When you consider the last poster release we got from I am Legend; at least you knew that it could only get better from there. Movies Online started off by hosting 4 different posters for the the big-screen version of Richard Matheson's 1954 classic. But here's the bad news: two of them were just some pretty convincing fakes. I can't say I'm too disappointed since they look like they are cast offs from the Bad Boys II marketing campaign. Luckily, Warner Bros has produced a brand new poster for the film (which you can see to the right, and click on for a larger version), and it's definitely a step up from the first one (it's still the same general idea, but it's just a teeny bit more stylish).

Legend centers on the lone survivor of a 'vampiric plague'. Immune to the disease, he struggles to find a cure before the infected survivors wipe him out. Directed by Constantine's Francis Lawrence, the script was written by Mark Protosevich (Poseidon). Protosevich has been devoted to the project, writing his first draft almost 10 years ago. After numerous drafts and casting upheavals, the production began filming on location in New York and was completed last spring.

There is still the release of a Legend comic book from DC Comics and Vertigo expected in November that will be the basis for some online animated featurettes. The comic was created by Protosevich, Bill Sienkiewicz, and Orson Scott Card. Even Matheson's son helped out on the project as a consultant. Not content with stopping at a comic book and a series of shorts, WB commissioned a Second Life I Am Legend-related MMO game. Up against all of that, a movie poster seems downright quaint. I am Legend will hit theaters on December 14th.

Guess who's back? That's right, Harold and Kumar are gearing up for another wild adventure -- except this time "they're running from the joint." The first teaser trailer for Harold and Kumar 2 (which, at one point, was called Harold and Kumar Go to Amsterdam) has arrived on YouTube (you know what that means -- catch it while you can), and based on what we see, it appears we're in store for a lot more of the same goofy humor that made the original Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle an instant cult classic.

Basically, Harold and Kumar attempt to get on a plane and go to Amsterdam, except some old lady freaks out and thinks Kumar's a terrorist. So, from there, they show us Rob Corddry behind a piece of interrogation glass cracking some joke about North Korea and Al Qaeda working together. Perhaps the greatest part of the entire teaser (and those fans of the original probably know where I'm heading with this) is the re-introduction of Neil Patrick Harris ... as himself. Yup, before the teaser cuts out, there's Harris -- behind the wheel of a car -- looking all coked up and out of his mind, as per usual. I wouldn't go touting this as a must-see comedy; I think the Harold and Kumar shtick is geared toward a particular audience (ahem, stoners), and I wouldn't expect any ground-breaking comedic moments. But the boys have their fans, and those fans will definitely be interested in seeing them up on the big screen one more time. Me? I'll be waiting for DVD ... for obvious reasons.

Although Warner Bros. decided not to debut anything Dark Knight related during their official panel, the studio staged an elaborate stunt outside by painting a phone number across the sky, followed by a message from the Joker. For those who'd like to play along without skipping to the end of everything, call this number: 1-800-395-9646. Follow the riddles given to you on the phone over at the website we talked about earlier today. Eventually, as you pass each step, the above photo will appear. Looks like Maggie Gyllenhaal ain't having such a swell day. And yes, that's Heath Ledger as the Joker with a knife up to Mags' sweet face.

As you move further along in the Joker's game, eventually you'll be provided with the first teaser trailer for The Dark Knight ... in glorious HD quicktime. It's taking a really long time to load the best quality trailer, but I got through pretty quickly with this link. As expected, it is the same trailer we wrote about yesterday (the one that was leaked onto YouTube) in which no actual footage is shown; just a fairly heated conversation between Bruce Wayne/Batman (Christian Bale) and Alfred (Michael Caine). The Joker's voice pops on briefly, a Joker card flies at the screen ... and we're out. Stay tuned to Cinematical as we've been all over ComicCon and will share all the glorious breaking news as it hits.

If you thought a majority of the big ComicCon news swept through with yesterday's Paramount panel, think again. Warner Bros. is set to make their presentation this afternoon. And you know what that means -- dun dun dun -- The Dark Knight. It would appear as if Warners lit the Batman torch a bit early, as another one of those teaser websites popped up online last night. This one is a play on those old Army recruitment posters, but one that's been hijacked by the Joker. A clock in the upper right-hand corner counts down to the time the Warners panel is supposed to begin and coordinates within the site lead to San Diego. And you know what's in San Diego, right? No, not the Padres -- the Con!

I have to say, the Joker does have a way with words. His little recruitment speech almost has me wanting to join up. Here's a taste: "Enjoy a career in a lucrative, ultra high-profile field. Our associates make their own hours, enjoy great benefits and, in some cases, work from home." Sign me up dude! From what we understand, Warners will unveil the first teaser for The Dark Knight this afternoon (which may or may not be the one we linked to yesterday). Along with the teaser, it's our hope we'll get some additional photos or something. Anything. Along with The Dark Knight, Warners will also be offering up previews of Zack Snyder's Watchmen, Kate Beckinsale's Whiteout, Steve Carell's Get Smart and the supernatural flick One Missed Call. Stay tuned into Cinematical as we'll once again be liveblogging the Warner Bros. panel for all fans who insist on receiving info the minute it's announced. Meanwhile, The Dark Knight arrives in theaters on July 18, 2008.

