I kinda liked the straightforward and no-nonsense approach to Nimrod Antal's thriller Vacancy (and it does hold up to repeat viewings), so consider me sufficiently intrigued regarding the news of another a follow-up. But recent word indicates that the next Vacancy will be A) direct-to-video (of course), and B) a prequel instead of a sequel. Although they're sticking with screenwriter Mark L. Smith, the new director will be Eric Bross, a named recognizable to only the most serious fans of rotten cinema. (Bross directed that Joey Fatone movie a few years back.)

According to Shock, the prequel will involve "a couple, Jessica and Caleb, and their pal Tanner who check into the Meadow View Inn where the employees are making snuff films." OK, that's a workable concept, but if you've seen the first movie, you kinda know what happened to those kids. (Sounds a lot like the main problem in Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning.) Our source also gives us a bunch of new cast members, namely Agnes Bruckner, Lola Davidson, Angel Oquendo, David Moscow, Nelson Lee, Brian Klugman and Gwendoline Yeo.

No word yet on if we'll get to see (slightly) younger versions of Ethan Embry and Frank Whaley.

Ever since it premiered at the 2006 Toronto Film Festival, Bong Joon-ho's The Host (Gwoemul) has been earning a lot of fans all over the place (including this very blog), and we started hearing the sequel rumblings almost immediately. (And the flick really holds up well to repeat viewings if you ask me. Queue it and see!)

We've been hearing little dribs and drabs recently, but Twitchfilm's Todd Brown just shared some info that seems to confirm a prequel direction. According to Twitch, "the script is being handled by Korean comic artist Kang Full and is set three years prior to the events of the original film." One possible plot structure involves the excavation of an ancient stream ... an excavation that awakens not one but several ravenous beasties. The producers seem to be shooting for a 2009 release date.

Unfortunately we'll have a new (as yet unnamed) director in the prequel/sequel chair, but since I'm such a pathetic sucker for anything with a giant monster in it, I remain happily optimistic.

Well he might not have his Capone yet, but Brian DePalma is still determined to bring his Untouchables prequel to the big screen. MTV Movies Blog reports that DePalma will likely make The Untouchables: Capone Rising his next film. DePalma tells MTV that they still have not cast their Capone (played by Robert De Niro in the original film), but that he was looking for an actor with "...that street animal sexuality" -- and this just might be me, but Nicolas Cage is not the first person to come to mind with that particular description (although, I guess it doesn't matter now). Gerard Butler (300) is attached to play Jimmy Malone -- a role made famous by Sean Connery (I can still picture the overacting 20 years later... "You wanna know how to get Capone? They pull a knife, you pull a gun. He sends one of yours to the hospital, you send one of his to the morgue. *That's* the *Chicago* way"). But, it did get the man his only Oscar, so you can never tell.

DePalma told MTV that the story will focus on "[Jimmy Malone]'s relationship with Capone during Capone's rise". News of a prequel first emerged around this time last year; so here we are a year later, and not all that much has been accomplished. DePalma did make assurances that the film would be keeping as much of the original feel of the 1987 flick as possible, saying, "I would like to use a lot of the original music from 'The Untouchables,' (which means the amazing score from Ennio Morricone will return) and the original locations in Chicago." I wonder if that will include giving the cast some snazzy costumes from Armani again. Until DePalma finds his Capone, though, he probably won't be 'rising' anytime soon.

It's been over a year since we've talked about the possibility of a third Underworld movie, but leave it to sites like ComingSoon.net to ask the nerdly questions we all want answered. (Although after Underworld: Evolution I'm wondering how strong the demand still is.) While out promoting his new film (Feast of Love), producer Tom Rosenberg was asked about the status of the Underworld series.

As we told you a while back, the third Underflick promises to be A) a prequel and B) sans Kate Beckinsale. Husband / director Len Wiseman is still staying on as a producer (and possibly writer), but it looks like we'll have a new helmer and a lovely new "death dealer" to focus our eyeballs upon. We're promised an official announcement some time soon, but when asked if the next flick could re-invigorate the franchise, Mr. Rosenberg offered this: "It could. It's a prequel. Some people think it could be rebooted. I don't know. I'm not there yet."

And hey, if we can have three Resident Evils, I guess we can have three Underworlds. And just so we're all up to speed: The original Underworld came out in September of 2003, grossed just under $97 million worldwide and racked up a 30% approval rating at Rotten Tomatoes. (Sue me, I dig the first one!) Evolution struck in January of '06, pulled in about $112 million worldwide and scored a whopping 13% at RT. And as is usually the case where slickly-produced studio genre fare is concerned, both flicks sold like hotcakes on DVD.

