Iron Man Becomes Best Selling Blu-Ray Of All Time In Just 48 Hours

Iron Man director Jon Favreau announced on Thursday’s Howard Stern Show that the Blu-ray edition of Iron Man has already outsold every other blu-ray disc release to date. That’s a pretty impressive accomplishment for only two days on store shelves. Of course, no official numbers have been released to back up Favreau’s claim, but we’ll trust his word for now… It’s believable, and besides, when has he let us down in the past? Favs a good guy. Which is why I’m sad to say that Iron Man’s new record will likely be short lived, as The Dark Knight hits store shelves on December 9th.

Vin Diesel to Direct Fast and the Furious Prequel

Vin Diesel revealed to ComingSoon that he is directing a 20-minute prequel to the fourth Fast and the Furious movie. Diesel will also star in the prequel alongside Michelle Rodriguez and Sung Kang. No word on how this will connect, if at all, with the earlier films or where it will be released. Maybe it will be included on a DVD re-release of “the original trilogy”. Chances are it can’t be worse than 2 Fast 2 Furious.

This isn’t Diesel’s first time in the director’s chair. He helmed and starred in a short film titled Strays, that was shown during the 1997 Sundance Film Festival. Steven Spielberg saw the short and decided to cast the actor in Saving Private Ryan, jump-starting his career. He tried his hand at directing one more time in a low-budget 1999 short film titled Multi-Facial. Diesel has since tried his hand at producing, at at one point was announced to helm and star in Hannibal the Conqueror, about the Carthaginian general who led an elephant-riding battalion across the Alps to attack Rome in the 3rd Century B.C.

Justin Lin’s Fast and Furious hits theaters on June 5th 2009.

Fan Created Dark Knight Sequel Movie Poster

/Film readers Max B and David B have sent over this fan made poster for a possible sequel to The Dark Knight. Seems like the artist, like most everyone I have talked to, wants The Riddler to attack Gotham City in the next film. But yes, it is just a fan creation (If the question mark didn’t give it away). But the rest of the poster is well done. I doubt they would use the title The Dark Knight Returns unless it was an adaptation of the Frank Miller graphic novel. I have heard that the next film might employ the cape crusader’s on screen nickname “The Batman” in the title. “The Return of The Batman” anyone? Click on the image below to enlarge.

Madagascar 3 and Kung Fu Panda 2

DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg says that the computer animation studio is in talks for a Kung Fu Panda sequel, and plans to have at least one more Madagascar film, if not more. Katzenberg told reporters on Wednesday that they are currently having conversations about a possible Kung Fu Panda 2, and to expect an announcement in the next 30 to 60 days.

Panda was one of the last DreamWorks Animated films that will be released in 2D, but the studio did some 3D tests with sequences from the film in preparation of the company’s three dimensional future. Katzenberg told /Film a couple weeks back that directors John Stevenson and Mark Osbourne were so impressed with the tests, that they had very early discussions about the possibility of re-releasing the film in 3D. But who knows if that would still be a possibility with the release of a 3D sequel.

Katzenberg also said that Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa will probably spawn a sequel: “There is at least one more chapter. We ultimately want to see the characters make it back to New York.” But does anyone really care about a third Madagascar film? While I certainly understand the New York return story being a neat third act of the series, I’d much rather see a spin-off following the adventures of the penguins.

This Week in DVD: South Park, The Wire, Smart People, CJ7, and More

This Week in DVD is a column that compiles all the latest info regarding new DVD releases, sales, and exclusive deals from stores including Target, Best Buy, Circuit City, and Fry’s.

SOUTH PARK (SEASON 11)
South Park has become almost run-of-the-mill in its episodic delivery of insanity these past few years, losing a little bit of that hilarious edge and non-stop creativity that made it once so very special. Even so, it remains above and beyond one of the best comedic shows on television, and there is always at least a couple great moments per episode. This includes everything from Randy incorrectly filling in the word “N_ggers” on national television to terrorists attacking our imagination in the epic three-part series Imaginationland.
Blu-ray? No.
Notable Extras: Mini-commentaries from series creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone.

