Summit Entertainment and OddLot Entertainment announced today that production has begun on director Ivan Reitman’s sports dramedy Draft Day.  The film takes place within the span of one day, the day of the NFL Draft, as Kevin Costner plays a general manger who has the opportunity to save football in Cleveland when he trades for the number one pick.  As the day’s events unfold, “he must quickly decide what he’s willing to sacrifice in pursuit of perfection as the lines between his personal and professional life become blurred on a life-changing day for a few hundred young men with dreams of playing in the NFL.”

Filming is underway in New York, where the production will shoot some scenes at the actual 2013 NFL Draft.  Once that is complete, filming will move to Cleveland.  The ensemble includes Jennifer Garner, Denis Leary, Ellen Burstyn, Frank Langella, Josh Pence, Rosanna Arquette, Timothy Simons and 42 star Chadwick Boseman, and the start-of-production press release notes that Terry Crews and Sean “P. Diddy” Combs have also joined the cast.  Hit the jump to read the full press release, which includes the entire cast listing.

Sony Pictures Animation has released a new featurette for Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2.  The plot revolves around Flint Lockwood (Bill Hader) and Sam Sparks (Anna Faris) returning to Swallow Falls to clean up the mess created by the FLDSMDFR, only to find that food is now taking on the form of mutant beasts.  In the featurette, Terry Crews, who has replaced Mr. T as the voice of Earl Devereaux, shows us some more of the strange pun-christened leftovers that inhabit Swallow Falls.  I’m not sure if the puns will be carrying the whole marketing campaign, but they’re working for now.  Of course, everything works better when you add Terry Crews.

Hit the jump to check out the featurette.  The film also features the voices of Andy Samberg, Benjamin Bratt, and Neil Patrick Harris.  Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 opens in 3D on September 27th.

Sony Pictures has released the first trailer for Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2.  The plot revolves around Flint Lockwood (Bill Hader) and Sam Sparks (Anna Faris) returning to Swallow Falls to clean up the mess created by the FLDSMDFR, only to find that food is now taking on the form of mutant beasts.  I laughed a lot during this trailer, but keep in mind that I love puns, so I crack up when the beasts are called “Mosquitoast” and “Shrimpanzees”.  The trailer also shows off the strange, offbeat humor that made the first film such a delight.

Hit the jump to watch the trailer.  The film also features the voices of Andy Samberg, Benjamin Bratt, Terry Crews, and Neil Patrick Harris.  Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 opens in 3D on September 27th.

Fans of the original action hero mash-up The Expendables are in for higher stakes, twice the explosions and more grizzled cast members in The Expendables 2, now available on Blu-ray. While the sequel managed to top the experience of the first film, the Blu-ray has plenty of extras to keep fans busy, including a commentary track by director Simon West (Con Air) that provides a lot of behind-the-scenes info. Want to know what weapons the Expendables used? Want to know how much bigger the sequel could have been? Want to see the real life Expendables the movie characters referenced? Well then hit the jump for my review of The Expendables 2 on Blu-ray. 

A few casting notices:

• Benicio del Toro is in final negotiations to play Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar in Paradise Lost, which is not exactly a Pablo Escobar biopic.
• Scoot McNairy booked two roles.  He will star opposite Michael Fassbender in Frank, and joins Guy Pearce and Robert Pattinson in The Rover.
• The full cast list for Reach Me features Tom Berenger, Kevin Connolly, Thomas Jane, Sylvester Stallone, Kyra Sedgwick, Kelsey Grammer, Nelly, Terry Crews, Ryan Kwanten, and more.

Details on each project after the jump.

Just when I thought my limited edition poster appetite was satisfied, the Halloween season rolls around and Mondo drops this beauty from Ken Taylor for John Carpenter‘s masterpiece. Given that I wasn’t fortunate enough to attend the benefit at L.A.’s New Beverly Cinema where the print’s Regular edition of 225 was released for only $100 (which included a ticket to the screening no less!), I’m now banished to dealing with sellers who are already asking upwards of four times that number. Sigh. What’s a guy to do but drop ridiculous amounts of money on movie art?