... has just hit YouTube, and it's in very low quality. At least we think this is the first teaser. You be the judge. This is a bootleg version of the teaser that is supposed to play before The Simpsons Movie this weekend, as well as at ComicCon. No word yet when the teaser will officially land in good HD quality online, but I'm thinking Warner Bros. will have to do something. I mean, they can't let folks watch this cruddy bootleg thing. But if you want to get a taste of what we should expect from the highly-anticipated sequel to Batman Begins, then head on over and check it out ... while it's still around. In case it's gone by the time you read this, I'll try my best to give you the play-by-play (don't worry, there aren't any spoilers).

The most annoying part of the teaser is that it's a, well, teaser. As expected, none of the footage was ready to show yet, and so all we get is a black background (that slowly becomes the bat symbol) and a voice-over exchange between Bruce Wayne/Batman (Christian Bale) and Alfred (Michael Caine). Wayne tells Alfred that "he" crossed the line, and Alfred fires back: "You crossed the line first, sir." He later adds: "Some men aren't looking for anything logical. They can't be bought, bullied, reasoned or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn." The bat symbol flies into the picture -- we hear some brief dialogue from the Joker (Heath Ledger doing his best Jack Nicholson impression), a Joker playing card flies across the screen and we're out. The Dark Knight. Summer 2008. I'm sure a lot of fans will be disappointed in the fact that no actual footage is shown, but keep in mind they're still filming this puppy. Just the fact they were able to cut something together (using dialogue already filmed) in time for ComicCon and The Simpsons Movie should be good enough. Keep it tuned in here, and we'll let you know when the trailer hits in better quality. The Dark Knight will arrive in theaters on July 18, 2008.

By the time next Monday rolls around, just the near mention of ComicCon will most likely make me sick to my stomach. That's because we plan to cover the hell out of this convention when it kicks off later this week. And when I'm not reading our coverage, I'll be trolling the many sites out there for stuff we've missed. I'll be up to my neck in geek news, as will most of our team, but why bitch now when things haven't even started yet. I won't be heading out to San Diego this year (which kinda stinks -- I would've loved to meet some folks from other sites); instead, Cinematical is sending two of our West Coast boys, Kevin and Chris. To say we will make their lives crazy over the next week is a massive understatement. That being said, with all that's going on (and all they have planned), I'll owe them each a nice cold one if they can successfully pull it off.

There's so much taking place at this year's Con that it's kind of hard to say which aspect of it I'm looking forward to the most. Do I want to hear J.J. Abrams announce the cast of Star Trek XI, or do I want to hear J.J. Abrams clue us into this damn Cloverfield project a bit more instead? Do I want to see photos of the new (and improved?) Incredible Hulk, or do I want to see the first teaser for The Dark Knight? Or how about that Watchmen cast (which, when it's all said and done, will probably be leaked online in its entirety before the actual panel discussion)? Will 20th Century Fox decide at the last minute to duck out from behind a bush and present something? And how stupid will the Kevin Smith questions be ( I don't even want to go into the absurdity of some of the questions asked to Smith during New York ComicCon)? Will we get an Iron Man teaser? An Indiana Jones 4 teaser? And, how long will it be until the clips leaked onto YouTube get pulled? So much going on, so much to anticipate -- how will we get through it all?

So, I ask you: What's the one thing you're looking forward to the most regarding this week's ComicCon?

Can Roland Emmerich's 10,000 B.C. survive if it doesn't feature New York City either under water, under ice or being attacked by aliens and/or giant lizards? That's the question I had after watching the first teaser trailer for 10,000 B.C. -- Emmerich's latest epic, effects-laced extravaganza. From the guy who brought us Independence Day, the updated Godzilla and The Day After Tomorrow comes a film that ... I don't even know what to say. It's like Apocalypto, but extremely Hollywood-ized. Once you get past all the running and animal-fighting, the first question you'll probably have is ... what language will this film be in? I can't answer that for sure, but since it's coming from Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures (300), I assume everyone spoke English back in 10,000 B.C. I mean, the Spartans did, so why wouldn't these prehistoric mammoth hunters?

It's a no-brainer; I really can't see a major studio like Warners taking a chance on a big-budgeted flick that either doesn't have dialogue or is in a different language. It just wouldn't make sense. But we're used to seeing the historical facts smudged a whole lot when it comes to huge Hollywood flicks, so I won't hold that against the film. That being said, this is only a teaser. Does it look cool? Yeah. But that's as far as I can go. All of Emmerich's films "look" cool, but I've always found the stories are told on a third grade level. Hopefully this one will carry a bit more substance, instead of two hours worth of half-naked men chasing mammoths around with spears. I have no problem checking my brain at the door for certain things, but I'm getting tired of people using that excuse for every other film that gets released. But perhaps I'm in the minority on that one. Who knows. 10,000 B.C. arrives in theaters on March 7, 2008.

