The Angry Birds movie is moving full-speed ahead, as Sony Pictures Entertainment announced today that it has acquired worldwide distribution rights to the feature film adaptation of the popular video game.  Rovio Entertainment is developing, producing, and financing the pic itself, with John Cohen (Despicable Me) and David Maisel (Iron Man) onboard to produce the 3D animated film.  We previously knew that Rovio was targeting a 2016 release date, and Sony has firmed that up by announcing Angry Birds will hit theaters on July 1, 2016.

A director or screenwriter has yet to be announced and story details are non-existent, but this is an incredibly lucrative property that is bound to do big business with the younger crowd when it hits theaters on the Fourth of July weekend in 2016.  Production is slated to begin in the next few months, at which point we should learn more about the animated comedy.  Hit the jump to read the press release.

Surprise!  Those still crossing their fingers for the very long in-development Ghostbusters 3 were granted a glimmer of hope when we recently learned that the sequel could start filming next summer, but that hope has now swiftly been dashed out.  Due to some financial uneasiness, Sony Pictures Entertainment is currently reassessing all of their projects in the pipeline.  Per THR, any decision on Ghostbusters 3 has been postponed until the end of March, which means that the hoped-for Summer 2013 start date is no longer a possibility.  Should Sony ultimately decide to move forward with the sequel, filming likely wouldn’t be able to get underway until next fall at the earliest.

The most recent draft of the script was written by Etan Cohen, and Ghostbusters I and II director Ivan Reitman had been set to return.  I’m not sure we really need another Ghostbusters movie (especially now that Bill Murray is out), and I remain skeptical as to whether Ghostbusters 3 will actually come to fruition.

Just because Men in Black III has experienced some bumps and bruises along the course of its production doesn’t mean that the MIB franchise isn’t still a Hollywood heavyweight. Released in 1997 and 2002 respectively, let us not forget that the first two installments in the franchise garnered more than a combined $1 billion at the worldwide box office against an approximate combined budget of $230 million. With this blockbuster status in mind, Sony Pictures Entertainment and IMAX Corporation apparently have similarly high hopes for the third installment as they have announced that Men in Black III will be digitally remastered and released in IMAX 3D when it hits theaters worldwide on May 25, 2012. According to Sony Pictures Releasing president Rory Bruer:

“Releasing a film in IMAX 3D signals an event release, and Men in Black III on Memorial Day weekend certainly qualifies in a big way. We couldn’t be more excited about how MIB III will look and sound in IMAX theatres.”

As a quick reminder, the film is directed by franchise mainstay Barry Sonnenfeld and stars Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones, Josh Brolin and Alice Eve. While plot details are not available in abundance, we do know that the film will feature a time-traveling element that sees Agent J (Smith) go back in time to save a young Agent K (Brolin) while averting a world-ending disaster.

It’s official: the Will Smith/Jay-Z Annie remake is going into production.  One week ago, we reported that the pair were in talks to revamp the classic property as a starring vehicle for Smith’s daughter Willow.  At that time, however, it was believed that Jay-Z’s contribution would be confined to the film’s music.  The press release we received today, though, confirms that the self-proclaimed “best rapper alive” will team-up with Will and Jada Pinkett Smith’s Overbrook Entertainment as a co-producer on the project.  In addition to Overbrook and Jay-Z’s (a.k.a. Shawn Carter) involvement, Sony Pictures Entertainment will help develop the Annie remake.

For more on the project, hit the jump to check out the full press release.