So it would appear that Alien vs. Predator is truly the movie franchise that will not die. No matter how many bad reviews the films get, or the overwhelming cries of 'blasphemy!' from fans of the original series, it seems like nothing is going to stop Fox from churning out another sequel in the sci-fi series. According to sources for Shock till You Drop, talk of another film in the AVP franchise has already begun to surface at 20th Century Fox -- and Shock's sources say that it is a "certainty."

After AVPR: Aliens vs. Predator - Requiem was released last Christmas, Fox hadn't made any promises about the franchise. According to the film's directors, the studio was going to take a 'wait and see' approach. Cut to three months later, and Fox seems to be a little surer that another installment is a sure thing. There is no word on whether Colin and Greg Strause would return to direct again, or whether Fox is going to run with the Strause's idea of taking the story back into space. Considering their installment managed to pull in $128.8 million internationally, I think Fox might want to take their advice. Nothing is official yet, so stay tuned to Cinematical for any news that comes our way.

So what do you think? Is the AVP franchise worth keeping alive? Or more importantly, will the fans keep coming back no matter how bad the movies are?

The first few lines of dialogue in Alien vs. Predator: Requiem include "take your time" and "slow down," which is pretty ironic considering how impatient the movie comes off in its initial five minutes. Thanks to Yahoo! you can now watch those five minutes and see for yourself. You'll agree that at least in the opening, the sequel is not trying to waste any time. Right away we see an Alien pop out of a Predator's chest, which leads to a quick Alien-Predator battle, which immediately results in the Predator's ship crashing down onto Earth. At this point we meet father and son hunters, the former of which utters those first words.

Oh, and that's when it gets awesome: the hunter shoots one of the baby Aliens, which bleeds acid on his arm, which then falls off. Then another baby Alien jumps onto his face and another baby Alien jumps onto the kid's face. Satisfied yet? Well, you still have the beacon, which is picked up on the Predator home planet, where the last few minutes' events are given an instant replay, which is viewed by another Predator, who abruptly gets into another spaceship and heads to the rescue. And then ... we see the title sequence.

Yeah, in case the red-band trailer hadn't been enough, I have to reiterate that I've never been so excited about a movie I've had such a low expectation for in my entire life. Will Alien vs. Predator: Requiem suck? It's possible, but if it continues with such disregard for pauses, it's going to at least be a quick and painless shot of entertainment.

One of the only cool things about the first AVP: Alien vs. Predator was that Lance Henriksen co-starred. Of course, he didn't play "Bishop", his beloved android character from Aliens (or even Bishop II), but it was still a nice touch to have him in there. That is why it's disappointing to hear that none of the past Alien or Predator actors will be appearing in Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem. In an interview with the MTV Movies Blog, AVP2 co-directors Colin and Greg Strause revealed that they attempted to cast some surprise guests, but were unfortunately unable to do so. The brothers wouldn't name names, but said that one person sought after was too expensive -- even for a cameo? -- and another "shockingly" blew them off. Funny, because aside from Sigourney Weaver, Winona Ryder, Bill Paxton and Ian Holm, I can't imagine many of the Alien series players being too high profile that they couldn't do a fun little throwback appearance. Maybe the Strause Brothers were aiming too high, but surely they could have even made attempts for Charles S. Dutton, Ron Perlman, Veronica Cartwright, Tom Skerritt or even Paul Reiser, not to mention tons of others. And what about Carl Weathers, for the Predator way around? After seeing his recurring role in Arrested Development, I believe he would have been up for such an idea.

The Strause Brothers also discussed with MTV the title, although they didn't even mention the lame "Requiem" part. They only said that Fox is currently not into numbering their sequels and that the pluralization of "Alien" is directly referencing James Cameron's Aliens. Other highlights from the interview (as pointed out by Movieweb) include an acknowledgment that the studio -- not just the Strauses -- thought the first AVP was a disappointment for fans and that the R rating is a response to that (Colin: "I mean, we chest-burst a little kid!"), a discussion of the Alien/Predator hybrid (aka "The Predalien") and a hint that the duo want to do another sequel set in space. MTV Movies Blog has also been sharing some exclusive fight-scene photos from the upcoming sequel (out this Christmas) that are pretty neat.

