Looks like fans of Irrational Games’ Bioshock will have to be content with watching the story play out exclusively on their TV screens.  Ken Levine, the creative director of Irrational, has officially cancelled any plans for a movie adaptation.  Gore Verbinski (Pirates of the Caribbean, Rango) was originally attached to direct with big plans to make Bioshock a very hard R-rated movie. After several years with the movie in development, Verbinski eventually left and passed the mantel to Juan Carlos Fresnadillo (28 Weeks Later).  The project halted when it was put into indefinite delay about two years ago, and a year later Fresnadillo confirmed he was no longer involved.  Hit the jump to find out why the cancellation came about, and how it’s connected to the box office failure of Zack Snyder’s Watchmen. 

There’s just something eerie about Matthew Goode (Watchmen).  It’s almost as if the poor guy is too damn good looking, his smile a little too perfect, his hair too evenly keeled and parted…  There must surely be something wrong with him.  If it is human instinct to weed out the proper characteristics of even the most undesirable of beings, then the opposite must also be true.  One can’t help but search for any imperfection to poor ol’ Goode’s character.  Behind that smile and hair, there must lurk something less.  And Goode uses that to his full advantage.  As the too charming, too handsome Uncle Charlie in the melodrama-masquerading-as-a-thriller Stoker, Goode revels in the malevolence hiding just underneath his pearly whites.  After the sudden death of his brother, Uncle Charlie shacks up with his sibling’s widowed wife and young daughter under the guise of helping them through their grief.  Of course his true intentions are far more perverse and sinister.

In the following interview with Goode, he discusses his distaste for most horror films, working with the meticulous Park Chan-Wook (Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance) and his upcoming roles in television (BBC’s Dancing on the Edge) and film (the period piece Belle).  For the full interview, hit the jump.

One of the many films to premiere footage at this year’s New York Comic-Con was director James Wan‘s (Insidious) supernatural thriller The Conjuring.  The film stars Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga as “a husband and wife team of demonologists and psychic investigators who enter the most horrifying case of their career, spirits in a Rhode Island farmhouse.”  Ron Livingston and Lili Taylor play a couple who unknowingly move into the haunted farmhouse with their kids.  For more on the film, here’s Matt’s recap of the Comic-Con panel.

Shortly before the panel started, I saw down with Wilson for an exclusive video interview.  We talked about how he got involved in The Conjuring and what attracted him to the material, what it’s like attending a comic convention after playing Nite Owl in Watchmen, what’s his favorite cut of the film, his thoughts on walking around a future convention in costume as Nite Owl, an adaptation of Caught Stealing, the status of an Insidious sequel, what it was like to do a reading for Rob Marshall‘s screen adaptation of Into the Woods, and a lot more.  Hit the jump to watch.

With less than $300,000 separating the top three films this weekend, the final order of the domestic top ten has been difficult to call. Sunday’s estimates have End of Watch and House at the End of the Street tied for first with $13 million each. Warner Brother’s Trouble with the Curve is not far behind, however, so more definitive results will have to wait until Monday. One thing we can say for sure? Dredd 3D is off to a rough start.

While I’ve interviewed many people over the past seven years, Jeffrey Dean Morgan is one my favorites.  No matter where and when we talk, he’s always brutally honest and willing to have fun.  Which brings me to last week at Comic-Con.  When my scheduled interview had to be changed at the last minute, Morgan was the one who suggested meeting up after he’d finished his press for the day so we could have an extended conversation.  Needless to say, I immediately said yes.

During  the interview we talked about his thoughts on Before Watchmen, Watchmen‘s extended cut, his upcoming horror movie The Posession (here’s the first trailer) which also stars Kyra Sedgwick, and Natasha Calis, Red Dawn, Magic City, what it’s like to film on location in Miami, being at Comic-Con, and The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea with Jessica Biel and Chloe Moretz.  Hit the jump to watch.

