Marvel Entertainment Inc., has partnered with renowned Japanese animation studio Madhouse (Paprika, Tokyo Godfathers) to create four all new anime versions of classic Marvel Super Heroes. Get an exciting first glimpse of two of the planned four series at this year’s Comic-Con International, the country’s leading comics and popular arts convention. The Marvel Animation Panel will be held on Friday, July 24, and will include an exclusive first look at official teaser trailers for two of these new series, hosted by writer and multiple-Eagle Award winner Warren Ellis, who will appear to discuss writing the all new adventures of these re-imagined Super Heroes.

These Marvel Anime TV series are being created as a way of merging the beloved Marvel Super Heroes of western culture with the bold animation tradition of Japan. The resulting product will be four visually groundbreaking anime series featuring popular Super Heroes redesigned and repurposed as emerging from the fabric of Japanese culture. The series is expected to begin appearing on the Animax channel in Japan in spring of 2010.

The Marvel Animation Panel with run from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. on Friday, July 24, at the San Diego Convention Center. An autograph signing with Ellis will follow the panel at Marvel’s Comic-Con booth #2429.

Madhouse, Inc., established in 1972 with offices in Tokyo, Los Angeles and Beijing, is one of the top animation studios in the world working exclusively with some of Japan’s top anime directors. They have created many well-known titles such as worldwide hits Ninja Scroll, Vampire Hunter D, Trigun, Tokyo Godfathers, and Metropolis, Japanese successful TV series such as “Death Note” and “Nana”, as well as Paprika (an Official Selection at the 2006 Venice Film Festival) and The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (2007 Japanese Academy Award for Best Film – Animation)

Rourke does not disappoint.
about 4 hours ago from TwitterFon
Mickey Roarke’s first day.
about 7 hours ago from TwitterFon
Wrapped day two. Time for some sleep. So great to work with Garry.
7:59 PM Apr 7th from TwitterFon
Garry Shandling: “I can’t wait to see the movie to see who I actually play.”
3:49 PM Apr 7th from TwitterFon
Swarm of paparazzi on set.
2:58 PM Apr 7th from TwitterFon
Day 2. Slept like a rock. Finally. Not used to these long hours.
7:34 AM Apr 7th from TwitterFon
First day went great. I’ve never worked on a sequel before. It’s like we picked up where we left off.
8:44 PM Apr 6th from TwitterFon
Lunch! Boy it’s great to be back at work. Many familiar faces in cast and crew. I am so blessed to do what I love with wonderful people.

Yay. We like Scarlett.

I’ve already posted my scoop that Mickey Rourke will play the Russian villain in Iron Man 2 in a Marvel Studios deal that started out lowball and went up a lot. Now I’m told that Emily Blunt won’t be in the sequel and Black Widow will now be played by Scarlett Johannson. (Interesting because Scarlett actually screen-tested for the role and didn’t get it.) But I hear that, unlike Mickey’s money, the deal for her is “just the opposite, a terrible deal made by CAA,” one of my insiders says. “It’s as bad as any deal that I’ve heard. It’s lowball money. And it ties her to countless movies, including that ensemble The Avengers, which is what makes this brutal for a lot of actors.” As for Blunt, I’m told she fell out not by choice but only because Fox exercised an option that the studio had from The Devil Wears Prada to make her do the upcoming film starring Jack Black, Gullivers Travels. – From Nikki Finke

Blunt had already been offered the role of Black Widow in “Iron Man 2,” but that may not be an option because of “Gulliver’s Travels.” Fox holds an option on the actress that was part of her deal when she co-starred in “The Devil Wears Prada,” and the studio may invoke it to see that she takes part in the giant tale. Earlier this week it seemed that Marvel Entertainment would have to go back to the drawing board to find an actress to play Natasha Romanoff, the Soviet superspy who moonlights as Black Widow, a beauty in a skintight black costume enhanced by high-tech weaponry. But by late Thursday, it looked like Fox and Blunt’s reps were feeling more optimistic that she could do both projects. – from Variety

10. Sex and the City // $415.1 million // Warner Bros. (New Line)

I’m not the audience for this, passed on this one. Never watched the HBO series, I don’t care. PS. Sarah Jessica Parker is STILL a horseface, neigh!

9. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian // $419.6 million // Buenva Vista

Didn’t watch this either, but I do have the Blu-ray that needs to be reviewed. Odd that Disney ditched this property — pretty good earner for the Mouse House. I enjoyed Narnia…

8. WALL-E // $507.3 million // Buena Vista

Everyone loves WALL-E. Further proof that Pixar can make and sell anything — and we consumers will bite. Will that tradition continue with UP? The first hour of WALL-E is brilliant; once they arrive on the ship, I space out a bit (especially during the scene with fat people rolling and tipping over the ship…). I still prefer Ratatouille.

7. Quantum of Solace // $534.5 million // Sony

Bond always kicks ass at the Box Office. Daniel Craig rocks, but this Bond vehicle really didn’t stick with me. A good two hours in the theater, but kinda forgot about this movie as soon as I left. Casino Royale, which I prefer, made 594.1 million.

6. Mamma Mia! // $572.1 million // Universal

I watched this on Blu-ray with my wife, her mom and sister. Fuck me! Horrible movie, great music. This is the Traveling Pants of 2008. And crap, they’re talking about a sequel! Oddly enjoy, while watching Mamma Mia, I was expecting Stellan Skarsgard to murder someone (preferably Pierce Brosnan or Christine Baranski) — thus turning the movie into a singing murder mystery. As you can tell, I was really paying attention to the actual movie…

5. Iron Man // $581.9 million // Paramount

Of course I loved this movie, WTF!? Actually, on repeat Blu-ray viewing, Iron Man doesn’t hold up — but it really is all about Robert Downey Jr. — his performance, out of the Iron Man suit, as billionaire Tony Stark is what makes this movie, not CGI or action.

4. Hancock // $624.4 million // Sony

Looks like the Scientology folks can build a new “Hancock” wing. You know, Will Smith could poop in a wrapper, package it as candy for $6 bucks at Walmart — and it’d be a big seller. This movie sucks. People are idiots. Go buy Will Smith Poop Candy at Walmart instead of watching this.

3. Kung Fu Panda // $631.9 million // Paramount/DreamWorks

I hate DreamWorks animated movies with a passion. No seriously, all them. Fart jokes, sexual innuendos, shitty animation; DreamWorks hits like Shrek or Bee Movie are for people who buy Will Smith Poop Candy at Walmart. They don’t make classics, they make annoying CGI-turds du-jour. They’re the anti-Pixar. Well, DreamWorks has redeemed themselves. Finally, they made their classic (or as close to a classic as DreamWorks can make). Great animation, great message, wasn’t expecting to enjoy this. However, WALL-E was better.

2. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull // $786.6 million // Paramount

Quite possibly The Worst Movie of the Year?! No really, phoned in, zzz plot, tired acting; thanks George and Steven for continuing to rape our childhoods…. PS. Shia LaDouchebag’s 15 minutes are up.

1. The Dark Knight // $996.8 million // Warner Bros.

Christopher Nolan’s second Batman outing tops the lists for best reviewed and top earner, not a surprise. The success was all due to Heath Ledger’s performance as the Joker. Finally, Heath has undone what Jack Nicholson’s Fat-Joker did 15 years ago. Ok, ok, let’s give Nolan some credit in taking the superhero genre and turning it into Michael Mann’s Heat. PS. Eddie Murphy will never be cast in a Nolan Batman movie. Never.

- A settlement is close in the Watchmen conflict between Fuckin’ Fox and WB.

- Heath’s Globe expected to go to daughter Matilda

- James Cameron talks Avatar and 3D

- Will Polanski Finally be able to return to America?

- On no, do we really need a reboot of the Smokey and the Bandit genre?

- Vanessa Hudgens: From ‘High School Musical’ to ‘New Moon’?

