Great news for Jams Bond fans everywhere. Deadline is reporting that a deal has been made and beleaguered studio MGM has announced a new Bond film, dubbed Bond 23, is set to go into production later this year with an eye to a November 9th, 2012 release.

In more good news, Daniel Craig will be returning as the legendary British secret agent, with Sam Mendes directing a screenplay written by Neal Purvis, Robert Wade and John Logan. That script is being kept under wraps, of course, but we do know the story begins after the events of Quantum Of Solace.

In addition, there’s no word on who might play the next Bond villain or, in more important news, who will be the next “Bond Girl.” While those are being hashed out I would also like to recommend to Sam Mendes that he give Felix Leiter a bit more to do this time around as I would like to see Jeffrey Wright keep getting work. Also, I would not mind if Olga Kurylenko came back for this one either. She’s always welcome.

Of course, given Daniel Craig’s “friendship” with Rachel Weisz, there’s always a chance she might make an appearance. That would be ok with me as well. We probably won’t see Kate Winslet in this one though, for obvious reasons.

As for other villains or Bond Girls, who would you like to see make an appearance in Bond 23?

In a time when it sounds like a good idea to studio executives to rerelease classic films in 3D, it’s nice to see a simple gesture done to a classic set of films like upgrading them to 1080p that really makes you appreciate the times we live in.

That’s exactly what 20th Century Fox’s Home Entertainment brand did when they released the original Robocop trilogy in Blu-Ray. And you can believe that these classic sci-fi films still hold up to this day.

There isn’t much to the discs except for the film. There are very little special features, with the exception of some great old trailers. Though if you’re going to shell out money on films like these, you’ve got to do it purely for the fact that you can now add the Robocop films to your fancy new Blu-Ray collection.

For those who were in a cave from 1987 to 19992, the films are about the murder of Officer Alex Murphy by a group of drugged up thugs. The officer is brutally gunned down, with only part of his brain and chest still intact. Scientists from the ubiquitous company OCP rebuild Murphy into a state of the art crime fighting cyborg called Robocop who is built to clean up the town, avenging his death along the way.

If seeing Peter Weller blow stuff up and walk through fire in 1080p isn’t enough, consider how the storytelling of acclaimed directors Paul Verhoeven, Irvin Kershner, and Fred Dekker will look in these cleaned up prints and digitally remastered audio.

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While the thought of a Robocop reboot is still up in the air, that doesn’t mean we still can’t look back with nostalgia on some of our favorite Robocop films in glorious 720p picture. Now we can finally relive those epic moments and more with a massive collector’s edition box set of all three films. From an MGM press release:

Packed full of memorable moments and Robocop quotes, the ROBOCOP TRILOGY is a fan must-have. Viewers can experience their favorite “human” robot in all three classic films, now on Blu-ray.

Directors Paul Verhoeven (Totall Recall, Basic Instinct) of ROBOCOP, Irvin Kershner of ROBOCOP 2 and Fred Dekker (Monster Squad Forever, Nighs of the Creeps) of ROBOCOP 3 bring the half robot, half police officer to life with the help of an intensely talented cast, including Peter Weller (The Order; 24), Robert Burke (Good Night, and Good Luck; Tombstone), Kurtwood Smith (Rambo III; That 70’s Show) and Nancy Allen (Law and Order, Carrie).

The box set arrives on Blu-ray for the very first time on October 5th, and will run for $59.99 total (that breaks down to about $20 per movie, with the special features thrown in.). Be sure pick this collection up as soon as you can, and hold yourself over until we get a new Robocop in theaters.

This week’s pick pits a small group of international mercenaries sent by a British corporation to overthrow a two bit Idi Amin dictator in Sub Saharan Africa. John Irvin (Hamburger Hill, When Trumpets Fade) directs The Dogs of War (1980) which was based on the best selling novel from acclaimed author Frederick Forsyth (Day of the Jackal).

Christopher Walken stars as Jamie Shannon, an ex-soldier who hires himself out to the highest bidder whether its toppling a regime change in Central America, or putting a puppet government in power in the fictitious African country of Zangaro. Rounding out the cast is Tom Berenger (Drew Blakeley), Colin Blakely (Alan North), Paul Freeman (Derek Goodwin), Hugh Millais (Roy Endean), JoBeth Williams (Jessie Shannon), Winston Ntshona (Dr. Okoye), and Ed O’ Neill (Terry).

