Even though the inevitable backlash against Shia LaBeouf has already begun, you have to respect a guy who made his start in flicks like Dumb & Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd and made his way to the coveted spot of Spielberg's go-to leading man. Plus, he has a way of making me enjoy films that I normally wouldn't plunk down my hard-earned dollars for. Trust me when I say that it took a lot of restraint not to throw things at the screen during Transformers, so, I really hand it to the guy. Hopefully some of that magic will rub off on the Dreamworks action thriller, Eagle Eye. JoBlo now has the first look at the poster and Mr. LaBeouf seems to really be working the 'intense look' this time around.

LaBeouf plays Jerry Shaw, a slacker who returns home after the mysterious death of his successful twin brother -- gee, do you think there will be a case of mistaken identities? Along with a single mother played by Michelle Monaghan, the two are framed as terrorists, and are threatened into becoming members of a cell plotting to assassinate a politician. Joining in on the fun are Rosario Dawson, and Billy Bob Thornton as the two government agents that are a step behind.

Eye reunites LaBeouf with Disturbia director, D.J. Caruso, in an action thriller that was originally on Spielberg's to-do list. Now that we got a better look at the film, the longer trailer helped ease some of my concerns that instead of Rear Window, Caruso and company were looking to rip-off North by Northwest this time around.

Eagle Eye hits theaters on September 26.

When we last saw a (teaser) trailer for Eagle Eye - the forthcoming thriller that reunites star Shia LaBeouf with Disturbia director D.J. Caruso and Transformers executive producer Steven Spielberg - I commented with something along the lines of, after "reading the synopsis, I've always thought that Caruso and company were following their Rear Window re-do with North by Northwest 2.0."

...which I then followed up with "Whether that's the case or not, I'm a sucker for a chase movie, and more so for [co-star Michelle] Monaghan. Count me in." Well, judging from the new trailer up at Yahoo! Movies, I'll be having a modest amount of crow for lunch later today, as there now seems to be enough distinct differences between that Hitchcock classic and this paranoid techno-thriller that it'll likely excite on its own merits (fingers crossed).

Sure, we seem to have another one of those incredibly elaborate plans on behalf of the baddies that already appears to have too many variables for its own good, but you know what? So long as the thing moves, I'm not above setting aside brains in favor of brawn.

With a cast that also includes Rosario Dawson, Billy Bob Thornton, and Michael Chiklis, Eagle Eye hits theaters on September 26.

Oh, that Shia LaBeouf -- isn't he just so damn charismatic? The first teaser trailer for Eagle Eye has just arrived online, and I couldn't help but think of The Matrix while watching it. Remember when Neo gets the call that guides him away from the agents looking for him at the office -- with every one of his moves carefully timed in order to avoid detection? Yeah, well that's exactly what's going on here -- except, apparently, all of it is very real and Shia LaBeouf's character is in a lot of trouble ... even if he has no idea what in the world is going on.

Regardless of the similarities, I'm totally sold -- this looks like it could be a pretty wild ride from start to finish. In Eagle Eye, LaBeouf stars as a young slacker who, along with a single mother (Michelle Monaghan), gets mixed up in a terror cell's plot to assassinate a political figure. Directed by D.J. Caruso, and based on a story from Steven Spielberg, Eagle Eye also stars Billy Bob Thornton and Rosario Dawson. Oh, and it hits theaters on September 26.

Check out the trailer over at EagleEyeMovie.com, then let us know what you think.

Granted, it's not like Eagle Eye is the Shia LaBeouf flick that has the world on the edge of their seats (cough, Crystal Skull, cough) -- but, the luckiest guy in Hollywood has been busy bouncing between sets for a while now. Paramount and Dreamworks have released the first photo from LaBeouf's political thriller, Eagle Eye (you can see the hi-res version by clicking the image above).

Eagle Eye stars LaBeouf as a slacker type struggling with the mysterious death of his over-achieving brother. When he returns home, he discovers that he and a single mother (as played by Michelle Monaghan) have been framed as terrorists. When the two are forced to join a real terror cell bent on political assassination, they have to figure out a way to bring down the bad guys and get out alive. On a side note: does it make me a jaded moviegoer if I say that I can smell a twist coming involving the dead brother a mile off?

