'The Transporter,' gay action hero?

Chris Lee writes about film and pop culture for the Los Angeles Times and he sent over this, uh, unexpected take on "Transporter 3," the action film that opened Wednesday. We may never watch the fire hose scene quite the same way...

Alas, the Transporter is gay no more.

In the trailer for “Transporter 3,” Jason Statham (in character as the tactiturn commando-turned-courier Frank Martin) is very clearly seen making out with sexy costar Natalya Rudakova –- a stunning development for anyone intimately acquainted with the car-chase-crazy, karate-tastic French-financed action franchise.

In 2005, Louis Leterrier, the director of “Transporter 2” (and also credited as "artistic director" of the first “Transporter”) told me he created a gay subtext for the character so as to avoid making a “Steven Seagal kind of movie.”

"If you watch the movie and you know he's gay, it becomes so much more fun," Leterrier said then. "It's so great -- the first gay action movie hero!” He continued: “Action fans in general are pretty homophobic. You see these tough guys who say, ' "The Transporter," that's such a great movie!’ If they only knew they're really cheering for a new kind of action hero.”

'Battlestar Galactica,' Art Spiegelman and 'Batman R.I.P.' in Everyday Hero headlines

A holiday weekend edition of Everyday Hero, your handpicked headlines from the fanboy universe...

Art for Art's sake: This has been the year of the long-view Art Spiegelman interview, no surprise considering the release of his early-career survey "Breakdowns: Portrait of the Artist as a Young %@&*!" and the retrospective reflex it inspires in journalists. The latest one I've seen is by Tom Gatti, and although there is a odd dearth of quotes (maybe Gatti didn't get much time with the Pulitzer Prize winner?) there are some insightful descriptions of Spiegelman's long, strange pen-and-ink odyssey, like this one: "More attractive was the countercultural attitude of 'The East Village Other,' and Spiegelman approached the editor, who wanted strips about sex and drugs. 'I knew little about either, so I enrolled at Harpur College, New York State, and set out to find out about both while dodging the draft.'  His studies didn't get much of a look-in: when he wasn't working professionally for Topps, where he created trading cards and stickers (including, many years later, the phenomenally popular Garbage Pail Kids), Spiegelman was embracing the hippie scenes of New York and San Francisco. But artistically he had hit a psychedelic plateau, and it wasn't until he met the artist Robert Crumb that his passion was reignited. 'Crumb had just had a life-changing LSD trip, and his sweetness had been curdled into knobbly-kneed, cross-hatched, gritty cartoons - a direct contrast to the prevailing ‘less is more' aesthetic. He was so clearly light years ahead of anybody else.' Spiegelman took 'a giant step sideways and backwards' as he tried to integrate what he'd learnt from Crumb. Initially that took the form of rampant taboo-breaking. Crumb and his peers were risqué but Spiegelman's portrayals of patricide and necrophilia disturbed Crumb's wife so much that she barred him from her home. In 1968, aged 20, he wound up in a mental hospital: he told the doctors that it was a bad trip, but he was really suffering from what he describes as 'twisted brain passages.' Soon after returning home, his mother committed suicide: his father found her in the bath, her wrists slashed. There was no note. Then Spiegelman was kicked out of college.Broken down, Spiegelman began to build himself back up. He befriended a professor who showed him how to look at 'art that didn't have speech bubbles.' " [The Times of London]

"Brave" words: I've written a couple of times about how much my 7-year-old son Ben likes the new animated series "Batman: The Brave and the Bold" and how refreshing it is for me as a parent to watch it with him -- it's just right in tone and never condescending -- so for the parents out there, I wanted to pass on the news about this new on-line activity area linked to the show: "The free, all-ages, ad-supported site is online now at www.braveandthebold.com. It features a serialized Batman game entitled 'The Terror of the Time Traps,' interactive virtual action figures known as 'Inter-Action Figures,' detailed back story on many of the popular DC Comics characters who co-star in upcoming episodes of the show, step-by-step character drawing lessons featuring Batman and friends, and more." [Warner press release] ALSO: I saw that I missed an Underwired interview earlier this month with "B&B" story editor and co-producer Michael Jelenic, you can find that here.

The Great Gray Lady goes Gotham: The New York Times doesn't have much news coverage of the comic-book world, so it was a bit odd to see this dispatch from George Gene Gustines in the Art Briefly roundup this week: "When you title a Batman comic book storyline 'R.I.P.,' it’s understandable if readers worry about the fate of that Gotham City hero. The story’s final chapter, in 'Batman' No. 681, written by Grant Morrison and illustrated by Tony Daniel, arrived in stores Wednesday. It features a scene in which Batman is caught in a helicopter crash and only his cowl is recovered. But that’s all part of the plan by DC Comics, which has devised several months of stories without the caped crusader. 'You realize in their absence how valuable the character is,' said Dan DiDio, DC’s senior vice president and executive editor. 'Bruce Wayne will always be back as Batman someday.''' [New York Times] ALSO: To read more on the Batman plans, check out my interview with DiDio here.

Murakami in L.A.: Japanese artist Takashi Murakami is drawing up a new future in Southern California. Suzanne Muchnic has the lowdown, and here's an excerpt: "Murakami, whose giant Buddha, bug-eyed monsters and magical mushrooms packed in huge crowds last year at the Museum of Contemporary Art, is putting down roots in Los Angeles. A multifaceted artist who embraces painting and sculpture, film and mass-produced goods as part of a single enterprise, he is planning to open an animation studio here next summer. Often called Japan's Andy Warhol and headquartered in Tokyo, Murakami already has a studio in New York. But he has decided that Hollywood is the place to expand his filmmaking capabilities. The new studio will operate under the umbrella of Kaikai Kiki, his production and artist-management company. 'Animation and film have always been among my greatest influences, ever since I first saw 'Star Wars' and Hayao Miyazaki's films,' Murakami said in a statement. 'This studio represents a great step in the evolution of Kaikai Kiki and gives me a closer proximity to the community of artists with whom I hope to collaborate as I continue my explorations of animated and live-action film.'" [Culture Monster]

So say we all: And have you seen the new promo for "Battlestar Galactica"? It's right here...

-- Geoff Boucher

And now for something completely different...

"Star Trek" and Monty Python, two great tastes that taste great together...

Okay, so it's not exactly new (it's been on You Tube for a couple of years) but somehow I didn't see it until yesterday when I came upon it on Wil Wheaton's blog. Anyway, like Romulan ale, this one just gets better with time, right?

Happy Thanksgiving from Hero Complex and, as always, thanks for reading.

-- Geoff Boucher

MORE RANDOM SILLINESS

An interview with the Rancor from "Return of the Jedi"

         VIDEO Superhero party from "Saturday Night Live," circa 1979

                    VIDEO  Mr. T talks smack to Superman

The fanboy vote: Presidential politics with a pop-culture spin

               VIDEO  Even Adolf Hitler is mad about the "Harry Potter" postponement

  VIDEO Batman's bad day        VIDEO Lando Calrissian wants your vote

Harry Potter, 'Arkham Asylum' game and Hugh Jackman in Everyday Hero headlines

Today's edition of Everyday Hero, a roundup of handpicked headlines from the fanboy universe ...