BEST PRICE
Target	Best Buy	Circuit City	Fry’s
$32.99	$29.99
Amazon – $29.99

EXCLUSIVE DEAL:
What? Free $5 Target GiftCard, plus exclusive lenticular packaging.
Where? Target

EXCLUSIVE DEAL:
What? Free South Park magnet set.
Where? Circuit City

THE WIRE (SEASON 5)
Hands down, The Wire is my all-time favorite television series in existence. It’s a show that operates on a level untouched by current cinema, telling an incredibly authentic ongoing story about crime in Baltimore where every plot element is essential and every episode of every season has been mapped out beforehand. Each season brings something completely new to the table, amounting to a series that’s constantly evolving. If you haven’t started watching yet, I deeply encourage you to do so, as all five seasons are now available on DVD. Season 5 contains 10 full hour-long episodes.
Blu-ray? No.
Notable Extras: 6 audio commentaries, a documentary that explores the role of the media, and a retrospective look at the first 4 seasons.

BEST PRICE
Target	Best Buy	Circuit City	Fry’s
$38.99	$44.99
Amazon – $38.99

PRISON BREAK (SEASON 3)
I actually have not seen an episode of Prison Break in my life, so I’m not even sure if this show is popular anymore. If so and you watch it, can somebody please explain to me: how does a show about a guy breaking another guy out of prison continue its storyline beyond one season? I sure hope the answer doesn’t involve the characters constantly switching roles, hopping in and out of prison for as long as the ratings stay high. That seems like it would get old fast. Anyway, season 3 consists of 13 episodes instead of the originally planned 22 (due to the WGA strike).
Blu-ray? Yes.
Notable Extras: 2 featurettes (’Orientation’, ‘Breakout Episode’), directors’ takes, behind-the-scenes with the cast, and a bonus episode from The Unit.

BEST PRICE
Target	Best Buy	Circuit City	Fry’s
$37.99		$26.99	$25.99
Amazon – $31.99

EXCLUSIVE DEAL:
What? Free $5 Target GiftCard
Where? Target

CJ7
Stephen Chow’s follow-up to the hilarious Kung Fu Hustle and Shaolin Soccer has been getting more much more mixed feedback than either of those films did, but the response has still been more positive than negative. In the film, Stephen Chow plays a poor father who finds a bizarre new toy for his son. Geared toward children, the movie is said to be both charming and sweet, but a little too strange and awkwardly plotted for most kids to be able to handle.
Blu-ray? Yes.
Notable Extras: A commentary, three making-of featurettes, a lesson on how to stand your own against the school bully, a how-to on making your own lollipop prop, a CJ7 Mission Control Game, and character profiles.

BEST PRICE
Target	Best Buy	Circuit City	Fry’s
$19.99			$18.99
Amazon – $19.99

FELON
The instinctive reaction to seeing a DVD with Stephen Dorff’s name on it that hasn’t received a major theatrical release is usually one of terror, but Felon isn’t the straight-to-DVD trash that he normally stars in. The film follows a family man (played by Val Kilmer) who kills an intruder and afterwards finds himself forced to live his life in the violent penal system. It currently holds a 7.9 out of 10 rating on IMDB (out of over 4,000 votes).
Blu-ray? Yes.
Notable Extras: A making-of featurette.

BEST PRICE
Target	Best Buy	Circuit City	Fry’s
$19.99
Amazon – $19.99

SMART PEOPLE
This movie should’ve been titled Obnoxious Self-Absorbed Faux-Intellectual Assholes, but I suppose the marketing people thought that was a little too long. That title isn’t necessarily a negative though, as The Squid & the Whale could’ve been called that and it would continue to remain a much better film than this miserable, unpleasant and utterly dull look at people who just aren’t that interesting to look at. The only bright spot is the smile-inducing performance by Thomas Haden Church, who ironically plays the only central character in the film who isn’t intelligent (or to phrase that more appropriately, “book smart”).
Blu-ray? Yes.
Notable Extras: A commentary by the writer and director, deleted scenes, a Sundance featurette, interviews, and outtakes.

