Believe me, I struggled long and hard to come up with a catchy title like 'From Mars to Metro City' or something like that, but hey, sometimes a pun just isn't going to happen and it's best to move on. Variety reports that Kristen Bell has signed to voice the female lead in the feature film adaptation of Astro Boy. If you know your Astro Boy, you probably don't remember many female leads in the story, but hey, count your blessings if this is the only change in store for the classic manga tale.

Astro Boy was written by Timothy Harris, and is the story of a boy robot who is abandoned by his creator and left to fend for himself in the wilds of Metro City. The robotic Pinocchio tale had it all, absent father figures, betrayal, and robot gladiators, you know, just your usual kid's story. Bell will be joining Nicholas Cage, Freddie Highmore, Nathan Lane, and Bill Nighy in Imagi Studios 3-D update of the classic manga.

So while she may not be Harley Quinn (but I guess it doesn't hurt to fantasize), Bell has three other projects in various stages of production. Unfortunately, they seem to be the usual run of the mill romantic comedies that all young actresses seem to have to make at some point in their career. Bell will also be making a reappearance on TV's Heroes this season as the electrifying baddie, Elle Bishop. But none of these projects will get Bell fans hyped like the rumored Veronica Mars flick -- no matter how misguided that idea might be.

Astro Boy is scheduled to arrive in theaters in 2009.


[Thanks: Coming Soon]

An Australian artist by the name of Josh McMahon has created some very cool fan art for the Batman universe. Above, check out an image of Kristen Bell as Harley Quinn. While I'm not so sure the actress would do wonders with that role, I think this doctored-up photo is damn pretty to look at ... and it kinda puts me in the mood to see Quinn in the next Batman flick. Over on McMahon's gallery (which includes several other fan-inspired images), he says that, originally, he planned to use this image as an April Fools Joke and team with a bunch of websites to trick the world into believing Kristen Bell had a small cameo in The Dark Knight. All I'll say is that would've been a fun couple of days right there ... We've included three images in the gallery below (larger version of Bell, a sample image from Batman 3 with Marion Cotillard as Catwoman and another with Anne Hathaway as Batgirl), then head on over to McMahon's page to see a whole bunch more.

Whaddya think? Kristen Bell as Harley Quinn? Marion Cotillard as Catwoman?



[via Slashfilm]

Veronica Mars is always struggling with something. She tried to find the evil jerk who killed her best friend, Lily Kane. She struggled through nightmares to figure out who was responsible for the bus crash. And then she went to college, where she made lots more enemies as she solved a whole slew of mysteries. She also struggled to stay on the air.

Unlike Spaced, which certainly got more buzz from the notable celebs who loved it, it didn't even seem to help much that big-wigs like Kevin Smith and Joss Whedon adored Veronica. Both even had cameos on the show -- as a convenience store clerk and a fastidious car rental worker, respectively.

I can literally hear the Jan Hammer as I type this, but when I think Don Johnson, I think Sonny Crocket (and occasionally, the slightly less cool Nash Bridges). I know that Mr. Johnson has many other fine acting credits to his name, but I grew up in the '80s, what can you expect? But, it's not all white suit jackets and '71 Plymouth Barracuda's for Johnson any more. The Hollywood Reporter has announced that the man will be getting back into the feature film game to star in Disney's romantic comedy When in Rome, and the indie feature, A Good Old Fashioned Orgy.

Rome stars Kristen Bell (TV's Veronica Mars) as a young American gal "who steals coins from an Italian fountain and finds herself receiving visits from numerous strangers who, having previously thrown coins into the fountain, are now in love with her." Johnson was offered the role by writer-director Mark Steven Johnson (no relation) to play Bell's dad, after a previous project between the two had fallen through. Then it's off to work on Orgy where Johnson will fill in as SNL's Jason Sudeikis' dad (I guess Johnson has finally reached the stage in his career where he is no longer the 'be-stubbled heartthrob' and more of a father figure).

Most conversations about Forgetting Sarah Marshall -- the new Judd Apatow-produced comedy about a devastating breakup -- are going to start with the penis shot. Sure, there have been willies in the movies before -- hell, there have been dongs in Apatow productions before (see Walk Hard). But a johnson this prominently featured, and in a mainstream romantic comedy? It breaks new ground. And not only is it funny, it's the perfect visual representation of what a guy goes through when he gets dumped. The film's star, Jason Segel, is stripped bare literally and figuratively -- exposed, embarrassed, emasculated. It's a comedy moment for the history books. I just wish I could say the rest of the film is as bold, as brave, as ... ballsy as that penis.