The magic of Christmas: Muggles, mark your calendars. It's sad that you can't spend this holiday season with a new "Harry Potter" film, but that doesn't mean you can't have a bit of the boy wizard's magic. Here's a press release that came over yesterday: "ABC Family continues the holiday cheer with its “Harry Potter” weekend on December 5-7, airing the first four installments of the popular film series as part of the network’s “25 Days of Christmas” programming event. In the world television premiere of the special extended edition of “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire,” viewers will also see deleted scenes not included in the original film version. To add to the magic, ABC Family will also be airing exclusive first looks at the new film “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” (opening in theatres July 17) throughout the weekend’s 3-day event. Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson and Michael Gambon discuss the upcoming film’s exciting story lines as well as revealing insider information. ABC Family’s first looks at the latest Harry Potter feature film also offers viewers a sneak peek of never-before-seen footage of love running rampant through Hogwarts, a look into Tom Riddle’s past and an introduction of Hogwarts new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Horace Slughorn. [ABC Family press release]...If you want to see a day-by-day program listing, click through to the second page of this post.

Where there's a Wil...: Writer Matthew Fleischer went out for beers with child-star-turned-blogger Wil Wheaton, who is apparently just as geeky as you thought he was. "It’s three o’ clock on a weekday afternoon and I’m in an Old Town Pasadena bar having drinks with a former child star. Were this person a faded pop tartlet, or perhaps named Corey, we might be planning a trip to a nudie bar or recollecting days spent riding the silver bullet. But this star is Wil Wheaton, and instead of strippers and blow, we’re talking science fiction with the bartender — a squirrelly looking but pleasant British fellow who looks as if he’s been playing this moment on loop in his head for a decade, waiting for it to finally come true. 'I’d have to say the past two seasons of 'DSN' ['Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'] are as good as anything I’ve seen on television,' he tells Wheaton provocatively. 'The storyline with the Cardassian war is unparalleled.' For many former Star Trek actors — Wheaton played Wesley Crusher on 'Star Trek: The Next Generation', or 'TNG' in today’s parlance — I imagine this is the kind of conversation they dread getting sucked into. Out for a quiet afternoon drink when suddenly a nerdy fan-boy wants to talk phasers and Cardassians, the stuff of 'Galaxy Quest' parody. But for Wheaton, such a statement can’t go unchallenged. 'No way!' he responds with genuine incredulity, jumping to his Chuck Taylor–clad feet to lean over the bar. 'Better than 'Battlestar Galactica'?'  Wheaton, you see, is an unabashed geek. “It’s like high school,” he tells me later, “you’re either one of the cool kids or you’re not — and I am definitely not.” [LA Weekly] And Wheaton's blog is here.

Batman crank calls Wolverine: Actor Hugh Jackman is in the new Baz Luhrmann film "Australia" but Hero Complex readers are likely far more interested in his reprising his clawed mutant role in "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," due in theaters in May. Jackman has been doing press for the Luhrmann epic and dealing with the fallout of being named the "sexiest man alive" by People magazine: 'George Clooney rang me at two in the morning,' Jackman told 'People' Monday at the 'Australia' premiere in New York City. 'I was half asleep and I said to him, 'Ah, George sweetie, good to hear from you.'' But this was not a courtesy call. 'He goes, 'Shut up, Jackman!'' the Aussie actor jokingly recounted. '[He said,] 'I know what you did! You started this big campaign that's been going on and [you] took the title away from me.' I thought that was unnecessary,' Jackman deadpanned. The Wolverine star has also been getting a ribbing from his friends and family. 'My old man traveled over with me and we landed in America ... and all of sudden we were stopped at the airport and saw the 'Sexiest Man Alive' magazine and everyone is talking about it,' the actor said. 'My father found it really uncomfortable. [My dad] said to me, 'I can't really talk to you about being sexy. It's a little weird,'' Jackman recalled. 'Mind you, I'm still waiting for the birds and the bees pitch from him. That hasn't happened either!'" [People ]... More from Jackman: Here's video from an MTV News interview with the Aussie actor that suggests that a second "Wolverine" film would likely take the hero into the character's history with samurai and ninja. “The most intriguing thing to me was the Japan story. I love the Japan story,” Jackman says. “I wanted to do the Japan story from around ‘X-Men 2.’ Can you just picture Wolverine in Japan with the triads and the samurai? It’s just genius.”

Seeking "Asylum": The new video game "Batman: Arkham Asylum" isn't due until sometime next year but, of course, when it comes to the fanboy audience there's no such thing as "too early" when it comes to a promotional campaign. Here's a preview below showing the atmosphere of Gotham (rainy) and the vibe of Arkham (unhygienic). The most famous looney bin in comics comes off like an HMO version of "Hostel" or perhaps a Transylvania revamp of "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest." Anyway, the game will feature a considerable connection to the great "Batman: The Animated Series," as Mark Hamill again handles the lunatic laughs of the Joker, Kevin Conroy gives voices to Gotham's stolid manhunter and Paul Dini contributes his considerable expertise to the game story. Killer Croc and the Riddler are among the villains expected to be in the game, and here's a guess that there will be many, many more.

-- Geoff Boucher

Harry Potter and "Batman & Robin" photos courtesy of Warner Bros.

 

Hugh Hefner and his lady friends on their favorite super heroes

You might recall last week we asked various Playboy Playmates which super powers they would love to have. Strangely some of the women wanted to have the power to read men's minds (as if one would need magical skills for that).

While we were at the mansion, we used our valuable time to probe even deeper, for you, the Hero Complex reader. We asked several  several folks including Hugh Hefner, his (now former-) girlfriends Bridget Marquardt and Kendra Wilkerson, as well as the current Playmate of the Year (Jayde Nicole), and the former Playmate of the Year Sara Jean Underwood who their favorite superhero was. Sorry Greatest American Hero, most of the responses were the traditional DC types you'd expect.

-- Tony Pierce

MORE RANDOM SILLINESS

An interview with the Rancor from "Return of the Jedi"

         VIDEO Superhero party from "Saturday Night Live," circa 1979

                    VIDEO  Mr. T talks smack to Superman

The fanboy vote: Presidential politics with a pop-culture spin

               VIDEO  Even Adolf Hitler is mad about the "Harry Potter" postponement

  VIDEO Batman's bad day        VIDEO Lando Calrissian wants your vote

13 upcoming remakes of Hollywood sci-fi classics

Hollywood, Back to the Future: Top filmmakers have already dipped into the sci-fi vault for 21st century remakes of “The War of the Worlds,” “The Planet of the Apes” and the upcoming “The Day the Earth Stood Still,” so what’s next on the revival list? Plenty. Here’s a list of a dozen remakes and revival projects now at various stages in the studio pipeline.

"When Worlds Collide" Steven Spielberg is one of the producers and Stephen Sommers (“The Mummy,” “Van Helsing”), infamous for his “give me more” attitude toward CGI effects, is directing. Like the original 1951 film produced by George Pal, this “Worlds,” due in theaters next year, is about the mad scramble to build a spaceship to save humanity before Earth is destroyed by a rogue planet entering its orbit. The problem comes when there aren’t enough seats for everybody on Earth.

"The Terminator" It’s not a remake, but filmmaker McG’s plan to revive the killer robot franchise with a new sequel next summer starring Christian Bale as John Connor has been circled by fans after a strong showing this past summer at Comic-Con International. “Terminator Salvation” is set in the future and shows the grim war between humans and Skynet with its murderous metallic armies. The plan is for a full trilogy — which means a certain California politician may well live up to that long-ago promise: “I’ll be back.”

