All New Man of Steel Three Minute Long Trailer Premieres Along With New Images Of Faora, Zod, And More

As we near the highly anticipated release of Zack Snyder's Superman reboot Man of Steel which is just a mere two months away, marketing for the film has been cranking up recently with the release of new TV spots, screenshots, and now finally a new trailer for the film. Thanks to Entertainment Weekly, we've finally got the first official stills of Zod (Michael Shannon), Faora (Antje Traue), Perry White (Laurence Fishburne), Lois Lane (Amy Adams), Ma and Pa Kent (Diane Lane and Kevin Costner), Jor-El (Russell Crowe), and new shots of Superman (Henry Cavill) himself. But more importantly an all new action packed trailer loaded with new footage has been released.

Well I think I'll start things off with the amazing new trailer for the film which you can watch below:

This trailer finally shows us so many things we have had yet to see in the film, and while we've seen set photos and brief glimpses of characters such as Zod and Lois Lane in previous trailers and TV spots, now we actually see Michael Shannon obviously giving a very intense performance as General Zod, both dramatically and physically, as well as Amy Adams' Lois Lane and a little preview of her relationship with Superman. But the main thing we see a lot of in this trailer is action, something that many fans of the Superman character including myself have complained hasn't been included in any previous films, but as soon as Zack Snyder signed on to helm Man of Steel we could already expect loads of action for once. The intensity of Superman and Zod both having equivalent powers is displayed perfectly in the trailer, with lots of quick high flying action that's expected from the two other worldly beings.

One great aspect of the trailer was the look at the War of Krypton, something that we've known for quite a while would be included in Man of Steel but we still hadn't had an idea of what Krypton would look like in this film. The last time we saw Superman's home world on screen was way back in Richard Donner's Superman film of the seventies which (Despite the lack of CGI at the time) had the appearance of a crystallized icy planet. Obviously now a days Snyder has the resources to give us a fully CGI version of Krypton, and it seems to be a very different and impressive sight from the looks of it. We also finally see the famous Fortress of Solitude which is basically Superman's equivalent to Batman's Batcave. Here are some screenshots from the trailer:

Click to enlarge

Click to enlarge

Click to enlarge

Click to enlarge

Click to enlarge

Click to enlarge

Now along with the new trailer are the new images from the Man of Steel issue of Entertainment Weekly. We get our first glimpse of Zod's female Kryptonian lieutenant Faora (Who wasn't featured in the new trailer) in full armor played by Antje Traue, and we have new photos of Martha and Jonathan Kent on the farm, Zod in action, Superman's birth father Jor-El, Clark Kent and Lois Lane's boss at the Daily Planet Perry White (Played by the Martix star Laurence Fisburne), and both Zod and Superman in action. Take a look below:

Clear shot at the Superman suit worn by Henry Cavill in the film

The Kryptonian war prisoner General Zod (Played by Michael Shannon) after being released from the Phantom Zone he was trapped in by Jor-El in search of his son Kal-El for revenge

Clark Kent's co-worker at the Daily Planet newspaper Lois Lane (Played by Amy Adams) along with Editor and Chief  Perry White (Played by Laurence Fishburne)

Superman in high speed flight

Superman aka Kal-El's birth father Jor-El played by Russell Crowe on Krypton

Clark Kent's adoptive parents Martha 'Ma' Kent (Played by Diane Lane) and Jonathan 'Pa' Kent (Played by Kevin Costner) on the family farm.

Faora making some kind of mental connection with Lois, presumably reading her mind but that's just a guess

Zod's female lieutenant Faora (Played by Antje Traue) in her full Kryptonian armor

Full look at Superman's full suit, obviously very different from any on screen suits we've seen before

So what do you think of the new Man of Steel trailer and images? Are you excited for the movie?

Man of Steel hits in this summer in 2D and in select theaters in 3D/IMAX on June 14, 2013

Read More

Editorial: Jurassic Park Four Proves Featherless, Not Plot-less

Guest post by Cherie N. of Digitalpros.org. Jurassic Park defined an era. Spielberg’s prehistoric world has echoed in our imaginations for more than 20 years, and JP4 has us reeling in anticipation. When the first JP film came out in 1993, CGI took our breath away, and the plot was so convincing it almost seemed feasible in the real world (or the world we all wished we could experience.) Adrenaline met fantasy that’s dripping with character development. That’s difficult task to master when a T-Rex is chasing you around a deserted island.

