Getting Graphic

Films based on comic books have been making news all week, and today, the trend continues... Variety has details on 3 different genre projects in the making



>>>Columbia, Moritz call on 'The Boys'

Columbia Pictures has acquired the rights to indie comic book "The Boys" and will develop a feature adaptation along with producer Neal H. Moritz and his...Original Film banner.

Comic book series follows a special forces CIA squad...

>>>WB takes franchise turn with 'Akira'



Warner Bros. will turn anime artist Katsuhiro Ôtomo's six-volume graphic novel "Akira" into two live-action feature films, the first of which is being fast tracked for release in summer 2009. Legendary Pictures will co-finance with WB.

Graphic novel was first adapted for the big screen in 1988 as a popular animated film which Otomo directed.

Actor Leonardo DiCaprio's production company, Appian Way Productions is involved.

The original story was set in ''New Tokyo'' in 2019, after a nuclear war. A teen biker gang member is subjected to a government experiment that taps latent powers, and the gang leader is forced to try and stop the destruction that lies in his wake. The new adaptation will be set in ''New Manhattan,'' a city rebuilt by Japanese money.

Ruairí Robinson is set to make his feature directorial debut on what is expected to be a two-part epic. Gary Whitta is adapting the screenplay. The first film is tentatively scheduled for a summer 2009release.

>>>David Fincher falls into 'Black Hole'

David Fincher is attached to direct "Black Hole" for Paramount Pictures and MTV Films.

Plan B Productions® and producer Kevin Messick are developing the project that's based on Charles Burns' graphic novel. Burns wrote and illustrated the 12-issue series that became the graphic novel over a 10-year period.

Story kicks off when a sexually transmitted "bug" is passed from teenager to teenager.

Roger Avary and Neil Gaiman were tapped to adapt the screenplay in March 2006...

Given that anime has never been my cup of tea, to be honest my only reaction to the Akira news is "meh" Still there's no denying its worldwide popularity--I'm surprised its live action leap took so long to happen...

As for "Hole" it's a great read and I'm super excited that Fincher is taking the project on. I can't wait!

I had never even heard of "The Boys" before today...I'll either read it or wait to see some footage before forming an opinion.

Winner By K.O.

Blu-ray VS. HD-DVD is over...

Blu-ray wins high-def war

Toshiba concedes its HD DVD defeat.

Garth Franklin of Dark Horizons has a round-up of the resulting fallout...

The first day after the official concession of the HD-DVD format and things are beginning to change.

Universal's Home Entertainment Division President Craig Kornblau says that "it is time to turn our focus to releasing new and catalog titles on Blu-ray" - effectively turning the longest running HD-DVD exclusive supporter into a Blu-ray backer. It's expected the studio will begin releasing past HD-DVD titles on the format shortly including such films as the 'Bourne' and 'Mummy' series.

The other HD-DVD exclusive studio, Paramount Pictures, has stayed surprisingly quiet in regards to the announcement. Warner Bros. Pictures has said that there are currently no changes planned in its release schedule as a result of Toshiba's decision and will continue releasing HD-DVD titles until May.

LG says it would continue to support HD-DVD in the wake of Toshiba's announcement and plans to continue with its dual-format player series for early adopters as "at this present moment in time, it is necessary to provide a player which supports both formats and therefore create simplicity and convenience for the existing HDDVD consumer."

Toshiba says they have no plans to produce players using rival Blu-ray technology at present.

Up until the clear winner was announced, I was leaning towards buying a multi-format player...I do have a certain loyalty to Sony...That's been the brand of choice for me since buying my first standard DVD player back in 1999. Given that, I was hoping that Blu would prove victorious...but I was not gonna hedge my bets just the same.

My long range plan is to stick with the standard DVD format until the digital TV revolution takes place next year--Allowing time for the Blu-players to come down in price a bit more and the availability of software (Blu-discs) to fully integrate into the marketplace...

Scrooed

Variety reports that author Charles Dickens timeless holiday classic Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol is being readied for the big screen...In the umpteenth adaptation...



Kelsey Grammer (pictured) will play the title character in the satire An American Carol, helmed by David Zucker (Airplane! Scary Movie 4).

The actor will play a modern-day version Scrooge, a character he knows quite well--having previously portrayed him in the 2004 TV version of the beloved tale.

