‘Futurama’ Returns!

Source: Variety

20th Century Fox TV plans to produce 26 new episodes of Futurama to air on Comedy Central in mid-2010. Creator Matt Groening said he and co-creator David X. Cohen already have potential storylines that they never got around to producing during the show’s original incarnation. “It’s sweet, and basically everybody who has worked on the show wants to come back,” Groening said. “I choose to believe it’s more than the economic situation. People had a good time working on this show.”

“We discovered that, like ‘Family Guy,’ there’s a passionate core audience and a tremendous pent-up demand to see more ‘Futurama,'” said 20th Century Fox TV chairman Gary Newman. It took cable channel Comedy Central airing all 72 off-net episodes of as well as the DVD episodes in January 2008 to get Fox’s attention. “The animation on ‘Futurama’ has always been so intricate, and there are costs associated with that,” Newman said. In order to make the deal work costs were trimmed — leading to a smaller writing staff and shorter delivery schedule, among other changes. “Across the board, everyone is doing a little belt tightening,” Newman said. “That’s what’s necessary to get this thing into production … no one is going to make a big payday on the show, including the studio.”

As part of the deal, 20th still has an option to license the new episodes’ original runs to a broadcast network (such as Fox). If the show does go to broadcast, Comedy Central’s license fee will be reduced. “It’s a deal we’re all happy with,” said Comedy Central programming senior VP David Bernath. “It’s a bigger win for us promotionally if we wind up going first … but if we wind up in second position, then the economics work out for us as well.” Comedy Central’s rights run well into the next decade, which is why the net was so invested in the production of new episodes.

Writing has already begun on the show. Groening said he was inspired by Star Trek and that the updated Futurama may take a similar approach to explain the re-launch. Voice actors Billy West (who played Philip Fry), Katey Sagal (Leela) and John DiMaggio (Bender) have all signed on to return.

‘Nurse Jackie’ Gets Second Season Overnight

Source: Variety

So, wow. That happened quick. Like, really really quick. Edie Falco’s (The Sopranos) new half-hour dark comedy, Nurse Jackie, on Showtime scored a second season pickup the morning after it aired. Jackie averaged 1.01 million viewers for its premiere 10:30 p.m. airing and then added about 340,000 viewers for an encore.The combined 1.35 million viewers for its two airings makes it the network’s most-watched series opener to date. The series was created by Liz Brixius, Linda Wallem and Evan Dunsky, and casts Falco as a skilled but highly unconventional, painkiller-addicted nurse. Showtime ordered 12 more episodes of the series.

Weinsteins Want 40 Minutes Cut From ‘Basterds’?

Source: FirstShowing

Alex at FirstShowing reports via Sharon Waxman’s column, The Wrap, that the Weinstein Brothers wants Quentin Tarantino to cut forty minutes from his upcoming film Inglourious Basterds. The Weinsten Company have been the subject of rumors of imminent collapse, but those rumors were given credibility this week when the Weinsteins hired consultants, Miller Buckfire, to help restructure their finances.

Tarantino was given final cut as long as the film came in under an agreed-upon 2hrs and 40mins. His Cannes cut of the film came in a full 19 minutes shorter than was needed, so Tarantino headed back to the editing back to add footage back into the film. The Weinsteins want the film at a brisk two hours as opposed to the current runtime. Apparently, it’s too long for American audiences. Apparently, I don’t care. Your average American can barely sit a full ten minutes without getting fidget. However, The Weinsteins need a big hit soon. With Rob Marshall’s (Chicago) Nine, a musical remake of Fellini’s 8 & 1/2, Rob Zombie’s Halloween sequel H2, and the aforementioned Basterds, the Weinsteins are hoping to strike gold with at least one of these.

My bet? Rob Zombie’s H2. It’s perfect for America’s attention span.

Stills: Mickey Rourke As Whiplash In ‘Iron Man 2’

(click for hi-res shot)

Source: Twitter / USA Today / Advanced Iron

Jon Favreau has just premiered the first official shot of Mickey Rourke as Russian, Ivan Vanko, in Marvel’s Iron Man 2 via USA Today. Whiplash sports a power center similar to the one used by Iron Man (Downey Jr.). “The technologies are definitely related, and that’s part of the core theme of the film,” says director Jon Favreau. “He’s constructed his own version of Iron Man’s suit.” Whiplash is known for having a pair of whips, powered by the suit’s mini arc-reactor. “Whiplash is going to light them up,” says Rourke.

The first official shot shows Whiplash making an appearance at the Monaco Historic Grand Prix. I think Rourke looks great here, and I can’t wait to see the chemistry between him and Robert Downey Jr., not to mention Sam Rockwell. This film has an amazing cast who can only elevate the first film. Favreau wouldn’t confirm whether Rourke’s Vanko stays true to the comics as a weapons designer working for Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell), a rival of Tony Stark’s. “We like to play into and against the expectations that people might have so, we mixed it up a bit,” Favreau says. I love that audiences aren’t as familiar with Tony Stark’s villain roster as Batman or Superman, so there’s a certain openness to experimentation and trying to find what suits the actor. “It was very important that the villain be as compelling as can be,” Favreau said. “Once I thought of Mickey in that role, it made me understand how to shape the story.”

Iron Man 2 comes to theaters May 10, 2010, is directed by Jon Favreau and was written by Justin Theroux. The film co-stars Gwyneth Paltrow, Sam Rockwell, Mickey Rourke, Scarlett Johannsen, and Don Cheadle. Thanks to Advanced Iron for providing the high-res shot.

