It’s official! The all-time Opening Day record for any film premiering on any day has fallen. All hail the new king of the box office: The Twilight Saga: New Moon.  See what the concentrated power of ten million screaming tween girls can accomplish? Official estimates from Summit Entertainment put New Moon at $72.7 million for Friday, including the $26.3 million the sequel brought in from its midnight engagements. That is more than $5 million above the former all-time record of $67.2 million set by The Dark Knight back in 2008 and a 100% increase on the $36 million debut of Twilight one year ago. The question now is whether New Moon can keep up this pace long enough to break The Dark Knight’s other record: $158.4 million in three days. Check back tomorrow to find out how it all plays out.

Tonight, Texas based Mondotees was at Gallery 1988 in Los Angeles for one night only.   They were there to release two limited posters (Gremlins and Alien) and to sell off a few posters that were previously sold out.  Also, they had Kevin Tong creating customized hand-drawn movie prints and Harry Diaz live screen-printing custom movie merchandise.  If you’ve never seen the awesome posters and t-shirts that Mondotees sells, I really suggest checking out the website.  Especially if you love movies.

While tonight’s show started at 7pm, I managed to get in a bit early to photograph what was on display.  If you didn’t get a chance to go and were curious what they had, hit the jump for a ton of photos.

I’m offering the photos two ways.  You can either look at them in our flash player, or you can click on any of the images below.   If you have never seen the awesome work of Mondotees, you’re about to wish you were here in Los Angeles tonight.

Finally, I took two sets of photos tonight.  Some had flash and some didn’t.

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While not quite as massive as the thousands of films the Starz deal provided to Netflix’s “Watch Instantly” service last year, IFC Films has signed an exclusive streaming deal with Netflix for 53 of IFC’s films.  Among the 53 films are John Sayles’ The Brother From Another Planet and Return of the Secaucus Seven; Christopher Nolan’s first film, Following; James Toback’s When Will I Be Loved?; the Errol Morris’ documentaries Gates of Heaven and The Thin Blue Line; Susanne Bier’s Brothers (which is the original version of the upcoming Tobey Maguire/Natalie Portman/Jake Gyllenhaal movie of the same name); and Alfonso Cuaron’s first feature film, Solo con tu pareja.  The press release doesn’t say whether or not any IFC Films beyond the 53 they’re adding today will become available on “Watch Instantly”.

For those who don’t know, Netflix’s “Watch Instantly” service allows Netflix subscribers who have at least the $8.99/month plan to watch as many streaming movies as they want online-provided that the film is available in their streaming service.  There is a strong selection of movies (I currently have 184 films in my “Watch Instantly” queue), but it can be frustrating to keep checking the “Watch Instantly” page and no new films have been added.  Then again, I already have 184 films I could watch now so I’m not sure why I’m complaining.

It’s unnecessary to poke fun at Twilight and The Twilight Saga: New Moon because both films are funny (albeit unintentionally) enough on their own.  However, parody of these silly movies is always appreciated.  Earlier this week, Conan O’Brien had a very special message for parents as he warned them of some of the risqué behavior in New Moon.

Today, Brandon Routh (Superman Returns) and Martha MacIsaac (Superbad) have a goddamn hilarious send-up of an overlooked question of the Twilight series as well as other vampire-human romance stories: wouldn’t menstrual blood drive vampires insane?  And how could you keep your dumb romance alive if your vamp boyfriend literally wanted to kill you during your period?  The painfully hilarious answers to these questions are after the jump.

Earlier this week we brought you the international trailerfor the upcoming greek gods by way of Harry Potter action-adventure flick, Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief.  While that trailer was good, the domestic trailer just went online and it is even better.  It’s action heavy and I have to say that the action looks fantastic.  This trailer give you the plot of the film (Percy Jackson discovers he’s a demigod and must retrieve the bolt of Zeus-played by Sean Muthafuckin Bean-in order to prevent a war), and it has me excited for the film.  I’m not saying it’s the next Harry Potter or anything like that, but I certainly have more interest in the film after seeing this trailer than I did before, which is what a good trailer is supposed to do.

Check out the domestic trailer after the jump.  Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief hits theaters on February 12, 2010.

Mia Wasikowska (Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland) and Michael Fassbender (Inglourious Basterds) seem to be on their way to becoming two of the biggest rising stars out there right now.  Both actors are now teaming up with director Cary Fukunaga (Sin Nombre) in bringing another adaption of the classic novel Jane Eyre to the big screen.  I don’t know if anyone was really hoping for another one, but the talent involved definitely has me interested now. You can read the details after the jump.

