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Oh, The Crow! I loved you so! I had the poster, the comic book by James O'Barr, the T-shirt, and the unrequited crush on Brandon Lee, whose tragic death only fanned the flames of my teenage desire. I even went to see the sequel, The Crow: City of Angels, which featured the spectacularly bad line, "F*ck you, bird d*ck!" uttered by none other than Iggy Pop. (I did, however, forget to light a candle for its 15th anniversary earlier this fall. Sniff.)

As previously reported, there is a relaunch being written by Stephen Norrington, who will also direct, that might not even include Eric Draven, the main character (sacre bleu!). The last time that Norrington took a crack at directing a beloved comic book was the 2003 stinker The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, but as io9.com reported, so far the script is getting good reviews. Meredith Woerner at io9.com coaxed some details from producer Ryan Kavanaugh (Nine, Brothers, Zombieland), and while he wouldn't reveal which actor is going to be smearing himself with makeup to wreak vengeance on those who violated and murdered his beloved, he did say it will be "a whole relaunch of the franchise, much more of a dark superhero type" and starring an already-established actor.

Now that we've all had enough time to get used to the idea that Spielberg is about to remake one of the most respected films in history, maybe it will help a little to know that it might star Robert Downey Jr. According to the LA Times' Hero Complex blog, the announcement is imminent that Downey will be starring in Spielberg's update of the classic film, which marks a change from some of the other names that had been attached, including the obvious heir apparent to Jimmy Stewart (and long time Spielberg cohort) Tom Hanks and Will Smith.

Harvey was the story of a gentle soul by the name of Elwood P. Dowd, and his best friend, who happens to be an invisible six-foot rabbit named Harvey. The original play won the Pulitzer Prize, but most of us probably remember the 1950 film starring Jimmy Stewart as Dowd. News of the remake hit back in August, and according to Complex, during a set visit to Iron Man 2, "the actor spoke with affection and awe about the late Stewart's nuanced timing and camera sense."

Peter and Bobby Farrelly's long-suffering project The Three Stooges has added and subtracted two more names to its cast, according to Boston.com, who caught up with Peter at a show at Fenway Park. Paul Giamatti, who can be seen on a limited number of arthouse screens in the wonderful new movie Cold Souls, will be taking on the role of Larry, the curly-haired comedian of the trio. (Oscar-winner Sean Penn ducked out of both The Three Stooges and Cartel earlier this summer.) Beleagured Wolf Man Benecio Del Toro is still on board to play slap-happy Moe, but Curly remains a mystery. According to Peter, who was trying to watch Paul McCartney while the reporter sussed out this info, the rumors that Jim Carrey will be playing the big-mouthed baldie are incorrect.

So who is willing to take the significant amount of Stooge abuse in the trio? Personally, I nominate Shia LaBeouf. Because someone needs a few noogies after Transformers 2.

If you're dying to participate in your own Stooge-y slapfight, you can download the iStooges app to your iPhone and n'yuck to your heart's delight. See a video demo after the jump.

Hey, LOTR fans! Even though The Hobbit isn't due until 2011, the crew in New Zealand has already started digging some holes for the hobbitses. TheOneRing, your source for all things hairy-toed, has some very cool pictures of the rebuilding of Hobbiton. So far we're only seeing roads, foliage, and the aforementioned hobbit holes, but it's whetting the proverbial whistle for what will hopefully be more Hobbit news out of the San Diego Comic-Con, which starts later this week. Producer Peter Jackson will be there to talk up the deliciously apocalyptic District 9, but rumors abound that there will be Hobbit-y deets leaking out from those insanely packed halls.

So far Jackson's denied he will be announcing who will play Bilbo at SDCC. He told Empire, "We're starting to think about casting, but we're knee-deep in the script right now. And when we do go to actors, they're probably going to ask to see a script, so we're powering ahead with getting the first draft done." It's not like both he and Hobbit director Guillermo del Toro aren't already working on enough different projects to make my head spin, but a fanboy or girl can hope, right? Right now, the odds-on favorites are Harry Potter himself, Daniel Radcliffe, Hot Scot™ James McAvoy, and David "Ten Inch" Tennant from Dr. Who. In turn, there are rumors that a Dr. Who movie will be announced at Comic-Con.

