Yesterday, Summit Entertainment took another step to piss off fangirls nationwide. They announced that Bryce Dallas Howard (best known to comic fans as Spider-Man 3’s Gwen Stacy, or perhaps as Ron Howard’s daughter) would be replacing Rachelle Lefevre as Victoria, the one of the series’ baddest vampires, for Eclipse, the third movie in the series. Since Summit already sped on to make New Moon and Eclipse without Catherine Hardwicke, the director of the first film, I wasn’t too surprised that the reason given was “scheduling conflicts.”

Now, though, Lefevre’s statement seems to imply that there was something else behind her bump:

“I was stunned by Summit’s decision to recast the role of Victoria for Eclipse. I was fully committed to the Twilight saga, and to the portrayal of Victoria. I turned down several other film opportunities and, in accordance with my contractual rights, accepted only roles that would involve very short shooting schedules. My commitment to Barney’s Version is only ten days. Summit picked up my option for Eclipse. Although the production schedule for Eclipse is over three months long, Summit said they had a conflict during those ten days and would not accommodate me. Given the length of filming for Eclipse, never did I fathom I would lose the role over a 10 day overlap. I was happy with my contract with Summit and was fully prepared to continue to honor it. Summit chose simply to recast the part. I am greatly saddened that I will not get to complete my portrayal of Victoria for the Twilight audience. This is a story, a theatrical journey and a character that I truly love and about which I am very passionate. I will be forever grateful to the fan support and loyalty I’ve received since being cast for this role, and I am hurt deeply by Summit’s surprising decision to move on without me. I wish the cast and crew of Eclipse only the very best.“

Twilight is hardly Shakespeare, and I don’t have a problem with movies being a commercial product per se, but I don’t like the rush to capitalize on the success of the first film making subsequent ones suffer. This seems to be less of a scheduling conflict on Lefevre’s part and more of a calculated decision by the studio–is Howard that much more bankable a name than someone who’s already built the part through two films and will thus have fan loyalty?

Judging from her brief screen time in the first film, it certainly wasn’t Lefevre’s acting or looks that hurt her–who can forget the last shot of her walking down the stairs, shaking her mane of hair loose with a look on her face that needs no words to tell us that Bella is in deep trouble? The directors stuck with Taylor Lautner as Jacob Black despite obvious physical differences between him and his character–several inches in height, for a start–so why dump Lefevre just in time for the movie where she gets her biggest scene?

Update: Thursday 7/30 1245 Eastern: The Plot thickens. Over on SciFiWire, they have an interesting rebuttal from Summit, claiming, well, that it’s all her fault to begin with.

Here’s Summit’s reply:

Ms. Lefevre’s representatives were advised as early as April that THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE was expected to start shooting in early August.If Ms. Lefevre was, as she describes “passionate,” about being part of THE TWILIGHT SAGA, we feel that she and her representatives would have included us in her decision to work on another film that would conflict with the shooting schedule of THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE.

It was not until July 20th that Summit was first informed of Ms. Lefevre’s commitment to BARNEY’S VERSION, a commitment we have since been advised she accepted in early June. Summit had acted in good faith that she would be available to fulfill her obligations both in terms of rehearsals and shooting availability for THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE. We feel that her choice to withhold her scheduling conflict information from us can be viewed as a lack of cooperative spirit which affected the entire production.

Furthermore Ms. Lefevre took a role in the other film that places her in Europe during the required rehearsal time, and at least ten days of THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE’s principal photography. This period is essential for both rehearsal time with the cast, and for filming at key locations that are only available during the initial part of production.

Contrary to Ms. Lefevre’s statement, it is simply untrue that the Studio dismissed her over a ten day overlap. It is not about a ten day overlap, but instead about the fact that THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE is an ensemble production that has to accommodate the schedules of numerous actors while respecting the established creative vision of the filmmaker and most importantly the story.

If all that is factual, Summit may actually have a case for being “right” this time.

The comics writing talents of Eric Trautmann (JSA vs Kobra: Engines of Faith) and Brandon Jerwa (Battlestar Galactica) have created a webcomic, Wide Awake, that is now on its way to becoming a movie. Wide Awake got its debut as a short story, “Behind The Wall of Sleep,” in Image Comics‘ Popgun Vol. 2 anthology.

