This is probably in an effort to vertically integrate and capture the licensing and toy rights for what they expect to be an animated blockbuster, but a funnier explanation would be that Jeffrey Katzenberg really enjoys combing their hair.

No release date has been announced, but expect something summer-y.

Campbell is in early discussions to direct a big-screen reboot of the 1980′s Lee Majors action series. The story centers on a stunt guy who is also a bounty hunter who hangs out with a nerd and a hot chick. GO PICTURE! The project has been in development since 2003 but now has Thor and X-Men: First Class writers Ashley Miller and Zack Stentz on scripting duties. Oh good. At least the script will be implausible and ridiculous. (Deadline)

The project hasn’t found a decent script yet, but that might change now that Peter Tolan, the creator of Rescue Me, has put together something that doesn’t take into account the TV show at all.

I like what I’m hearing. Go on, Peter:

“It’s not based on the show in any way, though there are a couple of winks at the show…I don’t know anything about the show. I didn’t watch it in preparation for writing this,” he said to the Matthew Aaron Podcast.

So, while no greenlight has been given, it sounds as though this might be the script. I wonder if Bruno Mars will do a version of the theme song.

Please God, no.

Watch A Trailer For 'Real Steel', The Boxing Robot Movie

Eminem is looking to return to feature films after the 2002 hit 8 Mile. However, a lot’s happened to the guy since then, and I’m sure he’s out of shape. The rapper will no doubt need to go through a training montage to get his movie acting-strength back to when he was a box office champ. If this all sounds like a boxing movie, then my attempt at making a parallel has been a complete success. *Confetti* (LA Times)

I may have said too much. Anyway, Steven Spielberg and DreamWorks partner Stacey Snider set-up the project in 2008 at DreamWorks (naturally), as a directing vehicle for Spielberg. However, Spielberg is too busy directing Lincoln and Executive Producing a whole bunch o’ stuff, which means they needed a new director. So, they called up Brett Ratner and asked if he had any more Rush Hour movies in the pipeline or X-Men movie projects he wanted to ruin. When Ratner said “no,” he got the job.

Screenwriter Jeff Nathanson wrote the adaptation for 39 Clues. Ratner and Nathanson also teamed up for the upcoming action-comedy Tower Heist, starring Ben Stiller. (Deadline)

So, in the spirit of all those words I just said, Warner Bros and DreamWorks decided to team up on one MLK movie, rather than make two separate biopics – presumably one for white people and one for black people. The new version will bring together DreamWorks, who acquired King’s life rights in 2009, with writer Kario Salem (“The Score”), who was scripting an MLK movie for Warner Bros. The studios agreed the film will be a 50/50 joint venture.

There are many producers, including Suzanne de Passe, Madison Jones, Sam Nappi, and the Kings Dexter, Bernice and Martin Luther III. (Hollywood Reporter)

The knee-jerk reaction to this news is to assume thatReal Steel is REAL-ly good (see what I did there?), but there is a second, more cynical, option: that this is all just publicity for the first Real Steel movie, designed to make people think the movie is actually better than it is. I have no idea if this is plausible, but I do remember reading about the fantastic test-screenings that The Green Hornet had, and that ended up being merely a sort-of-good movie. And besides, when have good test-screenings been a guarantee of success at the box office? But what do I know, I’m a grown man and I’ve never even seen a battling robot before. (Deadline)

The story is about a father and son who take a road trip to develop some pictures. Using a New York Times article as its jumping off point, the film is centered around the mad rush to the last lab capable of processing Kodachrome film. With the rise of digital cameras, it was impossible to keep these labs afloat. Therefore, the father and son characters had to make the pilgrimage or never be able to see their cherished pictures. This actually sounds like a touching story about the special bond that a father and son can spend making memories while on a mission to preserve memories. Sucks about all that driving though. Should’ve planned ahead, dickheads. (Deadline)

Whenever an animated family movie is marketed, they alway break the characters out into individual posters. Like, there’s a squirrel character who’s making a goofy face and underneath is the tag line, “he’s nuts.” This seems to be a very specific tactic for animated films. I didn’t see any Black Swan posters of just the mom with the tag line, “she’s ap-Parent-ly insane.”

