Paramount announced they have picked up the rights to The Martian Chronicles, a collection of classic sci-fi short stories by Ray Bradbury.  While you may only know Bradbury from his most famous piece of work, Fahrenheit 451, or the mediocre film adaptation of the same book, he has become to be known as one of the leading names in 20th century science fiction.

Producing the film is John Davis, who has been trying to get this project off the ground ever since Universal acquired the feature rights in 1997.  But even before that, NBC and the BBC made a TV miniseries based on the same source, but judging by the photos and lead actor Rock Hudson, it’s safe to say that it was exactly what you would expect from a low-budget, early 80s TV show.

Originally published by Bradbury in late ’40s as separate stories in science fiction magazines, The Martian Chronicles is more of an episodic novel rather than a collection of short stories.  The main plot chronicles the colonization of Mars by humans following the atomic destruction of Earth, as well as the conflict between the native Martians and the new colonists.

The original script being worked on with Steven Spielberg, among other producers, when Universal first acquired the film rights, focused on a spaceship commander investigating two missing missions on the red planet.  Nothing has been said as of yet to whether Davis will be using this same premise, or go back to the original material for inspiration.

The original stories were broken down into three sections: the stories dealing with the attempts to colonize and settle on Mars, the native Martian’s efforts to fight off the colonists, and the eventual nuclear war that forces most of the humans back to earth and the remaining to become the new Martians.  Can we say franchise?

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If you thought you could get inside of the mind of comedian Will Ferrell and try to anticipate what his next career move would be, you’d were way off.

From high-budget comedies like Anchorman and Step Brothers to a multi-episode run on NBC’s The Office, to running and starring a website dedicated to indie comedy shorts, and now to a comedy done completely in Spanish. That’s where Casa de mi Padre comes in. Here’s the official synopsis.

Armando Alvarez (Will Ferrell) has lived and worked on his father’s ranch in Mexico his entire life. As the ranch encounters financial difficulties, Armando’s younger brother Raul (Diego Luna), shows up with his new fiancé, Sonia (Genesis Rodriguez). It seems that Raul’s success as an international businessman means the ranch’s troubles are over as he pledges to settle all debts his father has incurred. But when Armando falls for Sonia, and Raul’s business dealings turn out to be less than legit, all hell breaks loose as they find themselves in a war with Mexico’s most feared drug lord, the mighty Onza (Gael Garcia Bernal).

The flick comes from Funny or Die regulars Andrew Steele and Matt Piedmont, and from what we can tell from the trailer after the jump, it will be very tongue-in-cheek. Take a look for yourselves and let us know what you think.

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Good lord, has it already been over 10 years since the last Scream movie?  It’s hard to believe that Kevin Williamson and Wes Craven first turned the horror genre on its head way back in 1996 (Scream 3 came out in 2000).

That first Scream film felt fresh in the stale horror market, offering up a tale of teenagers being stalked and killed by the “Ghostface” killer. What was so fun about the series was that the kids being stalked were horror movie fanatics, thus they new the “rules” of the genre. The movie playfully skewered the very genre it was depicting. The film spawned two sequels featuring original heroine Sidney (Neve Campbell) reporter Gale Weathers (Courtney Cox) and Deputy Dewey (David Arquette).

All three characters return in Scream 4, which takes place in Sidney’s hometown of Woodsboro. Sidney has authored a successful book about her ordeal, and has come home for a booksigning. No sooner does she arrive than the bodies starting stacking up. Like all the Scream movies, the film is essentially a whodunit.  This time Sidney’s Aunt (Mary McDonnell) and cousin Jill (Emma Roberts) get pulled into the fray, since Sidney is staying with them.

The film opens with a bunch of teenagers watching Stab 6 and 7 (based on the Woodsboro killings) and lamenting the state of Asian cinema and torture porn.

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With the release of Terrence Malick’s The Tree of Life rapidly approaching, 2011 seems to be quickly becoming a year for the existential-meets-apocolyptic-nature film.  There are two definite points of interest with this new release: the films brilliant yet controversial director, Lars von Trier, and the random yet perfect choices in casting.

First you must start off with the von Trier’s body of work.  While eclectic, one must always start with one of his most famous pieces of work, Dogville, for a beginner course in the work of the Danish filmmaker.  Staring Nicole Kidman and Paul Bettany, this unusual film feels more like a play than anything.  To read the screenplay, one would be unexpectedly surprised how normal it would read; your typical dysfunctional small-town drama.

