What is Movie News After Dark? It’s a nightly column about movie news that wasn’t exactly nightly this week, so it’s giving you a Friday edition with a little extra umph… We begin this evening with one of four new images from Pacific Rim, courtesy of the most recent edition of Empire magazine. It features Charlie Hunnam, Idris Elba and those sweet, shiny suits worn by the drivers of the giant-ass robots in Guillermo del Toro’s exciting next film. Now, when are we going to get a shot at those robots in action?

Hearing Guillermo Del Toro speak is a thing of blazing beauty, not just because of the creative way the man curses, but because he’s a breathing ball of insight into how movies should and can be made. He’s a superfan who has the talent to build what he’s passionate about. That latest passion is giant robots and the world of Pacific Rim. Comic-Con attendees lucky enough to get into Hall H (meaning they got in line by 3:30am or something) got an ear-full at the Legendary panel, but even though this video doesn’t feature the exciting footage shown at the convention, it still features almost half an hour of Del Toro and company geeking out on sci-fi.

Having never previously covered the behemoth known as Comic-Con, I’m currently feeling woefully unprepared (underprepared?) for the experience. But years of monitoring and reporting on the news coming out of the ‘con has prepared me for something – the incredible flood of tangible marketing material that accompanies the convention. We’re not talking about panel chatter, rumors, or announcements, we’re talking hard stuff like posters and banners, material spotted out in the wild of the convention floor as often as it’s released before Preview Night even kicks off that you may one day be able to possess for yourself (and your walls). After the break, feast your eyes on every poster and banner (within reason) released at Comic-Con, an ever-evolving gallery of both pretty pictures and essential information, including such highly anticipated fare as The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Pacific Rim, Dredd, and some very special original works by the likes of Mondo and Gallery 1988.

Guillermo Del Toro with his ‘giant monsters vs. giant robots.’ Zack Snyder and his fresh take on one of the most iconic superheroes in history. Peter Jackson returning to Middle Earth. There’s a reason why fans stood outside Hall H at the San Diego Convention Center for hours-on end, many not getting in after waiting 9-hours in the sun. Today was the big day of movies at Comic-Con 2012, and the Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures panel was its centerpiece. To get you up to speed with everything that happened, we take a tour around the web with our favorite blogfriends to see what everyone had to say about the high-expectation pieces and the big surprises alike.

Check out a preview of what the Rejects will be up to this year at the San Diego Comic-Con, beginning with SDCC virgin Brian Salisbury… Having never been to Comic-Con, in fact having never before set foot in the state of California, I can’t help but feel a tinge of trepidation as I pack for San Diego. Chief among these concerns was whether I’d even get an adequate feel of the Con on my first outing as I darted from roundtable to roundtable, from press screening to blogger party. Would I leave my first Comic Con with no legitimate understanding of what keeps people coming back year after year? It was then I decided that, as a noob, it was best to experience the convention as a fan and not an industry professional. I needed to separate these two factions of my personality, to make a clean break from the behind-the-scenes journalism aspect and the intrepid geeks who walk the floor without the benefit of credentials. That’s when the idea of wearing a mask came into the picture, to disguise myself and resist the temptation of professional perks. I will walk the floors, stand in lines for panels in the various halls, and talk geek shop with the other attendees; providing journal entries for each day. This seems doubly fitting given the amount of cosplay that I’ve heard takes place at Comic Con. I will blend in even under fantastical vestments. So what character would I choose? What hero, outlaw,

What is Movie News After Dark? The title seems pretty self explanatory, at least where the topic of conversation and timing are concerned. You should also note that it happens every night of the week and is read all around the world. Thanks for joining in on the fun. We begin tonight’s rundown with an image of Ron Perlman visiting Zachary. Who is Zachary? You might ask. He’s a six-year old boy currently undergoing treatment for leukemia, whose Make-a-Wish desire was to “meet and become Hellboy.” The folks at Spectral Motion, the creature effects shop of Guillermo Del Toro, and Perlman were more than happy to oblige. And here’s a tissue…

From the looks of it Django Unchained, Pacific Rim and Anything Marvel Does Forever are topping the list of the most anticipated movies hitting Comic-Con 2012. The question is, with 400 million (number estimated) other movie panels showing up in San Diego, how will you possibly see everything? And how can you see anything if you aren’t going to be there? Since the list of events is massive, we’ve teamed up with 14 other movie websites to make sure that every inch of the convention center is locked down. Consider this your portal, bookmark it, and return often to check out the full spectrum of coverage from ours and other fine sites. To get started, here’s a small look at what all of us are most excited to see.

What is Movie News After Dark? It’s a nightly column that’s picking up the pieces as Hollywood takes off for an extended mid-week holiday weekend. Sure, the streets of Burbank are empty at the moment (quick, someone sneak onto the Paramount Lot and steal a rough cut of Star Trek 2!), but there’s plenty of news and notes to go around. We’re just that good, friends. We begin this evening with a shot of Charlie Hunnam (Sons of Anarchy) and Rinko Kikuchi (The Brothers Bloom) in Guillermo del Toro’s Pacific Rim wearing futuristic robot driving suits. Not only did Shock Till You Drop pull these from the pages of Entertainment Weekly, they also scored a pretty in-depth synopsis.

