The first trailer Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters has been released.  The first Percy Jackson received mixed critical response and lukewarm box office, but the sequel seems to be retaining the same tone even though Thor Freudenthal (Diary of a Wimpy Kid) has replaced Chris Columbus at the helm.  Hopefully, the sequel will have a better plot, but since this trailer appears to give away a lot of the movie, it already looks overcrowded with the best moment belonging to Nathan Fillion, who plays Hermes.

Hit the jump to watch the trailer.  The film stars Logan Lerman, Alexandra Daddario, Brandon T. Jackson, Stanley Tucci, Douglas Smith, Leven Rambin, Missi Pyle, Yvette Nicole Brown, and Mary Birdsong.  Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters opens in 3D on August 16th.

You’re driving down the street, and it’s suddenly blocked off.  You notice these weird yellow signs with nonsensical letters or numbers.  There’s unusual glow lighting up a neighborhood you can’t usually see from your house.  What you might have here is a film company shooting in your town.  It happens a lot, and you never know where they might pop up…until now.

The following is a semi-comprehensive list of films currently shooting, what they’re shooting, and where they’re shooting.  We’ll be telling you where you might get to see the very famous, the kinda famous and (if all goes well) the soon-to-be famous. While we can’t list every single movie, television show, or student film in production, you’ll get a pretty good idea of what the heck is going on where all those people are buzzing about.  Want to know where in the world are Matt Damon, Harrison Ford, Sylvester Stallone, Woody Harrelson, and Leonardo DiCaprio? Hit the jump for more.

As productions looms closer for the next film in the Percy Jackson series, director Thor Freudenthal (The Diary of a Wimpy Kid) continues to fill out his cast. Logan Lerman, Alexandra Daddario, and Brandon T. Jason are all returning, and we recently reported that Big Love star Douglas Smith was in talks to join the cast. Now THR reports that Missi Pyle (The Artist), Yvette Nicole Brown (Community), and Mary Birdsong (The Descendants) will play the three fates in Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Sea of Monsters. All three actresses have comedic roots, as Pyle had notable roles in Galaxy Quest and Dodgeball, while Birdsong is best known for her work on Reno: 911.

Sea of Monsters finds Percy (son of Poseidon) and his demigod friends heading to the Island of the Cyclops (the Bermuda Triangle) in order to retrieve a Golden Fleece. Chris Columbus directed the first film in the series but is stepping back into a producer role on the follow-up. I wasn’t the biggest fan of the first film (Percy Jackson doesn’t hold a candle to Harry Potter), but I guess I’m a tad interested to see what kind of tone/direction Sea of Monsters will take. Hit the jump to read a synopsis of the book. Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Sea of Monsters opens March 27th, 2013.

John Goodman and Missi Pyle were intrigued when they were approached by director Michel Hazanavicius to play supporting roles in The Artist, his heartfelt and entertaining celebration of Hollywood moviemaking at its most magical. Missi Pyle plays Constance, an actress who is none too pleased when she’s upstaged by Hollywood’s reigning silent screen idol, George Valentin (Jean Dujardin). Goodman portrays Al Zimmer, the cigar-chomping mogul of Kinograph Studios, who walks the line between coddling and corralling his contract stars during the silent film era. In 1929, Kinograph is preparing to cease all silent film production as Hollywood transitions to talking movies, but some actors will prove more adept than others at making the change.

We sat down with Goodman and Pyle at a roundtable interview to talk about what attracted them to the unique project set during a pivotal moment in Hollywood history and told in a silent format. They told us what it was like playing characters that had no dialogue and where everything had to be conveyed visually, why they found the process liberating once they realized they didn’t have to worry about remembering their lines, and how shooting on location in Los Angeles helped inspire their performances. They also discussed what projects they have coming up next, including updates on Robert Zemeckis‘ Flight, Pixar’s Monster’s University, the Awards contender Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, whether or not Goodman will appear in Kevin Smith‘s Hit Somebody and more.

Michel Hazanavicius’s The Artist is a loving tribute to the twilight years of the silent movie era.  The story revolves around a silent film star who falls in love with a young extra who eventually becomes a movie star.  And The Artist is a silent movie.  In 2011.  That’s just awesome and judging by the glowing response out of the Cannes Film Festival, the movie works.  The Weinstein Company picked up the film and has put some serious faith in their marketing team to sell a movie where no one talks.  In 2011.  That’s going to be jarring for modern audiences (and the leads aren’t American movie stars!  Bonus!) but I can’t wait to check out this movie at TIFF.

Hit the jump to check out the trailer.  The Artist hits theaters on November 23rd.

Just a week before kick-off, organizers of the 2011 Cannes Film Festival have announced a last-minute addition to the official selection, rounding up the number of films in competition to a nice 20. The Artist, which was originally due to be screened out of competition, will now be up against Terrence Malick’s Tree of Life, Lars Von Trier’s Melancholia and the Dardenne brothers’ Boy With a Bike in the race for the Palme d’Or.

Director Michel Hazanavicius and the star of his Bond-inspired OSS 117 franchise Jean Dujardin have teamed up once again in this black-and-white silent movie about… a silent movie star. Check out the synopsis after the jump.