Hemsworth Hammers Out A Deal For "Thor"...

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Actor Chris "Star Trek" Hemsworth has been cast as the Marvel Comics character 'Thor' in the live-action film due in theaters May 20, 2011, directed by Kenneth Branagh.

Premise of the screenplay, adapted from the Marvel comic books by writer Mark Protosevich, follows medical student 'Donald Blake', whose alter ego is the Norse 'thunder god' 'Thor', previously banished from Asgard.

Throughout the film, Thor will undertake a perilous search for the enchanted hammer 'Mjolnir'.

Marvel will self-finance the film via its $500 million credit facility through Merrill Lynch, as they did with "Iron Man" and "The Incredible Hulk".

Also appearing in the film will be Marvel Comics characters 'Odin', 'Balder', 'Fandral', 'Volstagg' and the evil 'Loki'.

Wardrobes will emulate the first "Thor" comics series illustrated by artists Jack Kirby and Vince Colletta..

Crowe Gets The Shaft In "Robin Hood"...

Pinewood Studios UK, recently wrapped up sequences on director Ridley "Gladiator" Scott's "Robin Hood", starring Oscar-winning actors Russell Crowe and Cate "Elizabeth" Blanchett.

"Robin Hood", reunites Crowe and Scott in their fifth collaboration together. Producers are Brian "A Beautiful Mind" Grazer, Scott and Crowe.

The new feature chronicles the life of an expert archer, previously conerned only with his own self-preservation, starting with service in the army of 'King Richard' against the French.

Upon Richard’s death, 'Robin' travels to 'Nottingham', a town suffering from the corruption of a despotic sheriff and crippling taxation, where he falls for spirited widow 'Lady Marion' (Blanchett), "...a woman skeptical of the identity and motivations of this crusader from the forest..."

Hoping to earn the hand of Marion and salvage the village, Robin assembles a gang whose lethal mercenary skills are matched only by their appetite for life. Together, they begin preying on the upper class to correct injustices under the sheriff.

With their country weakened from decades of war, the ineffective rule of the new king and insurgencies from within, "...Robin and his men heed a call to greater adventure, protecting their country from slipping into bloody civil war and to return glory to England once more."

Joining Crowe and Blanchett are Mark Strong as King John henchman, 'Sir Godfrey', Oscar Isaac as 'King John' and Léa Seydoux as French 'Princess Isabella'.

Scott directs the project from a script by Ethan Reiff, Cyrus Voris and Academy Award winner Brian Helgeland, with DP John Mathieson, production designer Arthur Max, editor Pietro Scalia and costumes designed by Janty Yates.

Executive producer is Charles Schlissel.

"He's got armor. He's very medieval," said Grazer about Crowe's look as 'Robin'. He's trying to create equality in a world where there are a lot of injustices..a crusader for the people, trying to reclaim some of the ill-gotten gains of the wealthy..."

"Transfomers: Revenge Of The Fallen"- June 24...

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From DreamWorks and Paramount Pictures, "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" is scheduled for a domestic release June 24, 2009.

The science-fiction/action feature is a sequel to 2007's "Transformers", noted as the first live action 'Transformers' film, adapting the Hasbro toy line.

Directed by Michael Bay and produced by Steven Spielberg, actor Shia LaBeouf reprises his role of 'Sam Witwicky', a human caught in the war between the 'Autobots' and 'Decepticons'.

The new film introduces more robots, with locations expanded to include Egypt.

Producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura explained the film will start before the pyramids were built, tying the 'Transformers' to the beginning of civilization, implying that "all our heroes end up here because of the Decepticons' master plan."

Egyptian hieroglyphs resembling helicopters and other present day vehicles in real life will also be explained in the film as being depictions of ancient 'Cybertronians' who visited Earth...

Fonseca Makes A Splash In The "Hot Tub Time Machine"...

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Actress Lyndsy "Big Love" Fonseca, has joined the cast of "Hot Tub Time Machine", starring actor John "2012" Cusack.

Premise follows a group of guys, drunk on vodka and Red Bull who manage to travel back in time in a hot tub (?!)

Fonseca will play 'Jenny', the girlfriend who slipped away from Cusack's character in 1987.

Also starring are Craig Robinson, Clark Duke, Lizzy Caplan, Crispin "Back To The Future" Glover, Sebastian Stan and Charlie McDermott.

Director is Steve Pink from a screenplay by Josh Heald, targeting a February 2010 release...

Sony Steps Into The "Shadow Of The Colossus"...

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Sony Pictures is planning to adapt "Shadow of the Colossus" as a feature, based on the popular video game.

Premise of the game follows 'Wander' who travels through the 'Forbidden Land' to slay 16 enormous 'colossi' and save the life of the girl 'Mono'.

Justin Marks will write the screenplay, having dashed out scripts for the upcoming films "He-Men And The Masters Of The Universe", "20,000 Leagues Under The Sea: Captain Nemo", "Green Arrow: Escape From Supermax" and "Suicide Squad"...

