Less than 24 hours ago, we brought you news that Kick-Ass director/co-writer Matthew Vaughn was in negotiations with Twentieth Century Fox about directing the upcoming prequel X-Men: First Class. It looks like the studio was happy with their meeting, as they have officially attached Vaughn as director.

From Heat Vision:

Vaughn’s involvement had been on and off, with negotiations resuming yesterday thanks to the involvement of producer Bryan Singer. Another factor had been Fox’s desire of wanting to have a finished film for next summer, making the search for a director who can deliver a quality film a priority.

On top of that, Ashley Miller and Zack Stentz, who worked on Marvel’s “Thor” movie, did a rewrite on the “First Class” script that convinced execs that making a movie for next year was possible. According to Fox, “First Class” will “chart the epic beginning of the X-Men saga. Before Charles Xavier and Erik Lensherr took the names Professor X and Magneto, they were two young men discovering their powers for the first time.

Before they were archenemies, they were the closest of friends, working together, with other Mutants (some familiar, some new), to stop the greatest threat the world has ever known. In the process, a rift between them opened, which began the eternal war between Magneto’s Brotherhood and Professor X’s X-Men.”

So not only do we have rewrites on the film, a director, and franchise helmer Singer’s stamp of approval, but the film also has a release date of June 3, 2011. This means that you can expect casting news to start pouring out over the next few weeks, as principal photography needs to start as soon as possible.

Now that Kick-Ass has been considered to be a financial success (even though it was still toppled by 3D Dragons), it’s inevitable that the film’s director and co-writer of the screenplay, Matthew Vaughn, would be considered a hot commodity and poached by other studios. In this instance, it could be for yet another superhero flick, as Fox is allegedly interested in Vaughn directing X-Men: First Class.

The screenplay comes from Chuck creator Josh Schwartz, who also wrote the comic series of the same title. In the book, the story takes us a few years back, as we follow the very first years of Professor Xavier’s students. This class includes a young Cyclops, Jean Grey, Beast, Ice Man, and Angel.

This isn’t the first encounter that Vaughn has had with Fox and the franchise, as he was signed to direct X-Men 3: The Last Stand back in 2006 after Bryan Singer left the franchise to direct Superman Returns. Vaughn left the project soon after signing on due to family issues, but not before casting Kelsey Grammer as Beast and Vinnie Jones as Juggernaut (arguably two of the best cast roles in the film).

Now that Singer has been attached as hands-on producer of First Class alongside Lauren Shuler Donner, Fox has Schwartz and Jamie Moss writing a screenplay, and now possibly Vaughn as director, the film seems to be coming along quite well.

We expect 20th Century to make the official announcement about Vaughn and his role in production before the end of the week. Soon after that, information on casting should start rolling in, as the film is currently slated for a 2011 release.

This week On the Radar we’re talking about how Michael Bay simply isn’t impressed with 3D conversions, Harold and Kumar are set to return for a Christmas movie, Big Bang Theory‘s resident babe takes on a big screen role and will Two and a Half Men lose its star actor?

Kenneth Branagh talks Thor

With all the news of Iron Man and Captain America sweeping the Internet we haven’t heard a lot about Thor lately.  Well, director Kenneth Branagh has offered up some information about the production this week:

“Inspired by the comic book world both pictorially and compositionally at once, we’ve tried to find a way to make a virtue and a celebration of the distinction between the worlds that exist in the film but absolutely make them live in the same world,” Branagh said. “It’s about finding the framing style, the color palette, finding the texture and the amount of camera movement that helps celebrate and express the differences and the distinctions in those worlds. If it succeeds, it will mark this film as different…. The combination of the primitive and the sophisticated, the ancient and the modern, I think that potentially is the exciting fusion, the exciting tension in the film.”

Holy cow!  That update reads as though it was being delivered as a Shakespearean monologue.  Here’s hoping Branagh still remembers we’re comic book fans at heart and want to see some series action as well as crafty dialogue. Bring the thunder, Branagh, not the theater.

Big Bang Theory’s Cuoco heads to the big screen

While not Kaley Cuoco’s first film role it is her first big debut project since the explosion of popularity around The Big Bang Theory.  Cuoco is set to star in I Hop, a film by Alvin and the Chipmunksdirector Tim Hall:

“[Cuoco] will be playing the sister of James Marsden’s slacker loser Fred, taking him in after their parents kick him out and finding herself also saddled with Brand’s Easter Bunny Jnr, following his accidental injury by Fred.”

With James Marsden and Russell Brand already signed on it’s hard to decide just what this film will be like.  Mind you, is anyone going to say “no” to more Kaley?  I’m definitely not.

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This week On the Radar Michael Bay does his part to help take down the American car industry, MGM loses a bidder as it struggles to stay afloat, and in completely contradictory fashion James Cameron, of all people, advocates against 3D.

