The Guardian's Stuart Heritage thinks that what we already know about the second Iron Man movie sounds worryingly familiar:

This time Iron Man 2 will have to balance Robert Downey Jr with Sam Rockwell and Scarlett Johansson and Mickey Rourke and Don Cheadle and Samuel L Jackson and Gwyneth Paltrow, and a shedload of exploding robots. Plus, there's a good chance that Tony Stark's also going to be an alcoholic in this one. And that's where the worry starts to seep in.

A tangled love story? Too many villains? A hero struggling with his demons? Unless I'm mistaken, that sounds just like Spider-Man 3 – a superhero movie legendary in its bloated naffness.

We'll admit it; we're concerned about Iron Man 2 as well, but that's got more to do with Whiplash's costume than any story-related reason. After all, if Favreau and Downey Jr. could make the first movie as fun as it was despite not having a finished script, making two bad guys, two Iron Men and an alcoholic subplot work should be a piece of cake. But do we put too much faith in their talents? Let us know in the comments whether you're worried that IM2 may be too full for its own good.

Why I'm starting to worry about Iron Man 2 [Guardian.co.uk]

Iron Man 2

The international poster gives us Tony Stark sans helmet. [Cinematical]

Avatar

James Cameron gave his overview of the story, straight from the six-legged horse's mouth:

"We're telling the story of what happens when a technologically superior culture comes into a place with a technologically inferior indigenous culture and there are resources there that they want," said Cameron. "It never ends well.

"It's also a love story about an awakening of perception through the other person. That person must teach him something and there has to be a greater reason for him to be in love with her other than she's a hot blue alien chick."

[Telegraph]

During yesterday's live cast on MTV, Cameron and his crew showed images from pre-production, where Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana donned long hair and acted out their scenes before filming the motion capture. Compare the rehearsal to the actual screenshot. [Image via CinemaBlend]

There's also footage that shows the motion capture alongside the finished scenes:

And Fox has released 21 high resolution images. We've seen several of these before, but these are better quality versions with explanatory text. [/Film]

Tron Legacy

Jeff Bridges says that the de-aging technology used to make one of the characters he plays look 27 years younger is more sophisticated than what we saw in the teaser trailer; it's the same technology used on Brad Pitt in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. It's also unlikely that the teaser footage will appear in the actual film.

And here's what's known about the story so far:

Though the movie's storyline is closely held, we know that Bridges will play an older version of his original character, Kevin Flynn, as well as a second character whose appearance is that of Bridges 27 years ago. In Tron Legacy, Kevin Flynn's son, Sam (Garrett Hedlund), goes back into the digital world to find his lost father. Olivia Wilde and Michael Sheen co-star as programs living in the world of computer programs. Boxleitner also reprises his role from the original Tron. Lisberger collaborates as a producer. Joseph Kosinski directs the new vision of Tron.

[SCI FI Wire]

Harry Potter

We get a bit more magic in the second image from The Deathly Hallows thanks to an appearance by Harry's wand.

Lost

In an interview, Ian Somerhalder, who plays Boone, says he's filming a scene for the season premiere and will appear in two more episodes. [via DarkUFO]

Supernatural

How will the Four Horsemen be revealed? Here's the word:

The rest of the Four Horsemen are coming...Pestilence shows up near the end of the season, we'll meet Famine in a February episode. "When you're under the effects of Famine, you're not necessarily hungry for food. You're hungry for whatever that thing is you're starving for, be it alcohol or attention or love or sex or Twinkies or heroine or gambling... Everyone at the end of the day is starving for something, and Famine brings that out."

[here4castiel]

Misha Collins says Castiel barely makes it out of his battle with Anna in episode thirteen alive. [AOL]

And here are the titles for episodes eleven through sixteen:

5.11: Sam, Interrupted
5.12: Swap Meat
5.13: Back to the Future II
5.14: My Bloody Valentine
5.15: Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid
5.16: Your Whole Life Flashes Before Your Eyes

[Spoiler TV]

Fringe

Joshua Jackson talks about Peter's relationship with his mom and what might happen when Peter learns the truth about his origins. He also discusses rumors that Nina Sharp is either Peter's mother or Olivia's mother. [Zap2it]

Chuck

Here are a pair of casting calls for the twelfth episode of the new season, "Chuck vs The American Hero:"

[GENERAL NORMAN SCHWARZKOPF LOOKALIKE] 65.. Actor to play Gen. Schwarzkopf...CO STAR.

[HEFTY BURBANK COP] Male, 35-45. Out of shape, overweight but not huge Burbank cop who is very excited when some real action takes place on his beat...CO-STAR.

[Spoiler TV]

Additional reporting by Josh C. Snyder and Charlie Jane Anders.

Still can't wait to see the giant exploding, Robert Downey Jr. quipping madness that is another Iron Man movie. The film will be released May 7, 2010.

Bleeding Cool's Rich Johnston notices that the latest issue of Diamond Distributors' monthly catalog Previews includes an ad for a War Machine action figure "based on the stunning Iron Man 2 designs!" But while the main image, showing the full armor, has been blacked out, a close up of James Rhodes inside the suit hasn't. As Rich says,

This is not design art, this is not a leaked plan, this is not some fan made project, not a brief blur on a leaked trailer, this is a full-on glimpse at what War Machine will actually look like.

Well, kind of. We cant really see that much; only part of the helmet and the silhouette, both of which suggests that the armor may look not unlike the original War Machine armor from the 1990s. But if this is meant to be some kind of tease to get fans excited about the movie, we're of the opinion that it falls short of working: Beyond confirming that James Rhodes will get to be War Machine in the second movie, this doesn't really tell us anything - and given that we've already seen photos of the Black Widow and Whiplash already, this feels more like leftovers than an exciting appetizer. But what do you think?

Iron Man 2:

Sam Rockwell says his character, Justin Hammer, is sort of like Lex Luthor (the Hackman and Spacey versions) mixed with Bill Murray in Kingpin and Richard Gere in American Gigolo. And in case we didn't cover this before, Rockwell also says his character is the one who builds Rhodey's War Machine armor, and Rhodey has no choice but to work with Hammer. But Rhodey doesn't let Hammer try the armor on. [MTV]

Tekken:

At a party for distributors, the studio showed off some footage from this live-action movie adaptation, starring Luke Goss, Jon Foo, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Gary Daniels, Ian Anthony Dale, Kelly Overton, Cung Le, and Tamlyn Tomita. The movie follows Jin Kazama as he struggles to get revenge on Tekken Corp. chairman Heihachi Mishima for the death of his mother. And the only way to get revenge is to enter Tekken's Iron Fist Tournament. Just because.

So the trailer/sizzle reel included captions saying:

One tournament ... decides the fate of millions. ... They fight for power ... They fight for honor ... They fight for pride ... But one man ... fights for revenge. ... Courage fuels him ... Rage drives him.

We see a flying car soaring over an arena in a futuristic city, and a bloodthirsty crowd waits for the action to begin. We see a montage of the movie's fighters, including Raven, Eddie Gordo, Bryan Fury, Craig Marduk, and Yoshimitsu. They all look sort of like their game counterparts. And there's lots of fighting, punching, kicking and general mayhem. Jin Kazama runs along building tops, parkour style, and fights in a cage match, rising up from the streets to the Iron Fist competition. Woo!