What is unique is von Trier’s realization of the script, in that the whole setting takes place on a blank black stage with no set pieces, rather just tape on the ground marking off roads and buildings.  This creates interested effects.  You may be watching a simple dialogue between two people in a house, but since there is no real wall the audience is left to see other townspeople walking in the street and even into other houses while the scene takes place.  Point being, not your average direction.

While the cast of Melancholia may feel like a bad game of “6 Degrees of Separation”, upon further thought actually seems like a carefully planned out ensemble.  First there is Kirsten Dunst, who most people have assumed has a slowly dwindling career after being killed off the Spiderman franchise, is actually perfectly poised to redeem herself in the right role.  Remember, she was surprisingly decent in Eternal Sunshine.

Then there is Charlotte Gainsbourg, who despite currently having a larger music resume than film reel actually is quite a decent and natural actress, as evident in Michel Gondry’s The Science of Sleep.  Then of course you have Kiefer Sutherland, who I’m still not sure how he convinced his agent to let him do a real film, but who I do trust to give a decent performance under the right direction.

So far, the only disappointing aspect of his film is that it has no release date except a screening at Cannes.  Until then, watch the trailer again.  It’s worth it. Check it out after the break.

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As was expected (and we reported earlier), Apple released a brand new iOS update for all its shiny devices. This update, dubbed iOS 4.3.2, is for all you iPad, iPod Touch and AT&T iPhone users out there.

The only changes noted by Apple are bug fixes and security updates, which is what you kind of expect Apple to say. They are not exactly forthcoming with the info. However, Apple does specifically note that the update fixes a crash related to FaceTime and it also fixes some iPad 3G + Wi-Fi connectivity issues.

In addition, the company also released an update for the Verizon iPhone users in the crowd. Dubbed iOS 4.2.7, this update also includes those awesome “bug fixes and security updates.” We’re going to update the bosses Verizon iPhone tonight and will let you know if it breaks anything — or improves anything for that matter.

Both updates are available immediately via iTunes.

It’s Thursday so that must mean most eyes will be glued to NBC for their night of comedy. I know I’ll be watching.

To help get you ready, we’ve got previews for some of tonight’s shows. It all kicks off with a new episode of Community. Tonight, the Greendale gang picks their spring electives and Jeff finds something fishy about Pierce’s new friend.

Next up is the brand new Paul Reiser show featuring, well, Paul Reiser. On the season opener, Paul debates his career path, as we all do, and gets some input from a respectable guest star.

Next up is an episode of The Office where new boss Will Farrell arrives ready for action. Following that, you’re invited to a dinner party with our favorite Parks & Recreation department.

Then, Liz scrambles to find Tracy before TGS is cancelled on a new 30 Rock. Outsourced rounds out the evening when Todd uncovers a secret about one of his coworker’s parents.

Check out the previews for Paul Reiser’s show, The Office and 30 Rock after the jump. The fun starts tonight at 8/7C with Community on NBC.

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While the epic battle of print comics vs. digital comics wages on, some side action is going on with the uprising of motion comics, in which classic story arcs are getting animated and released as mini “episodes” on iTunes and on DVD.

Both Marvel and DC are doing their thing and trying to out-do each other, each with a pretty impressive release under their belt. DC and Warner Premiere released the Watchmen animated comic which started the trend, and Marvel carried the torch with the popular Astonishing X-Men release.

Now, Marvel is doing it once again with Thor & Loki: Blood Brothers. The series is already up to episode 3 this week, and has blown up, making its way to the #1 spot on both the Playstation Network and Xbox LIVE marketplaces, as well as placing quite high on iTunes animated section.

We wanted to know exactly what it takes to bring these ink and paper creations to a new medium, so that’s what Marvel brought us with a new behind-the-scenes look at Thor & Loki: Blood Brothers. Take a look after the jump, and catch episodes 1-3 in most digital marketplaces right now.

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Syfy has already hit it out of the park with reality shows like Destination Truth and Face Off, but there is one show that we can’t wait for, which returns next week. That show is, of course, Urban Legends.

We’ve got a sneak peek at the upcoming season 3 premiere, titled “Best Laid Plans”, but before we get to that, here’s a breakdown of what you can expect to see.

