HitFix just reported that a source close to the production has said that Logan Lerman is the frontrunner to be the next Spider-Man. Contract negotiations have not started, but the source says that Lerman is “almost 100% locked” to star in Marc Webb’s Spider-Man reboot.

This comes only a few short months after Sam Raimi departed the franchise, leading Sony to decide to send Peter Parker back to high school. This new beginning will focus more on “a teenager grappling with both contemporary human problems and amazing super-human crises.” The picture is helmed by Marc Webb ((500) Days of Summer) and based on a script by Jamie Vanderbilt.

First of all, I think rebooting the franchise was probably the best thing to do. This way, the movie will actually have time to develop, and maybe a new cast could bring a whole new angle on Spidey. However, I hope the film will still appeal to fans of the superhero, and not be too bogged down with this teen drama stuff.

Lerman was just seen in Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, which I did not enjoy, but his performance wasn’t bad. Given a good script, I think he could definitely make a good, young Peter Parker. What do you think of the casting?

The new Spider-Man swings into theaters July 3, 2012.

As stated in my AVATAR Movie Review, my biggest questions surrounding the amazement that is AVATAR is all around how it will fair on the Blu-ray release without the 3D technology. Well my questions have been answered, or have they?

The folks over at The Hollywood Reporter are shining the light on some 3D news. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment announced Thursday that it will release 3D movies on Blu-ray Disc worldwide for the first time, beginning in the summer with the animated release of Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs.

Does this news solve all of my worries/questions about AVATAR coming to the small screen in the same way it did to the big screen? Only time will tell but this is a great start.

Now with every piece of news I get, there is always a bit of a downside and/or questions. This leaves the questions of this – do I need to get a new Blu-Ray player for this? Do I need a special TV that can handle this? Will my Playstation 3 be upgradable to support this due to it being a Sony device?

Lot’s more questions than I began with but a ray of hope to appease us all in the meantime! Am I the only one who is worried about the AVATAR release onto the disc format or? Let us know what you all think below in the comments.

There’s no doubt that Will Smith is one of Hollywood’s biggest  power players: he’s one of Tinseltown’s highest paid actors, and if his name is put on a project, chances are pretty good that film is going to do well at the box office.

However, Smith is not one to rest on his laurels and go for easy roles just to bring in the cash. Instead, he’s ever pushing himself forward as an actor, working to expand his repertoire and make his name receive equal accolades for both his comedic and serious work.

His next role will certainly require him to take his acting to the next level.

Smith has signed on with Sony Pictures to produce and star in a modern-day adaptation of Daniel Keyes’s novel Flowers for Algernon. Now, I’m going to have to step aside from the movie part of this for a second to let the book nerd in me address the novel itself for a minute.

If you have not read Flowers for Algernon, you should. It is without a doubt one of the best literary works I have ever read (and I read a lot). It follows the story of Charlie Gordon, a man with an IQ of 68 who volunteers to be a human lab rat for an experimental surgery to increase IQ. The surgery triples Charlie’s IQ, making him significantly more intelligent than those around him, which subsequently leads to him feeling as isolated in the world as he did when his IQ was 68.

The novel raises numerous moral and ethical questions, and even makes the reader look at human nature itself. More importantly though, especially for a screen adaptation, Flowers for Algernon is an incredibly emotionally evocative piece of writing.

It’s told in the form of journal entries by Charlie, starting before his surgery and continuing through the development of his intelligence and his eventual devolution back to low IQ. The writing is made to mirror this progression, starting out with spelling and grammar errors in plain writing before the surgery, and getting more sophisticated as Charlie’s intellect grows.

As Charlie’s intelligence starts to fade away, the reader begins to see errors returning to his writing, and immediately knows Charlie is on a downward descent. This makes the last quarter of the novel absolutely heartbreaking to read.

Now back to the movie. As I said, Flowers for Algernon is going to force Smith to have to take his acting to the next level. Since the movie obviously won’t follow Charlie’s journal entries, Smith is going to have to pour everything he has emotion-wise to make the audience connect to the character to the extent that they can really follow his progression and then relapse.

Smith has been nominated for the Oscar for Best Actor twice (for Ali in 2001, and The Pursuit of Happyness in 2006), but hasn’t yet won. Given the role and content of the story, it’s likely he could see another nod with Flowers for Algernon, and if he can push his acting ability to the brink and really embody Charlie it could even be the role that finally earns him the win.

