Sony has set release dates for a few of its big comedy titles hitting theaters next year:

• 21 Jump Street 2 – The highly-anticipated comedy sequel will hit theaters on June 6, 2014, where it will open opposite Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.  Directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller and stars Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum return for a story that sees the characters infiltrating a college campus.  For much more info on the sequel, click here.
• Think Like a Man Too – The sequel to the relationship comedy based on the book by Steve Harvey will open in theaters on June 20, 2014 opposite How to Train Your Dragon 2.
• Sex Tape – Director Jake Kasdan’s (Walk Hard) comedy will open on July 2, 2014 opposite Disney’s Maleficent.  The film stars Jason Segel and possibly Cameron Diaz as a couple who set out to find their sex tape that has mysteriously disappeared.

One of the most pleasant surprises of 2012 was Sony’s 21 Jump Street adaptation.  While remakes and reboots are usually developed with an eye towards appealing to the widest possible audience, directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller crafted a wonderfully peculiar and hilarious comedy that benefitted from some excellent chemistry between stars Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill.  As the R-rated film grossed over $200 million worldwide, both fans and Sony were keen on moving forward with a sequel.  Screenwriter Michael Bacall has been working on the script for the follow-up alongside Hill, and Sony recently announced that they’re planning the film for a 2014 release.

Steve recently sat down for a lengthy interview with producer Neal Moritz, and during their wide-ranging conversation Moritz talked quite a bit about 21 Jump Street 2.  He confirmed that the story finds Tatum and Hill infiltrating a college campus, Ice Cube is set to return as Captain Dickson, and he also noted that Lord and Miller are attached to direct with an eye towards a summer 2014 release date.  Hit the jump to read on.

Undoubtedly one of my most anticipated films of 2014 is The Lego Movie.  The animated film comes from writers/directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller (Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, 21 Jump Street) and features a fantastic ensemble voice cast that includes Chris Pratt, Will Ferrell, Elizabeth Banks, Liam Neeson, Will Arnett, Nick Offerman, Alison Brie, and Morgan Freeman.  Today, Warner Bros. has unveiled the first logo for the film along with the announcement of a neat-sounding contest that gives fans the opportunity to have some of their own work appear in the film.  Hit the jump for more and to get a good look at the logo.

Warner Bros. is keen on ramping up its animated features division.  The studio is forming a creative consortium “that’s aimed at delivering one ‘high-end’ film per year.”  Said consortium includes John Requa and Glen Ficarra (Crazy, Stupid, Love., Cats & Dogs), Nicholas Stoller (The Muppets, Forgetting Sarah Marshall), Phil Lord and Chris Miller (Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, 21 Jump Street), and Jared Stern (Mr. Popper’s Penguins).  Apparently the filmmakers will work both individually and collectively in order to generate animated fare, but they’ll also continue to write and direct live-action films.  Hit the jump for the details on what kinds of films are in development.

With Cloudy with a Chance of Meatball and 21 Jump Street, directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller have become two of my favorite filmmakers.  Their comic sensibilities fall in line with my own, so I’m ecstatic that they’re handling the Lego movie, Lego: Piece of Resistance.  Like many people, I played with Lego as a kid, and I want to see the property treated right.

Steve recently spoke with producer Dan Lin for the upcoming release of the crime drama Gangster Squad, and Lin also talked about Lego, how the animation is coming, the development process, and wrangling other IPs into the movie.  Hit the jump for what Lin had to say.

The voice cast for Warner Bros.’ Lego: Piece of Resistance is growing.  Written and directed by Phil Lord and Chris Miller (Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, 21 Jump Street), the 3D film takes place in a world made of Legos and centers on Emmet (voiced by Chris Pratt), an “instruction worker” who is mistaken for the Master Builder.  The Lego crew then embarks on a quest to prevent an evil tyrant from gluing the universe together.  Elizabeth Banks, Will Arnett, and Morgan Freeman are all onboard, and now Deadline reports that Will Ferrell, Liam Neeson, Nick Offerman, and Alison Brie are joining the top-notch voice cast.

Ferrell will play the film’s antagonist, President Business (brilliant), with Neeson onboard as his henchman, Bad Cop (also brilliant).  Offerman will play “a craggy, swaggering pirate obsessed with revenge on President Business” while Brie is set as a member of Emmet’s team who harbors a powerful secret.  Lego: Piece of Resistance opens on February 7th, 2014.

Were you the type of kid who meticulously built LEGO models from the blueprints or did you veer off the beaten path and dream up your own unique creations?  Either way, LEGO now has an opportunity for fans young and old to see their designs come alive on the big screen.  Phil Lord and Chris Miller, of Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs fame, need your help designing some wacky vehicles cobbled together from your assorted LEGO collection.  Winning designs will appear in LEGO: The Piece of Resistance, the 3D animated movie that features the voices of Chris Pratt, Channing Tatum, Will Arnett, Elizabeth Banks and Morgan Freeman.  The film opens February 7th, 2014 in the U.S. and February 28th, 2014 in the U.K.  Hit the jump for details on the design competitions in both countries.

When last we reported on Lego: The Piece of Resistance, it was to tell you that Chris Pratt (Parks and Recreation) would be voicing the protagonist.  Now, it looks like directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller (Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs) will be adding Elizabeth Banks (The Hunger Games) and Morgan Freeman (The Dark Knight Rises) to their voice cast.  The picture, which is an 80/20 blend of animation/live-action, centers on Emmet (Pratt), an “instruction worker” who is mistaken for the Master Builder.  The Lego crew them embarks on a quest to prevent an evil tyrant from gluing the universe together.  Hit the jump for more on Banks and Freeman’s roles in the film, as well as updates on other cast members.

We’re currently more than halfway through 2012, and 21 Jump Street remains one of the best and most entertaining films of the year.  Though those who had seen directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller‘s Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs had high hopes for the film, a lot of moviegoers were caught off guard by just how great 21 Jump Street was.  Miller and Lord’s offbeat sense of humor was buoyed by a smart script and hilarious performances from Jonah Hill and, yes, Channing Tatum.  It’s an all-around great time at the movies, and naturally audiences were left wanting more.

Columbia Pictures President Doug Belgrad recently confirmed that the 21 Jump Street sequel was in development, but he confused quite a few people by saying that production would begin this fall, even though there’s no finished script and no director(s) firmly attached.  Steve recently got to speak with Hill during the press day for the upcoming sci-fi comedy The Watch, and the actor set the record straight regarding the status of the follow-up.  Hit the jump to see what he had to say.

Glen David Gold‘s hit novel Carter Beats the Devil has been churning through development hell since it was optioned back in 2002.  The story takes place in the 1920s and centers on Carter the Illusionist, who stages a sawed-in-half trick on President Warren G. Harding, only to be forced on the lam after Harding mysteriously dies shortly after.  The plot features other historical figures, including Harry Houdini, BMW founder Max Friz, and television pioneer Philo Farnsworth.

There seemed to be a flicker of life last summer when Warner Bros. was looking to revive the project by getting Johnny Depp to star, but he chose to pass.  However, THR reports that WB hasn’t given up on the project, and now 21 Jump Street directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller are in talks to take on the adaptation.  Hit the jump for more.

One of the funniest movies of 2012 so far has been the pleasantly surprising 21 Jump Street.  Directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller (Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs) brought their goofy humor to this feature film iteration of the popular TV series that was buoyed by some terrific comedic performances from Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum.  For their next project, Lord and Miller have been hard at work on a feature-length LEGO movie.  Though plot details are scarce, we know that the film will incorporate some of the most popular LEGO characters while introducing some new ones, and it centers on a young hero who must save the LEGO world from destruction.

Warner Bros. announced today that they have set the film for a February 28th, 2014 release and they have confirmed that it will be in 3D.  Hit the jump for more, including what competition the pic will face on that date.

The Shrek film series has been pretty terrible for a while now. When the first film came out it was exciting and new, and seemed to suggest a Looney Tunes approach to the newfangled trend of CG animation. Alas, subsequent entries were terrible. They’ll probably go back to the Shrek well again, but until then, they’ve given us Puss in Boots, which is better than (though indebted to) the Shrek sequels by a wide margin. Antonio Banderas stars as the titular Puss, a womanizing feline who’s known as a great thief. Here he partners with Kitty Softpaws (Salma Hayek) and Humpty Dumpty (Zach Galifianakis) to plant the beanstalk seeds owned by Jack and Jill (Billy Bob Thorton, Amy Sedaris). Our review of the Blu-ray of Puss in Boots follows after the jump.

From here on out, when I see a movie and can’t quit thinking about it one week after my initial viewing I’m going to refer to it as the Martha Marcy May Marlene effect. I was uncertain how I felt about it while watching. Flash-forward one week later and I’m still uncertain. Combine some great performances from Elizabeth Olsen and John Hawkes, reserved but effective cinematography, sparse dialogue and even fewer musical cues and what I got was one of the most paranoia-filled movie experiences I’ve ever had. While that may sound like a backhanded compliment, if writer/director Sean Durkin was trying to evoke the type of emotions I think he was with Martha, it may be the highest compliment I can pay him.

In this, the St. Patty’s edition of the “Top 5″, you can find 21 Jump Street interviews with Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum, Ice Cube and more, The Avengers bits in which Joss Whedon discusses the pic, its current runtime, The Avengers 2, etc., Casa de mi Padre interviews with Will Ferrell, Nick Offerman and more, the first trailer and poster for Tim Burton‘s Dark Shadows, and all of our SXSW 2012 coverage. A brief recap and link to each ensue after the jump.

Normally, we post informative PSAs every Sunday, but today we have a special one for you to check out. If you’re still not convinced that 21 Jump Street is a hilarious, must-see movie after all the clips, trailers, interviews and reviews we’ve posted, maybe this new PSA will help to change your mind. And if you pay attention, you might learn a thing or to that could maybe save your life. But probably not. Regardless, fresh-faced cops Schmidt and Jenko are here to educate you on the dangers of finger blasting. 21 Jump Street starring Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum and Ice Cube opens March 16th. Hit the jump to watch the hilarious PSAs.

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.