As the franchise expanded, we met some new characters and colossal new dinosaurs. The T-rex met his match; the Allosaurous and a bevy of other terrible lizards ran amok on the deserted island. We learned that curiosity kills more than the cat and it’s probably best not to hide a prehistoric back up island from the world. Visions of grandeur can quickly turn sour, especially when it comes to long-extinct species. Spielberg has a way of connecting us with our fantasies and our emotions, whether it’s through dinosaurs, aliens or historical atrocities.

The Spielberg Effect

The Goonies made us nostalgic over the amazing adventures we lived (or wish we had) during our coming-of-age years. Indiana Jones made us want to explore the world in every rich historical context we didn’t know existed. Super 8 not only appealed to our inquisitive childhood nature and quest for extraterrestrial life, but it also sent a generation scrambling for lost memories and turn our 8mm to DVD. Although Spielberg passed the directorial torch to Colin Trevorrow (Safety Not Guaranteed), staying on as producer ensures that magical storytelling will remain on the forefront.

CGI Milestones, Big Footprints to Fill

Jurassic Park brought the world some of the best CGI it had seen to date. Even the harshest skeptics found themselves entranced by the notion of trailblazing through a meadow full of Apatosaurus in a branded Wrangler. Although production used a combination of CGI and robotics, the blending of the two wows audiences to this day. Only time will tell if the next installation lives up to its predecessors.

Above: Some early insights to the tyrannical task of resurrecting dinosaurs

What’s Next?

When we left Isla Sorna for the last time in 2001, only a few cheesy lines from the delightful Tea Leoni gave us solace. Although the plot of the next installment is shrouded in secrecy, some burning questions still had to be answered. Director Colin Trevorrow confirmed to IMC that this fourth installment will stay stylistically true to the first three, and that our beloved dinosaurs will not feature historically accurate feathers, which, from a film making perspective makes sense — as consistency is key in holding a franchise together. Mark Norell, curator at the National Museum of history remarked that velociraptors probably would have looked like strange birds. Even if that is accurate, die-hard Jurassic Park fans do not want to see our favorite dino-villains bobbing around like strange birds. Sci-fi movies are exponentially better when fear and awe-based alterations are kept in place.

Jurassic Park I Vis set to hit theaters June 13, 2014. Are you excited to see it?

Read More

Charlie Hunnam Rumored To Be Warner Bros. Choice To Play The Flash

Just two days ago I released my own Flash fancast on here about how I think Warner Bros. should make a Flash film, and in the article I discussed how unlikely a Flash film is now that Green Lantern was such a financial failure. Well it seems that Warner Bros. has now coincidentally finally decided to breathe some life into the project, most likely do to all the momentum a DC Cinematic Universe has been getting as we approach the release of Zack Snyder's Man of Steel. According to CHUD.com, Sons of Anarchy star Charlie Hunnam seems to be the man WB is eyeing for the part of the Flash.

According to CHUD, Hunnam is the actor being drawn as the Flash in numerous WB concept art.  Now this could mean many things, but the conclusion many people are coming to is that Warner Bros. definitely has their eyes set of Hunnam is the Flash role. Warner Bros. seems to be very pleased with Guillermo Del Toro's new blockbuster Pacific Rim which Hunnam is portraying the lead in. Hunnam should gain a lot of recognition  from audiences if Pacific Rim does well, which could be the very reason WB is eyeing him for the part.

Now we can't jump to the conclusion that Hunnam's likeness in the concept art confirms he's being considered for the role by WB as this could just be an artist who's a fan of Hunnam using him as an example for the art. It happens a lot with concept artists who just pick a random actor to base their concept art off of as we've seen with the art of Billy Crudup as The Hulk in Ang Lee's 2003 film and with Bradley Cooper as The Crow in the art for the reboot of Alex Proyas' classic. There's also the possibility that WB might be using the concept art to help persuade him to join the Justice League cast.

