Movie Newsbites: Heroes and Zombies

I know most of this stuff isn't too new, but I had to mention it. What kind of entertainment guru would I be if I let it go? Not a very good one, that's what. Anyway, I hope that someone finds this interesting.
 
School of Lanterns?
I read over at AICN that Warner Brothers is going forward with a plan to make a Green Lantern film. That in and of itself is cool. GL is a very cool character, lots of story to make a film, and I think it is a strong character that you could build a great franchise around. Here's the kicker, Jack Black has been signed to play the lead. My first reaction was "What the...?" I am a fan of Black's  work, he is a funny, talented, strange man.  His comedic work, his music work, his acting, good stuff, but a superhero? I'm not sure he can pull it off. Well, it is definitely a project to keep an eye on. It will be interesting to see how this develops.
 
Please, say it ain't so!
On the rumor front, word has been making the rounds that Jessica Simpson would be making a cameo appearance in X-Men 3. She would be playing Dazzler, the role would then be expanded in the fourth film. I don't like this idea, it reeks of stunt casting that in the long run would only hurt the franchise. I am sure this won't pan out.
 
The Dead Shall Walk the Earth Once Again!
It's official! George Romero is returning to the director's chair this October to begin filming the fourth Living Dead movie. First there was Night of the Living Dead, then Dawn of the Dead, third was Day of the Dead, and now we will have Land of the Dead. I believe that is a working title, as I remember another title making the rounds a few months ago, which I actually prefer, Twilight of the Dead. In any event, Romero and zombies are sure to be a winning combination. Cannot wait to see this, it will probably hit screens late next summer, or more likely the fall, in time for Halloween. I end this with a brief synopsis culled from AICN courtesy of Bloody Disgusting:

In Romero's new pic, the zombies having taken over the world and those left alive are confined to a walled-in city that keeps out the corpse corps. Anarchy rules the streets, with the wealthy insulated and living in fortified skyscrapers. Drama revolves around a group of scavengers who must thwart an attempt to overthrow the city while the dead are evolving from brainless slow-moving creatures into more advanced creatures.

 
Fantastic Casting?

The Fantastic Four film has had it's four leads cast. I must say they are unlikely bunch of candidates, save one. I am hoping this doesn't turn into another Punisher. Without further ado:

Reed Richards aka Mr.Fantastic: Ioan Gruffudd- currently on the big screen in King Arthur as Lancelot.
Ben Grimm aka The Thing: Michael Chiklis- currently starring in The Shield on the FX network.
Johnny Storm aka The Human Torch: Chris Evans- last seen in The Perfect Score.
Susan Storm aka Invisible Woman: Jessica Alba- formerly of TV's Dark Angel, last seen in last year's Honey.
The following cast member is rumor only, he previous four are confirmed.
Victor von Doom aka Dr.Doom: Ray Liotta- Last seen in Identity.

Over the main four, only Chiklis seems like dead on casting to me. I always pictured someone like George Clooney as Reed, he has the perfect look for the role. For Torch, I kind of liked an idea I read about a while back, Matt Damon. For Sue Storm, I don't know, for as much as I adore Jessica Alba, she doesn't quite look the part. I hope I'm wrong, they seem to be a decent cast. The movie is going to be directed by Tim Story, best known for bringing us Barbershop. Seems an odd choice for a comic book action film, but hey, he may surprise us. I'm hoping for the best, these are some classic characters.

Save the Best for Last!
Warner Brothers is finally getting on track with their Superman project. Ideally, I would wait a few years and work up the Smallville cast to the big show, but this could be just as good. First off, there is a writer/director team in place, and they will be working up a brand new script and not using the frighteningly bad script by JJ Abrams (I love Alias, JJ, but that script was bad news!). The team is none other than Bryan Singer, Michael Dougherty & Dan Harris, the team that brought us one of the best comic films of all time with X2. The title going around right now is Superman Returns, and it will have a connection with the Christopher Reeve Superman films. You know what this means? No McG and no Michael Bay. Which is a good thing, especially with McG.
 
That's all for now.