The Geek Beat is taking a late-September vacation to Middle Earth -- but it will be back next month and those of you suffering withdrawels can always check the archives. In the meantime, you can relax with a daily round-up of nerdy news bites. (They taste like coconut!) This is relaxing for me, too -- I get to catch up on my reading, my Halloween shopping, and my yoga. I can stay up all night re-reading Preacher (you know I will) and not waiting for an X-Men Origins: Wolverine story. A good way to end summer!

Now, onto today's news ...

• According to The Hollywood Reporter, Jeffery Erb and Robert Robinson Jr. have launched Framelight Productions with an eye to producing edgy comic and graphic novel adaptations. They already have options on Larry Hama's Dr. Death with Kip and Muffy, Gary Reed's Deadworld, Ralph Tedesco and Joe Tyler's Sins of the Fallen, as well as their 1001 Arabian Nights. (Clicking on any of those links will take you to previews of the books.) All of their productions aim to do one thing in particular -- involve the creator in all aspects of movie making. "We weren't the only producers wanting to make movies based on these creators' babies, but we were the only ones inviting them in as co-producers," says Erb.

• Edward Norton told MTV News that he's uncertain about the future of The Incredible Hulk and his role in it. There's been no word on whether they will be a solo sequel, or if Norton will be playing the Hulk in The Avengers. "The minds of Marvel are sometimes opaque. I won't say [they're] obtuse, but I don't have any idea what they want to do." Perhaps they're considering Matthew McConaughey, who had no idea he was rumored for Captain America -- but revealed to MTV that Hulk is really the only Marvel character he would like to play. (They could save on the budget -- all they have to do is dye that muscled dude green.)
  

Above: Nicolas Cage on the set of Kick-Ass

It's not like Mark Millar is the most reserved guy when it comes to his enthusiasm for his work, but even for him, this might be a little much. Over at Millar World (a fan forum), the man himself weighed in with an update on Matthew Vaughn's version of his comic series, Kick-Ass, and says, "I hereby declare Kick-Ass as the greatest movie of 2009." Pretty bold words for a movie that stars Nicolas Cage, don't you think? (you can read the full details over at the Millar forums.)

Aaron Johnson stars as the titular 'Kick-Ass' (better known as Dave Lizewski), an otherwise ordinary New York City high school student whose interest in comic books inspires him to become a real-life superhero. Nicolas Cage and Chloe Moretz also star as a father and daughter crime-fighting team known as Big Daddy and Hit-Girl.

Millar went on to give major props to the film's crew and cast, saying, "I lucked out with Wanted and Timur and James and Angelina. But nothing-- I mean nothing-- can prepare you for Nic and Chloe as Big Daddy and Hit-Girl. As I said to Nic after the first scene was shot on Saturday morning, this is a movie about comic-book guys MADE by comic-book guys.." Luckily for fans of the original series, it looks like the non-stop carnage that made the series so popular is remaining intact -- regardless of what Cage may have to say to the contrary.

I guess the actual release date didn't occur to Millar when he made his 2009 declaration, because Kick-Ass will arrive in theaters on January 1, 2010.

[Photo via Bad and Ugly]

Matthew Vaughn's Kick-Ass seems to be one of the projects of the moment -- either because it's a super slow news time or because Mark Millar has taken over the Internet. I suspect the latter.

When this movie was officially pushed into gear, much was made of the violence of Millar's book, and how Vaughn refused to tone it down for the film. Studios fled screaming from it. But according to Nicolas Cage, it's not going to be excessive. "When I said 'yes' to this movie, it was to a script," Cage told MTV. "Then I started seeing the comics which are pretty far out in terms of violence. But I think Matthew and the script have a different style to it. I'm not fond of gratuitous violence ... There will be some moments of action that will be violent, but there will be a sense of elegance to it. [Matthew Vaughn] doesn't want to get gratuitous with it. At least that's what Matthew has told me."

Now, perhaps this is all a matter of perspective -- what studios see as over-the-top and gratuitous, Vaughn and Cage don't. But on the snap judgment surface, it sounds as though Vaughn is watering down Millar's book, which is hard to believe when he was so dedicated to the blood and guts that he funded it himself. I want him to stick to his guns (no pun intended) and make the movie that shocked studio executives. My future katana-wielding daughter must be portrayed accurately, in all her foul-mouthed and blood drenched glory. (For the record, I trained her, not her father. As if I would trust such a delicate task to anyone else.)

Matthew Vaughn is set to direct an adaptation of Mark Millar's comic Kick-Ass -- and part of the cast he was hinting at back in June has been announced: Christopher Mintz-Plasse (McLovin, as predicted in the comments two months ago) and Chloe Moretz are joining the production.

Kick-Ass is the ultra-violent (surprise, it's Millar) story of a high school dork, Dave Lizewski, who reinvents himself as a superhero named Kick-Ass. Unfortunately, he's pretty bad at it, until he's forced to face real bad guys, who pack real weapons.

Surprisingly, Mintz-Plasse will not be playing the lead -- he's playing the Red Mist, the angry teenage spawn of a mob family, who tries to uncover the Kick-Ass' real life identity. Moretz will be playing a vicious, foul-mouthed 11-year-old who chops down criminals with a katana. (In other words, she's playing my future daughter. What can I say, I'm going to raise her right.) The lead has yet to be cast, and Vaughn is courting several big names to play parents and mobsters.

Back in May, Miramax grabbed a spec for the remake of an Israeli thriller called The Debt. Matthew Vaughn, director of Layer Cake, wrote the adaptation along with writing partner Jane Goldman. But he wasn't interested in directing it himself, for whatever reason. Now it looks like the bunch of directors who were circling the project have been whittled down to one, and according to The Hollywood Reporter, the winner is John Madden, who is currently in negotiations. (The director, obviously, not the football man.)

