The as yet untitled movie is said to be an All The President’s Men style docu-thriller about the Catholic Church’s coverup of sex abuses in Boston, as uncovered by a reporting team at the Boston Globe.

Damon, who is of course one of Boston’s most famous celebrity escapees, hasn’t read the script yet, but producers seem to be confident that they can entice him into taking the part of reporter Mike Rezendes in the sure-to-be controversial project.

The first upcoming Jackie Chan vehicle is tentatively titled Manhattan. Set in New York, it will star Jackie Chan as a Jackie-Chan-like character who “converses with love and hate.” The second is called Wolf Flag, and will star Jackie Chan in what Huayi Brothers describes as a “mournful ode concealed in the stricken desert.”

Aside from these brief snippets, we won’t know much else about these future Jackie Chan projects until they begin filming. Will they be keeping with Jackie Chan’s recent pledge to be “a true actor”? Will they feature blooper reels with Jackie Chan flubbing dangerous stunts and then grinning into the camera? Will they be popular enough to get eventual North American theatrical releases? Perhaps only Jackie Chan can tell.

Jackie Chan.

Andrei Arlovski, Universal Soldier: Regeneration

In the surprisingly-good sequel/reboot to the Universal Soldier franchise, action legends Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren are reunited in a stripped-down science fiction thriller that doesn’t have any of the goofy comic relief of previous installments. And you might guess that Andrei Arlovksi, the UFC fighter who has to share the screen with those two titans, would be crowded out. But you’d be wrong – Arlovski’s turn as the NGU definitely holds its own against Van Damme and Lundgren.

Randy Couture, The Expendables

Of all the UFC fighters to pass through motion picture history, Randy Couture is probably the one who’s made the biggest mark. He’s one of The Expendables, after all – and he got to come back in the sequel earlier this year. And although Couture doesn’t exactly light the screen on fire as demolitions expert Toll Road when compared to his (much more experienced) partners like Sylvester Stallone, Dolph Lundgren, and company, he’s still better than Liam Hemsworth.

Quinton Jackson, The A-Team

There are few 1980s TV actors as iconic as Mr. T who played B. A. Baracus on The A-Team. So it’s telling that the producers of the big-screen remake cast UFC superstar Quinton “Rampage” Jackson in the part. And Jackson gets the chance to play a different Baracus from the one on the TV show. For much of the film, B.A. is an avowed pacifist! But don’t worry, he starts beating people up in due time.

Keith Jardine, Crank: High Voltage

Jason Statham stars in the batshit-insane sequel to his cult hit Crank, and he’s not wanting for company. Some of the celebrity guest stars to make cameos in High Voltage are porn star Ron Jeremy, Linkin Park’s Chester Bennington, Tool’s Maynard James Keenan, and UFC fighter Keith Jardine. Jardine may not be the most entertaining part of the movie, but his unexpectedly innocuous walk-in as a passerby should be pretty amusing to UFC fans.

Tito Ortiz (and others), Cradle 2 the Grave

If cameo appearances from UFC fighters are your bag, then Cradle 2 the Grave probably occupies a place of pride in your DVD collection. In an extended sequence involving underground cage fighting, several UFC fighters play the cage girls – just kidding. They play the cage fighters. Chuck Liddell, Tito Ortiz, and future Expendables star Randy Couture all make appearances, as well as kickboxer Héctor Echavarría. Hooray, fighting!

There was also this promo video, which lays out the alternate history that will be explored in the movie. There’s not any actual footage from the movie or any looks at the cast, but it’s pretty cool. I’ll go on the record and say this is the best Facebook-themed movie teaser since The Social Network. (The Playlist)

And although there’s no casting news or a release date yet, they showed the shit out of that test footage! It’s about a minute long and showed Ant-Man at ant-size taking out two full-sized henchmen with his incredible shrinking powers. So, with this test footage, plus Marvel’s online announcement that an Ant-Man movie, which we first started hearing about in 2006, is finally coming, and it looks like it’s really happening. Ant-Man Fever: Catch It! That’s mine, not Marvel’s. (The Playlist)

But, it’s about a guy breaking into a sperm bank to steal back his own sperm, so I still recommend watching it. Also, the movie stars Olivia Munn, Paul Schneider, Aisha Tyler, and a regrettably-trailer-absent Wood Harris of The Wire, so check it out if you are into one or more of those people.

