SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEELSo now we know what pulled actor Christopher Meloni off of "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" -- a chance to work with Superman. Spinoff Online reports that Meloni has been offered a role in the film. While a few people online suggested he might make a good Lex Luthor, the Vulture subsequently learned the character will be "a general." Hmm ... Meanwhile, a Comic Book Movie reader sent the site a few photos of temporary filming structures being built in Plano, Illinois, the town standing in for Smallville in the film:

Y'know, I'm pretty sure this is the first time Smallville scenes will be shot in an actual mid-western town.

Directed by Zack Snyder, release date: 2012CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGERIn case you missed it, we have a couple of set interviews here at CBR. In the first, our Executive Producer Jonah Weiland spoke with star Chris Evans about taking on the role. "On the physical side, yeah, a lot of lifting weights and eating a lot of protein," says the actor. "For me, developing the character was just reading a lot of comic books, you know. You want to make sure that the fanboys are happy. They're the ones that go time and time again. They're the ones that you're making the movie for, so you want to make sure that you get an idea of who they think the character should be." Sebastian Stan also sat down for a few moments to talk about playing Bucky and working with Evans. "I was very fortunate because, personally, I feel like we found a lot of parallels," Stan explains. "We met fairly early on and we got along right away and, you know, he's just a very generous actor. It makes it very easy in terms of just being able to talk about him, just kind of be comfortable when we go to different places. So from that point of view, the casting was pretty good."

Starring Chris Evans, release date: July 22nd, 2011COWBOYS & ALIENSTime for another trailer (courtesy of Superhero Hype):

Starring Daniel Craig, release date: July 29th, 2011THE DARK KNIGHT RISESBatman-News has a few set-pics from Wollaton Hall, the UK location doubling as the rebuilt Wayne Manor:

Interesting to see those grave markers. Anyone think we might get a scene with Bruce talking to his parents' grave?

Release date: July 20th, 2012THE WOLVERINEAccording to Spinoff Online, the script has the Chris Claremont seal of approval. "[I like it] very much," the prolific "X-Men" writer tells Graphic NYC. "That's all I can say. Chris McQuarrie is brilliant." Reportedly, the script is based on the "Wolverine" miniseries Claremont and Frank Miller collaborated on in the 1980s.

Release date: 2012?R.I.P.D.According to Deadline, the film now has a release date in 2013 and is still set to star Ryan Reynolds and Jeff Bridges as a pair of ghostly cops. Meanwhile, Bloody Disgusting has learned that Universal is looking at Jodie Foster for the role of "Proctor." It's interesting to see how this project's profile rose over the last few months.

Release date: June 28th, 2013GREEN LANTERNAs we reported last night here at CBR, the film lost some ground with a steep 66% decline in box office grosses. That said, Warner Bros is still developing a sequel. Hopefully "Green Lantern 2" will be a more focused film giving the Corps a chance to really shine.

Starring Ryan Reynolds, release date: out now!POWERS Powerstv.com reports that Retro Girl has been cast in the form of T-Mobile spokesperson Carly Foulkes. "Brian Michael Bendis made the announcement earlier this week on the Geektime radio show," they write. "He describes Retro Girl as "the Princess Di of the 'Powers' world."Airdate: TBA THE BUSY PART OF THE YEAR So it begins again: the busiest of seasons with Comic-Con, various parties, family gatherings, and the like. I guess the heat inspires people to get together. This past weekend was just a taste of the adventure to come. 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 the train down to San Diego.