities, Industrial Light & Magic and Skywalker Sound, on all of the feature films he has directed, beginning with Mission: Impossible III. He also created or co-created such acclaimed television series as Felicity, Alias, Lost and Fringe.

SOURCE: StarWars.com

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J.J. Abrams To Direct 'Star Wars: Episode VII,' On Deck To Become The Most Powerful Force In Sci-Fi

If you look forward to your lightsabers served with heavy dose of lens flare, we've got some damn exciting news for you. That Death Star worthy explosion you heard on the internet this afternoon can be traced back to the news that the search for the director of Star Wars: Episode VII appears to be over.

According to multiple sources, J.J. Abrams is now poised to become the most powerful man in science fiction by adding Star Wars to his Geek God resume, apparently because Star Trek, Lost, Fringe, Mission: Impossible, and Alias, just weren't enough.

The Wrap broke the news earlier today that the prolific director, writer and producer had secured the highly sought-after job, citing a source "with knowledge of the production." While The Hollywood Reporter pinpoints Abrams in "late stage talks" for the gig, Deadline has him locked in. "It's a done deal with J.J.," their source says.

The Star Trek helmer, who took himself out of the running whenever asked, was pursued by new Lucasfilm chief Kathleen Kennedy, who obviously had a big influence in changing his mind. In November, Abrams had this to say about the chance to tackle the next chapter in the Star Wars saga, the first of Disney's three planned sequels to 1983's Episode VI: Return of the Jedi:

"Look, Star Wars is one of my favorite movies of all time. I frankly feel that – I almost feel that, in a weird way, the opportunity for whomever it is to direct that movie, it comes with the burden of being that kind of iconic movie and series. I was never a big Star Trek fan growing up, so for me, working on Star Trek didn’t have any of that, you know, almost fatal sacrilege, and so, I am looking forward more than anyone to the next iterations of Star Wars, but I believe I will be going as a paying moviegoer!”

To further add to the unexpected nature of today's news, Abrams told Empire Magazine that he actually turned down the job early on.

"There were the very early conversations and I quickly said that because of my loyalty to Star Trek, and also just being a fan, I wouldn't even want to be involved in the next version of those things. I declined any involvement very early on. I'd rather be in the audience not knowing what was coming, rather than being involved in the minutiae of making them."

Since Disney acquired Lucasfilm last October and simultaneously announced that Episode VII was targeted for 2015, numerous A-List directors all across Hollywood have been appropriately grilled if they would be up for the task, from Steven Spielberg, Joss Whedon, Jon Faverau, Brad Bird, David Fincher, Quentin Tarantino to yes, J.J Abrams. I even asked Peter Jackson at the junket for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey if he was either interested or available. Matthew Vaughn (X-Men: First Class) had been gaining the most speed recently in the rumor race to the coveted director's chair, having abruptly dropped out of directing X-Men: Days of Future Past. TheWrap also reports that Ben Affleck, currently riding high on Argo and was high on WB's list for Man of Steel, had nearly made it to finish line.

However, just to put this in perspective:

THERE HAS BEEN NO OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT (YET) FROM LUCASFILM ON WHO WILL DIRECT EPISODE VII.

Despite the zillions of rumors that have surfaced in the last few months, the only thing that Lucasfilm has officially confirmed regarding Episode VII (besides that they are actually making the movie) is Academy Award Winning and Toy Story 3 screenwriter Michael Arndt is penning the script.

Yes in interviews Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford have all expressed interest in reprising their iconic roles. And by setting the film AFTER Return of the Jedi, we could (and should) assume there is a place for them to appear in the logical progression of the series' storyline, but there has been virtually nothing confirmed beyond the identity of the screenwriter.

Abrams is currently in the home stretch with his remaining production duties on Star Trek Into Darkness, the sequel to his blockbuster 2009 reboot of the Star Trek franchise, which is set for release on May 17th. He would most likely need to dive right into pre-production on Star Wars, which would hopefully include booking lavish lunches with Hamill, Fisher and Ford.

It also begs the question of whom Abrams may bring to Star Wars from the top notch casts of his previous series'. Alias? Fringe? Lost? Felicity?? Keri Russell appeared in Mission: Impossible 3, and Alias' Rachel Nichols and Victor Garber both found their way into Star Trek.

Though if this all pans out, there is much excitement to be had in anticipating the first picture from the set of Mark Hamill as an elder Jedi Master, lightsaber in hand, being directed by J.J. Abrams...

Story developing, as it will every single day until the film hits theaters...

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The Galactic Empire Responds To White House's Death Star Veto

Last week the White House took an official (and light hearted) stance on the online proposal backed by over 34,000 signatures to use taxpayer funds for the commencement of construction on a Death Star by 2016. You can read my previous post on that here.

Today, Galactic Empire Public Relations, via StarWars.com, retorted to the "fiscal responsibility" of the Obama Administration's veto of the plan.

IMPERIAL CENTER, CORUSCANT – The overwhelming military superiority of the Galactic Empire has been confirmed once again by the recent announcement by the President of the United States that his nation would not attempt to build a Death Star, despite the bellicose demands of the people of his tiny, aggressive planet. “It is doubtless that such a technological terror in the hands of so primitive a world would be used to upset the peace and sanctity of the citizens of the Galactic Empire,“ said Governor Wilhuff Tarkin of the Outer Rim Territories. “Such destructive power can only be wielded to protect and defend by so enlightened a leader as Emperor Palpatine.”

Representatives on behalf of the nation-state leader from the unimaginatively named planet refused to acknowledge the obvious cowardice of their choice, preferring instead to attribute the decision to fiscal responsibility. “The costs of construction they cited were ridiculously overestimated, though I suppose we must keep in mind that this miniscule planet does not have our massive means of production,” added Admiral Conan Motti of the Imperial Starfleet. 

Emissaries of the Emperor also caution any seditious elements within the Galactic Senate not to believe Earth’s exaggerated claims of there being a weakness in the Death Star design. “Any attacks made upon such a station — should one ever be built — would be a useless gesture,” added Motti.

SOURCE: StarWars.com

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