Production is scheduled to start Feb. 28. Grammer will work on the project while simultaneously working on his current sitcom Back To You. This summer, he will be busy with Swing Vote--hitting theaters on August 1st.

I have been a fan of Grammer's since his days on "Cheers". He did a great job playing Scrooge dramatically. I have no doubt Grammer taking the role into comedic territory will be a lot of fun.

Wolverine Likes Peas

X-Men Origins: Wolverine picks up another cast member--while Reynolds and Kitsch are confirmed in Variety:

Black Eyed Peas frontman Will-i-am (pictured) will play Wraith, a mutant who has the power to teleport, and is another test subject of the Weapon X program that created Wolverine and other mercenaries. It would be his first film role



Casting a musician is always risky if he's never acted before...But I think he's up to the task at hand...

On Reynolds and Kitsch the article says:

...Marvel has been eyeing the possibility of casting Reynolds as Deadpool an assassin with self-healing powers, for some time with the idea of spinning off the character into his own film series should the character prove popular among moviegoers.

Fox and Marvel have also long wanted to add the card-throwing character of Gambit to the "X-Men" franchise but could never find a way to give him enough screen time among the many other mutants that have appeared in each film...

Strke Aftermath-5

With the 80th Annual Academy Awards just a few days away...

Variety asks:

Will Oscar show grab great ratings?

Folks in Hollywood are rallying behind Sunday's Oscarcast with renewed passion after prolonged fears about its strike-stricken fate...



Prediction: I don't think the recent strike will impact the ratings of the show in a positive way....(I'm sure the ABC network hopes I'm wrong). The ratings will probably be flat over last year...Those that care about this kind of thing will watch. Those who usually stay away--will still do so and didn't care about the strike anyway.

It will be interesting to see if I'm proven correct...We'll find out Sunday night.

--The 100 day long Writers Guild of America cost $2.5 billion....

Blood Relations

Variety says that a film based on the Twilight book series by Stephenie Meyer is cast and cameras will roll very soon...

Peter Facinelli (pictured), Jackson Rathbone, Elizabeth Reaser have been cast as vampires opposite Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson who star as the two main characters in what the studio hopes will kick start a new franchise..



The movie will chronicle the events in first book, and revolves around Bella Swan (Stewart), a 17-year-old who moves to a small town in Washington state to live with her father. Upon arriving, she meets Edward Cullen (Pattinson), a classmate that is filled with mystery.

Drawn to him, she soon learns his dark secret--the entire Cullen family are creatures of the night. Kellan Lutz , Nikki Reed and Ashley Greene round out the Cullen family.



For Reed (pictured), the film will be a reunion between her and Thirteen director Catherine Hardwicke. The adapted script was penned by Melissa Rosenberg (Step Up)

The movie is set to go into production this month wrapping just ahead of a potential actor's strike this Summer. A 4th quarter 2008 release is hoped for.

As a fan of the vampire myths--I will probably rent this But it really sounds like it would be better suited for TV-ala "Kindred: The Embraced"...

Comic Timing And Casting

Updates on various comic book-inspired flicks take center stage for this post:

The delay of "Justice League of America" just got even longer--if it even happens at all....

Moviehole claims that rather than a mid-2008, a 2010 start date is being targeted. Because the cast that was in place is now booked for much of 2008 and the studio is just not ready to move forward with the project.

Reports surfaced late last week that team's big guns Batman and Superman -were written out of the latest version of the story in order to avoid any conflict with those two stand-alone franchises.

Thie next trailer for "The Dark Knight" will showcase more of Bruce Wayne and District Attorney Harvey Dent and is said to be attached to "10000 BC" due out on March 7th.

Meanwhile, as related to the release of TDK:

A ten-minute behind-the-scenes video promoting the upcoming DVD release of "Batman: Gotham Knight" is up at IO9.Com. The anthology is inspired by "Batman Begins" and tells six different stories set in the Batman universe, each one using various styles of anime.



The official site for Zack Snyder's "Watchmen" anticipated adaptation has been updated with a new message from executive producer Herb Gains. Shooting is almost complete

"As we approach the last days of shooting Watchmen -- yes, the end is nigh -- it's time to reflect on the whole Watchmen experience. I think back to January 2007 when I first met Zack and he walked me through his drawings for the title sequence. I remember my initial reaction was, How can we shoot all of it? Why do we have to shoot all that? And if we do, how do we shoot all of it?"

