Paramount Pictures has released a collection of high-resolution Hercules images from director Brett Ratner’s upcoming sword-and-sandals actioner.  The film is a revisionist take on the classic myth and takes place after Hercules’ famous twelve labors, as we find him “traveling with a group of mercenaries and cashing in on his famous name until he’s hired to train an army for an epic battle.”  Dwayne Johnson takes on the lead role this time around, and as gleaned by these new images, he looks to have his hands full with plenty of foes—both human and non-human.  Also clear from these new images: the man can wear the hell out of a lion hat.

Hit the jump to check out the new Hercules images.  The film also stars John Hurt, Ian McShane, Joseph Fiennes, Peter Mullan, Rufus Sewell, Robert Maillet, and Irina Shayk.  Hercules opens in 2D, 3D, and IMAX 3D on July 25th.

Paramount Pictures has released a new, extended Hercules TV spot for director Brett Ratner’s upcoming actioner.  The “revisionist take” on the classic myth takes place after Hercules’ famous twelve labors, as we find him “traveling with a group of mercenaries and cashing in on his famous name until he’s hired to train an army for an epic battle.”  This new footage sells the film’s action angle quite hard, while also revealing that Johnson won’t be denied a few entertaining quips here and there.  I’m a big fan of Johnson, but I’m finding it hard to get excited about Hercules.  The phrases “Inspired” and “Directed by Brett Ratner” don’t exactly go together, but I was hoping for at least some sense of something new or interesting here.  Johnson’s charisma goes a long way, though, so hopefully his presence makes the pic worthwhile.

Hit the jump to watch the new Hercules TV spot.  The film also stars John Hurt, Ian McShane, Joseph Fiennes, Peter Mullan, Rufus Sewell, Robert Maillet, and Irina Shayk.  Hercules opens in 2D, 3D, and IMAX 3D on July 25th.

It’s been over 20 years since we last caught up with Eddie Murphy‘s Axel Foley but all of that will change once Beverly Hills Cop 4 starts filming later this year in Detroit. In a small, but interesting, piece of news that slipped by us a few days ago, it turns out that the state of Michigan has approved $13.5 million in film incentives for the shoot (it seems as though the producers are looking to spend an estimated $56.6 million in the state). What’s interesting here is that, for me, the lead in this story (in the form of a slightly expanded synopsis) was somewhat buried. We knew before that the film would see Axel Foley return to his old stomping grounds. But the Michigan Film office states that Foley “leaves his position in Beverly Hills “during the coldest winter on record to navigate the new rules and old enemies in one of America’s most tenacious cities.”

“Coldest winter on record.” Weird detail to include. What does that mean for this Brett Ratner (Tower Heist) directed installment?

[With X-Men: Days of Future Past opening on Friday, I'm taking a look back at the X-Men movie franchise.  These reviews contain spoilers.]

Even if Bryan Singer had returned to direct the third X-Men movie, X2 would have been a tough act to follow.  However, he hinted at a clear path forward, or at least enough of a hint that it allowed fans to imagine what could have been.  When Singer decided to direct Superman Returns instead, he left a sequel in limbo.  Fox was going to move forward with or without him, and it was a bumpy road just to put someone in the director’s chair let alone find a way to get the right script.  Even with these issues, X-Men: The Last Stand isn’t a disaster.  If X2 didn’t exist and this was the direct sequel to 2000′s X-Men, it would be on par.  But X2 raised expectations, and in The Last Stand‘s attempt to pursue two potentially great plotlines, it reduces the impact of both.

The first trailer for director Brett Ratner‘s Hercules, starring Dwayne Johnson in the title role, is now online.  The trailer features Hercules fighting off a lot of CGI monsters while grandiose narration builds up the big reveal of Johnson as the Greek demigod.  It’s also a bit strange since the movie was previously billed as “a revisionist take on the classic myth set in a grounded world where the supernatural does not exist,” and I’m pretty sure I spotted a hydra and Cerberus.  However it pans out, this looks like it could be a lot of dumb fun.