Maleficent finds a writer in Wonderland

Long before Alice in Wonderland stormed the box office there were rumblings about director Tim Burton tackling one of Disney‘s best baddies, Maleficent.  Well, the success of Alice has only bolstered this film’s development and Alice in Wonderland writer Linda Woolverton has been tapped to write t script.  While there were some Alice detractors out there, it’s hard to argue the success of the film.

For better or worse I think we’re witnessing the beginning of the fairy tale phase in cinema.  I’m sure the studios couldn’t be happier.  Most fairy tales, in their original iteration, are in the public domain which means the whopping cost of zero to use the stories.  Sorry, Disney, but you couldn’t be the sole exploiter of classic children’s tales forever.

Bryan Singer off X-Men: First Class?

When word came out about Bryan Singer returning to the X-Men franchise fanboys rejoiced.  Well, the excitement certainly didn’t last too long.  It seems Singer has to choose between X-Men: First Class and Jack the Giant Killer.  Unfortunately, he can’t do both:

“Before Singer can dive into casting, he has a rather large problem –  the fact that Warner Bros. has the filmmaker on the hook to direct ‘Jack the Giant Killer.’  Fox, flush with money from ‘Avatar,’ is eager to move forward with its mutant franchise in all of its permutations, so there are negotiations that need to be done.

With Singer contractually obligated to Warner Bros. it means Fox has begun searching for other directors to reignite the X-Men films.

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When writer David Goyer left his post as showrunner for TV’s Flashforward there were rumblings about what he was up to. At the time the most obvious answer  was that he was helping director Christopher Nolan with the third Batman script. At the same time, DC had confirmed Nolan would be helping to get the Superman franchise back on track.

Well, today all the pieces are falling into place as we learn Goyer has been hired to write the next Superman movie.  A source confirmed the news to Latino Review and gave a little indication of what we can expect:

“I can tell you that Goyer’s story involves Luthor and Brainiac.  It is NOT an origin and assumes audiences already know about Lois, Clark, Jimmy and Perry.  I know the Daily Planet is struggling due to the internet.  And I know it sets up a huge Kryptonian mythology.”

Some other points of interest are that Bryan Singer and Brandon Routh will probably not return. Also, the film may be called The Man of Steel instead of Superman: The Man of Steel.  Contrary to prior rumors Mark Millar will not be involved  from the sounds of it.

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Probably the biggest news during the premiere of James Cameron’s new film Avatar came from outside the theater on the blue carpet when MySpace’s camera crew talked with Bryan Singer, who spilled the beans on his next projects. First up, seems to be Jack the Giant Killer – written by Mark Bomback (Live Free and Die Hard) and Darren Lemke, about a princess that goes missing, and disrupts a truce between man and giants. And Singer says, he’s gearing up to use the same technology that Avatar used.

But that’s not the biggest news from the premiere. Singer also said: “I just yesterday signed a deal to do an ‘X-Men: First Class Origins’ picture, which is kind of cool. I’m very excited.” The movie was originally said to be in the hands of Chuck and Gossip Girl creator Josh Schwartz and also had writer Zak Penn, who had worked on the first two X-Men films, attached to direct at one point.

So this revelation by Singer is surprising, and exciting news. Bryan Singer, of course directed the first two X-Men films, which together grossed more that $600 Million, before leaving the franchise to direct Superman Returns and last year’s Valkyrie.

Here’s a link to the UStream video, that if you forward to the 27-minute mark, will give you the news directly from Singer’s mouth.

The Superman franchise continues to struggle as more details emerge from Warner Brothers.  In short, Warner Brothers still isn’t doing anything with the project. According to Warner Brothers insiders:

“The studio is still seeking the right direction. No writers are working on a Superman script. ‘We’re working on a strategy for DC,’ says one Warners exec. ‘Superman is the trickiest one to figure out.’ “

Still “seeking the right direction”? No writers? Tricky to figure out? How “tricky” can this be?  You only have several movies and hundreds of comics to draw inspiration from. Get it together Warner Brothers.

Now, there is the legal matter to deal with which is rather tricky. I can appreciate the fact WB wants these legalities with the Siegel Estate put to rest but seriously, get moving. Providing some indication that you’re actively developing a new movie could certainly help your case instead of simply squandering time.

Sadly, the only direction left for this property is the dreaded “r” word-reboot. Bryan Singer’s Superman Returns hardly met the studios expectations (but I for one liked it).  Having made $391 million worldwide it cost $232 million to make. Do the math and you can’t even compare that film to something like Christopher Nolan‘s billion dollar Batman movie, The Dark Knight.

As we’ve noted on The Flickcast before the Siegel family will reclaim the Superman rights in 2013.  That means at a minimum film production has to start by 2011 (and that’s pushing it). The clock is ticking. Time to start moving faster than a speeding bullet Warner Brothers.

At the Pusan International Film Festival held in South Korea, director Bryan Singer had most fanboys’ ears perking up when he mentioned: “I’m still looking to possibly returning to the X-Men franchise. I’ve been talking to Fox about it.” Singer was the director for both X-Men and X2: X-Men United, but decided to pass on what would eventually be X-Men: The Last Stand so that he could helm Superman Returns instead.