"Robocop" If the Terminator can get tuned up for a revival, why not that other 1980s mechanical hero? After several fits and starts, MGM announced in March that a reboot of “Robocop” would be in theaters in 2010. Darren Aronofsky (“The Wrestler,” “Requiem for a Dream”) is directing the remake of Paul Verhoeven’s bloody movie about a Detroit cop who is gunned down but then put back on patrol as a cyborg with troubled soul.

"Ghostbusters" There’s talk of making a third installment in the hugely successful sci-fi comedy franchise and bringing back the original crew -- Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis and Ernie Hudson -- as well as some new-blood, second-generation busters. Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky, writers for “The Office,” are at work on the script for Columbia Pictures and Murray, in the past the most reluctant to return to the franchise, has said publicly that he’s open to the idea. There was talk of Seth Rogen being a likely cast addition but don’t bother calling him: “It sounds,” he said in October, “like the worst idea ever."

"The Creature from the Black Lagoon" Breck Eisner, the director of “Sahara” and son of former Disney chief Michael Eisner, is directing while screenwriter Gary Ross is on board to retell the story of an Amazon River expedition that crosses paths with a prehistoric amphibian humanoid. The presence of Ross gives the 2009 release a link to the original 1954 film — that Universal classic was written by his father, Arthur A. Ross. Bill Paxton's name has come up as one of the rumored cast members.

"Flash Gordon" After the “Black Lagoon” remake, director Eisner is planning to revive Flash Gordon for Columbia, bringing back the brand that hit the silver screen in 1980 with the campy Dino DeLaurentiis production that so memorably featured the music of Queen, not to mention the unexpectedly galactic pair of Topol and Timothy Dalton. Alex Raymond’s classic space hero, originally created as a comic strip rival to Buck Rogers, celebrates his 75th anniversary in pop culture next month but it's not clear that his retro appeal still holds. Earlier this year, Sci Fi canceled its “Flash Gordon” series, which had ratings that proved that Ming isn’t the one who is merciless.    

The Aquaman problem: 'Neither fish nor fowl...'

EXCLUSIVE: Dan DiDio explains why the confused history of Aquaman put him in danger of being "neither fish nor fowl."

This is the second part of my interview in New York with Dan DiDio, the high-energy executive who came to DC Comics in early 2002 from a background in television. He is now senior vice president and executive editor of the DC Universe, meaning he is the guiding hand for the comic books that chronicle the exploits of all the gaudy icons that define DC and its long history. In the first part of the interview, DiDio talked about major new plans for Superman and Batman as well as the resurrection of "Adventure Comics" as a title. This time he talks about a venerable but troubled property from the briny deep...

GB: Tell me about the state of the union, so to speak, when it comes to the top-tier DC characters.

DD: When you look at it, really, we have what we deem to be five key franchises. You have Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern and Flash...

GB: Just five? Dan, somewhere, right now, Aquaman is crying saltwater tears...

DD: [Holds up some artwork on his desk] Look, I'm doing an Aquaman story right now! This is for the Christmas special. I'm actually writing it myself, which is kind of fun. But with the five key franchises you could argue what order they fall in because you see how Green Lantern is growing in leaps and bounds right now. And for me, it was essential to get Green Lantern and Flash to be in premiere status again, to be up there in the echelon of characters where people can't wait to see and read the next story. We can look at the second tier past that, with the Aquamans and the Atoms and the Hawkmans, but the reality is those five characters can support not only their own book but series as well. When you have characters that important, you want to put as much energy into them and, more importantly, the strongest talent possible to keep them up where they belong.

GB: Tell me a character you would like to see revived or rejuvenated.

DD: Well we're constantly tinkering. Here's the thing I try to explain properly but somehow it always gets misinterpreted: Our characters are made of steel, not porcelain. They were here before us and they will be here after us. They will survive well past our lifetimes because of what they are, how they were created and the way they are maintained. So that be said, there's flexibility in trying different things. You have to remember, a lot of our fan base has been reading comics 20 or 30 years now. They've see a lot of stories and a lot of things. We're always trying to find a way to give them something new but also give them exactly what they want. There's a lot of challenges with some of our characters. Like Aquaman. Most of people's memories of Aquaman are actually from cartoons in the 1960s and 1970s than they are from the comics. We do have a small loyal fan base, they are people who enjoy that comic, [but] Aquaman has never been an upper-tier success. The challenge is how to make him that.

GB: I'd say one of the big problems is which Aquaman you're talking about, there have been such dramatically different interpretations in the modern history of the character...

DD: There have been so many twists and turns. It's left the character confused; we try to build a strong foundation for the characters and Aquaman does not have that right now. We have to get him back to a core conceit so we can build him back up again. We need to build on what is recognizable and draw people back in. And everybody wants to try to take on the character. I have a running joke: In all my dinners with the talent at conventions, I get three or four writers who will lean into me and say, 'I know how to fix Aquaman.' Everybody says that. It's become a cause célèbre. It's a running joke but, really, it's not a joke because I know people do love the character. We're going to be very cautious from this point forward because I want to make sure it's perfect. I don't want to add to the confusion when we take another pass at him.

GB: Which way would you lean, the classic Aquaman or the Peter David version, the one-handed, "angry" Aquaman?  Or something in another direction, like when DC gave gave him the blue and purple suit?

DD: That's the problem. That's the Aquaman problem right there. You go to people and the audience is split. It's split by generation gap. A lot of guys want the long hair and the harpoon hand, a lot of guys want the green gloves and the orange vest. It's hard to reconcile the two. And a lot of times if you try to blend, you compromise both. You get something that is, excuse the expression, neither fish nor fowl. We're trying to be judicious. That be said, I do enjoy the character. That's why I'm writing about him for the holiday special...that and the fact that I drew the short straw. [Laughs]

The Umbrella Academy brings 'Dallas' to L.A.

It's an exciting time here at Hero Complex as we approach our five-month anniversary. We're getting a lot of new contributors. One of them is Nathan Olivarez-Giles, who has this dispatch...

It's time to put your monocle on: "The Umbrella Academy" is in Los Angeles in a big way.

Dark Horse Comics is celebrating the quirky and compelling "Academy" here to mark the release of "The Umbrella Academy: Dallas," the second installment of the critically acclaimed series.

The first issue of the "Dallas" book hits stores Wednesday (Nov. 26), and at 8 p.m. on Friday (Nov. 28), Gerard Way, author of "Academy" and lead singer of My Chemical Romance, will be signing autographs at Southern California's famous comics landmark Golden Apple (7018 Melrose Ave).

Meanwhile, Secret Headquarters (3817 W. Sunset Blvd.), the great comics store and gallery in Silver Lake, is displaying Way’s concept sketches for the first "Umbrella" series, "Apocalypse Suite," as well as the original art by Way's Brazilian-born collaborator, Gabriel Bá.

That exhibit will run through Dec. 11. To celebrate, Way and Dark Horse hosted a party on Friday at the gallery. Way said he adores the place and his band has a history with it; he and his band mates often founds themselves roaming its aisles while working on their third studio album back in 2006.

“When we were working on 'The Black Parade,' we lived up the hill on Micheltorena, and we’d come down here all the time,” Way said of Secret Headquarters. “If I owned a comic book shop, I’d want it to be just like this.”

