Buried in the Latino Review Star Wars casting report was the news that Leonardo DiCaprio was in talks to join the newest Star Wars movie.

That would have been amazing.

DiCaprio is an incredible talent and I’ve been hoping we could get him into the saga for a long time now.

But, according to Latino Review, he turned it down. For the live action Robotech film.

Which is just as amazing to me.

He’s at the right age that he would make a perfect Roy Focker, to be honest, I don’t think there’s anyone else on the show he could play if they were doing first generation. I will say though, I interviewed many of the Robotech guys at Comic-Con (listen to my interview with Tommy Yune here) and they said it was too early to discuss what was going on and which generation would be making it to the big screen.

They did confirm this report about who would be directing, though, and they did say that Lawrence Kasdan has worked on the screenplay, which makes me so happy it’s sick.

So what say you? Could you see DiCaprio as Roy Focker? If not, who could you see him playing?

Latino Review, usually reliable and spot-on, has a casting scoop on its hands that could, as scoops sometimes do, turn into nothing. On the other hand, it could be dead-on and we’ll be looking back on it with twinkles in our eyes a decade from now.

According to Latino-Review: Zac Efron is up for a part and Ryan Gosling is the name bandied about for the part of Luke Skywalker’s son.

From Latino Review:

As for what role Efron would be playing, we don’t know. He could be a Solo kid. But what I was told for sure is the Gosling went in for Skywalker’s son. Yes, that’s right Luke’s kid.

Interesting thing is that Episode 7 is taking place thirty years after Return of the Jedi.

Things are going to start heating up in the next month. And no way is J.J. Abrams leaving Episode 7 for Star Trek 3. Its very possible though he does just one movie in the new trilogy.

Now, I’m not sure about you, but I think Ryan Gosling as Luke’s son, if it turns out to be true, is proof positive that the established EU is out the door. He could still very well be named Ben Skywalker, but looking at Ryan Gosling and the way Ben Skywalker has been written, my guess is that that is where the similarities might end.

Efron is a mystery to me. I’m sure he could be good if given the chance, but he seems to have some of that Tween Heartthrob baggage. But, you know, Mark Hamill came from soap operas, so anything is possible.

As ever, take this with a grain of salt, but on the timeline, casting needs to be happening now. If they’re shooting come January and the film is action intensive, the cast is going to need to be in training and choreography sooner rather than later.

And remember: nothing is official until Lucasfilm or Disney confirms it.

And be sure to listen to the Full of Sith podcast for the best Star Wars discussions from a galaxy far, far away.

After a San Diego Comic Con panel that seemed to restore a lot of people’s faith in the X-Men franchise, FOX has released some really cool teaser posters for X-Men: Days of Future Past featuring young/old mash-ups of Professor X and Magneto.

Between these and the awesome Sentinel propaganda posters featured at SDCC, this X-Men movie is getting off on the right foot as far as marketing goes – which is more than can be said about some of the previous X-Movies.

Despite the horrid X3 film, and the just-really-bad X-Men Origins: Wolverine films, I am quite looking forward to what the future holds for this franchise. With The Wolverine tracking fairly well in early reviews and Bryan Singer back at the helm for Days of Future Past reuniting the casts from the two timelines, I’m hoping a lot of the missteps will either be fixed (retconning via DOFP time-travel) or washed over with these latest two films.

X-Men: Days of Future Past is directed by Bryan Singer, stars a shit-load of people, and will be hitting theaters on May 23, 2014.

[Images via impawards]

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Obviously, I had a great time at San Diego Comic-Con, and one of the things I had the most fun doing was putting together a series of Star Wars based interviews for your listening pleasure.

There will be more, for certain, but this is a good head start for your listening pleasure.

The first person I talked to about the influence of Star Wars was Tommy Yune. Tommy Yune is the creative director in charge of Robotech and it out promoting the release of Love Live Alive, a new Robotech movie that comes out today.

Then, I was able to talk to voice talent from The Clone Wars: TC Carson, the voice of Mace Windu, and Stephen Stanton, the voice of Tarkin and Col. Gascon. Both of those interviews were a lot of fun to do and I hope you have a lot of fun listening to them.