Kung Fu Panda 2, starring Jack Black as Not Lemeul Gulliver, has released mercifully tag line free posters featuring a few new characters. There’s an evil peacock, a wolf who’s anxious to punt a football – and they’ll all be your new friends come May 26th. Or, failing that, they will all try not to annoy you too much with their zaniness, veiled pop culture references and fart jokes. (Collider)

The parade of Assange movies keeps on marchin’ with Dreamworks snatching up two books written by people close to the phenomenon. They scored both Inside WikiLeaks: My Time with Julian Assange at the World’s Most Dangerous Website, and WikiLeaks: Inside Julian Assange’s War on Secrecy. Why do they need two books to tell Assange’s story? They don’t. My guess is that they didn’t want anyone else to them.

Deadline seems to think that the film will take cues from not only the books, but lawsuit transcripts and other media as well, a l The Social Network. However, the one source they won’t have at their disposal is Assange’s memoir, which is currently being shopped by CAA.

Rather than have the myriad projects all compete against each other, why don’t the studios form a synergy and establish some off-month, like September and make it “Assange Month?” I mean, who wouldn’t wan to see nine Julian Assange features in one month?

Jayme Gordon, a cartoonist in Boston, claims he created Kung Fu Panda, and unlike a lot of crackpots who claim they came up with the idea for Inception 6 years ago on a drug trip and wrote it on a cocktail napkin, this guy seems to have some decent evidence. Apparently he even registered his Kung Fu-Doin’ Panda and martial arts animal pals in 2000 with the US Copyright Office. The first Kung Fu Panda movie was released in 2008. Here’s the Po-down:

- Title of the story he wrote: “Kung Fu Panda Power” (One too many words, if you ask me.)

- Gordon says he pitched the idea to former Disney chief Michael Eisner, Katzenberg’s old company, and gave him a ton of artwork.

- In Gordon’s story and artwork, there are kung f fighting red pandas, snakes, mantises and snow leopards, like in the movie.

- “The Five Fists of Fury” was the name of the group of kung-fu animals in Gordon’s story, whereas for the Dreamworks film, they used a very different name: “The Furious Five.”

- Both versions take place in a village of the same name, “The Valley of Peace.”

Gordon wants a ton of cash, an author credit, a percentage of the profits and noodles for life from Dreamworks and Paramount Pictures.

So far, it looks like Gordon’s case is as strong as Master Oogway, but some of these claims may turn out to be bogus. Also, there may be some groupthink involved here, since another screenwriter sued Dreamworks for stealing his idea for a kung fu panda movie last summer, and Wikipedia says the idea itself has been kicking around Dreamworks since 1993 in one form or another.

Kung Fu Panda 2: The Kaboom of Doom comes to theaters with that silly title May 26, 2011. (TheWrap)

The film will be produced by Steve Zaillian, who is keeping himself pretty busy as a writer with David Fincher‘s adaptation of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and a recently-announced Jack Ryan reboot. Meanwhile, Segel has been keeping busy with Bad Teacher, due out in June, and The Muppets, which he also co-wrote, coming out in November.

No word on whether Segel’s penis will be making another cameo in Undercover Cop, but insiders say not to rule it out. (THR)

The film was announced over a year ago with Leo DiCaprio originally on to voice Pine’s character, but things came undone, as they often do, and Pine was there to step in. Guillermo del Toro is executive producing, which should mean that there will be a fair number of children scarred by this film until they reach early adulthood. Peter Ramsey is helming the project, which is based on the children’s books by William Joyce.

It’s rare that movie is ambitious enough to tarnish the reputations of Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, and, to a lesser extent, the Tooth Fairy. Aim for the stars, Dreamworks! (Variety)

It looks like TimeCrimes will get an English-language redux, three years after the Spanish film grabbed a cult following at Sundance. It now appears that Dreamworks will revive a script written under the supervision of Stephen Zaillian, who had been on as producer during an earlier iteration of the English-language version. But the backstory doesn’t stop there, folks.

