Could a first-look photo be more dull than this? It’s just James Bond sitting poolside, like any other Joe Shmoe. Where’s the excitement? Where’s the guns? Where’s, I dunno, James Bond’s face? This is a photo which could be from almost any type of film, nothing screams “Bond.” It’s such an odd photo to release, but, then again, it’s a still for a film almost a year away. By looking at this photo, a part of me can’t help but to imagine the parody version of Sam Mendes‘s Bond outing, since it only features the character staring down all sad-like. Imagine Bond narrating, “My name is James Bond. This is my neighborhood. This is my street. This is my life. I’m 42 years old. In less than a year, I’ll be dead,” as a whimsical but sad Thomas Newman score abruptly plays over Bond’s snark. If the franchise character gets even an inch mopier than what we saw in Quantum of Solace, I could see it being something along those lines. Or maybe Mendes will get the franchise back on the right track, which I feel fairly confident about. Take a look at Bond seriously debating if he should go back in the pool or not:

Somehow, I just knew that our “52 Most Anticipated Movies of 2012″ would pay off! You know, eventually. Included on that massive list is 50/50 director Jonathan Levine‘s next film, and while the idea of a sexy zombie story about teens might turn some of you off, I beg you to give it a chance. Based on Isaac Marion‘s 2011 novel of the same name, the film follows young zombie R (Nicholas Hoult) as he grapples with a new twist on the classic zombie story – he’s not dealing with the fall-out of turning into a zombie, he’s trying to come to terms with becoming a human (again). Young R has been a zombie for, well, he doesn’t even know how long (but not too long, he’s still got meat on his bones), and everything else pre-zombification is just weird memory ether. It’s not there. But all that changes when a beautiful human girl (Teresa Palmer) and some weird happenings begin to dull the desire for brains and blood in R, while also awakening the human that might still lurk inside him. R’s change has not only personal implications, but effects on human-zombie relations at large. That may seem somewhat hard to picture, which is why I’m glad we get our first look at Hoult in his zombie get-up today. Readers of Marion’s excellent book will surely approve of his look, as it matches up with the author’s description of R quite handily. Check out the full look at Hoult [Due to Content Scraping and Theft, we have been forced to try abbreviated feeds. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and woud very much appreciate you clicking through to view the full article on FilmSchoolRejects.com]

Did you ever wonder what might have happened to fairy tale characters Hansel and Gretel 15 years after that fateful day when they pushed a witch into an oven? No, neither did I. But director Tommy Wirkola and his co-screenwriter Dante Harper did, so now we’re getting the new action film Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters, starring Jeremy Renner and Gemma Arterton as the titular duo. That’s a ridiculous idea, so scoff if you must, but I’m starting to think this movie might actually do pretty well. We’ve already written about how awesome it is that Peter Stormare is set to play the villain of this piece, and now Entertainment Weekly has revealed the first official image from the film, which has Renner and Arterton all butched up in black leather with big guns (check out the full photo after the break), and they’re throwing around buzz words like “dark” and “violent” in the accompanying interview. All the talk of darkness and grittiness isn’t just casual though, it’s hammered home in a way that suggests they’ve been instructed by the studio to push how decidedly not for kids this movie is going to be. Arterton told EW, “You see a series of flashbacks with their experience of killing that first witch, which is brilliant. I remember being on set for the final few days of that. The candy house, and the witches are really repulsive and quite frightening. The make-up is out of this world. It’s this bone-chilling scene. Very [Due to Content Scraping and Theft, we have been forced to try abbreviated feeds. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and woud very much appreciate you clicking through to view the full article on FilmSchoolRejects.com]

Yesterday the web was all aflutter with a “first look” at The Lizard from The Amazing Spider-Man that came via a Pez dispenser mock-up. Yes, it’s come down to this. Waiting to see a wicked new baddie through the eyes of a candy-related toy. As you’ll note if you read us daily, we missed out on covering it. Something about the entire situation screams “There’s something better for those who wait.” And lo, there is something better that’s come along this morning: some leaked concept art of what Rhys Ifans may look like as Spider-Man’s foe. Check it out after the jump if you dare be spoiled (but only a little).