If this is true, Hunnam is probably the actor they're considering for the Justice League film they have coming up, where he'll be starring most likely alongside Man of Steel actor Henry Cavill. He's the right age to play opposite Cavill's Superman, and he also seems like a good fit for Barry Allen/Flash which is presumably the version of the Flash WB is going with for their Justice League line-up. Flash isn't the first DC character Hunnam's been attached to, as he's also been a popular choice for Justice League members Green Arrow/Oliver Queen and Aquaman/Arthur Curry. But more recently his names been tossed around for the lead in Guillermo Del Toro's adaption of Justice League Dark as Detective John Constantine, as he both looks the part and has worked with Del Toro already on Pacific Rim. But the Flash rumors seem to cancel the chances out, but my personal choice for Constantine is Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Game of Thrones) who has also worked with Del Toro on Mama this last January.

Now just yesterday Warner Bros. President Jeff Robinov was interviewed for the Man of Steel focused issue of Entertainment Weekly and in it he confirmed a couple of key things about the DC Cinematic Universe and Man of Steel's connection to it. One thing that he cleared up is the confirmation that Christopher Nolan won't be involved in a Justice League film in order to focus on his own new film Interstellar which is set for a release date later next year. He also states that Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy stands on it's own and will not be involved with any future plans for DC films, which practically confirms that we will be seeing a new actor and version of Batman in the JL film. But what he does confirm is that Man of Steel unlike the TDK series WILL have Superman coexisting in a world alongside other heroes. According to Robinov:


“I think you’ll see that, going forward, anything can live in this world,” he said. “[Nolan’s] Batman was deliberately and smartly positioned as a stand-alone. The world they lived in was very isolated without any knowledge of any other superheroes. What Zack and Chris have done with this film is allow you to really introduce other characters into the same world.

He also added: “We’ll announce something in the next several weeks that will hopefully position the DC characters and the movies we’re going to be making,” Could it be Charlie Hunnam's being confirmed as DC's Flash?

So what do you think of Charlie Hunnam as The Flash? Are you happy Superman will be existing in a larger universe of heroes?

Read More

Fan-Cast: What I Believe A Warner Bros. Flash Film Series Should Be Like

Superhero movies are practically everywhere in the film industry now a days, and now almost all of the most well known heroes including Thor, Iron Man, Captain America, Spider-Man, The Fantastic Four, Batman, Superman, and The Avengers themselves have all had a chance to get onto the big screen with great talented actors portraying them, memorable villains, and spectacular directors bringing their stories right off the page. But one of the most frequently asked questions when it comes to superhero films is why there hasn't even been a Flash film yet? Well while it seems Green Lantern has practically ruined the chances of a Flash film getting off the ground, I've developed my own ideas for a Flash film series that would hopefully be a lead up to a Justice League film in the future. 

So I basically want to see a total of four films in the Flash series, which should give us enough time to see both Barry Allen and Wally West as The Flash as well as the main members of their rogues gallery and the members of the Speed Force. The first film should basically be an origin story for Barry Allen and how he became the Flash as well as pitting him against Eobard Thawne aka Professor Zoom who has the same powers as Barry. Barry along with his nephew Wally he received the same powers as him done the identities of The Flash and Kid Flash facing off against their evil equivalents Professor Zoom and the reverse Kid Flash aka Inertia.

The second film of the series should pit Barry and Wally against the leader of Flash's Rogues gallery which is none other than Captain Cold and their first introduction the Max Mercury and the members of the Speed Force. The third film of the series would have the two now being pushed to their limitations of Flash's entire rogues gallery of villains and an unexpected arrival of a future Wally West now as the second Flash. He would be coming back to prevent the death of his aunt Iris West at the hands of Professor Zoom and the Rogues but the three eventually fail at their mission and are unable to save her (Similar to the comic storyline). This leaves our hero at a low point giving up the mantle of the Flash and passing it on to Wally West.

