Just a few days ago we found out that after so many complications, the adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien‘s fabled tale, The Hobbit, had finally received a greenlight by studios, and that Peter Jackson would indeed be returning to direct the two-part film.

At the same time, we heard that one of the front runners for the hotly pursued lead role of Bilbo Baggins, Martin Freeman, was ever so close to nabbing the job. This little dream casting for many is now officially a reality as Jackson has announced a chunk of castings for his film, including the confirmation of Mr. Freeman as Bilbo.

Freeman was one of what seemed to be three top fan choices along with James McAvoy and Doctor Who‘s David Tennant. The actor hasn’t done a ton of stuff to gain recognition here in the States, but you may best recognize him as the lead in Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. He also was on the original UK version of The Office, and had small roles in Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, and Love, Actually. [...]

Recently it was reported that Mel Gibson would have a cameo in The Hangover 2 that compare to Tom Cruise’s Les Grossman character in Tropic Thunder. Cruise’s role, as well as boxer Mike Tyson’s in The Hangover, helped to rejuvenate their careers after some troubles with the public eye, and it was expected that this might do the very same for Gibson.

Instead, we’re now hearing that complications have arisen, and Gibson’s cameo in The Hangover 2 has been scrapped. Director Todd Phillips wanted Mel for the small role, but it sounds like some of his cast and crew (unidentified) were against it, and the plan required halting.

When talking about this, Phillips said “I thought Mel would have been great in the movie and I had the full backing of Jeff Robinov and his team. But I realize filmmaking is a collaborative effort, and this decision ultimately did not have the full support of my entire cast and crew.” [...]

Recently, panic struck horror fans when it was revealed that Christian E. Christiansen was being brought in to direct the Dimension Films reboot of the Clive Barker classic, Hellraiser. Christiansen has a reputation for delivering teen-friendly PG-13 horror films, and if you’ve seen Hellraiser, you know that this combination would heed devastating results.

Now it turns out that this panic may have been a bit premature. New reports indicate that it will not be Christiansen directing the project, but that the team of writer Todd Farmer and director Patrick Lussier have in fact been signed on to make things happen.

The pair have worked together before on My Bloody Valentine 3D, and have two new projects on the way in Drive Angry and Halloween III. They both also have their fair share of independent works; Farmer has written horror titles like Jason X and The Messengers, and Lussier wrote and directed Dracula 2000 and directed White Noise 2: The Light. [...]

In honor of the new Bruce Willis movie Red, which was released in theaters this past weekend, I recently went back to read the DC comic book series Red created by Warren Ellis and Cully Hamner, from which the film was adapted.

Both the comic book and the movie center around Frank Moses (Willis’s character), a retired CIA agent who’s thrust back into the world of danger when he’s attacked by highly trained unknown assailants. The over-the-hill action-comedy film brought out the older generations to the theater in droves, thanks to the change in the story’s overall tone (from serious to light-hearted), as well as (in my opinion) the creation of Helen Mirren‘s character Victoria, another retiree whose sexy looks and stellar aim with a sniper rifle probably make her the most lethal of the bunch.

There were quite a few differences between the movie and the 3-issue miniseries, mostly in the addition of new characters — played by Morgan Freeman, John Malkovich, and Brian Cox — as well as alternations to the Frank Moses character and his situation, along with plenty of deviations from the original story.

Here’s the Top 3 differences between the film and the comic book. [...]

A very brief logo reveal teaser trailer for the upcoming Walt Disney and Pixar Animation sequel, Cars 2, has been released online.

You’ll see a bit of a set-up and an appearance from Mater (Larry the Cable Guy) and Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) before the logo and reminder that the flick is coming in the summer of 2011. Again, it is short, but fans of the original should get a little kick out of it.

Be sure to click on over to the other side to check out the first teaser trailer and logo reveal for Pixar’s Cars 2 now!

It’s generally believed that Pixar has yet to make a bad movie. While you personally may not be a fan of some of their work, not one that they have released has been poor and all of them have received mostly positive feedback. But if you had to put one at the bottom of the list, it’s likely that it would be Cars. This isn’t to say it’s bad — myself and many others were pretty surprised by how good it actually ended up being — but something always has to be at the bottom. [...]

