Super Hero Hype! is reporting that Kick-Ass helmer, Matthew Vaughn, has been confirmed as director for FOX’s prequel/reboot of the X-Men movie franchise, X-Men: First Class. The basic script outline was written by X-Men 1 & 2 director, Bryan Singer – who will also co-produce along with Lauren Shuler Donner, and then Marvel and FOX brought in the writing team behind the upcoming Thor, Ashley Miller and Zack Stentz, to do some rewrites and fine-tune the script.

There has apparently been no word on cast – returning or new. I’d imagine it depends on what their intentions are with the franchise. If this is meant to be a “reboot” for the whole franchise, it’d probably make more sense for them to just recast the whole thing. But if it’s just supposed to be the next X-Men movie that happens to be a prequel, then maybe they will bring back the likes of Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen.

So here’s the most interesting part of all this for me, this is the tentative release date:

June 3, 2011

That is just over a year to make this film. So, what do you think? Do you think they will make this date? If so, what could that mean about the possible “rushed” quality of the movie? Or do you think this will likely be pushed back once things get rolling?

FOX also released the official description:

“X-Men: First Class, following the classic Marvel mythology, charts the epic beginning of the X-Men saga. Before Charles Xavier and Erik Lensherr took the names Professor X and Magneto, they were two young men discovering their powers for the first time. Before they were archenemies, they were closest of friends, working together, with other Mutants (some familiar, some new), to stop the greatest threat the world has ever known. In the process, a rift between them opened, which began the eternal war between Magneto’s Brotherhood and Professor X’s X-Men.”

Steven Spielberg’s D-Day epic Saving Private Ryan is heading to Blu-ray, today.  This is a pretty good film, but it’s reputation is much better than it deserves.  Like I said, it’s pretty good, but it’s not great.  It’s overly long and some of the casting and script choices were questionable at best.  If you want a really great war film from the same year, I would suggest Terrence Malick’s The Thin Red Line.  Where Saving Private Ryan is the terse prose of war, The Thin Red Line is elegant poetry.  According to Amazon, Criterion is putting out a Blu-ray of it some time in the future, and that’s one I’m more excited for than just about anything.  But as far as Ryan goes, the only thing that gets into “great” territory is the D-Day invasion, and seeing it on Blu-ray is a must.

What I think is the third greatest of David Lean’s epics (behind Lawrence of Arabia and Bridge on the River Kwai) Doctor Zhivago comes out on Blu-ray.  Blu-ray is exactly the format that suits Lean best and this is a movie that is perfect for it.  It’s a sweeping epic with frames so dense with information, I daresay you’ll get more out of a release like this than the DVD.

In the geek department today, comes the fifth volume of the 90s X-Men cartoon series and the fifth volume of Wolverine and the X-men.  We should have full reviews up soon, but be sure to check out the contest we have going to give away a copy of the X-Men, along with the complete series of the 1994 Iron Man cartoon, which also comes out today.

I’m also terribly interested to see Francis Ford Coppola’s Tetro, starring Vincent Gallo.  I want to see what Coppola does in his quest for “small, personal” films.  They’re just so damned hard to catch.  His last, Youth Without Youth, starring Eric Roth, was here and gone in a flash and I haven’t picked up a DVD of that yet, either.  But you should check it out if you feel so inclined.

The last thing on my list today is a four pack Turner Classic Movies war collection.  It contains one of my favorite movies ever, Gunga Din, as well as Battle of the Bulge, The Dawn Patrol and Operation Pacific.  Errol Flynn, Cary Grant, Henry Fonda, Cary Grant, and Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. all together in one set for less than $20, that’s simply a deal you can’t beat.

Well, it looks like DC has hit a homerun again….  deep into foul territory.

Josh Brolin stars as the titular character in the Jonah Hex film. John Malkovich the bad guy. Those are two pretty great actors, so when you see that Megan Fox is the love interest, you have to question the sanity of the casting director. She doesn’t even pretend to act in this trailer.

And there are more explosions in this trailer than most Michael Bay films… And is that a pistol shaped, dynamite throwing cross bow? Jesus… This movie looks absurd.

Will I see it?

I’m doubting it. How about you guys.

July 20, 2012 has been staked out by Warner Brothers for the release in the next chapter in the Batman film saga directed by Christopher Nolan.

