Just a couple of days ago, Frank Darabont was on–hand with the rest of the cast and crew of AMC’s hit zombie series, The Walking Dead. But it would now appear that false smiles were presented as things were apparently not going as well as they seemed.

Deadline is reporting that Darabont has stepped down as showrunner on the series, and it seems as though his sometimes strict methods could be a contributing factor. If you’ll recall, back when season 1 of the show was just about to end, it looked as though Darabont had fired the entire writing staff and was planning to use freelancers for season 2. We later heard from Robert Kirkman, executive producer and creator of the comic from which the show is based, who said that there was a staff and the firings were a bit fabricated at the time.

Some seem to think that because Darabont, who directed The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile, and has three Oscar nominations to his name, is so used to directing movies, he wasn’t able to adjust to fast–paced world of TV. [...]

Movie release dates are about as unreliable as anything entertainment–related gets. Studios set dates they want to aim for, but it isn’t until things start coming together and production gets moving that a release can be planned, and on most occasions the date that’s set will at some point change.

But sometimes a change is much more significant than a month up or down, making it worth note. Warner Brothers has announced that their Superman reboot, Man of Steel, will not be released in December of 2012 as first reported, but that it will now be released on June 14, 2013.

Obviously with a movie this size trying to figure out a firm release date is difficult and they never actually set a firm day, but for those fans who are eager to see the new Superman, it’s a substantial amount of time to pile on.

The last time a movie of this caliber made an extreme date change also came from Warner Brothers. [...]

Perhaps the funniest panel of this year’s Comic–Con, 30 Minutes or Less was part of Sony’s presentation and featured director Ruben Fleischer (Zombieland) and stars Aziz Ansari, Nick Swardson, and Michael Pena.

The movie stars Jesse Eisenberg as a pizza boy who runs into a couple of criminal types (Swardson and Danny McBride) who decide to strap a bomb to his chest and force him to rob a bank for them, forcing him to go to his best friend (Ansari) for help.

Keep reading for more from the panel, and of course, to see some images from the panel.

Unfortunately neither Eisenberg or McBride could make it, but Danny did record a funny video for the panel where he basically makes fun of his co–stars (In true Kenny Powers fashion) and declares that if we’re watching his video, “the apes have won.” Fleischer says Eisenberg is busy shooting a Woody Allen movie, while McBride is shooting season 3 of Eastbound & Down. [...]

One of the many TV shows that had a presence at the recent San Diego Comic–Con, was of course True Blood, the mega–hit HBO series set in a small Louisiana town and in a time where vampires and other creatures live among humans.

The show is currently making its way through season 4—an admirable feat for any show—and the cast and crew were on–hand as usual talk shop for the Con faithfuls. With the show already going there wasn’t much new to show off, but many questions were still to be asked and answered.

The panel was introduced, with Kristen Bauer van Straten, Alexander Skarsgard, Kevin Alejandro, Nelsan Ellis, Deborah Ann Woll, Ryan Kwanten, Rutina Wesley, Stephen Moyer, Anna Paquin, and showrunner/creator/writer/director/executive producer Alan Ball all coming to the stage.

You can see the entire hour–long panel for True Blood by heading below now! [...]

Stars of the Syfy Channel hit series Eureka made the trek to San Diego Comic-Con to give fans the lowdown on the upcoming episodes of the current season of the show.

The show is about a small hidden town whose inhabitants are the smartest people on the planet. Everyone, all the way down to the owner of the local Cafe, is a brilliant scientist. Sheriff Carter is an outsider who was adopted by the town as its Sheriff bringing in street smarts and a level of common sense not as abundant in the bookish set of this bizarre little town.

This season, Felicia Day (The Guild, Dollhouse, Buffy the Vampire Slayer) joins the cast for several episodes for a new story arc. Post-panel I was able to catch up with Sheriff Carter himself Colin Ferguson for a one-on-one conversation about the show, his relationships with the cast, and about his relationship with the house in which his character lives and his returning daughter. I was also able to chat with Day about her character and the exciting new dynamic she will be bringing to the show. Check out the exclusive video interviews here [...]