Jin Kazama meets Steve Fox (Goss) and the sexy Christie Monteiro (Overton), and then there's a training montage, showing him pummeling a wooden dummy. Steve Fox yells, and Kazuya Mishima (Dale) walks bare-chested in front of a wall of fire. There's a hero shot of Jin looking like his game counterpart, then he's fighting in the ring, and then chicks are fighting in the ring. Jin fights Bryan Fury (Daniels) and one of his blows causes an energy ripple across Fury's chest. Guards pull a distraught woman away, and then there's more fighting, including maces and half-moon axes. Even more details of fighting and posing at the link. [IGN]

Avatar:

This totally ridiculous Coke Zero ad and a couple of new TV spots include a teeny amount of new footage from the movie. [Thanks Slashfilm!]

Resident Evil: Afterlife:

Milla Jovovich is still Tweeting from the set of this movie, and among other things, she explains that her new costume includes a leather gun harness and a "butt bra." And those mysterious figures in all white are "Pod People," who've been subjected to horrific Umbrella Corp. experiments. [ShockTillYouDrop]

The Hobbit:

Guillermo Del Toro explains exactly what he'll be adding to Tolkien's original story:

We will be integrating Gandalf's comings and goings [into the script] because he does disappear in the book quite often. So, as opposed to the book, we see where he goes and what happens to him.

That means we'll see the battle against the Necromancer. And the Wargs will have "a certain beauty" so you don't get the message that everyone beautiful is good, and vice versa. And Smaug the dragon will be unique and look unlike any dragon you've ever seen. [Total Film via MTV]

Twilight:

The Wolf Pack come up on Access Hollywood to talk about their abs and explain why werewolves are better than vampires.

Dark Days: 30 Days Of Night:

Here's your first image from this sequel, showing Kiele Sanchez as Stella Oleson (played by Melissa George in the first film) waving a knife as she prepares to take the fight to the vampires. Also in the film are Lost's Harold Perrineau, Mia Kirshner (as the vampire Lilith), Diora Baird, Rhys Coiro, Troy Ruptash, Jackson Berlin, John De Santis, Marco Sorian and Katherine Isabelle. Full version of the image at the link. [AICN via ShockTillYou Drop]

The Prisoner:

Ian McKellen was on The View, where he showed a brief clip from this remake of the classic 1960s series... and put up with Whoopi Goldberg confusing him with Michael Gambon. Oops. [Cinematical]

Lost:

The show was filming at the Survivors' camp, and actors in attendance included Evangeline Lilly (Kate), Matthew Fox (Jack), Michael Emerson (Ben), Jorge Garcia (Hugo), Emilie de Ravin (Claire), Yunjin Kim (Sun), Jeff Fahey (Frank Lapidus) and Nestor Carbonell (Richard Alpert). [SpoilersLost]

Doctor Who:

Here's a brief new TV spot for this episode, premiering (in the UK) on Sunday!

And Russell T. Davies says this episode is "absolutely terrifying, one of the scariest things we've ever done." The things the Doctor and the people around him are forced to do are totally mad and it's a really exciting hour. [BlogtorWho]

V:

Here are some promo pics from the fourth and final episode of the year, "It's Only Just Beginning." It looks as though someone is getting pregnant... and the father is the last person you would expect! [VisitorSite]

And here are six clips from tomorrow night's new epsiode, including Morena Baccarin turning herself into a virtual paper doll to try out outfits on.

Fringe:

Here's some info about the Nov. 19 episode, "Observer":

An unusual abduction in Boston reveals information about the Observer and bizarre evidence that Walter, Peter and Astrid must sort out in the lab—-in between Walter's constant cravings for a milkshake.

[TV Guide]

FlashForward:

In upcoming episodes, we'll meet the adult version of the mysterious scarred Somalian child from episode three, and he may be played by The Wire's Michael K. Williams. Also, we'll be meeting Miles Fogel (Michael Ealy) who becomes a thorn in Benford's side and becomes a regular character starting in episode ten. Episode nine will be all about Dr. Bryce Yarley, and we'll be meeting the Japanese woman from his flashforward, Keiko. Callum Keith Rennie will be back at least a couple more times this season, says David S. Goyer. [MTV]

A new featurette focuses on Dominic Monaghan, showcasing his role as Simon and the actor's thoughts on quantum physics:

And here are a few stills from an upcoming episode — but we're not sure which one. [SpoilerTV]

And here's a sneak peek from the next episode, in which Monaghan talks about being oh-so-tawdry:

A casting call for episode 14 details a couple new characters we'll be meeting:

[DON SESTITO] 50s-60s, open to all ethnicities. Wry, very sharp. A veteran Federal judge for some 20-plus years, he's seen and heard it all and cuts to the chase. one scene

[JOSH BARKHAM] late 20s-early 30s, open to all ethnicities. Intelligent, well-spoken, argues in court. A once-idealistic attorney, experience has worn the shine off his former earnestness. one scene

[SpoilerTV]

Supernatural:

As you've seen already, Lucifer gets Castiel trapped in a ring of holy fire — but he doesn't just question the angel. He tries to convince Castiel to join him as a rebel angel, according to Misha Collins. Also, we might see Castiel using his supernatural tolerance for alcohol to win some drinking games. [Huffington Post]

Chuck:

Season three will be like "The Matrix," says Zachary Levi. Plus Brandon Routh explains his new character. [AOL via ChuckTV]

Smallville:

Zatanna will be back in an episode early next year, entitled "Warrior." [TV Guide Magazine]

And here's the description for the Nov. 20 episode, "Pandora":

Lois is kidnapped by Tess and forced to reveal what she learned during the weeks of her disappearance. She witnessed a future with Metropolis controlled by Zod and Clark left without his powers because of the red sun. With this information, Clark makes a big decision about Zod.

[TV Guide]

Stargate Universe:

Eli may get to handle some guns sometime soon, hints David Blue. And he would like to have a long scene where he and Rodney McKay geek out about stuff. [SF Universe]

And here are some pics from the episode "Time" — in which, I'm guessing, they're running out of time, until they get some more somehow. [SpoilerTV]

Additional reporting by Mary Ratliff.

Marvel released a few pieces of concept art of the Mandarin from the animated series Iron Man: Armored Adventures, which shows us a teenage Tony Stark juggling homework and fighting monsters. (Didn't Marvel already try "Teen Tony" in the 1990s, with disastrous results?) The show sounds dismal, but the concept art is actually quite promising. Let's hope they show this to Jon Favreau before he starts work on Iron Man 3. [Marvel]

Iron Man 2:

The central relationship in this film is still Pepper and Tony, despite all the new stars joining the cast, director Jon Favreau tells MTV. But a lot of new stuff is added to the mix:

We introduce Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow and she has a dual identity, so that ends up affecting both the superhero side of things and the personal side of things-as I think all good superhero plotlines do... Then we have Don Cheadle. We've upped Rhodey's significance in the film and now I think the cat's out of the bag about War Machine, so he's in that suit," he said. "How does he become War Machine? What's his relationship to Iron Man?

