Josh Trank has signed with Sony Pictures to develop to direct Shadow Of The Colossus, a big-scale live-action adaptation of the bestselling Sony video game. The film is being produced by Kevin Misher. The studio is interviewing writers to work with Trank, who after directing the $13 million sleeper hit Chronicle has become the go-to guy for big popcorn pictures. Trank takes on a Fumito Ueda-created game that has a strong narrative arc, along with the obligatory creature quotient to get the visual effects crowd excited.

The protagonist is a young man who thinks his lover has died. Desperate to bring her back, he heads into a forbidden land, and summons a demon who can wake the dead. The price for bringing back his girl: slay 16 colossi that dominate this mystical place. These are skyscraper-sized giants that rise from the ground, fly through the air and come from the water. As the young man works through his quest on horseback, he begins to wonder if he is on a noble pursuit to bring back his lover, or perhaps has made a deal with the devil and is being used. Trank has been a fan of the game since it launched in 2005, and sought out the job.

Trank is separately developing two Marvel superhero franchises in Fantastic Four for Fox and the Spider-Man spinoff Venom for Sony Pictures, and he’s also aligned to the Warner Bros comic book adaptation Red Star. He’s repped by WME and Management 360. Misher is separately prepping MGM’s remake of Carrie, and Misher Film execs Andy Berman and Kevin Chang are overseeing Shadow Of The Colossus. WME reps Trank

via Chronicle Helmer Josh Trank Takes On Shadow Of The Colossus For Sony Pictures – Deadline.com.

Have you ever been at convention and seen something cool going on or wondered where someone got an awesome piece of SWAG? There are several people that feel the same way. A con can be an overwhelming place, especially with the increase in crowds at shows over the past couple years. That’s why the guys from Fanboy Headquarters, Martin Bright and Jose Soria have put together the “How to Survive a Comic Con” panel for the 2012 Phoenix ComiCon.

The panel will include tips and tricks to navigate exhibit halls, waiting in long lines comfortably, and tracking down those elusive comic book artists & writers. These guys have it down to a science. The panel will have tips, stories, laughs, attendee questions, and costume changes. PLUS, there will be giveaways!

Martin and Jose mentioned that they are often asked for advice at conventions and that gave them the idea for the panel. You can check out their blog at FanboyHQ.com where they report on shows, expos, and cons all over the western U.S. as well as comic book news, movies, and video games. They hope to take this panel to other conventions and get more people educated on surviving comic cons.

Six new posters for Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight Rises” have gone online, two sets of three character posters to be exact with quite different takes on Batman, Bane and Catwoman. Unlike yesterday’s one-sheet, these look to be more than a five-minute quickie Photoshop job.

The first and most impressive set, the Heavy Rain-esque ‘Rise’ ones, premiered at Yahoo! Movies. The other comes via the film’s official French Facebook page. Check them all out below!

via Six More “Dark Knight Rises” Posters | News | Dark Horizons.

In a rather surprising move just one month out from release, Paramount Pictures has delayed the release of “G.I. Joe: Retaliation” by a full nine months – from June 29th to March 29th 2013.

A big reason for the postponement is that it will allow the film to undergo a full 3D conversion as 3D is still going strong as a gimmick internationally, especially in emerging markets for Hollywood product like China and Russia.

“It is increasingly evident that 3D resonates with movie-goers globally and together with Paramount, we made the decision to bring fans an even more immersive entertainment experience” says Hasbros CEO Brian Goldner in a statement.

With Joe gone, Universal is moving up “Family Guy” creator Seth MacFarlanes feature directorial debut “Ted” by two weeks from July 13th to the now much clearer June 29th weekend which will only have it and Steven Soderberghs “Magic Mike” as the sole wide releases.

via “GI Joe: Retaliation” Delayed Nine Months | News | Dark Horizons.

RoboCop star Peter Weller provide the voice of Batman in Warner Bros.’ animated adaptation of The Dark Knight Returns, the seminal 1986 miniseries by Frank Miller and Klaus Janson, Heat Vision reports. Ariel Winter (Modern Family) will play Robin.

First rumored about a year ago, and then officially announced in July at Comic-Con International, the direct-to-video adaptation will be released in two parts under the DC Comics Premiere Movie banner, which apparently will replaced the five-year-old DC Universe Animated Original Movies. Batman: The Dark Knight Rises, Part 1 will debut in the fall, with Part 2 arriving in early 2013.

Weller and Winter will be joined by veteran actor David Selby (Dark Shadows), Wade Williams (Prison Break) as Two-Face/Harvey Dent, and Michael McKean as Dr. Wolper, the psychiatrist who releases the Joker from the asylum.

The films are directed by Jay Oliva, who not only storyboarded Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel, but also helmed Green Lantern: Emerald Knights and several episodes of Cartoon Network’s Young Justice. Oliva also has in his corner exectuive producer Bruce Timm, who has overseen most of DC’s animated projects since Batman: The Animated Series.