Here is the official press release:

Do-Over Productions has just announced that they have optioned the film rights to Wide Awake, the extraordinary webcomic written by Eric Trautmann and Brandon Jerwa, with art by Mirco Pierfederici and art direction by David Messina. As described in the press release from Do-Over, Wide Awake is the story of Amanda Carter, a young woman whose dreams of terrifying monsters are much more than just figments of her unconscious mind. If she doesn’t defeat them before she wakes up, the horrors from her dreams get loose in the physical world and she must deal with them there.

Trautmann and Jerwa co-created the series which premiered a sample chapter on Free Comic Book Day and was originally scheduled to commence weekly chapters later this summer. This new deal may possibly alter that schedule some. Jarrod Feliciano and Mirjana Novkovic will produce and write the film adaptation. They are repped by attorney Bianca Bezdek-Goodloe. Do-Over Productions is currently in production of the crime drama Fallen Moon, directed by Peter Medak and produced by Feliciano, Novkovic, Valerie McCaffrey, and co-produced by Roger Pugliese. Eric Trautmann can be found at his web site: www.eric-trautmann.com. Brandon Jerwa can be found online at www.brandonjerwa.com.

Having read the first chapter, I have to say this webcomic packs a sly punch. The lead character, Amanda Carter, is someone who could grow on us. The idea here that your worst nightmares would like to stay for coffee is pretty cool.

One scene from a few clips shown of Matthew Vaughn’s Kick-Ass got a standing ovation during its panel at Comic-Con in San Diego. To get a standing ovation is suppose to be a rare thing at Comic-Con and that is a sign that this adaption of a Mark Millar (Wanted) creator-owned comic book has legs and will ultimately find a distributor.

Whether or not your taste is for the ultra-violent, is something to consider. Vaughn admits that part of the problem with finding a distributor is that “the script broke every taboo known to man.” But it sounds like this film about teenagers who want to be superheroes is going to turn out to be pretty cool.

Keep in mind, Matthew Vaughn, the co-writer and director of Kick-Ass, also produced Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels in 1997 and that was a fun ride. Is this something you’re looking forward to? I think I’d give it a try. It is Mark Millar after all.

For those of you who didn’t watch Late Night with Jimmy Fallon last night, you missed out on some comicky goodness!

In last night’s episode, the comedian went to the San Diego Comic Con met up with industry figures like Stan Lee, Dan Didio, Geoff Johns, and Jon Favreau to discuss his comic book character, which I will refer to as “Rechargo Boy.” He’s solar-powered, and looks suspiciously like a late-night host.

While Johns kind of made me chuckle with his response, it’s Stan Lee that (as always) steals the show. You can see the full episode, which this is in the first segment of, by clicking here.

Hollyscoop.com has picked up on an amusing rumor, regarding the possible third Batman film (which Gary Oldman let slip to AICN might start filming as early as next year)…

That Miley Cyrus wants in. And she’s not afraid to cosplay to do it.

Hollyscoop said that the young Hannah Montana star allegedly surprised Warner Bros. execs by arriving fully dressed in her own Batgirl costume, spouting off lines (of dialogue, not anything else, despite what you might think about this situation) that she had made up herself.

She apparently really wants to become Barbara Gordon, even as uber-realist Christopher Nolan has said that in his Batman films, Dick Grayson is “still in a crib somewhere.”

Now, I’ll be honest in saying that I’m pretty sure this rumor is bunk, but that is the rumor going around Hollywood these days. What say you, ‘Rama Readers?

