Script review site ScriptShadow compared two versions of Mute, which Jones wrote with Mike Johnson. The first script, written in 2006, is actually set in modern day Berlin. It's only in the more recent version, set in 2046, that we get the futuristic film noir. But ScriptShadow reviewer Carson Reeves says the differences in the two versions are likely aesthetic, as the overall story remains largely the same despite the futuristic setting. Spoilers below.

We've known for some time that Mute focuses on a bartender who has lost the ability to speak and gets caught up in the Berlin underworld when his female partner goes missing. The entire script is available here, but Mute tells two parallel stories. One is about Leo, the titular mute, who falls for his fellow waiter, an Afghan woman named Naadirah. One day, Leo is unable to find Naadirah, and tears through Berlin's gangsters to find her, though he eventually learns that she is harboring a shocking secret. The other story focuses on Cactus Bill, an American stuck in Berlin who is waiting on fake passports for his wife and daughter so he can get out of dodge. Reeves notes that while Leo's story is all action, no talk (at least not from Leo), the Cactus Bill scenes are extremely verbose; Cactus Bill does little more than talk and wait around for passports.

At the moment, Mute is on hold while Jones takes on Source Code. But Reeves believes that, even with a few bumps in the script, Mute will at least look incredible, if it ever gets made.

[ScriptShadow]

Jones has been announced as the director for Source Code, in which Gyllenhaal will star as a soldier who wakes up to find himself inside a computer that forces him to relive a train bombing until he can discover who was behind it. The movie, expected to go into production early next year, will be produced by Mark Gordon, one of the men behind Roland Emmerich's upcoming disaster porn 2012.

Gyllenhaal goes straight to 'Source' [Variety]

He believes that if there weren't difficulties getting it made, then he must have got something wrong.

''Every problem,'' he points out like a scientist happily positing a theorem, ''is proof that we're planning a movie very different from the norm.''

[The Age]

Mute center around the disappearance of a young woman, and her partner, a mute bartender, who must face Berlin's gangsters to find out what happened to her. We spoke to Jones earlier this summer about the setting for Mute and why he's had Bladerunner in mind when constructing his future Berlin:

The only reason that I mention Blade Runner is because there's something about that particular film, where they really created a believable and realistic living breathing futuristic world. For all of the other films that have tried to do that I don't think anything has come as close the way Blade Runner has to creating something believable. Something that feels real and organic. It's like going to a real city and shooting a film there. You just get a sense that this place exists. [In] most of the science fiction films, it always feels a bit fake and a bit flat, but Blade Runner really didn't. That's the aspect of Blade Runner I'm hoping to capture. If and when I get the chance to do my film that I'm making.

According to the Liberty Films site, Jones plans to start shooting Mute in Berlin early next year.

[Liberty Films via /Film]

Images are all from the very sharp collection from the artist Bill Mudron, who has also brought a lot of other modern day scifi fare to life.

Rumors have been circulating that Duncan Jones' next picture would be the underwater adventure film Escape From the Deep. But fret not scifi fans, his next picture will actually be Mute, the mysterious picture about a future world that Jones has compared to Blade Runner's noir Los Angeles.

According to ScreenDaily, Jones will team up with Moon producer Stuart Fenegan, who revealed some of the plot. Apparently, it's about

a woman whose disappearance causes a mystery for her partner, a mute bartender. When she disappears, he has to go up against the city's gangsters.

The director will be getting $25 million in for his futuristic gangster film. Which makes us all froth at the mouth a little with the idea of giving Jones actual money to bring his beautiful scenes to life (Moon's landscapes, use of light, and sets were jaw-dropping, drool-inducing beautiful). That's almost five times his previous indie budget.

Jones describes Mute as more of an ensemble piece, but revealed more details to us when we pushed him a bit on the movie's big bad villains. The project is set to start filming by the end of this year.

This is the season when movies are more likely to bash you over the head with giant robotic fists then they are to make you ponder the universe. Nothing against robotic fists, mind you. But what sets Moon apart from other space operas this summer is that it blows you away with original ideas and surprising characters. It's still action packed, violent, and intense, but on an individual scale. Instead of spaceship battles, you have one man in his lunar rover, tiny against the immense moonscape.

