Thanks to this weekend’s successful take, Paramount has granted the greenlight to a third G.I. Joe film. As of now, John M. Chu is not attached to direct nor are any of the sequel’s cast signed to return. However, offers will likely go out soon. What really remains to be discussed is which exciting locale will ninjas next clash? Maybe on the side of a large hovercraft that can float on lava?? I’d go see that. (Variety)

The studio is left with plans for a 3D re-release of the film, but even those plans are up in the air, as they feel public backlash in light of Tony Scott’s death could put the studio in a bad light.

That’s probably just Paramount being hypersensitive, but right or wrong, those are the studio’s feelings, and we have to respect them.

Unfortunately, this first look only shows Crowe glaring off-camera, and doesn’t feature the wingless demons (!) and giants (!!) that the film is also reported to feature. He’s probably looking over his shoulder at a Perfect Storm-style wave or two zebras doing it or Brownie Bites on the craft services table. We’ll have to wait a long time to find out. (via The Playlist)

Shut up. People DID say that. Lots of them.

And Paramount is going to give the people what they want. After the release of the Puzo-outlined The Family Corleone this week, it seems that Paramount and Puzo’s estate have reached a truce that has resulted in “an attraction to do a movie.” The novel focuses on the Corleone’s rise to power, but presumably not in the exact same way that Godfather Part II did.

Considering the original cast of 40 years ago is mostly dead or dying or Al Pacino, it’s unlikely that any amount of makeup could get these guys looking right for a prequel, so let’s all freak out by assuming it will be populated with Chace Crawford, Alex Pettyfer, and Mischa Barton.

Producer Lorenzo Di Bonaventura told MTV News that a new Transformers is on the way with Bay at the helm, “Michael’s going to direct it. It will be in the summer of 2014.”

This won’t be another sequel per se. It looks like plans will involve bringing in a new cast of underwear models to team with the robots to save Earth. “I think we really are going to do a reboot there,” Di Bonaventura said. “[But] what that’s going to be, we don’t even know yet…. We’ve got to get a story first.”

Ha. Seeing as the first three earned $2.6 billion without a story, I’m thinking that’s not a real priority.

“[Director Marc] Forster and Paramount Pictures each view World War Z as a trilogy that would have the grounded, gun-metal realism of, say, Damon’s Jason Bourne series tethered to the unsettling end-times vibe of AMC‘s The Walking Dead.“

So, like zombie parkour? I guess I’m into it.

Of course, this all depends on how the film does at the box office when it’s released at the end of this year. Many feel that the zombie trend is wearing out, but if so it’s dying a really slow death with upticks and booms in popularity. The success of The Walking Dead despite its redundancy and slow plotting is proof that the zombie soup hasn’t been completely pissed in yet. We’ll wait for The Asylum to release World War Zombies before making that call.

Paramount knows how badly Bay has been wanting to do his passion project, Pain and Gain. It’s all he’s talked about at press cycles for the past few years but Transformers commitments have prevented him from filming it. Now, he’s getting his wish. But there’s a price to pay and that price is Transformers 4. Vulture’s source warns that a deal hasn’t been made yet, but one is imminent and could be announced early next week.

What a relief. The character arcs and plots of the Transformers universe are far too rich to possibly be told over just three empty-plotted movies.

Legend3D CEO Rob Hummel said, “As I understand it, they are planning to release [Top Gun] in 3D in early 2012, though I know they want to get Tony Scott’s approval before they go forward.” I hope that this doesn’t move forward. A) Because we don’t need 3D versions of everything. If you want to make a 3D film, do that from the outset. B) I can’t handle losing Goose again. It was hard enough in 2D. (THR)

Paramount is actively trying to sign the Hills Have Eyes and Piranha 3D director to reanimate Stephen King‘s classic. It seems like a perfect marriage of talent and material. Should the deal work out, horror fans will have the rare pleasure of looking forward to an unnecessary remake knowing that Aja will bring something original and creepy to the film. So here’s hoping that a brand new generation have the opportunity to be mentally-scarred by Pet Sematary. (Twitch)

Real Life Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

No word yet on how they’ll approach the reboot. Hopefully, it’ll be with awesome, Jim Henson puppet head costumes again, but I’ve got a sinking feeling that Krang’s gonna zap them all into the CG / live action mix dimension, which is far more horrible than Dimension X. At least in Dimension X, they don’t have Smurfs. (Deadline)

Who will pen such a light-hearted family romp? The guy who wrote The Book of Eli, of course. If you can write for Denzel, you can definitely write for some dumb little kid who’s stuck with a bunch of aliens. That’s screenwriting 101, folks.