He continues:

"We spent the next two months scouting, researching and budgeting locations all over the world, including Australia, London, Prague, Spain -- at one point we even considered New York -- and, of course, Los Angeles. I now sit in my Vancouver hotel room one year later, and guess what? We did shoot all of it -- every frame of it, and not just the title sequence drawings but all of Zack's drawings are now committed to film. The combination of modern-day technology and the level of artistic ability of so many people has made the Watchmen experience second to none. The spirit behind the making of this film was nothing short of total pleasure and love. As I wandered from room to room at the wrap party, there was not only a sense of accomplishment from everyone involved but a feeling of sadness that it's coming to an end. The one thing that remains for me is the anticipation and excitement of seeing the finished product, knowing that we've all worked on something very special."

The film opens March 6th 2009.-And I can't wait..Bring on the first trailer already!!





Sources tell the folks at AICN that Ryan Reynolds (pictured) is getting set to play anti-hero Deadpool in "X-Men Origins: Wolverine"-now filming.

Meanwhile Superhero Hype reports that "Friday Night Lights" TV series co-star Taylor Kitsch (pictured) has signed a three-picture deal to play the character of Gambit-as well as for the X-spin off-which May 1st 2009.



Reynolds has been tagged before for superhero work before appearing in Blade: Trinity and as the lead canidate to play the hero in The Flash flick at one time.

As a fan of FNL--I'm thrilled for Kitsch that he's getting more work...But a Gambit trilogy? I would think they would wait to see how popular the character proves in the Wolverine movie--before making a decision on a multiple film arc...

Mom Says...

Fresh off of its 1st place win at the box office this past weekend, and despite bad reviews there's already sequel talk for Jumper..

Rachel Bilson And Hayden Christensen

Director Doug Liman chats about the possibility with Collider:

..."this power can be used to leave this planet, this power can be used ultimately to go back in time, this power can be used if you go and work for the government you'd be the ultimate Jason Bourne."

"The kind of jumping that we're showing in the movie which is a kind of worm hole jump which is why those scars are left behind, if you can travel through space through a worm hole from a scientific Einstein point of view, you could also travel through time...I've left the door open to time travel because of the specific kind of teleportation that I chose to portray in this film" he states.

Not having seen the actioner yet, it's impossible for me to say whether or not it ranks as sequel-worthy...Then again, since Hollywood's only cares how a film does monetarily in first couple of weeks anyway, a second Jumper is not all that out of the question.

Until the second Jumper flick gets greenlit--Liman's got a lot in his plate to keep him busy. He's still attached to the Valerie Plame biopic.-starring Nicole Kidman (story) He confirms he's still developing a project with Jake Gyllenhaal about a present day expedition to go to the moon

Which film will come first?

"It's which script comes together first. You know it's...I'm feeling a lot of kind of family pressure to sort of tackle more serious subject matter like basically it's kind of a...my mom feeling like I should grow up. So, but I can't help it."

Going Toe To Toe With "Joe"

Here's a few tid-bits of news about G.I. Joe:

The film's found its Commander In Chief...

British thesp Jonathan Pryce (pictured) is set to play the POTUS...

The folks at Latino Review say the role is small but integral to the story, which has the elite co-ed GI JOE crew fighting a devious arms dealer Destro (Christopher Eccleston) and the growing threat of the mysterious organization known as COBRA.

Pryce may have to dump that English accent that he's known for...But he's makes a fine choice to play the leader of the free world

Meanwhile, Dark Horizons spy 'Lindasfury' spoke with Larry Hama- who created "Joe". And Hama says that he's already shot his cameo for the film as a General

Hama "was able to help them fix things in the script that would have angered Joe fans and help it be closer to the comic book line he created...he likes the script, what they've done with it and thinks Joe loyalists will ultimately be happy with the movie."

And Slashfilm offers up a look at the flick's official logo.

Jumping For Joy

Doug Liman's sci-fi actioner Jumper, starring Hayden Christensen (pictured) teleported its way to #1 over the extended President's Day weekend as of Sunday....


Pamela McClintock writes in Variety 'Jumper' leaps on top of box office:

Twentieth Century Fox and New Regency's sci-fi adventure "Jumper" easily leapt into the lead at the holiday box office, grossing an estimated $33.8 million from 3,428 theaters in its first four days through Sunday.