Sam (Sam Rockwell) has begun to realize something is wrong at the lunar mining station. He can't get a live feed from Earth, and the video mails from his wife seem strangely edited. Plus, his robot Gertie (voiced by Kevin Spacey) seems to be trying to tell him something in a very subtle way: When he delivers news from the company, he flashes emoticons on his screen which signal confusion and distress. At first Gertie seems incredibly menacing, a version of HAL, but slowly we begin to realize that the robot is more complicated than that.

And Sam's life is a lot more complicated too. He knows he's a working stiff, required only to start up stalled mining vehicles. He's so unimportant that the company doesn't even bother to fix his live feed. But when he has an accident, he learns that he's more lowly than he ever imagined.

I would like to give you a reverse-spoiler alert here. Many people seem to believe that the big reveal of this movie is that Sam is a clone. Nothing could be farther from the truth. He discovers this early on, when Gertie awakens another clone after believing that Sam perished in the accident.

Sam's coming to terms with the fact that he is a clone, and his relationship with the newly-awakened second Sam clone, form the meat of this film. Together they must unravel the mystery of their existence and find out what the company has in store for them. Gertie also has a mysterious purpose, and his battered body, covered in post-it notes, always lurks at the edge of the frame. Eventually the company dispatches a "rescue mission" to the base, and the two Sams must race to figure out what they can do to save themselves in a world where clones are clearly less than people.

Directed and conceived by Duncan Jones, Moon is quiet and disturbing, yet manages to be hopeful in the face of overwhelmingly grim conditions. Director Jones happens to be the son of alien rocker David Bowie, but the tone and pacing of this film couldn't be farther from Ziggy Stardust. It's understated and minimalist – awash in shades of gray, with a rippling score from Clint "Pi" Mansell, the story is anti-glam. Which only allows Rockwell's incredible acting to pop even more.

What's pleasing about this movie is quite simply its originality. From the breathtaking images of a strip-mined moon, to the tight shots on Sam's face when he realizes he is just a copy of a man, this is a movie that will wash those YARMS right out of your brain. And without giving anything away, I'll just say the ending is not what you were expecting.

The other thing that I think is interesting about this movie is that it is actually based on current legal theories of clones. As law professor Kerry Macintosh has pointed out in her book Illegal Beings, human clones are illegal and therefore possess no human rights. If a human clone grew up now, it would have the legal status of a slave or worse. So it is not so farfetched to imagine that clones might become the untouchables of the next century.

So if you're wondering what to see this weekend, and you're lucky enough to live in one of the few cities where this movie has opened, check out Moon. You can see robots fighting any old time. But seeing something truly new? That's as rare as a rebellious clone on the moon.

Avatar:

Producer Jon Landau narrated the movie for Slashfilm, including a bunch of details we didn't already know. Marine Jake Sully has lost the use of his legs, so he accepts the chance to become part of a mining operation on the planet Pandora, where a new mineral will be a total game-changer for Earth's energy production. The planet Pandora is so harsh, the usual armor and environmental suit options aren't enough, so humans have come up with a clone program, combining DNA from humans and Na'Vi, the native species on Pandora, to create half-human, half-Na'Vi Avatars that are a genetic match for the individual human.

Jake Sully's brother was one of the original Avatars, but he's dead now. So the corporation asks Jake to come to Pandora and "pilot" his brother's very expensive Avatar, because his DNA is a match. That means Jake will be able to walk again.

The story flashes forward a few years, and Jake has arrived on Pandora, a planet of indescribable beauty, including the weird flora and fauna and the bioluminescence. Floating mountains soar above 900-foot-tall trees. Working for the mining corporation, Jake has a nasty encounter with a Viperwolf, one of Pandora's scary creatures, and he nearly dies. But an arrow kills the creature — and it's been fired by one of the Na'Vi, played by Zoe Saldana, who starts telling Jake the truth about life on Pandora.