As I write this post, I find myself quite envious of my TARDISblend co-host, Tom Cheredar, who was in attendance for the Doctor Who panel at San DIego Comic-Con this year.

In the famous Hall H, the panel began with grand fanfare, concluding with the Doctor Who theme blasting through the speakers as Matt Smith (the first ever Doctor to be nominated for a BAFTA Award) joined the stage — greeted with an almighty roar from the crowd… a beginning that gives a clear indication of how much bigger the 48-year old-series has become in the United States.

While David Tennant was a highly loved Doctor by U.S. fans, as a long-term fan I cannot recall a level of fandom appreciation for a current Doctor since the days of Tom Baker. It’s a clear indication that the series is currently in good hands, and that Smith is delivering not just to the expectations of showrunner Steven Moffat, but to fans on an international level as well.

Unfortunately Moffat was unavailable for the panel, but Smith was joined by his co-host Karen Gillan (who plays Amy Pond), producers Piers Wenger and Beth Willis, and writer Toby Whithouse.

First off, let’s get to some of the juicy tidbits about the upcoming episodes of Series 6 that was discussed by the panel [...]

In case you missed the recently released trailer, Knights of Badassdom looks like it might just possible become the greatest movie ever made.

It tells the story of two heavily involved LARPing (Live Action Role Playing) enthusiasts (played by Peter Dinklage and Steve Zahn) who bring their recently single friend (Ryan Kwanten) in to experience the joys of the LARP…which he doesn’t seem to be too big on. But when Zahn’s character accidentally summons a succubus and things become ooey–gooey evil, the LARPers must join forces with others like them and use their “skills” to defeat the beast.

Keep reading for more and to see some images from the Knights of Badassdom panel.

The panel featured Dinklage, Kwanten, and director Joe Lynch, as well as co–stars Summer Glau (Firefly), Danny Pudi (Community), Jimmi Simpson (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia), Michael Gladis (Mad Men), and Margarita Levieva (Adventureland), who plays the succubus. [...]

The $10 t-shirt deal of the day over at TeeFury today is a Buffy The Vampire Slayer-themed shirt called “Our Lady of Sunnydale” by artist joebot.

The sale began at Teefury today, Tuesday, July 26, 2011, at midnight EST, and will continue for 24 hours from then, and once it’s over, it will not be sold on the site anymore [...]

By Andrew Sorcini

Dorothy of Oz is a new CGI animated musical from Summertime Entertainment, due out in 2012. The panel began with a clip reel composed of a few finished scenes combined with concept art. The montage showed off some of the impressive voice talent such as Glee’s Lea Michele (as Dorothy herself), Wicked‘s Megan Hilty, Dan Aykroyd, Oliver Platt, Martin Short, Kelsey Grammer, Jim Belushi, Hugh Dancy, and Sir Patrick Stewart.

Panelists included producers Bonne Radford & Ryan Carroll, composer Debra Lurie, writer Roger Baum (grandson of original Oz creator L. Frank Baum) and voice actors Megan Hilty & Sir Patrick Stewart, in his first Comic–Con appearance.

Read more and see some images from the Dorothy of Oz panel below now!

Roger Baum said the creation of the new Oz books had its impetus as a personal bet to continue his grandfather’s legacy. Producer Radford just wanted to remain faithful to the Baum legacy. [...]

The Supernatural cast addressed fan questions and discussed the upcoming season during San Diego Comic Con over the weekend.

The panel consisted of the actors and writers of the upcoming seventh season discussing a wide variety of topics related to the show including a Supernatural anime. Most of the questions were fielded by the lead actors Jared Padalecki (Gilmore Girls) and Jensen Ackles (Days of Our Lives), and they addressed a wide variety of topics, heavily focusing on spoilers for the next season. A lot of the topics dealt with character returns and clues on plot points for the upcoming season. So, if spoilers aren’t your thing, then you may want to stay away from the video. There are, however, some great moments in the panel that have absolutely no spoilers whatsoever.

Continue reading for more and to see the Supernatural panel now.

One question is raised to Padalecki about the fights that he’s had with his onscreen brother in Ackles, that the moments of them filming bring a new light to the character in the actor’s eyes which allow Padalecki to add real growth to his character. [...]

