Get ready for a whole lot of Star Wars, folks.  Disney took the stage today for its presentation at CinemaCon—a convention for theater owners—in Las Vegas, and the studio made the bold announcement that it is planning on releasing a new Star Wars film into theaters every summer starting with 2015’s Star Wars: Episode VII.  The studio will alternate every other year with an “Episode” film and a standalone film, and based on previous rumors there certainly won’t be a lack of characters for them to mine.  Hit the jump for more.

With screenwriters Lawrence Kasdan and Simon Kinberg set to consult on Star Wars: Episode VII and penning the new standalone films, there’s a good chance the writing duo already has some points of continuity in mind.  Speaking of continuity, if Yoda is to be involved in either the sequel trilogy (doubtful, unless he’s in hologram form) or even a possible spin-off, Frank Oz has pledged his interest in returning to voice the fan-favorite Jedi master.  All three creative types recently spoke about their work on the upcoming films.  Hit the jump to see what they had to say.

Well that was fast.  Just yesterday Disney CEO Bob Iger confirmed that the studio is developing standalone Star Wars films that will exist outside of the new trilogy, with a rumor surfacing that one such film could focus on Yoda.  Though Star Wars: Episode VII will be the first new movie out of the gate, with J.J. Abrams at the helm, fans have now started to speculate on the nature of these new standalone Star Wars films.  We know that screenwriters Lawrence Kasdan (Empire Strikes Back) and Simon Kinberg (Sherlock Holmes) are working on the spinoff movies, and the larger question has been whether they would focus on new characters in other parts of the Star Wars universe or whether Disney and Lucasfilm would instead focus on existing favorites.

It appears that the answer is the latter, as word now comes that two of the standalone Star Wars films in development center on the separate adventures of Boba Fett and a young Han Solo.  Hit the jump for much more.

We’ve got some Star Wars news to report on today.  We recently (and finally) learned that J.J. Abrams will be helming Star Wars: Episode VII, and today Disney CEO Bob Iger took part in a television appearance where he provided some updates on the studio’s Star Wars franchise.  It was previously reported that screenwriters Lawrence Kasdan and Simon Kinberg had been brought into the fold not only to work on this new trilogy, but also possibly on some standalone films centered around other characters in the Star Wars universe.  Iger confirmed today that that is indeed the case, as Disney is working on Star Wars films that are not a part of the overall saga.  Hit the jump for more.

Disney and Lucasfilm have now confirmed what we already knew: J.J. Abrams will direct Star Wars: Episode VII.  The press release was sent out this evening, announcing that Abrams will not only helm the new sequel, but he’ll also produce through Bad Robot with Bryan Burk.  The announcement includes quotes from both producer and Lucasfilm head Kathleen Kennedy and Mr. George Lucas himself, and here’s what Lucas had to say about the decision:

“I’ve consistently been impressed with J.J. as a filmmaker and storyteller.  He’s an ideal choice to direct the new Star Wars film and the legacy couldn’t be in better hands.”

Also of note, the press release adds that screenwriters Lawrence Kasdan (Empire Strikes Back) and Simon Kinberg (Sherlock Holmes) will be consulting on the project.  We previously learned that the two would have a hand in the scripts for further sequels/spinoffs, but it appears they’re also collaborating on Episode VII.  Michael Arndt is writing the screenplay.  Hit the jump to read the full press release.

Earlier this month, we reported that Lawrence Kasdan (Return of the Jedi) and Simon Kinberg (This Means War) were attached to write screenplays for Star Wars Episode VIII and IX, respectively (Toy Story 3 scribe Michard Arndt is writing Episode VII).  However, it turns out that this news may have jumped the blaster on what Kasdan and Kinberg are working on for Lucasfilm.

Hit the jump for how Kasdan and Kinberg could be involved in Star Wars spin-offs.  Star Wars: Episode VII is due out in 2015.

Now that Hollywood is done with Snow White, they’ll be moving on to Cinderella. Vying for the role of “evil stepmother” in the Disney picture will be Cate Blanchett (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button). Blanchett is reportedly in negotiations for the new adaptation, which is currently known as the Untitled Cinderella Story. Blanchett would be the first casting addition in the picture directed by Mark Romanek (Never Let Me Go). Produced by Simon Kinberg (X-Men), the Untitled Cinderella Story started as a pitch and initial script by Aline Brosh McKenna (The Devil Wears Prada) back in 2010, followed by a more recent draft by Chris Weitz (About a Boy). Hit the jump for more. 

If you thought we’d be heading into the Thanksgiving holiday without one more Star Wars rumor for the road, you’d be wrong.  Michael Arndt was recently confirmed as the screenwriter for Star Wars: Episode VII, and while everyone is busy speculating over who will or won’t direct the next installment in the franchise, it appears that Disney already has its sights set on Episodes VIII and IX.  Word on the street is that the Mouse House is looking at Empire Strikes Back screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan and X-Men: First Class scribe Simon Kinberg to possibly get to work on the next two installments in the new trilogy right away.  Hit the jump for more.

[Update: Kasdan and Kinberg's involvement has been confirmed along with the news that the two will also produce.  More after the jump.]

