Plot revealed for Francis Ford Coppola's next film, Twixt; will be at Comic-Con

I'm amazed by how little reaction there has been to Francis Ford Coppola's 2009 family rivalry drama, Tetro. Not only was it beautifully shot, but was complex in a lot of the same ways that The Godfather was. Yet it was basically ignored. Shame. Maybe he'll have better luck with his latest film, which had been titled Twixt Now and Sunrise. Well, it's been shortened to just Twixt now, and Coppola will be bringing it to San Diego Comic-Con.

I guess that's one way to get people's attention. Certainly by Coppola's previous description of it, there's a good chance the fanboys might be drawn. First described as a thriller with horror overtones, then fleshed out to be , “one part Gothic romance, one part personal film, and one part the kind of horror film that began my career”.  Well now we have a more thorough plot description, and it sounds pretty wild...

Thor 2 hammers out July 2013 release date; Kenneth Branagh won't return

We loved Thor here at Punch Drunk Critics International. It wasn't a perfect film, but for me it had enough action plus unique family dynamics to keep me satisfied. By comparison to Green Lantern it's a friggin' masterpiece. There was some question about the possibility of a sequel after it's pedestrian(for a summer blockbuster, that is) $170M domestic haul, but the $430M plus global take pretty much sealed it. And now we know when that sequel will actually take place: July 26th 2013.

Pretty much everybody will be back. It's probably in their contracts to return, anyway. Who won't return is director Kenneth Branagh, with Deadline positing that he'll take on a producer role. So let the speculation on who'll take his place begin. That's a pretty big gig for somebody to snatch up.

Drew Barrymore to direct teen crime film, Heist Society

I'm seriously digging some of the choices Drew Barrymore has been making of late. Not just in front of the camera, where turns in films like Going the Distance and Grey Gardens have highlighted her growth as an actress. Also behind the camera, with her directorial debut in the roller derby film, Whip It. She recently signed on for her follow-up, How to Be Single, but her gig after that is already lined up and it may be the best one yet.

Barrymore is set to direct Heist Society, from her Whip It screenwriter, Shauna Cross. An adaptation of Ally Carter's 2010 novel, the young adult story follows Katarina Bishop, a girl who comes from a long family line of thieves. She's not involved in the family trade, but when her father is accused of the theft of a mobster's art collection, Kat gathers her cousins and a few friends to prove him innocent. 

Carter has already written a sequel, Uncommon Criminals, which came out just a couple of weeks ago. Sounds like Barrymore could be at the head of a potentially lucrative tween franchise. [THR]

Beware! The possible plot of Prometheus lies within!

One of the most fascinating things to watch over the last few months has been the secrecy behind Ridley Scott's upcoming sci-fi film, Prometheus. What started out as a definite prequel to Alien turned into some sort of spinoff with "Alien DNA" supposedly at the heart of the story. Damon Lindelof(Lost), who wrote the script, has kinda gone both ways on what it would actually entail. Same with Scott. Is "Alien DNA" literal? Or are there just thematic similarities between the films? Well, all the wondering my be moot now, as i09 has been sent what appears to be a total reveal of key points of the plot. Hell, it's basically the entire plot. So consider the below image "Spoiler Space", with the plot immediately following...

Adam McKay in talks to direct Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg in Three Mississippi

At this point, any pairing ofWill Ferrell and Adam McKay is a license to print money, so it's no surprise that Warner Brothers is looking to team them up again. Vulture reports that McKay is now in talks to direct the football comedy, Three Mississippi, which will hav Ferrell and his The Other Guys partner Mark Wahlberg duking it out on rival teams.

The comedy was previously known as Turkey Bowl, and is a cameo filled flick(think Anchorman) about two amateur football teams from rival neighborhoods who compete in an annual game for bragging rights. Alec Baldwin might not be suiting up, but he's supposedly playing Wahlberg's father. Jeremy Renner(when will he have time??) and Rob Riggle are being tossed around as potential players, too.

The plan is to shoot soon, with a possible Thanksgiving 2012 release.  Football comedies? Almost always great....except for The Comebacks.  With McKay, Ferrell, and Wahlberg I expect this to be one of the funnier movies of next year.