"Ghostbusters: The Video Game"

"Ghostbusters: The Video Game", based on the movies is due for release June 16, the same day Sony will release the Blu-ray version of the 1982 Ivan Reitman-directed comedy action film.

Publisher Atari is referring to the new video game as "Ghostbusters III", continuing the action adventures of the paranormal investigative team.

The game is set in 1991, when a new recruit, controlled by the player, joins the 'Ghostbusters' team.

The Mayor of New York has taken exception to the property damage that the team has caused and announces that money will be subtracted from the Ghostbusters' standard rate of $10,000 per assignment. At the end of each level, damages are deducted from your pay, with the less money earned, the less is available to buy new weapons and upgrades for the existing arsenal.

The first assignment is to investigate a disturbance at the New York Public Library, caused by the 'Gray Lady', alongside team members 'Ray', 'Peter' and 'Egon'.

After defeating the creature, the team finds a hidden stairwell, leading to caverns beneath the library, where various ghosts are pulled into a 'trap'.

The game gets progressively more difficult as the ghosts get bigger and meaner.

"Ghostbusters: The Video Game" will be released on Xbox 360, PS3, PC, and Wii.

Diesel Takes "The Wheelman"...

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Paramount has attached John Singleton to direct and Lorenzo di Bonaventura to produce "The Wheelman", a live-action adaptation of the Midway, Ubisoft video game "Wheelman', that launched last month, with Diesel as the main character and game producer.

Screenplay is by Rich Wilkes, with a rewrite from Oliver Butcher/Stephen Cornwell.

In the game, protagonist, 'Milo Burik' (a digitized Diesel), is a driver who comes out of retirement to save a woman from his past, leading him to Barcelona, Spain and in the middle of a gang war.

The game itself is set in an open ended world full of alleyways, shortcuts through office blocks, a total of 31 story missions and 105 side missions. While most missions are driving-oriented there are also foot missions played in third person, incorporating a crouching system similar to "Goldeneye'.

A wide variety of guns are also available to the player ranging from pistols to RPG's, with vehicles including the Pontiac G8 and Opel Astra....

"Watchmen: The End Is Nigh" - July 2009...

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Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment reports that the "Watchmen: The End is Nigh" videogame, based on the Vancouver-lensed "Watchmen" feature, will be offered in a retail Blu-Ray Hi-Def game and 'film hybrid', as well as additional retail/downloadable formats in North America, released in conjunction with the Blu-ray Hi-Def and DVD of the "Watchmen: Director’s Cut", July 2009.

Developed by Deadline Games A/S, "Watchmen: The End is Nigh" is a 'hardcore mature' action brawler featuring bloody visceral combat in settings reminiscent of the film, taking place more than a decade before the film’s main story, delving into the partnership of urban vigilantes 'Rorschach' and 'Nite Owl' before the masked hero-banning 'Keene Act'.

In Part 2, the duo team up again as Rorschach contacts Nite Owl to help solve the case of missing 'Violet Greene'.

Actors Patrick Wilson and Jackie Earle Haley, stars of the film, also lend their voices to Nite Owl and Rorschach in both episodes. Both Rorschach and Nite Owl are playable characters and each features distinct combat abilities, as well as a collection of each of their own unique finishing moves, including 'Rorschach’s Rage' and the technical prowess of Nite Owl’s 'Owlsuit'.

The game also features a split screen co-op multiplayer option in addition to a single-player experience with an 'A.I. partner'...

Sneak Peek "Degrassi Goes Hollywood"...

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The Toronto-lensed CTV series "Degrassi: The Next Generation" has produced its first full-length feature, partly filmed in Los Angeles and Toronto last year.

The film will debut on US-based "The N Channel" later this summer.

"Degrassi Goes Hollywood", follows 'Manny' and 'Paige' as they compete for acting parts in Los Angeles.

"Degrassi: The Next Generation" TV series finished airing its ninth season earlier this year...

CFC Worldwide Short Film Festival: June 16-21...

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This year's "CFC Worldwide Short Film Festival", noted as the premier venue for the exhibition/promotion of short film in North America, takes place in Toronto, June 16-21, dedicated to celebrating the quality and creative range of short films.

With annual film short submissions surpassing 3000, programmers select 250 shorts from more than 80 countries for five days of public screenings.

As one of only three festivals in Canada accredited by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, winners of the Best Live-Action Short and Best Animated Short are eligible for Oscars while Canadian award winners are eligible for the Genie Awards.

Presenting over $125, 000 in cash and prizes, the CFC festival offers one of the largest prize packages for short film in the world.

In addition to screenings, the Festival draws buyers, distributors, industry delegates and filmmakers together, with the Short Films BIG IDEAS Symposium, offering professional development opportunities in a series of seminars, panels and workshops on the art and commerce of short filmmaking...