We’ve seen real innovations in the way that films are being distributed as of late.  Many films are being rolled out for a pre-theatrical release via On Demand.  This helps build word of mouth and buzz before the actual opening date of the movie, and allows people to see the movie who might not otherwise have the opportunity until the movie is released on DVD.

Now comes word that online retail giant Amazon is poised to change the very way that movies are developed. The Los Angeles Times has reported that Amazon will start a new website, Amazon Studios, that will partner with Warner Brothers for a first look option at new movie scripts and sample movies.

Here’s how it will work: writers and filmmakers will be able to upload their scripts and sample movies directly to the site. The site community then will provide feedback and suggestions for the submission. The cream of the crop will brought to Warner Brothers, and if a film is optioned, Amazon Studios might end up producing the project.

Roy Price is the president of Amazon Studios, and he claims that the idea is to update the decades-old process of script submission and movie development, and bring it  into the digital age. There is a catch, though.  People who submit their ideas will be signing off on an 18 month exclusive right to their material by Amazon Studios. Still, for the creative type who hasn’t been able to get their foot in the door, this will be a viable option.

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We’re only a few days away from the big premiere of the next Harry Potter film and leave it to the Internet, specifically to the various torrent sites, to spoil it for Warner Brothers. Thirty-six minutes of the new film have leaked onto the ‘net and studio execs, who I’m sure are concerned, must be high-fiving their decision to only provide a small portion of the film to the press to screen. The footage is watermarked and obviously from a DVD screener, generally sent to the press prior to a film’s official release, however Warner Bros is not confirming this at this time.

For those with even a cursory knowledge of how torrent sites work, they’re probably quite busy getting a solid look at the film before the world-wide release later this week. According to TorrentFreak.com, this is not the first time ‘Deathly Hallows’ has made a splash on the torrent scene. In 2007 a scan of the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows book was posted online before it hit the book stores, and was then quickly transcribed by fans. Someone had managed to get their hands on the American edition of the book and had photographed each page of the book and uploaded it to BitTorrent.

Flash forward a few years and dozens of torrent sites are  offering up the lengthy “preview” of the film. No surprise really, considering TorrentFreak reports that Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince scored a spot on its “most pirated movies” list with nearly 8 million downloads last year. Industry watchers are speculating whether the leak will have any affect on ticket sales, which seems remote unless the initial half hour of the film is disastrously bad. Instead, it may have the opposite effect, whetting movie-goers appetite for the full movie.

Wired.com is already reporting an official statement by the studio, who is vowing to find and prosecute those responsible.

“Last night a portion of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 was stolen and illegally posted on the internet. This constitutes a serious breach of copyright violation and theft of Warner Bros. property. We are working actively to restrict and/or remove copies that may be available. Also, we are vigorously investigating this matter and will prosecute those involved to the full extent of the law.”

What do you think? Will a little more than a half hour of the film have any bearing on opening night box office sales? Let us know your opinion in the comments section.

It’s here! Just when we thought we’d have to wait a WHOLE 3 days to get a glimpse at the full Green Lantern trailer, it’s now made it’s way online. Of course there were a few poor bootleg copies making it’s way around the web yesterday, but this is the real deal.

If you haven’t heard of the character, or just want to know how they’re going to bring our favorite Emerald Hero to the silver screen, here’s the full synopsis.

In a universe as vast as it is mysterious, a small but powerful force has existed for centuries. Protectors of peace and justice, they are called the Green Lantern Corps. A brotherhood of warriors sworn to keep intergalactic order, each Green Lantern wears a ring that grants him superpowers. But when a new enemy called Parallax threatens to destroy the balance of power in the Universe, their fate and the fate of Earth lie in the hands of their newest recruit, the first human ever selected: Hal Jordan.

Hal is a gifted and cocky test pilot, but the Green Lanterns have little respect for humans, who have never harnessed the infinite powers of the ring before. But Hal is clearly the missing piece to the puzzle, and along with his determination and willpower, he has one thing no member of the Corps has ever had: humanity. With the encouragement of fellow pilot and childhood sweetheart Carol Ferris (Blake Lively), if Hal can quickly master his new powers and find the courage to overcome his fears, he may prove to be not only the key to defeating Parallax…he will become the greatest Green Lantern of all.