BEST PRICE
Target	Best Buy	Circuit City	Fry’s
$19.99			$18.99
Amazon – $19.99

EXCLUSIVE DEAL:
What? Free E-Movie Money for Blindness ($12.00 value).
Where? Best Buy, Circuit City

THE AMERICAN MALL
Pitched as a High School Musical for an older generation, MTV’s The American Mall has been revealed to be even more generic and hollow than the HSM series, and a blatant cash-in on its success. This should really come as no surprise though; when a DVD cover reads “From the executive producers of High School Musical,” you automatically know you’re in trouble.
Blu-ray? No.
Notable Extras: Two commentary tracks, deleted scenes, extended performances, a gag reel, a featurette, and three music videos.

BEST PRICE
Target	Best Buy	Circuit City	Fry’s
$16.99	$12.99	$14.99	$12.99
Amazon – $15.99

EXCLUSIVE DEAL:
What? Buy both American Mall DVD and Soundtrack for $20.
Where? Circuit City

EXCLUSIVE DEAL:
What? Free $10 Best Buy Gift Card when you buy both The American Mall and The Hills (Season 3).
Where? Best Buy

Other noteworthy DVDs available this week…
The Art of War II: Betrayal – Tru Calling (The Complete Series) – The Secret – The Legend of the Shadowless Sword – The Killing Gene – Watching the Detectives – Brand Upon the Brain (Criterion Collection) – Bra Boys

Discuss: What are you planning to rent or buy this week?

NOTE: Some deals may be in-store only.

$18.99 each – Smallville (Seasons 1-6), Supernatural (Seasons 1-2), Veronica Mars (Seasons 1-3), Entourage (Seasons 1-3 pt. 2), Two and a Half Men (Seasons 1-3)
$24.99 – The Simpsons (Season 9 or 10)
$29.99 – Bones (Season 2)
$34.99 – John Adams

Exclusive: Free E-Movie Money for Tropic Thunder ($12.00 value) when you buy Team America ($6.99) or other select comedies.

$9.99 – 2-Disc Special Editions – Taxi Driver, Dr. Strangelove, Memento, Lawrence of Arabia, Saving Private Ryan, Snatch, Magnolia, The Dirty Dozen, Rebel Without a Cause, Wyatt Earp, Das Boot, Black Hawk Down (Deluxe Edition), Labyrinth, The Dark Crystal, The Natural, Superman II, Constantine, Monty Python and the Holy Grail (Extraordinarily Deluxe Edition) , Monty Python’s Life of Brian, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Enter the Dragon, Gandhi, JFK (Director’s Cut), The Maltese Falcon, Forbidden Planet, and more…

$4.99 – Green Street Hooligans, Tears of the Sun, Full Metal Jacket, Under Siege, Demolition Man, Deep Blue Sea, Goodfellas, Million Dollar Baby, Deliverance, Lethal Weapon, Into the Blue, Stealth, Basic, The Mask of Zorro, and more…

$16.99 – It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (Seasons 1 & 2), Flight of the Conchords (Season 1)
$19.99 each – Heroes (Season 1), Weeds (Seasons 1-3), My Name is Earl (Seasons 1-2), That 70’s Show (Seasons 1-8)
$29.99 – Nip/Tuck (Seasons 1-4)

$2.99 – Dumb and Dumber, Frequency, Spawn, The Long Kiss Goodnight, U.S. Marshals

$3.99 – The Girl Next Door (Unrated Version), Moulin Rouge, The Abyss, The Transporter, Aliens, Die Hard, Speed, and more…

$5.99 – Mr. and Mrs. Smith, The Devil Wears Prada, Night at the Museum, and more…

Indiana Jones 4 DVD and Blu-Ray Details Revealed

Paramount has announced the specs for the October 14th release of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. I much prefer the Blu-ray cover, which uses the original theatrical one-sheet, over the DVD release, which uses the second released poster art.

DVD

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull two-disc Special Edition DVD is presented in widescreen enhanced for 16:9 TVs with THX Certified Dolby Digital English 5.1 Surround, French 5.1 Surround and Spanish 5.1 Surround and English, French and Spanish subtitles. The two-disc set includes the following special features:

Disc 1:

· The Return of a Legend—The evolution of the new film and a tribute to the legendary hero and his creators.

· Pre-Production—Follows Steven Spielberg as he creates animatic sequences, Shia LaBeouf as he learns to swordfight and captures the reunion of filmmakers and cast on the soundstage.