Jake starts to realize the Na'Vi live in harmony with nature, dangerous as it is, on Pandora. And he decides to help the Na'Vi fight for their freedom from humans — even though it means his Avatar will be driven away, and he'll lose the ability to combine with it. He'll give up his ability to walk, in order to save these noble savages. Landau described the film as not dissimilar to Pocohontas. And Cameron is definitely contemplating a sequel. [Slashfilm]

Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen:

This Bay-opus had its debut in Tokyo yesterday, and some spoilers went online soon afterwards. In particular, there are "more robots, less humans." And there's weird sexual innuendo like the little robot Wheelie humping Megan Fox's leg.

Devastator only gets one line in the movie, shouting his own name. Soundwave, meanwhile, has a few lines, and he speaks English rather than Cybertronian. Soundwave never comes down to Earth, and he never becomes a robot — but at least he doesn't blow up, so there's hope for the next movie. In general, the robots all speak English rather than Cybertronian. The Twins are a lame "bust a cap in yo' ass" stereotype. There are three motorcycles, all of which are named Arcee, but she doesn't get much screen time.

Jetfire, meanwhile, speaks with an English accent and is sort of a Monty Python-esque comedy character. He doesn't actually combine with Optimus Prime — it's more like he's fatally wounded, and he gives up his spark so Optimus can use his parts. (When I first read this, I thought it said "pants.") There are lots of kitchen robots, including one Samurai. The only Constructicon who gets named is Ravage, and he's red.

The final battle scene has tons and tons of robots, and looks as though Bay is reusing some animation from earlier on. In fact, after the Constructicons combine to form Devastator, you can still see the individual Constructicons running around in the background. Scorponok is in the final battle, and gets killed by Jetfire very quickly. [Movie Chronicles]

How is this movie different from the first one? Ask Michael Bay:

What you will notice that is strikingly different than Transformers 1, is the level of animation detail. The robot characters (42 in all), you really can feel empathy for them. What is also very different is the sheer scale of the movie. We have been very tight holding back much of the best imagery in commercials and trailers.

He also says "Haters beware." So, you know, you've been warned. Your next warning will probably be in the form of robo-urine. [TLAMB]

Ghostbusters 3:

What's Egon been up to since the last movie? Harold Ramis shares his theory with Empire Magazine, including some dialogue that he may actually put in the movie:

I'm intrigued by my idea for where Egon has been. He's been working in the International Institute For Imaginary Science, in Geneva. He's evolved a post-rational, non-conclusive logic for dealing with problems of chaos. Someone asks him ‘What does that mean?' and he says ‘There are no spatial, conceptual or intellectual models to describe it - so we don't know.' Egon's gone so abstract, even he doesn't know what he's doing!

And Ramis says he hopes Alyssa Milano will play the same character she does in the video game — the love interest, Dr. Ilyssa Selwyn. [Empire Magazine via Slashfilm]

Deadpool:

Ryan Reynolds continues talking up his Wolverine spin-off, which he says is in the planning stages. And he hints that he'll "get to kick Captain America in the nuts" in the movie, which I'm guessing is just a joke. [IESB]

Moon:

Some more spoilers from this movie, which opens Friday in L.A. and New York, and elsewhere in the country over the following weeks:

In Moon, written by Nathan Parker based on a story by Jones, Sam Rockwell plays Sam Bell, a lone astronaut manning a Helium-3 mining facility on the dark side of the moon. He periodically drives his lunar rover to a number of computer-guided trawling machines to retrieve canisters of the isotope, which have been cooked out of the powdery lunar surface, and shoot them back to earth where the gas is used as a clean form of nuclear energy. Sam's only companion on the moon base is GERTY, a HAL-like computer that monitors his every move. Due to a communication malfunction, the astronaut cannot communicate directly with earth, including his wife and daughter, except via increasingly anguished pre-recorded video messages. Sam has also begun suffering from blinding headaches, nosebleeds and hallucinations and his sole source of comfort is the knowledge that his three-year shift is just weeks away from ending. That is until Bell suffers a hallucinatory spell during a Helium-3 collection run and wrecks his rover into one of the trawlers. When he awakes back at the moon base, he realizes that his rescuer is a younger, fitter carbon copy of himself. Although you've probably guessed that cloning is involved, how Bell and his doppelganger unravel the mystery of just who they are is something you should see for yourself.