Now this is a treat.

Our friends over at /Film discovered a gem while searching the internet recently. To be specific, they discovered a trailer for a little movie called Beauty and the Beast. The only problem is, this was not our beloved Walt Disney classic, it was a new version of the movie completely ripped off by Thai company GM Toons. Even their opening logo is fairly similar to Disney’s.

The trailer is funny beyond all words; it’s identical to Beauty and the Beast, only the animation looks like a Saturday Morning Cartoon nightmare. Add to that some atrocious voice acting and you have yourself a wonderfully amusing little viral video in the making. Even better than that is the fact that the Beast in this mess happens to also look an awful lot like a certain character from The Lion King. And it doesn’t end there. There’s a pile of these ripoffs to be seen.

Click on over to the other side to see the trailer for this movie and many more now! [...]

The TV deal of the week over at Amazon this week is Buffy the Vampire Slayer – The Complete Series DVD for only $70.99 (that’s 65% off the list price of $199.99).

Note, this deal is valid through Saturday, October 23, 2010 while supplies last.

This DVD box set contains all 7 seasons of the popular Joss Whedon television series which starred Sarah Michelle Gellar as the titular vampire slayer along with Alyson Hannigan, Anthony Stewart Head, and Nicholas Brendon. Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which ran from 1997 to 2003, also co-starred Eliza Dushku, Seth Green, James Marsters, and many more, as well as introduced the character of Angel (David Boreanaz), who eventually got his own spin-off show.

Math time: at $70.99, you’d be paying only $10.14 per season! That’s a steal, considering the box set is worth getting even at the original price [...]

In case you weren’t aware, there’s a little movie being released at midnight tomorrow called Paranormal Activity 2, which unbeknownst to me is quite the anticipated flick — just check out the fans that were lined up tonight for the showing outside the Loews 34th Street theater in New York City.

If you’re not already out seeing the film, which is the follow-up to 2009′s Paranormal Activity 2, then check out this new clip that premiered last night during Spike TV’s Scream 2010 Awards.

Video of the clip is embedded here below; also, if you haven’t seen the trailer, it’s here below as well.

Paranormal Activity 2 is actually a prequel story, as it takes place 3 months prior to the events of the first movie where Micah and Katie are haunted by a spirit in their house. In the new movie, Katie’s sister and her family move into a new home around the corner from Micah and Katie where they feel they are not alone (and apparently, they’re not, otherwise, there’d be no movie) [...]

At the recent Scream Awards, the first trailer for Scream 4 was finally shown. Since then, a couple of leaked versions of the trailer have shown up online, but all were of low quality, leaving everyone to wonder where the official trailer was.

Thankfully we did not have to wait too long, and the first official trailer for Scream 4 (we’re still not biting on the SCRE4M deal) is here to see! And surprisingly, it doesn’t look bad at all. The trailer immediately whisks you back to the Scream of old, and it looks like it will fit right in with the series, with the addition of some new technologies and “rules of surviving a horror movie,” naturally.

Click on over to the other side now to see the first teaser trailer for Scream 4!

The movie re-teams stars Neve Campbell, David Arquette, and Courteney Cox with director Wes Craven and write Kevin Williamson. [...]

One of the highlights of Spike’s 2010 Scream Awards came by way of James Gunn‘s new movie, Super.

Super made a splash at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con 2010 (Read: SDCC 2010: James Gunn’s ‘Super’ Panel With Nathan Fillion, Rainn Wilson, Ellen Page & More!), where attendees were first introduced to the dark new superhero comedy. During their panel, a clip was shown featuring star Rainn Wilson dealing with an inconsiderate gentleman who cuts in line. This is the same clip that was shown last night, and now we can all appreciate how good this flick looks.

The movie is being compared to Kick-Ass, with regular everyday people becoming superheroes (or their best attempt at what we know as superheros), and it’s said to be hilarious but with a lot of very dark and dramatic moments as well. This new clip gives us just a taste of these elements.

Head on down to the bottom of this post right now to get your first peek at the new movie, Super. [...]