Stay tuned to Cinematical for the latest from Comc-Con! The crew there will be Tweeting it up from the convention floor.

The bad news just keeps coming for Ridley Scott's revisionist take on Robin Hood; delays, confusions over the script -- heck, even the foliage wasn't cooperating. But, this latest piece of gossip to hit the web confirms that no matter how you slice it, all is not well in Sherwood Forest. The latest blow to the beleaguered flick (as reported by the New York Post) is that Sienna Miller has now been fired from her role as Maid Marian in the action adventure.

So what could have prompted the casting change? According to those wags at The Post, Ms. Miller was just too darn sexy. A source was quoted as saying, "It is a mess. Russell never lost the weight he put on for 'Body of Evidence' - and so the love scenes between him and Sienna would have been laughable. He's so old and fat and she's so young and gorgeous. It's just . . . gross." Pretty mean stuff, although it's kind of nice to see male stars getting the heat for body image for a change. The source also went on to say that producers were going to look for a new co-star that was a little closer in size, and age to Crowe.

The official word from the set was that Miller was "released" from her contract, but producers gave no further details as to the reason for her departure. News of a troubled set has been leaking for some time, along with rumours of battles between Scott and Crowe escalating out of control (which has since been publicly denied by Crowe and Scott's agent).

So do you think that Nottingham can ever come back from all of the bad publicity? And does it matter what people are saying during production if the finished product kicks ass?

The last time news about Fox's live-action version of the classic Anime Cowboy Bebop popped up, it seemed like most fans weren't exactly thrilled with the whole idea. So, I'm awfully curious to hear what they think of Keanu Reeves' latest comments over at the MTV Movie Blog. Reeves recently spoke with MTV about the project and he told them, "We've got the rights, we've got a writer" -- which could lend a bit of truth to the rumors that Fox was fast-tracking the project for a 2010 release.

Bebop premiered in Japan in 1998, and followed the adventures of a group of bounty hunters in the year 2071. The series was renowned for its complex stories and characters, and it's inventive use of classic rock and pop songs in the narrative. Reeves tells MTV that the outline for the film is "currently focusing on the origins of the fictional "Bebop" drug developed by the military, which provides its users with a brief surge of superhuman reflexes and awareness. "We're taking the Red Eye [story], the beginning part of the series, and then we'll deal with the end of the series. We're trying to figure out [the time frame]. We're looking at the story right now" (which, if you know anything about the fractured and complex stories of Bebop, is going to be no easy task).

Okay, so this news story links to a news story that links to another news story -- and, as I explain what's going on, you'll understand why this piece takes the same approach to movie news that your grade school science teacher advised when discussing looking at a solar eclipse. See, the good folks at Latino Review have a story today that goes well beyond their usual rush and crush of movie news. According to them, MarketSaw has big, bad, burly spoilers about James Cameron's Avatar. And, like all Avatar news, you have to take this with a grain of salt -- or, if you're like me, and want to not have one iota of information about Avatar prior to its 2009 release, you want to look away.

For those of you with terminal curiosity, you should know that the Latino Review piece does recap the gist of the MarketSaw material, discussing vehicle and spaceship construction, the look of the buildings on-set and the design and construction of one of the film's pivotal sets -- the high-tech chamber where the film's central plot device takes place. And yes, I know I'm being elliptical, but I already know more about this movie than I want to. Those of you who have unbridled excitement can follow the links down the rabbit hole, but if you see too much, we warned you. ...

I always like to pick up the stories no one else wants to write about. Partly because a story like this is sure to generate more than a few hateful comments, and I simply don't want any of my fellow Cinematical team members to feel the wrath. I like it when commenters say they hate me -- I don't know why; maybe I should see someone about that. Anyway, here's what I will not do in this post: 1) I will not link directly to the spoilers and 2) I will not give anything extremely important away. I will however include some minor spoilers, and will tell you when so you fans can stop reading at that point. Fair enough? With just about four days until Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows hits bookstores, someone has leaked pretty much everything online. And unlike previous "leaks" (which I can say were completely false, according to this latest info), this person backs up everything with screenshots of the book, and actually offers up a lengthy Q&A explaining exactly what happens in great detail. Oh yes, this puppy is the real deal.