Hit the jump to check out the trailer, and click on the corresponding links for Johnson talking about Fast & Furious 7, DC superheroes, and G.I. Joe 3.  The film also stars John Hurt, Ian McShane, Joseph Fiennes, Peter Mullan, Rufus Sewell, Robert Maillet, and Irina Shayk.  Hercules opens in 3D on July 25th.

Jerry Bruckheimer’s move from Disney to Paramount is now official.  The prolific producer and Disney decided to part ways after the box office bust of this summer’s The Lone Ranger, on which Bruckheimer and director Gore Verbinski argued successfully for a budget north of $200 million.  Paramount officially announced today that Bruckheimer has finalized a three-year first-look deal with the studio set to begin next April, returning him to the home where he got his start as the producer of films like Top Gun, Beverly Hills Cop, and Days of Thunder.

Per Deadline, Bruckheimer’s first film back at Paramount will be the long-developing Beverly Hills Cop 4, which Brett Ratner will direct after he finishes up Hercules.  Eddie Murphy is reprising his role and Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol scribes Josh Appelbaum and Andre Nemec are penning the screenplay.  Additionally, the Top Gun sequel is another priority for the studio, with Tom Cruise also attached to return.

Catching up with some weekend news: After a bidding war, Aaron Berg sold his spec script Section 6 to Universal for $1.2 million.  The Wrap provides the logline: “The historical spy thriller follows the World War I-era formation of British intelligence agency MI6 and its first director, Sir George Mansfield Cummings, who served as the inspiration for M in the James Bond series.”  The bidding reportedly came down to Sony and Universal.  If Sony won, I wonder if the studio had plans to make it a straight-up James Bond spinoff.

No talent is attached at this time, but the project has drawn interest from the likes of Hugh Jackman and directors Justin Lin (Fast & Furious 6) and Brett Ratner (Tower Heist).  That signals that we expect to keep tabs on Section 6 as it progresses through development.

While there are plenty of legitimate complaints to be raised about the advent of “the Twitter age,” the social media service has offered some neat looks into the filmmaking world.  Everyone from Marc Webb to Bryan Singer has used Twitter as a tool to offer fans a look behind-the-scenes at their latest films, and Dwayne Johnson has been doing the same when it comes to his passion project Hercules.  Directed by Brett Ratner, the film is described as “a revisionist take on the classic myth set in a grounded world where the supernatural does not exist.”  We’ve already seen a couple of teases of Johnson in costume, and now the actor has offered a few more looks at the set, including an impressive shot of the Thracian soldiers.

Hit the jump to check out the latest images.  The film also stars Ian McShane, Rufus Sewell, Joseph Fiennes, Peter Mullan, John Hurt, Rebecca Ferguson, Ingrid Bolso Berdal, Askel Hennie, and Reece Ritchie.  Hercules opens on July 25, 2014.

MGM and Paramount Pictures have announced that principal photography is currently underway on director Brett Ratner’s ensemble-action film Hercules.  The film stars Dwayne Johnson as the titular demigod and is based on the graphic novel Hercules: The Thracian Wars, but the official logline describes the pic as “a revisionist take on the classic myth set in a grounded world where the supernatural does not exist.”  Making a Herclues movie without any semblance of the supernatural is a bit odd, but the story of Ratner’s film finds the titular character traveling ancient Greece with five faithful companions sometime after “the legend” that we’re familiar with.

Hit the jump to read the full official synopsis for the film.  Written by Ryan Condal and Evan Spiliotopoulos, the pic also stars Ian McShane, Rufus Sewell, Joseph Fiennes, Peter Mullan, John Hurt, Rebecca Ferguson, Ingrid Bolso Berdal, Askel Hennie, and Reece Ritchie.  Hercules opens on July 25, 2014.

An American, a Canadian and a German each found work in the movies today. Here’s who was cast in what:

• Denis Leary has been added to the ensemble of football drama Draft Day.
• Carrie-Anne Moss (The Matrix) has signed up for Pompeii, Paul W.S. Anderson’s latest 3D actioner.
• Antje Traue (Man of Steel) will get her Ancient Greek on as the latest recruit for Brett Ratner’s Hercules: The Thracian Wars.