Mutant movies, 'Twilight' and Mortal Kombat vs. DC, all in Everyday Hero headlines

Today's Everyday Hero report, your handpicked headlines from the fanboy universe ...

Mutant possibilities: Remember the "X-Men" films? They sure seem like a looong time ago to Marc Graser, apparently, because he suggests that Fox is dragging its feet in getting its valuable mutant brigade back in theaters. To my mind, after Brett Ratner's lurching, messy finale to the X-trilogy, a bit of a break seemed like a good idea. Anyway, here's an excerpt from Graser's piece: "Studios have turned summer into a playground for superheroes at the box office. But the X-Men have quietly been waiting on the Fox lot for their turn to have some fun at the megaplex again. When the studio releases 'X-Men Origins: Wolverine' next May, it will be three years since its comicbook franchise last appeared in theaters. Fox is looking to change that, reducing the number of years between appearances of its power-possessing mutants by developing spinoffs that lead to a new series of sequels. Those include [1] 'X-Men: First Class': Josh Schwartz, who created the teen-friendly TV shows "Gossip Girl" and "The O.C.," is penning a script, based around the conceit of the 2006 comic of the same name, that focuses on the young mutants enrolled at the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning. Books revolved around the Cyclops, Jean Grey, Angel, Iceman and Beast characters, which already have been featured in the three previous "X-Men" films. [2] "Magneto": "Batman Begins" co-scribe David S. Goyer is attached to direct the origins story of the "X-Men" arch-villain (played by Ian McKellen in the previous pics) and his relationship with Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart). Both characters would be played by younger actors, given the earlier timeline in which the plot takes place. And [3] "Deadpool," which would revolve around the sarcastic mercenary played by Ryan Reynolds in "Wolverine," should the character in that pic prove popular with auds." [Daily Variety]

Funny books? Funny how?: Here's the latest snapshot of the comics marketplace, pulled from the quite thorough sales report over at ICV2: "Event books remained the bestsellers at the top of the chart, with 'Secret Invasion' #7 (154,675 copies) and 'Final Crisis' #4 (115,666 copies) taking the top two spots. There seemed to be an unusually high percentage of late books among the top sellers, with no September issues for nine of the top 25 titles (six DC and three Marvel). Marvel had a fairly typical seven out of the top ten titles, and 17 of the top 25.  There were no titles not published by the Big Two in the top 25 comics list.  In fact, to find a non-Big Two title you have to look all the way down to #65 and #66, where IDW’s new 'G.I. Joe' comic (two covers, 50/50) and 'Angel: After the Fall' landed, to find anything from another publisher." [ICV2]

Gleaming "Twilight": The young, female moviegoers of America have spoken: "Twilight" is, like, to die for. The numbers from Carl DiOrio: "Preliminary estimates show the youthful vampire romance rang up a huge first-day tally of $35.7 million from Friday. The big first day gross — which included a multi-million-dollar haul from midnight Thursday performances — makes a $70 million-plus opening likely for the PG-13 pic. In a highly unusual move, Summit itself on Saturday morning projected a possible three-day tally of $74.3 million. The fledgling producer/distributor also said in a separate press release Saturday that it already has greenlighted a 'Twilight' sequel, 'New Moon.' 'Moon' will be based on the second of a series of best-selling 'Twilight' books by Stephenie Meyer. 'I don't think any other author has had a more positive experience with the makers of her movie adaptation than I have had with Summit Entertainment,' Meyer said. 'I'm thrilled to have the chance to work with them again.' " [Hollywood Reporter]

Spineless, but fun: Gamer Ben Fritz tried out the high-concept "Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe" and comes away with a smirk and that suspicion that, despite unpolished gameplay, Midway could have a much-needed hit with the rock 'em, sock 'em holiday season release. Here's his smartly written review: "Though the game features 11 of the most popular 'Mortal Kombat' characters, players will likely care more about the equal number of superheroes and villains who have never been in an arcade-style fighter before. Whether it's Superman's freeze breath, Wonder Woman spinning her enemies in a lasso, Green Lantern conjuring a giant hammer or the Joker's electric hand-buzzer, "MK vs. DC" does them right by giving each dozens of satisfying, character-specific moves. Some longtime franchise fans may be disappointed, though, that 'Mortal Kombat's' signature bloody 'fatalities' — the most infamous of which featured a spine ripped out of someone's body — are distinctly less gory here and have been downgraded to heroic brutalities for the DC heroes. (And it's annoying that learning these requires either guesswork or looking them up on the Web.)" [Daily Variety]

More "Twilight" ... Edward, onward: I read that Robert Pattison doesn't own a cellphone, which is probably a good thing because 12-year-old girls get so nervous when they work up the nerve to crank call that they usually just giggle, hang up and text the phone number to their friends. Pattison, who seems charmingly bewildered by the "Twilight" sensation, will be talking to his fans from space this morning: "Robert Pattinson, star of 'Twilight' will sit down for an interview with The Morning Mash Up crew on SIRIUS Hits 1/SIRIUS channel 1 on Monday, November 24.  The 7a.m. ET interview will be rebroadcast on Monday, November 24 at 8:00 am, 9:00 am and 10:00 am ET. For more information and video highlights of the interview (available at 11:00 am ET), please visit:  www.sirius.com/hits1."  [Sirius press release]

"Iron Man 2," the writer's view: Movie blogger Jenna Busch chatted with Justin Theroux the actor (remember him as Evil DJ in "Zoolander"?) turned screenwiter ("Tropic Thunder") who is just back from London where he was working with Marvel Studio's exec Kevin Feige and Robert Downey Jr. on the protean early draft of an "Iron Man 2" script. "We were talking with Robert, who’s out there doing 'Sherlock Holmes,' he was giving his input and his notes. We’re sort of there. It’s just sort of chugging along. The crews, I think, are now starting to see what they need to make, and the places that we might be going and all the rest within the story. That’s sort of one of the more exciting times." The Busch post is mostly about the "Tropic Thunder" release on DVD/BluRay, but Theroux also touched on the arrival of Don Cheadle to the "Iron Man" cast: "I haven’t met Don, and I think I’m going to in a little bit and I think once I get a better sense of his voice and also hear what he has to say about what he likes about the character and just pick his brain a little bit, then we’ll obviously start to tailor it to him. Once he sort of gets more involved in the process then we’ll start tapering the length of his character ... making it fit just right." And who will the villian be in the "Iron Man" sequel? "I think it’s Evil DJ.  He could be the villain in this movie. I don’t know. I mean, I do know but I’m not going to let that cat out." [Ugo]

-- Geoff Boucher

"X-Men First Class" art courtesy of Marvel Comics. "Twlight" photo courtesy of Summit Entertainment. Robert Pattison photo from Getty Images. "Iron Man" image from Marvel Studios and Paramount Pictures.

Jack Bauer is back

Our favorite television critic, Mary McNamara, has a sparkling and fan-inspiring review of Kiefer Sutherland's return to time-management in tonight's two-hour "24" movie. (This excerpt was carefully combed to remove any spoilers, it provides only brief images and the loosest of plot description):

As Season 6 pinballed to a close in spring 2007, even die-hard fans were complaining about repetitive story lines and worn-out love triangles. (Honestly, is there nothing worse than a worn-out love triangle?)

