We’ve got a couple of casting stories to share with you this evening. First up, Jay Baruchel is set to star in The Rebel Kind. Based on the memoir by John Armstrong, the film centers around 1980s Vancouver-based band The Modernettes and “chronicles the emergence of the city’s punk-rock scene via a successful band that throws in the towel, realizing the deep cost of pursuing superstardom.” The script by Reg Harkema (Monkey Warfare) also includes a love story between the band’s frontman Buck Cherry and bass player Mary Jo Kopechne. In addition to writing the script, Harkema will also direct. Variety’s report doesn’t specify, but it’s assumed that Baruchel will be playing Cherry (whose real name is John Armstrong). Production will begin next fall in Vancouver.

Baruchel has a number of projects on his plate. He’s set to film Jay and Seth vs. The Apocalypse with Seth Rogen in February, is attached to the comedy Murder of a Cat, and is poised to adapt Baseballissimo, Random Acts of Violence and Exorcism Diaries with writing partner Jesse Chabot. Hit the jump for casting news regarding the stop-motion pic Hell & Back.

Jay Baruchel, Craig Ferguson, America Ferrera, Jonah Hill, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, T.J. Miller, and Kristen Wiig will reprise their roles in DreamWorks Animation’s sequel to How to Train Your Dragon.  Also returning is Toothless and other non-speaking-but-adorable dragons from the first film.  Co-writer and co-director Dean DeBlois will fly solo on this one with Chris Sanders (who is busy on DWA’s 2012 caveman comedy The Croods) executive producing.  Since How to Train Your Dragon was conceive as a “prequel-of-sorts” to Cressida Cowell’s book series, DeBlois plans to expand the world presented in the first film.  Producer Bonnie Arnold explains, “There are nine books, and I feel like there are all sorts of elements that we could pull from.”

How to Train Your Dragon has been a box office smash for the studio ($489.6 million worldwide) and it’s one of my favorite films of the year.  DreamWorks Animation has the 3D sequel on track for a 2013 release.  Hit the jump for the press release.

Warner Bros. has released a new trailer for Yogi Bear, and at the very least, the quality is equivalent to trailer #1.  Yogi is a 3D adaptation of the beloved Hanna-Barbera cartoon in which Dan Aykroyd and Justin Timberlake voice Yogi and Boo Boo, respectively.  The live-action cast is comprised of Anna Faris, TJ Miller, Tom Cavanagh, and Andrew Daly.  Hit the jump to check out the trailer.

Warner Bros. has released a new poster for the 3D live-action/CG hybrid remake of Yogi Bear, and it both made my day and ruined my night.  I don’t remember the last time a poster for a family film has fascinated me so, but I won’t be able to sleep tonight.  I think the exact nature of what’s going on in the poster is open to a slew of crazy interpretations, so I’ll leave it up to you to fill in your own blanks.  I hope Yogi’s wild-eyed gaze in the image above has convinced you to check out the full poster after the jump.

The teaser trailer for the live-action adaptation of Yogi Bear has gone online.  When we reported on the project last November, I was negative about it.  This teaser trailer makes me feel completely justified in that negativity.  There’s crummy animation, slapstick jokes, and nothing approaching the charm of the original cartoon.  Just because you quote the show, doesn’t mean you’re honoring it.  Of course, as I said then, I’m sure the soundbites will be about how everyone involved with the movie loved the show and want to bring it to a new generation.

Directed by Eric Brevig (Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D) and stars Anna Faris, Tom Cavanagh, and T.J. Miller as well as the voices of Dan Aykroyd and Justin Timberlake as Yogi and Boo Boo, respectively. Hit the jump to check out the teaser trailer as well as the the poster that we put up yesterday.  Yogi Bear opens in 3D on December 17^th.

Warner Bros. has released the first poster for Yogi Bear, and it’s actually pretty cute.  We get a comprehensive look at the CG character design, but with the detail added to the devoured picnic in the background, this feels like more than just the placeholder required at this stage of promotion.  Dan Aykroyd and Justin Timberlake voice the aforementioned animated bears amongst a live cast of Anna Faris, TJ Miller, Tom Cavanagh, and Andrew Daly.  Hit the jump to check out the poster.

The Romantic comedy, much like a successful relationship, is tricky business. Post-There’s Something About Mary, it’s been found that mixing some harder R-rated gags with a sweet center can get both men and women interested in a film, and Judd Apatow’s first two movies worked perfectly at balancing this, but also changing one’s expectations of how the love and the sex were going to play out. She’s out of My League is definitely from the Judd Apatow sensibility in that it’s got a group of guys who are friends with the schlubby lead (Jay Baruchel) and they gawk at his strange relationship with a total hottie (Alice Eve). My review of the Blu-ray of She’s out of My League after the jump.

Saturday night brought a lot of different kinds of films to the Los Angeles Film Festival.  There was everything from documentaries about elephants, circus’, zeppelins, to dark comedies from the U.K and dramas from China and Romania.   After the jump you can read my thoughts on the comedy short Successful Alcoholics starring Lizzy Caplan and TJ Miller, the dark drama Judge from China, a documentary about a trip around a world in a Zeppelin and the affair that took place on it, and a documentary which tells the story of the wildly inventive and influential band Fishbone.  My write-up after the jump:

Opening this weekend is DreamWorks animated movie How to Train Your Dragon.  The film features the voices of Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler, America Ferrera, Craig Ferguson, Jonah Hill, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Kristen Wiig, and T.J. Miller.  While DreamWorks animated movies are definitely hit or miss, this one is fantastic and absolutely worth paying to see in a movie theater.  Also, the 3D is great and it’s currently at 100% on Rotten Tomatoes!