The film opens up in war torn Central America circa 1980 as the mercenary group is trying to make a hasty exit aboard a government plane as bullets and explosions are happening all around them. Shannon and his men push their way on board and force the plane into the air as soon as possible. Just within these few short minutes, you clearly can tell what their profession is and that they are not there working for the Peace Corp or distributing bibles for that matter. In this scene, a Central American army officer notices that one of the mercs is dead and demands that he give up his seat.

Drew (Berenger) pulls the pin out of a grenade and puts it in the palm of his dead comrade and tells the soldier “he’s alive you pimp.” Walken then barks, “he’s alive and he goes with me.” Derek (Freeman) looks towards the camera and with a knife he yells at the pilots “lets see this thing fly.” One of the best opening scenes of any action or war film ever. These are professionals you don’t want to mess with.

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Red Dawn is the ultimate “what if” Cold War movie. Set some time in the mid alternate 1980′s, Red Dawn depicts a world which has fast been assimilated into the sphere of Soviet influence. After NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) which was established by western powers after World War II to halt the advance of the Soviet Union rapidly dissolves, the United States is alone and left vulnerable to the threat of communist invasion.

Acclaimed director John Milius (The Wind & the Lion, Farewell to the King, Flight of the Intruder, Rough Riders), and future director/screenwriter Kevin Reynolds helm this 1984 cult classic.

Patrick Swayze (Jed Eckert), Charlie Sheen (Matt Eckert), C. Thomas Howell (Robert Morris), Lea Thompson (Erica Mason), Jennifer Grey (Toni Mason), Powers Boothe (Lt. Col. Andrew Tanner USAF), Harry Dean Stanton (Tom Eckert), Ron O’ Neal (Col. Ernesto Bella), and screen great Ben Johnson (George Mason) round out the cast.

The fictional town of Calumet, Colorado serves as the backdrop for the World War III invasion of the U.S. On a typical September morning as students are listening to their teacher’s lecture on the Mongol conquests of Asia, his attention is drawn to the sight of Soviet paratroops landing on the high school varsity football field. As violence erupts as the enemy quickly gains control of the town for more troops to be dropped in, six teenagers (Swayze, Sheen, Howell, Brad Savage (Danny), Darren Dalton (Daryl), and Doug Toby (Aardvark) flee to the mountains in order to avoid capture.

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While players think of 007 as a first person franchise when fondly remembering Goldeneye on the Nintendo 64, most forget the lack of success that subsequent releases on the PlayStation 2 garnered. Hoping to reinvent the wheel, Bizarre creations is releasing a new third-person action adventure featuring the British super spy.

Coming to the XBox 360, PC, PlayStation 3 and Nintendo DS, James Bond 007: Blood Stone will be an original Bond experience coming from screenwriter Bruce Feirstein (Tomorrow Never Dies and Goldeneye).

In addition to Daniel Craig (Bond) and Judi Dench (M), Grammy and BRIT award winning artist Joss Stone will be featured in a leading role in the game. Stone, as seen in the screen shots below, will also be creating new original music for the game as well.

“James Bond 007: Blood Stone captures the cinematic intensity of a Bond film by immersing players in an intriguing conspiracy that will require them to think and act like James Bond,” said David Pokress, Head of Marketing for Licensed Properties, Activision Publishing.  “In addition, the game will feature a diverse array of multi-player modes and debut strategic objective-based gameplay that will allow Xbox 360, PS3 and PC players to battle as teams of spies and mercenaries through authentic Bond locales.”

Check out the trailer and screens of Craig and Stone in James Bond 007: Blood Stone.

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Well folks, it looks like it’s pretty much a done deal that Peter Jackson will, much to the delight of fans everywhere, take on directing duties of both Hobbit films. After the departure of Guillermo del Toro recently speculation ran rampant that Jackson, who’s Lord of the Rings films are the definitive cinematic incarnation of the beloved trilogy, would take over for del Toro.

However, Jackson’s camp denied the speculation citing his commitments elsewhere. However, that seems not to be the case now as Jackson is in active negotiations to take on both films that will bring J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit to the big screen. According to reports, another of the stumbling blocks was money and the current financial state of MGM.

However, it seems the case is being made to MGM’s owners that two Jackson-directed Hobbit films would almost guarantee box office success. So, it remains to be seen if this very hopeful development will prove to be accurate. Let’s hope so for fans of The Hobbit everywhere.

Jackson is an immensely talented filmmaker and his Rings trilogy are examples of some of the best literary adaptations ever made. So, his version of The Hobbit should also be extraordinary. Let’s hope for every fan’s sake he really does end up as the director. More on this story as it comes to us.

Until then, how do you guys feel? Is Jackson the best choice for The Hobbit?

