Jason Momoa's AQUAMAN Breaks Surface!

There is only one true King. Unite the seven.

I think this is perfect casting and really amplifies my expectations for BATMAN V. SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE. Jason Momoa just fits this role. Certainly the character needed presence as with any comic book superhero it can be a stretch to attain suspension of disbelief, but especially for the more marginal heroes and their abilities. Momoa definitely brings presence and the image shows how director Zach Snyder and DC are tackling his costume and weapon of choice.

Brilliant use of tattoos to mimic the traditional Aquaman costume! The tats also bring to mind cultural tattoos from the pacific islands - part of Momoa's heritage (his father is of native Hawaiian descent).

Momoa joins a stellar cast in BATMAN V. SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE namely Henry Cavill (Superman), Ben Affleck (Batman), Gal Gadot (Wonder Woman), Jesse Eisenberg (Lex Luther), Jeremy Irons (Alfred), Amy Adams, Diane Lane and Laurence Fishburne.

Aquaman's exposure has been carefully planned and he is expected to have presence in JUSTICE LEAGUE PART ONE (slated for November 17, 2017), AQUAMAN (July 27, 2018) and JUSTICE LEAGUE PART TWO (June 14, 2019).

BATMAN V. SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE is slated for a March 25, 2016 release.

MAN OF STEEL's Cover Shot With Empire

You can expect much, much more hoopla around Zach Snyder's MAN OF STEEL in the coming months - clearly it's going to be a spectacle and is definitely on my most anticipated 3D movies for 2013.

Check the magazine cover that graces Henry Cavill as Supe himself. It'll be on shelves this Thursday.

Here's the storyline for the movie:
In the pantheon of superheroes, Superman is the most recognized and revered character of all time. Clark Kent/Kal-El (Cavill) is a young twentysomething journalist who feels alienated by powers beyond anyone’s imagination. Transported to Earth years ago from Krypton, an advanced alien planet, Clark struggles with the ultimate question – Why am I here? Shaped by the values of his adoptive parents Martha (Lane) and Jonathan Kent (Costner), Clark soon discovers that having super abilities means making very difficult decisions. But when the world needs stability the most, it comes under attack. Will his abilities be used to maintain peace or ultimately used to divide and conquer? Clark must become the hero known as “Superman,” not only to shine as the world’s last beacon of hope but to protect the ones he loves.

MAN OF STEEL opens on June 14. What do you think? Can Cavill pull it off?

Source: Empire

Zach Snyder Developing Stand Alone STAR WARS Movie Outside Of The New Trilogy!?

I believe this one, if true, has surprised even my source! Zach Snyder apparently is developing his own stand alone STAR WARS movie that is not expected to be included in the numbered set of franchise movies. I suppose this could led to a whole new franchise for the iconic brand. But that's not all...

Here's where it get more interesting: Vulture claims that Snyder will be basing his stand alone movie on the classic SEVEN SAMURAI and substituting the ronin and sword with knight and lightsaber. Very interesting indeed!

Here's the plot from the SEVEN SAMURAI (SPOILERS!) from Wikipedia:
A gang of marauding bandits approaches a mountain farming village, but their chief recognizes they have ransacked this village before, and decides it is best to spare it until the harvest in several months. A villager overhears this. The farmers go to their elder, who declares that they should hire samurai to help defend the village. Since they have nothing to offer but food, the elder tells them to "find hungry samurai."

Several men go to the city, but are turned away by every samurai they ask. They watch as an experienced samurai, Kambei, deftly rescues a young boy taken hostage by a thief. Impressed, a young samurai named Katsushirō asks to become his disciple. Kambei insists that he walk with him as a friend. The farmers are overjoyed when Kambei agrees to help them. With Katsushirō's assistance, he recruits four more masterless samurai: Gorobei Katayama, clever and good natured; Heihachi, a good-humored samurai with mediocre swordsmanship; Shichirōji, an old friend of Kambei's; and Kyūzō, a taciturn master swordsman. Although Kambei had judged that seven samurai would be necessary, time is running short. The villagers beg him to take Katsushirō and, after some prodding, he agrees. The clownish Kikuchiyo, whom Kambei had rejected, follows them, ignoring their attempts to drive him away.

