Sci-Fi Storm

Marvel announced today that Robert Downey Jr. has reached an agreement to reprise his Tony Stark/Iron Man role in two more films – but not alone.

The two-movie deal only covers the upcoming Avengers 2 (to start production next March for a May 2015 release) and Avengers 3, but leaves Iron Man 4 further in doubt, considering this will take Downey to around 2018, when he’ll be 53, and he’s already said he only wanted to do it until he’s 50.

Then again, they seemed to leave the end of Iron Man 3 at an appropriate closing point, and the primary comic character storylines only seem to be making it to three films as it is before the reboot tag starts getting thrown around…

This is apparently the first glimpse of characters for the upcoming Star Wars Episode VII? The casting directors attached to the movie have sent around a casting sheet, and it’s been confirmed by Lucasfilm. I’ve seen to similar but different versions of the list so far…from Bleeding Cool:

Late-teen female, independent, good sense of humour, fit.

Young twenty-something male, witty and smart, fit but not traditionally good looking.

A late twentysomething male, fit, handsome and confident.

Seventy-something male, with strong opinions and tough demeanour. Also doesn’ t need to be particularly fit.

A second young female, also late teens, tough, smart and fit.

Forty something male, fit, military type.

Thirtysomething male, intellectual. Apparently doesn’t need to be fit.

And from Schmoes Know:

1) MAN in his 20′s, intelligent, funny, not bad on the eyes.
2) MAN in his late 20′s, strong, good looking, and assured.
3) WOMAN in her teens. Strong willed, in shape and intelligent.
4) MAN in his 40′s, strong and able, militaristic.
5) WOMAN in her teens. Strong, sure-headed and funny.
6) MAN, 30′s, smart as a whip.
7) MAN, between the ages of 60 and 70, rough around the edges and head strong.

In either case, I’m not sure I can pass for the 30s male, and I can’t pass for physically fit, so I guess I’m out of the running 🙁

Do these descriptions fit with any existing material?

Every couple of years, we get teased…but the Logan’s Run remake, long in development hell, is showing life once more.

Ken Levine, who was once a screenwriter before moving to video games and creating he massively successful Bioshock franchise, is set to work on a script for Jon Berg at Warner Bros. At last report, Andrew Baldwin was working on a script for Nicolas Winding Refn (with Green Lantern‘s Ryan Gosling attached), and there were several writers and directors with their hands on it before that, mostly under the auspices of Joel Silver. So until they start filming, I don’t have my hopes up.

Logan’s Run is a 1967 novel by William F. Nolan and George Clayton Johnson, about a dystopian future society where population is strictly controlled, and everyone must willingly submit to euthanasia on the day they turn 21. Logan, a “Sandman”, is responsible for tracking down those evading their fates, called “runners”, who attempt to escape the society and find the legendary Sanctuary – but in turn becomes one himself.

The novel was adapted in to a film in 1976 starring Michael York and Jenny Agutter, but the plot was modified placing them within a domed city after some unspecified apocalypse, and the age limit is raised to 30.

It looks like a new Terminator movie will finally get made, with the man who was central to the franchise set to return.

Arnold Schwarzenegger has been attached to the project for a while, and Megan Ellison (daughter of Oracle founder and CEO Larry Ellison) recently purchased the right to the franchise. Now Megan and brother David have agreed to each put up one third of the costs of a new movie, with Paramount picking up the final third.

However, the film still doesn’t have a director yet, with Fast and Furious 6‘s Justin Lin passing on a script being developed by Laeta Kalogridis (Shutter Island) and Patrick Lussier (Dracula 2000), but plans are to start filming in January.

The trailer for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, part two of The Hobbit trilogy, is out and you can see it right here!

Could Episode VII of Star Wars be filmed in Ireland? It looks that way.

It appears that J.J. Abrams Bad Robot has been talking with the Irish Film Board about shooting some scenes in North Clare, Ireland, as well as Donegal and Sligo, after Abrams and his wife Katie McGrath (not the Merlin actress, but like her is Irish) vacationed in the area in 2011.

In addition, a biopic about Irish king Brian Boru would also likely film in the same area, notable at the Cliffs of Moher, which may seem familiar – they are the cliffs where scenes from The Princess Bride and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows were filmed.

Ok, I’ve put some of the best pics I got from this past weekend’s trip to Star Wars Weekends – man, it was blasted hot! We ended up taking it easy and some of the stuff was family oriented, and I’m still getting used to the new camera. But you can see the pics over at our Google+ photo album here.

It was a great time. Ashley Eckstein was great as usual – always friendly and remembers everything. And you could see her HerUniverse shirts being worn everywhere! It was good to see Sam Witwer again as well – he’s really funny in person.

Warwick Davis also put on a short but amazing show called “An Ewok’s Tale”, which covered his early life (very humorously) and how he got the part of an Ewok in Star Wars: The Return of the Jedi that later turned into a starring role, as well as his later roles. It included footage I’ve not seen before as well.

If you are a Star Wars fan and can get to Florida for a weekend, this is well worth it! This coming weekend is the last for this year, but it seems pretty certain there will be more next year!

Star Wars Weekends have started at Disney’s Hollywood Studios – and this year, not only is the “Carbon-Freeze Me” back, but they’ve added a new one, and this one looks even better – you can have your head scanned and be made into a Stormtrooper figurine!

Inside The Magic’s Ricky Brigante is planning on doing it again this year…can’t wait to see the results! And follow us on Twitter as we’ll be there in a few weeks, and we’ll be taking lots of pictures, and perhaps see a few friends as well!

Update: Watch as Ricky gets his face scanned! Alas, production and delivery will take until July, so we’ll follow up with the results – but they look quite detailed.
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Pursuant to our previous article on Warner Bros developing a Dungeons & Dragons movie, it appears that Hasbro is prepared to take the case to court – but not against Warner Bros.

The defendant appears to be Courtney Solomon’s Sweetpea Entertainment, who produced the 2000 Dungeons & Dragons, as well as the 2005 sequel Dungeons & Dragons: Wrath of the Dragon God. The quoted article has a number of problems that make it hard to make sense of what they are saying, but the 2005 sequel would appear to have qualified, but the 2012 Dungeons & Dragons: The Book of Vile Darkness might, as Hasbro claims, not qualify, since it was more than 5 years after the previous effort and retained no characters or situations from either. But I also don’t see Courtney Solomon or Sweetpea in the credits list on IMDb.

[Borrowed from WDW Untangled, our sister site]

It’s been known to be coming, but it was never official, until today: Universal Studios Orlando have finally announced the expansion of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, to be built over at the Universal Studios Florida park, with a connection to the existing section via the Hogwarts Express!

Being dubbed “The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Diagon Alley” (with the existing section being redubbed “The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Hogsmeade”, the new section will recreate the Diagon Alley and from the movies, as well as part of London, which would likely serve as the gateway. The big attraction will be a ride based on Gringott’s Bank, likely some form of coaster reminiscent of the travel system to the vaults as seen in the final movie.

How they’ll resolve that some elements of Diagon Alley – notably Ollivander’s Wand Shop, were transposed to Hogsmeade for the park, remains to be seen – but they could easily do with expanding it, and perhaps put in something else in the original location. No details on how the Hogwarts Express will handle the transportation backstage between the parks, although some sort of virtual component is expected. Also remaining to be seen is how they handle park tickets, since visiting both parks in one day requires their equivalent of a Park Hopper ticket.

Here is the full release:
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