Warner Bros. has released four character teaser posters for the 2011 film, Green Lantern! You can check them all out below! (Click the images for higher res)

So we all know that now Joss Whedon if OFFICIALLY directing. Its great, we love it, it makes us happy. Now what the fuck is he going to do to them? What is his Avengers world going to be like? Are Cap and Iron Man going to be friendly? How is a Thunder God going to fit with those two? Well I09 got a little interview with him at the From Dusk Til Con party and we get some info that makes me happy and will probably make you a little happy too.  Heres a little excerpt to whet you appetite and head over to I09 for the full thing.

While working the press line at AMC’s From Dusk Till Con, Comic Con party we got the chance to ask Whedon just what he plans to do with The Avengers – specifically with the complicated relationship between Tony Stark and Iron Man.

The JJ and the Joss panel was great. How does it feel to finally be able to talk about The Avengers and have that off your chest?

It is a great relief, to actually just go ahead and say, “I have a problem.” To come out to people and say “I’m directing the Avengers.” And the first step is admitting it, and hopefully I’ll be cured, in two years.

As always go on into the forums and share your thoughts about this development.

I know this may seem like old news, but yesterday at Entertainment Weekly’s “The Visionaries” Panel at Comic-Con Joss Whedon officially announced that he will be directing the upcoming Avengers movie. He also mentioned that the script is still in the draft and talked briefly about the challenges of bringing so many characters together who will already have their own movies already out there into one cohesive world.

Believe it or not, up until this point, Joss Whedon hadn’t been confirmed to be directing this film, but obviously there were enough leaks and so much fan excitement for the prospect that it seemed official.

But now, we can all breathe a little easier in my opinion knowing that The Avengers are in capable hands!

Thursday at Comic Con has somehow become Scott Pilgrim Day. The awesome individuals responsible for the upcoming Scott Pilgrim Versus the World feature have been kind enough to host a daily party at the Hilton Gaslamp across the street from San Diego Comic Con. The party is all kinds of awesome. You get to make your own custom Scott Pilgrim t-shirt (and we’re talking professional screen printed stuff – not that iron on bullshit), your own flip book starring yourself doing kung fu and play the new Scott Pilgrim UbiSoft video game coming to Playstation Network and XBox Live. The game itself is a wonderful throwback to smash and bash classics such as Streets of Rage, only this is nerds fight hipsters and groupies. It’s basically a geek’s wet dream, going around smashing in the faces of those oh, too cool scenesters and hipsters us comics readers and gamers have to deal with on a day to day basis. To top it off, cast and crew members are making rounds doing signings and taking pictures and giving out free, delicious Garlic Bread to munch on.

This is the 8th Comic Con I’ve attended and have found that this is by far the coolest, most hyped up without being inflated party for a comic movie and for well deserved material. I was able to attend the Scott Pilgrim panel and it rocked. With 13 cast members in attendance, Michael Cera wearing a Captain America costume (in honor of the missing Chris Evans who is currently filming The First Avenger), fans were greeted by a surprise appearance from Nick Frost and Simon Pegg, and Edgar Wright even called out Sly Stallone for an arm wrestling contest. It goes without saying that, Scott Pilgrim Versus the World really has been the perfect way to kick off Comic Con for this decade. The filmmakers and comic creator is tangible, the source material has just wrapped up in the most perfect way and the fans got a taste of what will be a faithful and awesome film with one killer soundtrack.

If you’re at Comic Con this year, the Scott Pilgrim party at the Hilton is a must. It’s going on from noon to 6:00 PM every day, but get in line early, the wait will surely be a bitch (but well worth the wait) and the free shirts are sweet. There’s also some preview screenings at The Balboa Theater tomorrow and Saturday, so if you get the chance to see it, do, Swank said that the movie lives up to it’s epic epicness.

Our good friend Jimmy Martin, film critic for SLUG magazine, opted not to go see Scott Pilgrim tonight with me to go to some Comic-Con parties.  He’s been live tweeting his evening (along with Androidika) and he dropped this little gem on us about 10 minutes ago:

Told by Joss Whedon that my bet for Mark Ruffalo as The Hulk shouldn’t be changed! It’s semi-official!

This tells you two things.  One, you should be following @slugfilmcritic on Twitter, but it also means quite a bit for the Marvel universe.  There’s been plenty of talk about Ed Norton’s interest in reprising a role he did really well in, but what could have been the considerations made against him that is putting Mark Ruffalo in the lead?

I’m not going to argue with the casting, I think it’s great.  I watched Mark Ruffalo again recently in Shutter Island and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and the guy certainly has the chops to play with the big boys…  But so does Ed Norton, and he also has a continuity with this series, right down to having Tony Stark guest-cameo in his movie.