When the samurai arrive, the villagers cower in their homes. The samurai feel insulted by their cold reception. Suddenly, the alarm is raised; the villagers, fearing that the bandits have returned, beg the new arrivals to protect them. Kikuchiyo, who raised the false alarm, rebukes the villagers for their poor behavior. The samurai accept him, bringing their number to seven. The villagers offer white rice to the samurai, the best they have, while they eat millet.

As they prepare, the two groups slowly come to trust each other. However, when the samurai discover that the villagers have murdered and robbed fleeing samurai in the past, they become angry. Kikuchiyo castigates his comrades for ignoring the hardships that the farmers have to overcome to survive, including harassment from the warrior class. This reveals his origins as a farmer's son to Kambei. The anger the samurai felt turns to shame.

They construct fortifications and train the farmers for battle. Katsushirō, the youngest samurai, begins a relationship with Shino, who had been forced to masquerade as a boy by her father to protect her from the supposedly lustful samurai.

As the time for the raid approaches, two bandit scouts are killed, while another is captured and forced to reveal the location of their camp. Three of the samurai, guided by Rikichi, strike preemptively. Many bandits are killed, but Heihachi is slain by gunfire. When a woman emerges from the bandits' burning house, she sees Rikichi and runs back inside to perish in the flames. Rikichi reveals that this was his wife, who had been kidnapped and defiled.

When the bandits attack, they are confounded by the new fortifications. Several are killed attempting to scale the barricades or cross the moats. However, they possess three dangerous muskets. Kyūzō sets out on his own and returns with a musket. A jealous Kikuchiyo later abandons his post to get another musket, leaving his contingent of farmers leaderless. Although he succeeds, the bandits attack his post, overwhelming and killing some of the farmers. Kambei is forced to send reinforcements, leaving the main post undermanned when the bandit chief leads a charge against this position. Although they are repelled, Gorobei is shot and killed. Yohei is also slain.

Kambei's stratagem is to allow one bandit to enter through a gap in the fortifications, block the rest with a "wall" of spears, and kill the lone enemy. This succeeds several times.

On the second night, Kambei instructs them to prepare for a final, decisive battle. However, in the midst of planning Shino's father catches her with Katsushirō and beats Shino. Katsushirō hangs his head in shame while the rest of the Samurai and villagers look on. As it begins to rain, everyone goes back to their posts. When morning breaks, Kambei orders his forces to allow the remaining bandits in. Most of the attackers are killed, but their leader takes refuge in a hut unseen. In what is portrayed as a dishonorable act, he shoots Kyūzō from the hut, killing him. A despondent Katsushirō seeks to avenge his hero, but an enraged Kikuchiyo charges ahead of him, only to be shot himself. Kikuchiyo kills the bandit chief before dying. Kambei and Shichirōji sadly observe "we've survived once again".

Afterward, the three surviving samurai watch the villagers happily planting the next crop. They reflect on the relationship between the warrior and farming classes: though they have won the battle, they have lost their friends with little to show for it. "Again we are defeated," Kambei muses. "The winners are those farmers. Not us."

Vultures sources also say that: "Snyder’s would start production after Disney starts on its planned 2015 release of Star Wars: Episode VII, and while no director has yet been set for Episode VII, clearly things are taking shape at Lucasfilm."

WOW! I still digesting this news and the implications. Certainly if this is true Disney is not sitting on its laurels but diving in head first here. Rather sneaky for Snyder to express his non-interest in directing the seventh STAR WARS film and yet be so heavily and silently connected! Needless to say if this all holds water, we're going to be breathless for more details - the whole premise sounds amazing.

YES!! MAN OF STEEL Definitely Going 3D! And IMAX Too!!

You have GOT to love this 3D conversion confirmation! All along I have said that if DC / Warner Bros want to compete with Marvel / Disney then they have go 3D. I can just imagine the flack they got from Christopher Nolan about this decision (who is producing), but hats off to them, they made the right call.

Remember MAN OF STEEL helps set up expectations for JUSTICE LEAGUE too. It's imperative that they get all their ducks in a row for the DC universe and doing 3D now just makes sense. Heck BATMAN should have been 3D too, but certain creative differences do exist from time to time.