Is it possible (and/or right) to continue Watchmen without Alan Moore?  The question is so oft posed and the resulting criticisms so well documented, it almost feels tiresome to repeat.  Art vs. commerce and yadda, yadda, yadda… I have nothing new to add to the ol’ Moore vs. DC debate.  I love Alan Moore and Dave Gibbon’s Watchmen.  On general reflex, I considered a prequel without their involvement at best foolhardy.  But also understand that from a market standpoint, Watchmen prequels are good business and an inevitability with or without the creators.  And so here we are with Before Watchmen – a prequel nobody really asked for, but one everyone still wants to read regardless (myself included).

This past week, I was invited to DC headquarters to sample the initial issues from the seven runs of Before Watchmen (each run focusing on an individual character or group: e.g. The Comedian, Rorschach, Nite Owl, Ozymandias, Silk Spectre, Dr. Manhattan and Minutemen).  I’ve been sworn to secrecy on plot points and narrative spoilers, but allowed to share general thoughts (I think) on whether or not you should pre-hate this comic you’re probably still going to buy anyways.  For more thoughts (some of which surprised myself), hit the jump.

There’s an undeniable irony to Watchmen – Alan Moore’s great critique of the comic superhero, which began as an appropriation of The Mighty Crusaders – now finding itself appropriated by a series of new artists (much to Moore’s chagrin) in the upcoming prequel Before Watchmen.  The seven part series focuses on the principle characters of the comic – Rorschach, the Comedian, Night Owl, Ozymandias, Dr. Manhattan and Silk Spectre – before the events of Moore/Gibbons’ magnum opus.

At the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, DC Entertainment Co-Publisher’s Dan DiDio and Jim Lee were on hand to discuss the highly anticipated but divisive prequel at a panel called DC Entertainment Presents: Watchmen – It’s Not the End, It’s the Beginning.  The panel and proceeding round table covered a gauntlet of topics ranging from DC’s relationship with creative artists to the financial realities of the comic industry (i.e. why a Watchmen prequel is a good thing) to just why the hell anyone would ever make a prequel to arguably the most beloved comic of all time.  Alan Moore’s specter loomed large over the proceedings – with a series of very pointed questions over Moore’s falling out with DC and his lack of involvement (let’s be honest – outright disdain) with the resulting Watchmen film and now comic spin-offs.  For the sometimes-heated conversation with DiDio and Lee, hit the jump.

This past week brought us a story that is near and dear to me. While I briefly give my own thoughts regarding DC Comics’ Watchmen prequel comic series after the jump, I want to use the “Top 5′s” opening paragraph space to invite readers to voice/type their own opinions on the announcement in the comments section. As a fervent fan of the series, I’m always interested to hear fellow fans’ take on Watchmen adaptations, prequels, and the like. So, with that said, what do you think? Does the creative talent involved interest you? Is it the best idea ever? The worst? Somewhere in between? Sound off in the comments.

In addition to DC’s Before Watchmen announcement, this installment of the “Top 5″ includes interviews with the cast and director of superhero/found-footage pic Chronicle, a “What If?” look at a 16-Bit Breaking Bad RPG, ten things to know about Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax, and Sundance 2012 video interviews with Bradley Cooper, Paul Dano and more. A brief recap and link to each follows after the jump.

In situations likes these it’s best to sigh and then shrug.  DC Comics has officially announced that they’ll be launching Before Watchmen, prequel comics based on Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ Watchmen.  While there have been murmurings of Watchmen prequel and sequel comics for years, the prequels will really happen now with writers and everything.  DC Comics asked Alan Moore for his blessing, but he (unsurprisingly) refused. He then returned to the woods to forage for nuts and berries.  However, Gibbons released a statement saying,

“The original series of Watchmen is the complete story that Alan Moore and I wanted to tell. However, I appreciate DC’s reasons for this initiative and the wish of the artists and writers involved to pay tribute to our work. May these new additions have the success they desire,”

Hit the jump for more, including a first look at the covers for the prequels.