Video at the link. [MTV via ComicBookResources]

As you might already have known, Stan Lee's cameo in this film will be as Larry King, who approaches Tony Stark and asks when he'll be on the show. Stan wore the suspenders and heavy glasses for the role. [Collider]

Predators:

Derek Mears, who recently played Jason Voorhees, will be in this film, probably as a Predator. [ShockTillYouDrop]

Priest:

Karl Urban describes this film as a "post-apocalyptic scifi vampire Western." [Collider]

The Fourth Kind:

A few new TV spots for this Milla Jovovic spooky-alien-owl thriller. [SciFiScoop]

Battlestar Galactica: The Plan:

Latino Review has a ton of pics and spoilers from this direct-to-DVD movie. The special effects are better than anything in the actual series, and we see the destruction of Caprica in much greater detail than before. There's also a ton of nudity and raunchiness, which will presumably be toned down in the televised version.

We follow two Cavils: the Cavil in the fleet, who is trying to complete the work of destroying th e human race so the Final Five will finally love the Cylons more than the humans, and the Cavil on Caprica, who starts to have second thoughts about whether the genocide against humans was really a good idea. It turns out a lot of the fleet's dilemmas in the first season were caused by Fleet Cavil. There are also multiple Sixes, including one raven-haired "floozy" who shares Cavil's bed.

Meanwhile, there are also two Simons: the Simon in the fleet is a human sympathizer, who's married to an engineer who works with Tyrol, and he tries to forestall the death of the human race. The Simon on Caprica, meanwhile, tries to sabotage Anders' resistance group, even as the Caprica Cavil starts to sympathize with these people. Also, Leoben tries to tell the other Cylons that Starbuck has a great destiny that may affect the Cylons in huge ways.

We also get more insight into Boomer, who actually realizes she's a Cylon sleeper agent earlier than we thought — Cavill gives her a trigger (a wooden elephant, I guess) that activates her programming. But even as she's carrying out Cavill's sabotage instructions, she's also trying to help the humans. And she's only really happy when she's living her human life.

All in all, Cavil starts to wonder if the Cylons' attempts at finishing off the human race are failing because the Cylons subconsciously want them to fail — all except Fleet Cavil, who's steadfast in his vendetta. More pics at the link. Warning: One of those pics is mildly NSFW, due to a very blurry naked woman in the background. [Latino Review via ComicBookMovie]

Doctor Who:

Another set report: Matt Smith, dressed in the tattered remains of David Tennant's costume, filmed a scene where the old TARDIS prop materialized, with tons of smoke pouring out of it, and Smith ran out, shouting that he had to get away. [GallifreyBase]

Lost:

Episode 6x05 will be called "Lighthouse." [Spoilers-Lost]

According to an Egyptologist, the hieroglyphics in the new season-six poster say "Who Is The Leader?" or "Who Is The Guide?" [Popular Mechanics]

Carlton Cuse twittered that they were doing a beautiful crane shot (probably in episode five) and at one point, Matthew Fox does some fine and subtle acting under the tropical night skies. [SpoilersLost]

And a bit more about episode five, which sounds like it's a Jack-centric outing. They were filming a scene at night in front of what looks like a concert hall, and Jack had a big scene — but I can't make out who's in the scene with him. Maybe Ben? Most of the set report is about how the tipsters tried to talk to Matthew Fox and he blew them off. But a familiar vehicle is present. More pics at the link. [Spencer-Stacy via Lyly Ford]

Also, sources claim we'll see Cindy again in the opening episode, as two characters open something of Hurley's. One of them has a connection to the Yellow Submarine. [SpoilersLost]

V:

The second episode will be called "There Is No More Normal Anymore." And here are a couple more TV spots. [VisitorSite]

Fringe:

In the Nov. 5 episode, "Earthling," someone (or something) is turning people to ash. And here are some pics from the episode. [Fox]

In an upcoming episode, we'll learn a lot more about the Observer, says actor Michael Cerveris:

We're going to learn about just how many there are and a lot more about what we're supposed to do and what we're not supposed to do.

[Slice Of SciFi]

Supernatural:

Some more pics of Sam and Dean in their scrubs, from the upcoming channel-surfing episode "Changing Channels." [Ten Gossip]

Episode 11 will be called "Sam, Interrupted," and will introduce two new characters, whom the show is casting:

[MARTIN CREASER] A weathered man in his late 40s-mid 50s, this twitchy, anxious ball of nerves is a former hunter who has ended up in a psych ward, where strange happenings are afoot...ANY ETHNICITY/GUEST STAR

[DR. ERICA FLETCHER] A beautiful, smart, credible psychiatrist in her 30s with a sweetly sympathetic manner who seems to understand Dean's conflict and pains...ANY ETHNICITY - GUEST STAR

[SpoilerTV]

Stargate Universe:

Here are a ton of pics from episode five, "Light." Including some supernova nookie. [SpoilerTV]

True Blood:

Season two's theme was about religion and the things it makes you do. Season three will be about embracing your identity. Sookie will start to discover why she has these strange powers — in the books, she finds out she has fairy blood, but in the TV show, it may be different. In any case, Sookie is part of another race, and if it does turn out to be fairies, they'll be fierce and primal, not like Tinkerbell. Sookie and Eric will get together at some point, but not necessarily in season three. We'll meet some shapeshifters who may be Sam's biological family, and they may be sketchy weirdos. [TV Guide]

Additional reporting by Alexis Brown.

After Marvel pushed back The Avengers' release date by a year, we crossed our fingers, hoping the plan was to fit The Avengers into Favreau's directing schedule. But no such luck. He'll still be onboard as an executive producer, but Favreau says he's simply not available to direct — and it's probably for the best:

"You need somebody who has the perspective of all the different franchises to bring them together. I have the myopic vision of just knowing and loving Iron Man."

He also says that, with his high-tech focus on Iron Man, The Avengers will need a director who is able to integrate the Marvel Universe's more science fiction aspects with the supernatural bits that come with Thor. But in the meantime, it sounds like we'll be seeing elements of the other Avengers movies teased in Iron Man 2.

"We want to reinforce a lot of the stuff we started to tip off," Favreau told MTV News. "'The Avengers' is a much larger concern for Marvel and Kevin Feige, who runs Marvel. They're going to be doing 'Thor' and 'Captain America,' and the way we might start to tease those things in this movie, some of it is stuff that we've discussed [and] some of the stuff you do last-minute as you figure out how that stuff is coming together."

"It's an evolving, amorphous thing," he explained. "If we decide and commit too early, the secret always gets out."

So the question is, who's going to sit in The Avengers' director's chair now that Favreau is out?

Jon Favreau Won't Direct 'Avengers,' Explains 'Iron Man 2' Tie-In Process [MTV News]

These storyboard images come from artist John Mann, who's worked on movies like Mars Attacks and Star Trek: First Contact in the past. Writes Mann:

I am contractually obligated to not show any image here that might compromise the story or designs of iron man 2 until the film is released. therefore what you will see here are obvious little snippets that aren't tied to any concepts or designs...enjoy!