As if that weren’t enough, this trailer also has Olivia Thirlby, famous for playing sweet smartasses in stuff like Juno and The Wackness doing what can be called for lack of a better term “kicking ass.” The lesson is clear: Don’t watch the trailer for Dredd if you’re not prepared to have all of your preconceived notions rocked to their cores. Or if you don’t like guns.

Basically, the obstacle course will give visitors a chance to experience a zombie attack in a safe and judgment-free setting. You pay $70 to be chased by zombies through an obstacle course. Sound steep? Well, maybe you’d prefer to play as a zombie instead, where the goal is to spread the “infection” as much as possible through physical contact. No biting.

It’s not known what other obstacles will make up the obstacle course – it seems to me that any obstacle course that includes zombies doesn’t have much to worry about on the obstacle front. I mean, isn’t “zombie” pretty much the ultimate obstacle? Even without the biting?

It Started Small

Contrary to what you might think, Comic-Con wasn’t always the massive, almost-impossible-to-actually-get-into behemoth and media frenzy that it is today. No, when it started in 1970, it was truly a niche operation, attracting only 300 comic book devotees to the U.S. Grant Hotel. What would go on to become San Diego Comic-Con was called “Golden State Comic-Con,” and it’s a safe bet that no one expected it to become such a massive phenomenon.

It’s Not Just About Comics

Casual observers could be forgiven for assuming that Comic-Con is just about comic books. After all, it’s called Comic-Con, not “General Pop Culture Stew-Con.” But that name might actually be more accurate, since Comic-Con has exploded to include pretty much every form of pop culture under the sun. Movies used to be the primary focus, but in recent years this has shifted to TV, but really all aspects of pop culture are included, from anime to TV commercials to obscure science fiction movies.

It’s More Popular Than Ever

Ever since 2006, when Comic-Con had to temporarily suspend registration due to crowding, the organizers of the event have had to deal with the problem of too many people trying to get into it at once. In 2008, all the tickets to Comic-Con were sold out before the event even began, for the first time in the event’s history. And it has only continued to grow since then – if this keeps up, they might have to add a “Sort of Comic-Con” for spillover or something.

It’s Been In The Movies And On The TV

You know you’re on the map when Hollywood is setting movies around you – and Comic-Con is definitely on the map. It was the primary setting for the aptly-titled Comic Book: The Movie, and in episodes of TV shows like Entourage, Numb3rs, Beauty and the Geek, and Punk’d. Also, it’s been featured in at least one actual comic book: The Invincible Iron Man #72. File under “Is This Ironic?”

It’s Stuck In San Diego Until At Least 2015

Despite the aforementioned issues with crowding and whatnot, it appears that most of the parties involved are happy with the San Diego Convention Center as the home of Comic-Con, as it’s been since 1991. And it’s easy to see why the people of San Diego are willing and eager to accommodate such a giant spectacle: The San Diego Convention and Visitor’s Bureau has calculated the convention’s economic impact as $162.8 million a year.

It Was Robbed In 1979

Not much information on this incident is available online, but apparently the Comic-Con organization was robbed of a significant amount of money in 1979. Instead of closing up shop, they had to ask for donations from patrons in order to cover bills like rent and expenses. Nowadays, if something like that happened, they could probably just get a quick loan from George Lucas or something.

At Least One Attendee Has Made Good

It’s a safe assumption that many Comic-Con attendees of today have dreams of making it big. Money, caviar, gorgeous women, etc. And at least one lucky guest from the early years of the convention has made good on those dreams: Matt Groening, creator of the animated sitcom/merchandising bonanza The Simpsons is said to be one of the attendees of the convention in its early years, long before he found yellow animated stardom. See? It can happen!