“Dark Knight Returns is the granddaddy of beloved comics properties that we’ve ever attempted [to adapt],” Timm said. “There is definitely the imperative to get it right.”

Set a decade after an aging Bruce Wayne quit crimefighting in the wake of Jason Todd’s death, The Dark Knight Returns brings Batman out of retirement to save Gotham from sinking deeper into decay and lawlessness. With the help of a new, female Robin, Carrie Kelly, the Dark Knight ends the threat of the mutant gangs that have overrun the city and confronts two of his greatest enemies. But then he must face his former ally Superman in a battle that only one will survive.

via Peter Weller to Voice Batman in Animated Dark Knight Returns « Spinoff Online – TV, Film, and Entertainment News Daily.

Comic-Con 2012 Cancelled / Returned Badge Resale

Comic-Con 2012 badges are sold-out. There will be a resale of cancelled and refunded badges shortly.

To be notified of the badge resale date, please sign-up for a Comic-Con Member ID and be sure not to “opt-out” of email correspondence. The Comic-Con Member ID system will close at 5:30 pm Pacific Time (PT) on May 24, 2012 to prepare for the badge resale. You must sign-up for a Member ID and confirm your email before this date to participate in the badge resale.

Only those who have not purchased or registered for a Comic-Con 2012 4-day badge or Saturday badge will be allowed to participate in the resale.

Since we received so few returned Comic-Con 4-day badges, we decided to split them into single day badges to accommodate more people who want to attend this year. Comic-Con will have 5,000 single day badges available for purchase.

To receive an email notification of the resale date and time, sign-up for your Member ID before May 24, 2012 and be sure not to “opt-out” of email correspondence from Comic-Con.

We are not taking a wait list for returned badges or badge resale notification.

Everyone who intends to purchase, apply, or register for a Comic-Con badge must have a valid and confirmed Comic-Con Member ID. This includes attendees, volunteers, professionals, trade professionals, and members of the press. Please visit http://www.comic-con.org/cci/cci_reg_memberid.php for details.

While Comic-Con has made every effort to make the badge purchase experience fair for everyone, it is possible that problems outside of our control could result in the system not working as planned. The possibility exists that anti-virus, anti-spyware, and anti-malware software may aggressively block browser cookies, JavaScript, or other operation of modern web applications. It is also possible that user error, specific hardware problems, local ISP issues, or simply the extremely high level of demand beyond our control may result in your computer and/or browser not behaving as described above. While Comic-Con has done extensive testing, we make no guarantees that your efforts will result in a successful badge purchase regardless of when your enter the process.

via Comic-Con 2012 :: Attendee Registration Home.

Although season two of AMCs “The Walking Dead” ended only a short while ago, excitement is already beginning to ramp up for season three — especially considering the tease of the unmistakably recognizable cloaked figure armed with a katana and flanked by two chained, armless zombies. Shortly after the season finale aired, AMC announced Danai Gurira had been cast as Michonne, the deadly katana wielding woman who joins Ricks group of survivors in the comics. Now, Entertainment Weekly has revealed a first look at Gurira suited up as Michonne, complete with her iconic weapon. 

“The essence of the character — her personality, her motives, everything that makes Michonne Michonne — remains intact from the comics,” “The Walking Dead” creator Robert Kirkman told EW. “But like a lot of things on the show, there will be little tweaks and differences here and there. We saw that her introduction is slightly different from how it was in the comic, and her interaction with Andrea is really going to be a really cool addition to the character that I think will get television viewers up to speed, and they’ll get to know her a lot faster than comic book readers did.”

Kirkman also spoke to EW about the casting of Gurira as Michonne, saying the actress “came in and really just blew us all away. She’s got incredible presence, and she’s got a theater background, and is very physical, and was just perfect for the role.”

via First Look at Danai Gurira as “The Walking Deads” Michonne – Comic Book Resources.

Scotty to make trip to final frontier on SpaceX rocket | Reuters.

In September, Warner Bros will release a series of toasters that will burn designs into slices of bread. The designs wont be images of Jesus or the Virgin Mary, but of characters from some of our favorite films.

The press release states: “These collector toasters will imprint iconic images from your favorite Warner Bros films and television series onto slices of bread to make a fun impression on your breakfast, lunch or midnight snack! The extra-wide slots allow you to not only toast bread, but also bagels and more. The toaster design is a beautiful glossy black finish featuring the logo from the film or television series, and is a compliment to any counter top.

“Some of the films and TV shows that can be imprinted onto your bread are “Friday the 13th,” “Gremlins,” “Little Shop of Horrors,” “A Nightmare on Elm Street,” “Watchmen,” “The Goonies,” “A Christmas Story,” “The Wizard of Oz,” “Where the Wild Things Are” and “Friends.”

via Warner Bros Toaster Will Burn Freddy Krueger and Jason Voorhees Images onto Your Bread | WorstPreviews.com.