It looks like things are getting more interesting each day when it comes to the music biopic The Runaways -- and I'm not talking about Joan Jett making Kristen Stewart cry. No, instead, there is news that Alia Shawkat (who will forever be known as Maeby Fünke) is joining the cast as famed bassist and 'Bangle' Micki Steele ... or at the very least an approximation of Steele. Latino Review is reporting that Shawkat has joined the cast as an 18-year-old bass player named Robin (aka Steele), and judging by the photo above, you have to admit that Shawkat would be a great choice to play the sexy bassist. I mean, just look at those lips.

Rather than get into a long and convoluted explanation about the awesomeness that is Steele, here is a little primer: Steele was one of the first members of The Runaways when they were touring the club circuit in L.A. and was considered the 'feminine' one in a group of bad girls. By 1976 she had left the band after the addition of Lita Ford (played in the film by Scout Taylor-Compton) and Cherie Currie (played by Dakota Fanning). Steele would go on to join another famous girl band, The Bangles, and create music history by teaching the world about 'Manic Mondays'.

There has been no word on why Steele isn't going to be named in the film; possibly because the film makers didn't secure the rights to use her image, or maybe her split from The Runaways wasn't an amicable one. My guess is that the character of Robin will be based on Steele, but also be an amalgam of some of the other band members that won't be featured prominently in the film.

The Runaways is still filming on location in L.A., but will arrive in theaters in 2010.

In February, we learned from those ever-talkative and only sometimes-dependable "insiders" that Michael Cera finally agreed to be part of an Arrested Development feature film. And, as an added cherry to the already great news, word had it that the project would hit production by the end of the year. But I don't think we should let our hearts still quite yet.

Collider has posted a blip from a Q&A with the actor, and Cera sounds, dare I say, reluctant as all holy hell. When asked if the movie would ever get made, George Michael Cera said: "I think it will. Yeah. I don't see why it wouldn't. I don't think it will happen for awhile." When told about the rumored 2009 start, the actor added: "But there is no rush. I think he should take his time. I know it means a lot to Mitch. There is no rush, really, I don't think."

That's not exactly the chipper response fans would hope to hear from the guy who has been iffy on this project from the beginning. Frosty Steve takes the news to mean that we won't see the film getting shot anytime soon, but I wonder if this is simply a good look into Cera's opinion of the project. If Arrested Development doesn't hit production soon, the kid has more time to avoid saying "Hell no, I won't go!" and subsequently feel the stinging impact of fan outrage. If it does stick to the rumored schedule, I'd bet that it will have to deal with the absence of George Michael.

Or, maybe it is all on track and Cera's just messing with our minds! (Yeah, I don't believe it either...)

Can I ask you a question: When did we lose Ron Howard? Was it EdTv? How the Grinch Stole Christmas? Did these two films back-to-back force Howard to re-direct his career so that every film he made was either an Oscar-poised drama or a Dan Brown adaptation? Today, Variety tells us that Universal and Imagine Entertainment are now looking to strap Howard down to the director's chair for an adaptation of The Strange Adventures of H.P. Lovecraft -- which is a graphic novel from Mac Carter and Jeff Blitz that takes elements of Lovecraft's struggles in real life and combines them with a fantastical element that includes transforming all of his darkest nightmares into reality.

Sounds pretty cool and creepy, but is it the type of film we want from Ron Howard? I appreciate that he's looking to play with another genre (even though this kind of story seems perfect for Tim Burton), but am I the only one who would love to see Howard return to comedy? Arrested Development was brilliant, sure, and I really do hope that movie gets made -- but I'm talking along the lines of Splash, Gung Ho, Nightshift or even Parenthood. Heck, Willow wasn't that bad either. Where did Ron Howard's playful side run off to? Since when were we interested in the dark and disturbing side of Ron Howard?

Seriously, are you liking Howard's career choices right now? Do you think he's a good fit for this H.P. Lovecraft comic adaptation, or would you rather see a sequel to Gung Ho?

As fans of TV's great Arrested Development are aware, there has been talk for several months of making a feature film -- talk that has been clouded by the fact that Michael Cera has been the lone holdout among cast members. Everyone else has publicly expressed enthusiasm for the project, but Cera -- who played awkward teenager George Michael Bluth (a stretch, I know) -- has been a negative nellie. He's just a kid, you know, and he's had a lot of sudden success the last few years, and you can't blame a guy for wanting to be cautious about his next career move. But COME ON!

Now, at last, it looks like everyone will be laughing and riding and cornholing after all. E! Online's TV maven Kristin Dos Santos says, "Inside sources close to the negotiations of the upcoming Arrested Development movie tell me that ... Cera has finally agreed to do the feature film project." She goes on to say that the show's creator, Mitchell Hurwitz, is writing and directing the project for Fox Searchlight, and that it could go before cameras by the end of the year if everything comes together in time.

Ron Howard, who executive-produced the series and served as its narrator, told Ryan Seacrest at the Oscars that "It's looking very much like we're going to make [the movie], but we've now been asked to stop offering any details. It's cloaked in a little mystery, but it's looking good."

Cera was the only naysayer in the cast, so if he really has come to his senses, there would seem to be no other obstacles. Now, if you're wondering whether the movie will actually be any good, or whether it will suffer in the TV-to-movie translation, well, I don't understand the question and I won't respond to it.