So perhaps DVD is where the future of this series lies...

And no, I'm not kidding. If you read Cinematical enough (and you should!), you're probably already aware of Joe Carnahan's plans to make a direct-to-video Smokin' Aces prequel. While he won't be directing, Carnahan is involved in some capacity, and has been talking up the project quite a bit on his own blog. I was fairly entertained by the original -- I think it succeeded in what it set out to do (with fantastic performances from Jason Bateman and Jeremy Piven), but I absolutely despised the ending. I won't ruin it for those folks who haven't seen it yet, but let's just say it felt like I was coming down from a high ... real hard. Anyway, Carnahan (and his crew) have come up with an interesting way to start promoting the new DTV prequel. That's right, he's asking YOU to name it.

Yup, you can head over to Carnahan's blog right now and participate in the little contest. First up, the director offers up a small plot description that reads: "'A low level government analyst, with forty plus years working an FBI information post, is slated to be assassinated, for reasons unknown at an exact date and time within the next three days. A federal 'Grab Team' or close protection detail has been tasked with saving this man's life...' ...chaos ensues.' The action takes place in D.C. and in New Orleans. Some familiar faces return. Some very surprising. I won't say any more." Carnahan then goes on to stress that, if your title is chosen, you will not be compensated with money. Instead, you'll probably get a whole bunch of movie swag and a free DVD. Oh, and tons and tons of bragging rights. So if you think you can come up with something better than Smokin' Aces 2: The Sh*t Hits the Fan -- by all means, take a stab at it. The contest began yesterday, and Carnahan will run it for exactly two weeks. Good luck!

I'd say at this point it's pretty obvious we're going to get some sort of Transformers sequel within the next couple years. Fans went absolutely nuts for the film when it arrived last week, and director Michael Bay has already said he knows exactly where he wants the story to go. Ah, but Bay isn't the only one talking. Mark Ryan, who voices Bumblebee in the film, sat down to talk to the folks over at SKNR about all kinds of things, including his voice work on this film as well as his involvement in another one. When asked if he had heard anything about a sequel, Ryan said: "I recently recorded more material for the DVD release of the film. It has to do with the Prequel that will set up the second film."

The prequel that will set up the second film? What could he be talking about? Will there be some sort of Transformers prequel on the DVD? Will it be live action? Will it be animated? Perhaps Bay and Co. have plans to release something along the lines of The Animatrix; an animated short(s) featuring some of the same voices from the film that will be used as a bridge to the sequel. Regarding that sequel, Bay told Entertainment Weekly that, if he is going to make it, he'll probably shoot a smaller film first (the one about a bunch of guys who hang out at a gym). He added: "There's a lot of really cool, big robot stuff that I had in my head that we didn't do. I just want to see how this works. You might not grow as much as a director [to do a sequel]. But it's kind of like you have your baby and you don't want someone else to take it.." I guess we'll have to wait until the DVD is released for Ryan's answer to make a little more sense. Thoughts?

I know it's probably considered "corny" to still be a big fan of The Blair Witch Project, but I don't care: I still think it's a pretty excellent horror film. Definitely not a flick with a lot of "replay value," but it's a pretty effective little micro-budget chiller anyway. I couldn't care less about the old marketing campaign or the "shaky cam" presentation; the movie just works for me. Having said that, I'm also of the opinion that the sequel (Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2) was a certifiable junk-pile that actually made me want to kick someone.

So I don't exactly know how to feel about BWP co-director Daniel Myrick's plans for a new prequel. The property is now a Lionsgate asset, which means they'd have to want another Blair Witch flick, but Mr. Myrick does have some ideas in mind. Here's what he told Bloody-Disgusting.com from the set of his Believers: "Well, our idea for the prequel isn't realizing any manifestation of the witch itself, it just delves into the mythology of the witch itself. How the legend got started, and arguably whether it was true or not ... I think it's important to always maintain that ambiguity, whether the legend is a supernatural force in the woods, or if it is all in people's minds. I think most boogeymen are just that, a little bit of both."

It doesn't look like Lionsgate is really interested in mounting a Blair Witch prequel, but hey, they release a whole lot of direct-to-video garbage, so maybe a small investment on Myrick's idea isn't such a rotten idea. (It couldn't be worse than Book of Shadows. Seriously.) The other BWP co-director, Eduardo Sanchez, recently helmed a flick called Altered that's presently sitting on the DVD shelves.

