Mark Millar talked to Comic Book Resources about the "making of" book, Kick-Ass: Creating the Comic, Making the Movie, coming in February from Titan Books:

Having already seen the finished "Kick-Ass" movie six times, Millar shared some details that will be found inside the Titan title with CBR News, like the fact that Daniel Craig and Mark Wahlberg were also considered for the part of Big Daddy and that Kick-Ass wasn't even the original star of the comic.

I can't even imagine Mark Wahlberg being able to take the role of Big Daddy seriously. And on balance, we're still pretty glad it's Nic Cage. Who else blends human psychosis and fatherly love ever so perfectly?

Millar also explained what the second volume of Kick-Ass (and possibly the second movie, if the first one does well enough) will be called, and when to expect it:

The working title is "Balls to the Wall," and we're thinking about launching it round about San Diego time, right around August. But to avoid delays, we'd like to stockpile a few issues, I think.

Plus they have a load of new Kick-Ass concept art from the new movie book, as seen above and below. More images at CBR.

[Comic Book Resources]

Moss, who also created a clever series of black and red movie posters, and recently designed the brilliant, Hitchcockian Lost Locke poster, drew up this handy survival guide for the A Life Well Wasted podcast. This, and other posters by Moss, will be available in the podcast's store.

[A Life Well Wasted via GeekTyrant]

The Blackout
One thing I love more than "versus" movies (man versus beast, beast versus monster, monster versus monster versus man) is holiday themed horror flicks. And The Blackout has both. It's monsters versus humans pegged with a Christmas Eve time stamp. The official synopsis is:

When an apartment building's lights go out mysteriously, all of the tenants put aside their problems and band together to get to the bottom of the city-wide blackout. Deep in the basement of the high-rise, a hideous breed of monster hatches and begins to wreak havoc. Everyone must find a way to kill the blood-thirsty creatures and survive the darkness before it destroys the world.

Here's the poster...


For release dates check out the official site.

Gladiators V. Werewolves: Edge of Empire
Here is some bananas concept art from Rob Green's werewolf flick. No one is cast in it, but it's supposed to be released in 2010. I think we all know what it's about...

Synopsis:

The film takes place in Roman occupied Britain, where captured werewolves are pitted against the land's best warriors in Gladiatorial games. But the werewolves are far more cunning then they let on, as they are using the games to infect and turn their enemies into their own werewolf army.

Here's some additional art, check out Geek Tryant for even more.

Ice

Vampire Bill is getting into the disaster porn spirit. The makers of the Day of The Triffids are coming out with another TV Movie titled Ice starring Stephen Moyer and we're really really really hoping he plays a scientist who know the world is about to end but no one will believe him. Joining him is Claire Forlani, Ben Cross, Petrick Bergin, Simon Callow and Sam Neill (hooray Jurassic Park).

Official Synopsis:

It is 2020. Findings by environmental scientist Professor Thom Archer suggest that Halo, the corporate energy company drilling on the Greenland Glacier are causing it to melt. Archer's warnings are ignored, so he heads to the Arctic to find indisputable evidence. Upon arrival, he realizes humankind is under immediate threat, and races home to save his family. The glacier collapses, with devastating consequences. Astonishing weather patterns emerge and plunge the world's temperatures into steep decline.

It's currently filming, come on VAMPIRE SCIENTIST BILL.

Shorts:

Ataque de Pánico (Panic Attack):

Here's a quickie short from Uruguay. Created by Federico Álvarez and Mauro Rondán, see what happens when giant robots are set lose on their home town. The entire thing is below and it took two years to complete, well done!

[Via Scifi Latino]

Singing Head Band

This is what all beat boxing should be like. All of it. Check out Neurosonics Audiomedical Laboratory footage.

Neurosonics Audiomedical Labs Inc. from Chris Cairns on Vimeo.

FISH!

It's been a while since I posted some sexy nature-centric news over here. And while looking for new inspirational animal friendly films to watch at 3 AM, I found this beauty. This is Kuroshio Sea the 2nd largest aquarium tank in the world, which is in Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium, Japan.

