Ryan Reynolds Dons the Green Lantern Uniform!

Is that Hal Jordan or Slim Goodbody?

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By Jordan Hoffman From: http://www.ugo.com/

Credit: Entertainment Weekly

Vitals

• Products: Green Lantern
• Franchises: Green Lantern
• Genres: Science Fiction & Fantasy
• Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures
• Director: Martin Campbell
• Writer: Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, Michael Green
• Cast Members: Ryan Reynolds

UPDATE: Click the pic for a high-res version!

Today, the good people at EW give us the first glance Ryan Reynolds in the Green Lantern suit and I'm having a little trouble keeping the two sides of my brain from reenacting the Raan-Thanagar War.

Those who don't know anything about the Green Lantern mythos like to say that Hal Jordan (and the other members of the Corps) are lame superheroes simply because all they do is wear a ring.

We who know better say pshaw! Be it Kyle Rayner's artistic constructs, the multi-layered thinking of John Stewart, Guy Gardner's brute force, or Alan Scott's wisdom and nobility, a Lantern's might comes from within!

Still, though, the ring is important and with the ring comes the suit. The friggin' suit.

Ryan Reynolds looks sufficiently badass and quite stern as Hal Jordan. He's definitely not the Silver Age Hal Jordan "awww shucks"ing it with Carol Ferris and Pie-Face. He looks like he's ready to put a beatdown on anyone who messes with Sector 2814. And I think that is entirely cool.

The thing that everyone will first notice about the suit, though, is what looks like "musculature of light." That is definitely non-canonical - and while I did flash on Joel Schumacher's Batman nipples for a second, I'm thinking there's a lot that can be done with this.

Will we see Green Lantern power shooting through him? Will he glow when he's angry? (Taking a page out of Ion's book here a little, perhaps?)

Still, as a child of the 1980s, there was something about the suit that made it feel a little familiar.

Dear God, is Slim Goodbody a member of the GL Corps?

New Line Must Give Tolkien Estate $100 Million in Profits

By Matthew Belloni and Eriq Gardner

Today's resolution of the litigation between New Line Cinema and the estate of author J.R.R. Tolkien (right) over “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy is shaping up as one of the biggest profit participation settlements in Hollywood history.

Two independent sources with knowledge of the deal pegged the value to the Tolkiens and co-plaintiff Harper Collins at well over $100 million.

Reps for the Tolkien estate and New Line parent Warner Bros. would not comment on the terms, citing a confidentiality agreement.

“We deeply value the contributions of the Tolkien novels to the success of our films and are pleased to have put this litigation behind us,” said Alan Horn, president and chief operating officer of Warner Bros. Entertainment.

The settlement heads off a scheduled October trial between heirs of the “Rings” author and New Line, which released film adaptations in 2001-2003. The trilogy grossed $3 billion in worldwide theatrical boxoffice, plus an estimated $3 billion from DVD, TV licensing and merchandise sales.

The deal also paves the way for Warner Bros. and MGM to move forward with two planned films based on Tolkien’s “The Hobbit,” which will be executive produced by “Rings” director Peter Jackson and directed by Guillermo del Toro.

The Tolkiens sued New Line in February 2008 claiming the family trust was paid only $62,500 for the right to make the three films and was owed 7.5 percent of gross receipts. The family initially sought $150 million but that figure was revised upward to $220 million during the litigation.

The suit echoed similar cases brought against New Line by Jackson and “Rings” producer Saul Zaentz. Those cases settled for more than $20 million apiece after both Jackson and Zaentz publicly feuded with former New Line co-topper Bob Shaye. Warners inherited the Tolkien litigation when New Line was absorbed in March 2008.

A major beneficiary of Tuesday’s settlement is the Tolkien Trust, the U.K.-based charity controlled by the family. “The Trustees regret that legal action was necessary, but are glad that this dispute has been settled on satisfactory terms that will allow the Tolkien Trust properly to pursue its charitable objectives,” trustee Christopher Tolkien said in a statement.

Tolkien lead attorney Bonnie Eskenazi said the family felt “vindicated and satisfied” with the settlement.

The nine-figure deal resolves a potentially disastrous situation for Warners and MGM on “Hobbit.” The Tolkiens argued in the litigation that New Line’s failure to pay profits was a material breach of contract, which, if proven, would allow the family to terminate a grant of rights. A hearing on that key issue was scheduled for next week.

“The Trustees acknowledge that New Line may now proceed with its proposed films of ‘The Hobbit,’ ” Christopher Tolkien said.

Jackson was also eager to move forward with the project. At Comic-Con in July, he told fans that he was close to delivering a script for the project, with budgeting and casting soon to follow.

JK Rowling's Tales Of Beedle The Bard Becoming A Movie?

By Josh Tyler

This should come as no surprise to anyone: Warner Brothers wants more Harry Potter. The last book in J.K. Rowling’s fantasy series is already being prepped for the big screen, but when it’s over that leaves Warners without a source of steady, reliable, wizard income. Knowing that the magical gravy train is coming to an end, the WB is looking for ways to squeeze more out of Potter. According to one of our regular, reliable sources, they’re hoping to do it by digging deep into other J.K. Rowling work; specifically “The Tales of Beedle The Bard”.

“The Tales of Beedle The Bard” is a book within the book. It was first referenced in "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows", as a book of stories read by children in the Harry Potter world. It’s a collection of five completely separate short stories which Rowling has since gone on to actually write and publish.

The five stories included in "Beedle The Bard" are: “The Wizard and the Hopping Pot”, about the son of a wizard who inherits a pot with a foot. “The Fountain of Fair Fortune”, about a fountain where people who bathe have their problems solved. “The Warlock’s Hairy Heart”, about a warlock who uses dark magic to prevent himself from ever falling in love. “Babbitty Rabbitty and her Cackling Stump”, about a king who wishes to keep all magic to himself, but is thwarted by a stump with a cackle. Lastly “The Tale of the Three Brothers”, about three traveling brothers granted wishes by death.

None of these stories seems to have any connection to the other, which ought to make it difficult for Warners to fit them all into a single film. Could they be planning five movies? That would seem unwise. These are short stories after all, it’s unlikely there’s enough material in any one story to justify a feature film.

According to our sources, Warners is still trying to figure out exactly how to make this work. But there’s definitely a strong interest in making Tales of Beedle The Bard: The Movie happen, once Harry Potter is over with.