What is Movie News After Dark? It’s a collection of all the things you’ll be talking about tomorrow with your friends. Assuming you have friends. We hope you do. If not, we’ll be your friend. We begin this evening with the first image from Guillermo Del Toro’s Pacific Rim, featuring Idris Elba looking badass in a suit that, if our guess is right, allows him to control giant robots or something. Everything about this film makes it a giant, sloppy, wet orgy for nerds. We cannot wait.

Though it feels like we’ve been talking about Guillermo Del Toro‘s Pacific Rim forever, it really hasn’t been quite that long, and information on the project has remained vague at best. The first quick bite on Pacific Rim (from back in 2011) reported that the film was about alien invaders, though we quickly learned that it was really “a monster movie” that centered on creatures emerging from the deep. When Charlie Hunnam signed on for a lead role in May of last year, we learned that he would be “one of the pilots of a giant robot who needs to climb back into the driver’s chair.” But since then, the terms “monster movie,” “robots,” and “mech suits” have been bandied about without any official connective tissue. But that’s changed. Today, Warner Bros. has finally released an official synopsis for Pacific Rim, one that ties together all those seemingly disparate parts, while also clarifying both Hunnam’s role and Rinko Kikuchi‘s part in the film. It is, in a word, awesome. Check out the full press release and synopsis after the break.

What is Movie News After Dark? It’s difficult to explain, really. We do know what it isn’t: boring. We begin this evening with one of two images from the scene of the crime where George Miller’s Mad Max: Fury Road could very well be shooting. We know this because some wicked Mad Max-esque vehicles have been spotted near where the production is said to begin shooting in April. It’s got Tom Hardy, it’s George Miller back in the saddle, and it’s okay by me.

You are not hallucinating. You did not somehow miss the opening of Guy Ritchie‘s second Sherlock Holmes film. You also did not imagine that the film seems to focus principally on trees that explode the minute bullets hit them and Robert Downey Jr. cross-dressing more than is probably necessary (at least, that’s what all the marketing seems to hinge upon). Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows will not open until December 16, but Warner Bros. is apparently so pumped on this second outing that they’ve already set a screenwriter for the third film. And they’ve chosen a screenwriter that all of Hollywood already seems pumped on. Drew Pearce will script the third Sherlock Holmes flick, but not before he finishes up his other big franchise flick three-quel script, for Shane Black‘s Iron Man 3. Not content to just pen scripts for series that star Robert Downey Jr. winking his way through established material, Pearce also reportedly contributed to Guillermo del Toro‘s Pacific Rim. Wait – so he can do superheroes, super-sleuths, and super-monsters? Who is this guy? If the gigs he’s getting set for are any indication, a huge (and unproven, at least feature-wise) talent with some major geek leanings. Pearce’s pre-Iron Man 3 resume is a spare one, filled with a UK television series (Lip Service) and the comedy videos shorts for The Committee. But he’s also got a cult hit to his name – UK series No Heroics, the creation of which is likely what set Pearce for another superhero

What is Movie News After Dark? Sometimes it likes to think that it is a carefully constructed Rube Goldberg machine constructed by a popular rock band that quickly became on online sensation. It also sometimes thinks that it’s a world famous traveling circus of puppets. Sadly, it’s just a nightly column of movie news and interesting links. Sorry. Have any of you seen a recent picture of actor Jonah Hill? He looks odd, to say the least, having lost a great deal of weight. Is it me, or does he look like a nerdy white version of President Obama? Slightly unrelated is his being cast in Neighborhood Watch alongside Vince Vaughn and Ben Stiller.

I’m not the biggest Guillermo del Toro fan on the planet. I love Pan’s Labyrinth, but a lot of his more popcorny genre work doesn’t really resonate with me. If he said that he was swearing off horror movies and action franchises for the rest of his career in favor of focusing on dark dramas, I would be ecstatic. But that isn’t the sort of filmmaker he is, and we’re probably all lucky for that, because even I’m getting excited about how awesome his upcoming monster movie Pacific Rim sounds. Lately del Toro has been making all the right moves to turn me around and get me amped up for this project. First he hired Idris Elba to replace Tom Cruise in the starring role. Talk about a major upgrade. Then he went around town making comments about how big and unmodest this film was going to be, how he was approaching it like a big kid having fun, and how it was going to feature mankind creating mech suits to battle giant monsters that come out of the ocean. I don’t know what the best way to get a geek’s attention is, but promising monsters fighting mech suits just might be it. And now he’s in talks to cast Willem Dafoe in a high profile role.

