This engaging story from the AP out of London...

There's an especially starry knight in Britain's latest round of royal honors.

Patrick Stewart — “Star Trek: The Next Generation's” Capt. Jean-Luc Picard — becomes Sir Patrick in Queen Elizabeth II's New Year honors list, which also includes a knighthood for theater and film director Nicholas Hytner.

"This is an honor that embraces those actors, directors and creative teams who have in these recent years helped fill my life with inspiration, companionship and sheer fun,” said 69-year-old Stewart, who recently returned to the British stage following a long career in Hollywood that included playing Professor Charles Xavier in three “X-Men” films.

A separate honors list in New Zealand bestowed a knighthood on the king of Middle-earth — “Lord of the Rings” filmmaker Peter Jackson.

Jackson, 53, was knighted in New Zealand, his native land and the filming location for the trilogy, which collected 17 Academy Awards.

The New Zealand award is approved by the queen, the country's head of state.

Jackson is currently is working on the two-movie prequel “The Hobbit,” also based on a book by J.R.R. Tolkien, with Mexican director Guillermo del Toro.

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PHOTOS: Patrick Stewart and fellow knight Ian McKellan as they appeared with some computer-assisted anti-aging in "X-Men: The Last Stand" (Lola Visual Effects/20th Century Fox) Peter Jackson in 2009 (Marty Melville/Getty Images).

The U.S. may be far behind pirate kings like India, Sweden and China (though they're cracking down) but that doesn't stop some of us from trying!

Gilberto Sanchez, charged by an L.A. grand jury with illegally uploading "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" to the Internet before its theatrical release, was arrested today on suspicion of violating federal copyright law, authorities said.

Read the entire story on L.A. Now

-- Jevon Phillips

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Photo: Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) and Victor (Liev Schreiber) face off in "X-Men Origins Wolverine." Credit: James Fisher / 20th Century Fox

I wish that, just for a moment, Ian McKellen actually possessed some of those nature-bending powers that he wielded in the "Lord of the Rings" and "X-Men" films because it would have been a delight to see him turn the set of "The View" into a charred crater.

The esteemed 70-year-old thespian was a guest on the ABC daytime show last week and the footage is excruciating to watch. I have to say I didn't know much about this show beyond its reputation for shrill banality but, after watching this, I'm discouraged by the fact that this a nationally aired show. (Thanks by the way to Jay West for sending me the link.)

McKellen was on to promote "The Prisoner," the new six-episode AMC series that begins Nov. 15, but he was met with a quartet of hosts who had their own flaky agendas. One of them had snippy and random things to say about British healthcare, which she obviously knows nothing about. Another asked McKellen: "Do you think you're creepy?" and later gushed about his film performance as "Mag-Netto." Must be a big fan. And then (at the 4-minute mark) the million-dollar question from a croaky Whoopi Goldberg: "Now, are you coming back to 'Harry Potter'?" Uhhh...

McKellen, who has never been to Hogwarts, said that he expects that he will be back as Gandalf in "The Hobbit" films but added that he doesn't have a contract yet and, with a small aside about that, hinted that the dealings might not be a slam dunk. He also pointed out with some good cheer that after he went public as a gay actor his film career took off, which runs counter to traditional Hollywood career wisdom. Did anyone on the show sense that there might an interesting follow-up question on one of these points? Nope. Goldberg thought it better to ask if there would be any black Hobbits in the new movies. Oh, right, well, there you go. 

All this reminds me of an old saying: You know the worst part of having your head up your own backside? "The View." 

-- Geoff Boucher

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Photo: Ian McKellen as Gandalf (not Dumbledore). Credit: New Line 

GUEST ESSAY

Who is the greatest living comic-book artist? Neal Adams gets my vote. His work for DC Comics in the 1960s and '70s still stands as a towering achievement, and he drew the perfect Bruce Wayne, the definitive Green Lantern and the most memorable Green Arrow. Adams remains a dynamic figure in the world of illustration (check out Adams' website if you haven't already), and his new passion is for motion comics, as he writes in this guest essay for Hero Complex.  -- Geoff Boucher

New York, Union Square, 14th street, October 28th. It's not every day that a new medium is invented or created and usually it happens by accident, against the tide and is roundly ignored and criticized by the majority of the population.

You want to put sound with movies? Talkies?! A flash-in-the-pan! Comic books?  That's not a medium, is it? They're written? And drawn? I thought they just sort of ... appeared.

And now the latest...motion comics? Isn't it enough that HALF of our movies are based on (heh) comic books, overnight, it seems?  No? There are going to be motion comics?  And what is that, a moving comic book?  Yep! But isn't that ... animation?

Actually NO. Animation, as it is defined today, is hundreds of thousands of animation cells drawn by a studio of animation artists who adapt ONE creator's work to a simplified version -- a version that has as few actual lines as possible. Done well, it can be brilliant -- BUT, it can never be the original artist's work. Until now. Which brings us to the aforementioned Oct. 28th.

On that day the first "true" motion comic, the first issue of Marvel's "Astonishing X-Men," will be presented in a world premiere at 14th Street-Union Square as part of MarvelFest NYC 2009. It will be outdoors and projected -- yes, I did just say "projected" -- on the side of the massively large, now closed, Virgin Megastore.

Ladieeze and Gentlemen, you will actually see the drawings of artist John Cassaday come to life and move. You will hear the words of the writer Joss Whedon (of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Dollhouse" fame) spoken by John Cassaday's drawings. (Well, OK, it's actors doing the actual voices coming from the drawings, but this is exciting stuff.) Also, to add to the excitement, there is a signing at the near-legendary Forbidden Planet comic book store as well as a Marvel-Disney costume contest.