The Heatvision Blog at Hollywood Reporter reminds us that 2012 will be a very good year for geek movies in their article:

With Batman 3 on the docket, summer 2012 is shaping up to be one of the greater geek movie seasons. Marvel’s “The Avengers” is slated to come out May 4, board game adaptation “Battleship” leaves port May 25, the “Star Trek” sequel beams up June 29, and the rebooted “Spider-Man” swings into theaters on July 3.

I have no idea what the hell they were thinking by putting Battleship on that list of geek movies, but nonetheless, it’s still shaping up to be pretty much the best year geeks have had in a long time.  (Though 2011 will give us Thor and Captain America, among others….)  But Avengers, Spider-man, Star Trek AND Batman?  All we need now is a Star Wars film and it would be the best summer ever.

Now that there’s a release date, let’s see how long it takes for all the absurd casting rumours to come back.  I give it a week before another Johnny Depp as Riddler rumour starts.  What do you guys think?

Arse-bot here. Starting this week I am going to start bringing you all the major DVD and Blu-ray announcements we get from the studios regarding future releases (not to be confused with Swank’s “Out Today on DVD” stuff). This will hopefully provide you with a little insight as to what you can expect ahead of time from your favorite films on DVD and Blu-ray. First up this week, The Crazies…

The Crazies

Release Date: June 29

Distributor: Anchor Bay Home Entertainment

Special Features:

• Audio commentary with director Breck Eisner
• “Behind the Scenes” featurette
• “Creepy Paranormal Pandemics” featurette
• “Crazy Make-Up Mastermind: Rob Hall in Action” featurette
• “Thematic Exploration of George A. Romero Films” featurette
• Storyboards
• The Blu-ray will also include a digital copy

Box Art:

Batman: Under the Red Hood

Release Date: July 27

Distributor: Warner Home Video

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

Special Features:

Single-Disc DVD-

• No Special Features

Two-Disc DVD/Blu-ray-

• Next Upcoming DCU Sneak Peak
• DC Showcase: Jonah Hex animated short
• “Robin: The Story of Dick Grayson” featurette
• 2 bonus episodes from Batman The Animated Series Season 1 handpicked by Bruce Timm
• “Robin’s Requiem: The Tale of Jason Todd” featurette*
• Digital copy*

*Blu-ray only

Box Art:

Green Zone

Release Date: June 29

Distributor: Universal Home Video

Summary: Academy Award® nominees Matt Damon and director Paul Greengrass (The Bourne Supremacy, The Bourne Ultimatum) reteam in this action-packed thriller. Damon stars as Roy Miller, a rogue U.S. Army officer who must hunt through covert and faulty intelligence hidden on foreign soil before war escalates in an unstable region. Also starring Academy Award® nominees Greg Kinnear and Amy Ryan, Green Zone is “one hell of a thriller” (Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times).

Special Features:

• Commentary with Matt Damon and Director Paul Greengrass
• Deleted scenes
• “Inside the Green Zone” featurette
• “Matt Damon: Ready for Action” featurette
• Digital copy of the film
• BD-Live and U-Control features*

*Blu-ray only

Tentative Box Art:

Hamlet (Blu-ray)

Release Date: August 17

Distributor: Warner Home Video

Summary: “Hamlet has the kind of power, energy and excitement that movies can truly exploit,” actor/director Kenneth Branagh says. In this first full-text film of William Shakespeare’s play – shot on 65mm film and exhibited in Panavision Super 70, power surges through every scene. The timeless tale of murder, corruption and revenge is reset in a lavish 19th-century world, using sprawling Blenheim Palace as Elsinore and staging mich of the action in mirrored, gold-filled interiors. A landmark cast (Julie Christie, Kate Winslet, Billy Crystal, Robin Williams, Charlton Heston and more), the excitement of the Bard’s words and an energetic filmmaking style lift the story from its often shadowy ambience to fully-lit pageantry and rage.

