I pity the fool who doesn't want a Hobbit film!

I did not see I Am Legend this past weekend, but apparently there was a poster planted in the film's fictional Times Square for a Batman vs. Superman movie, due out on May 15, 2010. (Check out a screen grab above, courtesy of Slashfilm.) Folks immediately began speculating -- was this a secret teaser poster for Justice League? Had they changed the name (as previously rumored) to Batman vs. Superman? No such luck fanboys (and girls); seems it was only a gag dreamed up by screenwriter/producer Akiva Goldsman, who, long ago, was attached to write a Batman vs. Superman film. But it's still pretty cool, and a neat little Easter Egg if you ask me.

We know John Singleton has signed on to direct a big-screen A-Team movie, and that casting is currently underway, but what's the script look like? Moviehole got their hands on the script, and there's some "interesting" stuff in there. Like, B.A. Baracas (played by Mr. T on the TV show) is listed as a "22-year-old walking steel with two-percent body fat." Yup, expect Tyrese Gibson in this role. Here's a bit more from their synopsis: "I'll be honest - it's not that tantalizing. The whole action of the movie revolves around some vases and stolen art. At one point there's a scene that takes place on a yacht - and it's an art auction. It's just not that interesting." Head on over to Moviehole to read their full review of the 118-page script.

This morning it was announced that Peter Jackson and New Line had kissed and made up, and are moving ahead on the long-planned Hobbit adaptation. However, Jackson is only listed as an executive producer, which means they still need to seek out a director to helm the picture. I'd expect Sam Raimi to be the first one they call, but if Sam takes on this monstrous double-feature, don't expect the guy to be back in the director's chair for Spider-Man 4. Which will also likely mean that Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst will opt out. Would you gladly take Raimi on Hobbit, or could Jackson get real nutty and somehow convince Guillermo del Toro to give up all 300 of his current projects to direct two Hobbit films? Where do you stand? Who do you want directing these movies, if not Jackson?

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.

While we await word on the eventual Spider-Man 4, news regarding the planned Spider-Man musical has hit the net. The Daily Mail apparently spoke with Julie Taymor (who will direct the production) recently, and she let loose the names of the two people she desperately wants as her stars: Jim Sturgess as Peter Parker and Evan Rachel Wood as Mary Jane. If all three of those names are familiar to you, that's because Taymore recently directed Sturgess and Wood in Across the Universe. When asked about the pairing, Taymore said, "Jim's certainly interested, but his film career has taken off, so I have to nab him between movies. Same with Evan. They'd be my ideal pairing, though, if they're free."

With music and lyrics from U2's Bono and the Edge, Spider-Man: The Musical is still a good year away from becoming a reality. Taymor described the show as being "a cross between a play, rock n' roll and circus. The movies with Tobey Maguire worked on their terms, but the show will be very different. In fact, it's based more on the original comic books than the movies." Taymor plans to add trapeze artists, giant puppets and incredible costumes into the show. Personally, I think both are fine choices for each role, and while I've never thought about it before, Rachel Wood could make an excellent Mary Jane. Here's the big question: If the Spidey musical is a huge hit and both Maguire and Dunst opt out of a fourth flick, would you be down for Sturgess and Wood? Are they big enough names?

[via Slashfilm]

With Spider-Man 3 arriving on DVD today, it's fitting that we should receive a major announcement regarding Spider-Man 4. Entertainment Weekly reports that James Vanderbilt (who penned the very awesome Zodiac) has been hired to write the script for Spidey 4, and Sony plans to swing the fourquel into theaters in 2009 (most likely early summer). Whether or not Vanderbilt will be the only writer to take on the project is not known; I wouldn't be surprised if this thing passes through the hands of at least two more writers before it moves ahead. Personally, I don't see the impending writer's strike lasting too long (if it happens at all), and so Vanderbilt should start plugging away almost immediately ... if he hasn't already done so. Most likely he pitched his idea to Sony with a full outline, and so I can't see it taking that long to punch out a draft or two.

What we don't know at this moment is whether Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst and Sam Raimi will return to the franchise. Raimi has already stated that he wants to be involved in some capacity (most likely as producer), and after taking a critical lashing following Spider-Man 3, it'll be interesting to see if Raimi decides to direct one more. Of course, it probably depends on Maguire and Dunst to a certain degree, but if you ask me, I'd like to see them start from scratch with a new cast and director. Feel free to continue the storyline, but this franchise could use some new blood. There's a writer. There's a potential release year. What say you?

[Thanks Steve]

Warner Bros. is wicked smart: They looked and they said, "What's some of the hottest stuff out there right now that we don't have?" The answers: Giant f**king robots and Tobey f**king Maguire. And so Warner Bros. did what they do best -- they went out and picked up the rights to the anime classic Robotech, brought Maguire on to produce through his Maguire Entertainment and are currently seducing him into starring in the lead role. Better yet -- they're also eying this as their next tentpole sci-fi franchise. Whether or not this means Maguire will not reprise his role as Peter Parker in a Spider-Man 4 is hard to say; yet, if he does decide to star in the film (with plans on making it a franchise), I'd imagine chances of him donning the Spidey outfit for a fourth go-round are pretty slim.

I'm not too familiar with Robotech; The Hollywood Reporter tell us it was a "cartoon series during the 1980s from Harmony Gold USA and Tatsunoki Prods. It was re-edited and re-dialogued to combine three Japanese anime series to give the producers enough episodes to air as a daily syndicated series." The story apparently takes place during a time when the Earth has used alien technology to create giant robots in order to use as defense against three successive waves of alien invasions. Giant robots versus aliens, with Tobey Maguire using his small-town charms to kick tons of ass? Yup, I dig it. Craig Zahler will write the script, although there's no indication whether Warners will want to go live-action with this or stick with something in the CGI realm. Which would you rather see: Tobey in Robotech, Tobey in Spidey 4 or Tobey in both?