In the Syfy series, underscoring the art of storytelling, Urban Legends asks its viewers to decipher fact from fiction.  Three tall tales are dramatically recreated and the audience must decide which is real from these stories of astronomical proportion. In the sneak peek clip of the Season Premiere of Urban Legends, a man is held at gunpoint on his own living room floor by men that look to be on the SWAT team based on their gear and clothes.

The man being held against his will can’t figure out the reasoning for the invasion in his own home, and soon realizes his two dogs have been killed and his mother-in-law has been thrown to the ground.  He sees police standing outside of his house and realizes this is no ordinary invasion while trying to reason with the masked men in telling them he hasn’t done anything wrong and that he’s the mayor.  The masked men think he must be crazy for claiming such a thing, and it all leads to an unmarked box.

Enticed? Take a look at the preview after the jump and catch the upcoming premiere on Monday at 10/9C on Syfy.

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Yes, folks, it’s time for more Planet of the Apes as 20th Century Fox has released the first trailer for one of its potential Summer blockbusters, Rise of the Planet of the Apes. The new film, a prequel to the original film series, is an origin story where scientist James Franco is experimenting on apes to find a cure for Alzheimer’s and instead creates a mutated ape called Caesar, played by Andy Serkis.

Obviously, complications ensue and Franco’s character is forced to choose between his love of science and protecting his new creation. In the trailer we get our first good look at the apes as well as Franco and some of the film’s co-stars.

Not sure if this is an improvement over the original Apes films made famous by Chuck Heston and Roddy McDowell. Still, it’s got to be better than Tim Burton’s attempt. That just wasn’t good at all.

Check out the trailer after the break. Get your stinking paws on Rise of the Planet of the Apes when it invades theaters on August 5th.

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This year may be the “year of super hero films” in theaters with big titles like X-Men: First Class, Green Lantern, and Thor hitting the big screen, but one caped crusader has already hit limited theaters, and is now available in your homes.

For those who didn’t get the chance to go to the limited theaters that James Gunn’s newest dark superhero comedy Super has been in, don’t worry because the film has just become available On Demand through IFC Films On Demand section.

For those who are watching for the first time or repeat viewing, you can now watch the film if you are currently member of Bright House, Cablevision, Charter, Comcast, Cox, Insight, Time Warner, and DirecTV. IFC even has a neat way for you to see if you can get the film from your current provider.

Now, you can get a chance to see one of the darkest, most humorous superhero comedies of recent history. For those who still haven’t even heard of the film, we’ve got the trailer for you after the jump. Act now, as Super is only available On demand until June 5th.

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At the beginning of this year, MGM filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy which meant two things for film fans everywhere: there was a distinct possibility that we wouldn’t see The Hobbit or the 23rd film in the James Bond franchise for the unforeseeable future.

As we all know, Jackson is down under working on The Hobbit as we speak, and it looks like Bond may have just gotten saved, as both MGM and Sony have come to a deal and will work together to get the film made by 2012. From THR:

Sony Pictures, which released the last two James Bond movies, has struck a deal with MGM to co-finance and distribute worldwide the next Bond, still known only as Bond 23.

With Bond 23 set for release on Nov. 9, 2012, Sony and MGM also plan to join forces for the next film in the ongoing series, Bond 24, under a similar arrangement.

As part of the deal, announced Wednesday by MGM’s Gary Barber and Roger Birnbaum and Sony’s Michael Lynton and Amy Pascal, MGM and Sony are also exploring co-financing deals on future movies produced by each of the studios during the next five years.

Along with Bond 23 and 24, Sony Pictures and MGM are locked in to release The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo remake and are in talks about working together on the Total Recall remake.

Green Day is a generation defining band. They have grown and evolved with their fans consistently over the past two decades but have also managed to remain as relevant today as they were when their first hits came out in the early ’90s.

Green Day’s evolution as a band took another interesting turn last year when their latest mega-hit album ‘American Idiot’ was adopted into a stage musical. Logically there is only one place to go after you take Broadway: Hollywood!

Deadline is reporting that Universal Pictures is looking into turning the successful musical into a feature film:

Universal Pictures is negotiating to turn the Green Day-fueled Broadway musical American Idiot into a feature film. Dustin Lance Black, the Oscar-winning Milk scribe, is in talks to write the script, and Michael Mayer will direct.

Mayer helmed the stage run of the musical, which is closing on Broadway April 24 and launching a tour in the fall. Black most recently scripted J. Edgar, the Clint Eastwood film that stars Leonardo DiCaprio as J. Edgar Hoover.

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