It's a comic book come to life and fully drawn by your favorite artist and written by your favorite writer. "Impossible,"  you logically say. "No one artist could do all that work!"  And, you'd be absolutely RIGHT. But, this is the Age of Computers and, more importantly, the Age of Brilliant Computer Operators. The BEST of these are at my studio, Continuity, and they manipulated the work YOU will see (or miss) on the 28th. (If you do miss it, you can purchase the "Astonishing X-Men" series via iTunes beginning that same day.)

Properly cajoled and manipulated, computers can do nearly anything. For us at Continuity, computers have taken John's drawings and made them talk, run, jump, punch and take a massive cosmic ray blast right in the labonza! As a result? A never-seen-before medium.

Welllll, that's not true, of course. Continuity has been doing this sort of revolutionary animation for years,  Except yours truly is a dyed-in-the-wool comic book artist (and comic book writer, too).  Who better to debut this new form? All this comes together as Walt Disney Co. is completing its $4 billion purchase of Marvel Entertainment. Did Disney buy Marvel in time to tap into the most incredible boom time in the comic book business, and will motion comics contribute to the Disney bonanza? A prediction: "Motion comics" will be a household name a year from today.

-- Neal Adams

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Photo: Neal Adams in 2007. Credit: Spencer Weiner / Los Angeles Times

Over the weekend, the AP had a short story from Busan, South Korea, where filmmaker Bryan Singer made it sound it like his return to the "X-Men" franchise may be more than just a rumor. Here's an exceprt, links added by me: 

"I'm still looking to possibly returning to the 'X-Men' franchise. I've been talking to Fox about it," Singer said at a talk at South Korea's Pusan International Film Festival.

"I love Hugh Jackman. I love the cast," he said, referring to the Australian actor who plays Wolverine.

Singer said he enjoyed making science fiction and fantasy movies because they allowed him to discuss serious issues through entertainment. He said the "X-Men" series, which follows a group of mutants with superpowers who struggle to fit in with humans, is about tolerance and social structures.

He said he likes to "trick audiences into thinking they're seeing fireworks, but they're learning about themselves and listening to what I have to say."

Singer directed the first two X-films with deft success but then left the franchise for a somewhat disappointing trip to Metropolis. Would the Marvel mutants fare better with his return? Check out our in-depth look at the future of the franchise, which answers that very question. 

-- Geoff Boucher

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Photo: Bryan Singer at "Valkyrie" premiere. Credit: Associated Press

FOUR FRANCHISES AT A CROSSROADS

 

Talk about heroic: Four film franchises, one decade, more than $10 billion worth of theater tickets sold.

And more than that, in their very best moments, each of these franchises shown above delivered sparkling adventure and escapism for moviegoers. Now, though, with the decade winding down and all four franchises sitting a nice tidy trilogy, the question must be asked: Isn't three the magic number? Do we really need a fourth movie from any of these aging popcorn enterprises? Clearly, all of them will be written up in the Hollywood history books but right now the indelicate must be asked: "How can we miss you if you won't leave?"

Last week we gave you an in-depth report on this quartet of mega-franchises and their quests for a fourth visit to theaters. We told you how "The Hobbit" must escape the the towering shadow of "The Lord of the Rings," while Sam Raimi's "Spider-Man" series needs to get back to its roots to thrive. We also explained that the "X-Men" future looks especially uncertain while the "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise might be facing a one-man mutiny with Johnny Depp's distress over recent changes at Disney.

We also put the question to you: Which of these franchises is making a mistake by adding a fourth film?

You made it clear that "The Hobbit," with director Guillermo del Toro taking over with a new vision, is in a class by itself -- the other franchises may tack on new editions to cash in, but fans are expecting nothing but magic from Del Toro's arrival in Middle-earth. The remaining three franchises got a frostier reception. For five days last week, more than half of our reader voters named "Pirates" as the cinematic series that should walk the plank. Over the weekend that changed and (with a lot of late-arriving Depp fans?) the surging "X-Men" became the top choice as a franchise hitting bottom.

It's not too late, though, we'll take votes for the next 48 hours before declaring our, uh, winning loser. In the meantime, thanks for reading, commenting and voting.

-- Geoff Boucher

  

VOTE: WHICH FRANCHISE IS MAKING A MISTAKE WITH A FOURTH FILM?

   

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Photos at top, from left, Ian McKellen in "Lord of the Rings," Tobey Maguire in "Spider-Man," Halle Berry in "X-Men: The Last Stand" and Johnny Depp in "Pirates of the Caribbean."  Credits from left: New Line Cinema, Sony Pictures, 20th Century Fox, Walt Disney Studios. Bottom photo of Sam Raimi by Ken Hively / Los Angeles Times

FOUR FRANCHISES AT A CROSSROADS: PART THREE

This week we're taking a look at four major trilogies from this decade that are looking to add a fourth film despite substantial challenges -- not least among those challenges the skepticism of moviegoers who may wonder whether some of these Hollywood vehicles are running on empty. You can find the other three installments of the series right here.

"X-Men"

The story so far: With the triumph of comic-book properties in Hollywood today, it's easy to forget how startling Bryan Singer's "X-Men" was when it arrived in 2000. Sleek, sophisticated and respectful of its studied source material, the Fox film ran counter to the then-standard Hollywood approach of turning comic-book adaptations into smirking cartoons that insulted loyal fans of the properties. The $75-million film made $296 million in worldwide box office (it finished as the eighth-highest-grossing film in America that year) and later won over a vast audience that saw it on home video, cable or pay-per-view. The sequel "X2: X-Men United" arrived as one of the most anticipated releases of 2003 and finished with $408 million worldwide and better reviews than the first one. Singer left the franchise to take on the oddly airless "Superman Returns," so Brett Ratner ("Rush Hour") was brought in for the third movie, "X-Men: The Last Stand," which rolled up $459 million at the box office but suffered some withering reviews.