Still, the storyboards give a tantalizing glimpse of some things, including sight's locked on someone, Tony's eyes panicking inside the Iron Man shell, Mickey Rourke going bonkers, the movie's women having a confrontation, and some kind of crazy crowd scene. Oh, and a hot rod, probably from the racetrack sequence. Most of all, Iron Man looks pretty damn limber in some of these images.

And here's a lengthy video showcasing a visit to the movie's set by France's Canal Plus, including some glimpses of how Tony's workshop has changed, and your first look at Tony's newest invention, a basement particle accelerator that goes up the driveway. (Don't worry, it's only in French for the first minute or so.) Robert Downey Jr. talks about the pressure of creating a worthy sequel, and his efforts to get more martial-arts action in the second film. And there are some new glimpses of wild stunts, and race-car action. And is Black Widow wearing Iron Man's repulsor glove in one shot? Jon Favreau makes for a hilarious tour guide to the new world of Tony Stark:

More images at the first link. [John Mann via ComicBookMovie, Video via AceShowbiz]

Iron Man 2:

Entertainment Weekly posted a new set pic from this superhero sequel, showing Tony Stark in the famous Randy's Donut's scene (with Nick Fury, not pictured.) More set pics from upcoming movies at the link. [EW]

Predators:

More casting news! ComingSoon.net reports that The Shield star Walton Goggins has joined the cast, playing one of those tough guys who get zapped to the Predators' homeworld. [ComingSoon]

Green Hornet:

Some more set pics give us a better look at the Hornet's weird-looking gun — is it a gas gun? A laser? Something else? More pics at the second link. [People And Daily Mail]

New Moon:

Our first look at Tinsel Korey As Emily, who's like a second mother to the wolf pack. A scratched-up second mother, by the look of things. [Dread Central]

Doctor Who:

Heroic set reporter Alun.Vega was Twittering from the filming, just as we were wrapping up this edition of morning spoilers. Apparently Matt Smith was on set, wearing David Tennant's suit — which was much the worse for wear, with lots of rips, as if Tennant had been caught in an explosion. And it appears that Amy, his new companion, is a police officer when he meets her. They filmed in the fake 1990s village of Leadworth, complete with a fake garden set up around a "White House." (But not THE White House.) And Amy says something to the Doctor about "twelve years of therapy." Amy and the Doctor run to an ice cream truck. (Possibly due to weird post-regeneration food cravings?)

Also, there's a fire truck parked near the White House, and lots of extras stand stock still, as if frozen, holding their mobile phones as if they were in the middle of taking a picture of something. More pics at the second link. [Alun_Vega on Twitter and Flickr]

Lost:

This island-castaway show filmed two different scenes involving Locke on Saturday. One seemed to involve the deserted back offices of Hawaii Telecom, and Locke's old box-company nemesis, Randy Nations (Billy Ray Gannon) was reported to be on set. (So in the alternate reality where Oceanic 815 didn't crash, Locke is presumably back at his old job.) But then a second scene took place at a high school, and involved Locke and Ben — plus a ton of extras playing high school students and a girls' basketball team. Since episode four is called "The Substitute," there's some speculation that either Locke or Ben is a substitute teacher — although maybe that name also refers to Locke's doppelganger? And finally, Katey Segal, who played Locke's lost love Helen, is also in Hawaii — so maybe the Locke who landed safely in L.A. had a reunion with Helen. [Hawaii Weblog]

Another set report involved a scene where Sun, Frank, Ilana and Ben are walking along with Locke's dead body — apparently a continuation of the season finale, coming right after the events at the Four-Toed Statue. They walked back by the remains of the castaways' camp, including Mr. Eko's church. And there are set pics, in which you can't really see anything much, at the link. [Lyly Ford]

Also, we've been wondering when we'd see Matthew Fox and company filming some scenes where they're still wearing their Dhama jumpsuits, following on from the events of the previous season finale. And now one eyewitness has spotted a jumpsuited Fox, plus Evangeline Lilly, filming a scene with John Hawkes, who's joined the cast as corporate spokesperson Lennon, plus the long lost flight attendant Cindy, played by Kimberly Joseph. There were also a ton of extras in ragged clothes. They were filming a set at the Temple. Also around later on were Daniel Dae Kim and Jorge Garcia. [Hawaii Weblog]

Producers Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof say they've found a way, in the final season, to bring back the sense of learning more surprising stuff about these characters all the time that they had in the first season. This new device will lead to some emotionally intense moments of discovery. And don't hold your breath for tons of extra Dharma Initiative stuff this season. They also imply Richard Alpert will be getting a fairly involved flashback sequence. [Sci Fi Now via SpoilersLost]

Caprica:

A new promo includes a few seconds of precious footage of episodes after the pilot... including a slugfest between Graystone and Adama. [Battlestar Blog]

Sarah Jane Adventures:

Here are the official descriptions for parts 1 &2 of the second story, "The Mad Woman In The Attic":

Part 1: Rani investigates strange rumours about a demon living in a funfair at the seaside. What she finds there, however, is far more alarming than that and she makes a decision that affects not only her future, but also the futures of all those she cares about... Far in the future, in 2059, an old Rani remembers the day when her whole life went wrong. As her younger self investigates mysterious disappearances at an abandoned funfair, she sets into motion a chain of events which unleash the terrible powers of the alien Eve.

Part 2: Alien Eve's powers grow out of control, with everyone caught in her sinister and endless games. As the echoes of an ancient war threaten the modern world, the danger extends all the way to the year 2059. If Rani fails to change her own destiny, then everyone is doomed.

And here are some promo pics from the first story, "Prisoner Of The Judoon". [BlogtorWho]

Dollhouse:

Here's a new interview with Enver Gjokaj and Dichen Lachman. [BuddyTV]

In episode 4, "Belonging," we witness how Sierra wound up in the Dollhouse firsthand. And Sierra has some intimate moments with Victor. Also, Boyd is worried about Echo. [Fox]

Supernatural:

Our first pic of Paris Hilton in Thursday's episode looks... like Paris Hilton. With a weird knife. Full version at the link. [Chicago Tribune]

And here are a couple of clips from the episode:

And according to a casting call, we'll be meeting another new demon in episode 10:

[CROWLY] 40's or 50's male Demon - he is bit more urbane and sophisticated than what we've seen up to this point. He wears a suit, drinks fine wines, still pretty cruel and decadent, though. Please submit all ethnicities. RECURRING GUEST STAR

[SpoilerTV]

FlashForward:

Here's a sneak peek from Thursday's new episode.

Someone's flying to Japan in episode nine apparently — at least, we'll meet a bilingual Japanese flight attendant, according to a casting call. [SpoilerTV]

Also, in episode five, Mark finds himself on the defensive in a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing, while Olivia receives an anonymous message. And Janis wonders how her vision of the future will affect her relationship. [SpoilerTV]

Heroes:

Claire vamps it up and Sylar gets dissheveled and then joins the circus, in new promo pics from episode 5, "Hysterical Blindness." [SpoilerTV]

Fringe:

Can Olivia handle the truth? We'll find out on Thursday.