Frankly I don't even know if this is good news or bad news: Nicolas Cage has decided to bail on the Untouchables prequel that Paramount and producer Art Linson are planning to put together. The original plan was for Cage to play a "young" Al Capone, but Variety indicates that "scheduling issues" will now prevent that from happening. (The paper also says that Cage's next movie is unknown, so I guess we know what "scheduling issues" actually means.) One piece of good news is that Gerard Butler has been cast as the "young" Jimmy Malone -- the character played by Sean Connery in Brian De Palma's 1987 near-masterpiece.

Or perhaps it's just that Nicolas Cage feels like giving us a break from his face for a few months. Nothing against the Oscar-winning actor (indeed, I'm a big fan of the guy), but he's already got National Treasure 2 coming in December, and the last few years have been littered with titles like Next and Ghost Rider and The Wicker Man and World Trade Center and Lord of War and The Weather Man. Heck, half of 'em are damn good movies, but there is such a thing as massive over-exposure. Or hell, maybe Nick's just trying to be the next Michael Caine.

In related near-news, it looks like Brian De Palma is in talks to direct The Untouchables: Capone Rising, but I'm not sure if he's signed the deal just yet. It'd be pretty cool if he did. Here's hoping they can wring a fresh screenplay out of David Mamet. THEN I'd be really excited for this movie. Actually the screenplay seems to come from David Rabe and the team of Koppelman and Levien. Not bad, not bad. But the question of the day, of course, is this: Who would YOU cast as a prequel-style Al Capone? (My vote is for Timothy Olyphant.)

After X-Men: The Last Stand, Marvel spokesman Avi Arad had put the brakes on any plans for an X-Men 4 -- much to the relief to anyone who was worried that Brett Ratner was going to return for another film. Instead, fan focus has been directed towards the Wolverine and Magneto solo films. MTV Movie Blog sat down with Arad to talk about the upcoming Magneto prequel recently, and Arad seems enthusiastic about what writer/director David Goyer (Batman Begins) has shown him so far, saying that the script will finally give Magneto,"the origin story he so richly deserves."

There is no word yet on who will play the young Magneto, but last year we had received confirmation from X-Men's F/X supervisor John Bruno that Ian McKellen would be in the film in some capactiy -- but despite talk of "de-aging" McKellen for the film, there is no way around hiring a much younger actor. Some sites are already reporting that Justin Chatwin, the star of Goyer's recent film The Invisible, is in talks, but that's all rumor. So far, details are still sketchy on plot detail, and whether 'The Brotherhood', or any other X-Men will be making an appearance in the film. Arad did give some hints of what to expect, saying‚ "Think of meeting him in [the first ‚ X-Men movie] as a young boy in a concentration camp. What happens to his life after the war? If [his powers are] real or not and the whole journey of [his] survival as a young man." Magneto is set for release in 2008, so stay tuned for updates as they come our way.

It was just a little under a month ago that there was news from The Terminator TV spin-off The Sarah Connor Chronicles. At the time, fans were asking what part Serenity's Summer Glau had signed on for. Sci Fi Wire recently spoke with Lena Headey (300), who plays the Terminator "matriarch" Sarah Connor and she confirmed that Glau was hired to play one of the Terminators for the show. That's right, there's not one but two Terminators. Headey told Sci Fi Wire that Glau is playing one and Owain Yeoman will be playing the other. Sci Fi Wire also reported that during their chat with Headey she also told them "One is good and one is bad; she didn't say which is which."

The show picks up where the film Terminator 2: Judgment Day left off. Headey described the pilot, saying, "it's them basically running, hiding, trying to live, trying to carve out a normal life for themselves, but always being watched and trying to locate Skynet, trying to stop [it]. But there are many, many issues in their way." The pilot was scheduled for 2007, so since shooting has wrapped it won't be long before fans get to find out just what kind of Terminator Summer Glau is going to be.

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.

If there's one thing we've learned to never expect from Martin Scorsese, it's a sequel ... or a prequel. Yet, with the success of The Departed (and the fact that the movie it's based on, Infernal Affairs, was a trilogy), the director is looking into filming a second installment, and possibly a third. Well, according to Mark Wahlberg, that is.

Wahlberg recently chatted up MTV and informed them that Scorsese is in talks with Robert De Niro (who, originally, was tapped to play the Martin Sheen character in Departed, but had to drop out due to his commitments on The Good Shepherd) and "a few other people" with regards to shooting a sequel. But, since most of the original's stars won't be returning (for obvious spoiler-ish reasons), it would include a brand new cast, save for Wahlberg. He says, " ... So we may do a sequel with a new cast, and a prequel and bring back the rest of the guys." Wait -- hold up -- did he say prequel and sequel? Say it ain't so Marty?