Variety reports that the film will be a period piece and will play up the gothic elements of the story.  Published in 1847, the classic novel tells the story of Jane (Wasikowska), a demure governess who discovers her surly employer Rochester (Fassbender) is harboring a dark secret.  Ellen Page was once attached to the project to play the title role, but has since left the project.

I still haven’t seen Sin Nombre yet, but I’m sure that Fukunaga is a name to watch.  His directorial debut has received nothing but high praise and I’m sure his Jane Eyre film will be on everyone’s radars as it prepares to hit theaters.  This is due in part to the fact that Wasikowksa will next be seen as Alice in Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland and will also star in Gus Van Sant’s untitled next film, which was previously entitled Restless.  As for Fassbender, he definitely going to garner some attention next year as he stars in Neil Marshall’s (The Descent) Roman action film, Centurion, and co-stars alongside Josh Brolin and Megan Fox in Jonah Hex.

If you are a fan of The Twilight Saga, I don’t have to tell you what a big day this is. It’s probably been circled by a red heart on your day planners since, um, last November. For box office reporters, however, this is a big day for another reason. The release of New Moon at 12:01 am this morning had the potential to overturn the midnight box office record set by The Dark Knight back in July of 2008.  New Moon already had the record for midnight presales so the only question left to ponder was how high Bella and Edward would go. No official numbers from Summit are yet available but it looks like that $18.4 million record The Dark Knight claimed has indeed fallen.

According to Variety, estimates for the 3,514 North American New Moon theatres put the film’s midnight total at $26.3 million.  This means that The Dark Knight opening day record of $67.1 million is in danger of succumbing to Twilight mania. We all knew it would be huge, but huge enough to beat The Dark Knight? That’s a horse of another color. A huge horse.  We’ll keep you updated as the weekend numbers start to come in.

A couple of weeks ago we reported that Nicole Kidman was going to co-star with Robert Pattinson in his next film, Bel Ami.  We then found out a little bit later that this wasn’t true and that Kidman was definitely not attached to the project.  However, tonight we have news that Kristin Scott Thomas (The English Patient) has joined the cast and that Uma Thurman will now be taking the role that Kidman passed on.  To find out what this “erotically charged story of ambition, power and seduction.” is all about, just hit the jump.

Based on Guy de Maupassant’s short story, the film will tell the story of George Duroy (played by Pattinson), a young journalist who rose from poverty to become one of the most successful men in Paris via the ruthless and calculating bedding of the city’s most glamorous and influential women.  THR reports that Thurman will play the role of Duroy’s friend’s wife who helps Duroy rise to power and later becomes his wife.  Meanwhile, Kristin Scott Thomas has been cast to play a socialite who falls for Duroy as well.

The film will definitely be a test of Pattinson’s talents and will also mark the directorial debut of London theater director Declan Donnellar, who aims to begin production on the film sometime next year.

Stephen King’s latest, Under the Dome, only came out last week but there are already plans to adapt the novel for TV. Stephen King TV adaptations are rarely anything to get excited about these days since most end up being disappointments, but when Steven Spielberg is the man behind the project everything changes.  The powerhouse duo are now working with DreamWorks TV in setting up an event series based on the recent bestseller, which will most likely be on cable.  You can get all of the details after the jump.

Under the Dome’s story revolves around the drama that unfolds after an invisible force-field suddenly descends on a small vacation town in Maine.  If the plot sounds familiar to you already, it’s because you already saw this situation in The Simpsons Movie.  Having said that, I feel safe in assuming that King’s take on the “dome appears over a city suddenly” genre is very different.

It is surprising and great news though that we will finally see these two great minds collaborate on something.  However, Variety tells us that King and Spielberg have actually worked together in the past.  It turns out that Spielberg and King tried to bring The Talisman to life for 20 years before the project finally died due to budget issues.  Hopefully, we won’t see the same thing happen again now to Under the Dome.

As of right now, writers are being met with as the project begins its earliest stages of production.  The plan is to then shop around the project to different buyers.  Spielberg seems to have a friendly relationship with Showtime since he currently produces United States of Tara and is also currently developing a scripted series that will chronicle the development of an original Broadway musical for the cable network as well.  It’s because of these reasons that I hope we will see this “series event” on Showtime in a few years.

