by John Muth, Dec 17 2009 // 3:15 PM
C-Net News recently reported that the FBI has made an arrest in the case of the work-print of X-Men Origins: Wolverine, that was leaked and available for download a month before the movie was to be released theatrically. There apparently was nothing saying whether Gilberto Sanchez, 47, the man arrested, was responsible for the initial upload of the film, or how he might have acquired a copy to upload.
FBI Spokesperson Linda Eimiller said that the Bureau has not ruled out the possibility of more arrests, but didn’t comment further. If convicted, Sanchez could face up to three years in prison and/or a $250,000 fine.
The workprint that was released, as most will remember, was an unfinished version of the movie with wires still shown on performers and unfinished, or not-yet inserted effects. By the time Wolverine was released in theaters, it had been estimated that the pirated version had been downloaded over 4 million times. This didn’t seem to hurt the box office too badly, as it still opened to a nice $85 Million domestically and has earned nearly $375 Million since it’s release in May.
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Posted in: 20th Century Fox · Action · Legal · Marvel · Movies · News
Tagged: 20th Century Fox, arrest, Chris Weitz, FBI, Gilberto Sanchez, Piracy, Twilight: New Moon, X-Men Origins: Wolverine
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by Matt Raub, Dec 8 2009 // 12:00 PM
With Ryan Reynolds becoming a hot commodity in the world of Comic Book films, between getting signed as Green Lantern and Deadpool, it looks like things are still heating up for a Deadpool film over at Fox. CHUD recently got word that Zombieland writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick are allegedly penning a script for Deadpool.
“While nothing is official just yet, it looks like Fox could be hiring Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, the writers of Zombieland, to script the adventures of the Merc With A Mouth. I did my due diligence and asked around but couldn’t get a solid confirmation, so regard this one as a strong rumor… But if it’s more than a rumor – and my source tells me there could be a trade break announcing this within days – it’s actually a very good sign for Deadpool.”
Most of the film and comic fan community was torn on the thought of a Deadpool film after seeing what the studio did with the character in May’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine, but Reynolds himself stated that the film will be “just like the comics”, including the mask, schizophrenia, and demolition of the fourth wall.
Up next for the Zombieland scribes is actually a sequel to the highly successful undead comedy. Word is that Zombieland 2 will start production next year, and will be shot in 3D.
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Posted in: 20th Century Fox · Action · Announcements · Comics · Marvel · Movies · News · Rumor
Tagged: Deadpool, fox, Marvel, Paul Wernick, Rhett Reese, Ryan Reynolds, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Zombieland
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by Sal Loria, Oct 13 2009 // 3:15 PM
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.
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Posted in: 20th Century Fox · Action · Comics · Fantasy · Filmmaking · Marvel · Movies · News · Prequels and Sequels · Sci-Fi
Tagged: Brett Ratner, Bryan Singer, Deadpool, Gavin Hood, Superman Returns, X-Men, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, X-Men: The Last Stand, X2: X-Men United
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by Bob Starr, Oct 8 2009 // 7:15 AM
I wasn’t the biggest fan of X-Men Origins: Wolverine. It was a serviceable action flick in which Hugh Jackman brought his Wolverine A-game to the big screen once more. That is, of course, when Ryan Reynolds wasn’t completely upstaging him as Wade Wilson (aka Deadpool) in the first act of the film (the last act, no so much).
That said, I was encouraged by the film’s success for two reasons. The first, and most obvious (to me anyway), it would hopefully pave the way for a Deadpool spin-off movie, and second it would lead to a Wolverine sequel set in Japan. In past interviews Jackman has made no secret of wanting to tell Wolverine’s tale set in Japan, a fact he reiterated in an interview with Katie “I’m not, like, a Wolverine Person” Couric (her words not mine):
“The whole time, from when I began, the one storyline that I went, ‘That’s a movie!’ — because I was reading the comics — was this whole saga in Japan, which was really beautiful and different and fantastic.”
Wolvie and ninjas! Where can I buy my ticket now? I couldn’t agree more with Jackman’s sentiment about this particular story arc. The man behind it was legendary comic writer Chris Claremont who, in my opinion, wrote some of the most engaging stories for our favorite mutants. I can’t wait to see where this goes and we’ll keep you up-to-date as the film develops.
In the meantime you can watch the CBS interview with Jackman after the jump.
