And it’s music to Warner Bros.‘ ears. They needed Man of Steel to earn big, and earn big it did. Grossing $116.7 million for the typical three day weekend haul, but coming to a total of $128.7 million when factoring in Father’s Day Sunday matinees. While Superman easily topped the U.S. box office this weekend, and the box offices of the 24 other countries it released in, Man of Steel didn’t snag the largest opening for 2013. That honor is still held by Iron Man 3. Though, Man of Steel did manage to beat Toy Story 3‘s $110.3 million opening to become the highest grossing June opening.

Now the fans will have about a year to debate what Man of Steel‘s guaranteed sequel is going to give us as some reports are saying we’ll see a sequel as early as 2014. Depending on what you thought of Man of Steel you’ll either be hoping for the sequel to deliver more of the same or fix its predecessor’s problems. If you haven’t yet, check out our Man of Steel review and let us know what you thought in our talk back thread.

Source: Deadline, Box Office Mojo

Coming as no surprise – haha, coming – is the porn parody of this weekend’s Man of Steel. Releasing later this year, Man of Steel XXX: An Axel Braun Parody‘s SFW trailer shows exactly what we’ve come to expect: a surprising amount of plot with winks and nods to DC’s history crammed between its abundant sex scenes. I wonder if like Axel Braun’s porn parody of Batman ’66 they’ll offer a sex-free version on the DVD. I know, defeats the purpose of a porn parody, but I’m always fascinated by the effort they put into the porn’s plot. I don’t know, I figure a porn with a plot has a more satisfying ending, but maybe that’s just me. Got my pornography standards too high or something.

Ha! Did you ever imagine you’d one day see the likes of Doctor Fate, Banshee, and Live Wire in a porno? Hey, maybe this flick will rank among some of the best superhero porn parodies. What do you think?

Source: Blastr

All we and anyone else can talk about is the future of DC‘s superheroes as a viable franchise for Warner Bros. Since the conclusion of The Dark Knight trilogy, WB has been fishing for something, anything to fill the void left by the loss of box office behemoths Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings. Everyone’s hopes, Warner Bros.’ and ours, rest on Man of Steel.

With its projected $100+ million opening weekend haul things are looking good, financially, and the reviews are mostly positive, but still a mixed bag. (Read ours here!) WB is confident, though, already choosing to green light a sequel with director Zack Snyder and writer David S. Goyer attached. It’s also been reported Goyer would be responsible for writing the long-awaited Justice League movie, though Goyer denies any such thing when talking with Hey U Guys, “It was not reported…! I did not definitely say that.”

They and Den of Geek recently had the chance to interview David Goyer, Charles Roven and Deborah Snyder about the new, big screen version of Supes and they’ll be posting their full interview very soon. In the mean time, Hey U Guys has shared what Goyer had to say when they pushed him to elaborate further about Justice League following Man of Steel,

It would be disingenuous to say Warner Bros doesn’t hope that this would be the starting point for a shared universe. And Zack has said that Bruce Wayne exists in this universe. It would be a different Bruce Wayne from Chris’ [Nolan] Dark Knight trilogy, and it would be disingenuous to say that Zack and I haven’t had various conversations on set, around ‘what if’ and ‘moving forward’.

That having been said, it’s all going to depend on the next few weeks. Warner Bros has hopes that there will be more Man Of Steel films, and that this will be the beginning of a shared universe. We could meet Batman, or Wonder Woman, or the Justice League in these movies. But they all hinge on box office reception.

If that happens, I would be happy, and nervous, to dive in.

WB seeking new Batman, previous experience unnecessary. Who would you cast as a new Bats to play against Henry Cavill‘s Supes?

More from Goyer below the cut!

Goyer also confirms were they to move forward in establishing this shared universe they would not be using the Justice League script from Will Beall that’s been floating around for years, saying they’d start from a, “blank slate.” But again, he stresses the importance of Man of Steel’s box office earnings on the possibility of such a future at WB,

They’re hoping that the film does well, but god forbid it doesn’t, things will change. I don’t know how many different iterations of Justice League they’ve tried to mount over the last decade or so. But for one reason or another they haven’t happened. I think Warner Bros has seen – and Chris deserves the biggest credit for this – that we were able to revitalise Batman and put it into the first billion dollar superhero film. And they’re hoping that Superman will be revistalised as well. And if we can do Batman and Superman, then maybe we can move on to Wonder Woman, and The Flash, and characters like that.

