Are the filmmakers allowed to keep any money they make off a rip-off so blatant?

Cast: Denzel Washington, Ryan Reynolds, Robert Patrick

Synopsis: A young CIA agent is tasked with looking after a fugitive in a safe house. But when the safe house is attacked, he finds himself on the run with his charge.

Release Date: February 10, 2012

First, there was The Green Lantern. Reynold’s third foray into the comic book movie genre and his biggest role to date. Unlike Thor, which was released a few weeks before, Lantern was not a runaway hit. Poor reviews and bad marketing sealed this film’s fate and it didn’t not earn back its $200 million budget. Then there was The Change-Up. Which also suffered from lame marketing that didn’t highlight the film’s strengths. Reynolds co-starred with Jason Bateman in the gross-out comedy about people getting pooped on. Which is exactly what happened to The Change-Up at the box office, earning only $34 million dollars in three weeks of release like some kind of jerk.

So what’s next for Reynolds after back-to-back summer bombs? The SJ Detectives did a little digging to find out what Reynolds has been up to over the last four days since the summer movie season ended.

Sadly, Reynolds is taking the news pretty hard and has sank into a deep depression. He’ taken to sleeping in the coffin used to film Buried and has grown a beard — a style he has only worn in darker films like The Amityville Horror and Blade: Trinity. He’s also been spotted hanging around the campus where Van Wilder was filmed, attempting to ingratiate himself to the incoming freshmen with the promise of showing them the way to a laid-back, college existence. Perhaps not surprisingly, Kal Penn has also been seen hanging around. At last report, Campus Public Safety had placed a boot on his golf cart.

People Magazine reports that he’s been seen stopping by Sandra Bullock‘s house unexpectedly. Though gossips are speculating a romance between the now single former co-stars, this is clearly a case of one friend supporting and counseling another. Reynolds has had it rough recently and Bullock knows all too well what it feels like to be publicly embarrassed. Lest we forget what Bullock suffered? That’s right. I refer of course to the double whallup of Speed 2: Cruise Control and Hope Floats.

What Reynolds needs to remember is that it’s not his fault. He’s an actor. He did his part by reading the lines and being polite to Kathie Lee and Hoda. Despite the public reaction, word of mouth is that he was very funny in The Change-Up and his head did a wonderful job as the Lantern. What he needs now is a more lighthearted romantic comedy to ease him back into the audience’s good graces.  Then he can move back into action movies. Then a tense hospital/legal drama. This method has worked for Matthew McConaughey for years. And if he can achieve a hit without calling upon Kate Hudson, he truly is a master.

Until that time, he’ll have to be content with being in the physical prime of his life, driving his awesome motorcycle around, getting occasional modeling work, and dating insanely hot women. It will be tough. But he’ll pull through.

Tyler Perry (shudder) will be answering to John C. McGinley in the latest adaptation of James Patterson’s Alex Cross in I, Alex Cross. McGinley’s character is described as “ambitious” and “vigorous.” “Vigorous,” eh? It’s not stipulated in the article, but one can safely assume that this character hates Zach Braff as well. (Variety)

And Gangster Squad’s Josh Brolin will be married to a hot redhead in Mireille Enos (The Killing). Mireille has garnered a bit of heat, having also signed on for World War Z recently. More than a wife in Gangster Squad, she will also work with Brolin in assembling his police squad as she fears for his life. Yay, terrified wife!

Dave (Jason Bateman) and Mitch (Ryan Reynolds) switch bodies thanks to a magic fountain. At least the film has the decency to acknowledge that it doesn’t really matter what caused the body swapping. They pee in a fountain, the lights black out, they wake up as each other. Boom.

Exclusive: 'Change-Up' Red-Band Trailer Gets A Little Randy

It’s funnier to see Bateman and Reynolds play each other’s personas than their own. Maybe they should really switch. The script is not what I’d call inspired though. Dave and Mitch do a lot of babbling. Their dialogue is not clever, but they say it so fast the audience thinks they’ve heard jokes. To their credit, that’s probably the actors’ improv and it’s probably an improvement over what was actually written.

6 photosLeslie Mann

Dave’s wife Jamie (Leslie Mann) is legitimately upset by these shenanigans. She’s trying to keep her family together, making her the perfect straight woman. If only she had some good comedy to which she could react.

