Walt Disney Pictures and Marvel Studios have announced that they are moving forward on Thor 2, the sequel to the superhero blockbuster that hit theaters this past May, Thor, to a strong box office (budget: $150 million; worldwide gross: $437 million) and critical success (78% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes).

The studios have set aside the July 26, 2013 date as their landing point, but, as always, that very easily could change and it could change multiple times over the next couple of years.

Nothing is known about where the sequel will pick up or what storyline it will follow, but it has been revealed that director Kenneth Branagh has decided not to return to helm the sequel. There was an option in the director’s contract to return if he chose to do so, but he ultimately chose to move on to something else and let a new director step in. [...]

Well, it’s been a while since we’ve seen any real news regarding DC Comics‘ relaunch of all of their comic books, but today a wild video appeared. Popular entertainment website Bleeding Cool has found access to a new video from DC Comics explaining their relaunch strategy to those that may not have heard the news yet that the publishing company is relaunching all of their titles in September. So, in my ongoing coverage, I will attempt to make sense of this promotional video in a little segment I like to call “DC Comics – Relaunch of DOOM!” You can watch the video here [...]

Not too long ago it was reported that Matthew Fox and Ed Harris had joined Brad Pitt on the cast of World War Z, the post–apocalyptic zombie movie told from the perspectives of some of those fighting to survive, which is based on the Max Brooks book of the same name.

As things tend to go from time to time in good ol’ Hollywood, these castings haven’t exactly worked out. Vulture is reporting that Fox has decided not to appear in the movie due to a scheduling conflict with the Tyler Perry–starring I, Alex Cross. As for Harris, it’s currently unclear why the actor was unable to take the job.

That leaves Paramount Pictures in a rush to try and find two actors to replace Fox and Harris after things didn’t work out…which is a bit strange—one would think that any scheduling conflicts would have been known much sooner than this. [...]

The first trailer for Tarsem Singh‘s new Greek mythology epic, Immortals, showed us that the director was definitely bringing his stunning visuals master–touch to the game once again while setting up the story. Now a second trailer has been released to expand on that with even more to look at.

We don’t know if the movie is going to be bad or good, but one thing is for sure: you’d have a hard time finding trailers with more beautiful shots than the first two we’ve seen for this one.

You can follow the link above to see the first trailer for Immortals, and you can continue on below now to see the new second trailer, as well as read a lengthy synopsis for the film.

SYNOPSIS
Visionary director Tarsem Singh (The Cell, The Fall) and producers Gianni Nunnari (300), Mark Canton (300) and Ryan Kavanaugh (The Fighter) unleash an epic tale of treachery, vengeance and destiny in Immortals, a stylish and spectacular 3-D adventure. As a power-mad king razes ancient Greece in search of a legendary weapon, a heroic young villager rises up against him in a thrilling quest as timeless as it is powerful. [...]

From the very beginning of Doctor Who, the companions (or sometimes referred to as his assistants) of the Gallifreyan Time Lord have played a significant and central role not just within the show itself, but also upon the evolution of the good Doctor himself. His first companions had as much an impact on William Hartnell‘s portrayal of the Doctor, as does the impact of Amy Pond (Karen Gillan) and Rory Williams (Arthur Darvill) on Matt Smith‘s Eleventh Doctor.

The infographic below, follows the history of the Doctor’s companions – from the early adventures of William Hartnell’s First Doctor, through to the modern era with Matt Smith. There’s a lot of interesting notes along the way, including why some companions seem to have had a much more significant impact on the history of the show overall.

Check out the full infographic here below and click for a larger version [...]

The first trailer for War Horse, Steven Spielberg‘s latest Oscar bait epic drama and his first feature film since 2008′s Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, has just been released and you can view it below along with the official synopsis.

The above picture is a behind-the-scenes image showing director Spielberg and his young star Jeremy Irvine. Based on a 1982 children’s book by Michael Morpurgo and a recent stage adaptation by Nick Stafford, War Horse stars Irvine as Albert, a rural English youth who forges a unbreakable bond with a horse named Joey that he trains. That bond is put to the test as the first World War later consumes England and most of Europe and Albert and Joey find themselves separated by the war [...]

The TV deal of the week at Amazon this week is The X-Files Season DVDs for only $13.49 each (that’s 66% off the list price of $39.98 each).

All 9 seasons of the television series which starred David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson are available at that sale price, and you can choose as many seasons as you’d like for the price.

Math time: If you choose to purchase all 9 seasons, it would come out to $121.41 total (without the sale it’s $359.82 total).

Note, this deal is valid only for this week til Saturday, July 2, 2011, while supplies last.

All nine seasons of Chris Carter’s classic sci-fi TV show are available for only $13.49 each. Follow FBI agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully as they uncover the truth about the most vexing paranormal mysteries and intricate government conspiracies. [...]

Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark
Starring Reeve Carney, Jennifer Darmiano, Patrick Page
Score by Bono and The Edge
Foxwoods Theatre
Opening Date: June 14, 2011

Just like in the comics, it seems Spider-Man can’t even catch a break on Broadway. From less than kind reviews to stunt guys getting hurt, Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark, once a promising musical production, looked like it was going to implode. But, in true Spider-Man fashion, the production dusted itself off and tried again. Now, after a brief hiatus and a rewrite, Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark 2.0 begins their preview run once again.

Turn Off The Dark tells the tale of Peter Parker, a high school student bitten by a radioactive spider that gives him super powers. At first, Parker uses his power for personal gain but when tragedy strikes, he learns that with great power must always come great responsibility [...]

The first teaser trailer for the fourth movie in the Mission: Impossible franchise, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, has been released online by Paramount Pictures.

While the trailer is of the teaser variety, it plays more like a full trailer packed with plenty of intense action, a brief story set–up, and peeks at the movie’s fantastic cast, which includes Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg, Paula Patton, Josh Holloway, and Tom Wilkinson.

Ghost Protocol is directed by Brad Bird (The Incredibles, Ratatouille) and produced by J.J. Abrams (Star Trek, Super 8). It hits theaters December 16, 2011. Be sure to click on over to the other side to check out the teaser trailer now! [...]

The last few days have seen a flurry of activity surrounding the pilot for FX’s upcoming series Powers, based on the comic book by Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Avon Oeming. Three of the main cast members were announced in the last week by a variety of sources.

Jason Patric (Lost Boys, Speed 2) has been cast as lead character Detective Christian Walker. Joining him will be Lucy Punch (Bad Teacher, Dinner for Schmucks) as Walker’s new partner, Deena Pilgrim. Finally, it was announced yesterday that Carly Foulkes (the girl from those T-Mobile commercials) has been cast as Retro Girl, one of the superheroes in the Powers universe, and also the victim in the series’ first investigation [...]

In the late 1960s, Jon Anderson became one of the most recognized rock musicians in the world. Thanks to his striking voice, his flamboyant turn as lead singer of equally outrageous prog-rock band Yes led to millions of album sales for over 30 years.

Now, post-Yes, Anderson is busy creating more solo albums, collaborating with people all over the world. He’s healthy, happy, and still creating fantastic music. “Geeks of Doom? I love it!”

Geeks of Doom: So, Jon, how are you?

Jon Anderson: I’m doing very, very good. It’s a very exciting moment; I’ve got an album coming out, today!…last night there was a king snake, a three-foot king snake on my door step, which means rebirth. It’s very rare that you see them and there it was on my door step. It’s a native American totem for rebirth, which is where I’m going right now!

Geeks of Doom: A rebirth, a new Jon!

Jon Anderson: That’s-a me! [screams, laughs]

Geeks of Doom: [laughs] Tell me a bit about how the album came together. It’s called Survival & Other Stories [...]

Each week, MK2Fac3 and Henchman21 read a lot of comics. Seriously, a lot of comics. Maybe too many comics. They look forward to some more than others, I mean, who doesn’t? So, let’s take a look into the depths of their pull list, grab some issues, and we’ll let YOU know what the top books to look forward to are for the week of June 29, 2011. Single issues and trades, they’re all here.

This week, we’ve got some exciting visitors to the list including some fantasy mercenaries, Batman, the alive Spider-Man, British heroes, some animals, and a re-printing of Daredevil: Yellow! There are some other great books coming out this week that you should check out like Xombi (I’m watching you!), The Sixth Gun, and many more, but the comics listed below are what we’re looking forward to the most. Check it out! [...]

It’s been a rough ride for director Guillermo del Toro lately as many big projects he’s been attached to have faced complications, forcing him to walk away and move on to new things.

His latest project is called Pacific Rim, and all signs point to this one being the one that finally delivers us a new Guillermo del Toro film. Casting has begun, with Sons of Anarchy star Charlie Hunnam nabbing the lead role and Charlie Day (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Horrible Bosses) and Idris Elba (Thor, 28 Weeks Later) set for supporting roles. And now Warner Brothers has secured a release date for the movie, adding another positive rung to the ladder of progress.

Unfortunately for us, the wait doesn’t get any easier. The release date set for Pacific Rim is July 12, 2013…meaning now that we finally have a del Toro project, we still have to wait over two years to see it. And gods forbid anything happen to damage this one in that extended period of time. [...]

I’m so excited and I just can’t hide it!

The new The Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy Extended Edition Blu-ray Edition box set was released today and the price has dropped to only $69.99 (that’s 42% off the list price of $119.98).

