• Lorenzo Odone (1978-2008) - ALD Patient - His story inspired the film Lorenzo's Oil, in which he was portrayed by child actor Zack O'Malley Greenburg and others. He died May 30 in Fairfax, Virginia. (Washington Post)

• Cornell Capa (1918-2008) - Photojournalist - Founder and first director of NYC's International Center of Photography. He was also a still photographer on the set of The Misfits. He died of Parkinson's disease May 23, in New York City. (AP)
• Alexander Courage (1919-2008) - Composer - Oscar-nominated for co-scoring Doctor Dolittle and The Pleasure Seekers (both with Lionel Newman) and best known for composing the original Star Trek theme. He also wrote original music for Superman IV: The Quest for Peace, Arthur Penn's The Left Handed Gun and André de Toth's Day of the Outlaws. As an orchestrator, he worked on Singin' in the Rain, Oklahoma!, Show Boat, Annie Get Your Gun, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Guys and Dolls, The Band Wagon, Funny Face, Porgy and Bess, Gigi, The Big Country, Hello, Dolly!, My Fair Lady, Fiddler on the Roof, The Unsinkable Molly Brown, Legend, Basic Instinct, Jurassic Park, Hook, L.A. Confidential, The Mummy, Mulan and many, many other films. He died May 15 in Pacific Palisades, California. (Variety)
• Bo Diddley (1928-2008) - Singer, Songwriter, Guitarist - Blues and Rock legend whose songs "Who Do You Love?" and "Mannish Boy" have appeared on multiple movie soundtracks. He also appears in Trading Places, Blues Brothers 2000, Rockula, Eddie and the Cruisers II: Eddie Lives! and a number of documentaries, including D.A. Pennebaker's short Keep on Rockin' and Taylor Hackford's Chuck Berry Hail! Hail! Rock 'n' Roll. For info on his death, see Monika's full post.

I'm not sure if there are still people who still don't believe that Justice League: Mortal is dead, but here's another nail in the much-hammered coffin for you: Adam Brody talked to Empire, and it may interest you to know that even those on board were no more informed than you or I. I find it more funny than interesting -- scary, too, because directors and producers make way more money than I do, and should be much more organized.

Apparently, none of the actors were ever officially let go or told anything, and Brody has no idea whether or not the film will ever be made. He says, "Actually, I probably shouldn't be commenting on it, but who cares. I don't really know – I still feel like an outsider on that somehow. I know there was a tax credit thing and I know that the strike was a hindrance. Also, you've got Batman coming out and Singer wants to do another Superman. This is only speculation on my part, I have no inside knowledge of this, but, as a fan, I think there's controversy about going off and trying to [show a different Superman and Batman] ... I think maybe it will still happen, but I truly don't know any more than you do".

Rumors have been swirling all week that Justice League: Mortal is dead (making the title so very ironic). Eric Kohn reported last week that Joel Silver was describing the film as "tabled." It sounds as if the final nails are being hammered into the coffin, as the Herald Sun reports that the stars have begun to jump ship.

Reportedly, the entire cast has been let go, but as of now, the only name anyone is really talking about is Megan Gale, who was set to play Wonder Woman. An agent for Gale (and League costar Teresa Palmer) insist that both actresses are still on board and waiting for the start date to be announced. Industry insiders are claiming the film is off the books for good.

As there hasn't been one scrap of positive or definitive news on this movie in some time, I think it is safe to say the film is dead for the time being. I imagine it will resurrect in a year or two, probably with an entirely new cast and director, but I sincerely doubt George Miller's film will see the light of day. I feel bad for the guy, but it is obviously just not meant to be. He didn't respond to the Herald's inquiries, which may say volumes about whether he thinks the project is alive or not.

What will movie blogs the world over do without any casting rumors or excruciating setbacks (or April Fools jokes) to report about George Miller's Justice League? We're about to find out, because producer Joel Silver told CHUD that the adaptation has been "tabled," meaning it's not going to happen any time soon. This ends -- at least for the moment -- breathless speculation about who would play which of the dozens of superhero characters in the cast, how blasphemous the screenplay would turn out to be, and when it would actually start filming.

The production was so embattled, by all accounts, that it sometimes seemed like no one wanted to either make it or see it. So maybe this development is for the best -- though I do hope that George Miller comes back if this project ever gets revived. He has the uncanny ability to turn any genre (including, incredibly, the big-budget animated musical) on its head, and comic book movies could use a shake-up. And maybe the new incarnation, whenever it surfaces, can be something that fans can actually get excited about. If you're making a superhero movie and can't even get the geeks on board, you're probably in trouble.