Director Peter Jackson posted the third in his series of behind-the-scenes production videos from the set of upcoming film The Hobbit to his Facebook page.

This video is equal parts star cameos, interviews, raw footage, and whimsy, apparently starting at Pinewood Studios in the United Kingdom before transitioning to New Zealand. For stars, we get to see John Rhys-Davies visit his dwarven kin and kith on the set of Bag End. We get brief words from Ian McKellen, Cate Blanchett, Hugo Weaving, and a nearly unrecognizable bearded and scruffy Second Unit Director Andy Serkis. For interviews, we get to hear from the various new dwarves in the cast about how they are coming together as a group, what it was like to visit the Bag End set, and how they learned to move like their characters. For raw footage, there is also some additional footage of the motion capture of Andy Serkis as Gollum, as well as the particular comment by Mr. Serkis that “it felt like kind of doing an impersonation of the character that I’d played” [...]

After spending three straight days cooped up in the dark expanse of Hall H at San Diego Comic-Con covering all the upcoming movie goodness, I finally was able to hit the convention floor and meet with all the awesome Attendees-in -Tights who made their way to the mega-con Mecca.

Lemme tell you, this is one of my very favorite parts of the Con. I absolutely love walking up and down convention scoping out all the convention goers festooned their super finery and saying ‘Hi, do you mind if I take your photo for Geeks of Doom.’ The reactions vary anywhere from “Huh? Where? Sure!” and “Cool, I know you guys.” to “OMG!OMG!GEEKSOFDOOM!YES!YES!… O M GGGGeee!” Overall, everyone is always so gracious and cool.

I did my best to capture a wide array of the homespun heroes who packed the convention floor. The ingenuity and uninhibitedness of cosplayers never ceases to amaze me. Some of my favorites were the Witch-King from Lord of the Rings, a sweet old-school Cylon, a super low-rent Han Solo in Carbonite, who I met on the footbridge in town, and an awesome lady Loki. Special geek props to the Father/Daughter Jedi (heartwarming) and the Oogie Boogie and Sally (spiffy!) duos.

Ooo, and right as I was heading off the main convention floor for the last time I met a dude dressed in an amazing Hawkman outfit who as it turns out had also recently written and directed a five-minute short Hawkman film which you can find here.

Anyhoo… babes and dudes in leather, latex, cardboard, and shiny-shiny to follow after the jump. Enjoy! [...]

Check out Episode 80 of Comics of Doom, the official comics podcast of Geeks of Doom. In this episode we review the Joe Johnston-directed Captain America: The First Avenger starring Chris Evans. Click HERE to open the podcast player in a new window or listen through the player here below.

Listen now! [...]

What’s that? You had no idea they were making another Underworld movie? Well, then—allow me to inform you that yes, indeed, there is a new Underworld movie on the way, and it is titled Underworld: Awakening. What you might also not know, is that star of the first two installments, Kate Beckinsale, is back in tight leather outfits for your fanboy amusement.

The panel—which consisted of directors Mans Marlind and Bjorn Stein, stars Beckinsale, Michael Ealy, and Theo James, and producer and director of the first two movies, Len Wiseman—didn’t bring a ton to the table as they’re only about half–way through filming it, but they did bring some footage to check out.

Keep on reading for the Underworld: Awakening footage description, as well as some images from the panel.

In the footage, which was pretty brief, we see Beckinsale’s Selene character coming out of some kind of holding tank or chamber or some sort. [...]

As it turns out, the footage shown at Comic–Con for the new Justin Timberlake and Amanda Seyfried sci–fi thriller, In Time, that we described to you earlier, has now been released online in the form of an extended trailer.

As described before, the footage shows Timberlake as a man named Will, who’s 28 years old and only has one day to live because humans can now live forever but, to maintain the population, are genetically engineered to die one year after they turn 25 unless you’re able to keep adding more time to your life, making it the currency that has replaced money. When Will meets a wealthy man with over a century of life, his life will change forever, and he’ll begin a mission to bring down this cruel and tough new way of life with a “Timekeeper” named Leon (Cillian Murphy) hot on his trail.