It’s like they really, really want us all to go see Man of Steel, or something, right? Jeez, guys, we get it, we’ll go see your superhero movie. Don’t have to be so pushy.

This isn’t such a new development. We’ve been hearing almost since Man of Steel’s inception that the future of Warner Bros.’ DC franchises depends on this movie’s success. Does this alter whether or not you’ll see it? Are you compelled to see Man of Steel in the hopes your ticket could, one day, finance a Wonder Woman, Flash, or Aquaman movie? Since Beall’s script is basically dead, what line-up would you like to see in a Justice League movie?

Source: Hey U Guys via CBM

We’ve all had our expectations crushed and learned the harsh sting of disappointment. It’s all a part of growing up. And for one little boy in Massachusetts, that lesson was just learned. Jaxson Denno, aged 1 1/2 years old, was ecstatic when told by his parents he was meeting Iron Man, only to burst into tears when he was introduced not to Iron Man, but the actor Robert Downey Jr.

And from their encounter we get this priceless photograph. RDJ, like a pro, saved the day by talking with little Jaxson, who then recognized his voice and all was well. Come on, kid, didn’t you see Iron Man 3? Ah well, good to see RDJ was able to save face, and thank the gods, old and the new, it wasn’t before this picture was snapped.

Source: People via Kotaku

And no, not that cool ghost from the beloved crime-solving kids show of the 90s. Instead, George Takei just isn’t as witty as we all thought.

At least that’s the spin being reported with the “news” former Enterprise helmsmen and 76-year-old Star Trek actor has been receiving jokes from comedy writers that he then shares on his Facebook page under the guise he’s the one posting. I know, I know, this’ll be a scandal which will rock Hollywood and its use of social media to its very core. Fans are outraged, feeling betrayed to learn comments like, “I’m bacon breakfast fun again,” posted along with a photo of bacon aren’t truly from Takei.

Sigh.

Okay, maybe it’s because I’m not one of Takei’s 4.1 million Facebook followers, but I don’t feel this betrayal quite so earnestly. I honestly couldn’t give a shit if Takei hired a chimpanzee to type his Facebook posts. Turns out, it was Rick Polito who had been hired to write jokes at $10 a pop, and then spilled the  beans in an interview with media blogger Jim Romenesko.

And even as this point in the article I’m still surprised over the hubbub this “breaking news” has caused. I mean, sure, I guess those Facebook followers were hoping for genuine interactions with their favorite actor through the posting of recycled internet memes, but I’ve got a hunch those are the same folks who think Jon Stewart writes every joke on The Daily Show. Or that Conan O’Brien writes every word of his opening monologue. Facebook hasn’t been about true, personal interactions for years and maybe this “scandal” will finally open up everyone’s eyes to that fact. It’s a business and it’s a tool for making more business.

Commenting on the kerfuffle, Takei told Wired,

I have Brad, my husband, to help me and interns to assist. What is important is the reliability of my posts being there to greet my fans with a smile or a giggle every morning. That’s how we keep on growing.

What’s that sound like? A business strategy. Not all that different from what Polito was hoping to score from the collaboration, saying in a follow-up interview with Romenesko,

I just said that I’d been looking for any mention of my book I could get and that I hadn’t meant to expose anything. I don’t update his page. I’ve had no direct contact with George. I’ve sent him some memes, as have other comedian types, and I was happy for the exposure.

Bastards, where do you sit on this controversy? Do you feel betrayed by Takei’s non-disclosure that not everything on his Facebook page comes from him personally? Or could you give flying fuck?