Last, but certainly not least, I was able to sit down for a more lengthy interview with Del Rey’s Erich Schoeneweiss to discuss the Expanded Universe, The Making of Return of the Jedi, and what the future might hold.

You can head over to the Full of Sith website to listen to the show directly, or: Download This Episode | Subscribe Via iTunes | Listen On Stitcher

The first part of the 20th Century Fox panel in Hall H at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con focused on Rise of the Planet of the Apes.

This movie looks to be every bit as good as its immediate predecessor, reuniting Andy Serkis with the role of Caesar.

According to the filmmakers, they wanted to tell an emotional story with Caesar at the heart of it.

Andy Serkis spoke at length about Cesar’s task of being a revolutionary leader, creating an egalitarian society out of the 2000 apes in their community. And it’s about how Caesar copes with his family and the other apes, and then having to deal with the return of the humans.

The teaser was played, humanity is in chaos and a human is going to the forest, asking to speak to to Caesar. Gary Oldman’s voice played prominent and we were given very few effects shots (as the film is still in production.) But the shot of Caesar in full war paint was pretty tremendous. Overall, the trailer was light on details, but it looked really good, intense but well put together. But isn’t that what all trailers are supposed to do?

Rise of the Planet of the Apes was a surprise for me, and this movie looks to emulate what worked in that film while at the same time advancing the Apes story in a way that seems utterly fascinating. I really hope it works.

It comes out April 2014, which is a more promising release date than most we were treated to in Hall H.

Check back later for more detailed coverage on the Marvel films, both from Fox and Disney.

The next panel I attended inside of Hall H on Saturday was the Lionsgate presentation.

First up was I, Frankenstein, starring Aaron Eckhart.

The movie, as described by the director, seems to go like this: Frankenstein is caught between a war between Gargoyles and Demons. He’s 200 years old and seemingly immortal.

Aaron Eckhart is under the impression that “this is a hardcore action/thriller.”

The sizzle reel shown looked like something torn out of the pages of the Underworld Universe. It was silly looking and looked… kinda stupid. Frankenstein looks to be some sort of immortal vigilante in some type of cosmic battle.

It comes out January 2014. The release date alone should tell you all you need to know about it.

After that travesty of a panel finished, the cast of The Hunger Games was introduced.

I could give an elaborate recap of the actors and footage shown, or you could just watch it for yourself:

And here’s the trailer.

As someone who hasn’t read the books but has watched the first movie, I’m actually pretty excited for this movie. It comes out November 22, 2013.

UPDATE: Lucasfilm confirms that none of this is true.

Badass Digest and Collider are reporting that they’ve heard from “multiple sources” that Abrams looks as though he’s dropping out of Episode VII.

From Badass Digest:

I know that he didn’t want to shoot the movie in England and was overruled, but that happened a while ago. This weekend at Comic Con I continued to hear these whispers. No director for Trek 3 has been found yet – might Abrams end up coming back after all, leaving Star Wars to someone else? I’m expecting Star Wars news out of the German Star Wars Celebration at the end of the month – if there is some sort of announcement of a title or casting and Abrams isn’t there, start wondering.

I’m not sure where I come down on this one. Sure, it’s likely he’s not got the clout on this movie that he’s had in the past and might want to leave. But this is Star Wars.  This would be a significant hit for Bad Robot to welch on a deal that’s already been signed, too. And for Abram to accept it so publicly, and to be such a large Star Wars fanboy, and then to drop out this close to shooting? There’d have to be much more at play there.

The reason Collider gives for him not wanting to shoot in England is that he doesn’t want to be away from his family. That’s a bit of a stretch, in my opinion. He can take his family with him at the drop of a hat. And it seems like he’d be excited to get back to the roots of Star Wars.

I will agree, though. If news about Abrams is light coming out of Germany at this week’s Star Wars Celebration: Europe, then worry. Until then, toss this into the trash bin marked “rumours.”

For the most up to date in Star Wars rumours and discussion, be sure to listen to the Full of Sith podcast.

CORRECTION: The original version of this story made mention of a picture tweeted by the Bad Robot twitter account as possibly being the script for Episode VII. Sources have informed TheForce.Net that this is indeed NOT the screenplay.