Flowers for Algernon will be produced by Smith’s production company Overbrook Entertainment, with Polksy Films as well. Tracy Nyberg, an associate producer on Hancock and an assistant to Will Smith on I Am Legend, is also set to produce.

Jack Kirby, co-creator of such comic book creations like the X-Men, Fantastic Four and Captain America, is coming back for copyright vengeance. Well, at least his estate is. The estate of Jack Kirby is going straight for the jugular, as BleedingCool has more:

[The Kirby Estate] has sent notices terminating copyright to publishers Marvel and Disney, as well as film studios that have made movies and TV shows based on characters he created or co-created, including Sony, Universal, 20th Century Fox and Paramount Pictures. Just as the Jerry Siegel estate has done so with rights to Superman, so Kirby’s estate is looking to regain his share of copyright in the characters and their use in comics and other media.

What does this mean in the world of comics? If the lawsuit is successful, it would hit starting from 2014 and, as always, its worth noting that Marvel/Disney will still own the trademarks of the characters in comics, and the studios in movies. The likelihood is that, if successful, the Kirby estate would enter into negotiation with Marvel over terms to continue publishing comics based on his work.

We’ll keep you updated on the latest of this comic book battle as it progresses on.

I can assume that on May 4th, 2007 no one felt like a bigger dunce than yours truly. While most would say I walk through every single day as a nimrod, it never rang truer than when I dressed up as black costume Spider-Man for the midnight IMAX showing of Spider-Man 3. After feeling like I was on the red carpet due to all the photos people wanted, I suffered the horror of those two and a half hours. The moment I entered my car with my brother and our good friend, I immediately tossed the costume off after previously warning people in line for the 3:25 AM showing that they were about to be assaulted. Yes, the irony of some idiot dressing up for the film telling people to avoid said film.

Anyhoo, the purpose for this trip down memory lane is to proclaim that Sony will release Spider-Man 4 on May 5, 2011 in IMAX. Unsurprising really as the two previous installments were released on the format. But now comes the questions. Will Raimi film with the IMAX cameras Christopher Nolan and Michael “Explodo” Bay used? Or will he opt to go for the 3D treatment? Hmm, Spidey in 3D? Now that might make that insufferable third entry watchable. Just please don’t let this adventure of the everyone’s favorite web-slinger suck as bad as the last.

Nicolas Cage became another casualty in the never ending string of problems for Sony Pictures feature The Green Hornet. After negotiations with the star’s contract came to a standstill, the actor dropped out of the cast. Cage was signed on originally to play the villain Mr. X in the Michael Gondry directed film. Now that Cage is out of the picture literally, and for this to happen during the start of filming as shown here, the never ending slew of problems continues to plague this project.

Starring Seth Rogen, Cameron Diaz and Jay Chou, The Green Hornet is set to be released in theaters alongside Tron Legacy on December 17, 2010. Being pushed back several times, Sony will have to scramble quickly to find a replacement unless they want their crime fighting hero to feel the sting of defeat when all he has to fight right now is air.

Look no further for the most bad ass man to hit the scene, with Apparition picking up some distribution rights for the blaxploitation film Black Dynamite. Sony Pictures (Worldwide) still holds onto the feature, but is sharing along with Apparition in order to domestically distribute the seventies set film to audiences nationwide. Originally introduced to the general public during this past year’s Sundance Film Festival, there’s been some anticipation building on this afro wearing hero of sorts.

Jumping back and forth from a early to late fall release date, the film in question will hold a platform release on October 16th. Directed by Scott Sanders and starring Michael Jai White, this film has already shared a nice deal of the spotlight with the festivals it has hit during this past year, not only that being of Sundance but Toronto, etc.

If you want to find out even more information or are interested to see the trailer for the new film, check out one of the previous Under the Radar entries for this particular pic.

Midway through District 9, this viewer witnessed something slightly different than what was happening on-screen. X-Men Origins: Wolverine was zapped into oblivion while Star Trek was blasted through some shacks. Terminator Salvation and Angels & Demons where blown to smithereens, The Hangover and The Proposal ran when they saw Pelham 1-2-3 massacred as Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen had its head popped right off. The film apologized to Public Enemies before kicking it into an outhouse then proceeded to rip apart Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince limb from limb and used the pieces to beat down Funny People. Finally, it shook hands with G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra only to knee it where the sun don’t shine and slam the Eiffel Tower down on top of it.

