Empire Strikes Back Screenwriter May Return for Star Wars Episodes VIII and IX

Holy crap, fanboys!

Deadline reports that Disney has approached Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan and screenwriter Simon Kinberg (X-Men: The Last Stand, X-Men: First Class) about scripting Star Wars: Episode VII and Star Wars: Episode IX. Oscar winner Michael Arndt is scripting Star Wars: Episode VII.

What's unclear from Deadline's report is whether Kasdan and Kinberg are writing both installments together, or if Kasdan is taking on Episode VIII and Kinberg's doing Episode IX, respectively.

Kasdan also wrote the video game Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire, as well as a little movie called Raiders of the Lost Ark. His other film credits include Silverado, The Big Chill, The Accidental Tourist, The Bodyguard, Wyatt Earp, and Dreamcatcher.

In addition to the X-Men films, Kinberg also scripted Jumper, This Means War, Sherlock Holmes, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, and xXX: State of the Union.

Source : ign[dot]com

EA Denies Reports of Origin Hack

EA has denied reports that Origin has been hacked. In regard to several users complaining about their accounts being stolen on Origin’s official forums, an EA spokesperson tells IGN “At this point, we have no reason to believe there has been any intrusion into our Origin database.”

Specifically, users are getting emails claiming that their username and password have been changed despite taking no such action. A NeoGAF forum thread features several more complaints from users reporting similar problems.

EA provided the following statement to IGN regarding Origin security measures:

“Anytime a player has a question about the security of his or her account or personal data, we take it very seriously and take all possible steps to help. For any customer who cannot access their Origin account for any reason, we ask them to please contact Origin Help or EA’s customer experience group at help.ea.com. The robust security measures in place to protect Origin users accounts are constantly being expanded and upgraded, and we also strongly recommend customers take the protective steps of using strong passwords and changing passwords often.”

For now, it’s unclear exactly what’s happening to users and whether the password resets are some kind of technical glitch or a hack that EA isn’t aware of. We’ll continue to follow up with EA and will update this story with any additional info we receive.

Andrew Goldfarb is IGN’s associate news editor. Keep up with pictures of the latest food he’s been eating by following @garfep on Twitter or garfep on IGN.

Source : ign[dot]com

Chris Hemsworth Is Not an American Assassin

Chris Hemsworth has taken his mighty hammer and smashed an offer to star in American Assassin for CBS Films. "For Odin, for Asgard… for myself!"

Deadline reports that the Thor actor has decided to not play terrorist hunter Mitch Rapp in the film, which is based on the Vince Flynn series of novels. It was reported last month that Hemsworth was offered a cool $10 million to star.

Timing is said to be the reason the deal fell apart, as Mr. Hemsworth is quite busy lately with Thor 2, Steven Spielberg's Robopocalypse and, eventually, Avengers 2.

Talk to Senior Editor Scott Collura on Twitter at @ScottIGN, on IGN at scottcollura and on Facebook.

Source : ign[dot]com

Modern Warfare 4 Rumor Debunked by Voice Actor

The voice actor who plays Captain Price has debunked rumors of a new Modern Warfare sequel. After reports last week that he claimed to be working on Modern Warfare 4, actor Bill Murray (no, not the Ghostbusters/Caddyshack Bill Murray) now says on Twitter that the report is “not accurate,” adding that he “told the guy I was doing a special new Modern Warfare for China, not MW4.”

Last week’s report suggested that Murray said “Yeah, on Monday I am off to meet Infinity Ward about the next game, Modern Warfare 4, I’m doing work on the sequel to Modern Warfare 3, it carries straight on and I only ever appear in the Modern Warfare games.” At the time, Infinity Ward simply commented “Interesting news today, but it’s not true. We’ve not talked with any voice actors, so all news is speculation.”

Murray is likely referring to Activision's partnership with Chinese publisher Tencent, which led to Call of Duty Online in Japan. Other previous Modern Warfare 4 rumors, including alleged information about new game modes and levels, remain unconfirmed.

Andrew Goldfarb is IGN’s associate news editor. Keep up with pictures of the latest food he’s been eating by following @garfep on Twitter or garfep on IGN.

Source : ign[dot]com

Rebooted Batman to Debut in Justice League Movie?

Rumor has it that the live-action Justice League of America movie will also ostensibly serve as the reboot of Batman on the big screen.

Batman-on-Film reports that a "solid as they come" source tells them the Batman "reboot will come after the JL film, not before. Therefore, the new cinematic Batman will be introduced in the JL film as opposed to a solo film. This would ... assure the new Batman film series will be part of a 'DC Cinematic Universe.'"