This is definitely an interesting choice, but one that should suit the material well. In the past, Madden has brought us literary fare like Shakespeare in Love, but he's also the man behind Mrs. Brown, Captain Corelli's Mandolin, Proof, and the new Elmore Leonard adaptation, Killshot.

To refresh your memories, this is the story of three Mossad agents who learn that an old Nazi criminal they had captured years ago is still alive. The problem is: The man had escaped their clutches, so they just claimed he committed suicide to save their skins. With the war criminal alive and ready to admit to his crimes, the agents set out to finish the job and save their reputations.

Now that Wanted is ready to hit the big screen and early buzz has been positive, it should come as no surprise that Mark Millar's other film project has kicked into high gear. Comic Book Resources got the chance to speak with Millar about the upcoming feature film adaptation of his work when the conversation turned to the feature film version of his Icon series, Kick-Ass. Millar tells Resources, "The casting's all been done, and everything's all in line now with that. There's two big names attached, which I can't mention so we can get on the cover of 'Variety.' And now we've got everyone. The kids who show up at the end of issue #3 - we just cast the girl, and that was a really tricky one because we needed to find someone who could do martial arts stuff."

The story of Kick-Ass is a little different from your average tale of a caped crusader. Instead, Kick was told through flashbacks about a 15-year-old kid named Dave Lizewski. Dave is just a regular kid with no special powers or abilities, but he makes the incredibly dangerous decision to become a superhero. Early speculation has Matthew 'Layer Cake' Vaughn handling the script and directing duties, but so far nothing has been confirmed -- and Millar has kept quiet on that front.

So let the games begin: sound off below on who you think can fill Lizewski's homemade tights.

There's all sorts of madness going on at Marvel right now in the wake of Iron Man's ridiculous opening weekend. Marvel's Kevin Feige was promoted to God and now it's time to start looking toward the future. While we await the release of Marvel's second self-financed flick (The Incredible Hulk) later this summer, The Hollywood Reporter tells us Matthew Vaughn is no longer directing Thor (currently scheduled to arrive in theaters on June 4, 2010, not July 4 as previously reported -- unless HR made a typo). According to HR, Vaughn's holding deal expired. In the meantime, Marvel is waiting for a script polish from writer Mark Protosevich (I Am Legend).

On what we should expect from Thor, Feige says, "It's very much a Marvel superhero story but against the backdrop of nothing you've seen before. " He then described the flick as a "period fantasy in the vein of The Lord of the Rings." Sounds pretty cool to me. Who do you think they should get to direct Thor? Heck, why not throw Peter Jackson on it -- I'm sure fans would freak over that one.

Additionally, and this is just a rumor right now, HR also claims that Hulk might be featured in Iron Man 2 (due out April 30, 2010). They don't go any further than that except to say we should expect cross-referencing in all these films now that Marvel has control over the movies its characters are in. However, one thing's NOT for sure right now -- and that's Robert Downey Jr.'s participation in the Iron Man sequel. He's signed on, but HR says Marvel may have to "sweeten the pot to reward the movie's star." Oh, they'll sweeten ... or else millions of fans will look to bring on a world of hurt.

It's not the debt of a big-budget film, but rather, The Hollywood Reporter posts that Miramax has nabbed a spec for the remake of the Israeli thriller The Debt. Matthew Vaughn, who directed Layer Cake and collaborates with Guy Ritchie, wrote the remake with writing partner Jane Goldman.

The film focuses on "three Mossad agents who, 20 years after World War II's end, learn that a Nazi war criminal is still alive, and set out to pursue him across Europe." But it's a little more than that, according to the summary of the original on IMDb. In 1965, this Nazi criminal broke out of the safehouse where he was held, and the agents who kept him there saved their own hides by claiming that he committed suicide. However, an article in a small-town paper pops up in the '90s, which says he's alive and willing to admit his crimes. The agents, now old men, concoct a scheme to finish the job and save their reputations. I imagine the "debt" comes in when they convince the woman who was with them and led to the criminal's escape, to do the deed.

For whatever reason, Vaughn is not planning to direct this script, and a bunch of other directors are said to be interested. Guy Ritchie maybe? Nah, he's busy trying to fix his own career.

If any of you out there have seen the film, what do you think?

There are some comic book heroes I just can't envision on the big screen. One of these is Thor -- but Matthew Vaughn is still determined to do it. In an interview with Empire, he confirms that he's still on board and that the next move is up to Marvel. "We're in a holding pattern at the moment," he said. "It's up to Marvel, they have to decide if they want to make the movie and then we take it from there."

Marvel not want to make a comic book movie? Yeah, I don't think they're really going to duck out of that. Vaughn recognizes that the character is inherently a bit ridiculous, but is confident he can strike a balance between a faithful portrayal and updating that winged helmet. "I think you have to respect that it is comic book and silly to be frank, so you have to combine that with a modern style and hopefully come up with something fresh. I think we can come up with something special." Last September, he cited Gladiator as an inspiration, and scriptwriter Mark Protosevich sees the story in Biblical terms.

Vaughn also says he wants a total unknown to play the part -- I think this is the first buff hero movie that hasn't immediately had Gerard Butler's name attached to it. (Until someone picks this up and sees only "Butler" and "Thor" and runs it as a rumor.) Another Scottish actor, Kevin McKidd, was rumored to be in the running but is still in talks only for a secondary part.

Like I said, I can't really picture it. Even in epic Gladiator terms, I still see it as something that might have been made in the 1980's. Am I missing the awesomeness of the character? Feel free to flame me and tell me so, Thor fans.