SNEAK PEEK: Thursday, July 21

Troublemaker Chills With Frazetta's "Fire And Ice"

As Sneak Peek first reported May 2010, producer Robert Rodriguez continues developing the Ralph Bakshi/Frank Frazetta, 1983 animated feature "Fire and Ice", as a live-action motion picture, currently set up at Rodriguez' Troublemaker Studios.

Originally budgeted at $1.2 million, the original 1983, PG-rated animated "Fire And Ice", available on Blu-ray, was a unique collaboration between director Bakshi ("Fritz The Cat", "New Adventures Of Mighty Mouse") and illustrator Frazetta.

Based on characters Bakshi and Frazetta co-created, the film made use of 'rotoscoping', shooting live action traced onto animation cels, embellished by the unmistakable style of Frazetta, regarded as the finest fantasy illustrator in the field.

The original screenplay was by Marvel Comics' "Conan" writers Gerry Conway and Roy Thomas, with backgrounds by James Gurney, author/artist of the "Dinotopia" novels, and illustrator Thomas Kinkade.

"...From their stronghold in 'Icepeak', the evil 'Queen Juliana' and her son 'Nekron' send forth a wave of glaciers, forcing humanity to retreat south towards the equator. Nekron sends a delegation to 'King Jarol' in 'Firekeep' to request his surrender, but this is a ruse orchestrated by Queen Juliana for Nekron’s sub-humans to kidnap Jarol’s daughter, 'Princess Teegra'...."

Producer Frazetta was heavily involved in the film's live-action sequences, from casting sessions to the final shoot, ensuring that the depictions of women, heroes, villains and fantasy creatures stayed faithful to his style.

Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "Fire And Ice"....

Rodriguez Confirms "Sin City 2: A Dame To Kill For"

Director Robert Rodriguez ("Sin City") has confirmed @ the San Diego Comic-Con that a sequel to "Sin City", "Sin City 2: A Dame To Kill For", is ready to go with a fresh screenplay by "Sin City" creator Frank Miller.

"A Dame to Kill For", the 1995 Eisner award winner for "Best Limited Series" was first published by Dark Horse Comics in 1993. It is the second story in Miller's "Sin City" series, and the first to be published in miniseries format., written/illustrated entirely by Miller. It has since been reprinted in graphic novel format in four separate editions.

The new film will also include two new stories set in the "Sin City" universe, including "The Long Bad Night".

Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "Sin City"...

"Star Trek" Meets The "Legion Of Super-Heroes"

IDW Publishing will 'crossover' with DC Comics, for the six-issue monthly series, "Star Trek/Legion of Super-Heroes", launching October 2011.

Written by Chris Roberson, the series is illustrated by Jeffrey and Philip Moy, with covers by Phil Jimenez . Variant covers will showcase art by Keith Giffen, Steve Lightle and Gabriel Rodriguez :

"...the original crew of the 'Starship Enterprise', beam down to a planet only to discover that the planet isn't their intended destination, or even in the right universe. At the same time, a group of super-powered 'Legionnaires' inside a time sphere find themselves cast into the 23rd century, but it's not the 23rd century as they know it.

"'Star Trek/Legion of Superheroes' is a galaxy-spanning adventure that draws both teams together to face a menace that includes 'Khunds', 'Klingons', 'Borg' and other threats that aren't quite as they should be. The egalitarian 'United Planets' in one universe and a 'United Federation of Planets' in another is now the 'Imperial Planets of Terra', a dark empire focused on war and conquest..."

Click the images to enlarge...

Sneak Peek "Gotham City Imposters"

BigGameHunter reports that developer Monolith Productions have released a new trailer supporting the upcoming Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment/DC Entertainment , download-only, multiplayer 'first-person shooter' game, "Gotham City Imposters".

Set in the universe of DC Comics' "Batman", the downloadable game will be played from the perspective of two teams each trying to kill the other: one with people dressed like 'Batman' and the other with people dressed like his archenemy, the 'Joker'.

The game will be playable by at least eight players simultaneously, with the ability to customize costumes and gadgets, featuring settings, that include an amusement park.

In addition to guns and knives, players will also be able to use other gadgets such as grappling hooks, glider wings, rollerstakes and explosives.

One 'capture the flag' style mode of the game, titled "Psychological Warfare", involves the two teams trying to bring a battery back to their base and defend it long enough for it to allow a machine to brainwash the other team.

Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "Gotham City Imposters'...

Hilary Swank Gets Hit With "Shrapnel"

According to reports, Oscar winning actress Hilary Swank will star and produce a big screen adaptation of "Shrapnel" for Radical Pictures, based on the 2009, 5-issue Radical Publishing comic book series by Nick Sagan, M. Zachary Sherman and Mark Long.

Screenplay by Toby Wagstaff will be set in the year 2250, focusing on a former 'Solar Alliance Marine' (Swank), who spearheads an uprising on the last free colony of Venus, against an oppressive solar government.

Radical's Barry Levine will produce with Swank and Sean Daniel ("The Mummy").

Click the images to enlarge...

Double The Trouble For "Ringer"

Sneak Peek more new posters supporting the upcoming CW dramatic thriller series "Ringer", starring Sarah Michelle Gellar ("Buffy The Vampire Slayer") :

"...twin sisters 'Bridget' and 'Siobhan' (Gellar) have been at odds and find that their lives are both unraveling at the same rate.

"Bridget is on the run from the underworld and in order to survive she takes over Siobhan's life after she mysteriously disappears, soon discovering her estranged sister's life isn't as mundane as she had once thought..."

Also starring are Nestor Carbonell, Ioan Gruffudd, Mike Colter, Tara Summers and Kristoffer Polaha.

From Warner Bros. Television, CBS Television and Brillstein Entertainment Partners, "Ringer" will debut September 13, 2011.

Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "Ringer"...

"The Hunger Games": May The Odds Be Ever In Your Favor

Sneak Peek the new poster supporting the upcoming feature, "The Hunger Games", to be directed by Gary Ross ("Pleasantville") , based on the novel of the same name by author Suzanne Collins.

Actress Elizabeth Banks ('Betty Brant' in Sam Raimi's "Spider-Man"), co-stars in the film as escort 'Effie Trinket', alongside Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Dayo Okeniyi and Amandla Stenberg.

Oscar nominated actress Lawrence ("Winters Bone") will play the lead in Lionsgate's anticipated 3-film franchise.

The first motion picture adaptation will be based on the first novel of Collins' "The Hunger Games". book trilogy. Collins other two novels are "Catching Fire" and "Mockingjay".

Screenplay For "The Hunger Games" is by Billy Ray ("Shattered Glass").

Premise revolves around 'Katniss Everdeen', a teenage girl, who is forced to represent her region in the annual 'Hunger Games' event, where participants must fight to the death.

"...In this futuristic world, traditional government has gone by the wayside and America is split into 12 regions, each of which must send contestants to this deadly battle each year."

"The Hunger Games" will start filming later this year.

Lionsgate will release the first film March 23, 2012.

Click the images to enlarge...

Catch Soderbergh's "Contagion"

Sneak Peek the upcoming viral pandemic action thriller "Contagion", directed by Steven Soderbergh, starring Kate Winslet, Matt Damon, Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow, Marion Cotillard, Laurence Fishburne and Sanaa Lathan.

"...'Contagion' follows the rapid progress of a lethal airborne virus that kills within days. As the fast-moving epidemic grows, the worldwide medical community races to find a cure and control the panic that spreads faster than the virus itself..."