The sequel should take place years later and be based on The Flash: Rebirth story line. Barry Allen has since died and Wally is now The Flash with Bart Allen now as Impulse aka the new Kid Flash. That is where Barry Allen is revived and fights along with the current Flash, Wally West to identify a disruption in the Speed Force. Somewhere along the line the movie should have cameos by Superman (Owain Yeoman) and Green Lantern (Ryan Reynolds). The film will finally unite all the members of the Speed Force including Barry, Wally (As Kid Flash), adult Wally, Max Mercury, Impulse, and the original Flash Guy Garrick. The series should then end with both adult Wally and Barry traveling to the future and meeting the future third Flash who is revealed to be none other than Bart Allen/Impulse. And now for the cast:

                                 

Professor Zoom/Eobard Twane-Paul Bettany

As in my proposed Flash films Professor Zoom would be the primary villain, I really needed an actor who can give a great and menacing portrayal and really give off a threat for our Flash. Paul Bettany is a fantastic versatile actor who fits just that description, and he hasn't yet been given a strong villain role which I think he'd be great for.

Zoom/Hunter Zolomon-Ben Foster

For Hunter Zolomon I needed a younger actor who could bring us a more psychotic villain for our heroes, and Ben Foster has proven himself over the years by portraying roles with that characterization, as seen in Alpha Dog. But what really got me thinking Ben Foster would be a great superhero villain was his performance as Charlie Prince in 3: 10 to Yuma, which makes me believe he'd bring a lot of personality to the role and won't be overshadowed by Bettany in any way.

Impulse/Kid Flash/Bart Allen-Callan McAuliffe

After seeing him in Flipped and I Am Number Four, there's no doubt that McAuliffe is a great young talent in Hollywood, and he'd make a great superhero. He fits Bart Allen personality wise perfectly, and he'd really give us a fun energetic Impulse that's perfectly accurate to the comics.

Inertia/ Reverse Impulse-Jack Quaid

Like with both of the Zooms, I really needed someone vicious and menacing to pull of Inertia which are qualities that are very hard to find in a young actor. I eventually decided on Quaid, as shown in his performance as Marvel one of the Career tributes in The Hunger Games he was able to make the character very maniacal and mean spirited with barely any lines, so imagine what he could do with such a key role this time around.

ALLIES:

Superman/Clark Kent-Owain Yeoman

Somewhere along the lines in a Flash series I'd love to see a Superman or Clark Kent cameo come along. Superman and Flash have always been known to be a bit competitive when it comes to their speed so it'd be very interesting to see it portrayed on screen, and would give a great scene both visually and humorously. I decided not to go with the obvious choice of Henry Cavill who's playing him in Man of Steel for creative purposes, and if there was anyone else I'd want to see in the role it would've been Yeoman who always gives a great performance on The Mentalist and has Superman and Clark's character traits and physicality down.

Reprising The Role Of Green Lantern/ Hal Jordan- Ryan Reynolds

Okay, okay, so we all know Green Lantern was not a good film at all, but in all fairness Reynolds wasn't the weakest link of the film by a long shit. While it would be better for Warner Bros. to just reboot the franchise at this point, chances are they won't for productivity issues and their rush to a Justice League movie. But I don't want Green Lantern's solo film to effect his character in a DC Cinematic Universe, and the friendship between Hal Jordan and Barry Allen has always been a profound one in the comics. It would only make sense for Hal to appear in a Flash film, and having him portrayed by Reynolds seems to be the only way for it to happen.

THE ROGUES

Captain Cold-Michael Massee

Behind Zoom, Captain Cold is by far the villain that possess the biggest threat to the Flash of all the Rogues, so ideally he needs an actor that can portray him just as menacing as he should be. Massee is a great actor at playing cold villains and he's extremely underrated despite the fact that he brings a level on physiological complexion to his villainous characters. While it had seemed he was going to play Norman Osborn in The Amazing Spider-Man series (Something I was very excited to see) Chris Cooper (The Muppets) has since been casted in the role so that leaves Massee vacant to take on another superhero villain and who better than the leader of the Rogues himself; Captain Cold.

Heatwave-Logan Marshall Green

Heatwave is a pretty badass villain of the Flash that has just been made even more badass in the New 52, so  he's an ideal pick for a big screen Flash villain. Marshall-Green is a great actor as he displayed with his role in Ridley Scott's Prometheus and he reminds be a lot of a young Tom Hardy which is exactly the type of actor I picture in a role like Heatwave.