DVD Disc 2:

· Production Diary: Making Kingdom of the Crystal Skull—Join filmmakers, cast and crew for a complete look at the making of the film.

o Shooting Begins: New Mexico

o Back To School: New Haven, Connecticut

o Welcome to the Jungle: Hilo, Hawaii

o On-Set Action

o Exploring Akator

o Wrapping Up!

· Warrior Makeup

· The Crystal Skulls

· Iconic Props

· The Effects of Indy

· Adventures in Post Production

· Closing: Team Indy

· Pre-Visualization Sequences

o Area 51 Escape

o Jungle Chase

o Ants Attack

· Galleries

o The Art Department

§ The Adventure Begins

§ Cemetery and Jungle

§ Akator

o Stan Winston Studio

§ Corpses, Skeletons & Mummies

§ Aliens & Crystal Skulls

o Production Photographs

o Portraits

o Behind-the-Scenes Photographs

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull also will be available as a single disc DVD presented in widescreen enhanced for 16:9 TVs with THX Certified Dolby Digital English 5.1 Surround, French 5.1 Surround and Spanish 5.1 Surround and English, French and Spanish subtitles.

Blu-ray

The Special Edition Blu-ray is presented in 1080p High Definition with THX Certified English 5.1 Dolby True HD, French 5.1 Dolby Digital and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital and English, English SDH, French, Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese subtitles. The two-disc set includes the following special features:

Blu-ray Disc 1:

· Indiana Jones Timelines— Explore the movie through interactive timelines that include video featurettes, in-depth information and unique imagery. Your adventure begins with one of these three timelines:

o Story Timeline: Showcases the key events of the “Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” storyline.

o Production Timeline: A Making-of chronology for “Kingdom of the Crystal Skull”.

o Historical Timeline: Dives into the real-world historical influences that are referenced in the film.

· The Return of a Legend—The evolution of the new film and a tribute to the legendary hero and his creators. (HD)

· Pre-Production—Follows Steven Spielberg as he creates animatic sequences, Shia LaBeouf as he learns to swordfight and captures the reunion of filmmakers and cast on the soundstage. (HD)

Disc 2:

· Production Diary: Making Kingdom of the Crystal Skull—Join filmmakers, cast and crew for a complete look at the making of the film.

o Shooting Begins: New Mexico (HD)

o Back To School: New Haven, Connecticut (HD)

o Welcome to the Jungle: Hilo, Hawaii (HD)

o On-Set Action (HD)

o Exploring Akator (HD)

o Wrapping Up! (HD)

· Warrior Makeup (HD)

· The Crystal Skulls (HD)

· Iconic Props (HD)

· The Effects of Indy (HD)

· Adventures in Post Production (HD)

· Closing: Team Indy (HD)

· Pre-Visualization Sequences

o Area 51 Escape (HD)

o Jungle Chase (HD)

o Ants Attack (HD)

· Galleries

o The Art Department

§ The Adventure Begins

§ Cemetery and Jungle

§ Akator

o Stan Winston Studio

§ Corpses, Skeletons & Mummies

§ Aliens & Crystal Skulls

o Production Photographs

o Portraits

o Behind-the-Scenes Photographs

The Wire - The Entire Series For $134.48

I have a confession: I have yet to get addicted to HBO’s The Wire. I just recently bought the first season box set after /Film’s own Adam Quigley wouldn’t stop raving about the show during last month’s Comic Con. I’ve watched a couple episodes, and am still unsure - I like it but I don’t yet love it. Everyone says its one of the best television series of all time, and sometimes you have to put your trust in the wisdom of the crowds. Heck, I don’t think I would have watched season one of Battlestar if everyone I talked to didn’t assure me that it got much better after the miniseries. Anyways, enough ranting. Point is The Wire is highly loved and acclaimed, but I don’t know many people who watched it as it was being broadcast on HBO. And everyone I know is always looking for a good show to watch on DVD…

Amazon.com is offering an incredible deal in today’s gold box, the first four seasons for only $95.49. That’s 60% of the MSRP of $238.98. Pick it up quick, because at the end of the day, the deal is done. Also, the fifth season of The Wire is being released on Tuesday. You can add that to the deal for a total of $134.48 (msrp of $298.97). Just scroll down to the “Better Together” section for the five season package. Thanks to /Film reader Mark E for the tip.

