Monthly Archive: April 2009

Spring is in the air… and lots of actors are finding work.

Frost/Nixon’s Michael Sheen has joined the cast of The Twilight Saga: New Moon. The now-filming sequel has added Sheen as Aro, the head vampire of the Italian Volturi vampire clan. Summit Entertainment will release the eagerly awaited adaptation of the Stephenie Meyer best-seller on November 20.

Elisabeth Shue takes a detour from her usual dramatic fare to appear in Alexandre Aja’s remake of Piranha 3D. The actress will play "Sheriff Julie Forester, a take-charge authority figure in the community of Lake Victoria" according to Moviehole, and the mother of one of the lead characters. Look for this in March 2010

While we weren’t looking, the cast for the revamp of V has filled out with some very familiar names which improve our hopes for the ABC pilot.  The formal network announcement will be May 19 but we’re crossing our fingers.  The proposed series, based on Kenneth Johnson’s original concepts, now features Elizabeth Mitchell (Lost), Morena Baccarin (Firefly), Joel Gretsch (The 4400), Morris Chestnut (Ladder 49), Alan Tudyk (Firefly), Scott Wolf (Party of Five) David Richmond-Peck (The Day The Earth Stood Still), Laura Vandervoort (Smallville), Lourdes Benedicto (The Nine), and Christopher Shyer (The Day).

Finally, the seaons finale for Smallville will guest star Impulse (Kyle Gallner) and Black Canary (Alaina Huffman).
 

Last Tuesday, Warner Bros. Animation unveiled its new cartoon billboard (the first new one in 15 years) at an event hosted by Mario Lopez on the Warner Bros. Studios lot.

This is actually a pretty big deal in Hollywood politics, and signals just how important the stable of DC characters are to Warner Bros. and their future.

The event was well attended. From left to right: Sam Register (Executive Vice President, Creative Affairs, Warner Bros. Animation), Warner Bros. Television President Peter Roth, “Teen Titans” producer Glen Murakami, “Batman: The Brave and the Bold” producer James Tucker, Julie Newmar (Catwoman from original “Batman” TV series), legendary animation producer Bruce Timm, Diedrich Bader (voice of Batman in “Batman: The Brave and the Bold”) and voice director Andrea Romano.

Jonah Keel has more information over at Collider, including interviews.

Diamond officially announced the participation of Dark Horse Comics and Image Comics, including Image Central and Top Cow Productions, in the Diamond “Final Order Cutoff” program, or “FOC” for short. Dark Horse first announced the intent to participate in this program at last fall’s Diamond Retailers summit in Las Vegas to a roar of applause heard throughout the casino.

The final FOC dates will be tied to the calendar day twenty days before the Diamond on-sale date for comics, and approximately three months for graphic novels. Dark Horse and Image will begin including FOC dates as early as the May 2009 edition of Diamond’s Previews catalog.

"We are pleased to announce this move to the FOC,” Dark Horse President, Mike Richardson stated. “As every comics retailer knows, times are tough. It is important that Dark Horse not only support them with great product, but with our best efforts to make their ordering decisions as easy as possible. This system will help every retailer who orders Dark Horse product and should lead to better business for all of us."

“We’ve been enthusiastic about implementing FOC for quite some time now,” Image Comics Publisher Eric Stephenson said. “FOC allows retailers to test the waters with our all of our new projects, whether they’re by seasoned veterans or comics’ newest names with limited risk while still getting all the benefits of supporting a series from the floorboards up.”

Additionally, Dark Horse and Image products that have not shipped yet are also eligible for adjustments under the new FOC system. A list of qualifying Dark Horse and Image titles can be downloaded from the Vendor Tools section of Diamond Online’s Retailer Services Area.

The switch to FOC Dates also means a change in the schedule for both companies’ weekly e-mailers. Retailers will now receive the weekly Dark Horse Dispatch and Image Comics e-mailer on Mondays, starting April 20. Each will include an attachment with a list of their respective titles on FOC that week, customized to each retailer. Retailers will then be able to adjust orders for either publisher on the My Account page of Diamond Online’s Retailer Services Area, or by contacting their Diamond Customer Service Representative.