In addition to this lecture, we see some new footage of extreme outer space base-jumping, some extreme on Earth base-jumping, space ships falling out of the air, and Benedict Cumberbatch standing in a glass cell like Loki. Still no footage of the Hulk yet.

The app and these effects are free, but additional effects such as “Chopper Down”/”Tornado” and “Air Strike”/Firefight” are available for a small fee. More effects are on the way, like “Lens Flare,” “Spielberg,” “Annoying Viral Campaign,” and “Hire Greg Grunberg.” (THR)

With cameras set to roll, JJ Abrams has cast Peter Weller in an unspecified part. Since this is a JJ Abrams film, there are no details about who or what Weller will play. Will he reprise his Star Trek: Enterprise role of John Frederick Paxton, the racist that almost derailed the formation of the Federation? A hard-as-nails Star Fleet senior official who doesn’t cotton to the antics of Chris Pine‘s Kirk? Or maybe the spirit of a long-dead God that roams the galaxy in a vague, on-going mystery that makes us all ponder creation. Or maybe, JUST MAYBE, he’ll be a severely wounded ensign they are able to bring back with cybernetic implants. That last option should be old hat for him. (Variety)

Anyway, it’s not set in stone yet, but Del Toro has reportedly “met with Abrams but, in an effort to keep the role a secret, still doesn’t know exactly what it is.” Man, so this Abrams guy is like that with people he knows in real life too. Must be annoying. (Variety)

“I don’t know how you do an hour long show and don’t have some ongoing stuff,” Abrams said. “The fact is both of these shows, Alcatraz more than Person of Interest, definitely has overarching questions you can’t answer in one episode. I love that stuff. It’s one of the reasons I love Walking Dead, I can name 12 massive questions that I must have answered. I love that. I know that not everyone does and I think Person of Interest is definitely a more unserialized weekly crime show that does have threads that if you watch will reveal bigger, larger answers. There’s the mystery of the week thing but there’s also who are these guys who are working so well together? They’re not quite trusting each other. It’s really fun.”

Alcatraz requires flashbacks to show who the prisoners were back on “The Rock.” After producing the ultimate flashback show of all time, Lost, Abrams had no hesitation about using the same structure on a new show.

“There’s a flashback in Person of Interest also. I love flashbacks. There will often be flashbacks. For me it was a necessity of the show as opposed to feeling it’s borrowing an existing gimmick that Lost happened to use well. One of the awesome aspects of Alcatraz is the mystique of Alcatraz as the rock itself, what it was like 50 years ago down Broadway in the middle of these cells. What was it like to have these criminals behind these bars be out in that yard, to have the warden in that office? It would be crazy not to embrace that.”

The only Star Trek 2 update is that he’s still trying to make “a movie that’s worth people’s time.” On Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, Abrams confirmed there are four full IMAX sequences, like the Burj Khalifa sequence in the trailer.

In more surprising news, Abrams answered questions about last year’s failed show Undercovers. Abrams produced the married spy series and directed the pilot, and he blames only himself for the show’s failure.

“I do feel the problem with the show was I made bad choices. I wasn’t as respectful of the audience or the characters. I didn’t give people substance. The thing that’s fun about fluff is it needs to be contextualized. It needs to be fun and fluffy within something of meaning and it was kind of fluff on top of fluff as opposed to something more substantial. I wrote it into mediocrity and I feel guilty because I love the actors, I love the idea of the show, I love the idea of a couple who loves each other.”

Person of Interest premieres this fall on CBS.

Have A Quick Look At The ‘Super 8′ Alien In This New Viral Video

“It’s not your typical acting exercise at all, because you’re really the only person in this room with all these cameras in it. It was a very weird thing to offer up all this big emotion while . . . the rest of the people in the room are picking away at the craft services table. And you never really (sic) how it will turn out because it’s all left in the hands of the artists and animators who are putting your work together.

“The other part that was really memorable was that I saw a bunch of other (big name) actors who were doing the same thing in other studios . . . and there we were: In one-piece Danskins with our pot bellies and saggy asses hanging out.”

So, everyone on set eats craft service during motion capture shoots leaving the actor to do their own thing? In other news, Brett Ratner just hired Andy Serkis. (Montreal Gazette)

6 photosAmanda Michalka

Over the last few months, clips from a 1960′s secret military video were released to various websites. Now on the day of the film’s early release, those clips have been pieced together and feature the early scientific research into the film’s alien. Be advised that the video contains minor plot spoilers as well as a glimpse of the alien. If you want to see the film with fresh eyes, don’t watch the video. But please pour over my words and tell me if you see us sealing the deal tonight. I mean, c’mon. Bus rides and extra value meals add up, you know. (Yahoo)

Though speculation is that this poster wasn’t created by Struzan rather another artist adoptin the Master‘s style. Case in point, Kyle Chandler’s face. Does he have the mumps? Oh man, what if he gets the mumps in the movie and now it’s ruined for everyone. Damn your Easter Eggs, Abrams!!