Since 2007, studios and fans alike have been contemplating, worrying, speculating, and spewing rumors about the upcoming prequel to Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Hobbit. The news that we do know is that Jackson is teaming up with Hellboy director Guillermo del Toro, the story will be split into two films over two years, and now we have a release date for the two films. From Heat Vision:

Warner Bros. is scheduling Peter Jackson and Guillermo del Toro’s two-part adaptation of “The Hobbit” for December 2012 and December 2013.

In honor of the HBO mini series The Pacific, this week’s pick goes out to the “devil dogs” of the United States Marine Corp with the 1967 release Beach Red, directed by and starring Cornel Wilde. Beach Red is a “Vietnam morale booster” which came out at a very critical time during America’s involvement in Vietnam.

The film centers around a company of Marines (commanded by Wilde) who storm a Pacific hell hole of an island to take it back from the Japanese. A majority of the film is told through a series of montages/narration by both American & Japanese who are tired of fighting, and of the war (very similar plot to Clint Eastwood’s Flags of Our Fathers & Letters From Iwo Jima.) Captain MacDonald (Wilde) and Gunnery Sgt. Ben Honeywell, played ever so convincingly by veteran character actor, and one who confuses his home with a local bank Rip Torn, lead the cast.

The scenes involving the Marines invading the beach head are quite well done, even though a majority of it is stock footage that Wilde spent a considerable amount of money on in order for the deteriorating film stock to match up with his film. Many of the scenes are somewhat “Saving Private Ryan like” in which there are shots in the water, and jerky camera movements which show the disorienting nature of combat.

Spielberg may have shot those scenes in Saving Private Ryan as an homage to Wilde’s directing style. When the film was wrapped and it was shown to some high ranking officials in the USMC, they thanked Wilde for doing a great job at restoring the old combat footage and that they personally didn’t have to restore the footage themselves. I trust the money they saved went towards helping many veterans, and those still fighting in the jungles of Vietnam?

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MGM is one of those staple studios that has been around since the beginning. To this day, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer is one of the oldest studios that is still producing films, but sadly it looks like that won’t be for very long. The studio has been hemorrhaging money for some time, and when put up for sale, it hasn’t gotten large enough bids from other studios to consider a deal.

At this point, MGM obtained to sole distribution rights to one major franchise in James Bond. They teamed up with Sony to produce and distribute Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace, but that didn’t seem enough to keep the studio afloat long enough to produce the next film.

In a recent press release from EON Productions Ltd., a production company who has worked with the franchise since Dr. No back in 1962, they seem to think this is the end of production for Bond 23.

“Due to the continuing uncertainty surrounding the future of MGM and the failure to close a sale of the studio, we have suspended development on ‘Bond 23′ indefinitely,” the duo said. “We do not know when development will resume and do not have a date for the release.”

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It’s like Christmas Eve here at The Flickcast offices today. Why? Because we’re only hours away from the midnight release of MGM’s Hot Tub Time Machine. If you haven’t caught it, we’ve been doing extensive coverage of the upcoming flick with our review, clips, and even an interview with star Rob Corddry.

Well, the goodies don’t stop there, as we’re bringing you four brand new clips from the movie, hot off the presses and ready for you to check out. For those still not in “the know”, Hot Tub Time Machine stars Rob Corddry, John Cusack, Craig Robinson (The Office), and Clark Duke (Kick-Ass, Sex Drive) in a comedy about 4 friends that get transported back to 1986 in a mystical–wait for it–hot tub.

Check out the clips after the jump, and be sure to catch Hot Tub Time Machine when it hits select theaters nationally at midnight tonight, and every theater nationally tomorrow.

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Very rarely does a film come along that incites interest and excitement from the title alone. Not since Snakes on a Plane has a film done this to a mass audience, and unfortunately, the excitement of that title led to an underwhelming payoff in the film itself. Luckily, we fans of comedy and cult cinema get a second chance at happiness with the upcoming release of Hot Tub Time Machine.

I’ll admit, after hearing about the title, seeing who was in the cast, and getting a peek at the first trailer, I was ready to get excited about the film, which is never a good sign. Thankfully, in checking out a screening of the flick, not only does it hold up to its ironic title, but kills with its spot-on writing and nonstop visual humor.

I’d explain the premise to you, but if you’re going into a movie called Hot Tub Time Machine and you’re looking for some kind of Notebook style story that you can sell to your wife or girlfriend, you’re out of luck. This movie is roughly 90 minutes of hilarity, done in a setting of science fiction. If Bill and Ted graduated from San Dimas High School, grew up,  went through a few failed marriages, and had a drinking problem, they would be the characters in Hot Tub.

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