Rob Marshall reported getting on board for 'Pirates 4'

Rumors are all over the Web that Squirrel Hill native Rob Marshall will direct Johnny Depp's Captain Jack in "Pirates of the Caribbean 4," and Variety is reporting that he's "on the verge" of signing on the dotted line.

Marshall, who directed the Oscar-winning musical "Chicago," has been working on the musical "Nine" with Daniel Day-Lewis for a November release. He would replace Gore Verbinski, who directed the first three "Pirates" films but bowed out of the Disney franchise. IGN.com reports that Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley probably won't be back for the fourth installment.

"Producer Jerry Bruckheimer and Disney have been meeting with a number of directors in recent weeks, because the studio wants to pull the Pirates film together and have Depp star in it before he does 'The Lone Ranger' for the producer and the studio," Variety reports. "While Marshall's involvement wasn't immediately confirmed, sources said things look good enough that the studio has begun casting new characters that will appear in the picture."

By the way . . . Marshall's "Nine," from the Broadway show, should not be confused with the upcoming animated "9," directed by Shane Acker and produced by Tim Burton and Timur "Wanted" Bekmambetov, and "District 9," the live-action, CGI film produced by Peter Jackson and directed by Neill Blomkamp.

Casting extras for 'Love and Other Drugs'

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  Just got this, and though I know Barbara Vancheri will have more in the future, thought you'd want to know: 

EXTRAS NEEDED FOR "LOVE AND OTHER DRUGS,"
STARRING JAKE GYLLENHAAL AND ANNE HATHAWAY!! 

"Love and Other Drugs," directed by Edward Zwick, will be filming in the Pittsburgh area starting in mid-September and continue until early December. Nancy Mosser Casting is looking for people between the ages of 15 and 75 to work as extras, stand-ins, photo-doubles and silent bits. The pay rate will vary depending upon what you are cast as.

A stand-in is a full-time position, and to be considered you must be available every day for 12 hours and have reliable transportation. Everyone else should be prepared to work at least one full day or several days in a row.

You can create a free profile at http://www.mossercasting.com/ and Nancy Mosser Casting asks that you please make sure that you post an accurate picture of yourself. If you don't have computer access, please send a picture with all of your information, including name, age, hair color, height, weight, sizes and your telephone number on the back of your picture to: Nancy Mosser Casting, 3583 Butler Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15201.

Images of Comic-Con 09: New Moon and more

OK, I know it's late. Time to add some pics from Comic-Con. I'll keep doing this from time to time. I have more than 300 to go through.

Top to bottom: Rob Pattinson arrives onstage for the "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" panel; Robert Downey Jr. talks up "Sherlock Holmes"; Tim Burton introduces clips of "Alice in Wonderland"; Josh and Jackie Earle Haley outside of the San Diego Convention Center; Doctor Who himself, David Tennant, says goodbye to the role and fans at Comic-Con; and, finally, Jeffster rocks "Fat-Bottom Girls" at the "Chuck" panel.

More thoughts of Comic-Con before taking off for the 'Burgh

By Josh Axelrod / Tuesday, July 28

Let us all take a moment to shed a tear of acceptance: San Diego Comic-Con 09 is officially over.  The geeks go back into hiding and begin to plot their wild ideas for next year's Con, and Hollywood returns to making the things that bring people from all over the world here instead of kissing up to fans. 

So now that all the fanfare is over, let us look back at the thrilling four-and-a-half-day ride that was Comic-Con 09.  I'll do my best to cover everything I experienced, and reward it justly: 

Best Use of Talent: Human Target.  It's hard to mess up a show with a DC Comics heritage and a cast that includes the surprisingly kick-ass Mark Valley, the always entertaining Chi McBride, and Rorschach himself, Jackie Earl Haley.  It's certainly on my must watch list this fall. 

Most Intriguing Remake: V.  Having never seen the '80s miniseries this show was based on, I had no idea what to expect.  But the pilot that aired on preview night was gripping, intriguing, and officially made me a fan of Elizabeth Mitchell.

Most Strangely Diverse Line-up: Electronic Arts.  These guys came out and showcased everything from Madden to Brutal Legend to Saboteur, all of which are on my wish list this fall.  Well, Madden for the 360/PS3 at least.  The Wii, not so much. 

Best Moderator: Patton Oswalt.  Not only did he find a way to make Robert Zemeckis' 3D panel (for Disney's A Christmas Carol) fun before Tim Burton came out, but he made up for a two-hour wait to get into Hall H Thursday morning.