As always, we’ll keep you updated as we hear it.

We’re getting another Underworld movie and there’s no way around it.  I dropped out after the first movie, but it did teach me a valuable lesson: Kate Beckinsale in black leather spandex wielding two guns does not a good movie make.  Also (and I fail to understand this in New Moon as well), why are werewolves and vampires fighting?  I know that there’s some back story explaining it but what makes these two groups inherently in conflict as opposed to any other monster?

Maybe John Hlavin, a writer on The Shield, which is one of my all-time favorite shows, can explain it to me, or at least bring me back to the series.  Thankfully, Hlavin says he aims to do just that (while not alienating the precious fans who must be appeased lest the world suffer their wrath).  Hit the jump for details and wonder if you can include a note on every page saying “Please do not shoot this with a blue filter.”

Heat Vision reports that John Hlavin has been hired to pen the fourth installment of the inexplicably popular and successful franchise.  Len Wiseman, who directed the first two films and produced the third is back on board but still as a producer only.  Currently, the fourth film, which Hlavin says will not be a prequel, has no director attached and neither Beckinsale nor Rhona Mitra, the star of the last film Underworld: Rise of the Lycans, are currently attached to return at this point.

While keeping the plot of the new film under wraps, Hlavin, “It will satisfy old fans and excite new audiences, meaning that we don’t want to redo the first three movies, so steps are being taken to honor what fans have loved but at the same time introduce fresh elements.”  I take this to mean that they’ll be introducing mummies.  Mummies are the fresh element and now it will be werewolves vs. vampires vs. mummies.  Makes as much sense as the previous conflict and you have to introduce a fresh element and you have mummies.  Mummies are the new black.

If you’ve seen The Wire, you know that Idris Elba is a ridiculously talented actor who has yet to become a massive success stateside.  But now that’s just a matter of time as he already appeared last season on The Office (which didn’t really utilize his talent but a lot of folks watch it, myself included), will appear next year in the comic book action flick The Losers and now he’s landed a role in Kenneth Branagh’s upcoming adaptation of Marvel’s Thor.

Show some respect to Stringer Bell and hit the jump for details.

According to Heat Vision Blog, Elba will play “Heimdall; as the guardian of Asgard, he stands on the BiFrost Bridge ready to defend the city from intruders.”  Now that’s pretty damn cool, not just because everyone else in Asgard is apparently too lazy to defend their own damn city, but because Norse mythology doesn’t really have any black guys.  As you can see from the image to your right, Heimdall is a Caucasian gentleman, much like the people of Scandinavia who created Norse mythology.  But while they may not have cast Idris Elba in a movie based on their god of thunder, they would have done it in a heartbeat if they had seen an episode of The Wire.  And yes, I’m working under the assumption that ancient Scandinavians would know about film and television.

For those just tuning in, Thor is based off the popular Marvel comic created by Stan Lee.  The movie follows Thor (Chris Hemsworth) a Norse God banished to Earth for his arrogance and reckless behavior in the Asgard, the capital city of the Norse Gods.  On Earth, he falls in love with a nurse named Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), but must become a true hero when his sinister brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston) brings the darkest forces of Asgard to wreak destruction on humanity.  Directed by Kenneth Branagh (Hamlet), the film co-stars Anthony Hopkins, Stellan Skarsgård, Dominic Cooper, Jaimie Alexander, Colm Feore, Stuart Townsend, Ray Stevenson, and Tadanobu Asano.

Thor is slated to hit theaters on May 20, 2011.

With Avatar less than a month away, Fox has released a new featurette that has James Cameron talking about the science and hardware that can be found in the film.  As much as I am trying to avoid any spoilers, I do think it’s a must watch.  You really start to get a sense of just how detailed and well thought out the world of Pandora is.  Plus, the small glimpses we get of the action scenes don’t hurt. You can see the clip after the jump.

I’m pretty sure if you are on this site you already know what Avatar is, but for those just tuning in, here is the film’s synopsis.

“Avatar is the story of an ex-Marine who finds himself thrust into hostilities on an alien planet filled with exotic life forms. As an Avatar, a human mind in an alien body, he finds himself torn between two worlds, in a desperate fight for his own survival and that of the indigenous people. More than 10 years in the making, “Avatar” marks Cameron’s return to feature directing since helming 1997’s “Titanic,” the highest grossing film of all time and winner of 11 Oscars including best picture. WETA Digital, renowned for its work in “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy and “King Kong,” will incorporate new intuitive CGI technologies to transform the environments and characters into photorealistic 3-D imagery that will transport the audience into the alien world rich with imaginative vistas, creatures and characters.”