Not long ago, 20th Century Fox and Universal had struck a deal with Microsoft to bring their most popular video game, Halo, to the big screen. Producer Peter Jackson (Lord of the Rings) felt comfortable assigning newbie director Neill Blomkamp the task of creating a live action flick (with help from screenwriter Alex Garland), but just when casting rumors began to circulate, the project died on the operating table. Fans everywhere were crushed, and both studios just didn't feel confident enough to invest in a big-budgeted video game adaptation when other such films hadn't performed well at the box office. Recently, Jackson went on record with OnFilm Magazine noting that he expects Fox and Universal to change their minds once they see how nuts people get for the latest Halo installment, Halo 3. Well, it looks like Microsoft, Blomkamp and WETA Digital took things a step further ...

During the E3 conference yesterday, Microsoft unveiled a number of Halo-related goodies; one of which was a live-action teaser helmed by the Halo would-be director, Neill Blomkamp. With help from WETA, Blomkamp cut together a pretty enticing little teaser -- featuring a bunch of soldiers preparing for battle -- in the hopes (I assume) to not only promote the new game, but also give Fox and Universal a taste of what he envisions a film version would ultimately look like. (Note: After you click on the link above, scroll down to Halo Arms Race, as that's the trailer Blomkamp directed.) Personally, I wasn't immediately jazzed by it (some of the shots looked like stock photos of an auto-parts factory), but apparently this isn't the only one Blomkamp created. Thus, we can expect to see more in the coming months leading up to the official release of Halo 3. Will Jackson's predictions turn out to be true? Will Fox and Universal see enough to warrant another greenlight? It's still up in the air, but I wouldn't be surprised if, come this fall, we get word that a Halo movie is in the works once again.

Look, it's Steve Carell ... and he's stuck in a phone booth. Still stuck. Still stuck. Part of me waits for a long-haired Keanu Reeves to show up and go, "Dude, you just open it like this." But no. He's still stuck. And ... the bit is over. Phew. The first teaser for Get Smart has arrived on MSN (of all places), and includes a few quick scenes of Steve Carell doing stupid things in a tuxedo. Strike that, he does attempt to throw something at the dude from Borat (looking exactly like the dude from Borat), but this time he's in a suit. But then he's back in a tux fumbling with a bunch of beads. We're also presented with a few quick (and I mean, quick) glimpses of Anne Hathaway running, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson smiling and Alan Arkin walking. Get Smart comes out next summer ... and I can hardly wait.

But perhaps I'm being a bit cynical here; after all it is early and it is one heckuva hot day here in New York City. Based on the popular 60's television series, Get Smart is sort of like The Pink Panther, but American. The film follows the bumbling Maxwell Smart, aka Agent 86 (Carell), and his much more competent partner, Agent 99 (Hathaway), who both work for an agency named CONTROL that frequently does battle with the evil forces of KAOS. Arkin will play the Chief of CONTROL, while The Rock takes on the role of Agent 23. Terrence Stamp also shows up as Siegfried, KAOS agent and enemy of Smart. The good news is that Carell seems perfect for the role, and I'm sure he'll deliver more than a few laughs. And until we get our hands on something a bit more substantial, I'll do my best to reserve judgment. Seeing them release the first trailer almost a year before the film comes out means there's definitely more heading our way in the coming months. Get Smart is set to stumble into theaters on June 20, 2008.

I trust all of you out there had a wonderful Fourth of July; one that included catching at least one showing of Transformers, as well as a preview for that secret J.J. Abrams-produced Blair Monster Project Movie. I've written a couple posts about this mysterious project before ever having seen the much talked-about trailer, but that's now changed. I caught a screening of Transformers with a group of peeps for my friend's 30th birthday on Tuesday (yes, he wanted to see Transformers for his 30th, and I fully supported him in that decision). I thought the trailer (which followed a group of partygoers onto the streets of Manhattan -- via handheld camera -- as a bunch of explosions slowly begin to cripple the city) was pretty damn rad. And I'm impressed that more information about the film hasn't leaked online ... yet. Kudos to Abrams, his team and Paramount for keeping a tight lid on this thing -- the marketing on it thus far has been pretty damn entertaining.

And it continues today with a brand new teaser website for the film. 1-18-08.com will apparently be the flick's new home, and the domain was registered by Paramount wayyy back in March before anyone knew a thing about "Cloverfield" (or whatever it's called). Right now all that's up there is a photo of two awestruck faces and a time stamp in the lower right-hand corner that reads 01/18/2008 12:36A. I believe the two faces in the pic belong to females, and their mouths are open as if to say, "What the hell is happening right now" or "Did a giant robot really just take a piss on John Turturro?" I have a feeling they'll try to keep this one a secret for as long as they can, although there's a good chance we'll see some sort of promotion for it later this month at San Diego ComicCon. In the meantime, we do know that Abrams is producing, Drew Goddard wrote the script and, from what we hear, Matt Reeves is directing. Is it another Godzilla movie? Does it have something to do with Lost? Or, could it be entirely new ... and we're just conditioned to immediately think everything is either a remake or sequel?