I was just about to eat lunch when Cinematical's Christopher Campbell IM'd me the following ... "your dream movie ..." with a link to an article over at Daily Star featuring a quote from Megan Fox (who's no longer getting married to what's his name from Bev Hills 90210, by the way) in which she says her dream is to film an entire movie in the nude. No joke. And if I somehow had the money to fund such an experiment (donations? anyone?), I'd do so in less than a second. Strike that -- I'd do it in less than less than a second. (What do you want from me? It's Monday ... I'm alone ... writing about Batman for the 7,654th time. I'm allowed to geek out over my girl Megan just a little, right?)

Here's the quote: "I would love to do a movie naked – it would be beautiful. No one dares make that kind of film today. They did it in the 1930s in an arty way, so why not now?" Sh*t, why not now? I'm sure Brett Ratner would make that film for no money -- heck, I'm sure Ratner would pay someone else out of his own pocket if it meant he could direct that movie. I can almost see it now: Arty: The Movie, starring a naked Megan Fox and directed by Brett Ratner. And you thought The Dark Knight was popular? Wait until you see the viral sites for this one!

(And don't even pretend not to care -- the gallery below is our most popular on the site.)

I wasn't entirely thrilled with the news that Brett Ratner was bringing Axel Foley back to the screen with Beverly Hills Cop IV. But the news that it would be made kid friendly just completely killed it, along with the statement: "10-year-old kids, 12-year-old kids don't really know the old Beverly Hills Cop. So it's an opportunity to make it new for kids." How thoughtful. I'm sure the tykes were sitting there, realizing that something was missing from their lives ... Norbit as a cop! That's it!

Anyhow, it looks like Sam might be getting his wish, and that Eddie Murphy wasn't thrilled with the sequel idea either. He spoke to ExtraTV, and said he's planning to leave the movie biz after the release of his latest film, Meet Dave. Now that doesn't mean it'll be Eddie's last (he's also got flicks like A Thousand Words on the way), but it does look like Dave will inspire a big, finite wave to the movie industry so that Murphy can "go back to the stage and do standup."

So, what about BHC? He said he didn't want to do it because "the movie wasn't ready to be done." On Bev III, Murphy noted: "They said, 'this is how much we're going to pay you.' I said, 'let's go shoot it! I don't care if the script ain't right.'" Some sites are taking his first statement to mean he's out, while others think he is still in and itching to do it. If he really is retiring, then he's definitely out, and Ratner will have to find a new Foley, or give up the project. Let's hope he's done and it's the latter.

UPDATE: Latino Review spoke to Ratner recently who debunked the "it's for kids" rumors, saying "Dont believe everything you read on the internet. Believe me, this is going to be a hard core 'R' Beverly Hills Cop. I start shooting next year" So ... is Eddie in or he is out?

Ed Note: Corrected the quote since it's clear he was talking Bev III and not IV.

Robert Downey Jr. as Hugh Hefner. The idea sounded both strange and wonderful last month when Erik posted that Hef was hoping the Iron Man star would play him. At the time, he was pursuing Robert Downey Jr., and Brett Ratner had reportedly left the project. Now, according to an interview with Coming Soon, it looks like Ratner is still involved (eh), and Downey Jr. is one step closer to taking on the role (yay!).

Hefner told the site: "Our conversations with Robert were in the months immediately before Iron Man. He called immediately after Iron Man and asked: 'When were we going to do the movie?'" I'm hoping this means that he's itching to do this, and wasn't just curious about scheduling. Should Downey Jr. officially sign on for the role, he'll get to delight in the world of Hugh from the '50s to the mid-'70s, when Hefner built his large Playboy empire (rather than the epic, original plan to tackle all 82 years of the man's life). So basically, it will be Tony Stark in pajamas, with a career that involves naked women and publishing rather than iron and technology.
Should all go according to plan, the script will be finished soon, and production will begin later this year.

I'm just burning doin' the neutron dance ...

