G.I. Joe has only been out a few days now, but it’s shockingly doing really well at the box office — making around $100 million worldwide this one weekend — and even more shockingly getting many positive reviews. So it comes as no surprise that producers are already itching to keep going with the franchise.

Paramount Pictures Vice Chairman Rob Moore confirmed to the LA Times that a sequel is already set to begin development in the near future. He also explained that all of the actors signed a multi-film deal and are definitely coming back, while director Stephen Sommers is not signed on yet.

This is a smart move, for sure. Many people still aren’t sold on G.I. Joe, but because it’s being enjoyed so much more than everyone assumed it would be, they need to capitalize on that immediately. After seeing a highly-anticipated movie like Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen be hated as much as it was, you just never know what’s going to happen — strike while the iron is hot and all that jazz [...]

Seth Rogen‘s The Green Hornet has filled in some vacant roles, including the huge co-star role of Kato, which was long-expected to be handled by Stephen Chow.

The role of Kato was officially announced last week by Columbia Pictures. The part will be played by Jay Chou, a singer and actor from Taiwan who appeared in The Curse of the Golden Flower. Chou is definitely not as big as Stephen Chow, but it is pretty admirable that they’re giving the part to someone less known here in the States. It’s also a little confusing trying to figure out why they go for the star power in people like Nicolas Cage and Cameron Diaz, but a more obscure name for Kato. It should be interesting to see this all play out.

Even more exciting — though it will likely be a much smaller role — is the declaration of Edward James Olmos that he will be joining the cast, as well. The actor spoke to Hollywood Snitch recently and had this to say: [...]

The super stealthy dudes over at Titan Books have secretly slipped us a satchel stuffed with several copies (five, to be exact) of the brand spankin’ new G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra Mission Dossier for us to seed amongst our readership. This badass book is the companion to the current film G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra and contains info on the JOE team members and their slithery COBRA counterparts, as well as all sorts of cool intel on the cutting-edge vehicles, technology, sick stunts, and special effects that bulge at the movie’s seams.

Five (5) winners will each receive:

• One (1) G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra Mission Dossier

TO ENTER: There’s just two simple steps: (1) Make sure you’re subscribed to the Geeks of Doom email digest. If you’re not then click here and sign up. (If you’re already a subscriber, then go right to the next step.) (2) Fill out the entry form HERE and submit.

Good luck! [...]

The newest name to join the impressive cast for Oliver Stone‘s long-coming sequel to 1987′s Wall Street, Money Never Sleeps, is Frank Langella. The great actor will join the returning Michael Douglas and other newcomer actors like Shia Labeouf, Javier Bardem, and possibly Josh Brolin, if he accepts an offer that supposedly went out to [...]

In this world, there is nothing more refreshing than someone saying “no” to the misguided and highly-confused Hollywood machine.

The New York Post is reporting that Phil Carlo, author of The Ice Man: Confessions of a Mafia Contract Killer, has pulled out of his deal with producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura to turn his book into a movie. The reason: di Bonaventura wanted to cast questionable budding superstar Channing Tatum (G.I. Joe, Step Up) in the lead role of the Ice Man, Richard Kuklinski. If you’re not familiar with Kuklinski, then this doesn’t really affect you either way. Believe me when I say that would have been one of the most disgusting casting choices in the history of cinema.

In case you’re not familiar with him, Richard Kuklinski was a man who claimed to have killed 100 to 200 people, and this being true would not surprise me in the least. At first, he was just a purely cold-blooded killer who told stories of murdering people with no remorse for every-day things that simply piss you and I off, like road rage [...]

Let’s lead off with my asking forgiveness. I saw this a while ago and meant to write something immediately, but floated off to outer space for a while. It actually took two viewings of the interview to even pick up on it, but that’s just how things work, right?

While doing an interview recently with Attack of the Show, Edward James Olmos spoke about multiple things, including the United Nations meeting and his upcoming Battlestar Galactica directorial effort, The Plan. The science fiction god-among-men — best known as the no B.S. Admiral William Adama on BSG — ended up telling a heated story about the U.N. which every fan should see. When time was running out, he squeezed in a quick-speaking push for all to be sure to watch The Plan, which is a sort of prequel, revisiting some of the crucial situations from the BSG mythology and telling them from the perspective of the Cylons. In this quick reminder, Olmos stated: [...]

