JUSTICE LEAGUE

Musician turned actor Common told MTV that he had been cast in the beleaguered George Miller-helmed production. "It's a blessing really, to know that I could potentially be this superhero," Common said. "Justice League itself is an honor, and Green Lantern is an incredible character to play. It's a blessing to be associated with it."

In addition, actress Megan Gale is talking about her waiting game to the Sydney Morning Herald. "We were due to go into production in February, which freaked me out a bit," Gale said. "The strike has given me more time to prepare."

DR. STRANGE

The word from Empire Online is that fan fave Guillermo del Toro is toying with bringing the Sorcerer Supreme to the silver screen. "I talked with Neil Gaiman [about writing it]," del Toro said. "I said, that's an interesting character because you can definitely make him more in the pulpy occult detective/magician mould and formula than was done in the 'Weird Tales,' for example...the idea of a character that really dabbles in the occult in a way that's not X-Filey, where the supernatural is taken for granted. That's interesting ... But I wouldn't use the suit!"

SPEED RACER

According to Video Business, there will be an animated "Speed Racer The Next Generation: The Beginning, a 66-minute animated feature that sets up the new NickToons series of the same name.

IRON MAN/INCREDIBLE HULK

Spoilers ahoy! Ain't It Cool News has the scoop on new footage shown at Germany's Nuremburg Toy Fair.

In addition, Superhero Hype has what could be a first look at the Abomination via some toy packaging. Mmm, gamma powered!

WATCHMEN

No time for stopping! Watchmen Comic Movie is reporting that the production has added days to its shooting schedule. "The main reason being all of the unseasonably heavy snow that has been falling intermittently on Vancouver since December," the site notes. "The inclement weather wreaked havoc with shooting especially on the famed New York Backlot where many of the films exterior sets had been built."

CONAN

IGN has a new rumor about which director is in the running to bring the Cimmerian back to the cineplex. They claim that musician-filmmaker Rob Zombie and British helmer Neil Marshall are the latest front runners.

G.I. JOE

Actor Dennis Quaid was the subject of a video interview with Access Hollywood, talking about getting into uniform as General Hawk.

HEROES

There's an interesting auction on eBay of a signed script and storyboards, with the proceeds going to charity.

SMALLVILLE

Kryptonsite has some spoilery production stills from the upcoming episode "Hero." They also reinforce the idea that the network's ordering five more episodes to bring the total count to twenty, just two short of a normal season.

THE SPIRIT

According to Superhero Hype, writer/director Frank Miller has already been signed for two sequels of the Will Eisner adaptation. The first film debuts January 16th, 2009.

THE DARK KNIGHT

Batman-On-Film has new photos of the Tumbler.

WGA STRIKE WATCH: DAY NINETY-NINE

It may as well be a ticker tape parade for all of the coverage claiming that the strike is over. Fun fact: it ain't over. As of the Saturday meeting of the WGA membership, no contract language had been completed, but a tentative deal had been agreed upon between the WGA leadership and the AMPTP. Tomorrow the guild's membership will vote on the Negotiating Committee's recommendation to end the strike, and if that goes well, work could resume Wednesday.

The WGA's Patric Verrone said, "Since we began negotiations in July, we've been saying, 'If they get paid, we get paid.' This contract makes that a reality. It's the best deal this Guild has bargained for in 30 years after the most successful strike this Guild has waged in 35 years. It was arguably the most successful strike in the American labor movement in a decade, clearly the most important of this young century. It is not all that we hoped for, and not all that we deserved. But as I told our members, this strike was about the future, and this deal assures for us and for future generations of writers a share in the future." Showrunners (writers who are also producers for their shows, like the makers of "Lost" or "Grey's Anatomy") will return to work today.

How'd all this happen? The New York Times attributes some of the peacemaking to United Hollywood's Laeta Kalogridis working a conduit between David J. Young, a militant leader of the guild, and Peter A. Chernin, the News Corporation president, who was similarly protective of company interests.

Many TV shows are scrambling to get back to work ... or not as critics have their moment of doomsaying about what will and won't happen in coming weeks.

Suffice it to say that there might not be many more "strike watch" entries here in the Comic Reel, but right now it's a case of counting eggs, not chickens.

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 saying thank you for your time and indulgence, and [tagline redacted until the WGA strike is resolved].