Avatar hits conventional, 3-D, and 3-D IMAX theaters on December 18th.

While director Richard Linklater is having problems getting his “spiritual sequel” to Dazed and Confused off the ground, that doesn’t mean he isn’t working.  In fact, last week he was filming some of his secret 13 year project with Ethan Hawke and Patricia Arquette as a divorced couple.  Haven’t heard of the film yet? According to Linklater, good.

The reason I say that is when I spoke to Linklater during a roundtable interview a few days ago, he said he wished IMDb hadn’t listed the project.  Because now that it’s on the site, everyone is asking about a project that’s still being written and worked on.

But when I sat down to speak to him during my exclusive interview, when we finally got to talking about the project, he opened up a lot more than I expected him to.  Saying that, since I knew he wanted to keep a lot of the project under wraps, I didn’t press him for info.  But he still told me a lot about it and if you’re curious, hit the jump for what he said:

Here’s the big info:

• Has filmed on eight different occasions
• Ethan Hawke plays a divorced dad and Patricia Arquette plays the mom
• Says, “wanted to make a film about childhood but couldn’t pick one specific moment.”
• I ask if he scripted it many years ago or have things been changing.  He says, “every year I get a year to kind of gestate that year.  I always think, 7^th grade, what’s going on given the history.  It’s set in a contemporary setting and I play off what we did last year and how the actors are maturing and what’s going on.  So it’s a combination of the architecture I’ve already mapped out for the whole film and then the specifics are often worked out at the last minute. A lot of improv.”

While some directors might not be able handle a constantly changing movie, if there is one thing Linklater has shown me, it’s an ability to handle improv and real people dealing with real life situations.  And even though we all will have to wait a number of years to finally see this movie, if it comes together, it’s definitely going to be something special.

Here’s our conversation:

NBC has just announced Chuck will finally return to the airwaves on Sunday, January 10^th with back-to-back original episodes (9-11 p.m. ET) before the series moves to its regular day and time (Mondays 8-9 p.m. ET) beginning January 11.  For fans of the show, this is welcome news, as it’s getting back its original time slot and it’s being paired again with Heroes.

If you aren’t aware, NBC has loaded up this season with tons of guest stars like Angie Harmon (Law & Order), who will play Sydney, an enemy operative; Brandon Routh (Superman Returns), who is set to play CIA Agent Daniel Shaw; Robert Patrick (Terminator 2: Judgment Day) will play Colonel Keller, a soldier and spy from Casey’s past; Kristin Kreuk (Smallville), who will portray Hannah — a potential love interest for Chuck; Armand Assante as dictator Premier Goya, who is the target of an assassin; Steve Austin will portray Hugo Panzer, who becomes entangled in Chuck’s first solo mission; and Vinnie Jones (Snatch) will play Carl Stromberg, an arms dealer.

For more on Chuck, you can watch a preview of the new season after the jump!

‘CHUCK’ RETURNS TO NBC ON SUNDAY, JANUARY 10 WITH ALL-NEW MISSIONS AND ACTION-PACKED BACK-TO-BACK PREMIERE EPISODES BEFORE MOVING TO REGULAR DAY AND TIME (MONDAYS, 8-9 P.M. ET) BEGINNING JANUARY 11

In Addition, Special Two-hour Episode of “Heroes” to Be Broadcast on Monday, January 4 (8-10 p.m. ET) Before Series Moves to Its New Time Slot of Mondays (9-10 p.m. ET) Starting January 11

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. - November 19, 2009 - NBC’s action-comedy series “Chuck” returns to the NBC lineup on Sunday, January 10 with all-new missions and two action-packed, back-to-back original episodes in its season premiere (9-11 p.m. ET) before the series — starring Zachary Levi in the title role — moves to its regular day and time (Mondays 8-9 p.m.  ET) beginning January 11.

In addition, “Chuck” returns with guest stars galore in its third season.  These include: Angie Harmon (NBC’s “Law & Order”), who will play Sydney, an enemy operative; Brandon Routh (”Superman Returns”), who is set to play CIA Agent Daniel Shaw; Robert Patrick (”Terminator 2: Judgment Day”) will play Colonel Keller, a soldier and spy from Casey’s past; Kristin Kreuk (”Smallville”), who will portray Hannah — a potential love interest for Chuck; Armand Assante (”Judge Dredd”) as dictator Premier Goya, who is the target of an assassin; Steve Austin (”WWE Smackdown!”) will portray Hugo Panzer, who becomes entangled in Chuck’s first solo mission; and Vinnie Jones (”Snatch”) will play Carl Stromberg, an arms dealer.

