Warner Bros. put out 29 official publicity stills from The Book Of Eli, which comes out January 15. It's the long-awaited next film from the Hughes Bros., who gave us Menace II Society and From Hell. And here's the official synopsis:

In the not-too-distant future, some 30 years after the final war, a solitary man walks across the wasteland that was once America. Empty cities, broken highways, seared earth—all around him, the marks of catastrophic destruction. There is no civilization here, no law. The roads belong to gangs that would murder a man for his shoes, an ounce of water...or for nothing at all.

But they're no match for this traveler.

A warrior not by choice but necessity, Eli (Denzel Washington) seeks only peace but, if challenged, will cut his attackers down before they realize their fatal mistake. It's not his life he guards so fiercely but his hope for the future; a hope he has carried and protected for 30 years and is determined to realize. Driven by this commitment and guided by his belief in something greater than himself, Eli does what he must to survive—and continue.

Only one other man in this ruined world understands the power Eli holds, and is determined to make it his own: Carnegie (Gary Oldman), the self-appointed despot of a makeshift town of thieves and gunmen. Meanwhile, Carnegie's adopted daughter Solara (Mila Kunis) is fascinated by Eli for another reason: the glimpse he offers of what may exist beyond her stepfather's domain.

But neither will find it easy to deter him. Nothing—and no one—can stand in his way. Eli must keep moving to fulfill his destiny and bring help to a ravaged humanity.

We're also going to have to point out the filter directors Albert Hughes and Allen Hughes decided to use. There is nothing light-handed about it, but it feels like it works. I'm excited to see Denzel kill a room full of ragged gangsters, but not so excited for this sunglasses fashion competition that's happening.

Official Synopsis:

A post-apocalyptic tale, in which a lone man fights his way across America in order to protect a sacred book that holds the secrets to saving humankind.

Eli will be out January 15th 2010.

The Hughes Bros previously directed Menace II Society and From Hell, among other projects. Albert Hughes said the movie takes place 30 years in the future after a series of wars have left the planet environmentally devastated. The human population has gotten incredibly small, and they live Mad Max style in broken down cities that seem to have partly reverted to an almost medieval style of life.

Visually, the movie looks something like The Matrix crossed with Road Warrior, with silvered, smoky air and stylized fights. In a discussion at Comic-Con after the clips aired, Washington said that he'd done almost all the fight scenes in the movie himself, after training with two people who had worked with Bruce Lee. In addition we saw the "motion graphic novel preview" of the movie. It was stark and intense, done entirely in stark animation. We see Eli beaten by his drunk dad, and then watch as Eli's parents give their money to a televangelist's ministry. Eli eventually steals and burns his parents' checks to the ministry, after waiting until the two of them are asleep with drinks in hand. Then he kills his parents in a blaze of fire. "And I've been wandering ever since," he says. This is backstory for his character that helps us understand his badassery in the movie.

Allen Hughes said he and his brother were drawn to the project because it was "uniquely different." He added:

[The story] reminded us of what we liked about the original Planet of the Apes. It's an adventure-journey with something to say about society.

Gary Oldman plays Eli's nemesis, who wants a rare book that Eli carries. Oldman elaborated:

[It's] An old important book. I want this because it's a means to absolute rule and power for me. With this book I can guide, lead and control, and manipulate.

After seeing the motion graphic novel backstory of Eli's life, I couldn't help but wonder if the book is the Bible.

The movie looked very promising - a nice antidote to the usual post-apocalyptic fare. And with heavy hitters like Denzel Washington and Gary Oldman tearing it up on screen, it's sure to be intense.

Sounds like he'll be reprising his role as Commissioner Gordon. After he revealed the big news, he said, "You didn't hear that from me." A Warner Bros. representative sitting next to me in the packed auditorium expressed surprise. "They didn't tell us that," she said. This is the first time we've had direct confirmation that there will be another Batman, and that Oldman will be in it.

IESB reports that Commissioner Gordon was spotted on the Iron Man 2 set, and not just to say hello to fellow crime fighters or taking a break from filming the lunatic villain in The Book Of Eli. Oldman might be taking on the role of Tony's father, Howard Stark (who was rumored to be played by Tim Robbins or John Slattery). Personally, I'm a fan of Slattery, but again, Oldman is always good.

Oh and if you were wondering what the other Gary was doing on set (Gary Shandling) IESB reveals that he plays Senator Stern, a smaller role.

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BOOK OF ELI:

Denzel, and Gary Oldman in one film!? Will there be any scenery left to chew?
Their previous sci-fi effort was a lot smaller in scale, but still looks interesting from this old flyer I found.


HEROES:
Word has it that on set egos and conflicts may lead to Hayden Panetierre leaving "Heroes" which I think is a brilliant idea because I think we're all ready for her to be launched into superstardom.
Her new film should do that nicely I think.

BATTLESTAR:
So, I was digging through some old files and found some old photoshopperie (with appropriate comments which I have italicized to show their oldness) I did when Battlestar was first announced. And can I say, boy was I on to something back then. Hollywood needs to stop remaking and changing things because it is ALWAYS a disaster as I think we have learned from this dumb-ass show. Though I will admit I was apparently very culturally insensitive at the time. I guess BSG, and all it's hippie namby pamby preaching, has had some effect on me.

First off, a girl Starbuck? Jesus, what's next? DISASTER!


Uh huh... I wonder how they'll explain a Daggit with their precious "realism".