The challenge: When the credits rolled on "The Last Stand," most observers assumed the franchise (like a good number of the main characters) was dead and waiting to be buried. The fact that the franchise's central hero, Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), was spun off into a lone-wolf film this year suggested that the Marvel mutant team might be akin to aging band that just watched its lead singer launch a solo tour. But last month, producer Lauren Shuler Donner, a key figure in the franchise from Day 1, said that a fourth X-Men film remains viable and, more than that, there are efforts moving toward that goal, although they are in very early stages. That may be true, but there have been plenty of mixed signals when it comes to Fox and potential mutant movies; more than a half-dozen different projects have been trumpeted at one time or another, among them a Magneto film, a Deadpool movie, a Gambit project, a New Mutants spin-off and a Wolverine sequel. It's maddening to try keep track of what is (and isn't) happening.

The status: Amid all the noise, the most interesting tidbit in recent months was the August report in Variety that Singer was flirting with the idea of directing "X-Men: First Class," which would be a prequel based on the popular comic book series and the draft script by “The O.C.” creator Josh Schwartz. Later, Donner publicly stated that "First Class" is not the likely next film, but the linkage of Singer to any Marvel mutant is big news -- and may signal an effort to have him back in X-business. Donner has made a point of saying in interviews that having Singer back would be a welcome idea, and why not? The director's departure from the X-franchise didn't burn any bridges. Plus, Donner's husband, "Superman" director Richard Donner, was an engaged mentor for Singer as the younger filmmaker toiled on a version of the Man of Steel that was a valentine to the Donner interpretation. Singer's slate of upcoming projects looks dense, but Fox wants to keep the "X-Men" properties front and center, clearly. The studio's rights will revert back to Marvel in 2012 if there is no project in active development. I know Donner is looking at the wide mythology of the entire "X-Men" universe and there is plenty there, of course, but if they go with a "First Class" prequel, they may have a tough time shoehorning Jackman and his signature character into the film continuity. A reunion sequel may be the safer way to go, but that would require reuniting the scattered big-name cast (which would be difficult) and coming up with a deft way to bring back the dead characters (less challenging, if the old comics are any indication).  

The prediction: Back in 2000, I remember telling one of the top film-coverage editors at the Los Angeles Times that there was huge potential audience for "X-Men," and he scoffed. "Well, 'Mystery Men' tanked," he said. "Why should this be different?" "X-Men" was a pivot point in superhero cinema and, with the intensity of its opening concentration-camp scene, it gave a ready generation of filmgoers the heroes they wanted, not the bloated old-school farce of "Batman & Robin," which was a mere three years earlier. With all that context, watching "The Last Stand" was torture. "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" was better but still not on the level of the Singer films. Despite the upbeat chatter on both sides, I'm skeptical that Singer will actually return to the franchise -- when decision time comes, there will have to be a truly marvelous script to get the "Usual Suspects" director to circle back to ground he's covered before, especially considering that the landscape is charred and pitted after Ratner's noisy residence. No, I predict we instead see more spinoffs of Singer's outsider tale. And (judging by recent history) the directors entrusted with those mutant ventures might deliver video-game plots, flimsy characters and some killer explosions.

-- Geoff Boucher

 
Four major franchises look to make a fourth film, but should they?

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They are four of the biggest franchises in Hollywood history and each is at a major crossroads. This week the Hero Complex will look at "The Lord of the Rings," "Spider-Man," "X-Men" and "Pirates of the Caribbean" and size up their future as they attempt to move past their original trilogies and into a new decade.

Tuesday "Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit": How can Guillermo del Toro possibly match up to Peter Jackson's magical conquests ($2.92 billion in global box office and 17 Oscars including best picture, best director and best adapted screenplay)? At least he has Jackson on his side ...

Wednesday "Spider-Man": Director Sam Raimi and stars Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst are back for more and that's no surprise considering "Spider-Man 3" had the highest-grossing opening weekend of the wall-crawling films -- and went on to make $891 million worldwide. Still, the last film got decidedly mixed reviews, and some fans are wondering if the magic is gone.

Thursday: "X-Men": The summer 2000 release of Bryan Singer's "X-Men" truly signaled the beginning of the modern era of superhero cinema and its new ambitions. While the 2006 release of "X-Men: The Last Stand" led to commercial success ($459 million), the hero-snuffing plot, the finality of the title and those cruel reviews all suggested the run was over. Now, though, producers are looking for a return to the mutant chronicles...

Friday "Pirates of the Caribbean" : The fourth film, "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides," hits theaters in 2011, but after a shake-up at the top of Walt Disney Studios, star Johnny Depp said he is feeling glum about the project. If he's not excited, should you be?

Check back to read them all, but in the meantime, give us your opinion: Which franchise would be making the biggest mistake by continuing past the original trilogy? Vote below ...

-- Geoff Boucher

Photos from left, Ian McKellen in "Lord of the Rings," Tobey Maguire in "Spider-Man," Halle Berry in "X-Men: The Last Stand" and Johnny Depp in "Pirates of the Caribbean."  Credits from left: New Line Cinema, Sony Pictures, 20th Century Fox, Walt Disney Studios.

UPDATED: Previous version of this post had an incorrect year of release on one of the X-films.

In the L.A. Times' business section, there is a handy feature run called 'How I Made It.'  This week, reporter Alex Pham talked to comics writer extraordinare Matt Fraction.

The gig: Professional comic book writer.

Matt Fraction, the 33-year-old author of "Invincible Iron Man" and "Uncanny X-Men" comics for Marvel Entertainment, has a job that's coveted by thousands of boys, not to mention grown men who daydream at their desks.

Lately, Fraction's ratcheted his career up a notch by landing a gig to write the script for the upcoming Iron Man 2 video game. It will be published next year by Sega Corp. alongside the debut of the movie sequel. That means his dialogue is very likely to be read by Robert Downey Jr., who plays the title character in the upcoming movie and who also provided the voice talent for Sega's first Iron Man game, released in May 2008.

Now that Marvel will be purchased by Walt Disney Co. in Burbank, Fraction is about to go from college dropout to one of the star writers for the House of Mouse.