Friday at San Diego Comic-Con was a full day for me. Here is a quick run-down of what’s been going on lately from my vantage point:

• EQAL and Anthony Zuiker Present LEVEL 26: I had the pleasure to interview Miles Beckett who, with Greg Goodfried, run EQAL, a company that produces original interactive content online. They have come a long way since their first lonelygirl15 videos and now have teamed up with Anthony Zuiker, the creator of the CSI franchise, to bring you, LEVEL 26, the world’s first “digi-novel,” a fully interactive novel. It’s a very cool idea that, thanks to some awesome talent behind it, is something to really look forward to. You can start right in and see for yourself. I will provide you guys with the full interview in a later post and some other interesting news about this and other related projects in future posts.
• COMICPALOOZA SHOUT OUT: I have to thank P. J. Holmes for allowing me to borrow his laptop at a critical moment here at SDCC, the home of critical moments. Check out the great comics con of the Southwest, Comicpalooza.
• THE PRISONER PANEL: I caught the tale end of this panel and it really came across as a genuine lovefest for this film by the actors, Jim Caviezel, Jamie Campbell-Bower and Lennie James; writer, Bill Gallagher; AMC’s Vlad Wolynetz, vice president of production; and producer/director Robert Meyer Burnett. I will just say here that the sneak peek clip was very cool with the sinister “Two” character played wonderfully by none other than Ian McKellen! The scene has “Two” wondering if anyone really likes him as he tosses a grenade into the trembling hands of an assistant who can’t quite bring himself to say he actually likes his insane boss. I also should say that this is a six-part mini-series and runs for three consecutive nights in November on AMC.
• NO ROOM FOR ME AT DOLLHOUSE BUT FAN COMES TO RESCUE: I tried. I stood in one of the longest lines you’ll ever want to see for a very long time only to be told that they had a packed house. No one dared move at first and only a few hesitantly gave up and walked away. But all was not lost, really, since I  got a fan to give me the scoop on what’s going on with Dollhouse. Andre Walker, a lean man in his thirties, let me know that the series has problems but that fans are willing to wait. “It’s got some good stuff but it needs character development. It’s not like Buffy or Angel. There’s only a few characters right now I really care about. Eliza Dushku’s main character is not someone people care about like they should. And, hey, it’s Joss Whedon. Give him time. Just look at Firefly. That was a bumpy ride at first.”

On Wednesday, I was fortunate to catch the tail end of the ICv2 conference as well as take a first look at the convention floor. As they say, it’s all about the fans. And that often means it’s all about the money. Seeing so many people at Comic-Con with giant bags of swag, standing in so many lines, desperation in the eyes of some, waiting for a chance to win something or buy something, I could clearly see money as the dominant theme: those who make it and those who spend it.

So, before being part of the human comedy that is SDCC, it was nice to listen to a few elite voices plot out what they think will motivate the fans. ICv2 is a consulting firm in the service of those trying to sell something to the fans. The conference was meant to tell it like it is about market trends. For my money, the star of the last panel was Jeff Katz, a Hollywood exec (Snakes On A Plane) turned comics writer (DC Comics’ Booster Gold) who led off with a two guns firing declaration that Hollywood is no fool and it knows how to chase down money and the money is in comics. Katz, looking like a hyperactive Kevin Smith, went on to rally for all those good-natured, well-meaning, creators who feel powerless in dealing with corporate interests. “The secret is that they need us more than we need them. The corporate balls are exposed and you should feel free to squeeze!”

Katz, who runs his own company, American Original, was beside himself in forecasting further profit in comics in a big way. He didn’t say exactly how a lone creator overcomes and succeeds but the general idea was to control what is yours. This is where Top Cow’s Matt Hawkins stepped in with more straight talk, “Don’t take the money. Don’t sell you soul for $25,000 when your title could make millions over time.”

Once I was out on the convention floor, observing the fans, as a mass of humanity, out for the next shiny bauble, they seemed totally at the mercy of the various corporate interests, utterly powerless. Of course, they really are not. Just like those good-natured, well-meaning, creators, the fans have more power than they probably realize. As Jeff Katz would advise, if the corporate balls are hanging, the fan should not hesitate to squeeze.

Would the sequel to Frank Miller’s 300 be called 301? 302? 600? 300 II? 3,000? 300: Three Harder?

Either which way, the Hollywood Reporter has stated that Frank Miller has recently polished off the first draft of his comic book sequel to 300, which smashed through audience expectations in a live-action film adaptation directed by Zack Snyder.

This follow-up will be published by Dark Horse, who printed the initial book. THR also asks some interesting questions regarding casting: Miller and company would be doubly hard-pressed to recruit original star Gerard Butler, considering (A) this role made him really famous, and (B) well, if you’ve read the book (or know anything about how the Battle of Thermopylae ended) he’s not in a position to do sequels.