Need I say more? Am I right, or am I right?


Oh, and finally, you wanna see just how far they're going to go with this liberal claptrap? Check this out.

DISASTER!:
I will drop the faux snark for a moment...

Have a good week friends, like Kara Thrace I'm outta h...

Entertainment Tonight filmed a few in-progress action shots on set of The Book Of Eli. Once you strip away all the ridiculous banter, you can see what looks like a Western-meets-Mad Max shootout. I, for one, was really excited to see skinny little Oldman cursing and dancing around, presumably angry with that wily ol' Denzel and his book with the secrets to humanity inside.

Mila Kunis also gave up some of her time to talk to the cameras. Kunis' on-screen mother is Flashdancer Jennifer Beals, and also the blind sex slave to one evil Gary Oldman (Oooh Gary... you're so bad in this!). The film follows Denzel as he travels across a burned down America because, according to Mila, they blew up the sun. Denzel is spreading the word from the Book of Eli that Gary Oldman and his back of mismatched ruffians desperately want to get their hands on.

Quiet Earth found these great stills from White Mountain Wheels, who just happened upon the set. I have to say one coy smile from Gary Oldman, and I am sold. The movie follows Denzel, as he treks across a burned world spreading the word from his "book of Eli." When he gets to Oldman's camp, crafty Gary and his team of shabby-looking ruffians devise a way to capture this book, which holds the secret to saving humankind.

The Book Of Eli will be released in theaters on January 15, 2010.

According to SpoilerTV, the movie is currently casting the mother of Mila Kunis' character. Kunis (That 70s Show, Max Payne) plays Solara. And according to the casting call, Solara's mom, Claudia, has been blind since birth. The villain Carnegie (Gary Oldman) captured Claudia as a prize long ago, and now he uses her as a sexual toy. Claudia goes along with it, because if she refuses Carnegie anything, it'll mean "torment for her child." But eventually, Claudia gets her revenge somehow.

And then there are a couple of minor villains. Carnegie has a "bull-necked second-in-command" named Hoyt, who foolishly tries to challenge Carnegie's orders once too often, and gets shot to death for his affrontery.

Also, there's Martz, the leader of a marauding biker gang who commits robbery, rape and murder before breakfast. He's illiterate, but knows that Carnegie will pay top dollar for a very special book. So he brings in every book he can find. He's dumb enough to confront Eli (Denzel Washington) and watches in horror as his men are sliced to ribbons, Samurai style. (Note the Samurai motif in the teaser poster.) Then Martz adds to his mistake by trying to hit Eli from behind — only to get killed quickly.

If the casting call is for real, it definitely sounds as though the Hughes brothers are sticking close to their exploitation movie roots. But with an A-list cast on board, which can't hurt. [SpoilerTV]

Coming Soon has the first look at the art:

According to the official synopsis:

"Washington plays a survivor who must fend off gangs and a brutal tyrant in a desolate wasteland. Oldman will play the film's villain, a "despot of a small and pathetic town, who’s determined to get a hold of Eli’s book."

Production on the film starts in January of 2009.

[Coming Soon]

Oldman wants sole possession of Eli's magic book o' smarts, and is willing to fight him for it. Sigh, so this end of the world movie is really just about "knowledge is power"? I was ready for a raggedy-clothes throw down between these two great actors. Still perhaps just the attachment of both Washington and Oldman speaks enough for the script.

Plus it's being directed by the Hughes Brothers, who made Menace II Society and the vastly underrated From Hell, by far the best Alan Moore graphic novel adapation to date.

The Book Of Eli is going to start production this upcoming January and has a tentative release date on January 15, 2010.

[Variety]

Oldman and Nolan confirmed the next Batman villain would be The Riddler, last played by Jim Carrey in Batman Forever. Asked whether they would recast the role of the Joker due to the sad passing of actor Heath Ledger Oldman expressed his great appreciation for Ledger's portrayal, and said, "Maybe we don't need the Joker. Because we'll have The Riddler." Fascinating, how will Nolan bring to life such an over-the-top character? Granted he brought The Joker to deep and dark reality, so The Riddler could very well be a slightly believable villain.

Director Chris Nolan had no idea about bringing back The Joker, and in fact he says he's not especially gung ho about making a third Batman movie in the first place. When asked about making a third film, Nolan tells Movie Web, "I don't know. I take my projects one at a time, and I am not thinking about that right now. I don't know if I want to come back." Whoa — what's with the sour grapes? You've been making movie magic, why not round out the series while you still have all the actors you love under contract? [Movie Web]

Famous names: Luc Besson, Bruce Willis, Milla Jovovich, Gary Oldman

Crunchy goodness: 2

Design breakthrough: Sometimes a breakthrough is a beta test that turns out to be woefully wrong. The Fifth Element demonstrated beyond a shadow of a doubt that nobody wants the future to look like it was designed by aging French fashionistas who still think it's racy to reference the Virgin Mary.

Copycats: Thankfully there was no Sixth Element, but Fifth Element did launch the career of the world's first-ever female action star - Milla Jovovich. Sure there have been other women who played action roles, but Jovovich is the only one to play solely action heroes (see her wildly popular Resident Evil series). Hopefully her action hero career will not follow the trajectory of Arnold Schwarzenegger's, because that would mean she'd have to star in a series of terrible comedies before becoming a homophobic politician.

Sights you'll never unsee: The costumes.

Fifth Element - Script, Multimedia, Character Descriptions...