Best/Oddest Teaser/Cameo: Alice in Wonderland/Johnny Depp.  The Alice in Wonderland teaser that Tim Burton brought was enchanting, but Johnny Depp's two-minute cameo shattered my ear drums with a full Hall H screaming ovation. 

Most Anti-Climactic Moment: Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs.  They brought out Anna Faris, Andy Samberg, and the foul-mouthed kid from Role Models for five seconds and then told them to leave.  Not fair! 

Truest Fan-Made Sign: "Twilight Ruined Comic-Con."  That's a little harsh, but all the screaming fangirls who have been hypnotized by Rob Pattionson and Kristen Stewart's ... eccentricities, made the Summit panel painful.  I mean that literally; my ears are still ringing from the moment Taylor Lautner took off his shirt in that clip.

Most Mind Blowing Footage: James Cameron's Avatar.  Believe the hype.  Cameron's cinematic innovation is beautiful, immersive, and will probably be the most anticipated movie of December 2009. 

Best Video Game Showcase: Warner Bros. Interactive.  Between the limitless possibilities of Scribblenauts and what should be the best Batman title ever with Arkhum Asylum, Warner Bros. stole the show, and not just with their upcoming movie/TV lineup.

Coolest Origin Story: Green Lantern: First Flight.  Hal Jordan's origins are pretty thrilling in animated form.  Seeing his rise to hero of the Green Lantern corps and Sinestro's dissent into evil yellow element territory was basically awesome. 

Queen of Comic-Con:  Mila Kunis.  She was part of a threesome with Seth Green and Alex Borstein at the Family Guy panel as well as promoting two movies, Extract and Book of Eli.  Who would've guessed Jackie would grow up so well? 

King of Comic-Con: Robert Downey Jr.  Between Sherlock Holmes and Iron Man 2, the man's career resurgence is complete.  He's hilarious, snarky, and probably got the loudest ovations of anyone when he walked on stage.  Mr. Downey, I salute your "illness of overconfidence." 

Worst Fan Question: "Are you interested in doing a celebrity sex tape?"  This question was posed to Megan Fox at the panel for Jonah Hex (which looks awesome!).  Seriously?  Way to make enemies of everyone in Hall H. 

Most Satisfying Fanboy Moments: I got to meet cast members of Chuck and the Big Bang Theory.  I got pictures with Chuck's Yvonne Strahovski (Sarah) and Zachary Levi (Chuck), Big Bang's Jim Parsons (Sheldon), and had a long conversation with Milo Ventimiglia (Heroes' Peter) about comics and movies.  Yay! 

Most Random Moment(s): The most random was seeing Jackie Earl Haley on the street and having him pose for a picture (Thanks Jackie!).  I don't even know how to classify this one: while walking to the Warner Bros. party, I swear I saw Megan Fox riding a bike by the convention center.  If I was right, OMG!!!!!!!!! 

Awesomest Moment: Everything involving Iron Man 2.  Between the amazing footage at the panel, including the unveiling of Whiplash, Black Widow, and War Machine, and the press conference where I got Scarlett Johansson's autograph (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!), I'd say the word "awesomest" applies here.

Biggest Surprises: Book of Eli and Zombieland.  How could a Hughes brothers movie with a cast that includes Denzel Washington, Mila Kunis, and Gary Oldman fly under my radar for so long?  And the buddy aspect of Woody Harrelson and Jesse Eisenberg, as well as Emma Stone's hotness and lots of zombies, made the latter a surprisingly intriguing horror comedy. And Abigail Breslin wielding a gun? A sight to see. 

Worst of Show: 2012.  Oh Roland Emmerich.  I'm sure he has the ability to do something other than disaster flicks, but until then . . .   

Best of Show: Chuck.  JEFFSTER PERFORMED LIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  What other panel would give their fans that much love?  The cast is witty, charming, and uproariously funny.  The movie stuff was great, but Chuck really stole the show.

Josh Axelrod is a senior-to-be at Pittsburgh Allderdice High School. This is his third Con with his mom, Sharon Eberson.

Doctor Who says good-bye at Comic-Con

SAN DIEGO/LOS ANGELES -- And another thing from that last day at Comic-Con ...

We planned to go back to the San Diego Convention Center for just a couple of hours and redeem tickets for free stuff (instead of trying to hand everyone a T-shirt or trinket as they walked into big Hall H or Ballroom 20 this year, tickets were handed out, to be redeemed at "The Room of Fullfillment, or 29B; someone's been watching too much Harry Potter); FedEx all of the stuff we couldn't take on the plane home; and take one more swing around the Exhibit Hall floor.

