After winning Friday by a nose, Fox’s Prometheus slipped into second this weekend with an estimated $50 million from 3,396 locations. That gives Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted the win with a reported $60.3 million from 4,258 dates and puts overall box office receipts more than 30% ahead of 2011.

Warner Bros. has set screenwriter Michael Ross to rewrite their futuristic Robin Hood movie that’s currently in development. Deadline reports that the previous draft was written by Jason Dean Hall and takes place in a dystopian London. A band of thieves “restores hope in the beleaguered population.” Charles Roven, Richard Suckle and Gianni Nunnari are producing, and commercials director Nicolai Fuglsig is at the helm. I’m not exactly sure the world needs another “reimagining” of a classic tale, but Warner Bros. seems to think otherwise.

There’s no word on what this means for the Wachowski siblings’ Robin Hood project. Last December we reported that the Wachowskis were working on a modern day version of the Robin Hood tale, simply titled Hood. They were looking at Will Smith to star, but we’ve heard no updates on the project in quite some time. The Wachowskis are currently busy casting their epic adaptation of Cloud Atlas which is set to start shooting next month.

As we enter 2011, Quentin Tarantino has revealed his top ten films of 2010.  The list includes the usual suspects (Toy Story 3, The Social Network) along with some fun surprises like Tangled and, shall we say “peculiar” surprises like Robin Hood.  Tarantino didn’t provide any comment on his choices, but said of his number ten pick, Enter the Void,

“Hands down best credit scene of the year? Maybe best credit scene of the decade. One of the greatest in cinema history.”

Hit the jump for Tarantino’s list along with a look at the opening credits for Enter the Void.

Here’s a strong early contender for “Coolest News of December”: Andy and Lana Wachowski will write and direct Hood, a “modern, urban take” on the Robin Hood legend.  Naturally, the details of their approach is under tight lock and key at this early stage, though I know instantly I want to see the flight of the arrow through the Wachowski lens.  Heat Vision reports the siblings have begun the recruiting process, with Will Smith near the top of their wishlist.  (You may recall that Smith was offered the role of Neo in The Matrix, but turned it down to star in Wild Wild West.  This is you chance to rectify that unfortunate choice, Mr. Smith.)

After a few years removed from the public eye following my beloved Speed Racer, The Wachowskis now have a series of projects lined up.  As the siblings develop Hood, they will continue to assemble their Iraqi War Film CN-9.  Likewise, they will produce and perhaps direct Cloud Atlas — starring Tom Hanks, Natalie Portman, and Halle Berry — this summer.

When Ridley Scott made Kingdom of Heaven, he ended it with King Richard the Lionhearted asking directions to Jerusalem, and on the commentary track for the director’s cut Scott suggested he had an idea for the sequel. It would be a Robin Hood story, but with his main character from KoH. That film wasn’t a hit, so when Ridley did get to the legend of Robin of Locksley, he had Russell Crowe as his lead. Russell Crowe is no spring chicken, and the decision to cast the 40+ actor as the sprightly archer seems off, but if you’re going to make a $200 Million dollar movie, that’s the sort of compromise that going to happen. Scott and Crowe are basically cashing in their Gladiator chips, by – after having a huge success – making the expensive “sorta same, sorta sequel” film.  My review of the Director’s Cut Blu-ray of Robin Hood follows after the jump.

With Robin Hood getting released today on DVD and Blu-ray, I was granted an audience with the man behind the arrows Steve Ralphs (Head Archer), and the man behind the weaponry Simon Atherton (Armourer), at none other than the Tower of London. Not only was the setting a significant link to the theme of the film, we were treated to a ‘Robin Hood style’ archery lesson with Steve, and a sneaky peak at the weapons and costumes used.

Two really passionate and interesting guys later I’ve been left with insight into the behind-the-scenes tips and tricks that ensure Robin Hood felt as real as possible. Interested?  Hit the jump for more:

Over the four-day Memorial Day weekend, two worthy opponents challenged reigning box office champion Shrek Forever After, but neither Sex and the City 2 nor Prince of Persia: Sands of Time were able to conquer America’s favorite ogre.  The Shrek franchise is not as dominant as it once was, but the brand is still strong enough to ensure two straight weekends on top with a strong hold from last weekend’s opening.  The girls of Sex and the City were runners up on Sunday, but Prince moved in to second place by the end of Monday.  In fact, with less than a $1 million difference between the four-day totals, the order of the top five may not be finalized until tomorrow.  Details after the jump.

In its debut weekend Shrek Forever After (or “Shrek the Final Chapter” depending on who you ask) pulled in an estimated $71.2 million. That is the best opening for an animated feature this year and the third best for 2010 overall. Unfortunately, when compared to the last two entries in the franchise, Shrek’s Final Chapter isn’t much of a read.