New international poster for Captain America: The First Avenger

Comingsoon.net has released a brand new international poster for Captain America: The First Avenger, starring Chris Evans as the star-spangled Avenger himself. Directed by Joe Johnston(Hidalgo, October Sky), the superhero adventure follows Cap's rise from a skinny young lad eager to battle the Nazis in WWII to his re-creation as Captain America.  Evans, Hugo Weaving, Tommy Lee Jones, Neal McDonough, Toby Jones, Hayley Atwell, Dominic Cooper, Derek Luke, Sebastian Stan, and Stanley Tucci star. 

I kinda like it, although I wish we'd get a better look at Derek Luke as Howling Commando Gabe Jones. And I know they want to push Chris Evans as the face of the film, but he really should be wearing the mask. Just sayin'.

Captain America: The First Avenger hit theaters on July 22nd!

Trailer Time: Cowboys & Aliens, directed by Jon Favreau

Who would've thought that a western could possibly be the most exciting popcorn flick of the summer? Ok, so it's not just a western but part sci-fi, but isn't that what makes Cowboys & Aliens so cool? That it's two seemingly incomptable genres smooshed together, with a director in Jon Favreau who knows how to make crowd pleasers and a bunch of name actors like Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford. Personally I can't wait for July 29th to get here.

There's a new trailer out, and while it doesn't show too much new it does give us a better look at one of the alien ships, which kinda looks like the plane from Stealth.

Sure Shots: Hugo Cabret; Masters of the Universe; Disney preps film based on The Matterhorn ride

* Talk about weird moves. Martin Scorsese's 3D adaptation of Brian Selznick's adventure novel, The Invention of Hugo Cabret, has undergone an odd name change. No longer titled Hugo Cabret, now the film will simply be known as Hugo. Sounds kinda flat and plain, doesn't it?. Then again with a cast featuring Chloe Moretz, Sacha Baron Cohen, Christopher Lee, Ben Kingsley ,Emily Mortimer, Jude Law, Ray Winstone, Michael Stuhlbarg, and Richard Griffiths you could probably call it just about anything and people will pay to see it. A trailer should be out soon, with the film opening on November 23rd.

* It's been more than a full year since Predators screenwriters Mike Finch and Alex Litvak were brought in by Sony to basically start from scratch on a script for Masters of the Universe, the 1980s franchise featuring He-Man and his loyal Battle Cat. That's a long time to not hear anything since, but back in May Sony VP of Production DeVon Franklin said that the film is still on the slate and that a script should be arriving soon. I really wanted Justin Marks' Grayskull film to get off the ground at Warner Brothers, but I'll settle for this. He-Man needs a better big screen treatment than the awful Dolph Lundgren film. [Crosswalk via Slashfilm]

* See, if none of you people had ever gone to see Pirates of the Caribbean, this wouldn't be happening. Disney is yet again delving into their plethora of theme park rides for film inspiration, this time focusing on The Matterhorn Bobsleds. The film has a working title of The Hill, and will be written by Jason Dean Hall(Spread). The story will involve five youths who climb the actual Matterhorn and encounter Yetis on the way back down.

DVD Deal of the Day: The Sound of Music Limited Edition Collector's Set(Blu-Ray/DVD)

Every woman I've ever known has some weird love for The Sound of Music. I can't explain. Won't even attempt to understand it. Amazon must realize just how popular the 1965 musical still is because their DVD Deal of the Week is the limited edition collector's set of the film on Blu-Ray/DVD. It's yours for a song(pun intended) at only $38.99!

Special Features

Your Favorite Things: An Interactive Celebration — all-new immersive viewing experience with behind-the-scenes images, on-screen lyrics, trivia track and location quiz

Music Machine Sing-Along

Musical Stages: Creating The Sound of Music — all-new interactive "backlot tour" with in-depth featurettes on the songs, the stage show & movie, the film and sound restoration and the real-life von Trapp family

A City of Song — virtual map of filming locations in Salzburg, Austria

Vintage Rodgers & Hammerstein and The Sound of Music programs, including a parody with Carol Burnett and Julie Andrews, and an interview with the real Maria von Trapp on The Julie Andrews Hour

Rodgers & Hammerstein: The Sound of American Music, hosted by Mary Martin

Screen tests, rare treasures, interviews, photo galleries and more

BD-LIVE: Live Lookup Powered by IMDb

Bryan Cranston joins the cast of Gangster Squad

Was Malcolm in the Middle holding Bryan Cranston back or something? I haven't seen a minute of Breaking Bad, but by most accounts he's spectacular in it. On the film front, he seems to be everywhere. Already this year he's shown up in Matthew McConaughey's The Lincoln Lawyer, and he'll be featured opposite Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts in Larry Crowne tomorrow. He's got a part in Steven Soderbergh's film, Contagion, later this year, and let's not forget Drive with Ryan Gosling. Next year he'll be the bad guy in the Total Recall remake. What the heck? Now he's added yet another big time gig, having just been cast in Ruben Fleischer's crime flick, Gangster Squad.

