We’ve got a few release dates to share today.  Briefly:

• Labor Day – Writer/director Jason Reitman’s drama starring Kate Winslet and Josh Brolin will hit theaters in limited release on December 25th of this year (just in time for awards season, natch), before expanding wide on January 31st.
• Exodus – Director Ridley Scott’s Biblical epic about the life of Moses has been dated for a prime holiday release of December 12, 2014, confirming that this will indeed be Scott’s next project.  Christian Bale may star.
• Assassin’s Creed – The feature film adaptation of the popular video game series has been dated for Memorial Day weekend of 2015, with a firm May 22, 2015 release date.  Michael Fassbender is producing the film and will also star.

Hit the jump for much more on all of the aforementioned projects.

We’ve seen plenty of set photos from Terrence Malick‘s Knight of Cups, but now an official image has been released.  The image is a nice shot of a scene we previously saw in set photos with Christian Bale and Natalie Portman frolicking on a beach.  If you focus, you can almost see the lyrical cinematography and whispered narration.  There are few details on Knight of Cups other than it’s about the Los Angeles movie business and features half of Hollywood.  In addition to Bale and Portman, the cast includes Cate Blanchett, Isabel Lucas, Antonio Banderas, Wes Bentley, Imogen Poots, Freida Pinto, Teresa Palmer, Ryan O’Neal, Jason Clarke, Joel Kinnaman, and Shea Whigham (hat tip to The Playlist for keeping count).  However, these are actors who have only been seen in set photos; we don’t know who will make the final cut.

We also don’t know when Malick will have that final cut.  He’s editing multiple movies, and he has no problem spending years in the editing room.  As The Playlist reminds us, it took 18 months between the first photo of To the Wonder to the film’s release.  Footage from Knight of Cups is currently being shown to possible distributors at Cannes this week.  Hit the jump to check out the image.

Director David O. Russell’s follow-up to last year’s crowdpleasing awards contender Silver Linings Playbook now has a title.  Previously referred to as American Bullshit, the pic is now titled American Hustle per Box Office Mojo.  The story is based on a real-life undercover sting operation called “Abscam”, which was set up in the 1980s by a con artist working for the FBI who rooted out corruption in Congress.  The film boasts an incredible ensemble cast that includes a number of Russell regulars like Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, and Robert De Niro as well as some exciting Russell newcomers like Jeremy Renner, Louis C.K., Michael Pena, and Jack Huston.

Russell is currently in the middle of production on American Hustle in the New York City area, and we’ve already seen a number of wildly entertaining set photos of the cast done up in their 80s garb.  The film opens in limited release on December 13th before going wide on Christmas Day, and it’s safe to assume that American Hustle will be a serious player in this year’s awards race.

This morning we’ve got a set photo round-up for your viewing pleasure:

• Need for Speed – The adaptation of the popular video game series is going to have some absolutely sick cars.  Even the sheriff has a sweet ride.  The film opens March 14, 2014 and stars Aaron Paul, Dominic Cooper, Imogen Poots, Kid Cudi, Ramon Rodriguez, Rami Malik, Harrison Gilbertson, and Michael Keaton.
• Heat – The story enters on Nick Escalante (Jason Statham), a compulsive gambler on the streets of Vegas who takes odd jobs providing “security” to support his addiction.  The film also stars Sofia Vergara and Michael Angarano.
• Untitled Abscam Movie – David O. Russell’s film is based a real-life undercover sting operation called “Abscam”, which was set up in the late 70s-early 80s by a con artist working for the FBI who rooted out corruption in Congress.  The film stars Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper, Jeremy Renner, Elisabeth Rohm, Alessandro Nivola, and Louis CK.  The film opens December 13th.

Hit the jump to check out the set photos.

Filming is currently underway on David O. Russell‘s untitled “Abscam” movie (formerly titled “American Bullshit“).  The story is based on a real-life undercover sting operation called “Abscam”, which was set up in the 1980s by a con artist working for the FBI who rooted out corruption in Congress.  The first set photos have leaked online, and you can see the period clothing.  It’s either that or Christian Bale‘s character just won the Masters.

Hit the jump to check out the set photos.  The film also stars Amy Adams, Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper, Jeremy Renner, Elisabeth Rohm, Alessandro Nivola, and Louis CK.  The untitled “Abscam” movie opens in limited release on December 13th and goes wide on Christmas Day.

Let the battle of the Moses epics begin!  Two high profile films about the Biblical character have been in development for the past year or so—one at Warner Bros. with Steven Spielberg flirting with the director’s chair, and one at Fox that has Ridley Scott attached to direct.  Yesterday, Warner Bros.’ film Gods and Kings was dealt a blow when Spielberg finally left the project, and now it appears that Fox is ramping things up on Exodus as Scott is looking to make the pic his next film after he completes post-production on The Counselor.  The Gladiator filmmaker has taken a big step forward towards production, as he and Fox are apparently courting Christian Bale to tackle the Moses role.  Hit the jump for more.

Sony Pictures has given Silver Linings Playbook director David O. Russell’s next film a prime awards season release date later this year.  The untitled project (formerly known as American Bullshit) will hit theaters in limited release on December 13th before going wide on Christmas Day.  The pic is based on a real-life undercover sting operation called Abscam, which was set up in the 1980s by a con artist working for the FBI who rooted out corruption in Congress.

The cast reads like a “Best Of” from Russell’s filmography, as Bradley Cooper and Christian Bale are set in the leads with Amy Adams, Jennifer Lawrence, Louis C.K., Jeremy Renner, and Alessandro Nivola (Face/Off) rounding out the ensemble.  Hit the jump for more.

I realize that it’s a little too March to be discussing my favorite holiday gifts, but I only recently had the opportunity to dive into one of mine and, as a result, I feel the need to share it’s greatness with our readers. The ESPN 30 for 30 Collector’s Set Blu-ray is an outstanding collection of sports documentaries that is rife with social commentary and almost sure to have something for sports and/or documentary fans alike. Before I get accused of paid programming, I’ll disclaim that all thirty of its films aren’t home runs (that’s right, a sports pun). Moreover, I’m fairly sure that all of the series’ entries are available to watch instantly on Netflix right now making the physical collection redundant for some. Regardless of how you partake, I encourage you to sift through the series, find a topic that interests you, and give it a shot.

All recommendations aside, this week’s Top 5 features a healthy portion of Iron Man 3 coverage (including the new trailer), Oz the Great and Powerful interviews with Sam Raimi, James Franco, Mila Kunis, and more, the first trailer for The Hangover Part III, a sizable Justice League movie rumor, and the new trailer and poster for Will Smith and Jaden Smith‘s After Earth. As you may be expecting, a brief recap and link for each of the above waits after the jump.

The guys over at Latino-Review have decided to spend this fine evening dropping an atomic-bomb-level rumor that will send fanboys into a tizzy.  The site is reporting three major developments when it comes to Justice League and Warner Bros. trying to figure out how they’re going to combat Disney’s one-two franchise punch of Marvel and Star Wars.  So far, Warners has been struggling with their superheroes.  They’re all out of Batman, and while there’s some very early positive buzz on Man of Steel, their highly-anticipated Justice League movie reportedly had to go back to square one early last month when Will Beale‘s script was tossed out.

But Warner Bros. isn’t giving up, and according to Latino-Review, Christopher Nolan is coming to the rescue.  And so is Zack Snyder.  And they want Christian Bale to put the cape and cowl back on.  Hit the jump for more.

Back in December, Steve spoke with director Baltasar Kormakur (Contraband) about his upcoming project, Everest.  “It’s a very, very big movie with a medium budget,” said Kormakur.  He also said that they wanted to try and get as high up the mountain as possible, and also spend three months shooting on a glacier.  According to Deadline, Christian Bale should get his crampons ready.  The film is based on the disastrous 1996 expedition that left eight climbers dead, and Bale is in talks to play the lead role.  Jon Krakauer chronicled the event in his must-read first-hand account of the tragedy, Into Thin Air. However, Everest will not be an adaptation on that book, and instead draw from multiple sources including interviews with survivors.   Kormakur’s film is not to be confused with Doug Liman‘s project of the same name, which is set to star Tom Hardy as Sir George Mallory, the first person to reach the peak of the world’s tallest mountain.

Kormakur is currently up for an Oscar for Best Foreign Film for his survival picture, The Deep.  He also directed the upcoming action flick 2 Guns starring Mark Wahlberg and Denzel Washington.  Bale will be seen later this year in Out of the Furnace.

After a tongue-in-cheek tacky movie, a clever casting twist with Michael Keaton, and a slow, nipple-suited downfall further plagued by the crack of Catwoman’s whip, Christopher Nolan reinvigorated Batman.  Fantastical absurdity was replaced with practical reality and the comic edges were smoothed until a bat hero almost seemed like a real-world possibility.  Now the final installation of the trilogy has hit shelves, and you can check out a review of The Dark Knight Rises Blu-ray after the jump.

We previously brought you 45 images of the epic fight scene between Batman (Christian Bale) and Bane (Tom Hardy) in The Dark Knight Rises, but now you can see them in action in this new behind-the-scenes Blu-ray extra. Featuring commentary from director Christopher Nolan and editor Lee Smith as well as Bale and Hardy themselves, the clip shows just how much physicality went into making the fight look realistic and an explanation behind the decision not to use stunt doubles.

The Dark Knight Rises, also starring Anne Hathaway, Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine and Marion Cotillard, is available on DVD/Blu-ray and VOD starting December 4th. Hit the jump to watch the clip. 

Just this morning, we posted 45 images of Bane (Tom Hardy) beating up on Batman (Christian Bale) in The Dark Knight Rises. Now, a new featurette found on The Dark Knight Rises DVD/Blu-ray discs is available that explores the physical transformation Hardy underwent in order to bulk up to Bane size. Bale, no stranger to undergoing drastic fluctuations in weight for movie roles, is also featured in the clip reflecting on Hardy’s achievement. We’ve also got concept images for earlier imaginings of Bane’s mask. Hit the jump to check it all out. The Dark Knight Rises DVD/Blu-ray hits stores December 4th.

It takes a lot of hard work to break the Bat.  While I had issues with the plot, The Dark Knight Rises excelled when it came to crafting its action scenes.  One of the most memorable was Bane’s painful beatdown of Batman in the Gotham sewers.  Even though the scene didn’t rely on high-tech martial arts, it still required a significant amount of fight choreography, and 45 images have been released showing what went into Bane punching the Dark Knight into oblivion.

Hit the jump to check out the images.  The sequence will also be part of the special features on the upcoming Blu-ray/DVD of The Dark Knight Rises, which hits stores on December 4th.

Just because the movie has already come out in theaters and is on its way to Blu-ray/DVD, that doesn’t mean the posters will ever stop for The Dark Knight Rises.  Warner Bros. always releases about 437 posters for every blockbuster they make, and those are just the ones we see.  Advertising firms draw up plenty of posters for studios, and then the studios choose and release the ones they want (WB just chooses more than others).  Ad firm Trailer Park, Inc. has released three unused posters for The Dark Knight Rises.  Two show the characters being smothered in Rise debris, and the other plays off Bane’s iconic mask.  While I like the one with the mask, it’s almost too minimal for the casual moviegoer to make the connection.

Hit the jump to check out the posters.  The Dark Knight Rises will be available on Blu-ray, DVD, and digital download on December 4th.