Lists are fun. Lists are, at least in some cases, easy to create. In this case, the list in question for today is The Five Best Movies Adapted From Comics.

I know what you’re thinking. Why five? Well, it sorta works with the word “Flickcast” and we’re fans of alliteration around here, so that’s one reason. Of course, it also means I only need to come up with five items to fill the list, so that might have something to do with it too. I’ll never tell.

I’m also in the process of preparing a list of the worst movies adapted from comics as well because what’s a “best” list without a “worst” list, right? Right.

However, in this case, we’re talking best. And do we have a lot of great “best” ones to choose from. That’s not a question, we do.

The ones I’ve chosen are not only great examples of comic book adaptations done right, they’re also great movies too. From a clever screenplay to expert direction, exciting visuals, to compelling characters and performances, these five films deliver on many levels and also manage to demonstrate a real love for their source material.

Okay, enough setup. On with the listing of the things.

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Is it a sequel? A prequel? A remake? A premake? Yes.

Director Matthijs van Heijningen, Jr. (yes, that is a real name) takes a lot of inspiration and most of the story from John Carpenter’s 1982 classic, the only ostensible difference being that this film takes place in the Norwegian camp immediately before the events of Carpenter’s.

The Norwegians unearth the titular Thing and call in some American paleontologists, among them the comely Kate Lloyd (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), a young graduate student whose major qualification is that she provides a reason for the movie to be in English.

And from there, it plays out as you’d expect.

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There you have it. The title for the fifth (and hopefully final) chapter in the Die Hard franchise will be A Good Day to Die Hard. Before you get up in geeky arms, remember how much everyone hated the title Live Free or Die Hard when it was first announced, and there were plenty of folks that enjoyed that flick.

We’re hoping that this next flick won’t be social commentary pitting John McClane against the internet, but from what we’re getting from SlashFilm, it looks like things are getting a bit international.

The story is set in Russia and begins with John McClane heading to Moscow to sweet talk some cops into letting his apparently-wayward son out of jail for something he did, but when he gets there, things surrounding his son’s arrest are not as they appear and world-threatening terrorist hijinks ensue.

Wait, McClane has a son now? Where was he when everything was going down in Live Free? Or maybe the studio just decided to give Mary Elizabeth Winstead a sex change since the last we checked in with the McClanes.

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Remakes get a bad reputation in the fan community. Mostly for good reason, but a few bad eggs like Gulliver’s Travels or The Honeymooners ruin the concept for the whole group, which is just unfortunate. These days, a few remakes are welcome with the current technological advances we have in CGI or, heaven forbid, 3D.

That’s where a remake like The Thing comes into play. Some call it a remake, others a “prequel/reboot hybrid”. All we know is that we’re getting to see some pretty badass scenes that we never got in the original from 1982. For all 8 of you who haven’t seen the original or need a refresher, here’s the premise of the film.

Taking place three days before the events of the John Carpenter film, paleontologist Kate Lloyd (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) joins a Norwegian scientific team that has stumbled across a crashed extraterrestrial spaceship buried in the ice of Antarctica. They discover a creature that seems to have died in the crash eons ago.

When an experiment frees the alien from its frozen prison, Kate joins the crew’s pilot, Carter (Joel Edgerton), to keep it from killing and imitating them one at a time, using its uncanny ability to mimic any life form it absorbs through digestion, and potentially reaching civilization.

The trailer manages to keep the film’s creepy and shock-tastic tone while still looking like an intriguing science-fiction piece. Check it out after the jump and be sure to catch The Thing in theaters October 14th.

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Apparently, today is turning out to be new trailer day. What with the first one for John Carter already being released and now a brand new one for The Thing just coming out as well.

Of course, we’ve got it for you right here, curtesy of the folks over at MSN Movies. Here’s some info on the film for you.

It’s directed by Matthijs van Heijningen Jr. and stars Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Joel Edgerton. It was originally set for release on April 29th but that was changed to October. Not a good sign that this film will be any good.

Still, the trailer looks pretty awesome so perhaps the movie will end up being better than expected? Could happen. Although, the fact that the director hasn’t done any other feature film, let alone one with this many effects, doesn’t bode well either. Oh Hollywood, will you never learn.

In case you’re not familiar, here’s a brief synopsis of The Thing:

Paleontologist Kate Lloyd (Winstead) has traveled to the desolate region for the expedition of her lifetime. Joining a Norwegian scientific team that has stumbled across an extraterrestrial ship buried in the ice, she discovers an organism that seems to have died in the crash eons ago. But it is about to wake up.

When a simple experiment frees the alien from its frozen prison, Kate must join the crew’s pilot, Carter (Edgerton), to keep it from killing them off one at a time. And in this vast, intense land, a parasite that can mimic anything it touches will pit human against human as it tries to survive and flourish.

Check out the trailer after the jump. The Thing arrives in theaters on October 14th, 2011.

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She already won the hearts of geeks everywhere with her portrayal of Ramona Flowers in Edgar Wright’s Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World. Now, she’s targeting the rapidly growing horror audience with the upcoming film adaptation of the novel Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.

Winstead will the joining the film as Lincoln’s wife, who fights alongside the former president as he takes on the legion of the dead. Not long ago it was announced that the titular role of Lincoln was to be played by Kinsey’s Benjamin Walker. From THR:

Timur Bekmambetov is directing Vampire Hunter, based on the book by Seth Grahame-Smith. It’s Bekmambetov’s first movie since the 2008 hit Wanted, and tells the story of how Lincoln fought vampires during the Civil War. Dominic Cooper and Anthony Mackie also star in Vampire Hunter.

