Arcade classic Rampage! to crush, crumble and chomp its way to theaters

By Adam Swiderski, Source: Blastr.com

It’s a good day for giant monster movie news; first, we heard about Guillermo del Toro’s Pacific Rim, and now word has come down the wire that the ’80s arcade juggernaut Rampage! will be getting the feature film treatment. Hey, they made a multiseason TV series out of Pac-Man, so this should be no problem.

For those unfamiliar, Rampage! was a stand-up arcade game in which players took control of one of three giant monsters–Lizzie (a titanic lizard/Godzilla knockoff), George (a King Kong-esque overgrown gorilla) and Ralph (a towering werewolf because, well, why not?)–and set about wreaking havoc in cities throughout the continental United States. Buildings were destroyed, innocent pedestrians were stomped or eaten, and a good time was had by all until the endless stream of military personnel and hardware reduced a monster’s health to zero, at which point it would transform back into its frail human form and shuffle offscreen in disgrace.

End of the line, old chum!

Warner Bros. Animation has released two clips and a gallery of images from “Mitefall,” the series finale of Batman: The Brave and the Bold scheduled to premiere on Cartoon Network tonight, Friday, November 18th.

Here’s how the network describes the episode:

“In the series finale, Bat-Mite decides to cancel Batman: The Brave and the Bold when he becomes bored with his former favorite superhero.”

Comics Continuum has posted pictures and videos from the episode at http://www.comicscontinuum.com/stories/1111/16/index.htm

 

David Fincher pulls in Se7en writer to go 20,000 Leagues with him

http://blastr.com/2011/11/david-fincher-pulls-in-se.php” title=”David Fincher pulls in Se7en writer to go 20,000 Leagues with him” target=”_blank”>By Matthew Jackson, Source: Blastr.com

David Fincher has what seems like dozens of future projects in the works right now, and one of them is a return to sci-fi with an adaptation of Jules Verne’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea for Disney. The flick may or may not be Fincher’s next work, but he’s at least found a screenwriter: His Se7en collaborator Andrew Kevin Walker.

Disney has been working for a while now on finding a compelling way to revisit the class Verne tale, which was made into one of the company’s most successful early live-action efforts in 1954. Though Walker is best known for Se7en and the almost equally creepy 8MM, he’s also worked in more fantastic realms with flicks like Sleepy Hollow and The Wolfman, so he might be a good fit, especially if Disney wants to go a somewhat darker direction with a new version of the classic story.

Stephen Soderbergh Leaves The Man From UNCLE, Starts Sniffing Out New Gigs

by Brendon Connelly, source: Bleeding Cool.com

After eighteen months of development, Stephen Soderbergh has decided not to direct Warner Bros. do-over of The Man From UNCLE. The director and studio have apparently come to a parting of the ways over casting and the budget.

Apparently Soderbergh was keen on either Michael Fassbender or Joel Kinnaman for the lead role, at least since George Clooney stepped down with back problems. Warner Bros. would not okay either Fassbender or Kinnaman for UNCLE, but did then cast them in other high profile projects – something The Playlist says “never sat well” with Soderbergh.

BBC America Orders Five More Nerdist Specials

by Philiana Ng, Source: The Hollywood Reporter

The cable network has ordered five more specials of The Nerdist, based on Hardwick’s popular podcast of the same name. The announcement comes weeks after the pilot for the show, hosted by Hardwick and featuring Doctor Who’s Matt Smith and Craig Ferguson, aired in September as part of the network’s newly launched “Ministry of Laughs” comedy block.

The five specials, two 60-minute episodes and three half-hours, will air all through next year, timed to major network events. The first will air on Christmas Eve at 9 p.m. as a one-hour year-end review of pop culture, tech trends and more.

BBC America and NPR Partner for First ‘Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me!’ TV Special

by Michael O’Connell, Source: The Hollywood Reporter

The public radio quiz show makes its television debut with a “2011 Year in Review” special in December.

BBC America and National Public Radio announced Wednesday that seasoned quiz show Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me! will get its first television special later in the year.

The Peabody Award-winning program will air a taping of its “2011 Year in Review” special on BBC America, Friday, Dec. 23 at 8:00 p.m.