THE CROW (BEGINS)Seems that Mark Wahlberg rumor from yesterday could be a lot of hooey. Stephen Norrington tells Comics2Film at Mania.com the following: "I don't know about that story but I can tell you I'm no longer involved with 'The Crow.'" Wow. Norrington goes on to explain what happened. An unnamed star (who could or could not be Wahlberg) rejected the director and screenwriter Nick Cave's vision. "As I had gotten involved explicitly as a writer-director my exit was inevitable. I was bummed. I had developed a genuinely authentic take that respected the source material while moving beyond it, and Nick Cave came in and added more depth," he added. Wow. I'm just sad Nick Cave can only get his artier scripts filmed. I want to see his version of "The Crow."

Release date: TBA SUPERMAN (BEGINS)Various sites are pointing to this exchange betweeen "The Social Network's" Armie Hammer and The Vulture:

You've made a lot of people's Superman fantasy-casting lists. Did you have your people put in a call to Zack Snyder, who's directing the reboot?

[Laughs.] You know what's funny? I did talk to my people recently about that for the first time, and I think they're going a little older with Superman. I hear they're going 35, 40.

Really? Wow, Jon Hamm will be excited.

Yeah, I don't know what that might mean.

Will Snyder really get away with casting an "older" Superman? Hammer also talks about his time with "Justice League" movie that almost happened. He was set to play Batman.

Release date: 2012?X-MEN: FIRST CLASSThe Savannah Morning News (via Superhero Hype) reports the film will be descending on Jekyll Island. "Filming is expected to begin on Jekyll later this month and is scheduled to run to the end of the year. Producers will pay the authority $16,000 for use of a 4.5-acre beach area east of Beachview Drive and the fishing pier at Clam Creek. That fee is established as long as producers at the end of filming agree to provide 375 cubic yards of beach-quality sand at the beach location, according to the signed agreement. The sand is worth a film credit of up to $15,000, the agreement states," they write.

Release date: June 3rd, 2011PLUTOAccording to Deadline, Universal and Illumination Entertainment have picked up the rights to the Japanese manga. "The series updates characters from the Osamu Tezuka-created 'Astro Boy' and sets the action in a world populated by giant robots and cybernetic citizens," writes Deadline's Mike Fleming. So ... it's another shot at "Astro Boy?" Granted, I am curious about the premise.Release date: TBAEERIEHeat Vision reports ICM will represent New Comic Llc -- the owners of "Creepy" and "Eerie" magazines. According to the article, " he agency will look to mine the titles for movies, TV and online content. While "Creepy" was an anthology, "Eerie" developed a stable of characters. Heat Vision notes "a cyborg assassin known as Exterminator One, a zombie man named the Spook, and Hunter, a man sentenced to death who kills his jury using the 12 days of Christmas as inspiration," as some of the creations found in the pages of "Eerie." I'll write a feature for the Hunter entitled "A Partridge in a Dead Tree" right now for a low five figure deal.Release date: TBAALIEN (BEGINS)Cinema Blend has details of the prequel film that initially appeared on the Australian website What's Playing. That site removed the info at the request of Fox, but boy is it crazy. Ridley Scott said on an ancient DVD commentary that he would like to go back and learn more about the "Space Jockey" from the first film. It appears he is going in that director. Apparently, these creatures are called "Growers" who use the aliens in their terraforming operation. According to the scoop, the Growers force two male humans into having sex because their species is single-sexed. I guess the "Alien" movies needed a little gay panic, too. Of course, the whole thing could be from an older version of the script or an outright fabrication.Release date: TBATHE HOBBITThe union crisis has been resolved, but the production could still leave New Zealand. Hu-wah? Deadline reports the fracas caused Warner Bros to look into other options. While Peter Jackson may have a say in keeping the films at home, a lucrative discount in a friendlier nation could pull "The Hobbit" right out of Middle Earth. "NZ Equity's unjustified industrial action against 'The Hobbit' has undermined Warner Bro’s confidence in New Zealand as a stable employment environment, and they are now, quite rightly, very concerned about the security of their $500m investment. Unfortunately lifting the blacklist does nothing to help the situation. This will be the start of a domino effect, as word of NZ's unstable employment environment, registers with film investors and studios, world-wide," wrote Jackson and producer Fran Walsh in a statement earlier yesterday. New Zealand Equity was picketed by actors and technicians and even the government has stepped in to curtain the effect the union's tactics could have on the nation's economy as a result of the film moving elsewhere.Release date: 2012THE INCREDIBLESAccording to Superhero Hype, the Brad Bird directed Pixar film is coming to Blu-Ray next spring. As I've always used the film to benchtest flat panel televisions, I'm quite excited to upgrade.

Release date: Spring 2011THE WALKING DEADMy review of the pilot episode is up here at CBR. It's spoilerfic, so if you're hold out, here's the overview: "Like the pilot's cold open, 'The Walking Dead' promises to be startling and unusual. It appears to be a zombie story with a high regard to its characters combined with a high quality production and a horror premise at its core. It is genre material taken seriously and, as an opening for a series, a strong beginning."Premieres: HalloweenSMALLVILLEMicheal Ausiello has a bried word about the show in his latest "Ask Ausiello" column at Entertainment Weekly. "If you're a Clois freak, the Oct. 29 ghost-town-set episode is not to be missed. Trust me. Elsewhere, expect more Justice League appearances towards the end of the season," he writes.

Airs: FridaysSTAR-FILLED SKIES I should have a pretty interesting story up later today. Though I can't get into specifics, it's a good one. In the meantime, I'm finally going to crack open the fourth "Starman" Omnibus and enjoy Jack's space adventure again. Meanwhile, if any of you in the great, wide Internet discover something awesome, disheartening, or just plain weird, let us know! Take credit, come up with a clever nickname, or go anonymous. The choice is yours. Fresh rumors and movie news every weekday morning. I am Erik Amaya, bracing for the future threat of finishing "Starman" again.