Aaron Eckhart on Two-Face

Yes, it's true. Aaron Eckhart says goodbye to Batman. At the press day for his upcoming indie film Towelhead, ComingSoon.net/Superhero Hype! talked to the actor who portrayed Harvey Dent/Two-Face in The Dark Knight. He told us he's definitely not signed on for another film and confirmed his character is dead.

Eckhart laughed about how he tried to ask if there was a chance he was coming back and was good-humored about the deadly fate of Dent.

CS/SHH!: Is Harvey Dent alive?
Aaron Eckhart: No. He is dead as a door nail. 

CS/SHH!: So he's not coming back?
Eckhart: He ain't coming back baby!

CS/SHH!: I was hoping he would.
Eckhart: No. I asked Chris [Nolan] that question and he goes, "You're dead" before I could even get the question out of my mouth. "Hey Chris, am I?" "You're dead!" Alright, cool.

CS/SHH!: That's not a problem in comic book movies. You could still come back.
Eckhart: I think in contract negotiations it's a problem.

CS/SHH!: So you were never signed on for another film?
Eckhart: No, I'm not coming back. I think unfortunately, Heath [Ledger] was supposed to go on and that didn't work out. I'm nobody. I'm a cog. I have no say over this sort of stuff. I'm sure that there's so many other characters that they could whip together. I heard Angelina Jolie was going to be Catwoman or something like that. I thought that was a great idea. I'd like to be in that one. 

CS/SHH!: It must be gratifying that so many people responded to your character.
Eckhart: Yeah, I dig it. Write your Congressman. I like that for the first time in my career I'm getting fan mail from kids and 8-year-olds. "My name is Bill. I really liked the film." I've never had that before. I think that's fun. I think someone told me they're going to be Harvey Two-Face for Halloween which is cool. I said to two kids the other day, "Did you see Batman yet?" Then I come to find out like two seconds later they've seen it four times. People are really going back to see it. My parents saw it I think 12 [times] so far. They're sick that it's going out of the theaters.

CS/SHH!: Do they normally see your movies 12 times?
Eckhart: I don't know about 12, but they like to go see the movies. They like to go see the audience. They like to tell people that I'm in the movie like popcorn people.

Nicolas Cage Talks Ghost Rider 2, Kick-Ass

During an interview for his new action bonanza Bangkok Dangerous, Oscar-winner and perennial strange-on-screen-hairdo connoisseur Nicolas Cage let slip about a few of his upcoming comic book films.

First up, he discussed a sequel to last year's Columbia Pictures and Marvel release, Ghost Rider.

Cage: Yes, actually, had a nice meeting with the studio about 3-months ago, and we talked about going international with that character. Taking him into Europe, having him go on a motorcycle tour through Europe, and he's connected with the church, if you can believe that. So it sort of has elements to it that are very much in the zeitgeist, with "The Da Vinci Code" and things like that.

Cage also discussed working with Matthew Vaughn (Stardust) on the adaptation of Mark Millar's comic series Kick-Ass, which is about a kid who always wanted to be a superhero.

Cage: As I continue working in film I want to try to keep it as organic and honest as possible, and I am that kid. I’m the kid that would dress up like a superhero, sneak out of the house at 10 o’clock at night, jump around pretending I was fighting crime. It was a good match because it's definitely sincere. I play a guy named Damon, the father of Mindy who is "Hit Girl" and I'm "Big Daddy," and I'm training my daughter to be a superhero.

Aykroyd on Ghostbusters 3

In a recent interview with EOnline, Dan Aykroyd was asked about the status of Ghostbusters 3. Aykroyd responded:

Well, y’know, two sharp young writers are purported to be writing the sequel, the third movie now. If I could interest Seth [Rogen] and Judd [Apatow] to be part of it, that would be an absolute dream.

Given Aykroyd’s relationship with the franchise, it’s nearly impossible that he wouldn’t know for certain exactly what is going on with the script, so it’s quite plausible that a script is currently in the works as he says. As for the involvement of Rogen and Apatow, capitalizing on the current popularity of the Apatow crew seems like it might be a good way to both placate longtime fans as to the quality of a new film, and also introduce the franchise to a new generation of viewers. Of course, all of this is the definition of “speculative,” but it feels like there might just be some truth to it.