Weather Wizard-Andy Serkis

Andy Serkis is probably one of the most underrated actors of our time who's played such iconic motion capture roles as Caesar in Rise of the Planet of the Apes and Gollum in Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings series. But what most people don't know is that Serkis is a great actor outside of motion capture as well although he sadly hasn't been given a big blockbuster to show case his none mo-cap acting talent in. Well I think he'd play a great villain for the Flash with Weather Wizard and it'd finally give him the chance to showcase his variety with his acting abilities.

Trickster-Seann William Scott

Trickster is easily the most hilarious of the Flash's rogues gallery and he could provide audiences with one of the funniest movie villains ever. To bring Trickster to life we really need an actor who can bring the laughs just as much as the writing will and who better than Stifler himself. Scott has proven time and time again that he's one of the funniest actors around at playing Trickster type characters such as in American Pie, Role Models, and Dude Where's My Car, so he'd be the ideal choice for the role with out a doubt.

Captain Boomerang-Jason Clarke

Captain Boomerang as his name presumes isn't exactly the coolest villain out there, but DC has at least improved him in the comics more recently from his original appearance. None the less Boomerang would be another fun villain to have the Flash face off against but he also needs an actor who can bring a lot of seriousness and threatening persona that's need for any on screen villain. I finally decided on Jason Clarke, who has a rising career ahead of him after recently starring in Zero Dark Thirty and now playing the lead in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, but not only is he Australian like Boomerang but he can make the character much more menacing then he would be other wise and really provide and entertaining villain.

Mirror Master-Alexis Denisof

While Denisof starred in a minor role in The Avengers lat year as the Chituari "The Other", it doesn't make it impossible for him to play a DC villain as well. Denisof is an awesome actor who has proven himself numerous times in a number of Joss Whedon's works including Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Angel, and Dollhouse. Not only that but Denisof voiced Mirror Master himself in both Justice League: Unlimited and Justice League: Doom and it's been the vest version of the character I've ever seen, so I'd love to see it again but this time on the big screen.

The Top-Bruce Campbell

While there had always been rumors that we'd eventually see Campbell as a Spider-Man villain in one of Sam Raimi's films (Rumored to be Mysterio) we never had the chance to see it happen. But with a film like the Flash comedic villains are the perfect fit for the Speedster to face off against, and while the Top may not be the coolest villain around Campbell would bring so much presence and personality to him like he did as Ash in Evil Dead that'd you'd almost forget The Top was as lame as he is and instead enjoy the character.

SPEED FORCE AND OTHER SUPPORTING CHARACTERS

Jay Garrick-Bruce Greenwood

Having been the first Flash of them all, it's only fair for Guy Garrick to have a role in a Flash movie series as a sort of mentor/father figure for Barry Allen. Bruce Greenwood fits the bill perfectly, and he'd bring the warm mentor qualities that I'd want for the role as well as some humor and banter between him Barry and Wally, and the more old school character. He'd be able to bring a similar relationship between him and Barry to that of his character Captain Pike with James T. Kirk in Star Trek. I also think Greenwood would be very believable as a man who was previously a superhero and is now handing down the mantel.

Linda Park- Grace Park

Grace Park is a phenomenal actress on Hawaii Five-0 and is almost a scene stealer most of the time and she works very well opposite both Alex O'Loughlin and Scott Caan. I think she'd give off a very strong and independent performance as Linda and she'd make her more than just Wally West's girlfriend and give her a lot of personality and character. 

Iris West-Kate Mara

While I had always thought Amy Adams would've been a great Iris West, she's obviously preoccupied playing Superman's love interest Lois Lane now in Man of Steel. So I decided on a new actress for the role which is Kate Mara, who's a great actress and has starred in such films as Iron Man 2 and 127 Hours but hasn't really been given a big role in any of these films. She fits the character if Iris perfectly and is the right age to work opposite my Barry Allen choice and continue on through the whole series of Flash films.

Max Mercury- Michael Keaton

John Slattery is usually cast as Max, but I'd thought I would get a more creative pick for the role of the most experienced of the speedsters, and who better than Michael Keaton himself. Keaton's obviously no stranger to playing a superhero as we know from Tim Burton's Batman, and it'd be great to see him back as a superhero and especially a DC one. Keaton seems to be making a comeback with roles in movies such as Need for Speed and the RoboCop reboot so it'd be fitting for him to have a role in a big block buster series like the Flash.

