So before you get all excited; no, the Weinsteins are not remaking the 1990 Charlie Sheen and Michael Biehn action 'classic'. Instead, Variety reports that the Weinsteins have announced their first joint-production with Exodus Films: the animated family film, Navy Seals. Justin Eick has reportedly signed to pen the script for the CG flick about an elite group of Navy "super dolphins" (and even though they're dolphins, I'm holding out for "frickin' laser beams attached to their frickin' heads") who are captured by some bad guys. Their only hope for escape is a rag-tag group of neighboring seals -- and we're talking actual seals, by the way, flippers and all. Exodus' chief executive was quoted as saying the story was "inspired by the very real heroics that marine mammals have played in the defense of our country." -- which might be a little heavy-handed for a family comedy, don't you think?

The Weinsteins and Exodus first crossed paths when TWC picked up Exodus' first animated feature, Igor. That film is set for release on October 24 and stars John Cusack (as Igor), John Cleese, and Steve Buscemi. Seals will be the first co-production to come out of the partnership that was announced during the Cannes festival earlier this year. Now, both companies will work together as a one-stop shop to develop, produce, and finance a slate of animated films. It's no secret that the Weinsteins have had a rough year when it comes to the bottom line, and so you can't blame TWC for wanting to cover their bets with two animated films. I just hope they're ready for the competition.

It looks like Warner Bros. has a few things to clear up about their big-screen version of Thundercats. An article in the LA Times confirms that the film will be done entirely with CGI. It was just a few days ago the Patrick had reported that the series had been given the go-ahead for a film treatment with relative newcomer Paul Sopocy on board to write the live-action script. Now, a spokesperson for WB confirmed that despite any talk of the contrary, the film would be animated. Which is probably for the best, since I can't see many big name actors willing to get into cat-suits, or wanting to play a Snarf. Misperceptions about the film aside, WB is still planning on using Sopocy's script.

The original story of Thundercats revolved around a band of "felinesque" characters who suffer the double whammy of having their home planet destroyed and then are forced to go on the run from an evil sorcerer named Mumm-Ra. The series spawned a run of comic books and was revived on The Cartoon Network in the late 90's (if you are feeling nostalgic, you can also get the first two seasons on DVD). The announcement of a big-screen version comes on the heels of news of film adaptations of fellow 80's classics G.I. Joe and He-Man. I just hope Sopocy can fill in some of the blanks of the relatively flimsy story of Lion-O and the gang. To be honest, Thundercats only made sense if you were eight years old -- or if you were high. Then again, it's not like G.I. Joe and He-Man would be mistaken for social commentary either, so who am I to judge?

When I first read this rumor, there was a part of me that already knew it was false -- even though the words came straight from George Lucas himself. Earlier this month, apparently Lucas told some folks that he was planning to make two live-action made-for-TV Star Wars films in addition to the Clone Wars animated series and, from what I gathered, the other live-action series. But see, this is where the language got all choppy. It now appears as if Lucas was talking about the live-action series and not these supposed live-action films, so I'm thinking the original reporter (ahem, Fox News) fudged the whole thing up. Gee, who woulda thunk it?

Movieweb snagged an interview with Lucasfilm's Steven Sansweet who, thankfully, cleared the whole thing up. When asked whether there was any truth to those "two new films" rumors, he replied: "No, no, no, no. There are going to be two more Star Wars television series. One of them is well into production. That is Star Wars: Clone Wars. It's a CG animated show, which we suspect will be on the air sometime next year. And then George and Rick McCullen were just now starting work on a live action series. A drama. That will probably be coming out in 2009 or 2010." When informed that those rumors were currently making their way around the internet, Sansweet added: There is no truth to that whatsoever. I haven't even seen that rumor. I can absolutely tell you that is not true." There you have it folks -- Sansweet confirms the stupidity of a rumor that was ridiculous to begin with. And I'd like to personally thank Fox News for wasting all of our time. Don't let it happen again ...

I must admit that I don't know much about this Tintin character, but I do know that his stories are pretty darn adored all over the planet. Plus now that I know how much Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson love the series, I'm definitely just a bit more interested. If you're like me and know Tintin only peripherally, get ready for a crash course: Variety just announced that Spielberg and Jackson will team up to produce a trilogy of Tintin flicks -- and yes, they'll be directing the films too!

Based on the very popular series of (23) books by Georges "Herge" Remi, the trilogy will re-introduce Tintin (and his pup Snowy) to popular (American) culture -- and probably help to sell a lot more books in the process. Apparently the character is an adventurous reporter who flits around the globe skirting danger and relying on a gang of colorful sidekicks. The movies will be created through the magic of digital animation, 3-D and state-of-the-art motion capture technology, but don't worry about the flicks losing that "personal touch."

Needless to say (because if you can't trust Spielberg and Jackson, who can you trust?), both filmmakers are adamant about being faithful to the source material. Says Mr. Spielberg: "We want Tintin's adventures to have the reality of a live-action film, and yet Peter and I felt that shooting them in a traditional live-action format would simply not honor the distinctive look of the characters and world that Herge created." Regarding the way in which the beloved characters would hit the silver screen, Mr. Jackson had this to say: "We're making them look photorealistic; the fibers of their clothing, the pores of their skin and each individual hair. They look exactly like real people --but real Herge people."

Variety speculates that this project could get rolling as early as next year, right after Spielberg finishes Indy 4 and Jackson finishes burying his Lovely Bones. Looks like each director will be helming their own movie in the Tintin trilogy, which is very exciting news, but it does lead to an interesting question: Who'll be directing the third chapter? Might I recommend Brett Ratner?

I have a very clear memory of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle's "arrival" in pop culture. Although I'd never read the original comic by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, it was some time in 1987 that I caught the animated series, and while I thought it was tongue-in-cheek amusing enough, I figured I was just a few years too old to get well and truly "geeked out" by the animated amphibians' adventures. I chuckled when I came across all the TMNT books, videos, toys and video games, but I never really felt a connection to the green guys. (OK, I played the arcade game a whole lot, I admit it.)

And then came the live-action movies (1990, 1991 and 1993), two of which I actually saw theatrically, and a third one that I've managed to avoid for the last thirteen years. (Let's just say I'm not a big fan of the flicks.) So while I'm certainly not a "know-nothing novice" when it comes to the cash cow that are the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, I definitely wouldn't call myself a huge fan, either. I exist in that "live and let live" gray area, and it's there that I neither love nor dislike the pizza-chompin', skate-boardin', slang-slingin' crime-stoppers ... who are also giant, mutated, kung fu tortoises, of course.

With the exception of Indiana Jones 4, set to start shooting this June, it would appear that George Lucas has decided to put his energies towards the small screen from now on. The Force.net recently received a tip from a Director's Guild of America (DGA) event where Lucas made a speech in which he made the somewhat dramatic announcement that "the future is in television."

There has already been plenty of news about the animated 3D Clone Wars TV series. The series has yet to find a network, but Lucas didn't miss an opportunity to promote the project at the DGA presentation. Lucas was quoted as saying, "there won't be anything on TV like it -- it'll be smart ass comedy with contemporary humor." He also said that the series would not involve what he calls "the Skywalker story." Lucas mentioned a live-action series too, although it could be a few years off, and also confirmed that he was working on bringing The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles to DVD. Lucas promised the DVD set would have added documentaries and a digital re-touching.

Since most of Lucas' TV projects are still up in the air, I'm not sure his future in TV is assured. One thing is for certain -- after that statement, he shouldn't be seated beside Lauren Bacall or it could get ugly.

Most Star Wars fans are probably still divided on whether the prequels were really a dignified end to the series, but rather than open up that can of worms again, we're probably better off focusing on something that most fans can agree on. Namely, that the 2003 animated series Clone Wars was required viewing for any Star Wars devotee. The last time we had news on Lucas's CG follow-up to the series was back in October, but now ILM animator Rob Coleman has managed to amp up the buzz factor even more.

Rebelscum.com got word of a video interview with Coleman at Imagina 2007; some of the highlights include confirmation that fifteen episodes are currently in various stages of production, and Coleman is on board to direct five of the first twenty-six episodes. So far, Lucasfilm has just about completed the first two episodes and Skywalker Ranch is handling all of the finishing touches. Coleman was enthusiastic about early screenings of the episodes saying, "They're looking fabulous, they're looking great..." and "Our stuff is incredible compared to what's out there...". There is no word on a network deal yet, but if Coleman is telling the truth, it doesn't look like it's going to be long before they find one.

When MTV stopped airing Liquid Television many years ago, I lost an outlet that let me see groundbreaking animation that I'd rarely get to see anywhere else. With the rise of the internet, and the birth of networks like The Cartoon Network, animation finally has more places to be seen, but it's tough to find quality stuff that pushes the envelope. Like the different shorts programs, this is where Sundance steps in. I've made it a point to book tickets to the animation spotlight before anything else, and I've always enjoyed the different films they choose. This year was no different, and the program was chock full of different types of animation and genres. From serious to comedic, and CGI to paintings on glass, there was a little slice of everything.

The animated theatrical film of Ghost in the Shell was released in 1995 and was directed by Mamoru Oshii -- Oshii returned to direct the sequel; Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence, in 2004. Animated or otherwise, they are easily some of the most beautiful movies I have ever seen. Now, Empire Online has reported that Production I.G., producers all of the Ghost in the Shell movies and TV series, are shopping around the rights for a live action version. (The original manga has already been adapted for feature films, novels, video games and TV series) It's still early days for this project, but considering the size of GITS's fan base, finding a studio only seems to be a matter of time.

Created by Masamune Shirow, Ghost in the Shell follows a futuristic police force that specializes in technological crimes. The "hero" of the series is Motoko Kusanagi, a former Major in the armed forces, who is more machine than human and leads the elite team. As the series progressed, the focus was less on the action and more about the uneasy relationships between man and technology, which was great. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against the recent onslaught of animated family films, but sometimes I like to watch something a little more grown-up.

I was a little surprised when Happy Feet turned out to be one of the big box office success stories this year. Sure, everyone likes a family film, especially right around the holidays, but I thought Bond would have definitely beat up on those penguins. I guess it goes to show you never can tell, huh?

I think Sony is hoping you forget all about those adorable dancing birds by the time their new animated penguin film hits screens this summer -- or that your love for animated penguins is at an all-time high. Banking on the idea that if you enjoyed dancing penguins, you are going to love surfing penguins, Sony has launched the official site for Surf's Up. The story focuses on the unlikely premise that penguins were the originators of surfing, and the film is a mockumentary about a historic surfing competition held on Pen Gu Island. Of course, there will be plenty of family friendly messages about winning, accepting differences, etc..., mixed in with a slew of wisecracks. Voices in the film include Jeff Bridges, Zooey Deschanel, Jon Heder, Michael McKean and James Woods. The website has a link to the trailer, a wallpaper download and a "live" web cam of Pen Gu Island. If you have little ones in your life, I'm sure you will be seeing this movie, whether you like it or not. But, since I don't, I think I'm might have to pass.

[via JoBlo.net]