Source: THR

There’s a lot riding on the success of Man of Steel. Ever since Marvel’s Phase 1 performed so brilliantly we nerds have been looking to Warner Bros. – the home of DC‘s characters’ film rights – for their answer. Marvel and Disney have proven it’s possible to not only build a franchise around one character, but multiple characters! Featured in multiple films over several years leading into one giant, billion dollar earning, mega-movie. Why can’t WB do that?

That’s a question a lot of people, whether they be in boardrooms or on message boards, have been asking. Turns out, they’ve been trying but the financing just hasn’t been there. WB has been a bit of a slump since popular franchises like Harry Potter, Lords of the Rings, and The Dark Knight have dried up. And with promising films like Pacific Rim, Godzilla and Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar, there’s hope, but none of those films could spark a franchise to rival anything like The Avengers.

Which brings us back to Man of Steel and its $100 million projected earnings for the opening weekend. Raking in that kind of money could do a lot of good for a studio suffering under the financial loss of recent films Jack and the Giant Slayer and Gangster Squad. Even the still in theatres Hangover III, while not bombing, is on course to be the lowest earning of the comedy franchise. A box office smash like Man of Steel could be the much needed shot in the arm to start WB’s engines on long floundering projects like a Wonder Woman, Aquaman, and finally, a Justice League movie.

The Wrap has learned from a WB insider their plan is to follow Man of Steel with another Superman movie, something we know is true since the Man of Steel sequel has already been given the green light. Then Justice League, likely from Zack Snyder and David S. Goyer as well, and from there they’ll branch into movies based on other characters like Wonder Woman and Aquaman. Slightly different, but not completely unlike the approach of Marvel and Disney.

So, bastards, does this have us looking forward to a Justice League movie around, say, 2017? 2020? I don’t know, at this point, I feel as if we’ve been discussing a Justice League move since ’89 when Tim Burton’s Batman released. Like everyone, I’m eagerly awaiting Man of Steel. And more importantly, where WB plans to go next. What do you think their next move should be if Man of Steel’s a smash hit?

Personally, I think a couple other solo pictures would be the smarter move. Sure, it’s exactly what Marvel did, but fuck it, it worked didn’t it? I’m dying for a Wonder Woman movie. Come on! She’s the only member of DC’s “supposed” holy trinity to never get a movie. It’s about damn time! And I know everyone likes to knock Aquaman, but considering where we are technology wise an underwater epic could be, well, just that, epic.

Source: The Wrap via CBM

Reaction videos are such a thing nowadays. I guess firsthand reactions are no longer good enough so we must record others’ reactions, and sometimes, even reactions to those reactions. Which leads to reaction videos of reactions to reaction videos! Causing a never ending cycle of reactions until no one is acting anymore, but only reacting and all life on Earth ceases to be proactive and we die!

Sorry, that whole reaction scenario got away from me. What we’ve got here is one of those ‘reacting to a reaction video’ video, but not simply any ‘reacting to a reaction video’ video, this one stars a rather famous trio of elves. Uploaded by some guy, Peter Jackson somebody, is this video of Evangeline Lilly, Orlando Bloom, and Lee Pace watching a video of two fans enjoying the hell out of the latest The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug teaser trailer.

It’s delightful seeing not only two girls more excited for Smaug than I’ve been for almost anything in my life, but seeing these so often stern elves letting loose and giggling like idiots.

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug opens this December 13th. Hopefully sooner than later Jackson will deign to upload a production diary instead of a video of giddy elves.

Source: Nerdist

With all the wild fight scenes and stunts already filmed in Cleveland, production on Captain America: The Winter Soldier has moved inside for more, let’s say, intimate filming. These latest set photos come from Cleveland paper, The Plain Dealer, and feature Chris Evans and Scarlet Johansson getting quite close.

Take a look beyond the cut. Because SPOILERS, duh.

Besides the excitement I get watching these two interact on an escalator I’ve likely ridden – filming is currently taking place in the Tower City mall – I have to wonder if these are real sparks, or all part of some secret covert mission. At this point they’re supposed to be in hiding, on the run, from well, y’know, that guy. That guy this whole movie is about, The Winter Soldier. Yeah, that one.

What’s really happening here? Burgeoning Cap/Widow romance? Or a clever ruse?