Rush Hour director Brett Ratner handled the third mutant installment while Rendition director Gavin Hood oversaw the spin-off X-Men Origins: Wolverine in Singer’s absence; the latter of which will birth another spin-off revolving around Ryan Reynolds’ character, Deadpool. Box office success was never a problem with these comic-themed movies, but both X3 and the Superman reboot didn’t stand up critically to some other feature films from the same genre.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Singer likes to “trick audiences into thinking they’re seeing fireworks, but they’re learning about themselves and listening to what I have to say.” He further stated: “The excitement about working in science fiction and fantasy is – the stories, if they are good, are about human condition.” This, combined with how the first two X-Men chapters were received, would seem to indicate that Singer has a good grasp of what the backbone of Marvel’s mutant population is all about, but at this time there has been no announcement or confirmation of Singer telling Wolverine what to do.

Director Bryan Singer, not content to remake and/or reboot one potential franchise in Battlestar Galactica, is now taking on yet another reboot project. This time around, he’s set his sights on John Boorman’s excellent 1981 film Excalibur, which introduced actors such as Helen Mirren, Liam Neeson, Gabriel Byrne, Patrick Stewart and Ciaran Hinds.

According to the report, Singer and Warner Bros. have closed a deal to remake the film with Singer producing and developing the picture as a potential directing vehicle. Inspired by Sir Thomas Malory’s 15th century work, and scripted by Rospo Pallenberg and Boorman, the original Excalibur “explores the myth of King Arthur, complete with the Knights of the Round Table, Merlin the wizard and the quest for the Holy Grail to save Arthur’s life.” Singer hasn’t set a writer yet for the project.

For many years I’ve been wondering why nobody ever took a fresh look at this movie and story. Its themes are timeless and it sports lots of great sword fighting, magic and romance so it should provide more than enough material for a brand new film — or even a franchise. Really, I would much prefer Singer do this film instead on taking on Battlestar Galactica. Or, he could do Logan’s Run or even X-Men: First Class, which he’s been supposedly interested in based on his reaction to a script by Josh Schwartz. Any of those would be fine Bryan — just keep yer mits off of BSG.

This is not breaking news exactly, and had been rumored for some time, but I just can’t let it go without comment. For me, the revelation and subsequent confirmation that Bryan Singer, director of such films as X-Men, The Usual Suspects and Superman Returns, is now attached to direct a Battlestar Galactica movie for Universal comes directly from the ‘WTF?’ department.

Just in case you don’t know what’s happening, yesterday, according to The Hollywood Reporter, Singer signed on the line that is dotted and will direct and produce a “re-imagining” of the classic series created by Glen Larson. I’m just curious what makes him think the best use of his time is to direct a completely new Battlestar Galactica movie?

Before I go on, let me just say that I was a fan of Glen Larson and Universal’s answer to Star Wars when it first hit the air. Heck, I even gave them another chance after the first BSG series was canceled and watched Galactica 1980. That’s how far I go back. Sure, the shows were cheesy and campy, but as a kid I didn’t really care. But now, they seem extremely dated and lightweight  — especially when compared to the updated SyFy series.

I’m also a fan of Singer and many of his films — The Usual Suspects and X2 in particular. His work shows a great deal of maturity and polish and he usually knows how to tell a story — especially one that’s written by the very talented Christopher McQuarrie. However, I was also looking far more forward to Singer taking on an updated version of Logan’s Run or even getting back in the chair for another go at X-Men or a Wolverine sequel than to him doing a BSG movie.

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With X-Men Origins: Wolverine opening as one of the biggest box office films of the Summer, it was completely inevitable that a sequel was on the way. We are now getting word that Christopher McQuarrie, writer of films such as The Usual Suspects and The Way of the Gun is now taking on the writing duties for that sequel.

McQuarrie has worked in tandem with Bryan Singer, who directed the first two X-Men films. Singer and McQuarrie both worked on Valkyrie and The Usual Suspects, and the Oscar winning writer even did an uncredited rewrite on the first X-Men script. When it comes to the story, The Hollywood Reporter says that fans should remember the source material:

Hugh Jackman is set to return as the Marvel Comics character, a mutant with healing powers and a skeleton laced with the indestructible metal known as adamantium. Jackman is also producing via his Fox-based Seed shingle along with Lauren Shuler Donner.

The movie’s story line will take its cue from the early 1980s Chris Claremont/Frank Miller miniseries, which is set in Japan and features Wolverine dealing with ninjas as he struggles whether to follow his animal killer instincts or the life under a samurai’s code of honor and respect.

X-Men Origins reportedly brought in $180 million in the domestic box office, and $363 worldwide. With a predecessor like that, there is no doubt a sequel will do well, especially if word of a Deadpool spinoff is still happening.