Smallville:

Here's the official description for episode 5, "Roulette":

DC COMICS CHARACTER ROULETTE SHOWS OLIVER HER CARDS - Oliver (Justin Hartley) is drugged and kidnapped by a woman named Victoria AKA Roulette (guest star Steph Song), who tells Oliver that he's involved in a dangerous game and must fight for his life. After Victoria shows up dead and Oliver is arrested by the police, he turns to Chloe (Allison Mack) for help. Meanwhile, Lois (Erica Durance) berates Clark (Tom Welling) for not telling her about Oliver's suicide attempt.

[Kryptonsite]

Iron Man 2

We've already shown you a few snippets of Entertainment Tonight's set visit, and all the details on Whiplash. But here are a few more bits and pieces. For starters, ET also talks with Scarlett Johansson about her stunts:

With Gwyneth Paltrow, who discusses Pepper and Tony's changing relationship:

And with Don Cheadle, who talks War Machine:

[via CinemaBlend]

Let Me In

The headlining cast for the remake of Swedish vampire flick Let the Right One In has been announced, with Kodi Smit-McPhee and Chloe Moretz confirmed for the roles of Owen (Oskar) and Abby (Eli). Richard Jenkins, fresh off his Oscar nomination for The Visitor, will play the American version of Hakan, Abby/Eli's adult companion. [IGN]

Cirque Du Freak

It's vampire-on-vampire violence in the latest clip:

Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant Exclusive Clip

[via ShockTillYouDrop]

The Crazies

The toxin-induced madness remake gets its first trailer:

[via ShockTillYouDrop]

True Blood

Stephen Moyer says he won't be working with Anna Paquin as much next season, and hints that we might be seeing Bill and Sookie with other people. [The Marquee Blog]

Lost

One fan took pictures of the Othersville set, which is currently being prepared. Photos were taped to the doors of the cabins showing how the cabins are to be set up. The poster also noticed the playground next to the cabins:

[The ODI]

Stargate Universe

The Destiny hits the desert in the promo for the third episode, Air:

FlashForward

Michael Early joins the cast in the tenth episode, when he will begin playing a recurring role as a man who's a thorn in the side of Joseph Fiennes' character Mark Benford. [TV Guide Magazine]

Smallville

In the fifth episode, "Roulette," Oliver will be drugged and kidnapped, and Lois will become upset with Clark for not telling her about Oliver's suicide attempt. [Spoiler TV]

In an episode directed by Glen Winter, we'll encounter a sexy new superhero in his late 30s-40s. The casting notice says he's the most handsome and sexy of all the DC superheroes. The episode will film at the end of the month. [Spoiler TV]

Additional reporting by Alexis Brown.

Avatar:

3-D movie blog MarketSaw says we'll be getting a second trailer for this movie soon, and it'll focus more on story, including a glimpse of Future Earth, and it'll showcase Sam Worthington's incredible performance as Jake Sully. Stephen Lang and Sigourney Weaver will also have more exposure. And the movie's viral site AVTR posted some new concept art, plus our first glimpse of Unobtanium, the miracle mineral they want to mine on Pandora. (I almost typed Pandorum. Bad, bad typo.) [MarketSaw]

Iron Man 2:

Entertainment Tonight aired a second video of their set visit to this movie... Mostly the same footage we saw before, but even more of Whiplash flailing around ridiculously. And Robert Downey Jr. spills that the racetrack scene is the first time in the movie that we see Whiplash in "his full glory." [Comic Book Resources]

Lost:

Another set pic confirms that the Oceanic Everybody are back on the island, despite that whole "alternate timeline" thing. An eyewitness (with colorful language) saw a scene being filmed at that elaborate temple set, with Jack, Kate, Sawyer, Hurley and Claire. Sayid was there, and he was recovering nicely from his quasi-lethal gunshot wounds, but still covered with blood. Nobody was wearing Dharma jumpsuits. The gang got attacked by a group of "other Others," who looked sort of like Others except they were all wearing darker outfits with lots of red, plus bandanas, and they were vaguely Asian looking. They all had giant guns, and they got into a gunfight with our heroes, where Sawyer shot and killed someone. Jack is tending to Sayid's wound, and then Jack and Kate hug and kiss, and then our heroes get captured and taken into the temple. [SpoilersLost]

Also, Rob McElhenny from It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia, who appeared as Aldo in season three, will be back soon, apparently — he got an Aldo-ish haircut for the filming. [Lyly Ford]

Sarah Jane Adventures:

Here are the first pics of David Tennant as the Doctor, appearing in the Sarah Jane Adventures:

And here are the official descriptions for that episode, "The Wedding Of Sarah Jane" parts 1 & 2:

"The Wedding Of Sarah Jane": Sarah Jane has met Peter Dalton and wants him to become part of her life; to become a father to Luke perhaps. But Clyde thinks Peter is hiding a secret or two of his own, especially when he and Rani find an empty house where Peter says his home should be..."

Part 1: "The Doctor returns on the happiest day of Sarah Jane's life - but a deadly trap is waiting for them all! As the strands of a clever and careful plan draw together, can even a Time Lord save Sarah Jane, on the day of her arch-enemy's greatest triumph?"

Part 2: "The Doctor joins the battle - but is it too late to save both Sarah Jane and the Earth itself? As the power of the Pantheon of Discord grows in strength, the old friends are separated across different time zones, and must fight to save each other - but for one, there's a terrible price to pay."

[Digital Spy]

And Elisabeth Sladen reveals some details about the new season. K-9, her robot dog, is finally free of the black hole where he was trapped in seasons one and two — so he'll be around a lot more, making himself useful and getting into a rivalry with Mr. Smith, her computer. "He can sense things, he can shoot at things, and he can do mathematical things." Yay! And the kids can call K-9 on the telephone. Unlike Mr. Smith, who never got a phone line.

Sarah Jane gets a "reality check" in the wedding storyline, which is episodes five and six, and she realizes the Doctor really may come back into her life. There's a line where someone says "We'll face the future together." And then the Doctor gets a call or a signal that he's needed elsewhere. The Doctor has tons and tons of dialogue because they wanted to make the most of Tennant's presence. And this story was supposed to end the season, but will appear halfway through instead, due to Tennant's schedule. Also, there's a super-scary haunted house episode with a terrifying scene in a nursery, and Sarah Jane is not herself in the first two-parter, which involves the Judoon and another alien.[Digital Spy again]

Dollhouse:

Some cute new promo pics of our Big Damn Antiheroes. [SpoilerTV]

Fringe:

Sebastian Roche (General Hospital) landed a role as a new recurring baddie on this mad-science show. [SpoilerTV]

Here are some pics from episode 2x05, "Dream Logic". [SpoilerTV]

FlashForward:

A new poster makes this show look much dumber than it actually is. Heads in the clouds! [SpoilerTV]

Star Wars: Clone Wars:

Cad Bane is up to no good, in a new image from Friday's premiere. Plus there's a clip!

Smallville:

Here's your first clip of Brian Austin Green's Kryptonite heart from Friday's episode.

