The first images of Josh Brolin in full costume from the set of Jonah Hex have made their way out on to the web, complete with his severely deformed half-face. The graphic novel adaptation is currently filming and is helmed by Horton Hears A Who! co-director Jimmy Hayward.

It’s not yet known exactly which storyline will be used for the movie, but Jonah Hex is about a Confederate Civil War soldier-turned bounty hunter with half of his face deformed. John Malkovich also stars in the movie as the villain Quentin Turnbull, “the man with the eagle-topped cane,” which may give a clue to the possible storyline. Turnbull’s son and Hex were friends when the Union slaughtered him and many other soldiers after Hex refused to give information. They blamed the slaughter on Hex and Turnbull made it his mission to destroy him.

To go along with these cool first looks at Josh Brolin, there’s also some peeks at Megan Fox in Jonah Hex, as well. These images came out quite a while back, but in case you missed them then, they are here now to accompany Mr. Brolin [...]

Best-selling author David Eddings died yesterday in Carson City, NV, at age 77. No cause of death was given.

Eddings was a giant in the world of fantasy literature with most of his popularity stemming from his Belgariad and Malloreon book series. The now-classic Pawn of Prophecy launched the epic Belgariad series in 1982 and was instantly embraced by fans of the fantasy genre.

The author collaborated on most of his works with his wife Leigh Eddings, who died in 2007 at the age of 69. Born in Spokane, WA, Eddings studied literature and drama in college, receiving a Master’s Degree from the University of Washington in 1961 before being drafted into the U.S. Army. In 1973, Eddings wrote a fictional adventure novel High Hunt, but later switch to fantasy writing after seeing a copy of Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings in its 78th printing made him realize that the genre was still a viable one [...]

A bunch of behind-the-scenes images from the adaptation of Jonathan Swift‘s classic Gulliver’s Travels have surfaced. All of the images are of the movie’s star, Jack Black, standing in the middle of what looks like some kind of town square and yelling something. It appears that some oddly-dressed soldiers are present, leading us to believe that this is after Gulliver has arrived in the mysterious world of little people. No one appears to be small or wearing motion-capture suits or anything, so I’m really not sure which method they’re using to make everyone tiny. Maybe this is just how folks dress wherever Gulliver is BEFORE heading to tiny people world.

Jack Black is playing Lemuel Gulliver, an adventure-loving writer who while on an assignment to the dreaded Bermuda Triangle, washes up on the shores of Lilliput — a whole new world where the people are equal in their evolution, but just so happen to be incredibly small as well.

The movie also stars Emily Blunt (The Devil Wears Prada) as a native Lilliput princess, and Jason Segel (Forgetting Sarah Marshall) as Horatio. [...]

Bubba Ho-Tep
Limited Collector’s Edition
Directed by Don Coscarelli
Starring Bruce Campbell, Ossie Davis, Ella Joyce, Heidi Marnhout, Bob Ivy
MGM Home Entertainment
Available Now

Before I get started, I have a confession to make… I did not grow up worshiping at the altar of Bruce Campbell. I’d heard the name, but I really had no idea who the guy was. And coming from a self-professed cinephile and pop-culture junkie, I know that this information is a big blow to my credibility… In my defense, I have since seen all of the man’s films, read both of his books, and worship at the altar of Bruce Campbell regularly.

But then I read an article in my local paper about a little movie called Bubba Ho-Tep that was going to be playing at our small, alternative cinema. I really couldn’t believe what I was reading as the article discussed the plot of the film. For those who don’t know, in a nutshell the film is about two residents of an old folks home — who may or may not be Elvis Presley and John F. Kennedy — who have to team up to battle an ancient Mummy that is stalking the old folks living in the home.

Brilliant, right? But wait, it gets better!

Elvis is played by Bruce Campbell and JFK is played by… wait for it… Ossie Davis! Yes, African American screen legend and civil rights activist Ossie Davis! For those keeping score at home — JFK was about as Caucasian as it gets… Do you see the brilliance at work here? [...]