Adult Bart Allen/Flash-Mark-Paul Gosselaar

I personally feel that a Flash series should definitely involve time travel as it's one of his most key powers and with time travel also comes seeing past and future versions of certain characters, and one of these characters I believe should be an adult Bart Allen as the third Flash. It wouldn't be a large part but I feel it'd be a nice way to end the series showing the Bart will eventually take up the mantle, and maybe having him meet Barry and Wally and having all three of the Flashes all together in one place would be an awesome way to end a spectacular saga of The Flash. Gosselaar is obviously best known for his work as Zack Morris on Saved By The Bell, but since he's shown his more dramatic side on NYPD Blue and Raising the Bar. I think he'd be great alongside my other Flash choices, and he fits an older version of Callan McAuliffe well.

Kid Flash/Young Wally West- Dave Franco

Dave Franco had been my choice for a young Wally West for a long time my only concern now is that he might be too old for the role already being in his twenties to portray a "Kid" Flash and it woudn't be a big enough gap in age between him and my adult Wally West choice. None the less Franco has proven his comedic chops on both Scrubs and in 21 Jump Street and he'd really bring a lot of great humor to the film. He's also very believable as a younger version of my adult Wally West choice.

 Or Young Wally West/Kid Flash-Gabriel Basso

Since I still have concerns that Franco may be too old to play a teenage version of Wally West I've decided to go with a second and younger choice. Basso is a very talented young actor who has already established himself in a more comedic role in Super 8 as well as a more dramatic part in Kings of the Summer.  He fits the more teenage Wally well, as well as better physically resembling the character. My only problem with Basso as a young Wally is that he really doesn't look like my adult Wally choice where as Franco does.

Barry Allen/ The Flash-Scott Speedman

The Flash himself was actually the hardest role to cast, because honestly I couldn't even decide on which Flash to start off the series with. Originally I was going to go with Wally West to start the series since I loved his comedic touch to the team in the Justice League cartoon, but after a while I realized that you can't just skip over Barry Allen, and quite frankly he's also a very interesting character too. So after read the New 52 I went with Barry, and Speedman was the first person to come to mind. I could see him having great chemistry with my entire supporting cast, and he could still offer some comedic moments even if he isn't playing Wally. He's a great actor who can no doubt pull off the serious forensic scientist side of Barry, as well as the superhero Flash himself. 

And Wally West/The Flash-Mike Vogel

There's a lot of actors I considered for Wally West as he's one of the funniest and most free spirited heroes to ever grace a comic book so I really needed an actor that could translate those same traits on screen. I finally decided on Vogel he has the exact likable and funny personality Wally needs as well as the qualities of a hero in a blockbuster film. An adult Wally would obviously come later in the series after we've already seen him as Barry's sidekick as Kid Flash, so I needed an actor that could also show us a more matured version of Wally then his days as Kid Flash and one that would show qualities reminiscent of his mentor Barry and I think Vogel has all that down and displays some of the same personality traits as Speedman which would help make the Wally and Barry relationship feel much more realistic.

Music by Michael Giacchino

Giacchino is by far one of my favorite film composers around, and not only does he have the perfect tone and pace of music for a Flash film but he has also worked with my director choice numerous times in the past. Giacchino's score have a fast paced and light hearted feel to them that is exactly the type of music that fits a Flash film and is a great contrast from the usual darker superhero film scores such as Hans Zimmer's Dark Knight score (Which I love too but doesn't fit a character like The Flash). A perfect example of Giacchino's fast paced scores can be heard in both his Incredibles and John Carter scores but mainly in the race sequences of his Speed Racer score.

Directed by Brad Bird

While I considered a few other directors including Michael Gondry and Neil Burger, Brad Bird without a doubt is the perfect man for the job. He understands just about every element it would take to make a successful Flash film, and Bird has yet to direct a movie that hasn't impressed with highly praised animated films such as The Incredibles, The Iron Giant, and Ratatouille, as well as his live action film Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol. He's proven that he understand how to tell an epic cinematic superhero tale through The Incredibles as well as his sense of jaw dropping action with Ghost Protocol. If there's any person I'd want a Flash series to be in the hands of it'd be Bird for sure.

So what do you think of my ideas for a Flash movie series? Do you have any ideas or casting suggestions of your own?

Read More