Club Jade

Today’s biggie: a new trailer for Pixar’s Wall-E. Sorry Artoo – there’s a new adorable robot in town.

Elsewhere…

• Michael Caine praises Heath Ledger’s performance in The Dark Knight.

• Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy not getting a sequel. I don’t think anyone is going to mind.
• Bay and ILM promise to step it up on Transformers 2.
• Zachary Quinto gushes about Trek co-stars.
• Krypton footage may make Superman Returns sequel.
• Next on the remake trail: Friday the 13th.

Cheesy Adam West Batman meets angsty Frank Miller Batman in this series of 1966 Batman: The Movie images with captions from 1986′s The Dark Knight Returns.

Rumor Mill of the Crystal Skull

• AICN reports that the Indy 4 crew have recreated a very familiar location from the first movie.

Franchise Madness

• Jessica Biel is not Wonder Woman. Entertainment Weekly reports she passed on the role; fanboys mourn.

• Shaun of the Dead/Hot Fuzz‘s Simon Pegg wants a Potter role. Who would you cast him as?
• Another Terminator trilogy? Oh, for Christ’s sake…
• Six Flags building Bat-coasters. Three The Dark Knight Coasters will be opening in May 2008.
• Adrien Brody was up for Spock role.

And then…

• Ridley Scott talks Blade Runner: The Final Cut.

• Will Smith to remake The Karate Kid with his son?
• Teaser poster for Pixar’s Wall-E.

Justice League of America script might have leaked. Emphasis on the might, but there are possible spoilers. In slightly more plausible news (it’s from Variety!) Jessica Biel may step into Wonder Woman’s boots. Well, we know she’s kicked ass before, but is she superhero material? I don’t foresee any complaints from the Karrdes.

Meanwhile, in another franchise…

• Daniel Radcliffe looking forward to filming Inferi scene for Half-Blood Prince.

• Transformers 2 in Summer 2009.
• David Duchovny claims second X-Files might begin shotting in December.
• Rumor mill: Rachel Weisz and Chloe Sevigny fighting for role in… Terminator 4? Yeah, right.
• Technician dies on the set of The Dark Knight.

Jim Broadbent reveals that he’ll play Professor Slughorn in Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. He’s everywhere! (He also talks about his Indiana Jones role at the link.) In other casting news, looks like Zoe Saldana will be playing Uhura in JJ Abrams’ Star Trek.

In other news…

• First Prince Caspian poster. Fangirls, meet your new girly-man squee magnet. (Sorry, Orlando.)

• Heath Ledger talks about being the Joker. (Link links to video.)
• The Last Starfighter: The Musical. …What? Why? Were the rights cheap?

Rumor mill

• Geoffrey Rush talks Pirates 4. Nothing really solid, but I am just taking this opportunity to say I would so watch a Barbossa movie.

• Shia LeBouf as Y: The Last Man’s Yorick?
• Viggo Mortsensen in The Hobbit? Well, someone has to bring the pretty, I suppose.

The big news this week seems to IESB’s report that a Justice League of America movie has been fast-tracked by Warner Bros. Ryan Reynolds has been talking up The Flash, but Christian Bale pleads ignorance. A Justice League without Batman? The fanboys will love it!

Michael Bay’s hissyfits, let me show you them

• Wait wait wait, Anthony Michael Hall is in The Dark Knight? Possible spoilers.

• They are remaking Logan’s Run. You just can’t keep rewarmed crap down.
• Rose McGowen to play Barbarella? See above.
• Aliens vs. Predator sequel gets a name. Don’t worry, it’s probably still going to suck.
• Steve Spielberg and Michael Bay pissed about Blu-Ray. Good news, guys: The audience doesn’t care.
• Irvine Welsh talks Trainspotting sequel. Someone musta loved writing that headline. In more promising news for Ewan McGregor fans, the trailer for Cassandra’s Dream is out.

Eighteen new pics from The Dark Knight for your enjoyment. I’m assuming you already know what Christian Bale looks like in a suit, but there are images of a more spoilery sort at the link.

Heroes star Milo Ventimiglia would like to play Robin. Well, that’s certainly different.

Stardust may not be out yet, but it’s certainly getting its share of hype. It’s currently getting a 100% on Rotten Tomatoes (from only five reviews, granted) but Neil Gaiman is everywhere.

Really, there ought to be a band

• Speaking of the giants of modern geekdom, Entertainment Weekly snagged the Spocks, Chris Carter and Joss Whedon.

• Sam Raimi to helm Clash of the Titans remake? I’m not sure how I feel about that. Aside from the whole ‘how dare they remaked the crap classics of my childhood’ thing. CLAYMATION FOREVER!
• More viral marketing for The Dark Knight: Rent-A-Clown.
• IGN talks to Wall-E director Andrew Stanton.
• Kevin Costner is still defending Water World. Dude, let it go.
• Pirates 3 DVD details.
• Totally random rumour from Hong Kong: Natalie Portman and Jet Li making Snow White action flick?
• In Portman news that might actually have a chance of being real, the supposed poster for The Other Boleyn Girl. Let’s hope Scarlett Johansson’s English accent has improved since The Prestige.

Videos du jour

• Kevin Smith responds to SDCC jackass.

• On a more positive note, the teaser trailer for Back to the Future is surprisingly palatable for its era.

Sam Raimi tells Entertainment Weekly he’d be up to direct The Hobbit And there’s also some stuff about the Spiderman franchise, which will apparently never end. There’s even going to be a musical! Also, early reviews are showing up for Spider-Man 3 – Beware spoilers!

Edward Norton to play The Hulk; America probably just better off renting Fight Club. Seriously now, Scriptwriter Zak Penn talks Hulk, Norton, and the Avengers.

The Rumor mill

• Fantastic Four: The voice of Galactus?

• Indy IV: Sala written out in favor of ‘younger cast?’
• The Dark Knight: A scarier Joker?