G.I. Joe Classic Vol. 1-4
Written by Larry Hama with Herb Trimpe and Steven Grant
Art by Various
IDW Publishing
Available Now

As much as I loved G.I. Joe when I was a kid, I never read too much of the comic series that Marvel released in the 80’s to tie into the phenomenon. And let me tell you, I loved the toys growing up, had a ton of them, and still have great memories of waking up before school to watch the show. Fortunately for me, IDW has set out to reprint the entire comic book series, and has done a great job with them. Having read the first four volumes that are out now, I realize that it’s kind of a shame I didn’t read these as a kid, because these are some damn fine books for readers of all ages.

The first volume is kind of weird, at least to someone more familiar with the G.I. Joe cartoon series than the comics, as these issues have a very different tone from the show. Gone are the goofy costumes (for the most part) and a lot of the classic characters. No, the series actually starts as a more or less straight war comic, with more focus on the regular soldiers than on any crazy technology.

Reading the first few volumes, you could almost forget that the comic was designed to sell the toys, but that does creep up more as the series goes on, with the Joe’s or Cobra getting a new vehicle every issue. Sure, there are bits of the stuff I remember; Cobra Commander and the Baroness are still the big enemies, Snake Eyes and Scarlett are hanging around, but a lot of the Joes I remember don’t start showing up till around volume 3 [...]

To briefly recap on the story so far as we know it: Neil Blomkamp — director of the upcoming District 9 — was the first to attempt bringing Halo to the big screen. He even went so far as filming a live-action short video for Halo 3 promotion, and to show what the popular video game world could look like in live-action without any budget at all. The videos were great and the project was eventually put in motion with Peter Jackson acting as producer, but sadly, it became apparent that the budget would be way too large, and the Halo movie was put down Old Yeller style.

It really didn’t look like this movie was ever going to get made, but we all may have assumed a bit too soon. IESB is reporting that Steven Spielberg himself may be the man to pull this project from the cold grasp of cinematic death and breathe that sweet, sweet life back into it. The news was confirmed multiple times that Spielberg is currently in “active negotiations” to develop the Halo movie himself. [...]

Mad Men: Season Two
Special Collector’s Edition
Created by Matthew Weiner
Starring Jon Hamm, Elizabeth Moss, January Jones, Christina Hendricks, John Slattery and Vincent Kartheiser
Lionsgate Home Entertainment
Release Date: July 14, 2009

It was F. Scott Fitzgerald who once posited that the things that people are ashamed of are the things that make the best stories. Fitzgerald, had he come later and not, y’know, drank himself to death, would have been proud to have come up with Mad Men. It was last year’s Emmy winner for Best TV Drama, and if my estimation of last season’s complete and utter swill that called itself television is correct (a year that spawned a disappointing third season of Dexter, a godawful season of Weeds, and the advent of the neon storm of ass that calls itself “True Blood“), it will win again this year. They should just rename the Emmys “Let’s Throw Gold Shit at Matthew Weiner and Tina Fey for Three Hours.” ‘Cause if I’m a fan of anything, it’s honesty.

For those of you who have yet to fall head-first into Mad Men like the unbearable hipster jackass at the record store told you you should have by now, allow me to set the scene:

In the early 1960′s, Don Draper (Jon Hamm) is an advertising executive at the New York agency Sterling-Cooper. He has a lovely wife named Betty (January Jones) and two darling children and a big expensive house. Naturally, someone who has all these things should have deep problems and Don most certainly does. He’s a serial philanderer, has barely any love for his wife at all and bears a huge secret that haunts him at every turn. From season to season, Draper attempts to build up his success while his baser natures do everything they can to tear it all down.

Mad Men has gained a reputation, somewhat, as “That Show Where Everybody Smokes.” And it’s true that, in order to reflect the tenor of the middle of the twentieth century, everyone has a cigarette in his or her hand. As a smoker, no show has ever sent me into crazier nicotine fits. I go through smokes watching this show like fat children go through Tootsie Rolls…

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra
Directed by Stephen Sommers
Starring Channing Tatum, Sienna Miller, Marlon Wayans, Dennis Quaid, Ray Park, Rachel Nichols
Rated PG-13
Release date: August 7, 2009

Like many children of the ’80s, I did watch the G.I. Joe cartoon. Don’t ask me what I remember of it though. I watched so many cartoons back then that other than the Joe’s “knowing is half the battle” segments, there is not much of it that I retained over the years. What I do know is that the cartoon was very popular way back when and it was only a matter of time before it got its big screen live-action debut. I mean, if Transformers and even Alvin and the Chipmunks can get that kind treatment, why can’t G.I. Joe?