Scorsese, who hasn't been too thrilled with the Hollywood system as of late, recently went and signed a four-year, first-look deal with Paramount. And, now, words like 'prequel' and 'sequel' are, for the first time in his career, beginning to sound appealing. So much for taking a stand against the big-budgeted films Hollywood keeps shoveling down out throats, huh? What do you think about this? Would a sequel (or a prequel) from Scorsese cause you to lose all faith in one of film's greatest directors? Or, would you welcome any and all of his ideas with open arms?

Although the rumor had been lingering around for over a year now, Brian De Palma will officially begin production on a prequel to The Untouchables (Dear God, why?) this June. The Untouchables: Capone Rising will be based off a script written by Brian Koppelman and David Levien, the same duo who brought us films like Rounders, Knockaround Guys and the upcoming Ocean's Thirteen. I'm not sure why De Palma would even go near his own classic 20 years later -- I mean, is the guy struggling for material or what?

Story will revolve around Al Capone's early days on the mob scene, and how his rise to power was due, in part, to the seedy, corrupt side of law enforcement. Pic will also focus on Capone's relationship with detective Jimmy Malone (played by Sean Connery in De Palma's 1987 film), a dirty cop who vows to turn his life around after exposing himself to Capone's violent, illegal and dangerous behavior. If De Palma plans to start shooting this thing in June, a cast should be announced fairly soon. Knowing De Palma, the flick will be packed with well-known names, and since Capone Rising will forever live in the shadows of its predecessor, it's definitely going to need some top-notch talent. This, finally, leads me to the big question: Who should play Al Capone and Jimmy Malone? Is De Niro too old to reprise the Capone role? I'll tell you one guy I'd like to see involved in either part -- Clive Owen. Tell me he's not perfect for this kind of material.

It's been a while since we bothered to care if that alleged Friday the 13th prequel/remake/reload was actually happening, but according to a very reliable tip from some dude who went to a New Jersey Horrorcon -- the project IS moving forward.

Yes, that's right: The Friday the 13th re-do thingy is due to hit theaters "by July," so everyone warm up those hockey masks and grab that machete off the wall! Producer Andrew Form is the guy behind the project, and apparently he's just itchin' to make a few pennies off a series in which grown men get their heads punched off, people get shot in the eyeballs with arrows (in 3-D), and space-teens battle the undead with the help of a sexalicious robo-hottie. (And I haven't even gotten to that whole Voorhees vs. Krueger debacle.)

Mr. Form also assures us (and by "us," I mean the fans who don't really want a remake in the first place) that he will fight tooth and nail to keep his Friday an R-rated venture. As if one could actually make a movie called Friday the 13th and somehow deliver a PG-13 rating. Frankly, the fact that he even has to assure us makes me pretty damn skeptical.

For the record, Andrew Form's producerography includes titles like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003), The Amityville Horror (2005), The Hitcher (2007), and a romantic comedy starring David Schwimmer.

One of the very few near-perfect horror films is John Carpenter's The Thing -- and Universal's been trying to resurrect this bad boy for years now. Whether it was a sequel, a remake, a TV movie (or series) or even the rather cool video game from a few years back, this well-adored mega-monster movie has inspired a lot of new ideas -- most of which never get off the ground.

Well, now Fangoria brings word that a prequel is the newest experiment, and you know what -- I actually kinda like the idea. True, there's something wonderfully creepy about the mysteries surrounding the origins of that shape-shifting alien bastard -- but if Uni gets the right screenwriters and doesn't monkey around with backstory too much, heck, a Thing prequel might be a pretty cool movie. Strike Entertainment (The Rundown, Slither, Dawn of the Dead) are the ones behind the project, and apparently they're sifting through interested screenwriters as we speak.

Well-known but fun trivia about The Thing: It opened two weeks after E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, which led a lot of movie-writers to assume that "moviegoers preferred nice aliens" back in 1982, thereby explaining The Thing's critical and box office demise. (I say the thing's just too damn gory for general audiences -- even if the effects are now considered the Sistine Chapel of Splat.) The Thing opened against Blade Runner (and Megaforce!), and grossed less than $14 million in total. To put that in some perspective, here are some other 1982 tallies: The Sword and the Sorcerer ($39.1 million), Young Doctors in Love ($30.6 million), The Toy ($47.1 million). Not helping matters: Roger Ebert referred to the film as "a geek show, a gross-out movie," while (if memory serves) most other critics were considerably less friendly than that.

Me, I watch The Thing about twice a year. And it still rocks.