What do you guys think?

I’m at Comic-Con and was given a chance to see the world-premiere of Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World tonight.  I’ve just arrived back to my hotel sort of in awe.

For those who don’t know, Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World is about a guy who finds the girl of his dreams, Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) and has to fight her 7 Evil Exes in order to date her.

As far as the film goes, I’m wondering what I can say about it.  There’s almost not much too say about it.  If you’ve read the graphic novels (though I actually saw the film before I was able to read Scott Pilgrim’s Finest Hour), there didn’t really seem to be any surprises other than the fact that they actually pulled the tone of the book straight off of the page and filmed it.

Edgar Wright, the director, is a master of this sort of tone and tight storytelling, but I was pretty worried about how he would adapt such a unique property.  I’d read the script quite a while ago (and even posted a raving review of it), and I was pretty confident that he understood the source material, but I was dying to see how it could come off in moving pictures.  I shouldn’t have worried.  He pulled it off pretty flawlessly.  It was one of the most charming films I’ve seen in recent memory and all of the actors really owned their parts.

With a cast of standouts, it was surprising to see that there were stars that shone just a little brighter than the rest.  First of those was Kieran Culkin.  He completely stole every scene he was in.  He place Wallace, Scott’s Gay roomate and every time he’s on screen, you’re guaranteed a laugh.  Then you’ve got Michael Cera, who found a part he was literally born to play.  I haven’t really seen him in all that much, so all of the overexposure to him that people keep talking about has just passed me by.  He owned the part of Scott Pilgrim so much that I literally forgot his name halfway through the film.

Thomas Jane also has one of the single best cameos in film history.  And I think Brandon Routh needs to play Superman again.  (After the film the entire cast came out on stage and he was like a head and a half taller than everybody and built like Superman still.  He needs to carry on that legacy.)

I laughed so hard watching this film throughout that time blazed by.  When the “Would you like to continue?” countdown ended and the credits rolled, I wished that I had more credits to put into the movie because I wanted more.  For the videogame generation this film is going to be a mega-hit, and no one will even see it coming.

The film is laid out like a video game, with Scott fighting each of the exes until he finally makes it to a boss battle at the end of the game…er…movie.  Along the way, Scott collects points and coins until he gains a level and gets an extra life, which he’ll need to win the day.

It made me wish we really did get extra lives in real life.  It would help.

And the way the film ended was different from how the script that I read ended.  And my guess is that it’s probably different from how the series of graphic novels ended.  It was a pretty satisfying ending, though, and it was certainly a crowd pleaser.  There was a moment where I thought it would have been cool for Scott to have his cake and eat it, too, and Scott, Ramona, and Knives could all end up together simultaneously, but in the end he had to choose.  It was nice being able to second-guess who he could have ended up with, though, since I truly had no idea.  Now I REALLY have to get back to the book and see which one he ends up with there, to see if there’s going to be a whole bunch of pissed off purists.

This movie is going to do very well.  It’s fun, charming, full of heart, and above-all of those things, it’s hilarious.  The fight scenes are extremely well put together, the style never gets in the way of the story, and the ending builds up to a “Fuck yeah” moment that is worth the price of admission alone.  The crowd was so into the film by the end that I wondered if they were going to explode into candy.  (Granted this was an audience of people who sprinted 8 city blocks to get in line to catch it first after being told about the Secret screening just minutes before the film started, but still…)

Edgar Wright and his cast did the impossible with Bryan Lee O’Malley’s source material and they should all be pretty proud.  Now he needs to get to work on either Ant-Man, or another film with Simon Pegg and Nick Frost.

Oh, and after the movie, Metric, the band who played The Clash at Demonhead in the film came, and played a set after the cast came out and took a very well deserved bow.  It was the perfect end to the evening.  Now I’ve got to get to sleep so I can write up all the other stuff that I got today, as well as blow your minds with what’s coming tomorrow.

It looks like Walt Disney Studios is going to take another crack at a film based on the “horror” attraction ride, The Haunted Mansion – and Guillermo del Toro is developing (writing, producing) it, as announced today at the San Diego Comic-Con. Shortly after, Disney released the following press release.

THE WALT DISNEY STUDIOS AND GUILLERMO DEL TORO DEVELOPING DISNEY’S HAUNTED MANSION

Del Toro Set to Write and Produce Film for Disney

SAN DIEGO, Calif. – July 22, 2010 –Guillermo del Toro surprised the 6,500 fans gathered today at Comic-Con with the announcement that he is currently developing a new film for The Walt Disney Studios based on the classic Disney theme park attraction, The Haunted Mansion.