In other programming news, a special two-hour episode of “Heroes” will be broadcast on Monday, January 4 (8-10 p.m. ET) and then the series moves to its new time slot of Mondays (9-10 p.m. ET) starting January 11.

“Josh (Schwartz) and Chris (Fedak) and the writing team are doing a great job this season, and we think the loyal fan base for this show will be happy to see it back on the NBC schedule,” said Angela Bromstad, President, Primetime Entertainment, NBC and Universal Media Studios.

In “Chuck,” the world’s nerdiest secret agent is back in the one-hour action-comedy series.  Chuck Bartowski (Levi, “Less Than Perfect”) continues as the Buy More electronics store computer geek, who unwittingly becomes the government’s most vital secret agent.  Chuck is transformed into the Intersect 2.0 after another data download into his brain.  This time, he not only knows government secrets, but he is also well equipped with deadly fight skills.  Chuck has the potential to become a real agent, but he has one problem — his emotions.  Now he faces the battle of keeping his emotions in check in order to protect himself and the people around him.

The ever stoic Colonel John Casey (Adam Baldwin, “My Bodyguard”) returns with partner Sarah Walker (Yvonne Strahovski, “Gone”), one of the CIA’s top agents and Chuck’s dream girl.  As Chuck assumes his new role as the Intersect 2.0, Casey and Sarah need to protect him but also help him become the agent he is destined to be.

Also starring are: Joshua Gomez (”Without a Trace”) as Morgan Grimes — Chuck’s best buddy; Sarah Lancaster (”What About Brian?”) as Chuck’s ever-supportive sister Ellie; Ryan McPartlin (”Living with Fran”) as Devon Woodcomb (also known as “Captain Awesome”), Ellie’s husband.  Chuck’s Buy More team consists of Big Mike (Mark Christopher Lawrence, “The Pursuit of Happyness”) and the Nerd Herd, which includes Lester (Vik Sahay, “Time Bomb”) and Jeff (Scott Krinsky, “The O.C.”).

Fans of “Chuck” can catch up on full episodes from the series’ recent second season, watch original web series and share with fans on the official “Chuck” website on NBC.com.

“Chuck” is co-created and written by Josh Schwartz (”The O.C., “Gossip Girl”) and Chris Fedak, and is executive-produced by Schwartz, McG (”Charlie’s Angels,” “We Are Marshall”), Fedak, Allison Adler and Matthew Miller.  “Chuck” is produced by College Hill Pictures, Wonderland Sound and Vision, in association with Warner Bros. Television.

It seems someone let the cat out of the bag a bit early.  Thanks to William Goss spotting Jackass 3D on Paramount’s 2010 schedule, it seems the adventures of Johnny Knoxville, Bam Margera and Steve-O are going to continue on movie screens….but this time we’re going to get them in 3D!  While I thought the first Jackass movie was an amazing cinematic achievement, I didn’t think the second movie was worth anyone’s time and most of it played like a long deleted scene.  Of course I’ll be the first one in line for a 3D Jackass movie…but after my recent experiences on a movie shooting in 3D, I’m not 100% sold this is really happening.   My explanation after the jump:

While I cannot tell you where I was, I can use what I saw and learned on set to explain why this Jackass 3D movie might not happen.

The thing you’ve got to know is shooting in 3D is not like filming a normal movie.  On the 3D set I was on, it took them awhile to set up the shot and figure out how they wanted the 3D to look.  What I’m trying to say is, there was no improv.  Of course as cameras get more technically advanced, I’m sure making a 3D movie will be as easy as shooting with any store bought video camera.  But as far as I know, we’re not there yet.

As we all know, the thing about Jackass is the spontaneity. While things are definitely scripted for comic effect, some of the best gags are the guys walking into a doctor’s office or standing in the street trying to pass themselves off as a regular person.  There is no way to do this when shooting in 3D until a smaller, more agile camera, hits the market.

So here’s what I’m thinking.  If the guys are really making Jackass 3D, I think the film is going to have some scenes in 2D (a regular movie) and some of the stunts that can be carefully staged and worked out ahead of time, those will be in 3D.  These are the kinds of stunts that take careful planning to make sure no one dies.  This way they can say it’s a 3D movie, but only part of it.