Mitch and Dave learn about themselves by taking each other’s perspectives. Mitch gets to hear his dad (Alan Arkin) say something nice about him, because dad can only say it to Dave. Dave sees what a bad husband he’s been because Jamie can only confide in Mitch. Mitch experiences a child’s love. Awww.

Oh, Dave is also working on a major deal for his promotion, which is the generic job Mitch has to learn how to do when they switch bodies. I mean, it’s not as horrifying as 17 Again, also starring Mann and another recent take on the ‘80s high concept. That was all about a guy wishing he hadn’t abandoned the teenage girl he knocked up, and it had Thomas Lennon peacocking. So go see The Change-Up for a body swapping comedy that’s more focused on poop and butt hole jokes.

The film will be directed by Robert Schwentke, which is a name so awesome it makes me want to chuck an orphan off an overpass. It’s based on a comic book series of the same name, written by Peter Lenkov.

Bacon has played a lot of roles in his day (Flatliner, Tremor-killer, Sleeper-raper), but he’ll always be The Woodsman to me. (Variety)

7 photosOlivia Wilde

This trailer also sheds a little more light on how the Jason Bateman/Ryan Reynolds body/mind transfer unfolds, and I don’t think I’m spoiling anything by revealing that wacky mishaps abound. Reynolds has difficulty immediately adjusting to married life! Jason Bateman must revert to bachelorhood! Only with this red-band trailer, the producers are able to get a little more…detailed.

Also, we learn that Bateman’s wife (Leslie Mann’s character) has a bald spot on her vagina. I have no reason to believe that was drawn from reality, but it’s fun to pretend it is, if only for a minute.

6 photosElsa Pataky

What are you doing for Memorial Day? Not this past one, or the next one, but the one after that? Judging be the box office take of the most recent Fast Five, there’s a good chance you’ll be in or near a theater on Ma 24, 2013, when the crew comes back to race cars and shoot guns in some sort of context for Fast & Furious 6.

The entire crew will be back in force for the third installment of the new “trilogy” that has been overseen by no less than Vin Diesel himself in a producer capacity.

The good news is that after you enjoy chases between hover-cars or whatever the hell else exists in the distant future of 2013, you will have a full month to pick your jaw up off the floor for Ryan Reynolds and Jeff Bridges‘ R.I.P.D., which will hit theaters June 28, 2013.

It works out really well because you’ll be able to take Mom to a Fast & Furious 6 as a late Mother’s Day present, then Dad to R.I.P.D. Thanks, Universal, for making my 2013 shopping so easy.

The film opens with an explanation of the guardians and will power constructs. There’s still no other way to explain this crazy mythology than flat out exposition. A little more is explained as Hal Jordan (Ryan Reynolds) trains on Oa so he’s ready to fight the Parallax, a creature using fear as its power source.

New ‘Green Lantern’ Trailer Lays It All Out For You

The will power constructs are intricate and clever. That’s really the victory of creative screenwriting, to say “instead of just green energy blasts, what temporary devices could we use to have this guy beat that guy?” Even constructs as simple as swords are meaningful as an homage to the classical duel.

A thrilling air sequence spells out Hal’s personality. His rogue tactics are cool in a training exercise, since it’s hypothetical. Wouldn’t be so cool if real lives were at risk. It spells out all the conflicts between fearless Hal and by the books Carol Ferris (Blake Lively), but it’s a fun Bruckheimer style Top Gun sequence.

It’s simple fun. That’s okay, but we do like our superheroes to have a little metaphor. Jordan ultimately gets to the value of admitting fear, but it really stays on the surface of the whole will vs. fear debate. Maybe in the sequel. It’s more fun than Thor, because the constructs are just more fun to watch than big dudes hitting each other.

8 photosBlake Lively

I was worried that Green Lantern would be inaccessible since it’s all in space with aliens. If anything, the movie spends too much time on earth. There’s not much epic space battle at all. The rescues and battles on earth are fine but the “character” scenes sort of force contrived human moments in there. They want to have fun with the powers and be romantic, but it feels like screenplay template.