After finishing up the first four volumes of the hilarious and endearing Scott Pilgrim graphic novels (the fifth hits stores on Wednesday), I was talking with one of my fellow Cinematical writers who was similarly fond of them and yet quite vocal in his discontent with the casting of Michael Cera in Edgar Wright's forthcoming big-screen adaptation (admittedly, the character does deserve someone a little... livelier).

Between that, the less-than-amusing spot for Harold Ramis' Year One from yesterday's Super Bowl, his potential part in that fingers-crossed Arrested Development movie, the release of Youth in Revolt being bumped back, and his role in last month's Sundance curio Paper Heart (oh, heck, and tomorrow's DVD release of Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist while we're at it) -- is 2009 due to be the year of Michael Cera, or rather, is Cera due for a backlash against his seemingly limited range of bumbling performances?

What do you guys think of the once and future George Michael?

Now that almost everyone in the cast (holds fist in air, screams "Cera!") has mentioned that they'd be up for an Arrested Development feature film, we turn to any piece of plot information we can get our creepy little perverted hands on. Series creator Mitch Hurwitz was out promoting the new animated show Sit Down, Shut Up (as executive producer) -- which also features Will Arnett and Jason Bateman in its voice cast -- during the TCA press tour, and he provided a much-needed update with regards to a big-screen Arrested Development outing. Hurwitz says, "We want to do it, we have a deal more or less in place from Fox Searchlight, and we're kind of getting all the actors on board."

Sounds good -- a lot of this is stuff we've already known -- but then Hurwitz went and dropped the story bomb on everyone. Do you wanna know what this film will be about? Do you really wanna know? Because it's beyond crazy -- it's so freakin' out there you might need to sit (or lay) down, preferably in a relaxed position with one leg (left?) slightly bent. Ready? Here's what Hurwitz and the gang have planned plot-wise for the film: "We have a story, which is basically Valkyrie meets Hotel for Dogs." Wow. So does that mean the Bluth family will find themselves in a position where they have to hatch a plan to assassinate a group of Nazi dogs? Seems that way, based on that description.

What do you think the movie will be about?

[via Buzzsugar]

It never sounded like it could really happen... Rabid television fans always try to push for spin-offs and big-screen movies, but it's usually futile, especially when the show has been canceled. But then news started to pour in that Arrested Development was actually going to charm audiences once again. We were going to get more of the Bluth family!

But it seems development has hit a snag. Fancast reports that ONE person is holding out. That's right -- eight have signed on to reprise their roles, but one hasn't jumped on-board yet. During a recent interview, creator Mitchell Hurwitz was asked about the rumors that Will Arnett and Michael Cera hadn't signed on yet. He said: "I don't want to talk about who is holding out right now because we might still work that out and I don't want to pressure anyone through the press. Although I will say that Will Arnett is gung-ho, so there's a big clue!"

The only way this statement makes sense is if Cera isn't the one who hasn't signed on yet, or if he really does want to pressure the young star into rejoining the cast. If Cera is the guy and won't sign on, and it's not for scheduling reasons, methinks it would be a big mistake. Now, when Arrested fans are finally getting more, is not the time to start worrying about typecasting. But what say you? Can the Bluths survive without George Michael?

In interviews, Michael Cera has been ambivalent about his newfound fame. He's even expressed gentle skepticism regarding the Arrested Development movie everyone's buzzing about. I'm sure he has legitimate personal reasons to be concerned about his celebrity – it can't be easy for someone who doesn't have a huge personality, and who isn't a natural attention hog. But we fans and viewers also have reasons to worry. Foremost among them is the concern that Cera's popularity could drive him to roles where his talents are wasted. Indeed, as this fall's Nick & Norah's Inifinite Playlist demonstrated, it's already begun to happen. For the first time in the comic's career, his presence hurt the project instead of helping it.

In my first go-round with Nick & Norah, after reading the book and before seeing the film, I was optimistic that the role of Nick was just the opportunity for Cera to expand his range – play a character who is a little more confident, a little less tentative and hesitant. Sadly, that's not what happened. Instead, some subtle differences aside, Cera transplanted his (very funny) stock character from Arrested Development, Superbad and Juno into a story where that character wasn't needed, or welcome. In the process, he turned what could have been a sweet, moving romance into a tepid, if still amusing, teen comedy.

I'll be honest: I never really believed the legend of the Arrested Development movie. It was made up just to torment me. I'd get all excited, and then the moment would never arrive; the project would simply peter out; we'd hear less and less about it until the blogosphere buzz became a distant memory.

I still can't get too invested in this. So much could go wrong. But in the spirit of commiseration with fellow AD-deprived fans, I share this news from a Collider interview with Jeffrey Tambor. Asked if he was growing tired of people demanding news about the Arrested Development movie project, Tambor replied: "Well no, because we're doing it." Oh snap! "We are going. It's a go. I actually just this week talked to Mitch Hurwitz, so we're doing it." No script or start date, but at the end of the interview he tells Collider's Steve Weintraub to "get your hopes up."

Oh, okay. Honestly, I rewatch episodes of the show as often as I can, and generally react with something like tears of awe (as well as laughter). Arrested Development is what genius looks like. Will we get to see it on the big screen? I'm not convinced, but I guess I'll start to get my hopes up.