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Posted in: Action · Comics · Marvel · Movies · News · Prequels and Sequels · Video
Tagged: CBS, Chris Claremont, Deadpool, Hugh Jackman, Japan, Katie Couric, Ryan Reynolds, Wade Wilson, X-Men Origins: Wolverine
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by Joe Gillis, Sep 15 2009 // 2:15 PM

Here’s a list of some of the new movie and TV shows coming to DVD and Blu-ray this week that we’re looking forward to seeing. Also, there’s some classic, and not-so-classic, movies hitting Blu-ray for the first time this week as well.
Of all the new releases, we’re particularly interested in the Blu-ray versions of movies and TV shows like Army of Darkness, Hero, An American Werewolf in London, The Big Bang Theory Season Two and Bonanza. Yes, some of us are even excited about the debut of X-Men Origins: Wolverine, which drops today on Blu-ray.
Check them out.
Movies
An American Werewolf in London (Full Moon Edition) ~ David Naughton, Jenny Agutter, Griffin Dunne (Blu-ray)
Army of Darkness (Screwhead Edition) ~ Bruce Campbell, Embeth Davidtz (Blu-ray)
Bionicle: The Legend Reborn ~ Dee Bradley Baker, Jeff Bennett, Jim Cummings, and Michael Dorn (DVD)
Child’s Play ~ Roslyn Alexander, Jack Colvin, Brad Dourif (Blu-ray – 2009)
Deep Impact ~ Morgan Freeman, Tea Leoni, Elijah Wood (Blu-ray)
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Posted in: DVD · Gear · Movies · News · TV
Tagged: Army of Darkness, Bruce Campbell, Doctor Who, Hugh Jackman, Ryan Reynolds, The Big Bang Theory, X-Men Origins: Wolverine
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by Joe Gillis, Sep 10 2009 // 9:00 AM
And you thought Marvel only put previously released or “second tier” comics online. Well, I wouldn’t call Wolverine or Thor second tier characters (especially not to their faces) and as for new comics, this one is brand new. To what new comic am I referring? How about a matchup between Wolverine and Thor in Wolverine Vs. Thor #1 which Marvel is dropping at Marvel Digital Comics in celebration of X-Men Origins: Wolverine coming to DVD on September 15th.
Here’s all the info from the official Marvel press release. Plus, as always, we’ve got a couple pages from the comic after the break. Be sure to check ‘em out.
WOLVERINE VS. THOR #1 Debuts on Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited
It’s time for some serious heavy metal mayhem when the God of Thunder goes hammer-to-claw with Marvel’s most popular mutant exclusively on Marvel’s groundbreaking Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited In celebration of the blockbuster “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” coming to DVD on September 15!
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Posted in: 20th Century Fox · Comic Previews · Comics · DVD · Marvel · Movies · News · Press Releases · Web
Tagged: Frank Tieri, Paco Diaz, Thor, Wolverine, X-Men Origins: Wolverine
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by Jennifer Tomooka, Aug 12 2009 // 7:00 AM
Hugh Jackman is currently in the early stages of developing a sequel to X-Men Origins: Wolverine that will follow the clawed hero to Japan, and fans are speculating whether or not the live-action adaptation of Frank Miller and Chris Claremont’s story arc will be as dark as the acclaimed source material.
MTV Splashpage caught up with Jackman during the Teen Choice Awards to find out just how dark Wolverine 2 will be and discovered that not only will the film be dark, it will also be quite sexy.
“Wolverine can be pretty dark. Parts of that story were pretty dark. I don’t know if it’s the darkest, but I’m going to go out on a limb right now and say I think it will be the sexiest,” Jackman said. “There’s some female companionship—and not just one—for Wolverine. There’s quite a bit going on. My wife might have an issue with it, but I think the fans will like it.”
With a tease of that caliber, fans can’t help but wonder when the sequel will be hitting theaters. Jackman couldn’t offer any firm details, but he did hint at a potential release in 2012.
“If you look at the history [of the X-Men movies], it’s been every three years—three years exactly,” he stated. “So that might give you a good hint.”
Stay tuned to The Flickcast for the latest developments on the X-Men Origins: Wolverine sequel.
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Posted in: Action · Adaptation · Marvel · Movies · News · Prequels and Sequels
Tagged: Hugh Jackman, X-Men Origins: Wolverine
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