21 Jump Street is going to surprise you.  Not only is it one of the funniest movies I’ve seen in a long time, it’s got some great action and awesome performances from all involved.  If you had told me that the pairing of Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum would be comedy gold, I would have never believed you.  But it is.  Also, another big surprise was Ice Cube.  I’ve seen the film twice and both times he brings the house down with his almost everything he says.  Trust me, you want to see 21 Jump Street and I’d advise seeing it with a crowded theater.  It’s a blast.  For more on the film, here’s Matt’s glowing review, Brendan’s set visit, a five-minute red band clip, and all our coverage on directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller‘s awesome movie.

Last week I got to speak with Lord and Miller in New York City about their movie.  During the interview we talked about how everyone loves the film, when they first knew that Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum would be so good together, deleted scenes, extended cuts, what will be on the Blu-ray (20 deleted scenes and 45 minutes of jokes!) what’s up with their Lego movie, and their favorite movies, actors and directors.  Hit the jump for more.

21 Jump Street is cocky as hell.  Usually, when a movie clearly lays out a set-up for an eventual payoff, we groan, lament the story’s predictability, and all the impact is diminished because we saw the hit coming.  21 Jump Street comes up to the line of turning directly to the camera and saying, “This will come back later,” and the joke still manages to hit like a sucker punch.  The set-up-pay-off humor is just one weapon in the film’s arsenal.  Directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller effortlessly move between the cartoonish, the absurd, the darkly comic, the vulgar, and almost every time the jokes absolutely kill.  But the excellent lead performances from Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum elevate the film from a raucous comedy, and they make 21 Jump Street not just a film where two bike cops mime having sex with an apprehended perp.  It’s a film with a heart, a soul, and two bike cops miming having sex with an apprehended perp.

In all honestly, I think Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs is one of the most entertaining movies of the past few years. I was taken aback by how goofy, funny, and lovable the whole film was, and a great deal of credit goes to directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller. The duo recently made their live-action debut on the much buzzed-about comedy 21 Jump Street, and they’re set to next tackle a feature film version of everyone’s favorite construction toy, Lego. Warner Bros. greenlighted the project back in November with Lord, Miller, and Robot Chicken helmer Chris McKay set to direct. The film will apparently be an action-adventure animation/live-action hybrid with about 80% comprised of animation.

Steve got the chance to speak with Lord and Miller at the press junket for 21 Jump Street in New York City today, and the duo gave a brief update on where they’re at with Lego and what the development process has been like. Hit the jump to see what they had to say.

I generally don’t like to check out extended clips of footage from films ahead of their release. Call me old fashioned but, similar to how I try and avoid cherry picking music singles before listening to the entire album, I like to think of records and movies as complete bodies of work. Of course, I say all of this only to preface breaking my own general rule. I implore you to watch the first 12 minutes of writer/director/actress Brit Marling’s Sound of My Voice. I did, I don’t regret a single moment of it, and now I can’t wait to check out the entire film as soon as possible.

All self-contradiction aside, in this week’s “Top 5″ installment you’ll find Ghost Rider Spirit of Vengeance interviews with talent like Nicolas Cage, Idris Elba, Johnny Whitworth, and directors Neveldine/Taylor, a recap of our 21 Jump Street set visit, trailers and a featurette for Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, Transformers 4 news, and Avengers, Star Wars, and G.I. Joe: Retaliation toy images from the 2012 Toy Fair. Check out a brief recap and link to each after the jump.

Directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller have proven themselves in the field of animation. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and Clone High are hilarious at the rapidest possible pace. The question is whether those skills will transfer over for their first live-action movie, 21 Jump Street. Based on early word of mouth, Lord and Miller successfully created a wicked funny buddy cop comedy.

A group of us movie bloggers had the chance to interview the directors on set in New Orleans near the end of the shoot. They discussed their influences in the genre (Beverly Hills Cop, 48 Hrs., and the left-field choice Running Scared), their approach to adapting the original series, how the movie fits in with the series continuity, the value of test screening, and their “F-bomb problem” with the R-rating. Read what they had to say after the jump.

Seeing as it’s already February and that little furry rodent has predicted six more weeks of winter, we thought we’d take a look ahead to some March movie releases. Coincidentally, three big March movies have recently released new posters. First up is Disney’s March 9^th release, John Carter, starring Taylor Kitsch as a Civil War vet transplanted onto Mars, in an Andrew Stanton-directed picture. Next is the Phil Lord and Chris Miller-directed 21 Jump Street, a March 16^th release starring Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum as two screw-up cops who infiltrate a local high school drug ring. Finally, we have a new poster from the Tarsem Singh project, Mirror Mirror, a Snow White adaptation featuring Lily Collins and Julia Roberts which opens March 30^th. Hit the jump to see the new posters.

Sony Animation has settled on the directors of their follow-up to 2009’s swell animated feature Cloud with a Chance of Meatballs. Variety reports that animation artists Cody Cameron and Kris Pearn will be taking the helm on the sequel. Last we heard, the original film’s directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller were attached to return for Cloudy 2, but it now appears that they won’t be back. Lord and Miller are currently busy with post-production on their live-action debut 21 Jump Street (which looks great), and the recent greenlight for the Lego feature film that they’re attached to may have something to do with their non-involvement with the Cloudy sequel. Hit the jump for more, including the story status of Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2.