Ain’t It Cool News has obtained multiple images of various movie posters and title graphics from a licensing show. Included in the mix are posters for Edgar Wright’s Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Johnny Depp’s animated movie Rango, Dreamworks’ How to Train Your Dragon, and Despicable Me with Steve Carell. But the one that stands out over all of the rest, is a great little graphic of the huge summer Marvel slate through 2012, including Iron Man 2, Thor, Captain America, and the massive grand finale: The Avengers.

Click the image to check out the Marvel title graphics and head over to AICN to see all of the posters!

Jon Favreau‘s Iron Man 2 is currently filming and just recently reached the half-way point of filming before their May 7, 2010 release date. Kenneth Branagh‘s Thor is currently gathering a very interesting cast before they get moving toward their May 20, 2011 release. Later that same year on July 22, 2011 Captain America will get a release, but we still have no idea who will direct and star for that one yet. Lastly, the Marvel characters will unite in one massive superhero ensemble movie on May 4, 2012 when The Avengers finally come to play. [...]

The rights to make a live-action movie based on popular kids book series Where’s Waldo? have been floating around for a while, but now Universal Pictures has shown off their vertical leap and grabbed hold of the property.

The books, created by Martin Handford, offered up endless pages of large crowds of people in which you would spend hours trying to locate the man they called Waldo, who was always dressed in his matching red and white clothing scheme. While the books were always a good time for kids and a nice time-waster for incredibly bored adults, it is pretty unlikely that this will be two hours of live action shots of huge crowds that we will search through for the elusive little Bill Gates look-alike. First to find him wins a box of Juji Fruit. Wait, that actually sounds pretty fun. Well-played, Waldo.

Alright, that won’t happen, so what will this little doozy be about? It appears that the movie will follow a 30-something-year old Waldo who ends up traveling through time after accidentally setting off a time machine that had been working improperly. [...]

Zachary Quinto has posted a 5-minute audio sample of the Star Trek novelization’s audiobook, of which he is the narrator.

Listen to the clip here below.

Quinto, who stars as Spock in the newest Star Trek film, voices all of the characters in the full 8.5-hour audiobook, which is based on the film adaptation by Alan Dean Foster and includes parts of the story that did not make it into the movie.

Speaking of Quinto, who attended the MTV Music Awards this weekend with his Heroes co-star Hayden Panetierre, the actor attended a fundraiser last week where he got the chance to shake hands with President Obama. Quite amusing, considering how the President has repeatedly been compared to the character Spock, with several photoshopped images of Obama with pointy Vulcan ears and eyebrows. Quinto is a big supporter of the President and had campaigned for him during the election [...]

My Name Is Bruce
Directed by Bruce Campbell
Starring Bruce Campbell, Taylor Sharpe, Ted Raimi
Image Entertainment
Available now

As if you didn’t know already, this is very much the Bruce Campbell show. At the beginning, after Clayton dares to say something bad about Bruce, Jeff says: ‘Get out of the car. You don’t like Bruce, you walk.’ I think this line sets the tone for the whole movie: you’re either in for the ride, or you’re out. I was in quicker than you can say ‘chainsaw for a hand.’

Jeff (Taylor Sharpe) and Clayton are driving, on their way to meet the Debbie’s ‘to get laid’ (where? in a cemetery. Duh.). Jeff and ‘big Debbie’ go for a walk to break stuff and as they do Jeff finds a mysterious amulet, which he pockets. Little did Jeff know he just opened a world of terror on his fellow townsfolk.

Guan-Di, the Chinese protector of the dead and bean curd (yes, bean curd), is awakened and starts his murderous rampage through the town. Terrified, the people of Gold Lick, Oregon, need help. They need back-up from someone who knows how to deal with evil monsters. They need Bruce Campbell [...]

In continuing with his casting of actors who are mostly unknown in the United States, Thor director Kenneth Branagh has cast boom-voiced actor Brian Blessed in the role of Odin, father of Thor and Loki, as well as All-Father of the Norse afterlife, Valhalla.

Blessed is perhaps best known for his role as Prince Vultan in Flash Gordon, but has appeared in some well-known movies such as: Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves as Lord Locksley, Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace as Boss Nass, and Disney’s Tarzan as the villain Clayton.