If you’ve seen the preview (click here to watch it), you know it’s about a teenage viking named Hiccup who doesn’t fit in with the rest of his tribe.  Instead of wanting to kill dragons, he gets along with the creatures and wants to teach his tribe that killing isn’t the answer.  Of course he needs to overcome a number of obstacles before his tribe will listen to him.

Again, How to Train Your Dragon is great.  For a taste of the film, we’ve been given 5 clips and you can check them out after the jump:

On the surface She’s Out of My League is a fairly innocuous comedy.  But there’s something cynical about the whole proceedings as it feels not only like a clone of a Judd Apatow movie, but a cheap knock-off that not only mimics the writer-director’s comedies, but also fails to understand that they feature worthwhile characters who develop over the course of the picture.  The story of a loser who manages to start dating a woman who’s “out of his league” is a cliché, but rather than parody the lame-guy-gets-hot-girl relationship we see at the end of most guy-driven comedies, She’s Out of My League chooses to blindly indulge the absurdity as it tries to copy down Apatow’s winning formula.

Opening this Friday is She’s Out of My League.  The movie stars Jay Baruchel, Alice Eve , T.J. Miller, Mike Vogel, Nate Torrence, Krysten Ritter, Geoff Stults and Lindsay Sloane.  The premise is Baruchel plays an average Joe – with not much going for him – when out of the blue a successful and gorgeous woman falls for him (Alice Eve).  He’s stunned.  So are his friends.  The big question is… how does he keep the girl?

To help promote the film, I recently got to speak with Alice Eve and Krysten Ritter.  We talked about doing press, how they got involved in the project, filming in Pittsburgh, and do they agree with the film’s logic about only being able to date within two of your number.  Meaning if you’re a six, the highest you can reach is an eight.  Hit the jump to see what they had to say:

Opening this Friday is She’s Out of My League.  The movie stars Jay Baruchel, Alice Eve, T.J. Miller, Mike Vogel, Nate Torrence, Krysten Ritter, Geoff Stults and Lindsay Sloane.  The premise is Baruchel plays an average Joe – with not much going for him – when out of the blue a successful and gorgeous woman falls for him.  He’s stunned. So are his friends.  The big question is…how can he keep the girl?  In the film, Mike Vogel & Nate Torrance play two of his best friends and Lindsey Sloane plays the ex-girlfriend that wants him back after he starts dating Alice Eve.

To help promote She’s Out of My League, I recently got to speak with Mike Vogel, Lindsey Sloane & Nate Torrance.  We talked about doing press, how they got involved in the project, filming in Pittsburgh, and do they agree with the film’s logic about only being able to date within two of your number.  Meaning, if you’re a six, the highest you can date is an eight.  Hit the jump to see what they had to say:

Tracy Morgan has become a hot commodity in Hollywood and has now signed on to star in Warner Bros.’ ID Theft and is confirmed to co-star in Paramount’s Freshman Roommates.  According to Deadline, ID Theft has Morgan playing, “a cash-strapped father who sees a shortcut out of his struggles when the credit card of a suburban dad lands in his lap.”  This is supposed to be a comedy, but there is nothing funny about identity theft (unless Morgan’s character uses the card to make wacky purchases).

As for Freshman Roommates, Morgan will co-star with TJ Miller (She’s Out of My League), which Variety originally reported in December 2008.  Roommates follows a guy (Miller) who answers one of those Nigerian e-mail scams, only to have the spoiled son of a deposed African dictator (Morgan), showing up at his door and looking for his inheritance.

It’s nice that Morgan’s getting more successful, but I will not be happy until I see the movies of his character on 30 Rock, Tracy Jordan.  Everyday I pray for the announcement of Samurai I-Am-Urai and A Blaffair to Rememblack.

With She’s Out of My League opening on March 12, Paramount has provided us with 4 clips from the film.  The movie stars Jay Baruchel, Alice Eve, T.J. Miller, Mike Vogel, Nate Torrence, Krysten Ritter, Geoff Stults and Lindsay Sloane.

The premise is Baruchel plays an average Joe – with not much going for him – when out of the blue a successful and gorgeous woman falls for him.  He’s stunned. So are his friends.  The question then becomes how does he keep the girl.

Hit the jump to check out the clips and the full synopsis.  Here’s the trailer and the red band trailer.

DreamWorks Animation has released a third trailer for director Chris Sanders How to Train Your Dragon. The movie features the voices of Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler, America Ferrera, Craig Ferguson, Jonah Hill, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Kristen Wiig, and T.J. Miller.

How to Train Your Dragon is about a teenage Viking named Hiccup who doesn’t fit in with the rest of his tribe.  Instead of wanting to kill dragons, he gets along with the creatures and wants to teach his tribe that killing isn’t the answer.  Of course, he needs to overcome a number of obstacles before his tribe will listen to him, and you know where the story is going to end.  Saying that, I really enjoyed the film and think it’s going to be a big hit for DreamWorks.

Hit the jump to watch the newest trailer.  And keep your ears open for some music from True Romance.