"Redemption," a bridge to next season, which begins Jan. 11, nukes those criticisms. With a narrative that is ambitious and gut-wrenching even by "24" standards, Jack finds himself in Sangala, Africa, which is on the verge of a military coup of the sort now only too recognizable. (Why he could not have fled to Paris is a question only Jack and his writers can answer.)

There is a psychotic general in a requisite psychotic-general beret, a brutal rebel army toting machine guns and machetes and a group of now agonizingly iconic child soldiers: boys kidnapped and psychologically bludgeoned to make them capable of slaughtering "the cockroaches."

She writes later in the review:

The seventh season may take place back in the States, but the prequel firmly establishes not only what is at stake here — the desperate lives of innocent men, women and children — but also the moral responsibility the United States continues to have in the world.

Still, for all its political ambitions, "24" remains the story of one man's journey, and Sutherland shrugs himself back into the role as if it were a well-worn flak jacket.

With his eyes full of anguish, soft-spoken ways and chin stubble gone golden under the African sun, Bauer has never looked so savior-like. (At one point he is tortured with his arms outstretched, as if on a cross, which may have been a bit over-the-top.) He is still more than capable of taking out an entire platoon with a few sticks of dynamite and a handgun, but clearly Jack Bauer walks the Earth to take on the world's sins, to thwart what he can, avenge what he cannot and suffer because he must.

Again, to read the rest, which is excellent, you can go right here.

— Geoff Boucher

'Twilight' triumphs, the Jonah Hex jinx and Captain America casting in Everyday Hero headlines

"Twilight" zone: There is apparently some new movie about vampires called "Dawn" or "Twilight" or something like that. If you want to know more you can read this Los Angeles Times review by critic Kenny Turan, who says the movie actually makes him wish he could be a 13-year-old girl. Or you can check out Nikki Finke's Deadline Hollywood blog for an appraisal of the early box-office totals. Or investigate this CNN report about how some of the rabid fans are giving star Kristen Stewart the creeps because they are so jealous of her on-screen smooches with the hunky vampire guy. Or you can peruse this TV Guide story about said bloodsucker, Robert Pattinson, who is getting a bit creeped out himself ("You get little girls like, 'I want to have your babies!' It's like, seriously. I don't even want to have my babies."). Or you can explore this Fangoria story on director Catherine Hardwicke and the curious importance of blow dryers during the making of a film that appears to be poised for truly staggering success. Or, finally, you can read this you-are-there piece by Yvonne Villarreal of the Los Angeles Times, who braved a midnight showing of "Twilight" to mind-meld with the fans. Or you could just shrug and wait for the DVD so you don't have to put up with the squealing fans at the theaters.

"Hex," jinxed?: The "Jonah Hex" film is looking like it's all hat and no cattle. Variety reported the other day that "Crank" co-directors Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor had left the project and that the producers were in a scramble for a new director to keep Josh Brolin ("W," "No Country for Old Men") in the saddle for the adaptation of the story of the grim, disfigured bounty hunter from DC Comics. Brolin talked recently to MTV about the project and he sounded a bit, uh, conflicted about the role. Excerpts: "When I first read it, I thought, 'Oh my God, it's awful!' And then I had a moment a week later, and I thought, 'Why is it awful?' Maybe the thing to do is to do the most awful movie I can find.... In the last couple months, I've been going back and forth about it. I went back to my gut: 'Is it a sellout? What is it I like about this movie?' ... It's so tongue-in-cheek. It's so ridiculous. But once I started putting people in my mind and saying, 'What if I put [John] Malkovich in this role. Then what does this movie become? Now let's put this producer and director on it and think about how it plays out.' Then it becomes fun. Now I love that movie. If you have a great filmmaker come in, then suddenly, these gags and characters become interesting." Yeah, Josh, or maybe not. [MTV Movie News]

O Captain! My Captain: There are few things we fanboys love more than imaginary casting contests. Matt Brady knows that full well, so he had some fun surveying his readers about who should be carrying the red-white-and-blue shield in the Marvel Studios "First Avenger: Captain America." Votes came in for Brad Pitt, Matthew McConaughey, Jamie Bamber (Apollo on "Battlestar Galactica") and Howie Long, the Hall of Fame defensive lineman who mauled quarterbacks for the Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders. The winner? That would be Mark Valley, shown in the photo next to the star-spangled avenger. "Among readers who voted for Valley, many cited the actor's physical similarity to Steve Rogers as well as the fact that he is a veteran, having served in Operation Desert Storm. Valley currently appears as Agent John Scott in Fox's Fringe, but if Newsarama readers are any indication, his acting in Keen Eddie and Boston Legal put him on the radar of many fans as a possible Captain America." [Newsarama]

Calling Dick Tracy; come in, Tracy: Warren Beatty's "Dick Tracy" from 1990 yielded seven Oscar nominations (including a best supporting actor nomination for Al Pacino -- which makes you wonder why everyone seems to think a nomination for Heath Ledger in the same category is such a bold, new concept) and won in the makeup, set and original song categories. Beatty told me once that, in the years after the film, he came to view the movie as an articulation of his inner desire for family. It's hard to let go of family, of course, so maybe that's why Beatty has filed a federal lawsuit to keep control of the character as a Hollywood property. Harriet Ryan has the story: "The film idol bought rights to the character two decades ago from the Tribune Company in order to make his 1990 hit movie version of the square-jawed, tough-talking gumshoe. The sale allowed Tribune, the original publishers of the classic strip, to take back the rights if Beatty didn't film another project. Tribune, which owns the Los Angeles Times, recently sent Beatty a letter saying time is up and it is reasserting control of the character. But the actor claims he should retain the rights because he started filming a Dick Tracy TV special earlier this month. His attorney declined to say where or when the program will air, but insists the 71-year-old is far from done with the detective. 'Warren has always viewed Dick Tracy as a very valuable, interesting iconic character,' said attorney Charles Shephard. 'He has all sorts of creative thoughts about what he might do with this character.' " [Los Angeles Times]

-- Geoff Boucher

Trekkies and togas combine for Loscon 35

"Loscon 35 Trades Romulans for Romans at LAX Marriott"

That was the headline to the press release introducing the theme for this year's Loscon, a fan convention organized by the Los Angeles Science Fantasy Society (LASFS), a 3,000-member group founded in 1934. Loscon regularly draws about 1,200 attendees each year, and its 35th convention has a lineup that includes author guest of honor John Scalzi (debut novel "Old Man’s War" was nominated for the Hugo Award in '06), artist guest of honor Gary Lippincott (fantasy/historical) and fan guest of honor Michael Siladi (veteran convention organizer).

The programs include panelists ranging from J. Michael Straczynski (comics/TV) to Jane Espenson (from "Buffy" to "Battlestar Galactica").  They may not enjoy being called a mini Comic-Con International, but when they also offer anime programming and a masquerade, their lineup calls that imagery (albeit on a smaller scale) to mind.

If you can't get down to San Diego, or even if you can, this may be a good opportunity to mingle with like-minded geeks, and maybe even the illusive geeks-in-togas.  And, you won't get an ice cream social or karaoke (both included as part of Loscon's evening events) in San Diego!