Be sure to click on over to the other side now to check out the Comic–Con footage for In Time! [...]

It was really strange watching the 1990 version of Captain America: The Movie after many years have went by since the first time I gave it a shot. With my anticipation for the upcoming big-budget Captain America: The First Avenger growing by the day (especially after just listening to the amazing orchestral score CD), I thought I would revisit the film that has taken a relentless beating by critics and fans of the legendary Marvel Comics character alike since its aborted release more than two decades ago.

First a little background about the film. In the late 1980′s, Israeli wannabe movie moguls Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus purchased the rights to make a feature film based on the character of Captain America, created in 1940 by the writer-artist team of Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, for their prolific film company Cannon Films. Cannon also had the rights to make a film based on Marvel’s Spider-Man and had just bought an option to bankroll a fourth Superman film from that franchise’s producers Alexander and Ilya Salkind. Clearly the Cannon boys were aching to break out of the low-budget B-movie ghetto they had built their company’s reputation on. But when Superman IV: The Quest for Peace went into production, the film’s budget had been cut drastically at the 11th hour from nearly $40 million to $17 million, resulting in a cheaply-produced product that swapped out the groundbreaking visual effects from the first Superman feature for cut-rate effects that would sadly be out of place even in a SyFy Channel original movie [...]

A movie that’s been getting a lot of geek buzz (stay tuned for a Comic–Con panel recap), Knights of Badassdom brings together an awesome cast, a humorous plot, as well as some scary stuff to tie it all together nicely.

The movie stars Peter Dinklage (The Station Agent, Game of Thrones), Ryan Kwanten (True Blood, Red Hill), and Steve Zahn (Treme, Saving Silverman) as three friends, two of which (Zahn and Dinklage) are into LARPing (Live Action Role Playing) and bring their friend (Kwanten) in to try it out.

Unfortunately for Kwanten’s character, not long after he tries out LARPing for himself, his friends have accidentally summoned an actual succubus demon into their world, forcing them to use their fake fighting skills for some real action.

You can see the trailer below now! [...]

The cast of Syfy’s hit TV show Eureka talked about what to expect in season 4.5 during a panel discussion on Friday at San Diego Comic-Con 2011.

Prior to the cast coming out, the network showed a trailer for the upcoming episodes, which revealed plenty of guest stars. The main draw of the season is definitely the appearance of Stan “The Man” Lee, creator of classic Marvel characters like Spider-Man, X-Men, The Incredible Hulk, and several more.

“We’re all very professional adults on the set… but when we did that episode with Stan Lee everyone reverted to age 12,” said Wil Wheaton, who moderated the panel and appears on the show as Dr. Isaac Parrish.

The panel featured Colin Ferguson (Jack Carter), Salli Richardson-Whitfield (Allison Blake), Neil Grayston (Douglas Fargo), Felicia Day (Dr. Holly Martin), and executive producers Jaime Paglia and Bruce Miller. We’ve embedded video of the panel below (check back soon for our one-on-one video interviews with Ferguson and Day) [...]

Amazon is currently running a deal on Bioshock 2, offering up the standard edition of the video game at drastically reduced prices between $6.99 and $9.99.

- Xbox 360: $9.99 [50% off the list price of $19.99]
- Playstation 3: $9.99 [50% off the list price of $19.99]
- PC: $6.99 [65% off the list price of $19.99]
- PC Download: $6.99 [65% off the list price of $19.99]

Also, if you purchase any of the aforementioned versions of the game, you can get Free Standard Shipping (3-5 days) by selecting Standard Shipping during checkout when the item is bought and shipped through Amazon.com (see more details on the product page).

Note, there’s no mention as to when this sale ends, so grab it now if you want it [...]

The t-shirt deal of the day over at RIPT Apparel today is the Avengers-inspired shirt S.H.I.E.L.D. shirt called “Company Picnic” by artist johnbj wilson.

The shirt went on sale at RIPT today, Sunday, July 24, 2011, at midnight CST, and will continue for 24 hours from then, and once it’s over, it will not be sold on the site anymore [...]