Official details about Batman/Superman was released from Warner Brothers.

It feels so much like they’re reacting instead of investing into a long-term strategy. They should have known this was coming and blown everyone away with Bruce Wayne post-credits in Man of Steel. Or something that implied Wayne industries. Instead, they wait until the morning of Comic-Con to say, “Hey! We’ve finally started to kinda think about this.”

Oh well.

Let’s hope it doesn’t suck. Summer 2015 can’t come soon enough, but for altogether better reasons (*cough*Star Wars*cough*)

NEXT DC SUPER HERO MOVIE IN PRE-PRODUCTION

Director Zack Snyder Unites Superman and Batman in One Explosive New Film

BURBANK, CA, July 20, 2013 – On the heels of the worldwide success of “Man of Steel,” director Zack Snyder is bringing together the two greatest Super Heroes of all time—Batman and Superman—for the first time on the big screen. The announcement was made today by Greg Silverman, President, Creative Development and Worldwide Production, and Sue Kroll, President, Worldwide Marketing and International Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures.

The current hit, “Man of Steel,” has taken in more than $630 million at the worldwide box office to date, and climbing. Along with its star, Henry Cavill, the upcoming film brings back Amy Adams, Laurence Fishburne and Diane Lane. The new Batman has yet to be cast.

Snyder is co-writing the story with David S. Goyer, who will then pen the screenplay. Production is expected to begin in 2014, with an anticipated release date in Summer 2015.
Silverman stated, “Zack Snyder is an incredibly talented filmmaker, but beyond that, he’s a fan first and he utterly gets this genre. We could not think of anyone better suited to the task of bringing these iconic Super Heroes to the screen in his own way.” Kroll added, “We are thrilled to be back in business with Zack and his team on this next movie. The success of ‘Man of Steel’ is a wonderful testament to the love and support that both fans and new audiences, worldwide, have for these characters. We are very excited to see what Zack has in store for all of us.”
Diane Nelson, President, DC Entertainment, noted, “Superman and Batman together on the big screen is a dream come true for DC fans everywhere. All of us at DC Entertainment could not be more excited for Zack’s continuing vision for the DC Universe.”

Zack Snyder, who made a surprise appearance at Comic-Con today, breaking the news to audiences there, later said, “I’m so excited to begin working again with Henry Cavill in the world we created, and I can’t wait to expand the DC Universe in this next chapter. Let’s face it, it’s beyond mythological to have Superman and our new Batman facing off, since they are the greatest Super Heroes in the world.”

The new film brings back Charles Roven and Deborah Snyder as producers. This time, Christopher Nolan and Emma Thomas are serving as executive producers, along with Benjamin Melniker and Michael E. Uslan.

Thomas offered, “Whilst our ‘Dark Knight’ trilogy is complete, we have every confidence that Zack’s fresh interpretation will take the character in a new and exciting direction. His vision for Superman opened the door to a whole new universe and we can’t wait to see what Zack does with these characters.”

The film is based on Superman characters created by Jerry Siegel & Joe Shuster, and Batman characters created by Bob Kane, published by DC Entertainment.

And now to the big surprise announcement:

Zack Snyder is introduced. He seems a bit confused and out of sorts, to be honest. He has no script and is kind of rambling. It felt as though whatever he was about to say was VERY last minute.

He explains he’s going to have Harry Lennix come up and read a passage from a book that people might recognize. He assured everyone it wasn’t the material that was being adapted, but that people would definitely know what the common element was and the spirit of things.

I’m not quite sure what that means, and it was definitely confusing, muddling the marketing message that DC and Warner Brothers should have had honed to perfection.

Here’s the quote:

Yes. That’s Batman, kicking Superman’s ass in The Dark Knight Returns.

Then, as we’re left wondering, “How does that all fit together?” They flash the logo on the screen:

They’re making a Superman/Batman movie. It’s not clear if it’s going to be billed as Man of Steel 2 featuring Batman, if it’s going to be Superman/Batman, Batman/Superman, World’s Finest…. nothing. The script, according to Snyder, is still being written, so even they’re not sure.

But…  We got this logo.

And it seemed to jazz some people up.