Last year, we reported that Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs writer-directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller were working on a movie based on everyone’s favorite construction toy, Lego. While most scoffed at Hasbro’s plan to make movies out of games like Ouija and Candy Land, the notion of a Lego movie isn’t all that terrible. Add in the fact that Lord and Miller, whose Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs is an incredibly hilarious/sweet work of animation goodness, and Lego actually sounds pretty appealing. Well now the film has officially been given the go-ahead, and is on track for a 2014 release. Hit the jump for more.

A red band trailer for 21 Jump Street has been released. A remake of the 1980s television series of the same name, the film stars Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum as young cops who go undercover at a high school. The trailer is actually hilariously fantastic. The high school flashbacks of Hill and Tatum’s characters are perfect, and there’s a much-welcomed appearance in the trailer by Parks and Recreation‘s Nick Offerman. Hill and Tatum look to have some great chemistry, and in some ways the film actually feels like a spiritual sequel to Superbad.  I’m definitely excited to see more. Directed by Phil Lord and Chris Miller (Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs), the film also stars Ice Cube, Dave Franco, Brie Larsen, and Rob Riggle.

Hit the jump to watch the trailer. And if you missed it, be sure to check out Brendan’s set visit preview for the film. 21 Jump Street opens March 16^th, 2012.

A couple of weeks ago, I had the chance to visit Riverdale High School in Jefferson, Louisiana.  At the time, Sony happened to be shooting a movie there, a remake of the 1980s television staple 21 Jump Street.  Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum star as two twentysomething cops who look young enough to join “Jump Street,” a unit that goes undercover at a local high school.  The cast, directed by Phil Lord and Chris Miller (Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs), also features Ice Cube, Dave Franco, Brie Larsen, and Rob Riggle.

While on set, several other online colleagues and I spoke to Hill, Tatum, Larsen, Franco, producer Neal Moritz, and Lord and Miller.  The full interviews will come at a later date, but today the studio is allowing me to run a preview piece.  Hit the jump for a glimpse into the set visit, plus the first official image from the movie.

With directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller’s (Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs) 21 Jump Street now filming in New Orleans, the first images of Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill in their police uniforms have hit the net.  While the outfits are nothing out of the ordinary, there is one thing worth noting: how much weight Hill has lost!  From the low res pictures, I’d say he’s lost at least forty pounds.  Maybe more.  It’s a considerable change from what he looked like in Get Him to the Greek.

As most of you know, 21 Jump Street tells the story of two young cops (Hill and Tatum) who go undercover to infiltrate a high school. Alongside Hill and Tatum, Ice Cube, Brie Larson, Johnny Simmons and Dave Franco star, with Rob Riggle playing the villain. Also, Johnny Depp will be doing a cameo.  21 Jump Street hits theaters on March 16th 2012.  Hit the jump for the images.

It looks like Johnny Depp will be returning to his roots, albeit briefly. After months of wondering whether or not the actor would be appearing in the 21 Jump Street movie, based on the TV show that launched his career, Coming Soon reports that the actor is now confirmed to cameo in the flick. Last we heard, producers were working very hard to find time to fit the one-day shoot into Depp’s schedule, and now it looks like everything worked out.

Directed by Phil Lord and Chris Miller (Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs), the film tells the story of two young cops (Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum) who infiltrate a high school undercover. Alongside Hill and Tatum, Ice Cube, Brie Larson and Dave Franco star, with Rob Riggle in talks to play a villain. 21 Jump Street hits theaters on March 16^th 2012.

Hot off the heels of the news that Rob Riggle is in talks to play a villain in the upcoming 21 Jump Street movie, Dave Franco has joined the cast as one of the villains as well. Deadline reports that Franco will star as Eric, “the most popular kid in school.” Eric is a drug dealer at the high school that the characters played by Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum infiltrate as undercover cops. Hill befriends Franco’s character in order to get close to the “cool kid” crowd. I’m not exactly sure how Riggle fits into the equation villain-wise, but it makes sense to have a more significant bad guy in the film in addition to the “douche high school drug dealer.”

Additionally, with production on the film fast approaching, serious plans are now being made for Johnny Depp to cameo in the film based on the TV show that launched his career. While it’s uncertain what role he would play, apparently producers are working on getting the actor on set to shoot a quick scene.  Directed by Phil Lord and Chris Miller, the film stars Hill, Tatum, Ice Cube and Brie Larson. 21 Jump Street hits theaters on March 16^th, 2012.

As production on the 21 Jump Street reboot grows nearer, it looks like the cast is starting to fill out. The latest actor involved in the project is comedian Rob Riggle. Variety reports that Riggle is in negotiations to join the cast as the villain of the film. Phil Lord and Chris Miller (Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs) are set to direct the reboot from a script by Michael Bacall (Scott Pilgrim vs. The World) and Jonah Hill.

Hill and Channing Tatum will topline the film, with Brie Larson (The United States of Tara) recently announced as the female lead. Ice Cube is set to play the police chief in the adaptation of the 1980’s TV series that kicked off Johnny Depp’s career. Hit the jump for what we know about the film so far. 21 Jump Street is slated for release on March 16^th, 2012.

Actress Brie Larson (The United States of Tara) has landed the female lead in 21 Jump Street. Deadline reports that Larson will take over the role that Emma Stone previously was forced to vacate to make time in her schedule for The Amazing Spider-Man. Larson joins a cast that includes Channing Tatum, Jonah Hill and Ice Cube. Directed by Phil Lord and Chris Miller (Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs), the film is being written by Michael Bacall (Scott Pilgrim vs. The World). Hill also worked on the story and described the update as “a John Hughes movie with ‘Bad Boys’ style action.” 21 Jump Street begins shooting in April and is slated for a March 16^th, 2012 release.