As I write these words, Jackass 3D has not been officially confirmed by anyone I know at Paramount.  So take this news with a grain of salt until we post an update.  Also, I don’t want to come across like an expert on 3D technology, because I’m not.  Perhaps there is a way to shoot 3D in true Jackass style and the movie is being done right now in secret.  With the news spreading across cyberspace about Jackass 3 in 3D, I’d imagine in the next day or two we’re going to learn a lot more.

Saying all this, I truly hope they are making this movie, as I think a 3D Jackass movie could be amazing.

Thanks to /Film, Chud and Cinematical.

[Obviously, if you've never seen Lost and are waiting until the entire series is available on DVD, stop reading now]

Let the official countdown begin.  In 74 days, Lost one of TV’s best shows will begin its final season.  Starting with a two-hour season premiere on February 2, 2010 at 9pm E.T., we begin (or hope) to unravel the island’s final mysteries: the smoke monster, time jumping, the statue, the temple, the island’s healing power, why the dead appear to the living, and so many other questions.  It’s all come to this and 74 days seems like an eternity and yet by the time the series finale airs sometime in May 2010, it will feel like it was over too fast.

After its two-hour premiere (which will follow the inevitable yet likely helpful one-hour recap show), Lost will begin airing at its regular time slot of 9-10pm ET on Tuesday nights beginning the following week, February 9th.  So grab your constant, blow the hatch, and get ready for the end.  If you’d like to read the press release ABC sent us, hit the jump:

ABC ANNOUNCES THE PREMIERE OF THE SIXTH AND FINAL SEASON OF “LOST,” WITH A SPECIAL ALL-NIGHT EVENT ON TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 2

ABC announces the premiere of the sixth and final season of “Lost,” with a special all-night event on Tuesday, February 2. A recap special will kick off the night from 8:00-9:00 p.m., ET, followed by the much anticipated two-hour premiere from 9:00-11:00 p.m.

The series will then air in its regular time period - Tuesday nights from 9:00-10:00 p.m., ET - beginning the following week, on February 9.

“Lost” stars Naveen Andrews as Sayid, Nestor Carbonell as Richard Alpert, Emilie de Ravin as Claire, Michael Emerson as Ben, Jeff Fahey as Frank Lapidus, Matthew Fox as Jack, Jorge Garcia as Hurley, Josh Holloway as Sawyer, Daniel Dae Kim as Jin, Yunjin Kim as Sun, Ken Leung as Miles, Evangeline Lilly as Kate, Terry O’Quinn as Locke and Zuleikha Robinson as Ilana.

“Lost” was created by Jeffrey Lieber and J.J. Abrams & Damon Lindelof. Abrams, Lindelof, Bryan Burk, Jack Bender, Edward Kitsis, Adam Horowitz, Jean Higgins and Carlton Cuse serve as executive producers. “Lost,” which is filmed entirely on location in Hawaii and premiered on September 22, 2004, is from ABC Studios.

Another video game movie?  Huzzah!  Hollywood desperately wants a slice of the gigantic video game profits that industry continues to reap.  When it was released last Tuesday, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 set the record for biggest video game launch of all-time by selling approximately 4.7 million units in its first 24 hours for a total of $310 million from the U.S. and U.K. combined.  That’s a lot of scratch and apparently the only way for Hollywood to get a piece is to adapt games into movies, because it apparently doesn’t work the other way around even though there have been at least two video games which were better than the properties they came from (Goldeneye 007 and The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay).  So the score is currently Movie-based Video Games: Two, Video Game-based Movies: Zero.

But Brad Pitt and his Plan B pictures are going to try and put movies on the score board by adapting the upcoming Capcom video game, Dark Void.  According to Variety, the story is about, “a pilot who crash lands in the Bermuda Triangle following a routine mission and wakes up to find himself in an alternate world resembling a primitive earth where aliens with superior technology are planning to take over civilization.”  Judging from the box art, this causes the pilot to dress up like the Rocketeer.  The game has a unique “vertical cover” system which is just like the regular cover system except with Dark Void it’s vertical and in mid-air.  Wow, what an innovation.