Over the last few weeks, Sony has finally started to reveal details about director Neill Blomkamp’s (District 9) sci-fi pic Elysium.  Just as District 9 tackled issues of segregation and xenophobia, the first synopsis for Elysium reveals that the sci-fi, future-set story will be delving into the immigration debate.  Set in 2159, two classes of people are roughly divided: the wealthy live on a man-made space station called Elysium, while the rest of the humans inhabit an overpopulated and ruined Earth.  For more on the film, here’s Matt’s recap of the Comic-Con panel, the viral campaign, and Comic-Con interviews with Blomkamp and Matt Damon, Jodie Foster and Sharlto Copley.

Shortly after the panel, I got to speak with producer Simon Kinberg.  We talked about how he got involved in the project, how they decided what footage to bring, the recent test screenings, why they didn’t do 3D, and more.  In addition, with Kinberg writing the X-Men: First Class sequel with Matthew Vaughn and Jane Goldman, we talked about how that’s been going and what fans can look forward to.  Hit the jump to watch.

Neill Blomkamp‘s District 9 was an amazing feature film debut, and whatever he chose to do next would demand the attention of all the fans he amassed in 2009, myself included.  His new film, Elysium, had been cloaked in mystery until a synopsis recently appeared online.  I was even more intrigued after reading the synopsis, and Elysium was easily one of my most-anticipated movies of Comic-Con 2012.  And the presentation didn’t disappoint.

Hit the jump to check out the recap, and click here for all of our Comic-Con coverage.

Development on the sequel to last year’s stellar X-Men: First Class is moving full speed ahead with Matthew Vaughn returning as director and a firm release date recently set for July 18^th, 2014.  We know from the hubbub between Fox and Lionsgate over Jennifer Lawrence’s availability that she’ll have to wrap The Hunger Games: Catching Fire by the end of December in order to be free to shoot the X-Men sequel in January, but so far plot details have been firmly under wraps.  Now it appears that a title registration with the MPAA has clued us in on a possible—and ambitious—plot line for the X-Men: First Class follow-up.  Hit the jump for more.

Who would win in a fight between Mystique from X-Men: First Class and Katniss from The Hunger Games?  The answer: Jennifer Lawrence.  While 20th Century Fox and Lionsgate studios were busy scheduling the shoots for their respective mega-franchise sequels, they got in a bit of a tussle over Lawrence’s availability. I’m sure the bankable young lady loves to have movie studios fighting over her, but luckily the conflict has been resolved. The Hunger Games sequel, Catching Fire, will shoot with Lawrence this fall; after that, she will film the sequel to X-Men: First Class the following January. Hit the jump for much more on both projects.

Matthew Vaughn has signed on to direct a sequel to X-Men: First Class.  According to Deadline, Simon Kinberg (X-Men: The Last Stand) will write the script and Bryan Singer will return to produce.  X-Men: First Class was terrific and I’m glad that Vaughn will return for the sequel.  I’m also excited to see what he’ll do with (hopefully) a bigger budget and more production time.  It’s a little surprising that Vaughn’s frequent collaborator Jane Goldman hasn’t signed on to pen the screenplay, but it’s possible that she’ll come on board later in the process.

Now we can let the speculation begin about what the sequel holds in store.  Vaughn said in May that he would like the second movie would open with the JFK assassination and Magneto controlling the “magic bullet”.  Indulging conspiracy theorists aside, I’m curious to see which new mutants will the fray.  If the movie is set in 1963, it’s probably too early to see Cyclops and Jean Grey kicking around Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters.

While most of us were busy stuffing our faces over the holiday weekend, Tony Scott and 20^th Century Fox discussed illegal drug trafficking. The Unstoppable producer/director is now lined up to direct Narco Sub, a drug-centric action thriller based on a spec script by David Guggenheim (Safe House). As of now, the plot details are being kept quiet, but the title indicates it will have something to do with submersible crafts used by South American drug cartels to smuggle product into the states. Although Denzel Washington has been a staple in many of Scott’s films, there is no news on his involvement at the moment. Hit the jump for more on Narco Sub.

The Rock is ready to take on monsters. It was announced today that Dwayne Johnson is now attached to star in the feature film adaptation of John Paul Russ’ comic book miniseries The Monster Hunter’s Survival Guide. The book “is a comprehensive guide to hunt monsters, the undead and unnatural beasts, and survive the confrontations.” Simon Kinberg (X-Men: First Class) will produce through his Genre Films shingle. It’s not a terrible idea for a film, though I sincerely hope they steer clear of the Van Helsing approach. Is it too much to hope for an R-rated version with Johnson violently taking on ginormous, gnarly monsters?

Johnson is currently filming G.I. Joe 2: Retaliation, where he plays Roadblock. He’ll follow G.I. Joe 2 with the action thriller Snitch, where he stars opposite Susan Sarandon and Michael K. Williams. He’s also attached to play Goliath in a retelling of the David and Goliath story in Goliath, but that film is currently lacking a David. Johnson will next be seen in Journey 2: The Mysterious Island, which opens February 10th, 2012.