Special Features:

• Introduction by Director/Star Kenneth Branagh
• Commentary by Kenneth Branagh and Shakespeare Scholar Russell Jackson
• “To Be on Camera: A History with Hamlet” featurette
• 1996 Cannes Film Festival Promo
• Shakespeare Movies Trailer Gallery

Box Art:

Who is excited for the Thor movie next year? I sure as hell am! Espcially after the last couple of days. Yesterday Latino Review had posted a set pic from their “spy” on the Thor movie set of Destroyer. Destroyer is an enchanted armor that Odin builds to contain his power to fight the celestials. Here is the picture of it:

Then earlier today Marvel posted what appears to be an official movie still released by Marvel and Paramount studios showing us our first look at Chris Hemsworth as Thor!

After seeing these two images and how awesome they are I don’t know if I can wait a whole year for the movie, which is set to release May 6th 2011!

UPDATE:  These have been all around the internet, but someone pointed out that there are images of Thor’s Hammer, Mjolnir, from Iron Man 2 floating about.  So…  Uh…  Here is one:

Earlier today IMAX announced their overall, 20-film deal with Warner Bros. and inadvertently gave “2013” as the release date for the first installment of the two part The Hobbit films, which is not the case. The Hobbit will be comprised of two films total – the first being released in December 2012 and the second in December 2013.

…2011 proved not to be a realistic date and instead served more as a guideline, according to insiders, because when it was first announced, no scripts were written, nor schedules or budgets drawn up.

While the project is taking a bit longer than the filmmakers anticipated, it is now on track for 2012 — rather than the 2013 date mentioned in the Imax release.

The second movie’s script was turned in to the studio a couple of weeks ago, and all parties are starting to break down the financials for the movies now.

–Heat Vision Blog

So no worries! The first installment of The Hobbit is only just over 2 1/2 years away, not 3 1/2! Whew!

Kill here, time for a guest post from a good friend of BSR: John Norton. Over the past couple weeks he has broken down his top ten favorite trilogies.

10 – Spider-Man Trilogy

I didn’t enjoy the Spider-Man movies as much as others, (even though I did really enjoy the third, don’t ask me why) but they were good films and I can never watch just one and have to watch all three.

9 – X-Men Trilogy

This actually would have been much higher on the list if the last movie didn’t drag it down a bit. I can picture people in a meeting coming up with ideas for the third movie and someone saying, “Hey let’s do the Phoenix saga and then kill off Cyclops within the first half hour!” and then someone else saying, “Hey, that’s a good idea!”

Idiots…

8 – Star Wars I, II, III

Yeah, yeah… the movies were horrible blah, blah, blah… despite the horrible directing and over use of special effects, there were many cool scenes and I still enjoy watching them as one big story.

7 – The Matrix Trilogy

-BZLaM”>

The first one was totally original. People complain that 2 and 3 were to confusing and didn’t make sense, but it was still pretty epic altogether.

6 – Evil Dead Trilogy

Not much to say, except that Bruce Campbell is hands down the best actor to ever live.

5 – Back to the Future trilogy

These were some dang ol’ good movies. But it was really hard trying to find a good scene on YouTube.

4 – Star Trek II, III, IV

I know, I know… there are like a million Star Trek movies but these three actually had a continuing storyline with Spock dying, the Enterprise getting destroyed, Spock resurrected and then getting a new Enterprise. I even saw this sold as a trilogy set at Best Buy once, so eat it.

This scene had some awesome music to it, fyi. And yes, I know that my nerd is showing…

3 – Indiana Jones Trilogy

I know they made a fourth, but that doesn’t really count, does it? Indy is such a bad ass here because he basically takes on a whole army by himself.

2 – The Lord of the Rings

One of the best trilogies ever, very well done with awesome effects and music. Although at times these movies tend to drag ass, especially the special editions, so it gets the #2 spot for me.

1 – Pirates of the Caribbean

Psyche!!! just kidding, it’s not those shitty movies.

1 – Star Wars IV, V, VI

Well, what can I say, it stands the test of time… and if you don’t like these movies you’re an F’ing moron.

A week or so ago we posted the trailer for the latest from the DC Animated Universe, Batman: Under the Red Hood. Now, Warner Bros. has provided all the details on the DVD and Blu-ray releases coming July 27! Details below:

Official Press Release:

Batman confronts new enemies, old foes and painful memories when a powerful vigilante with a penchant for violence comes to Gotham City in the intense graphic-novel-come-to-life Batman: Under the Red Hood, the next entry in the popular ongoing series of DC UNIVERSE Animated Original PG-13 Movies coming July 27, 2010 from Warner Premiere, DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. Animation. The full-length film will be distributed by Warner Home Video as a Special Edition version on Blu-Ray™ and 2 disc DVD!