-- Jevon Phillips

'100 Bullets': The final curtain falls

EXCLUSIVE: First look at the cover art for the 100th and final issue of "100 Bullets" 

Vertigo's "100 Bullets" began with a truly killer concept: There's an attache case containing a gun and 100 bullets -- not just any bullets, though, these were special. Better than a "get out of jail free" card or a license to kill, the ammunition handed out by the cryptic Agent Graves is untraceable and, in fact, any police detectives who come across these singular slugs in a corpse will find their investigation goes exactly nowhere. More than immunity, the people who are handed that attache case become ghosts in the urban machine ...

It was that starting-point notion that made "100 Bullets" such a gripping new pulp experience when the Vertigo title arrived in the summer of 1999. The series, written by Brian Azzarello, has the manic mayhem of Quentin Tarantino and hard-boiled simmer of Lew Archer to it when the bodies start falling, but behind it all there are also mysterious shadow forces at work, secret cabals that are moving people across chess boards that can't even be seen except from the tallest citadels of power.

The series is coming to an end with its 100th issue, in February, and the series finale inspired artist Dave Johnson to create this evocative and tone-perfect cover image that you see here presented for the first time anywhere. The interior art, as always, is by Eduardo Risso. I'm a big fan of Risso's work on this series and at times his silhouettes and sensibility  remind me a bit of the late, great Alex Toth, which is never a bad thing.

Jim Lee, among the most celebrated comics creators around, once wrote that Agent Graves is "a cross between the archangel Gabriel and an old-fashioned G-man," and that's about right. Lee wrote that in an introduction to the sublime "100 Bullets Vol. 3: Hang Up on the Hang Low," one of the dozen "100 Bullets" collections to-date that you can find on the DC/Vertigo page devoted to the title; in the same essay, Lee gushed that the series is "arguably the finest collaborative comic book this medium has produced in decades, weaving such themes as fatherhood, baseball and organized crime into a series of poignant tales as dark in their humor as they are gut-wrenching in their pathos." The series is coming to an end, but if you haven't checked it out, this seems like the perfect time to dive into the library and check out this high-caliber entertainment.

-- Geoff Boucher

(UPDATE: An earlier version of this post had a scrambled sentence and left Dave Johnson's name out, sorry about that!)

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Cool site watch: How to beat up anything

Hero Complex contributor Jevon Phillips spends a lot of time surfing the Internet and pretending to work. Sometimes he comes across websites he likes. Here's one of them:

HowtoBeatUpAnything.com.  Just the name is funny, but the way this guy Kevin -- a yellow belt in Tae Kwon Do -- goes about explaining the 'how' is the reason the site is worth wasting some time on.

His latest is "How To Beat Up Daily Bugle Photographer Peter Parker." Here's an excerpt from the post:

Um, approach him and sock him in the head with whatever you feel like throwing. He'll crumble up and blow away just like that guy in the Charles Atlas ads said that other guy in the Charles Atlas ads would do. I honestly can’t imagine A SINGLE THING going wrong. You talk about your born losers, this guy is top o' the list.

Other get-your-fight-on topics include 'How To Beat Up a Guy Holding a Slice of Pizza,' 'How To Beat Up  "The A-Team’s" B.A. Baracus,' 'How To Beat Up Olympian Michael Phelps,' and one of my favorites, 'How To Beat Up The Batman.'  An excerpt from that particular skirmish:

Let me ask you something, are you determined? Really truly single-minded in the pursuit of your goals? Cause that’s what it’s going to take to beat the Batman. The bad news is this process will take ten years. The good news is, at the end of those ten years, you’ll have taken out the $#%!@^ Batman. That’s a nice little detail to have on your resume.

I won't tell you what the twist at the end is, but it made reading the whole post worthwhile. The real fight that Kevin seems to have is with the ticking clock -- he really needs to post more.

-- Jevon Phillips

MORE RANDOM SILLINESS

An interview with the Rancor from "Return of the Jedi"

         VIDEO Superhero party from "Saturday Night Live," circa 1979

                    VIDEO  Mr. T talks smack to Superman

The fanboy vote: Presidential politics with a pop-culture spin

               VIDEO  Even Adolf Hitler is mad about the "Harry Potter" postponement

  VIDEO Batman's bad day        VIDEO Lando Calrissian wants your vote

'Caliber' event in Los Angeles

Having a crazed day here at Hero Complex, I'm off to see an advance screening of Frank Miller's "The Spirit," which opens Christmas Day, and then going to see J.J. Abrams give a presentation on "Star Trek" and show some footage from the huge event release of next summer. So it's going to be a bit sparse today, sorry to say, but we have a few major posts yesterday about "Wonder Woman" and "South Park" so check them out if you haven't already.

In the meantime, for those of you here in Southern California, if you get a chance tonight drop by the special event over at the Barnes & Noble at The Grove. the guest of honor is Sam Sarkar, who will be signing copies of "Caliber: First Canon of Justice," the Radical Publishing comic-book series that takes the tale of King Arthur and his singular sword and reimagines it in the Old West where it's a magic revolver instead of a blade and in place of a wizard who helps him is a Native American shaman. Wow, what a set-up -- and the comics series has movie written all over it, too, especially with the lean, gritty approach to its portrayal of the cowboy era in the Pacific Northwest  (which you rarely see in the desert-loving westerns of Hollywood) and a nuanced portrayal of tribal relations. John Woo has already signed up to direct.

Sarkar is also the director of development at Johnny Depp's production company, Infinitum Nihil, and is an interesting guy to chat with. (That Depp company is partnering in the planned "Caliber" film and I wouldn't be surprised if Depp shows up somewhere in the cast as well.) I spoke to him yesterday and will be writing more about him and the unfolding story of Radical. In the meantime, I wanted to make sure you knew about that signing at 7:30 p.m. tonight. The Grove is at 189 Grove Drive, Los Angeles. Call (323) 525-0270 for more details.

-- Geoff Boucher

'Twilight', Kiefer Sutherland and the 'Star Wars Holiday Special' all in Everyday Hero headlines

Today's edition of Everyday Hero, your handpicked headlines from the fanboy universe ...

"Twilight" heartbreak: Remember the stories about the record labels that rejected the Beatles? Or how the makers of M&M's passed on product-placement opportunity in "E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial," allowing Reese's Pieces a dream opportunity? Now here's the tale of the Hollywood executive who thought that "Twilight" sounded like a lame idea for a movie, brought to you by blogger Patrick Goldstein: "Long before "Twilight" hit the bookstores in 2005, MTV Films chief David Gale had read the novel in manuscript form and optioned the movie rights. MTV was always looking for teen-friendly film properties and Gale felt the book had a great mix of genre elements -- notably the vampire angle -- and a surprisingly sweet take on teen romance. 'This is one of those projects we were especially passionate about,' says Gale, who now is an exec VP of new media at MTV. 'We put a writer [Mark Lord] on the project, who did a couple of drafts. We never got the script where we wanted it, but when it came time to renew the option, we needed Paramount's approval and, for whatever reasons, we couldn't get a commitment, so the project went into turnaround. I'm disappointed that we didn't end up making the picture, but I'm thrilled that someone saw it through and that it's turned out to be such a big event.' As is often the case when a studio lets a hit slip through its hands, no one wants to take the blame. Gale would not say who at [MTV parent] Paramount refused to renew the option. But I spoke to three ex-Paramount executives who all pointed the finger at Brad Weston, now the studio's production chief ... MTV executives who were involved with the project say Weston questioned the genre's commercial prospects, telling them to watch "Cursed," a 2005 teen-oriented werewolf film that he'd made while an executive at Dimension Films that had failed at the box office." Ouch! Cursed? Yeah, you got that right. [The Big Picture blog]