Interesting thing about the current picture we have of the cast: Hill, Dujardin, and Reiner are all known for their work in comedic productions. This is leading some analysts to speculate that perhaps Scorsese has something a bit more lighthearted in mind than the movie’s subject matter might suggest at first – it’s about “a wheeling and dealing New York stockbroker who sees his career and personal life fall into shambles thanks to sex, drugs and alcohol.” Uh, hilarious? (The Playlist)

The clip of the news report has inevitably gone viral, as millions of people across cyberspace have taken time to laugh at those nutty Chinese news reporters who thought a sex toy was a mushroom. After learning of their mistake, the people at XATV (the station that first ran the report) issued a completely coherent apology and explanation for the mix-up:

“Caused the majority of users and open letter to the audience: you pro! The last night of a news everyone laughed. It has triggered a wide range of forwarding and comments. As our reporter was very young, worldly, this news brought to everyone the discomfort and misleading! Here, we sincerely thank you friends of our program, criticism and correction. Pro, please forgive us once negligence.”

Well, I’m glad that’s been cleared up. Now you have something to discuss over dinner with your family tonight, like why someone buried a Fleshlight in a rural Chinese village. (Warming Glow)

So just watch it, alright? I watched it, your 13-year-old niece watched it (49 times and counting), your weird coworkers are watching it right now. You don’t want to be left out, do you? There is a cultural conversation about vampires and werewolves and possibly-vampric-babies happening and you’re going to miss all of it if you DON’T WATCH THIS TRAILER RIGHT NOW!!!

It’s a bit technical, but here’s the gist: The traditional frame rate (“the number of images displayed by a projector within one second”) for film projection in the United States is 24 frames per second. But big 3D-enthused filmmakers like Jackson and James Cameron are trying to get higher frame rates off the ground with the reasoning that they’re better for 3D – with many viewers saying that it makes Middle Earth look fake and artificial. Jackson shot The Hobbit in 48 fps, and he wants as many movie theaters as possible to show it in that new format.

But whatever your opinion on frame rates – there’s a solid bottom line here: In order for theaters to show movies like The Hobbit in the new frame rate, they have to equip their digital projectors with new software, which requires time and money. So to show The Hobbit in full-on Hobbit-vision is going to cost theaters more than showing a normal movie.

No one knows exactly how the exhibitors will defray this cost, but you can bet at least part of it will end up as a ticket price increase. So at this point, it’s basically up to the audience – if they’re willing to pay for higher frame rates, this could really take off. If not, it could be the next Smell-O-Vision. (The Hollywood Reporter)

But don’t let anybody say that this is evidence of Chris Nolan taking this movie away from Zack Snyder. Here’s Nolan on what he expects his job as producer to be like:

“My big point of responsibility was helping shepherd David [Goyer]‘s script. When I’m finished with this I’ll be there for whatever Zack wants from me, but it’s very much his movie.”

In any case, this will be the first time Snyder has done a movie without his usual composer Tyler Bates, so this is definitely a new and different direction for Snyder. Now if you’ll excuse me — “BRAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHM.” (The Playlist)

The song is called “Fjögur piano,” and the video features LaBeouf and an unidentified female doing all kinds of weird artsy stuff together. And nakedness. And piano. The whole thing is very strange and (this probably goes without saying but I’m saying it anyway) NSFW, so by all means wait until you get home to watch it. Or, I dunno, invite your boss in to feast on the visual and aural poetry on display – your call. (The AV Club)

“It’s pretty much set to go, this fall. I think now Chloe [Grace Moretz] and Chris [Mintz-Plasse] are on board. I’m certainly set up to do it. Jeff Wadlow is to direct. Yeah, I think it’s going to happen.”

Evidently the director of the first movie, Matthew Vaughn, has moved on to bigger and brighter superhero franchises with X-Men: First Class. But Johnson has gone on to confirm that the sequel will retain the hard-R-rated violence that made the first movie so, uh, R-rated. Add to that a likely cameo from Nicolas Cage, and it looks like all the fans of the first Kick-Ass will be mighty pleased with Kick-Ass 2. (The Playlist)

Apparently, someone called 911 after finding Lohan unconscious and was unable to revive her. Paramedics arrived and somehow determined that there was nothing seriously wrong with her, and left without taking her to the hospital. Lohan is reportedly suffering from a simple case of exhaustion, which is easily explained by the reportedly extreme conditions of the Liz and Dick shoot. Sources say that Lohan had just gotten done with two straight sleep-free days of shooting – no wonder she’s exhausted.