So far, Branagh has only cast unknowns with Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Tom Hiddleston as Loki, and now Blessed as Odin. Again, Thor is a comic that used a lot of Old English dialogue, so Branagh has brought in the best actors to perform that kind of style. On the other hand, will the lack of star-power in this Marvel summer blockbuster affect its box office take?

These are the things that are making Thor an interesting project to watch. [...]

The very first non-set image from Louis Leterrier‘s Clash of the Titans reboot has been discovered. No one seems to know where the image came from, but /Film has gotten their hands on the picture which shows exploding Aussie star Sam Worthington (Terminator Salvation, Avatar) as Perseus doing battle with some wretched creature. Click the image at right to see a little sample, click the link to go see the full image!

It’s not a whole lot to go on, but if I had to make a snap-judgment on it, it’s hard to deny that this tells me that they really have the right look and tone going for them. We can only hope that it’s like this throughout the production and that we’re in for some kick-ass mythological action on March 26, 2010 when the movie is released.

In Clash of the Titans, the ultimate struggle for power pits men against kings and kings against gods. But the war between the gods themselves could destroy the world. Born of a god but raised as a man, Perseus (Worthington) is helpless to save his family from Hades (Fiennes), vengeful god of the underworld. [...]

A lot of people are just flat sick of hearing about fanboy-favorite Firefly and its seemingly impossible resurrection. Even I, someone who very much loves and misses the show, sometimes hates reading rumors about the show or how it may one day return to us. None-the-less, every once in a while, you just need to buckle down and revisit the topic and where it may currently stand in this completely unfair and tragic hell that Firefly has been prisoner to for many years now.

TV By The Numbers has a great piece from The Nick C Blog on some of the options that exist for just such a thing to happen, as well as whether Joss Whedon‘s Dollhouse getting a second season helps Firefly out.

The most intriguing part of this article, is that the man who wrote it has apparently had plenty of contact with Fox and its people. The main question posed to them is as it always has been: is there any way that Fox would actually do what we hope and pray–yet highly-doubt would ever happen and bring back Firefly? Surprisingly, the answer seems to be “yes,” if it were under the proper circumstances. [...]

Hotwire; Requiem for the Dead
#3 of 4
Written, Illustrated and lettered by Steve Pugh
Created by Warren Ellis and Steve Pugh
Radical Publishing, Inc.
Cover price: $2.99; On-sale date: May 2009

“Blue-Lights have started to penetrate the suppressor fields into the cities and are possessing the living. The living are being turned into “Ghost-Bombs,” capable of enormous damage. When the dead threaten the living, you call the police and they have a department of One to take care of the problem. The Detective Exorcist, Alice Hotwire.”

This is the foreword on this Warren Ellis and Steve Pugh created miniseries. Newcomer Radical Publishing is producing this comic, based on a story by Warren Ellis, which, judging by the intense, strange, vivid world and equally traited characters, is not hard to believe. Steve Pugh is handling the rest of the series though, by writing, illustrating and even lettering this futuristic/technological ghost/zombie story [...]

While there’s no real news here, the thought of something happening is sometimes pretty exciting. One of the more smile-inducing things that would get fans going, would be Bryan Singer returning to attempt to save the X-Men franchise — a franchise which has been demolished since his wonderful X-2 with movies like X-Men: The Last Stand and X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

In an interview with Total Film Magazine, Singer was asked about the world of X-Men — how he’s seen it since leaving, and if he would like to return to it some day.

Here’s what Singer had to say:

I’m eternally intertwined with X-Men now. What takes an audience four hours to watch – the first two movies – took six years of my life. So, to not be part of it….It’s a shame. It’s weird for me to watch [The Last Stand] because I’m so close to the universe. And also Brett is a good friend of mine. But, of course, I would love to return to that universe. [...]

Burn Notice, premiering its third season on Thursday, June 4th on USA Network at 9/8c, is a show that started out as something very small. The story of a CIA operative who suddenly finds himself burned (blacklisted from government work, stuck with no passport, no money, etc.) and dropped off in Miami, the show may appear on the surface to be a traditional formula: with the help of his “trigger-happy” ex-girlfriend Fiona (Gabrielle Anwar) and his former colleague Sam (the week’s honoree, Bruce Campbell), Michael Weston (Jeffrey Donovan) helps out people in the community who need someone who knows how to handle a gun, is able to rig a bomb out of just about anything, and who’s street smart enough to get the job done without involving the authorities.