Maybe the biggest component that’s missing is that earth really has no say in this. Hal decides whether or not to join the guardians and the guardians debate sacrificing earth to Parallax, but earth never speaks up. Earth doesn’t even know what’s going on? They see a few disasters but that’s just a reaction shot while other forces control the plot of the film. Hal doesn’t even get to experience the superhero phenomenon, since nobody he rescues really comments on it.

So Green Lantern doesn’t make me a comic book fan, but as a “superhero saves the world” movie, it’s fun. Sinestro (Mark Strong) brings it, lending gravitas to the formula. Hector (Peter Sarsgaard) is the typical mad scientist with new power, but Sarsgaard makes him really weird and uncomfortable to watch. The film is a mixed bag, but the joyful spectacle wins out.

4 photosNew ‘Green Lantern’ Posters: Alien Freaks Striking Poses

6 photosCandace Bailey

At first, I wasn’t so hot on the Green Lantern, but the recent trailers and this clip have me getting kinda amped for it. Yes, it does look a bit like The Mask, but this clip could be far sillier than it is. All in all, it looks like a fun summer spectacle. Starring Duncan, Blake Lively, Mark Strong, Peter Sarsgaard, and Ryan Reynolds‘ head, Green Lantern opens in theaters June 17th. (Superhero Hype)

Beyond that, this trailer is pretty similar to the one from before. But don’t dismiss it entirely. Let it serve as another reminder that you should never make wishes in front of unfamiliar statues. Because they might grant them. And then you might inherit your friend’s body and life, neither of which are as good as Ryan Reynolds‘. I promise you.

Anyway, the trailer is pretty cool, definitely an improvement over the last one. I’m actually pretty excited about Green Lantern now. Who knew?

Galifianakis left the project over concerns that Reynolds couldn’t make the schedule due to a possible Green Lantern 2 conflict. Reynolds has apparently ironed out the wrinkles and is on board now, however.

R.I.P.D. is a comic book adaptation that focuses on a police force comprised solely of undead officers, serving out heaping portions of justice, zombie-style. Despite the macabre subject matter, it’s a comedy, albeit a darker one, possibly in the vein of Army of Darkness. If Bridges jumps aboard, it could mark a commercial trend for the actor, who is currently filming The Seventh Son. It’s never too late to become a box office draw. Just ask the ghost of George Burns. (Deadline)

Here are the new posters for Green Lantern, which show the Green Lantern Corps in action-tastic stances. It looks like Chicken Fish, aka Tomar-Re (Geoffrey Rush) is gonna lob some green power right at ya, catapult style. You’ve also got Sinestro (Mark Strong) scowling mightily, probably because he had a bad day at the fantasy tanning salon. Kilowog’s (Michael Clarke Duncan) strategy is to distract you with his face while he punches you in yours. Hal Jordan is rolling his eyes while powering up, as if to say,”I am way too powerful to be posing for this poster.”

If you haven’t seen the new TV spot, you can check that out here. Or just wait until these aliens strike poses in your local theater on June 17, 2011. (Facebook)

She’s joining Denzel Washington, Brendan Gleeson, Sam Shepard, Robert Patrick and Liam Cunningham in the Daniel Espinosa-directed movie. She did a pretty good job playing a kind-of-similar character in Source Code, and has made a bit of a niche for herself playing professional, attractive women in thrillers like The Departed. So, good casting, Hollywood casting people! This is why they pay you the big bucks. (Deadline)

Looks like Warner Bros has hit a wall. They want to keep releasing preview stills for their upcoming Green Lantern, but they don’t want to spoil too much. So now they’re releasing high quality version of images we saw in the trailer. That’s fine by me – I can’t get enough of Chicken Fish McGee, even in marketing reruns.

In frame one, Hal Jordan is imagi-ring-ing a machine gun slash acceptable nightlight. In the second photo, Ryan Reynolds admits to Tomar-Re (Geoffrey Rush) that he’s reluctant about joining the puffy chest club. Finally, in still three, it’s Green Lantern Corps party and the green gang’s all here, but Reynolds has a long face. Maybe he just got text-dumped by his girlfriend cause he’s spending so much time on planet Oa now. She never sees him anymore.