Anyway, Lindsay was NOT hospitalized, contrary to earlier reports, and is apparently doing OK now. Hopefully she will get some sleep and pull herself out of this exhaustion. Or, barring that, do something more interesting to write about. But it’s Friday afternoon, what do you expect? (TMZ)

As some have already pointed out, the video game finding its big screen home at Paramount sort of makes sense, as they are the studio that’s been churning out movies based on thriller novelist Tom Clancy‘s famous character Jack Ryan since 1990. Clancy has relatively little to do with Splinter Cell, though, his involvement really only amounting to lending his name and endorsement to the franchise.

The Splinter Cell games do have a similar espionage subject matter to the Jack Ryan novels and films, so it’s possible that Paramount has a good movie on its hands. Splinter Cell certainly has the ingredients to make a somewhat “classier” movie than your average video game adaptation, so optimists have a reason to feel good about this one. (The Playlist)

But don’t let that make you think the coveted role of Osama Bin Laden has fallen into unworthy hands: In addition to the natural resemblance, Sekhon has reportedly lost more than 25 pounds to get his frame into the Bin Laden range of about 165 pounds. Interestingly, despite the recent report that Sekhon will be Bin Laden in the movie, he has reportedly already finished all his work on the film, but says he’s “on quite a big non-disclosure agreement” that keeps him from discussing his role further.

He’s joining a pretty impressive ensemble cast, which includes Chris Pratt, Kyle Chandler, Jessica Chastain, Mark Strong, and many more. I can’t wait to see how he pulls off the beard! (The Playlist)

What the photographer THOUGHT he was getting was a simple stop-and-chat with actor Benicio Del Toro. The actor had emerged from a restaurant in Los Angeles and was met with a barrage of questions about topics like Cuba’s statehood. In the background, a nondescript and plainly dressed man walks around awkwardly, clearly avoiding the camera but also clearly compelled to stick near Del Toro. It wasn’t until later that some eagle-eye discovered that the man was none other than Terrence Malick, the director of The Tree of Life (and other masterpieces) who makes it a point to almost never appear in public. Well, at least he didn’t have to answer any annoying questions! (Deadline)

Dujardin will be joining Leonardo DiCaprio, Jonah Hill, and Kyle Chandler as “a suave Swiss banker” who will handle launder money for the company owned by DiCaprio’s character, the titular “wolf of Wall Street.”

Some have commented on Dujardin’s limited grasp of English, and asked the question of whether or not this will be an impediment to his performance in the movie. I say, European accents are awesome, so why would you complain? Shooting on The Wolf of Wall Street begins sometime this summer. (The Playlist)

Just like its living counterpart, the prosthetic George W. Bush head has inspired some pretty passionate emotions, with some conservative groups calling for a boycott of HBO. The people at HBO has responded to these accusations of political bias in a statement: “We were deeply dismayed to see this and find it unacceptable, disrespectful and in very bad taste.”

David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, the actual people behind Game of Thrones had an even better explanation for putting George W. Bush’s decapitated head on a spike, saying that it wasn’t meant to be a political statement but instead was just a matter of using the means available to them:

“We use a lot of prosthetic body parts on the show: heads, arms, etc. We can’t afford to have these all made from scratch, especially in scenes where we need a lot of them, so we rent them in bulk.”

Despite this explanation, HBO has ordered all images of George W. Bush’s decapitated head removed from future copies of Game of Thrones on DVD, and presumably from future broadcasts. The former president has not been reached for comment. (The AV Club)

“I came really close, it was one of the most amazing screenplays I had ever ever seen. I was in the middle of ‘Men in Black 3‘ and [Tarantino] was ready to go, and I just couldn’t sit with him and get through the issues, so I didn’t want to hold him up. That thing’s going to be ridiculous. It is a genius screenplay.”