A brand new clip from AMC’s much-anticipated zombie series, The Walking Dead, debuted at Spike TV’s Scream Awards 2010 ceremony.

The clip is brief but still pretty awesome, as most things we’ve seen from the show have been. It shows Officer Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) dealing with one of his fellow officers, who has fell victim to the zombie plague.

The six-part first season of the show is adapted from the Robert Kirkman comic book series of the same name. The show is written, produced, and directed by Frank Darabont, who has previously done big screen adaptations of Stephen King’s The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile, and The Mist.

Sprint (or slow-walk, if you happen to be our friend, Obvious Zombie) on over to the other side to check out this cool clip right now!

Just for those of you who aren’t sure, you can see The Walking Dead when it premiers on Halloween Night. It will be something to see, and it shan’t be missed! [...]

The 2010 Scream Awards have come and gone, and as always some cool new world exclusive trailers were presented. We’ll share them all with you here, and this will begin with the new trailer for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1.

The new trailer is more of another teaser than anything, and doesn’t show a whole lot of new goodies in terms of visuals. Nevertheless, it is a Harry Potter trailer, and you know we the geeks just can’t get enough of those!

You can check out the new trailer for Deathly Hallows by making your way over to the other side. Also, make sure not to miss our recap of the best moments from the awards by checking out 5 Awesome Moments From Spike TV’s Scream 2010 Awards right now!

You’ll be able to see part 1 of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows on November 19, 2010. The second part and final film in the franchise will be released on July 15, 2010. [...]

Apparently, horror hostess Elvira wants you to know that she is NOT a witch.

In a recently released video, the Mistress Of The Dark responds to Jon Stewart’s recent comparison of her to GOP Senate nominee Christine O’Donnell on an episode of the Daily Show.

In the video, Elvira parodies O’Donnell’s campaign platform, making a political statement of her own, while promoting the latest episode of her late-night horror series Elvira’s Movie Macabre, where she hosts viewings of b-movie horror films (this week’s appropriately being Werewolf of Washington).

See below for Elvira’s message, which arrived via email today, along with the embed of the video.

Hello darlings,

Since Jon Stewart showed my picture last week on his show, comparing me to Christine O’Donnell, I have had no choice but to make my very own paid political announcement. I hope you enjoy it, and unpleasant dreams [...]

You knew it was only a matter of time before someone did it, and here we are.

Parker Brothers Choppers of Melbourne, Florida have constructed a fully functional light cycle, straight out of the Tron universe. These masters of wild and outrageous vehicular creations are building a reputation for bringing to life the crafts we only ever see in movies. Among the things that they’ve produced, you’ll find a Batpod from The Dark Knight, an awesome reproduction of Ghost Rider’s wheels, and of course, this light cycle.

The bike looks insane, and this whole team did a great job taking such an iconic cinematic vehicle and making it a reality. The only unfortunate thing is that while this bad boy does work and you can drive it, no, it doesn’t quite make razor-sharp turns at absurd speeds. That would be an easy way to get someone killed, and no one needs that. That said, it is built to hit upwards of 150 mph, if you just so happen to be a superhero and high-speed pavement does you no harm.

Head on over to the other side to check out the videos of Parker Brothers Choppers’ own light cycle in action. [...]

My favorite things to watch include Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, and a British TV show called Spaced (the latter of which, if you haven’t seen it, is available to watch for free on Hulu and is fantastic).

What do all three of these have in common? They all star Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. Imagine my excitement when the first trailer for their new movie Paul was released.

Watch it here below!

Paul follows two friends from England as they come to America for a comic book convention. After the convention they explore Area 51 where they find an alien named Paul, voiced by Seth Rogen. Also staring in the film is Kristin Wiig , Sigourney Weaver, Bill Hader, Jane Lynch, and Jason Bateman [...]

Gene Simmons has become targeted by the online group known as Anonymous, after the bassist and founding member of KISS angered Internet users following remarks he made against file sharing on the web. The ongoing feud escalated to the point where Simmons’ official web site and his official record company site were subject to a DDoS attack by Anonymous, resulting in legal action being threatened against individuals who participated in the attacks.

