Fast becoming the king of directing movies that don’t exist, director Antoine Fuqua may finally have found his next project. The Training Day director is currently in final negotiations to helm Relativity’s international action thriller Hunter Killer. Phillip Noyce (Salt) was previously attached to the submarine-centered project but he dropped out last month, and now it looks like Relativity has found their replacement. Variety reports that Fuqua is in the final stage of neogtiations to take the reins, and the studio is eyeing a production start date this winter. The film centers on an American submarine commander who joins forces with a Navy SEAL team in order to rescue a Russian president from a renegade admiral who’s staging a coup. The coup, naturally, would lead to a global war.

Fuqua was set to make the Eminem-starred boxing flick Southpaw his next pic, but DreamWorks pulled the plug last month, forcing Fuqua and Co. to seek funding elsewhere. He’s also got his long-in-gestation Tupac biopic that he plans to shoot sometime, but that film is still without a lead. And because he likes attaching his name to things, he’s also set to direct an adaptation of the non-fiction book Storming Las Vegas. However, Relativity seems intent on getting Hunter Killer moving soon, so all signs point to the submarine pic being Fuqua’s next directorial effort.

We’re in the midst of a war, people. A Snow White war, mind you, but a war nonetheless. There are currently no less than 87 films in production that have “unique” takes on the classic fairy tale, but the two furthest along (read: the two butting heads) are Universal’s Snow White and the Huntsman and Relativity’s Untitled Snow White Project. Recently, screenwriter Jason Keller spoke quite frankly about the latter, explaining what motivated Relativity to make the film in the first place, how quickly the film went into development, and how different their project is from Huntsman.

Apparently Relativity made no secret of the fact that they were producing their Snow White film in direct opposition to Universal’s, asking Keller “How do we beat that other project?” Hit the jump for the full details.

[Update: Relativity has informed us that Keller began working on the script in October 2010, based on a draft previously begun by Melisa Wallack in May 2010]

This past April, we reported that Relativity had bought the Black List script Ness/Capone to rival Warner Bros.’ Al Capone story Cicero. Harry Potter director David Yates has been developing Cicero for quite some time, with Tom Hardy attached to star, but he recently committed to a multi-film adaptation of The Stand, so it may be a while before Cicero gets going. Well, Relativity looks to be taking advantage of Yates’ busy schedule as they’re turning to V for Vendetta director James McTeigue to helm to crime drama.

Deadline reports that McTeigue is in negotiations to helm the pic, which chronicles the Elliott Ness/Al Capone saga in more detail than Brian De Palma’s The Untouchables. McTeigue, who recently completed the Edgar Allen Poe flick The Raven, is currently readying his next film Message From the King which centers on an outsider who travels to L.A. to investigate the disappearance of his sister.

Scheduling conflicts have reportedly forced Bradley Cooper to leave director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo’s (28 Weeks Later) remake of The Crow. Cooper had previously been in negotiations to reprise the late Brandon Lee’s turn as iconic gothic character Eric Draven. However, it looks as if his involvement in David O. Russell’s Silver Linings and Legendary Pictures’ Paradise Lost has cramped his schedule to the point that he has exited Relativity’s reboot of James O’Barr’s 1990s comic.

With Cooper off of the grid, it’s being reported that Mark Wahlberg and Channing Tatum have stepped up to the plate as potential candidates for the part. You may remember that Wahlberg was offered the role of Draven back in October 2010, when Stephen Norrington was attached to direct the remake. That offer never gained much traction and, before long, Norrington had moved on as well. As for Tatum, this is the first time his name has been associated with the role and, in all honesty, I’m hoping it is the last. Hit the jump for a little more on the potential candidates and the project as a whole.

How do you follow a panel with Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson?  You don’t do it with another blockbuster.  Instead, you take some lesser known movies and attempt to boost their profile.  And for film nerds, having Steven Sodebergh on hand certainly doesn’t hurt.  Soderbergh has cast MMA fighter Gina Carano as the lead in his spy thriller Haywire and surrounded her with an outstanding cast that includes Michael Fassbender, Ewan McGregor, and Michael Douglas.