We asked Fraction about his unorthodox career path at July's Comic-Con convention in San Diego, where he has earned his minor cult status among comic fans for his graphic novel, "Last of the Independents." His work with Marvel artist Salvador Larocca for "Invincible Iron Man" won the 2009 Eisner Award for best new series...

THERE'S MORE, READ THE REST

-- Alex Pham

Photo: Alex Pham / Los Angeles Times

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Betsy Sharkey is one of the two film critics at the Los Angeles Times. After surveying the great glut of fanboy fare this year, she got to thinking about the nature of the modern film hero and the inner workings of their characters as well as their appeal. Here's an excerpt, or you can read the entire piece right here.  

This summer's heroes may go boldly, but in every case, someone has gone many times before: three earlier "X-Men" and "Terminators"; one earlier Michael Bay "Transformers," a 1984 animated film and the pervasive TV series; and countless iterations of "Star Trek" on every size screen known to modern man.

It hasn't been easy to be the fresh prince this year.

Yet on they came in their own distinctive ways. For "Terminator's" Christian Bale and Sam Worthington, martyrdom drips like sweat from their brows. Others swagger with a cocky smile and an endearing arrogance, as Chris Pine does in director J.J. Abrams' "Star Trek." There is the tortured struggle with a darker animal nature, as is Hugh Jackman's fate in "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," or, like Shia LaBeouf's Sam [in "Transformers"] there is the boy David facing off whatever Goliath happens to be tearing up the town.

Most of us have long since gotten past the notion that superheroes and the comic books and graphic novels they're so often rooted in are merely kids' stuff, having intellectualized their political and social undercurrents to death in recent years. But it's always interesting to look at our current boys of summer to see who we're looking to save us these days, why certain actors carry the mantle so vividly and why others struggle.

Consider Bale. One of the most intensely interesting actors around, he must have seemed the perfect match for the gritty, deconstructed post-apocalyptic future director McG and screenwriters John D. Brancato and Michael Ferris envisioned for "Terminator Salvation." But he isn't. The interior force field that works so well for him underneath the "Dark Knight's" mask is exactly what is working against him in "Salvation," a rebel-with-a-cause story that has Bale's John Connor leading an underground resistance.

Unfortunately for John Connor, to say nothing of the resistance, a leader of men Bale is not, or at least that's not a role he's been able to get his head around. His very essence seems to be solitary, which is why he was far better as Batman with that no-friends-are-required existence than as Connor, the man destined to save the human race from the "Terminator's" relentless killing machines, embodied by Arnold Schwarzenegger before he went political on us.

Bale's appeal is the icy certainty of survival that you feel deep in your bones any time you see him. That steel is at the center of his pilot in Werner Herzog's "Rescue Dawn." You believed he could survive the impossibly harsh, torturous Laotian prison and an escape into an even more unforgiving jungle. Though others start the journey with him, he walks out of the jungle alone.

But cold never draws men close, and that is why it is Sam Worthington's man/machine hybrid Marcus who emerges as the one you want to follow in "Salvation." The accidental hero, charisma hanging easy on his broad shoulders like an old coat, Worthington claims every scene he is in. His is an empathy you can feel -- he did good not because it is right, which is Bale's motivation, but because he cares.

One of Worthington's strengths is that ability to make his vulnerability accessible, that sense of a shared humanity easy for the rest of us to embrace. Cut from the same action/fantasy cloth, his next films -- "Avatar" and "Clash of the Titans" -- feel filled with promise.

READ THE REST

-- Betsy Sharkey

Illustration by Jacob Thomas / For The Times; text by Geoff Boucher

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It turns out Wolverine (or maybe the bare-chested Hugh Jackman) is a hero that women are willing to sit in the dark with -- females accounted for 47% of tickets purchased in the U.S. for the mutant movie this weekend. Ben Fritz of the Company Town blog has more early numbers on the opening weekend of "X-Men Origins: Wolverine": 

He's no Iron Man and no team of mutants, but Wolverine kicked off the summer with a solid $87 million in domestic ticket sales.

Add in $73 million from the 101 foreign markets where it opened simultaneously and Fox's first "X-Men" spinoff grossed $160 million around the globe, according to preliminary estimates from the studio.

The opening is almost exactly on par with the second "X-Men" movie, "X2," which launched on the same weekend in 2003. Given six years of ticket price inflation, which has totaled over 20% domestically, that indicates a significant decline of audience interest.

It's also noticeably less than Marvel's self-financed "Iron Man," which grossed $98.6 million domestic and about $97 million overseas on the first weekend of May last year. 2006's "X-Men: The Last Stand," the last film in the series, opened to $102.8 million in the U.S. and Canada and about $76 million in foreign markets.

The lower domestic grosses indicate weaker buzz for this year's first big film of the summer popcorn movie season. Though "Wolverine" and "Iron Man" had nearly identical Friday night ticket sales, "Wolverine" grossed 16% less on Saturday -- $29.75 million compared to "Iron Man's" $35.2 million. ("Wolverine" was likely hurt a bit by Saturday night's Boston-Chicago NBA playoff game. Fox found grosses were significantly lower in those two cities.)

READ THE REST

--Geoff Boucher

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Images courtesy of FOX

Out of the ashes of Marvel's "Secret Invasion" storyline rose the Dark Reign.  Norman Osborn, old crazy Green Goblin himself, set things in motion to dethrone Tony Stark as head of SHIELD (actually getting it decommissioned), and taking over as one of the most powerful men in the world.  Legally!  To make sure that he holds on to that power, he enlisted the help of Dr. Doom, Namor, Emma Frost, Loki and the Hood to consolidate his hold over the rest of the superhero community.

Marvel has sent over some exclusive covers as the company gets into high gear with their villain-themed "He lost. They won." ad campaign.  The 'accept change' part on the bottom of the images seems to tie it in to the Secret Invasion plot, but maybe it's just coincidental.