The novel by Seth Grahame-Smith was written as Lincoln’s “secret diary” that was discovered decades later, and plays in with actual historical events to add authenticity. Fox is currently working on pre-production of the film and should have a shoot date set by the end of the month with a release date sure to follow.

Or at least, that’s the role we think they are casting for. In a recent interview with Sam Jackson, who will play Nick Fury in just about every upcoming Marvel film from Captain America: The First Avenger to The Avengers, the actor spilled the beans on the shortlist of actresses the studio is looking at for a potential “sidekick” role for his character. From THR:

Marvel is conducting screen tests Friday for one of the final roles still looking to be cast in The Avengers, the all-star superhero ensemble being directed by Joss Whedon. Last night Samuel L. Jackson revealed on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon it is that of his “sidekick.”

V star Morena Baccarin is on that list. Also said to be vying for the part are Jessica Lucas, Cobie Smulders and Mary Elizabeth Winstead, who are still negotiating their test deals for the part of a key member of the espionage agency run by Nick Fury, played in the Marvel movies by Jackson. Some earlier speculation pegged the role to be that of Avengers team member Janet van Dyne/the Wasp, but Marvel declined to comment.

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This past weekend at New York Comic Con, we got the opportunity to sit in on the panel for director Matthijs van Heijningen Jr.’s prequel of John Carpenter’s 1982 classic The Thing. Carpenter’s 1982 classic was a remake of Howard Hawk’s 1950′s classic The Thing From Another World which was based on a short story entitled “Who Goes There” by John W. Campbell.

Heijningen’s film covers the three days prior to Carpenter’s version. A Norwegian research team discovers an alien body frozen in Antarctica. Much like the Carpenter film, the alien is thawed and soon begins to wreak havoc on the  research team who discover that it is a shape shifting being that now wants to copy life on Earth.

Very quickly, the team doesn’t know which of them is human or the thing. The film stars Joel Edgerton as the main hero, Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World), Eric Christian Olsen (Community), and Ulrich Thomsen also make up the cast.

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This year isn’t all that heavy with comic book movies. While we have films like The Losers and Jonah Hex, they don’t really compare to the anticipation by both comic fans and video game fans alike for Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World.

The film comes from Hot Fuzz and Shaun of the Dead director Edgar Wright, who already gained Whedon-esque geek credibility with international audiences. In both of his previous films, he turned a genre like “zombie films” or “80s action films” into his own parody, and he’s doing it all over again with video games in Pilgrim.

In the movie, based on the series of comics by Bryan Lee O’Malley, Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera) falls in love with a pink-haired girl named Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead). They start to date and everything seems swell, until Scott is told that in order to date Ramona, he has to defeat her 7 evil ex boyfriends.

It all plays out as ridiculous as it sounds, with some pretty amazing visuals, and intense fight sequences from the ex’s (played by Jason Schwartzman, Chris Evans, Brandon Routh, and more).

Check out the first full trailer after the jump, and be sure to catch Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World in theaters August 13th.

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The whole geek world is still wiping the drool from their collective chins over the first trailer for Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World last week. But don’t worry, there is still quite some time for us to be excited, as Universal is bringing us more and more Scott Pilgrim in the months leading up to the film’s August release.

We were lucky enough to get our hands on a few great new images from the film, showing off some intense action sequences, and most importantly, Michael Cera emoting for what could be the first time in his film career.

Check out all of the glorious images after the jump, and be sure to catch Edgar Wright’s Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World, starring Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Kieran Culkin, Chris Evans, Anna Kendrick, Alison Pill, Brandon Routh, and Jason Schwartzman in theaters on August 13th.

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Perhaps it’s because I never really got into the Scott Pilgrim comics by Bryan Lee O’Malley or maybe it’s that I just don’t really care for Michael Cera, but I have to say my reaction to the brand new Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World teaser trailer is decidedly mixed. Sure, its got lots of action, drama, romance and some great looking visuals, which is good.

To be honest, I can’t quite put my finger on why I don’t love it. I should, seeing as I really like comics in general and movies in particular. So, it should follow that combining those two things should generate considerable interest. It just doesn’t in this case.

Maybe it’s the way director Edgar Wright decided to include comic book flourishes like the giant “thock” and “whup” when characters get hit. Or, perhaps it’s just that I don’t care for Michael Cera and have seen him play this part too many times the exact same way. Could be something to that.

No matter what my opinion is, feel free to judge for yourself and click through to check out the teaser. Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World, which features Cera in the title role along with Brandon Routh, Jason Schwartzman, Chris Evans and Mary Elizabeth Winstead, hits theaters on August 13th.

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According to Heat Vision Blog, Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Grindhouse) and Joel Edgerton (Attack of the Clones) are set to star in the latest incarnation of The Thing, Universal’s take on “the shape-shifting alien who terrorizes a group of people in a remote facility.” Oh yeah, that one.

Winstead will play a Ph.D. candidate who joins a Norwegian research team in Antarctica after it discovers an alien ship frozen in the ice. When a trapped organism is freed and begins to kill, she is forced to team with a mercenary helicopter pilot (Edgerton) to stop the rampage. Matthijs Van Heijningen is directing the movie, which was written by Ronald D. Moore and Eric Heisserer.

Sadly, Van Heijningen has never directed a big budget feature film before, so he’s probably the best choice for this one. Yes, that was sarcasm.

The Thing has, of course, been made into a film at least twice before. The best (and best-known) of these is probably the John Carpenter version from 1982 which featured Kurt Russell as the titular “mercenary helicopter pilot.” That film was a contemporary remake of 1951′s The Thing From Another World, directed by Howard Hawks and featuring pre-Gunsmoke James Arness as the creature.

A March 15 start date in Toronto is planned with a very short theatrical run and swift trip to your local video store probably soon to follow.