Wonka Recut

Wonka: Recut Trailer

The Pitch: Dogfoodfilms recut Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory as a dark, hallucinogenic thriller slash morality tale. Thanks to /Film’s own David Chen for passing this along.

Watch More Cool Videos Here!

Shia’s Injury Puts Transformers 2 on One Month Hiatus

Remember when Michael Bay issued a statement claiming that Shia LaBeouf’s hand injury would not delay the production of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen? Well he was wrong.

TFW2005 is reporting that the first unit production crew has been put on a four week hiatus. The second unit team will continue on without Shia. For those who don’t know, second unit usually shoots establishing shots, close-ups of objects, cut-aways, basically anything that usually doesn’t require one of the lead actors prominently on screen. Sometimes it is part of an action sequence. Other times it’s just a close-up of a hand opening a door.

Point is, the main photography of Transformers 2 has shut down. Luckily, the film isn’t due out until June 26th of next year, so the loss of a month probably won’t effect the film’s release.

Star Trek Screened; Trailer Cut But Awaiting FX

The first cut of JJ Abrams‘ Star Trek has screened to studio boss Brad Grey and executives on the Paramount lot. One source tells TrekMovie that the cut was “very impressive”, while another said that the reaction in the screening room was “far beyond expectations”. We’re still nine months away from release, and only a few of the 1300+ effects shots are remotely finished.

Apparently a theatrical trailer is already cut and edited, but the effects in the trailer have to be completed before it can be attached to a movie. Some people are buzzing that the studio hopes to release the trailer on September 26th with DJ Caruso’s Eagle Eye (Star Trek writers Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci produced the film). But we’ve already heard that Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is eyeing that release. So who knows.

Iron Man DVD Details Revealed

Paramount has just announced the details for the September 30th DVD/Blu-ray release of Iron Man. The film will be released in a single disc, 2-Disc Ultimate Edition and Blu-Ray Ultimate Edition. Since no one reading this cares about the stupid standard one disc release, let me tell you about the Ultimate Edition and Blu-Ray Disc releases.

The 2-Disc Ultimate Edition will contain 11 deleted scenes (Convoy Ambush, Craps Table with Tony & Rhodey, Tony & Rhodey on Stark Jet and Military Ceremony, Rhodey Saves Iron Man on Freeway, Rooftop Battle, Obadiah Addresses Scientists, Pepper Discovers Tony as Iron Man, Tony Begins Mark II, Dubai Party, Tony Comes Home, Rhodey and General Gabriel), 15 featurettes (”The Journey Begins”, “The Suit that Makes The Iron Man”, “Walk of Destruction”, “Grounded In Reality”, “Beneath the Armor”, “It’s All In The Details”, “A Good Story, Well Told”, “Origins”, “Friends & Foe”, “The Definitive Iron Man”, “Demon in a Bottle”, “Extremis and Beyond”, “Ultimate Iron Man”, “Wired: The Visual Effects of Iron Man”, “The Actor’s Process”), The Iron Man: Armored Adventures Trailer, Robert Downey Jr.’s Screen Test, The hillarious fake news report “Wildly Popular Iron Man Trailer to be Adapted into Full Length Film” from The Onion, a Still Gallery with 175 images (does anyone really look at those?), and a Stan Lee Easter Egg (do they really announce an easter egg in the pre-release advertising? Doesn’t that ruin the whole idea of an easter egg?).

The Blu-Ray Ultimate Edition will have all the features of the 2-Disc DVD release, as well as 5.1 Dolby TrueHD, Four Iron Man movie trailers, and an Iron Man I.Q. BD Live feature.

VOTD: The Unofficial Quantum of Solace Theme Song

Unofficial Quantum of Solace Theme Song

The Pitch: James Bond super-fan Joe Cornish has recorded a (totally unofficial) Quantum Of Solace theme song.

Watch More Cool Videos Here!

Mutt Williams and the Search for Elvis?

Back in May, George Lucas excitedly told Fox News that he had an idea to make a new Indiana Jones movie without Harrison Ford.

“I haven’t even told Steven or Harrison this,” Lucas said. “But I have an idea to make Shia [LeBeouf] the lead character next time and have Harrison [Ford] come back like Sean Connery did in the last movie. I can see it working out.”