Stephen Sommers to Direct Tarzan

Stephen Sommers (The Mummy) is in negotiations to direct a big screen version of Tarzan for Warner Bros. and producer Jerry Weintraub, reports Variety. 

Sommers will also co-write the Tarzan script with Stuart Beattie. Sommers directed the recently wrapped G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra for Paramount, with Beattie penning the final draft of the screenplay. 

Warner Bros. and Weintraub have been developing Tarzan since 2003, when John August was hired to pen a new take on the Edgar Rice Burroughs-created character. Two years ago, the studio was negotiating with Guillermo del Toro to direct. 

Burroughs' "Tarzan of the Apes" was written in 1912.

Ludacris' Busy Fall: New Album, Two Films

Ludacris is going to be a busy man this fall. He's completing the final tracks for his sixth Disturbing Tha Peace/Def Jam album, "Theater of the Mind," due Oct. 21, and that month will also yield co-starring roles in "Max Payne" (Oct. 17), adapted from the popular videogame, and Guy Ritchie's "RocknRolla" (Oct. 31). 

Ludacris' rap and acting personas intersect on "Theater of the Mind," which comprises tracks envisioned as short plots from movies. And in Ludacris' special brand of musical theater, the featured guests -- including T-Pain ("One More Drink"), the Game ("Call Up the Homies") and T.I. ("Wish You Would") -- are billed as co-stars. Helping out on the A&R side is DJ Khaled and producers include Dre & Vidal and 9th Wonder. 

Among the additional track selections is the healing-themed "Let's Stay Together." Armed with a beat and hook from artist/producers Juicy J and DJ Paul of Three 6 Mafia, Ludacris -- starring as a music fan -- exhorts artists to quell their beefs and come together to make better music. 

The set's official lead single is the bouncy "What Them Girls Like," co-starring Chris Brown and writer/producer Sean Garrett as Ludacris' female-loving sidekicks. During the video's Aug. 24 shoot at the Microsoft House/Studio in Los Angeles, the trio's natural camaraderie and magnetism were in keeping with the video's premise: three fly guys who know what women like. The Chris Robinson-directed video takes its cue from the Mel Gibson movie "What Women Want," with balloon pop-ups revealing the female extras' thoughts. 

"'Theater of the Mind' is all of my albums put together," says Ludacris, who still hopes to hook up with Eminem for the album. "There's the funny Ludacris, the serious Ludacris and the story-telling Ludacris as well as the movie-making Ludacris." 

Then there's the films. Ludacris co-stars alongside Gerard Butler, Thandie Newton and Jeremy Piven in "RocknRolla," which is about a London real-estate scam that attracts all manner of tough guys and underworld types. "Max Payne," a loose adaptation of the videogame, finds Ludacris playing deputy police chief Jim Bravura. The movie stars Mark Wahlberg in the title role and veteran actor Beau Bridges. 

"This adaptation takes the storyline and the characters to a whole other level," Ludacris says. "This is the first time I've played any kind of police role. It's funny ... in most movies, Mark plays the dominant role but my character is the dominant one over Mark. That was a power thing and I absolutely loved it."

Kevin Eastman Talks Live-Action TMNT

"Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" co-creator Kevin Eastman has confirmed the rumors that Imagi and Warner Bros. are in talks to develop a new live-action movie based on the characters. He posted the following at HeavyMetal.com: 

Yes, it is true. Although the CGI film did well enough to warrent a sequel, there has been much talk between Imagi and Warners to do a better "re-invention" (newest Hollywood buzzword) of the TMNT's, in a live action film--like what was done with Batman. Back to basics, back to the origin and the intro of the Shredder, etc...there have been talks, trips to Northampton to talk to Mr Laird, and discussions with the original "first" TMNT film director Steve Barron to come back and do it right--but no official word yet...will keep you posted. Best, Kevin 

The CG-animated movie TMNT, which was released in March of 2007, earned $95 million worldwide compared to its $34 million budget.