[Vanity Fair]

The Sorcerer's Apprentice:

Tipster LJ made this Youtube clip of Alfred Molina and Monica Bellucci filming a scene at Bowling Green, where the fountain had been converted into a pedestal:

Doctor Who:

Not really a spoiler per se, but fans are speculating (in part based on the rumors we posted yesterday) that the David Tennant/Russell T. Davies era will end with drastic changes to the timeline that will bring back both Gallifrey and Skaro, undoing the Time War and giving new showrunner Steven Moffat a totally blank slate. (But this isn't even a rumor, it's just speculation.) [Doctor Who Forum]

True Blood:

Here are the official synopses of the first six episodes of season two:

2.01 - Nothing But the Blood: A shocking murder outside Merlotte's bar has the people of Bon Temps reeling; Sookie and Bill's relationship is tested; Sam recalls an encounter he had with Maryann as a 17-year-old.

2.02 - Keep This Party Going: Sookie and Bill contend with teen vampire Jessica; Jason impresses his Light of Day leaders; Maryann casts her spell at Merlotte's.

2.03 - Scratches: Bill enlists Eric's help to save Sookie after she is attacked by a mysterious creature; Jessica finds a willing suitor in Hoyt; Tara finds her attraction to Eggs interrupted by a swirling fog.

2.04 - Let's Take a Trip Together: Bill and Sookie travel to Dallas to carry out Eric's mission; Jason falls victim to a practical joke; Maryann throws a birthday party for Tara.

2.05 - Never Let Me Go: While in Dallas, Sookie connects with one of her own; Jason is rewarded for his hard work at the Light of Day boot camp; Eric shares a secret about his past with Bill.

2.06 - Friend Is a Four Letter Word: Sookie embarks on a dangerous mission to locate Godric; Bill is shocked when a vampire from his past resurfaces in Dallas; Jason must make difficult emotional and physical choices.

What the heck are "physical choices"? [SpoilerTV]

Additional reporting by Alexis Brown.

Duncan Jones io9 Moon Interview from io9 on Vimeo.

On The Science Behind Moon:

Sam Rockwell was the initial inspiration. But Entering Space was the sort of crux of the hard science behind the film. Because it is more of a hard science-fiction film than a soft science-fiction film. There was this amazing description in Robert Zubrin's book Entering Space, on how you would go about colonizing the solar system. And one of the first things you would do is set up a base on the Moon. And the reason you would do that is because you would want to mine this thing helium 3. Which is a natural resource that you could use of fuel for fusion power. So that was the science behind it.

On how Sam inspired Moon:

I met up with Sam Rockwell about three years ago. He had read a script that I had co-written with a guy named Mike Johnson. That was for another film. It was maybe too ambitious for a first feature film. And Sam wanted to play another role than the one I really wanted him to play... We talked about about the kind of films that we both loved. There was this real cross-over in both of our tastes where we both loved these science fiction films from the late 70s and early 80s. Films like Outland and Silent Running and Ridley Scott's Alien, where you had these really sort of blue-collar characters, deeply well-drawn human beings and characters, that were contrasted with these alien environments and science fiction settings. We both got really excited about doing something like that.

On His Own Personal Reason For Making This Film:

I had been very different when I was younger than I am now. It took me a really long time to find myself and feel comfortable in my own skin, and to know what it is that I wanted to do with my life... I lacked a lot of self confidence. The difference between me now and me then were quite dramatic. I think like anyone, you ask yourself, I've asked myself, I wish I could have gone back and talked to myself when I was younger and said, "You know what, everything is going to be ok." I think that conversation between me now and me then, it just got me thinking about the idea of meeting yourself in person. Having the chance to see what you're really like And what other people have to deal with when they have to deal with you.

Video by Spencer Lund and Mike Byhoff.

Upon mentioning that original director Ridley Scott had screened Duncan's current flick staring Sam Rockwell and "seemed to like it as well." We asked more about Duncan's next rumored film that was said to be inspired by Ridley Scott's Blade Runner.

Speaking of Ridley Scott, you mentioned earlier a desire to make a Blade Runner-esque sequel set in a futuristic Berlin. Can you tell us more about that?