More "Twilight" (is there ever enough "Twilight" for you people?): Our very own Denise Martin continues her daily countdown to "Twilight" on our sister blog, Entertainment News & Buzz, and one of the latest postings is a great interview with "Twilight" author Stephenie Meyer. Interesting tidbit in the post is how Meyer butted heads with Robert Pattinson on his version of the vampire Edward: "He’d sit there arguing with me telling me I’m wrong about this character. He thinks Edward is a lot more depressed than I do. He thinks Edward is on the point of suicide. I’m like, ‘No! He’s got his family that he loves. He‘s got Carlisle.’ And Rob would go (putting on a British accent), ‘Well, why does he like Carlisle so much? This man changed him into a vampire! What are you thinking?’ [Laughs] There were very intense conversations. But it was hysterical after the fact. I was worried though. I was thinking, ‘Oh my gosh, he’s going to go in there and play Edward like Edward the Emo. Nooooooooo.’ But he didn’t! And it’s exactly what I wanted to see. It was crazy, but he got it. It’s on the screen and that’s all that matters." [Entertainment News & Buzz blog]

And MORE "Twilight": A photo gallery from the premiere in Westwood.

Bea Arthur and the wookies: I read the Los Angeles Times last Sunday and I was deeply jealous of a piece written by a  freelance writer named Donald Liebenson who apparently didn't get the memo that I am supposed to be the paper's go-to geek. The article that treads on my beloved turf is a wonderful history of the excruciatingly bad "Star Wars Holiday Special," which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. The plot of "TSWHS" plays like a demented "SCTV" sketch: A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, Han Solo and Chewbacca are racing to Kashyyyk, Chewie's home planet, in time for them to be with Chewie's family for the annual Life Day celebration. Chewie's wife, Malla, his son, Lumpy, and his father, Itchy, anxiously await his arrival, while Imperial Stormtroopers, under direction from Darth Vader, exhibit very un-Life Day behavior, ransacking homes, imposing curfews and shutting down the cantina. But here's where it gets weird. Mixed in with all the principals from the original "Star Wars" movie are Bea Arthur singing a Brechtian tune in the cantina; Diahann Carroll entrancing Lumpy as his virtual reality fantasy; and Harvey Korman cooking up an alien Julia Child impersonation. This is what OMG looked like in 1978." Genius piece, be sure to read the whole thing. [Los Angeles Times] ... If you want to see a YouTube snippet of the show, you can find it at the end of this post.

My reaction? Meh: When it comes to new words in the dictionary, meh. Yes, that's right, "meh," the most overused fanboy expression consisting of three letters or less is now enjoying some newfound legitimacy. Here's an excerpt from the wire story: "The expression of indifference or boredom has gained a place in the Collins English Dictionary after generating a surprising amount of enthusiasm among lexicographers. Publisher HarperCollins announced Monday the word had been chosen from terms suggested by the public for inclusion in the dictionary's 30th anniversary edition, to be published next year. The origins of 'meh' are murky, but the term grew in popularity after being used in a 2001 episode of 'The Simpsons' in which Homer suggests a day trip to his children Bart and Lisa. 'They both just reply 'meh' and keep watching TV,' said Cormac McKeown, head of content at Collins Dictionaries. The dictionary defines 'meh' as an expression of indifference or boredom, or an adjective meaning mediocre or boring. Examples given by the dictionary include 'the Canadian election was so meh.' The dictionary's compilers said the word originated in North America, spread through the Internet and was now entering British spoken English." [Associated Press]

Jack Bauer, doing time: The new season of "24" begins on Nov. 24 and poor Kiefer Sutherland is going to have to recount his time in lock-up for every journalist who outs a microphone in front of him. Oh, look, here's one now, from the People website, which got an excerpt from an upcoming magazine interview not yet online: "'There's no smoking,' Sutherland, 41, tells Men's Vogue in its December/January issue, which hits newsstands Nov. 25. 'The lights never go out, 24/7. You can't cover anything. You can't even put your head under a blanket. All the cells have cameras in them.' Although Sutherland has resumed smoking, the knowledge that he could go 48 days without his Camels is a comforting thought. 'My drinking was not a daily thing, so it wasn't an issue. And, oddly enough, neither was the smoking,'" he tells the magazine, adding, "I was very glad to know that I could quit. And one day soon I will." One thing that didn't work out, he says, was the roommate situation. 'I was told, you know, 'You'll have your own cell.' But I didn't for the first two or three weeks; I had a cell mate,' he says. 'He got out –- but not for long. He came back in pretty quick.'" Here's hoping that Sutherland, who did seven weeks for a DUI charge, doesn't run into that roomie again. [People]

-- Geoff Boucher

"Twilight" photo courtesy of Summit Pictures. "The Simpsons" image courtesy of Fox. "Star Wars Holiday Special" image from vintage Lucasfilm press materials.

First look: Wonder Woman animated movie

EXCLUSIVE

In late February, Wonder Woman will get her own feature-length animated film -- her biggest solo spotlight since the cancellation of the Lynda Carter television series in 1979 -- and today we're bringing you the very first glimpse of it.

Keri Russell, the Golden Globe-winning star of "Felicity" and Edward Norton's co-star in the upcoming film "Leaves of Grass," gives voice to the Amazon princess in the straight-to-DVD release that will tell the origin tale of the most iconic female character in comic book history.

Russell leads a cast that includes Nathan Fillion ("Desperate Housewives") as Col. Steve Trevor; Alfred Molina ("Spider-Man 2") as Ares, the god of war; Virginia Madsen ("Sideways") as Hippolyta, the queen of the Amazons; David McCallum ("NCIS") as Zeus, king of the gods; Rosario Dawson ("Sin City") as Artemis, daughter of Zeus; and Oliver Platt ("The West Wing") as Hades, the god of the underworld.

Trey Parker on a 'South Park' movie sequel

EXCLUSIVE: Trey Parker talks about the "South Park" movie that almost was, and the end of the TV series.

"South Park" co-creator and executive producer Trey Parker says they've been discussing how to end the Comedy Central flagship series, which has been on the air for more than a decade. But you won't hear Cartman say, "Screw you guys! I'm going home," just yet.

Parker and co-creator Matt Stone are signed on to continue producing episodes until 2011, and whether that contract will be their last is anyone's guess. But what we can bet on is that when it does come time to pull the plug, it will be a full-length "South Park" film that sends off Stan, Kyle, Kenny, Cartman and the rest of the foul-mouthed Colorado fourth graders.

"We talked about maybe some day doing a movie to sort of end it all, and that seems like the best idea," Parker said. "That's been a big thought to do the last show as a movie."

It wouldn't be the first time a TV series has sent fans to the theaters for closure. Just this summer, "Sex and the City: The Movie" had an explosive opening weekend, pulling the fifth-highest debut ever for an R-rated film.

But Parker says they wouldn't consider making something for the big screen unless they had a really stellar idea. They had such an idea a couple years ago, but decided to use it for a series of episodes instead of holding it back for a motion picture.