The main tank called the "Kuroshio Sea" holds 7,500-cubic meters (1,981,290 gallons) of water and features the world's second largest acrylic glass panel, measuring 8.2 meters by 22.5 meters with a thickness of 60 centimeters. Whale sharks and manta rays are kept amongst many other fish species in the main tank.

Do yourself a favor and watch it in HD. The song is "Please Don't Go" from Barcelona.

Kuroshio Sea - 2nd largest aquarium tank in the world - (song is Please don't go by Barcelona) from Jon Rawlinson on Vimeo.

This film is starting to look better and better.

[Images from Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus]

The film seems to still be in deep development stages but Nathan Philips is now being rumored to have joined up with the rest of the cast. Here's the official synopsis:

"NICK BIGMAN has a problem. He comes from a long line of surfers; his father was an amateur surfer, his grandfather ROD BIGMAN a surf champion who appeared in 1960's beach movies like Beach Bongo. Unfortunately, Nick suffers from Hydrophobia, an anxiety disorder that plagues many Americans who suffer from this extreme fear of the water. Nick can't go near any body of water without breaking into a sweat. If he's tossed in the ocean or a pool by a bunch of pranksters, he immediately goes into a panic attack. Those who suffer from Hydrophobia have been known to drown in a shallow body of water they could have easily stood up and walked away from, the anxiety's that intense.

'Hydrophobia' revolves around the ghost of 60's beach movie starlet KAREN SLATER. When Karen's controlling Hollywood agent DON BULASKY finds out about her love affair with her BEACH BONGO co-star, ROD BIGMAN (Nick's grandfather), her agent drowns her in a jealous rage. Overcome with grief DON seeks out the help of a local Jamaican witch doctor to bring his favorite beach movie starlet back to life.

There's only one problem. While what comes back resembles the beautiful Karen Slater, in voodoo mythology if a person dies a violent death, his or her soul returns as evil incarnate. In Karen's case, she's become a flesh-eating astral zombie residing in the pool of her old abandoned Malibu Beach house. Every spring Karen needs to feed on twelve poor souls so she can exist on this earthly plane for another year. And because she's an astral zombie, Karen can materialize anywhere in the house or pool area where there's water!

With the help of her keeper, Hollywood agent Bulasky, Karen lures a pair of college kids, who of course decide to throw a huge spring break pool party at her Malibu beach house! Being spring, it's feeding time again! To complicate matters, the protagonist, Nick, has a fear of the water so if he notices strange occurrences or claims to see weird stuff going on during the mayhem of the pool party, no one's going to believe him.

As the partygoers are knocked off one by one, Nick and his fun-loving dorm buddy DARYL don't realize what's going on – they're too preoccupied with getting laid! But when the girls (ALEX & CINDY) that Nick & Daryl have their eyes on fall prey to Karen as they wade in the pool, Nick is forced to confront both his Hydrophobia and this flesh-eating creature who was once Karen Slater, the sexy 60's beach movie starlet Nick's idolized for years. As Nick's friends are about to find out in 'Hydrophobia', it's time to be afraid of the water ... again!"

Sounds kooky enough. My only question: Bai Ling is going to play a 1960's actress named Karen Slater?

The posting goes on to describe the monstrous mermaid herself as a Species-like movie monster, "a sexy femme fatale who lures both men and women into the pool, appearing as a sexy vixen at first who then morphs into an Alien-like creature with razor-sharp piranha teeth capable of opening her mouth as wide as a python to bite a man's head off!"

We're not going to let this ridiculous gem of a film slip by without a trailer of Bai Ling feasting on the beach-blanket-bingo remains of a pack of beach boys and girls. We'll keep you updated.

[via Bloody Disgusting]

We'll have to wait until at least a trailer is out, but I've always been a huge fan of clever, self-deprecating humor, which it seems to feature a healthy dose of. We'll be keeping an eye on the Cabin until then.

In a bunch of early floor stills that MaximumPC put out from the day before, the day before San Diego Comic Con opens it's doors, you can clearly see one of the big poster draws will be the bare-chested Bettany and his mighty angel wings.