Damon Lindelof Updates The Dark Tower

A year and a half ago, Stephen King optioned The Dark Tower series to JJ Abrams and Damon Lindelof for $19. But since then we haven’t really heard any updates on the project. Recently AMC got a chance to chat with Lindelof, who admitted that he won’t have time to tackle the adaptation until Lost is finished. He also revealed that he would like to adapt the seven books into a seven film series. Here is the quote:

“The Dark Tower is to me every bit as daunting an adaptation as the Lord of the Rings trilogy must have been for Peter Jackson, except we’ve got seven books we’re looking at. And the idea of doing that at the same time Carlton and I are bringing Lost to a close is simply not viable. There are always Dark Tower conversations, but the figuring out of what this will look like as a movie has not begun. If The Dark Tower were in the right hands, I would love to see seven movies executed just right. But you have to get people to see the first one to get them to come and see the second one.”

I’m not sure the adaptation could sustain a big enough audience for seven feature film. The Dark Tower is a epic series of seven books written by King from 1982 to 2004. The story follows Roland Deschain’s quest for the Dark Tower, which is often described as a real structure, and also as a metaphor.

Mark Millar Plans for New Superman Trilogy; $70 Million Budget for Kick-Ass

In an interview with G4, comic book writer Mark Millar (Wanted) revealed his plans for a new trilogy of Superman films, which he would like to be shot back-to-back.

“A director approached me about three months ago,” Millar said. “and he said ‘look, [Bryan Singer's] The Man Of Steel might not be happening. If that doesn’t happen, it has been spoken about the possibility of me coming in, would you like to write it?’ And I was like Yeah.”

Yeah, we have already heard this before, but here is where the juicy details come in:

“I’ve had this plan for like 10 years for a big three-picture Superman thing, like a big Lord of the Rings epic, starting over from scratch again with a seven-hour Superman story. And hopefully release them one year after another,” continued Millar. “If it works out, we’ll have to start shooting next summer.”

Wow, big plans, but even Millar admits that nothing is firm yet, and while this is a “long shot”, the director in question is “a big deal” and he apparently said that he won’t do it unless Millar writes it. But would Warner Bros put up the cash to shoot three Superman films back-to-back, especially considering the box office disappointment of Superman Returns? Millar has previously revealed that his Superman would be “Superman for the 21st Century, keeping everything we adore, but starting from scratch and making the kids love it as much as the 30-somethings.”

Millar also claims that Matthew Vaughn’s Kick-Ass budget is actually $70 million, and not the already impressive $30 million budget that has been previously reported.

“He has a bunch of rich pals who coughed up $10 million each or something and in two dinner parties, he raised $70 million,” Millar revealed to G4. “Now he’s going to make the movie the way people want to see it.”

$70 million is a lot of money for an independent movie. For a complete overview of Kick-Ass, please check out out First Look: The Cast of Kick-Ass feature. You can watch the full interview with Mark embedded below.

Mark Millar on Wanted 2... and 3

As the DVD release for the film version of Mark Millar and JG Jones’ Wanted looms on the horizon (Millar’s completed his work for it already), and the film’s worldwide box office total hovers near the $260 million mark the focus has shifted to Wanted 2 and...Wanted 3.

Word of the sequel came early on, just after the movie opened, actually. Millar said that he remembers the moment well. “At the premiere, everybody knew that it was going to make a lot of money, and we were all buzzing,” Millar told Newsarama. “On the way out, Mark Platt, the main producer put his arms around me and JG and said, ‘Okay, so what’s the plan for Wanted 2?’ I looked at him and said, ‘There is no plan,’ and he said to me, ‘Okay, well, have something for us next week.’”

Millar has said before that he and Jones would not be going back to Wanted in a comic book sequel to the original 2004 miniseries, and he’s sticking to that pledge. “I’ve got this reputation of being a total whore, and even when I’m adamant about something like this, people don’t believe me, but there is nothing else coming from Wanted,” Millar said. “That six issues was the end. I love doing new stuff anyway – I get bored so quickly.”

That’s not to say he’s not doing something for Wanted 2 though...

“What I will be doing is providing them with a very small amount of stuff for a story, and that will be used as a basic story that they can build from. It will be a small outline that can possibly be picked apart and not used – but it will be something exclusively for the second film, and no one will ever really see it.”