With Valentine's Day falling on the eve of President's Day weekend, studios turned the frame into a five-day holiday by bowing "Jumper" and the three other new wide releases--dance sequel "Step Up 2 the Streets," family fantasy "The Spiderwick Chronicles" and romance dramedy "Definitely, Maybe"--on Thursday.

Distribs will provide complete five-day numbers that include Monday estimates on Monday morning.

Directed by Doug Liman, "Jumper" is on track to score the fourth highest President's Day opening on the books.

Disney and Summit Entertainment's sequel "Step Up 2 the Streets" came in a surprise No. 2 through Sunday on the strength of younger females, grossing an estimated $26.3 million from 2,470 runs through Sunday, according to Rentrak. That's in line with the debut of original "Step Up."

Paramount and Nick Movies' family fantasy "The Spiderwick Chronicles" came in No.3 in its debut, grossing an estimated $21.4 million from 3,847 locations through Sunday.

Over the weekend itself, "Step Up" and "Spiderwick" were in a relatively close race, or $19.7 million versus $19 million. But thanks to a Valentine's Day take of $6.6 million, "Step Up" will finish the holiday sesh ahead.

In its debut, Universal/Working Title's romancer "Definitely, Maybe"--which drew an older crowd-- couldn't beat holdover romance-adventure "Fool's Gold."

Warner Bros.' "Fool's Gold" came in No. 4, declining 39% to an estimated $13 million for the weekend proper from 3,125 locations for a cume of $42 million in the pic's first 10 days.

Toplining Ryan Reynolds and Abigail Breslin, "Definitely" grossed an estimated $12.8 million from 2,204 locations in its first four days, putting it at No. 5. For the weekend itself, pic grossed an estimated $9.7 million..

Read Joshua Rich's weekend anaysis at Entertainment Weekly.com:

Jumper is also doing well overseas...

Imagine that? The geeks won out over all of the romantics out there. No doubt the good looks of young Mr. Christensen helped to sway the young females in the audience.

Strike Aftermath-4

As Hollywood picks up the pieces ...

...Are actors ready for their close-up?

WGA ratification ballot landing in members' mailboxes landed in the snail-mail boxes of many members on Saturday- ahead of the contract ratification vote on Feb. 26.

Strike unleashed Internet ire

Mob mentality rules on talk backs, boards...

Three's Company

Variety has picked up on Friday's post, regarding the future of Heath Ledger's final film--all but confirming recent Internet chatter...

Johnny Depp, Jude Law (pictured), and Colin Farrell have all signed on to play Heath Ledger's character in Terry Gilliam's, "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus," which the late actor was shooting in London at the time of his death.

The trio will serve the film very well as it moves ahead...I think this is a good solution to a complex problem...

"The Gift Of Music"

As a film soundtrack collector-I'm all smiles over the following:

SUPERMAN MOVIE SOUNTRACK LIMITED EDITION BOX-SET COMING THIS WEEK!!!

From the Film Score Monthly soundtrack label comes an 8-CD box set of the music from the four Christopher Reeve Superman movies.

...The blue box will go on sale beginning at 3:00 p.m. U.S. Eastern time on Thursday, February 21, 2008.

FSM's 8-CD box set, SUPERMAN: THE MUSIC (1978-1988), encompasses a new fully remastered and complete edition of John Williams' Superman-The Movie along with previously unreleased presentations of the complete scores for its three sequels: Superman II & Superman III (adapted and conducted by Ken Thorne) and Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (adapted and conducted by Alexander Courage and featuring new themes by Williams).

The latter is spread across two full CDs of never-before-released music and songs.

Also included in the set is a bonus disc of additional alternates, source music and songs, plus a full disc of Ron Jones' music for the 1988 "Superman" animated series, rounding out a full decade of Superman music.

The 8 CDs are accompanied by an in-depth, full-color 160 page hard-bound book, all housed in an elegant blue slipcase box with the Superman "S" embossed in sliver.

The set is available as a limited edition of 3,000 copies priced at $119.95 each, and may be ordered beginning at 3:00 p.m. U.S. Eastern time on Thursday, February 21, 2008 via http://www.screenarchives.com/. Additional information and sound samples will be available at that time.