But enough of Hoarders: Collectible Movie Poster Edition, standing out from this past week’s headlines is the huge news regarding Disney’s purchase of Lucasfilm and the launch of a new Star Wars trilogy beginning in 2015, Wreck-It Ralph interviews with John C. Reilly and more, our American Film Market 2012 coverage, Francis Lawrence helming the remainder of The Hunger Games franchise (including a two-part adaptation of Mockingjay), and special Election 2012 assets including Joss Whedon‘s endorsement of the Zomney Apocalypse and the return of Idiocracy‘s President Dwayne Elizando Mountain Dew Herbert Camacho. Hit the jump for a brief recap and link to each.

With only five days left until the Presidential Election, Idiocracy‘s President Dwayne Elizando Mountain Dew Herbert Camacho (Terry Crews) has traveled back in time to give his thoughts on the election, the economy, the Middle East (Mexico and Canada should watch out), jobs, and the “outgo tax” (the constipated shall live like kings).  If you’re worried this won’t have the flavor of Idiocracy, Mike Judge wrote and directed all these shorts.  Also, for those who took issue with Joss Whedon‘s zombie apocalypse warning, these Camacho shorts are decidedly apolitical.

Hit the jump to check out the videos, and don’t forget to vote on November 6th.

I love Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, and I have high expectations for the upcoming sequel, Cloudy 2: Revenge of the Leftovers.  Details on the film have been scarce, but now EW is reporting that the plot revolves around Flint Lockwood (Bill Hader) and Sam Sparks (Anna Faris) returning to Swallow Falls to clean up the mess created by the FLDSMDFR only to find that food is now taking on the form of mutant beasts.  “Magically, every creature is a combination of a food item and an animal that results in just a cringeworthy pun,” says producer Kirk Bodyfelt.  As a fan of cringeworthy puns, this makes me even more excited for the flick.

Hit the jump for more.  Cloudy 2: Revenge of the Leftovers opens in 3D on February 7, 2014.

This weekend’s release of ParaNorman will afford me the rare opportunity to share an afternoon in the theater with two of my nephews, ages 8 and 10. Granted, they’re a little disappointed that we’re not checking it out in 3D, but I just can’t bring myself to foster any sort of affinity for the technology in their young and impressionable minds. The last movie we watched in theaters together was 2009′s Up and it was an experience that I’ll never forget as its brilliant opening sequence brought tears to both of their eyes at the ripe ages of 5 and 7. It was a glowing example of the cinema’s ability to touch young and old alike and while ParaNorman will likely be unable to touch that moment, I’m looking forward to it a ton nonetheless.

My weekend plans aside, in a three-fifths ode to our action heroes of yesteryear, this week’s Top 5 includes video interviews with the cast of The Expendables 2, video interviews with the cast and directors of ParaNorman, the first poster and trailer for Arnold Schwarzenegger‘s The Last Stand, David Cronenberg vs. the superhero genre, and the first trailer for Sly Stallone and director Walter Hill‘s revenge tale, Bullet to the Head. As always, a brief recap and link to each greets you after the jump.

Simon West‘s The Expendables 2 opens this weekend, and the film has Barney Ross (Sylvester Stallone) and his gang of mercenaries out for revenge while also having to deal with a baddie (Jean-Claude Van Damme) who wants some weapons-grade plutonium.  I was very disappointed with the first film, but the sequel is a blast.  I think one of the big problems with the original was the lack of a great antagonist.  But by bringing in Van Damme (who is one of the best parts of the sequel), the fight scenes are a lot more fun.  The Expendables 2 also stars Jason Statham, Yu Nan, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Chuck Norris, Terry Crews, Randy Couture, Liam Hemsworth, Bruce Willis, and Arnold Schwarzenegger.

