The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was a big part of my childhood.  I grew up in this sweet spot where the cartoon was incredibly popular and we got the first few movies and a slew of video games.  I entered into Friday’s panel at Room 6BCF with hesitation.  A few animated films that never took off and some jittery cartoon series have since come out and I’ve grown older.  I can safely say, though, that while there are some big changes afoot, I think showrunner Ciro Neili knows just what buttons to push to revitalize this franchise.  During a lively panel we were shown some brief character intros, Neili’s concept art, clips of test footage, and much more.  Jason Biggs (Leonardo), Rob Paulsen (Donatello), Sean Astin (Raphael), Greg Cipes (Michaelangelo), Mae Whitman (April O’Neil), Hoon Lee (Splinter), and Kevin Michael Richardson (Shredder) were all on hand to share their experiences and individual love for the property.  Hit the jump for more details.

Last October, we learned that two prequels to Eli Roth’s 2002 horror film Cabin Fever were poised to be filmed back-to-back: Cabin Fever: Patient Zero and Cabin Fever: Outbreak.  Kaare Andrews (Altitude) was subsequently set to direct the first prequel, Patient Zero, and now a trio of actors have joined the project.  Variety reports that Sean Astin, Brando Eaton (Dexter, The Secret Life of the American Teenager), and Ben Hollingsworth (The Joneses) will topline the pic, which is set to start filming on August 13th in the Dominican Republic.

The story for Patient Zero concerns on bachelor party on a cruise in the Caribbean that unexpectedly runs ashore on a medical research island where a deadly virus is unleashed.  The script was written by Jake Wade Wall (When a Stranger Calls), and Andrews is best known for his comics work like The Incredible Hulk, Ultimate X-Men, and Spider-Man: Reign.  No word on when the second Cabin Fever prequel, Outbreak, will begin production.

We first heard about the romantic thriller Napa in October, when Rose McGowan signed on to star.  The independent production has started shooting on location in Napa Valley, and a few more actors of note have joined the project.  Variety reports Sean Astin, Kevin Pollak, Johnathon Schaech, and Taryn Manning will round out the cast.  The story centers on “a woman (McGowan) who has recently returned from three Afghanistan military tours and is given the job of sheriff in her Napa hometown.”

Napa is the directorial debut of Michael Kerr.  Kerr co-wrote the script with Hans Ostrom.  Nellie Nugiel (Greek) is producing.

Back in March we got our first look at Nickelodeon’s new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animated series by way of a cool teaser trailer and some stylish character posters. But now we finally have word on who will be voicing our heroes in a half-shell. EW reports Sean Astin (Lord of the Rings) will voice the rough-around-the-edges Raphael, Jason Biggs (American Pie) will voice the leader Leonardo, Greg Cipes (Teen Titans) will voice party boy Michelangelo and TMNT series veteran Rob Paulsen will voice the intelligent Donatello (he actually voiced Raphael in the original animated series). The series is currently set to air sometime in the fall of 2012, but you can expect an exclusive first look to be debuted at this year’s Comic-Con in San Diego. Hopefully we’ll have someone there to catch that debut, so stay tuned.

When I was a kid, I wanted to belong to a group like The Goonies.  Like most creative types, I was an outsider, so the film and characters spoke to me.  Smartly, there was one of every type to make all sorts of misfits feel at home.  Does it stand the test of time?  Can you go home again?  Find out after the jump:

Last year, we brought you loads of coverage from AFM (American Film Market).  AFM is where buyers and sellers do business to bring you the films you might be seeing in the near future.  They use artwork and synopses which are used for promotional purposes but which we use to bring you news on these films.  With this year’s AFM gearing up, we have artwork and synopsis on four upcoming movies: On the Inside starring Nick Stahl and Olivia Wilde; The Witches of Oz (which is actually a mini-series) starring Christopher Lloyd, Sean Astin, Billy Boyd, and Lance Henriksen; The Eagle Path written, produced, directed by, and starring Jean-Claude Van Damme; and Bridge to Nowhere starring Ving Rhames, Danny Masterson, and Bijou Phillipps, and directed by Blair Underwood.

Hit the jump for artwork and synopses for these films plus a trailer for Bridge to Nowhere.  Look for a lot more AFM coverage soon.

Warner Home Video has officially announced The Goonies 25th Anniversary Collector’s Edition on DVD and Blu-ray.  Scheduled for release on November 2, the new edition will feature:

• Cast commentary with Director and all seven actors
• The Making of the Goonies documentary
• Cyndi Lauper music video “The Goonies ‘R Good Enough”
• Outtakes
• Includes new board game, original movie storyboard reproductions, 1985 souvenir magazine reprint, and reprint of 2009 Empire Magazine article with cast photos and updates

The Goonies is one of my favorite films, and I’ll admit the new edition sounds cool.  Check out the cover art and a new trailer for the Blu-ray after the jump:

Here’s some inside baseball about Hollywood that your average moviegoer may not know: movies do not get made solely from investors or studios nor do they make money solely from domestic box office.  A large majority of films, especially true indie films (i.e. no name stars), require the sale of their foreign distribution rights to finish the film they’re selling or to secure a profit that will provide investors with a good return on their investment.  However, films with name actors like Liam Neeson, Julianne Moore, Val Kilmer, and Christopher Walken also have to play this game.  Some movies do it by creating unofficial posters and after the jump, we’ve featured six of these posters plus synopses for films with name actors but are still trying to secure funding.  However, this is no guarantee that these films will ever get made and just because someone made up a poster, doesn’t mean some kindly, foreign investor is going to put in his euros or yen so hit the jump and see if you would bet on these movies.