I still want to do that film, and I'm still hoping to do it, and have it be the next film I do. It's not Blade Runner 2. I have no claim on that at all. The only reason that I mention Blade Runner is because there's something about that particular film, where they really created a believable and realistic living breathing futuristic world. For all of the other films that have tried to do that I don't think anything has come as close the way Blade Runner has to creating something believable. Something that feels real and organic. It's like going to a real city and shooting a film there. You just get a sense that this place exists. [In] most of the science fiction films, it always feels a bit fake and a bit flat, but Blade Runner really didn't. That's the aspect of Blade Runner I'm hoping to capture. If and when I get the chance to do my film that I'm making.

Now is the script done for this film?

Yes it's been done for awhile. I actually wrote it before I did Moon. The script has started to go out to actors. So if I can get a cast, and if Moon goes well and people have the faith to invest in me to another film then that's the film I'm very much hoping I'll do next.

Since characters are very important to you, what type of characters and actors are you looking for, for this film?

I think it's really just a matter of coming up with believable humans, you know rounded people. People you actually believe exist. One of the great things about Mute, which is the title for this next film... First of all, there's more than one person [as in Moon], but also there's a couple of villains in there which I'm really excited about. They're so different than anything you've seen. I hope I get the chance to make the film because they're going to be very unique, you're not going to have seen anyone like these two guys before.

What are we dealing with here with these villains: Machines? Aliens? Mutants?

No not at all. No aliens, nothing like that. It's a very human story, it's about normal, normal people having to live in this future city. Science fiction is more of a backdrop, in some ways, than you might expect. But I like that, because ... if you allow [science fiction] to be in the backdrop and not be what it's all about, then the humanity is what you're really concentrating on and looking at. You see why people are the way they are , and how they've maintained their humanity in these science-fiction settings. Or the opposite, why their humanity starts to be eroded. When they started to lose their humanity because of the world that they live in, and that's what this film is going to be about.

Did you spend a lot of time world-building for this future vision?

Yes, I think so. Again, trying to learn from films that I love, like Blade Runner, there are certain things that they did, and certain things that I wanted to do, that they didn't do, where you really create a living breathing environment. Just giving some ideas of where culture might go. Giving you ideas about kinds of restaurants or things you might see in the future that don't exist yet. I had a lot of ideas on that front that I wanted to incorporate into this world.

Can you share any little world bit with us, anything unique from your future?

Nope. [Laughs] You'll have to wait and see!

We're very happy the Mute script is going out to actors. If it's as grounded in clever writing and character-building as Jones' Moon, then I'm even more excited for this very hush-hush film. Until then go check out Moon on June 12th.

Duncan Jones, who both directed and wrote this captivating feature, has only two stars in the entire movie. Sam Bell, played by Sam Rockwell, is a Lunar Industries worker, rounding out the end of his three years of space mining isolation. The other star is an boxy robot titled GERTY, voiced by Kevin Spacey, who expresses his robotic feeling through a 2D smiley face on his tiny screen/face. The main character, Bell, is forced to come face-to-face with his own inner demons and personal mortality when he uncovers some nefarious deeds happening on the lonesome Moon.

Moon will be in theaters on June 12 — I strongly encourage you to see it.

On June 12th, only two cities will be getting one of the most exciting and innovative new indie scifi dramas to come out this year, the rest of you are SOL. I strongly encourage those in the area to check out Sam Rockwell in his gripping, sometimes hilarious, heart-breaking and ultimately introspective spaceman story.

As for the rest of you, time to bug the hell out of Sony Pictures Classics, it's for a very good cause.

Star Trek:

As you probably gleaned from yesterday's clips, Captain Robau of the U.S.S. Kelvin beams over to Nero's ship, which is a mistake. And Nero attacks Vulcan while Kirk and Spock are still at the Academy, and then Kirk finds himself on board the newly commissioned Enterprise alongside Spock and the rest of the crew. Stuff that's not explained in the movie includes what Nero is doing for 25 years between attacking the Kelvin and attacking Vulcan, and why his mining ship is so advanced. Plus how Kirk finds Old Spock on the frozen planet of Delta Vega. And why Kirk gets promoted to First Officer so quickly when he's only a cadet and there are tons of junior officers around. [Sci Fi Wire]

Terminator Salvation:

Three awesome new TV spots:

G.I. Joe:

Marlon Wayans wants to reassure you that this toy movie will not be all comedy, and he doesn't clown around the whole time. There's plenty of bad-ass action, honestly. Also, he says the classic catchphrases, like "Knowing is half the battle," are in there, but he won't say who says them. [MTV]

Moon:

Sam Rockwell plays Sam, a miner stuck alone on the moon, with only a Kevin Spacey-voiced robot for company... unitl there's a moon rover accident, and a mysterious person who looks just like Sam Rockwell turns up. [Time]

Dollhouse:

With only two episiodes left to the season, is Paul Ballard going to find the L.A. Dollhouse this year? Says Joss Whedon, "Paul's going to find way more than he expects to. He's going to find a lot. It's not pretty." [E! Online]

Caprica:

Don't expect Amanda Graystone to find out about her daughter's virtual avatar any time soon, says actor Paula Malcomson:

She's not going learn early. I think there's just too much payoff if you let it hang out there-I mean, the betrayal, it's just going to be massive.

[E! Online]

Fringe:

The scene between William Bell and Olivia Dunham will leave you wondering what he needs her for, and why he got in touch with her, says Leonard Nimoy. He'll be in at least two episodes next year, at which point we'll learn more about his backstory with Walter Bishop. [Sci Fi Wire]

Doctor Who:

The time-travel show is filming inside the atmospheric walls of Caerphilly Castle, and there's likely to be some kind of explosion involved. But not much else is known, because it's not open to the public. [Planet Gallifrey]

Lost:

After you see the season finale, you'll understand why "season five has not handed you Sawyer and Kate on a plate." Huh? Also, the finale shows us Sayid's wife Nadia, "back in the future."

Meanwhile, we'll meet Young Kate and her young friend Tom. Plus Young Juliet and her sister Young Rachel, and also Young Sawyer. It's all a part of a figure from the island (Jacob, presumably) looking in on the Lostaways at crucial points in their youth. [E! Online]

And here are some promo pics from that season finale. [SpoilersLost]

Mark Pellegrino is widely rumored to be playing Jacob in the finale, but he's listed on call sheets as "Man Number One." And another guest star, Deadwood's Titus Welliver, is listed as "Man Number Two." Could this be the other presence inside Jacob's Cabin? [Doc Arzt]

Smallville:

It sounds like the death in the season finale is not actually Chloe. Also, Cassidy Freeman says Tess is on the hunt for Davis because Clark can't become Superman until he beats Doomsday. [E! Online]

Lois doesn't just have a ringside seat for the Clark-Doomsday brawl, she gets into a smackdown of her own. [TV Guide]

Note: As with last year's similar poll, we're not including movies that are expected to be hits, like Star Trek or Terminator. If you want to make a case in the comments as to why you'd be surprised if Star Trek makes tons of money, go ahead. I was debating whether to include Wolverine, but a lot of people seem somewhat pessimistic about its chances now.

Have you never heard of some of these movies? More information about Pandorum is here. More info on District 9 is here. More about Moon is here. And here's Game.

In an interview with Erin McCarthy from Popular Mechanics Jones talks about his next big feature film and says he's going to try and harness that old Blade Runner feel:

It looks like I'm going to be doing another science-fiction film next. I love Blade Runner, it's one of my favorite films, and I've always been really… depressed that there was never — not a sequel, because I don't think it's right to make a sequel about Blade Runner, but no one's really tried to make a film which was set in the same kind of world or had that same kind of field. So that's what I'm doing, a big-city mystery story that takes place in a future Berlin.

Good, it's about time someone tried to tell stories like this again. We're starved for noirish world-building layered into a mystery, and if anyone can create an interesting society it's Jones. In fact if he wasn't doing this, we would ask him to.

The article also includes tons of details about Moon, including the answer for why Jones put the helium-mining base on the dark side of the moon, when there's more helium on the near side. But be warned: if you haven't seen Moon the interview is full of spoilers.

Right now Moon is playing at the Tribeca Film Festival, the Cleveland International Film Festival, and the Philadelphia International Film Festival, and it'll have a limited release in theaters on June 12th.

IGN has the first official trailer for this movie, co-written and directed by David Bowie's son Duncan Jones (aka Zowie Bowie):

And here are five clips from the film:

Moon comes out on June 12.