Either which way, while the comics portion of the project is chugging along, the Hollywood Reporter has also stated that neither director Zack Snyder or writer Kurt Johnstad have been hired yet for work on the film.

In a surprising move just days before the San Diego Comic Con, David Elliot, the former editor in chief of Radical Comics, has sued parent company Blatant Entertainment.

The co-founder of the Radical Comics, Elliot said that he was terminated in April, and alleges he was not given his full salary from Blatant.

Elliot also claims that he was not credited some Radical Comics finds such as Aladdin, City of Dust, Caliber, and Hercules; that he was not compensated for acquiring Hotwire, Cholly & Flytrap, and Lords of Misture; and that other projects that he owns part of the copyrights have been exploited by the company without his consent. You can read the complaint in full here.

Another interesting quote, from THREsq.com: “Blatant’s management failed to have any of its employees sign work-for-hire agreements and/or assignments of copyrights, thereby clouding title to all of Blatant’s projects, and making it impossible for Blatant to provide proper chain of title documents and guarantees to investors, production companies, studios, and insurers, to the detriment of its shareholders.” If this is true, this a whole new can of worms for the comics-to-film venture company.

Radical Comics, which hit the scenes last year, has teamed up with figures ranging from Jim Steranko to Steve Niles to Nick Simmons.

Steve Lieber has announced that Warner Bros. has launched its web site for the upcoming film adaptation of the Greg Rucka/Steve Lieber graphic novel from Oni Press, Whiteout. IGN has posted the following trailer:

The film, which stars Kate Beckinsale and is due September 2009, follows a U.S. marshal as she investigates a series of brutal murders throughout the Antarctic science stations placed along the continent. Meanwhile, if you’re already at the San Diego Comic Con, you should hit up Steve at Artist’s Alley at table FF16!

Tim Burton has released to IGN the trailer for his upcoming film, Alice in Wonderland!

The film will star In Treatment actress Mia Wasikowska, and will have Tim Burton mainstays Helena Bonham Carter and Johnny Depp, the latter of whom will play (who else?) the Mad Hatter.

This eye-popping movie (which despite all appearances, does not have the Joker anywhere near it, thankyewverymuch) is due out in January. What do you guys think?

Can even the vaunted Super Soldier serum save the Captain America movie from it’s biggest foe — international audience ambivalence?

MTV sat down with Kevin Feige, and gave an interesting bullet point list of Captain America news, including the fact that Will Smith — one of the most bankable stars in Hollywood, who has conquered the 4th of July numerous times with films like Hancock and Independence Day — is still in the running for Captain America, as well as some of the Thor runner-ups.

Now, the thing that’s interesting for me is the fact that based on these notes, it’s clear that Marvel is really nervous about parading a guy in the Stars and Stripes in the current world climate. Indeed, the film won’t even be marketed as “Captain America” abroad, but as “The First Avenger” — and they’re ditching the typical route of searching for an “unknown” to play the lead character (which worked so spectacularly with Hugh Jackman as Wolverine) in order to bring in someone who they know will bring in the money.

And to be honest, who else would be on that list? Will Smith is exceedingly bankable — but Feige says that if Smith were cast, Kyle Baker’s “Truth” storyline, which repositioned the Super Soldier Project as a Tuskeegee-like experiment on unsuspecting African-American troops, would not be used. Tom Cruise, once the most bankable star in Hollywood, is still clawing his way back to respectability after his public weirdness made him a tabloid target. That said, Forbes has an interesting list of bankable celebrities (granted, Will Smith is at the top of that list), with Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Matt Damon all on the list — and after rewatching the Departed the other night, I could definitely see Damon nailing this.

But in my opinion, I think Marvel is really selling the cultural cache of one of its most heroic characters short. It did a surprisingly effective job with teasing the Super Soldier program in the most unlikely of films — the Ed Norton remake of the Incredible Hulk:

But even more importantly, Captain America doesn’t serve politicians or administrations — as Frank Miller once said, he serves the Dream.