Also, in this episode, we learn that Lois still doesn't know Jimmy is dead. (Really?) Lois' worship of "the Blur" is at its peak, and she gets too carried away. The Blur keeps contacting her. And there's a visual "easter egg" for fans of Chlois. Chloe points out to Clark that he shouldn't wander around in his costume so much. And we see the long-awaited reunion between Lois and Tess. [KryptonSite]

Stargate Universe:

Brian J. Smith plays 1st. Lt. Matthew Scott, who's thrust into command when the ragtag group is stranded on the Destiny, a spaceship on the other side of the universe. Scott argues with Nicholas Rush (Robert Carlyle), saying their first priority should be returning to Earth. With one word, "Please," Scott conveys all the fear and uncertainty he feels. [Chicago Now]

Heroes:

Coming up in episode six of the show whose superpower is Not Getting Canceled:

SYLAR BEGINS HIS JOURNEY TO FIND HIS IDENTITY AND PETER COMES TO THE RESCUE OF ONE OF HIS OWN – ELLEN GREENE, RAY PARK, DAWN OLIVIERI, DEANNE BRAY AND ERNIE HUDSON GUEST STAR – Under Samuel's (Robert Knepper) guidance, Sylar (Zachary Quinto) starts on a path to rediscover his true identity. Hiro (Masi Oka) helps Emma (guest star Deanne Bray) accept and understand the great possibilities that go along with having an ability. Meanwhile, Peter (Milo Ventimiglia) enlists HRG (Jack Coleman) to help him find a healer who can save Hiro's life.

[SpoilerTV]

And here are bewildering set pics of Nathan and Peter in the air. More at the link. [The ODI]

Additional reporting by Alexis Brown.

May 7, 2010 is so far away. But so far, it all looks really, really good. Except Mickey Rourke's Whiplash costume...

[Via Entertainment Tonight]

Iron Man 2:

Entertainment Tonight debuts some new footage from their Iron Man 2 set visit on Thursday, and they put out this brief teaser video, in which you can just glimpse the racetrack scene we've heard so much about — including a few split-second glimpses of Whiplash, and some flames.

Toy Story 3

We won't see the full Toy Story 3 trailer until the release of the Toy Story double feature, but GeekTyrant has snagged a description of what we can expect from the third film:

[The new trailer shows] Woody and the gang at Sunnyside Daycare. Where life among the toddlers looks like something out of "Lord of the Flies." … Buzz and Co. get absolutely brutalized by these 3-year-olds. Which is why they decide that "We're busting out of here." The only problem is – during their initial escape attempt – the Space Ranger gets severely damaged. To the point that Woody & friends are forced to hit Lightyear's reset button. Which then puts Buzz into Spanish-speaking mode. … When Buzz is in Spanish-speaking mode – he then becomes this hot-blooded, flamenco-dancing romantic figure prone to grand gestures. Which Jessie winds up being quite taken with.

[GeekTyrant]

Zombieland

Writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick say we'll be dropped into the middle of the zombie apocalypse, without seeing how it all began. [ShockTillYouDrop]

Supernatural

Here are some promo images for the season's fourth episode, "The End," in which Dean finds himself five years in the future during a zombie apocalypse:

[SF Universe]

The ninth episode, "The Real Ghostbusters," will featur Demian, a short, chubby copier repairman who's nerdy on the outside, but sensitive and heroic on the inside. We'll also meet Demian's friend Barnes, a gawky stereo salesman who also has heroic aspirations and a surprisingly courageous side. [Spoiler TV]

Doctor Who

Presumably, neither the robe nor the gigantic North Face jacket are part of the new wardrobe:

[Digital Spy]

Dollhouse

Here is the description for the third episode, "Belle Chose:"

Echo and Victor's imprints collide when Echo is sent on an assignment as a fun-loving, seductive college student and Victor is imprinted as the psychotic nephew of a Dollhouse shareholder (guest star Michael Hogan).

[Spoiler TV]

And below are images from the episode, complete with croquet mallet-wielding Echo:

[Spoiler TV]

Episode seven, "Meet Jane Doe," will include a sheriff by the name of Rand, a Texas good ol' boy. [Spoiler TV]

Lost

Another filming location was spotted, this time at St. Francis West in Hawaii. [LOST Spoilers]

The title of the fourth episode will be "The Substitute." Rumor has it the episode will focus on Locke. There is some speculation that we will be seeing a false Locke who will be revealed to be a shapeshifter. [Ausiello]

Pandorum

In an interview with MTV, Cam Gigandet offers more details about the space madness thriller:

It's basically a deep-space syndrome that people get, a type of psychosis. There's all sorts of symptoms, whether it's paranoia, you're seeing things, hallucinating, dreaming up all sorts of weird scenarios. It's something that, when you have it, you aren't aware that you have it... Yeah, and they all have no memories. This crew, this capsule or sleeping pod that they're in ... when you're in there for long enough and it preserves your life, you end up losing your memory. While they're trying to figure out all this stuff, they don't know what happened in the past, where they've been, what they've done. Any of that stuff. So you're always suspicious of everyone ... that's one of the cool things about this movie. They're always suspicious, and slowly their memory starts coming back. It's like this puzzle that they put together.

He also mentions the movie's monsters and says that the reason for the monsters' existence is more interesting than the actual monsters. [MTV Movie News]

Stargate Universe

Meet Eli in Sky1's promo:

Fringe

We'll get another dose of Leonard Nimoy and more on Olivia's past in the fourth episode, "Momentum Deferred:"

Recuperating from the traumatic and alarming meeting with Massive Dynamic founder William Bell (guest star Nimoy), Agent Dunham consumes a powerful "fringe" concoction that Dr. Bishop prescribes to stimulate her memory. Meanwhile, the Fringe Division investigates a series of robbery cases that are tied to shape-shifting. As clues are tracked and memories are jogged, another woman experimented on by Dr. Bishop is introduced and a flashback reveals more about Olivia's visit to the alternate reality.

[Fringe Spoilers]

Plus, stills from the episode with Nimoy and Charlie-who-isn't-Charlie:

[Spoiler TV]

Heroes

NBC delivers a new promo for next week's episode "Ink:"

Chuck

The fifth episode of the season will be called "Chuck vs. First Class." [ChuckTV]

New Moon

Taylor Lautner has his shirt off yet again, while Robert Pattinson is fully clothed with shining eyes:

[MTV Movies Blog]

Priest

Cam Gigandet also talks a bit about Priest, in which he plays a part-vampire sheriff:

It's like a Western set in this alternate reality where you have these creatures, these vampire-like people. It's like The Searchers. It's a journey movie. You can look at it from a horror point of view, but we've always thought of it as a story of these people on a journey, coming into their own. That's what my character does. He starts off as someone who's scarified so much and been thrown into this world that he didn't choose. And he grows into a man who can take care of himself and is confident in his choices.

[IGN]

Additional reporting by Alexis Brown.

Johansson is auctioning off the chance for you and a friend to attend next May's LA premiere for Iron Man 2, meet Johansson herself and also "receive a free glam session" at upscale LA salon Christophe, with proceeds from the auction going to Oxfam America. The actress, herself an Oxfam Ambassador, explained in a statement,

I'm so thrilled to be a part of this eBay charity opportunity, again raising funds for Oxfam. Oxfam is an incredibly worthy organization that I'm most passionate about.