Well, I happened to be up near that Room of Fullfillment when I heard a familiar voice -- that of David Tennant, the outgoing Doctor Who. Ballroom 20 was still letting in the last few stragglers, and I wouldn't have to wait in yet another line to go in, so Josh took one last look at the booths downstairs while I sat down for one last panel.

And I was so glad I did. I knew I was going to miss the "Torchwood" panel, and Russell T. Davies talked "Torchwood," saying the reception of the fabulous miniseries "Children of God," particularly in America, meant we might just see more of Captain Jack and Gwen in the future. But don't expect to see beloved characters who have died, he said -- unlike Jack's immortal character, they stay dead. Someone asked why John Barrowman, a native of Scotland who grew up here, is American in the BBC series. Davies said he tested as an American, Scotsman and Brit, but they just decided the World War II vibe they wanted for the character worked best as an American.

But this was Doctor Who's day (people kept shouting Whoooooooooo, like a Bruuuuuuuuue concert).

Tennant and the people who brought the Doctor back to life in recent years admitted they never thought Americans would embrace the show as they have and that's the reason it's continuing, next up with 26-year-old Matthew Smith. The questions from the audience were completely geeky in a wonderful way, about the Doctor's home planet, Gallifrey, and such.

Producer Julie Gardner started filming the panel for posterity, and Tennant said now there's a DVD extra waiting to happen. He also said she was tearing up.

Tennant said his Doctor Who would show up on the "Sarah Jane Chronicles" in a episode titled "Sarah Jane Gets Married," or something like that. And his return elsewhere was not planned but not out of the question. His recent Hamlet with Patrick Stewart in Stratford-upon-Avon was filmed for DVD, but that's all that's on his plate, he said.

This being Comic-Con, there was a rumor that reached his ears that he had been cast for "The Hobbit." Not true, he said. But he seemed to enjoy saying it a few times.

When the panel was over, he ran up and down the stage pretending to reach out and grab people's hands -- you  can't really do that from the very high stage in Ballroom 20. But everyone got the idea.

*       *       *       *

When you miss announcements at Comic-Con, as inevitably you must, you still hear about some biggies while you're there, even without access to Twiiter. A moderator casually referred to Guillermo del Toro's next projects, a Tarzan film and H.P. Lovecraft's "At the Mountains of Madness."

Josh has been watching IGN.com, which covers gaming to the hilt, to see about all of the demos where the lines were just too incredibly long to wait for a single console. Zachary Levi and others told him the place to go to demo video games is E3, which was touted by a few people as an amazing experience for the wired among us. Maybe next year . . .

Last day at Comic-Con '09

SAN DIEGO -- Quick impressions and things I forgot to say before we leave this beautiful city . . .

*  Wayne Wise, manager of Phantom of the Attic comic book store in Oakland, texted me after the Eisner Awards to say that the shop had not won the retail honor this year. To be among a dozen vetted and nominated from around the globe, though, is pretty satisfying in itself, I'm sure. And the Craig Street Regulars would beg to disagree with the Eisner judges, I'm sure.

*  've gotten a few e-mails about Pittsburghers here at Comic-Con and haven't been able to get in touch, mostly because it's rush, wait and crash; rush, wait and crash every day here. But I'll contact everyone soon for their thoughts to sum things up.

Comic-Con Day 4: From 'Chuck' to 'Iron Man 2'

Normal 0 SAN DIEGO - "Lost" and "Iron Man 2" had the places of honor in Hall H, where the most anticipated productions and fan favorites (although I'm sure some would debate the latter) begin and end the day. 

I love "Lost," and though it is entering its last season, I chose to go to the "Chuck" panel in Ballroom 20 instead. The feeling is, "Lost" doesn't need my support, but "Chuck" needed a fan campaign and a sponsor to save it from cancellation. At a party Friday, Yvonne Strahovski (the lovely Sarah Walker on "Chuck") said that filming would begin in August and the show would  be back in March, but co-creator Josh Schwartz said at the panel it might be back "sooner than has been reported." I can't wait. 

The panel opened with a video of Schwartz, Chris Fedak and star Zachary Levi sitting in an office and learning that the show had indeed been saved, but then they reveal that they have no new ideas from the point where "Chuck" left off in season 2 - the better to pretend to write down every suggestion the fans made during the Q&A. 