"We came up with this pretty good idea for a movie, and then of course what happened was we got in the middle of a 'South Park' run, and were completely out of ideas," Parker recalls. "And we were like, well, we've got to use the movie idea. And that became 'Imaginationland.'"

"Imaginationland" was, of course, the three-part story in October 2007 about a group of terrorists plotting to bomb a fictional world, where all man-made, mythical characters live -- including Super Mario, Luke Skywalker and Strawberry Shortcake. The story arc, now available on DVD, yeilded an Emmy for outstanding animated program for one hour or more.

While Parker would have liked to save the concept for theaters, he says the long-story episode format was "really fresh and fun to do." "Once we decided, let's make it a three-part show, we're like: Oh, now we can do it in the style of '24' and 'Battlestar Galactica.'"

OK, it looks like we won't be seeing a "South Park" movie for a little while. But what about a different big screen venture from the guys that brought us "Baseketball," "Orgazmo" and "Team America: World Police"?

"We started going down the movie route," Parker said hesitantly. "Basically, 'Team America' just killed the movie spirit in us..."

The virtual world of 'Sanctuary'

On Sci Fi, the network renowned for "Battlestar Galactica" and the now-canceled "Stargate Atlantis," the new show "Sanctuary" has been chugging along successfully since its premiere a little over a month ago.

The show has been renewed for a second season after getting a fair amount of press attention (like on David Strick's Hollywood Backlot), but not a lot of it has been regarding the premise ("Even things that go bump in the night need protection...") or even the cast (Amanda Tapping, Robin Dunne, etc.). The main attention had been on the production approach: The series is pushing the envelope by shooting extensively on green screen with virtual sets.

The general perception is that effects cost money, which would make this an expensive show.  But that perception may be off.  Hero Complex contributor Jevon Phillips had a quick phone chat with Lee Wilson, the show's visual effects supervisor and co-producer, director of photography David Geddes ("Halloween: Resurrection" and "Dark Angel") that revealed the true colors of the green screen venture.

Thor's cartoon, Stan Lee's medal and Dick Tracy's fate all in Everyday Hero headlines

The Nov. 17, 2008, edition of Everyday Hero, your one-stop spot for handpicked headlines from the fanboy universe...

Asgard, animated: This is turning out to be a unprecedented boom era for superhero animation projects, between all of the straight-to-DVD productions and a flurry of announcements about television projects for Marvel and DC characters. The latest is a certain Norse god, according to a Borys Kit story in the trades today: "Marvel Animation is developing and self-producing a 26 half-hour-episode series based on its long-running comic book, with the series targeted to launch in fall 2010, following Marvel's live-action feature 'Thor." ... The animated series will follow Thor, the Norse god of thunder, as he defends his mythical home of Asgard against fantastical villains, fiendish hordes, winged creatures and angry giants. The show will take place in various worlds -- from mountainous landscapes to places of icy mists and fiery voids -- and will include many of the comic's supporting cast, including Balder the Brave, the Warriors Three and Thor's evil adopted brother, Loki. Marvel president of animation Eric Rollman said the series is part of the company's plan to follow each live-action movie with an animated series and 'offer a continued awareness in the marketplace.'" [Hollywood Reporter] Can you remember the names of the Warriors Three? Find the answer below, by clicking on to the second page...

Stan Lee, national hero?: It's amazing how far you can go working in funny books. President Bush today awarded the 2008 National Medal of Arts and, along with Olivia de Havilland, Hank Jones and the Sherman Brothers, one went to Marvel Comics icon Stan Lee. I'm sure this news went over real well with the heirs of Jack Kirby. The official announcement: "President George W. Bush today announced the recipients of the 2008 National Medals of Arts. Nine medals were presented by the President and Mrs. Laura Bush in an East Room ceremony at the White House. The National Medal of Arts is a White House initiative managed by the National Endowment for the Arts. The NEA organizes and oversees the National Medal of Arts nomination process and notifies the artists of their selection to receive a medal, the nation’s highest honor for artistic excellence. 'These individuals and organizations represent the variety and scope of great American art, from the traditional fine arts to popular culture,' said NEA Chairman Dana Gioia. 'This lifetime honor recognizes their exceptional contributions to our national culture.' [NEA news release]

Dick Tracy, still on the job: Last month marked the 77th anniversary of the very first "Dick Tracy" comic strip and, yes, the police detective with the square jaw is still on the job and in print (although not in nearly as many newspapers as he was in his heyday). There was a stir of concern recently among some fans of the venerable strip that it would be canceled after some retirement hints dropped by 79-year-old Dick Locher, the artist since 1983 and its writer since 2006 (as well as a former assistant to the strip's creator, Chester Gould, way back in the 1950s and 1960s). Alan Gardner, who writes about cartooning, got in touch with Mary Elson of Tribune Media Services to get the lowdown: "From Mary, I received an email with the official statement from TMS regarding this rumor: 'TMS has no plans to discontinue the Dick Tracy comic strip; nor is the company seeking a new creator for the strip.'" Whew. [The Daily Cartoonist]

Face-time for Eckhart: Weeks before "The Dark Knight" came out, director Christopher Nolan told me that the title of the film wasn't solely a reference to Batman, that it was also a nod to the fallen "white knight" of Gotham, Harvey Dent. The director said that story of Dent was "the heart" of the film and that he was very happy to have an actor such as Aaron Eckhart in the key role. I'm sure Eckhart is happy too: There's a story in the trades today about his upcoming leading-man role in an action film: "Eckhart is attached to star in 'Battle: Los Angeles,' a sci-fi actioner that Jonathan Liebesman is directing for Columbia. Neal Moritz and his Original Film are producing. The deal puts the actor front and center on an action movie for the first time. Eckhart had made his name working on less mainstream films, among others starring in 'In the Company of Men' and 'Thank You for Smoking' ... The story, written by Chris Bertolini, revolves around a Marine platoon's encounter in the battle on the streets of Los Angeles against an alien invasion. Eckhart will play the platoon leader in the film, which has yet to set a start date." [Hollywood Reporter] UPDATE: Reader Mike Honcho points out that Eckhart was in "The Core," which would certainly qualify as an action film, contradicting the Hollywood Reporter statement that this would be his first starring role in that sort of film.

"Robotech," Smallville-style: The team of Alfred Gough and Miles Millar co-created "Smallville" and stayed on as executive producers until earlier this year. Now they've been signed on to write a feature-film screenplay of "Robotech" for Warner Bros., according to an announcement in the trades: "Akiva Goldsman and Chuck Roven are producing with Tobey Maguire and Drew Crevello. 'Robotech' was a 1980s cartoon series from Harmony Gold USA and Tatsunoko Prods. It was re-edited and re-dialogued to combine three Japanese anime series to give the producers enough episodes to air as a daily syndicated series. A sprawling sci-fi epic, "Robotech" takes place at a time when Earth has developed giant robots from the technology on an alien spacecraft that crashed on a South Pacific isle. Mankind is forced to use the technology to fend off an alien invasion, with the fate of the human race ending up in the hands of two young pilots." [Hollywood Reporter]

-- Geoff Boucher

Photos: (top) Thor image drawn by Walt Simonson. Credit: Courtesy of Marvel Comics. (second from top) A 2006 photo of Stan Lee and friends. Credit: Robin Cook / Getty Images. (second from bottom) A 2008 photo of Aaron Eckhart. Credit: Frederick M. Brown / Getty Images