Headlines of the Day - 9/9/08 - UPDATED REGULARLY

Will Smith as Captain America? - "...but during an MTV News interview regarding his role in “Miracle at St. Anna,” actor Derek Luke let slip that a very prominent - and surprising - face could be the star of Marvel Studios’ next blockbuster film. “I heard they offered Will Smith ‘Captain America,’” said Luke, adding that the intriguing casting rumor “just shows you how times have changed.” If Derek Luke said it...it HAS TO be true! (Note sarcasm). Personally, I would love to see this happen. Smith is charismatic, talented and you know he can do action. Will this happen? I seriously doubt it. Splashpage.mtv.com.

Michael Caine says Johnny Depp and Philip Seymour Hoffman are the The Riddler and The Penguin, respectively - Caine discusses: “When Christopher [Nolan] said we were going to do ‘The Dark Knight’ next, I didn’t know what that meant in Batman terms,” related Caine, who plays Bruce Wayne’s loyal butler, Alfred Pennyworth. “I said, ‘What’s the story?’ and he said The Joker. I said, ‘Oh, s–t! How are you going to top Jack [Nicholson]?’ He said, ‘Well, I’ve cast Heath Ledger. And I went ‘Ha! I couldn’t top Jack, but if anyone could, maybe Heath could.’ And he did. “I was with [a Warner Bros.] executive and I said, ‘Are we going to make another one?’ They said yeah. I said, ‘How the hell are we going to top Heath? And he says ‘I’ll tell you how you top Heath — Johnny Depp as The Riddler and Philip Seymour Hoffman as The Penguin.’ I said, ‘S–t, they’ve done it again!’” [Laughs]. If Michael Caine said it...it HAS TO be true! (Note sarcasm #2). Mtv.com.

Philip Seymour Hoffman discusses The Penguin rumors - Lets just say the words, "I'm the what now?" were spoken by Mr. Hoffman. Communities.canada.com via Moviehole.net.

Amanda Seyfried (Mamma Mia!) takes on a "John" - "Amanda Seyfried will follow "Mamma Mia!" with a starring gig in "Dear John," the Lasse Hallstrom-directed adaptation of the Nicholas Sparks bestseller. Seyfried joins Channing Tatum in the pic and will play a young woman who meets and falls in love with a soldier while he's on leave". Variety.com.

Dreamworks being sued because "Disturbia" is a rip-off of "Rear Window" - "DreamWorks' "Disturbia" is a rip-off of Alfred Hitchcock's "Rear Window," according to a lawsuit filed Monday in Manhattan federal court. According to the Sheldon Abend Revocable Trust, which owns the rights to Cornell Woolrich's short story "Murder From a Fixed Viewpoint," Hitchcock legally obtained the rights to turn the short story into a big-screen thriller in 1953. However, the trust claims DreamWorks did not do the same.The lawsuit contends that "Disturbia" and "Rear Window" are "essentially the same" stories. Both are murder mysteries solved by a man peering from his window and witnessing strange behavior by a neighbor". Wow! It took SHR Trust a WHOLE YEAR to figure this out? SHR Trust will also finally figure out that 1+1=2 and that the world is round and rotates around the sun. THR.com.

J.J. Abrams discusses why no William Shatner in new "Star Trek" movie - Abrams says: "It was very tricky. We actually had written a scene with him in it that was a flashback kind of thing, but the truth is, it didn't quite feel right. The bigger thing was that he was very vocal that he didn't want to do a cameo. We tried desperately to put him in the movie, but he was making it very clear that he wanted the movie to focus on him significantly, which, frankly, he deserves. The truth is, the story that we were telling required a certain adherence to the Trek canon and consistency of storytelling". AMCtv.com.

UPDATE: Julie Andrews joins Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson in "The Tooth Fairy" - "Julie Andrews has earned her wings. The actress will join Dwayne Johnson and Ashley Judd in Fox's family comedy "Tooth Fairy."Also on board are "Extras" star Stephen Merchant, who also co-created "The Office," and pro skateboarder Ryan Sheckler (MTV's "Life of Ryan"). The film centers on Derek Thompson (Johnson), a minor-league hockey player whose nickname is the Tooth Fairy because of his ability to knock out opposing players' teeth. Judd plays his girlfriend.When he discourages a youngster's hope, Derek is ordered to one week's hard labor as a real tooth fairy, complete with wings, magic wand and frilly tutu. Along the way, he rediscovers his forgotten dreams". This flick has craptastic written all over it! THR.com.

UPDATE: Blue Man Group coming to an IMAX 3-D theater Near You - "The Blue Man Group has pacted with producer Charlotte Huggins ("Journey to the Center of the Earth") to star in their first film. The musical will be made for Imax 3-D with an eye toward a wider release on standard-sized digital 3-D screens.Pic will be a new idea created specifically for 3-D film. Blue Man Group is keeping details under wraps, but Goldman [original Blue Man member] told Daily Variety, "It's going to have a story, believe it or not. It's going to have real science content, and we're excited about being in the neuroscience space." "We had a lot of ideas of things coming at you, splashing of paint, explosions of color," he added. "It's a complete mesh of everything that we love." Variety.com.

UPDATE: Blockbuster Videogame Duke Nukem hitting the big screen - "Hollywood producer Scott Faye, who’s readying Max Payne for its October 17th release, is working with 3D Realms’ Scott Miller on a Duke Nukem movie. “I'm working diligently at making a Duke Nukem movie scenario that will live up to the character and its import in the videogame world,” said Faye. “As is the case with all of my game adaptations, I'd rather not make the movie than make a poor adaptation.” Kotaku.com via Joblo.com.

UPDATE: Are you ready for some "hybrid" "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles"? - (Co-Creator)Peter Laird discusses: "As it stands now, there is no intention of doing another live-action film like the first three, with actors and stuntmen in actual Turtle suits, contrary to what was said by Kevin. We have pretty much decided that the next “TMNT” movie should be what we’ve been calling a “hybrid” — that is to say, live-action humans and sets combined with very realistic CGI Turtles (and possibly some other CGI characters)". "I think Chris Evans and Sarah Michelle Gellar did wonderful work voicing the Casey and April characters in the recent CGI “TMNT” movie, and I think it would be really cool if we could get them to reprise those roles, but this time “in the flesh.” I think that might be the first time something like that has happened". I'm tired of all this "TMNT" movie talk. We need more "The Dark Knight" sequel talk! (Sarcasm #3). Splashpage.mtv.com.

UPDATE: Will Smith is NOT Captain America - "Multiple sources from MARVEL have confirmed that Derek Luke, of Spike Lee's MIRACLE AT ST. ANNA, doesn't know what he's talking about when it comes to Will Smith and CAPTAIN AMERICA. Marvel never offered the part, nor did they approach or entertain a conversation about Will Smith for CAPTAIN AMERICA". Damn! I thought Derek Luke was such a reliable source! AICN.com.