With a cast including Ben Stiller, Robert Downey Jr., Jack Black, and Matthew McConaughey, Tropic Thunder has the pedigree to become a major success.

“It’s about a bunch of movies stars, and a rapper/actor, who get cast in this Vietnam War movie and get sent over to Vietnam to make this film,” said Stiller, who directs and stars in the flick.

“[Their movie] is going over budget,” he said to MTV, “and the director is freaking out because they’re not getting the reality [look] that they need. So he takes them off into the jungle, and the actors get stuck out in the jungle for real.”

Well, okay then.

“I play a guy named Rob Slolom, who is the executive in charge of the movie within the movie Tropic Thunder,” said actor Danny McBride, pointing to his mullet. “I get to rock this so it should be a good time.”

“The movie is a funny Apocalypse Now,” Stiller said of the tone he’s going for.

Works for us.

Hasbro has released the following message to fans, regarding Paramount Pictures’ live-action G.I. Joe adaptation:

Hasbro’s G.I. Joe Team wanted to take this opportunity to clarify some of the facts regarding the G.I. Joe live-action movie that we are developing with Paramount Pictures.

First and foremost, we are not changing what the G.I. Joe brand is about. The name “G.I. Joe” will always be synonymous with bravery and heroism.

The G.I. Joe brand has enjoyed a successful 43-year history, spanning two key generations. The first was the line of 12-inch “realistic military” figures that were popular with kids in the 1960s and 1970s.

The second generation, was created in 1982, and is based on a cast of fictional heroes and villains that make up the “G.I. Joe vs. Cobra” fantasy. The premise of this fantasy is the story of the G.I. Joe team, led by Duke, and their “fight for freedom wherever there is trouble” against the evil Cobra Commander and his Cobra force. This storyline was an instant hit with kids in the early 1980s, spawning a highly popular 3-3/4-inch action figure line, comic book collection and animated series.

Continue reading this article …

Despite the character’s name, portraying The Joker is far from a fun ride.

Just ask Heath Ledger, who suits up for this iconic role in The Dark Knight, playing a “psychopathic, mass-murdering, schizophrenic clown with zero empathy,” as the actor described his Joker to The New York Times recently.

The role is a honor, but it’s also exhausting, Ledger told the newspaper.

“Last week I probably slept an average of two hours a night,” he said. “I couldn’t stop thinking. My body was exhausted, and my mind was still going.”

We’re sure it will all pay off when The Dark Knight hits theaters in July, 2008, however. We can’t wait.

Beowulf is an unusual mixture of animation and real life.

The fantasy is based on the book by the same name, focusing on the warrior Beowulf, who must fight and defeat the monster Grendel. But forget all of that.

There’s a shot or two of Angelina Jolie nude in the film. Need we say more? Check out the beautiful lizard below:

“I didn’t expect ourselves to come out as much. I didn’t expect it to feel as real, and so because of especially the type of character I play, it was kind of funny at first,” Jolie recently said about the Beowulf nudity experience.

Opening in January, There Will Be Blood is earning Oscar buzz for Best Picture and Best Actor (Daniel Day-Lewis).

Check out the movie trailer for it below:

The Rock will re-team with Get Smart director Peter Segal for a film version of Shazam, based on the comic of the same name.

The former WWE star was initially offered the opportunity to play the caped superhero Captain Marvel, but he’s opted instead to play the villain. His name? Black Adam (pictured).

“The goal is just to make a kickass movie, a kickass character,” Dwayne Johnson said.

This comic book tells the tale of Billy Batson, a youth who works as a radio news reporter and was chosen to be a champion of good by the wizard Shazam.

Whenever Billy speaks the wizard’s name, he’s instantly struck by a magic lightning bolt that transforms him into an adult superhero: Captain Marvel.

Coming out on Christmas Day, Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem is sure to be a holiday blockbuster.

To get action and horror fans fired up, here are a couple pictures from the upcoming film:

Bond 22 is set to begin filming before the year is out. All the movie needs before then? A few more actors and actresses.

So, who is in the running for key roles, such as the main villain and, of course, the Bond Girl?

According to MI6.co.uk, “Swedish actor Rafael Edholm (pictured) is in contention for the role of the villain… Edholm confirmed that he will be screen testing for the part.”

The 41 year-old actor also said that winning the role “would be really cool.”

Meanwhile, Israeli model and actress Moran Atias is reportedly a finalist for the sexy role of Bond Girl, previously portrayed by Eva Green in Casino Royale.

“Last Sunday, she was called to the Sony Studios for a meeting with director Marc Forester. Five Latina actresses were also invited,” reported MI6.

We reported last week on the director behind the upcoming movie of The Flash.

Now, we can tell you who’ll be penning the script for this comic book adaption: Dirty Sexy Money creator Craig Wright. He’s set to script the feature film for director David Dobkin.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, “the project is not a spinoff of the upcoming Justice League of America movie that George Miller is directing in which the Flash is a major character.”

Dobkin, meanwhile, has long wanted to do a comic book movie.

“Because of that simplicity, it is easy to design a theme and a story around what his inner life is in comparison to his superpower,” he recently said of The Flash film.

High School Musical fans can relax: a pair of their favorite actresses are, indeed, coming back for High School Musical 3.

According to Us Weekly, both Ashley Tisdale and Vanessa Hudgens have signed up for the first film in the franchise to be released in theaters.

“Vanessa is locked for the movie,” a High School Musical 3 source told the magazine. “She is very happy that the deal is done.”

Meanwhile, a Tisdale source said of the other lead actress’ negotiations: “It’s done, done, done.”

Co-stars Corbin Bleu and Monique Coleman are also in final negotiations, according to their publicist.