I'm sure you've all heard about the upcoming Ghostbusters video game (we've talked about it here and here), and how this was as close as we were going to get to a Ghostbusters III since, well, it was an all new story and all four Ghostbusters (Bill Murray, Harold Ramis, Dan Aykroyd and Ernie Hudson) were reprising their roles (in voice form) for the game. Not only that, but Annie Potts, William Atherton and Brian Doyle-Murray lent their voices too. Sadly, both Sigourney Weaver and Rick Moranis did not join the party. The script for the game was written by Ramis and Aykroyd (who wrote both Ghostbusters live-action movies), and, well, a lot of your favorite ghosts (like Slimer, Gozer, Stay Puft Marshmallow Man and Vigo) will make an appearance, along with a brand new enemy.

All that being said, the game's trailer can be seen up top -- and it features that totally retro '80s trailer voice with scenes from the live-action movies alongside those same scenes in the video game. Very cool stuff. The game itself (which I believe hits stores on October 14th) looks pretty damn cool, and if this is the only sequel we're going to get, then, well, I'm game. How about you?

[via Spout]

According to Variety, Warner Bros and Capcom (who is becoming very hands on with its movie adaptations) are teaming up to bring an adaptation of Lost Planet to the big screen. The script is to be penned by David Hayter, who is fresh off Watchmen.

Funnily enough, Variety is describing the story as revolving around an expedition to an ice planet that harbors an energy source which could save all of mankind. Well, I've never played this, but just looking at the cover proves that to be an understatement. What would he need that big gun for if it's just a simple expedition?

Well, obviously there's more to it than that. It actually follows a group of snow pirates who battle the local nasties, the Akrid, to obtain the precious commodity known as thermal energy. (This is why it's easier to be a pirate in the Caribbean.) One pilot, Wayne, is rescued from an untimely death, and has an unfortunate case of amnesia. He can only remember bits and pieces of his past, including the death of his father by the monstrous Akrid. But as he searches for the truth of his attack, he uncovers a conspiracy that could destroy not only the Akrid, but all the snow pirates. Now that sounds like a more promising movie. Hopefully, some of you readers have played the game, and can sound off on whether it deserves to be on the big screen or not.

I've been to a few conventions before, here in Philly, a couple in New York, and one hazy weekend in legendary Mesquite, Texas. Horror, sci-fi, comic books, and tons of awesome geeks enjoying their own personal flavor of colorful nerd-dom. I enjoy these events, even though my own style of fandom prohibits me from dressing up like Bib Fortuna or Jayne Cobb. (I like to be amicably cynical at these events, so if I happen to make fun of your Buffy costume, please understand it's all in good fun.)

So this past weekend I spent a little while perusing through the San Diego Comic-Con schedule, and here's what I've got a red circle on:

-- First off, I will try to interview the female lead of Fox's The Day the Earth Stood Still remake. I'll be bringing a pair of defibrillator paddles just in case she smiles while I'm in the room.

-- There's an event focusing on the new thriller Mirrors, which I wasn't that psyched for -- until I remembered who the director was. Plus if you don't like Kiefer Sutherland I suspect you're an evil communist robot.

-- The Masters of the Web Panel is either going to be hilarious or it's going to devolve into the geekiest bar brawl you've ever seen. Our own Erik Davis will be discussing the state of internet movie nerd-dom with guys from JoBlo's, CHUD, AICN, IESB, Bloody-Dee, The Movie Blog, Movieweb, Latino Review, and (of course!) Dark Horizons. And since I know most of those lunatics, this should be one amusing little discussion panel.

Much like the characters in the best-selling game, Castlevania is the movie that will not die. So far the film has undergone personnel changes and became one of the many causalities of the writers strike; but you can't keep a so-so idea down, and it looks like the project is up and running again. Talk of the film has surfaced again now that a script review for Paul W.S. Anderson's screenplay has appeared over at CC2K -- But I should warn you, it's not looking good.

Early previews on Kotaku, described the script as the story of an, "adult Trevor Belmont who, with his fellow "battle-hardened" brother Christopher, is ordered by his king-through man of god Lucius-to dispatch you-know-who." But, according to CC2K's tipster, the latest incarnation of the story is more of a rip-off of Bram Stoker's Dracula with very few similarities to the Belmonts that fans know and love.

Originally, Anderson was going to direct as well as handle the script, but as we all know, he later dropped the project to work on Death Race. Enter Sylvain White (Stomp the Yard) to take over directing duties, and who is still committed to the project despite the lack of a solid start date.

Having never played the games, I can't say I'm all that worried about the changes Anderson has potentially made to the Castlevania 'canon'. But I know that fans probably feel a little differently; so get it all off your chest, believe me, you'll feel better.

[Thanks: Ain't It Cool News]

Right on! Now I want to see that movie!

We usually don't go posting video game trailers on Cinematical, but this happens to be Star Wars related and it also happens to look hella cool. Entertainment Weekly has posted the first trailer for Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, a game in which you play as Darth Vader's apprentice -- kicking ass, taking names. It also seems like a pretty cool story, one I bet a lot of us would've liked to see up on the big screen. Based on the trailer, the game looks to feature a reversal on the Anakin Skywalker story. Instead of a main character who's eventually seduced by the Dark Side, we have a guy who starts out bad and eventually turns against those who taught him, like Vader.

I have a bunch of Star Wars video games in my collection, most of which I never finished because those damn games distract the hell out of me. And then I don't write. And then you don't get movie news. And then the world collapses and we all wind up selling turtle droppings on the side of a road in New Mexico somewhere. But anyway, I really liked the Revenge of the Sith video game because you got to go nuts with the lightsaber. The Force Unleashed looks similar and, well, I don't know about you, but anything featuring Darth Vader wins some of the money in my wallet.