Take from this what you will, but Cinema Blend is reporting on a tip they received from someone who was hanging with Adam Brody in a bar up in British Columbia. What's Brody doing there? Well, apparently some of the cast is with George Miller scouting locations for Justice League Mortal. (Not sure why they'd be up there with the director scouting, but let's roll with it for now ...) Anyway, Brody, Miller and a few others were in a bar, getting wasted, when this girl (who wrote into CB) asked him what they all were doing there. Naturally he said they were scouting for Justice League Mortal (which recently had to shift production from Australia to Canada). Then it gets interesting.

Here's her full quote: "George is our director. He said he's playing The Flash, Common is playing Green Arrow (or Lantern, one or the other), Armie Hammer (sounded like Arm and Hammer) is Batman, someone from "mad max" is Martian Man-hunter (didn't catch the name) and Hayden Christensen is Superman. Brody also nodded to the woman to his right and said "she (he said her name but I didn't catch it) is in it too". Oh, and they had lots of drinks." While I'm very reluctant to believe this one, on the other hand I could totally buy them wanting Christensen to play Superman. He'd bring some more "celebrity" to the cast, even though the fanboys who hated him Star Wars would hate him again -- even more this time -- for Superman. Should be interesting to see this one play out, as Justice League Mortal is supposed to begin shooting this summer.

What do you think about Hayden Christensen playing Superman?

Poor Justice League. They just can't catch a break.

The Syndey Herald reports that the city is in danger of losing the Justice League movie. The mega movie has received another setback, this time due to the Australian government. The Federal Government has refused to give the movie the new 40% tax rebate, which is essential for this $200 million dollar production.

The problem seems to be that it is an American film, with American accents, and it will not do the Australian film industry any favors. But native director George Miller points out that the country needs movie franchises, even if they aren't "recognizably" Australian, to boost production and bring in jobs. I can't really say which side is right -- it seems Australia is a bit miffed Warner Bros shut down production in January over uncertainty about the incentive, and they punished them for their doubts. (I'm really curious if X-Men Origins: Wolverine is getting that tax break. Everyone knows Hugh Jackman is Australian, but come on, that's not going to be seen as a Down Under movie either.)

But the biggest revelation in this story? The movie seems have a title, which I am fairly sure hasn't been officially announced yet: Justice League Mortal. Hmm. That hardly rolls off the tongue. Did they take out the "America" in hopes of gaining that tax incentive?

So it has a title (maybe), but will the flick ever see the light of day? There are rumors that Miller was brought on just because of that Australian rebate -- and if it is gone, and production is moved elsewhere, Warner Bros. may be shopping for a new director. We'll see. I know many comic book fans that just want this production to die -- and there's definitely a sense that they are forcing a movie that simply does not want to be.

[via Action-Figure.com]

With the writer's strike over, Warner Bros. believes they have a winner in this Justice League movie, and they're once again plowing ahead to try to get the film up and running for a debut in 2009. Variety tells us that writers Kieran and Michele Mulroney are currently re-tooling the script, while George Miller remains in pre-production in Australia. Additionally, the cast have been told to keep training for their roles. As previously reported, JLA will feature Adam Brody (the Flash), Common (Green Lantern), Armie Hammer Jr. (Batman) and Megan Gale (Wonder Woman). Other actors are rumored to have landed roles, but nothing seems to be official yet.

By mentioning Armie Hammer Jr., we assume this means Batman and Superman will play key roles in the film. Just recently, there was a rumor going around that had both characters scrapped from the new flick. Then again, since the script is still being re-tooled, we really don't know what the final outcome will look like. Assuming all goes right, Warners will use Justice League to launch solo films for a few of these other characters, like the Flash and Wonder Woman. Marvel, on the other hand, is taking the exact opposite approach: They're launching solo films -- and cross-promoting characters within each solo film -- before stepping up to the plate with an Avengers film. Which do you think will be the more successful route?

Also of note: Warners has set a October 16, 2009 release date for Spike Jonze's Where the Wild Things Are.

Warner Brothers has officially pulled the plug on Justice League of America, according to Variety -- or, to be more precise, put it on hold. Erik Davis alerted us to the possibility earlier this week: the studio had until Tuesday to decide whether to officially green light the project so production could begin this spring for release in Summer 2009. Variety says that the contract options were allowed to lapse for the young cast chosen by director George Miller, which rules out an early start. Now it looks like late summer or fall before the project can get underway.