The film stars a clean-faced Doug Jones (wearing no monster make up for once), Dennis Quaid, Tyrese Gibson and Kate Walsh as a bunch of strangers trapped in a isolated diner while the world ends around them. Doug Jones revealed a lot more to us a few months back. And hopefully the panel will reveal more, and spark our excitement even further.

Until them, the film's website is up and running with yet another look at Paul's wingspan.

Legion will be out on January 22nd, 2010.

Slashfilm got hold of some of the concept posters for the American adaptation of Let The Right One In, now titled Let Me In. I don't know about you, but I loved the mysterious allure of Eli's gender ambiguity and gamine androgyny. This representation seems a little too much intended to "pull one over on the audience," or maybe they cut Eli's back story entirely. But, the stark snowy appeal is still there, so we know that Cloverfield director Matt Reeves at least has the right idea. Plus I'm very happy with the recent casting rumors, but there's still plenty of reason to be concerned about a remake of an already-perfect film. Here is another chilling concept poster...

Check out the additional posters at Slashfilm.

The Twelve artist Chris Weston to created these comic movie posters specifically for Comic Con. He also was brought into Albert Hughes and Allen Hughes' film to create the storyboards and concept art. Both Denzel and his foe Gary Oldman will be at San Diego Comic Con to sign these special posters at the Warner Brothers booth.

Check out Bleeding Cool for the additional poster.

The Descent 2 will be screening at London's Fright Fest, and if you're in the area, you should definitely go. I haven't seen it yet, but if it's anything like the original (even though it has a new director) it will be fantastic. I've gone through two DVDs of the original, and it's still never getting old. Also, I think we all know who is still alive in that cave, and I cannot wait to see her face off, crazy-pants style, with bats-o Sarah.

Terror mounts as fear cuts deeper in the chilling continuation to the globally successful horror hit THE DESCENT. Dazed, confused and traumatized, Sarah Carter emerges alone from the cave system where she confronted frightening enemies: herself and her darkest dread. With no rational explanation to what exactly happened or why she's covered in blood, the authorities force her back into the subterranean depths to help locate her five missing girlfriends. But as the rescue party enters further uncharted domains, flashbacks start haunting Sarah as shocking memories of the recent past hideously hit home. Only she realizes the full horror of their futile mission. And only she knows what lurks to trap them in the eerie shadows of the labyrinthine warrens. For they are venturing into the habitat of a new tribe of Crawlers, inbred, deformed and even more viciously feral than Sarah faced before in the black recesses of her worst nightmares.

Powder!

Sorry this just isn't as appealing as my Korben Dallas/John McClane boys from the past, sigh. We need new action stars, and fast. Harrison Ford's befuddled old man Indiana and Nic Cage in just about everything aren't doing this genre any favors.

Also I'm generally starting to worry about the Surrogates film in general. Besides the little Bruces at the bottom, you really can't tell that this film is about robots, at all. And robots sell from Wall-E to Transformers – people like to see droids, and especially ones who pretend to be people. So why isn't this poster emphasizing the robot angle? People are going to see Surrogates to imagine what the pretty robotic versions of themselves will look like. Maybe we can get a more appealing poster before the film comes out September 25th.

For a better look at the Surrogates poster check out Coming Soon.

The CG movie takes place after humanity is all but a memory on Earth and nine little creations are given the important task of restoring life to the planet, in the face of the machines that rose up against their makers. I'm still not sure which one is my favorite — maybe 7 for her skull hat. 9 will be released in theaters on 9/9/09.

According to Focus Features:

About 8:

Armed with a giant kitchen cleaver and half a scissor blade, the none-too-bright muscle and enforcer of the group, 8, is created to help the others physically survive the dangerous, post-apocalyptic world.

Insider Trivia:

8 is voiced by Fred Tatasciore, who studied animation at UCLA with director Shane Acker, where he became known for his voiceover talents on other students' films. Fred was enlisted to voice 8, the "brawn to 1''s brain if you will," says Acker.

Here's the high res. version of the poster:

9 will be released in theaters on 9/9/09.