The source material for New Kid is an online comic published by Penny Arcade, which has found some success as a creator of blogs, videos games, and even a TV series. Now they’re gonna be movie producers. What a country! (THR)

All kidding aside, The Mighty really does look like a unique twist on the supehero movie, since it features a super-hero as the BAD guy, and a normal cop trying to shut him down. Here’s a plot synopsis:

“Welcome to the world of The Mighty! Alpha One – America’s first and only Super Hero – is supported by Section Omega, an entire police force devoted to assisting him in his quest for justice. Lt. Gabriel Cole has worked his way up the ranks of Section Omega and his connection to Alpha One reaches back to his own tragic childhood and an accident nobody could have survived. But when murder strikes at the top of the organization, the case falls into his lap, and he’ll begin to learn what being a hero is really all about!”

3 photosNew ‘Captain America’ Posters Are Patriotic And Heroic

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)

Meanwhile, you can also take part in the open audition for American Reunion, the latest American Pie movie. There are many returning cast members in this one, so you can chat on-set and in-person with Jason Biggs, Thomas Ian Nicholas and Mena Suvari. I know, better put on shades, cause the stars will be shining brightly where you’re going. Here’s a description of what Universal is looking for:

“Kara is the sweet girl next door you used to babysit… now she’s a senior in high school and a full blown hottie. We are looking for someone funny, smart and beautiful to be a part of this next installment of the American Pie franchise. [...] Upper frontal nudity is required.”

Upper frontal… but that would mean… the boob area. Nice.

If you’re actually seriously thinking about doing this, head to americanreunioncasting.com.

Paramount purchased the Scott Rosenberg (Con Air) spec script The Hauntrepreneur, and Michael Bay‘s horror production company Platinum Dunes will produce. The story centers around an unusual man who builds a haunted house for a troubled family, who aren’t adjusting well to their new neighborhood. A haunted house is a great way to bring the family together. It’s why so many family therapist vampires recommend them.

Platinum Dunes is in pre-production on McG‘s Ouija movie for Universal. (Hollywood Reporter)

Maybe that’s why Paramount is hiring Catfish documentarians Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman to direct Paranormal Activity 3. This will be the first narrative feature for the duo, so it’s a little odd that they’re giving them the keys to a highly anticipated franchise film. Eh, I guess documentaries and scripted movies are pretty much the same, especially if you fake a lot of stuff.

Oh, not only is this Joost and Schulman’s first narrative movie, but it has to be ready for theaters by October, and they don’t even have a finished script yet. Have fun, guys. (/Film)

Faris has been offered the lead female part in The Dictator: an organic food store owner who meets Cohen’s ruthless dictator as he wanders around New York City. Who better than a hot girl Cohen’s character totally likes to tell him that his dictator ideas might not be so cool? A handful of boobage helps the messages go down. That was the original lyric in Mary Poppins, but they changed it for some reason.

The Dictator will be directed by Larry Charles, and Paramount‘s film is looking to invade theaters May 11, 2012. (Deadline)

1. After the success of Star Trek, Paramount hired writer Hossein Amini to script a Jack Ryan movie for Chris Pine.

2. Paramount buys a spec script called Dubai and tells writer Adam Cozad to make that the Jack Ryan movie.

3. Unhappy with that take, Paramount hired Anthony Peckham to rewrite Cozad’s script.

4. Then writer Steve Zaillian was brought on, but quickly abandoned ship.

5. Project goes into limbo.

6. David Koepp gets 7-figures to rewrite Cozad’s script. Which of the hundreds of drafts lying around Paramount’s offices will be the starting point for Koepp’s version is anyone’s guess.

7. 40 more writers are hired and fired.

8. Eight years later, the screenwriting robot is finally complete and Robo-Writer 9000 electoni-pens the perfect rewrite in 4 minutes. None of the human writers get an on-screen credit.

Jack Bender (“Lost”) is attached to direct. That much has not changed… for now. (Deadline)

Anna Faris, Kristen Wiig and “Community” star Gillian Jacobs are all vying for the female lead. Wiig is doing so with awkward line readings and tiny plastic hands. However, Cohen and his producers are still looking around, so a three-way cat fight between them might be for naught. Well, you might be able to sell the DVD of the fight itself, at least.

