Despite all the rumors and confirmed reports last year that Warner Bros. was making a new Conan movie, the studio failed to get the project going by its spring 2007 deadline. So, the rights to Robert E. Howard's character were put up for auction. Fortunately for Time Warner, the parent company of Warner Bros., the goods were picked up by its other subsidiary, New Line Cinema. Now, New Line has an 18 month option and one extension, so unless it wants to throw away the money it just spent, the studio will hopefully have something to deliver to theaters in the next few years. Considering Warners couldn't get something off the ground with big-deal talent like the Wachowski Brothers, Robert Rodriguez or Conan the Barbarian director John Milius, it is hard to imagine who, if anybody, could make this happen. Of course, now, thanks to the success of 300, it may be possible that any script featuring swords and loincloths will get a greenlight. Plus, New Line only needs to put the words 'the studio that brought you Lord of the Rings' to get people in seats. The studio could hire the worst filmmakers out there and probably still do alright.

But then the fans might put up a fuss. Still, the fans will likely be disappointed enough if Arnold Schwarzenegger doesn't return to the role. And since he's just begun his second term as Governor of California, I don't think he'll be available before New Line's deadline. If you grew up in the '80s, though, your first idea of Conan was probably Schwarzenegger's portrayal, and it may be difficult to imagine another actor taking on the part. Despite the fact that Conan was in novels and comics and elsewhere for decades before Milius' film, accepting a substitute in the next movie would be like accepting another actor as The Terminator, or as Danny DeVito's twin brother. Personally, I think that without Mako, who died last year, there's already no point in trying to associate the new Conan film with the old ones, so I welcome all new faces.

Folks, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are officially back ... and with them come a new look, a new enemy and the best film of the franchise by far! It's taken 27 long years to capture the look and feel of Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird's original comic book (which they self-published back in 1984 with money from a tax refund) on the big screen. Originally intended to parody other comics (like Marvel's New Mutants), the Ninja Turtles quickly found a massive fanbase; kids searching for something a tad different, a tad more exciting -- something that was a whole lot of fun. Even after three live-action movies, an animated series, toys, lunchboxes and pez dispensers, the Turtles still somehow managed to stick around -- but not without criticism.

Though the original comics established a dark tone and a powerful, multi-layered storyline, some folks couldn't get past the silly concept. If only the Turtles were a bit more family friendly (but still kicked ass), profits would skyrocket. And they did. Thus, a new generation of kids grew up with a lighter version of the Turtles -- the kind that entertain you stuffed amidst other shows during your Saturday morning cartoon line-up. Die hard fans of the original comics grew up, got jobs and occasionally entertained the wild idea of a big-screen Turtles revival. But they knew it was too late; the superhero market was too crowded. Little did they know at the time, but a guy named Kevin Munroe would show up. And this guy ... he would change everything.

We're jumping between a few different sites today, trying to bring you the coolest news to leak out of WonderCon. Over at FirstShowing.net, they sat down with TMNT director Kevin Munroe who alluded to a possible sequel that, unlike the version hitting theaters on March 23, might actually include the infamous villain Shredder. TMNT fanatics are a little skeptical about the new film, as it takes place after the defeat of The Shredder and includes a new crop of monsters. However, old favorites like April O'Neil and Casey Jones are making an appearance ... so all is definitely not lost. (Heck, the late Mako voices Splinter and Patrick Stewart will voice the evil Max Winters -- even Kevin Smith shows up as a greasy chef. Not bad, eh?)

But what about that sequel? Of course, it all depends on how the first movie does -- and, based on the trailers I've seen, the flick certainly looks a lot better than Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 3: Turtles in Time. Munroe did say that a sequel is set up at the end of TMNT with a very "not-so-subtle nod" and, in a perfect world, the next film could bring Shredder back. He says, "Yea, it'd nice, it'd be really cool. As a fan I'd love that. Because we now have these sort of better Shredder stories of how to bring Shredder back. But now if it works out well, and Karai coming to New York, that's a setup for a really good volume in The Turtes in the comics as well, it could work out to a really cool sequel."

Perhaps it's a bit premature to be talking Turtles sequel, but I have a really good feeling about this new film. In my opinion, this CGI look is the best yet; much better than the campy live-action versions and a bit edgier than the cartoon. If you ask any Turtles fan, they wouldn't be completely happy unless we were handed a super dark PG-13 Ninja Turtles flick -- but, you know that's never going to happen. So, we might as well suck it up and welcome whatever Turtles-related coolness is heading our way.

Sad news, Cinematical readers. Long time Asian-American actor Mako passed away on Friday from esophageal cancer. He was 72 years old, and was active in the industry right up until his death. As a matter of fact, his death came only a day or so after director Kevin Monrue announced Mako would be performing as the voice of ninja sensei Splinter, the giant mutagen-grown rat in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Monrue is directing a new CGI version of the popular franchise, and Mako would have been a fantastic fit.

Mako appeared in many movies, a number of television shows, and had recorded a fair bit of voice acting during his diverse, four decade career. For a full list of his work, which included an Oscar-nominated performance as Po-han in The Sand Pebbles, you can check out his IMDB page. I bet you'll be surprised at just how much he was in, and how many of his works you saw. I know I was, and I'm reasonably familiar with the man. Thanks for everything you gave us, Mako.