In spring of 2012, Warner Bros. Leavesden Studios will open its doors to let the fans see where the Harry Potter movie magic was made for over a decade. This three hour long tour will include costumes, props, animatronics, and a few of the most famous sets, such as the Great Hall and Dumbledore’s Office. Dan Dark, Managing Director and SVP of Leavesden Studios, has said, “The tour promises to be one of the most exciting and memorable visitor attractions anywhere in Europe, delivering an experience never before seen by the general public.”  Ticket information will soon be available on the tour website. With Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 being released in 3D on July 15th, this attraction is the perfect end to a long and glorious era.

For the official press release, continue after the jump.  To follow all of Collider’s coverage of Harry Potter news, click here.

Disney’s acquisition of Marvel has brought about a rather unique collaboration: Alan Menken is reportedly writing a song/songs for Captain America: The First Avenger. One of Disney’s greatest assets for the past 20 years, the Oscar-nominated Menken is famed for writing the music for The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Pocahontas,and most recently, Tangled.  Badass Digest gleans from their source’s information that this music is specifically for when Captain America is in the USO.  So, instead of regaling the troops with the classic “Yankee Doodle Dandy,” their morale will be raised through some original material. Who would have thought that Chris Evans, who is playing the Captain/Steve Rogers, might have to practice his singing along with his stunt fighting?

Captain America: The First Avenger stars Chris Evans, Hayley Atwell, Sebastian Stan, and Hugo Weaving as the Red Skull, scheduled for release on July 22, 2011.  Hit the jump for more on Captain America, including the official synopsis.

2010 was definitely Andrew Garfield’s year, with great performances in The Social Network and Never Let Me Go as well as being cast as our web-slinging hero, Spider-Man. But being the lead in Marc Webb’s (500 Days of Summer) highly anticipated Spider-Man reboot can be unnerving, or so says Garfield in a recent interview:

“The overriding theme of the comic is: With great power comes great responsibility. And yes, I feel a huge sense of pressure and responsibility.”

Of course, the actor has been expressing his enthusiasm over the role since shooting began, even going so far as to admit that he felt “incredibly lucky” to have landed the role in the first place.  For more on how Garfield has been preparing for a turn as Spider-Man since his childhood, hit the jump.

It should come as no surprise that Gemma Arterton and Andrew Garfield, two of the year’s most sought-after and interesting new stars, will join forces. Arterton says she will star opposite Garfield in the new Michael Mann film Capa, which tells the story of the two-year romance between Gerda Taro and war photographer Robert Capa. Based on Susana Fortes’ award-winning novel Waiting for Robert Capa, Mann wants to create a “gritty, low-budget film.”

For more on Garfield, Arterton, and Capa, continue after the jump.

Continuing the tradition of the goofy family-friendly films like Megamind and Kung Fu Panda, DreamWorks Animation has acquired the rights to the comic series Maintenance. Published by Oni Press (who has also blessed us with the Scott Pilgrim series), this comic follows the exploits of two janitors who have to clean up after the most sinister mad scientists in the world. Written by Jim Massey and illustrated by Robbi Rodriguez, Maintenance has a style that DreamWorks believes will fit right into their universe of larger-than-life humor and pop culture references.

For a synopsis of the comic, continue after the jump.

Ang Lee’s next project, Life of Pi has been casting over the past few weeks. Its most recent additions include Irrfan Khan (In Treatment), Adil Hussain (Calendar Girls), and Gerard Depardieu (La Vie en Rose). The film, based on the novel by Yann Martel, is about a young boy who is stranded at sea in a lifeboat with a hyena, an orangutan, a zebra, and a tiger. According to Variety, Khan will play the adult version of the lead character Pi, while Hussain will play Pi’s father, a zookeeper. Depardieu will play the part of the chef on the ship which they are traveling on. Though Depardieu is most known for playing Cyrano in Cyrano de Bergerac, I loved him in my childhood for his villainous role of Jean-Pierre in 102 Dalmations. Currently, the Bollywood actress Tabu (The Namesake), is being spoken to about playing Pi’s mother. Lee recently made an interesting choice in hiring newcomer Suraj Sharma as Pi, who will have only a tiger to share the screen with for two-thirds of the film.

For more on this film, as well as a synopsis, continue after the jump:

A new image of Michelle Williams as the titular character in My Week With Marilyn has been released, proving more and more that she was a superb choice to play the one and only Marilyn Monroe. The photo exudes the grace and ease that made the original bombshell so beloved and famous. The film is based of the memoirs of Colin Clark, an employee of Sir Laurence Oliver, who experienced firsthand Monroe’s and Olivier’s tumultuous relationship during the filming of The Prince and the Showgirl in 1956. This film boasts of some of Britain’s finest actors, with Kenneth Branagh as Olivier, Dominic Cooper, Julia Ormond, Judi Dench, Emma Watson, and Eddie Redmayne as Colin Clark.  Williams told the Daily Mail that she didn’t immediately want the role, but was pulled in by Monroe’s depth:

“I knew I wouldn’t be able to resist, eventually. Physically and vocally, everything about her is different from me. I’ve kind of gone to school and had teachers help me understand Marilyn, so I could project an essence of her. When I first approached the part, I thought that there were three, even four parts to Marylin.”