For those of us hoping that AVP2 is better than AVP1, our prayers seem to have been answered. IGN has the new red band trailer for the spin-off sequel, and it looks pretty damn good. It begins with an appropriate tagline: "In space, no one can hear you scream. On Earth, it won't matter." Then, it's pretty much everything we'd hoped the first Alien vs. Predator movie would be. Well, to be honest, I had wanted a human free, dialogue free movie featuring only the Aliens and the Predators, but this is definitely my second choice.

It isn't even just that the sequel is Rated R, unlike its PG-13 predecessor, and that this uncensored trailer gives us more gore and violence than the anything in the first movie. It's that the Strause Brothers (sibling effects-wizards-turned-directors Colin and Greg) and screenwriter Shane Salerno seem to have the right story for us fans of the original franchises. From the Alien series we have a government/military that doesn't care about civilian life (this is also popular in other horror films of late). From the Predator series we have the thick brush of a forest (almost jungle-like) for more thermal-vision stuff -- which just wasn't as interesting in the cold, arctic setting of the last effort.

Of course, the R-rated stuff is pretty sick, too. As is the seemingly Spielbergian touches: the flashlights in the woods searching for an alien, but it isn't E.T.; a very Jurassic Park-esque scene with Alien young substituted for Velociraptors. Hey, I know it won't possibly be as good as any Spielberg movie nor will it likely be as excellent as the real installments in either franchise. But it still looks awesome. I just hope the trailer hasn't spoiled the best killings -- that Predator knife thrown at the blonde, the double head-shots, the eyes poked out -- or the ending with that final shot with the F-bomb and the Alien kill, which looks climactic. Anyway, one thing is clear: Fox is really going with that Requiem subtitle, and I now realize that I made a mistake with my last AVP2 post; the official title is Aliens vs. Predator -- Requiem (not Alien vs. Predator -- Requiem), as if it really matters.

Does it really matter what the Alien vs. Predator sequel is called? Unless Fox titles it something like Women who Grow Old Together and Discuss Past Romances and Needlework, the movie will attract the same fanboys, geeks and franchise loyalists who hope that it will redeem the series after a disappointing debut. So far, the studio has tried the following titles: the too-redundant Alien vs. Predator: AVP2; the too-abbreviated AvP2; the too-long Alien vs. Predator: No Peace on Earth and finally the too-inconspicuous Aliens vs. Predator (as if to align it with Cameron's masterpiece). However, according to ComingSoon.net, that "finally" wasn't actually a final decision, as Fox is now picking the dumbest title of all: Alien vs. Predator - Requiem. Sounds like a subtitle for a Resident Evil movie, and it's just as unnecessary.

Why not just go with the obvious: Alien vs. Predator 2? It's simple, it's straightforward and it doesn't require all the money paid to some marketing guy who probably took all day thinking up "Requiem." Considering how many titles are listed as Requiem on the IMDb, Fox might want to stay away from the thing. But then, the studio isn't the best at coming up with sequel names (Live Free or Die Hard?). Whatever it's called, AVP2 has only a few months left before its Christmas release, so Fox better finalize its decision and get us some posters and trailers soon. The sequel, directed by effects wizards Colin and Greg Strause, takes the battle of alien species to a farm in Texas, where Shareeka Epps (Half Nelson), John Ortiz (Miami Vice), Steven Pasquale (Rescue Me), Gena Holden (Final Destination 3), David Paetkau (Final Destination 2) and Reiko Alesworth (24) will be caught in the crossfire. According to Pasquale, it will be scarier than the first movie. According to many fans, it better be.

With Michael Bay's Transformers pulling in Daddy Warbucks dollars at the box office, it's inevitable that we'll soon be seeing a flood of films based on cartoons making their way to theaters. The question is: Will we be treated to quality adaptations of cartoons that actually do lend themselves to the big-screen treatment ... or will we have to endure a two-and-a-half-hour "epic" entitled My Little Pony: At World's End?

As it happens, studios are already answering this question, with a bevy of 'toon-based films set to hit cineplexes this year and in the not-so-distant future. First, after years of speculation and anticipation, The Simpsons Movie lands in theaters July 27. Then in August Jason Lee lends his voice to a live-action Underdog movie (he's the superheroic dog), and in December he pops up again (in human form this time) as David Seville in the live-action/animation hybrid Alvin and the Chipmunks. And next summer, the Wachowski bros. will try to spin cinematic gold out of Speedracer, starring Emile Hirsch and Christina Ricci (sorry, no Jason Lee this time).