In this case, the dream of a better world. While having a World War II epic is certainly within Marvel’s prerogative, I feel like Captain America’s best quality is the fact that he is a man out of time — in short, he’s a human time capsule of all the nobility and selflessness of a bygone era, and I think it would be interesting to see him wrestle with the post-9/11, post-Enron, post-Operation Paperclip era, where America has teamed up with the enemy, and clasped new ones to its breast, but still strives for greatness. (In other words, Richard Donner’s Superman meets Austin Powers, but played straight.) It’s this sort of story that could confront the rest of the world’s ambivalence to the U.S. head-on, and would really give some solid allegorical weight to a prequel that may otherwise be written off as an action flick.

What say you, Rama readers? Do you think Will Smith could be the One? Is there another bankable star you think would be ideal? Tell us what you think about “The First Avenger: Captain America”!

Forget repulsor beams, flamethrowers, and sci-fi cluster bombs — the strongest weapon in Iron Man’s arsenal right now is Matt Fraction. And Marvel has just announced that Sega will be unleashing the Eisner-nominated comics writer on the upcoming Iron Man 2 video game.

“‘Iron Man 2′ presented me with the opportunity to work with both SEGA and Marvel on creating something wholly unique—a story that exists at the crossroads of the comics I write, the film universe I was lucky enough to be asked to contribute to, and a wholly immersive interactive experience like this game,” Fraction said in an interview at Marvel.com. “Writing a game presents an entirely new challenge, where the player engages with the world, with the big and small aspects of the place and characters. They’re a coconspirator in the narrative. I hope it’s as exciting and challenging to play as it was to write.”

Currently, in the comics storyline, Fraction has led Tony Stark down a desperate path as he becomes the “World’s Most Wanted,” as he escapes the clutches of Norman Osborn and the international military group known as H.A.M.M.E.R. With a list of all the world’s known superhero identites in his brain, Tony has been steadily erasing his mind, knowing full well the price he’ll pay: not just his unmatched genius, not just memories of his best friends, but even basic motor skills.

According to the Marvel interview, Sega apparently took fan comments on the first Iron Man game — a game which Metacritic gave an unfavorable 45 review — to heart, focusing more on hand-to-hand combat with a redesigned control scheme. “Iron Man has an undeniably huge fan base, and we really wanted to give them the game they have been waiting for,” said SEGA of America’s vice president of marketing, Sean Ratcliffe.

The game is due out in the spring of 2010 for the XBox 360, Playstation 3, Nintendo Wii, PSP, and Nintendo DS.

Posy Simmonds’s critically-acclaimed, Eisner-nominated comic Tamara Drewe will be turned into a movie by director Stephen Frears, The Guardian reports.

The director of The Queen and The Grifters is reported to have cast former Bond girl and St Trinian’s graduate Gemma Arterton as the title character, a newspaper columnist whose recent nose job transforms her into a seductive flirt, to the chagrin of the quiet village’s womenfolk. Tamsin Greig and Roger Allam are also said to be attached to the project.

Simmonds’s strip ran in the Guardian’s Review section between September 2005 and October 2007 before being collected in a graphic novel. The tragicomic story was inspired by a piece of classic fiction – Thomas Hardy’s Far from the Madding Crowd; likewise her earlier serialised cartoon, Gemma Bovery, took Flaubert’s Madame Bovary as its template.

Frears’ most recent project was also based on a popular work of French literature: Colette’s Chéri novels, which he turned into a film starring Michelle Pfeiffer and Rupert Friend.

Frears was nominated for an Oscar for The Queen and The Grifters and has shown admirable range as a director. Just another indication, I suppose, that the words “comic book movie” don’t have to be synonymous with “big dumb blockbuster,” but can also be linked to “serious film with art-house creds.” If The Dark Knight didn’t completely kill those stereotypes, perhaps a Tamara Drewe movie will put another nail in their coffin.

My choice of image here probably gives you some idea of what I loved about the latest Harry Potter film, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. And yes, watching Ginny Weasley turn into a confident, proactive woman is a treat–especially in a world that while created by a woman author, provides very few standout heroines.