So Smith chalks up his declining to do the film to a scheduling conflict (and some undisclosed “issues” with the screenplay). We’ll probably never know if this was the REAL reason or if Smith is just being charitable, but at least now we can buy our tickets to Django Unchained secure in the knowledge that the screenplay has the Will Smith Stamp of Approval. I’ve seen movies for less. (The Playlist)

For those of you who haven’t committed the original Robocop to memory – first of all, what’s wrong with you? But also, the CEO of Omni Corp (the evil corporation of the movie) would appear to be an analogue to Ronny Cox’s character in the original movie. And if the remake goes in a similar direction, you can expect Laurie to be just one of many scoundrels who Robocop gets to blast into oblivion.

Assuming that Laurie and MGM reach an agreement, he’ll be joining a pretty impressive cast that includes Joel Kinnaman as Robocop, Abbie Cornish as Robocop’s wife, Samuel L. Jackson as some kind of media figure (media satire is a big part of the original movie), and Gary Oldman as the scientist who brings Robocop to life. (The AV Club)

“There is a whole generation of people who are unfamiliar with Merrick’s incredible story, having not been exposed to Lynch’s 1980 film. We’re confident that an interesting filmmaker can bring this compassionate story to a whole new audience. Merrick’s life is a testament to what the human spirit can endure and what life truly should be.”

Well, that sounds promising. No word yet on who that “interesting filmmaker” could be, or on casting. Who do you think would be good for the role of Joseph Merrick? Zac Efron? Chris Hemsworth, maybe? (The Playlist)

But never fear! You don’t even need a smartphone to have a good time thanks to Screen Junkies’ exclusive 2012 Comic-Con Bingo Card. Just put a mark on each space as you see these fantastic sights. That’s good for, like, hours of entertainment right there. Who needs comic books anyway?

The Jetsons

OK, just stay with me on this. The Jetsons might seem like a squeaky-clean depiction of the future, but think about it: Why are all the buildings so high up? It must be a seriously polluted wasteland down there. And that’s not the only thing that’s creepy about The Jetsons – you’ve also got technology having completely invaded the lives of humanity – meals, clothes, even art is prepared by computers instead of humans. Pretty creepy, right?

Blade Runner

A more traditional dystopian future can be found in Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner, which depicts a far-flung future Los Angeles where it’s always raining and giant billboards loom over everyone. There’s also the matter of humanlike rogue replicants running around causing mayhem, which is why the “Blade Runner” of the title (Harrison Ford) has to hunt them down and “retire” them. Would you want to live in a world where Harrison Ford is paid to kill Rutger Hauer?

Minority Report

Behold, a chilling vision of things to come!

Like Blade Runner, Minority Report is also based on a work by Phillip K. Dick, and the future is almost as scary – especially if you hate advertising. But even if you don’t, you might be bothered by the notion of “Precrime,” in which people are arrested and lobotomized for murders they would supposedly have committed, according to three “precogs” (who sometimes disagree on what the future holds, hence the “minority report“). When the precogs say that Tom Cruise, head of Precrime himself, is set to commit murder, he has to go on the run from his own people.

Jack Cates and Reggie Hammond, 48 Hrs.

It all began here. And by “it” I mean “the buddy cop genre,” not “Nick Nolte‘s gradual slide into insanity.” The basic premise here is that grizzled police detective Cates (Nick Nolte) has to team up with wisecracking small-time criminal Hammond (Eddie Murphy) to catch The Bad Guy. The crazy part of this duo comes from the fact that not only is Nick Nolte a really obvious racist, but he seems to hate most white people too. The perpetually apoplectic Nolte and the laid-back wise-ass Murphy are a match made in crazy cop heaven, if such a place exists.

Joe Friday and Pep Streebek, Dragnet

Dan Aykroyd is the fast-talking by-the-books police officer Joe Friday. Tom Hanks is the hilariously-named Pep Streebek, one of these new kind of cops who doesn’t keep his car clean. Together they fight over things like hair, wardrobe, and chilli dogs. But eventually they end up forming a friendship, and taking down the evil Christopher Plummer in the process. Hooray for crazy cop duos who eventually learn to respect each other and save the day!