HELLBOY 2

Director Guillermo del Toro talked to The Age about the tone for the sequel. The new film, del Toro says, deals with the aftermath of romantic fulfillment. "It's about the first year of marriage," but it's also about "a deadly war between humans and magical creatures", in which the title character has a major dilemma: which side is he actually on? The first draft apparently concerned the property's creator. "Mike was quite horrified by how much I had deviated from what we had talked about," Del Toro said, "especially at some of the quote, unquote whimsical elements, the parts about magic and the fairy world. But then fortunately, he saw Pan's Labyrinth and he realized that the two movies would have some parallels."

GREEN ARROW

Well ... sort of. Writer/director David Goyer talked to Wizard Universe about the pitch he sold to Warner Brothers. "Super Max" is Goyer's take on supervillain incarceration in the DCU. Revolving around a wrongly convicted Green Arrow being whisked away to the super max prison for out-of-control heroes and villains (where he's forced to face a number of inmates he put there), Goyer says the flickÑwhich he's developing with writer Justin MarxÑisn't just a Green Arrow film. "He's Green Arrow for the first 10 minutes of the movie, and then he's arrested and his secret identity is revealed," said Goyer, who also has plans to do a graphic novel or miniseries that would tie in to the possible film. "They shave his goatee and they take his costume and send him to prison for life, and he has to escape. It's like 'Alcatraz,' and he has to team up with, in some cases, some of the very same villains he is responsible for incarcerating in order to get out and clear his name. Of course, tons of people try to kill him while he's in there. We've populated the prison with all sorts of B and C villains from the DC Universe. For the fans, there will be all sorts of characters the hardcore comic book junkies will know, but they're all going to be there under their human names and no one is wearing a costume, but there will be a lot of characters with powers and things like that."

SIN CITY 2

Rosario Dawson has a secret, and she won't tell, not even to the Ottowa Citizen (registration required). Their story reads: "According to Rosario Dawson, the lead actress in the 'Sin City' sequel is awesome -- she just can't tell you who it is. For some time, the main role in the film -- based on Frank Miller's graphic novel 'Sin City: A Dame to Kill For' -- had been linked to Angelina Jolie and the cast and crew of the movie have been asked not to discuss Jolie's role in the film, despite the fact no announcement has been made either way. In an effort to keep his female lead under wraps, director Robert Rodriguez has asked to have details from the set kept to a minimum, Movies.com reports. The strangest part is all this secrecy makes it appear as though Jolie is not taking part in the project. Dawson is set to reprise her role as femme fatale Gail in the film."

HULK 2

Payback Magazine has an article about how Dr. Banner's travails are taking over Toronto. "While TFS president Ken Ferguson -- who is also heading up Filmport - won't confirm anything, sources indicate Hulk has booked four of TFS' largest soundstages for permanent sets. The film's three cameras and accompanying crews will do much location shooting in and around Toronto, and require additional office space." Hulk lease!

THE POWER OF SHAZAM

Screenwriter John August has an interesting primer on the character at his blog, including a pull quote that's sure to send some ripples through fandom: "DC publishes hardcover anthologies that gather up decadesÕ worth of Captain Marvel comics. If I were writing a dissertation on the evolution of the Captain Marvel character, these would be invaluable. But IÕm not. So every time I read one of these, IÕm struck with the same realization I encounter trying to watch 'The Honeymooners' or a black-and-white movie: Wow. Old things suck. Yes, I know that will piss off the vintage comics fans, who insist that the original incarnations are the purest forms of a character. But what you quickly realize is that old-time comic books were awkwardly written, crudely drawn, and bewilderingly inconsistent with their rules. They were making up the art form as they went along, and todayÕs comic books are better for the accumulated wisdom."

SPIDER-MAN 3

Another day, another thirty second TV spot for the web spinning sequel, available at YouTube.

THE CASTING COUCH

We can't do this without you. The rumors, the scoops, the set photos -- they're all fueled by passionate fans emailing in the goods. The ones who ask, "What do you mean your sister's dating somebody who works for Miles Millar?" The ones who know the code names of movie projects and scour city permit filings for them. The devoted, the involved. Fans, just like you. Whatever you know, we wanna know, and whether you want your name shouted to the web's rafters or kept closer than a classified report, we've got you covered like a comforter. Broadcasting live from Los Angeles, this is your humble scribe Hannibal Tabu (web site, MySpace blog) saying thank you for your time and indulgence, and "enough talk -- let's go make with the 'biff' and the 'pow' already."