I adore Hermione. I can relate to the girl who knows the answer to everything in school but feels left out by the attention paid to her male friends, who brushes off the male attention she gets because it’s not coming from the one person she wants. But the rest of the girls in the Potterverse are cackling villains like Bellatrix Lestrange–watching Helena Bonham Carter chew scenery here is a treat, but she’s a one-note character–or giggling girls like Lavendar Brown or Romilda Vane, who serve mostly to teach us that our heroes are indeed desirable, despite their endearing adolescent fumbling. (Molly Weasley’s moment of vengeance in the seventh book is sublime, but until then she’s largely relegated to worrying at home about her family.)

So Ginny Weasley, effortlessly skilled at Quidditch and Bat-Bogey Hexes, popular with the boys, who chooses Harry, not the other way around, is a wonderful character. I find myself for the first time hoping for a change from the books for the seventh installment, because Ginny was cruelly underused in Deathly Hallows.

(more…)

Entertainment Weekly has unveiled the cover for its upcoming issue, and it has the first look at a certain spy of the Marvel Universe:

That’s right, Scarlett Johansson as the Black Widow.

Granted, she’s mostly obscured by Tony’s armor, but you now know hair style, and you can see that the leather jumpsuit is making a transition to the screen. If you like your pictures extra blurry, there is a screen capture of an inside image that was aired on TV, which ComicBook.com has right here.

So what do you think, Rama readers?

Via MTV, there’s an interesting tidbit from Nicholas Cage, in which he says he would like to “do a reconceive” for a second Ghost Rider film:

Hmm… on the one hand, while the first Ghost Rider was certainly a disappointment, I don’t know how I feel about this. International Ghost Rider? Less western? More Nicholas Cage? What say you, Rama readers?

I haven’t seen Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince yet. I’m just too old for a midnight screening at this point, so instead I have tickets for tonight and will no doubt be writing my response tomorrow. For now, to get myself (and all of you) into the proper state of mind, how about some reviews from around the Interwebs?

From the BBC:

Those wanting noisy spectacle and endless action will be disappointed. This is a talky Potter.

It feels long - but not in a bad way. The main characters and the complex plot get a chance to breathe.

Writer Steve Kloves sensibly excises the padding from JK Rowling’s novel - adding new scenes such as the opening attack on London’s Millennium Bridge.

But Death Eater attacks aside, relationships are what interests Yates.

Even when we first meet Harry in a cafe at Surbiton station, he is effortlessly catching the eye of a waitress.

“Harry, you need a shave my friend,” says Dumbledore later, as if we need reminding that the boy Harry is becoming a man.

The Chicago Tribune:

The Potter series has sustained itself because it no longer seems to be concerned about roping in the widest possible global audience. Instead, it’s trying to treat Rowling’s characters with the care and class they deserve, and in spellbinding sequences such as the “liquid memory” flashback to Tom Riddle’s childhood—in which Ralph Fiennes‘ nephew, Hero Fiennes Tiffin, plays the Dark Lord in training—Yates proves he’s the man for the job in cinematic terms, not merely transcriptive ones.

The San Jose Mercury News:

Previous installments played out in a supernatural bubble bearing little connection to our ordinary little Muggle world. “Half-Blood Prince” brims with authentic people and honest interaction - hormonal teens bonding with great humor, heartache that will resonate with anyone who remembers the pangs of first love.

Drop the magic act, and Hogwarts could be any school of self-absorbed geeks, jocks, popular kids and outcasts trying to maneuver through the day. Even the class bad boy provides insight into the behavior of bullies.

From the New York Times:

There must be a factory where the British mint their acting royalty: Hero, who plays the dark lord as a spectrally pale, creepy child of 11, is Ralph Fiennes’s nephew, and Frank is the son of the terrific actor Stephen Dillane (Thomas Jefferson in the HBO mini-series “John Adams”). The younger Mr. Dillane, who plays Voldemort at 16, conveys the seductiveness of evil with small, silky smiles he bestows like dangerous gifts on Jim Broadbent’s Horace Slughorn, a professor whose trembling jowls suggest a deeper tremulousness. When Slughorn, the fear almost visibly leaking from his body, shares the secret of immortality with Voldemort, you feel, much as when Ralph Fiennes raged through “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” in 2005, that something vital is at stake.

