In what could be called a bit of sci-fi synergy, original Robocop actor Peter Weller is reportedly joining the cast of J.J. Abrams upcoming sequel to Star Trek. While no other details are available at the moment as to what type or size of role Weller will be taking on in the film, you can be assured it will probably not be that of a robot or cyborg.

Of course, now that Weller is being cast in the film, speculation as to his role can begin in earnest, even without any “official” word. That’s just part of the fun. In addition to him most likely not being any sort of robot, bad or otherwise, It’s likely Weller will not play Kahn Noonian Singh — even if that role also doesn’t go to Benicio del Toro.

Weller will more likely take on a smaller yet pivotal role as a Starfleet officer or recognizable alien species who helps (or hinders) Kirk and company’s fight to destroy the greater evil threatening them and Earth. We have nothing to base that on of course, just spitballing here and trying to fill some column inches. That’s just how we roll. Who do you think Weller should play?

Paramount will release the Star Trek sequel May 17, 2013. Weller joins recently announced new cast members Alice Eve and del Toro and the returning Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, Karl Urban, Anton Yelchin, John Cho and Simon Pegg.

Week 3 into this year’s epic summer blockbuster season and it looks like established franchises seem to still be more of a draw than original comedies or futuristic thrillers. In its second week of release, Thor has maintained the coveted #1 spot over new releases Bridesmaids and Priest.

Last weekend, Thor opened to 3,955 theaters in the US and had a solid pull of $65.7 million. This weekend, the film opened up in a few more theaters but lost a little bit of steam and about 50% of the original weekend’s domestic take, in making an estimated $34.5 million domestic, and over $300 million worldwide.

In the new releases, Bridesmaids, starring Kristen Wiig and marketed as the “female Hangover” came in at the #2 spot with $24.4 million. Not a terrible opening weekend, as the film only cost $32 million to make. It will be a nice companion film to Hangover 2, which hits in 2 weeks.

The only other big release this weekend was Priest, starring Paul Bettany and Karl Urban. In remaining consistent with less than positive reviews, the film opened at #4 with a measly $14.5 million. This is definitely one film that was hurt by the 3D conversion, as it pushed the release back from over a year ago, when it had a chance to stand strong in a dead weekend.

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Everyone remembers Stallone’s Judge Dredd. Some remember it fondly, and some not so much, but it’s still back there in our minds. Now, fans of the original graphic novel are getting the chance to erase Stallone, Lane, and Schneider from our memories as a brand new Judge Dredd is in the works, this time simply titled Dredd. (image after jump)

Starring Star Trek’s Karl Urban as the titular Dredd, and American Dreams’ Olivia Thirlby as Cassandra Anderson, the film is definitely looking to skew younger, or at least younger than Stallone and Arman Assante. You can also expect to see a much darker film, as 28 Days Later writer Alex Garland is taking on the script.

The production has been kept pretty secret for the most part, until now. The very first image from a costume test of Karl Urban as Judge Dredd was recently posted online, and it looks…..almost identical to the original. This is fine, because everyone who saw the original film knows that the costumes were the least of the problems (we’re looking at you, Schneider).

Either way, you can check out the image after the jump, and be sure to keep an ear out as production continues on Dredd in the UK and we get a bit more of a look at this new, darker reboot.

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Red certainly isn’t an important or groundbreaking film, but it is a lot of fun, and that counts for something in my book.  Sometimes that is exactly what we are seeking out, and this film delivers.  It’s a blast.

Bruce Willis plays Frank Moses, a man who appears to be living a  ho-hum existence  in the suburbs.  He spends his free time convincing a government employee in Kansas City (Sarah, played by a sassy Mary-Louise Parker) that he has not received his government checks.  He is really ripping them up, just so he can call her every few days and talk.  The two have adopted a flirty rapport during their chats.

In a thrilling opening sequence, Frank finds out (rather unexpectedly) that he is being targeted by assassins, and he quickly and efficiently employs a variety of weapons and booby traps to thwart their efforts.  It is clear that this is no ordinary citizen, you see Frank is classified by the CIA as RED (Retired Extremely Dangerous.)

After he has time to get his wits about him, Frank rushes to Kansas City to rescue/kidnap Sarah, because she will be targeted l if the unknown assailants check his phone records.

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The name of this year’s movie game seems to be massive casting. If Expendables was for the slightly older action star, then Summit Entertainment’s RED is definitely skewing much older in terms of casting.

The film stars Bruce Willis as the leader of the greatest CIA agents ever to go through the agency. The only problem? They’re all over the hill and retired. Willis leads a team of Morgan Freeman, John Malkovich, and Helen Mirren, with folks like Ernest Borgnine and Richard Dreyfuss joining along as well. In order no to alienate the viewers under the age of 50, Mary Louise Parker, Julian McMahon, and Karl Urban fill out the cast.