Super 8 opens in theaters this Friday and will be available on VHS tape in the fall.  Check out the poster below and how to catch an early screening below that. (via IMP Awards)

PARAMOUNT AND TWITTER TEAM UP FOR FIRST-EVER ‘TWEET MOVIE SNEAK PREVIEW’ OF “SUPER 8” ON JUNE 9th

MOVIE FROM J.J. ABRAMS AND STEVEN SPIELBERG SET TO PLAY ON OVER 300 IMAX® AND OTHER SELECT PREMIUM SCREENS ACROSS THE COUNTRY ONE DAY AHEAD OF ITS NATIONWIDE RELEASE

HOLLYWOOD, CA (June 8, 2011) – Paramount Pictures and Twitter jointly announced today sneak preview showings of the movie SUPER 8 for 1-day only on Thursday, June 9th, in advance of the film’s scheduled nationwide release on Friday, June 10th. To promote the sneak previews, the companies have designated the hashtag #Super8Secret, which Paramount has also sponsored as a Promoted Trend, allowing Twitter’s global user base a direct link to buy tickets to the advanced previews. At select, participating theatres in the United States, Super 8 Sneak Preview moviegoers will be treated to a free popcorn (with a concession purchase) at each sneak preview show. Hosting movie sneak previews marks a first for Twitter. This promotion continues a key partnership between Paramount and Twitter on SUPER 8. The duo joined forces in March for the movie’s exclusive trailer premiere via Twitter, another exciting first for the site.

SUPER 8, from writer/director J.J. Abrams and producer Steven Spielberg, will open exclusively tomorrow, June 9th, on over 300 screens nationwide, featuring all 239 IMAX playdates in the U.S. and Canada.  Fans can go to www.Twitter.com/Super8Movie <http://www.Twitter.com/Super8Movie> and use #Super8Secret to share information about the movie with friends. To be among the first to see SUPER 8, visit www.Super8-Movie.com/Sneak <http://www.Super8-Movie.com/Sneak> for tickets and show times.

“With SUPER 8, J.J. and Steven have created a really fun and engaging movie for all ages,” said Rob Moore, Vice Chairman of Paramount Pictures. “We are excited to finally get it out into the marketplace and using this sneak preview promotion with Twitter to kick start the film’s release, is an unprecedented way to get people into theaters and talking about the movie.”

“Twitter is how we hear about new movies and share our tiny reviews before the credits finish rolling,” said Biz Stone, Twitter cofounder. “There are already millions of people talking about SUPER 8 on Twitter and Paramount gets that. Creating more excitement about the film with sneak previews and free popcorn is a smart way to make this film a global conversation even before it’s released.”

“Twitter has the incredible capability of spreading buzz in real-time, as well as fostering communal conversations that encapsulate large audiences in a matter of seconds. We believe these elements are key in promoting a movie like SUPER 8 that has such incredible playability and the potential for unlimited positive word of mouth,” said Amy Powell, Paramount’s Executive Vice President, Interactive Marketing Strategies & Film Production.

SUPER 8 is an Amblin Entertainment / Bad Robot production, directed by Abrams from his original script and produced by Steven Spielberg, Abrams and Bryan Burk.  The film stars Kyle Chandler, Elle Fanning, Joel Courtney, Gabriel Basso, Noah Emmerich, Ron Eldard, Riley Griffiths, Ryan Lee and Zach Mills. The movie takes place in the summer of 1979, where a group of friends in a small Ohio town witness a catastrophic train crash while making a super 8 movie and soon suspect that it was not an accident. Shortly after, unusual disappearances and inexplicable events begin to take place in town, and the local Deputy tries to uncover the truth – something more terrifying than any of them could have imagined.

For more information, go to www.Super8-Movie.com <http://www.Super8-Movie.com> .

Follow Super 8 on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/Super8Movie <http://www.Twitter.com/Super8Movie> .

#Super8Secret

The first clip shows off the chemistry between the child leads, Joel Courtney and Elle Fanning. It’s a pretty sweet scene though you do witness the birth of a future necrophiliac. And in the second clip, we see Kyle Chandler in a stylish G.I. Joe outfit and a surly attitude.

Anyway, help out this poor little lamb of a blockbuster film by J.J. Abrams and Steven Spielberg by putting the below clips in your eyeballs’ bellies. Then decide if you want to head out to theaters this weekend. Those guys could really use the support.