If that sense of exigency rarely materializes in “The Half-Blood Prince,” it’s partly because the series finale is both too close and too far away and partly because Mr. Radcliffe and his co-stars Emma Watson and Rupert Grint, as Harry’s friends Hermione and Ron, have grown up into three prettily manicured bores. Unlike the veterans, notably the sensational Alan Rickman, who invests his character, Prof. Severus Snape, with much-needed ambiguity, drawing each word out with exquisite luxury, bringing to mind a buzzard lazily pulling at entrails, Mr. Radcliffe in particular proves incapable of the most crucial cinematic magic. Namely the alchemical transformation of dialogue into something that feels like passion, something that feels real and true and makes you as wild for Harry as for all those enticingly dark forces.

And of course, from Newsarama’s own Lucas Siegel:

It’s amazing to see just how much the actors have grown over the course of 6 films. Here we have a truly breakout performance by Tom Felton, in the role of troubled Draco Malfoy. Draco is intensely conflicted in his mission throughout the film, and plays a much deeper character than the one-note foil of the previous chapters. It’s a remarkable transformation for Draco and a fantastic performance for Felton, as you can clearly see his agony in many dialogue free scenes.

The other standout in a field of solid actors was once again Alan Rickman in possibly the best casting choice in movie history. As Professor Snape, he has a slightly smaller role for the majority of the film, merely popping in here and there (until the end, that is), and the dry wit and ambiguous morale nature comes off perfectly, maybe even better than the previous movies. The other principle actors are all very clearly comfortable in the roles they’ve been playing for years now, and it gives a great sense of realism to this world of fantasy.

Well, I’m ready for my workday to be over so I can head to the theater…

Think Twilight is a bloody good time? A romance with some bite?

Well, you might be saying “fangs for the memories,” as Wizard Entertainment has announced that several actors for the Twilight saga will be hitting the Chicago Comic-Con, August 6-9.

According to their release, Peter Facinelli, Christopher Heyerdahl, and Cameron Bright will be in attendance, along with Kevin Nash, Taylor Wilde, Jeremy Bulloch, Cerina Vincent, and Doug Jones.

Well, as you probably know, the big news this weekend was the report that Ryan Reynolds broke from a three-way race to assume the mantle and power ring of Hal Jordan. And while the rest of the film is still being shrouded in secrecy, we at Newsarama have decided to put our casting eye to the test, and give our list of who should play the numerous characters in the franchise’s inaugural film.

Considering it’s clear that an origin story will be in the offing here, we’ve based this list on Geoff Johns’ Secret Origins book, which gives a great character-based introduction to the entire Green Lantern mythos. (So sorry, John Stewart, Guy Gardner, and Kyle Rayner fans, no love in this list just yet — perhaps in a follow-up.) While this list is subjective and clearly just for fun, we encourage you to give your thoughts in the comments box below! Good, bad, ugly? Let us hear it, as we cast off for Green Lantern!

Hal Jordan - Ryan Reynolds: Well, this one is easy enough to start with — he’s already been picked! Ryan Reynolds has the sort of All-American look that Bradley Cooper did not, as well as the sort of rugged machismo that Justin Timberlake just hasn’t grown into yet. The only question — whether or not he can keep his sense of humor in check. But with Martin Campbell behind the wheel, I’m confident Reynolds will morph into the hero he’s always known he could be, as the ring-slinging Hal Jordan.

Carol Ferris - Maggie Siff: Say it with me now: “Mr. Jordan, you know I don’t date employees.” Balancing on the fine line between beautiful snob and struggling business owner, Maggie Siff has the class (Mad Men) and the conflict (Sons of Anarchy) to be the one true love of Hal Jordan. Don’t believe me? Check her out here and here.

Sinestro - Hugh Laurie: With his biting wit, his unmatched tactical prowess, and above all his unwavering sense of self-confidence, there are few that could make Sinestro a three-dimensional character better than Hugh Laurie. As the man portraying the titular character House would fully understand, it takes a special kind of man to see his ambitions to the end, regardless of the rules. If Hugh was picked for this role, expect a Heath Ledger-style of rock solid performance.

(more…)