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)

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)

Both installments thus far have been critically acclaimed, so the question of where the series goes for the third installment is on the minds of fans. While the default sentiment is that the studio will continue the story of the characters introduced in the first and second episodes, many believe that in order to prevent stale, familiar characters, the studio may go to a prequel the third time out, shedding some light on the history of the family and their macabre hijinks. Paramount has slated the film for an October 21, 2011 release date. Just in time for Halloween. Duh.

Regardless of the direction the producers take the third Paranormal Activity, one thing’s certain: if you watch a DVD screener of this franchise, it will lock you in your house, no matter how powerful you are in Hollywood.