After the video came a live performance by Jeffster - cast members Vik Sahay and Scott Krinsky - rocking out on Queen's "Fat-Bottomed Girls." As impressive an entertainer and showman as Robert Downey Jr. was at both the "Sherlock Holmes" and "Iron Man 2" panels, nothing at Comic-Con was more fun than Jeffster and the appreciative cast and execs of "Chuck." 

After the panel, it was back in line for Hall H for almost two hours in the hot sun. (I think my sunburn may actually turn into a tan for once!) Before "Iron Man," the big panels with exclusive footage were for "Solomon Kane," based on the stories by Robert E. Howard ("Conan"); the Mike Judge comedy "Extract," with Jason Bateman and the seemingly ever-present Mila Kunis ("Family Guy" and "Book of Eli"), who seemed very comfortable coping with the adoring guys in the crowd; "Zombieland," which stars "Adventureland's Jesse Eisenberg and Woody Harrelson in a bloody good time with a "Shaun of the Dead" vibe; Roland Emmerich's latest disaster film, "2012"; and, finally, "Iron Man 2." 

For the Marvel Studios' second venture into the Iron Man story, the panel began a lot like the "Chuck" panel, with a tame video that director Jon Favreau said was the only footage available for the movie, due next summer. Then Downey wandered onto the stage, called the footage b.s., lead the crowd in "Happy Birthday" to Favreau's son, and then the real clips began, beginning with Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury calling out Downey's Tony Stark on his lone-wolf ways. That's a theme that will carry throughout the second film in the series, which adds Don Cheadle (replacing Terrence Howard), Scarlett Johansson, Mickey Rourke and Sam Rockwell. 

Downey said of Rourke, "And I thought I was eccentric," then sent Rourke's apologies for being tied up elsewhere. The star of "The Wrestler" has a Russian accent to play Whiplash, so he went to Russia to research it - in a Russian prison, Favreau said. 

The footage wasn't quite as exciting as two years ago, when the team was working with an origins story. This time around, the conflicts go deep within Stark and Cheadle's Jim Rhodes, a military man and Stark's good friend. Cheadle gets to don the War Machine suit this time around. 

I'll write more about all things Comic-Con during the next few days, when I'm visiting L.A. and getting ready to return and switch off my geek brain and switch on the real world as the Post-Gazette gears up for the G20. 

Pittsburgh should give the folks in San Diego a call about handling the influx of tens of thousands of people in a concentrated place for a few days. Then again, there are no protestors here, and everyone is pretty patient about the crowds and long waits. It's a pain, but there's usually a big payoff - in stars and entertainment -- at the end of the line.

Comic-Con Gaming

By Josh Axelrod / Thursday, July 23 

SAN DIEGO -- Between Johnny Depp's surprise two word entrance ("Tim Burton!"), mind blowing footage from Alice in Wonderland and Avatar, and Jackie Earl Haley being a mensch for randomly posing with me, I'd call the first full day of Comic-Con a pretty successful experience.

Of course, I've been told my highlights have to come from the video game world.  Not that there's anything wrong with that; I got an exclusive tour of the Warner Bros. booth and got some time with the latest iteration of a certain franchise starring a lombax.

My first concern came with LEGO Rock Band.  How could this be anything but Rock Band except cuter?  Basically, it is.  It seems to be more family friendly with a very diverse song list, and I love the pixilated brick design of the guitars and drums.  By the way, if I'm ever allowed to play drums again, I'd advise to not watch.

Next up was the Watchmen game, subtitled the End is Nigh, Parts 1 and 2.  I won't sugarcoat it: any real Watchmen fan will be disappointed here.  The graphics aren't particularly next gen, Rorschach and Nite Owl have like ten movies between them, and the story seems to just be an excuse to kill as many people as possible in violent ways.  Actually, if that's your thing, and you don't know much about Watchmen, maybe you could check it out.

One of the weirdest yet most intriguing demoes was Scribblenauts.  This DS game lets you literally summon just about anything imaginable, from a dragon to a pencil, using technology that brings us one step closer to a Skynet judgement day.  The possibilities for this game are limitless, and I for one and definitely interested.

This one may be a non Warner Bros. property, but I also got time with Ratchet & Clank: A Crack in Time, and, to be blunt, it rocked.  The new burp cannon, rocket launcher-esque negotitator, what are essentially ice grenades, and hover boots that can be activated at will add to the already deep Ratchet & Clank experience.  The slightly more realistic (but still true to its predecessors') graphics and slightly more open gameplay only add to the mayhem and fun.