As the only new release of June’s first frame, X-Men: First Class easily claimed the top spot with an estimated $56 million from 3,641 locations.  While that is nowhere near what the last three X-films earned in their debuts, let’s face it, First Class was never playing in their league.

Mondo recently launched a new “Director’s Series” line of posters where almost every film in a director’s body of work would get its own specially-designed, gorgeous Mondo poster.  The series kicked off with posters for Guillermo del Toro (and we’re still waiting to see what Mondo has in store for Pan’s Labyrinth, Cronos, and The Devil’s Backbone) and followed up with Olly Moss posters for Duncan Jones’ Moon and Source Code.  Now director Zack Snyder is getting the business and the series begins with his newest film, Sucker Punch.  The poster was designed by Ken Taylor and comes in a regular edition and a variant.  The regular edition is limited to 285 prints and costs $45 while the orange variant is limited to 105 prints and costs $70.  Both posters measure 24″x36″ and are hand-numbered.  The posters go on sale tomorrow at a random time so be sure you’re following @MondoNews for the announcement.

Hit the jump to check out the posters.  Mondo will also be producing posters for Snyder’s Dawn of the Dead, 300, Watchmen, and Legend of the Guardians.  I wish them the best of luck in selling the Guardians posters.

It’s another weekend for the box office record books. Sort of. One week after Jackass 3D claimed the month’s highest opening weekend with $50.3 million, Paranormal Activity 2 has scored the highest opening ever for a supernatural horror flick. In terms of general horror titles, PA2 now ranks third.  First or third, with an estimate of over $41 million, the sequel is opening scary-huge.

As most of you know, I’m a big fan of Jeffrey Dean Morgan.  Over the past few years, I’ve gotten to interview the actor on a number of different occasions.  From the red carpet of the Watchmen premiere, to this year’s WonderCon, to an extended interview on the set of The Losers and Watchmen, and even a roundtable interview for P.S. I Love You.   The past few years have seen Morgan talk with us a lot.  Normally, talking with the same actor so many times might be an issue, but never with Jeffrey Dean Morgan.  He’s always incredibly nice and giving with his time.

Anyway, last week I got to sit down with Morgan for an extended video interview.  We talked about making The Losers, I asked some reader submitted Twitter questions, what’s his thoughts on Supernatural and would he go back, and we talked future projects like Red Dawn, The Fields, Heart Shaped Box (which Joel Silver and Akiva Goldsman are developing) and Unblinking Eye.  If you’re a fan of Jeffrey Dean Morgan, you’ll love the interview.  Hit the jump to check it out:

At this weekend’s WonderCon in San Francisco, I was able to speak with Jackie Earle Haley on the Warner Bros. red carpet, as he was promoting the remake of A Nightmare on Elm Street.  Of course we didn’t just talk about playing Freddy, as we also discussed his thoughts on the Watchmen director’s cut, his FOX show Human Target, his thoughts on fandom and Comic-Con, and a lot more.

And while most red carpet/backstage interviews are only a minute or two, I got a lot of time with Haley and we were really able to talk about things and not just skim the surface.  Check it out after the jump.  As always, I’ve broken down what we talked about by time index.

At this year’s ShoWest, I was able to participate in a roundtable interview with director Zack Snyder (300, Watchmen) and his producing partner (and wife) Debbie Snyder for their upcoming animated movie Legend of the Guardians.  The movie is being done by the same company that did Happy Feet and it’s based on the Guardians of Ga’Hoole children’s novels.  If you haven’t seen the awesome trailer, watch it here.

During the interview they talked about why they wanted to make the movie, how they’ve been working on it since before Watchmen, how many “Zack Snyder shots” can we expect, how they did the 3D, and, of course, we also talked about his next live-action movie Sucker Punch and what can fans expect at Comic-Con.  Hint: our first look at Sucker Punch!

If you’re a fan of Zack Snyder, you’ll love the interview.  As always, I’ve provided both the transcript and the audio of the interview.