The befallen United Artists had originally commissioned the remake, but after going by the wayside, Dreamworks has stepped in with many of the old pieces intact, namely, Zaillian and the script. In fact, Zaillian will be handling the rewrite. Cue the end of the boring part of this story.

The story of TimeCrime is essentially: A man finds a girl in the woods. He follows her to a place where he gets zapped back in time one hour. A bunch of stuff then happens, but none of it is suitable to tell, because it’s all part of the surprise, or at least so says the internet, which I always believe. While the concept sounds gimmicky, Spanish cinema has proven to be quite adept at spinning convoluted stories into something great, so let’s go ahead and get cautiously optimistic. With an emphasis on “cautiously,” as no one is attached and no timeline for development is given. At the very least, they’re working with a title that’s pretty fun to say. (/Film)

Johnson also said we can expect the sequel to be “bigger” than the original. It will be curious to see exactly how Dreamworks makes a three-dimensional movie about flying dragons “bigger.” Maybe they’re going to get Zach Galifianakis or Betty White to be in it. Or maybe Dreamworks has found a new dimension that we don’t know about and they’ll be filming the sequel in that. He let on that we can expect to see new characters in the sequel, so they won’t be staying ENTIRELY in the established universe, but I wouldn’t expect too much new ground to be broken beyond that.

Johnson also spoke to the HTTYD TV series, which is pegged to arrive on Cartoon Network in 2012. He said that the TV series will keep the tone of the original film, which he said was “darker” and “dramatic.” Expect to see lots of divorced dragons with alcohol problems who never get to see their kids.

Appearing in a slew of upcoming films that range from “meh” to “yeah, okay maybe,” Alex Pettyfer is rising through the ranks. And Dreamworks is aiming to really get his name out there with the biopic Shunt.

In the film, Pettyfer will harness the combined powers on Paul Walker and Hayden Christensen to ooze the charisma all over theater-goers. Shunt follows real-life Formula One racer James Hunt as he popularized the sport in the late ’70′s and banged some hot women. Sounds like it could be fun because, y’know, race cars… but I can’t get passed the name “Shunt.” Sounds like what you’d call the world’s messiest shart. (Deadline)

Eminem a.k.a. Slim Shady a.k.a. Marshall Mathers is stepping into the ring with “Sons of Anarchy” creator Kurt Sutter for new boxing drama, “Southpaw.” Dreamworks bought the pitch in the room, and not just because the rapper stared at them intimidatingly. Deadline has the deets:

Like in Eminem‘s 2002 screen starring debut 8 Mile, Southpaw will be fueled by the struggles that inform Eminem’s music and mirror his life. Eminem will play a fast-rising welterweight boxer who brawls his way to the title, only to see his world crash down around him due to tragedy. The movie is about his fight to reclaim past glory.

Hmmmm, seems an awful lot like The Fighter, but I have complete confidence in Sutter, who also wrote for “The Shield,” one of the best dramas of all time and if you disagree with me I’ll cut you. He’ll begin writing immediately so he can complete a draft of the script before he gets back together in February with his “SOA” team. Eminem should take this time to hit the gym and dye his hair back the platinum blond to achieve ultimate Ivan Drago-ness.

Dreamworks Animation has released the first five minutes of their upcoming film Megamind starring Will Ferrell, Brad Pitt, Tina Fey, and Jonah Hill. The trailers seemed a little too The Incredibles-y to me, but this new footage has peaked my interest. Just the fact that Brad Pitt and not Steve Carell is voicing the film’s hero, Metro Man, is intriguing. Carell must have been busy on one of his fifty-thousand other projects.

Check out the prologue (which autoplays) after the jump…

(/Film)

^{This game looks great.}

The road to a Halo movie adaptation has certainly been a bumpy one. Originally, Universal and Fox split the rights and Peter Jackson was brought in. But then Jackson wanted too much money and Universal was all like, "F*ck you!" And then Jackson was all like, "No. F*ck you!!" Then he walked, effectively killing the project.

