Now that Marvel has its own movie studio, it’s time for the House of Ideas to try out some fresh ones on the big screen. Sure, we all know the Iron Man and Thor sequels will make a billion dollars, but Marvel needs to think long term and use this opportunity to branch out.

Black Panther has never ranked in readership with Marvel’s flagship titles, but the movie-going audience is more diverse. A superhero film featuring a strong black cast could bring in a whole new audience to comic book movies. And the hardcore fans will always be along for the ride so long as the movie stays true to the source material.

Of course, in order to do that, the studio has to nail the casting.

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With the recent resurgence of fairy tale themed shows such as NBC’s Grimm and ABC’s own Once Upon a Time, the Disney-owned company is now prepared to launch their second fabled show in the form of a live-action retelling of the children’s classic Beauty and the Beast, originally written by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve.

The pilot will be written by Jonathan E. Steinberg (Human Target, Jericho with Steinberg acting as executive producer with Gary Fleder and Mary Beth Basile. It is also speculated that the series, if picked up, will air after the networks already highly successful Once Upon A Time. This version of the tale is intended as a period piece and will feature a hardboiled princess who develops a connection with a wild beast. No word yet on casting.

As if one Beauty and the Beast show wasn’t enough, the CW has also ordered a reboot of the CBS-produced version which ran on the network from 1987-1989. It starred Ron Pearlman (Hellboy, Sons of Anarchy) as Vincent, a lion-faced creature who wanders the New York sewers and occasionally quotes Shakespeare.

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Over the past two decades, Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett’s Good Omens has almost been made into a movie several times. Monty Python alum Terry Gilliam tried for years to put the comic fantasy on film, but the infamously unlucky auteur (see the wonderful doc Lost in La Mancha) could never make it happen.

There has been talk lately of a possible TV miniseries, but many of the book’s fans still hold out hope for a feature. But who could bring Good Omens‘s outrageous characters to life?

Take a look at our picks after the jump.

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With comic properties being snatched up by movie studios like lucrative hotcakes, a Luna Brothers film project is clearly inevitable. With their cinematic style, self-contained stories, and strong emotional centers, Joshua and Jonathan Luna’s titles are a perfect fit for the silver screen.

Probably the best thus far, a very original and dark superhero tale called simply The Sword could make an amazing, violent, and beautiful modern fantasy film. Of course, the cast would have to be as moving as the source material. Here are my humble suggestions for a movie adaptation of The Luna Brothers’ The Sword.

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If you’ve never read Brian K. Vaughn’s comic series Y: The Last Man, you’re really missing out. It’s very well written and has enjoyed tremendous popularity.

So much so, in fact, that it’s one of the reasons Vaughn ended up as a writer for ABC’s LOST for several seasons. Now, it looks like Vaughn’s TV writing career is going to continue.

According to Deadline, he has been signed to write Showtime’s drama series adaptation of Stephen King’s 2009 novel Under the Dome, from DreamWorks Television. According to the report, Vaughn was chosen after a long search by the show’s producers and will begin writing the adaptation immediately.

In case you’re not familier with the story, the supernatural thriller concerns locals at a Maine vacation spot who battle one another when a force field suddenly surrounds their town and cuts them off from the rest of the world. Yes, it takes place in Maine. Try to contain your surprise.

To be honest, this is not my favorite Stephen King novels. However, Vaughn is one of my favorite writers so hopefully he will bring his trademark wit and style to the project. The series expects to begin filming early next year for a debut sometime next Fall.

It what may come as sad news for fans of Stephen King’s The Dark Tower who were anxiously awaiting its translation from book series to feature films and TV series, it looks like Universal has decided to pull the plug. News came late yesterday that the studio decided to not move forward with the extremely ambitions adaptation of the series which would have started with a trilogy of films and two limited-run TV series.
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So now the filmmakers, which include star Javier Bardem, director Ron Howard, producer Brian Grazer, screenwriter Akiva Goldsman and Mark Verheiden, who was set to co-write the TV elements with Goldman, need to look for a new place to set up. It’s going to be a tall order finding a studio that’s willing to go on the hook for what would surely be a commitment of at least $500 Million (or more).

It’s not that hard to understand why Universal was reportedly more interested in doing one film to see what happens before moving forward with the rest. In this climate that’s a big bite for any studio to take and they were probably looking to minimize their risk. Makes sense.

