Japanese anime company making live-action Bubblegum Crisis movie

Tokyo-based animation outfit Anime International Company (AIC) has contracted with Singapore-based Cubix, a visual software production company, to make a live-action version of the sci-fi anime series Bubblegum Crisis, according to Variety. The companies plan a large budget for the feature, directed towards a U.S. theatrical release sometime in 2011. Bubblegum Crisis creators Shinji Aramaki ….

Luke Skywalker’s Lightsaber, Harrison Ford’s Indiana Jones Hat, Christian Bale’s Batman cowl and much more up for auction

Mark Hamill’s hero “Luke Skywalker” lightsaber from Star Wars and Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back ($150,000-$180,000), the original 82-inch diameter hero “United Planets Cruiser C-57D” flying saucer filming miniature from Forbidden Planet ($80,000-$120,000); three volume presentation First Editions of The Lord of the Rings with Elvish inscription with all three volumes signed by J.R.R. ….

Attack of the celebrity superheroes

Diverse Media Group is purchasing a stake in Celebrities In Action, in order to create a joint venture to develop superhero character franchises based on real-life Hollywood celebrities. The new characters will be developed in cooperation with film, music and television and sports stars and original storylines will span multimedia and multiplatform projects. Plans include ….

Zemeckis, Burton and Bruckheimer projects may go 3D and IMAX

Disney’s A Christmas Carol, the 3D 2009 holiday release from director Robert Zemeckis and starring Jim Carrey, will be the first film from The Walt Disney Studios slated for IMAX theaters under a new five-picture agreement the studio has reached with big screen movie exhibition company, it was announced yesterday by president of Walt Disney ….

Fourth X-Men movie to bring younger mutants to the spotlight

Fox is working on continuing the X-Men movie franchise with a younger group of mutants, according to Variety. The studio has contracted with creator Josh Schwartz, creator of TV’s Gossip Girl, to write the film X-Men: First Class. Schwartz, who is also the creator of Fox’s The OC, as well as NBC’s Chuck, is expected ….

Make that two more futuristic sci-fi epics for Warner Bros.

Warner Bros. is working on two sci-fi projects with former New Line co-chiefs Bob Shaye and Michael Lynne, according to The Hollywood Reporter. After leaving New Line, the duo formed the Unique Features banner in June of this year, which also funnels it’s projects through Warners. Shaye, along with Unique’s Dylan Sellers are producing Control-Alt-Delete, ….

DreamWorks moves ahead with Motorcade, Cowboys and Aliens, comic adaptation Button Man and much more

Now that DreamWorks is officially an indie again, The Hollywood Reporter writes that the studio has prioritized a number of long-in-development projects. According to the reports, they haven’t greenlit everything, but are in the midst of making deals and finalizing scripts. Below is a partial list of projects that are on the front-burner. Button Man ….

Watchmen director Zack Snyder discusses why Malin Akerman and Carla Gugino kick ass

MySpace Comics got an exclusive interview with Watchmen director Zack Snyder, as he tells us why Malin Akerman and Carla Gugino kick ass, in this behind-the-scenes video interview on the making of the film. Watchmen is a complex, multi-layered mystery adventure, Watchmen is set in an alternate 1985 America in which costumed superheroes are part ….