“Dark imagery is an integral part of the Walt Disney legacy. After all, Disney himself was the father of some really chilling moments and characters – think Chernabog from Fantasia or Maleficent as the Dragon or the Evil Queen in Snow White,” said del Toro. “I couldn’t be more excited to be a part of my own adaptation of the original theme park attraction Walt envisioned and that remains- for me- the most desirable piece of real estate in the whole world!”

“Millions of people from around the world visit The Haunted Mansion each year, but no one has ever had a tour guide like Guillermo del Toro,” said Rich Ross, Chairman of The Walt Disney Studios. “Guillermo is one of the most gifted and innovative filmmakers working today and he is going to take audiences on a visually-thrilling journey like they’ve never experienced before.”

Since August 1969, foolish mortals have dared to trespass on the macabre grounds of Disney’s Haunted Mansion. A hallowed landmark in Disneyland’s New Orleans square, it’s the dwelling place of 999 happy haunts dying to meet new visitors each day. The plantation-style of the mansion’s facade is a sweet deception for visitors. Inside, ghostly doom buggies line the hallways. Since its construction, the mysteries of the mansion have transcended the attraction with stories surfacing about horrifying encounters with the supernatural. Versions of the daunting edifice have been built at other Disney theme parks in Orlando, Tokyo and Paris.

I am all about Guillermo del Toro, and if anyone can capture some of that Disney “dark imagery” and package it into a decent film, it’s going to be him. That said though, I still just can’t get that excited about a (or, another) film based on this Disney attraction.

Discuss Guillermo del Toro’s involvement in a Haunted Mansion film over at the BSR! Forum!

First Showing (.net) are reporting that a reliable insider source has all but confirmed that the Riddler will be the villain for the third Batman film – and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, the now fan-favorite – is listed as “Interested” for the role:

We’ve gotten word from a reliable inside source with a studio casting grid that The Riddler is listed as a character for Chris Nolan’s highly anticipated to the sequel to The Dark Knight, which is still called Batman 3 at Warner Bros. Even more interesting, the actor currently listed in the same grid to play the assumed villain is none other than Joseph Gordon-Levitt, whose status is just listed as “interested.”

So, what the hell is a casting grid?

A casting grid is used in the industry to keep production companies, agencies, etc. in the loop on a project’s progress and the roles available for actors to potentially take. These documents are used for business planning in the industry and by no means would use internet speculation to list a character that may not even appear in the film. But when it comes to listing actors, this is info that can change at anytime, and just because an actor or studio is interested in one or the other, does not mean it will actually happen.

So, it seems this may be some pretty reliable news that the Riddler will be the villain in the third film, but you can never be sure until the studio makes an official announcement. Coming off of just seeing Inception over the weekend I am even more all for Joseph Gordon-Levitt taking on the role. I think he’s got more than enough acting chops and he’s a bold actor not afraid to try new directions; similar to Heath Ledger’s Joker. I’m sure I’m not the only one pulling for him to land the role, so let’s keep fingers crossed!

Talk Batman 3 villains over at the BSR! Forum!

Synopsis: Batman faces his ultimate challenge as the mysterious Red Hood takes Gotham City by firestorm. One part viglante, one part criminal kingpin, Red Hood begins cleaning up Gotahm with the effciency of Batman, but without following the same ethical code. Killing is an option. And when the Joke falls in the balance between the two, hard truths are revealed and old wounds are reopened.

Featuring the voices of Bruce Greenwood as Batman, John DiMaggio as The Joker, Jensen Ackles as Red Hood, Jason Isaccs as Ra’s Al Ghul, and Neil Patrick Harris as Nightwing.

Swank-mo-tron: My perspective on “Under the Red Hood” I’m sure varies greatly from Arse-bots. I’m a giant Batman nerd, almost as big as I am a Star Wars nerd, and when I read the comics this story was based on I was less than pleased. It’s no secret that Jason Todd, the Robin that Batman lost at the hands of the Joker, is the Red Hood, but my reaction was always, “Why?” It seemed pointless and counter productive to bring back Jason Todd from death, since his death was probably the single most defining event in Bruce Wayne’s life after his choice to put on the cape and cowl. The whole enterprise was lame and left a bad taste in my mouth, especially the issue where they actually bring him back to life and it’s basically the “Crisis” that regenerated his corpse in his coffin because he wasn’t supposed to die. Yawn.

When I heard they were making a movie of this storyline, I was pretty skeptical. After I did an interview with Scott Snyder about American Vampire (and who will soon be taking over the reigns of Detective Comics), we spent about 40 minutes afterwards geeking out about Batman and he recommended that I go back and re-read the Red Hood story since it was the best story Winick could have made under the constraints of having to bring Todd back. I re-read it under that lens, and I agreed with Snyder. But there was just too much continuity in the comics thrown out for me to really love it.