... Fifty (50) copies of the enclosed book have been signed by composers Ken Thorne and Ron Jones. These autographed editions will be available for $199.95 each on a first come-first served basis and with a limit of one (1) per person -- also through Screen Archives Entertainment at the same date and time.

The project is produced by Mike Matessino (who helped oversee the release of the complete soundtrack for the first film in 2000) by and FMS's editor Lukas Kendall. Both men know how to do this kind of thing right. The timing of the event celebrates the Man of Steel's official birthday of February 29 as well as another special anniversary in '08... It was almost 30 years ago, on December 15, 1978, Superman: The Movie hit theaters--Proving the film's tag line: You Will Believe A Man Can Fly- introducing audiences to Reeve's landmark portrayal and John Williams's unforgettable/rousing score.

Including the music from the animated series seems an odd fit-but O.K. The scores for the second and third films will finally get their due and music from the fourth feature--to my knowledge has never had a release of any kind. What a treat!

Lucky for me I have the funds to cover such a purchase on Thursday Otherwise I may have been shut out...I will be looking to own the non-autographed set.

Close Claw

Following the release of a photo from the set of "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" last week caused quite an on-line stir, the studio went to USA Today to unveil the first official publicity shot from their X-Men spin-off flick

The article says the film will trace Wolverine's past as he discovers the world of mutants and, ultimately, the ominous Weapon X program which turns people into living weapons.



Wolverine's nemesis Sabretooth"is going to play a big part in it. And there will be a good bit of cameos" of new and familiar mutants says the film's star Hugh Jackman (pictured).

He adds "But you can't give too much away, because fans are pretty hard-core. Their expectations go up a level every time you come out with a new film."

Jackman's use of the word "cameos" has me more than a bit curious...

Size Matters

10 days ago or so. actor Eric Bana (pictured) characterized his role in the Star Trek reboot as the villain Nero, as a ‘cameo'.

At the time he said those words, most folks were puzzled, expecting the bad guy would have a bigger part in the new film...

During a recent press tour for his latest film The Other Boleyn Girl (opening Feb 29th) the actor clarified his statements regarding the part and talking Trek in general.

He addressed the baddie question this way to Cinematical:

"Well, I guess he kind of is, but I guess what I mean is that in the context of the roles I usually do, the weight is firmly on other areas, you know what I mean? It’s not one of those roles where you’re carrying the movie, is what I’m saying. I feel like I’m very much in a supporting role, not one of the main guys. So ‘cameo’ is a way of saying I don’t feel like, as I am in this film or some other films, where you’re clearly carrying a lot of the film. It’s a luxury to not be in that position. It’s nice to be offered a part like that."

On whether or not he is a Trek fan, Bana said that he liked The Original Series as a kid, but that isn’t why he signed on...

Talking to Cinemablend Bana said:

"Even if I was crazy about the original series that wouldn’t have been enough to make me sign on to a film I didn’t want to do. I read the script and I went, ‘That is an awesome script.’ It was a very easy decision".

He told MTV that he knows about Trek’s famous villains of and hopes he can make the grade:

I think that if I get compared to any of them [by the fans], I’ll be doing well.

Bana's original answer makes sense when looked at in the daylight of the clarification...

BTW-The release date for Star Trek was recently changed to May 8th 2009

Reel People

A little sequel talk; finding love; learning a new language; Life happens; And RIP...

***Director Ivan Reitman is pretty adamant that there's no chance for a third of "Ghostbusters"flick.

***Despite talk to the contrary, Corey Haim (pictured at right w/ pal Corey Feldman) will appear in the direct-to-video sequel "Lost Boys 2: The Tribe" after all

The scenes removed from the script involving Haim's character of Sam Emerson are being put back in the film.

***A third Heroes star is headed to the big screen... Kristen Bell will star in "When in Rome"says. Variety.

Bell plays a successful real estate agent from New York City who has trouble with keeping a long term relationship.

When her younger sister is to wed suddenly in Rome, she flies out for the wedding. Once she arrives she picks up coins out of a so called "fountain of love,"and soon finds herself surrounded by many guys back in the USA.

Mark Steven Johnson is directing his own script. I guess Johnson just can't stay away from actors who play super-powered folks, no matter what genre he's working in

Production takes off March 31 in New York and Rome.