While I am not entirely sure that fans of animation and puppets and joy and wonder and childhood dreams need yet another reason to check out The Muppets when it opens over Thanksgiving weekend, Disney and Pixar are not taking any chances, loading up the fleecy feel-good film of the holidays with an extra gift – a new Pixar short. But it’s not just any new Pixar short, it’s a Toy Story short. Small Fry returns us to a post-Toy Story 3 world, with (spoiler alert if for some horrific reason you’ve yet to see the third film, you cold-hearted bastard) all the toys happily living out a play-filled existence with wee lass Bonnie. Ever equal when it comes to said play time, Small Fry opens with Bonnie and her mom going on a fast food-outing, accompanied by both Buzz and Rex. But a tiny little tyrant capitalizes on some ball-room confusion, usurping Buzz’s place in Bonnie’s backpack and leaving ol’ Lightyear to fend for himself. Happy Meal toys will never look the same after you see Small Fry. Angus MacLane (who previously contributed to the Burn-E short) directs the film, which features voice work from Pixar director Teddy Newton as the bite-sized Buzz and Jane Lynch as newcomer Neptuna, along with the whole rest of the recognizable Toy Story gang, including Tim Allen, Tom Hanks, John Ratzenberger, and Joan Cusack. After the break, sate your appetite for delicious new Toy Story fare and check out larger versions of two new [Due to Content Scraping and Theft, we have been forced to try abbreviated feeds. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and woud very much appreciate you clicking through to view the full article on FilmSchoolRejects.com]

When it was first announced that Adam Sandler and his friends were going to be providing the voice cast for the upcoming animated monster movie Hotel Transylvania, I didn’t panic. Even though Adam Sandler movies have been traveling on an increasingly downward slope to the point where he’s now one of the most embarrassing figures in Hollywood, and even though these are the guys who are responsible for the crime against humanity that was Grown Ups, I didn’t throw a fit. And that’s mainly because the movie is being directed by Genndy Tartakovsky, who has done pretty universally amazing animated work on things like Samurai Jack, Dexter’s Laboratory, and Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Surely he wouldn’t mess this movie up, right? And Sandler and his buddies won’t have near as much opportunity to goof off, throw a bunch of half-baked, juvenile crap at the screen, and call it a day when working in the world of animation. So there wasn’t much to fear here, right? Well, I must have either missed the fact or blocked out the fact that Miley Cyrus is going to be voicing the character of Dracula’s daughter Mavis, because now I’m really starting to get scared about this movie. There are few things in the world I find more gratingly incompetent than the sound of Disney actresses trying to deliver comedy on Disney TV shows. If Cyrus brings the comedic sensibilities of Hannah Montana to the big screen, where comedic delivery means shouting things as [Due to Content Scraping and Theft, we have been forced to try abbreviated feeds. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and woud very much appreciate you clicking through to view the full article on FilmSchoolRejects.com]

Chances are that if you’ve followed the work of actress Paz De La Huerta, most notably in Gaspar Noe’s Enter the Void and HBO’s Boardwalk Empire, you’ve just about all of her. Anything that can be seen without the assistance of a TSA agent, that is. So seeing her in the nude isn’t quite so interesting. Seeing her in the nude, covered from head-to-toe in blood wearing at least 4-inch high heels, however, is really something. It’s all promo for Nurse 3D, a film Lionsgate put into production this week. De La Huerta will play “Abby Russell, a beautiful, dedicated nurse with a sinister side, and a secret life’s work in which she targets and punishes dishonest men.” Are you a dishonest man? You will be if you deny wanting to click through and see the full poster in all of its NSFW, adult eyes-only glory.

After seeing Rutger Hauer in Hobo With a Shotgun, there’s no doubt that he’ll be a complete badass as Van Helsing for Dracula 3D. After all, Van Helsing is effectively a drifter with a 19th century shotgun. How will he stack up against Peter Cushing, Christopher Plummer and, gulp, Hugh Jackman? There’s no telling, but with horror icon Dario Argento at the helm, the movie will at least promise to be absurd and full of the red stuff. These first shots from the film show off just a little blood, a lot of Hauer, and more proof that Argento is unafraid to make a maiden go bottomless in a barn. Here are 6 of the many, many images over at the film’s official website.

James Franco has been a busy guy lately, hosting the Oscars and getting involved in just about every high-profile project in development. But did you know that he also does direct-to-DVD psycho-thrillers? I didn’t, either. But apparently he does. In Shadows & Lies, Franco plays William Vincent, a quiet and mysterious criminal. When he falls for a New York gangster’s (Josh Lucas) favorite call girl (Julianne Nicholson), Vincent is forced to flee the city, threatened with death if he should ever return. But after four years in exile, Vincent secretly returns intent on rescuing the woman he loves from her dangerous fate. In this clip, which we are pleased to present exclusively, we see the moment when the quiet criminal, having just stolen a wallet, meets gangster Josh Lucas in a chance encounter. I suspect it won’t be the last time.