Lucas sat down with the AP earlier this week and assured them if there were to be a fifth Indy film, stating that there is the possibility of such, it would star Harrison Ford. But he said that a Mutt Williams spin-off film is also possible, but it wouldn’t be an Indiana Jones film.

“If Indiana Jones wasn’t in it, you’d have to call it ‘Mutt Williams and the search for Elvis.’ … “Yeah, it’s ‘Mutt Williams and the Search for Elvis.’”

With George, you never know if he’s joking or not. Could his idea really have been Mutt Williams and the search for Elvis? Would anyone really pay to see such a movie? Apparently Lucas gave out the same title to MTV during their interview as well. So either he thinks its funny or is testing the waters. Please say it was a joke.

Max Payne Shot at 1000 Frames Per Second

Mark Wahberg, Mila Kunis, Ludacris, and Director John Moore (The Omen, Behind Enemy Lines) were in attendance to premiere Max Payne footage at the Fox panel at Comic Con.

During the Panel, John Moore kept repeating how important it was for him to stay as subjective to Max Payne’s character as possible. He believed once you take away the controller from the player, you better make it as personal to the audience as you can. Moore’s reasoning is that when you play the game the whole reason to play it is to feel like you’re a part of the story.

If you’re a fan of the game, you would be excited of what we had the privilege to witness. For instance, one scene involved Max Payne following some “junkies” into a subway system. As he passed them, they were sitting on a bench, he took a right into the bathroom. The next thing we saw was Payne looking into the mirror, he noticed the reflection behind him were the junkies. A shootout soon took place inside the bathroom, if anyone has played just the beginning of the game, the set were this taking place will seem very familiar.

Some other perks from the game, has Max Pax Payne narrating how he feels, using very dark metaphorical dialogue, but making it as simple sounding as it can, giving the feeling like you’re listing to someone read a comic book.

The last thing we were shown was a 3 minute highlight reel of the movie. It started with a zoomed shot of a barrel of a handgun, then with the same single shot started zooming back, until you saw Mark Walhberg standing holding the gun in in a alleyway while it was snowing. It went on with Led Zeppelin’s “Candy Store Rock” blasting in the background and seeing quick clips of various gun fights and showing different characters Max Payne will encounter, including dream sequence that are involved with the game. It ended with with a scene showing Max Payne holding a hostage in a office with an swat team of about ten, holding guns pointing to Payne. He throws the hostage to the ground and a fire fight ensues. Payne on one side of the room, the swat team on the other. Max Payne then tries to sneak to the other side of the room, ducking and dodging bullets by using the office desks as cover. At one point the emergency sprinklers go off, giving the firefight a little beauty to the scene.

At the end of the firefight, we see Max Payne dive, while shooting at a door to unlock it. The clip then slows down, using a bullet time effect much like what the game does. John Moore briefly discussed how they achieved bullet time. by Using a hard drive called Phantom. Phantom is a machine that can record video at 1000 Frames per second, which gives the effect of slowing down time time to the thousandth degree. The effect gives a smooth rendition of what the game does so well.

All in all, the movie has beautiful cinematic shots but the question remains, will the story be worth watching? Again, they seemed to keep the simple dialogue from the game, I’m not sure how well that will translate for a full movie.

Wolverine Surprises Fans at Comic Con: Trailer Features Gambit, Deadpool, Blob, and More

In an entirely unprecedented move, Hugh Jackman burst onto the scene at Comic Con after having flown straight from Australia, with filming on Wolverine literally finishing up just this past week. He announced that he just had to reveal to the real fans (without whom he claims he “wouldn’t have a career”) what the movie would be like, offering up the first ever seen trailer/footage.

Naturally, this caused an onslaught of applause from audience members.

The trailer kicks off with Wolverine and Sabertooth in a prison cell. They get taken outside, strapped to posts, and shot to hell by a firing squad. “What did that feel like?” a man asks. Wolverine responds: “It tickled.”

Cut to a shot of Wolverine strutting cheesily to the camera as a truck explodes behind him. Marvel logo fades onscreen.