The site cautions, however, that while their source is legit, they still advise readers to take the rumor "with a grain of salt" for now.

Next summer's Man of Steel is expected to be the final DC Comics movie until at least 2015, when scuttlebutt suggests the JLA film will be released.

JLA is being scripted by Will Beall. No director is currently involved, although recent reports claims the Wachowskis are high up on Warner Bros.' wish list to helm it.

Source : ign[dot]com

Ben Affleck Denies Justice League Reports

Actor-director Ben Affleck has shot down recent reports that he's up for helming Warner Bros.' Justice League of America movie.

In a chat with 24 Hours Vancouver, the Oscar winner said, "I'm not working on the Justice League. One of the problems with entertainment web sites is that they need to fill pages, and that's how rumours get started."

Affleck added, "Justice League sounds really exciting, but it's not something I'm working on."

Source : ign[dot]com

Report: Layoffs Hit PopCap, International Studios Shuttered

New reports suggest that layoffs have hit PopCap Games. According to information originating from the Twitter account of 3D Realms founder George Broussard, approximately 50 employees have been let go from PopCap’s Seattle headquarters, and its international offices in Dublin and Shanghai have been shut down.

The report has been corroborated by VG247, who writes that an anonymous source familiar with the matter says PopCap has been “very quietly” laying off staff for “several months.”

PopCap was acquired by publisher Electronic Arts for $750 million in July 2011. The studio is best known for the release of Peggle, Plants Vs. Zombies and Bejeweled, among others. Just yesterday, PopCap announced that a Plants Vs. Zombies sequel will be released in 2013.

We’ve reached out to both EA and PopCap for confirmation of the layoffs and will update with any comment we receive. IGN wishes the best of luck to anyone affected by the news.

Andrew Goldfarb is IGN’s associate news editor. Keep up with pictures of the latest food he’s been eating by following him on Twitter or IGN.

Source : ign[dot]com

Jim Carrey May Join Kick-Ass 2

Batman Forever and The Mask's Jim Carrey is reportedly being courted for another comic book movie.

Deadline reports that Carrey is being wooed to play a key supporting role in director Jeff Wadlow's sequel. "The character is called The Colonel, and he helps galvanize the team of misfit super heroes assembled to fight evil," according to the site.

"The Colonel" could very well be Colonel Stars, who in the Kick-Ass comics is Sal Bertolinni, a former mob soldier-turned-born again Christian superhero who forms the Justice Forever team before running afoul of Red Mist.

Kick-Ass 2 begins filming soon with original cast members Aaron Johnson, Chloe Grace Moretz, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, and Nicolas Cage all set to return.

Source : ign[dot]com

Dwight's Sister Cast for Office Spin-Off

EW.com reports that the role of Dwight Schrute's "“pseudo-intellectual lefty” sister has been cast for the upcoming Office spin-off series, The Farm.

Check Out the Other New Farm Characters They're Casting For!

Majandra Delfino (Roswell) will play Fannie Schrute, Dwight's younger sister who ho previously left her family behind to go live in Boston. The Farm is planned for early 2013 and involves Dwight quitting Dunder Mifflin to be a beet farmer and run a bed and breakfast.

Majandra Delfino.

Source : ign[dot]com

Thor 2 Goes to Iceland

With production for Thor: The Dark World ramping up in England, new reports suggest that the Norse gods of old may be paying a visit to one of their homelands: Iceland.

According to the Latino Review (via Svarthofdi), Thor 2 helmer Alan Taylor is no stranger to the island country; the director spent some time filming there during his stint on HBO's Game of Thrones. When asked about filming there for the fantasy series, Taylor said, "We feel amazing to travel to a world that looks like those we are trying to create. It gives us all inspiration."

Thor: The Dark World stars Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston and Christopher Eccleston. The Marvel epic opens November 8, 2013.

Max Nicholson is a writer for IGN, and he desperately seeks your approval. Show him some love on Twitter and IGN.

Source : ign[dot]com

Colin O'Donoghue is Once Upon a Time's Captain Hook

Colin O'Donoghue (The Rite) will soon have a recurring role as Captain Hook on ABC's Once Upon a Time, reports Deadline.

Fans have been abuzz with speculation since co-creators Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis teased the pirate villain's appearance at Comic-Con. Hook is one of several new fairytale characters coming aboard for Season 2, which also includes Mulan (Jamie Chung), Princess Aurora (Sarah Bolger) and Sir Lancelot (Sinqua Walls).