Iron Man is on the run, and will Emma really go back to her dark ways and stab the X-Men in the back? Many more images after the jump.

Here's the new poster for the May release "X-Men Origins: Wolverine."

I'm not sure what to think about this film with the nagging rumors about a patchwork production (although the ever-earnest Hugh Jackman stepped up to say re-shoots were a planned part of a complicated schedule, not some late-in-the-game salvage effort). If the film is good, this is going to be a pretty massive year for fanboys with "Watchmen," a new "Harry Potter" film, "Terminator Salvation," "Star Trek" and "Avatar" topping the deep list of genre fare. To see the trailer for "Wolverine," check below...

Welcome to your post-Thanksgiving edition of Everyday Hero, the roundup of handpicked headlines from the fanboy universe...

Superman, back to the beginning: A few months ago, Richard Donner told me he that he wishes Hollywood would allow writer Geoff Johns to script the next Superman film. Well, if some studio executive is curious about how Johns would handle a reboot of the franchise all they will have to do is pick up a copy of "Superman: Secret Origin," a back-to-Smallville series that will premiere in the early months of 2009. Johns gave Matt Brady the lowdown on his vision for the Clark Kent series, which sounds extremely promising to me: "We haven't seen a modern-day retelling of Clark's first adventure as Superboy with the Legion of Super-Heroes, or the day Superman met Jimmy Olsen or the origins of Superman's longtime enemies like the Parasite and Metallo. More importantly, Clark Kent himself will be explored in his earlier years in a way I don't think he's ever been explored before. And freaking Gary Frank, one of the greatest Superman artists in history already, is illustrating it. Every cover, every panel, every line. For longtime readers -- with the inclusion of the Legion of Super-Heroes back in Superman's history, General Zod introduced and all the other changes made post-'Infinite Crisis' nearly three years ago -- they've been requesting a definitive secret origin. 'Man of Steel' was brilliant and 'Birthright' was a beautiful book, but 'Superman: Secret Origin' will be what lines right up for the modern-day monthly books. It will feature new looks at the origin of not only Superman, but some of his greatest allies, enemies and supporting cast and it will tie into everything Gary and I have done so far on 'Action Comics' as well as setting the stage for the future." The entire article is well worth reading and, again, it's right here. [Newsarama]

Logan's run: The always interesting Empire Magazine from across the Atlantic has a first-look image of Hugh Jackman from next year's "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" film and he looks ... well, pretty much the same way he looked in the three "X-Men" films. That's not a bad thing and, according to my wife, it is in fact a very good thing. Here's the promotional blurb from Empire: "It's that time again, and the new issue of Empire is about to hit the shelves. And this month we have a very exciting, news-packed feature from the set of 'X-Men Origins: Wolverine,' which is why the glowering mutant himself adorns our front cover. We got the lowdown from star Hugh Jackman, director Gavin Hood, Liev Schreiber (who plays Victor Creed) and many more for the full picture from the film's set, and here's a taster of what they're going for. 'There's a scene in the first "X-Men movie," ' said Jackman, 'where Wolverine's introduced in a bar, fighting in a cage, and you felt that he did this every night of his life. If this movie is successful, you should feel that this guy can walk straight off the end of this film and into that bar.' We also heard a little bit from Danny Huston on his take on the sinister William Stryker. 'The thing about Stryker is that he feels like he's got this God-given right, that he's on a crusade. He both loves and hates mutants, because his son was a mutant and murdered his wife. So he understands what they're going through but despises their force, their potential danger. It's wonderfully complicated.' 'In Logan and Creed,' continues Huston, 'Stryker finds his children and hones their powers like racehorses. But as in the world of horse racing, when your horse breaks his leg and is suddenly useless, he has a very cold way of looking at them. And he's also a mad scientist excited by the possibilities of what he can do to mutants.'" [Empire]

Samuel L. Jackson gets spooky: The world's greatest f-bomber, Samuel L. Jackson, will be honored tonight with the 23rd Annual American Cinematheque Award at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. Jackson, who turns 60 this month, is intensifying his focus on his career as a producer, and in a recent interview with Jerry Endling, he told the reporter to watch for a pair of television projects, including one with fantasy themes: "I have two ideas that are about to come to fruition. One's a cop show, and the other one is sort of a supernatural show about these immortal women -- it's four women that were placed here at the beginning of time to guard us against the forces of evil. And they have personal lives that we'll get involved in, which will be strange from women who are thousands of years old and who've had relationships with people throughout history. And the cop show, we're actually trying to figure out if we can set in a city like Atlanta, because that's a place we haven't seen, and there's two very different guys who have just become detectives. One has been a detective who's been in an undercover situation for about five years, and the other one has been a beat cop." [Hollywood Reporter]...ALSO: If you haven't seen it, check out this photo gallery of Jackson's ever-changing hair styles on screen, which was put together in very witty fashion by Hero Complex contributor Chris Lee.

Mediocrity most excellent: The latest issue of Chris Ware's always fascinating series "The Acme Novelty Library" (from publisher Drawn & Quarterly) has reviewer Richard Gehr marveling at its loopy worlds of heartbreak: "Bleak, yet brilliant. The party line on Chris Ware's ongoing Rusty Brown graphic novel is in no danger of wavering with its latest installment ... the Chicago cartoonist's operating trope this time around is low-brow -- even no-brow -- science fiction. Following some typically self-abnegating boilerplate ('The contents of this volume ... should not be interpreted as an artistic response to recent criticisms and/or reviews of this periodical'), the book opens with 'The Seeing Eye Dogs of Mars.' Attributed to one W. K. Brown (one F. C. Ware holds the copyright on the 'Library' itself), the 33-page faux-SF story demonstrates yet again Ware's genius for mimicking the mediocre, exquisitely. A study in blues, oranges, and browns, Brown's 'Seeing Eye Dogs' recounts a romance gone savagely wrong during a mission to colonize Mars." [Village Voice]

-- Geoff Boucher

Photos: "Superman: Secret Origin" art by Matt Brady, Samuel L. Jackson and "The Acme Novelty Library" cover. Credits: DC Comics; Alejandra Villa /For The Times

Today's edition of Everyday Hero, a roundup of handpicked headlines from the fanboy universe ...