Now Dreamworks is stepping in to try to make a film adaptation of the Halo BOOKS and not the game, so that Universal can’t turn around and be all like, "F*ck you!!!" Sounds like a solid plan, except that someone in Hollywood had to own up to knowing that Halo books exist. Nuuuuurrrdddd!!!!!

At any rate, Microsoft has not agreed to hand over their prize pig just yet, so we’ll have to see how this plays out. If it doesn’t fail, they should just film the hot girl in the picture above while she plays Halo. Or I guess as she reads the Halo books, so that Universal doesn’t step in. I’d still watch that. I’d even buy the novelization of the movie about her reading the books. Actually sounds like a lot of work. I’m gonna go play videogames now. (NY Mag)

Guillermo del Toro has inked a deal with DreamWorks for his first animated film: Trollhunters. Based on a children’s book authored by del Toro himself, the story will be geared toward kids (duh) and will focus on…wait for it…trolls!

"I wanted very much to develop a story that could be written for kids but dealt with a genre that was scary," he tells the Heat Vision Blog. "It essentially combines fairy tales with modern times and is about how difficult it is to be a kid. Normally, kids are idealized in animated films. But the growing pains, married with the notion that there is a world right next to us that is completely plagued by creatures of ancient lore, it’s thematically fitting with the rest of my stuff."

No word yet on whether these trolls will deny the holocaust and claim Obama is a secret Muslim Homojew, or if they’ll just stick to living under bridges and eating bones. (Heat Vision via Empire)

Spielberg, who initially passed on the film in favor of his current film, War Horse, is reportedly considering Robopocalypse as his next project. The story by Daniel H. Wilson chronicles man’s fight for survival as robots turn on their former masters and humanity’s chickens come home to roost. If I were you, I’d unplug my Roomba right now and throw it off a bridge. (Vulture via First Showing)

A new comedy titled Reply All was pitched around town this week with Zach Galifianakis attached to star. Dreamworks heard that and snatched it up immediately. There’s no logline yet, but it’s got Zach and that’s all that matters for big box office.

Still though, what could this thing be about? Judging by the title, I’m worried. It sounds like a crappy romantic comedy where Kristin Bell and Javier Bardem hate one another because of an email that was sent to the wrong recipients, but then they decide they love one another because he’s a straight-talking repairman with a hidden talent for painting and she’s a magazine editor. If television and movies have taught me anything, magazine editors always end up with straight-talking repairmen with a hidden talent for painting. It’s science. (Deadline)

Steve Carell was Raised By Wolfs, which explains why his new film misspells "wolves" in the title.

DreamWorks Studios is teaming with Carell’s Carousel Productions to back the project, which is still in the "pitch" stage. While the exact plot of the Les Firestein comedy in unknown, I think it’s safe to say it involves Carell’s character being raised by America’s favorite AHL hockey team, the Chicago Wolves (two time Calder Cup winners). (Latino Review)

Dreamworks’ has released a four minute trailer for its new animated feature, Megamind.

The film tells the story of an evil supervillain (Megamind) who is forced to deal with the consequences of his actions once his evil quest for power is finally realized. Luckily for Dreamworks, the trailer looks a lot funnier than what I just described.

Featuring the voices of Will Ferrell, Tina Fey, David Cross, and Brad Pitt, the film hits theaters December 3^rd.

Watch the Megamind mega-trailer after the jump…

Megamind: Comic Con Footage – Watch more Movie Trailers

_{Stroke humor in its purest form.}

Dreamworks has released a full length trailer for their new animated film Megamind. It wants so very badly to be The Incredibles, but without the voice talent of Coach, a.k.a Craig T. Nelson, it’s pretty much S.O.L. They could have at least tried for Jerry Van Dyke.

The trailer plays out more like a teaser that pimps the voices of Will Ferrell, Brad Pitt, Tina Fey, and Jonah Hill. I had to read the film’s official synopsis to get a firm grasp of the plot, and the major turning point isn’t even revealed in the trailer. Also, can we please put a cap on how many animated movies an actor can lend their voice to? Brad Pitt was a good get, but Jonah’s shuffled up to the microphone in his P.J.s far too many times recently.