Green Lantern lands in theaters June 17th, 2011 – hopefully with more than just the footage from the WonderCon trailer. (Cinema Blend)

How do I know hilarity ensues? I don’t, but it’s an educated guess. The film is directed by the helmer of Wedding Crashers and written by The Hangover guys. Call it a hunch.

We’ve also got a poster for you. It would appear that both men are having threesomes, only Jason Bateman‘s is with babies. Pretty edgy stuff.

The deep voiced actor is in talks to voice Kilowog in the Warner Bros take on DC Comics‘ Green Lantern. He would join Ryan Reynolds in just one of his many, many superhero roles, and Geoffrey Rush as Tomar-Re, aka Fishy McBirdo.

Kilowog is like an intergalactic drill sergeant for newbie green lanterns, who looks like a pig that was placed in the microwave as a prank. Between him and Tomar-Re, I think I understand how the Green Lantern Corps work: they frighten intergalactic criminals with their intense ugliness. Still, Duncan is a terrific actor with a smooth voice, so at least Kilowog will have that going for him.

Currently in post-production, Green Lantern is looking to land in theaters June 17, 2011. (Hollywood Reporter)

Aaaand I’m sick of doing GLDES jokes. Anyway, these photos are pretty standard superhero material, but I guess they look pretty cool. I would have preferred some pictures of him actually using the ring, but I’m also glad they appear to be keeping some of that stuff a surprise. (The Latino Review)

Apparently not. It looks to be a matter of scheduling. The two major hold-ups are Galifianakis’ commitments to “Bored To Death” and the fact that Ryan Reynolds could be pulled at any moment to film a Green Lantern sequel. He could be in the shower, he could be working out, or visiting family in Canada. This poor guy just never knows when he’ll be forced to play the Green Lantern again.

Though if the trailer is any indication, it’s highly unlikely he’ll be called upon for a Green Lantern sequel. We’ll probably see a Green Hornet sequel before we see another Green Lantern. (Deadline)

“That’s a whole other conversation. That’s a whole business model and nothing to do with me at all. No one has ever approached me about doing a ‘Justice League’ movie. We’ll see if they do it in the long run.”

This is consistent with Zack Snyder‘s saying his Superman is also a separate entity from the upcoming Justice League movie. I think this is a bad decision though – isn’t the fun of any Justice League project seeing your favorite super-heroes together in one team? By populating a 2013 Justice League movie with no-name faceless actors, you’re neutralizing one of the biggest appeals of the movie. But what do I know? I thought League of Extraordinary Gentlemen was an OK movie.

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I always thought Green Lantern would be a tough one to do as a film, because you’re not just talking about a guy getting superpowers. You’re talking about aliens in space and mental constructs. The footage screened at WonderCon answered my question and won me over to making this comic book a reality.

It opens with characters in space with Albin Sur running around a spaceship talking to a crackly hologram of Sinestro. Their musclely heads look a little like Hellraiser but they’re supposed to look like that. No one’s in pain. Albin bounces around the shi fighting the Parallax monster, and that’s all the special effecty CGI you imagine. Albin is fast and moves to his escape pod quickly, but that’s not the extraordinary part.

Albin lands and gives Hal the ring. Ryan Reynolds gets to make a joke about Albin’s purple blood before his corps solidifies. He also gets to make a joke improvising the oath Albin told him to say to the lantern. The magic happens when the lantern intuitively teaches Hal the correct oath. Hal speaks it correctly, nobly and flies through space with a protective coating of green shield.

As soon as he arrives on Oa, he’s suited up. The green suit looks totally real, and Hal can’t help but strut. Tomar-Re even scolds Hal for showboating, as if he’s used to it from the new guards. Hal calls Tomar-Re a talking fish but it quickly answers the questions about his translation utility.

Once we’re on Oa, you believe that Hal Jordan from our earth is walking around with aliens dealing with real issues. That’s in a few minutes of clips, so a 20 minute first act ought to really segue nicely. The backgrounds and crowd shots still look like CGI and green screen. I mean, we’ve seen fishy guys and hordes of followers in the distance, but the tone is “we all believe this sincerely.”

The only Hal Jordan construct they showed was the ethereal green gattling machine gun from the sizzle reel. That’s the money shot for June 17.