The pen behind 2008’s The Incredible Hulk has been tapped by Columbia Pictures to write their untitled Karate Kid sequel. Zak Penn, who has also written for X2 and X-Men: The Last Stand, will rewrite a sequel drafted by Ethan Reiff and Cyrus Voris. The surprise hit of 2010 that starred Jackie Chan and Jaden Smith opened to $55.6 million and went on to gross over $350 million worldwide. The teacher/student team from the original film are expected to return in the sequel, but no deals are yet in place and no plot details have been released. Hit the jump to read more about Penn’s previous works.

The latest original scripted series for SyFy, Alphas is an action-packed thriller from writers Zak Penn (The Avengers, X-Men: The Last Stand) and Michael Karnow, that follows the lives of five ordinary people who become an extraordinary team with the power to stretch the capabilities of the human mind due to brain anomalies that have given them enhanced mental and physical abilities. Operating within the Defense Criminal Investigation Service of the U.S. Department of Defense, and led by pre-eminent neurologist and psychiatrist Dr. Lee Rosen (David Strathairn), the team – which includes former FBI Agent Bill Harken (Malik Yoba), who can summon strength by activating the fight-or-flight response at will; Rachel Mizrahi (Azita Ghanizada), who can enhance one sense while rendering her remaining senses temporarily useless; Gary Bell (Ryan Cartwright), who has the ability to read a wide range of frequencies including television, radio, and cell phone signals; Nina Theroux (Laura Mennell), who can influence the specific neural pathways in the cerebral cortex that leave the brain vulnerable to suggestion; and Cameron Hicks (Warren Christie), who possesses flawless aim, perfect balance and greatly enhanced motor skills – investigates cases that point to others with Alpha abilities, while keeping their own gifts a secret.

During an exclusive interview with Collider, executive producer Zak Penn talked about how the show developed out of real research about the CIA trying to recruit people who were psychic, the time-intensive schedule of television versus film, how much he’s enjoyed getting to create a mythology from scratch, why it was important for these Alpha abilities to have consequences, and what having Ira Steven Behr as a showrunner has meant to the development of the series. Check out what he had to say after the jump:

At this weekend’s NBCUniversal Summer Press Day, Collider got a bit of time to speak with writer/creator Zak Penn, about his new SyFy series Alphas, both after the series presentation and 1-on-1. While we will include that portion of the interview close to the July 11^th premiere, of course the conversation also turned to his work with Marvel, having most recently written the script for the highly anticipated superhero movie The Avengers, and even though he has signed a non-disclosure agreement keeping him from revealing any details of what will actually be in the film, he did give some hints about what fans can expect.

During the chat, he talked about writing a high-profile script under such heavy scrutiny, how exciting it is to do a real cross-over movie with characters from multiple films appearing at the same time, leaving it in the hands of someone as capable as Joss Whedon, how he really pushed to have Jeremy Renner cast as Hawkeye, how excited he is to see the end result, and why he identifies with the more naturalistic characters that inhabit the Marvel universe. Check out what he had to say after the jump:

Marvel Comics Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada has tweeted that he’s been sent the script for The Avengers and he’s printing it out.

Definition of “goose bumps.” Pressing enter and watching a screenplay entitled “AVENGERS” come out of my printer.

With a tentative release date of May 4, 2012, it makes sense that Zak Penn’s screenplay would be turned in around this time.  Also, keep in mind, this is probably a first draft and after key people read it, things will change.   Saying that, it’s still very cool to hear someone is reading the script tonight.

Bryan Singer (“Superman Returns”, “X2″) has now singed on to produce and develop a remake of 1981′s “Excalibur” for Warner Brothers. Singer has recently been in the news after it was announced that he would be directing a new take on “Battlestar Galactica”. The man loves his remakes, reboots, and revisions it seems. After the jump you can find out about which “X-Men” film Singer might have his eyes on as well as which classic story Singer will be remaking next.