At the recent Los Angeles press day I got to speak with Randy Couture and Terry Crews.  We talked about the first time they heard about the sequel, how they prepared for the second film, the big action scenes, and who would they like to see in The Expendables 3.  Hit the jump to watch.

Idiocracy was unceremoniously dumped into a handful of theaters in 2005.  In the years since, the movie has developed a following—not enough to keep Luke Wilson from resorting to embarrassing phone commercials, but possibly enough to justify a spinoff.  In Idiocracy, Terry Crews played Dwayne Elizondo Mountain Dew Herbert Camacho: “five-time Ultimate Smackdown champion, porn superstar, and President of the United States.”  Crews understandably enjoyed his time with the character and has appealed to writer/director Mike Judge to write more for Camacho.  It took a few years, but Crews says he and Judge met with Fox last week to bring Camacho back in some form.  Read what Crews said after the jump.

If action movies of the 80s and 90s are my religion, then The Expendables 2 just gave me my last rites.  Lionsgate is letting us premiere a new poster that features the entire kick-ass cast assembled along one of the most famous tables in artistic history.  While scholars have deciphered Da Vinci’s painting “The Last Supper” for centuries, the companion image from The Expendables 2 is more my style, complete with guns, skulls and plenty of booze.

Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis, Jet Li, Jason Statham, Chuck Norris, Dolph Lundgren, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Terry Crews, Randy Couture, Liam Hemsworth, Scott Adkins and Yu Nan star in the sequel to Stallone’s bone-breaking 2010 original film.  Directed by Simon West, The Expendables 2 opens August 17th.  Hit the jump to see the exclusive poster.

Lionsgate has released a new behind-the-scenes featurette for The Expendables 2.  The new film has Barney Ross (Sylvester Stallone) and his gang of mercenaries out for revenge, and also having to deal with a baddie (Jean-Claude Van Damme) who wants some weapons-grade plutonium.  This featurette isn’t going to change anyone’s anticipation for the flick one way or the other, but I do like the emphasis on practical effects and trying to offer a break from CGI-heavy action (although you will also notice green screens in this featurette).

Hit the jump to check out the featurette.  The film also stars Jason Statham, Yu Nan, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Chuck Norris, Terry Crews, Randy Couture, Liam Hemsworth, Bruce Willis, and Arnold Schwarzenegger.  The Expendables 2 opens on August 17th.

The Expendables 2, the Simon West-directed sequel to The Expendables, appeared at the end of the opening day of Comic-Con 2012.  They opened the panel with the previously released trailer for the film, before Sylvester Stallone himself took the stage (to a “Rocky, Rocky!” chant).  He was soon joined by other members of his cast, setting the Guinness world record for most testosterone ever on stage at one time.  The Expendables 2, also starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Chuck Norris, Bruce Willis, Liam Hemsworth, Terry Crews, Jean Claude Van Damme, Scott Adkins, Charisma Carpenter, Yu Nan and Randy Couture opens August 17th.  Hit the jump to check out the rest of the panel and make sure to click here for all of our continuing Comic-Con coverage.

We previously showed you Comic-Con exclusive posters for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and Pacific Rim, and now The Expendables 2 is getting in on the action.  More precisely, they’re getting in on the 1980s action.  Since the film’s cast is populated mostly with 80s action stars, it only makes sense that there should a poster that carries an 80s vibe.  If you’re looking forward to the upcoming sequel and are going to be at Comic-Con, you’ll probably want to try and track this down (assuming they’ll be giving out copies).  My advice is to head to the Lionsgate booth (#4035) on the show floor.

Hit the jump to check out the poster.  The film stars Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Chuck Norris, Terry Crews, Randy Couture, Liam Hemsworth, Jean Claude Van Damme, Bruce Willis, and Arnold Schwarzenegger.  The Expendables 2 opens August 17th.  The film’s Comic-Con panel will be this Thursday at 4:45pm in Hall H.