FunnyOrDie hosted a live Q&A online with writer/producer/director Judd Apatow.  At one point during the Q&A, Apatow was asked if he had any plans for sequels to the hit movies Superbad and Pineapple Express both of which co-starred Seth Rogen who also co-wrote the script with writing partner Evan Goldberg.  Apatow says it’s highly unlikely they would ever do a sequel to Superbad because Rogen and Goldberg don’t want to ruin the original.  As for Pineapple Express, Apatow goes a little further and says they might do a sequel but right now there’s nothing planned.  Finally, Apatow does explain that he’s not opposed to building off previous films as the upcoming Get Him to the Greek is a spin-off of Forgetting Sarah Marshall starring Russell Brand’s character Aldous Snow.

But let’s take a moment for some perspective.  If you watch the clip where he Apatow responds to the question, which we’ve included after the jump, you’ll see that he cuts it with a lot of humor and some slight mockery.  You’re not going to see a lot of enthusiasm from him and it’s pretty clear he has only given the idea the slightest consideration.  We should be grateful for this because we’re already inundated with sequels so why would you want more?  Don’t you trust Apatow, Rogen, and Goldberg to make original comedies?  Let’s admit that Superbad and Pineapple Express aren’t films which require the franchise treatment.  That being said, if Rogen and Goldberg’s latest film, The Green Hornet, scores big at the box office, asking about a sequel won’t be out of the question; it will be the question.

Thanks to ThePlaylist for turning this up:

It’s a bit bizarre that Twitter is so polarizing when it’s just a tool.  It’s such a weird thing to get mad at and the accusation that it’s furthering the ADD of our culture is just silly because we were gone further it anyway.  But like all tools it can be useful.  That’s why instead of sending out a press release, Marvel Editor-In-Chief Joe Quesada and prolific comic writer Brian Michael Bendis can quickly give their thoughts about Kenneth Branagh’s upcoming adaptation of Thor.  For instance, here’s what Bendis had to tweet: “Thor movie meeting with Ken Branagh [sic] was over the top amazing. Visited the sets! I was in Odin’s chamber!”  It’s really good news that one of Marvel’s top writers is so enthusiastic about a movie based on a Marvel project and I don’t have to re-tweet something like, “Thor movie looks like an abomination.  What have I done with my life?  Goodbye Crool World.”

But in news that was unexpected as well as exciting, @JonFavreau all but said we’re getting the first trailer for Iron Man 2 with Sherlock Holmes on December 25^th.  It makes sense seeing as folks love the Robert Downey Jr (as well they should) and he stars in both movies. This is the power and the glory of Twitter.  This is straight from the director.  Not the rumor mill, not from a leak, but from the director making use of a new technology to get fans excited.  You can also follow me on Twitter and you can follow Steve!  The possibilities are endless!

Here’s hoping that Sam Worthington is the real deal.  He was good in Terminator Salvation (although he had some trouble nailing down an American accent and occasionally lapsed back into his native Australian) but he’ll have to win over audiences in a big way with his leading performances in Avatar and Clash of the Titans if he wants to lessen the inevitable backlash towards him for having the audacity to be a rising star in Hollywood.

Thankfully, Worthington is playing it smart and not trying to be the biggest star in every upcoming blockbuster.  He’ll just be one of the biggest co-stars in the upcoming adaptation of the upcoming comic book series The Last Days of American Crime.  Hit the jump for details.

Here’s how Mania.com describes the plot of the sci-fi crime thriller:

In a near-future America, news has broken that, in a matter of weeks, the government is set to roll out mind-control technology that will kill the criminal impulse in all citizens. Chaos descends on America’s cities as the country braces for the new order. Career criminal Graham Brick is forced to accelerate the heist of his career with an untested new crew in order to beat the deadline.

The comic’s creator and writer Rick Remender describes it as “…really motivated by Mamet’s ‘Heist’ film and James Ellroy’s [novel] ‘American Tabloid’.”  I think that’s kind of a slam to Mamet and Ellroy because what you have is an interesting and horrifying sci-fi scenario used as a backdrop for a character that’s more concerned about his heist masterpiece than having his thoughts controlled by the government.  Also, the character’s name is “Graham Brick”?  Really?

Worthington would play “Kevin Cash, the safecracker who (along with his beautiful girlfriend Shelby) is enlisted in the heist at the last minute.”  I don’t want to be too harsh on the comic since the first issue doesn’t hit stores until December so it could be good (although “Graham Brick”?  Really?).  The project is still in the process of filling out the cast, attaching a director, and finding a studio.  Remender is handling the screenplay.