While that doesn't sound like something a sexy Russian superspy would say, we're holding out hope that she's just working undercover. The auction runs until September 24th.

Meet Scarlett Johansson at the premiere of Iron Man 2 [eBay]

Green Lantern:

Some new casting calls for this live-action superhero film don't really contain any surprises (they're in line with the script we reviewed ages ago), except maybe for Carol Ferris being an ex-pilot. But they do give us hope the film is moving forward despite some setbacks:

[CAROL FERRIS] 26-32, a smart and attractive woman with an MBA. She started as a pilot and now runs Ferris Aircraft. She is a work-a-holic...FEMALE LEAD

[DR. HECTOR HAMMOND] 27-35, Character actor who is austere and impersonal, he is real "scummy." He is a pathologist and also the son of a Senator.

[SINESTRO] Mid-30s to Mid-40s, he is smart, tough, intimidating and in great physical shape.

[ABIN SUR] Mid-30s to mid-40s, he is a great warrior.

[SpoilerTV]

Iron Man 2:

Edward Norton says that to the best of his knowledge, he's not in this film. But you never know — a cameo could easily be filmed and inserted between now and its release date. [MTV via ComicBookResources]

The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus:

Some new stills show just how decadent and wild this movie will really get. Nudity, dreamscapes and Verne Troyer! [IGN]

New Moon:

A new promo gives us more awesome Volturi action. Have you noticed there's a lot of mouth-breathing in this movie?

Dollhouse:

Eliza Dushku spills which Dollhouse regular gets to play with Summer Glau. And Enver Gjokaj and Dichen Lachman talk about Victor and Sierra's romance. [E! Online]

Fringe:

Some more promo photos from episode 2x03, "Fracture". [SpoilerTV]

FlashForward:

A casting call for episode eight introduces us to a character with an unforgettable name:

[HIGH ROLLER #2] 40s-60s, Male, Open to all ethnicities. Wealthy denizen of an upscale private gaming establishment. Finds himself quite entertaining, a Johnny Carson-type, but quick tempered when things don't go his way. Day player.

[SpoilerTV]

In an upcoming episode, Olivia (Sonya Walger) has to do lung surgery on a small child in a tense scene. In another scene, the main FBI agent heroes, Mark and Demetri, visit a Nazi in a German prison — he tells them he has information on the "event," but he won't spill unless he's released. [TV Guide via FlashForwardZilla]

Here's one new U.S. TV spot, plus a new Russian promo clip, and four new Spanish promo videos — just so you can get the international perspectives on this glimpse-the-future show. [FlashForward.PL and FlashForwardZilla]

Supernatural:

The title of episode 5x08 will be similar to that of a past episode. This time, it's "Are You There, God? It's Me, Sam Winchester." (Last year, it was "Dean Winchester.") [SpoilerTV]

Smallville:

The official title for episode 9x10 is "Disciple," and the Justice Society turns up in 9x11. Meanwhile, here are some new photos from the season opener, "Savior," plus a couple new pics from the second episode, "Metallo." [Kryptonsite]

Eastwick:

Another casting call — this show is looking for a few characters for its seventh episode:

[SUZY] In her early 20s, Caucasian, a pretty young thing, she is a teeny-tiny Abercrombie type. Raymond's date, she tries to make chit-chat when introduced to Kat, but is quick to feel the chill in the air...1 SCENE, POSSIBLE ONE DAY GUEST STAR (1)

[SILVER FOX-TYPE GENTLEMAN] Late 40s to late 50s. This silver fox-type gentleman and his much younger wife are perusing Roxie's paintings at a gallery showing. A self-possessed urbanite, he speaks authoritatively about the work, only to be surprised by Roxie's offbeat sales pitch and then unexpected show of temper...1 SCENE, POSSIBLE ONE DAY GUEST STAR (1)

[MUCH YOUNGER WIFE] Late 20s to early 30s. She is the Silver-Fox Type's much younger wife, seen in a splashy, tight Pucci outfit while attending a showing of Roxie's paintings. Smarter than she looks, she and her husband are equal parts appalled and amused by Roxie's strange sales pitch...1 SCENE sptv050769, POSSIBLE ONE DAY GUEST STAR (1)

[SpoilerTV]

And here's a new promo poster, with a catchy slogan. [SpoilerTV]

Additional reporting by Alexis Brown.

Zombieland

Three new spots elucidate additional rules for surviving the zombie apocalypse:

Iron Man 2

Not promo stills from the movies, but this car will apparently be featured in the new film, likely as Tony Stark's new ride:

[Spoiler TV]

Toy Story 3

Two-time James Bond Timothy Dalton will voice a thespian hedgehog toy named Mr. Pricklepants. [JoBlo]

Dollhouse

In the sixth episode, we will meet Howard Lipman, an intelligent higher up in the Dollhouse with a big sense of humor. He will probably be a recurring character. [Spoiler TV]

Splice

Brendon Connelly at /Film has seen a clip from the genetic engineering thriller. Says Connelly:

The scene we were treated to comes from an early moment in the story. Clive and Elsa, as played by Adrien Brody and Sarah Polley, are a young couple who also work together trying to create new life forms from animal DNA. They won't use anything lifted from the human genome for ethical reasons, but everything else is fair game. At this moment, they've created something, their most advanced 'something' so far and it's incubating in the lab.

Clive decides that it should be terminated while Elsa disagrees. What follows is the unveiling of the creature, and a tense scene in a lab wherein the little critter tries to avoid termination.

[/Film]

Fringe

Executive producer Roberto Orci says in the eighth episode, we'll see many Observers and learn a lot about them and their role in the world. He also says that the fourth, eighth, and twelfth episodes will be important to the Observers and the show's larger continuity. [TV Guide]

These set photos come from a scene in which a police officer falls off a parking garage, with a stuntman playing the role of the ill-fated cop:

[CinemaSpy]

Orci talks a bit more about the coming season and Leonard Nimoy in the October issue of SciFi Magazine:

[Fringe Television]

This series is heavily featured in Entertainment Weekly's Fall TV preview issue, out now. Season two, episode five is filming in the grounds of a semi-defunct mental hospital, and it's about a guy who believes his boss is an evil ram-horned creature in disguise. This season, Olivia will get super-hearing. Astrid has a scene with a bottle of leeches and a blender.