Then it comes to this release on Blu-ray and I’m wanting to hate it. But I can’t. Because it’s in its own little isolated animated universe, they’re able to throw out all of those continuity problems that made me hate the story in the first place and stripped it down to its purest form. This was actually a great movie.

Without all of the baggage I attached to it from the comics this was probably one of the most enjoyable and well-written Batman animated movies since the Return of the Joker, and Mask of the Phantasm before that. This is one you’re going to want to watch a lot. And I would like to point out Neil Patrick Harris’ standout performance as Dick Grayson. It was pitch perfect for the character.

And I’m usually not a fan of people other than Kevin Conroy stepping in to Batman’s shoes, but Bruce Greenwood did a really great job. I still want Conroy, but Greenwood would be an appropriate succesor.

And pay particularly close attention to the fight with Amazo and pretty much everything with The Black Mask. It was some of the most fun I’ve had in one of these movies in a long time.

Arse-bot: Unlike Swank, going into this movie I had next to no exposure to this story line in the Batman universe. I knew the overall plot, but nothing about the details. I have seen every DC Animated film released and have yet to be disappointed – the quality, stories, and for the most part the voice acting, are all always top notch. So, going into this I had some pretty high expectations.

Needless to say, they were met, and then some.

The story is compelling as hell, with the film starting off with the infamous death of Jason Todd – the second kid to don the Robin domino mask – at the hand of the Joker you know you are in for a great, emotional, action-packed ride. Right from the start the emotion is there, which says a lot since this is an animated film. Jason’s death has profoundly affected Bruce and this is portrayed in a great way with his interactions with Dick Grayson who is now NightWing. Batman wants to work alone, and despite NightWing’s kick-ass efforts to help him out even with a “simple” heist, Batman keeps his distance and goes it alone. Bruce and Dick’s interactions serve as what you may normally have conveyed to you via thought bubbles in the pages of a comic book. It was a very creative and effective way to give you insight to Bruce’s head.

As the story goes on and Red Hood comes on the scene, things obviously get complicated. Bruce slowly starts to put together who’s under that mask. While I was disappointed at NightWing’s departure just before the middle of the film, it was replaced by Bruce’s interactions with the resurrected Jason Todd. Obviously, this being an animated feature geared towards older teens and up, there is plenty of action to keep the pace moving, including a great showdown between Red Hood and Batman versus five assassins. The action sequences are brutal, and surprisingly bloody, but work with the overall tone of this DC Animated outing.

Everything really came to a head for me in Batman: Under the Red Hood in the finale. Jason Todd has finally gotten a crack at The Joker, and Batman is frantically coming after him to try to “save” his former protege. After a knock-down drag-out fight, Bruce and Jason have a few words. Standing in a seemingly empty room, Jason tells Bruce that he forgives him for not being able to save him, but then kicks open a closet and out falls the Joker tied to a chair. And in an emotionally charged and great piece of voice-acting it screams at Bruce demanding to know why after the Joker killed him why he was still alive. It’s a powerful scene that I rewound and watch a few times.

I’m with Swank in that Bruce Greenwood makes a great Batman, falling just short of effectiveness of that of the great Kevin Conroy. If Conroy were to ever retire as the voice of Batman, and Greenwood stepped up to start voicing him semi-regularly I would be very pleased. Jensen Ackles does a fantastic job as Red Hood as well and he and Greenwood play off each other very well in the emotionally climactic scenes. DiMaggio does a solid Joker – kind of seemed like it was DiMaggio doing an impression of Mark Hamill doing the voice of the Joker, and while I would have liked to see him do a completely original version of his Joker, this worked well in making the character very familiar with enough new takes to keep the personality fresh. And, again, Swank is right, NPH is just perfect as Dick Grayson.

This animated film is exciting, gripping, and full of action – all riding on the heels of a great story. If you aren’t new to these DC Animated films, then I don’t think you will need much convincing to check out Batman: Under the Red Hood. If you have never taken the time to check one out, this is just a great one to check out and I highly recommend it.

You can pick up a copy of Batman: Under the Red Hood next Tuesday, July 27, as always, from Amazon.com

USA Today has released a new photo of Chris Hemsworth as Thor! The shot coincides with a story they did on Thor coming to Comic-Con that you can check out at the link above.

So far, of all the pictures released (and there have been quite a few as of late) this is my favorite. It just looks pretty epic, and Hemsworth is all buffed up and Thor-looking!

Head on over to the BSR! Forum to talk Thor!