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed hits shelves September 16. Will you be making the purchase?

The first trailer for Max Payne has arrived online, and it looks pretty good. Based on the popular video game (of which I've played some), Payne stars Mark Wahlberg as a former NYC detective whose family was murdered. Three years later, he finds himself working undercover for the DEA deep inside the Punchinello crime family. So he's got issues and he's got a pretty important (and dangerous) gig -- something is bound to go wrong.

The game itself includes slo-mo scenes -- kinda like that Matrix stuff -- and based on this trailer, it seems we'll get a fair amount of it in the film (which also seems to have a Sin City sorta vibe to it too). It definitely looks highly-stylized, which seemed to work for this summer's Wanted. John Moore directs, after giving us films like Behind Enemy Lines and The Omen, while the very beautiful Mila Kunis co-stars alongside other folks like Beau Bridges, Ludacris and Chris O'Donnell (who it's nice to see back on the big screen as of late).

Check out the trailer above, and let us know what you think -- especially for those fans of the video game. Can Max Payne become one of those rare successful video game adaptations? It hits theaters on October 17.

They say truth is stranger than fiction. To that I say "you obviously haven't seen Naked Lunch," but reality is certainly a fertile ground for film makers and today we've got five trailers for films based, to varying degrees, on real events.

The Perfect Game
I've never enjoyed watching sports so baseball movies usually leave me cold, but this one has a couple of things going for it: a true tale of a bunch of kids rising up from poverty to become world champions, and former drug culture icon Cheech Marin playing a priest. Based on true events, a former coach for the St. Louis Cardinals (Clifton Collins Jr.) takes a group of poor Mexican kids under his wing and teaches them the fine art of baseball, which ultimately leads them to the 1957 Little League World Series. There are the usual sports metaphors: "Love ain't like baseball," says Collins' character. "Yes it is," replies one of his bright eyed proteges. I'm teetering between cute and cringe-inducing on that one, but this kind of rags to riches story is pretty appealing and the period setting is pretty cool. The Perfect Game hits theaters on August 8.

Call me crazy, but 90 minutes of Milla Jovovich doing anything is worth watching -- doubly so when her activities deal with zombies, monsters, and ridiculous high-tech weaponry. Yes -- deep sigh -- I'm a (slightly) reluctant fan of the Resident Evil series. (Yep, there's even some stuff I like in Part 2. Like Sienna Guillory.) When I'm writing or net-browsing or playing hours of Zuma, I often like to have a familiar movie playing in the background (like most people do with, um, music) and the Resident Evil flicks fit the bill quite nicely sometimes. (Depending on my mood, of course. Last night my relaxation movie was The Mask of Zorro.)

So it's my relative fandom for the series that leads me to share this half-piece of semi-news: According to the always-fun MTV Movies Blog, series master Paul W.S. Anderson has started speaking to Sony about a Resident Evil 4. And don't even dare act surprised when a series that grossed this much money moves forward on another adventure. How many Police Academy movies were there? (OK, bad example that isn't exactly helping my argument, but I seriously lost count. There were about 28 Police Academy movies? Or it only felt like that many.) Mr. Anderson doles out the reliable "Oh, once we get a good script ... We're not gonna do it just to do it" schpiel, which means he's probably about three weeks away from hiring a writer.

Producer Scott Faye is keeping the faith -- but fans of the Electronic Arts video game American McGee's Alice will have to wait an indeterminate amount of time to see a movie version. According to McGee's own blog (and thanks to Shock for the tip), Mr. Faye has announced that Universal has placed the project into turnaround -- which essentially means it's comatose until another backer snags the property. (IF another backer snags the property.)

Here's what the producer had to say: "Jon and Erich Hoeber have written a very compelling feature film screenplay adaptation of the Alice game. Their screenplay will certainly serve as a jumping off point as we find a new studio home for the project. In terms of the realistic chances of seeing the Alice project being produced, all I can say is that I have invested (along with Julie Yorn and Karen Lauder, my producing partners on the project) a lot of time and effort in this project. We will get it made." Just not at Universal, unfortunately. Earlier reports indicated that actress Sarah Michelle Gellar and director Marcus Nispel were attached to the project, but as Inspector Clouseau used to say "Notennymore."

For those who are unfamiliar with American McGee's Alice (I really should play this game already), it's sort of a dark semi-sequel to Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (or Alice in Wonderland, if you prefer). Filmmakers previously (and temporarily?) attached to the project include director Wes Craven, screenwriter John August, and actress Jean Marsh. (Thanks to Wiki for the reminders.) So to those who've played (and hopefully enjoyed) this video game, here's my question: Who should direct the thing?

I've come to the conclusion that Steven Spielberg must not need any sleep. Because Variety is reporting that he's just added another project to his busy plate: 39 Clues, a multiplatform adventure series that will launch September 9th and run for two years. It spans a series of ten books, collectible cards, and an online game. The game will actually be designed around a contest, where young participants will try to solve the mystery scattered throughout the books, with a chance to win $10,000. Whew! Just typing all that makes me tired, I can't imagine sorting through it to make a movie.

39 Clues does have a neat, Indiana Jones feel to its storyline -- it centers on the most powerful family in the world, the Cahills, who boast Houdini and Napoleon among their relatives. The adventure kicks off in the first book, Maze of Bones, when the death of the Cahill's matriarch, Grace, sparks off a race for the inheritance. She hasn't made it easy, you see: Her last will offers her descendants the choice between $1 million, or a clue. Scattered around the world and throughout history, the clues will reveal the source of the family's secret powers. Spielberg is contemplating taking the director's chair, and aims to have a screenwriter attached in the next few weeks. And the first book hasn't even hit Barnes and Noble yet!