Oh, don't get me wrong. Sarah Marshall is a very funny movie. But its faults -- its sagginess, its tendency to let improvisation roll past the point of laughter, its relationships that often don't ring true -- are what separate this Judd Apatow production from a Judd Apatow film.

We already know that Kristen Bell is going to have some unconventional suitors in the new romcom When in Rome -- Jon Heder signed onto the cast back in March to play a smitten street magician. But in all the names that I could imagine being added next, there's one that definitely didn't cross my mind. The Hollywood Reporter has posted that the next eligible bachelor to get his shot at nabbing the young, sleuthing, electric, heart-breaking Bell: Danny DeVito.

As we already know, Bell will play a "love-starved New York Curator" who takes a trip to Rome and steals coins from a fountain of love to try and get her chance at romance. When she gets home, she discovers that it actually worked -- a number of men try to woo her. But another bit of the puzzle has now been added by THR, that explains the whole thing -- the coins she steals were tossed there by the men who end up pursuing her.

The question that remains: will these men just try to catch her gaze when she walks on by, or will we see a nice, romantic sit-down dinner with Danny and Kristen? And an end-of-the-night kiss? It could be interesting, to say the least. The film, which also boasts the likes of Will Arnett, Josh Duhamel, Anjelica Huston, and Dax Shepard, begins filming this month in New York City.

Forgetting Sarah Marshall finds Jason Segel vacationing in Hawaii to forget the girl (Kristen Bell) who just dumped him. Alas, she's at the same resort with her new beau! It's the latest comedy from the Apatow camp, and it hits theaters this weekend. Cinematical spoke one-on-one with the film's director, Nicholas Stoller, regarding the movie, his upcoming Muppet project, and how much onscreen penis is too much onscreen penis.

Cinematical: Is it intimidating for you knowing that every movie associated with Apatow these days is such a comedy event? Does that put pressure on you as the director to live up to that standard?

Nicholas Stoller: Not really, I'm still excited I got to make a movie, so I'm not really thinking in terms of if it's going to be a big event. Our movie was cheap so we don't have to make up that much money. It amuses me, and I hope that it amuses more people.

Cinematical: It amused me, so there's one extra person anyway.

NS: We have you and me and we just need 30 million more Americans.

If Jason Segel was a character on Heroes, what would his super power be? And speaking of super powers, which comic book character would Kristen Bell take on without even reading a script? You can get the answers to these questions, as well as watch Segel talk, at length, about his good friend Mr. Johnson, over at Moviefone -- where they've unveiled the latest installment in their very funny (and thought-provoking) Unscripted series, featuring the two stars of Forgetting Sarah Marshall.

Above, you'll be able to see a special super secret exclusive clip from their chat that's NOT featured in the actual Unscripted session. Oh yes, that means you can only watch it right here ... on Cinematical. Aren't you glad you stopped in today? So listen to Kristen Bell mock Jesus Christ's comedic skills above, then head on over to Moviefone to see their entire chat. Remember, Segel and Bell are answering questions you left for them right here on this very blog, as well as mixing in some of their own. If you thought you knew everything about gratuitous male nudity on the big screen ... you have no idea.

Forgetting Sarah Marshall. April 18. Go!

Did you know this? I'm not exactly sure why, but news about Serious Moonlight isn't really getting released. I posted about the project back in October -- the film was written by the late Adrienne Shelly, is being produced by her widower, and had Cheryl Hines (who co-starred in Waitress) attached to direct. Sure, it's not the biggest selection of names, but after the shock that was Shelly's murder, and the positive reaction to Waitress, one would think that news about the feature would continue to roll in, especially when bigger names signed on.

While reading Lou Lumenick's current post about Meg Ryan, he mentioned the film and its stars -- Kristen Bell and Justin Long. So, I headed over to IMDb, and yes, the cast stars Veronica Mars and the ol' Apple guy, plus Ryan and Timothy Hutton. Did some press release get lost? The film was cast, and is already in post-production!