Check out the full trailer after the jump. Green Lantern is set to hit theaters June 17th, 2011.

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For a while it seemed that every young starlet in Hollywood was vying for the part of Daisy Buchanan in Baz Luhrmann’s upcoming adaptation of the literary classic The Great Gatsby. Director Luhrman has finally announced that Carey Mulligan won the coveted role.

Leonardo DiCaprio has been cast as the wealthy and mysterious Jay Gatsby, and Tobey Maquire will play Nick Carraway. The story is set in the 1920′s, and Daisy is Gatsby’s long-lost love, now married to another man.

Mulligan has made a quick name for herself by appearing in some critically acclaimed roles.  She was nominated for an Oscar for her performance in An Education as Jenny, a naive teenager who is seduced by an older playboy.  She has also received accolades for her gut-wrenching performance in this year’s Never Let Let Me Go.

She beat out Scarlett Johansson and Blake Lively for the role of Daisy.

The Great Gatsby has been filmed several times, but the 1974 version is most well known. It was written by Francis Ford Coppola and starred Robert Redford as Gatsby, Mia Farrow as Daisy, and Sam Waterson as Nick.

Yesterday, a cryptic message was posted on Apple’s website. Today, the mystery is solved as The Beatles entire catalog of music has finally come to iTunes. In truth, it wasn’t that hard to figure out.

It’s no secret Apple CEO Steve Jobs has wanted The Beatles on iTunes for a long time. Sadly, that goal was delayed for many years due to various problems between Apple and the company in charge of The Beatles music. This included various lawsuits over Apple’s foray into the music business when iTunes first launched and more.

Now that all the issues have been settled, this will mark the first time the group has made its work legally available in a digital, downloadable format. Albums will sell for $12.99 while the band’s entire box set can be purchased for $149.

The Beatles’ appearance on iTunes will mark the first time the group has made its work legally available in a digital, downloadable format. Albums will retail for $12.99 and the band’s entire box set can be purchased for $149.

A few weeks ago, we brought you the very first teaser trailer for Disney and Pixar’s upcoming sequel, Cars 2. Now, things are getting a bit more exciting with a brand new, full-length trailer.

We know that we’ve lost Paul Newman, George Carlin, and Joe Ranft since the last film, who all voiced main characters. With that, the team at Pixar and Disney has helped by introducing some great new characters, including a James Bond-esque spy car voiced by Michael Caine.

Cars 2 is set to hit theaters in IMAX 3D, Digital 3D, and standard 2D on June 24th of 2011. In the meantime, check out the new trailer after the jump.

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DC Universe Online has got to be the most epic game in the world. Because of the hype surrounding it, and the constant delays, this game had better be the best thing we’ve seen since World of Warcraft, only better. We’re now getting a few tidbits as the beta is currently in progress that could prove just that.

One of the major elements to any successful MMORPG game is the upgrades for your custom character. It’s what drives millions of people to the WoW servers every day, and it could be what makes or breaks DCUO. We’re now getting a look at purchasable battlesuits that can be obtained by doing missions for specific characters.

The most specific examples the fine folks at Sony Online Entertainment have given us is the battlesuits obtained from missions with Wonder Woman and Black Adam. Check out the full trailer for the suits after the jump, and keep it here as we bring you the most up-to-date news from DC Universe Online as we await it’s early 2011 release date.

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Since Bruce Timm’s Justice League Unlimited went off the air, there has been a void in animated programming based on comics. The closest we’ve come is Batman: Brave and Bold, which was good, but never as deep as JLU. All that has gone out the window with Disney XD’s newest show, Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.

The show does an amazing job of mixing elements from all over the comic world, from classic Avenger stories, to Ultimates, and even New Avengers. With some great story and character elements thrown into each episode, it’s no doubt that we’ve found a new replacement for Justice League. Here’s a taste with the plot of tonight’s episode, titled “Welcome To Wakanda”.

The Black Panther strikes in a new episode of “The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes” on Wednesday, November 17 at 8:30 p.m., ET/PT on Disney XD. Seeking to reclaim his rightful place as King of Wakanda, the Black Panther seeks out the Avengers. It’ll take their combined might to defeat Man-Ape, Klaw and the forces of Hydra!