Much has been made of the fact that this month’s Comic-Con in San Diego is looking to be a fairly empty one when it comes to upcoming blockbusters from the studios. Sure Tv shows like Game Of Thrones, True Blood, and The Vampire Diaries will be there, but Marvel, Pixar, and Warner Bros. are sitting it out this year and saving themselves a boatload of cash. This means fans won’t get a glimpse at hotly anticipated titles like Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises, Joss Whedon’s The Avengers, or Andrew Stanton’s John Carter. But not everyone’s upset that the heavy hitters are absent this year… because now some of the lower profile films have a chance to make some noise and get noticed. Per Collider (and the press release they received) Legendary Pictures is leaping on the opportunity and has announced a panel featuring four of their upcoming films. Granted, none of the movies are due out until 2012/2013, but everyone loves seeing celebrities talk about future projects! The highlight is Guillermo del Toro who’ll be on-hand for his giant monster movie, Pacific Rim, and will be bringing his recently announced cast with him including Idris Elba, Charlie Hunnam, Charlie Day, and the lovely Rinko Kikuchi. Also along for the Comic-Con bump will be Alex Proyas and Bradley Cooper discussing their adaptation of Paradise Lost (and how Cooper dodged a bullet with Green Lantern), Jeff Bridges and friends to talk up their supernatural thriller Seventh Son, and Mass Effect creator

Even though he’s currently looking to talk to the press about the upcoming horror film that he co-wrote and produced, Don’t be Afraid of the Dark, Shock till You Drop was able to ask director Guillermo del Toro some questions about his other projects as well; questions that have been floating around the movie blogosphere for a while now.

The last time Tom Cruise noticeably left a project, he passed on Salt to do Knight and Day. He was replaced by one of the biggest stars on the planet. This time around, he left Pacific Rim for reasons unknown, and he’s being replaced by a man who should be one of the biggest stars on the planet. Deadline Basin is reporting that Idris Elba will take on the role of Sensi for the project being directed by Guillermo del Toro. As you can imagine, since it was meant for Cruise, it’s a leading role, but there are very little details as to what type of role it is. My guess is forceful badass with a quietly complex soul. There’s no denying that Elba is a force. He’s also a far more exciting presence than Cruise, and this role will give him a shot at becoming a blockbusting leading man. Of course, this verifies earlier rumors that he was out of the running for Tarantino’s Dhango Unchained. For those keeping score, we’ve got an original sci-fi story being brought to life by a visionary director with a hell of a lead actor. Interested yet?

There’s nothing better than hearing news of Guillermo Del Toro getting a new movie off the ground, especially when it happens to involve giant monsters and regular-sized humans in giant robotic suits doing battle. Since he couldn’t make it all the way to the coldest part of the world with Lovecraft, Del Toro is, of course, heading to the Pacific Rim, and it looks like he’ll do it with Charlie Hunnam. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the star of Sons of Anarchy is signing on to star in the film as one of the pilots of a giant robot “who needs to climb back into the driver’s chair.” Why he’s fallen out is anyone’s guess, but it probably involves the safety regulations on those seat belts being pretty lax. Have you ever test-driven a Mecha-Bot 3000? Vinyl was a poor choice for seating. This is a break-out chance for a great actor to prove his salt with a big budget and a visionary director behind him. Not much more needs to be said than that. Hunnam crushes in Sons of Anarchy, and as long as the melodrama is reigned in for someone struggling to face his giant robot-driving past, he could truly take this opportunity and fly with it.

Bloody Disgusting reports that sources have told them Guillermo Del Toro’s next project Pacific Rim will need to undergo rewrites. The movie is about giant monsters that come out of the Pacific and start attacking cities. Sounds kind of like Godzilla, but it’s not. With the recent devastation caused by the Japanese earthquake, you can see why this might cause quite a stir. Del Toro has apparently been told to rewrite any of the scenes where attacks take place in Japan so that they take place elsewhere. You know, because that’s acceptable. Scenes of cities getting destroyed and people dying are perfectly okay to have in a movie, unless the real thing just happened a couple days ago. What’s the grace period on when we can film Japan blowing up again? A year? Two? Not that I’m saying I don’t like movies with violence. I do. And I can understand that people don’t want to see Japan getting destroyed on screen when they just watched it happen in their living rooms for real. I just think it’s kind of strange how moving the fictional attacks in Pacific Rim is going to make devastation and body counts somehow acceptable. Psychologically, we’re a weird bunch.

What is Movie News After Dark? This is a question that I am almost never asked, but I will answer it for you anyway. Movie News After Dark is FSR’s late-night secretion, a column dedicated to all of the news stories that slip past our daytime editorial staff and make it into my curiously chubby RSS ‘flagged’ box. It will (but is not guaranteed to) include relevant movie news, links to insightful commentary and other film-related shenanigans. I may also throw in a link to something TV-related here or there. It will also serve as my place of record for being both charming and sharp-witted, but most likely I will be neither of the two. I write this stuff late at night, what do you expect?