Hit the jump for more on each project.

The cast is filling out for director Brett Ratner’s new take on Hercules.  Dwayne Johnson is set to star as the titular hero, and MGM announced today (per The Wrap) that Ian McShane, John Hurt, Joseph Fiennes, and Rebecca Ferguson (The White Queen) will be rounding out the cast.  This film takes a grounded approach to the story, as Johnson’s titular character is portrayed as a mortal with a fearsome reputation rather than as the demigod son of Zeus.  In addition to the aforementioned actors, we learned yesterday that Rufus Sewell (Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter) is joining the cast as well, and Askel Hennie (Headhunters) signed on last month to play a warrior devoted to Hercules.  Production on Hercules is slated to begin this November, with a July 25, 2014 release date planned. [Update: Hit the jump to see who the new additions will be playing.]

Check out the new release dates below:

• Hercules – The Brett Ratner-directed fantasy film starring Dwayne Johnson (Snitch) in the title role has been moved up a couple of weeks to July 25, 2014.
• The Best Man Holiday – Director Malcolm D. Lee’s sequel to his 1999 debut The Best Man now has an official title and a new release date of November 15, 2013.

Hit the jump for more on both of these pictures.

We’ve got a couple of casting stories to share this morning.  First up, Taylor Kitsch may soon be tackling a serial killer film.  Though the talented Friday Night Lights actor didn’t have the best 2012 when it came to box office success, Kitsch seems to be taking everything in stride.  The folks over at Bloody Disgusting report that the actor is attached to star in the thriller Exit 147, which centers on a small town sheriff who arrests a man driving across the desert at night and holds him captive as part of a sadistic game.  Kitsch would play the sheriff, and Julian Jarrold (Becoming Jane, The Girl) is attached to direct from a script by Travis Milloy (Pandorum).

We haven’t heard any official confirmation regarding Kitsch’s casting Exit 147 just yet, so it’s one to keep an eye on the in the near future with regards to the actor’s upcoming schedule.  Kitsch most recently wrapped the contemporary true-life Navy SEAL story Lone Survivor from director Peter Berg alongside Mark Wahlberg and Emile Hirsch.  Hit the jump for casting news concerning director Brett Ratner’s Hercules.

Paramount Pictures has announced that director Brett Ratner’s Hercules will hit theaters on August 8, 2014.  The film is an adaptation of Steve Moore’s graphic novel Hercules: The Thracian Wars, which paints the popular character with a darker tone.  Dwayne Johnson is set in the title role as “a mercenary who turned his back on the gods following the loss of his family, ‘finding solace only in battle.’”  Currently the only other film slated for release in August of 2014 at the moment is Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, which opens on August 1st.  With a firm release date set, production on the film should get underway later this year.

The first images from the R-rated comedy omnibus Movie 43 have gone online.  The film has been in development for years since it takes a while to find time in the schedules of a gigantic cast whose ranks include Emma Stone, Hugh Jackman, Kate Winslet, Naomi Watts, Terrence Howard, Halle Berry, and Jason Sudeikis just to name a few.  The films in the collection were directed by Brett Ratner, Elizabeth Banks, Mike Judge, Peter Farrelly, Bob Odenkirk, Steve Baker, Damon Escot, and more.  While I’m sure the collection will be a mixed bag, these images show off the potential for some hilarious short films.  There will also be a major plotline, but Farrelly, who also produced the film with Charlie Wessler, wouldn’t tell EW what it is.

Hit the jump to check out the images and to learn about some of the plots.  The film also stars Gerard Butler, Kristen Bell, Chloe Moretz, Josh Duhamel, Johnny Knoxville, Elizabeth Banks, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Richard Gere, Anna Faris, Justin Long, Liev Schreiber, Uma Thurman, Seann William Scott, Kieran Culkin, Leslie Bibb, Jimmy Bennett, Ricky Gervais, Stephen Merchant, Kate Bosworth, Patrick Warburton, Tony Shalhoub, Chris Pratt, Jack McBrayer, Aasif Mandvi, and Bobby Cannavale.  Movie 43 opens January 25, 2013.