Shia LeBeouf Out Of ‘Y: The Last Man’

Source: ComingSoon

In an interview with Wizard Magazine, Shia LeBeouf said he is no longer interested in playing Yorick Brown in the adaptation of Brian K. Vaughn’s amazing Y: The Last Man comic series. In the comics, Yorick and his Capuchin monkey Ampersand are the last surviving males of a plague that killed off all men. Yorick makes his way across the country, a land of women learning how to survive as well, in search of his girlfriend, Beth, whom he was about to propose to when the plague hit. You understand what I just said right? Shia LeBeouf is giving up the opportunity to be surrounded by hundreds of beautiful women, for hours on end, for three to four months, because it’s too much like his Transformers character, Sam Witwicky.

“You take Sam and you put a monkey on his shoulder. I don’t know if that’s a big differential. It seems like he’s the ordinary guy in an extraordinary situation again.” He adds that he’s not willing to make Y currently, and that he may be too old to play the role when it does come around. With those rumors circling about what his meeting with Oliver Stone really entailed, I think he’s making a break for more “mature” films. Y: The Last Man was originally slated to be directed by LeBeouf’s Disturbia and Eagle Eye partner, DJ Caruso who is currently working with producing partner Masi Oka (Heroes) on The Defenders. No word on whether Caruso is out.

Ridley Scott Directing ‘Alien’ Reboot?

Source: The Playlist

According to EW, that’s what 20th Century Fox wants. And why the hell shouldn’t you want it? Entertainment Weekly is reporting via The Playlist that 20th Century Fox may have some qualms about letting Carl Rinsch direct the newly announced Alien prequel, or whatever the hell it is. While the Scotts may have given Rinsch their approval, sources at Fox tell EW that they are only interested in greenlighting the picture if Ridley Scott directs. Is it possible Tom Rothman finally had a good idea? Quite frankly, everyone would love to see Scott direct this himself and not just hand it over. Hopefully, the EW article will go up soon. And maybe we’ll actually get a good, scary Alien movie again.

Stills: Morgan Freeman In ‘Invictus’

Source: EmailJokes

From some completely random site, here’s a first look at Morgan Freeman as Nelson Mandela in Clint Eastwood’s upcoming Invictus. Surprisingly, it just looks like Morgan Freeman.

The film, previously known as “The Human Factor”, chronicles Nelson Mandela’s life during the 1995 Rugby World Cup which he used as a means to bring his people together after the fall of apartheid. The film is due to be released on December 11.

‘Harry Potter’ IMAX Delayed

Source: THR

Shares of Imax dropped 4% on Monday after investors discovered Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince won’t arrive at Imax theaters until two weeks after the film opens on regular screens. The two-week delay comes from Warner Bros. decision to push Potter from its originally scheduled November 2008 opening. The new July opening overlaps with Imax’s monthlong showings dedicated to Paramount’s Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. I dunno. Harry Potter would be cool on IMAX, but I’d way rather see Transformers beat the hell out of each other on a 70ft screen. And it may not all be bad.

Harry Potter still has a 12-minute 3D Imax exclusive scene. “There will obviously be some consumers that choose to wait for the Imax version with its 3-D scenes or will choose to see it for a second time, but we no not believe this will be enough to offset the negative impact from the move,” Merriman Curhan Ford analyst Eric Wold said.

Wes Craven Confirms New ‘Scream’ Trilogy

Source: Digital Spy

Digital Spy recently caught up with Wes Craven and talked to him about those rumors of a new Scream trilogy. He says that Bob Weinstein has talked to him about, and he’s talked to [screenwriter] Kevin Williamson about it. “I’m not closed to it, I’m not open to it, I’ll be perfectly happy to read a script and tell him what I think. That’s where it’s at and I’m not expecting a script until August. I don’t know what the premise is or anything.” He also says that the deals on Courtney Cox-Arquette and David Arquette are set, but that the rest of the characters will probably be new. I’m not really sure about all of this. A new Scream trilogy? Maybe what we need are new monsters, new psychopaths.

Brett Ratner Directs ‘DeLorean’ Biopic

Source: Variety

Brett Ratner is using his deal with India’s Reliance Big Entertainment to set up a  John DeLorean biopic he plans to direct, with James Toback writing and Robert Evans producing. Time Inc. Studios and XYZ Films have joined the race to mount biopics of John DeLorean, the innovative car designer who lost everything when he was accused of drug trafficking in an attempt to save his failing car company.

Time Inc. Studios forged a deal with XYZ Films last year to make films fueled by underlying rights from articles culled from Time Inc. magazines.  The rights package includes articles from Fortune and Time; the Hillel Levin-penned DeLorean book “Grand Delusions”; and an unpublished memoir written by DeLorean himself. Time/XYZ say they also have the cooperation of the car designer’s longtime friend and business partner Fred Dellis and fromson Zachary DeLorean, executor of the DeLorean estate.

Directors have wanted to make a film about DeLorean for years, but he would never permit a picture without steering it himself. DeLorean’s estate are ready for “a truthful telling of the rise and fall of the entrepreneur, bolstered by 500 pages of the DeLorean-penned memoir.”

“It is almost like an updated ‘Citizen Kane’ story of the great American entrepreneurial hero and how it all went wrong,” said XYZ’s Spicer. After his arrest in 1982, DeLorean said that he was entrapped by the FBI before eventually being acquitted. His company still went bankrupt after producing only 9,000 automobiles, including the DMC-12 model featured in the Back to the Future films.