And the over-arching weirdness in season two will come from the idea that an army from the alternate universe has declared war on our reality. The people from "over there" will be putting the final pieces of their invasion plan in place. To that end, the alternate universe will recruit a super-spy played by Thomas Kretschmann. [EW]

Heroes

The producers are looking to cast an East Indian girl, age 10-13, for the tenth episode. She will be a student in India, very engaged with her lesson. [Spoiler TV]

And here are several promo images from the first two episodes, many taken from the same scenes as yesterday's images:

[Heroes-France]

New Moon

Scans from the Australian magazine Film In feature interviews with the cast:

[Spoiler TV]

Eclipse

Set photos from the third Twilight balance Kristen Steart with equal parts Team Edward and Team Jacob:

[Spoiler TV]

Stargate SG-1

Amanda Tapping has said that production on an SG-1 movie could go into production later this year, once the first season of Stargate Universe wraps. If that's the case, Martin Wood would direct the movies. Tapping will appear in SGU's premiere. [Spoiler TV]

FlashForward

In the first few episodes, we'll only see snippets of characters' flashforwards, but they'll be fleshed out throughout the season. Joseph Fiennes' character, FBI agent Mark Beford will have a scene with daughter where he rolls and egg toward her and says in an English accent: "As Eggbert Eggbottom the Third, I would
like to egg-spress my desire for you to eat oatmeal this morning. Can I get a 'cluck-cluck?" and the egg shortly falls on the floor. John Cho's character Demetri Noh is about to get married when everyone has their flashforward and, since he doesn't have one, begins to wonder if he should break off the engagement. [EW]

Smallville

In the final moment of the season premiere, we'll find out how Lois is the key to Clark's journey. [EW]

And there's a new Season 9 promo:

[KryptonSite]

Superman/Batman:

Here's a new clip from this direct-to-DVD super-team movie, showcasing Metallo:

Vampire Diaries

The images come from the show's fourth episode, "Family Ties:"

[VampireDiaries Show]

Additional reporting by Alexis Brown and Charlie Jane Anders.

We know, we know: the Hollywood development cycle is a slow, lumbering beast. It can take anywhere from a couple years (for a "fast-track" project) to a decade for a movie to see the light of day. But given how many people were saying, this time last year, that The Dark Knight had changed everything, you'd expect there to be at least some films in development, if not in pre-production or actually filming.

And there don't seem to be any movies in "the pipeline" that seem consciously influenced by TDK. Here are a few possible contenders:

• Super-Max. Written by TDK co-writer David S. Goyer, this film has obvious elements in common with Knight. From the scraps we've gleaned, it's about the snotty trust-fund superhero Green Arrow, who gets sent to prison, probably for a crime he didn't commit. And he has to escape from the world's toughest, most advanced prison by teaming up with a host of DC Comics supervillains. Gritty dark action? Check. Moral ambiguity? Check. Heroes who cross the line? Pretty much. Too bad that every time we hear about this film, it sounds more and more like it's stuck in limbo.

• 

• Superman Returns (Again). Every time someone mentions doing another Superman movie in the wake of 2006's underwhelming Superman Returns, they say it'll feature a "dark" take on the Last Son Of Krypton, influenced by Christopher Nolan's take on Batman. Says Warner Bros. president Jeff Robinov, "We're going to go dark, to the extent that the character will allow." More recently, rumored Super-director James McTeigue said something similar. But this "darker" Man Of Steel movie is still stuck in limbo, and Warner Bros. execs told a courtroom that they don't see much box-office potential in another Superman movie. (Granted, they were trying to get out of having to pay Superman's creators' heirs tons of money for Hollywood rights.) In fact, when they talk about doing a "darker" Superman movie, it's usually said with an air of "Well, nobody really wants to make a Superman movie, but if you put a gun to our heads, we'd do a darker one." The confusing copyright situation with Superman means they have to start development on a new Superman film in the next few years, but assuming Warners gets more enthusiasm for the cinematic Man Of Steel again, they'll probably rediscover their love for his fun, escapist side.
• 
  
  
• The Fantastic Four. News sites started claiming last spring that Fox was considering rebooting this super-family series as a darker, "less bubble-gum" version. And now, just the other day, Fox announced it was definitely rebooting the Fantastic Four. On the other hand, they tapped the decidedly non-dark Akiva Goldsman (Batman And Robin, I Am Legend) to produce the new movie, and
  Michael Greene, writer for Smallville, Heroes and the upcoming Green Lantern movie, will write the script. I am having a hard time imagining that team creating a "dark" FF movie. Plus everyone assumes Fox's sudden interest in moving forward with Reed Richards & Co. was motivated by Disney's purchase of Marvel, and the fact that Disney reportedly wants to take back all of the Marvel properties' movie rights as soon as outside deals expire. If Fox wants to impress Disney, a misguided "dark" Fantastic Four doesn't seem a likely approach.
• 
  
  
  
• Shazam. It's hard to believe, but yes, they were talking about a dark Shazam movie in the wake of The Dark Knight. This is the story of a little boy who discovers a magic cave full of statues of the Deadly Sins, plus an old wizard who teaches him a magic world that will transform him into a big galoot whose nickname is The Big Red Cheese. And then he fights an evil mad-science worm with the help of a talking tiger. Actually, screenwriter John August and director Peter Segal wanted to do a fun, upbeat take on Shazam, but Warner Bros. wanted something more like The Dark Knight. So August rewrote his fun script to make it darker:

  This wasn't "Big, with super powers" anymore. It was Black Adam versus Captain Marvel, with a considerable push into dark territory and liminal badlands like Nanda Parbat. It wasn't the action-comedy I'd signed on to write, but it was a movie I could envision getting made.

  But then Warners pulled the plug on the Shazam movie altogether — remember how I said the enthusiasm for "dark" stories often seems to coincide with a lack of enthusiasm for making the movies at all? And now Shazam is back on track, with Bill Birch writing and comics scribe Geoff Johns pitching in. Says Variety, "The studio is now looking to go back to the original DC Comics source material for inspiration." Going back to the original comics source material is slang for "not fucking it up with a dark reimagining."

So what happened? There are a few theories.

Watchmen happened. You could argue that The Dark Knight changed everything, and then Watchmen changed it all back. Zack Snyder's movie version of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' classic graphic novel was everything the studios were saying they wanted: dark, controversial, morally gray, challenging — and it didn't resonate that well with audiences. It had a so-so opening weekend, followed by a steep drop-off. (Sample headline from the L.A. Times: "Watchmen is going largely unwatched.")

Another "dark" movie that came out this summer, Terminator Salvation, did similarly badly. (It wasn't strictly a superhero film, but it had superhero-ish themes, and starred Bruce Wayne himself, Christian Bale.) And while Frank Miller's The Spirit was more goofy than dark, it did have a noir-ish look to it and was the handiwork of the original "Dark Knight" reinventer.

Meanwhile, movies like G.I. Joe and Wolverine, which were fluffy and bubbly and only challenged you to avoid giggling at their ridiculous dialogue and acting, did great. Audiences didn't suddenly stop liking braindead fun just because they liked one smart, bleak movie.

Also, the economy happened. Suddenly, people were hurting and depressed, and there were a spate of news stories saying that people in an economic shitstorm want upbeat, happy films. They want escapism and a pick-me-up, not a dreadful reminder that life is full of no-win situations and suffering. Whether that theory is true or not, it's one that seems to have a lot of currency in Hollywood.

And finally, looking back through those articles where execs are saying "I want a dark Shazam! I want a dark Dazzler! America needs a dark Howard The Duck!", I can't help noticing that this is usually accompanied by a lack of enthusiasm for whatever superheroic properties they're discussing. Sure, superheroes are big right now, but not every superhero movie is a huge hit, and characters like Superman and the Fantastic Four have fallen squarely into the second or third tier of big-screen spandex-flexers in the past decade or so.

Execs cast about for ways to make those lame fillies run again, and the "dark" thing is one of the ideas they hit on. But at this point, nobody seems to think "dark" is a cure-all for tired superheroes. At least, let's hope not.