The good news is that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows will make for one helluva final film. I've shared the info with someone who has read the books and watched the films (because I haven't), and they were pretty beside themselves. Begin Spoilers. You've been warned. The spoilers are starting now. Look away. When J.K Rowling said that two characters were going to die, it appears she wasn't lying. However, more than two characters die (some good and some bad), and the deaths that do occur will hurt. There are thirty-six chapters in the book, including an epilogue. The last chapter in the book is titled The Flaw in the Plan. And while I will not ruin the epilogue for you, let's just say Rowling ends the story for good. I'm going to stop there; if you're interested in knowing what happens, that info is now available online. Find Jeffrey; he knows. Happy hunting.

UPDATE: Folks are already providing major spoilers in the comments section of this post, so read at your own risk.

While folks frantically try to uncover the plot and title for Indiana Jones 4, IESB has arrived with some pretty big news ... if it's true. Up until now, we were pretty positive this would be the final installment in the Indiana Jones franchise, with Shia LaBeouf potentially coming back as Indy's son in a future spin-off installment. Well, according to a "very well respected Paramount studio source" LaBeouf has signed a four-picture deal to reprise his current role in three more Indy-related films. Not only that (and here's the big shocker), but IESB also claims that Harrison Ford signed a three-picture deal, meaning he'll show up (all old and whatnot) as Indiana Jones in two more flicks. Now I'd like to tell you to take this all with a grain of salt (which you should), but know that IESB says their source is "as solid as a rock."

The LaBeouf stuff I can believe, but I never in a million years expected Ford to sign on for more films after this one -- mainly because I wouldn't think Steven Spielberg would be directing, and also because the guy is getting a tad old. And do they really want to stretch this series out into seven films? The first three are such classics, and I have high hopes for the fourth. But three more?! They've got to be kidding. Apparently not. Of course there's always a chance Paramount will wait to see how Indiana Jones 4 does (as well as how much people like LaBeouf's character) before making the move on any additional installments. And there's also a chance Ford's contract only calls for cameo roles, instead of full-on stunt action. But since Ford has never been a "cameo actor," I can't see him agreeing to show up for five minutes to give his son a mission, then bail. Regardless, what do you think about three more Indiana Jones films? Would you be down for that much Indy, or do you want to wait to see the fourth flick before answering?

Chalk this one up as a rumor right now, even though Moviehole feels pretty confident that it's "going to hit the trades any second now." According to the site, Angelina Jolie has been offered a role opposite Pierce Brosnan in The Topkapi Affair, a sequel to Brosnan's Thomas Crown Affair remake from 1999. Loosely based on the 1964 crime caper Topkapi, The Topkapi Affair will once again follow Thomas Crown (Brosnan) as he attempts to steal some sort of priceless jewel from the Topkapi museum in Istanbul. From there, we're not sure what happens -- but as Brosnan told Moviehole a few months back, "This version of Topkapi will have a different part, different woman, and different affair ... and we're using wonderful locations."

And if everyone has their way, Angelina Jolie will be playing that different woman. In the first film (no, not the Steve McQueen flick), Rene Russo played Brosnan's lover; a part which had the gal don her birthday suit for the first time on the big screen. Of course, folks are already conjuring up a number of naked Jolie images in their heads; hoping she follows in Russo's footsteps. And who can blame them? Personally, if they're going to shell out the dough for Jolie, then I would assume they'll also try to find a way to make the film PG-13. Sorry, but that's the way it is these days. But also keep in mind that Jolie has said that, after filming Clint Eastwood's The Changeling, she's going to take a year off to spend time with her family. So, either the powers that be are looking for a way to convince her otherwise or they're willing to wait for the mega star to get some much-needed down time. As soon as we hear more, you'll be the first to know ...