Relativity has also brought James McTeigue’s The Raven starring John Cusack, Alice Eve, and Luke Evans.  It’s an intriguing premise where Edgar Allan Poe (Cusack) and a detective (Evans) attempts to discover who is using his writing as the inspiration for a series of murders.  Hit the jump to read about Relativity’s presentation for Haywire and The Raven.

Lots of poster debuts today.  Columbia released a simple, beautiful poster for Moneyball, which stands among my most anticipated movies of the fall.  Relativity followed up on the new images from their movies that will appear at Comic-Con — Haywire, The Raven, Shark Night 3D, and Immortals — with the first posters for Haywire and The Raven.  (Immortals and Shark Night were posterized in previous months.)  Lastly, Marvel uploaded two pieces of concept art tied to The Avengers; the Iron Man poster lists the May 2012 release, the Captain America poster gives their state: “Assembled.”

See all the posters after the break.

Relativity Media and Atlas Entertainment announced that, following a bidding war, they have optioned the feature film rights for Voltron.  The new movie will be a live-action remake based on the 1984 animated series Voltron: Defender of the Universe.  Thomas Dean Donnelly and Joshua Oppenheimer (Sahara) will write the script.  Here’s how the studios describe their newly acquired property:

In Voltron, an elite battle force defends the fate of mankind in the spectacular action adventure. Five young warriors are responsible for the future of the galaxy when they become pilots of a battalion of ultra-high-tech Robot Lions, powerful vessels with the ability to join together to form a fearsome mega-weapon known as “Voltron.”

If you found your way here, you are probably more familiar with Voltron than I am.  I’ll let you pore over the details in the press release after the jump, and discuss the potential of a live-action movie with fellow fans in the comments.

[Update: Better yet, check out Dave's recap of the Voltron panel at Comic-Con.]

The first image of Lily Collins in Relativity Media’s Untitled Snow White Project has landed online. Starring Collins, Julia Roberts, Sean Bean, Armie Hammer, and Nathan Lane, the film is described as a “spirited adventure comedy” that sees Snow White reclaim her Princess birthright. Bean, who was cast just last week, will play the King (a.k.a. Snow White’s father) whose kingdom has been destroyed by Roberts’ evil Queen.

Check out the image of Collins after the jump. Directed by Tarsem Singh, the film is currently slated to open on March 16th, 2012.

[Update: Relativity has uploaded the high resolution, now featured after the jump.]

Relativity has released a ton of new images from the films that will appear at Comic-Con 2011.  There’s Immortals, the stylized ancient Greek epic led by Henry Cavill, the man who will be Superman.  There’s The Raven, a thriller starring John Cusack as Edgar Allan Poe.  There’s Shark Night 3D, in which a shark feasts on college students.  And finally, there’s Haywire, the spy thriller Steven Soderbergh built around MMA fighter Gina Carano.

Hit the jump for all the images, plus official synopses, full cast lists, and release dates.

Fresh off his fantastic turn in HBO’s Game of Thrones, Sean Bean is in final negotiations to take on the role of the King in Relativity Media’s Untitled Snow White Project. Directed by Tarsem Singh, the film stars Julia Roberts, Armie Hammer, Lily Collins, and Nathan Lane. Described as a “spirited adventure comedy,” the story see Snow White (Collins) regaining her birthright as princess with the aid of her trustful seven dwarves.

Variety reports that Bean’s King is White’s father. His kingdom is destroyed by the evil Queen played by Roberts. Singh’s film is one of several Snow White projects in development, most notably Universal’s rival film Snow White and the Huntsman with Kristen Stewart and Chris Hemsworth. Following a bitter release date war (that was expertly analyzed by our faithful numbers man Brendan), Relativity settled on March 16^th, 2012 as the opening date for this project.

Relativity Media has picked up Marc Forster’s drama Machine Gun Preacher and will give the film a limited release on September 23rd.  The movie is based on the real-life story of Sam Childers (played by Gerard Butler), a former drug-dealer who eventually became a crusader for hundreds of refugee children in East Africa.  The film also stars Michelle Monaghan, Kathy Baker, and Michael Shannon.

Since it’s opening in limited release (most likely to build buzz for a possible awards run), it won’t really be competing against the movies opening in wide release, but here’s the list anyway: Abduction starring Taylor Lautner, the family film Dolphin Tale 3D, the action flick Killer Elite, and the sports drama Moneyball starring Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill.  Hit the jump for the press release from Relativity.