Also on the horizon is a live-action CGI Thundercats flick, in which Lion-O and an army of humanoid cats (yes, you read that correctly) battle the evil sorcerer Mumm-Ra on a planet known as Third Earth. And last but not least is a real gem for the true cartoon aficionado: a live-action movie based on the Japanese anime 'toon Voltron, about five rebels who battle evil using robotic lions that unite to form one giant ass-kicking robot warrior (Voltron) when the individual lions inevitably get thrashed.

That's about it as far as upcoming cartoon-based film. Which other cartoons would you love to see made into movies? Personally, I'd love to see a crossover mash-up of two different 'toons, Alien vs. Predator-style. I mean, who wouldn't line up to see SVGB: Smurfs vs. Gummy Bears?

After watching the first Alien vs. Predator, I made myself forget the whole terrible experience. So, it isn't surprising that I can't remember the surprise appearance of a little Alien/Predator hybrid popping out at the end. But I guess if I'm going to try and enjoy the sequel (it is pushing for a harder rating ... ), then I need to recap what happened in the original (spinoff anyway). For now, I'm at least back up to speed on the hybrid, thanks entirely to the good people over at RopesofSilicon.com, who share with us some images of the grown 'Alienator' (what would you call it?). The pics they've got are of a model (technical term: maquette), presumably used for the film*, which they got off the site of a company called 3D Custom Foam Inc.

Personally, I'm a bit disappointed with the design, if only because it doesn't have enough Predator features. Yeah, that's probably what happens in the biology, but I don't care. If that is the case then have the hybrid mouth and lose the prickly spikes all over its body. I don't even get that. It makes me think there's some new-style Megatron genes mixed in there or something. I much prefer this photoshop, which I found while doing an image search. Don't you? Anyway, it isn't as bad as the Alien/Ripley hybrid from Alien: Resurrection, and since I actually kinda like that movie, there's a good chance that I can still enjoy AVP2 despite what I think of the creature design. I've always been a fan of alien invasion horror films set in small town America, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I won't have to erase my memory after watching this one, too. Alien vs. Predator: AVP2 comes out this Christmas; maybe it will be what I've always wanted.

*Update: According to JoBlo, this design was not the one used for the film after all.

I'll admit I'm probably one of the few people who actually enjoyed the first Alien vs. Predator movie when it hit theaters a couple years ago. What can I say, I'm a big Lance Henricksen fan. Sure, I'm not the only one who saw the film, as it did make a few bucks at the box office and on DVD -- which is why we are now expecting a sequel. But still, many hardcore fans regarded the first film as a pretty lame attempt to cash-in on whatever hype was left in the Alien franchise. But whatever the motivations behind the new film are -- love of the franchise and the genre or maybe just good old-fashioned greed -- like it or not, Alien vs. Predator 2 is on the way.

Previously here at Cinematical, we've given you some info about the upcoming film including pics, news of a rather disappointing script review and some pretty negative comments by our own Erik Davis, in which he calls the proposed sequel "another trip to planet crapola." And now, thanks to the folks over at the Alien Experience website, we can add an interview with one of the film's creative-types to our growing list of good and bad news about the film. Sadly, this interview, while interesting, is not with a person particularly high-up in the chain of command of the production like the writers or one (or both) of the directors.

Instead, the interview features Q & A with Andrew Li, assistant art director for the film. Now before you snicker and turn away, as positions on a film go, the assistant art director is a pretty important one and carries with it a great deal of responsibility and inside knowledge. So, let's give Mr. Li a chance, shall we? In the interview, Mr. Li drops a few tidbits about himself and the film. He talks about his big love for Sci-Fi/Horror films -- which he considers AVP2 to be -- and talks about how one of his favorite aspects of the film is its atmospheric lighting which, he says, helps enhance the horror aspects of the film and that this time around, the aliens will be invading someplace we've never seen them invade before: small town U.S.A. Hey, it could end up being good. Although, without Lance being in it I can't say I'll be there on opening day.