The magic of Christmas: Muggles, mark your calendars. It's sad that you can't spend this holiday season with a new "Harry Potter" film, but that doesn't mean you can't have a bit of the boy wizard's magic. Here's a press release that came over yesterday: "ABC Family continues the holiday cheer with its “Harry Potter” weekend on December 5-7, airing the first four installments of the popular film series as part of the network’s “25 Days of Christmas” programming event. In the world television premiere of the special extended edition of “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire,” viewers will also see deleted scenes not included in the original film version. To add to the magic, ABC Family will also be airing exclusive first looks at the new film “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” (opening in theatres July 17) throughout the weekend’s 3-day event. Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson and Michael Gambon discuss the upcoming film’s exciting story lines as well as revealing insider information. ABC Family’s first looks at the latest Harry Potter feature film also offers viewers a sneak peek of never-before-seen footage of love running rampant through Hogwarts, a look into Tom Riddle’s past and an introduction of Hogwarts new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Horace Slughorn. [ABC Family press release]...If you want to see a day-by-day program listing, click through to the second page of this post.

Where there's a Wil...: Writer Matthew Fleischer went out for beers with child-star-turned-blogger Wil Wheaton, who is apparently just as geeky as you thought he was. "It’s three o’ clock on a weekday afternoon and I’m in an Old Town Pasadena bar having drinks with a former child star. Were this person a faded pop tartlet, or perhaps named Corey, we might be planning a trip to a nudie bar or recollecting days spent riding the silver bullet. But this star is Wil Wheaton, and instead of strippers and blow, we’re talking science fiction with the bartender — a squirrelly looking but pleasant British fellow who looks as if he’s been playing this moment on loop in his head for a decade, waiting for it to finally come true. 'I’d have to say the past two seasons of 'DSN' ['Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'] are as good as anything I’ve seen on television,' he tells Wheaton provocatively. 'The storyline with the Cardassian war is unparalleled.' For many former Star Trek actors — Wheaton played Wesley Crusher on 'Star Trek: The Next Generation', or 'TNG' in today’s parlance — I imagine this is the kind of conversation they dread getting sucked into. Out for a quiet afternoon drink when suddenly a nerdy fan-boy wants to talk phasers and Cardassians, the stuff of 'Galaxy Quest' parody. But for Wheaton, such a statement can’t go unchallenged. 'No way!' he responds with genuine incredulity, jumping to his Chuck Taylor–clad feet to lean over the bar. 'Better than 'Battlestar Galactica'?'  Wheaton, you see, is an unabashed geek. “It’s like high school,” he tells me later, “you’re either one of the cool kids or you’re not — and I am definitely not.” [LA Weekly] And Wheaton's blog is here.

Batman crank calls Wolverine: Actor Hugh Jackman is in the new Baz Luhrmann film "Australia" but Hero Complex readers are likely far more interested in his reprising his clawed mutant role in "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," due in theaters in May. Jackman has been doing press for the Luhrmann epic and dealing with the fallout of being named the "sexiest man alive" by People magazine: 'George Clooney rang me at two in the morning,' Jackman told 'People' Monday at the 'Australia' premiere in New York City. 'I was half asleep and I said to him, 'Ah, George sweetie, good to hear from you.'' But this was not a courtesy call. 'He goes, 'Shut up, Jackman!'' the Aussie actor jokingly recounted. '[He said,] 'I know what you did! You started this big campaign that's been going on and [you] took the title away from me.' I thought that was unnecessary,' Jackman deadpanned. The Wolverine star has also been getting a ribbing from his friends and family. 'My old man traveled over with me and we landed in America ... and all of sudden we were stopped at the airport and saw the 'Sexiest Man Alive' magazine and everyone is talking about it,' the actor said. 'My father found it really uncomfortable. [My dad] said to me, 'I can't really talk to you about being sexy. It's a little weird,'' Jackman recalled. 'Mind you, I'm still waiting for the birds and the bees pitch from him. That hasn't happened either!'" [People ]... More from Jackman: Here's video from an MTV News interview with the Aussie actor that suggests that a second "Wolverine" film would likely take the hero into the character's history with samurai and ninja. “The most intriguing thing to me was the Japan story. I love the Japan story,” Jackman says. “I wanted to do the Japan story from around ‘X-Men 2.’ Can you just picture Wolverine in Japan with the triads and the samurai? It’s just genius.”

Seeking "Asylum": The new video game "Batman: Arkham Asylum" isn't due until sometime next year but, of course, when it comes to the fanboy audience there's no such thing as "too early" when it comes to a promotional campaign. Here's a preview below showing the atmosphere of Gotham (rainy) and the vibe of Arkham (unhygienic). The most famous looney bin in comics comes off like an HMO version of "Hostel" or perhaps a Transylvania revamp of "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest." Anyway, the game will feature a considerable connection to the great "Batman: The Animated Series," as Mark Hamill again handles the lunatic laughs of the Joker, Kevin Conroy gives voices to Gotham's stolid manhunter and Paul Dini contributes his considerable expertise to the game story. Killer Croc and the Riddler are among the villains expected to be in the game, and here's a guess that there will be many, many more.

-- Geoff Boucher

Harry Potter and "Batman & Robin" photos courtesy of Warner Bros.

 

Today's Everyday Hero report, your handpicked headlines from the fanboy universe ...