Another actor has been added to the cast of Eagle Eye, and it's none other than The Commish, The Shield -- Michael Chiklis. The Hollywood Reporter has posted that he's signed on to play the U.S. Secretary of Defense in the thriller, which is coming our way from D.J. Caruso and DreamWorks. As you might remember, this is that weird movie that stars Shia LaBeouf and Michelle Monaghan as a slack and a single mother "who form an unlikely partnership when they are framed as terrorists and forced to become members of a cell with plans to carry out a political assassination." I'm not so sure how you get framed as a terrorist and then have to become one, but this is the movies, and they pull off strange premises all the time. I imagine that Chiklis will lead some sort of manhunt for these accidental bad guys in the name of national security.

Sweetening this bit of news are the first images from the set, and they are pretty much all Shia, all the time, although there's also a little bit of Monaghan too. Looking at the images, which are over at Just Jared, I can't help but think that this guy who looks all too comfortable with a shotgun and smoke is the same curly haired peppy kid from the second Charlie's Angels. He's all grown up! They'll be filming this flick until March, and it will hit theaters for our entertainment on August 8.

[via MovieWeb]

Director Sam Raimi is asked once again about Spider-Man 4 ... and he literally beats a reporter to near death. Read all about right here on Cinematical!

No, he didn't hurt anyone (please, Raimi wouldn't hurt a fly), but Comic Book Resources did ask him again about Spidey 4 ... and they somehow managed to spin his answer into something that's just slightly different from what we already know. He did say that as soon as the strike is over, he'll begin working with a writer on the screenplay -- but that it will be up to the writer whether they'll continue the same storyline or mix things up a bit. What's most important to Raimi? "I'd very much like to see Tobey Maguire as Spider-Man, so I have a personal interest in that, but certainly anything's possible." Oohh, Kirsten Dunst just got bitch-slapped! Check out the full interview here.

Director Lexi Alexander's new and (hopefully) improved Punisher flick has nabbed an interesting release date. Apparently, Lionsgate has scheduled Punisher: War Zone to be released on September 12, 2008 -- a month that's been kind as of late to genre pics like Underworld and Resident Evil. Rome's Ray Stevenson stars as FBI agent Frank Castle, who arrives in New York to take on an underworld boss who plots to take over -- wait for it -- the underworld. Oh yes, they're saving the aboveworld for the sequel. Julie Benz, Dominic West and Doug Hutchinson co-star. [via JoBlo]

Finally, for those who have always wanted to watch Shia LaBeouf hug another guy for an uncomfortably long time, new video and pics from the set of Eagle Eye have made their way online. JFX Online has a batch of LaBeouf stills, as well as video of the Spielberg apprentice shooting a few scenes while he frolics around the set. Disturbia director D.J. Caruso once again teams up with LaBeouf on a film about a young slacker and a single mom (Michelle Monaghan) who get all mixed up in a terrorist cell plotting a political assassination. Add to that the fact that LaBeouf really hugs a dude ("It's okay Shia, it's not your fault they signed you up for seventeen Transformers flicks") ... and you have the recipe for a delightful little thriller heading our way this August 8.

If you've grown kind of tired of Billy Bob Thornton's recent predilection for comedy (and a little astronaut farming thrown in for good measure), all of the actor's upcoming projects should fix that -- The Informers, Tulia, and Peace Like a River. It's like he just sat and realized that he hasn't given audiences anything meaty to chew on lately and is doing everything he can to rectify that. Now a Moviehole source says he's added another -- Eagle Eye.

Originally set up by Steven Spielberg, who left the project to work on a little picture about Indiana Jones, the film is being directed by Disturbia helmer D.J. Caruso and is re-teaming him with his last star, Shia LaBeouf. It's a thriller about a young slacker and a single mother who are framed as terrorists and then get involved in a terrorist cell that's planning a political assassination while trying to clear themselves. Shia is the slacker, of course, and will be joined by Michelle Monaghan as the single mother, and Rosario Dawson as a government agent. Billy Bob could be her fellow agent, or maybe the head of the terrorist organization.

So basically, this is kind of like Disturbia without the house arrest, and it seems without his mom -- all reports are careful to say "a" single mom, not "his" single mom, but I wonder then, where his is. Moviehole says that rehearsals for the film will start tonight, so I'm sure we'll find out more about the feature soon enough.