Deadline notes that this marks O'Donoghue's return to the network, where he played the lead in the 2011 pilot for Identity.

Source : ign[dot]com

Mark Wahlberg and Liam Neeson in Neuromancer?

The long-gestating screen adaptation of William Gibson's cyberpunk lit classic Neuromancer is reportedly eyeing two big names to star in it.

Moviehole reports that offers have made to Mark Wahlberg and Liam Neeson to play the leads in the film, which is set to be directed by Splice's Vicenzo Natali.

"Wahlberg, who has a solid working relationship with the film’s producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura (he cast the former in Four Brothers and Shooter), would play the anti-hero Case. Neeson, who like Wahlberg will receive a pay-or-play deal, would be the twisted tool Armitage," according to the site.

Moviehole adds that their source says filming is expected to finally comment once Natali wraps production on his current film, Haunter. That would peg Neuromancer for a 2014 release.

Source : ign[dot]com

John Noble's Sleep Disorder Treatment Causes Delay in Production for Fringe's Final Season

According to recent reports, Production has been delayed on Fringe's fifth and final season as co-star John Noble is now being treated for a sleep disorder.

The 64-year-old, who plays Walter Bishop on the show, was overcome with his illness on Tuesday, just one day after he was expected to attend the Fringe TCA press tour panel alongside Anna Torv, Joshua Jackson, Lance Reddick and showrunner J.H. Wyman. While the delay was initially said to be just three days, insiders told The Hollywood Reporter that nine shooting days seems more likely (resuming production on August 7).

Noble's absence from the panel was addressed during the press tour on Monday, with Wyman claiming the actor was feeling "under the weather." However, the network is still confident that this will not affect the series' season premiere on September 28.

Here's wishing John a speedy recovery!

Source : ign[dot]com

Thor 2 Location Details

Reports are coming in that Marvel's Thor sequel, Thor: The Dark World, will have "several scenes" that are shot underground. The Dark World will take place in dark places? How about that!?

Bleeding Cool has the report on the film, which will start shooting in and around London this summer.

"Some long tunnels in London will be used for the filming of scenes that, as yet, we haven’t been able to confirm as taking place on Earth, on Asgard or elsewhere," says the site. "A long tunnel is a long tunnel, though, and when it’s dressed it could be anywhere. But a good long shot, down a real, long tunnel can’t be easily faked on a soundstage."

So assuming these tunnel scenes are more than just a few throwaway shots, it would seem sound to assume that a character or characters in the film will be spending a fair amount of time underground. If so, this would lend credence to the rumors that the Dark Elves will figure in Thor 2 as villains. In the comics, those characters live in Svartalfheim, which is one of the Nine Worlds, and is certainly known to have caves, caverns and an underground dwelling or two.

Talk to Movies Editor Scott Collura on Twitter at @ScottIGN, on IGN and on Facebook.

Source : ign[dot]com

Report: Final Fantasy Versus XIII Cancelled

Reports are surfacing that Final Fantasy Versus XIII, which has been in development since 2006, has been cancelled.

Kotaku is claiming that the planned PS3 exclusive has been canned quietly by Square Enix after it hasn't been seen in some time.

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The company has allegedly made the decision to let the game fade away rather than officially announce its cancellation due to concerns over stock prices.

The company has allegedly made the decision to let the game fade away rather than officially announce its cancellation due to concerns over stock prices. There has been much speculation over the past year that the writing was on the wall after the title was conspicuously absent from conventions.

In fact, the last time the game was mentioned was back in May when designer Tetsuya Nomura told Game Informer that "We would like to ask for your patience on an official announcement for this title. It always takes time when tackling the challenge of doing something completely new, but we are doing our best to bring information to the fans as quickly as we can. Your patience is greatly appreciated."

Kotaku also reports that resources used to make the game were folded into working on what will become Final Fantasy XV a few months back.

We've reached out to Square Enix for comment. Whether true or not, an official cancellation would be better than simply letting the game become "vaporware", where it's existence is never referenced again.

Final Fantasy Versus XIII was originally announced in 2006 as part of the Fabula Nova Crystallis series of games. The other games two games in the series announced at the same time, Final Fantasy XIII and Final Fantasy Type-0 have both been released, and Final Fantasy XIII-2 has also been announced and launched in that time.

Luke Karmali is IGN's UK Editorial Assistant, and was really looking to Final Fantasy Versus XIII. You too can revel in mediocrity by following him on IGN and on Twitter.

Source : ign[dot]com