For more quotes and information on the film, continue after the jump.

A new I Am Number Four featurette has been released by DreamWorks, and its great introduction to both the film and its characters. The film is about a young man (Alex Pettyfer) who has escaped from another planet, is running from his enemies, and falls in love (Dianna Agron) while learning of his true potential. It is directed by D.J. Caruso, who has helmed both Eagle Eye and Disturbia, and is produced by none other than Michael Bay of explosions fame. It also stars Teresa Palmer (The Sorcerer’s Apprentice), Kevin Durand (X-Men Origins: Wolverine), and Timothy Olyphant (The Crazies). With its release on February 18, 2011, featurettes like this should build interest in an already fascinating looking film. For the featurette, synopsis, and more, hit the jump.  Also click here for Steve’s report about visiting the set, click here for his interview with Pettyfer, and click here for his interview with Caruso.

Amy Adams plus muppets creates the cutest set photos ever taken. The photos (via dailymail) show her interacting with the newest muppet, Walter, who is voiced by Paul Rudd, as well as leading man and writer Jason Segel.  This follows a fantastic official image which was released last week, showcasing both the minds behind The Greatest Muppet Movie Ever Made, as well as that classic muppet charm we all know and love.  For the set photos, the amazing casting, and a synopsis, continue after the jump.

Marvel’s highly anticipated Thor is one of the must-see movies coming out this upcoming summer. We in the U.S. have all been planning to buy tickets for May 6th, 2011. Now Marvel has announced the worldwide release dates, so the rest of the world can plan five months ahead of time as well!

Thor stars Chris Hemsworth (Star Trek), Anthony Hopkins (The Wolfman), Tom Hiddleston (Wallander),  and Natalie Portman (Brothers); Kenneth Branagh (Sleuth) directs.  Hit the jump for the international release dates.

The first look of director Ivan Reitman’s No Strings Attached has been released a few days before its trailer, which is going to premiere this Friday. The film, which stars Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher, is about two friends who decide to have a purely physical relationship. Hearts get involved, and you have the perfect romantic comedy. Reitman, of Ghostbusters fame and father of director Jason Reitman (Up in the Air), found his first array into the rated-R comedy hit quite close to home. “I noticed from my own kids that with this generation in particular, young people find it easier to have a sexual relationship than an emotional one. That is how sexes deal with each other today,” (via USA Today). This seems to be a topic that is interesting other film makes, since a similarly named Friends With Benefits is coming out next summer with Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis. For the image, more info on No Strings Attached, and more on both Portman and Kutcher’s future projects, hit the jump.  No Strings Attached is due out January 21, 2011.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1’s premiere isn’t for two weeks, yet it is already selling more tickets than any other movie on Fandango. Almost 500 shows have been sold out, and none of the other Harry Potter have ever sold this many tickets so early before. Fandango’s Chief Operating Officer Rick Butler has said, “… fans are already showing their eagerness to join the final journey on opening weekend. We’ve seen more sold-out showtimes for this film than we’ve seen for any other film this year, at the same point in the sale cycle.”

The lesson of this story is two-fold: Harry Potter is well-loved. Not really surprising to any of us. The second lesson: if you want to go to the midnight or opening day showing, get your tickets now! Midnight showings are one of the best parts of being a movie fan, and to miss it on a huge film like this would be a disappointment.  If you stop to consider that this is only part one of the finale, then part two is going to bring some crazy ticket sales.  Hit the jump for more on the Harry Potter marketing machine.

If you are a Lord of the Rings fan, your dreams are about to come true. The Hobbiton sets being built for The Hobbit are going to be permanent, and open to visitors once the movie is done filming. So, according to stuff.co.nz, anyone could join the perpetual celebration at the Party Tree, and then mosey down the lane to The Green Dragon, where Bilbo met Thorin Oakshield to begin his career as a burglar.  Afterwards, you could even stroll across Bywater bridge. Hobbiton offered some of the most idyllic scenery and images in the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, and is sure to become an extremely popular tourist attraction.  For  more on this and The Hobbit, continue after the jump.

To follow the trend of fairy-tale re-imaginings, Universal is releasing a dark re-telling of Snow White, and is looking to bring in Tom Hardy of Inception fame.  According to The Playlist, big names have already been connected with Snow White and the Huntsman, including Angelina Jolie, who the studio wants to play the role of the evil queen. The highly-sought after director Rupert Sanders, who was considered for The Hunger Games, will be making his debut on this film. Principal photography is planned to start in early 2011, and probably will need to stay that way due to the high demand for Hardy. Hit the jump for a synopsis for Snow White and the Huntsman and more of Hardy’s projects.

A new Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 featurette has been released, and it is fantastic. It cleverly opens with powerful scenes from the earlier movies, and then punctuates the glimpses of the new film with interviews with director David Yates, Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter), Emma Watson (Hermione Granger), and Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley). This featurette focuses on the large scale of the film, and how powerful a finale it will be. With the film’s release only a few weeks away, this featurette is eye-catching, engaging, and should definitely peak interest. No matter how you felt about the first six films, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 is looking like it will be quite a ride. For the featurette and more, hit after the jump.