If you require further explanation, District 9 has, hands-down, won the summer season.

In fact, it’s tempting to call this the best summer blockbuster since The Bourne Ultimatum. As in that picture, Neill Blomkamp keeps things squarely focused on two wonderful things that most action-blockbusters don’t: story and characters. Most are going to enter this picture expecting aliens to be shot to pieces and while we get that in some of the best action scenes of the year, all of it is motivated by the actions of its characters. The aliens aren’t just brilliant effects to be shown off, they are actual creatures living in a believable society. They’re not shot to be showy or boast what’s possible on a relatively small budget. No, these aliens are shot like actual, living beings and are treated as such throughout the film. And while often times this is done to hide some otherwise shoddy effects, District 9 features the best visual effects of the year. That’s right, a thirty million dollar picture has visuals that not only is on-par with it’s much bigger budgeted brethren, it’s better than almost all of them.

But again, it boils down to District 9 keeping it focused on the characters. We get to know the aliens and their lifestyle, and get a glimpse of how horribly they’re treated. Called ‘prawns’ (a derogatory term for the creatures, the film tells us), there’s no secret plan to take over the Earth or overthrow human beings. They’re just trying to live out their lives, much like our own kind does. The humans are the one’s pegged as the antagonists as they brutalize the prawns and force them from what they now call home with “District 9.” Perhaps our lead human, Wikus Van De Merwe is the one who brutalizes them the most (even if he doesn’t use brute force.) He’s portrayed by Sharlto Copely who effortlessly fits like a glove into this role. What’s amazing isn’t that Copely makes one feel so many different emotions over the course of the film, but that this is his first acting role and he’s this great. He brings it in a way few leading men have this year and creates pure acting magic. Copely may be a rookie but he shows true class and swagger as if he’s a seasoned veteran.

The same needs to be said for Neill Blomkamp who handles the project like was on his fifth or sixth film. While this utilizes shaky-cam techniques, it never goes overboard with them. The camera never shakes too much or zooms in or out for no reason. Blomkamp has a solid understanding of composition and general knowledge of how to tell a story. He’s only one film in and already he has a better filmography than Paul W.S. Anderson and Brett Ratner combined. Certainly, he knows how to make his characters seem real which is a feat considering most of them are CG. His visuals grasp hold of the audience and doesn’t let them go. He makes “D9″ a terrible place to live, and shoots it all very aggressively, only to film the softer moments with a sense of romance. The film has a very distinct look likely due to the cast and crew using the RED-One Camera. They couldn’t have picked a better film to showcase what their powerful cameras are capable of, nor a better cinematographer in Trent Opaloch to deliver flawless, beautiful visuals.

Are there faults with District 9? Nitpicks really. Without spoiling (as the less you know going in, the better) things are a little too convenient as Wikus wanders through the district. In addition, the themes Blomkamp and company want to convey are a little too obvious which isn’t a bad thing at all. Unlike some films that talk about every little detail of their commentary, District 9 opts to make it more obvious in it’s story. The filmmakers also don’t explain every little facet of why one things works a certain way or why does this effect a character. It’s fine that they don’t, but there are one or two things that could have used a bit more explanation. Some might complain that the pacing is off but they’re incorrect as District 9 moves at a perfect pace as it balances what a blockbuster should be.

Even then, District 9 is the clear winner of this summer season as it has arguably the best action sequences in addition to a story that is not brainless or stupid. The film calls back to movies like the original Day the Earth Stood Still or even Forbidden Planet when science fiction wasn’t about sleek visuals or how crazy one can make an orgy of action. District 9 has something to say and makes sure we don’t forget it. The story is involving and gets you into the mystery of what “District 9″ is and truly makes you care about creatures you wouldn’t want near you, just like the interviewees in the film.

Yet skipping over the action scenes would be an act of tyranny for District 9 never slows it’s action down to glorify the deaths, all of it happening very real and quick. What’s left is a film that will leave it’s mark well after the final reel has been shown and have folks discussing that they’ve just seen the next big film. It’s hard to believe it took this long into the summer to get it, but that film has finally arrived as District 9 is not just the best film of the summer, but also one of the top class of the year so far. Go, now.

Rating: ★★★★½