Check out the preview of the episode after the jump, and check out the full episode tomorrow night at 8:30 on Disney XD.

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Based on the original film featuring Charles Bronson and Jan Michael Vincent, this new take on The Mechanic features Jason Statem and Ben Foster as a master assassin and his apprentice. They come together to avenge the death of Foster’s character’s father and in so doing Statham teaches him the ropes.

To get you in the mood for the remake we’ve got the first trailer for the film to share with you today. In it you get a good look at the two leads and quite a bit about the story. Even though it seems like a simple revenge thriller, I hope it ends up being more than that.

The original was such a cool movie when the apprentice finally turns on his master and they have to fight it out using not just their skills but their brains as well. If you haven’t watched it, go check it out. As for this version, we’ll just have to wait and see if it rises to the level of the original. My guess is it probably won’t.

However, that doesn’t mean it won’t be a fun action film in its own right. We’ll find out when the film hits theaters on January 28, 2011. Meantime, click on through to check out the trailer.

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Director Guillermo del Toro and Battlestar Galactica Exec Producer David Eick are planning a new version of The Hulk for TV and will reportedly be doing it for ABC. This show will mark Marvel’s first foray into series TV after being acquired by Disney.

“I have always been attracted at the combination of comic book heroics and monsters, Jack Kirby’s Demon or Kamandi or DC’s Deadman or Marvel’s Dr. Strange, Morbius, Metamorpho, Mike Mignola’s Hellboy, etc,” Del Toro said. In addition, the director indicated The Hulk has been at the top of his list and he first pursued it as a feature film around the time of the 2002 release of Blade II. Del Toro added that, with partner Eick “we coalesced a respectful but powerful way of retelling the Banner/Hulk story in a fresh way.”

As the project is only in the preliminary stages, details of the premise are sketchy. However, the show will reportedly be an origin story following the exploits of mid-twenties physicist Bruce Banner and his alter ego The Hulk. In addition, for this series The Hulk won’t be full CGI like he was in the movies. Instead, the character will be realized via a combination of prosthetics, puppetry and computer generated imagery.

Because of the extensive prep work involved the series won’t be ready for ABC’s Fall schedule in 2011. So, look for it more like Fall of 2012. Wow, I can’t wait. Yes, that was sarcasm because I have a hard time thinking this will be any good.

How about you guys? Think this is a good idea?

Everybody loves the original Teen Wolf franchise. Apparently, that doesn’t include the executives at MTV, as the first trailer for their rehashed version of the film has hit the web, and the only similarity we can see is it’s title. Here’s the full breakdown of the show from MTV.

The show will focus around the dorky teen wolf, Scott McCall (Tyler Posey), as he maneuvers his way through high school after he gets a bunch of superpowers, including the ability to attract the ladies, after a wolf attack. The show will be both a drama and a buddy-comedy, with Scott’s buddy being played by Dylan, who isn’t initially buying into Scott’s tale. Crystal is on board as the new girl who falls for Scott and the other Tyler (Tyler Hoechlin) will be the local bad werewolf.” Criminal Minds creator Jeff Davis is the writer and Russell Mulcahy (Resident Evil: Extinction) is the helmer.

Basically, forget Michael J. Fox and even Jason Bateman and accept that this is a spinoff of Twilight in which the werewolf is the hero. The worst part is that you never actually see a wolf in the teaser, just some Thriller-like makeup.

Judge for yourself and check out the teaser after the jump.

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As other shows drop off the schedule (So long Undercovers and Outlaw), Chuck continues to stay on NBC’s Monday night lineup. Tonight is an all-new episode of the show, along with Chase and The Event, and we’ve got the previews for all three to get you in the mood.

First up on Chuck finds our hero has lost the ability to flash when he needs it most. Obviously this can present some problems for Chuck, but at least guest star Summer Glau is around to ease the pain (Or, increase it. We’ll see).

Then, we learn more about the attempt on the President’s life that was foiled in the pilot on tonight’s episode of The Event. President Martinez confronts Michael Buchanan desperately looking for answers and learns some very startling information. And, finally, Annie turns to one of the dangerous criminals she put away for information on tonight’s Chase.

Check out all three previews after the jump. The action, suspense and fun kicks off tonight at 8/7C with Chuck.

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