As we look towards the next few months, we’ve got plenty of sequels and popcorn fare ahead of us. One of the biggest properties arriving this summer is the third film in the Men in Black franchise. Barry Sonnenfeld returns as director and the story finds Will Smith’s Agent J travelling back in time to save Tommy Lee Jones’ Agent K. In addition to Bill Hader as Andy Warhol, we get Josh Brolin playing a younger version of Jones’ character for much of the film. Judging by the trailer, he’s done a remarkable job.  Men in Black 3 also stars Jemaine Clement, Alice Eve, Emma Thompson, and Johnny Knoxville. In addition, make-up effects artist Rick Baker returns to the franchise and you can see some of his creature work here.

The other night I landed an exclusive interview with Barry Sonnenfeld.  While most interviews take place during the day at a hotel, we spoke by phone close to midnight.  With his busy post-production schedule, it was the one time he could fit in the interview.  During our wide ranging conversation we talked about the way he shot the 3D, how the project came together, whether he prefers film or digital and why, what his cameo in the film entails (he plays a man who jumped off a building during the stock market crash of 1929), Easter eggs, if he misses being a cinematographer, why he doesn’t shoot his own movies, what parts of the film changed on set, casting Josh Brolin, IMAX, deleted scenes, the running time (it’s currently 97 minutes without titles), his favorite movie, director and actor, and so much more.  In addition, he gave me updates on his future projects like Dominion: Dinosaurs Versus Aliens and The How-To Guide for Saving the Planet.  Hit the jump for a few new images of Sonnenfeld on set and the interview.

Barry Sonnenfeld (Men in Black) is achin’ for some bacon. DreamWorks Animation has approached Sonnenfeld to develop and direct an animated comedy based on the Pig Scrolls (via Pajiba), a popular young adult novel by Paul Shipton. Set in Ancient Greece, the story stars Gryllus, formerly a sailor with Odysseus, who was bewitched by the enchantress Circe and transformed into a pig. His personal quest to become human again leads him into a far larger adventure where he must stop the deadly Atomos Device from being detonated and destroying the cosmos. Naturally, sly, albeit anachronistic, nods to Greek history and mythology abound and most of the pantheon makes an appearance.

Riding the Grecian wave of Clash of the Times and Percy Jackson and the Lightening Thief, Pig Scrolls joins Hercules and Jason and the Argonauts in the copycat queue. As Sonnenfeld is also attached to Men in Black III, The Spellman Files and Swift it is still too soon to pencil his name in as director. Pajiba notes, however, that of all the projects, Pig Scrolls is the most developed so it may have the inside track.