Finally, and most importantly, Batman: Arkhum Asylum easily wins my Best Warner Bros. Demo award.  You truly feel like you're playing as Batman in all of his dark, brooding girl.  You fight, throw baterangs, grapple, play detective, and sneak around Arkhum in an attempt to stop the Joker and his chronies from hurting innocents and causing chaos.  Great graphics, voice acting, and gameplay easily allowed this one to steal Day One.   

Talking comics at Comic-Con

SAN DIEGO,10:10 p.m. PT (Late in Pittsburgh) -- Just got back from a Warner Bros. TV party, and spent a lot of time talking about Pittsburgh, and Primanti Bros. in particular, with Russ Cundiff and then his partner in the "Beserker" comic books, "Heroe's" Milo Ventimiglia. They both spent some time in Pittsburgh working with American Eagle and our city reminds Milo of Portland, where he has family.

They're both excited about their collaboration with the Top Cow imprint, and another property, "Rest."

It was a day for talking comic books at Comic-Con, strangely enough. I interviewed Tyrese Gibson, here in support of "Legion," also starring Paul Bettany, but Tyrese only wanted to talk about his new comic book, "Mayhem." He's been in Exhibit Hall every day to let people know how excited he is about this project with Image, that he feels is his baby, more so than acting in a movie that's someone else's vision.

Today was the day I finally brought my laptop to the big show, but no luck connecting to Wifi outside the convention center. Signal strength has been low or none most everywhere, probably because everyone is doing the same thing I am. So I got in a few early posts while watching the panels for "Jonah Hex," "Where the Wild Things Are," "The Box," "Nightmare on Elm Street," "Book of Eli" and "Sherlock Holmes."

I thought it would be hard to beat yesterday for ecstatic fans after "New Moon" left the building. But then the big D's -- Diaz (as in Cameron, "The Box"), Denzel (Washington, "Book of Eli") and Downey (as in Robert, "Sherlock Holmes") brought the house down. Gary Oldman, too, with his credentials in "The Dark Knight" and as Harry Potter's godfather, Sirius Black. Megan Fox and Josh Brolin in "Jonah Hill," based on the Western graphic novel, were pretty entertaining, too.

They all brought exclusive footage, of course, beginning with Spike Jonze creepy-sweet "Where the Wild Things Are," a live action version of Maurice Sendak's beloved children's book. It began with a short in which Sendak endorsed Jonze's vision, before the boy who plays Max, Max Records, introduced the video. He also said he had talked to Sendak and that the author "had a great quote. He said, 'If anyone doesn't like this movie, they can go to hell." Out of the mouths of babes . . .

Downey rocked the joint by introducing the enticing video from Sherlock Holmes, and raving about working with Guy Ritchie, Jude Law and Rachel McAdams -- the latter was on the panel as well. Downey also had a great quote, when he was asked about his biggest challenge. He said he believes he can accomplish anything. "This is how sick I am. I have an illness of overconfidence," he said.

He looked great and was probably feeling like the King of this Comic-Con: Tomorrow's most anticipated panel might just be the one for "Iron Man 2."

Josh and I will probably skip some of the movies for TV in the morning -- perhaps "Chuck" and "Family Guy," perhaps "Lost." A tough choice.

*     *      *       *

From Thursday:

*  The remake of "Tron" brought Jeff Bridges and the new members of the cast, plus some footage for the second straight year, but filmmakers say there's another year's worth of CGI before they'll be ready for release.

*  Tim Burton's "Alice in Wonderland" would have trumped anything and everything for fan excitement, it seemed - with the bonus of a quick guest appearance by Johnny Depp --- but then came the gang from "New Moon." I have to say, Kristen Stewart's whole retro heroin chic look and odd behavior made me think that last year's weirdness was just her. Taylor Lautner, though, was a deserved crowd-pleaser, a well-spoken young man eager to please the fans who have moved into the "Jacob camp" of "Twilight" admirers.

Comic-Con report: 'District 9,' 'The Hobbit'

SAN DIEGO --  "Geek god" Peter Jackson came to show clips of "District 9," which he produced. But before he did, he said he wanted to clear up what's happening with "The Hobbit.". He said they're a few weeks away from delivering a script to the studios, and that because of its epic scope, it would be two movies. Big upset. No casting yet.

He spoke with some bitterness of the studio politics that caused the production of "Halo" to fall apart, but said "District 9" rose from its ashes. It's shot documentary-style, with a feeling a bit like "Cloverfield," but the insect-like aliens are integrated amazingly well and the action is intense.

Off to talk to Tyrese Gibson of "Transformers" and the upcoming "Legion" ...