Wolverine Starts Filming in Two Weeks!

The Sydney Morning Herald reports that Hugh Jackman has completed filming on director Baz Luhrmann's Australia, co-starring Nicole Kidman, and will begin shooting X-Men Origins: Wolverine in just two weeks! Leading up to the events of X-Men, "Wolverine" tells the story of Wolverine's epically violent and romantic past, his complex relationship with Victor Creed, and the ominous Weapon X program. Along the way, Wolverine encounters many mutants, both familiar and new, including surprise appearances by several legends of the X-Men universe.The Gavin Hood-directed spin-off hits theaters on May 1, 2009.

3 MORE ACTORS GOOOOOO JOE!

Rachel Nichols, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje and Said Taghmaoui have all joined the cast of director Stephen Sommers G.I. Joe movie. The film, which already has Sienna Miller and Ray Park amongst its cast, is based on the popular Hasbro action figures, comic book series and Saturday morning cartoon. Stuart Beattie wrote the screenplay for the new movie, which has G.I. JOE, which stands for Global Integrated Joint Operating Entity, as an international force of operatives set in Brussels.The Hollywood Reporter says Nichols will play Scarlett, a skilled martial artist who specializes in hand-to-hand combat and counterintelligence.
Akinnuoye-Agbaje will play ordnance expert Heavy Duty and Taghmaoui will play Breaker, the team's communications specialist. Miller will play the Baroness, known for her espionage skills.The film is set for release in the summer of 2009.

PUNISHER WARZONE! DON'T CALL IT A SEQUEL!

Actor Ray Stevenson is the new Punisher in 'Punisher: War Zone'. Wizard Universe got an exclusive chance to talk tot he actor about the movie.
“This is in no way to be seen as ‘Punisher 2,’ or even ‘Punisher 3,’” says Stevenson of the fact that the movie is the third take on Marvel's vigilante character, but is not a sequel to either of the previous films. “It’s going full-on for the Garth Ennis and Tim Bradstreet take on Frank Castle. We’re staying very, very true to the authenticity of the comic books. The whole look of the film, the mise en scène, has that light and dark, harsh sodium colors. Frank Castle is definitely the predator.”Stevenson promises a much darker movie than the Thomas Jane version. "Not to take away from anything Tom Jane has done, and I think that [previous] movie stands up on its own, but my take will be different. It’s a newer, darker version.”
Stevenson also has praise for his director, Lexi Alexander. "“She’s got the mind of a warrior, the mind of a fighter. She knows what it’s like to stand toe-to-toe with somebody and know they’re going to try to hit you as hard as they possibly can, and you’re not there to f--- about—so she knows it when she sees it.”

GHOSTRIDER IS BACK AND HE'S DRUNK?

Actor Nicolas Cage is praying movie bosses will greenlight a sequel to 2007's Ghost Rider - because he wants to turn the comic book superhero into an alcoholic. Producer Avi Arad announced plans for Ghost Rider II earlier this year (07), and Cage can't wait to reprise his role as the dark Marvel Comics character Johnny Blaze. He tells MTV.com, "I would love to do another Ghost Rider. I'd make him really dark. Way dark. "We're done with the whole back story now; he should come back, but this time he should come back drinking. "Now the demon has taken over. He's not eating jelly beans anymore; he's getting drunk, and we'll see what happens there."

WILL SMITH IS HANCOCK.....BURP!

Will Smith is really starting to get into the "not saving the world" business -- I Am Legend positions him as the last man on Earth, and in this summer's Hancock, he plays an alcoholic superhero. And if you think that sounds weird, Smith's description is even more mysterious. "If you can imagine, it's the Michael Mann version of an alcoholic superhero," said Smith. "It is so bizarre. Michael Mann developed a script about an alcoholic superhero." The writer/director of films like Heat and Miami Vice surely has an unusual take. Jason Bateman, who plays a publicist trying to rehabilitate the superhero Hancock (Smith), described scenes that demonstrate the Michael Mann tone. "What's fun about that character is just that he's so appreciative that his life was saved by this underappreciated superhero that he wants to reciprocate," said Bateman. "He wants to kind of give back and he wants the public to see Will Smith as the hero that he really is. So that's his mission. That was a fun thing to play, a very idealistic guy that's trying to build up this suicidal, homeless alcoholic that then ends up hitting on my wife. It was a fun thing. To play the victim is funny." The confrontation between the publicist and the superhero perhaps sums it up best. "What Will and [screenwriter] Akiva Goldsman and [director] Pete Berg wanted to do was to play this for the real. They're constantly bouncing tones back and forth. It's a really ambitious thing to do in the film, but they pull it off. That's played very much on the real, that I have an argument with a superhero about hitting on my wife and my feelings are hurt. It's like you kind of back into the comedy there, but there's definitely not winking

GREAT NEWS GEEKS! THE HOBBITS ARE BACK!

NEW YORK - Peter Jackson and New Line Cinema have reached agreement to make J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Hobbit," a planned prequel to the blockbuster trilogy "The Lord of the Rings."
Jackson, who directed the "Rings" trilogy, will serve as executive producer for "The Hobbit." A director for the prequel films has yet to be named.
Relations between Jackson and New Line had soured after "Rings," despite a collective worldwide box office gross of nearly $3 billion — an enormous success. The two sides nevertheless were able to reconcile, with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios (MGM) splitting "The Hobbit" 50/50, spokemen for both studios said Tuesday.
"I'm very pleased that we've been able to put our differences behind us, so that we may begin a new chapter with our old friends at New Line," Jackson said in a statement. "We are delighted to continue our journey through Middle Earth."
Two "Hobbit" films are scheduled to be shot simultaneously, similar to how the three "Lord of the Rings" films were made. Production is set to begin in 2009 with a released planned for 2010, with the sequel scheduled for a 2011 release.

NATALIE IMBRUGLIA IN WOLVERINE? I'M TORN.

The Sun are reporting that former Neighbours TV star turned successful recording artist Natalie Imbruglia may have secured a role in the X-MEN movie spin-off WOLVERINE. The movie, to be directed by Gavin Hood, that stars Hugh Jackman, is set to go into production next year. Liev Schreiber and Kodi Smit-McPhee are rumoured to be on board, according to the newspaper.Apparently, according to the report Natalie has already screen-tested for the high-profile role.The Australian star (pictured), has enjoyed a string of hits, including Torn, her most successful single.