Act of Valor is a curious little picture, borne of the militaristic boom surrounding the assassination of Osama Bin Laden by Navy SEAL Team 6.  The movie features a cast of active duty Navy SEALs, and in fact began as a recruitment video for the U.S. military’s Naval Special Warfare Command.  Relativity Media has since picked it up for a multimillion dollar theatrical release, now slated for February 17, 2012, where the Seals will face off against Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, This Means War, and Arrietty.

Mike “Mouse” McCoy and Scott Waugh directed Act of Valor from a script by Kurt Johnstad (300).  Professional actors Emilio Rivera and Roselyn Sanchez play the foil to the real-life SEALs.  Hit the jump for quotes from the filmmakers and the official synopsis.

The Weinstein Company has announced release dates for seven upcoming films including Halloween 3D (you know you want another entry in that franchise…right?), Scary Movie 5 (insert previous parenthetical here), Coriolanus, The Iron Lady, The Artist, The Bully Project, and Michelle Williams and Emma Watson’s Marilyn Monroe biopic, My Week with Marilyn. Here is a bulleted breakdown of the dates in chronological order:

• My Week with Marilyn – 11/4/11 – Stars Michelle Williams and Emma Watson
• The Bully Project – 11/11/11 – A documentary from director Lee Hirsch
• The Artist - 11/23/11 – Stars Malcolm McDowell and John Goodman
• Coriolanus – 12/2/11 – Stars Ralph Fiennes (who is also directing) and Gerard Butler
• The Iron Lady – 12/16/11 – Stars Meryl Streep
• Scary Movie 5 - 4/20/12
• Halloween 3D - 10/26/12

In addition to these dates, Relativity has also pushed back its horror pic House at the End of the Street, starring Jennifer Lawrence and Elisabeth Shue, from February 3rd, 2012 to April 20th of the same year. Hit the jump to see which films these projects may be going up against assuming they keep their most recent release times (which is certainly no guarantee).

One of director Steven Soderbergh’s 13,000 upcoming projects now has a distributor and a release date. Haywire, which stars Gina Carano, Ewan McGregor, Michael Douglas, Channing Tatum, Michael Fassbender, Antonio Banderas, and Bill Paxton, will be released by Relativity on January 20^th, 2012. The project was originally set to hit theaters later this year, but it appears that Relativity thought January was a better fit.

The thriller centers on on a covert agent (Carano) who is double-crossed on a mission and returns home to protect her family and get revenge. If you’re upset about waiting until January to see the flick, Soderbergh’s star-studded Contagion hits theaters October 21^st, and the director has three more projects to film before he apparently retires: the Channing Tatum stripper semi-biopic Magic Mike, a film adaptation of the TV series The Man from U.N.C.L.E. starring George Cloooney, and a Liberace biopic starring Michael Douglas and Matt Damon. Hit the jump to read the press release regarding Haywire.

Although both films are slated for a 2012 release, Relativity’s Untitled Snow White project and Universal’s Snow White and the Huntsman are currently at different stages in the production process. Earlier today, Relativity sent over a press release confirming that director Tarsem Singh’s (Immortals) take on the classic tale will begin principal photography on location in Montreal on Monday, June 20th. Starring Julia Roberts, Armie Hammer, Lily Collins, and Nathan Lane, the film is described as a “spirited adventure comedy” that sees Snow White (Collins) regain her birthright as princess with the help of her seven dwarf pals. Currently, the pic is slated for release on March 16th, 2012.

On the other side of the fairy tale, Deadline reports that Universal’s Snow White and the Huntsman has enlisted Oscar-nominated scribe Hossein Amini (The Wings of a Dove and Drive) to rewrite a script most recently touched up by Evan Spiliotopoulos. With Huntsman currently aiming for a June 1st, 2012 release, Universal is still a few months away from really crunching the Rupert Sanders-directed pic that stars Charlize Theron, Kristen Stewart, and Chris Hemsworth. Nevertheless, ever since reading Brendan’s “Cinemath” feature breaking down the two projects, I’ve been interested in comparing/contrasting the development of each. For more on Relativity’s Untitled Snow White, hit the jump to check out the official press release announcing the onset of its principal photography.