Super 8 Clip – Watch more Funny Videos


Super 8 Triage Clip – Watch more Funny Videos

New ‘Super 8′ Clip: Kids Are Afraid Of Guns And Monsters

Starring Elle Fanning, Kyle Chandler and AJ Michalka, Super 8 crashes into theaters June 10, 2011. (Cinema Blend)

Above is a new clip, featuring the children of Super 8 doing what they do best: running and screaming. They also have a car apparently, which is pretty badass. Below are two new pictures of the kids staring at something. What are they staring at? Nobody knows and no one will ever know. Or, y’know, we’ll all find out in June.

However, the most novel new thing in Super 8 Land is Paramount releasing an iPhone app that turns your phone into Super 8 camera emulator, where you can film old-seeming movies. Get it here. You have to pull down the projector in the app to watch the movie, which is the kind of adorable little detail that really pisses me off. Still, it’s free (for now) and will definitely keep you entertained for a few precious minutes. (Dread Central)

The poster below is the Japanese one-sheet for Super 8, directed by J.J. Abrams and produced by Steven Spielberg. There are a couple of touches that make their version just a bit weirder than ours, like what’s the deal with all the different lights? Are there gonna be multiple alien monsters, piloting different ships? Also, the lights and the placement of the kids kinda looks like a skull, and all that crazy alien writing is just messed up. Oh, that’s Japanese, the language of Japan? Never mind that last one, everybody.

The mystery train crashes into theaters June 10. (FirstShowing.net)

Man, Super 8 is reminding me of Goonies more and more. It’s about kids on an adventure, one of them’s a tubbo, it’s produced by Steven Spielberg, and now there’s an important map. I hope the monster turns out to be a giant Sloth.

Next clip airs tomorrow on Fox during “American Idol.”

Super 8‘ Kids” src=”http://www.screenjunkies.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/super-8-kids.jpg” alt=” width=”300″ height=”225″ />

So it is with this TV spot, which reminds me of those halcyon days when commercials didn’t feature iPhone apps, computer-manipulated talking babies, or dumb-looking guys in glasses. Watch it, and remember what it was like to watch commercials for movies in a simpler time.

The Paramount movie is set to be released this June, and follows a group of kids who witness a train crash while filming a zombie movie… and watch an alien escape from the wreckage. Man, look at the mix of wonder and terror in their eyes in the night picture. This looks like an 80s kids movie, and I mean that in the best way possible. If this were made as a more modern movie about children, all three of those kids would have smirks on their faces and giant laser guns. Kid power sucks. (Cinema Blend)

Breen and Schapker aren’t done coming up with weird stuff for Abrams and his production company Bad Robot, such as their crime drama comic “Pulp,” which is set to be published by DC Comics. Ladies writing movies about robots and crime comics? What would our forefathers think of this, other than being too distracted by swashbuckling robots with swords to care? (Deadline)

Well, an idea for a book. The actual writing will be done by Alive in Necropolis author Doug Dorst but the idea came from Abrams. Of course, the concept is being closely guarded and steeped in mystery. Intrepid fans can gather clues to the plot that won’t make a lick of sense by flipping quickly through the pages of the Super 8 novelization. If you flip fast enough, you could see the image of an eyeball and a house on fire. Which, of course, means that Greg Grunberg will handle the narration for the book-on-tape version. (New York Times)

The studio had a plan to reboot Tom Clancy hero Jack Ryan in an origin story film helmed by Jack Bender (“Lost”), with Pine as the lead, a part that’s been portrayed by Harrison Ford and Alec Baldwin – good company. Rather than adapt one of Clancy’s many novels, the studio wants someone to rewrite a spec screenplay that had nothing to do with Jack Ryan. The new plot involves young Jack Ryan escaping a deadly helicopter crash. Sounds helicopter-y, and by working the name “Jack Ryan” in there, serious cashola can be acquired by audiences who hate new things.

Many writers are being interviewed, and many more have already banged the script and were kicked out of script’s bed the next morning. Steve Zaillian (Clear and Present Danger) made a deal to do the job last month, but he backed out. Unfortunately for lovers of helicopter destruction cinema, without a solid script, production won’t move forward.

So even though Paramount was trying hard to get this project off the ground before Pine starred as Captain Kirk in the next Star Trek, it looks like the Enterprise is traveling a whole lo faster than the Red October, even though J.J. Abrams hasn’t officially signed on to direct the sequel yet. Paramount hopes that little detail won’t stop them from shooting this Fall and hitting their June 29, 2012 release date.

Damon Lindelof, Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci are are working on the Star Trek 2 script. (Deadline)

The Fox lot, which was constructed in an alternate universe where”Fringe” is a hit, ordered more episodes to fill the black hole that is Friday evenings. Though the last episode hit a ratings low point, the show has nailed down a key demographic: Fox entertainment chiefs. Kevin Reilly recently said, “It’s a fantastic show, and honestly I’d be heartbroken if it went away.” Too bad”Arrested Development” didn’t get the same kind of influential fan base. (Hollywood Reporter)

With J.J. Abrams up to his glasses in Super 8 post and promotions, it’s been a little quiet on the Star Trek 2 front. But now as he puts the finishing touches on his “I like you. Do you like me?” note to Spielberg, it looks like things are ramping up.