Oddly enough, the cast members were reportedly informed Tuesday night that, while their options had lapsed, the studio still wanted them to play the roles for which they had been cast. Officially, the reasons for the delay are that Warners didn't get an official response on tax breaks they wanted for filming in Australia and that the script by Kieran and Michele Mulroney needed more work, which isn't possible right now because of the writers' strike.

The cast members included Adam Brody as The Flash, Megan Gale as Wonder Woman and Armie Hammer Jr. as Batman. The project as a whole has not incited gale forces of enthusiasm so far, so maybe this delay will give everyone a chance to step back and reconsider whether this is really the superhero tent-pole that Warner Brothers wants to make.

From the "Things We Already Figured Out, But It's Nice to See Other People Saying the Same Thing" pile ...

Instead of the usual three little tidbits, today we're bringing you one large mish-mosh of information about the future of Superman, Batman and the Justice League flick. Over on her blog, Variety's Anne Thompson talks a bit about all three of these properties, saying it's "highly unlikely" that Bryan Singer will return to the Superman franchise now that he's decided to scale down and shell out a few passion projects (namely this summer's Valkyrie and The Mayor of Castro Street). Thompson says our next big-screen meeting with the Man of Steel will probably come in the form of a much younger actor in the role as part of that planned Justice League film.

Oh, and about that planned Justice League film -- Thompson doesn't think it will be shot until after the WGA strike is resolved, which could potentially push production back to summer versus the original plan to begin shooting early in 2008. Warner Bros. still hasn't officially announced the cast for Justice League, and last we heard director George Miller was forging ahead, claiming everything was still on schedule. For Christmas, I asked Santa for this whole film to just go away. Let's see if he stands up to his end of the bargain.

Finally, as far as future solo Batman installments go, Thompson says Warner Bros. is so happy with the way The Dark Knight turned out that they seriously hope director Christopher Nolan will return to helm a third film. I always thought a third film was part of his initial contract, but I gather it wasn't. You have to imagine there will be a bunch of loose ends to tie up following Dark Knight, and so here's hoping Nolan returns to finish the job rather than hand the franchise off to someone less worthy.

One flies, one runs and the other whips:

For a film that hasn't released anything official in weeks, we all love to talk about Justice League of America. I'm convinced I'll enjoy writing about this film more than I'll enjoy watching it. So the AFI awards were held in Australia the other night, and Moviehole reports JLA director George Miller was in attendance to NOT talk about Justice League. Well, that's not entirely the case -- he did say the film was still very much on track, with filming to begin early next year. So ... where's the greenlight? Additionally, Miller said the film will have a different name when it goes before cameras. A different name? How do you make a Justice League film and not use the words 'Justice League' in the title? Either Miller was alluding to a fake title being used in order to hide the production (a la Rory's First Kiss, aka The Dark Knight), or he's out of his f**king mind. You make the call.

Will there be another Bourne film? A fourth installment? Ya know, the one where Jason Bourne forgets ... his house keys! Coming Soon sat down with producer Frank Marshall, who was fairly optimistic when asked about a fourth Bourne flick. He says, "There were only three books written. I know they've written a fourth but it wasn't written by Ludlum. Look, we would love to continue the franchise. We just need a great story, and we're not going to do it unless we have a great story, but we are working on coming up with one, and Matt said to me, 'Look, you hand me a great script, I'm in.' Unfortunately, we're not able to do any writing at the moment, but we're all thinking about it." Here's my question: Why would they need a fourth book from Ludlum? It's not like the first three were ever taken into consideration.

Finally, in another interview with Frank Marshall over at MTV (the man is sleeping around with every movie site, it appears), he finally revealed who Cate Blanchett and Ray Winstone will be playing in this summer's Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Do you wanna know? Do you really wanna know? Okay, here goes: As far as Blanchett's character, Marshall said she's "playing the villainess in Indiana Jones" and that she "makes a great villain." We all knew she was the villain, but there's your confirmation. And Winstone? Marshall described his character, Mac, as "a sort of cross between villain Belloq and friend Sallah. He plays an archaeologist competitor to Indy. Friend and competitor." Also confirmed was Jim Broadbent's character, who will play a "Yale colleague of Dr. Jones that sort of replaces Marcus Brody." Myself? I'll be playing the guy who cannot wait to see this freaking thing.