Captain America: The Winter Soldier opens April 4, 2014.

Source: The Plain Dealer via CBM

Y’know, with all the interviews Marvel‘s wonder boy, Joss Whedon, has been giving lately I’m not really sure how much he’s working on that script for Avengers 2.  I mean, just sayin’. Anyway, in his latest interview with Moviefone, Whedon gushes about his “little, passion project” Avengers 2, and how he’s approaching the sequel differently than The Avengers,

I enter upon ‘Avengers 2′ with a different mindset than I did the first one. I feel like I know so well what it is that I want to accomplish, and like ‘Much Ado,’ I now have a real sense of the troop I’m working with and the strictures and the opportunities. My little passion, sidebar project comes out May 1st, 2015.

Yeah, sidebar project. A flick that will likely fly under the radar. Uh-huh, sure.

Hit the jump for more words from Whedon about the upcoming ABC series, Agents of SHIELD and what he thinks of James Gunn as Marvel’s choice for Guardians of the Galaxy director.

Talking about Agents, and specifically what he’s hoping to invoke with the TV series, Whedon said,

There’s always the struggle between spectacle and a TV budget. What attracted me to ‘S.H.I.E.L.D.’ were the gadgets. But after the gadgets was humanity: The idea that there is an underside, a darker side, a more human context. Phil Coulson always represented the everyman, the schlemiel in the world of the fabulous or the mighty, gods and billionaires and legends. And that’s what the show is for, it’s for those people who, as remarkable as they may be, are not the supers, are not A-list.

What are the rest of us worth when there are people that are so extraordinary? That’s a human story. We hired actors that I am so excited to welcome into our universe, and they’re extraordinary, and they’re going to bring so much to it. That’s what I’m giving people every week; those actors, their stories, and the stories that they encounter.

This is something Marvel’s always handled well, the human story in a superhuman world, and I’m excited to see it explored on a weekly, prime time series. Especially one driven by Whedon.

Finally, there was a lot of hubbub surrounding James Gunn’s selection as director for Guardians, but Whedon has nothing but praise,

I’ve talked to them about the story from the beginning, and the different drafts. One of the questions they asked me was ‘What do you think of James Gunn?’ And I giggled like a school girl because I was like, ‘Oh, this movie is going to work.’

My only piece of advice has been: I want to hear more of James. Let’s pull out the formula. Give me more James. Make it weirder. The only way to achieve that ‘Star Wars’ vibe is not to chase it – is to try to be an original universe and have all the fun and do all the stuff. And James is… he’s perfect for that because even I said, ‘A raccoon?’ And James’s thing was, ‘Here’s the deal. It’s about the raccoon. This is why I love it: because of the raccoon and the tree.’ And I’m like, ‘Okay, that’s the guy you need.’

Strong words of confidence from Whedon. What did you think of Gunn directing Guardians? How excited are you for Avengers 2 and Agents of SHIELD?

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. airs this fall on ABC, Guardians of the Galaxy releases next summer on August 1st, 2014, and Avengers 2 on May 1st, 2015.

Source: Moviefone via Screen Rant

Breaking away from the superhero and science fiction franchise films we all flock to in the summer, is Snowpiercer. The first English language film from director Bong Joon-Ho (The Host, Memories of Murder, Mother) sees all life on the planet wiped out after a failed attempt at thwarting global warming brings a new Ice Age. All life except those on the train, Snowpiercer, that is. Within train life an oppressive class system arises, and eventually, the lower classes begin a revolution.

I’m hooked by its premise alone, but its great cast doesn’t hurt either. Snowpiercer stars Chris Evans along with John Hurt, Tilda Swinton, Jamie Bell, Alison Pill, Ed Harris, Ewen Bremner, Octavia Spencer, Kang-ho Song and Ko Asung. Set to release in South Korea in August there’s no U.S. release date, but at least we can check out this first trailer,

Looking for something a little more original at the box office, check out Snowpiercer. I’m sure it’ll have a U.S. release date before long. What do you think? Interested?

Source: The Film Stage via Bleeding Cool