The stellar voice cast has Bruce Greenwood (Captain Pike in the 2009 blockbuster Star Trek) donning the famed cowl as the voice of Batman. Supernatural star Jensen Ackles is Red Hood, and Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother) voices Nightwing. John DiMaggio (Futurama) and Jason Issacs (the Harry Potter films) round out the main cast as The Joker and Ra’s Al Ghul, respectively.

Batman: Under the Red Hood is scripted by award-winning comics writer Judd Winick and based on his popular 2005 comics storyline and subsequent comics graphic novel of the same name. Animation guru Bruce Timm returns as executive producer, as he has for all eight DC Universe animated original movies. Director is Brandon Vietti, who served as co-director of Superman Doomsday and was responsible for the first one-third of that film, including the fatal battle between the two title characters.

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

Fans will be treated to an incredible package of DC Universe storytelling as the Special Edition Blu-Ray and 2-Disc Special Edition DVD include the second animated short in the all-new DC Showcase series – which features the popular DC Comics character, Jonah Hex. The short is scripted by renowned author Joe Lansdale and stars the voices of Thomas Jane (Hung), Linda Hamilton (The Terminator), Michelle Trachtenberg (Mercy, Buffy the Vampire Slayer) and Michael Rooker (Days of Thunder).

Batman: Under the Red Hood – 2 Disc Special Edition DVD will have more than two hours of fascinating bonus features, including:

• Featurette – Robin’s Story – It was decided it was time to add a fresh face into the story mix, which turned out to be Dick Grayson, aka Robin. This is the story of Dick Grayson and how he transformed into Robin, with Batman as his father-figure role model.
• Extended Sneak Peek at the next DC UNIVERSE Animated Original PG-13 Movie.
• Widescreen (1.78:1)
• Two title-themed episodes from of Warner Bros. Animation’s 20-year history of Batman television series, hand-picked by animation legend Bruce Timm.

Batman: Under the Red Hood Special Edition Blu-Ray will have more than three hours of bonus materials, including all the great extras from the 2-disc Special Edition DVD as well as:

• Featurette: Death in the House of Batman – The story of how DC Comics heard the fans’ cry that the new Robin was not going to fit the cape, and how the Boy Wonder was scheduled to die.
• Two additional bonus Batman-themed episodes personally selected by Bruce Timm
• Digital copy

“Batman: Under the Red Hood is another terrific entry in the groundbreaking series of DC Universe animated movies, a shining representation of the adult storytelling that comics-turned-to-film has to offer, and further evidence of the combined creative power within the collaboration of DC Entertainment, Warner Premiere, Warner Bros. Animation and Warner Home Video,” said Matt Bierman, Senior Vice President Production, Warner Premiere.

“Judd Winick’s and Doug Mahnke’s story of a Robin gone wrong introduced Batman’s most personal enemy to date. It’s unbelievably cool to see it brought to life like this,” said Geoff Johns, Chief Creative Officer of DC Entertainment.

“With each exciting new chapter of the DC UNIVERSE films, fans have come to expect more – and Batman: Under the Red Hood delivers with an action-packed tale of mystery and emotional struggle brought to animated life by an outstanding filmmaking crew and voiced by the all-star talents of Bruce Greenwood, Jensen Ackles, Neil Patrick Harris and John Dimaggio,” said Amit Desai, WHV Vice President of Family, Animation & Partner Brand Marketing.

“In his feature length solo directorial debut, Brandon Vietti has brought this dark, psychological thriller to the screen with all the action and emotion of a great Batman story,” said Sam Register, Executive Vice President, Warner Bros. Animation. “

Only two weeks until Iron Man 2 hits theaters lady-bots and guy-bots! I know we have been inundated with TV spots, trailers and posters, but Super Hero Hype! just got an exclusive look at the IMAX Iron Man 2 poster. Thought it was pretty cool so I wanted to share it with you! You can check out the high-res version by clicking the poster below!

UPDATE: Screen Rant has posted the other Iron Man 2 IMAX poster featuring Whiplash! You can check that out here!