I’m excited to see the possibility, but my favorite renditions of Batman and Superman haven’t been under the watch of Nolan and Snyder.

And it seems like DC is desperate to catch up to Marvel, but they have no real long term strategy, they aren’t building to anything, no one is in charge, and it shows. Read my recaps of the Marvel panels later and you’ll see what strong leadership in this worlds brings to Comic-Con.

After the strong start for the Warner/Legendary Presentation (documented here) we were treated to Chris Hardwick killing time until the next panel was ready to go.

The next panel was: 300: Rise of an Empire.

Yawn.

This movie looks like a video game and that’s not a good thing. It looks boring, to be honest. Pretty, but boring. Eva Green looks fantastic in it, though.

Where the first 300 was a cartoon caraciature for historical events, this film looks like it’s just a superhero comic book version of things. It’s turning into its own sub-genre.

They showed an extended trailer and it looks exactly like the first 300, but with a different color palate, since so much of it happens on boats over water. If you liked the first 300, this is going to be a movie you’re going to see. If you found the first 300 lacking, I don’t see why you’d think differently of this one.

The next film, I think, took everyone’s breath away.

Here’s Alfonso Cuaron, presenting Gravity:

Gravity

Alfonso Cuaraon: “The story is about two astronauts in space. There’s only two all the way through the film, there is no other cast. It’s only Sandra Bullock and George Clooney. If I was going to be stranded in space, I wouldn’t mind being stranded with them. It’s a non stop ride, very dense. It’s a journey with the characters and we wanted to give the audience the feeling that they’re floating in space.”

Then, Cuaron went on to explain that the trailer is a bit misleading. The actual film doesn’t have that sound in space. The trailer did that for audiences, but the film is not that way. He also mentioned that the film has lots of extended takes, like Children of Men.

Then they ran a clip. It went on and on, through the inciting event of the movie, with very few cuts if any. It floated around and so gorgeously captured what being in space might be like.

This movie looks absolutely daring. Like Children of Men stylistically, but in space. It’s anxiety inducing, thrilling to watch, and just… Wow.

Sandra Bullock came out on stage and talked quite a bit about why she liked doing it, and explained how challenging it was, and how this was a way to address some of her fear of flying and claustrophobia. And why she went right after to do a comedy.

The film comes out 10/4/13 and it’s not coming soon enough. To be honest, I think this was the absolute highlight of the WB/Legendary panels.

Next on the docket was The LEGO Movie, which I’ll admit looked much, much funnier than I was expecting.

The filmmakers came out and explained that EVERYTHING in this movie is something you could have assembled with bricks. The water is bricks. The clouds are bricks. Everything. And the voice cast they’ve assembled is incredible. Morgan Freeman, Will Ferrel, Liam Neeson, Will Arnett…

But they also made some announcements about other voices and characters that will be in the film: Channing Tatum is Superman; Jonah Hill Green Lantern; Wonder Woman is Cobie Smulders.

There will also be Ninja Turtles in the movie. There will be other franchises that LEGO has licensed, but it’s too early to talk about them. The other two major franchises are Star Wars and Lord of the Rings, which I think would be achingly cool to see, but somehow, I don’t see Disney letting them put Star Wars on the big screen again before they get to.

This film comes out 2/7/14.

Penultimately, we were treated to Edge of Tomorrow, more recently known as All You Need is Kill.

The trailer was shown first. Tom Cruise, who seems to be showing his age a bit, is some sort of soldier in a war, and he keeps meeting Emily Blunt, who’s a soldier in that same war. They wear these massive exo-skeletons with guns attached and it looks painful. Tom Cruise’s character is having visions of things and… it’s all pretty vague. They explained on the panel and the impression that I got is that it’s Groundhog Day with a war, the day he’s repeating is the first day of an alien invasion.

When the panel came out, Tom Cruise revealed that he and Chris Hardwick had both played Stacey Jaxx in versions of Rock of Ages and the two of them started singing a Foreigner song as a duet. It was quite bizarre.

The film, written by Christopher McQuarrie, actually looks quite good. The release date is a very confident June 6, 2014.

Come back for Part 3 for information about the Superman/Batman announcement!