If the action and casting isn’t enough to warrant your $10, then how about the fact that the film is based on a comic of the same name? Originally written by Warren Ellis, the script comes from the Hoeber brothers, who also brought Whiteout to the silver screen.

We’ve got 5 brand new clips for you to check out after the jump, so be sure to enjoy the action, and catch RED in theaters on October 15th.

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This year’s summer blockbuster season is over, which means only one thing…it’s time to start getting excited for next year’s Summer Blockbuster season! We’ve already seen the first trailer for Thor and some cool set pics from Captain America: The First Avenger, and now we’re getting the very first full theatrical trailer for the sci-fi explosion Priest, starring Paul Bettany and Karl Urban.

The film may look a bit like other movies in the genre such as Constantine or I Am Legend, but with the amount of star power and visual effects that have been poured into this film, you can expect to see something completely different.

With that comes the newest trailer for the flick, which gives us plenty of new action shots of both protagonist Paul Bettany, antagonist Karl Urban, love interest Maggie Q and even True Blood’s Stephen Moyer in his first major film role since becoming the character of Bill Compton.

Check out the full trailer after the jump, and be sure to catch Priest in theaters on May 13, 2011.

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Judge Dredd was a science fiction movie that was released in 1995 about a judge (played by Sylvester Stallone) who is wrongly accused of murder in a dystopian future. The film grossed just shy of $35M at the domestic box office, but it has been set for a reboot in 2012.

The reboot will be simply entitled DREDD, according to recent reports.  The character Judge Dredd is one of the most famous UK comic characters, and was ranked 7th greatest comic character by popular British film magazine Empire.

British film company DNA films will be working with Rebellion Developments and IM Global to bring the movie to fruition after almost two years.  An official synopsis has been released.

“DREDD takes us to the wild streets of Mega City One, the lone oasis of quasi-civilization on Cursed Earth. Judge Dredd (Karl Urban) is the most feared of elite Street Judges, with the power to enforce the law, sentence offenders and execute them on the spot – if necessary.”

The film will star Karl Urban (Star Trek) as Dredd,  and Olivia Thirlby (Juno) as Cassandra Anderson.  Pete Travis (Vantage Point) will direct, and Alex Garland (28 Days Later, Sunshine) will deliver the screenplay. It is interesting to note that Garland will also be writing the screenplay for the upcoming  Halo, a sure sign of confidence in his writing.

The 1995 Judge Dredd was criticized for not honoring its comic book roots.  DREDD sounds like it will be a little closer to the comic book vision. It is slated for a 2012 release.

Unless you live under a rock, on an island with no power, or don’t care, you are aware that there’s an 11th feature film out today based on Gene Roddenberry’s venerable creation Star Trek. In this reboot version, director J.J. Abrams, writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman and the rest of the team have managed to take a relatively tired franchise and inject it not only with new life, but with a new found sense of purpose as well. This purpose? To entertain, have fun and maybe even teach us a little something along the way. On all counts this film succeeds admirably.

One of the advertising tag lines for this new Star Trek reads “This is not your father’s Star Trek.” That pretty much sums up how this particular film fits into the established Star Trek universe. As in, it doesn’t. But that’s okay because this movie delivers and makes you almost forget the past and embrace this new, shiny reality for all its worth — lens flares and all. In short, this new, improved Star Trek works — and works well.

Not only is Star Trek entertaining, which it most certainly is, its great fun and satisfying on many levels and in ways few movies are these days. For long time fans of the Star Trek franchise such as myself (I started with the original series), we get to see our favorite, and very familiar, characters as they develop the friendships and relationships that will sustain them and help propel them into the future. The characters are introduced and evolve in familiar, yet new and unique, ways throughout the film as we are taken on a journey and spun off in new directions that offer endless story possibilities.

I was a bit concerned how they were going to get away with some of the obvious changes made to the established history of Star Trek. Fortunately, the method chosen works, even though it rests fundamentally on a somewhat tired time travel conceit. Still, even with that, which is explained just enough and in a very “Trek” way, you forgive the film its little flaws because in the end, its fast paced, action-oriented, humorous, exciting style engulf you and help you forget, and forgive, the film’s problems.

Is Star Trek a perfect film? No, of course not. With stories that turn on a plot contrivance with so many possible problems like time travel, this movie has a few holes large enough to fly a starship through. Does that matter? Not at all. The movie is going along with such pacing, energy and exuberance that you barely notice and just enjoy the ride.

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