Iron Man 2: Though they're still ironing out all the deals and what have you, Terrence Howard told Military.com that Iron Man 2 is set to begin production in March of 2009. This gives everyone involved a little less than a year to get in shape, finish a script and ... do all those things that Hollywood people do prior to shooting a film. The current release date for Iron Man 2 is April 30, 2010, which will be followed by a live-action Thor movie a month or so later on June 4, 2010. According to an earlier report, Marvel Entertainment will not release a film in 2009.

Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen: Ever since the full, official title was announced for Transformers 2, fan sites across the globe have jumped at the chance to decipher some sort of hidden agenda. Does the title reference the return of those robots destroyed in the first film? Is it a reference to an actual Transformer named Fallen, a Generation 1 Transformer who looks to be on fire based on images from the Transformers Wiki. The character is referred to as Fallen and The Fallen, which makes it seem as if the title would read Revenge of The Fallen or Revenge of Fallen if it were indeed talking about this particular character. Or (and this is my theory), the entire title is made up of different robots. 'Revenge' could be the nastiest one, followed by its assistants 'of' and 'the', and then 'Fallen'. Whaddya think?

Additionally, TransformersLive has images of the Smithsonian set and what appears to be a photo of the Transformer Jetfire. Slashfilm also has an extensive report on future shooting and new robots. So much for Michael Bay keeping this one top secret, huh?

Update: Devin from Chud pointed out to me that his sources are saying the title does, in fact, reference the character The Fallen.

After the jump: Axel Foley? Whatchu doin' in a family-friendly sequel?

... And you thought the announcement of Beverly Hills Cop IV meant Eddie Murphy was returning to his old potty mouth days. Well, think again, movie fans. The director who ruined the X-Men franchise and the studio that nearly ruined the Indiana Jones franchise is about to ruin the Beverly Hills Cop franchise. Unless the third one already did that (I actually skipped it, so I'm unsure). Brett Ratner, who is signed on to helm the return of Axel Foley (Murphy), told MTV Movies Blog the following bit of sacrilege: "10-year-old kids, 12-year-old kids don't really know the old 'Beverly Hills Cop.' So it's an opportunity to make it new for kids. The same way it felt for me watching 'Beverly Hills Cop' when I was a kid, that's what I want to do for kids today."

Except that when you were a kid, Brett, a movie like Beverly Hills Cop could be made and marketed for all ages despite its R rating. Plus you were 15 when the original came out. Not 10 or 12. Me, I was 7, and I saw it in the theater. And I saw the second one, also R-rated, in the theater at the age of 10. So, I understand that it's fine to let the wee ones see them. But, realistically, you can't make another R-rated BHC and publicly say it's for kids nor can you make a PG or PG-13 BHC and expect it to be anything like it was for you.

Wasn't there a prophecy of Nostradamus about this? Someone go look.

Variety announced that, inspired by the success of Indiana Jones IV, Paramount has green-lit a fourth installment of Beverley Hills Cop. Eddie Murphy will return to play Axel Foley. Brett Ratner will direct. (I hear the cries of "doom!" from the Internet.) The movie is set to begin filming next year, with a 2010 release.

Murphy's actually the brainchild behind the idea -- and with the way his public image has fallen, it's no wonder he would love a return to the role that made him a megastar. Now we know what he was doing over the holiday weekend! Watching everything from Lethal Weapon 4 to Crystal Skull, saying "I could do that ... again!" (Or perhaps it was to redeem the title from Beverly Hills Chihuahua.)

When it comes down to it, Brett Ratner might not be the most hated man in the movie business -- but he's definitely in the top five. In a profile for Ad Age, the director sat down to talk about Brett Ratner Brands, his new consultancy business. But things get interesting right at the end of the article when the journalist dropped the bomb that Ratner might be working on a big-screen version of the best-selling video game, God of War.

For those of you who haven't played it (and I really recommend you do), here is a quick primer: God of War centers on Kratos, a celebrated soldier who is haunted by his past transgressions and his debt to the Gods of Olympus. It could have just been your typical hack and slash game, but the cinematic approach and highly entertaining story line earned it a reputation as one of the best around.