Chris Pine took to his Facebook page today to update fans that he’ll totally be slattherin’ some space-stank on his hangdown in this sequel.

“After a thousand questions regarding the Star Trek sequel I can finally sa I am holding the draft script in my hand.  I can also now tell you I have a love interest and it’s all looking very exciting. Sorry but I cant give you a date for filming yet, but you guys are going to love it!”

This raises questions from the fans. First, what does it feel like? This love, you speak of. Secondly, who will the love interest be? Someone we already know? Someone from the original series? A totally hot alien with extra boobs?? Or a totally hot alien with a cup-holder? Because that would be fantastic. (MTV)

In the new trailer for Super 8, someone with lightning fast reading skills or way too much time on his hands found a URL in the camera flicker at the very end. The URL is S8Editingroom.com and on the site are various movie clips you can watch. Not gonna spoil the content, but really, there’s not that much to spoil. I’m guessing the old school film countdown leader won’t play too significant a role in the narrative. There are probably more clips to come, cause of the empty film strip hooks on the rotator and “clip missing” screens. So, keep refreshing that website every single minute of your life for updates.

As the proud owner of a Dharma Initiative ID Card and a Slusho t-shirt, I wish I was more psyched about the new viral. This “old educational movie footage” feels a bit old hat after “Lost.” However, maybe this is the kickoff to a bigger promotion, which will lead to me getting another free t-shirt somehow. Then I’ll get excited about September 18, 1962 – I promise. (JoBlo)

This is the first movie poster I’ve seen that’s perfectly designed for Friday. On Friday, you’re bored at your desk, waiting to leave work, with your tilted head resting on your hand and arm, about to fall asleep. You come across this poster for director J.J. Abrams‘ Super 8, produced by Steven Spielberg, starring Elle Fanning, Kyle Chandler and Ron Eldard. You think, “why are the words oriented wrong?” Then your boss says you can go, you tilt your head back up the right way, and you think, “uh, wait, why is the landscape oriented wrong?” There’s a pause, and then you think, “oh, cool.”

You saw the trailer, now check out this mysterious poster for a film that’s clearly at the intersection of Abram Drive and Spielberg Blvd, near What All The Best 80′s Kids Movies Were Like Municipal Park. Speaking of nostalgia, that glowing water tower – do you suppose Yakko, Wakko and Dot are in there? I think the answer is almost certainly… “yes.”

Super 8 monster-stomps into theaters June 10th. Click the image for a slightly larger version. (Dread Central)

Then things go insane. It looks like this summer’s biggest hit without a doubt.

In the summer of 1979, a group of friends in a small Ohio town witness a catastrophic train crash while making super 8 movie and soon suspect that it was not an accident.  Shortly after, unusual disappearances and inexplicable events begin to take place in town, and the local Deputy tries to uncover the truth –  something more terrifying than any of them could have imagined.

There’s a rumor that says the official trailer will debut this weekend at Battle: Los Angeles. Then fanboys will get to examine the trailer for clues, examine those clues for clues, and examine their lives and whether they’re using them properly.

Produced by Steven Spielberg, and starring Elle Fanning, Amanda Michalka, and Kyle Chandler, Super 8 crashes into theaters June 10th. (Collider)

Showrunner Abrams (Lost, Fringe) already has a show on Fox, but he’s getting another one. I suppose already having a show on Fox didn’t stop Seth MacFarlane. Not in the slightest. Abrams’ new drama is “Alcatraz,” which centers around FBI agents looking for prisoners who escaped 30 years ago. My tip for those agents: check any and all hatches. Just a hunch.

“Alcatraz“ was picked up for 12 episodes. The cast includes Sam Neill, Sarah Jones and that lovable fried chicken restauranteur Jorge Garcia. (Collider)

On the program, Caviezel will play a CIA paramilitary who is believed to be dead. He’s employed by Michael Emerson‘s (presumably creepy) billionaire to fight violent crime in New York City. So he’ll likely just hang out at Jets games. It should also be noted that Caviezel will fight the crime before the crime actually happens. It’s like “Early Edition” with judo chops and swish pans. (Deadline)

Abrams’ new show is called “Person of Interest,” and it’s about a scientist and an ex-CIA hitman who try to stop crimes before they happen. In one of the episodes, I think they should try to prevent the murder of show writer Jonah Nolan (The Dark Knight), who is killed by an angry Philip K. Dick fan, incensed because the premise seems like a Minority Report rip-off. It’s a very Adaptation-y idea, but it’ll work. (Hollywood Reporter)