HEROES

Guess who's back? Herosite has promotional photos of the new season, called "Villains."

VENOM

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Sony is moving forward with a symbiote-centric spin-off. The studio had commissioned a draft of the script from Jacob Estes ("Mean Creek"), but the studio is considering going in a different direction from Estes' script and is seeking writers for a new draft. Casting also is no simple matter. Topher Grace played the character in "Spider-Man 3," but agents have been eyeing the role for their clients, as Sony is not yet convinced the actor can carry a tentpole picture.

THE TRANSPLANTS

Also in The Hollywood Reporter was a story about how Disney picked up an action-adventure pitch from screenwriters Adam Jay Epstein and Andrew Jacobson for Sam Raimi. It is described as a four-quadrant ensemble superhero story with a comedic bent. The writers were planning to execute their idea via a comic book, but Disney executive Kristin Burr was so keen on it that the company pre-emptively picked up "Transplants."

THE MAN OF STEEL

Director Zack Snyder told USA Today that he found little interesting on Krypton. They asked me to direct a Superman movie, and I said no," Snyder said. "He's a tricky one nowadays, isn't he? He's the king daddy of all comic-book heroes, but I'm just not sure how you sell that kind of earnestness to a sophisticated audience anymore."

WHITEOUT

Shock Till You Drop claims that the Greg Rucka adaptation has been moved to "a firm release date of April 24th, 2009."

TRANSFORMERS: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN

A story in Variety claims that an injured LeBeouf has slowed production to a standstill. LeBeouf is recovering from hand surgery and will return to the set within a month. While there will be no work stoppage, rescheduling has proven to be a logistical headache. Scenes featuring co-star Josh Duhamel had to be moved to this week to work around LaBeouf's absence. The project reportedly lost two days of filming because of the accident.

MIDDLEMAN

Creator Javier Grillo-Marxuach addressed the "shortened season" on his blog. "There's been a lot of loose talk -- a lot of words bandied about, words like 'cancellation," Grillo-Marxuach said. "Which means, i gotta answer the question: has The Middleman' been cancelled? Here's the scoop: we are a fantastically well-reviewed series that the network loves and supports. abc family is the one place that allowed us to do this show in all of its quirky glory, and in spite of the ratings, they continue to tell me 'don't change a thing.' And about those ratings? well...while improving incrementally, they have not been stellar, so we -- and by 'we,' i mean the network and myself -- have made the decision to make and air a twelve episode first season of 'The Middleman.' it is a decision that allows us to conclude our first season on a great creative note, and to pool our resources to make our season finale the best and biggest it can be. in short: we are doing everything we can to delive[r] 'The Middleman' to whatever the future holds for us: and a crucial part of that future hinges on your continued support. so, the bottom line -- the Middleman ain't dead."

WATCHMEN

Empire Magazine has new images from the adaptation.

SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN

CBR Ness has a special report on the cast and crew of the new animated series.

TERMINATOR: THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES

Also covered by CBR News in San Diego last weekend.

ROGUE PICTURES SLATE

Finally, CBR News poked its head into the panel featuring Wes Craven

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 Warner Brothers?" 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 saying thank you for your time and indulgence, we've got fresh comics reviews online and viva The Hundred and Four, updated every Wednesday.