There are already three versions of A Star Is Born scattered throughout film history, but since over thirty years have passed since the last, it’s time for a new one.  Russell Crowe was being considered for the male lead, but no offer has been made and the Robin Hood star may move on to other projects before one can be extended.  LA Times reports that Warner Bros. has a list of names they fancy for the role, and near the top is Scottish hunk Gerard Butler.  It would be new territory for Butler, who is known for action films like 300 and romantic comedies like The Bounty Hunter rather than more dramatic fare.

The female lead has not been chosen either, but Beyonce has been rumored for the part.  She would play an aspiring actress, while Butler would play an aging movie star who helps launch her career.  Check out the full plot synopsis after the jump.

It seems the arrows of Robin Hood were no match for the metal armor of Iron Man 2, as the former was unable to steal the weekend crown from the latter.  Iron Man 2 repeated its win from last week (though not without a steep decline) while Robin Hood may not be the failure some predicted.  Details on the top 10 after the jump.

After a stellar opening day of $51.2 million last Friday, Iron Man 2 fell a steep 71% to gross $15 million a week later. The superhero flick is likely well on its way to $300 million, but the chasm between Tony Stark and Robin Hood is not quite as wide as you might have imagined, as the Ridley Scott reboot earned $13.1 million on Friday.  In an appeal to the fairer gender, Letters to Juliet earned a respectable $5 million.  Rounding out the top five, the basketball-centric Just Wright netted $2.9 million, and Nightmare on Elm Street scared up another $1.2 million.  Check back tomorrow to see if noble thief Robin Hood can steal the crown from Iron Man 2 over the weekend.

When Collider was covering the production of Robin Hood, there was a stretch when the movie didn’t have a title and we just had to refer to it as “Ridley Scott’s Untitled Robin Hood Project”.  After seeing the final cut, I think that title would still work.  There is nothing special about Scott’s take on Robin Hood.  It tries to ground the familiar story within a larger tale of political intrigue and an attempt by France to take over England. But this attempt at “realism” only dwarfs the Robin Hood legend.  By the time the film remembers it’s trying to uphold Robin as a legendary figure, it rushes to make him the champion of a proto-Magna Carta.  The result is a plodding, joyless endeavor that pulls punches on its few action scenes and slogs through the drama.  Despite some solid supporting performances and production design, Robin Hood is nowhere close to legendary.

I cover a lot of press junkets.  I’d say over the last five years I’ve done hundred of roundtable interviews.  I’ve done so many that it’s rare an interview surprises me.  But the recent mini-press conference I covered with Russell Crowe and Director Ridley Scott for Robin Hood was one of them.

The reason it was a great interview was both Crowe and Scott were willing to talk about anything.  Usually a junket interview is very focused on the movie at hand and you spend half your time asking the same questions every else has already asked: how did you get involved, what were the challenges, casting questions, etc, etc…

But the Robin Hood interview was nothing like that.  Because of Crowe running a bit late, Scott came in on his own and we talked about his injured knee, the Alien prequel movie, and 3D.  Then, when Crowe joined the conversation, we talked about Gladiator, more 3D talk, how they film with multiple cameras, test screenings, Kingdom of Heaven, and so much more.  Instead of a boring junket interview, all the reporters agreed it was an awesome conversation that was a real surprise.  Trust me, if you’re a fan of either Crowe or Scott, you want to hit the jump:

Universal Pictures has released a third trailer for director Ridley Scott’s Robin Hood that’s sole purpose is to sell you on the action.  Using fast cuts and minimal dialogue, this short minute something trailer doesn’t waste any of its time trying to sell you on the story.  Instead, it’s only focus is to let you know the people behind Gladiator have made another movie. And it works.

I caught a screening last week and liked the movie a lot more than some of my peers.  But…I will say there is a scene towards the end that plays like a studio note or the manager of one of the main cast said, “wouldn’t it be great if…” and they put it in the movie.  The scene makes no sense and it’s really bad.  Not bad enough for me to say don’t see Robin Hood.  It’s just a shame the scene made the final cut as the rest of the movie worked.  It’s not as good as Gladiator, but it’s worth seeing.

Hit the jump to watch the latest trailer.

Yesterday we posted 9 clips from director Ridley Scott’s Robin Hood, and today we’ve got a ton of new high resolution images from the movie.  While most studios typically release between 20 to 35 images from a film, Universal has sent over 54!  So if you’d like to see Russell Crowe, Cate Blanchett, William Hurt, Mark Strong, Mark Addy, Oscar Isaac, Danny Huston, Eileen Atkins and Max von Sydow, hit the jump: