The casting machine is starting to gear up for Josh Trank‘s upcoming reboot of Fantastic Four.  Yesterday, we reported that Girls star Allison Williams was on the short list to presumably play Sue Storm/Invisible Woman in the film.  Today, we have even more exciting Fantastic Four news as The Wrap is reporting that Michael B. Jordan is being considered for the role of Johnny Storm/Human Torch.  Jordan previously played a super-powered individual in Trank’s Chronicle, and the actor has received rave notices for his heartbreaking performance in the award-winning film, Fruitvale (now titled “Fruitvale Station“).

Hit the jump for more. Fantastic Four is set to open on March 6, 2015.

Several years ago, Bill Condon was set to direct a biopic about comedian Richard Pryor with Marlon Wayans in the lead role.  However, when Condon jumped to The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn—a move that will give him power in the long-run to get more personal projects made—the Pryor biopic languished.  According to Deadline, the project has found new life with Forest Whitaker taking over to co-produce with Pryor’s widow, Jennifer Pryor.  Forest will develop a new script in an attempt to finally bring Pryor’s story to the big screen.  A biopic of the comedian has been attempted for years with black comedians such as Damon Wayans, Eddie Griffin, Mike Epps, Eddie Murphy, and Chris Rock all circling the role.

Hit the jump for why Whitaker’s film may finally get Pryor’s biopic in front of cameras, and the unlikely actor who could be a possibility for the juicy role.

Here’s one of the most morbid thoughts you can ever put in your head: will I die today?  This thought isn’t to spur you to live each day like it’s your last.  It’s a simple observation.  Where has life led you to this point, where would you like your life to go, and how does one affect the other?  In his debut feature Fruitvale, writer-director Ryan Coogler goes into the last day in the life of Oscar Grant, who was infamously shot by BART police officers in Oakland, California on New Year’s Day, 2009.  Coogler’s solemn, no-frills direction lets us walk into Oscar’s life, and become absolutely devastated as it heads to its inevitable conclusion.  The film’s emotional impact is only lessened by Coogler’s bizarre decision to push a message that doesn’t coincide with his movie’s theme.

The found footage film and the superhero movie are both formulaic to a fault, so it’s odd that the combination of the two bring new life to both.  Josh Trank’s Chronicle tells the story of three kids who gain powers, but does so in a way that’s refreshing and engaging.  The movie was a surprise hit, and we can’t wait to see what Trank does next.  Our review of the Blu-ray of Chronicle follows after the jump.

Up until the past 15 years or so, television series were firmly episodic.  Serialized TV (outside of mini-series) risked alienating viewers since it stopped anyone from coming in mid-season.  However, with the rise of DVDs, OnDemand, and digital downloads, serialized TV series have become firmly established.  Some shows still retain an episodic nature, but some series—particularly dramas—have been built around telling one long story over the course of an entire season.  Our new feature, Seasoned, will review a TV series by season rather than by episode.

And we couldn’t think of a better kick-off to this feature than HBO’s The Wire.  Hit the jump for my review of the groundbreaking drama’s first season.

Max Landis’ Chronicle was one of Collider’s Most Anticipated Films for the first quarter of 2012 and was a nice little box office surprise for Fox. The studio is hoping that lightning strikes twice as Landis has been tapped to write the sequel to the found-footage superhero film. Chronicle’s plot line followed three teenagers (Dane DeHaan, Alex Russell and Michael B. Jordan) as they acquired superhuman powers and attempted to gain control over them. Without giving too much of the plot away, let’s just say that not all of them were able to walk the straight and narrow path. Chronicle played out in such a way that a direct sequel involving all of the principal characters would be difficult, but fans of comics know that, in the world of superhuman powers, quite literally anything is possible. Hit the jump for more on Chronicle.

This past week brought us a story that is near and dear to me. While I briefly give my own thoughts regarding DC Comics’ Watchmen prequel comic series after the jump, I want to use the “Top 5′s” opening paragraph space to invite readers to voice/type their own opinions on the announcement in the comments section. As a fervent fan of the series, I’m always interested to hear fellow fans’ take on Watchmen adaptations, prequels, and the like. So, with that said, what do you think? Does the creative talent involved interest you? Is it the best idea ever? The worst? Somewhere in between? Sound off in the comments.

In addition to DC’s Before Watchmen announcement, this installment of the “Top 5″ includes interviews with the cast and director of superhero/found-footage pic Chronicle, a “What If?” look at a 16-Bit Breaking Bad RPG, ten things to know about Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax, and Sundance 2012 video interviews with Bradley Cooper, Paul Dano and more. A brief recap and link to each follows after the jump.

Michael B. Jordan (best known from television via Friday Night Lights and The Wire) emanates an effortless aura of “cool”. In Chronicle, the upcoming found footage + superhero flick, Jordan channels his inherent charms as Steve Montgomery – the uber-popular wannabe politician who upon exposure to a radiating crystal-of-some-kind obtains the ability of telekinesis. I spent the majority of Chronicle convinced that this Steve cat was just too cool, too smooth, too damn likable – that there must be something wrong with the kid, something he’s hiding, some sinister motive or skeleton-in-a-closet; but my paranoia was proven unfounded as Steve reveals himself to be far more empathetic and kind then even he initially lets on.

In the following interview, Michael B. Jordan talks about being just so darn likable, the political figure he emulated for Steven and his time on television (past – Wallace on The Wire and future – an upcoming stint on House). For the full interview hit the jump.

We’ve been provided with four clips and nine images from the upcoming superhero found footage film Chronicle to share with our readers. The story centers on three high school students who are endowed with superhuman powers after being exposed to an unknown substance in an underground lair. The pic chronicles what happens when some of the most irresponsible human beings on the planet—teenagers—are given incredible abilities. Buzz for the film has been very positive, and you can read our preview footage report and interview with the film’s director, Josh Trank, here. In fact, 20th Century Fox is apparently so pleased with the finished product that Trank is their number one choice to direct the upcoming Fantastic Four reboot.

Hit the jump to check out the clips and images. The film stars Dane DeHaan, Michael B. Jordan, and Alex Russell and it was written by Max Landis.  Chronicle opens February 3rd, 2012.

The “found footage” movie that made its way into two of our “Most Anticipated” lists is beginning to rev up its marketing engine. Chronicle, which debuted its first trailer back in October, recently released two clips entitled “The Discovery” and “The Baseball Test.” The first clip is essentially a teaser about how three teenagers acquire telekinesis and other superpowers, but it does a nice job of setting up the dynamic among them. The second clip features the guys testing out their new found powers and contains hilarious moments of schadenfreude; it also happens to give nice foreshadowing in a subtle, yet unnerving performance by Dane DeHaan (True Blood). Unfortunately, the poor quality of the CG baseball doesn’t bode well for the rest of the film. Hit the jump to check out the clips and a new poster for Chronicle.

There are two competing Linda Lovelace biopics in the works right now.  Amanda Seyfried will play the 1970s porn star in Lovelace.  A report from yesterday added Adam Brody, Eric Roberts, and Demi Moore to the supporting cast alongside Peter Sarsgaard, Sharon Stone, Juno Temple, Wes Bentley, Hank Azaria, and possibly James Franco.  Malin Akerman will assume the starring role in Inferno: A Linda Lovelace Story, surrounded by the likes of Matt Dillon, Paz de la Huerta, Harold Perrineau, and Sasha Grey.  For my money, Lovelace is winning the casting battle handily, a fact not changed by Variety‘s report that Adam Goldberg is in final talks to play fellow porn star Harry Reems in Inferno.  Maybe I am swayed by my fondness for Brody, who’s playing Reems in Lovelace.  But really, Seyfried + Sarsgaard > Akerman + Dillon.  However, I am on record saying I don’t have the heart to watch this ugly tale, so no need to appeal to me.  Matthew Wilder will direct Inferno based on his own script, adapted from Lovelace’s autobiography Ordeal.

Hit the jump for details on Michael B. Jordan‘s upcoming guest spot on House.

With less than two weeks left in 2011, it’s time to set our sights on movies that will be opening in 2012. Since the coming year is releasing a ton of big budget movies that will dominate media coverage, we thought we’d take a moment to highlight some of the lesser known fare that will be gracing the screens over the  next twelve months. We’ve got some new posters that will be a first look at these projects for some of you and a gentle reminder for others. First up is the superhero “found footage” thriller Chronicle by director Josh Trank (The Kill Point). Trank’s cinematic directorial debut features three teenagers who become imbued with superpowers and how those abilities darken their lives. Next, from David Cronenberg (A Dangerous Method) comes Cosmopolis, starring Robert Pattinson (Twilight). The adaptation of the Don DeLillo’s novel by the same name follows a young billionaire (Pattinson) as his limo traverses Manhattan in search of a haircut (not making this up). Finally, the animated Rise of the Guardians, which has the most charming poster in my opinion, is based off of the “Guardians of Childhood” book series by William Joyce and features childhood legends teaming up to take on the Boogeyman. Hit the jump to check out the posters.

The first trailer for the found-footage superhero pic Chronicle has gone online. The film follows three teenagers who develop superpowers after being exposed to a mysterious substance. The film is shot documentary style, and follows the boys as they mess around with their newfound abilities. However, things go awry when one of the teenagers take things too far. Admittedly, I’m not a big fan of the found-footage genre in the first place, so I’m not entirely sold on the project. It has a cool concept, but looks like it could flounder much the same as Cloverfield did when it got into the actual story. Furthermore, it looks like the kids are filming with an ARRI Alexa which is an extremely expensive camera to give to teenagers.

Hit the jump to watch the trailer. Directed by Josh Trank (Big Fan) the film stars Dane DeHaan, Michael B. Jordan, and Alex Russell. Chronicle opens February 3rd, 2012.

A new featurette for Red Tails has gone online.  Were you wondering if the cast enjoyed working with each other?  Did you stay up late at night thinking, “Can these actors have fun while still respecting the serious story of the first squadron African-American World War II fighter pilots?”  Well this featurette has got some obvious answers for you.

Hit the jump to check out the featurette.  The film stars Cuba Gooding Jr., Terrence Howard, David Oyelowo, Kevin Phillips, Nate Parker, Daniela Ruah, Michael B. Jordan, Tristan Wilds, Cliff Smith, Rick Otto, and Bryan Cranston.

We’ve got a couple of casting stories for you this evening. First up, the cast for Stephen Sommers’ adapatation of the Dean Koontz novel Odd Thomas continues to fill out, with Undercovers star Gugu Mbatha-Raw being the latest actor to join the film. Odd Thomas stars Anton Yelchin as the eponymous character who is able to see and partially communicate with the dead. Addison Timlin is poised to play his girlfriend, and Variety reports that Mbatha-Raw will play her best friend. The cast now includes Nico Tortorella and Patton Oswalt, with Willem Dafoe in talks to play the local police chief.

Additionally, Michael B. Jordan (TV’s Friday Night Lights) and Alex Russell have been tapped as the leads in Fox’s supernatural drama alongside Dane DeHaan. Variety reports that plot details are under wraps, but the story apparently centers on “three Portland teens after they develop powers from exposure to a mysterious substance.” Josh Trank (The Kill Point) will make his feature directorial debut on the project, from a script by Max Landis. Chronicle is slated for a February 3, 2012 release.