Hit the jump to read what director Zack Snyder had to say about it:



"The film is going to be a visually exciting experience in all formats: 2D, 3D and IMAX. Anticipating how audiences today embrace 3D, we designed and photographed the movie in a way that would allow ‘Man of Steel’ to captivate those movie goers, while respecting fans who prefer a more traditional cinematic experience. We’ve taken great measures to ensure the film and the story come first, and 3D is meant as an enhancement."

I am SO thrilled with Snyder's decision on this. Onward and upward!!

MAN OF STEEL opens June 14, 2013 in GLORIOUS 3D!

Source: Warner Bros

MUST WATCH: New Teaser Trailer For MAN OF STEEL!

Warner Bros. has released a new teaser trailer for MAN OF STEEL and it - looks - AMAZING. I saw it last night too pre-rolling in front of THE DARK KNIGHT RISES. Zach Snyder is directing and we know him to be a very capable helmsman, but throw in Producer Christopher Nolan and it really starts to pick up some unique energy, perhaps like no other movie we've ever seen. Marvel has every right to look over their shoulder at this movie because if it connects like I think it will, then DC and Warner's are on their way back into the superhero genre in a big way. Justice League anyone? Imagine a JL movie helmed by Nolan. It might be the only way to get back in the director's chair for another superhero movie. One of it's targets? Best THE AVENGERS. Not an easy task.

I LOVE how Snyder is using Clark Kent as a fisherman in this thing. It's a new spin and it works. The soundtrack and editing on this thing are going to be impeccable. Henry Cavill is looking great so far in the role - that casting HAD to work and it seems to be.

This teaser is narrated by Kevin Costner. There is actually a second trailer out there too with the exact same content, except it is narrated by Russell Crowe.

Now, a small note that Warner Bros. still hasn't confirmed the post production of MAN OF STEEL in 3D, but for me - it's a no-brainer. Look at the success Marvel is having with the genre and the studio would be daft to not follow that model. Sure you could look at Nolan and the work that he's done with Batman without 3D, but do NOT kid yourself, his movies would gross much more and be all that much more enjoyable to legions of fans with immersive 3D. It's a perfect match for superhero movies that have been proven over and over again with Marvel. Even IMAX had listed MAN OF STEEL as being an IMAX 3D movie until Warners told them to take it down.

Clearly Nolan's fingerprints are ALL of over this movie - even Hans Zimmer is scoring it rather than Snyder's usual accomplice, Tyler Bates. The big question here is just how far will the money (Warner Bros.) and the true creative talent (Snyder) allow a Producer to wield. It's well known that Nolan is anti-3D and is quite evangelistic about it. 

Apparently Nolan hasn't met anyone who enjoys 3D! I guess that makes Nolan pretty lonely in Hollywood, never talking with his peers like oh say: Martin Scorsese, Ridley Scott, James Cameron, Ang Lee, Peter Jackson, Bryan Singer, Steven Spielberg, Henry Selick, Robert Zemeckis, Joseph Kosinski, Rob Marshall, Tim Burton, Michael Bay, Alfonso Cuaron, Baz Luhrmann, Wim Wenders, Jean Luc Goddard, Werner Herzog and the list goes on. However I have to say if he is a traditionalist as he seems to be (sticking with film and no 3D), then I believe he should leave the creativity to his hired creative talent and not interfere at such a fundamental level. Clearly he is practically alone in Hollywood and to me that is not understanding a market very effectively. Man, I would have LOVED to have seen BB, TDK and TDKR in 3D. Multiple times I might add.

Here's the movie's storyline:
Henry Cavill plays Superman in director Zack Snyder's "Man of Steel." The film also stars Amy Adams as Daily Planet journalist Lois Lane, and Laurence Fishburne as her editor-in-chief, Perry White. Starring as Clark Kent's adoptive parents, Martha and Jonathan Kent, are Diane Lane and Kevin Costner.

Squaring off against the superhero are two other surviving Kryptonians, the villainous General Zod, played by Michael Shannon, and Faora, Zod's evil partner, played by Antje Traue. Also from Superman's native Krypton are Lara Lor-Van, Superman's mother, played by Ayelet Zurer, and Superman's father, Jor-El, portrayed by Russell Crowe. Rounding out the cast are Harry Lennix as U.S. military man General Swanwick, as well as Christopher Meloni as Colonel Hardy.

Here's the movie's official site. Want more photos?

Stay tuned for more! Can't wait to see this in 3D...

Photo: EW
Thanks: James Stewart