- Mickey Rourke Says He’ll ‘Bring It All’ To ‘Iron Man 2’

- And below, check out the Franklin Trailer with Ryan Phillippe, Eva Green and Sam Riley

Wait a second — this is just a throw away line in this article from THR, but “Another part — one for Stark’s assistant Natasha — is still open”. This means that the Black Widow will be in Iron Man 2! We all know Natasha Romanova is a double crosser in the Marvel comics, as recently portrayed in the recent Ultimates saga. Natasha, working for Mickey Rourke, will probably seduce Tony Stark in Iron Man 2 — then turn him over to her Russian handlers… However, at the end of the movie, Natasha will probably come to Robert Downey Jr.’s rescue — which would be a perfect transition to the Avengers movie. Robert has said recently the Avengers need to be based in real life… “The danger you run with colliding all these worlds is (director) Jon (Favreau) was very certain that Iron Man should be set in a very realistic world. Nothing that happened in Iron Man is really outside the realm of possibility. Once you start talking about Valhalla and supersized super soldiers and jolly green giants it warrants much further discussion.” So Natasha sounds like a perfect addition to the Avengers — just like in the Marvel Comics universe.

Mickey Rourke and Sam Rockwell are in talks to star as the villains in “Iron Man 2,” being directed by Jon Favreau. Marvel has been keeping a very tight lid on the script for the sequel, being written by Justin Theroux, but it is known that Rourke would play a tattooed Russian heavy named Ivan who becomes Whiplash, a man with deadly, technologically enhanced coils. Rockwell would play Justin Hammer, a multibillionaire businessman and a rival of industrialist Anthony Stark, AKA Iron Man, being played by a returning Robert Downey Jr. Another part — one for Stark’s assistant Natasha — is still open. – from THR

The Black Widow’s first encounter with Iron Man came when she was directed to slay Anton Vanko, the creator of the Soviet Crimson Dynamo armor, who had defected to America. Natasha attempted to distract Tony Stark while her partner Boris Turgenov used the Crimson Dynamo to destroy Stark’s plants. Turgenov and Vanko wound up perishing in battle, and Natasha remained in America to find some way of regaining the K.G.B.’s favor. Since Tony Stark was still unaware that she was a K.G.B. operative, she continued to romance him so that she could steal a new anti-gravity device he had created. She managed to use the device to commit various acts of sabotage, even lifting entire buildings into the air, but Iron Man nullified the device and she barely escaped capture, now unable to trick Stark into lowering his guard.

In these hard times, you deserve two “best films” lists for the price of one. It is therefore with joy that I list the 20 best films of 2008, in alphabetical order. I am violating the age-old custom that film critics announce the year’s 10 best films, but after years of such lists, I’ve had it. A best films list should be a celebration of wonderful films, not a chopping process. And 2008 was a great year for movies, even if many of them didn’t receive wide distribution. – read more from Roger Ebert

Ballast

The Band’s Visit

Che

Chop Shop

The Dark Knight

Doubt

The Fall

Frost/Nixon

Frozen River

Happy-Go-Lucky

Iron Man

Milk

Rachel Getting Married

The Reader

Revolutionary Road

Shotgun Stories

Slumdog Millionaire

Synecdoche, New York

W.

WALL-E

Tim Robbins is going to be playing Howard Stark in an important flashback sequence that is going to set up the Avengers and Captain America films. Jon [Favreau] wanted to get a good actor because he didn’t think the guy who played Howard in the last film could carry such an important scene. – from Latino

This is truly an amazing thing that actor Jeff Bridges has done — taking wonderful photographs behind the scenes of Iron Man. The photos are great — and it is also a sad farewell to the work of genius Stan Winston. I love the heart behind this, more than just CGI — it was the craftsmanship of Winston mixed with the talent of Robert Downey Jr. that made Iron Man so fun.

See more at Jeffbridges.com

“I can’t really speak to the plot stuff and all the rest of it but Rhodes is completely present in a very strong and big way,” Theroux said of the man who would be War Machine. “He’s COMPLETELY present.” – from MTV