Given that the film version of the story differs from the comic book version in a number of ways (some quite substantial) Millar’s outline will be set in the film’s continuity, but will reach back to the comics. “It will be some of the stuff that we didn’t utilize from the first book for the movie – like chapters three and four – there will be some stuff from that, so in the loosest sense it will be based on the book, but only very little,” Millar said. “The nice thing about owning it and creator-owned properties is that JG and I will still be producers on the thing, and will still obviously get paid for the rights.”

Millar acknowledged that he too had heard that Terence Stamp has said his character of Pekwarsky would be coming back for the sequel, and reportedly play a much larger role. Also, Wanted screenwriters Derek Haas and Michael Brandt have been at work on the screenplay for the sequel for some time.

Even though it’s his first comic book to make the leap to film, Millar’s taking it all in stride, and talking like a poolside-sitting, cigar-chomping, sunglass-wearing Hollywood insider. “The minute the movie came out and made $55 million the opening weekend, they knew it would be headed toward the $300 million mark in theaters, and another $200 estimated on DVD,” Millar said. “So they invested $100 million in it, and made $500 million back, and they were really pleased with that, so immediately, Wanted 2 and 3 were greenlit, and James [McAvoy] was signed on for another two movies, so there’s a larger plan at work here.”

While Millar declined to mention any plot specifics that he’s suggested to the producers and screenwriters in his outlines, he did reflect on Wanted’s creation and originally writing the project – a time when veering off to write a creator-owned project caused some strife in the Millar household.

“I remember what my wife said to me about five years ago when I was writing Wanted – ‘Oh I wish you were just doing six issues of X-Men again,” because we were doing Wanted for virtually nothing, and here’s it’s turned out to be a nice long-term bet,” Millar said. “Obviously in comics, both Marvel and DC – they really don’t take care of you when you’re an older guy and after you’ve done your work, so it’s nice having these things out there that will keeping bringing in money even after you’ve done your time with the big publishers. You start to realize that Robert Kirkman is right in a lot of ways. Creator-owned work is the kind of stuff that will take care of you when you’re older.”

Millar’s next comic to make it to film, Kick-Ass (the fourth issue of which shipped this week) begins filming in early September, and is directed by Matthew Vaughn and boasts Nic Cage in its cast. That film and project, Millar said, is rife with possibilities for sequels and spinoffs.

“Kick-Ass is the only thing that I feel I could never get bored with – I genuinely love doing that, and already have the sequel worked out for the movie and the comic, because the story ends in a way that is so completely going into another one,” the writer said. “So Kick-Ass is the only thing I see as a franchise that will just run and run and run, but everything else I see as being quite self-contained.”

New Coldplay EP

Chris Martin reveals new EP title, release date and a fifth studio album for 2009

Two of the biggest bands in the world went head to head on 6 Music (Saturday 30 August) with Coldplay revealing a bonanza of new material.

Chris Martin and Will Champion chatted to Michael Stipe live in the studio with Steve Lamacq - and following reports that Coldplay planned to release another record this year, it fell on Stipe to get to the bottom of the rumours.

“Is it true?” the R.E.M. singer asked, to which Martin replied: “We’re going to put an EP out at Christmas called Prospects March and we’re going to release an album next December.”

Martin then turned to Will Champion and asked: “Is it [the EP] called Prospects Songs or Prospects March?” Before Martin chipped is, “Let's ask Michael Stipe!” Stipe preferred Prospects March and the band agreed, before claiming that it would be released on 26 December or “something like that”.

Martin also whispered the name of the record, adding, “I’ve said it very quietly as we’re not allowed to announce the album. But we’re gonna have another record ready by November 2009 to end the decade.”

The singer then implied his band might disappear from the public eye after the release, saying “And then we’re gonna be ‘Whooosh!’ ‘Where’ve they gone?’ Just like [mysterious film villain] Keyser Soze.”

Media reports recently claimed that the band recorded a surplus of material during the sessions for their last album Viva La Vida they and had enough for another full release. However Martin explained that wasn’t the case, saying. “We’ve recorded the EP, but we’ve got to get around to the other thing.”

R.E.M. and Coldplay have been friends for years and Stipe gave his full endorsement of the band's music, saying.

"For me, having been around for 28 years, doing this, I’m thrilled when a band like Coldplay come along.

“I think ‘Great!’ Here are some contemporaries I respect what they do and they’re really smart fun people great people to be around and they’re very close friends."