At that basic level, the show is a procedural like any other, but it was first boosted by two primary elements that raise its quality. First, the presence of Anwar (who despite being a polarizing figure is damn fun to watch due to her sadistic streak) and Campbell (who is both the heart and humor of the show, usually simultaneously) help to give the show a nice banter, along with Michael’s connection to his mother and brother who also happen to live in Miami. Second, the missions themselves take the form of Michael offering narration as to his MacGyver-like abilities with hardware store purchases — he takes us through the missions piece by piece, allowing us to see the inner workings of the process. It takes missions that are good to begin with thanks to their populist streak (everyone likes to see a good guy helping out the little guy) and gives them an added point of interest for the viewer, especially those who enjoy geeking out at some ingenious engineering. Combined with the beautiful Miami setting, and the bikini-clad women who somehow always seem to populate the streets, and you have a show with something for everyone [...]

Land of the Lost, people!

This is one of those shows that I grew up watching and for some strange reason just loving it to death. As far as I’m concerned Land of the Lost is geek T.V. personified. And yeah, I knew just how cheesy it was even then, but that didn’t hamper my enjoyment one bit. I have to admit that I thought watching the SciFi channel’s Land of the Lost marathon the other day might accidentally open my eyes to some kind of ‘wrongness’ about my feelings for it but I gotta say after all these years I STILL love Land of the Lost. Sue me. :P

With the Will Ferrell headed redux heading to theaters this week I’m actually kinda excited… and now it’s time for YOU to get excited too, because we here at Geeks of Doom are giving away a rowboat full of Land of the Lost schwag to two lucky readers!

D&D: Player’s Handbook 2
A 4th Edition D&D Core Rulebook
Written by Jeremy Crawford, Mike Mearls, and James Wyatt
Wizards of the Coast
Release date: March 17, 2009

I’ve been meaning to do a series of articles on the books being released for the newest edition of Dungeons and Dragons since I started playing several months ago, but it just kept getting pushed back. However, I now find myself with some free time and spare energy, so I will begin this series today, by talking about one of the most recent books released for the game, the Player’s Handbook 2.

Player’s Handbook 2, or PH2, is a fairly important book in the line, clearly the most important since the first Player’s Handbook. Each Player’s handbook is important because these are the books that tell us what kind of characters we can play. Where PH1 laid the groundwork for the game and gave us the basic classes and races for characters, PH2 gets a bit more exotic, with 5 new races, and 8 new classes.

Some are of the races are classics from earlier editions that were left out of PH1 for space, while some are new additions to the game that look to set out their own place in gamers’ hearts. The five new races are Deva (kind of an angelic race and the opposite number of the Teifling from PH1), Gnome, Half-Orc, Goliath, and Shifter [...]

I’m just going to come right out and say it: The MTV Movie Awards are not quite what they used to be. Not only does everyone know the winners, allowing most of the losers to not even bother showing up; those who do win always end up being highly undeserving of the award thanks to the scary-large amount of little kids out there who rock the vote. In the few minutes that I did watch, here’s what I saw: Andy Samberg ripping off Billy Crystal’s Oscar bit; Ashley Tisdale winning “Breakout Female Performer of the Year” for High School Musical 3; Hayden Panettiere swearing a lot to show that she’s all grown up now; and Miley Cyrus winning for Best Song over A.R. Rahman‘s “Jai Ho” from Slumdog Millionaire, and Bruce Springsteen‘s song “The Wrestler” from The Wrestler. These few brief moments were so painful to watch, it was literally all my little heart could take, bless it so. I’ve recorded the ceremony, so I can watch the rest later with the ability to fast forward through anything so bad that it has me tempted to inflict self-harm as a valid alternative.

While the show may be unbearable to most, they do at least show a handful of new clips and trailers from some of the year’s biggest upcoming movies, and those, my friends, I am nothing but happy to share with you here! [...]