Simmons has been a vocal opponent against peer-to-peer file sharing for many years, and has also been critical of artists searching for alternative business models for the music industry in the 21st century. Anonymous, often associated with the image board 4chan, made Gene Simmons a target of Operation Payback (part of Anonymous’ ongoing online battle against organizations such as the RIAA and MPAA) following remarks he made during a panel discussion at MIPCOM 2010:

Make sure your brand is protected. Make sure there are no incursions. Be litigious. Sue everybody. Take their homes, their cars. Don’t let anybody cross that line. [...]

Amazon is offering up Star Trek VIII: First Contact for purchase for only $3.99 through their Video On Demand service.

This digital deal is only for today, Wednesday, October 20, until midnight PST, so grab it while you can. The digital version is regularly $9.99, and the 24-hour rental is $2.99.

Visit the Star Trek VIII: First Contact product page to purchase the film.

Released in 1996, First Contact is the eighth film in the Star Trek franchise and the second with the full cast of the Star Trek: The Next Generation television series, starring Patrick Stewart as Jean-Luc Picard.After the let down of its predecessor, Generations, First Contact has gone on to be the favorite for TNG fans and one of the best in the film series.

Synopsis: Capt. Picard and his crew follow the Borg back in time to stop them from preventing Earth from initiating first contact with Vulcans. [...]

Each year, Spike TV’s Scream Awards brings out the coolest stars of horror, scifi, and comics to premiere new footage from upcoming films and give out awards for things like “Best Worst Movie,” “Most Memorable Mutilation,” and “Holy Shit! Scene Of The Year.” No, my friends, this is not your typical humdrum awards show, and it’s certainly not a teenybopper fest. Instead, the audience is filled with horror/scifi fans dressed in costume and an elaborate, ghoulish stage show sets the tone for the ceremony.

Scream 2010 did not disappoint, giving fans plenty of exclusive footage from anticipated films like Paranormal Activity 2, Scream 4, and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, as well as a clip from AMC’s upcoming television series The Walking Dead. The awards show also brought out the casts of Twilight, Lost, The Vampire Diaries, Scream 4, and True Blood.

Aside from the footage and stars, the awards ceremony had some really great moments, which involved seeing some fan favorites embracing the roles they are best known for, as well as a shout-out to what was voted the Most Anticipated Film Of The Year.

Here are 5 awesome moments from Spike TV’s Scream 2010 Awards (with video). [...]

It’s been a strange stretch of time for the upcoming sequel to X-Men Origins: Wolverine, currently just being called Wolverine 2.

Whispers have been constant that Requiem for a Dream and The Wrestler director Darren Aronofsky was close to being signed as the director, which immediately screams “April Fools!” Given that it’s currently October, however, this little prank wouldn’t make much sense, but no one seemed ready to confirm the odd choice for both director and movie.

Since then word has come around that a deal between Aronofsky and 20th Century Fox to direct was so close that shooting schedules were being worked out for the director and star Hugh Jackman so that no issues would arise. And speaking of Jackman, he recently spoke about the upcoming sequel, and spoke as if Aronofsky was locked and loaded.

With that said, it seems we can safely assume that this is happening. It still feels awkward, but let’s just run with where it’s going! [...]

We’ve seen a pile of posters and images for Walt Disney’s new science fiction mega-sequel, Tron: Legacy, not to mention the trailers that have been released thus far (Read: Watch Now! Decoded ‘Tron: Legacy’ Puzzle Leads To Great New Trailer).

With just a couple of months left until the movie is released on December 17, 2010, and another sequel already being written, Disney has unveiled their official theatrical one-sheet for the movie.

Rev your light cycle up and cruise on over to the other side to check out the brand new poster now!

Tron: Legacy is directed by Joseph Kosinski and written by Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz.

Tron: Legacy is a 3D high-tech adventure set in a digital world that’s unlike anything ever captured on the big screen. Sam Flynn (Garrett Hedlund), the tech-savvy 27-year-old son of Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges), looks into his father’s disappearance and finds himself pulled into the digital world of Tron where his father has been living for 25 years. [...]