In case you’re not familiar withThe Dark Tower series, it centers on the last living member of a knightly order of gunslingers named Roland Deschain who becomes humanity’s last hope to save civilization as he travels the land on a journey towards the Dark Tower. Along the way, he encounters all manner of characters, both good and bad, in a world that’s part Old West and part magical realm.

It’s quite an interesting series so let’s hope it finds a way to the big screen. In the meantime, Marvel is doing some excellent adaptations of the series which are plotted by Robin Furth and scripted by Peter David. Stephen King serves as Creative and Executive Director of the comics.

A lot of movies these days manage to have one or two interesting actors in them with the rest of the cast being so-so. However, once in a while a movie comes along that had way more than that.

In the case of the upcoming adaptation of the John Le Carre espionage novel Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy each and every actor in the film is not only interesting, but a major talent who brings a great deal to every role they play. The cast of this film includes Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Tom Hardy, Mark Strong, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Ciaran Hinds — so you can see what I mean.

We’ve got a trailer for the film to sharer with you today. In it you get a good idea of the story and the amazing ensamble that’s been assembled for the film. Apparently, a clip of the movie and the screenplay were shared with audiences at the Berlin Film Festival in early February where Gary Oldman’s performance as George Smiley was particularly praised.

Who knows, perhaps it’s time for Oldman to finally be recognized for his body of work? Perhaps an Oscar is in his future? We’ll see.

Focus Features releases the film in the US on November 18th. Check out the trailer after the break.

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The Devil in the White City has been a wildly successful book, and now word comes that it is finally being developed into a movie, with Leonardo Di Caprio attached to play the role of serial killer H.H. Holmes.

The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic and Madness at the Fair That Changed America (by Erik Larson) is the bizarre true story of an infamous serial killer who used the 1893  Chicago World ‘s Fair as a device to procure his victims. It is estimated that Holmes murdered anywhere from 27 to 200 men, women and children.

Holmes built an elaborate killing chamber that included a self-contained cadaver disposal in a hotel near the fairgrounds.  His story is woven with that of Daniel Hudson Burnham, an architect who was responsible for designing and building the elaborate fairgrounds “aka The White City.”

According to Deadline, Di Caprio’s Appian Way and Double Features jointly acquired screen rights to Larson’s book.  The movie will be written prior to shopping a studio. Di Caprio will produce and star.

Recently, Di Caprio helped bring another beloved book to screen when he played Teddy Daniels in Shutter Island.

Here it is your first official look at the full cast of AMC’s adaptation of the Robert Kirkman comic The Walking Dead, courtesy of the cool cats at i09. We’ve previously had a bunch of info about this upcoming series but now we get to see something that as fans of the comic and the upcoming series, I know we’re excited to see.

In a world where a single photo can cast doubt on an entire movie, this new photo from The Walking Dead goes a long way to putting fears to rest that this adaptation will somehow suck. There’s always some doubt, given the track record of Hollywood and comic book adaptations (Ghost Rider or Daredevil anyone?), but with a cast that looks this perfect for their respective roles and if this look continues for the series, we seem to be in good hands with Frank Darabont and company. Although, I still want to know who’s playing Michonne? Perhaps we’ll find out during Comic-Con?

Check out a larger version of the pic after the jump. The Walking Dead debuts on AMC later this year.

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Fox has got quite a big month ahead of them. Between the return of 24 and American Idol, those shows alone should make the network a number one contender for ratings this spring. They also may be getting some help from a new show based on, of all things, a comic book.

The new series in question is Human Target starring Mark Valley (Boston Legal), Chi McBride (Pushing Daisies), and Jackie Earl Haley (Watchmen). It’s based on the DC Comics character, who assumes the identity of potential assassination victims and takes out their would-be killers before they get the chance to off their target.

The series is making quite a lot of noise among the TV and comic community, and all of that noise seems to be positive. With director Simon West (Con Air, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider) at the helm and composer Bear McCreary (Battlestar Galacitca) doing the score, this could turn out to be an amazing project or a colossal flop.

Either way, we’ve got a few clips to get you excited for the pilot, which airs on Sunday, January 17th opposite the Golden Globes (not smart). The pilot even guest stars fan favorite Tricia Helfer, which should get some fanboys interested.

Check out the clips after the jump.

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