Check out the trailer after the jump, and the synopsis so you can fill in the blanks. Megamind takes over theaters November 5, 2010.

Megamind trailer – Watch more Movie Trailers

From the studio that brought you “Shrek,” “Madagascar” and “Kung Fu Panda.” “Megamind” is the most brilliant supervillain the world has ever known. And the least successful. Over the years, he has tried to conquer Metro City in every imaginable way. Each attempt, a colossal failure thanks to the caped superhero known as “Metro Man,” an invincible hero until the da Megamind actually kills him in the throes of one of his botched evil plans. Suddenly, Megamind has no purpose. A supervillain without a superhero. He realizes that achieving his life’s ambition is the worst thing that ever happened to him.  Megamind decides that the only way out of his rut is to create a new hero opponent called “Titan”, who promises to be bigger, better and stronger than Metro Man ever was. Pretty quickly Titan starts to think it’s much more fun to be a villain than a good guy . Except Titan doesn’t just want to rule the world, he wants to destroy it.  Now, Megamind must decide: can he defeat his own diabolical creation? Can the world’s smartest man make the smart decision for once?  Can the evil genius become the unlikely hero of his own story?

^{"F*ck it."}

Residents of the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn should be prepared to see Kung Fu Panda: The Kaboom of Doom popping up on their Netflix Local Favorites. It’s been revealed that Charlie Kaufman was brought in to fix up the animated flick’s script. That’s right. The man who wrote Adaptation also took a gig on a movie about a kung fu kicking panda. If you listen closely, you can hear Robert McKee laughing his nuts off.

It’s not uncommon for several writers to pitch in on a studio film and remain uncredited. Especially an animated one. Kaufman is reported to have only polished the material, so it’s doubtful we’ll notice his handiwork. But keep an eye out for uncharacteristically cerebal fart jokes when the movie opens in June of 2011. (THR)

Sam Worthington will add "wearing a hat" to his growing repertoire. In addition to roles in Dan Dare: Pilot Of the Future, Dracula Year Zero, and The Fields, he is now attached to star as literary adventurer and Indiana Jones inspiration, Allan Quatermain. But don’t worry. Dreamworks can sense you yawning at that news and that’s why the classic hero will be given a sci-fi makeover. For the new non-stuffy Quatermain, Worthington will return from space to an abandoned Earth for an epic treasure hunt.

When reached for fictional comment, star and producer Sam Worthington had this to say, "I’d like to really master the hat-wearing aspect of this character. This will require loads of practice. I’ll wear all types of hats to acclimate my scalp to the process. I’m actually beginning training with a hat-wearing coach next week. This guy that Jim [Cameron] recommended. Seems like a good bloke." (THR)

We’re a step closer to seeing a 270-ft Helena Bonham Carter stomping her way through downtown Tokyo. Tim Burton is reportedly going kaiju with the news that he’s being brought in as a "creative catalyst" for a movie based on the nerdy board game Monsterpocalypse. The game, for those of you who have touched boobs, features giant monster figurines that fight in a heavily-populated metropolis.

I’m not sure how a creative catalyst works. Do they all just hang out and being around him somehow gets their juices going? Do they have to lick him like a hallucinogenic toad? I bet he tastes like candy corn. (Deadline)

^{Spielberg brings his "A" game to every project. Even upskirt videos.}

A press release from The Discovery Channel announced they are working with Steven Spielberg and Dreamworks Television to develop a new mini-series titled, "Future Earth". In a similar vain as "Planet Earth" and "Life", the series will examine the world of the future to show us how Earth is expected to evolve over the next  25, 50, and 100 years. Spielberg will personally oversee the project. It’s yet to be determined if the impending robot uprising will be factored in.

"We’re quite excited to bring our brand of sassy yet dead-in-the-eyes character animation to this revolutionary project," said Jeffrey Katzenberg, Chief Executive Officer of Dreamworks Animation.

Although the future may bring prosperous advances to the worlds of technology and medicine, one area that will suffer is fashion. According to leading futurists, hammer pants are expected to make a huge comeback. Weird, I know. (The Futon Critic)