Based on the popular toy line and cartoon, G. I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra follows soldiers Duke (Channing Tatum) and Ripcord (Marlon Wayans). On a mission to transfer a deadly technological weapon, their convoy is ambushed by a terrorist group. Their collective behind is saved by an elite military led by General Hawk (Dennis Quaid), known as G.I. JOE. In memory of their fallen comrades, Duke and Ripcord team up with the JOEs to safely transport the weapons to their destination and in the process they come across the terrorist group COBRA [...]

Funny People
Directed by Judd Apatow
Starring Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen, Leslie Mann, Eric Bana, Jonah Hill
Rated R
Release Date: July 31, 2009

“The whole place seemed to have been stricken with a kind of creeping paralysis – out of beat with the rest of the world, crumbling apart in slow motion.”
– Joe Gillis from Sunset Blvd.

“You’re my best friend, and I don’t even like you.”
– George Simmons from Funny People

Funny People: Bringing The Nasty Pain

Los Angeles, the bitch of desire, takes no prisoners. Hollywood may be her enchanted vagina, but the rest of her is a ferocious dominatrix ready to force everyone to fall under her demented spell. It is a city with an infinite supply of Sammy Glick’s ready to pleasure the bitch at whatever cost.

Judd Apatow’s third film, Funny People, is a departure for him; it is supposed to show him as a more mature filmmaker. It certainly has many of the raunchy elements that made The 40-Year-Old Virgin and Knocked Up so memorable. Judd Apatow is trying to move beyond the myth of adulthood in this film. Adulthood seems to be the Holy Grail that his characters can never quite find in his films or even the films of Wes Anderson. Adulthood is out of reach for the so-called adults as well as the younger generations who are stuck in eternal adolescent purgatory. Funny People certainly fits this vital characteristic of what makes a Judd Apatow film, but he has gone further with this film in that he deals with the show business angle — the world of stand-up comedians.

In Knocked Up he touches on the ugly reality of show business as Katherine Heigl’s Allison Scott is told by her work superiors that she essentially has to lose weight. In Funny People, Apatow has given the audience the anti-Entourage [...]

Around the time that Terminator Salvation was making its massive final push toward what ended up being a bit of a let down at the domestic box office, director McG and his movie were in the news what seemed like every single day. Whether it was a new image, a quote, or any other variety of things, it was all over the ‘net.

While out helping to promote the new TV show Human Target, McG got back to it, starting with what went wrong with Salvation, as well as some details on what could become Terminator 5.

He started off with his take on why Terminator Salvation wasn’t loved by everyone.

I think the film missed some of the fun that Jim [Cameron] brought to the early pictures. I’m a disciple of Jim. We’ll bring a little bit more relief in that [fun] capacity. Not to the degree that you saw in the third picture, but a little bit more than ours. [...]

When the Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino co-directed Grindhouse was released, it was something of an event. Two movies released together and jam-packed with mock trailers, all the for the price of your normal movie ticket. Of the many faux trailers that were created, two of them have always been rumored to be getting feature-length treatments: Rodriguez’s Machete, and Eli Roth’s Thanksgiving.

At the moment, it appears that both of these movies are on their way to us: Roth has plans for filming the minuscule $5 Million budget ultra-horror movie in tandem with his new large budget science fiction movie, while Rodriguez and his co-director Ethan Maniquis now have quite the cast in place for Machete.

Wikipedia has the list of actors, as well as who they will be playing. We know that they aren’t always the best source, but they sound legit. I can’t tell where they got there information from, but for now, I’ll include the details and take it in stride. [...]

A new Marvel MMORPG is in the works, according to job listings seeking developers for the project that’s officially titled Marvel Universe Online.

This is the first specific mention of a “616″ universe game since plans to create a Marvel MMO got scrapped in 2008 and subsequently turned into Champions Online from Cryptic Studios.

News of a new Mighty Marvel MMO shouldn’t come as a huge surprise. It’s obvious that the organization has wanted to get into the MMO business for quite some time. The development company who published the job listing, Gargantuan Studios, is part of a Gazillion Entertainment who signed a 10-year deal to produce Marvel video games back in March [...]

The second official trailer for Spike Jonze‘s Where the Wild Things Are has been released by Yahoo! Movies.