Talk of a feature film surfaced back in 2005, and Universal was the studio named to produce. According to recent reports, the script has already been finished and casting has begun to heat up (some recent buzz has Djimon Hounsou in consideration for the lead). But then fans the world over had to deal with the unpleasant news that Uwe Boll was being considered to direct -- luckily, this never came to be. So I guess Ratner could be considered a step in the right direction. Then again, if you had the misfortune of seeing Rush Hour 3, you would probably disagree.

[via Film Junk]

Well, he played the role of one playboy successfully -- why couldn't he take on another? That seems to be the buzz this weekend, and the Chicago Sun Times reports that Playboy magazine's Hugh Hefner is very interested in having Robert Downey Jr. play him in an upcoming biopic after watching the actor shine on screen in Iron Man. Granted, Hefner is no Tony Stark -- however, I imagine each has slept with roughly the same amount of women.

According to the paper, a rep for Downey Jr. said the actor is interested but still waiting to see a script and hear who's directing it. Oh, that's right my friends -- Brett Ratner is no longer attached to the project (so says the Chicago Sun Times), though there's a chance he may return. The film, which has the working title of Playboy, will most probably track the long (and very successful) life of Hugh Hefner. Leonardo DiCaprio was once rumored to be in the running to play Hef as well.

Could you see Downey Jr. as Hef? If not, who?

[via JoBlo]

I absolutely adore Jack Arnold's The Incredible Shrinking Man. I think it's without question one of the finest science fiction movies ever made. Not only does it have an endlessly fascinating story, but the 1957 film is also smart, sad and scary ... plus it has one of the most wonderfully thought-provoking endings I've ever seen. And since I love this movie so darn much, I couldn't stop weeping as I read this recent news piece at The Hollywood Reporter...

Not only is Universal (stupidly) intent on turning The Incredible Shrinking Man into a comedy (because that worked so damn well on The Stepford Wives), and not only are they planning to give the lead role to Eddie Murphy ... but things just got a whole lot worse. First off, the newest screenwriters to climb on board are Thomas Lennon and Ben Garant, two guys who proved their comedy chops on The State and Reno 911 -- and then obliterated those chops by writing the screenplays for Herbie: Fully Loaded, Taxi, Balls of Fury, Night at the Museum, The Pacifier and Let's Go to Prison. Surely these are the men who should re-write one of the best sci-fi movies ever made.

Oh, but it gets even better! Although Keenan Ivory Wayans and Pete Segal had been attached to the project at one point or another, it looks like Universal now wants Brett Ratner to direct this horrid idea. Now, I'm not one of those film nerds who thinks that Brett Ratner is the worst director ever born (far from it, actually), but nor do I think he's all that exciting of a filmmaker. I just can't believe that such a beautiful little sci-fi gem is being morphed into this sort of misguided train wreck.

The man fanboys (and girls) love to hate has landed another comic book property.

Variety reports that Paramount has purchased the rights to Jim Shooter's Harbinger, with an eye to giving Brett Ratner the franchise. He's looking for the chance to start a franchise from scratch -- and probably regain the goodwill of comic fans everywhere.

Harbinger is a story about superpowered people, humans who are the next stage in evolution. But unlike the mutants of X-Men, their powers must be activated by the Omega Harbinger. The series follows one Harbinger teen, Peter Stanchek, as he teams up with others to bring down Toyo Harada, the Omega, who has used his powers to slowly conquer the world. I think it's pretty much faded into obscurity, though at one point, it was popular enough to boast a Frank Miller cover on one of the issues.

Will the Harbinger fans be up in arms at the choice of Ratner? Will people just be annoyed in general, X-Men 3: The Last Stand being too dreadful a sin to be forgiven? Or will this be his way back into the fold? I know what annoys me -- producer Alexandra Milchan's Blade Runner comparison! "The movie is in the vein of a young Blade Runner, as this 17-year-old gifted kid helps other kids tap into these parts of their brains." Has no one in Hollywood actually sat down and watched Blade Runner?