Gangster Squad is based on a bunch of LA Times articles about a special team of cops established in the 1940s to helm stem the influence of the east coast mob on the west coast. Mickey Cohen, a member of the infamous "Jewish Mafia", will be played by Sean Penn. Ryan Gosling and Josh Brolin are two of the cops determined to bring him down. Anthony Mackie is Rocky Washington, another member of the unit. Michael Pena has a role as well, with Cranston playing Max Kennard, a Texan who joins the LAPD.

Ruben Fleischer(Zombieland, 30 Minutes or Less) will direct, with production set to begin late this summer or early fall. [Variety]

Trailer Time: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, starring Gary Oldman and Colin Firth

Times like this I really envy our friends across the pond. You take a number of the best British actors(best actors period) and put them in a potboiler of a spy film, based on John Le Carre's classic Cold War novel Tinker Tailer Soldier Spy, and we have to wait two extra months to see it.  I need to see this film now. Been wanting to ever since it was first announced, and now that the first teaser trailer is out my hands are getting a little twitchy with anticipation...

Want! Transformers: Dark of the Moon Cyberverse Optimus Prime

I'm an old school Transformers fan who already owns all his favorite Autobots and Decepticon action figures, but it's really time to start raising up a whole new generation of fanatics. If Michael Bay can help do that, then maybe his flicks won't be nearly as soul crushing as we all thought. In case you missed it(doubtful), Transformers: Dark of the Moon hit pretty much every theater today, and so for the new Optimus Prime fan in your family you may want to treat him to these great collectibles.

Trailer Time: Bucky Larson: Born to be a Star, starring Nick Swardson and Christina Ricci

So this is what Adam Sandler does to keep his friends? All those rejects who populate his crappy Happy Madison flicks and make them even crappier get thrown into their own super crappy comedy? Nick Swardson, who has been an irritant in pretty much every Sandler film including You Don't Mess with the Zohan, Bedtime Stories, and Just Go With It, gets his crack at the spotlight as Bucky Larson in Born To Be A Star. 

Sure Shots: Catherine Hardwicke; Chris Hemsworth; Diablo Cody sets directorial debut

* I'll say this for Catherine Hardwicke(Twilight), she's true to her word. Almost exactly two weeks ago she hinted at her next film, a "wild", "raw", "gritty" indie to be set in Sweden and Germany. She promised we'd hear more in a couple weeks, and here we are. She'll be directing a biopic on the colorful Swedish boxer, Bo "Bosse" Hogberg. Noomi Rapace has been attached to the film since last year as Hogberg's wife, Anita. Hogberg led a flamboyant lifestyle outside of the ring, involving lots of women, alcohol, and bouts with the law.[ScreenDaily]

* Has anybody seen their career take off faster than Chris Hemsworth? After making the most of his brief time in Star Trek, he did the same with A Perfect Getaway, and of course his breakout in Thor. The Avengers is next on his plate, followed by Snow White and the Huntsman, but he'll be doing something totally different not long after. Hemsworth is set to star in Shadow Runner, a black ops film from scorching hot writer Hossein Amini(Drive), which will follow the assassination of Hamas leader Mahmoud al Mabhouh.

* Diablo Cody's writing has a very distinct vibe to it, but to me it's a little hit and miss. I loved her Juno script, but Jennifer's Body was too silly for it's own good. While I'm anxiously awaiting Young Adult, her next callaboration with Jason Reitman, Cody is making the leap into directing with the religious comedy, Lamb of God. The story follows a very religious, conservative woman who loses her faith after an airplane crash. She decides to go to Las Vegas to sin til her heart's content, but ultimately finds her faith again. One thing I'll say about Cody, she makes some great movies with strong female leads. This will be her fourth such film in a row.