Mutant possibilities: Remember the "X-Men" films? They sure seem like a looong time ago to Marc Graser, apparently, because he suggests that Fox is dragging its feet in getting its valuable mutant brigade back in theaters. To my mind, after Brett Ratner's lurching, messy finale to the X-trilogy, a bit of a break seemed like a good idea. Anyway, here's an excerpt from Graser's piece: "Studios have turned summer into a playground for superheroes at the box office. But the X-Men have quietly been waiting on the Fox lot for their turn to have some fun at the megaplex again. When the studio releases 'X-Men Origins: Wolverine' next May, it will be three years since its comicbook franchise last appeared in theaters. Fox is looking to change that, reducing the number of years between appearances of its power-possessing mutants by developing spinoffs that lead to a new series of sequels. Those include [1] 'X-Men: First Class': Josh Schwartz, who created the teen-friendly TV shows "Gossip Girl" and "The O.C.," is penning a script, based around the conceit of the 2006 comic of the same name, that focuses on the young mutants enrolled at the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning. Books revolved around the Cyclops, Jean Grey, Angel, Iceman and Beast characters, which already have been featured in the three previous "X-Men" films. [2] "Magneto": "Batman Begins" co-scribe David S. Goyer is attached to direct the origins story of the "X-Men" arch-villain (played by Ian McKellen in the previous pics) and his relationship with Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart). Both characters would be played by younger actors, given the earlier timeline in which the plot takes place. And [3] "Deadpool," which would revolve around the sarcastic mercenary played by Ryan Reynolds in "Wolverine," should the character in that pic prove popular with auds." [Daily Variety]

Funny books? Funny how?: Here's the latest snapshot of the comics marketplace, pulled from the quite thorough sales report over at ICV2: "Event books remained the bestsellers at the top of the chart, with 'Secret Invasion' #7 (154,675 copies) and 'Final Crisis' #4 (115,666 copies) taking the top two spots. There seemed to be an unusually high percentage of late books among the top sellers, with no September issues for nine of the top 25 titles (six DC and three Marvel). Marvel had a fairly typical seven out of the top ten titles, and 17 of the top 25.  There were no titles not published by the Big Two in the top 25 comics list.  In fact, to find a non-Big Two title you have to look all the way down to #65 and #66, where IDW’s new 'G.I. Joe' comic (two covers, 50/50) and 'Angel: After the Fall' landed, to find anything from another publisher." [ICV2]

Gleaming "Twilight": The young, female moviegoers of America have spoken: "Twilight" is, like, to die for. The numbers from Carl DiOrio: "Preliminary estimates show the youthful vampire romance rang up a huge first-day tally of $35.7 million from Friday. The big first day gross — which included a multi-million-dollar haul from midnight Thursday performances — makes a $70 million-plus opening likely for the PG-13 pic. In a highly unusual move, Summit itself on Saturday morning projected a possible three-day tally of $74.3 million. The fledgling producer/distributor also said in a separate press release Saturday that it already has greenlighted a 'Twilight' sequel, 'New Moon.' 'Moon' will be based on the second of a series of best-selling 'Twilight' books by Stephenie Meyer. 'I don't think any other author has had a more positive experience with the makers of her movie adaptation than I have had with Summit Entertainment,' Meyer said. 'I'm thrilled to have the chance to work with them again.' " [Hollywood Reporter]

Spineless, but fun: Gamer Ben Fritz tried out the high-concept "Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe" and comes away with a smirk and that suspicion that, despite unpolished gameplay, Midway could have a much-needed hit with the rock 'em, sock 'em holiday season release. Here's his smartly written review: "Though the game features 11 of the most popular 'Mortal Kombat' characters, players will likely care more about the equal number of superheroes and villains who have never been in an arcade-style fighter before. Whether it's Superman's freeze breath, Wonder Woman spinning her enemies in a lasso, Green Lantern conjuring a giant hammer or the Joker's electric hand-buzzer, "MK vs. DC" does them right by giving each dozens of satisfying, character-specific moves. Some longtime franchise fans may be disappointed, though, that 'Mortal Kombat's' signature bloody 'fatalities' — the most infamous of which featured a spine ripped out of someone's body — are distinctly less gory here and have been downgraded to heroic brutalities for the DC heroes. (And it's annoying that learning these requires either guesswork or looking them up on the Web.)" [Daily Variety]

More "Twilight" ... Edward, onward: I read that Robert Pattison doesn't own a cellphone, which is probably a good thing because 12-year-old girls get so nervous when they work up the nerve to crank call that they usually just giggle, hang up and text the phone number to their friends. Pattison, who seems charmingly bewildered by the "Twilight" sensation, will be talking to his fans from space this morning: "Robert Pattinson, star of 'Twilight' will sit down for an interview with The Morning Mash Up crew on SIRIUS Hits 1/SIRIUS channel 1 on Monday, November 24.  The 7a.m. ET interview will be rebroadcast on Monday, November 24 at 8:00 am, 9:00 am and 10:00 am ET. For more information and video highlights of the interview (available at 11:00 am ET), please visit:  www.sirius.com/hits1."  [Sirius press release]

"Iron Man 2," the writer's view: Movie blogger Jenna Busch chatted with Justin Theroux the actor (remember him as Evil DJ in "Zoolander"?) turned screenwiter ("Tropic Thunder") who is just back from London where he was working with Marvel Studio's exec Kevin Feige and Robert Downey Jr. on the protean early draft of an "Iron Man 2" script. "We were talking with Robert, who’s out there doing 'Sherlock Holmes,' he was giving his input and his notes. We’re sort of there. It’s just sort of chugging along. The crews, I think, are now starting to see what they need to make, and the places that we might be going and all the rest within the story. That’s sort of one of the more exciting times." The Busch post is mostly about the "Tropic Thunder" release on DVD/BluRay, but Theroux also touched on the arrival of Don Cheadle to the "Iron Man" cast: "I haven’t met Don, and I think I’m going to in a little bit and I think once I get a better sense of his voice and also hear what he has to say about what he likes about the character and just pick his brain a little bit, then we’ll obviously start to tailor it to him. Once he sort of gets more involved in the process then we’ll start tapering the length of his character ... making it fit just right." And who will the villian be in the "Iron Man" sequel? "I think it’s Evil DJ.  He could be the villain in this movie. I don’t know. I mean, I do know but I’m not going to let that cat out." [Ugo]

-- Geoff Boucher

"X-Men First Class" art courtesy of Marvel Comics. "Twlight" photo courtesy of Summit Entertainment. Robert Pattison photo from Getty Images. "Iron Man" image from Marvel Studios and Paramount Pictures.

