Once again El Eshoo comes through with word from the Chicago set of Chris Nolan’s The Dark Knight, this time with two separate reports (and lots of pictures) on what was being filmed on Friday and Saturday (August 24/25):

Friday, August 24 

Saw some more “Batman” filming last night, which included Helicopters, a Construction Site and a Cool Stunt!

Ok, after reading some sheets on-line explaining street closures and stuff here in Chicago, I head to McClurg Street at around 8pm, where there is indeed crew & PA’s a-plenty. There’s some trailers on Grand Ave. and Towering Light Trucks set up as well. Also, they’re shining lights up the side of some Apartment buildings, so my speculations were flying as to what exactly was going to happen.

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Posted in Batman, Movies •

John Williams may return to the Harry Potter series, according to a report by someone who met the film composer at a lecture.

Williams composed the music for the first three Potter films, while Patrick Doyle (Goblet of Fire) and Nicholas Hooper (Order of the Phoenix) took over on the following installments.

It has been confirmed that Hooper will also score next movie in line, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, but Williams apparently said with confidence that he thinks he will be back for the last and then added that he hopes he is. The final film, Deathly Hallows, has a targeted release date of June 2010.

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Posted in Harry Potter, Movies •

D.J. Caruso will direct the upcoming adaptation of Brian K. Vaughan’s comic book series Y: The Last Man, and there have been rumours that he would once again turn to his Disturbia and Eagle Eye star Shia LaBeouf for the lead role.

Caruso addressed this topic in an interview with MTV.com: ‘This is funny, but unbeknownst to me: Shia was already chasing this part prior to anything. I haven’t talked to him yet about it because he’s off shooting ‘Indiana Jones 4,’ but Shia is the right type and the right personality because you want to have the humor, but you also want to have the seriousness. So we’ll talk about it when we get there.’

LaBeouf can currently be seen in theaters starring as Sam Witwicky in Transformers.

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Posted in Movies •

Kevin Smith (Dogma, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back) is scheduled to direct an episode of the upcoming fourth and final season of Battlestar Galactica.

The writer-director told AOL: ‘I’m going to go up and direct an episode of ‘Battlestar Galactica,’ which I’m kind of stoked about. It’s cool, but it is scary because it is like, “What the f—? I can’t bring anything to that show.” That show is genius and they have a very distinctive visual style. But you are safe as a kitten. If you go in there and say, “I’m going to shoot everything in one big master shot,” they’ll go, “No you’re not, because that is not what we do on ‘Battlestar Galactica.’” I guess it is more about performance-oriented stuff, but at the same time that cast is top notch. How do you f—– direct Mary McDonnell?’

Smith is definitely a fan of the series: ‘It’s cool as someone who is a big fan and a supporter of the show to get up there and do one before they are all done […] I’m just hoping to be able to see some stuff in advance. If they’ll show me every episode up until that point that would be incredibly helpful for my episode, but more incredibly helpful for me as a fan.’

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Posted in Battlestar Galactica, Television •

A source who spoke with Anthony Michael Hall on the set of The Dark Knight told Hollywoodchicago.com that the actor plays an investigative TV reporter in the film.

The news dispells previous rumours that Hall would be seen in a cameo as Edward Nygma (who later turns into The Riddler).

Apparently, Hall’s character is (highlight to read plot spoilers) extremely jealous of Bruce Wayne. When he learns that Wayne is Batman, he plans to blow the whistle on him via GCN. But The Joker intercedes with a bomb threat, out of fear that he ‘will lose the object of his game-playing affection’.

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Posted in Batman, Movies •

IESB.net are reporting that Smallville star Tom Welling will play Superman in the Justice League movie.   To clear up rumours that emerged last week suggesting that the superhero ensemble flick could be an all CGI affair,   it now appears that motion capture will be used only for spot FX work.

Apparently Welling is in talks to play the role after producers opted not to use the new movie Man of Steel, Brandon Routh, in their film.

According to the report, Welling will double-up as Superman in Smallville and Justice League at the same time.   Production on the film, which brings superheroes like Batman and Superman together on the big screen, is set to begin at the beginning of 2008.

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Posted in Movies, Superman, Television •

The original Luke Skywalker lightsaber prop from Star Wars (1977) will be launched into space aboard the space shuttle Discovery in October to commemorate the film franchise’s 30th anniversary reports SCI FI Wire.

Lucasfilm, the Space Center Houston and Southwest Airlines announced yesterday that the prop will be handed over by Chewbacca to to representatives from NASA’s Space Center Houston during a ceremony at Oakland International Airport.

Upon landing in Houston, the lightsaber will be escorted by costumed stormtroopers, alongside R2-D2 and other Star Wars characters,  to a caravan of Hummers with a police escort.  It will be transported for safekeeping to NASA’s Space Center Houston, where it will be secured inside the vault once used to store samples from the moon until it is ready for its trip into space.

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Posted in Movies, Star Wars •

Variety reports that George Lucas has hired John Ridley to write Red Tails,  his action movie chronicling the Tuskegee Airmen,  a group of African American pilots who flew with distinction during World War II.

The film is based on a story by Lucas, who is financing development through his Lucasfilm production company and executive producing.   The movie will tell the story of a group of young pilots as they overcame racism to break the aviation color barrier and become the first African-American fighter pilots in U.S. military history.   The unit’s planes were were distinguished by the red-painted tails that give the film its title.

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Posted in Movies •

Entertainment Weekly reports that Jeff Fahey is joining the cast of Lost,  joining previously announced newcomers Jeremy Davies, Lance Reddick, Ken Leung and Rebecca Mader.

Executive producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse wouldn’t elaborate on Fahey’s character but said he was the first and only choice for the role.

‘The Lawnmower Man and [the 1995 TV series] The Marshall are personal faves,’ said Cuse. ‘And he has the most intense eyes of any guy out there, and I say that as a non-gay man.’ added Lindelof. ‘Fahey is one of those actors who feels like he fits into the Lost model: He’s enormously talented and will be vaguely recognizable to some people, but he’ll be able to land on our island without most people going, ‘Oh, I know who that guy is.’ And especially for the part we cast him for, he has exactly the right sensibilities.”

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Posted in Lost, Television •