***The OSCAR nominated Joel Coen and Ethan Coen are speaking 'Yiddish' for Columbia

***Director John Landis is doing ,"Ghoulishly Yours, William M. Gaines" a biopic based on the life of William Gaines, publisher of EC Comics and Mad Magazine as reported in Variety.

The flick chronicles his rise from the bottom to ultimate success. His memorable First Amendment testimony before a Senate subcommittee investigating juvenile delinquency will also be a part of the story.

Landis is developing the project with Joel Eisenberg, who wrote the screenplay for the biopic.

As a fan of MAD in my younger days and a frequent viewer who tuned into to anthology horror cable TV series--Tales From the Crypt (1989-1996), I am very much looking forward to seeing this picture. Given Landis' filmography of past horror films and humor--He's the perfect choice to take this on.

Speaking of biopics...

***Renée Zellweger is set to co-star in 'My One and Only'

Comedy based on always tanned actor George Hamilton's childhood

Ending things on a sad note...

***Character actor David Groh (1939-2008) passed away earlier this week after losing his battle with kidney cancer. He was 68. Groh had a prolific career in film, TV, and in stage. But as kid in the mid-70's watching television--I will always remember him as Joe Gerard, "Rhoda"'s husband...

Co-star Valerie Harper told the AP: Groh's stunning good looks and real-life good nature were key to helping him win the part of her TV husband.

"We looked all over and he finally came on the scene," Harper said "I read every cute guy of a certain age in Hollywood and he was the one. ... I enjoyed very much working with him. He was a lovely, lovely guy."...

Area 51

Get ready to put on your 3-D glasses as an all star cast gets ready to be animated according ro Variety:

Dwayne Johnson, Jessica Biel, (pictured) Seann William Scott, and Justin Long are lending their voices to"Planet 51 " the first film of its kind produced by New Line Cinema

The story centers on a group of residents on said planet who live in an innocent world out of the 1950s, complete with the paranoia that they will be visited and then conqured by aliens.

Johnson plays astronaut Captain Chuck Baker, who arrives from Earth and confirms their worst fears. He's forced to avoid capture so he can find his spaceship and return home.

Long will voice Lem, a local who makes friends with Chuck . Biel is Neera, Lem's love interest. Scott (pictured) is the voice of Lem's pal, Skiff.



Joe Stillman, who co-wrote the Shrek flicks, penned this script, Jorge Blanco is directing the action.

The premise sonds promising enough on paper--But as I have found out from watiching Over the Hedge and Open Season on cable recently, that doesn't always translate to much animated fun.

Look for it in theaters July 24th 2009.

Triple

Despite official denials to People Magazine from Johnny Depp's inner circle a few weeks ago, the folks at AICN claim that he is indeed very much involved in taking over for the late Heath Ledger in Terry Gilliam's "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus ".

The site says two other actors will be joining Depp to film those scenes that Ledger didn't finish-Colin Farrell and Jude Law - all three names are said to be verified. Production is about to start up again in Vancouver.

As we await for "official" word....

The film deals with magics-thus it would be plausible that 3 different looking gents would inhabit the same character...If true, it would be a better solution than using a lot of CGI.

Stay Tuned...

Power Couple

Variety offers up news of a great on screen team-up that's about to happen...

Ellen Page and Cillian Murphy are set to star in the psychological thriller "Peacock"

Murphy's character has a split personality who deceives his Midwestern hometown into thinking his two alter egos are man and wife.

Page plays a young mother who holds the key to his past and sets off a battle between the 2 personalities.

Michael Lander will direct from a script he co-wrote with Ryan Roy. Production begins in May.

What a cool premise! Murphy's the perfect choice for this dark and complex role. I can't wait to see what he does with this part.

As for Page--Since her star turn in Juno, she's been keeping very busy-lining up one project after another. She has the chops to keep up with Murphy.

Going On Impulse

Despite the fact we are still almost 3 months away from the theatrical release of the latest Indiana Jones flick--It's already found a home on TV--Once its first run on pay cable and On Demand obligations are completed.

Variety has details:

Pre-buys of unreleased movies are back in vogue, and USA Network has landed a big one: Paramount and Lucasfilm's "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull"

Wow!! Usually the TV nets wait for a film to show up on the big screen before they wheel and deal for broadcast rights.

Then again, the move is pretty smart on USAN's part--Lock in a blockbuster before the competition start to circle...

In case you missed it, you can watch the first trailer for the film...