Today's handpicked headlines from the fanboy universe...

"Waiting for Godot," mutant-style? Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen, who so memorably led the opposing forces of mutantkind in the "X-Men" films, will reunite on stage next year in a new production of Samuel Beckett's 1952 masterpiece which, by many appraisals, ranks as the most important English-language play of 20th century. The BBC has the story: "The production, which will be directed by Sean Mathias, will tour the UK before opening in London in April at the Theatre Royal Haymarket. Stewart will play the tramp Vladimir, while Sir Ian will play Estragon. The actors previously played comic book adversaries Professor X and Magneto in the three films in the 'X-Men' series. The pair first worked together at the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1977 in Tom Stoppard's 'Every Good Boy Deserves Favour.' Stewart is currently playing Claudius and the Ghost in the RSC's Stratford-upon-Avon production of 'Hamlet,' which transfers to the West End later this year.  McKellen -- also known for his role as Gandalf in the 'Lord of the Rings' films -- made his last stage appearance in the RSC's acclaimed staging of 'King Lear.' The actor said he 'couldn't be happier...there are no more juicy parts amongst modern classics than Didi and Gogo,' he wrote on his official website." [BBC]

Howard's End: What's the real explaination behind the bouncing of Terrence Howard from the "Iron Man" franchise? Everyone at Marvel Studios and in Jon Favreau's camp has been tight-lipped about the real reasons for Howard's indelicate exit from the cast, but now Nicole Sperling has a report that sounds pretty plausible (but with no sources named): "Hollywood insiders believe the exit stems from Terrence Howard's difficult behavior on the set of 'Iron Man'. But those with intimate knowledge of the situation suggest a far more dramatic backstory: Howard was the first actor signed to the film and, on top of that, was the highest-paid. That's right, more than Gwyneth Paltrow. More than Jeff Bridges. More than Robert Downey Jr. And once the project fully came together, it was too late to renegotiate his deal. It didn't help that, according to one source, Favreau and his producers were ultimately unhappy with Howard's performance and spent a lot of time cutting and reshooting his scenes ... As such, when Favreau and screenwriter Justin Theroux went to map out the sequel they found themselves minimizing Howard's story line. Once Marvel learned that Favreau was thinking of curtailing the role, the studio went to the actor's agents with a new and drastically reduced offer..." [Entertainment Weekly]

Recycling "Tintin": Filmmaker Steven Spielberg has been flirting with a "Tintin" film adaptation for 25 years now but after plenty of fits and starts, it may finally be moving foward. Anne Thompson has a thorough report on the business twists, including news that Sony Pictures and Paramount Pictures are now in talks to co-finance the digital 3-D version of the classic Belgian comics hero. The plan is for Spielberg to direct one film while "Lord of the Rings" autuer Peter Jackson will direct the second one. Thompson writes: "Spielberg had hoped to be in production by this fall. However, when financing fell apart at Universal on the eve of DreamWorks/Paramount divorce, he lost the participation of his lead actor Thomas Sangster. Nonetheless, 'Tintin' is expected to be complete in time for a 2010 release. Jackson will direct the sequel ... Spielberg and Jackson were originally teaming to direct and produce three back-to-back features based on Georges Remi's beloved comic-strip hero 'Tintin.' Spielberg and Jackson selected three stories from Remi's 'The Adventures of Tintin' series, which encompassed 23 books published between 1929 and 1976 about an intrepid junior reporter and his dog, Snowy, who track down stories to the ends of the earth." [Variety]

"Goosebumps," feeling it again? There were massive lines waiting for the autograph of R.L. Stine at the National Book Festival in Washington, D.C., and Lynn Neary reports that there are high hopes for a revival of the 1990s fan-passion for the author's "Goosebumps" brand-name: 'The author thinks kids are reading more than ever now and his publisher, Scholastic, certainly hopes he's right. Scholastic also published the Harry Potter series, and with no new Potter book in sight, revenues are down sharply and the company is cutting back. Scholastic hopes that magic will strike again with Stine's new Goosebumps HorrorLand series. As for Stine, he's just happy to be doing what he loves -- and what his fans want. 'It's very exciting for me to be back doing it. ... Somehow the Goosebumps audience never really went away. ... It was a world-wide craze, and that can never last. But the books have sold all this time even when there were no new ones coming out,' says Stine. 'I'm just very lucky.' [National Public Radio]

-- Geoff Boucher

Hugh Jackman:  'It's badass."  And it was!

In a Comic-Con surprise, and straight from Australia, Hugh Jackman hopped off a plane and jumped on stage with a trailer for "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," and it was a huge hit!  From what I could see, popular characters Sabretooth and Silver Fox were there ... and Gambit!!

Jackman enthusiastically bounded off stage to shake the hand of Wolverine creator Len Wein, who was in the audience.  It was a wonderful moment and pretty genuine when he told Wein that he "gave him a career."

-- Jevon Phillips

Photo: A Comic-Con moment, actor Hugh Jackman, right, freshly arrived from the set of "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," leaves the stage in Hall H at the Comic-Con convention to shake hands with Len Wein, the comic book writer and editor who helped create the character Wolverine.

More than 125,000 people are expected to attend the four-day event which features the latest  and greatest in comic-related books, toys, games and memorabilia. Credit: Spencer Weiner  / Los Angeles Times