I have to hand it to the marketing team behind the upcoming Hunger Games adaptation. They don’t seem like they’re going to rest until every man woman and child on the planet knows what their movie is. What to do once all the casting minutiae of every tiny role your film has to offer has already been reported in the trades? How about get your leading lady a cover story in Entertainment Weekly? Sounds like a plan to me. And because of their due diligence, we all now get our first look at Jennifer Lawrence dressed up as Katniss Everdeen. First reaction… yep, looks about right to me. She’s got dark hair pulled back into a braid. She’s got her bow and arrows. The Mockingjay pin is securely fastened to her collar. I’ll be interested to see if the Internet can find anything to complain about when it comes to this picture. Maybe they should have smeared a little dirt on her face or something? The author of the original novels Suzanne Collins, at the very least, seems to think that Lawrence was the perfect choice for the role. When talking to the young actress she said, “I feel like when you said yes the world got lifted off my shoulders.” That’s some pretty dramatic praise. I guess the other girls going after the role weren’t looking so good. But why would there have been any question as to whether Lawrence would take this career-making job? She explains, “I knew [Due to Content Scraping and Theft, we have been forced to try abbreviated feeds. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and woud very much appreciate you clicking through to view the full article on FilmSchoolRejects.com]

Regardless of individual opinion, no one can say that AMC doesn’t have one of the most diverse line-ups on television. With the adult, contemporary drama Breaking Bad, the murder mystery The Killing, the horror/thriller The Walking Dead and the period drama Mad Men, there’s no doubt that the network loves their genre work. And they are about to make another addition to that slate with a western… yes, you read that right. AMC is doing a western titled Hell on Wheels. And here is the first trailer (via Screen Rant):

Here’s a fun April Fool’s Day prank you can pull (that will be even more effective now that it’s not April Fool’s Day). Take this four-second-long clip that showcases an ape from Rise of the Planet of the Apes (and, yes, I know I called it a monkey in the headline, and I know they’re vastly different species), and tell your friend that it’s a real ape filmed in a zoo. I’d bet money that a solid amount of people would buy that it’s real. That solid amount will probably let loose some pant juices because of it. That’s how scary WETA is. Take a look at this CGI, and think in the back of your mind about the original films and the apes from Tim Burton’s go at it.

First it was called The Greatest Muppet Movie Of All Time, then it was awash in a world of no title, and now it seems to simply be called The Muppets. No matter, though. A Muppet Movie by any other name would still smell like Animal and still be the best ensemble cast of the year. The rabid percussionist is drumming his brains out in this first promotional photo for the movie that won’t strike theaters until Christmas of next year, and for some reason, iProduct Placement has wriggled its way in as well. It’s great to see Jason Segal, and it’s great to see all those familiar faces. Christmas 2011 can’t get here fast enough.

The Fright Night remake is still over a year away from release, but the first image of character design from the film has already been glimpsed. David Tennant (Dr. Who) stars as a popular Las Vegas magician called upon by some uppity teens to face off against pure evil in the form of Jerry the vampire (Colin Farrell). The role is an updated version of the TV horror host played by Roddy McDowell in the original film. Anton Yelchin, Imogen Poots, and Christopher Mintz-Plasse play the aforementioned uppity youngsters. The image below is of a three-story banner hanging in the lobby of a Hard Rock Hotel & Casino where the Fright Night magic show takes the stage. Behold the mystical stylings of Peter Vincent, Mindfreak!

The first images of both Christina Aguilera and Cher in Steven Antin’s musical drama Burlesque are online today, and they certainly capture the spirit of a burlesque show (read: serious lack of clothing). For Aguilera, this will be a coming out party in the world of film — her first feature film role. But she’s not alone. She will star alongside Cher, Stanley Tucci, Eric Dane and Cam Gigandet. For the pop princess, things certainly could be worse. They couldn’t, however, be much sexier.

Despite the crazy secrecy of Michael Bay – which is ironic considering how loud his movies are – Just Jared got a hold of some slightly interesting shots from the set of Transformers 3. Let us know whether you think Labeouf looks more afraid of that bazooka or of Rosie Huntingon-Whitely.

Spend enough time with horror-loving fankind, and you will undoubtedly hear a lot of conversation about visual effects — and the great debate between computer generated and practical. In the world of horror, this is a daily discussion. Why? Because practical effects are an art form that is being phased out. But in the rare case that they are done, and done right, it makes all the difference. Such is the case with non-horror movies. For example, Shawn Levy’s upcoming robot boxing film Real Steel. On concept, it’s a cool idea. But when you see this first look images, you might just be a believer.

This morning brings the first look at Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie in their upcoming crime thriller The Tourist — or as its known to many of us, That Movie That’s Changed Cast and Directors a Thousand Times. The project is in the hands of director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck (The Lives of Others), who recently joined the project a second time after leaving once already.

There’s no doubt that a CGI version of Yogi Bear is aimed right at kids, but will they giggle with glee or flee the theater in fear?

The folks at USA Today have debuted the first look at the upcoming animated adventure Legend of the Guardians, from 300 and Watchmen director Zack Snyder. Now that the title is settled, Warner Bros. has released the first five photos from the film — and they look beautiful.