Meanwhile, Jason Mantzoukas “The League“) is in negotiations to play the sidekick to Cohen’s lead. Apparently his ability to improvise, or “generate top-of-the-head make-’em-ups,” as theater people call it, is highly valued for this loosely scripted movie. The plot is described as “the heroic story of a dictator who risked his life to ensure that democracy would never come to the country he so lovingly oppressed.” I’m sure Paramount is just wondering how big the merchandising potential will be, and whether or not we see a penis swinging around on-screen, up close.

Larry Charles (Borat, Bruno), an important member of the Cohen Crew, returns to direct.

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)

Paramount would like Zemeckis to direct Flight, about an airline pilot named Whip Whitaker (the only profession you can have with that name is pilot), who saves a plane of passengers from crashing. He’s a hero, but the truth is that he was flying under the influence of drugs and alcohol, a dirty secret that now must be kept under wraps by Whitaker, the airline company and the pilot’s union. The moral: don’t drink and fly… Marty McFly… because, you see, Zemeckis directed Back To The Future, Back To The Future 2, and also… wait for it… Romancing The Stone.

The Flight script is by John Gatins. The plan is for production to take off later this summer. (Deadline)

So, set your Advent calendars appropriately, and remember to get your tickets ahead of time in case they sell out. And make sure you put in for personal time at your job if you need to. This is why they announce the release dates early, so you can start making arrangements! (Deadline)

Hader revealed that the script is finished and was written by his buddy Michael Bacall (Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, Fright Night).

“I just know the broad strokes. Michael just telling me, ‘I just wrote this scene where blah, blah, blah and I’m like, ‘Oh, that’s funny, man! It’s gonna be great.”

I still refuse to believe that this movie is actually happening. It’s an elaborate Punk’ding. I just know it. A) the character grew thin (not literally) before the credits rolled on Tropic Thunder. B) Tom Cruise isn’t going to spend four hours getting into a fat suit every morning for two months. C) Did we learn nothing from The Love Guru?

2. Large security guards.

3. Sleepy medicine. (See above clip.)

I’ve got to say, Chris Hemsworth‘s Thor is looking like a total jackass in the preview footage. Director Kenneth Branagh seems to be leaning more towards goofy than ass-kicking. Of course, these are minute long previews, so it’s hard to judge, but these clips aren’t getting me psyched. Neither are the lame posters. Is there a Norse God of Good Movie Marketing they can pray to before May 6th?

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 director is finally dusting off his sci-fi caper film, now with the clever name “untitled Moon project,” which has been lingering at Paramount after a jump from Dreamworks in 2007. After rewrites by top screenwriters like Simon Kinberg (Sherlock Holmes), and now that Liman’s All You Need Is Kill is getting killed for lack of momentum at Warner Bros, Liman is ready to round up actors for a good old fashioned space heist.

For the male lead, Limon’s met with Andrew Garfield, Emile Hirsch and Chris Pine. Of course, Chris Pine has spaceperience (space experience) as Star Trek‘s Captain Kirk, but I’m sure Spider-Man‘s been to space a bunch of times. No biggie. Jake Gyllenhaal used to be attached, but he ain’t no more.

Here’s the plot:

The story centers on a renegade group of former space employees, led by an Eastern European woman, who travel the world, stealing space equipment in an attempt to go back to the moon to acquire an energy source. The last item to steal — or in this case, kidnap — is an ex-NASA employee.

You’ve got to hand it to them – if you’re a criminal, what better place is there to escape to than the moon? It’s very unlikely the police will follow you in a squad rocket. Then again, how do you inconspicuously re-enter the earth’s atmosphere? (Hollywood Reporter)

Paramount, after holding rights to the sci-fi book series Dune for four years, saw their option lapse today as they were unable to to turn a book into a movie. There was even precedence with a 1984 feature adaptation flop. This does NOT bode well for the Daredevil reboot.

The failure to get the movie made didn’t appear to be for lack of effort on Paramount’s part. Their first-choice director, Peter Berg, dropped out to do Battleship (read: more money), and they thought they were tracking well with Taken helmer Pierre Morel and a script that was able to condense much of the rambling story. Alas, the studio had a hard time with the projected $100 million budget, and that seemed to be a dealbreaker.

However, should the party to which the rights reverted, Richard Rubinstein, decide to use Paramount’s script at some point, the studio might be able to get some of that pre-development cash back. Light a candle for lowly Paramount. (Deadline)