Then Major William Stryker announces himself to both Sabertooth and Wolverine, discussing the prospect of putting a special team together. Interspersed between this are shots of them running through the woods with full-fledged animal ferocity, being surrounded by a group of soldiers in a circle while amping up to kick some ass, and then the clincher, a shot of Deadpool posing for the camera with his two samurai swords.

Wolverine tells Sabertooth that this wasn’t the program he signed up for. We see him being hooked into place inside the adamantium-injecting machine and thrashing about in the water. He bursts out of it in a blaze of anger and roars at the camera, his claws bursting out of his hands while he does it. Bodies drop as Wolverine slashes in every direction.

A handful of cards are tossed toward the screen, and the camera pans to reveal none other than Gambit holding his electrically-enhanced staff.

More quick shots: a child Wolverine (?) screams with his claws burst out of his hands, Sabertooth lunges across the ground like an animal and attacks Wolverine in what looks like a small snippet of a much larger battle, Wolverine gets clobbered in a boxing ring by the massive Blob, Wolverine goes one-on-one with Gambit, and a mysterious girl begins to have electricity sparkle all throughout her body.

Before you can even begin to recognize all the quick shots of your favorite comic book characters, a final set of clips shows off a very cool-looking set piece with Wolverine facing off on his motorcycle against a truck, and eventually climaxes with him launching thirty feet in the air onto a helicopter.

The title shoots on screen: X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

Finishing off the footage, Wolverine looks at Saberooth and quips, “I’m gonna cut your goddamn head off; see if that works.”

Out of the clips shown, there appears to be a lot going for and against this movie. Towards the beginning of the footage, the cheese factor was through the roof, feeling more on par with Ratner’s X-Men than Singer’s. Later on though, the mere presence of characters like Gambit and Deadpool immediately picked up the excitement factor several notches. What we got to see from the action sequences only furthered this excitement, confirming that even if the film doesn’t offer much in terms of emotional/dramatic tension or strong storytelling, it will at least amount to a whole lot of action-packed fun.

The Dark Knight’s Tumbler as an Autobot

What is Batman’s Tumbler was more than meets the eye? What if the worlds of The Dark knight and Transformers collided? TF fans Jester and Jolin have created concept art of what The Tumbler would probably look like as an Autobot. Click on the image below to enlarge.

Cool Stuff is a daily feature of slashfilm.com. Know of any geekarific creations or cool products which should be featured on Cool Stuff?

Hellboy Public Service Announcement

Hellboy Cat PSA

The Pitch: Hellboy does a public service announcement with his cat.

Watch More Cool Videos Here!

Video of the Day is a daily feature of /Film showcasing geekarific video creations.

Real Life Hancock?

Our friends at MovieMoron bring us today’s edition of LOL: a photo of a real life Hancock. And before you ask, I’m pretty sure this real life Hancock doesn’t actually have any super powers.

Bloodied Harry Potter Featured on Empire Magazine Cover

The August 2008 issue of Empire Magazine features a new image of a bloodied Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. The new issue previews 45 Movies You Need To Know About Right Now, which is basically a fall movie preview.

Christian Bale Rules Out Robin For Batman 3 (and beyond)

Several weeks ago, rumors circled offline once again that Robin would appear in the sequel to The Dark Knight. It reminded me of the “rumor waves” last year when everyone in the industry suddenly discovered The Long Halloween storyline and held it up as the script to Christopher Nolan’s second Batman sequel. According to StarPulse, Christian Bale not only considers Robin lame, he has threatened to remake The Machinist as a documentary if the character crosses his path…

“If Robin crops up in one of the new Batman films, I’ll be chaining myself up somewhere and refusing to go to work.”

Some fans will be blinded by a premature warm happiness after reading, “one of the new Batman films,” but Nolan has insisted this a trilogy. No matter, we are of the agreement that not only should Robin be dismissed, the word “robin” in general should be banned from this franchise. It’s not dark enough, nor does it embolden comparisons to The Godfather 2, Heat, and an “extraordinary cinematic revolution” spelled out by 400,000 lit firecrackers. Actually, that last one is worthy of Robin. We josh.

Discuss: /Film welcomes the International Robin Fanclub’s “boycott TDK” campaign. Insomnia aside, should there by a similar franchise ban on Robin Williams? We’re not endorsing it.