The trailer consists of a lot of the stuff that we saw in the first trailer, but this time there’s a bunch of dialogue included. This is particularly amazing to see when it comes to the Wild Things. We finally get to see these amazing creations interacting with young Max (Max Records) and you can see why so much work went into combining the physical costumes with the computer animated facial features and expressions. Spike Jonze has created real living, breathing creatures here, and this trailer takes that magic to a whole new level. I imagine this is a shorter peek at what the people who went to Comic Con were shown (Read: SDCC 09: ‘Where The Wild Things Are’ Panel).

Click on over to the other side to check out the trailer.

Where the Wild Things Are is based of the short book of the same name written by Maurice Sendak. It follows a boy named Max, who, after causing some trouble at home, is punished and sent to his room by his mother. [...]

TMZ is reporting that legendary writer and director John Hughes has died. The report is that Hughes was out for a morning walk in New York while visiting family when he suffered a fatal heart attack. The news has since been confirmed by multiple other top news sources.

John Hughes was not only a staple in popular ’80s cinema, the man was an ’80s cultural icon. His brain was responsible for some of the best comedies and teen angst movies ever created.

While most of his credits came as a writer and a producer, he’s best known for his work behind the camera. His directing resume only contains eight films, but those eight films have made more of an impact in cinematic history than most directors could pull off in 100 movies. Below are the eight films he directed. [...]

MTV Movies Blog recently chatted with Brian Henson — son of the late, great master of puppets, Jim Henson — who currently runs the Jim Henson Company with his sister Lisa. Among the topics discussed, Henson was asked about the reported Fraggle Rock movie that was in the works. And unlike most, he was happy to fill us in on not only where the Fraggle project stood, but also the sequel to The Dark Crystal that has been talked about in the past.

What we know about Fraggle Rock is not much, but it is known that it will involve a little adventure to what they called “outer space,” which was just out of their little cave in the real world where humans live. Henson added to that as well, saying music will be involved and that it will be developed for all audiences (considering most fans are now in their 20s and 30s) and not just children. [...]

If there is one undoubted fail-proof in movies, it is that they inspire countless debates among their faithful and painfully stubborn fans. What’s the best war drama? Is it possible to pinpoint the best Pixar film? What’s the best Tom Hanks movie ever made: Big or Splash? The power of opinion has always been been an instant segway into conflict, even with the known fact that all have the right to their very own fair opinion — one of the true great mysteries of life. To help ignite these furious conflicts (who wants to stop them?!), Cinematical has created a tournament to determine the absolute greatest superhero movie of all time.

This event has already gotten underway, but it’s not too late for you to take part in choosing the best of the best. They use the popular college basketball tournament bracket method where you will vote one section at a time, beginning with top seeded movies like Spider-Man 2 and The Dark Knight against the low seeds like Blankman and Orgazmo and on from there! [...]

With Tim Burton’s new visually-stunning take on Alice in Wonderland well on its way, it appears that another beloved childhood tale could be on its way to a cinematic treatment: Little Red Riding Hood.

Leonardo DiCaprio‘s production company, Appian Way, has acquired the rights to develop a new feature film based on the fabled tale of a young girl dressed in red who is trying to get to her sick grandmother’s house with a vicious wolf hot on her trail. The story is said to date back to the middle ages; it was first published by the Brothers Grimm, who were portrayed by Matt Damon and Heath Ledger in the Terry Gilliam movie of the same name.

This new take on Red Riding Hood is supposedly going to be a Gothic-styled re-telling, which could work beautifully. The oldest versions of the story sometimes featured a werewolf instead of just a regular wolf. One of the stories even ended with the wolf actually eating Red in a gruesome and depressing ending. It will be really interesting to see how dark they actually want to go with this. [...]

Burn Notice, the hit tv series about blacklisted spy Michael Westen (Jeffrey Donovan), shows no sign of cooling down on the eve of its third season finale.

It’s no surprise that the series is already gearing up for a fourth season after drawing an all-time high of 6.8 million viewers during last week’s episode, according to the network.

The finale, “Long Way Back”, involves a dangerous man from Fiona’s (Gabrielle Anwar) past that shows up in Miami after years of hiding. Michael (Donovan) teams up with Fiona’s ruthless brother to save her even if it means crossing a few lines.

Co-star Bruce Campbell, who plays Michael’s closest friend and ex military intelligence contact “Sam Axe,” said he thinks the show will stay on for a while.

“We’ll go at least eight [seasons] — Monk did eight and we’re outpacing them in ratings” compared to Monk’s third season, Campbell said in a conference call Tuesday. “Admittedly, I have to say, I’m not looking over my shoulder. I’m fully prepared to drive this show to the bitter end.” [...]