The 15-disc Blu-ray set box contains the extended versions of all three of Peter Jackson‘s Lord of the Rings films — The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, The Return of the King — along with over 26 hours of behind-the-scenes and making-of bonus material, including the Costa Botes documentaries. It also comes with the digital versions of the films [...]

The Meowmorphosis
By Franz Kafka & Coleridge Cook
Paperback | Kindle
Quirk Classics
Release date: May 10, 2011

I’m a big fan of the Quirk Classics line of literary mash-ups and every time I’ve reported the news on another new title being released, I’ve done so with great enthusiasm. It all started with their insertion of zombies into Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, and it’s been the infusion of humor, absurdity, preposterousness into otherwise serious, dramatic stories that has keep me coming back for more.

What also keeps me intrigued with this imprint is how they reveal their new titles. It all starts with just the name of the upcoming book — when you hear a title like Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, you immediately think, “I have to check this out!” Then, they hit you with the book’s cover, and while you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, let’s face it, the cover is a big part of what grabs your attention.

Last year, when I read that their new offering would be called The Meowmorphosis, I thought, “Uh-oh, are they putting cats into Kafka’s The Metamorphosis?” and as it turns out, that’s just what they did [...]

Not too long ago we saw the first peek at Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins in director Peter Jackson‘s two-part prequel adaptation, The Hobbit, as well as our first look at Sir Ian McKellen‘s return to his iconic Gandalf the Grey character.

Now the movie is making its magazine debut, featured on the cover of Empire Magazine who fittingly got things rolling over a decade ago before most of us really knew what The Lord of the Rings (the Extended Edition Trilogy Blu-ray is out today!) was about to become in cinematic history.

You can see the Empire cover by continuing on below now, and as the magazine points out: “look closely for subtle differences in costume from his 60-year older Rings self” in regards to Mr. Gandalf. [...]

The Gold Box spotlight deal of the day over at Amazon today is World of Warcraft: Cataclysm for only $19.99 (that’s 50% off the list price of $39.99).

Note, this deal is only for today, Tuesday, June 28, 2011, until midnight PST, while supplies last.

From the product page:

- Requires the full version of World of Warcraft, Burning Crusade, Wrath of the Lich King, and a Battle.net Account to play.
- Level Cap Increased to 85
- Classic Zones Remade and New High-Level Zones
- Two New Playable Races – Goblins and Worgen
- Flying Mounts in Azeroth [...]

Nothing is officially greenlit yet, but sources are saying that Warner Brothers is still planning to continue on with their Green Lantern franchise even though the movie hasn’t quite lived up to the massive amounts of money put into making and marketing it.

The DC Comics superhero flick, which stars Ryan Reynolds in the lead, cost WB around $200 million to make, and so far has only made $118 million worldwide in two weeks of release. Adding salt to the wound, the price tag doesn’t even include said marketing fees, which are reportedly some of the highest ever paid to promote a movie.

Many who saw the endless TV spots and trailers for Green Lantern, a large chunk of those marketing costs, responded very negatively to the CGI effects, which did look pretty cartoony. And so spending so much to get the movie to as many eyes as possible may have ultimately hurt its success more than it helped. [...]

Before he was killed in a terrible car accident a week ago, Jackass star Ryan Dunn had just made his debut on G4 in the new show Proving Ground with co-host Jessica Chobot. In the wake of his untimely death, it was decided to put the rest of the show’s episodes on hold.

Now G4 has announced that they will air a special hour–long tribute to Dunn on Attack of the Show that will air on July 19th at 7pm EST. In the tribute some of Dunn’s memorable moments will be shown, accompanied by interviews with his friends, family, and colleagues. After the special tribute concludes, Proving Ground will resume airing the 9–episode season in its original time slot of 8pm EST.

In the show, the two hosts take popular video games and movies like Star Wars, Harry Potter, Mario Kart, and The Goonies and see if they can recreate them in real life with the help of many experts, prop masters, and perhaps an unlucky producer or two. [...]

The first season of HBO’s Game of Thrones came and went so quickly it almost feels like we’re still waiting for its arrival, meaning the wait for season 2 will be a long and painful one. But thankfully for those of us who look to the cable network’s programming to find the best shows on TV, that’s not the only series they have. Their Southern Gothic vampire drama, True Blood, started back up last night to the delight of many, and the return of their 1920s prohibition drama, Boardwalk Empire, sits in the not–so–distant future.

With shows like this the wait for new seasons to arrive is much less painful, and if HBO added one or two more of this caliber to their lineup (say an American Gods, perhaps) we might just be spoiled rotten year–round.

Speaking of Boardwalk Empire, HBO has unveiled the first teaser trailer for season 2 of the hit show. And as you might have expected, it’s looking to be a wild and intense ride as everyone scrambles to get their pieces into place. You can see the trailer below now! [...]