If there was only one man left on earth, would you want that man to be Shia LaBeouf? And I'm talking to all the women out there, because while there aren't any men left, there are loads and loads of women. Yup, I'm talking about the comic Y:The Last Man, which is set to become yet another comic-turned-movie -- and it will be directed by D.J. Caruso. The director, as you may or may not know, previously helmed Disturbia -- watched it rule at the box office -- and has since become the go-to guy for films that involve Shia LaBeouf. In fact, the two are teaming up once again on Eagle Eye, a thriller set to shoot once Shia is finished with Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skulls. And after Eagle Eye is finished, Caruso will jump onto Y: The Last Man -- and right now it's looking like the lead role in that flick (a guy by the name of Yorick Brown) will most likely go to Shia ... well, if both Caruso and LaBeouf have their way.

See, LaBeouf has already gone on record saying how much he'd love to play the title character, but now Caruso is adding his two cents. While speaking to MTV, the director had this to say when asked about Shia's potential involvement: "This is funny, but unbeknownst to me: Shia was already chasing this part prior to anything. I haven't talked to him yet about it because he's off shooting 'Indiana Jones 4,' but Shia is the right type and the right personality because you want to have the humor, but you also want to have the seriousness. So we'll talk about it when we get there." Sounds to me like Shia is the top choice, although when MTV asked fans who they think should play the part, names like Mark Ruffalo, Tobey Maguire and Ryan Gosling spewed out. What, no love for The Shia? Originally created by Matthew Brian K. Vaughn, Y: The Last Man will be adapted for the screen by Disturbia writer Carl Ellsworth (with help from Caruso as well). Those interested in learning more about Y: The Last Man should definitely check out the rest of this MTV article; it's packed with all sorts of juicy info. So what do you fans think: Shia or no Shia?

He didn't get the Wolverine gig, but D.J. Caruso has a new comic book adaptation that he's actually confirmed for. The Disturbia director will helm New Line's Y: The Last Man, which will be based on Vertigo's sci-fi title of the same name. One of Disturbia's writers, Carl Ellsworth, has been hired to adapt the comic, and A History of Violence producers J.C. Spink and Chris Bender and Batman Begins screenwriter David S. Goyer are producing. Caruso will likely do Y after directing Eagle Eye, which is set to reunite him with Disturbia's star, Shia LaBeouf. Perhaps the director and actor can work together a third time? LaBeouf actually expressed interest in the project months ago, so it's very possible.

The comic follows Yorick Brown and his pet Capuchin monkey (think Night at the Museum), Ampersand, the two last male mammals on Earth following the mysterious, simultaneous death of anyone/thing with a Y chromosome. Obviously there's been comparisons to Children of Men, but it's also obviously a lot different -- Children's world had plenty of both genders, just no children. Months ago, Goyer told Superhero Hype that he thinks Y will have more appeal to mainstream audiences if the right director could be found. Considering Caruso's last movie was a huge hit, and wasn't expected to be, Goyer probably found the right guy. Y: The Last Man was created by writer Brian K. Vaughan and artist Pia Guerra. Vaughan, who is also a writer/story editor for Lost, already wrote a script for the film, but it isn't known whether or not Ellsworth will work from that draft or start fresh.

Following the success of Disturbia, Dreamworks has decided not to let go of that film's director, D.J. Caruso (who's also one of the directors rumored to helm Wolverine), as well as its star Shia LaBeouf. According to Variety, both guys have hopped onboard a new thriller called Eagle Eye, with plans to shoot this fall (once LaBeouf has completed his work on Indiana Jones 4). Like with most of LaBeouf's projects as of late, Steven Spielberg is involved in more ways than one -- Eagle Eye is based on his original idea, although the script was actually penned by Dan McDermott. As with Disturbia (and LaBeouf's next film Transformers), Spielberg will most likely slide into the exec producer role once again. He was originally tapped to direct, although some guy in a fedora hat convinced him otherwise. Thus, he's handed over the reigns to his two apprentices -- Darth Caruso and Shia Skywalker.

They're labeling this one a thriller, although at first glance I thought it was a comedy. Basically, a young slacker (LaBeouf) and a single mother are framed as terrorists and forced to join a cell that has plans to assassinate a political figure. I imagine the film then follows the two as they look for a way out of this craptacular predicament. Transformers scribes Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci (who are also the writers on Star Trek XI and practically every other big-budgeted blockbuster in recent years) will produce, having also just signed a deal to do the same on Cowboys & Aliens. Currently, there's no release date; expect LaBeouf's name to pop up once again when folks start talking up a Transformers sequel.