Go "Smurf" Yourself

Principal photography started March 26, in New York on the Columbia Pictures/Sony Pictures Animation, 3D hybrid live-action/animated family comedy "The Smurfs", according to Bob Osher, president, Sony Pictures Digital Productions, Hannah Minghella, president of Sony Pictures Animation and Doug Belgrad, president of Columbia Pictures.

"...When the evil wizard 'Gargamel' chases the tiny blue 'Smurfs' out of their village, they tumble from their magical world and into ours - in fact, smack dab in the middle of Central Park. Just three apples high and stuck in the 'Big Apple', the Smurfs must find a way to get back to their village before Gargamel tracks them down..."

"The Smurfs" stars actors Neil Patrick Harris, Jayma Mays, Sofia Vergara, and Hank Azaria on camera, opposite a voice cast including Anton Yelchin as 'Clumsy Smurf', Jonathan Winters as 'Papa Smurf', singer-songwriter Katy Perry as 'Smurfette', Alan Cumming as 'Gutsy Smurf', Fred Armisen as 'Brainy Smurf' and George Lopez as 'Grouchy Smurf'.

The film is directed by Raja Gosnell from a screenplay by J. David Stem, David N. Weiss, Jay Scherick & David Ronn, based on the characters/illustrated works of Smurf's creator Peyo. Producers are Jordan Kerner, Ezra Swerdlow and Ben Haber for executive producer Paul Neesan.

"The Smurfs" in 3D will be released August 3, 2011.

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Indecent Exposure: "When You're Strange"- The Doors

The new "Doors" doc, "When You're Strange", will be released to theatres April 9.

Narrated by actor Johnny Depp, the feature is written/directed by Tom DiCillo and produced by Dick Wolf, Rhino's John Beug, band manager Jeff Jampol and Wolf Films' Peter Jankowski.

Made with the support of surviving band members Ray Manzarek, John Densmore, Robby Krieger and the Jim Morrison estate, the doc is considered by Manzarek to be the 'antidote' to director Oliver Stone's previous bio-pic about the band starring Val Kilmer as Morrison.

"Watching the hypnotic, hitherto unreleased footage of Jim, John, Ray and Robby, I felt like I experienced it all through their eyes", said Depp. "As a rock 'n' roll documentary, or any kind of documentary for that matter, it simply doesn't get any better than this".

The film uses material lensed between 1965 up to Morrison's death in 1971, including footage from Morrison and Manzarek's time together at the UCLA film school.

Sneak Peek "When You're Strange"- The Doors...

"Mass Effect: Redemption"

"Mass Effect: Redemption" #4, available from Dark Horse Comics April 7, is set in the 'Mass Effect' universe, taking place two years before the events of the video game "Mass Effect 2" :

"'Liara T'Soni' continues her search for the abductors of 'Commander Shepard' in this tale of friendship and loyalty in the darkest corners of the galaxy..."

"Mass Effect 2" is the action role-playing game developed by BioWare Edmonton, in association with BioWare Montreal, published by Electronic Arts. The game is the sequel to "Mass Effect", and was released on PC and Xbox 360 in North America January 26, 2010.

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Marvel Chases The "Runaways"

According to reports, Marvel Studios is in negotiations with Peter Sollett ("Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist") to direct the comic book adaptation of Marvel Comics' "Runaways", co-created by Brian K. Vaughan and illustrator Adrian Alphona.

"Runaways" follows a group of teens who band together after learning their parents are actually 'super-villains'. When each kid begins to gain their inherited 'super-powers', they all begin "a voyage of discovery" to right the wrongs of their parents.

"Runaways" will be distributed by Paramount Pictures.

Will Megan Fox Do "Red Sonja"?

According to reports, actress Megan Fox ("Transformers") has been offered the lead role of swashbuckling "Red Sonja", based on the woman warrior character created by "Conan" author Robert E. Howard.

The character is loosely based on "Red Sonya of Rogatino" from author Howard's original short story "The Shadow of the Vulture" (January 1934), rewritten by comic book writer Roy Thomas as a 1973 'Conan' story for Marvel Comics "Conan the Barbarian" (1973).

Thomas also based his 'Red Sonja' on another Howard character, 'Dark Agnes de Chastillon', a swords-woman in 16th-century France.

'Red Sonja' is different from Howard's original 'Red Sonya'. Besides tweaking the spelling of her name, Thomas transformed her from a sword- and pistol-wielding supporting character of the late Renaissance into a sword-wielding heroine of Conan's prehistoric 'Hyborian Age'.

The origin story, following the release of a new "Conan" feature, will be based on both the Marvel/Dynamite comic books as well as Howard's original pulp magazine stories.

"Howard's goal was always, first and foremost, to spin a good yarn and to entertain," said producer Robert Rodriguez.

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